**Disclaimer: This world belongs to the creative minds behind the BioWare game Dragon Age: Origins. I am humbly borrowing their world and embellishing their characters**

GONE

Arianna Tabris blew a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes and looked beneath the small cot again. She'd checked the shadowed floor three times before, but here she was again on her hands and knees hoping that her eyes would reveal a secret spot she had failed to see before. She sighed and watched as her breath blew the tiny dust balls and a couple loose threads from the worn blanket around on the barren floor. Gone.

She let the word tumble around in her head for a while. Gone. The sinking feeling returned until it dipped deep into the pit of her stomach, where it landed and twisted until she felt sickness rising up. With a few deep breaths she forced the nausea at bay, but the discomfort in her gut persisted. It was silly wasn't it? It was just a tiny bauble. Yet, Arianna knew each variation in color, every imperfection. Her fingers gently traced the path around her neck where the soft leather strap had lain, trailing down to rest in the gentle crevice just above her breasts. She could still imagine the weight of the teardrop shaped pendant that had thumped gently against the beating of her own heart for the past three lonely years. Had it truly been three years? The time stretched out behind her – feeling both infinite and brief. Memories faded at the edges, but the pain was still crisp.

"Are you ready yet?" Shianni's voice interrupted her reverie. "What are you doing, Cousin?"

Arianna jumped to her feet and tried to push down the feelings that were threatening to overtake her. Instead of responding, she busied herself by stuffing the last few items in her pack. She could hear the other woman's tentative foot falls as she moved farther into the room. Both were silent for a while. Slowly Shianni walked over to where Arianna stood. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Shianni was taking in the disheveled room around her. In her panic she had pulled out drawers and dumped their contents onto the floor; cabinets were also hanging open with the blankets and extra clothing tossed about. She imagined that it looked much like a tumultuous storm wind had whipped its way through the room.

"Should I ask?" Shianni tilted her head towards the worst of the destruction.

"I was just packing," Arianna replied.

"Interesting method."

Arianna glanced over at her. "I couldn't find what I was looking for."

"I see." Shianni picked up a few blankets from the floor and began folding them back into orderly stacks.

Usually Shianni was full of words, but Arianna was grateful for her current lack of them. They worked quietly for a few more minutes. Tightening up the cord on her pack, Arianna made her way over to the corner of the room and pulled two well-polished daggers from her weapons chest. She didn't expect trouble for today's little visit, but weapons were like a security blanket for her. She certainly didn't want to stand in front of him without something to give her strength. If Arianna couldn't call herself a Warden there was little that she had left. She reasoned that the daggers were slightly less imposing than her two favorite long swords, but they would still serve to remind everyone of who she was and why she was there – including herself. Arianna turned the one called Fang over and examined the simple hilt. At least she still had this small token of her mother. Placing the pommel to her forehead, she thanked the Maker that her mother's strength and skill had kept her alive this long. There was still so much to do and for that she was also thankful. Spinning both daggers she quickly sheathed them in the shoulder scabbards that crisscrossed her back.

"I'm ready now." Arianna announced turning towards the center of the room where Shianni was still collecting some items from the bedside table drawer.

"You know it wouldn't hurt you to wear something a bit more courtly when visiting the King." Shianni noted, sliding the drawer shut.

"Whatever do you mean?" Arianna asked in her haughtiest tone. "This armor was fashioned by a master armor smith commissioned by the King himself." She made a sweeping gesture with her hands and fell into a deep mock bow.

Shianni rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. "Very well, Cousin, let's be on our way."

Arianna straightened back up and paused a moment, looking around the room one last time. Her shoulders drooped slightly as she strode towards the door.

He would have laughed.