So, welcome to the after-party! This fucking thing took three years to write, and I'm both happy and sad that it's over. Happy, because this is the first multi-chapter story with a cohesive plot that I've finished on this site. Sad, because, well, it's over.

Over these past three years, you've showered me with kind words, and I'm very grateful for all of them. You've stuck with this story, and you've stuck by me, through a lot. A lot has happened in these past three years, in my life as well as yours, and I'm glad that no matter where you are, we have a little bit of a connection through this story.

Thank you for choosing to be amused by me. Thank you for giving my creation all the time that you did. Our time is our most precious commodity, I believe, and thank you for parting with it for some words I typed on a computer.

Special thanks go to ClaireDuhBear, the woman is a wolf and AmyNChan. They are my editors. Thank you for turning the lead I produce into gold. I finished writing this back in September, so blame them for any delays.

To my reviewers: AmyNChan, mille libri, RogueHunter06, KingDaemonBlackfyre, Baslias, Negative Angel, Marika Haliwel, dude41, Nightingale N7, Rookk, artilyon-rand, Limited Imagination, and even those Guest reviewers – believe me when I tell you this, I have read every review at least a hundred times. No joke. Thank you for spending your time giving feedback, or just plain spazzing out. I live for the reactions, and you people never disappoint.

To all those who followed and favourited, I don't want to imagine you waiting with bated breath for the next chapter to drop, but I totally will because it feeds my ego. Seriously, thank you. You guys liked it enough to want to keep up with it and I'm very grateful for that.

What else? Oh, right. B&B: Origins. On my first playthrough, back in early 2015, Leliana just started fuckin' singing and I sat there like, "This game is awesome!" I was romancing Morrigan, but the song caught me off-guard. And then I noticed Alistair was just... staring at her as she sang. And I wondered... was something going on? And the more I wondered, the more the pairing made sense. I looked for fanart and found about five or so pieces, which I loved to bits. Fics were more common, but they were mostly one-shots and not enough to feed my obsession.

So, me being the intensely positive person I am (lies), I decided to be the change I wanted to see in the world. I asked Claire, "If I write this, will you read it?" She said yes, and three years later, here we are.

Man, that feels strange to type. Three years is a long, long time. I'd always had trouble with writing characters I didn't create myself and Alistair and Leliana were no exception. I got to know them better as I wrote them. You can't write anybody you don't somewhat understand. That's why empathy is so important for writers. Anyway, it got easier. Alistair and Aedan were easy because I just had to write about myself but Leliana I had a hard time with. Firstly, she was a woman and I wasn't. Secondly, the story she tells you in Origins is different from what we play through in Leliana's Song.

So, I had to sit down and psychoanalyse her. This is where the wiki and YouTube helped me immeasurably. I watched all the character interactions I could, trying to figure out what the motivation was behind her every sentence. I was obsessed. Helps that I have a thing for redheads, too. Anyway, I like to think I did a decent-ish job. None of you ever complained, so yay.

You know, I had no idea where I was going with this story when I first started. I just made it up as I went along. And I worked on other things in-between. Hence, the month-long disappearances between updates. 2018, however, changed a lot of things. I finished my first ever novel in June. Wrote it in eleven days. Did nothing else. Other than watch movies and go out with friends. But yeah, 62,000 words in eleven days isn't bad, as far as I'm concerned. When I finished that, I said to myself, "I am not writing anything else until I finish B&B."

So, I did. And, fuck me, it hurt to stop. Every day, from July to September, I woke up and went to write Alistair and Leliana. To suddenly not have that anymore… it was so strange. A bittersweet feeling if ever there was one. And now, I'm reliving it all over again.

Saying goodbye is always a bitch. The characters are a part of me by this point, and to say goodbye to them, and you guys as well, is hard, I will admit. That's why this note is so long. I'm just putting it off.

I loved this story. When I got the block, I would write a chapter or two of this. B&B chapters were always small, and they always helped. This is my most well-received story till date. And let me say this: You people, and your every follow, favourite and review, made all the hours of writing with block, headaches, backaches, heartache, flu, frustration, constipation, academic bullshit and everything else not only worth it, but enjoyable. I loved every minute of it. So, thank yourselves. You got this done.

And that's that. It's over. Now, I'm going to spend all my time on my Skyrim story which I've been writing for five – soon to be six – years. And also my blog. That's a thing.

If you're reading this now, or later when it's all said and done, don't hesitate to send me a PM to talk about the story or the games or life in general. I'm a social media hermit, but I do have Discord. If you want to talk on there, let me know.

One last round of thanks to everyone who ever read, reviewed, followed, or favourited. You're the real MVPs here.

To Claire, Amber and Zara, you've made my writing what it is today. Thank you for your time and your patience. I love you all, useless as you may be.

Finally, I'd like to thank my hands, for always staying by my side; my legs, for always supporting me; and the wiki and YouTube videos for being there because I never played Inquisition.

And so, without further ado, a parting gift from me to you. Enjoy:

"My agents have found nothing," Leliana reported as she walked in. "With the eluvians, he could be anywhere."

"With the Inquisition officially disbanded, we have nothing." Cassandra shook her head. "No army, no formal alliances..."

"No Commander..." Scout Harding added.

"Cullen is retired and happily married." Cassandra waved it off, smiling. "Let him run his shelter for reforming templars. He and Solona are doing good work."

"We have what we truly need," Leliana said and looked at Alistair, who smiled.

Cassandra, however, sighed. "We need to be careful."

"Solas knows everything about us. Who we are, how we work, our strengths, our weaknesses..."

The Inquisitor nodded. "Then we find people he doesn't know."

"If I may," Alistair cut in. "I think I can help with that. Kill two birds with one stone."

He raised an envelope, smiling victoriously, and slapped it down on the table. It wasn't signed, but on the back was drawn a laurel wreath, resembling two white wings.

The heraldry of the Couslands.

"It came from Highever only two days ago," he announced and exchanged a look with Leliana.

Ellana smiled faintly as she looked at it. "I assume you've read it?"

"Yes," Leliana answered. "He didn't say where he was, or what he was doing, though."

"But what he did have to say was…" Alistair took Leliana's hand. "Promising."

"Then it is settled." The Inquisitor looked about the room. "We will save Solas from himself... if we can. Even if he doesn't want to."

With that, she drove the dagger in her hand into the map open before her, marking the next destination.

The Tevinter Imperium.

I know the Warden will never show up again. Let me live, dammit! But, yes. That's all, folks. Show's over. Now go home.