Lyna dug into her bag to find the old leather armour that smelled not of city smog and blood, but the wild, untainted forest. The armour she had worn as a young woman, just starting out, when choice had been stolen from her. Not that she could complain. She would have become a warden even if it wasn't necissary for her year had been the best she ever had, just her, a group of good friends and an unaccomplishable the future didn't matter, because none of them were sure that they would even get one, but that made living in the moment all the easier. And it all seemed to go downhill from there. She wasn't allowed ot have fun anymore, because she had to run the wardens, and that left no time for fun. She was the hardened, fearless leader who never acted anything but stern and proud. No more hunting Shems with Tamlen, or drinking with Zeveran, only to ask Alistair to make sure he didn't take advantage of said drunkeness. No more stories from Liliana, because Commanders didn't have time for stories. No more crude jokes with Ogrhen, or debates with Morrigan. No more trying to coax Sten out of his shell and get him to have a real conversation. This was the closest she'd been to letting loose in ten years, and as soon as the first of her merry band of misfits arrived, she'd have to go back.

These thoughts were slowly draining enthusiasm from her on the walk to the place where Fenris had told her the clan resided. She didn't know why the clan had stayed this long, especialy this close to a Shem city. But she didn't care when she realized just what clan this was. Not any clan, though she would have been happy with it. No, this was her clan. She ran into the clearing, right past astounded young hunters who she remembered being young teenagers when she left.

"Keeper!" Like a young child she wrapped the elderly woman in a tight hug, taking her by suprise, as well as everyone else.

"Lyna, child, is that really you?" The keeper asked.

"Yes, Keeper! I had no idea you were here, I mean they told me there was a clan but..." She trailed off when the keeper scowled at her exposed middle.

"You aren't dead, child, but you have had hardships." She realized the keeper was referring to the tangle of various scars that made up the majority of her body now. From assasins to ogres, they had all gotten a swipe or a stab in, and it showed. Most of them were obtained before Wynne, as that woman could make it like a wound never even happened.

"But so had everyone else. I fought an archdemon and came out alive, so I say I'm lucky."She smiled, trying to make the mood light again. It worked, with everyone else embracing her.

She met the new children, and noticed that a few faces were absent. Pol and Merril, two old freinds. She thought Merril had been moved to a different clan, as keepers often were, but she knew that Pol was dead. Poor guy. He was always struggling with a human upbringing, and all he wanted was to fit in.

"So what clan was Merril moved to, I don't see her around." She asked, and the keeper just looked sad.

"She had left for the city. She wanted to stay with our fallen family."The elder answered, and Lyna nodded. She planned ot pay the little mage girl a visit when she got back.

She ended up telling the stories of each of her scars to the children, all of them listening with open intrigue. She told the craftmaster that he might consider armour that covered everything, as it was much more effective. He just joke that the current way he made armour keot the male hunters motivated. She was happy, and a true smile was plastered on her face so long it hurt. But this was Lyna we were talking about, and her happiness was cursed by some cosmic force, and could never stay long. She felt the tingling in the back of her head, telling her that the beasts were on their way.

"Keeper, I need everyone to hide. Darspawn are on there way." She said suddenly, in the middle of her story of a battle in the deeproads. The children got scared and were practicaly fighting over who got to cower behind her skirts.

" What? Here? Well, everyone get into a defensive position."

"No,Keeper, I need everyone to hide. That is including you and the hunters. I want their sole attention."

"You want to fight them alone?"

"I've been fighting them for eleven years, keeper. Please trust me to know how to beat them. Let me do my job." She said, and the keeper nodded. She thanked her and ran to the path up the mountain right as the darkspawn were running down. She kept her momentum up to jump onto the wall and repel herself into the ogre that was charging down the mountain. Her blade dug into it's eye socket, and into it's brain. It fell down, crushing several of it's comrades. This really was a huge group, especialy to have just randomly stumbled in. It would have massacred the clan, who was used to fighting things like bears and wolves. They didn't know that you had to use their childish attention spans to your advatage. She ceartainly hadn't, only staying alive in the beggining because Alistair had kept them away from her while she rained arrows from above. She hadn't actualy picked up doul weopons in serious sense until she ventured into the deep roads the first time and found that they were in fact fairly cramped, making archery difficult.

She got that attention as she felled their leader, and then she went for the magic user in the back, knowing that if he actualy got off that death cloud, it would take out most of the clan. She could hold her breath for long enough to move out of the way, but they had no such practise. She weaved in and out of the group, doing well even thoug she was beggining ot get a bit winded. She felt the blade aimed at her back, and was already moving to where it would barely graze her side. She cursed as she watched one of the younger hunters fire his arrow, but she couldn't stop it, or the chaos that followed as they realized she wasn't the only one in the clearing.

The darkspawn charged past her, and the arrows started flying, as well as spells from the keeper. She killed as many as she could, but still about a dozen made it to where the children were hiding. She jumped to their defense, not able to block all the blows with her blades, so she stopped one of them with her stomach. She fell to the ground, but was quick to scuttle away from the children, as arrows took them down. She struggled up, knwing the rusty darspawn dagger hadn't hit anything she hadn't survived ahd even met a man who could stop himself from bleeding, and had learned to nearly acheive this herself, making serious wounds less, well, serious.

"Why didn't you listen to me?"She demanded of the overzealous man who had fired the first arrow.

"I was trying to save you. There was no way you could have handled that on your own." He said defiantly. She grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the stone wall.

"And now people are hurt, you idiot. I could have handled them. I have fouight groups twice that size, and either way, you were given an order!" She shouted, wincing at the pain in her stomach.

"You know we do what we feel necissary here, or have you become more like the shems than your own people?" He spat back.

"At least a Shem would have done as told by the people who know a hell of a lot better than him, and wouldn't have caused this!" She closed her hand around his throat, cutting off any response he had planned. There was a young boy, barely a teenager dead on the floor, looking up in fear, as well as several dead hunters.

"Child, he was trying to protect his family, as we all do. He has learned from his mistake."

"That attitide will get you all killed one day, keeper." She said, putting the young man down regardless.

"You had that attitude, once." She said, casting a healing spell on Lyna's wound.

"And look where it got me. No, look where it got Tamlen. You still have no idea what happened to him, do you?" She said, holding back most of her venom out of respect. "He became one of them. He came to my camp, and he was barely himself. His last words were begging for death, and I gave it to him. I had to kill my best friend, because I had that attitude. If I was who I am today, we'd both still be here." She walked off, covered in the black blood of the tained beasts. And her own blood, though you couldn't tell the difference.


She walked into the house with a new scar, but her wound was healed, and she'd washed off most of the blood. Fenris was waiting, and drinking, in the foyer, and looked at her oddly. He must have expected her in a good mood after visiting her own people, but she came in stomping and scowling.

"It didn't go well, I assume?"

"Shit! I forgot to ask them for help!" She said, as she realized she had waisted the entire day.

"So what was it you did up there all day?"

"Well, it turns out that's my clan, or at least the one I grew up in. We have... irreconsilable differences now." She thought of how to put it, and Fenris didn't probe furthur. He knew better than most about a past you didn't want to divulge.

"You need a drink." He said, handing her the bottle. Usualy she would get a glass, or jsut refuse, but not tonight. She took a deep drink of the cheep beverage, a small drop sliding from the corner of her mouth. She put the bottle down, swallowed and wiped it away.

"Thank you. By the way, how does steak sound for dinner?"

"Expensive." He said, looking at her strangly. She grinned and went into the kitchen.

He would never admit it, but he watched her leave. How could anyone resist, though? An attractive woman living in his home was walkling around in such reveiling clothing, and he was expected not to take advantage? He was broody, not dead. He was still a male, and men have only so much willpower in reserve. Sure she had scars, but look at him. At least hers didn't glow, though he suspected that she would think it cool if they did. She was odd like that. Most were scared, or at least put off by his lyrium scars. She didn't even seem to factor them in, though. She saw him as a person, not a slave, or even an ex-slave, like most, or a conveniently skilled hand like Hawke. He found himself growing attached to her, though he knew she would be gone as soon as her mission was complete. Back to Ferelden and out of his reach.

But hearts, even underused ones like his, rarley listened to logic, and he felt his beating in an unfamiliar way nonetheless.


After dinner, Lyna sat alone in her room. She had been reunited with her family only to discover she was no longer one of them. They heald no comfort for her, or even joy in their company. She was so different, she wasn't even dalish anymore. She had never felt so alone in her life, and probably never would. Wardens died of the taint, and she knew her time was soon. She knew before she came here. Her dreams were already worsening, to the point where she rarely slept. This evening, she had found the last sign. Black blood, telling her she was practicaly one of them already. She should have went to Orzamar instead of Kirkwall, but she couldn't abandon everyone when they needed her the most. And now she was paying for it. She was getting cramps, and general aching from her body trying to figure out what was going on. When it figured out, she would begin coughing up blood, as her body tried to rid itself of the taint, but it would be through her entire being at that point. She would continue to cough up blood until she either lost too much or became a ghoul. She knew exactly what would happen, and she knew that it would happen before the attakc on the city, if the situation at the keep was anything to go on. She had to find a successor, and fast. If not, the city would fall.


And the end of chapter 3! I hope you guys enjoyed, and will reveiw!