Their kiss quickly turned to a more full-bodied embrace, the once cool tunnel air quickly warmed around their bodies. Her fingers dug into his hair and audibly scratched across his back armor.

"Mmm, no - not now," Morrigan reluctantly pushed him away. "Time works differently here. The more we waste, the longer we are apart from him, any number of unforeseen dangers-".

"I understand, its just been a very, very long time."

Morrigan's eyes narrowed, "right."

Cousland adjusted his black plate armor long ago acquired during a foray into the Fade-ridden Blackmarsh.

"What?"

"No, we're moving onward."

"Honestly, what is it Morrigan? What is bothering you?"

She trudged ahead in silence. The Warden sighed before falling into step beside his raven-haired temptress. Daring not even a side glance,

Morrigan's lips drew together thinly. It was true, it'd been years and now this long walk of theirs through ominous rocky passages was actually so much than he had hoped for.

"Morrigan, I came here with you, to be with you, to be a family. Part of being a family is helping each other. Help me understand. What did I do to upset you?", he deigned to ask.

Balling her hands into tight, white fists she loosed a long hiss of breath before she addressed him.

"You already have a wife. A queen. You have already expressed how deeply marriage means to you and yet here you are with your lover ignoring your previous entanglements. What am I to think of that? Did you provide her with a meaningful gift after- after- ugh."

The Warden was struck dumb for a moment, the battle between his feelings and any remant of logic he still possessed were caught in a deadlock.

With mouth agape he simply stuttered out a short series of half coughs.

"Exactly, you have nothing to say. There doesn't need to be as you're already here with me - and with no way to back out. This is important and my curiosity has already taken me far too far into your doings in my absence so we need not speak of this any further, but do not think I will easily forget-"

Cousland tossed his helmet aside, the clatter echoed through the tunnels.

"You left me and asked- no no - made me promise not to follow. I laid with you that night, if only to have you one more day at my side. You meant that much to me and still do. Yes, you left and made it very clear this that is happening now wouldn't be happening, as it is happening now. I am the second born son of the late Teyrn of Highever, as a noble and a Cousland we are raised to do our duty for our land as well as for the people under the Crown. So I moved on, the marriage with Anora was to try to help Alistair be a free man to pursue his life as a Warden and provide the people with a leader they... deserve."

"Well that certainly worked out well enough."

"Yes, regrettably he left. We certainly needed more Wardens and Loghain-"

"How conveniently he would become your Father-in-Law."

"You are an impossible woman."

"You truly do inspire others."

Another moment of quiet passed between them.

"Shall we move on now, to meet your-"

"I took another Grey Warden to bed in my time as Commander of the Grey", he spouted far too fast in a single breath.

"Son?", her question's ending hung in the air.

"We both had lost everything we cared about and Anora was never keen on producing an heir - or any semblance of a Family. Even Loghain was warmer towards me. It was only a one time happening. Other than Oghren, she was the only one of the recruits that knew about you. We clashed more than once over my time at Vigil's Keep, but I'll spare you the frivolities."

"No go on, I want to know about ALL of your conquests. Just thrilling."

Ignoring her sarcasm he continued, "It was a single night, and morning, but it was only that because no one can replace you. Even when I believe I'm never to see you again. You are unlike any person I've ever met or will ever meet. Dammit all, I've met Desire Demons that were certainly far less subtle than you and they never - moved me."

"Ah yes, the man who straddled two realms."

"Ugh, I'm dying here."

"T'would probably be some sort of blessing to you at this time would it not?"

"Lets - just keep onward. I really do want to see my Son."

"It truly is a wonder how we didn't just up and perish under your leadership."

"I - I had you", he offered. His revelations having moved her in no way he wished her feelings to go.

She stooped low and deftly snatched up his helmet. Cousland reached for it but she turned away and simply rested it between her forearm and hip. Now he wouldn't be able to hide his quiet sulking for the remainder of their walk.

The light at the end of the passages began to dim over time, in his travels The Warden was acutely aware of the shifts in the time due to the changing of the season in the various parts of Ferelden.

The change in the daylight hours were far different in this... world? In his pursuit of Morrigan and reconnecting after the scant years between the death of the Archdemon and now it never fully registered that he was no longer in his Kingdom, nor any of the far reaches of the Thedas. 'Beyond The Fade' she said. Just how far beyond or rather what is beyond.

Men under his command during the Siege of Vigil's Keep, who had suffered near fatal wounds had spoken to him of seeing lights at... no. It couldn't be.

"Morrigan... are we - dead?"

She found earnestness in his voice so she stayed her freshly sharpened tongue.

"Perhaps. Have you been reliving any more slices of amorous life?"

"What? No."

"Well neither have I, so no. We are not, but we are quickly approaching the place where Spirits do roam."

"And we're not dead?"

"No, not by any definition accepted by The Chantry if that is what you're asking."

"If we were dead wouldn't we join The Maker?"

"I have no inkling as to the grand rewards granted to The Maker's believers, but we humble few that share not your views, go here. And by this logic, you joining me through the Eluvian have thus deigned to avoid the entire process of wound or illness borne transport to this realm of the Spirit, are blaspheming and thus able to be here and not ... elsewhere, as you were led to believe."

"Oh", he replied, coming near shoulder to shoulder with his beloved, careful not to let the pauldrons of his armor disturb the careful arrangement of feathers that clad her lovely pale flesh of her shoulder.

"Oh?", she asked raising a curious brow.

"What? I can't 'understand' all the complexities of some Elven-Tevinter ritual dreamed up ages ago?"

"I find you normally understand two methods of solving issues either through talking or stabbing your problems away."

"Drinking works too. Its the stabbing man's sorcery."

"Fool", she spoke, taking his hand into hers, their fingers locking about one another.

"Witch."

As they approached the mouth of their final passage, he gazed out onto the strange land that lay before them, as the stars settled into the night sky.