Thanks to all those you have reveiwed and a bigger thanks to those who have put this on alert or even as a favourite. It really made me fell quite happy.

To Lijia who commented about Zevran's eyes... I know that many have described him as haaving amber eyes but for some reason I have always pictured him in my mind with green eyes. And, as I have already mentioned, I have leant my copy of DA to a friend and so can't really check what colour his eyes actually are. I do remember though that a lot of the character's eyes were simply black. Anyway, if anyone can confirm that they are definately amber I will change it in this story. But of course, you picture him how you want and the other characters how you want. In the end I can only guide what the image is.

This chapter I have given a better description of Kaide, as requested.

Finally, if you have this on alert and you've been told that I've posted up about a million new chapters sorry about that. I'm a newbie member and couldn't work out how to use the document manager right so I had chapters in the wrong order and repeated chapters.... ughh... it was ugly... Anyway, I think I've fixed it up now, if it's still wierd let me know and I'll try again.

Enjoy. :)

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Chapter Four

"I will take these from you today but I won't be taking any more of your goods after this I'm afraid," said Etra from the other side of the wooden counter. "I fear the guards are starting to grow suspicious. They've been asking questions they 'ave," said the aging woman.

Etra leaned further over the counter as far as her short stout body would allow. "Listen Kaide," she said barely above a whisper. "The guards are everywhere looking for you."

"I know I've seen them," interrupted Kaide.

"Listen, my friend," continued the merchant. "They've been asking others questions too, especially around the docks I hear. You should not stay here. If they catch you the Arl will give you a punishment so severe that I fear you will be begging for death before the end when they finally do kill you."

She paused for a moment before continuing, an awkward silence filled the room. "I fear for you, I do. We've been friends for quite a few years and I have protected you in the past for what you have done for me but I can't any longer. My sister is with child now and I fear the guards will harm her for information if they must and I just can't let that happen, Kaide. I just can't." Etra was beginning to panic.

"Shh Etra, it will not come to that I promise," Replied Kaide as soothingly as she could whilst grasping her clammy hand in her own. "I have already decided to leave. To linger here any longer would just be foolish. Once the Arl realises I have gone things will return back to normal I swear."

Etra looked up at her and just nodded before moving away towards the door at the back of the store.

"Just wait a moment there and I will go and fetch your gold," said Etra.

"Thank you," replied Kaide as she began to busy herself by looking around at the woman's wares. Her eye was quite by a small finely made dagger resting on one of the shelves. She walked over to it to inspect it more closely. Something seemed vaguely familiar about it.

Of course, she thought to herself as she picked it up. This is almost exactly the same as the dagger that elf had pressed to neck just on my way here.

As she turned the blade over in her hand her curiosity about the knife and the strange elf that was able to sneak up on her rapidly grew. When Etra returned carrying a small bag of gold she was still inspecting the knife.

"Etra?" she asked as the lady walked over to her.

"Yes?" she replied.

"What can you tell me about the origin of this knife?"

"Oh well, I'm pretty sure it is one of those Crow daggers, you know, those assassins in Antiva. They use them, I think," remarked Etra.

"Oh," said Kaide slightly surprised. "Thanks."

Kaide knew the Crows before she came to Denerim when she had lived in Antiva for a few years. She knew what their reputation was like which was why she avoided them as best as she could. There were much easier places to loot some gold from the Crows. To steal from the Crows would be equivalent to signing your own contract and becoming their next target. Which is also why she had avoided staying in Antiva City for any length of time too.

"My pleasure," said the shop keeper. "Now, here is your gold," she said whilst passing Kaide the bag in her hands. Kaide took the back whilst placing the knife back on the shelf.

"Thanks," said Kaide. "The jewels are on the counter. I put them back in that pouch there." She said whilst gesturing to the counter they had been previously standing at.

It makes sense now, Kaide thought. How could anyone but a Crow assassin be able to sneak up on me like that? That elf – Zevran as his companions had called him – must be an assassin from the Antivan Crows, or at least was. That would also explain the accent. It is strange though as to why he is travelling with those others. They clearly were not from the Crows.

"Thank you Kaide, for all you have done for me and my family over the years. Ever since your mother, sister and yourself came to that village to the north you have been forever good to me despite your hardships. May your road be forever safe."

"And yours dear Etra. Take care. "

"May I ask as to where you will now go?" the merchant inquired.

"I honestly don't know where yet. Olais I think. I might check on my investment up there," replied Kaide with a smile.

"I thought you weren't going back there until you decided to settle," Etra queried whilst walking back over to the counter. She picked up the pouch on the bench and placed them in the folds of her simple dress.

"Oh I wasn't, but you never know. I suppose I'll go wherever the road takes me in the end," said Kaide whilst shifting her weight to the other foot.

"Fair enough. Just make sure that the next time you stop in Denerim that you pay me a visit, okay?"

"Of course Etra. But now I fear I must go, I'd like to leave the city before night fall. Fair well my old friend."

"Fare well Kaide," she replied as Kaide stepped out into the street. The sun had now almost set, leaving the last of the day's sun to linger and fade. Now, all she needed to do was get out of the city. She had her small amount of possessions she had in a dark beige coloured satchel by her side so there was no need to return to her rented house. So she began to walk towards the city stables by the gates to get her horse, Myste. Feldor would meet them outside the city walls. It shouldn't be too difficult to slip past the guards, she mused. After all, I've done it plenty of times before.

However, it did not Kaide long to realise that she was being followed and then not much longer after that did she realise that she had just walked into an ambush.

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"Hey," said Alistair as he approached a poster attached to the street wall. "Isn't this a picture of that thief we encountered yesterday?"

The sun had only just risen and was still just starting to warm up the crowded street with its warm rays after the cold night.

"Yes I believe it is," replied Mirianne as she walked up beside her fellow Grey Warden.

Zevran too, approached the wanted poster for a closer look.

Indeed it is, he thought to himself. The artist who had drawn it had done quite a good job he believed. They had drawn her heart shaped face almost perfectly to how she had looked the previous evening. Her hood was up in the picture unlike the previous day. The hood now concealed her long blond hair that rested in a neat plat down her back. However, despite the close resemblance her drawing had of her, the artist's impression of her still did not show her eyes right Zevran had thought. They had depth, her eyes, Zevran had noted the previous day. They contained knowing, like she had seen things in her life that most could not even begin to imagine and yet they also contained a deep amount of sadness as well. Zevran had always been good at being able to read people from just a brief glance. It was something that had served him well in the past as an assassin. But, as Zevran continued to stare at her portrait he could still see her face in his mind with her deep blue-green eyes. Like the ocean, he had thought, staring back at his own.

"Speaking of which," said Morrigan interrupting Zevran's thoughts. "'Tis that not her there?"

Morrigan was looking towards a group of three guards walking down the street looking rather smug. One held the arms of the thief behind her back whilst shoving her from behind. Her body was bent forward slightly and she looked unsteady on her feet. A wound on her temple still bled freely. She looked barely conscious as the guards forced her to keep moving. Everywhere around her people stopped to watch, point and whisper as the infamous thief was taken away.

"Come on, let's go," cautiously said Mirianne whilst grabbing Alistair's arm to turn him away.

"No," said Zevran. "I want to ask first what they intend to do with her now."

"Oh come on," chimed in Morrigan rather bitterly. "You of all people would know. Most likely they are taking her to the Arl's estate were she will most likely be tortured mercilessly and then either thrown into prison or executed if the Arl hates her as much as the rest of the city seems to."

The witch paused a moment to take in Mirianne's shocked expression. "The world isn't full of happy endings and butterflies Warden." She said.

Mirianne said something in defence of herself to the witch but Zevran did not hear it as he had already approached the guards holding the thief.

"Excuse me," he said in the most polite voice he could muster. One of the guards looked to him warily clearly taking in the sight of his many visible weapons. But of course he could not see the others that were a little more subtlety hidden.

"Yes," said the guard's cautiously in a gruff voice. "Can I help you?"

"indeed," replied the elf with a forced smile. "I was wondering if you could perhaps enlighten me on whom this prisoner of yours is and what is being done with her."

At his voice the thief managed to briefly look up at him before her head drooped once more again. She was now on her knees as the guards had stopped.

"You don't know?" Said the guard clearly surprised.

"I am not a local to this city and am only passing through," replied Zevran.

"Oh," said the guard. "Well then, I suppose you wouldn't know."

Zevran once again forced out a friendly smile.

"Umm," started the guard. "This elf 'ere is murderer and a thief who has been evading the law and justice for some years now and then since the other night when she stole some stuff very precious to the Arl he has more than doubled his attempts to catch her. And then last night just after sunset we caught her at the stables. We knew she'd be leaving the city so we waited for her and got her."

The guard clearly looked pleased with himself now and so did his men standing behind him. The man holding onto the thief's shoulders gave her a hard tug back to her knees as she began to fall sideways.

"And what is to happen to her now then?"asked Zevran.

"Well, I don't really know. That's for the Arl to decide. But don't you worry, she won't be let off lightly. The people have been begging for a public execution for her for a while now, but it's up to the Arl in the end. I wouldn't be at all surprised though if in the end he does grant the people's wishes." The guard shrugged nonchalantly.

Zevran turned around to see the rest of his companions impatiently waiting for him not far off. He knew that they would have heard his conversation with the guards. He could also see the look on Mirianne's face as she looked back at him. It was the same pitying look that she had given him when he had told her his story before he swore an oath to serve her. He gave her a questioning look and she nodded to his silent question. Decision made, he thought. She's coming with us.

Zevran turned back to the guards to see two of them now talking to each other, the third who he had been talking to now stood there waiting for him to say something expectantly. Zevran then approached the thief and crouched down before her.

The two guards talking now stopped and abruptly tensed.

"What are you doing?" the third asked slowly and warningly.

"I just want to get a look at her," replied Zevran casually.

The thief looked up to his face, her distant eyes trying desperately to focus on his face. Or faces, as Zevran thought she'd more likely be seeing considering her painful head wound.

"Can you run if you were not being held?" he asked the elf before him in a voice barely above a whisper so only she could hear.

The guard holding her now only held her shoulders so her hands now rested on the ground helping her to support herself.

Her eyes shone for a moment at the prospect of freedom before nodding slightly.

Zevran smiled and whispered even more quietly.

"Then run," he said before standing up and punching her captor in the nose.

The guard instantly let go of her and grasped his bleeding broken nose whilst yelling vile insults. As ordered, the thief frantically stumbled to her feet and ran towards the closest side street where the familiarity of the shadows would envelop her weakened self. Zevran knew she would not get far with her injury, but with the sudden hit of adrenaline going through her she would get far enough away from immediate danger before she collapsed.

Meanwhile, the other two guards had drawn their swords and had begun to lunge for Zevran with a mixture of shock and hatred on their faces. Zevran drew his own sword and dagger and with a few carefully placed hits with the pommel of his sword he had all three men laying unconscious and bleeding at his feet. Better not kill them, he had thought. Mirianne would not approve of unnecessary killing.

He sheathed his sword and dagger as the crowd around him let out sounds of shock and screams whilst either grasping their faces in shock at the sudden outburst of violence or grabbing for their children to hurry them away, or both.

And anyway, he then added as an afterthought. Since when have I cared about whether or not the Warden approves of me?

The street was now quiet and empty except for himself, Mirianne, Alistair and Morrigan. He didn't bother to turn around to see his companions reactions and instead began to jog towards were the thief had ran to. He didn't have to go far down the side street before finding her collapsed on the cobbled ground.

He stood before her for a moment taking in the sight of her. He could see her more clearly now than when he had the previous day in the dark alley. She wore all dark clothes, mostly dark greys of varying shades and a few blacks. Her legs and arms were completely covered with the material which allowed her to sink into the shadows more easily. Her pants were tucked into her black leather boots that went nearly to her knees. The hood of her dark grey cloak was down revealing her long platted hair.

Zevran crouched down beside her and carefully rolled her onto her back as he heard the running footsteps of his companions behind him. Her head was still bleeding and she had another bruise on her cheek that he could now see was forming.

"Well done Zevran," said the witch, sarcasm think in her voice. "Now what are you planning on doing with her?"

Zevran ignored her comment and concentrated on the elf he now supported in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him sleepily. She was barely conscious.

"What is your name?" he asked her soothingly.

Her eyes flickered over to his other companions who were now standing behind him. Mirianne crouched beside him as the thief returned her gaze back to Zevran.

"Kaide," she answered in a voice hardly above a whisper. "Kaide," she repeated as her eyes fell shut once more as she fell into unconsciousness.

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Next chapter, I promise to start to explain her background some more. Fear not I am not just making this up as I go along, I actually have a plan. All will make sense soon.

Thanks for reading and please review.