(Author's note: Contains spoilers for my other stories. This work was never meant as a stand alone tale, but more of a 'what's also happening in the world' sort of thing)
"You seem different now," Lenore said.
Zevran sighed. "I thought that this might be it." He turned to face her, leaning on the windowsill. "Are you certain you wish to talk about this? I really do not know what to say."
"We'd sort of like to know what changed," Brosca said, pulling up a chair.
He sighed again. "Very well." He seated himself on the window ledge. "An assassin... must learn to forget about sentiment. It is dangerous. You take your pleasures where you can, when life is good. To expect anything more would be reckless." He looked from one to the other. "I thought it was the same between us. Something to enjoy, a pleasant diversion and little more. And yet..."
"You fell in love," Lenore said.
"I don't know. How would you know such a thing?" He shook his head. "I grew up amongst those who sold the illusion of love, and then I was trained to make my heart cold in favor of the kill. Everything I have been taught says what I feel is wrong." He looked from Brosca to Lenore, and back again. "Yet I cannot help it. Since..." He laughed softly. "I have been nothing but confused. Do you understand me at all?"
"I ain't any wiser than you in that area, Zev." Brosca ran a hand through his hair.
"All I need to know is if there might be some future for us, some possibility of... I do not know what."
"Well, there better be," Lenore said. She shook her head. "Look at you two, all maudlin. I know how I feel about both of you. My rock and my wings."
Zevran smiled. "Then... we need say no more. That is all I wished to hear."
"Whatever this future holds, it'll be the three of us," Brosca said.
"I am sorry for acting so strangely. I think I will be better, now. Much better."
"Oh?" Lenore gave him a brazen smile. "Let's test that theory."
#
"Hey Junior," Brosca set the bottle next to the elf. "Do me a favor, and keep an eye on this?"
Jerath nodded. "No problem."
Brosca grinned. "Thanks." He headed out into the Denerim market. Zevran and Lenore were haggling with a merchant. Well, Zevran was haggling. They'd learned the hard way not to let Lenore carry the gold. Fortunately, the little escapade Junior had led them on had paid pretty well. "Talked to Cathiel. The Arl of Denerim's manor is warden headquarters until everything gets all straightened out."
"That's nice to know. Eamon's been jumpy."
Zevran shook his head. "You did dump Oghren into the fountain and then turn it into ice." They walked back to the tavern.
"He shouldn't have pinched."
Brosca laughed. "Speaking of Oghren, I swiped his new brew." He smiled. "Calls it 'The Virgin Princess'."
Lenore blinked, and then shook her head. "Oh, that's not Oghren's. That's Felsi's."
"Oh. Sod." He glanced at the back room. "Maybe I could sneak it back before she notices it's..."
The door opened and he saw Felsi come out, bottle in one hand and Jerath's ear in the other. She dragged the elf into the kitchen.
Lenore's eyes widened. "You know he's going to kill you, right?"
"So, Zev, how's the weather in Antiva this time of year?"
#
"There has to be a better way to travel than by ship," Brosca muttered. Chewing the roots helped, but not enough. "Dwarves were not meant to be on the water."
Lenore rubbed his back sympathetically. "It's not a long voyage." She started to say something else, and then all of a sudden the crew was on alert.
"What's going on?" Zevran asked.
"Pirates," the captain replied. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid we can't outrun them."
Brosca narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute... don't we know that ship?"
#
"Have fun raiding the coast," Lenore said
Isabela laughed. "Sure you don't want to join my crew?"
"If Brosca ever finds his sea legs, we'll be there in a heartbeat," Lenore promised. She leaned forward and kissed Isabela goodbye. "Visit us?"
"Of course."
#
"The Crows send their..." The assassin was cut off he stepped on the glyph she'd set earlier.
She leaned over and pinched his cheek. "He's adorable. Can we keep him?"
Zevran shook his head. "You know these assassin types. Soon, he'll be drinking all the brandy, leaving his socks everywhere, and the innuendo will be constant. And that is my job, no?"
Brosca bound their prisoner's hands, and then nodded to Lenore. She dispelled the magic that held him in place.
"Um..."
Lenore smiled brightly. "I don't suppose you can tell us where we might find Guildmaster Antonio?"
#
"Why are we breaking into a mage's prison?" Brosca busied himself picking the lock before the templars regained consciousness.
"To rescue a damsel in distress, of course." Lenore checked her supply of the powders. With the veil this thin, she wasn't sure throwing around a lot of magic would be a good idea.
"Will she be suitably grateful and ply us with kisses?" Zevran asked.
"She's a Chantry sister, like Leliana."
"So... that's a yes?"
Brosca snickered.
#
Brosca narrowed his eyes. "No deal."
"But..."
"You think I don't know a slaver run when I see it?" He set a hand on his mace. "Get gone, duster. And if I get even a whiff you're trying this play, I'll feed you to a genlock."
He watched the man flee the room. Zevran grinned. "Has anyone ever told you how handsome you are when you are threatening people?"
"You. Yesterday." He grinned. "And the day before."
Zevran laughed. "So, I heard a rumor."
"Oh? Was it a dirty one?"
"It seems that a certain dwarf may be taking over the Antivan Crows."
"So, when you say you heard a rumor, what you really mean is that you started one." Brosca shook his head and laughed. "Not sure I want to take over the Crows. Maybe rival them a bit. House Brosca, finest mercenaries and assassins in all of Thedas."
#
"I see you've brought a new student for Master Leyvn," Lily said, taking the boy from Lenore.
She nodded. "We recovered him from the Crows. They bought him after he called up fire in his hands to defend himself from some bullies."
Lily cradled the child, and stroked his hair gently. "Maker, he can't be much older than seven."
"How are the others doing?"
"The girl has finally started talking. Her name is Agatha." Lily sighed. "Her mother was taken to the tower. Agatha tried to sneak in, only to discover her mother had been made tranquil. The templars saw her and tried to chase her down."
Lenore shuddered. "Has she manifested any magic?"
"No. And Leyvn doesn't believe she will. But she's wonderful with the other children."
"How are you doing on funds?"
"Oh, on that front you needn't worry. Brosca's been quite clever with the books. We can actually make something approaching an honest living."
"Where's the fun in that?"
#
Brosca and Zevran were both asleep. She smiled. Asleep they both looked so sweet and innocent. She headed into the room that served her as study and library, and pulled out Jerath's latest letter. This ritual the Architect had cooked up to free the darkspawn from the effects of the calling; the implications were frightening. And the possibilities were... intriguing. If some way could be found to modify it, perhaps it could be used for the wardens themselves, eliminating the necessity of that final walk.
She went back to the notes he'd recovered from Soldier's Peak. Avernus had been onto something. Conscious control of the blight within them. He'd written of experiments, of various concoctions. Jerath hadn't recovered those. But then, he'd survived killing an archdemon, and she suspected... She sighed. Whatever her suspicions, it was too late to do anything about them now.
Avernus's own letter was interesting. Blood magic could extend the life of a Grey Warden, but the price was far too high. There had to be a way that didn't involve blood magic and demons.
#
"What do you mean, Junior's missing?" Brosca folded his arms and looked up at Brehan.
"I mean he's vanished."
Lenore shook her head. "What exactly happened?"
Brehan sighed. "He took ship in Amaranthine to go to Denerim. While he was enroute, there..." He shook his head. "A group of jackasses started a riot at the alienage gate. Bann Tabris tried to calm the situation and... someone started throwing rocks."
Lenore sat down heavily. Jerath's father had been a sweet man. "Cyrion is dead?"
Brehan nodded. "The alienage immediately rioted, setting fire to part of the market. Alistair and Cathiel... they didn't have much choice. They sealed off the Alienage. Which was when Jerath arrived. Jerath and Cathiel argued, and Jerath left. He sent Loghain to Orlais, paid a visit to the Ferelden Circle, stole a mage, and nobody has seen him since." He shook his head. "Lenore, you and Jerath corresponded regularly. Do you know what he might have been doing at the circle?"
Lenore frowned. "The last letter I received from Jerath was two weeks ago. It included a copy of a report about a weird darkspawn in the Vinmark Mountains. Corypheus. Warden Hawke and his brother killed it."
"That's apparently what Jerath wanted to discuss with Cathiel and Alistair."
"Could he have gone to Vinmark?" Brosca asked.
"Nathaniel is in the Free Marches. I sent a letter, but I've yet to receive a response." Brehan shook his head. "Here is the part that concerns me most. Jerath recalled Saitada before he left for Denerim. And right before leaving Denerim, he handed the commander's helm to Soris and asked Soris to deliver it to Saitada."
Brosca shook his head. "No. No way in hell Junior abandons his post."
Lenore drew her knees up to her. "He didn't. He recalled Saitada."
"Fireball, you know what I..."
"I do. But technically, he didn't abandon his post. And I think that's important. It means that..." She sighed. "It means that whatever he was doing mattered."
"But what was he doing?" Brehan asked. He sighed. "I'm heading to Orlais to talk to Loghain. If you hear anything..."
"We find him, we'll drag him back to Ferelden by the ear."
Brehan shook his head. "He turns up, he's to report to Weisshaupt immediately, per the direct order of the First Warden." He sighed. "He's to be taken there under guard if he objects."
Brosca snorted. "With what sodding army?"
#
Lenore held up a piece of parchment. "We have a job. One that requires our personal attention."
Brosca grinned. "And pays well?"
"No, we'll be doing this one gratis."
"Gratis..." Zevran shook his head. "I do not think I understand the meaning of this word."
"It means we're about to get screwed dry," Brosca muttered. "What's the job?"
"Brehan is doing a favor for the Divine, and needs a bit of backup. Apostates and some sort of doomsday cult thing."
"Well now." Brosca grinned. "You didn't mention the job would be fun."
#
Brosca dispatched the last of the cultists. Lenore bent down to work a healing spell over the prisoner, and then walked over to examine the residual energies from the spell they'd been working. He noted a bag of coins on a table, and casually pocketed it.
His lips twitched as he ignored the increasingly irritated sounds the bound man was making as he helped himself to few other interesting looking treasures. Apparently, being a cultist paid at least somewhat well. He glanced around the room. Shit for life expectancy though.
He could almost make out the curses the bound man was bestowing upon him. "I know, I know, emma shen'nan and all that." He pulled out a dagger and cut Brehan free. "How the hell did you end up trussed up by these idiots?"
Brehan shook his head. "In case you didn't notice, there were quite a few of them." He rubbed at his wrists. "You did realize that one had a knife to my throat, yes?"
"Yeah, that's why I killed him first." Brosca shook his head. "Can you believe he actually asked me to surrender? Like I'm going to be intimidated by a bunch of..." He looked around again. "What the hell were they worshiping anyway?"
"His exact words were 'surrender or the elf dies'," Brehan said. "And one of the old gods. Urthemiel."
Brosca blinked. "Ain't that the one Junior stabbed in the head?"
"Apparently, they didn't get the news."
#
Brosca didn't recognize the man in warden armor, but he was definitely a warden. He didn't recognize the other man, either, or the elf. But he did know the woman. "Isabela."
"Brosca. I need a favor."
Brosca started to nod, and then recalled where, exactly, Isabela had been the last few years. And who she'd been with. "Hawke, I presume?"
The tattooed elf almost immediately went on alert. The Champion, however, merely nodded. "Isabela says you are one of the few people she trusts."
"And Zev says you and yours helped him out of a jam. What can I do for you?"
"It... seems we need to get out of the Free Marches."
"Fortunately, Antiva is beautiful this time of year."
#
"Can you find me someone?"
"You need someone you can trust to sneak you into a Crow stronghold. But for some reason, it can't be me."
"It can't be a Warden, Brosca. If this goes wrong, it can't come back on the Wardens."
"Dammit, Alistair, you're the sodding king of Ferelden. And beyond that, you're my friend. Does Cathiel even know you are doing this?" Brosca's eyes widened. "Stone, she doesn't, does she? She's going to kill you." He shook his head. "And Lenore is going to kill me for making Cathiel kill you."
"Yet another reason why this needs to stay a secret." Alistair ran a hand through his hair. "Can you help me or not?"
"Can you at least tell me why?"
"My father might be alive." Alistair said. "And I'm asking you as a friend. Help me."
Brosca paced back and forth. Then he sighed. "Sod it. Yeah. I know somebody you can trust. And as it happens, they owe me one hell of a favor."
#
She unwrapped the note from the raven's leg. The hand was familiar, and the words brought tears to her eyes. There were only two. "It worked."
#
"How many?" Lenore asked.
Lily looked up at her through tearstained eyes. "Four."
Lenore slowly sank into her chair. "But... but there were over two hundred mages and apprentices and..."
"Seventeen senior enchanters. Ninety five mages. One hundred and six apprentices. Eight tranquil." Lily stared at the floor. "We saved four." She shook her head. "Maybe if we'd had more warning, but..."
"But who would have expected it to be Rivain?" Lenore moved to sit next to the other woman, putting an arm around her. "Dairsmuid is barely a circle."
"They found some of the female mages training in the tradition of the seers. The templars demanded they all immediately be made tranquil or executed, and First Enchanter Rivella... she tried to fight for them."
"And they invoked the Right."
"What kind of monster puts children to the sword?" Lily's voice broke.
Lenore's hands clenched into fists. "Templars."
#
Zevran wrapped his arms around Lenore. "Amor?"
"Leliana wants me to come to a conclave. Speak out in favor of the mages returning to the towers. She thinks they'll listen to me."
"Many would."
She sighed, leaning into him. "They would. And that's the problem." She shook her head.
"Ah. Because you would not speak the words Leliana wishes."
Lenore crumpled the parchment, tossed it into the air, and incinerated it with a thought. "The Divine all but orders the execution of hundreds of elves, then asks for Brehan's help. They annul a circle, and request I ask the mages to go crawling back into their cages. Are they truly that arrogant, or are they merely daft?"
"Does that matter, Amor?"
Lenore met his lips, drawing comfort. Then she sighed. "Yes. If they are daft, then there is some small hope for peace. If it is the other..."
He narrowed his eyes. "Will they be foolish enough to come for you?"
For a moment, the wolf was in her eyes again. "Part of me wants them to try."
#
#
Brosca raised an eyebrow at Zevran. "So... we accidentally assassinated Leliana's assassins."
"Yes. And now she needs us to assassinate another assassin, so she can track down the assassin that assassinated her first assassin who she'd sent to assassinate the assassin that had killed the retired assassin. And assassinate him."
"And I thought it was complicated when it was just politics." Brosca shook his head. "But no, she had to go and bring religion into it. Sodding Inquisition."