The first of the Templars who have agreed to help the Inquisition arrived to Haven the next day. Ellena saw them trailing in through the large wooden gate as they were given temporary accommodations and later on when they visited the local inn. It had seemed that even the weather changed its mind and instead of snow and rain Haven was greeted with a sunny morning. And Ellena's mood soared. It felt as if the sun could recharge her energy and even though the wounds still hurt she was able to sit quite comfortably on her bed and let herself bask in the golden rays of the morning sunshine. As her eyes darted for a moment across the space of the cabin Ellena noticed that there were several new candlesticks on the nightstand next to the bed and on the table in the corner as well as a new, thick blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a comfortable fur cloak which hung from the peg next to the door. All this had been a curtesy of Cullen.

Last night after she woke up he dashed out in a hurry only to return several moments later with armful of things and proclaimed all this was for her. This baffled her still. According to the letter she'd received from home Ellena was supposed to serve Leliana, yet Cullen seemed to try and spend time in her company and now he gave her gifts and wanted nothing for it in return. And a little doubt grew in her mind she mused over the words Leliana had told her before. Yes she should have kept her distance from Cullen. Should have obeyed like a good slave would have but somehow the time Ellena had spent here with people like Varric, Cassandra or even Solas had shown her that perhaps she could move on from the past. That she could try and approach things differently.

And then there were the dreams. Ellena could remember her life before Minrathous with better clarity now than ever before. And she came to realize that she haven't been always who she was now. That there was a time albeit brief when she felt like a person and she desperately tried to remember as much as she could about the years when she was not just a merchandise.

Ellena felt another headache form at the front of her head so she banished these worries for later and focused on other more pressing things. One of them was testing the extent of her injuries and to see if she could move freely around. After only a few stretches here and there the former slave concluded that as long as she kept her arm in the sling and avoided anything too exhausting she should be fine. It was at that moment when Ellena looked at the palm of her left hand. Right now the mark was more or less invisible but the knowledge of it still left her with uneasy feeling in the heart.

The moment when they will ask her to close the breach for good was getting nearer and nearer with each Templar that had arrived to Haven and she was dreading it. Ellena forced herself to look at the whole matter with as much detachment as she could muster but the outcomes were certainly not in her favour. For one whenever before she had tried to close the smaller rifts it left her exhausted afterwards. To add to it the first time she had actually fought with the Breach it had left her out cold. And this proved that her conclusion was probably correct. She will most likely die while closing the Breach.

This was not the first time that a thought like that crossed her mind but now when the imminent demise seemed so forebodingly close Ellena started to have second thoughts about the whole ordeal. What if she simply packed some supplies and ran away for it. No one was keeping an eye on her anymore and Leliana was still out cold. But then again she had no place to go to and from the conversations she overheard about the Breach Ellena gathered that unless it was stopped the whole world might be in danger.

"I suppose there is no escape from this now." The elf muttered the words for herself silently just as a soft knock on the door brought her from the musings.

"Ellena are you there?" Cassandra's voice sounded a bit muffled by the door and the fear and worries the former slave had just formulated into thoughts a moment ago sank into her stomach. If the Seeker was here it meant they will most likely set out for the Breach soon. Too soon for her own comfort.

"I am, yes." Was the reply and Ellena took one deep breath to calm herself down. Perhaps dying to the Breach might not be that bad. Some say that everyone would meet with the Maker and those who had departed before. And if that was the truth then perhaps her family was there, waiting for her. The small creak of the door forced her to look up from her knees and she was met with Cassandra's brown eyes, though this time instead of the usual hardened glare of a soldier the human woman seemed more friendly and kind.

"How are you feeling?" Seeker's voice sounded rather concerned as she made her way towards the bed and slowly sat down. Ellena also noticed that this was probably the first time when Cassandra was not clad in her usual battle attire but rather wore a pair of comfortable black trousers and a white shirt with slightly worn leather vest clad over it. When the elf failed to answer Cassandra probably took it as a sign of discomfort and with a small sigh continued. "I am aware how you must feel in my presence. Our first encounter had been less than pleasant. I would like to apologize for it."

"You...you don't have to apologize. I mean...not on my behalf..." Ellena stuttered slightly and felt a pink blush creep up to her cheeks and flush down across the back of her neck. Cassandra's words left the former slave quite confused but also pleased. It felt good that she was not angry with her anymore. Perhaps today will not be such a bad day after all. As if Cassandra could read her thoughts she smiled briefly at the elf before she continued.

"I would also like to thank you. Your actions saved us all in Therinfal and it made me realize just how strenuous it must be to use that mark on your hand." The Seeker paused for a moment and studied Ellena's face before she drew another breath and continued. "We will set out to close The Breach today. I am not quite sure how you feel about it but I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make sure we succeed and you will stay safe."

Such confession left her speechless for a moment. Again Ellena was reminded of just how different people here were towards her than people in Minrathous and she could not help but smile. It felt good that after all these years there were others who she could rely upon and who would offer their help and protection to her. The last time she ever felt like this was probably before her sisters were gone. Afterwards she was alone with all the burdens and fears.

"Thank you. I...I am really grateful for your concerns." The elf managed to say and hoped that her voice did not sound as shaky as she herself felt.

"Well then.." Cassandra nodded and her face again reflected the usual busy expression although this time Ellena noticed that the brown eyes were not looking at her so hardly and she felt much more comfortable in the presence of the Seeker.

"When you are ready please come and meet us in the war room in the Chantry and make sure you wear something warm, it is sunny outside but the wind is quite chilling and I have a feeling that there might come a blizzard later today."

"I will."

With that said Cassandra stood up and left the cabin and Ellena moved on to pack her things. Despite Cassandra's words she still saw the future as less than optimistic and wanted to have what little she owned with her when the confrontation with the Breach comes. With a quick scan over the room Ellena slowly slid down from the bed and moved on to try and garb her leather garments on. The task proved more difficult then she anticipated since she could only use one hand properly but after a brief battle and few curses the elf managed to get herself dressed more or less presentably. What remained was her diary. She pocketed the small book into the inner pocket of her jacket and then fetched the coin Cullen gave her before and which she usually kept under the pillow when in Haven. As she looked at the smooth silvery surface of the token and at the serene face of Andraste the tight knot of the fear around her stomach seemed to loosen up a bit.

With one last glance around the place Ellena grabbed the fur coat from the peg on the wall and snugged into it before she left the cabin behind and hurried towards the Chantry. Her thoughts on the matter shifted slightly after the brief talk with Cassandra. No matter what happens, the Breach had to be closed. Her fate was still uncertain but she allowed herself the hope that Cassandra and Cullen would be true to their words and would do all they could to help her get through this ordeal. And when Ellena realized all this she felt her stride hasten. There was no point in delaying this and the sooner they all are done the sooner she could focus on other things.

The climb on top of the mountain and to the remains of the Temple of Sacred Ashes felt like a blur to her. As much as she had tried to reason with herself about the motives and outcomes of this journey Ellena felt fear tighten around her heart and stomach with each step she took forward. True to Cassandra's earlier words the skies darkened and a bitter, cold wind blew from the mountain tops around them all. Soon the idle chat of her companions, the Templars and soldiers who trailed behind died out and they all concentrated on moving forward and keeping themselves as warm as possible.

Too soon did the blackened and sad remains of the Temple greeted them. The place looked slightly better than during their last visit and Ellena noticed that the scorched corpses and bones were removed. Probably an honorable effort of the Inquisition in assuring proper burial for the poor victims of the explosion. As she looked over the seared ground the odd warmth which had seemed to seep into the air from the large red lyrium clusters welcomed them. The sight of this place made Ellena wonder about one more thing. Should she perish here, what would the Inquisition do with her body? She had a hunch that they would probably burn her remains and scatter the ashes somewhere but that prospect did little to ease her racing heart and she felt crippling fear shake though her whole body. At least she could pretend that the shaking was from the cold.

A familiar heavy hand suddenly squeezed her shoulder and Ellena turned to look into Cullen's face. She did not even realize he was this close to her.

"Are you alright Ellena? You are shaking." The Commander asked and she saw those same fears and questions which she had, reflect in his own eyes as he looked down at the elf in front of him. "I will be here, it will be alright." Were the last words Ellena heard from him before Cassandra's hand somewhat forcefully grabbed her uninjured arm and nudged her forward and down the stairs.

"Cullen I..." Ellena paused as there were so many things she suddenly wanted to tell this man. She wanted to tell him that she had wished they've had more time left. That she wished for him to come down towards the Breach with her. That she was scared and wanted him to kiss her one last time. But as she was half dragged away from him and the Templars assumed their place behind, Ellena only heard herself say the most ridiculous thing of all the things she could have possibly said. "I will talk to you later." Her voice carried across the courtyard and she prayed that Cullen heard her because the wind seemed to silence all the other sounds except its ominous howling.

Ellena could only barely remember what had happened the last time they were here, the events scarcely a faint memory although now that her eyes focused at the shimmering Breach and she took in its immense proportions compared to the rifts they have dealt with so far, she felt small and weak. The green crystal-like structure hung in the mid air and spun flares of jade light all around the. As if in response to it, her mark suddenly flared too and she felt sharp stab of pain rip through her arm. It felt as if someone had pierced it with thousand needles.

"Templars! Focus on the Breach, use your abilities to weaken it!" Cullen's voice carried to her as if filtered through deep water but Ellena knew what she had to do. The mark on her hand was flaring angrily ever so high and she took the first few steps forward. The Breach and the mark connected at last and the sudden blaze of energy sent ripples through her whole body. But she pressed on. Each step she took towards the green rift in front of her took all of her strength.

"Just...one more.." Ellena gritted her teeth and kept going. Finally she could hear the familiar song from the Breach. It engulfed her and with it the emerald light flashed all around the courtyard. If I am going to die here, at least I will die for something good.One more step. The Breach resisted her attempt but she continued with the struggle. At least I will be a bit more than a merchandise!Ellena looked up angrily at the Breach and with the remaining strength pushed her arm forward. The pulsating light connected from her hand to the rift and the glow blazed even stronger. I will get this done!

And with that last thought she felt all the fear of dying disappear and focused all the will she could muster on closing this abominable tear between her world and the Fade and banishing it to the oblivion once and for all. At last Ellena felt the whole pressure around her shatter and with one last dying flare of the green light the Breach expanded and then disappeared into a thin air. The force of its ultimate destruction propelled her backwards and she braced herself for a hard impact with the ground. But instead her body landed into a soft embrace and she knew it was Cullen even before she opened her eyes. She could feel his arms tighten around her and the familiar scent of "her Templar" made her wish to drown in that embrace forever. Her Templar. The words had such a nice ring to it. Cheers and shouts erupted around the a moment later everyone present celebrated that the Breach was finally gone.

"You did it!" Ellena could hear Cassandra say somewhere behind her but for now all she could focus on was Cullen. The hug they shared told her that despite his previous assurance about her safety he had not been so sure himself. Not until now. Cassandra organized everyone and then ordered the hugging pair to return to Haven. Soon enough Ellena felt the exhaustion from closing the Breach spread through her whole body but without even having to say a word Cullen gently lifted her in his arms, and with a look which challenged anyone who would possibly object, he carried her all the way down into the town.

"You should eat more, you barely weight anything." Cullen smiled at the elf in his arms from above and Ellena nestled herself closer into his furry cloak.

"Perhaps we can see to it tonight over dinner?" She smiled and prayed that the nervous flush she felt spread through her stomach would not reflect as a blush on her cheeks. Somehow when she battled with the Breach Ellena decided to try and be a bit more confident when talking with others. At least with Cullen, Cassandra and Varric. After all they decided to treat her as their equal so she vowed to give it her best try.

"That...that would be nice." Cullen's voice resonated through his chest and when Ellena detected a hint of nervousness between his words she had to smile even more. At least it was not just be her who was nervous here.

The apothecary's cabin was dark, save for one candlestick, when Leliana woke up. It took the spymaster few moments to gather her thoughts and realize her whereabouts. She could vaguely remember the events of the previous days and with a sudden realization her hand shot up to her chest and stomach.

So it was true then. Were the first thoughts which had crossed her mind after she discovered a thick layer of bandages wrapped tightly around her torso. Only a brief moment later Leliana realized she was not alone in the room. Adan was busy with his potions at his work table but she focused more at the man who stood guard at her bed. One of the Templars? But why here?

"Master Adan, I think your patient is awake." The templar said in a low and somber voice of someone who was not thrilled with the nature of his assignment.

"Sister Nightingale, how are you feeling?" Adan asked and walked over to see to his patient.

"Not one of my best days but I've had worse. Just give me the overview of my situation." Leliana answered and heard her voice sound rather weak and hoarse.

"You have sustained quite serious injuries. Arrow to the shoulder a wound which looks like it had been caused by claws in your stomach and a stab wound of sorts at your chest. I have treated all to my best knowledge and with the potions and salves you seem to be healing quite fast." The Apothecarian said in his usual detached voice and Leliana noticed a small steaming cup in his hand.

"Very well, do you have any update on what is the situation with our cause?" The Spymaster finally asked after a small pause. She tried to wrap her head around the situation. Things must have gone well if she was here and judging by the Templar who was present, the negotiations yielded them the necessary reinforcements.

"How long have I been out?"

"Almost two days. As for the situation what I know is that the Inquisition joined forces with the Templars. They arrived to Haven with their main force yesterday. Right now, Commander and Lady Seeker are with them at the Temple of the Sacred Ashes. They are trying to close the Breach for good." Adan recounted the events before he pushed the cup towards Leliana who regarded him with a raised eyebrow.

"Please, do not give me this look Sister Nightingale. This is merely a strengthening draught. It should help you get on your feet, although I cannot vouch for the taste." The man grinned slightly as he watched his patient down the potion in one go andLeliana's face turned into a mask of disgust.

"Honestly, this tastes like kissing a wrong end of a nug." The spymaster shook her head slightly in vain attempt to banish the tangy aroma from her tongue.

"Ser Reid, I do not think we will need your services here anymore. Thank you for your vigil though." Adan turned to the silent Templar who stood still as a mute statue, his eyes never leaving Leliana.

"As you wish." Was all the large man had said before he exited the cabin and left Leliana wondering about the purpose of his presence.

"Now, Sister Nightingale I would like to ask you about that wound on your chest. I have treated it as best as I could but for the love of the Maker I cannot figure out what caused it and it seems to be still infected to some degree."

Leliana felt the grip of her fingers tighten around the empty cup and her mind already worked fast to come up with some explanation. Under no circumstance could she reveal the true nature of her injury. That much was obvious. If she had done that, they would have locked her up somewhere as a potential threat and that was simply something she could not afford to happen. Not now.

"Right, pardon me Adan but who else saw to my treatment?" The spymaster asked casually making sure her face betrayed none of her thoughts on the matter.

"Mother Giselle stopped by a few times, she helped me with mixing the salve and stitched up the claw wounds. But before I could confide in her with my bafflement at your other injury she had to leave to help with tending to refugees in Redcliff." Adan replied and with a sigh sat himself down on a rickety chair next to the bed where Leliana had been resting until now.

Leliana knew this was risky but she had no other choice. Slowly she came to one and only conclusion on this matter. The Apothecarian had to be removed. She could always announce his disappearance to Josephine and have her hire someone new under a pretense that Adan decided to pursue his other interests outside the Inquisition. It was not uncommon after all. And with this decision firmly in mind the spymaster lashed out in one fluid movement. Ignoring her wounds and the painful protest her weak muscles gave her she reached out and smashed the cup over Adan's head before she toppled him from the chair and with one well measured blow of her fist against his temple sent him to the land of dreams.

The small town of Haven burst to life with cheers and shouts just as Leliana tied up the last loop of the rope around Adan's unconscious body and with some effort pushed him under the bed. I will deal with him later.For now the spymaster rummaged through the potion stock in the room until she found two healing potions. Yes Leliana was aware of the side effects of overusing the potions but right now she needed all the strength she could muster and if that meant dealing with headaches and having her stomach turned inside out later, then so be it.

It took her around ten minutes to get dressed in her usual equipment and to hide the bandages which she untied from her wounds. The crystals had spread somewhat but oddly enough the sight of the chest wound did not leave Leliana with worry. Instead she felt rather good. Stronger and faster and her vision had a new sense of clarity to it. Well perhaps the Templars in Therinfal knew what they were doing, they just overdid it all at once.The spymaster mused during her treck from the Apothecarian's cabin towards the Chantry.

The previous cheers and shouts revealed to be the reaction to the return of The Inquisition form the Temple and their ultimate success at closing the Breach but Leliana had other things to attend to. That melody which had resonated through her mind before was nudging at the edges of her consciousness even now. But now there was a different urgency to it. It seemed that the song of lyrium tried to speak to her but to her great frustration she had no idea what it wanted. Only this persistent feeling that something or someone was coming.

The attack on Haven came suddenly and with a deadly accuracy. Just as almost everyone around danced and celebrated the fires engulfed the forward camps and dozens of the Inquisition's soldiers lost their lives under the elemental attacks of the marching mages. Ellena was just enjoying few drinks with Varric and Solas when the loud blows resonated against the palisade gate and moments later she saw Cullen and Cassandra rush forward with Templars and soldiers on their heels.

"I'll be damned. Bianca I think it's time for us to shine again!" Varric shouted and with a nod towards Solas sprinted after others to join in the fight with whoever it was that was attacking.

That left the elf alone and she had no idea what to do. What can one possibly do during the attack on the whole town? Ellena looked around frantically and noticed that the red glow suddenly appeared behind the wall. The fires were close. Everyone was running to man the walls or the large catapults which stood on the little hill above Haven.

"Ellena! Find Leliana and stay in the Chantry. I will get to you once we get this under control." Cullen called out to her and without giving it a second thought she nodded and dashed up towards the stone building. It seemed that she was not the only one who sought refuge in Chantry's stone walls. Many of the town's people were already massing before the door and she saw glimpse of Vivienne who was helping them in.

"You, what do you want in here?" A hand as strong as iron suddenly grasped her shoulder and Ellena turned around only to look Leliana directly in the face. The spymaster looked paler than usual with dark rings under her eyes which were oddly bloodshot. But she seemed recovered enough at least which gave Ellena some hope.

"Cullen told me to find you...I am not sure what to do now."

"Just stay in my tent until we find out what is going on. You are not useful for anything else during the fight anyway." Leliana pushed the elf backwards under the cover of her makeshift headquarters before she hastily walked away. Well she was right. Ellena thought. What could she possibly do during a fight like this. Unless it is demons who are attacking, then maybe she could do some good. But when she looked down at the mark it was invisible which probably meant that whichever force was upon them, had nothing to do with demons or rifts.

The waiting felt like eternity. Every loud scream, yell or cry left Ellena half jumping with fright and she felt as if her nerves were suddenly on top of her skin and strung up like harp strings. At last after what could have been twenty minutes but seemed like hours Leliana walked back into the tent. She had bow in one hand and her gear was stained with blood, soot and dust.

"Come, we have a meeting near the battlements." The spymaster nodded and Ellena gratefully followed. Anything was better than spending another minute here, waiting and have no idea about what was happening. As they made their way down through the panicked town the elf kept looking around in a hope that she would see Cullen somewhere. A terrible fear started to grow in her heart and she uttered few silent prayers to the Maker for his safety. Leliana firmly walked in the front without even glancing back to make sure that Ellena followed. But despite her previous vows the spymaster was the one person appointed to act as a temporal master and even though Ellena longed to just dash away and look for Cullen her deeply ingrained obedience prevented her from doing anything else than trailing behind like a puppy. Deep down she loathed herself for it.

Finally the two women arrived at the clear spot near one of the trebuchets and judging by the fact that no one else seemed to have been here, they must have been the first for the meeting. Or so she have thought.

"Have you ever thought about the value of sacrifice?" Leliana's voice suddenly interrupted the noise from the battle below them and Ellena turned to look her way. The spymaster stood barely two steps from her and her hands were idly playing with a pair of iron cuffs. To answer the question the elf only silently shook her head as she was quite unsure about what Lelliana had meant with " the value of a sacrifice".But apparently that proved as a sufficient answer to the Chantry sister because she continued in her speech after only a small pause.

"You see, a mage from Redcliff managed to get to us and warn us about the force which is attacking us now. A host of mages under the name Venatori who are led by a man who calls himself The Elder One. And guess why they are here." Leliana smiled Ellena's way and the elf's heart sank at the sight of her face. Part of her wanted to hope that this was not what it sounded like. But just as Ellena felt her hands tremble with fear she realized that those hand cuffs were most likely for her.

"The value of sacrifice is quite simple though. One sacrifices something in order to get something better. In this case..." The spymaster's free hand suddenly snatched the slender hand of the former slave in such a speed that Ellena hardly believed it possible. "...your life will save lives of everyone else in Haven. Honestly, you should be proud, no?"

The iron around her wrists felt heavy and it cut down into her skin. The revelation that Ellena was about to be given to the enemy forces left her dazed and barely able to speak. She could not even dream about putting up a fight or any other form of resistance. And in the end what good would it do. If what Leliana said was true and she could save the people of this town then perhaps she should not fight it at all.Ellena watched with odd detachment as Leliana secured the chain, which connected the bonds, to the side of the trebuchet and the only thing she was aware of was the frantic pounding of her heart against her chest.

"I will leave you here for now. The Elder One will collect you soon enough. And don't try to run. You would not want to be responsible for everyone's death would you?" Leliana gave her prisoner one last smile before she disappeared in the darkness which engulfed the little hill where Ellena remained petrified with fear and just when she thought that she could not be more afraid a loud, screeching shriek tore through the night and to her utter horror a dragon swooped down from skies and landed with force deafening as thunder a few meters away from her.

So this was it then, this is how she will die.

Updated: 26.3.2016