Of course this wasn't going to be a simple "come to the Frostback Basin, find a clearly marked grave with some kind of detailed diary, go back and tell the world." What it ended up being was more along the lines of "stop crazy cultists from unleashing a demonic dragon upon the unsuspecting world", which was, to be fair, closer to their line of work.

It took them days to find Telana's bones and put together what had happened. Just like Ameridan himself, his elven companion and lover was erased from official history. Even the Dalish, who kept the memory of Ameridan, forgot her. Yet their love was so strong that even 800 years later they heard her calling out to her vhenan as they approached the ruined hut. There was a small, half-mended Fade rift there - an old one, not caused by Corypheus's actions but rather by the tragedy that transpired here. Ellana ripped it open to allow whatever was calling out from the other side to come through.

Her companions bristled with weapons, expecting some kind of demon, but it was just a spirit - compassion, perhaps, or even love? Was it trapped here by the rift or kept watch voluntarily all this time, waiting for someone to come, to hear their story?

It looked around, noticing the bones before focusing on Ellana. There was… recognition of some kind and then relief.

"You came!" the spirit exclaimed in what was probably Telana's voice. "I was… She slept. Telana Slept. To reach him one more time in dreaming. But the blood… I died. She died. I tried to stay, but only pieces came through. You opened the path for the rest of me."

"Is this going to be the Fade all over again?" Cassandra grumbled, still processing the spirit-Divine that helped them there. That really hit her and Leliana hard, but at the moment Ellana couldn't care less.

"What happened to you? To Telana?" she asked the spirit.

"I… She came with Ameridan to hunt the dragon. It came from the mountains with the Avvar. Towns fell, all dead," the spirit recounted. "He didn't want me… her to come, but where he goes, I go. One last favor for Emperor Drakon. Slay the Avvar-Dragon, save Orlais. Come home to our child."

There was bitterness in the spirit's voice. Ellana felt her hands shaking and clenched her fists to stop it.

"They fought at the shore. Spirits and magic, cold, so cold. How I found her, how she found us. They rested here, then up the river. Metal spires, a way to stop the dragon. Then Telana returned to wait for him. Forever waiting. Dreaming… then dead," the spirit lamented.

She could feel Solas's presence by her side without looking at him. She probably couldn't look at anyone right now, least of all him. Telana was a Dreamer. Because of course she was. Her love for Ameridan was so strong it inspired a spirit to continue waiting in her stead, long after Telana herself passed on, for her vhenan. She should've come for them sooner. Much, much sooner. Someone should've come for them. Eight hundred years of this… The power she absorbed when opening the rift was bubbling up inside her. Solas's hand gently closed over her fist and she realised only then that her fingernails were digging into the flesh of her palm.

"You don't have to wait here anymore," she told the spirit, forcing her hands to relax. "We'll find him."

After releasing the spirit, closing the rift and bringing Telana's belongings to the permanently-astonished Professor Kenric, they set out upriver in search of the dragon trap the spirit mentioned. What they found was a hidden pair of shrines - one Andrastian, the other dedicated to Ghilan'nain, - which only proved to the historian that Telana was an elf, - along with more clues on how to enter the sealed fortress.

It wasn't easy to enter, between the magic ice, the Avvar cultists and their waking god. But finally, after all this time, she has found him. Ameridan, somehow still alive after eight hundred years. He was on one knee, leaning on his stuff - but he was alive.

Ellana rushed to him, falling to her knees in front of him to really look into his face. He didn't recognise her. Of course he wouldn't, that was a stupid thought, he disappeared almost a century before she was even born. But he looked exactly like her father. The vallaslin, the hair was different, but the bone structure, the stark green eyes… There could be no doubt in her mind that this was Ameridan.

"Inquisitor," he greeted her instead, taking one look at her armor. "Andaran atish'an. I am glad Drakon's friendship with our people has remained strong."

This was not going to be easy. Did she keep the truth from him? He was sealed in this place for hundreds of years, the world has changed, his love was dead… Perhaps it would be better to get him out of here first, let him recover before breaking the news?

"How long do you think you've been here?" she asked carefully.

"You say it as if…" he must've seen the answer in her face. "How long?"

"More than eight hundred years," Ellana admitted. It all felt unreal. Here she was, in this unnaturally cold cave, talking to her living ancestor… a dragon, frozen in a moment, hovering over them. What could she tell him? What could she ask?

"No, no, that's impossible. Drakon would've sent someone to find us," Ameridan shook his head in disbelief, then a thought occurred to him. "Telana! Did she make it out?"

"No. I'm sorry. Her injuries were too grave. She tried to find you through the dreaming, but…"

"I asked her not to. She was a powerful Dreamer and the love of my life, but she never…" Ameridan closed his eyes tightly, falling silent for a moment before looking at her again. "Do the records say what happened to our child?"

"She was brought up by Telana's family and lived a happy life, had a family of her own," Ellana smiled. At least she could give him this. Though perhaps the fall of the Dales was a conversation for another time. "There are still Dalish elves alive today who can trace their ancestry to her. Clan Ghilain."

He smiled back and for a moment studied her face more closely. Ellana could see the question he wanted to ask next.

"Inquisitor Ameridan, how could the leader of the Inquisition be a mage?" Cassandra cut in then, and Ellana felt a mix of relief and annoyance. Of course the Seeker couldn't contain herself much longer.

Ameridan gave her a confused look.

"Your current inquisitor is a mage," he noted.

"Yes, but these are… special circumstances," Cassandra quickly recovered. "There has not been an Inquisition since you disappeared."

"The Chantry has confined all the mages to Circles, constantly under guard. Those deemed too dangerous are turned tranquil," Ellana supplied. She could feel Cassandra's annoyed frown with her back.

"Tranquil? It's what they do briefly to Seeker recruits as part of their initiation, but to do that permanently…?" the Inquisitor sounded horrified, but not entirely disbelieving. "Of course, killing a man is ugly work, but making them tranquil is easy, bloodless… They promised me they wouldn't abuse it!"

"We have only recently found out that–" Cassandra started talking, but stopped and grabbed her sword reflexively where the dragon above them stirred.

"We are running out of time, my magic has been failing since the Avvar had drawn their god into the new vessel," Ameridan sighed.

"We need to get you to safety, you're in no condition to fight," Ellana said hurriedly, starting to move towards him to help him stand up.

"No," Ameridan reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertips. He was smiling sadly. Perhaps he knew. "The passage of time can be delayed, but never ignored. I will soon join Telana at Andraste's side."

"But…"

"I leave the future in your hands. Inquisitor."

And then he was gone, turning to ash even as his final words were still in her ears. The dragon, freed from the spell after all this time, flew out of the cave, ignoring them for the moment.

"We need to stop that dragon!" Cassandra exclaimed. "It still carries the spirit of Hakkon!"

Ellana rose to her feet slowly, shaking with grief and fury in equal measure. She was covered in Ameridan's ashes. Tears were leaving traces down her grey cheeks.