A few hours after leaving Seheron, it was dusk, and Alistair was on the deck of the ship when he heard footsteps coming towards him, and he looked to see his wife walk over. "Hi Azariah."

"Hi Alistair." She greeted back. "What are you doing?" Alistair turned his gaze back over at what he'd been looking at before, and Azariah did the same. He was looking at Fiona. "Are you going to go talk to her?"

"I want to, but what should I say? I mean, the last time we saw each other, it wasn't exactly pleasant…"

"I know, she told me what happened, but this could be a new start to your guy's relationship. Go talk to her and see."

Alistair nodded, took a deep breath, and walked over to the very front of the ship where Fiona was, looking down at the water. He glanced back at Azariah one more time and saw her insistently motion for him to say something, so he looked back. "Fiona?"

Fiona stood up straight and turned around immediately. "King Alistair!" She acknowledged, almost surprised to see him talking to her.

Alistair shook his head with a sigh. "Can we drop the act? You know that I know."

"Right, sorry. Force of habit, I suppose."

He walked over and stood next to her. Things were silent for a moment as neither really knew what to say, but he then broke that silence. "So, should I call you mom now, or mother?"

"No, you don't need to do that. If you're more comfortable with "Fiona", then that's what you can call me."

"That seems almost… disrespectful, to call my mother by her first name."

Fiona bowed her head slightly and looked a bit sad. "Who says you have to be respectful towards me?" Alistair looked a bit shocked as she continued. "I've never been a good mother, I was never there for you… you should hate me. I deserve for you to hate me…" Tears welled up in her eyes as she said those words.

"But I don't." He paused then said, "Being locked in a cell tends to give a person a lot of time to think, and it also helped that dad was there to talk some sense into me." Fiona did notice that Alistair referred to him as "dad", not "Maric". "He and I have made amends, and I think it's time we did the same. Why don't you come back to Denerim with us? And don't worry," He smiled and joked. "I'm rescinding the order that bans you from Ferelden."

'He certainly has his father's sense of humor.' Fiona thought, amusingly, but frowned. "I don't know. Don't get me wrong," She smiled at him warmly. "I appreciate the offer and I really would like to finally have a relationship with you, but… I just don't know."

"If you're worried about what people may think, then don't."

"No, it's not that. It's just-"

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat and they both looked to see Maric standing there. "Sorry to interrupt, but Alistair… could I speak to your mother alone for a few minutes?"

"Yeah, go ahead." Alistair said. "I should get back to Azariah anyway." He turned to Fiona. "We'll talk later. Just think about it, okay?" Fiona nodded, and Alistair made his way back to his wife who was still standing where she had been.

"So?" Azariah asked.

"This will really take some getting used to, for both of us, but I think it can work! I'll finally have someone I can call my mother!"

Azariah smiled widely. "I'm happy for you!"

Alistair smiled back and kissed her cheek as he took her hands into his. "And I'm happy that you are always here looking out for me!" He kissed her forehead.

"For the love of the Maker, get a room, you two." Luna joked with a laugh as she walked over.

"Oh, and the entire time we were looking for Alistair and Maric, I was stuck with you and your elf boyfriend making eyes at each other."

"I don't "make eyes"!" Luna said, faking being offended, then laughed. "So, what are you guys doing?"

"Alistair just got done talking to Fiona, and now, she's up there talking to Maric."

"Fiona and Maric are talking alone? Oh, this I have to see!" Luna walked over to try and get a closer look, but before she could, Azariah grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her back.

"Oh, no you don't! Leave them alone!" Azariah then dragged her away and Alistair followed close behind.

Up with Maric and Fiona, he spoke up, "Are you alright?"

"Fine, why?"

"After everything that's happened, I just wanted to make sure that nothing was wrong." He took a step closer to her and leaned over to try and kiss her, but she put her hand on his chest to stop him. "What's wrong?" He practically whispered.

Fiona took a step back and shook her head. "I can't…" She then turned her back to him.

"Why not? You kissed me earlier."

"I was out of it and wasn't thinking clearly." It was silent between them before she let out a sniff and added, "And part of me still doesn't think this is real."

"What's not real?"

"You." She looked him in the eyes, her eyes slightly misty with tears. "It's like you're back from the dead. You don't know how much your death impacted people… how it impacted me…"

Maric walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. "Fiona… I am so sorry. I…I know there's nothing I can do to take back the time we lost," He had her turn back around and looked in her eyes, which were filled with tears. "But… come back to Denerim with me?"

"I can't. The mages with the Inquisition… they need me. I'm the closest thing they have to a leader. I can't go to Denerim and abandon them. I mean, yes, being allied with the Inquisition gives them security, but now that Corypheus is gone, who knows how long the Inquisition will remain. I need to be there for them."

Things were silent between them until Maric said, "Bullshit."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." He looked her right in the eyes. "Bullshit. You know as well as I do that you can still lead the mages from Denerim. I think you're running away. I made the mistake of letting you walk out of my life before, Fiona, but I'm not going to do that again." He took her hand into his. "What's it going to take to make you realize that we belong together? Before we made love the first time, you told me that you were so tired of pain, so isn't it about time that you stopped putting yourself though pain?"

Tears fell from Fiona's eyes and she wrapped her arms around Maric's waist. "I don't know anymore…" She cried. "I want to be with you, but-"

Maric wrapped his arms around Fiona and held her gently as he placed his cheek against the top of her head as he interrupted her, "No buts. You want to be with me and I want to be with you." He looked at her, and being a bit taller than she was, he had to always look down. "Do you love me?"

Fiona looked up at Maric and placed her hand against his cheek. "Yes. I love you."

He smiled warmly. "I love you, too." He started leaning down to try and kiss her again, and this time, it seemed like she wasn't going to stop him.

Suddenly, a loud explosion happened, shaking the whole ship, and Maric held Fiona tighter to keep her from falling. "What in the Maker's name…?!" He yelled. He ran to the back of the ship with Fiona where Isabela, Luna, Azariah, and Alistair were. "What's happening?!" Maric asked, and they looked to see another ship heading right in their direction. He took the spyglass Isabela had and looked through it to get a close-up view of the flag on the ship. "Aurelian!" He growled.

"What?! But I thought you said he was dead!" Azariah said.

"He was! I mean, Fiona made the roof collapse on him! There's no way he could've survived that!"

"Well, if he wants a fight, he just got one!" Isabela growled. "Luna, take the helm! I'm going to teach this jackass a lesson!" Isabela ran down the steps to the lower deck as Luna grabbed the wheel. "Alright, you worthless rats! Get the ballistas out and blow these bastards to the Void!" Her crew scrambled to follow her orders as everyone else came up on deck to see what was happening.

"What is going on?!" Cullen asked.

"Apparently, Aurelian is still alive, and is now right on our ass!" Luna yelled back so they could all hear her. "Isabela told me to take the helm, so, here I am! Now, you pretty much know all that I know!"

"Luna! Hard to port!" Isabela ordered, and Luna immediately started turning the wheel to the left as fast as she could so the ship's side was facing Aurelian's ship as the ballistas were now loaded and ready to fire. "Hold it!" She ordered to her crew. "Wait until they're closer! And… fire!" As soon as she said fire, all the ballistas went off at once and spears punctured the side of Aurelian's ship and even speared some of his men.

Maric looked around and saw a rope connected to the sail closest to them and he ran over, using his sword to cut the rope.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Alistair cried.

"I'm boarding that ship so I can get rid of Aurelian once and for all!" He answered as he wrapped the rope multiple times around his arm.

"Are you crazy?!"

"Maybe, but I survived too much to go out like this!" Maric jumped off the side of the ship to swing over to the other ship, but at the last second, he felt someone grab his waist and swing over with him. He let go of the rope as soon as he was over the railing of Aurelian's ship and fell onto the deck, then looked over at Alistair. "What in Andraste's name are you thinking?! You need to get back over there, now!"

"No! I'm not letting you do this alone!" Alistair insisted. "I'm not losing my father again!" Maric was shocked for a moment, then smiled happily. Alistair stood up and Maric followed suit as his son tossed his sword towards him, "Now, come on! Let's go kill Aurelian!"

Maric nodded.

Maric and Alistair fought their way through Aurelian's men, always making sure that the other wouldn't get hurt. After killing the last of them, they both took a second to catch their breath.

"An impressive display, but a wasted effort!" Aurelian said as he walked over. "Neither of you are getting off this ship alive! I must applaud you, though, Alistair, your father never got this far on his own! The farthest he was ever able to escape to was the outskirts of Minrathous!"

"Shut up!" Maric yelled. "I'm not interested in what you have to say!"

"My father is better than you think!" Alistair added.

"Oh, how sweet!" Aurelian mocked. "You've finally embraced Maric as your father and you two are finally together again! How I just love touching family reunions!"

"I said shut up!" Maric yelled, and as he did, his eyes momentarily changed; his pupils became long and thin, like those of a dragon. "I should have made sure you were dead before, but this time, that is exactly what I am going to do!" Maric lunged at Aurelian and his sword clashed with Aurelian's staff. They both began pushing on their weapons, trying to make the other lose balance and have an advantage.

"Look at you! I can't believe that back in your country, they call you a hero! What was the title? Maric the Savior? You're just a man who abandoned both his sons, letting your whole country believe that you died, and couldn't even manage to free yourself, even after fifteen years!"

"You're trying to rattle me so I slip up!" Maric growled. "It's not going to work!" He pulled his sword back, but before Aurelian had time to react, Maric slammed the sword back down and slashed Aurelian's arm.

All of a sudden, there was a loud roar overhead and the three of them looked up to see a black and violet dragon fly over them. On looking closer, Alistair saw that Azariah was actually riding the dragon and was right behind her head. The dragon flew up higher before making a sharp turn and nosedived down towards the ship, breathing a stream of fire as it flew over, the flames immediately burning all the way down the ship.

"Look out!" Maric cried to Alistair as he pushed him out of the way of the flames. Maric then heard a snap and looked behind him to see a mast snap at its base, and it fell on top of Aurelian's legs, trapping him. "Well, now who's the one who can't free himself?" Maric growled as he glared down at Aurelian with burning hatred. He lifted his sword up over his head and slammed it down with all the force he could muster, chopping Aurelian's head clean off his body. Then, for good measure, he picked up Aurelian's severed head by his hair and tossed it into the ocean.

Then the dragon landed on the deck of the ship as Azariah called out to them. "You two! Come on! Let's go, this ship is sinking fast!"

Alistair and Maric ran over, and Azariah helped Alistair up behind her before he did the same for Maric and the dragon flew back up into the air and over to Isabela's ship. Since she couldn't land on the deck because it would damage the ship, the dragon landed in the water next to the ship before changing back. "Morrigan?!" Alistair asked, shocked as they all floated on the surface. "Since when do you know how to turn into a dragon?!"

"For a while, that's all you need to know."

A couple ropes were then tossed down from the deck and Isabela called to them to grab on, and when they did, they were pulled up, back onto the ship.

As soon as Maric climbed aboard, Fiona ran over and hugged him tightly, and he smiled, hugging her back.

"So… it's finally over." Azariah sighed.

"Yes." Maric answered, even though it really hadn't been a question. "Aurelian Titus is finally dead and gone… and I'm free!" He let out a relieved sigh. "I never thought I'd say those words again!"

Fiona smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist as she hugged him again. "And I've made up my mind!" She looked at him with that same smile. "I'm going back to Denerim with you," She then looked over at Alistair and Azariah. "All of you!"

"What about your duty to the mages?" Maric asked, but with a smile, obviously teasing her.

"I can still lead the mages from Denerim, and even if I couldn't, I am tired of putting myself through so much pain." She said, and Maric chuckled, pulling her back into a hug.

"Okay, I think we needed to hear some of your guy's previous conversations to understand that one." Luna joked, and all of them just started laughing.

–

More than a month later, Alistair, Azariah, Maric, and Fiona were all back in Denerim and were getting off Isabela's ship. They had stopped at the docks closest to Skyhold and dropped off Snow, Cullen, Luna, Bethany, Varric, and Fenris before coming here. Azariah hugged Isabela as she said goodbye. "Thank you for everything! I'll send you the gold as soon as I am able!"

"Alright, but don't worry about rushing it. We're friends, remember?" Isabela asked, lightly punching Azariah in the arm.

"Yes, thank you!" Azariah then gave Zevran a hug, too. "Goodbye Zev, take care of yourself!"

"You as well, Azariah!"

Azariah smiled and walked down the ramp to the docks and waved one last time before she, Alistair, Tucker, Maric, and Fiona left and headed into the city. The four of them had to walk through the market district – the busiest district in the city – to get to the palace, and as they did, people around them seemed to gasp and talk amongst themselves. "I think some of these people might be guessing who you are, Maric." Azariah whispered.

"Either that, or they know who I am." Fiona suggested.

"Don't worry, mom, I'll make sure nothing happens to you." Alistair said, and Fiona smiled as they all kept walking.

When the four of them made it to the palace, they walked into the throne room, and Fiona looked around. "Wow. I haven't been here since… well, since a couple months after you were born, Alistair."

"It looks exactly as I remember it." Maric added.

"Alistair! Azariah!" Eamon called as he came into the room with Teagan and rushed over. "You two are finally back! Where have you been?!"

"It's a long story!" Alistair said.

Eamon then saw the other two in the room and looked beyond shocked. "M-Maric?!"

"Hi Eamon."

"No way!" Teagan said. "This can't be the same man!"

"I…I can't believe my eyes!"

Maric laughed. "Oh, it's me, alright!"

"What are you doing here? How did you get here? Where have you been all this time?"

"Eamon, calm down. I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise, I will answer all of them, but first…" He took Fiona's hand into his. "You two remember Fiona?"

"Yes."

"Well, she's going to be living here with us from now on, and we're getting married!"

Eamon and Teagan exchanged shocked expressions before Teagan asked, "Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to sound prejudiced here, but… she is an elven mage…"

"I don't care." Maric said, sounding sure of this decision. "I love Fiona, and if anyone has a problem with our marriage, they can complain all they want, but it's not going to change anything!"

"I love you, too, Maric."

"What do you think, Alistair?" Eamon asked.

"I think they deserve to be together, and I want them both to be happy." He looked at his wife with a loving look. "Just like I'm happy with Azariah!"

Azariah chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Sweet talker!"

Eamon and Teagan looked at each other again before Eamon just smiled and shrugged, then looked back at Maric and Fiona. "I think this is a big step in the right direction, for everyone, and Alistair's right! You two deserve to be together!"

Maric and Fiona looked at each other happily, knowing that no matter what came next, they would have each other, and their son.

––

Alright everyone, there it is! The final chapter! As I said, I do have an idea for an epilogue! I am also currently working on a new chapter to my one-shot series story on here, so go and check that out, and the new chapter should be up shortly!

I hope you all enjoyed this, I enjoyed writing it! Until next time!