Mhairi was beyond exhausted.

The daughter of a trader, a boring profession in her mind, she had been proud to change her lot in life, to become a soldier, and then a knight of Ferelden...and it had not been a second too late. Unfortunately she hadn't been there for the glorious battle for Denerim, instead she had been left behind in Amaranthine, to fight the small bands of darkspawn that had been detached from the main horde. She had not appreciated that, but had done her duty.

At least things had gotten more exciting after the victory at Denerim; that with much of the horde having fled northwards...but by then Mhairi hadn't been content to merely fight them as any other soldier. No, she had heard of the great heroics of the wardens, two wardens against an entire blight, against the treachery of Loghain...and who had against the odds been victorious. Who could not be inspired by such a tale! So when the call had come, asking for more people to join the wardens, to create more heroes, there had really been no choice for Mhairi but to sign up.

So she had been sent south, to the rebuilt Denerim, to get her Commander to be, to escort the hero of Ferelden herself!

She had honestly been giddy about it.

It was hard to stay giddy now though. Marching at a murderous pace through a road that had been washed away by the pouring rain, her heavily armoured feet sinking into the mud with each step, her body aching from exertion, her mind foggy with exhaustion. Instead she focused on pulling her feet out of the mud as she continued her march, head bowed and her breath coming out in small puffs of condensation due to the rain-induced cold.

The hero of Ferelden had not been what Mhairi had expected. Of course she had known the woman would be an elf, the tales of her heroics were sung far and wide after all...but there had still been a bit of a shock to realise the far smaller woman was the one the troubadours sang tales about. Of course that impression had evaporated the moment the elf had set her eyes on her.

Mhairi only knew Lynn Tabris' eyes were amber due to seeing them from the side, because whenever the elf looked directly at her...Mhairi had found herself looking away, an odd sense of revulsion and fear rolling over her. So she had looked away, at the elf's gold and green armour that seemed to be far too ancient for a woman of her station, at her thin lips that always seemed to be frowning, at the tousled black hair topping the angular face...but not her eyes, never that.

Their first meeting had been scary.

The elf hadn't asked many question, not even welcomed Mhairi to the order. There had been no handshake, only a few clipped words...and then the order to follow. Despite her experience Mhairi had felt like a fresh recruit again, nearly naked as she stood in front of her drill instructor yelling at the shivering little girl...despite being in full armour and towering over the little elf that was supposed to be her Commander.

It had been humbling.

So now they were moving north, at a pace Mhairi didn't know was possible. Glancing back Mhairi noted that at least the ten soldiers coming with them could hold onto the the cart with the Commander's belongings, drawn by a mule that by now must hate the Commander as much as the soldiers glaring at Lynn's back.

Lynn paid the glares no heed though, the woman apparently having an endless amount of stamina as she trudged on at the front. Despite being shorter then any of the others, despite that she by all right should be weaker...she was the one setting the pace...and she hadn't let it up for the entire week. They were allowed to sleep for six hours, have a short breakfast without fires....and then the march continued...the only other meal was dinner and that too came without any cooking fires.

Mhairi had at first endured the hardships in silence, who was she to question her Commander's hurry? But on the third day she hadn't been able to hold her tongue and had, half jokingly, asked if this was some sort of test Lynn was putting her through.

She had received a clipped 'yes'...then nothing more.

So she continued in silence, determined not to fail her Commander...though by now it was getting harder and harder...she couldn't help but hear her body cry out for rest! But she gritted her teeth and continued, she was not one to concede defeat, and she was not one to fail their hero.

At least we're nearly there.

Mhairi eyed the road ahead, despite the darkness and heavy rain she could tell they were close to Vigil's Keep, the seat of government of Amaranthine, the heart of the arlship the wardens had been granted by the queen of Ferelden. And with this rain there won't even be a proper welcoming...she nearly smirked at the thought. Though all I want by now is some warm food and a bed...

Glancing backwards once more she saw the ten soldiers holding onto the cart...formally to keep it from getting mired in the mud, which it had yet to do thanks to the strong mule pulling it...but in reality to keep themselves from falling over with exhaustion. They were all glaring daggers at Lynn's back, worrying mutterings escaping them as they struggled on. And they need it too...not a moment too soon....doesn't the Commander realise this?

As far as Mhairi knew Lynn was a great leader of soldiers, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to win against both Loghain and the blight surely...yet so far Mhairi had seen none of it. Only a hard look, uncaring of the weaknesses of everyone else. Another thing confusing me about her...surely she realises a leader shouldn't rule with just the whip?

There was no answer in the face staring straight ahead as the Commander marched onwards. Naturally pale the Commander's gaunt and stony face gave her an unnatural look in the darkness, as if she was a ghost. Or a skeleton...Mhairi grimaced, there was not a hint of fat on the elf's face...and Mhairi knew from experience among starving soldiers that such a thing was dangerous. Mhairi had realised Lynn was anything but the hero she had imagined. Oh well...guess I shouldn't be surprised, I admired Loghain as well once upon a time...

"Someone is coming."

Mhairi blinked, only slowly realising her Commander had spoken, despite having seen the elf's lips moving. So far the elf hadn't said anything save the short answer to Mhairi's questions...she had merely silenced any complaints of the soldiers with short glances...and that had been it. But now she spoke, as before, without any emotion, as if nothing could move her.

Shaking her head Mhairi looked ahead of them, to focus on what the Commander had said. At first she saw nothing, only more darkness and rain...but then something stumbled into view. A man, his arms flailing as he struggled to remain upright as he ran forward, his gasping breaths reaching Mhairi's ears despite the rain.

"Maker's breath..." Mhairi's eyes widened as the man got close enough to discern. "...that's one of the Keep's men!"

Dozens of scenarios ran through Mhairi's mind as she saw the man, barely dressed in leather armour stumble towards them. A messenger? She noted his lack of weapons. Deserter? She saw his wide eyes, full of fear. Oh no... The bloodied gash across his chest. Oh Maker no... Mhairi swallowed. But I haven't been gone for that long, and the Orlesian warden's were in the keep now...did they...no...no that can't be it...can it? Why would they...no...but the keep couldn't have fallen from the outside...could it?

A moment later she got her answer as she saw new shapes appear, shadowing the man, closing in on him.

Genlocks. Mhairi's face contorted with disgust, she hated genlocks...and the fact they were chasing a man from the keep only made the hatred grow. If they have killed my friends...she pulled her sword free.

And then there was a golden blur flying ahead of her.

Blinking, Mhairi watched the Commander, apparently not the least fatigued from their heavy march, draw her weapons and hurtle forward. A jump and the elf leapt over the stumbling soldier, the axe in her left hand cleaving into the shoulder of the first genlock, the sword in her right hand instantly following and stabbing into the maw of the shrieking creature, felling it.

The second pursuing genlock howled and leapt at the elf still having her weapons buried in the first darkspawn...who quickly spun counter-clockwise and sent her left foot smashing into the chest of the genlock with a loud crunch as its ribs snapped.

Freeing her blades with the spin the elf didn't stop, her axe swinging in a wide arc, bashing aside the thrusting daggers of a third genlock before her sword was thrust in through its chest.

Three dead genlocks...in just as many heartbeats.

Then the elf was gone, swallowed up by the darkness and the rain...the only sign she was still there the sounds of crunching bones and armour and the cries of dying darkspawn.

Am I supposed to...? Mhairi hesitated, then looked down at the man now on all four before her. Right, focus. "Soldiers, to me." Mhairi sheathed her sword and crouched down to help the wounded man to his feet, the others moving as best they could to obey as they through the mud more or less carried the obviously exhausted man to their cart.

Ignoring the irritated glare of the mule Mhairi helped the man to sit down atop the front of the cart, where no driver had so far been needed...nor liked...by the mule. The man's face was covered with mud from earlier falls, streaks made in it by the rain pelting them, most telling however was his laboured breath and the way his hand clutched the diagonal wound across his chest where the armour had failed to protect him. He managed a weak smile at the sight of her though. "I...know you...thank you."

"It was nothing." Mhairi glanced over at the road ahead, still hearing the sound of combat and cries of dying darkspawn, wondering if she should run after her Commander. Then again she doesn't seem to have any problems...focus. She grabbed the man's arm, irritated that she didn't remember his name. "Soldier, what is happening? What's the situation at the keep?"

"Darkspawn..." The man shook his head, frowning even as he gasped for breath, as if not really believing it himself. "...they came...underground...I think..." He shook his head, eyes closing. "They were everywhere all of a sudden...the Orlesians didn't sense them...I...they were overwhelmed...I...I was at the gate of the Keep...some of us ran..." He looked up, into the darkness ahead of them. "...the others...aren't coming...are they?"

This is a nightmare...got to be. Mhairi shook the man, forcing him to look back down at her, her tone insistent: "How many are alive? Has the keep fallen? I need to know!"

"I...I...don't know..." The man shook his head, eyes widening. "I...still heard fighting but..." His eyes closed again, a shudder running through him. "...they were so many...how could anyone be alive...?"

"You would be surprised." Came the calm retort as the Commander appeared out of the rain, the blood covering her armour quickly being washed away by the pouring rain. The hard eyes bore into the wounded soldier, making him cringe back. "Still alive? Good." She looked over at Mhairi, making the knight avert her gaze. Dammit...I feel like a child! "You didn't follow."

An accusation...or just a statement? Mhairi licked her lips, gesturing meekly at the soldier on the cart. "N-no I...was questioning him as to what has happened."

"And?"

Was that cold sweat down her back? Or just more rain? "Erm...the Keep has been infiltrated by darkspawn..." Mhairi swallowed, painfully aware that Lynn probably had deduced that much already. So she just stared at her feet, unable to meet the frown no doubt covering the Commander face. "There's still fighting through, the keep is not theirs yet...and it seems as if the Orl-I mean wardens already there didn't sense the darkspawn until it was too late."

"Magic most likely." Lynn concluded, voice not betraying any sign of what she actually thought of Mhairi's decision. "We will save the keep then. Soldiers, you stay with the cart and defend it with your lives, there are important documents in it, do I make myself clear?"

The soldiers nodded silently, looking a little relieved at the idea of being left behind. That means I won't be...right? Good.

"Do I make myself clear?" Lynn repeated, a warning in her tone, making Mhairi shudder. Poor darkspawn...they don't know what's about to hit them.

As one the men straightened and thumped their chests, eyes forward. "Yes Commander!"

"Good." Lynn's gaze fell upon Mhairi again, making the knight swallow and look away. "Mhairi, you're with me, keep up or be left behind."

I won't fail, not now, not with this at stake. Mhairi straightened, pushing the exhaustion and fear aside with practised efficiency. "Yes Commander, I'm with you Commander." She thumped her chest with a mailed fist, the idea of fighting ahead invigorating her.

"Good." Lynn whirled about...and begun to run...instantly disappearing into the rain.

Mhairi groaned as she drew her shield and sword, her aching legs reminding her of her march as she realised she would have to run after the elf or be left behind. One of the soldiers whistled as she begun to run, cheerfully calling out. "Good luck!" Mhairi groaned again, her limbs feeling heavy as she rushed through the darkness and rain, after the barely visible little spot that was the elf ahead of her.

With the darkspawn...or the Commander?