A/N A little late, but still on time! :) hope you all like where this is going, because I am!

Read, Review, and Enjoy the latest chapter in Darien's and Dylan's story :)!


Alistair's heart is breaking, he's kneeling by Erianne's still form, praying to the Maker, praying to the Elven god, the Ancestors, anyone to bring her back safely. "She shall not be left to wander the drifting roads of the Fade, for there is no darkness, not death either, in the Maker's Light, and nothing that He has wrought shall be lost."

Wynne stands back as she enters the tent to see Alistair there.

He rocks back and forth, his mind centered on the chant, trying to keep calm as tears remain hidden in his eyes. "Please stay with me Eri, Please." He whispers before starting another verse.

Wynne stays silent as he finishes two more verses and wipes his face of his tears, "Maker please..."

She places a hand on his shoulder and he stops for a moment, "She is resting Alistair, you have to too."

He looks up at her and her heart weakens with the look of complete and utter dread there in his reddened eyes, "Dear Andraste..."

He closes his eyes and weeps again, this time into her robes.

Wynne sighs, "Yes I know dear, but you have to stay strong for her, for everyone now. Witherfang is-"

He halts his tears and stands up, resolute, "I- we need to find Witherfang and take his heart." He looks at Erianne's form, "That'll save Eri, that'll-" His eyes harden and his hands clench into fists as he storms out of the tent, nearly tossing Wynne to he ground as he does.

Wynne watches the determination in his step and instantly worries. "Nothing good can come of this." She turns too Zathrian who's sitting in the corner, eyes weary from lack of rest as well, "Keep an eye of her, I have to check on the others."

He nods slightly as Wynne leaves the tent, rushing after Alistair.

Alistair stalks past the Dalish Aravels, through their camp, never has his steps been more resolute. His mind more set upon a task. Never has his eyes been so full of rage. His sword arm twitched for combat as he enters the camp he ordered set up, scanning the terrain for one man, he finds him sitting by the fire with Leliana, reading one of his wicked blood books. "Darien!" He shouts.

Everyone looks over at him in surprise except Darien.

Alistair draws his sword and points it at the bald elf, "It's time for you to pay for your crimes Maleficar!"

Darien's eyes shoot up to Alistair's in shock, "What-?"

Alistair rushes forwards, his shield ready for a bash as he calls his battle cry. "Yaaaaaaaaahhh!"

Darien instantly jumps to the side, nearly into the fire, as he dodges the Templar's sword as it hacks into the stump. "What the fuck! Alistair knock it off!" He shouts as he struggles back to his feet.

Alistair doesn't stop, ripping his sword out of the stump and taking a swing at Darien.

His sword clangs against the body of Darien's staff, his eyes burning as he growls with effort, trying to press through the Maleficar's weapon and kill him once and for all.

"Get off of me!" Darien shouts just as he kicks Alistair in the groin, forcing him to stagger back and drop his sword. Darien focuses his magic around the sword and it instantly glows white with heat. "Stay your hand!" He shouts.

Alistair glares at the Elven mage and charges with his shield instead, "May the Maker guide my hand!" He gets closer than Darien can react and bashes his head, dazing him enough to get a swing in, knocking Darien to the ground.

Alistair stands over the Maleficar as he struggles to get back up, his staff tossed aside and out of reach. "They shall be named Maleficar, accursed ones." Alistair recites as he takes his back-up dagger and readies the killing blow.

Darien reaches out as Alistair swings, his hands covered in Fade energy, "Get back!" The energy erupts, tossing Alistair ass first directly over the camp fire and into the treeline beyond. Darien pants as he stands back up and falls into a defensive position, his teeth bare, his hands pulsing with wisps of pure Fademagic.

Everyone watches in even more shock as he steps through the campfire, the flames licking at his form, but not effecting him as they catch the Fade energy and burn bright with the strange green energy.

Alistair looks up, groaning as he searches for his weapons only to be blinded for a moment by Darien's furious figure as he marches towards Alistair, every step igniting the brush around him in intense Fade Flames. Alistair's senses ignite as he feels the Veil thinning so much that he's fearful that demons might follow Darien through. He panics at the crazed Fademage before him and jumps to his feet, spreading his arms wide and focusing on his Templar training as he casts Holy Smite.

A blast of blue cleansing energy flashes through the forest, smothering every bit of Fademagic that Darien had cast.

"Gah!" Darien gasps in shock, every bit of his energy falling out of him as he falls to his knees.

Alistair grabs the Maleficar by the throat, pulling him off the ground, "Any last words Darien?"

Darien's eyes are wide with fear, his hands gripping around the metal gauntlet choking him, trying to loosen the grip.

He nearly blacks out when an arrow flies into Alsitair's sword arm, "Ah!" He shouts as he drops Darien and grabs his arm in shock. His eyes find Leliana's as she notches another arrow.

"Stay where you are Alistair!" She warns.

Darien rolls over and coughs out his breaths, crawling towards Morrigan as she runs to his side. "Are you well Brother?"

He groans and accepts her arm, "Not really." Blood drips from the open gash along his left cheek from where Alistair's gauntlet scraped by.

Morrigan helps him back to camp as Alistair growls at Leliana, "What are you doing! I almost had him!"

Leliana doesn't falter in her aim, "And why do you need to kill him!" She breaths out.

Alistair steps forwards, clutching his arm, "He is a Maleficar, a danger to us all!"

Morrigan scoffs, "So are you! Tis just as dangerous to have a mad Templar in the group as it is to have a Bloodmage!"

"Thanks for that." Darien comments as he sits back down on his stump, holding his bruised and bleeding cheek.

"Tis the truth Brother, I speak nothing but it." Morrigan quips back.

"Vashedan, Saarebas." Sten growls as he stands in a defensive position, his eyes burning as he watches Darien.

Leliana starts to get nervous, "Darien, what did he say?"

He doesn't take his eyes off of Sten as he says, "Worthless, Dangerous one. He speaks of me as a mage, being dangerous to everyone." He narrows his eyes at Sten, "Ari."

Sten waves his greatsword in intimidation, "Saarebas." his eyes still burning, waiting for an opening.

"By the Maker what is happening here?!" Wynne shouts as she makes it over to camp, panting.

"Alistair finally when mad and attempted to do away with Darien." Morrigan explains while digging around in his pack for a salve.

Wynne sighs, "I was worried this might happen." She looks at Leliana and then to Alistair who an arrow in his arm, she looks to Darien and then at Sten who's ready to kill him. "This is not going to end well."

"Hahahahaha! Aptly put my dear Wynne!" They all turn to see Zevran walking out from behind Leliana, shortswords out and ready to taste blood, a smirk across his face. "I think it's time we decide whose really the better man." He twirls his swords in his palms.

Leliana turns her bow on Zevran, "Stay back!"

Morrigan stands and readies herself against Sten, her staff in her hand.

Darien and Alistair are glaring at each other while they work through their injuries.

"Stop!" Wynne shouts before anyone can get even more hurt. "This is not what Erianne would want!"

"This is exactly what our Grey Warden would want, justice!" Zevran declares as he eyes Leliana for weaknesses.

"Don't even try it!" she warns.

"She has suffered, we all have suffered enough of Darien's delusions!" Alistair shouts as he turns to Wynne, "Wynne, you honestly can't side with this murderer!"

"What nonsense are you spinning this time Alistair?" Darien shouts back.

"Kabethari Saarebas!" Sten warns.

Darien glares at him.

Alistair continues on, "Wynne remember the Circle Tower! He out-right murdered Owain for no reason at all!"

"I did what I could to end his suffering!" Darien shouts.

Wynne narrows her eyes at Darien as she remembers, "Oh I remember his suffering. I remember your dagger piercing his throat as he screamed for help!"

"Wynne you can't be serious? We're all murderers here!" Leliana argues. "Alistair is just trying to turn us against Darien!"

"Damn right I am! Everything was completely fine before he came along!" Alistair shouts angrily, trying to pull the arrow out of his arm.

Morrigan scoffs, "T'was ridiculous how incompetent the Wardens were before Brother joined us!"

"Shut your mouth you- you swamp witch!" Alistair yells in a fury.

"I recall Erianne mentioning her distrust of you when you came to camp. She didn't even wish to see you before the Circle Tower." Wynne exclaims suspiciously.

"Exactly! He probably used Bloodmagic to control her! She despised him!" Alistair adds.

Darien looks around at them all, waiting for someone to refute the statement. Leliana looks between Zevran and Darien with uncertainty. Morrigan is tight lipped and watching Sten carefully. Darien gawks at the two women he thought he loved as they both betray-

"Tis madness! No can even hope to refute the logic of an idiot!" Morrigan shouts as she shakes her head at Wynne and Alistair.

Darien breaths a sigh of relief, but looks to Leli for the same type of argument.

Leliana bites her lip before pointing her bow at Darien, "He's right. We don't know what you could have done to her to change her mind so easily."

Darien's face pales.

It all happens in an instant.

Sten charges for Morrigan, "Katara Saarebas!"

Alistair swings at Darien only to fall over from the pain of swinging with his injured arm.

Leliana lets an arrow fly at Morrigan, catching her in the shoulder, forcing her to drop her staff.

Darien jumps up and tosses Sten back with a blast of Fademagic.

Wynne casts Heroic Aura over the entire party excluding Darien and Morrigan.

Morrigan rushes towards Zevran as he dives in with his shortswords only to cut into the air as she transforms into a black raven with golden eyes and circles them with an injured wing.

Darien pulls his and Morrigan's staff to him and slams them both down, casting a massive concussion of mindblast, tossing everyone away from him, "Sister!" He tosses Morrigan's staff into the air and she catches it in her talons before flying towards the Dalish camp. Darien runs with his staff into his tent and grabs as much as he can while the others are still dazed, a dozen books, his alchemy set, and a bedroll. Rushing back outside he immediately ducks under Sten's greatsword and flashes into a Black Raven with green glowing eyes, flying high into the air, dodging Leliana's arrows as he does.

He squawks and glows green with Fade energy as he swoops down and beats his wings, flashing a wave of the powerful energy across the entire camp, flattening every tent and chucking up dust and debris to cover his escape.

It takes a moment for everyone to regain themselves as the dust settles to show their entire camp in ruins, "I knew I was right! The both of them could not be trusted!" Alistair shouts in his victory, shaking his head at the destruction the two rogue mages created in their wake.

"By the Maker, I never knew-" Leliana cuts herself off and falls to her knees, emotionally defeated. She'd betrayed her love, and now she was alone again. "What have I done?" She mutters as she holds a black feather tinted green that had fallen from Darien as he flew away.


I beat my wings as fast as I can, trying to get as far away from the Dalish as I can manage, actually surpassing Morrigan as I fly through my panic and end up stopping deep in the forest. I caw in distress from my exhaustion and flutter down as best I can, missing the branch I was aiming for and falling... falling through the branches and treetops, banging my broken birdy body against the hard wood of the Brecilian forest before splashing down in a puddle, landing on my back and squawking out in my intense pain. The pain of losing Leliana, of having to fight my friends, being exiled, and the pain pulsing through my body from the fall I just took.

I lay there in my own misery, just cooing my sadness when I open my eyes and see Morrigan landing next to me, staggering on impact because of her injured wing.

She steps over to me tilting her head while cooing her question.

I close my eyes as all that has happened flashes before my mind.

If birds could cry, I would be sobbing...

I caw in displeasure as she pecks at my stomach, cawing angrily at my sorrow.

I shake my small head and coo in discontent.

She jumps onto me, causing a natural panic as I flap my wings and squawk for her to get off. She puts her face against my neck and I stop panicking, feeling the texture of her silken feathers against my face. It's oddly calming.

I coo my acceptance of it and she finally hops off, making a noise akin to laughter as she does.

I roll over and flap my wings dry before shaking off the rest of the uncomfortable dampness and stepping out of the puddle.

I caw my thanks and she coos her pain as she stretches her injured wing a bit. Taking my left wing I focus my magic and pull it into her bent wing, resetting it to heal properly over time.

She looks at me and then at her fixed wing with wonder before looking at me with a question.

I answer it with a small shrug, knowing she's asking about how I can do magic while in Raven form.

She shakes her head and looks at me with an enduring look that I welcome and give back whole heartedly.

We stand there for a few moments, just resting in our animal forms before I spread my wings with her and we take off into the air, navigating the branches expertly as we make it over the treetops and start our trip deeper into the forest, following the path of the sun as it hangs in the eastern sky. We'd already wasted enough time today and Erianne's life as well as the lives of the Elven hunters' were still in peril.


Cassandra shakes her head.

Varric smiles, "Something else troubling you Seeker?"

"Yes, you say that everyone turned on Darien, and yet you say that he was with the Warden throughout the Blight, which is true?"

Varric shrugs, "You'll just have to wait and see."

She makes another annoyed noise and leans back against the fireplace, "Very well, I will keep myself from judgment until you finish your story."

Varric huffs, "That's all I ask Seeker." He leans forwards, "I think this is a good time to update you on the Hawke family and their troubles.

She waves a hand, "Very well."

"It didn't take long after choosing their paths that the Hawkes found themselves at an impasse..."


Bethany sits down with Garrett after a long afternoon trying to get a ship captain to help them out.

"How daft could you get?" Garrett shakes his head and puts a hand on the table, "Those crates were clearly marked! How does someone even lose eight crates of Antivan finery?"

Bethany rolls her eyes and takes out Darien's book, "Apparently very much so, that idiot didn't even realize we were onboard until his crew started falling off his ship."

Garrett sighs, "Athenril had better understand why we came back empty handed this time."

Bethany puts down her book and groans, "Don't tell me you told her?"

He puts up his hands defensively, "Hey, it's in our contract to report all failures. We failed."

Bethany facepalms, "Brother I'm beginning to think I'm the smarter one. Do you even realize I stole the ship's manifest as we left?"

Garrett's eyes widen, "Wait, you did? What did it say?"

Bethany tosses it at him and he catches it with a frown, "See for yourself."

He rolls his eyes and looks at the parchment, reading down the list- "Oh no."

Bethany smiles, "Oh yes! It seems our-"

Just then the front door to Gamlen's hovel slams open to show an exhausted Carver dragging his feet into the house.

"Well there you are, we were just talking about you brother." Bethany says with a small smile.

Carver straightens up and looks at them suspiciously, "Talking about what?"

Garrett scoots over and pats the seat beside him, "Just sit down and read it for yourself Carver."

He watches them for a moment before sighing and sitting down, grabbing the parchment from Garrett's hands and skimming it. "I recognize this, I just came back from a job-" He cuts himself off. Meeran explicitly stated to 'not talk about our shit with others.'

Bethany laughs loudly.

Garrett runs a gloved hand down his face, "You stole the cargo we were smuggling into Kirkwall Carver."

Carver's eyes widen before they narrow, "Meeran said that it was a shipment of Antivan silks."

Bethany calms down, "More like Antivan finery, but yes, they were made of silk."

"Antivan finery? What...?" Carver asks, but stops as Leandra enters the room.

"What is all this about?" She asks curiously,

All three of them say, "Nothing mother." simultaneously.

She raises an eyebrow in suspicion, "Alright, just stay out of trouble will you? Gamlen's still being harassed by the guards after that last incident, Carver."

Carver's face reddens and Bethany and Garrett laugh at their brother's expense. "He looked like a woman!" He tries to defend himself.

"Sure he did..." Bethany says unconvinced while rolling her eyes.

"It's the truth! Or have you forgotten your midnight brawl?" He retorts.

Bethany scowls at him, "Hey, I was in the right! That man was a moron!"

Garrett chuckles at his siblings.

"I'll just leave you to it." Leandra sighs and walks into the back room again, shaking her head at her children.

Garrett gets them back on track, "Anyway, we need that shipment back Carver."

Carver looks at them before frowning, "Why should I help you?"

Bethany scoff, "Because we can tell the guards that Meeran stole precious cargo from an Antivan merchant?"

Carver scowls, "With what proof?"

Bethany waves around the noted manifest and Carver groans.

Garrett slaps his brother on the shoulder, "Just tell us where you stashed it and we'll recover it before Meeran even knows it's gone."

Carver shakes his head, "No, Meeran will find out, and Aveline already suggested putting more guards on the shipment because they're illegal goods."

Garrett shakes his head, "Brother, that shipment is worth over three hundred gold and Athenril will have our heads if we can't find it." he tries to reason desperately.

"And Meeran will have my head if I tell you where it is!" Carver argues worriedly.

Bethany sighs lightly while twirling the parchment roll in her palm, "Then we are at an impasse." She says calmly.


Varric stops, "And now back to Darien."

"Wait, that's it? No resolution to the story?" Cassandra argues.

Varric sighs. "In due time. Now let me talk about Darien while I still remember this part."

She reluctantly nods for him to continue.


It takes no more than another few hours of flight before we settle down in a century old tree, ruffling our tired feathers as we perch ourselves on a branch for a good night's sleep...

Flashes of lightning awake me as a storm rages around us, I look around and see Morrigan is nowhere to be found. Thunder shudders through my body as I panic slightly, looking on instinct for any way to avoid the storm, I spot a cave and flutter down, accidentally falling from a sudden updraft and landing on my right wing, "Ah!" I yell as I somehow fell out of my animal form as I hit the ground. I pant and roll over to wince in pain as I feel my arm is dislocated. I stand and stagger over to one of the cave walls, slamming it into the wall with all my might. "Fuck!" I scream as thunder sounds outside, my arm popping back into place and causing me to shudder at the sickening feeling. I shiver as I step further into the cave. I try and flash a palm of Fade Flames and wince as my head burns from the exertion. I pant out, tears in my eyes as I feel myself bleeding. Not blood, but energy. "What foul magics are here?" I mutter as I decide to just stagger further inside in the dark.

I'm lost in the dark, stuck in a pitch black cave during a lightning storm and without my magic. I think about what I could do before I take a rest and root around in my pack for something sharp and my flint. "Come on, come on." I groan that I can't see anything and accidentally prick my hand on one of my daggers. "Ah!" I pull it to my face, but stop as I remember I'm a Bloodmage. I sigh as I use the blood to cast a burning flame in my palm, illuminating my surroundings. I nearly shriek as I see dozens if not hundreds of skeletons sprawled across the dirt floor. "By the Creators..." I breath as I try and assess my safety. I take in a deep breath, but freeze as I hear something scurrying around further inside the cave.

"Ok, just stay calm, you can deal with this Dylan, I've fought worse before."

I stop moving as I hear Darien's voice in my head.

"Uh... Darien?" I swallow in fear.

"Yes, Dylan?"

"I would like it if you announce yourself next time, that scared the hell out of me." I grip my chest and feel my heart pounding a mile a minute.

"Apologies, but it was a simple spider scurrying about in the shadows."

"T-thanks. Um..." I look around the skeletons again, feeling a sinking feeling in my gut, "Did you notice that I can't use my Fademagic too?"

"Yes, I assumed you knew why?"

"No, no I don't" I mutter in a slight panic, finally starting to warm up from the small flame in my hand.

"Well, how Pause explained it was that It used to bridge your connection to the Beyond using tethers it put into your mind for constant communication with me, but you never got that far. Now that I'm out..."

I take in a deep musty breathe, "So I can't use Fademagic anymore? Perfect." I rest my spare hand on my forehead, just trying to not freak out at my situation.

"Not ANY magic actually... I'm surprised your Bloodmagic isn't faltering as well, different source of power I suspect."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah... Pause never told you about that did it? Well, since you are... well... different than any other person in the Beyond, you have certain... limitations you have to go by."

"Wha- what limitations?" I ask worriedly.

"All I know is what Pause explained to me. You are a-"

A scream shocks me into action, I hop to my feet, staff in hand as I stare down one passage of the cave. "What was that?" I ask quietly, my bones shaking in fear.

"Darien?" I ask myself.

I hold my staff to my head, taking in a deep breath, "I'm not going insane, I'm not going insane, not again..." I hold my tears back and finally try and calm down just as a scurrying alerts me to a shadow at the edge of my light, "Fuck." I focus myself and worriedly take a defensive position.

I'm lost in a cave, with Spiders, probably Giant Spiders, with no connection to the Fade, no help, limited blood, oh shit shit shit!

I bang my forehead against the orb atop my staff, "Please, please just fucking tell me what to do?"

I hear another scurrying as my blood flame dies down a small bit. A shiver runs up my spine, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I hear a slight hissing in the distance.

"I hate spiders so much..." I wipe the sweat from my face and dig around in my pack for a healing potion. "If I can only use Bloodmagic, I'm using Bloodmagic." I chug the potion and sigh as I feel rejuvenated as it hits my systems. Taking a deep breath I holster my staff on my back and take out my Ironbark Dar'Misu and Dar'Misaan, feeling their weight in my hands calms me a bit as my light goes out. I close my eyes and focus on my senses, hearing every slight echo, the scurrying of something on my right, the scent on something bitter... I swipe to my right, catching the Spider in the side, it hisses and scurries away and I get back into a defensive position. "I'm not defenseless without my magic."

"You are blind though, let me help out."

Darien flashes my staff alight with a mystical blue energy, illuminating eight Giant Spiders as they scurry about, preparing to attack.

"Uh... Darien...?!" I shout as I nearly shit myself from the fear shocking through my spine.

64 freaking black eyes stare at me as I stand there, with no magic, only my thin robes and my Misu and Misaan to protect against eight giant spiders. "Oh come on..." I grit my teeth, "COME ON!"

A blast of energy tosses three spiders up against the far wall and I look to my right to see a man, cloaked in a tattered brown robe, and wielding a mage's staff. I nod to him and steel my nerves a bit as the three spiders recover to rejoin the other five.

"What should we do?" I ask my apparent ally.

He raises his staff and whips it around his head, building a massing fall of fire that holds the Spiders back.

I stare at the awesome display of power and look over at him as he's running down a side passage, "Follow me, swiftly!"

I take no time to argue and throw my pack back on, bolting down after him. I can barely catch up to him before he turns down another passage and sprints ahead. "Quicken your pace! They're right behind us!" I hear shouting behind me and turn to see not spiders, but a dozen heavily armed and furious Templars!

"What the hell?!" I speed the hell up and keep running, almost catching up to the cloaked figure when he literally runs through a wall. I panic as I can't slow myself as I hit it, "AH!" and end up passing right through it, falling through the darkness for several seconds to splash into a river pool down below. I struggle with my heavy pack, but end up getting back to the surface, dragging myself ashore, coughing up copious amounts of water. I throw up and roll onto my back, staring up at the clear sky, trying to catch my breath.

The birds are chirping lightly up above me, animals of the forest scurrying around in the nearby bushes, heeding no mind to the Elven mage-rogue that just fell from an open sky and into a pool of water. "Wow..." I breath as I see the sky is crystal blue, just like Erianne's eyes.

I close my eyes after a few moments and sigh as I feel the dirt under me, my pack laying off to the side somewhere, my staff-

My eyes shoot open as I sit up in a panic before seeing it impalled in the mud at the bottom of the shallow pool. "Thank the Creators..." I rub my head as I sit there, "What the fuck just happened?"

I hear a distinctive caw from above me and look just in time to see a Raven fly down and transform into Morrigan, a wide smirk across her face, "My my, can't handle napping in a tree can we? Need to rest in the dirt like an animal?" She laughs softly.

I just stare at her for a moment as my mind tries to register what happened. I look up at the tree she came from, "I- I fell?"

"Indeed, during the storm last night, you were thrashing around during one of your night terrors and fell right out to land in that pool of water." She places her hands on her hips and keeps her smirk. There's a light in her golden eyes I don't recognize right away.

I blink and think back to everything that happened, "That, was a dream?" I hold my head in my hands, "It felt..." I shake myself clear of the nightmare. "Then will you help be recover my things? It seems they have scattered."

She rolls her eyes and steps up to the pool reaching out her hand to my staff she whispers an incantation and the staff leaps to her hand.

Wow... I know it's a basic incantation, but I still think it's awesome.

"Here you are Brother." She hands it to me.

I take it as I stand up, dusting myself off and stretching my soar back from sleeping on the ground. "Much appreciated Sister, were it not for you I'd have died months ago."

She laughs, "Mmm, yes, indeed."

I pull my pack back on and holster my Dar'Misu and Misaan at my sides, "What shall we do now that we are separated from our group?"

She steps up to me with a determined look, "I propose we hunt for this Witherfang ourselves, if we find it first then we can decide its fate."

"Agreed, but..." I look away from her with a lost expression.

"We have much to do Drifter, meet me at the tainted mirror."

"We have to look for something first." I look back to her.

She raises an eyebrow at me, "Oh?"

I sigh, "We need to find a Tainted Mirror."

Her eyes shift away from mine.

She knows where it is? I... just assumed, but if she knows...

"And why should we search for this, 'Tainted Mirror'?" She asks while stepping over to look out from the water's edge, "Do you not know what it is that you call it a 'Mirror'?"

I frown internally and join her at the water's edge, "I have to find it," I raise my right hand and try to cast any form of magic and I fail, "I lost my connection to the Fade Sister, I can't use my magic."

Her eyes snap to my own and she looks saddened, if a bit surprised, "And... you are not Tranquil?" She asks with a frown.

I think for a moment before I shake my head. "No, I am not. I... can't."

She frowns deeply in thought, or just agitation, "Then you do not know of what you speak?" She sounds conflicted even though she's accusing me of not being informed.

I look deeply into her eyes and smile tightly, "I know it's an Eluvian Sister, and I know you have seen its location."

"Foresight is a wonderful thing."

Yes it is Darien, yes it is...

She scowls at me, "How absurd!" She turn away, crossing her arms in annoyance at my accusation.

"You know it because mother told you, in my absence." I explain quickly, bullshitting my way along.

She turns slightly, her voice dead, "And what if I know of this... Eluvian?"

I sigh resolutely, "If you do, sister, I would ask of you to bring me to it."

She turns around to face me fully, a fire burning in her golden eyes, "Why?"

I grind my teeth at the question.

Yes, why Darien?

"That will be revealed to you soon enough."

So you can read my thoughts as well?

"I suppose I can young mage, but for now I require your trust. Pause trusts me with his knowledge, why can't you?"

I sigh again, this time from the tiresome argument, "I don't know." She opens her mouth, ready to scathe, but I stop her, "I don't know, but I do know it is needed to-" I frown as I try and find the right reason, "-do something with my connection to the Fade. Help it?" I ask more to Darien than her.

"Yes, and no. It is to allow you a better understanding of who you are."

She watches me carefully, her arms crossed over her chest, lips pursed in deep thought as her sharp gaze silently interrogates me. I give nothing but silence.

After many moments she sighs in defeat, "Fine... I will take us to the mirror, but I require a favor from you in return."

I nod in absolute acceptance, "Of course Sister, what is it?"

She blinks slowly, "You will be informed when I ask it of you..." She trails off as she turns away from me, shifting into her wolf form and rushing off into the forest.

"Fenedhis lasa." I secure my pack and run after her on foot, careful not to lose her trail as I chase her through the woods, the whisper of Darien's words on my tongue.

"Garas Era'harel, Fen ghilani eth na Hahren Adahlen. Ir dar in iras halam shiral." (Come ancient horror, the wolf will guide you safely into the elder forest. I'll be dwelling where the journey ends.)

I just hope I can reach that end Darien.


A/N :) Things are getting weird again! This is the start of the end... of the Elven Arc! Finally! We're officially halfway through Origins!

Give me your thought as to why Darien is guiding Dylan to the Eluvian! I'm Always curious! :)

For those who have questioned... Leliana is officially out of the romance field... for now :) We'll see if Dylan and Morrigan return any time soon.

I'm having a blast finally getting back into this story and hope all of you are enjoying it as much as I am! I just graduated with my AS from college a few weeks ago so... yeah, Summer vacation! I'm going to stick to the "every two days" mark as much as I can. I'm also going to try for at least one chapter of Scorpio's Legacy a week as well, Wish me luck! BlackenedAsh24 out.