The Night of the Undead
The sun was setting. Ciara watched the castle, but paused when she heard Alistair. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Alistair lead a boy over to the Chantry. He held a new sword in his hand which the boy carefully touched. Alistair smiled warmly and nodded.
"I'll use it. I promise."
"Thank you," the boy said, and ran to the Chantry doors where an older girl rushed out, dragging the boy into a hug, sobbing in relief.
Alistair smiled at the pair before he approached her side, facing the castle.
"A new sword?" she asked.
"Just for tonight. I'll defend Redcliffe with it then give it back," Alistair said softly. "It's Bevin's, the boy you saw a moment ago. His sister asked me to find him because he ran turned out he was in his house, seeking out his grandfather's sword. He wanted to avenge his mother and defend his sister."
"I suppose she died to the undead?"
"Their mother?" Alistair deflated. "Yeah, sadly. A few days before we got here, but now that we're here we're going to protect these people."
Ciara smiled warmly. "Softie."
Alistair laughed and nudged her arm gently. "Don't go spilling all my secrets."
Ciara eyed the castle again as the sky continued to rapidly darken. "Just don't be soft on the undead, even if any of them might look familiar to you, Alistair."
Alistair winced. "I knew quite a bit of the staff up there."
Ciara reached over and squeezed his free hand.
"I'm not looking forward to this," Alistair said softly.
"I know." Ciara smiled. "I think only Shale and Narascha are. Narascha will be getting a new set of armour tomorrow as long as we all survive this."
Alistair snorted. "She'll finally get something that fits her properly, huh?"
"She's so excited."
The last of the sunlight ebbed away. Ciara watched the Chantry doors get pulled shut, a red headed girl being the last to rush inside. She could hear them bolting it up now.
"I suppose we better go see how Torph's traps fair then," Ciara said, and stiffened at the swirl of magic she sensed coming from the castle grounds. "Did you-"
"Yeah." Alistair paled. "There's a mage up there."
"Well that makes things a bit more complicated," Ciara huffed as a swarm of green energy began to leave the castle gates. "That sword of Bevin's will get quite the use out of it tonight. Everyone make ready!"
"Wait, Ciara!" Alistair grabbed her arm. "Are you sure you can cope with this? Maybe you should stay in the Chantry tonight, maybe act as the last line of defence-"
Ciara reached up and squeezed his hand, the one clutching her arm. "I'm counting on you to watch my back."
"Y-Yeah," Alistair stammered, taken aback. "Always, Ciara, but don't you think-"
"We'll be fine as long as we work together, Alistair." Ciara smiled sweetly. "Trust me?"
"Of course I do-"
"Lovely, then let's go fight."
She left Alistair blinking, before he shook his head and rushed after her up the cliff side.
.::.
The pathway down to Redcliffe village exploded the moment the first wave of undead stepped on to it. Narascha felt the heat against her face even from the distance Torph had ordered them all to stay back at. Alistair screamed, covering his ears, while Narascha grinned fiercely.
"Nice job, Torph!" she yelled.
"It's not over yet!" Torph grinned wolfishly. "Here's a few where that came from, you motherfuckers!"
More explosions went off, and Narascha saw one of the giant bladed traps swing round, gutting four undead. The blades on the ground went up, cutting deep into the undead horde's feet and legs, but the tore right through them. A few of the archers managed to shoot them down, while Shale laughed.
"I love the bearded dwarf's explosions!" Shale beamed. "It's exciting!"
"I'm terrified this place is going to come crashing down!" Alistair cried.
"That's what makes it even more thrilling!" Shale cheered.
"Torph has been studying the area all day," Ciara said, stretching out her injured shoulder gently. "He'll have taken note how much damage his traps can do."
"Like another round of explosions." Narascha grinned.
The first wave began to drag their way through Torph's traps, so Narascha, Sten and Shale charged in, Narascha yelling at the top of her lungs. She swung her axe, cutting off the first undead's head then cut off another's leg. Sten bashed one down with the butt of his sword then slashed across its back.
She could hear more of Torph's traps going off, but quickly there were less and less of them. Soon she found herself surrounded by undead, swinging her axe away, yelling off her victory cries or anger whenever she took a blow.
"Don't back down!" Narascha screamed. "Take them out!"
Ciara let out a pained snarl, and Narascha risked a glance back to see her slicing her dagger through a undead's neck, before shoving it off the edge of the cliff with a kick. Her free hand clutched her wounded shoulder tight, and much to Narascha's worry there was a lot of blood dripping between her hand and running down her arm.
Narascha grunted when an undead swiped it claws across her cheek and slammed her axe off it, swinging round to slice it open. She needed to back Ciara up. Somebody did at any rate, but before Narascha could say a thing Alistair was by her side, bashing an undead charging Ciara away with his shield with a yell.
.::.
"Ciara, you need to retreat-" Alistair began.
Ciara hurriedly packed the wound with bandages, roughly tying it as Alistair kept the undead off her back. A few tried to get through, but Torph's throwing axes kept lodging into their heads. Torph cackling about 'head shots'.
"Because that will work in a middle of a swarm of undead," Ciara scolded.
She tested her arm gingerly, they moved a bit more quickly. The bandages held, her blood flow slowed down, so she drew her daggers again. The Redcliffe knights were doing well, but the swarm was beginning to overwhelm them. They were all getting forced back except for Narascha and Shale. They were both in the thick of the fighting.
"I love the songs you sing, dwarf girl!" Shale cheered. "It's certainly empowering!"
Ciara paused thoughtfully. Song. A song. Lawrien had said something about Narascha's blood singing. But why could Shale hear it? Was it to do with the lyrium?
She shook off the thought. Now was not the time. They needed to keep fighting. If only Lawrien was here. She could have burned all the undead to ashes. The thought only made Ciara deflate, so she fought off the thoughts and threw herself back into the fight.
Ciara heard a loud thud of boots over the fighting, and the steel of a sword being drawn. A large sword. The Revenant stormed towards her through the swarm of undead, golden armour burnt, but its red eyes piercing right through her. She shivered, even as Alistair paused at her side, his eyes wide.
"By the Maker..." he said shakily. "Your explosive daggers didn't kill it."
"Do you think shoving it off the cliff side might work?" Ciara asked.
Alistair dived out the way of a swing of a blade as Ciara tucked herself into a roll, springing back up behind him. He planted himself between her and the Revenant and gritted his teeth.
"I can't pick it up!" Alistair cried as they both lunged, narrowly dodging another swing of the Revenant's sword.
"No, but if we lead it towards the cliff edge perhaps we can force it off," Ciara said. "And hope that finishes it off."
"I don't know if that would-" Alistair let out a strangled cry when he was yanked off his feet.
"Alistair!" Ciara screamed.
The Revenant raised its blade high, ready to swing it into Alistair who was helplessly dragged its way. Ciara sprinted, but she paused when she heard a battle cry. Narascha collided with the Revenant. She tackled it to the dirt, and it released Alistair to strike her down, cutting deep through her armour with a snarl. Narascha hit the ground hard, blood splattering the dirt.
Alistair rolled across the dirt, coughing and gasping, breathing heavily, while Ciara sprinted for him. The undead were swarming towards him. Alistair needed to get up and help Narascha. She had just taken a bad hit. There was no way she could fight with that.
"Nara!" Torph yelled, but she didn't even twitch.
"Wardens!" Sten shouted, trying to push past the undead swarm, but he was far too deep in the thick of the fighting to reach them now. Shale was struggling to get over too. They were alone for now.
Ciara cut down the first undead that reached for Alistair and booted another back, ducking beneath another's blow. She spun, slicing through another's side and elbowing another. Ciara felt a magical energy swirl around her again, and she was quickly yanked off her feet. Alistair yelled for her as he stumbled to his feet. He lunged for her but missed her wrist and was tackled by an undead while Ciara clawed at the dirt, trying to stop. She was being dragged right back to the Revenant.
There was no way she could take another blow like the one her shoulder had taken. Not again. Ciara knew it was highly likely that she would die.
.::.
Narascha could hear screaming and the clattering of swords. Ciara and Alistair were yelling, Alistair's cry filled with absolute terror. Narascha ignored the throbbing pain of her back, how the metalwork of her armour dug into her torn open back that left a puddle of blood beneath her. The pain ebbed away, filling her instead of the need to fight back. Narascha couldn't help but laugh at the sudden thrill of energy that filled her, and with a roar she swung her axe.
The Revenant staggered back, her axe planted in its stomach which she tore out. Narascha swung again, this time shoving the Revenant back towards the cliff edge past the mill. She heard Ciara scramble back with a choked gasp, but ignored her. Narascha ignored the knights, her companions and her fellow Wardens and the undead. Her focus locked on the Revenant. Narascha drove him back with fierce swings of her axe, her blood singing, heart pounding wildly in her ears. This was exciting. This was amazing. This was her fight.
"Nara, get back!" Torph yelled.
Narascha barely avoided the explosive that landed between her and the Revenant, tossing the Revenant off its feet. Narascha charged it one more time, and just as it was climbing back to its feet she shoved it off the ledge of the cliff. It went plummeting down, crashing off the cliff edges before finally sinking deep into the ocean, being swept away by the waves.
Narascha crumbled to her knees, panting heavily.
"Nara, get up!" Torph cursed, and she struggled to look up to where he was.
Ah, there he was, climbing down the windmill roof. How long had he been up there for? Torph looked terrified, staring past her as jumped down, tucking into a roll. Narascha could still hear distant screaming, and right, yeah, they were fighting. They were fighting the undead.
"Get up, you're going to die if you lie there, you idiot!" Torph screamed.
Narascha gripped her axe tight and felt another thrum of energy spike through her. She whirled round, yelling a battle cry as she cut down an undead charging her way. There was no way she could lie down during a fight. There was too much on the line. Duncan, Yegrettie, Cailan, they had all died at Ostagar. The Grey Wardens of Ferelden had sacrificed their lives in order for the rest of them to escape.
She had to keep fighting.
For the Grey Wardens. For Orzammar. For Ferelden.
Torph's back met her own and she paused, glancing over her shoulder. Narascha had to admit, she had thought he'd climb back up on to the windmill and fight from a distance with his throwing axes and grenades, but he had decided to stay with her.
Narascha grinned. "We've got this, Torph."
"Fuck yeah we do. Let's get you that new armour!"
.::.
It took way too long for the undead to bloody well stay dead. Every joint Torph had ached, a painful throb throughout his entire body. He couldn't imagine how the others felt. They all looked like shit, even Shale, and Shale was a bunch of boulders.
"So..." Torph panted. "Just to be clear... Whatever asshole made these undead fuckers... Is dead right?"
Narascha groaned as she laid herself down, flat on the ground. "Yeah... As soon as I can bring myself to move again... How's my back?"
Torph winced when he looked at it. "It has a very large cut in it."
"...Is it a problem that I can't feel that anymore?"
Torph had to admit. He wasn't sure.
"Yes!" Alistair screeched. "That is a serious problem!"
"We seriously need to find a healer," Ciara sighed. "I miss Myra."
"Is she a healer?" Torph asked.
"Yes."
"Then I miss Myra too."