A/N: Okay. So hi. Nothing really happened in the last few days except we had the tournament and the end result of that was painful.

The first noise I hear when I come back into consciousness is the sound of birds tweeting and pages flipping. And a slight second after that, the ringing in my ears. My throat feels dry, I have a headache, and there's a bad aftertaste in my throat that tastes like moldy cabbage. But I'm warm, at least. It could be worse.

As I roll over in bed, I hear a scream. I can't figure out where it's coming from. Then the darkness comes and consumes my mind.

Through the blurriness, I can make out two figures. As the mist clears, I can tell one is me, but who is the other?

I walk forward and ripples emerge from under my feet, as if I'm walking on a clear, still lake.

I see myself fall on my knees before the other figure, grasping at the figure's skirt. I can't tell why. Worshipping, perhaps? But I wouldn't do that, I'm ultra-super irreligious, so that doesn't make sense. And why would I revere anyone still alive? I'm not a dwarf, and I don't believe that Paragon-sort of worship-the-living-people crap.

I come closer and see the other figure, a woman, I can now tell, kneeling down and cradling my head in her shoulder. I can tell I'm crying now; the sobbing noises give that away. But why? This vision is all one big puzzle. Not that the others weren't, but still.

I'm right in front of them now, but they don't notice me. The other woman begins to speak.

"Hush, Ella. I know your pain. But now is not the time for sorrow! You must strike and take revenge." The woman's voice cracks and I can tell someone died that both of them were close to.

My figure fades, and the woman turns to me.

"And you, Ella, the visitor to the Fade," Oh, so I was in the Fade? Okay, what the world is going on? I'm no mage! How did I get here? The woman starts to speak again and I direct my attention to her words. "You know me, but do not recognize me. Perhaps that is for the better, but I digress. You must help me. Accept your true heritage, and strike at your enemies with the speed of a thousand white stallions! Your journey will bring you pain and you will sacrifice much, but there will be joy."

"Niri!" I cry, as I finally recognize the spirit figure.

"I am indeed Aniria, and yet I am not. I am a denizen of the Fade and of your world both. I am alive, and yet I am dead. I am sorrowful always, but also hold much joy in my heart. I am human, and spirit. I shall come when you need me most; and vanish when you want me most. My nature is both kind and cruel; I am doomed to be such. But know this; I shall never fail you. I will be there when no one else is and you must let go of your guardian's hand."

With that, the vision fades and I return to the real world. My pain is gone and I feel better than I have in a long time. I decide not to puzzle about the vision, today is a nice day and I can enjoy it much better without an unanswerable question floating around in my head.

I jump out of bed and the first thing I see is the dwarf, what was his name? Oh yeah, Varric. The first thing I see is Varric sitting over a book with a pen in hand.

"Good morning!" I say cheerfully, and flash one of my toothy smiles at him. He doesn't even look up.

"G'morning." He replies in a relatively uninterested tone.

"So, lovely day today, isn't it?" Maker, that's how all bad conversations start. Questions about the weather. I shouldn't have said anything.

"Yup. Just beautiful. Makes me glad I don't live in Orzammar. Rather have sunshine than mineshafts." Still disinterested, still hasn't looked up.

I pick up a hairbrush and run it through my fresh, clean hair. Niri or Leandra must have cleaned it while I was out cold. They must have brushed it afterward, as well, it was surprisingly snarl-free.

"So, where's Niri? And Maveria?"

"They went out to do some shopping with Hawke's mom. They left my here to babysit, if you woke up. Now that you're awake, I guess I have to feed you." He says as he closes his book.

"I could stand to get dressed first."

"Fine, get dressed. Don't wear anything too fancy, though. We're gonna go on an adventure." He stands up to leave.

"What do you mean 'adventure'?" I ask, as I sort through the dresser full of clothes.

"Tour of the town. Y'know, show you the neighbor hood and stuff."

"A tour is hardly an adventure." I grunt as I pull out some clothes that look comfortable for city-exploring.

"In this city, everything is an adventure." He calls out over his shoulder as he shuts the door to my room.

Truer words were never spoken, as I would soon find out.

A/N: Shorter chapter this time Sorry about that. Just seemed like a good place to end.