Chapter Sixteen

Demon Peak

We left Denerim with a fun send off from the Pearl. Sangra had kissed Alistair and me both – like on the lips and full tongue with me. Alistair had been flustered and kept glancing at me as though he thought I'd be mad.

Imagine his face when I was watching with desire – somehow, it really was hot to see Alistair kissing another woman. Sangra was damn beautiful too.

Everyone knew Sangra didn't sleep with anyone – she was just the Proprietor of the Pearl. When she kissed us, it made a fuss among the workers and the patrons. She had also announced that I was the benefactress that sold the recipe for Lovers' Embrace to the Pearl. I had gotten a round of applause for that.

In fact, one woman – a noble – had followed us to the gates to buy River Rain. Alistair found the whole ordeal amusing – going so far as to tell me that I wasn't even a recognized noble yet and I already had other nobles following me about. I made a rather rude gesture.

Somehow, Lelianna had conned me into singing at least one song each night… in return she'd take care of breakfast each following morning. I even taught her some matching dances.

Another thing Alistair had done… he'd gotten bolder and more comfortable with the BDSM in the bedroom. We mostly had just Vanilla Sex, but by the time we got almost to Soldiers' Peak he was a lot more relaxed about it all… unless Zev tried to say something – then he would go red and avoid the topic.

We were stopped the night before getting to the peak when I was asked a question I hadn't considered.

"What other inventions from your homelands do you intend to bring to Thedas?" Aedan asked. He was pretty much my buissness manager, so it was understandable that he'd want to know.

"I hadn't thought about it, actually. I suppose I could think of some things – why? Were you looking for something specific?"

"You showed us those pictures of people on dates before – and I saw a teacup that had a little notch in it for the infusers' chain to rest at. The nobles are always complaining about that – the chain falling into the cup." He stated.

Leliana said, "I saw such lovely shoes too…"

I shrugged, "I could do the cups – easily, actually. Pottery was something I did in my younger years while I was being taught in school. Being someone who skipped to higher education early on, I got bored and picked up a lot of hobbies that I sort of abandoned after a while. Soap Making, Pottery, mixing my own tea blends, candle making – the little things. I mean… things that could be considered little things where I was from when they're still full on professions here. I can even make jewelry and clothes."

Leliana looked like an Error: 404 screen come to life. I think if she had been an android she'd be saying does not compute.

"How many… instruments do you play?" Wynne asked – they had seen me pull out and play a few now.

"I can personally play 5 – Piano, Violin, Guitar, Flute and Drums. I can read the sheet music for most – if not all – instruments, and I know how they should sound. I have a musical ear so I can properly tune them if needed too. This is the kind of thing you can expect from people with not only talent but Eidetic Memories – we learn a lot of things early in life because we get bored. I once read a book of war strategies just to look busy when my mother was asking for volunteers to clean the attic. I was good at being busy."

Zevran whistled, "You would make a killing as a crow, Little Rose – knowing as much as you do… you could slide right into any unsuspecting role to kill your marks. Yes, yes; I know you have these pesky hang-ups about killing. Many crows are force taught such skills so they are better able to blend in – but they cannot be taught nearly as many as you seem to have. I was made to learn the Lute and three languages – Common, Tevene and Orlesian. This is of course not counting my skills in massage, love making, cards and killing. I can also draw quite well."

I chuckled, "Being a genius is a terrible fate. Being a child, you show those abilities early and it will be all your family expects from you. Getting bored and slacking later on… you get disciplined because you aren't giving your best anymore. Genius children often grow to be very depressed adults – show any signs of talent when young, and you doom yourself to eternal expectations."

"That… that does not sound fun at all," Alistair whispered. I shook my head, "Not at all – it is also why they are targeted more often than not for bullying. Being smart may seem like a good thing, but others see it as making them look bad or trying too hard."

"Back to the original topic – you can make the tea cups?"

"I could; but I could also make a teapot with an infuser built in so that you can warm the water while infusing the tea. I could make a glass teapot with an infuser so that you could pour in hot water and let it seep if you don't like the taste of it the first way but want more than a mere cup of tea."

"Both ideas have merit – and I know the market would like both. Some people like stronger tea but don't like when it gets cold because it has to seep so long. Making a pot that can infuse while boiling water would certainly make stronger tea. The glass pot would be better for people who like lighter tea."

"Actually, the glass pot could go for either. If you make a cover for the pot too, it keeps the heat in while it seeps. Glassblowing isn't easy, but I had an uncle who taught me. I had another uncle who taught me to juggle knives as a party trick, though so…"

"You had a strange family."

"I was half Latina – similar to Antivan, actually but not quite – but that means I had a large family. 2 sisters, 2 brothers, a nephew, 4 uncles on my dads' side, and they had a sister so I had an aunt on that side too. I also had twelve great uncles. That's just my dad's side of the family too."

"Makers' Breath – good thing you were nobles of you'd have died of starvation!"

Alistair sniggered since he learned the truth. I flushed, "About that… it's this new body that was nobility – not my past life. I just… I let you all say that stuff to other people and didn't correct you. I couldn't say I wasn't something similar to a Teyrna because I was… just no on Earth. I mean, I was descended from a branch family that broke off the royal family of Scotland before the English rebellion overtook Scotland on my mothers' side… but it was so far removed that it was almost impossible to get that information – it took a lot of digging in the archives. More than 400 years had passed since our family broke off and family lines get blurred after a few generations."

"… But I saw the stuff! All that amazing stuff in your house and your husband… those clothes were not shabby! And I had seen the rest of the house before finding you, Ara – that was a lot of food in the kitchen!" Aedan argued.

"We were middle-class. We weren't poor but we were by no means rich. Alex worked daily; I was a writer so I could be a stay at home mother. We had my mother and her boyfriend living with us. My books sold well enough, but I wasn't a best seller. We afforded a home and such, but if we wanted a new… carriage, then we had to save money for a while. Earth was… a lot more prosperous than Thedas – and larger too. There were more than 7 billion people. Granted, the world had 7 continents and 195 countries through 6 of those continents. One was uninhabitable due to extreme cold. The country I lived in was very much one of the more prosperous countries – and the most populated. More than 320 million people lived there."

"Yet you have such a fine head for buissness…" Leliana said.

"I may have majored in medical study, but if that was all I did in collage then I'd be bored. I minored in buissness and science. Science was what helped me confirm that humans of Earth and Thedas share the Monkey connection. I was smart enough to get a scholarship – the crown paid for my studies. We were middle-class, but we were fortunate. My large family survived by working. My grandmother on my dads' side stayed home – but Grandpa served a long time in the Army; he even trained the Army elites for 8 years. One uncle was a traveling circus worker – hence him teaching me knife juggling. My aunt was a lawyer – she helped put criminals away in jail. My other uncle was a glassblower. Another uncle was paralyzed in army training and wound up getting paid by the government for it – he had pushed his trainer out of the way of a falling tree, so… further back in the family, you have the farmers and the herders. And again – this is my dads' side of the family. Moms' family was mostly teachers, doctors and researchers."

Alistair sniggered, "You got the best of both families then?"

I smiled, "Only because of my stellar memory. My twin sister leaned toward dads' side of the family in looks. She became a person who drew blood to send for medical testing – making sure the patients were healthy, didn't have something wrong or just testing for pregnancy. My little sister, Leah, worked at a food place making Pizza."

There were simultaneous groans of people wanting pizza.

Wynne asked, "And your brothers?"

I kept the fear off my face, but only barely, "The… the oldest had been arrested a few times and wound up working at a small shop. The younger of the two… I don't know. He moved away with his wife and I never kept in contact with him."

Alistair kissed me on the cheek, "Well, I wish I could meet your family."

I shrugged, "They think I'm dead, love – it'd be sort of strange if I appeared."

He shrugged, "I know, but… your husband and son… surely… I just wish I could give you more."

I snorted, "Alex was a store clerk – I made more than he did with my books. I wouldn't care if you were just a fighter with no other claims, love. I make enough for us to live comfortably."

Aedan looked amused, "She does make enough for that…"

Alistair chuckled, "I get it; I get it. When I take the throne, however, I at least want to be the one to buy you a home in Kirkwall. I want to provide something, you know?"

"It's a deal – so long as you don't make it a secret. I want to have fun with telling everyone that it's your mistresses' home."

He laughed. Aedan didn't seem to like that, but even he looked amused. Wynne said, "I do wonder why you allow… relationships when the Wardens…"

"Ah – did you know the Wardens actually encourage relationships within the ranks? In fact, relationships during A Blight are highly encouraged – it means the Wardens will do all they can to end it quicker because they have something to protect. I know you aren't talking about Alistair and me, seeing as he and I are married. Aedan and Leliana know what they are doing, Wynne – and they make each other happy. Finding something in a world that is doing its best to kill you… can you fault them?"

"I… when you put it like that, I suppose not. And if even the Wardens encourage it, then who am I to judge? I will leave it alone then."

I stood and stretched, "Tomorrow involves fighting demons so sleep well tonight."

Sten instantly headed for his tent. It was Aedans' turn on watch first.

The next morning – more like it was 11:40 so it was almost noon – we made it to the Peak. I spotted Levi and sighed as the name reminded me of my son. Even though my sons' name was pronounced Lee-vie and the trader was Lev-E… it was close enough to tug at my heart-strings.

That was another thing that was strange – I found I was becoming more emotional… thankfully, I was good at hiding my emotions; but it still confused me. I figured my mood was becoming unstable from my lack of anti-depressants. I didn't want to be taking those when I didn't know how they would affect me here. I didn't feel like adjusting the dose amounts from the bottom again either. Maybe once I wasn't traveling every day, I would figure it out.

Back to what we were doing; Levi was 5'10 with light brown hair, blue eyes and a very sharp chin. I called out, "Hello Levi; ready to go up to the Peak?"

The man beamed at seeing us, "Yes, Ma'am; I been ready for a year now – since I finished mapping these tunnels."

He led us to the tunnels with ease and we began heading in. I'd made sign posts and Sten took care of putting them up as we went through the tunnels – only after I told him we would need it to find our way out or be trapped for weeks.

It only took us an hour to navigate the path with Levis map.

I had already warned our group about what we would face here, and encouraged Aedan to leave Avernus alive if he promised to do ethical research from now on. Aedan and Alistair had looked sick, but ultimately agreed to allow it.

Exiting the tunnel, the others blinked at the bright light, but me? I had a strange urge to release my wings, even with a 'stranger' present… so I did. Making sure there was room on either side of me, I stretched my wings and let out a laugh. Levi was staring at me in awed shock, the wardens looked slightly worried, the mages each raised an eyebrow, Sten blinked, Zev chuckled and Lelianna giggled.

"Why?" Aedan asked while waving a hand to my wings, causing Levi to snap his jaw shut as he realized that the others were unfazed.

"I'm not really sure. Something about this place called to me, and I don't think it's the torn Veil and demons. I think… I think it's the memories that are trapped here. I have a better theory on what I am now, due to stories from home, but… it's only a theory. I'll tell you when we make camp in the Keep after we clear it," I said as Alistair had opened his mouth to ask what I might be.

We got to the top of the hill and the vision began. "Fall back; Fall back, already!" a man in full armor shouted. He was ghostly – it was obvious these were the memories in the fade that bled into this place… just like in Inquisition.

"Taking the peak will not be easy, milord." A scout replied. The soldier looked at him – I could sense the mocking disdain in his voice when he sneered, "I gave the Wardens one chance to die with Honor. Instead they hole up like cowards. We follow the kings' advice, then – starve them out."

"But… the Peak has months of supplies!" the scout cried.

"Then we wait. When they are too weak to lift their weapons, we will send them to their final judgement." The vision faded.

Everyone looked at me; Levi looked sick as he asked, "Wh-what was that? I felt a bit woozy there…" but there was an attack.

I followed my urge again, and flapped my wings, lifting into the air.

I made a searching pass, to make sure there weren't any surprises coming up, and saw just how large the Keep truly was. In game there were a few inaccessible spots, but you'd never guess that it was big enough to house a whole U.S Army base along with dorm areas.

I landed back with the group just as they finished fighting the outdoor undead… heh, that sounds like a great band title – focus! "Okay, so this may take longer than I thought. There are roughly 4 floors in the main Keep; that includes the mess hall. Then there are 3 towers, one of which will already be clear thanks to Avernus, but the other two towers is seven floors full of dorm rooms. Then there is the basement, and I happen to know that the basement has a Deep Roads entrance, but it has amazing defenses that haven't been hit by the Darkspawn – it would take them at least a Decade to take one of those doors down anyway, and there are three sets. Unfortunately, the basement also houses the prison, which was occupied during the fall of the Peak… this means that there are ghouls in the cells. We may not finish here until early evening, and only once all the demons are dead will Avernus lower his wards to let us into his tower… oh and the old mage caught sight of me as I made a pass by the tower, so I'm pretty sure he'll have his own questions," I explained all this as we headed to the door.

Levi looked ready to pass out, but Sten spoke. "What is the strategy, Kadan?"

"We need to split up into 3 solid groups – otherwise this will take two days. We can't rest until then because more demons will come from the tear in the veil if we wait too long. I'm thinking a damage type, tank type, and magic type in each group. Sten, Lelianna, and Morrigan, you are group A and you should head toward the west tower. Aedan, Fen, Ash and Wynne, you are group B and are assigned to east tower. Alistair, Zevran and I will take the main building. Alistair, Aedan and Sten are group leads – don't start bitching Alistair, you need to get used to it. If everything goes as planned, we should be able to get to Avernus before the sun sets. As the dungeon is part of the main building, naturally that is where group C – my group – will start. Now, Team Leads, each of you take one of these sending stones. They are linked to each other so if anything out of the ordinary happens; do not hesitate to use them. Levi, you may pick which group to go with, but I don't suggest my group… your great-great-grandmother is on our Demon killing list and wouldn't give you answers unless we teamed up with her anyway."

Everyone instantly moved to their designated group, though Alistair gave me a pout when he grabbed his sending stone; this set of stones was placed into garnets… I planned on having several sets in the future for various things. Levi had paled and moved to go with Aedans group. I had given Aedan both hounds because we hadn't recruited Oghren from Orzammar yet and therefore didn't have a third tank type meaning that Aedan needed the aggression from the war hounds.

Group A headed for the outside door to their tower and Group B did the same… so none of them saw what happened when my group entered through the main door.

The first one to speak was the specter of Avernus, a very young Avernus. He was actually… kinda boyish, compared to the game. Avernus stood around 5'10 with blonde hair that reached his shoulders; he didn't keep it tied back either. His eyes were a determined blue and his skin was sickly pale. "The mens' morale is low – my spells are of no use in this matter, Commander."

Sophia had black hair, though hers was tied back in a military bun. Her eyes were green and her skin darker than the mages'. She wore the armor that denoted her rank as a warrior commander and spoke just as softly as Avernus but with a firm edge to it.

"There is more to leading men than sorcery, Avernus. I will remind them that we're Wardens." She walked a small ways and addressed a group of 20 men and women, "Men, I won't lie to you – the situation is grim. Our forces are outnumbered, our bellies are empty and our hearts are sagging… but we are Wardens – Darkspawn flee when they hear our horns; Archdemons die when they taste our blades – so are we to bend knee to a mere human despot? No! I, for one, will never give up – I, for one, will never surrender just to dance on Arlands' Gallows. So I propose here and now, in these hallowed halls where generations of our brethren stood vigil against Darkspawn and Evil, that we send a message to that fat bastard! In this sacred place, proud men – strong men – stood defiant and would rather die than submit to tyranny!" a cheer rose up.

Alistair shook his head, "So King Arland… what kind of person was he really?"

"Oh – he really was a tyrant, my love. Did you know that Arlessa Sophia Dryden was Arland Theirins cousin? They both had a strong claim to the throne, actually. Arland was only chosen because he was young and thought by the Arls and Teyrns to be easily manipulated. Sophia was very strong willed and opinionated. Arland became ruthless and immoral within weeks of his crowning – and he imprisoned Sophia for contesting his succession. The only reason he didn't kill her outright was because of pressure from her supporters – so he banished her to the Wardens in return for her life. Eventually, some of the Banns approached Sophia for help against Arlands tyranny… as we will later discover the journal of Sophia Dryden… well, the minute Arland learned Sophia was using the Wardens to oppose him; he besieged the peak. The reason none of this is public knowledge is because of the War that lasted a decade after he died and wiped away almost all the records of it."

"Wait… that means Levi is part of my family, then?" he asked brightly. I giggled, "That's what you got from all that?"

"It's why you said it first, isn't it?" that cheeky grin appeared. I chuckled, "No, actually – but I know you love findin any family can. You may be distant cousins, but it's too distant to matter to any court. In the case of the rebellion, though, I stand by Sophia… mostly. Most think the Wardens are supposed to cut all political ties but the First Warden is actually the voice behind the throne of the Anderfels so it isn't such a stretch that Wardens could have titles and such."

Zevran said, "Ah little rose; what don't you agree with about her?"

There is no excuse for allowing that blood mage to use people as test subjects for his discoveries… though when we find him – as I told Aedan – he should be allowed to live to do ethical research."

"Wouldn't he be dead by now though?" Alistair asked as we finished clearing the way to the basement door.

"Well… no. The Taint within his blood… Blood Magic comes from Demons first and foremost – but Avernus mastered his taint, discovered untapped powers that could stem from it – including, but not limited to, longer life, mana regeneration, speed boosts, attack speed increases and resistance to mundane blood magic. In fact, there are many reasons to keep that dumbass alive – so I will."

Alistair looked stunned, "That last one… the resistance…"

"I don't actually get how Darkspawn are resistant to blood magic, but they are. Avernus' corrupted magic would work wonders, as strange as it sounds. You would think darkspawn would be immune to the taint magics, but they're not immune to it at all."

We finally made it to the cells and began killing… ghouls, of all things. The wardens who had come down here to hide… the taint had progressed enough to turn them before they died.

I was using my throwing stars when I saw one ghoul sword dig into Alistairs shoulder hard. I saw red and then… I blacked out.

According to Zevran, after calling forth a strange Magic and speaking in a Language he didn't recognize, the entire cellar was cleared – no bodies, no blood… it was cleared of anything that wasn't furniture.

Then I had healed Alistair of his 'paper cut' and gone on a rampage. Zev was happily telling me how each battle went, and that he was sure the Keep had never looked so fine – even in its glory days. Apparently when I got down to business, I didn't fuck around.

I had erased all traces of demons, death, and war within 2 hours, most of which was simply spent walking. The place looked ready to host royalty for a grand ball, it was so clean.

I hadn't stopped until it was completely clear and there was a shimmering shield over the Eluvian looking mirror where the massive veil tear was – so no new demons could appear in the mean-time.

I was dreading what the others would say when they found out that I went on a war path to clear the Keep just because Alistair had received a 'paper-cut' as Zev was calling it. In my eyes, he had taken a major hit – but even Alistair was saying that it hadn't done much to him. He told me the blade was dulled from time and his armor had blocked most of it – there had barely been any blood.

Alistair had been keeping the others updated through my rampage, but they had yet to reply with anything other than progress reports. I knew I would get an earful from Aedan, teasing from Zev and Leli for the rest of my unnatural life, and likely an amused look from Wynne. Morrigan and Sten wouldn't care since all I did was my assigned job.

I was blushing as I decided that I may as well 'clean' the two accessible towers while I was at it. I started toward the West tower first… I will admit I was avoiding Aedan for the time being. I was actually startled to find that Group A was only on the third floor after I 'cleaned' the first two floors.

"Kadan," Sten nodded.

I flushed, "Um… hi. I decided to speed things along." I knew I was redder than a tomato, and I heard Zev telling Lelianna his version of my war path.

"You are telling me that it all started with Alistair receiving a scratch from a ghoul?" Leli sounded like she didn't believe him.

"Indeed! I was quite surprised when that one little wound, no bigger than my littlest finger, caused her to wipe the keep of all enemies before she came to her senses! Perhaps we should put out the word that the new King of Ferelden is protected by a Goddess, no?" okay, now he was just teasing me.

"Zevran… It wasn't quite that bad… was it, Alistair?" I asked knowing my face looked slightly terrified.

Alistair bit his lip, "Um… maybe a little. Your eyes were glowing, and you were speaking that Language I've heard you speak when… and your hair looked like it was floating fire. If it wasn't so strange I'd say it was rather attractive. I'd also say you did look like an Indestructible Goddess," he responded while holding me to give me a kiss before we moved to the final floor of the west tower.

"Wait… you have heard her speak this language before?" Zevran was suddenly very interested.

Wanting to distract from my lapse of sanity, I played with the Assassin, "Of course he has Zev. He's so good in bed that I can't control which language I speak. I don't know what this language is, but I do have a guess… again it's only a theory, but to me it seems the most likely."

Eyes had widened as Alistair blushed. "He is really that good? I thought he had no experience before…" Zev asked. "Oh but he is a quick learner… after the second time, he started coming up with his own ideas to add. I will admit that sometimes I can't quite help clawing his back open…"

Alistair was bright red now, and we had finished with the 'cleaning' of the West Tower, so I ported us all to the bottom of the East Tower to save some time – my powers just seemed to keep evolving, and they didn't realize they had walked through a damn portal. No one seemed to notice that we were in a completely different location until I motioned to the door and said, "Shall we help Group B now?"

"How… how did we get here?" Leli asked.

"D-don't you remember the walk?" I asked – hoping to deflect the question.

Alistair gave me his famous puppy dog eyes. "Oh, fine! I teleported us, but I won't do that too often. It makes me very tired."

I was actually feeling like I could pass out at any moment – that war path and portal had done a number on me.

They all seemed to accept that, and we began our journey up the East Tower. We found Aedan on the last floor of the Tower, which was good, because I was eager to make camp. I had of course cleaned each floor, including the final floor as we walked toward Aedan.

"Explain to me, what Alistair was saying as you cleared your part of the Keep." Aedan did not look happy.

"… Er… well… I… ahem… well you see… sigh. I seem to have gone mad with bloodlust when I saw a ghoul draw blood on Alistair – in my defense, that sword came down hard and I didn't know it was dull! I may have… taken it out on every demon I could find in my assigned Area. When I came to my senses, I realized that I had also purged any lingering taint in a way that made thing look clean and organized – that's probably due to my OCD – and then to avoid this conversation, went and did the same in the West Tower before we came to 'clean' this one… I guess all that's left 'clean' is the South Tower where Avernus is held up. He's on the top floor, naturally, so let's go," I said before speed walking to the door.

Aedan reached out to grab me, "Oh no you don't! You are not getting away from this."

I sped up so he couldn't catch me. But Aedan had longer legs – he caught up fast… so I jumped out a window. I heard Alistair exclaim in horror. I felt my wings snap open halfway down and fluttered to land at the entrance of the keep before making my way to the South Tower.

I made my way up from the bottom, slowly cleaning everything. As I made it to the fourth floor, the group caught up, entering from a fourth floor entrance instead of going all the way down then back up.

"That was cheating, sister," Aedan was sulking. "All is fair in love and war, dear brother," I responded, giving him my best innocent face.

Alistair coughed to hide a laugh, but Zev and Leli didn't even try to hide it. Aedan glared at me. "In that case…"

I was worried when he looked at Alistair. "My King, I would like to submit a formal request for when you take back the throne. I would like to have Ara recognized as an official Cousland." He was smirking and giving me an Evil look.

I paled when Alistair looked startled and said, "Um… I think I can arrange that… but you have to have a good reason, or the Landsmeet won't allow it… she does look like an elf."

"Under the grounds that she's a Noble already – widowed and orphaned from another continent. That is the story we all spread around Redcliffe and Denerim, after all. Even Loghain has addressed her as 'Lady'. Teagan, Isolde and Sangra can all vouch for it as well as me – I met her husband, recall?"

I cursed. "Why? Why do you do this to me?" I asked.

"You hate being called 'My Lady', so now you will have the title everywhere you go." I glared before lunging at him. Alistair caught me before I could reach Aedan and I heard Avernus speaking behind me.

"Welcome to Soldiers Peak. I must admit, I am impressed. I didn't think the keep would be cleared before my Magic ran out. Though you I have some questions for," He said looking right at me.

Avernus was only 5'7, and his face had more wrinkles than a dress shirt left in a crumpled ball to dry. He was bald, and had green eyes that were focused on me, and his robes were… quite tattered. I used some Magic to make them like new, because I did not want to see this old man's body through the holes. His eyes widened.

I had finished cleaning the whole keep at this point, and I was running very low on energy.

"First things first, Avernus; we need to close the tear in the Veil that you created, and then I want a damn promise that you will turn your research into more ethical foundations. Only then will I answer any questions, understood?"

The old Mage, who had his eyes comically wide, nodded and said, "I give you my oath, my research will be as moral as I can make it in what time I have left. Let us go close the Veil."

We walked our happy asses back down to the room that had the Eluvian which acted as a focus for the tear in the Veil. Avernus was marveling at how new the Keep looked and I studiously ignored every gaze that I could feel on me.

Unfortunately, Zev had no troubles once more telling the Tale of Aras Bloodlust, even more exaggerated than before.

"Might I at least know your name?" Avernus asked 2 rooms before we reached our destination.

I started to answer when Evil Aedan spoke up, "This is my sister, Arvaala Cousland."

I lunged again, and once more the only thing that saved the smug bastard was Alistair plucking me out of the air like a rouge apple. "Alistair, let me go! I want to punch him in the nose," I shouted, causing more than a few sniggers.

"And that is why I'm not letting you go, my beautiful wife," he said, kissing my head. "But… he knows I hate titles! He's doing this to punish me for flying away from a conversation!"

"And I already told him I'd allow the adoption. Are you mad at me for that?"

"… No. It was Aedans idea, and I know you're only allowing it because you want me to have the family name for protection and you can't have me as an adopted Theirin because the Landsmeet would have a riot… especially if they knew we were married by a god of some sort," I said my voice low and obviously sullen.

Alistair nodded, and gestured to Aedan. "Fine. But if anyone here calls me 'My Lady' even once before my so called adoption is finalized, I will personally disembowel them with my own two hands and a rusty spoon, unless they have good reason. And everyone here knows I always keep my damn word," I was glaring. Everyone other than Avernus and Levi paled and took a step back… that caused the old mage and the trader to realize I was 100% serious. It also made me realize that every single one of them had plans to start using my title a.s.a.p.

"Yes, Ma'am," I heard muttered. Even Sten had taken a step back, though I knew he'd never call me by a title that wasn't 'Kadan'.

Aedan grumbled, "I still can't believe you two are married – I didn't even get to see a ceremony."

"And it's likely that you never will – after all, he's going to be king and I look like a damn Elf."

"Now… while you all deal with closing the Veil… I need to eat and make dinner. I used way too much energy today and if I don't eat soon I will pass the fuck out," I deadpanned.

I decided on Calzones for dinner. Each person would get a large personal Calzone; the Wardens, Sten and I would each get two. I had asked what each person wanted; Avernus and Levi were confused so they said to surprise them. Everyone else seemed excited when I said they were very much like Pizza.

I stuffed mine full of meats, alfreado sauce, pesto and cheese – a monster of a creation that my father made on Calzone nights just for me. It included chicken, peperoni, sausage, bacon, steak bits, turkey, ham, gyro, deer sausage, prosciutto, and Druffalo. I added Colby Jack and Mexican bled cheeses – with a hint of Tevene 'blood cheese'. There was no actual blood; the cheese was just red and came from Tevinter so…

Alistair had every type of cheese I could find with plenty of meats and veggies. Aedan had simply said 'supreme' so… Zev wanted to try something new and said 'surprise me' so he was getting BBQ with provolone and onion. Morrigan asked for supreme. Sten asked for whatever I was having so he was getting the Meat Monster… I managed to slide some veggies in his. Leliana wanted Chicken Bacon. Wynne wanted something 'unique' so I gave her a damn Hawaiian – ugh, pineapple. Levi and Avernus said they had no dietary preferences so I made them both Supremes.

I used magic to make cheese spell out names on each Calzone so there would be no confusion. I was glad that I had gained the ability to read and write with the runes this world used – learning a new language from scratch was a pain in the ass.

For the dogs, I made baked chicken and a side of green beans. Yeast wasn't good for puppers to have, though I knew Thedas was different – they'd eaten the pizzas just fine – but I figured Calzones may be pushing it.

Just as I finished cooking, they had finished closing the Veil. I waved my hand to clean it all up and put plates of food on the long dining table. The Eluvian had shattered once the ritual was complete so I moved the pieces to the basement.

Everyone sat at their assigned – by calzone – spot at the table. No one touched their food, but rather they all turned to me.

"You said you had a theory on what you are?" Aedan asked, getting right to the point.

Alistair snapped, "You're going to ask this with people we don't know at the table?"

I waved my hand, "Relax, my love – Avernus may be a Maleficar, but that doesn't make him a gossip. In my home lands there are stories of a race that were distantly related to the Elves, but weren't Elves themselves. In fact, Elves and this race along with a few other races were all part of a species called the Fae – Fairies. The specific race I think of when I see my wings are called Pixies. They had delicate transparent wings – usually said to look as though they were made of Gossamer and morning dew. Thing is, they're wings weren't feathered like mine; they looked more like the wings of an insect. They were also said to be small like an insect, but then… Elves were sad to be taller than man with ethereal beauty to make the heavens weep. My point is… all stories have some truth to them, even if they get wildly exaggerated over time. The language I spoke in my… rampage? I believe it to be the ancient language of the Fae. Again, this is all just a theory at this point," I cut into one of my 2 calzones – I knew I needed the energy badly.

Avernus spoke. "Fascinating… may I?" he gestured to my hand. I sighed and summoned a clean knife, slicing my hand open but being sure to be careful in avoiding tendons. Alistair jumped up to grab cloth to bind my hand as Aedan began shouting.

I saw Avernus trying to summon my blood, but it wasn't going so… I poured it into a flask. Once my hand was healed I looked to Zev, "Zev, he needs a small sample of your blood. You're the only true elf here, so in order to test my theory about being distantly related to elves…" Zev nodded and grabbed the knife that appeared before him. I was glad Zev trusted me so much that he didn't question. Alistair and Aedan were trying to scold me, but I ignored them as Avernus took a small globe of blood from Zev, before also taking a globe of his own blood.

"I see… you are right that it is a distant relation to Elves. It's so distant that you only share a few of the same DNA strands… and look at this, when I mix a small amount of your blood with mine, the Taint vanishes! Your blood could cure it with a few drops, if you were so inclined. I don't think even a demon would be able to corrupt you, regardless of if you personally invited it in. There's something else in your blood… well, more accurately, something missing… I think you'd be able to share blood with anyone. Normally, some people don't match for whatever reason, but you…" he was fascinated.

"Are you saying my blood type is now O negative? Blood types make it so you can determine who would be able to share blood with whom. There is A, B, AB, and O then the subtypes of positive or Negative. AB Pos can receive any type; O Neg can give to any type." I explained Blood typing in detail. Even Sten seemed interested in this, and I knew the info would go to the Arishok and the Ariqun (leader of the priesthood and scientific authority… that one could be male or female) and possibly the Tamassran or 'teachers' of the race. I used to be AB positive.

"Well, from what you are saying… yes, I believe you're blood type to be O negative. Would you mind if I studied your blood more?" Avernus asked. I had already given him a two-cup flask of blood.

I nodded, ""If you get any results from my blood, the only ones you can share it with are Aedan, Alistair and myself. The men will inform me of any findings you share with them, so don't worry about finding me personally," he was nodding enthusiastically as he grabbed the Flask and the sending stone that Sten had once held. If I needed other sending stones, I could get them as a separate set.

Aedan and Alistair tried to talk me out of it, but I shut them down with a swift 'I need to know what I am; if he can help then fuck yeah I'll give him some blood'. I had been a blood donor before, so I didn't really feel any effects of my small donation.

Wynne looked only slightly disapproving, but otherwise didn't say anything. Morrigan looked like she approved and Sten didn't seem to have an opinion. Zev and Leli seemed to always support my choices so far, so I didn't worry too much that they just kept eating.

I barely finished my first Calzone when pain racked through my body.

I fell back, crying out as my entire body felt like it was on fire… "Ara!" Alistair shouted, kneeling next to me.

"Get… back," I panted as I felt and heard my bones breaking and re-arranging. I was shifting into a form I hadn't before, and I was unprepared; hence, the pain.

"What's happening?" He shouted as many of them winced while my bones re-shaped he hadn't moved – refused to – so Sten yanked him back when I shot him a pleading look. "She is changing shape. I taught her how before you two woke up back at my mothers' hut… I've never seen it so painful for her, however," Morrigan explained.

I saw my wings become more solid looking from the corner of my eye, and a beak began to form…

"Is that… a Griffon?" I heard Aedan ask as I panted for breath; I kept myself in a laying position similar to that of a large cat… which makes sense if I just turned into a freaking Griffon.

"It would appear so," Avernus commented. I struggled to my feet – talons? Paws? – And kept slipping back to my stomach and side. I managed after a few tries before using what magic I could gather to summon a large mirror. In a standing position, I was ten feet tall – my shoulder was higher than Stens' head.

Oh hell, if need be I could likely carry 3 people on my back and 2 in my front claws. My feathers on my wings still retained the white to black coloring that they held in their transparent form, and the feathers that were on my body were also that style, white at the head, turning black as they went further down. I heard myself squawk in alarm.

The lion body I now had was golden – a shimmering golden color. My tail swished and I could see the tuft of fur on the end was white. I thought of shifting back and felt the – thankfully less painful – transition begin.

I was naked when I came back to myself, lying on my tummy because I didn't want to offend anyone. The forced shift had ripped what I was wearing to shreds. Alistair took off his cloak and wrapped it around me.

"Thank you love… I don't think I could fight off a kitten right now. Summoning that mirror was pushing my limits already. At least now we know why this place called to my wings," I sighed.

"How does being able to shift mean it called to your wings? You said it was the memories!" Aedan shouted. I ignored his tone since I knew he was just scared.

"It was the memories. This keep is old enough that it used to be used as the Ferelden roost. The fourth floor? It used to be the landing and roosting stable. When the Griffins… died out, they remodeled. After a century and a half, give or take, people forgot that this was a haven for Griffons. The memories of the Griffons are what called to me," I explained, sitting in Alistairs lap with his cloak closed around me. There were some perks to being small. "I'm… so tired now. That forced shift took way too much energy. That hurt almost as much as burning alive."

I was surprised when Alistair lifted me – I mean I was still more than 240 pounds – and began carrying me to the dorm area. I pointed out one room that I felt drawn to.

He had managed to get my second calzone to bring with us too. By the time I finished eating it, Aedan had come through and teamed up with Alistair to scold me. "Why do you trust that old mage so much? And he's a blood mage, aren't you worried what he could do with your blood?"

"Nope. From what I know of him, he really will keep it ethical till his death, meaning he won't betray us. He won't even try to contact the First Warden at all seeing as they'd torture him for more information, so I'm not too worried about my Taint curing abilities getting to them."

They both looked startled, as though they hadn't thought about the Warden implication of my blood. I rolled my eyes and said, "Alistair… bed time?" he nodded as Aedan left. I snuggled into Alistair in the king sized bed that was in the room.