Notes: This is it, people. This is the last chapter. Can you believe it? You're getting it early because I got excited. All the wonderful comments from the last chapter fueled me through this one. For those of you that replied with OC ideas, thank you! If you haven't done that and you want to, don't worry! There's plenty of time. I'll still be interested in new characters even as I write the sequel. (Also, I should add that I need Tevinter citizens of all kinds, not just slaves. I forgot that on the list!)

I also just want to say thank you again, in general, for all the support. To everyone who's stuck with me from the beginning and to all the newcomers. Just… thank you. It means a lot every time I hear how much someone likes my story. I've really enjoyed sharing it with you all and I look forward to doing the same with the sequel.

To my guest reviewer: Your comment seems especially fitting, considering this is the last chapter. It really does feel like so long ago since I started this. It hasn't even been a year, though! Weird. Hey, if you think of an OC and want to submit them, like I said, I'll still take them while I'm writing the sequel. Hmm… I'll have to think of something to do to celebrate the end of this story lol. Thank you for the awesome comment and hope to see you for the sequel!

Chapter 44: Inevitable

"So won't you stay
'Til the morning
I've been frozen since that night you sang with me
One more day
For you to hold me
'Cause I don't know when I'll see you again."

- See You Again by Elle King

I knew this day was coming… knew it with my entire being. It's what keeps me isolated and the one thing I can truly count on. No… after a decade, it really shouldn't be a surprise.

And yet, when I wake to that all-too-familiar buzzing at the base of my skull, it's like a blow to the chest.

Solas and I were together in the Fade when I felt myself waking up. He had conjured up a peaceful meadow for us to relax in. Though the sun was only a thought, it felt so wonderfully warm… and Solas' arm around me felt so damn right.

Time passes differently in the Fade, but I felt it was still early. So I encouraged Solas to get a bit more sleep, enjoy the quiet while it lasted. And then I drifted into the waking world, only to wish desperately that I was still asleep.

At first I tried to dismiss it as a weird hangover, but no. While I do have a pounding headache, the buzzing is separate. Unique. I know it intimately, like I know the pattern of scar tissue that mars my face or the birthmark on my left hip. It's a part of me, whether I like it or not. Knowing that doesn't make me feel any better. If anything, it worsens the churning in my stomach.

It is an inevitability. Time marches on, people die, and Rhynnara Lorelae Torpin will never be allowed to stay in one place.

I've been a fool. A weak, sentimental fool. But even as I chide myself, I can't seem to regret the attachments I've made here. My heart is in a vice knowing I'll never see them – him – again, but there's no place for regret. I've had enough for several lifetimes and I'm tired.

So here I sit, arms wrapped tightly around my knees and crying silently.

Solas stirs beside me. "Rhynn?" he asks, voice rough with sleep. I can hear the worry.

"We've run out of time," I tell him quietly, rubbing the back of my head.

There's a long pause before strong arms pull me close. Solas holds me tightly, perhaps a bit desperately, and buries his face in the crook of my neck.

He doesn't say anything else. Neither do I. What are words in the face of this?

We sit together in silence, mourning the inevitable loss of something precious, until the sun rises.

Just as the sun starts casting shadows across the bed, someone knocks frantically at the door. Reluctantly, Solas detangles his limbs from mine and goes to answer it.

"Rhynn, Kieran has run off through the eluvian," Leliana says in a rush, looking unusually frazzled. "Morrigan went in after him, as well as the Inquisitor."

It takes me a minute to comprehend, but then…

Oh!

I leap off the bed and begin frantically throwing clothes on.

"What is happening?" Leliana implores. "I have never seen Morrigan so worried."

"I'll tell you later," I promise. "Right now, I need to hurry if I want to catch up with them."

"Should I send troops?"

"No, no need."

Leliana nods, a bit skeptically, and steps aside to let me bolt past her.

I run through the halls, narrowly avoiding knocking a few people over.

What happens when neither Morrigan nor the Inquisitor drank from the Well?

The thought has me running faster. I can't let Morrigan attack Flemeth. Who knows what might happen to Morrigan… to Kieran.

The mirror is still lit up when I arrive, so I don't bother slowing down. On the other side, I find myself once again physically in the Fade. It's both unnerving and energizing.

When I finally catch up, Morrigan and Aila are calling Kieran's name. Morrigan halts mid-call and whirls around.

"Where is he?" she demands.

"This way," I say, slowing to a brisk walk and leading them further into the Fade.

Some ways later, we round a corner to find Flemeth kneeling before a smiling Kieran. At our approach, the boy turns and exclaims, "Mother!" upon spotting Morrigan.

Morrigan's eyes, wide at first, now narrow. "Mother."

Flemeth stands slowly, golden eyes shimmering in the sickly light of the Fade. "Now, isn't this a surprise?"

Aila glances between mother and daughter warily. "Clearly not the good kind…"

Flemeth smirks. "My lovely Morrigan has a flair for the dramatic. Thankfully, my grandson is more sensible." She lays a gauntleted hand on the child's shoulder.

Morrigan balls her fists and steps forward. "Kieran is not your grandson! Let him go!"

"As if I were holding the boy hostage," Flemeth mocks. "She's always been ungrateful, you see."

After everything you put her through, she's earned that right!

"Ungrateful?" Morrigan shouts, flinging her arms to the sides. "I know how you plan to extend your life, wicked crone!" She points her finger at her mother. "You will not have me, and you will not have my son!"

Morrigan's hands start to glow and the hairs on the back of my neck begin to stand up as she gathers power around her.

Shit!

"Morrigan!" I warn, reaching out and clasping her upper arm.

"Let go of me." Her voice is cold.

"Consider the consequences," I urge, fingers tightening in their grip.

"It would not matter if she was Andraste herself! She will not have my son!" she growls. Then her focus shifts to Kieran, who still stands beside Flemeth. Morrigan hesitates, then deflates, shoulders hunched and expression broken.

"I see you've been informed as to my true nature," Flemeth says to her daughter. "I wonder who might possess such knowledge…" Then her eyes shift to me, pierce through to my soul, and pin me in place. "I have not seen one of your kind in millennia. Tell me, have you learned to control your powers yet?"

Without waiting for an answer, Flemeth turns back to her daughter and continues talking. But it doesn't matter. All I can hear is the ringing in my ears. I stagger back, as if punched, and the blood drains from my face.

"What?" I try to ask, but it comes out as a hoarse whisper.

… one of your kind…

Control it?

Nothing makes sense and my vision is blurring at the edges.

There… there are more people like me…?

How is this possible?

Where are they?

I can control this? How?

Maybe… maybe I could stay…

You've never been able to before. What makes you think this time will be different?

Because I know now!

Just because the witch told you? It could be a trick.

I'm nothing to her. What would be the point? She had to have been telling the truth!

A warm hand comes to rest on my shoulder, pulling me out of my whirling thoughts.

"Rhynn," Aila says softly. It's not a question; just a gentle reminder that I'm needed in the present.

I take a few deep breaths and focus once more on the conversation.

"And you follow her whims?" Morrigan asks Flemeth. "Do you even know what she truly is?"

Flemeth is smiling like this is all highly amusing to her. It probably is. "You seek to preserve the powers that were, but to what end? It is because I taught you, girl. Because things happened that were never meant to happen." Her expression turns stormy now, her tone bursting with suppressed rage. "She was betrayed as I was betrayed – as the world was betrayed! Mythal clawed and crawled her way through the ages to me, and I will see her avenged!" The rage isn't so suppressed at the end, but it quickly drains, leaving a tired old woman in fancy armor. "Alas, so long as the music plays, we dance."

There's a short pause before Aila speaks. "I presume you know what we're up against."

"Better than you could possibly imagine."

"So will you help us?"

Flemeth looks down at Kieran now. "Once I have what I came for."

"No," Morrigan denies. "I will not allow it."

"He carries a piece of what once was," Flemeth replies, "snatched from the jaws of darkness. You know this."

Morrigan takes a step forward, hand slashing through the air. "He is not your pawn, Mother. I will not let you use him!"

Flemeth raises an eyebrow. "Have you not used him? Was that not your purpose, the reason you agreed to his creation?"

"That was then. Now he…" She pauses, then says with more emotion than she's probably ever expressed, "He is my son."

Flemeth looks curiously at her daughter.

Morrigan continues talking, this time to Aila. "Flemeth extends her life by possessing the bodies of her daughters, Inquisitor. That was the fate she intended for me. I thwarted her, and now she intends to have Kieran instead!"

Aila's brows draw together. "Wait… the way she talked about Kieran…"

Flemeth smirks again. "I am not the only one carrying the soul of a being long thought lost."

"He is more than that, Mother," Morrigan insists.

"As am I," says Flemeth, "yet do you hear me complain? Our destinies are not so easily avoided, dear girl."

Kieran speaks up for the first time in a while. "Mother, I have to."

"You do not belong to her, Kieran. Neither of us do!" Morrigan tells him, sounding panicked.

"If Kieran is so special, why did you wait until now to come for him?" Aila asks.

"I did not know where he was. Morrigan cleverly hid him from me… until now."

Morrigan gasps. "'Twas the well…"

"Did you think that, by allowing another to drink from the Well, you would be out of my reach?" Flemeth chuckles.

"Whatever else you think he is, Kieran is still a child!" Aila argues.

"And so much better behaved than his mother was at his age," Flemeth replies flippantly.

Morrigan's legs give out and she drops to her knees. "Kieran, I…"

Kieran looks up at Flemeth and a silent conversation seems to pass between the two.

"As you wish," Flemeth tells him, then turns back to Morrigan. "Hear my proposal, dear girl. Let me take the lad, and you are free of me forever. I will never interfere with or harm you again." Morrigan stands slowly, eyes narrowed. "Or, keep the lad with you… and you will never be safe from me. I will have my due."

"I will take my chances," Morrigan says quietly.

"I found you once, girl," Flemeth counters. "What makes you think I will not find you again?"

"Take over my body now, if you must." Morrigan's voice is calm and resigned. "Just let Kieran go. He will be better off without me, just as I was better off without you."

That gives the older witch pause. She looks immensely sad for a moment and then turns to face her grandson. She reaches out and takes his hands gently and, mere seconds later, a ball of light passes from Kieran's chest to her own. And then she smiles tenderly at the boy.

"No more dreams?" Kieran asks, eyes wide.

"No more dreams," Flemeth promises, still smiling.

Kieran smiles back and lets go, moving to his mother's side. Morrigan reaches out and wraps him in her arms.

"A soul is not forced upon the unwilling, Morrigan," Flemeth tells her, voice devoid of its usual mocking tone. "You were never in danger from me." And then she walks away.

"Wait!" Morrigan calls, voice breaking, but the older woman never turns around.

"Come on," Aila urges softly. "Let's get out of here."

As soon as we're out of the Fade, Morrigan grabs my arm.

"Did you know this would happen?" she demands.

"Yes," I reply, feeling disconnected still.

"Why did you not warn me?!"

"Would you have believed me if I told you she wouldn't hurt Kieran?"

Morrigan frowns but releases my arm. I turn and head for the door.

He knew.

I freeze, staring unseeingly at the rough wood.

No, he couldn't have. He would've told me!

Mythal knew.

It… makes sense… and suddenly I'm furious. I whip the door open, making it bang against the wall. I'm prepared to march across Skyhold to find him – demand answers – but I don't have to go far. He's right outside, and when he sees me, his expression relaxes.

"You had me worried, vhenan."

I shove him into the stone wall. "Did you know?!" I growl, blood rushing.

He looks completely surprised, and maybe a bit betrayed.

Can't imagine what that feels like!

"Know what, Rhynn?" he asks, holding his hands out in a placating gesure.

There are footsteps behind me, followed by a hand on my shoulder again. I shrug it off violently.

"Did you know there are more people like me? Did you know I can supposedly control this fucking thing?!"

Oh God, please say no…

Solas' eyes widen and then he frowns in confusion.

"We met Flemeth… Mythal… whatever you want to call her in the Fade," Aila explains. "She implied that she's met someone like Rhynn before."

Solas looks calm but sad. He glances over my shoulder at Aila.

"Give us a moment, Inquisitor?"

I continue to glare at Solas, hands clenched into fists, so I don't see her response. But a few seconds later, I hear them walking away. Solas' attention shifts back to me.

"Mythal is much older than I am, vhenan," he says quietly. "She has likely seen much more than I have."

"That's not an answer."

"No, Rhynn," he sighs. "I did not know."

With those four words, my anger fades.

He could be lying.

I think of how he poured over tome after tome looking for a way to keep me here.

No, he's not.

Solas notices my deflated posture and takes me into his arms. For the second time today, I let the tears fall. It's too much.

When Corypheus arrives in the Valley of Sacred Ashes, we're ready for him.

I buckle the last of my armor into place and join the others. This isn't like the game, either. All hands are on deck.

"Remember what Rhynn told us," Aila says to them. "Corypheus is going to raise the entire temple into the air. After it happens, the mages will move in and be ready to cushion our fall. That said, keep track of each other. I don't want to lose anyone to a piece of rubble." The last bit is said with a sardonic smile and a few of them chuckle. She says something else, but I'm too wrapped up in my own thoughts.

It's been two days since Flemeth… two days of focusing all my energy into pushing back against the buzzing in my head. Two days of failure. The buzzing has grown stronger, just as it always does. It's as if a swarm of wasps built a nest in my brain and now the entire back of my head feels like it's vibrating. It's distracting as hell.

I shake my head and rub at my neck.

Cool fingers slide into my hair at the base of my scalp, soothing the itch somewhat. It's strange having my neck so exposed, but my hair has grown; I actually had to tie it up this morning.

"No improvement?" Solas asks quietly.

I just shake my head.

"Let's go, people," Aila calls. "We've got a crazy magister to put down."

The Iron Bull gives an excited whoop and hoists his battle-axe onto his back. The rest of us follow suit and fall in behind the Inquisitor.

"You ready, Daisy?" Varric asks the elf at his side.

She nods, then says, "Hawke is going to be so jealous. Maybe I'll let him ride on my back, next time I see him."

Varric chuckles and pats her arm. "I'm sure he'd appreciate that."

When we arrive at the temple, boulders have already begun floating. We get there just in time to see a group of demons slaughtering the guards, Corypheus standing some ways back and watching the carnage with a pleased expression. Cassandra drives her sword through the nearest demon, quickly ending it.

"I knew you would come," the magister says smugly and gives Aila a mocking bow.

"It ends here, Corypheus," she replies, drawing her sword.

"And so it shall." Red lightening crackles from his fingertips and into the ground. With glowing fists, Corypheus pulls upward and the rock beneath us shivers and cracks. I hear it behind me, too close. I whirl, instinctively catching Solas' arm as he starts to tumble backwards. We had arranged ourselves so the melee fighters were in the front and ranged ones were in the back.

"Shit!" I curse as we soar into the air, leaving Dorian, Varric, Sera, and Vivienne behind.

Well there goes our plan… and hours of rehearsal.

"You have been most successful in foiling my plans, but let us not forget what you are," Corypheus continues in his growling voice. "A thief, in the wrong place at the wrong time. An interloper. A gnat. We shall prove – "

Corypheus is interrupted by a throwing knife to the shoulder. Mine, of course. He roars in anger, pulling the knife out and tossing it to the ground.

"Rhynn!" Aila hisses.

"He was talking too much," I grumble.

"You dare!" Corypheus booms as his dragon crawls over the wall above him. Just as it's about to attack, Merrill, in dragon form, swoops in. The two go spiraling over the edge, clawing and biting at one another. Were it any other time, I'd probably find the sight of Merrill as a dragon highly amusing. But, well…

"A dragon," the darkspawn magister drawls. "How clever of you. It will avail you nothing."

The Inquisitor gestures for us to flank him while she, Cassandra, and Bull go for the frontal approach.

"You will fall as a warning to those who oppose my divine will!"

Why are bad guys always so damn chatty?

I throw another knife at him, aiming for a soft spot. There aren't many, so it's not surprising when the blade glances off. It still pisses me off though and I growl to myself, pulling out my pistol.

I've missed you, beautiful.

I take aim and fire, feeling a little smug. At the last second, though, Corypheus disappears, only to reappear some ways off.

"Fuck."

I hear a demonic shriek behind me. Holding my gun in one hand, I unsheathe my dagger with the other and lash out as I whirl around. Luckily, it's just a shade and I'm able to quickly dispatch it with a few more jabs and slashes.

Before it even hits the ground, I'm turning my attention back to Corypheus.

Okay, just breathe, Rhynn. Time your shots.

I breathe in, hold it, and squeeze the trigger. The bullet hits him, but it looks like it struck one of the red lyrium plates. It still clearly hurt, though, judging by the way he's shouting.

Does he ever shut up?

He will when he's dead.

I grin.

In the blink of an eye, Corypheus is gone.

"On the balcony!" Blackwall shouts.

Sure enough, there's Corypheus, lording over us all and shooting red bolts of energy.

Aila runs for the stairs, determination in every movement. I dart after her, gun at the ready. Some of the others finish off the last of the demons before following.

I continue to take shots at Corypheus as Solas stations himself beside me, killing any demons that come near. Some of my shots hit their mark; some don't. Even so, they don't seem to be having much of an effect on him.

Corypheus keeps leading us further into the temple. Though we know, as we follow, that it only brings us closer to fighting his dragon, there isn't really much choice.

A few times, the demons become too much for just Solas and I have to stop targeting Corypheus in order to help. The last time earned me a few deep gashes. One of them trickles blood into my eye, but I just wipe it away and keep shooting.

As we enter a large clearing, roaring from above causes us to pause and look up. Merrill and the other dragon spiral towards the ground, caught in each other's grip. When they impact, Merrill takes the brunt of it. Her form slips back into that of an elf as she loses consciousness.

"Go check on her," I yell at Solas. "I've got these." I send a throwing knife through the forehead of an oncoming demon before spinning and thrusting my dagger into another. Meanwhile, Corypheus retreats yet again while his pet distracts the rest of the group.

The fight against the dragon is long and arduous. Bull seems to be the only one enjoying himself. Thankfully, Merrill managed to weaken in significantly. Otherwise, I doubt we would have been able to kill the thing. Certainly, none of us come out of that battle without injuries. Or more injuries than we already had, rather.

I know it's time to finally end this when we jump down from a high ledge to find Corypheus waiting for us.

We give him everything we've got. I duck in and out of cover, taking shots at Corypheus. When I can get close enough, I also throw some of my knives at him.

The bastard gives as good as he gets, though, sending out waves of crackling magic that pick us off one by one. Bull ends up behind a boulder, half-conscious and coughing up blood. Blackwall is out cold – hopefully just out cold – at the bottom of the stairs. Cole fairs a bit better at first, able to dart in and out quickly and turn invisible. But, somehow, Corypheus senses him just as he's about to strike again and swings his massive arm, sending the spirit boy flying into a column.

Cole!

The buzzing in my head suddenly spikes, but I grit my teeth and try to ignore it.

Not yet!

Cassandra, though bleeding profusely from many wounds, has made protecting the Inquisitor her priority. I have to agree. Aila is the one who has been training to use the orb. We need her whole enough to finish this.

With renewed determination, I move out from behind a pillar and take aim. My vision narrows until all I see is my target.

Breathe in.

And squeeze.

The bullet hits home in Corypheus' chest, causing him to stagger. Realizing he's losing this fight, the ancient magister pulls the orb close and starts drawing magic from it.

"Dumat! Ancient ones! I beseech you!" he calls desperately. "If you exist – if you ever truly existed – aid me now!" Of course, no one answers.

Aila moves closer, eyes blazing. She activates the mark and uses it to call the orb to her. There's a moment of struggle before it flies out of Corypheus' hands. It slams into the side of his face in its journey to Aila, breaking his jaw with a resounding crack.

The orb comes to rest above Aila's palm, pulsing and flowing with magic. The Inquisitor, looking almost overwhelmed at the sheer power she now holds, hesitates only a second before reaching up and sending a stream of energy into the Breach. The whole sky crackles and then goes quiet.

Still holding onto the orb, Aila moves closer to Corypheus, a grim smile on her face. Around us, boulders start falling.

"You wanted into the Fade?" the Inquisitor challenges. And then she opens a rift… inside of Corypheus. The ancient Tevinter magister folds in on himself, screaming loudly.

With Corypheus dead, though, the temple starts to fall from the sky. The ground beneath us tilts dangerously, sending us sprawling. I gain my bearings again just in time to catch sight of something rolling quickly towards the edge.

The orb!

Time seems to slow as I sprint after it, dodging to avoid falling rocks. I'm gaining on it, but just barely.

Almost there!

Of course, that's when the temple shudders and tilts again, throwing me to the ground. I tumble towards the edge, scraping and banging against every obstacle along the way. As I'm rolling, though, I catch sight of the orb, just within my reach. I manage to get ahold of it… barely.

That doesn't help the fact that I'm still sliding.

Suddenly, a long arm wraps around my rib cage, jerking me to a stop. I glance back to see Solas, expression determined, keeping us both from falling with one hand. For a second, I think we're in the clear.

And then the ledge he's holding onto breaks and we're tumbling over the edge.

I scream as we plummet, but Solas doesn't let go of me. Something pries the orb out of my vice-like grip. There's a flash of light and a hum across my skin like the calm before a storm. I catch sight of Solas' face and his eyes seem to be glowing faintly. He closes them, and a moment later a sphere of magic encapsulates us.

We hit the ground. The sphere cushions our fall, but bursts immediately afterwards, sending us sprawling.

For a long, shocked moment, I just stare up at the now-blue sky.

I-I'm alive!

A frantic giggle bubbles in my throat, but before it can break, the buzzing returns ten-fold. I groan and clutch my head, pushing up onto my knees.

"Vhenan!" I hear Solas calling distantly, but I can already feel myself slipping.

No! I'm not ready! I never told him! He needs to know! Why didn't I tell him?!

I look up at Solas, eyes wide with panic as the world fades.

I have to tell him.

"I love – "

Ohohoh… I'm a bastard.