Disclaimer: I do not own DA or any of its characters.

A/N: I'm not sure if anyone is still following this...I know I gave up on it for a while...and to be honest, for a long time I gave up on writing, period. That is until a little kernel of creativity lodged itself into my brain. Hopefully it will bring this tale back to life.

Someone is beating my skull with some sort of hammer.

At least, that's what it feels like. Opening my eyes is proving to be much more difficult than it should. Maker's shit! What happened to me? One minute I'm enjoying a delicious platter of bread, wine and cheese, and the next minute I'm-

"Here," I say aloud to no one in particular. "Wherever here is…" My eyes are certainly taking their sweet time to focus, because all I can see - and all I've been able to see since I woke up - is…fog. Maybe standing up will help clear my head. I slowly, very slowly, bring myself into a seated position. So far so good. The hammering and fog continue to plague me, but at least neither one of them got worse. Eventually I'm able to get back on my feet with minimal discomfort. The only problem is…the fog. It's still here. It surrounds me, and I finally realize that the fog isn't just remnants of a minor brain injury…it's actually real. On the heels of that realization is the panic induced by the fact that I have absolutely no idea where I am. Not only does the fog surround me, it begins to suffocate me. My heart starts racing, and I swear the fog is solidifying and closing in on me.

When we were children, Aedan and I would play hide and seek with Thomas and Nathaniel. Sometimes we played in castle Cousland, while other times we played at Rendon Howe's estate in Amaranthine. On one such occasion I was having difficulty finding a good hiding spot (we were at Howe's estate). Thomas must have seen me wandering around aimlessly because he approached me and told me of the perfect hiding spot. He led me to the kitchen, which was virtually deserted, and opened up one of the cupboards, motioning for me to crawl inside. I'll always remember the grin he flashed me as I shifted around in an attempt to make myself comfortable in such a small space. As he closed the door, I could see the malicious glee in his eyes. I shrugged it off because honestly, everyone knew Thomas was a weirdo. He said and did the strangest things. So, with zero apprehension, I sat in the cupboard. My heart raced at the prospect of being the winner of that round. At one point I heard muffled footsteps entering the kitchen. It had to be Nathaniel (he was 'it') so I held my breath just in case he might hear me breathing. Eventually I heard whoever it was retreat from the room. Had I enough room to move, I'd have pumped my arm in exultation. The minutes ticked by and I had yet to be found. My exultation soon gave way to confusion. Why hadn't they found me yet? Sick of being curled up in a ball, I decided to abandon my hiding place. I pushed at the cupboard door with my shoulder. It didn't budge. I tried again. Still nothing. My twelve year old self thought: I'll be locked in here forever!

"Hello?" I called out. "Can anyone hear me?" When I didn't receive a response, I tried yelling a bit louder. I kept yelling and yelling, but it was of no use. Despite being a bit anxious, I thought I was doing a good job at keeping my cool…that is until something scuttled over my foot. That's when I really lost my shit. I let out a shriek when whatever it was ran over my other foot. It went back and forth in a decidedly creepy manner. As if the scuttle monster wasn't enough, I suddenly felt something slowly crawling up my leg. By this point tears were streaming down my cheeks, and my throat was raw from screaming. Where is everyone? I alternated between screaming and crying for what felt like hours. I was crying so hard that I didn't hear the heavy footfalls indicating that someone had entered the kitchen, so when the cupboard door was flung open and I saw Aedan, it took me a minute to process that I'd finally been found. He pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around me, gently rocking us back and forth as I cried into his shoulder. When I was finally able to calm down, I peeked over Aedan's shoulder and saw Thomas stifling his laughter until he could no longer contain himself.

"Maker's breath, you should see your face," he said between bouts of laughter.

Aedan's face darkened. He released me and rose to his feet, eyes fixed on his worm- lipped target. Just as Aedan pulled back his fist to strike Thomas, Nathaniel stepped in between them. "You'd best get out of the way Nate," Aedan said through gritted teeth.

"You know you'll only get into trouble. Our father will see to it that you are severely punished for striking one of his sons. It will only make trouble for your father," Nathaniel replied softly. Aedan nodded stiffly by way of reply.

Thomas began laughing anew "Aww too bad. Why don't you and your ugly sist-"

CRACK!

Thomas dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. His hand covered his nose in a vain attempt to staunch the heavy flow of blood that gushed from both of his nostrils. "You're going to pay for hitting me!" Thomas threatened.

Nathaniel glared at Thomas. He made no attempt to mask the disgust he felt for his younger brother. I was still shocked at the fact that Nathaniel decked him. In the years that we'd known each other, I'd come to think of Nathaniel as calm and collected, never the type to react the way he had with Thomas. "Will I? Just what will you tell Father? That you locked Teyrn Cousland's daughter in one of the kitchen's cupboards? Or that you want him to punish me because you're too much of a coward to fight back? How do you think Father will react?"

Thomas narrowed his gaze and slowly got to his feet. The naked hatred in his glare was almost startling. Looking back, I always wondered how such a young boy could express so much hate. Most likely his father was responsible. The things I'd heard about Rendon Howe during the Blight were enough to turn even the strongest of stomachs.

As Thomas slinked away, Nathaniel turned towards us. His gaze locked onto mine, and he sent an almost imperceptible nod my way. I smiled at him warmly for defending me. Despite his overly serious demeanour, I'm quite certain I saw the corners of his mouth lift ever so slightly. "I'm afraid that I must take my leave. The cook has taken ill, and my father has requested that I take her place in the kitchen." It was pretty obvious to the three of us that his father's demand was a message to Nathaniel: 'to me, you are no more important than a servant.'

Looking back, I'm beginning to wonder if the Legion dwarf was right…maybe Nathaniel really was oblivious to his father's treachery. I glance around and realize that the fog is lifting, and in the distance I'm just able to make out a shadowy figure. Threat or not, I race toward it, eager to figure out what the heck is going on. I come up short as I suddenly recognize the person standing before me.

"Do not be alarmed, 'tis only I," the raven-haired beauty says in a particularly sultry tone. I'm about to ask her what's going on, only…when I open my mouth, my words are definitely not what I hear.

"Is there something I can help you with, Morrigan?" It's not possible…the voice I hear is Aedan's! What kind of crazy bronto shit is this?! I try to move, but I'm paralyzed…sort of. Every breath, every movement, every word is Aedan! It's like I'm trapped in his body! Maker's blood, what is this?

Morrigan shifts her weight and folds her arms over her chest. "I have a plan you see…a loop in your hole. I know what happens when the archdemon dies. I know that a Grey Warden must be sacrificed, and that sacrifice might be you. I am offering a way out. A way out for all Grey Wardens, so such a sacrifice can be avoided."

"And what exactly is this loop?" Aedan asks warily. I can't even begin to explain just how unnerving it is to feel my own emotions along with someone else's. It's like my skin is bursting at the seams, unwilling to accommodate the full depth of two souls sharing the same body. I can only assume that what I'm experiencing is a memory…one of Aedan's memories. I realize how crazy that sounds, but based on recent events, I'm willing to suspend my disbelief.

"A ritual performed on the eve of battle, in the dark of night. It is old magic, from before even the Circle of Magi. Some might even consider it blood magic, though I think you care little about that," she explains.

"Go on…" Aedan prompts.

Morrigan takes a step forward. "In order for this ritual to be performed, you must lay with me, here, tonight. From this act a child will be conceived, bearing the taint. Then, when one of you makes the killing blow, the soul of the demon will seek out the child like a beacon. At this early stage the child will absorb the essence and survive, the archdemon is destroyed, and no Grey Warden need die as a result."

"No," Aedan replies. My heart clenches. At least, I'm pretty sure it's my heart. Either way, this is it. This is the exact moment Aedan sentenced himself to death. Why would he do such a thing? He could have lived! Morrigan offered the perfect solution, and Aedan threw it away. Why?

Morrigan seems taken aback. "Then at least convince Alistair to-"

"No!" Aedan repeats heatedly.

"But why?"

Aedan's eyes narrow. "You're asking me to take part in the creation of an abomination! A child born of the taint? You have no idea how it is to have the taint coursing through your veins. Even though you know the Calling won't come for about 30 years, you can still feel yourself changing, and you can sense the corruption spreading inside you. Once the seeds of evil begin to sprout, there's no turning back. To even suggest creating something from that is nothing short of abhorrent."

"Do you not see? This is why I followed you, to keep you from dying at the hands of –"

Aedan growls and springs forward, pressing Morrigan against the cold, stone wall. "You don't care about anyone but yourself, don't pretend otherwise. I want you gone by dawn's first light."

I feel a cool breeze surround me, and the images before me begin to fade. I slowly regain the use of my body. Aedan's face is swept away and I sink to my knees, tears streaming down my face. "You stupid bastard…you could have lived! You left me here!" I choke out another sob before curling in on myself.

"I have been watching you for quite some time," comes a voice from behind me.

I'm on my feet instantly, spinning to meet any possible threat head on. At first I can't quite make out anything due to the fact that the figure in front of me is surrounded by shadows. It isn't until she takes a step forward that I recognize her. "You?" I question, my eyebrows knitted in confusion. "What are you doing here?"