A/N: No, I haven't abandoned this story or any others, I've just been unable to do any writing lately thanks to RL. This is a shorter chapter but I hope you enjoy it regardless. :)

Chapter Nineteen: Connor's Exorcism

The journey from the Tower back to Redcliffe was far from eventful, though after what they had experienced, this was hardly unpleasant. Yvaine and her companions traveled with the other mages back to the castle in an elongated version of the boat they had been on previously, made so by the mages at the Tower. Though they knew their task was grim, the air about the boat was cheerful and almost hopeful as the people talked and laughed together, all glad to be alive and able to share in this brief moment of harmony.

"Do you remember that one time when you were visiting that we turned your Mabari's fur purple?" laughed Adelais as Yvaine scowled playfully at her.

"Yes, and as I recall you were unable to change him back before Mother and Irving caught us," teased Yvaine, she knew her cousin had become a powerful mage and could likely rival the Magisters in Tevinter but it was always fun to point out this had not always been true.

Ian laughed loudly as his sister's face turned a bright crimson color. "Oh lighten up, Sister, you can't be perfect all of the time. Yvaine's just teasing because she knows you're better than her."

Yvaine balked. "I beg your pardon, Ian, but if I recall correctly neither of you can swing a sword to save your life."

"No, but we can wield a staff and we look pretty incredible when we do," said Ian smugly only to have Garuth elbow him hard in the arm.

"Speak for yourself, you drop your staff more often than you spin it around," said Garuth and Ian said nothing in response, instead he just smiled at his companion warmly.

Yvaine saw the smile her cousin was giving his friend and something clicked in her mind. "Ian, are you and Garuth . . . involved with each other?"

Hesitantly the two men looked around at the others on the boat, none of whom were paying them any attention save for their sisters and Yvaine's friends. They knew they had no reason to fear persecution now that they were Wardens but the fear of someone finding out was still there, since fraternization amongst mages was more or less forbidden at the Tower.

"Yes, we are," said Garuth softly and was surprised when Yvaine smiled at him and then at Ian, as if she had been hoping for this all along.

"I'm so glad for the two of you!" she all but shouted and in one quick motion was embracing them both. For a moment the men were stunned then they relaxed and accepted her gesture, returning it eagerly as their sisters smiled at each other knowingly, both glad that their brothers were finally happy.

"I'm curious, is a relationship between two Wardens normal?" asked Celestine. "What I mean to say is will my brother and Ian be discouraged from having a relationship because of their status as Wardens?"

Alistair shook his head. "Not at all, I mean, it would look rather hypocritical of us if we did something like that considering Yvaine and I are together. Their relationship, like ours, is accepted so long as it won't endanger any lives say in battle or what have you."

"It won't," said Ian solemnly, taking Garuth's hand in his. "We know the risks, we've been through some trials before while at the Tower. Relationships there are very much discouraged and we knew if we were caught we'd invoke the wrath of the Templars, and when we were found out, we made it through."

"You won't have to worry about anyone using your relationship against you," swore Yvaine, glaring menacingly at the Templars Greagoir had insisted on accompanying the mages to Redcliffe. "I promise you, being a Warden will give you freedoms you never could have at the Tower."

The mages all smiled at the thought of finally being able to live somewhat normally, without the constant threat of Templars hanging over their heads. While they were all grateful to the mages at the Tower for looking after them and teaching them how to control their powers, they had always wanted to live in the regular world as their own person. Now as Wardens they had the opportunity to do just that, and they were not going to waste this chance.

"So what happens after we help the arl's son?" asked Adelais as she smoothed out her robe over her knees. "Do we travel with you, Yvaine or do we try to find our own place to live?"

Yvaine shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure, Addy, but you're not going to be deserted someplace while we traipse around Ferelden getting allies for our army. If anything, you four will be put in charge of the mage battalion, training them against the darkspawn."

"Who would've thought we'd be put in charge of training mages?" laughed Ian and Adelais smiled at him. "Cousin, we are grateful to you for everything you've done for us and our friends. We just have one more request . . . could you please tell us what happened to Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Bryce?"

Yvaine hesitated, while she knew it would be right to tell her cousins what happened to her parents, she was still reluctant. She had yet to even tell Fergus what actually happened, beyond that Oren and Oriana were both now dead. "I will, but not right now," she replied softly, tears burning her eyes. "This is not a discussion to be had here, Cousins."

"Of course," said Adelais, seeming to understand that the topic was clearly painful for Yvaine to even think about let alone discuss openly. "I'm just glad we still have you and Fergus, though this will be the first time in years we've seen him. I wonder if he still enjoys putting salamanders in girls' hair."

Yvaine laughed brightly. "For Leliana's sake, I hope not!"

They all joined in the laughter, the tension kept at bay just a little longer as they sailed towards the demon's lair.

It was nearly daybreak when they arrived back at Redcliffe castle and immediately all of the mages were noticeably uneasy. Yvaine knew why, the magic emanating from the castle was strong and formidable, as if the demon had known of their impending arrival and prepared accordingly. Without a second thought, Yvaine charged through the door, hoping that everyone was still alive inside and that they were at least safe from the demon's wrath; she also hoped that Morrigan had been a match for the demon's power and was able to contain it, at least temporarily.

"Thank the Maker!" exclaimed Fergus when he saw Yvaine burst through the main hall door. He rushed over to her and embraced her as if he had not seen her in weeks. "Where have you been?! That journey should have been a few hours at most! You've been gone nearly an entire day."

Yvaine disentangled herself from her brother's strong grip, though he did not let her stray too far from his reach. "It's a long story, but we were able to secure the mages for both our army and for Connor's exorcism. Irving and the others are headed this way. How's everything here? Did Connor escape?"

"No," said Fergus with a firm shake of his head. "Luckily for all of us, Morrigan was able to counteract the demon's magic and kept it and him contained the entire time you were gone. He was unable to even make the dead rise, so we can thank Andraste for that at least."

"Good," said Yvaine with a sigh of relief. "Now we can go about freeing him from that demon's hold, though I'm sure it won't be too easy."

Just then the door opened once again, revealing Yvaine's companions and the mages, all of whom looked as if they had been through the ringer. Irving stepped forward, his blue eyes scanning the room as if looking for some invisible answer to a question not yet asked. His eyes rested on Isolde and Teagan, whom were now clutching onto each other as if they were drowning at sea.

"You two are the boy's parents, are you not?" asked Irving calmly, ignoring the irritating sound that Isolde made at being addressed so brazenly by a mage.

"Arlessa Isolde is his mother, and I am his uncle," replied Teagan though Yvaine noticed that he was averting his gaze from the First Enchanter.

Irving did not miss this either and frowned deeply. "It does you no good to lie to me, Bann Teagan, I can detect you essence in the boy though his magic comes from his mother's family. You are the boy's natural father, it's as simple as that."

Yvaine stared wide-eyed at Teagan before looking to her companions all of whom seemed just as surprised as she was. 'That explains a great deal,' she thought with an amused grin before stepping beside Irving. "While that's all well and good, Irving, I think we should be getting on with saving Connor," said Yvaine with a hint of urgency in her voice. "I'm not sure how much longer my friend can contain his influence."

"I quite agree," said Irving sternly as he turned his attention back to Yvaine. "We have enough lyrium to perform the ritual, now all we need is a willing and capable mage to venture into the Fade and free the boy from within."

"Is there anyone you recommend?" asked Yvaine as she briefly swept her gaze over the mages standing behind her. They all seemed quite capable to her but she knew that looks could be deceiving.

"I recommend Garuth," said Irving, looking directly at the brunette elf. "He's demonstrated the best aptitude for dealing with demons and knows several spells that will come in handy for this particular exorcism. If he is willing, I see no reason for him not to go."

Yvaine did not want to ask this of her friend, he and the others had already been through too much in such a short span of time yet she knew they needed to save Connor and sending the best mage might be the right idea. "Garuth, I hate to ask you to do this," she said quietly and the elf simply shrugged.

"What's the point in being good at something if you never get the chance to show it off," he said with a slight chuckle before his sister put her arms around him. They held each other for a few moments, both thinking this might be the last time they ever saw each other again, then he released his sister's grip and walked straight to Irving. "I'm ready when you are, old man," he said with a wink and Irving chuckled warmly.

"And here I thought your Harrowing meant you were growing up, Garuth," he chided gently as Garuth smiled broadly. "Now, you need to lay down on the floor while the rest of us use the lyrium to power your soul's journey into the Fade, while this is happening you will be unable to commune with the outside world. You will be bombarded by demons and it is likely the Desire demon holding the boy will attempt to strike a deal with you, you must resist at all times. Do you understand me? Only by defeating the demon can the boy be brought back to this world without retaining any damage."

Garuth nodded solemnly, his green eyes shining with determination. "I won't let you down, First Enchanter, I will reclaim the boy's soul and bring him back to his family."

"Then let us begin," said Irving with a triumphant grin.

Yvaine watched silently as the mages performed their ritual on Garuth; he was laying prone on the floor with his eyes closed while the other mages rained magic down on him, all while standing in a circle outlined in lyrium dust. All of the mages, including Garuth, had drunk a large vial of lyrium before the ritual had commenced in order to maintain the powerful spell required to send Garuth's soul into the Fade. She had heard about such rituals from her uncle and cousins years ago but to actually be witnessing one firsthand was entirely different.

Her gaze drifted over to Teagan and Isolde, whom had resumed their hold on each other as they looked on helplessly. They could not see Connor so they did not know how this ritual was affecting him, and Yvaine could only guess that that was what was bothering them the most; as she knew it would have distressed her parents greatly if they could not comfort their child in pain. She could not help but become angrier at Isolde now that she knew Teagan was Connor's actual father; she had kicked Alistair out of the palace thinking he was Eamon's bastard when all along she had her own that she was passing off as Eamon's. Isolde was going to pay dearly.

"Do you think it's working?" whispered Alistair, whom was sitting beside her. "They've been at this for a while now, how do we know if it's doing anything?"

"If this wasn't working then they wouldn't have been able to keep up the spell for so long nor would the lyrium dust be transferring them power," replied Yvaine quietly as she pointed to the now glowing lyrium circle around the mages. "Garuth's definitely in the Fade and I can feel the demon's power receding, which means he's breaking its hold on Connor. They should be back with us shortly."

Alistair nodded then looked over at Morrigan, the witch had been able to maintain a magical barrier between Connor and the rest of the world but it had evidentially taken its toll on her body and magic. She appeared visibly drained and had graciously accepted the lyrium she had been offered by Celestine; downing it so quickly they all thought she might have choked. Her appearance had improved slightly since then but not by much and Alistair thought for a moment that she looked vulnerable.

"I'm amazed Morrigan was able to protect everyone for so long," he said to Yvaine. "I didn't think she was capable of actually doing something to help others."

"We didn't give her much choice, in hindsight," said Yvaine slowly as she too glanced over at the witch. "It was either protect the village or go with us to the Tower, either way was a lose-lose situation for her, but I'm grateful that she chose the former. It would have been difficult without her, that's for sure."

"Who knew Morrigan was more useful than just for her cooking," said Alistair with a slight chuckle then his smile faded. "I'm glad we were able to escape the Fade ourselves, however, I don't want to think what might have happened had Niall not been as heroic."

Yvaine smiled kindly and rested her head against his shoulder. "Then perhaps we shouldn't think about what might have been. I'm just glad that we made it back in one piece and have the opportunity to continue our little adventure."

Alistair snorted as he put his arm around her shoulders. "If this is what you call a "little adventure" then I'd hate to see what you consider an epic journey."

"Yes you would," said Yvaine with a slight chuckle and Alistair held her tighter against him. They fell into silence as they continued to watch the mages work, the soft chanting working its way through the room. Yvaine could feel the magic in her blood dancing with delight, the presence of such strong power made her feel as if she could conjure lightening or fire from her fingertips.

"Don't even try it, Vaine," said Fergus from a few feet away, as if he knew that she was musing about attempting magic. He was sitting on the floor as well with Leliana close by; as far as Yvaine could tell, the bard was slowly helping her brother through his grief and might have even told him about her nightmare while at Sloth's mercy. While she was surprised that her brother appeared to be moving on from Oriana more quickly than she expected, she had a feeling he was in his own private hell.

"'Tis truly amazing," drawled Morrigan as she sat beside Yvaine, giving a rather nasty smile to Alistair. "I never expected your Chantry mages to be capable of anything above sparks and showers of light."

Yvaine frowned and glared at Morrigan. "Well then this is your lucky day, because Alistair and I recruited four "Chantry" mages for the Wardens and they'll be traveling with us for the foreseeable future."

Alistair shook beside her with suppressed laughter as Morrigan's face morphed from calm to disgusted in a matter of seconds. Yvaine could not help the slightly superior smile that tugged at her lips as she tried not to rub salt in Morrigan's wound, though it was almost too tempting to resist.

"Oh, and just so you know, I did manage to find that item you mentioned," said Yvaine softly as she turned her attention back to the ritual though she did see from the corner of her eye Morrigan's previous expression change once again. It resembled something close to gratitude.

"Thank you," said Morrigan bashfully but Yvaine did not miss the smile.

Yvaine returned the smile then nudged the witch gently with her shoulder, a gesture of companionship between them, a gesture the witch returned.

"I believe the bas saarebas are nearly finished with their ritual," said Sten suddenly from his position against the wall. The Qunari had barely spoken a word since their departure the previous day and when he saw the mages, he had growled at them before retreating to the nearest wall.

"I believe you're correct, Sten," agreed Yvaine and she pushed herself up from the floor, the others following her lead moments later.

They hovered closer to the circle of mages, watching as Garuth's limbs started to twitch and the magic began to fade away from the others. Moments later the mages ceased their chanting and stopped the flow of magic completely, all watching Garuth with bated breath for any signs of consciousness. Celestine looked on the verge of tears as she looked at her twin but then suddenly his eyes shot open and he started panting heavily.

"He needs water!" cried Celestine as she knelt beside her brother and Yvaine threw her a waterskin from one of their packs. The mage silently thanked her friend with a slight nod before pulling the stopper out and slowly poured the water into her brother's parched mouth, repeatedly kissing his forehead as she did.

"It worked," Garuth croaked out after a few moments. "The boy's in the back room but he is himself again."

Yvaine nodded then ran for the door that led to the family quarters, her heart pounding in her chest as she started searching rooms for Connor.

"Connor!" she shouted as she opened a door. "Connor, are you here?" She opened another door at the end of the hall and saw a small child with red hair lying on the stone floor. Immediately she was at his side, pulling Connor into her lap, her arms wrapping around him as she tried not to panic she had hoped he would be awake by now like Garuth but that did not seem to be the case.

"Please wake up, Connor," she begged, distressed that the child she had taken care of might be put into a state of unconsciousness. "Please don't leave us."

She felt Connor stir in her arms then she saw his hazel eyes flutter open, and she knew he was back to his old self, no longer possessed by a demon.

"Yvaine," he said in a hoarse voice before Yvaine held him tight against her torso in a slightly crushing embrace. "Are you feeling well? I've never seen you this emotional."

Yvaine laughed loudly as she hugged Connor tighter. "I'm fine, Connor, just relieved to see that you are as well." She then released her hold on him and helped him to his feet. "Come, your mother and uncle are waiting for you in the throne room."

"Connor!" cried Isolde the moment the boy stepped into the throne room, and she pulled him into an even tighter embrace than Yvaine had, nearly choking the child as she wept into his shoulder. "I thought I had lost you f-f-forever! I'm s-s-o happy to s-s-see you alive!"

"Mother, you're embarrassing me," mumbled Connor as he tried to push away from his mother. "And choking me."

Isolde let go instantly though she did not let Connor stray away as far as he would have liked. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, ma petit," she said as tears freely ran down her cheeks. "I promise, we will punish the man responsible for all of this, and then we can go on with our lives. Everything will be as it was before."

Yvaine very nearly smashed Isolde's head into the floor. "Don't you mean woman responsible for all of this?" she asked menacingly her eyes narrowed in a glare. "As I recall, it was you who sent for Jowan in order to hide your son's gift from the Circle, so everything that's happened in Redcliffe is your fault, Lady Isolde."

"You are hardly in a position to argue with the girl, Arlessa," said Irving sternly as he came up behind Isolde. "She informed me about what you have done and we'll be sending Connor back to the Circle when it has righted itself, and as for Jowan his fate will be decided by the Arl since he is no longer out responsibility."

"That sounds reasonable," said Teagan smoothly as he stepped between Isolde and Irving. "This will at least give Connor the chance to say farewell to his family and Jowan must pay for what he's done to my brother. Will you be staying here with us in Redcliffe, First Enchanter?"

Irving stroked his beard thoughtfully. "That's an excellent idea, Bann Teagan. It would give us a chance to help the people that have been tormented by the demon and train young Connor so he's ready by the time he goes to the Circle."

Teagan nodded his agreement just as Isolde made a gurgling noise in the back of her throat, reminding Yvaine of the sound the castle cat would make when it was coughing up a fur ball. She knew Isolde was less than happy at the prospect of having mages living in her castle but after all the trouble she had put everyone through, it was truly the very least she could do to start making amends. Yvaine thought of another way Isolde could help the people of Redcliffe further.

"Teagan," said Yvaine with a small, flirty grin. "Why don't we hold a banquet here for all of the people in the village? As a celebration for exorcising the demon from Redcliffe."

"I agree," said Teagan with a cocky grin. "The people of Redcliffe need something that will lift their spirits and reward their bravery, and I can't think of a better way. We'll have it arranged immediately, after we properly bury the dead."

"Then we should probably go back to the village to assist," said Yvaine sternly and she motioned for the others to follow her as she started out of the castle.

There was an air of relief and sorrow over the village, they had suffered for so long and lost so much that to have it all back after such a price was bittersweet. The dead lay on the docks waiting to be put to sea and given a proper burial, amongst them were the mourners who desperately prayed for their loved ones to find peace at the Maker's side. Several people had to be pried off a dead family member; the worst had been a small girl who had lost her older brother and was begging him to wake up now that the bad men were gone. He had died protecting her from the corpses when they had broken into their house the night before. Yvaine felt a dagger of guilt lodge itself in her heart for not saving those children.

With the help of the mages, the bodies were placed into makeshift rafts and released onto the lake, before a fireball or flaming arrow was fired to ignite the boat. There were too many people that needed to be buried and not enough wood for individual pyres so creating small rafts and lighting them on fire was the solution. The local Revered Mother stood on the docks and said prayers for the dead each time a boat was launched. Most of the village stood somberly on the docks or surrounding land, paying their respects.

Yvaine stood between Teagan and Alistair, watching silently as boat after boat was launched into the lake. She glanced over and saw Isolde with Connor closer to the Revered Mother, she was holding on tightly to him and actively avoiding the sneers and glares the people of Redcliffe were giving her; Yvaine suspected they knew she was involved with what had happened. 'They never trusted having an Orlesian arlessa, and apparently with good reason,' she thought bitterly. Without really thinking she reached over and held Alistair's hand, allowing him to twine his fingers between hers; she knew their feelings for each other were beyond just a mere flirtation, and she took comfort knowing someone else in this world loved her as much as she loved them.

"I know there is still much to be done," said Teagan in a slight whisper. "But it's a relief to know that Connor has been delivered from the evil ensnaring him and that you are closer to stopping the Blight. Even if my brother does not recover in time, know that Redcliffe and her army stand with you, Yvaine. And should you feel the need to take back Highever, I would gladly assist."

"Thank you, Teagan," said Yvaine as she squeezed Alistair's hand. "Your support means a great deal to me, as I can see you are an honest and devoted man. By the way, how did you know about Highever?"

"Fergus told me," replied Teagan through gritted teeth. "I knew Howe was scum but I never thought he'd stoop so low and murder an entire castle full of innocents just to gain some land and a title. I greatly admired your father, Yvaine; he was a great friend and soldier. Your mother, though she was not of Ferelden, fought for our liberation from the Orlesians and was a shining example to all."

Yvaine nodded though she could feel tears burning her eyes, listening to Teagan speak in such glowing terms about her parents brought back every memory of when they had deserved such praise but did not hear it. How she wished they were standing with her now and could hear all of the wonderful and kind things their friends and acquaintances had to say about them. They deserved every word of it, and she felt like a terrible daughter for never having acknowledged how lucky she was to have been their child. They would never know that she was proud to be their daughter. She thought about her vision in the Fade, how her father's spirit had appeared to her and embraced her one final time; she wished her mother had been there too, so she could say good-bye to her as well.

"Yvaine," said Alistair gently, bringing her from her thoughts. "I know this isn't exactly an appropriate moment, but I love you."

She looked over at him and saw the warmth in his gaze, she knew he meant what he said and she was glad. "I love you too, Alistair," she replied, smiling at him as she did and he openly grinned back at her before bringing her in against his chest. Alone they knew they could accomplish nothing, but together with their friends and each other, there was hope.