Alright, this is one of those 'many liberties taken' episodes. For one, I'm introducing a character that's completely about Ash (and maaaaybe a new romance with another DAI character). I don't intend for it to distract greatly from the main story, but I do like adding meat to the Inquisitor (and exploring romances of other characters I really enjoy). For another, there is conflict brewing between Blackwall and Ash. Theirs is not a perfect romance. So hopefully you guys enjoy the more nuanced take of a very stressful time to be having a relationship!

The Inquisitor left early the next morning with Blackwall, Varric, and Dorian to investigate the tower in the Western Approach. They'd determined the plan was to figure out exactly what the Wardens were doing there, try to convince them of Corypheus's hand in recent events, and return with as many new allies as they could manage. Even with haste, they may not yet return for days. Cassandra hid her concern well, as always, and watched the group's departure alongside Solas.

She cast the quiet elf a sidelong glance. He had been more difficult to read lately. She suspected it had everything to do with how close the Inquisitor had grown with the Warden. She wondered if she could cheer him somehow. After all, he'd proven himself several times over, and he was a close confidante of Ashiril. Cassandra realized she had misjudged him.

"I am surprised the Inquisitor could bear to part with you for this journey," she broke the silence in as light a tone as the gruff warrior ever managed. Solas turned his head slightly toward her and raised an eyebrow. "No doubt she assumes our resident Tevinter will provide invaluable advice for this task. Still, it is not often I see her leave you behind."

"An unusual observation," he said coolly.

"I only mean to say, I have noticed she holds you in high regard," Cassandra straightened her back. "And I have realized, perhaps she is right to do so. I did not see that when we first met. I have been thinking that I should tell you, I was wrong to do so."

He was taken aback.

"Thank you," he finally replied.

She inclined her head, then turned to head back to her duties. Solas watched her a moment. He cast one final look to the horizon and to where the Inquisitor's group had disappeared into the mountains.

Two days later, Cassandra was overseeing training exercises when Leliana approached her. She held a slip of paper in her hand and a dour expression on her face. The warrior stepped away from the sparring soldiers to intercept the spymaster.

"What is it?" she asked firmly.

"I've just received word that a contingent is approaching Skyhold," she indicated the paper.

"Contingent? Of who?"

Leliana smiled ruefully.

"The Dalish."

Cassandra's eyes widened.

"The… which clan? What does this mean?"

Before Leliana could answer, a shout from the lookout above drew their attention. The warrior and spymaster exchanged knowing looks, then moved to the entrance to Skyhold.

From across the wide stone bridge, they watched the approach of a small group on horseback. As they drew close, Cassandra could see the collection of elves in traditional Dalish garb. Judging by the armor and weapons, several warriors and archers flanked the leader and made up the rear. She blinked uncertainly. Was this a hostile group?

Her eyes narrowed on the man at the lead. He was atop a tawny horse with a white mane and tail. He wore the long, light green robes of a mage. The top of a white staff rose from where it was strapped to his back. His hair was held in a loose braid that tumbled well past his shoulders and shone like pale fire in the sun. As he drew close, his bright golden eyes met and held Cassandra's stern gaze.

His features were faintly familiar. His jaw was strong and straight, straight like the slope of his nose. His thick dark eyebrows were drawn in a serious line over his round, piercing eyes. The dusky line of his mouth was drawn in a tight, slightly disapproving frown.

"Hold," Cassandra barked when his group was within fifteen yards. "Declare yourself."

The lead elf dismounted and motioned for the others to do the same. He was unusually tall for an elf.

"Please excuse this unexpected visit. We do not intend you any harm," he spoke in a deep, clear voice. Cassandra noted the oddly musical ring to it. She briefly wondered if he practiced that tone in front of a mirror. Was there nothing about this newcomer that wasn't imposing? "But I did not think my sister would have approved, had I announced my intentions."

The Seeker's eyes narrowed. She looked sideways at Leliana and back to the elf.

"Your sister?"

"I am Theolan of the clan Lavellan," he continued. "And, yes. Your Inquisitor Ashiril is my sister. Would you be so kind as to let her know her brother demands a word with her? Several words."

Ashiril looked up from the sandy horizon of the Western Approach and into the sky, over her shoulder, around at her companions. Her forehead wrinkled in confused suspicion. Varric shot her a wary glance.

"What is it? You hear something?"

"Um… No," she shivered and shook out her shoulders. "Nothing. Just had a chill."

"How are we all feeling? Good? Because I'm fairly certain that ominous looking tower is our destination," Dorian spoke up. Ash looked back over the horizon at the stones rising up from the dunes.

"Excellent. I'm looking forward to putting another stake in Corypheus's coffin," she scowled.

"You and me both," Blackwall confirmed. She glanced sideways at him, smiled, and winked. Varric noticed the affectionate exchange for not the first time that day. His eyes rolled to Dorian. The mage shrugged at the dwarf.

Strange sounds drifted from the tower as they approached. Sounds like angry wind and crackling electricity. Ash scowled and unlatched her axe. The wind picked up as they approached the first tall doorway, stinging their skin with unyielding sand.

Stroud and Hawke stood waiting for them in the protective shade of the tall stone columns.

"Not a moment too soon," Hawke drawled.

"Inquisitor!" Stroud's voice was urgent. "I fear they've already started the ritual."

"It has to be blood magic," the Champion added. "You can smell it… or see the corpses."

"Cheery," Ash frowned.

"You take point," Hawke said, "and I'll guard your backs."

The Inquisitor motioned her companions forward through the massive doorway with her. They moved swiftly across the bleached white stone bridge toward a wide stairway. It led up to some kind of open platform. The platform was ringed with columns that rose into the sky like thick, giant talons. Huge armored statues holding wicked looking halberds stood at the top of the stairs, immortal guardians of whatever foul magic this tower had seen in centuries past.

"Lovely architecture," Dorian remarked dryly as they ascended. "Makes me the smallest bit homesick."

They heard a pleading voice from further back in the structure. Ash could make out the thin voice of a stranger. He was speaking of Warden-Commander Clarel, then recited some part of an oath. A scream followed. The crackling electricity from before erupted ahead. She could see it now, and a demon emerged from a green gash in the air that dissipated as she strode forward with her companions. Several more demons stood nearby, alongside a handful of Grey Wardens.

The thin voice rang out again. She honed in on the owner, a snide looking human with dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail.

"Inquisitor. What an unexpected pleasure," the man twirled his hands in a mockery of a bow. "Lord Livius Erimond of Vyrantium, at your service."

"I hate this guy already," Varric muttered.

"You are no Warden," Stroud snarled.

"But you are," Livius sneered back. He looked at the group with clear distaste. "The one Clarel let slip. And you found the Inquisitor and came to stop me." His pointed moustache tipped up at one end in a bemused smirk. "Shall we see how that goes?"

"It looks like you've already done some of my work for me," Ash snapped. Her eyes roved quickly over the ample blood stains on the stone.

"What, him?" the cocky man snorted. "We simply needed his blood." She clenched her fists and imagined sending one of them into the teeth he was baring at her. "Oh, were you hoping to garner sympathy? Make some of the Wardens feel a bit of remorse?"

She made ready to bark back a retort that, yes, she had faith these Wardens would see him for the liar he was after she was through. But Livius wasn't done.

"Wardens, hands up!" he called out. He raised his hand. The Wardens raised theirs in unison. "Hands down." They mimicked him like puppets.

"Corypheus has taken their minds," Stroud said warily.

"They did this to themselves," Livius announced dismissively. "And why wouldn't they? The Calling had them terrified. And the Venatori were more than prepared to help them. On behalf of my Master, of course."

Ash's vision blurred with rage. The man droned on, smugly recounting how he had tricked Clarel. Manipulated her into thinking they needed to do the unthinkable, and use blood magic to raise a demon army. How noble it would be ultimately, to use those demons to kill the Old Gods and end the blights forever. She tightened her grip on her axe.

"Ah, I was wondering when the demon army would show up," she drawled.

"You... knew about it? Well, then… Yes, here you are," he was taken aback, but recovered quickly. "Sadly, for the Wardens, the binding ritual has the unexpected side effect of making them my Master's slaves," he smirked.

"You bloody bastard," Blackwall growled and took a step forward. Ash checked him quickly. Uh oh. I'm not going to be able to hold him back very much longer.

"What do you even get out of this?" Ash probed. Who was this man? What sway did Corypheus have beyond tricks and magic?

And of course, Livius wove a predictable tale of how he would reap benefits once the Elder One ruled. Corypheus would get his in the Golden City, and Livius would get his as some kind of God-King. But first, of course, they had to build their demon army.

"So you're telling me, stop you here, and poor Corypheus doesn't get his army?" Ash shouldered her axe and started forward. "Suits me." The mage snorted with disdain.

"Oh, please," he held out a gauntleted hand and magical fire sparked upward from it.

Ash gasped as pain exploded in her palm. She buckled forward and the axe clanged from her grip.

"Ash!" Blackwall leapt toward her and put a hand under her elbow to steady her.

"The Elder One showed me how to deal with your foolishness," Livius continued. "That mark you bear? The Anchor that lets you pass safely through the Veil?" Ash was breathing deeply. She clenched her teeth. In a moment of empowering clarity, she realized she could fight through this pain. "You stole that from my Master. When I bring him your head, his gratitude will be- AH!"

Ash stood and willed the painful energy coursing through her arm back outward. Green light exploded in the air between her and Livius, sending the mage tumbling backward.

"Ha!" she crowed.

"That's my girl," Blackwall chuckled.

The Venatori looked worried now. He hobbled back.

"Kill them!" he demanded shrilly as he broke a hasty retreat. Demons roared. Glassy-eyed Wardens turned with weapons in hand.

"Ah, damnit," Ash blew out a sigh and picked up her axe.

With the help of Stroud and Hawke, they made short work of the small gathering of opponents. When the last Warden fell, it was a hollow victory, knowing there was no other way for them. Hawke bolted after where the Venatori had disappeared, but returned empty handed and annoyed a short while later.

"The coward's gone," she spat, "for now."

"So now we know," Ash shook her head.

"The Warden mages are slaves to Corypheus," Stroud added somberly. And the warriors had been sacrificed in the ritual to raise the demons.

Ash felt sick. The Wardens had chosen to do this. They knowingly performed blood magic to raise demons for Venatori. She knew they had been manipulated into it, but… even desperate, she was hard-pressed to understand how they could have taken such drastic steps. Her eyes flicked to Blackwall. The warrior was staring at the fallen forms around them. A quiet storm raged on his face. She bit back her concerns, and not a moment after, Hawke voiced them herself.

"How could the Wardens do this? Blood magic and human sacrifice?" she spat. Stroud's dark eyebrows bobbed in disapproval.

"They were wrong, Hawke, but they had their reasons," he announced.

"All blood mages do," she was unimpressed. They stared each other down a beat, then Stroud seemed to think better of the exchange and turned his attention to the Inquisitor.

"I believe I know where he's gone. There's an abandoned Warden fortress off that way," he gestured to the horizon. "Adamant."

"That narrows that down, then," Ash nodded. "Always glad to have a target."

"Stroud and I will scout it out," Hawke said. "Once we confirm the Wardens are there, we'll meet you at Skyhold." Ash raised an eyebrow at the solemn Stroud.

"You alright with that?"

He inclined his head in a nod, met stares with the Champion again, then the two turned in unison and started on their way.

"Well, that was… bracing," Varric remarked as the group left the small shade of the ritual tower and back into the unforgiving sand and wind of the expanse.

"That's one thing you can say for the Venatori. They know how to get your blood boiling," Dorian said dryly.

Blackwall remained quiet. Ash left him in his reverie, at least for the journey back. Partly to give him time to process the revelation that the Wardens had played an active role in actual blood magic, and partly to give herself the same.

A few hours later they sat around the campfire, with a half day left till Skyhold. Ash did her best to hash out what plans she could, but she knew they relied first on Hawke and Stroud's return from Adamant.

"Varric, I know you know Hawke well," Ash untied the end of her braid and started working it out with her fingers. "Are you worried about her at all?"

"Checking out Adamant? We've been through far worse," the rogue chuckled. "I know you've heard the stories."

"She does inspire confidence, doesn't she?" the elf ruffled her hair loose.

"You weren't concerned before. Something different about now?" Varric frowned. It was cute when he worried about his friend. "Did you get some new information from Leliana?"

"Nothing like that. It's just… an entire fortress. I'm not certain what we're up against yet."

"Oh, that. Don't worry about them, Eggshells," he assured her with a casual smile. "If there's anyone that can handle themselves, it's Hawke. Believe me. I've seen her single-handedly take down an Arishok, and that was just a quick aside in the midst of saving an entire city."

"I've no doubt they'll be fine," she chuckled. I'm just still not… entirely used to not being at the forefront of these things."

"Ah, the burdens of leadership, and having to send others to do your dirty work," Dorian teased.

"Excuse me," Blackwall stood suddenly and left the circle. He'd said not more than five words since they left the temple. Ash watched the back of him disappear into his tent. When she turned around, both Varric and Dorian were staring at her.

"What?"

"The Hero's probably right," Varric shrugged and stood. "We should all try to get some sleep. Who knows when we'll have a sound night again."

"Agreed entirely," the Tevinter mage concurred. She watched them pack in, slightly bewildered at the sudden shift in the evening. Dorian paused at her side. He frowned down at her, flicked his gaze at Blackwall's tent, then blew an exasperated huff out of his nose.

She blinked a few times at him, sighed and got up. Ash exhaled slowly, nodded to herself, and started toward Blackwall's tent.

She didn't know what exactly to say to him. She wasn't sure anything she was thinking would make him feel better.

"Blackwall?"

A pause. The tent flap pulled back. The Warden stood in a blue doublet, similar to his gambeson. He looked smaller, more human without any padding. Which is to say, still very broad shouldered and muscular, but she could easily make out the lines of his chest and arms now. She was glad it was dark, or else he would surely see the tips of her ears turning red.

She was still the Inquisitor. She still needed to watch out for her team.

"Inquisitor," he sounded pleased, but weary.

"I don't want to disturb you. I just know today has been difficult," she began. He sighed.

"Yes. It has. But we knew it might be," he stepped out and let the tent close behind him. He stretched. "And I imagine it won't be getting any easier."

"Do you need anything?"

"It's good of you to ask," he smiled at her. He stepped closer and bent to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. Her hands moved to rest on his forearms. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a lingering kiss at the corner of his mouth.

"I'm honestly not sure what I could change anyway."

"A great deal, given time, I'm sure. But, no. I'm better than I have been in a long while, Ash," he pulled her into an embrace. "And a part of me feels guilty about it." She closed her eyes and held him in return. They didn't have to talk about anything now.

She finally pulled back and smiled up at him. Her fingers trailed down his cheek and ran through his thick beard.

"Is it alright that I play with your beard?"

"Yes," he laughed. "It's nice. To feel comfortable enough with someone, to… just be."

She ran her fingers through his hair, behind his neck, and stood on tip toes to lift up and press her mouth to his. He crushed her closer. She opened her mouth wider, hesitantly, until he encouraged her in kind. It was so invitingly warm, being pressed close to him, inhaling his scent deeply as the sharp desert wind snapped around them.

They broke apart and Blackwall slid his hand down the side of her head and coiled her long hair in his fingers. She sighed and leaned into his touch.

"I just wish… I don't know. That I could have reasoned with those Wardens, before…" Blackwall sighed. She frowned and pondered her response.

"I doubt there's much else you could have done, if even Stroud could not turn them from their path. He was among their number," she had been thinking on it as well, "and they still declared him a traitor and sought to capture him. Just for his dissent."

Blackwall grunted and shook his head tersely.

"That's what comes of Corypheus's manipulations. Giving good men bad orders."

"Blackwall," Ash sighed. Her hands trailed down his arms and encircled his wrists. "I don't know that it's that simple. They… even good men can make bad decisions."

She didn't need to look in his face to know the cloud passing over it. He stepped back and she let her hands fall away from his wrists.

"You can't think this is their fault," he was disbelieving. "What's happening here is the doing of that evil.. I don't even know what to call him."

"I didn't say it was all their fault…" she began. Ash felt a rising wave of prickly anxiety. She didn't want to have this conversation right now.

"There is no one to blame but Corypheus," he was stern, somewhat shocked.

"We don't know that yet, Blackwall," she couldn't help but to be honest with him. His unfailing adoration of the Grey Wardens was something she admired about Blackwall, but it was not something she could fully share. The skeptic in her was far too strong for unfailing adoration of anything. "Certainly Corypheus is a known foe. But we do know that for whatever reason, the Wardens chose to do blood magic. Or the leaders chose to pressure the others into it. And every man and woman under them chose to fall into line. Save Stroud."

Blackwall clenched his fists and turned away. She wondered if he might keep walking, into his tent to sit in surly silence, but he took a few deep breaths and looked back.

"Are you honestly telling me you think the Grey Wardens could be corrupt? That their leaders may be no better than the worst of the Venatori?" he spat. The lines between his loathing for Tevinter cult and his shock of Ash's argument were getting blurred.

"No! Maker, Blackwall," she shook her head. Her arms crossed defensively over her chest. "I'm saying that… we don't know who among them were truly fooled. And I do not want anyone who knew what they were doing to get a pass."

He calmed as he processed her words. She chewed her lip.

"And… I… I still don't know that even if they meant well, that this was a good choice," she confessed. "Some Wardens are still just… so young. Just like my own soldiers. They look to their leaders for guidance. If I made such a choice, and it proved to be such a terrible mistake…"

"Perhaps we should stop talking about this," he was turned away now so that his expression was in shadows. "Or at least until we can speak of it in more than conjecture."

Ash inhaled to respond, then hesitated. Alright, that's fair. Nevermind that she wanted to make up with him immediately rather than stew on this misunderstanding, so close on the heels of them finally expressing feelings for each other.

"You're probably right," she agreed. She saw the outline of him nod once.

"Then… we shall leave it at that for now."

And they did. Ash did her best to ignore the sinking sensation in her stomach. You're trying to be a good leader, Ash. Your instincts have got you this far. Don't stop now. It was small consolation next to the sight of Blackwall's slumped form moving toward his tent and back into a silent reverie.