A/N – So, if you've managed to get this far, I can only congratulate you as I'm aware the first act moved at a crawl and probably bored some enough to give up and read something else. As I said a few chapters back, I wrote the first 20 chapters a long time ago (this being the last) before taking a substantial break, restarting again perhaps after a year or so. So you might notice some differences, whether it's the plot, characters, or even my writing in general. One thing you will definitely notice is the fact that the story moves a little quicker. Case in point, Act I up to now has taken 20 chapters to complete. Acts II and III will be covered in 25 chapters, and that also includes DLCs.

I'd barely been back in Kirkwall a week before I received a message from the docks, stating the new ambassador had arrived. I could only thank the Nine Divines for that. Hell, I even thanked the Maker, much to the amusement of Bethany, joking I would become a devotee of Andraste one day.

Hawke told me that she'd had no trouble with the templars since my departure, though I'm sure my return had been noted as soon as I stepped off the ship. As yet, I'd received no visitors from the Order, and not been troubled whenever I wandered Hightown or Lowtown. I didn't go looking for a fight. I'd done what was necessary in the tower that night when I'd rescued her from their clutches. I was still furious about what they did to Solona, but she was now safe and home in Ferelden, though I already missed her presence in my life. I wasn't sure what Aedan was going to do, and if the Grey Wardens would respond. I wasn't going to start a war over what happened, and certainly wasn't going to drag Ferelden into a personal matter.

But the anger would remain for a long time. And I'd never forgive the Templar Order.

The new Ambassador of Ferelden to the Free Marches was an older man, as I expected. He knew who I was straight away, offering his hand, which I accepted. "Uhtred Dragonborn?"

"Aye."

"I'm Aerin Ervine. Obviously I am your replacement." He reached into his small bag and produced a letter, immediately noticing the seal of Ferelden. "This is just to make the handover official. King Aedan informed me that you would be remaining as some sort of military attaché and as part of the security team at the embassy?"

"That would be correct, Ambassador, though I'm sure he told you enough stories that I'm not always around."

"And I wouldn't expect you to be. I gather you remain living at the embassy?"

I gestured that we should walk and I filled him in. "Yes, I'm living there at the moment but I am currently looking for my own house. Bethany Hawke, who is unofficially a Grey Warden recruiter, is living with me, but will join me in my new place of residence. I also have four servants. Um, they will probably join me too."

"No problem. Is there any other staff?"

"Half a dozen former Ferelden refugees help out with daily tasks. I can only suggest you keep them. They're hard workers and earn their coin."

"I'll take your word for it and immediately start advertising for new servants. I certainly understand personal loyalty and all."

During the walk back, I pointed out certain features and gave him a rundown of the latest events. He certainly knew what happened in the last days before I returned to Ferelden, though knew little of the simmering conflict possibly brewing between the mages and templars. Or, at least, that's what I thought. It didn't really effect Ferelden except when I decided to involve myself. Now that I was no longer ambassador, I could perhaps now do things I hadn't considered prior.

He was impressed with the building chosen, and liked the furniture Solona and I had picked out long before. After introducing him to the servants and other staff, I showed him upstairs. I offered to vacate the main bedroom, but he insisted I remain until I'd found a new home, happy to take one of the other rooms for now.

"When would you like to go over things?"

"Not until tomorrow at the earliest. A week on a ship is a long time, and the sea wasn't kind."

"Ah, I understand what you mean. So are you hungry?"

He pulled a face. "Not just yet. Give me a couple of hours for my stomach to finally settle down first."

"Rest up. We'll be downstairs if you need anything."

"Thank you, Uhtred."

Heading back downstairs, I found Bethany in the office, reading over some documents, merely out of curiosity. I'm sure the new ambassador already knew the whole Grey Warden recruiter story was a pack of lies. She was still with me because I wanted her with me, and no-one was prepared to stand up and say no, or at least try and stop me.

Hawke showed up a couple of hours later, looking rather pleased. Sitting down in my usual chair behind my soon to be ex-desk, Bethany sat on my lap as I asked Hawke what was up. First she gestured towards us. "So it's going to be like this from now on, is it?"

"You're just jealous," Bethany retorted, poking out her tongue.

"Don't speak so soon, little sister."

"Oh, do tell?" I wondered.

"Nothing big but… Well, has it been obvious I've been interested in one of our group… a woman in particular?"

"You mean the woman who is generally always by your side? Yes, we've noticed, Hawke."

Hawke cleared her throat. "Well, um… She doesn't want to make anything too serious between us but, well, the reason I've dropped by is because I could afford to buy our old home." She passed over a piece of paper. "Received the paperwork today. I can move in as soon as I want. Mother was best pleased."

Bethany screamed, rounding the desk to hug her sister. It was good news, after all. "Need any help moving?" I wondered.

"Uhtred, you've been to our house plenty of times. There is barely anything to move. No, we will take the necessities, otherwise I'm just glad we're leaving that dump behind. Gamlen can have it."

"So he's not invited, I take it?"

Hawke scoffed. "He's responsible for the whole sorry mess. No, he can remain where he is."

"I would assume he's displeased?" Bethany wondered.

"Mother set him straight immediately. I've never seen the man look as timid as when mother tore strips off him. Made him feel this big," she replied, making a gesture with her fingers, suggesting he was very tiny indeed.

"Well, I think this calls for a celebration!" I exclaimed.

Hawke smiled, replying, "That's why I'm here. This weekend, I'm going to host a welcome home party. Obviously my sister and her lover are invited. As are all our friends. It should be quite good fun. A good way to let our hair down after all the shenanigans of the past few months."

"I think I can definitely speak for Bethany when I suggest we'd be delighted."

"And I assume you will be moving shortly too?"

"Once we've found a place we both like."

The smirk formed. "You both like? Sounds serious, Uhtred."

I glanced at Bethany and smiled, the smile she returned lighting up her face. "Aye, I guess it is."

With the ambassador having arrived, I wanted out as soon as possible, so I pulled every string I could in finding a new place. I think the Nine Divines were actually smiling on me for once, as Bethany and I were offered a nice little place, not far from her sister, no more than a couple of streets away. It wasn't as big as Hawke's, which we'd only seen from the outside, but we didn't need a big place. As long as it was enough for us and our servants, at least to start with, we'd be content. We had more than enough coin to pay for it outright, and I was glad we could sign off on the paperwork rather quickly. We would move in the week after Hawke, and hold our own little celebration.

That meant just over a week of living at the embassy, which I didn't mind. I helped Aerin get to grips with the situation on the ground, and he was far more adept at dealing with paperwork, meeting dignitaries and just doing the job in general. I thanked him more than once for taking the job off my hands. I assured him all I could do in return was keep him safe.

I spent the rest of the week patrolling the streets with Hawke. Well, when I say patrolling, I mean all we did was wander around, and our faces were rather well known by now. In Hightown, there wasn't a problem, though the templars that recognised me certainly showed their displeasure that I was still in the city. I merely smiled at them. I wasn't looking to fight them though I'd meet any attack with overwhelming force in reply. As for Lowtown, no-one would be dumb enough to attack us, though you couldn't be sure how dumb some people were. Bethany would sometimes join us, though she was sometimes happy to just do her own thing. I found myself warning her to be careful more often than not, memories of Solona in the back of my mind. If they did the same thing to Bethany as they'd done to Solona, I'm not sure what I'd be capable of…

But the rest of the week passed relatively peacefully until it was the night of Hawke's big night. Bethany and I dressed back at the embassy. I found myself in a rather nice fitted suit, Bethany wearing a dress that I found incredibly distracting, and she may have had to warn me off more than once about wandering hands. Still, it made her laugh loudly, which is all I wanted.

Walking hand in hand during sunset, Hightown was still quite busy, and more than one person stopped to greet me. I assumed they might have been refugees at one stage, though perhaps they knew who I was. Knocking on Hawke's front door, it was opened by someone dressed as a servant, offering to take our coats, before we were escorted to the main room. Most others had already arrived, and I hadn't seen them all lately, so there were plenty of handshakes and kissed cheeks as we caught up on the latest events of our lives.

Sitting on one of the lounges with Bethany to my side, Varric asked, "So just what is the Dragonborn going to do with himself now?"

"I honestly have no idea. I mean, I'm to protect the embassy and its staff, but I don't see that being attacked by anyone… again, and the ambassador will live in the embassy itself, but I'll be his bodyguard when he leaves. Other than that, I don't really have a job. Aedan made up a couple of roles, but we both know they mean nothing. He's just ensuring I get paid."

"Guess you'll keep busy alongside Hawke as well?"

"If she's willing to put up with my presence for that long."

"Yeah, we'll have to see about that, Uhtred," she called across the room.

"What about you, Varric? Any big plans?"

"No, after being bitten in the arse by my brother, I have no desire to organise something like that again. I'll stick to my dealing, my writing, and whatever trouble Hawke can get me into."

"Sounds like a grand plan. Any other gossip we missed while we were gone?"

"You mean apart from the hornet's nest you stirred up at the Circle?" I couldn't help the smug grin that formed, which just made him laugh. "You did a good thing, Uhtred. Not sure how many would agree with you, but what happened to Solona wasn't right. At least she's back home now."

"Her home was with me. We were no longer intimate, but she was one of my best friends."

"I know that, but if not with you, at least she's with people that care about her."

I nodded. "First Enchanter Irving was heartbroken when he saw her."

"Do you intend to do anything else?"

I shook my head. "For the moment, no. I made my feelings known, and to be honest, now that I'm no longer ambassador, they are no longer my problem. But now that I'm free of any constraints, if they want to fight fire with fire, I'm capable of holding my own."

That made Varric laugh. "You're the Dragonborn. They don't stand a chance."

I put a finger to my lips and shushed him. "Let's not get overconfident here. I bleed like any ordinary man and have more than enough scars to prove I could eventually be taken down."

The party carried on most of the evening. Leandra was also present and had been filled in with what happened to Solona during my time away. She seemed to be sorrier for me than I was for her in return, though I did mention something my brother suggested, that she was targeted because of who she was. She chewed on that for a while and said it may have been possible, though why target them after all this time?

As the party wound down, I found myself in conversation with Hawke and Aveline, the latter approaching the pair of us about a templar who we had dealings with before the expedition. "There is a templar you have spoken to before, name of Emeric," Aveline explained, "He's causing a bit of a fuss."

"Why not deal with it yourself?" I wondered.

"Because he's a templar and I have no authority over what he can or cannot do… Well, my guards are not particularly happy he is poking his nose into affairs generally held by the city guard. And he's already caused us some embarrassment."

"How so?" Hawke wondered.

"He made an accusation against someone. We raided their house, found nothing, and was forced to apologise. Viscount tore strips off me, though he did at least understand why I'd made the decision."

"So you want us to help him instead?" Hawke asked, slightly confused.

Aveline grimaced but nodded. "I normally wouldn't ask but… You've worked with him before and even my guards know what you've done around the city."

"I think you've helped me often enough that I owe you at least one."

Aveline was pleased to hear we'd help, Hawke suggesting everyone meet back at hers in two days' time. Not tomorrow, we'd probably be too hungover.

Two days later, we found nearly our entire group heading towards Hightown. Only Aveline wasn't with us, no real surprise there. One or two figured I might be uncomfortably approaching a templar, or their headquarters and tower, but I'd already let it be known that, as far as I was concerned, the issue was closed. Solona was Tranquil, she was back in Ferelden, and there was nothing they could do to her anymore. If they wished to carry on the spat, that was on them, and if they wanted to declare war on the Dragonborn, then so be it. I'd fight fire with fire.

Emeric admitted he had continued his investigation after our previous work together, and he now believed a serial killer was loose on the streets of Kirkwall. However, his work had not been in vain, as he now had a suspect. A gentleman by the name of Gascard DuPuis.

"Ah, that's what Aveline meant," I muttered.

"Yes. After that, Knight Commander Meredith ordered me to halt my investigation into the murders. But she never ordered me not to seek outside help."

"Okay, there's only one question. What makes DuPuis a suspect? Never heard of the man myself," Varric stated.

"He knew two of the murdered women and made inquiries as to the others. I do not believe in mere coincidences."

I think what he told us was thin. Very thin. I'm sure other colleagues had their doubts too, but Aveline had asked Hawke, Hawke had asked us, and she believed that there was no harm in at least finding and questioning DuPuis ourselves. If we found nothing, so be it. If we found something, then perhaps we could help Emeric.

That's not exactly what he wanted though. "No, he's already been questioned, and I doubt he'll say anything to you anyway."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," I stated, cracking my knuckles.

Emeric shook his head. "No, this doesn't need to end in violence. What you need to find is evidence, one way or another."

"You want us to break in?" Isabela asked, laughing away, "Oh, sure, turn us into criminals while we're hunting a potential one."

"I know I ask a lot but it is the only way. If he is innocent or guilty, just provide me the evidence so I can at least move on."

"You have any other suspects?" Hawke asked.

"None at the moment. To be honest, everything I've found links DuPuis in some way to most of the victims. And that's ignoring the man is… eccentric. That doesn't make him guilty, but it stacks up with everything I've found."

We waited around until evening, figuring breaking and entering should be done when everything was dark and fewer people were around. Hawke didn't bring everyone this time, Hawke and Isabela to help pick locks, Bethany as magical protection, and myself as muscle, in case anyone needed a fist or two to help make them cooperative.

Breaking in was the easy part, Varric proving to have rather deft hands. But we should have known better, for as soon as we entered the estate, we found ourselves under attack by all manner of magical creates. Shades. Demons. Thankfully no undead. Rage demons are always a pain in the arse, Bethany providing us with enough protection to prevent the worst of burning, Hawke and I working together as usual to hack the bastard to death.

I won't suggest that immediately made us think DuPuis was guilty. We were breaking in, after all. But it definitely suggested, if not proved, he was a mage. We found one letter thanking Gascard for a 'shipment'. I'm sure I wasn't the only one to have their blood run cold, left believing it was likely the shipment was human. Dead or alive, we simply didn't now.

After dealing with more magical creatures upstairs, no more than a few, nothing to concern us, we found a letter from the First Enchanter of Starkhaven, which was a bit of a surprise, intrigued as to why Gascard was asking after the missing mages. We'd dealt with one or two issues prior to the expedition regarding them. Whatever the case, the letter put Gascard in his place, suggesting he not ask again.

We searched high and low for any evidence. When Bethany found vials of blood in a side room, even I was smart enough to figure out that Gascard may be dabbling in blood magic. And after what happened to Solona, that just pissed me off. Bethany had no love for blood magic or mages either. Probably a good thing Merrill wasn't around, otherwise there'd be another long argument about it.

Continuing to search, the estate was enormous, at least three or four stories high. We even found a letter from Knight-Commander Meredith, apologising to Gascard for the supposed harassment.

Surprisingly, we found Gascard on the estate, in the master bedroom. What none of us expected to find was the young woman with him, who was obviously terrified. He turned around, surprised at our appearance. Doing what I normally do, I strode forward and he was smart enough to get out of my way, ensuring I helped the woman to her feet, walking her away to sit on the bed. Gascard was smart enough not to move, as Hawke and Isabela were already armed.

"Explain. Now," Hawke demanded.

"I know what it looks like, but I didn't hurt her." I glanced over the woman, and she didn't appear bruised nor had he attempted anything else, her clothing intact. She was obviously just frightened. Hawke looked my way and I gave a single nod, suggesting he might be speaking the truth.

"You might not have done anything yet, but you still have explaining to do regarding what we've done…"

"Look, I don't know why you're here. But what I know is that there is a killer out there, and I think he's playing us both! If you let me explain, I'll tell you what I've found." When he held up his hands, they were shaking too. Little wonder, I guess.

"You have two minutes," Hawke stated.

Gascard took a seat, resting his arms on his knees, looking at the floor. Sign of a defeated man already. I wondered if he thought we'd kill him anyway. "Twenty years ago, my sister was murdered," he said softly, "The bastard is now in Kirkwall, killing again, exactly the same way he killed my sister." He finally looked up. "It starts with a bouquet of while lilies. He sends them to each new victim. Alessa, the girl your friend is hiding over there, was going to be the next victim."

I looked back at Alessa. "Is that true, the white lilies?" I whispered. She nodded, wiping her eyes of tears. "Then how do we know you didn't send them?" I wondered.

He looked offended by the question but didn't answer. "Look, I took Alessa so when the killer went looking for her, he'd have to find me. After twenty years, I'd finally look my sister's murderer in the eye. But then you showed up…"

"He's lying!" Alessa screamed behind me, "He's hurt me!"

I turned around, getting down onto a knee. "How has he hurt you?" I asked gently.

"I took some of her blood," Gascard admitted.

"What for?" Hawke asked, the tone suggesting her patience was nearly at an end. She either didn't buy the whole story or felt pity for the poor woman.

"I took her blood so, if the killer took her, I could track her down. I only did it to protect her!"

"Obviously you're a blood mage," Bethany stated, and Gascard didn't disagree, "So who is the killer if not you?"

"Someone better than I am at the practice. Someone powerful. What I do believe is he's using these women for some sort of ritual. For what purpose, though, I cannot be sure. But all the woman share similar features. There is a reason he is targeting them."

There was silence as Hawke no doubt chewed over what we'd been told. "Uhtred, your opinion?"

"I believe him about the dead sister. I've looked in a mirror and seen that same haunted look regarding the death of a loved one."

Isabela was ready to kill him there and then, Varric was willing to give the benefit of the doubt, while Bethany didn't know what to think. I didn't blame her, to be honest. "We're taking Alessa with us," Hawke stated, "And I will warn you only the once. Stay away from her."

"And the killer?"

"For some stupid reason, I actually believe you. So I will return to Emeric and suggest to him that you are not responsible for the murders. I will tell him your story, and if he believes it, then you won't hear from us again."

"Very well. I will continue my own investigation regardless. We could team up…?"

"No. Just be grateful I don't report your arse to the templars for being a bloody mage," Hawke replied. And after gesturing for me to grab Alessa, we headed out.

"I don't like this, Hawke," Isabela stated.

"I know, but I do actually think he was trying to help. He just has a funny way of doing it. But those tears regarding his sister were genuine. That's twenty years of grief and heartbreak being released in front of strangers."

As it was late, we all headed home, Bethany and I absentmindedly heading back towards the house we'd bought before remembering we hadn't exactly moved in yet. Gawen was still up when we arrived back and offered to make us a hot drink before bed. He sat with us as always, and while he did ask a question or two about what we'd been up to, he generally didn't stick his nose in too much.

The next morning, we met up with Hawke at her new home before walking to the Gallows, looking for Emeric. There was no sign of him, but we were approached by another templar, introducing herself as Moira. "I have a message for you from Emeric," she said, "He received your letter…"

"What letter?" Hawke wondered.

Moira looked confused. "This letter," she replied, reaching into her pocket and handing over a piece of paper. Hawke looked it over, then glanced at me, equally as confused.

"I didn't write this."

"Okay, but what Emeric told me is that he'll meet you in Lowtown tonight. He said you'd know where and when."

Thanking Moira, we departed with Varric stating, "You know this is a set-up, right, Hawke?"

"Yes, I know. I'm not sure where he thinks we'll meet him though."

"We'll just ask around Lowtown for a templar. They generally stand out like sore thumbs."

I knew none of us wanted to wait around until evening to find Emeric, but assuming he was at the barracks, all we could do was sit and wait around. I did spend some time with Aerin, the new ambassador, as he still asked me plenty of questions about what I'd been up to. I told him what I could as always but he quickly realised I'd been out of my depth regarding most facets of the job, though did mention his admiration for how I'd dealt with all the refugees. I simply said it had been the right thing to do.

Varric had been out doing his thing, and meeting outside the Hanged Man, he led Hawke and the rest of us in the direction of where he'd been seen. We ended up in an area of Lowtown I hadn't been in before, a rather dank, dark area, nothing redeeming about it whatsoever. And we ran into magical creatures straight away, suggesting something was terribly wrong.

I had no problem unleashing my Thu'um immediately. The only reason I hadn't in the mansion was the fact I would have deafened everyone. Outside, no such problem, and freezing them in place just made our lives easier. There was plenty of them, including more than one demon, but Bethany kept us protected from the worst they could do to us at the same time.

It was another long fight, all of us taking one or two wounds along the way, but nothing too concerning. But it was only after the fight we found the body of Emeric. He was quite obviously dead, and it was clear the whole meeting had been a set-up. Not by Emeric, of course, but whoever was…

"Think it was Gascard?" I wondered.

"If it was, he's dead," Hawke muttered, "But I think it's whoever we and Gascard are looking for. They're obviously concerned and trying to frighten us off. Or kill us. Either way, they're sending a message of their own."

I checked over his body and found enough wounds to suggest he'd been attacked by the same creatures that attacked us, no doubt overwhelming him quite quickly. As we looked around for any evidence, though I didn't think we'd find much of anything, we heard noise approaching, unsheathing weapons as we waited for whoever to appear.

Surprisingly it was Moira, who came a halt once she noticed us, then Emeric. She brushed past me and knelt by her fellow templar, grabbing his now dead hand. "I'm sorry for not believing you," she said softly, "But you are now at the side of the Maker."

"I'm sorry," Hawke stated, the rest of us adding our condolences.

"He was right, and I didn't believe him. Nor did anyone else it seems, except you." She turned to face us. "Even though I didn't believe, I still listened to his theories. He mentioned a suspect by the name of Gascard DuPuis. Do you think he did this?"

"No. He explained his own interest in the murders. We believed him," Hawke replied.

"I don't think he would have done this," Varric added, "It doesn't add up. We told him that we'd speak to Emeric, and I doubt Emeric would have set up any sort of meeting with him about this."

"So who's the killer?" Hawke could only shrug, admitting she didn't know. I didn't have the faintest idea, and nor did anyone else. "Very well. Whoever did this is a dangerous apostate that Meredith will want found. I will see to it personally."

"And Emeric?" Hawke asked, gesturing to his body.

"I will ensure he is remembered correctly, as someone who gave their live for a noble cause. You have my thanks for helping him. And if you learn anything more, please come see me. I would like to pick up his mantle going forward."

"Of course," Hawke said.

We left Moira with the body. I don't think it was romantic involvement. I think they might have been friends, perhaps had worked closely together. Whatever the case, I glanced back to see her kneeling over his body, and the wiping of her face suggested a tear or two may have been spilled. At that moment, my heart did go out to her.

Walking back to the Hanged Man, I think we all needed a drink after that. The mood was rather sombre as we gathered around the table, sipping from our tankards. "Well, that sucks," I finally stated.

"And we're at a dead end," Varric added, "I'll do what I can regarding information, but with Emeric dead, we're short of allies. We could squeeze Gascard, but does anyone else here think he did that tonight?"

"No. He had one or two flaws but I don't think he had murder in his blood," Hawke replied.

"I still think we should have taken him in regardless considering the state of the poor girl," Isabela added.

"Where is she now?"

"She was at my place, but I can't keep her there against her will," Hawke stated, "If she wishes to leave, I can't stop her, but I'll do my best to keep an eye on her."

"And this whole serial killer thing?" Bethany wondered.

Hawke looked at me. I simply shrugged as I didn't have a clue. "I guess all we can do is wait until there's another reported disappearance. There are plenty of apostates around Kirkwall nowadays. Can't go accusing every single one without putting their backs up."

"So we wait for a kidnapping? Great," Varric muttered before he sighed, "If you don't mind, I think I might get a couple of friends and ensure certain companions are protected."

"Such as?" I wondered.

"Daisy for starters. I don't think she fits the profile but I want her safe all the same."

Bethany just cuddled into me. "Well, I think I'll definitely be protected."

Hawke just pretended to be sick as usual but I could see her giving Isabela the eye as well. Not that I worried about either of them. I'd pity, albeit only for a second, anyone who was dumb enough to take them on.

But without any leads, we agreed that, for now, there was simply nothing we could do. I figured we could at least keep tabs on Gascard, which everyone agreed with, but other than that, we would just have to sit and wait, perhaps hoping we would hear something before another woman had to die.