Saving Amaranthine

The ship was about to arrive in Amaranthine when Vincent got a bad feeling about something. He looked towards the city and sees smoke coming up from it confirming his premonition.

"Amaranthine is under attack," says Vincent as Bryce and Eleanor were worried.

"What is happening?" asks Iona who came up with Amethyne as she sees the worried face of her in-laws.

"Nothing to worry about. I shall deal with this before you enter the city," says Vincent as he walked to the edge of the ship and jumped down.

Bryce wanted to stop him but Mina stopped Bryce from doing so when Vincent fell into the sea as Mina says, "Don't worry about Vincent. You should worry about the people in the city."

"But he just jumped overboard," says Eleanor scared that something might happen to Vincent because of a sea monster.

They looked down at the water and Mina says, "My husband still hasn't shown you all his tricks."

Suddenly a shadow could be seen on the surface of the water that got bigger and bigger until a Black Dragon surfaced from it. Everyone from the Empire began to kneel towards the Dragon while those that never saw Vincent in that form just fell towards the ground shocked and surprised at the same time.

Vincent began to fly towards Amaranthine when Bryce asks, "Is Vincent the Black Dragon?"

"Yes, he never knew he could turn into one until our first girl fell from the Red Dragon's back. He jumped behind her and used the three words of power and turned into what you can see right now. He normally doesn't use it except it's necessary or war," says Mina as the Couslands now knew why he was really called the Dragonking.

Vincent was overflying the city as he sees some ghoulish figures running in it chasing after Men and Mer while feasting on the dead.

'That must be the Darkspawn. It would be great to get some living Darkspawn to Tamriel so we can experiment on them and find out their weaknesses for our favor,' thinks Vincent as he sees a woman holding a child running towards a big building.

'She won't make it without help,'thinks Vincent as he roared and begins to descent onto the city making everyone stare into the sky.

They saw a Giant Black Dragon and the people began to think it was over until Vincent shouted "YOL TOOR SHUL" at the Darkspawn making them burn as he landed on the street that led to the building the everyone was running towards.

He was blocking the Darkspawn from entering while letting the scared people enter the building. Suddenly a giant with horns came towards him leading the Darkspawn with a Darkspawn that was in better armor than the rest of them.

The Darkspawn rushed at Vincent without even thinking about it when Vincent just froze them in their place with his Ice Breath since he needed living ones for later.

The only one still standing was the giant and the Darkspawn in armor when Vincent rushed at them making the earth under him tremble as he walked toward them.

He crushed the giant under his hand killing it before looking at the commander that fell over from the pressure he was feeling when Vincent turned back into his humanoid form and knocked it down.

He wrote a note and sent it to the Research Department so they could study the Darkspawn he caught before entering the building in his armor when he says, "Everything is clear outside."

"Really? What about the giant Dragon that was just outside?" asks a citizen that was hiding in the building.

"The Dragon flew away once the Darkspawn was killed. It seems he was your Guardian Angel," says Vincent as he looked at them.

The people were suspicious of Vincent since they couldn't see his face but only his skin and it was dark as the night when Vincent says, "I'm from the Empire of Tamriel. We came to see the Commander of the Grey, Aedan Cousland, as we brought his family back from the Empire."

"Commander Aedan should be in Vigil's Keep right now defending it with his men," says a mother in the building as she found the situation quite hopeless because of it until she heard that the Dragon seemed to help them.

"I thought he would be here. Can someone lead us towards Vigil's Keep?" asks Vincent as the woman he saw before with her child walked forward.

"I used to live there before. I can bring you there since my brother is serving the Commander right now," says the woman as a man beside wanted to stop her.

"Delilah," says the man as Delilah was holding her son.

"Albert, my brother is in Vigil's Keep. I can't just stay here without knowing if he is still alive or dead," says Delilah as she walked towards Vincent's side.

Suddenly drums were sounded and everyone was nervous again when Vincent says, "That's just the ship I was on that arrived at the docks."

Everyone seems to be relieved again as another woman comes forward and says, "I'm Esmerelle, Bann of Amaranthine. I'm grateful for your help in this difficult time."

"A Leader shouldn't hide behind walls but be fighting beside his people. You failed to do so," says Vincent as he walked out of the building not even giving Esmerelle a glance.

Delilah followed Vincent when she asks, "Who are? I'm Delilah Howe."

"A Howe," says Vincent surprised as Delilah nods.

"Yes, but not everyone is as crazy as my father. I could escape his madness while my brother Nathaniel was in the Free Marches when everything happened. The only one that died beside my father was my brother Thomas. He killed himself after my father died," says Delilah as Vincent believed her.

"Then you must be sorry about what happened in Highever?" asks Vincent as Delilah nods and Vincent smiles.

"Then be happy that I never judge a person by what their ancestors did," says Vincent as he petted her head.

They went to the docks passing corpses, fire, and destruction. Arriving at the ship the plank was lowered and people left the ship. Delilah was surprised you see Bryce and Eleanor coming out of the ship with the rest of the Cousland Family except for Arthur and Oriana.

"Uncle Bryce," says Delilah as she looked at Bryce who saw Delilah and didn't know how to react to her.

"She seems to not have been part of the things that Rendon Howe did to everyone. She even married a merchant from Amaranthine and has a child that is old enough to confirm that," says Vincent as it couldn't be possible for Delilah to have a son if she really was in it with her father.

"I'm sorry Delilah but the wound is still fresh for me," says Bryce as he looked at Delilah who was quite sad.

"I can understand it. My father was after all your best friend and he betrayed you," says Delilah as Bryce passed her while Eleanor went over towards Delilah to see the child she didn't to seem that hurt.

"What happened here?" asks Bryce as Vincent pointed at a corpse.

"Darkspawn," says Vincent as Bryce looked confused.

"But shouldn't they be under the ground already. The Blight is over," says Bryce as Vincent just lifts his shoulders indicating that he doesn't know about it.

"Maybe your son knows more about it. Delilah will be guiding us to Vigil's Keep. The crew and Arthur will stay here to protect Amaranthine while we are away," says Vincent as he whistles, and a white Mabari left the ship followed by Chocobos.

"We should hast since it will be getting dark soon and the child will need to sleep for some time," says Vincent as he was looking out for Delilah's son that was only six months old.

"We should then," says Bryce as he was thinking that Vincent would transform to get there.

They mounted on the Chocobos as Oren and Amethyne are sharing Abel while Delilah was sitting beside Vincent on Behemoth's back while Fenrir was running beside Behemoth.

Fenrir was happy to run around again since for the last month he was trapped on the ship doing nothing but to eat and sleep. It was getting dark and Vincent asks, "How long do we need to get to Vigil Keep from here?"

"An hour maybe two if we get into trouble," says Delilah as Vincent looked at Mina and Mina nods.

"We will continue then. I hope we get there before it gets dark," says Vincent worried as Bryce could catch up on it when Mina pulled towards him.

"We are being watched at the moment," whispers Mina towards Bryce as he wanted to look around but knew it would be a bad idea since the person spying on them would know that they knew about it.

They continued on their path as after an hour they arrived at the Keep finding Darkspawn corpses all around the Keep and Bryce says, "It seems the Keep was attacked as well."

They couldn't see which flag was hissed but by counting the bodies it was quite clear that the Keep successfully defended against the Darkspawn.

They were about to enter the Keep when someone asks, "Hold, who walks there?"

"I'm Vincent Highwind, the Ambassador of the Highwind Empire and with me is Bryce Cousland, former Teyrn of Highever and Father of the Commander of the Grey. We are here to see Commander Aedan Cousland," says Vincent as the guard was surprised.

"I will inform the Commander until then you have to wait outside," says the guard as he leaves to inform the Commander.

Fifteen minutes later the gates opened and they were allowed to enter the Keep. They entered when Aedan was walking with another man that Delilah seemed to know since the man recognized her and said, "Delilah, what are you doing here?"

"We needed a guide and she volunteered," says Vincent as the man was quite angry.

"This is a battlefield right now. My sister shouldn't be here," says the man.

"Stop it, Nathaniel," says Aedan as he walked in front of him.

"Thank you for helping us back then in Haven," says Aedan as everyone was surprised.

"It wasn't me but my daughter that helped you," says Vincent as Aedan shakes his head.

"But it was you who sent her to repay the debt you had with the Grey Wardens," says Aedan as Vincent nods.

"Duncan helped us quite well by providing us the blood of the Archdemon helping us created a cure and vaccine for the taint so we repaid his favor," says Vincent when he looked at Delilah and her son and says, "But we can talk inside so the children can rest."

"I can still go on," says Oren as he wasn't exhausted from the riding as well as Amethyne when Vincent smiles.

"How about a sparring session between you two with me then," says Vincent with a smile as both were excited from it as they entered the Keep.