A few days later Alistair was about to leave Neria back at her keep. "Eamon has learned we share a birthday."

"We don't have too."

"He thought the Wardens hosting a party, would be a good way for the nobles to see that the Wardens are an asset."

"You wait till now to say anything! We just walked two 2 days joking about what pranks we can play on your guards."

"It's embarrassingly weird to have a joint birthday party with your best friend as an adult."

Neria laughed "How old are we?"

"We'll be 20 this year."

"Oh that is old. I've focused my efforts on the city and farmland. The Keep will be ready though, in time. If you could send some skilled masons and carpenters that would be appreciated."

Nathaniel pulling her into his arms, kissing her he could taste her sorrow.

"How are- Where is Anders? Oghren?"

Tears were rolling down her face, "Oghren went to Orzammar. Anders, fled. Officially he became an abomination. Really I weaved him and Justice together, the templars caught on, Ander's fled to Kirkwall."

"Stroud will probably run into him."

"I wished a more senior member would have stayed longer, but he was passing through." They were walking back inside, Wardens greeting them. A scout approached, clearly wearing road dirt.

"Commander, I found Warden Blackwall rather easily. He thanks you for the invitation, he'll start sending recruits here, he prefers solitude though."

"Oh what was he like?"

"Bearded, deep voice, seemed confident with a sword." The non warden Scout shrugged.

Nathaniel, "Thank you scout, I'm sure Garevel will find you quarters and a meal. Please Commander, I need to give you a report."

Nathaniel pulled her in his room, pulling her tight to him. Kissing her.

"Stop please," She was she still pressed against him. She told him about Alistair sharing her room and her sleeping on the floor, they would be hearing rumors soon. She also told him about the birthday party in few months.

Nathaniel let her go, "What a coincidence you and Alistair sharing a birthday."

"No its not. We visited the Alienage in Denerim, and found my father. He wanted something in exchange for my birth date. Something unacceptable, Alistair became angry and punched him. Alistair and I are close enough in age, he decided he would share his with me."

Nathaniel confused, "Why wouldn't your father just tell you the date?"

Neria buried her face into his chest her voice small, "its been a long few days. I just want a bath and a bed."

The Constable was startled, he never heard her sound frail. He tightened his arms around her, noticing for the first time how slight she was, she didn't even come up to his chin. She pulled away from, he knew she needed to cry long and hard, but not in front of him. Maybe in front of someone she considered family.

"Morrigan is in your room her saying her labor is coming early. I have a few errands, if you'd rather have a bath here."

"I'll see Morrigan, and decide."

"Neria!" Morrigan had waddled over. "Oh you smell! I took the liberty of filling your bath, you may want to reheat it."

"Why would you come back before you knew if it was safe."

"I can elude Alistair. Giving birth on the forest floor, isn't ideal. It is coming early."

Neria had slipped into the bath, "Very."

"How are you feeling right now?"

"Warm"

"Fine, Evade. See if I care."

Neria spilled about Wynne's funeral, Ander's escape. She sobbed in her bathtub. Morrigan had the sense not to touch the elf, something else had rose up, and would easily lash out.

"Didn't tell Nathaniel about your father?"

"It's to humiliating."

"The shame is his not yours. Alistair, Zevran, and myself can make the inference, have you ever spoken of it?" Neria was silent, "Tis your choice. You already know it lines your bones."

Neria had toweled off and dressed.

"Flannel is not a good look for you."

"Shut up and let me go to sleep."

Morrigan raised an eyebrow, "What friends I have."

The next day Neria began her rounds. Sigrun was working with a new merchant, consulting for him how to prevent thievery.

"Nathaniel had me set a rate. Its low, I don't see what wrong with me volunteering my time."

Neria tilted her head, "Amaranthine, is recovering. We need to start recouping our treasury."

"I don't like charging someone for stealing things from them, and then telling 'em how I stole from them."

Neria laughed, "It is odd. You're not really stealing though."

"You're right commander, anyways I got to go steal from him."

Velanna and Morrigan were with the experiment rats. Ser pounce a lot sniffing Morrigan's belly. Neria raised her eyebrow.

Morrigan shrugged, "Likely confused at the nature of my pregnancy."

Velanna, "Better than growling at my rats."

Neria was watching the rats, "Some of them are Wardens? Is this possible?"

Velanna, "Depends on what you consider a Warden. They'll turn into ghouls eventually. I don't know how fast though, I just started."

Neria was about to decide to leave them too it, when Morrigan. "I'm no longer able to travel the fade with my child."

Neria raised an eyebrow, "Should we be concerned?"

"No, the soul now is too rooted in the child. I can give a report."

"Tonight we'll meet in my study, we will let Nathaniel and Sigrun know."

Neria finished brainstorming with Garevel the necessary repairs needed. She'll have to ask Nathaniel's help for order of importance. She spent some time with her fellow warden's, all fairly new. After some eating and training. She spend the rest of her day in her study, reviewing documents from various minor nobles. Disputes and the like, she'll need to hold another high court. Slowly Morrigan, Velanna, Nathaniel, Sigrun, and Woolsey came in.

"Woolsey?" Neria raised an eyebrow.

Velanna, "She is the most experienced Warden here."

Neria nodded, "Shall we begin?"

Morrigan, "The soul of the old god showed me around the fade, histories that no one remembers. Even in the fade there is no such thing as objective truth, What I saw was the reflection of Urthemiel."

Sigrun, "Urthemiel?"

Woolsey, "The Old god that was tainted for the most recent blight."

Morrigan, "We saw that the blackness, the taint, in the black city didn't originate in the fade. The world was in a never ending blight. Darkspawn and no unifying leader, it was simply chaos. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Qunari, only did their best to survive. Finally a group of elven mages learned how to gather the taint, it took generations. Finally 8 mages, whom we now now as the Old gods gathered the taint."

Neria, "How did they gather it?"

"My guide, does not speak, and can only bring me to places with images. I couldn't sense what was happening, but there seemed to be talismans pulling in the taint. Once it was gathered, they used a great deal of the taint to tear open the fade. Launching themselves and the remaining taint in. Between the 8 of them they locked it away, but each were a lock and key to hold it back. Making it their home and calling it the golden city."

Nathaniel, "Where is the Maker?"

"Not where I was looking. Thousands of years had past, the Old gods forgotten, a group of mages came."

Velanna, "Magisters."

"They might have all been Tevinter, but they were of multiple races. They crushed the old gods casting them down, then the taint rushed out transforming the invading mages. Some looked similar to the image of the Architect Velanna had shown me, but not the same. This is all I know after this was Urthemiels sleeping."

Neria, "Thank you, I wonder why the taint didn't cover the world again?"

Velanna, "They used the power of it to rip open the fade, that would have use up a lot of it."

Morrigan, "It is still locked or controled some because of the old gods existence. The taint when released, first met the invader mages, they would have some influence as well."

Sigrun, "Assuming that the magisters are dead, so don't use their influence, when the other 3 die we will just have unbridled taint roaming?"

Nathaniel, "If that's the case, we need significantly more sentient darkspawn, if only to avoid horde massacres."

Velanna, "The Architect mentioned, that his process is similar to joinings. Perhaps there is a way to do a mass joining?" Velanna looked at Neria for approval, who nodded.

Sigrun, "Mass joining? Are you going to be throwing a bunch up blood at people?"

Velanna, "I think Avernus mentioned in his notes, I'll need to review."

Neria, "Do you need any assistance?"

Velanna, "You and I are the only Warden mages. We need more."