After barreling into the guard at Leliana's door and forcing my way in, he understandably had some questions but at least he recognized me and allowed me to answer. He had no information about the assassin and I wasn't going to take the time to explain it to him. I simply told him I'd heard she'd woken up and he believed me, returning to his post and allowing me entry.

I closed the door behind me and saw that Leliana had not moved at all on the bed, still held in the grip of Wynne's healing sleep. Her body needed time to heal and I did not want her wake before she needed to be but that didn't mean I would mind her eyes opening for me.

At least she was safe. The guard had never moved from her door and no one had been seen.

I guess the assassin was only after me and that was a good thing.

I took my seat next to her bed and picked her hand up in mine once again.

"I won't let anyone touch you again. I promise you this."

Leliana stirred just a bit and I watched her, hopeful that she would wake up but I was also dreading having to explain or answer anything.

She didn't move further and after a bit of time, I laid my head down on the bed against her hand, wishing I could just hear her voice again.

There was knocking at the door a bit later and Alistair came in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Detra. How is she doing?"

I pouted.

"There's not much change. She's just been sleeping all this time."

"Wynne said that she would be, with all the blood loss. She just needs to gather her strength and then she'll be up and out in no time."

Alistair said nothing of the assassin so I assumed he had not heard. I guess it was small news in comparison to the troops arriving. I was certainly not going to bring it up either. I wanted it gone from my mind like so many other things.

We both watched Leliana for a moment and then Alistair told me why he'd come.

"Riordan has returned, Detra. He asked that we join him in his room."

"Oh? That's right. He did mention talking to us earlier."

"He did? When did you see him?"

"Earlier today when you were stuffing your face."

Alistair laughed and the sound made me smile slightly.

I stood and laid Leliana's hand across her chest, kissing her forehead and promising to be back soon.

"Let's go find out what Riordan wants. Perhaps he's found the Archdemon and slain it already."

Alistair laughed again, opening the door.

"I wish it were that easy."

"Come in, come in. Both of you." Riordan greeted us, closing the door behind our entrance.

We watched Riordan's hands wring together in front of him nervously and then he finally looked up at us.

"Please know, I assumed you had already been told of this otherwise I would have talked with you both when you freed me at Howe's estate. I am sorry it comes at so late a time."

Alistair stepped forward.

"What is it, Riordan? What are you apologizing for?"

Riordan sighed.

"Tell me, have either of you wondered why Grey Wardens are needed to defeat the Darkspawn?"

"It has to do with the taint in our blood. How we can sense them, right?" Alistair said while I thought the same.

"That is exactly what it involves. The Archdemon may be slain as any Darkspawn but should any other than a Grey Warden do it, it will not be enough."

"Enough? Enough for what? For it to die? Do you mean to say the Archdemon cannot be killed? Oh Maker..." Alistair groaned.

"What do you mean by 'not enough', Riordan? Is there something else we must do?" I asked.

Riordan paced around us, not looking pleased to be the one who must deliver whatever this news was.

"I am truly sorry this is the first you are hearing of this. I am assuming things progressed quicker in Ostagar than Duncan had planned as I am sure he would not forget to tell you these things. As I said, I would have told you straight away had I known."

"That doesn't matter now. What must we do to slay the Archdemon, Riordan?" I asked.

"It is not so simple. When the Archdemon is slain, the essence of the beast will pass through the taint to the nearest Darkspawn and will be reborn anew in that body, bringing all of its power over with it."

Alistair and I waited for more.

"If the Archdemon is slain by a Grey Warden...Its essence travels instead into the Grey Warden..."

My mind worked quickly.

"And since..."

I was shaken by the realization of what Riordan was telling us but I managed to complete my sentence.

"And Darkspawn are soulless creatures...but Grey Wardens are not. Am I correct in assuming that our soul would be that which would destroy the Archdemon?"

Alistair looked at me and then Riordan.

"What? You can't be serious! Are you saying that one of us has to die to kill it?"

"Yes, Detra. You are correct. The Archdemon needs an empty vessel and any other presence will negate its energy and in turn destroy it."

"This is insane! We will just kill it far from any Darkspawn and it will have nowhere to go!"

Riordan sighed, knowing Alistair was having a hard time grasping the truth as he had himself so many years ago.

"It will eventually find a target, Alistair. The essence will not stop until it does. There is only one way this can end and unfortunately it will require one of our lives. I wish it were different, Alistair. But this is the price we Wardens must pay."

Alistair refused to listen to Riordan's reason.

"There must be another way!"

I was understanding what Riordan was telling us but I also wanted to side with Alistair and believe there was another way.

"Perhaps magic? Maybe Wynne can find something..."

"It has been tried before and no spell that I've ever known of has had any effect. I'm sorry."

"This is madness." Alistair said.

I touched his shoulder.

"It's all right, Alistair. There must be some other way."

"Yes! So let's find it!"

Riordan held his hands up.

"As far as we know, the transfer of the Archdemon's essence is automatic. If one of us is not present when the killing blow is made, then all of our effort and our struggle, it is all for naught. There is no other way. For what it's worth, I am sorry."

Alistair was angry.

"Now I see why the Wardens are so secretive about everything. I already knew I only had thirty or so years left to live but this? This is just... It's just too much to ask of someone."

"That is precisely the reason we keep it a secret, Alistair. Who would dare become a Grey Warden if they knew what fate might befall them? And yet there must be Grey Wardens. There is no hope without us. The Darkspawn would spread and corrupt all of the lands and then we would all simply perish under the Blight."

Alistair and I simply stood there, trying to absorb all that Riordan was putting forth but it was difficult.

"So there are only three of us in all of Ferelden...And it's up to one of us to stop the Archdemon." I said quietly.

"In Blights past, when the time of battle came, the eldest of the Grey Wardens would decide which amongst them would take that final blow. So if possible, the final blow should be mine to make. I am the eldest here and the taint will not spare me much longer."

Alistair and I simply stared at Riordan as he signed his own death sentence.

"But if I fail, the deed will fall to one of you. The Blight must be stopped now or it will destroy all of Ferelden before the rest of the Grey Wardens can assemble. Do not forget this."

"I can't believe this." Alistair said, almost in a daze.

Riordan knew Alistair would only argue further and there was nothing else he could say to put his mind at ease.

"Enough. There is much to do tomorrow and little enough time to rest before it. I will let you both return to what you were doing before."

I was in a daze myself, unsure how to handle all of the news we'd just received but Riordan could help us no further. It was not his fault that we did not know about the Archdemon's uncanny sense of survival. It had not been his responsibility to tell us but he had and that was all he could offer.

This was just how it was.

Alistair still had some argument left in him but I took his arm.

"Alistair, come on. Let Riordan get some rest."

I half-dragged Alistair to the door and he quieted down, his face still angry.

"In war, victory." Riordan said behind us, arm across his chest, his voice strong.

There was a moment of silence and then Alistair continued, closing his eyes.

"In peace, vigilance."

The last part fell to me and I hung my head, feeling the words.

"In death, sacrifice."

The words hung in the air and the three of us were reminded of what it meant to be a Grey Warden and it humbled us.

"I will see both of you tomorrow."

I looked back at Riordan, leading Alistair out of the room.

"Yes you will, Brother. Rest well."

"How can they expect us to give up our life like this? Duncan should have told me!"

Alistair and I had gone into his room so that we could have privacy to speak further about the coming decisions and he would not settle down.

"Alistair, there is nothing we can do about it. Let's just see what happens when it comes time."

"No, I don't want to wait! I think that we should find Wynne right now and discuss this with her. There must be some spell that she can think of to help us."

"You know we cannot do that, Alistair. That would be breaking our Warden's Oath."

"Does that really matter now? What happens if all three of us die and then there are no Wardens left at all? At least if we try to find an alternative, we have a chance!"

"Don't you think that if there were an alternative, the Wardens would have found it over the years? This is how it must happen it seems."

Alistair sighed angrily and slammed his hands into the table, leaning over into it. The sound jolted me and I just watched him, not knowing how to calm him down.

"Well I'm not losing you so it will be me."

I stared at Alistair in shock, replaying what he'd just said in my head.

"What? What exactly do you mean by that? Don't even think about making that final blow, Alistair. You are going to rule Ferelden as the King and live a long and healthy life and that is the end of that discussion."

Alistair faced me with anger in his eyes I'd never seen before.

"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do? If I'm going to be King, then my first order is for you to stand down!"

I shot forward and slapped Alistair's face, returning his anger with my own.

"Don't you dare ask me to lose anyone else, Alistair... Don't you dare!"

I choked back sobs.

"I will make that final blow. It would be easier than living with..."

I could not even finish my sentence, tears pouring from my eyes, everything I'd been avoiding coming to the surface.

Alistair had tears in his eyes and we grabbed on to each other, both of us caught in this dismal situation that had already condemned one of us to death with no way out.

There was nothing either of us could do to change what was needed, but I would never let Alistair touch the Archdemon, this I promised myself. The responsibility lay with Riordan or myself and if we failed, then it would fall to the Orlesian Wardens from there.

Alistair would not die.

I sniffled into Alistair's shoulder and knew I had to leave. I could not listen to any more of him offering himself up for death.

"I'm going to go rest, Alistair. I think you should too."

Alistair didn't say anything. He just looked at me with his sad eyes.

I smiled as much as I could manage and touched his cheek.

"I'm sorry I slapped you."

He smiled back about the same.

"No you're not."

We shared a small giggle and then resigned ourselves to reality and I hugged him again before turning towards the door.

"See you in the morning."

"I love you." Alistair called after me.

"I love you, too." I answered, closing his door softly.

I did not want to go and see Leliana tonight. She might sense the negative energy surrounding me right now and I didn't want that for her. I also did not want to continue crying all night and I surely would have going back to see her. I had not heard that she'd woken yet so I decided to leave her be, at least until I got myself together.

I moved quietly down the hall back to my own room and could still faintly hear the commotion from the front hall as more troops arrived and room was made for them.

If only that was enough to save us.

I made it to my room and slipped inside the door, quickly closing it behind me. It was very much a relief to not have any pairs of expectant eyes on me or anything to decide right now. I wiped the last bit of tears from my eyes.

I didn't think they'd ever stop.

I wondered if I shouldn't just go to bed after this day of horror. I moved towards the bed and it looked very inviting.

I suddenly sensed a presence very near and I took a defensive stance, spotting the shadow in front of the fireplace.

Morrigan turned from the fire that the elves had started earlier for me, noting with delight the surprise on my face.

"Do not be alarmed, Detra...'Tis only I."