Chapter 10

Darrian decided to travel to Drake's Point first since it wasn't located so deep in the mountains. It had taken Anders several days to locate the temples entrance because the Tevinters had done an excellent job of casting Illusionment charms that misdirected them to false doorways. When they finally entered the main hall it was breathtakingly beautiful with its icy adornments.

"This reminds me of the entrance to The Ruined Temple of Andraste," Alistair stated matter-of-factly.

"Yesss, and we received such a warm welcome there so let's remain sharp everyone," Darrian replied.

Alistair glanced over at Alex. She seemed a little apprehensive as she glanced around the large foyer and stared at the oversized statue of a dragon, but he didn't sense any fear in her. He wasn't sure if that was good thing or a bad thing. He knew she was a capable fighter, but it was one thing to spar in the ring; it was something completely different to fight in a battle that could take your life. He moved closer to her not wanting her to get to far from his side.

The group cautiously moved deeper into the temple and Darrian suggested that it would be more efficient to divide the party up into two groups. So Darrian lead Oghren, Nathaniel and Kylon into the chambers on the right side of the temple while Alistair guided Alex, Zevran and Anders into chambers on the left side. As Alistair took point he whispered to Zev to keep Alex close to him. Zev gave a nod of understanding.

As they entered a long hallway Anders cast a spell that lit all of the torches on the wall. They cautiously proceed down the hall to a steep set of staircases. Alistair drew his sword and the group mimicked his actions as they descended several flights of stairs to a small landing with entrances to ancient crypts on either side. They entered the catacomb on the right first and saw that it had two rows of large engraved sarcophagi. They eased around the crypt careful not to disturb anything. As they passed by several crumpled shelves Anders spotted a holder that contained several phylactery tubes.

Alistair saw Anders reach for the tube. He yelled out, "Nooo!" But he was too late. Anders touched the phylactery and it shattered.

Smoke swirled around as the Revenant manifested. Anders was the closest to it when it appeared and the Revenant swung it's sword at Anders, but he managed to dodge the blow. Alistair rushed over and shield bashed it three times. Zevran and Alex quickly positioned themselves behind the Revenant and began dealing backstabbing blows. The Revenant pivoted towards Alex and brought up his sword up, but as he did Alex saw the blow coming and rolled past him. She came up behind him and drove her dagger into his back. He staggered toward Alistair; Alistair spun around with his sword in an arc and brought his blade down against the Revenant's chest. The attack dealt a critical hit and the fiend lurched back. Then Anders cast a cone of cold spell that froze the demon in place before casting a stonefist spell that shattered the possessed corpse.

"Wow! What the hell was that?" Alex asked.

"That was a Revenant. It's a corpse possessed by a demon," Alistair replied calmly. He then shot Anders a dirty look. "And some of us should know that it's better to look and not touch."

"It was all shiny and bright. I just couldn't resist," Anders grumbled.

"Next time resist the temptation," Alistair said sternly.

Zev leaned over Alexa and Anders shoulders and said, "The only trouble with resisting temptation is that you may not get another chance to taste the forbidden fruit."

"A phylactery isn't forbidden fruit," Alistair stated.

"To a mage it is," Anders countered.

"Next time just don't touch the damn frui…phylactery," Alistair ordered.

"Spoken like a true templar," Anders asserted.

They began to make their way out to the crypt. Zev followed Alex out the doorway and purred in Alex's ear, "Aren't forbidden fruits always the sweetest, my pet?"

Alex giggled. Alistair heard the question and gazed at her. She caught his eyes, smiled and winked at him as she cooed, "Yes, there is definitely an allure about forbidden fruit that makes it just so unspeakably desirable."

Alistair turned away as he tried to hide the grin that had spread across his face. They crossed the landing and entered the other crypt. All of them had their swords drawn as they made their way through the rows of tombs. As they neared the back of the vault Alex noticed one of the sarcophagus lids was jarred and the dust had recently been disturbed by the addition of newly added fingerprints.

"I think this tomb was recently disturbed," Alex called out.

Zev turned and headed in her direction. "More than likely its grave robbers," he said as he neared her. Alistair and Anders joined them and together they slid the lid aside. Alistair and Zev let out loud gasp as all of them stared down at the recent remains of a woman that once had long black hair.

"By the Maker, I think that is Morrigan," Alistair cried out.

"This corpse has been dead awhile, how can you tell it's her?" Anders asked.

"Same hair, looks like the same height and weight," Zev replied.

Alistair pulled down the cloth that she was wrapped in and saw a silver necklace that was adorned with a large silver medallion. Alistair lowered his head and murmured, "Darrian gave her that necklace."

"That still doesn't mean that this is her. It could be a Tevinter that took her necklace and was buried with it," Alex stated logically. "Let me examine the remains and I will be able to tell if she gave birth before her death."

They all looked at her horrified. "Oh for God's sake, I am a doctor. I know that it doesn't mean as much here in Ferelden, but I have spent years of studying the human anatomy. It won't take me long to determine if she was pregnant before her death."

They all looked at Alistair. He thought about it for a moment and then said, "I would like to be as positive as possible about the identity of this body before I say anything to Darrian. So go ahead with your examination."

Alex nodded, "Alistair and Zev if you could please stand outside of the room while I examine the body I would appreciate it. Anders, I am going to need your assistance."

Anders looked shocked, "Why me?"

"Because you're the closest thing this country has to a doctor and I am going to need your help," Alex retorted. Anders let out a long sigh and nodded his compliance.

Once Alistair and Zev had cleared the room, Alex pulled out her blade and cut away the cloth that the body was wrapped in. From the waist down the body was completely naked. "Well, that isn't a good sign," Anders muttered.

"Anders, I am going to have to cut her lower abdomen so that I can examine her organs. If this is Morrigan, I don't want to present a cut up body to Darrian. Can you heal the tissue?"

Anders shook his head, "No it has to be living tissue."

Alex thought for a moment and then said, "Can you think of a way to sew her skin back together?"

Anders thought about it for a moment and said, "You do what you need to do. I will work on the sewing problem."

So Alex carefully brought her dagger down and made the first cut. An hour later, Alex had finished her examination. "Well, Anders I could use that sewing needle about now."

Anders walked over and handed her what looked like a long tooth pick, but Alex could tell that it had a very sharp point. Anders had somehow made a tiny hole at the end of the pick and there was a long thread attached. Alex smiled, "How did you make this?"

"Oh, some of these Tevinters wore dramatic headpieces that had these needles that looked like porcupine quills coming out of them. I pulled a needle out, used a little magic to make a tiny hole and voila! We have a sewing needle."

Alex smiled, "Thank you, Anders." She quickly sewed the body up and rewrapped it. She than called Alistair and Zev back in; they looked at her questioningly. She sighed and said, "By the condition of her organs this woman lost a lot of blood just before her death and that probably was the cause of death. After examining her internal organs she died shortly after giving birth."

Alistair and Zev lowered their heads in a silent prayer. "We need to find Darrian. He will want to know about this immediately. I am not sure if he will want to give her a traditional burial or if he will want a pyre built for her as a fallen soldier's," Alistair murmured.

They found Darrian and his group out in the main hall. Alistair pulled him aside and told him about the discovery. He explained how they were positive it was Morrigan. Darrian just nodded. Alistair asked how he would like to handle her final send off. Darrian asked if they could build a pyre and then he asked to be alone with her for a while. The rest of the group went outside the temple to look for wood to build the pyre. Alistair sat outside the crypt waiting while Darrian said his good-byes. He didn't want his friend to be completely alone during this very emotional time. He may not have liked Morrigan very much, but she didn't deserve to die like that. Nobody deserved that kind of death.

After the pyre was built, Alistair, Zevran, Oghren, and Nathaniel carried the body to the site. Darrian said a few words and then recited a Dalish poem. Anders raised his staff and lit the fire. Once it had burned completely they all headed back into the temple to make camp for the night. After a fire had been built they all drew close to one another as they took comfort from each other and from Oghren's bottle of Garbolg Backcountry Reserve.

Alistair watched Alex from across the fire as she talked and laughed with the rest of their party. She was beautiful and at times he had force himself to look away so that she wouldn't catch him staring. Her bright blue eyes sparkled and danced as she retold stories from her home. He glanced at her soft, full lips and her sweet mouth that he imagined giving all kinds of erotic pleasures. The thought caused his stomach to tighten and made other parts of his anatomy leap to attention. He tried to focus on something that Anders was rambling on about, but his gaze drifted downward and his mouth went dry as he took in the way her leather armor hugged her curvaceous hips, her slim waist and the top that molded to her ample, perfectly rounded breasts. Alistair swallowed hard and forced himself to look away.

After several more sips from Oghren's special brew Alex quietly grabbed her backpack and headed towards one of the side chambers. Alistair assumed it was so that she could change. Alistair quickly got up and followed her. He saw her enter the room down the corridor. He approached the door and knocked.

She opened the door and smiled at him. "It's not safe to be alone in these ruins," Alistair said. "I just wanted to let you know that I was out here if you need me."

She continued to smile at him, "If I need you?" She asked as she raised an eye brow.

"Yes, well…you know…if something were to attack you…I'm here," Alistair mumbled.

"Oh, and what if you need me?" She asked with a sly smile as she stepped closer to him.

"Well, it's a good thing that you are just on the other side of the door," Alistair replied as he inched into the room and closer to her. His breath caught as she looked up at him with those big blue eyes. She was so close he could feel the warmth of her breath on his face. He brushed his fingers against her cheek, and he saw her body shiver at his touch. He slid his hand to the nape of her neck and drew her in. His lips met hers and her mouth tantalizingly caressed his as the feel of her lips beneath his intoxicated him; her arms went around his neck and she pulled herself closer to him. The heat from her body pressed against him set a shock wave through him and he felt himself tremble with yearning for her.

Alex deepened the kiss; it was heated and demanding, and it seemed to suck his will right out of him. He couldn't resist her any longer; he let go of his restrain and allowed his hunger and desire for her to consume him. His tongue encountered no opposition as it swept with fervent need into the softness of her mouth. Their tongues touched then danced and intertwined with each other, fire licked through him, deep and low.

He moaned against her lips, "The taste of your mouth is so sweet." His lips moved across her cheek to her supple neck. He breathed in her scent and it enslaved him. The brush of her fingers against his neck was like a caress of flames against his already aroused body as he pressed against her thigh.

He moaned into her throat as an incredible surge of carnal lust coursed through him. He felt primal, possessive and ravenous: he burned from the inside out; unable to get enough of this woman from a different world who affected him not only sexually, but on a deeper level he'd yet to fully define. All he knew was he had to have her, had to be with her and had to consume her - all her.

"Hey, is everyone okay in…" Anders voice trailed off as he materialized in the room.

Alex pulled away from Alistair as he groaned, "Damn it, Anders!"

"Oh, I am so sorry. I will just go back to the fire and let everyone know the two of you are more than alright," Anders chortled.

"Anders, just tell everyone that Alex is changing and I am just keeping her safe. We will be right out," Alistair commanded.

"Is that what we are calling now a days? Good to know for the next time," Anders snickered as he left the two of them alone.

Alistair let out a deep sigh. The moment was gone and they were expected back at the fire. He pulled her back into his arms, brushed his lips against hers and whispered, "I want you, Alex and I know you want me," he paused and looked into her beautiful face. She smiled and nodded at him. "But I am kind of glad Anders interrupted us. I want our first time together to be special not in some Maker forsaken temple."

Alex leaned into him and brushed tiny kisses against his throat and neck, "I agree, but it's becoming harder and harder to resist the temptation."

Alistair groaned as her lips nibbled at his ear. "Yesss, it is; especially when you keep doing that." He kissed her forehead and stepped out her embrace. "We should get back while I still have the will power."

xxXxx

The following morning, as they sat around the fire eating their breakfast Darrian explained that yesterday his group had explored the rest of the temple while waiting for Alistair's group and didn't find anything of real significance except for a tattered piece of paper that looked like it had been ripped out of a diary. It was written Arcanum, the official language of the Imperium so Darrian had given the parchment to Anders to try and translate.

"My Arcanum is very rusty, but to the best of my abilities I was able to decipher that they named the baby Sienna. They have sensed that she is very powerful, but they haven't determined where that power comes from. They also said that they sense something very old and ancient about her, but there is something good and noble about her. The parchment went on to state that there was an ancient fortress north east of Ghorlen's Pass heading for the Walking Sea and that approximately six months ago they headed there."

Alistair nodded, "Yes, there is a small mountain range that you have to cross over to reach the Walking Sea. I had read about a fortress there that had been built centuries ago to help protect against invasion from the sea. That would be a perfect place for them to hide out in."

"Well, if the weather holds up we should be able to make it there in ten to twelve days. I suggest we quickly pack up camp and saddle up the horses," Darrian replied.

The weather didn't hold up and it took them twenty days to reach the foothill of the mountain that had housed the fortress. There was a tiny village close to the base of the mountain and they stabled their horses there and told the stable manager that they would return in a week to claim their animals.

The trek up the mountain side was not an easy one and it took them three days to reach the fortress. They found a deep cavern close to the fortress, but that was concealed by plenty of trees so that anyone standing guard at the fortress would not be able to see the light of the fire. Each day Darrian sent out scouting parties looking for a way to get into the fortress undetected, but by the fifth day they could not find a way into the stronghold.

Darrian was beginning to show signs of frustration, "By all that is holy, there has to be a secret passageway in. They had to have some type of emergency escape exit. It's not like we can walk through the main gate and announce that we are there to reclaim my child."

Alex sat up as grin began to spread across her face. Alistair looked at her questioningly. She stood up and began to pace. Now both Darrian and Zev were staring at her. She gave a slight head nod – more to herself then to the group and muttered, "This just might work." She turned to her companions and said, "Where I come from there is this ancient story about these two countries Spartan and Troy that were engaged in this war that lasted ten years. Troy had these impenetrable walls and the Spartans could not gain access to the city in order to defeat them. So the leader for the Spartans devised a plan to gain entrance. He ordered a large wooden horse to be built. Its insides were to be hollow so that soldiers could hide within it.

Once the statue had been built the warriors climbed inside and the horse was placed just outside the city gates. The rest of the Spartan fleet sailed away, so as to deceive the Trojans into thinking that the Spartans had given up. They left one man behind to pretend to be angry with the Spartans for deserting him. This man assured the Trojans that the wooden horse was safe and would bring luck to the Trojans. The Trojans celebrated what they thought was their victory, and dragged the wooden horse into Troy. That night, after most of Troy was asleep or in a drunken stupor, the man let the Spartan warriors out from the horse, and they slaughtered the Trojans within the city."

"You want us to build a large horse and hide inside of it to gain access to the fortress?" Anders asked sarcastically.

Darrian shot Anders a dirty look as a smile spread across his face. "NO! She wants us to devise a ploy under false pretenses that will help us gain access to the fortress," Darrian replied.

"That is bloody brilliant!" Alistair exclaimed.

The next morning Anders made his way up to the fortress gates. Anders pulled on the rope that rang the large bell announcing his presences. After a few minutes when no one answered he rang again, and again, and again.

Finally, someone yelled over the battlements, "What do you want?"

Anders looked up and saw a tall dark haired man glaring down at him, "I seek the aid of the Tevinter Magisters."

"What makes you think that they are here?" The man growled.

"I am a mage and I can sense magic in this fortress…old magic. I have sought out the Magisters in order to learn from their ancient ways and to assist them in any way possible," Anders replied.

The man turned away from the wall and seemed to converse with someone. After a few minutes he turned back to Anders, "Very well, they will see you."

The heavy gate was raised and as Anders walked into the fortress he was closely followed by Darrian, Zevran and Nathaniel who were concealed in the shadows.