"Kill them!"

Pain shot through Dorian as he fought against the command, every fiber of his being resisting, but it just wasn't enough. He took an unwilling step forward, raising his staff, his arms trembling with effort. Then his eyes fell on Elden. He was conscious now, watching him, eyes full of understanding. Just like before, there was no blame there and Dorian felt tears spring into his eyes, his chest aching. He was fairly certain ripping his heart from his chest would have been less painful.

Elden done so much or him, showing him trust and friendship from the beginning despite the rumors and warnings, caring for him even when Dorian hated himself more than he could say. He couldn't do this,even it if tore him to pieces from the inside out, Dorian couldn't raise a hand against him, not again. He would rather die than ever hurt Elden. He took another unwilling step forward and staggered, knowing it was useless. There was no stopping this, every moment he delayed only increased the agony spiking through his skull.

"What are you doing?" the Venatori yelled, crouching behind a barrier as Vivienne sent another barrage his way. "Kill them now!"

Dorian staggered and nearly fell as he felt the power surging into his staff and he closed his eyes tightly. Why had he come? Why hadn't he stayed away? They could have found this place, saved Elden without him, but now everything was falling apart around them. It seemed Elden really would die by his hand in the end.

When his foot came down, he felt a jolt of power run through him like he had been struck by lightning. He looked down to see the blood circle and he realized it was a seal. He could remember now how it had felt to have the blood magic clawing its way into his mind like some sort of horrible insect, much more powerful than one mage alone should have been capable of and now it made sense.

It hadn't just been a handful of Venatori mages. They'd used a demon. They'd borrowed its power to break down his will and manipulate him. And they'd used Dorian's own blood to summon and bind the thing.

Despite it all, he couldn't help but feel a small amount of smug satisfaction that the Venatori couldn't do any of this on their own. But those binding runes- could they seriously have been foolish enough to tie it here after they were finished, instead of banishing it back to the Fade? Perhaps it was to extend the power and duration of the spell over him? If that was indeed the case, perhaps he stood a chance after all.

Dorian looked back up at the mage and couldn't help the smug grin that crossed his face in the moment before he acted. He saw the flicker of realization in the Venatori's eyes as he opened his mouth to speak, to order Dorian to stop, but it was too late. All he had to do was drag his foot across the edge of the circle, breaking it, and all that power was free.

It was like an explosion had gone off, all of that power suddenly free in an instant, sending Dorian sprawling. With a blinding flash, it coalesced into a huge rage demon, massive and powerful and nothing but fury. It roared, shaking Dorian to his bone, but as it charged the Venatori, the ringing in Dorian's ears only intensified. He curled in on himself, hands holding his head as the pain grew worse and he realized what was happening. All of the spells that had been on Dorian were broken now, and those locked away memories were free, all crowding in, too much all at once.

Dorian could feel himself falling back into those memories and he knew he could very likely be lost here, drowning in too much pain until there was nothing else. Before darkness overcame him, he was vaguely disappointed to see the Venatori throw up another barrier, successfully blocking as the demon brought his fists down on top of him.

Blood magic had a way of worming its way persistently into every part of you, seeking out every last bit of will you had left and contaminating it, throttling it. Dorian was by no means weak and he gave as good as he got in the beginning, taunting them as they tortured him, because this was better than the alternative, because the violence and the threats were nothing compared to the murderous intent they had directed at the Inquisitor.

He remembered the sharp pain every time he refused the voice because Elden's face, his smile, was the only thing getting him through any of this, there was no way he could ever raise a hand against him. But they were siphoning their power directly from the Fade itself, from a demon, and Dorian only had so much willpower. He felt a cold terror seeping into him even as he mocked their attempts, realizing that there was no winning here.

They didn't stop until they'd stirpped it all from Dorian, until he was left with nothing but darkness, until they made him forget what he was fighting for, what Elden was to him, until all that was left was the Venatori and his horrible grin, his cruel taunts.

But that was over now. The spell was broken and he could fight back again. And of course his thoughts were of Elden, the way he had given him hope, given him more than he ever could have imagined. Dorian knew he was difficult. He was treading so carefully, so slowly, simply waiting for it all to break apart, but Elden only met him with patience and affection, going at his pace and never once making him feel rushed or insufficient. On the contrary, he made Dorian feel like he mattered, like he was worth all this trouble.

It was so hard to accept that it could be possible that he might actually love Dorian. It wasn't supposed to be like this, it wasn't supposed to be so soft and easy and wonderful. But with Elden, it was. He'd tried to deny it, even to himself, refusing to even consider it an option, but now he knew it was true; he loved Elden as well. It was terrifying, he knew how foolish it was, but he'd been hopeless to fight it from the moment they'd met.

And they wanted him to kill the Inquisitor. They wanted him to kill the man he loved. And he nearly had, all because of them. Dorian felt a fury burning inside him and he clung to the knowledge that he was free of them, that he could save Elden. He clawed his way back to himself, to protect Elden and his friends, and to deliver the antidote.

And he came back to rip that Venatori apart.

He staggered to his feet, taking a moment for the pain in his skull to recede along with the memories as he looked around, trying to regain his bearings. Vivienne and Elden were safe behind a magical shield for the moment, but so was the Venatori, staggering back as the demon pounded against it.

Dorian summoned up as much magic as he could, filling it with all the rage and all of the terror he had felt these past days, and he launched it at the cave ceiling above the Venatori. The horrible crack of stone filled the air and the ground shook with it as a section of the ceiling collapsed on top of him.

The mage staggered back in shock and horror as his shield shattered, debris raining down around him nearly crushing him, and Dorian had the satisfaction of meeting his eyes just before the demon grabbed him in it's maw, tearing him in two before he could even make a sound. Dorian was just contemplating how anticlimactic that all had been, he would have liked to be able to cast a few more spells, but then the demon turned towards him and he realized the flaw in his plan.

"I really should have seen this coming," Dorian said, taking a step back, holding his staff at the ready.

Before the demon could take more than a step in his direction, however, a rift tore open above it, dragging it back. It struggled, nearly able to pull out of it's reach, but the rift was too strong, tearing up stone from the ground and walls. A large piece struck the demon causing it to lose its grip and was finally sucked back into the fade with a horrific screech. The rift sealed back up again immediately, leaving them all in a deafening silence.

Dorian stared, dumbfounded for a moment, before looking towards Elden and Vivienne. Elden was leaning back against the stone wall breathing heavily, looking exhausted and disturbingly pale as he lowered his left hand, the anchor sparking a sickly green from use. Vivienne was already pulling out vials from her bag and Dorian was horrified to see that she actually looked concerned. He'd never seen her drop her composure this much before.

"I have it!" Dorian said, remembering himself and sprinting forward, delivering the vial of poison to Vivienne.

Dorian couldn't follow what she was doing as she began creating the antidote, he was too restless, terrified for Elden as well as trembling from the memories he had almost lost himself in, still feeling the pains they had inflicted on him here. He dropped to his knees beside Elden, holding his hand tightly and wiping his brow.

Elden's breath was coming in short shallow gasps and Dorian just clung to him, wishing he could give him whatever strength he had in him. Elden was fading fast, looking so worn out, like he had nothing left. But he smiled at Dorian and squeezed his hand back as his eyes slipped closed.

"Stay with me," Dorian whispered, begged.

It felt like forever but finally Vivienne pressed a vial to Elden's lips. Dorian helped support him as he drank, barely even able to swallow he was so weak. When Vivienne sat back with a sigh, Dorian looked frantically from her back to Elden.

"What are you doing?" he asked desperately. "Surely that can't be it!"

"There's nothing more we can do," she said, looking exhausted. "All we can do now is give him rest and wait."

Elden was alway so warm, so comforting, but now his hands were cold. Dorian held onto him, trying to warm him up like Elden had always done for him when he complained about the southern weather but he wasn't sure it was helping. And he was so eerily still, every so often Dorian found himself holding his own breath, fearing he had simply faded away, until he heard Elden's faint shallow breathing. He held him in his lap, hoping his body heat might help even a fraction, as Vivienne piled up the blankets they had and made the area as comfortable as possible. They would apparently be here a while. Eventually, the Iron Bull, Cassandra, and Blackwall join them, looking battle weary but alive at the very least.

Dorian didn't sleep, even as the sun dipped below the horizon. He was afraid of what he might see if he closed his eyes. Not that he was likely to find any rest even if he'd wanted to. He was still trembling, wondering what he would do if Elden never woke up, if they'd taken too long and too much damage had been done. To come all this way, to face what had been done to them and come out victorious, only to fail in the end and lose Elden.

Dorian felt more numb than anything. Too much had happened, too much trauma and terror and pain. He wasn't in the habit of praying, he didn't think the Maker worked that way. But still, here and now he begged. He would have made a deal with a demon if he thought it might save Elden.

As useless as it was, he wished none of this had happened. He wished this was all just a nightmare, that he might wake in Elden's bed, wrapped in his arms, and everything would be fine. But he might never wake in Elden's arms again. He might never be able to kiss him again, to feel his warmth and wrap Elden up in a tight embrace. He might never fight at his side or watch as he became even more confident as the Inquisitor, saving the world one step at a time.

That someone so strong, so wonderful and kind could be snatched so easily from the world seemed like some sort of cruel joke, the punchline being that Dorian thought he could love and be loved by such a man. Dorian felt empty and tired as he stared out of the cave at the starry sky beyond, his fingers absently running through Elden's hair, wondering if it would end here, tonight, if he would just slip away, or if he would live and suffer for a few more days before he- before he finally died.

Dorian brought a hand up to cover his face, trying to muffle the sobs as they finally spilled out of him. He'd done everything he could, hadn't he? He'd fought every step of the way, but what if there had been more he could have done? Ultimately it had been his own hand that had so mortally wounded Elden and there wasn't really anything he could think of that might ease that guilt. Whatever suffering Dorian had endured at the hands of the Venatori didn't matter. All that mattered in the end was whether or not Elden lived.

He wasn't sure if the others were truly asleep or not, but thankfully none of them commented on his breakdown. Eventually here was nothing left in Dorian but emptiness and exhaustion and even the tears finally stopped as he stared down at Elden, simply watching him sleep. Dorian had never been good at waiting, his thoughts always too loud and chaotic. But he had no distractions now and simply held Elden and waited for the end.

"Dorian?"

Dorian's eyes snapped open as he looked around, startled. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he hadn't had a proper night's rest in too long and apparently it was catching up with him. He felt guilty too, knowing he was supposed to be watching Elden, but there didn't seem to be anyone here to witness his rest. He thought perhaps he'd imagined his name being called until he looked down and saw Elden watching him. He didn't exactly look any better but Dorian's breath caught in his throat at seeing him awake.

"Elden?" he asked, still not letting himself truly believe.

"You did it," Elden said, voice hoarse and distant, a slight smile on his lips.

"I haven't done anything yet," he said, voice soft and gentle, only cracking with emotion a little, not wanting to wake the others still sleeping nearby. "Not until I've saved you, so don't die on me now, all right?"

"It's stupid, but I had a picnic all planned out for the next time I could get a day off," Elden said suddenly. "I know that sort of thing doesn't really sound fun to you, but I thought you might enjoy it."

"It's not stupid at all," Dorian said, tears returning to his eyes and he desperately tried to hold them back.

"Then promise me, when we get back, that we can still go," Elden said, voice faint. "I wanted to take you to the library in Orlais as well. Or the one in Rivain. I wanted to find the rarest books and watch the way you light up as you read them."

"It's a date, then," Dorian said. "It'll make up for the terrible picnic."

That earned him a chuckle from Elden that he would cherish even as it broke his heart. Dorian knew what he was trying to do, making plans to reassure Dorian that it wouldn't end here, but it felt like they were making plans they could never fulfill and his entire body ached with the finality of it.

"Listen," Dorian said, wiping his eyes and trying to compose himself. He knew he should be spending this time more wisely, telling Elden everything he'd bottled up, everything he'd wanted to say for so long but had been too afraid. This might be his last chance to tell Elden what he meant to him, after all. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Later," Elden said, thumb rubbing the back of Dorian's hand. "Tell me when we get home."

"But-"

"Please?" Elden said, looking up at him with those big green eyes and how could Dorian deny him anything?

"Have it your way then," Dorian sighed, squeezing his hand. He wondered how he'd look back on this moment. He knew Elden didn't want him to say something he might regret if they got through this, but what would he regret more? But this was what Elden wanted so he remained silent.

"Would you tell me about the libraries in Tevinter?" Elden asked and he could barely keep his eyes open now. "I'd like to go there one day too."

"Of course," Dorian said, placing a kiss to Elden's forehead. "Anything for you."