As they tried to hurry to reach the Circle Tower, Alistair suggested they make camp for the night and continue in the morning, that way they had enough strength in case anything were to happen there or on the way there. Elissa agreed and they made their camp, ate a small meal, and went to retire for the night. Sten insisted he take watch, not feeling tired or weary physically. As Elissa lay in her bed roll, staring at the tent's ceiling, Alistair rolled over and looked at her.
"Elissa, are you awake?" he asked, keeping his voice down.
Elissa looked over at him and nodded. "Is something on your mind?"
He sat up and looked at her. "You know… maybe this isn't the best time to be thinking about this, but I've something to ask you."
Elissa sat up, her hair a loose bun. "What is it, Alistair?"
"Chances are we'll be heading to Denerim soon, and when we're there I wonder if we might be able to… look someone up." He said, rubbing his neck.
"You have a friend outside of the Grey Wardens?" Elissa asked, pulling her hair out of its bun and brushing it out with her fingers.
Alistair blushed, thankful that the dim lighting coming into the tent from the fire outside hid it from her. "I-I'm not talking about a friend, exactly. And no, it's not sort of that friend, either." He added, seeing her eyebrow raise.
"Then what is it, Alistair? Who do you want to go and see?" Elissa asked as she stood to come closer to him.
Blushing even more as Elissa sat down next to him in nothing but a soft pair of cotton leggings and a loose fitting tunic that was loosened in the front enough for him to see the top of her breasts, Alistair looked at her and tried to ignore how beautiful she looked as her hair fell in small curls around her face. "The thing is, I have a sister. A half-sister. I told you about my mother right?" He watched as Elissa nodded. "She was a servant at Redcliffe Castle, and she had a daughter… only I never knew about her. I don't think she knew about me, either. They kept my birth a secret, after all. But after I became a Grey Warden I did some checking and… well, I found out that she's alive. In Denerim."
"So you want to go and see her? Have you even contacted her yet?" Elissa asked.
Alistair shook his head. "No, I thought about writing her, but I never did. And then we were called down to Ostagar and I never got the chance." He sighed. "She's the only real family I have left, the only family not also mixed up in the whole royal thing. I've just been thinking that… maybe it's time I went to see her. With the Blight coming and everything, I don't know if I'll ever get another chance to see her. Maybe I can help her, warn her about the danger, I don't know."
Elissa smiled and touched his knee. "If you want, we could try. What do you expect her to do, though?"
Alistair sighed. "I'm not sure. I don't know anything about her except her name and where she lives. Her name is Goldanna and I think she remarried but still lives just outside the Alienage. If we're in the area… well, it's worth a look."
"Of course, Alistair. If we have need to go to Denerim, I'll go with you to see your sister. Family is important; I just wish I knew where Fergus was." Elissa said, smiling.
Alistair reached up and touched her cheek. "I'm sure your brother is fine, wherever he is. Just have faith."
Elissa hugged him, causing him to blush some more. "I know. Now, let's get some sleep."
Alistair nodded and watched as Elissa went back over to her bed roll. Reokai came into the tent and laid down next to her, quickly falling asleep. Alistair smiled and watched as Elissa got comfortable and wrapped an arm around her mabari before she too fell asleep. Laying back in his bed roll, Alistair smiled to himself and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep as well.
When Elissa and her companions reached the Circle tower, they learned that it had been overtaken by demons and abominations. No one knew the cause, but Elissa managed to convince the Templar guarding the docks to let them across. Once inside the tower, Elissa spoke with Greagoir, the Knight-Commander, and convinced him to let them inside the tower to search for survivors and kill the abominations within the tower halls. As they made their way through the halls, they came across Wynne- a senior enchanter that Elissa had met in Ostagar- who told them of what happened, or what she knew at least, and agreed to go with them to find the First Enchanter Irving. If they found Irving before it was too late, he could tell Greagoir that all was well and there would be no need for the Right of Annulment. They pressed forward, slaying many abominations and shades, some rage demons, and freed those mages who were unaffected and unharmed. Keeping their path set before them, Elissa led her companions through the halls until they reached a room where an abomination trapped them, lulling them to sleep and trapping their minds within the Fade.
Elissa found herself alone, but she knew she had to find the others and get out of there. She went through each section of the Fade, going to each island and conquering them and slaying the demons that ruled over each one. She mastered the abilities she gained within the Fade and took different forms- a golem, a burning corpse, an Arcane Horror, and a mouse- which each gave her different abilities and advantages. She managed to find each of her companions, trapped within a dream control by a demon. She managed to convince them that it wasn't real, freeing them from the spell, and defeated the demons that wanted to keep them there. Once their demons were defeated, Elissa watched as they suddenly disappeared. She was worried, but when she found her way to the last of the demons- the Sloth demon that trapped them in the Circle tower- they rejoined her, appearing at her side. The Sloth demon had tried to keep them separated, but they were together again and overcame the power holding them. The man who had been helping Elissa understand the Fade- Niall- told them to take the Litany of Adralla and use it against Uldred, the mage responsible for all of the blood mages and the attacks within the tower.
Finally free, Elissa and her companions made their way to the Harrowing Chamber. Just outside of the chamber, they encountered a Templar named Cullen who had been tortured and tried to convince Elissa to kill all of the mages. He didn't approve of her wanting to try and save everyone, but Uldred or one of his mages had him trapped within a barrier. Knowing he would be safe, Elissa led everyone up into the Harrowing Chambers where they confronted and defeated Uldred, who had taken the form of a Pride Demon. The Litany of Adralla was a huge help and they were able to save Irving and a few more mages with it. Once the First Enchanter was safe, they returned downstairs, Cullen close behind them, and told Greagoir the good news. After explaining what happened, Greagoir agreed to rebuild the Magi Order within the Circle tower and Irving agreed to send his mages to aid the Wardens- all two of them. Elissa asked if he could go to Redcliffe with them and save Connor, and Irving agreed. They left quickly and returned to Redcliffe Castle where Irving prepared the ritual and asked who Elissa wanted to send in. Elissa thought it would be a good chance for Jowan to redeem himself and asked that he go and free Connor from the demon's grasp.
Anxiously, she waited for Jowan to return and paced back and forth in the hall. When word came that all was well, Elissa followed Teagan and the Arlessa to Eamon's quarters, where they found Connor playing and having no memory of what transpired. All was well again, but Isolde was worried that without the Urn of Sacred Ashes, Eamon would not recover. Needing him as an ally and for the sake of how much he meant to Alistair, Elissa agreed to search for the Urn of Sacred Ashes. As they departed from the room, Elissa got a strange feeling and went into the arl's study. She hated being nosy, but she opened one of the drawers and found an amulet inside. She pocketed the amulet, recalling something, and rejoined her companions as they left Redcliffe and headed towards Denerim.