Aurora said straight up in the Crossroads, her scream echoing all around them.

"Calm yourself," Morrigan said, helping her up, "You're back."

Aurora looked at the faces staring at her, trying to reconnect with reality.

"Are you all right, Inquisitor?" Morrigan asked, looking as though she could guess what had transpired.

"Well, she did seem to be enjoying the last bit of the dream quite a lot, no?" Zevran chuckled. One glare from Morrigan silenced him.

Fenris finally met her eyes, his were shielded and his body rigid, prepared for the worst.

"What did you find?" he asked.

"She's alive," Aurora breathed. His head snapped up and a light shone in his eyes for the first time since she'd met him. She looked back to Morrigan. "We have to get to the Fade, physically this time."

Morrigan cocked her head to one side as she considered. After a long time a small smirk tweaked her lips.

"I have an idea who could help us," she said, her lips twitched upward, "but Fenris is not going to be happy."

"I don't know if any of you have noticed this, but that appears to be his default mood," Zevran quipped.

Fenris made a sound low in his throat which made Zevran laugh out loud heartily.

"So tell us, lovely witch, who will we be meeting now? It's not your mother again is it?"

Morrigan shot daggers at him with her eyes.

"We have to go to Kirkwall."

"Oh! I wasn't expecting visitors, um, please come in, come in, sorry it's a bit messy, isn't it? Let me just move these-" Merrill's flustered speech fell to a halt when Fenris entered her small apartment in the alienage.

"Fenris," she said, straightening her back. Fenris merely stared back and her resolve wavered a little.

"W-well, what can I do for you all?" Merrill asked, as she began shifting things back and forth around the room. "I'd offer you some food but I don't really have anything you'd like, there is some tea…"

"We're sorry to burst in on you like this," Aurora said when Merrill finally took a breath. "We're trying to help Hawke, and we need your expertise."

"Hawke? What's happened to Hawke?" true concern changed her entire expression and she glanced anxiously at Fenris with evident sympathy.

"It's a long story," Aurora began.

"The inquisitor here fell into the Fade and took Hawke with her," Zevran interrupted. "Hawke's still there. Apparently in the gullet of an enormous spider nightmare spirit." He lifted an eyebrow in question at Aurora. "Is that about all?"

Aurora nodded and smirked in return, Zevran was pretty amusing to have around.

"Oh." Merrill drank that in. "Oh my."

She suddenly focused on Aurora, "So you're the inquisitor? I've heard so much about you. You know stories and such."

Aurora smiled and shrugged, she never knew quite how to react to the fame she'd acquired leading the Inquisition.

"Let's get to the point," Morrigan interrupted, "some of us have other places we'd like to be."

"Ah but Morrigan, who could wish to be anywhere but your radiant presence?"

Morrigan didn't even glance in Zevran's direction. "My mother spoke to me of you, you are the Dalish elf with the eluvian are you not? Who freed her essence on the mountain?"

Merrill looked confused then her eyes widened into saucers. "Your mother was Asha'bellanar?"

Morrigan eyes narrowed to slits, "Is."

"Oh y-yes, I didn't mean to imply," Merrill suddenly couldn't make eye contact with Morrigan. "I knew of her, certainly, but I only met her after the ritual."

"She was in regular contact with Marethari," Morrigan explained, waving a hand, "I know you eventually succeeded in restoring the mirror."

"I- it's not here, I don't think-"

"Calm down, we do not want the eluvian," Morrigan shushed her. "But your work studying it combined with the Inquisitor's mark may help us to find a way into the Fade."

"Physically?!" Merrill squeaked. "That's impossible, you'd never survive."

"I've done it before," Aurora said quietly, "twice."

"What if I do something wrong and you get trapped there too? It's too risky, I-I can't…"

"Merrill," Fenris deep voice from behind them caused all eyes to turn to him but he only met Merrill's gaze.

"It's Hawke."

Merrill gulped hard and her eyes shone for a moment with unshed tears. She finally nodded.

"All right."

"You cannot be considering this!" Fenris growled, the lyrium veins igniting slightly.

"You do want to Hawke back, do you not?" Morrigan replied, arms crossed in irritation.

"You're talking about blood magic!" Fenris shouted. "Not just magic, blood magic!"

Merrill tried to put her hand on his shoulder but he jumped away from her. "Fenris, I know how you feel, but to save Hawke…"

"You know nothing of how I feel."

The room fell into silence.

"Pardon me," Zevran's lilting voice broke the tension, "but Morrigan, we have seen blood magic of this kind before, it only sent your spirit to the Fade, not your body… and it required the death of the boy's mother."

"True," Morrigan said, inclining her head, "but the inquisitor's mark opens a window for the body to pass through, if we perform the ritual and the inquisitor uses the mark, theoretically, it should work.

Zevran nodded as though he understood completely, then cheerfully added, "so who is going to die?"

"No one!" Merrill interrupted quickly, "I can do it without killing anyone, I think, no, no, I'm sure but..."

"Please continue my dear, the suspense is terrible."

"We have to use… special blood," Merrill said quietly, wringing her hands.

"Oh this should be good."

Aurora shot Zevran a look and turned back to Merrill, "what do you mean special blood, like dragon blood or something?"

"Uh no, that wouldn't work at all," Merrill bit her lips, "we need blood that's mixed with…lyrium."

Fenris's head shot up and he was instantly glowing, in a defense stance. "I'd like to see you try."

Merrill held up her hands and backed up a step, shaking her head. "No, no, it's not like that it's just, the lyrium will boost the spell and when it is combined with blood magic—I've given it a lot of thought before-"

"You what?!" Fenris took one step that had him staring down at Merrill, inches away. "You've thought about butchering me for a spell, have you? I knew Hawke was blinded by your sweetness, she never could see it for the act it was. All blood mages are monsters. Anders was and so are you."

The room held a collective breath as Fenris's hand clenched and the glow around him grew hotter. Aurora's hand went to the dagger at her side and she saw Morrigan positioning her staff.

"This a bad time?" a familiar voice said from the doorway.

Aurora had a grin on her face before she even turned around. She ran to the door and threw her arms around the dwarf.

"Varric!"

"You didn't think you could come to Kirkwall and I wouldn't find out, did you?" Varric teased. "Come on, Inquisitor, I should have been your first stop." He hugged her back. The tension in the room had eased and Fenris was leaning back against the wall. Varric nodded to him then shot Merrill a wink.

"Varric!" Zevran called from his seat, "I remember you from when Hawke fought the Crows, you promised me a drink! Have a seat here, my friend, the show was just getting good."

Varric looked back and forth between Merrill and Fenris once more, "Just behave kids, I am the viscount now, I'll have Aveline throw both your asses in jail until you calm down."

"You're the viscount?!" Aurora couldn't keep the shock from her voice.

"I know, right?" laughed Varric, "seems if you complain about how a job is being done long enough they'll give it to you."

Varric settled onto the bench next to Zevran, "so what's the story?"

"Ah, well, as I understand it, the lovely witch and the charming elf want to bleed the glowing one to get us all into the Fade-"

"That's not happening!" Fenris growled.

"Fenris disapproves," Zevran finished.

"Actually…" all eyes turned to Merrill, "we will only be able to send one person along with the Inquisitor."

"Agreed," Morrigan said, "anymore would be too dangerous."

"I took three people with me into the Fade at Adament," Aurora pointed out.

"You were surrounded by the blood of dying soldiers and Wardens," Morrigan said blankly, "Do you not think that did not embellish the magic?"

Aurora closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her thoughts went to Solas. She wanted so badly just to talk to him, ask his advice. But he was gone. By his own choice. Hawke had sacrificed herself for all of them, she deserved this risk.

"Fenris," Aurora said, "I won't do anything you don't agree to, but you should be the one to come with me if we go."

Fenris's eyes burned into hers, "you would use blood magic?"

The words came to her lips, unbidden, "magic is magic, it matters only in how it is used."

Fenris seemed to bite back a response. He closed his eyes, his clenched jaw twitching a muscle in his otherwise motionless face. He finally let out a long breath and seemed to mouth the word Hawke. He opened his eyes and met hers.

"I'll do it."

Merrill's light step created no echo on the stone floor of the cave. She glanced behind her, the hills surrounding Sundermount twinkled with the camp fires of what was left of her former clan. Her heart ached for what had become of her Keeper, her people, but they were wrong. She had been right all along. The demon who possessed Marethari was not who she had spoken to in the glass, he was an ancient, and he wanted to restore things. Merrill was so thankful he had found her a year ago, once she dreamed of restoring just one tiny string to the past, and now she had the opportunity to be part of bringing glory back to the people.

She quickly made her way to the center of the cave.

"What do you have to report?" the soft voice came from the shadows.

"It worked, the spell, it worked, they, we opened a rift, and they walked through it and it closed up behind them. It was amazing, really."

Solas smiled and held up a hand to stem her rambling.

"How long ago was this?"

"Half a day's gone by," Merrill replied.

Solas's smile dropped a little, then he shook away the thoughts. "Anything else?"

Merrill nodded, "Varric came by when everyone was at my apartment-"

"Varric?" Solas chuckled. "Can nothing in Thedas happen without that dwarf bearing witness to it?"

Merrill giggled, "I think not. Any way, a message came for him from King Alistair, the Warden has been traveling looking for a cure for the blight for the past two years. He hasn't had any word for six months now. He was asking if Varric had heard anything here in Kirkwall but once Zevran heard the news he was running for the door. Morrigan talked him into waiting until they've gathered supplies but they're going after the Warden."

Solas nodded slowly, drinking all the information in. He smiled at Merrill. "Thank you, you have always helped me. If you hadn't restored Flemeth I would still be sleeping in this cave."

A rush of pink filled Merrill's face and she glanced away. "Um, right, you're welcome. Any-anything else you want me to do?"

"If you see… her…" Solas said softly.

Merrill hated the pain she could see in his eyes, she nodded quickly, "I'll tell you right away."