As the hour grew late and the gardens chilled, more guests had taken up residence in the ballroom to partake in the most prized arts of Orlais; dancing, and judging each other.

Fae strained her neck to look for the rest of the advisors. "Where are they?"

Ellethir spotted the Iron Bull's horns in the distance, standing at the balustrade which surrounded the ballroom floor. "Over there. I wonder if Bull found something too."

Ellethir and Fae were still negotiating their way through the crowd when Josephine closed the distance between them. "You made it," she smiled, relieved. "Better late than never, I suppose."

"We did. And we've found—"

"Inquisitor Lavellan?" The crowd parted respectfully for Grand Duchess Florianne as she swished towards Ellethir. "We met only briefly. I am Grand Duchess Florianne de Chalons," she curtsied. "Welcome to our party."

Ellethir curtsied in return. "A pleasure to see you again, Your Grace. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Indeed there is," Florianne smiled. "Come, dance with me?"

"I'd be delighted." Ellethir offered her arm, and Florianne took it, whisking Ellethir downstairs to the ballroom floor.

"Andraste have mercy on our Inquisitor," Josephine said drolly, guiding Fae to where their comrades had gathered; Leliana, Cullen and Bull were more or less trapped on one side by the balustrade and crowded guests on the other.

"Lady Seer, what was the Inquisitor about to—?" Josephine was cut off by another voice nearby.

"Florianne has ever been her brother's creature, but perhaps she is finally coming into her own?"

Josephine shuffled further along. "—Tell us?"

Someone bumped into her. "I am so sorr—oh, Lady Josephine, Inquisition! Good, I was looking for you lot," Hawke toasted her glass. "Follow me, I've claimed a table nearby." She led them further back, where the placement of the balustrade near the claimed table offered a slim but uninterrupted view of the floor below.

There were not enough chairs, so Bull dragged a chair over from the table next to them and sat down. "So Fae, what's your news?"

"You first, Bull, mine needs explaining."

"I was just telling the Commander that I've noticed several men and women wearing their finest but carrying themselves an awful lot like folks with chevalier training."

"Then my news is the same, really. Pass this around," she handed him the crushed note, he read it and passed it along to Cullen.

"Midnight," Leliana read aloud. "Then we have less than an hour to make our move. The Inquisitor said Corypheus' victory began with the Empress' assassination by the Venatori. Perhaps Gaspard's second coup are what will draw them out of hiding."

Cullen leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Are you suggesting we let Gaspard go ahead with his plan?"

Leliana shrugged. "I'm saying that what Corypheus wants is chaos. That could still happen with Celene alive or dead. Either way, the empire must have a conclusive victor or it will be weakened, and Corypheus will press his advantage."

"The only way we can know that our future doesn't become that future is if Celene survives, and ideally, Gaspard as well, he is still next in line," Cullen insisted.

"For once, I agree with Cullen," Fae added. "We might not be able to save Orlais from itself in a single night, but with the key players alive and informed we might be able to keep it propped up, at least until Corypheus is no longer a threat."

Hawke finished off her current glass of champagne. "I take it the trip to the servants' quarters was fruitful, then? We heard there was fighting."

"There was. We found proof of foul play- by Gaspard, or Florianne, or someone trying to frame Gaspard or Florianne, we're not entirely sure. We also met Ambassador Briala and she wants us as allies, and that note you're holding was in the trophy room."

"Maker, you have been busy."

"Excuse me, my lady," a soft voice behind Fae said, and the Inquisition's conversation ground to a halt.

"Hm?" Fae turned around in her seat. A young man, tall and thin, with curly blonde hair tied behind his neck with a velvet ribbon, dipped into a short bow. His eyes were trained on the floor. "I wondered if…you…would honour me…with the next dance," he asked shyly.

"Oh! Uh…"

"Apologies, my lord, I'm afraid I've already asked the Lady Seer for the next dance," Hawke beamed. "Perhaps the one following?"

"Yes, I mean, if my lady is willing, to do me the honour…of the next dance," he mumbled. Fae smiled. "Of course, Lord…?"

"Lord Dupont, my lady. Then, I will take my leave." He bowed again and turned on his heel.

"I must take the blame for thwarting your budding romance, Fae," Josephine smiled guiltily.

"Apparently we need to prove to the masses that we are friends again, after our rather public confrontation at Adamant," Hawke explained.

Fae made a show of inspecting the lacework on her wrists. "Oh…Right."

Leliana chuckled. "You are blushing."

"I'm not blushing!"

"Look!" Josephine nodded towards the dance floor. Ellethir and Florianne were the last pair still dancing. The Inquisitor led Florianne into a graceful dip, and there was scattered applause from their onlookers. They both took a bow as the orchestra played out their last few notes, and transitioned smoothly into the next piece. Ellethir parted ways with Florianne while new dancers took to the floor, and Josephine left to guide her back to the group.

"Did you learn anything interesting?" Leliana asked.

Ellethir nodded, gratefully accepting a glass of champagne from Josephine. "According to Florianne, her brother is the greatest threat. She's given me the location of a mercenary captain she claims Gaspard has hired as part of his plan."

"Forgive us, Inquisitor, but we have our own part to play," Hawke rose, offering an arm to Fae. "Feel free to catch up without us, we'll be back soon."

Fae looked reproachfully at Hawke's offered arm. Hawke took her hand and placed it on her arm. "Come on, everyone will be too busy talking about the Inquisitor's dance with the duchess to bother with ours. It'll be like old times!"

Fae rolled her eyes, but accepted her fate and stood. "This is a far cry from a jig on the tables at the Hanged Man," she grumbled, allowing Hawke to lead her to the floor.

Hawke waited for the correct timing, and then swept them both onto the floor alongside the other pairings. "When in Tevinter, and all that."

Fae focused on adjusting to the dance's rhythm for a while, timing her steps. She jumped at the right moment, and Hawke caught her, spinning her briefly before lowering her to the ground. Monsieur Bourrée would be proud.

"You're wearing all black," Fae finally said, desperate for a better distraction from the eyes she felt on her than counting in her head.

"I am," Hawke said cheerfully.

"Like you're in mourning."

"I can hardly remember a time when I wasn't in mourning. Before Kirkwall, certainly."

"…Oh."

"Fae," Hawke chuckled. "I'm kidding. I'm wearing all black because Lady Josephine recommended that I subtly align myself aesthetically with the Inquisition, by wearing one of its colours. Red was for the Inquisitor, silver for the war council, and white is for weddings so that leaves black."

"Oh. Right."

"Is something the matter? Apart from everything."

That finally earned Hawke a small, genuine smile. "Maybe. I'm not sure. Just when I think I have a hold on my seeing…of things, the rules change. Usually, I only see one person's perspective in those visions, but tonight I've found out it can be two people's perspectives of the same event. It was confusing. And usually, I only see other people's memories. Tonight, I think I might have come close to seeing one of my own, just not through my own eyes."

"Interesting. Perhaps it's a talent still developing."

"Maybe. I just… it's unsettling, that's all." Fae held her hand out for Hawke to twirl away, return, and be twirled away in turn, which was rewarded with some light applause. Reunited, the conversation continued. "I don't really have time to worry about it right now, anyway, because, well, everything," Fae rambled. "What about you? Are things alright?"

"Apart from everything, yes, I'd say so."

They danced for a little while longer, until the first couple had left the floor and they saw their opportunity to leave as well.

"I daresay the Inquisition may recruit a few bards from our performances tonight," Hawke announced, reclaiming her seat at the table.

Fae sat down as well, head still spinning. "Did we miss anything?"

"The Inquisitor wishes to conclude this war without further bloodshed," Cullen replied.

Leliana shook her head, eyes scanning over Gaspard's note yet again. "A noble goal, but an unrealistic one."

"It's the best chance we have," Ellethir insisted. "We will end this war by persuading all three of its perpetrators. We tell Briala the truth of that awful future and convince her to return to Celene's side to protect her, while mitigating any further tyranny against the elves, and we tell Gaspard the truth so that the Orlesian army is united once more, against a common foe. They will keep each other in check, not unlike Leliana's original plans for our war council. You recruited Fae to be your trusted guiding Right Hand for me, to prevent the possibility of the Herald of Andraste becoming a tyrant, did you not?"

Leliana's lip quirked. "A fair point, Inquisitor."

"And if any of them are aligned with Corypheus?" Cullen asked.

Ellethir sighed heavily. "Then, we improvise. With any luck, at least one of them isn't working for Corypheus, and we help whoever that is survive the peace talks. But we don't have long to figure it out. Cullen, Bull, Hawke, Blackwall, I want you to take our honour guard and any friends of ours you can find on the way, and go to the west wing. Find Gaspard's men and prevent them from making their move at midnight. Take this note, and find Gaspard himself as well. Tell him that his plans are thwarted and that we have proof of them if he tries to move against us. I imagine he won't take kindly to threats, but tell him about the future anyway, do everything you can to make him and his loyalists our allies."

"As you command, Inquisitor."

Ellethir turned to Fae next. "Fae, you take the locket to Briala, show it to her as proof of her history with Celene and tell her the truth about the future as well. Convince her to protect Celene for as long as it takes for us to take Corypheus down. I'll go and mention the locket to Celene's handmaidens myself and request an audience with the Empress, explain the future to her, and see if I can't convince her that Briala wants her back in her life."

"Is that necessary? Convincing Celene that Briala is still in love with her?" Fae asked. "Won't it be enough to just tell her the truth?"

"It is," Leliana answered for Ellethir. "I believe Celene would still agree, but she wears her heart on her sleeve more than she's given credit for. She would keep Briala at arm's length, and Briala's best chance of protecting Celene is right by her side."

Ellethir nodded her assent absentmindedly, still thinking. "Josephine, see if you can bring a few of our people in here, we don't want anyone else to have been missing from the ballroom for too long."

"Of course, Inquisitor."

"Then that's that then. We'll meet back up in the west wing when we're done, and return to the ballroom together on the next bell for Celene's announcement of retirement, signalling the official start of the peace talks."

A chorus of "Yes, Inquisitor," was murmured across the group.

"Good luck, everyone."