The thunder roared overhead, sending waves of light across the wasteland that was to become a graveyard. King Cailan had been adamant that they were to be victorious, but Aveline knew victory didn't come without its price.

She gently tied her leather strap around her forehead, keeping her fringe from her eyes. She wanted to cut the blasted thing short, but it was the one thing Wesley had asked her not to do. Aveline let a smile tug at her lips as she pulled her hair into a bun. Wesley and she had been together only a few short years, but he had never once complained. Not when she had spent days on end at the King's Keep, training new recruits. Not even when she had spent a whole months wages two new pieces for her armour. He had never argued with her when she wanted to train rather than make love.

Aveline felt her cheeks become warm. Not that she denied him often.

Wesley was a fine man, a good man. And a distinguished warrior. Just as she was. He had never tried to make her into something she wasn't. He knew she was a fighter first and he had accepted her anyway. So it was just for him - and him alone - that she didn't cut her hair.

Tightening the straps of her armour, Aveline took a deep breath. She had never seen a Darkspawn before, and only a fool would walk into a battlefield without fear. 'To fight fear, one must look it in the eyes.' That was what her father always told her.

"Ser Vallen? Are you ready?"

Aveline sheathed her sword before grabbing her shield that lat neatly polished atop her bedroll. She took one last glance at the small tent she had been given. As an officer in the King's army, she was allowed her own tent rather than share with four others, but there still wasn't enough space to swing a cat.

With her wedding ring on her finger and her sword by her side, Aveline felt ready.

She threw aside the small flap and walked into the damp night. It was her first time in Ostagar, the legendary ruins of the old Tevinter. As she had marched through its walls alongside her comrades, she had gotten an eerie feeling from the place.

A young girl stood in front of her. She was too young to be risking her life in such a battle, but she was a damn good second in command.

"Grestle. What's the situation?"

Aveline started walking without any gesture but Grestle expected it, turning and keeping pace.

"King Cailan has called his men to arms. Ser Whillem has asked to see you while the men prepare to march."

Aveline nodded, turning sharply. She walked down a small slope until she stood at the head of a sea of white tents. They spread across the land in their thousands. It was hard to believe that out of all of these soldiers, Aveline only commanded one hundred men.

She wondered if the King even realised how many of these men wouldn't go home.

However, she intended to live another day. Aveline started forward into the middle of the mass where a huge tent dominated the centre of the army.

Opening the flap without making herself known, Aveline walked into the largest part of the tent. There was a round table in the middle and surrounding it, over twenty men and women, all geared up for the battle.

"Ah, Officer Vallen. Now we're all here, we can start."

Aveline nodded once at the strong man before her. Tristan Whillem was a fine warrior; he had handpicked her from over a hundred recruits to train as an officer. He was a lot older now, the silver in his hair becoming more noticeable every day.

"Teyrn Loghain?"

Aveline felt her curiosity peak as a tall man in gleaming armour stepped forward from the shadows of the tent. She had never met the Teyrn personally, and she had only seen him a few times.

"The plan is to flank these monsters and end this battle here before a Blight can begin. King Cailan will be at the front of his army as it marches to meet the Darkspawn head on. My army along with the recruits from the West Hills will be waiting in the edge of the Wilds, where we'll flank the Darkspawn. It'll take them by surprise and end this battle before daybreak. Any questions?"

The men were silent.

The Teyrn nodded making his dark hair bounce. Aveline watched as he gave Ser Whillem one nod and left the tent sharply.

Whillem turned to face the other officers.

"You have your orders. Keep these bastards on their toes until the Teyrn flanks them with his men. You have your factions, your positions and your wits. I'll expect to see each and every one of you at dawn."

Aveline smiled along with a few others. Whillem smiled tiredly before his face became serious once again.

"May the Maker watch over you all."

A few patted the general on the shoulder and some just left quietly. Aveline nodded for Grestle to leave. The blonde elf left without complaint.

"Ser?"

Whillem turned and his face softened to see Aveline.

"Are you ready to face these monsters?"

Aveline scoffed. "Is anyone?"

"A good question..."

The general's voice trailed off as he took one last look around his tent. Aveline noticed he seemed to be looking anywhere but at her. She knew better than to question the general.

A horn sounded in the distance, calling the men to march.

"Well... I wish you luck, ser. May I see you when the sun rises."

Aveline held out her hand, but Whillem just watched her curiously.

"It's a shame, Vallen."

"Ser?"

"I should hold the title of general; I've fought for the King more times than I can count. I've trained men, killed men. And yet, when a doe-eyed girl joins my faction, I couldn't bring myself to tell her what a wonderful creature she was."

Aveline blinked, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Ser..."

He held up his hands and smiled dismissively.

"Bah! I lost my chance and I don't intent to act on my feelings. I just wanted to let you know that you are a fierce warrior and a damn good officer, Aveline. You would have made a fine wife. Ser Wesley is a lucky man, indeed."

Aveline felt a wave of sadness come over her. She loved Wesley, more than she would let herself admit. But there was a time, so many years ago, where she would have leaped to become the general's wife. S

Aveline reached up and put her shoulder on the general's shoulder. He put his hand on top of hers and looked at her for a brief moment. Smiling sadly, he let his hand drop.

And then he was serious again.

"Fight well, Aveline. Live gloriously."

"And you, Tristan."

Before he said anything else, Aveline walked form the tent. The cold wind blew across her face, cooling her heated cheeks. Grestle stood just off to the side. She gave Aveline a questioning look, but Aveline just shook her head.

They started forward, but what was in front of them made Aveline stop dead.

There was no longer an ocean of tents, but a mass of armoured men. Thousands of torches lit up the field, sending dark shadows across their faces. They were slowly moving forward, step by step.

Aveline and Grestle had to run for ten minutes before they found Aveline's small section of the army.

The men and women smiled in greeting as Aveline walked to the head of the group. They marched in perfect timing. Somewhere in the distance, a war drum was being played.

The Wilds stood next to them, dangerous and foreboding in the darkness.

As the crescendo of footsteps got closer to the edge of Ostagar, the army was signalled to stop. Aveline could only just see the front of the lines. She vaguely heard a noise up ahead which she guessed was the King. She looked around to see soldiers craning their necks to try and hear the words of encouragement. Before she stopped herself, Aveline raised her sword.

"The enemy stands before us!"

All eyes turned to her. She held her chin up, knowing that if she cocked this up then she would send soldiers into battle with heavy hearts.

"These monsters stand before us, cast out from the Fade by the Maker himself! The expected to come here and ravage our land without a fight! Well I say we give them the fight they crave so much! I say we send them back into the pits of hell that they came from!"

The soldiers around her let out a cry, making Aveline's heart soar. She felt the electricity around them start to ignite.

"We are all someone's son, someone's daughter! We are brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers! We are all part of this land, be it for richer or poorer! We stand today to face this enemy united! Today, we will look this threat in the face and laugh! We are warriors! We are Fereldens! AND WE WILL NOT GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT!"

A deafening cry rose up into the night, bringing tears to Aveline's eyes. Her throat stung as men and women alike raised their swords and shields. The army ahead started forward at a run. She watched in amazement as the men rolled forward like a wave.

"FOR FERELDEN!"

Aveline let out a warcry as she started forward at a sprint.

She heard her men following her with their own warcries being carried into the night. She saw Grestle to her right and the elf sent her a mischievous smile as she held two identical short swords in her hands.

As man clashed with monster, Aveline felt her throat tighten at the sight before her.

Armoured men slashed and jabbed at creatures so twisted that they made her stomach turn. There was a sharp smell of blood and death in the air before Aveline's men reached the battleground. She raised her shield as something came flying towards her.

It hit her shield with a thump but Aveline didn't have time to look at what it was.

A raised sword was viciously thrown towards her head. She ducked and thrust her sword upwards, disembowelling the creature. Black ooze spewed from its body, flowing over her hands. She cried out as it burnt her skin.

Dropping her shield, she quickly undid her gauntlet and threw it onto the floor. Wiping the last of the blackness from her skin, Aveline started forward and met the advancing Darkspawn with a furious cry.

With a cry, she brought her blade down heavily on the creature's head, splitting it and spraying more ooze over her now filthy armour.

As it dropped, Aveline bent over and tried to breathe.

They must have been fighting for hours. She looked up and felt her stomach clench. Bodied spread over the wasteland and enough blood to fill an ocean seeped into the muddy ground. It had started raining not long after the battle had started, and Aveline was relieved to feel the blood being drained from her face.

The Darkspawn had kept advancing and Aveline saw they had travelled quite far up the hill towards Ostagar already.

Look ahead, Aveline gasped.

Clenching the hilt of her sword, she rushed forward. Using a pile of dead creatures as elevation, Aveline threw herself forward, impaling a Darkspawn from the air. A young girl span around, her once shining blonde hair now matted with blood and mud.

"Grestle! Are you alright?"

The elf nodded, breathing heavily. Aveline saw her shivering under her thin layers of armour. With a silent gesture, Aveline and Grestle started forward, joining the most active part of the fray. As they ran, Grestle turned to her.

"Where the hell are the Teyrn's men?" she yelled through the rain.

Aveline looked up towards the tower of Ishal. Its tops were still dark and empty. Before she could answer, a few Darkspawn broke from the larger group to charge Aveline and Grestle.

Aveline raised her shield as a smaller Darkspawn raised a crossbow at her. She ducked behind her shield and ran at it. Multiple thumps hit her shield, making her grunt. She felt herself fall forward as she collided with the Darkspawn. Something crunched against her weight, but she didn't have a chance to celebrate.

Getting to her feet, she just raised her sword in time to avoid a beheading.

Battering the creature with her shield, she hammered at it with brute force until her sword slid cleanly through its chest.

Aveline turned and rushed to Grestle's side. Back to back, they defended themselves brutally until eventually a pile of bodies surrounded them. She felt her throat screaming for water and her arms screamed to let go of her weapons.

"Water?" asked Aveline.

Grestle reached behind her, feeling her back. Feeling nothing there, Grestle shook her head miserably.

Aveline breathed in deeply.

There was a sudden out cry of voices. Aveline's head whipped up and she smiled. The Tower of Ishal was suddenly alight, its tops burning brightly. The signal had been lit!

Grestle laughed and Aveline cheered.

All eyes turned to the forest by their side, and those who could, waited expectantly to see the Teyrn's banner waving proudly. Fresh soldiers and sharp weapons would help them win this fight.

Moments passed.

Seconds turned into minutes.

Aveline felt her heart drop. She turned and saw a group of fellow soldiers looking around at each other. They all wore the same panicked expression. She felt it herself, a foreboding feeling deep in her chest.

Suddenly, it was very clear that the Teyrn wasn't coming.

Men started to scream and shout as Darkspawn took advantage of the distraction, cutting men down mercilessly. Aveline clenched her teeth as she saw Grestle's hopeless expression as she met another Darkspawn.

The soldiers started to scatter, fleeing the field. They were easy pickings for the genlock archers, shot down before they made it past the battlefield.

"Men!" shouted Aveline.

Only a few eyes turned to her in the panic. Aveline looked around desperately until she saw a broken cart, a few paces to the left. Running for it, she climbed as high as she could. From what she could see, the Darkspawn were trying to circle in what was left f the King's great army.

There were about twenty Darkspawn archers being protected by Hurlock shields. They were picking off the soldiers trying to get away.

From what she could see, her comrades were going to be massacred. Without more arms, they were utterly screwed. The men were holding their own towards the back. So far the Darkspawn hadn't been able to circle them completely, but it was only a matter of time. And with the archers, no one had a chance of getting away with their lives.

To Aveline, deserting was a coward's way out. But she also knew when she was beat. It was now her official duty to get as many of her men out of this alive as possible.

Putting two fingers in her mouth, Aveline whistled as loud as she could.

As well as drawing her comrade's attention, she also drew the attention of the Darkspawn in earshot.

"Men! To me!" she cried.

About thirty bloodied men and woman broke away from the panicked mass and started towards her, as well as a handful of Darkspawn. Grestle was first to her side as Aveline jumped to the floor. A wave of arrows whistled over head as the soldiers raised their shields.

Before she had a chance to speak, the Darkspawn reached them. Aveline led the attack by slashing at the first one. Her comrades snapped from their panicked daze and joined the fray, hacking and slashing until only corpses surround them.

Aveline raised her sword, drawing their attention once again.

"Men! This battle is forfeit! We need to try and get out a warning to those in the nearby towns! Loghain's men haven't come, so it's up to us to get ourselves out of this!"

"But ser, we can't just run!" yelled a young lad at the back. A few men raised their voices in agreement.

Aveline took two steps forward and grabbed the boy by the scruff of his armour. His face drained of all colour and she raised him to her face.

"Are you calling me a coward, boy?"

He blinked a few times before shaking his head. Aveline let him go and took a deep breath.

"I don't like it either! But there's no point in staying here to be butchered! If I knew we stood a chance then I would swing my sword until it was pried from my cold dead fingers. But we have a responsibility to our countrymen! We have to spread the word that King Cailan has failed! Now, will you help me?"

She slowly looked each and every man and women in the eyes. Slowly, she saw them understanding their logic. She knew their thoughts had trailed to their families.

"Right! You, boy, what is your name?"

The boy she had grabbed stepped forward. "Hawke, ser. Carver Hawke."

"Hawke, to my left. Grestle, my right. We're going to force our way into that mass over there! They've got archers hidden in the middle and if we don't take them out then we have no hope in hell of leaving this place alive! All those with shields, up front! Any archers, find a bow! Daggers stay behind us and keep our rear clear! If this fails we need a way out!"

The soldiers wordlessly got into their positions. Grestle stayed by her side, picking up a shield from a fallen brother-in-arms.

Aveline raised her own as the young lad to her left raised his own. She caught his eye and nodded encouragingly. When they were in position, Aveline raised her sword again.

"Stay close! Don't let them get in between us! Keep moving forward! We need to take out these archers! For Ferelden!"

She started forward with another cry. Her soldiers kept themselves close together. Moving quickly and quietly, Aveline and her group managed to hit the back of the mass undisturbed. They took out a fair few before the others became aware of the attack.

The entire mass turned on them and Aveline tried her hardest not to look disheartened.

She managed to get a peak at the archers through the mass.

"SHEILDS!"

There was a whoosh and then a crescendo of thumps. She heard a few gasps and squishy thuds. As some of her men fell, others from behind quickly caught up to fill the gaps. She felt for the fallen, but her mission was more important. She needed to focus.

The Darkspawn charged then, but they only bounced off the shields.

They tried to pull the shields away, separate some off and break the chain, but Aveline was proud to see they were still going strong. From behind, knives and swords were thrust forward, hitting the Darkspawn. Aveline cried out as something hit her shield with such force that it nearly snapped her arm in two. The young boy was quickly to her side, thrusting his longsword forward. It went straight through the monster's face with a horrible fleshy thud.

Aveline smiled at him through the blanket of sweat on her face.

"Keep together! We're nearly there!" she shouted.

There was a sharp cry as Grestle was hit in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt. Aveline went to grab her, but it was too late. She fell back, making a gap in the line.

The Darkspawn jumped in, shocking those in the back.

"Grestle!"

Aveline lowered her shield and leant down. She reached out and grabbed hold of something. Pulling with all her might, she managed to get the elf unsteadily to her feet. Grestle blinked as tears flowed openly down her face.

The Darkspawn in the line was quickly killed and Grestle managed to get her shield up again. She carried on forward even though Aveline saw the pain on the elf's face.

They carried on slowly forward, hacking, slashing and bashing their way towards the centre of the Darkspawn mass. Aveline felt her arms shaking from the pressure of holding her shield against the monsters. She knew her comrades were feeling the pain. They couldn't keep this pace up for much longer.

Opening her eyes, she saw an archer through the gap. It was now or never.

"That's it! Come on! One more push and we're there! Give it all you've got!"

A renewed energy went through the line and Aveline knew that they were giving their all. She ducked under her shield and dug her boots into the ground. Her legs trembled, her arms burned, but she pushed as hard as she could.

Letting out a cry, Aveline braced herself for one last push.

"One... two... THREE!"

The Darkspawn were flung backwards, landing heavily in the mud.

Aveline burst forward from the line with Grestle and Hawke.

"Keep the line! Keep the back open!"

The line closed up as the Darkspawn turned on the shields. The archers let out a roar as they turned, but they turned too late. Aveline let them taste her blade as she hacked at them as hard as she could. Grestle was by her side, slashing as quickly as she could. The boy was holding his own, killing just as quickly as Aveline.

As the archers fell, the Hurlocks turned wilder, attacking her comrades without mercy. Aveline felt her jaw tighten as a young woman was hacked down by three Hurlocks at the same time.

"That's the last one, ser!" shouted Hawke.

Aveline nodded. "Retreat!"

They started backwards but the Darkspawn must have noticed what they were doing. They got behind them, cutting off their escape route. The shield line held still and tried their best to clear the way, but Aveline, Hawke and Grestle were surrounded.

Looking into their twisted, snarling faces, Aveline felt the cal of the Maker coming her way.

She raised her sword, ready to defend herself until she took her last breath. Grestle stood by her side, holding her head high. Aveline nodded at her, ignoring the black veins spreading up the elf's pale neck.

"An honourable death," said Aveline.

Grestle looked at her, her blue eyes shining. "A glorious death."

They raised their swords and let out a fierce warcry. The Darkspawn opened their mouth and let out a hideous wail, but Aveline just stared at them. She charged forward with Grestle by her side.

Suddenly, the world went white.

Aveline felt herself being thrown through the air. She couldn't hear anything and all she could see was whiteness. She didn't even feel it when her body crashed back onto the ground.

There was a high ringing in her ears which roused her.

Her body felt like one big bruise. Mud was seeping into her hair and she felt it in her ear. The cold was soaking through her armour and she was bleeding somewhere on her back. Aveline opened her eyes but nothing came into focus.

She could see a bright orange outline but nothing made sense.

Her stomach was doing somersaults. It was only when she felt its contents coming up that she made herself move. Turning to the side, Aveline brought up whatever was in her belly. It burnt her dry throat and stung her nose, making her eyes water.

Wiping her mouth with her soiled sleeve, Aveline tried to breathe.

There was a groan somewhere to her right.

She turned her head and through her watering eyes, Aveline saw a feeble outline. She recognised the blue eyes.

"Grestle..."

Aveline winced at the sound of her own voice. As she crawled slowly over to the mangled figure, her eyesight started to get a little clearer. From what she could tell, the catapult had landed right next to them.

Darkspawn and human corpses were alight, sending a nauseous burning flesh smell into the air.

Aveline breathed through her mouth as she pulled herself up to Grestle's side. The elf was staring wide-eyed into oblivion, her delicate face marred by the flames. Aveline saw the taint had spread from her shoulder down her neck and onto her chest in the space of a few minutes.

They had been told briefly about the taint, and all they really knew was that it was poisonous.

Aveline reached forward and gently closed Grestle's eyelids.

"Find peace in the Maker, my friend."

Looking up, Aveline saw a few of her comrades were moving. She saw the boy, Hawke, getting to his feet. He looked scratched but none the worse for wear. Aveline followed his example, dragging her sorry carcass onto its feet.

For a moment the world span, but she managed to steady herself.

"Ser?" called Hawke. Aveline nodded to him.

She walked over, grabbing a half decent sword from the mud. Standing next to him, Aveline held out her arm. He took her forearm and they greeted each other as brothers-in-arms. Together, they checked their fallen comrades.

Some weren't too badly injured and able to stand. Some were at the Maker's side. And some... some were writhing in agony. With a heavy heart, Aveline gave them a blessing before ending their suffering. After seeing so many dead, Aveline wanted nothing more than to see Wesley, alive and breathing.

The boy came over to her.

"Ser? What do we do now?"

She looked up into the expecting eyes of her injured comrades. Some were so young and some looked so lost. She knew they needed someone to guide them, to lead them... but she was so exhausted.

Aveline looked back and saw Grestle's body lying amidst so many dead.

"Now, we get the hell out of here. Find any weapons you can and follow me."

Aveline led the small group past the Darkspawn. They managed to get into the Wilds without attracting any attention. As she led them through the twists and turns, she looked through the trees into the wasteland.

The sun kissed the sky sending oranges across the field. She saw the red lining. Aveline laughed humourlessly. So much for seeing the dawn. She ran and caught up with the few survivors. Hopefully they made it to Lothering; she wanted nothing more than to embrace her husband.

Without turning back, Aveline left behind the blood red sky, and the battlefield that had become a graveyard.