A/N: Thanks for continuing with the story.

Zachary swung his sword and parried the flurry of arrows from the hurlock archers afar, his shield blocking its fair share of projectiles. He could barely make out the form of his brother at that distance; he seemed to be tied against a large Oak tree, behind the countless darkspawns between them. Zachary didn't know what he could do to save his brother. It seemed hopeless with the sea of taint in front of him. He shut his eyes tightly and hoped for a miracle to occur. He thought of the horror his brother must have faced, the pain, the anguish, and the agony. He opened his eyes and glazed across the battlefield. He noticed many fallen darkspawn and countless other ones screaming in torment, as if in a waking nightmare.

"How did I do it?" Zachary wondered to himself. He felt a lurking presence behind him, a strange, hollow warmth. He turned around, only to face a devilish appearance. A temptress, almost fully naked, asked the Lawson, "So, what do you think?" She did so in the most seductive of all manners, stroking her large bosom while giving a slow wink. "Would you like your brother back?" She continued.

Zachary wasn't sure who or what he was speaking to, but he loved his brother. As he began to weigh his options, a large bolt of lightning came down to his left. A menacing, rumbling thunder came soon after. He could smell burning grass, and his train of thought was immediately lost.

"Wake up!" Elena alarmed her child, giving him a slight push. Zachary's mother alerted him of the large Oak tree that caught on fire from the lightning storm earlier. Although the rain that followed put it out, the sound, the uninvited light, and the burning wood brought out and attracted a plethora of beasts. They decided to keep moving, despite the Moon still shining at their zenith, despite the clouds still trying to flood the lands with its cleansing tears, and despite the three of them being extremely exhausted.

The young Lawson was still trembling from his dream. "What was that creature that was speaking to me? Was it simply a nightmare?" These thoughts continued to rummage through the Adonis's head. In fact, he had had similar nightmares before, never with darkspawn, however. Ever since the disappearance of his brother, he had periodically dreamt of reuniting with him, but something was always stopping him from doing so. Perhaps it was too good to be true. He had wanted to ask his mother about his dreams, but wouldn't know how to start. He didn't want to remind the family of the pain of losing a family member. How would he explain his thoughts during his dreams leading up to the temptress? Despite all of this, Zachary had decided to file those thoughts away. He continued to pack, making sure he did his father's part too.

It was remarkable to both gentlemen how quickly Aleks had seemingly recovered. The arrow wound left no scar and the pain was surprisingly only dull. Aleks had always known that Elena had a knack for taking care of war wounds and treating ill patients; she was trained in herbalism and the application of healing salves, balms, and poultices ever since she knew how to read. However, this was something else. Aleks thought he would surely have died without Elena. Still, once in a while, he had felt some uneasiness within him. How is there no scarring and no visible wound remaining after a day? Why do I feel a sense of terror? Anxiety brew within the veteran as these thoughts swarmed his brain.

The group of three had walked for hours withstanding the torrential downpour, continuing their trek northeastwards to Ostagar. "Are you alright, my love?" Zachary overheard his mother soothing her trembling husband with caring words. Perhaps it was the chilling rain, the ravenous wilderness, and the roaring skies that made it uneasy for Aleks to continue. He collapsed onto the icy, wet mud, unable to hold his own weight. For that moment, Aleks had only felt his own heat radiating into the frigid air. His heart slowed to an irregular pattern and a sense of despair overwhelmed him.

Elena bent over his beloved and caressed his pale face. She looked at him, disheartened, and then at his eyes. A milky cloud seemed to obstruct the cerulean eyes that the man had once charmed her with. She knew what this was. The certainty of losing her man to the taint gave her shivers—all she wanted to do was to scream. She knew that not even her abilities would be able to save him, and that the man would be on his way to the Maker. "Zack, my baby," Elena started, "I'm terribly sorry, but," her voice breaking, and she paused. She had no longer the ability to continue conveying the news of their imminent lost. She simply sat on the ground, weeping over their misfortune.

Zachary walked over to her mother and wrapped his arm around the crying woman, holding her close to him. "I don't understand," he began, "I thought he was fine. What happened?" The soon-to-be widow provided no answer. In fact, the only noises for a next while came from the booming thunder and the howling wolves.

The two of them sat there until the grey clouds cleared, until the drizzling halted, and until the crackling sky died to a whimper. Elena had heard stories of the tainted becoming flesh-eating ghouls and of kidnapped women becoming broodmothers. "We must kill your father," She mumbled. She had thought about the gentlest way of breaking this to her son. She knew it had to be done. She can't let him become a ghoul—he would want this. She regretted having sheltered his child to all the nastiness of the world. She regretted only telling him stories of the mighty Grey Wardens, yet leaving out the abhorrent fate. She regretted not telling him everything she knew about… herself. She took the sharpest blade in their collection and placed it above the armor of the still man. "If we don't do this, he will become one of them." She mentioned to the questioning look. "The corruption," she paused, "is a slow death." A delayed nod came from Zachary.

His brother often left the family during his younger years and came back at times. He would tell him stories of the world outside of this life—of the elves, of the dwarves, of the cities. Zachary always treated them as such, as stories, but nothing more. He remembered vividly his brother telling him about the taint, about how the taint caused one of his companions to lose his mind. He mentioned the screams at night, the visions of a dragon, and the callings of some evil. Perhaps it was true, perhaps they weren't just stories. He looked over to where his father was. He lay lifelessly on the ground, a blade through his chest. His mother, who had been sobbing at her husband's side, now stood up and faced northeast. She was determined to keep moving, "We have to go to Ostagar. We have to avenge your dad."

Although Zachary had always dreamed of a life with a different purpose, he had never imagined it to begin like this. "Fight the darkspawn, you mean?" The young Lawson inquired.

His mother never shifting the direction of her gaze, "That's right, Zack." Zachary was uncertain about this. He questioned his own ability to fight, his clumsy handling of a sword and shield, and even his mother. How is she going to fight?

"Mother," Zachary began. Elena knew what her son was going to ask. She knew she had never shown him her secret. She knew it was about time.

"Before we go though, Zack, let me tell you something." The mother said, receiving a nod from her son. "When I was only a young child, I was taken away from my family. I grew up in a place called the Circle. It was a horrifying place, set up by the Chantry Templars to control mages all over Ferelden. I escaped the Circle eventually, but" She continued, but noticed the confused look on Zachary's face. She realized that all these terms meant nothing to him. "Let me start over, Zack."

As Elena described her childhood, what the Circle was and who mages and Templars were, Zachary listened attentively. He began to wonder about the sudden disappearance of his brother, the night of the thieves, the crazy dreams he had, the fight with the darkspawn, and the odd recovery of his dad.

His attention shifted back to his mother when she said, "Zack, I think you're a mage as well."

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