Should go without saying, but here goes - I don't own any of these characters or the setting - Bioware does.

This series of adventures takes place just after Solona's become the Warden-Commander of Ferelden - six months after the events of Orgins.

Anders padded into the kitchen at Vigil's Keep late at night, both hungry and troubled. One of the side effects he noticed about the Joining was that he was always starving now. He had hoped for a quiet late night snack trying to figure out what to do, but became aware that his fellow recruit, Oghren, was already plowing through what looked like a second supper.

Grabbing his own meal makings, Anders brought them to the little table Oghren was sitting at. "Mind if I join you?"

"What, one Joining wasn't enough for ya!" Oghren snorted, chortling into his beer. "Eh, cop a squat. Whatcha got there, anyhow?"

Man and dwarf began to eat, sharing what each had brought to the table. After a few minutes, Oghren looked up at Anders. "Yer quieter than normal. What's chewing on yer arse?"

Anders wasn't quite sure how to put this. It had been years since he'd seen the Warden-Commander - in fact, when she'd come charging into the Keep slaying darkspawn he hadn't recognized her at first. She was grim, armored and determined, and by Andraste, a terror with her magic. And the woman who'd coldly told that templar Rylock she could perform an anatomical impossibility upon herself - that was not the Solona Amell he'd known years ago at Kinloch Hold.

"So… how long have you known 'Lona?" he asked, watching Oghren over the brim of his mug of ale.

"'Lona?" Oghren stiffened a little at that. There was only one other person on Thedas that he'd known to be so familiar with the Warden. He sized up Anders thoughtfully, and set his mug down. "So wait, you knew the Warden Commander before she was even the Warden?" Oghren asked, looking at Anders more closely across the crude little wooden table they were sharing off the kitchen.

"Yes, dwarf… I did. And she's changed, and not for the better." His amber eyes were uncharacteristically worried. "She used to be so happy and full of life…"

Oghren shifted uncomfortably, and for a wonder, did not belch, fart, spit, scratch or otherwise act obnoxiously. "Yeah, she was," he said reluctantly.

"So when you first met her, she wasn't like this either." Anders shook his head. "Maker, what happened to her?"

Oghren was so quiet Anders thought he'd drifted off in a drunken stupor. And then he sighed. "Sparkle-fingers, I'm not tellin' you this for you, I'm tellin' you this for her. She's been through enough and doesn't need people pokin' at her."

Anders nodded. "What is it?"

Oghren took another hard pull at his wineskin. "Yeah, well, if you knew her back in her Circle days, you already know all about the shit deal she got handed in life, right from the start. And then she gets exiled from the Circle and the only life she really knew. She lost it all, trusting and trying to help out a friend."

And also the rest of us; the only family she felt she had, too, Anders added mentally. He'd never forgive Jowan; his blood magic had had terrible costs, and as far as he'd seen, those who had suffered were the ones who loved Jowan… not the blood mage himself.

"And then before she's ripped to shreds by the tower Templars, she's conscripted by a Grey Warden to save her life - sound familiar, pretty boy? Then Ostagar happens, she loses the comrades she'd just made, and gets thrown together with the only other surviving Grey Warden. Nice guy, good looking, bit indecisive, needs her prodding and pushing to get anything done. They gather with them a motley bunch that somehow, against all odds, amasses an enormous army, reunites the land, and kills the archdemon."

"I think I've heard this tale," Anders said dryly. "It DID happen only six months ago."

"What they DON'T tell you in the taverns, or anywhere else for that matter, is how they go back to save the Circle, and she finds out a templar hottie had a crush on her the same time she was crushing on him, but now he hates the sight of her and tells her she's dirt. And there's no love like unrequited love… she's blaming herself for not getting there sooner to save him from torture, and heartbroken over coulda beens. Cue her fellow warden providing her comfort and consolation, swearing he'll be there for her forever, that he understands not having anything or anyone to depend on…. and soon enough, the Hero of Ferelden and that bastard were making kissy face covered in darkspawn blood, no matter who was around - barring the assassin elf, for some reason. Before you could cleave a skull, they're sharing a bedroll when they're not killing things deader than dead. Ancestors, trying to get any sleep at night once they discovered each other was a trick. The only one resting well was the apostate - she had her own little camp a ways off. Maybe the elf. I think he enjoyed the nightly entertainment."

"What?!" Anders eyes widened in shock, then narrowed angrily.

Oghren nodded. "Hey, I'd have laid her if the fact she could blast me into embers didn't scare me so bad… or if it weren't so apparent to everyone that it wasn't just lust, it was looooooooooooooove with them two. And I hate to say it but I even wish the elf assassin had sheathed his dagger with her…." He grunted. "Maybe if any of the rest of us had she'd have been able to get over him.

"That old mage, Wynne… warned her and warned her that princey poo was so innocent, so inexperienced… said Amell'd break his heart. Boy, did she ever call THAT one wrong."

"So he trifled with her - used her?" Anders felt his blood boiling.

"Eh, wish it could be that simple, then I could hate the sodding blighter and split his skull for him," Oghren grunted. "Truth is, he loved her too…. but he's a man of honor, and since his precious nobles need an heir, he's gotten himself married off."

Anders closed his eyes a moment. Maker, she had truly loved him? How could she have been so stupid! The first thing we learn in the Circle - take your pleasure when and where you can, but never ever fall in love... it gives Templars far too much power over a mage - the ability to destroy the only thing that really matters to you.

"It ended," Oghren said, unnecessarily. "Badly. The nobles woulda revolted with the idea of a mage queen. And whatever she mighta wanted, he made it clear - in front of the whole bleeding lot of us, so there was no mistake and no saving face - that it was over. Wouldn't be fair to her, he said, or to whoever the royal brood mare was gonna be." Oghren took a deep drink. "And despite all that, she goes off and kills the sodding archdemon anyroad, is comatose for about a month from the beating she took, and wakes up in time for her sodding celebration and to be sent off with the equivalent of "we'll always be besties, thanks for everything, don't you think you should be off rebuilding the order now?"" Oghren shook his head. "You'd think he coulda given her one for the road, at least."

Anders was fuming. "So he hands her Howe's arling, and tells her to get lost."

"Pretty much, yeah." Oghren shook his head. "It's no wonder she's not all sunshine and puppy dogs anymore."