In the Fade...

"Hurry, we have to find her before he does."

"I know love. I can hear her crying." The man stops closes his eyes to concentrate on the sound. "This way." The man and woman start running toward the crying child as they turn the corner they spot a hooded figure headed straight for the crying child.

"Darling, you get her and I will distract him."

"Are you mad?"

"I can't touch her remember."

"Shit." The woman smiles at him.

"Exactly, and you will have to trust me."

"I trust you with my life and I don't like you fighting without me at your side."

"Worrisome Old Man is what you are turning into."

"Revenge will be mine, love. I will make you eat those words."

"Promises, Promises. If I need I will call for you."

"Ok, for the record I oppose this plan." The two adults separate, the woman heads to intercept the hooded figure as the man goes about getting the crying child. The hooded figure was only concentrating on the child that he does not notice the woman silently running towards him, she draws her weapons as she slowly approaches him. The hooded figure's attention completely on the crying child the woman is able to get very close to him before he can sense her presence when he finally sensed her and turned to confront the woman she had her weapons ready and slid her dagger into his abdomen and pivoted to cut his arm at the elbow. Howling in agony the hooded figure fell back and evaporated before her eyes as she was about to go for the killing blow.

The man reaches the crying child as he kneels down in front of her he very softly says.

"Hello" Belyssa look up at him thru her tears. Blue eyes, I could of sworn they would be green and her hair is a different color too. What does this mean.

"This is not a safe place to be, what are you doing here?"

"It's all my fault, I killed them." said Belyssa

"Killed who?" the man asks.

"Alistair and Ladana along with her pups."

"It isn't safe for you here you need to go home."

"I am not going back!"

"You can't stay here!"

"Why?"

"What part of "it isn't safe" didn't you understand?" the man answered sarcastically

"I don't care?" Belyssa retorted

"For the love of the Make you are stubborn."

"I am not!"

"I know you better thank you think, E-!"

"E!" My name starts with a "B" for Belyssa Jae!"

"What?"

"You heard me my name is Belyssa Jae Cousland!" The man heard a gasp from behind him, he looked over his shoulder to look at his companion. Belyssa did the same thing, she saw the most beautiful woman she has ever seen, she had long hair that was a combination of red and gold with green eyes the woman was also wearing leather pants and leather top that left he stomach bare she also had a sword and dagger strapped to her back and several other smaller knives in pockets on her leather pants.

"She is refusing to leave, stubborn child that she is." Belyssa got so mad she hit the man in the back of the head.

"Ouch!" The woman laughed this time.

"We will take her back with us." said the woman

"Is that wise?" the man asked

"No, but we can't leave her here." The man nodded and turned back to face Belyssa, he held his arms open and from some strange reason Belyssa stood and walked right into them. Odd she thought I only let Papa and Gus hold me this way not even Rory carries me. Once in the mans arms, Belyssa started crying again about Alistair and Ladana. The man looked to his companion for advice.

"Comfort her." and so he held Belyssa close for a few moments until the worst of the her tears subsided.

"You would have made a wonderful father." said his companion.

"Don't love, I do not regret our time here. If I was not such an idiot maybe this would not have happened."

"It would have happened to others maybe even her." answered his companion as she inclined her head at Belyssa. "Besides, I do not regret our time here either. I was just wondering "what if." Lets get back, she will not be pleased at all."

"That is alright, I am not very pleased myself either. He possessed that Bere turning it into a Bereskarn, luckily it was young Bere and not very strong or things may have turned out very differently.

"Well I wounded him badly so he needs to take time to recover and hopefully he will not be up to any mischief for quite some time." The man walked to a strange looking device and maneuvered the pieces than press some sort of handle then everything changed now the three of them was standing in front of another device in a room that seemed to be part of a large house. Belyssa did not understand anything the man and woman were talking about then it occurred to her.

"What are your names?"

"Names?" said the man as he and woman looked at one another.

"Yes, you do have a name don't you?" asked Belyssa

"Yes my husband's name is "Red" and my name is "Elle", pleased to me you." said the woman. Red as it were looked over that Elle and mouthed Red, she answered with a nonchalant shrug.

"Belyssa Jae Cousland, pleased to meet you as well."

"Belyssa that is different name, not Ferelden assuredly." said Red

"Yes it is, Mama said she was going to name me Elyssa but during my birth she thought she heard bells ringing so instead she named me Belyssa. Jae was my grandmothers surname. Above Belyssa head both Red and Elle looked at each other. Belyssa also noticed that Elle's hair kept changing color or maybe it was the lighting in the room she was not sure. They entered another room with a big fountain and there was another woman in the room, she frowns when she sees Belyssa in the arms of Red. Before she can speak Red does.

"She refuses to leave and we were far to exposed to stay there and argue with her." The Lady nods in response.

"She must go back."

"I will not." Red gives the Lady that "I told you so look." The Lady looks at Belyssa and states.

"If you do not go back you will die and your family will be devastated."

"I can't go back, I killed them it is all my fault." The Lady took Belyssa from Reds arms at that moment Elle falls to the floor. Red runs over to her and gathers her up in his arms She tenderly touches his face. "If she does not go back I will cease to be, we are connected because of what he did. I can sense myself changing slowly becoming more like her, I have her memories and my own it is getting a little harder to know the difference and look at my eyes and hair the color is changing." she whispered in Red's ear finally. Red fought back the tears in his eyes.

"I will not lose you again, I love you." Belyssa looked over at Red and Elle she had know idea what they were talking about. The Lady looked down at her and said. "Your friend is not dead, child he is sleeping." The lady waves her arm and in the fountain Belyssa sees King Maric sitting in a chair beside the bed Alistair is in, he is not moving.

"He is not moving, he is dead." The Lady looks over to the warrior and his love.

"You must wake him! Red looks confused. "How?"

"Go to him and speak with him. I know you did before." said the Lady

"If I did not they would be dead." Red inclined his head at Belyssa and Elle.

"I understood, why you spoke to him. I fear the only way to save them both is prove that the boy lives."

Red picked up Elle and put down on a the couch he then kissed her deeply and murmured his love for again before walking over to the fountain and the device he used earlier.

In Denerim …..

Alistair looks around the room he is in, the book case look weird to him, wait I am in the fade in the distance he can hear a crying.

"Bel" Alistair looks around the room and he does not see her. Then all off sudden someone is standing in front of him.

"Alistair you have to wake up!" Alistair looks and sees his father standing in front of him, exasperated he says

"Honestly, you have been around for what an hour and now you are trying to tell me what to do." Red looked at him a little bewildered for a moment and then he laughed as he asked

"Wait you think I am your father?"

"Who the bloody else could you be, not my half brother." Red decided to have a little fun.

"While I could be Calian or even Maric of just a combination of them both this is the fade of course."

"You have a point there, and I take it you are not going to tell me who you really are. So what do you want, I have to find a friend of mine."

"You are correct and if the friend you need to find is Belyssa that is why I am here she is in danger."

"Oh Maker, what did she do now?"

"She died!"

"What!" panic gripped Alistair's heart

"Well maybe that is a little extreme, she is dying to be more precise. She collapsed after Maric removed you from the pit. By the time he brought you over to where she was with the hound you passed out and she thought you dead when she tried to walk over to you is when she fell. The mage that was supposed to attend to you went to care for her and he was able to bring her back; but she was badly injured in the battle so they have been working on her for two days, right now she is in the fade and believes you are dead. I need you to wake up go to her room and talk to her so she knows you are alive otherwise she will indeed die."

Alistair walked over to where Red was standing and punched him the face. "All you had to say was you needed my help with Bel instead of scaring me." Red looked down at Alistair Well isn't that interesting he already cares for her I bet he doesn't even know what he if feeling probably thinks it is only friendship or a mild childhood crush.

"You're right I should have but I am in a hurry I do not know how much time she has left." said Red

Alistair nodded. "I will wake up but how will I know if my words are getting thru to her."

"I let you know, but please don't speak out loud to me just think the thoughts in your head."

"My head, wait were you the voice I heard in the woods telling me to go after Bel when we had that fight."

"We don't have time to talk, wake-up." When did he get so clever thought Red. Alistair nodded again and then closed his eyes to wake up where ever he was and the first thing he asked.

"Where is Bel?"

"Thank the Maker!" he heard his father say he looks down and see he his holding his hand.

"Where is Bel?" Alistair asks he father again.

"I will not lie to you she was badly injured for more than you were, her ribs were broken and pierced her lungs in addition there were bone fragments traveling thru her body. The mages have been working on her for two days now, she as stopped breathing twice that I know of her family is with in her room. Alistair tried not to keep his face passive and as well keeping his voice calm after hearing what is father said. He then he began to move so he can get out of bed.

"What are you doing." asked Maric

"I have to see her and talk to her." Seeing the look in his sons eyes Maric bends down to lift him.

"I can walk." and pushed his father's hand away.

"Oh, let's see you do that." Alistair tried to stand up and cries out in pain as he start to fall down Maric catches him.

"When we realized that Belyssa's injuries were worse than yours, they just closed the wound and made sure there was no damage to your leg so you would be able to walk again so they could attend to her.

"Fine, help me walk, don't carry me." Maric nods and helps Alistair get ready when they walk into Bel's room Alistair sees her family for the first time, when he turns he is gaze to the bed is struck by how small Bel looks in the bed then all of sudden he hears.

Staring at her is not going to bring her back. Alistair was startled by the voice in his head he almost fell down, if Maric wasn't help him he would have. Maric looked at him and almost slipped when he asked

"So-, Are you alright." Alistair nodded and gave him are a hard look.

Keep it together Alistair, now is not the time to argue with him, Belyssa needs you.

I know, how is she?

She is being very stubborn, damn child.

Don't be so mean, she is probably afraid. How would you feel is this happened to you.

Look it is not just her life at stake, so move it along. Alistair walked over to the bed and sat down as he began to speak to Belyssa.

"Bel, I am right here. I didn't die. You need to wake up." Alistair took a hold of her hand.

In the room with the fountain woman holding Belyssa walked over to where the warrior was standing.

"Look child see your family and your friend is right there at your bedside. Belyssa looked at the water and saw her parents and Gus as well King Maric and in a chair beside her bed and holding her hand was Alistair. Then she heard his voice.

"Alistair" Belyssa looked over at Red his eyes were on her. "He is not dead, go back home." Belyssa looked again into the fountain and then all around her, she did not know what was real or not at the moment. In the fountain she looked at her parents faces, her father was holding her mother who seem to be crying and there was Gus he was supposed to be in Highever with Oriana, yet there he was with hand on their father's shoulder; wait, what I am doing in a bed I was last in the woods at Dragon's Peak.

"That is lie, I was at Dragon's Peak not home in bed." Red let out an exasperated sigh as he turned to look at her.

"You were at Dragon's Peak when you first went unconscious, your parents had the mages working on you as they rode to Denerim so they can care for you better there than in a tent. It has been two days since you fell at Dragon's Peak."

"Two days?" Belyssa looked again into the fountain that would explain why Gus was present he must rode straight to Denerim with out stopping at all to get there so quickly, but why not Oriana. Red decided to talk to Alistair again.

She is isn't sure if what she sees is real, talking to her again.

"Bel remember at the pond what you said to me, you still need to tell me about your adventures while we were separated. I want to hear about them. " Alistair held his breath hoping this would work. Red was watching her, she was still trying to figure out what was real. Red tries to help Alistair

"Did you say something like that to your friend?"

"Yes"

"Then why do you doubt him, does your friend lie to you often."

"Don't call him a liar, you cad." Red's eyes narrowed.

"Then why do you doubt his words, the only thing I can is that you do not believe him or is that you lied to him when you said those words." Red is hoping this tactic will work.

Alistair, I am trying to upset her and it is working. Do you know of something else that might get her angry?

Yes, I do and if it works she is going to get pretty angry at me too. Red smiled at that statement.

At least she will be alive to get angry at you.

Point taken, ok here it goes. Alistair takes a look over that Bel's family and says to them.

"Please do get to angry with Bel when I mention this." They just give him a very confused look. Alistair also looks up at his father and asks.

"Can Knighthood really be taken away?" Maric looks down at him clearly confused but before he can answer his son, Alistair takes a deep breath and speaks to Belyssa again.

"Bel, remember the day we met at Redcliffe you walked in on me my cleaning out my stall and we went looking for the Grey Wardens. Remember what happened with Ser Donall." Belyssa as shocked at what she heard, he can't tell my parents are going to be angry with me and in front of the King. She looked panicked at Red.

"Looks like your friend has a pretty big secret to his about share." Red stated as he was watching Belyssa

"He can't, it will get him into to trouble. Why would he do that." Belyssa questioned Red

"Maybe to prove to you that what you see in the fountain is real, the only way to stop him is go back before he says anything else." Belyssa bit her bottom lip completely confused What are you thinking Alistair you can get into so much trouble. I have to help him. With only that thought in mind, Belyssa leaps from the woman arms and reaches for the fountain hoping to get to Alistair before he says anything else.

Alistair takes another deep breath before continuing, "Remember Bel how you lea-" Before he could finish his sentence

"ALISTAIR STOP!" Bel screamed at him. Alistair's eyes flew up to her face and he smiled at her. He then heard a startled cry has he and Bel were pulled into a hug and both kissed on the forehead and cheek. When they finally pulled back Bel's mother said

"Thank you"

In the Fountain Room...

Red placed the device down and walked over to where Elle was. He brushed her hair from her face.

"So why don't we make it official and you marry me?" Elle smiled at Red

"Are you asking finally?" Red gives her a shy smile and looks embarrassed

"Long time over due, I am sorry I never asked you sooner. I love you Elyssa." Red looked into her eyes.

"I love you too." Elyssa looked over at the Lady by the fountain. "So you can you marry us."

The Lady smiled at them both and nodded.

"It's about time you two."