There and Back Again Ch. 121-122

There were striders and coursers, forders and chargers...I couldn't have recalled a single detail about any of them, if asked later. They seemed large enough to me, if not quite as burly as the carriage horses, but they all seemed just sort of...nervous. They neighed and whinnied and shifted as we passed, and the one Samuel pulled out for me was no exception. It was saddled already, dancing around on the end of the leash – reins, he informed me, not a leash – snorting and pawing at the ground.

Samuel handed me an apple and advised me to hold out my hand. Terrified, I almost couldn't look, taking the apple and turning away as I thrust the fruit in the direction of the tall, brown beast. To my relief, it didn't take a finger as it took the apple and ate it in two large bites, and I relaxed somewhat. Its lips were soft and pliable, and it tickled as it touched my hand. However, evidently one apple wasn't enough, and it began snuffling at me, blowing air through its nose and mouthing at me looking for more.

I giggled, half amused, half hysterical, and jerked away from its questing muzzle. This was the wrong choice, evidently. With a whinny, it yanked its head away and reared back, pulling Samuel half off his feet before he managed to calm it down. The elf stepped to the side, slapping it on the neck and crooning to it softly, and it settled again.

"Careful, my Lady," he said, turning to me once he had it under control. "You scared the poor girl. Slow movements, that's the key. Sadie here wouldn't hurt a fly on purpose, she just likes apples. Come, try again."

"Istartledher?" I grumbled, stepping forward with exaggerated motions. The elf took my hand and brought it to Sadie's neck, urging me to stroke her short fur softly. She stood still, watching me with one eye, but I took a deep breath again as nothing bad happened.

Taking my hand, he pulled me closer, handing me a nearby brush. "I think you both need to get a bit used to each other," he informed me. "Best way to get on a horse's good side is to take off her saddle and give her a good grooming."

I spent the rest of the morning brushing Sadie after learning the basics of a saddle. I was sure, being apparently a noblewoman, that I wouldn't be saddling my own horse often, but it made sense to understand how – if we had a problem while out riding, I'd need to be able to troubleshoot it on my own. Samuel informed me we'd try actual riding the next day. I was slightly less nervous after watching Sadie almost purr with delight as I brushed under her saddle.

I spent my lunch hour and a couple of hours after that being grilled by Seneschal Varel on table manners and forms of address for fellow nobles as well as the various functionaries I'd be surrounded by. Dull but necessary, he assured me. I sighed, secretly vowing vengeance on Cailan for putting me into the position.

I used the rest of my afternoon practicing with a quill and ink; I'd gotten ahead in my reading, thanks to a very boring youth spent speed-reading as a form of escapism and an early night with an exhausted husband. By the end of the day I was covered in ink and smelled like a horse, and I ended up joining a grimy Alistair in the shower when he appeared from the basement.

"I think we'll break through tomorrow," he crowed, happy to be done with digging. "Then we can guard that barrier door while Voldrik fixes it, and be done down there."

We ate in the dining room that evening, and even had just enough energy to make love before falling asleep intertwined in our room.

My horse riding the next day was a challenge; it seemed Sadie could sense my fear, and she'd move every time I tried to swing up into the saddle. I fell a couple of times, not injuring myself badly, but getting more than my share of bruises; once, when I managed to get my foot in the stirrup and heave myself up, she shifted a different way so I tumbled across her back and found myself on the ground on the opposite side. Samuel covered his mouth, trying to hide his laughter as I cursed a blue streak and climbed to my feet again.

I finally managed to mount once, and the elf led Sadie around a ring a couple of times so I could get used to the feel of sitting on horseback. It was a bit exhilarating, I had to admit, feeling the powerful animal move under me. I raced inside after, changing and cleaning up quickly, wishing someone was around for me to share my excitement with.

I'd just finished up a very quiet lunch alone in the dining room when I saw a filthy, blood-streaked Sergeant Maverlies run through the main hall screeching the seneschal's name. I abandoned my plate and chased after her, arriving breathless at Nathaniel's door just in time to see Varel run past me the other direction. Nate was even paler than normal, struggling to maintain a calm facade as he fired incomprehensible instructions at Maverlies, who was nodding frantically. She also ran off, leaving me with the shaken nobleman, and less than no idea what was happening.

"What is it?" Nate blanched, refusing to meet my eyes. "Nate?"

"They found more darkspawn than they expected. The tunnels are full of them."

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two: Basements are Bad

"The Wardens found more darkspawn than they expected inside the Keep's basement," Nate informed me. "There are apparently multiple camps within the tunnels, many on the inside of the barrier door. The Commander assumes that they were assembling there for the assault you warned us about. They were apparently not prepared to attack, but the first skirmish got them a lot of attention. He's asked for reinforcements; he's not sure they'll be able to hold the tunnels."

I gasped, and Nathaniel stepped over to me, gesturing at a chair like he thought I'd need to sit down. "Varel's gone to mobilise the rest of the Legion and the remaining soldiers. It's going to be okay. Maverlies said no one was badly injured." He left the obvious 'yet' to his statement unspoken.

I shook my head at the proffered chair. "I need my armour. I'll meet you in the courtyard. But Nate...don't assume the darkspawn in the tunnels are the only ones. Leave some soldiers at the gates in case there's more. They've surprised us before, and the Architect may know I'm here. We don't really know what he's capable of."

Nathaniel nodded, but appeared to be opening his mouth to say something. I didn't give him a chance to object, racing away to my room to gear up.

My armour had been cleaned and hung on its stand; briefly grateful for efficient servants, I scrambled into the set of blood-red leather, cursing at the time it took, strapping my daggers to my hips and patting my helmet into place. I left again at a run, and met a now-armed Nathaniel in the courtyard organising squads of soldiers.

He had closed the Vigil's gates, I noticed; they'd only help so much in their sagging state, but archers had been placed on the walls, split between watching outside for more darkspawn, and watching the basement door.I wonder if those gates will keep more darkspawn out of the Vigil, or in?Soldiers were hastily erecting barricades around the basement door, and armed men seemed to be occupying every open spot in the courtyard.

Nate gestured to me to join him, and I headed over to see what was going on.

"What's happening?"

"The Legion will be headed in as soon as they're all gathered. I'm setting up rotations for the soldiers so we can ensure adequate coverage for as long as necessary. I'll be sending down the first group in a few minutes. Would you care to take command of the gates? After the Blight, you've probably got as much experience as any of the captains."

I shook my head. "I'm going down. For reasons I don't have time to explain, the Wardens are going to need me."

"You have to let your husband do his job, Sierra. I know you want to make sure he's safe..."

I interrupted him. "This isn't about that. Yes, I want him safe. But Nate, I have specific skills when it comes to the darkspawn. I can sense them. I'm going down. I just want to do a check at the gates and make sure there aren't any coming over land."

Without waiting for his response, I jogged up the slight incline and climbed a ladder leading up to the ramparts above the courtyard. I made my way to the section closest to the gates, closing my eyes and trying to listen to my internal taint sensation. I could feel vague tingling, though I couldn't be sure whether it was wardens or darkspawn, but coming from below – nothing from outside the gates.

I made my way back down, signalling to Nate that I was going to go into the basement. He shook his head and beckoned, but I ignored him and slipped through the door with a group of Legionnaires heading down. I heard a shout as the door slammed behind me, but ignored it too.If he thinks anything is going to keep me from going to Alistair, he's got another thing coming.I raced down a set of stairs, through an empty dungeon, and down a long winding corridor behind Trevian and a handful of Legionnaires, barely noticing my surroundings. What I did see didn't line up particularly well with my recollection from the game, though there were multiple doorways and halls we didn't enter, so I couldn't be sure.

I hope someone found and re-killed the undead I suspect are down here somewhere.

It took several agonising minutes to wind through the tunnels in the labyrinthine basement; whoever had built the catacombs down there – the Avvar, if I remembered correctly – deserved to be slapped upside the head. We were well outside of the Vigil's walls and the tunnels just kept on going, periodically descending deeper and deeper underground.

The sound of fighting was the first sign we were getting close, the clanging of metal against metal echoing down the corridor. I pushed my way through the clump of dwarves as they stopped to get their shields in place and draw their weapons; I'd seen the shield walls the Legion seemed to favour, and there was no question they were effective, but I wasn't going to waste the time getting there. I didn't need protection from the darkspawn; I just needed to find my husband.

One of the Legionnaires shouted as I pushed past them, and Fargrim, the arrogant one, reached out to grab my arm.

"Get behind us, you daft woman! Rushing in there is only going to get you killed."

I shook him off and pressed forward to the sound of dwarven cursing and the clattering of shields rapidly snapping into position behind me. I ignored it, racing around the last couple of twists, eagerly looking for my husband and my friends ahead of me.

I hesitated only for a moment when I finally came upon them. Alistair and a couple of Legionnaires were holding off a large group of darkspawn, primarily hurlocks with a few genlocks scattered throughout, with the support of the two mages and Leliana with her bow. Anders froze darkspawn into grisly statues, which Solona smashed with magically hurled chunks of rock; Leliana picked off strays and stragglers with precision.

The other Legionnaires and soldiers, several of them looking somewhat worse for wear, worked frantically trying to move debris – rock, smashed furniture, whatever they could get their hands on – to block the main part of the passage, trying to limit how many of the tainted creatures could approach at once. When someone was hurt, another Legionnaire would trade out with him while Anders patched up the wounds as best he could without using up his mana reserves. Alistair looked uninjured, moving easily, spattered with black darkspawn blood but none of it the red colour of his own.

I fell onto the darkspawn on Alistair's unprotected flank; he grunted in surprise, but saved his breath as we effortlessly fell back into our fighting pattern, instinctively moving together and slaughtering the darkspawn trapped by the temporary barrier swinging into place. The rest of the Legion weren't far behind me, and the onslaught caused the rest of the creatures to fall back even further, giving the beleaguered group a bit of a breather.

I'd sort of forgotten how much I hated the Deep Roads; if for no other reason, I hated how it messed with my darkspawn senses. There could have been ten or a hundred darkspawn in the tunnel ahead; I concentrated on trying to feel them, but the corruption in the very stone stymied me. I sighed.

One of the wounded Legionnaires began piling darkspawn bodies for burning as I turned to examine my husband critically. I pulled a rag out of a pouch attached to my armour, offering it to Alistair to wipe ichor off his face. He used it and then pulled me in for a quick, chaste kiss.

"Whatever are you doing here?"

"You thought I'd let you keep all the fun to yourself?"

He groaned and squeezed me harder. I thought he was going to say something about me staying safe, and was prepared to pinch his ear in retaliation, but he surprised me. "Thanks," he whispered, before we were interrupted by an irate dwarf – or rather, a couple of them.

"What in the name of the Ancestors do you think you were doing, pushing ahead alone?" Fargrim demanded.

At the same time, Sigrun, who'd been fighting on Alistair's other side, turned to growl at my husband, "You should have traded out when it was your turn, Commander. Doesn't do anyone any good if you're too exhausted to fight later."

I chuckled, and Alistair grinned beside me. He assured Fargrim that I was in no danger from darkspawn and didn't need a babysitter, while I pulled Sigrun aside and quietly explained about Grey Warden stamina.

"Stamina or not, no one can fight for an hour straight without paying for it," she whispered urgently. "Everyone else was rotating in and out to get a rest. He needs to pace himself or he's going to get himself – or someone else - killed."

"I'll watch him, I promise." I sighed. "Honestly, though, if he'd backed off you might not have been able to hold out. No one else who was down here uses a shield?"

We had a brief conversation about Legion tactics, which largely involved keeping the shield-wall members together. So when the group had to split, typically the rogues and two-handed weapon fighters went one way, while the shield warriors went the other. Sigrun's group consisted of dual-wielders and two-handers exclusively. And we'd sent Bel and Rolan – the only two other shield-wielding Wardens, to patrol the Pilgrim's Path.

After a discussion with Trevian and Fargrim, Alistair clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention. He pointed to a group of four soldiers huddled together, looking frightened.I did too, my first time encountering darkspawn. The four of them were probably barely twenty, by their look.

"You, I need you to block this passageway completely. Use anything you can find; I'll deal with the Arl later if he has a problem with it. Leave a gap just large enough to fit one human through at a time. Voldrik can help you. You four," he pointed at another group of slightly more experienced-looking soldiers, "guard them and the gap. The rest of us are going in as soon as we've had a chance to catch our breath. There's at least another forty or fifty darkspawn down there, and I'm not sure how far away that barrier door is. When the rest of the soldiers arrive, have them slip through the barricade and set up positions on the other side in case we miss any darkspawn. No darkspawn can be allowed to get into the Keep. Understood?"

It was sexy watching 'Commanding Alistair' tell everyone what to do. His confidence, so shaky in the original video game, was amazing to watch. I stared at him with hunger in my eyes; he smirked and winked at me when he caught my expression, and I knew it was a promise:later.

He looked around and everyone nodded. The soldiers he'd pointed out headed back down the hall behind me, opening side doors and looking for stuff to use as a barricade. Anders and Solona were already crouching down, checking out any remaining injuries. One of the fresh Legion scouts brought around water skins for those who'd been fighting for a while already, and Alistair drank almost an entire one, wiping his mouth with the back of his gauntlet when he'd gulped as much water as he could hold.

I turned my back to the crowd, lowering my voice so no one else could hear me. "Are you okay?" I rolled my eyes when he automatically nodded. "No, really. You've been fighting for a long time; you must be exhausted. Are you really going to be up for this?"

He sighed, rubbing his face. "Don't have much choice. Besides, I've got this." He reached under the belt I knew he stored small healing potions in, and drew out a tiny yellow vial to show me. "It's not much, but it'll keep me on my feet if I get too tired."

"Alistair, don't you remember Anders telling you how dangerous stamina potions can be?"

"Only if you use them too often, or take too much. Or if you use them to keep going when you're injured. It's just a little one. The only one, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." I sighed. I couldn't say much; I had a similar vial tucked into my armour somewhere for emergencies too, along with a spare Lyrium potion and a couple of healing poultices and potions. "What's the plan?"

My husband looked at me, reluctance warring with necessity clearly on his face. He echoed my sigh. "Do you think you can get past them and see what shape that barrier door is in? We need to close it before more of them start pouring through."

I nodded, reaching up to touch his cheek softly with my gloved hand. "I'll be in much less danger on my own than standing with you all."

"Unless the Architect is there," he muttered worriedly.

"He's not there. He wants to kidnap Wardens alive, not kill them. Which isn't particularly reassuring, I'll grant you, but he wouldn't be allowing this sort of an attack if he knew. Too much chance of killing the endless blood suppliers he's hoping for."

Alistair shuddered at the mental image, and I smiled wanly. "Get a tiny bit of rest, and get everyone ready. I'm going to go talk to Voldrik about that door. I don't know what to expect as far as damage goes, but I want to be prepared to close the damn thing if possible."

"No heroics, Sierra. I mean it. Get a look, and get the void out of there."

I leaned in for another quick kiss. "I promise."

I left him to make arrangements with the Legion and the rest of the soldiers, a group of whom had come streaming into the chamber; I had to search for a while before I spotted Voldrik. I hadn't been introduced to him before, and at first looked vaguely among the Legion dwarves, before spotting the older brunette standing with a couple of the soldiers Alistair had assigned to create a barricade.

"Voldrik?"

He turned and gave me a once over, gaze hovering over my daggers – currently dripping darkspawn ichor – before he made eye contact.

"Aye? And who're you, then?"

"I'm the...um, well, I'm going to be scouting ahead to see how far we are from that barrier door. I was hoping you could give me a quick lesson on how to close those things, or repair them if necessary. We believe the door was either not quite completed, or possibly damaged."

"You're going in there alone? Better you than me, I suppose. I'm not sure I'll be able to tell you much about it, lass. I'll have to see it to know what needs fixin'."

"Alright, but at least tell me the basics? I know how to open one, but not close it."

He spent a few minutes drawing in the dirt with a finger, showing me how to close a functional barrier door. It didn't improve my confidence at all.At least I'll be able to judge the numbers and see what's waiting on the other side. I nodded my understanding to Voldrik, who clapped his hand on my shoulder sympathetically.

"You get me to the door, I'll fix it." He smiled and then turned back to the growing barricade.