part 4
“It's over. I'm fine.” She said in the partial truth.
“Did you have dreams? I had terrible dreams after my Joining.” Alistair asked.
“Such dreams come when you begin to sense the darkspawn, as we all do. That and many other things that can be explained in the months to come.” Duncan said.
“Before I forget there is one last part to your Joining. 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.”
Elissa stared down at the small elliptical shaped pendant. Something to remind us of those who didn't make it this far. She immediately began to think of her friends and family back in Highever. For the fist time since that night she began to feel tears pinprick the corners of her eyes. Her parents would have been very proud of her. Elissa had now wish to lose her composure in front of her superiors and so she fought back the urge to cry.
“Take some time.” Said Duncan who understood all too well what she had been through.
“When you are ready I'd like you to accompany me to a meeting with the king.”
“Very well.” She said trying and failing to keep her voice even.
“The meeting is to the west, down the stairs. Please attend as soon as you are able.”
Both Alistair and Duncan left and for that she was grateful. She leaned against one of the columns and allowed herself a few moments to shed a few tears. She usually wasn't one given to too many outward displays of emotions but the last couple of days had really taken their toll. There would be more days like this she knew. Being a Grey Warden meant facing down darkspawn and worse on a daily basis. People she would grow to care about were likely to die in the process.
Elissa didn't have it in her to give up though. Obviously from the way she had survived the Joining. She had made a promise to her father that she would do her duty. That she would be strong. However this was probably the last moment she would have to just be a woman who had lost so much. She needed to feel like she had properly mourned them. They deserved at least that much.
After a few moments she felt the sobs subside. To say that she felt fine would have been an overstatement, but she at least didn't feel like she was going to breakdown at the next mention of death. That would have to do for now. Elissa would have to learn how steel herself for more moments such as these. It would not do for a Grey Warden to be so easily emotionally overwhelmed.
She pushed herself away from the column that had been supporting her. It was time to move forward. There was a battle to be fought after all. The Blight would not stop just because she had to recover her wits after all. Elissa ran down the old temple steps and quickly caught up with Duncan and Alistair. If the knew what she had been doing they didn't let on. Well Alistair shot her a few sympathetic glances when he thought she wasn't looking, but other than that they seemed to be content to leave her be. As she and Duncan arrived at the meeting place they could hear a little bit of the conversation already in progress.
“Loghain, my decision is final, I will stand by the Grey Wardens in this assault.” said the king.
“You risk to much Cailan! The darkspawn hoard is too dangerous for you to be playing hero on the front line.” Loghain said.
“If that's the case, perhaps we should wait for the Orlesian forces to join us, after all.” Cailan quipped.
“I must repeat my protest your fool notion that we need the Orlesians to defend ourselves.” said Loghain obviously offended by the very idea.
“It is not a “fool notion”. Our arguments with the Orlesians are a thing of the past...and you will remember who is king.” Cailan said.
“How fortunate Maric did not live to see his son ready to hand Fereldan over to those who enslaved us for a century!” Loghain said clearly past the point of exasperation.
“Then our current forces will have to suffice won't they? Duncan are your men ready?” Cailan said swiftly changing the subject.
“They are your majesty.” said Duncan.
“And this is the recruit I met earlier on the road? I understand congratulations are in order.” Cailan said warmly.
Elissa tilted her head for a moment. “I don't feel that special.”
“Oh but you are. Every Grey Warden is needed now more that ever.” said Cailan.
“Your fascination with glory and legends will be your undoing Cailan. We must attend to reality.” said Loghain.
“Fine. Speak your strategy. The Grey Wardens and I draw the darkspawn into charging our lines and then...?” asked Cailan.
They both hunched over the map. Elissa edged closer so she too could see what they were talking about. Normally she would have kept a respectable distance, but this battle involved her too. She just had to see what they were talking about. Loghain traced a route along the map explaining as he did so.
“You will alert the tower to light the beacon, signaling my men to charge from cover.”
“To flank the darkspawn,” Cailan interjected quickly, “I remember. This is the Tower of Ishal in the ruins yes? Who shall light this beacon?”
“I have a few men stationed there. It's not a dangerous task, but it is vital.” said Loghain.
“Then we should send our best. Send Alistair and Elissa to make sure it's done.” said Cailan.
“I'll do my best, your Majesty.” Elissa replied humbled by her kings trust.
“You rely on these Grey Wardens too much. Is that truly wise?” Loghain cautioned.
“Enough of your conspiracy theories, Loghain. The Grey Wardens battle the Blight, no matter where they're from.” said Cailan.
“Your Majesty, you should consider the possibility of the archdemon appearing.” Duncan interjected.
Elissa barely suppressed a shudder of revulsion. Seeing that thing in her dreams was more that enough to convince her that what Duncan and the old witch was true. She would not relish seeing that thing face to face anytime soon.
“There have been no signs of any dragons in the Wilds.” said Loghain to Cailan.
“Isn't that what your men are here for Duncan?” asked Cailan.
“I...yes your Majesty.” Duncan said a touch uncertain.
“Your Majesty, the tower and its beacon are unnecessary. The Circle of Magi-.” spoke up one of the mages.
“We will not trust any lives to your spells, mage! Save them for the darkspawn.” Interrupted one of the Sisters of the Chantry.
“Enough! This plan will suffice. The Grey Wardens will light the beacon.” said Loghain effectively ending the conversation.
“Thank you, Loghain. I cannot wait for that glorious moment! The Grey Wardens battle beside the king of Fereldan to stem the tide of evil!” the king said.
“Yes Cailan. A glorious moment for us all.” Loghain said clearly humoring the young king.
Once they were back amongst the base camp again it was time to fill Alistair in on the details. Elissa was anxious about this, her first real battle as a Grey Warden. Although the king and Loghain had said that lighting the beacon on the tower wouldn't be hard, she was rather nervous about the importance of the task. Elissa couldn't help but fidget a little where she stood.
“You heard the plan. You and Alistair will go to the Tower of Ishal and ensure that the beacon is light.” Duncan said filling Alistair in on the plan.
“What? I won't be in the battle?” asked Alistair.
“This is by the king's personal request, Alistair. If the beacon is not light, Teyrn Loghain's men won't know when to charge.” said Duncan.
“So he needs two Grey Wardens standing up there holding the torch. Just in case, right?”
Elissa couldn't help but feel that Alistair was right. “I agree with Alistair. We should be in the battle.”
“That is not your choice. If King Cailan wishes Grey Wardens to ensure the beacon is light, then Grey Wardens will be there.” Duncan said in his usual implacable tone. “We must do whatever it takes to destroy the darkspawn...exciting or no.”
“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.” Alistair said bringing much needed levity to the situation.
“I think I'd like to see that.” Elissa said chuckling a little bit.
Alistair turned to her with a raised eye brow and a small smirk. “For you maybe, but it has to be a pretty dress.”
With that Elissa let out a little bit of laughter, much to Duncan's regret. She could see what he was thinking. Now he'd have to deal with two wise-crackers instead of one. He sighed and continued on with his instructions all the same.
“You'll need to cross the gorge and head through the gate and up to the tower entrance. From the top you'll overlook the entire valley.” said Duncan.
“When do we light the beacon?” asked Elissa.
“We will signal you when the time is right. Alistair will know what to look for.” said Duncan.
“Can we join the battle afterwards?” Elissa asked hoping to at least see some action in this Blight.
“Stay with the teyrn's men and guard the tower. If you are needed we will send word.” said Duncan.
“What happens if the archdemon appears?” Elissa asked.
“We soil our drawers, that's what.” Alistair said.
“If it does, leave it to us. I want no heroics from either of you.” Duncan admonished.
“I know what I have to do.” Elissa said pushing all thoughts of the archdemon out of her mind.
“Then I must join with 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.” And with that Duncan turned to leave.
“Duncan...may the maker watch over you.” Alistair said in a somewhat hushed tone.
“May he watch over us all.” Duncan replied as he left for the others.
***
The weather had turned stormy and ominous. There was a tense sort of silence that hung over everything like a thick almost suffocating fog. Normally Alistair would be cracking jokes and trying to lighten the mood, but on this day things were best left in that ominous hush. The wind whipped rain into his and Elissa's faces making it hard to see anything.
They watched Duncan and the others standing by the king's side. Their face's grim as they prepared to face the hoard of darkspawn at the gates. There was a hush before battle as the darkspawn approached. The king seemed confident that this plan would work. Then the battle broke out. First the archers took care of the first wave of darkspawn. Then the dogs were loosed upon the hoard, watching the darkspawn fall to the hounds was quite pleasing. Then came the main onslaught and Alistair and Elissa's cue to head for the tower. It would have been an honor to be fighting along side Duncan and the rest of the Grey Wardens.
However he really shouldn't complain about the task given to him. It was a very important thing that he and Elissa were setting off to do. Alistair really couldn't complain about the choice of companions either. Elissa had proven herself more than capable of holding her own. He was honestly glad that she had made it through the Joining. She seemed to have a very quick mind, and more importantly even quicker reflexes. Also of importance was the fact that she seemed very level headed in a crisis. They would need that in the days to come if Duncan was correct about the archdemon.
Crossing the bridge proved to be a treacherous thing. There were bombs going off right beside them and the rain made getting a foot hold very tricky. Elissa didn't seem to be having too much trouble when it came to footing. They were only knocked down twice from concussive blasts, each time Elissa stood up a grim look on her face. She was determined to get this job done. Once they reached the Tower of Ishal though it was clear that something was wrong. Very very wrong. He could sense it even before they could see or hear anything.
One of the guards approached them. “You...you're Grey Wardens aren't you? The tower...it's been taken!”
“What are you talking about man? Taken how?” asked Alistair.
“The darkspawn came up through the lower chambers! They're everywhere! Most of our men are dead!”
This was not the news he had wanted to hear. He and Elissa may be Grey Wardens, but there were only two of them. Against an entire tower filled with darkspawn. This day just kept getting better and better.
“Then we have to get to the beacon and light it ourselves!” said Alistair with more confidence than he felt.
The two guards joined them in the battle. Right away they faced off against a small faction of darkspawn. He was quite pleased to note that Elissa and the others made quick work of them hacking and slashing their way towards the tower. Her was quite grateful that Elissa was capable of holding her own in a fight. Not having to worry about taking up her slack was a huge weight off of his shoulders. She fought well and gracefully too, from the brief flashes that he could see of her fighting before being plunged back into the fray.
They pressed onward towards the tower fighting off larger and larger hoards. To the point where the tower guards were having trouble keeping up with the two Grey Wardens. Elissa seemed to be taking the lead on things, which in all honesty was just fine by Alistair. He was glad that she seemed to be competent at it. She was good at getting the two other guards into position so they would not have to work quite as hard.
He would have complimented her but he was distracted enough watching her fight while battling himself. Noting that his was probably a fairly stupid thing to do he began to plunge himself more into the fight. Honestly he didn't know why he keep trying to keep an eye on her, she had proven herself more than enough over the course of the last day or so. Alistair concentrated on getting to the castle. Nothing else would matter if they somehow failed to light the beacon after all. He would not let Duncan down.
Finally after twenty minutes of hacking and slashing they finally reached the bottom of the tower. Both Alistair and Elissa looked over the situation. It was obvious just by the feeling the darkspawn taint inside that the battle had only just begun. They were going to need more than just the Maker's guidance if they ever had a hope of getting through this alive. Elissa charged on ahead showing no sign of hesitance.
A Hurlock was standing at the ground floor, almost as if it was waiting for them to arrive. Fire started erupting all around them. Alistair started to run towards the darkspawn when Elissa held up her hand. She had apparently spotted a trap and moved to disarm it. From the looks of it the trap was to be a nasty one indeed, maybe even to the point of one of them losing their lives. The two soldiers seemed to have caught a second wind though. Which was good because they would need all the strength they could muster if they were to complete their task.
Soon they found themselves in the thick of battle and all Alistair could focus on was his own sword slicing through on darkspawn after another. The only sounds he heard were those of his sword and shield striking the darkspawn over and over. Alistair didn't wonder how Elissa was doing, as it was obvious by her loud yells. The other two soldiers were strangely quite the only sign that they were still living was the occasional grunts and groans he could hear over the general cacophony.
Soon he stopped thinking. Her reacted to the situation as his training in the Chantry and time in the Wardens had taught him and just plowed through darkspawn after darkspawn. Distantly he heard the struggles of his companions but he had to be focused on his own battles if they were ever going to make it to the second floor.
Finally after another half hour of battling or so they made it to the door way that would lead them up to the second floor. Elissa had been slightly ahead of the group and was waiting for them to catch up to her there. She seemed a little tired for the efforts, however still unafraid.
***
Elissa had not been prepared for the battle that had faced them upon crossing the bridge, however she sort of had the sinking feeling that maybe she should have. This was how things seemed to go with her, nothing ever ran the way it was supposed to. She waited on the steps leading to the second floor using this chance to catch her breath and down a healing potion that she had slipped into her pack while feeling her castle. She was ever grateful for that bit of foresight now. Though she hoped that the rest of her party was just as prepared, they had a long battle ahead of them and the supplies she had would not stretch to four people.
Soon Alistair and the other two had caught up with her. Elissa waited while they too saw to some of the more minor wounds, using the slight reprieve they had to their advantage. She was pleased to note that they indeed had their own supplies which would make things much easier all things considered. During all this battle she had realized that she was very lucky to have Alistair fighting by her side. Had it been any one else things might not have gone so well.
“Maker's breath! What are those darkspawn doing ahead of the rest of the horde?” Alistair wondered aloud, “There wasn't supposed to be any resistance here.”
"Weren't you complaining that you wouldn't get to fight?" asked Elissa trying her hardest to see the humor in the situation.
“You know, there is a bright side when you look at it that way. At any rate we need to hurry! We need to get up to the top and light the signal fire in time. Teyrn Loghain will be waiting for the signal.” said Alistair chuckling a little bit.
Elissa quite agreed and so they headed up the stairs to the second floor. Once they reached there it was no surprise to see that there was another hoard of darkspawn waiting for them. She drew both of her swords and began to slice a bloody path towards the next stairwell. She was already soaking in darkspawn blood as well as a little of her own from the fight downstairs but that didn't matter to her. She was a Grey Warden now blood stains were bound to become part of her wardrobe.
She kept on the darkspawn never letting up. If they failed-no she wouldn't let herself think about failure, that simply wasn't an option. Elissa felt the sting of one of the darkspawn's blades thrust into a vulnerable area in her armor, but she was too filled with adrenaline to notice it much. Though if she live through this there would be a lot of wincing and pain to endure later. As she fought alongside the others she had to wonder how the Teyrn's information had gotten so wrong. They had had scouts in these parts for days and surely a general of Loghain's reputation would have notice such an advancement occurring.
Elissa had no time to wonder about these things though as more darkspawn seemed to swarm on top of her. Not being a very tall woman she soon lost sight of anything but the darkspawn though she knew from the sounds that Alistair was a little to her left and the two soldiers were lagging behind somewhat. She was still thankful for the extra help even if they were no match for the stamina of the Grey Wardens.
That was something else she had noticed. It had only been a few hours since her Joining but on top of being able to feel the darkspawn she had noticed a few physical changes as well. She seemed stronger than she had been, faster too. And if she wasn't mistaken she had far more stamina too. It seemed that the Joining did more than just help the Wardens sense the darkspawn.
It made sense in away if they were expected to stop the Blight they would need certain enhancements. She was certainly grateful for them now. Considering that she could not have survived the first level of the tower without them. She had known her own body well enough to know that she would have at least dropped dead of exhaustion by now.
Onward she fought cutting a bloody swathe through all the darkspawn unlucky enough to get in her way. They fought back the evil through various rooms trying to find the door that would lead them to the next floor. Through all of this fighting she hadn't had a lot of time to think of the things she lost.
She couldn't, not if she wanted to stay alive to see another day. Instead of venting her grief Elissa found herself fighting for her life. Undergoing the Joining had showed her that she had much more to live for than she had first thought. Bringing Arl Howe to justice was the least of her worries.
After all of that battle and bloodshed they finally made it to the top floor. She was bleeding from several wounds that would likely take stitches and several days of bed rest to heal, and she was certain that she had managed to crack a few of her ribs as well. None of that mattered though if they hadn't made it in time. For they would all surely be dead if they had arrived even a second too late.