The Inquisitor's Choice

by Demented Insane Spirit

InquisitorxDorian; Spoilers; It would have been too much for Dorian to expect anything out of the herald of Andraste, much less a lover. Yet when flirting becomes more, love during war seems possible...although there is a worry in his heart that it may not last past the war or that either of them will survive.

3. Chapter Three

The Inquisitor's Choice, Chapter Three

Dorian spotted Solas moving towards him and had half a mind to stand up and begin running. He was not one for fleeing from uncomfortable conversations, but he knew the elf was going to scold him. He shifted in his chair, holding his book a bit more firmly than needed. He knew he was a spoiled brat prone to temper tantrums, but he had not intended to blow one of those tantrums upon his lover in front of two other party members. He could only imagine how awkward it had made Ashik feel, being called out in the middle of Val Royeaux by him with Blackwall and Solas watching. I should have just accepted the damn amulet, Dorian thought, setting his book aside as Solas came to a stop in front of Dorian in the library. "Come to get my advice on women, Solas?" he teased. "Changing that outfit will do you a lot of good."

"Thank you, but no. I came to talk about the Inquisitor," Solas told him, a flash of irritation crossing his face at the mention of his clothing. Dorian wondered briefly whether harassing him enough would get him to leave. Recalling the type of harassment a Dalish elf may have already suffered, he discarded that idea and resigned himself to listening to the lecture. "What you did in Val Royeaux was unnecessary. The Inquisitor went out of his way to help you find your amulet and it's obvious you were glad to have it back when he got it for you. You should not have made a scene."

"And why do you care, exactly?" Dorian asked a bit coolly, leaning back in his chair, regarding Solas seriously. "I had told him to stay out of it and he didn't. It was none of his business and he had no right to do it."

"You should be thankful he did. Josephine's been trying to get him to help with her family's finances, but he left it to Leliana to take care of instead. He doesn't take time away from all of his duties for something this mundane unless he thinks it's important. If it had been anyone else, he would not have even bothered, especially since it's in Val Royeaux. I'm sure even you can tell how much he dislikes being around the Orlais nobility."

"So I should be grateful, just because he bothered to do it at all?"

"Are you going to have an attitude again?" Solas questioned, glaring at him slightly. "I assure you that I will not deal with it the same way the Inquisitor did."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise." There was a tense silence that hovered over them as they stared each other down. Dorian had not expected Solas to resort to bullying in this conversation. That was usually the type of tactics that Cassandra and Blackwall preferred to use. After a time, Solas turned away from him, stepping away, saying, "The Inquisitor chose you for whatever reason. The least you can do after your display is thank him better for going out of his way. That's all I have to say on the matter. Do with it as you will." Solas glanced at him over his shoulder before leaving the alcove in the library. Dorian sighed, slumping back in his chair. As much as the elf had annoyed him with his holier-than-thou attitude, he knew he was right. He would need to make amends with the Inquisitor for acting the way he had done.

Pushing out of his chair, Dorian went on a search for Ashik, hoping he was not stuck in the war room as he often was lately. He prowled around Skyhold leisurely, not in a huge hurry to bare himself to the other man. Solas had reminded him that any other man fled as soon as Dorian revealed his snarky attitude and quick temper, if they had not already run away. Even though he had more or less publicly humiliated him, Dorian had not heard of Ashik being angry or even speaking harshly of him when they returned to Skyhold. In fact, it could have been as if it had never occurred at all. That both relieved and worried Dorian. He was unaccustomed to it and was unsure if it meant he was done with him because of that or if he had simply become indifferent. As Dorian stepped out into the courtyard, his insides froze at seeing the Inquisitor kneeling beside Adan, the apothecary. It appeared as though they were planting seeds for the gardens. Taking in a steadying breath, Dorian advanced forward until he was standing behind him. "Playing in dirt, are we?" he asked, causing the two men to look up at him. "And here I thought we got dirty enough when outside of Skyhold."

"Being clean doesn't suit him," Adan said, nodding to Ashik. "Not that you can tell half the time, with how dark your skin is."

"Feeling a bit miffed that people can tell when you've been smearing dirt everywhere and I can go to a party looking like this?" Ashik asked the apothecary with a smirk.

"Just plant the damn seeds." Adan stood up with a disgruntled expression, moving a few feet away to collect more seeds and give them some privacy. In spite of the brief spark of jealousy Dorian had experienced in hearing Ashik tease the apothecary, he reminded himself to thank him later for the subtle action.

Then again, he mused, he could have just heard about Val Royeaux and didn't want to witness a lover's spat.

"So, what's been going on?" Ashik queried pleasantly, rising to his feet and brushing his dirty hands upon his pants. "Come down to help with this?"

"I'm surprised you're doing this," Dorian admitted, eyeing his and Adan's work thus far. "The Inquisitor has a thousand responsibilities and he's sitting in dirt, gardening. We may need to have a talk about your priorities." Ashik chuckled.

"You're beginning to sound like my advisors. They weren't too thrilled, either, but they don't like to get too close to Adan. He likes to provoke arguments with people and has a sharp tongue. Fighting with the apothecary is not something they were looking forward to, if you can imagine."

"Not even Cassandra?"

"Interesting, isn't it?"

"That is interesting." Dorian paused and looked around the courtyard. There weren't too many people in it right now since it was getting late in the day, but enough that their conversation might be overheard. Then again, it might do something to dispel the gossip that was floating around since Val Royeaux. Turning his gaze back to Ashik, he told him, "I wanted to thank you for getting my amulet back for me. I'm rather attached to material things, as I'm sure you know."

"One of your many charms," Ashik said with a smile.

Definitely not mad at me then, if he's able to flirt like that, Dorian thought, a bit more at ease. "Yes, but you didn't deserve that...outburst...of mine. I apologize for that. If you were another man, in a different position, I might not have cared as much. But this...you and me, the Inquisitor and a Tevinter altus...it makes things more complicated. People will look at this and think I'm exerting some power over you, that I'll be controlling the Inquisition behind you and that you're doing things for me because of it."

"I see your point," Ashik said, "but that's not for you to worry about, Dorian. I did it for you because I care about you and it was something you seemed upset about. Or...are you concerned about what people say about you now?"

"I don't care what they say about me," Dorian told him fiercely. "I'm used to people hating me and judging me because I'm Tevinter. I don't care about anyone's opinion but yours. As long as you don't see it that way, I don't care. But you're the Inquisitor and it could damage your reputation...and your influence here in Thedas."

"I think my relationship with you has gotten me even more attention than before," Ashik commented, raising an eyebrow at him. "Do you know how many nobles have been writing to Josephine, enticed by the news that the Inquisitor is with a Tevinter? The men are acting outraged, but really they're loving every bit of it. And the women are eating up the rumors that two extremely handsome men are sharing private moments all over the place in Skyhold. It's enough to make their panties wet. As far as Orlais is concerned, this is helping me rather than hindering me."

"Sounds just like Tevinter," Dorian said dryly. "Makes me a bit homesick."

"Take the home from that and I'll agree with your statement."

"Alright, alright...can you forgive me for my temper, at least?"

"Forgive you?" Ashik repeated with a crooked smile. "This would not be fun if not for you unleashing your temper out on me occasionally. I rather enjoy it."

"Let us be sure to find other things that you'll enjoy with me," Dorian suggested as Adan approached them, seeming satisfied that they were not going to get into a fight. "Soon, preferably." He left the Inquisitor in his garden, returning inside Skyhold. He had intended for the words to seduce Ashik into lusting after him, but it had backfired somewhat. His own breeches were tight at the thought of eliciting Ashik into a sweating, moaning state of surrender.

Dorian endured conversation during dinner and paced around his own quarters for some time afterward, waiting until he was certain the rest of Skyhold was slumbering. He had never been a particularly patient man and while he had intended to tease and coerce Ashik over the next few days, he found he could not wait that long. Once it was late enough, he left his quarters and headed down to where the Inquisitor's quarters were located. The door was left unlocked, causing him to smile. Coincidence or an invitation? he mused. As soon as he ascended the stairs, excitement stirred within him and when he stepped into the chambers, he found that Ashik was seated at his desk, reading through something with a bored expression. "You're quite the successful tease," Dorian remarked as he strolled to the desk. Ashik looked up, a smile beginning on his lips. "It takes a patient man to deal with that type of teasing." He rounded the desk, slipping his hands along his arms as he leaned down so his mouth was near his ear. "But I am not a patient man, nor a particularly nice one. I wonder if you're prepared to be burned by this fire, Inquisitor?"

"I've been quite ready for that, Dorian."

It was all the encouragement he needed. Dorian, in spite of his high standards and his own impeccably good looks, could not recall being with many men quite as attractive as this Trevelyan lord. He was not accustomed to being with men in such fine physical shape, either, and he touched every place possible, drinking in his appearance, enjoying the taste of his skin, the feel of his naked body close to his. Even though Ashik seemed comfortable and adept, Dorian became quite certain he had never lain with a man before. As he dropped down, pushing him into his mouth, he seemed to go dizzy with desire, his mouth full of his length. His own arousal throbbed in hearing the Inquisitor's breathing hitch, feeling his hands in his hair as he pulled him deeper into his throat. Ashik groaned out his name just as the warm liquid spilled into his mouth. He drank it deeply and it tasted sweet upon his tongue.

When he drew back up, he kissed the Inquisitor to give him a taste of himself, stroking him and then gently rolling him onto his stomach. He hovered above him, his thumb pressing against the sensitive entrance, whispering in his ear, "Am I your first, Trevelyan?" He felt Ashik shiver beneath him, gasp as his fingers opened him, but he did not respond. Dorian smiled at his lack of language. He took Ashik's hips, pulling his ass up and sinking himself inside him, slowly, letting him grow accustomed to the feel of him, opening the virgin entrance up for him.

"Maker's breath," Ashik gasped, his nails digging into the pillows. "Dorian..." He uttered a grunt as Dorian sunk himself entirely inside him. "Dorian."

"Vishante kaffas," Dorian swore, closing his eyes, feeling the heat surround him, stilling briefly before he eased himself out and inside him again. Ashik's body was shuddering beneath him, wracked with pleasure. Dorian went slowly at first, fearful he would cum too soon at how tight he was around him. He could feel Ashik pulsing around him, clenching and unclenching and it was torture. As he pumped himself into him, a bit harder, a bit faster, Ashik cried out and Dorian could no longer contain himself. He thrust into him hard and groaned his name as he came, spilling himself inside Ashik.

After he had spent himself, he drew out of him and they made a halfhearted attempt at cleaning themselves up before giving up and tearing the top blanket off and curling against each other. Dorian fell into a surprisingly restful sleep, holding Ashik against him beneath the thin sheet.

X

"Undead, dragons, darkspawn, and archdaemons," Blackwall muttered as they traversed through the desert of the Western Approach. "Things are certainly never boring when it comes to you, Ashik."

"So that's why everyone flocks to me," the Inquisitor remarked. "I bring excitement to their life. Always glad to be of service to people."

"Not as much excitement as you bring to Dorian's life, I'd bet. He's been grinning like a fool for the past few weeks."

"Envious, Blackwall?" Dorian piped up. "Or were you trying to get the Inquisitor for yourself?" Blackwall grunted something foul beneath his breath, but it merely made Dorian laugh. The group fell silent, although Dorian turned his eyes back to Ashik, who seemed amused by the entire exchange. Whatever doubts others had about their relationship before certainly did not exist any longer.

After their lust-filled night together, Dorian had felt the need to ask him where, exactly, he felt this would be going. He was always one for sex and fun and was especially eager to teach Ashik tricks in the bedroom, as the man had admitted to only sleeping with women at his father's insistence before, an act Ashik had found rather distasteful. However, the fear of rejection had been eating at him all morning while he waited for him to wake. He was far too accustomed to men wanting nothing but sex from him and while he had felt small inklings of emotions for them, it simply did not compare to the wave of emotion he was experiencing with the Inquisitor. In other circumstances, he would never have considered baring his feelings so openly, but there was no man he yearned for more, no man to whom he had been so drawn. Even though he had been turned away before and had been forced to turn away, he was not so sure he could handle it as well this time. For once, he took a gamble, hoping in spite of his past experiences with such blind hope.

Ashik had kissed him, softly before telling him he wanted far more from him than just sex. He was as frank as ever, confessing his love for him. It made him appear all the more innocent and untouched by the harsh realities of men and Dorian had gotten so lucky that the Inquisitor had been thrown into his path. If he had been a woman, he supposed he might have cried from elation at the news, but instead he had clasped him close, kissing him, fearful to let him go in case another snatched him from him. In truth, his possessiveness of the Inquisitor had increased tenfold, but then, Ashik's own possessiveness seemed to trickle out after their decision. It was far more subtle than Dorian's, yet enough to make it clear that Dorian was not to be treated as a criminal Tevinter as most had been prone to do.

The memory caused a smile to play at the edges of his mouth and he was sure his daydreaming was being observed by Solas and Blackwall. He was not all that concerned, however. He had no reason to be ashamed at being so close with the Inquisitor and Ashik had made it clear he felt no shame for their relationship. It was gratifying and made everything feel so easy.

"That must be Cullen waiting for us," Ashik spoke up once they neared Griffon Wing Keep.

"Ah, Inquisitor," Cullen greeted when they had drawn close enough to him. He nodded to the other three men before turning back to Ashik. "Hawke and Stroud got here ahead of you, sent a message to Skyhold. We've done as they asked. I think we're well prepared for an assault on Adamant Fortress." He hesitated, his eyes sliding to Blackwall uncertainly. "There...is some concern about the Grey Wardens, though."

"I'm sure there is. Let's get inside the keep to talk, though. Having sand blown into your face consistently gets old fast."

"Of course!" Cullen waited for Ashik to fall in step beside him, the other three men trailing after them wearily. "Stroud and Hawke have been going at it since we got here. Hawke is blaming the Grey Wardens for this mess with the Venatori and Stroud has been blaming Hawke for not making sure that Corypheus was dead before he left Kirkwall. I could use your help with them...it almost makes me wish Varric had come to deal with them, since they're his friends."

"It would be unfair to put all of the credit on either of them," Ashik said to Cullen mildly as they walked through the gates of the keep. "Neither the Grey Wardens nor Hawke are entirely to blame for this. The Templars were taken in just as easily as the Grey Wardens and the mages nearly were, too. Once a poison has been injected, it's hard to stop it."

"Excellent analogy for this. I think they need to hear it. Corypheus has been all over Thedas, gaining followers, corrupting good men and women. Allowing those helping the Inquisition to fall into dissent would only encourage that. More importantly, though, we need to make a move on Adamant Fortress before they can complete that ritual, Inquisitor. I am certain that there are Grey Wardens that will listen to us and work with us. Some of them must see what's happening...just as there were those within the Templars willing to help."

"It was a decision we had to make, Cullen. Choosing a side during war is never easy, trust me. And, at the time, I didn't know Corypheus was out infecting Templars with red lyrium. Nobody did."

"Or that Samson had been picked up by him," Cullen added with a sigh. "I know. I'm not blaming you. I just wish we could have done more, that we had the forces we have now to have done something for them. But I suppose regret doesn't help them, either." Ashik paused in his steps, grasping Cullen's shoulder.

"If there was something I could have done for them," he told him softly, in a tone full of apology, "I would have done it. We had so few people, but you know that I would have tried even with the handful we had."

"By the time we had secured the mages and saved them from the Venatori, there was nothing we could do, Inquisitor." Cullen patted his hand and then turned his back to them, continuing towards the steps that led to the upper level of the keep. "When you're ready, let me know. We'll move our soldiers out."

The Inquisitor sighed, lifting his hands slightly and dropping them in defeat. Dorian surveyed him with a worried expression. He often saw the light-hearted side of his Inquisitor and since they had settled into Skyhold, he had not had to see how the stress of the war was affecting him. He had seen the lengths Ashik went to in assisting his friends and to create bonds with the Inquisition. He knew that, had there been another way, Ashik would have protected the Templars from Corypheus. In spite of Cullen's reassurances, Dorian was certain the commander did not see it the same way and was placing a good deal of blame upon the Inquisitor for his choice. One thing the commander seemed to forget was that if the mages were not with them, they would have been in the hands of Corypheus. Mages could be too impenetrable a force when under such corrupt influence.

"His heart is in the right place," Solas told Ashik, stepping up next to him, "but he is blinded by his own prejudices. Don't let his words effect you too much."

"Thank you, Solas," Ashik told him gratefully. "I don't regret my decision to protect the mages...they needed our help far more than the Templars did. The Templars had a better chance at defending themselves – and there were far more of them than the rebel mages." He shook his head. "I certainly never wanted this fate for them, but I can only sympathize with them to a point."

"What about the Grey Wardens?" Blackwall asked, frowning at him. "You know that you'll be the one to make judgment on them. What are you going to do about them?"

"Right now we're not sure what lies Erimond has been feeding Clarel and the rest of the Grey Wardens. Or...which lies are proving to be so persuasive to her. For now, we can only wait and see. I would prefer to have the Grey Wardens at my side. I cannot blame them for their corruption."

"I think you can," Solas quietly said. "They should not be so ignorant as to turn to magic rituals and demon summoning simply because they believe another blight is coming."

"The Grey Wardens live to serve and protect the people against blights!" Blackwall angrily informed the elf. "Most have seen the type of things that can happen during the blight, the darkspawn that can emerge and tear an entire city apart. How can you blame them for their good intentions?"

"They should know better. What fools would think demons are better than darkspawn?"

"Enough," Ashik cut in sharply, silencing the two. "We already have Hawke and Stroud fighting about this, I don't need you two at it, as well. For now, just rest up and go eat before we head out. I'm going to try and talk to the other two." Blackwall and Solas cast each other disapproving glances, but acquiesced docilely. As Ashik made to follow the path Cullen had taken, Dorian stepped forward, putting a hand on his shoulder. He halted, turning back to face him. "What is it?"

"I would like to see you get some rest before we go there, too," Dorian told him frankly. Ashik smiled and took his hand in his, squeezing it affectionately.

"I will. Once I deal with the other squabbling, I'll take a nap."

"We both know you're lying."

"I have every intention upon getting some sleep in," Ashik released his hand. "Whether it actually happens or not is another matter entirely."

X

Dorian supposed every mage desired the ability to step into the Fade once in their life. Indeed, man had craved to do so for thousands of years and strived to do so. As he walked through the Fade with the collection of men, he felt oddly out of focus and any time he tried to look at something too closely, it seemed to blur and it was as though a million other things were combining so he was unable to see clearly. He turned away from what he was looking at, turning back and recalling why he had started staring around him in the first place. Divine Justinia was an uncomfortable sight to behold and certainly nothing that any of them wished to look upon. It was even more unsettling after they had seen Ashik's memories flash in front of them. Dorian suspected Ashik held a certain amount of grim satisfaction at now possessing proof to show he was not sent by Andraste.

"At least he's shut up for a bit," Blackwall commented in regards to Nightmare. Dorian glanced at him and took notice of the tense set of his jaw. Nightmare had been assaulting Blackwall the last time he had spoken. The more Nightmare spoke, the more subdued the party became. Dorian had not enjoyed the taste of his own fears being thrown into his face.

"You will only be surrounded by loneliness and betrayal," Nightmare had purred to him. "Sadness and deceit. You will never be loved or truly liked by anyone. That person is only using you to his own ends, as has always been done. You will forever be the dirt beneath their shoe, something to be cast aside and openly hated. Darkness awaits you in the future and you have only you and your poor decisions to blame." The words had sunk Dorian into a pit of despair and had absolutely enraged the Inquisitor. The next time Nightmare had sent his demons, they had done very little as Ashik ruthlessly cut them down, spending his angry energy. His sudden lack of control had alarmed everyone and since then the Inquisitor had said little to nothing.

"He gains his power from your reactions, feeding on your memories and fears," the Divine told them presently. "He is strong, but you are stronger. You possess a warm light that exudes and disturbs him. He cannot control you so long as you maintain a hold upon this light."

"I don't think there's even a glimmer of light in me right now," Ashik stated darkly.

The Divine laughed softly. "Anger burns the brightest light of all...especially anger that is inspired by love. He expected fear and darkness from his words, but you responded with rage and the motivation to avenge. I have no doubts that you will be able to stave off Nightmare and his powers." The Inquisitor cast her a dubious look, but kept his opinion to himself. They fell silent once again until they came to a large cavern. Even Dorian could feel the power of the Fade rift nearby. He looked round at the group and saw that Solas had a pensive frown upon his lips, peering at Ashik. It was not the first time Dorian had caught the elf looking at him in such a manner. He wondered what could possibly be causing the stare.

"Nightmare must be ahead," Solas spoke up, causing Ashik to turn to him inquiringly. "We should prepare ourselves. It will not be easy to get to the Fade rift."

"No, it would be too much to expect him to make it easy, wouldn't it?" the Inquisitor remarked in a too-light of a tone.

"Now is not the time for jokes, Inquisitor," Solas sharply informed him. "Nightmare may not let us leave the rift. That could have disastrous consequences on the world outside with Corypheus acting as he is. You are their only hope."

"I'm sure the Inquisitor hasn't forgotten that for a moment," Dorian said, moving forward to step beside the elf. He crossed his arms, staff in hand, and tilted his head to look at Solas, who glared back at him.

"We don't know what we'll be facing when we get to that Fade rift."

"All the better not to assume we're going to die a horrible death."

"This isn't just some Tevinter time magic, Dorian!"

"You think that time magic is that simple?" Dorian returned, his own tone dangerously on edge. "Being thrown into another horrific time where the world is ruled by Corypheus is no more fun than being caught in the Fade where Nightmare is lurking over us." Solas straightened, his mouth thinning into an angry, straight line of disapproval. Dorian turned away from him, satisfied the argument was completed. Ashik was observing them with a wry gaze, as if they were in Skyhold yelling about the quality of clothing.

"I promise you that I am taking this seriously, Solas," Ashik soothingly said. He withdrew his daggers, shrugging his shoulders and sighing, turning away from the pair. "To be honest, though, I'm more afraid I won't be able to keep all of you from dying. I'll be happy if I can at least send some of you through the rift. My own life is really no concern."

"And it should be," Solas said. "You are the one with the anchor, not us. There is no purpose to our return if you are dead, Inquisitor. All of us joined the Inquisition as soldiers...not as friends. Or anything else," he added, shooting a meaningful look to Dorian. Ashik merely shook his head and moved forward, following the Divine. Even if the Inquisitor or Solas had wished to continue the conversation, they had no time. As they exited the caverns, they were halted by the sight of the beasts before them. The Divine, glowing gold and floating before them, simply laughed and moved towards Nightmare.

"Do not fear and remember, you have the necessary light to vanquish him from your heart. Do not let him grab hold...otherwise you cannot survive." There was blinding light and a scream from the oversized creature.

"What the hell is that thing?" Blackwall yelled as he rolled aside from a spider that came skittering towards him. He swung his sword, cutting into it, causing the black creature to screech, startled.

"A crab, right?" Hawke suggested, gutting a spider beside Blackwall.

"Is a crab that fucking big?"

"Don't you think," Dorian bellowed at them, swinging his staff as a fire wall erupted between the group and Nightmare, "you should stop worrying about what it is and just kill it?"

"Looks like the Divine might have done that for us," Stroud said, stabbing into a spider and swinging it into the fire. He came running up next to Dorian, pointing his sword forward. "But you've blocked us off from the Inquisitor! He's fighting Nightmare alone." Dorian quickly turned just in time to see Ashik dart away from a particularly brutal strike of Nightmare's.

"Ugh, vishante kaffas!" he muttered, swinging his hand so that the fire wall dropped. He and Solas remained behind, using their staffs to keep the spiders at bay while the others hacked at Nightmare and dodged Nightmare's magic. Even though he was focused upon the spiders so the warriors would have one less thing to worry about, he kept flicking looks to the group, ascertaining that Ashik was keeping well out of Nightmare's reaches. He was weaker to magic than the others and even though he was as artful and deadly with his daggers as Blackwall was with his sword, he took more damage. If he suffered a bad blow, it might be enough to kill him. Dorian was not in any way prepared to lose him quite yet.

"Nightmare is moving slower," Solas said to Dorian, moving next to him and throwing up a barrier around him and the Tevinter. "We may just see the end of this! But I'm worried about his pet...where did it go?"

"Didn't the Divine kill it?" he demanded, throwing a hand out and setting a group of spiders on fire.

"No...I do not think so."

Dorian frowned, but did not answer, distracted by the sudden appearance of Nightmare next to them. He released a grunt of surprise as Nightmare smashed into the barrier Solas had raised, knocking them to the ground. Both of them were briefly winded and scrambled to get to their feet. As Nightmare raised his hand, his ugly face contorting, his small mouth opening to reveal tiny, pointed teeth, there was a sudden roar and he screamed, whirling around. He was briefly paralyzed by the green light that had formed above him. Dorian grabbed Solas by the arm, dragging him away, hauling him to the other side, as far from Nightmare as they could get while still being able to protect the others with their magic. Ashik was standing on the dais with his hand raised, the anchor in his hand shining bright. Slowly, he lowered his hand and shook it out as if it hurt. The glow faded and Nightmare crumpled to the ground and lay immobile. Ashik gave a grim sort of smile, but a sudden rumble made him wince and his knees buckled. Dorian made to move, but Solas grabbed him, shouting, "No! You'll only put yourself in harm's way!"

"He is in harm's way!" Dorian snapped. He broke away from Solas, running up to the dais. Even as he ran, though, with Solas close on his heels, the three warriors charged up next to Ashik and Blackwall helped the Inquisitor to his feet. The giant crablike beast had reappeared and was blocking their path to the Fade rift. Ashik had a weary, pinched look upon his face as he looked upon the creature.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, "but I need someone...to distract it."

"Let me," Stroud immediately spoke up. Ashik turned to him with a hesitant glance. "I have lived my life, Inquisitor. I have done as I wanted on this quest. I expected to die and now I may die bravely. Let me do this. Save the others. And Hawke...help the Wardens, preserve our knowledge and our people." Hawke opened his mouth to protest, but Ashik grabbed him, pulling him away from Stroud, shoving him roughly toward the Fade rift. Hawke stared at him, outraged.

"I have no time for an argument. Do as he says." He nodded to Stroud. "As much time as you can."

"Thank you, Inquisitor." Stroud saluted him, hitting his fist to his chest, and then grasped his sword, running to the creature and swinging at its legs, bellowing a war cry. As he did, Ashik ushered the others to run forward.

Dorian waited for Ashik before running towards the Fade rift, keeping a hold on his arm, afraid that if he didn't the man might collapse. He could tell that his leg had been badly injured, mangled from Nightmare's magic. As they ran to the Fade rift, Ashik paused, pushing Dorian forward. "What are you doing?" Dorian snarled in a slightly panicked voice.

"Go ahead of me. Go!" He gave him another shove, enough to make Dorian lose his balance and fall through the rift. Even as he fell, however, he reached his hand out, fearful that Ashik might not follow. He emerged from the rift, rolling onto the hard stones of Adamant Fortress. A hand helped him up and he scrambled to his feet, not even aware of who had helped him.

"Where is the Inquisitor?" a familiar voice murmured. Then, louder and angrier, "Where is the Inquisitor?" The tone snapped Dorian out of his daze and he turned to see Cassandra almost spitting the words in his face. She had been the one to help him up and still had her hand on his arm, her nails nearly biting into his arm through the cloth. He opened his mouth to tell her off, but saw the fear reflected in her eyes and realized she was as anxious for the man's life as he was right then. The anger fled from him and he simply shook his head, unsure of how to answer. Raw fury combined with anguish swept over her face and just as she made to grab him, to scream at him, there was another sound from the Fade rift and a body hitting the stones. Both of them turned to see Ashik upon the stones, slowly sitting up.

"Stroud?" Hawke asked anxiously, he and Blackwall taking each arm of Ashik's and assisting him in standing. Ashik glanced at him briefly before raising his hand, closing the rift.

"I'm sorry," was all he said with a queerly blank expression. Hawke dropped his arm, staring at him, a pained look upon his face.

"You should have let me stay. Stroud had far more to live for than I do."

"You cannot measure lives in that way," Blackwall told Hawke in defense of the Inquisitor. It was clear that Ashik had no answer for the champion. "Stroud offered to stay behind, he knew what he was doing, but there was nothing else we could have done."

"We could have stayed and fought it!"

"The Inquisitor can barely stand and we had already pushed ourselves to defeat Nightmare. There was no way we could have survived against it. He would not have made that call if he didn't have to – you know that, Hawke." Blackwall's steady voice seemed to break through Hawke's grief and he lapsed into a despondent silence. The others who had been waiting anxiously for them to return from the Fade cast confused looks around. Dorian caught a glimpse of the Inquisitor's exhausted face and suspected that he would be feeling the pain of Stroud's death later.

"Where is the Archdaemon?" Ashik asked quietly, looking to Cassandra in question.

"It must been after you," she answered. "After you disappeared, it left the fortress. There...is the matter of the Grey Wardens to consider now, too. We'll need to figure out what to do with them. Just so you are aware." She cast a look behind her at the Wardens that were hovering feet away, watching the Inquisitor anxiously.

"I'll do that now."

"You are in no condition – "

"Worried? For me?" Ashik withdrew his arm from Blackwall, straightening and wincing slightly.

"You're bleeding all over the place."

"Very little of the blood at Adamant is mine, Cassandra," he told her, stepping past her with a slight limp. Cassandra followed him, a cross expression on her face. "It's better we handle the Wardens now rather than later. They've just seen their leader eaten alive by a dragon after being corrupted by a Venatori. It's better to put it all on them now rather than prolong it."

"What do you intend to do?"

"Excellent question. I'll let you know if I figure it out before I talk to them."

TBC