Author Notes: This will be my last chapter posted for awhile since I started school again. I have some pages written, but am waiting to hear back from my editor. I am also currently writing some scenes that are taking much longer than expected. Hopefully, I will be able to update the story once a week or so depending on how much I get written. Thank you all for reading it.

Chapter 27:

The next morning, Sylina woke with a horrible migraine. She stumbled around until she had all the ingredients for a pain reliever and was making it when Leliana walked in. "Oh, it is good to see you up. When will we be leaving?" Sylina groaned and motioned for Leliana to be quiet. She chuckled and walked over. "So, it's true then. Morrigan was saying you got drunk, but I couldn't have been gone for more than a half hour." The red head giggled and watched as Sylina drank down the potion.

They headed out of the compound and down into Dark Town. Sylina had everyone split up and they looked for information on getting into Jarvia's base. Her head was feeling a little better, but she couldn't keep herself from blushing every time she looked at Alistair. He wore a small grin every time she looked at him and she figured it had something to do with the events she couldn't remember from the previous night.

She shook her head and her hand went to the chain around her neck. When she was away from the others, she took out the amulet. She wasn't sure she wanted them knowing she wore a templar's amulet around her neck. She sighed, wondering if that was because she didn't want everyone to know, or just Alistair. Sylina looked down at the amulet in her hand; one side had Andraste's holy symbol and the other had the templar insignia. She sighed again as she traced the templar sign. Her whole life she had lived around templars, and now her fellow Grey Warden also had templar abilities. She liked Alistair – he made her laugh, was always smiling, and made her feel safe. But...the amulet belonged to another. She put the amulet back down her dress. Perhaps they should hurry to the tower, she needed to know...

"Anything I can help you with my lady?" a young dwarf asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. Sylina saw that he was next to several sleeping nugs.

"Um...you wouldn't happen to know where Jarvia's base is?" she asked, looking at the dwarf.

He shook his head and frowned. "Sorry, I try to stay out of that business. I just take care of my nugs here."

Sylina bit her lip and looked at the nugs. "Hmm, are they dangerous? Can you catch one for me?" The only thing she remembered from the previous night was Leliana being sick because they were eating nug. She felt bad for the laysister who was always polite to her. Perhaps a present is what she needed.

"I could catch you one. One from the Deep Roads, they are healthier. How much you looking to pay?" the dwarf said, standing up and smiling. Sylina sighed. The poverty in this part of town crushed her.

"How much do you want?" They didn't have a lot of money, but she was sure she could spare some for this man to find a nug.

"It'll depend on what I get. I'll go look now." He smiled and left. Sylina headed back to the main area and saw that Morrigan had a bone key and she directed them to a door where they could get in.

Several hours later, Sylina stared down at Jarvia's corpse. She was surprised that she felt nothing, no guilt for killing this woman. She felt bad for Jarvia's men who had just been following orders and had wanted to come to a compromise with Jarvia to spare them. Sylina realized now that Jarvia was probably insane and they would have had to kill her no matter what. Alistair had thrust the killing blow into Jarvia's abdomen after Sylina froze her. She shook her head and went to walk out of the hideout. When she turned to see where everyone else was she was surprised to see Leliana and Alistair going through the corpses. When she asked what they were doing Leliana said they needed money and there might be valuables on the men. Sylina had felt sick and hurried out. When everyone else had filed out she saw Alistair give her a concerned look, but she just shook her head and stayed quiet. She could kill and not feel guilt, but she wasn't sure she was ready to loot dead bodies.

"No." Sylina glared at the dwarven prince. "You want me to go back into the Deep Roads and look for a woman who has been missing for TWO YEARS and you don't even know where she is! And instead of sending your OWN MEN you are sending the last two remaining Grey Wardens in Ferelden! YOU ARE MENTAL!" She was fuming and Alistair moved a step closer to her.

"If you want my help against the Blight I need to be king." Prince Bhelen stared cooly at her.

"Oh so now you are going back on your word to aid us!" She laughed hysterically and took a step forward. The prince stiffened and Alistair put his hand on Sylina's arm. She glared up at him, but he was looking at the prince.

"Prince Bhelen, we understand that you need this...Paragon to decide the election, but we are in no shape to go back into the Deep Roads for...do we even know how long this will take?" Alistair said calmly, his hand still resting on the furious mage's arm.

"I see," Bhelen scratched his chin. "I think I can solve that. I will send the royal armors to your Grey Warden complex. They can see to it that everyone is properly geared for the Deep Roads. I also understand that most of your company are not Grey Wardens. Yes, well I can have the in-house alchemist make potions which will help prevent them from getting the taint. How many are in your company?" The prince stared calmly at Alistair. Sylina was still glaring at the arrogant dwarf.

Alistair thought for a moment. "There are only three that will need the potions."

"Then it is settled, I will have this done and you will go in search of the Paragon." Bhelen nodded his head and swept out of the room.

Sylina gaped at the departing dwarf and then rounded on Alistair shoving his hand off her and glaring up at him her green eyes flashing. "So that's it then! We are going into the Deep Roads?! Just like that."

"I...uh," he put his hands up and took a step back. "Well, it's not like we have much choice do we? We can't leave until we have our troops which means we have to make sure Orzammar has a king."

She growled at him and stormed out of the palace. Alistair followed, from a distance, as they made their way back to the complex. Sylina was furious. Why did they have to go down into the Deep Roads? What happened if they couldn't find this Paragon? Questions zoomed through her head and various scenarios of what might happen to them. She didn't like any of them.

At the Warden complex, she stormed into her room and Hesper whined at her. She collapsed on the bed next to the Mabari and buried her head in his fur. She desperately wanted to leave Orzammar. She missed being outside, even if she had only experienced it for a few weeks. She didn't like feeling caged again, caged in stone. She laughed dryly into the dog's fur – maybe that would always be her fate?

Eventually she got off Hesper and he licked her face. She sighed and looked at her door. I should apologize to Alistair. It's not his fault, and he was far better at dealing with the Prince than me. She rolled off her bed and glanced down at her robe. Maybe she would look into getting armor when the royal armorer came by. Alistair had once told her it wouldn't hurt to have more protection. She shrugged and walked down the hallway to Alistair's room.

When she got to his door she took a deep breath. She knew he would likely laugh the whole matter off and tell her not to worry, but she didn't like being angry with him. She knocked softly and then opened the door.

She felt her mouth drop open and her eyes get wide as she looked into Alistair's room. Her breath came short and her entire body flushed. Alistair stood in the middle of the room, he was staring off to the side away from her clearly thinking as his brow was furrowed and his hand was combing through his hair. His shoulder was to Sylina and his body was bare. He had just finished a bath and the water droplets were falling down his muscular bare back and defined stomach. Her eyes traveled down his strong shoulders to his tensed stomach and lower as if they had a mind of their own. Sylina watched as his muscles riveted and he turned hearing a sound at his door.

"Sylina!" He grabbed the first thing to cover himself, a towel, but she had seen everything already. She was horrified and quickly closed her eyes and grabbed the door handle. She stepped back and closed it quickly. She had never felt more embarrassed in her life. If the floor could have swallowed her up or darkspawn taken her she would have been happy with that.

Her entire body was flushed and she ran to her room, closed the door and leaned against it. By the Maker! she thought and quivered. Her breath was still coming short and she was sure she was blushing scarlet. What had she been thinking? Just walking into his room like that. She felt her cheeks with her hand and felt how hot they were. Would Alistair ever forgive her now? She felt terrible. But a small part of her, a part she was trying desperately to squish was throbbing. She felt the heat in her body when she had seen him. No, she told herself, he is your fellow Grey Warden and you have intruded on his nakedness...I mean private parts...I mean what in holy Andraste is wrong with me? She blushed deeper and put her head against the door.

She had never seen a naked man before. She had seen a few of the templars without armor and only trousers on, and she remembered how she had barely been able to tear her eyes away from them. Alistair was different. His body was more muscled than even the templars had been, and he was larger than any templar she had met, but she also saw scars, from battle no doubt. How many times had he taken the blunt force of an attack aimed at her? How many of those scars were because of her carelessness? She closed her eyes and the image of him came back to her. She opened them and shook her head. I will never live this down.