Hey everyone! I'm super excited for this one! Here we go!

A few hours later, Aqua awoke. Her dreams had been nothing but nightmares, darkspawn flying around Redcliffe as the village burned. In a harried panic, she opened her eyes and noticed Terra looking at her. His blue eyes were soft with understanding. He likely was having the same problem, although she knew he had fallen asleep before she had. When she realized she had been fully leaning on him, she blushed and sat up. Everyone else was still, their eyes shut in slumber.

Terra carefully got up and held out his hand for Aqua, who gratefully took it. Together, they padded out of the room and past the Chantry walls without uttering a word. They walked all the way down to the lake's edge before managing to speak.

"I'm sorry." They stated at the same time, eyes locked.

This earned a little chuckled out of them both, as Terra motioned for her to speak.

"I should have taken your opinion into consideration before recruiting Zack. I'm sorry."

"No, I should have trusted your judgement. Everything has turned out just fine with Kimahri, Skuld and Ava." Terra replied.

They stood a short distance apart on the shore, never letting their feet touch the water. Aqua held her hands in front of her and Terra placed one hand on his hip while the other scratched his head. There was an awkward silence between the two, watching the waves of the lake slowly roll in. The sun was climbing higher in the sky indicating it was close to noon. The two gave another slight chuckle when their stomachs began to growl loudly.

"Let's go get something to eat and then we can find a way to get into the castle." Terra suggested.

Aqua nodded and followed his lead back to the Chantry. There, Bann Ryder was sitting up in a makeshift bed. There was a small meal ready to be served, and the revered mother was speaking to the small crowd. Aqua didn't catch all of it, but it sounded like she was finishing part of the chant of light.

"We have won a battle tonight, but we have lost many good and honest men. May the Maker take them back to himself to rest for eternity."

The crowd bowed their heads to pay respect to those who had died defending the town. When the revered mother stepped down, the people looked to Bann Ryder. He waved for the wardens to come join him. Aqua looked out at the crowd and realized that their friends had woken in their absence and were standing in the among the townspeople. Ava had stood nearest the revered mother while Skuld preferred it by the door. She was holding the black book Aqua had given her in her hands.

"Thanks to these fine folk, we were able to survive the night. Grey Wardens, we owe you a debt. When we find our Arl, you'll have the full support of Redcliffe both on the battlefield and in the court." Bann Ryder announced. There was a little applause.

"Thank you, Bann Ryder. We just wanted to help." Aqua replied sheepishly.

He waved everyone off and signalled for the small meal to be served. After everyone was done eating, Aqua realized he must still be in pain from the long night before. He had been inside the Chantry as well, standing as part of the last defenses. Here in Redcliffe, they had to rely on doctors and potions as the closest tower was hers and First Enchanter Mickey had everyone busying with reconstruction and getting ready for the blight. It seemed he was also calling other towers mages together as well.

"You know, I'm not very good with cure spells, but Aerith can do wonders. I bet she could fix you up right away, if you wanted." Aqua suggested.

"Do you think this wound isn't too bad? I'm not all that familiar with magic, I'm afraid." Bann Ryder chuckled. "Come to think of it, I think you're the only pair of mages I know. Everyone else is just your average Joe Schmo."

"Not at all. I've seen worse than this." Aerith appeared out of nowhere. "Sorry, I heard my name and wanted to see what you were talking about."

"Perfect timing, actually." Bann Ryder grimaced as he sat up a little.

Aerith smiled softly and motioned for him to pull up his shirt. It was cleaned as best as it could be, but the injury was still glossy. One of the stitches had popped open, so a little bit of blood had managed to stain his undershirt. With glowing green hands, Aerith placed a small amount of pressure against the wound. Bann Ryder winced for only a moment before signing in relief.

"There, all done. You can speak to my receptionist Zack about your payment." Aerith joked.

"You certainly deserve it. You just saved me a couple weeks of pain. I feel like I could, oh i don't know, steal Queen Larxene's crown, or something."

"Well, don't get too hasty. I hear she prefers to rule alone anyway." Terra added in.

"Yeah, yeah, people talk." Bann Ryder shook his head. "You see, this is why I wish mages were more widespread and not so cloistered in their towers. We could really use people with your gifts out here."

"Maybe things will change. After all, no one ever said the future was set in stone." Aerith smiled

"Yeah. Until then, we'll just have to make do with what we have." Bann Ryder agreed.

A world where mages could be free to use their gifts for good. Aqua wondered what that would look like and how it would work. She had thought about it- dreamed about it, sure. But the very notion was still such a foreign concept that it was hard to wrap her head around it. She had been one of the lucky ones. The future for everyone else she knew was still lost in the fog.

The Chantry doors opened and in ran a woman with shoulder length brown hair and a white and purple dress with yellow accents. A bodyguard followed close behind. As she got closer, Aqua noticed the woman's eyes were unlike any she had ever seen; one eye was blue and the other was green. She was absolutely beautiful, althoughworry lines creased her forehead. Her steps were full of assurance. A few of the people in the Chantry bowed to her, but she politely waved them off, as if she were in a great hurry. Bann Ryder carefully stood up and slid the shirt over his head and stepped forth to meet her.

"Lady Yuna? Thank the Maker you're alive. I thought….well,I thought the worst. We all did. Where is Tidus and Ventus?"

"They are still in the castle, and if we want to get them out, I need you to come with me."

"Well alright then, come on Aqua. Bring a small team with you." Bann Ryder waved at the Warden.

"No." yuna eemphasized her Orlesian accent heavy. "I-I mean I'm afraid you can't do that. I was instructed to only bring you, Bann Ryder."

"Instructed by who?" Aqua butted in.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think this is something that concerns you. Maybe after all this is over we can have a proper introduction and-"

"Lady Yuna. It's me, Terra."

The look she gave him was one of mixed confusion and fear. It didn't seem that she was in her right mind at the moment, but soon enough her face softened to one that Aqua would have bet had been perfected by being a member of court for years on end. She had a sense of refinement that exceeded that of any lady Aqua ever imagined meeting.

"Then you've become a Grey Warden." She answered softly. "To think you left us a few years ago and now you've come back. But I'm afraid even your personal tie can't help. Even if you could come, Ventus isn't doing so well and honestly neither is Tidus…it's all my fault."

"No, I'm sure it isn't…" Bann Ryder tried to console her.

"It is! I invited that mage to tutor Ventus! And then he had the gall to poison my husband! On the Teryn's orders, no less!"

Yuna began crying and both Bann Ryder and her bodyguard tried to console her. What she had said was so much to take in. Lady Yuna had just confirmed Aqua's fears. Not only was Pete here, but he had begun teaching Ventus the way of magic without being trained himself. A small gasp left Aqua's throat. It all made sense now. If Pete had failed in teaching Ventus, then it was likely that Pete was responsible for all of this trouble.

But to think that Teryn Xehanort would order the death of one of the opposing Arls. Sacrificing some of his soldiers and besmirching the name of the Grey Wardens was bad enough. Now he was adding another account of murder unless they could get into the castle and solve this.

"We'll find a way to stop this, Yuna." Bann Ryder encouraged. "I'll come with you."

"Thank you, Bann Ryder. We must hurry if we're to save anyone. That demon turned so many into monsters and sent them to the town. They had such agonizing screams. As long as I live I'll never be able to forget the face he made while they begged him to stop."

"Go to the gates of the town. I just want to let Rapunzel know where I'm going before we leave." Flynn replied.

"Okay. But please, we must hurry. I don't know how much longer the demon will spare us."

Yuna left with her bodyguard as Bann Ryder quickly turned to Terra. He handed the Warden something small and golden and whispered instructions to him. Terra's face was serious like it often was these days, but Aqua could see a small hint of sadness in his eyes as Bann Ryder issued the last part of his instructions. The younger man nodded. A hand was placed on Terra's shoulder for just a moment before Bann Ryder took his leave. Once it was quiet in the chantry again, Terra ushered everyone into the small office.

After the door closed, Terra placed a large golden ring on the desk. It was a signet ring with a picture of what looked to be a stylistic J engraved on the face. He explained that the ring would be able to get them into the castle through a door in the old mill. Bann Ryder, or Flynn as Terra called him, had no idea about the keyblade's ability to unlock any door. The signet was his way of getting them into the castle and was still something to be grateful for.

"What did he tell you at the end? Your face changed." Aqua asked in a soft tone.

Terra paused and leaned in on the desk, keeping his head down. "He said that they were expendable. The only one who needed to be saved was the Arl himself."

"That's crazy! We have to save everyone we can!" Aerith held a fist in front of her chest.

"No, the Bann is right." Ava added. "We have a blight on our hands. We can't go around trying to save everyone. Not if that means those we save now will just perish by the darkspawn. The Maker has a plan, I know it."

"Ah, so we're finally all in agreeance. Although i'm sure you think differently, don't you, Aqua."

Now it was Aqua's turn to pause. All eyes were on her and she knew that what she said here would either gain more of their support or change the way they saw her as a leader. She hadn't even asked to be a leader. First she was just relying on Eraqus for direction, and then somehow she was thrown into this position. She wasn't even the senior Grey Warden, yet she had made most of the decisions so far.

"I want to help. But this is Terra's home and family." Aqua fidgeted with her hands. "So I think he should be the one leading the team. One goes to the castle and the other protects the town."

"Are you sure?" Terra asked.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Alright then. We'll divide in half and do as Aqua suggested. Same teams as last time?"

There seemed to be a low murmur of agreement. The group disbanded leaving Skuld, Zack, Ava and Aerith behind. Before leaving, Zack held Aqua back for a second and told her to be safe. She nodded her head and he clapped her on the back. To be honest, she was more confused than anything, but she shook her head. Terra waited for her to be done before taking her hand to help her up the steep hill that led into Redcliffe village. He was gentle in the way he led her.

Finally, they were at the mill. The signet ring locked right into place and with a quick heave of the door, they were in a stone hallway. Although it was faint, Aqua could feel the draw of Red lyrium. She wondered if that was part of the reason the town had been named as it had. Thankfully it was far enough away not to bother her too much, but it was going to be something on her mind the whole time they were in the castle.

They fought a few more of the purple creatures, which meant they had to be going the right way. As was to be expected from running around the dungeon, the floors were occasionally wet and rats scurried away when they came too close. There was a stench that hung about the air, too. As they passed one cage in particular, they heard a rattling noise and then an unfortunately familiar voice rang in the air.

"Aqua? Say my old tired eyes ain't fooling me. Is that you?"

The group gathered around the cage where the large cat man was standing. His clothes were a bit more ratted, but other than that, he seemed fairly well taken care of. If anything, the atmosphere was the worst thing about where he was right now compared to what he deserved.

"Yes. Its me, Pete."

"You're not going to entertain what he has to say, are you?" Terra asked. "We have an Arl to save."

"Yes. We go." Kimahri added.

"Wait, wait, wait, now hold on! Don't I at least deserve to give my two cents?" Pete huffed.

"I suppose. But we really do have to get going, so explain yourself quickly." Aqua sighed.

Pete nodded. He wasn't about to let this opportunity pass him by. He had messed up again, but he was going to make it right. For Peg's sake. She had been the only thing he could think about ever since he had gotten locked up by the Arlessa.

"After I made my grand escape, I wandered around tryin' to find a Chantry where I could rest. I had to be on the wrong trail though, because all I found where the Chantry shoulda been was a note that said "you're gonna have a bad time" and a whole heap of rubble."

"You must have found Lothering." Aqua whispered.

"Well, wherever I was that Teryn Xehanort was riding by and offered me a job I couldn't pass up." Pete placed his hands on his hips. "He had intercepted some mail heading to the circle and found out the Arlessa was lookin' for a mage. When I got here, I learned she wanted a tutor for her son. Anyway, the Teryn offered full forgiveness for my dear sweet Peg if I'd go and poison the Arl. I did it out of love, I swear!"

Aqua looked back at her companions. They had no idea what Pete was talking about, or who Peg was. But Aqua still remembered the look of disgust that crossed Peg's face when she learned her boyfriend had been a blood mage. It had been his fault her home had been destroyed and his fault that Redcliffe had lost so many good men in the last few days. Did he really deserve a second chance?

But then, was his blood magic the only thing that separated him from someone like Kimahri who had murdered in cold blood? Didn't he deserve a chance for redemption, too?

"I still can't imagine Ventus as a mage." Terra shook his head. "What did you teach him?"

"I tried reaching him basic spells, but the poor little sap couldn't do much more than a basic wind spell. Don't know how he managed to rip open the veil."

"Rip open the- you don't mean to say all of this was Ven's fault." Terra gasped.

"Indeed I am. That little pipsqueak did some kinda bippity boppity and then all of a sudden this demon guy jumps out from the fade with those little creatures."

The room was filled with a chill as smoke swirled around their feet. Something was coming and it wasn't pleasant. Aqua and Terra both called forth their keyblades as Kimahri and Stitch drew their weapons. It felt like a desire demon, but the pull was somehow...stronger. Unconsciously, Aqua released her hold on her keyblade and it fell to the floor. She was walking toward the door to the small dungeons without ever ordering her feet to do so. From somewhere behind she could register Pete shrinking and shaking in his cell just a few feet away. As of now though, her head wouldn't even turn to acknowledge the way he was acting.

"Aqua…" Terra looked in confusion.

She stepped into the dark hallway and up through the halls, her friends chasing behind. Terra tried to grab her hand and more than anything she wanted to grasp it and never let go. But the pull stopped any motions that she wanted to perform. It was just the same as on that day when the rage demon attacked her home….that must be what was happening. Pete had mentioned a demon popping out of the fade. It had to be a desire demon. At least with an idea of what she was up against, Aqua could mentally prepare herself. She wouldn't fall at all for that purple-skinned woman with her long nails and…

And…

That was not like any desire demon she had ever seen.

Instead of the image she had in her mind, the demon in front of her was a man maybe in visage a few years older than herself with spiky black hair and yellow eyes. He had a wicked smile and was wearing black and silver armor. The way he sat on the throne denoted that he must have been bored. Bann Ryder sat in chains on the floor next to him and a boy with blonde spikes sitting on the throne on the other side. He could have been sleeping based solely on the way he was slumped over. Aqua still wasn't free to move, but she heard the Arlessa gasp in surprise, her own chains tinkling from sudden movement. She obviously recognized them.

"Terra, get your friends out of here! He'll kill you just for sport!" Flynn called out.

"It's too late. It looks like he already has the Grey Warden under his spell. She must also be a mage." Yuna sighed. "I'm sorry, Terra. For this and everything else i've done to you."

"We'll make amends later." Terra turned to the man on the throne. "What did you do to Ven?"

"Relax, he's fine. Just took a little field trip. He brings me here to his place, and I show him my digs back in the fade. Simple, really. Didn't think he'd bring me some fine looking playmates."

"Then its time for you to leave so he can come back."

"Mmmm. That's the thing though. I don't want to. I mean, there I was just another demon. Here, I could easily wipe you all out and take over this tiny castle. It belongs to the king, right?"

"The Arl." Bann Ryder replied. "Give back my nephew and get out of the Arl's castle!"

"Only an Arl? How lame. I was expecting better. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers."

The demon slowly arose from his seat and moved toward Aqua, step by agonizingly slow step. He was looking her over and all of a sudden she felt completely vulnerable. Every muscle in her body wanted to tense up, cover something. But her magic was drawn to his and it was as if he had complete control of her. Even though her mind was reeling, her body was relaxing. She could feel as though her fingers were aching to get entangled in his hair, to run over his jawline and pull herself closer to him. That he was a desire demon was no more in question, if it had ever been.

But where were all of these desires coming from? Magic from the rage demon worked using proximity like this, too, but it was more of a voice in her head. This time, she could actually imagine herself doing the things her body was mysteriously craving. The emotion he elicited most must have been lust. Long since repressed emotions came rushing out of her. She had craved touch, but never really gotten it much in the tower. More than anything she needed to be held. The lust he fed her spread to other areas, too. She desired the power to protect her friends. In her mind she could see herself freeing the towers from the templar holds. She didn't want to be complacent anymore.

Once more her body lurched forward on it's own account. The demon held her chin in his fingers, eyes lining up with hers. Their faces were much closer together than she would have wanted, but her mind was growing more and more foggy the longer they stayed in that position. From where she stood, Aqua would have been able to hear his heart beat, if he possessed one. She wondered if he heard hers and the way it pounded against her ribcage.

Fight it, Aqua. this isn't really what you want. She thought to herself.

"Isn't it though? I hear it gets pretty lonely in those towers." the demon snapped and a small barrier wound its way around them. He had some way to read her mind. "Name's Vanitas."

"Not interested." Aqua spoke through gritted teeth.

"Most people say that until they actually get to know me. Turns out I'm a pretty nice guy."

His fingers pressed more firmly into her delicate skin. This was not what she had in mind when she said she wanted to be held. From behind her, she could hear Terra beating against the barrier, but it didn't seem to do him any good. His hits were so desperate. Something wasn't making sense in her mind. It seemed that she was the only one under his spell. His golden eyes softened at her in a way that made her feel sick. Despite that, her heart was racing. Already the skin where his fingers had been was growing cold. She yearned for the warmth to return to her. She felt this longing deep in her core. She hadn't expected any of this to turn out this way.

Suddenly, the smirk that was on Vanitas' face went away and he pulled her in closer with one of his arms around her waist. It took a couple of seconds for Aqua to fully comprehend that Vanitas was kissing her. He took it much more gently than she had expected, but of course, since this was her first, she hadn't really known what to expect. She wanted to pull away; to scream, to do anything. Instead, she could only feel his body against hers and listen to the pounding of Terra's keyblade against the barrier wall.

When Vanitas let go, the barrier dropped as did the spell he had over her. She dropped to her knees and placed a hand gingerly to her lips. He hadn't even asked. He simply took what didn't belong to him. As Terra placed his hands on her shoulders and glared up at the demon, Vanitas began laughing at the sight.

"Oh sorry, did I overstep my bounds? Well sorry, but I happen to be a desire demon, and I was simply picking up on something locked deep in her heart. Not my problem if you couldn't pick up on that."

Terra stepped aside Aqua and held his keyblade up, ready for battle. Vanitas smirked again and held out his hand towards Ventus's sleeping form. For only a moment Terra broke his stance. He seemed to understand part of what was going on. Ventus wasn't actually there. His spirit was in the fade, which meant his body was completely defenseless. Not only had Vanitas encroached on Aqua, but now he was threatening Terra's best friend. He couldn't let that stand.

Aqua shakily stood up. There was no way he was going to get away with a move like that. She wiped the tears from her eyes and scowled at the demon. Her friends had her back. They could take him on and then save Ventus. After that, they could find some way to get the Arl better.

"You know what? Don't think this is worth my time. I'm going back home to see how Venty-wenty is doing. You're welcome any time you like, Warden."

With that, Vanitas snapped his fingers and dissolved away, leaving them to go back into the fade. As soon as he was gone, Aqua released the breath she had been holding. Without saying a word, Terra released his keyblade and wrapped her up in his arms. She shook as she tried to breathe in slowly. There weren't any tears to cry, but she felt like it was taking everything just to stand up. She was grateful Terra was there and was so sturdy.

Kimahri cleared his throat, which was enough of a sign that it was time to get back to the matter at hand. They both chuckled awkwardly, but instead of stepping back, Aqua let her hand brush down Terra's arm until they were locked hands. He blushed heavily, but nodded and gave a small smile to show his support.

"Lady Warden...Terra….please save my son. He's all that I have left. I'm a stranger to this country and with Tidus as sick as he is…" Yuna trailed off. "Besides, the people need him. You need his support as well to end the blight, right? I swear by the Maker above that if you can save Ventus, then we will do anything to see your cause successful."

"Don't worry, we had planned on it. Aqua, do you know how to get into the fade?" Terra asked.

"No, not really." She shook her head and placed her free hand in front of her chest. "All I know is there's usually a source of lyrium around."

"Then we need to search the castle. We can free anyone still left alive, provided of course there are some." Flynn stood up. "Now, do you guys think you can help me find the keys for this?"

"Oh, no problem!" Aqua slightly pulled away, to which Terra let her hand go.

She missed the warmth of his touch. It was a completely different experience than what she had felt with Vanitas. It was time to push such thoughts away. She needed to focus on finding a way into the fade yet again. Why did it seem that she kept having to return to the land of dreams and nightmares?

After unlocking both Flynn and Yuna's chains with her keyblade, Aqua stepped back to give them a chance to move. Both Yuna and terra rushed to Ven's side. While Yuna was trying to wake him up, Terra checked for a pulse.

"He's still breathing. If we can find his spirit in the fade, he should go back to normal." Terra reported. "The castle is pretty big. We should split into teams where one person knows where they're going, which means Bann Ryder, Lady Yuna and myself."

"Kimahri, why don't you go with Yuna? She's going to need to stay here with Ventus, and if Vanitas is going to come back, she'll need an able warrior." Aqua suggested.

He simply nodded and took his place by her side. If Aqua didn't know any better, she'd say the woman was relieved to have the Qun guarding her. Before Aqua could volunteer to go with Flynn, Stitch climbed his way onto the Bann's back and beamed wide.

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself. I happened to be a Chavelier growing up. If I can't find a sword, I hear frying pans are quite useful." Flynn explained.

So it was decided. Terra and Aqua would travel together around the castle. Flynn wanted to try the kitchen, in case some of the servants were working with unknown lyrium. As for the Wardens, they had decided to check the basement. The red lyrium was underground by the blacksmith's shop, maybe it could do something for them.

"We'll meet back here in 30 minutes." Terra announced.

"And if it doesn't work?" Yuna asked.

"There's always Pete in the basement. We left him in his cell." Aqua mentioned.

"No. He's the one reason this started. Ventus summoned the demon, and instead of sending it back, he let the monster talk. The demon promised to keep my husband alive. It meant Ventus would have to go to the fade, but Pete said he could retrieve him after."

"Then the back up plan is to go to the circle and bring some lyrium here if we don't find anything." Terra replied.

"Why don't we just do that in the first place?" Aqua asked.

"It's a bit of a ride from here. It'd be best to do what we can on our own."

"Alright. Then we'll see you all in thirty minutes. Please, be safe." Yuna wished them well.

A sense of foreboding filled Aqua's chest. They were going down into the unknown pit filled with red lyrium. The half an hour was more than enough to knock them out if they weren't careful. She slipped her hand into his and gave it a nervous squeeze. His smile was one of reassurance, although there was a glimmer of fear in it as well. It was possible he needed her just as much as she needed him.

alright! so, there's my tiny add to Vanqua week, although they'll be talking more about what happened next chapter. Notes time.I think the only thing I need to explain is that a Chavelier is like your traditional knight. they fight in competitions and do jousting and such.for more of your DA au needs, go check out Kessie-louise's Letters from Thedas here on fan fiction!