When Risa walked out of the Keep proper and over towards the cottages that the many servants in the Vigil lived, she saw Delilah Cooper, her son Nate, and Gareth on the grass together. Delilah had a blanket down with a basket full of goodies; Nate and Gareth were whooping and chasing each other – falling down just as often as running, but both laughing.

Dog was sitting; alert, at the side of the blanket as well, his eyes on the boys. His muzzle was getting a little grey now – he'd been with Risa for nearly a decade now. He'd fathered a fine string of pups, and Risa hoped that Gareth would imprint a mabari when he was old enough to care for it himself. Maybe even one of Dog's get. Two and a half seemed far too young to Risa – but perhaps she should ask Teyrn Cousland. She seemed to remember that his family had raised Mabari.

"Mama!" Gareth caught sight of her, and he flung himself at her, all clumsy enthusiasm not unlike a mabari pup himself. He was somewhat taller than a pure-blood dwarf of the same age, a bit leaner though next to Nate he was obviously stockier than a pure human.

Risa caught him up and spun him in a circle, setting the boy to squealing happily. "And what have you been up to today, my dear?"

"Chasing Nate!" Gareth said, squirming in her grip. "You play, mama. You play Gareth, Nate."

She set him down, smiling. "In a moment, darling boy."

Gareth's face went from ecstatic to… well, had there been any doubt of his paternity, that scowl would have laid the accusations to rest. Risa felt her heart seize a moment, seeing Loghain's scowl on their son's face. "Mama… busy?"

Ouch. Anders had been right.

"No, Nug. Mama wants to talk to Lady Cooper, though for just a minute. Then Mama can play with Dog, and Gareth and Nate. Okay?"

Gareth nodded, his piercing light blue eyes fixed on her face.

Delilah smiled. "Your ladyship…"

"Please." Risa smiled. It was an old argument. "Call me Risa. You're helping to raise my son."

Delilah nodded. "He is a wonderful boy. It is easy to love him."

Risa's heart seized painfully for a moment as she looked at Gareth. He was handsome, and there were more than a few traces of his father in him. Perhaps that was made it so hard for Risa to spend time with him… other than the main – that she kept herself buried in work so she wouldn't have time to notice the huge empty space at her left, and the silence in her head.

Ancestors, that silence. She knew the buzz for the taint that would kill her eventually, but Loghain had been a part of it, a comforting presence in her head and in her peripheral vision.

Now he was gone.

Gareth must have been watching her face, reading her sorrow. The toddler took a few unsteady steps and wrapped his arms around Risa's leg. "Mama sad," he said quietly.

Risa nodded. No point lying to the boy. "Yes, Nug. Mama's sad." She picked him up and held him close.

"No sad, Mama. Gareth play." He snuggled into her hug. "Gareth help mama. Be big boy for Dada."

Risa's eyes shut as she held him.

"Dada back soon?"

"I don't know, Nug," she said quietly. A lie. "But we need to be good and be brave for him, don't we?"

Gareth nodded. "Mama play now?"

Risa set him down reluctantly. "Yes. Mama play now."

Risa charged up the stairs to the living quarters, her face and armor splashed with blood, her mouth in a rictus of rage and fear. She heard Dog barking madly inside the nursery, and she flung herself around the corner even as Nathaniel yelled at her to wait.

There was a Hurlock and two Genlocks there, outside the splintering door. With a scream of rage, Risa charged, hardly aware of the arrows flying by overhead.

She leaped, and Slice and Dice, her longswords, were buried in the Hurlock's chest even as she crashed into him, knocking him down and away from the door. She rolled off of him, using her momentum to yank both swords out of his chest. As he reached weakly for her, an arrow in the eye finished him.

The door broke under the Genlocks' fists, and Dog burst out of the ruins of it, grabbing one by the throat and shaking it like a ragdoll. Inside, above it all, Risa could hear loud, terrified sobs, and she launched herself back towards the nursery.

The last Genlock reared up before her, and she ducked, its blade slashing her face. She screamed her warcry, knocking it back, and even as she heard Dog's quarry's neck snap behind her under his furious attack, Risa slammed her sword home and decapitated the last Genlock.

"Mama!"

She whirled to see Gareth about to run out of the room, into all that taint. She knew her dwarva blood afforded him some protection, but the weakness of Loghain's human blood….

"NO!" she shouted, and the force of her yell knocked him back, inside the nursery, and into Delilah's arms.

Risa raced to the door, her face split with worry, to see Gareth shaking himself and looking up from Delilah's comforting embrace. "Mama?" he said, his voice trembling.

"It's ok baby – don't come out here." She looked at Delilah, who nodded – the knockback from her war cry had not hurt Gareth. "Stay with Nana Delilah and, and protect Nate."

Nathaniel came up behind her – on her right. "Delilah?"

"We're fine, brother," Delilah said, "thanks to you two."

Dog whined.

"And of course, Dog," Delilah added with a smile.

Gareth tried to get up. "Mama hug?"

"Not now, Nugling," Risa said, her voice taut with longing. "Mama, Dog, and Uncle Nathaniel need to get cleaned up before we can touch you. And this hall needs scrubbing, too." Ancestors, if any of them touched the blood, they'd likely be tainted.

"Don't worry, " Delilah said, reading Risa's face, "We'll be fine now."

More wardens came charging up to the Arlessa's wing. "Commander – Senior Warden Oghren says the basements are cleared. Senior Warden Sigrun reports the bailey clear. Do you need a healer here?"

Risa shook her head. "No. Just…. One of you stay with Lady Cooper and her charges until this mess is cleared.

One of the wardens nodded, drawing her two-handed sword and leaning on it. "Yes, Commander."

As Risa headed towards the bathing rooms, she saw another three Wardens coming – with scrub brushes and buckets of water. Tainted blood could infect servants – so the Wardens would take care of it.

"Maker, I could soak forever," Nathaniel said softly as they stepped into the room with the huge tubs and began stripping their armor and clothes.

Their armor went into two piles in the corner, where they could be scrubbed. Risa glanced at her tunic and leggings and, sighing, tossed them into the chute that went to the furnace. Too much blood on them to risk washing. Her breastband and smalls, similarly stained, went the same way.

Nathaniel too was stripping down and disposing of his clothing, and neither of them so much as glanced at each other as they got into their respective tubs to wash. There was absolutely nothing to do with attraction here: it was a necessity to get cleaned as quickly as possible so they could truly check on their respective families properly.

"That was a close one," he offered, as they both sunk into the steaming hot tubs to soak off the tainted blood.

"Too close," Risa said grimly, her voice edged with sorrow.

Nathaniel glanced over at her, but Risa simply had her eyes shut, and an unhappy downcast to her mouth. This enforced separation was wearing strongly on her, he had no doubt – and now seeing Gareth endangered in the very nursery…. He wasn't sure what Risa would do.