Chapter 32: Tough Decisions

"By all that is holy, Violena!" exclaimed the inmate, "I can't believe it."

"Jowan?!" exclaimed Violena,

"Maker's breath, I thought you were dead!" the inmate Jowan exclaimed in surprise, "How did you get here?"

"Do not bother about me!" Violena snapped angrily, "Because you will soon be dead. Maker, how long have I waited for this!" she clutched her staff, ready to use.

"I understand," Jowan sighed, "After all I have done in here, I deserve punishment."

"You are the mage, Arlessa Isolde talked about?" questioned Alvar.

"Yes, I am the one who poisoned the Arl," answered Jowan, "I deserve the punishment you have for me."

"What?" Violena was shocked, "I was not talking about that, you traitor! You betrayed me and Lily in the Circle tower! You lied to us about your blood magic!"

"I am sorry, I was going to tell you the truth" answered Jowan, "After we had escaped completely from the Templars."

"Oh really? After we escape?" mocked Violena, she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, "Don't you mean after you escaped? You left me and Lily to the Templars' mercy. After all, we had served our purpose by helping you to escape. Not like you would need us anymore."

"Maker, you have got it all wrong!" exclaimed a horrified Jowan, "I did not wish to leave you to the Templars! You are my best friend and Lily my lover. I would never betray either of you!"

"But you did," said Violena, "You casted a blood magic spell when the Templars cornered us and put all of us to sleep while you vanished never to be seen again! If that is not betrayal than what is it?"

"I thought you were dead!" yelled Jowan, "When I saw you and Lily on the ground unmoving, I thought I had accidently killed you both."

"What?"

"Yes, I was hoping to cast a spell that would everyone to sleep, well everyone except you and Lily," explained Jowan, "There were too many Templars and I was afraid. I was unsure as to how much power I should use; I was still new to blood magic, you see. I ended up using a stronger spell than I had wished and knocked everyone including you and Lily.

"Seeing you and Lily unconscious on the floor horrified me, I thought I had killed everyone. So, I fled from the tower alone."

"If you were going to use a spell, especially something you know very little about, you could have at least warned me about it!" Violena yelled angrily, "I would have then erected an arcane barrier around myself and Lily."

Jowan lowered his head, "I know, I should have," he spoke softly, his tone full of guilt and shame. "But I was scared and I could not think fast, I was acting from fear than reason.

"I understand if you want to kill me," said Jowan, "And I won't protest but before I die, please tell me what has happened to Lily."

"Lily was taken to Aeonar," answered Violena sadly, "Maker knows what is being done to her."

"Oh, my poor Lily," Jowan spoke sadly, "If only I had done things different. If only I had…."

Violena was silent, her arms still crossed, but now her face now showed more pity and sadness than anger.

"You still did not tell me how you ended up here."

"Yes, I know what it looks like but I am not responsible for everything that is happening here," answered Jowan.

"You poisoned Arl Eamon, didn't you?" demanded Alvar, "which has caused all this mess."

"I poisoned the Arl, ser," answered Jowan, "But I did not summon any demon or cause the killings in the castle. I was already imprisoned when all that began.

"A few days after imprisoning me, Lady Isolde came to me with her guards, demanding me to reverse what I had done," explained Jowan. "I thought she meant my poisoning of the Arl, but only after she told me of what happened, did I first hear of walking corpses. Lady Isolde thought I had summoned the demon to possess Connor. But you must believe me, I swear I did not summon the demon."

Alvar narrowed his eyes, "Why did Lady Isolde bring you to the castle?"

"Her son Connor is a mage," answered Jowan, "Lady Isolde wanted me to train her son to just hide his magic until…."

Alvar raised a hand stopping the young mage, "I know that," he said, "I meant why did she hire you in particular and why did you poison Eamon?"

"I was instructed to, by Teyrn Loghain," answered Jowan, "As I fled the tower, I was captured by Teyrn Loghain's men. The Teyrn himself personally told me that Arl Eamon was a threat to Ferelden. And that if I joined with him and did his bidding, he would settle my situation with the Circle."

Alvar and Alistair exchanged glances at this, "Loghain that bastard! He is the one who caused all this mess!" Alistair exclaimed angrily.

"Teyrn Loghain asked me to poison the Arl, he said that he would settle my troubles with the Circle, but he abandoned me, didn't he? He has left me here to rot. I never thought it would end up like this, everything has fallen apart."

"You trusted Loghain of all the people!" Violena exclaimed in surprise.

"He is an important man," answered Jowan, "Well respected by everyone, I really thought I was doing a good thing by obeying him."

Alvar sneered mockingly, "Serves you right to have listened to that low born maggot," spoke Alvar. "And the Maker really has a sense of justice wouldn't you agree Violena?" he asked turning to Violena.

"How fitting that the dog who abandoned you to the Templars is now left to rot here by Loghain."

"You are right, Alvar," said Violena, "It seems there is some poetic justice here,"

"Maker, I have made so many mistakes, I wish I could go back and fix everything but I can't."

"How did Loghain manage to get you to this castle?" asked Alvar.

"Lady Isolde wanted a mage to teach her son, and she did not want the Circle to know about this," explained Jowan, "So she wanted an apostate, she came to Teyrn Loghain for help and it was Loghain who introduced me to her and sent me with her."

"This happened before the battle at Ostagar, yes?"

Jowan nodded in response.

Alvar was dumbstruck by the mage's words. While he still hated Loghain, he was shocked by the man's plan.

'So, Eamon was never meant to come to Ostagar. Which means Loghain had also planned this earlier just like his alliance with Howe and the attack on Highever,' Alvar pondered.

"Look, I know I have done many things wrong," said Jowan, "I wish I could go back and reverse them but I cannot. But I want a chance to make things right, in any way I can; please Violena, I beg you to give me one chance to make things right!" he pleaded, joining his hands together to Violena.

Violena stared silently at Jowan, her face showing uneasiness, she seemed angry and pitiful at the same time.

"He is a blood mage!" exclaimed Alistair, "You cannot just let him go! We must kill him!"

"What? No!" snapped Violena, turning to Alistair.

"Tell me you aren't thinking of letting him go, right?" said Alistair.

"Of course not," answered Violena, "I somewhat understand his reasons but I have not forgiven him." Then she turned to Jowan, "Mayhap someday I might but not today," she said calmly.

"What do you suggest we do with him now?" asked Alvar.

"We must first determine what exactly is plaguing the castle," answered Violena, "Then we can see if he can help or not. Till then, we shall leave him here for now."

"Thank you, Violena!" exclaimed Jowan in relief, "I will wait here until you send for me,"

"Of course, you will," said Alistair, "Not like you can go anywhere else,"

Saying that; Alvar, Alistair, Violena and the other companions walked away towards the main door.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Alvar and his companions caught up with Ser Perth and his knights at the main door to the castle dungeons; the knights had successfully cleared the dungeons of any undead monsters. Now, together with Alvar and his companions, they all ascended upstairs to the main floor of the castle.

They stood in a long corridor, the walls on either side were covered with tapestries embroidered in Redcliffe heraldry patterns. There were doors to other rooms as well. Still, the routine would be same, they would open the doors and check each of the rooms for any undead.

After clearing many rooms from the undead, they reached the last room remaining in that corridor, Alvar kicked open the door. To their surprise, this time they were not welcomed by undead but rather a young girl who screamed in fear as Alvar and his men entered inside. The girl was dressed in simple clothing, her hair was disheveled. Her body was thin and looked frail. She reeked of a stench indicating she had not had a bath from a long time.

"Easy now, calm down girl," bellowed Alvar, "We won't harm you."

"Who are you?" she asked fearfully,

"I am Lord Alvar Cousland of Highever," answered Alvar, "I am here looking for Arl Eamon. Who are you?"

"My name is Valena, lord," spoke the girl, "I am maid to the Arlessa Isolde, I was here when the monsters appeared, many days ago. I locked the door and stayed here when I saw corpses walking, since then, I was trapped here."

"I can figure that seeing your condition, I am impressed to see you still alive, despite not having any food or water," commented Alvar, then he suddenly remembered something, "Wait a minute, Valena? Are you the daughter of Owen the blacksmith?" he questioned.

"Yes, my lord," Valena answered excitedly, "Is my father alright? He must be worried about me."

"He lives," answered Alvar, "I found him drinking himself to death. He never believed that you were dead. I had given him my word that I would look for you if he would in return start his forge and help supply the militia."

"Many thanks, my lord, I will always be grateful to you for saving me," proclaimed Violena with a deep bow, "Is it safe to leave the castle?" she asked.

"Not yet, we are yet to clear the courtyard," answered Alvar, "It is very dangerous to leave now; it appears girl, that you might have to stay here and wait for some more time."

"Alright, my lord," Valena spoke sadly and looked down on the floor, then she suddenly looked up at Alvar, "My lord, can you please give me something to eat? I haven't eaten since I was trapped here."

Alvar shook his head, "I did not bring any of my supplies with me, but would you like some water instead?"

"Yes, please my lord!"

Alvar turned to Alistair, "Give her some water from your waterskin," he ordered.

"I will," said Alistair and he took out his waterskin and handed it to the young girl.

The girl hurriedly took the waterskin, she quickly opened it and guzzled the water.

"Easy there," said Alvar, "Take your time, girl,"

At his words, Valena slowed down. After emptying almost half of the full waterskin, she handed it back to Alistair. "Thank you, my lord," she proclaimed.

"Yes, now we have to go," said Alvar, "lock this door and wait here, I will send one of my men to let you know once it is safe to leave the castle."

Valena nodded in response, and as soon as Alvar and all of his band left the room, she closed the door and locked it from inside.

"Now, Ser Perth, lead us to the main door," ordered Alvar.

"Yes, my lord, please follow me," said Ser Perth. And together the ten of them made their way towards the main door of the castle. On the way, they encountered many more undead monsters whom they slew where they stood. Soon, they reached the main door of the castle.

They opened the big door which led to the courtyard. Standing outside in the courtyard, they looked around. The vast courtyard was empty, not a single man or beast in sight. Even the ground was clean. But Alvar and his men knew that not to believe everything they see. They kept their guard.

Alvar looked at the main gate into the courtyard, which was closed. Behind the iron gate, he noticed the remainder of Ser Perth's knights and his companions Sten and Morrigan waiting.

"We must open those gates and let our men inside," said Alvar.

"Yes, my lord," affirmed Ser Perth,

"But be wary, you all," said Alvar, "we know not if there is really no evil presence here."

Saying that, Alvar, his companions, Ser Perth, his knights descended the stairs from the door into the courtyard.

As soon as they reached the courtyard, a chilly wind flew past them. And suddenly out of thin air, a tall humanoid creature formed. The creature was a reanimated corpse, which showed in its red eyes and its body seemed to be covered in broken pieces of armour. It wore a winged helmet, while wielding a large sword and shield.

"Maker preserve us! what is that thing?!" exclaimed Ser Perth in horror.

"Revenant," answered Alvar gravely, "I have faced such a creature before. And it will take all of us to bring it down."

To make their situation worse, the Revenant was not alone. A number of undead monsters also resurfaced out of thin air.

The revenant charged at the group, leading the undead monsters. Some of Alvar's companions and the knights engaged the undead monsters. While Alvar, Alistair, Violena and Ser Perth engaged the revenant.

Alvar, Alistair and Ser Perth surrounded the revenant and hacked at the demon, Violena let loose her offensive spells at the creature. The revenant was vicious just like the earlier one Alvar had fought. It faced its opponents aggressively, flailing the large sword around. Even its crude shield was turned into a weapon. Alvar, Alistair and Ser Perth avoided the sword as much as they could.

As they had surrounded the revenant; Alvar, Alistair and Ser Perth attacked at the same time. The revenant tried to focus on its three opponents but it failed to. Each time it turned around to attack one of its opponents, the other two would strike. Alistair in particular used his Templar talents inflicting heavy damage on the revenant.

Eventually, after a long and tough battle, the revenant was finally slain with Alistair dealing the killing blow. The three men had taken a few cuts but nothing serious. The rest of their entourage had succeeded in killing their undead foes. Wynne and Violena healed them to the best of their ability, as they all rested from the battle.

"Andraste preserve us, what was that abomination?" asked Ser Perth, panting in exhaustion.

"It is a corpse possessed by a demon," answered Violena. "It is one of the most powerful creatures that can be conjured through necromancy."

"We fought one like this at the Circle tower," said Alvar, "It took us over a dozen Templars to kill. And it was not before it killed three of Templars."

"Maker, I pray we do not face more such creatures in the castle," said a horrified Ser Perth.

Violena sighed, while she hoped they would not have to face another Revenant, there was still the matter of the demon which had taken hold of the Arl's son which without doubt is much more powerful than the revenant they just killed.

After a few minutes of recuperation; Alvar, his companions, Ser Perth and all the knights entered the castle.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Alvar, his companions, Ser Perth and the knights of Redcliffe entered the main hall. They were welcomed by an amusing sight. They say a few people at the head of the hall, near the fireplace. Arlessa Isolde, a small boy of around eight years of age and a couple of soldiers stood. While Bann Teagan stood facing them with his back towards Alvar and his entourage.

Bann Teagan suddenly started flailing his arms and dancing. His movements however were hardly graceful and seemed more akin to a court jester's attempt to entertain. The boy next to Isolde cheered and laughed, while Isolde bent her head, her face showing her sadness.

Alvar, Ser Perth and their followers approached Bann Teagan and others by the fireplace, the boy looked up and noticed their arrival as they neared. With an imperious gesture of his hand, the boy bade Teagan to stop and sit on the floor beside him.

The boy looked at Alvar, "Well, mother. These are the visitors you told me about!" he declared. His voice however was anything but childlike. It was deep and guttural.

"Y… yes, Connor," uttered Isolde softly.

"And this is the one who defeated my soldiers! The ones I had sent to reclaim my village!?" bellowed Connor in a harsh, demonic voice, pointing at Alvar.

"Yes... Connor," answered Isolde.

"I see it staring at me, but I can't see well enough," spoke Connor, "What is it?"

"This… He… is a man, Connor," stammered Isolde, "Just like your father and uncle,"

"Not my father again!" Connor scoffed, "Besides, he is nothing like father or uncle!" he snapped, "Look at him, He is young and strong, and dark of hair. And look how he stands defiant unlike uncle here! But I could rectify that, mind you…"

Isolde turned to her son, "Connor, please!" she pleaded, "I beg you, do not hurt anyone!"

Alvar placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, jutting it suggestively forward.

"Uh... Mother… W…. What is happening?" Connor stammered, covering his face with his hands, his voice changed. It was now that of a child.

Isolde was delighted on hearing his voice, "Connor! Thank the Maker! Can you hear me?" she exclaimed as she approached closer to him and knelt towards him. "Look at me, son! It is your mother!"

"Get away from me fool woman!" Connor snapped suddenly; his demonic voice was back.

Isolde was shocked at the sudden transformation; she got up immediately. "You bore me!" yelled Connor, "I will deal with you later. First, I must see to our guests," saying that, he turned towards Alvar.

"Well, why are you here? what do you want?!" demanded Connor, his eyes full of malice.

"Lord Alvar, please understand," requested Isolde tearfully, "It is all the mage's doing. Connor didn't mean any of this!"

Alvar knew Connor, he had met him years ago. "I am here to see Arl Eamon," answered Alvar. "I am hoping you can tell me about him."

"Father? Uh... not again! How many times must I tell you to stop bringing his name!?" yelled Connor.

"What have you done to him? Does he still live?" questioned Alvar.

"Connor only wanted to help his father," answered Isolde for her son, "He did not mean for any of this to happen!"

"And made a deal with a demon to do so? Foolish child," commented Morrigan.

"It was a fair deal," snapped Connor, "Father is alive, just as I wanted. But now, it is my turn to sit on the throne and send armies to conquer the world! Nobody will tell me what to do anymore!" he thundered.

"Nobody tells him what to do! Nobody ha ha!" exclaimed Teagan, cackling maniacally.

"Quiet uncle," demanded Connor turning towards Bann Teagan, "Did I not warn what will happen if you keep shouting? I did."

Alvar and Ser Perth exchanged glances, it was clear to them Teagan was under a spell.

Connor then turned to Alvar, "Now you, they tell me it was you who defeated my soldiers last night. You are the reason the village is still not mine! Is that right?"

"It is," answered Alvar.

"I crave for entertainment and you spoiled my sport saving that stupid village! And now, you will pay!"

Connor raised his arms and suddenly six to eight undead corpses materialised from the ground. Alvar and his allies drew their weapons. Bann Teagan also got up and drew his sword, but being possessed he lunged at Alvar while the undead attacked the others. In the midst of the fighting, Connor ran out of the door while Isolde helplessly screamed for him.

Alvar engaged the possessed Teagan while Ser Perth, the knights and the companions faced the undead. Alvar had the skill and numbers on his side this time, which ensured the fighting was brief and soon all the undead were put to rest. Teagan was vicious in his attacks however a well-timed shield bash towards his face was enough to knock him down.

The undead were slain quickly and Bann Teagan got up, Alvar stood ready with his weapons in hand. But Teagan didn't attack him, instead, he sheathed his own sword and rubbed his forehead slowly.

"Uh… It feels different," he muttered.

Isolde approached her brother-in-law, "Teagan, are you alright?" she asked with concern.

"I… I think so," answered Teagan, "It seems the spell wore of me, my mind is my own." Then he turned to Alvar, "We must do something about this soon,"

"Connor is not responsible for all this!" yelled Isolde, "please! It is the demon who is making him do all this. There must be some way to save him!"

"I do not know about that," said Alvar coldly, "Demons do not listen to reason."

"But he is not always the demon!" retorted Isolde, "He is still there, you have seen him break though sometimes! Please lord! I only want to protect my son!" she requested.

"Isn't that what started all this, Lady Isolde?" questioned Alvar. "You hired a mage to teach him in secret. And that mage had to be in cahoots with your house's enemies!"

"I trusted Loghain. How was I to know that the mage could not be trusted?" retorted Isolde, "He was sent by Teyrn Loghain. How was I to know what Teyrn Loghain was planning? Wasn't he your hero also until Ostagar?"

Alvar shrugged, like most of the nobility he had always looked down on Loghain and his daughter Anora for their lack of noble blood. He saw them as upstarts who tried to become equals with their betters. But still, he did respect the man for his valour and he was still the hero of River Dane.

"And Eamon knew nothing of this?" asked Teagan, "Do you realise what you have done, Isolde?!"

"Eamon would have demanded to do the right thing," answered Isolde, her tone showed disgust, "He would have sent Connor to the Circle!"

"That would be the right thing," said Alvar, "Had he been sent to the Circle, we could have avoided this entire situation."

"I would not lose my son to.. to magic, Lord Alvar!" snapped Isolde angrily, "Yes, I have made mistakes. But I am a mother and it is my son's life we are talking about! You can't expect me to not want the best for my only child."

Alvar and his companions had different feelings about Isolde's words. Alvar stood silent, his face was void of any emotion. Morrigan and Sten also seemed unbothered. Alistair, Leliana, Wynne and Violena felt touched. Violena in particular felt the most pity, she was touched by the concern Isolde showed towards her son and lengths she went to protect him. She wished her own parents had shown at least half the concern Isolde showed.

"And now because of your actions, you might lose your son forever," spoke Alvar.

"No, please no! There must be some other way! There has to be something we can do!"

"I wouldn't normally suggest slaying a child," commented Alistair who had been silent till now, "But…. He is an abomination. I do not know if we have any choice."

"The child is an abomination," spoke Sten in his usual impassive tone, "Kill it and be done with it. It is the only way we have."

"No, there is another way," spoke Violena, drawing everyone's attention towards her, "It is possible for a mage to enter the Fade and confront the demon."

"What do you mean?" asked a confused Bann Teagan, "The demon is within Connor, is it not?"

Violena was about to answer, but Wynne beat her to it, "Not entirely, my lord," spoke the old woman, "The child isn't fully possessed by the demon, because if he was then he would have changed into an abomination or to the demon form. But we see that the boy is still there, which means the possession is not complete, the demon is yet to take complete control of the boy."

"The demon is connected to Connor through Fade," spoke Violena, "Connor can navigate through the Fade by himself as he is connected to the demon in the Fade. If another mage enters the Fade and kills the demon, then Connor will be free."

Isolde's face brightened on hearing this, "Really?!" she exclaimed in delight, "Is that possible? Can a mage go into the Fade and free my son?"

Violena however hesitated in answering, "Yes, lady Isolde," then she lowered her head, "Forgive me my lady, I should not have mentioned it."

"Why? What is wrong?!" demanded Isolde.

"Sending a mage into the Fade is not an easy task," answered Violena, "We will need a lot of lyrium to fuel the journey, and more mages to conduct the ritual."

"Neither of which we have, I… is there really no other way?" asked Isolde sadly, her sudden enthusiasm was all gone now.

Violena placed a hand on her forehead and rubbed, "I think we may be able to manage something if we have more mages," she mused, "We might be able to combine our strength and try something."

Isolde had a brainwave, "Wait, what about the mage who caused all this?" she asked hopefully, "With him you will have four mages and can four mages do something?!"

"I do not know, but we can try," said Violena.

"If the mage still lives, we can have him brought here," added Isolde.

"He was alive the last time I saw him, a few hours ago," said Alvar.

Isolde turned to Teagan, "Then let us bring him here, Teagan," she said, "Have your men bring him here."

Teagan rubbed his chin in thought, "I do not know if bringing a maleficar here is a wise, but I do not see any better choice,"

"Ser Perth," called Bann Teagan, "Take some of your knights and bring the blood mage we have imprisoned in the dungeons."

"At once, my lord," said Ser Perth with a salute,

"Be wary, men," advised Bann Teagan, "He is a dangerous blood mage, be on your guard at all time when he is free."

Ser Perth nodded and walked out of the hall with seven of his knights.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"You! This is all your fault!" bellowed an enraged Isolde. "You did this to Connor!"

Alvar and his companions turned their heads towards the entrance, where Isolde was glaring at.

The knights had returned, they brought the captive Jowan with them. The knights brought him to the hall, his hands were chained and the knights all had their swords ready in hand.

"I did not summon the demon, my lady, I told you," protested Jowan. "Please allow me to help, we can…."

"Help?!" exclaimed Isolde angrily, cutting him off, "You betrayed my trust! I brought you here to help my son but you betrayed my trust and poisoned my husband!"

"What help will you offer now, you knave! Or are you here hoping to make sure my son is dead and that your task is complete?"

Jowan sighed, "I understand why you feel so about me, my lady," he answered softly, "I took advantage of your fears. I am sorry…. I never hoped it would come to this."

"Really?" questioned Alvar. "Did Loghain not send you here to cause trouble?"

"He did, my lord," answered Jowan, "But he only told me to poison the Arl. Connor's possession is not my doing. I swear this."

"Why must we believe you?" demanded Alvar, "Your actions have resulted in demons rampaging though Redcliffe, leaving a trail of destruction! Do you know who benefits the most from this? Loghain!

"The fall of Redcliffe and the end of Arl Eamon's house ensures that there is one less high lord to oppose that flea ridden maggot's schemes. Now tell us how Loghain did not command you to summon the demon into Connor?"

Jowan bent his head in defeat, "I swear in the Maker's name, I did not summon the demon, my lord," he answered, "But unfortunately, I do not have any way to prove it other than my words."

Then he looked up at Alvar, "However, what I told you and Violena at the dungeons is true, my lord. I have done many mistakes and I wish I could undo them. Thus, my lord, I sincerely request you for a chance to make things right."

Alvar pondered silently for a minute, then he looked over his shoulder at Violena, "What do you think, Violena?" he asked, "You know this boy from a long time."

"I am not certain, if I can trust him, lord Alvar," spoke Violena, "But I think we can give him one chance to redeem himself."

"I agree," added Leliana, "Every person should be given a chance to atone for their wrongs."

"I do not trust him," declared Bann Teagan, "But I do not see any other option, I am willing to allow him one chance to set things right."

"You hear that, blood mage?" Alvar asked Jowan, "This your only chance, for your own sake you better not try anything stupid."

"Thank you, my lords," Jowan spoke with gratitude, "I promise I will do everything I can to help you."

"Alright, now what do you think can be done here?" demanded Teagan,

"The demon in Connor needs to be destroyed. Killing Connor is the easiest way certainly," explained Jowan, "But there is another way. A mage can confront the demon in the Fade without hurting Connor."

"Yes, we know of that," said Alvar, interrupting the mage, "Violena has told us of that. But she says we need lot of lyrium and many mages for that. Can four mages perform the ritual?"

"No, my lord," Jowan shook his head, "But I have…. blood magic."

Alvar and Teagan exchanged bewildered glances, "How would that help?" asked Teagan.

"Blood magic uses the life force of others as raw mana," Violena answered the Bann, "The blood of others can be used as a substitute in place of lyrium."

"Yes," nodded Jowan, "That is right, however, the ritual I know will require a lot of life energy…. All of it in fact."

"So, someone must die," said Alvar, "Someone will be sacrificed to provide the blood for your demonic ritual?"

"Yes, my lord," Jowan nodded sadly, "And then we can send another mage into the Fade to confront the demon,"

Alvar, Teagan and Isolde looked somewhat hopeful. Jowan knew what the nobles were thinking, "But I cannot be the sacrifice," he spoke, "Since, I will be doing the ritual, I cannot use my own blood. Nor can I be the mage to enter the Fade."

The faint hope which was present on the faces of Isolde, Teagan and Alvar was now gone. "I shouldn't have mentioned this, my lord." Jowan spoke, "this isn't much of an option."

"No, it is not an option at all," declared Alvar sternly.

"Then I am sorry, my lord" said Jowan with resignation, "I do not know any other ways."

"So, my son can be saved if someone gives their life," spoke Isolde, "Then let it be me, I will give my life for Connor."

Isolde's volunteering shocked everyone in the room.

"What?!" exclaimed an astounded Teagan, "Isolde, are you mad?! Eamon would never allow this?"

"Either my son dies or I give my life to save him," Isolde spoke sadly, "The choice is clear for me."

"But…." Teagan was about protest but decided against it. Isolde seemed determined and firm to save her son.

"So, shall we begin, my lady?" asked Jowan curiously.

"Absolutely not! I will not allow this!"

All eyes turned towards Alvar who had just declared his refusal. "How can we trust blood magic to put an end to this demonic situation?" he demanded. "That magic which fuels itself by harming others, by the letting of blood, is hated by the Maker. And for right reasons; who is to say that this ritual will not lead to further problems?"

"My lord, I assure you this ritual will not cause any further problems," spoke Jowan, attempting to convince Lord Alvar. "I know what is to be done in this ritual and I swear it will not make things worse."

"And I must believe your word for it? You? a dog of Loghain?" retorted Alvar. "You must think I am stupid to allow you any semblance of power."

"My lord! I…" Jowan's protest was cut off when Alvar raised a hand, demanding him to stop.

Alvar stepped closer and pointing a finger at Jowan, "You were sent here by Loghain to kill Arl Eamon and cause trouble in Redcliffe. Who is to say that you still do not serve him? How can I be sure that you will not use the power you get from Lady Isolde's sacrifice against us?

"You have a history of betraying even your only friend. And now I must allow you to do a blood magic ritual? Over my dead body!"

"But Lord Alvar…" Isolde tried to reason with Alvar, only to be cut off by Teagan.

"He is right, Isolde," said Teagan, backing Alvar, "This mage Jowan is the reason we are having this demonic possession. How can we know that he will not use your life force to escape or worse, to strengthen the demon?"

"But Alvar, the alternative is to kill a child, we can't…." Leliana also tried to protest, but Alvar simply raised his hand, he didn't even turn around to look at her.

"My decision is final! There will be no more discussions on this!" he declared loudly, "We are not going to allow this maleficar to perform his heathen rituals!"

"As you wish, my lord," said Jowan with a sigh, "Then there is only one way. We must kill the demon by killing the host," he looked down as he spoke, afraid to face Isolde.

Alvar was silent for a couple of moments, then he spoke gravely, "Yes, then we do what we must be done. We kill Connor to kill the demon."

"No!" screamed a horrified Isolde, tears flowed from her eyes, she ran towards Alvar and placed both her hands on his arms, "No, please, my lord!" she pleaded, as she wept, "I beg you, please do not kill my only child! He is not at fault for any of this!"

Alvar was impassive, he slowly removed Isolde's hands from his arms, "My lady, I do not like this anymore than you do," he spoke calmly, "But we have no other way, we must do what should be done. Please do not make it harder than it already is."

"No!" sobbed Isolde, "Connor is just a child! My lord, please understand my pain! He is a just a boy! What if he was your son? Would you still do it?" Isolde joined her hands, as she pleaded, "I beg you my lord, please do not kill my baby!"

"I think there is another way!" declared Alistair, who had been silent for a long time. Everyone turned to him.

"What?" asked a surprised Alvar.

"We can reach out to the Circle for help!" spoke an excited Alistair. "They also owe us for saving them from Uldred's rebellion."

"Yes," Wynne voiced her agreement, "The Circle has many mages and a lot of lyrium. If we bring them here, they can conduct the ritual without involvement of any blood magic. With their help, we can send a mage into the Fade and kill the demon without hurting the child."

Isolde looked at Alvar, her face full of hope.

Alvar however was still as impassive as earlier, "That is a fine plan, Alistair," he said, "But the Circle is far, it will take us at least eight to twelve days to get there and return with the mages. Will Connor remain idle for so long?

"Will the knights of Redcliffe be enough to contain the demon in Connor from causing any further destruction till we arrive with the mages?"

Alvar was met with silence for an answer. With half of the village militia dead from last night's battle, their fighting strength was reduced. It was doubtful surviving militia and knights would be able to contain Connor or protect the village for the next eight to twelve days.

Teagan spoke breaking the silence, "It seems there are only three ways we can see an end to this situation. We either kill the demon and Connor with it; or we let Jowan do his blood magic ritual or we seek help from the Circle. Which one will it be, lord?" he asked, looking at Alvar.

Silence fell in the hall. Alvar crossed one arm and placed another hand on his chin, he lowered his gaze on the ground. He pondered silently; all eyes were on him as they awaited his decision. Alvar was in a dilemma now, he had to make a difficult decision.

He could kill the demon by killing Connor but can he bring himself to kill a child? And from what the demon in Connor had said earlier, it was clear that Eamon's life also depended on the demon. Which meant Eamon might also die when Connor and the demon would be killed. And even if Eamon would survive, how would he react to Alvar killing his son. The Couslands and Guerrins were already political rivals and their relations would worsen further if he would kill Eamon's only child. Would the Guerrins not hold a grudge against house Cousland? Who is to say this decision would not create a blood feud between the two noble houses?

Another option was to allow Violena's old friend Jowan to conduct a blood magic ritual. The ritual would cost Lady Isolde her life but Connor would be saved. However, could Jowan be trusted? He was the one who had poisoned Arl Eamon in the first place; And he had done that on Loghain's orders. Alvar could never trust a blood mage especially one who might also be a Loghain's man.

And the last option is to reach out to the Circle of the Magi in Kinloch Hold. The mages from the Circle could conduct rituals to save the Arl's entire family, but the journey to Kinloch Hold and back would take anywhere between eight to twelve days. Who is to say that the possessed Connor would not grow stronger in the meantime. Can the depleted village garrison and knights contain the demon from further destroying the village. And if the village of Redcliffe is destroyed, the demon would then move to other settlements in the arling and cause lay waste to more villages.

The burden of leadership and responsibility had never felt heavier than now on Alvar. He had to make a decision and someone or other would be hurt from any decision he would make.


A/N: What decision will Alvar make? Find out in the next chapter.

I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Feel free to express what you think of the story in the reviews. I greatly appreciate them.