The news of Tevinter's involvement was not well received. Leliana almost immediately began sending ravens in every direction. Cullen hadn't taken his hand off his sword hilt since the word 'magister' was mentioned. And Josephine spilled a bit of ink.

She found herself down by where the soldiers were training. Idly, she picked up one of the swords, and took a few swings at a practice dummy. A moment later, she felt Cullen come up behind her. He caught her shoulders, and gently corrected her stance. She took another couple swings. "Why would the templars break away from the Chantry?"

"The Order believes the Chantry no longer supports their efforts. Not to the extent they should."

"But the templars have served the Chantry for ages." She moved through a half remembered form with the blade.

"And in that time, they have come to take the Order's services for granted." He adjusted the angle of one of her parries, then nodded approval as she went through the motion again properly. "Templars risk their lives against blood magic, demons, abominations - to feel as if those efforts are dismissed..." He picked up another of the practice blades, and demonstrated the counter. "I may disagree with the Order's actions - that I'm here is proof of that - but I sympathize with their frustrations." He stepped back, then gestured towards her feet. "You're dragging your left leg."

She glanced down, and then tried the form again. "Better?"

"You're dragging it less. Balance your weight forward." He nodded when she complied. "Thinking of taking up the sword again?"

"Some days, you just want to hit something."

He laughed. "I know the feeling." He picked up a practice sword of her own, and sent a slowed strike in her direction. She parried, and attempted a counter-attack. "The Lord Seeker's actions are a mystery, but the templars will aid us. They cannot sit idle while the Breach remains."

"I noticed a few new faces above templar armor."

"A group of four out of the Ferelden Circle. They brought the refugees they were protecting into our camp, then joined up." He gestured for her to attack him, and then demonstrated a counterattack. "I'm thinking of sending them to Corporal Vale."

She fumbled the counterattack a bit, and then reset to try again. "Solas convinced a healer to go to the Crossroads. Corporal Vale has been recruiting some irregulars from among the refugees."

"I saw the report. You've done well there."

"Thank you." She gave him a small bow. "And thank you for the sword lesson."

#

She spent part of the evening getting to know Iron Bull and learning about the Ben-Hassrath. Frankly, they scared the hell out of her. Rewriting people's minds smelled too much like the nastiest parts of blood magic. Blackwall joined them for a drink, and mentioned some abandoned Warden camps. She had him note them on the map so she could check them out later, see if she could find more for Leliana. And Sera... Maker help her, she was actually starting to like the woman.

It was nice, really, getting to sit in a tavern and share a drink with friends. One could almost forget the troubles of the world outside. And the uncomfortably large number of people who seemed to think she could fix it.

#

"Can I ask you something, Varric?"

He looked up to see the Herald, and grinned. "You want to talk about me? I'm flattered. Also, inclined towards extravagant lies."

She rolled her eyes. "Are you from Ferelden? Orlais?"

"Free Marches. Born and raised in Kirkwall." And missing it dreadfully. Aveline's latest letter had contained more than a little bad news. "And despite whatever you've heard, no. Kirkwall's not that bad."

"I'm not clear on your line of work. You're a merchant?"

"I'm a businessman. My family has a seat in the Dwarven Merchants Guild." A seat that rarely, if ever, contained an ass. "Merchants buy and sell goods. Businessmen buy and sell stores. In my spare time, I manage a spy network. And occasionally, I write books."

"Which reminds me, my brother Otwin dropped some not so subtle hints in his letter that I need to send him something with your autograph."

"What do you have in mind? My crime serials are my most popular. Hard in Hightown. Guards breaking the rules to get things done." He shrugged. "The Tale of the Champion is the most famous thing I've written. Or infamous, maybe. I started a romance serial once. Swords & Shields. But to be honest, I don't have the knack for romances. Most of my stories end in tragedy. Probably that says something unfortunate about me personally."

She tilted her head at him. "If you've run a spy network, why is Leliana our spymaster."

Spy network might have been overstating the matter a bit. He had sources of information and a line to several notorious gossips, but there were some important pieces of information that continued to elude him. It was some small consolation that Nightingale hadn't found Blondie either. "To be honest with you, she's just a better spymaster. The truly great ones can keep their distance. They don't get attached to their people. Me? I always wind up babysitting my informants and worrying about their families. We're in better hands with her."

The drinks arrived. She paid. He really could get to like the woman.

#

"...fluctuating with the energies from the rifts, but I still don't see how it could be harnessed in such a fashion."

Solas nodded. "The possibility does carry some disturbing implications." He gestured at the Breach as they reached the top of the small hill. "Clearly there have been some repercussions within the Veil."

"But how big a disruption are we..." She trailed off as the runner reached them.

"My Lady Herald, Seeker Cassandra would like you to come to the Chantry." He waited for her to nod before dashing off again.

She turned to Solas. "To be continued?"

"Certainly. And I will see what else I can uncover."

#

"We don't have the manpower to take the castle." Cullen sliced a hand through the air. "Either we find another way in, or give up this nonsense and go get the templars."

Cassandra shook her head. "Redcliffe is in the hands of a Magister. This cannot be allowed to stand."

Josephine gestured at Ruya as she approached. "The letter from Alexius asked for the Herald of Andraste by name. It's an obvious trap."

"We can't waste time fighting among ourselves." Ruya shook her head in frustration. "We have to come to an agreement." If she were the size of Iron Bull, she'd pick them all up by the scruff of the necks and give them a good shake.

Leliana narrowed her eyes. "A Tevinter magister controls Redcliffe, invites us to the castle to talk, and some of us want to do nothing."

"Not this again." Josephine's pen stabbed the air.

"Redcliffe Castle is one of the most defensible fortresses in Ferelden." Cullen's voice held the impatient tones of someone who had repeated himself multiple times. "It has repelled thousands of assaults." He turned his gaze to Ruya. "If you go in there, you'll die. And we'll lose the only means we have of closing these rifts. I won't allow it."

"And if we don't even try to meet Alexius, we lose the mages and leave a hostile foreign power on our doorstep." Leliana's own voice was frustrated."

"Even if we could assault the keep, it would be for not." Josephine pointed the end of her pen at Leliana. "An 'Orlesian' Inquisition's army marching into Ferelden would provoke a war. Our hands are tied."

"The magister -"

"Has outplayed us." Cullen interrupted Cassandra.

It wasn't right. They couldn't just leave all those people to Tevinter. "We can't just give up. There has to be something we can do."

Cassandra nodded. "We cannot accept defeat now. There must be a solution."

"Other than the main gate, there's got to be another way into the castle. A sewer?" There was always something in stories. "A water course? Something?"

"There's nothing I know of that would work," Cullen said.

"Wait." Leliana's face broke into a smile. "There is a secret passage into the castle, an escape route for the family. It's too narrow for our troops, but we could send agents through."

"Too risky." Cullen gestured. "Those agents will be discovered well before they reach the magister."

"That's why we need a distraction." Leliana turned to Ruya. "Perhaps the envoy Alexius wants so badly?"

"Focuse their attention on Trevelyan while we take out the Tevinters. It's risky, but it could work." Cullen nodded, though he didn't sound particularly enthusiastic about the idea.

Behind her, there was a brief commotion. She turned to see one of Cullen's runners with Dorian. Dorian gave them a nod. "Fortunately, you'll have help."

The runner gave Cullen an apologetic look. "This man says he has information about the magister and his methods, Commander." Cullen nodded, and the runner backed away.

Dorian looked pleased at his dramatic entrance. "Your spies will never get past Alexius's magic without my help. So if you're going after him, I'm coming along."

Cullen looked towards Ruya, and she tilted her head at Dorian and nodded. Cullen relaxed slightly, but gave her a worried look. "This plan puts you in the most danger. We can't, in good conscience, order you to do this." He glanced down at the map, then back to her. "We can still go after the templars if you'd rather not play the bait. It's up to you."

"If these Venatori are responsible for the Breach, it's far too dangerous to just let them have the mages." Ruya squared her shoulders. "I'll take Blackwall, Varric, and Solas in with me."

#

"The Magister's invitation was for Mistress Trevelyan alone. The rest will wait here." A blonde man in a fine tunic approached.

She pasted a friendly smile on her face. "If my friends can't enter, then I won't either."

They had a brief staring contest, which she apparently won. A moment later, he was leading the four of them into the great hall and he was announcing her. "My lord magister, the agents of the Inquisition have arrived."

Magister Alexius spoke with the same overdone cheer as earlier. "My friend. It's so good to see you again." He narrowed his eyes just slightly when he saw she wasn't alone. "And your associates, of course. I'm sure we can work out some arrangement that is equitable to all parties."

Fiona stepped out of an alcove. "Are we mages to have no voice in deciding our fate?"

"Fiona, you would not have turned your followers over to my care if you did not trust me with their lives." The patronizing tone of his voice grated.

"If the Grand Enchanter wants to be part of these talks, then I welcome her as a guest of the Inquisition." Fiona was unlikely to be helpful, but it was possible she did know something useful. And frankly, Ruya'd rather have her where she could keep watch.

"Thank you."

He inclined his head in a nod of acceptance, and then seated himself in the Arl's throne. "The Inquisition needs mages to close the Breach, and I have them. So, what shall you offer in exchange?"

"I'd much rather discuss your time magic." She saw his eyes widen at her words.

His hands folded as he stared at her. "Now how could you know about that?"

"I told her." She nearly sighed when Felix stepped forward. She'd been hoping to leave him out of it entirely. If it was a Tevinter cult, his actions could put him in real danger.

"Felix, what have you done?" The magister actually looked gutted.

"Your son is concerned that you're involved in something terrible."

"So speaks the thief." The false cheer was gone from his voice. "Do you think you can turn my son against me?" He stood up. "You walk into my stronghold with your stolen mark - a gift you don't even understand - and think you're in control?" He was all but frothing. "You're nothing but a mistake."

"What do you know about the Divine's death?"

He waved a hand. "It was the Elder One's moment, and you were unworthy even to stand in his presence."

"Father, listen to yourself." Felix was staring. "Do you know what you sound like?"

"He sounds exactly like the sort of villainous cliché everyone expects us to be." Dorian joined them. Then Leliana's people were in place.

"Dorian." Alexius's voice was flat. "I gave you a chance to be part of this. You turned me down. The Elder One has power you would not believe. He will raise the Imperium from its own ashes."

"That's who you serve? The one who killed the Divine? Is he a mage?"

"Soon he will become a god." Magister Alexius stared down at her from in front of the throne. "He will make the world bow to mages once more. We will rule from the Boeric Ocean to the Frozen Seas."

"You can't bring my people into this," Fiona protested.

Dorian stepped forward. "Alexius, this is exactly what you and I talked about never wanting to happen. Why would you support this?"

Felix laid a hand on his father's shoulder. "Stop it, Father. Give up the Venatori. Let the southern mages fight the Breach, and let's go home."

Alexius turned towards Felix, despair on his face. "No. It's the only way, Felix. He can save you."

"Save me?"

"There is a way. The Elder One promised. If I undo the mistake at the Temple..." Alexius turned away.

"I'm going to die." Felix shook his head. "You need to accept that."

Alexius whirled around. "Seize them, Venatori. The Elder One demands this woman's life."

The only people who emerged were dressed in Inquisition armor. "Your men are dead, Alexius." Ruya held up a hand.

"You..." He took a step towards her. "Are a mistake. You should never have existed." Energy flowed around his hand as he held up an amulet.

"No." Dorian stepped in front of her and used his staff to send a surge of energy. The world around them seemed to spin.

#

"Blood of the Elder One."

She was standing in ankle deep water, in what looked to be a prison. A quick look around revealed Dorian standing nearby, but none of the others. And two heavily armored men moving towards them.

"Where'd they come from?" One of the men asked as he drew his weapon to attack.

She sent a bolt of electricity, and it was followed a heartbeat later by a small ball of fire from Dorian's staff. She dodged the blow from a sword, and sent another blast of electricity that dropped her attacker. Dorian finished the other one off. She turned to face him.

Dorian tapped his chin. "Displacement? Interesting." He gestured. "It's probably not what Alexius intended. The rift must have moved us..." He looked around. "To what? The closest confluence of arcane energy?"

The armor the dead men were wearing was nothing she'd seen before. She bent, and started going through their belt pouches. One was carrying a key. "The last thing I remember, we were in the castle hall." And her friends were likely still here.

"Let's see. If we're still in the castle, it isn't..." Dorian blinked. "Oh. Of course. It's not simply where - it's when." He tapped his fingers against the palm of his other hand. "Alexius used the amulet as a focus. It moved us through time."

Her head came up sharply. "Did we go forward in time or back, and how far?" If they'd gone back, maybe she could prevent... a lot of things.

"Those are excellent questions." He gestured at her. "We'll have to find out, won't we? Let's look around, see where the rift took us. Then we can figure out how to get back... if we can."

The cell door stuck slightly. She had to wiggle the key to get it to open. "What was Alexius trying to do?"

Dorian followed her through the dungeon. "I believe his original plan was to remove you from time completely. If that happened, you would never have been at the Temple of Sacred Ashes or mangled his Elder One's plan. I think your surprise in the castle hall made him reckless. He tossed us into the rift before he was ready. I countered it, the magic went wild, and here we are. Make sense?"

She looked up and down a hallway and chose her direction arbitrarily. "It just seems so insane."

"I don't even want to think about what this will do to the fabric of the world." Dorian poked the butt of his staff through some debris on the floor. "We didn't 'travel' through time so much as punch a hole through it and toss it in the privy." He touched her shoulder in what he likely intended as a reassuring fashion. "But don't worry. I'm here. I'll protect you."

Thrust through time with a Tevinter magister as her protector. It was moments like these that she really missed her quiet little corner of the Ostwick Circle library. "There were others in the hall. Could they have been drawn through the rift?"

"I doubt it was large enough to bring the whole room through." Dorian considered a moment. "Alexius wouldn't risk catching himself or Felix in it. They're probably still where, and when, we left them. In some sense, anyway."

They came to a metal bridge that was guarded by three men in the same armor as the ones earlier. She and Dorian exchanged a look, then hit the guards simultaneously. She chained lightning together, while he sent out multiple blasts of fire. The guards never knew what hit them. "Alexius mentioned an 'Elder One' in the hall. Do you know who he was talking about?"

"Leader of the Venatori, I suspect." Dorian's voice showed his distaste. "Some magister aspiring to godhood. It's the same old tune. 'Let's play with magic we don't understand. It will make us incredibly powerful.' Evidently it doesn't matter if you rip apart the fabric of time in the process."

They came to a door. She hesitated before opening it. "And what happens if we can't get back?"

"Then we get comfortable in our new present."

#

"Is someone there?" Solas's voice drifted out of one of the cells. Ruya headed towards it. Solas stepped back when he saw her. "You're alive? We saw you die." There was a strange reddish glow around him, particularly in his eyes, and his voice was rougher than normal. Dark circles beneath his eyes stood out starkly against his pale skin.

"The spell Alexius cast displaced us in time." Dorian gestured. "We just got here, so to speak."

She fumbled with the latch on the cell, and got it open. Solas stepped out. "Can you reverse the process? You could return and obviate the events of the last year. It may not be too late..."

"I'm glad you understood what he just said because I'm not sure I did." Ruya gave him another appraising look. Despite his appearance, he didn't actually look wounded. Aside from the red glow, he looked like someone who hadn't slept well in a long time.

His face was bitter. "You would think such understanding would stop me from making such terrible mistakes. You would be wrong." He closed his eyes for a moment. "But you know nothing of this world. It is far worse than you understand. Alexius served a master, the Elder One. He reigns now, unchallenged. His minions assassinated Empress Celene and used the chaos to invade the south. This Elder One commands an army of demons. After you stop Alexius, you must be prepared."

She nodded at his summation of the past events. At least when they went back, they'd have an idea of what they needed to prevent. "We can't do this without you."

"If there is any hope, any way to save them..." He inclined his head to her. "My life is yours. This world is an abomination. It must never come to pass." He accepted a staff she'd found earlier, and followed them out of the chamber.

#

Blackwall was in another cell. "Andraste have mercy. You shouldn't be here. The dead should rest in peace." His hair was almost entirely gray now, and his eyes held the same red glow as those of Solas. Blackwall's eyes however, were wild, and for a moment looked like those of a madman.

"Are you all right? You don't look so good." She started opening the lock on the cell door.

"Am I dreaming this? The dead asking a dead man if he's all right?"

Dorian touched her shoulder. "You skipped over too much. Look at the poor man." He gestured. "Alexius's spell didn't kill us - it sent us forward in time. That's how we survived."

"Forward in time?" Blackwall stepped out of the cell. "I don't understand."

Ruya sighed. She didn't really understand either, but she did know one thing. "If we can get to Alexius, we can go back to the moment we left and stop all of this from happening."

A thin, fragile bit of hope showed in his eyes. "Maybe I've just gone mad. If what you say is true..." He took the sword she offered. "Then this... everything I've been through, everything about this nightmare, is a mistake?"

"I should have been here," she said, offering him a shield as well. "But we'll set things right."

"Now I know I've gone mad. To set all this right..." He took the shield and strapped it to his arm. "You can't imagine the things that happened after you died. The Inquisition was crushed. Anyone who refused to convert was killed. There's nothing left out there."

She couldn't think about that now. Couldn't let all those faces swim in her mind. "Once we go back, none of that will happen."

"I hope you're right." He followed them out. "If we make Alexius pay for his crimes, that's enough for me."

#

"Andraste's sacred knickers. You're alive?" Varric scrambled to his feet. Despite the red glow in his eyes, he looked a bit healthier than the others. Or maybe it was just the hope on his face. "Where were you? How did you escape?"

"We didn't escape," Dorian said. "Alexius sent us into the future."

Varric opened his mouth, then closed it again and shook his head. "Everything that happens to you is weird."

Despite herself, she laughed as she unlocked his cell. "You might be right about that."

"I'm always right." He stepped out of the cell. "And when I'm not, I lie about it." He followed them out, stopping to help himself to a crossbow lying on a corpse. "So what are you doing here? Or did you come back just to trade quips with me?"

"We get to Alexius, and I just might be able to send us back to our own time." Dorian brought up the rear of their group. "Simple, really."

"I'm pretty sure you're crazy. Or I'm crazy. Either way, it's a nice thought. You want to take on Alexius? I'm in. Let's go."

It was oddly comforting to know even the end of the world couldn't change Varric.

#

They found Fiona in a cell, the red lyrium growing out of her. She glanced back at her companions. Solas caught her eye, and then nodded in resignation. So the same thing was starting to happen to them. Her hand tightened on her staff.

"Our only hope is to find the amulet that Alexius used to send us here." Dorian was clearly trying to keep his voice confident. He was almost successful. "If it still exists, I can use it to reopen the rift at the exact spot we left. Maybe."

"Good," Fiona said.

"I said maybe." Dorian sighed. "It might also turn us into paste."

"You must try." Fiona's voice was growing weaker. "Your spymaster, Leliana... she is here. Fine her. Quickly... before the Elder one... learns you're here."

#

"Well, it's nice to do something constructive for a change." Varric put a crossbow bolt through the throat of one of the guards.

"I almost feel nostalgic." Blackwall finished off another with a quick sword thrust.

They arrived too late to save the mother from Redcliffe. Blackwall seemed particularly offended. She put a hand on his shoulder and reminded him that they still had a chance to change everything. He nodded, but she could tell he didn't quite believe her.

#

More voices drifted through the hall. "How did Trevelyan know of the sacrifice at the temple? Answer."

"Never." Ruya quickened her pace when she heard Leliana's defiant answer, followed by a scream of pain.

"There's no use to this defiance, little bird. There's no one left for you to protect."

"You're wasting your breath."

"You will break."

"I will die first."

Blackwall caught Ruya's shoulder, and then stepped in front of her. He kicked the door open. The guard torturing Leliana whirled around. Leliana saw them. "Or you will." She wrapped her legs around the guard's neck. He let out a strangled gasp, and a moment later there was a horrific snapping noise. "You're alive."

Ruya began freeing Leliana's hands. "You're safe now."

"Forget 'safe'. If you came back from the dead, you need to do better than 'safe'." Leliana's eyes went briefly to where corpses were hanging from a rack. "You need to end this. Do you have weapons?" Ruya handed her a bow. "Good. The magister's probably in his chambers."

"You... aren't curious how we got here?" Dorian asked.

"No."

Dorian explained anyway. "Alexius sent us into the future." He gestured at the room. "This. His victory, his Elder One - it was never meant to be."

"I'm so sorry for everything you suffered." Ruya could see the scars and wounds on the other woman. Leliana had aged twenty years in the past one. She looked around the room at the other bodies. One of them might have been Josephine, but it was too decayed for her to be certain. The fresher corpse was a Dalish elf.

"We have to reverse his spell," Dorian said. "If we can get back to our present time, we can prevent this future from ever happening."

"And mages always wonder why people fear them..." Anger filled Leliana's voice. "No one should have this power."

"It's dangerous and unpredictable. Before the Breach, nothing we did -"

"This is all pretend to you, some future you hope will never exist." Leliana cut Dorian off. For a moment, Ruya thought the spymaster was going to attack him. "I suffered. The whole world suffered. It was real." She turned, and started walking.

#

Dorian tried again to get information from Leliana. She ordered him to stop talking, and refused to answer his questions. Ruya gestured for the man to subside.

A rift hung in the air in what had once been a dining hall. The battle against the demons was short but fierce, and she sealed the Breach. It felt... odd... as if the energy of the mark had shifted somehow.

They encountered an abomination that had once been Linnea. Despite her feelings towards the woman, Ruya felt sick as she put the creature down.

"This is madness." Dorian stared at the red lyrium growing from the walls. "Alexius can't have wanted this."

They found a door, and stepped out into a courtyard. Ruya's hope that daylight would be comforting after the dungeon was quickly dashed. The Breach filled the entire sky. "Used to be, it was only dwarves who were afraid of the sky." Varric looked up. "Now, it's just good sense."

Two more rifts, and then they were entering the heart of the castle. Leliana led them, walking through the castle as though she were familiar with its layout. Dorian glanced at her several times before finally working up the nerve to ask her another question. "What became of Felix? Do you know?"

"Yes. I know."

"And you're not going to tell me?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

#

They found another rift, and the door to the throne room. It was locked. Sealed somehow. Dorian held up the glowing stone they'd found on one of the guards, and stated that he could use it to open the door, but he needed the rest to do so.

A bloody and beaten hour later, they had recovered all five. Ruya handed out the restorative potions she'd been carrying as Dorian worked on the door. She had to give both Leliana and Solas a second potion. Between the potions and her meager healing skills, they both looked healthier, but it did nothing for the looks of despair on their faces. "Solas?"

"I'm sorry, Ruya," he said softly. "So very sorry for the burden that has been placed on your shoulders."

She placed a hand on his arm. "We'll fix this, Solas. You and me, once I get back."

"I can only hope you are right."

"Got it." Dorian looked back at them as the door started to open.

#

"Look at what you've done, Alexius. All this suffering, and for what?"

Alexius stood, staring into the fireplace. His shoulders were slumped. Nearby crouched a ghoul, watching him with vacant eyes. "For my country, for my son..." He shook his head. "But it means nothing now. I knew you would appear again. Not that it would be now. But I knew I hadn't destroyed you. My final failure."

"Was it worth it?" Dorian's voice was filled with anger and hurt. "Everything you did to the world? To yourself?"

"It doesn't matter now. All we can do is wait for the end."

"What do you mean?" Ruya asked. She gestured for her companions to spread out and make ready. Leliana had disappeared into the shadows. "What's ending?"

Alexius actually chuckled. "The irony that you should appear now, of all the possibilities. All that I fought for, all that I betrayed, and what have I wrought? Ruin and death. There is nothing else." He looked beaten. Broken. "The Elder One comes: for me, for you, for us all."

Leliana emerged from the shadows. She caught the ghoul and pulled it to its feet, laying a knife across its throat. "Felix," Alexius cried out.

"That's Felix?" Dorian took a step forward, his face horrified. "Maker's breath, Alexius, what have you done?"

"He would have died, Dorian." Alexius pointed at Felix. "I saved him." He gestured beseechingly at Leliana. "Please, don't hurt my son. I'll do anything you ask."

They had to fix things. Felix didn't deserve to be... that. Oh, Maker, no one deserved to be that. "Hand over the amulet, and we let him go."

Alexius nodded and started to reach into his belt pouch. "Let him go, and I swear you'll get what you want."

"I want the world back," Leliana said. And she pulled the knife across Felix's throat.

"No!" Power surged from Alexius, flinging Leliana halfway across the room. Rage distorted his features as he tore the Veil. Demons began to appear.

#

No sooner had she managed to seal the first rift than Alexius had ripped open another. Solas managed to get a barrier up around Blackwall in time to keep the man from being gutted by a terror demon, but they weren't doing well. She glanced down at her hand, then disrupted the newly opened rift. The resulting energy surged through the room, weakening the demons and disrupting the spell Alexius was in the process of casting. Varric took advantage of the opening to put a crossbow bolt in Alexius's shoulder.

The battle started to turn in their favor. She sealed the rift after the last of the demons fell. Alexius started to tear another open, but Dorian struck from behind, using his staff to sweep Alexius's feet from underneath him. Blackwall immediately moved forward, and his sword pierced Alexius's chest. She saw Dorian close his eyes and turn away as Alexius convulsed.

She put a hand on Dorian's shoulder. "He wanted to die, didn't he." Dorian sighed, and his gaze went to where the body of Felix was lying. "All those lies he told himself, the justifications..." He shook his head. "He lost Felix long ago and didn't even notice. Oh, Alexius..."

"I know you cared for him."

Dorian's smile was bitter. "Once he was a man to whom I compared all others. Sad, isn't it?" He turned, and removed the amulet from Alexius's belt pouch. He turned it this way and that, then looked back at Ruya. "This is the same amulet he used before. I think it's the same one we made in Minrathous. That's a relief." He stepped away from the corpse. "Give me an hour to work out the spell he used, and I should be able to reopen the rift."

"An hour?" Leliana's voice was strangled. "That's impossible. You must go now."

Ruya was about to ask why when the entire castle suddenly shook. Varric looked up at her. "There's a reason they won."

Blackwall nodded. "We'll go on ahead, take out as many as we can. Leliana, you're the past line of defense. Give them what you've got."

She stared at them. Solas gestured for her to go with Dorian. She nodded. "We'll make this count."

Leliana unslung her bow as the others went through the door. "The only way we live is if this day never comes." She nocked an arrow. "Cast your spell. You have as much time as I have arrows."

#

Slowly, the amulet started to glow as Dorian manipulated the energies around it. It hung in the air. From behind the door, Ruya could hear the sounds of combat. Leliana was reciting a prayer. "Though darkness closes, I am shielded by flame."

The door burst open. Ruya felt bile in the back of her throat as she saw Solas's body casually tossed aside. Leliana loosed an arrow, and then quickly began loosing more. "Andraste guide me. Maker, take me to your side."

Ruya started to step forward as demons and armored men came through the door. Dorian caught her arm. "You move, and we all die."

She thought about casting, but dared not. Any energy from her could disrupt what Dorian was doing. Leliana sent arrow after arrow, until one of the enemy archers sent an arrow back, catching her in the shoulder. A warrior grabbed her, and held her as a terror demon stepped forward. Her eyes met Ruya's briefly as the terror demon tore the spymaster open.

Energy from the amulet surged and then...

#

They were back in the throne room. Alexius was standing exactly where he had been when he'd first thrown the amulet. His eyes went wide.

"You'll have to do better than that," Dorian said.

Alexius dropped to his knees. Ruya started to summon a spell, and then she saw Felix standing there, still on the throne room. She turned her gaze to the man at her feet. "Put aside all claim to Redcliffe, and we let you live."

"You won." Alexius closed his eyes. "There is no point in extending this charade." He turned back towards his son. "Felix..."

Felix knelt beside him. "It's going to be all right, Father."

"You'll die."

"Everyone dies."

Ruya gestured for the Inquisition soldiers to take Alexius away. Next to her, Dorian breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I'm glad that's over with." Behind them, the door burst open, and armored men came marching through. "Or not."

#

A red haired man glanced around the room before stepping back out. A moment later, a man and woman entered. Both wore armor, finely crafted. The man narrowed his eyes when he saw Fiona. "Grand Enchanter, we'd like to discuss your abuse of our hospitality."

Fiona swallowed and stepped forward, hands clasped in front of her. "Your majesties."

This... probably didn't bode well. Though Leliana had said that she counted the King and Queen of Ferelden among her dearest friends, so maybe they'd get out of this without anybody getting executed.

The queen glared. "When we offered the mages sanctuary, we did not give them the right to drive our people from their homes."

"King Alistair, Queen Cathiel, I assure you, we never intended..."

"In light of your actions, good intentions are no longer enough."

The king took another step forward. "You and your followers have worn out your welcome. Leave Ferelden, or we'll be forced to make you leave."

"But..." Fiona looked around the room desperately. "We have hundreds who need protection. Where will we go?"

"The Inquisition might be willing to take in the mages." Ruya stepped forward. Both the king and queen gave her appraising looks before exchanging a glance with each other.

"And what are the terms of this arrangement?' Fiona asked.

Dorian spoke before she could. "Hopefully better than what Alexius gave you. The Inquisition is better than that, yes?"

Behind her, Blackwall pitched his voice low. "No one fights well for their captors."

"I've known a lot of mages." Varric shrugged. "They can be loyal friends if you let them. Friends who make bad decisions, but still. Loyal."

Fiona sighed. "It seems we have little choice but to accept whatever you offer."

Perhaps it was time to let mages prove themselves to the world. "We would be honored to have you fight as allies at the Inquisition's side."

"A generous offer." Fiona's eyes were filled with hope. "But will the rest of the Inquisition honor it?"

"The Breach threatens all of Thedas. We cannot afford to be divided now." Ruya gestured. "We can't fight it without you. Any chance of success requires your full support."

"It's a generous offer." King Alistair folded his arms as he stared at Fiona. "I doubt you're going to get a better one from us."

"We accept." Fiona nodded. "It would be madness not to. I will gather my people and ready them for the journey to Haven. The Breach will be closed. You will not regret giving us this chance." She all but scampered from the room.

Leaving Ruya face to face with the King and Queen of Ferelden. She searched for something to say.

The King suddenly smiled. "Tell Leliana the next time she invades our country, she had better stop by for tea first."