Kirkwall, 9:31

Pushing back a strand of wet hair, Leliana made her way to the main room. Hearing voices, she peeked around the corner. Aedan sat in a chair across the room, with the top of someone's head visible in the chair that faced away from the Bard. 'This must be that Lusine woman…' she thought, listening to their conversation.

"I'll try again tomorrow… hopefully it'll go better than yesterday" Aedan glumly told his guest.

"I'll be honest" the unseen woman replied, "likely not, but I've failed to reach him. Even his friend, the Harimann girl, has had no luck. Try talking about how you felt…"

"… I tried, yesterday – I felt kind of selfish, talking about myself. If he's feeling anything like I did, he needs someone to listen… if they can force him into talking about it."

"We can only hope… they're still searching, but it's getting more and more unlikely they'll find anyone." As the woman finished, Leliana decided to enter the room proper.

"Some second cousin of his was located, if I heard right… ah, Lee!" Standing, Aedan motioned at the person in the other chair. "Allow me to introduce you to the Grand Cleric. Elthina, I'd like you to meet my fiancée."

"Pleased to finally meet you, my dear" Elthina smiled.

"Likewise, Your Grace… I wasn't aware you were coming. I would have dressed more appropriately" Leliana sighed, looking down at her simple dress.

"My apologies for the impromptu visit" Elthina said, noticing the brief glance of annoyance Leliana shot at Aedan. "But the Templars were insistent about having the Chantry empty this evening… I'm not sure why they brought a Tranquil man with them, but I'll enquire in the morning. I thought it would be an opportune moment to for the two of us to speak about Sebastian – I hadn't heard you had arrived."

"Sebastian… your friend, from when you studied?" Leliana asked.

"Yes" Aedan began, as his eyes sunk to the floor. "He… his…"

"… The details are still trickling in" Elthina glumly took over the conversation, "but an unknown group has made moves to exterminate his family line. So far, it seems they murdered all of his immediate relatives..."

"… I tried talking to him" Aedan spoke quietly, "but I felt pretty useless… Maker help me, it brought back memories of what Howe did and that's all I could think about, during our brief conversation."

"You're having the nightmares again, aren't you?" Leliana asked.

Looking up, he nodded. "On and off, after we heard… the first few nights, I kept waking up at every little noise. Especially people crawling back to their Estates from the Rose… a pack of men, sneaking through the streets and whispering in the small hours plays tricks on a paranoid mind."

"It certainly can" Leliana sadly agreed. "So that's why you were sleeping at the place Varric was talking about? The Hangman."

"… You got a big mouth, Varric" Aedan muttered, before returning to normal volume. "Yeah… like I said, paranoid, but a lot of the older estates like this place supposedly have old smuggling entrances to Darktown. Also, I just couldn't handle the silence."

"I hope your faith in that tavern isn't misplaced" Elthina mused.

"Corff's reliable enough, and my room is right between people I can definitely trust." The brief silence broke as Emfer began barking repeatedly from the next room. "The pot must be boiling over, I better check on that" Aedan said, quickly standing. "Have you eaten, Your Grace?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, though." As they watched him walk away, Elthina turned to Leliana. "While we wait, I wonder – perhaps you can tell me more about the Temple you all discovered? Aedan seemed very uneasy talking about what he actually saw, so I only know what the Chantry documents say."

"Of course I can" Leliana replied, leaning forward in her chair. "Where to begin…"

Elthina thought for a moment. "Aedan's Dwarf friend came by the Chantry one day by himself, uttering tall tales about a High Dragon exploding, or some nonsense. I'd rather hear about the Temple itself."

"I'll skip to the Guardian" Leliana replied. "He stopped us when we reached the antechamber, looked over all of us, and bid us welcome. After a moment, he asked that the soldiers remain behind… the challenges ahead cannot be solved by force. The men you were seeking will not trouble you. Perth was uneasy about it, but they agreed to wait. Then… he asked everyone a hard question."

"Riddles?" Elthina asked, sitting forward.

"No – for example, he asked the King if he considered himself a poor replacement for his father. A dream I'd had was questioned… he asked Aedan if he felt guilt for abandoning his parents to whatever Howe in mind. He interrupted mid-sentence and just said 'yes'."

"So this Guardian was… what, measuring your worth?"

"Perhaps – he may have been striking at our weak points, before the trials, to see how our faith stood up. The riddles came later." Leliana paused, "As did the things he asked us about…"


Entering the first room, the party all glanced about as several apparitions appeared out of the shadows. Casting a protection spell around herself, Wynne approached the closest image. Looking up, it spoke. "Echoes from the shadow realm, whispers of things yet to come. Thought's strange sister dwells in the night, is swept away by dawning light. Of what do I speak?"

Thinking for a moment, Wynne answered with "Dreams."

"A dream came upon me, as my daughter slumbered beneath my heart. It told of her life, and of her betrayal and death." Looking Wynne in the eye, it continued. "I am sorrow and regret. I am a mother weeping bitter tears for a child she could not save."

"Riddles… perhaps we should spread out to solve them" Wynne spoke after a moment, her eyes shut for some reason.

Kallian stopped at the nearest apparition, a bald Elf, while Cailan and Alistair walked towards the two other illusions. Looking over his shoulder, Aedan noticed one of the figures across the room watching him. 'More illusions. I take it that one's meant for me…' he thought, as he slowly followed Shale and Leliana to the other side of the chamber. The former Bard reached an apparition first, and it began a question.

"The smallest lark could carry it, while a strong man might not. Of what do I speak?"

Leliana smiled, quickly replying. "A tune."

Rolling his eyes at the ease of the questions so far, Aedan stepped before the waiting spirit. "Let's hear it…"

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The debt of blood must be paid in full. Of what do I speak?" it asked, also matching his gaze.

"Revenge" he answered after a brief pause.

It nodded at his response. "Yes. My husband, Hessarian, would have chosen a quick death for Andraste. I made him swear that she would die publicly, with her warleaders, that all would know the Imperium's strength. I am justice. I am vengeance. Blood can only be repaid in blood."

"Blood can only be repaid in blood…" he repeated under his breath, glancing over at Shale as she glared at the spirit before her.

As he walked over, the Golem turned to him and gestured at the ghostly figure. "Perhaps it would care to answer this nonsense" she snorted, walking away.

"The bones of the world stretch towards the sky's embrace. Veiled in white, like a bride greeting her groom. Of what do I speak?" it spoke.

"Mountains" Wynne said, walking up behind Aedan. Looking back with an annoyed 'I knew that' expression, his eyes moved to watch Alistair. The blonde Warden glanced at Cailan, before saying something to the armoured spirit. Once it disappeared, he took another sideways glance at his half-brother, before joining the others at the apparition in the corner.

"Could you… repeat that for everyone?" Kallian asked, scratching her head at the robed figure's riddle.

"No man has seen it but all men know it. Lighter than air, sharper than any sword. Comes from nothing, but will fell the strongest armies. Of what do I speak?"

As he stood behind the others, Alistair's stomach rumbled and the sound echoed off the cold walls. "Sorry, but we've been climbing this mountain for days, it feels like. We Wardens get hungry easily at the best of times" he muttered in embarassment.

Leliana looked at him for a moment, before turning back. "Hunger?"

"Yes, hunger was the weapon used against the wicked men of the Tevinter Imperium."

'Another lecture… is Cailan still stuck on his one?' Aedan noticed, ignoring the rest of the spirit's speech as he walked away. "Did you get the tricky one? Figures one of them had to be hard…" he asked, watching the King furrow his brow in thought.

"Just my luck, I guess" Cailan replied. "It's about what makes a good King, too – I usually get those moments wrong, as you might have noticed…"

Aedan stepped up to the final spirit, prompting it to begin. "She wields the broken sword, and separates true kings from tyrants. Of what do I speak?"

"… With the right angle and force, you can still use a broken sword – depending on where it broke" Cailan mused.

"But these things haven't been that literal with their meaning, so the point probably isn't about using the sword." Aedan pointed out. "Kings from tyrants… yeah, it's about staying your hand."


Walking out with two bowls, Aedan asked "Talking about the Temple?"

"I was telling Elthina about the riddles… I was up to Cailan's entity" Leliana explained.

Grinning, Aedan held out a bowl. "Right… what was the answer to that one, again?"

"Mercy" she answered, taking the meal.

"You're quite welcome… but what was the riddle about?" he asked with a smirk.

Groaning, Leliana said "It was about having the patience not to hit you for that…"

"Okay, fine" he laughed. "So we're up to the chasm."

"Not just yet" Leliana shook her head, turning to Elthina. "The next part was another large chamber… that's where we found some bodies of the Amaranthine soldiers. While we were distracted by them, mirror images of our group rushed out of the shadows to attack us."

"You succeeded where they failed, of course" Elthina noted.

"Howe's captain had survived, we found out later" Aedan replied, before letting Leliana continue.


Pushing through the unlocked door, Shale led the way down another corridor. Stopping dead in her tracks for a minute, Cailan made to move around the Golem. Silently, he also became still.

After a moment, they finally looked around in confusion. "… Did the rest of you see that?" Cailan asked.

"The only thing I noticed is that spider-web that looks like a boat" Alistair shrugged and pointed to a corner, receiving a withering stare from Shale in response.

"I saw someone…. Caridin. He claimed to know me…" she rumbled.

"I saw my mother. She told me…" trailing off, Cailan opened his hand to reveal an odd trinket. "… Hmm. We should move on?" Stepping away from where he had frozen, Cailan gestured for the others to follow.

"So… it was this spot here, the broken stone?" Kallian asked, staring at the tiles. "Right… here goes, I guess" she shrugged, stepping forward. After a brief halt, she shook her head and continued forward. Holding up an amulet, she stared at it. "Damnedest thing…"

Alistair hesitantly moved into the apparent spot. His eyes began looking about again first, before he shuffled over to stand next to Kallian. "Huh… who did you see?"

"Shianni, my cousin" she answered under her breath, not matching his gaze. "You?"

"Duncan" he replied, as Wynne suspiciously crept forward.

"… I thought as much" the elderly Mage thought out loud, once she regained mobility.

"You all keep going" Aedan waved, eyeing the chipped flagstone. "I'll… just go back to Perth and the knights." Nodding, Cailan led the others down the passageway.

"You want to turn back now?" Leliana asked, grabbing his wrist mid-turn. "But-"

"No more. These illusions, or demons, or whatever these things are. I can't handle any more fingers poking about in my head…" he replied softly.

"Hey…" she whispered, "It'll be alright. Nothing happened to the others, after all." When he remained unresponsive, she hooked her arm around his. "Come on. This is a holy place."

"According to the maniacs and the ghost. Supposing it is… doesn't matter what face they use from my family, I'll still be alone when it goes away."

"Our friends will still be here" Leliana said. "I'm here for you… if it helps, I 'm afraid too."

Confused, Aedan looked at her. "Why?"

"Because I know who I'll see… I'll be alone, as well, after facing her."

Nodding sadly, he stared at the flagstone. "Well, they've moving on… I guess we can be alone together." Swallowing nervously as he realised what he said, Aedan tried again. "I mean, we can combine our aloneness. I didn't mean-"

"I understand what you meant" she giggled, with a trace of nervousness in her voice as well. "So… we'll continue on together, yes?"

"Yeah, okay… on the count of three?"

Their vision misted, before the corridor flickered back into sight. "My dearest child…" an image of Bryce began.

Hissing, Aedan tried to pull back as Leliana tightened her grip. Glaring at the apparition, he stopped when he realised she was still beside him. "My father's dearest child was Fergus... get it right, if you want to torment me with all this" he said, defiantly shaking his head.

"No torment of our devising could match that which you inflict on yourself. No more must you grieve, Pup" the image replied with a pained expression, before grasping Aedan's hand between its own. "Take the pain and the guilt, acknowledge it, and let go. It is time. You have such a long road ahead of you, and you must be prepared." Stepping backwards, the image vanished into shadow as a figure emerged from the other side of the room.

"Been quite a while" called a voice, familiar despite a thicker Orlesian accent. "Hasn't it, girl?"

Looking between the pony-tailed apparition and the actual Leliana, Aedan could only let out a confused grunt while Leliana and her duplicate stared each other down.

"I hoped we were done with each other, after what she did… yet you so eagerly slip into old habits" it frowned.

"I… I do nothing of the sort!" she spat in response.

"Then decide what we are doing. Serving the Maker, chasing nightmares about rose-bushes, enjoying steel between our fingers again… which? I'm not sure these paths all connect." Looking at Aedan, it continued. "But then, we're confused about a few things…"

Feeling Leliana untangle their arms, Aedan grabbed her hand out of reflex before giving a reassuring squeeze. Strengthened by the gesture, Leliana shook her head. "I don't know why I had my vision… but I do know it's no coincidence it led me to this place. Perhaps this is why I was meant to leave? Regardless, I still follow the Maker's path."

"Follow which path you want… either way, you can be whatever you want from now on. We never had that choice before, so I hope you pick well." Pulling out an amulet from a belt-pouch, the apparition tossed it across the room. "Catch."

As Leliana snatched the amulet out of the air, their sight returned to normal. Feeling a weight in his fist, Aedan opened it to reveal his own amulet. Dangling it in front of his face by the chain, he stared it up and down. "Reflection…" Realising his other hand was still locked with Leliana's, he let go. "Sorry, I wasn't sure what would happen if we let go in there. And you stuck by me, so I just… I hope it's alright I heard all that" he rapidly voiced, looking around the empty corridor.

"I don't understand…" she muttered, absently running her thumb across the amulet. "Why me?"

"Why you, what?"

Looking up as heavy grinding echoed down the passage, Leliana cleared the emotions from her face. "We should… talk about this later." Following the echo, they found Wynne by the end of a tunnel that led out into a gaping pit.

"Whoa…" Aedan voiced, leaning his neck out to stare over the edge.

Groaning, Wynne gave him a frustrated look. "There's no need to spit down there, young man… the other boys have already done so."

"Why would I… forget it" he muttered in response. "What are we doing?"

"Herding cats, apparently" she replied. "Kallian, I said the 8 o'clock stone…" Shrugging, the young Elf pointed at a large tile next to her. "No, the one before that.. here, next to us."

"What the Hell do I know about clocks?" Kallian grumbled as she marched toward them. "Or puzzles, for that matter…"

Sighing, Wynne thought for a moment. "It seemed like the next one would be… Aedan, go stand on that tile next to Shale."

"It continued on, after all" Shale commented, as he passed.

"Yeah… well, turning back would have been like letting this place beat me" Aedan replied. "It'll have to do better than some riddles and a vision of my father, for that."

"That's what it saw… if the dream-creature spoke true, I suppose I saw mine as well."

"Your father?" Aedan asked, looking up.

"In a manner of speaking, that is. The one who created the Golems… if all of this can be taken as fact" Shale grumbled, staring at the central hole. "Would the fussy Mage make a decision?" she called out in irritation, her demand bouncing off the walls. Shaking her head in response, Wynne walked past Kallian and stamped her feet on a tile.

Another loud grind was heard, as the light warped to extend across the entire room. "… Now what?" Cailan asked. Feeling contact when she cautiously put a foot on the bridge, Leliana proceeded to walk across to the other doorway. Once his panic settled into surprise, Aedan stepped away from the tile he had stood on. Tapping the bridge with his foot, he then quickly marched over the pit.

"Okay… it looks like everyone can cross now" he said, waving the others over.

"Fascinating…" Wynne pondered, as she followed. "How do you think this was accomplished? Mirrors? Magic?"

"Can you please not question the magic bridge of faith while we're still on it?" Cailan protested, backed by Kallian grunting her agreement.

"Fire up ahead, by the sound" Alistair commented, exhaling as his feet reached solid ground.

Coming to the blazing obstacle, they found the Guardian standing over a body. "He thought he could simply avoid the final test" the Guardian declared, taking a small vial from the armoured corpse. "This, also, proves he was unworthy… I shall destroy this filth later."

"Another of its bear enemies" Shale said to Aedan, glancing at the Amaranthine emblem on the discarded shield.

"You will find no more here" the Guardian said, sheathing his blade. "And so, you must all face this last step now." Retreating to a corner, he simply watched as they looked at the small altar on their side of the inferno.

"These markings appear to be words" Wynne noted, pulling out a small pouch. Sprinkling powder across the carved area, she began wiping her hand back and forth to push the powder into the markings. "Cast off the trappings of wordy…" Wynne stopped and lightly dusted around the letters with a finger. "Worldly life and cloak yourself in the goodness of spirit. King and slave, lord and beggar, humble yourself before the Maker and be born anew in His sight."

Kallian began carefully emptying her pockets in a corner. "Trappings… no possessions, then. I just hope humble yourself doesn't mean we have to beat ourselves with sticks, like the Revered Mothers."

"That's just a rumour" Aedan replied, dropping his quiver to one side. "They don't actually do that."

"Unless they're bored" Alistair quipped.

"… Wait" Cailan ordered, staring at the writing. "Cloaks and born anew; what does the rest of it mean?"

Frowning, Wynne glanced at the corpse. "… I think I understand. We'll have to remove all our possessions" she said, untying her robes. Groaning in disgust, Shale shook her head.

Rereading the inscription, Cailan shrugged in acceptance and began shaking his gauntlets loose. "Not the first time I've been naked in front of this many people" he stated. Staring at him for a moment, Shale buried her face in a stony palm.

Also dumbstruck by the comment, Alistair studied the altar for himself. "I … guess that's what it means."

Finally removing his last piece of armour, Aedan stood and tried not to look at the others. 'Goodness of spirit… clean thoughts, then. Clean…' His eyes slowed at the sight of Leliana's scarred back, as she approached the flames. 'Maker, look what those bastards did… and I probably shouldn't stare at it.' His gaze sunk slightly, unwittingly focusing on her backside 'Goodness of spirit! Definitely no staring at… there' his mind panicked, as his widened eyes shot up to her hair. '… Just stop looking at her altogether! See that pillar? That's a nice, healthy, goodness of spirit pillar to look at instead.' Eyes locked, he slowly stepped through the fire. 'Made it? Made it! Now… focus on Shale. Who's still on that side…' "Shale, are you coming?"

Sighing, Shale pointed at Kallian as she picked at the Golem. "It insists that my crystals, finally arranged in an order I like, have to come out…" Looking at the Guardian, she asked "Do we have to pick out each and every one of these crystals, if I step through here?"

Thinking for a moment, the Guardian replied "I am afraid we make no exceptions here."

Snorting, Shale marched through the flames in a huff once Kallian finished . "It had better remember what went where…"

The Guardian raised a hand to cut the argument short. "You have proven yourselves worthy, pilgrims, by walking the path of Andraste; like her, you have been cleansed. Approach the Sacred Ashes…"

Leaving the others to their reverent whispering, Cailan quickly climbed the stairs and stared at the Urn. "I… we should take a little bit? For Genitivi, I mean. We're allowed to, so…" Dipping his fingers into the Urn, his other hand reached down to where his belt-pouch would have hung. "Uh… can someone bring me something to put these in?"

Silently nodding, Alistair quickly retrieved the powder-bag Wynne had emptied earlier. "This will have to do… hardly seems enough, for Andraste" he mumbled, opening the leather bag.

"From being stored in a pot, to the skin of a dead animal? I wonder… this woman you all speak of, would she have second thoughts about fighting her war, since she is honoured in such bizarre ways?" Shale asked, making everyone stare up at the bored Golem.


"From there, I expect the story will be much as Genitivi's account describes" Leliana finished.

"Thank you" Elthina nodded, "both of you. I hope another re-telling wasn't too boring." Turning to where her guard had been sitting, she realised another Templar had arrived at some point.

"Apologies, Your Grace… we did not wish to interrupt the telling. Thank you, for letting us listen" one said, bowing to the three of them. "Ser Alrik sent me to apologise. Our… exercise had an unforeseen problem, so he asks that the Chantry not be re-opened until we can clean up. We can escort you to the Estate housing the Mothers, if you're ready to-"

Eyes sharpening in thought, the Grand Cleric turned to Aedan as he coughed. "There are spare rooms here, Your Grace." Motioning at the clock, he added "I hadn't realised the time… it'll save you a walk to this other Estate."

"I'm already here, so I think that would be best. Thank you." Turning back to the Templars, she frowned. "Inform Ser Alrik of this… and also that I will expect to speak with him, in the morning." After they departed, she rose from her chair. "They'll most likely station a few Templars outside… perhaps that will help you sleep."

"Perhaps" Aedan nodded. "I'll show you to the guest wing." As they walked, he eventually voiced a thought. "You seemed a little… bothered, with this Alrik."

"To say the least… I don't wish to interfere with Meredith's authority, but the man's dedication seems to be becoming…"

"Zealous?"

"If one believes the whispers, yes. I shall have to speak with them both, about whatever he was doing tonight" she noted, stepping through a door after Aedan opened it.

"Here's hoping it's a trivial matter… goodnight, Your Grace" he offered, softly pulling the door shut behind her.


Oh, I hate looking at this chapter - the bulk of it was done while I had a bad flu, so I decided to rewrite it to actually flow... and promptly caught a head cold (Winter and I hate each other), so the editing made it much worse. Don't medicate and write, is all I can say.

Thanks to everyone still reading, following, etc. especially Arien, and Melysande for the advice.