Despite it being the early hours of the morning, the Palace was as active as it would be during the day. The soldiers were tense, their gazes hard and untrusting, most still in shock and clinging to their duty for some form of normalcy, but their failure to protect their Queen hung heavy around them all. In the absence of instructions from the General, it had not taken long for their temporary Regent to take control and give them direction that they badly needed. He had ordered all of the elven servants to be taken to the Great Hall where they were to be questioned. Ser Cauthrien had overseen the interrogations which Vaughan had conducted. Her gaze had been as hard as Vaughan's, searching for an alternative to Erlina's apparent betrayal, but if there was one, the elven servants were not privy to it. Satisfied that they knew nothing, the elves had been escorted to the Alienage which was still under lockdown and they had begun to question the remaining servants and then the guards. No-one could shed any further light on the events, but armed with the knowledge that Erlina had been previously influenced by blood magic, Cauthrien could not accept that she had willingly killed the Queen. She had attempted to speak to Loghain, but he had sunk too far into his grief and she doubted her words had even registered. He had remained in the Queen's chambers, a wounded animal, snarling at any who approached and refusing to relinquish Anora to any other. Leaning against the wall she took a moment to calm herself, searching for the clarity this situation desperately needed, but she was grieving, angry and frustrated and the one person she could normally talk things through with, was the one person she couldn't reach. She headed down the corridor to Zarina's room. While she had already questioned her at length, she hoped there might be some small detail she might remember that would shed light on what had led to this most tragic turn of events.

xXx

Roused from her sleep, Kara had been surprised by not only how early it was, but how pale and agitated Krul appeared. She had dressed quickly and joined him in her office, feeling sick and faint when he finally told her the news that the Queen was dead. "Why am I just being told this now?"

"Because we just found out, I came to you as soon as I heard."

"Wasn't Ranan working near the palace last night?"

"He was, he returned a short time ago bringing the news."

"And why did he delay?"

"He woke up in an alleyway, fierce headache with a bump the size of an egg on the back of his head, at least two broken ribs and enough bruises to tell me there was more than one attacker. No idea who jumped him, but given the circumstances and him being elven, well I reckon we are lucky he is still alive."

Clenching her jaw, Kara nodded. "Check on Yvren and Oris, if elves are being attacked because of this …"

"Checked on them before coming to see you, sleeping like babies. I woke them and told them not to go out until you had spoken to them."

"Thank you. Alright, get William and send a message for Brom to meet with us at his earliest convenience, I understand he will be busy given the news, but Maker, this is just the excuse Vaughan needs to publicly employ more brutal tactics with those in the Alienage and get the rest of William's group here, they all need to know."

"You should also know, all of the elven servants from the palace were questioned and then escorted to the Alienage."

"Well at least Vaughan didn't use it as an excuse to imprison them. I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies."

xXx

Kara frowned as Zevran, Theron, Leliana and Sketch were shown into her office. "Where are Will and Gawain?" Her frown deepened at their alarmed looks.

"We expected them to be here." Leliana stated. "Will gets up so early we just assumed …"

They turned as Krul entered, Kara's frown deepened as he crossed the room and whispered in her ear. "Take Jacob and Rannon with you; comb every tavern, Inn and brothel and send Brien and Lisra to the docks, I want them found." She turned to Jayden's companions. "They left their meeting with the Mages Collective last night, but have not been seen since. Taren was adamant they were heading back to your base. Can any of you confirm they returned last night."

"I should never have gone to bed until they got back." Theron muttered guiltily. "We will help look."

"You will remain here!" Kara stated sharply. "I am not risking more of you. My job is to keep you unseen and I can't do that if you are running around the city, no matter how honed your skills in stealth are. I have my best people looking for them, they will be found. Not to mention there is another matter I need you to be aware of."

Staring in shock as Kara relayed the news regarding the Queen, Leliana felt guilt prickling her at the ripple of relief that with Anora's death, she was free of her. She took a shuddering breath, the grief she felt was for Jayden, imagining how hard this would hit him and the struggle he would have to bear, having to maintain the guise that he was simply a soldier and not her brother, wondering if perhaps that was the reason he had not returned. "From everything I have heard, Erlina has always been devoted to the Queen."

"Betrayal can come from those closest to us." Zevran muttered.

"Indeed. It also appears that our new Regent is intending to call a Landsmeet, no doubt to cement his new position." Kara stated, having no doubt herself that things were not as they seemed.

Zevran stood. "I think if William was here, he would contact our other allies to inform them of the Queen. I will do as I believe he would in his absence."

xXx

Returning to his room and shutting the door, Zevran took a shuddering breath, furious with himself as the others were that they had not remained awake until their companions had returned. "How could we be so foolish?" Forcing himself to focus he took out the Calling Crystal and contacted Highever requesting to speak to Fergus. He waited impatiently, relieved when he finally answered.

"Zevran? Has something happened?"

"I have disturbing news. Last night the Queen was murdered."

Fergus stared at the Calling Crystal in stunned disbelief. "What? I think I misheard you."

"You did not. The Queen has been murdered."

"I … Maker. Anora, I … what happened?"

"We do not have the exact details, but the deed was done by her Handmaiden so we are told. Erlina apparently threw herself from the window afterwards and did not survive. Convenient, no. The General has isolated himself in his grief and Arl Howe has proclaimed himself temporary Regent, though apparently, he had the General's agreement."

"No! Damn him!" Fergus forced himself to focus despite the pain of grief that felt as though it was tearing apart his heart and his fear that now his enemy had more power than ever. "Where is William?"

"He … he is detained. Forgive me but I did not think this news could wait and he did entrust the communication device to me."

Fergus shuddered; he could only imagine the state Jayden must be in. "Yes, of course, I … have William contact me the moment he is free to do so."

"If I may, given Arl Howe's change in status, I would suggest Lord Thomas or Warin be given the duty over the Calling Crystal. He is likely to contact them; we believe he intends to call a Landsmeet and he must believe he still has control over Highever." At the silence Zevran cleared his throat. "My Lord?"

"Yes, I … I shall see to it."

Ending their communication Zevran clenched his fists. The Queen murdered and Andraste's Champion was missing, two figures of power that would have stood in the new Regents way. "If he has harmed you in any way my friend, I swear he shall not live."

xXx

Staring at the Calling Crystal, Fergus wondered how long he had been sitting there. He slowly stood, gripping the back of a chair as he swayed. He navigated the corridor back to the solar where they had adjourned after breakfast, his hands shaking as he opened the door.

Cailan stood the moment he saw Fergus, his face ashen, his eyes bloodshot. "Maker, Fergus what has happened?"

"Anora." Fergus stared at him before shaking his head, gripping Ellowyn's hand as she hurried over to him. "She … she was murdered." He heard his sisters' shocked gasp and the startled mutterings of those in the room.

Cailan stared at him wide eyed, the colour draining from his face. "Fergus you misheard or misunderstood." He glanced at his uncle as Teagan gripped his shoulder.

"What happened?" Eamon demanded.

"Erlina killed her, though I do not have the details of what she did, before throwing herself out of the window."

"Erlina would never harm Anora!" Cailan clenched his fists struggling to restrain his anger. "She was devoted to her. She would die herself to stop Anora being hurt. This makes no sense."

Swallowing hard, Fergus eased onto the chair Ellowyn led him to realising he was shaking.

"Maker I …" Cailan stared helplessly at his hands, each beat of his heart becoming more painful than the last. "We had our problems and at times Maker forgive me I hated her, but she cannot be dead!"

Fergus remained silent, first Nathaniel and now Anora, both of his first and dearest friends returned to the Makers side and he would have been dead himself if Howe had had his way. He wanted to howl at how brutal a hand life had dealt them.

Cailan shuddered, guilt tearing into him. His mind screamed at him that if he had gone to Denerim as he should have when his memories were returned, Anora might still be alive. "Loghain he … he will be devastated and Maker knows what state Jayden is in. We need to leave for Denerim as soon as possible."

xXx

"You have been very quiet about all of this, brother." Teagan stated when they were alone, the others had gone their separate ways seeking to process the distressing news.

"I did not think my thoughts would be appreciated at this time."

"And what exactly are your thoughts?"

"As tragic as this turn of events is, it will make things easier for Cailan in the long run."

"You were right to remain silent." Teagan stated, moving to the window and gazing out.

"Anora was …"

"Eamon I will remind you that Queen Anora was just murdered, whatever you are about to say better damn well be respectful."

Eamon fell silent, glaring at his brother's back as he continued to gaze out of the window.

xXx

Shivering from shock and the chill of the chapel, Cailan lit a few more candles grateful for the meagre warmth. He knelt gazing up at the statue of Holy Andraste. "Anora, please forgive me. I should have returned to Denerim the moment my memories had returned. I should have been at your side; I should have been there to protect you." He clenched his trembling hands, lowering his gaze. "I remember the first time I realised I was in love with you, I could draw your face blindfolded, I knew it so well. I ached for the day you would see me as no longer a child. Marrying you was one of the best days of my life and Maker I wish I could turn back time and find a way to get you to open up to me sooner about your fears of having children. I wish you had never felt you had to use those damn herbs." He bowed his head, tears slipping down his cheeks. "We messed up our marriage, but I would give my life for you to live again. Jayden was right, I never supported you enough, never thought about the burden you carried. You just made everything seem so effortless." He shook his head. "I let myself believe that because it made it easier on me. I am a different man now Anora, after the Archdemon … I will be a better King, I swear." He glanced up at the sound of footsteps, watching as Fergus sat on a bench near him.

"After Nate … after he was murdered, I prayed I would never feel so empty and useless again." Fergus clenched his fists. "Are we all to be murdered? What did we do to deserve this?"

Easing himself onto the bench on the opposite side of the aisle, Cailan stared ahead without looking at anything. "I am going to find out what really happened and I will destroy whoever is truly behind this."

"What if it is as it seems and Erlina betrayed her?"

"Then she had orders from someone and I will find out who."

The two men fell into silence, engulfed by grief and a sense of helplessness that tore at their savaged hearts.

xXx

Sipping the brandy, Rendon stood at the fireplace gazing into the flames, fighting against the guilt clawing at his stomach and throat, the image of Anora's body burnt into his mind taunting him. Glancing up as Vaughan joined him, he forced himself to focus. "I am going to assume everything is going to plan."

Smirking, Vaughan nodded. "It was a nice touch to have Cauthrien oversee the questioning and the escort to the Alienage."

"I could not have kept her from it even if I had tried and her presence works in our favour. She saw the elves enter the Alienage unharmed and with the lockdown still in effect, she will have no reason to enter. Now, it is important that we deal with the Night Elves, I am assuming all is in place for that."

"We will deal with their base tonight."

"Make sure there is nothing left of it, they will know their place." His gaze became hard. "I hope my trust in you is not misplaced. You are proving lacking in obtaining information from William."

"He is tougher than I expected, but I will get you your information."

Rendon shook his head. "Do you take me for a fool, Vaughan? You have had your fun with him, now get me answers!"

Paling slightly, Vaughan got to his feet. "I …" He felt his heart lurch as Rendon gripped his arm.

"It would be unwise of you to test my patience."

"I will get you what you need."

"Good." Releasing his arm, Rendon turned back to the flames, taking another sip of brandy when Vaughan had closed the door behind him. "This is all for the good of Ferelden." He whispered to himself, but the image of Anora remained. He ignored the servant who brought him his midday meal, unable to stomach food and poured himself another drink. Glaring at the glass he put it down, there were other matters to attend to and he would not allow guilt to alter his course. He was so close to all he had been working towards and with that reminder came the familiar tickle of excitement and for a moment at least it was enough to block out those accusing dead eyes.

xXx

Jayden was aware of physical pain as the lash struck again, the drone of Vaughan's voice as he spat out whatever vile insults came to mind, before more questions, but it barely penetrated the agony of grief that had gripped him. Ignoring Vaughan, he focused on Erlina, locking away his grief and focusing on his anger and need for vengeance to give him strength. Yet another trickster, another traitor with the appearance of a friend. She was dead, but her actions would not have been her own, she would have received orders. He thought of Mother Dorothea, aligned with Celene if that had been true. Had Celene decided in this time of instability that now would be the right time to move against Anora, aiming to further weaken Ferelden and leave it easy pickings for the Empire. Or perhaps it all led back to Gaspard, the man who would be Emperor, a man grasping for power denied him. Rage steadily began to burn within him. He needed to get to Mother Dorothea, Erlina's orders would have originated from her, he would find out why they had changed, why now and he would make the Mother tell him exactly what game was being played that had cost his sister her life and then he would make Orlais pay, but first he had to escape.

With no idea of how much time had passed, Jayden was finally thrown back in the cell. The pain of his back was excruciating, but it paled in comparison to the pain he had experienced courtesy of the Archdemon, making it easier to cope with. Glancing over the cell door he noted additional hinges and extra locks; remembering hearing about improved measures put in place due to a break out several years ago and he could see it had been the truth. Not even the barracks employed these measures. Even with the right equipment the locks would be difficult to open and he wasn't sure he had the skill even if time wasn't limited. That left waiting until the door was open. They would have to believe him incapable of being a threat. He settled in to wait trying not to think about what would come next if his attempt to escape failed. Broken bones would be a new thing to him, even as a child he had never hurt himself in that way, but he had tended broken bones and he had no wish to experience it for himself. Waiting for it to happen was a torture in itself as Vaughan intended of course; he would take his time and make it as painful as possible. Breathing becoming laboured at the thought, Jayden concentrated on the techniques of focus and meditation he had learned from the Templars; keeping the fear at bay and allowing himself to remain at least partially clear headed.

Instead, he concentrated on loosening the knots, breathing through the pain that tore through his fingertips already raw from Vaughan's prior attention. He concentrated on slow, even breaths as he waited for the guards to return. Pretending to be asleep as the cell door opened, he was dragged out, slipping the last knot, Jayden drove his elbow into the solar plexus of the guard on his right, driving his foot down onto the knee of the other. Neither man wore armour, but they both had a sword which Jayden relieved them of. He turned sharply at a cry of pain, his eyes widening in horror as he saw Gawain being held between Vaughan and another man, his face was bruised and swollen and there were large bruises at his ribs where he had been repeatedly kicked.

Vaughan grinned. "I knew you would try something like this, so we brought along a little something to keep you in line, given your oh so honourable nature. We've roughed him up a little, but trust me we can do far worse." He brought the dagger to his throat." So, drop the weapons and get on your knees, or we make him wish he was dead."

"Don't worry about me!" Gawain gasped.

Swallowing painfully at the soldier's hiss of pain as the blade pressed tight, breaking the skin, Jayden dropped both swords, gasping in pain as a foot drove into the back of his knee flooring him. He was pressed to the ground, his wrists and ankles bound before he was dragged towards the far side of the dungeon, his skin scraping mercilessly against stone. Gritting his teeth Jayden refused to give any verbal sign of his pain, as blows rained down on his unprotected body.

"What about him?" Thane muttered, nodding to Gawain.

"Put him in a cell, I always like to have leverage."

Gawain watched in horror as they dragged Jayden away.

xXx

As the Calling Crystal flared, Warin felt a surge of anxiety that only increased at the excited tone in Rendon's voice.

"Warin. Excellent! It is time for you, Thomas and Ellowyn to come to Denerim. Things are moving swiftly and I need you all here."

"Of course, my Lord. May I ask the situation?"

"The Queen discovered what was happening in the Alienage, she even had the letter I fabricated to appear in Loghain's hand. I admit myself surprised at her resources. The Queen is no longer a threat."

"My Lord?"

"The Queen was murdered by her Handmaiden, Erlina. A dagger to the heart."

Waiting a moment to appear shocked, Warin swallowed hard. "Forgive me, but I find that hard to believe and so will others."

"I assure you it is true. Erlina did kill the Queen, it was not of her own free will of course."

"Surely she will protest her innocence."

"Perhaps she might have, but she did not survive the encounter. She jumped from the window and made a terrible mess. There is no-one to say it is not the truth. Loghain is obviously devastated, but in time his heart will heal. In the meantime, I have taken the role of Regent. We are in the best position for a Landsmeet to finally end things with the Couslands."

"There will be those who stand against you."

"Of course, but their descent will fall away when they discover the full treachery of the Couslands."

"My Lord?"

"It is simple enough to fabricate instructions given to Erlina from Bryce to assassinate the Queen and I also have Jayden."

Warin's breath caught; his shock genuine. "He is in Denerim?"

"Indeed. Hiding out with a mercenary company would you believe. Vaughan has a man on the inside, young Erik, I didn't think he would amount to much, but in this case, he proved very useful. He tricked Jayden into believing some old woman was in danger. Harris … retrieved him and brought him to Vaughan." He sighed in frustration. "He is proving to be rather resistant to physical persuasion to part with information on the Couslands and the Wardens. I think you taught him a little too well to hide his emotions and pain, Warin."

"I …"

"It is of no matter; Vaughan will break him."

Warin cleared his throat. "My Lord, I … is this not a dangerous course? Torturing him seems … counterproductive to your goal."

"It would be, but for Eloen. She will adjust his mind to believe Fergus himself tortured him. Not only will that ensure Loghain can have no doubt that Bryce was a traitor, but he will go against the family. With Jayden testifying to Fergus's brutal treatment and Ellowyn's testimony against her father, there can be no doubt the Landsmeet will go my way."

"Forgive me but that won't work. It was witnessed at Ostagar that Jayden is immune to magic intended to manipulate the mind."

"Do not concern yourself Warin. My Magister ally gave me a gift some time ago which he assures me will eliminate the immunity. By the time you arrive Jayden will be devoted to me."

xXx

Standing on the cliff staring out across the sea, the sun beginning to dip beneath the horizon, Cailan took a deep breath trying to ease the feeling of nausea. When he had finally left the chapel for the comfort of his room, guilt had torn at his heart as his treacherous thoughts turned to Rosslyn. Anora's death had paved a clear path for him to pursue a relationship with her, but that made him feel sick. He loved Rosslyn, but it was mixed up with betrayal, grief and a pain so intense at times he couldn't imagine living through it. A pit of despair had opened up within him and all he wanted was to hold his son, the part of his heart that only held joy. He was unable to settle to anything, his mind a chaos of thoughts and memories, his heart aching painfully. He had walked for hours barely aware of where he was, two guards following him at a discreet distance, until he had stopped at the cliff, watching the descent of the sun, wondering if any of them would survive this madness. He turned sharply, feeling a hand on his shoulder, meeting Delilah's gaze. Her own expression was worried, her eyes bloodshot with spent tears.

"Warin has requested our presence in the solar. He has heard from my father, but won't speak of it until we are all together."

xXx

"I will kill him!" Cailan roared; his fists clenched desperate to put them around Rendon's throat.

Teagan shivered, was there nothing Rendon would not do. Having the Queen murdered, slavery and now whatever they were doing to Jayden and Gawain.

Turning to Warin, Cailan glared at him. "He cannot possibly think he can gain the throne by this."

"I do not know if that is his goal, but he believes you are dead, your Majesty, as most of the country does. Now with Queen Anora's return to the Makers side and him taking over the regency, it does not seem as impossible as it once would have."

Shivering Ellowyn wrapped her shawl more tightly around her. "And with his blood mage he can have those who are against him, turned to his side. We will reach Denerim and find ourselves surrounded by enemies." She wiped angrily at the tears that slipped down her face. "We will never clear our parents' names; we will be declared traitors and …" She trembled as Fergus knelt beside her, taking her hand.

"Whatever we face in Denerim, whatever he throws at us we will unmask him for the traitor he is."

Ellowyn nodded, but a sob burst from her lips. "I encouraged Jayden to go to Denerim even knowing the danger …"

"He knew the danger." Fergus stated gently. "And I still believe if we had not sent him, he would have gone himself."

Delilah felt her lip trembling glancing at Thomas who gently squeezed her hand, the nightmare her father was weaving just seemed to get worse. "How can father do this?"

"We will make it as right as we can." Thomas stated softly.

"Nothing can make this right!" Ellowyn snapped, falling silent as her brother gently rested his hand on her arm.

"Well, he clearly does not intend to kill the boy, just control him." Eamon stated. "Having Andraste's Champion at his side will send a powerful message to those nobility he has not enthralled."

"Jayden is not a boy!" Delilah snapped. "And whatever this gift is that my father spoke of it will be of no use to him. Holy Andraste will protect him."

"Like she is protecting him right now!" Ellowyn hissed, getting to her feet. She turned to Thomas. "You know Vaughan better than any of us, you know he will make him suffer just for fun."

The ache in his heart building Thomas met her angry gaze. "I do and while I can do nothing about that, whatever the blood mage makes him believe we can reverse it." He twisted the ring nervously on his finger.

"What we need to consider is at some point he will tell them everything he knows and any advantage we had will be lost." Eamon stated.

As the cold reality settled in, their thoughts turned to the only option they had, Jayden and Gawain needed to be rescued.

xXx

Washing the blood from his hands and changing clothes, Vaughan strode out of his room glad to see the soldiers he had ordered to assemble were prompt. He led the way, excitement lending a swiftness to his step. As they entered the Alienage he gave the guards their orders, all of the Night Elves were to be rounded up and brought to the square. He made his way with his personal guard to the platform near their sacred tree, he wanted to burn it down, but there were other plans for it. Despite Erlina not having been from the Alienage, the fact she was an elf gave him all the leverage and support he needed to destroy every last shred of hope the elves had managed to build for themselves. His eyes roamed the gathering group of elves, hearing the commotion as some were clearly resisting and having to be dragged out. He saw other smaller groups of elves forming and watching anxiously, the more that saw what was to happen the better, but he wanted to personally commit each Night Elf to memory so he would know each by sight. "With the murder of our Queen at the hands of an elf, it is Regent Howe's declaration that the Night Elves be disbanded. Any elf found to be carrying a weapon will be imprisoned."

Darrian watched in growing fury and dismay as Vaughan's soldiers brought out the weapons and armour from their base, removing them from the Alienage. No-one spoke, it was too volatile a situation and Vaughan looked as though he was just looking for one of them to protest to kill them all. He glanced at Shianni, her face blotched red with fury, Zef's arms around her waist talking softly into her ear. He suspected that was the only reason she was quiet. He turned startled at shocked gasps, hearing destruction within their base and then the soldiers piled out as oil and then torches were thrown inside. They watched in horror as flames leapt up the timber frame and boards, the only mercy being it was one of the few warehouses not built tightly against another.

"What do we do?" Shianni whispered. There was no way out for them now, with the destruction of the base the access to the tunnel Kara's men had painstakingly made was inaccessible. There would be no more food, no way to access more weapons even if they wanted to risk that and certainly no way to exit the Alienage without Vaughan finding out.

Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead Zef glared at the flames. "We will figure something out love, we have to."

Vaughan cleared his throat. "Should any of you be caught with weapons of any kind, you will be executed as traitors."

Zef pulled Shianni tighter to him as Vaughan's gaze rested on her, a predatory look in his eyes.

xXx

Staring at the Alienage, Brom saw the flames standing out vibrantly in the darkness, having a good idea which building was being destroyed. He glanced at Thomas who was standing next to him, a look of disgust and fury on his face.

"I doubt disbanding the Night Elves is all they are doing in the Alienage, how many elves will they hurt in the name of justice. What are we going to do, we can't let that sadistic bastard Vaughan get away with this."

"With the General grieving and Howe as our new Regent there is no-one to stop him." He straightened as he saw Kara approach, her eyes locked on the flames.

"We have to get in there."

"We've already tried." Thomas muttered. "Vaughan has the place locked up tight with his own guards. They threatened us with time in Vaughan's dungeon. We can't help them from there."

"Well, if we can't get in through the gates, and no doubt that is the Night Elf base burning so we can't access through there, we will have to find another way."

"Well let me know when you can walk through walls or fly." Thomas muttered.

Kara nipped at her lip thoughtfully, before nodding and returning to her office, she had plans to make.

xXx

Author Note: Thank you for reading, it is always appreciated.