A/N: Sorry for the long break in chapters, and I know this one is fairly short, but my hope is to get back into regular updates this summer. Thank you all for reading!

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"You mean to tell me that he just…turned himself in?" Cullen asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked down at the report, like even now it might reword itself.

Dorian let out a light huff as he nodded. "As we've said, many times over. Alexius wants to make things right."

"He tried to indenture all of my people to Tevinter," Grand Enchanter Fiona snapped.

"If you'll remember, I was there." Dorian replied, voice dry. He'd known there would be some…opposition to giving his former mentor a second chance, but he'd rather hoped that everyone might skip over the long, drawn out arguments and just listen to Finley.

The one person who had been quiet during all of the arguing.

She'd been open to giving Alexius a chance since he turned himself in. Cassandra had been on edge, sure that this was some sort of trap, but Dorian had known better. Alexius had turned himself in and explained that all he'd done had been to try to save Felix from the Blight.

It made a twisted sort of sense, Dorian supposed. Who better to stave off the blight than one of the creatures fabled to have started it?

Felix's noble intentions had thwarted that plan, though. He had to have known something of his father's reasons, but he'd never brought it up to Dorian.

Just when Dorian didn't think Felix could have been a better soul, his father proved that he had been.

If only he could have teased Felix for all his heroism, for his good nature.

It hurt his heart, as though he were getting the news of his best friend's death all over again.

To get Alexius back, though… It felt like a hole in his heart might be filled, like the pain of all that he'd lost might be lessened, even a little, and so he clung to it.

He'd been ready to argue until the end of time for Alexius' chance at redemption, but Finley had needed little persuading.

That is not to say she was easy on the old man. Ever true to her nature, she was a harpy toward their fellow mage, positively grilling him for information—and none of the bits Cassandra wanted.

She wanted to understand what had driven him to Corypheus' side. To understand how he had decided that only an evil creature could be his savior.

She wanted to know how he could let himself become a monster.

Alexius had wilted a little at that question, but then he had simply replied, "Don't you have someone you would do anything for?"

Finley hadn't responded to that.

Cassandra had taken over after that, wanting to know troop movements and the like, and he had gladly told answered her every question, though he had warned her that Corypheus' people were quite easily catching more than a few of the Inquisition's ravens.

Some of the messages they were receiving had been altered, as well.

Cassandra had fallen silent as well when he had told them that the Free Marches needed them more than notes and papers could ever convey.

From there, their pace back to Skyhold had doubled, as they couldn't very well send word of what they'd learned.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, he frowned as he heard some banal argument against Alexius staying with the Inquisition, one they'd already addressed time and time again. There had been some reluctance to let him in on this meeting, but he was glad that Finley let him stay.

"I'd say it's a point to us, that we have two of Corypheus' highest ranking members sitting in our dungeon," Dorian argued. "Why not make an example out of one and use the other to our benefit. He's already said he would tell us everything he knows. Maker's ass, he's already started."

Cullen crossed his arms, frowning. "Calpernia is the one in charge of the Venatori, and she can always replace the two we have."

Dorian wanted to pull his hair out. "Why does everyone refuse to see this as the victory it is?"

"Because it's too easy," Cassandra chimed in.

Dorian wanted to scream.

It was Ambassador Montilyet who made him want to start tossing people off the ramparts. "Ferelden would likely appreciate if we turned him over to them. Most of his plots took place on their soil. If we offer him before they come demanding for him, it will show that we are not completely self-absorbed and may earn us favor with other nations as well."

"He's given us some information, already," Finley murmured, finally. "If it proves useful, I think we should keep him."

"Are we just going to keep all of our enemies then?" Grand Enchanter Fiona asked. "Magister Servis, Magister Alexius…people have noticed you've yet to do anything about Magister Erimond, either."

"He…" Finley looked a little lost at that, but her voice fell silent as people began arguing again about the fate of Alexius, as though she hadn't just spoken her piece.

Dorian wondered if he'd be as indignant on her behalf if she had spoken against him, and then shook the thought from his head. Even as he tried to counter another argument from the grand enchanter, he noticed Leliana slide up next to Finley.

"I hate to say it, but we do need to do something with Erimond."

"He wants to die," Finley replied, and for the first time the room fell silent. "I don't want to make him a martyr."

"I understand that," Grand Enchanter Fiona offered. "But unless we can find a use for him, keeping him like this is nothing but a security risk. What if they decide they want him back and storm the valley?" Cullen scoffed at that, though the grand enchanter continued before he could say anything. "Let us face it, unless he were…made tranquil, there's nothing you can get out of him, and no use to keeping him alive."

While the woman had clearly expected an instant agreement, both she and Dorian were surprised by the way Finley's brow pinched together. "If he was tranquil, he'd tell us everything he knows?" She looked up at Cullen, and Dorian could swear the man's face lost a few shades of color. "Magister Alexius' information is likely more current, and he's willing to talk to us, but would it be worth it if Magister Erimond knows something he doesn't?"

Cullen stared at her, stiff as a board, unmoving, unblinking.

Grand Enchanter Fiona interjected. "You cannot seriously consider such a thing."

Finley frowned. "You were the one who suggested it."

"Facetiously!"

"I don't think any benefits would outweigh the repercussions of such an action," Cullen finally said, even as Finley readied to argue. "We would lose the trust of the mages here, no doubt, and for what? Information that may be learned from a willing prisoner?"

Leliana nodded to Cullen and then looked at Finley, "And it would likely set the wrong precedent to the templars here, telling them that tranquility and other unseemly aspects of the Circles are to be welcomed."

While Cullen looked like he wanted to say more to that, Finley beat him to it. "So then, we keep Magister Alexius for his information and…give Erimond exactly what he wants? Really?"

"The man is mad, but he needs to be made an example of," Cullen replied. "Some will see him as a martyr, but some will see what will happen if they follow in his shoes."

That seemed to end the meeting, and Finley stood there, watching as Cullen walked out after the others. The commander paused to hold the door open for her, but when he saw Dorian hanging back as well, he quietly closed it and left.

The notion that Dorian was somehow interfering with the bet struck him as he turned to find Finley looking at him, exhausted.

"Do you think it's the right thing?"

"Careful, my dear. You don't want people saying the evil 'vint is coaching you on what to do, do you?" He joked before letting his usual carefree façade fall. "I don't think there is a best option here, but killing Erimond would probably be the only one that would…well, work. As our commander said and the grand enchanter exhibited with her utter dismay, you would lose the mages if you made him tranquil."

"Even if…" She ran her fingers through her hair, scowling and jerking her hand free when a finger caught in a tangle. More than a few strands of hair came away with her hand, and she shook them off. "I suppose there's no point in arguing it further."

"Not with me, anyway," Dorian assured her, grinning and hoping it might be infectious. "The commander, though, perhaps." When that didn't work to cause a smile, he sauntered over and looped arms with her. "Come, I've books I wanted to introduce you to. Ones about nature magic. I thought you could scoff at the ornate spell design and write in the margins how to do it better."

When he tried to move away, she stood still, resisting his friendly tug. Just as he wondered if perhaps he should let her go, she started forward, free hand reaching over to pat his linked arm. "You're a good sort, you know that?"

"None of that, dear lady. You sound like you're sounding a funeral dirge."

That finally elicited a small smile, and he grinned as they strode out of the war room, arm in arm, ignoring the few looks from nobles as he led her toward the library tower. Let them think what they want, so long as she didn't care.

However, his plans to help Finley forget some of the stress of the meeting was dashed as they entered the base of the tower and found Solas there, arguing with Cole.

Dorian tried to keep Finley going, but she pulled away, and while he heard something about the spirit not wanting to be bound by someone, as soon as it was gone, Finley welcomed Solas with a hug.

And then the conversation took a turn for the boring, as she started asking him something about Fade walking or whatever it was they did at night. She'd told him she'd wandered over and found him a few times, but didn't know how to make contact, and while Dorian was interested in the concept, he couldn't say it minded sleeping well through the night.

Finley had told him on the ride back that she was having trouble sleeping too much, and she suspected it was because of her time being so aware in the Fade. She'd thought her friends were keeping her well past dawn, but both had told her, in her dreams, that they ended their meetings with her well before the sun rose.

"What do you mean you don't wake up when we part ways?"

Dorian was at the bottom of the stairs going up when he heard Solas say that, and he turned to look back in time to see Solas motion to Finley's hands. And just like that, the carefree afternoon he'd planned for himself—and Finley if she had the time—vanished from his mind.

"Where is your ward against the Nightmare?"