I was awake first, but with Bethany sound asleep and cuddled into my side, I dare not move lest I wake her up. So apart from giving her a gentle squeeze, I laid back and simply relaxed. I half expected Gawen to knock eventually, telling me Hawke had arrived with some bizarre adventure on the cards, or some other crisis had unfolded overnight. Until then, I'd appreciate the small things in life.

Bethany eventually stirred to life, kissing my cheek before immediately rolling away, glancing to see her reach for the small potion bottle on her nightstand. Popping the top, she drank the contents quickly, making a face as she swallowed it down. It wasn't horrible or so she said, but it was rather medicinal. There had been attempts to improve the taste, but it caused the concoction not to work. It was only realised when women started falling pregnant while taking the formula.

"Good thing I bought so many," she murmured, cuddling back into my side.

"I heard no complaints last night."

She gave me a quick tickle. "I'm not complaining. I'm glad we've rediscovered that desire we had for one another. Definitely need to remember my morning bottle every day now." She paused, her hand no longer moving. "Uhtred, I just can't bear the thought…"

"I know," I whispered, giving her a squeeze, "You know I'd do something too but…"

"There isn't really anything like my bottle though, and I'm certainly not going to recommend you do something that prevents you ever having the possibility of having children."

"Well, if we can't then…"

"We may not be together forever. Something could happen that…" She sighed. "I just don't want to get my, our hopes up again. I'm glad we've reconnected so well, and I genuinely missed this between us. But it's always in the back of my mind."

"Mine too."

"It's a harsh world out there. I've learned that you can pray to the Maker for whatever you want, but it is up to Him whether you receive what you pray for. It was a harsh lesson to learn, believing we had been given that gift, only for it to be taken away."

"It wasn't Him; it was the blood."

She cuddled into me. "I'd never say I wished I died instead, but that changed my life, and I'm not sure if it was for better or worse." She sighed. "I wish I'd just stayed home," she whispered.

"We'll get through whatever comes next together," I said softly, kissing her forehead. That earned a tighter cuddle into me, and we stayed silent, enjoying the presence of the other until there was a knock, Gawen popping his head in, stating breakfast was ready.

We lazed about until after lunchtime, both of us pleased that neither of us had anything to do. The fire was constantly burning during the day, so we stayed close to it for warmth, not bothering to change out of our robes. We were comfortable so figured what was the point in getting dressed.

It was early afternoon when our peaceful day was ruined by Hawke. Might sound harsh, but whenever she turned up at our house, it was rarely for pleasantries only. She laughed to herself at seeing us so relaxed, taking a seat and the offer of a drink before answering my question of why she was at our place.

"Bartrand."

That got my attention very quickly, sitting up as even Bethany showed interest. She'd been just as effected by what he'd done. "What about him?" I asked.

"Varric and I have been searching for that bastard since he left us in the Deep Roads. When we returned, there was no sign of him. Like he'd turned into mist and disappeared. We've kept an ear to the ground for the slightest rumour of his return. Varric arrived last night, probably near midnight, adamant that Bartrand was home again."

"How did he slip into town so easily?"

"No idea. We don't exactly have lookouts waiting for him but it seems he could have slipped in rather easily and bunkered down at his home. Varric wants it sorting today. He doesn't want Bartrand to give us the slip again."

"When?"

"Well, now, really."

"Let me get changed. Bethany?"

"Oh, I've got some choice words for that bastard as well, Uhtred."

It took all of ten minutes for both Bethany and I do change into what we'd consider our regular clothing. Flowing robes for her, tight to her body. Armour for me, light, strong, allowing manoeuvrability and protection. Heading downstairs, seeing we were tooled for a fight, Hawke nodded and we headed back to her place. Varric was already there, as was Isabela. Anders and Merrill were apparently already on their way. It appeared we would be going to visit Bartrand in number. Good. That bastard has some questions to answer.

Once the two mages arrived, we headed out immediately, our strides purposeful, and we must have looked rather intimidating, as even city guard moved out of our way as we marched through Hightown. I'd only ever been to Bartrand's place once before the somewhat ill-fatted expedition, so Varric did have to provide directions otherwise I'd have been completely lost.

Arriving at the door, I know I wasn't the only one unsure if the information Varric received was correct. The front door looked like it hadn't been opened in months, if not years.

Varric scratched his chin, equally confused. "I don't get it. My sources saw people making deliveries here just a week ago. This looks like it's been empty for months."

"Maybe it's a ruse to stop people coming to take a look around?" Hawke wondered.

"You're thinking it's a trap? Great!" he exclaimed, sarcasm obvious, "It's been ages since my brother tried to kill me."

No surprise that the door was unlocked so we slipped inside easily. Two things we noticed straight away. One, the place did look abandoned as it was a complete mess, like it had been ransacked and just recently. Two, dead bodies, which were rather fresh. Checking them for wounds, there wasn't that smell that came from a body that may have been lying around for a couple of days.

It didn't take long to meet people inside who didn't take kindly to our presence, and they attacked without delay. Thankfully I had my sword unsheathed already, as did Hawke, so we could block the first blows, our three mages immediately returning fire as chaos descended. In such small confines, there was no artistry to what we did. It was kill or be killed as quickly as you could. I did take a whack in the back from a shield, and in that short battle, three of us took wounds.

We moved on quickly, realising we needed to find Bartrand and fast, Varric wondering what his brother had been doing. Finding pockets of guards in other rooms, the fighting was short, sharp and bloody. As we walked along the halls, wounds would be healed or bound. There was next to no discussion otherwise, the only talk being between the mages, who seemed confident it didn't seem to be the work of a demon. I trusted their judgement regarding those kind of matters.

It took time, but we searched nearly every room in the house, clearing out those filled with guards or whoever the armed men were, but we could find no information in regards to what Bartrand had been up to, where he'd been. Varric raised plenty of questions that none of us knew the answer to. The only thing I suggested is that his house had been ransacked while he was gone, but it didn't explain the guards nor the general creepy feeling we had the further into the house we walked.

The number of guards we must have killed by the end was staggering. The way they fought us was bizarre. No thought of any sort of defence or self-preservation. They were beyond fanatical. Even if we managed to disarm them, they'd attack us until we were almost left with no choice. After the first few rooms, we stopped bothering, just finishing them off as quickly as possible.

"Where are the servants?" Varric asked, "Where is anyone who can at least talk to us?"

Climbing another set of stairs, we were approaching what I assumed was the master bedroom, the last place Bartrand could be hiding, when we finally found someone who could tell us what was going on. The dwarf had been in hiding, crawling out from under a desk. "Varric? Is that you? Praise the Ancestors!"

There was a rattle as weapons were reading. Varric gestured for calm. "I know him. He's Bartrand's steward." After a quick shake of the hand, Varric asked, "Hugin, what happened here?"

"Varric, your brother… That statue he brought back from the Deep Roads… Bartrand said it sang to him. Even after he sold it. I've been hiding around here, but the guards… they're like crazed animals. I didn't dare go past them. Everyone in this house has gone mad!"

Higun went on further. The rest of the staff had disappeared, and from what he said, Bartrand had likely been experimenting on them. It may have explained some of the bodies we'd seen. Worse news was that Bartrand had been forcing his guards to actually eat lyrium. He's been torturing his own staff at the same time, hoping they hear the same singing.

"Where's the statue?" Varric asked. It was obviously the cause of all this madness.

"I don't know. It's why your brother came back to Kirkwall. He was already starting to rant about the sodding idol and its singing. On his better days, he hated the thing, wanted to get rid of it. But the minute it was gone, he got worse."

"This is beyond someone going crazy," I muttered.

"My brother's always been an arse, but this is something else," Varric added.

"He's hearing things… seeing things… talking to someone who's not there. That's when he's feeling good."

"Where is he?" Hawke asked.

"He took the servants and locked himself inside the study. No one has come out for days."

The door into the study was locked but that certainly wasn't going to stop us as I charged and put my shoulder into it. It hurt like a bastard but the door crashed open. Bartrand was there for a second… then he was gone in a flash. The others had already turned around as footsteps had thundered up the stairs, more of the guards arriving, left wondering where they had come from. I headed outside to join the fray, once again fighting on nothing but instinct. Being at the top of the stairs, we had the advantage, the mages raining spells down on those below, Hawke taking one side of the staircase, myself the others, and we hacked our way forward.

In the middle of it all was Bartrand, wielding a pair of blades. Once I'd cleared a path to him, he met my eyes and charged towards me. I slammed my shield into his face. "Don't kill him, Dragonborn!" I heard Varric yell.

"This ends now!" I growled as Bartrand staggered around.

"No!" he yelled in reply, "Let me talk to him!"

I growled again but did as he requested, striding forward and putting a fist into his face, putting him on his back, resting a foot on his chest. "Move, and I will kill you regardless."

He barely seemed to realise his predicament. "I can't… I can't… hear it anymore. I just need to hear the song again… just for a minute…" His eyes then went wild, and he fought like crazy to move. I glanced to see the others approaching, a pile of dead on the stairs and ground. I pressed down into his chest to keep him still. "Stop saying that!" he roared, his eyes furious and I thought he was about to try and bite my boot. "I know I shouldn't have sold the idol to that woman? It was a mistake!" He calmed down immediately. "A mistake…" he whispered.

"Woman? What woman?" Hawke wondered.

"Later," Varric stated. He placed a hand on my forearm. "Let him up, Uhtred. Let me talk to him."

Doing as he asked, I stepped back but I kept a tight grip on my sword. If Bartrand so much as show an intent to attack, he was a dead man. Varric hauled his brother up by the collar, shaking him. "Get a hold of yourself, man! Do you even know where you are? Do you know what you've done?"

He blinked rapidly, looking around for a moment, before his eyes returned to his brother. "Varric! You'll help me, won't you, little brother? Help me find it again? You were always the good one…"

Varric slapped him. No-one would have blamed him. "Help you? Bartrand, you left me to die! You left all your men to die! And for what? Some trinket?" Varric turned away, making a disgusted noise, as he gestured around at the chaos we'd found. "Look at yourself! Look at what you've done to the men and women who served you! Where's your nobility, Brother? Where's your dwarven honour?"

"Anders, is there anything you can do to help him?" Hawke wondered.

"This doesn't feel natural. If he wasn't a dwarf, I'd think a demon did this. His mind has been… poisoned by something powerful." Still, Anders stepped forward and tried some sort of spell, perhaps to help clear his mind. Bartrand passed out as he was doing it, looking like his body was finally relaxing. Anders worked hard for a few minutes, noticing him sweat from the exertion. He finally had to stop and step back, exhausted. "That's all I can do. It won't last." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Varric."

We waited for Bartrand to wake up, which he did a few minutes later. Blinking rapidly, he looked confused at the fact we were all standing there. Varric offered a hand. "Varric?"

It was his voice again. That of Bartrand. Varric noticed it immediately, hugging his brother tightly. "I'm here," he replied softly.

Bartrand shut his eyes, no doubt a thousand memories now flooding his mind. "Varric, what have I done?"

Varric's voice was rough, keeping everything in check. "I don't know. I honestly don't know."

Bartrand let him go, gently pushing him back. "You have to do something for me, Varric. You have to make it stop. Don't let me… don't let House Tethras fall like this. I know… I don't deserve it. But please, Varric… don't leave me like this. Make it stop."

"Enough with the speeches! I'll get you to a healer, and you'll be fine."

I heard the hope in his voice, this his big brother would be fine. I wasn't convinced. I was perhaps the only one who thought to put him out of his misery. "Are we sure about this?" I asked.

"He's my brother, Uhtred. I can't kill him. And I can't… sit by and watch someone else do it either."

"Anders?" I asked.

"Magic can't do it, Uhtred. Maybe there is a healer who can help. I just don't know. This is like nothing I've seen before."

I tapped Varric on the shoulder, showing him I sheathed my sword. He knew that I was after vengeance coming into that house. But it wasn't my choice. "Thank you," he stated quietly.

With his mind clear, Bartrand could understand what we told him. We would summon a healer to come collect him and hopefully they would be able to help. Part of me wanted to see what he'd been doing in the study, as I'd been so focused on Bartrand, I hadn't seen. I was warned not to go look, so we beat feet out of the mansion, not wanting to stay any longer.

Varric was depressed as we headed through Hightown, though the prospect of a drink at the Hanged Man perked him up. He admitted that, apart from a healer, he wasn't sure what to do about his brother. We stayed at the tavern until the owner kicked us all out. By that time, we were all well and truly plastered but our moods had improved significantly over the course of time. Varric thanked us all for our help, pulling me to the side, stating he knew that I wanted to kill him, thankful that I'd seen reason. I didn't say much in return, simply stating I would keep an eye on things. Varric nodded in understanding at the subtle warning.

His brother would not have a second chance if I was pushed next time.

"I still can't believe Mother goes to visit Gamlen after what he did to our family," Bethany grumbled.

"True, but he is family, and despite everything, it is clear she still has love in her heart from him, still wants the best for him. She's doing her best to get him away from his vices."

"He's a deadbeat and a drunk. She'd be better off just…" She trailed off, I guess embarrassed by what she was about to say.

"Would her doing that make it any better? Would her doing that make her any better than him?"

She remained silent before leaning over the lounge to kiss my cheek. "No, it wouldn't."

"Exactly. If you wish to live by a moral code, then you have to live by it consistently. You cannot pick and choose your moments. Your mother wishes to do good, and that includes looking after your deadbeat, drunk uncle. He probably suffers immense guilt himself and is no doubt relieved that the family he has left hasn't abandoned him."

"When did the Dragonborn get so wise?"

"Oh, I'm as thick as two planks most of the time, but I have my moments of wisdom before I turn into a drooling idiot soon afterwards."

"We are still going around for afternoon tea?"

"Aye. I'm still full from lunch, and exhausted from what we did after. Let's give it another hour."

"Exhausted? The Uhtred I remember…"

"This Uhtred is carrying a few aches, pains and wounds at the moment."

"Hmmm, I guess you are getting old." I definitely glared at her then. All she did was giggle. "Don't worry, your hair is still blonde, as is your beard, as is that hair on your chest. Haven't found any grey hairs yet. Not too many wrinkles either."

I scoffed but remained silent, no surprise she cuddled into me soon afterwards, believing she'd made me mad. I kissed the top of her hear in reassurance, wrapping an arm around her as she snuggled closer to me still. It was amazing how we could sit there for what felt like hours, simply relaxing by the fire, perhaps reading a book, but often just with our thoughts, conversing occasionally but we didn't need to fill the silence with empty words.

Hearing the bells of the chantry strike two, we headed upstairs to change into something to wear outside, letting Gawen know we would return later, before we headed out into Hightown. We stopped by the marketplace first to pick up one or two things. Hawke was expecting us, so the door was unlocked as always, heading inside, finding her busy at work at her desk in the study. "Afternoon," we called.

"Afternoon, guys. You well?"

"Aye. We grabbed a couple of things for this afternoon. Your mother home?"

"No, she's not back from visiting Gamlen. She's running a bit late but maybe they have things to discuss."

Bethany walked off to place what we'd bought in the pantry as I took a seat opposite Hawke. "Anything interesting?"

"Maker, no, Uhtred. Doing the monthly finances. Lucky I've always had a good head for figures." She looked up as Bethany walked in. "Good thing someone does, eh?"

"I'm talented in other ways, Marian." She said it in such a tone, I'm fairly sure I started to blush. "These hands can do marvellous things in certain respects." Definitely blushing, though it was obviously a double entendre. Still, it made Hawke appear rather embarrassed as well. "I thought mother would be back by lunchtime, though."

Hawke shrugged. "I'm not sure. I've heard mention of a possible suitor. Mother has been alone for a few years now. There's still life in her yet so even I've suggested she could meet an older bachelor. I think she's slowly come around to the idea." A sly grin then formed. "Or you can trade in Bethany for an older model, Uhtred. There's more years on the clock but it's still a comfortable ride."

I burst into laughter, I couldn't help it. "Marian!" Bethany cried.

"Thanks for the offer, Hawke. Yes, your mother is lovely but that is an age gap I don't want to bridge. I'm delighted with the younger version."

"Hmmm. Maybe one of our friends then?"

There was a knock at the door, one of her servants opening it, with Gamlen appearing a few seconds later. "Uncle?" Hawke asked as he came striding in.

"Afternoon, Hawke. I was growing a bit worried, so I thought I'd drop by. Where's your mother? Is she feeling all right?"

Hawke looked confused by the question. "Well, sure, she's all right. Why are you here?"

"Your mother didn't show up for her weekly visit. Is she ill? She is here, isn't she?"

"I haven't seen her all day," Hawke replied.

"Where could she be?"

"Well, I've heard rumours that she may have a suitor. Maybe she's gone to visit him instead. I'll be honest, I don't keep up with all her coming and going. She's old enough to live her own life."

"But Leandra has never mentioned a suitor to me."

One of the servants was listening to the conversation and stepped forward. "My lady, your mother did receive a bouquet of flowers this morning. Perhaps that will contain a message that will state who this mystery suitor is."

"Flowers? What flowers?" Hawke asked.

"There was a knock at the door this morning. A lovely bouquet of white lilies addressed to your mother."

Hawke and I shared a look. Her eyes widened. "White lilies?" she whispered.

"Why does that sound so familiar?" I asked myself.

There was silence, a dreadful silence, searching my memories for why that sounded familiar, and also like a punch in the gut, when Gamlen asked, "Well, don't leave me hanging here. What is it?"

Hawke shot up out of her seat. For the first time I could remember, she was terrified. "The serial killer?" Her chair flew back as she rushed out of the room, all of us following her upstairs.

"A what?" Gamlen asked.

"There's a killer in Kirkwall who sends his victims white lilies before he takes them. He's murdered several women already."

Hawke entered her mother's room, returning seconds later holding the lilies. There was no note attached. "Have you been here all day?" I wondered.

"No, I wasn't here most of the morning. I was out running errands."

Gamlen shook his head, either not concerned or, more than likely, concerned but trying not to worry. "No, she'll be fine. We're just… over-reacting." He trailed off, then nodded to himself. "Yes, that's it. Maybe she just took a different path to my home. I could've just missed her. I'll head back to Lowtown, I'm sure I'll pass her heading back here because I'm not home."

Gamlen rushed down the stairs and out of the house. Hawke held the lilies in her hand, throwing them onto a nearby table. Bethany hugged into my side, beside herself with worry. "Uhtred, do me a favour," Hawke stated, "Go grab everyone, and I mean everyone. Now, if you can. Please."

"Sure. Anders?"

"No… No… Who was that man we confronted… DuPuis, that's it! He said he was going to Darktown. So we'll go find him and collect Anders on the way." I could see her hands trembling with worry. "I'm sure Mother is fine, but I just want to be sure. Once everyone is here, we'll sweep Lowtown ourselves, just to make sure Mother hasn't just gotten herself lost or something, then we'll head to Darktown."

Leaving Bethany with her sister, I practically sprinted around Hightown, collecting Isabela, Fenris and Varric, before heading to the alienage to grab Merrill as well. I even headed to the guard barracks to inform Aveline of our concerns. She immediately sent out a patrol to look for Leandra as well. When asking what we would do, I suggested Hawke and I would do what we do best. She wished us luck and hoped all would be okay.

I arrived back at Hawke's with barely a chance to sit down before we headed back out, straight to Lowtown. We fanned out and must have checked every street, square, alley and thoroughfare. We asked the locals if anyone had seen her after giving a brief description. But there was no sign of her at all. Hawke and Bethany tried to remain calm but they were obviously besides themselves with worry.

We headed straight for Darktown. As soon as we told Anders the situation, he dropped everything, grabbed his staff, and helped lead the way. He hadn't communicated with DuPuis since that fateful meeting, but since he was a blood mage, and had proven willing to take risks, Anders had kept tabs on him for us.

DuPuis wasn't surprised to see us. He expressed surprise that the killer had possibly struck again, and as soon as we told him it was Leandra, he was more than willing to help us. Then he had more bad news to share. "Remember Alessa, the woman you rescued? Just as I predicted, he took her not long after you found us."

"What, but the guard…" Hawke started to ask.

"It was assumed she was safe, so the protection detail was withdrawn. They can't place guards permanently. But because of her, I do have a way of being able to track your mother. I have enough of her blood for one ritual. I used it, I can track them both."

"Why the hell haven't you tracked him down already?" I asked harshly, surprising myself that I'd agree to blood magic, but it was simply because I cared for Bethany, and therefore I cared for Leandra.

"Because I lost the power I did have to confront him when you broke into my house," he retorted. "Look, if I do this now, we can find your mother straight away. And with all of you, he'll be no match for us."

"Do it," Hawke stated adamantly, glaring at each and every single one of us, daring us to disagree with her decision. Even Fenris remained quiet, and I knew he killed blood mages for fun. I'm not exactly sure what the ritual entailed. Bit of blood, a few words of a spell, a bright light. Without a word after he regained his feet, he led us out of Darktown.

We ended up in the foundry district and I wasn't the only one to remember we'd been there before. It seemed to be a popular place for murderers, blood mages, and others who liked to cause misery. Walking inside, we were not set up by demons immediately, but I didn't expect that to last long. The foundry was quiet, left wondering if it was abandoned. As we wanted deeper inside, Varric wasn't the only one to start questioning if DuPuis hasn't been there before. He seemed overly confident, despite the blood magic.

"The is where you found the human remains all those years ago. We should've known there was something else here," Fernis stated.

"Okay, spread out, see if you can find anything," Hawke ordered. I could see she was trying to keep calm, but it was obviously a well-crafted front.

It didn't take long to find the first bloodstains, DuPuis stating he could sense Alessa was near. The trail of blood led to a trapdoor. As the wood had not weathered as much as the rest, I assumed it had been covered by barrels or crates, and they had only recently been removed. Opening the door, I looked down and checked for traps or any enemies before descending quickly, Hawke following right behind with Bethany.

Now we found demons and their accompanying monsters. The rage demon was dealt with first, blasts of cost and frost from the mages and my Thu'um, before moving on to deal with the horde of shades. Hawke fought with a ferocity I rarely saw while Bethany was summoning all her willpower as she slammed spell after spell into the enemy.

Finding the body of Alessa nearby, and she'd only recently been killed from appearance, there was a renewed urgency that gripped the Hawke sisters. As we walked deeper into the lair, we found a sign that confirmed our worst fears, Hawke bending down to pick up something silver. "Mother's locket," she whispered.

"That isn't a good sign," Anders murmured.

Bethany was trying to remain strong, but I heard the catch of breath. I suggested we move quickly, a suggestion everyone agreed with. Walking into what looked like someone's sitting room or bedroom, we were attacked by more demons before we had the chance to look around. In addition to those monsters were even more undead. I left the mages to take care of the demons as I hunted undead, Hawke and I teaming up to cut them down quickly. The arrival of a fire demon may have been a concern had we fewer numbers, and when abominations flooded forward, I wondered if this killer had recruited mages to help him.

When they were all dead, we took a moment to look around. Above the mock fireplace was a portrait, and if I didn't know any better, it looked similar to Leandra. That left even more questions about why, but Hawke didn't really care, almost growling to herself as she turned and walked away. I fell in alongside her. As we walked, I heard comments about what others had seen there. None of it sounded good, and left me wondering what this killer was trying to achieve.

Walking down a long series of tunnels, perhaps long abandoned mines, we finally entered what looked like the killer's lair. As I felt our companions fan out behind us, Hawke walked towards the gentleman ahead of us. Definitely a mage. An absolute lunatic. There was a figure sat in a chair, facing away from us. I wondered if that was Leandra. As the head was slumped forward, I couldn't see, and it didn't even appear she or it was alive.

"I was wondering when you'd show up. Leandra was so sure you'd come for her."

"I will ask only this once. Where is she?" Hawke demanded, her voice so rough, I knew she was on the verge of exploding in an anger I'd barely seen, or butchering him while tears flowed.

He moved his eyes around our group. I knew we were going to get a little speech. I gestured for Varric to just put a bolt in him, but he noticed. "I wouldn't try if you want to know…" I gestured again, hearing Varric store his crossbow. "The truth is, though, is that you will never understand my purpose. Hawke, your mother was chosen because she was special, and now she is part of something… greater."

"What in oblivion are you talking about?" I asked.

DuPuis stepped forward between us. "His name is Quentin and he is a practicing necromancer. He's been experimenting for years."

"My experiments are complete, Gascard. All I've worked towards. I am triumphant." Quentin offered his hand, gesturing to his side. "And if you stand by my side, I will offer you all my secrets."

My sword was at DuPuis's neck within a second, and I heard Varric ready his crossbow behind me. "Move, mage, and you will lose your head." He was smart enough to meet my eyes and nod, raising his hands and stepping back. Pointing my sword at Quentin, Hawke asked one simple question. "Where is my mother? No more games."

The bastard smirked at us. "I have done the impossible. I have touched the face of the Maker and lived." He was also smart enough to stay out of striking range. "Do you know what the strongest force in the universe is?" I desperately wanted to reply with my Thu'um, but stayed silent. I had a feeling he knew who I was anyway. Most people did. "Love."

"Love?" Hawke exclaimed, surprised he knew what that was.

"Let's just kill him and find mother," Bethany hissed. I raised a hand, as that feeling was now fairly certain.

"Who do you love?" Hawke wondered.

"I pieced her together from memory. I found her eyes, her skin, her delicate fingers… And, at last, her face… Oh, this beautiful face." I could hear his tone. There was no doubt he was crazy, completely bat-shit insane. But there was grief and turmoil there. It explained his descent into madness. A very small part of me understood, though I'd never admit it to anyone. Even Bethany would understand to a point. "I've searched far and wide to find you again, beloved," he stated, as the woman sitting down rose to her feet, "And no force on this land shall part us again."

When she turned to face us, Hawke and Bethany released a cry that sent a shiver down my spine. I was simply angered beyond belief. Yes, it was the face of Leandra, but the eyes were all wrong, as was the hair and the body. I could see the stitching; it was now evident. Distracted as we were, I missed Quentin summoning his monsters.

As the others dealt with the demons and the rest, Hawke and I went straight for Quentin, spells flying by us as Bethany roared with anger, unleashing her full power. All I knew is that he was human and could bleed. I took more than one hit from his spells, feeling burns along my arms and legs. But I had my own gifts, waiting until the right moment, releasing the full power of my Thu'um, sending his body rolling end over end, smacking into a wall. Even over all the noise behind me, I heard the crack of something inside him. Perhaps his back, maybe his skull, but he didn't get up. Having done what I needed, I left Hawke to give him the coup de grâce. If she had wanted to hack the bastard to death, I don't think anyone would have stopped her. I turned to help the rest, but without Quentin, they were mopped up relatively easily.

As I was leaning over the body of Quentin, checking for any information he might have, such as a list of women he may have kidnapped, or how he'd actually done it, I turned in time to see Hawke approach her mother, the body collapsing into her arms as she fell to the ground, Bethany immediately by her side.

"His magic was the only thing keeping her alive. I'm sorry," Gascard stated quietly.

"I knew you would come," Leandra said.

"We'll get help," Hawke suggested, though you could hear her tone. She knew. She knew…

"That man would have kept me trapped in here. But now… I'm free." Leandra looked in my direction, a surprise, beckoning me forward. Crouching down on a knee, I grabbed her hand, surprised she could feel it. "Do me this favour, Uhtred Dragonborn. Care for my daughters. Marian is strong as is Bethany, but I will soon be gone. I don't want them to feel they are alone. Protect them as I know you can."

"I give you my word."

"Good. Now, Mary, Bethany, I go to a better place. I get to see your father and my son again. My daughters have become strong. And they have a good man by their side. I can rest in peace knowing you are safe together. I love you both. You've always made me so proud."

Leandra breathed for a few minutes longer, but there were no further words, Hawke simply holding her until she passed. Bethany wiped her cheeks as Hawke used her fingers to close her eyes. Bethany stood up and collapsed into sobs in my arms, tightening my grip as her legs felt as if they were almost going to give way. It was simply too much for her.

Hawke turned to DuPuis, grabbing him by the collar, putting a dagger to his throat. "You knew him," she growled, hearing the thousand emotions bubbling under the surface in her voice, "You knew what he was up to. I can't claim you were responsible but you damn well could have put an end to all this before." DuPuis looked ready to retort but seemed to know when to remain silent. "So you will do this, DuPuis, or so help me, I will ruin you completely. Leave Kirkwall. Gather your things and leave Kirkwall tonight. I don't care where you end up but if I find you within these city walls again, not even the Maker himself will stop me."

DuPuis stood silent for a couple of minutes, simply meeting her eyes, before he nodded and disappeared into the night. We never saw him again.

There was nothing we could do for Leandra now, but we couldn't leave her body there. Handing Bethany off to her sister, I gently picked up Leandra and began to carry her back. We sent Isabela ahead to find the guard, as they would want to know what happened. By the time we made it out of the tunnels, into Darktown and then up into Lowtown, Aveline had already arrived. A stretcher had been provided, and I helped lie Leandra down, Aveline letting us know that she would be sent to the morgue before her body was prepared for burial.

No-one knew what to do afterwards. With words of condolence, the rest disappeared into the night until there was only Bethany and I, Hawke and Isabela. Slowly we trudged back into Hightown, where we had to split up to go home. Bethany was inconsolable in my arms, and this proved the difference in the cities, as Hawke's face was blank, a silent fury within. I dreaded whoever tried to take her on next.

The day of the funeral was one of the hardest days of my life. Bethany had been a mess the entire time. I dared not leave the house as she needed me the entire time. She sobbed as she put on her black dress, having to reapply her make up three times before we headed out. It was a solemn affair, Bethany in floods of tears, Hawke finally breaking, if only slightly.

It was the wake where things fell apart further. Gamlen got drunk and tried to blame Hawke for what happened. She was taking all the blame herself, but she didn't need to hear that from him. The only thing that stopped me knocking him out was Hawke herself, grabbing my fist, stating it wasn't his fault either. He was as heartbroken as everyone else, that I shouldn't take anything he said personally.

Bethany and I stayed with Hawke for a few days, each sister as lost as the other. The house was almost unbearably silent at times. Bethany would break down into tears often, little things setting her off. Hawke was far more stoic but I walked into her study to see her wiping away tears more than once. What we needed was something to keep our minds occupied, so they thought less about the tragedy that had taken over their lives.

Be careful what you wish for is what they generally say.