Anna stood at the entrance to the arena, waiting for the gate to open and let her in to face the second part of the Challenge of Cunning. She had absolutely no idea what to expect, but whatever it was she was scared. Her vision still had not returned, and she was starting to fear that it never would. Oh Maker, what if it never returned? What use was a blind templar? The urge to sit down in a corner and cry was rather overwhelming at this point, and she really just wanted her brother. Caelan always knew what to do, how to calm her and cheer her up. She needed him there, his arm around her shoulders and his voice in her ear. But he was in Ferelden, probably safely cuddled up in bed with a hot mage that was nearly as skilled as her Fenris. She smiled to herself in the darkness as she thought of him. Her Fenris. Whatever happened, it would be worth it if it was for him. For him she would set the world on fire. The intensity of the feelings she felt for him were frightening, and she knew that if she let them run free they would overwhelm her. So she resolutely pushed them away, focusing on the task that lay ahead. She had to prove herself in the arena and save both Fenris and herself. And their… baby. The child she tried to not think about, even when she hung over the chamber pot and emptied her stomach each morning. She could not afford the distraction, come what may. She had to keep her focus or she would lose. Losing was not an option.

She heard the gate being opened slowly, the creaking whining noise almost familiar at this point. It was, in its own way, comforting: it was time to face the second task, now all she could do was her best and to trust in the Maker to see her through the day. She waited until it stopped grinding, then walked slowly into the arena, trying not to look like she was afraid of what lay ahead. The challenge she had no way of seeing.

The crowd cheered when they saw the blonde woman they knew as "Dog Lord". She stood just inside the gate leading back to the gladiator's area, as if waiting for something none of them could see. Then the referee spoke, his voice ringing clear and strong across the arena.

"Welcome, Lords and Ladies, to the Arena! On this fine day, we shall see if our pretty champion is as clever as she is lovely - in The Challenge of the Five Gates!" The cheers were almost deafening, as five walls appeared in front of Anna. They were evenly dispersed through the arena, each one with a heavy iron gate waiting to be unlocked to let her through. The exception was the third wall, which had two doors.

Anna moved forward slowly, fighting the urge to hold her hands in front of her to feel her way. If she did such a thing she would let on that she had a disadvantage, and not knowing the rules she did not dare to even hint at her not being at her strongest. She held her head high and walked with confidence, even if she felt none. That's when she felt it - Fenris. She could feel him, as if he was right beside her, his warmth seeping into her skin and giving her confidence and strength. She smiled. The bond was finally strong enough to work both ways. Anna raised her head and pulled her shoulders back. She was going to show them all.

"The first challenge is thus: Four chests stand on the table, and listen well champion to what I say now." The referee sounded excited, and a hush spread over the arena. Anna focused intently on the voice speaking. "From left to right, each chest has a note on its lid. Only the chest holding the key has the truth written, the others lie. Open the wrong chest, champion, and you will have a pretty face full of acid." Laughter rang through the arena and Fenris fought the urge to throttle the closest noble. This was no laughing matter. This was Anna's life on the line.

Anna paled. She could not read when her world was darkness. She moved forward hesitantly, feeling the table bump into her hip. She winced in pain, and carefully reached out, touching a chest made of metal. I have to let my fingers look for me, she thought, panicking. But how can I read with my fingers? The lid of the chest had tiny indentations, but they were too shallow to make out. She felt like crying; no matter how long she tried, she would not be able to read the messages.


"Lords and Ladies, for those of you who wonder and the riddle that seems to have our dear champion stumped, these are the statements on the chests: The chest on the furthest left says that it holds the key. The chest on the middle left says the one on the middle right holds the key. The chest on the middle right says that the last chest on the right holds the key. The chest on the far right claims that the chest on the middle left speaks the truth." Anna smiled. The referee had just told her what she herself could not find out. Now she had to think, and think quickly. If only one chest is telling the truth, she thought, then it's easy. Four says it's in Two, but Two says Three, so Four is lying. If Four is lying, Three is lying too. And if Three is a lie, then Two is a lie as well. The key is in the chest on the far left. Anna drew a deep breath, sent a quick prayer that she was right, and cautiously opened the lid on the chest she was sure was the right one. Nothing happened. No pain, no smell of melting flesh. She reached into the chest and her hand closed around a metal object. The key.

Fenris, standing next to his master in the latter's' private booth, sighed with relief. She'd solved the first puzzle, and now she was walking through the first gate. The crowd cheered. He felt a slight tightening in the chain around his neck, the only sign of Danarius' displeasure.

"Lords and Ladies" the referee called, and Anna listened carefully to his voice. With any luck, he would tell the crowd - and her - what was expected of her in order to get through the second gate. "In front of our champion is a raised stand with a frame, holding the key. It is suspended by multiple threads, and it must be released from the frame in order to unlock the gate. To her aid she has a bow and a single arrow. Let's see how clever she is!" Anna thought about it. One arrow? She moved forward carefully, stumbling over the bow on the ground. She leant down, found the arrow, and picked it up. When she did so, she cut her finger on the edge and winced in pain. Putting the digit in her mouth to stop the blood flow, she tried to think of how to get the key.

"Lords and Ladies! The champion seems to be quite stumped!" the referee called, sounding smug.

Anna frowned, trying to think. She couldn't shoot the arrow for obvious reasons; it could end up anywhere and then she was pretty much done for. The wound on her finger ached and she cursed mentally at the idiocy of giving her something so sharp. Then she started to smile around her finger. Sharp. Of course. It was obvious. Wouldn't Caelan be proud of her for proving to be nearly as clever as him?

"Oh, now it seems our champion has an idea!" she heard somewhere over her head. "She is moving towards the stand now, with the arrow. We all wonder why she ignores the bow! It is the obvious answer! But no, she is ignoring the bow, Lords and Ladies! She is - spirits, I can barely believe it! She is using the arrow's edge to cut of the threads!" Fenris craned his neck, trying to see, but the woman in the arena was too small from this distance for him to see what she was doing. Instead he focused on her. He could sense her; something troubled her deeply, but he had no idea what that was. She wouldn't let him know. All he could do was reinforce his belief in her.

Anna giggled to herself when she took the key and unlocked the second gate. She could sense Fenris' complete belief in her, and it made her nearly giddy with happiness. It made her believe in herself, that she could really do this.


"Lords and Ladies!" The referee called. "Our champion is now faced with two doors with a small table between them. On the table lies a key that opens both gates. However: behind one is the way forward, behind the other hides a spike pit. One speaks the truth, one always lies. They are not necessarily the same door, and your champion has no way of seeing which is which. She may ask one of the doors one question, anything else they will not answer. She may ask whichever question she wishes, to whichever door she chooses. But only one. Have no fear, Lords and Ladies, you will be able to clearly hear her!"

Anna thought frantically. The riddle of the two doors was an old riddle that she had heard before back home in Lothering, and she remembered several of the farmers and guards failing to solve it. It had been a great source of frustration to all of them for several days, and she could vaguely remember Caelan solving it with a superior smirk. He had been seventeen, tall and gangly and smug. But what was it he had said? It had been a question, a question was required. Oh, if she could only remember! She concentrated until she felt a headache coming on, trying to get hold of the memory. She had to remember what Caelan had said: if she didn't, she was dead. Or at least badly hurt. And more importantly - she would have failed her quest. Anna rubbed at her aching eyes. The ache had come only recently, as she passed the second gate to be precise, but it seemed to be increasing. She hoped against hope that it meant her sight was returning, but all she saw at the present was darkness. The ache made it harder to think, but she had to. What had he asked? She thought back to that day. They had been washing clothes down by the river, and she had told him about it. The sun had been beating down on their heads, her back had ached, and they had been singing silly little songs all morning as was their wont. She had told him the riddle… he had laughed and splashed her with the cold river water, making her shriek in protest… and he had said… what had he said?

"That's easy!" The boy standing in the river with the water reaching about mid-thigh

as he soaked their mother's best dress laughed. His eyes shone with mirth in that way

that made the girls in the village sigh longingly.

"No it isn't!" Anna protested. Not even the Reverend Mother knows!"

Her brother wrung the water from mother's dress and passed it to her for scrubbing

against the sharp rocks.

"Only one question, huh? Obviously, you have to choose one of the doors, which doesn't

matter, and ask it…"

"What would the other door say, if I him asked which one of you leads to the next gate?" Anna's voice rang through the arena, as she addressed one of the doors. There was a moment of silence as the door mulled over her question, then it spoke.

"That it was me." It said.

"Thank you!" Anna said brightly, turned to the other door, and inserted the key. It clicked open - and she stepped through onto the sand that composed the floor.

"The champion has successfully passed the third gate!" The referee called over the cheers from the crowd.


Anna carefully ran her fingers over the wooden table she had once again managed to bump into. Same place as before, too. Her hip throbbed and she would most likely have a spectacular bruise later. Her fingers touched on several small pieces of metal, and it took a moment or two for her to realise that she was touching keys. Multiple keys. Okay, so obviously one of them would open the gate - but how was she to figure out which one? She waited for the referee to speak, maybe he would give her some clue.

"Your champion clearly already has discovered the Fourth Riddle! On the table in front of her lies nine identical keys, but only one of them opens the Gate. She must find the one that weighs less than the others - but she must do so in only four attempts! We will count them carefully. Now, Lords and Ladies, let us see how the pretty Dog Lord solves this puzzle!"

Anna stood still, thinking. Process of Elimination, Ahn, she told herself. How do I eliminate as many keys as possible in the first weigh-in? Then she smiled to herself and quickly divided the keys into three piles of three. She placed the first and the second pile on the scales, and then carefully, carefully so as not to shift the weight, felt along the arms of the scale. They were equal, suggesting that the weight was the same on both sides. Brilliant, six keys eliminated in one go! She removed the keys, put them to the side and felt for the last three. Putting one key on each side of the scales, she touched them carefully again. Then she could not resist beaming with pride at her own cleverness; one key was lighter than the other. She took the key and felt her way over to the gate. The lock clicked as she turned the key - and she was through! The cheering of the gallery was a mere whisper to the feeling of pleasure and pride she picked up from Fenris, somewhere high above her head.

"The Dog Lord has completed the Fourth Puzzle!" The referee yelled, sounding as excited as the people.