Mary, you have my eternal gratitude for your hand-holding and never-ending support.

852654932429, you've disabled your PMs, so I was unable to thank you for your review, so I'll do it here: thank you! :D

~o~O~o~

The dwarves were watching him again, axes drawn, voices gruff. What did they want with him? Where were they taking him? And just who had tied his hands? What business of theirs was it if-

"Get back, Hawke," warned Torbal with a shove. "You're getting a little too close to that wall for my liking."

Why were they trying to keep him away? Weren't they supposed to be his friends? Weren't friends supposed to be supportive, make each other happy?

"I told you to get back, Hawke!" Painful fingers dug into his arm and he was roughly manoeuvred away from the wall again. He struggled, but without the use of his hands he was powerless against the sturdy dwarves.

Just keep on. Wait until my hands are untied. These so-called friends will be gone and finally we'll be alone.

His eyes wandered to the blue effulgence that snaked outward from the walls, tiny fingers of radiant resplendence that gently welcomed him, caressed him, and loved him. Then, his eyes found Fenris. It wasn't his fault. Fletcher shouldn't have blamed Fenris for what was happening. Fletcher loved Fenris; he was made of lyrium, after all.

It was all Anders.

Anders knew how Fletcher felt about the lyrium elf, and had tied his fellow mage up and placed him under guard. He was taking Fletcher where no one would ever find him again because he wanted the lyrium elf all for himself.

"Over my dead body," Fletcher growled.

Fenris and Anders, who were walking ahead, stopped dead and turned to face him. The dwarves' fingers dug deeper into his arms.

"Hawke? Are you all right?" asked Anders, walking over to him.

"Just untie my hands and you'll find out, thief," threatened Fletcher with a maleficent smile.

"Thief. Okay, then…" Anders sighed and glanced at Fenris, who moved to his side, his face drawn with unease.

"Don't worry, Fen," Fletcher whispered, awe and veneration in his eyes. "I won't let him do it. We'll be together, I promise; all three of us. Just be ready for my signal."

Fenris's face tightened further, and he started to look at Anders, but thought better of it; doing that would only fuel Fletcher's paranoia. "Three of us?" he asked quietly.

"You, him and the lyrium," Anders clarified, shaking his head. "Well, at least he's no longer pissed off with you."

"You're not having them," Fletcher told Anders with a cold glare. "You'll have to kill me first. But that's the plan, isn't it? You think I can't see? Oh, yes; I'm onto to you," he said with certainty. "You're not as clever as you think, are you?"

Anders groaned and turned away. "Bloody hell. Now I know what Nate had to put up with." He glanced at his maps and turned back to the others. "We're about a mile away from the uncharted section. Does anyone need a rest?"

"We can rest when we're clear of this sodding lyrium," Vonim grunted with a shudder. "Stuff's startin' to make me itch."

"Fenris?" asked Anders.

"I need no rest," answered the elf, stifling a yawn as he spoke; their journey had taken them into the early hours of the morning. Soon, the rest of the group, who had stayed behind, would be rising. "Fletcher? How are you faring?"

"I've never felt better, love," Fletcher assured him, before his eyes moved to Anders. "It won't be long, now. Just wait and see."

Ignoring Fletcher's deluded threat, Anders tucked his maps away in his pocket. "Well, let's see what the wardens didn't put on the map. The way our luck's going, it'll be a bottomless pit of raw lyrium."

~o~O~o~

Bethany frowned as she read the letter for the ninth time, or maybe it was the tenth. It had been delivered the day before by a templar she'd never seen; she'd been watching the templars that had recently been posted to the slums, and was familiar with them all by now. It had been five days since she'd left the house.

"I wish I could work this out," she said to Leandra, who was buttering toast for breakfast. "It's very carefully worded, isn't it?"

"It doesn't seem to make much sense as it is," answered Leandra, "and it isn't addressed to anyone in particular, but the templar said it was for Fletcher and Anders. Perhaps they'll understand it?" She passed a plate of toast to Bethany and looked at her thoughtfully. "Something that templar said make me think. He said I should give the letter to Fletcher before he returns home, if possible."

"And how are you supposed to do that?" asked Bethany.

Leandra shook her head and frowned. "I don't know, dear. Read it again, will you?"

"Due to a change in circumstances, any previous arrangement between us is hereby rescinded. You are advised to exercise due caution and not to draw unnecessary attention to yourselves. I trust that I can count on your discretion in this matter, as you can count on mine. KCC."

"What possible arrangement would either of them have with a templar?" Bethany pondered aloud. "I mean, Fletcher, maybe, but Anders?"

"Whatever it is, dear, I think you would also do well to follow the advice, as you are also an apostate. I know you wanted to come to the market with me this morning, but the templars are still outside. Perhaps they're clamping down."

"I can't stay inside forever, Mother!" moaned Bethany.

"I'll stay with you, Beth-" Leandra began.

"No, Mother! You were to meet Quentin today, weren't you?"

Leandra shook her head and sat down next to her daughter. "He wasn't at the market yesterday. I suspect he's keeping a low profile, just as you are. I know it's frustrating, darling, but it's better than the alternative. And just think how fortunate we are compared with some…oh, that poor woman; the one who was found at the docks?"

Bethany shuddered, shaking her head. "Why would someone cut her hands off? What kind of a world are we living in? Her poor husband and children. I can't even imagine what they're going through. You're right, Mother; we have a lot to be grateful for."

Leandra smiled and patted Bethany's hand. "Now, come on; help me feed the chickens and get a bit of sun on your face. There are no templars in the back yard."

The two ladies rose, leaving their toast untouched. "I always think of Fenris when I see those chickens," Bethany mused wryly. "I wonder if Fletcher has got him to cluck, yet?"

"I doubt that very much, dear," laughed Leandra. "But I'm certain they're having a lot of fun on their big adventure."

~o~O~o~

Anders's bitter laugh echoed far and wide, bouncing off a distant wall and returning to mock them all. "Well, now we know why the wardens didn't map this section. There's nothing to map!"

All five men stood at the lip of a giant chasm and stared ahead into the impenetrable blackness. The only reason they hadn't walked over the edge was that the dwarves had detected a change in the air, and called a halt; they'd stopped mere feet from the edge.

"Look on the bright side," offered Torbal with a glance at the luminescent blue tunnel behind them. "This is where the lyrium ends."

Fenris walked over to Fletcher, who was about to drop from exhaustion and, for the last part of their journey, had been babbling or laughing to himself. "Sit, Fletcher," he said softly, pushing the mage's shoulders down. Fletcher sat on the ground without resistance and Fenris crouched down next to him, stroking his arm. "I am going to find a way out of here. I did not escape my master's clutches and meet the man who has completely changed my life, only to die in a bloody cave."

Fletcher slowly looked up, his eyes dull and heavy-lidded, and started to snicker like a naughty child. "You said bloody."

"I did, didn't I?" replied Fenris with a genuine smile, hugely relieved that Fletcher was not being hostile towards him. "I think I have spent too much time with the dwarves. Rest easy. I will return shortly."

Leaving Fletcher to giggle inanely to himself, Fenris walked back to the edge of the chasm and lay on his belly, looking into the gloom. Reaching for a pebble, he instructed the others to be quiet and dropped it.

After a few seconds, a quiet splash was heard. "Not a bottomless pit," Fenris said to Anders. "How much rope do we have?"

Each dwarf produced a large coil of rope, which were joined with a secure knot. After some discussion, it was decided that Fenris, as the lightest, would be lowered down to investigate the bottom of the chasm. One end of the rope was secured around his waist, and the other end around Torbal, who, together with Vonim, would serve as an anchor.

"Keep him distracted," Fenris instructed Anders with a nod at Fletcher, who was picking at his nails, still chuckling to himself.

"I doubt he even knows what you're doing," Anders answered. "We might be clear of the tunnel, but the lyrium's still having an effect on him. Whether that's due to our proximity to the tunnel, or…well, let's not speculate."

Refusing to entertain the possibility that Fletcher had been permanently affected, Fenris told Torbal to lower him into the chasm. The main priority was to get them out of there; then he would worry about Fletcher.

Anders summoned a large wisp to accompany Fenris, which caused the elf's markings to jump but provided welcome light. Slowly, Torbal and Vonim let the rope slip through their hands, lowering Fenris over the edge, watching him carefully at all times.

After a minute or two, Fenris called up for them to stop. "My feet are touching the water. Lower me slowly; I do not know how deep it is."

Torbal duly obliged and Anders, who was kneeling by the edge, called down to him. "Can you swim, Fenris?" No answer came from the elf and Anders glanced at Fletcher, who had apparently fallen asleep, and then at the dwarves.

"What?" Torbal exclaimed. "The rope's gone slack! Hey, Fenris!"

"Fenris!" Anders yelled.

"Are you talking to me?" Fenris called up.

"Fuck!" Anders groaned in relief. "Who else would we be bloody talking to?"

"I can barely hear you!" Fenris shouted. "The rush of the water is too loud. I will tell you what I can see: the water is shallow enough to wade through, although there is a large trench ahead of me; I will see if I can edge around it. Anders, is it possible to send your sphere of light further ahead?"

"Just tell it what to do!" Anders loudly instructed.

"Are…you telling me it is intelligent?" Fenris demanded. "What happens when you dispel it? Does it expire?"

"No! It's part of my will; when I dispel it, it's absorbed back into me," answered Anders, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Can we not have this discussion now, Fenris? Just tell it what to do and then tell us what you see!"

A brief silence followed, but Anders sensed that his wisp was on the move.

"There is something up ahead," Fenris shouted up, and the three men on the ledge – the three who were paying attention, anyway - tensed. "A small tunnel," the elf went on. "I am wading towards it. Anders…I am sorry; it appears to be lined with lyrium."

"It just gets better and better, doesn't it?" griped Anders with another glance at Fletcher.

"I am inside the tunnel, which leads upwards," Fenris related, his voice barely audible. "If you are speaking to me, I can no longer hear you. I will keep talking, however."

That was the last time they heard Fenris speak for some time, but Anders knew that the wisp was still moving, slowly going upwards.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was in fact only a few minutes, a tiny light appeared across the chasm, slowly becoming larger and brighter as it drew closer. Finally, the dimly-illuminated face of Fenris appeared behind it; he almost appeared to be floating in thin air.

"Can you hear me?" the elf called faintly.

"Yeah! We hear you, Fenris!" shouted Torbal. "What have you found there?"

"Another ledge," answered Fenris. "Behind this, our path continues. Tell Anders that this will give us an advantage over the darkspawn when they arrive. There is more lyrium here, as well, but it does not seem to be affecting me, and it casts no light. I am at a loss; it is lyrium, as far as I can tell."

"Well, tell him yourself," Torbal began, turning towards where Anders had been standing. "Hey…where is he?"

"Anders?" Vonim shouted, and both dwarves looked around, seeing only Fletcher, who was now awake but still not completely lucid. "Anders?" he called again, moving over to the tunnel and walking a short distance inside. "Anders! Where the hell are you?"

"Wait there; I will return," Fenris instructed them. "Do not leave Fletcher alone."

Fenris and the wisp disappeared from view, and Torbal once again secured the rope around his waist as Vonim continued to call out for Anders. Fenris was quickly pulled back up, and he and Torbal untied themselves.

"Has he answered your calls?" Fenris asked the dwarves, both of whom shook their heads. "Fletcher? Did you see where Anders went?"

"Well, he fell over the edge or he went down the tunnel, silly; where else could he go?"

Remembering Fletcher's threats against Anders, Fenris was gripped by dread for a second, but he dismissed that thought with a shake of his head. "Fletcher…did you see where he went?" he repeated in a firmer voice.

"Who, little old me? Well, that would be telling, wouldn't it?" Fletcher replied with a grin, oblivious to Fenris's growing irritation.

"He can't have gone over the edge, Fenris," said Torbal. "We were concentrating on you, but we would have heard something, at least."

Fenris cocked his head and examined Anders's wisp, which still hovered nearby, awaiting his next command. "Orb," said Fenris, "are you able to take us to Anders?"

Slowly, the wisp drifted into the lyrium tunnel and took a right turn down one of the many branches leading off it.

"Will one of you stay with him?" Fenris asked the dwarves, and Torbal volunteered, sitting on the ground next to Fletcher.

"We had better be prepared," warned Fenris, drawing his sword, and Vonim followed him, axe at the ready.

The wisp picked up speed the further it went, and Fenris made a mental note of the direction they were taking; the last thing he needed to happen was for them to become lost, particularly as Anders had the maps. Shortly, the wisp slowed and led them around a bend. Anders stood a short distance away with his back to them, his hands fisted at his sides.

"Anders," the elf said harshly. "What are you doing? You are needed. Fletcher is still affected by the lyrium and we need to formulate strategies for dealing with the darkspawn. Whatever you are doing, stop now and come back with us."

When Anders failed to answer, the elf and the dwarf exchanged a concerned glance, and Fenris took a few cautious steps closer, halting when his markings screamed in pain; the sensation was similar to the one he'd experienced when the mages had entered the Fade during their pursuit of Hadriana.

He turned to look back at Vonim and whispered, "Lower your weapon, Dwarf. Whatever you see, do not threaten Anders; you will be quite safe. I give you my word."

Puzzled by Fenris's words but recognising the assurance in them, Vonim placed his axe upon the ground, and Fenris slid his sword between the straps on the back of his cuirass. Fenris moved in front of Anders, whose eyes were closed, and felt the pain in his markings intensify.

"Spirit," he barked. "I have just addressed you. Have the courtesy to answer."

Anders's eyes slowly opened, azure light to match the lyrium-streaked walls streaming from them. "Begone, Elf. I have no quarrel with you," uttered Justice.

"I have none with you either, Spirit, but I must ask that you relinquish control of Anders. He is needed."

Anders's eyes closed, and a deep, contented sigh came from him. "Do you not hear it, Elf?" Justice murmured, eyes slowly opening, and Fenris was taken aback by the tenderness in the spirit's voice. "I have sought…this…for many long years. I suspected from the moment we ventured underground, but I was not certain, and I strained to hear it; I had not thought it possible on the mortal plane…but there it is. I bid you join me, and listen."

Fenris listened but could hear nothing save Vonim's gruff sigh.

"I hear its song," Justice said in an awed whisper as he looked up at crystal-studded ceiling, and Fenris was reminded of the chamber where he and Fletcher had become lovers. "Such remarkable beauty must be acknowledged," continued the spirit, his eyes moving to the markings on Fenris's arms. "You perceive it, Elf; it sings to you, as well, but you do not hear it. Men have wept over lesser tragedies."

Astonished – and, to his surprise, touched - Fenris was speechless for a few moments but then remembered the stricken Fletcher and the approaching darkspawn. "You must listen to me, Spirit," he said softly but firmly, his voice trembling slightly as he fought to overcome the pain. "Anders's body, and his cognitive abilities, are vulnerable to the effects of the lyrium; you must know this. He has already been exposed to more than he should; you only have to see how it has affected Hawke. I understand how important the song is to you, but the cost to Anders must also be considered. For is it not unjust that he be injured, when he has injured no one?"

"Your argument is impeccable, brave elf," Justice replied with a nod. "I have failed Anders with my weakness, and can no longer protect him. I had to hear it, just once." He raised his head and took one final look at the ceiling of the chamber. "It was almost worth it, but I will inflict no further harm upon Anders – or pain upon you. Forgive me."

The veins under Anders's skin briefly crackled with a flare of blue light, before it waned and Anders blinked several times, holding his hands out in front of him as he swayed.

"Anders-" Fenris caught him and waited until the mage had steadied himself before releasing him. Taking a step back, Fenris was dismayed at the expression on Anders's face: he'd seen it in Fletcher not so long ago.

"Fenris?" Anders asked in the same awestruck tone, and he reached out for the elf, his eyes wide, pupils dilated.

"Crap!" Vonim spat as Fenris backed away from Anders, and the dwarf charged forward, grabbing Anders firmly by the arm. "Go on ahead, Elf, if you know the way; we'll be right behind you."

"I will find the way, somehow," promised the appalled elf as he took off down the tunnel, and Vonim followed with Anders straining against his iron grip.

When they emerged from the tunnel – and to Fenris's eternal relief – Anders stopped trying to grab him, but he gawked at the elf, silent and slack-jawed, as Fenris's markings still glowed dully.

"Now both mages are affected," Fenris groused to the dwarves. "We will need them when we engage the darkspawn. They must be taken away from the tunnel. Will you assist me?"

The dwarves readily agreed, and the three of them came up with a plan. Fires were lit – without magic – so that when the remainder of the group arrived in a few hours' time, they would be able to see the chasm before approaching its edge. Torbal and Vonim would remain next to the tunnel, and hopefully Fletcher and Anders would agree to accompany Fenris to the other side of the chasm, away from the lyrium.

"Fletcher?" asked Fenris as the dwarves helped the mage to his feet. "We are going to have…an adventure. Would you like that?"

"I'd go anywhere with you, Fen," gushed the mage with a sidelong glance at Anders, who responded with a scowl.

"There is no need to fight over me," Fenris told both of them through a weary sigh, not quite believing what he was saying. "Anders, you will also join us."

"But, Fen," Fletcher moaned.

"No arguing," Fenris said sternly to both of them, drawing on his experience with the child slaves in Minrathous. "I have decided. If there is any moaning, neither of you will go."

The mages glumly mumbled their assent and joined Fenris and the dwarves near the chasm's edge. "Fletcher, I am going to remove your bonds," said the elf, drawing his sword, "as I no longer believe that you pose any danger to us. Please do not betray my faith in you."

"Promise," Fletcher uttered, holding his tied hands up. Using the tip of his sword, Fenris made a cut to the rope and then untied the knot. Fletcher rubbed his wrists and grinned at the elf, but thankfully there was no sign of anything sinister in his smile. However, Fenris knew better than to completely let his guard down, especially when he noticed a challenging look pass between the two mages.

Remembering a puzzle he once set for the child slaves - where a fox, a chicken and a sack of grain had to be transported across a river – Fenris decided it would be safer for Fletcher to be lowered down first. As Torbal secured the rope around his and Fletcher's waists, Fenris asked if Torbal would be able to comfortably bear Fletcher's weight.

"More to the point, will the rope bear his weight?" Anders sniped.

"It'll bear the weight of your neck if you don't shut up," Fletcher retorted. "Just come over here and I'll show you."

"Enough!" scolded Fenris. "In case you have forgotten, the darkspawn will be upon us later this morning. We do not have time for your petty quarrelling. Now, you will either be lowered down, or you will be thrown down. Which is it to be?"

"You wouldn't throw me down!" Fletcher chuckled, his laughter quickly fading when Fenris advanced on him, eyes glinting.

"Do not test me, Fletcher. Either of you. Now, hurry up!" he ordered.

"Better do as he says, Hawke," advised Torbal, and the dejected Fletcher moved to the edge, attempting a forlorn look at Fenris, but the elf folded his arms, unmoved.

With Anders's wisp for company, Fletcher was steadily lowered down. As he weighed almost twice as much as Fenris, however, both Torbal and Vonim took the strain.

"Hey, Elf," Vonim said to Fenris once Fletcher had reached the bottom. "I've been thinkin'. Assuming we all make it through this fight, how are we gonna lower the last person down?"

"I have considered that, as well as the fight. Fear not, Dwarf; I have solutions to both, provided Anders is fit to cast spells."

"I ain't afraid, Elf. I was just wonderin' who'd be lowering us dwarves down."

"No one," answered Fenris with a hint of a smile as the rope was brought back up and tied around his waist. "Are you still unafraid?"

"I am capable of casting spells," Anders interjected, slightly offended, "but I can't summon a huge hand to carry them down, you know!"

"Good. Then we will each need a light source," said Fenris, and Anders summoned two more large wisps, using exaggerated arm movements to prove the efficacy of his magic.

"When we reach the other side of the chasm, I will reveal my plans," promised the elf as he was lowered down by Torbal. "Provided there are no shenanigans."

"Tell him, then!" Anders pointed to the bottom of the chasm where Fletcher awaited, and Fenris groaned.

"Follow me, Orb," he instructed the wisp, and they both descended.

After one last wistful glance at the lyrium tunnel, Anders was successfully transported to the bottom of the chasm, and noticed immediately that Fletcher was possessively clutching Fenris's hand. However, Anders no longer felt as drawn to the elf as he had in the tunnel, and shook his head, wondering why he had. Fletcher, on the other hand, watched Anders like a hawk and refused to relinquish Fenris's hand.

"What's…that?" Anders asked, looking at the surrounding walls and the floor beneath the water, which, under the light of their wisps, appeared to be made of pale blue glass.

"It looks like lyrium." Fletcher finally released Fenris's hand and the two mages waded over to one of the walls, running their hands along it.

"That was what I suspected," offered Fenris, "but my markings do not react to it, and, it appears, neither do either of you."

"Everything okay down there?" Torbal shouted down.

"Yes, thank you," answered Fenris. "I recommend that you and Vonim get some sleep. The others will wake you when they arrive."

"Will do, Fenris; make sure you and the kids get some shut-eye, as well," was the dwarf's answer, and he could almost feel Fenris's glare in response to his quip.

"You know, there's one way to test if this is lyrium," Anders mused. "I could cast a spell directly at the walls, but am I correct in assuming that mana usage causes your markings to hurt, Fenris?"

"I'll kill you if you hurt him!" Fletcher growled, clearly still not in his right mind.

Fenris laid a steadying hand on Fletcher's chest and waited until he'd calmed down. "I don't believe it's as simple as that," Fenris said to Anders. "When I spoke to your spirit, I also felt pain. It…he was not casting."

Anders frowned heavily and thought for a moment. "Then maybe…maybe the Fade reacts with your markings. When mages cast spells, the Fade is opened momentarily. Justice is a conduit to the Fade. Are there any other times when your markings hurt, Fenris?"

"When he's asleep," Fletcher contributed, once again taking hold of Fenris's hand. "The pain wakes him up."

The mages' eyes met and Fletcher gasped. "Elves and humans enter the Fade when they're asleep, but unless they're a mage, they're unaware of it."

"That's it!" Anders exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "It's not mana or magic that hurts you, Fenris; it's the Fade itself! Maker, your master must have been-"

"What? A fucking genius?" Fletcher raged, releasing Fenris's hand.

"No!" Anders held his hands up in appeasement. "Obviously, he's insane. What I'm trying to say is: if a mage is capable of this, then surely another mage can undo it? You and me, Hawke; if we put out heads together, we can do something! We can help Fenris!"

Fenris's mouth gaped open as he considered Anders's theory, but Fletcher was still suspicious. "Why would you do that?" he demanded. "What are you after?"

"Nothing! Listen to me! You're not thinking straight, Hawke; the lyrium affected you more than me, because I had Justice's protection until not long ago. I'm not after Fenris, trust me. I'm just trying to help. Fenris was good enough to persuade Justice to release me when we were in the tunnel, and his problem gives me something other than the darkspawn to think about, if you must know."

Flashes of clarity blinked through the fog of Fletcher's mind, and something told him that Anders was speaking the truth, although he still felt a need to be close to Fenris, and clutched the elf's hand tightly for the third time, saying nothing.

"For now, we must think of them," Fenris insisted. "If you wish, we will discuss your ideas at a later time. For now, let us get out of this cold water and discuss how we are to deal with the darkspawn. I have a plan, if you are willing to entertain it."

"Hawke?" Anders asked cautiously.

With a curt nod, Fletcher tugged at Fenris's hand and the elf led them all up the small tunnel to the far side of the chasm. When they reached the top, they lit a couple of fires to dry their clothes by and changed into their spares, which they'd carried in their packs.

Once they were settled and Fenris had apprised the mages of his plan, Anders called over to the dwarves, warning them that he was about to conduct an experiment.

"Brace yourself, Fenris," he warned. "Even if this is lyrium, and my spell is amplified, you'll only feel pain for a second, as the mana won't hurt you." The elf, who sat beside Fletcher, nodded stoically and Anders raised his staff, pointing it at one of the walls of the chasm.

"Let's see…something that won't harm us. How about a little frost?" Anders opened the Fade, drawing moisture from the air in the cavern and willing his body temperature to plummet, causing tiny crystals of ice to form on his fingertips and staff. Fenris's fingers dug into Fletcher's arm for a second, before his grip relaxed, and Fletcher ran a hand through Fenris's hair to soothe him.

"Woah!" Torbal and Vonim exclaimed from their ledge, and Fletcher and Fenris looked up in wonder as the entire chasm was lit by an unidentified light source. An eerie, icy-blue glow pulsed from the walls, and a loud cracking sound was heard from below as the underground lake froze solid. After a few seconds, the temperature in the cavern rose infinitesimally and tiny white flakes started to fall from the frozen ceiling.

"It's fucking snowing in the Deep Roads!" Torbal shouted over Anders's delighted laugh.

"It is lyrium!" Anders announced triumphantly as the dwarves and Fletcher and Fenris scrambled to cover the fires. "Hawke! Do you know what this means? We've discovered a new type of lyrium! One that doesn't cause insanity in its raw form! Just think what else it could do! I've never been so excited in my entire life!"

"I doubt the Chantry would share your enthusiasm," counselled the circumspect Fenris.

"Well, I'm not going to tell them; are you?" he asked his companions, and Fenris shook his head.

"No," uttered Fletcher with a hesitant smile, and then, as the memories of the previous day rushed into his mind, he clapped a hand over his mouth, tears springing to his eyes.

"Shh," reassured Fenris, moving to his side. "Do not waste your words on apologies; you were not responsible. Save your strength for the morning."

Closing his eyes and nodding, Fletcher stepped closer to Fenris and pulled him into a tight hug. In a rare allowance of public affection, Fenris held Fletcher for a moment, the snow settling on them, before he gently pulled away.

"Anders," Fenris said as the snowfall began to subside. "It would seem that our plan is going to work."

"It certainly will, Fenris." Anders walked over to both of them and offered the elf his hand, smiling when he shook it. He then offered it to Fletcher, who skipped the handshake and went straight for another hug.

"Now we should sleep," advised Fenris. "The others will arrive in a few hours' time, and the darkspawn not long after that. When we awaken, we must waste no time."

"Whatever you say, Boss," Fletcher replied softly, and Fenris rolled his eyes but led the two mages over to one of the fires where they settled down, with Fletcher resting his head on Fenris's shoulder, and Anders reclining on an elbow.

"Would you really have pushed us over the edge?" Fletcher asked Fenris as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"Oh, yes," joked Anders. "He meant every word."

"Sadly, we will never know," Fenris said drily. "You would be advised to consider that the next time you do not do as you are told."

The threesome called their goodnights to the dwarves before wishing each other a restful sleep, although, with the imminent arrival of the darkspawn, they knew that none of them would be doing much sleeping.