If Evans was surprised by his words, she didn't show it. Instead, she nodded as if she had been expecting that. "Yes, I rather think so," she said.

Cullen gaped at her. "You must be joking," he said scathingly. The man crossed his arms over his chest. "You barely escaped alive from the nightmare demon last time."

"I killed the nightmare demon myself, if you'll remember," she reminded him. "It's the nightmare demon's pet that tripped us up at the end."

"Yes, and Hawke died ensuring that you would get away from it safely, not so that you could throw her sacrifice away jumping back into the Fade!"

"Hawke is not dead," Fenris interrupted in a low voice. "I'd know it."

Evans looked back at him, seeming to size him up. She sighed. "Alright, if we're going to actually discuss this, I'd like to please get out of my nightclothes and put on something more decent. Fenris, I'd like to continue discussing this at the war table, if that's acceptable to you. It seems as an appropriate place as any to plan a rescue mission. Tell the guard outside the hallway to this room that I sent you and that he should show you to the war table, and that he should send for Josephine and Leliana, if they wish to come. I'd value their input on this."

While Cullen sputtered indignantly, Fenris nodded tightly. He turned on his heel, and descended the stairs out of sight.

Evans waited until she heard the door shut before she let out the breath she'd been holding in. She turned to face Cullen, her face set in determination. "Alright, go ahead and yell at me," she sighed.

"I cannot believe you're honestly considering this," he said immediately. He drew close to her, pulling down the collar of her nightshirt to examine her chest for any damage caused by Fenris' lyrium attack. Finding none, he let go of her shirt and instead sat on the bed. Evans sat next to him and looped her arm through his. Their hands intertwined and she kissed his knuckles gently.

"It's the right thing to do," she replied. "I know you think she's gone, and she might be, but if there's even the slightest chance she's alive, I owe it to her to try. Hawke saved all our lives. Not just Varric, Cassandra, Dorian, and mine, but by extension yours, Josephine, Leliana, the refugees here, our entire army, and arguably everybody in southern Thedas. I'm not a fool enough to think that our part in these events is so small that our lives can be thrown away; I know that in order for Corypheus to be defeated, certain key players must be protected. The events in the Arbor Wilds the other day prove that. I just wish it didn't have to be Hawke doing that protecting." Evans looked away.

"If that's the case, why haven't you gone back to get her sooner?"

"We've been focusing on stopping Corypheus," she shrugged. "I planned on doing it once he was dead. Time operates differently in the Fade, after all. We were in there for what felt like an hours, but we got out to find that only a few minutes had passed."

"I still wish you had let that witch, Morrigan, drink from the Well of Sorrows instead of you," the commander groused. "Exposing yourself to such a risk is completely unnecessary. You do know you almost died, right? You're only alive because Solas helped heal you, again. Hawke's sacrifice would have been for nothing. And look at the effect the well has had on you; you're barely yourself. Normally you would've been quick enough to slay Fenris before he managed to reach any vital points in your body."

"I know, but my instincts were telling me not to let her drink. I trust my instincts, they've kept me alive far more times than I care to count." Evans rubbed her chest absentmindedly, where the elf had plunged his hand inside her ribcage to grip her heart. " And my instincts were telling me that he didn't intend to kill me. Besides, he didn't actually do any harm."

"Why did you ask Hawke to stay instead of that Warden, Alistair?" Cullen had already asked this question not long after they all returned from Adamant, but his lover had refused to answer, saying there were more important things to be doing than speculating over decisions that could no longer be changed. "I know you had a bit of hero-worship going on with Warden Alistair, considering he helped defeat the blight with the Hero of Ferelden, but ever since you met Hawke, you adored her."

Evans sighed, but thought carefully before replying. "Warden Alistair is the last remaining Warden outside of Weisshaupt. He will be needed to help rebuild the Wardens and to command them as they grow. I could not leave Thedas without someone to combat the next blight."

"If Corypheus wins, a blight will be the least of our worries," Cullen reminded her. She smiled, then reached up and kissed his cheek.

"Then we won't let him win," she replied.

Twenty minutes later, all three advisors, the Inquisitor, and Fenris had gathered at the war table. The commander eyed the elf with a frown, clearly still upset about Fenris' attack on the Inquisitor.

"Alright," Evans said, clapping her hands together. She'd changed into a beige long-sleeved shirt with shiny buttons over dark pants and soft, sensible boots. Cullen however had put on his full armor, which for some reason included a huge mane of fur around his shoulders. Fenris thought to himself how inconvenient that would be in battle, as it would limit his field of vision significantly. "Leliana, I assume you already know what's going on, considering you practically know if someone's going to sneeze before even they do."

"I am good, but I am not quite that good," the spymaster replied with a faint smile.

"Josephine, have you been told the details yet?"

"Not yet," the other woman said. She drew her night-robe closer around herself to ward off the chill in the air. "Oh, I wish you'd given us more warning about this meeting. I didn't have time to put on my usual dress, I feel at such a disadvantage."

Evans smiled. "You look fine, Josie," she reassured her. "You'll recall the siege upon Adamant Fortress, and the resulting fall into a Fade rift?"

The Antivan nodded. "Yes, and Hawke stayed behind to guarantee your safe return."

"Yes, Hawke stayed behind," Evans echoed. Fenris clenched his fists, impatience gnawing at him. He was so close to getting Hawke back. The Inquisitor turned to look at him. "But Fenris here has a theory – a plan – to attempt to rescue Hawke. Fenris, would you like to explain to us your plan?"

Ignoring Cullen's dirty look, Fenris stepped up to the gigantic war table. He glanced over the two maps of Orlais and Ferelden, scattered with tokens marking various missions and locations. Around the maps were various miscellaneous objects, scrolls, and tokens. He looked back up at the people standing around him. They all looked at him expectantly.

Fenris cleared his throat. "I need the-"

He was interrupted by the door creaking open as two figures strode inside.

"- must be important," one of them, an imposing woman with short hair and a scarred face was saying in a brusque tone. She wore armor with a surcoat featuring a single giant eye, and rested her hand almost unconsciously upon the hilt of a large sword. She was speaking to her companion, a short stocky man who Fenris realized with a jolt that he recognized; Varric.

"All I'm saying is, it's gotta be close to two in the morning, and whatever it is can probably wait," the dwarf replied. "You don't get looking as good as I do by staying up until all hours of the night…" He trailed off as the two reached the group surrounding the wartable, and as his eyes finally fell upon the elf. Fenris watched as the rogue's normally ruddy face went pale faster than Fenris could light up his lyrium markings. "F-Fenris," he sputtered. The elf's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head very slightly. Later. Varric seemed to understand. The dwarf nodded.

"Fenris, this is Cassandra, previously a member of the Seekers," Evans said, gesturing to the woman with the scarred face. She nodded curtly at him. "And I know you already know Varric."

Fenris turned back to the rest of the group as the two newcomers drew close to the war table as well. He continued speaking, addressing all of them now. "I need the Inquisitor to use her power to open a rift into the Fade, so that I can enter the Fade to track down Hawke and bring her back."

"You want to go into the Fade? On purpose?" Josephine interjected, incredulous. "You can't be serious."

"I'm completely serious," Fenris responded.

"It's been over a month since the siege," Leliana pointed out. "Even if she could manage to evade malicious demons and spirits for that long, how would she get food and water? Her likelihood of survival is slim at best."

"I agree," Cullen added. "It's too risky. And you've told me before, the Fade is infinite. You don't know if you'll arrive anywhere near where Hawke is."

"Are you going to ignore the fact that the last time people went physically into the Fade on purpose, they created the blights?" Cassandra interrupted. "Inquisitor, you have been in the Fade physically twice already. It's a miracle that nothing worse has happened than finding that nightmare demon."

"Elf, Hawke is gone," Varric said softly. Fenris rounded on him, hackles raised.

"And whose fault is that?" he hissed. "You could've stopped her from going to the siege, you could have kept her safe."

Evans stepped forward, between the two. "If it's anybody's fault, it's mine," she said firmly. "But now isn't the time to point fingers. If we're going to do this, we need to do it quickly. Like I was telling Cullen earlier, time passes differently in the Fade than in reality, just as dreams feel like they can last several hours, but you actually only dream for a few minutes at most. So over a month has passed for us, but for Hawke it could be as little as several hours, a day at most."

"We can't know that for sure," Cassandra pointed out. Evans rolled her eyes.

"I think I know how the Fade operates," she huffed. "I deal with it on a more regular basis than the rest of you."

"Because of your power over the rifts, correct?" Fenris asked.

Evans let out a short laugh. "Oh, nobody told you?" She raised a hand, fingers splayed, and allowed a spark of electricity to flicker between her fingers. Fenris repressed a shudder. "Usually people can't wait to say that it's a mage leading one of the most powerful forces in southern Thedas, but I guess you didn't really have a traditional welcome to the hold."

"My question remains," Fenris said, his eyes fierce. "Inquisitor, will you help me rescue Hawke?"

The atmosphere in the room became tense as everyone looked to the mage. The time had come to make the decision. She looked at her companions and advisors, who one by one nodded. They would support her, even if they personally disagreed with her actions. Evans let out a breath and drew herself up. She turned to face Fenris, shoulders squared and jaw lifted.

"Alright, elf," she said firmly. "We'll do it."

The group spent a long time hammering out the details of how they would go about safely reentering the Fade, and by the time the plan was fully developed, the first rays of sunlight were creeping through the huge windows. Evans told Fenris that a guard would show him to a guest room if he wanted. Fenris reluctantly accepted the offer, more tired than he cared to admit.

As all seven of them dispersed, heading either for their offices or beds, Fenris thought he overheard Varric mention to Cassandra that it was a good thing that "Sparkler" didn't want to attend the meeting after all.