Ildri had first watch at camp. They had travelled some ways outside of Lothering before the sun began to set, and they'd set up camp. Ildri had set up her own tent a little far off from Nadia, Sten and Alistair's tents, but not nearly so far as Morrigan had set hers up. Ildri had frowned, but not said anything. If she wants to hide out by herself, so be it. Ildri gathered everyone at the fire after cooking the meal, so that they could eat and make plans together.

"I'm not very familiar with anything outside of Denerim, so I'm going to have to rely on what ideas you all might have about where we should go." Ildri admitted. She didn't like to reveal any kind of weakness, but in this case it was necessary.

"Just gaining armies won't be enough." Alistair spoke up. Ildri wished that he hadn't been the first to offer an idea, but she decided to hear him out. He knows far more about shemlen politics and whatnot than I do. She gestured for him to continue. "Loghain has declared all Grey Wardens traitors to the crown, which means we won't exactly be able to just walk into Denerim and announce our presence, if we can get in at all." Ildri flinched. She hadn't thought that they might not be able to get into Denerim. My family probably thinks I'm dead, and there might not even be a way to let them know that the rumors are false, and that I'm alive. "We might not even be able to defeat the Archdemon with just the treaty armies."

"What do you mean?" Nadia asked.

"If it attacks Denerim, we're royally screwed." Alistair replied. "We probably wouldn't be allowed in the city, and if we are, it'll be because all of Loghain's men are dead."

"I take it you have an idea to get us into the city, then?" Ildri asked cautiously, and Alistair nodded.

"We need a politician, someone to speak for us. Someone with a voice in the Landsmeet, who can help us bring Loghain to justice."

"Oh, I'll just pull a politician out of my pocket." Ildri made a show of reaching into her pocket. "Oh, wait, I forgot. I left him in my other pair of pants."

"We need Arl Eamon." Alistair said tightly.

"And who is that?" Nadia asked. "I'm unfamiliar with your titles up here still."

"He raised me. I trust him, he's a good man. Cailan was his nephew, for Maker's sake!"

"Loghain was once a good man, too." Ildri said quietly. "And Cailan's father in law."

"I know Eamon. He's a good man, he wouldn't do something like that!" Alistair shouted. "Would it hurt to go talk to him? Redcliffe is just past the Circle Tower. It's not far out of our way."

"Fine. We'll go talk to the man." Ildri said, throwing her hands in the air. "I'll take first watch. Everyone else, get to bed."


The night passed without incident, and in the morning Ildri cooked breakfast.

"You don't have to cook all the meals, you know." Alistair told her as she handed him his portion.

"I'm scared that if you cook, you might poison us all by accident." Ildri told him. He chuckled, but when she didn't smile, he frowned.

"You're not serious, are you?"

"Absolutely." She replied immediately. His frown deepened, and he went to eat his breakfast. Once they were done and packed up, they headed west. It took them a few days to reach Redcliffe. Upon arrival Alistair stopped at the top of the hill, apparently admiring the view. When Ildri caught up to him she made to continue walking down the hill.

"Ildri… there's something I should probably tell you." Alistair said reluctantly. "You too, Nadia."

"I'm not going to like it, am I?" Ildri asked, stopping. She gestured for Sten and Morrigan to continue down the hill as Nadia stopped to stand beside her.

"Probably not. I've never liked it, that's for sure." Alistair waited for the others to move beyond earshot before speaking. "I mentioned that I knew Arl Eamon earlier, yes? Anyway, he took me in as a favor to a friend."

"So you're some noble's bastard?" Ildri snapped. "You really thought it was that important for me to know?"

"Let the man speak, Ildri." Nadia chided gently. She turned to Alistair, waiting for him to continue, and Ildri rolled her eyes.

"Not just any noble… my father was King Maric." Ildri frowned and studied her fellow Warden's face, comparing him to the boy king she'd met at Ostagar.

"You do look like him. Like Cailan." Ildri explained. "But with Cailan dead, you know what this means, right?" Alistair raised a brow at her. "You're the heir to the throne."

"No, not happening. Nope." He shook his head emphatically. "I was informed at an early age that there was no throne in my future. If anyone is going to be the king, it should be Eamon. He's Cailan's uncle."

"Through the boy's mother, not his father." Ildri pointed out. "I guess we could do worse than you for a king. You've actually seen battle now, unlike Cailan."

"I told you, I'm not going to be the king!" Alistair threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "Why won't you listen to me?"

"Whatever the lordlings want, they get. What anyone else wants isn't important to them. You'd do well to learn that now." Ildri spat angrily. She turned away from Alistair and marched down the hill towards the small bridge, where she found someone waiting for them.

"I was sure I'd seen travelers coming down the road." The man said, smiling broadly. "You're here to help, right?"

"We're here to speak to the Arl, no one else." Ildri informed him, and his face fell.

"You don't know? Has no one out there heard?" He asked, crestfallen.

"There's a Blight in the south, and a civil war in the north. Or, at least, there probably will be, soon enough. I don't think anyone cares about much beyond those things. Now, where is the Arl?" she demanded.

"He's up in the castle, but you can't get in. No one can."

"Why not?" Ildri said.

"He's ill, and there are attacks at night."

"What do you mean, attacks? Is it darkspawn?" Alistair demanded, stepping forward. Ildri was about to reprimand him, but she cut herself short. This was his home. He's worried. She held her tongue, but glared daggers at him. He flinched when he saw, but he refocused his attention on the villager.

"No, not darkspawn. It's some other kind of monster. I'll let Bann Teagan explain."

"Bann Teagan of Rainesfere? He's here?" Alistair asked, sounding shocked.

"Yes, he arrived shortly after the Arl fell ill. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to him." The young man led the group down the hill to the village square. There was a small Chantry, and quite a few houses surrounding the square. He continued into the Chantry, and Ildri followed with a small scowl crossing her features. The man led them to the back of the Chantry, passing old folk and children. Ildri scanned the group quickly, but she didn't see any elves. The man was talking to someone at the back of the room.

"I saw these travelers on the road, and I thought that you might like to see them." He gestured towards them.

"Good work, Tomas." The other man smiled at them. "I am Bann Teagan, brother to the Arl."

"What's going on here?" Ildri asked. He quickly explained the events over the past while. Undead monsters were pouring out of the castle each night, killing the villagers. The dead villagers rose the next night, bolstering their own ranks.

"Please, we need your help." Teagan asked.

"How badly do we need Eamon?" Ildri asked Alistair.

"Quite badly. No offense to Bann Teagan, but he doesn't have enough standing in the Landsmeet to be able to help us."

"Well, having a noble indebted to us can't hurt." Ildri shrugged. "We'll help you."


It was only a few hours until sundown. Morale was high in Redcliffe, and the village was as prepared as possible for the coming battle. Ildri and her group waited atop the hill leading to the castle for dark to fall. Ildri was sharpening her blades when a long shadow fell over her. She looked up to see Sten looking down at her.

"I do not see why we are here." He said gruffly.

"We are here because we need Eamon. If we make him grateful before we ask him for anything, he'll feel like he owes us." Ildri replied.

"If we need him, why do we not storm the castle? Why stay down here?"

"Because the gates are closed. We don't have anything powerful enough to take those down." Sten looked pointedly at Morrigan before looking back at the elf. "She might be strong enough, yes. But then she would be useless for the rest of the battle."

"But we would be in the castle."

"We have no idea what's waiting in the castle. I'd rather not burn out our only mage if we don't have to." Ildri stood and stretched, rubbing her neck. "Any other questions?"

"Why do we need this man Eamon in the first place?" He asked, and Ildri laughed.

"Because humans are stupid."

"I heard that!" Alistair shouted, but the giant and the elf ignored him.

"That is generally true." Sten allowed.

"They put more stock in past deeds and blood than the proof sitting right before their eyes." Ildri growled. "And the shape of one's ears, of course. Mustn't forget that."

"I have noticed that elves are not treated as well as humans are." Sten commented. "But I do not understand why this is allowed to continue."

"Because we have no weapons training, and no weapons. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I'm not the best fighter we have. I mostly just swing my swords and hope I hit bad guys."

"I had, actually. I wondered if it was an oversight of the Grey Wardens, or simply a lack of skill on your part." Sten said. Ildri glowered up at him for a moment. He's not being rude, just saying what he thinks. That's refreshing.

"I was a Grey Warden for about a day when Loghain turned on us at Ostagar. There was no time to train me any better."

"I see." Sten murmured. He looked over his shoulder for a moment, and Ildri followed his gaze. The sun was nearly set.

"It's almost show time." Ildri commented. She put her whetstone in her pack and sheathed her sword, rising to her feet. She looked up at Sten, studying him. "You spent a while in that cage. How are you holding up?"

"You are concerned."

"A little bit, yeah. I guess I should have asked this before we were about to get attacked." Ildri shrugged.

"There is no need. I am fit to fight."

"That's good to hear." Ildri replied, nodding. "I must admit, I've never heard much about the Qunari."

"What you have heard is likely false." Sten informed her. "Most do not go out of their way to learn about us, content to listen to rumors and form their opinions based on those of others."

"Very true." Ildri murmured. "What can you tell me about your people?"

"People are not simple. They cannot be summarized for easy reference in the manner of: 'the elves are a lithe, pointy-eared people who excel at poverty.'" He replied, and Ildri glowered up at him.

"That's a very narrow minded view to have."

"I did not say that I shared it, I merely pointed out what most see when they look at your kind." They fell into silence, watching the sun pass beyond the horizon. Once it was gone, Ildri walked over to where the knights were, with Sten following close behind her.

"How long after sunset do the monsters usually attack?" Ildri directed her question towards Ser Perth, one of the knights.

"Not too long, Warden." The man replied.

"I was looking for a time frame, not a generalization." Ildri said, crossing her arms. "Do you have a definite answer for me, or not?"

"I don't, I apologize." Perth seemed to be chagrined by his lack of information, so Ildri decided to let it lie at that. She turned from the knight and walked over to Nadia.

"You're in quite the mood today." The dwarf murmured.

"I don't much like humans." Ildri replied, shrugging. "Have you noticed that there aren't any elves here?"

"There was that guy Berwick, up at the tavern…" Nadia pointed out, and Ildri shook her head.

"He doesn't count. He's not from here. I'm talking about elves that actually live in Redcliffe."

"What of it?" Nadia asked.

"It's very likely, since no one cares one way or another about the elves, that they were the first killed by these undead. Or, even worse, the elves weren't let into the Chantry and died anyway."

"I never thought of that." Nadia frowned. "We'll ask someone about it tomorrow."

"It's too late to ask right now anyway." Ildri gestured towards the top of the hill, where a sickly looking green fog began to roll towards them.


The next morning, after the battle, there was a small ceremony to honor the villagers that had died during the attacks. Teagan approached Ildri after the ceremony.

"Thank you for your help. Without your help, we all would likely have perished."

"I didn't do it for you. I did it because I need help against the Blight." Ildri retorted.

"I understand. If your group would come up with me to the mill, there is something else that I need to speak with you about."

"Yes, we'll be there." Ildri replied. Teagan nodded before turning and walking towards the mill. Ildri looked over her ragtag little group. The few injuries they'd received were quickly taken care of by Morrigan, with a spell, poultice or potion. The witch was rude, no denying that, but she was extremely useful. They were all still tired, seeing as they'd not had much sleep after the battle, but they needed to get to Eamon. Ildri's pride, however, rankled at the thought of immediately following Teagan up the hill like a well-behaved dog. Instead, she walked over to Sten. She pressed her back against one of the pillars holding up the Chantry roof and looked up at him.

"I wanted to tell you that I appreciated you watching my back last night." The giant had stayed as close to her as he was able without chopping one of her limbs off throughout the entire fight.

"You are the only one here without any knowledge of weapons training. Lives are valuable, and should not be wasted." He stated.

"It must be kind of weird, fighting with such a small group." Ildri snorted. "Especially after being in the army. That's what a vanguard is, right? Part of an army?"

"Correct. They are the first part of an army that their opponent sees."

"So… why exactly would the Qunari send soldiers to Ferelden?" She queried.

"The antaam are the eyes, hands, and mouth of the Qunari. We are how my people know the world."

"What is that? Antaam?" Ildri asked.

"It is not my place to teach. I am not tamassran." Sten told her, and she frowned.

"So the only way for people to learn anything about the Qunari is to travel to… wherever your home is?"

"One could learn if they were to become Qunari." Sten said.

"How does a person 'become Qunari'?" Ildri asked. "I thought Qunari was your race."

"Qunari is what I am. I am a follower of the Qun."

"So the Qun is a religion?" She asked, and Sten shook his head.

"We follow no gods." Sten looked away from her, his gaze settling on the mill. "There is no point to this, we are keeping the darkspawn waiting."

"Let's get going, then." Ildri pitched her voice so that the others heard her as well, and the six of them followed the path that Teagan had taken to the mill. Teagan was waiting beside the mill, looking over the lake.

"The castle seems so quiet now. You'd not think there was anything wrong at all." He murmured, then turned to face them. "I'll not waste time. There is a secret passage here, in the mill. It is only accessible to those with a Guerrin signet ring, and it leads into the castle dungeons."

"You're only telling me this now?" Ildri asked.

"I needed your help defending the village." He replied, shrugging.

"And of course, you doubted that a knife-ear, of all people, would want to help a village full of humans." Ildri said scathingly.

"That was not what I doubted." He said quickly. "I knew that you wanted to see my brother, and I feared that if you knew of the passage, that you would not help me."

"If people would just ask, instead of assuming things, the world would be a much better place." Ildri paused. "Also, I'd be a lot less pissed off most of the time."

"There isn't anything I can do to change the past. I apologize for-"

"Save your apologies for someone who gives a shit." Ildri cut him off. "Are we going into the castle or not?"

"Yes, we are. I just need to – Maker's breath!" Teagan gawked at something behind Ildri, and she spun around, expecting an enemy. Instead, there was a woman running towards them from the direction of the castle. Ildri frowned as the woman brushed past her group, ignoring the lot of them in favor of Teagan.

"Teagan! Thank the Maker you yet live." The woman nearly sobbed, stopping just short of plowing the man over.

"Isolde! You're alive!" Teagan exclaimed. He seemed to be more surprised than happy with this development, Ildri noticed. "What has happened?"

"I do not have much time to explain. I slipped away from the castle as soon as I saw that the battle was over, and I must return quickly. And I need you to return with me, Teagan… alone."

"And just who in the Void are you?" Ildri demanded. The woman turned around, and her lips curled into a sneer when her eyes fell on Ildri.

"Mind your tongue, girl. Your betters are speaking."

"You might want to take your own advice," Ildri snapped, "considering that my companions and I are the only reason there's even a village standing here."

"Lady Isolde, this is Ildri, a Grey Warden. Ildri, this is my sister in law, Arlessa Isolde." Teagan stepped in before the argument could escalate. "And of course, you remember Alistair."

"Of course." Isolde turned back to Teagan. "Considering the circumstances, however, this is not the time for exchanging pleasantries."

"There's something we can agree on. What's going on in the castle?" Ildri demanded.

"I know that you need more information, but I don't know what is safe to tell." Isolde directed her answer to Teagan. "There is a terrible evil within the castle. The dead wake and hunt the living. The mage responsible was caught, but still it continues. And I think Connor is going mad. We have survived but he won't flee the castle. He has seen so much death! You must stop him, Teagan! You are his uncle, you could reason with him. I do not know what else to do!"

"Connor is Eamon and Isolde's son." Alistair whispered to Ildri. She nodded slightly, letting him know she'd heard him.

"What do you mean by this evil? What is it?" Teagan demanded.

"Something that the mage unleashed. So far it allows Connor, Eamon, and myself to live, but the others were not so fortunate. It's killed so many, and you've seen what it did to them! Once it was done in the castle, it struck the village. It wants us to live, but I do not know why." Isolde replied. I find myself wondering the same thing. "It allowed me to come for you, Teagan, because I begged, because I said Connor needed help."

"If you need our help so much, or even his, why can't you at least be honest with us?" Ildri cut in.

"I beg your pardon?" Isolde seethed. "That's a rather impertinent accusation."

"A mother should be able to reason with her own son well enough. Better than the child's uncle, anyway." Ildri paused a moment before continuing. "Your story has a few holes in it, too. For starters, you claim to have 'slipped away' from the castle once the battle was over. The battle has been over for hours. Shit, we even had a chance to get some sleep. But you're just getting here now? I don't buy that. No castle is that damn big. Secondly, 'slipping away' implies sneaking. It implies that no one knew you left. But just now, you said that it allowed you to leave the castle. Now, about this mage – I don't know a whole lot about them, but my friend here," Ildri gestured to Morrigan, "happens to be an expert on mages and all things magical." Isolde's eyes flicked to Morrigan, fear glinting in her eyes. "Morrigan, what do you think about this mage?"

"If he is indeed the one responsible for this, there are ways to… convince him to belay the spell. Is the mage in question still alive?" Morrigan asked.

"Yes. He is in the dungeon." Isolde replied, a tremor in her voice.

"Would I be wrong to assume that you did everything in your power to convince him to end the spell?" The witch queried, and Isolde nodded. "Then there is either another mage at work here, or a demon. Or, perhaps, both." Morrigan said, nodding.

"Let's assume both. I'd rather expect the worst." Ildri said. "Now, all this begs another question. What was a mage doing here in the first place?"

"He… he posed as a servant. One of the castle staff. We discovered he was poisoning my husband, which is why Eamon is ill. He claims he was hired by Teyrn Loghain. I cannot say whether this is the truth or not." Isolde informed them.

"But why a mage? Anyone can pour poison in a glass, or a bowl. Why did it have to be a mage?" Ildri murmured. She tapped her chin, thinking, but could not come up with an answer. She shook her head and looked up at Teagan. "There's still something off about all of this. If I were you, I wouldn't go with her. I won't stop you, however. You want to be a fool, that's your own choice."

"It seems that I have no choice but to be a fool, then." Teagan said, smiling grimly.

"Thank the Maker! Bless you, Teagan, bless you." Isolde cried.

"I will be along in a moment. I need to speak with the Wardens privately." Teagan told her. Isolde nodded.

"Please, do not take long." She turned and headed back towards the castle. Once she was out of earshot, Ildri spoke up.

"You go with Isolde, then. Give me the ring, and we'll go through the passage." Ildri held out her hand, and Teagan dropped the ring into it.

"Remember, Eamon is the important one here. Isolde, myself, the rest of us are expendable." Teagan reminded her.

"Don't worry. I'm not likely to forget that." Ildri shook her head in Isolde's direction. "Get moving." Ildri waited until both Teagan and Isolde were out of sight before entering the mill.

"You know, there are two little things called tact and diplomacy that you might want to use from time to time. Might be useful." Nadia spoke up.

"What for? I might offend people, but I get results faster my way." Ildri chuckled. "Besides, did you see the look on her face? Absolutely priceless."

"I have to admit, it was nice seeing Isolde get reprimanded like that." Alistair said from behind them.

"I take it the two of you didn't get along?" Ildri asked over her shoulder. She and Nadia were trying to find the entrance to the secret passage.

"Not really. It was her idea to send me off to the Chantry. There were rumors going around that I was Eamon's bastard, and she didn't like that one bit."

"Do you even look like him?" Nadia asked.

"Not really. But resemblance or no, the rumors persisted. I still don't really see why, though. It's not like I was given special treatment or anything."

"I found the passage." Ildri said. The entrance was on the floor, hidden beneath a pile of straw.

"What does that mean, Alistair?" Nadia asked.

"I slept in the stable." He said bluntly. "No silk sheets for me."

"Even in the Alienage we have better than that." Ildri said quietly.

"Well, it's in the past now, right?" Alistair said lightly. Ildri shook her head and opened the passage.

"Morrigan, I want you up front with me. We're going to need a light source." Ildri informed the witch, who only nodded and summoned a pair of wisps. Ildri entered the tunnel with Morrigan on one side and the mabari on the other, followed by Sten and Nadia, and Alistair entered the tunnel last. Sten had to duck his head in a few places to avoid bashing his head, but the floor of the tunnel was clear and smooth. It wasn't long until they reached the end of the tunnel. The door was locked, but Ildri picked the lock while one of Morrigan's wisps hovered over her shoulder. "We have no idea what's in here, but we are assuming that until we find Teagan, things are bad. That means weapons out and at the ready at all times." Ildri said quietly. The only response was the sound of blades sliding out of sheaths. Ildri nodded and threw the door open. She stepped to the side so that her companions could enter and drew her own weapons. Sten took point, and opened a door on the far side of the room they'd entered.

"Katara, bas!" He shouted, and charged through the doorway. Ildri darted after him, the others close behind. The few creatures that were in the room were quickly taken care of.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" a wavering voice called out from one of the cells. Ildri approached warily, her blades still drawn. The owner of the voice was a young man who brightened instantly at seeing her. "Thank the Maker. I thought I was going to die down here."

"Who are you, and why are you down here?" Ildri demanded.

"My name is Jowan. I'm a mage that Lady Isolde hired to tutor her son." He replied.

"So you're the mage that's responsible for all of this?" Alistair asked.

"No! I was already locked away when all of this started, I swear." Jowan protested.

"Isolde wasn't very eager to offer up any information. All we know is that a mage showed up in her house, poisoned her husband, and then undead started cropping up. Do you have anything to add?" Ildri asked.

"I'm the mage that poisoned the Arl, yes. Teyrn Loghain told me that I'd be doing a service to the country, that Eamon posed a threat. He promised that he would clear up matters with the Circle." Jowan explained.

"The Circle of Magi? What kind of problem do you have with them?" Ildri pressed. "And why, exactly, were you hired?"

"The problem is me. I'm a maleficar. A blood mage." Jowan admitted.

"Truly? I would not have thought as much." Morrigan commented.

"I was part of the Circle for nearly two decades, and they still hadn't put me through my Harrowing. I turned to blood magic in the hopes that it might make me a better, stronger mage. But someone found out, and… I had to leave." Jowan looked down at the floor of his cell.

"Alistair, what's a Harrowing?" Ildri asked the almost-Templar.

"The Harrowing is a test that mages go through to ensure that they are strong enough to withstand and avoid demonic possession." Alistair said, sounding as though he were reciting from a book. "Those that pass become full mages. Those that don't… well, it's not pretty, I'll tell you that much." Ildri turned back to the mage.

"You still haven't told me why you were hired."

"Connor had started showing signs of magical ability. She didn't want him sent away, so she hired me to teach him to control his magic." Jowan informed them.

"Connor, a mage? I can't believe that." Alistair murmured.

"Did you teach the boy blood magic?" Ildri snapped.

"Of course not! I realized too late what a mistake turning to blood magic was. I wasn't about to lead someone else down that path." Jowan said, shaking his head. "Connor may have torn the Veil on his own, accidentally. Or he might have made a deal with a demon without realizing exactly what it would do to him. All of this is my fault. I just want to try and make it right."

"Actually, if you think about it, it's Isolde's fault." Ildri told him. "She's the one who brought you here."

"That doesn't make me feel any better about it." Jowan said, frowning at her.

"Are you any good at fighting? Without blood magic?" She asked.

"Not really, no." He admitted.

"Then for now, you'll stay here. I don't know how many monsters are running around, and you and Morrigan are the only mages I have on hand. I can't have you dying on me." Ildri informed him.

"I will wait here, then." Jowan replied, moving back from the bars.

"Of course you will." Ildri scoffed. "Let's go, people."


They entered the main hall via the courtyard and saw Teagan dancing before Isolde and a child who Ildri assumed was Connor. The boy waved a hand, and Teagan sat down on the ground on his other side.

"So these are the ones you told me about mother? The ones who 'saved' the village?" the child's voice echoed ominously throughout the room.

"Yes, Connor." Isolde replied quietly.

"And now it's staring at me, mother. What is it? I can't see it well enough." He glared at Ildri and her party.

"I don't doubt that this is demonic possession." Alistair whispered in Ildri's ear. "But, if the demon can't see properly through the boy's eyes, then it isn't a complete possession. We might not have to kill him." Ildri nodded slowly.

"This… this is an elf, Connor. You've seen them before. We had them, here in the castle." Isolde said, and the boy laughed.

"Ah, I remember. I had their ears cut off and fed to the dogs. They chewed for hours. Should I send it to the kennels, mother?" Ildri took a deep breath, tamping down her anger.

"That answers one question." She murmured to Nadia. "They're all dead."

"That's not necessarily true." The dwarf replied.

"Who do you think would spend time to heal an elf?" Ildri scoffed. "With or without the presence of a demon, it's not going to happen."

"Oh, look, it cares." Connor laughed again. "Would you like to see what's left of them? I had that sent to the kennels, too."

"We're not here about me." Ildri snapped.

"Then why are you here?" the boy asked, raising a brow.

"I need an army. Preferably not the undead kind, however. They might be difficult to direct in a battle."

"I need my army, so I can send them out to conquer the world!" The boy argued.

"That might be slightly difficult, seeing as there's a Blight going on. You're a demon, surely you know what that means." Ildri replied, crossing her arms. Connor's eyes narrowed, and he stepped towards her.

"Connor, please don't hurt anyone!" Isolde cried, reaching for her son. He stumbled, then raised his hands to rub his eyes.

"Mother? Where am I?" He turned back to look at his mother. Isolde let out a sob and threw her arms around him.

"Connor, are you all right?" She asked, running her hand through his hair.

"Get away from me, fool woman!" The boy pushed Isolde away from him, and she fell back.

"If Connor can come out from time to time, that's even better." Alistair whispered. "There may be a chance yet." Ildri waved him back before Connor turned back to face them, but the boy continued to rave at Isolde.

"All you have done is deprive me of my fun! I crave excitement!" He quickly spun around to face Ildri, raising his arm to point at her. "And this woman will provide it for me!"

"You're a little young for that, aren't you?" Ildri asked, smirking. Connor didn't reply, but fled the room as Teagan and a group of undead began to attack. "Damn it all. Don't kill Teagan!" Alistair ran over to the man and hit him over the head with the pommel of his sword, and Teagan dropped like a stone. Ildri then turned her attention to the undead that were rushing towards her. Once they were taken care of, Isolde hurried over to Teagan, shaking him awake.

"Teagan, are you all right?" She asked.

"I am better than I was, at least. My mind is my own again." Teagan rubbed his head and got to his feet.

"Andraste's mercy, I never would have forgiven myself if you had died, not after I brought you here. What a fool I am." Isolde shook her head.

"That's the first smart thing I've heard come out of your mouth." Ildri told her.

"Please, don't hurt my son." Isolde begged. "He's not responsible for this. It was that mage, the one who poisoned Eamon. He started all this, he summoned the demon."

"And how was he supposed to do that from within his cell?" Ildri snarled. "You are half right, though. It's not Connor's fault. It's yours."

"How dare you! I was protecting my son!" Isolde shouted.

"And look what your 'protection' has done, you stupid bitch!" Ildri yelled, gesturing around them. "Your husband might never recover, your son is an abomination, and more than half of the villagers you rule over are dead!"

"You have no idea what it is like, being a mother!" Isolde raged. "They would have taken him away from me!"

"And why is his life more valuable than the lives of everyone else? Just because of his so-called 'blue blood'?" Ildri jeered. "I've seen the inside of more than one noble, and believe me, their blood was the same color as my own." Isolde flinched away from Ildri's gaze.

"So that's it, then?" Isolde asked, staring at the floor. "You are going to go up there and kill my son?"

"I have no intention of killing a child whose only mistake is having an idiot for a mother." Ildri looked over at Morrigan. "If people can make deals with demons, does that mean they can be reasoned with?" Morrigan pursed her lips, apparently thinking.

"Demons are intelligent entities. That is a reasonable assumption." The witch conceded.

"What are you thinking?" Alistair frowned.

"I don't want to kill the boy. I might be able to talk the demon into leaving." Ildri surmised.

"And how do you think you're going to do that? It's a demon, it'll attack you on sight." Alistair argued.

"I'll figure it out." Ildri shrugged and took off her sword and dagger, handing them to Sten.

"You sure about this?" Nadia asked.

"Not at all, really." Ildri confessed.

"What about the mage Isolde mentioned?" Teagan interjected. "He might have an idea."

"He's still alive, down in his cell. If you want to listen to anything he has to say, be my guest. I'm going to go talk to Connor." Ildri turned towards Isolde. "Where did he go?"

"He is probably in his chambers upstairs." Isolde pointed to a door. "Through that hall, the first door on the right." Ildri turned to walk towards the door, but Isolde caught her arm. "Thank you." Ildri shook the woman off.

"I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for a boy who felt he had no other options." Ildri nodded at Morrigan. "You're with me. Leave your staff here, if you don't mind."

"Why her?" Alistair demanded.

"Because she's a mage, that's why. She knows more about demons than you or I put together." Ildri pointed out, and Morrigan smirked at Alistair.

"This is foolishness." Sten admonished.

"Nobody ever accused me of being smart." Ildri quipped, and the giant merely shook his head. "Any other objections?" Ildri asked, looking around the room. When no one spoke, she gestured for Morrigan to follow, and the two women left.


"I assume that you have a better plan than you told the others." Morrigan intimated.

"Of course I do." Ildri scoffed. "And before you ask, no, I don't intend on offering you to the demon in exchange for the boy."

"I am relieved to hear that." Morrigan said wryly. "What, then, is your plan? And for what purpose am I here, then?"

"A few reasons. The first is exactly what I said downstairs. The second is that you'll probably object the least to what I'm going to do, and thirdly, if all goes well, you can make sure that the demon is, in fact, gone." Ildri informed her.

"So it is something you believe the others might find morally repugnant?" The witch inquired.

"Probably, yes. I consider it more of a grey area." Ildri pushed open the door at the top of the stairs and looked over at Morrigan. "Can you feel the demon's presence, or something like that?"

"Yes, I will be able to lead us directly to the boy." Morrigan nodded.

"All right, then. The plan is to talk the demon into temporarily leaving." Ildri said, and the witch raised a brow.

"How do you intend to do that?" the witch asked.

"A pinch of bluffing, a dash of outright lying, and perhaps a hint of intimidation." Ildri replied. "I don't want to kill him. We need Eamon, and not as a grieving father. If this is what it takes, then so be it."

"Very well, then. I shall take us to the boy." Morrigan stepped in front of Ildri, leading her down the hall. Connor was at the far end, sitting on the floor beside an open door. Peering into it, Ildri saw a man lying on the bed. That must be Eamon.

"How very arrogant you are, if you think you can best me with just the two of you." Connor sneered.

"I just want to talk. I left my weaponry downstairs." Ildri raised her hands, palms facing outwards.

"Yet you bring a mage with you. Do you take me for a fool?" He demanded.

"I brought someone who could perhaps help me negotiate with you." Ildri slowly walked towards the boy and sat down on the ground a few feet away.

"Negotiate? You wish to make a deal with me?" The boy perked up at hearing that. "I already have a soul, and do not need another."

"I thought as much." Ildri nodded. "I'll be honest with you. I don't care about the boy. But I need his father, and for that, I need Connor."

"You want me to leave." The demon accused.

"For now, yes." Ildri said. "But, after twenty years or so, the boy will be an adult. A powerful mage, and his father will no longer be of use to me."

"I see." Connor leaned back against the wall. "So I am to leave, and renew my contract with the boy at a later date."

"If that's what you want to do." Ildri replied. "Besides, as I mentioned earlier, there is a Blight happening. If you stayed in the boy, he wouldn't live for very long. Either the Templars or the darkspawn would get him."

"Very well. I shall leave." The boy said, nodding his head.

"I assume that there are tests to determine whether or not someone is possessed?" Ildri asked Morrigan.

"You are correct." Morrigan agreed.

"If you leave, will the boy be able to pass these tests?" Ildri asked, returning her attention to Connor.

"He will show no signs of me ever being here." He confirmed.

"Good." Ildri nodded towards the door behind him. "Can you do anything for him?"

"Nothing more than I already have. The poison that the mage used was extremely malignant, and I was only able to place the man in a comatose state. I cannot wake him." He replied.

"Ah, well. At least you did that." Ildri allowed.

"Those were the terms of the contract with the boy. I kept his father alive, and in exchange, I was allowed in." The demon revealed. "I will leave now. The boy will sleep for a time, and will wake with no knowledge of me being here. For him, it will be as though I was never here."

"Very good. Let's get him into a bed, at least." Ildri rose and walked over to the child, extending her hand. He took it, and she helped him to his feet. The boy went to his room, and Ildri followed him, stopping in the doorway. He climbed into the bed and looked over at her.

"Not many people would agree to this." He said.

"Grey Wardens do what we must to end the Blight." Ildri recited the words Duncan had once told her. The demon said nothing, just closed his eyes. He began to shake, as though having a seizure, then collapsed into the bed. Ildri walked into the room and placed two fingers at his throat, sighing in relief when she found a pulse.

"'Twould seem that my presence was unnecessary." Morrigan spoke up from behind her.

"Not entirely." Ildri stepped away from Connor's bed. "I need you to perform one of those tests now." Morrigan nodded and strode into the room. She held her hands over Connor, and they began to glow with a blue light.

"This is a mana clash spell. 'Tis nearly the equivalent of the smite ability performed by Templars." Morrigan explained. "If the demon still resides within the boy, its very nature will require that it defend itself." Ildri looked down at Connor, but he remained asleep. "If he is no longer possessed, the worst that will happen is that he will sleep longer than the demon thought he would."

"Sounds good to me." Ildri replied, nodding.

"The boy is no longer possessed." Morrigan announced, ending the spell. Morrigan threw herself down in a chair nearby and rubbed her temple.

"Are you all right?" Ildri asked. She took a step forward, but the witch waved her off.

"'Tis nothing to concern yourself with. Performing spells by hand is simply more straining than with a staff." Morrigan sighed.

"Do you think any of them will ask too many questions?" Ildri asked.

"Perhaps Alistair, but if you told him he need only smite the boy to determine the end result, t'would likely satisfy him. I do not think that Nadia or Sten would press for more details." Morrigan replied.

"And of course, we both understand that the full story will never be heard." Ildri asserted.

"Yes, I do. You need not remind me of that." Morrigan said. "You were correct in thinking I would not be averse to this arrangement."

"Good. We should probably tell the others that Connor is safe." Ildri mused. Morrigan rose from the chair, a small smirk on her lips.

"For now."


When they returned to the main hall, Isolde ran over.

"Where is Connor?" She demanded.

"Your son is sleeping. The demon is gone." Ildri announced loudly. "Morrigan tested him. He's just resting."

"Thank you, thank you!" Isolde sobbed, then hurried up the stairs.

"And how, exactly, did you manage to do that?" Alistair asked, doubt coloring his voice. "Is Morrigan possessed now, instead?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Ildri asked disparagingly. "I promised Flemeth no harm would come to Morrigan, and in my books, demonic possession falls under the 'harm' category."

"If it's all the same to you, though, I'd like to hear what happened." Alistair insisted.

"A pinch of bluffing, a dash of outright lying, and perhaps a hint of intimidation." Ildri smirked, repeating her words from earlier.

"Do you honestly think I'll leave it at that?" Alistair snapped.

"Yes, I do." Ildri retorted. "You put me in charge, Alistair. That means any and all decisions that I make are final, and are not to be questioned. I am the Warden-Commander. Am I understood?"

"No. You are going to tell me what happened. One of you will, anyway." Alistair fumed.

"What makes you think that Morrigan will tell you anything?" Ildri laughed. "The boy is fine, and the demon is gone. Drop it."

"Alistair, she's right. If you wanted to be the one calling the shots, then you should have done that right from the beginning." Nadia interjected.

"I was mourning!" Alistair shouted.

"And so was I." Nadia replied. "As was Ildri. Maybe we weren't all mourning the same things, but someone needed to take command, and she stepped up to the plate. Just be grateful that Connor is alive. To be honest, I wouldn't have let him live."

"What?" Alistair spluttered. "He's just a child!"

"An extremely dangerous child." Nadia pointed out. "I wouldn't have liked doing it, but if Ildri had asked for opinions, that's what I would have suggested."

"Are the lot of you insane?" Alistair demanded.

"The Grey Wardens do what must be done to end the Blights. You know that." Nadia said. "We make the hard decisions that no one else can. We sacrifice the few, so that the many can survive."

"Women!" Alistair threw his hands in the air, exasperated.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I'm hungry." Ildri said, changing the subject. "There's got to be food around here somewhere."

"Starving." Nadia confirmed, walking over to Ildri. Sten joined them, while Morrigan went off in search of a bed, and Alistair remained in the main hall, pouting.

"That was nice of you." Ildri told Nadia.

"Not a problem, salroka." Nadia smiled up at her. "But seriously, let's go find the kitchen. I was not kidding when I said I was starving."


For those who don't remember Sten's war cries, "Katara, bas!" means "Die, thing/trash!"

With help from both simison and Kal-El Fornia, I'm re-writing my chapters. Thanks for reading!