Hey everyone, I'm so sorry I didn't update in a long time. School is killer plus with the new DA game, I'm just about to finish it so I've been obsessing with that. Special thanks to Judopixie for helping me write this chapter. :] Well anyways, I hope you had a nice holiday and New Years - here's chapter 9!

~LadyGrey(with the help of a good friend)~

I woke up to the sun's bright light shining down on my face. I groaned and covered my eyes.

After a slow breath, I moved my arm and sat up. I was... alone…? I looked around for Alistair, Morrigan and Enes. Gone? Where did they go? A whistle behind me made me turn around.

Three men stood behind me, one blonde elf and two dark humans. The one on the left moved forward.

"Look baws, we've came acraws a beaut'ee. What should we do with ha?" His voice was heavy with an accent I was unfamiliar with and he was shortest only by virtue of his hunched back. His face was covered in scars, some old, some fresher and some lacerations. His left eye was an intense orange made even more intense by his tanned skin. His right eye was missing altogether.

The blonde smirked. "Leave her for the darkspawn. She's of no use to us."

"But Zev," said the third, "let's have our fun with her. We could torture her, Antivan style."

"We have no time for her." "Zev" said. "Be grateful girl."

The hunchback scowled, clearly dagger happy. The other men were just turning to leave when he turned back and drew his blades. I had barely drawn my own when a dagger thudded into his skull. I turned around in shock and confusion to see a Chantry sister standing behind me, smiling.

"Oh excuse my rudeness, my name is Leliana. I am an Orlesian sister of the Chantry in Lothering. Are you travelling there as well?"

"Grey Warden," I answered, her eyes widening.

The others turned back, their weapons drawn as though they knew what had happened.

"Kill the Warden!" Zev screamed.

The sister next to me took another dagger from under her robes and nodded to me.

After a few minutes, the elven assassin had fallen onto the cold dirt path, bleeding heavily. I climbed over his body and pinned his arms to the ground so he wasn't able to move, "Who sent you after us?" I asked fiercely.

"The Teryn Loghain… And may I-," he grunted in pain, "May I say I quite," he grunted again, "enjoy the position you're currently in…" He managed to wink at me. I slapped him across the face and got up.

Alistair, Morrigan and Enes came walking up the path from ahead. "Did we miss something?" Alistair questioned.

"This elf was hired by Teryn Loghain to kill us. This is Leliana - and may I ask, where did you learn to fight like that? That was incredibly impressive for a Chantry sister." I asked suspiciously.

"Just picked it up along the way in my travels." She continued to smile innocently.

I just stared at her, suspiciously. I turned abruptly to Alistair and Morrigan, "And where were you two?" I crossed my arms and squinted my eyes.

"We went out to scout ahead while you slept. Morrigan and I agreed to let you sleep while we went. We didn't... Imagine this to happen though..." Alistair replied scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah well, it happened and I am pissed." Enes whined in sadness thinking I was mad at him. "Not you boy, I'm mad at those two." He bounced up and wagged his tail then turned and half growled at Morrigan and Alistair.

"Well you and the sister handled it well for if not, you would be dead. So do not give us grief for not thinking there would be an attempted assassination this early in the morn." Morrigan replied shrewdly.

I rolled my eyes at her and looked at Alistair to see if he had anything to add. "Girls... Where's the assassin?"

I spun around to where I had pinned him to the ground and to my surprise, he was gone! Scheiße! From the corner of my eye I saw movement in the tree above Lelliana.

"Lelliana! In the tree above you!" I warned. She grabbed the dagger that was impaled in the hunchbacks head and launched it into the tree.

A painful yelp was followed by the Antivan assassin falling out of the tree and down to the dirt path with a loud thud. He laid on the ground in pain, blood pouring from his arm where the dagger had hit.

"Now I know for a fact you didn't just 'pick that up on the road'. Where did you learn to fight and don't lie to me." I warned. I am not in the mood for this today. I almost got killed right when I woke up! I was pissed and not in the mood for games.

"A woman gets bored in the Chantry. Now if you'll excuse me, I must return to Lothering. Happy travelling, strangers." She chimed then walked away.

"Well she was an odd one, wasn't she? Now, what to do with the elf…?" Alistair thought aloud.

"I can help you... Since my job to assassinate you failed, I can not return to the Crows… or to Loghain for that matter… Therefore I have no quarrel with you now. I only did what I had to because that was my job. I could help you against the blight if you trust me and let me live." Zevran explained, sitting against a tree, arm still bleeding immensely with a dagger purtruding from it.

I narrowed my eyes at him, suspiciously. I rummaged through my pack and found a roll of bandages. I kneeled down next to him and gently took his arm. Alistair was watching me intensly. "I'm sorry."

"What fo-?" A loud scream coming from his mouth interrupted his sentence. I had pulled the dagger from his arm, no warning what-so-ever.

"Fuuu-!" He stopped and squeezed his eyes shut. He exhaled loudly, baring his teeth to contain his teeth.

I started rolling the bandages around his arm until a nice layer covered the gash. "That should help keep infection out... My mother taught me how to tend to wounds a few years back."

"Beautiful women, such as yourself, should learn this helpful technique." Zev smiled.

"Cute but no. Keep away from her. Tell me you're not considering taking him with us." Alistair looked over to me.

"And you won't try to kill us again?" I avoided Alistairs statement.

"Valbona!"

"No, I have no quarrel with you anymore, good lady." Zev smiled weakly and examined the bandages on his arm.

"...Fine, you can come with. But if you dare try to harm either one of us, I will kill you. Do you understand me?" I narrowed my eyes at the elf sitting against the tree.

"What!? Do I not get a say in any of this!?" Alistair exclaimed furiously and worriedly.

"Look, we need all the help we could possibly get. If he does anything that we don't like, we can get rid of him, alright?" I placed my hand on Alistairs arm.

His cheeks went red at the touch then nodded, "Okay... I'll take your word for it."