"It is the Inquisitor!" One of the Inquisition's guards shouted from the battlements of Griffon Wing Keep. "Open the gate!"

Capturing that fortress was easy, even more with Leliana's help. Her idea of climbing up through a cave beneath it was simply brilliant. Not a single guard saw them coming, some slit throats later and the castle was theirs, the Venatori never had any chance.

However, what came later was far from easy. Particularly Grey Wardens manipulated into performing blood magic.

The metallic gears of the main gate crackled and spun as the massive door slowly rose to give John and his party a clear passage to safety. No more demons, no more blood, at least for now.

For a while, he walked aimlessly around the inner courtyard, his thoughts drifting back to the sheer madness he just witnessed. It was then that he saw it, a glimpse of a purple hood, more than enough to ease the tension within his heart. Leliana.

She was waiting for him, standing sublimely on the staircase leading to the upper levels, hands folded behind her back. Simply gorgeous. Seeing her always brought him relief, even when the bard was furious, like at that moment.

It was no surprise for him though, not after purposely leaving her behind for the mission at the Ritual Tower. She made it clear that she would accompany him, yet he departed before sunrise just so his spymaster would not follow. Now he'd face the consequences.

No worries from him, the warrior was ready to handle anything to keep her out of harm's way, even provoke her ire. In addition, considering what he saw back there, he was doing a good job.

It came naturally to him, this protective instinct. Ever since that night when he opened up to her like a book long forgotten on a distant shelf, ever since he realized how important that woman was to him and how he preferred to have her on top.

'Now that is a real improper thought.' He looked down in shame. Definitely not the right moment to think such things.

Soon afterwards Trevelyan shrugged, no use losing himself in an internal debate about right timing. If he should remember something to forget the chaos, he might as well remember something nice and nice was an understatement to that night.

The young man was not even thinking just about the sex, he felt really well in sharing his past with Leliana. More importantly, she did not judge him at all. She might had pushed him a bit, but it was understandable. If they were meant to keep their relationship a healthy and long one, he would eventually had to tell her those things and until that moment, he was not regretting the decision

The past.

Starting a new life was never an option for him. 'Our mistakes make us who we are' an old friend once said, and those words were ever present at his life from that moment on. Taking a new name would just be an easy way out, so John choose to keep his distance, let his family know he was alive and that was it. They would follow their way and he would follow his. No more deaths to pin on him.

But he was never able to keep them away entirely, his own doing of course. Whether by writing them letters or by simply leaving Rohan at the family stables whenever going for a more dangerous trip, the nobleman was always in touch with them, somehow. A mistake that culminated with his return ten years later.

Unable to cope with the absence of his family anymore, he came back to his house, only to immediately regret his decision. The guilt was just too much, yet deep inside he enjoyed those few moments, even if they lasted a mere week. He was not sure what to do or how to feel.

Thankfully, Leliana was proving herself quite proficient with handling the mess that was his familiar life. She already made him send letters back home and started convincing him to invite them to Skyhold. With some resistance of course, but he decided to go along with it for now and trust her, it may be good for him in the near future.

Overall, that woman was a sight to his sore eyes. Therefore, John climbed thankfully the staircase, followed close by his companions, permanent ones and temporary.

When a smaller, yet extremely imposing, form finally blocked his path, his eyes at last rose from the ground. The bard was still a couple of steps above him, enough so he would not look down on her.

Not a word said. Both of them were taking a liking in expressing their feelings through their gazes. So just as their eyes met, she knew something was off.

Her expression switched from anger to concern and he fought the urge to just kiss her and tell that everything was fine. 'Maybe later.' He concluded before speaking to her. "Let's talk about it somewhere more private."

"What happened?" Leliana asked as Hawke closed the door behind them.

"Nothing really, just a lot of blood magic." The Champion answered angrily, heading to a nearby chair and collapsing atop it.

Stroud went past him, to the window, lost in reflection while gazing at the setting sun.

Her eyes sought John's, wanting to confirm the statement. He nodded.

Figuring that Leliana would need more information, he started to narrate the fateful events that took place during the morning, but not before supporting himself tiredly over the table at the center of the room. "We went to the Ritual Tower, just like Jean-Marc said, the wardens were gathering there. When we arrived… Shit, I can still smell the blood." The young man paused, speaking on the subject was almost like relieving everything again. "We were greeted by 'Lord' Livius Erimond of Vyrantium, and he did us a big favor by telling the whole plan, probably thinking we would not escape."

"Egocentric fool." The Orlesian warden's mumble interrupted him,

The herald did not care though, understanding that the man was surely troubled by what happened, so he resumed. "To sum up, Corypheus somehow produced a fake Calling, the Wardens got terrified and started looking for help. Of course, since Corypheus caused everything, the Venatori were ready to offer aid, in the form of a sickening plan. Raise a demon army, march into the Deep Roads, and kill the Old Gods before they wake." The Inquisitor finished and waited while the bard processed all the information.

"Crazy shit, right?" Varric spoke, shaking his head. He would never believe that, if he had not seen it all with his own eyes.

The Nightingale looked at the dwarf, then back at Trevelyan. "I presume that the blood magic is to bind the demons, or am I wrong?" She asked and he smiled with her intelligence.

"Exactly." Solas's first words drew everyone's eyes to him. "By using sacrifices, the wardens are able to control the demons summoned by them. However, it has a very unpleasant side effect. Those who perform the ritual are bound to Corypheus' desire. He will use this demon army not to fight the Blight like the wardens assume, but to conquer Thedas."

Silence settled within the room, the Free Marcher looked around and saw nothing but utter distress on his companions. The Inquisition was reaching a new level, but so was his enemies. He must be ready to face everything they throw at him. 'I will look for Chancer, I need to train, preferably a lot.'

"So… they are being influenced by Corypheus!" The spymaster's statement halted his thoughts but it also drew a snort from Garret. The young man sighed, already predicting what was about to come.

"Is there something funny about this, Hawke?" Jean asked while crossing his arms over his chest, slightly angered.

The Champion rose from his chair and walked menacingly towards him. "You heard Livius, everything the Wardens did, they did of their own free will!"

It was no shock when Blackwall also joined in with the discussion of such delicate topic. "That's a lie. The Grey Wardens are heroes. They would never do this willingly!" He started, drawing a glare from the famous mage, before continuing. "Erimond lied to them. They were trying to prevent future Blights."

"With blood magic and human sacrifice." Garret lashed out, alarmingly close to the seasoned warrior.

John pinched the bridge of his noise, their argument causing a serious headache.

"The Wardens were wrong, but they had their reasons." Stroud tried to justify, probably an attempt to prevent any further stress, although he was clearly offended with the accusations as well.

Garret switched his attention between the wardens inside that room, before replying. "All blood mages do." He paused, looking down for a moment. "Everyone has a story they tell themselves to justify bad decisions… And it never matters. In the end, you are always alone with your actions."

Those words sufficed to put everyone there on a reflective mood, albeit not the Inquisitor, he had no doubts about what happened. Still, he could not help but think about the ones involved in the argument, it all seemed like an unfair contest, two against one, but the Champion was more than able to hold his own, and still silence both. 'Impressive' He thought.

Nevertheless, it was about time to discuss what really mattered. "We can bicker as much as we want when we end this. Shall we try and get that man?" His tone was deadly calm, yet commanding. It had the desired effect.

"I believe I know where the Wardens are, your Worship. They fled in the direction of an abandoned Warden fortress, Adamant." Jean stated, now facing him.

Hawke approached soon afterwards. "Stroud and I will scout out Adamant and confirm that the Wardens are there. We'll meet you back at Skyhold."

"No." The young warrior refuted. "Meet me here, I have a feeling that whatever we do next will come from here and when the time comes, I will value greatly your opinion."

They both nodded and left, dismissing any rest in spite of all the trouble they just went through.

"I don't know about you guys, but I could use a drink." The dwarf ended the quietude that settled, turning to the doorway while followed close by Solas and Blackwall.

However, before leaving the room, he flashed an amused smirk, saying. "You two have fun."

Trevelyan only winked an eye to him.

"We must contact Josephine and Cullen, I want them here to discuss our plan." John stated when they all left, now it was just the two of them.

Figuring that there was no use leaving the Approach only to return a few days later. "We will use the keep as our base for now."

It was no order, he was basically voicing what was on his mind, but Leliana quickly replied. "Of course my lord, I will send letters to them immediately."

His eyes squinted with realization, as her voice reached his ear, the way she addressed him was disturbing to say the least. Already getting used to their relaxed interactions, the Inquisitor would not allow her to do such things, not when they were alone at least. "Don't talk like that, it's not like I'm your ruler or something." He dismissed her formality with a kind smile.

"You are the Inquisitor and I am the Inquisition's spymaster. I have to address you properly… My lord."

She was clearly teasing him.

"You did it again! Do I have to use my position to make you stop?" He joined the playful display.

"I'm sorry, I find formalities rather hard to ignore." The bard apologized, releasing some chuckles in the meantime.

Trevelyan believed in her, many years playing the Game surely made her an expert in such topics.

A few moments passed before she radically changed her behavior, eyebrows furrowed. It startled him a bit. "You left me behind!" The nightingale pushed him away, but before he could defend himself, she changed one more time. "How are you?" She inquired worryingly while taking a step behind and giving him a full body scan, searching for any sort of wounds.

Now that was the perfect time for that comforting kiss and hug. She resisted at first, but it would not be long until Leliana melted into his arms with the tenderness of the moment.

"Everything is fine." The young man whispered

Beneath the layers of his armor and hers, he was able to feel her body relax even further. The stiffness of her initial embrace long gone.

Then, like a Déjà vu, the spymaster pushed him away, this time followed by a rather strong slap to his right shoulder. "Don't do that again."

John winced. The slap was a heavy one, but definitely not enough to cause that reaction and the sharp redhead easily noticed it.

She quickly started removing the armor around the affected area, deft fingers unclasping and unknotting everything on her way.

Even with all her skill, it still took her a good minute to finish. Not that he minded it though, the warrior was quite happy in observing her with a warm and silly grin.

He was so entertained that he did not even attempt to hold his vambrace when she loosened it. The heavy metallic piece went straight to the ground.

A loud thud echoed through the whole room and undoubtedly a good part of the fortress.

His eyes went from the piece of armor to hers, as he sported an embarrassed smile.

The former lay sister merely sighed and was about to resume her inspection when a husky voice shouted from bellow. "Oh, c'mon guys, I was just kidding. No need to do those kind of things now. Above us. Again."

"Your inconvenience knows no bound, Varric. Leave them be." The apostate chastised him.

"Now you're talking, if I recall correctly you got quite scared when those intense noises started back at the inn, speaking something about enemies above us." Blackwall came to the dwarf's aid, no doubt embarrassing the mage.

Tethras laughed animatedly. "That was priceless!"

John and Leliana chuckled, but remained silent, hoping that it would just drive them away. It would not be long until the trio's sounds disappeared.

"So, since you're halfway through my armor, do you want to find a bed or something?" He suggested, repeatedly raising his eyebrows.

Her laughter filled the chamber. "Beds are so trivial, we don't need them."

That retort surely surprised him. It was only a joke after all. "Woah, point taken."

A final clack and his torso was now bare, revealing the source of his pain. "It is just a bruise." The Orlesian explained, after a couple of touches. "Nothing critical, but it will be sore for a few days."

"Alright doc, I'll keep that in mind." Trevelyan said while testing his arm, there was some discomfort, but it would not affect his fighting style, nor his training. "Now that my appointment is over, can we eat something? I am famished. We can return to the trivial beds topic later."

She poked his wound. "Ouch!"

"Put some clothes first, I won't have you parading around without a shirt." The bard ordered, before walking away, and as the obedient fellow he was, the warrior remained behind, searching for something to dress while mumbling more than a few words about the Iron Bull not wearing tops.

The Western Approach is a desert. Deserts are hot, but hot would not suffice for the mighty Lord Chancer du Lion. Moreover, John's next training place was supposed to be somewhere unbelievably hot. Therefore, his lovely trainer chose the cave under the keep. Nevertheless, the temperature there was not good enough. So he also asked Solas to fill the place with fire spells.

Hot is not even close, the young man was wondering how he would taste like when fully cooked.

His reflection was cut short when a single drop of blood hit his marked hand. His blood. He was currently seated on a rock, resting from the recent spar with Chancer. The blood undoubtedly courtesy of that.

The trainer was immediately ahead, his body hovering him like a statue. The Inquisitor looked up, his eyes going straight to the cut on the Orlesian's bottom lip.

Trevelyan smiled, even though he lost the fight, a rather one sided one actually, he was still able to land a stunning uppercut to his adversary, and for him, he had just won the day.

"Rest is over, get up." The Champion spoke, already adopting his familiar fighting stance. "And remember, when you are not able to dodge, use your body! Either to parry or to absorb the impact, it is both your most powerful sword and shield."

The Free Marcher nodded and started to get up when a strong gust of wind entered the cave, making them shield their eyes. A thunderous roar followed it and they instantly knew the root of both.

The duo rushed outside just in time to see the massive dragon fly away. The flapping of her wings almost creating a sandstorm.

They looked at each other worryingly before darting toward the fortress's entrance.

While circling the keep, the Inquisitor's eyes went to the battlements, where guards ran in every direction. It was surely a mess, but he still found solace in not spotting any columns of smoke, nor collapsed structures.

That prospect would change in the instant that they arrived at the front of the castle. The creature did not attacked it, no. She was smart enough. She aimed for the unprotected camp outside. It was not nearly as big as the one outside Caer Bronach, nevertheless, it was still packed with merchants and their tents and more importantly, their livestock.

The shepherds were running around, trying to gather the remaining animals that scattered during the chaos. Many Inquisition's soldiers helped, either by tending to the wounded or by putting out the lingering fires.

Amidst the crowd, John saw Knight-Captain Rylen passing some orders to a few scouts and went straight to him. Chancer following soon afterwards.

"Status report Captain." The Inquisitor requested, making the man turn to face him.

Rylen seemed shocked at first, possibly due to Trevelyan's battered form, but soon duty spoke higher. "We've been attacked, Inquisitor, a High Dragon, of all things! No casualties so far, but our cattle suffered a severe blow. We are currently attempting to fix this bloody pandemonium. "

John looked around. "We will need to do something about the dragon. She knows where to find food now." His words earning a concerned nod from the commander of Griffon Wing Keep. "Carry on, Rylen, I will seek Professor Frederic, he may know how to find the beast."

Then, he headed to the keep, making one last request to his trainer. "Chancer, can you please gather my companions? Tell them to meet me at the armory."

"Of course." The Orlesian said, leaving to find them.

"Baiting a dragon. On purpose. Right. Should have stayed home today." Varric complained when John placed the final dragon lure in the location marked by Professor Frederic.

They then rushed towards their hiding place, behind a partially collapsed pillar with clear sight of the lures. He and the dwarf were alone, Blackwall and Solas hid somewhere across the field while Leliana, on her insistence, was perched atop a large portico slightly to his left, the perfect position to provide some covering fire.

It was the best possible setting to kill a dragon, if such place truly exists. Wide enough but with several spots to take cover during the fight, in the form of ancient buildings and decaying structures. It was between two ranges of mountains, with a cliff at its end, a perfect slaughterhouse.

It was no coincidence, John handpicked that location and during two days, he explored every single grain of sand, memorizing the whole terrain and everything that could either help them or kill them, trying also to elaborate a plan, although he doubted that it would be of any major help.

If he learned one thing during his previous encounter with a flying lizard, it was that plans usually fail when the first scorching breath is released, leaving almost everything to improvisation. The secret is to keep a calm composure and trust your companions, but there was a new factor in the rather simple equation, one that could throw everything to chaos: A redhead.

The Inquisitor looked to where she was, finding that her eyes were already on him, she nodded and readied her bow, turning her gaze to the clear midday sky.

He sighed, before doing the same, no signs of trouble, for now. Deep inside, he was glad for that. No dragon means no danger to her. If she remained safely stationed at the keep, everything would be different, but the redhead did not hear any of his suggestions, she followed him everywhere now, undoubtedly learning her lesson. There was no way she would allow him to leave her behind again.

Trevelyan knew she was strong, but it was still hard. 'I'll have to cope with it.' He thought, unsheathing Verdict when a flying figure started to emerge on the horizon, growing larger by the second.

The surfacer drew Bianca and pumped the first bolt into its chamber, he showed hints of fear on his face, but John knew that whatever foe they faced, Tethras would not falter to protect his back.

They exchanged some comical winces and returned their focus to the incoming creature.

"Get ready!" The young warrior shouted and for a while, there was silence. That is until the flapping of her wings started to create a disturbing sound, getting louder and louder until they stopped completely.

The dragon's landing shook the ground violently, making some of the ruins collapse around them. She was much bigger than the Norther Hunter he killed at Crestwood. Colored rusty red with spots of fluorescent green on her underside.

She roared when reaching the lures, it was close to the unbearable to their ears. They were so close that John could hear her strong and steady breath, he could see the muscles of her legs rippling beneath the thick leather due to the smallest of movements, her teeth crunching at each other every time she closed her mouth and the eyes, bright yellow orbs that could kill with just a glance. It was both fascinating and unnerving.

Frederic was right, the Abyssal High Dragon was beautiful. The Free Marcher had to confess that after hearing from Ironbull what the Qunari thought about dragons, he kind of started to share those feelings of admiration, to see them as the embodiment of raw power, a force of nature.

However, she was a threat to the Inquisition, a wild and untamed beast. As much as he would like to leave her be, there was no choice for him, he needed to end that creature.

The Herald took a long and deep breath, before vaulting over his cover and rushing towards her, being careful enough to take shelter on her blind spot. An explosive bolt flew to his left, Varric's, it targeted the dragon's leg and was no surprise to him that it found its mark. She screeched, and limped a few yards away, an angry cry followed as her eyes sought the source of the attack. The hit barely wounded her, but it clearly sufficed to piss her off.

A mere diversion, now John was upon her, he spun to gain some momentum and delivered a strong slash to the creature's belly. One painful growl and she stepped aside, trying to make some distance from whatever attacked her, still unable to locate her aggressor. Another explosive bolt directly at her head, this one coming from where the Nightingale was, and the lizard was left briefly staggered, lowering her head and shaking it, trying to regain some of her senses.

Bad move, Blackwall charged towards it, clad in heavy armor and holding a large shield, he used it to bash the dragon's jaw violently and added a strong trust of his blade to her cheek. However, the leather is thicker at the head. It did not pierced it. Still, they were overwhelming the dragon, it needed to be a quick fight, they were doomed otherwise.

The warriors regrouped in front of her, and sharing an understanding glance, rushed to another attack, but by then they had lost the element of surprise, the dragon swiped her right arm at them, forcing both to role underneath it to escape from the blow. It hit a nearby pillar, reducing it to gravel. She was strong.

They had not recovered yet by the time she swiped her other arm towards them, fortunately, one elven apostate was nearby, a wall of ice was conjured, halting the motion and making the beast lose a bit of her footing, a volley of arrows and bolts followed, it was an opening they couldn't waste. She groaned when she finally lost her balance to the incoming projectiles, falling with an earthquake and exposing one of her parts that was more vulnerable, the neck.

John ran as fast as he could, his eyes fixed at the prize. 'I will finish this now!"

He readied his sword and was ready to deliver the killing blow when the dragon reacted. It was all too abrupt. She swiped her tail under the Inquisitor, making him land on his back at a rock, the air escaping from his lungs. Now he was a sitting duck, he simply watched when her tail rose and descended towards him.

He closed his eyes, already feeling the numbing pain that was on the verge of arriving, but it never did. The acute sound of shattering metal signaled the interruption of the attack. He opened a single eyelid, enough to see Blackwall standing proudly in front of him, his left arm raised high and attached to it, what remained of his shield. Once again, the creature reacted quicker, fully recovered from the initial beating. She used her hand to toss an unprepared grey warden and was going to use it to smash John, but he was also fast, he picked his blade and held it firmly in front of him.

Her palm was pierced by it. He felt the sword cutting through skin and muscle and veins, going between the metacarpals of her hand, spreading them to make way, the hilt of the sword vibrating in a sickening fashion while the blade scratched bone, making him greet his teeth. When the tip emerged on the other side, the dragon released the loudest roar that he ever heard.

It was his turn to make some distance. With a quick yank, the warrior removed the bloodied blade and retreated a little, taking large intakes of air. The warden appeared beside him, seemly unscathed by his previous trip to the floor.

"This one is a fighter." He spoke, in the meantime, both of them watched the beast regain her footing and lurk around them.

"She knows we are here to kill her." Trevelyan retorted, slowly waving his sword in front of him, crimson droplets running down from it and smearing his hand. He kept his eyes fixed on the dragon's, noticing her eyes on the blade, the fury building up inside at the sight of her own blood. He wanted her to see it, to realize how vulnerable she actually was, to know that he could end her. Perhaps John should not have done that. A fireball closed the gap between them quickly and what scared him was not the wideness of the attack, but the blinding velocity that she created it.

The air around him started getting hotter, heating his armor and signaling that he should move. "Nothing more fair than trying to kill us first." The words left his mouth hastily while both jumped out of its path, on pure instinct.

An explosion issued, the sand turned into glass and dust covered a good chunk of the field. They lost track of her, but were still capable of feeling the trembling ground whenever she moved.

Then, the tremors ceased and John's eyes widened with realization, he had to act fast. Mustering all his strength, he pushed Blackwall and jumped on the other direction, just as the beast landed exactly where they were a few seconds ago.

"Clever." Solas acknowledged, suddenly besides him, and held out his staff, making the dust settle and revealing the dragon preparing for another pounce.

The mage threw an ice spell towards her, accompanied by a few attacks from the hidden rogues, but it did not suffice to halt her. She jumped and the apostate immediately grabbed the Inquisitor's arm. He was not able to actually understand what happened, the only thing he knew was that they blurred ahead some distance, avoiding being crushed. It was what really mattered after all.

One more spell from the mage and a big block of ice encased her right arm, hindering her attacks. The older warrior, out of the previous attack's reach, saw the opportunity to deliver more blows to the other members and John soon joined the assault. They would make her stop moving completely, an easy prey.

During some time, it seemed that the battle was over. The creature's limbs bleeding profusely and her body covered by arrows and chunks of ice. Her screams were not as loud and her power not as stunning.

However, they were also reaching their limit, safe Leliana. She kept firing incessantly.

The creature must have also noticed that, the blows getting weaker. What really hurt her at that moment was the explosive arrows to her head, coming from a higher place.

Her killing glance finally found the source of her pain, and out of nowhere, a surge of life filled the dragon, she flapped her wounded wings with unbelievable tenacity, sending all nearby assailants crashing through the building's debris, John included, and then a fireball went into Varric's direction.

The young man was relieved to see his friend escaping the blast, and the rest of his companions trying to get up at the same time he recovered. However, what he saw next was worse than a knife to the heart.

The dragon heading towards the Nightingale.

"Shit!" He clamored, immediately putting two fingers to his mouth, releasing a familiar whistle before rushing behind her. Obstacles filled the beast's path, slowing her down, but she was still faster than he was.

The warrior was not delusional, he was well aware of that, but help was on its way

The muffled sound of horseshoes on sand brought a smile to his face. He did not even need to stop running to mount Rohan. When he felt his horse besides him, Trevelyan turned for a mere second, extending his arm and hugging his old friend's chest. With the speed and a lot of skill, he was atop him.

"Okay boy, show me the meaning of the word quickness!" John spoke to his ear, and Rohan darted ahead, avoiding all the collapsing structures and hurdling their bodies over the many jumps.

Shortly, they were almost catching up to the dragon, but she was already dangerously close to Leliana.

The Inquisitor felt afraid, afraid that anything bad happened to her, and a giant flying lizard is a bad thing. However, when he was close enough to see her face, she showed a calmness that he could not help but envy.

That gave him the will to overtake the creature, just as a tail-sweep was about to hit the portico where the spymaster was.

It was all beautifully timed, she ran towards the structure's far end, further from the dragon, and jumped, in the same instant that John passed bellow, dodging boulders and the creature itself. The bard landed safely behind him, hugging his waist for support. He did it.

Moreover, there was still time for her to speak sarcastically. "Took you long enough." Making him roll his eyes due to her antics.

Well, they were not completely out of harm's way, at least not yet. A simple look behind was enough to make him fully aware of that.

The creature was still pursuing them, this turn more vigorously, undoubtedly frustrated with her earlier failure.

What was even worse, distracted by the sole purpose of rescuing his lover, he did not even noticed where Rohan was going afterwards. Now they found themselves trapped in a straight line, surrounded by a range of mountains to their right and a series of closely spaced pillars to his left, too close to pass between at their current speed. That is without mentioning the furious lizard getting closer.

In smaller distances, there was no doubt that a horse was able to outrun a dragon, more so if obstacles filled the route, but in a long and clear path, the stallion would eventually tire himself and they would end up as food. Therefore, whatever he needed to do to avoid that, he needed to do it quickly. Although John promptly realized that thinking was something rather hard to do with a massive creature breathing at the nape of your neck.

His mind went blank as her putrid breath filled his lungs, nearly making him throw up, Rohan's pace faltering with the ground shaking beneath him, the large intake of air that preceded a bite making him lean towards her mouth.

The Free Marcher barely noticed Leliana's hands leaving his waist and picking her bow, her body shifting instantly to a proper shooting position. It took a whistling arrow and an anguished howl to bring him back to reality.

She hit the dragon's mouth, buying them some precious time. "That was my last arrow. You better have a plan now." The bard warned, her eyes coldly fixed at their enemy.

John clenched his jaw, the lack of any ideas both angering and despairing him. Until his gaze fell upon an interesting situation dead ahead.

The mountainside was heavily eroded there, some old trunks barely preventing everything to go down. He spared another glance behind, spotting the high dragon nearing them once again, and made his decision. In normal conditions, he would explain the whole idea to his lover, but there was no time for that now.

"Leliana." He said firmly. "I need you to grab the dagger at my waist."

John immediately felt his dirk leaving its sheath and the silence that issued signaled that she was awaiting further instructions. "When I count to three… I want you to throw it with all your strength at our friend's eye."

"What? Do you want this situation to get wors-." Her retort interrupted when he turned her head so their faces were almost touching. "You must trust me, okay?"

His tone was so kind and assuring that the master of secrets soon nodded. "I trust you."

"When I count to three." One of his hands reached for the hilt of his greatsword when nearing 100 yards from the new target, the other one kept guiding his horse.

"One." A roar accompanied his counting and he felt the spymaster's grip on his waist tightening with anxiety, Rohan reducing his rhythm, displaying some exhaustion. The beast was so close that her shadow covered them.

"Two." And John unsheathed Verdict, its sharp blade reflecting the sunlight, as the redhead spun on the saddle, now facing their enemy. 30 yards.

For a short while time stood still, just before reaching the main support, the one that apparently held everything. He swung his sword with the vigor he knew very well, not splitting, but crushing the trunk and a few more, splinters flying far and wide followed by successive sounds of cracking wood. "Three!"

From that moment onwards, he kept looking over his shoulder, waiting intently his plan to unfold.

It goes without saying that the bard did as he instructed. The exact moment the word left his mouth, the dagger left her hand, travelling with speed and certainty, spinning over and over again until it met the dragon's right eye.

She cried out in pain, her arms uselessly trying to reach the dirk lodged on her skull, but more importantly, she stopped, precisely where the warrior wanted, while they kept rushing ahead, so scape what was about to come.

A loud noise and the mountainside started to collapse, large stones falling down. They watched them bury the lizard as she performed some futile attempts to cling to survival. However, in the end, it was to no avail. Countless more rocks kept covering her, until a hill was born, creating a huge cloud of suspended sand

The success allowed him to breathe properly for the first time since the fight started, so it all ended with a tired sigh and eyes shut.

At least that was what he was hoping for, the loud noises did not stop. The rockslide kept going, now chasing them.

The situation did not improve at all. They were still trapped on a straight line, still fleeing from something that could kill them. Which one was more dangerous, he was not sure.

"Only one way." Trevelyan concluded, fingering the reins and using it to whip Rohan, encouraging him to pick up speed, Maker knew they would need it.

By the time they started the final rush, Leliana was already on her previous position, hugging his waist and focusing on the path ahead, the way she held him reminding of a child both thrilled and nervous with a bumpy ride.

The stallion neighed, the crushing sounds increasing tenfold by the second, the dust caught up to them, blocking their view, safe from some weak rays of sunshine. "C'mon buddy!"

The pillars would end soon, just a few more yards and they could escape to their left.

"We are not going to make it!" Her shout almost entirely muffled by the thunderous noises around them, small gravels hitting his whole body. The ground shook so much that the sand dunes appeared to be a rough sea. He did not know how Rohan was still running, but he was and it was what truly mattered.

Utter Darkness. Noises, noises all over. Then, a strong gust of air and blinding clarity, they escaped.

The once blinding velocity turned to a cadenced trot when finally reaching safety, until it halted completely.

They kept still for a couple of moments, until John plunged to the sand bellow. His body fully spread on the floor, belly up, relaxing at last. "We made it." He mumbled.

Afterwards, it was the bard's turn to lay besides him. "Yes we did." Then, she laughed.

At first, it took him aback, but her laughter was so heartfelt and ecstatic that he was not able to resist joining in.

He chuckled, and the chuckles escalated to full-out laughter, albeit he could not maintain them for long, his whole body was aching and to top it off, Rohan approached his defenseless laid form and started licking his face, soaking it with drool, to his great dismay.

Summoning what little remained of his strength, he tried to push him away but it barely had any effect on the much larger animal. He gave up, contenting himself in delivering kind taps to his friend's muzzle. "There, there, you did great boy."

"We would never make it without you, buddy." Leliana added, joining with the caresses.

John allowed his head to tumble sideways, giving him full view of the gorgeous woman next to him. "You did great as well… Thank you."

"We make a very good team, hum?" She replied, flashing a genuine smile, one that made all his pain disappear.

He snorted, saying. "A HECK of a good team." While giving her hand a tender squeeze.

"Glad it's all over." An outside voice drew their attention. Varric waved a friendly hand to them, before sitting on a rock nearby, his cheeks scorched by the fight. "Remind me to never go dragon hunting with you again."

Blackwall appeared next, clad on his heavily dented armor and supporting a wounded Solas. "Everyone's in one piece, good."

A comfortable stillness established, until the Orlesian bard ended it by abruptly standing up while extending a hand to him. "Let's go back."

Trevelyan eyed it for a moment, before taking it. A strong yank followed and he was up, clearly bewildered. They all chuckled and turned towards where their horses were. However, he would no mount Rohan again that day. He surely deserved a rest.

A/N: I forgot how to write small chapters... But you guys deserve a lot of compensation for the long waiting time for my few last chapters. Sorry for it. My university life is fucked up, I'm struggling a lot in this final part of it. Anyway, it is over for now, I'm on vacation since December 17th and I finally had the proper time to compile all my previous drafts. And I think I have some good news. Since now I have no classes for at least two months, the company I work at decided to sent me for business to another state. I'll be alone there, and aside from my regular working hours, I'll have plenty of time to write, I think. Honestly, I'm looking foward to it, I guess it means I'll finally be able to fully commit to this story again you know, without distractions, especially Fallout 4 (I had to hid my console to prevent me from playing it forever, what a great game and I barely have 8 hours of gameplay). Overall, things are looking good. So, hope you enjoy this chapter, I don't know if the action was good, but it surely got me quite busy. I'll take this chance to thank everyone for the support and kind reviews, and to apologize. Also, happy new year and lets hope that 2016 will bring me the strength to finish this fic and my other one too!