Title: Circumstance

Rating: T

Author's Note: This idea snuck its way into my head a long time ago, but it took a long time for me to hammer out the details. I apologize for the lack of updates, but my muse has been on a long summer vacation and I have been strangely bereft of any story ideas or desire to write. This does take place as part of my Lost Scrolls series, but is unusual in that it is set in the past.

As always, Bioware owns Dragon Age, Dragon Age 2, etc. Enjoy!

"There she is!"

"Get her!"

"Don't let it get away!"

The form was a blur as it raced through the marketplace, overturning carts laden with exotic oils and fine fabrics, barrels stuffed full of apples and even a few crates of chickens that flapped angrily in protest. Angry cries of merchants echoed across the crowded square as their wares flew up in the air, adding to the already substantial chaos of a busy marketplace.

Damnitdamnitdamnit...the mantra echoed in her head as she ducked into an alleyway, weaving an intricate maze past a number of urchins and beggars, who barely gave her a second look. Such occurrences were not uncommon in Denerim — scarcely a day went by in the Fereldan capital that there wasn't at least one thief that went to the gallows. But not her, damn it. Never her. She was too careful, too cautious. She always picked her marks well.

At this rate, I'll be lucky to escape the hangman's noose. The elf picked up the pace. The only chance she had was to lose her pursuers in the narrow, crowded streets, and hope against all hope that they hadn't recognized her face.

At least she had that going in her favor. Neither too pretty nor too plain, no one would be able to argue that she, Kallian, stood out as anything extraordinary among the hundreds of other alienage elves.

Just a little further now. Over this bin, cut around this corner, duck down this alleyway...the sounds of gulls screeching in the salty air.

It should have been enough to lose them. All of them. Yet she could still hear the telltale signs of booted feet behind her, hot on her tail. Damn it, why are they still chasing me? Fear began to snake its way down her throat. It was only twenty-five silver! That shem – Arlessa something-or-other – had at least five times that much dangling from her ear lobes. And it would feed her family for at least a couple of months, if not more.

Besides, Shianni's birthday was coming up and she needed a new dress.

Just my luck picking the one shem who would order pursuit — but she hadn't been able to help herself...the Arl's wife had just been standing there and guards were all busy stuffing their faces with cookies from the baker's stand and...

Maker she was hungry.

And distracted, as luck would have it. Distracted enough to have not noticed she had taken a wrong turn, running smack dab into a pair of breasts.

Of course, the breasts were not standing alone, that would have been silly. They were attached to a body, of course, a very attractive one at that, though Kallian would not notice that right away.

Instead, she gave a rather undignified grunt, which was muffled by the ample amount of cleavage in her face. She reached up, pushing away, which only served to unbalance her even further, sending her tumbling backwards.

Some cutpurse she was, her ear tips burning in humiliation. She was so happy Soris and Shianni weren't here to see that. She'd never live it down.

Of course, her green eyes immediately locked onto expensive-looking boots in front of her, following the mass of buckles and rivets to...

Her face turned bright red.

She wasn't even wearing pants!

"Now aren't you just delicious..." the low, sensual voice bore the traces of amusement. The shem crouched down, bringing in to focus a pair of light brown eyes that were dotted liberally with flecks of gold in the sun's light. Her skin was the color of toffee, rich and warm and kissed by the sun. Her ebony locks were pulled back from her face and secured by a turquoise bandana. She rested her well-muscled forearms on her knees, those eyes drifting up and down her body with all the satisfaction of a cat that had cornered its prey.

Kallian might have gulped, but all of a sudden her mouth had decided to quit working.

"If you wanted a tumble kitten, all you needed to do was ask." A pair of full lips quirked into a bemused smile, those eyes examining her with frightening intensity.

"I..." her eyes were firmly glued to the woman's assets, wondering how the hell they could possibly stay in place behind such tight...

Why was her throat so dry?

A lazy, knowing smile spread across the human's lips, those amber eyes skimming up and down the elf's lithe form. "I keep a room at the Pearl, but if you'd rather a go on those crates..." she jerked her head over to a stack of barrels in the alley's corner.

Wait, she's not suggesting...

"There she is!"

"It's the knife ear!"

"Now we got her!"

Andraste's ass...

The shem's eyes now shot up in irritation, glancing back and forth at the trio of rather large, heavily armed men blocking the only exit out of the alleyway. They flickered back down at Kallian, studying the elf with a hint of wry amusement. "And how thoughtful. You brought friends!" A slow, easy drawl caressed the air as the woman rose gracefully to her feet, approaching the men, her hips swaying suggestively. "I wouldn't have pegged you as the sharing sort." A step towards the men. "What..." A pair of daggers fell seamlessly into the woman's hands. "A delightful..." Kallian blinked several times, uncertain that the daggers hadn't just materialized out of thin air. "...surprise."

The men glanced uncertainly towards each other, tips of outstretched swords wavering slightly. Was this woman trying to threaten or seduce? Those daggers spoke one story, but her hips a very different one.

Impossible. She was just one woman, against three heavily armed guards.

The largest, ugliest of them (probably the captain, Kallian noted grimly) smiled through a mouthful of half-rotted teeth, squaring his shoulders in a clear attempt at intimidation.

"Get out of out way, woman. We've got business with that knife-ear." His tone left very little to the imagination as to what form this "business" would take, drawing an involuntary shudder from the elf. Kallian grimaced at the smell of unwashed bodies and sweat, scrambling clumsily to her own feet. A quick glance around the alley confirmed she was indeed trapped, so she hurriedly pulled out a small penknife she'd nicked off a nobleman last year. For all the good it would do her — her hands were trembling so badly she could barely grip it.

"Oh, is it a party?" the woman's voice dropped slightly, loosening her hold on her daggers. Kallian's heart sank. It was clear that she wasn't going to get any help from this shem. Her pulse began to pound wildly, eyes darting around to find any possible escape route.

The man's nostrils flared slightly, his eyes darting to points further south, caution and need warring with each other. "I just love parties," another step, this time, just south of arm's reach. The two other guards glanced thoughtfully at each other, a thinly veiled smirk passed between them.

Kallian barely suppressed a curse, tightening her grip on her dagger, readying herself for a last minute dash to freedom.

But what happened next occurred so quickly that Kallian barely had chance to draw breath.

The woman's foot shot up, connecting with the first soldier's groin with such ferocity that it was a wonder the man was able to remain upright at all. The soldier, who'd been reaching for the female, let out a strangled gurgle, somewhere between a yelp and a whimper, his hands immediately reaching to protect his sensitive bits. His sword had just tumbled out of his outstretched fingertips when the second blow came, the hilt of a dagger on the back of his head, sending him sprawling.

One down.

This, of course, happened within the span of a few seconds. Within a blink of an eye, the woman had behind the outstretched swords of the other two guards, one of whom swiped clumsily swiped at the woman's head.

But she was already on the move. The sword passed cleanly through the empty air, while the woman ducked easily under the blade, lithely dancing behind the soldier, delivering a swift jab to his kidneys.

Just in the nick of time, because just as he rose onto his tiptoes, the other guard had begun to close the space, his face contorted in anger, sword lifting to deliver a powerful blow, falling short only when the woman's arms trapped his friend's behind his back, honed blade brought to bear.

"Aren't you the feisty one?" the woman's lips hovered next to her captive's ear. Then, in a frenzy of motion, the woman pushed the trapped guard into his companion with a violent shove, using her booted foot to send the pair into the wall, flashing a quick glance over her shoulder to Kallian that could have only one meaning.

Run.

Needing no further invitation, Kallian raced towards the entrance, just a hairsbreadth behind the taller human. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of muffled yells, but much to her relief, they didn't seem to be in pursuit.

"Keep up, kitten." The melodic voice of the human snapped Kallian out of her musings, and the elf gave her full attention to the race ahead, following the mysterious woman as they raced up and down stairs, through crowded alleyways and finally into a large, squat building at the edge of the waterfront. Racing inside the door after the woman, Kallian came to a halt, hands on her knees, huffing for air. She glanced surreptitiously at the taller woman, unable to decide whether or not she should admire or fear her.

In less time than it took to draw breath, that woman had managed to disarm three much larger, well-armed opponents. And she had barely broken a sweat! Such a person was either very foolhardy or very dangerous.

"I haven't had that much fun in days," the melodic voice practically sang, those honeyed eyes glancing towards the elf with amusement and something… something…

That something made Kallian's pulse spike, her heart thundering wildly in her chest. Only instead of the expected fear, she felt ... The elf swallowed past the lump in her throat, ignoring the strange fluttering in her belly. Instead, she peered curiously at the she...no, the woman (though calling her such took a considerable amount of control), straightening to her full height. "How did you do that?"

"What, the duel?" Tanned hands began to brush at something — some dust perhaps? — on the top of those leather boots. Kallian studiously averted her gaze, her cheeks flushing hotly as her mind flashed to earlier, when she had caught more than a passing glimpse of flesh.

The woman's lips curled with amusement, as if well aware of the effect her appearance had on the elf. "Kitten, that's what I do. Duel. It's fun."

She ignored the pet name (Kitten? Seriously?) and instead tried to keep her mind on the business at hand. "Why would you help me?" Kallian pressed, hoping that she had not overstepped her bounds. She wanted to ... no, she needed to understand why one woman would go so far out of her way to help a single elf. "I'm just some knife ear from the alienage."

Those eyes darted up, flashing briefly with annoyance. Kallian swallowed, at first afraid that she had offended the human, and then dismayed that she cared enough at all to be concerned about the emotions of a single shem.

After a long pause, the woman stepped towards the countertop, leaning casually against the edge and crossing her arms in front of her chest, which heaved in a silent sigh (Kallian still couldn't figure out how the woman managed to keep … those … from falling out when she walked).

"Three reasons," the woman drummed her fingertips on the counter. "One, they were pigs." At Kallian's puzzled expression, the woman's eyes rolled in exasperation. "Oh honestly, look around. Where do you think they came from?"

Kallian did, her eyes having adjusted to the dim light, taking in the dark, scarred countertops and musty corners of ... "...the brothel?" she guessed.

The woman nodded. "They've built up a bit of a reputation here. Gave a few of the girls…" the woman's voice took on a slightly possessive tone, "a hard time. Sanga had them thrown out." A pause. "Second, I like to duel. Like I said – it's what I do."

"And the third reason?" Kallian's eyes darted quickly to the woman's fingertips, which had been drumming a steady beat on the countertop.

A smirk, as one of those hands reached up, long fingers dipping beneath her bodice...

Kallian's mouth dropped. The necklace dangling from the woman's fingertips had to be worth a small fortune. The gold shone even in this dim candlelight, studded liberally with jewels that had to be worth more than all the homes in the alienage.

But more than that, Kallian had seen that necklace before – on a certain Arlessa's neck.

"What...?" Kallian spluttered, her cheeks growing considerably darker. "How...?"

"A little too easy." The jewels disappeared back beneath the fabric, head lifting to meet Kallian's in silent challenge. "The guards were so preoccupied by a certain cutpurse they hardly noticed me..."

"Buh...I..." Kallian's mouth clamped shut. She should have been angry. She should have been – something. Embarrassed, perhaps? It was one of the oldest tricks in the book, and she'd unwittingly been duped into the role of decoy. Only it clearly hadn't been planned – she had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

No…she couldn't be angry for that. After all, it would have been easier to just walk away and let the guards take Kallian. The theft of the jewels wouldn't have remained unnoticed for long, and it would have been easy to let the elf take the blame for both sets of crimes. Instead, the woman had saved her.

Kallian's mind flashed back to the fight, the graceful, lithe way the woman had danced around those three guards. The way she had moved...

"Can you teach me?" The words came out entirely too quickly, drawing another blush.

A flicker of surprise passed quickly across the woman's face. "I don't..."

"Please." Kallian swallowed, hesitating for a moment before she pulled out the purse she'd nicked. As much as it pained her to do it – some lessons were too important to pass up. "Here," she held out the bag. "Just a few lessons? I'm a quick learner."

Those eyes stared at the coin purse for some time. Then a small, sly smirk passed across those full lips. "I'll bet." Those long fingers plucked the purse from Kallian's fingertips. "Be here tomorrow morning, kitten." The woman turned to leave.

Kallian's eyes followed the shapely derrière as it sauntered towards the door, her breath hitching at the sight. "Wait..." the woman paused, turning and regarding Kallian with an amused smirk. The elf's ears darkened when she realized that she'd been caught ogling the human. "You never left me a name."

A sly grin passed across the woman's face. "You're right. I didn't."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Her?"

Kallian winced at the strangled accusation, her fingers halting their progress. She's been in the middle of combing Leliana's hair out with her fingertips, a welcome way to pass the time during those long night watches. Usually, it was Leliana who told the stories during these quiet evenings, but this time, the bard had requested a story of her own. Something to satisfy a niggling curiosity.

Namely, who had been Kallian's first.

The elf pursed her lips – she had hesitated to bring up the particular incident in question – after all, they'd been lovers for less than a fortnight and while she knew Leliana was curious about her history, the bard had thus far refrained from asking about what was sure to be a very sensitive topic.

Leliana pulled away, shooting a quick glance over her shoulder, pale eyes filled with hurt and a bit of betrayal. "And you did not think to tell me this before?" Like back at the Pearl? That part remained unspoken.

Kallian grimaced – truth be told she had almost forgotten the incident in question – it had occurred a year or so before she'd became a Warden and it had only been a chance that they had run into the pirate again. Of course, she had not been alone that time, brought to the brothel by some rather disturbing reports of missing Warden sympathizers. Leliana, Zevran, and Alistair had all been accompanied her, and even though her relationship with the bard was still in its infancy, Kallian had studiously managed to avoid the pirate's none-too-subtle flirtations, shooting an apologetic look towards Leliana, who at the time had barely seemed to notice the attentions (with the threat of Marjolaine hanging grimly over her head, Kallian could hardly blame her).

Now, though, it seemed that her past had come home to roost.

Kallian forced herself to meet the chilly gaze, drawing in a deep breath as she tried to remain calm. "It," the elf forced herself not to blush, "happened long before we ever met, and it meant nothing." A pause. "Not like us."

"I…" Uncertainty clouded the bard's gaze as she looked towards the campfire. "I…" the pale eyelids fluttered closed. "No, of course not." Still, her voice held a hint of reservation. "I…how long were you together?"

"We weren't." An honest reply. "We spent a few nights together, and that was the extent of it." Kallian paused, chewing her lip nervously. "She saved my life – and taught me how to defend myself if the same should happen again."

"And so you slept with her out of a sense of duty?" There was a note of bitterness in the bard's tone.

Actually, very little sleeping had been involved, but Kallian wasn't about to admit that. "Not at first, no. The lessons she gave me were exactly that – lessons. Strictly professional."

"Yes," Leliana grumbled. "I'm sure she was very interested in teaching you all about her profession." Those eyes flashed angrily, brimming with unshed tears as the bard made to stand.

Andraste's ass, but she could be so infuriating. "Leli," she reached out, grabbing her lover's wrists. "Listen to me." The other woman froze, her eyes fluttering shut at the press of Kallian's fingertips against her wrists. "In all the time I have known you, have I ever once criticized you for your work as a bard?"

The Orlesian exhaled sharply, shoulders seeming to deflate. Hesitantly Kallian reached out with a pair of fingertips, bringing the redhead's chin up, forcing their eyes to meet. "You are the one I choose to spend my life with. Not her." She paused. "You're the woman I love."

There was a long, pregnant pause in which the two women studied each other in silence, then Leliana dipped her head in acceptance.

Breathing an internal sigh of relief, Kallian opened her arms, her shoulders relaxing as the bard settled easily into them, resting her chin on the Warden's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," the bard whispered, her nose buried in the crook of the elf's neck. "I just…when I remember the way she acted…at the Pearl."

Kallian exhaled with a sigh. She had been surprised to see Isabela again, especially after so many years. But they had parted on amicable terms, and even though Isabela had flirted shamelessly with the elf over a game of Wicked Grace, Kallian had refused her advances for a lesson of a more private variety.

"We parted on good terms, but there are no feelings there," Kallian reassured her, lifting a hand to cup the bard's cheek, her heart fluttering slightly as Leliana leaned into the caress. "Besides, my future is with you."

Her only response was the press of the Leliana's lips against her own.