"It is finished. Welcome."

That is the first thing I hear Duncan say when I wake up. The first thing I see is, what I am assuming is, Duncan and Alistair leaning over me and staring at me. Which freaks me out a little bit, if I'm being honest. I groan and grab my head as I sit up. Alistair sticks out his hand to help me up and I grab it. For a slight second I notice how much bigger his hand is than mine before I go flying. I guess he overestimated his strength when helping to pull me up because I practically flew into his armored chest. I awkwardly pull back and clear my throat while avoiding any eye-contact with him. I look at the others and see that they are already dressed in the Grey Warden armor, rogue and warrior armor respectively. I begin to wonder how long I was passed out for, before I can delve too deep into my thoughts before Duncan is in front of me handing me Grey Warden armor, but mage edition. I take the armor from him and just stare at the multiple pieces. I have no clue how to put any of these on.

I raise my head when I hear Alistair begin to speak, a somber tone dancing with his voice, "Two more deaths. In my Joining, only one of us died, but it was… horrible. I'm glad that four of you were able to make it through."

Oh, right. Revas, Brali, Adalwin, and I all survived the Joining… at what cost though? The upcoming battle is not going to let this change of Fate intervene too much. I don't know how much has already changed due to me being here, but it can't change anymore.

"How do you feel?" Duncan once again distracts me.

"Fucking hell that was worst the Harrowing… and I had a de-," I shut up right there. I am afraid if I were to finish that sentence with "and I had a demon put inside of me" I would get killed right away, no hesitation or thought to how I just survived the Joining. So I do what I don't do best, and shut my mouth right away. I just give a tight smile and rub my forehead.

After getting what I'm assuming is a confused look, Duncan nods, "Such is what it takes to be a Grey Warden."

"Did you have dreams? I had terrible dreams after my Joining," Alistiar asks and then shudders at the thought of his dreams.

But… I had somehow managed to forget about the dreams. Well, until Alistair had reminded me about it. The dream was… well it wasn't a dream, but more of a nightmare. The image of the Archdemon can't escape my mind, the way it seemed to stare me in the eyes and threaten me with a roar. I shudder at the thought of the nightmare and try to recenter my focus onto Alistair's question. Before I can answer, however, Duncan jumps in.

"Such dreams come when you begin to sense the darkspawn, as we all do. That and many other things can be explained in the months to come."

I once again look to the ground dreading the upcoming battle to come. I can only hope that things have begun to change due to well, more than one Warden surviving.

"Before I forget, there is one last part to your Joining." Alistair tells me before walking up to me and placing a pendant on the clothes folded in my arms. "We take some of that blood and put it in a pendant. Something to remind us… of those who didn't make it this far."

You know, this would be pretty sweet and a good sentiment to have… except for the fact that it has blood in it. Now, I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but that just sounds unsanitary. I give Alistair a smile and hold back the grimace.

Duncan puts his hand on my shoulder, drawing my attention towards him, "Take some time and change into the uniform. When you are ready, I'd like you, along with Revas, Adalwin, and Brali, to accompany me to a meeting with the king."

"What kind of meeting?" Adalwin asks, his new metal Grey Warden armor clanking as he steps forward.

"The King is discussing strategy for the upcoming battle. I am not sure why he has requested all of your presences," Duncan replies and shrugs. He begins to walk away with Adalwin, Revas, and Alistair to follow him shortly. "The meeting is to the west, down the stairs. Please attend as soon as you are able to."

I watch as the four guys walk away. Adalwin and Revas follow Duncan to the table where the King and others stand, while Alistair walks somewhere else, the tents to wait I'm assuming. I hear Brali quietly walk next to my side and I look down to see a bright smile on her face.

"Well, sister, how does it feel to be something bigger than yourself?" Brali giggles and elbows me gently in the side. I try to let out a natural giggle, but probably sound absolutely terrified. As if sensing my fear, probably thinking it was due to the unknown rather than the known, she grabs my uniform and begins walking away. "Come on, we must get you dressed and ready for the meeting! We cannot have you looking like one of us dusters."

I know what she is trying to do, and while I appreciate it, nothing could distract me from what was about to happen. I keep quiet and follow her towards a tent to get ready.

Looking down at the uniform, I am surprised at how well it fits my body and that it doesn't look completely horrid on me. The blue brigandine , as Brali called it, is not too tight around my arms making it easy to move my arms when I'm casting spells… or when I figure out how to do that. The leather pants, belt, boots, gloves, and small bands around the various limbs of my body also don't restrict movement and somehow manage to compliment the blue tabard and brigandine. The one thing, if I were to have an issue with something, would have to be how long the tabard is in the back. I feel like I'm wearing a cape. Just imagine how it would look if I were to actually wear a cape. And then this god awful staff on my back! I still don't know how I've managed to get it to stick to nothing! I'm just waiting for it to fall. But, I've got to stop complaining. I've survived the Joining, now I just have to survive the Battle of Ostagar… and after that, well I haven't thought that far ahead.

As Brali and I walk up to where everyone else is standing, I begin to fidget with the buckles on the gloves and look anywhere, but ahead. Sometimes it sucks knowing the future, I'd never want to be a prophet… oh wait, I kind of already am. Great.

"Loghain, my decision is final. I will stand by the Grey Wardens in this assault," I hear King Cailan say to Loghain. I try to hold down my anger at King Cailan's father-in-law, and keep my head down as I stand by Brali, who is standing to the right of Duncan. Revas and Adalwin on the left. Unfortunately, my head snaps up at the beginning of an argument, albeit a calm one.

Loghain says, "You risk too much, Cailan! The darkspawn horde is too dangerous for you to be playing hero on the front lines."

King Cailan crosses his arms and stares down his father-in-law, "If that;s the case, perhaps we should wait for the Orlesian forces to join us, after all."

"I must repeat my protest to your fool notion that we need the Orlesians to defend ourselves!" King Cailan's statement causes Loghain to step forward and move his hands erratically.

"It's not a "fool notion." Our arguments with the Orlesians are a thing of the past… and you will remember who is king," King Cailan snaps back, getting obviously more frustrated.

Loghain scoffs and looks away from King Cailan, "How fortunate Maric did not live to see his son ready to hand Ferelden over those who enslaved us for a century!"

"Then our current forces will have to suffice, won't they?" King Cailan asks Loghain before turning to Duncan, "Duncan, are your men ready for battle?"

"They are, your Majesty," Duncan says, bowing slightly to him.

King Cailan then looks towards us, aka the new Wardens, and gives a warm smile… I think, "And these are the recruits! I met you on the road earlier, did I not?"

Knowing he was talking to me, I nod shyly and let him continue his speech.

"I understand congratulations are in order."

We all thank him, somehow at the same time but in varying pitches, and look in various places. Brali down at her feet, me at the wall behind King Cailan, but Revas and Adalwin stare straight into the king's eyes. Ballsy, right?"

King Calian nods, satisfied with our answers, "Every Grey Warden is needed now. You all should be honored to join their ranks."

Loghain goes from staring at all of us to glaring at King Calian, "Your fascination with glory and legends will be your undoing, Cailan. We must attend to reality."

"Fine. Speak your strategy. The Grey Wardens and I draw the darkspawn into charging our lines and then…?" King Cailan sighs, obviously not wanting to hear this anymore. Loghain leans over the table and begins to point at certain places on the map, King Cailan does the same.

"You will alert the tower to light the beacon, signaling my men to charge from cover."

King Cailan interrupts, "To flank the darkspawn, I remember. This is the Tower of Ishal in the ruins, yes? Who shall light this beacon?"

Loghain replies, "I have a few men stationed there. It's not a dangerous task, but it is vital."

"Then we should send our best. Send Alistair and the newest Grey Warden to make sure it's done," King Cailan says, still staring at the map, but Loghain is now standing straight and staring at the king. I, however, am shocked because I was the last recruit to complete the Joining, making me the newest Grey Warden. Meaning the others are going to…. no, maybe it won't happen like that. Fate isn't that cruel… right?

"You rely on these Grey Wardens too much. Is that truly wise?" Loghain scoffs and watches as King Cailan stands up straight.

King Cailan glares at Loghain, "Enough of your conspiracy theories, Loghain. Grey Wardens battle the Blight, no matter where they're from."

This causes Duncan to step in, and me to watch Duncan closely, "Your Majesty, you should consider the possibility of the archdemon appearing. Considering this, maybe Teryn Loghain should already be on the battlefield as well, or maybe we should hold off."

Loghain raises his eyebrow and looks at King Cailan muttering, "There have been no signs of any dragons in the Wilds."

King Cailan nods at Loghain's words, "Isn't that what your men are here for, Duncan?"

"I… yes, your Majesty," Duncan stutters and immediately gives in. I internally deflate knowing that today's actions are going to happen no matter how much I try to interfere. I can poke, prod, and warn all I want, but sometimes Lady Fate is stronger and will continue on her path no matter what. Duncan looks at me and gives a sad shake of the head.

Soon, however, a bald mage steps in and interrupts the meeting, "Your Majesty, the tower and its beacon are unnecessary. The Circle of Magi-"

Oh shit, I know who this is. He's-

The reverend, however, steps in and immediately quietens him down, "We will not trust any lives to your spells, mage! Save them for the darkspawn!"

Well, you could at least use his name, don't have to be nasty about it.

"Enough!" Loghain shouts, immediately quieting down everyone else. "This plan will suffice. The Grey Wardens will light the beacon and we will be fighting today."

This causes King Cailan to get a big smile on his face, "Thank you, Loghain. I cannot wait for that glorious moment! The Grey Wardens battle beside the king of Ferelden to stem the tides of evil!"

Loghain walks away from the meeting and turns his back to the rest of us. I get chills as I hear the words that will haunt me for the rest of my life, "Yes, Cailan. A glorious moment for us all."

We are now standing back at the bonfire, now with Alistair joining us. And instead of being more calm, I am now more anxious and fidgety than before. I can barely look at the rest of the new Wardens, just knowing what is going to happen. Even when Duncan starts speaking I can barely focus, but I somehow manage too. From a quick glance, I notice that Revas has the same expression as me.

"Everyone heard the plan, besides you, Alistair. Caerlion and Alistair will go to the Tower of Ishal and ensure the beacon is lit, while you: Revas, Brali, and Adalwin will be joining the other Grey Wardens in battle."

Alistair is obviously shocked, and exclaims, "What? I won't be in the battle?"

Duncan sighs and shakes his head, "This is by the king's personal request, Alistair. If the beacon is not lit, Teryn Loghain's men won't know when to charge."

"So he needs two Grey Wardens standing up there holding the torch. Just in case, right?" Alistair scoffs.

Adalwin nods, "I agree with Alistair. They should be in the battle or at least have one of the newer recruits be with Caerlion. So, Alistair can be in the battle, as well."

"That is not your choice. If King Cailan wishes Alistair and Caerlion to ensure the beacon is lit, then they will be there," Duncan explains calmly, but still obviously getting annoyed with the fighting back. "We must do whatever it takes to destroy the darkspawn… exciting or not."

Alistair sighs and gives in, "I get it. I get it. Just so you know, if the king ever asks me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold, I'm drawing the line. Darkspawn or no."

At his comment, I finally let out a little laugh, which relieves me quite a bit, "I don't know. That could be a beautiful distraction."

Alistair laughs and looks at me, "Me shimmying down the darkspawn line? Sure, we could kill them while they roll around laughing."

"You have some strange ideas about the king."

"I happen to be quite fetching in a dress," Alistair says with a mock expression of offense.

"I think I'd like to see that," I laugh again and give him a small smile.

Alistair smirks, "For you, maybe. But it has to be a pretty dress,"

Duncan sighs and gets us back on track, "The tower is on the other side of the gorge from the king's camp, the way we came when we arrived, Caerlion."

Once he sees me nod in remembrance, he continues, "You'll need to cross the gorge and head through the gate and up the tower entrance. From the top, you'll overlook the entire valley."

Brali steps in and quietly asks, "Where will we be?"

"We will be fighting besides the king with the rest of the Grey Wardens. Again, at his request." Duncan looks at Alistair and me again, "We will signal you when the time is right. Alistair will know what to look for."

Brali once again asks, "What if the archdemon appears?"

"We soil our drawers, that's what," Alistair quips beside me, making a small smile appear on my face.

Duncan cuts in and answers seriously, "If it does, leave it to us. I want no heroics from any of you."

Adalwin nods, "How much time do we have?"

"The battle is about to begin. Once we leave, both of you will have to move quickly. You'll have less than an hour."

"Are they in any danger?" Brali asks, obviously worried about us.

"Of course. Even the best-laid plans go awry, but they will do what they must. I trust them both."

Alistair snorts at Duncan's reply, "Just not enough to actually fight with the rest of you."

"There will be plenty of battles, Alistair. Be patient," Duncan chuckles.

I close my eyes, not being able to handle what is about to happen. However I put on a brave face and look at Duncan with sad eyes, "I know what we have to do."

Duncan gives me the same look, his brown eyes showing glimmers of sadness at the events unfolding, "Then we must join the others. From here, you two are on your own. Remember, you are both Grey Wardens. I expect you to be worthy of that title."

Alistair stops Duncan, "Duncan… may the Maker watch over you all."

He then does the warrior arm clasp thing with Duncan. Duncan replies, "May He watch over us all."

Duncan then stares at Alistair for a little longer before turning around and making his way to the battlefield along with the others. Before they get too far, I grab Revas' arm and pull him to the side making sure that the others cannot hear us. I know he is staring at me confused and I am sure my frantic expression is not helping matters at all, but I ignore it all.

"Revas, I know you don't like me, but you have to listen. The battle is not going to go exactly to plan. Loghain-"

He interrupts me, "Caerlion, I know."

Jesus Christ, this has been a shit show. I haven't even had time to focus on what Revas said. From the moment we got to the tower, we have been battling darkspawn after darkspawn. You'd think that they'd given up at this point. Nope! They are still coming, and I know it is from that giant hole in the ground. It is not just only Alistair and me anymore, nope we got two new buddies to the mix. A warrior and an archer. They have been somewhat of a help. Usually when they are not requiring healing from me. Although my mana has gotten much stronger, it isn't as strong as it should be.

When we finally made it to the second level Alistair and I had a little conversation that went something like this.

"Maker's breath! What are those darkspawn doing ahead of the rest of the horde? There wasn't supposed to be any resistance here!" Alistair is obviously surprised by the amount of darkspawn. I, on the other hand, had expected it… just not being mentally prepared for fighting all of them

I quip back, trying to get this whole trip over with, "Weren't you literally just complaining about how you wouldn't get to fight?"

Alistiar lets out a short laugh, "Hey, you're right. I guess there is a silver lining here, if you think about it."

Then we got back on track and now we are almost to the last level. We are just having to finish off the rest of the darkspawn on the last level and then we have to face…. Well, I don't want to think about it.

After finally finishing off the last of the darkspawn by the stairway, we run up the stairs through the door and onto the last level. Once we run through the level, we stop and look at the giant ogre chowing down on the last of Loghain's men. I freeze in horror at the ugly beast in front of me, and I don't even have to see clearly to know that it is ugly.

The ogre stops around a bit and roars at us, almost hitting us with its spit. That is when it starts to attack.

Alistair and the one tower guard charge at the beast and slash at anywhere where they can reach. The archer and I stand back and throw a mix of arrows and spells at it. I have to make sure not to waste all my mana on trying to harm it. I also have to make sure I'm not about to get charged at and have huge boulders that came out of nowhere mind you. That was a difficult task, I mean I can multitask, but not when I'm fighting for my life.

This fight is not like the other fights we have had with darkspawn. Unlike the others, it doesn't take a couple of spells or a sword through the chest to make them fall, not that we can reach the ogre's chest.

Finally though, the ogre falls onto its knees and Alistair stabs it in the chest. Thank God, it is finally dead. I sigh in relief, but I know that the battle isn't truly over. I hear Alistair shout something about the signal and how we are late.

We stare at the dead ogre for a minute and I look at Alistair, then look around for the other two soldiers who are on the opposite side of the room. Knowing that they won't be able to hear me if I talk quietly enough, I look at Alistair again.

"Alistair…. I need to tell you something," I quietly say to him, hoping that he can hear me.

He looks at me confused and I gesture for him to lean in closer, which he does. I look him straight in the eyes then and muster all of the courage I have, "The battle is not going to end with defeating the darkspawn."

He furrows his eyebrows and let out a confused laugh, "What do you mean? Of course it will."

"No it won't, Loghain is going to abandon the battle and leave the rest of us to die."

"What?!" Alistair yells and jolts back from me, "How do you know this?"

Before I can answer, darkspawn starts flooding into the room. They kill the tower guards and then shoot at Alistair and me. Alistair falls before I do and I feel pain fly through my shoulder. I hit the ground with a hard thud.

I passed out.

Again, goddammit.