The Blood that Binds

Bad News

Alistair and Solona's relationship returned to whatever semblance of normal they had shared before Denerim. With Anora out of the picture and the Blight looming, Alistair's future duties were far off things. They fought side by side, laughter always a quip away. Redcliffe was minutes away when Solona began to smell smoke. She turned to Alistair who was still laughing from the conversation they had been having with Zevran. "Do you feel that?"

He paused, as the smoke on the air became more prominent with the blowing winds, and the taint of the Darkspawn pressed in around her. "Darkspawn," he shuddered. "This close to the city?"

They gathered their people, Bodhan and his son agreeing to stay with their packs while they investigated. When they approached the bridge into the city, the wheel house along the edge of the cliff was on fire, along with an overturned cart. "Shit," Solona cursed, summoning a blast of air to staunch the blazes.

Jogging ahead to the bridge, she found a frightened man at the crossing to the castle where the road split to go up to the castle, or down into the village. When he spotted them, he stood from his hiding place and ran to them. "It's... it's you! The Grey Warden! Andraste's mercy that you got here when you did! I thought for sure these monsters were going to get me!"

"When did the Darkspawn get here?" she asked urgently, feeling a huge gathering of the beasts in the village.

"Just a few hours ago, not that long after everyone was evacuated to the castle. I thought I could make it to my home and back before they got here, but it took me too long to get down here. What a relief you arrived!" he sighed.

"You should get to safety," she insisted.

"I'm going to get out of here before any more of those things arrive! Thank you again!! He ran off toward the road, telling her that he had been hiding because the Darkspawn had made it to the castle where the people had been evacuated to.

"We need to clear the village and see if there is anyone else still outside the castle," Solona said, palming her staff and beginning to slowly spin it in her grasp. It took them hours to sweep the entire village, but Solona reveled in dropping the two ogres that were making a mess of what was left of the buildings that an emissary had set on fire. She, Wynne and Morrigan did their best to clear any fires they came across, but they found no villagers left. There were no bodies either to Solona's relief. Everyone had apparently made it to the castle.

That was where they headed next, back up to the crossing and over the bridge. The courtyard in front of the castle doors was flooded with Darkspawn, the pull of magic signaling an emissary. Solona sought out the emissary and began countering it's efforts. Some of the Arl's men were already at the castle doors fighting back against the horde. Solona's group turned the tides, rolling over the Darkspawn from the rear. They were about to make it to the doors when Solona's attention was drawn to the gates, the taint warning her. Alistair also looked up from the Hurlock he had knocked to the ground and his eyes bulged. They both spurred to action, abandoning the Darkspawn they were fighting to engage the ogre that was charging through the gates, it's great hulking body slamming into the iron and stone as it squeezed through the tunnel over the drawbridge. "By the void!" Solona gasped at the sheer size of the monster.

"Is that an Alpha?" Alistair gaped.

"Whatever it is, it's dead," Solona growled, summoning fire to her palm. She channeled the flames through her staff and pointed the head at the ogre as it broke free of the tunnel and stood at it's full height. The blast slammed into the ogre's chest, drawing it's attention to them alone. "Ready?" she asked with a grin.

"Always," He spun his sword and clanged it against his shield to throw off the ogre's attention as Solona prepared a winter's grasp. She unleashed the spell, slowing the ogre to a crawl as it growled angrily. Then she blasted it with a flurry of tiny fireballs pushed through a glyph in the air before her, aiming for it's eyes. As it shook, blinded by her spells, Alistair circled around to it's back. She summoned her spirit arms and grabbed hold of it to steady it, seeing in his eyes, his plan of attack. As the ogre fell to it's knees under the weight of her spell as she knelt to pull it to the ground, Alistair stepped up on it's foot and grabbed hold of one of it's makeshift metal vambraces.