He had been watching all morning, vigilant as any mabari hound. As excellent as that sort of trait would normally be among soldiers, Aedan was not at all feeling gracious towards his brother for the silently wary vigil. Since Solona had emerged from his tent that morning, blood mage assassin still under control, Fergus had been silently keeping an eye on her. No doubt looking for the slightest hint of possession or blood magic. He was unsurprised that his brother hadn't let go of the suspicion that the assassin had put on him the night before. Couslands were not raised to be fools, and Fergus was most surely not about to break the mold. It didn't help that the whole morning Solona had been looking decidedly downtrodden and a bit mopey.

By dawn the camp had been struck, both parties of soldiers ready for the half-day march to castle Redcliffe. Aedan was shouldering his pack, careful of his wounds and preparing to start marching when Solona came to him, her head down in an uncharacteristically timid manner. He'd felt that something was wrong all morning, and it looked like he was finally going to find out what. Her first words, however, he was not expecting.

"I can't come with you to Redcliffe."

For a full moment Aedan simply stared at the mage, uncomprehending. "What? Why?"

She drew a slow breath and then finally raised her head to look up at him, and he noticed for the first time that her eyes were rimmed with red, like she had been crying. "There are Templars at Redcliffe. I'm sure they'd recognize me right away. I can't… put you in that position."

Gently he set down his burden, keeping his eyes on Solona the whole while. "How do you know there are Templars in the castle? Are you sure?" It only occurred to him after asking that she could read minds and that it was entirely possible that she could have found out from the Redcliffe soldiers that had come to meet them.

"I'm certain. I… last night I had a dream and went into the Fade and…" Her face dropped again, looking at the ground between them and she took a shuddering breath. "Do you remember what I told you about Jowan?"

Aedan wracked his brain for a moment, the name tauntingly familiar. "He was that friend that escaped with you from the Circle, right?"

"Yes. And I told you that I agreed to help him escape so that he could be with the woman that he loved. We parted ways once we reached the banks of lake Calenhad because my phylactery was still out there and the Templars could use it to find us… That was all true, but it wasn't the entire truth." Her eyes flicked up to meet his gaze for a brief second, determining the emotions she saw on his face then looked around to see if anyone was paying them special attention. "We didn't part… agreeably. He had used blood magic to escape and I felt so betrayed that he would lie to me, that I had helped a blood mage leave the tower… I told him I hated him and called him all sorts of awful things and then left. And you heard the Wardens, he got hired on by Loghain and did those awful things to the Arl and caused so much trouble but when I saw him last night I was… Oh Maker Aedan, what did I do? Maybe if we would have stayed together he could have turning things around. Maybe it wouldn't have had to end like that…" She was crying fully now, wrapped up in her own guilt for the death of her friend and shuddering with her tears.

Gently Aedan reached out and brushed the back of his knuckles against her cheek. "Loosing a friend isn't easy." He mumbled, and she simply sniffed. "Loosing family is harder, especially when you never said a proper goodbye. Remember him and what he meant to you, and don't make the same mistake twice."

She did meet his eyes then, realizing that he wasn't only speaking for her sake, but also for his own. The double meaning was not lost on her. Solona wiped her tears and Aedan dropped his hand now that she was piecing herself back together, watching silently. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for listening and… understanding."

"Aedan!"

Both looked up to see Fergus coming their way, his business face on. "Are you ready to go?" He asked while looking between the two then centered his gaze on Solona, a brow rising in curiosity and a little bit of worry. "You haven't been breaking hearts again, have you brother?"

That got a weak chuckle out of Solona, and Aedan simply frowned at his sibling. "It isn't like that at all." He grumbled in reply.

"It's my fault." Solona said in a small voice, affecting a small smile for the elder Cousland. "The Fade is a little on the thin side near Redcliffe, probably because of what happened those few months ago when the Arl was afflicted. I just had a frightening dream is all."

Fergus hesitated for a second, then nodded, content to not interfere with the fragile affairs of women. "The Commander would like to discuss some issues with us on the way to Redcliffe, so we'll be marching with his soldiers. I told him about the assassin mage woman and he said that one of his scouts turned up dead this morning, so at least we know where the armor came from. He's under the impression that we should deal with her now rather than bringing her to Redcliffe to be dealt with, and frankly, I'm of the same mind."

Aedan glanced to Solona briefly before turning his attention fully on Fergus. "That might be best. Trying to transport her will just give her longer to try and escape or use her magic on our men."

"My thoughts exactly. I'll let the Commander know then. I'll see you at the front." He excused himself briefly, flicking his gaze one last time to Solona's red-rimmed eyes before disappearing into the depths of the camp. With Fergus gone, Aedan turned to Solona once more. "You know that I don't want to be separated, especially not if there are Templars close." And for other reasons too, but he wasn't going to vocalize those. Solona had been firmly clear where the two of them stood in the matter of personal feelings and he wasn't about to get in an argument where that was concerned. She was too valuable a friend to loose over trying to stress the boundaries of their relationship.

She smiled for his concern about her, holding her arms together loosely with her palms on her elbows. "I'll stay in the village, I think. I will be close enough to know when you will be moving out and be able to rejoin you quickly, but far enough that the Templars should not be able to ferret me out."

It was as good a plan as any, and he knew that Fergus was waiting, so stalling for time really wasn't an option. A thought occurred to him however, and he snapped once, Keran appearing at his side from out of nowhere as if the hound had been waiting silently from afar for his master to call him. The mabari observed the two with his intelligent eyes, studying their body language intently. "Take him with you."

Her eyes flew open in surprise at that, glancing down at Keran before staring bewilderingly at Aedan. "What? Why?"

Aedan shrugged. "If you get into a scrape, he'll be a good ally." He knelt, holding out his good hand and grabbing onto the loose scruff of the hound's neck, looking the big dog in the eye. "You protect her, alright?" He told the dog, making sure that Keran continued to look at him. "You look after Solona and keep her safe."

After a span of seconds the hound gave a soft woof and Aedan scratched him behind the ear and released him. The mabari gave his master's fingers a lick then paced to Solona's side, staring up at her and gave his stubby tail a little wag before brushing his muscled shoulder against her leg. He understood his duty and would carry it out faithfully.

Solona dropped a hand to his head, patting the dog and looked up to Aedan, meeting his gaze. "Thank you. I'll be more than safe now with him nearby."

"Look after him too." He replied, glancing fondly at the huge hound. "When we leave Redcliffe, I want both of you back at my side in full health. It wouldn't be the same without you."

The words hung between them for a moment, then Solona finally nodded her understanding. "I'll take care. You as well. The nobility of Ferelden has never been a passive easy-going one."

He took the warning in stride, giving a smile in return. "See you soon."

•º•.•º•

The castle was the same as he had always remembered it. The tapestries hanging from the ceiling, the smell of wood smoke that permeated the entrance way, the coldness of the stone walls and the rugs that were just threadbare enough to need replacing but not worn enough to dictate a high priority. It was almost like coming home, the childhood memories of summers spent near the lake not yet tainted by the evil that had consumed his life as of late.

Fergus felt it too. He could tell by the way that his brother straightened slightly, examined the walls and soaked in their familiarity. The two exchanged a quick look and it was enough to see that both of them were missing home, a time when things were simpler.

Though the castle might not have changed for the past four generations of Arls, the current man that came to them had been weathered unlike his fortress. Eamon was far grayer in the beard than he remembered, the proud man wearing new lines of stress on his face, around his mouth and eyes. No doubt some of them were new, put there by the trials of the past few months and the effect that a wife had on a man. Especially an Orlesian wife. Aedan had only ever met Arlessa Isolde formally and never for very long, but he had always come away with a mild dislike of the woman. There was just something… grating… about her that he didn't particularly get along with.

The Couslands approached the Arl, stopping a few feet away from him and crossing their arms over their chests and gave a short bow as a sign of faith. Really, Eamon should have been the one to do it first since the two had a position above him as the heirs to a Teyrnship, but as it was, they couldn't quite claim the respect that their heritage normally received. Eamon studied them briefly after giving a short bow of his own, his eye resting especially on Fergus.

"You've grown." He said, the oldness creeping even into his voice as he looked between the two brothers. "I received word from the Wardens that you had survived, Aedan, but I never expected both of you…" Again his gaze strayed to Fergus, grief passing over his face. "How did you survive Ostagar?"

Fergus knew that he was treading on thin ice, though through no fault of his own. The Arl had lost his nephew the King at Ostagar, and yet Fergus had somehow managed to survive that awful incident. "I was never at the battle." He replied truthfully, taking a deep breath and prepared to reiterate his story to the Arl. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Aedan looking at him, his younger brother willing confidence into him. He didn't need it, but the support was appreciated, and he turned his attention back to the Arl, recounting his story of being ambushed by darkspawn and rescued by Chasind. Of fleeing the Wilds and fleeing to Gwaren to safety, only to find that his family had been destroyed and had fled for his life once the trap had been sprung around him. He ended with finding his brother in the midst of the battle for their lives and ended it at that.

Eamon considered the information, studying the elder Cousland brother silently before the story seemingly passed his judgment and found it acceptable. Then he turned his gaze to Aedan. "And what about you? I heard what happened at Highever." His gaze was steady, watchful. The patience of years as a ruler behind that stare, assessing and assimilating. "We did not thing that anyone had survived."

Aedan took a deep breath and prepared to spin the edited tale of his life during the past year.

•º•.•º•

The sound of laughter echoed down the halls, the boisterous kind of laughter that came from men deep in their cups. In a single suite near the family chambers in the Redcliffe castle, three men sat around a table in front of a smoldering fire, three mugs between them and a nearly empty pitcher that had been filled with dark rich ale hours ago now forgotten in the center of the table.

"Oh Maker, it was a sight to see. My father went white as a ghost." The others laughed, Fergus banging his open fist against the surface of the table, Teagan throwing his head back and laughing while Aedan grinned like a fool, swaying in his seat. Screwing up his face, Aedan leaned over the table, trying his best to look utterly serious. "Boy! You get dressed and apologize to that woman's mother or you had better well marry her!"

Fergus snorted. "And I did! There was no way I was going to see that ox of a woman again, so I married her."

"Worst in-law ever." Aedan added with a too-loud laugh. "The woman was wide around as she was tall! She frightened all the adults and the children wanted to play with her belly. They almost pushed her down the stairs once, to see if she would roll."

Teagan was holding his sides, his ribs aching from laughing so hard. "I can only imagine what your mother had to say about it."

"She was livid!" Fergus replied, grinning from ear to ear. "Almost caused an international scandal by herself, she did."

The three had been at it for hours. After Eamon, Fergus and Aedan had finished setting boundaries and forming plans and solidifying alliances, the two Couslands had been shown their rooms and given free reign of the castle. It wasn't long before Teagan found them, the younger and far less grim of the Guerrin brothers. He was fresh from a patrol around the city, keeping an eye out for enemy soldiers and darkspawn alike and had proposed a drink while the three caught up on old times. Their conversation had gotten more interesting the more alcohol they had consumed, and now they were swapping stories of misadventures in the bedroom.

Once the laughter had died a bit, Fergus wiped tears from his eyes and looked Teagan in the eye, quite a feat considering his current state. "Did I ever tell you about the time Aedan ran off with a dwarf?"

Immediately Aedan went scarlet, entirely too far-gone to contain his reaction. "By Andraste' puckered bloomers, don't you ever give that one a rest?"

Both Teagan and Fergus looked at him like he'd grown a second head, then burst out laughing. "Andraste's puckered what?" Teagan managed between gasps for breath.

He flushed again, realizing belatedly that he'd used one of Kallian's special brand of swears and waved it off, even though not explaining where he'd heard such a combinations of words meant that Fergus would get to the point faster.

"So, our mother had arranged this big social brouhaha with this notion of getting Aedan a wife. Had it in her head that if one of her sons could stand tying the knot, the other one could too." Fergus grinned, lifted his mug and tried to drink but found his mug empty. Frowning, he lifted the pitcher from the center of the table with unsteady hands, sloshed what was left into his mug and took a long drink before continuing. "Disappeared with a girl 'bout half-way through. Where was she from again?"

Aedan looked to the ceiling, as if the words were carved in the wooden beams there. "I think she was from… Waking Sea? Not one of the daughters, a cousin." He waved his hand impatiently, clearly not remembering the specifics. "Don't remember her name, but she had the longest legs…" He sat back in his chair, obviously remembering that particular set of legs warmly.

Fergus chuckled at the look on his brother's face, soldiering on. "Anyway, so he disappears and mum get's frantic, lookin' for him all over the keep. Has to say bye the all the guests and apologize that he's not there. She was sodding pissed. Had the whole guard out lookin' for him. The next morning father and I were going out for some practice and opened the stable and there he was, stark naked as the day he was born. Somehow, he got a pig in with the horses and was all cuddled up to the ugliest, hairiest and smelliest dwarf I ever did see. He was all dressed up with a ladies' skirt and had the bad makeup and everything looking like some painted Orlesian whore-"

Teagan sputtered. "He?"

"The dwarf." Fergus replied with a knowing grin. The two burst out into laughter while Aedan stewed, red in the face with embarrassment and drumming his fingers on the table noisily.

It took a while, but Fergus finally cleared his throat and settled a little, resuming the story. "And then- get this- and then mother walks in. I swear to the Maker she strode right in, took one look and left. She came back with a bucket of water and threw it on the both of them!"

"Yeah, and gave me an earful with screaming afterwards." Aedan added darkly, narrowing his eyes.

Teagan chuckled at that, clasping his mug in both hands to steady them. "She did know how to give a lecture."

"To parents!" Fergus declared, raising his mug and the other two did as well, clinking together clumsily. "And to brothers that can't hold their ale."

That got Aedan to laugh again, even if he didn't really want to. The three recovered in silence for a little while before Teagan finally managed to get to his feet with some considerable effort. "Well boys, it was nice to catch up. I'll see you both in the morning."

Fergus nodded, standing along with Aedan who did so with a pronounced wobble as he tried to untangle from his chair. Eventually he figured out where his legs were supposed to go and followed Teagan out the door, calling a short good night to his brother and patting Teagan on the shoulder as the two went their separate ways to their rooms.

He felt warm, buzzing with the effects of the alcohol and the good company, but that all changed when he entered his room and closed the door behind him. He was plunged into instant darkness, having not lit the candles before he left to join his brother and Teagan in reminiscing. Usually, Keran would be at his side, the huge dog a constant companion, and without the hound he felt a little naked. He almost whistled for the dog, and then remembered that he was with Solona and stopped, leaning his back against the solid door behind him as the floor seemed to shift subtly under his feet. Solona. The mage. The blood mage.

He should want nothing to do with her. The Chantry decreed blood mages maleficar, beings that deserved no mercy or pity, only death at the end of a sword. They were supposed to be evil malicious things, craving an ever-increasing amount of power. Taking ruthlessly from those around them, sacrificing innocents for their own bloody ends in rituals that more closely resembled a pagan form of torture. But not Solona. Not his mage.

He knew she fought for him, because she loved him. Kaillian had told him as much. She used her power because she did not want to see him fall. She gave everything she had to protect those she cared about and he'd seen first hand the price she had paid in order to resist the temptation of further power. He'd lived that nightmare with her once. If the Templars only knew what resolve she had, perhaps they could change their view as well.

Somehow he'd managed to get himself to bed, kicking off his shoes though was too tired and muddled in the mind to even try and take off his clothes. He breathed deep, sleep dragging at his consciousness and he fell quickly, his last thoughts of the blue-eyed woman that had taught him how to trust again.

I'M SO SORRY! College is a bitch. Couple an increased work load with writer's block and you have a hiatus. I swear that I haven't given this up, not even close! I plot about this story all the time and really want to finish it. I just might not always have time. To fit with my schedule better, I'm changing to update days to WEDNESDAY. Hopefully, I'll be able to get you guys another chapter next week, though I make no promises. Thanks to everyone that keeps checking in, I really appreciate it!