"We'll be sure to inform the darkspawn to bring only bows and arrows, in that case," Loghain tells him with far too much understanding to be truly genuine. There's a dark, provocative glint in his eye, and his ready stance adapts instantaneously to the change in Nathaniel's approach. Anger seems to make the younger man predictable, even in his unpredictability.

He throws up his blade to parry the blow that would, in a real battle, take his head clean from his shoulders, the force of the blow forcing him to take two or three backward steps to regain his balance. So far, he hasn't bothered to go on the offensive at all, simply waiting for Nathaniel's pride and anger to bring him in and render him vulnerable. This time, however, Loghain circles towards him, and then charges forward with a barrage of precise stabs and thrusts intended to force a retreat, not necessarily intending to land any of them.

With the last strike, he feigns a strike to Nathaniel's shoulder, and then instead strikes the flat of the plastic blade soundly across the top of his hand; the goal is to get him to drop the weapon entirely.