The Herald insisted on only bringing one or two others to the chantry, as the whole group going together could draw too much attention. So, while Cassandra and Vivienne went with the Herald to meet Felix in the chantry, Varric, Sera, Fae and the Iron Bull set out to talk to as many people in Redcliffe as possible to get a better idea of what was going on.

Fae didn't recognise any of the mages from the Free Marches camp, which ruled out them having decided to join up with Fiona and by extension, the magister, and for that she was relieved. As she wandered through the village, she tried to reconcile it with the memory of Redcliffe during the Blight. There was much more green than she remembered; green grass, trees, shrubs. The Redcliffe she remembered was just dirt and wooden shack houses. Perhaps the Blight hanging over Ferelden at the time had already begun to wither the plant life, or perhaps the old Redcliffe just wasn't built to grow fauna.

In truth, if it weren't for the placement of the chantry, the castle and the long, winding hill from Redcliffe's gates to the village proper, she wouldn't have recognised it at all. The tavern they'd just been in was new, and much better furnished than the old one nestled into the hill had been. There was also the big stone griffon monument in the middle of the village square, dedicated to Warden Neria Tabris, Hero of the Fifth Blight and Champion of Redcliffe.

Fae strolled down the line of merchant stalls along the fishing docks, and she heard the name "Connor!" called out over the chatter. She looked around and heard the name again. The man who'd spoken walked away, leaving his friend behind to stare sullenly at the water below.

"Connor?" she asked, and the young man looked up.

"Yes?" he said warily. He did look vaguely familiar, but she wondered…

"I don't know if you'd remember me, but we met when we were children. It would have been before you went to the Circle. My name's Faellathi."

Connor considered. "There weren't any… Wait, no, I remember there was an elf girl with us at the castle during the Battle of Denerim. Was that you?"

"It was."

"Huh. And you're a mage now, too?"

"I was also a mage then. It's a long story."

"It usually is," Connor said bitterly.

Fae didn't know what to say to that. Connor looked back at the water. "I can't believe King Alistair thought Redcliffe was the right place to send the mages. I mean, he grew up here- did he think they would just forget what I did to them?"

Fae's gaze lingered over the figure of Kinloch Hold in the distance. "Perhaps it was just a matter of convenience, if not desperation; this is the closest real settlement to Kinloch Hold, after all."

Connor scoffed. "The Circle of Magi hasn't been kept in Kinloch Hold since the Blight, after what happened there."

"…Oh."

"Not that it matters now. I voted against dissolving the Circles, you know. But here I am, in Redcliffe again of all places because there was nowhere else to go," he scowled. "Do you remember what it was like, the Siege? Because I do; it still haunts my dreams."

"Uh, I wasn't here, then. My cousin was, though. She told me about what happened. You were barely aware of anything, when we were shut up in the castle cellars with the other children. I remember trying to talk to you, in vain," Fae added with a small smile. "But you were possessed during the Siege of Redcliffe, weren't you? It wasn't you, it was a demon."

"Wasn't it? I let the demon in."

"You were a child, trying to save your father."

"And how many fathers were lost because of me?" Connor snapped. "My being here only adds insult to injury, not to mention the presence of the magister. That Herald of Andraste, and her Inquisition… I can only hope that she manages to convince the grand enchanter to change her mind."

"I'm with the Inquisition. I can't make any promises, but we'll do our best. The Herald is a good sort."

"Isn't she a mage?"

"She is."

"Then how good could she be?"

"Good enough, according to Andraste, apparently."

The corner of Connor's mouth twitched upwards briefly. "Sure."

Connor's friend returned shortly after their conversation had dwindled, giving Fae a chance to slip away. She walked back up towards the tavern, casting a glance at the chantry as she passed by. A man stepped outside and walked straight towards Fae. She froze for a moment, mistaking the man's determination for anger, but as he approached, she recognised the dull look in his eyes and the brand on his forehead. He was Tranquil. The man stopped in front of her. "You are an agent of the Inquisition, are you not?" he asked calmly.

"I am. What can I do for you?"

"I am Travis. If the Inquisition would accept me, I would offer my services. I am knowledgeable in herbology, and the Inquisition army could benefit from my knowledge."

"We'd be glad to have you, Travis, of course. You'd be welcome to come with us when we leave for Haven. But, can I ask why?"

"Why? I do not understand."

"Why do you want to join the Inquisition?"

"I…am knowledgeable in herbology. The Inquisition army could benefit from my knowledge."

Fae nodded. "I… see. Do you know if there are there any other mages who wish to join, Tranquil or otherwise?" Even if the negotiations with the magister went south, they might still be able to smuggle out willing volunteers, she thought to herself.

"Perhaps. I do not know. Goodbye," Travis said, walking back inside. Fae followed him in, and looked around. The crowd had dispersed somewhat in Fiona's absence, but there were still many mages milling about, mostly talking amongst themselves in small groups. She noticed one looking out the window, her face obscured by a mass of curly hair. Fae had only seen hair exactly like that once before.

"Orla?" she called, not even pretending to hide her excitement. The woman turned around, and looked at her calmly. There was no mistaking her.

"Yes. My name is Orla," she said.

Fae's gaze fell on the brand, and her heart sank. "Orla," she said, putting her hand on the woman's cheek. "It's me. Faellathi. Do you remember me? From the Circle?"

Orla stared unblinkingly at her. "I remember you," she answered blandly. "I believed you had died during Uldred's rebellion. Or due to a failed Harrowing. It was unclear. I am glad that both of these theories were wrong. You are alive."

"I am," Fae wiped her eyes. "And you are Tranquil…"

"Yes."

"…Why?" Her voice cracked.

"It was deemed the best course of action."

"By who? You?"

"No. I do not know who gave the order. My memory of that time is unclear," Orla stated.

There was a pit in Fae's stomach. Orla was not much older than her. "What time was that?"

"It was a short time before the Circle was dissolved."

"Oh, Orla…" Fae hurried to wipe away a few more tears that had fallen against her will.

"You are in distress. If I am the cause of this, I apologise."

"No! No, you're not. I am so, so happy to see you," Fae assured her. She took Orla's hands in her own. "I'm with the Inquisition now. I don't know how things are going to turn out here, but if you need anything, if you ever want to leave, find me. I'll help you, I promise."

"Thank you."

"Faellathi?" Ellethir's voice carried over the tavern. Fae gave Orla's hands one last squeeze and called back. "Coming, Herald!"

Ellethir's eyes widened when Fae made her way over to them with shiny eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "Are you alright?"

"Of course. I ran into an old friend, that's all. I'll tell you about it later," she said lightly. "What did Felix have to say? Is it as bad as we thought?"

"Worse. Much, much worse."

In Redcliffe's chantry, the Herald had discovered a new rift in the Fade had opened, and a single mage was taking on every demon that had fallen out on his own. After Ellethir closed the rift, the mage had introduced himself as Dorian of House Pavus, Magister Alexius' former apprentice. Felix arrived shortly after, and together they explained that Alexius was dabbling in time magic, manipulating time itself in order to reach Redcliffe to claim the mages for himself before the Inquisition could arrive later to recruit them.

The magic itself was unstable and until recently was only a hypothetical theory, and it was weakening the Veil, causing more rifts to form. As for why Alexius would want the rebel mages, they weren't sure, but they knew it wasn't for his personal gain; he was a member of a cult, Tevinter supremacists who were calling themselves the Venatori. They were obsessed with the Herald, which made Dorian and Felix suspect they may have something to do with the Breach; the unstable time magic may have had something to do with it. Both of them had begged the Herald to help them stop whatever plans Alexius had set in motion for his own sake, and warned her to expect a trap next time the Inquisition was invited to Redcliffe to continue their 'negotiations' for the mages.

Before that invitation arrived, however, the small council needed to determine a way to anticipate and negate whatever trap Alexius would surely have set for them.

"Redcliffe castle is one of the most defensible fortresses in Ferelden," Cullen argued. "It has repelled thousands of assaults. If you go in there, you'll die. And we'll lose the only means we have of closing these rifts. I won't allow it."

"May I remind you that you're not in a position to forbid the Herald anything, Commander," Fae said dryly.

"We must at least try to meet Alexius," Leliana argued back. "Even if what his alleged former apprentice claims about unstable time magic is untrue, we cannot risk losing the mages and leaving a hostile foreign power on our doorstep!"

Josephine tapped her quill on her clipboard impatiently. "Even if we could assault the keep, it would be for naught. An 'Orlesian' Inquisition's army marching into Ferelden would provoke a war. Our hands are tied."

Fae shook her head. "King Alistair is a reasonable man. We would be marching on a foreign power trespassing on his lands, not its rightful owners. But it could only work hypothetically; in reality, as much as I hate to admit it, Commander Cullen is right. We don't have an army on the scale that would be needed to make the attempt."

"The magister—" Cassandra began, but Cullen cut her off.

"Has outplayed us."

Ellethir rubbed the back of her head. "There has to be something we can do. Where is the arl of Redcliffe? I'm sure he'd help us get his castle back."

Josephine looked up from her clipboard. "After he was displaced, Arl Teagan rode straight for Denerim to petition the Crown for help. I doubt he'll want our assistance once the Ferelden army lays siege to his castle."

"Arl Teagan? You mean Arl Eamon?" Fae asked.

"Arl Eamon's health has been in decline since his illness during the Siege of Redcliffe. As, for several reasons, his only child could not be heir, and it was unlikely he would father another, he passed the arling to his younger brother Teagan several years ago."

Fae's eyes widened. "The siege! Leliana, during the siege, how did you all get into the castle to find Connor?"

Leliana thought for a moment. "We met Teagan at the top of the hill, and then Lady Isolde… Yes. There is a secret passage into the castle, an escape route for the family. Lady Isolde used it to escape the castle long enough to tell Teagan what was happening, and then we used it to get inside. It's too narrow for our troops… but we could send agents through."

Cullen shook his head. "Too risky. Those agents will be discovered well before they reach the magister."

"That's why we need a distraction. Perhaps the official Inquisition envoy Alexius wants so badly?"

"Focus their attention on Lavellan while we take out the Tevinters. It's still risky, but it could work," Cullen conceded.

"Fortunately, you'll have help," said a new voice behind them as the door swung open. A lavishly-dressed mage with a thin handle-bar moustache and a goatee smiled broadly at the group. An inquisition agent hurried in behind him.

"This man says he has information about the magister and his methods, Commander," the agent explained.

"Your spies will never get past Alexius' magic without my help," the man said confidently. "So if you're going after him, I'm coming along."

"Dorian," Ellethir greeted. "We'd welcome the help."

"Can we trust this man?" Cassandra protested.

Ellethir shrugged. "We have to. He's right; Magister Alexius will no doubt have magical protections in place."

Dorian put a hand over his heart. "Your vote of confidence is inspiring, my lady."

"This plan puts you in the most danger, Herald," Cullen said seriously, ignoring Dorian. "We can't, in good conscience, order you to do this."

Ellethir turned the small tower figurine that served to represent the mages on the war table over in her hands. "It's the best plan we've got. So, I say let's do it."