Sorry this took so long! I ended up doing a lot of procrastinating, haha. But here's a neat little filler chapter for you. Originally I wanted it to be a chapter of tower highjinks and more for comedy, but I saw the opportunity to do some set up for later, so I took it. I might do the other chapter later, as their story isn't over. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!


After sending Aqua her letter, Mickey placed down his quill and turned in his chair. Pluto placed his head on his master's lap, just as he had been doing much more often recently in order to give whatever comfort he could. It was hard seeing Mickey like this, but Pluto had already decided that he was going to remain by Mickey's side no matter what. Mickey gently rubbed the dog's head with a sigh and looked at his faithful companion. There was a knock at the door that drew the first enchanter's attention away from the dog before he could say anything.

"You called for me, First Enchanter?" Ven sheepishly entered.

"Ah, there you are Ven! Glad you could come. Are ya ready to learn a new spell?"

"Actually, before we start, I was wondering if you had heard anything new about Terra and Aqua." Ven yawned sitting down.

The poor boy had been so sleepy recently, even to go as far as falling asleep in the middle of a few of his personal lessons. Once Mickey accidentally hit him with an ice blast as Ven had fallen asleep mid casting of a barrier spell. His darkness was taking on a stronger power, too which Mickey and Cid had been keeping a careful eye on. In all his years as First Enchanter, Mickey had never seen anything quite like this; demons didn't usually play with their victims.

"They're gonna leave Orzammar as soon as the snow clears up. She says Terra is having a rough time with his lyrium problem and she's getting anxious to leave, but the good news is they may have found a cure for your dad."

"That's nice…" his eyes began to close. "Hey, wait! You mean they might have found something?"

Ven perked up immediately, although there were still dark circles under his eyes. Mickey pressed his lips together as his eyes searched the young mage's face. He was bouncing a little in excitement as Mickey thought of the right words to say. There was no sense in getting Ven's hopes up, but he also deserved to know the truth; after all, it was his father's life that was on the line.

"That's right. Have you ever heard of the Urn of Sacred Ashes?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah. When the Prophetess Andraste was betrayed and burned, her ashes were placed in an urn that eventually got lost." Ven recited. "My mom drilled me on that kind of stuff. But, I don't get why that old story is supposed to be important."

"Well, you see, that's actually what they're going for. It's said that even just a pinch of ashes are supposed to be able to heal any sickness. The only catch is no one knows if it's real."

All of the excitement that had blown out of him like a balloon losing all of its air. His head hung down, and one of his hands ran through the dirty blond spikes. When Ven looked back up, he had a small smile that was likely there more to convince himself rather than first enchanter Mickey.

"Well, Terra and Aqua and their friends will succeed. The urn will be there. It's gotta be."

"We just have to have faith in our friends." Mickey nodded, noting another yawn from Ven. "Let's get our minds off that. Did you sleep alright last night?"

"That's the odd thing. I went to bed right after dinner."

"You've been sleeping a lot recently. Are you eating alright? Any nightmares?"

Ven bit his lip, one hand instinctively raced to the back of his head in order to rub his neck. The First Enchanter didn't need to know. Nothing bad had happened yet, and there wasn't any way for Vanitas to escape the fade through his dreams. That's what he had said, anyway. But Aqua had said that Mickey was someone who could be trusted, and Terra trusted her completely.

Should he take the leap?

"I've been sleeping a lot, but I'm also dreaming just as much with it. I can't help but wonder if those dreams are small visits to the fade, and that's why I'm tired no matter how much sleep I get."

"What happens in your dreams?"

"I usually am talking to Vanitas, that demon we encountered in the fade back at home."

"Can you shut him out?' Mickey stroked his chin.

Ven shook his head. He had tried to avoid Vanitas, but if he didn't play nice, the demon trapped him into these horrible nightmares. Sometimes they'd be all about his parents dying or the Archdemon or his body getting taken over again. The vision that bothered him least though was much different, and it usually came without Vanitas's intervention.

The dream always started the same way with Ven walking along in an inky version of Redcliffe. As he made his way past the houses on the river, he noticed small gremlin-like creatures flittering about, some playing pranks and others simply trying to get home as quickly as possible. He could always depend on hearing distinct screams in the background, one of which he knew for certain was his father's. He imagined his mother's voice was right along with it, although he could never distinctly pick it out.

Right on schedule as he arrived into the center of town, he would always see a small black rabbit that would stand upon the fountain. The rabbit itself had a light coming from inside it, although some of the shadows that were cast gave the impression that something was trying to hide what was inside. He would usually attempt to reach out his hand to the rabbit, but it resulted in the creature blowing a raspberry at him.

He always felt warm when he had those dreams because it ended in a memory of one of the adventures he and Terra had when they grew up. It was nothing at all like the other nightmare that usually preceded it. He shivered when he realized he had fallen asleep in the chair and was about to see the vision again. All of the warmth that had previously been in him had drained out and darkness surrounded him.

Ventus began running towards the light that was at the end of the tunnel, swiftly growing smaller and smaller. The darkness around him began to choke the very air out of him, tendrils grabbing at his body from every angle. Once he was fully captured, scenes from his past began to haunt him. He saw the tears of his mother when he had his first accident and used a wind spell to knock her nearly 10 feet away from him. He saw Pete trying to teach him magic. But more than anything, he saw Strelitzia, their family's gardener once upon a time.

Before he hurt her.

Before he had been the cause of their paid exile from Redcliffe.

He wasn't the only one to be deeply regretful bout it. Strelitzia's brother Lauriam was beyond angry that Ventus hadn't been outwardly punished. He wasn't sure how or why, but even Queen Larxene had chewed him out when she and her father had come to Redcliffe before she got married. She had been a friend to Lauriam and immediately took his side before hearing the story, blaming Ventus for the incident. He had royally messed up and there was nothing he could do to fix it or even apologize.

"Ventus, wake up!" Mickey shook him awake.

He awoke with a start when Pluto leapt up and began to lick his face. His giant paws rested firmly on his chest and licked again, Ventus pushing the dog off of him. When he looked up at Mickey, he realized that the first enchanter had worry all over his face. Ventus ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"You were having a nightmare, weren't ya?"

"Yeah. It's been in my mind for a long time." Ven sighed. "I'm just chasing a light, but no matter how hard I try to catch it, it's always just out of reach."

Mickey sighed again, and walked back to his desk. He placed his elbows on the desk and knit his fingers together. The mouse seemed to be thinking deeply about something, but remembering the manners his mother had taught him, Ven simply sat and watched, waiting for Mickey to say whatever it was he had in mind. Perhaps it would help.

"Did I ever tell you I have a brother?" Mickey spoke. "Well, he's a half brother, but I love him dearly, despite the fact that we haven't seen each other since I came here."

"Where is he?"

"Last I heard he was a merchant in Orlais doing fairly well for himself. At one point he even controlled quite a bit of the trade waters in Antiva, but something happened and he lost it. He's had to build himself back up from the bottom."

"I don't mean to sound rude, but what does any of this have to do with my dream?"

"I figured your dream might be trying to tell you something. When I had to come here, I lost my inheritance and everything that should have gone to him got taken away by a poor trading family." Mickey explained. "He was pretty angry at me for not trying harder to help him get the titles back, especially since that family went on to take over one of the biggest houses in Antiva."

Ven was sure he wasn't understanding simply because he was tired. He rubbed his eyes and tried to make sense of what Mickey was saying, but he had more important things to think about than mercantile treaties. He wanted to find out more about what his dream meant. The light itself in the dream was cold but not uncomfortable. Maybe it represented something or someone. It reminded him of the moon in its pearly reflection.

"Where I'm going with this is my personal experience. When I first came here, I'd write letters and do anything I could to make it right between us, but it didn't work. But as we've gotten older, the less I chase after him, the more he's willing to talk; sarcastic as it still is. Even sent me this picture of a girl he adopted as his daughter."

The First Enchanter took out a small sketch of a girl with long black hair and large eyes. Ventus chuckled a little as he realized that perhaps she might have been considered a classic beauty were it not for the awful scowl that was adorned on her brow. There was a small message to the side of the sketch that simply read: "you're an uncle now. Say hello to the princess."

Ven handed the picture back, unable to wipe it from his mind. At least now he was as wide awake as he ever had been. There was just something about that girl that made him want to get to know her and understand why she was so angry...

"Oh!" Mickey looked at him. "Speaking of Orlais, I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be gone for nearly a month starting tomorrow. I have my meeting with Madame De Fer on the state of the tower."

"Wait, you're leaving in the middle of a blight? What could be so important that you have to meet in person?"

"It's just the way Madame Rinoa likes things. She used to hate meetings, but now she insists on them." Mickey shrugged. "That's why I wanted to start you on a new spell today."

Ventus nodded. He was already feeling more control over his magic in just the four months he had been here. If only he could stay awake and away from the nightmares. Then maybe he could be granted permission to leave and then go help out with Terra. It was his fault his dad had been poisoned in the first place. He needed to fix it.

"Hey Mickey, do you think we could call some other Wardens here so I could join?"

Mickey had been startled by Ven's sudden burst of inspiration, but he wasn't sure that was a good idea. Aqua had managed to leave the tower that way and their order was pretty scant after Ostagar. But he was the son of the Arl. Even if he couldn't inherit the title because of his magic, he still needed to be protected just in case.

At least that had reminded him of Aqua's request.

"I'm sorry Ven, I can't speak for the Wardens. But I'm going to ask Madame De Fer about requesting aid for the blight from their numbers, so maybe you'll get to meet a few."

Just as Ven opened his mouth to argue, there was a loud thud at the door. The next thing either of them knew, Cid was dragging in a familiar boy with silver hair and a little bird holding on to some of his hair. Since he didn't have a name, Mickey had chosen Corvin,(1) as he seemed to have an affinity for birds.

"Cid, what's all this?" Mickey chirped.

"It's this troublemaker again. He was trying to rally some of the others to break outta here using one of the windows."

"Would have done it too, if Iago hadn't been flapping his jaws again." Corvin grit his teeth.

"Thats what you get for telling iago. If you're gonna try and get out, at least make it harder for me. Whatever happened to that fancy sword you wouldn't let us touch?"

"None of your business. Maybe if you'd let me out of solitary confinement then I'd have more reason to pull it out and practice magic."

Both Mickey and Ven looked at each other and then back to the pair before bursting into laughter. The way they shot back at each other was a sight to behold. The noise of their laughter brought the two out of their quarrel, the scowls on their brows matching almost perfectly which only served to make Ven laugh harder. They were like an old married couple and had been since Corvin's first time in solitary confinement.

"Well, it's probably best to get down to business then." Mickey took a breath. "Looks like solitary confinement hasn't really been helpful. Why don't you try letting him in with the other mages?"

"Because he keeps trying to make a rebellion." Cid huffed.

"Corvin? Don't you want to try and make a friend?"

The golem looked at the First Enchanter. A friend? His original had friends, other Dalish elves whom he surrounded himself with, even though he didn't actively participate in everything they did or said. He didn't have vivid memories of them; they were foggy at best and he couldn't make anyone's faces out. But there was a feeling that resonated with him when Mickey talked about friendship.

"I don't plan on being here that long. I'll take the first chance to get out of here that I can."

"Well until then, you're under our jurisdiction. And that means you gotta play nice, ya hear?" Cid placed his hands on his hips.

"Why don't you come and hang out with Ventus? You seem to have a knack for fighting, so maybe if you'll spend time with him, he'll stay awake and you can show him some moves." Mickey suggested. "Do you mind taking a rain check on that spell?"

"Drowning in soup one day, taking someone under my wing the next. Life is never dull in the circle." Ven sighed. "And no, I don't mind. I'd probably cast it in my sleep."

Was the mouse serious? The place was a quiet prison, save when there was a practice or some sort of activity going on. Something at the back of Corvin's mind tugged at a memory from his other, but he repressed it as hard as he could. He didn't want to rely on his other's memories for knowledge of the outside world. He wanted to *be* in the outside world. It wouldn't be long until Ser Chirps a lot would be completely healed from its clipped wing. Part of Corvin hoped that the bird would stay. It had been the only companion that he had been allowed.

"Like I want to hang out with you either." Corvin huffed.

"Hey, I'm not too bad. Just ignore the sleeping spells and we could be best friends." Ven remarked.

Mickey and Cid saw them out of the office, with a wary eye on the part of the latter. Pluto stretched and ran out close behind them, intrigued to see what sort of mischief they might get up to. the heavy door shut and mickey let out a long heavy sigh.

"Do ya have that report for me?" Mickey asked quietly.

"You bet. Looks like your hunch was right. My boys have been sensing more darkness coming off the kid. You said a demon was involved, why not nip it in the bud?"

"Because I think Ven is just as much a victim as his father was."

"I respect what you're doin'. But that don't change the fact that demons don't play by the rules. It's only a matter of time before we have another huge mess on our hands." Cid sighed and shook his head. "I can finish him off while he's sleeping."

The look on Mickey's face soured so fast that even Cid backed off physically by one or two steps. He crossed his arms and looked to the doorway where the two boys had just left. With a little shake of his head, he bit down harder on his cigarette. The silence in the room became more and more apparent as they both looked out the door as if expecting the boy in question to return, having heard everything.

"I'd like to give it just a little more time. I don't think Ven is gonna go down that easily."

"I still don't like it." Cid groused.

"Me neither." Mickey replied in a soft voice.

Ven fell asleep once on the way down, but somehow managed to wake up just before he fell on his face, subconsciously summoning a wind spell that knocked him back upright. He laughed nervously before leading Corvin over to the large study they were adding onto the tower. With all of the destruction from the blood mages and the new recruits in time for the blight, they needed more space. Templars both worked on rebuilding as well as watched over the townsfolk, refugees and volunteer mages that were laying the brick foundation.

"So they have some mages keeping the workers warm too, huh?" Corvin looked at the workers.

"Yeah. They're holding up a barrier spell to keep the heat in." Ven explained.

Silence fell between them as they arrived to their destination and sat down. Mickey had suggested they get to know one another, and that usually wasn't a problem for Ventus. But this time, there was something different. Corvin just…*felt* different than all the others. It was hard to explain.

You know that's because he has extra darkness in him, right? Vanitas popped into Ven's head.

What do you mean, extra darkness?

He's a bit like you. There's a darkness about him that I can sense all the way from the fade.

Since when did I have darkness?

Since I moved in? Get with the times, Ven ven.

Don't call me that, Van Van. Ventus exaggerated the last bit so he knew how annoying it was.

The voice in his head was silent for a moment, as if to reconsider what he had just said. When he did respond, it was in a much lower voice.

Fine. Venny.

I'll take what I can get.

Ventus looked up at his companion who was softly rubbing Ser Chirps a lot on the head. The bird seemed to be enjoying the attention, but the golem stopped as soon as he noticed Ventus looking up at him. Missing the way Corvin was petting, the bird hopped up to his shoulder and nestled itself against his warm skin. With extra care not to startle the bird, Corvin stayed still so that the bird could be comfortable.

"How did you get that bird so acclimated to you?" Ven asked.

"I rescued it when I was leaving whatever town I was in before getting dragged here." Corvin replied in a flat tone. "How long have you been cooped up here?"

"A few months. My mom tried to hide me to keep me from coming here."

Ven yawned and his eyes closed again, but just like last time a wind spell blew out of him and kept him up long enough for him to open his eyes. He looked around sleepily and asked what they had been talking about to which Corvin shook his head.

"Let me guess, even a narcoleptic is a danger to those stupid templars." Corvin kept his voice low.

"I'm not usually like this. It's just been happening a lot lately."

Someone sure is angry. I wonder. I want to try something that will likely benefit both of us if it works out.

Before Ventus could ask what Vanitas was talking about, he could feel a surge of darkness flow through him, itching to get out. The thrill of power was incredible; his desire to start attacking the templars to escape here was almost too much. With as much force as Ven could muster, he forced the desire down, back wherever it had come from. The sense of injustice replayed in his mind and suddenly he was much more awake then he had felt in the last few months combined.

What is going on with that guy? I can't possess him. Vanitas's voice returned.

Wait, you can possess people from here? Ven frantically thought.

Only if they have a certain amount of darkness in them. So far that guy is the only one who fits the bill.

So then what happened?

He's not human. I can't possess inanimate objects. Might be able to get into his mind though.

Ventus looked at Corvin. He looked human enough. Although come to think of it, Ventus hadn't ever really seen him eat or sleep. Corvin spent most of his time in some kind of punishment from Cid, but he had lived for a few weeks in the communal area. The young mage found himself looking harder at the form in front of him, unsure of what to make of him.

"Stare too long and your face will get stuck like that." Corvin stood up. "What were you going to tell the templars about what I said?"

"No, not at all, I just...where did you grow up?"

"Me? The northern Free Marches. I grew up with my clan."

Clan? According to the studies his mother had put him through as a kid, that would have placed him right in the middle of Dalish country- but he had regular ears and was missing their vallaslin. Not to mention the elves up there weren't exactly welcoming to humans who tended to wander around. They liked to keep to themselves. Mickey would have probed for this information, right? Did he know what was going on with Corvin?

Inside his mind, Ven questioned whether it was alright to press. Aqua likely would disapprove, but she never had to know. This was between them. Making up his mind to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the person before him, Ven decided to ask his next question.

"Isn't that where the Dalish live? I didn't think they liked humans very much."

Corvin studied his memories. The boy was right; his other's keeper had made it a point to keep all humans away from their lands. There were several hunting parties that doubled as border patrol. All through his time there, he hadn't had much of an opportunity to speak to anyone about his past. They hadn't seemed interested. None except for Mickey, of course, who tried to take Corvin under his wing until Cid started to find reasons to cage him in. Perhaps he was wrong to say something about it. Would they take him back to the castle? Back to Vexen?

"They don't. I'm here now though, right?" Corvin huffed, folding his arms.

"Yeah, you are. I just wanted to get to know you a little more, that's all."

"Why? Was it a request from Mickey?"

"No, the First Enchanter didn't have anything to do with it. I just think you could use a friend, that's all."

He snorted. "Alright. If you want to be my friend, you need to prove it. Do something gutsy for once. I want one thing to see if you're serious."

I'm starting to like this guy. Vanitas smirked.

Ven rolled his eyes and stifled a yawn. He hadn't done much of anything since he had gotten here. There had been so many times in his youth when he and Terra would go and do something slightly against the rules. As long as Corvin didn't ask him to do anything crazy, it might be worth it in the long run.

"What do you want me to do?"

Corvin thought for a moment. "Go steal me a pack of Cid's Cigarettes. He always has a pack or two on him, so it shouldn't be hard."

"His cigarettes? What are you going to do, smoke them?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I just wanna see the old man riled up. Either way, that's your test. Come see me here when you're finished."

Ven nodded and forced down a gulp, but hurried to Templar Commander Cid's office. He likely had a spare pack somewhere in here. Like the wind, Ven could be in and out in just a few minutes. Or at least, that was the plan. Just as soon as Ven had snuck into the office, he heard footsteps coming down the hall and stopping at the doorway. They were Cid's. They had to be. Immediately he hid inside the tiny locker that stood in the corner, cursing the whole time that he couldn't find a better spot. As silently as he could, he drew slow, even breaths.

Cid was muttering to himself about something as he walked in and sat down. The scraping of his wooden chair told Ven that the Templar Commander was going to be here for a while. He and Terra had been in worse situations than this- he could handle it. The one thing he swore he wouldn't do though was tell Cid who had sent him, should he get caught. Corvin was high enough on Cid's watchlist; the last thing he needed was to have another point against him.

The Templar Commander drew a long breath before lighting up a cigarette. As the smoke began to ascend, the smell filled the room, heavy with the scent of tobacco and lyrium. Ven's face scrunched up in confusion. Why was the scent of lyrium so heavy all of a sudden? It was a deep and pungent smell. He would recognize it anywhere. Cid must have infused the tobacco with it somehow, which allowed him to get an extra dose of the stuff.

There was a knock at the door and more footsteps. Ven also swore he could hear something being dragged in as well, though that sound didn't last long. He risked being found out and carefully maneuvered so that he could see through the tiny slits at the top of the locker. It was two templars dragging in a familiar mage: Nathaniel. (2)

"What in tarnation is going on?"

"We found this guy in the lyrium supplies, sir." A templar reported.

"Again?" Cid spoke in a way that Ventus wasn't quite sure how to describe.

Ventus had seen the man scurrying about the tower. His eyes constantly darted around and he spoke as if someone were listening in on his conversations. What he was doing was beyond Ven's conjecture, but if Cid were himself, then the whole of it would be discussed here. So naturally now would be the time that he would feel himself drifting off to sleep.

Vanitas, you're living rent free in my head. Do me a favor and keep me from falling asleep!

What are you going to do if I don't? Kick me out?

Slowly, Ven's vision faded and all he could see was Vanitas, sitting on a rock in the desert.

"Are you crazy? I need to wake up! What if Cid finds me?"

"Relax. Looks like he's in full interrogation mode at the moment. That sucker never had a chance."

"Can you at least tell me what was going on with him? Why was he in the lyrium supplies?"

"He was running some lyrium smuggling campaign, from what I can tell. Selling tower stocks and buying what looks like a big red rock."

A red rock? They had plenty of the stuff at home; but Ven couldn't for the life of him figure out why someone would steal tower supplies to buy it. Vanitas interrupted his thoughts as he began laughing, a deep, throaty laugh. Something about his smile made Ven's stomach churn. When Vanitas calmed down, he finally decided to explain.

"The ignorance of that man! He's playing dumb, and now Cid's actually getting serious. Good for him."

The view in Ven's eyes disappeared as he heard someone punching the wall beside him and felt something hit his head as he opened his eyes again. Cid was yelling something fierce, and it made Ven himself swallow hard. That punch must have broken up part of the wall for the shock that it delivered. His hand moved up to grab whatever had hit him on the head only to find the pack of cigarettes. Like the very Maker had handed them to Ventus himself.

He blinked twice, looking at them. Was this really right? Even though templars were free to come and go to a greater degree than the mages, they were still kind of trapped here, too- Cid most of all. Ventus had no idea what these would have cost or if Cid got paid. But in the end, he decided to pocket the item. Corvin had been around the Templar Commander enough that perhaps he had realized that the tobacco was seeped in lyrium, too. Whatever he was planning on doing would likely be trouble, but maybe that was a good thing. Mages didn't have to be locked up. They weren't all like Pete.

Didn't think you had it in you.

Maybe I'm not as pure as everyone seems to think. Ven thought.

Cid finished his interrogation and stormed outside with his templars, leaving the office empty. Taking his leave, Ven headed back to Corvin. This wouldn't solve his problems, but it could at least prove entertaining.


Alrighty, notes time!

1 Corvin is the name for Repliku. There is a chance it can change based on something I might do, so if you guys have a different idea or anything, let me know! I thought I'd be more attached to the name by now, but no dice.2 As you might recall, this is Nathaniel from Enchanted that Aqua found in one of the closets during the broken circle quest.

Hope you enjoyed, see you next time!