Prayer for the Traveler

Chapter 10: Truth or Dare

May 10th, 2010

A/N: Translations are at the end of the chapter. There is some cursing in this chapter, but it's pretty tame stuff and I doubt anything you wouldn't hear on regular TV these days.

Leliana popped her head in to Erin's tent and gave her foot a hearty shake to wake her before ducking back out to safety. You can never be too careful when waking people that carry daggers in their boots.

Erin stretched her limbs to squeeze the sleep from them before dressing to start her watch. She found Aiden outside and joined him in his rounds of the camp.

Sometime during the night, the merchant and his son had joined them and were now sleeping soundly in their own tent. Aiden was concerned about their convenient presence and they decided to confront them as soon as everyone else was awake. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have a merchant handy to sell to or barter with for supplies. However, they were hardly on a pleasure trip and the two men could be in danger if they continued to follow the Wardens' growing band of misfits.

They made their rounds silently for the first hour or so. Aiden occasionally challenged Erin to sneak up on him in stealth without him noticing. He was never able to detect her before she tapped his shoulder and it irked him to no end.

Well in to their second hour of watch, and after Aiden had given up on their game of tag, they climbed a large group of boulders near the stream. The vantage point offered a view of the entire camp and beyond and they were well hidden within the rocky perch. Erin laughed and noted they better move before the others woke lest they start rumors flying. Aiden gave her a roguish look and waggled his brows before chuckling at the thought himself.

He realized he had not spoken to her about Duncan yet. He felt they had become close enough and decided to broach the topic, delicately.

"Erin, do you want to talk about what happened at Ostagar? I know we've been concerned about Alistair, but you and Duncan had become, shall we say, close in the few days you spent together. Basically, what I'm trying to say is, if you ever want to talk about anything, I am here to listen. No judgments, no reservations, just a friendly ear should you need one."

Erin was silent for a time, considering Aiden's offer.

"Aiden, I appreciate your offer immensely, and I will take you up on it, just not yet. We promised each other that we would have no regrets and that we would always remember each other with happiness. I am struggling to keep that promise right now and I find that focusing on the task before us keeps me from spending too much time in the past.

She sighed before continuing, "I know enough about grief and the death of those I care about, well more than I wished, and I know it is unhealthy to deny yourself that grief. I just need some time to put it in perspective so I can honor my promise and my need to grieve."

Aiden thought about her words and they rang true with him; he was doing the same thing with his parents' death. "I know exactly what you mean Erin. All too well actually. I think you and I are very similar in this. I say we make our own promise to each other. Neither one of us will allow the other to avoid their pain so long that it becomes destructive. We each promise to grab the other and shake them violently until they agree to talk, if necessary. Agreed?"

"Agreed. And again, thank you Aiden."

Dawn was spreading her wings across the sky once again so they crawled down from their perch; finishing their watch by walking the perimeter of camp.

Soon enough, everyone else started stirring in their tents or bedrolls and crawling out to greet the day. Aiden and Erin had fixed a breakfast of seasoned root vegetables and sweet pork slices; it was delicious.

After breakfast, Leliana and Alistair cleaned up while Aiden and Erin worked things out with the merchant. They agreed to allow them in to their camp as long as they stayed a fair distance away on the road, for their own safety, and provided a discount to the Wardens and their crew. Bodahn was the older man's name and his son was Sandal. The boy was profoundly mentally handicapped, but most likely of the idiot savant variety, judging by his enchanting abilities.

They broke camp and were ready to resume their march to Redcliff at about 10am. Alistair estimated they would not make the town by nightfall and would have one more evening camping on the road ahead of them. They picked a likely campsite out on the map and set their course for the day.

Erin took to traveling in stealth and scouting ahead when possible. It was easy enough for her to maintain the guise and she preferred to have the benefit of surprise should something happen.

Early afternoon they came upon a woman in the road. She ran up to them and, out of breath, stated "Thank the maker. They attacked the wagons, please help us!" before turning and running back down the road, disappearing around a bend.

Erin grabbed Aiden and Alistair and they stopped the rest of the group before they could follow the woman. "That woman is lying, there is no mistake. This is a trap, I am positive. No doubt more of those Highwaymen types."

Alistair chimed in, "She is also a mage. I could feel her mana." Morrigan nodded her agreement.

Aiden thought for a moment and then added, "Well, we can't allow them to remain here and prey on the weak; we have to take them out. Everyone, be prepared for an ambush. Alistair, hit that bitch with a smite as soon as she's in range, I don't want her to get a single cast off. Morrigan, finish her off if you can. If there are too many of them, lay them out with your sleep spell. Erin, you're on reconnaissance. As soon as we know who the leader is, take him out. Dragon, help with the mage. Leliana, I want you to focus on any archers they may have, stealth in if you can."

"It may be too bright for me to remain in stealth, but I will do my best."

"Very well, do your best. Sten, wait until Alistair has their attention and then finish off his targets. Everyone, keep them off Morrigan and Leliana. Act as if you suspect nothing when we approach and let them play their hand first. Head out."

They all nodded in approval and started down the road. Leliana stayed close to the banked and shaded side of the road in an effort to remain undetected.

When they reached the group of wagons, there were only three armed men visible, along with the mage. They were just about to launch their attack when the leader showed himself. With a wave of his arm, two more men emerged from behind the wagons. Five archers appeared on rises to either side of the Wardens and their companions; three to the left and two to the right. As he drew his weapons, the leader yelled, "The Grey Wardens die here."

Aiden, realizing these were no mere highwaymen but either more bounty hunters or something more sinister, yelled, "Erin, capture, not kill!" She immediately understood what the new plan was and made her way to her quarry.

Alistair silenced the mage with a smite before she could cast her paralyze spell on Aiden, just as a large tree was felled to cut off any chance of retreat. It would have crushed Aiden if he had not been able to dive out of the way. It was now a very tight area in which to conduct a battle with thirteen people, let alone find cover from the archers.

Erin sprinted to the leader, leather straps in hand to bind him. He never saw her coming and she had him roped like a calf at the rodeo before he knew she was there. She rolled him down an embankment and under a wagon to make certain he wasn't hit by crossfire.

As she ran a finger along the tattoo on his left cheek, she taunted him in her Antivan accent, "You should be safe here, my unfortunate, bronzed devil. I will return to collect you shortly, never fear."

He managed to catch her eyes and drew his brows in to a scowl as he realized he knew her accent.

She winked at him while popping the cap on a small vial in her hand and then waved it under his nose. After making certain he was completely out, Erin slipped back in to stealth and up the hill above to the archers.

Aiden and Dragon quickly finished off the mage while Morrigan cast her sleep spell on the men by the wagons. She followed quickly with another spell that once again had them confused and mostly attacking each other. Aiden, Alistair, Sten and Dragon made short work of their confused enemies.

Leliana had taken out the two archers on the right and one of the three on the left when Erin helped her fell the last two with her Kyoketsu-Shoge. Her aid wasn't really necessary as Leliana was proving to be every bit the skilled archer she had claimed to be.

XXX

Aiden called for a head count and they each responded with their name. They had suffered no injuries in the battle, unlike the decimated crew of their attacker. They quickly checked all of the mercenaries to make sure none were playing dead before rejoining Aiden. The younger Warden asked Sten to retrieve the leader from underneath the cart and bring him into the sun for questioning.

Sten picked the cart up easily and tossed it off the small man; grabbing him by the weapon sheaths across his back like a rag doll. He plopped him down in what remained of the fading sunlight and moved to stand behind the Wardens.

"What did you do to him Erin? Pommel strike?" Aiden asked, somewhat concerned he may not have someone to question.

Just then, the failed merc stirred, shaking his head and squinting at the sun glaring in his eyes. Erin squatted down on her haunches in front of the confused elf, elbows on her thighs, hands relaxed between her knees. She tilted her head to the side and looked him straight in the eye from beneath her hood. Winking slyly, asked him, "Did you miss me?" in her thickest Antivan accent possible. Turning to Aiden, she added, "I had him sniff a simple concoction that rendered him unconscious. Other than a headache, he should be in excellent health."

The man said something about not expecting to wake up to which Aiden replied "That could be easily rectified, but I would rather ask you some questions first."

"Oh, so I am to be interrogated then? Very well. Let me save you some time then and get straight to the point. My name is Zevran, Zev to my friends. I am a member of the Antivan Crows, brought here for the sole purpose of slaying any surviving Grey Wardens."

Erin groaned, audibly, thinking "THIS is going to make things VERY difficult for me." Just then Morrigan, Leliana and Sten looked to her as if she should know the man. She simply shrugged her shoulders, held her finger to her lips and nodded her head towards the prisoner. The Wardens each stole a look at her with knowing smiles as she slid further behind Aiden to hide from the assassin.

They questioned Zevran further to find that indeed Loghain and Howe had placed a contract on the Wardens' heads. "He also mentioned that one of my former coworkers may have been traveling with the Wardens, however, they admitted their information on this was limited at best and most likely false. Did I detect the accent of my homeland from the lovely lady behind you Warden?"

Aiden spoke up quickly, "I'll ask the questions here assassin. When were you to meet Loghain?"

"I wasn't. If successful, I would return home and the Crows would have informed Loghain of the result. If I had failed, I would be dead, or should be at least, as far as the Crows are concerned. Either way, no need to see Loghain." Zevran was trying to get a bead on Erin as he talked but she remained shadowed behind Aiden.

"Why are you telling me all of this? Aren't you at least loyal to your employers?"

"Loyalty is a very interesting concept. If you are done interrogating me, we can discuss it further."

"I'm listening, make it quick."

"Well, here's the thing. I failed to kill you, so my life is forfeit. That's how it works. If you don't kill me, the Crows will. Thing is, I like living and you are obviously the sort to give the Crows pause. So let me serve you instead."

Aiden asked him a few more questions and they learned that Zevran had been purchased by the Crows as a slave when he was a young boy. The rest of his skills were easily covered by Erin and Leliana, but if he had risen in the Crow ranks to get a job like this, he must be extremely skilled in combat.

Aiden turned around to face Erin and waved Alistair over. "Erin, what did you knock him out with, I don't want him to hear us?"

Erin handed Aiden the vial, "Just a quick sniff is all it takes. Not too long if you don't want to cause brain damage."

Aiden handed the vial to Alistair to keep Erin shadowed. Alistair quickly rendered Zevran unconscious again and they returned to their conversation.

"What do you sense?"

"He's telling the truth, actually, surprisingly. Also, he is not quite as cold hearted as he lets on; there is a profound sadness there and… confusion… or is it… conflict. Yes, that is the best word for it. I cannot say I would trust him fully right away and we should watch him carefully. I must say, I don't like the idea of denying redemption to someone that was bought as a slave when only a child."

Alistair choked on his own breath, "What? You want to bring an assassin with us?"

Aiden convinced him that they could use the extra blades and that Erin had a point about the slavery issue. They would watch him closely until they were certain he could be trusted, or not.

"What about your cover story?"

"Sooner or later, I will have to come clean with everyone. We can't hide my identity forever in such close quarters. Maybe this evening at camp, I can drop the façade and give a limited description of my abilities and reason for being here."

"Let's discuss it when we make camp and decide then."

Zevran started to stir again, wincing at the pain in his temples once more.

"Are you going to keep doing that? It gives one the worst headache. If you are going to kill me, then please make it quick. Whatever is in that vial is most unkind."

"Very well, we accept your offer, but I warn you, try anything and it will be revoked quickly, and most efficiently."

Leliana, still under the impression she was a former crow, winked at Erin and said, "Welcome Zevran, having an Antivan Crow join us sounds like a fine plan."

"Oh? Are you another companion-to-be then? I wasn't aware such loveliness existed amongst adventurers, surely."

Leliana snorted, "Or maybe not."

Aiden motioned for Erin to untie Zevran. She stepped out of his shadow and moved to crouch behind the assassin. He tried to roll over to face her but she stopped him with a firm boot to his posterior while she unbound his hands and feet. As Aiden offered his hand to help him up, Erin dropped in to the ether and vanished. Not entirely necessary, but definitely fun.

Upon standing, Zevran recited his oath to the Warden. He turned to finally get that look at Erin he had been denied and when she wasn't there, asked Aiden, "Where did she go?"

He heard her laugh just ahead of him, and then she whispered in his ear, "Vamos a ver quién es mejor para acercarse sigilosamente a los demás. Vamos a hacer un juego de ella?"

He felt a shiver run down his spine and he chuckled low in his voice, hoping she heard it. "Maybe they do have another Crow in the roost after all", he thought.

She then revealed herself in front of him, bowing with a flourish, before dissolving back in to the ether.

"How do you do that? It is daylight? Ah, you are a mage, no?"

"No" she whispered in his ear and he shivered again, harder than before.

He had felt her approach this time and managed to grasp her neck, gently but firmly, and purred back to her "Oh, va a ser divertido para jugar, no? Mi tentadora invisible." He ran his hand down the front of her neck as he released her, purposely stopping short of her bust line.

Aiden laughed, "Quit tormenting the assassin Erin!"

"But I am merely testing his abilities Aiden. Surely, you would agree this is a prudent endeavor?"

Aiden made no effort to further include himself in their game and announced they should get moving quickly if they were to make their campsite before nightfall. They looted everything of value and Aiden called for Zevran's weapons before they started back out on the road.

"I think we'll give our arrangement a couple of days before you get these back Zevran. Don't worry; you will be well guarded should we run in to trouble."

"As you wish, but I assure you, I am much more effective in combat when my daggers are within reach."

XXX

As they walked, Zevran kept himself busy by analyzing the dynamics of this new group of people he traveled with. Aiden was most definitely the leader; however, the mysterious Erin appeared to be his second. The other Warden, Alistair, didn't seem to rank too high in the decision making process, but he was involved nonetheless.

The red-headed archer seemed quite taken with Aiden and he did not shrink from the attention. They were not overly flirtatious, but a trained eye could make out the attraction there. If he planned to endear himself to the attractive Warden through seduction, he may indeed have a rival.

Erin seemed the more likely target, and a far more intriguing one at that. If she didn't kill him herself for trying, he would enjoy playing a game of cat and mouse with her. Him being the cat, of course. What a tasty morsel she would be once he had her cornered and trapped under his very talented paws. He would show his captive prey that this cat preferred to use his tongue for tasks that did not include cleaning his fur.

Mmmm, a worthy challenge indeed.

She kept her hood up which made it impossible for him to examine her features and her armor concealed most of her figure. She obviously had curves beneath all the pageantry she wore and did not hide her ample bosom. He had always been considered tall for his race and she was a good three inches shorter. He surmised the petite woman must be of elven decent as she was far too short to be a human and too tall and lean to be a dwarf.

She certainly had the talents, speech and accent of one trained by the Crows. However, he had not heard of any Crow contracts in place prior to the Battle at Ostagar and was equally unaware that any Crows had slipped their leashes in the past weeks. All the same, if she was indeed a Crow, she would not be able to hide it from him for long.

They were nearing the area that would send them in to the forest toward their intended campsite when the Wardens stopped. They looked to each other and in unison said, "Darkspawn".

Alistair continued, "This is a large group, at least 25, with emissaries, alphas and even an Ogre. Maker's Breath, can we please just get to camp? What is it with ambushes today?"

They heard human screams. The road dropped off sharply to the left side and the sound came from far below them. The group carefully approached the cliff edge and appraised the situation. Much to their anguish, they saw the Darkspawn approaching a large group of travelers, most likely refugees. The drop was at least 75 feet and they would not survive a jump from this position.

Erin crawled back from the precipice and called Aiden and Alistair over. "I can do this if I change forms. I cannot stand here and allow those people to be killed when I can stop it."

The rest of the group had joined them and regarded Erin with looks of confusion. Aiden began to speak but she raised her hand to stop him, "This is not up for debate Aiden, this is why I'm here. Try to find a way down and help protect the civilians; I will be fine on my own, I assure you." With that, she shifted in to her true form and launched herself from the cliff.

All but Alistair stood frozen in shock for a moment before he nudged Aiden and they began to pick their way down the cliff. There was a heavily treed path along the road that wound its way down the cliff face. It allowed them something to hold on to as they descended the steep slope, and afforded them a view of the battle as well.

Erin landed with incredible force and took out the Alpha in the process. Large, dagger like spikes had appeared from her feet that impaled it upon her landing. She reached both hands out, one towards each emissary and they were drawn to within inches of her in a trail of blue cracking light. She quickly dispatched them with a flick of her wrists, decapitating them with her daggers.

She summoned a massive shield to her left arm and began pressing the Darkspawn away from the group of civilians. When she had plenty of clearance, she grasped a greatsword in each hand and spun her body in a whirlwind of blades, cutting through the bulk of the enemies' numbers.

Three genlock rogues appeared around her, stabbing with their daggers. Their weapons made no impact and were quickly reduced to nothing but their pummels as her armor ate away at their blades. She laughed at their attempts; an eerie sound of light and dark, both present and far away. She drew a finger down the skulls of the two on either side of her, leaving a trail of light from their foreheads down to their chins. They writhed and screamed in pain as their bodies turned to ash and dust at her touch.

She quickly dispatched the genlock in front of her with her shield and longsword as the ogre bear down on her position.

The rest of the Wardens' party had made it to the group of refugees and were shielding them lest any Darkspawn make it past Erin. They watched in unspoken awe as she cut down their foes with weapons that seemed to appear at her will alone. Alistair was the only one that had witnessed the perfection of The Traveler's true form, but even he was dumbstruck at the sight of her in action.

The ogre beat its chest, roared in to the air and then crouched to launch itself at her. Erin melded her feet with the earth around her and returned a battle cry of her own that could curdle the blood. It was a primal, guttural growl that echoed against the cliff wall and shook the very air around them.

The Ogre sprang and she braced for impact, turning so her shielded left arm was facing in front of her, left knee bent. Her right arm held her longsword over the edge of her shield. Her eyes glowed with fury.

The ogre made contact with her shield and was dazed by the impact. Erin release her hold from the earth and began removing the beasts limbs with a greatsword she wielded as if it bore no weight at all. As the beast fell forward from the lack of limbs to steady itself, she swung her weapon in an arc over her head and pierced its skull in one fluid movement.

XXX

Erin was suddenly aware of cheering behind her and turned to see the refugees gleefully applauding her efforts. While it was nice to be appreciated, the idea that the proverbial cat was most definitely "out of the bag" was not comforting. She consoled herself with the fact that it was unavoidable and, moreover, was the precisely why she had been sent to this world.

She slipped in to the either, released her form and slipped back out as Erin once again before waving over the stunned group of companions in front of her. She told the refugees to stay with their wagons. She made no attempt at adopting her alter ego when she addressed the Wardens' party.

"Well, this certainly happened before I had wanted it to; however, what's done is done. Save your questions until we are well away from these people and I promise to answer them to the best of my ability. And for Pete's sake, wipe the surprise from your faces and act like you knew this all along. We don't want them thinking you weren't aware of my abilities, do we?"

Aiden spoke then, "Agreed. Loot the Darkspawn for anything of value; we will sell it all to Bodahn when we reach camp." He returned to the refugees whom he had a short discussion with before rejoining his party.

"There is some sort of trouble in Redcliff. We must make haste to camp and get an early start in the morning. They were vague with the details, but the village is under siege from some sort of undead army." He looked to Alistair and laid a reassuring hand on his arm before joining the others in looting the Darkspawn. "They will burn the bodies for us. I have instructed them on the dangers and they will protect themselves from the blood and smoke. Hurry now, before we lose the light entirely."

"Definitely not a Crow" Zevran whispered to himself as he fell in behind the younger Warden.

~TBC~

A/N: Translations:

Erin to Zevran – "Let's see who is better at sneaking up on others. Shall we make a game of it?"

Zevran to Erin – "Oh, you are going to be fun to play with, aren't you? My invisible temptress."

And we finally have Zevran! I was torn between revealing The Traveler now or at Redcliff, but I have had this scene in my head for a while and it would lose all its impact if they were aware of her identity when it took place. So, Erin got to be the badass and stunned her companions. We will find out in the next chapter how they all deal with this revelation; this one is already HUGE.

As usual, please review and PM me with any typos or grammatical errors and I will correct them. And thanks as usual to all of those that take the time to review, alert and favorite my pet project. It really does spur a writer on.

Cheers!