Vivienne was aware of Haven but had never seen it. It was a world away from the luxury she was used to living in back in Orlais, but to her credit, she accepted the conditions she would be subject to living in stride, figuring that as long as we closed the Breach, she could forego some of the finer things in life for the time being. I didn't broach the subject of Circles and her views on magic during our ride back to Haven, and suggested we could perhaps sit down once the Breach was closed, and sit down with all those who were impacted by the decisions taken, and come to an agreement. I didn't believe I had any sort of power, I would only give my opinion, but she appeared to respect I had one and was willing to speak up for it.
Having left for Val Royeaux so quickly, I hadn't really had a chance to speak with Blackwall. I often found him in the middle of the camp, simply staring up in the Breach. He appeared rather fascinated by it, and although I had plenty of questions about the Wardens, he seemed rather pre-occupied by other things. The most important matters at the moment were sealing the Breach then finding a way of restoring peace. Finding the Wardens was another concern, as no-one had a clue where they had gone nor what they were up to.
The most important piece of news we had returned from Val Royeaux with was the fact the mages now wanted to meet. Cullen was now on board with our plans. He wasn't a firm believer but could see which way the wind was blowing. Deep down, I figured the mages closing the Breach for good would put them in a more powerful position regarding any future negotiated peace settlement. The only way I would agree to a return of the Circles was if the mages governed themselves. If anyone tried to put the Templar Order, or any similar organisation in charge of 'looking after them', I'd tell them to get fucked, and would be willing to fight over it.
We departed for Redcliffe two mornings after our return to Haven. The situation was still tense around the hinterlands. Our work has allowed the establishment of Inquisition camps, that could patrol certain areas, but outside of those, bandits still caused trouble, templars and mages still fought anywhere they could get at each other, and we knew Fade Rifts continued to appear anywhere. Evelyn and I had discussed that, and had asked scouts to report back the position of any they could find. If needed, we would purposely head out from Haven just to close them before too many demons flooded out.
Passing through the Crossroads, that was relatively peaceful at least, now probably the largest Inquisition camp in the hinterlands, with the beginnings of a fence begin established, and a larger presence of Inquisition soldiers than anywhere except Haven. We didn't stop on the way through, as we wanted to make it to Redcliffe by dusk.
I remembered the road to Redcliffe rather well, having spent plenty of time going to and from the village during the Blight. The castle rested on the hill as always, looking peaceful enough, though appearances could be deceiving. There had been building work since those days, as there now appeared to be a city wall, a gate… and a Fade Rift, right in front of it.
We dismounted immediately as demons appeared. I was at the side of Evelyn straight away as she used her mark to seal the rift, the rest of us fighting off the demons that continued to appear. Shades appearing from the rift wasn't a real surprise, as I'd seen them summoned constantly during my time in Kirkwall, but there were these new demons I hadn't seen much, big gangly looking things, that were a real pain the arse.
The battle lasted a good five to ten minutes before Evelyn was able to finally seal the rift for good. The gates were opened for us and we were met by one of our own agents, who had some rather surprising news. No-one knew we were coming. As our agent was explaining the details of negotiation, an elven mage approached us. Contrary to what we'd just been told, we were informed that a Magister Alexius was in charge but hasn't arrived.
"What of Arl Teagan? Or Chancellor Eamon?" I asked. I knew Eamon would be in Denerim, but there was no way Teagan would have abandoned his own town.
The elf simply shrugged as he added, "You may speak with the former grand enchanter in the meantime."
"Former?" Vivienne wondered. She was still the 'Grand Enchanter' last time we'd spoken, and that was only two, three days previously.
The elf didn't answer, simply turning and striding away. Thanking our agent, who would return to Haven immediately, with instructions from me to inform Leliana that Teagan and Eamon were not in play in Redcliffe, and to find out what the hell was going on otherwise, the rest of us wandered into Redcliffe. There had been much rebuilding since my time there, certainly larger and appearing to be more prosperous than before.
Varric walked to my side. "Uhtred," he said quietly, "What is going on here? Teagan wouldn't have given up Redcliffe without a fight. And magister? You know what that means, right?"
"Tevinter," Bull growled behind me, "Fucking Vints are here."
"But for what purpose?" I wondered, then realised straight away. "Mages, right? Are they here to help them?"
The tavern was the same one that I'd visited a decade earlier. It looked like it had been rebuilt as well, and inside, we were greeted by Fiona. She was polite but we'd barely sat down when she asked us what we were doing in Redcliffe. That's when must have all shared confused glances.
"You invited us here when we met in Val Royeaux," I stated, "You purposely sought us out."
Fiona looked as confused as us. "You must be mistaken. I haven't been to Val Royeaux since before the Conclave."
Evelyn was instantly wary. Not nervous, perhaps concerned, but definitely wary. "Well, that's very strange, because someone who looked exactly like you spoke to me in Val Royeaux."
Fiona stroked her chin. "Exactly like me? I suppose it could be magic at work, but why would anyone…" She trailed off a moment, "Never mind. Whoever, or whatever brought you here, the situation has changed." She sighed before continuing. "The free mages have already… pledged themselves to the service of the Tevinter Imperium."
Bull blew a gasket straight away. Even I was stunned into silence at that revelation. "This isn't good," Varric muttered under his breath. Sera, who I'd learned rather quickly didn't like mages, despite her blossoming friendship with Evelyn, had her own thoughts on the matter.
Cassandra leaned forward, having sat rather close to the elven mage. Fiona steeled herself as I could see her body language was one of concern immediately. "An alliance with Tevinter? Do you not fear all of Thedas turning against you?"
"Andraste's arse… I'm trying to think of a single worse thing you could have done. And I've got nothing," Varric added.
"You'll be nothing more than slaves to the Tevinter," Solas warned.
Fiona shrugged. "As one indentured to a magister, I no longer have the authority to negotiate with you."
"Look," I stated, "Even I can tell that allying with the Tevinter Imperium is a colossal fucking mistake. I've fought for years to help you and now you do this? By Talos, it's almost too much!"
"All hope of peace died with Justinia," Fiona claimed, "This…bargain with Tevinter would not have been my first choice, but we had no choice." Her face hardened as she added, "We are losing this war. I needed to save as many of my people as I could."
"You've chosen wrong," I growled. Nearly ten years of assisting them and, just like that, they've gone and made a catastrophically poor decision. Part of me didn't really blame them. I knew enough about the Vints, they were still powerful, and being mages, would no doubt assist. But I remembered Fenris telling me all about the Tevinter Imperium and the magisters that ran it. They'd be nothing but slaves.
Then someone else decided to make an appearance in the tavern. Flanked by a pair of lackeys, and dressed in what I assumed was the garb of the Tevinter Imperium, he was introduced as Magister Gereon Alexius. He seemed to know enough about us already, picking Evelyn as the Herald of Andraste, or so-called in his words, and he guessed that I was someone called the Dragonborn. He didn't seem to know anything about me, just my name. All I could sense was Bull behind me, getting ready for a fight. I wasn't sure whether to immediately join in or not…
To my surprise, he answered nearly any question about his and the Tevinter arrival. What they were doing in Redcliffe. Why they'd agreed to help mages. When it had happened. But one question left me with doubts about their entire reason for being there.
"Where is the Arl of Redcliffe?" I asked.
"The arl and his men left the village."
"Bullshit. Arl Teagan did not abandon his lands during the Blight, even when they were under siege," I retorted, "And the people wouldn't tolerate him being forced out by a foreign power."
My hand went to the hilt of my sword. These people were not visitors, they were invaders. Alexius just shook his head. "There were… tensions growing. I did not want an incident. However, if you are to be reasonable, I'm sure we can sit down and discuss the matter."
Evelyn gently grabbed my wrist. I met her eyes and she didn't have to say a word, pleading with her eyes for me not to blow up. She probably wouldn't quite understand. Teagan had been a good friend during the Blight. We had kept in touch while I was in Kirkwall. I had also stayed in touch with Eamon. They were good men, and I still considered them friends to this day. I knew, for an absolute fact, Teagan would not have abandoned his castle, not unless forced to leave at sword point. Hell, even then, he'd probably rather die than give it up.
Evelyn and I sat down across from Alexius. He introduced his son, Felix, I guess trying to appear friendly. He was certainly relaxed. I assumed he would have his men in position around the tavern in the event things got ugly. We'd barely started talking when his son reappeared, looking rather ill. Before any of us could stand up, he'd collapsed to the ground. In that moment, Alexius was nothing but a worried father, tending to his son. It took a few minutes before Felix was able to stand up. Naturally, Alexius cared little for negotiation after that, asking that we continue at another time. Understandable, so we let him go. Felix turned to apologise but we waved that away. He definitely didn't look well at all.
When Alexius and his entourage disappeared, Evelyn turned to me and showed a small letter. "Felix gave this to me," she whispered, "It tells us to go to the chantry. We are in danger."
Everyone gave their opinion, more thinking it was a trap that anything. That's when I took charge. "Okay, Evelyn and I will head to the chantry. The rest of you, take up positions near the chantry building and around the village. Be prepared for anything."
"You should take a mage or two at least," Solas suggested, "Given we are dealing with the Imperium. Their mages will be everywhere."
"Very well. You can come too, Solas. And Sera, we could use your ranged attacks."
"And you'll be at the front, cracking skulls, Uhtred?" Varric joked.
"If necessary. If anything untoward happens, fall back to our position then we fight our way out of Redcliffe."
Walking into the chantry, I guess we should have expected a Fade Rift. There was also another mage inside already, who requested our help. We wasted little time in doing so, the three mages linking their attacks as I simply strode around, fighting demons where they appeared, Sera helping me out by sending arrows into a target before I turned up with my sword.
It was another one of those short, furious battles, that probably only lasted five minutes but felt like it lasted fifty. Once the Fade Rift was sealed, we took a breath before being approached by the stranger, who made a beeline straight for Evelyn. "Fascinating!" he said quietly, "How does that work, exactly?" Evelyn shrugged, which made the stranger grin, at least. "You don't even know, do you? You just wiggle your fingers and boom! Rift closed."
"Who are you?" Evelyn asked.
"Ah, getting ahead of myself as usual." He bowed respectfully. "I am Dorian of House Pavus, most recently of Minrathous. How do you do?"
"Well, he's certainly polite," Varric joked.
"Another Vint," Bull growled, though as this Vint seemed friendly enough, the growl wasn't as rough as earlier.
Dorian just grinned. "Suspicious friends you have here. Magister Alexius was once my mentor, so my assistance should be valuable, as I'm sure you can imagine."
"You one of those magisters too?" I asked.
That question riled him as he met my eyes. I smirked as always as he needed to look up slightly. "All right, let's say this once. I'm a mage from Tevinter, but not a member of the Magisterium. I know southerners use the terms interchangeably, but that only makes you sound like barbarians."
"Don't blame Uhtred. He's not exactly local," Varric retorted.
"So you sent the note?" Evelyn asked.
"I am. Someone had to warn you, after all. Look, you must know there's danger. That should be obvious even without the note. Let's start with Alexius claiming the allegiance of the mage rebels out from under you. As if by magic, right? Which is exactly right. To reach Redcliffe before the Inquisition, Alexius distorted time itself."
"So… time travel?" Varric asked. Dorian simply nodded.
"Hang on, so he arrived here for when? Just after the Divine died?" I asked.
"You catch on quick." It sounded like a compliment, at least.
Solas was interested as he'd stepped closer. "That is fascinating, if true… and almost certainly dangerous."
"The rift you closed here? You saw how it twisted time around itself, sped some things up and slowed others down. Soon there will be more like it, and they'll appear further and further away from Redcliffe. The magic Alexius is using is wildly unstable, and it's unravelling the world."
"This is why we have Circles, Uhtred," Evelyn muttered just loud enough for me to hear.
"This is all pretty wild," I stated, "Have any proof?"
That seemed to rile Dorian, but if he thought we were just going to take him at his word… "I know what I'm talking about. I helped develop the magic. When I was still his apprentice, it was pure theory. Alexius could never get it to work. What I don't understand is why he's doing it? Ripping time to shreds just to gain a few hundred lackeys?"
Out of the shadows came Felix, suddenly looking healthier than he had in the tavern. "He didn't do it for them," he announced, "
"Took you long enough," Dorian stated, "Is he getting suspicious?"
"No, but I shouldn't have played the illness card. I thought he'd be fussing over me all day." Felix looked towards us. "Apologies for any subterfuge, but I needed to make sure we could meet in secret. To put it all rather simply, my father has joined a cult of Tevinter supremacists. They call themselves 'Venatori'. And I can tell you one thing: whatever he's done for them, he's done it to get you."
"And why does he want me?" Evelyn asked. I knew it wasn't me they wanted. I didn't have the mark.
"The Venatori are obsessed with you, but I don't know why. Perhaps because you survived the Temple of Sacred Ashes?"
"You can close rifts," Dorian added, "Maybe there's a connection? Or maybe they see you as a threat?"
"If the Venatori are behind those rifts, or the Breach in the sky, they're even worse than I thought."
Knowing Evelyn was his target, it was now a case of stopping Alexius destroying not only us, but perhaps the entire world. Dorian suggested we didn't go on the front foot immediately, as Alexius would be expecting it. It was no surprise that Dorian being in Redcliffe would prove a surprise, so that was something we could eventually use to our advantage. Dorian suggested that, for the time being, we deal with other matters and that he would be in touch. Felix said he would liaise with Dorian but continue to play innocent until he time came to strike.
For the time being, though, we agreed to leave Redcliffe immediately. We simply had no idea how many mages Alexius had at his disposal, and if the mages were truly 'indentured', then they'd be compelled to fight for Alexius, which would lead to many deaths, and we'd lose them as potential allies.
Riding back to the crossroads, where we'd camp the night before returning to Haven, we gathered around the campfire to discuss any ideas. Cassandra suggested approaching the templars was still an idea though she knew most of us would not agree. Lord Seeker Lucius might not agree with the Inquisition, but she was sure there would be factions who would be willing to talk. I said that the Redcliffe situation had to be resolved anyway, so for the time being, we would continue with the original plan. I was going to ask Leliana for any information regarding Teagan or even Eamon straight away. Eamon hadn't mentioned anything about Redcliffe when I was in Denerim, while if Alexius had actually killed Teagan, he was going to die for it. Well, he was probably going to die anyway, but that would just make it personal. Everyone else had their own opinion. In the end, the decision rested with Evelyn and I, and we agreed that, unless the situation changed, we'd remain with the idea of recruiting the mages. Though clearly unhappy, Cassandra agreed to our decision.
Heading back to Haven the next morning, I didn't like leaving Redcliffe in the hands of the Venatori, which is what we would now call them. No idea if they were backed by the Tevinter Imperium, or if they were some sort of rebel organisation, but Bull would call them Vints anyway. I could have gone in sword swinging, Thu'um at the ready, but it may have proven to be a fool's errand in the end. Times like this, it was perhaps sensible to err on the side of caution.
Arriving in Haven by nightfall, we convened a meeting of the Council straight away, informing them of what we'd learned. Leliana lost all interest in talking to Blackwall about the Wardens for the time being, suggesting she would send more agents into Redcliffe, hoping they could infiltrate the castle and provide more information of what was going on. Cullen pressed the idea of the templars a final time but seemed to realise our minds were set on recruiting the mages. He argued for a little while before giving up. In fact, he thought saving the mages from the Venatori would make them more agreeable than ever.
The situation was quiet for a few days. I was eager to return to Redcliffe as soon as possible, but we had to put our trust in our new… I wasn't sure what to call him, but Dorian seemed to be legitimate. I generally judge people quickly and I figured he was being honest, so we simply had to trust him to come good. But I always hated waiting. Evelyn and I did take Blackwall and Vivienne out for two days to close a couple of Fade Rifts and get the general idea of what the Inquisition was trying to achieve. Blackwall enjoyed being out on the road, and didn't complain about having to camp, but Vivienne was a real surprise, roughing it like a seasoned soldier. I mentioned that, and she took it as a compliment. "Don't judge a book by its cover, Uhtred," she stated.
Returning to Haven the next afternoon, I stabled my horse and headed towards Leliana's tent, though stayed back when she was in the middle of talking with one of her agents. I couldn't help listening in though. Whether she noticed me, I wasn't sure.
"There were so many question's surrounding Farrier's death. Did he think we wouldn't notice? He's killed Farrier. One of my best agents. And knows where the others are." She paused, lowering and shaking her head for a moment before sighing. "You know what must be done. Make it clean. Painless, if you can. We were friends once."
"Wait, Leliana…"
She glared at me, no doubt angered by the fact I was interfering. "He betrayed us, Uhtred. He murdered my agent."
"So in a blind rage you would kill him in return? Is that was this is going to descend into? A tit for tat through all this chaos?"
That response really pissed her off. When she folded her arms and lifted her chin, I knew she was on the verge of probably asking her agent to injure me too. "You find fault with my decision?" she asked, and I could hear the mockery in her tone.
So instead of being sentimental, I gave it a moment of thought, figured out what she could do without killing him. When I smirked, I saw her eyes glow with a moment of interest herself. I liked to prove I had at least some brains in my head. "You want agents, yes? Well, if he has knowledge, then use him. He's a resource. He can infiltrate… um… wherever he is, or whoever he's working for."
Leliana didn't like it when I thought along those lines. Yes, I was generally someone who simply cracked skulls together, but I could also think of other means. Plus… at heart, I was… I didn't always like what I was seeing or hearing. She had changed, and I didn't always like what I saw. "He's a loose end who could escape and get word to our enemies," she insisted, voice now raised, arms now by her side, noticing her fists ball up. When she stepped forward, I honestly thought she might actually hit me for interfering. "Butler's betrayal put our agents in danger. I condemn one man to save dozens. I may not like what I do, but it must be done. I cannot afford the luxury of ideals at a time like this."
"So you're admitting you don't like what you do?" I almost yelled in return, "Then that surely tells me that you'd be doing something pretty fucking bad then, right? Sending agents out to kill gods only know who every single day, and that's just what I've witnessed since getting here. What have you been responsible for since the day you returned to the Chantry? How many deaths? How many have had killed for the Chantry and the Divine? How much blood is on your hands now, Leliana?"
She slapped me, and it was one hell of a good one. I swear, in that moment, all of Haven fell silent. "You bastard, Uhtred Dragonborn," she said through gritted teeth, "You know why I have to do this. It's what I must do!"
"Not at the cost of your heart, and your soul, Leliana. Not at the cost of what once made you so special to someone like me. The Leliana I remember would not order the death of someone so casually, would not answer blood with more blood."
"Then the Leliana you remember is gone, Uhtred."
"I don't believe that for a second. She's still there inside you somewhere. But you've been doing this for so long now, you've lost your… humanity…"
That last bit stung, and I almost felt bad for saying it. She met my eyes, anger clear but also hurt. I hated knowing that I'd hurt her but I wasn't going to sit by any longer and watch her descend any further. I had no idea she'd become so… I'm not even sure how to describe it, the easiest word would be to say 'cold', but if she needed saving from herself, then so be it. So I met her eyes and made sure I didn't look away until she did.
Turning away, I noticed the shoulders slump in defeat. "Very well, Uhtred, I will find another way to deal with this." She turned to her agent. "Apprehend Butler, but see that he lives." The agent departed and I remained standing there, so she turned to me. "Well, if you're happy now, Uhtred, I have more work to do."
I wasn't going to go that easily, walking until I was standing behind her. She turned to face me, and I could see the anger still in her eyes. I had made her angry like this more than once, first time she'd slapped me though. Raising my hand to her cheek, I thought she'd knock my hand away, but I simply gazed into her eyes, and she was watching me intently. "She's in there somewhere, the girl I remember," I said softly, "And I'll find her again one day. I love the woman with me now, it's who she's become. But she is a product of what you have been doing for so long now. I'll crack whatever this shell is around you, Leliana. Once I have, you'll be… you again."
I was trying to comfort but I know my words stung at the same time. She gently grabbed my wrist and moved it away. "I have work to do," she whispered, "You should go."
I didn't dare try and kiss nor hug her as it wasn't the right time. I merely nodded my head, turned and walked away. Walking towards Cullen, he took one look at me and shook his head. "You are not training with anyone right now, Dragonborn. You'll kill someone. Go to the tavern."
I looked at Cassandra beside him. "I agree with Cullen. No-one is going to be dumb enough to spar with you right now. Go to the tavern, Dragonborn."
Sighing in defeat, I headed to the tavern. Varric joined me and didn't tempt me into conversation until I was at least three tankards in, and that was probably only after twenty minutes of being there. "Easy, Uhtred, unless you want a major hangover in the morning."
"I love her, Varric. More than anything, but what she's become, what I've already seen and heard. I know her role for Justinia had changed her, that she'd done things, but gods…"
"I've noticed subtle changes already, Uhtred. Whatever you're trying to do with her, it's working. But it's been ten years. And the more important question will be if she's even willing to change?"
"I hope so otherwise all the talk and dreams of eventually leaving our lives behind will be for nothing. The one thing I took from all that is that she's not enjoying it. The fact she doesn't heartens me at least. She's not taking pleasure in ordering deaths and god knows what else."
"It'll take time. You'll just need to be patient. She's got a strong will, that one. But you know what? The one clear thing is that she loves you, and she'll recognise what you're trying to do. She'll butt heads with you, of course, but she'll come around in the end."
"I hope so. I just don't want the Inquisition to destroy her and us."
I eventually stayed for three more before thinking it was best I stopped. No idea when Dorian was going to turn up so I bid farewell to Varric and headed outside, to find it had grown dark since I'd started drinking. Walking by myself through Haven, it was filled with the sounds of a camp getting ready to settle in for the evening. Aside from the few buildings, there were tents everywhere. If we could actually see it from the sky, it would have been a truly remarkable sight I believed.
I was surprised that she was waiting for in my quarters. I expected an argument and for her to leave. Instead, she stepped forward as I cautiously closed the door behind me. She noticed my caution and actually stopped, her face expressing nothing but hurt. So I took a step forward as she did the same as I hugged her tightly to me. "You won't give up on me, will you?"
"I don't know everything you've done. I can't know because I haven't been there."
"I did it for Justinia, Uhtred. It was the only way. I got used to it."
"You don't have to anymore. There has to be a different way. A better way that the Inquisition does things."
"You truly believe that?"
"I know I'm out there knocking heads together but that's in the middle of battle. I know it's a shite argument but I believe there's a difference between that and what you were asking your agent to do today."
"Sometimes it's necessary. The Inquisition also has enemies."
"So we deal with them. But we show them that we won't resort to their methods."
Resting her head on my chest, at least she chuckled. "Sounds like Uhtred Dragonborn is becoming an idealist."
"Let's just say I'm becoming a believer in this whole Inquisition thing. We give people hope. So we should be worthy of that hope." She lifted her head up when I finished, and the look on her face… I think she adored me even more then. And the smile lit up her face. "Well, glad I can still provoke one of those."
"We've argued before."
"Aye, we have. That was a big one today though. Never slapped me before."
"Sorry. It was… heat of the moment… I felt awful afterwards…"
"Never mind. It's forgotten. It was just a surprise."
She let me go but grabbed my hand, leading me towards the bed. I sat up against the headboard and she sat down between my legs, leaning back against my chest, grabbing my hands, locking her fingers between mine. "I can't promise anything, Uhtred, and I can't go through every single decision I make. That's just not realistic and doesn't let me do my job."
"Plus I'm not the boss, so wouldn't expect you too."
"I have to make those tough, life or death decisions. About so many things. You are more than aware of sacrifices that might have to be made."
"I am, but not at the cost of what I said. It seems like what you were doing before is a stain. Your words spoke volumes, Leliana," I said softly, "So use the Inquisition as a way of redeeming yourself."
"I'm not sure if I'm worth…"
I hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek. "You absolutely bloody are worthy. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere."
"I think you're getting more sentimental as you get older, Uhtred."
That made me laugh out loud. "And is that a problem?"
"No. I love it. And you give me reason to think and contemplate what I'm doing now and in the future."
We talked some more before heading to bed. To assure me that everything was okay that night, Leliana spent a lot of time focusing on me. It had been a long time since any woman had focused on me to such an extreme, so by the time she'd taken my length in her mouth, I was utterly turned on, and that's when she decided to tease me some more.
Gods, it was great though. By the time I enjoyed an orgasm, it was the sort of toe-curling, mind-blowing one that pretty much caused me to pass out for a few seconds, only coming to my senses when I felt her kisses back up my chest. "Okay, I'm not sure if it's because it's what we've just discussed or you are better at it…"
"Oh, it's because I love doing it for you. And no, tonight, that it's. I want to sleep. You can return the favour in the morning before breakfast."
I was under the covers returning said favour the next morning, Leliana making more than enough noise to suggest exactly what I was doing at that moment, when there was a knock at the door. Leliana figured she would have a little fun, asking who it was. A message had arrived that we needed to know about, the Council requesting our immediate presence. Leliana replied that we'd be out shortly before she lifted the covers, looking down to see I had at least stopped during the conversation. "Reckon you can make me orgasm soon? I'm close."
I scoffed. "I was expecting a challenge."
"Well, make me cum and I'll love you forever."
We headed upstairs ten minutes later. I no doubt looked smug, while there was no missing the rather rosy complexion to her cheeks. Varric took one look at us and burst into laughter, so I assumed it was obvious. Sera bumped Evelyn, nodding our way, and they giggled as well. Leliana simply wrapped her arm around mine, leaning into me as we headed to the war room. She certainly wasn't hiding her affection for me anymore.
The message was from Magister Alexius, requesting an immediate meeting, and we came to an agreement. The fact a Tevinter Magister held Redcliffe Castle could not stand. Whether we supported the mages or not, we would not stand by and let the Tevinter spread their influence. And if, at the same time, we could free the mages and bring them into our cause, then that would be an added bonus.
We couldn't afford a frontal attack. But Leliana and I remembered our previous assault, where we followed a secret passage that allowed us entrance. We were in the middle of discussing our plans when Dorian appeared through the main entrance, a pair of guards trying to stop him. I called them off and quickly introduced him.
"I thought you were going to contact us," I stated.
"I have the means to help you get in as I figured you would retreat, plan, then try an assault. Alexius might not know much about you, Dragonborn, but I do, and I certainly asked around Redcliffe once you left. Look, we don't have a lot of time here. The longer you delay, the more Alexius is able to spread his influence."
I looked around the table. Leliana was on board with making a move. Josephine knew diplomacy wouldn't work so was willing to throw caution to the wind. Cullen nodded his head. "Just keep the Herald safe, Dragonborn. We can't lose her now."
"If they piss me off enough, they'll realise that it's not only mages who have been given a gift by your Maker. Time the Tevinter Imperium also learned about the Dragonborn."
With those words, the Council ended and we headed outside to depart.
A/N - Keep the reviews incoming as I like to read your thoughts. Well, if they're generally positive. :-)