by Milton Garby
The dead assassin fell from Aedan's hand. The young lord quickly went to Iona's lifeless form and closed his lover's eyes. It was so sudden she didn't even have a chance to know what was happening. Before Aedan could have a chance to shed a tear for his lover he heard more footsteps behind him. He grabbed his sword and spun around ready to greet the one behind him. It was his mother.
"Darling!" Lady Eleanor gasped. "I heard fighting outside and feared the worst! Are you alright?"
"Mother, they killed Iona." Aedan said looking over at her mournfully.
"The elven lass? Why would…? A scream woke me up, there were men in the hall, so I barred the door. Did you see their shields? Those are Howe's men! Why would they attack us?"
Suddenly it dawned on Aedan; Howe's true nature was revealed. "He's betrayed us! He attacks while our army is away!"
"You don't think his men were…delayed on purpose? That bastard! I'll slit his lying throat myself! Have you seen your father? He never came to bed!"
"No, mother! I was in my room."
"We must find him!"
Suddenly Aedan realized something terrible "No. Gods, no! Mother, we must check Oren and Oriana!"
"Sweet Adraste! What if they went to your brother's room first? We must go!"
Aedan quickly donned a set of light leather armor and Eleanor armed herself with a bow, then mother and son ran to Fergus's, they ran through the door and what they found just about broke both their spirits. Oriana had been shot in the back with an arrow trying to shield her son, Oren bled out from the neck; his small throat had been cut, his eyes still open. "NO!" the teryna sobbed. "My little Oren. What manner fiends slaughter innocents!?"
Aedan's rage boiled in his veins. How dare they!? How dare they come into his family's home with greetings of friendship and oaths of loyalty only to attack them when they send their army away like Orlesian rats!? Howe and everyone he served were going to die in agonizing pain for this crime.
"Oh, poor Fergus!" Eleanor sobbed. "Let's go…I don't want to see this!"
Three more sets of footsteps came behind them, Dane snarled at the scent of their enemies. Three Howe soldiers, two armed with swords and the leader with a war axe. Perfect!
"Where's the Teryn, filthy elf-lover!?" The leader demanded.
"YOU DID THIIISSS!" Aedan roared. Before anyone else could react Aedan swung his sword cutting the leader from his right ribs to his left shoulder, slicing him in half! He lunged his sword straight in to the second man mouth and out the back of his head! Aedan gripped his sword in both hands and raised it above his then brought it straight through the final one's head and down through his chest! Torrents of blood spewed gorily form their death wounds and they all fell to the ground. "I WILL KILL THEM AALLL!"Aedan screamed, he picked up the Howe soldier's war axe and marched into the hall with Dane trailing behind him. Eleanor could hear the intruders scream as cut them down.
Eleanor closed Oren's little eyes and left Fergus' room trying not to let her broken heart slow her down. Oh, Oren! He was only seven years old! No. She couldn't think of that now. Mourning would have to come later, for now she had to find out what was really happening and make sure that her family line would survive this night. As Aedan cleared the hall Eleanor ran to Landra and Dairren's room, maybe they were still alive. But it was too much to ask. "Oh, Landra, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't asked her to come. If she hadn't been here…." Eleanor wiped the tears from her eyes and quickly ran after her son as he ran out into the burning castle halls.
"Aedan, wait! Listen!" Eleanor yelled after her son. He turned to face, "Can you hear the fighting? Howe's men must be everywhere."
"Then we should take the fight to them!"
"And get ourselves killed? No, listen, Aedan, if Howe's men are inside then they already control the castle we must use the servants' entry in the larder to escape. You must survive this night! If something has happened to Fergus then you are the Teryn of Highever. You cannot let the Cousland line die here!"
Aedan's face twisted with pain and anger, "We can't just do nothing! There must be something we can do!"
"I still have my treasury key; we can go there and recover the Cousland family blade. If anything is worth fighting to keep out of Howe's hand it's that sword."
"I want Howe DEAD!"
"Then survive! And visit vengeance upon him."
Aedan tried to exhale the anger out of his lungs, "Very well. We'll go to the treasury, I will not allow our family's blade be sullied by Howe's hand."
The two of them ran through the corridors to make it to the vault, they ran across a servant fleeing for his life. "The castle is fallen! I'm getting out of here!" he declared.
"Don't be a coward! Fight for your home!" Aedan urged.
"Y-yes, my lord!" and he joined them in the fray.
By the time they reached the treasury it was already being assaulted by greedy Howe soldiers. They dared to try to lay their hands on the Cousland family relics!? Within seconds Aedan would make sure they no longer had hands. One soldier came at him with an overhead strike, Aedan blocked with his sword and disemboweled him with his axe; the man screamed in horror and agony as he watched his own entrails spill right out of his gut! Another attacked Aedan's flank, Eleanor shot him right through the ear as Dane jumped on top of the other and ripped his face off! The final soldier attacked Aedan with a war hammer and shattered Aedan's sword. With his now free hand Aedan grabbed his enemy by the throat, raised him high in the air, and brought his head crashing down into the ground, and then Aedan stomped his heel on the man's neck with a sickening crunch!
Using Eleanor's key they retrieved the family sword and shield. The shield of Highever was forged for Aedan's great-grandfather, Ardal, who died defending king Vanedrin against the Orelsians; it still bore the scars of sword strikes on its face. Aedan scarcely used a shield in combat so he strapped it to his back. Perhaps his grandfather's spirit would watch his back. The Cousland family sword was lightly enchanted, still as sharp as the day it was forged in the service of King Calenhad. The Cousland family crest was stamped on the ricasso, the base of the blade, and on its disked pommel was the heraldry of Highever. This sword was more than just a family heirloom, it represented the strength and history of the Couslands: it held the might of Highever. Armed with his family's sword Aedan and Eleanor made their way to the front gates where the fighting was at its hardest; who would control Highever castle would be decided there.
The main gates were already being attacked from the inside by Howe's men, unfortunately for them they were fighting Ser Argyle! Using his maul Argyle broke their bodies and cleaved their skulls. Suddenly the old warrior was surrounded by five Howe soldiers, he swung the axe side of his maul in a wide arc and sliced all of them in half! With all the enemy soldiers in the hall dead the remaining Cousland soldiers regrouped and made their way to the front gate trying to enforce it.
"Go! Man the gates, keep those bastards out for as long as you can!" Ser Gilmore commanded. Howe's men were pounding on the gate with vigor.
"What're ye a buncha' Antivan dandies!? Or a ye men of Highever!? Ser Argyle yelled, "If those Amaranthine whoresons want these gates then we're gonna make 'em sorry their mothers didn't use protection! Right!?"
"Hoo-Rah!" the men shouted.
Aedan and Eleanor rushed to Ser Gilmore, "My lord and lady, thank the Maker you're alive I thought Howe's men had gotten through!"
"They did get through!" Aedan yelled.
"They killed Oren and Oriana…I can't believe—Are you injured?" Eleanor asked.
"I'll live your, ladyship. When I realized what was going, Ser Argyle and I gathered what men we had left and sealed the gate. But it won't hold for long if you two have another way out I pray you take it quickly!
"Have you seen my father?"
"When I last saw the teryn, he'd been badly wounded. I urged him not to go, but he was determined to find you. He went towards the kitchen. I believe he meant to find you at servants' exit in the larder."
Howe's men pounded the door harder; they would soon be through.
"Please, I beg you! The gate is about to fall! You must leave now!" Ser Gilmore pleaded.
"Ya heard tha man!" Ser Argyle yelled. "Aedan, Lady Eleanor, ye're all that matters. We'll hold these bastards long enough for ya to escape."
"Argyle, please come with us." Aedan beseeched.
"Nay, lad. Ash Warriors never run from battle and the battle is here. Now, get goin' or I'll kick ya out!"
"I'll never forget you. Either of you!" Aedan vowed as he and his mother turned to leave.
"Remember, lad, who ye are!" Argyle called after him. "Ye are Aedan Cousland of Highever. Ye represent what it mean to be an Alamarri of Highever and make sure the world doesn't forget it!"
Aedan and his mother ran out of the hall, Argyle was alone now with just Ser Gilmore, a handful of Highever soldier and a shitload of Amaranthine soldiers on the other side of the gate. They were outnumbered three-to-one. Death was most certainly upon them. Perfect! He'll make sure that every Howe remaining Howe soldier would shit themselves whenever they remembered what they did to them on this night!
"SERVING WITH YE MEN HAS BEEN ME LIFE'S HONOR!"Argyle declared, the men pounded their shields, their spirits high, "THESE AMARANTHINE FUCKWITS WILL BE HAUNTED FOR THA REST 'A THEIR MISERABLE LIVES FOR WHAT WE'RE ABOUT'A DO TA THEM!
(Pounds Shields)
"THE LADY OF THE SKIES CALLS US HOME!"
(POUNDS SHIELDS!)
"WHAT DO YA SAY WE MAKE THAT BITCH WAIT A LITTLE LONGER!?"
(POUNDS SHIELDS!)
The gates broke open and Howe's soldiers flooded in like maggots from a dead carcass. Argyle smiled to Gilmore, this was the death every warrior should want. Argyle with his maul and Gilmore with his sword and shield charged forward unto to glory!
Aedan and Eleanor made their way through the burning hallway to the kitchen fighting Howe's men every step of the way. When they were just about to reach the kitchen they were met by an Amaranthine knight and several rogues. Judging from his armor and his stance this was one of Howe's elite, he would put up more of a fight than the rest of the soldiers. GOOD!
"Mother cover me as I approach. Dane, watch my flank." Aedan ordered. He charged forward, his sword and axe at the ready, Eleanor fired a shot at one of the rogues in the ribs, Aedan finished him with an axe strike upside the head. Dane bit onto the ankle of another rogue brining him to the ground and ripped the man's guts to shreds with his claws. Aedan swung at the final rogue's neck with his sword, but he weaved his head just out Aedan's reach. Aedan quickly followed with a powerful front kick to the rogue's nuts, and when he doubled over screaming like a falsetto Aedan uppercutted him into the fire behind him. He screamed as he roasted like pig.
The knight attacked Aedan with a morningstar, the ball just missing Aedan's head. Aedan attacked with his sword but was blocked by the knight's shield. The knight swung his star at Aedan again, the chain caught Aedan's axe and yanked it from his grip. "I'll bleed you like I did your coward of father!" The knight threatened. Aedan's eyes burned like embers as he went berserk. The knight swung his morningstar at Aedan once more, aiming for his head; Aedan caught the star in his bare hand and yanked it away! Aedan grabbed his enemy by the helmet and shoved into a burning torch, the man's hair caught on fire beneath his helm. Screaming bloody murder, the knight escaped Aedan grip and threw his helm from his head in an attempt to douse the flames on his scalp; Aedan would not be denied! He grabbed his enemy by the head with both hands and smashed it into the wall! Again! And again! And again! And again until all that was left was a wet pulpy mass were the knight's head used to be.
His hands wet with the knight's blood and brains Aedan picked up his axe and led the way into through the kitchen and into the larder where they found the teryn waiting for them, drenched in his own blood.
"I w-was wondering when you'd get hear." The teryn groaned weakly.
"Bryce!" His wife cried as she rushed to his side. "Maker's blood! What's happened? You're bleeding!"
"Howe's men… found me first. Almost… did me in right there."
The sight of his father in such a state was almost too much, "Why is Howe doing this!?" Aedan cried.
"Howe hopes to use the chaos to his advantage. He…can't get away with this. The king will…! The teryn vainly tried to stand but the pain was just too much.
"Bryce! We have to get you out of here!" Eleanor wept.
"I...I won't survive the standing, I think."
"Then we stay! We defend you!" Aedan cried defiantly.
"Once Howe's men break through the gate, they will find us! We must go!" Eleanor explained, her heart breaking.
"Someone…must reach Fergus. Must… tell him what's happened."
"And take vengeance." Aedan said with hate in his voice.
"Yes…Vengeance." The teryn agreed.
"Bryce, no! The servants' entrance is right here! We can flee together, find you healing magic!" The teryna cried.
"The castle is surrounded. I cannot make it." Bryce explained.
"I'm afraid the teryn is correct." Said a soft but firm voice behind them. It was the Grey Warden, Duncan, his armor and sword wet with blood. "Howe's men have not yet discovered this exit, but they surround the castle. Getting past them will be difficult."
"You are Duncan, then? The Grey Warden?" Eleanor asked.
"Yes, your ladyship. The teryn and I tried to reach you sooner."
"My younger son helped me escape, Maker be praised."
"I am not surprised."
"Ser Duncan can you help us?" Aedan asked.
"Whatever is to be done, it must be quick! They are coming!" Eleanor cried, the sound of Howe's men in the castle were becoming louder.
"Duncan…you are under no obligation to me, but I beg you… take my wife and son to safety!" Bryce beseeched.
"I will, your lordship. But… I'm afraid I must ask for something in return." Duncan answered sadly.
"Anything!" Cried the teryn.
"What is happening here pales in comparison to the evil that is now loose in this world." Duncan explained. "I came to your castle looking for a recruit. The darkspawn threat demands that I leave with one."
"I…I understand." The teryn confirmed sadly.
"But what if something has happened to Fergus!?" Aedan demanded.
"I will take the teryna and your son to Ostagar to tell Fergus and the king what has happened. Then, your son joins the Grey Wardens." Duncan explained.
Bryce was growing weak, "As long as justice come to Howe…I agree."
"Then I offer you a place within the Grey Warden." Duncan offered, "Fight with us."
"My duty is to take vengeance on Howe!" Aedan refused angrily.
"We will inform the king and he will punish Howe. I'm sorry, but a Grey Warden's duties take precedence even over personal vengeance."
"Then fuck you and your duties, Warden!" Aedan spat.
"Pup! He…is right." Bryce counseled. "Howe thinks he can use the chaos to advance himself. Make him wrong, son, see that justice is done! Our…family always does our duty first. The darkspawn must be defeated. You must go. For your own sake, and Fereldan's."
Those words, right there got Aedan's attention and he knew his father was right. Duty and country always came first for the Couslands. He had no choice. "I will join the Wardens, father. For you. Only for you."
"Then we must leave quickly." Duncan stated.
"Bryce…are you sure?" Eleanor pleaded.
"Our son will not die of Howe's treachery." Bryce assured, "He will live, and he will make his mark on the world."
Eleanor looked to her son with grief in her eyes, "Darling, go with Duncan. You will have a better chance of making your escape without me."
"Eleanor…"
"Hush, Bryce. I'll kill every bastard that tries to make it through that door to buy them time. But I won't abandon you."
"Mother, are you sure this is what you want?" Aedan pleaded.
"My place is with you father, in this life and the next. Now, please, go. Make us proud, I know you will."
Aedan kissed his parents one last time and left with Duncan and Dane out of the servant's exit, never looking back; he couldn't bring himself to look back.
"I'm…sorry that it's come to this my, love." Bryce said to his wife.
"We've had a good life together, Bryce and I loved you for it. Now it's up to our children." Eleanor comforted her husband as she heard the sounds of Howe's soldiers approaching in the halls. She whispered a prayer beneath her breath as she drew her bow and prepared to meet her enemies and the Maker.
Now safe from their enemy, Aedan looked upon a cliff overlooking Castle Highever, the flames still burning. Dane gave a mournful cry at the red moon in the sky. Looking upon his ancestral home in ruin, his family destroyed, Aedan wept. He wept until he could weep no more. After that he swore he would weep no more. All the tears he had left in him were for his family. He turned his back on the ruins of his former life and marched onward with Duncan, his eyes burning. The tears were gone, his soul in ruins, all that was left in him was hatred and revenge.
"There will come times in your lives when you will be burdened with difficult choices. Choices that will have major impact on the lives around you. As leaders you will have to make choices where you may have to decide what is the greater good and who may suffer from that choice. Others and yourselves may question if that was the right or wrong choice and you must live with the consequences. So remember this and never forget it, my sons: To be a leader is not about being right. It's about doing right.~ Teryn Bryce Cousland.
Walking in Ostagar
Duncan, Aedan and Dane traveled south through the Hinterlands to the ruins of Ostagar on the edge of the Korcari Wilds. Originally Ostagar was a Tevinter outpost built to keep the Chasind barbarians from invading their territory. When the Tevinters left Ferelden the outpost became a ruin, but it was still a powerful fortress that had been pivotal in repelling the Chasind Wilders whenever they invaded. During their entire journey south none said a word. Aedan's heart was filled with anguish and his mind was still fresh with the slaughter of his family. No words could be said, none that would set his mind or heart at ease. Aedan wanted to get to the Wilds quickly, he needed something to kill.