Meeting Morrigan's son Kieran was the most painful thing Solona ever experienced. "I didn't want to cause you pain, my friend," Morrigan said, her voice sincere.

Solona shook her head, not wanting the woman to see how badly this was affecting her. The child was a foul reminder of her own cowardice, of what she could never herself have and marked the exact moment that she had lost Alistair. Sure they still shared each other's bodies but that night marked where their souls no longer intertwined. Where their love had turned to ash and both of them had their hearts broken. The physical reminder of that loss left her mouth dry and her heart pounding. She couldn't look at her friend so she murmured some excuse and fled to her rooms, her vision blurry with unshed tears.

Shortly thereafter, someone knocked on her door. She didn't respond to it but whomever it was took her silence as invitation and let themselves in. Cullen appeared and she ran to him, collapsing in his arms, still sobbing. He walked them awkwardly to the bed and got her to sit next to him. Her sobbing soon abated and he lifted her chin so he could stare into her eyes. Amber orbs showed the concern he felt and she nearly lost herself in them. He was too good to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You are going to hate me."

"Never," he reassured.

She took a long, deep breath and began her tale, never able to look him in the eye again. "There is a reason a Grey Warden is required to slay an archdemon. The taint allows the soul of the archdemon to pass to the closest thing with the taint, giving it a sort of immortality. However when it jumps into a Grey Warden who delivers the killing blow, the souls are destroyed, killing the Grey Warden entirely."

He looked a bit confused. "I thought you slew the archdemon? You are still alive."

"On the eve before we departed to Denerim, one of my companions approached me with a way to save both Alistair and myself from death. A ritual."

"Blood magic?"

"Blood wasn't the body fluid that was shared."

His eyes got wide. "I see."

"I forced Alistair to lie with Morrigan in my own cowardice. I didn't want to die and I knew Alistair couldn't die, he was needed. I thought… I thought I was prepared for the consequences but I wasn't. I just met the consequence of that night, Morrigan's son. Alistair's son."

He was quiet for a while, seeming to absorb what she had just told him. Finally he put his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "You put too much burden on yourself. Alistair is a grown man and made his own decisions. He became king because he chose to. He slept with Morrigan because he chose to. You aren't to blame for his actions."

"I manipulated him into doing those things."

Cullen could only shake his head. "I don't understand how you still love him after everything he's done to you."

"I don't know, he was my first."

"Maybe you do it to hurt yourself because you feel you deserve the pain."

She raised her head and looked up at him. How could he still care for her after the truth of what she had done was brought to light?

"And I've spoken out of turn. Forgive me," he said.

"There's nothing to forgive. I'd just never thought about it that way before. So you don't hate me?"

"Of course not. There's nothing you could say that make me actually hate you. Disappoint me, yes. Even hurt. But not hate."

"What if I said I was a blood mage?"

"That's not funny."

"You're right. It's not."

"Are you?"

"No I abhor blood magic. It destroyed my best friend, destroyed my home. It destroyed the Grey Wardens. I've come across many in my years and each one makes my skin crawl."

"Then why did you bring it up?"

"Was wondering if I could use that if I needed to break up with you."

He pulled her in close again and peppered the top of her head with quick pecks. "Never break up with me."

# # # # #

As soon as he returned from the temple, Corypheus slain, and saw her, he scooped her up in his arms and kissed her without a care for whomever saw it. He delighted in the fact that she kissed him back with just as much passion, both of them wrapped up in each other until someone behind them cleared their throat. He let her go and turned to see Leliana grinning at them. "Save some for the rest of us," she chided.

Solona laughed and embraced her friend. Leliana caught his eye and gave him a nod as if she was giving her permission to the couple. If Leliana approved, then he must have been doing something right. The inquisitor entered the hall and was immediately surrounded. He made his way over to them and picked Leliana off the floor in a huge hug. It took the spy master by surprise. After letting go of her, he bent down and placed a chaste kiss on Solona's cheek.

"Congratulations Inquisitor. You've made the world a much safer place for everyone."

"There is still much work to be done. I hope you won't be leaving us anytime soon."

A look crossed her face that made Cullen question whether she was staying as well. "I'm of service for at least a little while longer."

"Well for tonight it's time to celebrate. I'm sure the Commander would like to sweep you away for the night. Would you at least save a dance for me?" The inquisitor winked and Solona blushed. An unfamiliar pang of jealousy arose in his gut. He felt momentarily possessive of her which Leliana sensed because she looped her arm around his and yanked him to her side.

"As long as I get a dance with the commander." Leliana exchanged a glance with the inquisitor and Cullen felt very foolish. They were teasing them. Solona caught on at the same moment and pulled him to her side.

"Mine," she said with a laugh. Cullen felt heat rise to his face. He liked how she said that.

The inquisitor roared with laughter. "Well now that's settled, enjoy your evening. I have a bunch of snobby nobles to attend to."

"It never gets easier," Solona said. "I'm glad it's you and not me."

The inquisitor and Leliana left them both alone. He wanted nothing more than to sweep her away as the inquisitor foretold but something in her expression held him back. She looked sad.

"Is something wrong?"

She looked up at him, a small smile on her lips. It looked forced. "Let's just enjoy the night."

"No, Solona. I'm not going to enjoy anything knowing that something is wrong. Talk to me."

She looked around. "Not here." She started walking towards her room. He followed closely behind her, nervousness twisting in his gut. Her seriousness made him suspect that whatever was on her mind was going to be something he would very much dislike.

Once they were alone in her room, instead of talking like she promised, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. He kissed her back, running his tongue along the bottom of her lip like she liked. She opened her mouth and their tongues met and he felt a familiar jolt of electricity run down his spine. If he didn't know better he would have thought it magic. He finally pulled away, not letting her distract him with her mouth.

"We're alone. Talk to me."

She smiled at him coyly. "Wouldn't you rather do something else?" She ran her fingers up his breastplate until her finger reached his chin. Then she traced his scar with her finger. She was making this very difficult.

"You are frustrating," he breathed.

"And you are wearing much too much armor."

"How about this? You tell me what's on your mind and I will get undressed. Win/win."

She chuckled. "How can I refuse that offer?"

He waited for her to start, playing with one of the clasps on his breastplate.

"Tease," she murmured. And then she sighed. "I'm going to have to leave soon."

She had said exactly what he didn't want to hear. "Why?"

"This is a secret. Another Grey Warden secret. But the ritual that causes us to become what we are, well it gives us the taint, darkspawn taint and eventually it kills us. Much sooner than later."

"How much time do you have?"

"It depends. Maybe a decade or two? If I'm lucky. But there might be a way to reverse the taint, to cure it. I was on the path to this cure when Leliana's letter reached me. I abandoned my leads in order to come here and assist the inquisition. But Corypheus is defeated. The threat has been vanquished. My reasons for staying are limited."

"So you have no reason to stay." He couldn't help the disappointment in his voice.

She reached out to him, cupping his face in her hand. "I'm not saying that. But I have a mission and I can't just let it go."

"And you shouldn't." Cullen sighed. "I understand. I do. I just want to be selfish for a bit longer."

"I'm not leaving tonight."

He pulled her to him. "And I'm not letting you go tonight."

"What about your end of the deal? Get naked."

He laughed but obliged her. He spent the rest of the night giving her reasons to stay.