The door barely shuts behind us before I pulled Cullen to me by the front of his doublet. My lips instantly find his and I hear him chuckle as he pulls away slightly.

"Lena," He mutters breathlessly as I work determinedly at his buttons. "The door…"

"Is shut." I say as I slide one hand to the back of his head, running my fingers through his hair. "I imagine we have little time and I don't want to waste a second of it."

I attack his lips once more and feel a shiver run through me as he kisses back with equal fervor. With a half moaned warning to not rip my dress in his haste, my dress is gone and tossed somewhere nearby in the darkened room before I feel Cullen's kisses move from my neck and inch hands are warm as they slip over my body, caressing and cupping as he makes his way downward. I brace myself against the door as I feel his stubble against my inner thigh, biting my lip in anticipation. He suddenly stops and flips me around, his warm breath on my lower back.

Something about being in the dark seemed to ignite something in Cullen, making him bolder - I loved it.

A gust of cold night air hits me when I finally leave the little room, a smile still plastered on my face. After waiting a while after Cullen left, I quickly dressed and fixed my hair before returning to the keep. As I enter the room, it's alive with conversation, music and dancing. I spot Cullen once more encircled by Orlesian ladies who fawn over him while he blushes whilst he attempts to deflect their advances. I'm so busy watching him that I hardly notice Dorian as he strides up beside me. It isn't until he gives a slight cough that I notice him. He smirks. "Having fun, Inquisitor?" He asks.

A blush rises up from my collar as I nod. "A little. Are you?"

His smile falls as he looks down at the dark liquid in his cup. "Not entirely." As he looks up, he glances around before lowering his voice. "I need to speak with you about something."

"Of course."

I follow him across the hall before ducking into the dark and surprisingly empty undercroft.

"Is everything okay?" I frown as he stops and swivels around to face me.

He traces the rim of his cup, a solemn expression on his handsome face. "It's about Alexius."

A shiver runs down my spine at the very mention of him. "What about him?"

"I don't suppose you've heard about tomorrow?" My brows furrow and he nods. "Cassandra and Cullen were speaking earlier. They're growing anxious about having that Crestwood guy and Alexius still locked want them to be dealt with and mentioned holding a trial for them tomorrow."

"A trial? It's obvious that both men are guilty. Why else would they be locked up?"

"That's the thing." Dorian frowns."They want them to face the consequences of their actions. You're the one who will be selecting their punishment."

My eyes widen. "Me? Why me?"

He shrugs,"You're the Inquisitor." He says simply, as though that answers everything. "It's because of this that I need to speak with you."

I exhale as I run a hand over my hair. "I hope that after everything he's done, you don't want me to spare him. I'm just going to disappoint you."

He shakes his head. "Of course not. His crimes are not something that can be simply brushed under the carpet. I just want to appeal to you to not judge him too harshly." He pauses a moment, his eyes searching mine. "When I overheard them speak, Cullen and Cassandra spoke of making Alexius tranquil."

"Tranquil?" I ask. I remembered Wynne mentioning a young initiate being made tranquil but the actual meaning evaded me. I watch as Dorian tenses, his gaze shifting downwards.

"It's a practice used all over Thedas that cuts off mages' connection to the Fade. It stops them from drawing from it to use magic, prevents them from dreaming and also robs them of any and all emotion." His jaw clenches. "For a mage, it basically robs them of their entire identity."

"That's horrible." I frown.

Dorian nods. "It is. It's a fate worse than death." He suddenly looks up to meet my gaze. "I know that what Alexius has done is unforgivable but I beg you, as your friend, please don't make him tranquil. He was a good man once."

I sigh. "Obviously I have a little bit of time to think things over and get other sides of it but if you were to set his punishment, what would you do?"

He shrugs helplessly. "I...It's hard to say. As you already know, I'm a little biased."

"Because he was your mentor."

"Patron, actually. He was sponsoring me to the higher levels of the Circle of Magi in Tevinter. In return, my successes were his." The corner of his mouth twitches up into a brief smile. "I had a lot of successes, naturally. Alexius was most pleased."

"Of course he was." I smile. "Who wouldn't be with somebody like you?"

He nods. "He and I used to talk over brandy about the corruption, how we could one day make real changes in the Imperium." His smile falls. "After Livia died and Felix was wounded, he just..gave up. He stopped trying."

Reaching up, I place my hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Dorian. Truly."

Sniffing, he clears his throat before he meets my gaze once more. "Thank you. All I ask is that when you eventually make your judgement tomorrow, I beg that you rule fairly; If for no other reason, for me."

Shortly after our talk, we return to the keep and Dorian excuses himself. As he melts back into the crowd, I look around for any other familiar face among the braids, fur and masks. Finally, tucked away near the wall, I see a very uncomfortable looking Cassandra trying hard to not be noticed. Chuckling to myself, I start toward her.

As I approach, I smirk to myself as she sits rigidly in her seat. Like Josephine and I, a thin wreath of holly and berries sits atop her short, dark hair and she looks to be wearing a new, crushed velvet top. "Care for some company?" I ask, smirking as she looks up at me.

"Lena!" She says, her brows jumping up. She glances around us before nodding and motioning for me to sit across from her. "Please."

I take a seat and I reach for one of the empty cups on the table. Noticing me looking around, she grabs a pitcher nearby and pours me some wine. I raise it with an appreciative nod and take a sip, taken back by the taste and warmth of the drink.

"Have you not had mulled wine before?" She asks, raising a brow.

I take another tentative sip before shrugging. "Not that I can recall." I mutter, setting my cup down.

"Ah, yes…" Cassandra nods, looking up at me ruefully. "I'm sorry. I'm sure times like this can be difficult for you."

I shrug. "Not entirely. It's hard to miss what you can't remember." I offer her a small smile. "What about you? Did you have any fun Satinalia traditions in Nevarra?"

She thinks for a moment, pouring herself some mulled wine before nodding. "I don't have many…."

"Tell me one of your fondest memories."

I wait, wrapping my hands around the warmed cup as she thinks. Finally, i see the hint of a smile beginning to form. She glances down at her drink as though watching it play out on the dark surface. "I remember going to the markets with Anthony. It was one of my favorite times…"

"Anthony?"

A sadness passes over her. "My brother. He died when I was younger." I frown as she looks away with a sigh. "In Nevarra, every Satinalia there would be these markets. After our parents were killed for rebelling against my uncle, the king, we spent a lot of time alone together. Around this time, we would sneak out of the castle and stroll around the markets filled with treasures from all over Thedas." I watch as her lips curl upwards slightly. "With the brightly colored lanterns glancing off the snow, the rich costumes, and vast array of wares and food, it was like a whole other world, just for us."

Her eyes meet mine and her face flushes and a scowl replaces her smile.

"That sounds, dare I say, magical." I nod. "How long has it been since you've seen the Nevarran holiday markets?"

She looks away in thought for a moment. "It's been about 28 years since I last visited with my brother." She says quietly, as though the realization of the time passed was surprising.

"After Anthony died, I didn't leave the castle much until I was sent to join the Seekers when I was 12."

Before I can respond, Varric appears by my side, holding what looks like a soft covered book. He nods to me and Cassandra in turn before turning his attention to the Seeker.

"Enjoying yourself, Seeker?" He says with a grin.

She shoots him an annoyed glance. "Can I help you?"

His grin widens. "Actually, I have something for you." He holds out the book and she just stares at it. "I heard you were a fan."

She makes no effort to reach as she stares dubiously at it. "What is this?"

"This is your Satinalia present." I interject. "I found out you were a fan of the series."

Her brows furrow as she looks between Varric and I before taking the book. As she opens the front cover and glances down at the page, her face reddens. "I…" She begins, quickly shutting it and looking around. Her gaze darkens as she turns to me. "Who told you? Was it Dorian?"

"What? No! I—"

"I will kill that damned Tevinter—!" She seethes.

Varric and I exchange a confused glance before he reaches across the table to take it back. "Well, I suppose if you're not interested…"

"Wait!" Cassandra holds the book close to her chest as she avoids our gaze. Varric smirks beside me as we can see her expression as she no doubt scolds herself internally.

"You're probably wondering what happened to the Knight-Captain after the last chapter." Varric says, nonchalantly. Immediately, Cassandra's eyes widen at him.

"Nothing should happen to her!" She gasps. "She was falsely accused!"

"That hits a little close to home." I mutter, earning a chuckle from Varric. He shrugs.

"Well it turns out that the guardsman…"

"Don't tell me!" She exclaims as she puts the book down on the table before her, and opens it. Feeling our amused gazes still on her, she slowly closes it. "Pretend you don't know this about me." She growls, opening the book once more. As she begins to read, Varric clears his throat.

"I believe you should thank the Inquisitor. I don't give sneak peeks, after all."

She slowly raises her head to look at me as a blush creeps up from her collar. "I…" She begins to say before stopping with a sigh. "Thank you, Lena. I don't know how you found out but...it's a wonderful gift."

"After all you've done for me, I figured you deserved it. Well…" I shrug. "that and I also drew you for the gift exchange."

She nods and thanks me once more and wishes me a happy Satinalia before dipping her head to read.

I chuckle to myself and Varric motions for me to follow him over to the side where a couple Orlesian aristocrats are gathered in the chairs around the fireplace discussing some trend in plucking away all hair from their faces and painting it back on. Moving past them, we move to the corner where Varric leans against the wall.

"I appreciate you doing that for me, Varric."

"Thanks for letting me watch the show." He says, shaking his head with a chuckle of his own. "I still can't believe Cassandra—our tall, grumpy seeker who likes stabbing things—reads this crap. To think that I thought a hole in the sky was the weirdest thing to happen."

I shrug. "And as I told you when I requested it, nobody else needs to know. Hell, I'm already pretty sure that she's still shocked and annoyed that you and I know."

Varric waves me off. "Don't worry. I'll just keep this little nugget of information tucked away for my own enjoyment." He grins. "While I have your attention for a moment, I hope you'll join us later tonight in the tavern. Dorian wants the gang to meet up for drinks before we head out again."

I sigh, pretending to think for a moment. "Hm… I'll have to check my schedule…" I smirk at him as he rolls his eyes.

"Okay smartass."

I laugh. "When?"

His grin widens. "Hour, maybe two. Whenever most of the party clears."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."