Happy New Year! Thank you all for reading - I'm really enjoying this story and I hope you are, too. Special thanks, as always, to the incomparable suilven for betaing and hand-holding and all-around encouragement and support.

Leliana was just emerging from a hasty search of the servants' quarters when she saw Alistair coming for her. She remembered that particular thunderous expression from the Blight, and sighed. The last thing she needed right now was to have to talk down the King of Ferelden, but it seemed she couldn't avoid it.

"What don't I know?" he snapped when he came close to her.

Part of her wanted very much to say something acerbic, but that was what Morrigan would have done, and the last thing Leliana wanted was to be like—ah. She understood now. "How is Morrigan?"

"She appears not to have changed at all."

"You can't be surprised by that."

He paused, thinking it over. "No, I suppose I'm not."

"I see she has managed to get under your skin." Leliana left the "as usual" to be inferred rather than stating it outright.

He came closer to her, moving lightly, and Leliana remembered that under the silks of the king lay a powerful warrior. For a moment, she was almost nervous as he loomed over her—but this was Alistair. She knew him too well to be frightened of him.

"Tell me what happened the night Morrigan left," he said.

Leliana swallowed. She couldn't tell him about that. Not now; not here. She wasn't even sure how she felt about Leyden having given up on life so thoroughly that she wouldn't even try to save herself—but she knew as surely as it was possible to know that the truth would weigh heavily on Alistair. Perhaps it would be the straw that broke him. Something Morrigan had clearly sensed; she must have said something to him.

"Tell me," Alistair repeated.

"No." He scowled, ready to insist again, and hastily Leliana added, "Not here. When we go back to Skyhold, I promise I will tell you everything I know … but I cannot talk about this tonight. Too much is at stake. If we lose focus, we could lose everything. And you know what everything means; few know better."

That got to him. Leliana could see his shoulders relax as he stepped back from her. "Then there is something to tell."

"I—yes."

"And you promise to tell me at Skyhold."

"Yes. You have my word."

"Very well." He clipped the words off in a very terse, un-Alistair-like fashion, and turned on his heel and marched away, leaving Leliana sagging against the door. It was so long ago now. She had put Leyden away, or she thought she had. Why did this still bother her? She couldn't afford to let this affect her tonight of all nights; she had to let it go.

From the shadows, a voice spoke. "What was that about?"

Leliana jumped—a sure sign that she was well and truly off her game—and then relaxed as she recognized the voice as Nathaniel Howe's. "Nothing I care to speak about."

"He seemed very angry."

"He has reason to be, more reason than even he knows. And … the woman who hinted of it to him is poison, especially for him. Corrosive and ugly, spreading through the veins like—" Too late she remembered she was speaking to a Grey Warden.

Nathaniel chuckled softly. "I think I know something of what that's like."

"Sorry."

"No need to be; you didn't make me a Warden. Caron made me choose: my life … or my life. Given up to death or to the Wardens. Not much difference, really."

"That … seemed to be how Bethany felt as well," Leliana said slowly. "Alistair always thought of it as a privilege."

"Some do," Nathaniel agreed.

"But most don't?"

"In my experience." He nodded at the door behind her, and in a different tone said, "You found the bodies?"

"Yes."

"And you saw the Venatori?"

"Yes."

"Neither Briala nor Gaspard seems to gain any advantage from allying with Tevinter."

"No," Leliana agreed. "So what do you recommend?"

He smiled. "You're the spymaster."

"You seem to know a few things about it yourself."

"One or two."

"Then let's go see who has the ear of the Empress and a taste for the finer things in life."

"After you."

Lilias stood in the middle of the ballroom, feeling lost in a sea of people. Were they all whispering about her behind the masks they wore? Were they laughing at her for being fool enough to even consider trusting her heart to a man who no longer had one? She couldn't have blamed them if they were.

A voice purred at her elbow, "The Champion of Kirkwall. What a pleasant and unexpected addition to our party. We are so honored you could attend."

She turned to see the striking woman who had stood at the Empress's elbow when she was presented. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've been introduced."

"No, so we haven't. I am Grand Duchess Florianne de Chalons."

"A pleasure to meet you. Lilias Hawke."

Florianne gave her a deep curtsy. "And you are here as part of the Inquisition?"

"More or less," Lilias said, not entirely sure herself what purpose the Inquisition had brought her for.

"But you are not a member of that entity?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Indeed." The music changed, and Florianne beckoned to the dance floor. "Come, dance with me. We shall make a sensation."

They would indeed. Lilias wasn't sure she wanted to be part of a sensation, but she also didn't think that it was wise in any way to be refusing the Grand Duchess. "By all means."

There were indeed murmurs when they took their places amongst the dancers and bowed to one another, and Lilias decided that this would be the best dance she had ever danced. She would show these snooty Orlesians what the Champion of Kirkwall was capable of.

"You dance so well, Champion."

"I had good teachers." She thought of Varric and smiled—because the alternative was to think of Alistair and cry, and she was not going to do that. Not here, anyway.

"And you hide your pain well," Florianne observed. "That is wise. Many here would use it against you at a moment's notice."

"My pain?" Lilias asked, as if she didn't know what the Grand Duchess was talking about.

"Yes. The King of Ferelden is … perhaps less gentlemanly than he might be, no? Or so my cousin has said."

"Has she? That didn't seem to be her impression of him when I spoke to her earlier."

Was it her imagination, or did the news of her chat with the Empress come as a surprise to Florianne? It seemed so for a moment, then Florianne simpered. "Celene has been raised to say what everyone wishes to hear from her. It is the basis of the Game, something every child in Orlais learns from the cradle."

"I see. In Ferelden, we're taught to speak the truth."

The Grand Duchess laughed lightly, but there was something brittle in it, something that set Lilias's teeth on edge. "So I understand. It is so refreshing to be in the company of one who has nothing to conceal."

"Thank you."

"Not at all. I simply hate to see someone so—powerful trampled on. The tales of your exploits have traveled far and wide, Champion, and seeing you now, I can truly understand them. Tell me, if there was a way to regain your position, your standing, perhaps even exceed it … would you take it?"

Lilias's immediate answer was no; nothing about being a noble in Kirkwall had ever made her happy … or, at least, not for long. But Florianne was going somewhere with this, and Lilias was intrigued enough to play along. "Possibly," she said. "I suppose it would depend on what would be expected of me."

"You are in favor of change, are you not?"

"Change is often good—when things stay the same, they can become stagnant, and stagnant waters breed disease."

Florianne laughed, and heads turned, watching them as they twirled on the dance floor. "Yes. I could not have put it better myself. Tell me, Champion, do you feel the eyes on you? They are waiting for you to make a misstep. Do you even know who amongst these people to trust?"

Lilias thought immediately of Alistair, but of course, that was impossible now. Had always been impossible, if she was being honest with herself. Varric, naturally, but he wasn't here. She opted instead to take the game to the Grand Duchess. "I might ask the same of you."

They were moving smoothly together in the intricate steps of the dance. Florianne leaned forward and whispered in Lilias's ear, "In the Winter Palace, everyone is alone. Unless, of course, they make a powerful friend."

As the music drew to a close, Lilias dipped the Grand Duchess, holding her easily, feeling the old strength coming back to her. "And if one has a powerful friend that they can trust?"

"Then one should stand ready to assist their friend in a time of need." They straightened, and Florianne curtsyed to Lilias. "A most enjoyable dance, Champion. I look forward to repeating it."

Returning the curtsy, Lilias said, "As do I."

"If you seek proof of whom to trust, perhaps you could look in the Royal Wing," Florianne suggested softly. She disappeared amongst the partygoers, leaving Lilias to look after her with concern. It sounded to her as though she had just been invited to join the plot against the Empress. She would have to find a way to discreetly tell the Inquisition.

She caught sight of Sera, the odd elf the Inquisitor had brought along, and signaled her to a quiet corner, telling her everything.

Cullen had never spent a more frustrating evening. He had finally managed to find an innocent glass of water—a surprisingly difficult thing to procure in the Winter Palace—and taken a drop of Dagna's potion, so his headache had receded, but otherwise he felt decorative and useless, two things he was decidedly not used to.

It was a relief to him to gather in a corner of the ballroom with Josephine and Leliana and the Inquisitor. Leliana seemed energized, her blue eyes very bright. Josephine was distracted, looking around nervously and constantly tugging at her jacket. Only the Inquisitor appeared as usual, cheerful and determined and dependable. Cullen wondered how he did it—he must feel as much a fish out of water as Cullen did, and yet he didn't show it.

"What do we know?" Thule demanded.

As they all began to put forth what they had learned, Sera came up, tugging at Cullen's sleeve until he bent down so she could whisper in his ear.

"Champion's been propositioned by the Grand Duchess. All very hush-hush fancy fish, but she thinks Her Royal Hairdo has something up her sleeve. Check the Royal Wing."

He nodded to Sera to confirm that he had heard her, and she disappeared again. While her methods were unconventional, there was no doubt the elf was useful to have around.

Cullen repeated what she had told him to the others, and they all nodded. It seemed everyone had found a reason to be concerned about the Grand Duchess this evening. "So we can assume she'll make the attack on the Empress tonight?"

Everyone nodded soberly.

"But we can't warn Celene—she needs these peace talks to succeed, and fleeing would only give Gaspard an advantage," Josephine said helplessly.

Leliana sighed. "Then perhaps we shouldn't step in."

Thule's eyebrows flew up. "You mean that?" She nodded, and he shook his head. "I can't just stand by and let her die, not if I know in advance. That—that would make me as bad as Corypheus."

For a moment, Cullen thought Leliana would argue, but she nodded. "I understand. But remember that what Corypheus wants, ultimately, is chaos. Even with Celene alive, he can still have that. Whatever we do, there must be no question of Florianne's guilt, or we cannot touch her."

"More than that," Cullen put in. "We not only have to save the Empress and gain proof of Florianne's complicity, we must also make certain the Empress succeeds in the peace talks. We must settle Orlais' civil war tonight, or we leave Corypheus the advantage he wants."

"All right, then." Thule nodded. "I'll go to the Royal Wing and see what's there. Leliana, you go talk to Briala; Cullen, you take Gaspard; Josephine, find Alistair and make sure he's ready to join the negotiations. The King of Ferelden's opinion will have to help."

Knowing Alistair, Cullen wasn't so sure. But he was a weapon in their arsenal, and they would have to use him as such. He nodded to the others and set off through the crowd to find Gaspard, hoping he wouldn't have to be the one to tell the Grand Duke they had just decided to keep him off the throne.