Soundtrack:

Ride of the Rohirrim ~ Howard Shore (Castle Redcliffe) 

The tunnel went under the lake and emerged in the underbelly of the castle. How they had managed to build a tunnel under a lake was beyond me. From the smell of blood, fear, and unwashed bodies, I would judge we'd emerged in the dungeons. Chains hanging from the walls and a cage in the corner confirmed.

"I once locked myself in a cage when I was a child for a whole day," Alistair said.

"Too bad they didn't leave you," Morrigan retorted.

"Hey!"

I carefully stepped towards a door and held my hand up. "Shh." I could hear something on the other side. It sounded like snarls. I drew a sword. The others had drawn their weapons. I pushed the door open as I heard someone's cry.

"Get away from me!"

Three corpses were trying to get into one of the cells. One saw us and decided we were easier prey. I cut it down as the others came towards us. Between the four of us, they, too, fell quickly.

"Hello?" We heard a man call out. "Who's there? Is there anyone alive out there?"

We looked at each other and approached the cell that the corpses had been gathered around. We came into view of a man wearing robes. This must have been the Mage Isolde had mentioned.

"Wait... you don't look like the Arlessa's guards."

"What was your first clue?" Morrigan asked, sarcastically.

"Are you from outside the castle?"

"Possibly. Who are you supposed to be?" I asked.

"My name is Jowan. I'm a Mage Lady Isolde hired to tutor her son, Conner."

I was right. Conner was the Arlessa's son.

"Well until they, ahh, threw me in the dungeon here."

"Lady Isolde mentioned there was a Mage behind all this."

"Yes, let's anger the Mage," Alistair's comment was ignored.

"No! I... I poisoned Arl Eamon but that's all I did." He put his hands around the bars. "I know it looks suspicious but I'm not responsible for the creatures and the killings in the castle. I was already imprisoned when all that began." Didn't mean he couldn't still have done it. He pushed off the bars and a look of shame mixed with pain crossed his face. "At first, Lady Isolde came here with her men demanding that I reverse what I'd done. I thought she meant my poisoning of the Arl. That's the first I heard about the walking corpses. She thought I'd summoned a demon to torment her family and destroy Redcliffe. She..." He looked down. "Had me tortured. There was nothing I could do or say that would appease her. So they... left me to rot."

"Why did you poison Arl Eamon?"

"I was instructed to by Teyrn Loghain."

"Anyone else have the feeling Loghain has a finger in several pots?" Alistair asked. This was the second hired man of Loghain's in Redcliffe.

"I was told Arl Eamon was a threat to Ferelden, that if I dealt with him Loghain would settle matters with the Circle."

"Oh, look. Another empty promise."

"Alistair, shut up," Leliana said.

Jowan sighed. "You see, I'm a Maleficar; a Blood Mage."

"You?" Morrigan asked, surprise in her voice. "A Blood Mage? Truly? I would never have guessed." Was that sarcasm? It was hard to tell with Morrigan most times.

"A Blood Mage!" Alistair exclaimed. "Well, this isn't good."

If there were Blood Mages among the Dalish, I didn't know them. Although one of my close friends was a Mage, thus they didn't scare me.

Jowan hung his head. "I dabbled in the forbidden arts and they condemned me to death for it. I thought Loghain was giving me a chance to... redeem myself... But he's abandoned me here, hasn't he?"

"He's good at betrayal," I said dryly.

"Everything's falling apart and I'm responsible! I have to make it right somehow. I have to!"

"But why did the Arlessa need a Mage to tutor her son?"

"Connor had started to show... signs. Lady Isolde was terrified the Circle of Magi would take him away for training."

"Conner?" Surprised showed in Alistair's voice. "A Mage? I can't believe it!"

I had always thought magic was hereditary. That it ran through families.

"She sought an Apostate, a Mage outside the Circle, to teach her son in secret so he could learn to hide his talent. Her husband had no idea."

"Why would Isolde be frightened of her son becoming a Mage?" The Mages among the Dalish weren't sent to the Tower. And the Templars didn't care to try to fight us to take them. If they could find us at all. The Keepers trained all children with magic and taught them the dangers.

"Because he would be taken away forever. A Mage cannot inherit a title, even the son of a powerful Arl. She is also a pious woman. Her son having magic was... humiliating."

I was beginning to think this was the information Isolde had been hiding.

"How much magic did you teach Conner?"

"Some but he's still very young. He can barely cast a minor spell, never mind something more powerful. At least not intentionally." He seemed to know where my thoughts were going. "I have thought about it and it's possible that Conner could have inadvertently done something to tear open the Veil. With the Veil to the Fade torn, spirits and demons could infiltrate the castle. Powerful ones could kill and create those walking corpses."

"I see."

"I never meant for it to end like this. I swear. Let me help you fix this."

"I say this boy could still be of use to us," Morrigan stated. "If not, then let him go. Why keep him prisoner here?"

"Hey! Hey!" Alistar interjected. "Let's not forget he's a Blood Mage! You can't just... set a Blood Mage free!"

"Better to slay him? Better to punish him for his choices? Is this Alistair who speaks or the Templar?"

"I'd say it's common sense. We don't even know the whole story yet."

"Then let him tell it before you start going all Templar on us." I didn't mean to snap, but I didn't need Alistair slipping into his old ways or he and Morrigan get into it before we had the entire story.

"He wishes to redeem himself," Leliana became the voice of reason. "Doesn't everyone deserve that chance?"

Morrigan must have been ticked at Alistair and let her tongue lash at Leliana as well. What am I saying? Morrigan gives everyone a tongue lashing. "Like yourself, you mean."

Leliana was unphased. "Everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves in the Maker's eyes, this man no less than any."

"I don't know...," Alistair said.

I swore I was going to slap him.

"He is a Blood Mage... but this is an unusual situation."

I wasn't going to have to slap him this time.

"Give me the chance! Please!" Jowan seemed desperate to redeem himself.

"How will you make things right?" I asked. I shot Alistair a look that warned him of saying anything.

"I'd... well, I'd try to save anyone still up there. There must be something I can do."

"And after that, what happens?"

"Afterwards? I assume I'll be arrested. Or executed. Or... whatever people like me get. I'm tired of running from the Circle. I need to account for what I have done."

"That's commendable. If it's true."

"I'm glad you think so. So what now?"

"I'm letting you out of your cell. Don't try anything."

"You're letting me out? And what then?"

"You come with me, that's what."

"What?" Alistair asked in surprise.

"Alistair..."

"Shutting up."

"I'm... not sure that is a good idea," Jowan said. "I'd like to help out but... I'm not so sure I want to follow you into danger, exactly."

"Beggars can't be choosers," I said. "Come with us or stay in there."

"Then I will wait. If you change your mind, I will be here."

"Suit yourself."

We left him and continued on.

On the second floor, we were ambushed by corpses as soon as we left the landing. Surprised as we were, we slew them all. As we passed by an open door, a blast of... something... hit me in the shoulder and sent me spinning and down. I landed hard on my side.

"What in the Creators' names...," I trailed off, seeing creatures I had never seen before gliding towards us.

"By the Maker!" Leliana exclaimed.

"Lovely," Morrigan said, sending her own blast at them. "Shades. The Veil must be very thin for them to be here."

Alistair pulled, or rather launched me, to my feet. I used the momentum to attack the nearest Shade. The sudden attack seemed to surprise it. Alistair was right behind me. He gave a yell and cut into the second Shade coming at Leliana from behind. After two had fallen, the third became more hostile, throwing its dark magic at us.

"Get behind me!" Alistair had gone to one knee and had his shield pulled up in front of him.

Morrigan scoffed. "We don't need some man playing—"

"Do it!" Alistair's tone said he wanted no argument.

Leliana had drawn her bow and was standing behind Alistair. I didn't know why he was suddenly wanting us behind him, then I realized what he was planning to do.

"Morrigan, fall back!" I cried. "Cover Alistair!"

The Shade reared up and sent a blast of dark energy. Alistair held his sword point up behind the shield. The dark magic hit his shield hard. There was a faint blue glow around it as the dark magic disintegrated. Alistair was being slowly pushed back. He grunted, using all of his Templar power to distract the Shade.

"Take it out now!" he cried.

Morrigan let out a bolt of lightning while Leliana let fly arrows at it. Soon, it fell like its companions. Alistair staggered to his feet.

"What was that?" Leliana asked.

"He was trained a Templar, remember?" I answered. "He used that Templar power to distract the Shade."

Alistair gave me a grateful look for explaining.

"I have a wonder," Morrigan said. "How would a Dalish know of Templars and their power? I was under the impression that they did not associate with humans."

"Duncan gave me a crash course on Templars and the Chantry before I became a Grey Warden. This is the first I'd seen it displayed, though." I was probably confirming to Alistair my ignorance of the Shem world before meeting Duncan.

"We need to keep moving," Alistair said, saving me from having to do any more explanations.

We went into another part of the castle. I disengaged a trap there and was set upon by a corpse. Alistair took it out before any damage was done. I did a somersault and took out the two coming towards us. They were no match for our blades, Leliana's arrows, and Morrigan's magic.

At the end of the hall, we went into a room to be surprised by a girl who screamed at the sight of us. "Please! Don't hurt me!"

"Calm down," I said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I'm... I'm sorry. I'm so frightened! Those monsters are everywhere! My... My name's Valena, the Arlessa's maid. Is she... alright? What happened to everyone?"

"Valena? The smith's daughter?"

Her face brightened. "You know my father? I want to go back to the village! Is there a way out of here?"

"There's a tunnel leading out in the dungeon."

"B-but the monsters?"

"We've killed most of them. It's safe."

"I'll find my way. I can run fast and I know the castle," She picked up her skirts. "Thank you!" She raced from the room.

"When we're done here, we should make sure she made it," Alistair said.

I nodded in agreement. "We should keep going. I don't know how long Teagan can keep a distraction up."

~~~

After dispatching a few more corpses without injuries, we finally found the courtyard. We kept to the wall until we reached the gate.

"Ah, good. You made it," Perth said. "Your Qunari friend told us you had found another way in and told us of your plan."

"I hoped he would." I went over to the lever to open the gate. As I opened it, I heard a thunk close to my head. I turned my head to have Alistair's arm and shield invade my sight.

"We have company," he said.

I realized he'd just saved my life. The noise I'd heard was an arrow hitting my fellow Warden's shield. The gate was open and Sten, Tristan, Perth and his knights rushed forward. A handful of corpses swarmed towards us.

"Alistair! We need to take out the archers!"

He nodded and made a path through the corpses. We ran up the stairs towards the archers when it felt as if a massive hand grabbed me from behind and pulled me backward. I screamed in surprise.

Alistair stopped and turned. "Maker's breath!"

I landed hard halfway between the stairs and the gate, knocking the breath out of me. "Take them out!" I managed to croak out. A shadow passed over me and I looked up. A massive creature with heavy armor stood above me and was bringing its just as massive sword down. "Whoa!"

I rolled out of the way, feeling the wind of its blade as it barely missed me. I couldn't get my footing with it continuously trying to cut me in ribbons. A blast of energy from Morrigan gave it the distraction I needed. I was on my feet. A surprised cry from Morrigan told me it had done the same to her as it had me. Alistair had dispatched the archers and was running back towards us. I ran and vaulted off the wall, flying towards the creature. Both of my blades found its neck while Alistair, Sten, and Perth finished him with their blades. It fell, causing me to lose my grip and throwing me a little ways from it.

"That's going to be sore in the morning." Alistair came towards me with my swords as I staggered to my feet. "What in hell was that?" I asked as he handed me my swords.

"It's called a Revenant," he said. "I had never seen one but I have heard stories of whole regiments being killed by one of these. I think it's a type of rage demon." He shook his head. "The Veil must be much thinner than we thought for a Revenant to be here as well."

I walked forward to check on the others. We lost a few of the knights and Sten had taken a blow to the head that he didn't seem to notice. Morrigan was tending to Leliana's wrist, bandaging it up.

"Realin," Alistair said, reaching for my right arm. "You're injured."

"What?" I looked at the arm he had taken. Blood ran down it from a gash near my shoulder. Alistair had pulled a bandage from his pack and was tending the wound. I noticed his gentleness as he did so. I already had a bandage on my left arm from the battle the night before, which he had tended as well.

"That should hold for a while."

I touched his hand in thanks and turned to Perth. "Are your men able to go into the castle?"

"We're ready when you are."

I looked at the others. Tristan was licking Morrigan's leg and she was trying to shoo him away.

Sten nodded at me "We are ready, Warden," he said.

The other two nodded. Tristan barked as if to say "Let's go!".

Alistair and I led the way into the castle.