The snowmelt turned icy patches into soggy puddles, making the mountain path treacherous. They picked their way over the muddy, uneven terrain, muttered curses sounding whenever a boot found itself suctioned by the grey sludge. Varric scraped a large clump of mud and dried grass off his heel before jogging to catch up with the others, just in time to catch the stormy expression Warren made no attempt to hide. Varric followed the man's stare. Evelyn and Solas, apart from the rest of the party, hand-in-hand. As they watched, the elf pulled Evelyn to him before they pulled apart again, grasping fingers together at the last moment, his wrist flicking hers over her head to spin her. The smile on her face, the closed eyes... this was a familiar motion, a little something the man did that she clearly loved. Something once kept away from others, private, now enjoyed in the open.

Something about it made his breakfast threaten to return. The uneasy feeling of dread before the next twist in the story, a moment his writer's soul felt keenly. Warren was looking at him now, head tilted in curiosity. "It's nothing," the dwarf shrugged. "Just something in the air."

"Something in the air that smells a lot like bullshit, maybe."

"Is that directed at me, or someone else?"

Warren slowed his pace, letting the others pass by them. "I agreed to go on this little hunting trip for a reason, and that reason wasn't that I wanted any fucking fresh air."

"I know," Varric grimaced. "I got roped in the same way. Doing my part, all that."

"You and I both know gathering up stray herbalists and their belongings is neither of our parts in all this. We're out fetch-and-carrying because there's no one else to do it. If we're not swinging a sword, we're handling the dredge work, and no one seems willing to tell her that this can't continue."

"I nominate you, personally," Varric stomped against the stone, knocking more mud and debris off his footwear. "I think you're the closest to her."

"We both know that's hardly true," Warren responded grimly, watching as the elf pulled his sister's hand to his lips. "She's barely spoken to me since her visit to Starkhaven. She thinks that just because she has the Vael boy in hand there's nothing Father can do to intervene. Yet you saw what he sent. It was hardly a garrison, more of a token gesture. He might be willing to set their engagement aside, but his family is not willing a full commitment of their resources without her... well, full commitment."

"And you don't think she's paying attention."

"Not to what she should be, anyway." Warren kicked at a stone in irritation. "I'm not angry that she's happy. Andraste knows we all could use a bit more happiness these days. I don't think she's facing the reality of her situation. Of our situation."

"Yeah," Varric's tone was hesitant, as if he were unsure whether or not to continue. "That... that might be the talk around the campfires."

Warren stopped, hands on his hips. "There's discontent in the ranks, then."

"I'm surprised you haven't heard, kid. They haven't exactly been quiet about it."

"They tend to be when I'm around. I am still her brother, after all." He shook his head. "Shit."

"Yeaaah."

"I can handle Evie," Warren squinted into the sun. "I'm going to need you to talk to him."

"Oh no. Don't rope me into this!"

"I've seen you two talking. He seems to trust you, listens to you."

"And what the hell am I supposed to say?"

"Just make sure he understands the... well, the gravity of our current position. He has always struck me as rather bright. Rational."

"Come on. No one's rational when it comes to this kind of shit."

"I know," Warren clapped a hand on Varric's shoulder. "That's why we need to be."

Varric stared down at the ground, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Fine. Tell me what you're thinking."

"I thought I was banned from Wicked Grace Night," Solas didn't look up fully from his work, giving Varric only a short glance.

"I'm not here about cards, Chuckles."

"That is a relief, actually. I was not feeling particularly social."

"If that's your way of telling me this isn't a good time..."

"Forgive me." Solas closed the book and moved it to a corner of the large table. "I was being rude. What can I help you with?"

"It's more about what I can help you with." Varric glanced skyward, hearing the scrape and whisper of the floors above. "Maybe we should take a walk, get some air?"

Solas arched a single brow. "I see."

The night air still held the chill of snow, catching their breath in dusty clouds as they climbed the stair. They found themselves quite alone on this portion of the wall, there simply weren't the men to fully assign to guard duties in the numbers they'd enjoyed in the beginning. It at least gave Varric an intro. "I remember when there were enough soldiers up here to make sleep near impossible. I swear I could hear them talking most of the night."

"Ah," Solas replied, staring out into the dark mountains. "Did you bring me up here to discuss the troops?"

In her room, Evelyn stared blankly at Warren across her massive desk. "I'm not sure I'm following."

"I'm asking what your plans are for reinforcements."

"Have you joined my council without me hearing about it? Because I'm fairly certain that is the problem we're resolving at present."

"Oh good, you do have a plan."

"We're... reviewing our options."

"Options," he folded his hands on the desk. "Evelyn, I couldn't help but notice-"

There was a knock on the door. Evelyn stood, crossing to the stair in time to greet Josephine.

"Your Grace, I apologize. I was not aware you had a guest."

"It's just Warren, Josie. It's fine."

"Perhaps we could speak later, when you're unoccupied..." Josephine was waving her hand in a way that indicated this was the sort of discussion that couldn't really wait.

"Whatever you need, say it. I don't think we need to worry about my brother."

Josephine looked momentarily uncomfortable before nodding. "Of course. I have received word from the southern reach."

"And is she to have no say in this?"

Varric sighed. "I'm not telling you what to do. I'm not telling you how to handle what I've told you. I just thought you had a right to know. Look, Chuckles," he frowned for a moment. "I told you I wrote enough of these stories to know they don't end well, but that doesn't mean they have to end in fires and explosions. I know you don't think you're the hero of this story, but you have the chance to be. For her. Fuck, for all of us."

"... all of them?"

"From what we can tell, yes."

Evelyn sat heavily on her sofa. "All this worry I had about saving the Grey Wardens, only to be the cause..."

Warren rose. "Thank you, Ambassador."

Josephine gave a single nod, "I believe, when you are feeling up to it, that Mistress Morrigan wanted to have a word."

"Thank you," Evelyn said dully as the Ambassador excused herself. Then, to Warren, "for fuck's sake."

"I know it isn't the time, but-"

"Please don't. Not now."

Warren put up his hands. "Fine. But reality is going to keep barging in. This time it's the Grey Wardens, next time it could be our front gate. Hard choices need to be made."

Evelyn stood abruptly. "They don't need to be made right now, Warren."

Her fire was nearly dead when he ascended the stairs, stopping to poke at it before tossing another log onto the ashen pile. Evelyn sat stock straight in the center of her bed, hair down and combed around her shoulders. She was picking at a piece of dry skin on her lower lip. "The Wardens, Solas," she said sadly.

He sighed. "I heard. I was in the courtyard when the scout arrived." It was hard news to keep quiet, spreading through the fortress walls like wildfire.

"Warren thinks we need to pause everything until we can build a proper army. I will have to utilize the agreement with the Empress sooner than I anticipated."

"I know you had hoped to not call on them until we were ready to launch the full assault. I am sorry."

"Do you know what an Eluvian is?" she asked suddenly, dropping her hands to her lap.

He felt his blood run cold. "I do. Why do you ask?"

"Morrigan... Morrigan has one. She thinks Corypheus seeks another like it."

"Do you believe her correct?"

"We've had reports of his men in the Southern Wilds. They seem to be interested in an Elvhen ruin. She believes it has one of these Eluvian inside."

Solas at on the edge of her bed. "It is possible. From what I understand of them, they allow their user to move between worlds."

"Yes, she showed me."

His heart paused mid-beat. "Showed you?"

"She called it a crossroads, maybe The Crossroads. It was unlike anything I'd seen."

"How did it appear?" he heard the edge of excitement in his voice, despite his best efforts.

"She said it would be much brighter to an elf. It was still... beautiful, sad... haunting, perhaps. Like I could feel the memory of something that was no longer there. Forgotten realms."

"Fascinating," he breathed, earning himself one of her trademark pointed looks. "I am sorry. I wish I could have been there, to see it with you."

She frowned then. "Where were you, by the way? I stopped in."

Solas thought of Varric's face, twisted into a sympathy he couldn't bear to fully acknowledge. You can still be the hero. "I took a walk. Needed some air."

Evelyn eased back into the pillows. "Come to bed. I can't think about battles and artifacts much more."

There would be plenty enough of both in the days to come, he knew. They were coming to a time of great loss and strife, and he had to think about how he chose to contribute. I know you'll do the right thing. He hoped beyond hope that Master Tethras was right.