Redcliffe didn't feel any different as we arrived on horseback. Before arriving, I practically demanded Evelyn place herself in the middle of our line so she could be protected at the front by myself, Bull at the rear, Sera and Solas behind me though in front of Evelyn, Varric and Vivienne behind them with Dorian behind her, while Cassandra and Blackwall rode to her side. I constantly glanced to check she was okay. I sensed I may have made her nervous, but whenever she met my eyes, she at least grinned. She knew I was just doing my job and now understood how seriously I took my role. 'Glorified bodyguard' or not, I would keep her safe.

We dismounted before entering the village proper. We had already agreed tactics, so simply split up. When the signal came, everyone would know what to do. What I'd discussed with Leliana, and what only Cassandra and I knew, is that more agents would be flooding in Redcliffe during our meeting. We were not going to give Alexius a chance of using whatever power he had, nor or managing to escape. Alexius would either be taken prisoner or die in the end.

Dorian disappeared, ready to pull his surprise later. Sera, Varric and Vivienne went with him as further back up. The rest of us headed straight for the castle. The Venatori were there in force, wearing their rather strange looking uniforms. Many wore masks over their faces, but you didn't need to see their eyes to know they were tracking us. I simply glared back every so often, tempted to do one or two others things, but I didn't need to rile them up. At least, not yet. I'd get my chance.

Guards posted at the entrance allowed us passage, though we halted in the entrance hall itself as a steward greeted us. He was a smug looking prick who I took an instant dislike to. "The magister's invitation was for Mistress Trevelyan alone. The others must wait here."

Evelyn made a sideways glance, the smirk meeting her eyes. She wanted me off the leash immediately. I stepped forward with glee. "Listen here, you little shit." That got his back up, but considering I towered over him… "Wherever the Herald goes, you'd better believe I'm by her side. And her friends will be backing her up. So either we all go in, or we can do this the more difficult way. Choice is yours."

He glanced over our group and took the safer option, allowing our group to pass through. Alexius had certainly made himself at home, that much was obvious. Gone were the symbols of Redcliffe. I didn't recognise the Tevinter standard but that's what I assumed now rested on doors and walls. Walking into the throne room and seeing Alexius sat on the throne itself pissed me off further. Before I could get in some sort of sarcastic remark, the steward was polite enough to announce us.

"My friend! It's so good to see you again. And your associates, of course." Lying bastard. It was an obvious trap which he now had to talk his way out of. "I'm sure we can work out some arrangement that is equitable to all parties."

Fiona stepped forward and asked to be part of the negotiations. Alexius refused us but then asked Evelyn what she thought. Evelyn stated that Fiona's voice should be heard during the negotiations. It clearly pissed off Alexius, but I figured Fiona wasn't actually going to be listened to in either case. She thanked us for supporting her, at least.

Alexius resumed his position on the throne. It took all the willpower I had not to stride forward and drag his arse off it. I still worried where Teagan was…

"The Inquisition needs mages to close the Breach, and I have them. So, what shall you offer in exchange?"

Our group shared glances. Cassandra wasn't the only one to gesture that I step forward. I was being let off the leash again. Clearing my throat, I stepped forward. "I have an offer for you, magister. What I can do is drag your sorry arse off that throne, drag you to the dock, where you and your followers can get back on you ships, and you can all fuck off back to Tevinter. Oh, and during that process, the mages you have indentured will remain here, of course."

Alexius leaned back, looking deep in thought. "Well, that isn't quite the offer I was expecting."

"They know everything, Father," Felix stated from alongside him.

That concerned the magister. "Felix, what have you done?"

"We made sure to disarm your trap before we came in. I hope you don't mind," Evelyn stated, sounding rather confident about things now.

Alexius was unperturbed. "I've yet to see your cleverness, I'm afraid." He stood up, confident in himself and probably his guards. "You walk into my stronghold with your stolen mark…"

"Not your stronghold. This belongs to Arl Teagan. I'm sure he'll be back for it shortly," I stated with humour.

Alexius glanced in my direction but ignored my comment. "That mark, a gift you don't even understand, and you think you're in control? You're nothing but a mistake."

To be honest, that could have been aimed at either of us. I'm sure my enemies think my arrival on Thedas as some sort of cosmic accident or a joke by my gods. Those who believed I'd been sent by the Maker? Well, I'm sure there are some that think He is a fool for it.

Evelyn, not knowing about the mark, retorted as such. "Well, if you know so much about it, enlighten us. Tell me what this mark on my hand is for."

Now he looked nothing but smug. Again, it took willpower not to walk forward and slap it off his face. "It belongs to your betters. You wouldn't even begin to understand its purpose."

"Father, listen to yourself! Do you know what you sound like?"

Dorian appeared from a side entrance with the others close behind, taking up position around the room. Unarmed for now, but they knew exactly what they were doing. Our group was large, and though I hadn't counted the number of guards in the hall, they wouldn't have many more than us.

"He sounds exactly like the sort of villainous cliché everyone expects us to be," Dorian stated.

"Dorian," Alexius said flatly. It was immediately obvious there was no love lost between the two. "I gave you a chance to be part of this. You turned me down. The Elder One has power you would not believe. He will raise the Imperium from its own ashes.

"Elder One?" I asked. Never heard of him or her. Nor had anyone else around us.

Alexius enjoyed the fact we didn't know, that smug grin reappearing. "He will make the world bow to mages once more. We will rule from the Boeric Ocean to the Frozen Seas."

Arrogant bastard. "You can't involve my people in this!" Fiona cried. I felt a moment's sympathy for her poor choice. If only she'd waited a few more days, but it was obvious why the Vints were here. They knew about the rebellion and suckered the mages into their cause.

Dorian stepped forward through us. "Alexius, this is exactly what you and I talked about never wanting to happen! Why would you support this?"

Alexius turned away, a brave move considering, but we were not on the attack. Not yet. Looking into the fire, it appeared as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Felix turned to his father, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Stop it, Father. Give up the Venatori. Let the southern mages fight the Breach, and let's go home."

"First sensible suggestion I've heard all day," Bull muttered behind me. I didn't turn around but figured he'd be armed. If anyone hated Vints the most in that room, it was him.

Alexius turned to his son. "No! It's the only way, Felix. He can save you!"

I suddenly understood why. Alexius still had to pay for everything, but I understood why. I glanced at Evelyn, and she met my eyes, no doubt understanding too. "Save me?" Felix asked.

"There is a way. The Elder One promised. If I undo the mistake at the Temple…"

"I'm going to die. You need to accept that."

Alexius was past listening. "Seize them, Venatori! The Elder One demands this woman's life!"

I looked around to see all the Venatori guards suddenly drop to the ground, our two rogues with weapons in hand. At least a dozen more Inquisition agents appeared, armed with daggers and other sharp weapons, having followed Dorian in through the secret tunnel.

"Your men are dead, Alexius," Evelyn stated, taking a step forward. I matched her, step by step.

"You are a mistake! You never should have existed!" he roared.

He pulled an amulet from his pocket and it immediately sparked into life. Gods only knew what he was doing, but Dorian seemed to have a good idea, as he fired a spell towards Alexius. Then something happened, something magical I would assume, and suddenly the world went black.

It wasn't a case of waking up. I don't think any of us passed out or anything. But what happened next is that we landed in water with a splash. That attracted the attention of nearby Venatori, who were as surprised as we are. Luckily I managed to unsheathe my weapon and went on the attack, sword through the gut of the first on quite easily. The second one put up a bit of a better fight, but as it was three against one, magic attacks left him susceptible, and I'll admit to a little pleasure when taking his head.

Stopping to look around, the first concern was the red lyrium everywhere. I hadn't seen it anywhere around the castle, nor around Redcliffe itself, though remembered we'd seen plenty up near the ruined Temple of Sacred Ashes. To see it in such abundance in such a small area… The idea of using my Thu'um was immediately out of the question. Not only did it absorb it, but I remembered Meredith being able to fling it back at me at times during our battle.

Taking a moment to gain our bearings, I left it to Dorian to figure out what had happened. He looked around and figured we were still in the castle at least. Evelyn and I could agree to that. "Of course! It's not simply where… but when! Alexius used the amulet as a focus. It moved us through time!"

"That doesn't sound good," Evelyn admitted.

"It sounds terrible, depending on when we are and what happened while we were away."

"What do you suggest?" I wondered. When he'd explained it all before, I didn't really understand much of it. Travelling through time? While I could say it doesn't sound possible, I'd travelled from Skyrim to Thedas so…

"Let's look around, see where the rift took us. Then we can figure out how to get back… if we can."

"Where are the others?" Evelyn wondered.

"They probably didn't come through with us so would have remained."

"Gods, I wonder what they've been through?" I thought aloud.

"Depends on how long we've been gone," Dorian replied.

Leaving the cell we'd landed in, we walked past empty cells, with red lyrium absolutely everywhere. The flooding was also unusual and it had a stagnant quality that meant we avoided breathing through our noses. Checking each cell as we passed, we didn't find anyone on the lowest level. Carefully climbing a set of stairs, there appeared to be no guards patrolling so we could move ahead, stull cautious, and eventually found someone we recognised.

It was Fiona, and what had been done to her was… in a way, heart-breaking. I'm not sure how, but she has been infused into red lyrium, and what she explained had been done to others simply hardened our resolve to get back and take care of Alexius.

We would have taken her with us, but she was stuck, and knew it was pointless to do so. But one thing she could tell us was the year.

"Harvestmere. 9:42 Dragon."

"Nine forty-two? We've missed an entire year," I muttered. My thoughts immediately went to a lot of people, very quickly.

"You must stop this from every happening. Alexius serves the Elder One. More powerful than the Maker. No-one challenges him and lives." She then added something which caused my heart to drop. "Your spymaster, Leliana… She is here. Find her. Quickly, before the Elder One learns you're here."

The cells were far larger than I remembered, and there was still no sign of any Venatori as we moved about. I'm not sure why, but we slowly but surely started to find all our allies. To say they were surprised to see us would be an understatement, all of them believing we were long dead. As we gathered them slowly, noticing most seemed to be under the influence of red lyrium, or being poisoned by it at least, we did receive some news.

The Elder One had been on the warpath. The Inquisition crushed. The Empress of Orlais assassinated. The Elder One at the head of a demon army that had basically conquered the southern lands of Thedas. That was the bad news. But we also had one bit of good news. Alexius was still alive. Still in Redcliffe. And we would find him where we'd seen him last. In his throne room.

With everyone accounted for, and neither Dorian or Evelyn wanting to ask questions of what they'd been through, we moved on. Everyone wanted revenge. Those who had lived through it simply for vengeance. I had a score to settle with Alexius. To say I was pissed off would now be a tremendous understatement. I took the lead, stalking forward, looking for someone to kill.

The first Venatori took the full brunt of my Thu'um. They were not covered in red lyrium, at least. The Dragonborn was now well and truly off the leash. From now on, my promise to the Greybeards would be on hiatus again whenever dealing with Venatori. I had no idea who this Elder One was, but it was clear to me that he was powerful, perhaps the most powerful enemy I would have faced in a long time.

Using my Thu'um attracted some attention, Venatori now pushing forward to meet us. There was no real plan to battle. Mages attacked from distance, as did Sera and Varric with their bow and crossbow respectively. Everyone else got up close and personal, blooding our blades, I'd say to our absolute delight. Most of our enemies were mages, but there were enough that wielded weapons that it didn't seem completely unfair.

Ending up in the guards' barracks, we fought more Venatori, some only half-dressed as the noise had probably woken them. I had no problem killing a man trying to pull up his breeches. Considering what they'd done to my allies, they should be glad I didn't go around hacking their bodies to death. I simply killed them and moved on to my next target. The only thing I noticed was my blade dripping with blood, and my armour starting to turn a shade of red as well. I probably had a feral look in my eye at the same time. No-one said a word as I moved our group from room to room.

Varric found a journal that told us what had happened beyond Redcliffe. The Inquisition had collapsed completely. Leliana was apparently in the castle, no word of Cullen or Josephine. I assumed both were either dead or had fled. Ferelden had been crushed. It appeared the hinterlands were now devoid of human life, left to wild demons running about. Even the Venatori didn't seem to live in the castle any longer. Rifts opened continuously. The Breach must have expanded even more.

I heard a cry from ahead, making a gesture for silence as I approached a door. I heard muffled noises, what appeared to be conversation. Opening the door, the scene I witness shocked me, enough that I came to a complete stop. Leliana was hanging from the roof by shackles at her wrists, the chain looped over a hook from the ceiling. Her face, her beautiful face… The Venatori in front of her held a blade to her neck, demanding she break.

The Venatori sensed my presence and turned around. Before either of us could react, Leliana was upon him, using her thighs to grab him around the neck and snap it. He fell to the ground with a thud. I stepped forward immediately, my hands searching for the keys to let her go. Standing straight, she met my eyes. I'll admit, I nearly wept at the sight of her.

"You're alive," she whispered. I… had nothing to say. I didn't know what to say. I'd been gone a year. She must have thought… After I'd released her, I wanted to hug her. Hold her. Tell her I was sorry. But… I didn't blame her for not being interested at all. Anything she would have felt for me would have disappeared long ago. Aside from her face, she just looked malnourished, and like she'd been tortured for a long time. No doubt she had nothing but hate in her heart.

Whether she was happy we were there or not, I wasn't exactly sure. Dorian asked if she was at least curious how we got there. She simply said no.

"Alexius sent us into the future. This. His victory, his Elder One… It was never meant to be."

"I'm… I'm sorry," I said quietly. I'd broken my promise…

Dorian blabbered away, trying to explain, perhaps justify… Nothing he said would work, not after everything she'd suffered, what they had all suffered. "Enough!" she practically growled, a tone in her voice I'd never once heard. "This is all pretend to you, some future you hope will never exist. I suffered. They suffered. The whole world suffered. It was real."

We left without another word. This time I took the front to simply be by myself. I couldn't look her in the eyes. They were just not the same. Any life, any love, any curiosity… It was gone. She was but a shell of the woman I loved. I would now end this and ensure this future never happened. When I got back to Haven…

The next Fade Rift was probably dealt with quicker than ever before. Everyone was pissed off and fought with a ferocity I'd never seen. The castle was a disaster area. Red lyrium seemed to sprout from every corner. Venatori and demons stalked the halls. We killed everything and everyone. Any door we found was opened, kicked in or picked, and the bastards inside were killed. Anyone who was in the castle was considered an enemy. No innocents would have existed in such a place now.

Making our way up, we passed through the docks, running into more Venatori, even a few mages that sacrificed themselves, turning into abominations. There was blood everywhere, the journal Varric had found mentioning blood sacrifices. I would have bet my last septim that it would have involved the innocent villagers in and around Redcliffe. My thoughts went to Aedan, Anora and the children in Denerim. Gods, it didn't bear thinking about for too long… Even the Blight may not have been as bad as this…

Exiting out into the courtyard, I couldn't help look up and notice the Breach. "Fucking hell," I muttered. We all came to a stop and looked. It was ghastly, covering the entire sky. No wonder demons now ran amok. Two more Fade Rifts were spilling out demons, so we took care of them. Evelyn doing her usual thing as the rest of us killed anything that moved. Apart from that, red lyrium and bodies, whether tortured or sacrificed, is all we found. And more blood.

I know for a fact that most of my colleagues fought without a care in the world. If they died, they died. Only Dorian, Evelyn and I needed to live, to return and make sure this never happened. But despite that, we managed to fight as some sort of unit, mages, rogues and warriors fulfilling their usual positions.

Finally entering the castle proper, it was crawling with Venatori and demons. While we could have split up and covered more ground quicker, I don't think that idea would have been received very well. We were going to stay together and finish it. So, as before, we went from room to room, killing everyone. No question of surrender, and definitely no thought about mercy. I felt no pity as I watched Venatori disembowelled, hacked to death, throats slit, heads decapitated, bodies immolated… Everyone joined in with the bloodlust on display.

Fade Rifts were dealt with in double quick time. Any enemy that could have provided a challenge was dealt with by everyone at once, their battered and bloodied bodies left as a warning. After clearing out most rooms, we headed towards the throne room, to find an entirely new door that required… magic? Dorian had an idea of what was required so we went searching for a key.

After dealing with more lackeys, and gaining what we needed, all of us left bloodied after seeming to circle the castle again, we headed back to the door of the throne room, tired, frustrated, and just wanting the madness to end. The door opened with the magical key, and we strode in as a group.

The throne he'd once sat on had gone. His back was to us, looking into the fireplace. Felix sat on the ground next to him. He looked close to death.

Evelyn stepped forward. "Alexius! It's time to answer for your crimes!"

He didn't turn around. Barely made a move. "And here you are. Finally. I knew you would appear again. Not that it would be now. But I knew I hadn't destroyed you. My final failure."

"Was it worth it?" Dorian asked, barely able to keep the contempt out of his tone, "Everything you did to the world? To yourself?"

Alexius shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. All we can do is wait for the end."

"What do you mean?" Evelyn wondered, and I'm sure the rest of us immediately grew concerned, "What's ending?"

Alexius didn't seem to hear the question, lost in his own madness. Instead, he chuckled to himself. "The irony that you should appear now, of all the possibilities. All that I fought for, all that I betrayed, and what have I wrought? Ruin and death. There is nothing else. The Elder One comes: For me, for you, for us all."

Unbeknown to us all, Leliana had circled the room. To our surprise, she leapt forward and grabbed Felix, dagger to his throat. Alexius turned and cried out his name in alarm.

Dorian did a double take, looking at his friend with nothing but sadness. "That's Felix? Maker's breath, Alexius, what have you done?"

"He would have died, Dorian. I saved him!" He turned to Leliana, who looked at him with unbridled hate. I don't think she would have hated anyone more in that moment. "Please, don't hurt my son. I'll do anything you ask."

"Hand over the amulet and we'll let him go," I stated.

"Let him go and I swear you'll get what you want."

Leliana was never going to agree. "I want the world back," she stated lowly and slit his throat with no hesitation whatsoever.

Doing that caused Alexius to cry out and ram his staff into the ground, knocking us all back. If he thought he could possible take all of us on, he was sadly mistake. If he thought he could just take on the Dragonborn…

Rising to my feet, he stood before me, staff in hand. He no doubt expected me to charge forward, weapon in hand, make myself an easy target. Perhaps walk forward with shield up, making myself a small target. But I didn't do anything of that. All I did was take in a deep breath and use my Thu'um. He didn't expect that, and certainly didn't expect the collision into the wall he experienced after that. Walking forward, I put my boot to his throat and pressed down. He tried to say something but I was beyond caring at that point. I waited until the light of his eyes died out before I removed my boot.

We gathered in a group, discussing what to do next. Dorian grabbed the amulet and suggested what might be possible. When he said it could take at least an hour, Leliana said that was impossible. And when the castle started to shake, that's when we knew things were about to get a whole lot worse. There was a tremendous noise, like a siren, or a scream, from outside. Leliana simply muttered, "The Elder One."

All our colleagues gathered together. "We'll head out front, keep them off your tail," Bull stated.

I wanted to say something but I knew their minds were made up. This was their future, not ours. Leliana could obviously read the turmoil. She didn't soften her voice, but at least tried to help me understand. "Look at us, Uhtred. We are already dead. The only way we live is if this day never comes. Cast your spell, mage. You have as much time as I have arrows."

The rest walked through the door before it closed behind them, no-one looking behind. Leliana took her position, the last line of defence at the door, bow in hand, arrow knocked, ready to fire. Evelyn and I joined Dorian as he started to cast.

Hearing the battle outside, I knew our friends would be dying quickly. Fighting our way through the castle was one thing. But I had no doubt a demon army had turned up to fight us. Leliana got in position and started to chant as the doors burst open and I could see innumerable demons outside.

"Thought darkness closes, I am shielded by flame.

Andraste guide me. Maker, take me to your side."

She fired and fired, having lost none of her skill. When she took an arrow into the chest, my automatic reaction was to go to her. Dorian grabbed my wrist. "You move, Dragonborn, and we all die!"

"But…"

Evelyn grabbed my other wrist. "Uhtred, it's not her. She'll be back in Haven once we're returned to our time!"

Leliana fought bravely as Dorian got the spell to work. I don't even want to say what I saw last before there was a bright light for a brief second… And we arrived back where it had all started.

"You'll have to do better than that," Doran quipped. I strode towards Alexius and clocked him across the jaw, putting him on the ground.

"Son of a bitch," I growled, bending down to grab his collar, holding him up so he could see the fury in my eyes, "You made me watch her die. I am going to take great pleasure in doing the same to you."

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Easy, Uhtred," Evelyn said quietly, "He's failed. Guess we'll find out how forgiving his Elder One is now…"

"You won," he said, head bowed, "There is no point extending this charade." Turning away, he looked at his son, "Felix…"

I let go of his collar and stepped back. Felix crouched next to him. "It's going to be alright, Father."

"You'll die," he retorted, and I could hear the heartache in his voice. I shouldn't have cared at all, but there was that small part of my heart and brain that understood. What would you sacrifice for your children? But what he'd done was simply too much. Too far. It was unforgivable.

"Everyone dies," Felix said quietly. Alexius hung his head, almost in shame. Felix hugged his father, and I gestured for our guards to hold back, at least for a few seconds, before they lifted him up and escorted him away.

Evelyn, Dorian and I were inundated with a million questions immediately but we were simply too exhausted to answer any of them. I simply wasn't in the mood, so walked off to simply be by myself for a few minutes. Evelyn even stayed away, recognising my mood. One moment I was furious, ready to go after our soldiers, stop them escorting Alexius, then I'd take his head. The next moment, I just wanted, needed to be back in Haven so I could see Leliana…

Our group relaxed, and I eventually joined everyone as they discussed our next steps. Now that Alexius was in custody, I suggested we either try and find Teagan, or we get in contact with Eamon so he could at least return and take control until Teagan returned. Cassandra said we would discuss it at the next Council meeting as Josephine should be able to contact the right people.

It was no more than a couple of hours after everything that the doors into the main hall burst open, two lines of soldiers marching in, taking position to either side of the hall. I noticed the emblem on the armour and their shields. All I could think was Oh, now we're definitely in the shit. I moved forward through the crowd, making sure I was standing next to Evelyn. She glanced up at me in concern as through the doors strode Aedan and Anora. Neither looked happy. However, neither of them seemed to give a shit about any of us except Fiona, who had appeared from nowhere.

"Grand Enchanter, we'd like to discuss your abuse of our hospitality," Aedan stated.

Fiona stepped forward immediately. "Your Majesty…"

"When I offered the mages sanctuary, that did not give them the right to drive our people from their homes."

"King Aedan, I assure you, we never intended…"

"In light of your actions, good intentions are no longer enough. You and your followers have worn out your welcome. Leave Ferelden, or we'll be forced to make you leave."

"Now hang on a second," I started, striding forward. Aedan met my eyes and glared, but if he thought him being king was going to intimidate, he didn't know me very well. We stared at each other in silence for only a few seconds, but they definitely stretch long enough that people definitely grew uncomfortable.

"Uhtred," Cassandra hissed from behind me.

"But… we have hundreds who need protection. Where will we go?" Fiona asked Aedan.

Aedan looked at me. "Well, Uhtred, where shall they go?"

"You're seriously forcing their hand like this?"

"I knew the mages were here. I offered them sanctuary for the Conclave that was supposed to happen. Now we have your Inquisition trying to bring order to the chaos, but I'm not seeing nor hearing a lot of progress."

"Your attitude has changed," I retorted.

"I don't like it when my towns and cities are invaded and its citizens are imperilled. It's called being a ruler, Uhtred."

I glared at him again. Anora cleared her throat. "Uhtred, there is clearly a way out of this for both you and the mages. Surely you can see it?"

"I do, but how it's being done… I thought you supported their cause?" I asked Aedan.

"Not when I have Arl Teagan show up at my palace, telling me he's been exiled by a joint Tevinter-rebel mage alliance. You should be glad I haven't turned up with my entire army in tow, ready to lay siege. It's only because I had received word that Inquisition forces were seen here that I held them back. So, it's up to you what happens to the mages, Uhtred. Whatever the case, they will be leaving Redcliffe by nightfall. I will no longer be taking responsibility for their safety."

"Fine, fuck it." I turned to Fiona. "Grand Enchanter, our whole purpose of coming to Redcliffe was to recruit your mages so we can seal the Breach. Would you like to join us at Haven?"

She wasn't going to suffer another agreement like the one made with the Venatori again so quickly. "And what are the terms of this arrangement?"

Evelyn and I would have both understood her caution. Dorian decided to lend his voice to the matter. "Hopefully better than what Alexius gave you. The Inquisition is better than that, yes?"

Everyone else decided it was time to give their opinion too. It was split between those who suggested we take them as allies, and those who suggested we take them as prisoners and simply conscript them. All Evelyn and I had to do was share a glance and agree. There was no chance of us doing anything else. Wet let Fiona know that we wished the mages to be our allies.

"I'll pray that the rest of the Inquisition honours your promise."

"The Breach threatens all of Thedas. We cannot afford to be divided now," Evelyn replied, "We can't fight it without you. Any chance of success requires your full support."

"It's a generous offer. I doubt you're going to get a better one from me," Aedan suggested. I gave him a withering look, feeling rather disappointed. I understood, but this wasn't what I expected from him.

Fiona didn't need long to think about it. We were her one and only hope. "We accept. It would be madness not to. I will gather my people and ready them for the journey to Haven. The Breach will be closed. You will not regret giving us this chance."

It was a satisfactory conclusion, Fiona departing to spread the news while our group split up. Evelyn found herself introduced to the king, and I managed to remain polite, but Aedan was pissed off at me, I was pissed off at him in return, and while Anora was polite, I didn't hang around to chat with either of them for too long. Fiona had to prepare her mages for departure quickly, and with no horses to transport anything, we took what we could on our horses, but the rest would have to walk.

At least it was still light when leaving Redcliffe. I barely muttered a farewell to Aedan, thinking I would write a letter in a few days, once we'd both cooled off. I understood his reasoning but still, I think he was being wholly unreasonable. I guess we couldn't always agree on everything.

We camped at the Crossroads as it was far too dark to continue to Haven with so many mages. Thankfully, the region around the Crossroads was now completely under Inquisition control, so no-one had to worry about bandit attacks nor of rogue templars looking for blood. We sat with Fiona and discussed plans for what we would do back in Haven, and she admitted simply being happy that the mages were now allied with the Inquisition, no longer having to worry about the templars, at least too much.

Making it back to Haven the next afternoon. It was bitterly cold, with fresh snow on the ground and a wind that would have cut through the thickest of coats. Agents had been sent ahead to announce our imminent arrival, so at least we were expected. Having seen exactly the same thing I'd seen, everyone knew who I'd be going to visit first.

I found her outside in her usual tent, flicking through reports. She looked up in surprise as I turned her towards me and hugged her tightly. I must have held her for I don't know how long before I leaned back enough that I could just caress her face, drinking in her beauty. Her blue eyes searched mine, no doubt wondering what was going on. "Uhtred?" she asked softly.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Whatever for?"

"For what could have happened. I would have failed you. What they did to you was…"

She put a finger to my lips and smiled ever so sweetly. "But you didn't fail. And whatever you saw doesn't matter. I'm here with you, safe and, more importantly, loved." I simply pulled her tightly to me again and closed my eyes, inhaling her scent, feeling her body tight to mine. I felt her tighten her grip in return. "I love you," she whispered.

I closed my eyes and simply hugged her even tighter, seeing the images of her over and over again. The last images as the demons had taken her… I finally leaned back, feeling her thumbs clear away the moisture from my cheeks before she brought a hand up to the back of my head, lowering it down to kiss her. That made me feel better, deepening the kiss as she was soon backed against the table, bending down and lifting her up onto it, feeling her legs wrap around me.

Pressing into her, she moaned into my mouth and that's when she broke the kiss. "We can't… not here at least…"

"Sorry. Just…" I sighed. "Guess I just need…"

"Cuddles?"

I laughed out loud, and it made me feel better. "Hey, even a barbarian like me can love cuddles from someone as soft and delightful as yourself." Leaning down, I left one last soft kiss before stepping back. "I'll let you get back to your work. I just…"

"Do I need to know?" I shook my head. "Then I won't ask. But it was just a bad dream, Uhtred." She took my hand, placing it on her chest. "I'm here right now. Heart beating, just for you. And you have never failed me."

That made me smile, sharing one last kiss, before I finally stood back so she could get on with some work. I would have stayed nearby, just so I could be near her, but I'd find her too distracting, and I'd distract her as well, so I headed back into the chantry so I could change out of my armour and enjoy a quick wash.

Avoiding any talk of what had transpired at Redcliffe, already hearing a rather heated discussion between Cullen, Evelyn and Cassandra, I headed outside and enjoyed the cool mountain air while taking in the colourful sky, still a rather ominous green because of the Breach. I still didn't really understand it all. I just knew it needed closing. Once it was, I wondered what would happen with the Inquisition then? We were meant to be restoring order but how? Aedan hadn't exactly told me if he supported the Inquisition or not. No idea what the Orlesians thought.

But with the mages now onside, I knew we were one step closer to victory.