"Morrigan!"

Alex looked around the garden, trying to find her sister's friend, only to see no traces of her or her son Kieran. The garden was quiet and peaceful, and the scent of herbs wafted to her nose, making her calm. She had done her best to make the garden as beautiful and majestic as the Skyhold castle, unfortunately, she did not possess a green thumb, and whatever she planted often died from her neglect. She had turned over the maintenance of the garden to the others, particularly to Mother Giselle, as the Chantry mother often used the herbs she gave o her as medicine for the injured.

She found the woman in the middle of the garden, speaking to Michel De Chevin, who seemed to be asking for herbs as a poultice. At her approach, the man bowed, and left the two women. She approached the woman, "Mother Giselle, have you seen Morrigan anywhere?"

The woman pointed at one the rooms beyond the garden, looking slightly concerned, "She went that way, Inquisitor… following her son. She seemed… distraught."

Alex's brows furrowed in confusion and she sprinted towards the room, opening the door and seeing Leliana in front of the eluvian, which glowed bright blue. The spymaster heard her approach, and she turned to her, looking panicked, "Inquisitor! Thank the Maker you're here!"

She neared her, looking up at the mirror in shock, as Leliana wrung her hands in fear, "Morrigan chased after her son into the eluvian! She was terrified!"

Alex blinked as she looked down at the woman, "Kieran did this?"

Leliana nodded, "She said he activated the mirror, and then she ran into it. I've never seen Morrigan like that! You must go after her! I will find help, Inquisitor."

She nodded, and the spymaster ran off, probably to tell Cullen and the others. Alex huffed as she stood in front of the mirror, before heading inside, and she blinked.

Instead of seeing circular trees and various mirrors like the couple of times she had headed into the mirror, Alex found herself in a familiar barren scenery, lighted green and full of stone formations. "Shit…" She couldn't help but curse, "This isn't the Crossroads, this is the Fade!" She seethed as she walked on, "How in the bloody hell did Kieran open this?" But she blinked when she remembered, "Oh right… Old God soul trapped in a boy. I forgot about that." She shook her head as she started jogging, "And I didn't even bring my damned staff. I ought to start wearing my armor in Skyhold… Morrigan! Kieran!"

She continued to run, calling out the name of the witch and her son, but soon she found her standing on what seemed to be a fork in the path, "Morrigan!" She called out, but the witch waved her hand, "Go back! I must find Kieran before it's too late!"

Alex huffed as she finally caught up with the witch, who was nervously pacing, as if she couldn't decide that fork to go into. The woman's face was full of worry, and there were tears in her eyes as her dark violet lips trembled, "Why would Kieran do this? How could he do this? We stand in the Fade! To direct the eluvian here would require immense power!" Morrigan sobbed a little, "If he is lost to me now, after all I've sacrificed…"

Alex's heart went out to her, and she held on her hand to comfort the woman, "We'll find him, Morrigan. He can't be far."

But Morrigan shook her head and strode away from her, "The Fade is infinite. He could literally be anywhere! Whatever happens to him now, 'tis my doing. I let him on this path!" She turned towards Alex again, and she saw tears running down her cheeks, "Please, help me look, Inquisitor. Just a little longer."

"It's okay, Morrigan." Alex said as she took the witch's hand again, and she sobbed a little, "You don't have to ask permission from me. Come on, I'll help you look for him."

Morrigan's face softened in gratitude and she tightened her hold on her hand, "Thank you, Inquisitor… Alex."

She smiled at her and continued to walk, holding on to the witch as the spirits around them, glowing red, seemed to watch them, drawn by Morrigan's fear and worry for her son. She continued to follow the path, praying that they wouldn't encounter any demons, and she blinked when she saw a couple of figures in the distance.

"There he is!" Morrigan said in relief, but Alex squinted, "But who is that with him?"

Morrigan squinted as well, but soon she gasped, "That is… no! It cannot be!"

"Morrigan!" Alex cried out as the witch sprinted, getting closer to the two figures, and they stopped when they neared them. Kieran stood in the middle of the clearing, holding his hand out towards an old woman's face, glowing blue. Alex looked down at the woman, clad in a strange red leather cloak with feathers at the collar and steel gauntlets and shin guards. At their approach, the woman turned to them, and Alex blinked at her yellow eyes under the wizened and old face, the white hair styled like horns pointing to her back, and at the pointy head gear on her forehead, like a crown.

"Mother!" Kieran cried out and smiled at Morrigan as he lowered his hand, and the witch gasped out, "Mother."

Alex blinked at Morrigan's words as the woman straightened, smiling at Morrigan, "now, isn't this a surprise?" The woman… Morrigan's mother said in a deep, rough voice.

"So this is all some kind of… family reunion?" Alex asked Morrigan, who was staring intently at the woman, who laughed a little. "Mother, daughter, grandson." She said, putting a hand behind Kieran, "It rather warms the heart, does it not?"

Morrigan seethed, "Kieran is not your grandson! Let him go!"

"As if I were holding the boy hostage." The woman scoffed, "She's always been ungrateful, you see."

"Ungrateful!" Morrigan yelled out in anger as she pointed accusingly at her own mother, "I know how you plan to extend your life, wicked crone! You will not have me, and you will not have my son!"

Morrigan raised her hands towards the woman, her palms glowing green with magic, and the other woman merely sighed in exasperation, "Oh… be a good lass and restrain her."

Alex watched as the older woman's eyes glowed white as she raised her hand, her palm glowing with magic. She gasped as she felt something warm creep up on her body, and the next thing she knew, she was moving, blocking Morrigan and wrapping an arm around her body to pull her away from the woman. "What are you doing?!" Morrigan cried out indignantly at her, "What are you doing?!"

The warmth faded, and Alex put a hand on her head as she shook away the feeling, "I don't know!"

"Of course you know." The woman said, smirking at them, "You drank from the Well, did you not?"

Alex's breath got caught in her throat at the same time Morrigan gasped out, and they turned to look at the older woman in disbelief. That can't be right, Alex thought as she looked at the woman, but already she could hear small whispers in her ear… the whispers of the Well as Morrigan spoke, "You… are Mythal."

The woman smiled a little at them, and Alex swallowed, "Well… that was unexpected."

The woman… Mythal, smiled knowingly at her, "You, of all people, should expect the unexpected by now."

Alex watched as Mythal pushed Kieran a little, and the boy looked up at her, nodding, before running forward and opening his arms. Morrigan caught the boy in her embrace, and she hiccupped happily, before Kieran separated from her and looked at her sadly, "I'm sorry, Mother. I heard her calling to me. She said now was the time."

Morrigan's eyes widened in shock as Kieran let go of her, returning to Mythal, "I… do not understand."

Mythal put her arm around Kieran again as she spoke, "Once, I was but a woman, crying out in the lonely darkness for justice. And she came to me, a wisp of an ancient being, and she granted me all I wanted and more. I have carried Mythal through the ages ever since, seeking the justice denied to her."

"Then… you carry Mythal inside you?" Alex asked her.

Mythal looked at her, "She is a part of me, no more separate than your own heart from your chest. What do the voices tell you?"

Alex closed her eyes, listening for the whispers from the Well, and instantly she heard them. Mythal'enaste, they said, she is Mythal… she is Asha'bellanar… the woman of many years…

"They say you speak the truth." Alex told her in surprise, and Mythal looked at her again, "But what was Mythal? A legend given name and called a god, or something more? Truth is not the end, but a beginning." She smiled as she looked at her, "It seems that fate is playing a joke on us all. Your bloodline is most fascinating. As for me, I have had many names. But you… may call me Flemeth."

"Flemeth?" Alex blinked in surprise, "Flemeth… as in the Witch of the Wilds Flemeth? The one who saved Solona in Korcari Wilds? And the one who saved Marianna back in Lothering?"

Mythal… Flemeth smiled, "Indeed. That is I. You Amells have a most fascinating history… and an intruiging future, it seems."

"So… you lured us here." Alex asked her, "What do you want?"

"One thing. And one thing only." Flemeth said, and she looked down at the boy. Alex felt a shiver of fear run up her spine as Kieran looked up at his mother, "I have to go now, Mother." He told Morrigan, and her eyes widened before she scowled angrily at Flemeth. "No. I will not allow it."

Flemeth scowled back at Morrigan, "He carries a piece of what once was, snatched from the jaws of darkness. You know this."

"He is not your pawn, mother!" Morrigan shouted, "I will now let you use him!"

Flemeth scoffed as she raised her brow at her daughter, "Have you not used him? Was that not your purpose, the reason you agreed to his creation?"

Morrigan looked sorrowful, "That was then. Now he… he is my son!"

Flemeth's eyes widened at the emotion in Morrigan's voice, and the witch looked at Alex, "Flemeth extends her life by possessing the bodies of her daughters, Inquisitor." Morrigan told her, "That was the fate she intended for me. I thwarted her, and now she intends to have Kieran instead!"

"So it's true?" Alex asked her, "What Solona said is true? He has the soul of Urthemiel inside him?"

Flemeth nodded, "I am not the only one carrying the soul of a being long thought lost."

Morrigan growled, "He is more than that, Mother!"

The older woman shrugged, "As am I, yet do you hear me complain? Our destinies are not so easily avoided, dear girl."

Kieran looked up at his mother again, "Mother, I have to."

Morrigan shook her head vehemently as she looked intently at her son, "You do not belong to her, Kieran! Neither of us do!"

"If Kieran was so special, why did you wait until now to come for him?" Alex asked Flemeth again.

"I did not know where she was." Flemeth answered truthfully, shrugging a little, "Morrigan cleverly hid him away from me… until now."

Morrigan gasped again, "Twas the Well."

At her daughter's reaction, Flemeth grinned, "Be thankful you did not drink. Imagine, bound to your dear mother for eternity." And she laughed, as if she found such a thing humorous.

"You're… going to steal the body of a young boy?" Alex asked Flemeth again, and her laughter stopped as she looked back at her intently.

"If my daughter believes it, then it must be so." She said, looking over at Morrigan, who fell to her knees in shock and fear, "Kieran, I…"

Kieran looked down at his mother in pity, before turning to look up at Flemeth with a look that reminded Alex of a cute puppy begging for something. Flemeth smiled down gently at the boy, before looking at Morrigan, "As you wish. Hear my proposal, dear girl…"

Morrigan stood up again, as Flemeth spoke, "Let me take the lad, and you are free of me forever. I will never interfere with or harm you again. Or, keep the lad with you… and you will never be safe from me. I will have my due."

"He returns with me." Morrigan declared, not even taking a second to think of her decision, making Flemeth blink in surprise, "Decided so quickly?"

"Do whatever you wish." Morrigan told her determinedly, "Take over my body now, if you must, but Kieran will be free of your clutches. I am many things, but I will not be the mother you were to me."

Flemeth looked at her sadly, her eyes turned upwards in a look of melancholy before she looked down at Kieran again. She stared at the boy for a moment, before coming forward and taking the boy's hands in her own. Alex and Morrigan watched as some sort of magical energy enveloped the two of them, with Kieran looking curiously at a small ball of light exiting from his chest, before it entered that of Flemeth's. When it was done, Flemeth gave the boy a gentle and almost loving smile, before releasing his hands.

"No more dreams?" The boy asked her, and she nodded slightly, "No more dreams."

Kieran smiled up to her before making his way to Morrigan's side, who immediately put an arm around him. Flemeth looked at her, "A soul is not forced upon the unwilling, Morrigan. You were never in danger from me." She turned towards Alex again, "As for you, Inquisitor, there is an ancient altar deep within a shaded wood. Go to it. Summon the dragon that is its guardian. Master it in combat, and it is yours to command against Corypheus. Fail, and die."

Alex opened her mouth to speak some more, but Flemeth had already turned around, walking away from them into the inner depths of the Fade. "Wait!" Morrigan exclaimed, but Flemeth had already disappeared.

Morrigan let out her breath at her mother's disappearance, before she bent over, and took the boy into her arms. Alex sighed out as she put her hand on the witch's shoulder, "Come on, Morrigan. Let's get back to Skyhold."

Alex, Morrigan and Kieran exited the eluvian, returning to their room in Skyhold after walking the Fade in silence, with Morrigan looking exhausted at the emotional turmoil she had just experienced. As they stood in the middle of the room, Morrigan finally let out her breath and bent over her son, touching his face lovingly, "Are you all right, Kieran? You are not hurt?"

Kieran looked a little sad as he looked up at his mother, "I feel lonely."

Morrigan sighed in relief, before she smiled down at him again, hugging the boy to her chest gently. Alex gave them a moment, after all, she understood why Morrigan would be so relieved to have her son back. When they separated, Kieran gave his mother a bright smile, before heading towards the door.

"She wanted the Old God soul all along." Morrigan said as they watched the boy walk away into the sunlit garden, "Is it worth reminding myself that perhaps I do not know everything after all? My mother has the soul of an elven goddess… or whatever 'Mythal' truly was… and her plans are unknown to me."

"Then… Solona told the truth. Kieran had the soul of an Old God… Urthemiel. Taken when she killed the Archdemon during the Fifth Blight." Alex said, and Morrigan nodded sadly, "Yes. It was the reason I had… asked her to allow Alistair to lay with me, even though he didn't want to as well. In truth, at first, I did it just to have the power of the Old God, and to save your sister but as he grew… as Kieran grew… I learned that I was… capable of loving another human being." She sighed heavily, "He has never known anything else. I am uncertain what effect this will have on him."

"But why did you…"

"I told you before at the Temple." Morrigan told her, "The magic of old must be preserved, no matter how feared. Kieran had a destiny, and not it is in Flemeth's hands. I suppose we shall see what she does with it."

Alex's brow raised, "You truly had no idea what she was?"

Morrigan sighed heavily, "I knew she kept the truth from me. I even suspected she was not truly human… but this? I always thought the so-called 'elven gods' were little more than glorified rulers, but now I have doubt. And doubt is… an uncomfortable feeling, Inquisitor." She looked at her with pity, "But it seems that you are now… a servant of my mother. I pray that she does not intend to do to you… what she had intended to do to me."

Alex huffed and put her hands on her hips, "I must admit, I still can't quite believe what happened."

Morrigan smiled gently at her as she waved a hand in front of Alex's face, "It is as if something from ancient times stretched a skeletal hand into our present. Of course, the same could be said of Corypheus."

"True enough." Alex chuckled as Morrigan headed over to her eluvian, and with a gesture of her arms, she closed the portal before turning to look at her again.

"Mother said you must summon a dragon at an ancient altar. Do you know where that is?" The witch asked, and Alex blinked several times, as a picture of what seemed to be a stone statue, surrounded by greenery and flowers, seemed to appear behind her closed lids. She blinked several times before speaking again, "I… think so. It's a place dedicated to Mythal."

"As, no doubt, is the guardian you must battle." Morrigan said, "Pray my mother has not lead you astray, Alex. She is not above doing so for her own amusement."

Alex watched as Morrigan moved away from her, following Kieran out into the garden, just as Solas and Cullen came in, looking fearful and out of breath. "Alexandra!" Cullen exclaimed as he headed into the room, putting his arms around her, "Are you alright? Leliana said you entered the eluvian without back-up."

"I'm fine, Cullen." Alex said as Solas neared her, and she could tell that the elf was worried as well. "It's… it's a long story. But we're safe now. Morrigan helped me."

Solas looked at her, and blinked, "You… you entered the Fade! I could sense the remnants of magical energy around you! What happened, ma falon?"

Alex breathed in as Cullen directed her to a chair, which was still covered with a sheet, "I… I met her. I met Mythal."

Cullen and Solas blinked in shock, with the elf growing pale at her declaration, "Mythal…? But that's…"

"Well, not Mythal precisely." Alex added, "Her spirit. She's possessed a human body… like Cole did. She's in the body of Morrigan's mother, Flemeth."

"The Witch of the Wilds?" Cullen asked her, "Wasn't she the one who helped your sister in escaping Ostagar?"

Alex nodded , "She… she told me to head to the Dales. There's an altar for Mythal there, and a dragon protecting it. She said I should tame it, and I could use the dragon to defeat Corypheus' archdemon."

The two men silenced for a bit, with Solas looking up at the eluvian, before looking down at her, "Are you… certain that it is her?"

"Yes, it's true. The voices from the Well… they told me she was saying the truth." She shook her head, "I don't understand it all, as well. But if her information is correct, I have to head to the Dales to get that dragon. It's the only way we can defeat Corypheus."

Cullen looked at her worriedly, before nodding, "Alright. Who would you like to accompany you to the altar then?"

She sighed as she thought, "See if you can get Iron Bull and Sera for me. Bull would be utterly disappointed in me if I leave him out of a dragon fight. And…" She looked up at Solas, who looked rather disturbed, "I'd like you to come with me, Solas… if you'd allow it."

The elf looked up at her, and he gave her a small smile, although there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, "Or course, ma falon. I will come with you."

She reached up and took his hand, squeezing it in gratitude, and the elf returned the pressure. "Thank you." She stood up again and touched Cullen's hand, and he looked down at her worriedly, "Really, I'm fine, Cullen. But please tell Bull and Sera to prepare. I need to go to my room and get my armor."

Cullen looked down at her, before sighing and leaning over, kissing her forehead lovingly, "If you say so, Alexandra. I'll head over to the tavern."

Alex smiled up at him, and he nodded slightly before leaving the room to head to the pub. Alex turned around to see Solas still looking at the eluvian wistfully, and she touched the elf's shoulder, making him look at her, "Come on, Solas."

The elf nodded slowly, before giving the mirror one last look, and heading out the door. Alex sighed as she followed him, reaching up to her head to rub a nagging headache away, as well as the quiet whispers of the Well, which kept saying harellan.