My Dearest Oriana,

Not a moment goes by that I do not think of you, my love. Between you and Oren, it is a wonder that I have thoughts for much of anything else. But somehow I manage to continue on, my only comfort being that the two of you are at the Maker's side.

There is some good news in this world, however. Even on the brink of war with the foul darkspawn on every side, I have managed to find my brother among the chaos. I thought with the fall of our house that I had been left entirely alone, left to throw my lot into this idiotic civil war against a madman and doomed to be the last of the great Cousland line. There was such relief when I found him that I was almost completely overcome with such welling emotion that it would be a dishonor to try and describe it with words alone. But even as I am glad that he is alive, it saddens me that he has changed. It is to be expected, of course. After all that I have been through I have no doubt that I am perhaps as foreign to him as he is to me.

My brother is not the doting uncle Oren knew, or the foolish boy that you scolded more than once on Nan's behalf, nor eve the mischievous lad I knew as we grew up together. He had always been a natural at combat, love, but to see him on the field of battle as I did, one would be pressed to wonder if he was born and bred for mercenary work, so ruthless is his blade work.

This change would not sadden me, I think, save that there now seems to be a great distance between us that cannot be bridged by simple words. Brothers reunited at long last, and it seems impossible that we could ever resume our camaraderie. I love my brother and so could never hold it against him. Even if I weren't a relation, I could still understand his situation. Oriana, my love, when I realized the reason for our distance, my first thought were of you. Do you remember that first time we met? Looking back now, I just remember myself as seeming so foolish and we both were so young, but from the moment I laid eyes on you I knew absolutely that no matter what my father or mother or the nobility said that somehow, some way, I would find a way to be with you. Thankfully, the Maker seemed to have blessed our union with little fuss, and so we had happiness. I feel my brother has found his Oriana, though there is such a rift between them that I cannot imagine even the Maker's blessing to be strong enough to bridge it.

I am wary of her, my love, and not simply because I am looking out for my baby brother. It is because she is not a noble from a foreign land with whom it would be most inappropriate to dally with. If she were, my blessings. Even if Aedan were to find himself a scullery maid or perhaps even an elf, I would not be happier for him. But this is not such an easy case. Mages are a whole other caliber of forbidden as we all know, and I see him try to ignore the parts of himself that long for her, and she in turn tries to keep her distance. If I were more of one for plays, I would have compared them long ago to some tragic couple of the ages. Perhaps something along the lines of that old fable about the princess and the soldier and the river of starry tears between them would be appropriate. My love, for all the happiness I would wish my brother, I still cannot put aside the danger that this young beautiful girl poses to the last member of my family. For all the distance between us, he still knows me well enough to have realized this, and so it is the wedge that drives us apart. Love for a woman… is there any greater drawing force in this life? If only longing for a loved one could bring them from beyond the Void as well, then I should expect to see you and our beloved son once more.

Alas, the dawn draws near and I fear that I must rejoin the living. My love is forever yours, in this life and beyond. May the Maker guide me to your side when this life has run it's course.

With all my love,

Fergus

Fergus looked over the letter that he'd composed quietly, tapping the quill in his hand against the table before replacing it next to the ink well. Carefully, he folded up the letter and walked over to the fireplace, reduced to embers after the whole night had passed without another log thrown on to feed the flames. For a while he simply stared at the flickering embers, turning the letter over in his fingers, then carefully placed the paper amongst the coals. It caught quickly, flaring up in a brief but bright flame and the edges curled and became black. His night's work was quickly eaten to ashes, and he turned away from the fireplace to adorn his day wear, eager to get on with work to keep from thinking about less pleasant things.

Just as he was about to leave, a knock came at the door. Curiously, Fergus looked to the window and judged that it must still be an hour or so before dawn and so wondered what someone would be doing at his door at this hour. He grabbed his sheathed sword, ready for anything that might be beyond the door and opened it.

A young lad stood outside, looking sleepy and somewhat nervous as he looked up at Fergus and straightened up immediately. "Ser, Arl Eamon requests your presence in the great hall as soon as you can come."

"Did he give a reason?" Fergus asked, raising an eyebrow. It truly was a strange hour to have the Arl sending messengers to his door so early in the morning.

The boy shuffled his feet and looked down both sides of the hallway before leaning forward slightly and said in a much lower voice: "The Wardens are back, Ser."

Well, that was certainly news worthy of such an early morning! "Good lad. Move along." The boy folded his arms over his chest and gave a quick bow before running off down the hallway, leaving Fergus to his own devices. If the Wardens were finally back, then it could only mean one thing: the beginning of their end game. Hopefully Theron and Alistair had been successful in recruiting the dwarves to their cause, but either way, it was time for the Landsmeet to finally get under way. Time to put an end to the pointless civil war and halt the nonsense squabbling to unite against the Blight.

•º•.•º•

The air was still heavy with fog when Aedan crested the top of the hill that lead across the bridge to Redcliffe castle. He had left in the wee morning hours, leaving Solona and Keran in hopes of getting back to his room before he could be properly missed. It was still dark out, the sun a while away from cresting the horizon when he walked through the front gates and entered the castle proper. He managed to get back to his room without incident and heaved a small sigh of relief, hanging up his still slightly damp cloak and tore off his clothes, tossing them carelessly over the back of a chair. It was only when he started getting dressed again in fresh clothes that he noticed a leather-bound book on his bed and froze. Someone had been in his room while he was gone? Who? Furthermore, who would leave him a book? Surely not Fergus. If his older brother had known that he'd slipped out of the castle, he most likely would have come looking.

Cautiously, Aedan walked over to the side of his bed and picked the journal up, treating it like it was a snake about to bite and flipped open the first page.

I have entrusted this work to you because I believe that we are of a like mind. That you are a friend to mages and are absolutely in so much over your head that conspiring with a traitor Templar is the least of your worries.

In this journal I will attempt to explain why I found it necessary to write this at all and teach you how to defend yourself from Maleficar. Yes, I am going to commit one of the ultimate sins and teach you to be like a Templar. Keep this secret and safe, for if it is discovered by the wrong people, it would surely mean death for you and most likely any involved in your doings. If I have judged you right, news of the consequences will not be a surprise to you. This sin on top of the others that you have already committed will perhaps seem like a trifle, or at least somewhat redundant, and so I feel secure in giving you the means to think like I do.

Above all, keep this journal secret, and keep it safe. If you are not already in imminent peril, then this journal getting into the wrong hands will certainly put you there. This is merely a tool, a guide, and therefore cannot prepare you for the worst of what is beyond these pages. I will do my best to educate you and to give you a solid foundation on which you rest your skills, but mere words cannot provide all of the answers. Some you will have to find for yourself. If this seems too monumental of a task, then I implore you to burn this journal immediately. Do not bury it, do not hide it in a crevice, for it will surely find its way back into the wrong hands and whoever it is that you protect will certainly find themselves under intense scrutiny from the Chantry that I know you're hiding from.

I hope you find this helpful, or you pretend that you never found it at all. May the Maker keep his gaze on you.

-D

He couldn't believe what he was reading. Dumbstruck, Aedan stared blankly at the first line again, not really reading the words as he tried to process what he'd just read. Hastily, he flipped through the book, scanning the pages to find that the whole thing was filled front and back with words and illustrations, magic circles and phrases of the Chant underscored with red ink. Who could have-?

A knock came at the door and Aedan nearly jumped out of his skin with surprise, nearly throwing the book across the room and had to scramble to keep it from hitting the floor. Panicking in that brief second, he stuffed the incriminating tome under his pillow and tried to arrange himself to look calm and collected before opening the door.

In the hall was the messenger boy, looking fairly awake now that he'd been running all around the castle. "Ser! Arl Eamon sent for you. He requests that you please report to the great hall immediately. The Wardens are back, Ser."

"The Wardens?" So concentrated on trying to appear normal Aedan almost didn't understand the summons. Then he got himself together and nodded. "I'll be there very soon."

Dismissed, the boy ran off to go do his next errand, leaving Aedan to firmly shut the door behind himself and let loose a long sigh of relief. He went back over to the bed and fished out the book, weighing it in his hands carefully. Dare he read it? It wasn't a question to him of whether or not reading the journal would be crossing the line as far as the Chantry was concerned. Whoever the author was had been right about being so deep underwater that it didn't particularly matter if he broke a few more rules; the end result would be the same either way if he was caught. His dilemma came with wondering how Solona would react to him picking up tips from a Templar book. Would she think that he didn't trust her like he'd said, or embrace it as a reassurance that even if one day she did go out of control that he would be able to stop her?

Weighing the book in his hand, Aedan decided that it was a matter best left for later and tucked the journal back under the pillow, hoping that nobody would think him juvenile enough to be stuffing contraband away like a child. He checked to see if anything else had been hidden around his room and left, eager to see what news the Wardens had brought from Orzammar.

When he arrived in the great hall, it was to see Eamon already there with Teagan at his side. Fergus arrived shortly after, and the Wardens, who had apparently been waiting in the adjoining hallway came out now that it appeared that the whole party was here. Immediately, Aedan noticed that Theron looked… almost tranquil. Having known the Dalish to be moody and stern in even his most light-hearted moods, it was strange to see the elf so calm. It took a little to notice that it marking him as tranquil wasn't exactly the right word. It was more melancholy, and he had to wonder what had put the elf in such a dour mood.

Arl Eamon opened up the conversation first, as was his right. "I understand that you have acquired all of the allies you could?"

Theron nodded. "We have. The mages, elves and dwarves all honor their pact with the Gray Wardens."

"That's good. We can call the Landsmeet then, if you are ready. I would prefer not giving Loghain time to consider. Ever since my revival, there have been well-founded rumors that the Landsmeet would be called eventually, and I have no doubt that Loghain has been putting his pieces in place." The Arl said, looking over the Wardens and the Cousland brothers. "But in the end, it is up to you. I do not wish to go to Denerim unless you are with me." Fergus nodded in agreement to that statement, and Aedan gave Alistair a small nod as well. It would be useless to show up without the Wardens at this point, not to mention incredibly dangerous given their tenuous position.

"Then we go to Denerim now." Theron replied in a neutral tone, shifting his weapons on his back into a more comfortable position. "I'd like to see this over with as soon as the rest of you."

"Excellent." Eamon seemed relieved to hear it, his grim look even cracking a little in favor of a smile. "I shall make the arrangements. Fergus, Aedan, I trust that you will have your men in order as well. Let us be off to Denerim and may the Maker watch over us."

"We're leaving now." Theron spoke up before Eamon could dismiss the meeting and they all went their separate ways. Tense silence immediately broke out following his statement, and Theron took his time filling it. "Armies take time to mobilize, and are slow to move. Do what you need to do, but we're moving on ahead to Denerim, and we'll meet you there. If it's alright with you," he looked at Aedan and spared a quick glance at Fergus, "then we'll lay low in your manor, as we did before while we wait for your combined forces to catch up with us. If Loghain should make a preemptive strike, then it is for the best that we are not both caught up in the trap."

Eamon and Teagan spared each other a glance and the Arl cleared his throat. "I see your point. If you believe it is for the best, then so be it. We will meet again in Denerim."

"My thanks, Arl." Theron gave Eamon a short bow. "May your road be safe." With the pleasantries exchanged, the two Wardens left the hall, but not before Theron could meet with Aedan's eye and jerk his head toward the hall, indicating that he should follow. Fergus saw the action and came as well, leaving Eamon and Teagan to talk to each other without them.

Theron and Alistair led them off of the main hallway, into one of the smaller halls adjoining and waited for Fergus and Aedan to catch up. Theron eyed Fergus with some hesitation, but seemed to shrug off any uncertainty he had about the man and simply accept his presence. "I need to tell you the reason that we're leaving now instead of waiting to travel in the safety of the group."

Aedan perked up at that, whereas Fergus became visibly more apprehensive. "What do you mean?" Aedan asked, his voice dropping low so as not to be overhead.

Uncharacteristically, Theron seemed lost for words and stared into space somewhere beyond Aedan's shoulder. Alistair mercifully filled in for him. "It's the darkspawn." He supplied in an equally low tone, aware that there were ears everywhere, even in an ally's home. "On our way back from Orzammar, we were attacked. But it wasn't just a random attack. We were targeted." He looked to Theron to see if the elf felt up to supplying the rest, but the other Warden kept his silence. "We can't risk Eamon's army, not if the Archdemon is getting smarter, tracking us. Besides, if we're moving by ourselves, then we can go faster. Less chance of the darkspawn catching us that way."

"You don't think that the darkspawn will follow you into Denerim?" Fergus asked.

Theron shook his head, deciding to join the conversation once again. "No, Denerim is swarming with guards, Loghain's and Howe's. The darkspawn wouldn't stand a chance coming at us in strike parties behind the city's walls. The faster we get there, the better it will be for all of us, unless the Archdemon decides to mount a full-scale attack, but then…" He shrugged. "Well, that's what we're preparing for anyway, right?"

As much as nobody liked the thought of the darkspawn launching a full-scale attack when they were still unsure of their standing with Loghain's forces, no one could deny his logic. "We'll see you in Denerim, then. Do you have any messages for those in the manor? I assume that Kallian didn't leave the city."

Fergus blinked at that, looking to his brother to see if Aedan knew what Theron was talking about and Aedan mentally flinched. With planning a war and nearly dying, he'd forgotten to tell Fergus about half the Alienage living in their basement. "No, not really. Just let her know that we're still all right, and that we'll be home a day or two after you arrive.

Theron nodded, the message simple enough to remember. "We'll pass it on. Good luck, safe travels."

"To you as well." Aedan replied.

Fergus waited until the Wardens were out of earshot before rounding on his brother. "Who is Kallian and what did he mean by others?"

Aedan winced. "It's… a long story. I'll explain it on the way to do a review of the soldiers."

Hello children of the night! Little update for ya'll to start things off right on this Friday morning. I'm sure some of you are caught up in the Black Friday madness (if you're in America), and for my fellow patriots, I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving. In the spirit of this holiday, I wanted to thank everyone who commented, followed, favorited, and looked at this story. Seeing alerts in my inbox really gives me the inspiration and confidence to continue on with the tale, knowing that you all like what I've written for you. I hope that you all will continue to support HoH as the endgame draws near and the Landsmeet looms on the horizon. As you may well know, all the exciting things happen when the Arl gets back to Denerim, and I've had bits of chapters floating around for months in anticipation of the big moment.

The next chapter is already done, so I'll probably put it up in a few days once I've had it groomed for errors and what-not. However, finals are in two weeks, so another hiatus is probably imminent. Keep your eyes peeled for news. The next sequence has been one of my favorite parts to write, simply because the lovely plot developers of BioWare have given me plenty of drama fodder to feed off of. Again, many thanks for getting this far. I hope that everyone has a lovely holiday weekend, and I'll see you all on the next update!

P.S. It's quite funny looking through these chapters in the fanfiction edit screen. I had forgotten that I had added the cities, names, and countries into my dictionary in Microsoft word, so seeing them all with red squiggles makes me appreciate the ability to do so. Otherwise that program would hate me and I would probably never get anything done.