The thaig was enormous. Bartrand and Varric were immediately interested in our surroundings. Both were now convinced it was a long forgotten thaig, pointing out features that left them both amazed and started. The statues that were definitely not of Paragons. The writing, which they could barely decipher, though they knew it was dwarven. The temples… The dwarves did not revere gods like humans and elves, but there was no doubt there were buildings within that thaig that revered gods. How old was this thaig?

"There's something else," Bethany stated, "There's magic here. Do you feel it, Anders?"

"I definitely feel something," Anders muttered.

"Magic? But we're not capable," Varric stated.

"And this wasn't on your map, Bartrand?" Hawke wondered.

"We're well off the map now," he muttered, "I'm left wondering what we're going to find here. This thaig is definitely dwarven, but it's like no thaig I've ever seen."

We eventually split up to wander the thaig. There was no sign of any darkspawn corruption. No sign that anyone or anything had been in the thaig in centuries. Considering we were currently in the ninth century of the current calendar, I wondered if it was over a millennia old. Bartrand had been working off a map based on research from the Memories, and if this thaig wasn't mentioned, just how old was it? A part of my mind wondered if it was even dwarven? Had other people built this long before?

Any ideas that we were alone in the thaig were dismissed not long later, hearing shouts from across the way. I sprinted with Bethany and Isabela to find Hawke and the others battling what looked like golems, and also Shades. That wasn't good, because that meant a demon or demons were in the thaig. I yelled at my colleagues as I closed on them, telling them to focus on the Shades. As soon as I was closed enough, I used Unrelenting Force on the pair of golems, blowing them backwards, tumbling along the ground. Looking around, I noticed a large canyon ahead, though was unsure if lava lay at the surface. I knew there was little chance of being able to cut down the golem. Magic sometimes worked, but I knew I could eventually Shout them over the edge.

Golems were massive but slow moving creatures, or monsters if they're your enemy. They also weren't particularly smart, so moving them to what I wanted them wasn't too difficult, particularly when I taunted them, beckoning them closer and closer, then swerving out of the way as they swung their giant, stone fists in my direction. Once I was both at the edge of the canyon, neither appearing to recognise the danger, I Shouted again, laughing to myself as they disappeared over the edge.

"You are silly sometimes," Bethany joked, standing by the edge next to me.

"I'm assuming everything else is dead?"

"Correct. We left the golems to you."

I returned a smirk. "Gee, thanks for that."

We continue to wander about, and the longer we explored, the more I wondered what the red stone was around us. My inquisitiveness finally got the better of me, getting as close as possible to it. The stuff practically glowed. The mages were also interested, all three mentioning they could feel magic. "It's lyrium," Anders stated.

"It is?" I asked in surprise. He nodded. "What sort of lyrium?"

"Like none I've ever seen, that's for sure," he replied.

I spread my arms, forcing everyone to step backwards. "I don't know about you, but considering this place, let's be careful."

The three of them agreed, and started conversing quietly between themselves about what it was. I could hear the concern in their tone. I could have asked what had them worried, but on appearance alone, it just looked… wrong. I'll admit, the longer we were in the thaig, the more unsettling it was. The fact it had been abandoned, almost forgotten. The fact we were now the only people in it. The fact there was a lot of the red lyrium. The fact that Bartrand had now disappeared.

"Varric, where's your brother?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since you sent those golems over the edge."

"Shit, we'd better find him."

It took at least ten minutes to find him. He'd double backed behind us towards the doors where we'd entered. In his hand was a glowing red… something. Varric mentioned a statue. Hawke muttered something about an idol. Bartrand looked at us, and the change was immediate. His other hand rested on some sort of lever. "Bartrand, what are you doing?" Varric asked carefully.

"It's the red lyrium. Whatever he's holding is made of it," Anders added.

Before I could even think about using my Thu'um, he pulled the lever and the doors slammed shut. We heard further noise from behind, and either more doors were shutting… or he was doing something else. I asked everyone to stand back and I used Unrelenting Force to try and blow the doors opened. But while I might have the power of a Shout, not everything bent to my will, and stone rarely if ever did. The stone doors remained unmoved.

I turned towards Varric, noticing one or two stand back as I strode towards him. "What the hell is going on?" I roared.

"Easy, Uhtred. Easy," Hawke said calmly.

I still glared at Varric. I knew he wasn't to blame, but I didn't like being trapped far underground, a long way from home, with no known exit point. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, opening them again as Varric noticed me relax. "Don't worry, Uhtred, I have a few questions of my own once we get out of here."

"And how do we do that?" Bethany wondered, and I could hear nerves in her tone too.

"There can't have been only one way in and out," Isabela suggested, "So we should look for another door."

It was the only option we had left. I did use my Thu'um a couple of times, trying to think of any Shout that might work against solid stone, but eventually even I had to admit defeat. There are some things the Dragonborn simply cannot defeat with either Thu'um or sword arm. It took at least a good hour of searching but we eventually found another door on what seemed to be the opposite side of the thaig. Any thought that we'd be free and clear quickly ended when we faced another golem and even more Shades. There was no need to use my Thu'um for now, our mages unleashing their talents as the rest of us could swing our swords and daggers with glee. The big golem was a problem, but one of the mages froze it in place, and hacking at its legs worked a treat. Once without legs, hacking off its head was hard work, but at least the thing was dead afterwards.

We hadn't left the thaig proper, and it was amazing how, no matter the age, it was still relatively intact. More statues of possible gods. Next to no evidence of darkspawn taint. I figured those interested in the history of the darkspawn would definitely find the place interesting, though I still wondered how old the thaig was. I'm sure one of us would send a message to Orzammar about it, though I wondered if it was actually connected to the Deep Roads in any realistic way.

No more golems stood in our way, but we ran into ever increasing numbers of Shades, more than one mage suggesting the work of a demon. I know we all shared a concerned glance. Darkspawn we could handle and almost understand. But what were demons doing at work in a long abandoned thaig? Is that why there was no darkspawn? Magic had somehow kept it protected?

But it was here, what felt like a million miles from anywhere, that we ran into some sort of rock… creature. Others would have called it a monster. The mages called it a wraith. Varric called it something else.

Profane.

As we fought our way forward, butchering Shades and Profanes along the way, Varric explained what the Profane might be. "Don't quote me on this, much of what I'm about to tell you is word of mouth. But, apparently, these Profane are… Well, dwarves so corrupt that the Stone won't even accept them when they die."

"So what are they now?" I wondered.

"Something else entirely. The stories suggest these monsters do have the souls of a dwarf, but are now utterly corrupted, and likely possessed by demons."

"Fantastic," Hawke deadpanned.

We continued to cut and blast our way through the what felt like unending numbers of creatures. Thankfully we barely took any wounds, having all worked alongside each other for long enough now that we knew how everyone else moved, attacked and defended. I had no sense if we were heading up or down, or otherwise what direction, and none of the dwarves could tell me either.

I thought we'd seen everything, battling our way through larger and larger Profane, until one… Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the fact one finally called a halt to our fight and wished to speak to us. I remembered speaking to a darkspawn a while back, so speaking to another creature deep underground wasn't any weirder.

The mages figured out what the creature was immediately. "That is no ordinary wraith," Bethany stated.

"Demon. Hunger demon, to be precise," Anders added, sensing him readying to attack again.

The wraith, or demon, confirmed what Anders said. Even after all this time, I still didn't really understand everything about demons, but I guess when it talked about feeding, that somewhat explained what was going on, and certainly explained the magic that seemed to infest the very walls of the thaig. And like most demons who wanted to keep feeding, it tried to offer us a deal. If we let it live and continue to feed, it would give us the way out.

I hated doing deals with demons. Aedan had done it once or twice during the Blight, but only once from memory did I believe it was the right thing to do. This demon had nothing to offer, as I believe we were on the way out anyway. Hawke and I just shared a look, a nod, I flipped the demon a middle finger, and we went on the attack.

It didn't go down without a fight, but with all the magic and other talents at our disposal, even though it called upon plenty of allies, the demon ended up on the ground. That just caused a tidal wave of enemies to now flood forward, an abomination also rising from the carcass of the wraith demon creature. That was the time for myself to use my Thu'um, freezing plenty of monsters in place, the mages going on the attack.

We continued to move forward, Varric and Anders continuing to point out the lyrium veins in the walls alongside us, glowing a bright red. I'm sure I'm not the only one who found it rather sinister looking. There was just something… evil about its appearance. Lyrium in its natural form looked… Well, to be honest, I think I'd seen lyrium once, maybe twice. But this red lyrium, that had apparently infested this ancient thaig, possibly explained what happened to whoever had once lived in the thaig.

Starting to climb some stairs, most of us were now confident that, while not close to the surface, we were at least on the route out of the thaig and hopefully the surface. Remaining cautious, we didn't rush on, knowing further creatures would probably be lying in wait, and there were bound to be traps as well.

As we entered different parts of what we now realised was an enormous thaig, Varric was explaining what section we were entering when rocks around us started to move as if by magic. None of us needed to say a word, immediately spreading out, weapons already in hand. We hadn't sheathed them since Bertrand had locked the door preventing our exit.

The creature that formed in front of us was… bloody enormous. Tall enough that Hawke and I had to crane our necks to meets its hollow eye sockets. It wasn't just a rock wraith. It was… I'm really not sure how to explain it. Whatever the case, it was there to prevent our exit.

So I used my Thu'um. It didn't work exactly as planned, but it allowed us to split up and attack from every side. It didn't take us long to gain an upper hand in the fight, but it was one of those enemies that just wouldn't go down without a long fight. It used some sort of trick, emitting bright red light that blinded and burned us at the same time. Thankfully there were enormous pillars we could get behind, but all of us took the brunt of one of these attacks at one time or another.

I tried another Shout. If there was one thing these sort of stone creatures was susceptible to, it was ice and cold. So I froze the bastard in place again, the group of mages immediately flinging in stone fists. Slowly but surely, we whittled down the defences of the enormous wraith. As I said, it didn't go down easy but when it did, I'm sure I wasn't the only one that released a string of profanities.

Continuing on, Varric had to admit, "The rock wraiths were only ever legends, creatures whispered by dwarves who survived alone in the Deep Roads. I didn't ever think they were real."

Then we found the treasure. "Bertrand was a bloody idiot," I muttered as we took in the chests and bags of gold and jewels. There was no way we could carry it all, but we all had large packs to fill. We couldn't take it all, but there was no doubt we were going to be rich. Finding a large door close by, the two dwarves conferred. Varric didn't have any real 'stone sense', being a surface dwarf, but we figured if we followed the road in front of us, we'd end up back on the original path and would eventually end up back near Kirkwall.

"How long?" Hawke asked.

"If we're unlucky, may be a week," Varric replied.

"And if we're lucky?" I wondered.

Varric gave me a sideways glance. "We'll find the corpse of my useless brother on the way."

Getting into the usual line, we fell in and began our long march back to Kirkwall.

By the time we made it back to the very first campsite, it had been around five or so days, and that was only due to what was basically a forced march. We walked until we dropped, ate, slept, then got up and walked some more. The further we walked, the more things looked familiar, and once we started to see darkspawn corruption, we knew we were back in the Deep Roads proper. Thankfully the Warden with us mentioned he sensed no darkspawn close by.

Though we'd taken plenty of gold and coin, I knew I wasn't the only one a little frustrated and fed up. Most conversations between Hawke, Varric and I were about his brother and what we were going to do to him when we found him. None of our ideas were particularly pleasant. Varric was utterly incensed, and no doubt a little embarrassed by what happened. I didn't know Bertrand at all, but I'm sure Hawke had never trusted him completely.

All of us were ready to just carry on back to the surface, now that it was within reach, but that thought ended when Bethany collapsed to the ground in front of me. Hawke was at her side immediately, I was on the other, Hawke giving me a look of thanks as I took her hand. "Bethany?" Hawke asked quietly.

"I don't feel well."

Hawke chuckled. "Clearly not, considering you just collapsed. What's wrong?"

"It's the blight," Anders answered for her, "She's been infected."

"How?" I wondered. Hawke met my eyes again and nodded, a signal to check her. It was easy to find, as she winced and groaned when I put a hand to her side. I didn't even bother having a look under her robes. I doubt it would look pleasant.

"I didn't think it had got into my blood," Bethany admitted, "I felt the cut but paid it no mind. We've all been wounded before but being healed prevented infection. Guess I was just unlucky this time."

"Is there anything we can do?" I asked.

"Perhaps," Anders stated, "I have the maps I… procured from another Warden who was leading another expedition into the Deep Roads."

"And how did you 'procure' these maps?" Varric asked.

"I thought they were after me so I wanted to foil whatever plans they had. Anyway, I know the man in charge. Name of Stroud. Good man, and he might be able to help your sister, Hawke. But do you understand what I mean by help?"

"I become a Warden," Bethany stated, albeit bitterly.

"It's not so bad," I stated, though the look returned suggested she didn't agree.

"And, most importantly, you won't die, Bethany," Hawke concluded.

Anders explained a bit more about what was required. I'd seen it all before so I knew what to expect. Hawke was obviously clueless, while Bethany had been quite good at hiding her condition, as she simply wasn't with it. In the end, Hawke made the decision for her. He'd already lost one sibling, he wasn't going to lose another. At least, he wasn't going to lose her through death…

"Don't be so sure, Anders," I mentioned, when he suggested she would have to leave, "Solona is a Warden and lives with me. There is no reason why Bethany cannot remain with them as an official liaison of the Ferelden Chapter of Grey Wardens. Unofficially, of course." Complete bullshit, of course, but if the other Wardens had a problem, they could either contact the King of Ferelden personally or contact the Warden-Commander of Ferelden, considering one was my brother and the other a close person friend. Anders looked at me again. "I am his brother, I just changed my surname."

Anders laughed. "I honestly thought you were joking."

"Adopted brother, to be completely honest, but we bled together during the Blight. The only reason I'm not still working for him now is… complicated…"

Anders relented immediately, suggesting a compromise could be found. I picked up Bethany in my arms, even Hawke admitting I'd carry her easily compared to herself. I gave her a look and she said quietly, "I know, Uhtred. I'm not blind. Trust me, you're the man for the job." Bethany just looped an arm around me and practically snuggled. I glanced at her face and the speed of the infection was now concerning. She was sweating profusely and had taken on a rather pale colour.

Anders led the way with Hawke alongside, the rest forming a sort of ring around Bethany and I. We ran into darkspawn, that was always going to happen, but the group didn't really need my help at all, so I just focused on keeping her safe.

Finding the other Wardens took a few hours, and after the long walk, all of us were struggling by the time we found them. Their greeting was as friendly as I expected, though they recognised Anders immediately. He did the smart thing of introducing all of us first.

"Stroud, this is Hawke, Uhtred, and he is carrying Bethany, Varric, Isabela. They're my friends."

The gentleman known as Stroud simply crossed his arms and any sort of friendly demeanour disappeared. "Anders, didn't expect to see you again. You're meant to be dead."

"Just a rumour." Stroud snorted but didn't say anything. "Look, we need your help." Anders looked at me and I stepped forward, carrying an increasingly sick Bethany.

Laying her down on the ground, I gave her a little water from my canteen as Stroud simply looked down with expressionless eyes. "I'm sorry, but we do not recruit Grey Wardens out of pity. It is no kindness."

His tone riled me immediately and I rose to my feet. Before I could state a word, or start a fight, more likely to do the latter, Isabela surprisingly stepped forward. "I vouch for her, Warden Stroud. She is a mage of exemplary talents and will be an asset to the order."

"And you are?"

"Someone you really don't want to piss off. She is her sister," pointing at Hawke, "And you should really consider taking her into your ranks."

"And considering the Blight has been defeated, I don't think people will be lining up to join the Wardens. Everyone knows it is a hard life at the very least," I added, "Trust me, I know how hard it was to get people to join the order in Ferelden."

"Then what are you two doing here?" Stroud asked.

"I am here as the Ambassador of Ferelden to the Free Marches. Not currently present but back at the embassy due to illness is Solona Amell, Warden attaché to the embassy. She was sent here as a liaison and also a potential recruiter as Warden numbers are still thin in Ferelden." Completely and utter bollocks, of course.

"I've heard nothing of this."

"The King of Ferelden is a Warden, and has taken temporary charge as Warden-Commander of Ferelden. We were tasked with finding recruits to be sent back to Ferelden. Though the Blight is over, the darkspawn are still a problem."

"This is no simple thing any of you request. This may be as much a death sentence as the sickness," he looked at Anders, "And you know it."

"Then she'll die anyway," I stated through gritted teeth, "So just give it a damned try, and she'll either die immediately or I'll…" I trailed off but looked at Hawke. She nodded immediately, knowing what I was going to say.

"If the girl comes, she comes now, and you may…"

He trailed off as I stepped towards him. "No. I know what happens. You can perform the ritual close by. If she dies during it, so be it. But if she survives, she comes with me and can join my fellow Warden as an attaché. And if you want to fight about it, by all means, then so be it."

"You're not a Warden yourself?"

"I am the Dragonborn."

The eyes widened and I knew instantly that he knew my name. And my reputation. "Dragon… I had no idea."

I waved away whatever was to follow. "Who I am doesn't particularly matter. But I am privy to details about the Wardens that most of this group would not know. They are secrets I will take to the grave, but I know Bethany is strong and can see it through. But there is also no reason for her to leave. She can assist the Wardens attached to the embassy before I return to Ferelden, where she can then work under the watch of the Warden-Commander and King of Ferelden."

He relented far easier than I thought. "Very well. We should head to the surface as quickly as possible. The ritual must not take place here."

Knackered as we were, most of us were dead on our feet by the time we broke the surface, feeling a cool wind on our face and breathing the freshest of air once again. I'm not sure where we were, but the Wardens led the way towards a large clearing, ringed by enormous trees that kept us hidden from prying eyes. Placing Bethany on the ground, they said I could stay, believing that I knew about the ritual, but that the rest must leave if the ritual was to take place.

One of the Wardens escorted the rest well away from us. I knew the ritual well enough now, having seen it performed more than once. A few simple words. Imbibing of the blood. Bethany was already lying down, so when she passed out, Stroud just checked for signs of life. "She's alive, Dragonborn. She is now a Grey Warden." Then he met my eyes. "While I will not prevent her remaining here, I will report this to my superiors."

"That's fine. Which branch are you with?"

"Originally from Orlais, though I now work independently in the Free Marches. I will send a message to Weisshaupt, informing them of what has transpired. They may wish to intervene in matters here."

"That's fine."

Bethany eventually woke up and I helped her to her feet. She was a little woozy, just like all the others I'd witnessed, and once she suggested that she was okay, Stroud sat her down and calmly explained what she would experience over the coming days and weeks. Thankfully, she did have Solona to help her, as she had been through the same thing.

The other Warden led the rest of our group back to the clearing, plenty of questions being fired in the direction of Bethany. Stroud offered to join us most of the way back towards Kirkwall, not stating where he would go afterwards, but I believed what he said about ensuring word of Bethany's recruitment did reach Weisshaupt. I knew he wasn't happy about the situation, but he wasn't willing to draw blood over it. I was arrogant enough to believe he'd heard enough stories about me not to find out how talented I was.

Our two groups walked together as far as a couple of hundred metres from one of the main entrances into Kirkwall, where we bid our farewells. I'd sensed Anders had been uncomfortable most of the time, and no doubt Stroud wanted to take him in. Solona back at the embassy wasn't officially a deserter, though I'd made up everything about her being an attaché, though Nathaniel had given his blessing to her joining me. Anders had basically run away. Whether Stroud would do anything about it was up to him. I wasn't going to involve myself in his problems.

I still didn't love the place at all, but I was pleased to be behind the somewhat safe walls of Kirkwall. Having spent gods only know how long far below, I'm sure I wasn't the only one with an overwhelming sense of relief as our group headed towards the embassy. It was the middle of the night if not the next morning, though none of us had a clue what day it actually was.

Opening the front door, we were greeted by my four elven servants within seconds, assuming we'd at least been gone longer than the two weeks I'd originally told them. I stepped forward and grasped Gawen's hand. If I didn't know him any better, he was about to start weeping at my reappearance. "Good to see you, Gawen."

"You too, lord. Was your mission a success?"

"Sort of. One or two issues. Nothing to be concerned about." I glanced at the other three. "And are you all okay?"

"Very well, lord. Glad to see you returned safe and sound," Shanni replied.

But there was an air of… something. Though happy at my return, they looked… apprehensive. Actually, they looked nervous, and they were never nervous around my friends and definitely not myself. And when I asked after Solona, they could barely answer my question. "Where's Solona?" I asked again, even my companions falling silent at my tone, noticing all four of the servants jump slightly. Gawen stepped forward nervously. I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Gawen, whatever it is, it is not your fault. She has not passed from the illness?"

"No, my lord. She lives, but…"

"It was the templars, lord!" Shanni exclaimed.

"The what?" I asked, my voice flat. I didn't quite believe it.

"The templars, lord," Gawen stated sadly, "They arrived no more than two days after you departed. Lady Amell was still bedridden with flu. I am an elf and…" He trailed off, and I noticed the blinking back of tears.

"They took her?" Shanni and the other two nodded. "I assume to the tower?" They nodded again. "And what was the accusation?"

"Blood magic, lord. They accused her of being an apostate. We tried to tell her she was a Grey Warden and not subject to their laws, but they would not listen."

"And this was two days after I left?"

"Yes, lord," Gawen said quietly.

"By the Maker!" Hawke exclaimed.

"What do we do?" Bethany asked.

"I think I go have a friendly chat with the local templars and find out just what the hell sort of game they think they are playing. This is an embassy, considered crown land of Ferelden, and they have kidnapped a citizen of Ferelden. If they want war against the Dragonborn, they are going to get it."

Any feeling of tiredness evaporated in an instant, all my companions dumping their stuff, no doubt joining me. I asked Gawen to keep an eye out while I was gone, and that I would no doubt return, possibly in quite a bit of trouble. He still looked shattered by the confession, so I embraced the man, assuring him it was okay. I think he appreciated that.

I marched straight for the Circle Tower. Luckily the streets were deserted, otherwise I'd have cut down anyone who stood in my way. To say I was incensed would be an understatement. "Calm yourself, Uhtred," Hawke warned.

"To hell with calm. If they want blood, they're going to get it. This will not stand. This was an act of war against Ferelden and her people." I stopped and turned to the group. "Anyone who doesn't want to join me now, you are free to leave. I will hold no grudge. This is a personal affair."

"Like hell I'm letting them get away with something like this," Anders stated.

"We've got your back, Dragonborn," Varric added.

I looked at Hawke. "You think I'm going to let you have all the fun!" she exclaimed.

I couldn't smile but I thanked them all. Bethany just kissed my cheek before I turned and resumed my march. Even in the darkness, the Circle Tower loomed over Kirkwall. Lit by fires, it was sinister during the day, and even worse during the night. Marching straight to the doors, I demanded immediate access.

"And who requests it?" one of the guards asked.

I didn't like his tone, my hand going to the hilt of my sword. "Uhtred Dragonborn, Ambassador of Ferelden to the Free Marches."

"And what do you want in the Circle?"

I still didn't like his tone, so figured getting in his face would help. "You arseholes kidnapped one of my people. I aim to take her back. So you can either open this door and let me in, or I drop both of you idiots immediately and open the door myself."

I heard the door open, so obviously the other guard opened the door. "You may enter, lord."

Templars immediately flooded in our direction. I counted at least a dozen heavily armed and armoured soldiers. They stopped, forming a line, blocking my entrance. I simply smiled and unsheathed my sword. "So you're the first dozen that will die this evening unless you do one thing right now."

"And that is?"

"You will return Solona Amell to me this instant. She is not an apostate. She is a Grey Warden of Ferelden." I lifted my sword and pointed. "You invaded sovereign Ferelden territory. You kidnapped a citizen of Ferelden and a Grey Warden. If the King of Ferelden were to hear of this, he would definitely not be very happy."

A thirteenth walked through the group. Not sure who he was, but he looked like a templar. "She is a blood mage and an apostate. It was a matter of the templar order to resolve."

"Are you deaf, dumb, or being deliberately obtuse?" I pointed the tip of my sword at him. "So, unless she is brought before me in ten seconds, you will be the first to die. And, trust me on this one, this tower will see the full force of the Dragonborn. And you will not like him when he's angry."

"I'd do what he says, too. The fact his hand is completely still while pointing his sword despite the rage? Yeah, that means you're all dead men if you don't comply," Varric added.

I counted down each number from ten. I assumed he was one of Meredith's underlings, but whoever he was, he waited until I'd counted down to two until he asked me to stop. "Bring the girl," he ordered.

I lowered my weapon as he moved away, towards his men. A smart move. He was now out of range of my sword for now. I didn't have to wait long, the two lines of templars parting as Solona walked through. I heard Bethany gasp while Anders… I think he did all he could to hold back Justice. I could only walk forward slowly as Solona's expressionless eyes looked into mine. "Yes?" she asked.

"Solona?" I asked in return quietly, already feeling my eyes blink rapidly.

"What did you want, Uhtred?" The flat tone near enough broke me in half.

"This isn't right!" Bethany exclaimed.

"Calm, Anders," I heard Hawke hiss.

I took Solona in my arms. "What did they do to you?"

"I have been cured, Uhtred." I must have repeated the word no more than a dozen times, holding her tightly. "It was the right thing to do, Uhtred. Now I am no longer a menace. I am at peace."

I took a few steps back, taking her with me, before I moved her behind me, Hawke and Bethany taking hold of her. Then I stepped back towards the templars. I wiped my eyes before I glared at them. I heard the rustle of armour and weapons.

"You absolute bastards," I growled.

"You will hand the Tranquil back at once," whoever was in charge demanded, "She has expressed no desire to leave this institution."

I laughed at him. A laugh that would have sent tremors through them. "I will be doing no such thing. You have committed acts of violence not only against a citizen of Ferelden but a Grey Warden."

"She was a…"

I lifted my sword again, pointing it at him. "That was not for you to judge. But now it is my turn to judge you."

I Shouted. I could have burned them, frozen them. Done anything to them really. Instead, I just sent all thirteen of them scattering down the hall. Don't get me wrong, they took the full brunt as I made sure it was as powerful as possible. If any of them died, so be it. I walked towards them, hearing their groans of pain as I found the one in charge. Getting down on bent knee, I put a fist into his nose first.

"You will tell no-one of what has transpired here tonight," I stated loudly so everyone could hear, as I knew many were now watching. I punched him again. "You will take her name off any records." I punched him again. "If there is any comeback about what happened here tonight, I warn you only this once. What you just received is only a taste of my power. Do you really want the Dragonborn as your enemy? I make most of these mages look like children compared to what I'm capable of." I grabbed his hair and smacked his head into the ground, knocking him out. I stood up and looked around. There were a few more templars but many more mages. "I would like to rescue you all, trust me. But the one I'm taking is one of my own. She did not belong here. Marian, take her out. I will cover our exit."

I waited until Varric shouted they were all out before I walked backwards, closing the door before I turned and walked down the steps.

I have no doubt what just happened would come back to bite me in the arse.