Disclaimer I don't own Dragon Age Origins

Val Royeaux standing in all its beauty with the chant coming from the cathedral, this is where he could find answers, this is where Greagoir can start piecing together the puzzle of his missing daughter.

The templars at the front gate greeted him and opened the massive iron doors to the cathedral. They must have heard about him after the incident at the Tower not too long ago. Priests were running about while patrons were receiving prayers or singing along with the chant. All birth records and adoptions records were kept here.

"Excuse me, who do I speak to about birth records?" Greagoir asked a young priest who was carrying books walking by.

"Oh you would have to speak to Mother Joan, second floor third door to your right."

"Thank you." Greagoir made a fast stride up the stairs into room where the records were kept. The door was wide open and there was a very old woman with thick glasses reading a scroll at her desk.

"How may I help you young man?" Mother Joan said looking up from her reading.

'Young man?' he thought to himself but shrugged off, he hasn't been called young since he was actually young.

"Yes I am looking for the birth records of a girl born in the Tower of Magi."

The old woman took off her glasses and squinted her eyes as if to make sure she didn't make up the person from her imagination.

"We have no records of mage births, better if the child did not know they were born from one." She said flatly. Taking a deep sigh she excused herself and walked right out of the room mumbling something about afternoon tea. Watching the old woman slowly make her way down the hall his hope was defeated. It would have been too easy to just find about Erlina, but mages having children was looked down on out of fear to pass the curse to their children.

"I should have known." Greagoir mumbled to himself sighing in defeat.

"Excuse me sir? You said you were looking for mage birth records?" a young priest asked peeking out from behind a bookcase. Her large blue eyes studied the retired templar wondering why he would want to know about children born in the tower.

"Yes, but apparently there is none."

"She lied." The young woman blurted out as she put the book in her hand back in the bookcase.

"What?"

"There are records, is there a year you are looking for?"

"Blessed 8:83 born in the summer." The young woman nodded her head and disappeared into the bookcases. After a few minutes she returned holding a dusty book.

"Mother Joan does not think fondly of mages sir, plus she is getting up in her age so please forgive her." The priest said softly as she searched for the year in question. "Ah! Here a girl child born to a mage named Maura the father is not listed, baby named Erlina adopted to a couple in the Coastlands."

"What were their names?" Greagoir almost broke the desk in half with his bare hands trying to hold in his excitement. He was happy that someone did take his daughter in and she was in Ferelden.

"Albin and Claire Fletcher. Let me write down all the information."

"Thank you, Maker smile on you." He said as the young priest handed him the note with the name and address of the Fletchers. He didn't take the time to notice that she was waving goodbye to the old templar since he nearly bolted down the hall. Storming out of the grand cathedral Greagoir found the first ship headed to the Coastlands.

News was flying everywhere in Denerim about the ball for the king, noble woman from every corner of Thedas were flocking into town to get a chance to be the next queen and Alistair was hating every minute of it.

"For the love of Andraste, I have tried on ten outfits already I like the grey one with the gold trim!" Alistair yelled to the seamstress who kept throwing clothes for the king to try on. A ball of all things to find him a queen, this was his life not some fairy tale told by the bards.

"You need to look your best; all the eligible women of Thedas are coming to be your bride." The seamstress answered, the middle aged woman checked if the king's outfit was perfect, dusting off any stray strands off his shoulder.

"Do I really need one?" he asked giving her a impish smile, rolling her eyes the seamstress poked him with a needle in his shoulder. It wasn't enough to draw blood but it did make the king yelp. Alistair had grown close to the seamstress in the short time he became king though he never knew her name, they had small talk often when she was working on his wardrobe.

"You need to continue the Theirin line. As a leader you must put the people's needs over your own, they need a queen who will give you an heir because they trust your family will treat them fairly."

"How about I marry you then? You're nice enough when you don't poke me with sharp needles."

"You couldn't handle a woman like me. My child bearing days are nearly over, but I do think it's sweet that you would consider me." Both paused for a moment before Alistair burst into a fit of laughs and the seamstress followed along.

"Madam, will you please tell me your name? I've been living in this palace for two whole months and I have no sodding clue what your name is."

"Ann… Sodding my king? I think you have been hanging around that fire haired dwarf too much." She said walking off to pick up the outfits Alastair tossed around his bedchamber and put them back on the clothes rack.

"From what I hear Oghren has a thing for you. Always talking about how nice your bum is." Ann was attractive for a woman in her forties, the only wrinkles she had were laugh lines and her hair was black with a silver streak down the middle and it was always in a tight bun with extra pins and needles. Since Oghren was given a position in the royal army most of his time was spent trying to whip all the soldiers into shape the free time he did have was spent drinking and flirting with the castle staff.

"My king you are quite the character." Ann said letting out a sigh shaking her head.

"Alastair, please call me by my name."

"Alright…Alastair."

"Captain said we will arrive in the Coastland by morning." One of the crew members said poking his head into Vanora's room. The mage nodded her thanks and continued reading an old tome she found during her travels to fight the blight.

"I wonder what happens now." Vanora mumbled to herself looking into the darkness. Sleep came easy then eventually the sounds of the Coastlands port alerted her of the morning of her new journey. After a short awkward goodbye from Isabella Vanora headed to the bustling port. People were going about their business, children were holding their mother's hands asking for everything they saw from the shops scattered around. Suddenly a memory flashed through her mind to when she was still with her family.

Vanora held on to her father's hand as he walked with her and her two brothers across the port. From what she could recall it was one of his few days off and he always spent them with his family. Adam, the youngest was sitting on his shoulders while Vanora the middle child and Liam the oldest held on to his hard hands.

"Father! Look at that ship!"Adam shouted pointing to the ship arriving at the port. Aidan smiled taking pride in his child's excitement for ships since he worked at sea. He was a fisherman specializing in catching the famous pearl crabs that can only be found near the Free Marches in a small cove very few fishermen travel.

"Yes, amazing." Aidan said walking with his children who all were tightly holding on to him.

"Daddy, can we get some sweets?" Vanora asked pointing to the candy shop nearby.

"Sure my love."

Every week they walked down the port Aidan would buy the children candy from the same shop. He used the shop as a marker for the children to find a way home, making a deep mark on the side of the shop pointed the way home.

"Remember when you come to this shop you will find your way home, just follow this arrow."Aidan said pointing to the mark he made years ago, the owner of the candy shop wasn't pleased with the damage done to his store but shrugged it off since the family were regular customers.

"Find my way home…" Vanora whispered to herself as she walked down the busy port eventually reaching the candy shop which surprisingly still open after all those years. The old man who owned it must have been dead since now a middle aged woman was handling the shop.

Looking down the arrows was still carved into the side of the shop. Taking one deep breath Vanora made her way home.

It was pointless for Cullen to even go to Denerim, the news of Vanora leaving not long after the celebrations were over. Some said she went back to the tower others said she got killed by bandits. He didn't believe the latter, if Vanora defeated the Archdemon she could easily dispatch a few bandits.

"What in Andraste's name am I doing?" he mumbled to himself, if he did find her what would he say? 'Hey remember me I was one of the men who kept your kind trapped in a tower just traveled to see how you were doing. Why would I care because I've been secretly been in love with you for years.'

As pointless as this journey sound something inside him told him to keep going. The tower didn't need him; he was lost in a world that quickly changed right before his eyes.

'Maybe I should travel the world and if I find her it will just have to be a surprise.' Smiling to himself Cullen made his way to the docks to board a ship going anywhere, he was already twenty seven and he had never left Ferelden.

The sun was setting and gave everything in Vanora's view a beautiful orange glow. Her journey had been so quiet she almost forgot that her Mabari Baron was with her. The dog kept a silent vigil by her side letting his mistress grieve over her lost love.

"Baron?"

Quickly her hound turned his full attention to his master wagging his stub of a tail in excitement that she was talking to him. Letting out a happy bark in response Vanora smiled.

"You know that I was born here? My father was a fisherman and my mother was a seamstress on occasion." Baron barked again and rubbed his massive head against her leg.

"I'm scared you know." Baron whined at the thought that Vanora would be scared of anything with him around to protect her. "But I'm glad you're here with me." That made the dog smile and happily lick her hand.

It wasn't long before she reached a familiar stone house; it hadn't changed much in twelve years. The small garden was still at the side and no one wanted to paint the pealing white fence surrounding the house. So many memories flooded her mind of her brief childhood here, playing with her brothers and watching the sunset with her father. Mornings with her mother helping her make breakfast and playing in her hair.

Vanora didn't know how long she was staring at the house but a woman with long chocolate brown hair stopping at her back came out with a broom and was sweeping the front steps.

"May I help you dear?" the woman asked with a warm smile. Putting the broom aside she walked to the mage and her dog.

"Mother?" Vanora asked shocked looking at a face that was so similar to her own.

"Oh Maker! Vanora is that you?"