"Wake, my child," a soothing voice whispered. "You have been delivered from harm's way, but now it is time to rise." The soft voice drifted to the pointed ears of the dalish Inquisitor and she opened her eyes to see whom the voice belonged to.

Her vision was tinted with a slightly sickening green hue and the air she was breathing somehow seemed stale. The ground she was laying on was moist and spongy and altogether rather unpleasant. Artemis sprang to her feet hastily and whirled around trying to find the source of the calming voice, hoping it would have some answers for her. She laid her eyes upon another elf, dalish, tall and still covered in his blood writing. The markings, unlike those delicate swirling lines of her vallaslin that Solas had removed, were harsh and angular which made the male elf appear stern and cruel. But Artemis knew this elf, and knew that he was the farthest thing from cruel.

"Keeper Zathralen? I don't understand." Artemis' voice was quiet, confused and desperate. She reached out a hand towards the elf, thinking it a mad vision and expecting the touch to simply pass through. However when her hand came to the male's shoulder it did not fall through, instead it rested there and felt a living warmth that the air around her was devoid of. "Why are you here? Weren't you taking the clan to the Dales?"

Zathralen raised his hand to silence her before saying gently, "hush child. Don't you know where you are?"

Artemis lowered her head in resignation. "I had suspected I had somehow fallen through to the Fade. But how? Are the others here? How do I leave?" Questions whizzed around inside her head scrambling over each other for priority. Then something caught her attention. She raised her gaze to her Keeper, and a lump formed in her throat. "Keeper, you didn't… You were never known for your Fade walking… Keeper Zathralen, please, tell me I'm wrong."

Zathralen smiled at her. "You always were a quick learner, my dear Artemis. I have left the clan and the mortal land under their feet. The aravels were attacked and many a brave elf gave their life so the rest could make it home to the Dales, their new Keeper included."

Artemis could not believe what she was being told. Zathralen was not an old man even by human standards. Yet he was wise beyond his years and had always protected the clan. Hot tears stung her eyes, and the stifling air suddenly became thicker than it seemed. How could he have died when he had so much more to give?

A warm hand touched her cheek and wiped away her tears. "Do not fret, my child. The clan did not lose their First. It is now Haharel who guides them through the darkness. And my trust, I place it wholly with him, as should you."

Artemis bowed deeply, "yes, Keeper."

Zathralen tipped her head upwards and smiled warmly at her. "I am no longer your Keeper, child."

Artemis threw her arms around the tall man, hugging him tightly, a specialty she reserved for only her closest friends. "Yes, father."

Zathralen gently pushed her away, breaking off the embrace. "It is time, little one. Your companions were pulled into the Fade alongside you. You must find them and defeat the evil at the heart of this chill. They are waiting urgently for your return, one in particular, I must say." He chuckled softly.

"How?"

"Follow your heart. That is all I can say, unfortunately. Be strong, young child, and know I will always be at your side." With that, Zathralen burst into a white mist and slowly dissipated.

Seeing this brought on a fresh set of tears and Artemis scolded herself for being so weak. She could not stop the tears from falling however and started to wander aimlessly in a desperate attempt to find her companions. I wonder how Cole is handling being in the Fade. He mentioned how glad he was that he wasn't with us when it first happened.

An unbelievably loud noise suddenly rippled through the air and Artemis jolted to attention. That is Iron Bull's horn! She broke into a sprint in the direction of the sound, splashing through brown stagnant puddles of foul water. She caught sight of Bull's horns poking out over the top of a hill and with a final push, ignoring the burning in both her legs and lungs, she raced up the slope. Once she reached the top she doubled over, gulping in huge mouthfuls of air. Everyone waited patiently for her to catch her breath.

When she stood upright finally, she was meet with bemused faces. Bull nudged Dorian and gave a lopsided grin. "Looks like someone has been skipping exercise day."

"That's because someone is an absolute slave driver with those lessons," Sera glared at Varric as she emphasised the word.

Varric laughed. "Perhaps, but you wouldn't have seen the short legged dwarf get winded by a little hill."

While they were bickering, Cole was looking worriedly at the Inquisitor. He noticed her face, although red from being short of breath, was also blotchy and her eyelashes were damp. "Have you been crying?" He asked quietly, but his voice was carried away by the others.

Artemis noticed Cole's gaze and quickly clapped her hands, gathering the attention of her party. "Top priority is getting out of here, then we worry about the rift. Varric and Sera you two will remember what the Fade feels like, but the rest of you be warned. This is not a pleasant place and we would do best not to linger. Dorian be especially on guard while you're here, I don't want there to be anyone else inside your head when we get out."

Dorian nodded, understanding the levity of the situation. "So how does one escape the Fade?"

"Well there is probably some ugly arse, demon abomination, thingy, somewhere in here that's responsible for dragging us down into it's lair." Sera spoke up and everyone noticed she was in the middle of a handstand. "So we find, we kill and we leave, yeah? Easy." She flipped the right way up and buckled her quiver back in place. "Oh and we definitely don't listen to whatever bullshit it spouts, cause it's just trying to worm inside our pretty heads."

Dorian narrowed his eyes in doubt. "Fair enough, I suppose. Shall we go then? I'm more than eager to be done with this dank place."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Although some were seemingly unfazed by the reality of them being in the Fade, each and every one of the travellers were on edge and overwhelmingly uncomfortable in this place. The Fade was not only physically challenging, but it played tricks on the psyche, goading weak minded people into cracking. If someone slipped and let their mind be overcome, it was a grim future, bound to never escape the nightmare.

They set off in a random direction, hoping it would lead somewhere. Cole seems to be handling this very well. Perhaps now that he is more human he is not so… What am I thinking? Why did I assume that he would struggle in the Fade? Just because he was a spirit and this once was his home? Fool.

It was about three quarters of an hour before anything of interest occurred. At first, it was only a shadowy object in the corner of everyone's eye. Cole had noticed it first, but perhaps this was because he was hyper sensitive in this place. Since meeting up with the Inquisitor, there had been a quiet whisper inside his head, nothing but a dull nagging. However, since then the voice had grown louder, drowning out all of his thoughts and making him overly nervous.

The shadow followed the group, always a few feet behind them. To everyone it was just there, but to Cole it was trailing behind him specifically. Loud isn't it? Cole whipped his head around to see the darkness. The shadow had spoken in his mind over the top of the constant ramblings of the Fade. That voice, what once was a whisper, what now is a shout. Is it in your head though, is it only you? You look around and wonder, wonder whether they hear it too. Is it your home, welcoming you back, Mercy?Before Cole could stop himself he had muttered aloud, "who are you?"

"What was the Kid?" Varric and the others had turned to him. "You gotta speak up for me, I'm a long way down compared to you humans," he chuckled.

Cole just shook his head, slightly embarrassed and continued walking with his head down. To answer your question with another question, Mercy, don't you remember me? Have you completely forgotten about your friends back home? It's me, Caution.At the mention of that name, Cole flinched, as if he'd been burnt. He breathed his question, "why are you following me? Help us out of here, please."

The shadowy figure wobbled behind him, before speaking to Cole again. You're acting strangely, and you aren't shining anymore like you used to, Mercy… Well that's just it, isn't it? You're not Mercy anymore, are you? That world has corrupted you, twisted you, molded you into something you were never meant to be... Despair.Cole gritted his teeth at being insulted with a demon's name. "I am no demon, Caution," he muttered. "Solas told me I could be as humans are, but it was the Inquisitor who showed me how to act and helped me to feel the things they feel."

The figure grew spikes. No! They turned you into a demon. You were different, you survived outside the Fade for so long without being corrupted and then this, this Inquisitor, made Mercy go away and Despair take it's place. Go away from this place and take your taint with you, Despair!

The demonic name swirled around in Cole's head along with the constant drone of the voice before which was now shouting. The Fade was too much for him now, he should never have come back. He clutched his head and shook it violently before screaming at the top of his lungs, "don't call me that! I want to go home!"

Silence was all that followed, filling in the void as Cole's outburst echoed endlessly. All turned to Cole, wearing varying expressions of concern, the most upsetting appearing on the visages of Varric and Artemis. Rushed footsteps towards the panicked young man and he was surrounded by his companions asking various questions over each other.

"What happened?"

"What's wrong?"

"What's spirit boy's deal?"

"Kid, talk to me, what's happening?"

"Cole, help me understand. You need to explain how I can help you. Please Cole."

All of the voices clashed together, becoming a sea of words and letters and punctuations, but somehow the Inquisitor's was as clear as crystal. He tore at his hair and face before speaking, "the shadow, it's speaking to me, taunting me, telling me lies. I have to get out of this place. This is not my home anymore."

"Cole it's ok. You are fine. We are going to leave as soon as possible." Artemis gently pulled his hands from his face to stop him from doing any harm. Cole, don't hurt that beautiful face of yours. You are too precious for this world.

Cole spoke as if nobody else we present, directly to the Inquisitor. "No, it's not fine. Dark things remember me, tempting me to stay." He looked directly into her eyes, wondering how something so perfect could exist in a world like this. "We have to leave, now, please." His pleas we heartrending.

Artemis gathered him into a tight embrace, rocking gently, trying to calm him. The Iron Bull spoke up, "hey Boss, that shadow thing is gone."

Varric followed up with a statement of his own. "Yeah, and don't you think it's just a bit too quiet?"

Everyone noticed the pure silence and backed up to each other, forming a tight circle, ready to attack from any angle. Dorian cast down a fire rune around them which would trigger on the lightest of touches. Artemis could feel Cole shaking violently on her right side, so she entwined her small hand with his, curling her long fingers around his palm. She noticed the shaking soften and smiled to herself. What am I doing? It's like my body is acting on it's own accord, regardless of what my head is telling me.

Just then a loud noise echoed through the silence and a figure stepped out of nothing and strutted forward toward the group. The thing was tall and had the form of a bodacious women. Her scant clothing did not leave a lot to be desired and her skin was a purple hue. Had she not been a demon as the group suspected, one could have said she was attractive. But the burning eyes and clawed hands ruined her charm and replaced it with unrest.

Sera was the first the act. She knocked an arrow and pulled back the string on her bow as tight as it would go and held it, showcasing the immense strength the wiry elf possessed. She did not release the arrow however, instead she waited for the demon to step into Dorian's fire trap.

But the demonic seductress did not fall for the trick. She stopped just shy of the burning circle and peered at the group.

Artemis could feel Cole's shaking begin to increase in intensity beside her and she squeezed his hand gently to reassure him.

The demon raised her hand to her mouth and nibbled suggestively on one of her long fingers before speaking. "My my, what have we here?" Her voice was breathy and low and she gave a knowing smirk. "If it isn't the famous Inquisition. I've heard much about you. I watched on as the Nightmare tore that Shroud limb from limb, sapping his fear as it leaked from his ruined body." She laughed cruelly as she watched the faces in front of her twist in anguish and anger.

Sera released the arrow but the demon had vanished, and the group watched the arrow sail through the empty air before hitting a rock wall and falling into a muddy puddle. Sera cursed.

"Fear is not my domain however, mortals, so fear not." The temptress could not be seen but her voice was as clear as if she was whispering right into one's ear. "I am so much more pleasant than my brethren. Shall we see what lies buried in the dark corners of your minds, my friends?"

Her voice changed positions and an echo followed its every word. "The Iron Bull, I find it rather selfish that you never tell your lover how he always exceeds your wild fantasies in the bedroom. Or that you've never told him about those scenarios at all."

Sera snickered and cast a sideways glance at Bull as he replied to the bodiless voice. "He knows. Is that seriously the best you've got to offer, demon?"

"Of course it isn't, but I had to get the overtly promiscuous character out of the way first for when it comes to sexuality, your tongue is almost as loose as…some other things."

Bull growled and grew fidgety, while blushes spread across the pale visages of Artemis and Cole.

"Speaking of sexuality, Master Pavus, it is quite indecent to enjoy being strung up in chains, and bound in leather as much as you do. And wishing your father could see you in such positions is just naughty."

Dorian shuffled uncomfortably. They heard the demon's laugh close by and Sera let out a shriek as it's cold hand brushed down her cheek before disappearing once more.

"Sera, the little sneak. Spying at couples during intimate encounters and using their pleasure to create your own euphoria. Oh and what do you think that 'elf hating' baker would say if he knew that you long for the hot touch of another woman?"

Sera released a volley in random directions, praying one would hit something, all the while shouting 'shut it' in between each arrow.

"Hush now child, don't you want to know what dirty thoughts are dancing around your innocent Inquisitor's head?" At this Sera quietened and Artemis dropped Cole's hand. "Artemis, how your cheeks redden at your own thoughts! Those lonely nights you spend in your big bed, wishing for a certain pair of hands and a certain pair of lips. The way you get all worked up thinking about his long fingers caressing your bare flesh and the taste of his kiss, would make even the Rivaini pirate blush!" Artemis covered her burning face in her hands and refused to meet any of her companions' eyes.

Cole was looking at her, his face the image of hurt and jealousy. The malevolent spirit noticed this and her laugh echoed through the Fade. "Such envious thoughts for one so inexperienced as you, my dear Cole." She appeared next to Cole, pressing her body flush against his. His eyes squeezed shut when her searching fingers slid down his shirt collar. "That steamy novel has put so many thoughts in your head, hasn't it? You want to do all of them, don't you? But only with her. The thought of running your tongue across skin other than hers flips your tummy, doesn't it? Smelling any scent apart from the delicate flowers you picture her bathing in makes your nose itch, doesn't it?"

Cole lashed out at the entity clinging to him, only to find his swings meeting thin air. His face was a dark shade of pink and his hands were shaking, his mind now filled with wrong thoughts about his Inquisitor.

The demon howled with laughter, so pleased with herself. She materialised herself above the group on a rocky ledge, before she delved into the mind of the dwarf. "Ahhhh, Bianca-" She was unexpectedly cut off by an arrow piercing her abdomen. It had come from the dwarf's crossbow.

Varric was aiming another arrow at the seductress as she scrabbled the pull the one from her bare midriff. "No lowly bitch like you deserves to know a thing about my Bianca," he spat, his voice low and gravely. He pulled the crossbows trigger and the second arrow pierced just above the first.

The demon screeched and fell from the ledge before getting to her feet and lifting the dwarf into the air from across the room. Chaos broke out as everyone sprang into action. Dorian engulfed her in fire and Varric was dropped. She dampened the flames, her scant clothing now only tatters, and conjured multiple copies of herself. The archers fired rapidly trying to find the true image, but it was one of Cole's daggers which found their foe. The toxicity of the poison which coated the dagger had no effect, but Dorian took advantage of its flammability and ignited it. In her panic, Bull swung his great axe and lopped off her head in one fell swoop.

While the horned head rolled across the damp ground, the devastated body fell lifelessly to its knees before exploding in a brilliant green light. The Inquisitor beckoned everyone through the rift hastily before leaping through herself. Landing heavily in cold snow, she whipped around and sealed the rift, healing the scar in the world. She then fell exhausted into the snow, breathing heavily.

As the group got to their feet, an awkward silence was all the filled the air. Worried glances were exchanged between Varric, Sera, Dorian and Bull, but not one meet Cole and Artemis' eyes. Everyone understood what the demon had revealed about the pair but nobody dared bring it up, for this was something they needed to resolve themselves, privately.

Artemis, staring at the ground, embarrassed that her comrades now knew of her intimate thoughts and feeling unworthy of their respect, she muttered a quick 'let's go' before leading the party back down the mountain.

The entire journey back to Skyhold was awkward as the Inquisitor silently stayed a few feet in front of the group at all times. She appeared to be in a state of solemn introspection and once they entered Skyhold, she went straight to the stables, dismounted and headed to her chambers, locking the door behind her.


AN: really sorry about the long wait between chapters. Going to try much harder to update moreoften. Thanks for reading and I'm always open to criticism or comments of any kind.