A few weeks passed with much excitement. Ser Tamra had been found dead on the side of the road, but the Dark Wolf had approached the Wardens and discovered the traitors. All of them, including Bann Esmerelle, had been executed for treason. Delnan and Sereda had sent a former member of the Legion of the Dead, Sigrun, to them as a recruit, and her bright, peppy personality brought light to the darkness that had been hovering over the Vigil. Anders and Justice, who had been spending a large amount of time together, vanished one night without a word to anyone. Kristoff's corpse had been found in Anders' bedroom, and Traven feared that the mage had offered himself as a host to the spirit. Mhairi had been getting bolder in her attempt to win Traven over, and Zeriah could see that it was working, even if Traven wouldn't admit it. It was revealed that Oghren was a father, although he hadn't been spending any time with his wife and child, and Zeriah promised to help him stay in touch with his family. They had also encountered a creature that was calling itself "The Architect" in the Wending Woods, where they found another recruit in the Dalish elf Velanna.
Zeriah stood staring at the chalice that had been previously filled with darkspawn blood. Both recruits had survived the Joining, and she finally felt as if they were getting somewhere. The loss of Anders and Justice was difficult, as they had low numbers, but she hoped that the Wardens would be able to pull through and defeat these darkspawn enemies that seemed to be cropping up everywhere. Someone cleared their throat behind her and she turned to see all of her companions, excluding the two that had just gone through the Joining, standing with Wade and Herren.
"What is going on?" she asked. Traven stepped forward.
"We know that the last few weeks have been exceedingly difficult for you. You have had to deal with losses on multiple fronts, and we just wanted to give you something that will hopefully give you hope." he explained. She arched an eyebrow, confused.
"I know how heartbreaking the loss of your sword was, Zeri. It was your last tie to your family, and it was taken away from you. I don't know if you ever noticed, but I stole the piece of your sword that you had picked up in the Blackmarsh, and we used it." Nathaniel said. She frowned. She had been devastated by the loss of her family weapon, and when the remaining piece of it had gone missing as well, she had been furious.
"Why would you do that?" she asked angrily. They allowed Wade to step forward and revealed that he was carrying something wrapped in cloth.
"This, dear Commander, is, without a doubt, my masterpiece creation." he said reverently. She stared at the cloth. "Her name is Vigilance." he said, revealing the most incredible sword she had ever seen. It looked as though it were coated in frost, but lightning and flames danced along its blade. It was made of dragon bone, but there was a familiar color that was wound into it, and she realized that it also held what was left of her family sword. The Cousland heraldry was etched into the blade as it had been before. She fell to her knees and began to weep.
"Zeriah?" Traven asked, concern in his voice. She smiled up at him, tears still rolling down her face.
"Thank you. Thank you all so much." she whimpered. She stood and gently touched the hilt. She lifted it, and was surprised to find that it was light, and warm to the touch despite the frost. She gave it a swing, and it glided through the air with ease.
"There has never been a blade like it, Your Grace. It is attuned to you, so the elemental additions will never harm you. The magic within it is designed to work only on your enemies, although, if you wished to attack your friends I suppose the blade itself would do just fine." Wade rambled. Zeriah laughed and embraced him.
"Thank you, Wade. You have outdone yourself." she assured him. He squealed excitedly and practically skipped out of the room. She chuckled. "I don't think I will ever get used to that man." she said fondly. Traven laughed, and Zeriah was startled. She hadn't heard that laugh in a very long time. He seemed to notice her shock, and he stopped immediately. She sighed. "Any news on Anders?" she asked. Traven shook his head.
"He's vanished. It seems as though he has left the country, as none of our eyes in Ferelden have seen him. I hope he isn't going to cause too much trouble." he admitted. Zeriah frowned.
"Why do you think he would cause trouble?" she asked. Traven took her arm and led her away from the others, who had broken open a cask and were now celebrating another successful Joining.
"I fear that, when allowing Justice to merge with him, his hatred will have tainted the spirit." he said quietly.
"What do you mean 'tainted'?" she asked. He glanced at the floor.
"I believe that Anders' hatred of Templars and the Chantry will have corrupted Justice, and warped him into a demon, or at least, a much darker spirit. One of vengeance, for instance." he explained. Zeriah's eyes widened.
"Can that happen?" she asked. He nodded.
"When a spirit is summoned against its will, it can sometimes react in fear, thus changing it into a demon. Having an emotion the opposite of what the spirit is meant for will change it, and if what we suspect about Anders and Justice is true, Justice will be encountering true hatred for the first time. It could warp him, thereby changing Anders himself." he revealed. Zeriah nodded in understanding.
"So Anders is basically an abomination?" she wondered. He shrugged.
"I would say yes, but I've never encountered a situation like this before. With Wynne it was different. She never merged with the spirit of Faith. It was more like Faith gave her life to save Wynne's. I don't know what would happen if you willingly merged with a spirit, though I am certain it is the same as merging with a demon. The question, is how hard the spirit would fight for control. If Justice allows Anders to be in control, there might not be a problem. It would be in the times that Justice feels that he needs to take over that we would have an issue." He finished. Zeriah sighed.
"That's...good to know, I suppose. It seems there is nothing more that we can do for him. I hope he will be well." she decided. Traven nodded. They heard a hiccup behind them and turned to see Oghren swaying on his feet.
"You. And you. Get over here and join the party." he slurred. Zeriah smiled softly.
"I have more work to do, Oghren, but Traven can certainly join you all." she said, somewhat regretfully. She laughed as Oghren grabbed Traven's arm and led him over to the others. He needed a night of fun.
Multiple hours and an uncounted number of drinks later, Traven stood on one of the balconies that overlooked the Keep. He heard soft footsteps approaching behind him and he closed his eyes with a sigh.
"I remember, when we were on the road during the Blight, I used to love taking the third watch." he said softly. Mhairi leaned on the balcony beside him, eyes bright and cheeks reddened with drink. She hadn't had as much as the others, but she had enough to make her sway slightly.
"Why is that?" she asked, her voice steady. Traven pointed up at the dark, starry sky.
"That was the shift that lasted from late in the night until dawn. I got to watch the stars as they faded into the sunrise." he murmured. He saw her lips turn into a smile out of the corner of his eye.
"I didn't know you were a romantic." she said dreamily. He laughed softly.
"I don't know if that's what I'd call it, but sure." he agreed. Suddenly, she was frowning.
"Who was she?" she asked. He waited for the sharp spike of pain that usually came with thinking of her, but there was only a dull ache in its place.
"Morrigan." he breathed.
"What happened?" she wondered. He sighed. Perhaps the drink was getting to him, or maybe it was finally time for him to let go, but he told her. He told her everything from the very beginning. He told her about Neria, about Leliana and his confused feelings for her, and he told her about Morrigan.
"And then she left without a word. I have not seen, nor heard from her since before she headed to Fort Drakon with Zeriah." he finished. Mhairi gently touched his arm.
"It sounds like you really love her." she whispered.
"I do. I did. I don't know anymore. She obviously didn't return the favor." he said, turning her ring between his fingers. Mhairi raised an eyebrow.
"Why would you say that?" she asked. He laughed bitterly.
"I feel as though, if you truly loved someone, you wouldn't just abandon them like that. You wouldn't cut their heart out and leave them bleeding on the floor." he growled. Mhairi shook her head.
"If you loved someone, and the only way to save them was to leave, wouldn't you do it?" she asked. He stared out into the distance, where the sun was starting to light up the horizon. He hadn't ever thought of it that way.
"I suppose that's true." he agreed, turning to look at her. The sun brought a sort of glow to her pale, soft cheeks, framed by her short, dark hair. He had never noticed how her pale blue eyes seemed to drink everything in like the pools of water they resembled. He brushed a curling lock of hair behind her ear, and she seemed to melt into his touch. "You're beautiful." he told her, and he wondered how he had ever thought of her as plain. She smiled warmly.
"You're drunk." she replied fondly. He shook his head, though the action made him slightly dizzy.
"No, really. I don't know how I never saw it before." he said in wonder. She kept smiling, and he decided that he needed to kiss her. He leaned in, and she put a finger to his lips.
"Not like this, Traven." she breathed. He leaned away, hurt by her rejection. He tried to leave, and she blocked him. "You can kiss me when we are both sober, but only if you actually want to." she told him before leaving him alone on the balcony. He glanced down at the small, silver ring in his hand. Maybe all of this was a sign that it was time to move on. He was pulled from his reverie by the sound of loud horns trumpeting all around. The Keep was under attack.