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The Last of the Couslands	By : MistressofMagic Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 4401 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Bioware and EA own everything associated with the Dragon Age universe. I am making no money off of this fan fiction.

Chapter List
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Chapter 49
The Rescue
The first thing Bridget felt was something hard and cold against her cheek. She drew her brows together and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, and her body ached all over, specifically in her right shoulder and left side. Bridget blinked a few times to get her vision to focus. After a minute or so, she was able to take in her surroundings. Not moving, she rolled her eyes over the room she was in, or cell for that matter. Stone lined the floors, walls, ceilings, pretty much everywhere. Torches were placed here and there to allow light, and the echoes of screams could be heard throughout the halls. Bridget closed her eyes and shivered at the sounds of them. She couldn't even imagine what those poor souls were being put through. Bridget lifted her head and slowly sat up, wincing in pain. She held her head in her hands as it ached terribly. She had been reduced to nothing but her small clothes, all of her armor and gear most likely locked in a chest somewhere. With the way she felt, there was no way she could make an escape herself…she wouldn't get far at all, and didn't want to think of the consequences if she was caught. Bridget sighed and rested her back against the nearby wall. It was freezing cold and sent her skin to ripple into gooseflesh.
Alistair would come, Bridget was sure of it. He wouldn't waste a moment knowing that she was in here…she'd just have to sit and wait and hope that the guards wouldn't take her to the torture chamber. Growing up, Bridget had heard stories of Fort Drakon, listening in on the hushed conversations her father used to have about it with her mother or one of his regents. She knew exactly what the prisoners that were in here faced, and knew that the guards enjoyed delivering the punishments. Bridget drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. She turned her head and looked towards the cell that was next to her. In it, a man sat with his back towards her, trembling slightly. His back held gaping wounds, oozing out blood and puss. They looked severely infected. Bruises blackened his body all over. Bridget trailed her eyes up to his hair and blinked. She had only seen hair of that particular shade on one person before…
Bridget crawled over closer to the bars that separated their cells.
"Ser Gilmore?" she asked softly.
The man's head slowly lifted he turned slightly to face her and when he did, Bridget gasped. The red headed man was indeed Gilmore…but he looked like a completely different person. His nose had been broken previously for it was now crooked and misshapen. Gilmore's hair was oily and looked as if it had not been washed in months…probably not since he was thrown in here. His eyes were black, his lip was busted and he looked as if he was missing a few teeth. His eyes though…they were so distant…so dark.
It was as if they had no life in them at all.
Gilmore raised his eyebrows and Bridget watched as he slowly moved across his cell so he could face her, between the bars.
"M-Milady Cousland…" he whispered softly.
Bridget looked at him.
"How on Thedas did you survive Howe's men?" she asked.
Gilmore dropped his gaze and hung his head.
"They held me prisoner…they made me watch as…as they murdered everyone else…all of my friends, your mother and father…"
Bridget swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Then they…they made me throw the torch into the gardens so that a fire would start…it swallowed up the entire castle. I tried though milady, I tried to resist I,"
Bridget shook her head.
"Shh…I have full confidence that you did try to resist."
Gilmore's lip quivered as tears fell from his eyes.
"I could save no one…I am sorry milady…I have failed you."
Bridget looked at him.
"No you didn't, Gilmore. You tried…I cannot believe they let you live though…"
Gilmore looked up at her.
"I have not lived since that day. I was thrown in this cell as soon as we entered Denerim. Every day I have been whipped, beaten, placed on the stretcher or hung by my wrists as they torture me…"
Bridget felt tears brim her eyes. Gilmore had always been strong but now…
He was utterly broken.
"How did you survive?" Gilmore asked quietly a few minutes later after he composed himself.
"The Grey Warden, Duncan helped me escape. I had fainted and when I woke up…I was in Ostagar." She replied softly.
Gilmore looked at her and placed his hand on hers that was holding onto the bar.
"I am glad that you survived, milady. Knowing that you have brings great joy to my heart." He said slowly.
Bridget looked into Gilmore's eyes and thought she saw a spark of life in them once again. She smiled and placed her other hand on top of his.
"My friends will come to rescue me, Gilmore. We'll make it out of here alive, I know we will."
Gilmore nodded.
"We will."
"What do we have here…?"
Both Gilmore and Bridget turned to see two guards stepping up towards their cells. One was tall and burly and had a full beard; the other was a bit shorter. His eyes were as black coals and narrowed into thin slits. They dropped their hands immediately and looked at each other. The guards grinned maliciously at one another.
"I'd say it looks like these two knew each other once."
The man with the beard nodded.
"I think we could use this to our advantage…"
He quickly grabbed the keys from the side of his belt and slid it into the lock to Bridget's cell. She stood and backed towards the back of the cell. She was in no condition to fight…there was no way she could try to overpower him in her condition. The guard strode in and before Bridget could do anything, he struck her to the ground. Bridget yelped as he grabbed a fistful of her hair to drag her out of the cell.
"No! Please, don't hurt her! Hurt me instead! Please I beg of you!" Gilmore shouted.
The guard that was standing by his cell narrowed his eyes at him.
"We have already heard your screams; it's time for a change of pace. Let's see just how much this mighty Grey Warden can take before she breaks like you did."
The man that was pulling Bridget away looked over his shoulder.
"Bring him too; I've got an idea…"
The guard continued to drag Bridget by her hair, despite her struggling. Before he descended the staircase leading into the torture chamber, he released her hair for a brief second, which proved to be a mistake. Bridget stood as fast as she could despite her pain and pushed him down the short staircase. The guard slammed into the door at the end of it, swearing loudly. Bridget turned back around only to face the other guard who was dragging Gilmore behind him. He shook his head at her.
"You shouldn't have done that…" he said in a low voice.
Bridget backed up slowly looking for something to grab on the walls. Normally, dungeons were decorated with weapons hanging on the walls.
This of course was not the case in Fort Drakon.
Suddenly she backed up into something…and she knew at once that it was the guard she had pushed just moments ago. He gripped her shoulders tightly and bent to her ear.
"I will make you pay for that." He whispered darkly.
He then yanked her down the staircase and threw her into the torture chamber.
"Let her dangle by her wrists for a while." He barked to a few other guards that were in the room.
Bridget could do nothing, she was surrounded by guards. In mere seconds she was dangling by her wrists, the cold metal dug into her delicate skin. They had also chained her ankles so she could not kick at anyone. Bridget looked up and through her tears she saw them chain and gag Gilmore. The bearded guard stepped out of the room for a second but returned a moment later with a large mace. Bridget swallowed. The guard raised an eyebrow at her.
"Let's see how tough you are after you've taken a few hits from this."
He began to walk towards her before Gilmore spit out the gag that was preventing him from speaking.
"No! Please, please, I implore you, please don't hurt her!" he shouted.
The guard stopped walking towards Bridget and looked over his shoulder at him. He was quiet for a minute before raising his eyebrows.
"You know Kenneth, I think Ginger here as a point."
Bridget looked towards the man with the cold dark eyes who she assumed was Kenneth.
"What do you mean, Brandon?"
Bridget swallowed as Brandon turned back and looked at her.
"I think we will cause her more pain if we beat Ginger here instead. After all, she can do nothing about it."
Kenneth looked at Brandon.
"She can simply close her eyes and not witness it, Brandon."
He shook his head and stared at Bridget straight in her terrified eyes.
"No she can't…because if she does, I will stick this blade through her heart so fast, she will not even have time to think of what had happened." He stated as he patted the hilt of his sword that rested at his side.
Bridget shook her head.
"Gilmore…no, I won't let you do this! You have been through too much already!"
Gilmore shook his head.
"I cannot let them harm you, Milady. I cannot go back on my promise to your father."
Bridget's lip quivered as tears fell from her eyes. Brandon brought his arm back and raised the mace high before swinging it full force and hitting Gilmore in his stomach. Bridget cried out along with Gilmore as the mace tore into his skin. The spikes tore his skin and made deep wounds into his stomach. Gilmore's blood began to seep out moments later. Bridget took a deep breath. The little bit of sun that filtered in through the small barred window at the top of the room had vanished, swallowed up by the night.
Bridget prayed to the Maker that her friends would come soon…she didn't know how long she could take watching Gilmore suffer…nor did she know when the guards would tire of him and turn to her…
xXx
Night soon swallowed up the sun. By the time Alistair and Zevran made it to the outskirts of Fort Drakon, it was pitch black. The only source of light came from the few torches placed along the walls of the fort. As Zevran scanned the area, Alistair stared up into the sky. Because of the clouds, only a few stars were visible. Alistair remembered a Brother in the Chantry telling him once that the stars were the Maker's windows and staring up into them was like staring into the Maker's Palace in the sky. Alistair swallowed and blinked. He hoped that Bridget was not already by the Maker's side…
"I see no openings, they have guards patrolling everywhere!" Zevran hissed.
Alistair turned and looked at him.
"What are we going to do, then?" he asked worriedly.
Zevran looked at him as he rummaged through his pack.
"We're going to have to be very quiet…what we need is some of their armor. If we can disguise ourselves as the others and I did earlier, we may have a chance."
Alistair sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"How will we know what floor she's on though? We should've brought Zeus…he could've found her scent!"
Zevran stood and looked at him.
"If Fort Drakon is like any other fort, I know where they have her."
Alistair looked at Zevran worriedly.
"Where?" he asked slowly.
Zevran swallowed and cleared his throat.
"Coming from experience, for the 'crime' she committed…they probably have her in the…torture chamber." He replied sadly.
Alistair felt his stomach knot.
"We have no time to waste then."
Zevran nodded.
"Exactly. Now, I believe I saw one opening, on the south side of the Fort. We'll use this hook and rope to latch on to the spikes at the top of the wall. We'll scale the side of it and carefully move over the top of it without hitting the spikes. Do you think you can do this?" Zevran asked.
Alistair nodded.
"I'll do anything to recue Bridget." He stated firmly.
Zevran nodded.
"Let's go."
The two emerged from their hiding place within the nearby forest and slowly made their way towards the back end of the fort. Alistair didn't know how many times he had prayed for Bridget's safety, too many times to count. He hoped that the Maker heard his pleas…if they were too late and Bridget was…
No. Alistair wouldn't accept that. They would find her, and she would be alive. He just knew it. Soon enough, the warrior and assassin made it towards the back of the fort. Zevran scanned the tops of the wall, before stopping and grinning.
"This is it." He whispered as he removed the hook from his bag.
Alistair watched as Zevran expertly tied the rope to the end of the hook. He took a few steps back to swing the rope before releasing it. The hook flew forward and latched onto one of the spikes. Zevran tugged the rope to make sure the hook was secure. He smiled.
"Alright, let's go and save our Warden, shall we?"
Alistair watched as Zevran quickly scaled the side of the wall, reaching the top and carefully moving to jump down on the other side. Alistair copied the elf's actions and climbed the rope as quietly as he could in his armor. He soon jumped down the other side (taking the hook and rope with him) to find Zevran waiting for him, concealed in the shadows.
"How are we going to get in?" Alistair asked.
Zevran looked up at him.
"We're going to have to steal someone's armor...out here."
Alistair's eyes widened.
"We can't kill anybody, they'll discover the body soon enough!"
Zevran shook his head.
"You are too practical, my friend. Don't worry; I have a few tricks up my sleeve."
Alistair pulled out a map of the fort that one of Eamon's advisors had given him before he left and scanned over it quickly.
"We've got a lot of floors to go through before we reach the chamber." He whispered solemnly.
Zevran placed his hand on his shoulder causing Alistair to look at him.
"We'll find Bridget, Alistair. I'm sure she is fine. I have a plan, see those two guards over there?"
Alistair followed Zevran's gaze and nodded as he spotted two guards who were patrolling the nearby area.
"Watch how they both turn their backs to each other at the same time…what we need to do is get over to the bushes that are near them and once both of their backs are turn, grab them and cover their mouths and noses with this."
Zevran pulled out two cloth rags that Alistair could tell had been laced with something.
"My dear Leliana made me a wonderful concoction that will leave those two knocked out for quite some time. We will then steal their armor and hide their bodies in the shrubbery over there. To make things look more convincing, I've brought a few bottles of wine that we can pour around and on them to make it look as if they got very drunk. I also have a bottle of perfume that the ladies of The Pearl like to wear."
Alistair furrowed his brow.
"The Pearl? Isn't that the…"
Zevran nodded.
"Yes the brothel. I have…connections there."
Alistair took the rag that Zevran handed him.
"Why am I not surprised." He stated.
Zevran chuckled.
"Alright, let's try and sneak to the bushes while they aren't looking."
Alistair and Zevran quietly snuck towards the bushes and waited patiently. A few minutes later the plan went into action and soon enough, Alistair was pouring wine around the bodies of the knocked out guards while Zevran was pouring perfume. After scattering the wine bottles around, they quickly dressed into the armor that the guards were wearing and pulled their helmets on.
"That worked out quite well." Alistair noted.
Zevran chuckled.
"I am a brilliant mastermind, come now, let's see if we can get inside."
To both of their surprise, they did.
Unfortunately though, once inside, Alistair could no longer look at the map for that would give them away right then and there. They could only go by what little bits they heard from the guards as they progressed down into the fort. Zevran accidentally walked into one of the guards who was coming out of a nearby room.
"Oi, watch yourself!"
Zevran cleared his throat.
"Excuse me my good man, I did not see you there. We are trying to make our way to the torture chamber, I have with me a new recruit here and I'm giving him a tour. Problem is, I haven't been down there myself in ages and since the accident, I really can't remember where certain things are."
The other guard looked at Zevran quizzically before he snapped his fingers.
"I know you, you were that bloke that got shot in the eye while training the newbies. Blimey, the Maker was surely with you, you're right lucky you survived! Anyway, torture chamber's just a couple more staircases down, you'll pass by the cells first. There should be another new recruit guarding the entrance, course you'll have to make it through Kate, the sergeant. Jus' tell her that you're showing the newbie around and she'll let you pass."
Zevran thanked the guard and he and Alistair hurried down the stair cases. They entered the next room to find it filled with off duty guards and large ballistae on raised platforms lining the walls.
Alistair and Zevran looked towards the other end to see the sergeant the other guard had mentioned.
"I don't think we'll be able to fool two guards twice." Alistair whispered.
Zevran nodded.
"I agree."
Alistair looked towards one of the ballista and then across the room to a random statue.
"Cover me, I've got an idea."
Zevran nodded and stood around, keeping his distance from some of the other guards while watching them. Alistair quickly hurried towards one of the ballista. It was already turned to face the statue. He pulled back on the lever and released it. A large boulder flew out of it and crashed into the statue on the other side of the room, shattering it into pieces and gaining the attention of all the guards in the room, including the sergeant. While they were preoccupied with that, Alistair and Zevran hurried towards the previously guarded door and slipped through to find themselves in the dungeons. Cells lined the walls and all carried emaciated and dirty occupants. All of the prisoners carried scars and wounds from their time spent within the fort. Alistair swallowed, he didn't see Bridget in any of the cells.
"You up there, what are you doing here?"
Zevran and Alistair turned to the soft spoken voice that had called to them. A young lad, probably not older than seventeen was stationed at the bottom of a short stair case. Zevran and Alistair descended the steps.
"Is the Warden in there? We've come to…speak with her." Alistair stated.
The boy looked at him, his green eyes narrowed.
"You say 'talk' but I know what you're really going to do."
Zevran and Alistair looked at each other. Before they could say anything, the boy said,
"You're going to torture her, just like all the others have!"
Alistair swallowed the bile that came up in the back of his throat. The boy slumped against the door and buried his face in his hands.
"All day I have heard nothing but her screams, her pleas, her cries…I fear what the others have done to her…her screams…they will certainly haunt me. Please just leave her alone, she has been through too much already!"
Zevran placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"We will not harm her." He whispered softly.
The boy looked up at him. His eyes widened as realization struck him.
"I see…if you need…help, just let me know. I'll make sure no one else comes by. You need to hurry though, my shift will end soon."
He gave them the keys to the door and hurried up the short staircase to keep an eye. Zevran quickly unlocked the door and Alistair ran in, his air knocking out of him as he did so.
Bridget hung from her wrists from the ceiling, her body carried many dark bruises and cuts. Alistair noted her shoulder looked particularly bad. He turned his head to see another man on the floor across from her, blood surrounding him. Alistair hurried towards Bridget.
"Bridget, Bridget love it's me, I'm here, I'm here." He whispered as Zevran worked frantically to unlock her wrists. Bridget fell once she was released and Alistair caught her in his arms. She whimpered as he held her. Alistair's lip quivered as he stared into her face. Both of her eyes were black and swollen, her face was bruised and her lip was busted. What little he could see of her eyes were bloodshot and red as if she had been crying for quite some time. She buried her face into his neck and sobbed as she held onto him tightly. Alistair rocked her back and forth, trying to soothe her but…for some reason Bridget was inconsolable. He looked at her and saw her staring at the dead body a few feet away from them.
"Did you know him from before?" Alistair asked as realization hit him.
Bridget nodded.
"He…he was one of my fathers…guards…" she replied in a hoarse voice.
Alistair helped her stand so she could walk over towards the man that lay in a pool of his own blood. Bridget drew her brows together as she closed his eyes and whispered a prayer to the Maker for him. Alistair helped her stand.
"We have to get out of here." He whispered.
Bridget slumped up against him, finally giving into the exhaustion and pain that plagued her. She was knocked out cold. Alistair lifted her into his arms and looked at Zevran.
"We've got to get her back to Eamon's. Wynne has to treat these wounds."
They both exited the room and climbed the stairs to find the helpful boy from before.
"My shift's almost over, I'm supposed to take that cart over there outside. You two can pass for guards, so lay her in the cart and I'll throw this tarp over it. The guards won't check it since it's supposed to be scraps from the meals today anyhow. I gave them to the prisoners earlier so she can lay in there just fine."
Alistair nodded.
"You're a good man, for helping us." He stated.
The boy nodded.
"Thank you. I try to help whenever I can, I don't even want this job. Hurry now place her in the cart, the others are coming soon."
Alistair carefully laid Bridget in the wooden cart before placing the tarp over it. He looked at Zevran and nodded. The boy picked up the handles of the cart and began wheeling it out just as one of the other guards was coming through.
"See you next shift, Thomas." The new guard said.
The boy who everyone now assumed was Thomas nodded.
"Yeah, see you then."
He exited the dungeon and then went through another way to get out towards the back. Soon enough, they stood out in the pale moonlight seeping in through the clouds.
"Thank you for all of your help…we wouldn't have been able to save her if we didn't have your help." Alistair said as he removed a cloak from his pack and wrapped it around Bridget's body.
Thomas shook his head.
"Please don't thank me, I'm just glad someone did come and save her…before it was too late. Kenneth and Brandon said that they were going to kill her in the morning."
Alistair swallowed as he lifted Bridget in his arms. Zevran nodded towards Thomas.
"I hope that we meet again, my young friend. Come Alistair, let's go."
Alistair nodded as they hurried away from Thomas and Fort Drakon, making their way as quickly as possible back to Eamon's estate.
A/N: Whew, another long chapter! They'll probably all be this way from now on. Real life has been uber busy, and I haven't felt well lately so I apologize for the late update. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! :) as always thank you for reading and reviewing! Next chapter is coming soon!
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The Last of the Couslands