"Tevinter, finally," Caedri sighed, "I don't think I can walk straight anymore."

"You'd better get used to it, Dorian's going to be all over you like a rash," Aphre retorted, smirking at her brother, he huffed a laugh.

"Too true, Aphre. Though today, I want to sleep." He admitted. A wary looking attendant took hold of his mount, an imposing red hart, waiting for Caedri to dismount before leading it to the stables. Another attendant did the same with Aphre's hart, also. Both of them had to make a concerted effort to walk at all, let alone walk normally, their legs slightly bowed, jaws clenched as they fought to disguise the searing aches in their thighs.

"Amatus, Aphre, it's wonderful to see you." Dorian's voice lilted as he walked toward them, Aphre smiled warmly, Caedri's heart stopped in his chest. He was frozen to the spot, simply watching as his love walked towards him, "You look pleased to see me," He replied with a chuckle, pulling Caedri into a warm embrace.

"I missed you," Caedri whispered into his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent. "I missed you so much," He grabbed onto him, wrapping his arms around him as tightly as he could. Aphre simply watched the pair, feeling bittersweet about their reunion. She was delighted that her brother and Dorian were finally together again, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of loneliness as she watched them both, she had lost Solas, and couldn't be with Krem. The pain became too much, she looked away. Dorian and Caedri shared a quick kiss, as much as Dorian loved a scandal, there was only so much of a display the people of Tevinter could handle at once.

"Aphre, my dear, how ravishing you look." He said to her, pulling her into a hug of her own, his big, crushing arms enveloping her, his perfumed scent surrounding her. She smiled, she really had missed him.

"And how suave you look, Dorian! I'm hardly surprised, but I know you like to hear it." She replied, pulling away so she could look at him,

"You know me so well," He said with a wink. "You both must be tired. Come, let's go inside, we can have something to eat and then you can rest. We have some catching up to do." He continued, gesturing to the imposing building behind him. Awestruck, Aphre said,

"It certainly seems nice to be a magister." They both followed behind him as he walked into the building,

"It definitely has its merits," He replied, the room opening up the further they walked in. The interior was tasteful, and so clearly Dorian's input, they admired their surroundings as he continued leading them toward the dining room. A long wooden table filled most of the room, perfect for hosting dinner parties. With only the three of them occupying the space, it should have felt hollow, and somewhat empty, but the three of them seemed to fill the area, uncaring of anything other than each other's company. It was if they had never been apart. "Now…" Dorian started, "I'm dying to know what gossip I've missed out on since being away. I'm sure you two know everything."

Dorian had shown Aphre to her room after they withdrew from the dining room, before he and Caedri retired to their own room. Caedri sat on the bed immediately, his muscles screaming any time he stood up, Dorian walked over to him, and sat beside him.

"How have you been amatus? It's been too long since we last saw each other," His words were gentle, waiting for Caedri's reply. They had been apart for close to three months now, it wasn't the longest they had been apart, that had been the two years after defeating Corypheus, but any time spent away from each other was difficult for them both.

"It's been difficult, I can't lie. But being here with you again makes it feel as though it's all been worth it." He admitted, leaning into Dorian, the heat radiating from his body embracing him.

"It has, amatus. You are worth it," He spoke gently, putting his arm around his love. "And what of your sister? I doubt you would have noticed it, it's a necromancer thing, we're generally more sensitive to life forces. But… I can't quite describe it, her aura, I suppose you could say, it feels different. I cannot put my finger on it, but something has changed since I last saw her." Caedri's eyebrows knotted in concentration, trying to think of something to fit in line with what Dorian had said. After some time, he shook his head,

"I can't think of anything drastic," he admitted, "She and Krem are now together, after all the coy looks and denial. They've been corresponding, and she cares about him a great deal. Could that be it?"

"Unlikely, otherwise it would have changed when she was with Solas. Maybe I'm sensing something that isn't really there, it could be the case." Dorian's words were unconvincing to the both of them. It concerned Caedri greatly, was there something she was hiding? Or was there something she didn't know about? He would have to talk to her soon, to see if Dorian was correct in his assertion.

"I'll ask her tomorrow," Caedri stated, "but for now, I think we should get some rest. Creators know I could use it."

"Indeed, amatus. We can worry about everything else tomorrow. And I want to know everything about Krem and Aphre, Caedri. Everything."

With his concerns about Aphre still plaguing his mind, he went to her room first thing, wanting to talk to her, to find out what exactly Dorian's hunch was actually telling him. He knocked softly on her door,

"Come in," he heard from the other side, so he did. Sat on the edge of the bed, she looked pale, sickly almost, her hands held in her lap, seemed to tremble.

"Aphre, are you alright? What happened?" He asked, rushing to her side.

"I'm fine," She said slowly, wiping her hand across her mouth, "I threw up, I- I think it might've been the food." She added, hand falling back into her lap. "Not used to that kind of food, or that many courses." Caedri bit his lip, sitting on the bed next to her.

"Are you sure there's nothing else?" He asked, pleading, searching for the true answer, hoping that if she knew, she would tell him. She took a shuddery breath in,

"I-" she hesitated, "I haven't… bled in two months, Caedri." Her words filled the room, and suddenly, Caedri felt sick, too.

"You're pregnant."

The silence was unbearable.

He looked over at her, her face contorted as she did her best not to cry. Seeing her, he fell apart. She was terrified, and had every right to be. She took his hand, her shoulders shaking as silent sobs began to rack through her body. It was all the confirmation he needed. Neither of them were able to say a word, Caedri too shocked and Aphre too scared. That's what had been different about her aura, Dorian was right, as much as he hated the fact. As soon as the thought passed through him, Dorian appeared in the doorway, a horrified look plastered across his face as he looked at the siblings,

"Kaffas," He said under his breath before striding over to them both and kneeling in front of them, taking their entwined hands in his own. He didn't know what to say, he didn't even know what was wrong, but it was clearly devastating, in truth he was terrified to find out. "Come here," He said to them, standing up while still holding their hands. The sobbing pair stood up, too, and he wrapped his arms around them while they half-heartedly returned the gesture.

Aphre composed herself first, steeling her will despite feeling sick to her stomach. She pulled away from Dorian's embrace so she could look at him,

"I… I'm pregnant." Dorian's heart constricted as the words registered in his ears. Kaffas, he thought, no wonder they were both so upset.

"I know this isn't what you intended. But you are stronger than you know, Aphre. If anyone, anyone, can make it through this, after all you already been through, it's you." He placed a reassuring hand on her arm. The look on her face told him that she didn't believe him, "Caedri and I will support you every step of the way, you're not alone, never will be." Caedri had finally calmed down enough to speak.

"He's right Aphre. We're here for you, I'm here for you, I always have been." He maintained his hold on her hand, squeezing slightly as he spoke. She nodded, more for their sakes than for hers. As much as she wanted to believe their words, the feeling of sickness wouldn't abate, nor the buzzing in her mind as she realised, she would never be free of Solas.