Special thanks to the readers and Bioware!

My palms were sweating and I kept wiping them against my legs as we headed to Hightown with my brothers. I was excited to have an opportunity to spend time with Anders and learn the healing arts, but meeting Isabela again hadn't been part of the plan and it was tangling my insides. I wanted to see her, but just like Anders had been afraid of being rejected, I couldn't help but imagine Isabela's reaction to be a negative one.

Roghart had described the pirate captain he had encountered at the Hanged Man and there was no doubt that he meant Isabela. I had given the short version of how I knew her, too distracted and nervous at the time to put the whole story on paper. Isabela didn't know of my past and Roghart hadn't mentioned me, stating that family business wasn't exactly the topic of the conversations they had at the inn. I was relieved, thinking that it was my task to tell Isabela more about myself as a thanks for getting me away from my tribe. She deserved to know how much it had meant to me to have been accepted on the Siren's Call.

Anders waited us at the market and had come prepared. A wooden staff with a tip like curvy branches of a tree was strapped on his back and he had a leather belt with several pouches tied to it. I assumed it was for carrying potions and felt a bit unwell when thinking about the situations where my Arvaarad had made me drink the bitter liquid to quickly replenish my mana. That had been before I got used to the red lyrium that was more powerful than twenty potions together. Without the leash to command me, I would pick the awful-tasting stuff over the poisonous substance anytime, because at least it didn't risk my mental health.

Taking a few steps towards us, Anders waved his hand. "Good to see the whole family together," he said.

"Excluding one female, but I'd never make my mother fight some thugs," Roghart smirked. "Their feelings would get hurt for not being any challenge to her."

Anders' eyes met mine and I smiled quite girlishly. I lifted my hand in a greeting, wiggling my fingers.

"Ready for whatever is waiting for us?" he asked, smiling back at me.

I nodded, but couldn't hide the uneasiness that kept reminding me of the last party member that would join us. I glanced around and rubbed my arms, trying to give my mind something else to think of.

Obviously, Anders saw through me as easily as one would look through a window, but luckily he didn't inquire about it further. Instead, he suggested that we should move on and not let Isabela believe that we had abandoned her.

For a moment, I was worried of not wearing any armor or weapons. Both of my brothers looked like mercenaries, with swords that could slice a man in two. My bared shins were a tempting target for those who would aim to cripple me and even Anders had a coat with long collar to protect his neck. I could never wear anything around my neck after the experience as a Saarebas and preferred not to be encumbered with heavy gear.

My concerns were taken away when I spotted Isabela at a large area near the Chantry yard. She had the same white tunic that exposed more skin than my clothes ever could. The sheathed dagger on her back was the one I had used on myself to cast the teleportation spell with blood magic and the scarf around her waist was as blue as it had been before Isabela had bandaged my wound with it.

As I stared, she noticed me and her expression was impossible to decipher. Her joyful eyes were wide and they gleamed. She had been leaning more on her right leg, but after our gazes met she immediately stood firmly on her both feet, like an eagle that had detected its next prey and was preparing to attack. Isabela however wasn't frowning nor glaring angrily. Her lips were parted and I saw her saying something to herself quietly.

I stopped, unable to move my legs any closer without being certain that the steps wouldn't be a mistake. Anders realized that I wasn't walking beside him and he glimpsed at me over his shoulder.

"Hawke, wait," he said to Roghart and approached me. "What's wrong, Reneka? You look pale."

Roghart looked at the pirate captain who paced slowly towards us. "Isabela, is it true that you know my sister already?" he lifted his brow, his voice loud enough for Isabela to hear it.

"Oh you could say that," she answered with a smug grin and unsheathed one of her daggers.

Fighting Isabela had been the last outcome I had expected from our reunion. Her leer had turned wild and even Anders who was in front of me seemed to get tense. I had no intention of using him as a shield and I couldn't bring myself to believe that Isabela would hurt me. I knew what a qunari soldier might have had in mind if one would come at me with a blade, but nothing in my body alarmed of danger.

I put my hand on Anders' arm and gently pushed him, revealing myself to the pirate captain fully. Carver shifted nervously and Roghart kept looking at me, searching for orders. My eyes were fixed at Isabela and Roghart eventually realized that by ignoring him, I didn't wish him to intervene.

Isabela played with the dagger like it wasn't equipped with a sharp edge meant for cutting throats. Her finger brushed the clean blade and her hips swayed as she reached me, the sound of her boots clattering being almost the same as I had heard on her ship. She raised the weapon between our faces, twisting it so that the moonlight was reflected on it. Her grin grew bigger and she suddenly crouched. With a dumbfound look, I watched as Isabela moved around me, drawing a circle on the ground that enclosed me inside it. The piercing noise of the dagger scratching the smooth ground made me clench my teeth.

Taking one final look at her work, Isabela got up again and put the weapon away. "Now you can demonstrate the purpose of this circle again, because I think I misunderstood you the last time," she said. "If I were to leave you for a hour, would I find you here or somewhere else a couple of months later?"

My eyes dropped, too embarrassed to face the woman whose hospitality I had repaid by hiding in the underground. The silence was unbearable and I wished that someone would break it. All I could hear was the breathing of the others.

"Knock it off, Isabela," Roghart sounded more angry than he usually did. "She can't-"

Isabela whipped her head at my brother, shooting a look that could impale him. Her brown hair swung in the slight breeze and I didn't like how her feet were positioned as if ready to swiftly sprint. My fingers groped the air, eager to write an explanation before it was too late.

All of a sudden, I felt Isabela's finger under my chin and it lifted my head to meet her gaze that was shining of satisfaction. "Lesson learned, I hope?" she winked.

My lips withdrew and despite the laughter I sensed forming in my stomach, I tried to remain earnest. The moment was Isabela's and she was worthy of having it entirely to herself in order to make her point. After a while though, I couldn't look at her without smiling and the relief of seeing her playful self relaxed my body. Before I even knew it, I was grabbed into a crushing hug and Isabela's dark tresses tickled my nose.

Her fingers were still curled around my arms when she pulled herself away, eying me from head to toes. "Look at you, you poor thing," Isabela purred. "Still wearing my sandals and your hair is all overgrown. Unless you'd like to keep it that way."

"I have to admit, I thought you were about to stab her," Anders said, pointing at the pair of daggers on Isabela's back.

"Never!" the pirate captain chuckled. "If I were to assassinate someone, don't you think I'd be a bit more discreet?"

"And properly dressed."

Isabela blinked at me. "Is your new boyfriend always this cranky or is is his way of expressing his feelings for me?"

"Can we please stay focused here?" Roghart sighed and I silently thanked him for interrupting before the red on my cheeks couldn't be remedied. "This is where you were supposed to meet your informant, right?"

The glare Isabela gave my brother was both teasing and irritated. She moved like a preying tiger, with caution and tenacity. "Alright, dear Rogue," she whispered and ran her fingers on Roghart's chest armor. "I expect to be compensated later for delaying my Reneka-time until the mission is completed."

"Sure, I'll buy you the finest ale I can find in Kirkwall," Roghart answered, casually sweeping Isabela's hand off. "Better yet, I'll use Varric's contacts to get you the best alcohol a smuggler can obtain."

Isabela squinted and I wasn't sure if her grin was evil or content. The mysterious aura she emitted was a perfect lure for any inquisitive person and I felt no pity for Roghart who obviously had picked more complex puzzle than he could solve. Not even I knew of Isabela's true intentions with the qunari relic she had stolen, but she intrigued me because of that suspense. While I couldn't communicate with words anymore, hers were full of hidden messages and I could listen to her voice for hours.

Slowly, she backed away from Roghart, not taking her eyes off him. "You are gravely mistaken if you think a drink will be enough after this," she said while tilting her head to the right.

When I looked around, I spotted a group of well-equipped people running to us. They definitely didn't seem the friendly kind and I wasn't the only one with such an assumption. Anders smelled of spellpower, ready to be cast against the enemies and Carver had his hand gripping the handle of his sword.

"I will need a whole barrel when I'm done," Isabela added with a giggle.

#

It was my second visit to the Chantry and once again I was there to fight. Apparently, Isabela had arranged a duel with a man and the information we had obtained from the mercenaries suggested that he was at the Chantry. I tried to point out the possibility of a large ambush, but Isabela and my brothers didn't seem worried at all. As a Saarebas, I had mostly fought alone or with other mages so planning was important to me. Dying had been my greatest fear and the more my leash had commanded me to face an unknown force ahead of me, the more I had become disoriented and vulnerable.

As I stared the Chantry door in the distance in revulsion, Anders kept glancing at me until he caught my eyes. "Is something wrong?" he asked in a soft voice.

I didn't wish to seem cowardly for being afraid of not knowing what was waiting for us, so I cracked a smile and turned my gaze away.

Anders sighed. "I can't recall all the details whenever Justice takes control, but I do remember witnessing your power," he said. "You'll be fine and I will teach you how to heal yourself."

Small gestures couldn't make him understand my hesitation, so I stopped him and wrote what I had to say on the piece of paper I carried with me. I kept eying at the others to ensure that we weren't too far behind and my letters came out messy and hastened.

I'm not used to this situation, I read my message before handing it to Anders. He looked at me with confusion.

"Fighting, you mean?" he inquired.

Fighting in a group, I wrote. I don't need to alarm myself of danger, but what about you and everyone else?

"Ah," Anders realized the meaning behind my words. "Well, as you saw earlier, your brothers and Isabela are more than capable of taking care of themselves and I'm not new to this either. Hawke trusts our skills and expects us to do the same, simple as that."

Anders was absolutely right. I had seen the way Isabela's daggers had danced and spilled the blood of her victims with finesse, although it did make me a bit nauseous. I was used to killing, but I always tried to avoid a mess by casting powerful spells that could slay a person instantly, not leave them coughing and gasping for air. As a member of a party, I didn't have to necessarily be the one to finish the enemy off. A well-placed spell could weaken an opponent enough for those in the melee.

I thought about the skirmish we had before coming to the Chantry. Anders had told me to stay near him and not get too close to the mercenaries. When I had fought for the qunari, rolling back and forth on the battleground and dashing in every direction to evade swords hadn't been unusual. A mage was often targeted first and no soldier was willing to waste their time to defend them, leaving us Saarebas' to our fate. Casting spells from afar was an alien concept for me, one I was willing to learn in order to play my part in a team.

"Hey you two," Roghart called from the closed Chantry door, "less talking and more walking."

"Oh, Hawke is a poet now," Isabela grinned. "I think I like that."

"Am I the only one here more concerned of his skin than what's between my legs?" Carver grunted, leaning closer to the door to listen if there was someone inside.

"Depends on what part of the skin you mean," Isabela said.

Carver's awkward blushing made me regret for delaying the group and I gestured Anders to hurry up. I showed him another smile as a sign that I understood what he had said to me and would take his advice seriously.

"You know, there is one more thing I could teach you besides healing magic," he said, looking straight into my eyes. "Something that would help you a great deal. We can discuss about it after we have aided Isabela."

I sensed an odd shiver so warm what I felt it all over my body, even at the back of my head and behind my ears. It almost caused me to trip and when Anders put his hand against my back to help me keep my balance, I wasn't startled of the touch. Instead, my lips curved up and I shared a chuckle with him before clearing the rest of the steps to the Chantry.

I felt somehow both stupid and happy for behaving in such a manner, especially when it happened only with Anders.

We entered and I was glad that there were people waiting for us in plain sight, not hidden in the shadows. The tall man at the center of them seemed to be the leader and Isabela's target. He didn't move a muscle as we approached and kept his arms folded across his chest. From the corner of my eye, I spotted more mercenaries in the two rooms we passed. Some leaned against the wall in boredom and some had their weapons unsheathed. With a quick poke to Anders' side, I made him aware of the lurking enemies too and heard him whisper a word of thanks.

The woman next to the heavy-armored man stirred when we stood only about ten paces away from them, but her leader raised his hand to halt her and turned to Isabela. "Long time no see, Captain," he greeted, his words exuding of ridicule. "Did you hit your head in that storm so badly that you forgot the rules of a duel? Although, it's not the only thing you've forgotten, am I right?"

"Look around you, Hayden," Isabela spat and spread her arms. "Is this army of yours here to watch or was I right to expect that you wouldn't dare to face me alone?"

"I don't give a rat's ass about ethics nor does Castillon," Hayden growled. "Where is the relic? We both know that the box wasn't destroyed in the attack."

"Sorry, I probably lost it."

"Uh-huh. Like you lost the previous cargo as well."

Isabela took a step forward and her expression was stern. The glow that had assured me of her good personality wrapped her and I wasn't surprised of feeling the same as she did after Hayden's insults. I considered her as a friend, like the Saarebas' of my tribe. For me, hurting people for a friend was justified.

"Someone care to clarify?" Roghart queried. "I thought we were here to back you up in case this slimy bastard plays tricks. What's this all about some relic and attack?"

Hayden sneered, like he had found a weakness he could use in his favor. "Another poor soul that has made the mistake of trusting you, Isabela?" he laughed and looked at my brother. "This wench turned on her former employer, got his ship destroyed and stole a priceless item that belongs to him. Sooner or later, she's going to bring the same misery upon you."

My nose wrinkled from the man's foul speech. My body moved before I could command it otherwise, but fortunately Isabela's arm blocked my path. As I leered at her, puzzled of her intent, she winked at me and I noticed how her foot shifted slowly, like she was putting more weight to it.

A memory of my Arvaarad assuming the same posture when preparing for a preemptive strike flashed in my mind. It cleared my thoughts and I focused on being ready to act.

Isabela smirked at Hayden. "You got some details wrong there," she said. "Castillon is not my employer, the Siren's Call wasn't his ship and the item does not belong to him."

Her stance chanced a bit and she kept Hayden focused at her. "But there's one part in that story that you got more wrong than the others."

Before my eyes could register it, Isabela's hand flew to grab one of her blades and she threw it. The dagger spun in the air and landed perfectly in its target. The woman beside Hayden shrieked briefly when her eye got pierced, blood splattering on the leader's armor and leaving a trail on the floor as the lifeless body fell. Hayden displayed horror and rage but all Isabela did was to continue smirking.

"It is you on whom I'm going to bring misery upon," she stated.

"Kill them!" Hayden screamed. "Kill all of them!"

I dashed forward with a spell prepared in my mind and launched it at a row of mercenaries near Isabela. With one swipe, my magic froze all five of them into icy statues and Carver took the opportunity to knock two of them down. Maybe it was my imagination, but he seemed more than shocked when they shattered into bits. I realized that a normal version of the spell I had usually created an icy sell around the opponent and didn't deep freeze them.

For a moment, I was certain that Carver looked at me like I was an abomination. My eyes widened when another mercenary attempted to backstab my brother and my reaction made him turn around and dodge the incoming blow.

"Reneka, get behind me!" Roghart yelled and he pulled me out of the harm's way, taking my place just in time to parry Hayden's daggers.

I spotted Anders and began to take steps backwards to reach him, not planning to expose my back at the enemies. Hayden ordered a man to stop me, but I created a magical projectile of stone and shot it at the soldier, hearing a loud thump as it hit his stomach and caused him to collapse and squirm in pain.

Suddenly, I yelped when Hayden confused Roghart and used the moment to strike Isabela who was too concentrated on deflecting blows. The pirate captain cursed when she ducked too late and Hayden's blade cut her arm. I saw her bleed and wanted to strangle Hayden by myself. Before my legs could act faster than my common sense, Anders put his hand on my shoulder and leaned closer.

"Watch," he said and blue energy started to gather on his palm.

Isabela's wounds were closed so quickly that her clothes remained unstained. I dropped my guard just to observe Anders' healing magic, how he used the staff as a focusing implement and targeted Isabela with it. The spell was a spectacle straight from my dreams. It was meant to create, not to destroy and such a simple difference almost made me teary. It reminded me of the time when I had played with tiny flames, pretending that they were fairies, but in the end those fairies had been used to kill people. Any protective spell I knew was nothing compared to the power I had to kill my enemies and for years I had sought for someone to show me proof of magic that couldn't be used to spill blood.

Denying that I wasn't stricken by the healer's spells would be the same as lying about it. I had only seen Anders using other magic when possessed by the spirit of Justice and it had leaked of rage. As I watched him knocking enemies down one by one with his own strength, it made me feel both jealous and amazed. He controlled mana like it was part of him, not a curse that branded him as a tool for others to use.

The sound of clattering boots behind me made both of us spin around. More of Hayden's men had sneaked inside the Chantry, charging towards me and Anders. There were two archers among them and Anders was busy maintaining a shield in front of us to block the arrows.

The situation brought to light the problem I had told Anders about. I had no time to explain my plan to him in writing, but I still needed to make him understand what I was going to do. Melee wasn't unfamiliar to me and the closer I was to the opponent, the more damage I did.

As the enemies advanced on us, I realized that time was running out. With nothing else to go on, I glanced at Anders and once he looked at me, I winked like Isabela had done.

He was left quite puzzled, but it had to be enough. I circled the magical shield and evoked two spheres of pure lightning, holding them above my palms until they were bright and large. The enemies halted at the dangerous sight and the archers pointed their arrows at me. They were too slow for my reflexes and after evading their shots, I finished the spell. Bolts of lightning darted from the spheres, striking every target between me and the Chantry door. I smelled burning flesh and leather and the weakest ones died from the high current that stopped their hearts and tore their insides apart.

When I released the spell, only two men were standing and even they were stunned from the attack. With no-one to stop me with a blade, I ran forward and eliminated the men left alive with a blast of flame, sustaining it until their corpses slumped on the floor.

I breathed heavily a couple of times and hurried back to Anders. I couldn't lose my concentration to wonder whether the shock on his face was a good or bad sign. My fingers twitched a bit after using such an amount of mana, but my mind was still strong and I wasn't fatigued.

Roghart thrust his sword through the last mercenary of Hayden's group and Hayden himself could barely stand anymore. His right leg was useless and two deep stab wounds on his back were streaming of blood. He glared at Isabela with empty eyes, trying to utter his final words in vain. As I sensed the battle to be over, my body relaxed and Isabela swung her arm to slit the man's throat, taking a step to the side when Hayden fell on his knees while desperately groping his neck. The pirate captain pushed the body with her boot and carefully walked over it.

She sheathed her weapons and tossed her hair over the shoulder. "What a fun that was," she giggled and sneered at Roghart. "Left me quite thirsty."

Roghart frowned. "You have some explaining to do before I'll even consider keeping our deal."

"Aw, dear Rogue is pissed at me," Isabela smacked her lips. "What a better way to share a life story than get drunk at the same time, don't you think?"

#

I felt like it had been hours since we came to Hightown, but it was still dark outside when we exited the Chantry. The streets were quiet and no birds had started singing yet. The wind had grown stronger and the night was cold, causing my skin to tingle.

Unexpectedly, Anders covered me with his jacket and I squeezed it before even realizing that it was his. When I met his eyes, my mouth opened in perplexity and I gave him a clumsy smile.

"You can borrow it for now," Anders grinned, "but don't think that I'll let you wear it to the Hanged Man in case you're going there with your brothers. I like my clothes puke-less. In fact, the stench alone there is enough to contaminate it."

I chuckled and guessed that Anders was just trying to cheer me up after I had killed so many. Carver hadn't looked me in the eye since leaving the Chantry, but he was my brother and I could deal with him. If Anders had decided to treat me differently because of my strength, I wouldn't have felt the kind of relief I did. His presence had become special for me and I knew my visits to his clinic wouldn't end anytime soon.

Isabela was glancing at the moon on the platform near us. I gestured to Anders that I wished to have a moment with her.

"Sure, go ahead," he said and pointed at my brothers who were descending the Chantry stairs. "I'll wait with Hawke and walk to Lowtown with you once you're ready to go."

I took Anders' hand and brushed it with my thumb, smirking like Isabela before trotting to the pirate captain. She was stretching her limbs and yawning when I reached her. The look on her face was curious and her eyes seemed to scan me, like she was picking up every detail possible.

Then, all of a sudden, her expression changed and she looked awfully wily. "So," she said in a high-pitched voice, "what else does he share with you besides his clothes?"

I wasn't easily embarrassed, but Isabela's words burrowed into my ears right when my mind was full of warm and kind thoughts of the owner of the jacket. As my cheeks blushed, I attempted to ignore it and wore the most blank face I ever could in order to do so.

She burst into a sweet laugh and I laughed with her, although mine was more unnatural than anyone could produce. I distracted both of us by taking the paper and coal pen out of my pocket. Isabela stared as I wrote and after the first strokes, she put her hand on mine and my fingers froze.

"I know that you have questions, Reneka," she said. "You want to know what I've been doing these past months, right?"

I replied with a nod.

She sighed noisily and put her hands on her hips. "After you disappeared, I left Kirkwall to find any surviving members of my crew," she started. "And the relic Hayden mentioned. It is vital that I locate it, but I cannot say more about it. The clues led me back here. What luck that you were still in the city, after all this time."

It didn't bother me that Isabela didn't wish to tell the whole truth, but I sensed that the reason she had stolen the relic couldn't have been a light one. No sane person would risk angering the entire qunari race if something bigger wasn't at stake.

No matter what, I had made up my mind. Either Roghart would tell about my past after too many pints or I would,with a clear head.

The space on my paper was limited, so I just wrote Tome of Koslun and showed it to Isabela. Her immediate reaction was to hide the message and quickly turn me around, ensuring that the others didn't see our faces.

"Andraste's tits, how do you know?" she whispered, her teeth clenched and distress in her eyes.

Isabela was concerned and agitated, which made me hastily scribble that I was captured by the qunari and knew little about their culture. She looked at me and I revealed my missing tongue. Her hand covered her mouth and she shifted restlessly.

"And here I thought that you were mute, but this..." Isabela swallowed and for the first time I witnessed her completely speechless.

It wasn't the pirate captain I was used to, so I broke the silence by writing At least your secret is safe with me.

The words made Isabela snicker and she made every effort not to. "Maker, that's cruel especially from you. I'm never going to use the phrase 'my lips are sealed' again."

I mean it, I continued the message.

"I know, I know," Isabela said. "Thank you. Not even Hawke knows about the qunari attack and I'd like to keep it that way. This is my mess and I must clear it by myself."

I was the wrong person to judge Isabela's behavior of building a wall between her and the others. My duty as a friend was to trust her actions. I believed that this Castillon she spoke about had to be powerful and dangerous enough for her to take such a gamble with the qunari. He had to be the one keeping her on her toes.

I had no intention of manipulating her to give up on her search. There was one clean corner left on my paper and I used the smallest letters possible to write, We are here when you need us.

A confident smile made Isabela's lips arc up. "I'll remember that," she said and gave me a pat on my back. "Come on, I would love to hear more about you if you don't mind telling me. Over the drink Hawke promised me, that is."

Although I figured that she wasn't going to do the same for me, I accepted her offer without a complaint.