The next two days passed in an absolute blur of blood and destruction for Eriana and her Grey Wardens. It seemed that the next forty-eight hours were filled with nothing but death and fighting, but by the Maker's mercy, the Wardens seemed to come through unscathed. The second wave of darkspawn attacked Amaranthine just before dawn, using the smuggling caves as an easy access route into the city. Eriana and her Wardens along with several members of the Vigil's Keep guard fought back wave upon wave of darkspawn as the citizens of Amaranthine remained safe and secure under the protection of the city guard behind the walls of the Chantry. It was a grueling task, taking the Wardens most of the day, but they finally managed to secure the city.

Once Eriana determined that there were no more darkspawn approaching Amaranthine, they left the security of the city to Garevel and the remainder of the guards and set out to face the Mother in her lair. It took them nearly a day and a half, traveling on horseback to reach Drake's Fall, the graveyard of dragon bones where, according to the Architect's envoy, they would find the entrance to the caves that housed the Mother. Night was falling when they finally reached the entrance, and Eriana groaned as she crouched on a low ridge, looking at the dragon that was standing in front of the cave's entrance. "Of course we would have to fight a dragon," she muttered to herself as she and Sigrun crept back from scouting the cave's entrance. "What is this for me, seven dragons in the past two years?" she asked with a sigh after briefing the others on their predicament. "Where do all these dragons come from anyway? I thought they were supposed to be extinct."

"Well, this one will only be my second," Keenan said, "if you count that ethereal dragon we fought in the Black Marshes."

"Did it shoot fire and try to take you out with its tail?" Brendan said.

"Yep."

"Then it's a dragon," he said with a nervous laugh. "It's only my second, too, though I think the archdemon should probably count double."

"Hey, that puts me in second place in the dragon count, then," Anders said, "this one will be my fourth."

"Those two in the Architect's caves were really small Anders, you could barely count them as full dragons," Eriana said.

"You are," Anders pointed out.

"Touché," Eriana said with a roll of her eyes. "Okay, boys…and Sigrun, let's focus here. This one is a bit bigger than most of the other ones we've faced, and we're out in the middle of nowhere, which means, no backup. We have to be really careful here. Anders, do you have any of that skin balm that absorbs heat?" Anders nodded digging through his pack of medical supplies and handing her a few small vials. "Keenan and Brendan, you two need to make sure every inch of exposed skin is covered with that; the dragon will see you two as the biggest threat, so she will likely focus on you. Stay behind your shields as much as possible. Sigrun, you and I will need to focus on the weak spot toward the back; just keep an eye on that tail. Trust me, it can do some major damage if it caches you by surprise. Don't forget to treat your blades before we head in there." The dwarf nodded and pulled a vile of poison out of her pack and began working on them as the two Warriors began to prepare for the fight. "Nathaniel, ice arrows if you've got them. Stay close to Anders, these big ones will sometimes have little dragons that will come to their aid during a fight."

As everyone moved about their tasks, preparing for battle, Anders took Eriana by the arm and led her away from the group a bit. The moment they were out of sight of the rest of the Wardens, Anders pulled Eriana against him, crushing his lips against hers in a fierce and passionate kiss. Her legs buckled slightly as she melted against him. She could feel the desperation and anxiety emanating from him, which only served to make her more anxious, so she clung to him all the more tightly, savoring the feel of his body against hers. It had only been a few days since she had last been in his arms, since his lips had last caressed hers, but with all that had happened recently – the attack on the city, the attempt on her life, the return of her Wardens – it had felt like so much longer, like a lifetime ago. The fact that she could feel the tension in his lips, the desperation in the way he seemed to kiss her made her that much more nervous for what was about to come. But she wasn't nervous for herself. For the first time since Zevan left, Eriana was actually beginning to feel that there was something to live for, something that she couldn't bear to lose. Somehow this felt like more than base physical desire. The yearning for him was still there, but there was more now. Looking up at the blonde mage whose lips were dancing across her jaw line, she tried to sort out this new rush of feelings. Were they genuine or were they just pre-battle nerves manifesting themselves in a familiar way?

Anders sighed briefly and pulled back to look down at her. "Please take care of yourself out there," he whispered into the top of her head. "I don't think I could bear it if anything happened to you." He tilted her head up and gently traced the contours of her face. "I know this seems fast and that we've only known each other for a few months, but you have done more for me in those few months than anyone has done for me in my entire life. If something happened to you now, before I got a chance to let you know how I feel, I… I would never forgive myself."

"Anders, I…"

"No," he said, putting a hand to her lips, "just let me finish first. I know you don't feel the same way. I know you've been hurting so with all that happened, but I just wanted to you know how I felt. Eriana, I've come to care a great deal for you over the past few months, and I know you're not ready for that much more right now, but that's okay. I'm willing to wait until you are ready because I know you will be worth the wait."

Eriana smiled, "Anders, are you sure this is the best time for this discussion. I mean I'm all for talking about how feelings and all, but aren't we on the verge of something big here?" She grinned and patted him on the arm. "We are about to go fight a dragon after all; shouldn't we be focusing on that instead?"

"I am focusing. Focusing on the one thing that is sure to keep me going if it gets rocky out there and that's the knowledge that if things go well out there, then I'm going to have a long time to make you feel as happy as I feel right now. You're my reason for getting us all through this safely. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have a purpose, and it's all because of you." He smiled and kissed the top of her head. Eriana gulped in spite of herself, this was all beginning to feel very familiar. "It's going to sound funny, but those templars capturing me in Amaranthine was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me because…"

But Eriana didn't hear the rest of what Anders had to say. Those words triggered a vivid memory, and suddenly she found herself standing before the gates of Denerim, staring up into a different set of warm, honey eyes. "Assassinating you was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me," Zevran whispered to her, holding her tightly in his arms as Denerim burned around them. "Know this, my Ana," he said, tilting her head up to look in her eyes, "for a chance to be by your side, I would storm the gates of the Black City itself."

She knew it was a memory, but it was so fresh, so real, that she couldn't bring herself back to the present. Anders' words, though sincere and heart-felt were not enough; they would never be enough. Regardless of what he or any other man did, none of them would ever measure up. They would all simply remind her of what she had of what she had and lost. It was cruel and unfair, but it was the honest truth. Standing there in Anders' arms, about to go into another epic battle, and Eriana found herself wishing she was standing before the gates of Denerim, about to engage the archdemon again only so that she could be looking up into Zevran's warm eyes again.

Shaking her head, Eriana brought herself back into the moment. Anders was looking down at her, affection and concern dancing across his face. He was sweet, he was handsome, she cared for him deeply, but he was not Zevran, he would never be Zevran, and she would have to come to terms with that if she was ever going to allow herself to be happy again. But now was not the time to try to sort all that out. Rocking up on her toes, she planted a soft kiss on the mage's lips. "We'll be fine Anders, and there will be plenty of time to pick up where we left once we put a stop to this darkspawn maddness. Besides, it's not my fault you were sound asleep by the time I came to find you in the Chantry," she said with a sly smile. He groaned and leaned down to kiss her once more. Smiling, she took his arm and led him back to where the others were ready and waiting. The more difficult things in her life would have to wait until later, right now, she had a dragon to fight.

-0-

It wasn't an easy thing, but the hand full of Wardens managed to bring the massive creature down. Once the dragon lay dead, the Wardens began making their way into the deep network of caves that housed the Mother. Eriana could feel the taint palpitating inside of her, drawing her down, down, down, further into the depths of the Mother's lair. They met little resistance at first, a hurlock or genlock here and there, but nothing major. The Mother was obviously holding her troops back, preparing to make one massive assault against them, but the Wardens had no other choice but to follow the stragglers down into her trap. Making their way deeper into the Mother's lair, the Wardens suddenly found themselves in a huge, cavernous room. Their footsteps echoed as they slowly and cautiously descended the narrow staircase that wound around the room's edge. "I know it's a little cliché, and it's probably going to bring another dragon down on our heads or something," Anders whispered, moving to join Eriana on the cave's floor, "but I have a bad feeling about this. Something just isn't right here."

As Eriana turned to answer, a sudden noise drew their attention up to the cave's entrance. A voice echoed through the chamber, "And so we meet again, Commander." There stood that Architect with a corrupted dwarven woman hunched down beside him. Eriana didn't hesitate. Immediately she drew her bow and fired an arrow directly at the emissary; beside her, Nathaniel did the same thing. But moments before their arrows hit him, the creature lifted his hand, and a wave of magic stopped the arrows just inches from his chest, sending them falling harmlessly to the floor.

"Now, now," the Architect said, in a gravelly voice. "There's no need for that. I am not here to attack you, only to talk." Lifting his hands, he began to slowly rise off the ground, hovering for a few seconds before he slowly descended to the cave floor only feet from where they were standing. "I apologize for the trouble I have caused you; I do not wish to be your enemy. I wanted to speak to you last time we met, but fate intervened."

Eriana growled, her teeth clinched tightly, "I do not work with darkspawn. Besides, last time we met, you tied me up and experimented on me."

"True, I did bind you, but only to prevent the same misunderstanding that happened with the rest of your order."

"Misunderstanding? You call killing my entire order a misunderstanding?"

"I sent my people to ask for your help. I should have assumed that they would have seen it as an attack; I am rarely able to judge how your kind will react. It was most unfortunate."

"Unfortunate or not is beside the point," Eriana said with a sneer, "like I said before, I don't work with darkspawn."

"But you should," the Architect said calmly, "because I could make your job a great deal easier. You see, we are not all that different, you and I, in the goals we seek. You wish to rid the surface of the darkspawn threat and so do I. You seek a way to stop the cycle of blights and so do I."

"You wish to destroy the darkspawn?" Eriana hissed at him.

The Architect shook his head. "I only wish to freedom from their bondage to the Old Gods, their compulsion to dig, to seek out, and to corrupt. I wish to silence the song of the Old Gods that is forever calling to us, enslaving us." The emissary turned and looked squarely at Eriana. "You know of what I speak; you were joined with us after Urthemiel rose. You heard her song; you have felt the pull, the sway she has over us, over you. I simply wanted to free my brethren from it; that is why I needed Grey Warden blood."

Eriana cringed, "That still doesn't give you the right to take our blood."

"And why not? You use our blood, do you not, to make you what you are. You use it to transform; I can use your blood to do the same for us. I have used Grey Warden blood to create a form of the joining for my kind. You take our taint, we take your resistance to the call of the Old Gods."

"But we are not immune to the call, eventually it does catch up to us," Keenan said, stepping up beside Eriana, his presence silently reminding her of the stories he told of the Architect.

"But your blood frees us. After we have taken your blood, we can speak, we can think for ourselves, but some of us have taken to this freedom poorly. They long for the song of the Old Gods again; they seek to destroy me as they seek to destroy you. The Mother has been twisted, she is angry at me for removing the song of the Old Gods and wishes to restore it. That is why she hates me so. I cannot defeat the mother alone; I need your help to do it. As you see, our goals are the same."

"You know nothing about my goals," Eriana hissed. "Our goals go beyond archdemons and blights. Even if we brought an end to the blights forever, the darkspawn will always remain a threat; your very presence, the taint in every one of you poses a danger to us."

The Architect seemed to laugh. "Help me free the mother, Commander, and I will leave to continue my work. I will take my brethren deep into the darkroads, and you will not hear from us again."

"Isn't the mother an example of your work? She an experiment of yours is she not?" The Architect nodded. "And I would wager the archdemon I just killed was another little experiment of yours too." Again, the creature nodded. "So why would I just let you go and continue your experiments when all your experiments have done is to destroy life on the surface. How can I in good faith allow you to continue this work?"

"Because my work can give you what you truly want," the Architect said with a smile. "For all your talk of blights and the taint, the end of my kind isn't truly what you desire."

"What makes you think you know what I desire?' Eriana stuttered, taking a step back and looking up at him.

"Because I know you, Commander," he said, leaning down to look her in the eye. "I have seen what you desire in the deep recesses of your mind, a world without the threat of darkspawn, a world where you aren't being torn between your duty and what you really want, a world where you will not be called back into the deeproads. I have seen that in your heart. I have seen the blonde-headed children you dream of when you enter the fade, a life where you are not forced to fight us any longer, and I can give you that."

Eriana felt the blood begin to drain from her face. "How dare you? Did you use blood magic on me to read my mind?"

"I did what I had to so that I may learn what I could about you. You do not want this taint that is flowing through your blood. Help me eliminate the mother and I can give you the life that you most desperately desire." The Architect stepped up to her and placed a taloned hand on her stomach. "I can give you a chance at the life that this taint has taken from you."

Eriana moved so quickly, the Architect didn't have time to react. Her daggers were embedded deep in the darkspawn's chest as a feral growl ripped through her throat. "I don't work with darkspawn, and you were a fool to think I would be so easily swayed with hollow words and empty promises," she hissed at him.

Magic flared up momentarily in the Architect's hands as the life began to flicker in his eyes. A spell washed over Eriana momentarily before it flickered and died out. The Architect glanced up at her, an almost amused look on his dying face. "Interesting," he whispered before he collapsed on the floor and was still.

Eriana closed her eyes, fighting back the swell of mixed emotions that were surging through her, anger at the Architect, disgust at the offer he presented, shame at hearing her deepest desires spelled out so clearly to her companions. She felt Anders' hand on her shoulder, drawing her to his side. "Are you alright," he whispered down to her. She nodded, giving him a weak smile. He gave her a quick kiss on the top of the head.

"Did anyone else find it a bit disturbing that that thing said interesting just before he died?" Anders said, turning back to the rest of the group.

"What?" Eriana said, glancing up, confused.

"Just before the Architect died, he looked at you and said 'Interesting.' Merely interesting, nothing else. I don't know, it was just…unsettling, the way he looked at you."

"Brendan, Anders, did either of you recognize the spell he cast just before he died?" Nathaniel asked, looking at the dead darkspawn.

"No," Brendan said, "but it didn't feel like an offensive spell; I was ready to dispel it, though."

"I probably should check you," Anders said, looking down at her, concern clear in his eyes.

Eriana shook her head, "We don't have time. The mother will likely sense the fact that the Architect is dead. We need to attack now." Anders started to protest. "Whatever it is, we will figure it out when all this is over. Right now, we take care of the mother."

Anders nodded reluctantly and stepped back to let her take the lead.

"So," Sigrun said, falling into step beside Eriana, "anyone want to give me odds on this Mother being anything other than a broodmother?" The Wardens all looked down at her and began to laugh. "A girl can dream, right? I mean, I'm really not looking forward to fighting one of those things up close; I'm just saying."

-0-

Eriana knew they were upon the Mother the instant the stepped into her chamber. "Ugh, what is that smell," Sigrun groaned stepping up beside her.

"That would be a broodmother," Eriana said, glancing down at the dwarf. "We're here. Alright, if this thing is anything like the other broodmothers I've fought, then we're in for a tough fight. She'll be calling darkspawn to defend her so keep an eye on your flank. We'll need to go in in pairs. Sigrun, stay close to Keenan and work together to take out as many of those tentacles as you can as quickly as possible. Brendan, you and I will be doing the same. Nathaniel and Anders, focus as much of your attack on her body as you can. It will be hard for us to get close enough to her at first, so you will need to take her down as quickly as possible." They all nodded in agreement.

Eriana peeked around the corner, trying to get a clear look at the creature. She always had mixed emotions when it came to boodmothers. Yes, she wanted to destroy them as quickly as possible, but there was always a touch of pity for them. After all, these creatures were once women – dwarves, elves, humans – women like her who had been twisted by the taint. She had often wondered just how much they remembered from their former lives, or if the taint had destroyed every part of them. And always in the back of her mind was the gnawing fear that she may one day become one of those things. They gave birth to darkspawn, but they hadn't always been darkspawn themselves. She couldn't count how many nights she had woken up to nightmares about fighting or becoming one of those creatures.

"Alright guys, let's go. Stay focused and we'll be fine," Eriana said. "Just be sure you keep a shield between you and those tentacles, got it?"

"That goes for you too, Commander," Brendan said his face serious. "Don't go running off without me." Eriana smiled and nodded, then motioned for everyone to follow her into the room.

It was of course a broodmother, but it was a broodmother unlike any Eriana had ever encountered before. Not only did she summon hordes of darkspawn to support her, but she was also able to talk, so she taunted the Wardens throughout the entire fight. "I think I liked these things better when they didn't talk," Eriana muttered up to Brendan as they fought off yet another wave of hurlocks that had just descended on them. It had been a long, slow fight, but they were slowing wearing the Mother down. The only problem was that the Wardens were beginning to grow weary as well.

Eriana and Brendan were standing back to back, working together to thin out the darkspawn numbers when a particularly agile genlock engaged Eriana. She moved quickly, spinning out of the dual daggers that it was wielding. Bringing her daggers across her body, she moved to attack the creature, but it was leapt back just out of reach. Without thinking, Eriana moved to chase it, leaving Brendan's side and leaving her flank exposed. After trading blows for some time with the darkspawn, Eriana was finally able to gain an advantage and put the creature down, embedding her daggers deep into the softer skin of its shoulders. As she pulled her daggers out of the corpse, the elf heard Brendan shouting in alarm.

Before she had a chance to turn and defend herself, a lone tentacle broke through the ground at her feet, sweeping around, it caught her squarely in the stomach. Hot, searing pain ripped through Eriana's abdomen, and it felt as though her insides were being ripped apart. The force of the tentacle's impact sent her careening across the room and into the solid rock wall behind her. Her neck snapped back when she hit the wall, slamming her head into the unforgiving rock. Around her, the sounds of the battle instantly dulled as her vision began to fade. The last thing the young elf remembered was the sound of someone screaming her name, and then she knew no more.

-0-

Eriana was confused the moment she woke up. She should be in a dank, darkspawn-filled cave, breathing in the foulness of the taint, but somehow she wasn't. Even before she opened her eyes, she knew things were different. Gone was the oppressive smell of the broodmother, gone was the pull of the taint, gone was the clash of swords and the groans of the darkspawn. In their stead, she found herself surrounded by the gentle sounds of a birds and flowing water and the warm feel of soft grass beneath her. Opening her eyes, she found that she was lying in the middle of a grassy clearing, and almost instantly, she realized where she was.

"I'm in the fade," she whispered to herself, sitting up and looking to the hazy, yellow sky.

"Yes, da'len, you are in the fade," a soft voice said from behind her.

Turning around, Eriana's breath caught when saw a familiar figure, a lithe elven woman with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Though she had not seen this woman in years, she recognized her instantly; it was her mother. She was standing across the open clearing, her arms crossed casually across her stomach, looking down at Eriana with the same look she used to give her when she was just a child. A smile crossed the elven woman's face as she looked down at Eriana. Maker, she was just like Eriana had remembered, only her hair was different, light blond instead of the dark brown she had remembered playing with as a child. "Adaia?" Eriana whispered, her eyes never leaving the other elf. The elven woman smiled and nodded. "Oh, adaia," she whimpered, and scrambling to her feet, she dashed across the clearing and threw herself into the woman's arms. Burying her head into her mother's shoulder, the warden began to weep as the familiar feel and smell of her mother overwhelmed her.

Alissa Tabris wrapped her arms around her crying child, cradling her gently. "Shh, da'len, there's no need for tears," she whispered quietly, tilting her daughter's face up. "I have missed you desperately, child. I never wanted to leave you and would have given anything to spare you from the pain you have experienced because of me. I wanted to much to shield you from heartache; I just wish I could have been there for you." She patted Eriana's cheek gently, "It just wasn't meant to be. But I have been watching you, love, all this time, and words cannot express how proud I am of you."

"You have no idea how many times I have longed to hear you stay that," Eriana said as she looked up at her mother. "Oh, Adaia, I have missed you so much."

"I have missed you, too, my love. How I wish I could have been there for you, that I could have taken on some of your burden. We all have."

"We?"

Alissa nodded and turned to look to the clearing's edge. Eriana followed her gaze; there, on the other side of the meadow, stood her older brother Skylar and Nelaros, her betrothed. Leaving her mother's embrace, she ran to her older brother's waiting arms. Skylar lifted her up and spun her around like he used to when she was just a child. Smiling, he put her back down on the floor and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Well, I have to say, you've definitely turned out alright, little sister. Look at how you've grown. Warden Commander, Hero of Fereldan, who would have expected that from the little runt you were when I left Denerim?"

"Don't act so surprised, Sky," she said with a smile. "You always said I was too much to handle; I guess I found a way to put my excess energy to good use."

Skylar smiled and ruffled her hair. "I always knew you were something special, Ana; you didn't need to save the world to prove that to me." Eriana hugged him again, kissing him gently on the cheek before reluctantly releasing him and turning to Nelaros.

It was a bitter sweet feeling when the handsome elf took her in his arm. "Nelaros," she said, looking up into her husband's eyes, "I'm so sorry, if only I had been faster…"

Nelaros hushed her, placing a finger on her lips. "Eriana, you did all that you could. I wish I could have done more to protect you; I failed you when you needed me most."

"You didn't fail me, Nelaros; you saved me. If you hadn't come after me, Vaughn would have killed me, we both know it. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." She took his hands and looked up at him. "You are my hero; you stood up for me the way no one else ever had, even though you didn't even know me. I will never forget that, never for as long as I live."

Nelaros smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "I wish we had a chance to get to know each other, Eriana, but in the short time we had, I was proud to be your husband."

"And I was proud to be your wife." She kissed him again on the cheek before turning back to her mother, "I'm so happy to see you all, but I'm a bit confused. I don't quite understand; is this real? How did you all get here? I mean, you are all…" Eriana gasped as a sudden realization rushed over her; she felt the blood rush from her head. "Does this mean I'm dead? Is that why I'm here; why you all are here?"

Smiling, Alissa shook her head, kissing her daughter lightly on the head, "No, da'len. You are not dead; not yet at least. Your friends are working very hard to save your life, but it was a close thing."

"That still doesn't explain why I'm here. If I'm not dead…"

"We have been given a gift, da'len, a moment together to make up for all those moments we lost," her mother said, taking her daughter's face in her hands. "How I wish I could be there for you now." Her mother's eyes suddenly became very serious. "How I wish I could spare you from what is to come."

"Why? What do you mean?" Eriana said, looking up into her mother's worried face.

Around them, the meadow began to flicker and fade. "Our time is short, my Ana. Please remember this: there are many who love you – your father, your cousins, you friends in the Wardens. You will need their love more than ever in the coming months."

"Adaia, what do you mean; what is going to happen?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you anything specific, and I wish I could spare you what is to come…" Alissa said, her voice beginning to fade. "It's okay to lean on those who love you, da'len; you don't have to face this on your own. You will need them now, darling, if you are going to survive what is to come. Be strong, my daughter, be strong for us."

"Face what? I don't understand. Don't leave me, mother, please, don't go," Eriana cried out, trying desperately to cling to her mother, but she found herself reaching into empty air. "No, don't leave me." Around her, the meadow began to fade until there was nothing there but empty darkness.

-0-

When Eriana woke up the next time, she was completely sure she wasn't in the fade. Her head was pounding so fiercely, it took everything she had not to slip back into unconsciousness. She felt the warmth of a healing spell as it washed over her. Tentatively, she opened her eyes to find both Nathaniel and Anders crouched protectively over her. Nathaniel had his daggers out, ready to cut down anything that came near while Anders knelt beside her head, his brow knit in concentration as he worked to heal her. Grimacing in pain, the young elf started to push herself up, but Anders' hands gently held her down.

"The Mother is dead," he whispered to her, reassuringly. "Sigrun delivered a final blow a few minutes ago. Keenan and Brendan are helping her take care of the last of the darkspawn. There's nothing you need to do, so just relax."

"My head."

"I know, honey, I know. You smacked it pretty hard back there," Anders said softly before downing a flask of lyrium. He positioned his hands on either side of her head. "You had some pretty serious head injuries."

"How long was I out?"

"About half an hour, maybe more," Anders gave her a sad smile. "It felt longer." It was clear that he was about to say something else, but he stopped himself. "You should get some more sleep, Ana. I've got you."

Eriana wanted to protest, but she was too tired, the pain was a bit too much. Closing her eyes, she allowed the warm comfort of Anders' healing spells to wash over her, lulling her to sleep. For the next few hours, she drifted in and out of consciousness. She didn't full wake up until much later. The pounding in her head was nearly gone, the once sharp, overwhelming pain replaced by a dull throb. Opening her eyes slowly, Eriana lifted her head looked around her, pleased to discover that she was outside in the open air and no longer in the Mother's lair.

"Hey, good to see those eyes open," Nathaniel said, coming to sit beside her.

"Thanks," she said, as she continued to glance around. Anders was sleeping a few feet away, his hands trembling, probably with the after effects of the lyrium. "Where is everyone else?"

"Sigrun is around here somewhere, keeping an eye out for any more darkspawn. Keenan and Brendan went to go get the horses and to try to find a wagon somewhere." Nathaniel pushed her hair back. "So how are you feeling?"

"My head hurts a bit," she said, sparing another glance toward Anders. "Nathaniel, how bad was it?"

Nathaniel sighed. "Honestly, when you hit the wall, I thought you were dead. I mean you hit . that wall hard, and the way your neck snapped, Ana, it's a wonder you didn't die instantly. If Anders hadn't gotten a lifeward on you before you hit…well, it's a good thing he's fast."

As Eriana glanced over at the sleeping mage, she remembered what her mother had told her in the fade. The discomfort obviously registered on her face because Nathaniel immediately asked her what was wrong.

"While I was knocked out … I don't know, the strangest thing happened." She glanced up at the rogue, "Nathaniel, what happens after we die?"

Nathaniel leaned back and sighed heavily. "I guess we return to the Maker; I mean, that's what the chant says, but who knows what that means." He glanced down at her, "Why do you ask, did something happen?"

"Yeah, while I was out, I saw … I saw my mother."

"You what?"

Eriana sighed and stared up at the bright blue sky. Slowly, she began to tell Nathaniel what had happened in the fade, about meeting her family. She paused when she got to the part about her mother's warning, unwilling to really consider the meaning of Alissa's words. "Do you think that it might have actually happened, or was it just something I dreamed up?"

"I don't know. I know you want it to be real, but…you said your mother looked just like she did when you were a kid."

"Everything except for her hair. Today when I saw her, her hair looked like mine. She was hiding from the Crows, so she kept it dark. I never even knew blonde was her natural color." Eriana tried to sit up, wincing as a sharp pain shot through her stomach.

The small crease appeared between Nathaniel's eyes as he looked down at her. "Are you still hurting?"

"I'm sure it's nothing, it's just a bit sore where that tentacle caught me." Wincing again, she reached down and rolled up the hem of her shirt and both she and Nathaniel gasped. A huge black bruise stretched across her entire stomach where the mother had caught her.

"Sweet Maker, Anders must have been so focused on your head, he must have forgot to check you," Nathaniel said, scrambling to his feet. "He needs to see this."

Eriana reached out and grabbed the rogue before he left. Looking over toward where Anders was sitting, she shook her head. "How many of those lyrium potions did he drink while he was trying to heal me?"

"I don't know, four or five."

"He doesn't need any more today; look at him, he already looks exhausted. Just let him rest. I'll be fine."

"But Ana, you could still be seriously injured."

Eriana shook her head. "Just let me have one of those health potions. If it keeps hurting, then I'll let him look at it, but until then, you can't say anything." Nathaniel gave her a stern look, but eventually relented and handed her the potion. The pain in her abdomen dulled a little as the warm fluid moved down her throat and into her stomach, but her mother's final words lingered in her ears. If it wasn't a dream, then, despite all that had happened to her so far, there was more yet to come. Something far worse was looming on the horizon; something that she was powerless to stop.

-0-

I'm not sure why this chapter took me so long to write. I struggled with it quite a bit for some reason, and I'm still not all that happy with it. But I'm sick of looking at it, and am ready to move on. Sorry for the longer than usual delay. Hopefully, I'll get back on a regular updating schedule.

As always, a special thanks to my regular readers and reviewers! I love and appreciate your support! Danyal, ykiel, and Judy, thanks a ton for the reviews!