Find A Way

by Mazanti

Marisia Park was having a good day, until she got home and turned on the TV. She had to flee her new condo and found herself in a park. She came upon a lake. A swirling light at the bottom drew her to jump in the lake and swim to the swirl ... in a large mirror. She touched the mirror ... and ended up in Thedas ...

24. 24-Thoughts and Perspective

24-Thoughts and Perspective

"You know, Kankut," Loghain said from the doorway he was leaning against. "Separating Alistair and Mari may have been a mistake. They seemingly work well together and neither is a distraction to the other."

Del shrugged. "That was Duncan's order, not mine."

"I know who's order it was," Loghain said as he walked over to the table and sat down. "You need to quit interfering with Duncan's personnel. He knows his people better than you do."

"I must admit I was surprised neither of them argued the order, so, you could be correct, Loghain," Del said as he got up and picked up his papers and both sending stones. "In any case, I'm exhausted, so I'm heading to my bunk. Good night, day … whatever it is."

"At least he admits when he's been wrong." Once they heard Del's footsteps go up the stairs of the Tower of Ishal to their sleeping quarters, Loghain chuckled. "He's going to sneak back down and listen to us, isn't he?"

"Perhaps … but maybe not," Duncan said. "He's gotten a shock about Weisshaupt and it was a hard press to get here."

"Didn't you tell him to go back for at least a while once we've established that Ferelden is ready?" Loghain said.

"I did." Duncan rubbed his face.

They had only just arrived a few hours ago. It was early to go to bed, but the travel south had been fast and lean. Everyone was trying to get to Ostagar to see what was going on as fast as they could. The progress was incredible, even by Loghain's standards. He wanted to reply to Duncan, but gave the Warden-Commander a moment of peace.

When he lifted his face from his hands, Duncan continued, "He said that he may consider going to Soldier's Peak, but that was as far as he would retreat for the time being. Of course, that was before he found out that four Seekers had infiltrated Weisshaupt and possibly participated in a failed Orlesian coup attempt."

"Handy to have that elf portal so close to Soldier's Peak," Loghain said. "He can always be in both places within a week or so, as long as Solas is available. I wonder if that's why the Peak was built there."

"I had similar thoughts when I heard that. Help me remember to ask Solas to describe one of those Eluvian keys and then tell Haska to look for something like that." Duncan sat back in his chair. "You know that Maric also wanted me to station Alistair in Denerim."

Loghain raised an eyebrow. "I did not know that, but I can't say I'm surprised. He wished Alistair had come to Denerim with the Royal Family from the start, but was happy he was serving in Highever. He will be an asset to the Wardens once he learns the system and background. Perhaps, this interim posting will give him time to spend in the Warden library to learn more."

Duncan smirked. "Of course, I did not mention that I also plan to post Mari in Denerim once they return from Orzammar. She asked me where I would post her and I told her. So, Alistair's posting may be more than interim."

Loghain actually laughed … heartily! Once he stopped, he asked, "And, why are you punishing the poor girl with a posting in Denerim?"

"She can handle herself well with the nobility, Loghain. Better than either of us," Duncan said.

Leciah walked in with a tray of cookies and mugs of mead. "That's the best news I've heard yet, Duncan. You can saddle her with Warden-Commander when you go on your Calling."

"No, no, she will not be ready for that so soon," Duncan replied as he reached for a mug of mead. "However, I do give her recommendation to take under your wing … unless things change drastically."

"That's pretty much guaranteed, isn't it, Duncan?" Leciah munched on a cookie. "And, don't think about sending me to Denerim after all the work we've done down here."

"It had not occurred to me." Duncan smiled at his Second.

Loghain leaned back in his chair. "The calm before the storm. The worst to ever hit Ferelden and we always have the worst storms in Thedas." Then, he leaned forward and put his forearms on the table. "Ferelden will change drastically, won't it." It wasn't really a question.

Leciah smiled. "Plan for that and be monumentally surprised if it does not come to pass, my Da always said." After a slight pause, she added, "Very well, gentlemen. Finish your snack and get some rest. Tomorrow, we head into the Korcari for a tour. Morrigan's plotted a course for us to view the buildup of the darkspawn horde. The Archdemon is still unreachable, unless one can change into a bird." She stood. "This will not be easy, Your Lordship, Warden-Commander. Tomorrow or during the battle to come." She nodded and left the room.

Duncan downed his mead and grabbed a second mug. Leciah had conveniently put several extra mugs on the tray. Loghain followed his lead, but held it up in a toast, "To being monumentally surprised, Duncan."

Duncan smiled and softly clinked his mug to Loghain's. "To that storm on the Waking Sea that sent us limping to Highever instead of Denerim. I got my head on straight after that. To … perspective."

Both men sat in silence for a long while. The fire crackled. Women and men could be heard doing training drills outside. The clang of swords. The deep solid boom of heavy swords hitting shields. The twang of bowstrings followed by the thud of the arrow into a target. Wardens and soldiers could be heard at the base of the tower going over various strategies.

Loghain found himself oddly at peace. He was an old man and doubted he'd survive what was to come. He smiled when he thought about Anora demanding that he stay in Denerim and help her lock Cailan away.

He looked at the man across the table who was staring into his half-empty mug, lost in his own thoughts of what was to come. Unexpectedly, Loghain could think of no other person in Thedas he'd rather have as a co-commander during a Blight.

And, that alone was monumentally surprising.

!¡!¡

"So, this is farewell for a while, hm?" Mari said to Alistair as she turned and looked out at the mountains around Soldier's Peak. She leaned back on his chest and he put his arms around her. They were on a rampart section between the Keep proper and the Mage Tower. As it turned out, it was really a tower just inside the ramparts of the north wall. They found a door to the continuation of the ramparts behind a bookcase in the Mage Tower's main room. Someone had shoved the bookcase into the corner of the room where they found the ancient blood mage. It used to be the old human's laboratory where he conducted heinous experiments on Wardens. No better than any blood mage or darkspawn Architect in Mari's estimation. She guessed that's what happened to the mind when one lived alone for centuries with only demons for company.

Alistair gently turned her to face him and kissed her … fairly passionately for being on a ramparts used by Warden patrol guard and mage alike. Possibly, Anders, Lehan and Andwn were in the tower working their way through all the journals of the blood mage, Avernus.

But, no one interrupted them … for a while.

Finally, he pulled back a little while still wrapping his arms around her. "Hopefully, this posting in Denerim will be a brief one."

Mari gave him a small conspiratorial smile and said, "I hope not. Duncan told me that he's going to post me there when we return from Orzammar."

Alistair laughed and pulled her to him. "Sneaky. I like that. Then, I will try to settle in the best I can." He sighed and released her. He turned to the view that she had been admiring a few minutes ago. "I have something I want to talk about that I've been putting off … until I found out we'd be parting tomorrow. So, now would be a good time for that."

She stepped up and stood to his right. As she held his hand, she said, "Alistair, please know that you can always talk to me honestly about anything. I can't guarantee I won't get emotional. I do have that reputation. But, please, don't let that stop you."

He turned her to face him and took her other hand. "I think we need to pause … this … what we're doing … you know." He sighed. "Am I right in thinking we both want more in this relationship?"

She smiled. "Yes … eventually … so, I see no problem with a pause … as long as it's not too long between times I can feel your lips on mine." She put her hand on his chest. "Feel your heartbeat increase when you hold me tightly."

He took that hand off his chest and kissed it. "It's just with the Blight. Well, we're both going to need to put all of our attention onto defeating the Archdemon. You said it in your recruitment talk at the Vigil. As long as a couple's relationship doesn't become an obstacle in our Warden duties, it doesn't mean the couple needs to give up on their relationship."

"I hope everyone realized what I said applied to relationships as well as marriage. Loneliness is not a good thing, either. I'll need to add that next time, as I suspect others will need to pause the advancement of relationships. And, don't forget, we have to follow orders!" Mari giggled.

He laughed. Mari loved the way his eyes lit up when he laughed. "Yes, ma'am! I don't know why I worried so much about bringing this up before. I knew you'd understand."

She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and dropped the side of his face on the top of her head. "We all need to remain focused for now on other matters of dire consequence." She leaned back and looked into his eyes. "I trust you … I hope you trust me, as well … but, life is a funny thing, Alistair. We really don't know what lies ahead. Whatever happens, whatever we do or don't do … at this moment, I very much plan to meet here after the Archdemon's demise to restart what we've begun."

Of course … just as he was leaning down to kiss her … they heard people approaching the door from the keep. They were able to step out of the embrace just in time for Andwn, Anders and Lehan to step out on the ramparts. Mari had guessed wrong that they were in the mage tower. Anders and Lehan looked like they'd been in a battle for some reason.

"There you two are!" Andwn said. "A patrol just returned from scouting that silverite mine in the Wending Wood." He held up what looked to be a heavy sheaf of parchments and turned to indicate the boxes Anders and Lehan were carrying. "They found some darkspawn left there, but nothing they couldn't handle."

Alistair asked, "Left there?"

"Yeah, they were rudderless, Canstan said. They spoke before the Wardens killed most of them," Anders explained. "They said the Father … what they called the Architect … had his laboratory there. We'll need to go back for other stuff that was left behind, but this is pretty interesting."

Lehan nodded down to her box. "These are experiment notes for a Grey Warden named Fiona. Arctavi can translate the Tevinter language for us. He said Fiona was your mother, Alistair?"

"Aye …," he was about to say more when a new thought seemed to come to the surface. "Are those notes about how the Architect removed the Joining from her?"

The trio of mages looked at each other and Andwn said, "I had heard about that, but … Maker, we need to get busy on those."

"If we could remove the Blight after the thirty-year service, we could allow Wardens to leave to go home … or remain in the Wardens in an advisory capacity," Mari said. Tears filled her eyes. Her treacherous tears. "We could save Duncan and Anton and you, Andwn, and all the rest, from their Calling."

Alistair put his arm around her shoulder and handed her a handkerchief. "Anora warned me to always have one handy."

Andwn smirked. "And, here I was looking forward to that trip into the Deep Roads to kill darkspawn until they overwhelmed and killed me." He grinned at Anders and Lehan. "You heard Junior Warden Mari, we have our top priority!" He put his sheaf of parchments on top of Anders box. "I'll go get some snacks."

"Wait," Mari said quickly. "Why do you two look like you were part of that scouting group?"

Anders laughed. "Oh, yeah, a small patrol of darkspawn attacked Canstan's returning group as they were nearing the tunnels. We were all with Cullen at the base of the tunnels accepting a delivery of more lyrium when we noticed the nearby battle, so we went to help." Anders frowned. "They were ugly and deadly … and I'm definitely not looking forward to seeing a horde of them."

"They had one emissary," Anders continued. "I didn't even have to turn it into an icicle. Cullen yelled at us to stay back for a few minutes and slammed it with a powerful Smite. He and Canstan finished it off while a bunch of Wardens and Recruits from Vigil's Keep finished off the rest. It was a short, if intense, fight."

Lehan gagged. "We got our darkspawn blood. Riordan wants to hold our Joining in the morning before you leave, Alistair."

Both Alistair and Mari nodded solemnly. "Of course," Alistair said.

After Andwn went back down to the kitchen and Anders and Lehan went into the Tower with their trove of magical darkspawn gold, Mari gave Alistair a hug. "Maker help them survive. We really need them."

"Agreed," Alistair replied.

They stayed in the embrace for a while and didn't even part when Andwn came back with the mages' snacks. He just smiled and nodded.

On the way down, they ran into Varric. "So, I've been thinking, Park. I decided I'll forego the tight-assed Orzammar dwarves and go to Denerim… if you don't mind me going back to Denerim with you, Alistair."

"Not at all," Alistair said.

"Your life is certainly yours, Varric," Mari said. "Although, I'll miss your snipes about said tight-assed dwarves as we go around Orzammar."

"Hah! I think you got that covered all on your own, Park," Varric said before he headed down to tell Riordan and join the Diamondback game in the main hall. The main hall was yet another huge room that had been walled off and unused for some reason. Those plans that Arctavi brought from Weisshaupt had been invaluable. They now had a formal entry and audience hall, three more barracks chambers, and a large hall just for Wardens to relax as well as the barely used Joining Chamber … about to be used again.

The next morning, with all the Wardens present, a few early recruits from Vigil's Keep, Cullen, Anders and Lehan gathered in the Joining Chamber. After the story about the start and absolute necessity of the Grey Wardens and Mari's recitation of the Joining pledge, they began with the Vigil's Recruits. They all survived, but remained unconscious on cots set up nearby. Next,Cullen stepped up.

With no preamble, he took the chalice and drank. He cried out in pain as his eyes rolled back so only the whites showed. He fell to the floor as blood started to run out of his eyes, mouth, ears. Black streaks covered his hands, face and, no doubt, the rest of his body. Andwn, Anders and Lehan finally were able to stabilize him, but it took a long time. It became clear that it took all three mages to save him. They laid him on a cot and wrapped him in blankets. The black streaks receded and blood stopped flowing out of his eyes, mouth and ears … but he was pale, so pale.

Anders was visibly shaken by it all.

Riordan handed the chalice next to Lehan and she, understandably, tried to back away. Andwn was there to stop her. He whispered something to her that no one heard. Riordan tried again to hand her the chalice. Andwn helped her to hold it, her hands were shaking so badly.

Anders' face was flaming angry. He put up a shield and readied a spell as Mari stepped up to him. Anton tried to stop her, but she side-stepped his attempt. "Anders, you know about all this." She looked at Lehan. "We talked a long time about the dangers of the Joining."

"Don't drink it, Lehan!" Anders screamed.

Lehan gave him a nervous smile and put the chalice to her lips and drank without a response to Anders, whose hands had lightning dancing around them. Mari took an involuntary step back from the very angry … and frightened … Anders.

Lehan collapsed into Andwn's arms and some Wardens helped him carry her to a cot. After a few minutes, Andwn took a deep breath. "She lives."

"How is that possible?! Lehan just passed out and Cullen … was in so much pain!" Anders screamed. "You … you must have messed up somehow, Andwn! How could you?!"

The older Wardens pulled weapons.

Before Andwn could answer or it turned into a fight, Mari walked up to Anders again, stopping short of the reach of lightning now surrounding his chest. "Anders, you're a healer. You should understand this while others won't. Like I mentioned before, the Joining formula is like what we called a vaccine on my world. A preventive. You know about side-affects. Even with magical healing, sometimes people just react differently. The formula has been improved over the centuries but there's no reason it can't be improved even more. Cullen survived. He may not have survived even a year ago. Join us … willingly … study why Cullen suffered so much while Lehan blessedly fell unconscious. There has to be a reason. Many mages have been working on this. You have a new perspective. You may be the one to discover how to make the formula even more effective without such traumatic outcomes."

"Why should I?!" he screamed.

After a long moment, Mari quietly answered him. "Because you promised."

"I … I …" Anders began. The lightning spell dropped and he stood there looking from Lehan to Cullen. "Maybe I can … but I can't find any answers if I die because there's only one mage to help me," he said quietly. He straightened. "But, I did promise." He sobbed. "Maker, Cullen volunteered because he said that I'd been brave."

Mari gave him a strong hug. After a moment, he returned it.

"All right. Let's get this over with," Anders said quietly.

Riordan stepped up to Anders and held out the chalice. "This is the way to survive the darkspawn and defeat them, Anders. From this moment on, you are a Grey Warden."

It took a while, but eventually, Anders reached out, grabbed the chalice and drank. Riordan took the chalice away as Anders slipped into unconsciousness. Several Wardens helped get Anders to a cot. In moments, Andwn declared that he survived.

Alistair whispered to Mari that he needed to leave. She turned to Andwn, "I'll be back down soon. Shall I bring some food?"

Andwn gave her a small smile. "Yes. Thank you. Ask Solas to come down to double check on everyone before he takes out to check on his friends in the Korcari and goes to the Frostback Basin."

"I hope he finds us some griffons," Alistair said. He was dead serious, no boyish grin this time. Griffons would make a difference. Especially, if the Blight went on for years.

Mari and Alistair climbed the stairs from the chamber. On the way, Mari asked Solas to take a look at the new unconscious Wardens in the Joining Chamber while Alistair got his stuffed backpack and stowed it into the wagon they were taking with them back to Denerim.

Then, Mari stopped by the kitchen and said she'd be back in a few minutes … that they would need some food in the Joining Chamber. Callie told her not worry about it. She would take the food down herself.

Solas returned with good news that they all seemed to be recuperating just before he changed into an eagle and flew south. Mari didn't have much time to say farewell to Alistair and Varric and the others who were heading to Denerim. There was threat of a storm brewing and the Guard Sergeant wanted to make it to a protected camp spot that night.

As she watched the wagon and horses disappear into the tunnels, she actually said a prayer, "Maker, thank you for seeing to it that there were three Warden mages here when Cullen took his Joining."

If Mari wasn't careful, she might just start to believe The Maker cared about His Faithful. Thinking about how excited Leliana would be to hear that made Mari smile.

!¡!¡

"Maker, Thomas, you've gotten this place back to the way … no, better than it was," Nathaniel said as he walked into the Vigil after being away for so long.

"Yeah, no blood mages, darkspawn, or crazed Arls," Thomas said under his breath. "Thanks, Nathaniel. To be honest, Elle and Delilah and Adria have done a lot of the interior changes. We've all been working very hard."

Nathaniel hesitantly walked into the throne room. It had been a scene of horror that he couldn't even imagine, even though he'd tried and failed over and over. Likely because he really didn't want to.

It looked as if nothing had happened. "New floor?" he asked.

Elle walked in at that moment and answered the question, "Yes, the Wardens had to remove quite a bit of it that had been soaked in darkspawn blood and demon ichor, so we just replaced it. Varel knew someone in Amaranthine who had just received a shipload of planks from Gwaren." After she handed Nathaniel a mug of tea, she motioned around the room. "The tapestries were spared."

Thomas took a deep breath. "I took down Father's portrait … and, sadly dropped it, smashing it to pieces … unretrievable. I might have stomped on it as well. It could have been an unconscious thing."

Nathaniel drank the tea down and set the mug down. Unembarrassed he put his arms around Elle and kissed her. "It is so good to see you here … in what will soon be our new home," he whispered to her. Then, he embraced his younger brother. "I'm so sorry you and Delilah had to go through that by yourselves. I should have just left Reinhardt months ago and come home to handle Father."

Thomas tightened his embrace. "You got rid of Reinhardt and Branon, Nate. Let's just hope it's the end of a nasty piece of Howe history." He broke the brotherly embrace and smiled. "Arl Nathaniel Howe … sounds proper."

"Indeed it does," Elle agreed.

Nathaniel just groaned. Before he could say anything, Seneschal Varel knocked quietly and said from outside the door, "Your room is prepared, Your Lordship."

"Come in, Varel," Thomas said and turned to Nathaniel. "We couldn't have done all this without Varel."

"I have no doubt," Nathaniel said. "Delilah is overseeing the refit of the Amaranthine Estate in Denerim and said daily that she wished Varel were there. Apparently, Father dismissed Crellar months ago."

"Yes, I believe Teyrn Loghain retained Crellar upon the death of the Gwaren Castle seneschal. Perhaps I could send Lady Delilah two or three names in Denerim who might serve," Varel replied. "If I may be excused, I'll go compose that letter right now."

"Of course, and Varel … thank you for everything you've done to help everyone achieve this miracle at the Vigil," Nathaniel said.

"It was my duty and my pleasure, Your Lordship," Varel said. He bowed and left the room.

"I have a few things to check on, Nathaniel," Thomas said and started to leave. He winked at Elle. "I think I need to let you and Elle have some time alone."

Nathaniel stopped him. "Wait. Duncan got a list of Warden Recruits before I left and your name was on it. Are you sure? I mean, I hope you don't think things are going to be akin to when Father …"

Thomas smiled at Nathaniel. "No, Brother, you are going to be a terrific Arl; however, I've been thinking about taking the Grey for a long time. As you know, Padric Howe was always a hero to me even though I didn't dare say that out loud to Father." He sighed. "Warden Mari told a magnificent tale of heroic allegory and ended with a call to arms because of the Blight coming to Ferelden. Now is the time for me to step up. I know you'll be a fine Arl, especially with Elle by your side. And, I know I'll be a fine Grey Warden. I'm not quite ready to ride to Soldier's Peak yet, but now that you're back, it will likely be soon. Have you met Warden Bryant and Warden Marris … and his mabari Marbry?"

"Marbry and Midnight are getting along famously," Elle said with a grin.

"No, I haven't had the pleasure yet. I was told they're out on patrol and will likely be back late. They let you have mabari in the Wardens?" Nathaniel asked as he started for the door to the entry and the stairs.

Elle replied, "They do. Seemingly, mabari are already pretty resistant to the taint. Thank the Maker. The Royal Kennel Master knows of a flower that grows in the Korcari Wilds that can be made into quite an effective medicine if the dog does get ill." She chuckled as she followed Thomas and Nathaniel out. "I've heard he has every patrol out looking for that flower to dry to seed to send all over."

Nathaniel stopped at the bottom of the staircase up to the second floor. "Of course, you would know about the fact he's drying it to seed. It sounds like the Grey Wardens are doing a fair job at preparation."

Thomas put his hand on Nathaniel's shoulder. "'We all do whatever we need to do to protect Ferelden.' I recall Loghain telling us that when we were children. Good words." Then, he tapped Nate's arm. "Go get some rest. The place will still be here in the morning. I'll let Elle show you the upstairs."

"Good idea. See you in the morning. If you pass by the kitchens, please have someone bring me a small dinner." He looked up the stairs and sighed. "I guess Father's room is mine now. I think I'll wait until after our wedding to use that room, my love. Ask Adria to bring dinner to my old room, if you don't mind, Thomas."

Elle took Nathaniel's hand. "With the threat of Blight, perhaps we should wait, Nathaniel," she said.

Thomas gave them both a serious look. "I think you should marry as soon as possible. Many here already consider Elle as the Arlessa. We can delay any celebrations until after the Blight, but the wedding can happen as soon as you can get to Amaranthine."

"And, after our families have been notified to attend, at least," Elle said. "I wouldn't want to suffer Delilah's retribution for that, would you?"

"Maker," Thomas said. "I hadn't thought of that … and, Maker! Eleanor Cousland's would be twice as bad!" Everyone chuckled at that. Then, he added, "But, do it as soon as at least the Teyrna and Delilah can arrive in Amaranthine. Don't put it off."

Elle looped her arm through Nathaniel's arm. "We'll talk about, Thomas. I promise."

Thomas nodded. "I'll arrange for your dinner, Nate. And, don't worry about Father's rooms. Before Delilah left for Denerim, she, Elle and Adria put their heads together and came up with a plan for the interior. They switched the bedroom all up and redecorated, pending your approval. It has no sign of him … nor does his office. Have a good rest, Brother."

As Thomas headed out, Nathaniel nodded and headed up the stairs with Elle on his arm. Thomas probably headed out to work with Bartoc and some of the new guards and soldiers he'd recruited. At the top of the stairs, Nathaniel stopped and looked back into the entry. So much terror had transpired there in his absence. It was like his father was driven by this insane desire to rule over everyone … to become controller of Highever and Amaranthine. Almost like he had been under a blood mage's sway all along … but it had just been him and his own selfish desires.

"Are you all right, Nate?" Elle asked quietly.

Tears came to his eyes. "So much pain happened here, Elle. The three of us just kept quiet. We thought he had a good reason that he wasn't sharing. Even the day I left for Kirkwall, I tried to come up with an explanation for his outrageous behavior. Blood magic. Isolation. But, it had just been him." He turned to Elle and put his hand on the side of her face. "Promise me you will not let me fall that far, Elethea Cousland."

He could tell she wanted to assure him, reason with him, but she said exactly what he wanted to hear. "I swear to you that I will, Nathaniel Howe."

After backing up against a wall … and out of sight of downstairs, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately. It had been so long since he'd held her in his arms. He didn't know how long they held each other. He finally pulled back a little in the embrace. "Thomas is right. We need to contact Delilah and your parents tomorrow, Elle."

She chuckled. "Yes, Your Lordship. As you command. I need to send out a round of information requests from my sources anyway." She got a stern look. "You know, I was more than a little annoyed that you failed to include me in your spy ring, Nathaniel."

He laughed. "I know, but Highever was in so much danger from my crazy father. I knew you needed to stay focused on that."

Elle gave him a small smile. "I'll just need to find away to work around the overly protective men in my family. Sorry, love, but the first contact is to the Grey Wardens. I have a regular person watching over the actions there. We need to know if they need anything we can help with."

"You're right. Your heart and attention to duty is why I love you, you know." He gave her a brief kiss and stepped back, keeping hold of her hand. "Now, let's see these transformations."

They turned down the hallway to the Arl's bedroom, stopping to look into the office. Thomas was right. They had completely changed the office from a dreary place of tyranny into a welcoming room to everyone … commoner, noble, royalty … everyone.

The door to the bedroom was open. Nathaniel got as far as the threshold. The fireplace was blazing and the light danced throughout the room. The sitting area near the fireplace had all the furniture replaced. Adria had even found some flowers to put on a side table. They had moved the bed and removed the heavy bed curtains. He smiled. Delilah must have recalled how much he hated those curtains. The smile dimmed when he remembered why. The sounds that came from behind those curtains were anything but sensual.

He looked at the beautiful, strong and wise woman standing beside him. While he had no doubt that someday similar sounds may be coming from the room, he knew they would be wonderful and very sensual. He closed the door.

"After the wedding," was all he said as he went to his old room after kissing her good night so she could go back downstairs to work on sending out notices of their pending family-only wedding.

Anora was going to kill both of them.

!¡!¡

"Mother?" Morrigan had been looking for her mother for a while. She ended up in the subterranean rooms, but found no old woman there. However, Flemeth left food and utensils out for Morrigan to cook something for dinner. Morrigan snorted. "I guess that's a hint to start dinner."

From the door, Flemeth laughed. "Ever my perceptive and wise girl."

"Where have you been?" Morrigan asked as she started to chop some vegetables for the stew she had already planned to cook. Warden Rakida was an excellent cook and gave Morrigan some dried herbs and spices to put into the pot. "This should cook for an hour or more. So, you have plenty of time to update me."

Flemeth sighed and walked over to the vegetables … and helped to chop them.

Morrigan almost fainted.

"For the past week, I've cast several foreshadowing spells," she said. After chopping a bit, she stopped and continued, "Nothing is as it should be, Morrigan. As I've told you before, my spirit has a … link … with timelines. This early preparedness is part of none of them I can find."

"Didn't you warn Maric?" Morrigan asked.

"Yes, but all the foreshadowing seemed to point to Maric ignoring that warning," Flemeth replied. "Leaving his heir … now heirs … to handle it all. Alistair wasn't accepted as a Prince, either … although, he was a Grey Warden in almost all of them."

Morrigan took out the dried herbs and crushed them. "Let me guess … you think Marisia Park has something to do with it. Sounds to me like Solas had more to do with it."

"Marisia was my first thought, but you're right about Solas," Flemeth said. She motioned to the herbs. "Where did you get those?"

"Warden Rakida gave me a small amount to try out here." Morrigan chuckled. "Trust me. That dwarf knows how to cook to please every palate. She will survive a darkspawn overrun because the entire cadre will protect her." As she sprinkled the herbs over the bottom layer of cubed meat for the cookpot, she continued, "But, to get back to important matters, didn't you think her birth on this Earth of hers set off an alert for Solas?" Her eyes widened. "You seriously think she might be one of those Originators?"

"One of their descendants, yes." Flemeth tasted a pinch of the pile of spices Morrigan was about to put into the pot. "That has a kick! I like it."

From the doorway, Solas said, "I'm starting to come around to that as well, Mythal. But, I don't think Mari is aware of any of that. I wonder if there's some bit of ancient memory imbedded in every Originator's descendant that's sent her here to keep Thedas from succumbing to the Blight."

"Why would an ancient memory care if Thedas survived? Didn't Earth perish?" Morrigan asked. She put the heavy lid on the pot, hung it on the hook and and swung it close enough to the fire to simmer for a time.

"That was her perception, but what if Earth survived? The Eluvian was destroyed, but perhaps it was because the area it was in met with some catastrophe? Even Mari wondered about that." Solas turned and walked out to the small but comfortable dining area. Morrigan and Flemeth followed him. He went to the cupboard and held up a bottle of wine. "I brought these all the way from northern Ferelden. The wine reminds me of those we had in Arlathan, surprisingly. May I pour us a glass?"

"Please," Flemeth said. "Let me bring you up to date on my recent castings." After they sat and drank a few sips of wine, she said, "I see what you mean about the wine, Fen'Harel." Then, she told him what she uncovered.

"One other thing I just recalled," Solas said. "Mari had another encounter with Urthemiel in a dream. She mentioned that Urthemiel also didn't know what to make of Mari. Like she was from a different time. Perhaps, we are looking at this from the wrong perspective. Anyway, I had assumed that keeping Maric alive would help Ferelden's chances, but not necessarily ensure them completely," Solas refilled the glasses. "I hope I have not ultimately caused something worse to come in the future."

Morrigan rolled her eyes and huffed out a sigh. "'Tis plain to me that these Originators need both places to survive. If one is destroyed, the entire point to setting up an escape plan is obliterated. If having an escape plan is, indeed, the point. However, that idea of a time Eluvian is intriguing. I shall have to research it more. Personally, I don't see these Originators in the same suspicious light that you both do." Morrigan raised an eyebrow. "You met Mari's ancestors, Fen'Harel. Did they seem evil and nefarious to you?"

Solas deeply sighed. "No. They respected nature and didn't seem to even want the Eluvian anywhere around them. Perhaps because they wished to better hide an unusual portal enchanted toward time?" He chuckled. "I was told that Mari once chastised the First Warden to quit worrying about things that didn't happen. Advice that I should also take, perhaps." He turned to Flemeth. "You should arrange to meet her sometime. Perhaps that would enhance your foresight?"

Morrigan walked over to Solas and reached into his tunic. She pulled out the necklace with the azure stone. "You said they gave you this and Mari also has one, passed down in her family. Maybe this stone is what linked you to Mari, awakened you when she was born to the father who wore it? Gave her the escape route whenever she was endangered? Links you both to the Originators? If it is a time issue, then they wanted you to be awake when this situation occurred, but that means they must have come from the future. Maybe the past." She took several long drinks of wine. "Time magic is so confusing."

Solas took the necklace back and smiled at Morrigan … while Flemeth laughed. "I had not drawn that conclusion, but it is a valid one. Perhaps I'll do some castings on it to try to uncover the necklaces' purpose," Solas said.

"I told you my girl was a smart one," Flemeth said. "But, I would leave the necklace alone for now. If the Originators gave it to you, it may still serve some purpose in the future … even if Mari has gone on somewhere else. Maybe I should meet her. Where is she now? Is she coming to Ostagar?" Flemeth asked.

Solas laughed. "Life should be so easy. No, my dear friend, she and a group of Wardens are heading to Orzammar right now … with a stop in Highever … which they've likely accomplished by now or will soon. As you know, the dwarves also have a treaty with the Wardens. Actually, I came down here to ask if you'd be interested in joining me in a journey to the Frostback Basin to see if the news of a discovered pride of griffons is true."

"Where did you hear that?" Flemeth asked. "From some bartender in a tavern?"

"Actually, I got it from the First Warden's second-in-command." Solas took a couple more swallows of wine. "I now know an Eluvian route to a cave within walking distance of Weisshaupt. Sandal … that dwarf I told you about … showed us the way."

Flemeth raised an eyebrow. "Us?"

"Yes, I escorted several Ferelden Wardens who were going to head that way overland. I showed them a different route … which ended in a cave with preserved griffon eggs in it," Solas replied with a smirk. "The Wardens are studying some papers I took from the Weisshaupt griffon roost. It would have been unconscionable to try to hatch them without knowing what we're doing."

"Agreed," Flemeth said. "Well, Morrigan will be at Ostagar." She glanced at Morrigan. "I assume you will be fine with me leaving?" At Morrigan's eye roll, Flemeth continued, "So, some travel sounds good. I'm expecting Marethari tomorrow for a brief visit. The Sabrae Clan has already arrived in Ostagar to honor their part of the treaties. We can leave the day after. Good with you?"

Solas smiled. "I'd like to see Marethari again. Yes, that should be fine. I'm sure Orzammar will take a while."

!¡!¡

AN: Thanks for continuing to read this tale! Next time, Highever & Orzammar. Another long chapter. ;) Have a terrific week!