Somewhere We Belong

by RogueHunter06

While searching for his missing sister, Mardin comes across a woman named Hawke instead. She offers to help him if he will help her in return with an expedition she is planning. He agrees, having no idea what he's just gotten himself into. Sequel to Together or Not At All. M for eventual lemons, Origin and OC cameos.

19. Corypheus

A/N: New chapter for all! I actually had most of this done last weekend, but couldn't find the time to put finishing touches on it until today. It's only a bit over a month so not too bad though!

We finally get to the big fight with Corypheus in this one and thus the end of the Legacy DLC! Act 2 will finally start in the next chapter, which I hope to have up in a month or less if time allows. Anyway, hope everyone enjoys - this chapter has a mix of action and drama/character stuff so there's quite a bit going on!

Thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, and read the story so far - I'm glad you're all enjoying it!

Extra special thanks to my two awesome reviewers of the last chapter - Ioialoha and Lethal Dragon. I seriously appreciate you guys taking the time to review as it always makes my day!

PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW EVERYONE - 150TH REVIEW GETS A GIFT FIC!

Disclaimer: Still don't own any characters or dialogue you recognize from the game - just my characters and the rest of the story :).

Chapter 19: Corypheus

Mardin frowned, sticking close to Brianna's side as he looked forward, towards the tower beyond the bridge they were on, where Larius was staring in horror. Sure enough, a group of four Wardens, all dressed in the blue and silver armor that Alistair and Carver wore (with the exception of the one wearing robes out in front, which were still blue and silver) came marching towards them. The severe-looking woman in the robes who strode in front of the others was clearly a mage, the end of a staff showing over her shoulder, and she was the one who gave Mardin the most pause.

As he'd told Brianna, it was more difficult to sense individual threats down here, as the whole place felt so overwhelmingly dangerous, especially as they got closer to Corypheus, but even still, just looking at this woman's face caused an uncomfortable – and familiar – twinge in his gut. They couldn't trust her. The others in the group didn't bother him, but she appeared to be the leader, and he knew well enough that soldiers following a dangerous leader blindly could be equally capable of terrible things, even if they themselves were decent people. This could be bad. He put his hand to his sword hilt as the new group got closer, the woman saying as she went, "Something's happening. The prison's breaking down. But it's stood up to tunnelling before. What can . . ."

At that precise moment, she finally spotted them – or more precisely, Brianna in front, that wretched staff still in her hand. "You! You have the key! And you've come through the seals. But how? Wait . . . you can't be, can you? You're Hawke, the child of Malcolm?"

"Malcolm Hawke is my father, yes," Brianna answered slowly, clearly uncomfortable after the warning Larius had given them. Who, now that Mardin realized it, appeared to have disappeared again after delivering said warning.

The severe-looking woman nodded, her bright green eyes piercing as she stopped about six feet away from Brianna, the other Wardens ranging themselves behind her. "The Carta said they were close. I am pleased they finally succeeded in bringing you here. I am Janeka. I lead this unit of Grey Wardens."

Alistair chose this moment to step forward on Brianna's other side. "What exactly are you leading them to do?"

Janeka's gaze snapped to him, her eyes widening in brief surprise before she frowned. "The Ferelden Commander? I suppose I should not be surprised to find you in the company of civilians. The better question is what are you doing here? You shouldn't even know about this place, much less be bringing civilians with you into the Deep Roads. Again," she finished derisively.

Alistair shrugged. "It would be hard not to know about this place when I'm already here, wouldn't it? As for the civilians, they were already coming here to find out why the Carta attacked them, as you pointed out. I merely came along to determine if it had anything to do with the Wardens, and it seems it does. So I'll ask you again: why are you here?"

"We don't answer to you," Janeka sneered as the other Wardens looked back and forth between her and Alistair. "You are not our Commander."

"I suppose that's true," Alistair replied, "but oddly enough, I had this strange notion that we were all on the same team. You know, supposedly united against the darkspawn and the Blight and all?"

"If you were meant to know what was going on here, Weisshaupt would have already told you," Janeka snapped. "Instead, it appears you are doing whatever you please, just as you have always done."

Alistair frowned, and Mardin could see the clear scowl on his sister's face as she came up by Alistair, knowing that she would soon be losing her temper at the clear lack of respect Janeka was showing to her mate, but Brianna interrupted before the argument could go any further. "Why are you so interested in my father? Or my brother and I, for that matter?" She gestured to Carver, standing just behind her along with the others.

Janeka turned to look at her, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Then you don't know? Without Malcolm, this prison would have fallen thirty years ago."

"Let me guess, it had something to do with this?" Brianna asked, holding up that strange staff again.

Janeka nodded. "The Grey Wardens built this prison to contain one of the most powerful darkspawn we've ever encountered. But even the best magic fades. The Wardens need to reinforce the seals. This requires the blood of a mage untainted by . . . Warden training. The last to perform the ritual was your father."

"Impossible," Carver said firmly. "Our father couldn't have been a blood mage. He was very much against it."

"To avert the Blights, forbidden magics are sometimes necessary," Janeka retorted. "Ask your Commander there, what he and his 'hero' friend did to survive the last Blight."

All heads snapped to Alistair at this, who didn't reply to the obvious taunt, though Mardin could see his jaw tighten with obvious anger. Ayla, he saw also, didn't look surprised at the accusation, only angry with Janeka. Mardin had known she hadn't told him everything about this Blight that she and her mate fought, likely because she was keeping some of these Warden secrets that seemed to be everywhere, but he couldn't help but feel a little curious to find out the whole story – and a little disappointed that she hadn't told him, secrets or no. Anders and Carver, he noted, were completely shocked, but Carver recovered quickly, shaking his head. "Forbidden magics might be acceptable for Wardens, but my father knew better."

"He did not bind the demons, if that is your concern," Janeka answered, turning her attention back to Carver and Brianna. "That was done in another era, before the Chantry's laws. Your father merely reinforced the seals."

Brianna sighed. "And since our father is dead, the Carta needs our blood to open the seals. That's why they came after us."

Mardin scowled, rage swirling through him anew at the reminder of the attack by those bloody dwarves. They'd tried to kill her – and Carver – and he would never forget that, or forgive it. And it almost sounded like this Janeka might be in league with the Carta. Certainly she'd been aware of their attempts to come after Brianna - and for that alone he couldn't trust her.

"We need your help, Hawke," Janeka said as Mardin pondered how best to get rid of her without his sister or Brianna getting hurt. "I have done extensive research on this darkspawn and I believe the original Wardens were wrong. He isn't a threat to humanity – he's our greatest opportunity. A darkspawn who can talk, feel, reason . . ."

"Corypheus cares nothing for Blights. He used you!" Larius interrupted, appearing again from wherever he'd run off to this time.

"The Warden Commander!" cried one of the other Wardens, an older warrior with greying hair. He looked shocked and appalled at Larius' appearance, and Mardin couldn't help but wonder if, given the man's age, he had once served under Larius' command.

"Don't listen to this . . . creature," Janeka snarled. "He's half-darkspawn himself. I know how to harness Corypheus, use his magic to end the Blights."

"No, the Wardens knew," Larius said, sounding more firm than Mardin had yet heard him. "Corypheus is too powerful."

"Don't do it, Hawke," Anders added from behind them, where he stood next to Carver. "We've been down this road before with the talking darkspawn. They can't be trusted and they can't be used."

"Worth the risk," Varric disagreed. "If he doesn't help, it's one more big darkspawn to stick a bolt in. No big deal."

Brianna glanced at Mardin, raising her eyebrows in silent question, and he shook his head, keeping his voice low as he murmured, "You can't trust her, or anything she says."

"Anders is right, they're too dangerous," Alistair added. He turned to Janeka. "You might think you can harness his magic, use it to your advantage, but it won't work. It will only make everything worse. I've seen it happen before, when a mage thought they could control something they couldn't."

"Of course you would say that, the Templar Warden Commander," Janeka sneered at him. "You don't understand magic, and you're too frightened to let us use it, even if it means stopping future Blights."

Alistair rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up in obvious frustration. "By Andraste's flaming sword, I am not a Templar! I have some of the training, but I never became one before I joined the Wardens. I am a Warden, first and foremost, or I would not be recruiting mages away from the Templars in the first place. And more than that, I am the Warden Commander of Ferelden, and the only Warden here who has actually fought against a Blight, since you Orlesian Wardens allowed politics to stop you last time there was a Blight. So you should be showing me some respect."

Ayla beamed at her mate with obvious pride, while Janeka glared at him, and Mardin thought once more with a bit of grudging respect that he could see why his sister had picked this man as her equal, even if he didn't like it. Janeka opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, Larius interrupted her once more. "Corypheus calls her, and she listens. She brought him the Carta, sent them for you."

"Of course I did," Janeka snapped. "I need you!"

"You need me or my blood?" Brianna retorted evenly. "They tried to kill me, and my brother, as well as anyone who tried to stop them."

"I gave no such order," Janeka said.

Brianna frowned at her, as Mardin tightened his grip on his sword hilt, certain the woman was lying. "So you say. Besides, how could you trust any deal some ancient darkspawn makes with you?"

"Do not think me foolish, Hawke," Janeka replied. "I am making no deal. I have a spell which can control Corypheus, bind him to my will. He will be a new, important weapon in the war on the Blights. No more, no less."

Fenris snorted. "How like a mage to resort to any justification for using blood magic."

Janeka glared at him. "There is no way to avoid using blood magic in this case, even if I wished to. The Wardens imprisoned Corypheus before the Chantry banned such magic. It is the only way to hold him."

"You're not helping the case for releasing him," Carver pointed out. "Father would not want this."

Even as he was saying this, Brianna turned to Mardin, asking in a low voice, "You're positive? I can't trust her?"

Mardin nodded firmly. "She can't be trusted, I'm sure of it. Even if she's right about Larius being half-darkspawn, he's the one that I feel is more trustworthy. If she wants Corypheus free, it's not for the right reasons."

"Okay." Brianna turned to Janeka, raising her voice as she faced the other mage down. "Corypheus may be as great a threat as the next Blight. We can't risk freeing him."

Janeka scowled. "We'll find a way to do this with or without you, Hawke. And as for you," as she turned to Alistair, "you shouldn't be interfering in the business of other Wardens. Did you not say we're all on the same team?"

"It would seem we're not," Alistair replied coolly, "if you are working to keep secrets from myself and the other Fereldan Wardens. And no matter whether we're on the same team, if I think you're doing something you shouldn't be, I'll do what I have to in order to stop you."

"Weisshaupt made a grave mistake, giving you command of the Fereldan Wardens," Janeka said scornfully.

Alistair shrugged, quickly gripping Ayla's arm as Mardin noticed his sister was a moment away from leaping to attack the other Warden. "Well, you're probably not wrong, but it's too late now, isn't it?"

Janeka whirled away, snapping at the three behind her, "This prison will be broken. The Blights will end. Come!" She turned back the way they had come, throwing down flames to block her path even as Mardin raced forward, Brianna at his side.

They both halted abruptly at the wall of flames in front of them, turning to look at the others. Larius was gesturing to them, pointing in the opposite direction where a set of stone stairs led up. "With me. We will beat them to the seal."

He raced towards the stairs, and Mardin and Brianna turned to follow, the others hurrying along behind them. Mardin could hear Merrill saying as they went, "She doesn't seem like a very nice Warden," and Carver's muttered reply of, "No, she really doesn't."

By that point, they had reached the top of the stairs and entered a room, Larius saying as they hurried in, "This . . . this was part of the prison's defenses from centuries ago. Old wards . . . unstable, dangerous. The Wardens had them neutralized. Bringing them back to life will stall Janeka." He pointed to some sort of power switch on the wall to the left.

Brianna nodded and hurried over to activate it, and they moved on once more, following Larius as he led them across another stone bridge to yet another tower. Mardin could see Janeka and the other Wardens on the balcony across the way, Janeka blasting through a barrier that had blocked their path.

"If Larius is right about Corypheus, we're going to have to hurry," Anders muttered from behind them, and Brianna nodded grimly as they all picked up their pace.

In the next room, Larius shouted at them all as they raced in, "Do not touch anything! The old defenses are active again. Very unpredictable, very dangerous."

No sooner had he finished saying that when several hooded Carta dwarves came running in from the other entrance. One pointed at Brianna, crying, "There! That's the one Janeka wants dead!"

Mardin snarled at him, fully ready to rip apart another group of dwarves, as Brianna asked, "You do Janeka's bidding?"

"Janeka shared knowledge of Corypheus with the Carta," the dwarf retorted. "When she releases the Master, we will be rewarded."

Mardin scowled, hearing confirmation of what he'd already suspected about Janeka, and heard Ayla murmur behind him, "See, I told you she couldn't be trusted."

"You were right, love," Alistair replied quietly. "I would have preferred not to fight with my fellow Wardens, but it seems we have no choice."

"So that bitch was responsible for what happened to Gerav, then?" Varric snapped.

Brianna sighed. "It would seem so. It looks like Corypheus did corrupt her, if she's essentially feeding the Carta to him. I don't suppose you'd just get out of our way?" she added hopefully to the dwarves.

The dwarf shook his head, looking at some sort of device on the stone pillar next to him. "We may die here, but we will take you with us."

"No, don't!' Larius shouted, but it was too late.

The dwarf had already raced forward, swatting at the device, even as a bolt from Bianca flew towards him, piercing him in the shoulder. The pillar spun around, and one of the glowing orange barriers popped up in the doorway the dwarves had just entered from. The dwarf grimaced, pulling his sword even with the bolt still hanging out of his shoulder, shouting, "To arms, and pray that Corypheus honors our sacrifice!"

Mardin had drawn his sword, and put himself between Brianna and the onrushing dwarves, Carver and the others moving to join him. Mardin brought the first dwarf, the one Varric had already wounded, down with two brutal strokes, and moved on to the next, quite happy to take his rage out on them. Though several dwarves had been trapped in the room with them, the fight was over quite quickly, almost too much so for Mardin's taste. He hadn't quite worked through all his fury yet at hearing Janeka wanted Brianna, in particular, dead. He would be the one to kill that woman the next time he saw her, he vowed to himself.

Brianna came up and laid a hand on his arm, and somehow the remaining rage seemed to drain right out of him again. He sometimes found it unnerving, the way she affected him. Like last night, when he'd held her while they slept. He had found it surprisingly comforting, and she had done an excellent job of reassuring him about his worry and fear over his sister's fate. He found the very fact that she could comfort him so easily disturbing, however. He decided not to analyze the matter too deeply, though, since he had plenty of other things to worry about. She smiled up at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he reassured her. "Just, ah, annoyed with the whole situation."

Larius stalked past them, staring at the orange barrier. "Trapped! Carta fools, always where they don't belong. This shouldn't have happened."

Brianna turned to him, her hand dropping away from Mardin's arm. "Don't worry, we'll find a way out. We always do, right?" She looked back to the others, smiling, and they agreed in spite of the worry on their faces.

"Hawke's right," Merrill agreed, smiling brightly. "We just have to figure out how to turn the defenses back off, that's all."

Carver smiled at her as Larius paced back and forth, muttering to himself, "Yes, yes. Think. There must be a way. I was here once before, a long time ago." He glanced at the walls and pillars around them, the only things occupying the room other than some unusual streams of orange energy joining some of the pillars. "The magic . . . the magic flows in streams. They must be joined for the way to open. Yes, yes, that's it."

"We have to get all the streams to join together?" Anders asked, and Larius nodded emphatically.

It took several minutes of turning the devices on the pillars and experimenting, but finally they figured out how to get the streams of energy to join each other from one doorway to the other, which caused the barrier to disappear instantly, along with the streams. Larius beamed. "Yes, it worked. Quickly now, we have a ways to go yet."

He ran forward, through the doorway that the dwarves had entered from, and Mardin and the others raced after him. The way led them across a stone bridge, into another series of rooms, where they were attacked by more Carta dwarves, until they finally came into a room where Janeka herself stood across the way. "Did you really think those old wards would stop me?" she demanded, glaring at Larius. "Look at you, barely able to string two thoughts together. You've only made it this far because of Hawke."

"You can still turn away. Do not listen to his voice!" Larius pleaded with her, as Mardin drew his sword and started forward, trying not to draw the mage's attention. He was furious with her, but not stupid.

"You're a fool, Larius, and you should have died here years ago," Janeka snapped. Just as Mardin was only feet away from her, a revenant appeared, blasting Larius with its magic, and she fled.

Mardin turned his attention to the revenant instead, especially as a few more had appeared behind it, and by the time their party had fought their way through all the revenants, Janeka was unfortunately long gone. Eventually they were able to follow her over to a set of stairs carved into the mountainside, leading up to a winding path and over to one final tower. The path had led them outside, and night was falling, the moon and stars shining brightly down on them as they made their way towards what appeared to be the final tower, wreathed with more of that orange magical energy.

Janeka stepped out from the side of the open tower before they could enter it, however, stopping Larius from moving forward. "You're too late, Larius." The other three Wardens came out from the other side as the woman continued, "Hand over Hawke, and I'll give you a quick death."

"She has made her choice," Larius replied, not moving from where he stood a little in front of Brianna, "and it was the right one."

Mardin heard Alistair sigh behind him as he reached for his sword, knowing that Janeka would attack soon. "It would seem we have no choice."

"I didn't think we would," Ayla murmured.

"The right choice, or the only choice?" Janeka retorted, seeming not to hear the others. "Malcolm Hawke was not allowed to disagree."

Mardin saw the shock on Brianna's face, saw her eyes widen as Larius' shoulders twitched. "It is the past. It doesn't matter."

"It does to me," Brianna declared, drawing even with Larius. "What does Janeka mean, my father wasn't allowed to disagree? What did you do?"

"How does she know this? Alec, did you tell her?" Larius looked to the grey-haired Warden behind Janeka that had called him Commander before, but the other man didn't answer. Larius turned back to Brianna, explaining slowly, "Malcolm Hawke was reluctant, had to be . . . persuaded. I was Warden Commander. It was my duty. I delivered an ultimatum – help us, or you'll never see her again."

Carver pushed forward, looking furious. "You did what?!"

"You were going to kill our mother?!" Brianna cried, looking horrified, and Mardin felt the sudden urge to go to her side, to comfort her. He tried to quash the feeling, reminding himself that desire was all he could afford to feel for her.

"No, never!" Larius exclaimed, shaking his head. "He came with us. I never had to decide her fate. She was never told about what passed between Malcolm and me."

"That doesn't excuse it!" Carver snapped, and Merrill moved to his side, taking his hand and squeezing it gently.

Janeka smiled smugly, meeting Brianna's gaze. "You see, Hawke? How can you trust anything Larius says?"

This Mardin couldn't let slide, however, and so he allowed himself to cross to Brianna, to take her hand too, telling himself it was because she needed to hear this. She looked up at him, fury sparking in those fabulous eyes of hers, and he whispered to her, "It doesn't matter. Whatever Larius did in the past, he doesn't mean you harm now. Janeka and Corypheus are still the real threats here."

Brianna nodded slowly, giving him a grateful smile before she dropped his hand and turned towards Larius and Janeka again. "Larius's threats were reprehensible, but he's still right about Corypheus. And anyway, after how many times you've sent the Carta to kill me and Carver, why would I ever trust you either?"

Janeka sneered at her. "You can come willingly or not, Hawke. I just need your blood." She gestured to the other Wardens, who all drew their weapons.

Mardin moved quickly in front of Brianna, drawing his sword and readying his shield as Carver pushed Merrill behind him. "You're not getting her blood," Mardin told Janeka coldly. "I'll spill every drop of your blood and those idiots behind you before I let you take one drop of hers – or anyone else's, for that matter."

Alistair came up on Mardin's right, sword and shield at the ready also, Carver armed to his left, and added, "I'd prefer not to fight my fellow Wardens, but you've gone too far on this." He turned quickly to look behind him, waving his hand to move the others back, and Brianna, obviously realizing what he was about to do, pulled further back, moving Merrill and Anders with her.

Mardin was already charging forward, Carver and Fenris with him, the other two moving to meet Alec, the grey-haired Warden, and another Warden that wielded dual swords, while Mardin headed straight for Janeka with single-minded purpose. She was lifting her staff to aim a spell at him, but she suddenly stumbled, and stared past him, her eyes lighting with fury and surprise. Mardin knew that Alistair must have done that smite, or whatever it was he'd done to Anders, and that gave Mardin all the time he needed. He could feel a barrier springing up around him, even as he drove his sword forward at Janeka. She tried to block him with her staff, but his sword simply slammed straight through it, rending it in two, before it thrust straight through her body.

She looked up at him in shock, blood pooling out of her stomach, and raised her hands for presumably another attempt at a spell. "Told you I'd take your blood," he snarled at her, before he viciously bashed her in the side of the head with his shield. She went limp, slipping backwards off his sword, and he followed, taking one final stroke with his sword, just to make sure.

He turned to look for the other three Wardens, but saw that it wasn't needed; the archer among the group was already down from what appeared to be a combination of magic and Varric's bolts, while Alec and the other Warden had fallen to Carver, Fenris and the others.

Larius moved forward as soon as Janeka's Wardens had all fallen, gesturing to the room beyond. Though the tower bore a roof, the sides were largely open to the elements, other than the pillars that held up the roof. Orange magic flowed from four locations around the outer edge, all supplying magic to a large orange barrier in the midst of the room. "He stirs," Larius said, gesturing to the barrier. "Slay him now, before he wakes. Before his strength comes. The key. It's not strong enough. Use your blood. Free him and slay him."

Brianna had come up next to him, staring at the barrier beyond, and now she turned back to look at all of them. "Is everybody ready for this?"

Mardin nodded along with the others. "We need to finish this. I'm ready." He hefted his sword and shield, which he had yet to put away.

"He won't stop coming after us unless we do this," Carver added. "And we can't have him influencing more Wardens to break him free."

Brianna took a deep breath. "You're right." She moved to the first of the pillars that seemed to be the source of one of the streams of magical energy, Carver moving with her, and the two siblings used their blood on the key before touching it to the seal. The stream of energy disappeared, and they moved to each of the three remaining barriers, repeating the process, while Mardin waited with the others a few feet away from the circular barrier in the centre. Larius, Mardin noted, was staying back, keeping outside of the tower room altogether as he watched.

Once the barrier had finally disappeared, there was nothing but an empty, raised circular dais in the middle of the room. Brianna went to this last, Carver just behind her, and dripped more of her blood into the centre of the circle. The stone below her immediately began to light up with energy, flowing upwards from the centre, and Brianna let go of the key, which was pulled into the light and hovered there, glowing with light before it suddenly exploded. The resulting explosion knocked both Carver and Brianna backwards, off the circle and onto the stone floor beyond. Mardin controlled the urge to rush to her side, instead remaining in a ready stance, watching the circle, and saw Brianna scramble to her feet along with Carver, moving to join them as the light disappeared. She pulled out her own staff, which had remained strapped to her back all this time, as she did so, and Carver unsheathed his sword as well, as they all stared at the circle with bated breath.

And finally, from the centre of the stone circle, the most horrifying creature Mardin had ever seen rose up. It looked somewhat like a combination of an abomination and a revenant, skeletal and twisted, wearing odd spiky armor and robes, with spikes of some sort stuck into its withered face. All flesh appeared to have been sucked dry on its – his? – body, stretched taut over ancient bones. The thing opened its lipless mouth, and a weird, deep, echoing voice boomed out. "Be this some dream I wake from? Am I in dwarven lands? Why seem their roads so empty? You!" He pointed one claw-like, skeletal hand at Brianna, where she now stood next to Mardin. "Serve you at the temple of Dumat? Bring me hence! I must speak with the first acolyte!"

"He . . . feels almost like an archdemon," Alistair murmured behind Mardin, "but not quite the same. I've never felt anything like this before. And to speak of Dumat . . ."

"Dumat . . ." Anders supplied for him in a low voice, sounding shocked, "was the first Old God to become an archdemon. There haven't been temples to him since ancient Tevinter."

"You look human," Corypheus went on, still studying Brianna, Mardin and Carver out front, obviously not seeing the two elves and the dwarf in the back of the group just yet. "Are you not citizens of the Empire? Slaves then, to the dwarves? Why come you here? Whoever you be, you owe fealty to any magister of Tevinter. On your knees! All of you!" He pointed imperiously at them.

"I will bow to no magister!" Fenris snarled from the back. "Not ever again!"

"You're no magister, anyway," Brianna added, staring up at the creature in front of them. "Not anymore. You're a darkspawn. Dark . . . spawn . . . ravaging the Deep Roads, spreading the Blight. Does this ring a bell?"

Corypheus stared down at her. "You are what held me. I smell the blood in you." Before she could answer, he turned and looked at the night sky through the open side of the tower. "Dumat! Lord! Tell me. What waking dream is this? The light. We sought the golden light. You offered . . . the power of the gods themselves. But it was . . . black . . . corrupt. Darkness . . . ever since. How long?" He bowed his head as he finished.

"The Golden City," Larius said, from where he still stood outside of the room itself. "The first violation. The magisters who brought the Blight."

"Maker," Alistair muttered, sounding shocked. "Is he really one of them? But that was so long ago . . ."

Mardin glanced behind him at the others, wondering what Alistair was referring to; he only had a vague recollection of what Varric had told him regarding the Blight and darkspawn. Anders, however, obviously understood, for he whirled to look at his former Commander in shock, exclaiming, "That's ridiculous! That can't really be true! There were no magical bogeymen who trespassed in the Maker's city. It's a story. It's Chantry propaganda."

Ayla shook her head slowly, looking regretful. "Sorry, Anders. I have it on really good authority that the story is true. They disobeyed the laws of the universe, and wrecked the balance, pushing this world towards darkness. It's what caused the Blight."

"Did you hear this from the Goddess?" Mardin asked her, surprised. He remembered how Cranin had talked about keeping this world from slipping further into darkness, and knew that the Messenger received his information directly from the Goddess Herself. Only She could know that this story of the origin of this world's darkness was true.

Ayla nodded. "I forgot to tell you before, but yes. She sent Father's spirit to me, during the Blight. He told me a number of things She had told him, but one of them was that the story of the darkspawn's origins are true. That violation is why this world is locked away from their Maker."

All of their party had whirled to look at Ayla in shock by this point, except for Alistair, who had clearly heard this before. Brianna looked nearly as shocked and horrified as Anders as she whispered, "So . . . the Chantry's teachings about mankind's hubris – a mage's hubris - bringing down the Blight . . . are correct?"

Ayla nodded again, looking reluctant. "I wouldn't say all their teachings are correct, but about the origin of the darkspawn . . . they're right." She looked between the mages in the group as she added softly, "That doesn't make all mages responsible for the actions of those few, though."

Fenris snorted. "There are some who may disagree with you on that."

Before Brianna or anyone else could reply to that – Mardin was thinking he might have to knock some sense into the elf, as much as he liked him otherwise, for the way he'd just made Brianna look – the magister or darkspawn or whatever it was spoke up again. "What manner of speech is this? How long have I slumbered?"

No one had an answer for him, of course, but Larius said, his voice tinged with shock and wonder, "He tainted the world. He speaks to all who carry the corruption. Darkspawn. Wardens. He brought Janeka here. Brought you . . ."

"If he's been calling the Wardens to free him, what's his plan?" Brianna demanded, her hands on her hips as she looked back at Larius. "He seems pretty confused, like he doesn't even know what's going on."

"He slept," Larius explained, still peering around the corner of the doorway. "While the seals held, he could not wake. He knows nothing of time that passed. We must kill him now. Before he comes to."

Mardin nodded. The more that creature spoke, the more his instincts reacted. The hairs were rising on the back of his neck, the bear growling and snarling within him at the threat posed by Corypheus, and, though he was ashamed to admit it, his instincts were telling him to run. Not that he would. "I agree. He's very dangerous." He looked to his little sister. "He's what we were feeling this whole time – that incredible danger."

Ayla shuddered, pressing a hand to her stomach, looking a little green. "And there's so much corruption in him – it's so unnatural . . . ugh."

"Time to stick a bolt in this really big darkspawn then, right, Hawke?" Varric asked, prepping Bianca.

She nodded in agreement as Mardin turned back to the creature, readying his stance. "Right. Our father sealed him away, and we're going to kill him."

"The city! It was supposed to be golden! It was supposed to be ours!" Corypheus cried, as he somehow floated higher up into the air above the dais. "If I cannot leave with you, I will leave through you! I seek the light!"

And then he called on Dumat, blasting powerful flames down on them. Brianna and the other two mages threw up shields, but couldn't seem to hold them – the resulting ricochet of magic sent them all flying back. Fortunately, it did temporarily dissipate the flames, too, and Mardin scrambled to his feet, determined to get close enough to deal some damage. Fenris got there first, however; a blur of infuriated light, dodging and swinging and attacking the magister as he floated just above the ground. Mardin hurried to help him, Carver along with him, but it seemed Coryphues had some sort of barrier around him; their swords clanged off uselessly.

"Can you smite him?" Mardin heard Brianna shout behind him as a blast of magic blew the three of them back.

"I tried!" Alistair shouted back. "I don't think he even felt it!"

"He keeps a barrier around him!" Fenris growled, scrambling to his feet and charging forward again, glowing all the while.

"I'll try to dispel it, then!"

It was the most difficult fight Mardin had ever been in. He, Fenris, and Carver worked to keep Corypheus enraged and focused on them – while simultaneously trying not to get burned, electrocuted, frozen, or crushed by the powerful elemental magic the magister wielded. Anders and Brianna did their best to keep defensive and regenerative spells on them so they didn't get too badly wounded, and Varric kept endlessly firing bolts. It hadn't taken too long for them to realize that the magister's barrier and much of his magic came from the statues around the tower room, and so Ayla, Merrill and Alistair moved from statue to statue, destroying them. Once the statue that was helping to power the magister's barrier came down, Mardin and the others were finally able to begin actually striking blows at the creature.

As soon as this happened, however, it seemed like Corypheus' magic became even more powerful. Stones burst up through the tower floor, chunks of ice rained down from the roof, fire and lightning twisted and raged through the room, and Corypheus himself floated around, working to keep out of their range. It was like Mardin imagined the depths of the Pit must be, as he frantically scrambled through, trying to avoid the magic, keep everyone he could see safe, and reach the magister. He had just finally tracked him down again when Fenris phased through a spike of rock just behind Corypheus and hamstringed him, bringing the magister down to his knees as the elf snarled, "I will make you kneel!"

Mardin had been waiting for just such an opportunity, particularly as Corypheus was now entirely focused on Fenris, whirling to roar at him in fury. Mardin pounced, slamming his sword home through the creature's withered back, out through the front of his chest. Corypheus shrieked, and Fenris dodged one last lightning bolt before lopping off the magister's head. Mardin yanked his sword out, and the skeletal body flopped to the ground as the head rolled away, some sort of black cloud rising from the body and dissipating through the air.

Mardin wrinkled his nose in disgust. Ayles was right; the unnatural corruption of this thing was enough to turn his stomach. "Was that from the corruption?"

"Perhaps." Fenris frowned. "I suggest we do not linger too close to the body, just in case."

"Right." Mardin nodded, turning and looking for the others. The stones around the room were disappearing, now that the magic that had powered them was gone, and all of the elemental magic that had raged through the room had vanished as well. He smiled in relief when he saw Brianna kneeling next to Carver, healing the burns he'd taken just before Mardin and Fenris had found the magister.

Anders and Varric were several feet away, Anders healing the bruises Varric had taken from falling ice chunks. Mardin looked around, and finally saw Merrill, Ayla and Alistair approaching from the opposite side of the room, where they had just destroyed another of the statues before the end of the fight. Merrill ran over to Carver, dropping on her knees next to him and fussing over him as Brianna finished up her spell.

Mardin watched closely as his sister and Alistair followed at a more sedate pace, trying to note if Ayla had taken any wounds. She seemed to be fine, but when they were only about ten feet or so away, she suddenly swayed before her knees gave out and she pitched forward. Alistair caught her, but Mardin was already halfway across the distance before he'd even registered that. He skidded to a stop next to his sister, crouching down as worry thundered through him, Alistair settling her carefully into a sitting position.

"What is it?" Mardin demanded, looking her over for wounds, not seeing any significant ones but noting the absolute pallor of her skin, her freckles standing out in relief against the whiteness, and the exhaustion in her gaze.

"No, it's nothing, I'm fine," she told him hastily, though she didn't move from leaning against Alistair. "I'm just exhausted, that's all. It was a tiring fight."

Alistair looked stricken as he pulled her closer, his face drawn with worry and fear. "Ayla, love, you shouldn't have – "

But Mardin cut him off, as sudden understanding caused rage to burst through every part of his body. "She shouldn't have what? Shouldn't have given her strength to you through the bond so you could keep Corypheus out of your head?! You're fucking right she shouldn't have!"

He had suspected it, all along since the first moment Alistair and Anders had been affected by the voice of Corypheus. At the very start, they had been affected equally, but it hadn't taken long before Alistair had shaken it off, and each time since, he'd been hardly affected at all, while Anders had gotten worse and worse. And Ayla had grown pale each time, making Mardin wonder if his sister wasn't using the bond to grant Alistair some of her strength so that he would not be affected. And now? Now he knew for sure, especially when Alistair blanched at his words and Ayla looked suddenly guilty.

"You're pregnant!" he snapped at his sister. "You're already sharing your strength with your child, you bloody well shouldn't be sharing it with him too! And you," he snarled, turning all his fury on her idiot mate, the cause of all this. "You shouldn't have let her endanger herself like that! Or your child!"

"You think I wanted her to?!" Alistair exclaimed, looking equally angry and irritated himself. "I told her not to, but she insisted!"

"Then you should have argued more with her!" The rage was twisting and roaring through him as he got to his feet, his fists clenched; the bear was infuriated, and Mardin was in full agreement with it. "You're supposed to protecting her, not endangering her more!"

"Mardy, stop!" Ayla moved to try to get to her feet, and Alistair instantly sprang up, lifting her to her feet with him. "He's my mate, and we protect each other! He doesn't endanger me!"

"Look at you!" Mardin roared, worry still pulsing through him just below the rage as he saw how pale she remained. "You nearly passed out from exhaustion because of him! You need to stop her from being so reckless, especially now!" he fired at Alistair over her head.

"If I could, I would!" Alistair snapped back at him. "And just where do you think she learned to be so reckless in the first place?!"

And he couldn't take it anymore; the rage was too much. Ayla had stepped away from Alistair's supporting arm, so Mardin moved around her, his normally quick sister not moving fast enough to stop him, just one more infuriating sign of how exhausted she was, and he punched Alistair right in the face, not holding anything back. The other man went over backwards with a clang of armor, clearly startled by the force of the punch, though he scrambled back to his feet almost immediately, looking furious. Mardin moved to hit him again anyway, though he suspected that Alistair was about to punch him, but suddenly Ayla was there between them, and they both halted abruptly, neither willing to endanger her.

She looked more furious than Mardin had ever seen her, and her eyes flashed yellow at him as she shrieked, "What in the Fox's name is wrong with you, Mardin?! Do you realize what you just did?! If anybody – anybody – other than you had just done that, I would've already ripped their bloody throat out! And if you ever offer such insult to my mate again, I may not be able to stop myself! Don't you dare try to make me pick between the two of you!"

The shock of her words was like a well-delivered punch to Mardin's own face. He nearly reeled back with the force of it, especially with the realization that he'd almost caused her to lose control of her shifting – while she was pregnant and already exhausted, no less. The dangers of that, he realized with sudden shame, far exceeded any danger Alistair might have put her in just now. "Ayles, that's not what I was trying to do – I – "

"Wasn't it?" she interrupted him, her voice vibrating with fury, though she seemed to have calmed down somewhat, the yellow gone from her eyes. Alistair had moved up behind her as well, his arm around her once more, and that seemed to have calmed her down the most. "You've been trying to pick a fight with him all along, provoking him at every turn, accusing him of putting me in danger, when you know full well I do that all on my own. And you punched him at full strength, I know you did. I felt it through the bond, that's how hard you hit him."

Mardin flinched. He'd been so frightened and so furious that he hadn't stopped to think about pain being shared through the bond too – and he'd hurt his little sister, the last thing he'd ever wanted to do. He might as well have punched her, too. And – she'd called him Mardin, a few moments ago. Not Mardy. He couldn't even remember the last time she'd done that. He didn't know how to fix it. "Ayles – I – Goddess – I don't even –"

Brianna was suddenly there at his side, threading her hand through his and tugging on it. "Mardin, can I talk to you for a moment in private?" He nodded dazedly, hoping she had some way of helping him fix this, as Brianna turned to Ayla, saying softly, "I'll borrow him for a moment, and after that I think you and Mardin should talk alone, too. I think you have some things to settle."

Ayla looked surprised, but she nodded in agreement with Brianna's words, and Mardin felt a bit of relief penetrate his daze as he followed Brianna across the room, well away from Ayla, Alistair and the others. He noted that Anders had moved to help Ayla as soon as he'd finished with Varric, and was already casting rejuvenating magic on her, making him let out a shaky breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. She'd been so pale, after all.

Brianna stopped finally, well out of even his sister's earshot, and let go of his hand, turning to face him, her gaze serious as she looked up at him. "I've asked you this once before, but I'll repeat it again: why do you hate your sister's husband so much?"

"I don't," Mardin protested, realizing how unlikely that sounded even as he said it, and even as Brianna raised her eyebrows doubtfully. "I realize how that sounds, given what just happened, but I don't, really. I think I might even like him if he wasn't mated to my sister. He just . . . makes me so angry, is all. He puts her in danger."

Brianna shook her head. "As your sister so accurately pointed out, she puts herself in danger. She's rather like you, actually." Mardin flinched again at this; Alistair's statement about where Ayla learned her recklessness had really struck home. Had Ayla learned to be reckless from him? Was it, in fact, more his fault that she was like that? But Brianna was continuing on, oblivious to his distress, "But yes, some of the danger that she puts herself in is because of him. As I imagine he puts himself in danger because of her. They love each other, so yes, that can be dangerous on the battlefield. Just like you would put yourself in danger for your sister because you love her, or like I nearly got myself bit by a dragon because I was worried about Carver, before you stepped in. But they also protect each other, and may I point out, they're both still alive, in spite of having been through many dangerous battles before you got here."

Mardin scowled, some of the anger stirring within him again. "Don't remind me." That was another thing that never failed to anger him; the reminder that he had been unable to protect his sister for the three years they'd been separated. Or how many times she must have been in danger during those years.

"See, that's part of the problem right there," Brianna said softly, taking his hand once more and squeezing it. And he let her, because it made him feel better, for reasons he refused to examine. "You still think it's your job to protect her, in spite of the fact that she's obviously done fine on her own, and with Alistair. You're the one that helped me see that Carver was old enough to take care of himself, and make his own decisions. You need to realize the same about your sister, now. And stop being jealous of Alistair."

"I am not jealous of him!" Mardin spluttered, horrified. "I've never even thought of Ayla in that way – "

"Of course not," Brianna interrupted him, looking exasperated as she rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant. The two of you were obviously close, before she disappeared, and you thought it was your job to look after her, to protect her, to be there when she needed somebody. Isn't that why you came here to find her?" He'd only just managed to nod when she continued, "But when you found her, she had Alistair, and I think you believe, deep down, that she doesn't need you anymore if she has him. That's why he really makes you angry."

Mardin gaped at her, astonished. Was she right? Was that really why even the sight of his sister's mate made him angry? Because he didn't want to be angry at him, not anymore. He'd finally realized during the argument just now that it would only continue to put him at odds with Ayla, and he absolutely didn't want that. Because they had always been close, and especially after Father died, they had been all each other had to truly rely on. And, Mardin realized, part of him had thought it would always be that way, since neither of them had planned to mate for life. So, yes, he'd followed after Ayla because he thought she would need him, and, he conceded, because he needed her. She was all the family he had left, and his main purpose in life had always been looking after her. And yes, he'd found her, only to find that she was, indeed, doing just fine without him – was, in fact, happier than she'd been at home.

"You're right." He gave a hollow sort of laugh, feeling suddenly numb at the realizations flooding him. "And apparently, I am, too. She doesn't need me anymore."

"Don't be an idiot!" Brianna snapped, looking suddenly furious, letting go of his hand to shove at his chest, her violet eyes sparking magnificently. "Of course she still needs you! She just doesn't need you to protect her anymore, that's all! And that would be true with or without Alistair. She needs you to support her, love her, and be her family. And just because she's creating a new family, doesn't mean she no longer needs her brother. It just means that you have more family as well."

Mardin blinked at her, astonished once more. He'd not really thought of it that way at all. He'd said the words to his sister, that her taking a life-mate meant he had a brother, but he'd never really thought about it. Nor had he ever really thought about what her being pregnant meant for him, either. But – "I'm going to be an uncle," he murmured, dazed at the thought.

Brianna smiled at him. "So it would seem." He stared at her in surprise again, eyebrows shooting up, as Ayla had never told the others they travelled with that she was pregnant. Brianna shrugged. "You were shouting quite loudly before. I'm sure everybody overheard you yelling about her being pregnant. I'd guessed already, though, why you and Alistair were keeping her off the front lines and being extra protective. Just try to be a better uncle than Gamlen, will you?"

Mardin snorted, unable to help himself as amusement passed through him. "You're not setting very high standards for me, are you?"

"Well," she patted his arm reassuringly, smiling again, "if you do as good a job as you did taking care of your sister while she grew up, I'm sure you'll be an amazing uncle. But maybe it's time you tried just being a regular brother, and not an overprotective older brother?"

"I'm not sure I know how to do that," he admitted. He glanced over his shoulder at Ayla, noting that Anders had finished healing her, and she now spoke to Alistair alone. "You're sure she still needs me?"

Brianna took both of his hands in hers and squeezed them again as he looked back at her, seeing how soft her expression had grown. "I'm positive. Now how about you go talk to her? She'll tell you the same, I'm sure. So long as you explain to her why you've been reacting that way."

"Okay," he agreed. He squeezed her hands gently in turn. "Thank you. I needed someone to talk some sense into me."

Brianna grinned. "Well, I did owe you. Now come on."

She steered him back over to Ayla, leaving him facing his sister when she walked away, back towards the others who had gathered on the far side of the room, Alistair following her after a quick glance between him and Ayla. Mardin took a deep breath, looking down at his little sister, who stood with her arms crossed, watching him expectantly. At least her color was back, and she didn't look so exhausted anymore, thanks to Anders.

"I'm sorry, Ayles," he said at last. "I'm so sorry. And I'll apologize to Alistair, too. I was just . . . I was so frightened that something might happen to you, and it made me angry. And . . . Brianna helped me realize I was jealous, too. That I thought, now that you had a life-mate, you didn't need me anymore. And that made me angry, too, I suppose."

Ayla was gaping up at him now, clearly surprised, before she whacked him on the chest. "Mardy, don't be an idiot!" she exclaimed. "Of course I still need you! You're my brother! I just don't need you protecting me from my mate, that's all! Or taking care of me," she added. "I'm quite old enough to do that on my own, you know. I just need my brother back. Someone to talk to, and laugh with. Someone who knows about Father, and home, and shifting, and everything that no one here could ever understand. I missed you this whole time," she finished, looking up at him with a wry smile. "I didn't miss your shield."

Mardin felt relief and gratitude wash through him at Ayla's words and the fact that Brianna had been right as he scooped his little sister up into a hug. "Ayles, I missed you so much," he muttered into her hair, holding her tightly. "I'm sorry I've been such an ass. Three years is far too long."

"Way too long," she mumbled into his chest in agreement, her voice sounding a little broken. She cleared her throat, leaning back and looking up at him, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Sorry. Being pregnant apparently makes me extra emotional."

"So I definitely shouldn't be pissing you off right now?" he teased her, suddenly feeling incredibly light-hearted, as though a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

She grinned. "Definitely not." She squirmed and he set her down as she looked up at him, suddenly far more serious as she planted her hands on her hips. "And you are done provoking Alistair, right? Because if you try to make me choose between the two of you – "

"I won't," he promised hastily, holding his hands up. "I promise. I think, now that I know why I was so angry at him, and that I don't need to be, I can finally stop being angry. I will still be worried about you and the bond, but there's not much I can do about that."

She frowned. "Why does the bond worry you so much, anyway? There are a lot of benefits to it. I know you weren't happy about me using my strength to help Alistair with Corypheus, but surely you see it was better than having him and Anders losing it. And if I'm not feeling well, he can help me the same way."

He sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "I've never told you this, but maybe it's time that I did." After all, as both Ayla and Brianna had told him, she wasn't a child anymore that needed protection. So he told her: everything their father had gone through when their mother died, and just how changed he had been afterwards. "He was broken, Ayles. Like a shell of himself."

"Of course he was," she replied simply, causing Mardin to stare at her in surprise. She shrugged. "Come on, Mardy, the bond might have made it a little worse, especially physically, but he still would have loved Mother deeply no matter what. She was his life-mate – losing her was always going to break him and change him. Trust me, I know. Before we'd ever bonded, I thought I'd lost Alistair, and it was like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. The bond won't change that. If I lose him, I'll never be the same. Just like I wasn't when Father died, though not quite on the same scale, I suppose. And just like I won't be if you die." Her voice cracked a little, and she whacked him on the chest again. "So try not to be so reckless, would you?"

"I'll try, as long as you promise the same," he told her, smiling slightly. "When did you get so wise, anyway?" For her words had managed to make him feel better about her bond – not totally better, but she did have a point.

"I've always been wise," she teased him, grinning. When he shook his head at her, smirking, she went on, "Probably sometime in the last three years. I've learned a lot, you know."

"I can see that." And he could – she had grown up while they were separated, and he couldn't help but be proud of her.

"Good, I'm glad you're finally realizing I'm the smart one." She smirked at him when he rolled his eyes at her, though he couldn't help smiling too, relieved that things were okay between them once more. She turned him around, pushing him in the direction the others were. "Let's go join everyone else, and find somewhere to sleep for the night. I'm exhausted, and it's a long way back to Kirkwall."

"So it is," Mardin agreed. They made their way back over to the others, who were now gathered at the entrance to the tower, talking amongst themselves and waiting. Larius, Mardin noted, was nowhere in sight.

"Where did Larius go?" Ayla asked before he could.

"He's going to report back to the Orlesian Wardens," Anders explained. "Tell them what happened here, with Corypheus and Janeka. Apparently Corypheus's death made him more . . . himself again."

"Well, that's good," Ayla said, darting a glance at Alistair, who nodded, smiling slightly.

"We should find somewhere better to rest. Ayla's exhausted, and frankly so am I," Mardin admitted.

"We should," Brianna agreed. "Let's head back, try to find somewhere a little more sheltered where we can rest."

She began to head forward, the others trailing behind her, though Mardin gestured to Alistair to stay behind for a moment. He did, though he looked curious, wary, and a little angry all at once, not that Mardin blamed him.

"I'm sorry," Mardin said without preamble. "I was an ass. I was terrified for Ayla, and that made me angry, and I needed someone to blame. You were handy. I promise not to do it again, and I hope we can start over, on the right foot this time." He wasn't about to explain all his reasons for being angry; he didn't know Alistair that well, after all. Still, he hoped the apology would be enough, as he held his hand out.

"You were an ass," Alistair agreed, making Mardin smile in spite of himself, "but I can understand why. So, yes, we can start over." He took Mardin's hand, shaking it. "Nice to meet you, I'm Alistair. Your sister married me for some reason."

Mardin grinned, shaking his hand in turn, this time without squeezing it with all his strength. "I'm Ayla's brother, Mardin. And I think she said she loves you, or something like that."

Alistair smiled. "I'm still not sure how that happened, but it's good to know. We should probably catch up to her, though."

They moved to follow the others, but as they walked, the two of them actually talked for the first time – and Mardin no longer felt inexplicably angry with Alistair. He owed Brianna more than he could ever say, he realized, for helping him figure out what his issue was before he'd pushed away his sister altogether. For that, and many other reasons, he would focus all his energy on helping her with whatever she needed when they returned to Kirkwall. That – and finding his destiny – would now be his main purpose in life.