"He's what?" she shouted as she stared at Sebastian hard.

She tried to move around him but was stopped by Fenris. He blocked her path but holding out his arms to prevent her from passing but still not invading her personal space.

"Move," she said through clenched teeth. Her eyes focused on Fenris as he blocked her path. "I will move you, Fenris."

A smirk curled his lips as he looked down at her. "I'd like to see you try, Inquisitor."

Her hand was glowing through the silk glove that she wore as her emerald eyes stared into his grey-blue eyes. The lyrium tattoos across his body began to glow across his body as the two stared at each other.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day," Alistair said as he folded his arms across his chest.

Elissa nodded as she watched the two warriors glare at each other with various body parts glowing. Something about seeing this was piquing her curiosity. She had only heard the stories about each of the warriors and their special abilities. The Blight showed her many new and amazing things, but this was nothing she had experienced.

Sebastian stepped in between Fenris and Evelyn, placing his hand on both of their shoulders to push them back from each other. "Now is not the time."

"I'd actually like to see who glows more," Alistair said.

Evelyn turned and glared at Alistair, pointing at him. "Shove it, Theirin."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "And now we're back to shoving a pike up my ass again."

Turning back to Sebastian, she pushed her finger back in his face. "Where is he?"

"Safe," Sebastian told her as he took the hand that was pointing at him into his. "He was stopped near the front doors by my guards."

"Where is he now?"

"In my private study. Varric and the others are with him."

She turned to walk towards Alistair. "I really need a huge favor from you. And I'm willing to offer anything for it."

"You were just threatening me with things up my bum and now you want a favor?" Alistair said, folding his arms across his chest. Staring down at her, he pursed his lips, trying to be as serious as he possibly could. "You may regret it, Trevelyan."

"I don't regret anything I do if it ensures that my brother and the people that I care about are safe," she answered, staring up at him. "I mean it, Alistair. I'll do anything."

Nodding his head slowly, he released a heavy exhale. Staring down into her emerald eyes, he shrugged. "Okay. Fine. What do you need from me?"

"Thank you. I'll explain on the way."

Evelyn gathered her dress skirts in her hands and moved as fast as she could in the finery that she was wearing. She pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring the people that she shoved out of her way or the toes she stepped on as she rushed across the ballroom. The only person able to keep up with her was Fenris. The elf stayed at her side, sometimes ahead of her to assist in parting the mass of people before them.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, her ears throbbing with each heartbeat. Her hand was tingling from her fingertips to her elbow. If she took a moment to look down, she would know if was glowing. Her anger was not the only thing that was increasing as she ran to find her brother. Her fear of her father finding him first frightened her. Not having hold of Cullen was one thing but if her father had control over Maxwell it would terrify her.

"Over there," Fenris said as he grabbed her by the right arm to steer her in another direction.

"I'm getting tired of everyone telling me what I should do. What needs to be done," she thought to herself. "Someone is going to die tonight. Just haven't decided who I'm going to kill first."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"This was a bad idea," Lysette said as she stood behind Maxwell. She was dressed in her Templar uniform. Helmet tucked between her arm and side as she paced across the room. "This is really a bad idea."

"Probably," Maxwell said as he tugged at the hem of his jacket and smoothed his hands down over his Inquisition uniform. "Evelyn's going to kill me that's for sure."

"She's going to skin you alive," Varric said as he stood in the center of the room, looking at all the books that lined the walls.

"Knowing my sister? She knew we were here the moment the front door opened," Maxwell said, looking up from the book that he had removed from one of the many bookshelves. He turned to look at the others. "Remember, we're with the Inquisition. Let's act like we know what we're doing."

"That would be a first, wouldn't it?" Dorian said, turning a page in the book he was holding.

Iron Bull stepped in front as he motioned to Lysette and Isabella to do the same when he heard someone at the door. Varric and Dorian fell back alongside of Maxwell with their hands steady on their weapons. The Ostwick guards entered the room, led by Captain Malloy and Bann Trevelyan.

"Be ready," Blackwall said in a low voice, keeping his hand on the pommel of his sword.

Lysette swallowed the lump in her throat as she held tightly to the pommel of her sword. She glanced back at Maxwell who she could feel the mage willing the Veil to open as he drew on his magic. Feeling Maxwell's actions, she knew that it would draw the attention of the templars that were scattered across the room. It did not take long before she saw the templars turning in their direction.

"I think we've been discovered," Maxwell said as he gripped his staff a little tighter.

"Really now? What gave you that idea, cousin?" Dorian asked

Trevelyan kept his hands folded behind his back as he approached his youngest son. Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he glanced momentarily at the Inquisition forces that surrounded his son before turning to look at Maxwell. "I see your work with the King of Fereldan has concluded."

"Just taking a break," Maxwell said as he looked at his father. "I couldn't miss my sister's wedding, now could I?"

Nodding his head slowly, he turned to look at the people that were protecting him. "And I see you brought more friends." The bann smiled widely as he turned from Bull to his son once again. "Such colorful friends you and your sister associate with nowadays."

"I like them," Maxwell answered.

"Come now," Trevelyan said as he lifted his hand to motion towards the door. "You will be by my side as we attend the engagement party."

The door to the study opened and Alistair walked into the study. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you, Maximus."

Bann Trevelyan looked coldly at Alistair as the king walked into the study. "Maxwell."

Smacking himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand, Alistair stood in front of the bann. "I have so many people working with me I can barely remember anyone's name." He chuckled. "Usually I just call them random names."

Maxwell looked at the king, unsure what to say. Beside him, Lysette was looking at him curiously. He shrugged his shoulders.

Alistair looked at the bann, folding his arms across his chest. "Your son is a smart, intelligent young mage. You should be proud of him." He turned to look at Maxwell. "But you know how the smart ones are. Always got their noses in the books. That's why I had one of my templars with him."

Trevelyan looking back over his shoulder at his son. "And a Qunari, dwarf the Warden and Inquisition agent?"

"I'm a Warden," Alistair said. Placing his hand on his chest, he kept his eyes on the bann. "Or at least I was. Now I'm King of Fereldan. And I've been in negotiations with the Inquisition, that's why they're here."

Before Dorian could start to rant, Evelyn walked into the room and the Tevinter mage decided not to speak after seeing the glowing, green hand.

"Little brother, what a surprise to see you here," Evelyn said as she walked around everyone to get to her brother. Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him in for a hug. Whispering in his ear, she said, "I will kill you myself."

Maxwell laughed as he hugged his sister. His eyes stayed on his father as he embraced her. "I know."

Pulling back from her sibling, she narrowed her eyes to look at Lysette. She hoped that the anger on her face was enough to get the message through to them without speaking. When this was all over, Evelyn would need to sit down with all her companions, especially her brother.

"Now I have both of my youngest children here," the bann said. "This will be a joyous occasion."

Evelyn turned around to face her father. Standing in the rear of the room was Sebastian, Fenris, Elissa, Knight-Captain Rumford and several templars standing in the rear of the room. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to her father and stood just inches from him. Looking into his dark eyes, she focused on him.

"There will no longer be a joyous occasion, father," she said. "I am done with all of this." Lifting her hand, she pointed at Sebastian. "I am not marrying Sebastian."

"I would think very carefully about what you are saying, daughter," he said, stepping closer until he was just a breath away from her. "You do not what to say something that will jeopardize what is at stake here."

She released a wry laugh. "Oh, I am. I've been thinking about this long and hard. You've lost any right to make decisions about my life the day you sent me to Ferelden." She removed the glove covering her left forearm. Holding up her hand in her father's face, she fought for the words to form. The same fog she felt when her father was near was slowly clouding her thoughts. "The day that this happened," she said, holding her hand up in his face. "Is the day that you gave up any hold on me."

Her father stared at the glowing hand before raising his eyes to meet hers. A smirk twisting his lips as he looked at her. "You think you can stop this from happening."

Evelyn wore a similar smirk on her face. "Damn right I can."

In the rear of the room, Fenris stood beside Alistair with a frown on his face, shaking his head.

"This can't be good," the elf said, reaching for the broadsword on his back.

The king turned and looked at the elf with an incredulous expression, his hand on the pommel of the sword at his side. "Really now? What gives you that idea? The glowy green hand? Or the smell of the Veil ripping open."

Knowing this was turning bad, Elissa turned to leave the room when the door closed shut before she could get out. Slamming her hands on the heavy, wooden door she spun back around. She needed to get her hands on a bow as quickly as she could. Turning back to look at Sebastian he was thinking the same thing judging by the concern on his face. He kept his hand at his side, holding out two fingers as he motioned to his right with them. Following his eyes, she saw a cabinet sitting in the corner of the room between a pair of bookshelves.

"Eve," Maxwell called out from behind.

The Veil was thin in the room. Evelyn could feel the shift in the air, the templar training prepared her for that as well as being the Inquisitor. Her body could feel it shifting around her.

"Eve," Maxwell said as he tried to move up closer to her.

Bull stopped him before he could get closer, shaking his head at the mage. Varric stood beside him, his crossbow in hand and the other reaching for a bolt. The dwarf looked over at Isabela who was drawing her twin blades, planting her feet. He knew she had been in enough scraps

"So, who's the puppet here?" Evelyn asked, staring at her father. "You?" She turned to look at the Ostwick captain, nudging her head in his direction. "Or is it O'Malley?"

Everyone watched in awe as Bann Elliott Trevelyan began to twist his body in multiple directions. His skin that was visible, his hands, his face, began to turn red, bubbling. Evelyn felt someone grab her by the upper arm and pull her back. She tried to pull back, but she could hear Cullen telling her to get away from her father.

"You should have died with the others," her father said. His voice distorted, deeper than usual. He hunched forward and laughed. "Your meddling prevented my lord from reaching his goals." His head lifted, leaning over to one side. Dark red eyes stared back at her. "Alexius failed. Erimond failed. I will not."

If she had not seen it with her own eyes, Evelyn would have believed she was dreaming. Her father's laughter chilled her to the core as he reached out to grab her, lifting her from the ground. His fingernails digging into her neck as they grew longer, sharper. Her hands quickly wrapped around his wrists, her feet flailing as she tried to kick at her father.

Maxwell gathered his power through the foci at the tip of his staff, unleashing a wave of dispel followed by guardian spirit. He focused his energy on his father, trying to get a flashfire spell off but trying to keep his sister safe from it. Watching his father hold his sister as he did, the thin streaks of blood trickling down her neck as she gasped for air. Before he could do anything, a green flash came from her hand.

The power built up along with her anger until she felt the power release. The anchor discharged, sending a shockwave through the study. Everyone in the room was knocked across the room. Some flying back against the walls, others into the air to land elsewhere.

When Cullen was able to pull himself back up, shaking the ringing in his ears out of his head, he turned to see a cloud of black smoke dissipate and Trevelyan was dropping his daughter to the floor as he screamed out in pain. Evelyn and Trevelyan's clothing were shredded, covered in black ichor and blood.

When Maxwell saw his father standing over his sister's body as she tried to push herself up. He was holding a sword over her, raising it into the air.

"You will die now!"

Maxwell scurried to his feet as fast as he could and spun his staff around until the blade was before him. The staff blade ripped through his father's chest, buried to the end of the blade until it reached wood. The sword that was lifted in the air, fell to the floor as Trevelyan's trembling hands lowered to wrap his fingers around the staff. The younger mage's eyes lowered to see his staff protruding through his father's body. His eyes widened, staring at his father as he began to slide himself off the staff blade.

"You're just as pathetic," he said. "I should have drowned you the moment your powers came in. I knew you would be useless." He turned his head to look at Evelyn as Cullen was pulling her up to her feet. Turning back to his son, he smiled with blood-tinged teeth. "Both of you have been a burden to me since you came into this world."

Maxwell twisted the blade as he pushed harder. "You have never been a father to me," he hissed at his father, keeping his eyes on the man. "I hope you burn in hell."

The life in his father's eyes began to dim as his fingers began to lose their grip around his staff until his entire body slide off the blade to the floor. A fire blast flew across the study, setting the body on fire. The younger mage turned around to find Dorian lowering his head, mouthing something that Maxwell could not hear. Turning his staff back around, Maxwell used it to push himself up to straighten himself as he stared down at the now charred remains of his father.

O'Malley was up on his feet, his body hunched over as he inhaled and exhaled heavily. His eyes wide as sweat dripped down his face. Everyone around him scattered for safety as the Ostwick captain gripped the sword at his side and screamed.

"This is not over!" He spun around and looked at Cullen who was down on the ground, holding Evelyn's body against his. The lilac glow from the captain's eyes bore down on the Inquisition commander. "I will see you destroyed!"

Elissa watched as Fenris rushed forward, his lyrium brands glowing brightly as the elf's arm plunge into the man's chest. Standing at her side, Sebastian held Elissa from behind as she watched O'Malley's eyes go vacant when she heard a squishy pop. The elf pulled his hand back out of the man's chest, covered in blood as it dripped from his hand to the floor. The captain's body slumped to his knees before falling to his side. Turning, Elissa buried her face in Sebastian's chest. Years away from fighting after the Blight, she found herself involved again.

The templars in the room scattered about to the bodies of O'Malley as well as the charred body of Bann Trevelyan. Knight-Captain Rumford having his men secure the remaining Ostwick guards. The guards were cooperative, almost relieved that it was all over.

Placing his hands on his hips, Alistair looked around the study, taking it all in. He did not know when or how it happened that he became so hardened to all of this. Maybe it was when he walked through the Fade when he, Solana and the others were trapped by the Sloth demon while in the Kinloch Hold Circle. Or maybe when he had to kill Loghain at the Landsmeet. Or when he tracked down his father, King Maric, across Thedas to free him from the blood magic mage that held him captive.

"Commander?" Alistair said as he walked over to where the man was and lowered down to his knee. "She all right?"

Looking down at her, Cullen nodded. "She's exhausted."

Alistair pulled a glove off his hand and reached out to touch her forehead with the back of his hand. "She's Fade-touched."

Looking up, Cullen stared at the king. "She's the Herald of Andraste. Of course, she is."

"No, Cullen," Alistair said, shaking his head. "She just walked the Fade." Waving his hand over her, he continued. "Look at her. Whatever that blast was that she did…" He paused, turning to look briefly at the charred remains then turned back to Cullen. "Or Bann Crispy did. Someone or something pulled them into the Fade." Looking down at her again, he sighed. "And by the looks of her, it was some fight."

Maxwell dropped to the floor beside Cullen, removing a potion bottle from robe, he uncorked it. "Here," he said as Cullen tilted her head so he could pour the liquid into her mouth. "It should help her. It's a restorative potion." He lifted his eyes to look at Cullen and Alistair. "She still needs a healer."

"I have someone coming," Sebastian said. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. "I must get to the ball. I have guests that are in a panic."

Elissa placed her hand on his upper arm, squeezing it. "I'll help you," she said softly.

Nodding, Sebastian looked down at Evelyn one last time before turning. Whatever she had done, saved them from the demons that had corrupted her father and the Ostwick captain. He owed her for her what she had done but he worried about what price she paid for it to happen.

The room was utter chaos with people running about. Starkhaven guards were helping gather the Ostwick guards. Templars standing around assisting where they could. Inquisition agents were circling around their fallen leader with Dorian dropping down to the floor between Maxwell and Cullen. Alistair had excused himself to help assist Sebastian, saying something about needing to grab cheese before everyone took it all while leaving the ball.

Moving over them was Rumford. The Knight-Captain looked down at the Inquisitor as she began to stir. Her eyelids slowly lifting as the potion coursed through her body. The templar frowned when he watched her. "She is an abomination," he said, coldly. "She walked the Fade with demons."

Bull stepped between the Knight-Captain along with Varric and Isabela. The Qunari stared down at the templar.

"Guess you haven't heard the stories of how she walked out of the Fade with that mark on her hand," Varric said. "She's no mage so she can't be possessed." He chuckled. "Templar, I've seen possessed and she's not that."

"I will make that decision of my own accord," Rumford said. "I will not take the word of those who may be under her control."

"You will stand down, Rumford," Fenris said as he moved closer. A tore piece of fabric was being used to wipe the blood off his gauntlet as he stepped between the templar and Inquisition. "You will not touch her or you will deal with me."

"And what makes you – "

"My personal judgement. She is no abomination," Fenris said, glancing back over his shoulder at the woman. She was remaining silent, still staring up at the ex-templar that held her. Turning back to the Knight-Captain, he narrowed his eyes. "I've told you before, templar. You do not touch her, or you will answer not only to me but to Prince Vael as well."

Rumford took one last glance at the Inquisitor before turning to walk away.

Looking back over his shoulder, Fenris looked at Cullen. "Will you be all right? I need to take care of Vael."

Nodding, Cullen looked at the elf, saying, "I'm certain Bull and the others will ensure our safety."

"I'm not leaving the Boss," Bull told Fenris. "If anyone comes at her this time, they'll have to go through me."

Looking over everyone remaining in the room, Fenris nodded before turning to leave. Suddenly hunting Tevinter slavers seemed a much easier role than what he had taken himself to doing now.

When the door finally closed with only the Inquisition members remaining in the room, Maxwell finally collapsed to the floor to pull his knees to his chest and rest his forehead against his knees. He had just killed his father. A man possessed by a demon. His sister was still silent, clinging to Cullen as he held her tight. It was unbelievable that this was happening. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he lifted his head to see Lysette kneeling beside him. He leaned into her as she wrapped her arms around him.

Varric stared down at the Trevelyan siblings and released a heavy exhale. "This shit just keeps getting weirder and weirder."