We arrived at Redcliffe Castle around noon the following day. When we entered the courtyard, Master Dennet stabled the horses and the kennel master, Ronan, fussed over Larry and Kahn, offering to have them both bathed, groomed and fed as thanks for their service to Redcliffe. I warned Larry to be on his best behaviour and he drew himself up, proudly, and barked once. I took this to mean that he understood.

We found the mages already waiting for us in the entrance hall, with Teagan, Isolde and Jowan, accompanied by a handful of templars. Irving explained that only one mage could enter the Fade to confront the demon that possessed Connor. Before Grayson could respond, Jowan stepped forward.

"Please, I...I'd like to put right some of my wrongs. I want to do something good with my life before..." He trailed off, and the spectre of tranquillity hovered ominously over all of us. I remembered seeing Owain in the tower. That blank face...like there was just nothing left of him. I shuddered at the thought. No matter Jowan's crimes, nobody deserved that.

"You think we're going to let you anywhere near Connor after what you've done?" Alistair snapped. Clearly he was in full almost-templar mode.

"Alistair, I agree that this mage has committed heinous acts, for which he will be punished." Teagan said, eyeing Jowan uncertainly. "But he has been here for a week, without templar supervision, in a castle that has lost much of its guard, and he has not once tried to flee, or to harm anyone. He has kept Connor pacified and safe. I believe he is sincere in his desire to help."

They had kept Jowan out of his cell this entire time? I was pretty sure that hadn't happened in the game. Alistair looked like he wanted to argue, and Teagan threw him a stern look. He backed down, turning away from the Bann with a frustrated sigh and, for just a moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of how he might have been as a child in these halls. I couldn't help but smile, affectionately, at the stubborn frown on his face. Grayson was studying Jowan, thoughtfully, and he turned to Irving.

"First Enchanter, what are your thoughts on this?"

Irving took a step towards Jowan, and the younger man seemed to shrink under the First Enchanter's gaze.

"Jowan has not passed his Harrowing, and he is guilty of blood magic. The demon is likely to be one of greed or desire. It will attempt to engage whoever enters the Fade in conversation and tempt them with an offer." The elderly mage said, solemnly. "While I can see that you are sincere in your wish to help, this is too great a risk for us to take."

"I...understand, First Enchanter." Jowan said, his face crumpling in shame. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

"Then I shall face this demon." Morrigan volunteered, to everyone's surprise, stepping forward to face Irving. The templars all shifted, nervously, and she raised her chin and narrowed her eyes, silently daring them to question her capabilities.

The First Enchanter hesitated, before nodding. "Very well. We will prepare the ritual. It is not an easy task, and will require our full concentration. The ritual will take some time, and I recommend that anyone who is not directly involved remain elsewhere until it is over." His words were plain, but it sounded more like an order than a recommendation.

Both Wynne and Morrigan accompanied the Circle mages and their templar minders as they followed Lady Isolde to Connor's room while the rest of us stayed behind with Teagan.

"I have taken the liberty of having rooms prepared for you. I wasn't certain if you would be staying the night, but please know that you are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you wish." Teagan said.

I looked at Grayson, hopefully. We hadn't discussed staying in Redcliffe for any length of time but the thought of sleeping in an actual bed was so tempting that I thought I might cry if he declined the offer.

To my relief, he nodded, gratefully.

"Thank you, Bann Teagan. We will not impose on you long, but once the demon has been dealt with we should take some time to discuss our next move. And I think we would all benefit from a good night's rest."

"Very well." Teagan replied with a pleasant smile. "I will have the servants show you to your rooms. When you are ready, I would be honoured if you would join me in the dining hall for lunch. While you are here, please treat the castle as your home."

"I wonder what that feels like." Alistair muttered under his breath so that only Leliana and I could hear. I shot him a sympathetic look and we turned to follow the servants out of the entrance hall and up to the third floor of the castle, to our rooms.

The guest rooms were modest and sparsely furnished, but they were clean and warm and I immediately threw myself face-down on my bed with an appreciative groan, still in full armour. I missed my memory foam mattress and thick comforter from home, but after weeks of roughing it in tents and the torturously uncomfortable bed I'd half-slept in at the Spoiled Princess, this was heaven. I flopped over onto my back and lay there for a moment, before reluctantly heaving myself to my feet and grabbing my pack. I changed into the dress that Grace had given me, brushed my hair out and quickly sprayed some perfume to freshen up before returning to join the others in the dining hall.

The interior of the castle was much larger than it had been in the game but, fortunately, the small elven woman who had brought me to my room was waiting to escort me there, saving me from wandering the halls searching for it.

By the time I got there my companions were already seated. Teagan, Alistair and Grayson stood, respectfully, when I entered. I hesitated, taken aback by this display, but I guessed that it was customary here. Chivalry was still alive and well in Ferelden.

Teagan's seat was at the head of the table, with Grayson to his right and Alistair on his left. Leliana and Sten sat on Grayson's side and Zevran sat on Alistair's, with an empty chair between them for me.

I took my seat and Zevran let out a low whistle.

"Why, Lauren. I barely recognised you with your clothes on." He purred, flirtatiously. I wrinkled my nose but chose not to dignify him with a response.

I looked round to see mortified expressions on Teagan and Alistair's faces and I scoffed."Oh please, he means instead of my armour." I explained, shaking my head in exasperation. Grayson grinned, lazily.

"Of course." Zevran said, innocently. "And may I say, you wear that dress very well?"

"No, you may not." I snapped, with no real venom.

"Ah, you wound me, bella. Very well, I will keep my thoughts to myself." He said, with an exaggerated sigh.

"I think we would all appreciate that." Alistair muttered through gritted teeth.

The servants brought us vegetable broth and bread rolls to start and Teagan watched with a combination of awe and disgust as Alistair and I drained our bowls and wolfed down the bread in a matter of seconds. Grayson was a little more civilised - a lifetime of nobility preventing him from displaying anything less than the table manners expected of a Teyrn's son. I couldn't help being impressed by his restraint.

"So, how was your journey?" Teagan asked, while we waited for the next course. "I understand there was some sort of incident at the tower."

Grayson started to tell him a little of what had happened and I let my attention drift to Leliana, who was rolling her eyes as Zevran redirected his flirtations at her and we exchanged an amused grin when I caught her eye.

"It's nice to see you smiling." Alistair said, quietly. I sat back in my chair to look at him, and smiled a little brighter.

"Thanks. It's nice to be smiling." I replied. "I feel like I've been doing a lot of moping and arguing the last few days. It's nice to just take a moment to breathe."

"Arguing?" He asked, his eyes narrowing in concern. "Who...? Oh, you mean that fight with Morrigan?"

"Yeah...and then with Grayson. And...well you and I haven't argued, really, but..." I trailed off, deciding I didn't want to bring the mood down. I smiled, dismissively. "It doesn't matter. The point is, it's nice to just-"

"No, what were you going to say? About us?" He cut me off, raising an eyebrow. I sighed.

"It's not a big deal, I just felt like you were mad at me or something. When I started making an effort with Morrigan you just seemed..." I searched for a diplomatic word. "Disappointed? I guess?"

His face fell and he slumped back in his chair.

"I'm sorry about that." He said, quietly. "Honestly, I didn't think you had noticed."

"Of course I noticed. I value your friendship, Alistair. I'm just glad you don't hate me anymore." I said, nudging him playfully.

"Hate you?" He looked appalled. "Lauren, I never hated you. You thought...? Of course you did. Maker, I'm an ass."

"No arguments here." I shrugged.

"But, wait...you thought I was mad because you were talking to Morrigan?" He asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"Well, yeah...as soon as I started to spend time with her you just...stopped talking to me." I replied. "Why? Am I missing something? Was that not the reason?"

"Not exactly." He frowned, thoughtfully. "I suppose I owe you an explanation. If you have some time later, perhaps we could take a walk?"

I hesitated, taking a long drink from my water goblet before answering. I knew we had to talk. There had been too much unspoken tension between us and if it wasn't addressed, it would only get worse. I was curious as to what he had to say, but I was also fairly certain I already knew. If Grayson had figured out that I wasn't who I claimed to be, surely Alistair had too and, though it wasn't a conversation I was desperate to have, I knew I couldn't put it off forever.

I placed my goblet back on the table and straightened up, turning to face him. "Sure. I would like that."

He flashed me a brilliant smile that I couldn't help but return.

"Great! Maybe I can show you around the castle while we're at it." He said, enthusiastically, as the servants filed back into the room with the next course.

Silence descended upon the table as we all tucked in to our plates of roast beef and vegetables. Predictably, Alistair, Sten and I were the first to finish.

"How long do you think this ritual will take? I can't stand all of this waiting around." Alistair muttered, drumming his fingers anxiously on the wooden table top.

"I don't know, I could get used to it." I replied, stretching my arms behind my head and reclining in my seat. "If every meal is like this one, I volunteer to wait around for as long as possible."

"You have an impressive appetite for someone so little." Zevran chimed in, still halfway through his meal.

"It's a Grey Warden thing." I said, defensively. "Well...at least, partly. But you would comfort eat too if you had the weight of the Blight on your shoulders."

"I have no doubt. For what it is worth, I have the utmost faith in you." He replied, his tone unusually sincere.

"Thank you, Zevran." I replied, quirking my eyebrows in surprise at the lack of innuendo in his remark. "You know, maybe you're not so bad after all."

"I knew you would warm to me, Lauren." He grinned, devilishly, and leaned in closer. "And speaking of warmth, these Ferelden nights are so cold, no? I couldn't help but notice that your chambers are directly across the hall from mine. If you find yourself seeking warmth in the night…"

I held up a hand, cutting him off. Leliana and Grayson exchanged an amused look and Teagan flushed with embarrassment. Alistair's expression was calm, but I saw the muscles in his neck tense.

"Zevran, I gently complimented you." I exclaimed, shaking my head in disbelief. "And you know what? I take it back."

"Such a pity." He sighed, though I doubted he was quite as bothered as he was pretending to be. I wondered just how much of his lechery was an act.

Shortly after we finished eating, one of the servants burst into the room, panting with exertion, and announced that the ritual was over and Connor was finally awake. We rose to our feet as one and made our way to the boy's chambers at a brisk jog.

We arrived in time to see the mages and templars filing out into the hallway, with the exception of Wynne and Morrigan who were waiting for us inside. Lady Isolde sat by Connor's bedside, running a hand lovingly through her son's hair and murmuring softly in Orlesian.

"Connor!" Teagan exclaimed, rushing to his nephew's side. "Thank the Maker."

Connor himself looked exhausted and confused, and I placed a hand on Grayson's shoulder.

"Maybe we should give them some time alone." I said, softly. He nodded, watching the reunion with a sad smile. I wondered if it reminded him of his own family, and I gave his shoulder a light squeeze. I nodded to Wynne and Morrigan and we left, closing the door gently behind us.

"Nice one, Morrigan." I grinned, as we made our way back to the entrance hall to rejoin Irving and the others. "You made quick work of that demon."

"'Twas not difficult." She replied, dismissively, though I saw the ghost of a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Morrigan." Alistair said, quietly. The expression on his face clearly said that this small show of gratitude caused him physical pain. Morrigan merely smirked and said nothing.

By the time we reached the entrance hall, several of the mages were sitting on the ground, their faces pale with exhaustion. Grayson, Alistair and Wynne approached Irving and the four of them huddled together in conversation. With the immediate danger over, Leliana and Sten retired to their chambers, Zevran went off in the direction of the village and Morrigan stood beside me, eyeing the templars with a look of deep disgust.

"Can you imagine Alistair being one of them?" I asked, thoughtfully, following her gaze. "I feel like he's too sassy. I don't think templars are allowed to be sassy."

"You ask if I can imagine the suspicious, dim-witted oaf belonging to an order of suspicious, dim-witted oafs?" She asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Not at all."

"He's not that bad." I replied. She smirked, but didn't argue. I wondered if she didn't dislike him quite as much as she pretended to. One of the templars approached us and I automatically shifted my stance so that I was standing in front of Morrigan, protectively.

"You are the Lady Warden?" He asked, bluntly.

"Some people call me Lauren, but sure." I replied, guardedly, narrowing my eyes when he shot Morrigan a mistrustful look. "Is there something I can help you with, Ser?"

"I have a message for you." He said, reaching into his armour and producing a small scroll of parchment.

"For me?" I frowned in confusion as I accepted it, examining the red wax seal. "This is a templar seal. Who...oh. Of course." I realised, with a small smile.

"Ser Cullen asked me to give it to you directly, with his regards." He said, eyeing me curiously.

"Thank you." I said, softly. "How is he?"

"Recovering." The templar replied, stiffly.

"Please give him my best wishes." I said, with a grateful smile. He nodded, curtly, and returned to join his fellows.

"I seem to recall you saying that you possess an animal magnetism that endears you to...what was it? Dogs, horses and musicians?" Morrigan drawled, with laughter in her eyes. "'T'would seem your power now extends to templars, too."

My eyes snapped up to meet her face and I grinned.

"So you were watching us the entire time we were in the Wilds?" I replied, deflecting her question. "I'm going to my room but I'll see you at dinner? You missed lunch. If you're hungry I'm sure one of the servants would bring you something from the kitchens. You did just save the arl's son, after all. That's deserving of a sandwich, at least."

She looked thoughtful at the mention of food and I flashed her a brief smile, before turning on my heel and making for the stairs to the third floor, turning the parchment over in my hands.

"Lauren," Alistair caught me with my foot on the first step. I looked at him, impatiently, eager to be alone to read what Cullen had to say. "Could we take that walk now?"

I looked from Alistair's expectant face to Cullen's scroll in my hands and back again, hesitantly. Reluctantly, I slipped the parchment into the pocket of my dress and gestured for him to lead the way.

AN: Thank you to my beta, Kira Tamarion, for polishing this and making it way more readable. You rock!

Thank you to Chimera Spyke, Baconlord53 and Giggle813 for your reviews. And thanks to Nightingale690 for the flame, it was my first one.

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