"There! That must be the Temple of Mythal."

Alex and her companions slowed their pace they walked through the hall that led into the temple, and immediately she smelled the scent of blood. Solas stood beside her, and the elf must've smelled the scent, too. "Be ready, Corypheus will be there."

"I hear fighting ahead." Morrigan told her as they crept closer, and as they neared the exit, they saw dead bodies of red templars and elves on the ground and over the banisters of the stairs that led down. Alex lowered herself, creeping her way and hiding behind the corpses, with her allies behind her doing the same as she looked down.

They immediately saw Corypheus, the tall menacing magister standing before a bridge between two dragon statues, and a group of elves like the ones they encountered in the forest. Behind the magister was Samson, looking pale but shining a little with red light because of his red lyrium armor, as well as some Grey Wardens and red templars. The group were advancing towards the elves, who seemed to be protecting the bridge, and the temple.

"Na melana sur, banallen!" One of the elves shouted, raising his staff against Corypheus.

Samson came forward, smirking at the elves, "They still think to fight us, Master." He said, just as one of his templars threw the dead body of an elf towards the group.

Alex watched as Corypheus strode purposely towards the bridge, "These are but remnants. They will not keep us from the Well of Sorrows."

"Well of Sorrows?" Alex and Morrigan muttered together, and she looked behind her at the witch for an explanation, but the dark-haired woman merely shrugged and raised her hands, clearly not knowing what the demented magister meant. Alex rolled her eyes before looking back down, So much for being an all-knowing witch…

The two dragon statues glowed with an eery light as Corypheus neared, as the man growled threateningly at the elves. "Be honored! Witness death at the hands of a new god!"

The magister surged forward, and Alex blinked when a bright ray of light shined from the two dragons, that have glowed blue. They radiated towards Corypheus as he grabbed and elf's head and lifted him off the ground. But then she noticed that the light from the statues was disintegrating the magister, Corypheus' face a mask of surprise as his body burned into ash, and the magic that occurred blew him apart in pieces, the two dragon statues exploding and crumbling, throwing everyone in the vicinity on their backs.

Alex blinked at what was happening below, and she saw Samson and a few red templars run ahead towards the bridge, and she and her companions headed down the stairs to follow. She looked down at the various bodies on the ground before looking up, seeing that the templar general was already by the doors, smirking at her as he entered.

But she turned around as she heard movement, only to see a Grey Warden kneeling on the ground, twitching violently, every orifice of his body flowing with blood. The Warden arched back, his mouth opening and spewing a fountain of red and black blood, before collapsing to the ground, shrouded with black energy… transforming into a familiar figure.

"It cannot be!" Morrigan exclaimed as they watched the Warden continue to bleed, the blood and body morphing. A long and dark arm stretched out… the arm of Corypheus… and Alex willed herself to move. "Across the bridge! Now!"

Alex, Morrigan, Cassandra, Sera and Solas ran off towards the bridge and to the temple as the Warden corpse continued to shift into that of a form of Corypheus, and as he stood up, once again renewed, he let out a guttural roar, and soon she heard the flapping of wings. She looked back and gasped, as the red lyrium dragon she had encountered at Haven and Adamant flew above them.

"Get the doors!" She shouted at her companions as they entered the temple and she pushed against the temple gigantic stone doors beside Sera. She and the elf pushed at the right side of the doors, while Cassandra, Solas and Morrigan were at the other, and she growled as they slowly pushed it closed, just as the dragon let out a breath of fire, making them stumble backwards and burning her sleeve, making her flinch as she and Sera patted at it frantically off. Alex looked up at the doors shined gold, before emitting a strange light, and locking them inside the temple.

Alex winced as she looked down at her arm, seeing a nasty burn on it, and making Solas look at her with concern. "Rest for a moment, Inquisitor." The elf said as he pulled her towards a rock, making her sit on it as he took out a salve from his pack, "Allow me to take a look at it."

"At last… Mythal's sanctum." Morrigan said as she looked around, and Alex shrugged off her coat so that Solas could take a better look at it, making her hiss in pain as the leather brushed lightly on the burn, "Let us proceed before Corypheus interferes."

"Not until I have attended to the Inquisitor." Solas said, frowning at the witch as he casted a healing spell on her injury.

Cassandra stepped forward towards Morrigan, scowling, "You said Corypheus wanted an eluvian, but he mentioned a 'Well of Sorrows'. Which is right?"

Morrigan looked a little guilty as she reached up and scratched her head, "I… am uncertain of what he referred to."

"Could they be the same thing?" Alex asked her, but she winced when Solas allied a salve on her arm, "Could 'eluvian' translate into 'Well of Sorrows'?"

"No." Morrigan said, "It seems an eluvian is not the prize Corypheus seeks."

Cassandra let out a disgusted noise as she put her hands on her hips in exasperation, and Alex smacked a hand on her forehead with her uninjured arm. Even Sera rolled her eyes, and Morrigan saw it, making the witch scowl, "Yes! I was wrong! Does that please you? Whatever the Well of Sorrows might be, Corypheus seeks it, and thus you must keep it from his grasp."

"I want to know how Corypheus returned to life." Alex said, a little frustrated at the witch, "We saw him die."

"And his life force passes on to any blighted creature, darkspawn or Grey Warden." Morrigan said as she leaned against the wall, watching Solas wrap her arm gently with a bandage. Sera turned to her, "So, how many times do we kill him? It's a small number, right?"

Morrigan shook her head, "Strike Corypheus down, and he will rise anew." But she sighed heavily, " 'Tis strange… Archdemons possess the same ability, and still the Grey Wardens are able to slay them. Yet Corypheus, they locked away. Perhaps they knew he could do this… but not how."

"Are you certain Corypheus is using the power of the Blight to make himself immortal?" Alex asked as she adjusted the bandage Solas was making.

Morrigan smirked down at her, "Perhaps you forget: I was in Ferelden during the Fifth Blight. I fought beside your sister. I have seen how a true Archdemon rage. How Corypheus gained the power to send his soul into blighted bodies… that is the real question."

"And will answering that question let us destroy Corypheus for good?"

"Perhaps." The witch shrugged, "I would suggest first dealing with the well. If Corypheus obtains it, any chance of success could be lost."

"You said this Mythal was worshipped as a goddess." Alex asked Morrigan again, and Solas' hands seemed to have twitched, before they moved steadily again.

"So one assumes." Morrigan said, "What is a god but a being immense power? The dread Old Gods were nothing more than dragons, after all. They rise as Archdemons, and they die. Perhaps Mythal is a powerful elf, a ruler among her kind. History often plays story teller with facts."

She felt a breath upon her arm, and she looked up to see Solas frowning as he continued to wrap her burn, "You admit lack of knowledge, and yet you dismiss her so readily?"

Morrigan raised a hand at the elf, "I do not dismiss her. I question her supposed divinity. One need not be a god to have value. Truthfully, I am uncertain Mythal was even a single entity. The accounts are… varied."

"There are varied accounts of Mythal?" Alex asked her again, looking slightly confused.

The witch turned to her again, "In most stories, Mythal rights wrongs while exercising motherly kindness. 'Let fly your voice to Mythal, deliverer of justice, protector of sun and earth alike.' Other paint her as dark, vengeful. Pray to Mythal, and she would smite your enemies, leaving them in agony."

"More Dalish tales, I assume?" Solas scoffed as he continued to look down, looking annoyed. Alex understood him, as the man was an expert at the culture of his own people. She reached up and touched his hand gently, making him look up at her. "If you know more about this, Solas, speak."

The elf looked down kindly at her, and she smiled. She preferred his version of elven history, as he had studied it immensely, and she knew that telling stories was one of the ways she could calm him down. Solas smiled back in return as he finished wrapping the bandage, tying it in a small knot, "The oldest accounts say Mythal was both of these, and neither. She was the mother, protective and fierce." And the elf shook his head a little as he sealed the lids on his salves again, "That is all I will say. This is not the place to stir up old stories."

"Whatever the truth, all accounts of Mythal end the same." Morrigan interrupted, waving a hand as if dismissing Solas' words, "Exiled to the Beyond with her brethren."

"What do you mean 'exiled'?" Alex asked as she stood up, and Sera helped her with her coat as she painfully put it on again, carefully slipping her injured arm into the sleeve.

"Tricked by the Dread Wolf, as all the elven gods were said to be, trapped in a land beyond the Fade." Morrigan said as she straightened from the wall she leaned against, "Many Dalish believe this is why the elves fell from grace and their gods did not save them. Or perhaps they were simply rulers slain by Tevinter. Who can say?"

Alex sighed for a bit, but soon enough she moved, walking forward with her friends following her. "You've seen the elves here. They seem… odd." She looked behind her at Sera and she grinned, with the little blond elf grinning back in return, "Well, odder than usual, at least."

"Indeed. Two things are possible." Morrigan said, raising two fingers as they continued to walk, "One: this is a group of Dalish separated from their brethren. Cultists. Fanatic in their desire to keep humans away. Two: these are elves descended from the Ancients, having resided here since before the Fall of Arlathan. The second appears unlikely, but if true, the implications are astounding."

Alex blinked before looking back at Solas, who seemed to have opted to not include himself in the conversation. "If they kept records, it could change everything we thought we knew about history."

Morrigan smiled at her, " 'Tis thrilling, no? To discover an era lost forever has possibly thrived in the shadows. We may, however, find these elves reluctant to part with their long-lost secrets."

"True enough." Alex agreed as she straigtened her back, "Let's keep going."

Alex walked in further into the temple's vestibule, with her party following behind her. Her eyebrowed raised at the sight of what seemed to be an altar with two stone makers, and intricate designs on the floor. As she stepped up onto it, the tiles of the floor glowed blue, making her blink.

"It appears the temple's magic are still strong." Morrigan said, stepping beside her and looking at the altar. Alex reached out and touched the stone, where she could see curving lines, "Is this elven? Does it say anything about the Well of Sorrows?"

Solas came up from behind her and touched the stone as well, clearing up the plant life and dust that accumulated on its surface, " 'Atish'all vir Abelasan.'" He said, slipping into his familiar elven language, "It means 'enter the path of the Well of Sorrows.'"

"There is something about knowledge. Respectful or pure." Morrigan said, looking confused, " 'Shiven'… 'shivennen'…" But soon the witch shrugged, " 'Tis all I can translate. That it mentions the well is a good omen."

Alex sighed, "We're out of luck unless one of those temple elves drops a lexicon."

Morrigan waved a hand, "Supplicants to Mythal would have first paid obesance here. Following their path may aid entry."

Sera blinked and waved her hands, looking panicked with fear, "Oh no, no. This is bad. Rituals are bad. You can't want this!"

The witch rolled her eyes, "If need be. Unless you wish to turn back?"

"Heck no." Alex said as she looked down at the tiles again, "So… what? I have to make sure that they all light up?"

Morrigan shrugged, and Alex huffed again, looking around at the altars. Slowly she began walking, making sure that the tiles lit up as she stepped on them and that she didn't take the same path twice. Finally, when she stepped on the last tile, the lights on the floor turned blue, and it felt like a magical seal was removed somewhere.

"Well done." Morrigan said approvingly, "Let us see what awaits."

Alex stepped off the altar and headed up the stairs, seeing a cluster of corpses of red templars, "I see the red templars have already encountered the temple's guardians." Morrigan told her, and Alex prodded one of the corpses so that it faced up, before saying, "All the better. Less for us to deal with."

"Anything good on them?" Sera asked from behind her, and Morrigan spread her hand, "Rummage their corpses, by all means."

Sera bent down, picking through the pockets, coming up with a bag of gold, but Alex was disinterested as she headed up the stairs again, turning left even though she saw the giant blue door that the altar probably opened. It led to another area, and she blinked when she saw a gigantic statue of a wolf, maned with greenery.

At the sight of it, Morrigan blinked, "Why would this be here?"

Alex turned to her to see the woman frowning at the statue, "Something wrong?"

"It depicts the Dread Wolf, Fen'Harel." Morrigan told her, "In elven tales, he tricks their gods into sealing themselves away in the Beyond for all time. Setting Fen'Harel in Mythal's greatest sanctum is as blasphemous as painting Andraste naked in the Chantry."

She grinned a little, "Well, there's an image. Besides, I don't think it's not much of a difference. Some Chantries display statues of Andraste's betrayer Maferath as part of the Chant."

Morrigan shrugged, "It might fulfill a similar function. A reminder of vigilance for the faithful."

Solas scoffed, making Alex look at him as he looked spitefully at Morrigan, "For all your 'knowledge', Lady Morrigan, you cannot resist giving legend the weight of history. The wise do not mistake one for the other."

A corner of Morrigan's lip lifted up into a sneer as she looked at the bald elf, "Pray tell, what meaning does our elven 'expert' sense lurking behind this?"

The elf sneered back at her, "None we can discern by staring at it."

Alex let out a loud laugh, causing the two people to look at her in bewilderment, "You two look like you're about to kiss when you argue."

The effect of her words was immediate as Morrigan flushed red in annoyance while Solas shook his head, making a face at the thought of kissing the witch. " 'Tis time we pressed forward." Morrigan said with gritted teeth, turning back and striding with Sera and Cassandra away from the statue.

"Indeed." Solas said in agreement, but he remained where he is as Alex continued to stand in front of the statue. "Is something on your mind, Inquisitor?"

Alex continued to stare at the statue, shaking her head a little, "Is it true though? Is it sacriligeous to have Fen'Harel's statue in Mythal's temple?"

Solas shook his head, "No, I do not believe so, Inquisitor."

"Then maybe…" Alex said, "Maybe it's like a small shrine? That even though this is Mythals's temple, her followers could also pray to Fen'Harel as well? There are murals of the other gods here, why should this statue be any different?" She shook her head as she sighed deeply, "I wish we had more to go on than just speculations about elven history."

Solas blinked, looking in surprise at her, "You are interested in them? The Gods of the elven pantheon?"

"I'm interested in all of them… the elves, the Old Gods, the Qun, the Chantry… even the Stone, as the dwarves call it." Alex said truthfully, "Just because I praise one religion doesn't mean I shouldn't read about the others. There are lessons to learn in all of them."

"An interesting philophy." Solas said as they turned around to head back to their companions, "There are very few who would have the same opinions."

"I know." Alex said, grinning at him, "We philosophers are a dying breed."

Solas chuckled, "Indeed, Inquisitor. But perhaps now is not the time to discuss such things. Would you agree to talk more of this once we return to Skyhold?"

She smiled up at him as she wrapped an arm around his, "I will happily discuss philosophy with you, my friend. As long as you provide the tea."

He held her hand and patted it, gently smiling at her, "I believe I already told you I dislike tea, Inquisitor. But for a friend, perhaps I would indulge you."

Alex grinned up at him before running forward to their companions again, leaving Solas to smile after her. He had to admit, if the Inquisitor had been his type of woman, he would've fallen in love with her instantly from her courage and wisdom. He shook his head a little as he jogged forward to follow her, thinking that Cullen was a lucky man to be loved by a woman such as the Inquisitor.