Part Two
Chapter Two
No Safe Haven Here

"Wake up gentlemen! More travelers to attend to! Led by an elf of all things!"

Aerianes and her party had finally arrived at the outskirts of Lothering, the town north of Ostagar and the Wilds. They had thankfully travelled all morning without any threat from the darkspawn or bandits on the journey, and the day was now falling upon the early afternoon. Their bellies were growling in protest, begging the group to stop and nourish themselves. They had pressed on, nonetheless, determined to make it to Lothering before dusk; and now they stood before four armed men blocking not only the entrance to the town, but the Imperial Highway as well - the safest way to travel about Ferelden.

"Err..." one of the men stammered, his voice slurred and his words slow. "They don't look much like them others you know. Uh...maybe we should just let them pass?"

The man who stood in front - their leader, no doubt - brushed off his companions words like batting away a pesky fly. He sniggered. "Nonsense! Greetings travelers!" he welcomed with an all too cheerful tone. Aerianes didn't like it, especially when they saw the fresh blood dripping from one of their caravans.

"Highway men," Alistair said to the two women under his breath. "Preying on those fleeing the darkspawn, I suppose."

Morrigan clucked her tongue. "They are fools to get in our way." She looked down at the elf and grinned. "I say we teach them a lesson."

The leader of the thieves shook his head. "Now is that any way to great someone?" he asked. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. A simple ten silvers and you're free to move on."

Aerianes glared at the man, disgusted by these shemlens benefiting from the plight of the land. Now these were the humans she knew and hated. Her steely eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. "You should listen to your friend," she warned. "We are not refugees."

The dimwitted human nudged his friend. "What did I tell you? One horse, no wagons. And they looked armed!"

The leader rolled his eyes. "The toll applies to everyone, Hanric," he replied, winking at the three other men. "That's why it's a toll and not, say, a refugee tax."

"Oh, right!" The dimwit looked at the four warriors and grinned. "Even if you're no refugees, you still gotta pay!"

Aerianes snorted. "Forget it. We're not paying."

The leader shook his head, obviously amused that an elf would defy a human so openly, regardless of her traveling companions. "Well, I can't say I'm pleased to hear that. We have rules you know."

"Right. We get to ransack your corpse then. Those are the rules!" the slow one shouted.

Aerianes gripped the hilts of her daggers, glaring at them, challenging them. "You shems can certainly try."

"Well, this is going nowhere," the head thief sighed. He drew his sword and glared back at the elf. "Let's finish this gents!"

With those words, Aerianes and her party had their weapons bared, as did their enemies. Morrigan began chanting her spells as Aerianes and Alistair held the thieves back. One of the men was an archer, and he immediately put distance between himself and the fight and knocked an arrow. Alistair stopped it with his shield only to have another one heading their way afterwards. This archer was skilled.

Daugion howled and pounced onto one of their attackers, mauling him and trying to get at the man's throat. The human cried out for help, but was only greeted by snarling teeth in his face and the spittle of Mabari drool on his skin. The hound ripped at the armor, but lost its footing as the human got his leg under the beasts belly, hoisting it over his head. Daugion yelped as he hit the stone ground. He quickly gained his feet however, and was after the thief again.

Alistair had his hands full with the leader pelting him with his own sword and shield and having arrows flying towards him. He crouched down, trying to get the leader's body in front of the arrows trajectory, but was not having much luck. The man sneered at the templar and shoved him to the ground. Alistair landed on his back with a loud thump and had only half a second to get out of the incoming blades way.

Morrigan threw out a fireball, charring the attackers face and sending him to the ground. It gave Aerianes all the distraction she needed. She quickly sheathed one of her blades and dodged out of her assailants view as he became distracted by the flare and heat of the fire. She sprinted towards the archer, dagger pointed behind her and kept close to her body. He saw her and readied another attack.

Aerianes watched him pull the bow back and just before he released, she dodged out of the way, making the archer miss by a fair distance. He cursed and fumbled for another arrow, but it was too late. Before he even felt the feathers tickle his fingertips, Aerianes had her dagger dug into his throat so deep it ripped through his spine and came out below the back of his head. He began to fall to the ground and the elf was able to slip his quiver from his shoulder to hers in one swift motion. She grabbed the bow from his lifeless fingers and raced back towards her companions, stumbling slightly due to her overweighted weaponry.

Alistair had finally one upped the leader and had him on the ground, sword grazing the fine skin of the man's adam's apple. Daugion had successfully torn out his targets jugular and stood proudly over the bloody corpse, his tail wagging. Morrigan had the other thief in a choke hold with her staff, her hand placed on his head. Her lips were moving.

"All right! We surrender!" the man yelled, trying to shrink away from Alistair's blade. "We-we were just trying to get by! You know, before the darkspawn get us all!"

Alistair scoffed. "Get by? You're a criminal!"

"Yes! I'm a criminal!" the man pleaded. "I admit it! I apologize."

Aerianes stood next to Alistair and the two exchanged a glance. She could tell he wanted to at least turn these thieves in, but she just couldn't show that kind of mercy to shems who robbed from others; be it their own kind or not. She shook her head at him and he frowned, obviously unpleased with her decision.

"The start running," she said, glaring down at the man. "And don't turn back."

"Bless you!" the man laughed at his and his companions fortune. "The darkspawn can have this place!"

As he staggered to his feet, Morrigan finally released his friend. The two began to run down the highway, tripping over their own feet.

"I can't believe you!" Alistair exclaimed at the elf. "You can just let them go? After all they've done? They're not going to stop, you know!"

She shot him a look that shut his mouth quickly. In the blink of an eye, she turned, drew an arrow and released it. The projectile lodged itself deep into the leader's back, making him fall face down into the dirt. He wouldn't be tasting it.

"Ah..." Alistair replied, blushing. "Well...what about the other o-"

A small explosion was heard in the distance and the two Wardens looked back to where the other thief had been running. He was no longer there. Although, from a distance, it looked as though he had just dropped a bucket full of red paint and animal parts all over the roadway. Morrigan was grinning and she turned back to them, placing her staff back in its sling.

"Morrigan..." Aerianes breathed. "What did you-?"

She shrugged. "Well, we can't let scum like that just walk away can we? I was unsure as to whether or not you would stop them yourself, so I...shall I say, insured they would no longer be a menace? I am pleased to see you are not as soft as your fellow Warden here."

The man's face reddened to a deep crimson.

"Okay, okay," the elf soothed, grabbing Alistair's arm and leading him away from the woman. "Let's just breath here. Now," she walked with Alistair over to the caravan where the corpse the thieves had slain lay. "Let's have a look at this unfortunate soul."

She dug into his pockets, searching for any remnant of who the man was in life. He wore heavy armor donned with silver etchings of a sword on the chest plate. Over his greaves, the same design was draped in purple and red cloth that wrapped around his waist. The armor was quite formal for just an adventurer. Aerianes prodded at the man until her hands wrapped around a scroll in his pocket.

"He looks to be a man of duty," Morrigan suggested, looking into the abandoned cart. "A templar, to be more precise. Perhaps it is another one of Alistair's unfortunate companions."

Aerianes shot her a look, annoyed at her continued jabs at Alistair. "Stop it," she mouthed. Morrigan's humor was quickly wearing thin on the elf's patience. She opened the scroll and grazed over the letter. It talked of some sort of urn that was a supposed myth. Apparently this templar had been looking for the thing. Aerianes furrowed her brow, wondering if she had ever heard of such a thing in the elven lore. She had not.

"What's this?" Morrigan asked, reaching past the elf and tearing a chain from around the man's neck. She dangled a pendant that was shaped like a heart. When Morrigan opened it, it revealed a picture of a beautiful brown haired woman smiling back at them.

"Perhaps this was his wife..." Aerianes trailed, inspecting the jewelry herself. She felt the small pang of guilt as she thought of Tamlen. Her face dropped and her eyes misted over, but she quickly rubbed her face and put those thoughts away. She could not allow her emotions to interfere at a time like this. She looked over at her companions. "We should return this to someone...anyone. Perhaps he had friends or colleagues in Lothering."

Daugion barked and Aerianes turned sharply. The Mabari was dancing about on the spot he stood, whining as he looked ahead of the women. It was Alistair that he was whimpering about. He had continued on ahead, almost vanishing from sight as he walked down a set of stairs.

"Alistair!" Aerianes called. She ran after him and whistled for Daugion to follow. Morrigan followed behind, far more slowly.

"Well, there it is," Alistair said once Aerianes had caught up. He was leaning over the stone bannister and looking outward towards the buildings beyond the highway. "Lothering; pretty as a painting."

"Ah, so you've finally decided to rejoin us, have you?" Morrigan mused, despite Aerianes' warning look. "Falling on your blade in grief seemed like too much trouble, I take it?"

The man had finally had enough and raised his voice at her. "Is my being upset so hard to understand? Have you never lost someone important to you? Just what would you do if your mother died?"

Morrigan sneered. "Before, or after I stopped laughing?"

"Right. Very creepy. Forget I asked." Alistair sighed.

"You have been very quiet, Alistair," Aerianes offered, hoping that now he might finally vent and get his anger out of his system. He looked at her and gave a weak little smile. She was grateful for at least that much.

"Yes, I know. I was just...thinking."

"No wonder it took so long then!"

'Way to ruin the moment, Morrigan.'

"Oh, I get it. This is the part where we're shocked to discover how you've never had a friend your entire life, right?" Alistair tested, his anger flaring up at Morrigan.

She frowned. "I can be friendly when I desire to! Alas, desiring to more intelligent does not make it so! And if you think-"

"Stop it! Please!" Aerianes begged, finally stepping between the two, her hands pushing them apart. This was starting to become much more trouble than it was worth. She suddenly wished there were more traveling with them to divert the conversations.

Alistair saw the elf's anxiousness and backed down. He took a few deep breaths and slowly, his heart rate returned to normal. He turned away from Morrigan, trying to keep the woman out of his peripheral and spoke to Aerianes only.

"Anyway," he began. "I thought we should talk about where we intend to go first."

Aerianes had thought about this. Of course her first instinct was to return home to her clan. She was sure the keeper would have words for her to follow on and help her along her path. Of course, that was impossible now. The elf knew that eventually she would have to sever the tie that bound her to the Dalish if she were to ever become a true Grey Warden. Since they required help from all races in times of trouble, she was sure that the order was quite respectable of her race and others. If the humans could be accepting to her, she would be just so as well.

"We should try and use these treaties, I assume?" she asked.

He nodded. "I agree. Have you looked at them?"

"No," she replied. "Not yet."

"There are three main groups that we have treaties for," Alistair explained. "the Dalish elves, the dwarves of Orzammar, and the Circle of Magi. I also think that Arl Eamon is our best bet for help. We might even want to go to him first."

Aerianes agreed. It seemed that Alistair had some sort of tie with this Eamon shem...man. If he was an arl as well, then perhaps they could have support from some of the neighboring armies. She thought about others whom she might know who could possibly help them, but no one other than her clan came to mind.

"Then we need to find these people," she concluded. "But my clan has already fled north. We won't find them."

"There must be other Dalish in Ferelden. In fact, I'm sure of it." He smiled at her, delighted that she was embracing his ideas. A part of him was glad of her semi-acceptance of him; although he could sometimes sense the elven hatred in her towards his kind. "If we head eastward towards the Brecilian forest, we should hear word of one of the clans rumored to wander the area. Hopefully, they will still be there."

"Where do we find Eamon?"

"He'll be at Castle Redcliffe in the far western part of Ferelden, next to the mountain passes. If he isn't there," Alistair paused and thought for a moment. "Someone will be able to tell us where he is. So...do you have a plan?"

She was surprised by his question. She looked up at him, questioning his eager look. Again, she wondered why her senior was asking her for direction. It was a foreign concept to her to be the leader of...well anything. In the clan, the keeper and the elders were the ones who lead the camp. In the hunt, it was the more experienced hunters and warriors who strategized and led the way. She had experience, of course; but she was no army commander.

"Why are you leaving this up to me?" she asked.

"Well I don't know where to go!" Alistair exclaimed, exasperated at their discussion. He liked to be heard...some of the time. Mostly, however, he was a follower. He followed Duncan to the Grey Wardens, he followed the king's orders, he followed Eamon's instructions when...

'Best to leave that buried,' he thought to himself.

"Now that is unsurprising!" Morrigan finally said, breaking the silence.

Alistair glared at her. "Look, the arl is a good man, but I don't know for sure he's where we should go." He turned his eyes back on Aerianes and was sincere with his words. "I'm not going to fight about it."

Aerianes considered his words. It was uncommon for so many decisions to be left in her hands. The possibilities and the time in which to do everything was overwhelming her. She felt as thought the Blight was knocking on their front door and she had barely skinned the deer hide for dinner! She needed more guidance. She needed more confidence.

"What do you think we should do, Morrigan?"

The witch stepped forwards to Aerianes and spoke. "Go after your enemy directly. Find this man Loghain and kill him." She was so matter-of-fact; as though the life of others meant nothing to her. Perhaps it was not far from the truth. "The rest of this business with the treaties can then be done in safety."

"Yes," Alistair said, his voice oozing with the expected sarcasm. "He certainly wouldn't see that coming! And it's not like he has the advantage of an army and experience and-"

She cut him off right there, her voice raised, ready to fight with him again. "I was asked to give my opinion, and I gave it! If your wish is to come up with reasons why something cannot be done, we will stand here until the darkspawn are upon us!"

Aerianes rubbed her head and sighed. Suddenly it was killing her. Daugion gently licked her hand to calm her and she smiled down at him wearily. The elf was so tired of hearing them bicker back and forth, she might have to kill one while they slept. The question that troubled her was...which one?

"Let's just get going," she breathed, sapped of her strength and patience. She ventured down the stone steps and took in their surroundings. Outside the fences of the town, tents had been propped and set up, masses of humans walking about with their children, parents, and pets. They sat around fires, cooking and talking; the children played with each other; and many of their sick or dead lay on or under white sheets off to the sides of the camp. It broke the elf's heart when she saw the tiny bodies that the linen covered.

"Move on if you can. Lothering's lost."

The soldier, dressed the same as the corpse on the highway, stood before them. He was just inside the fences of the town as Aerianes and the others approached, and he did not seem pleased that more travelers were entering the area.

"What do you mean?" Aerianes asked, concerned still for the wounded and sick on the outskirts.

"We've had refugees streaming from the south for the last two days," he explained. "The chantry and tavern are full to bursting. There simply isn't enough food to go around, and we templars can barely keep order. You'd be better off elsewhere, my friend."

"Thanks for the warning," she replied, but was not intending to take the templar's warnings to heart. They couldn't afford to just 'move on' yet. Their supplies were dwindling as it was, and they needed to rest in an actual bed, take an actual bath; Aerianes could practically feel the grime and dirt crawling on her skin.

They walked past the guard and she stretched. It did feel good to be around civilization again, even if it was only humans. It was a slow process, but she was learning that some of the shems in Ferelden were not as bad as the elders would have her think. She supposed she was lucky to be traveling with those who valued her for her skills and not for the shape of her ears.

"So, what is the plan?" Alistair asked, following suit with the elf's actions. "I suppose we should restock our supplies and take a good night's rest?"

Aerianes nodded. "My thoughts exactly. It looks like the Inn is just beside that bridge. We can get at least a good meal in our bellies and a mattress to sleep on. That would be nice, if only for one night."

"Ah!"

The Wardens turned to see Morrigan rummaging through her packs frantically, the horse she brought whinnied and shifted its stance nervously. The witch eventually stopped her desperate search and turned to Daugion, anger plastered across her face.

"You ate my entire bag of herbs, you foolish do! Do not think I am unaware of where it went!"

Daugion pawed at the ground and whined, his head lowered to the ground. Aerianes grinned at the scene.

"'Tis your own fault for being so entirely gluttonous," Morrigan continued, ignoring the apologetic whimpers coming from the hound. "Several of those herbs were poisonous. You should be pleased they did not kill you."

To this, Daugion barked and jumped up with new found energy. He looked as if he was grinning at Morrigan, his stubbed tail wagging.

"Do not be ridiculous! I am certainly not going to give you more," she peeked into the large pouch again and huffed. "Even if I did have more to give! Ugh! You have some nerve, creature. And your breath leaves much to be desired!" She looked down at the dog and raised her arms to shoo him away. "Off you go!"

He whined again, clearly upset that Morrigan did not accept his apology and he slowly approached her. He nudged her hand with his head and looked up at her with big puppy dog eyes. Despite his size and nature, Daugion looked too adorable to be mad at. Even Morrigan softened slightly at the sight of him.

"We shall see," she finally answered, crossing her arms. "I promise nothing!"

Aerianes laughed to herself and Daugion came back to her, waiting for her approval. She kneeled to the ground and ran her hands over his furry head. He nuzzled hers in response, giving the side of her cheek a lick. She finally laughed aloud and Daugion barked happily.

Alistair cocked an eyebrow and scratched his head. "Just how smart are the mabari supposed to be, anyway? Do you think they understand everything we say?"

Aerianes and Daugion turned to the man and looked up at him. Daugion barked at him in response, making the elf grin broadly.

"Oh, is that so?" he asked. "You could just be listening to the tone of my voice. You could be an utter moron, for all we know."

Aerianes frowned and glared at him. Daugion growled, flattening his ears and tensing up.

Alistair raised his hands in defense, clearly surprised by the reaction from both parties. "Hey now! There's nothing saying that a moron can't be cute and adorable!" He bent down as the hound stopped growling, and Alistair rubbed its head and scratched behind its ears. "Who a cute and adorable puppy?"

Daugion liked this and barked, content once again.

The Warden sighed and looked at Aerianes, who was smirking uncontrollably. She supposed there were certain morons who could be cute. Not quite adorable, but cute nonetheless.

"Ignorance is bliss," Alistair said to her, smiling. "That's what the Chantry kept telling me, anyhow."

"Well," Morrigan sighed, tapping her foot. "Now that we're all one big happy family again, shall we continue to the Inn? 'Tis dawning on dinner time and we have yet to even enjoy a lunch."

They nodded at her and Aerianes dug in her pockets and small pouches on her armor. She frowned and looked at them, a surge of embarrassment reddening her face.

"Um...How much coin do we happen to have, exactly? I never took any when I left the clan."

Morrigan frowned. "Well don't look at me. I was fortunate enough to leave mother's shack with what little supplies I had in tow. No thanks to your mongrel, those supplies are now vastly... depleting."

Daugion barked.

"Ah, yes," Alistair said, hands digging into his pouches. "Any money I would have had would be..." he thought for a moment and suddenly stopped searching his armor. He grinned stupidly, his face flushing. "Yep, in the Grey Warden's cache at Ostagar."

Aerianes' mouth dropped open. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Here they were, warriors out to stop the Blight, and none of them had even a copper to share. It was unbelievable. She sighed. If only she had remembered the gold from her clan, the gold that was rightfully hers, perhaps they would have been in a much better position.

"So, you're telling me that we are three travelers without a single silver to spend?" She shook her head and laughed. "I can't believe this. Now what do we do? We're starving, tired, and I don't know about you two, but I could definitely use a drink."

Morrigan frowned. "Calm down, calm down. 'Tis unlikely that there are no...opportunities to gain a little fortune on our travels. Perhaps if we were to find some people-"

"Oh no," Alistair interrupted, frowning at Morrigan. "Absolutely not! We are not stealing or killing anyone for their money!"

She glared fiercely at the man. "I was going to suggest gold four our labors, you mindless oaf!"

"Okay, okay!" Aerianes interrupted, again finding herself to be the peacekeeper and still wishing for someone to share the job with her. "Let's just...go to the Inn and figure it out from there, shall we?"

Grudgingly, the two companions nodded and they made their way to the large building. Alistair and Morrigan continued to bicker back and forth relentlessly and the elf wished there could be some sort of diversion to stop the arguing.

Little did she know that her wish was about to be granted.