A/N: M rating towards the end of the chapter. You have been warned. DA is owned by Bioware.


We ate supper, and retrieved our room keys. Leliana wanted to go to the chantry to pray for guidance. I walked with her. "Only sisters and lay sisters allowed within at night." The Templar guard said. "I am a lay sister. Leliana. From Lothering Chantry." She says and hands him the token that proves her words. He nods. "I will wait for you out here. I will comment that imposing restrictions on when someone can pray or come seek advice from a sister makes no sense. People should be allowed to do so at all times." She strokes my cheek.

"I will see you soon, but you do not have to wait for me." She says. I shake my head. "Can Banal'ras come with her?" I asked the Templar. "Banal what?" he asks. "Love, it is the Chantry. No one will harm me in there. Who would dare? Plus, the Templars are out here as well as in there." She says. "I do not like this emma lath. I have a bad feeling." I tell her. "Ma vehnan. I will be fine." She says. I sigh in resignation. "As you will." I tell her she nods and enters the chantry.

I leave the walled area. It would probably have not gone so well if Banal'ras or Elgara came into the city. I was still relatively sure wolves were not allowed in the city. "Excuse me?" a voice says. I get a chill. "Yes?" I ask the woman a city elf by the looks of her. "You are friends with the Orlesian Bard, right?" warning bells begin to go off. "Yes. She is praying right now. Let me get your name and if you have a message for her. I will be sure to give it to her." I said not letting on, that I trusted her not.

"My mistress bade that the red headed Orlesian Bard, known as Leliana come and speak with her. She means no harm. She just wishes to catch up with an old friend." I let my magic tell me if there is truth in her words. She believes them to be true, she is besotted with Marjolaine. "Did your mistress tell you where?" I ask.

"This is a map of Denerim, this house here is where she wishes to meet her." she says. "I see any other instructions?" I ask. "It is all in the note. Here." She says. "Thank you. Is payment needed?" I asked. She shakes her head. As she turns to head back, I knock her out. "You will thank me later." I tell the little elf. I pick her up and head to the Alienage.

A red headed elf approaches me. "What happened to her?" she asks. I can tell she has a temper on her, but I decide honesty is best. "I knocked her out. I did not do it for any other reason to protect her. She is serving a very bad woman, whom would betray her in the end. My love used to work for her. She fell in love with Marjolaine and in turn she betrayed my love. She was falsely imprisoned, tortured, beaten and raped. She barely managed to escape. I wished to spare another what my love endured." I explain. She nods.

"I had told her that woman was not what she seemed. My cousin Zarola, she has been lost since we were taken by Vaughn and his men. She tried to fight them, but there were too many. We were raped and beaten. Her betrothed came to rescue her with our cousin, but he was killed. Our cousin allowed himself to be arrested so we could escape. Zarola got together with this Marjolaine, because she promised to keep her safe and teach her how to fight better. She would never be that helpless again." I nod. "And along the way she fell in love with Marjolaine. And when she is done with her, she will throw her to the wolves, so to speak."

She directs me to her home. "I am Shianni, by the way. Thank you for returning her to us." I shake her hand. "Phaedra. It was no problem to bring her here. I aim to end the threat that is Marjolaine. She sent assassins after my love, and she is trying to corrupt another innocent person. She will die." I said closing my fist.

"I can help you, I do ok with a sword and bow." She offers. "No Shianni. She is mine, but if you would like to help. If I have not returned by dawn, my companions and my love Leliana are staying at Gnawed Noble Tavern. Let them know what I went to do. Give them this map. Leliana is a red headed rogue. She speaks with an Orlesian accent. She is the only red head woman among our companions. The leader is a Grey Warden. Her name is Sasha Cousland. She has long black hair that she wears up. She will have full armor on. I'd prefer only one of those two to know. Leliana first and foremost. Then Sasha, she will tell the others." I said to her.

She holds out her hand and I place the papers in her hand. "If I make it through the night, I will owe you, whether you had to deliver my message or not. Whatever your wish, if I can make it happen I will." I said. "I will hold you to that." I shake her hand and go out into the night. I had a date with Marjolaine.

Banal'ras and Elgara had snuck into the city, as if they knew we would be in danger. I could feel them watching in the shadows. "Come." I whispered knowing they would hear me. We entered the house. "Hang back a little. Do not risk yourselves needlessly." They skulked to the sides and I entered the common room. The woman was beautiful, that was for sure. Her beauty was dark and dangerous as Morrigan's were. "I did not expect you so soon my dear girl…" she turns to see that I am standing there.

"I am sure I asked for Leliana to come, and her alone." She said and looked around. "You will not find her here. She isn't even aware you sent a message." I tell her. "Oh, I see. You are the one my Leliana has been rolling in the mud with." I stand firm and glare. "She is not yours. She never will be again. Leliana is hers and hers alone." She chuckles.

"I do not wish her back. I only wish to end the threat." She says. "So, you sent assassins. Hear me, you will not so much as look at her again, let alone touch her." I say. "We shall see." Before she could signal, I sent two firewall spells at each door. "You shall have no help. This is between us." I tell her and unsheathe my daggers.

"You wish to make it personal. No magic then." She says. "Not with you. The rest can wait until I have finished with you." I wait for her to attack first. She doesn't move but looks to both doors still walled off with fire. "Trying to wait out my spell. It will do you no good, it lasts for as long as I will it to. But if you are too afraid and lack the skills to fight me yourself, I'll release the spell." Then I see what she is doing she has traps set up all around us many arrows ready to be released. I laugh at her; she hits the release. I stop all the arrows with a shield wall. She hits a smoke trap. I sense her through the smoke and block her attack.

"Not good enough." I tell her and push her away. She surges again attempting throw dirt in my eyes, I dodge it and our daggers are clashing. She does not give me an opening. So, I would have to create one. I let down one fire wall and whistle, she looks and turns to me to smile in triumph and I knock the daggers out of her hands and mine are within her. She looks shocked and I use a cone of cold to freeze the mercenaries heading my way. In short time everyone is dead, I rifle through her room and drawers, the dead need no gold. I also wanted to see if more trouble is heading are way. I find a recursive bow that I think Leliana will love and grab it.

I go back to alienage and Shianni's home. "She is gone then?" she asks. "Yes, but I must go to the inn. I must face my love, and accept whatever she decides." I said stopping her hands from removing the blood on me. "You are covered in blood." She says. "I can sneak in. I must face her now and as I am. She must understand that I am a murderer." She nods as if in understanding. I leave the bag of gold I found and left before she could even leave the bedroom. It took me no time to return to the inn and sneak into our room.

"Phaedra." She sees me. "Oh Phaedra, what have you done?" she asks. "I come before you emma lath. I have your former lover's blood upon my hands and everywhere else. I killed Marjolaine. I went to her home, with the intent on killing her." Her eyebrows furlough in concern. "Why? We were going to her tomorrow?" I stood not moving. "After you went into the chantry a messenger came for you. Marjolaine wanted you to come to her and talk. I didn't trust that it was just that. So, I went in your stead." I answered her.

She brought me to the tub, which was still warm. I used magic to heat it more. "Did you think I would fall into bed with her? Even after all that she had done to me, or caused to happen?" she asks. "No emma lath. I trusted you, I knew you wouldn't allow her to touch you again. I trusted her not to let any threat remain to her, even if there was a possibility you were a threat. She would remove you." She took off my clothes.

"Ma vehnan, I know she would never stop until I was permanently silenced, I was going to kill her anyways. The difference is I wouldn't have done it alone. I figured her house was full of traps. It would have been suicidal to go in there alone, but you did." She says I sit down in the tub. "I wasn't alone Banal'ras and Elgara were with me." I said. "As amazing and wonderful as our wolves are, they are not human. They could have missed something, and that would have been your end and theirs." She said as she removes her clothes and gets in the tub too.

I wince as she cleans the scrapes and cuts I had gotten in the fight. "Are any of these wounds from Marjolaine's weapons or traps?" she asks. "No these are from the mercenaries she had, they aren't poisoned. I checked." She cleans off the blood in my hair. "I felt you, you know. I felt your rage, but it felt restrained. Normally if you kill someone in defense or in a rage, it is not considered murder." She says. I stop her hand with mine.

"It is when you went to them planning on killing them. I'm a murderer Leli." I say to her. "No. you are the woman I love, who does whatever it takes to keep me safe. Then wishes for me to condemn her. Phaedra, I do not condemn you. You did what you did to protect me. No doubt she would have died tomorrow too." I turn to face her, our lips meet.

"I love you." She kisses back. "I love you too, though I am a bit irritated with you." She said I look at her confused. She points out the room to me. It was all set up for a romantic and seductive dinner. "Oh." I say blushing. "Yeah. Oh." She says with a grin.

"I'm sorry that I ruined your seduction." I tell her teasingly. She gets out and gets dressed. "As you should be. I was going to make love all over you tonight. But now I do not think I am even slightly going to." She says. I am unsure if she is teasing or not. So, I get out and dress and think of how to salvage our night. I hear her humming and I get an idea. The candles have burnt out, so it is just the sconces lighting the room. I go and close the shutters, then I turn down the sconces to a none existing flame.

The room is dark. "Mon ange?" she asks. "I am here." I reply. "What are you doing?" she asks. "Making up for my mistake." I reply. I lead her to the bed and look at the fire place, I throw my hand at it, lights begin to dance. I grab her lute and sit in a chair near the grate and begin to play a song that has been in my heart since I met her. I began to play and sing it in Elven but she understands it so to her it is in the common tongue.

"Heart full of sorrow, my home is lost to me."

"A journey has begun, I long for a home."

"Endure I must, to find my place of peace."

An image of my Dalish clan appears in the dancing lights.

"Hope is rekindled by hair of flame and eyes of blue."

An image of Leliana pops up. She is looking at me at our camp.

"My nightingale's eyes are upon me, I feel free."

An image of her holding me as we sleep now appears.

"I feel at peace in her arms. My soul reaches for her. I am whole."

"My journey is at an end."

The lights produce an image. We are walking and holding hands. Then switches to her sitting on her bed and I am playing her lute.

"My nightingale. My heart's desire. I love her so."

"She has become my home, my place of peace. I am complete and full of joy."

The moment is quiet. I look at her. "I'm sorry if it is not so good. I am no bard, but that is how I truly feel. I love you Leliana." She is quiet, I feel nervous. I put her lute down and raise the flames in the sconces with a wave of my hand. She has tears in her eyes. She holds her hand out to me I grasp it. Her arms enfold me.

"That was beautiful. As each image played in the fireplace, I could feel each emotion as if it were mine." She said. "I had not realized I projected my feelings to you. I am not very good at being the seductress." I admit. She giggles. "No, my love you are not. But you are very good at being sweet and attentive. Sometimes that is enough." I kiss her hard and passionately. She pulls me down on her.

Our passions quickly rise, and our clothes are coming off in seconds, Leliana flips us. She straddles my hips and holds my hands above my head. Her lips hungrily attack me. We are lost in a frenzy. Our hands cup each other's sex and spread the wetness, her moans and mine intermingle into a beautiful symphony, ending with the other's names on our lips. I want, no need more. I flip her over and kiss my way down her body. I lick her lower lips avoiding her clit, until it is less sensitive. As my mouth covers her, I push two fingers in her. I add a third as I suck on her hardened nub. "Oh, mon ange. Mon amor. I need more of you, I flip around and place my sex above her mouth.

I lose focus momentarily when I feel her mouth on me and her fingers within me. I continue my assault as she does mine and once again we are screaming each other's name. As we settle down for the night arms and legs intertwined we hear. "Alistair!" and "Sasha!" our eyes meet, and we giggle. "About time those two get it out of the way. They have been dancing around the act of love making for a while now. I wonder why." Leliana muses. I chuckle.

"That was Alistair's first time. That was the bet with Sasha. She thought he wasn't a virgin I thought otherwise." I admit. "No! really!" I nod. "No wonder he got so bashful." She says. "We should sleep." I bring up. "Mmm… sleep sounds good." She says and before I know it she has drifted off.

A loud knock wakes is from our peaceful slumber. "Sasha says it is time for to break our fast and go over the itinerary." Zevran says sleep still heavy in his voice. We groan and get up slowly, dress slowly. We were pleasantly exhausted. We shuffle down the stairwell and sit at the table with others. My eyes widen, and my mouth salivates over the bounty of food before us. "Alright! Good Morning everyone!" Sasha says full of perk.

"Ugh…spare us your post sex perkiness, why can't you be like them." Morrigan says grumpily pointing at Leliana and me. Sasha arches a brow. "So, it's a free morning. Alistair and I are going to meet his sister Goldanna. Please try to stay out of trouble. We shall be leaving Denerim by early morning. So, try to take an early night." She says. Leliana turns to me.

"What would you like to do mi amor?" she asks me. "I want to go and see Shianni and check on her cousin. They live in the Alienage." I tell her. "And who are they?" she asks curiously. I explain about the messenger Marjolaine sent. "We may have to sneak in. The alienage is on lockdown." I tell her.

We head to the gate, it was open for now, but we didn't know for how long so shrouding ourselves in shadow we run in. As soon as we turn a corner Banal'ras and Elgara greet us. "What are you two doing here?" she asks. "Oh, thank the creators you are here. I wondered why they got up and bolted out of the door so fast." Shianni says. She sees Leliana.

"Ah this must be your mate, you told me about. She is as beautiful as you said. My name is Shianni." She says holding her hand out to her. "Leliana of Orlais." My mate says and shakes her hand. "My cousin, Zarola is awake and not pleased. She threw bottles at me when I refused to let her leave to find Marjolaine. I told her she was dead. She does not wish to believe me. Will you speak to her please?" she asks. I nod and let her lead the way.

"Shianni! First you bar my exit with those beasts!" she says glaring at my wolves they growl at her in warning. "Then you knock me out and leave! Why won't you let me go and find my love?" she says tears brimming in her eyes. "You mean your puppet master. She never loved you! She was using you and your fear and hate to control you!" Shianni shouts back. "You don't know anything about my heart, she loved me!" she shouts back.

"She didn't." Leliana says. "What do you know, you're probably just another Shem who thinks they're better than everyone else!" she shouts at my love. I feel my anger rise and our wolves bark at her. "Easy loves. She's hurt and afraid. She's lost as I was after Marjolaine too." Leliana says. We effectively calm down a bit.

"So, you are Leliana. You betrayed her! You bitch! How could you? She loved you!" she goes to charge at Leliana and stops when Banal'ras, Elgara and I stand in between them. Her hand is on my shoulder she stills my rage, moves forward putting a calming hand on our wolves. Elgara, melts away at her touch and lays down as does Banal'ras. "Listen to my story, make your own decision. Phaedra, take our pups and investigate the rumors of rebellion and the plague supposedly going through the village." She says to as. "Yes, ma vhenan. Come." I say to the pups, reluctantly they follow me out.

When I return to her in a few hours after helping a blind Templar and figuring out that Loghain has been selling the people in the alienage as slaves and finding documents supporting it. I enter with Shianni's father and tears are heard. We find our way to our love and embrace her. Though she has gotten better dealing with her past, it still hurts her. I give her a comforting kiss on her shoulder. The pups nudge her thighs adding their comfort and love for her.

"Marjolaine. She loved only herself." She says I kiss her cheek and kneel before Zarola. "I know you loved her, and for that I am sorry I had to remove her. But she would have never stopped hunting my love, and I will do anything to protect her. Even if I must die for her to live." I said. Her eyes meet mine. She nods. "It will take time. But hopefully when you return, the hurt will not be so great. And I can forgive you." She holds out her hand and I shake it. "I understand Zarola." I said.

"Zarola, you killed the Arl of Denerim's son Vaughn?" her uncle asks. Shianni looks shocked. "He deserved it uncle. After what he did to us. I will not feel guilty. I would do it again in a heartbeat." She says firmly to her uncle. "Zarola, I do not disagree with you. But you have put us in a bad spot with the nobles now. You have put our people in danger with your recklessness. You cannot stay here. Not until things have calmed down." He says. I see a look of hurt and anger come across her face.

"You would cast me aside, for what to appease the nobles that treat us like shit beneath their boots! You are a coward uncle!" she shouts. "She has quite the temper, doesn't she?" Leliana asks me. I nod, but I can see her point. My former clan would have stood with her if she was part of the clan. Now she is an outcast or, so it appears. I think of our merry band. "Perhaps, we could add another." I think. Leliana is of the same opinion she shrugs. "We'd have to ask Sasha." She says. "Come with us. We may have a solution." I said.

Reluctantly she follows us. We sneak back out of the alienage. How my shadow powder managed to hide all of us, I didn't know. But we head to the tavern. Sasha is there her face creased with lines of worry. "I take it Alistair's family reunion did not go so well?" I ask. "The bitch cared about nothing but his money. I told him as such, and now he has locked himself in our room to sulk." She shakes her head and calms down a bit.

"How was your day and whom is with you?" she asks. We explain the situation. "So, we were wondering if she could come with us?" I ask. She thinks about it. "How much have they told you about what we're doing Zarola?" she asks. "That you were gathering allies to fight the blight and we'd more than likely fight Darkspawn and the Arch Demon." She answers.

"Then you are aware this quest may cost you your life?" she nods. "And you are willing to pay that price if need be?" Sasha asks. "Yes, the blight harms us all. Though I feel anger and hatred towards my family in the Alienage, I would not wish their deaths. Nor do I want to sit with my thumbs up my ass, if I can help. I have had some training as a rogue. Under the same patron as Leliana once was." She points to my bard. "She has made me see who Marjolaine truly was. And I refuse to become as she was." Zarola says.

Sasha holds out her hand. "I will take you with us, but before we shake on it, I would like to make it perfectly clear. The game is not needed nor wanted among me and mine. If you want to help, you will be treated as the others. With respect and dependence. Simply put you are to be there for others as they are to you. Treat us the way you would want to be treated. You are also expected to pull your weight around camp, like everyone else. I value my friends' opinions, but that does not mean I will follow it. Can you agree to these terms?" Zarola shakes her hand.

"I can, and I will." She says. "Good, welcome to our crazy little family. Phaedra and Leliana will take you into the market and gather what supplies you will need, return here in two hours ready to rest for the night. We leave in the morning. Our next destination is Redcliffe, to speak with Arl Eamon." We nod our heads to her and exit the tavern again. Two hours later we return with her and ready our packs.

After we share a meal, Leliana and I agree to share our room for the night. It was not easy to sleep, Zarola was plagued with nightmares of Vaughn. Leliana understood and could relate, so, I let her comfort the crying elf. Morning came, silently we ate breakfast and grabbed our packs.

We head to the gate, Leliana, Alistair, and Sasha pray at the chantry. "Ugh. Why must they pray every time we are leave?" Morrigan complains. I shrug. An hour passes. "Finally." Zarola and Morrigan both say at once. We exit the gates. We are not surprised when Banal'ras and Elgara meet us outside of the city. Shouldering our packs, our quest continues.