"I'm a dead man." Alistair leaned on the table.

"I think Jerath will be under..." Divine Victoria started to say.

"You think I'm worried about him?" Alistair shook his head vigorously. "I've been in Kirkwall a week and I've lost Duncan three times. Do you have any idea what Cathiel is going to do to me?" He turned to Saitada. "To us?"

Saitada winced. "Oh. Right."

"Ain't a surprise, right?" Sera shrugged as they all stared at her. "I mean, these are your kids we are talking about?"

"How did they even get your ship?" Varric asked, turning back to Isabela.

"Caleb said the Divine wanted to see us. We started heading in, and then Cullen's bearded counterpart started yelling that it's a trick. Next thing we know, the pretty boy has us in this little barrier and Salla is giving orders on getting out of the dock, and they are dragging General Uptight Junior along with them." Isabela shook her head angrily. "Teaching your children how to sail was clearly a mistake on my part."

"Kels." Cullen shook his head. "They kidnapped Kels."

"Someday, we are going to look back on this situation and laugh." Hawke sighed. "Forty, fifty years from now." He looked up when Carver came back into the room. "Anything?"

"I've got riders doing sweeps off the coast in teams of two. They've only got an hour head start; they can't have gone that far." When Isabela narrowed her eyes, Carver shrugged. "It may be your ship, Admiral, but it's not you at the helm, and it is certainly not your crew. Frankly, I'm impressed they made it out of the harbor."

"Duncan and Jerath know how to sail, assuming they've kept in practice." Alistair sighed.

"They do?" Ruya turned towards him.

"Duncan's grandmother was the Seawolf. She took her first Orlesian warship when she was fifteen." Alistair shook his head. "Letting them learn seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Gavren Rutherford. Duncan Therin. Jerath Gilmore. Leandra, Caleb, and Salla Hawke. Trian Saitada. Loghain Mac Tir. Agatha Amell. Kels Marland. And Kieran Tabris." Brehan shook his head. "I think I'm starting to feel a little bit of pity for the demon."

"Sera." Saitada rubbed the back of her neck. "Shoot him."

#

The Siren's Call cut through the water like a hot knife through butter. Caleb stood at the bow, grinning. As soon as they'd cleared the harbor, Gavren and Kieran had put their heads together and managed to conjure up some kind of magic that kept their sails filled. He glanced down at the other man on the bow. Kels had adopted a resigned expression as soon as they'd lost sight of land. "Cheer up."

"This isn't some madcap adventure story, Caleb." Kels shook his head. "You don't know what you are getting into."

"I was in Kirkwall when the Chantry exploded, same as you." Caleb sighed. "This isn't my first time facing a demon."

"Facing, or running from?" Kels raised an eyebrow.

Caleb glared. And was forced to concede Kels might actually have something like a point. Still, the others had seen action. Gavren and Leandra had apparently fought qunari. "Jerath's older than you are, and he's been in some fights. And we have Kieran."

"None of which is going to stop Commander Cullen from putting me on latrine duty for the rest of my life." Kels hung his head. "Which is going to be very short, for Minaeve is going to kill me for getting mixed up in this."

"So are you going to marry her or what?"

"You kidnapped me, dragged me onto a boat with a bunch of lunatics, and now you are asking about my love life?" Kels stared at him.

"It passes the time."

#

"You think we are being foolish." His king glanced back at him.

"It is not my place to say, your majesty." And saying it wouldn't make any difference at all. Time had more than proved that simple truth.

Duncan shook his head at him. "Which means you do think I'm being foolish and want nothing more than to club me on the head and drag me back to the most secure room in the palace until I come to my senses."

Jerath shrugged. His friend knew him entirely too well. And knew enough to know that he was perilously close to doing exactly that. "Well, yes."

"This thing killed my parents. Killed your father. Tried to kill my siblings." Duncan folded his arms. "You want to kill it as much as I do."

Jerath did not deny the accusation. That day was far too vividly etched into his mind. The queen's blood splattering across Duncan's face. The king pulling Duncan back and all but throwing him to Jerath. The order to take the prince and run. And the sound of his own father screaming as Jerath had done exactly that. No. He did not deny the accusation. Instead, he looked towards the others on the ship. "And them?"

"They have a stake in this." Duncan shrugged.

"They are not soldiers." The plain-faced noblewoman was a debutante, not a warrior. Though she had managed a plan to get them out of the city fairly quickly. Lady Hawke was formidable but unreliable, and Rutherford was no fighter. Trian knew his way around a blade but was a far better administrator than warrior. He wasn't sure the other Hawke was even armed. Agatha had been no slouch in a fight in their time, but this was a much younger version. Of the two actual warriors, one they'd kidnapped and other...

"Ser Loghain is." Duncan shook his head. "And this isn't Rutherford or Lady Hawke's first clash with demons either."

Ser Loghain was a soldier, yes. Despite his youth, he was one of the best the Order of Vigilance had to offer, and that was saying a great deal. Under ordinary circumstances, there were few he'd rather have helping him protect his king. But these were not ordinary circumstances. "Given who has accompanied us..." Jerath looked toward where Salla was showing Kieran how to adjust some ropes. "I must acknowledge that Loghain's loyalty may be called into question." The knight wore the mark of a dragon-god. And one who claimed to be a dragon-god was accompanying them.

"Do you think he is what he claims to be?" Duncan gave Kieran a doubtful look.

"An abomination?" That much, at least, everyone had agreed upon. The rest... "You and I have seen those before." And it was reason enough not to trust. "The specifics of his nature do not matter. They believe he is what he claims, which means that I cannot trust Loghain to put your safety above his. And you heard Trian."

"I'm asking a lot of you. I know."

"No more than I am willing to give, your majesty."

Duncan put a hand on his shoulder before going to speak with their new leader.

#

Salla looked up as Duncan walked over to her. He'd told Gavren he'd accept her as leader. She just had absolutely no idea what that was even going to mean. Why had Kieran voted for her in the first place?

"Lady Salla." Duncan gave her a small bow. "If we are headed into Nevarra, our best bet for a port would be Cumberland." He shrugged. "Our only choice for a port is Cumberland."

"Right." Leandra called from where she was going over their supplies with Gavren. "Cause Brosca, the Inquisition, the Divine, Varric, and heck, probably even your father, don't have agents in Cumberland."

"Which is why I was about to point out we should consider not making port at all." Duncan glared at Leandra. "This is a smuggler's ship. In theory, we could put in at a sheltered cove, hide the ship. Perhaps even have the mages ward it somehow?" He glanced at Leandra. "Rutherford can handle a simple ward, yes?"

Leandra's eyes narrowed as she stood up and took a step towards him. Almost immediately, Jerath moved to stand at Duncan's shoulder and Gavren moved to catch Leandra's wrist.

She looked from Leandra to Duncan. "Alright, first things first. Is there a particular reason for this animosity?"

Leandra and Duncan immediately began trying to talk over each other. Salla shook her head and held up a hand, waiting for them both to fall silent. "I'm asking the wrong people." She glanced over her shoulder. "Loghain, why don't Leandra and Duncan like each other?"

"Gavren and Duncan are both authority figures with their respective spheres. A Ferelden individual was arrested on Orlesian soil by Inquisition agents on suspicion of being part of a plot to assassinate a dwarven dignitary. There was some question over jurisdiction." Loghain shrugged. "And, being that the situation involved a Therin, a Trevelyan, and multiple Amells, there were also some explosions, abominations, dragons, and darkspawn. I believe the individual in question was eaten by a werewolf at some point."

"There were no darkspawn," Leandra immediately objected.

"My mistake." Loghain shrugged.

"Um..." Gavren glanced at Leandra.

"No, that was the trip back. Doesn't count."

"To complicate matters further, Duncan is hot-headed and Leandra is overprotective." Loghain shrugged, and went back to helping Trian go over the ship's inventory.

It took her a moment to make her voice work. "I am so very, very sorry I asked." She turned back to the people in front of her. "Duncan, you wanted this, and you must acknowledge you need our help if this mission is going to be a success. You've traveled in time. Think of it as a new beginning." She shifted her gaze to Leandra. "Leandra, you and Gavren agreed to come along and work with Duncan. The only way we are going to win is together." She looked back and forth between them. "I know the stories of what our parents did with groups just like this one. This is our chance to make them proud."

"Assuming they don't kill us for doing this in the first place," Trian added from where he was sitting on the deck.

"Yeah. That." Werewolves? What had she gotten herself into?

#

Agatha plunked herself down where she could look at Kieran. He really was very pretty. "So what are you, exactly?"

"I am Kieran."

"Yeah, I know. That's who you are. But what are you?" Agatha gave him a contemplative look. Her mother had spent ages trying to figure out what exactly was going on with this guy and his parents. "Mama Lenore said you were Urthemiel's host?"

"Yes."

"And your parents, they are also abominations?"

Something flashed behind Kieran's eyes, and his voice was sharp when he replied. "No."

"They are the host of demons aren't -"

"No."

"I thought they were possessed by -"

"No."

"I'm not -" She saw anger on his face and started trying to figure out how to backtrack the conversation.

"Abominations host demons." Gavren's voice interrupted. "Morrigan inherited the soul of the elven goddess Mythal. Jerath and Kieran are slightly more complicated, but there are no demons involved in those cases either." He nodded to Kieran. "He and his father are the hosts of Old Gods."

"I am. My father's situation is different."

"Do you mind explaining?" Gavren smiled as he asked the question.

"I am..." He frowned. "I am me, and we are also me." When Gavren looked at him blankly, Kieran shrugged. "Pronouns are confusing. Kieran and Urthemiel share a single body, and their souls are linked. What affects one affects the other, yet they are separate as well. One becomes the other, and the other becomes the one. Feeling and experiencing the same taste, yet the flavors differ."

"And your father is different?"

"My sister was badly damaged. She ceased and merged, two souls no longer distinct but intertwined, pieces from two puzzles to make a single picture. A whole greater than the sum of the parts. One being, one soul. My father."

"And your mother?"

"Memories of many souls, their will binding her to herself, more whole than she ever was before her death. Distinct but not separate. And, not or."

Agatha scratched her head. "So... your grandmother was Mythal. And your mother is also Mythal."

"Yes."

"And your father is Jerath Tabris, who used to be a Warden and is now an Archdemon."

"Yes."

"And he's your father, except he used to be your sister."

"Yes." Kieran gave her a perplexed look, as if he couldn't understand why she was having trouble grasping the concept.

"Alright." She stood back up. "I'm going to go over there, and try not to think about this anymore."

#

Leliana sighed at the sending crystal. "Lenore, I'll point out she's your daughter."

The voice on the other end of the crystal sounded frustrated. "I said I was angry, not that I was surprised. Does Cathiel know yet?"

"I don't know." Leliana shook her head. "Is Denerim still standing?"

"I should be in sight of it within the hour. I'll let you know." Lenore's voice was silent for a minute. "Was it really Kieran?"

"Carver claims to have recognized him. And it could easily have been the boy who was at Skyhold." Leliana sat down. "I think it was."

"What are Jerath and Morrigan doing that they had to send Kieran in their stead?" Lenore's voice responded.

"I asked Kieran that very question. I am just not sure I understood his answer." Leliana's eyes went to the statue of Andraste that dominated the heart of the Chantry. "He said they are keeping the stars lit." She shook her head. "One moment I'm talking to what seems to be a perfectly normal young man, the next I'm speaking to someone..." She sighed. "Well, someone like Cole used to be."

"Where is Cole? I have to imagine he could be of some help."

"I send word to both him and Rainier. They will be joining the search. Cassandra is still in Nevarra, and will meet us at the Orlesian border."

"We have no idea where they went?"

"Other than they went by ship, no. We do not." Leliana frowned. "Though they must have had some destination in mind."

"We picked up Sigrun. We'll take care of business in Denerim and head towards Orlais. I take it we are attempting to keep this quiet."

"Considering who they are?" Leliana waved a hand, forgetting for a moment that Lenore wasn't actually in the room with her. "We have far too many enemies who would love to take this opportunity. Even before accounting for Kieran's involvement." A young man with the soul of an old god would be a prize for many.

"Well, thanks for putting that particular image in my head." Lenore made a vexed noise. "I wasn't planning on sleeping anytime soon anyway."

"Do you think Kieran was right?"

"Kill the demon, time resets? I..." Lenore's voice was quiet again for some time. "I think I'm not willing to take that big a chance on their safety. We find them, drag them home by their ears, and then figure out what to do next."

"Then you are in agreement with every other mage involved. I'll let you know if we find anything."

"Same here. Tell Alistair..." Lenore's voice hesitated. "Tell Alistair I'll break the news to Cathiel, Rory, and Nesiara in person."

"Thank you, Lenore."

#

Caleb spread out the map. "Alright, so here is the Cumberland port." He traced his finger along the coast. "Isabela has a couple good coves marked. She might think to look at some of her hideaways, but since they don't know where we were heading that's still a lot of ground to cover."

"The big problem is going to be the Lady Seeker is currently in Nevarra, and she's going to be one of the first people the Inquisitor contacts." Agatha chewed her bottom lip. "I'm not sure I'm crazy about being chased by Seekers."

"Please. Cassandra looked for my father for almost four years and didn't find him until two days after he showed up on her doorstep." Caleb rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well, back then she didn't have Red Jennies and House Brosca feeding her information." Agatha frowned. "If I try to reach out to any of my contacts, it'll be like sending up fireworks for Papa Zevran."

"It is not too late to reconsider this option. Put in at the nearest port and find an Inquisition safehouse." Kels looked down at the map.

"Not an option." Duncan shook his head.

"It's the Inquisition. They know how to deal with situations like this one." Kels waved a hand. "Maker's Breath, this isn't even our first time dealing with time travel. Ambassador Pavus knows more about that magic than anyone alive."

"He has a point." Gavren shrugged.

Duncan glared at him. "Let's not forget, that demon targeted us. Clearly, we pose a threat to it, and it's likely going to be coming after us anyway. Taking the fight to it keeps our families safe, and gives us the best chance."

"And that is also a good point." Salla fiddled with the end of her braid. "If they are targeting you, keeping on the move is likely one of the best ways to stay safe." She looked down at the map, and then turned towards Kieran. "Where exactly are we heading?"

"Here." He tapped his finger against a location not too far from the Tevinter border.

"How do you know?" Caleb raised an eyebrow. "Spirits tell you, or is it some kind of dragon-god thing?"

"No."

"So how do you know we need to go there?" Duncan asked.

"Oh." Kieran shrugged. "That's where the quest marker is."

"What?" Duncan stared at him in confusion.

Kieran's blinked. "What?"