I could not believe that we finally stood at the base of Soldier's Peak with Levi leading us up the snowy path. With all the travel and happenings, I never thought we would actually arrive.

I could not wait to explore the halls and see the hundred years worth of history that awaited us but first we would need to deal with the Peaks' current tenants.

No easy task.

The facts that Levi had shared with us a day ago bothered me. If the Peak was actually haunted, that meant magic and if we ran into too much at once, lives could be at stake as arcane shields and armor could only deflect so much. Not even considering if blood magic was involved. I would need to consult Morrigan for that.

We would figure it out when the time came but for now we needed to get up this hill.

It took three of us to move the sleigh up the hill but we worked together and mostly kept up with the rest of the group.

The snow that surrounded us chilled to the bone and I shivered, wishing my armor had been lined with some sort of fur in addition to the leather. This far up in the mountains brought the temperature way down so we were all shivering as we plodded through the snow behind Levi.

Shmooples had it the worst of us all I felt, having no body hair to speak of. He was still riding on the sleigh, now bundled in blankets courtesy of Leliana and I only saw the tip of his little pink nose poke from the blankets with intermittent puffs of breath appearing.

"The entrance is right up here. It's not far!"

Levi was so excited to get into the structure and find out about his grandmother's past that he actually tried to run in the snow, only succeeding in falling to his knees.

Zevran was close to him and he helped him up, joking with him about what a hurry he was in.

"Surely the fortress will not run away from you, Levi. Why the rush?"

Levi faced Zevran, his expression incredulous.

"You don't know how long I've waited to actually get here. This place has haunted my dreams for so long."

Zevran always knew just what to say.

"Well, we are here now so you can rest easy once we get inside. Provided we all do not die at the hands of the demons."

With that Zevran walked ahead of Levi who stopped in his tracks.

I shook my head and hoped Zevran was not actually trying to comfort the man as he had done the exact opposite.

"Don't worry, Levi. I am sure whatever we find inside will finally answer all of your questions."

Levi turned to me and his excited expression from earlier returned.

"Or I may just have a new set of questions, Warden."

Mabs continued bounding around in the snow and barking up a storm as this was the first time he had ever seen snow. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, kicking up clouds of white dust with his considerable paws.

We as a group continued our trudge up the hill and finally made it a short time later, Alistair and Sten huffing and puffing as they brought the sleigh to a halt on level ground.

Marveling at the sheer size of the fortress, I stood at the base of a sprawling set of stairs that led up to an ornate wooden door that would lead us inside of this fascinating structure should we choose to proceed.

It would take much manpower to get our sleigh up these snowy stairs so for now, we stashed it aside of them, out of sight from anyone who did not know it was there.

I was as eager as Levi was now and we both sprinted up the steps, oblivious to the ice underfoot.

We looked at one another then stared at the handles to the front door and we reached for them at the same time, pulling in unison and then frowning at the door.

It was locked.

Of course.

Who would leave the front door of such a place open?

The rest of our party had arrived now and we all stood at the top of the stairs, all eyes on us at the door.

"Leliana, we could use your expertise here. The door is locked."

Leliana nodded and handed Shmooples off to Alistair, pulling out her tool kit and going to work.

Shmooples was watching Mabs flop around in the snow and struggled out of his blankets as Alistair tried to hold onto him, wanting to join his friend in the peculiar white stuff.

"Leliana, he's acting up. What do I do?"

Leliana was busy with the door so I took him from Alistair.

"He looks like he's ready to enjoy some snow for the first time too. Let's see how he does for a minute or so."

I put the wiggly little guy down and his small feet skittered on the landing but as he gained his footing, he dashed around just as Mabs did but of course almost disappeared in the snow due to his height.

Mabs was utterly delighted that his pal was joining him and was even more rambunctious than earlier, covering us with the snow that he was kicking into the air.

Morrigan told me to get control of my unruly animals as she did not want snow all over herself and her belongings and I agreed, apologizing and voicing commands to Mabs, calming him down.

"Be careful with Shmooples, Detra. He has no hair!"

"He's all right, Leliana. I just wanted him to get a taste of snow with Mabs."

To set Leliana's mind at ease, I scooped Shmooples back up in my arms, despite his slight protests and brushed most of the snow from his body. He was happy now as he'd gotten to play with his friend and been rescued just when he'd started getting chilly.

Less than a minute later, we heard a loud click and Leliana stood up, her task completed.

"That lock is so old I was afraid it might break before I could get it open."

Levi moved back to the door and almost had it open when I stopped him.

"Wait, we are not exactly sure what we will find on the other side so we should prepare."

My sword and shield were ready in my hands a moment later and the rest of the group stood ready with their weapons of choice as well.

Now we were ready.

"Go ahead, Levi. Open her up."

Levi pushed down hard on the handles and the door swung open with a loud, constant creak, years of dust and dirt clogging its hinges and moving parts.

Cautiously, we all peered inside as the daylight poured inside the first room of the Peak.

As the first room guests would see, it was unimpressive for such a fortress. Then again, it had withstood a hundred years of the elements and disuse so it was to be expected I suppose.

I could see dirt clinging to every surface that surrounded us and the red carpets that had once graced this room were no longer present, replaced by dingy and matted pieces of material that almost blended in with the stone floor.

"Leliana, you need to leave Shmooples here. There is no telling what may lie ahead for us."

Leliana nodded and walked to a box in the corner of the room, emptying its contents and placing Shmooples inside. She spoke several words to him and then returned to us, swords in hand.

I looked back at Shmooples in the box and he looked comfortable as ever, probably even having plans to nap as we headed into unknown danger.

Lucky little guy.

I decided it would also be best to leave Mabs behind to watch over Shmooples, just in case and watched as Mabs curled up beside his little boxed friend and began cleaning the remnants of snow from his paws.

Alistair whistled.

"Wow...we are the first people to set foot in this place in, what, a hundred years or so?"

I shushed Alistair, fearing that if we were to face enemies ahead, he would alert them to our presence before we even got fully in the door.

"There is a dark manifestation here. I suggest we tread lightly. Warden. Or not at all is more preferable."

Morrigan's voice caught me off guard and I turned to her, the look she gave me confirming the truth in her words.

As we moved forward, I happened to hear Alistair mumble to himself.

"Oh sure, I can't talk but the all important Morrigan can say whatever she wants and not get yelled at. Sheesh."

Alistair did not catch the look I gave him but was quiet from then on so we continued our advance.

Another smaller set of doors lay before us and those groaned in response to our entrance as the first had.

We found ourselves in a hallway, broken furniture littering the length of it.

It looked as if someone were trying to fortify a defensive position and...

Could it be?

Were these the remnants of the Grey Wardens last stand with the King's army?

I gasped slightly, remembering in vivid detail the story that Levi had told us around the fire just a night ago and here we were, among the actual proof.

I looked to Levi and he wore the same animation on his face as I did.

The hallway secure for now, I whispered a warning to all.

"Beware of traps, they could be anywhere. There was an extensive battle here and things were set up to keep people out so who knows what we may run into. Best to keep our eyes open."

There was a smaller room off the hallway which we discovered to be a small kitchen area and it was a complete mess, the floor and table littered with debris I could not even identify due to dirt covering every inch of it.

We moved on, headed towards a doorway to the left, already open and we stepped into another large room, complete with a fireplace and some piles of books in the middle of the floor.

Finding nothing more but the dust and moldy books, we forged ahead, discovering a small set of doors atop another set of stairs.

I gestured for everyone to stop and faced them, a plan formed in my head.

"I believe we should break off into two groups so that we may find this demon quickly and deal with it."

"If there is only the one demon."

I looked at Morrigan and heeded her words.

"Do you think it may have summoned more?"

Morrigan shrugged.

"'Tis what I would have done."

I assembled two teams in my head on the spot and told Alistair, Wynne, Oghren and Zevran that next time the path split, we would head separate ways to cover more ground.

Each team needed a mage and a good lockpick and I had planned for both so we were set to continue.

I gestured for Sten to now open the door up the stairs while I poised for attack just aside of him should the need arise.

This door provided us a higher pitch squeak as it revealed what was behind it. There was nothing but what looked to be a small, wooden altar dotted with what appeared to be extremely old candle wax.

"We are close. The Demon is not far from here."

Morrigan's warning rang in my ears and I stepped ever more cautiously.

There were now two doors in this room and I gestured for the other group to take the door on the left, offering them whispered warnings and well wishes as we split up.

Morrigan, Leliana, Sten, Levi and I headed to the right door and Sten and I repeated our earlier moves while opening this door.

Nothing but more of the same dirt and dust as the other rooms for the next three doors we passed through. I was beginning to doubt Levi's claims as we'd seen no evidence of magic here. And Morrigan's warning did not seem to ring true either.

The next door we came upon opened much quieter than the others and this caught me off guard.

Perhaps it had been used recently?

But by whom?

An evil, cracked voice reached my ears as we moved inside the room and I saw an armored figure behind a desk, the only furniture in the entire room, facing the wall.

"Warden, This One has been waiting for one of you to finally return."

This wicked presence suddenly filled the room and we halted all movement as it turned to face us.

"Here is your demon, Warden."

Morrigan told us what we had already figured out and a loud gasp escaped from Levi aside of me. I pushed him behind me to shield him from harm.

"Grandmother?"

Levi moved to my side, his hand over his mouth.

"What? This...thing is your grandmother?"

"Well...Well, I think it might have been at one point, but now..."

Levi was horrified at the sight before us and looked unsteady on his feet, perhaps about to pass out. I suddenly wished I had sent him with the other group.

"This thing is human no longer. 'Tis possessed by the demon that I spoke of. A Wraith."

The thing before us laid its eyes on Morrigan and gave us a vile chuckle.

"Ah, another mage, have we? Splendid. You are exactly what This One needs."

I took a protective stance ahead of my companions, not liking what I was hearing from this demon.

"What you...need?"

"Yes. This one would strike a deal with you, Warden."

The words that it spoke, the way it spoke... Everything but the sound of its voice sounded human and even high class. I could not believe my eyes even as I watched it happen.

"Do not speak with such a creature, Warden. 'Tis most unwise as it will speak only in riddles and lies."

The possessed hunk of flesh before us suddenly ruptured with a loud booming noise of a voice.

"Your underling should mind its place, Warden. Meek, subservient and quiet."

Morrigan returned with her own retort and an offended snort and laugh.

"'Tis nothing left worth speaking to in this mass of flesh, Warden. Let us kill it and be done with it."

"Oh yes, please do try. This One has seen no battle for such a long time and would enjoy feeling the warmth of blood on This One's hands again."

I could see pleasure in this demon's eyes as those words were spoken and I had now witnessed demonic evil first hand and it chilled me to the bone.

But I had a plan.

"What is it that you seek, demon?"

What could have passed for a smile maybe fifty years ago covered the face of the possessed flesh before us and the demon continued its earlier rant.

"This One will answer your question, Warden. This One has been unable to move from this place, bound by a mage from so long ago. This One must have blood magic to be free of this prison."

"So what is this deal you speak of?"

"This One would offer you this bastion in trade for This One's release. This One sees many pictures and many places in this Dryden's memories and would travel to those places. Taste those things This One sees."

"So if I release you with blood magic, you would leave willingly and never return?"

"This One would. This One has been locked inside these walls for many years and longs for something different and new. This One cannot kill where none are present."

Leliana's voice chimed in, alarmed.

"Detra, surel..."

"Quiet!"

I did not let Leliana even finish her second word in as I held my hand out in gesture, my voice emphatic with disapproval.

The demon before us laughed in accordance with my outburst with its twisted voice and I continued.

"What of your companion spirits? Would they leave as well?"

"This One is unable to sustain their presence in this plane of existence any longer. There are no more of This One's kind here."

I nodded, finding my opening to strike and strike quickly we did.

"Then we need not dally with you, Demon. You shall die as you should have so many years ago."

Before the demon could react to my words, Morrigan lit up the room with a fireball spell and knocked the possessed Dryden back into the wall as well as ablaze.

Leliana and I ran towards the demon right after I pushed Levi out the doorway, out of harms way, and our swords met with strong resistance as we were pushed back.

"This One does not like the tricks the Warden plays! This One shall have your head!"

Swords met in mid-air and made the familiar grinding and clanking noises as the battle waged for control of the Peak. The Wraith may have been alone but it was also still a force to be reckoned with.

Luckily for us, the armor that the demon wore had broken down over the hundred years it spent in the Peak and we were able to chip through it in certain areas, weakening its integrity.

Sten worked his way behind the Dryden thing and tried his best to back stab but kept getting knocked backwards by its magic.

Morrigan was almost completing a spell when the Dryden thing lashed out with shield and sword, slashing Morrigan and then knocking her to the ground then coming after me.

"Morrigan!"

My concern for my comrade led me to be shield bashed and slashed at the shoulder but I was not deterred and returned the favor, launching my own attack.

Leliana got too close and was also knocked to the floor and I moved harder and faster against this Dryden thing. We needed to defeat it before real damage was done.

Who knows what unpleasant magic this thing could unleash on us at any moment!

Morrigan was on her feet again and Sten managed to break through the Dryden thing's armor from behind and stagger it, just long enough for me to charge an opening and be repelled by the shield once more.

Another attack in my head, I closed the gap between us again and then saw two arrows root themselves one after the other within the Dryden thing's skull as I moved forward.

We all froze in place as we watched the demon-inhabited body slump to the floor, dead.

I looked behind me just in time to see Leliana lower her bow and I smiled warmly, thankful that the battle was now over.

"You and that bow..Always just in the nick of time."

Leliana returned a modest smile and tucked her bow onto her back as I looked to Morrigan, moving to her.

"Are you all right?"

I saw blood on her arm and I felt nervous and scared.

"I am fine, Warden. 'Tis only a flesh wound."

Morrigan disregarded my concern as expected and instead looked to my wound as she allowed me to help her up.

"What of yours? 'Tis blood here."

Morrigan drew attention to my shoulder and Leliana voiced her concern as she joined us.

I allowed Morrigan to touch and inspect my shoulder wound and she told me it was also a surface wound.

I caught Leliana's arm as the others moved to inspect the dead demon.

"Leliana, earlier...when I yelled at you..."

Leliana smiled.

"Don't worry, Detra. I knew you had a plan."

I nodded back at her and smiled.

"Great job, all. We took this thing down quicker than I imagined we could. And thankfully it did not bring any friends with it."

I looked down at the dead Dryden thing and was sickened by what I saw.

This body had been dead years and years ago yet its dweller had refused to give up its rights and worn the body much longer than it should have.

Bruised and rotting flesh clung to disintegrating bones and I could only imagine what a horrific experience it had been for the real Sophia Dryden. Years of being trapped within her own body, controlled by this entity who had taken it by force on that fateful day.

Levi stepped back into the room now that the carnage was over and he slowly approached what was left of and what appeared to be his grandmother.

I gestured to the others to give him some alone time with what was once his grandmother and they followed me out of the room.

"So that is it? We have won the battle?"

Sten questioned the ease of our victory and I had to agree with him.

"Morrigan, do you sense any more magic at work or are we truly alone now?"

Morrigan brushed herself off and answered me.

"The Veil is not torn as I thought 'twould be, 'tis strange. The demon must have long lost most of its power to time. I am surprised it gave us such difficulty in fact."

We rested a few moments to recover and then we set off as a group to locate the others and tell them the good news.

Luckily, they were not so far from where we had split up and they were relieved with our news of swift victory.

Alistair came to me for all the details but I sent him to Sten, wanting to get our first aid kit and tend to Morrigan's wounds.

Leliana stopped me in the doorway and insisted that I take a seat and wait for her to come back with the kit to take care of my wound.

"No, really. I am fine, Leliana."

Leliana pointed to the chair, wearing a stern look on her face and did not move from my path.

"Sit. I will be back shortly."

Not fancying an argument, I sat as Leliana turned and retraced our previous footsteps through the fortress.

Morrigan had moved off by herself as she always did and I saw her investigating the wound on her arm.

I stood up and walked to her as I could see she was having difficulty due to the location and angle of the wound on her arm.

Morrigan saw me approach and immediately dropped her arm to avoid unwanted attention I would suppose.

"Let me take a look at it, Morrigan."

"'Tis fine, Warden. I have told you once already."

"Well if it were fine you would not be looking at it, no?"

Morrigan avoided my eyes but allowed me to guide her into a chair and then inspect her wound, my hands softly and carefully touching her arm.

"It is not that deep but it should be cleaned. Leliana has set off to get our first aid kit so when she returns..."

"Warden, 'tis fine. I shall heal as soon as my mana returns and it will be there no longer."

My hand around Morrigan's arm, I found I did not want to let go.

"Are...are you sure? I could..."

"While I recognize your concern, Warden, I shall be fine. I am sure you have other things to attend to."

It was obvious Morrigan had grown weary of my presence already so I obliged her and moved off, back to the chair Leliana had assigned me to moments earlier.

Leliana returned soon after and inspected my shoulder, cleaning and then dressing the wound, telling me that it would heal in short order. Leliana packed up the first aid kit and went to check on the others and Morrigan approached me from behind. As I became aware of her presence, I went to turn around but Morrigan's hand on my shoulder stopped me and I felt the heat of magic on the wound on my shoulder.

"Morrigan, what are..."

Before I could finish my sentence, Morrigan was done and she moved away from me towards the doorway, not saying a word in response.

My wound was gone.

Why had she just used her mana to heal my wound instead of her own?

Strange.

Alistair had everyone he could discussing the short fight and seemed incredibly distressed that he had not been present with the demon. Honestly I do not think he could have handled seeing what had become of Sophia Dryden and I felt he had been in the correct group.

"So what now, Detra? Should we move on to Denerim now?"

I shook my head.

"After all of this work? Absolutely not! We shall stay here a day or two and explore this massive structure. I am ready to see what the Peak has provided shelter for all of these years."

Leliana looked around, nodding.

"I agree. We should explore further, find out the history of this place. I for one am very excited."

Leliana and I shared a smile and then I stood up, ready to move on to the next step.

I stood up on a chair so all could see and hear me and informed my group that we would be spending the night, or possibly two or three here at the Peak.

"Thank you all so much for coming with me to fulfill this dream for the Grey Wardens. The Peak now belongs to us once again and I believe it is time to finally start unlocking its secrets."