Zevran stood off to the side, choosing to simply watch the celebration of living through the night. His eyes never left me. At first, it had made me uncomfortable, but it soon became soothing. I had an assassin watching me. What could go wrong under those watchful eyes?

I was suddenly struck with a memory; Missionary Rigby! His wife, Jetta, lived in this village. I looked around at everyone gathered in the village square. Which woman could she be…?

One in particular caught my attention. She wasn't smiling like the others, her eyes dead.

"Jetta?" I asked quietly as I walked up to her, hoping not to startle.

"Yes? Do I know you?" she squinted at me, her eyes roaming over my small frame.

"No." I shook my head, pulling off my pack and pulling out the lockbox from the Wilds, "But I found this, and a bunch of diary pages. The last one I found mentioned a Jetta in Redcliffe."

She took it all from me with a blank face. As she read the pages, her face crumbled, tears flowing freely down her face.

"Thank you." She mumbled, walking away.

A dull throbbing started in my head, just behind my eyes. I blinked rapidly, trying to will it to stop, but it persisted.

I got Alistair's attention and motioned I was leaving, drifting away from the crowd. My shadow trailed behind, gaining ground on me. A hand grasped my elbow and guided me toward the pier.

"Come, my dear. Sit down here."

My lips quirked, trembling slightly at the effort, "That rhymed."

A devilish smile, "I try. Now," he sat, his back against a supporting post, and patted the space beside him, "What ails you?"

"I, nothing." I followed suit, blinking quickly again, "I just have a slight headache, is all."

"When was the last time you slept, mm?"

"Last-"

"There is no need to lie, mi amigo."

"Spanish." I muttered under my breath, "'My friend.'"

I sighed softly, leaning sideways against the pole he was holding up, "It's been two hundred, forty-four hours. Roughly eleven days."

"What is troubling you, to keep you awake?"

"I just haven't slept, is all."

"It is not because of what you witnessed in the Tower?" he turned his head to give me a look.

Silence settled between us as I thought it over. Was it? I had seen worse, done worse. Had it really had such an adverse effect on me?

"Maybe?" my voice was small, surprising me a bit, "I've been through worse before."

"In this life?" barely even classified as a whisper, the words wrapped around me.

I looked out at the water, "You know, I have a fear of water." I paused.

He frowned, "I am sorry. I did not know. Shall we move?"

"Oh. No." I blinked at him, "I only meant, for all the fear I hold for it, water makes me calm. It's…soothing, almost. To be so close to your would-be killer."

"Oh?"

"I was young, when it happened. My mother and I were staying with her parents, my grandparents. My mother and grandfather went to move the cars." I searched for the right word, "They're like carriages or wagons, only more advanced. It had been raining pretty hard, you see, and there were warnings that they might float away in the flood that had been building up for the past few hours. Anyway, while they were gone, the water had filled up the streets. We were on a hill, the bottom of the hill, so all the water pooled by our house. It spooked my grandmother; she grabbed me and put me on her back piggyback style, then left the safety of the house." I shook my head, pausing a moment.

"The water was up to her waist, it brushed against my legs. It scared me, so I tightened my hold on her. Only, my arms were around her neck, so I was more of a hindrance than anything. She reached around and pulled me off her, then…she threw me in to the water in front of her. Waded up to me. Threw me again. She kept it up until we were about halfway up the hill, where a neighbor spotted us and called out that we could go inside their house to get us out of the storm. Grandma threw me a few more times, just until we got close enough for her to toss me through the door.

"When it was over, the hurricane passed and everything calm, my mother and grandfather made their way back to us finally. My mother lit in to my grandmother. Yelling about how she could have killed me. My grandmother's response? 'If she had died, I would have too.' Thanks, grandma. That's unnecessary." My eyes drifted toward the lake, "Because of that, I developed a phobia of water. Unless I'm in certain situations, it can affect me to the point where I'm basically crippled. I can't do anything. I'm useless."

"You are too trusting, my dear."

"I hear that all the time."

"I am an assassin. Originally sent to kill you. Yet here you are, sharing something that someone like me could use against you." He raised an eyebrow at me.

I shrugged, "You won't try again. You don't strike me as the type. You know, stupid."

He chuckled at that.

I scrunched my eyes, fighting a yawn, "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am just tired…"

"Most people don't stay up for that long. Also, incidentally, I fear it's made you a bit sloppy." he glanced over his shoulder, leaning in close to whisper, "You shouldn't flaunt magic that openly."

Looking at him sharply, I frowned, "What?"

"That, my dear Grey Warden. That is what I mean. Apostates deny magic. They know that to be a mage is to be locked in a tower. They do not openly heal whole groups of people."

I groaned, banging my head back against the support beam.

"It is not so bad. I highly doubt anyone other than Morrigan and Wynne noticed. Other than me, of course."

"Morrigan already has an inkling, and it's not that I want to lie to the others, it's just-"

He held up a hand, stopping me, "I know. It is necessary to hide it. But, perhaps you could talk with one or both of them. Learn from them."

"Only if they come to me first. I don't want to say something, only to find out they had no idea."

"I understand. I will keep it a secret." He bowed his head, a serious expression on his face.

"I," another yawn, "appreciate it."

Footsteps proceeded Alistair, "Oh, there you are. Teagan said to meet him at…the…windmill- Are you okay?"

Evidently, he had just noticed Zev sitting beside me.

"I'm fine. Let's go."

Zev stood and offered his hand before Alistair could do anything.

"Right. Let's go." The warrior sounded confused. Probably by how close the elf and I seemed to be.

Kaitlyn's voice off in the distance reminded me of the vision, "Hang on a second. I have to talk to that girl." I trotted off without looking back.

"Kaitlyn!" I called out when I noticed she was about to go inside the Chantry.

"Oh! It's you!" She ran toward me and gave me another huge hug.

I blushed, "Uh. Oh, right. There's something I wanted to know. What are you two going to do, now that everything's safe here? At least for a little while, anyway."

"Hmm…. We have relatives in Denerim, but we don't have enough to hire a wagon." She waved her hand through the air, "But that's alright. We can stay here. We know everyone, so it wouldn't be a big deal."

I glanced back at Zevran and Alistair, then pulled out a few gold coins from my pouch, "Here."

She instinctively held out her hands, blinking and gasping when she realized what I was doing, "What? But that's so much! Surely, you need it more!"

I grinned, shaking my head, "Nope. It's all mine, so it's fine. Plus, I have more. Don't worry about it. Something tells me you need to be in Denerim. It'll do you two some good."

Tears in her eyes, she pocketed the money and threw her arms around me again, "Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to us. To me. I'll never forget this."

We said our goodbyes, knowing we wouldn't see each other for a long time to come. I rejoined the guys, ignoring their curious expressions.

...

"A secret path. From this windmill." I held back a sigh, "Okay. How do we use it to get to the castle?"

"This signet ring will grant you entry." Teagan removed his ring, handing it to Alistair, "Maker's breath!" he exclaimed suddenly, reaching out.

"Teagan!" my shoulders hunched. An incredibly french woman ran over, throwing her arms around the man. Sorry, Orlesian, "Thank the Maker you yet live!"

"Isolde! You're alive! How did you…? What has happened?"

"I do not have much time to explain!1 I slipped away from the castle as soon as I saw the battle was over, and I must return quickly. And I… need you to return with me, Teagan. Alone."

"Why don't we all go to the castle together?" I piped up.

"What? I…who is this girl, Teagan?" she turned, looking down her aristocratic nose at me.

Alistair sighed, "You remember me, Lady Isolde, don't you?"

"Alistair? Of all the…why are you here?"

"They are Grey Wardens, Isolde. I owe them my life. All of Redcliffe owes them their lives." Teagan said sternly.

"Pardon me, I… I would exchange pleasantries, but…considering the circumstances…."

"Please, Lady Isolde…we had no idea anyone was even alive within the castle. We must have some answers!" Ali demanded heatedly, worry for the Arl evident.

"I know you need more of an explanation, but I…don't know what is safe to tell." She wrung her hands, looking to Teagan, "Teagan, there is a terrible evil within the castle. The dead waken and hunt the living. The mage responsible was caught, but still it continues. And I think…Connor is going mad. We have survived but he won't flee the castle. He has seen so much death! You must help him, Teagan! You are his uncle. You could reason with him. I do not know what else to do!"

"What about the Arl? Is he still alive?" I held out an arm, stopping Alistair from advancing on Isolde.

"He is. He is being kept alive so far, thank the Maker."

"Kept alive? Kept alive by what?" Teagan asked, dread filling us.

"Something the mage unleashed. So far, it allows Eamon, Connor, and myself to live. The others...were not so fortunate. It's killed so many, and turned their bodies in to walking nightmares! Once it was done with the castle, it struck the village! It wants us to live, but I do not know why. It allowed me to come for you, Teagan, because I begged, because I said Connor needed help."

My ears perked at that last bit. She had said she slipped away, yet now was saying 'it' had allowed her to come? Connor needed help…? Why? Unless…. Oh, Connor, no. Was Connor a mage? An untrained child mage…. She'd mentioned a mage, though. I wondered if she had paid for an apostate, to teach Connor at least the basics of control, in order to keep him. If he learned how to hide it, he wouldn't need to go to the Tower. In theory.

"Do you think this evil could be some kind of demon?" I asked reluctantly, no one else having come to the same conclusion as I.

"I…I do not know. Oh, Maker's mercy! Could it truly be a demon? I can't let it hurt my Connor! You must come back with me, Teagan! Please!"

"Tell me about this mage you mentioned. Please."

"He is an…infiltrator, I think-one of the castle staff. We discovered he was poisoning my husband. That is why Eamon fell ill."

Teagan's eyes widened, "Eamon was poisoned?"

"He claims an agent of Teryn Loghain's hired him. He may be lying, however. I cannot say."

"Is there anything else you can tell us? I feel like," I made a show of hesitating, "you might not be telling us everything."

"I…I beg your pardon! That's a rather impertinent accusation!" she exclaimed.

"Not…if it's true. Milady." I tacked it on for good measure.

"An evil I cannot fathom holds my son and husband hostage! I came for help! What more do you want from me?" her lower lip started to tremble, signaling her slow loss of control, "Teagan, I do not have much time! What if it thinks I am betraying it?! It could kill Connor! Please come back with me…must I beg?"

Kill Connor? He was probably the host, then.

"Why must Teagan go alone?" Alistair frowned, eyeing her suspiciously.

"For Connor's sake, I promised I would return quickly and only with Teagan." She shook her head, "Teagan, I know you could order your men to follow me when I return to the castle. I beg you not to, for Connor's sake!"

"We need to decide what to do." I looked to Teagan, waiting for his plan.

"The king is dead, and we need my brother now more than ever. I will return to the castle with you, Isolde."

"Oh, thank the Maker! Bless you, Teagan! Bless you!"

"It seems you have little choice." I murmured.

"I cannot let Isolde return alone. Perhaps I can help Connor or Eamon. Perhaps this is really a trap, but this is my family. I must try."

"Of course. We'll stay here and help the town for a few more hours, until we need to set off on our way." I tapped my chin thoughtfully, "The Chantry will need all the help it can get, after the party everyone is having for surviving last night. I hate drunks." I wrinkled my nose.

"Isolde, can you excuse us for a moment? We must confer in private before I return to the castle with you."

"Please do not take too long! I will be by the bridge." Isolde wandered off, pacing by the bridge.

"I have no illusions of dealing with this evil alone. You, on the other hand, have proven quite formidable. Here's what I propose; I go in with Isolde, and you enter the castle using the secret passage. Perhaps I will...distract whatever evil is inside and increase your chances of getting in unnoticed. What do you say?"

I could hear the others discussing behind me. I didn't even think about it.

"Good." Sharp intakes of breath, "I prefer it this way."

No one objected.

"Ser Perth and his men can watch for danger at the castle entrance. If you can open the gates from within, they can move in and help you. I don't think there's anyone else who can help you. If you choose not to go, then it's up to me to do what I can." He gazed up at the castle, "Whatever you do, Eamon is the priority here. If you can to, just get him out of there. Isolde, me, and anyone else…we're expendable."

"I don't believe that. I will rescue you all; I promise." The words flowed out easily. I didn't often make promises because Faeries, but this was an exception; I knew we could do this.

"So we are just going to send him with that woman? It seems so dangerous!" Leliana blurted suddenly.

Teagan and I ignored her.

"But I can delay no longer. Allow me to bid you farewell…and good luck."

He joined Isolde, and together, they walked toward the castle.