~March of the Marionettes~

Spinning around, Drea exclaimed, "Bodahn? Sandal!" Stepping towards the two dwarves in the hallway, she reached out to clasp arms with the older one, repeating his name, "Bodahn! But…how?"

With a wide smile, he gestured towards Sandal as the younger dwarf stood uncomfortably, "Well after your mage friend, Wynne, told First Enchanter Irving about my boy here, he asked us to come to the Circle Tower. He thought maybe those Tranquilfellows could learn a thing or two from him. We were there for many months and the Tranquil were very fascinated by him."

Sandal remained silent as he stared at the floor. Ignoring his painful awkwardness, Drea lightly clapped her hand on his shoulder, "I'm so happy to see you again Sandal." Turning towards Nate to share her surprise, she saw the curiosity in his eyes as he calmly waited to be included or dismissed. Returning to his side, she quickly included him, "Bodahn, Sandal, this is Nate. He's one of my new recr…new Grey Wardens."

"Another Grey Warden? Well I am very honoured to make your acquaintance Ser," Bodahn replied in his robust, yet polite way as he bowed, "From what your Ambassador Cera has told me, your introduction to the order has not been much easier than the Warden Commander's was."

As Nate bowed his head towards the two, Drea added, "Bodahn and Sandal traveled with us during the Blight. Bodahn was the only reason we all had such good equipment and Sandal worked some amazing enchantments into our weapons and armour. It was like nothing I've ever seen before."

Still not letting Nate add anything to the conversation, Bodahn replied proudly, "The First Enchanter called him a savant."

"Which is why I brought them here," Cera crisply cut in as she came around the corner, "And I didn't think you would mind…especially if you decided you wanted to do something with these runes."

As Cera commented on the runes, Sandal's gaze rose from the floor and settled on the pouch hanging from Cera's belt. "It's shiny," he commented in his slow, deliberate way of speaking.

Drea opened her mouth to disagree - she had memorized every facet of the runes and in no way where they shiny. Before speaking, she paused, noticing the slight look of alarm on Cera's face. Instinctively, Drea understood the rune was hidden in the pouch but Cera didn't expect the young dwarf to know that. A subtle shiver ran down her spine when she realized he was seeing the rune in a way they could not. Clearing her throat, she broke the sudden silence, "I think it would be a good idea for us to start our meeting now."

Stepping over to the door of the study, she opened it wide and gestured for everyone to enter. As the group walked past her, into the room, Drea locked eyes with Nate. She felt her nerves start to knot as she prepared to face the next piece of the puzzle. Although she appeared calm, Nate could see the small waves of anxiety clouding her eyes. Offering her a reassuring smile, he gave her a slow nod before she closed the door.

The faint, musty smell of the books in the study provided little comfort as she took her place at the table. Although the wide open windows provided plenty of light, there was a subtle grayness to the room as an ominous feeling settled over the group. Finally, Cera pulled the rune out from her pouch and set it on the table. Drea couldn't help but watch Sandal as he stared at the stone, slowly leaning towards it. He was hypnotized. Cera kept her hands around it, but when Drea glanced up at her, she shrugged, "It's safe." Drea nodded and Cera slid the rune over to Sandal. Pure bliss radiated from his face as he silently scooped it into his hands. Lovingly, he stroked his fingers over the smooth surface, forgetting anyone else was even in the room. "It's a rune of protection," she finished.

Before the slight disappointment on Drea's face could form itself into words, Cera continued, "But it's unlike anything I've ever seen before." Silently, Drea watched Cera from across the table as she nestled back in her chair and sighed, "It was incredibly difficult to get any information on these. I'm starting to realize just how much knowledge we've been forced into losing under the thumb of the Chantry. It seems tragic…I couldn't find out if they had elven origins or were of the Tevinter Imperium, but they are ancient and incredibly powerful. They protect more than just your body."

Intrigued, Drea leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. Diving into explanation, Cera also sat forward again, making small gestures with her hands, "Given what I've heard about your time during the Blight, I assume you understand about the Fade. While mages can visit in a waking state, everyone visits while they dream. But what you may not realize is, even when we're not in the Fade, we've all still got a dormant presence, a dormant connection, to the Fade."

"That can't be right," Drea interrupted, "Everyone would be at risk of becoming an abomination all the time."

"We are not at risk of spontaneously transforming into an abomination because no creature of the Fade is strong enough to cross over without our help," she explained impatiently before getting back to her point, "These runes are powerful because they too have a presence in the Fade. Anyone who possesses these will be protected both here and there. It's so strong in fact that even if one were to agree to allow a demon in, with this rune it would be impossible." Seeing Drea take a sharp breath, Cera added with irritation, "And before you interrupt me again, this rune is designed more for protection against other mages…particularly blood mages. Fade creatures may not be strong enough to interfere with our dormant essence but mages of dark arts…"

As Cera paused to think of the words to finish the sentence, Drea spoke flatly, "I wasn't going to argue about the usefulness of the rune. I was going to say that I understand now why Flemeth would want those destroyed."

Cera's loud snort stopped Drea from continuing and she frowned at the mage. "Flemeth?" Cera asked with another derisive snort, "Someone may be using her tomes, but Flemeth has been dead for generations"

The knuckles on Drea's folded hands turned white as she started to clench them tightly. Keeping her voice even, she replied, "If she can survive death by my hand, I don't think time will get the best of her." Cera's face drew together in a sour glare. Even when not exhausted by long days of travel, the Circle mage was not known for her patience. Determined, Drea pushed, "I don't understand…didn't you just finish commenting on how much knowledge has been lost because of the Chantry and the Circle? Is it so impossible to believe that someone who has never been under the oppression of the Chantry and has access to old magic would know things you don't?"

Pushing herself back into her chair, Cera clicked her tongue with disgust, "I can't believe I go through all this for you and you repay me with distasteful jokes."

"Am I laughing?" Drea asked in a frustrated tone.

"I want to go home," Sandal suddenly spoke up, deeply affected by the abrupt tension between the two women.

"Quiet boy," Bodahn hissed at him, gesturing at him to stop talking.

Tearing her gaze from the irritated mage, Drea looked over at Sandal. No longer holding the rune, his hands were folded on his lap and he nervously looked away. A long sigh escaped from her lips as she reached over and rested her hand in front of him on the table, trying to reassure him. "I'll stay calm," she promised as she straightened up and turned to Cera, "I'm just…surprised…that this is even news to you. I thought you said you read the Grimoire in the First Enchanter's office."

"I…" she started and hesitated. Crossing her arms, she dropped eye contact and finished, "I didn't get much time with it. I wasn't supposed to…"

Waving her confession away, Drea shook her head. "I know this all sounds incredible, but there is no point to arguing with me on this. I'm no mage, so I'm not sure how well I can explain this, but…Flemeth treats bodies almost like we treat clothing. That Grimoire detailed how she would transfer her…essence…from one body to the next. When her body starts to get too old, she finds her next apostate daughter, prepares her, and takes her over." Cera crossed her arms tighter, almost as though she were trying to fend off a shudder as she pursed her lips together in thought. "One of the women I traveled with during the Blight was to be her next body, only she found out the plan when we found the Grimoire at the Circle Tower. If these runes could offer her daughter protection…completely costing Flemeth her next body…I can see why she would want them destroyed." Keeping the information of Morrigan's child to herself, Drea finished.

Finally looking back up at Drea, Cera inclined her head. Not entirely convinced, she spoke doubtfully, "If that's all true, I…don't know what to say…"

"Say nothing," Drea replied firmly, "This cannot leave the room." As Cera nodded, Drea turned to Sandal and pointed to the rune. "So my next question is, how big would something have to be for you to be able to enchant it with this?"

Not looking up, Sandal replied with a grin, "Small is fun."

Speaking for his son, Bodahn clarified, "Oh, I've seen him enchant things much smaller than the rune he's using. Why, I've even seen him enchant things from broken runes if it's a piece with enough lyrium still in it. I don't know exactly how he does it, but the stone isn't the important part. He just keeps folding it over, concentrating it down…" Bodahn paused with his mouth open when he realized he didn't know how to explain it. Finally he shrugged as he patted Sandal's back.

Slowly drawing her hand across her forehead, Drea fell into deep thought as she absently replied, "That's very good to hear. If you don't mind, I may need you to stay for a little while…I'll make sure you are set up well."

Being his usual, agreeable self, Bodahn had no objections and Sandal was happy with the idea he may still get to work with the runes. It was very shortly after that when Drea dismissed the meeting so the weary travelers could get some rest. She spent the rest of the day in quiet contemplation, hardly even acknowledging Akron as he followed her closely. By the time Nate came to find her in her room, she was already in her night robe, curled on her bed. Resting her chin on her propped knees, she was staring down at the rune in her hand. Moving into the room, Nate hesitated on closing the door long enough for Nara to slip in with him. Flopping against the wall near Arkon, Nara sighed as she rested her head on her crossed paws. Akron lazily blinked at her in acknowledgement.

Stepping past the mabari hounds, Nate moved towards the bed. Not looking up to greet him, Drea stayed focused on the rune. In a tone matching her sullen body language, Drea sighed, "I let her down you know…Morrigan." Not interrupting her, Nate sat on the edge of her bed, near her feet. Still not acknowledging him, Drea continued, "I promised to make it safe for her, but instead I made her more vulnerable. If I had refused to kill Flemeth, if Morrigan knew the witch was still alive, she would always be on her guard. I have my doubts that she would have even done the ritual, since she knew she would be doing something Flemeth wanted. But instead I gave her a false sense of security."

Reaching over, Nate rested his hands on her forearms, obscuring her view of the rune. "You couldn't have known all that. You can't waste time beating yourself up," his words were echoes of his words from many times before.

Tightening her grip on the rune, she carried on as though he hadn't spoken, "But I think this is the only thing that can help her now. It's a rune that protects here and in the Fade. Neither Morrigan nor her child would have to worry about Flemeth gaining control over them…but I have to try and find her."

"A rune of protection?" Nate repeated, surprised she wasn't more excited at the good news. Trying to assure her, he pressed, "We'll find her because…we have to. In case you haven't noticed, things around you seem to fall into place since you became a Grey Warden. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the woman in the city is the next step in getting a lead on Morrigan. It's like everything is connected on a string with you."

Stretching her legs out and slowly lowering herself onto her pillows, she pulled away from Nate's grasp. Finally looked up into his eyes, she lightly scoffed, "Strings woven by Flemeth. It's all her. She's the one who created the Architect to start the Blight. She's the one who saved Alistair and me but only so she could send her daughter to take the soul of the old god. I have little doubt that she let us kill her so Morrigan would believe she was safe. It's even likely that she mirrored us during the Blight just to make sure we were successful. This whole time, I've just been a puppet on her string. I saved Ferelden to doom Thedas."

Shuffling himself forward, Nate spoke firmly, "So are you telling me that even if you knew all this, you wouldn't have done everything in your power to stop the Blight? Flemeth or not, you wouldn't have been able to just sit by. Look, something terrible may have been set into motion but now you have the key to stop it…"

Cutting him off, she weakly chuckled as she held up the rune, "Right. The key. Or another string. I mean…lets think this through - everything we saw suggests she took these runes to the altar to destroy them. Whatever spell she had to cast was powerful enough to cause the tunnels leading to the cavern to cave in. Being that there is no way to walk through solid rock, she was forced to flee, losing her belongs. She never expected the darkspawn to clear the tunnel. She never expected us to stumble across the altar. And she certainly never expected us to realize what we found…leaving us with the distinct advantage for once."

Drea paused as her chest heaved in a deep sigh. Nate quietly listened, having heard this already. The corner of her mouth turned up in a lopsided smile as she added, "Or, she still has the advantage because she set it all up, as she's set up everything else. What if, for some reason she wants us to have this rune, wants us to know what it is, and wants us to seek out Morrigan with it? What if she even wants us to go to the woman in the city?"

"Why could she possibly want that?" Nate asked, as he narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"I have no idea! I never have. Flemeth is always ahead of me. I can't even see the path she led me on until I look back on it. I…can't keep doing this," Drea tightened her fingers around the rune, making a frustrated fist.

Leaning forward to rest his hand on her fist, he suggested, "So we need to do something she won't be expecting. Which is hard without know what she expects..."

"I know she would expect me to try and save Morrigan," she started quietly as she looked away. In a voice barely above a whisper, she finished, "So I know she'd never expect me to kill her. And the baby."