The first thing Delilah became aware of was the horrible pounding in her head; it felt as if someone was hammering a six inch nail directly above her right eye. The second thing was a deep, burning pain in her left shoulder that in the back of her mind she knew had to be trouble. The third thing was that the surface she was lying on was hard, cold, and uneven.

She opened her eyes. Far above her was a dim little indigo disc of light - the evening sky. A shuffling noise to the right made her turn her head. It was too dark to make anything out, but someone was definitely there. Delilah jerked upright, adrenaline dumping into her veins, but fell back with a choked scream.

Her shoulder felt as if it were ablaze. The joint burned and throbbed in time to her heartbeat and involuntary tears welled up and slid down her cheeks.

"Delilah?"

The elf stilled at her name. She'd recognize that accent anywhere. "Cassandra!" she whimpered. "I'm here. Oh Creators-"

There was more shuffling, growing closer until Cassandra's hand found her unhurt arm. Their hands clasped briefly.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"My shoulder, my left shoulder," Delilah breathed. "I moved and it feels like someone stuck a dagger in it." Their eyes must've been adjusting to the near-nonexistent light, because she could faintly see the warrior's outline as she moved.

"Let me see," Cassandra offered. She carefully examined the elf's shoulder in the dim light. Delilah whimpered when the warrior's fingers gently probed the joint.

"It's dislocated," the Nevarran sighed. "It's going to have to be popped back into place."

"Will it hurt much?"

"Yes," Cassandra replied simply. "But it will feel much better as soon as I've finished. Just lay there and try to relax, and I'll fix it." She took Delilah's hand and very slowly extended the arm. The elf let out an involuntary hiss of pain, but gritted her teeth against it.

Cassandra pressed her boot against Delilah's ribs and pressed firmly. At the same time, she gently but inexorably began pulling on the mage's arm. Delilah whimpered in agony and her free hand scrabbled uselessly against the stone underneath her as the bone scraped slowly backward. Several seconds passed, stretching out into a few minutes. Suddenly, there was an audible pop, and she cried out as the bone slid back into place and blessedly, the pain was nearly gone again.

"There," Cassandra sighed, sounding satisfied. "How does it feel?"

"Much better." Delilah sat up and groaned. "It's still tender, but it is much better than before. Where are the others? Dorian, Varric-"

"We're here," came Varric's voice from the darkness. A flame flickered to life in Dorian's hand, illuminating the mage and the rogue. They were both filthy with dust, and both sported scratches and bruises, but seemed otherwise uninjured. Murray limped into the light as well, bleeding from a scrape on his cheek.

"Where's O'Riley? She was right behind me," Murray asked. "I don't see her anywhere down here."

"Maybe she didn't fall in," Cassandra suggested.

Delilah stood and brushed dust off her coat and armor. "It's likely, since she's not down here. Where's that templar?"

"Found him," Varric said somberly. Delilah turned to see him standing over the red templar's body. Upon closer inspection, she found that a long shard of the wooden ramp had pierced his side and protruded from the other side, drenched deep red. His reddened eyes stared blindly forth, his last scream still etched upon his face. Everyone seemed to give a collective shudder of horror.

"Well," Dorian said eventually, "at least he won't have to worry about being turned into living lyrium at the end of his life."

"Comforting, Dorian," Delilah sighed. He shrugged in response. She turned and examined their surroundings. Beneath their feet was a stone road; pillars rose along the walls to support a high ceiling, and everything was covered with meticulously-carved runes and designs. "I believe we've fallen into the Deep Roads. It's a miracle we're still alive, really."

"This section must run close to the surface," Varric remarked. "Andraste's tits, after the bullshit that happened in the Deep Roads with Hawke ten years ago, and then again recently with Bianca, I'd hoped to never return to the Deep Roads again."

"If I'd known we'd end up down in this darkspawn infested hole, I'd never have agreed to come along with you," Dorian agreed. Delilah and Cassandra both rolled their eyes.

"If we knew this was going to happen, I believe we would've all been sure to stay away from the mine in the first place," the warrior said condescendingly.

"I almost wish Blackwall were here," Varric remarked. "He'd at least be good for telling us whenever darkspawn were approaching."

"Well, it seems safe enough for the moment. Perhaps we ought to make camp as best as we can, and set out in the morning?" Murray suggested. "We'll set up watch rounds, try and come up with a way out."

"He's right," Delilah agreed. "We need rest, and at the moment there's no way to get back up the way we came. And honestly, I need a little time to let my shoulder heal up," she added sheepishly.

"It's fine," Cassandra reassured her. "I can take first watch. Who should I have take over for me?"

"I'll do it," Murray volunteered. Cassandra nodded.

"I'll stay up with you," Delilah added. "I'm not sleepy yet."

Setting up camp was somewhat difficult without any tents or bedrolls, and on solid rock, but they made it work. Shrapnel from the collapsed walkway was piled up and lit for a fire, and everyone balled up whatever clothes they could spare to use for a pillow.

Delilah stared up at the now deep indigo snatch of sky far above them. A single star was visible, and she found herself aching for nights spent under the stars with her clan, when she and her best friend Lilie would spend hours making up constellations from the millions of distant flecks of light. Around her, she could hear Dorian, Varric, and Murray making themselves as comfortable as was possible in this situation. Soon, things quieted down, and Delilah found herself digging through her pack for any food.

She ticked her fingers over her various possessions; extra socks, a small bottle of blue lyrium, a bundle of herbs, wrapped writing charcoal, the notebook Cullen had given her. A piece of folded paper poked out of the side, and she pulled on it experimentally. It slid out easily, and she unfolded it to find it was a letter.

"What's that?" Cassandra asked quietly.

"It's…Cullen gave me this, just before we left," Delilah replied distantly. "I'd completely forgotten about it. He said to only read it once we were safely on the road out of Skyhold." She continued reading the letter to herself.

My dearest Delilah,

When I first met you I wasn't in a place mentally to be able to commit into a relationship. You knew this and you were unendingly patient, and you waited for me to come to terms with my own demons. You even helped me conquer some of them yourself, when your kind and undeserved words gave me the strength to step free of the shackles of lyrium. For that, I am eternally indebted to you.

And now, a year and a half after we met on the battlefield among the chaos left in the wake of the explosion of the Conclave, here we are in a real, honest relationship.

I know you mentioned that your father died at Templar hands, and I can only imagine that your reaction to Templars following that must have been very similar to my own reaction to mages following the overthrowing of Ferelden's Circle Tower by Uldred. Just as I overcame my fear and prejudice of mages with your help, I can only hope that I have helped assuage your own trepidation of Templars and humans. When it comes to you and I on a personal level, that appears to be the case, and I thank the Maker every day that you're willing and even eager to see me on a daily basis. I am indeed a lucky man.

The point of this letter isn't simply to thank you for your soothing presence and influence. Last night was absolutely incredible, better than I ever dreamed would be possible. I wanted to say this afterwards, but we got talking and then you fell asleep before I had the chance. So here it is: I love you. I've loved you for quite a while, since before I gave you my lucky coin, since our first rushed kiss out on that battlement. I love you. Please come safely back to us. We need you…I need you.

Eternally yours, Cullen.

"Oh Creators," Delilah said faintly. Dimly, she heard Cassandra shuffle over.

"Are you alright?" the warrior probed, clearly concerned. "Delilah, what is it?"

The elf clasped the letter to her chest to keep the Nevarran from peeking at it. Color flooded her cheeks. "I…it's nothing!"

Cassandra crossed her arms. "If you do not wish to tell me, I will respect that, but you really ought to know that you are a horrible liar."

Delilah peered down at the paper once more, flushing a deeper red. Despite herself, she felt her lips tip upwards in a smile. "It's…from Cullen," she confessed in a hushed voice. "He, um, he said that he loves me."

Cassandra's eyes widened, and her face split in a genuine smile. "Oh, Delilah, that's wonderful!" she gushed, and the elf shushed her.

"Not so loudly!" She reread the last lines. "'I love you. Please come safely back to us. We need you…I need you.'"

Cassandra sighed happily. "So romantic." Delilah shushed her again, but without any real energy behind it. "Well, do you love him in return?"

"I…" The elf stared down at the letter again.

"Why the hesitation?"

Delilah let out a long sigh, and her shoulders slumped. "My father was slain by Templars," she confessed. "They saw him do a little magic, I don't even know what, and they killed him. They didn't attempt to take him to the Circle, they didn't even talk to him. They slew him on the spot. And for a long, long time afterwards, I hated templars. I hated humans. I hated that they'd taken away my only remaining blood relation. My clan is my family, but to be connected to someone by your own flesh and blood, and to have that forcibly taken from you…"

Cassandra's hand fell upon her uninjured shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. "I understand," she said softly.

"Anyway, when I first found out that Cullen used to be a Templar, I couldn't help but be wary of him, you know?" Delilah continued after a moment. "But time passed and I found myself thinking more and more about him. And now we've-" She cut herself off and gave a cough, cheeks reddening once more. "Well, we know each other very well by now."

Cassandra nodded, smiling. "So the question remains, do you love him in return?"

Delilah's eyes dropped to her hands, which fiddled with the edges of the paper. After a moment, she nodded. "Yes, I do," she confessed softly. "I care about him a great deal."

Cassandra sat back with a satisfied smile. "Then I would say your path is clear."

"What do you mean?"

"You two are already in a relationship, you've taken several steps together, and you both love each other. If you are comfortable enough with him to have come this far together, then I would say it is time to simply…relax into it. I don't presume to tell you how you and he ought to be, but it seems you have something wonderful that should be enjoyed, not skirted around," the warrior explained.

Delilah smiled at her friend. "You know what? You're completely right," she sighed. She waved a hand at their surroundings. "Clearly anything could happen to any of us at any time. It's foolish to waste the opportunities given to you." A thought seemed to strike her, and she dug through her pack again. She pulled out a scrap of paper and her charcoal pencils, and began scribbling. "Cassandra…I need you to do me a favor."

"Name it."

"I'm...going to give this…to Cullen…when I return." Delilah spoke haltingly, writing as she spoke. "I want to…give it to him…myself. But If I…don't make it…for some reason…" She finished writing and folded the paper, then turned and met Cassandra's eyes again. "If I don't make it back to Skyhold, I'd like you to give it to him." She held out the letter to the warrior, her face set in determination.

"Of course," Cassandra agreed without hesitation. She took it and tucked it safely into her own pack. "You will make it back to Skyhold, of course. Do not doubt that. But you have my word that it will reach him at the end of this, regardless of the cost."

Delilah smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, Cassandra."

"Anything, dear friend," the warrior replied. "You only ever need ask. You ought to get some rest, you'll need your strength in the morning, I'm sure."

The elf yawned. "You're right," she agreed. She slipped her coat off and bundled it up, using it as a pillow. She stared once more up at the darkening disk that was the sky far above them, and very slowly she dropped off into an uneasy sleep.

An indeterminate amount of time later, she found herself being shaken awake by Dorian. "Come on, it's morning," he said. His normally impeccable hair was mussed, and she chuckled tiredly at the sight.

Cassandra and Varric were already up, and apparently deep in discussion on how to escape. Delilah stood and cautiously rotated her left arm around. Her shoulder was sore, and likely would be for several more days, but useable. Satisfied, she pulled on her coat and began strapping her armor back on.

"I'm telling you, Seeker, there's no way to know which way will lead to an exit," Varric was saying. "For all you know either one of them may stretch off to the end of Thedas. Equally possible is the fact that the section we're in could be totally closed off by cave-ins, and we're trapped down here."

"Being trapped does not mean it is inescapable," Cassandra retorted. "You've spent more time in the Deep Roads than anybody else here, surely you must have some insight."

"If you're talking about the time I went on the expedition with Hawke, you'll remember we had Gray Warden maps, as well as a bona fide Gray Warden with us," Varric reminded her. "And Anders is the only reason any of us, especially Carver, got out of that blighted darkspawn-infested hole at all."

"I understand." She gave a sigh of frustration. "But we cannot simply sit here and wait to be rescued."

"Cassandra's right," Delilah interjected. She sat next to the two with a grunt. "It appears that O'Riley stayed on the surface by some luck, but by time any help arrives, we'll have died of dehydration or starved."

"You're very cheerful this morning," Varric remarked.

Delilah shrugged. "Just being practical. You know it's all true."

"Yes, but I don't have to like it."

The elf stood and brushed off her pants. "Well, since we don't have maps, we might as well just pick a route and hope it works."

"Pick a route and hope it works?" Dorian repeated incredulously.

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Well…no."

"Then let's get going," Delilah commanded.

Two hours passed, and they didn't seem to be any closer to anything resembling an exit. The road had no branches, no forks, no intersections. It just stretched dimly into the distance, fading into a dark red haze, illuminated only by the low red glowing stone in the pillars, as well as the torches in Murray and Dorian's hands. Another two hours later, with no apparent progress, Cassandra stopped.

"Inquisitor, we ought to rest," she suggested. "This appears to be getting us nowhere."

Delilah let out a breath. "Then let's rest," she agreed. Everyone sat with groans of relief. She and Cassandra sat off a ways, to speak privately.

"Delilah, what's the plan here?" the warrior asked. "We cannot simply just keep walking until our feet rot out from underneath us."

"I know, I know," the mage sighed. "I just don't see any other option. We're officially in over our heads here."

"I agree."

The unfamiliar voice made the two women jump. Delilah and Cassandra bolted to their feet, weapons drawn and ready. Standing before them was a woman, clad in Gray Warden armor with a crossbow slung over her back and a sword as well as a dagger belted at her waist. A blue fur-lined cloak was clasped at her throat, and her silvery-blonde hair was pinned back away from her pale face. Behind her was a similarly dressed, black-haired dwarf woman with black tattoos all over her face, as well as a young redheaded man in Warden armor as well, with a staff strapped to his back.

"Who in Creators' names are you?" Delilah demanded. Behind her, she heard the soft click-click-click as Varric readied his crossbow, Bianca.

"Warden-Commander Cousland," the first woman stated. She gestured behind her at her companions. "Warden Sigrun, Warden Finn. Who're you?"

"Wardens?" Murray whispered loudly. "Maybe they know what was going on with the red templars."

"Inquisitor Delilah Lavellan," Delilah said, ignoring the scout. "My companions are Cassandra Pentaghast, Varric Tethras, Dorian Pavus, and Inquisition agent scout Murray." She gestured at each of her companions in turn.

The Warden-commander's eyebrows raised. "Inquisitor? Didn't I exchange letters with your people some months ago?"

"I believe so."

"Yes, right. Is Leliana still well?"

"Yes, she-"

"Cousland!" Varric interrupted suddenly. Both women turned to him. He pointed at the Warden, and his eyes lit up with glee. "Warden Cousland! I knew that I know that name from somewhere."

"While we're still young, Varric," Cassandra said bitingly.

"Cousland was the name of the Hero of Ferelden," Varric expounded. Delilah's eyes returned to the woman.

"You're the Hero of Ferelden?" she repeated, astonished. "The one who ended the Blight before it truly began? Saved the town of Redcliffe from certain doom?" The Warden-commander shrugged.

"Some people call me that," she replied disinterestedly. "I generally just go by Warden Castielle. Cas, to my friends."

"But not Cassie," the dwarf Warden, Sigrun, piped up. Castielle rolled her eyes.

"You are fully aware that only two people have ever been allowed to call me that. One of them is dead and the other is all the way up in Weisshaupt," she replied pointedly.

"Why are you people even here?" the mage, Finn, asked. "Normally only Wardens are this far out into the Deep Roads."

"We're not here by choice," Murray explained. "We fell down a mineshaft and ended up trapped down here. We were killing a group of red templars when it happened."

"You know, not to take advantage of you being Wardens and all," Varric began, "but we happen to be in desperate need of knowledge of the Deep Roads. Specifically, how to get out."

Castielle hummed thoughtfully, sizing them up. An idea seemed to strike her, and a gleam entered her eyes.

"We're gonna help, right?" Sigrun piped up.

"Yes," Castielle sighed. "Maker, I'm getting too old for rescue missions like this."

"Great," Delilah said, relieved, "so you'll lead us to the surface?"

"Yeees," the Warden commander drew out. "If-"

"If?" repeated Cassandra incredulously.

"If…you'll help me with my problem first." Castielle crossed her arms. "I'm a little short on manpower due to cave-ins, and I have a mission that I absolutely must complete."

"What is it?" Delilah asked cautiously.

Castielle raised an eyebrow. "Kill an archdemon."