The clouds drew closer and closer to the ground as the Grey Wardens approached the Blackmarsh. The sun's rays became thin as the path narrowed and the countryside was blanketed in shadows. Dead, twisted trees dotted the landscape and the stench of rotting vegetation assailed their nostrils. Off the path, the ground took on a wet, muddy look. Nathaniel had warned them that even if the ground looked solid just off the path, chances are it was not. A dense fog began to move in, limiting their vision and making them feel as if they were suddenly blind.

"I wish the sun would come back," Sigrun muttered to Lhiannon, looking toward the sky apprehensively.

"You're not the only one."

"Ugh, what is that smell?" Anders groused from behind Lhiannon. She turned her head to see his nose wrinkling in disgust. "My robes will stink for days if we stay here much longer."

They found a large patch of solid ground, tethering the horses to trees in the area before continuing the rest of the way into the Blackmarsh on foot. They walked for some time before coming across a weathered signpost in their path, covered in layers of dirt. Lhiannon walked up to the sign, brushing off the dirt with her armored hand.

"What does it say?" Sigrun asked, bounding up to Lhiannon's side.

"It warns travelers that the Blackmarsh is haunted," Lhiannon said, grimacing. "Wonderful."

Nathaniel came forward and looked at the sign, uneasiness written on his face. "My father used to tell us stories of the Blackmarsh when we were children."

"What did he say?" Anders asked, doing his best to keep his robes away from the dirty sign as they passed.

Nathaniel looked about warily, the desolate, seemingly haunted landscape sending chills up his spine. He felt himself shivering involuntarily. "My father said evil magic killed everyone here just before the rebellion against the Orlesians. It was a great mystery at the time."

"What kind of magic could do that?" Sigrun asked, fascinated by Nathaniel's tale.

Nathaniel shrugged as they began to walk once more up the path deeper into the march. "No one knows what type of magic. All anyone knew was that the marsh was abandoned when the monsters appeared."

"Ooh, monsters. Sounds pretty scary," Sigrun chirped, fingering her weapons and looking about nervously.

"When I was a boy, I used to dream about traveling to the Blackmarsh and setting things to rights," Nathaniel continued, scoffing as he did so. "The silly dreams of a young boy."

Lhiannon shrugged, grinning at Nathaniel as he walked beside her. "Well, you're here. How silly are those dreams now?"

Nathaniel laughed, a rich sound so completely out of place considering their current surroundings. "If someone had told me I would end up here, I would have laughed at them. 'Hero of the Blackmarsh' indeed."

Lhiannon laughed with him, knowing exactly what he meant. She thought back to the time she and Loghain had finally admitted their love for one another and became the unlikely pair they were now. If someone had looked into a scrying ball and told her that they would fall in love, she would have laughed at them too, right before marching them off the the healers to have their head examined. "I know exactly what you mean, Nate."

"When I returned to Ferelden, I expected to take command of my father's garrison, but look at me now. I'm a Grey Warden fighting both darkspawn and demons" Nathaniel raised a brow at Lhiannon, a grin turning up one corner of his mouth. "An interesting turn of events, wouldn't you say Lhi?"

"Absolutely," she agreed, turning to look at Nathaniel with a smile. "Since you wanted me to send you to the gallows rather than have you become a Grey Warden."

Nathaniel chuckled, scoffing lightly as he did so. "It seemed like a good idea at the time…"

Anders quickly held his arm out in front of Lhiannon, halting the Wardens' forward progress. He tilted his head, concentrating on the path in front of them. "Do you hear that?" he asked quietly. Sigrun quickly pulled her daggers, crouching low and listening. Lhiannon eased Spellweaver from its scabbard as she heard Nathaniel quietly draw his bow and ready an arrow in his hand.

They slowly moved forward, backs pressed close to each other and watching warily for anything that may appear from the fog to confront them. Ahead of them, they began to hear heavy breathing and snuffling sounds. Suddenly, a blight wolf bounded out of the fog and leapt forward, knocking Nathaniel to the ground in a great fit of snarling. Nathaniel's bow went flying out of his hand, but luckily, the arrow did not. Grasping the arrow in both hands, Nathaniel shoved it into the muzzle of the blight wolf, where it was immediately snapped in two by the creature's powerful jaws. Sigrun was instantly on the creature's back, driving her daggers into its flesh as Nathaniel tried to hold the snapping, dripping muzzle away from his face.

Lhiannon turned to look ahead and saw more blight wolves headed for them, howling a warning to any others that may be close. She turned to Anders. "Freeze them!" she cried out. As Anders prepared the ice spell, Lhiannon began to call forward an earth spell, boulders suddenly flying from her hands at the frozen blight wolves. As the boulders landed, the creatures shattered into fragments, thawing on the spongy ground.

They quickly turned to see Sigrun still slashing at the blight wolf that had landed on Nathaniel. The wolf had opened several large wounds on Nathaniel's arms and face and they could see Nathaniel's struggles beginning to weaken. Lhiannon rushed forward, plunging Spellweaver into the wolf's side as Sigrun leaped off. They heard Anders shouting the words to a healing spell as they dragged the weakening wolf off Nathaniel, pulling it several feet away. As Sigrun buried her daggers into the wolf's neck, Lhiannon thrust her sword into the creature's heart. After a moment, it fell still.

Lhiannon turned to see Anders helping Nathaniel to his feet, his wounds beginning to close as Anders conferred the healing spell. She and Sigrun quickly rushed over to him.

"You all right?" Lhiannon asked, worry in her voice. She watched as Anders' spell continued to close the nasty bite marks and gouges covering Nathaniel's arms and face.

Nathaniel took a deep breath and nodded, sighing with relief as the pain began to subside. "Yes, I'll be fine."

"We should probably keep moving. The sooner we can find out what happened to Kristoff, the sooner we can go home," Anders said, looking at the dead wolves in disgust. "This certainly isn't the most pleasant place I've ever visited."

They began to move forward through the marsh again, the fog still a heavy blanket around them. As they drew closer to where the village should be, they began to find the moldering bodies of dead darkspawn. They had clearly been here for some time.

Lhiannon poked a dead genlock with her sword. "I think this may be Kristoff's handiwork."

Nathaniel nodded his agreement. "Well, we know now that the darkspawn are here. We also know that something is killing them."

The continued moving along the path toward the village, finally seeing ruined buildings through the fog. They followed a path that skirted the village toward the water, hearing the low lapping sounds along the shore. They sensed movement ahead of them and brought their weapons to the ready. Sigrun began to quietly sniff at the air. "Oh, no," she groaned.

Lhiannon turned to Sigrun and saw the look of disgust on the dwarf's face. "What is it?" she asked, listening warily to the shuffling sounds ahead of them.

"Childer grubs," she shrugged, her face wrinkled in disgust. "I hate those."

The first of the grubs appeared not a minute later, rushing at the Grey Wardens and squealing for its companions, who heard the cry and began to scuttle forward. After several minutes, the onslaught of blades and magic cleaved through the group of grubs, leaving their ichor pooling on the ground around them. As they Grey Wardens moved past the carcasses, they spotted what appeared to be a body crumpled on the ground on the path ahead of them. Lhiannon rushed forward, hunkering down next to the body and examining it.

It had clearly been here for a short while, a rancid smell beginning to emanate from the decaying flesh. He had been an imposing man dressed in heavy chain armor, his fallen sword not far away. A white griffon was emblazoned on one of his pauldrons. Judging from the injuries she could see, Lhiannon guessed that he had been in a vicious fight just before he died.

"Is that Kristoff?" Anders asked, coming closer and bending down next to Lhiannon.

"That would be my guess," Lhiannon said, pointing to the griffon on the body's shoulder. "Not the ending I hoped for. We'll have to take the body back to Vigil's Keep for a proper funeral; for his wife's sake, if nothing else."

A rustling from beside them made Lhiannon snap her head to her left. As she jumped to her feet, she saw a hurlock lurch out of the underbrush, hissing angrily as it appeared. Suddenly there were noises all around and as she watched, more hurlocks appeared out of the darkness, surrounding them with their hisses and growls.

She brought Spellweaver to the ready, preparing for the inevitable attack when a new creature appeared on the path behind them. It looked similar to The Withered, but was dressed in black heavy chain, the armor streaked with red. Its face was a ghastly grayish white color, carved with deep wrinkles and mottled with dark spots of corruption.

It laughed at them, a malevolent sound that sent shivers down Lhiannon's spine. "The Grey Warden. That is his body," it sneered, apparently proud of itself.

Lhiannon's eyes narrowed at this newest sentient darkspawn. It began to walk slowly toward the Grey Wardens, the hurlocks accompanying it also beginning to draw closer. They were caught in a vice.

"The Mother said that if the Grey Warden were lured to this place and killed, other Grey Wardens would come," it said, its voice raspy as if had not spoken aloud in some time.

Nathaniel grimaced from where he stood behind Lhiannon, his back to hers and watching the approaching hurlocks warily. "This was a trap then," he scoffed, growling the words as he spoke. "We were fools to fall into it."

The talking darkspawn made a low sound that Lhiannon realized was laughter. "The Mother was right. The Mother is always right."

"Who is this 'Mother'?" Lhiannon demanded, glaring at the creature as it drew closer.

"The Mother is she who sent me; The First," the creature rasped, raising his hands and pointing to itself before indicating the marsh around them. "The Mother wished for the Grey Wardens to come to this place."

The First was now standing so close to Lhiannon, she could have poked him in the chest with the tip of Spellweaver had she reached out. The stink of corruption rolled off him in waves and she heard Anders gagging quietly beside her.

"I bring you a message," The First said, bringing one of his hands up in front of him. Lhiannon and Anders both stiffened as they sensed magical power coalescing around it. "The Mother will not permit you to further his plan. Whether you know it or not, she is sending you a gift."

Dark magic began to swirl about The First's hand, quickly spreading out and enveloping the entire area in a greenish black shimmer. Lhiannon's skin felt like thousands of insects were crawling over it, stinging and biting as the magical energies swarmed over her. She could hear Sigrun's terrified cries from nearby, and heard Nathaniel and Anders groaning inarticulately. There was also an alarmed cry from nearby that Lhiannon finally realized was coming from her own lips. The greenish light suddenly intensified, her eyes searing and blinded before plunging her into dark unconsciousness.

"A representative from the Merchants Guild in Amaranthine will be arriving next week, looking to establish a guild house here in Gwaren," Loghain explained to Thorne, pointing to a day in the ledger on the desk. "They have helped increase trade in Amaranthine since the end of the Blight, so having their presence here should also benefit our merchants."

Thorne had been given a clean bill of health by the healers and mages earlier in the day. Loghain was in the seneschal's office, making sure Thorne was caught up on the teyrnir's recent business before departing for Vigil's Keep at dawn the following morning.

"Cauthrien is expecting a shipment of silverite metal to come in through the port within the next few days. The ship is Antivan, so make sure there are plenty of guards at the docks. I don't want anything to 'disappear' while they are here."

Cauthrien snorted from where she stood across the desk from Loghain and Thorne. "Antivan sailors have such sticky fingers. They'll take anything not nailed down."

Thorne nodded, chuckling at Cauthrien's observation, "Of course, Your Grace. It shall be done."

Loghain looked up from the ledger, turning his gaze on his seneschal. "It is good to have you back, Thorne."

Thorne nodded his appreciation to the Teyrn. "It is good to be back."

Loghain turned his gaze to Cauthrien. "If you hear anything at all regarding conspirators attempting to cause trouble here again, send me a message at Vigil's Keep immediately." He paused, shaking his head and scoffing. "I tire of these damned conspiracies."

"They shall never prosper here, Your Grace," Cauthrien said with authority. Loghain nodded at his lieutenant. With Cauthrien in charge of security and military matters in Gwaren, Loghain could rest easier. He knew that she was as respected nearly as much as he was by the populace throughout the teyrnir. Conversely, ne'er-do-wells feared her almost as much as they feared him. Between Cauthrien and Thorne, Gwaren was in good hands.

Loghain nodded to Cauthrien. "Keep an eye on the lords and banns that had been given bribes by the conspirators. They may have been granted mercy, but trust will be a long time coming. If they show any signs of treachery, imprison them and let me know immediately."

"As you wish, Your Grace."

"It may be several months before I return to Gwaren," Loghain said, moving his gaze to Thorne from Cauthrien. "I trust you and Cauthrien will run things efficiently while I am gone." Loghain rose from the seat behind the desk and motioned for Thorne to take his rightful place there. "Cauthrien, have the soldiers and Grey Warden candidates meet me outside the manor at dawn tomorrow morning. We leave for Vigil's Keep then." With nods to both his lieutenant and seneschal, Loghain walked from the office, his footsteps echoing through the halls of his manor, intent on completing his last minute errands before leaving for Vigil's Keep in the morning.

Loghain returned to his chambers, preparing his packs for the journey back to Vigil's Keep. He filled his packs with the clothing and supplies he brought from the Vigil and set them by the door where he could quickly grab them as he left. He also decided to bring some of his personal funds to store in the vault at Vigil's Keep; not knowing how long it would be before he returned to Gwaren, he did not want to constantly send armed escorts back and forth to bring funds.

As the sun rose above the horizon the next morning, promising a sunny day and excellent riding, Loghain felt as if he were returning home rather than leaving it. Home, he discovered, was wherever Lhiannon was, be it Vigil's Keep or a bedroll in the wilderness. He looked forward to returning to her side once again and hearing what transpired on her trip to Redcliffe; she would likely still be mourning the execution of her mage friend and he would need to support her in her grief. He also hoped that she was not too angry and disappointed with him for leaving to deal with the issues in Gwaren. Lhiannon was pragmatic, however; she may not be happy that he left, but would likely understand why he did so. At least, that was Loghain's hope.

He also had pressing business with Ambassador Cera when he returned. She should have her task completed by now and he was most anxious to see the results of her crafting. Loghain found that his anticipation was so great, he had to fight the urge to move his accompanying soldiers at a forced march toward Vigil's Keep.

"Lhi? Are you all right? Lhi? Come on, wake up, Lhi!"

A gentle shaking brought Lhiannon up from the depths of unconsciousness. She saw Anders kneeling over her, the look of concern on his face quickly replaced with relief. "Oh, thank the Maker you woke up!"

Lhiannon moved to stand, Anders helping to steady her as the world spun madly out of control for a few seconds. She blinked a few times before she looked about and saw Nathaniel and Sigrun beginning to stir as well.

"Andraste's blood. What the hell happened?" Lhiannon asked, rubbing her forehead and grimacing.

"It appears we're in the Fade," Anders said, dread in his voice.

Lhiannon looked around. The swamp looked bright as day though Lhiannon could not see any evidence of the sun. The landscape had the familiar shimmering, not quite real quality of the Fade. "Andraste's flaming arse," she breathed, "this isn't good."

"This is the Fade?" Sigrun asked, looking around with both fascination and revulsion on her face. "It's weird."

The Grey Wardens began to take in their surroundings. Around them were the shattered corpses of hurlocks, barely recognizable as the creatures they once were. The crumpled body of The First was also there. As they warily watched, it began to stir. It pulled itself to its feet as Lhiannon and her companions brought their weapons to the ready. The First looked about and Lhiannon swore to herself that it looked confused and horrified. "No! I am not believing that I am here in the Fade!"

Lhiannon brought her sword up and pointed it at The First's chest. "What have you done, creature?" she snarled at it.

The First looked about, still not believing its own corrupted eyes. "No! This is not as it should be. I am being betrayed; trapped in the Fade with the Grey Wardens. This one is a fool."

"You're damned right you're a fool. Rest assured, creature. I'll deal with you first and then The Mother later," Lhiannon growled, preparing to plunge Spellweaver into The First's chest. She heard the familiar sound of weapons being drawn from the Wardens behind her.

The First gave a raspy laugh, sending a chill throughout Lhiannon's body. "This one is thinking that The Mother, she cares not for what happens to The First so long as the Grey Wardens are defeated. The First will leave the Grey Wardens to the children. The First will find its own way out of this world and back to The Mother."

With a wave of its hand and a guttural hiss, childer grubs and darkspawn fell upon the Grey Wardens from all directions. As she fought off one of the grubs, Lhiannon saw The First bound off and around a curve in the path beyond her sight. She swore angrily and took out her frustration a grub that foolishly lunged at her, separating its squealing head from its body. They fought the creatures, finally dispatching them all and standing among the ruined and magically burned bodies, the smell of corruption hanging thick in the air. They spent several minutes catching their breath, with Lhiannon and Anders casting healing spells among them. After the worst of their wounds were tended to, they began to move along the path toward the village in the distance, hoping that their way out of the Fade lay there.

"Halt! Who approaches?"

Lhiannon warily approached the guard standing at the village gate. She held her hands up to indicate that she was unarmed and not a threat. "We are Grey Wardens trapped in the Fade."

The guard lowered his weapon and sheathed it, looking at Lhiannon and the others with a degree of sadness. "Oh. Then you are trapped here just as we are, locked in this endless nightmare of the Baroness' making." The guard sighed; to Lhiannon it sounded overwhelmingly sad. "I almost forgot what it was like on the outside, before we were trapped here."

As Lhiannon and the guard spoke, Nathaniel thought he heard the sounds of intense shouting and clamoring, as if a riot were in progress. "What is happening in there?" he asked the guard, motioning beyond the gates.

The guard's face lit with expectation and hope. "A spirit has come to help free us! If you seek it out, perhaps it can help you too." He paused for a moment, his face growing sad. "I just want this nightmare to end; I want peace." The guard gathered himself and turned to the gate, opening it for the Grey Wardens. "Good luck to you. Maker watch over you."

Lhiannon led the others through the gate and into the village. As they walked the main path toward the manor, they saw villagers scampering about and huddling in the corners and doorways of buildings, muttering nonsensical things as they passed by. Lhiannon felt a profound sadness for their plight. After a few minutes of walking, they rounded a corner and saw the gates of the manor ahead of them, a large group of villagers gathered in front. At the gate itself was an imposing figure in glowing armor, reminiscent of templar armor. His deep, resonant voice carried through the crowd and into the gates of the manor.

"Come out, fiend. Face your crime and its victims!"

As the sound of the spirit warrior's voice faded, Lhiannon could hear the villagers shouting in indignation at the manor. "We're not afraid of you any longer, witch! Come out of hiding, or we shall break down the door and drag you out!"

The armored figure held his hand up to the angry villagers. "Be cautious. The creature that is the Baroness has power within her lair and she well knows it." The figure turned toward the Grey Wardens as they approached, regarding them with narrowed eyes through its full face shield. "And what are you creatures? More minions of the Baroness or more trapped souls that she has tormented?"

Lhiannon stepped forward, nodding slightly to the creature. "We are Grey Wardens, brought here against our will. We are trapped here."

The figure's eyes narrowed further as he looked between Lhiannon and her companions as if assessing their motives. After a moment, he turned back to Lhiannon and spoke. "I know not what a 'Grey Warden' is, but since you are a stranger here, perhaps that is a sign.

"I am a spirit of justice. I have watched this place and seethed at all the wrongs brought upon the trapped people here. I seek to aid them and free them of their torment."

One of the villagers stepped forward and spoke to Lhiannon. "We rose up against the Baroness in our world. When we did, she cast one last spell that brought us all into the Fade. We have been trapped her ever since, still under her rule and subject to her malevolent, vengeful whims."

"We should help this spirit," Nathaniel urged. "It knows the Fade. It may be able to help us in return."

Lhiannon turned to Anders and Sigrun, who nodded their agreement with Nathaniel. Lhiannon nodded at them in agreement, turning back toward the spirit of justice. "We will help you, spirit."

The spirit nodded to her. "Being a Grey Warden appears to make you a noble sort. Your aid would be most welcome here. We now have sufficient numbers to directly challenge the witch."

The spirit turned toward the gathered villagers, raising his fist in the air. "For too long you have been victims of the Baroness' depravity! Too long have her crimes gone unpunished! Let us take the battle directly to the witch and reclaim your freedom!" The spirit turned toward the gate, raising his armored foot and kicking the gate open, causing it to clatter loudly against the stone wall. The spirit marched in, closely followed by the Grey Wardens and a number of villagers. Lhiannon looked up at the main doors of the manor as they opened. An attractive woman of middle age walked forward, her elaborate dress swishing gently across her figure. The bright light of the Fade made the tiara on her head gleam brightly, contrasting her dark hair. As she approached, Lhiannon saw she was flanked by two demons, writhing masses of corruption waiting for her command.

"All this shouting! And now you decide to barge in without a proper invitation. How very rude. I should think my subjects would have better manners," the Baroness said, her Orlesian accent clear in Lhiannon's ears.

"I demand that you release these villagers and submit yourself to justice!" the spirit shouted indignantly. The Baroness scoffed at him. "Justice? Is that what you call this? And what of justice for them? What is their punishment for burning my house to the ground with me still inside?"

"You were stealing our children!" a villager shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the Baroness. "You used their blood to feed your vanity!"

The Baroness's face twisted into a scowl of rage. She pointed back at the villager. "It was my right! You lived on my land! Their blood belonged to me, just as your lives belong to me! You are my property!"

Lhiannon pushed herself through the villagers, her Wardens a step behind her. She stood next to the spirit, pointing Spellweaver at the Baroness. "Their lives are no longer yours!"

The Baroness turned to regard Lhiannon, her eyes looking her over in amusement. "I see. These fools have managed to recruit more sympathizers to their fruitless cause. Step aside, stranger, or you shall share their fate."

"The villagers are no longer alone, witch," the spirit snarled at the Baroness. "Your reign of terror ends here."

The Baroness scoffed, giving the spirit a malevolent grin. "I am not alone either," she said, looking off to her right at the approaching form of The First.

The First looked at the spirit and the Grey Wardens. "The path across the Veil for this one lies in victory over the Grey Wardens and their new allies. Then this one will see The Mother pay for her treachery."

Sigrun glared up at the Baroness, her tattooed face snarling in rage. She pointed at The First. "You should choose your pets more carefully, you stupid nug snuggler!"

"Oh, and should I have chosen you mortals instead?" the Baroness sneered.

The First turned toward the Baroness and began to beseech her. "They must be ending the Grey Wardens! That is more dangerous that you know!"

The Baroness turned toward The First, seemingly bored with the whole exchange. She waved an impatient hand at him. "Oh, very well. Do what you wish, creature. Slay them and you shall have the reward you requested."

The spirit pulled his weapon, pointing it at The First. "The battle is joined!" he cried as The First came charging down from the manor, swinging its two-handed axe wildly at the villagers who tried to mob it. It cleaved its way through them with little effort before turning its attention to the Grey Wardens. It raced toward Lhiannon, bellowing in rage at it swung its axe at her. She scampered out of the way at the last second, bringing Spellweaver around and landing a heavy blow on the creature's back. It howled with rage as it turned toward her, bringing the axe above its head for another blow. As Lhiannon watched, an arrow suddenly appeared under the creature's arm, Nathaniel shouting in triumph as he let loose a second arrow. It also found purchase in the side of The First. Lhiannon saw Sigrun trying to flank the creature and bellowed at it to keep its attention on her.

"The Mother sent you to fight her battles?" Lhiannon taunted, grinning malevolently at The First as Sigrun continued her silent flanking maneuver. "You're just as weak as the other countless darkspawn I've killed in the past year!"

The First hissed and growled at her despite staggering from the arrows in its side. It brought the axe to bear once more. "This one will see you dead. This one will please my brethren by bringing them your head." As he moved to swing the axe at Lhiannon, Sigrun leaped toward the creature, burying both of her daggers to the hilt in The First's back. It roared in anguish and tried to fling the dwarf off its back, dropping the axe and reaching back to try and pull the daggers out of its flesh.

Lhiannon brought Spellweaver to bear. "Now, Sigrun!" she shouted at the dwarf. Sigrun pulled her blades from The First's back and leaped away as Lhiannon shoved Spellweaver into the creature's chest, screaming at the effort. The First began to stagger as Lhiannon pulled Spellweaver from its chest, ichor dripping from the blade to splatter on the ground. The First fell to one knee as Lhiannon stood before it, ready to deliver the killing blow.

Lhiannon turned as she heard the Baroness scream in rage. She pointed at The First. "You are a fool! Why haven't you defeated these pathetic creatures?"

The First was still on one knee, looking up at the Baroness in supplication. "They are too much for this one. Send this one through the Veil before it is too late."

The Baroness sneered at The First. "Oh, I'll sunder the Veil all right. I'll send them back. But it will be your life that provides the power to sunder it!" The First screamed in agony as the Baroness wove the spell, pulling the remaining life force from The First in a red haze, using it to shatter the Veil. Lhiannon saw the air begin to shimmer around them once more before she fell into unconsciousness.

Remember, Loghain doesn't know that Lhiannon conscripted Jowan just yet; he still thinks Eamon had him hanged. Of course, there are a great many things about Redcliffe our taciturn friend doesn't know. ;)

Special thanks to my reviewers Shakespira, Aura of Darkness Night, Enaid Aderyn, Arsinoe de Blassenville, Nithu, and Gene Dark (who sent me a review in a PM). Thank you all so much!

And then there's icey, who was an absolute reading and reviewing MACHINE on Sunday. I turned my back on the inbox to take to the ice (no pun intended) with one review in my box; low and behold when I got off the ice 90 minutes later (another pun NOT intended), there were EIGHT MORE. Before I even left the arena parking lot there were MORE! Your reviews must have been good luck; I scored an AWESOME goal. ;) That you took, what, three hours out of your day for my tale is much appreciated! Thank you so much!

I'm toying with the idea of a second one-shot taking place in Loghain's head on his trip back to Vigil's Keep. He's got a lot to ponder on that ride back. I'll try to have it posted in the next few days.

Thank you as well to all you readers and lurkers, and those who favorite and bookmark the story. I love getting those little alerts. Please keep them coming! :)