Cullen set down the papers he'd been reading and hefted a sigh. He sat back and rubbed his eyes; a desk job was just not for him. The words were beginning to blur and dance on the page before him, leaving him with a low throbbing headache. But organizing the march to the Arbor Wilds, packing the necessary materials, making sure every soldier was armed and armored and trained and ready, was absolutely necessary. Despite this, he knew he would be incredibly grateful once it was over, and not just because they needed to stop Corypheus' evil plans.

A grumble from his stomach distracted him. "Alright, fine," he muttered to nobody in particular. "Lunch, then we'll continue work." He stood and headed for the door, his mind already on what to grab from the kitchens.

His hand had barely closed on the handle of the door to his office when the door flew open, knocking into him. Cullen stumbled back, clasping his now-painful nose. "What in Andraste's name-" he swore.

Standing in the doorway, looking more harried than he'd seen her since the Conclave explosion, was Leliana. "Cullen!" she blurted. She thrust a sheet of paper at him. "Delilah is in trouble!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Leliana," Cullen said soothingly. He reached out and gripped her shoulders. "Slow down, start from the beginning."

"Delilah, Cassandra, Varric, Dorian, and one of my agents has fallen into a mineshaft and gotten trapped underground," Leliana explained. She took a shaky breath and held out the paper again, which he took and began scanning over. "Agent O'Riley sent a report via raven just now. They'd just finished clearing out that templar encampment and were investigating the area. They were surprised by a remaining templar and fell into the mine."

Cullen's heart sank with every word until it lodged somewhere roughly around his ankles. "What!?" he said, aghast. "Is-is she alright? Is she hurt? Did they try and get down into the mine to save her?"

"We couldn't," Leliana confessed. "It was too deep and they don't have the materials to reach the bottom. We don't know if they even survived the fall."

Cullen turned and paced away, scrubbing his hands over his face. "We have to do something!" he exclaimed.

"I've already sent agents to all of the mines in the area, as well as all of the Deep Roads entrances that we're aware of in the area," Leliana tried to assure him. She stepped inside and turned to close the door behind her. "I sent for Josephine to join us, we have to weigh the consequences of alerting the Orlesian palace about the Inquisitor's disappearance-" She turned back to face him and stopped, staring at Cullen. "What are you doing?"

Cullen didn't pause as he buckled the straps on his gauntlets. "I'm going to go save her, what else?" he said gruffly.

"Cullen..."

"Look, Leliana, she saved me and I have no right to do any less for her," he claimed. Finished with his armor, he grabbed a knapsack and started shoving supplies into it. "I-I-I have to go. I have to-"

Leliana's hand fell upon his, stilling him. "Cullen," she said firmly. "We can't afford to lose you too."

"We haven't lost her, not yet, not if I have anything to say about it!"

"Cullen! If something has happened to her, we are going to need you. We're leading an assault on the Arbor Wilds, and we need our commander to lead our army. Delilah needs you to lead our army," the spy assured him. "You cannot run off and do this to us. We need you now more than ever."

Cullen clenched his hands, not even caring that they were trembling. "I can't lose her," he whispered.

"We're not going to lose her," Leliana soothed. "I've already come up with an idea of how to get her back."

"Yes?"

"I've already sent word to the Iron Bull to prepare his Chargers for a mission to the Western Approach, with plenty of rope so as to rappel down the mineshaft to rescue them all," the spy explained. "The Chargers are likely already packed and ready to go."

"You think this is wise?" Cullen questioned. "I don't know much about Iron Bull personally, but-"

"They have references throughout Orlais and much of the Free Marches, they're incredibly reliable," Leliana persuaded. "I think they can do this."

He stared at her for a long moment, before his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Alright," he sighed. "I trust you. Send the Chargers. Just bring her home safe," he pleaded.

Leliana laid a hand on his forearm. "She will come back to us," she promised. "We will not let her go quite so easily."

"Very well." Cullen dropped the half-packed knapsack on his desk and leaned against it. "We must….we must continue preparation for the assault on the Arbor Wilds as if nothing has changed," he said finally. "Preparations should be completed and the army fully assembled in just over a week, about the same time as Delilah was supposed to come back."

"You're doing the right thing, Cullen," Leliana reassured him. "She is the strongest of all of us, she would not allow something like this to keep her from her duty, or from you."

The commander raised his head and stared out the window at the soft azure sky. "I pray to Andraste that you are right."

Slowly, the dust began to settle and the damage became apparent. Everyone turned and stared back at the cave-in, which now completely sealed the read behind them. Delilah turned to see Cassandra at her side, their hands still clasped. "Are you hurt?" the warrior asked, breathless.

"I'm a little bruised but I'm sure I'll live," Delilah panted. "Creators, is everyone okay?"

Everyone chimed in that they were unhurt. "Well," Castielle sighed. "I suppose that leaves us with no option but to continue forward."

They walked in silence for several minutes before Varric suddenly spoke.

"Sunny, you ever wonder if those red templars were digging around in the area because of this archdemon nonsense?"

"I'm not sure I follow," Delilah replied tiredly. Castielle shot them both a confused glance.

"I'm sorry, red templars?" she questioned.

"Templars who've consumed tainted red lyrium which gives them immense strength but also corrupts their bodies, basically turning them into monsters," Delilah explained briefly. "I'm afraid I don't follow, Varric."

"Well I mean, if there really is an archdemon down here, it could be attracting the red templars just like it would the darkspawn," the dwarf continued. "The red lyrium could let them hear its calling too."

Delilah glanced at Castielle. The Warden shrugged, not appearing to understand any more than the elf did, and Varric sighed. "Since the red lyrium is tainted by the Blight."

There was a moment of profound silence. Then Delilah made a noise of comprehension at the same time Castielle and Finn said simultaneously "It's tainted by what!?"

"Varric's super-genius girlfriend found out that lyrium can contract the Blight, and when it does it becomes red lyrium," Delilah said vaguely. She smacked her own forehead. "Of course! That completely explains what those red templars were up to! Why else would they be there, just digging in the middle of the damn desert, when as far as we seem to see, Corypheus has recalled them all to the Arbor Wilds? The archdemon's calling must've been influencing them the same way it does the darkspawn."

"Only living things can get the taint," Finn protested.

"Oh, yeah, turns out lyrium is living," Varric said nonchalantly. "It's Titan blood."

Sigrun made a choked noise. "It's what now?"

"Clearly, there's a lot that we need to be made aware of," Castielle interrupted. "I would like to discuss all of this – all of it – with you once we all return to the surface," she said, directing the statement towards Delilah. The elf nodded in agreement.

"I hate to impose, but can we stop for a break?" Murray called from the back. Delilah turned to look at him. In the torchlight, his face was pallid, and he was breathing heavily.

"Are you alright? If you're feeling ill, I know some healing magic," Delilah offered. Everyone slowed to a stop, looking grateful for the reprieve.

"No, I…I'm not sure what's wrong," he said tiredly. He sat heavily, shaking his head. "I just feel…I feel wrong."

Delilah knelt beside him and laid her hand on his chest. She released a wave of soft magic into him, trying to get a sense of what the issue could be. The feeling that came rushing back into her made her recoil.

"It's black," she exclaimed. Castielle and Finn came up beside them.

"Here, I'm very experienced with spirit healing," Finn offered. "I can help."

"Please," Delilah said, relieved. She moved over to make room, and Finn did the same as the elf had done; he laid his hand on Murray's chest and she felt rather than saw the wave of magic pour forth. A couple of seconds later, Finn sat back with a grim look on his face. He looked up at Castielle, who had been watching intently, and nodded. The senior Warden sighed heavily.

"Well, shit," she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"What is it?" Cassandra asked. "Is he sick?" Beside her, Varric's face was turning steadily paler, as if he were about to be ill.

Castielle ignored them and knelt in front of Murray. "There's not an easy way to say this," she said somberly. "You've contracted the Blight."

For a long moment, Murray just stared at her blankly. Then, inexplicably, he let out a low chuckle. "Well that just figures, doesn't it?" he sighed tiredly. "'Just a simple posting in the Western Approach,' they said. 'No real fighting' they said. 'Join the Inquisition to make a change in the world,' they said." His voice had turned hard and bitter. He spat. "Some change, this. Falling down a hole and dying stuck down in this dank, dark, vile, darkspawn reeking pit."

"Murray, we're going to do everything we can to help you," Delilah said softly. She stood and turned to face Castielle. "Is there anything we can do? This is your area of expertise, after all."

The Warden was shaking her head before the elf even finished talking. "There is no cure for the Blight," she said gravely.

"Andraste's ass, this is just like with Carver all over again," Varric said hoarsely. Delilah glanced at him but let the comment pass without question.

"But you all are Gray Wardens! There must be something you can do," the Inquisitor beseeched, looking between the three Wardens. In turn, Castielle, Finn, and Sigrun all shook their heads somberly.

"The only 'cure' is to become a Gray Warden," Sigrun said sadly. "But we have neither the time nor the resources to perform a Joining ceremony."

"I'm sorry," Castielle said softly to Murray. "I sincerely wish we could help."

The Inquisition scout was silent, his expression bleak as he stared off into the dark distance. "I understand," he whispered after several seconds of silence. "If this is where I'm to die, then so be it."

"I'll do it if you want," Castielle offered. She drew her dagger and held it out in front of her. "Or you can do it yourself, if you prefer."

"You cannot be serious," Delilah protested. "Are you so sure there's no other way? It's suicide or nothing?"

"Sunny, there's not another way around this," Varric said softly. "Trust me, I know."

A hand fell onto her shoulder and she turned to see Cassandra behind her. "It is hard, I know," the taller woman said softly. "But think of this as being the same as when we found my old apprentice, Daniel, suffering of being force-fed red lyrium, when we found that Lord Seeker Lucius had betrayed the Seekers. There is no cure besides death."

"That doesn't make this right," the elf protested, but without any real energy behind it.

"I know." Cassandra squeezed her shoulder gently. "But in this situation, the only options are a quick and merciful death, or a slow and painful one."

"She's right," Sigrun said sadly.

"Who do you want to do it?" Castielle asked, addressing Murray. He was silent for a moment, then raised his rapidly-clouding eyes to stare at the Warden.

"I want you to do it," he said clearly. "I mean, death at the hand of the legendary Hero of Ferelden? What an honor."

"Very well," Castielle said. She knelt and placed her dagger gently at his throat. "If it is any consolation to you," she murmured, almost too quietly for Delilah to hear, "I believe that you could've made a good Warden."

Murray chuckled. "My dear, beautiful Warden," he rasped. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

Castielle jerked her hand, and blood gushed forth from Murray's throat. He jerked and let out a short gurgle, then slumped to the ground, dead.

For a moment, everyone was silent. Then, Castielle stood and hefted a sigh. "Well, that's that," she said, wiping Murray's blood from her dagger on his coat. "You have my sympathies," she said, turning to Delilah. "I'm sure that this comes as little consolation, but if it were possible, I'd have gladly welcomed him into the Wardens."

"Thank you," the elf murmured. Everyone was subdued at the sudden gruesome turn this had taken, and she didn't blame them. "We should take his pack, he might have some food. And his personal belongings should be returned to his family, if we make it back to the surface."

"Agreed," Cassandra chimed in.