Author's note: This is my one-shot of what happened to Sigrun before she became a part of the Legion of the Dead. Just a little story that was stuck in my head so I had to write it down. I hope you enjoy and reviews are always appreciated. Bioware owns Dragon Age. Thank you.

Sigrun's Story

Blood. Why was there so much blood? She backed away, dropping the knife in her hand. She didn't mean to do it, but it just happened. He had came at her, not taking no for an answer. Not taking her warnings seriously. Many times had men tried to take her, but they had always backed off when they learned how tough she was. When they saw she was no novice to scrapping. She had been doing it her whole life, fighting to survive, fighting for food, shelter, a place to sleep. There was no one out there who was going to help. Not her brothers, who fought themselves. Not her mother, who basically threw her out on the street to fend for herself. And certainly not her father, who she didn't even know.

Her father, just one of many missing pieces in her life. She wasn't the only one that didn't even know who their father was. Her brothers didn't know who their fathers were either. They had asked their mother once, just once, and she told all three of them she didn't know and to never ask again. She wondered why her mother refused to answer them straight. Something told her she may have been lying. That she really knew who her father was, at least. And even though she would have really liked to know who he was, she knew in the end it didn't really matter. In their society it was your same-sex parent that determined your role in life. Her mother was casteless, which made her casteless. If her father was noble, then it didn't matter.

"Sigrun! What... what did you do?" Her mother came from behind her. She stared down at the lifeless body before looking at her frightened daughter. "Sigrun, why did you do this? Why didn't you let him take you?"

"But, Mother... he just came at me. I... I tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn't listen."

Her mother sighed before grabbing her collar and forcing her to her feet. "Of course he wasn't listening, I told him to take you. Do you remember our discussion last night, Sigrun? Do you remember our plan?"

"Y-yes." She looked down at her feet. She didn't want to look her mother in the eyes.

Grabbing her chin, her mother forcefully made her look straight at her face. "Then why did you kill this man?"

"I thought you said you were sending me to the Diamond Quarter?"

"No, no," she said letting go of her face. "You are not ready for the Diamond Quarter, Sigrun. You're still inexperienced. In order to become a successful noble hunter, you need to first learn how to please a man. The men up there only want women who can satisfy their needs. Give them something their own wives can't give them. You are no where near that, and you won't be anywhere near satisfying a man like you should as a virgin."

"But, Mother, I... I'm not so sure anymore. I'm having second thoughts."

"Hush, girl. There's no reason why you shouldn't give yourself to a noblemen. You're beautiful, smart, and once you learn the skills of seduction, none of them will be able to resist you."

"Maybe... but, Mother..."

"No. There is no reason why you should be living the life you are now. As a thug, a thief? Working for that fool, Beraht? He has no idea what a waste it is to be sending you on errands to kill and steal when you could be in the Diamond Quarter right now getting a noble to lay with you and bare him a son."

She looked away from her mother again, not feeling good at all about it. She liked her life. She liked being a thief, being able to bump and grab on the streets. Her fingers were quick, and things tended to disappear rapidly on bazaar shelves when she passed by. Changing her life, becoming what her mother wanted her to be made her feel wrong.

"Sigrun, please," her mother said taking her hands. "You're doing this for your family. For me, your brothers. The two of them together provide us enough to get you to where you need to be before you can get us into the Diamond Quarter. I know you can do it, Sigrun. I know you won't fail like I did. I tried once but then I had you and I was seen as unsuitable. But I know that won't happen with you. I just need to get you ready. Now, stay here and clean this up. I'm going to go find you another man. Don't kill him this time. Let him take you and learn from the experience. It's the only way."

She smiled at her daughter sweetly before making her way back out onto the street. She watched her mother go, a sinking feeling in her stomach making her want to be anywhere but there. Slowly she bent down and began dragging the man's limp body to the back of the alley, feeling as if she was hiding away more than just a corpse.

Being in the Diamond Quarter didn't feel right to her. It was too clean, too perfect. The dwarves all walked around with confidence, the air about them stuffy and snobbish. Whenever they passed by her, they looked down upon her with disdain. She was dirt below their feet, maybe even lower.

She looked around, saw other noble hunters clinging to the walls, calling out to any nobleman that came by. They seemed confident, assured in their ability to gain entry into this alien world. She didn't like it here. She didn't like the clothes she was wearing; silk and lace. It itched and didn't feel right. It couldn't protect her in a fight. She would think of how very easily it would be for someone to rip right through. She missed her leathers, they could protect her better. She also missed her daggers. Without them, she felt naked. Nothing about where she was or how she was dressed made her feel comfortable or right. She wanted to get out of there.

"You don't look like you belong here." The deep voice behind her made her jump. She held up her fists, getting in an attack position. "Wow, hang on there," the dwarf said putting up his hands. "I meant no harm. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Oh." She then realized her mistake as she placed down her hands. He was a nobleman, dressed in fine silks with his beard long and breaded, hair slicked back. She quickly bowed to him, trying desperately to remember all the things her mother had taught her. She hoped she hadn't ruined anything by almost attacking him. "I'm so sorry, my lord. I didn't mean-"

"No, no, it's quite all right," he said. "I shouldn't have come behind you like that. Totally my fault. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Varlan Vollney, and I believe you're new here. What is your name?"

"Uh... S-Sigrun, my lord." She bowed again, not wanting to look at him while her voice shook.

"Well, Sigrun, it's a pleasure to meet you." He reached out and took her chin, gently lifting her head so he could look in her eyes. "You need not fear me, Sigrun. I promise I won't hurt you or make you do anything you don't want."

She nodded, still hesitant.

Varlan let go of her chin and smiled. "Are you hungry, Sigrun? Would you like something to eat?"

"I..."

"Why don't you come with me. I'll make sure you get something nice." He let out his hand for her to take. Looking at it suspiciously at first, she then took it and walked with him through the Diamond Quarter. She noticed his hands were very soft and smooth. He held her hand with a gentleness she had never felt before. It felt odd and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

Varlan took her to his home. He lead her in then gestured for her to sit on a couch. Servants came out from the room beyond and he gave them orders to retrieve food and drinks for him and his guest. When he was done, he sat on the couch across from her and smiled.

"So tell me, Sigrun... what is it that you do?"

Straightening herself, and trying to look as proper as possible, she stared into his eyes and smiled back. "Whatever it is you want, my lord."

This made him laugh. "Oh my dear, no... no, that's not what I meant. Although I appreciate the offer from such a beautiful young woman. What I really meant was what did you do before this?"

This made her look away from him, feeling embarrassed and dirty. She couldn't believe she had just done that, but it was what her mother had taught her. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I can tell, what you're trying to do now, isn't you."

She looked into his eyes again. They were genuine, almost caring in a way. "Why do you care?"

The servants came back and set in front of her a plate of assorted cheeses and meats. They also handed her a glass of wine and gave one to Varlan as well. She looked at the strange liquid, smelled it, then tasted it. It was bitter and made her cringe away at first.

"It's Orlesian," said Varlan. "A little strong at first, but once you get used to it, you won't want anything else. Course, I'm sure even if you did like it, you wouldn't be able to get your hands on it. Very expensive since it's from the surface."

"It's... not bad," she said putting the glass down. She began to nibble on a piece of cheese. Her stomach was empty, and she was hungry, but felt queasy.

"So... should I ask again?"

She put down the piece of cheese. "I was a thief, a scavenger. Nothing too impressive."

"I wouldn't say that," said Varlan as he had one of the servants refill his glass. "Sigrun, I asked you back here because I saw something in you. Now, I know we just met and I don't know much about you, but I feel as if I actually do. You see, unlike most nobles here in the Diamond Quarter, I actually like to take time to get to know the other castes, including the casteless. And through my findings, I've realized that the other castes have more to offer than we let them. Even you, Sigrun."

"Well... I'm trying."

"You may be trying, but you're going about it the wrong way. Don't think me unkind, Sigrun, but you make a horrible noble hunter. It's not that you're not beautiful or smart, you just don't have the personality, which is key. Not many woman do, so don't think it's a fail. It takes a lot to sell yourself to a man just for the hopes you'll bare a son for him. Just from seeing you enter the Diamond Quarter, I could already tell you didn't want to be there. You wanted to be somewhere else. Is that true?"

She nodded her head.

"As I thought. So... if you're a thief, then can I assume you know how to handle a blade?"

She stared at him suspiciously. "And what if I do? Are you going to have me arrested?"

"Sigrun," he smiled. "If you trusted me enough to come to my house, then I hope you can trust me enough for this. I know the law says casteless cannot carry weapons, but I also know very well that this law isn't followed. If you know how to fight, then it will make my decision easier."

"Decision?"

"First, answer my question."

She stared down at her hands for a moment before answering. "I do, and I prefer daggers."

He nodded and drank the last of his glass. "Then Sigrun, I have a proposition for you. I want-"

A servant came and began whispering in his ear, making Varlan stop to listen.

"Wait, are you sure?" he asked the servant.

"I'm afraid so, ser."

"I thought as much," he sighed. "When will they be here?"

"In about twenty minutes."

"Thank you. You may go." Varlan stood and gestured for her to do the same. "Sigrun, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this short."

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Unfortunately some things did not go exactly as I planned. So now you must leave, my dear. I'm sorry." He began leading her to the front door, looking much less content than he was earlier.

"Well, wait," she said. "I still don't understand. What am I suppose to do?"

He stopped them in front of the door. "Hmm, I'll tell you what, Sigrun. Once you leave here, go to the Commons and find a woman named Mischa. She's a merchant and owes me a favor. Tell her I sent you and she should give you a job."

"Really?" She was surprised, pleased, unable to understand why he was being so generous to her. "Why are you-"

"It's okay, Sigrun," he said holding her shoulders. "You don't need to question everything. Take it and go. I wish I could've offered you more, but unfortunately this is how things go. Take care, Sigrun." He opened the door and nodded to her. She went to leave but turned away to face him before going down the stone steps.

"Do you think... if you don't mind that is... if I might be able to come back here and see you again?"

A small smile slowly went across his face. "I would love that, Sigrun, but it can't happen. I won't be here for you to come back to. Now please, go find Mischa and tell her."

"Right, and thank you again." She made her way down the steps, ran across the Diamond Quarter and found her way at the stairs that lead down to the Commons. When she turned around to see Varlan's home, she saw a large group of dwarves enter. It didn't look good as most of them were guards. She didn't understand what was going on, but she knew it was good she had gotten out when she did. She would miss Varlan, even though she had only knew him for a short time. He saw something in her that not even her own mother saw. She knew her mother would not like hearing what she was about ready to do, but she didn't care. This was her life now. Whatever Varlan had seen, she didn't really know herself, but she was determined to find out.

She made her way to the Commons to find Misha and begin her new life.