Hey look, it's a second chapter posted immediately after the first, at this rate I'll be done in ten minutes! (sarcasm) I'm currently halfway through the third chapter. After that, there will either be two or three others. This will probably be done by Wednesday at latest.

So much Jowan in this. Also: Surana's name starts with a K. I'm far too lazy to make an actual one up, but that's why he calls her Kitty.

Also: In case you haven't noticed yet, I have an aversion to calling characters by their names, instead substituting things that would be their defining characteristic. Going through my old stuff from three years ago, this seems to hold true as well. Maybe I just hate names.


Chapter Two: Brothers and Sisters

As she reached the door, the mage couldn't believe what she was about to do. She almost felt as if it were a dream and she could barely feel the door as she knocked on it. There was a small shuffle from inside the room as the occupant groaned, "Andraste's flaming sword! Give me, like, two minutes!"

Grimacing, she leaned against the wall waiting as she tried to figure out what she was even going to say to him. In all honesty, if she could she would much rather be fighting a thousand darkspawn while someone else talked to Alistair about this, but she had to do it. She knew how he was and he would not even listen to anyone else.

"If my mentor makes me do one more lightning spell, I think I just may throw myself on the nearest templar's sword instead," the teenage apprentice moaned as she sprawled out on her bed, burying her face in the pillow.

"Now come on, Kitty," her best friend smiled, sitting down on the side of the bed, next to her. "You don't really want to give them the pleasure of killing you."

Laughing slightly, she turned on her back and looked up at him. "I don't know, Jowan. Knight-Commander Greagoir might actually die of happiness if I did though."

"Oh I think they all might just throw a party if they actually got to kill one of us," he responded jokingly.

Finally giving into a smile, she sat up facing him. "Maybe not all of them," she mused. "That new one, the young man who got here a week or so ago, seems nice enough. He helped carry some of my books after lessons yesterday."

"Oh, did he now?" Jowan asked, a teasing sort of tone in his voice. "Now I wonder why he'd help a pretty young elven lass like yourself?"

"Oh hush," she scolded, playfully. "It's not like that. He's been nice to everyone I've seen him with so far. Maybe the other templars just haven't gotten to him yet. We should hide him from them."

"Under your covers?" he suggested, feigning innocence.

Still amused, she groaned somewhat dramatically, lightly punching his arm and then laying back down. "You're impossible. I'd sooner have Irving under my covers before I had him." She paused, smiling, and added, "But I'd still have the both of them before I had you."

"Oh, ow, that hurts," he responded wryly. "I think I'm just going to lay here and cry, now." Before she could realize what he was doing, he laid down on top of her stomach, and she made a small "oof" noise from the pressure.

"Mmph, Jowan, get off before you crush me," she ordered in somewhat of whine, "Or somebody sees us and gets the wrong idea."

"What, that you're weaker than I am?" he asked, grinning.

She vainly tried to push him off. "That we're fraternizing," she corrected, groaning.

Just as she said this, another apprentice passed by the bed, and Jowan smiled at her. "Oh hello, Arianna. Miss Surana and I were just fraternizing," he explained, innocently. "Don't tell anyone."

He winked at the confused girl, and the now furiously blushing elf under him finally managed to shove him off of her stomach. Surprised by this, he rolled over on her legs, and she quickly pulled them out from under him and got off the bed.

"You're absolutely ridiculous."

"Okay, you can come in now," Alistair called from inside the room. She opened the door, and the boy grinned at her, apparently over his earlier melancholy, but now somewhat embarrassed as he finished tugging his shirt back on.

Raising an eyebrow, she smiled at him as she entered. "What have we here? Been twirling the pike again, or do you got a girl in here?" she asked smugly. His cheeks and ears turned a bright shade of red as she knelt down to check under the bed. "You under there, Zev?"

Her fellow warden made a noise in disgust. "Oh come on! Even if I did like men, I could do better than Zevran," he defended himself as she stood back up and turned towards him.

"What's wrong with Zevran?" she asked, coyly.

"Other than the fact he was sent to kill us? Well, he's just kind of, I don't know, swooshy," he answered honestly, before realizing what he'd just said and then in a low, insistent voice adding, "I like women."

The mage smirked slightly and sat down on the bed. Blushing again, Alistair rubbed the back of his neck and turned away from her.

"I was just changing out of the my armor," he explained, answering her initial question. "I think I'm going to go head down and catch a drink with Oghren and Wynne before I go to bed for the night. You know, in case I die tomorrow, I want to enjoy tonight."

Hearing that, she frowned and played with her hands. She couldn't go through with this.

"So did you want to tell me something?" he asked obliviously as he sat on the floor and put on his socks.

Inhaling deeply, she looked over at him. "Actually," she replied, nervously. "I need you to do something for me."

Looking over at her, he frowned, "Oh, I'm not going to like this at all, am I?"

"Hello? Is any- Oh Maker, I can't believe it's really you."

Putting away her staff, the mage turned around upon hearing the familiar voice.

"Jowan, you son of a whore!" she grinned, running to the bars of the cell, clasping her fingers over his. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"The same here," he admitted, smiling though somewhat ashamed, "and I certainly didn't expect you to be this glad to see me."

"Of course, I am," she replied, sweetly.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but y-you know this man?" Leliana asked, looking at him very curiously. Zevran leaned against the opposite wall somewhat disinterested.

"He's an old friend of mine from the tower," she explained, turning back to the others. "Alistair, I've told you about him."

Looking over the apostate in the cell, Alistair shrugged. "So this is the guy who got you thrown out of the Circle?"

Jowan frowned, "I did what?"

At that she turned back to him in the cell, and as the initial shock of seeing him wore off, her smile faded and she realized where he was and what that meant. "Oh, Jowan," she whimpered, "How did you end up in here?"

The boy actually fell on the bed laughing. "Oh that's great!" he howled, rolling over with his eyes swelling with tears. "Oh, I can't breathe. You're killing me."

Standing over him, she anxiously stared at her feet as he slowly began to calm down. Her ears were violent red and she cleared her throat quietly. Now nervously chuckling, he sat up and his face grew somewhat horrified. "Wait, you were joking, right?"

"Alistair," she whimpered plaintively, sitting down beside him. "I know it's crazy, but she wouldn't lie to me about this. Please, please consider it. It's the only way to make sure none of us have to die when the archdemon's slain."

"I can't-" he trailed off. "This is insane. I don't want to-"

"Just think abou-"

"No, no, I can't do that. No, no. I can't."

"Please, Ali-"

"No!" he yelled, shocking them both a bit. He looked away, whispering, "Just no."

"Teagan, please," she begged the bann. "Let him go. He already saved Connor. Just say he escap-"

"I'm sorry, my lady," Teagan replied, with a tone sympathetic but terse. He looked over at his dying brother. "I can't let him go. Believe me if I could I would let you, but I just can't do that. "

"But he's not a bad person! The Circle isn't going to just forgive a former apostate," she tried to explain. "They will to sentence him to death! Or tranquility! Please jus-"

"No!" he answered firmly, ending the conversation. "It's not going to happen."

Hurt, the mage lowered her eyes. Her companions stared at her, waiting for her reply. Frustration burning in her cheeks, she finally choked out, "Fine."

"I'm so sorry, madam," he apologized, sincerely understanding.

Exhaling slowly, she stood up straight, a certain manic conviction in her eyes. "Then at least let me kill him. He's not going back to the Circle."

Taken completely aback, the bann stared at her. "I guess I could allow that," he stammered. "Do you really-"

Ignoring him, she turned around, examining the four with her. Leliana and Alistair stood in wordless awe, and Wynne looked distressed for the Warden's judgment as if she were trying to think of something to say to dissuade her, but couldn't find the words. However in the corner stood the Antivan assassin, who had been previously twirling a dagger in utter boredom, now looked somewhat interested in the sudden turn of events.

"Zevran, come with me," she commanded. "I want you there with me in case I can't bring myself to finish it."

"As you wish," he shrugged and sheathed his dagger. He looked up, smiling, "This should be promising."

The two began to leave, but as the mage passed by the others, she felt someone grabbing her arm. She turned to see the Orlesian, holding her back.

"Don't do this," she begged. "You'll regret it if you do. I know you will."

"Stay out of my way Leliana," The Warden snapped, harshly yanking her arm free. Frightened, the bard shrunk away from her, and for a split second, the mage felt guilty for that action, but she continued on nonetheless to meet a Zevran, now waiting outside the door.

With the Antivan cheerily whistling as they did, the pair made their way down to the dungeon. Reaching the cell, the Warden looked inside to see her old friend asleep on the floor.

"I'll let you handle this for now," Zevran told her as he backed away to lean, against the wall until he was needed. She nodded and stepped towards the cell, placing her hands on the bars.

"Jowan!" she called out in hushed whisper. "Jowan, wake up! Jowan!"

Curiously, Zevran raised an eyebrow, and the mage sighed in irritation. She grabbed a dagger from her belt and hit it against the bars, sounding a large metal clang.

The prisoner immediately awoke and scurried to his feet. "What's going on?" he looked out at the other side of the bars. "Kitty? What are you doing here?"

"I'm busting you out," she explained quietly, turning back to Zevran. "Pick the lock."

"Oh-ho-ho, so that's what you had planned," he grinned, stepping forward. "You are the sly one. Even I was wondering where exactly you were going with that."

It took a second for the apostate to realize what she had said. "You're going to what?" he asked, incredulously, stepping towards the cell door.

She shushed him and looked around for anyone who may have heard him. Kneeling down Zevran began to pick the lock.

"I'm going to break you out," she repeated, still whispering. "They're going to send you back to the Circle when the arl recovers. I'm not going to let that happen. So I told them I came down here to kill you, but instead I'm helping you escape."

"Are you crazy?" Jowan argued, quietly. "I'm not letting you take the fall for me again, Kitty."

Pursing his lips, Zevran paused from his lock-picking and looked up at her, "Kitty?"

"Get back to work," she hissed at him, and turned back to her friend. "I'm not going to let them take you away. Jowan, what if they make you tranquil?"

"Than that's what I'll get," he sighed, leaning against the cell wall. "I'm done running. It's time I take responsibility for my actions, even if it means tranquility, or even death."

"But-" she began.

"No, Kitty. That's final," Jowan interrupted her, before looking down at the man still messing with the lock. "Hey, you. Zevran, was it?"

"That would be me," the assassin nodded cordially. "At your service."

"Even if you get that unlocked, I'm not going anywhere," the apostate told him, "Unless of course, Kitty here thinks it's a good idea to kidnap me. So would you mind giving us a moment alone?"

Stopping, he looked up at the Grey Warden for some sort of confirmation. With a defeated sigh, she replied, "Yeah, it's okay. You can go."

Shrugging, he stood up and began to leave. "You always tell me to go just when it starts getting interesting," he commented casually. "It's like you secretly want me to miss out on all the fun."

As soon as he left, Jowan smiled, "Do you remember that time, when we just old enough to start doing minor spells, and I set those really old books from the library on fire?"

"Of course, we were scrubbing the floors as punishment for a month," she replied plainly. "What about it?"

"That's exactly it," he sighed. "I set the books on fire, but you told the adults that you did it too. Kitty, since we were children, my mistakes have been affecting your life, and I'm not going to let you drag yourself down with me any longer."

"But Jowan-"

"No, listen, say you do break me out, then what?" he asked. "Obviously, the authorities don't want me free, since you had to lie about your intentions, and if you continued to lie to them and said you killed me, how would you explain the lack of body?"

"Magic," she suggested, weakly.

He shook his head. "Kitty, I love you, and that's why I can't let you continue to cover for me. You have to let me go. All I want is to make up for what I did. Even if it means death."

Tears welled in her eyes as he said this, and she whispered, "But I don't want to lose you again."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," Alistair finally sighed after several moments of silence. "This just-"

"I understand," she said, blankly staring off into space. "I shouldn't have asked you in the first place. It was selfish of me to even consider it."

"It's not selfish," he sighed. "If Riordan fails, as senior Grey Warden, I'll take his place."

"No," she stated firmly, though still staring into space. "This country needs a king. They need you, Alistair, and I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself."

She stood up as if to end the conversation and headed towards the door.

"Wait," he called. She stopped. He bowed his head and told her, "Tell Morrigan, tell her I'll think about it. I'll have her answer within the hour." He looked up at her. "I just need some time."

With tears in her eyes, the mage turned and looked back at him, barely able to mouth, "Thank you."


Ending Notes: God Warden, stop angsting all over the place. Don't you have some darkspawn to kill?

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