Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.

"I know that homes burn and that you should think what to save before they start to. Not because, in the heat of it, everything looks as valuable as everything else. But, because nothing looks worth the bother, not even your life."
— Amy Hempel (The Collected Stories)

Chapter 23:Saving The Circle

Sleep eluded Valerie Cousland for several weeks now. The blonde rogue had done as Jade asked her to and taken the others back to the inn. Two days had passed since Jade left with her group. To say that Valerie was extremely worried and restless would be an understatement. She hadn't gotten a goodnight's sleep since...the night before Howe betrayed her family and then when Loghain quit the field at Ostagar.

Poor Cailain. Duncan's loss was hard, but she could not find the ability to grieve for him. It was true he'd saved her life and she was grateful for that, but at what cost? Her dream of becoming a Grey Warden fulfilled, only to lose her family and friends since childhood in less than a day? She pitied Duncan, but did not mourn his loss as much as she did the loss of her home and king. No, not her king. Her friend. She and Fergus had grown up alongside Cailan and Anora as much as they did beside Nathaniel, Delilah and Thomas Howe. To watch her friend die like that, right in front of her, was heartbreaking.

Her friendship with Anora did not officially begin until she met the queen and king at a royal ball, but the friendship she shared with Cailan dated back to when they were children. She lied to Jade at least partially about how she really knew Cailan. He treated her like the sibling he wished he could have had. She knew how jealous he was of her having Fergus as an older brother while he could never have any true relationship with his own younger half-brother. The best thing to do for Alistair was keep an eye on him when Duncan couldn't. He spoke so highly of his little brother and desperately wished for just one chance to talk to him properly, a chance he never got.

When Cailan told her about his brief encounter with Alistair in Redcliffe before he ran into the armory after yelling "Ooh! Swords!", she was torn between frowning and laughing at him. Cailan had expressed nothing but excitement over the chance to meet Alistair, but when his wish finally came true, nervousness and his own love of swords took over and before he could stop himself, he ran off to the armory, not truly realizing what he'd done until it was too late and Alistair was left thinking that his own half-brother wanted nothing to do with him. If only he knew the truth...

Alistair still had yet to tell everyone the truth about the circumstances of his birth as a royal bastard. Valerie did not blame him. He would tell them when he was ready. She may have resented the man for pushing the weight of leaderships on hers and Jade's shoulders, but she was not without sympathy for what he had lost as both a child and adult. Eamon would no doubt try to make poor Alistair king now due to Maric's blood flowing through his veins, and Valerie would not hesitate to help him keep Eamon off his back.

After the horrible treatment Eamon and his Orlesian whore of a wife Isolde, had put him through, the two should consider themselves lucky that Maric and Fiona were not here to execute them for their abuse of an innocent child. Queen Rowan would have been equally disgusted by her brother and sister-in-law's behavior. It did not matter if Alistair made her seem like a concubine for Maric, he was still a child and no child deserved to be treated the way Alistair had been by Eamon and Isolde.

Sitting on the divan settee in her room at the inn with her faithful hound Leonard resting his head on her lap, a tray of food on the table next to her, a cup of tea in one hand, and a letter in the other, Valerie couldn't help but think back on those memories. Things had been so much easier back then. She wished she could go back to those times and stop all of these bad things from happening. Alas, such a miracle was not possible. She found herself wondering not for the first time in the last several weeks if miracles were possible at all.

She was no Andrastian. Whatever respect or love she might have had for Andraste or the Maker was long gone by now. She was never the religious type, yet she always believed in the existence of the Maker and Andraste despite not praying to them very often. After what happened to her family, however, she refused to pray to them ever again. She only prayed to them in desperate and lonely times. Now she felt only disdain, hurt, and anger toward the Chantry and their pathetic divine figures. Where was the Maker when her sister-in-law and nephew were brutally murdered and left to rot? Where was the Maker when Lady Landra, Darren, Iona, Brother Aldous, Mother Mallol, and her parents were all killed as well? Where was the damn Maker and his whore of a bride when Loghain chose to abandon Cailan at Ostagar? Did he even exist? And if he did exist, did he even care for the children he created then left to die without a second thought?

Valerie shook her head and sighed deeply. Leonard seemed to feel his mistress's distress and looked up at her with worried eyes, whimpering. She smiled down at him. It was during these difficult times that her hound served as her one source of joy and comfort. Life without him by her side would be miserable. Her smile vanished as she sipped at her tea and looked back at the letter from Bann Shayne Gilmore, Ser Gilmore's father, that was secretly delivered from him by a messenger boy just an hour ago this morning. The others still had yet to wake up, so she was left alone with her pet hound to read the letter until Ser Gilmore found out and asked her about it. She dreaded that moment greatly, especially because of the contents of the letter...

To my dearest son and his fellow wardens,

What happened at Ostagar was tragic, but I can feel it in my bones as a father that my son is still alive and I pray he is well. What Loghain did was questionable, I admit that much, but I fear I cannot turn on him lest he have me face the same fate as poor Cailan. I know that you will not be pleased with my decision Rory, but you must understand that I have no choice in these harsh times. You have my prayers and love. Anything more, however, I cannot give you. Please accept my most humble apologies and sympathies to Valerie Cousland if she is with you. Do not try to contact me, my son, or that rat Howe will find out and inform Loghain, who will not hesitate to have me executed for what he believes to be treason.

Fom Bann Shayne Gilmore

How the man had tracked them down was beyond her. All that mattered was his decision to avoid helping them in their fight against Loghain and the blight. She understood his reasons, but felt angry and disappointed nonetheless. Doubtless that Ser Gilmore would share the feeling as well. His reaction would most likely depend on what kind of a mood he was in and how she chose to tell him.

With a sigh, she folded the letter and placed it on the table. She then picked up the food tray, put it next to her, refilled her teacup, and decided to start eating her breakfast in silence. Reaching for her bowl of porridge and spoon, she lightly pushed Leonard head off her lap so she could move the tray onto her lap. The dog only whined slightly before moving his head from his owner's lap and fell asleep. She smiled warmly as she watched him then went back to eating. A contended sigh escaped her lips as she tasted the warm porridge as well as the freshly-baked piece of bread. If there was one thing she liked about staying at inns, it was the food.

She would tell Ser Gilmore about the letter from his father later. For now, she was content to sit in her room with a peacefully slumbering Leonard by her side and simply enjoy her meal.

She was going to kill him.

Murder and revenge were the only things in Natasha Amell's mind as she and her allies saw Uldred torturing an innocent mage before asking the traumatized young man if he accepted the gift Uldred offered him. Her heart broke as she witnessed Uldred release the mage from his grasp and turn him into an abomination. She clenched her fists. Uldred would pay with his life for what he had done. She would make sure of that.

"Is that Uldred?" Jade asked in a whisper from beside her. Natasha nodded curtly in response, unable to speak and say the treacherous monster's name out loud without feeling inclined to vomit.

Uldred twisted around at the sound of her party approaching, a sadistic smile crossing his lips as he nodded at her."Ah, look what we have here. Irving's two star pupils and Greagior's little pet." Regina and Cullen both glared at him with fury equal to the kind Natasha felt."Uldred didn't think of you three as much of a threat then, and I certainly don't see your appeal now."

"Yes well, do forgive us that we are not very impressed by you, mage." Jade replied icily, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

Uldred rolled his eyes and groaned."I suppose one can't be loved universally." He said dryly. The sadistic smile returned as he examined the group of wardens and their allies as if he was sizing up a group of cows for a slaughter."I'm quite impressed that all of you are still alive. Unfortunately, that means you killed my servants before you got here." He shrugged his shoulders, clearly not at all saddened by this fact."Ah well, I suppose they are better off dying in the service of their betters than living with the terrible responsibility of independence."

"Is someone upset we killed their lackeys?" Natasha's voice was dripping with sarcasm, venom, and contempt as she whispered the words in a very sweet tone of voice.

"We needn't fixate on who killed them." Uldred said, shaking his head."That doesn't help our relationship."

"Relationship?!" She whispered incredulously then screamed at him."What the hell do you think you're trying to accomplish by torturing these people?!" She demanded.

Uldred smiled."A mage is but the larval form of something greater. Your Chantry vilifies us and calls us abominations, when we have truly reached our full potential!"

"You're insane!" Regina hissed.

"Look at them. The Chantry has them convinced. These fools deny themselves the pleasure of becoming something glorious."

"Regina is right to call you mad!" Wynne snapped."There is nothing glorious about what you've become, Uldred!"

"Uldred?" He laughed and shook his head in amusement."He is gone, dear Wynne. I am Uldred, and yet I am not. I am far more than he ever was and what he ever could have been. I could give you this gift, Wynne. You and all mages. It would be so much easier if you just accepted it, you know. But some people," He gestured toward Natasha and Regina,", can be so stubborn."

"I'm glad so many of them stood up to you." Natasha said coldly.

"And what good did that do?" He snorted."I still won!" He seemed to remember something important then, because he grinned and glanced over his shoulder at the captive mages behind him."Wait a second...now what do we have here? Why it's the First Enchanter himself! Come and say hello to your two old apprentices, Irving. Please don't mind the blood. He's had a hard day."

Irving lay on the floor, covered in blood and bruises but still alive. His hands were bound and he was panting heavily. Anyone could see he had been tortured severely by the abomination once known as Uldred. Seeing her old mentor in such a horrific state only fueled Natasha's rage and made her more determined to kill the abomination in front of her than ever before.

Wynne gasped in horror."What have you done to him?!"

"S-Stop him!" Irving yelled then coughed up blood and struggled to catch his breath. He could barely breathe, let alone speak."He is building an army to...destroy the Templars and..." He trailed off into another violent coughing fit, spitting out more blood as he did so.

"You're such a sly little fox, aren't you Irving?" Uldred drawled with amused disappointment and irritation filling his tone."Telling on me like that. And here I thought he was finally starting to turn."

"N-Never!" Irving spat.

Uldred waved him off."That's quite enough out of you, old man. He will serve me soon enough and so will his two little students..." He smiled evilly at Regina and Natasha.

"I'd rather die!" Regina screamed. Natasha nodded her head firmly in agreement.

"Killing you two would be such a waste." He said with a shake of his head."Your raw potential, with the strength of a demon behind it, would be completely unstoppable. I can do that-I can give you both power, and a new life."

"That's not going to happen." Jade stated with an ominously calm look on her face. The huntress had already taken out her bow and was starting to nock two arrows in Uldred's direction."I've no intentions of letting you do anything to my friends."

"Your opinion does not manner, elf." Uldred waved a hand at her."I'm the one in charge here and what I've decided will be done whether anyone else here likes it or not."

"Shut up and fight, abomination!" Natasha snarled just as Jade released her two arrows that were aimed at Uldred and the battle began.

"Irving?!" The surprise and relief in Greagior's voice was unmistakeable when he saw Natasha and Regin helping the First Enchanter walk out the door."Maker's breathe, I did not expect to you alive!"

"It is over, Greagior." Irving stated."Uldred is dead and the Circle is safe once more."

"Uldred tortured him and several other mages." Cullen explained."He was hoping to break their wills and make them become abominations. Luckily, we managed to stop him in time."

Natasha smiled at Cullen, though she looked away upon seeing the blush forming on his face when he saw her smiling at him. Irving carefully pulled his arms away from where he had wrapped them around Natasha and Regina's shoulders for support and managed to stand up straight on his own."Now we must rebuild. The Circle will go on, and we will learn from this tragedy, and be strengthened by it."

"You're welcome by the way, Knight-Commander." Jade said to Greagior before Natasha could. She gave the chestnut-haired mage a small smile that was gratefully returned.

Greagior sighed deeply, but nodded."Thank you. You have all proven yourselves friends of the Circle as well as the Templars."

"You and the rest of your idiotic Templars can go to hell and rot for all I care!" Natasha scowled. Greagior glared at her in annoyance and she glared back without hesitation.

Irving, Cullen, Wynne, and Regina exchanged a knowing look and sighed in unison, shaking their heads."Here we go again..." Regina muttered under her breath.

"This kind of thing happens often, doesn't it?" Simone asked.

Wynne chuckled, nodding."You truly have no idea, my dear."

"We still require aid, Ser." Cullen said.

Greagior turned his attention away from Natasha to look at Cullen before nodding his head."I promised you aid, but with the Circle restored, my duty to watch over the mages just as I did before this all happened."

"A duty you failed miserably at too." Natasha added wryly.

"That is enough, you two." Irving stifled a sigh as he got between them and smiled kindly at Natasha."Do not worry, child, you came for the aid of the mages and so you shall have it. When the time comes that you need our help, do not hesitate to inform us and we will not hesitate to come to your aid either."

"I cannot believe I am saying this," Greagior sighed,", but it is good to have you back, Irving."

Irving smirked."I'm sure we'll back at each other's throats again in no time, Greagior."

Natasha bowed her head."Thank you for everything, First Enchanter."

"No, child." He replied, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling warmly over at Regina, who returned the gesture."It is we who should be thanking you and your companions. It is good to see you, Regina, and Cullen are all well. I wish you luck on your travels."

Wynne cleared her throat loudly, stepping forward."Irving, if you do not mind, I would like to accompany the wardens on their journey. Just in case they need any...extra help." She winked slyly at Natasha.

"Wynne, are you certain?" Irving asked, obviously reluctant to let her leave after what had happened today. She nodded firmly, and he sighed deeply before agreeing."Very well. If the wardens will have you, then you have my permission to leave the tower with them."

"Jade?" Natasha asked, looking at elf with a raised eyebrow.

Jade chuckled."The more, the merrier." She inclined her head politely at the elderly mage."We would be glad to have you with us, hahren." She clenched her fists upon hearing Tamlen scoffing harshly behind. He was lucky Wynne had not heard him and also that they were not alone, or else Jade would have certainly punched him by now. She made a mental note to actually do so in private after they were done with this place. For Wynne's sake, however, she forced herself to smile and not glare at Tamlen from the corner of her eye although Creators knew how badly she wanted to.

The huntress took a small step back and elbowed Tamlen in the stomach to silence him. He grunted, though it was more out of surprise than pain. She ignored the irritated look he shot her, trying to be as discreet as possible in order to avoid attracting too much unwanted attention by beating him up in public. She would save that for later.

"I'll deal with you later!" She hissed at him over her shoulder through gritted teeth so only he could hear her."But for now, keep your mouth shut or I will slice that stupid tongue of yours in half to keep you quiet if need be, lethallin!"

Needless to say, that shut him up for the rest of the day.

Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!

Elven Translations:

Hahren - Elder

Lethallin - Friend/Kinsman (Male)

Next up: Chapter 24:Reconciliation