Author: BurningSilence

Title: Intersecting Fates

Rating: M (yes, there was a rating change, mostly for Cullen's naughty thoughts)

Disclaimer: DA:O does not belong to be in any way, shape, or form. It belongs to the wonderful people at BioWare who I'm sure have money coming out of their ears. No money is being made from this, so suing would be rather pointless.

Chapter VI: The Tower (part 2)

"Ah, there you are!" Duncan greeted, smiling at the young mage. "I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

Faustine looked around, feeling a bit confused. "No…" she shook her head. "Did you need something from me?"

"I just wanted to see how you were. You've been at Weisshaupt for some time now. Do you like it here?" the Rivain asked, still smiling.

Faustine tried to recall when she had arrived here, but kept coming up blank. "I…don't know. Something doesn't feel quite right."

Duncan looked surprised at her comments. "Everything is as it should be. We eradicated the darkspawn, and the world is at peace."

Now that definitely sounded strange. "We…eradicated the darkspawn?"

"It was a triumph for all of us, bringing down the archdemon and setting the underground lairs ablaze."

"If the darkspawn are gone, then we are no longer needed."

"The Grey Wardens shall be keepers of history," Duncan explained, an unnatural glint in his eye. "We shall tell tales and sing songs of a more tumultuous time, that others may rejoice knowing that time has passed."

'Oh, Leliana would like that,' Faustine thought, smiling. 'Wait…Leliana? That's right…she's a bard; she loves stories. Of course, Morrigan would find it completely foolish…' her thoughts were beginning to disturb her. Names and images that were familiar, yet not at the same time. Like a dream…

"This isn't real, is it?" she sighed.

"What do you mean?" Duncan looked genuinely puzzled.

"I...I am a mage. I should be able to recognize the Fade when I am in it," she muttered. "You…died. At Ostagar. And…I am trapped, aren't I?"

Duncan's expression quickly changed to one of anger. "You foolish child! I have given you so much, and yet you throw it back in my face! Can you not be content with the peace I offer?"

"To ignore the darkspawn would be irresponsible," she stated.

"Fine, have your war and your darkspawn. May they be your doom!"

It hadn't been a particularly difficult battle. It wasn't a higher level demon by any means; in fact, it was probably just a creation of the Fade. However, there was another issue that she would need to address.

She was completely alone.

Which meant that Alistair, Wynne, and Zevran were all probably stuck in their own 'dreams'.

And she would have to find them.

Oh, joy.

Faustine looked around the room for anyway to get out. Her eyes alighted on a small pedestal. It looked to be of a similar make to the one used for the Harrowing. Cautiously, she stepped up to it, gazing down at the raw lyrium vapours wafting from it.

She reached out and dipped her hand into it, feeling a familiar tingling sensation go up her arm. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them next, she found herself in the raw Fade. Glancing up, she saw the imposing figure of the Black City.

"Why does this place seem so much less scary when I'm merely dreaming?" she mused aloud.

Hopefully her friends were having a better time of it than she was.

Though, she especially didn't want to dwell on what sorts of dreams Zevran would have.

As she continued along her path, she noticed a man standing a head of her, some distance away. She ran to him, eager to find someone who might know more than she did at the moment.

"Niall?"

She must have startled him, because when she came up to him, he jumped and turned around. "What…who are you? Where did you come from? Are you a demon?" He studied her a little more closely. "No…wait. I know you, don't I? You were the apprentice who left with the Grey Warden." He smiled a little, and shrugged. "Who would have thought you would wind up here, with me? Good job for getting out of that trap."

She figured he must have meant Weisshaupt. She wondered what his dream must have been. "Yes, well, thank you. Now what?"

He shrugged his shoulders again, seemingly uncaring of anything else around him. "I don't know. This place drains you of everything. Of hope, feeling…life…"

"We'll find a way out."

"No, there is no way out," he sighed, somewhat wistfully. "You'd think there might be, but you'd be wrong." He pointed to a platform a few meters away from them and continued on, "You see that pedestal over there? I've studied the runes on it—runes that signify other islands of the Sloth demon's domain." He slumped alongside one of the leaning pillars that dotted the realm and settled against it, maintaining his air of nonchalance. "The Sloth demon lives on the centre island, with five other islands surrounding it, forming some sort of protective ward. I thought I was getting somewhere when I figured that out, and I went to search each island only to have my hopes dashed."

"Why? What happened?"

"There's always an obstacle. You'll be able to see the path you need, but you'll never be able to reach it."

"I wonder if the others are on those islands…" she mused aloud to herself.

Niall looked thoughtful, before nodding once, "It's possible. There are many dreamers. You might find a way to reach them through the islands…if you're lucky."

"If we work together we can figure it out," she supplied. Besides, she didn't work well alone. There was no one to bounce ideas off of. Or, you know, keep people of off her when she was working her own 'magic'.

The Enchanter smiled slightly, "Nothing dampens your spirit, does it?"

"Nope," she chirped.

"I don't know whether I should admire you or pity you."

She had a feeling Niall wasn't much of a team player. She supposed that made sense, what with him being an Isolationist.

Faustine saw a portal and made up her mind. "I'll be back!" she chimed.

"Don't mind me then," he muttered.

After seeing the former apprentice disappear through the 'door', Niall let himself smile. She would wind up back here, just as he had.

A few moments later, she was back, looking a bit worse for wear, but smiling none the less.

"Something happened, didn't it? You look…different. What happened?"

She put her hands on her hips and grinned, "I became a mouse."

His eyebrows shot up, "Did you? Did it help? I know I saw the tiny holes…were you small enough to get through?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "It was actually very easy," she added with a touch of pride.

He sighed, looking at her reflectively, "You're so much…braver than I am. I was so sure it was impossible to get anywhere here…" As he contemplated what she told him, an idea occurred to him. "Do you think you could learn other shapes? Maybe they could help you get to places you couldn't otherwise."

"Just you wait; I'll get us out of here," she replied. "I'm sure you've been here far too long for your liking."

Before he could correct her, however, she was gone.

"I won't be getting out," he murmured to no one.

What had he been thinking when he went on this mad quest to retrieve the Litany of Adralla? He supposed he hadn't been thinking, much. If the Grey Warden managed to defeat Sloth, he would need to direct her to retrieve the litany from his body. He could already feel himself weakening.

As he was deep in thought, he heard the Warden (Maker, what was her name?) enter the raw Fade again.

"Back again? That's hardly surprising; there's no way out." He almost laughed when she scowled at him, but it would take too much effort. He continued, regardless of her irritation, "Every time you take a step you think: maybe this step will take me home…but you'd be wrong."

"When we were going through the stock-room, Owain told us that you were after something called the Litany of Adralla. What is it?"

"I'm not entirely sure. What I do know is that the litany stops blood mages from taking over your mind. I don't even know who, or what, Adralla is. You're better off asking somebody more knowledgeable," he explained, shrugging again.

"What happened with Uldred?" the girl asked.

"The Circle was about to ally itself with Loghain at Uldred's suggestion, until Loghain's treachery was revealed. Uldred made excuses, but we were having none of it. He panicked, then, tried to leave…Irving would not let him," Niall recounted the meeting the Enchanter's had had.

"What did Irving plan on doing?" the Warden asked, walking closer to him, her gait agitated.

"I don't know; I don't believe we got to that part. I was barely paying attention," he admitted. "Such meetings are boring; the course of action usually decided before we even congregate."

"When did the blood mages show up?"

Niall closed his eyes, recalling everything that had led up to his imprisonment in the Fade. "Uldred let loose a bolt of energy that flung us all against the far wall. That woke me up." He took a deep breath, and released in a heavy exhalation. "It might have been a signal. That was when a whole group of mages poured into the chamber. That was when I saw real blood magic at work."

"But the abominations," the girl interrupted. "Where did they come from?"

He fixed her with a cool stare, making her duck her head in embarrassment. "I was just getting to that."

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Uldred must have been dabbling in demonology as well. When the fighting started, he tried to summon something…or some things. They overwhelmed him, and when the screaming stopped, Uldred was…gone."

The younger mage shivered, and swallowed heavily, "You mean he's dead?"

Niall scoffed, "I'm sure he wishes he were dead. Uldred became an abomination. And when I saw it, I ran for my life."

"I've fought an abomination before…" she trailed off, looking like she was unsure about something.

"I doubt you've seen anything like this. Uldred is a powerful mage, and he's possessed by a mad thing that cares not one whit about human life. I doubt the abomination you've seen could compare with him."

"I agree," she whispered.

"I gathered some of my fellows and we obtained the Litany from the stockroom. I thought if we disabled the others, we could throw everything we had at Uldred. But…I saw my friends fall, one by one…now it's my turn."

"We're not going to die here!" she exclaimed, determined. "I'll find a way out."

She turned around and stomped towards the Fade pedestal again and disappeared.

Niall could feel himself slipping; he felt colder, almost as if there were a draft that he couldn't quite find, and he was beginning to lose focus. Sloth must have been feeding off of him for quite some time now. If he perished soon, the demon would turn it's attentions onto the Warden, or perhaps one of the others that came in with her.

He hoped he could hold out a bit longer.

Faustine decided that she definitely hated the Fade. First there were darkspawn, then there were enraged templars…enraged templars that were on fire, insane mages, and demons of fire. No, she didn't hate the Fade…she despised it.

"No amount of sweet dreams will ever make me enjoy the Fade, ever again," she muttered to herself.

Right now, she found herself traveling to someone's dream, although, she was unsure as to who it belonged to.

As she walked farther down the twisting path, she could make out the shapes of three men; however, one was strapped down to a rack, while the other two were slowly cranking the wheel to it.

"Hah, I think I saw him flinch that time," one of the torturers said.

"Maybe. We'll make you scream yet, apprentice," the second one laughed.

"We're not going to go easy on you."

The third man groaned, and responded in a very familiar accent, "No…I wouldn't…want you to hold back. I'd be disappointed…if you did."

"This one has spirit, it's a shame we have to break him," the first torturer commented offhandedly.

"Maker's breath, Zevran!" she yelled as soon as everyone came into view. "Are you alright?" Something twisted in her chest seeing the elf strapped down to the device and stretched to what looked to be his limits.

He looked up, his eyes glazed with pain and confusion, "What…what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be…here…"

"You have to snap out of it! This is a dream!"

"I can't…I have to stay strong. This is my test. I am going to be a Crow. I need…to show them I can tolerate…pain," he insisted.

"Looks like your little girlfriend's worried about you," the second man sneered, making a vulgar gesture to the mage.

"Shut it, I'm not talking to you, demon!" she turned back to Zevran. "You're already an Antivan Crow! That's how we met…remember? You tried to kill me, for Andraste's sake!"

He shook his head. "That cannot be…but…you are speaking the truth? I can feel it. Is this nothing more than a bad dream…or…a memory?" he seemed to be speaking to himself.

"Oh, it looks like he's questioning us. That's a very, very bad thing to do, isn't it?" the second torturer smirked.

"Oh yes, we'll have to punish him severely for this."

"Of course," the mage muttered.

She was able to dispatch them quickly enough, and as soon as they 'died', she was able to free Zevran.

Though, it seemed with the torturers gone, the assassin's attitude was once again restored as well.

"Well, that was bracing! There's nothing like a good racking, is there?" He flashed her a smile and a wink.

Faustine noticed him disappearing and tried to grab him, much to his confusion.

"Hmmm? What are you doing? Where are you going?"

The mage stared at the spot where the elf used to be and let out a loud sigh of irritation.

"I guess I'll need to free the others from their nightmares, too."

By the time she got to Alistair, she was wrung out. She'd already dealt with Wynne's nightmare; she'd taken care of the principal demons guarding the other islands; and just recently had to kill off Alistair's demonic sister, nephews and nieces. Goldanna had a lot of children.

She was ready to go back to camp and take a real nap.

"You all have some very strange dreams," she muttered to Alistair.

"I…can't believe I fell for it. How could I not notice it earlier?" the templar wondered.

"This is the Fade," she said simply. "This isn't like the real world."

He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Would you mind…not telling everyone how easily fooled I was?"

She was about to retort when he started flickering in and out of view.

"Are we going now? Wait, where are you going? What's happening to me? Hey!"

"Of course," she huffed. "Well, I guess it's off to the centre island then…I hope I'll meet everyone else there. I…don't think I can take that Sloth demon on my own."

She felt a severe headache coming on; a common enough symptom for mages who have used up a significant amount of mana in a short amount of time. She'd have to ignore it for now; however, otherwise she wouldn't be able to destroy the demon who ruled the realm she was trapped in.

And then he might eat her.

Faustine wasn't going to have anyone eat her.

Walking over to the Fade pedestal once again, she touched it and felt the, by now, incredibly familiar (and slightly invasive) feeling of being teleported from one island to another.

When she opened her eyes next, she found herself directly in front of the Sloth demon.

Feeling a moment of panic, she glanced around hurriedly, only to notice that her companions were materializing next to her.

"Oh, here I am! And there you are! You just disappeared, but no matter!" Alistair exclaimed. Faustine wondered if he'd gotten a little too close to some of the lyrium veins that were scattered through this realm.

She noticed Zevran looked a little disappointed, and then heard him say, "How did I get here? What happened to all of those luscious wood nymphs?"

"Unbelieveable," Faustine asked, temporarily forgetting about the demon in front of her.

"And what do we have here?" Sloth rumbled. "Rebellious minions? Escaped slaves?" he chuckled. "My, you all have some gall. Play time is over. You all have to go back now."

"You will not hold us, demon. We found each other in this place and you cannot stand against us," Wynne stated resolutely.

Faustine leaned towards the older woman. "I really appreciate your optimism, and I'm not normally one to discourage that, but…I think he can take us," she whispered.

"I know you're tired," Wynne started. "But do not let him in on your weakness. We will do fine. We must survive. For the Circle, if nothing else."

"If you go back quietly, I'll do better this time. I'll make you much happier," the demon promised.

"I'll make my own happiness, if it's all the same to you," Faustine replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"So be it, mortal. You will soon learn to bow to your betters."

"Four forms! Four bleeding forms!" the mage ranted, tromping up the path that led to the last Fade pedestal, and, hopefully back to the tower.

"We still defeated it," Zevran pointed out.

"Alistair almost died! Wynne exhausted herself, and we would have been left with just you and me!" she continued on, almost as if she hadn't heard him. At his affronted look, she hurriedly tried to smooth over her last remark. "I'm not saying you can't hold your own, but…he was a pretty big for awhile. And it felt like he was getting stronger with every form he took! I feel like we just got lucky, that's all," she admitted.

Alistair started cracking up ahead of them.

"What's so funny?" she snapped.

"You. You're so…upset about the fight, even though we won," he managed to get out between chuckles.

She sighed, "I know, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just frustrated. And tired. This is the worst nap ever."

"After this, perhaps we should scrape some gold together and rent a couple rooms at a tavern," Zevran suggested.

"Yes!" Faustine agreed, whole-heartedly.

They spent the rest of the walk in a companionable silence until they reached Niall. He looked shocked upon seeing all of them together.

"You defeated the demon…I never thought…I never thought that you could free yourself…free us both," he murmured in amazement. "When you return, take the Litany of Adralla from my…body. It will protect you from the worst of the blood magic."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Faustine questioned, frowning.

"I've…been here too long. For you, it'll be an afternoon nap," the enchanter ignored her comment about 'napping'. He gave a regretful smile as he continued, "Your body won't have wasted away while your spirit was in the hands of a demon."

"Y-you think you're going to die?" the girl wondered. "But…we can heal you!"

Niall shook his head, "Thank you, but, it's too late for me. I do not fear what may come. They say we return to the Maker in death, and that…is not such a terrible thing." He noticed her flinch, and smiled to himself; he remembered her being fairly non-religious. He'd rarely seen her in the chapel, and she had avoided most priests and templars like the plague. "I'm…not a hero. Perhaps thinking that I could be was foolish."

Faustine shook her head in denial, "That's not true. You did a lot to help the Circle."

"Dark times, greater acts of heroism, eh?" he chuckled. "You may be right. But I can rest easy knowing that you will all save the Circle." He sobered a bit, looking down at his hands, "Before I was taken to the Circle, I can remember my mother telling me I was meant for greatness. That I would be more than my ancestors ever dreamed…I hope I haven't disappointed her." He straightened and took Faustine's hand in his own. Grasping it firmly, he told her, "It is time for us both to be on our way. Remember the Litany of Adralla. The Circle is all that matters now." He released her hand and stepped back.

As everything began to recede around Faustine, she heard Niall whisper, "Thank you and goodbye…friend."

Wearily, the mage found herself blinking her eyes slowly, trying to clear the sleep from them.

"Let's try not to do that again," she heard Alistair yawn.

"The floors of your Circle were clearly not meant to be slept on," Zevran commented.

Faustine rubbed her face, getting used to being back in the physical world. "The one thing I am going to miss about being there are all of those forms I learned," she confessed.

"Is that so?" Wynne asked, clearly amused.

"Yes, especially the golem's form. That one was fun," she grinned, remembering being able to pummel the Arcane Horror's she had come across. She looked over at Zevran, recalling the dream she'd found him in, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" she murmured, trying not to be overheard by the others.

He brushed her off, laughing, "Of course I am. What makes you ask?"

She shrugged, a little embarrassed. "I suppose I was just worried. The Fade can be a frightening place. I still shudder whenever I think of my Harrowing."

He made a small humming noise in the back of his throat. "Well, I am fine. It is over now, anyway, correct?"

She gave him a half-smile, "Yes, well, at least, for now. Now we have to deal with Uldred. Oh!" She slapped herself of the forehead and went over to Niall's body. Faustine cringed as she went through his robes and retrieved a small scroll of paper. "The Litany," she explained. "I almost forgot it."

"That would have been marvelous!" the assassin quipped.

"I would have remembered…eventually," she defended.

"Yeah, in the middle of the battle," Alistair teased.

Faustine was about to throw a (very small) lightning bolt at her so-called best friend, when he released a moderate wave of energy and nullified her spell.

"Not nice, Alistair," she chastised.

"You were going to shock me!"

"It was all in good fun!" the mage defended. "I wouldn't have made it too painful."

"Very reassuring."

"Come now, you two. We have work to do," Wynne scolded gently.

"I'm getting really tired of all these demons!" Faustine shouted, dodging a blow clearly meant to take off her head. "Uldred will pay for this inconvenience!"

"I hope I don't get blood all over me, again," Zevran laughed as he pulled his dagger out of one of the undead that had swarmed them.

"This…is getting…really old!" Alistair complained as he knocked a skeleton down and severed its head.

Faustine cast her chain lightning spell with a huff, finishing the last couple of undead.

"We are ridiculously awesome!" the elf commented, wiping off his blades.

"You should probably save that for when we finally deal with whatever it is that Uldred's become. From what I heard from Niall it was…horrible," Faustine shivered involuntarily.

"Well…yeah," Alistair spoke up again. "I mean, look around. This isn't exactly the product of someone who wanted to do a little Circle renovation."

Faustine glared at him, effectively silencing any more smart remarks he wanted to make. She walked over to the door and tried to open it. After a couple of tries, she turned to Alistair. "Alistair, I think the door's stuck," she pouted, clearly implying that she wanted him to open it.

"Why do I always get the grunt jobs?"

"Please? If you want, Zevran can help if you can't do it by yourself," she assured.

There was a silence as Wynne and Zevran tried to keep from laughing at the templar's expense.

"Get out of my way; I'll open the bloody door," he snapped.

Alistair managed to pry the door open and stepped inside. Faustine had been side tracked by something that had caught her eye.

'Probably a scroll or something,' he thought.

"Oh, Maker," he heard Wynne whisper.

He looked up and noticed a templar trapped behind some sort of ward. "Hey, you might want to get in here!" he called to Faustine.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed, running up behind them. "Andraste's grace! Cullen?" she ran up to the barrier, her eyes wide and panicked.

"Oh, this trick again?" Cullen sneered. "I know what you are, it won't work. I will stay strong." Faustine was taken aback by his appearance. It was so unlike him to act this way. And the way he was looking at her…

"Cullen! Don't you recognize me?" she entreated.

At first his only response was to scoff and turn away from her. When he turned back, his expression held so much suffering it was difficult for her to look at.

"Only too well…how far they must have delved into my thoughts…" he trailed off, seemingly unaware of her presence.

"The boy is exhausted. And this cage…I've never seen anything like it," Wynne spoke up.

Faustine felt her heart break a little. Cullen had once been a very sweet young man, who always had something kind to say to her, had always remembered her birthday, and was always willing to look the other way if she and Jowan were out after curfew. Who knew what kind of torment Uldred and the others put him through.

"Enough visions!" he snapped. He turned his gaze on her, so full of anger, disgust…It was not easy for her to continuing looking. "If anything in you is human…kill me now, and stop this game. You broke the others, but I will stay strong, for my sake…for theirs!" He began to pace behind the barrier, wringing his hands and muttering to himself. "Sifting through my thoughts, tempting me with the one thing I have always wanted but could never have…"

His mind kept playing those images over and over in his mind. All of his fantasies, laid bare in front of him, and now the demon continues to torment with images of Faustine coming back to the Tower.

Soft hands running up his bare chest as she settled herself in his lap.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else and continue our conversation in…private."

His discarded armour and her robes hiked up around her waist as he pounded into her, mindlessly. Her voice hitching in passion as his thrusts became rougher, his grip on her hips tightening…

He swallowed past the lump that lodged itself in his throat after she suggested they get to know each other a bit better. "Oh…my goodness. If you're saying…what I think…that would be really, er, inappropriate…and, ooh…I couldn't," he stammered, trying to escape her gaze and his own sinful imaginings. A small hand grasping his arm kept him from fleeing.

"Using my shame against me," his voice broke. "My ill-advised infatuation with her, a mage…of all things!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blond elf smirk and cast sidelong glance at Faustine, who was blushing heavily. "Someone was quite the little heart-breaker when they were an apprentice. My, my."

Cullen leaned against his cage, trying to calm himself down; they were just illusions, after all. "I'm so tired of these cruel jokes…these tricks…these…"

Faustine found her voice again, although she was still in a bit of shock from hearing a bit of what Cullen went through. She said the first thing that came to her mind, "I…don't think I should have heard that." She regretted it as soon as she said it, as Cullen's reaction was a bit hysterical.

He shut his eyes and clenched his fists tightly. "Silence! I'll not listen to anything you have to say. Now begone!" He opened his eyes and his expression crumbled. "Still here? But that's always worked before! I close my eyes, but you are still here when I open them."

"I really wish you hadn't said all of that," Faustine mumbled, trying to ignore both Alistair's inquisitive look, and Zevran's decidedly lascivious leer. Yes, she was deeply embarrassed. As of right now, she had learned more than she ever could have possibly learned about Cullen. She'd had an idea that the templar might have fancied her, but she had assumed it was the same as it was with her; a crush. The fact that his feelings had gone deep enough for a demon to torment him with them…the thought was sobering, to say the least.

"I am beyond caring what you think!" he snapped. "The Maker knows my sin, and I pray that he forgives me."

"There's nothing wrong with liking someone," she murmured, trying to calm him down. His behavior was beginning to frighten her. He wasn't at all like the Cullen she had known. "Why does it cause you so much pain?"

He merely sneered at her. "You're a mage, and I, a templar! It is my duty to oppose you and all you are! It was just the foolish fancy of a naïve boy. I know better now," he derided. "Why have you come back to the tower? How did you survive?"

"This tower was my home. Is it so strange that I would want to defend it?" she answered softly. She stepped a bit closer to the barrier, wanting to reassure the templar that everything would be fine…but she knew that it wouldn't be. Not for him…not for a long time.

He looked down at her, searching her eyes for something Faustine was unsure of. "As it was mine. And look what they've done to it! They deserve to die, Uldred most of all!" He pressed his hands to the invisible wall, his expression beseeching. "They caged us like animals…looked for ways to break us. I'm the only one left…"

The mage let out a silent gasp. That meant…all of his friends…oh Maker, they were all dead.

"They turned some into…monsters. And…there was nothing I could do."

Faustine felt herself become angry at Greagoir once again, this time, for not only abandoning the mages in here, but even the templars…At the very least, he could have made sure more had been able to get out. If he had…

Cullen wouldn't be the way he was now.

"You need to stay strong," she whispered, bringing her hands up to the barrier as well, seemingly touching the templar's.

He snapped his hands back as if they had been burned. "And to think I once thought we were too hard on you!"

His angry words felt like a punch to her stomach. The way he looked at her…like she had been the one to imprison him, to torture him, to kill his friends…

"We're not all evil, Cullen."

"Only mages have that much power at their fingertips. Only mages are so susceptible to the infernal whisperings of the demons!"

"This is a discussion for another time!" Wynne cut it, weary of this continuing dispute. There were people in the tower who were going through only Maker-knew-what, and those two were playing catch-up. "Irving and the other mages who fought Uldred; where are they?"

Cullen looked at her as if he had only just noticed she was there. "They are in the Harrowing Chamber…the sounds coming out of there…oh, Maker," he moaned, his eyes haunted.

"We must hurry," Wynne stated, touching Faustine's shoulder. "They are in grave danger, I'm sure of it."

At Faustine's nod, Cullen exploded. "You can't save them! You don't know what they've become!"

Very calmly, the younger mage turned to him with pitying eyes, "I'm a mage too, Cullen."

"You haven't been up there! You haven't been under their influence!" He shouted, desperately. "They've been up there with b-blood mages whose wicked fingers snake into your mind and corrupt your thoughts!"

Oh, and how well did he know that! Dreams of simply kissing the mage in front of him, of being able to hold her whenever he wished, and yes, even of making love to her had been completely distorted. The images that had played through his mind had become more and more degrading, both to himself and Faustine. Seemingly a punishment to him for not breaking as soon as the demon wished it.

"Cullen…" Faustine whimpered. She started when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder.

"His hatred of mages is very…intense, right now," Alistair murmured, trying to reassure her. "The memory of his friend's deaths are still fresh in his mind."

"You have to end it now, before it's too late!" the trapped templar implored.

The woman looked down, feeling very weary, absolutely wrung out. "What do you suggest I do, Cullen?"

"To ensure this horror is ended…that no abominations or blood mages live, you must kill everyone up there."

Her head snapped up in shock. "I can't do that Cullen! I'd rather risk maleficarum than risk harming an innocent if I can help it!"

"Of course you would!" he snarled. Faustine jumped back, despite knowing there was no way he'd be able to break through that barrier.

"W-what is that supposed to mean?"

"I know about you helping your maleficar friend Jowan escape! I'm not surprised that you'd let blood mages go free, completely unpunished. I tried to convince myself that you must have been under a thrall, tried to make any excuse I could for you. Have you already thrown your lot in with them? Is that it? Dabbling in blood magic, just months after leaving the Circle!" his voice increasing in volume as he continued to rage.

"Hey! Don't talk to her that way!" Alistair snapped, pulling Faustine back a bit.

"So, she's gotten to you too?" he sneered at the blond. "Is she sweet to you, too? Does she make you feel like you're special to her?" Before he could get anymore out, Faustine slammed her hands against the barrier, surprising Alistair with her display of temper.

"Don't you dare!" she growled. "Don't you dare make it out that I manipulated you! Don't blame me for whatever feelings you had or have! For the love of the Maker I'm trying to help! I cannot kill innocents just because you think they might be maleficarum! I understand you're angry--,"

"You know nothing! I am thinking of the future of the Circle, of Ferelden!"

"I do not want more innocent blood on my hands," she bit out through clenched teeth, thinking of Isolde, and by proxy, Jowan. All of her past mistakes seemed to be catching up to her right at this very moment.

"I am just willing to see the painful truth, which you are content to ignore…but what can I do?" The fight suddenly gone from him, he slumped down, his back now to her. "I cannot directly influence your actions, though I would love to deal with the mages myself."

She winced at the anger in his voice, the desire to hurt the other mages…something he had not enjoyed before.

"I…I want you to stay safe," her voice cracked.

"Once Uldred is dead, I will be freed."

"Yes, everyone will be freed, including the mages."

He scoffed at her, "Maker turn his gaze on you. I hope your compassion hasn't doomed us all."

"Cullen…" Faustine breathed. She felt someone touch her arm. The younger mage turned her head to see Wynne gazing at her sympathetically.

"Do not worry about such things right now. Things will get better," the older woman tried to assure the girl.

Faustine nodded dumbly as they made their way up to the Harrowing Chamber.

It took everything Faustine had to not vomit at the scene she came in on. Uldred, standing in the middle of the chamber with several abominations holding one mage prisoner while they forced the rest to watch. The mage's body twisted and writhed in agony, before Uldred released whatever spell he had over the poor man.

"Do you accept this gift I offer you?" Uldred asked the Enchanter. The Enchanter nodded, his eyes rolling back in his head. As soon as he agreed, Uldred and the abominations performed some sort of ritual, resulting in a loud explosion and the mutation of the mage who had moments before been tortured.

Uldred turned his head to where Faustine and her companions were. "Ah, look what we have here…Irving star pupil. Uldred didn't think much of you then, and I certainly don't see your appeal now…"

"Well, forgive me if I'm not very impressed," the girl snapped.

"I suppose one can't be loved universally," Uldred sighed. "I'm quite impressed that you're still alive," he admitted. "Unfortunately, that must mean you've killed my servants." He made a dismissive gesture as he sighed once more, "Oh well, they're better off dying serving their betters than living with the terrible responsibility of independence."

"You're turning these people into abominations," Wynne cried out. "There's nothing glorious in what you've become, Uldred!"

"Uldred?" the man looked truly surprised. "He is gone. I am Uldred, and yet not Uldred. I am more than he was." He fixed Wynne with a determined glint in his eye. "I could give you this gift Wynne. You and all mages. All you have to do is accept." He shook his head and glanced at Faustine and then the mages behind him, "But some people can be so stubborn."

"I'm glad so many of them stood up to you," the Warden stated defiantly.

"And what good did that do? I still won," he mentioned. "Wait…what do we have here?" he cooed when someone made a strangled noise. "Why…it's the First Enchanter!" he exclaimed, bringing Irving over. "Come say hello to your old apprentice, Irving." He turned to the small group and shrugged, "Don't mind the blood; he's had a…hard day."

Faustine felt horrified; there he was, her mentor, covered in blood and…something else. How long had he been like this? If someone like Irving could be brought to such a level…

"What have you done to him?" Wynne nearly shrieked. Faustine had never heard the woman so panicked. Perhaps they both felt the same way.

"Stop him…" Irving wheezed. "He's…building an army. He will…destroy the templars and…"

"You're a sly little fox, Irving," Uldred cut the older man off. "Telling on me like that," he chastised. "And here I thought he was starting to turn."

"N-never," the First Enchanter mumbled, his head lolling to the side.

"That's enough out of you. He'll serve me eventually, as will you," Uldred determined.

"I don't think so," Faustine stated, preparing her lightning. She was not about to become an abomination. She didn't survive her Harrowing for nothing.

"I don't think your opinion matters much. That is what I've decided, and that is what will be done." He smirked at her, "Fight if you must. It will just make my victory all the sweeter."

With that, he began to twist and grow to a monstrous hulk that Faustine recognized from her Harrowing. She felt almost hysterical when she realized he was a Pride demon.

"Well…look at that," she heard Zevran mutter breathlessly.

"He's doing something to the mages!" Wynne shouted. "Use the Litany!"

Faustine started and scrambled to take the litany out of her robes. "Alright, just keep them off of me!"

After she finished reciting it, she noticed the previously enthralled mages and collapsed; alive, but no longer under the demon's influence. She began hexing Uldred with everything she had, while Alistair kept trying to purge the area of the blood mages' magical effects. Unfortunately, it made hers and Wynne's spells less effective, but it certainly helped level the playing field.

Faustine came to the conclusion that there were too many other mages and made a split second decision. "Just so you all know, I'm really sorry about this," she yelled as she began to cast her Tempest spell. If Wynne could keep up her Lifeward, they should all be fine.

Fortunately, the prisoners were all just out of the lightning's range. The same could not be said for her friends.

When Uldred finally collapsed, among the corpses of the other blood mages, Alistair huffed at her. "You might have given us some warning about that!"

"What did you think I was apologizing for?"

"Well…not that!"

"Hey, he's dead now, right?"

The templar just shook his head at her, and then blushed when she touched his hair. "Oh…I burned you a bit…sorry!"

In fact, they all looked a bit singed after that fight. Alistair had scorch marks on his armour and face, Zev's hair had come loose and had a nasty burn on his right arm, and Wynne's robes and definitely seen better days.

'Wynne and I definitely need to buy some new robes. I feel practically naked in mine!' she thought.

Remembering why she was there, she ran to help the First Enchanter up, with Wynne following right behind her.

"Irving, are you all right?" the Senior Enchanter asked worriedly.

"Maker…I'm getting too old for this," he mumbled. "I've been better. But I am thankful to be alive. I suppose that is your doing, isn't it Wynne?"

"I had help," she murmured fondly.

Irving looked at Faustine and smiled, "I was surprised to see you standing there. But I am glad you have returned. The Circe owes you both a debt that we will never be able to repay." He tried to stand completely on his own, but faltered and Faustine reached out to steady him. "Come, the templars await," he sighed. "We shall let them know the tower is under our control again."

"Very well," Faustine grinned. "Lead on."

"I will need you to guide me down the stairs," he admitted. "Ah, curse whoever insisted the Circle be housed in a tower…"

Later that night found the little group back in camp, eager to rest after the ordeal they had all gone through. Alistair was busy speaking with Wynne, who had decided she would be of better use traveling with the Grey Wardens; Sten was, once again, off with Orion doing some hunting; Leliana had taken to her instruments, presumably writing a ballad about what happened at the Circle; and Morrigan was doing…well, only the Maker knew what; and Faustine…

Well, Faustine was sitting with Zevran, wrapping his injured arm after dabbing a poultice onto it.

"I thought you said you were no good with healing potions," he remarked.

"I'm not," she replied. "Wynne made this."

"You have been oddly quiet this evening," Zevran murmured.

She didn't say anything for a moment, just continued to bandage his arm, and when she was done, she gave it a soft pat and released it. She then sighed and looked up at him. "I suppose I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"You have been thinking of your templar," the assassin stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He could tell he was right by her blush, "You mean Cullen? What makes you say that?" Then she added, as an afterthought, "And he's not 'mine'."

"I heard what he said about you, and his feelings. I was there, if you remember," he teased. "I also saw how you responded to him."

"What do you mean?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"You fancied him, did you not?"

"I-it wasn't like that," she stuttered, not sure if she was ready to talk about this particular subject.

"I saw how you looked at him…"

"He was very kind to me," she admitted. "And…when I was younger…yes, I suppose I did find him attractive."

"Oh, but that wasn't all, was it?"

"You're determined to embarrass me, aren't you?"

"You look absolutely ravishing when you blush."

"…Shut it."

At Zevran's inquisitive stare, she huffed and explained. "I've actually known Cullen for a very long time. He was raised in the Chantry, like I was raised in the Circle. When boys like him are raised by the Chantry, they usually become templars. He happened to be raised in a chantry near Lake Calenhad, therefore, he was being trained to keep watch over the mages there. I was eight when I first met him…I believe he was about ten years old." She smiled fondly as she recalled the sweet, copper-haired boy who had driven off some of the older children who had been picking on her. "He was later sent to the Circle to finish his training and take his vows when we were adolescents. He was one of the few templars who didn't harass us apprentices. I suppose I developed a bit of a…crush on him. He was always such a gentleman, always willing to talk with me, or let Jowan and I break curfew. A few times, he'd even covered for us." She sighed and folded her hand in her lap, "I suppose it doesn't matter now; he wouldn't even look at me when we reported back to Greagoir."

Zevran wasn't going to say anything, but he'd noticed the look that Cullen had given Faustine while they had been arguing outside the Harrowing chamber, and it was definitely not related to hate or disgust. But it did have a tormented shadow behind it. He didn't think the lad would ever really recover from his time imprisoned. And…it would be potentially dangerous for Faustine to be around him.

"Ah, it is his loss then!" he chirped. "And now, I have a question for you," he stated, eager to change the subject. It did not sit well with him to see the Grey Warden so serious…so upset. The last few days had been particularly hard on her.

She looked at him warily, but nodded all the same.

"Tell me, my dear, how well-versed are you in poetry? Antivan poetry specifically."

"This is your question?" she asked, a little dumbfounded. Where was he going with this?

"And why not? I am no master of serious dialogue, after all," he shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "It was recited to me, as I recall, by a rather wealthy target of mine. Let's see," he cleared his throat. " 'The symphony I see in thee / It whispers songs to me / Songs of hot breath upon my neck / Songs of soft sighs by my head / Songs of nails upon my back / Songs of thee come to my bed'."

By the time he'd finished, Faustine was blushing all the way down to her navel. A grin fought its way to her face as she tried not to laugh in embarrassment. "Oh dear…" she mumbled. "That's…pretty terrible."

"Oh, I know, I know," he answered, chuckling himself. "I can't believe she thought it would convince me to spare her. I had sex with her anyway, but that goes without saying," he shrugged. "She still had to die." He saw Faustine make a sarcastic gesture and fought back another round of laughter. "The poem was amusing at the time, and thus I've always remembered it."

"And so…you thought to recite it to me…why?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I thought that perhaps you would be cheered up by some naughty poetry. You simply look so…unhappy. Such an unflattering expression, for such a lovely face."

"Flatterer," she mumbled, ducking her head away from his scrutiny. "These aren't the best of times, you know."

"True, but they rarely ever are. Fortunately, I tend to make do with whatever time I have. It's served me well most days. You might learn to do the same." He laughed when he saw the look she gave him from under her fringe. "Or you could ignore me, considering where my brilliance has gotten me."

"We should get to bed," she mentioned.

"Really? What will the others think?" he teased.

She jumped up, and glared down at him, "I didn't mean together!"

He stood up and laughed, putting his un-bandaged arm around her shoulder. "You look absolutely enchanting when you're flustered."

"I swear by all that is unholy I will find a way to turn you into a toad if you're not careful," she threatened. "Or I'll feed you to Morrigan's mother."

"Ah, sounds intriguing!"

"Good night, Zev," she bade, retiring to her tent. As soon as she laid down in her bedroll, she couldn't help but start laughing. She rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow to muffle the sounds.

By the Maker, life would have been quite boring if Zevran had never tried to kill them.

The Tower: You've gone too far.

Cosmic direction. Castles built on sand crumble; reassess your life and belief systems. Be prepared for rapid change.

A/N: Alright, so that was way longer than I intended. I know I said before that this part may take awhile to get out, but when I looked back through my files, most of this had already been written. Wow…21 pages…I doubt all of my chapters will be this long, but I suppose this is a nice goal to shoot for. Now, seriously, the next chapter will take a bit of time to get up…because I really am moving, and starting school, and doing other horrible, adult-type things. I want another chapter that focuses on Cullen…maybe for an epilogue…or something…I don't know. Cullen makes me happy, in a sad kind of way. Thanks again to everyone who's either Favourited/Reviewed/Alerted my story ^_^ That also makes me happy.