Prologue

Isabela jumped out of the way of the blade swinging down on her and appeared behind the raider's back, she twirled her daggers in her hand and plunged them both down through the man's ribs and into his lungs. Just as quickly she pulled them out, blood splashing onto her blouse as she did so, and twirled to put a dagger in another raider's stomach and used her other one to nearly decapitate one that appeared beside her.

Pulling her blade free and spilling the man's viscera to the ground she dodged a dagger aimed at her throat and used her own blade to knock away an arrow heading for her chest. I never should have given Lucky a second chance,she fumed. The man had found her in the Hanged Man a few weeks before saying that he had heard rumor that the relic was in Wycome and demanded payment for giving her the information. She had scoffed and told him that she would pay him if she actually did find it there, although she forgot to mention that she wouldn't be going back to Kirkwall if she did.

Unsurprisingly it hadn't been there, instead she had dug through a stash and only found several badly written poems and an old boot. Now she was on her way back to give Lucky a piece of her mind, or rather, to take the burden of his family jewels off of his shoulders.

Unfortunately she had just left the city of Hercinia when this group of raiders decided that she was an easy target; and now she was letting them know just how wrong they were.

She was pulling her dagger free from a man's chest when she saw a familiar blue streak out of the corner of her eye and turned to watch the last of the raiders fall.

"Well if it isn't Fenris," She smiled, "fancy meeting you here."

The elf stopped glowing and turned to her with a smirk as he re-sheathed his blade, "Isabela. I cannot say I expected that I would be saving your life all the way out here."

She laughed, "I had this group handled long before you showed up, sweetling." She wiped her blades off on a dead raider at her feet, "what are you doing in these parts?"

"Killing raiders, evidently."

"Don't tell me then." Isabela rolled her eyes, "are you finally returning to Kirkwall? It's been years but I can think of a few people who might be glad to see your still alive."

Fenris scowled, "I presume you aren't referring to Hawke."

Isabela laughed, "he's not who I meant, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind knowing where you've been these past three years."

Fenris raised an eyebrow in question, "to whom are you referring, then?"

"Nero," she said simply, "he shut himself away in his mansion after you left, you know. He even got in a fist fight with Hawke, which he lost. He ended up with a rather sexy scar though, it adds to the whole 'I'm a dark mysterious rebel' thing that he has going on." she chuckled.

Fenris, clearly confused, said "why would he do that?"

Isabela giggled, "it took a couple of years before he finally told me, but apparently he was rather upset with Hawke for sleeping with you and then sending you home. He was being silly if you ask me, it's always awkward when you wake up in bed with the person you shagged the night before." she shrugged at the baffled look marring the elf's features and turned to continue down the path. "Thanks for the help Fenris, but there is a certain man who needs to be emasculated in Kirkwall and I don't dare keep him waiting." She waggled her fingers over her shoulder in parting, not stopping to wait for a reply.

She said nothing, only smiled knowingly, when Fenris caught up with her and they made their way back to the City of Chains.