Magister Pavus sat on the edge of his bed in the small tavern and wearily removed his boots. As overjoyed as he was that Dorian was willing to talk to him, it had not been an easy conversation. There was still too much hurt, and too much time spent nursing that hurt. But it had been a start. Dorian had even laughed once.

Dorian had always loved to laugh.

He didn't remember falling asleep, but suddenly he was in the Fade. Halward had been trained in the art of lucid dreaming but even he was surprised at what the Fade decided to show him. He was young, in his prime. The young Halward was pacing the floor of his bedroom, sending a steady stream of encouragement to his wife who was surrounded by healers and laboring in great pain on the bed. One last great push, a scream that could shatter glass, and the healer was holding a baby in his arms.

"A son, my lord!" He said above the relieved laughter of Aequina Pavus, "You have a son…"

The scene drained the life out of him but Halward was paying enough attention to see the hazy, green-hued spectre that was trying to stay carefully out of his line of vision. "Be gone, demon." Halward commanded, straightening his back and taking care not to let his weariness show. "You have no place here."

"I am no demon," The apparition said. It solidified into an unmistakable figure- white hair, red eyes, pointed ears, a Dalish vallaslin curling tendrils up over his left eye.

The Inquisitor.

"Spirit, then." Halward corrected himself. He could feel that the apparition was telling the truth; he was no demon. "Of course, you would take the form of my son's lover to judge me."

"I'm not here to judge," He replied. "I am here to understand. Maybe even to help." The spirit-Inquisitor's face softened as he looked back at the scene. Young Halward was sitting on the side of the bed, examining the tiny baby in his wife's arms with breathless wonder. They smiled at each other, connected in happiness, and the spirit wearing the Inquisitor's face also smiled. "Is that Dorian?"

"No," Halward also looked, dark eyes shadowed. "This is Cato. He would have been Dorian's older brother."

"Would have been?"

"Yes. He died soon after birth. As did his sister and brother after him." Halward closed his eyes. "This moment…it may be the only time my wife ever truly loved me. I know it was the only time I have ever loved her."

The Inquisitor didn't reply but Halward wasn't looking for sympathy. He swiped his hand through the air. The scene dissolved but almost immediately reformed into a similar one, with one very distinct difference- the baby was fighting and crying his ebony-curled head off as he was placed in his mother's arms. "This is Dorian."

The Inquisitor laughed. "Of course it is."

They both watched as Halward reached down to take his son. Aquinea Pavus didn't seem pleased about it, but Halward was not taking no for an answer. As he was lifted into his father's arms, Baby Dorian almost immediately stopped wailing and opened his startlingly light blue eyes. He must have liked what he saw because he closed them again with a contented yawn and settled to sleep against Halward's chest.

"He was such a beautiful child..." Halward said, almost to himself.

"He IS a beautiful man." The Inquisitor replied firmly. "And a brilliant mage."

"Yes. He always had to be at my side, and like as not asking questions. Always 'what's that, papa?', 'how did you do that papa?', and his favorite…'show me how, papa!'."

As Halward spoke, the Fade changed to fit his words. First there was Young Dorian, a little unsteady on his toddling feet, ambling happily about the library and eagerly pulling out every book he could reach before offering it to his father. Then a bit older, his face already losing some of its baby roundness, watching with wide, wondering eyes as Halward made a mini-blizzard dance on his palm. And then teenage Dorian had his own staff and was frowning in concentration at a small target some 100 yards away. The air crackled, lightning struck and the target splintered with explosive force. Dorian whirled around, his dusky face lit in an ecstatic grin. "I did it, father! I did it!"…

"So," The Inquisitor asked as the Fade settled into its normal green tinged haze. "What changed?"

"I did." Halward said simply. "I forgot what it was like to be a young man all full of dreams and hope. I lost myself in ambition and duty and pride…and lost my son."

"Why?"

The Fade tried to answer for him. It formed into the image of a handsome older man with a face that bore more resemblance to Dorian than Halward, if Dorian had been steeped in arduous duty and suppressed anger his entire life. An even younger Halward than in the scene with Cato stood on the rich carpet, fists clenched in fury. He was railing at the man in Tevene, but even if the Inquisitor had been able to understand it wouldn't have mattered. Halward froze the image with a wave of his hand.

"That's the problem, yes, but not the beginning." The image faded and reformed. A bustling courtyard, tropical flowers growing on every available surface. Children and teenagers in mage's robes frozen in motion, some excited, some (mostly the younger ones) looking apprehensive. An aristocratic young man in black robes- Halward himself- stood on magnificent marble stairs, arm outstretched, clearly attempting to direct the flow. "It was my fifth year in the Circle in Quarinus…."

"First years to the right!" Halward's voice commanded authoritatively. "Form ranks around Dacimus." A young, rather nervous looking boy in blue robes raised his hand high and tried to look competent as Halward's eye fell on him.

"First years here," His voice cracked a bit but Halward ignored it. Dacimus had always been a little mouse.

"Second years, you'll be in Victus Tower this year, third years to Sanguis. Rooming assignments are posted in the entry. And for gods' sake, Gaius, take a bath once in a while this year! Your socks cast a stronger repel spell than you do." Laughter rippled through the group, none louder than Gaius himself. Halward raised his voice even louder to be heard above it. "Lucan! Aethus!" Two young men detached themselves from the crowd. "Take your kids and quit blocking traffic!"

"Second years!" The shorter boy in green commanded with a sprightly grin. The boy in red said "Third years" almost as if he were bored. Halward made a mental note. If Aethus was going to be apathetic toward his position as prefect, then he didn't need the job- or the special privileges that came with it.

"If you're a girl- by birth not by action, Alcinder!- you'll go with Thalrassian." A girl with heavy, dark hair and velvety blue eyes detached herself from Halward's right.
"I'll speak for myself, Prefect Pavus. Thank you." She said firmly. She was the same age as Halward, but she spoke as though she was his grandmother. It had gotten worse ever since the rumors that Halward's father was becoming very friendly with the Thalrassian family's patriarch, a move that almost always ended in the eldest children being married.

Halward swept his arm out with a bow that would have been respectful had it not been for the roll of the eyes that brought snickers from the boys who had seen it. The unwilling partnership-and more than occasional rivalry- between Aquinea Thalrassian and Halward Pavus was well known at the Circle. She stepped forward as though she owned the world. "Ladies, follow me." She didn't raise her voice, didn't even look to see if she was being obeyed, just walked purposefully down the stairs and around the building. Every single female in the crowd followed her in a violet robed bunch.

"Meow…" Someone called from the crowd. Halward raised his head and caught the eyes of a boy in black. The comment had been spoken very deliberately; loud enough to be heard, but soft enough to be ignored. Halward realized that he was being tested, as the boy watched him with eyes glittering amusement. Would he be reprimanded in front of the whole group? Or would Halward take his side?

"Fourth years, you'll dorm in Tacitus Hall. Quartis is your prefect this year." Hal didn't even mention the fifths- if they hadn't figured out where they were supposed to be by now, they deserved to get lost. "All right, you lot, move it."

They moved. Halward made his way down into the press, coming to stand next to the new boy. "You're Alexius?" Halward didn't really know him. Alexius had studied in the Circle at Minrathous before transferring to Quarinus just this year. But the headmaster had told Halward to be on the lookout- the Alexius family was well known in the Magisterium.

"Gereon." The boy offered his hand.

"We all call each other by our last names here."

"Then, yes, I'm Alexius. What DO you do if people have brothers here?"

Halward stopped for a beat. No one had ever asked him that question before. "We have different colored robes for each of the years."

"So, Blue Pavus, Red Pavus and hope to the gods you're not a twin?"

Halward cracked a smile, and finally shook Alexius's hand. "I think we're gonna get along just fine…"