On The Same Page

The group of them sat quietly looking at each other, each obviously waiting for someone else to speak first. Anders smiled, "Well, this is going well. Maybe we should open the wine first?"

"You didn't even bring glasses." Sareyna spoke softly.

"Ah, that's why there are five bottles, my dear lady."

Sareyna chuckled and looked at Morrigan, "And you went along with that idea?"

Morrigan shrugged, "We didn't have enough free hands."

Anders winked at her, "Good cover, Morri."

Alistair leaned forward grabbing a bottle and picked up the corkscrew next to him, opening the bottle quickly and handing it to Zevran before grabbing another bottle. "When we went to face the mother," he handed the bottle to Sareyna. "We met the Darkspawn from the silverite mine again." He continued picking up the bottles, opening them and handing them out. "He calls himself the Architect. He's Renault, but doesn't remember it."

"Wait, how do you know that?" Anders sat up a little.

"Sareyna's dream of talking to Trelain, Maric's story about Bregan, and Zev and 'Reyna's dreams." Alistair shrugged, "Just putting the pieces together. It doesn't matter in the long run; he has lost most of his memory. But it's what he's doing now that's important."

"Not important? How can you say that?"

Sareyna scowled. "Anders, try to focus."

"I am focused; I think the revelation that the Maker is a Darkspawn is pretty important."

Morrigan shifted in her chair and crossed her legs, "There are things that are more pressing right now."

Anders sat back in his chair scowling a little. He had really hoped that Renault had at least found a cure for the taint. But that thing, strange even by Darkspawn standards, was supposed to be him?

It was almost funny, the Chantry taught that the Maker had left humanity because they were not worthy of him, but apparently they left out the part about him joining the Darkspawn. Anders clapped a hand over his mouth to cover his laughter. Sareyna turned to him and raised a brow in query. Anders just shook his head.

"The dwarf that Maric told us about is still with him, but she didn't look too good. I think she's avoiding her Calling to help Renault." Alistair pushed his hand back through his hair and sat back on the couch. "He's trying to end the Blights, and he thinks he has a way to do it."

"Andraste's tits, it's been over a thousand years, he just figured it out?" Anders scowled.

"Actually, we're not sure it will end the Blights for sure. He wants to free the Darkspawn from the call of the Old Gods."

Zevran immediately looked suspicious, "What will that do?"

"As I understand it, it will give the Darkspawn free will, the ability to think and act for themselves instead of blindly searching for the Old Gods and starting Blights."

"Is that what has been done to the Darkspawn that speak?" Zevran's eyes were boring into Alistair.

Alistair nodded.

Zevran shifted suddenly, "So whatever it is that this thing is doing to the Darkspawn is making them intelligent and giving them free will? Is that really what we want to be doing? What if they still want to start Blights, but are now intelligent? Thedas has always struggled to repel the advances of Darkspawn, this could be the edge they need to wipe out the people of Thedas completely."

Alistair nodded, "It is a possibility."

Anders' anger sparked bright. "Those Darkspawn attacked the Keep; they kidnapped and killed all the Wardens and bled Sareyna and Zevran. Do you even remember how pale and cold Zevran was when we found him? It was a blighted miracle that he lived. And what about what he has been doing to Zevran and Sareyna since? How many times have we been worried about losing them? Why didn't you kill that son of a bitch?"

Alistair watched him for a moment possibly waiting for Anders to relax. Anders tightened his fingers on the arm of the chair he sat in, he really wanted to reach out and slap Alistair. That Darkspawn was hurting Sareyna and Zevran and Alistair had been face to face with him and had let him live.

"He didn't seem to know what was going on with Sareyna and Zevran." Alistair stated at length. "He is looking over his notes and is planning on meeting with Morrigan in a couple weeks at the Silverite mine to see if they can come up with a solution."

"And you believed him? When we're burying your wife and lover, I'm sure that him saying that he didn't know what was happening will be a great comfort to us all." Anders spat.

Alistair stood abruptly and crossed to Anders. He reached out towards Anders threateningly and ended up on the floor on his back. Anders had stood as he fell, Ser Pounce-a-lot having jumped to the back of the chair. "Don't you dare touch me." Anders nearly screeched, the pulse of energy that had knocked Alistair down had almost been instinctual.

And brother or not, when Alistair had been coming at him with rage coloring his features all Anders had been able to see was a Templar. He could feel himself shaking and didn't know if it was from fear or anger. He still felt raw from his morning with the Templar attack and then his afternoon relieving horrors he had promised himself he would forget.

Then Sareyna was there wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. "Shh, love, we're alright." Anders buried his head in her shoulder needing her to hold him, if only for a moment, just to get his bearings.

It was too much; the idea of something happening to her or Zev terrified him. And the fact that Alistair had that…thing in his grasp and had let him go, it was unthinkable. How could he, didn't he love them? He had sat beside Anders all those nights as Sareyna and Zevran had suffered and he had let the bastard walk away.

Alistair was climbing to his feet behind them and Anders could feel his eyes boring into them but he didn't pull away from her. He just stood there and let Sareyna hold him and fought back tears. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "I'm sorry, 'Reyna."

She nodded and kept a hold of him.

Zevran's voice was soft behind them. "Tesoro, come sit."

"No, what the Fade is going on here?"

Sareyna released Anders but kept a hold of his wrist as she turn to Alistair and spoke. "Nothing, we're just all a little emotional. Let's just sit and talk."

Anders watched as Zevran pulled Alistair towards the couch and sat down beside him. Sareyna tugged Anders backwards so that he was back in the chair he had been originally occupying and she perched on the arm, her hand resting on his shoulder. Pounce jumped down into his lap again, meowing at him angrily before laying back down.

Anders stroked his ears, "Sorry Pounce."

Alistair snorted, "You apologize to the cat, but not to your brother. The person you actually attacked?"

Morrigan turned a glare to Alistair, "From where I was sitting, it looked like he was defending himself."

"What? I wasn't going to hurt him." Alistair scowled looking a little hurt. He met Anders' eyes, "I wouldn't have hurt you."

Anders took a deep breath, he needed to calm down. This was Alistair; he knew Alistair loved Sareyna and Zevran. And he was Anders' brother; perhaps he had over reacted to Alistair's supposed threat. "What were you going to do?"

Alistair looked a little lost then shook his head, "I don't know. Let's just forget it."

Anders nodded, "I'd like that. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Alistair grinned a little, "Takes more than a little love tap like that to hurt me."

Morrigan spoke up again, "I think that's everything pertinent about Renault for now." She turned to Anders, "We need to get together and go over your notes about Sareyna and Zevran, I need to understand everything that has happened to them." She paused for a moment and made sure she had his attention, "Everything, Anders."

Anders bit his lip and nodded, he knew what she was talking about. He hadn't really known what to write in his notes about Sareyna's burns so he had been vague and those notes seemed a bit disjointed, but he just hadn't been able to bring himself to write what had actually happened, even now it seemed completely impossible.

"I'm going to go speak to him with you."

"Anders, I'm not going to attack him. There are things we can yet learn from him."

"It isn't safe for you to go alone and I know more about what they have been through than anyone. It would be irresponsible for me not to go." He held her gaze, determined he would be going with her.

Eventually, she nodded, "Fine." She turned back to the group. "On that same subject, we should try to communicate with Trelain in the Fade again. He might have information that we need. It will take Anders and I a day or so to plan out the ritual, but we should do it as soon as possible."

"I think you should talk to him Morrigan, you understand more about ancient magics than I do."

Morrigan shook her head, "I can't Anders. I dare not enter the Fade until I know I am safe from Flemeth."

"I still don't understand the whole Flemeth issue." Anders scowled; no one had ever given him a satisfactory explanation as to what exactly Flemeth was.

Morrigan laughed bitterly, "No one does, I do not even understand it completely myself."

"Zevran and I may be able to shed a little light on that actually." Sareyna shifted on the arm of the chair and Anders could feel her tighten her grip on his shoulder a fraction. Something was obviously bothering her. "The last two dreams that Zevran and I had were about Flemeth."

"Why are you dreaming about my mother now? I thought your dreams were related to Renault and those he affected." A deep furrow appeared between Morrigan's brows as she scowled at them.

It was Zev who answered her, "In a way, he had a hand in your mother's life as well. After Andraste died upon the pyre she wandered the Fade seeking Renault. She wanted revenge for being used, and tricked into thinking he was a god. She did not move on as the Chantry says our spirit does after we pass away.

She stayed in the Fade, I do not know if all people do, or if she did it by force of will. Over the years she learned how to manipulate the Fade and learned new magics from demons. Obviously, she became quite powerful as time went on. The Fade spirits didn't know what to make of her and it was well known that she often killed demons. Most of them gave her a wide berth. She kept an eye on Renault and what he was doing, planning her revenge.

While she was there, she saw spirits speaking to a young woman. She was curious as to why the spirits were attracted to her, they usually stay away from mortals, but they seemed drawn to her. As Andraste neared she realized the spirits were trying to comfort the woman. Her approach drove the other spirits away. And the woman was left alone with her."

Morrigan was watching him, her back rigid. When he paused she nodded, as if to urge him to continue.

"The woman was Flemeth. And it was like she told you. Osen was her husband and Conobar betrayed him. Andraste offered to kill him for your mother. And your mother agreed."

"Stop," Morrigan choked, "don't call her my mother."

Zevran nodded, "Andraste killed Conobar, it was violent and messy. And when she was done she told Flemeth to flee. That Conobar's men would come looking for her because they knew she could speak to spirits. Andraste told her to go to the Wilds."

Morrigan closed her eyes, "I don't understand. It was a human spirit who slew Conobar?"

Anders shook his head, "She wouldn't be human after living in the Fade for so long."

"So was she a spirit or demon?"

Anders shook his head, "No, only those originally of the Fade can be called such, she was…something else. I'm not sure there is even a word for it."

"Are you sure Anders? Because in the Wilds Andraste possessed Flemeth." Sareyna was watching him carefully.

"Wait, she possessed Flemeth? How did she…?" Anders felt confused, he had never heard of a…ghost for lack of a better term, possessing a living body before.

"Flemeth agreed to it. Conobar's men chased her for a long time, weeks, maybe longer and finally she couldn't do it anymore and so she asked Andraste for help."

"Flemeth would never do such a thing."

"She was young Morrigan, younger than we are now. And she didn't know who she was; she thought Andraste was a spirit of vengeance." Sareyna leaned forward on the arm of the chair. "She was starving and injured and she didn't want to die, she thought it was the only way."

Morrigan scowled, "Don't defend her."

"I'm not." Sareyna sighed.

Morrigan sat up straighter, "Anything else I should know?"

"It felt like she was drowning at first when it happened she couldn't breathe. And Andraste was frustrated with Flemeth. Apparently, Flemeth was very powerful but undisciplined. She couldn't concentrate so whenever there were spells that required any amount of concentration Andraste had to push Flemeth's consciousness aside so that she could take care of it." Zevran paused for a moment, "I think that's everything."

"Just lovely, Flemeth is not only centuries old, she is possessed by a mage centuries older than she is even. I'll lose eventually. Sooner or later she is going to find me, and no matter what I know, it won't be as much as she does."

"That may be, but you will have something she doesn't have." Alistair was giving Morrigan his best 'trust me' look.

"Hmm?"

"You have us; we'll be there to help you. We won't let her take you, Morrigan. I promise you that."

Morrigan nodded solemnly, "Thank you Alistair."

The conversation devolved from there into the minutia of all they had spoken about. Anders tuned it out, turning to rest his hand on Sareyna's arm. "I'm alright now; I promise I won't attack your husband."

Sareyna looked down at him and smiled, "I know." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before climbing off the arm of the chair. She sat on the couch with Alistair and Zevran and he caught that they were discussing the dreams, but he couldn't listen in because Morrigan was grilling him about his notes.

Anders settled back into the chair, Pounce still curled on his lap. He supposed it was time to start tying up the pieces, and that started with being forthcoming with Morrigan. So he listened as best as he could in his distracted state and answered any questions she asked honestly.

Anders picked up his bottle of wine that he had set beside the chair earlier and took a long pull. Maybe he wouldn't sound so crazy if he was drunk. He suppressed an irreverent smile and focused again on Morrigan's questions. Anders had been right; it was going to be a long night indeed.