Sitting in the wreckage of the Chantry Amalya was horrified in to a near catatonic state. He had done this. Anders. The name tasted like ashes in her mouth. This was no circle he had blown up. It was a Chantry. The one he claimed he was visiting in faith.

As her ears rang with the horror of what she was seeing slowly the voices of the others came to her. Meredith had called for the Right of Annulment. Orsino was begging the Champion to help him.

Someone, the chantry brother, or maybe he was a prince, she had never been clear argued that they did not need do either as the culprit was right here.

Both culprits, Amalya thought. No… all three. She had helped him do this. Allowed him time to get the bomb in place. If she had known the ingredients he was collecting… salt peter… drakestone… she would have known this was an explosive and not a separation ritual, but she had not asked. That made her every bit as culpable.

Cullen came running up just then, where he had been that he had not been on scene at once Amalya didn't know. She had hoped perhaps she could escape here before he arrived. And looking in to his eyes she knew why. The condemnation she saw was almost unbearable.

"You… you allowed this monster free reign in our city. Even knowing what you do about abominations… knowing what they are capable of." He was angry, hurt, betrayed.

Amalya could not meet his gaze again. "I know" she whispered. "I failed you again. Whatever…" she swallowed hard "whatever you need me to do now I will."

She could not allow herself the relief of tears. Not now. Later when she was alone.

"Did you even consider what this would do to me? To the city?" Cullen hissed quietly "Or was it once again all about your precious Wardens?"

Standing Amalya looked at the ground thinking of a response. Behind her she heard footsteps. "Are you with me Warden Commander, or will you leave the city in a mess one of yours created?"

Meredith. Oh how she hated the woman, but this time the Knight Commander was in the right. Looking Cullen in the eyes again she said quietly but firmly "I am with you. Until the end."

Whether she meant this battle or something more she did not want to investigate right then. Nor did she have time as she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"That is all I have been waiting for amor." Turning she was never so glad to see an assassin standing behind her back as she was at that moment. Although she thought it odd he called her "amor", or "love" this time instead of "amica" for "friend". But Zevran always pushed boundaries.

"Zev… I…" she blinked hard her eyes burning. Amalya wanted to badly to fling herself in to his arms and weep. But not now, not ever. Breaking down was a luxury she could not afford.

"I must gather my forces at the gallows, meet me there as soon as you can, commander. I will leave this… murderer to you to deal with. He is your warden, do as you see fit." Cullen did not appear to trust she would do the right thing as he stood vigilant watching her every move.

"Would you like me to deal with Anders, mia amica?" ah Zevran, always willing to help her keep her hands clean. Not this time though.

"No… this is my failure. He is my failure, this is my duty." As Amalya passed Zevran he pressed a dagger in to her hand.

"It will be quick and painless, Amalya." She nodded her thanks.

Approaching Anders from behind him, the rogue mage finally spoke to her "You cannot say anything to me that I have not said to myself. I took a spirit in to my body and changed myself to achieve this. This is the justice all mages have awaited."

"Don't you dare blame this on Justice." She hissed "This is your burden. And mine. My failure."

Anders flinched "Not yours Commander… never yours. But I am glad it is you who will… you gave me the chance no one else ever has."

"And you used that chance to become a murderer! Why… why would you hurt the Grand Cleric? People will want answers Anders, and you are leaving me to provide those answers." She had to know before she sent him to the Maker.

"I removed the possibility of compromise because there can be no compromise. The people fear what we can do and use that as an excuse to bludgeon us in to submission with our blessing. And if I pay for that with my life then I pay. Perhaps now Justice will be free." They were the words of a fanatic she knew there was no redemption for him. Not this time.

"I have one last question. When we first met… did you kill those Templars? Have you been lying to me all along and I too foolish to notice?" It had been bothering her ever since she learned he had killed Wardens to escape.

"No, that truly was darkspawn. And I swear, I never lied about your being my friend." Amalya did not know if this should make her feel better or worse…

"If that were me in the Chantry, would you still be sitting out here making idle chat with my murderer?" Amalya had not even noticed Cullen approach her from behind until he spoke quietly.

"Good bye Anders." As Amalya leaned over to deliver the coup de gras she whispered to him "In death sacrifice. I will be going to the deep roads after this. Know that one day I shall join you."

When it was over for a long time all she could do was stare at the blood on her hands. Zevran stepped forward with a rag he had wet with water from Maker knows where and wiped her hands clean.

"Thank you." She said quietly "Let us go and join the Knight Commander.

When she turned she was amazed to see the Champion and her entourage standing behind her.

"We are with you, cousin." Hawke said.

"Lead on." Was the only comment Fenris made, but it was enough/ The look in his eyes told her he understood how hard she had taken this failure.

And so lead she did. Against the mages of the Circle. A Circle she had once vowed to defend with her life. But that was a different Circle in a different city in a different country.

When Orsino had turned into a monster from her nightmares, one she had battled before in Amgarrak Thaig. She knew she would have to make several stops in Orzammarr to decide how that particular abomination had spread to the surface.

And Meredith and that red lyrium. She would have to see Bodahn and Sandal before she left. She had not been able to visit them earlier so tied up in this mage versus Templar mess she had become. She also didn't want to know how close Cullen and Hawke had become. Were they close friends? Would she find him in her cousin's home if she went there?

She hated to admit to being a coward when it came to anything, but she knew that when it came to Cullen she had no confidence at all.

Hawke led the party when they had all finally left the broken Circle. The Templars were lined up outside. Would this be a fight? Would they want revenge for the death of Meredith? If she was even truly dead. Maker, Amalya hoped so. To think of her as aware in that statue was horrifying. And all too possible as she knew from Shale's story.

No, there would be no battle. The Templars kneeled to Hawke. They seemed to want this over and for stability to return as much as anyone.

And that stability would be hard won. Between the Qunari uprising and the Annulment the city was in ruins. The young Prince of Starkhaven, as it turned out he was both prince and chantry brother, vowed to return with men and assistance.

Immediately after the battle the party retired to Hawke's ancestral home and she was finally reunited with Bodahn and sandal. Neither one could shed much light on the red lyrium but it was great to catch up. The two dwarves never failed to make her feel better.

Hawke listening to the three finally interrupted their reminiscing. "When Bodahn told me he helped in a small way when you defeated the Blight I was not aware how close you all were!"

"Helped in… what Bodahn and Sandal did was no small assistance. They were vital. Without them I would not have been stocked, my items would never have had the enchantments needed to slay the Archdemon, and we probably would have all starved or frozen!" Amalya could not believe that Bodahn called their contribution small.

"We owed you a debt that we can never repay." Bodahn said in a modest self deprecating way.

Sandal reached out and took her hand and said very sincerely "Enchantment."

"Indeed" Amalya said smiling at the young man "Without your enchantments I would not be here now."

"Enchantment!" sandal said enthusiastically.

Hawke was amazed that the two seemed to be communicating well with just his saying that one word.

Zevran was waiting for her. He needed to return to Ferelden before making his final trip to Antiva. Or so he told her. She suspected he just wanted to make sure that she was alright.

Both he and Oghren had been hovering around her like two mother hen's. They had even got Nathaniel Howe involved. It was mortifying. At least she got to see her cousin Bethany who was also a warden now.

She had spoken at length the Bethany about the changes she faced. The young woman was still very shaken by her experience. In the end Bethany left her feeling better and Amalya felt like she was able to make one last difference to the Wardens.

Hawke approached her later to thank her. The Champion and her sister had been able to speak honestly finally. Their differences were not so easy to just put aside, but they were speaking, thank the maker and for that Hawke was very grateful.

She was also able to say goodbye to Fenris. She and the elf had struck up a comfortable friendship after he saw how seriously she took her responsibilities. He was the only one she told of her intent to disappear in to the deep roads. He was saddened by this news, but understood. He did urge her to reconsider and find her resolve to live again.

Before she left the city for good she saw Cullen standing at the battlements watching her with a pensive look on his face. They watched each other for a brief time before she finally gathered her companions to her to leave the city of Kirkwall.