Sorry this chapter is so long - I didn't want to break it up.

Chapter 26: The Circle

The second leg of the trip to the Circle of Magi was relatively easy. The only other people the group ran into were two separate merchants. Aeden didn't buy anything, as the warden's coin purse was far lighter that he would like, but the one merchant gifted him an interesting object. Apparently, the short wooden branch with the gem encrusted in the end was a control rod for a golem that was standing unused in a town to the south named Honnleath. Aeden made a mental note to visit the town whenever it was on their route.

When they reached the docks across from the tower, Aeden sent the group into the inn for a drink while he tried to arrange for the small boat to take part of the group across the lake. In the inn, Alistair ordered drinks for each group member and arranged for rooms for the night. It wouldn't be fancy, but each would have their own sleeping pallet, and two rooms wouldn't deplete their funds very much.

Aeden joined them in the tavern and over their ales explained he learned that there was something wrong in the tower and a Templar was the acting boatman, having taken the responsibility away from the regular man, Kester. It had taken nearly threatening the man, but they had passage for four. Aeden intended to take Alistair, Delia and Sten with him, and Leliana and Morrigan would remain in the inn with the majority of their provisions and the mabari.

Once they finished their drinks, the four said their goodbyes and walked to the dock. The Templar, Carroll, was very nervous, feeling as though he would be in trouble with his commander, Greagoir, whether he brought the warden group to the tower or refused. Aeden ignored his mutterings as they crossed the dark lake. The water seemed to be full of magic in its own right, and Aeden almost believed what Kester mentioned about the mages dumping the water full of unused potions.

Once the boat was tied successfully outside the tower, Aeden stepped onto the dock first. He helped his companions disembark, taking special care with Delia, as her legs were shorter and it was more difficult for her to get over the boat's side. They walked together toward the huge wooden doors of the tower. There was something ominous about the entrance, and the three humans felt an evil presence.

Inside the doors there were several Templars. Greagoir was obvious, as he stood in the center of the room, the only Templar not wearing a helm. His face was lined with wrinkles, no doubt from years of worrying about the mages under his watch.

Aeden introduced himself and his companions to the Templar Commander. Greagoir was not impressed by having more Grey Wardens seeking help at the tower, but knew they had the right to do so. Unfortunately, he had bad news for Aeden – the tower had been taken over by abominations and he didn't believe there were any survivors. He had sealed the doors to the tower to prevent the demons from escaping, and had sent word to Denerim to get help in destroying whatever demons remained inside. It was his judgement that anything remaining in the tower needed to be killed to be certain that no demons escaped. The wardens were shocked – they believed that there had to be survivors and so Aeden volunteered their assistance to save whoever they could. Greagoir agreed, and so the party made their way to the tower doors. The Templar guarding the doors opened them for the party, then immediately sealed them behind the group.

The hallway in front of them led to several dormitory style rooms. Corpses were strewn about on the floor. Aeden led the way through the rooms, making certain they destroyed every demon without missing any. As they reached a large meeting hall, they found several mages and children. The elder mage was fighting a rage demon, and as soon as it was vanquished she turned her gaze on the wardens, her staff pointed at them protectively.

"Stop right there! Take another step and I swear I will strike you down where you stand!"

Aeden put his hands up in reassurance. "Calm down. I'm not going to do anything."

"I am Wynne, mage of the Circle, and these children are under my protection. Who are you and what is your purpose here? Have the Templars opened the door? Speak quickly—I'll have no games."

Aeden bowed slightly to the mage. "I am a Grey Warden, and I seek the help of the mages."

The elderly mage frowned. "And you were told the Circle was in no shape to help you, I suppose. So why did the Templars let you in? Do they plan to attack the tower now?"

"No, they are waiting for reinforcements."

The mage lowered her staff and sighed. "So Greagoir thinks the Circle is beyond hope. He probably assumes we are all dead." She turned to look at the other woman mage. "They abandoned us to our fate, but even trapped as we are, we survived. If they invoke the Right, however, we will not be able to stand against them."

Aeden looked around. It was obvious that the children were terrified and the adult mages were on guard. "What happened here?" he asked Wynne.

"Let it suffice to say we had something of a revolt on our hands, led by a mage named Uldred. When he returned from the battle at Ostagar, he tried to take over the Circle. As you can see, it didn't work out as he had planned. I don't know what became of Uldred, but I am certain this is his doing. I will not lose the Circle to one man's pride and stupidity."

Aeden nodded knowingly. "Leave it to me. I will save the mages."

Wynne shook her head and explained that she erected a barrier to keep the children safe from the demons inside the tower. The only way she would dispel the barrier would be if Aeden agreed to join with her to save the Circle by killing the demons and leading out all the survivors. He agreed, believing her advanced magic abilities would be of great use alongside Alistair's Templar abilities to weaken the demons' own magic.

Looking at the faces of the innocent children in the room, he was worried. "Will the children be safe here?"

Wynne nodded. "Petra and Kinnon will watch them. If we slay all the fiends we encounter on our way, none will get by to threaten the children."

Aeden frowned. "I would feel better leaving someone with blades here. Delia, I want you to remain as part of their defense. Please stay alert – I fully intend to kill every demon in the tower, but sometimes they can hide in small crevices."

Delia was not happy to be left behind, but knew she had no choice. Aeden needed to bring Alistair and Sten for the power and stamina they both had. There could be hundreds of demons in the tower, and she would not be able to match their fortitude. She would, however, be able to fight one demon at a time, with the help of the mages.

While Wynne spoke to her mages and then said her goodbyes to the children, warmly reassuring them of their safety and telling them to be certain to sleep, the warden group spoke on the far side of the room. Aeden and Alistair talked about battle strategies utilizing magic, and how Delia could use the two mages she would be left with to her advantage. After their hurried conversation, they said their goodbyes. Delia hugged Aeden, telling her "brother" to be careful, and then she hugged Sten, who stood stiffly while enduring the human's show of affection.

Finally she turned to Alistair. She reached up to hug him and whispered in his ear, "Be careful and come back to me safely." He looked at her and grinned, and then he lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead. "I have a lot of reasons to return safely. We'll be back soon."

The two wardens and Sten joined Wynne at the barrier. The mage waved her staff, and saying words that were barely audible she removed the barrier. The four of them walked down the hallway and disappeared around a corner.

Delia sighed, resigned to being left behind again. As she stood there, looking into the now empty hallway, she felt a tug at her sleeve. A young girl looked up at her with wonder in her eyes.

"Are you a Grey Warden too?" asked the child.

Delia chuckled. "Not yet, but I am a recruit. I hope that I'll be able to be a full warden soon."

A young boy stood nearby. "See, I told you she wasn't a warden. Boys are wardens, 'cause boys are better than girls at everything – even casting spells!"

"That's not true! And just because she isn't a warden yet doesn't mean there aren't girl wardens. Aren't there girl wardens?" she looked longingly at Delia.

"Of course there are girlwardens. Did you ever hear any stories about Sophia Dryden? She was the Warden Commander of all of Ferelden." The children shook their heads. "Well, why don't you two sit with me here against the pillar and I'll tell you about how she became the Commander of the Grey."

Delia sat against the pillar and had the children surround her in a circle. Reaching into the back of her memories, Delia recounted every bit of history she could remember from her lessons. The children hung onto her every word while Petra and Kinnon kept watch. The third mage, Keili, seemed to be distracted and stood in a corner of the room, wringing her hands while reciting the Chant of Light.

After finishing the story of Sophia Dryden, Delia decided to tell the story of Syrendia, the Tevinter mage who discovered the means to cast earthquake spells. Her discovery led to her being named the First Enchanter of Tevinter hundreds of years earlier. As she was nearing the end of that story, the children were yawning. The fear and anxiety of the past days were quickly catching up with them. Petra and Delia brought the children to mattresses lined up against the wall across from where the barrier had been, and tucked the children in for what they hoped would be a good night's sleep.

The adults moved back to where the barrier had been. Everything in the hallways beyond seemed to be quiet, and they allowed themselves to relax a bit. Petra began to talk with Delia, asking if she had been at Ostagar. They talked about the battle, comparing notes of Delia's experience and what Wynne had told her friends. Kinnon joined them when they started comparing notes on life in the tower compared to Delia's school. Delia felt it was terribly sad that the mages were not permitted to leave the tower. There was so much to see in the world, and so many things that could be learned only through experience.

Kinnon found himself impressed with the warden recruit. She was very knowledgeable about the schools of magic as well as studies that had been conducted on the fade by mages in the previous century. He had never met a non-mage who had any appreciation for magic; most of the time non-mages only feared magic. Of course, the Chantry's teachings on magic didn't help the image of mages, nor did the fact that mages were all hidden away in the tower have any effect on alleviating their fears. He found himself becoming more and more intrigued with her as the evening passed.

Delia noticed Kinnon's growing interest. It was difficult to not notice, the way his eyes began to move from her eyes down to her very toes. He seemed to be taking in every detail of her body, and she felt very self-conscious. When Petra decided to take a nap, Delia was left with him, somewhat alone.

He cleared his throat nervously before he spoke to her. "I've never met anyone like you before, Delia. Most people avoid mages as if they suffered from a contagious disease, yet you seem to know a great deal about the history and studies of magic. You are… fascinating."

"Thank you, you flatter me. I've always had an interest in magic and the ways different cultures view the mage abilities. It's a shame our Chantry has such a narrow minded view. I believe there should be a more moderate view, more along the way the Dalish treat mages in their midst, but certainly not the way the Tevinter elevated their mages to an almost god-like status. There is no reason for mages to be treated as lesser beings."

He smiled at her. She was a true scholar, much as he was. His favorite pastime was reading in the library, and from what she had told them about her school it seemed that she enjoyed reading as much as he did. His interest in her grew quickly, especially because on top of her intellect, she was quite pretty.

"Perhaps when this is over, we could… spend some time together? I would love to show you the tower's library. You would certainly find many volumes of interest. And I would truly love to be able to see you. We don't have many visitors to the tower, but I'm sure you would be allowed since you are part of the wardens."

Delia looked at him. His eyes were begging for her to say yes, to have hope that he would have someone to share his interests, but she knew she couldn't agree. "You are a very interesting person as well, Kinnon. Perhaps someday my travels will bring me back here, but for now the only thing I can focus on is defeating the Blight. I hope you understand, but you do have my word that should I come here again I will definitely look for you." She smiled warmly, trying to lessen the hurt in his eyes.

"As you wish, Delia. I do hope that we will see each other in the future." His eyes averted to the hallway in front of them. "I hope that we have a future."

Delia sighed. "It has been many hours since they went into the tower. I have to admit, I'm worried about them. How long would it take to check each room without battling anything, do you have any idea?"

Kinnon chuckled. "Would you believe I actually had to do that not long ago? The Templars had just brought Jayden, the youngest boy over there," he pointed at the sleeping children, "to the tower, and he made a run for it! We had to search the entire tower, top to bottom, checking every cabinet, closet, nook and cranny! It took us about five hours, if I remember properly."

Seeing the light that was creeping into the window, Delia thought they must have been waiting for ten hours already. Were they even alive? She tried to shake off her negative feelings and stay positive. The three men were all highly skilled, and Alistair had some experience with demons. Surely Wynne had experience as well.

Petra woke and walked to Keili to wake her as well. The two took over the watch from Delia and Kinnon, giving them a chance to get some much needed sleep. Delia dozed off and on for several hours, and then roused when she noticed the sun in the window seemed to be at a midday point. Petra and Keili had given the children some dried fruit, but there wasn't much to go around so Delia took out whatever food she had in her pack. She shared the dried jerky and fruit while saving the nuts for later.

As she started to tear into her strip of jerky, they heard a commotion coming down the hallway. Keili rounded the children up and kept them along the far wall while Petra, Kinnon and Delia readied themselves for battle. The clattering was coming closer, and Delia thought it sounded like armor.

Relief flooded to her face when she saw her wardens turn the corner of the hallway with an elderly man supported between them. Delia and Petra ran to them, and they helped the man sit while Petra performed healing magic on him. Wynne took the opportunity to introduce Delia to Irving, the First Enchanter of the Circle of Magi. After she shook the man's hand, she looked to her friends. They all seemed to be alright, although they were exhausted. There was another man with them, a Templar, who Wynne introduced as Cullen. He was withdrawn and fearful, and Delia assumed he must have been traumatized by what he had experienced.

Aeden was anxious to get back to Greagoir, so he helped Irving back up and started toward the sealed doors. Once at the great doors, Sten bashed the hilt of his sword against them to alert the Templars that the group had arrived. The doors slowly opened, revealing the few Templars able to fight holding their swords at the ready. When Greagoir noticed Irving, he ordered the Templars to stand down.

Delia stood back while the men discussed the status of the tower and the wardens' need for assistance. She watched the body language of the three warriors. Sten and Aeden seemed to be tired, but otherwise to be none the worse for wear. Alistair was distant. He wouldn't look at her at all, and she grew concerned that something must have happened to him.

Delia overheard Wynne ask Irving permission to travel with the wardens and earn his consent. It certainly would be a good idea to have a battle experienced mage with them, especially since Wynne had battled darkspawn at Ostagar. Aeden asked Irving to provide mages and lyrium to help save Connor, to which he also readily agreed.

They decided Irving and his mages would travel separately and meet the wardens at Redcliffe Castle. Aeden led his people back to the waiting boat for the journey back across the lake to the tavern. Alistair sat in the bow of the boat, looking straight ahead for the entire length of the lake. His demeanor made Delia very nervous, and she looked at Aeden. He took her hand and nodded, saying without words that he would explain as soon as they could speak alone.

Once they docked, the group walked to the tavern. Leliana and Morrigan were having drinks in the downstairs room. Dusty ran to his master and nearly knocked him over, causing Leliana to laugh out loud! Aeden asked about the status of the rooms, arranging with the tavern keeper for another night. Alistair abruptly went to the room assigned to the three men leaving Delia stunned.

Aeden took Delia's hand. "Walk with me." He opened the door, and the two walked along the lakefront.

"Aeden, what happened up there? Why is Alistair so… so distant and cold?"

He looked at her sadly. "I think it started when we found a Templar who was bewitched by a desire demon. The Templar wanted a wife and family, and the demon used that to… feed… off him. We felt it was more humane to kill the poor man outright than to allow him to live a lie."

She nodded in agreement. "But surely that wouldn't cause him to be so terribly affected?"

"No, it was something that happened later. The four of us were enthralled by a sloth demon. It created a prison of sorts in the Fade. Each of us were placed on a separate… island, and either trapped by something traumatic that happened or by something that we desperately wished for. I was lucky. The demon thought that by recreating Duncan and trying to make me believe we had defeated all the remaining darkspawn in the world that I would be satisfied to just… exist. I had a strange feeling that something wasn't right, and fought it. I had to… defeat Duncan… in order to escape my prison. It was a far more obvious fiction than our friends.

Sten was back with his Qunari comrades, the ones that were killed by the darkspawn before he lost his sword. He also realized that the world was phony, as he remembered their deaths all too well. His escape was quick, once I made him realize that as nice as it was to see his phony companions, the sloth demon had simply created another cell for him.

Wynne was in a prison of despair. She was in a place filled with dead mages of the tower, feeling as though she had failed them all. I had to convince her that she, as a mage, should be able to recognize the Fade for what it is. Once I convinced her to take time away from that place, she quickly came to her senses as well."

Aeden stopped walking and took both of Delia's hands in his. "Alistair's prison was the most difficult. Let's sit here for a moment." He led her to a flat topped boulder at the lake's edge and they sat facing each other. "Alistair was put in a prison of desire. Just like the Templar we had saved earlier, Alistair's prison was based on the family he wants so desperately. His sister, Goldanna, and her children were there, as was his… wife."

Delia quickly drew in her breath, and her eyes looked pained. Aeden quickly noticed and continued. "No, Delia, it wasn't like that at all. There is no other woman in his life. His wife was… you. In this dream of his, you had several children, and he doted on all of you as if you were the most precious objects imaginable. He was so… happy… I felt terrible to remove him from his dream. When he realized that he was fooled by the demon, he was despondent. He felt weak, as if he didn't have control of his own mind. He was also embarrassed to show me just how deep his feelings are for you. Alistair doesn't feel… worthy… of you, or your love."

Aeden put his hand up to brush off the tear that was starting down her cheek. "You need to be extra gentle with him, Delia. He doesn't know how to have the family he so desperately wants and needs, and he certainly doesn't want to appear weak to you. It's you that is keeping him going after losing the wardens and Duncan; he is so afraid to lose you or your respect that this experience is tearing him up inside."

She nodded at Aeden. "I think I need to speak to him, alone. He is such a good man and he needs to understand that he actually deserves more than I could ever give to him. He will be king, and I am not of high enough standing to be worthy of him."

He took her face between his two hands. "Delia, what Alistair needs is not a wife dictated to him by protocol. He needs someone he can love and trust. You are almost a Cousland, especially now that we've adopted each other. You both deserve to marry for love. Don't allow anyone else to destroy what you have."

They walked slowly back to the tavern, and once inside Aeden gently pushed her to the stairs after making certain the rest of their party was downstairs. Delia walked quickly up the stairs, as quietly as she could in order to not attract the attention of her companions, and walked to the last door on the right. She knocked on the door, and Alistair opened it. He looked at her in surprise.

"I'm… I'm not really up to company right now. Please understand." He tried to shut the door, but she put her hand out to stop him.

"Alistair, please talk to me. Aeden explained what happened, and I think you deserve to know a few things."

She gently pushed her way past him, and he shut the door behind her. As he turned around away from the door, she nearly threw herself into his arms and kissed him, passionately. He was so surprised he nearly fell over, had it not been for the door behind him, but then he returned the kiss. When they finally broke the kiss, they looked into each other's eyes.

"Delia, I… I…"

She put her finger against his lips to shush him. "Alistair, I never want to hear you say that you are not worthy of me. Not ever. If anything, I'm not worthy of your new standing at the Landsmeet. Aeden reminded me of something very important. We are both worthy of love, and if the Maker has seen fit to make it our destiny to be together, then that is what we have to fight for. Let's make a pact – neither of us will allow the other to feel any less entitled to happiness than any other person. We need to see where the Maker's path will take us, and not allow our pasts to cloud our futures."

He looked into her eyes and pulled her close to him, kissing her again. She didn't pull away, and he felt more at ease. Maybe she was right. Maybe the Maker had a plan for the two of them after all. Who was he to question the Maker, after all? Breaking the kiss, he smiled at her and put his hand against her cheek.

"Well, who am I to say no to such a beautiful lady?" He kissed her once again.

"Good. Maybe you should listen to me more often then." She looked at him mischievously. "Now, if you would be so kind to join me, I am starving and would love to find out if they might have some cheese hiding somewhere."

He kissed her forehead, then took her hand in his and opened the door. "I knew you were a woman after my own heart," he said with a chuckle. The two walked down to the dining room hand in hand; ready to face whatever future the Maker had in store for them.