The lone bell rang out early in the morning, sending birds flying and Siara throwing herself from the stretcher she'd been assigned. She'd grabbed her blades and was already rushing out the door and up to the walls before she was aware she was even awake. She was vaguely aware that the other women in the room with her were also rushing to push their blankets on and pull on boots, but she didn't pause to see what exactly they were doing. She hurried out of the room, bare feet pounding on the stone floor. Dorian met her halfway up the steps, a frown on his face.
"This can't be good," he said in way of greeting. He had his staff slung over his back, but he, too, wasn't in his armour yet. Evidently he had been in as much of a hurry to see what was going on as Siara had been. She didn't reply, glancing up to the bell tower, listening as her fellow troops were calling to each other. They hadn't been here long, but it had always simply been a waiting game. And it seemed that the wait was over. Their enemy had arrived.
They stepped out onto the wall and Siara headed straight to the edge, looking out over the surrounding area and feeling her heart drop into her boots.
"How many people are garrisoned here?" she asked quietly.
"From memory, only about eighty. At most."
"And most of them are scouts, aren't they." It was a statement, not a question. Siara didn't like their chances, squinting against the early morning sun and rubbing her forehead as she looked at the approaching army. It wasn't a large one, probably only about a hundred and fifty, but they were clearly well armed and if her eyes weren't deceiving her, it looked as though there were indeed Venatori in their midsts. Various weapons glinted in the sun, and Siara wouldn't have been surprised if there were more members of the approaching army hiding in the treeline. She was not happy with the position they were in. At least they'd had a decent amount of warning so had time to get final preparations in place before the army arrived.
"Fort Greystone was supposed to be out of the way of any of our enemy forces," Adam said, coming up beside them. Siara looked around at him, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. The boy was scared, and he was right to be.
"Where's Wiggins?" she demanded, turning to head back down the stairs.
"He's in his study. He's panicking a bit."
"Well, that's going to make everything better, isn't it," Siara grumbled. Adam and Dorian had to hurry their steps to keep up with her as she made her way to see Wiggins.
Wiggins was pacing around his study, talking to himself. There was a wild look in his eyes, like a spooked horse. Siara didn't bother closing the door behind her as she walked up to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to stop his pacing.
"Calm down!" she snapped, knowing that it wouldn't do much. "You need to snap out of it. This fort and everyone in it need you to give them orders."
"This wasn't what I was sent here for!" he cried. "I was sent here for - for… for keeping things in order! To make sure there were enough supplies for everyone, to-to-to… to ensure that information reached Skyhold! I don't know how to… I…"
"Commander Rutherford would not have put you in charge unless he believed you could defend the fort. Now give us orders!"
For a moment Wiggins just stared at Siara, his eyes seeming to grow larger. He swallowed, looking over to the door where Adam and Dorian stood, then back to Siara. He shook his head.
"I don't know what to do," he whispered, his voice cracking. Siara growled, whirling around and striding towards the door.
"Adam, I need numbers. How many troops do we have, how many bowmen. How many mages. How many weapons. What stock do we have - food, water, bandages. Everything and anything. We need to barricade the gate and reinforce it with whatever we can. Tables, barrels, anything. If there's any explosives, either don't use them or put what you can between us and them. Get them as close to the enemy as you can."
"You have a plan?" Adam asked, lengthening his stride to keep up with her.
"Do our damned best to stay alive until Cullen can send reinforcements," Siara snarled. "We're lucky it's only a couple of days hard ride to Skyhold."
"You've managed to get word to Skyhold about our situation?" There was hope in the young man's voice, but Siara shook her head.
"Not yet," she admitted, turning to Dorian. "That's what you're going to be doing."
"I told you, I'm not a Dreamer," he objected.
"Then you better get huffing."
"What do you expect me to do in there?" he demanded, his voice going up an octave. "I don't have a clue how to find Solas - if he's even there."
"I don't know, find a friendly spirit to send the message."
"Oh great. Yes, of course, why didn't I think of that."
"Dorian -"
"And what if a demon possesses my body while I'm away, hmm? What then?"
Siara smiled darkly at him and took a step forward.
"Then I will set the demon upon our enemies and if that doesn't kill it, I will do it myself. I might even shed a tear for you while I'm delivering your eulogy."
Dorian shook his head, scoffing a little.
"Why are we friends?" he asked.
Siara shrugged. "I have a winning smile."
"You're a menace to society."
"And you'd be bored without me. Now get moving, that army out there isn't going to wait for us all day."
Dorian gave Siara a dirty look, pausing for a moment.
"This isn't a good idea," he warned.
"It's either you do it, or I do it. And who knows what would happen if someone who isn't a mage attempted the Harrowing."
"Good point," he conceded, turning and heading off to find somewhere quiet to set up. Siara watched him for a moment, then turned back to Adam.
"Get the archers to the walls and get some of the strongest men holding the gates shut," she ordered. "Get everyone else finding what they can to strengthen our barricades, and get our mages and healers preparing bandages and whatever else they can think of. Do we have any other way in and out of the fort?"
"There's a tunnel in the cellar that leads to the river," Adam informed her. "We've kept it hidden at both ends."
"Put some men watching it. We don't want to be surprised if the Venatori find it," she scowled, turning and starting to walk away. "We don't want to be holding the enemy off from two fronts."
"Blade," Adam called after her. "Do you think we stand a chance?"
Siara halted her footsteps, taking in a deep breath before turning to face the young soldier. There was fear in his brown eyes, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She shook her head slightly, then shrugged.
"I don't know," she admitted, "but we have to believe that we can hold out for reinforcements. If we don't, then we're definitely screwed."
She turned around once more, heading back to where her armour lay abandoned next to her bed.