A/N – I read and definitely appreciate (thanks to everyone who does!) every review but just thought I'd reply in regards to a couple of reviews about the lack of reaction from Uhtred after what's happened. My thought was that this will be a trilogy of stories and not everything needs to happen at once. Also, I think Uhtred did make his point by taking Solona back immediately and using his Thu'um against them, something he rarely does, particularly against humans. Maybe it wasn't what was expected but I wanted to temper his reaction for the time being.

To labour the point a bit, in the entire time I've written of Uhtred, he has only taken vengeance into his own hands two or three times from memory. Two times in 'Land of My Fathers', first against Mercer Frey, which is part of the canon story, and again when Serana (who he had married) was kidnapped and tortured, but even then, he was talked out of going too far by his friends and by Serana herself. And once in 'Enter the Dragonborn' against Lord Howe, which was part of the main storyline. Other than that, Uhtred has never been one to be ruled by vengeance. Even in the worst of times, he tries to retain his own honour and discipline and I've generally written him to be a 'good' man.

Regarding Solona, the Templar Order and everything surrounding her Tranquillity, it will simply play out slower than perhaps some people hoped or expected. Hope you keep faith with it though and keep supporting the story, but I understand why one or two might have been put off, particularly in regards to what happened to Solona (one reviewer stated they would stop reading altogether.) It was a shock but, I'll admit, that's what I was aiming for. If you are wondering, she does return though I won't reveal when.

Thanks for the feedback and your honest views... being compared to Game of Thrones Season 8 is a bit of a low blow! I mean, I didn't watch it but the reviews I've read or seen... but I still managed a chuckle at my own expense… Regardless, your reviews are appreciated. I can always do better or differently next time.

After what happened with Solona, I thought I would have been on the templar watch list, thinking they might try and intimidate me, or flat out try and have me arrested as some sort of mage conspirator. But since that last meeting with Cullen, I hadn't heard a word from them, and I didn't go looking for a fight as I didn't want to take on the entire Templar Order. I would have liked to find the templars who actually took Solona that night, and then find out the reason why she was made Tranquil, but I had a feeling I would never find out unless blood started to flow. Leandra still thought it was due to her last name above anything. Carrying the Amell surname seemed to be a poisoned chalice within the walls of Kirkwall.

There was still an undercurrent of tension around Kirkwall. Mages could still walk around somewhat freely, but the templars watched them like hawks. As for myself, if they knew who I was, they simply ignored my presence. I'd heard nary a word from Knight-Commander Meredith, but I had to assume she now knew who I was and probably didn't like what she heard. The good thing is I was now no longer the ambassador, so I could operate how I pleased… to a point. Couldn't drag Ferelden into conflict, as I'd been warned. Aedan had apparently been in communication, but with the Templar Order so linked to the Chantry, he could voice his displeasure but his hands were tied. He couldn't declare war on the Templar Order, it was that simple, and the City of Kirkwall wasn't responsible for the actions of the templars. As for the Grey Wardens, I hadn't heard a word what they thought, nor had Bethany. Probably as displeased as anyone, no doubt. But no-one was going to go to war over one mage made Tranquil, whether Grey Warden or a Ferelden citizen. Letters would be sent voicing displeasure, and relationships would be strained for a time, but it would soon be forgotten by most people as other matters took precedence. I wouldn't be surprised if many thought she'd done something to be made Tranquil. I'd learned just the accusation of blood magic was a stain difficult to remove.

I would never forget what they did to Solona, though. I'd remember long into the future. There would be a reckoning one day with the Templar Order of Kirkwall. But I was willing to bide my time, wait for the moment to strike. I had no intention of leaving the city anytime soon. I would find those responsible eventually. If authorised by Meredith herself, then she would pay the price.

But word of what I'd done had certainly spread, and from what I was being told, the mages were looking at me with hope, that perhaps I was somebody who could help them. I'm not quite sure I was what they were looking for, but there's no doubt in my mind that Hawke looked at her sister, and looked at what happened to Solona, and would definitely join alongside if I did make a decision.

Bethany and I were enjoying breakfast, our servants joining us as always, when there was a knock at the door. Gawen went to answer it, returning a few seconds later holding a latter. "Addressed to you, lord," he stated, handing it over.

I shared a glance with Bethany. "Who would be writing me?" I wondered. There was no seal of Ferelden, so it didn't come from Aedan or the palace. No Warden symbol, so not from Alistair. Shrugging, I opened the letter and read the contents. Handing it to Bethany, her eyes widened in surprise once she was done.

"Well, looks like you've made a name for yourself, just as you assumed."

"Aye, but it wasn't just me. Hawke and the others were just as involved."

"While true, you actually burst into the Circle and rescued your friend, Uhtred. To many mages, particularly those considered an apostate, you're a hero."

I read the letter again. No idea who Terrie of Starkhaven was, but I guess she was one of the apostates we'd saved what felt like long ago now. Time had passed so quickly while we'd been in Kirkwall, I had trouble remembering what year it was. I looked in a mirror and could see I was getting older day by day. "Mistress Selby," I muttered to myself, "Apostate mages."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I go speak to your sister and see what she thinks. I'm more than willing to get involved, but I'd like back up at the same time."

"Uhtred, her sister is an apostate herself. Trust me, she'll help if it means protecting me. Of course, I think you are number one on that list now. Something about 'I'd die for you, Bethany' or along those lines anyway."

"Well, might have got a little carried away while you were doing something to me at the time."

"You are very agreeable while I'm doing it, Uhtred."

"I'll get dressed and head over. Want to come?"

"Actually, yes. The only places I seem to visit lately is the market, bookshop and apothecary."

After we'd dressed, Bethany in her robes, though she left her mage staff where it was, I dressed in armour as I always did, and we wandered out hand in hand towards Hawke's mansion. Let in by one of her elven servants, we found Hawke in her study, going over some paperwork. She was delighted to see Bethany, as I think I saw more of Hawke than she did nowadays, and after they caught up, I handed over the letter. "Your thoughts?"

Hawke read it over once, handed it back, and said, "I'm in. You coming, Bethany?"

"No, I'll head home."

"You don't seem to join in much anymore. Why is that?"

Bethany looked at me. I simply hadn't mentioned it, so I shrugged. Bethany grabbed my hand and looked back at her sister. "Uhtred and I are trying for a baby, Marian. I'm not sure yet but… I'm hoping I might already…"

Hawke exclaimed surprise, jumped up from her chair, rounded the table, and hugged her sister tightly. Then she let her go and gave me a shove. "Could have told me!"

"I didn't want to jinx it. And I thought it best you heard it from your sister."

The two sisters hugged again. "How long have you been trying?"

"Past couple of months, but the past month or so… I don't know…" She took a deep breath. "The only concern I have is the fact I'm a Warden. But apart from the occasional nightmare, my body seems to have adapted quite well to it all."

"Well, at least I understand why now, at least. Best you remain home, put your feet up, have Uhtred look after you."

"I'm sure I'll know for sure when it happens."

After escorting Bethany home, Hawke and I headed towards Lowtown and the docks. It was only us two as we didn't expect any trouble, at least not yet. Not knowing who she was by sight, we did ask around as to where she might be. One or two people knew her at least, and we were eventually pointed in the right direction.

We found her operating a small stall, apparently doing deliveries across the Free Marches and, if you were willing to pay, across to Ferelden and even Orlais. Once she had no customers, Hawke and I approached.

"I'm Uhtred, and this is Hawke. I received a letter this morning from one of your friends."

The eyes lit up in realisation though she kept her voice cool. "Ah, I see. So you are interested in our… special rates, then."

"Perhaps," Hawke replied, "But I must ask why you're aiding mages? It's highly dangerous. If the templars found out…"

She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "One of my sisters is a mage. A gentle child, so generous." She sighed, hearing a catch in her tone as she continued. "She was made Tranquil last year. Templars claimed she was a danger. Now, it's like she's not there. That shouldn't be forced on anyone."

"I understand," I practically growled, "How can we help?" I glanced at Hawke. "We are helping, right?"

"You bet your arse we are, Uhtred. Tell us what you need, Miss Selby."

"Maker bless you both." She gestured for us to join her by a ledger, now dropping her voice to a whisper. "Within these pages, I keep details of apostates evading templars. Whenever I learn of something, I will ensure I deliver a letter to you both. From there, it will be up to you, but the more mages we can save from so-called templar justice, the better."

"I hope we hear from you soon, Miss Selby," I stated.

"Oh, you'll be surprised how busy you might end up being, Uhtred."

It took a week at most for the first letters to be sent to Hawke and I. We'd kept ourselves busy but barely left Kirkwall in anticipation of a letter arriving. I had a feeling Miss Selby had been waiting for us to arrive before she could finally start organising efforts. As soon as the letter arrived, I was knocking on Hawke's door. She was getting ready to come see me, laughing as I burst through the door. Our letters matched exactly, so we sat down together and organised ourselves.

"Starkhaven again," I muttered, "How many of those mages actually escaped?"

"Remember that Sebastian fellow we helped out?"

"Vaguely. He's still at the Chantry, isn't he?"

"He is. I see him there every so often. He's polite, comes to say hello, and while he remembers that we helped him, I wouldn't call us friend. However, I do remember what he told us. The Circle there burned down, along with half the city. Maybe he was exaggerating, but it seems the mages escaped, at least."

"Surprised the templars would send bounty hunters to find mages."

"The templars would use all means at their disposal to track down apostates. But they must be under orders not to kill them if this friend of hers has been captured. Guess the templars want to make an example of them and make them Tranquil." Any time I heard that word, my temper rose visibly. Hawke noticed, reaching across the desk to give my hand a squeeze. "I know, Uhtred, I know."

"I still remember her voice," I murmured, "There was nothing there. Nothing I remembered. Part of me has always thought, though, that at least we were no longer together." I met her eyes. "It almost made it easier for me."

"Do you hear from her?"

"No. I wouldn't expect to. Honestly, it's best left how it is. Easier for me, and she… Well, I doubt Solona would feel happy but she was safe where she now is." I cleared my throat. "Anyway, we handling this immediately, tomorrow…"

"Well, considering you're dressed how you usually are, I'll grab my things, we'll collect a couple of people, then head to the Wounded Coast."

"Isabela here?"

"She's tied up naked to my bed, Uhtred." My face must have been priceless as she burst into laughter. "No, she's at home. We'll collect her, Varric and Merrill then head out. I'm not expecting too much opposition. You?"

"Let's hope we can actually end this without violence. Would be nice for a change."

After collecting her own weapons, we headed out, makings stops along the way before there were five of us heading out the city gates. Having lived in Kirkwall for a number of years, I was surprised at how temperate the weather was. Never too hot. Never too cold. The occasional storm, but nothing remarkable. And it didn't rain too often.

The Wounded Coast was a myriad of paths deviating from the main road, and there were plenty of caves that people could take refuge in, whether they were apostates, bandits, or bounty hunters looking for safety. The only reason we eventually found who we were looking for was the fact they had a small camp outside the entrance, with a trio of lookouts. They took one look at us approaching and quickly disappeared inside.

"Let's see what's behind door number one," I joked.

The fact that there were three waiting outside should have been a suggestion that there was a larger force than expected inside. I was expecting maybe two to three people at most. Who would send an enormous force just to capture one mage? Well, maybe there were still hundreds missing. Still, it was weird when we wandered inside the cave and found ourselves attacked by more people than anyone of us could have possibly anticipated.

I'll give the opposition credit; they were more talented than the usual run of the mill bandits we were used to dealing with along the coast. Not sure they had much training, but the blades they wielded were of better quality, and they knew how to use them. Varric took out archers with his crossbow, hearing his whoops of delight whenever he hit a target, Isabela wielding a pair of blades, taking the fight to them. Merrill remained at the rear as always, supporting us with her magic.

My only concern all this was someone cutting their losses, killing the mage, and running for it. But I guess they saw only the five of us and thought they could take us on. That would prove fatal, pushing the enemy back until they either fought to the death or surrendered. Finally, four of them called out, willing to parley. I was surprised. The enemy always fought to the death.

"I'm not dyin' for no bloody apostate," one of them stated, "No idea who you lot are, but you can have her."

"What about our payment?" another hisses.

"Screw the payment. You want to die for this? Don't know about you, but I've got a wife and kids to support. I'll go hunting bandits or something else from now on, if capturing apostates leads to this."

"Leave your weapons before you go," Hawke suggested, "You can grab the personal effects of anyone you know who has died."

The four survivors did as we asked, dropping their weapons, searching one or two bodies for tokens, before they quickly departed for the entrance. If they had transport nearby, I had no doubt they'd be halfway to Starkhaven before we even left the cave.

We found the mage bound and gagged in an alcove deeper in the cavern. She was frightened to death, streaks of tears in her dirt covered face. Looking her over, she must have been out hiding in the wilderness for weeks, if not months, as she didn't look particularly healthy either. Needs a couple of meals too.

After unbinding her, I helped her to her feet, leading her towards the rest of the group. She noticed the bodies lying around and nearly fainted. "Sorry," she said quietly, "Not used to seeing so much death."

Could have made a joke. For once, I didn't. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, albeit nervously. "Terrie always said she'd find a way to help us. Thank you!"

"Where will you go?"

"There are other apostates nearby who I can link up with. Together, we know of… people… people who will help us escape."

I was about to ask where, but then thought it would be best if we didn't know. We escorted her out of the cave, asking if she wished to be escorted back to Kirkwall. She shook her head at though. "No thank you. I've heard enough horror stories of the knight-commander to give anyone nightmares. I'll take my chances until I can link up with some friends. Thanks to you, I won't have to worry about bounty hunters, and for other reasons, templars shouldn't be any real problem."

After giving her a few coin, just in case she ended in a village or two, she thanked us again and headed back out in the wilderness. I thought she was a bit nuts for doing so, but I guess if she had magic at her disposal, she'd be safe enough. The five of us headed back to Kirkwall and the Hanged Man. This time, we could celebrate a job well done with a drink or two.

In the end, we performed at least a dozen minor tasks for Miss Selby and her organisation. Most involved nothing more than a bit of legwork, perhaps a fight, the changing of paperwork, and one or two ruses which ended up with templars getting in a bit of trouble. That was always amusing, particularly when rumours of any fallout reached our ears. But as quickly as we started helping Miss Selby, it all ended.

We hadn't received any letters for over a week, so Hawke and I wandered down to the docks to find her. There was no sign of Miss Selby, though her stall remained in place, and it looked like she'd simply gone into the warehouse behind her, or perhaps gone home for lunch. It was only when another shopkeeper approached that we learned the truth.

"You're looking Miss Selby? Bad bit of business that."

"What happened?"

"Templars turned up the other day, about six of them. Started asking questions about some sort of underground network to help apostates. She denied, of course, but they claimed to have evidence. She wasn't a mage herself. Turned out she was quite good with a dagger and sword though. She took two of them down before they finally did her in."

"Damn it," Hawke muttered.

"Do you know where she lived? If she had relatives?"

He shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't know her that well. Templars raided her stall and the warehouse behind, took away a few things, told us to keep our noses out of it. Don't want to piss off templars in Kirkwall, so that's we did."

Thanking the shopkeeper, Hawke and I headed home, feeling a little depressed about it all. News must have flown fast, though, as within the week, I received a final letter. It was from Terrie, who had learned of the news regarding Miss Selby. She thanked us for all the help we had given, and assured us that many mages were now safe from the templars. Where they were going, she couldn't or wouldn't say, but assured us that they would remember the Dragonborn and Hawke.

Lying next to Bethany, with her spooned against me, was always a pleasant way to go to sleep or wake up in the morning. During the latter, there would occasionally be wandering hands from myself, which at least made her laugh, but she'd just grab it then hold it on her belly once again. She was confident that she must now be with child, but we simply couldn't be sure. I remembered Alexandra's pregnancy, so suggested a few symptoms. So far, she only had a little nausea, her appetite had increased slightly, but anything else I suggested, she wasn't sure.

Snuggling into me, I was happy to just stay in bed with her all morning until our bedroom door shot open, causing me to shoot up in bed, Bethany doing the same, thankfully grabbing the sheets to cover herself. Hawke stood a couple of steps inside the doorway. "What are you doing with my sister!?" she cried.

"Hawke, what the hell?!" Bethany cried.

Hawke burst into laughter. "And now you know what it feels like, Bethany!" And, without a further word, she turned around, hearing her laugh all the way down the stairs. Feeling my heart beat race, I could only stare at Bethany, who settled back down, now obviously embarrassed. I lay back on my elbow, looking at her.

"So…"

"I'm going to have words with those servants of yours."

"Bethany…"

She sighed. "Fine. When Hawke started dating, she… well, sometimes she'd bring girls back and they'd obviously be doing things. So… I'd burst through the doors to catch them, you know, doing it, so I could then tell Mother what they were up to. But, one day, I burst in and…" She trailed off.

"I'm assuming you did actually catch her in the act?"

Bethany covered her face with her hands. "I was so embarrassed, Uhtred. The most I'd ever seen them doing was a bit of cuddling, maybe kissing. This time, they were both naked and obviously pleasuring each other. I think it's the closest time she's ever come to hating me in a single moment. It was her girlfriend. You remember the one she spoke about?" I nodded. "Hawke was her first, and vice versa. They were so in love… I honestly thought I might have ruined it. Thankfully, I apologised later and it helped smooth things over."

"So Hawke has done this to you since?"

"Well, no, she's obviously been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike for her revenge. And, let's be honest, Uhtred, we enjoy a fulfilling sex life. I'm not sure how I would have reacted if she had caught us in the middle of doing it though. Ten times worse, to be honest." She turned onto her side and cuddled into me. "Oh well, the one thing I'll never have to be worried about is her being jealous of me having you. She doesn't have an aversion to men, but she'll only ever be your friend."

"Good. Makes it easier for both of us then."

She fell silent for a while before she asked one of those questions all men hate. "Do you think she's pretty?"

"Who?" Turning her head up to look at me, I received a look we all know well. "Not as pretty as you, Bethany. I love you. I only like your sister. As a friend."

"What if she wasn't only interested in women?"

I couldn't help the smirk. "Oh, I'd be on her so fast, it'd make your head spin!"

"Uhtred!" she cried, immediately launching a pillow into my face. I couldn't help start laughing as she started to hit me again and again. "That's not funny!"

"Well, don't ask questions you don't want to hear the answer to!" I waited a moment before adding, "And you know I was only joking."

She stopped hitting me, pretending to look grump before she smiled and leaned down to kiss me. "Maybe we should put on a show in case she comes back up here again," she teased.

"And that's the signal for us to get up and join her for breakfast."

"I'll just tease you at the table."

I laughed again. "Well, another sign of pregnancy is an increased libido. Well, sometimes. Comes and goes in waves."

"Difference is, Uhtred, I want you all the time."

It took all the self-control I had to get out of bed and dress myself. Ever since we'd finally given into temptation, and trust me, I waited a long time before we finally did, we had enjoyed ourselves. Not quite at it like rabbits, but I remember what my relationship was like with Alexandra. In those first few months, we simply couldn't get enough of each other. If we had a spare ten minutes, we wouldn't even bother undressing all the way.

Bethany pouted but got out of bed too, and I'll admit I appreciated her body by the sunlight that filtered through the window. She saw me looking and winked before throwing on a robe. Just as we were leaving the bedroom, she laid a soft kiss on my cheek. "I do love you though. Luckiest woman in Kirkwall," she whispered.

Hawke was downstairs at the table, looking up as we sat down, she chuckled to herself again, Bethany just poking out her tongue, as our servants served us before sitting down as always. As we ate, I asked, "So, did you come over here for a reason, Hawke, or just to annoy your little sister?"

"Trouble at the mine again, Uhtred. Need to speak with Jansen. Poor bastard. I'm sure he's sick of needing to contact me about things. Might have a word with Hubert first, but I'm hearing rumblings of discontent from the workers about him. I'll see what he says though." She then looked to my left. "And I won't do that again. I don't particularly want to see my sister in the middle of lovemaking, but it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up."

Gawen was very quiet and looking very guilty. "Don't you worry about a thing," I stated, "Not your fault I'm with her sister and neither of them can behave."

"Do I need a good spanking now, Uhtred?"

I just looked at Hawke and we burst into laughter. "Your sister sometimes."

"Hey, you chose to start dating her. I had to live with it for nearly twenty years. And now she's just showing off."

Recognising we needed a different topic, I asked, "How's your mother doing these days?"

Hawke seemed surprised at first before smiling at the question. "She's doing well. Happy to be back in Kirkwall. Lots of memories here. Sure, not all of them are pleasant, but she's home. Lothering was where mother and father made a life, but this was always home to them both."

"Gamlen?"

"It's taking time for the relationship to thaw between the pair. Whether mother can ever forgive, I'm not sure, but she'll never forget."

Finishing breakfast rather quickly, I gathered my things, Hawke having left hers by the door. Bethany saw us both to the door, wishing her sister well before giving me an almighty kiss, the sort that left me breathless and feeling… rather good. Without another word, she turned and closed the door, nothing but a smile on her face.

Heading to the market, we had a quick chat with Hubert about the mine. All he said was that the miners were complaining about the mine being haunted. After dealing with a dragon then spiders, I figured ghosts would be the next step. Or perhaps the undead or something. Hubert didn't seem particularly interested in doing anything himself, and I sensed Hawke was rather frustrated by her business partner. Before leaving Kirkwall, we stopped around the city, gathering our friends, with Anders, Varric, Merrill and Isabela choosing to join us.

It felt like we were becoming regular visitors to the Bone Pit after dealing with all the issues recently. Hawke complained on the way there that it was almost becoming more of a hindrance than it was worth, but she didn't want to pull out her stake as she thought it would close and all the miners may lose their jobs.

Jansen was sitting in a group of miners around a campfire, relaxing as it was obvious they had down tools until we took care of whatever was waiting inside for us. There was a spare log we could sit down on, Jansen nodding at us. "So, funny story, Hawke. I was asking my pal Earl what more these mines could throw at us; dragons, spiders, Hubert…" That drew some laughter from the others around us. "Then here comes Crankovich, limping towards us and moaning. I said, 'Oi, Crankovich! Thought those spiders got you.' He just said 'Urgh' and tried to bite Earl! That's when we figured something was wrong. Turns out we let in a horde of undead. Maybe we ought to stop opening up new passages. What next? Plague?"

"How many?" Hawke asked.

"No idea. Surprised they haven't started flooding out of the mine yet. Maybe they're too stupid to figure it out."

Unsheathing our swords, Hawke and I led the way towards a different entrance this time, further away from the regular one. "Least we're dealing with spiders this time," I muttered.

"Can hold your hand if you're scared, big guy," Varric joked. I just glared at him, the dwarf returning a cheeky smile.

It was a good ten to fifteen-minute walk, the entrance tighter than the one used by the miners on a regular basis. We'd only just walked in, surprised to see a couple of fires still burning, when the first undead rose from the ground. Hawke, Isabela and I were on them without hesitation, immediately decapitating one of them. I'll admit I shouted my excitement when its head rolled away, another one losing an arm, Isabela burying her blades into the back of a third. In amongst the undead was a demon, which our two mages took great delight in killing.

Passing through a narrow passageway, and then descending a steep path, there is no doubt in my mind we ended up on an abandoned section of the Deep Roads. Varric had a passing interest at most, while none of it looked familiar to me, certainly not a section we'd walked along during out expedition. Then again, even I knew the Deep Roads extended across Thedas, so no doubt there were hundreds of miles of Deep Roads long abandoned.

And the undead infested the hall and rooms of this section. It was a continuous fight from one section to the next. Hawke and I led the way, no real tactics, just making sure we didn't lose a limb or bleed too much. Varric with his crossbow fired no end of bolts. Isabela almost toyed with them at times, deaths by a thousand cuts. Anders and Merrill rained down spells, mixing it up, leaving the undead confused.

"Where do all these bastards come from?" I muttered.

"There's a demon somewhere," Anders replied, "A powerful one. I would recommend caution as we move forward."

Each area just seemed to be filled with more and more of the buggers. Easily more than double our number. That's when we definitely appreciated the magic, leaving them as easier pickings from those of us with blades. There was no finesse to anything Hawke and I did. We hacked, stabbed and cut our way through the hordes. We had few tactics. The enemy had none. All that mattered was putting them on the ground, preferably missing a limb or two so they wouldn't rise again.

It was a long, difficult fight, but nothing like that which would face us at the end. It wasn't the near army of undead soldiers. It wasn't even the Arcane Horror. It was the Revenant. I'd fought one before and they were an absolute bitch to take down. So I didn't give them a chance.

"FUS… RO… DAH!"

The Shout scattered the undead army, magic strikes firing straight away. My next target was the Arcane Horror, enveloping that in flames, before I roared and charged at the Revanant, shield up as I collided with it. The Revanant didn't move fast, but it's enormous sword was swung with a ferocity I rarely felt. Feeling it crash against my shield, I staggered back at least a couple of steps. Tapping my shield, I smiled at it. "That all you got," I growled, "I have a trick of two of my own."

"ZUN… HAAL… VIIK!"

The giant broadsword was ripped from the Revanants grasp, watching it clatter to the other side of the room. It looked at me, and I swear, for a moment, it was one of confusion. "Oh wait, there's more!"

"SU… GRAH… DUN!"

My sword turned into a blur as I went on the attack. But as my sword blurred, time otherwise seemed to stand still. I could hear the shouts of surprise from my colleagues as I tore the armour of the Revanant to shreds. It tried lifting its shield to protect itself, but it was a hopeless cause. It simply couldn't stop my attacks. Worn down and put on the back foot, it didn't even see my sword coming I sent the tip through its throat, pushing the Revanant back as I rammed the sword home. Ripping it to the side, its head dropped to the other as it collapsed to the ground. I stood there a moment, breathing deeply.

"Uhtred!" I heard a cry.

Turning back, the Arcane Horror remained standing, the undead still attacking. "Hawke, Isabela. Get in close. I will Shout and it will help you!"

"Sure?" Isabela wondered.

"I'm sure."

Once they were in position, I Shouted a fourth time.

"MID… VUR… SHAAN!"

The pair were soon attacking faster than ever, enjoying the surprise on their face for a moment. The Arcane Horror didn't stand a chance. I helped polish off the rest of the undead with just my sword. There were not many left, Varric putting bolts into the forehead of those he lined up, the mages helping to deal with the Arcane Horror. Once that was defeated, the rest of the undead dropped to the ground, their source of power no more. I made sure limbs were severed though, just in case another demon got funny ideas.

We gathered in a circle, catching our breaths. "Holy shit, I've never seen you use your Thu'um like that before, Uhtred," Hawke said.

"I know plenty of different Shouts, but those I usually use are the best and those I remember best. But when you come up against things like that, I guess variety is the spice of life."

With everything now dead, we could have spent a little time having a look around, but after fighting our way there, all we wanted to do was go home. Jansen was waiting outside for the good news, and once we told him the undead were… dealt with, he and his fellow miners happily picked up their tools and headed back into the mines, Hawke reminding them once again to be careful when opening new passages. I gave them one suggestion. They should organise teams and burn the corpses. That way, they shouldn't come back again. None of them looked keen on the idea, but agreed it was probably a sensible one.

Heading back to Kirkwall, Varric was the first one to state, "You know what, Hawke. I'm not a superstitious man, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that mine of yours is cursed."

"You're probably right, but I am making coin from it."

"Constantly going in and having to kill things isn't a lot of fun though."

"Why not hire guards?" Anders suggested.

"Costs will go up considerably," Hawke replied, "I do that, Hubert and the others won't make much of a profit, they'll end up selling, and I can't afford to run it alone."

"What about Kirkwall itself?" I asked, "Surely they would be interested in keeping it open so people have jobs."

"Tried but no interest whatsoever. Considered a golden opportunity for private enterprise. They just want the taxes from it."

We headed to the Hanged Man for a drink, but I didn't join them for too long, the butt of a few jokes as I made it obvious I wanted to go home and spend time with Bethany. There may have been comments about leashed, under the thumb, and other jokes about the old ball and chain. I didn't mind whatsoever, content to spend time with Bethany than anyone else.

She was delighted to see me as always, though she was used to me coming home a lot earlier than I used to. The servants made breakfast and lunch as usual, but Bethany was now making dinner more often than not. Most of the time, her recipes worked. If they didn't… We'd have bread, cheese and wine. The servants were more than appreciative of not having to cook dinner. They sometimes walked around, trying to look busy. That's when I'd tell them to sit down and relax. They were used to us by now but old habits die hard.

After dinner, the servants cleared up as Bethany and I retired to the sitting room to enjoy each other's company. She read a book in regards to magic, I read a book of adventure. It was all preposterous, of course, but that was fiction. It was a nice to relax before bed. We were up late enough that the servants went to bed first, letting them know blowing out candles wasn't too difficult.

Heading upstairs later, it had been another successful day. The muscles were a little weary and sore, the bones definitely tired, and I looked forward to sleep. Bethany grabbed a bucket and cloth first, filling it with hot water, and wiped me down before I got into bed. She usually did that, and I'd joke that she just wanted to feel me up. She never denied it.

We went to sleep as we woke up, Bethany spooned against me, arms wrapped tightly around her, with one hand on her belly. I heard her prayer to the Maker before she blew out the candle and we slept.