Chapter Three

Tower Ahoy

Reaching Lake Calenhad wasn't an issue. But we arrived so late that there was no way we could cross. The waters of the Lake were so perilous that even an experienced Ferryman wouldn't go. We were able to rent one room in the Spoiled Princess for one night.

The innkeeper had only allowed it because 'the pretty one with nice manners' had been the one asking. I was flattered at him calling me pretty. The men unanimously decided to take the floor.

I cajoled Leli and Morrigan into sharing the bed while I pulled out a hammock and set it up in the corner of the room. Alistair had been fascinated by it.

"So what do you think will happen here?" Aedan asked, and everyone listened as we sat in the room eating dinner before bed.

"Well there is a Templar who is preventing us from crossing; there is any number of ways to get him to take us across. Then we need to talk with Greagoir. We need the mages for later, in Redcliffe, so we will go in and save the ones we can. Morrigan your mothers' grimoire is actually in Irvings office, that's on the second floor… we will gain one companion out of this as well; and honestly? It's a good idea to have a dedicated healer, and that's what Wynne is. There is a sloth demon on the fourth floor, which will put us all in the fade. Aedan might be in the Anderfells with Duncan, Alistair will be with his… sister, Goldanna, Sten will be with his company who fell when he fought darkspawn near here, Lelianna will be with a Revered Mother and not remember anything, Morrigan will be pestered by a fake Flemeth, and the dogs will just be sleeping; wake them up and you're done… I'm not sure about me. You'll all have to beat your captor demons before moving on… after defeating the sloth demon in the fade; we wake up and move on to kill Uldrid."

Morrigan looked like she ate something sour, Sten looked stoic as always, Lelianna looked stunned, Alistair seemed ill, and Aedan looked thoughtful.

I would need to tell Alistair about Fiona, his mother, soon.

Aedan nodded and called for us all to rest up.

The next morning we approached the dock. Carroll was 6'0 with shaggy blond-brown hair, green eyes and a snooty demeanor. He looked no older than 23 and acted no older than 16.

"You're not looking to get across to the Tower are you? Because I have strict orders not to let anyone through," he declared with importance.

I sighed softly, "We are Grey Wardens – here on buissness with the Circle of Magi."

"Oh you're a Grey Warden are you? Prove it," he sneered looking me over in contempt. My weight worked against me yet again. I narrowed my eyes, "We have the ancient warden treaties; take a look."

"Oh I have some documents too – they say I'm the Queen of Antiva; what do you make of that?"

"Aren't Queens supposed to be female?" Aedan asked. Carroll pointed at him, "Don't question royalty!"

I snapped, "Look – we have to get across. Either you let us or I have Sten here shove you into the Lake. All that heavy armor will make you sink."

I instantly clapped a hand over my mouth, "Oh… I really am a bad Wiccan…"

Alistair sighed, "And you were doing so well with the threat too."

I pouted at him, "Just because I can strike a man dead in less time than it takes to stick a bird doesn't necessarily mean I want to, Alistair."

Carroll looked like he didn't buy it until Sten took a menacing step forward, "I want to."

"You wanted me to take you across now then?"

"Please," I said. He motioned with a sigh, "If Greagoir is upset then it's on you lot."

Knight-Commander Greagoir was franticly giving orders to keep the doors barred and 'have two men stationed there at all times'.

I wondered over to the quartermaster and browsed his wares while I waited for Aedan to talk to the Knight-Commander. I really didn't want to bring attention to myself since I was a mage…

"Ara; Come on!" Aedan called to me, and I saw various looks from the people around me. Today I was wearing another pair of black jeans, a red tank top (if you couldn't tell by now, Tank Tops were my favorite type of shirt), my sneakers and a few daggers, and arm sheaths full of throwing weapons, my hair was pulled back at the sides and kept in place by a hair clip. I didn't need a staff, and having one would have called to the fact that I was a mage anyway.

"Do you see what she's wearing?" "All her companions are wearing armor except the black haired one, but a duel-wielder wearing so little?" "What kind of top is that, anyway?" "She'll be the first to die."

I was giggling as the doors closed behind us. "What's so funny?" Alistair asked, but I just shook my head.

As we moved about the first floor, I looked around in shock; the mages' were not treated well at all – worse than I thought even. The two giant rooms – one for men and one for women – were filled to the brim with bunk beds. There were 2 nightstands between beds – it was obvious that each mage simply got one nightstand and little else. That infuriated me; they were packed in like cattle! This was worse than I had imagined.

I found the hidden cache, and somehow ended up leading the group to where Wynne was… I didn't like being in charge – I was more of a help the leader type. I tried to pin leadership on Aedan, but he was having none of it.

Wynne was not what I expected. Her Silver hair was done up in a half bun to keep it from her face but otherwise flowed down to her mid-back, she had pretty green eyes, and was almost as pale as I was. If I had to guess her age, I'd say late 30's early 40's, though I knew she was in her 50's at this point.

She looked at me confused, "Why are you so reluctant to lead when they already follow you?"

I rubbed my face and ignored the question, "Look, we don't have time for this – Greagoir has sent for the Right of Annulment."

"They have abandoned us to our fate, then. If they invoke the right, we will not be able to stand against them. I erected a barrier over the door leading to the rest of the tower so nothing from inside could attack the children. You will not be…"

I moved over to Morrigan who watched me wearily. I pressed a hand over her mouth as I said, "Of course we'll help, Wynne! I mean, we need to clear the tower anyway, so saving some lives along the way can't hurt," I said.

Morrigan shot me a glare so I whispered, "We need her for this and if you want that Grimoire, you will keep your very true opinions to yourself."

I slowly removed my hand and she sighed, "At least you agree with me."

We slowly began to navigate the tower. The next room we passed through was the library and it had separate 'sections' for classes – there were only three sections though the library took up the rest of the floor. I did however notice a dumbwaiter for transporting things between floors. It was large enough to carry 25 meal trays at a time and I could see it was operated with a pulley on the left side of the door. This Tower was a lot bigger than I had thought. The floors were all dual level – meaning there was a 'half-floor' between each actual floor that added to the floor.

This meant that this floor had more 'classrooms' than I had originally counted.

The first floor was a mess – books were scattered along the ground, bodies here and there, the occasional warding mark etched into the floor. Demons were abundant on this floor too – mostly Shade looking ones.

Those demons were hunched forms with rounded heads that sported only one eye, two arms and a ghost-like bottom with no legs. They had spikes along the area I would have labeled to be the spine, though the way they was moving made me think there was no spine at all… perhaps the spikes were an exo-skeleton?

We did find 8 survivors – only one of which was a Templar. We sent them back to the 'safe' room; but there were just as many blood mages. Somehow I could sense which ones were blood Mages. I could see it as a dripping bloody Aura surrounding them.

When I voiced this, Wynne was stunned. "You're a Mage? You don't look it, and I can't feel your power." Wait till I told her I could Shapeshift – Morrigan had taught me though I had been a quick study and even somehow gained forms she couldn't teach. I had tried teaching her some of my strange magics, but they didn't seem to take.

"Yeah, I have Magic. Please don't tell Greagoir or Irving. I've never lived in Circle, and I really have no desire to be in one. I have too many things I need to do over the next decade," I said.

They all stared at me. "You can see that far into the future?" Aedan asked, causing Wynne to begin prodding me about my Seer abilities.

That was all there was to the first floor, but on the second there was another library. This was the Mages' floor. They each had a single bed with a nightstand on one side and an armoire on the other. Beyond that, the beds were 'separated' with a divider that anyone over six feet could glance over. I shook my head in annoyance.

The second floors' half-floor consisted of more rooms and classrooms with an office near the stairs for the First Enchanter.

I got to thinking about the first floor 'Dorm' set up and got a bit upset. There were two large rooms… one for males, one for females. That set up kind of ticked me off. I mean, what if someone was Trans; or LGBT+ in general? Even the Qunari had Trans people…Aqun-Athlok like Krem from Inquisition. When I voiced this, Sten gave me a sharp look and I could see he was re-evaluating me again.

"Well, dear… I don't know. I've never heard of any of the Mages being… what did you call it, Transgender? But I suppose that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I shall speak with Irving and see if he has heard of any such occurrences," Wynne replied, but as far as I was concerned that was answer itself. Mages either didn't speak up, or were ridiculed for it; regardless they weren't treated right.

The second floor was rage demons – it was like these things moved in packs of their own kind. Rage demons were ghost-shaped creatures made of what looked like lava. They had eyes and arms, but again – no legs. I made sure to shoot as much ice as possible at them. Morrigan and Wynne caught on swiftly.

When we found Irvings office, I slipped in as Aedan distracted Wynne by asking about what had happened here. I really didn't want to be lectured for retrieving a personal item for Morrigan. Irving's office was about the same size as I expected. The chest was in the back left corner, and when I opened it, it was full of books on blood magic, but only one was black. The Grimoire was thicker than my damn arm, but somehow lighter than a mobile phone.

I slipped out of the office after grabbing the painted box that was in the desk, managing to not be noticed by Wynne as I handed Morrigan the book and placed the Red Jenny box in Alistair's pack as he gave me a funny look. I simply winked at him, which caused him to blush… Wynne was right about one thing though – he was cute when he was all red like that… he was so getting more of the American teasing treatment!

The Great Hall – it was where most meals were served and prepared – was on the third floor. Next to the kitchens was a giant fucking pantry. The mess hall was separated into two areas – Authority and fledgling. Apprentices and low ranked Templars ate in fledgling and the Knight-captain, Knight-Commander, First/Senior Enchanters and so on would eat in the authority area. The half floor was where the Authority seating was.

I made everyone stop only a few steps in when I saw all the skeletons lying about. "Okay so before we go in there, I need to warn you. There are skeletons on the floor. They are not normal. About the time we reach the middle of the room they will get up and attack us."

"I feel no magic from the room," Wynne commented. "Then I can only hope I'm wrong," I said with a shrug, but everyone pulled their weapons out anyway. Better safe, I guess. I wasn't quite sure what would work on undead – I knew fire was a given but I wasn't so confident with my magic just yet. Good thing my weapons weren't just for show.

Of course, I was right. Wynne gave me an analyzing look, and I moved to stand with her.

"Well, I certainly believe you have visions now." She commented.

"Wynne, please don't worry. I know about your spirit. I know what it's like to die protecting others, only to wake after. I know what it's like to lose your son while he's young. I may not have a spirit myself, but you and I have more in common than you know," I said quietly so only she heard… she'd tell the others in her own time. She had paled a bit, but nodded.

On the next floor were the Guest quarters. There were 15 Guest rooms all styled the same. A double bed that looked really soft, a nightstand on either side, an Armoire behind a changing screen, a desk with two chairs and a wooden tub that was polished to a shine was in each room. In the middle of the floor on this level was a communal gathering space – couches, a few tables and even a small work out space.

The half floor here had an additional 12 bedrooms and 3 conference rooms.

This floor was dedicated to Arcane Horrors – beings that stood at 7 feet tall, looked like stick bugs with robes and arms, hovered 3 inches off the ground and wore pointy hats. Weak to physical attacks, I remembered.

Reaching that final room where the Tranquil were being turned by an abomination, I pulled out a throwing star, took aim, and managed to hit the ugly thing hard enough in the back of the head that it died.

"So where did you learn to throw… whatever those are? And where did you get them?" Wynne asked.

"Where I'm from these are a common weapon used mostly by an elite assassin type warrior, but many people learn to use them for sport. I learned how to use them before I manifested magic, and as such I rely on them more often than magic," I replied.

Next was the Templar floor. It was amazingly comfortable looking. Each room held a double bed, an armoire, a nightstand, a desk with a chair and a small table set for two people. The whole floor was set with bedrooms except for two large 'meeting' rooms… those only held a large table with enough chairs to fit 30 people each and the rooms could be 'connected' if the sound-proof curtain wall was moved. There was also a room in the Center of the whole floor that was set up as a training room – weapons, shields, armor stands and sectioned off spots for one-on-one training. I caught a slight glimpse of the stairs leading to the Harrowing Chamber – and the cage Cullen was in – on the 'half-floor'.

The sloth demon was… very gross. It was lumpy and looked like a mass of tumors; nothing more. It had one eye and a mouth but its arms and legs were grotesque. It looked like a lumpy lightbulb of sorts colored a pussy yellow and brown. I almost threw up from sight alone.

"Oh, look… visitors. I'd entertain you… but too much effort involved." His voice was smooth and deep… like honey…

"Killing demons is enough entertainment for me, thanks." I cocked my hip.

It looked confused, "But why? Are you not tired of all the violence in this world? I know I am. Wouldn't you like to just lie down and… forget about all of this? Leave it all behind?"

I heard the others talking, "Can't keep my eyes open…" said Alistair.

"This is ridiculous; you cannot expect me to lie on a floor sticky with blood…" Morrigan yawned.

"Resist… you must…" Wynnes eyes fluttered.

"We must stand… fight…" Sten looked to me, surprised I was completely unaffected. He looked relieved about it actually.

"I'll not listen to…" Leliana slumped. Aedan didn't even resist, he just watched me.

Almost no one else said a word tough they tried their best to resist.

My eyes drooped as I lowered myself to sit against the wall. I didn't bother saying anything – there was no point.

I shot upright, panting and clutching my chest. I was in bed? When did I get here? Maybe I should take a break from Dragon Age if it was gonna give me such realistic dreams…

An adorable voice called out, "Mommy!" as my son came running into the room. He was so cute with his light blonde hair, and blue eyes. He was only 3, but was so sweet. Of course he grabbed the remote off the nightstand and turned on the T.V. before putting on Netflix… he was too smart for his own good and my peace of mind.

"Hi, Levi baby," I chuckled as he climbed into my bed and snuggled into me to watch My Little Pony – one of his favorites.

I looked around the room feeling like something was off – I just couldn't place what.

"Sorry love, I know you're tired. I tried to keep him distracted with his new play toolbox, but it doesn't compare to playing with his mom," my husband said, following our son into the room.

I looked at him with a smile. Alex was 5'7 with red hair that went down to his waist and a wiry beard that refused to be tamed. Like me he was pale, but his eyes were a lovely shade of green. Levi got his hair color from Alex's mother, but his blue eyes were all me.

"Don't worry about it, Hun. Levi is just so cute!" I said as I began tickling the boy. His cute squeals filled the room. I realized I was only in a nightgown… that wasn't right. I didn't own night clothes.

I brushed it off, maybe the nightgown was something Alex had bought me and I just didn't remember… but then why was I wearing it if he'd bought it and I didn't remember?

Alex – as was usual – handed me my hairbrush so I could work on taming my ringlet filled brown hair that fell to my mid-back when straightened. I yanked it up into a pony-tail and said, "What's the plan for today anyway? I'm drawing a blank."

"Richard is back in town tonight – and he's here for two days. The life of an OTR Trucker…"

I perked up at the mention of my boyfriend – Alexs' best friend since childhood and self-proclaimed brother. "Is Kelly with him?" I asked. I loved her – I really did – but she was changing so much for the worst. She had been distancing herself from us all and acting like a gold-digging bitch… I was losing her.

"No – she stayed in Las Cruses with her family when he passed through last time. It's bad, love – they're talking divorce."

I sighed, "Go figure. We knew it was coming…"

"That doesn't make it any easier, Abs."

I pouted, "You know I hate when you call me that."

He smiled charmingly at me, "Still, you love me. Alright little man – mommy needs to get dressed if we're going to go see Uncle Ass-Hat."

I snorted as Levi repeated, "Unca Ass-Hat?"

"That's right – you like playing in the big trucks remember?" I held a firm policy that we weren't going to curb our language – they were just words and studies linked cursing to brain-development at one point.

Levi shot out of the bed – eyes still on his My Little Pony show – and went looking for his clothes.

I got out of bed and started to get dressed. I found skirts, and dresses, but where were my Jeans? And why were there only pastel colors? I preferred darker colors.

I noticed another man enter the bedroom. He was 6'0 with black hair that fell to his shoulders and grey eyes that complimented his sun-kissed skin. I saw Alex look him over appreciatively.

His eyes widened as he took in the details of my room, my son and husband… the T.V really had him thrown for a loop. He seemed fascinated as he wandered around looking at things – I couldn't fault him though for some reason.

"Friend of yours, love?" He asked.

I chuckled but froze as it hit me – I was in the Fade. Horror filled my face as I looked at Aedan before turning to Alex and Levi with tears flowing down my face. "Demonic Entity – drop the disguise and we will let you go freely."

My throat constricted. Aedan looked between me and the man. 'Alex' looked confused, "What do you mean, love?"

I shouted at the demon, "You have no right to wear his face! Drop the fucking disguise. You insult the memory of my family."

The demon finally dropped the act and attacked me. I sobbed as I set the demon on fire while it wore my husband's face. I couldn't bring myself to attack the thing disguised as my son so Aedan had to take care of that… I could see that it haunted him to kill something that looked like a child.

When it was over, Aedan hugged me. "How did you know it was a dream?"

"You – and I don't own any skirts, and I hate pink," I replied. I shuddered to think of all the pink clothes in my drawer at the moment.

"Are you gonna be okay?" He asked. "I… I never got to grieve. Do I really have a right to, when I'm the one who died?" I knew I sounded bitter.

"You… what?" but I had already faded.

When my eyes opened again, I was in front the Sloth demon as Aedan sassed him.

Before Aedan could finish sassing Sloth, I snapped. I raised a hand and froze it. Though all our companions looked stunned, they immediately jumped into the fight.

The first form he took was that of an Ogre – an impressive 10 feet tall with blueish grey fur coating his body and horns like that of a bull. Ugh – he was 'naked' and 'male'. Darkspawn didn't need those bits, so I was unsure why it had one.

After that was a molten covered rage demon – taller than normal ones at 6'5. Next was the Shade form. The Abomination form was 7'2 with lumpy purple skin, tumor like growths that covered one eye and most of the upper body. The lips looked half-melted shut. It had two arms and two legs and was super-model photo-shop thin.

Past that was the final form – the arcane horror. When it was all over, Niall showed up and spoke a moment with Aedan.

When we were out in the real world again, Aedan whirled to face me. "What did you mean you died?"

Everyone but Wynne and Morrigan looked at me stunned, causing the others to raise a few eyebrows.

"I… I was born in a different world; one that had no magic. You saw my world in the Fade, and you saw my family, and that I was human… you even saw the technology. I died saving my son from a house fire. I had handed him to my husband since Alex could run faster – duh, I'm fat – and then a giant wood beam blocked me in. When I backed up into the corner another one fell. I burned alive, refusing to scream because I didn't want my sons' last memory of me to be my death; it wasn't too hard, since I was used to never ending pain by that point – I had a condition called Fibromyalgia, which is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, memory and mood issues… When the world closed around me, I was in the Korcari Wilds, at Morrigans feet. Suddenly I was a Mage and had pointy ears. I could see things that I shouldn't, and… well; in any case, I'm here now." I hugged myself as I cried. Wynne put her arms around me, muttering soothing nonsense. Even Morrigan awkwardly patted my back.

"Let's go. We still have to save Irving and Cullen," I sighed.

"Who's Cullen?" Aedan asked. "He's a Templar who is important to the future. He's been tortured by Blood Mages, so if you don't mind, I will not be going into the Harrowing Chamber with you to kill Uldrid, but I will be staying with him to make sure he's okay."

Wynne was nodding, and Aedan sighed, "Alright. Let me grab the Litany and we'll head that way."

We found a killed the Dragonlings, much to Alistair's shock; though they were actually in a room next to the Harrowing Chamber steps.

I sat next to the barrier before Cullen even started talking. I leaned against the wall next to it, as Cullen and Aedan spoke. Cullen tried his hardest to convince Aedan to kill all the mages, but Aedan was having none of it. When they went upstairs, and I stayed, Cullen finally looked at me as he sat down beside me. I was only mildly surprised that I was able to enter the barrier and scooted over to his side. I couldn't get out, but I knew I would be fine.

I studied him. Being tortured meant that unlike in the game, he wasn't wearing his armor. In fact the only thing he was wearing was blue linen pants and soft slip on shoes; as though he'd been in bed when the attack happened and hadn't been able to get dressed. He was tall, taller than Alistair at 6'3 and his short sunny-blonde hair was not quite as curly as I'd been led to believe; it was wavy. His eyes were gold, and he was covered in deep cuts that would leave scars. I pulled out rags and handed them to him so he could wipe up some of the blood. The cuts all seemed fresh… as though the ones that were open had been done in last few minutes while the ones that had scabbed were no more than days old.

"And who are you?" He asked. "I'm no one of any importance. You can call me Ara. Do you need anything; perhaps water or food; possibly a kiss for being so brave?" I asked. He looked thoughtful before saying he'd like some water… yeah I was flirting. Cullen was the one I hoped to eventually be with, but then… I doubted I was his type. He ignored my flirt anyway. It could be just that he was too focused on survival.

Reaching into my magical bag, I pulled out a water skin and handed it to him. "I'm… Cullen. Why did you stay out here?" He asked after he'd drained the water and handed the skin back to me.

"You didn't need to be alone, and they didn't need me. Besides, I needed a moment to let myself get over the shock of seeing my husband and son again, when I know they are lost to me. Fucking Demons – fucking Blood Mages," I spat.

Cullen nodded. I reached into my bag again and pulled out two Mountain Dews'. I opened one and handed it to him. I knew he'd need the sugar.

"What's this?" He asked cautiously. "A drink that is sweeter than it has any right to be; it's basically flavored liquid sugar. You need the sugar. Torture means you lose blood. Besides, this will help keep you alert, since it's full of caffeine" I replied opening the second one and taking a drink to show it was safe.

He sipped it, his eyes widening before he gulped it down. I laughed when he burped before he blushed and said, "Excuse me!" I took his empty can and put both his and mine into my magic bag so that it would disappear.

"That would be the bubbly part of the drink. Now eat this jerky, protein helps you heal."

He nibbled at it and I could see he was sneaking glances at me now – completely full of curiosity and no longer suspicious.

"Are you sure they will be able to handle…?"

"Oh yeah – Aedan is fierce with those Daggers, Sten is pain personified, Wynne can heal like no ones' buissness, Morrigan loves to kill things that want to kill her, Leliana is a former Orlesian Bard and Alistair was Templar Trained and his fathers' family is dragon blooded."

"That is quite the list of capable people," he muttered. I nodded, "How long have you been up here?"

"It feels like… like months – but according to the updates I've been graced with… two weeks."

"Would it help if I said I know exactly what you're going through? Or would that make it worse?"

"You've been tortured?"

"In more than one way, yes," I nodded. He inched closer to me – finally close enough that I was able to make him lean against my shoulder – and said, "Does it get better?"

"Honestly, I'm not quite sure yet – I suppose I'll have to let you know. It's been a few years since I was in that position, but the nightmares are what get to me. That's something for you to look out for – nightmares. I wouldn't actually change what happened to me though; it made me stronger and I was defending my two sisters at the time."

"You sacrificed yourself to torture for them?"

"Do you have sisters, Cullen?"

He nodded, "Two – one older and one younger; Mia and Rosalie. I also have a brother named Branson between Rosie and me in age."

"Would you throw yourself back into Uldreds' hands to save them?"

"Without a second thought – it was bad, but I've already suffered it once. For my family, I could do it again."

I smiled softly at him, "You're a good man, Cullen – and that was exactly why I allowed everything that happened to me without fighting back. My sisters were both younger than me – one by 8 months and one by 8 years – 8 was the family good luck number, I guess."

He looked stumped, "8 months? I thought it took 9 for…"

"Yeah – Jade and me… my parents were very loving. Mom got pregnant with Jade pretty much as soon as she gave birth to me. We were so close in age that we were considered twins where I'm from. We were born in the same calendar year. Jade was born 6 weeks early, actually."

His eyes widened, "She lived through such close birthings and an early delivery? Makers' Breath – she must have been a strong woman."

"Mum? Yeah – she was… I don't have anyone left now though…"

"I… thank you. I can't claim to know the pain of lost family, but thank you for sharing your troubles with me."

"Did it help?" I realized I had been absently playing with his hair since I got him to lean on me. He nodded, "Surprisingly, it did – very much."

"Then I'm happy to help," I whispered. The barrier cell collapsed, causing Cullen to jump up. I stood too.

He swayed and I reached over to steady him. I put his arm over my shoulder and wrapped mine around his waist. I would take any excuse to hold him; he was my favorite game 3 romance option. That's when the others came out of the Chamber, Aedan supporting Irving. Cullen stiffened in my hold, and I soothed him.

Alistair came over and took Cullen's other side, but I noticed that Cullen leaned more towards me; I was positive that had he known I had Magic he would let me go completely. Lucky for me, only Flemeth seemed able to sense my magic. The trip back down to the first floor was largely uneventful compared to the trip up.

Cullen spoke in hushed tones to me as we made our way down, "What were their names?"

I asked, "Hmm?"

He cleared his throat – and I could see he had gathered the interest of all my companions, "Your lost husband and son?"

"My husband was named Alexander and my son was Levi. It was more complicated than just being married, but… I guess it doesn't matter now."

"Of course it matters – you grieve for them. How long ago was it?"

"Only just under a month now…" I sighed. He flinched, "That is… I'm sorry."

I shrugged and it went quiet again.

When we got to the big doors at the entrance to tower, Irving called out. "Greagoir, it's over! Uldrid is dead."

There was some shuffling on the other side, and the doors opened. Cheers rose up from those who had made it to the entry room before the doors were barred. When I came into view, not a scratch on me and aiding a Templar in my strange clothes, there were shocked faces all around, and I saw some people handing silver coins to others.

I stifled a snigger.

"Order has been restored," Greagoir announced, causing Cullen to shout in dismay. "It will be alright Cullen," I murmured, but he didn't seem to hear me. Aedan talked with Irving, securing the Support of the Mages as I helped Cullen to a chair.

"Will I see you again?" He asked me. "Without a doubt," I smiled and kissed his cheek, then walked over to Irving as Cullen blushed and stammered. Oh, now he reacted.

"Sooo… there's this dwarf. She wants to study Magic. She knows that dwarves can't do magic, but she still wants to learn. She's willing to give up Caste and Clan for a chance to study here," I was rocking on the balls of my feet and I held my arms behind me.

Irving was startled, but agreed to allow Dagna to study in the Circle, and allowed Wynne to join our group. I was also proven right when Irving and Greagoir both looked uncomfortable at the mention of Transgenders. I huffed – I was pretty steamed about that, but what could I do?

Honestly, I really wanted to recruit some Templars and Mages to help us in Redcliff, but I was worried that it would throw off the timeline.

I was exhausted. We had fought all day to clear the tower, and that 'nap' that sloth so graciously granted us was not at all refreshing. I was back near Cullen to make sure he was being properly treated. He wasn't letting the mages help – in fact; he was actively fighting them about it. I saw the look in his eye getting desperate so I stepped in.

"I'm a surgeon – I stitch people up for a living. If you promise to behave and let me poke you with a needle, you don't have to worry about magic."

He looked so relieved and the people around us all froze. He nodded, "Please – I promise not to squirm around too much… just please; no magic."

I nodded and whistled, "Alistair – front and center."

The dragon prince bounded up to me like a puppy, "What can I help you with, Ara?"

"I need help getting Cullen to a private room so I can stitch him up. I suppose you could also double as an escort and hold him down while I repeatedly stab him with a needle."

Alistair looked at Cullen, "You agreed to that?"

"Yes," Cullens' voice sounded so tired. Alistair leaned down and pulled Cullen into an assisted walk.

Once in a new room, I reached into my pack and pulled out medical needles, scissors, a glass bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide and dissolving stitch thread plus a pair of latex gloves.

We were on the Mage floor in a dead Senior Enchanters' room. "Alright, hun, this is going to hurt. Lie on your stomach and find something to bite down on," I didn't want to hurt him, but if I pulled out modern pain numbers the jig would be up… as it was the gloves and disinfectant were pushing it. Oooh! I pulled out a liquid form of pain killer. "Drink this, it'll help with the pain," I said handing him a vial that had a Human male sized dose in it. I put on black scrubs in a small alcove, using Magic but being sure to be careful. I came out of the alcove while tying up my hair with a black ribbon.

Cullen nodded as Alistair found a belt in the armoire for Cullen to bite down on after he tossed back the pain meds. I pulled a chair close to the bed and began cleaning the wounds on his back. He hissed as the disinfectant burned into his wounds. Alistair asked, "Is it supposed to bubble like that?"

"Yeah – when it bubbles that means it's pulling out dirt and other contaminates. I wouldn't want to stitch rust or dirt into the wound and have it get infected."

Cullen spat out the belt and said, "Where did you get something like that?"

"Invention from home," I shrugged and dabbed away at the liquid on his back before repeating the process to make sure we got all of it. I did have to pull out tweezers to remove glass shards from one particularly nasty cut.

I stitched for quite some time. Cullen seemed to relax after a while – the medicine completely numbing him to pain since his body was unused to meds like that.

When I got him to turn over, I flinched. I now had a decent look at the wounds on his chest. The back had been worse, but the ones on his chest were deeper and filled with more gunk. He had at least one scab that was y-shaped across his right chest that would definitely scar.

After I was done, I threw the bloodied needle, empty bottles, remaining thread and gloves into my bag. Cullen sat up with some help from Alistair.

"I… thank you, my Lady. I know it would have been easier to allow the Mages to heal me, but after everything… I just couldn't," Cullen said as he rubbed a hand over his eyes.

I shook my head. "First off, I'm not human, so none of this 'My Lady' Shit. Second, I completely understand your fear. I told you I was tortured. Part of that was as a child; I went through something fairly traumatic and was… terrified of men for a long time," I replied. Both Alistair and Cullen immediately realized what I was implying; their eyes went wide, and both looked horrified.

"But, though I was terrified then, I'm not now. Sure, that event shaped me, changed me, but it also… was some time ago. You see how I can stand to be in a room with only two men and all? Eventually, you'll feel better. This was an experience, and Time heals all wounds; but there will always be that scar. You may never forget, but I hope that you'll one day feel like yourself again."

Alistair looked like he wanted to reach out to me. "You realize that all women are called 'My Lady' by gentlemen?" Bullshit alert!

"My mama didn't raise a lady. She raised a legend," I snarked. Both men laughed. And Cullen nodded as Alistair said, "So it seems."

"How can I possibly repay you for this?" Cullen asked seriously. I rolled my eyes, "I take payment in the form of Hugs when the patient is good-looking."

Cullen went bright red and Alistair pouted… but Cullen did hug me, "Thank you."

We all headed back to the main room, where Greagoir himself looked over my handy work.

"When does this thread need to come out?" Greagoir asked me.

"It doesn't. It's… it will dissolve over time. That way there's no need for anyone to worry about it," I explained. They all looked amazed so I began thinking I should have used regular thread… I just hadn't wanted Cullen to suffer needlessly.

"Amazing; where did you get such a thing?" Greagoir shouted. "Um… my bag," I responded.

"Did you come up with this, then?"

I was at a loss. They likely wanted to know how to make it, and while I did know – its original composition was really just animal intestines, silk and hair, with a few other things… I wasn't sure how to go about this.

"I uh… I know how to make it; of course… it would just take a while to teach someone." Curse my inability to lie.

Greagoir nodded at what I said. "Well, if you decided to, you could make a fortune with this invention."

I smiled sadly. I had always wanted to be rich, but not for me. I simply wanted to give my son the best life I could. Without him, what was even the point?

I pulled several large spools of the thread from my bag. Greagoir's eyes widened, as did Irvings and Wynnes. The only reason I was selling any at all was both to help them and take some burden off the wardens.

"I have 8 spools, but I'll sell you 5," I said. I needed to make it seem like it was limited because how else could it fit in my damn pack.

"I'll pay you twenty-five Sovereigns, five per spool," Irving said. I nodded and handed over the 5 spools as Irving made a motion to a nearby Templar to fetch the money from the Vault downstairs. He seemed surprised I hadn't tried to negotiate for more, they were large spools, but honestly I felt it was fair and I liked to think of it helping people. Not to mention that Irving wouldn't allow me to lower the price… if I tried he'd raise the amount himself. I'd had a vision of that happening when I thought about lowering it.

Upon the Templar returning, I was handed a bag of gold. I placed it in the front pocket of my pack – the only place that things didn't disappear, yet it seemed to have never ending space.

"Well, Wardens, you're welcome to stay here tonight. It's the very least we can offer," Greagoir said.

Only 4 of the guest rooms had look habitable at the moment. Wynne would sleep in her own bead, Sten and Morrigan would each get their own room, then it was Leliana and I in one and Alistair and Aedan in another. I decided to loan Alistair my bedroll for the night since the guy code meant they would refuse to share.

"We would love that," Aedan said. I saw that Cullen was being led off so I waved to him and he nodded to me.

I approached Wynne, "Yo, Wynnie bee! Got a quick question for ya; what was the name of the mage who assisted Jowan?" she looked at me stunned. "Um… I believe it was Neria Surana and Daylen Amell… why?"

"Were they working for Irving or were they actually helping Jowan?"

"They were both helping Jowan… what is this about? If you are looking for them, I warn you Dylan was made Tranquil – he hadn't gone through the Harrowing yet – and Neria was executed."

"Damn… well, truly I was just curious. I only wanted their names and whether or not they were assisting the Circle or the Blood Mage. Thanks hun."

I had made sure that all bodies were gathered outside so that I could do a mass cremation and say the Right of the Dead. Everyone was watching me. The Revered Mother had been killed in the assault too so they had to contend with Wiccan burial rites. Alistair explained it to people as they asked and I prayed.

Later that night, I used the kitchen to make red beans and rice with sausage. When I was dishing it out to my group I caught sight of Cullen. I was positive Greagoir wanted someone to keep an eye on us, but I wasn't sure if Cullen volunteered or was volun-told. I had made a separate dish of eggs with sausage for Fen and Ash since I didn't want to deal with gassy dogs.

Having expected company, I'd made enough and prepared another bowl for Cullen.

Everyone was staring at me as I handed Cullen his bowl, then got some for myself.

"So, Ara, what is this dish called?" Aedan asked. "Red Beans and Rice. It's one of my favorite meals… other than steak," I gave a cheeky grin.

This caused everyone to chuckle. I took a bite of my food since it looked like everyone was waiting for me to do just that.

Cullen was the next to start eating, and when he gave me a smile and said that it was good, the others began eating too. I think it was because they had never smelled anything like it before that they were hesitant. Just wait till I made Pizza!

As usual, Aedan and Alistair ate more than even Sten. I had made sugar cookies for after. Sten ate the most of those.

"Where did you learn to cook like this?" Cullen inquired. I was sitting with him on my right and the wardens to my left while everyone else began heading to their beds.

"My mother and father; they were both amazing in the kitchen. They were always experimenting, trying new things. My dad used to be a… chef for many years, and I had 2 older brothers and 2 younger sisters, so my mom made meals for us while dad worked," I explained.

"I thought you also had a twin sister?" Alistair commented.

"Yes… though we didn't share a womb. My mother got pregnant immediately after birthing me. As I was born in the second month of the year and she was born in the eleventh we were considered twins where I was from." Aedan and Alistair looked horrified. Cullen already knew that much.

"She had children that close together? What about her health? My mother told me a man and wife shouldn't be together for several weeks after birthing!" Aedan exclaimed.

"That's true. However, my parents were rather… amorous. They really loved each other. It was hard at times, as we weren't that well off, but we weren't too poor either. We loved each other – for the most part – and that's what mattered. Now I'm… alone," I shrugged.

"Wait a minute! I thought you said we could be family!" Aedan looked scandalized that I had 'forgotten' him. "Well, you never actually agreed. Just said it was fair point for 'petting' you," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Fine; from here on you are my little sister," he replied, arms crossed over his chest with a playful glare.

"Uh-huh. How old are you?" I asked with a sly grin. "21!"

"I'm older than you. I'm 22" I gave him my best deadpan face. Well, this body was 22… I had been 27 when I died, but Flemeth estimated my new age; she also said that something was strange with the body makeup but she couldn't quite figure it out. He looked startled as Cullen and Alistair both laughed. "Well… you're still smaller than me!"

"I'm smaller than everyone at this table, yet I seem to be the oldest. I know Alistair is 20 this year, and Cullen… I'd estimate at about 19 or 20," I hated being the oldest and the shortest.

"19," Cullen nodded. This meant he made Knight-Captain before 21… impressive. Not that I was going to tell him that. Best he hears it from Greagoir.

"How old is Fergus?" I asked. "28 he was born on the 8th of Solace in 2 Dragon; ironically my birthday is 10th Solace 9 Dragon. I was a surprise to everyone. His… son Oren was only 7 when the Attack happened." He looked so sad that I regretted asking.

"So… on that note… Cullen, where are you from?" I asked and soon we were talking about his family.

I kissed them each on the cheek and gave hugs as I stood and said, "It's so my bed time. And unless Cullen or Alistair invites me to their beds I'm gonna go cuddle with Leliana," I gave a wink as both Alistair and Cullen began stammering and turned bright red. Aedan burst out laughing as I walked away.

Leliana was still awake, so when I relayed to her everything that had been said she began chuckling.

"We are going to cuddle then?" she asked with a devilish smile.

I heard Aedan and Alistair stop outside the door when she said that and grinned.

"I do hope you don't mind, Leli, but I'm so used to sleeping naked… would you mind so terribly much?" I had already stripped and put on shorts and a tank top.

"So long as you don't mind the same from me," she replied. She was already wearing a nightdress.

"Of course not; naked cuddling is the best kind of cuddling," both of us were trying to keep our laughter in.

The boys were choking on air outside. I knew that Alistair would be red and Aedan was likely trying not to laugh.

I softly chuckled as Leliana smiled. She got in bed and with a wave of my hand the candle went out.