Along the way were a few skirmishes with patrolling darkspawn where Izarre opted to use manifested ice blades to fight with rather than loot the supernatural undead. Even without a staff, Anders could still conjure up enough magic to roast his attackers while Velanna tore the creatures apart by calling upon the deep roots of ancient trees which had long since cracked the stone walls underground. Justice was less picky in regards to using the tools of his enemies and kept them at bay with a self-enchanted stolen sword and shield he had picked up after snapping the neck of a Genlock with his bare hands.

There were also bodies of other humans and elves that had been snatched from the forest path, but most were thankfully already dead with the exception of a few. The first risen they crossed paths with was wearing Velanna's tunic. "That…that ghoul has my things!" she stammered out of surprised and disgust. "She has it all! I'm going to get it back. Are you with me?" Not waiting for an answer, she rushed ahead to kill the twisted clone of herself unassisted and promptly pulled her clothes from the remaining lumps of grey flesh. All three of the male Warden's turned away in both flustered shyness and as a courtesy when she removed her prisoner garments and redressed back into her original attire.

With a happy sigh, she smoothed out her comfortable belongings to remove any clumps of clinging dirt and wrinkles. Further into the cave, Justice's senses spiked as something in a dark corner caught his attention. "There is a living presence here. Something that has not been… Here, this way," he said as he turned sharply. While Izarre made a face, Velanna's magic emitted a faint light on the battered body of a soldier who was barely alive, but had yet to be consumed by the taint.

"You!" the beaten man as he caught a glimpse of white hair. "You're the Warden-Commander! I…would not have expected to meet you here."

"You know me?" Izarre asked in a soft voice as not to draw attention to themselves from any other predators lurking nearby in the darkness.

"From your description, yes. I was to help rebuild the Ferelden Wardens, just as you were. We were at Vigil's Keep less than a week when the darkspawn came." Kneeling down, the Commander looked over him then to Anders, who frowned while shaking his head. Old wounds were already infected at this point and unfortunate Warden Capture was without any strength to stop the bleeding from fresh ones. The worst of it were his legs which were noticeable broken with bones poking through his thin, torn skin. "I…think I'm the only one left. The others are dead or worse."

"We can move you to safety," Izarre weakly suggested despite knowing the outcome.

"I will never walk again," the man smiled at the thought just the same. "But listen, there is a darkspawn here carrying a huge maul. He crushed my legs. He took my wedding ring."

"Seems to be a trend forming here," Velanna scoffed. The mention of it had Izarre thumbing his own ring as if making sure it was still there.

"Please, Commander, slay him. Bring the ring to my wife, Nida, in Amaranthine," he begged. "Tell her I died trying to make this world better."

"…I'd rather bring you to your wife," Izarre mumbled. "So would she, I'd wager."

"No!" The dying Warden insisted. "I'll only slow you down. Please, just…do this for me. It is all I ask." After confirming his final wish, he passed away there on the cold ground. Standing, Izarre twisted the ring on his finger once more as he growled, stomping away in frustration. It wasn't because he had lost another Warden. No, his rage stemmed from a scenario which was far too close to his heart. What if it were Alistair there begging a stranger to return his wedding ring rather than save his life? What if it was him there asking someone to return his ring to Alistair? Was this the fate of all Wardens? To die in a cave filled with darkspawn if the taint did not take you first?

It was the cackles of a second ghoul which snapped Izarre back to reality. Creating two new ice daggers, he turned to face the darkness ahead. "Is that…your armor?" Anders smirked, unable to control himself as he saw what had made such a terrible sound. "On a lady? I suppose your clothes were too small to fit a normal-sized man then?" he teased the already frustrated Commander. Not wanting to put holes into his own clothes, the daggers were flung into the eye sockets of the staggering creature with unparalleled and cringe-worthy accuracy. As the woman fell to the ground, Izarre grumbled as he removed his armor from her still quivering body. Anders stopped his joking long enough to at least assist in the retrieval of the armaments and naturally, was all too happy to help in the subsequent redressing of his favored apprentice.

"So this leaves yours and Justice's equipment?" Velanna asked, remembering the names of at least one of them.

"Seems that way," Anders smiled. "My armor was specially made for me by the Commander over there. It holds more than just a monetary value. First time I was given a pair of pants, to be honest. The Circle rather have us all in robes like matching slaves for convenience's sake. To have something uniquely mine is…important."

"…My armor was not specially-made," Justice sulked as if he were a bit jealous over the fact. "It was armor that was already on this body when I crossed over from the Fade. I have no need for mortal possessions..."

"Yet, you asked us to find you a ring made of lyrium," the Blonde rebutted.

"Only because it sings!" the Spirit protested with a huff. The childish arguing gave Izarre some more time enough reclaim his father's sword and off-hand dagger; a gaudy thing with a jeweled-encrusted gold hilt and the royal seal of Ferelden.

"Here," he said as he handed it to Justice. "Even with a main hand and a shield, you should carry a sidearm."

"…But this is yours?" Justice asked with a puzzled expression.

"It is, but you're right. I haven't outfitted you properly since you joined us. Take it as a token of appreciation. It also bears the royal seal, so it will stop those wanting to question you about your…existence. Besides," Izarre smiled as he effortlessly created another ice blade in his now empty hand. "This is becoming much easier to control thanks to Anders. I may never cast spells out of some dusty old book, but at least I can use some of this magic to my own advantage."

"Grimoire," Anders corrected. "It's called a grimoire and even if you'll never use one, you should at least call it by its proper name," he grumbled until he spotted the two more ghouls walking around in his stylish jacket and Justice's blackened plate metal. "Which I actually wish I had one right now to throw at these blasted things! Hey! By Andraste's name, if you ruin a single feather on MY coat, I swear by all that is holy, you will beg to see the Maker's bosom by the time I get through with you!"

Extending his hands and fingers, his initial reflex was to cast fire. While highly effective against the undead, he had to remember the risk of setting his own equipment aflame. This would not only include his armor, but also Sir Pounce-a-lot who was likely still snuggled up under papers in his stolen satchel. The bright light from his fingertips changed from red-orange to white instead, opting to cast a crushing prison rather take the gamble against his kitten and his clothing.

With his new dagger, Justice ran over to simply stab into the thief seemingly without caring about the damage he would cause, but the enchantment created was something none of the others had ever seen before. The soul of the man the ghoul was before it turned was pulled from the body as the dagger was removed and dissipated into thin air. There was also wasn't even a stab wound in the metal as if Justice cut through directly into the Fade and avoided scarring the real world entirely. Pleased with himself, he even hummed as he stripped the lifeless body to put his armor back on. "Commander? Please assist. These buckles are tiring…"

"I…Yes. Of course," Izarre nervously agreed and quickly adjusted the hard to reach straps as if he were helping Alistair as he always did. Anders also moved to retrieve his belongings; the most important being Ser Pounce-a-Lot, who awoke from his nap when his ears were tickled and greeted his owner with a mew.

"How in the world did he survive all of this?" Izarre asked as he curiously peeked into the bag as he was given it to hold as Anders clothed himself.

"I enchanted his collar with several protection runes," the Mage smiled proudly. "We fight all sorts of nasties and he's my big brave boy, aren't you?" he cooed once he pulled his coat on and took the satchel back to tease the cat some more.

"…Right. Well. Now that we're back up to standards, we have to find a way out of here still," the Commander addressed.

"Which is probably through that giant darkspawn dragging that maul coming directly towards us?"

"Maul?" Izarre turned to see what was being referred to as he also heard the scratching noises of the massive metal hammer being dragged across the stone. Instead of saying something witty to tease Anders with, he began to twist his wedding ring around his finger again. His eyebrows furrowed as anger began to build up as if this same monster had injured his Alistair instead of some other Warden. "Stand back," he ordered with a bit more bass to his voice. "This one is mine. You three go around to see if you can find a way around.

"Izz, you can't possibly…" Anders began to protest, but stopped himself as he was shot an unwelcomed glare. "Right. Going to look for another path. Try not to die."

Alone, the Commander looked at his family's sword in one hand before dropping it the ground. Since leaving Highever and meeting with other mages, they had all agreed on the same damn thing; to let magic flow through him. Without the security of a physical weapon, he charged forward. As the maul was swung, he managed to jump away from it without being hit to slash at the darkspawn's heavily plated chest. The ice chipped upon impact, but quickly regenerated its pointy tip. Still, it was not enough to cause any real damage. Denser, Izarre thought to himself. He needed something heavier and sharper. A single dagger, no matter what element it was made of, was not enough to pierce through.

It was Alistair who flashed through his mind. His kind eyes, his charming smile, his terrible jokes, but none more so helpful than remembering the King's broad sword which penetrated through Loghain's armor on that fateful day. As this rogue slash mage was up against an equally clad warrior, something of equal in measure with Alistair's choice of arms was also needed. Placing his hands together, Izarre's eyes closed to think on his lover's weapon. There was a small curve in the hilt followed by an arm's length of sharp edges. He remembered the weight of it as he held it close, the heat which lingered from Alistair's grip.

After a blind swing, his eyes opened to see what had occurred. The handle of the massive hammer was in two pieces and the darkspawn who wielded it was on his knees as the giant slash across his abdomen bled out. The ice which formed the sword was so cold, it burned Izarre's hands through his gloves, but he still managed to pierce the darkspawn's skull with it and pressed it down until only the hilt was visible. Letting go, he stepped back to admire his handy work as the penetrated monster froze over, its skin cracking before exploding as the magic grew unstable. A piece of frozen flesh cut across his uncovered face and he removed the smoking gloves to see his palms red and irritated.

Still with a smile, he picked up his family's sword to secure it on his belt before digging through the iced remnants barehanded. There he saw it, a small, cheap gold ring with a promise of love engraved on its inner circle. As he picked it up, the ice it was encased in melted away.

"We found a way…oh. I see you didn't need our help after all. You…did this intentionally, yes? I hope? Sweet Maker, you're shivering!" Anders rambled as he took the reddened hands into his own to heal.

"More or less. I had to improvise a bit, but Alistair helped."

"He…is here…in your heart, I suppose? But you know that I…we…are actually here. In person. You shouldn't have sent us ahead to scout."

"You're just worried I'm using you as dragon bait," Izarre teased his mentor before sticking out his tongue and pulled his hands away. "Do not fret over me. There are never any real dragons in dark caves like these…except for Archdemons in the Deep Roads. The most we have to worry about are drakes…probably."

"Probably?"

"Probably," Izarre shrugged and began to walk in the direction he was shown where they may finally be a way out. It was at least clear of any other immediate threats. Too clear, if he were being honest with himself.

"I've seen a place like this before," Justice spoke out of tension. "A large room with balconies…"

"An arena," Anders frowned as him senses told him to look upward. Izarre did as well, frowning at what he saw there. It was the twisted emissary from before. To the left was a female dwarf with dead eyes and black pox marks on her face and to his right stood Seranni, showing her true allegiance to the darkspawn. As she smiled fondly at him, she turned to look down at her shocked sister while the Wardens stood underwhelmed and not surprised by the revelation at all until the screeching from two crimson-red dragon thralls caught their attention.

"Those…do not look like drakes, Commander," Justice frowned.

"I said probably!" Izarre laughed and he held onto his own regular sword for this fight, not willing to test his magic again against the twin serpents nor was he completely healed from his previous encounter. His burned hands shook noticeable, forcing him to only use his right arm with a relaxed grip.

"Remind me never to take your side in a bet," Anders said as he began to cast a protection spell against the inevitable incoming blazes. Meanwhile, Velanna ignored the danger as she yelled towards her sibling.

"Seranni! Why?! Why are you doing this!?" she called out desperately, but there was no response. The young elf with the deforming face only looked down at her with pity as she wrapped herself around the emissary's arm as if they were lovers and Velanna simply just did not understand how she felt about him. Even without the help of the elven mange, the first of the two dragons was finally taken down as Justice used his shield to decapitate it while Anders had trapped the second beast to the ground using a binding circle, allowing for Izarre to jump on its back and stab it through the spine.

Disappointed, the emissary turned to his enthralled women and gestured for them to leave through a tunneled hole which led back into the catacombs. "No!" Velanna screamed to Izarre. "Why is she with that monster? We must get to her!" The Commander glanced over to Justice before addressing the woman.

"Your…sister is lost, I'm afraid. She is tainted and turned. I've seen it before, but never with such a willing participate. I am sorry…but there's nothing we can do. They will head to the Deep Roads, most likely, where she will…be turned into one of them…for breeding."

"The home of the children of Stone. Yes…" she muttered her thoughts out loud. "They say you Wardens can sense darkspawn even deep beneath the ground. I would join the Grey Wardens. Give me the ability to hunt down these monsters in the Deep!" As Justice stepped behind Velanna, Izarre eyed him again before addressing her demands.

"You…are only interested in finding your sister," he said with a frown. "If given the choice between saving her or your fellow Wardens, you would abandon the Order as you did just now. You have already killed innocent people in your quest for vengeance…and I see that it is the only thing that drives you still. I'm…sorry, but you've done too much harm already." Before turning away entirely, the Prince gave the nod Justice had been waiting for. As Velanna was about to speak up in protest, she gasped as a sword pierced through her back and out of her stomach.

"You...," she stammered as it was pulled out, falling to her knees as she covered the gash with an arm yet blood still poured from her abdomen. "I will…not forget this…Seranni…" She spoke was her sister's name over and over as a red-painted hand reached out towards where she had seen her last.

"No!" Anders cried out and ran toward Velanna, but Izarre held him back.

"She killed too many people, Anders! You saw the bodies!"

"She did it to save her family! What would you have done!?" he protested as he violently pulled away. "Why did you kill her?! She was helping us!"

"Because she killed without remorse! If we didn't stop her, she would have continued to do so! If she were made a Warden, even if she survived the Joining, do you honestly believe she would think of us first? It's for the good of the Order and…"

"To hell with the Order, Izz!"

"Do not call me that!" The sudden change in Izarre's stance and voice caused Anders to stop fighting the smaller man's grip on his arms. "I am your Commander and you will remember this or so help me, Mage! I gave the order to put down a dangerous apostate and you will not question me!"

"…Is that all I am to you? Some apostate you scooped up for the good of the Order?" Anders spoke sadly in a lowered voice. Izarre returned the expression and turned to walk toward the light near the end of the corridor where he assumed the exit was.

"…We're all expendable, Anders. We have one job to do despite our personal feelings. I can only hope that you have the courage to do what is necessary in order to save the people you care about, otherwise what good are we? She was dangerous, we all are, and if any of us were in her position, we should be dealt with as well. That includes you, Justice, and even me. I pray you realize this should that time ever come to past."

"Justice was done, Mortal," the Spirit added as gently as possible. "As the leader, he makes the sacrifices we cannot make ourselves. To do what must be done and to save who he can. She was a threat not only to those she had already slain, but to us as well." Anders looked to Justice, then to Izarre, and finally at the pool of blood Velanna was lying in. Not another word was spoken as the Wardens exited the cave. While Nathaniel and Oghren were happy to see their friends again, even they could pick up on the tension between the two mages which remained until they arrived at the gate to Vigil's keep.

"Ser," the young messenger woman greeted the Commander as she handed him a thick piece collection of folded parchment bound with red silk and a dried out rose. "A letter for you from his Majesty marked urgent has arrived!" As quick as lightning, he snatched the bundle and ran off towards his room so it could be read in private. He even waved off the Seneschal and told the older man to do whatever he wanted with the nobles as he had no time to worry about property disputes or bridges at the moment. Meanwhile, what he had said to Anders churned inside of Blonde's chest. Several hours and strong drinks later, he found himself banging loudly against Izarre's locked door. While he was expecting to be standing out there for some time, he heard the latch unlock after the first round of knocking and the door creaked open as an invitation.

Confused, he stepped inside as he prepared himself to yell or be yelled at, but his voice caught in his throat as he saw his Commander standing by the open window wearing only a thin, nearly transparent, white silk nightshirt which matched his long, loosely hanging hair as it blew in the wind. The moon as full that night and it illuminated the room enough to see his full form. He had a glass of wine in one hand and the bottle in the other as his bed was covered with dried rose petals and a spread of pages from Alistair's letter. Whatever Anders original plan had been to confront Izarre in regards to Velanna was quickly forgotten as he was now more concerned with young man's unusually solemn state. Sitting on the bed, he frowned as he went through the scattered written pages. "Bad news?"