Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age or any of its related characters. This is just for my own enjoyment and the potential enjoyment of other fans like me, and no monetary gain was expected or received.

Rating: T

Spoilers: May contain spoilers for Origins, Awakening, and Dragon Age II as well as the novels The Stolen Throne and The Calling.

A/N: My evening looks to be pretty full so I probably won't have a chapter to post tomorrow, but I'll try my damnedest.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Blasphemy

"Do you really think Varric can talk the Knight-Commander out of Circle property?" Seanna asked. From where she sat with her knees drawn up to her chest she could see the pinnacle of the Avaar-built tower that had been her home for the whole of her remembered life, rising above the treetops below the hill on which they waited. Just looking at the place made her fearful, and she had to keep reminding herself that Elilia would not let the templars take her back to that gilded prison.

Nor, she thought now, would Loghain. The big warrior would not sit, and strode back and forth across the crest of the hill with his sword unsheathed, as if daring trouble to find him. "He does seem to deal a fine line in bullshit," he said, with a slight sigh. "Not that I know anything about the Knight-Commander's susceptibility, or the First Enchanter's for that matter."

"It doesn't matter. If he can't get them to hand it over, we'll take it. Ferelden's national security may depend on it," Elilia said fiercely. She sat on the grass beside Seanna with Haakon almost in her lap. She scratched the dog's neck without really seeming to notice him.

Loghain snorted derisively. "Don't expect the Circle of Magi to be particularly concerned with Ferelden national security."

Seanna glared reproachfully at him. "How can you say that? This is our home too, you know, even if we're not allowed to live freely in it."

He shook his head. "Wasn't speaking of the mages themselves, dear heart, although would it surprise you very much to hear that the First Enchanter before Irving was part of a plot to abduct King Maric? The templars, on the other hand…hmph. They're the strong arm of the Chantry, and the Chantry is an Orlesian institution."

"Woah wait - abduct King Maric? What are you talking about?" Elilia asked.

"Long story. Let's just say that we won't be allowing the Ferelden Circle to choose an Orlesian First Enchanter, ever again." A pause, and then a derisive snort. "Actually, thinking back, I suppose I was the original target, but I don't think they were at all unhappy that I was too suspicious and Maric too confoundedly guileless. So I pulled his chestnuts out of the fire - again - and there's an end to it."

"You were…fond of King Maric?" Seanna ventured doubtfully.

"Ha. It is an odd truth about life, little one, but the people we are fondest of are often the very same people who are best and quickest able to piss us off. Has something to do with being family, even if there's no blood kin involved."

Seanna toyed with the grass a bit and plucked a few blades. "There won't be any grass where we're going, will there? The Darkspawn left the land barren."

"Even here, things don't grow quite as they ought," Loghain said. "This grass should be almost knee-deep and green as your eyes. Now its only a couple of inches and there's just barely any green in it at all. There was plenty of rain this season - the land is just…tainted. We're on the verge of the true Blightlands, here."

"Do you think perhaps we ought to try the ashes here?" Elilia asked. "After all, if they don't work here, there's no particular reason to go any further."

He sighed. "I've been trying to sort that very question out myself. The problem as I see it is, how will we know they've worked on land that isn't obviously corrupted? I don't want to waste ashes on land that's still productive when there are so many hundreds of acres that are stunted or poisoned."

"I see your point," Elilia said. "But I still think we should try it now. Just a little tiny pinch, to see what we're looking at. If it doesn't seem like anything happened then we'll continue into the Blightlands and give it a go in a real test, but if there is some obvious change, it could give us an idea how much we need to use per acre. And since you seem reluctant to let our dwarven comrades in on our little project, we might not have a better time for a private test."

Loghain looked down at Champion, keeping pace with him every step. "What do you think?" he asked her. She sat down on her haunches and panted. "Looks like an agreement to me. Help me with my armor, won't you?"

Ever since the ambush, Loghain had taken to carrying the little pouch of ashes secured inside the chest piece of his armor. The Orlesians had evidently taken the little pouch of ashes to be some sort of weapon - perhaps sand to be flung in the eyes of an opponent - and had tossed the precious bag into the pile of weapons they confiscated from their prisoners. Elilia helped him with the strapping and he untied the pouch from where it was fastened on the underside.

"Just toss it aside for now," Loghain said, and Elilia set the armor down on the ground. He opened the pouch and took a deep breath. "This is probably the most insane thing I have ever done, and I've done some crazy shit in my time."

Elilia ran a hand across the expanse of his chest, riffling through the hair that covered it, and kissed his cheek. "It's not all that crazy to hope, you know."

"I hope you're right about that."

They knelt down together and Seanna joined them, eager to see what would happen. "With my bloody luck, even if it works we'll get about half an inch of untainted ground. Empty the whole bag and get about two square feet of tillable soil."

Elilia socked him on the shoulder. "Stop being so damned pessimistic about everything. You suck all the joy out of life."

"What joy?"

She socked him again, a bit harder. "Just give me the bloody pouch."

He did so, along with a penitent kiss. He dug a shallow hole in the earth and she sprinkled in just the tiniest amount of ashes. For a moment it seemed nothing in particular happened. Then Seanna gave a quiet gasp. "I think - I think its working," she said.

It took a moment longer for the humans to see what she'd seen. The grass…was greener, and greening up more by the second. And it was growing, slowly at first, but then so quickly they could almost hear it. And not just where they'd placed the ashes, but as far around them as they could see. The pines and firs, too, shed their dowdy colors and stood resplendent in proper evergreen dignity. It was difficult to determine, from their vantage point surrounded by such trees, exactly how far the ashes' influence spread, but there was a decided greenness to all the visible world now that had not been there before, and suggested the miracle worked for a decent distance. The dogs barked joyously and rolled in the rich green grass. Seanna fell backward with her arms outstretched and did much the same. Loghain and Elilia looked at each other.

"Tie that bag up well, Elilia," Loghain said, and there was a noticeable quaver in his voice. "That little pile of dust is worth more than all the gold in Nevarra."

She knotted the drawstring, a strange smile that was half-ecstatic, half-stunned played about her lips. When she had it securely tied she slowly placed both hands on Loghain's shoulders, never letting go her white-knuckle grip on the leather pouch.

"Never. Crazy. To hope," she said.

"I'm not in any position to argue," he said fervently.

She grinned at him, then planted an enormous kiss directly upon his lips, with her arms tightening around his neck. He held her close and wished her chest was as bare as his was, but even in her heavy mail she felt wonderful against his body. Seanna was utterly forgotten and even Elilia's heavy armor might not have proven a lasting impediment but for a sudden interruption that reminded him rather cruelly that they were not alone.

"Maker's breath, you can't even wait to pitch a tent before you…you know, pitch a tent?"

Laz at least didn't seem to be paying attention to the lovers. She looked around in rapt wonder. "What happened here?" she asked. "It's like someone dumped a big bucket of green dye all over this place."

"That was quick," Loghain growled. "Gave up so soon?"

"Serrah, we barely had but to walk in the front door," Varric said grandly, and pulled from an inner coat pocket a sheaf of parchment. "One Litany of Adralla, as promised."

"How on earth did you manage to convince them to give it to you so easily?" Seanna asked. She took it from him and examined the pages as if she didn't believe it could be the real thing.

He snickered. "Easy as pie, Birdie. Before we even had time to explain who we were and what we wanted we were fobbed off on a dwarven mage, who was only too happy to give us what we were after."

"A dwarven mage?" Loghain asked, incredulous, but Elilia and Seanna said in perfect unison, "Dagna!"

"That was her name, all right," Varric confirmed. "She sent her regards along with the Litany, both for you, My Lady, and you, Birdie. I have to say she seemed a bit unhappy with you for leaving, and doesn't seem to understand why anyone would ever want to."

"Well, I daresay the Circle looks a bit different when you're there by choice," Seanna said.

"Someone please explain what the hell a dwarven mage is," Loghain insisted.

Elilia laughed. "Dagna is a scholar, Loghain, not a mage, but she has a boundless enthusiasm for magic undampened, apparently, by a good solid decade living with mages. I relayed her request to First Enchanter Irving myself - part of the reason we returned to Orzammar was so that I could tell her he was happy to offer her a chance to study at the Circle. Nice to see she remembers me."

"Most of our time was spent listening to her talk about you," Laz said. "Girl's got a mouth that moves more than a waterwheel."

Varric flicked a hand at the greenery all around them. "So, uh…what did happen here?" he asked. "I gotta say, it was a hell of a shock when everything just suddenly turned green. I thought my eyes were going. Or my mind."

"Might as well tell them," Elilia said. "There's not much chance of keeping it a deep, dark secret now."

Loghain grunted noncommittally, but rose to his feet and pulled Elilia up with him. "That's what we're out here in the backwoods to do," he said. "Make everything green again."

"Ah. Succinct and to the point, I'll grant you, but not exactly clarification," Varric said.

"We've found a cure for the corruption the Blight left on the land," Elilia supplied. She held out the unassuming leather pouch. "The Ashes of Andraste."

Varric stared for a long breath, then blinked twice, slowly. "The…actual ashes? I mean, I'd heard the rumors…and for awhile there Kirkwall was overrun with mountebanks pawning off bags of chimney sweepings…but I never really thought for a minute…"

"You saw what happened to the trees and grasses," Loghain growled. "What more do you need?"

Varric held out his hands in supplication. "Hey, I'm not saying I doubt you. I've seen enough to know that you can't put anything past a Ferelden, even a miracle."

"I hope you understand this needs to be kept quiet," Elilia said. "The Chantry would probably call this a blasphemy rather than a miracle, and we're already running the risk of an Exalted March these days. People are going to notice there's a difference, but they don't really need to know how it came about."

"Don't worry, I'm not in the Chantry's good graces these days, either. I won't breathe a word of this."

"Much obliged," Loghain said dryly. "Now we're wasting daylight. Let's get moving."