They continued on walking through the Fade, with Cole and Alex confident at the path they took, since they had already traveled it once before. A few of the rock formations seemed to have changed, true, but the winding path they took was still there, still essentially leading them towards the place where they once fought the Nightmare demon.

At a fork in the road, Alex seemed to have hesitated, stopping Cole with her hand, and for a moment she grew silent, staring down at the winding road on the right. She remembered that the road led to the place where she and Hawke, her second-cousin, had seen the graves, bearing the names of her Inner Circle, Hawke and Alistair and their true fears.

"What's wrong?"

Alex looked behind her, seeing Cassandra, Dorian, Solona and Cullen looking at them in confusion, as they stopped in the middle of the road. She raised her eyes to her husband, and she remembered the tomb that had his name, and that of Solas'.

My husband's greatest fear is insanity… She thought as she looked up at him, And Solas' fear is dying alone. I wonder if it would still be the same fears now?

Cullen tilted his head, as if he was wondering what she was thinking of, and she smiled at him before reaching up to pat his cheek, "It's nothing, husband. It's quite alright."

"Inquisitor! We have company!"

Alex and Cullen turned just as Cassandra and Cole unsheathed their blades, and Dorian and Solona readied their staff. Cullen positioned himself in front of Alex, raising his shield, and she saw several shadows moving in front of them. But as Alex raised her staff to cast a spell, the shadows came to light, and she gasped in fear.

The shadows formed into the familiar shapes of her daughter and her husband, their eyes black and their skin pale as death, blood flowing from their noses and mouths, walking towards her with their mouths open and screaming in pain. Their clothes were tattered, slashed by what seemed to be multiple swords, and Alex saw several rotting wounds on their bodies. She stepped back a little, and she felt the prickles of fear on her spine, and she grasped her staff so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"Alex!" She heard Dorian call out to her, and she turned her eyes fearfully at the mage, who was fighting and casting spells as Cole and Cassandra charged, "Keep your wits about you, woman! They are demons! Fight them!"

"I… I can't…" Alex said as tears fell from her eyes at the sight of her family's decaying corpses. "I can't…!"

"Inquisitor! Behind you!" Cassandra yelled out, and Alex turned around, and she froze in fear as Cullen's corpse grasped her left shoulder, his black eyes staring her down as he raised his blade against her. She screamed as she covered her face, waiting for the blow to come.

But somebody had come forward, knocking the dead Cullen away, before beheading it with a silver sword. She felt herself being shaken, and she raised her head to see the real Cullen… her real husband, look down at her worriedly, "Alexandra, love! I'm here! Are you hurt?!"

"Cullen. I…" But the fear in her heart gripped at her, and she hugged him tight, wrapping her arms around his waist, and she cried at his chest as he held her just as tightly in his arms, burying his head on her hair.

Cassandra killed the last of the demons with her sword, and she huffed as she sheathed it again and headed towards her, still crying at Cullen's shoulder, "It seems that Fear demons still linger, and they shaped themselves into what we fear the most." The Seeker swallowed visibly, "The demon transformed itself to me as… as Daylen, murdered by Maker knows what."

"It showed itself to me as Alistair." Solona said, looking down at her sister in pity, "Alex must've… seen them as dead people… as Cullen or Alona."

Cullen sighed as he ran a hand down his wife's back, "They showed themselves as Alex to me as well, dead with black eyes." He kissed her forehead as her sobs slowly stilled, "Hush, love. I'm right here. I'm still with you."

Alex nodded, and she sniffed, "I know… I know you're here… but the demons…"

"They are still here, lurking, skulking, hiding… they smelled our fears and took shapes… playing, haunting… devouring our dread." Cole said as he bent over by Alex and she lifted her head from Cullen's chest to peek at the boy. Cole smiled a little and reached out, touching her cheek and wiping her tears away. "You have to be strong, Inquisitor. They want you… need you… to feed on you and take over your body. You don't have to be afraid. We're here. Cullen's here. He's bright and brave and beside you. He will protect you."

Cole's words must've comforted her, as Alex's sobs finally stilled, and she sighed heavily as she nodded, "Thank you, Cole… you're right. I'm sorry. I should have expected this. This is the Fade, after all."

Cullen helped her up so that she stood, but he still kept his arm around her. Alex kissed his mouth in gratitude, "I'm sorry I worried you, husband."

He smiled a little at her as he leaned over and kissed her hard, completely oblivious to their company. He savored the taste of her for a moment before separating and kissing her nose teasingly, causing her to finally smile. "And here I thought you'd be the braver one, since you've been here already."

Alex blinked up in surprise, before she laughed out loudly, "I know. I'm horrible."

He chuckled as he hugged her again, hoping that his touch would comfort her, which it did. "I'm right here with you, wife. You don't have to be afraid of the demons."

She sighed again as she nodded, "Yes, you're here. I just… I'm going to have to bear that in mind."

He nodded and ran the back of his fingers against her cheek, running it down her neck to the top of her chest. "If you need a reminder, perhaps you should remember you're wearing this." He said, curling his trailing finger to the silver chain on her neck, where the pendant that held the coin he gave her many years ago was settled. He then took her hand, lifting it up, and kissing the rings that held her engagement ring, as well as their wedding band. "Or this."

She nodded and smiled up to him, kissing his lips and hugging him again, before letting him go to turning to their companions. Solona and Dorian were smiling at them, admiring the visible proof of their admiration and love for each other, while Cassandra and Cole were looking away, with the latter hiding his face under his hat. "I'm sorry about that. I'm… better now."

"I should like to hope so." Dorian said, chuckling, "Having a steamy make-out session in the middle of the Fade would definitely make anyone feel better." The mage sighed as he turned around again, intending to walk, "Maker knows how much I want to make-out with Maxwell now. Come on, we'd better find Ser Alistair already."

Cassandra chuckled as Alex moved to the front of their group again, holding on to Cole's hand as Cullen walked beside her with his arm around her shoulder, "Missing your paramour already, Ser Pavus?"

The mage laughed as he flourished a hand in her direction, "As much as you miss our dear Daylen, I'm sure. So the faster we finish this, the faster you'll make kissy faces with him."

Cassandra's face turned red in embarrassment as Cullen and Alex laughed out loudly, continuing their journey through the Fade.