When he reached Ashara's quarters, they were empty, so Abelas placed the sculpture in the center of her desk and settled onto the sofa to wait. As soon as he heard her footsteps coming up the stairs, he hid himself in the storeroom so he could watch her reaction.

She walked into the room with a tired sigh, but the sound turned to a gasp when she saw the gleaming ice sculpture sitting on her desk. With a smile growing on her face, she walked over it, bending down to examine the details. She reached out with one finger to touch it, but drew back at the feel of the ice spell that encased it. There was only one person who would leave her a present, and she turned to leave the room and find him, only to see him step out of the storeroom.

For once, his hood was down. His golden eyes were fixed on her expectantly, and she couldn't stop herself from giving him an impulsive hug. It wasn't very satisfying with his armor on, and she drew back after a minute.

"Thank you for the present, Abelas. Did you make it?"

He drew her over to the sofa, and pulled her down next to him.

"Yes, with some help from your artificer. She is very talented."

Ashara nodded her agreement, and turned her gaze back to the miniature keep sitting on her desk until Abelas spoke again, drawing her attention to him.

"It is a courting gift, Ashara." Her eyes widened and she started to smile. "I do not know if your Dalish recall enough of the old ways… do you know of the asha irlath uth?"

She puzzled over the words for a moment. "Asha irlath... 'The… last woman I love?' I've not heard of anything like that before, no."

He nodded, "Very good, ma lath, yes. It is a lifelong bond that forms between two people. I do not know if your Dalish have lost the idea because you no longer have enough magic left to form the bond, or if you have simply lost the words for something that still occurs, but the magic that was a way of life in Arlathan still runs strongly in all the Sentinals. I believe we have that bond, and I would be honored if you will allow me to court you, and discover if you feel it as well."

Ashara reached up and ran her fingers gently across his cheek, smiling even as her eyes filled with tears.

"There is nothing I would like more, Abelas. I would happily spend my life at your side."

He leaned forward and kissed her; she sighed and leaned into him, indulging in the kiss for several head-spinning minutes before she leaned back reluctantly.

"Abelas, there is… something I should have told you sooner. I have been putting it off, because I suspect that it will hurt you; but I must tell you, especially now."

He frowned slightly before his face became expressionless; he crossed his arms, raising one hand to his chin before nodding once. Suddenly, she remembered how he had been when they first met him, and all her fears about what this information would mean to him returned.

"You know that Morrigan drank from the Well? I did not think I would be able to understand what was there with no magic of my own. A short time after we returned, Morrigan's son entered his mother's eluvian. I followed Morrigan into the Fade to help her find the boy. While we were there, we met Flemeth."

She paused, and glanced at Abelas quickly. He hadn't moved or changed expression, and was simply watching her steadily, his golden eyes seeming to see into her and allow him to judge the truth of her story.

"The Dalish call Flemeth Asha'Belannar; she has lived many lifetimes, and there are stories of her helping heros in several legends throughout time. It turned out that Flemeth is Morrigan's mother." Ashara drew a deep breath and met Abelas' eyes steadily. "It also seems that she is, at least in part, Mythal."

For a long moment, his expression didn't change. Then, he began to scowl. "That is impossible. Mythal was murdered, I saw her body. This Flemeth lied to you."

Ashara shook her head. She wished she could touch him, but between his armor and his posture, there was no simple way of doing so, and she suspected that he would withdraw from anything too obvious.

"I don't doubt what you saw, but I also believe Flemeth told the truth. She said that a wisp of an ancient being came to her, and that wisp was what was left of Mythal. She also was able to control Morrigan through the bond forged by her drinking of the vir'abelasan."

Abelas shook his head, and pushed himself off the sofa to begin pacing. "She is made one with a human? To what end?"

"She said… Flemeth said that she sought to aid Mythal in gaining revenge."

"If this is true… if it is true, why did she not return to us? Why did she not return to her temple, her faithful servants? She must have known we would do anything in our power to assist her!"

Ashara sighed. "I did not think to ask why she had not returned to her temple, Abelas, I am sorry. I asked why she hadn't done more to aid our people, and Flemeth said only that what was could not be changed. She became quite upset when I asked if she would help us now. Flemeth is… she is very focused on gaining revenge for Mythal, and said that it would shake the heavens."

Abelas snorted at this, and continued pacing, muttering to himself. Ashara strained to hear his words, but he was speaking the ancient language, and she could only pick up a few of the words. Finally, she interrupted him.

"Abelas." He ignored her and continued to pace. Ashara sighed, and stood up, stepping into his path; this time he was ready for the move and simply swerved around her and continued his pacing.

Frowning now, she reached out and grabbed his arm; his momentum spun him around to face her, and he scowled at her. When she scowled back, he seemed surprised.

"Abelas, this does not change your choices."

"What? It changes everything!"

"It doesn't. Think, Abelas. If Flemeth lied, then Mythal is dead, which you already knew to be true. If Flemeth told the truth, then some part of Mythal still lives, but even Flemeth admits that she is not the same as the goddess you knew. Only a shadow of her former self resides within Flemeth, and that shadow is completely focused on gaining revenge for what happened to her.

"Either way, your duty is the same. Protect the knowledge in your keeping. Protect the temple's faithful Sentinals. Work with the Dalish to further those goals.

"This does not change the choices you must make. It does not change the importance of those choices. For whatever reason and in whatever manner, the Mythal you knew is lost to this world. Go forward."

Abelas stared at her steadily for several minutes after she fell silent. Finally, he nodded. "You are correct. Again."

Reaching out, he set his hands on Ashara's waist, and leaned down to kiss her gently.

"I will certainly need you on this path I must walk. You see through to the heart of things so clearly; you keep me grounded. Please walk this journey with me, ma lath; I cannot promise where it will lead, but it is enough that we would be together."

"Ma nuvenin, vhenan." Ashara reached up to slide her arms around his neck, then tugged him down until she could kiss him again.

When the kiss ended, she leaned up until her cheek rested against his. With her lips near his ear, she whispered, "Whatever else we find on this journey, I know one thing. Together, we will find joy."

The End