"Fasta Vass." Fenris growled as he sulked back into the room. He flopped his weight down carelessly on the spare bed, making it creak ominously. He shot a glare at Dorian. The man was still snickering from that...display they'd just witnessed. If that was what these southern templars were made of, he couldn't fathom why the magisters would ever fear them.

Dorian poked his head out the door, hoping to see the aftermath of Alistair's epic show of embarrassment. But alas, he was met with disappointment. They seemed to have had the sense to retreat into whatever room they commandeered and they were much too far to hear anything of their conversation. He hovered over Ayden for a brief moment, just to make sure he was still sleeping soundly. The boy had the apparent ability to snooze through shrill screams. Dorian envied that a bit. Ah, what he wouldn't give for a proper night's sleep. "Oh, come now. At least it was entertaining."

"Annoying, you mean."

"Everything annoys you."

"Including you."

"Oh, you wound me!" Dorian could have practically predicted the precise moment Fenris would roll his eyes. It dawned on him that they had spent entirely too much time together. It seemed Fenris had a similar thought, judging by the glare he shot him. "Oh do try to lighten up. Your brooding isn't helping anyone."

Fenris stretched himself out on the bed, allowing his eyes to rest for only a moment. There was no telling when they'd be able to enjoy this kind of comfort again. "My mood suits me just fine."

"Well, your mood annoys me."

"My sincerest apologies. I shall endeavor to exist with less offense."

Dorian shot him a skeptical look. "What? Really?"

"No." Fenris deadpanned, not even bothering to look at him.

"Ah, of course not. Maker forbid you'd even try to be personable."

"I wasn't aware we were here to make friends."

It was Dorian that rolled his eyes now. "We're not making friends. We're surviving. By any means necessary." He grew a smug look as Fenris turned his scowling face towards him again. "Isn't that right, my friend?"

Fenris didn't appreciate having his own words thrown back at him. Especially seeing as how he wasn't exactly proud to have said them in the first place. Fighting for survival had led them to do some terrible things. He wasn't eager to remember or admit it. He thought briefly about how he may have to tell Ashley about it...if he ever got to see her again...

His scowl further deepened as he turned his attention back to Dorian. "I hardly think signing yourself to the Wardens was necessary to survive."

Dorian huffed a laugh. "Yes, because the city was in such a state of normalcy. We should have just simply walked on through the gates. Maybe even have taken the scenic route! But oh, that's right-it was overrun with darkspawn, wasn't it? Such a miracle that we managed to avoid it all. It was almost as if we partnered with someone uniquely skilled enough to allow us to avoid the worst of it."

"Your sarcasm does you no credit."

"Ha! You sound like my father. Tell me, do you plan to berate me for my life choices next, hmm? Perhaps you have a secret blood magic ritual in the works?"

That touched a nerve. Fenris shot upright, swinging his legs around the edge of the bed to face Dorian. "How can you be so bloody flippant?! Don't you understand what you've done?"

"Oh, come now, don't start acting like you care. I might get the wrong idea."

"Fenhedis!" He stood up, pacing around the room like a caged animal. "What am I supposed to tell Ashley when you die, hmm?"

Dorian waved off his concern. "Don't be so dramatic."

"Dramatic?! If that damned ritual doesn't kill you, what makes you think you'll even survive long after?"

"Oh, please. Killing darkspawn isn't nearly as dangerous as attending one of Danarius's parties."

Fenris shook his head at him disapprovingly. "I should have known."

"Known what exactly? It's so hard to keep up with your particular brand of crazy."

There was a fire behind Fenris's expression now. For a moment, Dorian was scared he was going to hit him. "After all that we went through...you're giving up, aren't you?"

Dorian scoffed. "Well, it's not like I have much waiting for me back home. I managed to get your sorry ass back over the wall in one piece. As far as I'm concerned, that's all I promised Ashley to do."

"You fucking coward!"

Dorian shrugged. "I prefer the term: practically logical."

Fenris stared him down for a long, tense moment. His rage seemed ready to boil over. "I won't sit here and watch this."

"Then don't."

"You can't be serious."

"Why? It's not like I need you now. I have plenty of muscle around here." Dorian turned towards the open balcony doors, leaning against the door frame casually. "By all means, run on back to your beloved. Do give her my regards."

He heard Fenris's footsteps come close behind him. It took a good amount of willpower not to look back, to keep this up. Just a little more and it would be over. His plan would work. He didn't have to hold out long, however. It was only a couple of short moments before he heard Fenris stomp away from him. Dorian took a deep, calming breath when he was sure he was finally gone.

Maker forgive him, but he had to do it. The stupid bastard would have stayed with him until the end. They bitched and griped but Dorian knew Fenris had grown to respect him. They'd be dead if it weren't for each other. He knew Fenris wouldn't have been able to leave him behind. Much as he'd hate to admit it, he was his friend now. The half-elf certainly had more than his share of infuriating qualities, but he had his finer ones too. He was a loyal friend and a steadfast ally. He wasn't going to leave until he felt unwanted. It was better this way, at least that's what Dorian was trying to tell himself. He'd go straight for Kirkwall now. It'd be only a matter of days before he was happily spending his nights with Ashley once again. He said a silent prayer, hoping that the Maker would watch over his friends.

He snapped back to attention when he just barely heard quiet footfalls. Dorian forced himself back into the facade he'd have to maintain. "What? Did I not make myself clear?"

Before he turned to look behind him, he caught sight of something that made his blood run cold. Fenris was already on the ground, a good distance away from the building. He was walking briskly into the forest...if it wasn't Fenris behind him...?

Dorian flipped around instantly, a fireball already forming in his hand. At first he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. But something wasn't right. The room felt threatening now. He tried to tell himself it was just him losing his mind but somehow he just knew that wasn't the case. He kept his eyes scanning the room as he crept towards Ayden.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Rainier suddenly yelling from the adjacent room. "Shrieks! Everyone on your feet, now!"

Dorian took his eyes off of Ayden for the shortest of moments. When he looked back, he found one of those blighted creatures looming over the boy. Dorian launched the fireball in his hand at the Shriek, his panic forcing him to make it as powerful as he could manage. The Shriek cried out as the spell collided with it. In the next moment, it was suddenly reduced to a pile of ash.

Ayden awoke with a start. He let out a frightful scream as he shot upright. He frantically brushed the ash off of his chest.

Dorian rushed over to him, grasping him by the shoulders firmly. The poor boy was shaking like a leaf but at least he was safe, right? "It's alright, I've got you."

The boy kept screaming, but now he was pointing at something behind Dorian. Before the mage could react, Alistair burst through the doorway. He roared as he cleaved the monster in half. Solona wasn't far behind him. She shot right over to Ayden, snatching him up in a tight grip.

Alistair sighed with relief and gave Dorian a grateful look. But the sounds of scuffling in the hallway quickly drew their attention. Before either of them could get out there to help, Rainier appeared in the doorway. His expression was as grave and serious as it ever was. He scanned the room quickly before addressing Dorian. "Where's your man?"

Dorian huffed a laugh. This was hardly the time to correct the Warden's assumptions, unfortunately. So instead, he settled for a response laced with sarcasm. "We broke up."

Rainier rolled his eyes as he motioned for them to follow. "We're leaving, now. If the shrieks found us, the rest will be here soon."

The hallway was almost completely coated with ice. Frosty spikes secured half a dozen shrieks to the walls. Salem strolled up to Rainier with a curt nod, her whole posture read like someone who was still ready to attack at a moment's notice. "It's done, Commander."

Rainier looked over the scene behind her with wide eyes. "Maker's Balls, woman..." He shook the unnecessary thoughts out of his head, snapping himself back into being the leader once again. "Salem, take the rear guard. Templar, you're in front of her. Pavus is behind me, Amell is behind Pavus." He snapped his head at each of them, directing them until they were in their spots. "Do not lose sight of each other. Do not run unless I bloody tell you to. When shit hits the fan, we protect Amell and the boy above all else."

He looked back for only a short moment to address Solona. His voice was still commanding but his tone seemed sympathetic. "You keep a hold on him until I say so, you hear? Don't let go of him for a moment."

Solona nodded once to him before hauling Ayden into her arms. She directed him to fold his limbs around her and she tightened her grip around him. Alistair wrapped his shield arm around them momentarily, giving them both a quick kiss to their foreheads. "We'll make it, I promise." He cringed at Ayden's bewildered reaction, but Rainier snapped him out the spiraling thoughts in his head.

"Let's move." Rainier waited until Alistair returned to his spot before moving. "Keep to formation until we hit the highway. We're not stopping again until we reach Denerim."