Chapter Two

They made it to Redcliffe only to be given the odd task of getting a damn Ram back to his owner. Aisalyn had seen it and galloped back to the place they had collected Blackwall. She rode so fast that her hat was being held down by her hand. Jolly whinnied with joy as Varric could hear Aisalyn laughing.

"She is something going else isn't she?" Varric said once they had gotten back to Redcliffe.

"Scatter brained noble girl who can't say no to anyone except you," Bull said watching her get gold for bringing the Ram home safe.

"And doesn't want help because she feels responsible for the whole Inquisition, just an Agent my ass," Varric said really looking at her. He'd seen her but never actually looked at her the way his writers mind would see her. She was very fair like porcelain he'd decided and her eyes were an odd green, odd meaning sometimes they looked green and in other lights they appeared yellow. Her hair was blonde a very light blonde and he wondered why she cut it to her chin, most noble women her age would love to have thick platinum blonde hair to pull up into elegant styles. Her age…24…he was sure of it. And her nose, it wasn't too slim but it wasn't big and it had the slightest upturn to it and…

"She believes in the Maker but doesn't believe she's Andraste's chosen. Probably because she failed when she tried closing the Breach," Bull said interrupting Varric's thoughts.

"It's just meant she doesn't have enough power. That doesn't mean that she failed.

"She may not see it that way. Powering her up is only a theory. There's a lot doubt in theories. The Inquisition isn't doing anything good for that by spreading tales of The Herald of Andraste. She's just one girl and that is a lot of pressure."

"I know."

"So that gentlemen, One Eyed Jimmy, says he has a friend who lost his Druffalo down near Dennets farm-" Aisalyn said coming back to the two men.

"Are we headed that way?" Bull asked.

"No, we'll meet with Fiona first then head that way."

"Alright Boss lead the way."

She walked to the tavern where the scouts had said Fiona would be. To her surprise Fiona didn't remember Aisalyn in the least. And promptly informed them that she was no longer in control of the mages but instead she had given power to the Magister Alexius. Aisalyn tried to be civil but Varric could tell she was tense. Gratefully Alexius's son drew him away and slipped her a note. Telling her to go to the Chantry.

"Well this is promising."

"We should check it out… "

"Ah, so you decided to follow the note, would you mind helping me close this?" A man asked as they came into the Chantry.

The small party had helped and the man looked at Aisalyn fascinated, "how do you do that?" Seeing her confused expression he laughed, "You don't even know do you? Just wiggle your fingers and boom! Rift closes."

"Who are you?"

"Dorian Pavus, and you are Aisalyn Trevelyan I've heard of your family in Ostwick. Nice people, fun at parties."

"A Vint?" Bull asked nose crinkling in disgust.

"Suspicious friends you have," he said smiling at them, he went on to explain time magic and how Alexius planned to use it. And if she wanted to take him down then he wanted to help. Aisalyn elected to think on it and went back to Jolly. Heading to Redcliffe farm unfortunately it was getting late and Varric, Aisalyn and Vivienne sat by the fire.

"It has come to my attention, Varric, that you are writing a story about me," Vivienne said breaking the silence.

"It's just notes at the moment but yes," he said.

"And what, pray tell, is this story about?"

"Orlesian political thriller, masquerades, back stabbing, murders, witty dialogue."

"And who am I in this story?"

"Well actually," he chuckled, "you're the villain."

Vivienne laughed, "And who is the hero?"

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"What about someone like Aisalyn? Or do you have something planned for her?" Vivienne asked this made Aisalyn look at him.

"I don't know yet."

Aisalyn smiled to herself and turned in for the night.

"I'd like to read this story before you publish Darling," Vivienne said before she turned in herself.

The next morning they headed back to confront Alexius. The small party met with Dorian outside Redcliffe and he led a team through the underground tunnels into the castle while Aisalyn went to the castle with Varric and Bull. Varric smiled as a servant told he and Bull to stay behind and Aisalyn rejected that saying "if they stay, I stay. Then where will we be?" Maybe the idea of a team had finally grown on her. Begrudgingly the man let them pass.

"Well well welcome back my friend," he purred shifting his weight in the Redcliffe throne, "glad to see you've come to your senses."

"Yes, I wised up. To the fact that you're trying to kill me Alexius," Aisalyn said with a smirk just as several of his men's throats were slit. "You're men are dead now tell me about your "Elder One"."

"Never," he said standing but a scout took him by the forehead and raised a blade.

"Move and you die," she hissed.

"I...know your voice..." He said confused, "Amissius?"

"I shed my Vint name, I'm Hilde now," the girl said.

Alexius didn't say anything but his face became racked with sadness then anger. "If you have rejected your family you are no daughter of mine," he said and elbowed her stomach casting the spell, sending Dorian, Aisalyn and Hilde away. Only to appear in a flooded dungeon.

"Well he handled that better than I thought," Hilde murmured softly from beneath her hood

"I'm sorry that had to be the way you met him again." Dorian said and Hilde shrugged.

"It would have been that way no matter how we did it.""Where are we?"

"Somewhere in the Redcliffe castle."

"Then how are we waist deep in water?"

"We're in a dungeon darling. It seems Alexius moved us through time."

"But where? How far?" Aisalyn asked searching for a key.

"I don't know. It never worked before."

"Then we have to find out. C'mon," she said finding the key and opening the cell.

"Don't you care who I am?" Hilde asked.

"You're his long lost daughter and at this moment as long as you're on my side, I don't care who you are," Aisalyn said getting the door open, "We'll have tea, biscuits and a chat if I'm not dead after we get back and the Breach is closed. Those are what are pressing at the moment."

"Delightful isn't she," Dorian said pushing passed Hilde to follow.

The whole castle was crawling with red lyrium. Exploring the castle they happened upon Varric. Dazed with red lyrium and weak. He looked up at them.

"Andrastes sacred knickers...You're alive?" He stood, "where were you? How did you escape?"

"We didn't escape, Alexius sent us into the future." Dorian explained.

"Everything that happens to you is weird," he smiled at Aisalyn.

"You noticed that too?" She smiled, "now you understand why I don't like a team. You look awful... What happened to you?"

"Bite your tongue, I look damn good for a dead man."

"You're no more dead than we are," Dorian said.

"The not dying version of this red lyrium stuff? Way worse, just saying," Varric retorted

"We have a plan to get us back. This won't ever happen to you," Aisalyn said.

"You make it sound easy. Alexius is just a servant. His Elder One assassinated the Empress and the weather demon army and a huge invasion of the south. The older one rules everything. What's left of it anyway Alexius... Is really not the one you need to worry about."

"I promise you, Varric we'll make sure none of this happens."

"I'm pretty sure you're crazy. Or I'm crazy. Either way, it's a nice thought." He smirked, " you want to take on Alexius? I meant. Let's go."

The group found Bull next.

"You're not dead? You're supposed to be dead. There was a burn on the ground and everything."

"Alexius didn't kill us. The spell sent us time. This is our future." Dorian explained.

"Well, it's my present. And in my past, I definitely saw you both die."

"Are you alright? You don't look so good."

"Red lyrium. If I'm lucky, it'll kill me. If not... I'm hoping I die fighting."

"You're dying?"

"No, he's not. If we find Alexius, we go back, and none of this will happen. Remember?"

"Kill Alexis. Sounds good. Let's go." Bull said.

It some more time but eventually they found Leiliana being tortured in a dungeon while being interrogated. The man took up a knife and approached her.

"You will break!" He growled taking the knife to her throat.

"I will die first!" She corrected him before Aisalyn came in making the man look at her. "Or you will." She wrapped her legs around his throat and broke his neck.

"You're alive..." She breathed as she was let down from her restraints.

"You're safe now."

"Forget safe. If you came back from the dead, you need to do better than safe. You need to end this. Do you have weapons?"

Aisalyn nodded.

"Good. The Magister is probably in his chambers."

"You... Aren't you curious how we got here?"

"No."

"Alexia sent us into the future. This. His victory, his elder one... It was never meant to be."

"If we get back to the present and stop Alexius, then you'll never have to go through this.." Aisalyn added.

"And mages always wonder why people feared them..." The spymaster said

"It's dangerous and unpredictable. Before the breach, nothing we did..."

"Enough."

"This is all pretend to you, some future you hope will never exist. I suffered. The whole world suffered. It was real." She corrected Dorian harshly.

Coming to a main chamber they closed a rift...two of them. And finally the door to the throne. To their surprise he looked sad.

"It's over Alexius."

"So it is. I knew you would appear again. Not that it would be now. But I knew I hadn't destroyed you. My final failure." He said

"Was it worth it? Everything you did to the world? To yourself?"

"It doesn't matter now. All we can do is wait at the end."

"It does matter. I will and do this."

"How many times I have tried? The past cannot be undone. And what have I wrought? Ruin and death. There is nothing else. The elder one comes: from me, for you, for us all."

Leiliana grabbed the shambled man that stood hunched over and put a knife to his throat.

"Felix..." Alexius said.

"That's Felix? Maker's breath, Alexis, what have you done?" Dorian cried.

"He would have died, Dorian! I saved him! Please, don't hurt my son. I'll do anything you ask."

"Hand over the amulet, and we will let him go." Aisalyn said.

"Let him go, & I swear I'll get you what you want."

Leiliana glared at Alexius, "I want the world back." And she slit his throat sending Alexius into a rage.

Once they had killed him Dorian had the amulet.

"He wanted to die didn't he? All those lies he told himself, the justifications... He lost with Felix long ago and didn't even notice. Oh, Alexius..."

"I know you cared for him."

"Once he was a man to whom I compared all others. Sad, isn't it? This is the same amulet he used before. I think it's the same one we made in Minrathous. That's a relief. Give me an hour to work out the spell he used, and I should be able to reopen the rift."

"An hour? That's impossible! You must go now!" Leiliana exclaimed as a high pitched screech broke the silence. "The Elder One..."

"We'll take out as many as we can..." Bull said, "Leliana you're the last line of defense."

"I will not let you die!" Aisalyn protested looking at Varric.

"Look at us. We're already dead. You have as much time as I have arrows."

"The darkness closes, I am shielded by flame," she said as the door burst open and a demon, to Aisalyn's horror, tossed Varric's limb body to the floor. "Andraste guide me. Maker, take me to your side." Then she was struck too.

"You move and we all die!" Dorian shouted.

And suddenly. They were no longer surrounded. Aisalyn turned to Alexius. "You'll have to do much better than that."

He fell to his knees. The rest felt like a blur, she sided with the mages and got them to head to Haven. And then she was in an inn sitting on her bed. The images of her friends dying.

"Are you okay?" Hilde asked noticing her on her bed head in her hands.

"I'm...fine..."

"We corrected the future. Your friends will live." Hilde said softly before her own mind wandered. "I still pray for my brother."

"I watched them all die...for me..." She shook her head. "Now tell me your story."

"When my father started to become how he is now. I left with Dorian. My brother begged me to leave. He didn't want me seeing my father become a monster. And they are your friends. They would die for you because they want to."

"I wouldn't allow it. I was alone I mean I did all this alone til now and right off the bat...they die because of me. I will never bring a team with me."

"I don't think you have a choice. All of the people in the inquisition would willingly die for you. They are your friends and they want to help you. The more you try to deny it the more they will do it to spite you."

"So Varric died to spite me..."

"He died to save you because he cares about you."

"He could've listened to me and wouldn't have died in that future..."

"And then what? You die? Where would we be if you died? Exactly that future is where we would be."

She shook her head before leaving the room. Going down the hall to find Vivienne and Varric at a table.

"And then the great first enchanter seduces the Marquis..."

"But why? I see no gain in that."

"Because then she'd have him for later."

"If I thought that way I would've bedded half of Thedas." She said with a chuckle as Aisalyn entered the room.

"What's up Kid?" He asked and she simply approached him and hugged him tightly.

"Hey are you okay?" He asked now worried

"Yeah I'll be fine," she said not letting him go.

"Okay." He hugged her back.

"What was that about?" Vivienne asked when she left the room.

"I have no idea."

Vivienne shrugged,

"We saw some pretty...traumatic things," Dorian said

"Did we?"

"Did you what?" Dorian smirked knowing he wouldn't remember.

"I don't know..."

"Exactly. If you want to know, ask her."

"I will."