Through the Eluvian

by JayColin

SLASH AU Jon/Robb/Aegon/Male Mahariel Following the death of Eddard Stark, the war for the Iron Throne begins. While there's no shortage of people trying to claim the throne, some have far better claims than others. Jon Snow potentially has the best claim and he's about to get some help in his bid for the throne from an unexpected source, that neither he nor anyone else saw coming.

4. Act I, Part IV

Through the Eluvian

By J.C. Vascardi

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Disclaimer: All characters and places featured in this story that relates to the computer game series Dragon Age, the A Song of Ice and Fire books, or the Game of Throne television series are the property of their respective creators. I am not profiting from this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The only things about this story that I own are the storylines, places, and characters that are not featured in the official mediums.

Crossover: Dragon Age/A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones

Warnings: Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence, Slash, Background Het, Mpreg, Language, Canon-Typical Violence, Harem Pairing

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Act I, Part IV

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Entering the feasting hall of Bloodstone, Jon and Robb found four men waiting for them, all seated at the table at the far end of the hall.

"Jaeherys Targaryen?" asked one of the men, who Jon and Robb both noticed had a rather lithe frame with blond hair, brilliant golden eyes, pointed ears, and intricate green tattoos upon his face.

"That would be me," Jon said. "You can call me Jon if you like." Motioning to Robb he said, "This is my cousin and betrothed, Robb Stark."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Theron said. "My name is Theron Mahariel." Pointing to the black-haired man sitting to his left, he said, "This is Garrett Hawke, although he prefers to be called Rhett or Hawke. Next to him is Fenris, and last is Maxwell Trevelyan, who prefers Max."

"So you're the heroes that Flemeth spoke of?" Robb asked.

"Yes," Theron said. "Back home in Thedas we've each done things that many would consider impossible."

"More so the other three than me," Fenris said. "I just helped Rhett."

"Don't sell yourself short, Fen," Garrett said. "You succeeded in outrunning Denarius and his agents for years and freed many slaves in that time. And you killed him in the end. Killing a Tevinter magister is no small feat."

"Perhaps, but it rather pales in comparison to killing an archdemon, a Qunari Arishok, and the leader of the Magisters Sidereal."

"Um, who are they?" Jon asked, obviously having never heard of any of them.

"I imagine we're all going to have to do some explaining of certain things," Maxwell said. "Anyway, the Magisters Sidereal were a group of seven magisters of the ancient Tevinter Imperium, all of them the high priests of the Tevinter Old Gods. According to the Chantry—which is the majority religious sect in Thedas—the Magisters Sidereal combined their powers and used them to break into the Golden City in heaven, the seat of the Maker. This was known as the Second Sin—the first being the worship of the Old Gods over the Maker—and the Golden City was said to have turned black, corrupted by their sin."

Picking up where Maxwell left off, Garrett continued, "The Maker is said to have been furious and cursed them all before casting them out of heaven as the first Darkspawn. Hideous monsters that carry a taint that poisons and kills people, animals, and the very land itself. They spend most of their time underground, however, searching for the Old Gods who the Maker is said to have imprisoned underground. Even the Old Gods themselves aren't immune to the taint and whenever one of them is tainted they turn into an archdemon, who becomes the leader of the darkspawn and leads them in a massive attack against the surface called a Blight."

"There have been five blights over the course of Thedosian history," Theron said. "The first being in -395 Ancient, led by the Archdemon Dumat. That was the longest Blight in history, lasting nearly two centuries. The most recent one began in 9:30 Dragon, led by the Archdemon Urthemiel and lasted just over a year. I personally struck the killing blow against the archdemon and put an end to the Blight in 9:31 Dragon."

"9:31 Dragon?" Robb asked. "It would seem we use different calendars."

"Back in Thedas it is currently 9:42 Dragon," Garrett said. "We use a system of ages. So we're in the forty-second year of the ninth age, which was named the Dragon Age. Each age lasts for one hundred years, at which point the Divine, leader of the Chantry, names the next age in the final year of the current age. Years prior to the foundation of the Chantry and its calendar are represented in negative numbers and referred to as Ancient."

"So the First Blight was 1,238 years ago," Theron said. "Of course, my people don't use the Chantry calendar, so by the Elvhen calendar it's the year 8443 FA, which refers to the founding of Arlathan, which was the capital city of the first Elvhenan Empire."

"Huh, interesting," Jon said. "Here in Westeros, we use a similar calendar to the Elvhen one, in that we measure years against an event. In our case, Aegon's Conquest. It's currently 298 AC, making it 298 years since my very distant ancestor King Aegon I Targaryen conquered the Seven Kingdoms."

"Surely the leader of these Magisters Sidereal must have been dead ages ago?" Robb asked. "I mean if that breaking into heaven bit you mentioned happened prior to this first blight?"

Shaking his head, Maxwell said, "Unfortunately, no. It's unknown what happened to all of them, but at least two of them survived into the modern era. I defeated Corypheus, also known as the Conductor of the Choir of Silence and the High Priest of Dumat, a month ago."

"The other that survived was known simply as The Architect," Theron said. "I defeated him a few months after the Blight ended. It wasn't until much later that I found out that he was the Architect of the Works of Beauty, High Priest of Urthemiel."

"And this Arishok?" Jon asked. "Another ancient evil?"

"Not ancient, although there are many who would call him evil," Garrett answered. "He was the military leader of the Qunari… a race of tall humanoids with grey skin and horns that follow a religion and philosophy known as the Qun. They believe that their way of life is the only proper way and thus believe themselves honor-bound to conquer all of Thedas and convert its people to the Qun. Anyway, the former Arishok murdered Viscount Marlowe Dumar of Kirkwall—the city's leader—and tried to take over the city. I killed him in personal combat and was named the Champion of Kirkwall as a result."

"I see," Jon said. "I may not understand much of what you just said, but I'll take your words for it. Flemeth certainly seems to think that you can help."

"Oh, you've met her?" Maxwell asked.

Nodding, Robb said, "Yeah, we did and she made quite the impression."

"She does tend to have that effect," Garrett agreed.

"Well, I'll gladly take your swords," Jon said. "I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"We're not the only ones that Flemeth brought over," Fenris said, "but of the four of us here, I'm the only one who can offer you a sword."

At the confused looks from Jon and Robb, Theron smiled and said, "Max, Rhett, and I don't fight with swords. Not unless you count the small dagger-like blade on the ends of our staffs."

"Staffs?" Jon asked. "So a polearm then? That's different."

"Think of us more like ranged combatants," Garrett said. "Only instead of arrows, we use magic."

"Magic?" Robb asked, with a raised eyebrow. He honestly shouldn't have been surprised. He'd met Flemeth, after all. And he was hard-pressed to find any other explanation for her ability to turn into a dragon.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order," Maxwell said, as he stood up. "We've got some training dummies set up out in the courtyard."

Jon and Robb nodded before they followed the four of them out of the feasting hall and over to the currently empty training yard in the courtyard. Taking the staff from his back, Maxwell said, "You should stand back."

Once everyone was at a safe distance, he turned to face one of the dummies and twirling his staff around in his hands, he sent small bolts of fire flying across the training area at the dummy, before sending a larger ball of fire flying at it. Turning towards his audience he could see that Jon and Robb were looking particularly stunned. With a grin, Maxwell conjured a wall of fire in the empty space between him and the others.

It took a few moments before Jon or Robb could find their voices. They'd never seen such a display. Yes, they'd heard of some of the Red Witches from Asshai who could conjure fire, but simply hearing about something secondhand and actually seeing it was very different.

Even as the wall of fire began to die down, Jon could still feel the heat emanating from it, as he said, "Wow. That was amazing. So, you can all do that?"

"We each specialize in a different element," Garrett said, as he stepped forward and Maxwell moved to where Garrett had been standing a moment earlier. Twirling his own staff in his hands, Garrett sent small balls of lightning crackling across the training field, before he made a large bolt of lightning hit the dummy. To finish off his display, he enclosed the dummy in a visible cage of lightning.

Turning back to the others, Garrett said, "Obviously the dummy isn't going anywhere, but if there was a person inside that cage, they'd be stunned if they tried to leave it."

"That's kind of scary," Robb said. "Awesome but scary." Turning to Theron he asked, "And what do you specialize in then?"

"Earth magic," Theron said, as he switched places with Garrett before he sent a stream of small pebbles flying at the dummy, followed by a large rock shaped like a fist, and finishing off with a spell that made vines erupt from the ground and wrap around the dummy.

"Well, that explains the vines that are wrapped around the masts of the ships in the harbor," Jon said. "I'd wondered how that happened, but I guess I know now."

Nodding, Theron said, "Yeah that was my handiwork. When we arrived we cleared the castle of pirates and then took their ships. Figured we'd secure them so that they can be turned to more legitimate uses than piracy."

"So if you've got the people to crew them," Maxwell added, "you're welcome to add them to your fleet. I suppose the pirates might not like that much, but seeing as how they probably stole the ships themselves, I don't think they really have any room to object if somebody else steals the ships from them."

"True," Robb agreed. "Complaining about the theft of something that you stole yourself only reveals you to be a hypocrite."

"Well, they can be the beginning of my new fleet," Jon said. "A fresh coat of paint and some black sails with the Targaryen sigil and we'll have the start of a new royal fleet."

"So are you the only mages among your group?" Robb asked. "And exactly how many did Flemeth send?"

"She sent twelve in all," Garrett said. "Well, thirteen if you count her grandson, but he's only eleven years old. He only came because his mother is one of the people that Flemeth sent. As for mages, there are two others in the group. Morrigan and Vivienne. I suppose Morrigan's son Kieran is also a mage, but he's still learning the basics of magic and hasn't specialized in anything yet."

"Vivienne specializes in frost magic," Theron added. "While Morrigan specializes in both frost and entropy, which is a branch of magic that curses and weakens her opponents. All five of us are also trained in healing and defensive magic and to varying levels more general purpose magics, as well."

"There's also Varric and Leliana," Maxwell added. "They're both ranged combatants. Varric with a crossbow and Leliana with a longbow, although she's also trained in close combat dual-wielding daggers if necessary. They both can pick locks and scout from stealth and are both quite adept at gathering information. Leliana was my spymistress back in Thedas."

"And Varric was mine for a time," Garrett added. "Although I suppose neither of them has the same connections here that they did back home. But they're both resourceful, so I imagine they'll be able to make up for it, given enough time."

"You've already met Fenris," Theron said. "And I'm sure you can guess his specialty from the two-handed greatsword strapped to his back. Garrett's younger brother Carver is also with us. He's a warrior, specializes in the use of a sword and shield."

"In addition to my sword," Fenris added, "I can also phase myself, meaning I can pass through solid objects or even people and if a situation calls for it, reach into a person's chest and crush their heart."

At Jon's and Robb's shocked looks, Fenris shrugged and said, "Figured it was best to be upfront about that. As for how I can do that, it's because of my brands. I was a slave for a time and the magister who owned me cut channels all over my body and filled them with raw lyrium."

"What's lyrium?" Jon asked.

"It's a mineral that's found underground in Thedas," Theron said. "Honestly, I'm not sure if it can be found here or not, but I'd assume it can be. It's used in numerous ways back home. Including as a power source for magic if one wants to cast a spell that requires more power than they possess and it's also used in enchanting."

"Enchanting is the art of adding magical effects to mundane items," Garrett said when he noticed Jon's and Robb's furrowed brows. "Such as weapons and armor. One example would be enchanting a sword to do an extra amount of elemental damage to anyone it's used against."

Closing his eyes as the voices of the long dead elves began whispering in his head, Theron added, "It's also the secret ingredient in the construction of Valyrian steel. Any weapon, made of any metal, not just steel, can be given the properties of Valyrian steel if lyrium is folded into it during the forging process."

"Without lyrium, you'll never be able to forge new Valyrian steel weapons," a feminine voice said, as Morrigan stepped out into the courtyard. "Existing weapons can be reforged and there's enough trace lyrium in them that they can still be called Valyrian steel. Although even that has diminishing returns. Melt it down and reforge a sword enough times and it will eventually lose its potency. I'm Morrigan, by the way."

After Jon and Robb introduced themselves, Morrigan nodded. "So, you're the ones that Mother wants us to help." Looking them up and down, she added, "Easy on the eyes. It's too bad you're both spoken for."

"I take it the father of your son isn't in the picture?" Robb asked.

Nodding, Morrigan said, "Indeed. Kieran was the product of a one-night stand. One I would have had with Theron if he'd agreed. Instead, he had me do it with Alistair, even though he knows we hate each other."

"No matter how scantily you may have dressed back then," Theron said, "the female body does nothing for me, Morrigan. So, Alistair was simply the better choice, even if you do hate each other."

"Why would you sleep with somebody that you hate?" Jon asked.

"Because Theron and Alistair were the only two Grey Wardens in Ferelden during the Blight," Morrigan said. At Jon's and Robb's confused looks, she added, "Grey Wardens fight the Blight. They've purposely tainted themselves with the Darkspawn taint which results in them being able to sense when there's darkspawn nearby and sometimes to even hear the thoughts of the archdemon in their dreams. They're also the only ones who can kill an archdemon because if anyone else tries to do it, the archdemon's soul can just jump into another darkspawn's body and be reborn."

Seeing the nervous looks that Jon and Robb began shooting at Theron at this, considering what they'd learned about darkspawn, Theron said, "You needn't worry. While it's true that I carry the darkspawn taint in my blood, the magical nature of the ritual used to become a Grey Warden also renders us incapable of spreading the taint the way that the darkspawn do."

"The archdemon's ability to jump from one body to another is why the First Blight lasted for nearly two centuries," Garrett added. "Dumat was slain several times, but he was reborn again and again. It wasn't until the Grey Wardens were formed that there was any hope of the Blight ending. The name of the warden who slew Dumat has been lost to time, but when it's a warden that strikes the killing blow, the archdemon's soul goes into the warden instead of a nearby darkspawn. That usually results in both the warden and the archdemon dying because while the darkspawn are soulless creatures, the wardens are not and generally speaking a body is not intended to hold more than one soul at a time."

"I performed a magical ritual, however," Morrigan said. She and Theron had discussed the issue in the fortnight it took for Jon and the others to arrive, and had decided to be honest about what had transpired. "Which would ensure that the warden I slept with would impregnate me and that Urthemiel's soul would be drawn into the baby instead. So, Theron was able to survive killing Urthemiel, whose soul was purified of the taint and inhabited Kieran's body for a time, with no major ill effect to him. My mother has since taken it from him, so now Kieran is just a normal little boy."

"Well, normal beyond the fact that he's the firstborn son of the current King of Ferelden," Theron said with a grin. As an aside to Jon and Robb, he added, "Ferelden is one of the many kingdoms in Thedas. Alistair is the bastard son of the late King Maric and was the last of the Theirin royal line that has ruled Ferelden for centuries. Since Maric's legitimate son and successor, King Cailan, died childless in one of the first battles of the Blight, I helped put Alistair on the throne."

Morrigan nodded. "True, but as Alistair and I weren't married, it'll be Prince Calen, his son with his wife, Queen Anora, who succeeds him on the throne. A Grey Warden and former Templar on the throne is one thing. But do you really think the nobles of Ferelden would accept Kieran? A mage? I can already hear the fools in the Chantry losing their collective minds and start spouting one of their favorite lines of the Chant of Light: 'Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him.'"

After a moment, she threw her head back and laughed, before she said, "I can only imagine how they'd react if they found out that Alistair's mother was not some serving girl at Redcliffe Castle but is, in fact, Grand Enchanter Fiona… not only a mage but an elf. That'd be even worse than having magic in some of their minds."

"Fiona is Alistair's mother?" Maxwell asked, clearly surprised by that. "So that's why she was asking about him when we talked at Skyhold. It seemed very out of the blue."

Nodding, Theron said, "Alistair doesn't even know. Fiona made Maric promise that Alistair would never know the truth. So he thinks both of his parents are dead."

"Why would the nobility have a problem with him having an elven mother?" Robb asked.

"Elves are viewed as second or even third-class citizens by most humans," Theron said. "Often enslaved and forced to live in slums called alienages within the walls of human cities. My people once ruled all of Thedas until humans showed up in the form of the First Men. Some of us do live free from human rule out in the wilds, but they don't like that we refuse to worship their Maker and that we like to keep to ourselves as much as possible."

"Ah, religious differences can cause issues," Jon said. "I'll probably run into that issue eventually myself. Raised in the North, I worship the Old Gods of the Forest, who were worshipped by the Children of the Forest and the First Men. In southern Westeros, however, the Faith of the Seven is the dominant religion. They believe in only one god with seven different aspects."

"Well, it would seem then that you have something in common with Theron," Morrigan said. "As your Old Gods of the Forest are known as the Evanuris in Thedas… they are, however, the same gods."

"They are?" Theron and Robb asked at almost the same time.

Nodding, Morrigan said, "I've studied ancient lore that you've never seen, Theron. And I've also had more time to absorb the knowledge granted to me by drinking from the Well of Sorrows, so I'm not surprised you're not aware of this. The ancient Elvhenan colonized Westeros some 2,000 years prior to the arrival of the First Men from Essos. However, when war broke out between different factions in Thedas and the Eluvian network was shut down, resulting in the Elvhenan here in Westeros losing all contact with the capital in Thedas. Over time they developed their own distinct culture and that's when they became the Children of the Forest."

Looking at Robb, Morrigan said, "That difference in culture led to a change in how the gods were worshipped. In Thedas, temples were built in honor of the gods, but here in Westeros, sacred forests were preferred, utilizing the weirwood trees as their centerpiece, which had the faces of the gods carved into them. By this point they were also being called the Gods of the Forest instead of the Evanuris, becoming the Old Gods when the majority of Westeros converted to the Faith of the Seven. While the method of worship and the names changed, who was being worshipped did not, even if the individual gods' names had also been lost by that point."

Everyone was silent for a time, as they digested what Morrigan had just said. After a few minutes, Garrett said, "Well, why don't we head back inside? We can summon everyone else and introduce you."

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Not long after the group had re-entered Bloodstone's main hall, a runner from the village entered the room and asked, "Excuse me, Your Grace?"

"Yes?" Jon asked.

"Message from the Harbormaster, sir," the runner said, as he handled a small scroll to Jon.

"Thank you," Jon said, giving the runner a dismissive wave, the runner nodded and left, before Jon opened the scroll and read the short missive.

"What does it say?" Robb asked, after a moment.

"That a ship from House Velaryon has just arrived in the port," Jon replied. "Carrying some special guests and cargo that require both my and your immediate attention, Robb."

Robb raised an eyebrow, as he wasn't sure what this was about, but nodded, as Theron said, "We'll just head up to the lord's solar and wait for you. We can introduce you to the others when you're ready."

"That works, thank you," Jon said, as he and Robb left the hall and headed down to the port with Ghost and Grey Wind following close behind them.

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Arriving back at the port, Jon and Robb found fourteen-year-old Jacaerys Velaryon—the second-born son of Lord Monford Velaryon—waiting for them, along with three robed figures, their faces concealed by hoods.

Seeing Jon and Robb, Jacaerys—known as Jace to his friends, just like his distant ancestor Prince Jacaerys Velaryon—dropped down to one knee in front of Jon, bowed his head and said, "Your Grace, on behalf of my father, Lord Monford Velaryon of Driftmark, I pledge the fealty and loyalty of House Velaryon to you and your legal heirs."

"I accept," Jon said before he smiled at the boy and said, "You may stand, Jace."

Despite being six years older than the young Velaryon, Jon did consider him to be a friend, as Eddard had made sure that Jon cultivated relationships with the Targaryen loyalist lords and their children. Lord Monford had promised to support Jon if he decided to pursue the Iron Throne but had never officially sworn fealty to him, as it was agreed that such an action shouldn't be done unless and until Jon actually chose to press his claim.

Now, that he had done so, Lord Monford sent his son to the Stepstones on his behalf, while he and his elder son, Monterys, prepared Driftmark for war… knowing that they'd very likely be seeing action sooner rather than later, as Stannis Baratheon was not likely to be pleased with House Velaryon's decision not to answer his call when he rallied his banners, as House Velaryon traditionally owed allegiance to the Lord of Dragonstone.

As Jacaerys stood back up, he said, "I believe you were expecting the men behind me, Your Grace. And they bring a gift for Lord Stark."

Jacaerys stepped off to the side at this, as the three hooded men stepped forward before they each dropped down onto one knee and bowed their heads to Jon. After a moment, the middle of the three men raised his hands and grabbed the edges of his hood, pulling it back as he lifted his head.

"Ser Gerold Hightower, reporting for duty, Your Grace," said the gray-haired knight known as the White Bull. "I'm not sure how long I'll be able to serve you, but my sword is yours so long as I can wield it."

"You've served my family well over the years, Ser Gerold," Jon said. "And I appreciate whatever help you can provide for however long you can provide it."

Left unsaid was the fact that they both knew that Ser Gerold's fighting days were not likely to last too much longer, considering that he'd recently celebrated his eighty-third name day. Old age came for everyone eventually, no matter how healthy and fit one was. Still, even if he couldn't fight on the front lines, he could still help train the next generation of the Kingsguard, and share his lifetime of experience in strategy and tactics.

"Reporting for duty as ordered, Your Grace," said the man to Ser Gerold's left as he too pulled off his hood as he lifted his head, to reveal Ser Arthur Dayne, otherwise known as the Sword of the Morning.

"Your Grace, you have my allegiance and my sword," the other man said, as he removed his hood and lifted his head, revealing himself as Ser Oswell Whent.

"I'm grateful for your swords and allegiance, Ser Arthur and Ser Oswell," Jon said. "I'm also glad that the three of you agreed to go into hiding these last twenty years so that you could return and serve me now. My Kingsguard and forces are strengthened by your examples."

"We were prepared to die at the Tower of Joy," Arthur said, as the three men rose. "Until Ned Stark and Princess Lyanna convinced us that it would be better to live and fight another day."

"Being in hiding these last twenty years also put me in a position to be able to present you with a gift, Lord Stark," Gerold said, as he reached behind his back and pulled out a bundle which had been hidden between his back and his cloak.

Holding it out, Jon and Robb shared a look at the shape of the bundle, before Robb stepped forward and untied the rope that held it shut, before pulling the cloth aside. He gasped when he saw what it was.

"Ice," Robb said, as he was met with the sight of the two-handed Valyrian steel greatsword of House Stark, which Robb had figured he'd never see again when he found out that his father had been arrested and executed for treason.

"Ser Barristan sends his regards, Your Grace," Arthur said to Jon, before turning to Robb and adding, "He regrets his inability to get your father's head, but there was no way that he could do so without blowing his cover."

"Even managing to steal Ice from Ser Ilyn Payne's quarters was taking a big risk," Oswell added. "But, it was one he gladly took when he heard that Joffrey had given the blade to him for the sole purpose of using it to behead your father. Ser Barristan believed that wasn't right and managed to smuggle it out of the keep to Ser Gerold the night before the execution."

"You have my thanks for bringing it to me, Ser Gerold," Robb said as he picked up Ice, shuddering at the thought of the blade that had been in House Stark for centuries now being used to execute the Lord of House Stark.

"I don't imagine Joffrey is pleased," Gerold said. "Barristan told me that while he gave Ice to his King's Justice to carry out your father's execution, he never had any intention of allowing Ilyn to keep it, having already sent a raven to Qohor to obtain the services of one of their smiths to reforge it into a smaller sword for himself."

"I take it Ice is too much sword for him," Jon said.

"Of that, there can be no doubt," Oswell said. "Honestly, even having celebrated nineteen name days, I doubt he's had more than a few hours of combat training in his life."

"He also doesn't have much muscle mass to speak of," Arthur said. "I sincerely doubt he could even lift Ice, let alone swing it without landing himself on his arse."

"Pampered southron that he is, I wouldn't be surprised," Robb said. "No offense meant to present company," he added after a moment when he remembered that he was talking to three men who'd been born and raised in the southern kingdoms.

"None taken, Lord Stark," Gerold said.

"Well, let's head inside," Jon said. "I can introduce you to my new allies."

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To be continued…

And there you have Part Four of Act One of 'Through the Eluvian'. So the Westerosi and Thedosian characters have met… what happens now? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? I love hearing from my readers, so feel free to contact me in a review, by email (Gmail: jaycolin25), my LiveJournal (JayColin), my Yahoo group (storiesbyjayson), or on Twitter JVascardi. Alternatively, you can also try to contact me via Skype (text messaging only) at .