I'm sorry, but I wanted more time with...well, everything. I ran into several blockades, no way to type, no way to get online, otherwise, this would have came out a lot sooner. So far, it's going to be the same story, just more detailed. I got ideas that came to me, and they all fit mainly at the beginning and up to the happy (or sad-how ever you see it) events from the original chapter seven. So any feedback would be wonderful. Thank you, and again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Original parts still in, time just moves slower, and some are placed at different points.

I sat up quickly in shock and looked around at my strange surroundings. I had no idea what had happened to me, I had no clue where I was or how I'd gotten there, my insides burned as though they were on fire, my whole body was shaking like a leaf being blown in the wind, I was drenched in sweat, causing my clothes to cling to my body in an unpleasant way, and there was a strange man beside me, a glowing blue light emitted from his hands and transfered to me. He had darkened blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, his face was covered with stubbles that made him looke rigidly handsome-save for the strange dress-and his golden brown eyes were on his hands as he concentrated on what he was doing to me. This freaked me out, I'd never seen anything like it before. Instinctively, I swatted his hands away from me, and I quickly jumped up to my feet.

"Who the fuck are you?" I demanded, trying not to let my fear show.

The man replied in an unsure voice, "I'm just trying to heal you."

I noticed he had avoided answering my question. I narrowed my eyes at him, but I calmed my voice, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"My name is Anders," the man sighed as he stood, making me feel quite small. "You were hurt pretty badly after you fell out of a tare in the Vail."

"The...what?" I frowned. "What the Hell are you talking about?"

"You must have hit your head pretty hard," Anders stated. "You just came out of the Fade-the dream realm-in your physical form. You were badly injured, but I've healed you for the most part."

My stomach turned and I felt lightheaded. I was almost afraid to ask my question, "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Anders scratched his head and mumbled, "You may have a...an unwanted...passanger inside of you."

My heart skipped a beat and my legs went weak, "What do you mean?"

"He means a demon," a woman came up behind Anders. She had raven black hair that was short and unkept, she was fully outfitted in strange armor with a huge sword on her back, and she had extremely piercing blue eyes. She turned her attention to Anders, "I know you have a way to tell if there's a demon in her or not."

Anders nodded, keeping his golden brown eyes on me, "This won't hurt much."

"What?" my eyes went wide. "What do you mean? 'Hurt mu'-" I wasn't able to get anything else out as I felt a painful zap that vibrated throughout my entire body all at once. Then, everything went black...


"She's an abomination," a deep, judging voice spat. "I say we put her out of her misery before we have another Justice situation on our hands."

"Mercy is completely different than Justice, Fenris," Anders was close to me, very close. That was when I realized that I was in someone's arms. "Mercy is the only reason she's still herself. Mercy saved her in the Fade."

"It's true," the woman with blue eyes said. "According to the spirit, demons cannot possess a mage who is already possessed, and that the woman was on the verge of death by the time Mercy had found her."

"'Mercy' could be a demon trying to fool everyone," the judging voice stated aggressively, he must have been Fenris. "Better safe than sorry."

"We're not going to harm her," Anders barked, I could feel the arms around me tighten. "Hawke, please talk some sence into Fenris."

"I'm going to have to side with Anders on this one, Fenris, we're not going to harm the woman," the woman with blue eyes had a strict tone, she must have been Hawke. "We know nothing about her, and it's very possible that she's got less problems than Anders and Justice."

"It's not a good idea, Hawke," Fenris sounded cautious.

"I'll take full responsibility for her," Anders' hold on me seemed to tighten.

"You?" Fenris' tone was icy. "You can't even take responsibility for what happened in Kirkwall two years ago."

"That's enough!" Hawke barked.

I opened my eyes finally, just to see Anders, Hawke, and a tall, lanky, muscular man who had strange, light tattoos that vined from his face, to his arms, and only God knew where else, he wore strange black armor, he had ghostly white hair, dark forest green eyes, and odd pointed ears...like an elf. Anders was holding me protectively in his arms, even though he didn't even know my name.

Tears formed in my eyes as their discussion sank in, "I'm possessed."

"Ah, welcome back," Hawke gave me a weak smile.

"I am possessed," it came out again, in a soft whisper. I was still trying to process it still.

"You could say that, Serah," Hawke sighed.

"'Serah'? My name is Kimberly," I frowned. My head still felt like it was spinning, "And why are you talking about mercy like it's a person?"

Hawke knelt down beside me, "Mercy is a spirit, not a demon, thankfully."

"What exactly were you doing in the Fade?" Fenris narrowed his beautiful green eyes at me.

My mind drew a blank, so I recalled my night aloud, "I went out to celebrate my sister's birthday, I drove everyone home for the bar, then I went home, I passed out watching Family Guy, and then...then...I woke up here." I moved away from Anders when I recalled that he had hurt me, and I glared at him, "Why did you hurt me? That shit really hurt."

"It was the only way to tell if you were possessed or not," Anders shrugged. "It worked."

"Get it the fuck out of me," I ordered in a panick. I knew that I wasn't in any position to make any demands.

"That would be difficult," Hawke sighed.

"What's difficult about it? Can't you preform an exorcism?" I demanded.

"Exorsism?" Anders frowned, then he shook his head and calmly said, "You came through the Fade physically, so Mercy is also here...physically. There's only one way we'd be able to get rid of that spirit of yours, and I'm sure that you wouldn't like it."

"It can be done though?" I asked hopefully.

"We'd have to kill you," Fenris' gaze was ice cold.

"You don't have to panic, Kimberly, Mercy is only a spirit, not a demon," Hawke placed a hand on my shoulder.

My heart started to pound in my ears. I froze, my mind focusing on only what Fenris had said, "You'd have to kill me?"

"I can do it for you, if that's what you want," Fenris said, almost as if he enjoyed the thought.

"Fenris," Hawke's voice had a warning to it.

"I don't want to die," I breathed out frantically.

"No one is going to kill you, Kimberly," Hawke glared over at Fenris. "Fenris was just offering his opinion, not that it was needed."

"Hawke, you found another stray," a very short man with smooth blonde hair, a very close shave, honey brown eyes, romance-style clothing that showed the golden curls on his chest, and a crossbow slung over his shoulder, asked as he came forward.

"Oooo, who is this lovely creature, Hawke?" a woman with brown curls covered by a bandana, her shirt was low-cut, showing off her cleavage, she had two daggers attached to her sides, her voice was sweet and suductive, her lip had a golden stud pierced through it, and her light brown eyes shined mischievously.

"I'm Kimberly," I frowned as I finally looked around at my surroundings. "Where am I?"

"In the Free Marches," Anders answered. "About two weeks away from being between Kirkwall and Starkhaven."

My heart pounded loudly inside my chest-I had no idea where any of those places were. I was possessed by some spirit that called itself "Mercy", I was surrounded by complete strangers, and my body and mind were definitely about to go into shock. I prayed to God that all of this was only a dream, because there was no way any of this could possibly be real. Hawke helped me to my feet and looked around at her companions who were joining us, that was when she properly introduced everyone.

The very short man was Varric, who happened to be a beardless dwarf, and the woman who was beside him was ex-pirate, Isabela. There was another two women-one who had pointed ears like Fenris, short black hair, strange tattoos on her face, she had olive green eyes, and she was about the same height as me-she went by Merrill; the other woman had ginger hair, light green eyes, she was fully armored with a sword on a hilt and a shield on her back, a red band was tied around her head, and she stood a good four to five inches above me-she went by Aveline. And then there was a man dressed similarly to Aveline who had dark brown hair and light brown eyes-he was Aveline's husband, Donnic.

Hawke looked at me for a long moment before she flashed me a roguish grin, "Why don't you travel with us for now?"

Isabela leaned against Hawke and eyed me lustfully, "We get to keep her?"

"She's an untrained mage," Fenris frowned.

I couldn't help myself, I immediately started to laugh, "Me? A 'mage'? As in magic? Everyone knows that magic isn't real, it's an illusion."

A loud crackling sound came from Anders, a deep, frightening voice said, "It is real."

Anders' eyes were glowing a bright blue that made Fenris draw his sword that was bigger than I was; the blue light made me feel as though I was overdosing on some kind of unknown drug. My mouth opened in disbelief, how was that even possible? "H-how are you doing that?"

"Magic," Anders replied in the deep, scary, echo-like voice.

"He's an abomination," Fenris spat loathingly.

"Enough, the both of you!" Hawke growled.

Anders changed back to himself, "I can teach you how to use your magic-"

"Like we need another you running around here," Fenris snarled.

"She has to learn how to properly control her powers," Anders argued.

"You'll just manipulate her, just like you-" Fenris started.

Hawke cleared her throat and interrupted, "Anders is right. Kimberly does need someone to teach her how to use her powers. It's a dangerous time for apostates."

"What's that?" I asked.

"What's what?" Hawke frowned at me.

"An 'apostate'," I raised my eyebrows at her.

"An apostate is an illegal mage outside of the Circle," Hawke had a look on her face that said that she believed I should have known this already.

I felt like a child asking questions, but I was confused, "The 'Circle'?"

"It's a prison for mages," Anders said coldly.

I noticed that Fenris, Aveline, and Donnic looked as though they were going to argue, so before anyone could speak, I said, "I think I'll stick with you lot until I can find a way home." Then I muttered under my breath, "I feel like I've landed in a fucked-up version of the 'Wizard of Oz'."

Anders gave me a strange look, like he had heard what I had said, then Hawke smiled at me, "As soon as we track down who we're looking for and get back to Ferelden, I swear that I will personally help you get back home."

"Great," Anders said as everyone began to move. "Just don't listen to a word Fenris says. He hates all mages."

I looked back at the tall, brooding elf and frowned. Before I could give Fenris a single thought, an arm was around my waist and Isabela was at my side, purring into my ear, "Are you part elf? Because you've got the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen."

I felt my face turn bright red, "N-no. Not that I know of."

Isabela laughed and glanced over at Hawke, "She's so cute!"

"Kimberly's not a pet, Ravaini," Varric chuckled.

What the Hell had I gotten myself into? All I could do was hope that all of this was just a dream...


I was making a face at the meat Merrill was cooking, according to Varric, it was dragonling meat. Aveline laughed the moment she saw the look on my face, "Don't feel bad for it. Dragonlings will eat humans."

"What is a 'dragonling'? Is it like a baby dragon?" I could hear an upset tremble in my own voice.

"That's exactly what it is," Varric nodded.

I felt as though I was going to cry, "Why not go after something else?"

"Sweetling," Isabela purred, "it attacked Hawke and me first. It was after the fact that we killed it that we thought we'd put it to good use."

"There's a reason we're in the age of the Dragon, Kimmy," Hawke seemed comfortable enough to shorten my name. "The last thing anyone wants is to be eaten by a dragon."

"Or turned into a darkspawn," Anders added.

I ignored the urge to ask Anders what a "darkspawn" was, I had a feeling that I didn't want to know. I just silently accepted the fact that a baby dragon was what was on the menu for the day. I was just glad that Anders wanted me to get used to "Thedas" before I began my training, because I could hardly believe that this world had dragons in it, and before I even got to see one, I was going to eat one. The idea was a bit nerve-wrecking, and I was certian that my sister, Faith, would never believe me. About any of this.

"So, Kimberly, tell us a little about yourself," Varric leaned against a stone.

"I'm twenty-four," I looked into the fire. "When my sister and I were kids, we'd pretend we were in a different world...a lot like this one, but then we grew up. We realized that there was no magic, no dragons or elves or dwarves; there was just life and we weren't too happy with it."

"Is that how you felt when you came to Thedas yesterday?" Merrill asked.

I shook my head, "I was enjoying myself. Faith had just turned twenty-one, and even though I don't drink, I still had fun celebrating. Besides, I have a feeling I'm only dreaming."

Varric burst out laughing, "And if you're not?"

"Then I don't know," I glanced at Anders. "I'm completely clueless when it comes to a lot of things I've heard mentioned."

"Like what?" Hawke asked as she sat beside me.

"I've heard several things mentioned, like the 'Maker', the 'Rite of Annulment', the 'Chantry', a 'Seeker', and something Anders said about 'darkspawn'," I admitted just a small fraction. "Also, some woman named 'Andraste' has been spoken about several times. Is that who we're meeting?"

Hawke nodded, "I imagine our world is confusing for you."

"Just some things, otherwise, it's like stepping back several hundred years in my world," I shrugged.

"If only Chior Boy was here to give an explanation on everything that has to do with the Chantry," Varric grinned at Hawke.

She shook her head, "I come from an Andrasteian family, I can explain the key points of it." She looked at me and sighed, "The Maker is the creator of us all," Like God, "the Chantry is where the people go to worship the Maker and his prophet-bride, Andraste. A Seeker is someone who searches for information that the Chantry wishes to know. The Rite of Annulment is where the Chantry gives the Templars the right to massacure everyone in a Circle of Magi, and as for darkspawn...I'd talk to Anders about that, he is the Grey Warden."

Even though I understood a lot more now, there were more questions I had. About the Templars and the Grey Wardens, still I kept myself from asking to many questions. The last thing I wanted to do was scare away the only people who were helping me.

"Any more siblings besides your sister?" Isabela changed the subject for me.

"A brother, he died some time ago in an accedent," I looked down at my hands. "Other than that, it's always kind of been just Faith and me."

"Your parents?" Hawke frowned.

"Vacationing," I shrugged. "They figured that Faith and I could live our lives without them around."

"I'm sorry," Hawke placed a hand on my arm. "There's only a small handful of my family left too. My uncle, his daughter, and a distant cousin are all I know of."

"Damn," and I thought I had it rough, "I'm sorry."

"Just...be glad you still have your health," Hawke's voice was gentle, "and that you found the best company in all of Thedas."

I forced a smile, sure that if all of this was real, Faith would never forgive me for leaving her. Guilt, the ugly feeling rushed over me, only a day had gone by, and I felt as though I had abandoned her. Guilt wasn't something I wanted to focus on. My focus should have been directed to trying to find a way to get back home, but first we had to try things Hawke's way. I couldn't just rush everyone when they were my only hope on getting back to Faith.

"Here, Kimberly," Merrill handed me a wooden bowl, "try this."

I eyed the dragonling meat uneasily, then looked over at Anders, then Fenris, because the two men began chowing down like it was the best stuff in the world. I took a deep breath before taking a small bite of the fire cooked meat. To my surprise, it was actually pretty good, a whole lot better than I expected-the meat was sweet and tender, a lot like duck. The next thing I knew, I was devouring the dragonling meat.

"I think she likes it, Daisy, you can go eat as well," Varric chuckled.

"Thank you," I breathed out one I swallowed a mouthful.

Merrill smiled brightly, "You're very welcome, Kimberly."

I could officially say that I had tried and liked dragonling, though I was sure plenty could have claimed the same throughout Thedas. I couldn't help but wonder how bigger dragons tasted, since dragonling meat was so sweet and extremely tender.

"It's too bad you showed up while there's a world wide civil war going on," Isabela glared over at Anders. "A certian ex-Grey Warden just had to start the war."

"Now's not the time for that, Isabela," Hawke scolded Isabela.

"Of course it's not," Isabela pouted.

"Are you two..." I didn't want to finish my sentance, just in case I was wrong.

"Lovers?" Isabela's brown eyes lit up slyly.

"According to Isabela, we're not completely together," Hawke sighed.

"We are lovers, for the most part," Isabela smirked. "We're just two girls who love to have a little fun together."

I turned slightly pink, I could hardly believe that Isabela was openly flirting with me while Hawke was right there. I guessed that for the time being, I had no other choice but to live with it.


We stopped for a break, I'd already been with Hawke and her band of misfits for four days, and by "misfits", I meant it. Aveline had been a soldier in King Cailen's army in Ferelden until the Blight hit the south, then she became the Captian of the Kirkwall City Guard before the civil war began-Donnic was one of her Guardsmen; Merrill was a Dalish elf, exiled by her Clan because her Keeper had paid the price for her Blood Magic-I wasn't sure what any of that meant just yet; Anders was an apostate who was possessed by the spirit of Justice, an ex-Grey Warden (whatever the fuck that was, I needed to ask Varric), and a fugitive for the civil war he had started, though details of how and why were left out; Isabela was...well, Isabela; Fenris was an ex-slave who hated magic more than anything else; and Varric...well he was a "beardless dwarf who loved to tell stories"-that's what he had told me about himself, anyways. And I knew I fit right in with being who I was... I was rubbing my feet, wishing that I could take a hot bath, when Anders came up to me, carrying a strange staff in his hands. He handed it to me.

"Are you ready to start training?" Anders asked.

I nodded, and then I grinned at him, "First, I have a question that I've been dying to ask you."

"What is it?" Anders frowned.

"Why are you wearing a dress?" it was a serious question that came out sounding more like an insult.

I heard Hawke and Varric snort, Isabela and Merrill laughed openly, Aveline and Donnic chuckled, and I was sure that I heard a deep chuckle and a cough to cover it up come from Fenris. Anders somehow managed to ignore them all as he answered my question, "I'm wearing robes."

"What's the difference?" my question only brought more laughter.

"Mages wear robes with enchantment runes on them," Anders sighed. "Now come, I've found a place where I can train you."

I followed Anders to a small clearing in the forest and frowned at him, "What are we doing?"

"I'm going to teach you a couple of spells and then you're going to learn how to defend yourself."

That sounded easy enough to me, so for about an hour or so, Anders taught me fireball spell, a lighting bolt spell, and a sheild spell. Once I got a handle on all three spells, I grinned at Anders, "This is pretty easy."

"Now hold the shield while I throw a fireball at you," Anders instructed me. "Since it's 'pretty easy', I'm sure you'll be able to do it."

I took a deep breath and watched as a clear bubble wrapped around me protectively. Unfortunately, Anders had a stronger fireball than my shield, and I was sent back flying from the blast of the fireball breaking through my sheild. I stood, tried the spell, and realized I had used up all of my mana.

"Anders wait!" I called out as I held my hands out, at the same moment, he threw another fireball that sent me flying back again. I shook my head as my head began to tingle and my mind began to feel hazy. I guess it was from the loss of mana, but I wasn't going to give up so easily. I realized that Anders wasn't going to stop anytime soon, and he definitely wasn't going easy on me. The moment I got back on my feet, Anders threw a bolt of lightening at me, which I somehow managed to dodge by losing my footing and falling to the ground.

"Protect yourself!" Anders ordered as he threw another bolt at me.

This time he hit me, I was blinded by the white hot pain that coursed throughout my entire body. As soon as I could see again, the haziness blurred my vision until I couldn't see any longer. I felt something lift me up from within, a huge amount of energy bursted from my very core, and a loud, echo-like voice came from me, "Enough!"

Then I could see again, I was completely myself, and my heart was racing like I'd been running for my life. Anders was trying to catch his breath, but he looked calm as he said, "We'll work on your control over that spirit of yours next time."

"Do you have Justice 'under control'?" I asked.

"I've-I've been working on it," Anders sighed.

"How long have you been trying to control him?" I placed my hands on my hips.

"The last two years," Anders huffed out, trying to catch his breath.

"And how long has he been inside of you?" I pressed.

"Around eight years now," he answered like it wasn't very important.

"And who has the most control?" I continued to press.

"I-" Anders shook his head and walked away, it was clear that the discussion was over and done with. I frowned and watched as Anders disappeared into the trees. Was it because Justice was more in control than Anders was? I couldn't help but wonder.


"Come now, Sweetling, you can't avoid my advances forever," Isabela grinned at me. "Some time, I will get you into my bed."

I turned bright red and looked around for someone to rescue me from her. Anders and Varric were playing cards, Aveline and Donnic were already retired for the evening, Merrill and Hawke were doing something, and I didn't dare to ask Fenris for his help.

"I'm sorry, Isabela, I'm not into women," I breathed.

"One night with me would change that," Isabela's grin grew.

I knew that Isabela wasn't stupid, she knew exactly what she was doing. I let out a huffed breath and frowned at the rogue, "I can't."

"Because of the fact that I'm with Hawke?" Isabela's eyes sparkled. "Don't you worry about that, Sweetling, Hawke wouldn't mind one bit."

"What wouldn't Hawke mind?" Varric asked, startling me.

"Kimberly and I having some fun," Isabela winked at me.

Anders let out a shocked cough as he looked over at me, "You're not considering her offer, are you?"

I gawked at Anders, "Why would you think that?"

"Because Isabela usually always gets her way," Anders replied.

"So what if she is, Anders?" Isabela glared. "How about you find someone else to bring down? Stop wrecking my fun."

"I didn't realize she had accepted," Anders didn't take his eyes off of me.

I turned bright red and looked over at Fenris, who was looking in our direction, I pleaded him to intervene with my eyes, but the tall brooding elf just looked away from me.

"Will the two of you shut up?" Aveline called from Donnic and her bedding. "Some of us are trying to get some sleep."

"Sorry, Bitch," Isabela sneered.

"Whore," Aveline caughed under her breath.

"Fire crotch," Isabela winked at me.

I heard Aveline growl, then Donnic's voice said gently, "Let it rest, my Love. You and I both know that she can keep it up all night."

"Maker's breath!" Aveline huffed out.

"I'll try to keep things quiet," Anders said to Aveline softly.

"We'll see about that," Aveline sounded adjitated.

I had no idea how Hawke handled everyone when they all hated each other. It seemed almosted too stressful to me, but Hawke looked as though she was most comfortable with the chaos her friends created around her. I didn't think that I'd ever feel completely comfortable with the fact that my only companions actually seemed to enjoy the chaos they all created.

I shook my head, bringing Anders' and Isabela's attention back to me. Isabela let out a sigh, "Don't you dare believe I've given up trying to get you to join me in my bed."

"Don't worry, I won't," I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Good night, Kimberly," Anders sighed.

"Good night, Anders," I didn't look at him.

"Sweet dreams, Sweetling," Isabela winked at me.

"Night, Isabela," I couldn't get myself to look at her either.

The moment I was left alone, I closed my eyes, thankful for the rest. I heard someone approach me, but I kept my eyes shut. Of course, I couldn't get the rest I wanted, a high pitched voice cleared its throat. I opened my eyes and looked up at Merrill who was standing above me.

I frowned up at her, "What is it, Merrill?"

"I wanted to make sure that you're comfortable," Merrill beamed down at me. "And at least liking us so far."

I nodded, "I don't know if I could get any more comfortable, and... I guess I like you lot so far."

"That's good," Merrill's smile grew.

"I would love to get some sleep," I hinted.

Merrill's eyes went wide as she frowned in disappointment, "I'm sorry, Kimberly. I'll see you in the morning."

"I'll see you later," I yawned. I fell asleep to dreams of my world and my sister, Faith. I could only hope I found a way home soon.


I'd been in Thedas for a good five days, and in the three days I'd been training with Anders, I felt as though he didn't care about me gaining control over "Mercy", it seemed like he just enjoyed beating my ass with magic. I definitely learned one vital thing about defending myself against Anders, and that was not to get into a serious fight with him. I must have not been paying any attention to where I was going, because the next thing I knew, Fenris was shoving past me.

I glared at the back of Fenris as Hawke stablized me, "Don't mind him, he believes all mages are out for something."

"It's not like I'm going to be in this world forever," I huffed out. "He could learn some fucking manors!" I said the last bit loud enough for the elf to hear me, but Fenris just ignored my words.

"He didn't really mind Bethany," Merrill pointed out.

"Who's Bethany?" I asked Hawke.

"My sister," Hawke gave me a small smile. "She died...from darkspawn corruption a year after my brother-her twin-Carver, was killed by an ogre, and a year before my mother was killed by a madman. She was a mage, like our father, and she had a kindness in her heart that never once wavered."

"Is that why Fenris liked her?" I pressed.

"Not exactly," Hawke looked after Fenris. "He was there with us when Bethany died."

"So it took her dying for him to like her for who she was?" I frowned.

"I think that he liked her before, he just never voiced it until after she was gone," Hawke sighed.

"Don't feel bad, Kimberly, Fenris doesn't like me either," Merrill told me.

"That's because you've done Blood Magic," Anders stated once he caught up to us.

"I haven't in over two years," Merrill argued, "and I promised Hawke I never will again."

"That doesn't mean everyone trusts you," Anders said rudely.

Merrill looked hurt as she moved faster to get away from Anders. I frowned at him, "That was a dick move on your part."

"Well, I've never done Blood Magic," Anders stated stubbornly. "That's just a small step away from being an abomination."

"Why would you say something so...shitty? What the fuck has she done to you? Merrill's a sweetheart," I glared angrily at Anders.

"Anders never explained Blood Magic to you, has he?" Hawke asked me.

"We've been working on getting control over Mercy," I shook my head.

"Have you even explained how one can tell the difference between spirits and demons to Kimberly?" Hawke barked out at Anders. "Maker's breath, Anders." She took a deep breath and looked at me. "Demons carry mans' sins, while spirits carry mans' virtues, such as Mercy, Justice, Honor, and so on. A spirit won't make a deal, they usually ignore mages within the Fade. Demons on the other hand, will try anything they can to escape into our world. Usually through a deal-if they can make it, which gives the mage more power and the ability to use Blood Magic."

"Merrill made a deal with a demon?" I could hardly believe it. I didn't want to believe it.

"And the Keeper of her Clan paid the price and took Merrill's place in the deal with the demon," Anders scoffed.

I connected the dots to what I'd been told earlier with the new news, and I was in absolute shock that Merrill had done such a thing. Why would she even think about making a deal with a demon? What could it have possibly offered her? I didn't think that I wanted to know. The only thing I wanted to think of Merrill was how I saw her-sweet, innocent, and caring-not how Anders was painting her out to be.

"But she's not a 'Blood Mage' anymore, correct?" I glanced after Merrill.

Anders made a snorting sound and a noise to speak, but Hawke interrupted, "That's right."

I tripped over my own feet and hit the ground hard, "Fuck! Really?!"

Hawke helped me to my feet, "Are you okay?"

"Honestly? No, I'm not okay," I breathed out.

"You're not?" Hawke frowned.

I shook my head, "I feel as though I've abandoned my sister, and for what?"

"It's not your fault that you're here," Hawke tried to comfort me.

"How do you know that?" I demanded in a short tone. Then I shook my head again, "I'm sorry, Hawke."

"I'm sure if it was your fault, you would have brought Faith here with you," Hawke's voice was gentle. "Don't blame yourself for something you had no control over."

"I'll try," I couldn't make any promises.


I knew that I was slowing down everyone around me, but not one of them let me know if it bothered them. I'd been in Thedas for a week, and for the last three days, everytime we took a break, Anders had me train with him so I could "gain better control over Mercy" and I was already warn out from it all. At least in my world, we had cars to get around. On the brightside, I'd always wanted to be in the medieval ages, so I guessed I got my wish in a way. I was convinced that I was in a coma, it was the only logical explanation to why I wasn't waking-either that, or all of this was truly real, and I was trapped in Thedas until I could find a way back home. Back to normal. The only thing was, it was if my clumsiness didn't kill me first. I'd already fallen several times by tripping over rocks, twigs, and my own feet. It was getting to the point where I wanted to scream and throw a fit like a small child over it. Given the fact that my legs felt like jelly from training with Anders, it didn't surprise me when I lost my footing again and started to fall to the ground. I closed my eyes and braced myself for impact, but an armored hand grabbed my arm in a tight grip and pulled me back to my feet.

"You need to watch where you're going," Fenris' deep voice purred into my ear, causing a shiver to go down my spine.

"That's why I look down while I walk," came my truthful answer. I thought I saw a small smile play on his lips just for a split second, but it could have been my eyes playing a trick on me. I was pretty surprised that Fenris was speaking to me-in the week I'd been in Thedas, he acted as though I didn't even exist, and suddenly, he was saving me from a fall. As I looked down to the ground, I noticed for the first time that Fenris' feet were bare, the vine-like tattoo was even there, and I knew my surprise showed, "Doesn't that bother your feet?"

Fenris looked down at his feet and shook his head, "I'm completely fine. It doesn't bother me a bit."

"She was referring to your tattoos, Broody," Varric chuckled as he passed us.

I actually hadn't been wondering about the tattoo that seemed to be covering his entire body, but now I couldn't help but wonder. As I looked at him, Fenris seemed to have read my mind, "Once in a while they...bother me, but I've gotten used to it."

"How did you-" I started.

"Kimberly,"Anders stepped beside me, "let's leave Fenris alone. He's touchy about his tattoos."

Fenris glared at Anders in a way that told me that the mage was wrong, but I didn't want to instigate a fight between anyone. I turned away from Fenris and walked beside Anders. I figured that if I wanted any answers, I'd have to talk to Varric, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to tell if he was being truthful or stretching the truth. Anders remained close while we walked through the forest. It was almost as if Anders didn't want me to talk to Fenris, but I was pretty sure that it was all in my head. There was no reason that I could see for Anders to keep me from communicating with any of my new companions. I shook my head and looked over at Isabela, who blew a kiss in my direction and winked at me. Immediately, I could hear her voice purring into my ear with the words she'd said the night before, "Don't bother with these boys, Sweetling, I'll show you a way better time than any of them ever could. You, me ...and Hawke." I felt my face turn bright red at the thought and looked away from the rogue pirate who wasn't even the slightest bit shy.

Anders took one look at my face and shook his head in a disapproving way. "Ignore Isabela's advances," he said quietly to me. "You have no idea where she's been."

"And how would you know where she's been, Anders?" I couldn't help but smirk at the mage.

"I'm a healer, Kimberly, and Isabela has a thing for brothels," Anders sighed.

"Men like brothels too," I pointed out.

"Not as much as Isabela does," Anders steadied me when I tripped over a root sticking out of the ground.

"And you've never been to a brothel before?" I frowned at him. Given the fact that I was in a time and place where whores were perfectly legal, it would have surprised me if Anders hadn't been to a brothel.

"Not in many, many years," Anders looked away from me, like he was embarrassed. "Just think before you get with someone like her."

"You sound like you're being over-protective, Anders," I laughed.

"I'm not," he brushed a hand through his blonde hair. "All I'm doing is looking out for you."

"And you don't have to do that," I sighed.

"Yes, I do," Anders' voice was firm and full of authority. "No one else is looking out for you."

"You're acting like you're my fa-" I tripped over my feet again, but quickly caught myself. My face flushed, "Fuck!"

Hawke stopped and looked back at me, "Would you like to stop, Kimmy?"

I nodded, hating the fact that I was slowing everyone down, and I felt as though I was a burden for Hawke and her friends. It was definitely a feeling I hated to have.