Author's Notes: I apologize if there are mistakes I'm not seeing anymore hopefully they don't distract you too much! It's been a bit crazy around here - summer fun and all - but I wanted to post this :)

~Never Simple~

"You really should take better care of your hair," Leliana lightly teased as she tried to work her brush through all the tangles.

"The darkspawn have kept me a little busy," Drea quipped, enjoying the feeling of having her hair played with.

"Ah yes, them," Leliana replied. Finishing with the brush, Leliana pulled out a piece of ribbon and started trying different ways of pulling Drea's hair back. Normally she got uncomfortable when the servants back at Highever fussed too much over her hair, but somehow this was different. She was content to let Leliana fuss. "So what are you going to do when they aren't occupying your time anymore?"

Even sitting near the tents, Drea was able to see Alistair diligently preparing the stew for the camp. If they saw their way through this, he was likely going to be the next Ferelden King. Was she to be Ferelden's Queen? His Queen? Would refusing leave her leading the fragile Warden order that she's been part of for less than a year? In truth, she didn't like to think of what would happen if they defeated the archdemon – there was no clear place for her. Casually shrugging, Drea answered, "I'm really not sure. What about you?"

"I want to travel," Leliana replied confidently. "We've come across so many amazing things just in Ferelden alone; it really has me thinking. There is so much to do and see throughout all of Thedas. It would be a shame if I missed out on it all." Drea couldn't help but smile at the wistful excitement in her tone. After a moment, Leliana added, "I could use a traveling companion you know. And you're pretty easy on the eyes…"

Drea quickly stifled the nervous chuckle that slipped out from her light hearted compliment. Quietly, her smile grew as she imagined herself throwing her burdens to the wind and traveling with the free spirit. It was the first time she actually wanted to give any thought to what might happen after the Blight is ended. Finally, she responded, "I might have to think about that…"

The afternoon light gently filtered in through the open windows of the hallway. As Drea made her way down the corridor, she was too distracted by her thoughts to even take notice of the subtle beauty from the sunlight illuminating the simple hallway. The only thing to finally bring her out of her memories was realizing she was sharing the hall with a figure that was walking towards her. Suddenly, Drea slowed down and nodded, "Velanna, I was hoping to run into you."

Stopping as she raised her eyebrow to Drea, Velanna replied, "You could have had me summoned?"

"And I would have eventually," Drea agreed. Gesturing for Velanna to follow, Drea continued walking again. Not questioning, Velanna turned and followed Drea back through the hallway. It was hardly a surprise that she was led to the study.

By the time Drea shut the door behind them, Velanna was already settling in the chair facing Drea's desk. As Drea rounded her desk to sit, Velanna finally spoke, "May I ask what this is about?"

Scrapping her chair as she pulled it in closer, Drea asked pointedly, "Why are you still here?"

For a brief second, Velanna's usual blank expression twisted with confusion, "I'm sorry?"

Folding her hands on her desk, Drea elaborated, "We had an arrangement. You were to come with me to the Wilds and in return I would turn a blind eye to your disappearance. You've completed your end of the bargain, but you're still here. Why?"

Uncharacteristically flustered, Velanna wordlessly opened her mouth before closing it again. Clearing her throat and quickly gaining control of herself, Velanna admitted, "I'm not entirely sure I have the answer for that. I think part of me is starting to feel like I belong and walking away does not feel quite right. But part of it is a sense of hopelessness. When I first saw my sister in her…condition…I knew she was lost to me." Even speaking of something that must have caused a great deal of pain, the elven woman seemed flawlessly collected.

"I see," Drea replied. Sitting forward in her chair, Drea carefully picked through her next words, "And how would you feel if I were to send you to look for your sister anyhow? Or, more accurately, to look for the Architect?"

Narrowing her eyes, Velanna crossed her arms suspiciously, "Why would you do that? I was under the impression with the bigger issues facing us, you were not about to throw away resources on a lost cause."

"I did say that," she agreed quickly. With a weary sigh, she added, "But I'm not sure it is a lost cause. While the creature was forced to flee following our confrontation, Flemeth being alive changes everything. I have no idea if she and it still have any dealings or if it was merely her pawn, but it is not a connection I am willing to ignore. I know the First Warden will be pleased at my change of heart."

"To answer your question then, I would feel strange about your request. Too much time has passed to hope for much success, but I would do as you asked," Velanna answered curtly.

Relaxing slightly, Drea sat back in her chair before disagreeing, "I don't think that's the case. It promised me that it would never come to me again, but it never promised to leave Ferelden. After some of the ruins I've seen in the last year I know there is a great deal of ancient history that has been abandoned here. The Architect was experimenting with forgotten artifacts and I don't think it would be quick to abandon everything. I suspect this break from hunting it will work in our favour – it might let its guard down thinking we have given up."

Considering the Commander's words, Velanna simply nodded. Without waiting for a reply, Drea added, "And I would not expect you to do this alone. I took the liberty of talking to Sigrun she has already agreed. Your first destination would be Orzammar however, not just a nearby entrance to the Deep Roads. The dwarves would be interested in knowing about the Architect. While we only see the darkspawn during Blights, the dwarves are always at war with them. I believe they would want the Architect as much as we do."

"Do you really think they would listen to an elf and a dead dwarf?" Velanna asked, doubtfully.

Patiently, Drea smiled. Two years ago, she would have thought approaching dwarves for any reason to be ludicrous. Now she was almost sorry not to be joining the pair. "They respect the Grey Wardens. You would have to both be in your full Warden attire but I expect they'll care more about the crest than who bears it. But even so, Sigrun also suggested tracking down other members of the Legion of the Dead to have as many forces in the Deep Roads as possible. Her tactical knowledge is impressive and I think you two will be able to pull together a formidable force."

"This has been well thought out," Velanna quietly observed.

"Yes. But now I want you to think it out. Sigrun has agreed and will be going even if it's on her own. I think she'll be happier with your company, but it is your choice."

Again, Velanna looked at Drea suspiciously, "If are the commander, why are you even asking me? Shouldn't you be telling me?"

Smiling again Drea shrugged. "I suppose. But it can be argued that the Deep Roads are no place for an elf and I'm not interested in building on your resentment. When there are difficult decisions to be made, I will make them. For something like this, would you really lose respect for me if I seek your opinion?"

It was Velanna's turn to smile. As awkward as her smile looked, it was sincere. With a sharp nod, she answered, "Not at all. I will go with Sigrun to the Deep Roads."

"Excellent," Drea stated. "Go get prepare yourself. I will talk to Captain Garevel about sending escorts with you both to Orzammar. If he is able to mobilize those men, I would like you to be on your way by tomorrow morning."

Agreeing, Velanna nodded as she rose from her chair. Not saying anything further, she left to go start packing for her long journey. Before the door closed behind her, it was pushed open again and this time it was Leliana that was in view.

With effort, Drea managed to hide the cringe threatening emerge. Keeping the formal tone she had with Velanna, Drea greeted her, "I trust Seneschal Varel has set you up comfortably? Have you been finding everything alright?"

Letting the door close, Leliana replied in an equally formal tone, "Oh yes, your seneschal is very kind." Drea forced a smile only to be greeted with a blank stare from Leliana before she added, "I travel all the way from Orlais and this is seriously what you have to say to me?"

"It's a valid question," Drea answered calmly.

Narrowing her eyes, she repeated herself, "I travel all the way from Orlais to find only to find you you, again, in the arms of some man. Is this seriously what you have to say to me?"

Being only slightly surprised at how quickly Leliana ripped away their pretences, Drea helplessly spread her hands apart, "What do you want me to say Lil? That I'm sorry?"

"Well are you?" Leliana shot the question back as she crossed her arms.

Drea stared deeply into Leliana's eyes before she slowly replied, "For more things than you'll ever know…"

"Like consorting with a Howe?" she asked coldly, unflinchingly staring Drea down. "I'm not sure I even know who you are anymore! The Drea I knew wouldn't suffer a Howe in her presence, much less bed one."

The muscles on Drea's neck popped slightly as she stiffened against words she never expected to hear from her. Using great effort to stop from shouting, Drea countered, "And the Leliana I knew would be the one pleading his case, reminding me that Rendon Howe acted alone. She would be the one to point out that the Howe family has suffered enough for the sins of one man who was already dead. You're not sure you know me anymore? I don't know who you are at all. What was the point of going to Orlais to wretch your freedom from Marjolaine if you were going to destroy yourself in the process?"

Leliana's nostrils flared at the mention of Marjolaine. Not stopping to defend herself, she brought the conversation back around to her point, "You didn't even wait for my body to be cold!"

Taken aback, Drea could only blink in disbelieve. Slowly, her rising ire faded as Leliana's words sunk in. Finally finding her voice, Drea asked. "Your body? You…think I did this because I thought you were dead?"

Seeing Drea's shock, Leliana's anger cooled slightly. Stubbornly, she pressed in a softer voice than before, "What other reason is there? I told you I would come back."

The hurt in her voice knocked the air out of Drea's lungs. For a moment she struggled between her sudden doubts and her urge to apologize, begging forgiveness. As with the night they last spoke in Denerim, Drea fell back on her noble training to stop from falling apart. Gently, she replied, "No Lil. You blurted out something and after you had a chance to think it over, you had nothing to say. I replayed that night over and over in my mind - it was burned into my memory."

Letting out a slightly shaking breath, Drea pushed herself up from her desk. Slowly starting to pace, she couldn't bring herself to look at Leliana while she continued, "You knew as well as I did that, even after you dealt with Marjolaine, there was no telling where that would take you. Every day since I left Denerim I have prayed to the Maker for your safety. Even if I didn't think you would want to come back here, I had to believe you were safe - for my own sanity."

"I am safe. And I am back. I might not want to be back here exactly, but I wanted to be back to you. Dre, I can't do this again. I can't stand by and watch you be with someone else," Leliana quietly interrupted.

Drea stopped pacing and faced Leliana. Sincerely, she answered, 'I don't want you to…"

Grasping onto Drea's hesitation, Leliana pushed, "The order is recovering. You can come with me now." Sharply Drea shook her head. "Have you thought about it at all Dre? Or is it because of him?"

"I…don't know," Drea shrugged helplessly, "I have been faced with too much – there has been no time to think about anything else."

"Right," Leliana agreed sarcastically, instantly put off by Drea's answer. "You're far too busy to think of the future, of what you want. That comes as a real shock."

Frowning, Drea quietly replied, "And now you're starting to sound just like Nate…"

Not taking offense, Leliana nodded, "That doesn't surprise me either. You wouldn't give a second thought to anyone that didn't call you on your bullshit. Despite how miserable you claim you are with all the roles you've been handed, the truth is the second you have a taste of freedom, you seize up. You know how to think for everyone else, but no idea how to do it for yourself!"

Throwing her hands up in frustration, Drea conceded, "Fine. You're right. There were some times when the dust did briefly settle. And instead of being excited to shape a bit of my own destiny I almost threw myself off the edge of sanity. Nate didn't call me on my bullshit – he saved me from it. And I owe him a lot. But Lil, I'm serious when I say the storm that brought the Blight didn't end. It just paused long enough to reverse directions and keep going…"

Raising an eyebrow, Leliana sceptically asked, "Let me guess, it's the end of the world – again?"

Drea didn't reply right away. Her brief silence was enough to replace all the emotions flying around the room with a different tension. In the sudden stillness, before Drea spoke again, Leliana understood her next words would be important. "Possibly the end of the world. At the very least, Morrigan is in serious danger."

"Morrigan?" Leliana added in a hushed voice, "What has she done this time?"

Drea's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "This time?"

Giving a small shrug of her shoulder, Leliana clarified, "Alistair told me what happened, why she disappeared as soon as you killed the archdemon."

Taking a step towards Leliana, Drea had to stop herself from reacting to the cold chill down her spine. Stiffly, she asked, "What did he tell you, exactly?"

Realizing she had crossed a line she wasn't aware of, Leliana hesitantly replied, "Just that Morrigan interfered with Grey Warden business and then she disappeared. That's it – no actual details…"

Visibly, Drea relaxed her muscles as she shifted to lean back against her desk. "Then he does still know how to be a Grey Warden." Leliana gave Drea a quizzical look, but was quiet. As Drea looked at her dearest friend she was suddenly unsure how to continue. Nothing had changed and yet she was aware of this wall that dropped between them. Of all the things Leliana was to her, she was not a Grey Warden. Her mouth went dry as she tried to think of how to tell her what she needed to without giving away her secrets. "Look, I...despite Alistair's personal preferences, Morrigan is still a friend. She did interfere with Warden business but she did it to save me. Both Alistair and I agreed to it, so his attitude after the fact is especially unfair. I beg you not to take it on. She's a friend in danger and I need to help her."

Seeing Drea suddenly search for words, Leliana knew she would never get the whole story. Suddenly she too was aware of the wall between them. Quietly she asked, "What could be a threat to her?"

"Flemeth is alive."

The colour drained from Leliana's face at the short statement. "That can't be true. I saw her body myself."

"And I saw no body myself," Drea sighed. "After some suspicious things were happening in my arling, we went to the Wilds to investigate any connection. Lil, the clearing was empty. There was no dragon carcass; there wasn't even a rotting human body. And almost to mock me, she even left me a note. And now Morrigan believes she is safe when she's in more danger than ever. Her child isn't safe either."

"Child?" Leliana whispered, her eyes were wide with all the shocking news.

"She interfered with Warden business and left with child," Drea repeated, not giving any other details. "And I might be wrong but I think her child has the potential to be more powerful than any mage we've ever known. I don't know what Flemeth wants but I don't think she could resist that sort of power. I have no idea where to even begin, but I have to get to Morrigan first."

"She's in Orlais!" Leliana blurted.

It was Drea's turn to be stunned. "What?"

With excited gestures, Leliana added, "Yes! While I was there I had heard stories of a mysterious new woman in the Royal Court. Everything about her matched – her description, her attitude, the timing…but I dismissed it because this mystery woman was with child. But…it was her!"

Instantly on her feet and striding towards the door, Drea replied, "Then we have to go to Orlais. I have to talk to Bodahn…"

Realizing Drea's new mission had to take precedence over their conversation, Leliana hurried to step out of the way. "We aren't done here, you know."

Stopping at the door to give Leliana an apologetic glance, she agreed, "I know."