Cullen stepped in to help her button the front of the formal tunic. Dagna had been working on some ideas for a new prosthetic, but after the last one had somehow ended up possessed Ruya was a little leery of the dwarf's assistance. Gavren was dressed in a miniature version of the formal attire, and looked so much like his father Ruya couldn't help but smile. Kailey would be staying with Minaeve for the proceedings.

Iron Bull met them by the door, also wearing the formal attire of the Inquisition. "Hey boss. Songbird and Dorian went on ahead, with some of the boys as escorts."

Kels nodded. "Sera took off this morning to..." He shrugged. "Well, the gist was keep an eye on things. She said to tell you..." He swallowed, cleared his throat, and continued. "Muahahaha haha haha."

They stepped out of the estate to find the Hawke family waiting for them. Ruya noted that the formal attire of Fenris and Hawke seemed to incorporate a lot of armor. Hawke gave her a bow when he saw her. "Inquisitor. I was worried Cully Wully would get lost, so we decided to wait for you." A snicker from Kels was cut off by a glare from Cullen. Hawke continued as if he hadn't noticed anything. "This is my daughter, Salla." He indicated a plain-faced young woman dressed in a cloak bearing the Hawke family crest. "And this is trouble, otherwise known as Agatha Amell, here to represent House Brosca."

The beautiful young elven woman dropped into a curtsy. "A pleasure, Inquisitor. Mama Lenore speaks highly of you."

Ruya gave her a small bow. "Lovely to meet you."

Caleb led the way, navigating the streets of Hightown as they made their way to the Chantry. Ruya kept a grip on Gavren's hand until he stumbled. Cullen swept the boy up and set him onto his shoulder without breaking stride.

#

Salla couldn't help but stare. Noble gatherings weren't anything new to her, but this... She was walking into Viscount's Keep as a member of the Inquisitor's entourage. And there was the Tevinter ambassador, greeting the Inquisitor with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. The King of Ferelden greeted her with a smile, as did a rather subdued prince.

She pointed out some of the people Agatha didn't recognize, and Agatha did the same for her. Her father glanced at them over his shoulder before telling her to go mingle and keep trouble out of things. Agatha immediately took her arm and they headed deeper into the Chantry. "I heard Red Jenny is here."

"She is." Salla nodded. She lowered her voice. "Do you think it's true the Inquisitor is a Red Jenny?"

"Charade is your aunt. You could ask." Agatha led them up to a balcony to get a better view of the proceedings.

"I tried. She just grinned." Salla leaned on the railing next to Agatha. "Anything new in Ferelden?"

"Same problems as everywhere." Agatha sighed. "Everyone's just waiting for something to change so they can react to it. Tevinter and the Qunari are still in stalemate, and lots of folks aren't sure if they want to take sides there."

"What side is House Brosca on?"

"Dorian's." Agatha grinned. "We've been helping where we can."

#

Ruya smiled at Anora. "Teyrna, it's been too long."

Anora nodded. "It has." She looked down at Gavren, then at the boy trailing beside her. "Loghain, you remember Gavren?" The boy nodded. Anora looked back up at Ruya. "The Divine has had an area set up for the children to play together. I was just taking Loghain."

"Splendid idea." Ruya took Gavren's hand. "I think Gavren has had his fill of getting his cheeks pinched."

"I hear young Leandra Hawke bit a de Launcet." Anora smiled. "Not entirely certain I blame her." She led Ruya to a room and attached small garden that had a half dozen templars guarding it, and was under the watchful eye of two grandmotherly looking women in Chantry robes.

Prince Duncan was already present, as was his companion. Ruya gave Jerath a quick look-over, but the lad appeared to have recovered from his recent trials. Duncan's explanation of what had occurred hadn't been particularly coherent, and most of it had been delivered in tears after realizing just how angry his father was. Ruya looked down at Gavren. "Do you want to go play with Loghain?"

Before he could answer, a young girl hopped over to them. She reached out and grabbed one of Loghain's hands, and tried to do the same to Gavren. "You two are on my team."

She smiled at the girl. "And what is your name?"

"I'm Leandra. You're the Inquisitor. She's the Teyrna. This is Loghain. That's Gavren. Duncan says he's too old to play, but he's just being grumpy because they won't let him go back to the table with all the sweets, and Jerath really is too old to play. Fera's team is going to win if we don't hurry." She took Gavren's hand and dragged him into the room. "Come on."

A laugh escaped her as she watched both boys get shanghaied into something apparently involving using every book on the shelf to build forts. "I think they'll be fine."

#

Leliana shifted slightly in her chair, and longed for the days she could be up and mingling instead of dealing with a line of well-wishers. Grand Enchanter Vivienne had positioned herself just to the right of the dais, picking a well-lit area to see and be seen. She kept the smile on her face as one of Kirkwall's nobles wished her a long and happy reign in truly atrocious verse.

"Suledin, ma'arlath." She barely heard the whispered words from the man next to her, but they were enough to make the smile real. Brehan stood to her left, Michel de Chevin to her right, both playing the role of bodyguard this evening. Guard Captain Aveline herself also stood at the base of the dais, clearly on duty, and across from her was Guard Lieutenant Carver Hawke. And somewhere in that crowd were the Inquisitor, Cullen, Sera, Iron Bull, Dorian, and the Champion. For all its tragic history, she felt surprisingly safe here in Kirkwall.

She flicked her eyes towards Carver and noted again the stylized dragon tattooed on the side of his face. Temmerin, Talsaad, Reimas, and Dagna of the Inquisition all wore similar marks. And despite Brehan having attempted to question them all at length, none of them would explain exactly what the marks meant. She knew who they had all served. It was possibly the marks were nothing more than an expression of loyalty, to the man and each other. She couldn't help but feel there was more to it.

#

Varric grinned up at Hawke. "You said you had good news?"

"The Prince of Starkhaven decided not to attend." Hawke returned the smile. "He sent the message to me, claiming that missives he sends you have a disturbing habit of apparently going awry. At least, he never seems to hear back from you."

"Tragic." Varric leaned back on the railing. "I was sort of hoping to stick him and Lenore in a room together and see what happens. Sad she couldn't make it either."

"What kind of trouble are we expecting here?" Hawke glanced around the crowd.

"Oh, usual rumbles of disapproval regarding the Divine's reforms. Annoyance she isn't wagging a shaming finger at us here in Kirkwall. Cyril Montfort is in attendance as the Orlesian representative, though it looks like he isn't holding a grudge."

"Well..." Hawke shrugged. "Good?"

"The bad news is that at some point this evening..." Varric took a drink. "You are still expected to give a speech." He shook his head. "You do have one prepared, right?"

"I got to 'welcome friends', and then it's pretty much setting something on fire and running for it."

"Yeah, that's what Caleb and I thought." He handed Hawke a piece of parchment. "You're on after me."

#

"Can't I just stab him a little bit?"

Salla shook her head. "No."

"How about poison?"

"No."

Agatha narrowed her eyes. "Fine. I'll set him on fire."

She giggled. "If I wanted him set on fire, I'd have told Papa what happened." She sighed. "Shouldn't really be that big a surprise. Other than my station, what do I have to offer?" She winced as Agatha casually smacked her on the back of the head.

"Don't talk about my best friend like that." Agatha set her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, I'm just..." She sighed and shook her head before putting the smile back onto her face. "This is a party, right? I'm going to be happy. And who knows, maybe I'll find some handsome lord and sweep him off his feet."

"Hmmm..." Agatha scanned the crowd. "That one's pretty."

"That's Cyril Montfort. My father kind of killed his."

"Oh. Well, that would complicate things, wouldn't it?" She tilted her head. `"Well, this could take a while."

#

Leliana clapped lightly as Varric finished his thankfully brief speech. The dwarf did have a way with words. The Champion stepped up as soon as Varric finished. He unfolded a piece of parchment. "Divine Victoria, all of -"

Something exploded, and people started to scream.

#

Cullen leaped down from the stairs and headed down the hall. A templar tried to block his path before his eyes widened in recognition. "Ser..."

He shoved the man aside and continued forward. A healer was kneeling next to an elderly woman in chantry robes. Several frightened children were cowering behind four shield-wielding templars as another elderly woman tried to comfort them. Two armored bodies lay on the ground. He scanned the faces, and then scanned them again. "Gavren?"

"Comte Rutherford." A younger woman in Chantry robes bowed twice. "Ser..."

"Where is my son?"

"Some of the children were in the garden, my lord." She swallowed. "They are..." She swallowed again. "Missing, my lord."

He headed into the room towards the garden. Another armored body lay on the ground, and an injured templar leaned against the wall as a healer tended him. The templar saw him and tried to get to his feet. "Knight-Captain!"

He didn't bother to correct the man. "What happened?"

"The veil tore, ser. One moment the kids were playing, and the next there were demons." The templar closed his eyes. "We kept the demons off the kids, but when the veil closed, the kids that had been in the garden weren't anywhere."

"Something took my son."

"Yes, ser."

Cullen took several deep breaths, forcing the fear back down. "Who else was in the garden?"

"The Ferelden kids. The prince, his servant, and the Teyrna's son. And..."

"And my daughter." Merrill stepped in from out of the garden. Her staff was in her hand. "It wasn't a random tear. Someone summoned the demons. And there was an oddity to the magic."

"Are they..." He couldn't bring himself to say the word.

Her eyes hardened. "Someone took them, undoubtedly for a reason." Magic crackled where her hand held her staff. "We'll find them."

#

She looked at the faces of the worried parents, and felt her heart tighten in her chest. Leliana sighed, and turned towards Brehan. "My agents found several plots regarding the dedication, but nothing to suggest targeting the children."

He nodded. "Mine would agree. There was nothing to suggest any serious attempts to disrupt the proceedings themselves."

"Well, you missed something." Alistair paced the room.

The Inquisitor and Cullen stood to one side. She wasn't sure who was leaning on whom. Anora sat in a chair, eyes fixed at some point in the distance, hands clutched worriedly. Carver leaned next to the door, head bowed and eyes closed. Ruya lifted her own head. "What do we know?"

Leliana turned towards Merrill and Dorian. Dorian nodded, and turned to look at Ruya. "Someone opened a rift, and not an ordinary one. I found traces of the same magic Alexius used in Redcliffe."

"Time magic?" Ruya raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"It's similar enough to one of my own techniques that my theory is whoever took the children sped themselves up. To get in and get the children before anyone could react. Distracted by the demons, the guards didn't even have a chance to see."

"There is more." Merrill's voice was quiet.

"Explain?" Ruya turned her eyes to the elven woman.

"The tear led somewhere other than the Fade. It was..." She narrowed her eyes. "The magic was similar to that used by an eluvian. The tear was used to move them somewhere." She glanced at Dorian. "Or, possibly, some when."

"Who could manage this?" Leliana asked.

Dorian glanced at Merrill. "Well, we could, but it would require lot of lyrium."

"So we know how." Carver spoke without moving. "Now the question is why?"

"No, the question is how do we get them back?" Alistair punched the wall. "How much lyrium do you need to reopen this thing? I'll have Saitada send to Kal Hirol and we'll -"

"We'd need either enough lyrium to fill this building, or I'd have to kill about half of the people in Kirkwall." Merrill folded her arms.

Silence filled the room at her words. Slowly, Leliana nodded. "Brehan, go to Vivienne. I need to know what mages could know enough of this magic to even consider something like this. Dorian, I believe Alexius is still with the Inquisition. Would you be so kind as to find out if anyone has spoken to him about this magic?" Both men nodded and left the room.

Anora stood shakily. "Most Holy, if you'll excuse me, I need to..." She trembled, and Carver moved to catch her as she stumbled. "I need to..."

"I know all of you." Leliana looked around the room at a group of terrified people fully capable of tearing the world asunder. "Right now, I need you all to take deep breaths. We will get them back."

#

Ruya stared at the small shrine, and tried to get her thoughts into some kind of order. Her son was missing. Taken. Her sweet little boy. Across the room, Cullen sat in a chair, holding their daughter as if terrified she'd be next. She swallowed, and tried to call up the right words from the Chant. A prayer for her son's safety.

In the back of her mind, a thought moved along another line. She closed her eyes, and opened herself to the Fade. For a moment, she hesitated, and then she touched the veil. Her thoughts were somewhere between a prayer and a wish. Solas, if you can hear me. Please. Help.

#

Alistair tried to sit, and stood back up after only a moment. He went back to pacing. Saitada watched him quietly, knowing better than to try to comfort him with words. Someone had his son. Someone had taken his son. For all he knew, someone was hurting his son. He looked up at the painting of Andraste on the wall, and shook his head. Prayer was useless. He needed... He needed... He picked up a vase off the desk and threw it against the wall. He followed it with a glass, a small figurine, and a pitcher. Then he picked up the chair and threw it after them. If he could have lifted the desk, it would have gone as well.

He stopped, and stared at the fire. For a moment, he made himself take deep breaths. "Look, I don't know how this works, but..." He shook his head. "You said you'd help. Every time we've needed you, you've been there. Jerath, if you can hear me..." He closed his eyes. "My son needs your help."

#

Ruya tilted her head at Dorian. "So it's not actually reopening the tear?"

"It's reopening the tear, but not far. Just enough for Merrill and I to look inside, so to speak." Dorian ran a hand through his hair. "Something to go on."

"I'll take it." Alistair's voice was quiet. "If we can find out where they are by looking through a tear, maybe..."

"We'll know where to send an army." Cullen folded his arms.

She nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

"Opening the tear is going to take most of what Merrill and I have. We'll need you and Hawke to be on hand just in case anything does slip through. And Carver, in case we need to shut everything down quickly."

#

"Divine Victoria, maybe you shouldn't..." Ruya started to say.

Leliana glared at her. "No. This is exactly where I should be. You have always been there when I needed you." She put a hand on Ruya's shoulder, and pulled her into a hug. "It is my turn to be here for you."

Ruya felt herself tremble as she hugged her friend back. "Thank you."

"Alright."

"We're ready."

She turned towards Dorian and Merrill. They stood on opposite sides of the door. Carver and Hawke stood behind Merrill, while Iron Bull stood near Dorian. She took up her position. Alistair and Cullen both stood near the Divine. It was clear everyone was prepared for a fight.

Magic glowed around the hands of Dorian and Merrill as they wove the magic. She leaned forward as the veil came open. Energy rushed out, and she threw up the readied barrier. Images flashed inside the tear. The same garden, but covered in snow? And then something was coming through. Iron Bull moved in as the pride demon moved toward Dorian. On the other side, she saw two demons move in on Merrill only to be met by the Hawke brothers. She formed the spirit blade in her remaining hand, and slashed through a shade.

The tear started to collapse. A terror demon flung itself at the Divine. A young man stepped between Leliana and the demon, striking it in the face with a staff before sending a blast of energy to finish it off. A second blast took out a pride demon before it finished manifesting, and spread through the room, disintegrating the demons.

Ruya stared. Okay, she could figure out how he'd done that later. She turned to Dorian. "Did you get enough information?" Ruya asked.

"I think so." Dorian got back to his feet with the help of Iron Bull.

"Thank the Maker." Cullen let out the breath he'd apparently been holding.

"Um..." Iron Bull glanced over his shoulder and frowned. He pointed at the young man. "Where'd he come from?"

Alistair pointed the tip of his blade at the dark haired young man. "Who are you?"

The young man returned his staff to his back. "Your majesty." He bowed. "My father regrets that circumstances prevented him from coming to your aid personally. He sends his regards." The young man smiled. "And me."

"Holy shit." Carver's eyes widened. "Kieran?"