They continued their way upwards but soon found themselves at very top of the Fortress, meeting up with Hawke along the way, with a giant door in front of them. Alistair and Blackwall pushed it open and they rushed inside, only to see Erimond watching as a bald woman slashed the throat of a Grey Warden warrior. Alistair visibly growled, but they halted when they realized that were surrounded by Grey Wardens.

Erimond noticed their entrance and he raised a hand, "Stop them! We must complete the ritual!"

The Wardens raised their weapons, Alex came forward and raised her hand, both to stop her allies from moving, but also to show that Wardens that she meant no harm. She looked up at the bald woman, who she surmised was the Warden Commander Clarel. "Clarel!" she called out, and the woman looked at her, "If you complete that ritual, you're doing exactly what Erimond wants!"

Erimond scowled at her as he gestured grandly, "What, fighting the Blight? Keeping the world safe from darkspawn? Who wouldn't want that? And yes, the ritual requires blood sacrifice. Hate me for that if you must, but do not hate the Wardens for doing their duty!"

Clarel nodded, "We make the sacrifices no one else will. Our warriors die proudly for a world that will never thank them."

Alistair growled in frustration and pointed at Erimond in anger, "And then he binds your mages to Corypheus!"

The statement made Clarel blink in surprise, "Corypheus? But he's dead!"

Erimond slithered to her side, pointing at Alex and the Inquisition, "These people will say anything to shake your confidence, Clarel."

Clarel looked confused and stressed for a moment, running her hand through her forehead, before she shook her head and looked down at the Warden Mages, "Bring it through!"

Alex cursed as the Warden mages formed into a circle, the blood magic and their skills causing the air around them to turn green, and soon a Rift in to the Fade slowly started to open. The Warden warriors began to form a line outside the circle, drawing their weapons against them.

Hawke rushed forward, "Please, I have seen more than my share of blood magic! It is never worth the cost!"

"I helped fight the Archdemon in Ferelden! Could you consider listening to me?!" Alistair said, sounding frustrated at his brother-in-arms' stubbornness.

From above them, Erimond smiled at Clarel as the Rift grew wider, "Be ready with the Ritual, Clarel. This demon is truly worthy of your strength."

Alex turned around and looked at Blackwall, "Blackwall, can you talk some sense into them?!"

Blackwall nodded before looking at the Wardens, "You don't know me, but you may have heard my name. Like you, I've given my life for the Grey Wardens. The first time I put on this armor, I felt like I belonged, like I was part of something honorable, something with a purpose. I know how good that feels. How safe. But fighting and dying here today won't stop the Blight." He scowled as he pointed up at Erimond, "If you want to stop the Blight, kill that bastard up there! His master is the living embodiment of its corruption!"

The Wardens looked at each other, before looking back up at Erimond, but still they hadn't moved. Alex growled a little, watching them, and Varric seethed, "What the hell…? They still don't believe us?!"

Her growling grew louder and she stepped forward, "If you won't listen to one of your own, then perhaps you'll listen to me!" she shouted out, holding up her hand that held Solona's ring, showing the Amell insignia, making the Wardens in front of them gasp out in shock, "I am Inquisitor Alexandra Amell, born to Revka Amell and adopted by the Trevelyan family of Ostwick after her death. I am the Hero of Ferelden's sister… one of your very own!" The Wardens looked at her in shock as she continued, "Solona always said that the Wardens have a proud history! You stopped the Blight at the Silent Plains. At Starkhaven and Hunter Fell. At Ayeleigh and ten years ago, in Denerim, with this man and my sister!" She said, pointing at Alistair.

"This world… and the people like me… owe you a debt we can never repay. I would not stand against you if I did not know you are being misused." Alex continued as she looked at the Wardens, "So please… if you honor my sister, and any other Warden who had fought against the Blight, stop this ritual now!"

The Wardens finally understood, and they looked up at Clarel, who was looking in shock at Alex, "You… you are the sister of the Hero of Ferelden?"

"Yes, I am!" Alex said, and she hoped that the Warden Commander would at least see the sincerity on her face, "Please! You must stop this ritual!"

Clarel looked at her, her eyes wide, but doubt soon began to enter her features. She looked at the Tevinter beside her as Erimond spoke, "Clarel, we have come so far. You're the only one who can do this."

She looked over his face, before saying, "Perhaps we could test the truth of these charges, to avoid more bloodshed."

But Erimond sneered at her angrily, "Or perhaps I should bring in more reliable ally." And he raised up his arms, his staff glowing red as he smiled evilly at Alex, "My Master thought you might come here, Inquisitor! He sent me this to welcome you!"

Alex heard growls from a distance, and she looked up, seeing a dark form in the sky. Her eyes widened when she beheld a Blighted dragon, the one that had assaulted Haven a few months before. Cole pushed her to the floor just as the dragon breathed fire, and she gasped in pain. The dragon continued to circle the Keep, and Alex watched it as it began knocking down statues and walls, before landing on top of one of the towers, growling menacingly.

A sharp cry of pain made her shift her attention to the altar, only to see Erimond on the ground, writhing from a lightning spell casted by Clarel against him. She raised her hand again, throwing a ball of lightning at the dragon, and it growled as it hit. The dragon let out a spew of red flames, and Clarel dodged. It then flew off, heading to the north, blowing fire as it did. Clarel shouted out, "Help the Inquisitor!" to her Wardens before she ran off, leaving Alex and her party at the mercy of the demons that had come out in the Rift they summoned.

"Blackwall! Keep it busy!" Alex shouted as her companion rushed towards the Pride Demon, slamming against it with his shield along with Alistair, as she,Hawke and Varric peppered it with magic and bolts, and Cole drove his daggers into its back in a puff of smoke. It took them a while to finish all off the demons off, but when it was done, Alex looked around frantically, "Where did Clarel go?!"

Hawke pointed up to some stairs, "I think they went through there! They're heading to the outside of the fortress and through a bridge!"

She nodded and made her way up, her hand and staff flaring with magic as they ran, burning demons that blocked her path while her companions helped her with killing the abominations. All the while, Corypheus' dragon hovered around them blowing fire at them in an effort to hit them, and as they passed what seemed to be a hallway, Alistair gasped out, "Look out!" he shouted, leaping against Alex and pulling her to a column just as the dragon blew fire, getting him in the shoulder and making his sleeve burn a bit. She patted the fire off hurriedly, "Thanks, Alistair."

Alistair smiled briefly, "Don't mention it. Ever. Solona always thought that I was a selfish prat." She laughed a little as they continued their way up.

They made their way through another set of stairs, before stopping at what seemed to be a broken stone bridge, and Alex watched as Erimond threw spell after spell at Clarel, who, in her rage remained unharmed because of her barrier. Clarel continued to walk angrily towards him, "You! You destroyed the Grey Wardens!" She cried out before she launched a spell at him, knocking him to the floor.

She circled him as he tried to stand, but from a distance Alex could hear Erimond laughing weakly, "You did that to yourself, you stupid bitch!" he said, making Clarel seethe angrily, "All I did was dangle a little power before your eyes, and you couldn't wait to get your hands bloody!"

Clarel visibly growled, before she flung her staff forcefully, sending another bolt of lightning towards the magister's way and making him slide painfully across the floor. "YEAH! Go, Clarel!" Alex shouted out, cheering on the Warden Commander and making her companions look in shock at her and chuckling, "Kick his ass!"

She blinked and looked up at her, smiling a little at the Inquisitor's display, but she scowled again as she neared Erimond, "You could have served a new god!" he said, and Clarel frowned down at him, "I will never serve the Blight."

Alex watched as Clarel raised her staff to deliver a fatal blow, but she blinked when the dragon came down at the bridge, chomping Clarel into his mouth so forcefully that she heard the Warden's bones crack. "CLAREL!" She cried out in anguish as the dragon flew and landed on the tower behind them, shaking its head before flinging Clarel to the ground forcefully.

"Alex, stand back!" Blackwall said as the dragon stepped down to the ground, looking menacingly at them, making them inch towards the broken bridge, and Varric cursed, "Shit… shit… shit! We're trapped!"

Alex looked down to see Clarel still moving, crawling on her hands and arms as the dragon had broken her spine and rendered her legs immobile, "In war, victory…" she heard the Warden mutter as the dragon drew nearer, but it was completely oblivious of Clarel. "In peace, vigilance.", she continued, rolling to her back to look at the creatures belly.

"Clarel!" Alex shouted, and the Warden raised up her hand, "In death…"

The dragon jumped just as Clarel let loose a massive ball of lightning, making it cry out in pain and flail frantically. It fell to the ground and collided with the end of the broken bridge, causing the stones to collapse underneath its massive weight. The bridge shook as the dragon fell, and soon its cobbles began to fall into the river below, with Alistair in one of them.

"Alistair!" Alex shouted as she dove and took his hand, pulling him up as they scrambled to get away from the bridge. It continued to collapse faster than they could move, and she shrieked as the stones on her feet shifted and she felt herself falling, with the yells of Blackwall, Cole, Varric, Hawke and Alistair trailing behind her as they fell off the bridge with her.

NO!, she though as the wind began to pick up and the ground below seemed to come closer, and she reached out with her left hand, hoping to catch herself before she fell, but a greenish light blossomed before her, and she fell in headfirst, closing her eyes and praying that she wouldn't die as she thought of Cullen.