"Okay kid, let's see your skills! Hit all the targets!" Shivra shouted.

Areina stood ready, bow drawn. The group had set up a collection of random objects for her to hit, each one more difficult than the last.

Ellana hadn't intended to test Ari's skills. She doubted Areina would respond well to the tactic she had taken with Miris and furthermore, duelling with an archer was generally an exercise in futility. She couldn't think of a way to test her without pushing too far. The others had, however, risen to the challenge. Each one made up a little test for each of Ari's skills and they had cheerily wiled away the day planning and executing them. Ari easily completed Miris's tracking challenge, finding the marked Halla quickly. She had even befriended the animal, leading it back to the group triumphantly. Next she had shown true mastery of the shadows, sneaking up and stealing a ribbon from Lis without her knowledge. All that was left was Shivra's bow challenge.

Ari raised her bow, hitting each target with speed and accuracy. With each strike, the group cheered jubilantly. The last target was particularly difficult. Tiny and placed off-centre between two branches, Ellana thought it was a particularly cruel placement on Shivra's part. Ari raised her bow again, drew and loosed an arrow. Much to the disappointment of them all, the arrow thudded in to one of the branches. Ari looked crestfallen.

"Don't worry, kid!" Shivra exclaimed. "That one's a real bitch."

She picked up her bow and took Ari's place, aimed and loosed her own arrow. It ricocheted off the opposite branch slightly and hit the target.

"You've got to plan for the ricochet; can't be done without that, kiddo," she said.

"That was amazing! Show me how you did it again?" Ari excitedly asked.

Leaving Shivra to show off, Lis came to sit with Ellana.

"So, what are you thinking?" she asked.

"She may be young but it looks like she's more than proven herself," Ellana replied.

"She'll do just fine," Lis added. "You hear that, kid? Sounds like you're one of us now!" Lis shouted to Ari.

Ariena shrieked with such joy that Shivra recoiled in fright. As the Dalish girl danced around happily, Shivra came over to sit with her friends.

"So, she's in! We're becoming a real rag-tag bunch aren't we?" Shivra said, laughing. "It's going to be hilarious seeing her deal with an Alienage, especially the one in Denerim!"

"An Alienage? Denerim? What are you talking about?" Ellana asked in complete confusion.

"Our next job? The whole kidnap the guy in the Alienage thing?" Shivra continued, equally confused. The thought suddenly dawned on her, "Oh, you didn't know… He didn't tell you about it? Shit…"

"No, he obviously didn't," Ellana answered angrily. "What are you talking about and how do you know this but I don't?!"

"I went to see Varden and he told me about it. Well, more warned me about it…"

"Is this a regular thing; going behind my back and fishing for information?!" Ellana questioned accusingly.

"Well, no… I wasn't trying to get any information," Shivra replied, sounding hurt. "Remember, I joined this set-up a long time ago; Varden and I have been…friends…for years. I'm not trying to one-up you or anything. I was just talking to a friend who happened to mention it. You don't need to be such a bitch about it…"

Ellana sighed, collecting herself. "I'm sorry. You're right, I overreacted. I'm just angry I didn't know."

"Damn straight," Shivra replied, back to her usual self.

"So what do you know?" Ellana asked in a gentler tone.

Shivra launched in to her explanation, hurt now forgotten, "Well, he said there was this guy, some Tevinter twat. They want him but they can't get him where he is. Luckily, the dumbass is making a trip to Denerim and apparently he has a thing for elves. Especially the ones over here; who aren't slaves and have to give him everything he wants. Twat likes the challenge apparently."

Ellana could do little to disguise her disgust. She'd heard about men like this, men who tired of getting everything they wanted and so chose to take it from the reluctant by any means necessary. Shivra nodded knowingly at Ellana's expression.

She continued, "Anyway, he's known to visit the Denerim Alienage and I don't know if you've ever seen the place but it's seedy as hell. The elves there learnt that they could make a pretty tidy living appealing to the whole 'humans want to get with the mystical elves' thing and so they have a whole set up for that kind of trade, if you get my meaning… As you can imagine, a guy like this twat fucking loves it but that's how we're going to get him. One of us will go in, seduce the fucker away from his guards and then we nab him."

Ellana couldn't deny it seemed like a good plan; the option that would result in the least loss on their side. In spite of this, the idea disgusted her.

Sensing her disgust, Shivra went on, "If it's any consolation, I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about. You are his precious princess after all, I doubt he'd ever ask you to do it," unable to hide the slight bitterness in her tone.

"Precious princess?" Areina asked quietly, having joined them.

Ellana ignored her, too angry to care. "So, what?! I'm just supposed to make one of you do that to yourselves?! Fuck that!" she shouted.

She got angrily to her feet, moving off towards the camp.

"Ellana, wait! It's fine, really, we can do this! Don't go!" Lis shouted after her.

Her protests fell on deaf ears as Ellana stormed away.

Solas had spent much of the afternoon closed away in his office pondering his discussion with the Keeper. Ellana had been right, she did know far too much. Scepticism aside, the concept of her visions had intrigued him so he had opted to research the topic. Annoyingly he had been interrupted by the arrival of some books he had requested. A comely girl had brought them up, batting her eyelashes as many had over the years. She was certainly pretty, that much he couldn't deny, but she was nothing on Ellana. He just wished she would leave so he could resume his studies but his polite attempts had so far gone unheeded. As he was considering taking a more stern approach, the door was aggressively flung open.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Ellana shouted as she entered.

Her anger took Solas and the girl by surprise. Once he had recovered, he turned to the girl.

"Leave us. Now," he said firmly.

The girl dropped the books on his desk and scurried away, taking a moment to pointlessly check out her competition.

"What are you…" was all he manged to get out before Ellana started shouting again.

"You expect me to make one of my friends fawn over some monster as what, a fucking stripper or something?! You really think I would do that to them?! They're my fucking friends, Solas! How dare you!"

"Ellana, I have no idea what you are talking about," he replied.

"Denerim! The Alienage! The Tevinter guy?!" she cried.

Finally understanding, he interjected, "Magister. He's a Tevinter Magister. And yes, I need someone who has the skill to handle the situation but also will not be immediately rejected by him. Someone from your team seemed like a natural choice. They are all more than capable, all female, are trustworthy with such an important task and fit the level of appearance he tends to demand."

"Level of appearance?!"

"Well, in my opinion they don't come close to you but I doubt he would have any objections," he replied, foolishly mistaking her anger for jealousy.

"No! There is no way I am ever going to make them do something like that! Or even ask! That is not what any of them agreed to do!" She managed to calm herself down before continuing, "I won't make them do it but if there's no other way and this is really how it has to be…then I'll do it."

"No you will not," he replied, disbelief and anger coming in to his voice. "If you are so against asking your people, then that's fine. I can find somebody else."

"No way. You think I'm just going to leave here happy knowing some other poor girl is being subjected to that? No, I'm doing it," she replied firmly. "I can handle it and you said yourself, no one comes close to me and he'll want the best."

"Do not twist my words. You are perfectly capable but it is never going to happen. I completely forbid it," he stated, his tone growing irate.

"A second ago you were acting like it's no big deal but now, when it's me, you're suddenly against the idea? You're so full of shit," she yelled.

"So that's it? You're trying to make me see the error of my ways? Find some other option that doesn't degrade some poor girl? Well, there isn't anything! This is how we get him; the only weakness we can exploit. I have no other option that won't lead to bloodshed!" he shouted in return.

"No, that isn't my intention at all. I know you will have thought of everything, you always do," she said bitterly. "I am telling you that I am doing this. Not one of my friends; not some poor girl; me. Whether you like it or not."

"No you will not. You can never do this without my approval and that is something you will never have; not for this," he said, seething.

"Fuck you, don't you dare pull rank on me! I am not some puppet; unable to move unless you choose to pull the strings!" She was right in his face now, hot with rage. "What is it?! You don't like the idea of me seducing another man?! Even when I'd be doing it for you! Or am I just too precious to corrupt with something so sordid?! Could you not look at me the same way again?! Fuck you; I thought we were stronger than that!"

With her tirade over, she stormed out of the room and slammed the door. She could hear his angry cries as she descended the tower, along with the sound of crashing furniture.

It had taken a great deal of time to calm himself but Solas had eventually managed to find some respite in sleep. He had ensured his anger was buried before entering the Fade; such emotions would only attract the unwanted attention of demons. The sight of the world he knew so well brought him some comfort but he didn't have time to enjoy it. He was looking for something, more specifically someone.

It took much longer than he had anticipated finding the Keeper but, given his curiosity, he felt it was a worthwhile journey. She was in a realm he did not know well; in an area he did not recognise. He found her on the bank of a small lake, staring intently at its surface. She didn't see him until he willed it; unable to fully act on his appearance until he allowed. This level of control meant things had always been easier for him in the Fade.

The Keeper spoke once her faculties had fully returned, "I thought you might come, Wolf. Always eager for knowledge and the power it can bring."

"This place, I do not recognise it," he mused.

"Even with all your wandering, no one can claim to have seen all of the Fade. Some places are concealed; locked away unless you know they are there. This is such a place," Mirwen added.

"And this is where you have your dreams? See the future?" he asked disdainfully.

"This is where I see the images, yes. Perhaps you could see it too if you could only see past your own limitations and try…"

"Limitations? Which exactly, do you speak of?" he enquired.

"Such a closed mind for one who has seen so much. Your intellect demands logical reasoning and factual judgements. Anything beyond that is ludicrous to you. You forget the power of belief, emotions, love, faith and everything else you can't accurately quantify," she replied wistfully.

"You make me sound like an unfeeling monster."

"No, you feel; I don't doubt that. You just don't like it. You see it as a weakness, in yourself and others," she added thoughtfully.

Solas spoke before she could go on, "I didn't come here to hear your analysis of me…"

"No, you came here to see. I can show you; it will be fruitless but I can make you see."

"Alright…" he said suspiciously.

"Come, look at the water's surface," she said, leading him towards the lake. "Look into it, see past the water to what lies beyond."

He gazed in to the water, eyebrow raised in scepticism. Much to his surprise he could see something within the murky depths; although it was difficult to make out.

"What do you see, Wolf?"

"An elf… It's Ellana," he replied, unsurprised he would see such an obvious choice.

"Yes, but what else do you see? The meaning is always in the details," the Keeper added.

He struggled to see much more detail.

"She's holding something and there's something beside her; something white and red…" As he was about to give up on this foolish display, the image slowly became clearer; as though it were rising from the depths. "It's a bird; a white bird."

"The white raven," Mirwen stated. "It's next to her?"

"Yes. It's battered and bloody but not broken; in fact it looks enraged. Ellana is bleeding too. There's a pool forming beneath her," he continued, trying to suppress the disturbed feeling he had.

"She was holding something? A flower?" Mirwen queried.

"Yes, it is a flower. How did you…?"

"I have seen this before. Is the flower damaged at all?" she asked abruptly.

"No. It looks pristine," he replied, confused by her line of questioning.

"Good," she said with a sigh of relief. "Do you see yourself?"

"No, just Ellana. Did you?" he asked.

"At times. Well, I saw a white wolf but that is how I always saw you before we met." She paused. Sighing with frustration at his confused expression, she continued "In my experience, when one hasn't met the subject of an image they take a symbolic form; a creature or an object that represents them. In your case the obvious wolf but some are not so clear."

"But you saw Ellana…"

"No, not until I met her. I see her now but back then I saw a silver doe. It had her eyes and looked like her as much as any deer can but otherwise, I had little to go on beyond that," Mirwen replied, chuckling.

"So what I see could be three people?" he asked.

"Or creatures or objects or concepts or literally what you see. It's impossible to know…"

"Well that is impractically vague," he added, his doubts returning.

"Such is the Fade, as you well know. It matters little for you. You will wake up tomorrow and convince yourself that this entire foray was foolish. You'll swear it to be some elaborate trick; on my part or on the part of one of the less-reputable denizens of this realm. You will not be dissuaded from that path, no matter what I do," Mirwen lamented.

"Is that something you've seen?" he asked, disdain creeping in to his tone.

"No, you are just more predictable than you think," the Keeper replied.

The snow still hadn't let up. Commander Cullen trudged through the parts that hadn't been removed on his way to the main keep. A runner had come to his quarters and told him there was an urgent meeting in the war room. There had been nothing planned for this afternoon and nowadays it was irregular for an impromptu meeting to be called so his curiosity was piqued. Cassandra had arrived a few days earlier on one of her regular visits so he wondered if it could be in some way related to her presence. He heard her shouting through the war room door as he walked the final corridor.

"No! I won't believe this! He must be lying!" she shouted.

He could hear a muffled response that sounded like Leliana's voice.

"This can't be true! She wouldn't do this! I can't…"

Cassandra stopped shouting as Cullen entered the room. He could see the rage in her eyes as she shook her hands in exasperation; turning away from him.

"What is going on here?" Cullen asked.

No one answered. Josephine looked sheepish in the corner and Cassandra kept her back to him. Leliana looked at them both before she finally spoke.

"It's Ellana. We've found her," she said.

"You don't know that!" Cassandra shouted. "Maybe it isn't her, maybe he's wrong!"

"It is her and he is not wrong! She matches the description, she gave her name! She knew we would know and that's why she said what she said!" Leliana replied, failing to hold in her own emotion.

"I won't believe it! She wouldn't do that to us!" Cassandra exclaimed.

"Do what?!" Cullen asked, his voice louder and more forceful than he had intended.

Neither Leliana nor Cassandra could look at him. Josephine emerged from the corner, unwilling to keep her friend in the dark any longer.

"Ellana is working for Solas," Josephine said sadly.

"What?!" he exclaimed, his face crumpling with hurt. "How is that…surely that's not possible! He abandoned her!" A thousand thoughts raced through his mind.

"It's true," Leliana said.

"Who told you this?!" he asked frantically.

"Our spy in the Namahris clan was exposed so he made his way here. He met her and she identified as an agent of Fen'Harel. He swears this," Leliana replied, her voice breaking with hurt.

"Could he be wrong?" Cullen inquired hopefully.

"The woman he met matched her description excluding hair colour; but we had suspected that may be the case. She introduced herself by name so he is certain it was her," Leliana continued.

"Why was she there? Does he know anything else?" Cullen questioned.

"She was recruiting the clan," Leliana replied. "The spy wasn't privy to the details but it seems she succeeded in her task. He says that she personally exiled him when he was found out."

"Exiled? Then she must have known he would tell us everything," he mused.

"It seems so. He said she was well aware of what she was doing; even sent a message with him," Leliana remarked, seeming surprisingly amused.

"This is not right!" Cassandra shouted. "She wouldn't! I need to speak with this man myself!"

She stormed out of the room and Leliana followed her.

Cullen approached Josephine, hoping she had answers.

"What was the message?" he asked.

"I will be hunted no longer," Josephine replied sadly.

Having spent the night in her tent, Ellana awoke with a very sore neck. She left the tent; trying to stretch out some of the pain as she walked. Her friends' worried expressions greeted her from around the fire pit.

"So…how much damage did you do?" Shivra asked.

"None!" Ellana replied indignantly. "Well…maybe some. He was pretty pissed, to say the least."

"What exactly did you do?" Miris inquired carefully.

"I told him I didn't want any of you guys involved in that stuff and…" she trailed off.

"And?" Lis prodded.

"And that I would do it instead." Ellana finished.

"Shit… No wonder he was pissed," Lis remarked.

"Look, it won't be that bad. I can get through it…" Ellana tried to say, hoping to convince herself as well.

"No!" Shivra shouted, making them all jump. "You have no idea! It's different, doing it for money; choosing to do it as a way to get by. That's your choice and you're the one in control. You can pick and choose how it goes. This is different!"

"No one's forcing me to do this, Shivra. It's my choice," Ellana said.

"You are! You're forcing yourself to do this! You don't get to choose! You'll be stuck seducing a monstrous human being! It will be worse than you imagine, even if you feel like you have to do it! You will hate yourself for every second that he is near you!" she shouted.

"Shivra, I'm…"

"No!" she yelled desperately. "Did you know he tortures and kills his slaves for fun? At least one girl disappears each time he visits that fucking city and is never heard from again. Can you guess what he does to her?! Even if it is all a ruse, you can't cosy up to someone like that and not spend the rest of your life disgusted with yourself! I know that from experience!"

Shivra's admission stunned the group in to silence. Ellana heard her friend's impassioned cries but still her determination remained. Everything Shivra had said had only strengthened her resolve.

"Thank you for caring enough to say something and I understand your concern but…"

"But you're still going to do it…" Miris added sadly.

"I have to," Ellana lamented. "Shivra, you were right in everything you said but I can't just leave someone else to go through that. I should be the one to take the hit, not any of you. Please, accept my decision and help me to move on. I don't want to fight with all of you too."

The group gradually murmured their approval with Shivra reluctantly agreeing last.

"Where's Ari?" Ellana asked, finally noticing her absence.

"Packing up her stuff. She's going to move in here," Lis answered.

"Well, that's good at least," Ellana added.

"So what are we going to do next?" Lis enquired.

"Well, Solas certainly won't be giving us any more information so I guess we need to find it somewhere else?" Ellana mused sadly.

"We could ask Varden," Shivra suggested. "He's the one who plans out all the details of these things so he'd know just as much."

"But surely he wouldn't go against his superior…he seems too loyal for that?" Ellana probed.

"Well that depends, do you think he'll have even told him?" Shivra asked. "If he hasn't given a specific order to keep the information from us then…"

"Then he wouldn't technically be doing anything wrong," Ellana said. "You think that would really work?"

Shivra smiled sadly, "It's worth a shot."

Leaving the others behind, Ellana and Shivra had proceeded to Varden's office. The entire time Ellana begged with the universe that she wouldn't see Solas and luckily for them, their journey went unheeded. As they entered the office, she felt sweet relief wash over her. He greeted Shivra warmly as she entered. For a split second, Ellana thought she saw his expression drop as he noticed her following behind.

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call, V. We want to discuss the Alienage," Shivra said.

"It is a pleasure to see you Lady Ellana. Have you heard the news of our agents in the Inquisition?" he remarked.

"No, what is it?" Ellana asked, suddenly worried.

"They've started to return. It seems your man is delivering on his promises. I should not have doubted you; you have my apologies," he said.

"That's wonderful news!" she exclaimed.

"Indeed. So tell me, have you chosen who will fell the Magister?" he asked, looking concernedly towards Shivra.

"I'm going to do it myself," Ellana replied.

"Oh…" He looked surprised but beneath that Ellana could see something that resembled respect. "Does Fen'Harel know of this?" he enquired carefully.

"Yes, he does," Ellana replied, equally reserved.

Sadly, his questioning was not done, "And how did he react to that decision?"

"Pretty much exactly as you would think. But that is beside the point, I need you to give me all the information you have on the job and on the Alienage itself," she stated.

"He no doubt forbade you to undertake this task," he added, unwilling to drop the subject. "You expect me to go against my leader's wishes…"

"Yes. He obviously hasn't told you any of this so I can safely assume he has given you no express orders to keep information from us. So with that in mind, I expect you to do your job and give us the information we need to complete the task until told otherwise," Ellana replied firmly.

"Clever," he remarked, now smiling.

Back in the forest, the two passed on all the information they had gained to the rest of the group. As Shivra had said, the Magister was due to visit the city at some point in the near future and with it, he would inevitably be drawn to the Alienage. He was just as much of a monster as she had claimed. Ellana hadn't finished reading all the information they had on him but she was already sick to her stomach. He went through slaves like they were nothing; using whatever method his sick mind desired to dispatch them. He ensured it was never quick; some suffered years in torture before death finally released them. As the years passed he had grown tired of playing with slaves, desiring less restrained prey. He took whatever opportunity he could to visit the lands where elves walked free – taking whomever he desired through either money or force. Despite his cruelty, Ellana couldn't help but sense a duality to his actions – on the one side he clearly despised elves but on the other he clearly desired them. Perhaps that desire for something so sub-human fuelled his rage. The Alienage itself was just as seedy as Shivra had described but the people had prospered as a result. Ellana had never been to an Alienage but she had heard plenty of stories; very few were in any way pleasant. She couldn't judge these people for trying to escape that life by any means necessary. In fact, she found it rather remarkable that a group of elves had found a way to flourish quite literally off the backs of humans.

When it became apparent that they would need to use the Denerim Alienage as the hunting ground for this operation, Varden set about converting its population to their cause. It was an easy task, given the conditions of the place but there were still those that he had to regrettably remove. With his task completed some time ago, it left the Alienage completely under their control. He suggested they should visit the place and get the lay of the land, a sentiment Ellana agreed with.

"I'm going to get to see an Alienage? I've never seen one before!" Ari exclaimed.

"It's going to be fucking horrible, get ready for that," Shivra added gruffly.

"Don't worry Ari, we'll look after you," Lis said playfully. "Careful where you look though, wouldn't want you to see something you're not ready for! We might need to have a talk about where babies come from before we go…"

"Shut up! I already know all that!" Ari whined.

Ellana rubbed her eyes as they light-heartedly argued. She was glad they all seemed to be getting along but she felt exhausted. Ari stopped speaking suddenly, turning her head quickly towards a sound only she heard. Ellana looked up, confused by the sudden silence.

"Shit…" Shivra whispered.

Ellana followed her gaze and felt her heart drop as she saw Solas approaching them.

"You all should probably go," Ellana said. She really didn't want to have this conversation with an audience.

"Are you sure you won't need back-up?" Lis asked.

"No, I'll be fine," Ellana said, trying to sound confident. "Just get out of here, will you?"

"Fine, fine. Let's go everyone!" Lis announced, grabbing Ari by the arm.

"Can't we just stay and listen?" Ari asked.

"Definitely not," Miris replied, grabbing her other arm.

"So who gets to shout first?" Ellana asked, hoping her comment might do something to lighten the mood.

She couldn't read how Solas was feeling. Mirwen had been right, there were times he hid himself; restraining what parts of him he would allow you to see. Such times had become a rare occurrence for Ellana. It still hurt when he chose to shut her out and the rarity did nothing to comfort that feeling. She was reminded of their relationship in the Inquisition and all the moments she had once cherished; later found to be laced with lies. She couldn't trust him when he was holding back like this.

"I don't want to fight with you, Ellana," he said evenly.

"Neither do I but I'm telling you right now, if your still bent on keeping me from doing my job then we have nothing to talk about! It isn't your place to…"

He raised a hand, stopping her before she could launch in to a new tirade.

"Ellana, I… It gives me no joy to say this. The thought of you…" He stopped short, too hurt to go on. "If I had my way, you would never be in a position like that; certainly not for my sake. Nevertheless, it was never my decision to make and I was wrong to try and force you away from your own choice. I was selfish."

Ellana took a moment to fully accept what he had said. She had expected to fight him on this until it was over.

"Thank you," she finally said. "But, I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to make such a quick turnaround, especially not after last night…"

"Varden spoke with me; made me see that your reasons reach far beyond you or I. Last night I couldn't see past my own emotions; I didn't even think about why you would choose such a path. It was selfish of me and for that, I am sorry," he continued with a genuine look of sorrow. "Although it will undoubtedly still hurt, it is your choice. A choice, I cannot rightly restrict. You mean the world to me, Ellana," he finished, pulling her in to an embrace.

Pressed against his chest, she uttered, "I know. You just wanted to protect me; I would do the exact same thing for you."

He smiled, reaching in so their lips met. Sinking in to him, she felt both his joy and his sorrow. She had never been so sure and, at the same time, uncertain of something in all her life.

"You know I love you, right? No matter what may come," she asked quietly.

"I do and I feel the same way," he replied, ensuring their eyes met. "Ar lath, ma vhenan," he whispered before kissing her once more.