The following morning, Melisandria woke and went downstairs for breakfast, dressed in a green and white dress with silver embroidery that came just below her knees. Beneath it, she wore tan leggings that came just above her ankles and green shoes. She tied her hair up in a bun, letting part of it hang down, and put a pair of jade earrings that hung down in a drop into her ears. As she entered the kitchen, Orana bowed in greeting and Leandra looked up with a smile.

"Good morning, dear. You look very beautiful today; green suits you well." she said.

"Thank you, Mother. I see that you have met Orana." Melisandria replied.

"Your mama is a very kind woman. I am glad to serve you both." Orana said.

Leandra smiled. "I like this girl. She made breakfast, too. It's very delicious; come have some."

Melisandria nodded and joined her family for breakfast. They ate and talked, Leandra tried to get to know Orana better. When breakfast was finished, Melisandria mentioned that she had offered to take Orana to the market in Hightown to get some personal things to spruce up her room and help her feel more welcome. Leandra thought it was a grand idea and wanted to come along, though couldn't because she had made plans to visit a close family friend for the majority of the day. Melisandria understood and suggested that they head out soon, so they cleaned up and left the Hawke estate to go to Hightown market.

Orana and Melisandria walked through the streets of Hightown to the market. Liam and some of his friends were out playing and stopped to say hello to Melisandria. Orana watched in amusement as Melisandria hugged Liam and asked how the children were doing. She glanced over and saw Fenris nearby, browsing the weapons stand. Fenris glanced up and was surprised to see Orana, but smiled in welcome, glad to see that she was alright. Then when he looked over at Melisandria enjoying herself, laughing and dancing around with the children, Orana watched his face soften at the sight of Melisandria and she knew that look immediately. She had seen her mama and papa look at each other like that once upon a time.

Liam and the others needed to go somewhere else, so Liam hugged Melisandria tightly and ran off with his friends. Melisandria smiled as he ran off and turned to Orana. She was still unaware of Fenris' presence nearby.

"You are a wonderful woman, Mistress. The children really love you." Orana said. "You have really made a difference in their lives."

"I have tried; someone has to look out for these children. Liam is such a dear boy." Melisandria said. "Now, let's see if we can find you something you like."

And with that, Melisandria and Orana spent hours browsing the wares, buying clothes, trinkets, and some furniture for Orana's room, all her choices so that it had the most personal touch possible. Done with their errands, they asked one of the stands' keeper if his assistant could help them bring things to the estate. The keeper agreed, sending a young elf with them. The elf pulled a cart of all of the furniture and heavy items Melisandria and Orana had purchased, the labor not seeming to faze him at all. When they reached the estate, Bodahn and Sandal came out to help bring things inside. They brought everything into the main room of the estate, leaving everything there until it was all unloaded. The young elf offered to help set things up and Melisandria and Orana graciously accepted. They began to bring everything in, one by one, to Orana's room and arranged things the way Orana wanted them.

After some time, Orana finally had a room that was suited to her. She thanked Melisandria many times, gratefully for the support and a home. Leaving Orana to herself, Melisandria went to her writing desk to check for letters. There was a note from Anders, asking her to come to the clinic. Grabbing her things, Melisandria went down to the cellar and entered Darktown. When she went through the door, Anders looked up and beckoned her over.

"Have you noticed how many Tranquil there are in the Gallows courtyard lately?" Anders asked. "And don't tell me I'm just sensitive to it. I've been watching and every day there are new Tranquil, selling their bloody wares. Good mages, too, ones I know passed their Harrowing."

"But that's against the law, right?" Melisandria asked. "Doesn't Chantry law say that all mages who pass their Harrowing can't be made Tranquil?"

Anders nodded. "Exactly. The templars are using the rite of Tranquility to silence those who speak against them. They are working on a deliberate plan to turn every mage in Kirkwall within the next three years."

"Anders, whatever you may think of templars, you can't imagine they're all so heartless." Melisandria said.

Anders shook his head. "They're worse. There are groups in Kirkwall who help those fleeing the Circle. I've talked to people on the inside. The plan is the work of a templar called Ser Alrik. I've had a run-in with him myself; he's the one who did the ritual on Karl. He's a nasty piece of work who likes to make mages beg."

"What happened between you and Ser Alrik?" Melisandria asked.

"I've been involved with an... underground resistance. Mages living free in Kirkwall who help others escape." Andes explained. "I can't tell you anymore, for your sake and theirs. You have too much involvement with the guard and nobility. Suffice it to say, I've been in the Gallows; I've seen his work first hand."

"What else do you know about Ser Alrik?" Melisandria asked.

"The Knight-Commander is at least sincere in her convictions." Anders said. "However misguided, she believes she is helping people. Ser Alrik is a sadist, cold-blooded as a lizard; he likes to experiment on mages, find out what it takes to push them into the arms of demons."

"Surely not all templars are that bad. Perhaps the blame could be then put on Ser Alrik?" Melisandria pointed out.

"That is my hope." Anders nodded. "If we bring the evidence of this plan to light, there must be men who'll stand against it. Perhaps even the grand cleric will finally be forced to act."

"So then how do we stop this from going any further?" Melisandria asked.

"My friends from the mage underground know a way inside, a secret entrance under the walls of the Gallows." Anders said, an urgency in his voice. "Come with me tonight, please! Help me find the evidence of Ser Alrik's "Tranquil Solution"."

"What do you mean by that?" Melisandria asked.

"That's what he calls it. His idea of a "peaceful" solution to the mage problem: to sunder the mind of every mage in the Free Marches. I'm told he's bringing his proposal to Val Royeaux, to the Divine herself. He would turn every mage in Thedas into a drooling simpleton, under his command." Anders said.

"Of course I will help you. I wouldn't let you face this alone." Melisandria replied.

Anders smiled. "You are the one bright light in Kirkwall. I have always been afraid of being made Tranquil, now more than ever and I am honored by your trust, Hawke. I'm ready to go whenever you are. Our entrance is concealed not far from here."

"Let's go, then." Melisandria said and followed Anders to the entrance.

As they neared the entrance, Varric and Fenris came up.

"What are you two doing here?" Melisandria asked.

"Blondie asked me to come down here, said he needed help and the extra man power. I thought bringing the elf would up our chances with whatever is going on." Varric replied.

Melisandria smiled at him and nodded. "We will need the extra help. Thank you for coming."

They entered the tunnels, Anders leading the way. They made their way through the tunnels, coming across a few lyrium smugglers here and there. They defeated them with ease and continued forward. As they got further ahead, voices began to echo, getting louder the closer they got. They hurried quietly to see what was going on and that was when they saw something that truly infuriated Anders to the point where Melisandria could feel Justice's energy radiating off of him. They came into the room of the cave, standing behind the group of templars surrounding a poor mage girl.

"No, please! I haven't done anything wrong!" the mage begged, backing away from a templar as he advanced on her.

"That's a lie." he said, leading Melisandria to the conclusion that he was Ser Alrik. "What do we do to mages that lie?"

"I just wanted to see my mum. No one told her where they were taking me." she said in defense.

Beside her, Melisandria saw Anders begin to glow blue.

"No, no this is their place!" he muttered to himself, talking to Justice. "We cannot-"

Ser Alrik continued to advance on the mage. "So you admit you attempted escape?" he drawled. "You know what happens to mage girls who don't toe the line around here, don't you?"

Falling to her knees, the mage begged, "Please, don't make me Tranquil! I'll do anything!"

Chuckling, Ser Alrik retorted, "That's right. Once you're Tranquil, you'll do anything I ask."

Not being able to stand another minute of this, Melisandria stepped forward. "What do you think you are doing to that poor girl? Get your filthy hands off her!"

"You fiends will never touch a mage again!" Anders said, though Melisandria knew that it was now Justice speaking.

The templars attacked and Melisandria and her companions fought back until every last one of the templars was dead. She would have preferred that no one die, but Melisandria knew they had no other choice.

Justice still in control, Anders said, "They will die! I will have every last templar for these abuses."

"Anders, the battle's over! They're all dead." Melisandria said, coming up to him.

"Every one of them will feel justice's burn." Anders, then turned and rushed up to the mage girl as she said to get away from her and called him a demon. "I am no demon! Are you one of them that you would call me such?"

"Anders, don't hurt her! That girl is a mage. We rescued her from being made Tranquil." Melisandria said, trying to get through Justice to her friend Anders.

"She is theirs! I can feel their hold on her!" Anders retorted.

"She's the reason you're fighting, Anders. Do not turn on her now." Melisandria tried again to reach the Anders she knew.

"Please, messere..." the mage pleaded.

Anders was losing control quickly and was about to attack the poor girl when he finally wretched control back from Justice's grasp and stumbled away from the girl. The girl took the chance to run away as Anders tried to regain himself.

"Maker, no. I almost... If you weren't here..." Anders said, his voice trembling as he realized what he had almost done. "I-I need to get out of here." And with that he ran off.

Sighing, Melisandria checked the bodies, trying to find something to incriminate Ser Alrik's "Tranquil Solution", anything that might put Anders' mind at ease. Finding the right papers on Ser Alrik, Melisandria and the others left the tunnels and made their way back to Darktown, where they were met by the mage girl.

"You- you saved my life, messere." the girl said, introducing herself as Ella. "What was that thing?"

"If you are referring to Anders, he is my friend. It's a long story, but suffice it to say that he is not a demon. He is only a very troubled man." Melisandria replied.

"Can I... go home now?" Ella asked.

"Find your parents, but don't stay there. You must leave Kirkwall; it isn't safe." Melisandria said.

"I know. There's nowhere in the city where Ser Alrik's men won't find me." Ella replied. "Thank you again, messere. Andraste herself must have put you in that room."

Melisandria watched as the girl left. Turning to Fenris and Varric, Melisandria said that she was going to go and check on Anders and give him the papers she found. As she walked away, Fenris felt a strange feeling in his gut, like something was going to happen to her, but he couldn't tell if it was good or bad.

Melisandria came into the clinic to find Anders rummaging through some papers, muttering "Trash." and "Keep." to himself.

"Anders, you need to calm down. You're upset; let's talk about it." she said.

Standing, Anders retorted, "Upset doesn't begin to cover it. You were the only thing that kept me from murdering an innocent girl!"

"Ella is alright, though. She is leaving Kirkwall to live a free life, Anders." Melisandria told him.

"It's all gone wrong. Justice and I. We're just a monster, same as any abomination." he said.

"That's not true. Yes, you almost completely lost control, but you stopped yourself. You aren't a monster, nor will you ever become one." Melisandria said, coming closer to him and trying to comfort him. "Even when you were losing control, you heard what I was saying. You knew, in your heart, that you had to stop."

"You have too much faith in me. Without you, I'd never have known who was there until it was too late." he replied, a sullen look playing across his face.

"That's what I'm here for, Anders, to make sure you remain yourself and don't lose yourself to Justice or the Templars. We mages need to stick together, after all." Melisandria said, trying to get him to smile.

"How can I fight for the freedom of mages, when I am the example of the worst that freedom brings?" Anders asked her, searching for answers.

"Mages are dangerous, Anders. That's why this has been so hard, for both of us." Melisandria said, putting a hand to his cheek. "Make yourself the proof that they can control their power."

Anders looked into her eyes, not sure what to do. "I don't know how." he said and put a hand to hers. "How can I even trust myself to heal anymore? What if that... creature of vengeance turns on a patient? Will he.. will I... resist? Or will I loose his fury?"

"Nothing will happen, Anders. The patients that come in here, they are not Templars, but people who truly need your help. Healing is something that you do best, never forget that." Melisandria replied.

Nodding, Anders asked, "Did you... find anything on Ser Alrik? Or was the "Tranquil Solution" just another of my delusions?"

"Yes, actually. It looks like the "Tranquil Solution" began and ended with Ser Alrik." Melisandria replied as she pulled the papers from her pack.

"Let me see that!" he said, taking the papers. "The Divine... rejected the idea. Meredith rejected the idea! This was... not what I expected. Perhaps I should try talking to the grand cleric. Maybe she's more reasonable than I thought."

With that, he walked away, talking to himself. Melisandria let him be and went home. When she walked inside, she took off her boots and set her staff near the front door. As she stretched and walked into the main room of the estate, she saw Fenris waiting by the fire.

"Fenris?" Melisandria asked, startled by his presence there.

He turned and walked over to her. "I have been thinking of you." he said and came to a stop fairly close to Melisandria. "In fact," he continued, "I have been able to think of little else. Command me to go, and I shall."

"Please don't go, Fenris." Melisandria said. "There's no need."

Fenris pulled her in and kissed her, his arms wrapping around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck. They kissed for a short while before Fenris lifted her up and held her against him as he carried her upstairs to her room. Closing the door behind them, Fenris let Melisandria stand as they began to disrobe each other. Melisandria unhooked Fenris' armor, throwing it to the floor as he pulled the string that held her dress together. As the dress fell to the floor, Fenris pulled Melisandria in and felt her warm breasts press against his chest. They continued to kiss, pulling the last few pieces of clothing off of each other as they made their way to the bed. Fenris pushed Melisandria down onto the bed, pinning her arms above her head with one hand as his other hand explored her body.

Fenris felt the smooth skin and curvature of Melisandria's body, which only aroused him more. Her hair had fallen out of its partial bun and pooled around her, the moonlight making the black of her hair look like obsidian. Fenris looked at Melisandria for a moment, silently asking for permission to enter her. She nodded and pulled him in for another kiss. Fenris hooked Melisandria's legs around his hips as he slid himself inside of her. Wincing, Melisandria felt the pain of her virginity being taken. She bit back a yell of pain and her eyes began to water. Fenris asked if she was alright, wiping the tears away. Melisandria nodded and began to moan as Fenris began to move his hips back and forth. They continued to kiss and as they made love to each other, Melisandria and Fenris both thought that they could never be happier.

As the night progressed, Melisandria and Fenris were so intoxicated by pleasure that they began to lose themselves to it. As Fenris continued to move his hips back and forth, memories began to flood back- memories he had long forgotten with the pain of receiving his marks. As he reached his climax, every memory he had ever lost came flooding back in an instant and when he had pulled out of Melisandria just in time, the memories all vanished as quickly as they came. Exhausted, Fenris fell to the bed beside Melisandria, the pain unbearable. Melisandria tried to use her magik to ease the pain, but when she managed to finally do enough to where he was relaxed, Melisandria passed out, falling against Fenris' chest. They were both exhausted and passed out for a couple of hours, laying naked together on Melisandria's bed.

After some time, Fenris awoke abruptly, the pain briefly resurfacing. He swung his legs out of the bed and put his head in his hands. When the pain subsided again, Fenris got up and began to get dressed again. He then stood by the fire, waiting for Melisandria to wake up. When she did finally wake, she looked to her left and saw that Fenris wasn't in bed any longer. She looked over at him standing by the fireplace and sat up.

"Was it that bad?" she asked, pulling the covers to her chest.

"I'm sorry, it's not... It was fine." Fenris said, then shook his head. "No, that is insufficient. It was better than anything I could have dreamed."

"Was it the pain?" Melisandria asked. "Your markings hurt still, don't they?"

"It's not that." Fenris said. "I began to remember my life before. Just flashes. It's too much, this is too fast. I cannot do this."

Melisandria looked away for a moment. "What did you remember that could have been so bad?"

"I've never remembered anything before the ritual." Fenris explained. "There were faces, words. For just a moment, I could recall all of it. Then it slipped away."

"We could work on that, Fenris. I can help you remember things, if you let me." Melisandria said. "Don't you want to get your memories back?"

"Perhaps you don't realize how upsetting this is, Mel." he replied, turning away from her. "I've never remembered anything and to have it all come back in a rush, only to lose it... I can't... I can't..."

He looked at her for a moment as she said, "But, Fenris... I love you... I want to help you; we can work through this."

"I'm sorry, I feel like such a fool." he said, his head bowing in shame and sadness. "All I wanted was to be happy, just for a little while. Forgive me..." He walked away, leaving the one person who has been there for him through everything, the one person who looked passed the markings and saw who he was as a person, the only person he had ever let himself fall in love with.

As Fenris walked away, leaving her there alone, Melisandria hurried to get her robe and underclothes on and ran downstairs and out into the square, searching for him. She looked everywhere, standing barefoot on the cold stone, but couldn't see him anywhere.

"Fenris!" she called out just as rain began to fall.

She stood there for a moment, calling out to him a few more times before falling to her knees, crying her eyes out when no answer came. Melisandria had fallen in love with Fenris, never having anyone ever accept her the way he had, and now he had rejected her. Orana, Bodahn, and Leandra came outside, searching for her. Leandra ran to her daughter and hugged her, asking what was wrong. But when Melisandria looked up at her, she could see the heart break in her eyes.

"Oh, my poor baby..." she said and helped her daughter up, taking her inside.

As they reentered the estate, Fenris- who had been standing nearby, hidden, when Melisandria came outside and called his name- felt his chest tighten and he turned away, his heart and head heavy. This was something he never thought he would ever do to her, someone he loved with all his heart, which he regretted the instant he walked away. When he returned to his own home, he went to his chambers and threw his armor against the walls and on the floor. He punched the wall, severely bruising his hand. Ignoring the pain, he slunk to his bed and buried his face in his hands. Never before had he ever cried, but the pain of leaving Melisandria was nearly too much to bear. Fenris cried silently into his hands, his heart aching for her. He had allowed himself to let someone close, fell in love with a mage that had proven herself as a good person with no darkness in her heart, who wants to help people, and took her virginity, though he did not yet know it. He had no idea he had taken something so precious from her and did not yet know the ramifications of his actions. He felt awful, but the damages were already done. Fenris had no idea what the future would hold now that he pushed away the one thing he cared most about.