I awoke with a start from yet another nightmare in a cold sweat. I sat there in my bed, hand on my chest as I tried to calm down and take deep breaths. After doing so, I sighed deeply and swung my legs over the side of the bed, getting off and grabbing my armored robes to clothe myself.

That was by far the worst nightmare I’d had since the raid. I could hear the screams of all my fellow Wardens, and the few civilians who never made it. I shook my head. Just a dream. Just a dream…

I knew I’d been telling myself that for days now, I knew, but it was a better strategy than nothing at all. After pulling on my robes and making sure my weapons were safe by the bed, I walked out the door of my assigned room and into the halls of the crystal castle. I had decided to try and explore a bit, to see if it would get my mind off things.

Though I should have known better, because the silence just gave me time to think about everything that happened. My mind quickly went to the raid. Sullivan, Harold, the Greenskin Brothers... All of them were dead now. And Quake and Blitz were probably being turned into Broodmothers now, if they weren't already made into those disgusting things. I shivered at the thought.

There were so many Darkspawn... I doubt they could have made it out, much less made it out unscathed. Now... Now they were all gone. The Warden-Commander was dead, too. It was my fault.

I focused my attention on the crystal tiles at that thought. My fault. All my fault. Now I'd left a Princess a widow, all because I couldn't save at least one person.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted my thoughts. My head shot up, and I saw a guard looking at me. "The Princess wishes to have you join her for breakfast." He said. He turned around, motioning for me to follow. "This way, please." I stood there a bit, then sighed and followed.

I really hope the Princess doesn't hate me or blame me for her husband's death. I mean, I deserved it, but I still didn't want an angry Princess on my hands. I sighed. If only I was back home, safe and sound. Then none of this would have happened.

We came to a set of doors, which the guard quickly opened to reveal a large dining room fit for royalty, the Princess sitting at one end of the table. I noted there was an empty chair next to her, and frowned, knowing why it was empty. Because I failed. I slowly walked over and took a seat near her, deciding to just stare at the table.

"How are you feeling, Miss Vas?" she asked.

"...Fine," I answered eventually.

"You don't sound it," she shot back.

"..." I remained silent. Cadance sighed.

"I know why you're upset. You think I blame you, right?" she began. I slowly nodded, still looking at the table. "Well, I don't."

I immediately shot my eyes to her. "What? B-But I could've-!"

She cut me off. "No. You couldn't. From what the refugees have said, the Darkspawn were just too great in number." I stared at her in shock, and she took that as a sign to continue. "Look... I'm still very much grieving the loss of my husband, heck, everypony is, but I'm not stupid. Yes, I would love to have seen him coming back instead of you and you alone, but that doesn't mean I'll blame you for it." She reached over and put a hoof on my hand. "I'm just glad someone managed to survive to tell me what happened, instead of having to see his... corpse."

I looked to her hoof, staring at it for a long moment, before sighing deeply. "...Right. Thanks, I guess," I looked to her again. "So... Breakfast?"

She managed a smile. "Of course."

Soon after, we were eating, her with a salad with crystalline fruit, and me with some pancakes. Throughout this, I was thinking on what to do next. The refugees didn't need me anymore, and I didn't really have a reason to stay here, either. And considering there were so many Darkspawn this close to this country...

The Blight could spread here. My eyes hardened at this thought as I stared down at the remains of my pancakes. I slowly turned to look at Cadance.

"Princess, can I ask a favor?" I queried. She raised a brow, putting her fork down.

"Of course. What is it?" she asked. I paused for a moment, trying to collect my thoughts.

"...I think the Blight might spread here," I began. Her brow raised further.

"We already dispatched some forces to the mountains to seal the tunnel. There's no way they'll come here," she replied.

"But it's a six day walk from here to there. Darkspawn will have filed out already, and spread to other areas," I countered. Cadance leaned back, brow still raised.

"Where are you going with this?" she asked.

"I need allies. People to help stop the Blight that will happen here. Is there any place you can think of that I can get help? Where I can recruit?" I finished. Cadance put a chin to her hoof, humming in thought.

"Well, I can't say I disagree with it now that you've got me thinking about it..." she responded. She lowered her hoof and looked to me. "There's Canterlot, but my Aunts are off on a political mission to Zebrica, and won't be back for a few months. My sister-in-law, Twilight, is currently in charge of Equestria. You could go to Canterlot and talk with her."

I crossed my arms, thinking for a second. Eventually, I nodded. "Alright, where is Canterlot and how do I get there?"

"It's on a mountain in the center of Equestria. The easiest way there is by train. I can get you a ticket for the next ride to Canterlot, if you want," Cadance offered.

Train? Isn't this a Dragon Age world? How are there trains? I shook my head of those thoughts. If there are ponies, pastel ponies no less, and crystal castles, I think it's high time I stop questioning things. I looked to the Princess.

"That'd be great," I answered finally. Cadance smiled.

"Great, I'll get one to you as soon as possible," she said genially. I managed a smile back.

"Thanks, Princess," I replied.

Two days later I was at the train station, waiting for my ride. My mind wandered as I sat on the bench, watching the horizon for any sign of a train. The past two days I'd spent at the castle, training as much as I could. It was hard without Harold, but I think I did pretty well.

But there were other matters, like how I was going to convince this 'Twilight' to help me. According to Cadance, it wouldn't be hard, but she did say that she was so busy with the nobles that it might be hard to even get an audience with her. I didn't really want to have to make a scene just to get in.

The sound of a train's whistle blowing caught my attention, and I looked to see a very girly train coming up the tracks. I stood up, staff in hand and sword in it's scabbard. I could think about it more on the way to Canterlot.

I just hope nothing bad happens.

Author's Note

Welp, finally updated this after getting my butt in gear. Hope you all enjoyed it. There's going to be more coming soon, with any luck. Anyways, thanks for reading.

-Timeless Celestial