I wasn't surprised to see Alistair and a group of soldiers waiting for us as we approached. He led us toward Ferelden's army.
"Before us stands the might of the darkspawn horde! Gaze upon them now, but fear them not!" he gestured for me to come stand beside him, and I narrowed my eyes slightly but complied. He was king, after all. "The girl you see beside me is a child, raised to the ranks of the Grey Wardens! And never a more glorious Grey Warden, has there been!"
I was not liking the attention. All eyes were on me.
"She has survived despite the odds, and without her, none of us would be here! Today, we save Denerim! Today, we avenge the death of my brother, King Cailan!" He walked down from the perch we were on, moving to stand in front of the army. "But most of all, today we show the Grey Wardens that we remember and honor their sacrifice! For Ferelden! For the Grey Wardens!"
He would do just fine as king. I smiled to myself as the soldiers roared as one.
As we began our march, the archdemon flew overhead, circling the city. Before we could even think of the dragon, though, we first had to defend the center of the city. I spread myself as thin as I could manage, choosing to stay back with our mages. Look like I was defending them, whereas I was actually too focus to do anything for other than short bursts. It felt like an eternity had passed, when Riordan finally called us to order by the gates leading to the city.
"We've managed to fight our way to the gates. We're doing better than I'd hoped."
"That will change quickly." Wynne murmured.
"Blood nug runners! We're outnumbered three to one!" Oghren's wise words.
"What are we to do now, Riordan? You have a plan, I assume?" Wynne again. I didn't like that she was looking to him for answers, but he did have more experience here, I supposed.
"The army will not last long, so we'll need to move quickly to reach the archdemon." His eyes settled on me, "I suggest taking Alistair and no more than two others with you in to the city. Anyone you don't bring with you, can remain here to prevent more darkspawn from entering Denerim on our tails."
"How are we going to fight a flying dragon?" Solana asked fretfully.
"We're going to need to reach a high point in the city... I'm thinking the top of Fort Drakon might work."
"The top of...? You want to draw the dragon's attention?" Alistair pipped up.
"We have little choice, though I warn you that as soon as we engage the beast, it will call all its generals to help it." He concentrated for a moment, "I can sense two generals in Denerim. You may wish to see them out before going to Fort Drakon."
Leliana frowned, raising her voice to be heard, "I'm sure that if we did slay those generals, it would stop the darkspawn in the city from doing a lot of harm!"
"It may also waste resources trying to find them. The decision is up to you."
I stared in the direction the of the fort, "I'm ready."
"There are already several units of our allies within the city by now. They may be able to come to your assistance if you call them, but their strength will be limited. Now, do you know who you wish to take with you in to the city?"
I nodded, not taking my eyes from the goal, "Zevran, Morrigan, and Leliana."
Chaos erupted, the others upset or angry over not being chosen.
I held up a hand, "My decision is final. Everyone else stays here and stems the tide of darkspawn funneling in to the city." My eyes roamed my companions for possibly the last time. There was no telling if we would all live. "Am I clear?"
"Fair enough." Riordan sounded displeased, but I didn't care. "Who will lead them?"
"Sten would be suitable." I couldn't look at Alistair.
"Very likely." the Qunari stated.
"Good. That should be sufficient. Nothing you have done has prepared you for what you face now. May the Maker watch over you."
"We've already slain one dragon-this one won't be any different." I was calm. Ready.
"So, this is it, then. All that we've been through has led up to this." Wynne was the first to address me with a goodbye. "Whatever happens now... to either of us, know that I am proud-infinitely proud-to have called you friend. Onward then, and may the Maker smile fortune upon us."
Oghren was next, "So. This is it."
"It has been an honor to fight with you, Oghren."
"Honor? Nobody's looked at me and seen honor in a long time, Warden. You took in a drunken disgrace of an Orzammar warrior. You gave me a reason to fight and the will to keep going. You helped me find the one woman in the sodding world who might put up with me, and you helped me get past Branka so I could have someone new. I owe you a lot, Warden. I consider it a fine honor to die for you and your cause."
"The honor is mine, friend."
"Then it's sodding honor for everyone. That's war, for you. Let the stone turn red from the blood of heroes. Today, I will be the warrior you taught me to be."
I was still grinning when Sten approached, "Are you ready? We have reached the battlefield at last."
"Thank you for your help, Sten."
"I have done nothing." he protested, "You have carried us this far. Do not doubt that."
Seraphine gave a soft whine.
"Don't worry, girl. I'll be back."
She gave me a questioning look, as if debating whether or not to trust my words. Evidently, she did, because she barked again, happier this time, and bounced around in a circle.
Alistair was last, the other Wardens deciding against last goodbyes, it seemed.
"So, I'm going with you, I see. Any particular reason?" He sounded hurt.
"You're going to be king. You belong our here with your men."
"I'm a Grey Warden. My place is facing that archdemon at your side, as your comrade. But there's no use in arguing about it, is there? We don't have time and... you are a stubborn, stubborn little girl."
"That I am."
"Well, at least you're honest about it. I guess this is the last chance we'll get to talk... before this is finished, one way or another. I'll do my best out here."
"I'm not taking any of the other Wardens, Alistair." I pointed out gently.
"Be careful in there, will you? You said you'd help me be king, and I'm not letting you off if you go dying or something."
"The archdemon doesn't stand a chance." I smiled.
He returned it nervously, lowering his voice, "Just remember that ritual isn't going to help, if you get your head squashed first." In a more normal volume, he added, "Go kick its ass."
The other Wardens merely nodded, already in the mindset of killing more darkspawn.
I couldn't wait for this to be over and see everyone's faces again. Alive.
"All right, we're heading in. Everyone ready? Everyone know what they're doing?"
Various sounds of agreement and acknowledgment came from everyone gathered.
"See you after the battle!" I waved, then the four of us walked to the gates. I took a deep, settling breath.
"So we head in to the city together. As it should be." Morrigan's voice sounded by my ear, "Once this is done, no matter how it turns out, I will be gone. You are aware of this, yes?"
"I am aware." I murmured quietly.
She sighed, "Allow me to say only one thing before we go. I knew nothing of friendship before we met. And I will always consider you such. Live well, my friend. Live gloriously. Now let us see this finally done. The archdemon awaits."
I reached out and touched her hand lightly, then walked past her, toward the gates.
Leliana spoke softly, "So, this is it... this is the end. We've come so far. It's strange, knowing that all our fates will be decided in a matter of hours. We stand on the precipice, before the greatest battle of our age... I wonder if the heroes of old ever felt like this."
"Probably." I hedged, unsure myself.
"I am not afraid. We go to fight for a good cause, and there is nowhere else I would rather be. You are a dear, dear friend, and I will stand with you, to whatever end. This day, we will forge a legend of our own."
"So now we head in to the city together to face the archdemon, hmm? Good. I was nearly afraid you were about to march inside without me. We cannot have that!" Zevran and I shared a grin, "Let us go and teach this dragon a lesson, yes? It should have stayed in whatever hole it crawled out of."
We entered the city.
...
The generals had fallen quickly, for all the hype Riordan had built up. The amount of darkspawn within the walls were many, but not an overwhelming amount by any means. Though, we did have to call upon the dwarves to lend their aid.
There was a few moments of struggle in the Alienage, trying to protect the elves still present, but even then... we proved too much for the creatures. Also, there was the bridge collapse, too. As we were crossing said bridge, the archdemon flew low, almost knocking us off, and breathed fire. The stonework flew apart as if an explosion had taken place. I had to check to make sure the others had gotten safely across.
The Market District was horrible. Bodies of humans were strewn everywhere. We cut down every single darkspawn we came across, but we didn't waste time going out of our way to do so. None of them deserved to live, not after seeing the carnage they'd caused.
Of course, Fort Drakon wasn't much better. The courtyard was free of corpses, but the interior... I'd wager that anyone still inside when the darkspawn stormed the place was dead. Dead within half an hour, tops.
Our first real obstacle was the shade. There were three of them, actually, but one was a greater, while the other two were lessers. The latter didn't take much focus, except when they ganged up together. On and on we went, going higher and higher. Nothing was left alive.
About halfway up the Fort, near a staircase, we found Sandal. He was surrounded by... darkspawn bodies.
I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Enchantment?"
"You're... surrounded by darkspawn corpses. What happened here?" I scratched my head, confused and a little concerned.
"Enchantment!" If only I understood what he was trying to convey.
"No. Not right now. I appreciate it, though." I took a second glance around the room, shaking my head. "All right. Less for us to do."
Place settings still out, the food slowly cooling. The people here had been ambushed, hard.
We even happened upon genlock assassins. Who knew? They were very crude in their styles, but quicker and stealthier than the average genlock. It was weird.
On the last floor, the in the large hall, we encountered two ogres and a genlock emissary. I hated the ones who could do magic. They usually had vampirish spells. Zevran and I kept them all busy while Leliana and Morrigan picked them off individually from afar. A quick snoop through the chests, and we were overflowing with healing drafts.
"That's the exit. Anything anyone have to do before we leave?"
"No."
"I am ready."
"Let us not keep the archdemon waiting."
I smiled at them, the ones who had followed me in to a fight we might not survive. "Let's get going, then. We have a date."
Zevran tsked, "All with the same dragon? It will simply have to choose one of us. I'm not good with the whole sharing thing."
Rolling my eyes, I opened the doors and raced out on to the roof. A man flew by, skidding along the stone. That looked like it hurt. Or, rather, it would have, had he still been alive. But we'd found the archdemon.
Swinging its tail back and forth, it waited to see what the soldiers near it were doing. The dragon knew it had all the time in the world, while we were slowly being annihilated.
One man tried to crawl away, but a heavy, clawed foot smashed down on to him. He died instantly.
"It's beautiful." I murmured. This was a beast that had lived a very long time, and age had turned the scales in to an armor harder than diamond. The taint shimmered in them, too, casting a kind of sparkle on the area around it.
The three with me looked at me like I was crazy. Ignoring them, I slowly walked toward it. With less than fifteen feet between us, it whipped its head around and looked at me.
"The singing. The singing is too much. Help me. End the song. You have to end it, or it will just continue. They come in droves, their instincts telling them that I'm what they're looking for. I didn't want to start a Blight, as the mortals call it. I had no intention of starting anything. I was asleep, until recently. The spirits of the fade felt the air tremble; they felt something stirring. We talked about it for a time, though I didn't pay much mind to it. The mortals were always getting in to things they shouldn't. It is in their nature, but this…. What happened was an atrocity."
The voice wound through my mind, intertwining with my thoughts. It was a dizzying sensation, the fullness of my head beginning to weigh me down, as if it was a physical force.
The dragon blinked an eye at me, preparing me for more words.
"You are not like the mortals here. You are other. Mayhap you could help me. Put an end to the singing! KILL ME! SAVE ME FROM THE SONG! IT NEVER ENDS, IT'S ALWAYS THERE, ALWAYS IN THE BACKGROUND! EVEN NOW, I CAN HEAR IT!"
I shuddered, trying not to draw attention from the others. I doubted they would understand that I wasn't, in fact, going crazy. That the was a dragon talking to me. That the Archdemon, of all things, was speaking directly in to my head. And not for the first time. They'd surely wonder why I had kept it from them, that it had spoken to me before.
I concentrated my thoughts, aiming them toward the beast, "What do you want me to do? Why would you want to die? Isn't there another way for me to stop the song?"
"No. There is not. I wish to die, because I have seen many centuries filled with the arrogance and selfishness of the mortals. They destroy everything they touch. I am an Old God. My name used to have meaning in more places than whispers in Tevinter. I am but a shell of what I once was. Corrupt. Tainted by these creatures. I can endure it no longer. I must die. It is the only way to end the torment."
I took a deep breath, trying not to show my inner struggle.
"Morrigan said there was a way to seal the soul of the Archdemon inside of something. Inside of a child."
"It would need to be unborn and carrying the taint inside them. How would you corrupt the child without corrupting the mother?"
"There was a-" I hesitated, "a ritual. She performed a ritual that would make everything happen. She never told me if she would have the Blight…. I didn't think to ask…."
She, for that was the feeling I was getting from the leader of the horde, raised her head to the sky and released a gout of fire. Several soldiers fell back, frightened of burning to death.
I peeked around, checking on what the others were doing. Leliana and Morrigan were standing near the mages from the Circle Tower. Zevran was making his way toward me, a fearful expression on his face. My eyes wide, I turned back to the archdemon, just in time to watch as the claws came toward me. Agony filled me. Every part of my being. I screamed horribly loud as the blood sprayed, covering those close to me.
"Ana!" I heard the elf yell, but everything was so far away. It sounded more like a whisper.
"Help me." The archdemon murmured almost silently in my mind.
With a rage I didn't know I possessed, I growled and threw myself toward the dragon with abandon. Fuck this monster! How dare she beg me for help, after everything the darkspawn have done? Because of her! And then, on top of that, she may very well have killed me! Still, she has the gall to tell me to help her?!
I jumped up on to her foreleg and climbed to her shoulder, running along the ridge of her spine. With a scream of fury, I sank my daggers through her eye sockets. She flailed, throwing her head from side to side, and sent me flying. I crashed against several brave soldiers who had, instead of running from the wounded dragon, waited to catch me.
I stood and, swaying, made my way toward the downed god. I grabbed a sword from a darkspawn corpse and slit her throat, before ramming the blade deep in to her skull.
A brilliant, blinding white light shot up in to the sky as she died. A burning sensation broke through the dull haze of numbness that had spread in to every piece of me, making it hard to breathe. Falling to my knees, I wrapped my arms around the hilt and hugged it to my chest, ignoring the flare of pain.
A strange fullness settled in to my head. I could only think o fit as strange because it had only ever happened the two times the... archdemon had... spoken to me... The scream that was ripped from my very core threatened to cause my eardrums to burst. My mind shut down, my body following soon after. The borrowed sword was the only thing keeping me from collapsing in a heap.