Author's Note: I am perhaps being a bit too fussy here, but thought I should mention that I started out using European Spanish as Antivan, I think, and then switched online translators and shifted to Italian. Those of you who pay attention to such things will know that 'amata' is not Italian for beloved, but I put that out there pretty early so am going to stick with it.

I had a bit of difficulty with this chapter. I am actually making this up as I go along, having only had a vague impression of where I wanted to start and end, and this Power of the Blood thing came to me on the fly. I have played through a few times now and thought it was weird that drinking the alchemical potion gets no real reaction from your team, so…Please feel free to comment/review. Cheers!

Perhaps We Should Talk

Kallian dreamed she was back in Fort Drakon, pinned against the wall, the guard pawing at her, forcing her legs apart, and then Zevran was there to save her, golden hair shining in the dim light, his amber eyes blazing. Zevran. Her eyes flew open, burned and clamped shut again. They had returned to the estate under the cover of night, but it was now day and sunlight was streaming into the room through the nearby window. She curled onto her side and scrubbed her face with her hands. Wynne had determined nothing was broken but everything was bruised. She had cast a spell, given Kallian a potion, applied a few injury kits, given her an odd look and left, patting Zevran on the arm. More of the previous night's events were coming back to her now and she was feeling a bit uncertain of herself.

Groaning, she rolled onto her back. Everyone had been concerned for her, but there had been the questioning looks Wynne, Leliana and Zevran had given her and it felt as though everyone was trying to not talk about something awkward. Someone had obviously told Alistair what had happened just before Howe's death, and she could sense he wanted to talk to her. Then there had been the conversations with Anora, the first when she had returned to the estate and they had sought out Eamon. She had argued with the Queen, accused Anora of betraying her. Much to Kallian's shame, Anora may have had a point. Kallian did not have to identify her to Cauthrien; she could have…She rubbed her face again. It didn't matter. That was yesterday.

Today was a whole new day and she had more pressing concerns. When they had gotten over their initial spat and on with the matter of the Landsmeet, Anora had advised them that something was going on in the alienage, but no one was quite sure what and she believed Loghain and Howe must be behind whatever it was. This news had not sat well with Kallian, of course, but she had gnawed on her lower lip and tried not to dwell on it.

She had spoken privately with Anora after a brief conversation with Riordan and agreed to support her in her bid for the throne, if Anora would consider marrying Alistair. Why not? It seemed like a good idea, Eamon had agreed when she'd asked the question earlier. Alistair had not thought so, but hadn't protested as much as she thought he might. He seemed to give the notion some consideration, at any rate. Oddly, Anora agreed to consider it, on the condition that Alistair would allow her to continue to rule as she had when Cailan was king. That was when Kallian had begun to fade, the events of the day finally undoing her, and Zevran had carried her to their room.

She wondered how Alistair would take this news. If he agreed to marry Anora, would he agree to her condition? Kallian supposed it wouldn't matter once he was crowned king. He was heir to the throne and would be the ruler; Anora would have to abide by that or risk going to prison. If he didn't agree, he could be put forward as the candidate for king on his own and this alliance with Anora would simply be a means to an end – getting her to speak on their behalf at the Landsmeet. That was the most important thing to remember, she thought grimly. There was a civil war to put off, a blight to end, a throne to secure, and everyone had a part to play. Anora would know this better than anyone, but Alistair would not and Kallian felt guilty about tinkering in the life of her friend and brother at arms, no matter his birthright.

There was a knock at the door and Zevran appeared with a tray of food in his hands. He was followed by several servants and butlers who were carrying water to fill the tub. A parade of people came and went for nearly fifteen minutes to accomplish this task. While they did, Zevran gave her a mug of tea, a blend of Wynne's, a trencher of porridge with dried fruits and nuts, and a fresh scone with honey. He helped himself to the same and sat on the bed with Kallian, eating to the sound of water sloshing into the tub. When it was finally full and they were alone, he scented the water and went back to her side.

"Let's get cleaned up, yes? You have audiences with both Alistair and the Queen, and then you must decide how to proceed from here."

"Ha. An audience with Alistair. I never thought I'd see the day. Zev, I…we should talk about…"

He silenced her with a kiss while working to unlace her sleeping gown. "Into the tub." He pulled their bedding back and helped her out of bed.

Kallian slipped her gown off, walked to the tub and climbed into the hot, lavender-scented water. Zevran joined her as she resurfaced from a dip under the water and helped her wash her hair. When she had rinsed, he washed his. He then washed Kallian's neck, back and arms. The silence wasn't as awkward as she thought it might be, and she felt reassured by his touch that recent events hadn't changed things between them, but she finally had to speak. She turned to face Zevran, her eyes searching his.

For the short time she had been imprisoned in Fort Drakon, she had been afraid of many things, the least of which was what might happen to her, really. She believed he would come for her, but she had been afraid she might never see him again, or that when she did, things would be different between them. What would he think when he found out what she had done to obtain these new powers she had finally managed to tap into? She thought of the other things he didn't know about her and she wanted nothing more than to tell him everything. She trusted him, loved him, and knew he loved her, but she had kept things from him, things that burdened her, that he deserved to know, and she couldn't keep silent any longer. Be open and honest in your relationships, her father had counselled her.

Zevran reached out to touch her face. "What is it, mia cara?" She looked anxious.

"Ah, I…I don't know where to begin. I think there are things about me that you should know."

"Well yes, I have come to suspect as much, but I thought you might like to discuss that when Alistair arrives." He stroked her cheek and handed the wash cloth and soap to her, turning around.

She lathered up the cloth and began washing Zevran's back. "Well there is that, but I am talking about what it means to be a Warden. Things Alistair might not like me telling you. Warden secrets, you see. Once I tell you, I will have to kill you."

"Oh, intriguing." He leaned back into Kallian and took the cloth from her to wash his arms and legs.

"Alistair tells me it is difficult for Wardens to have children."

Zevran had nothing against children, and rather liked them, really, but he had never thought about being a father, given his profession. He had only just acquired his freedom from the Crows and it could be tenuous at that, so having babies was not high on his list of things to do. This news did not bother him overly much. He shrugged.

"Difficult is not impossible and the trying would certainly be enjoyable, yes?"

Kallian smiled and wound her arms around Zevran's chest, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Wardens only live for about thirty years once they pass the Joining, less if they are older, and then the taint takes them. I was just seventeen when I joined, so supposedly I will live another twenty nine."

Again, nothing quite so devastating. He was twenty-eight and considered himself lucky to have lived so long. He fully expected he might die at any moment and knew the same was true of her. It was this business about the taint that bothered him.

"You know what I say, mia cara. Death happens. Do not misunderstand; I am not saying I would not be most distressed at your passing, simply that it is a fact of life. But what do you mean about the taint?"

"I do not know for certain." She paused, wondering how far she should go with this Spilling of the Secrets. "Part of the Joining involves drinking darkspawn blood that has undergone some sort of magic ritual. The ritual apparently slows down the spread of the taint, so I suppose when the time comes…" She suddenly had a vision of herself turning into a broodmother and shuddered rather violently. "I suppose it spreads."

Zevran turned around. "Let us get out, the water is cooling and you are getting chilled." He did not think she was cold, but did not want her to dwell on the unpleasant and tried to keep his tone light.

He reached for the drying towels on the rack by the fire and wrapped one around her, lifting her out of the tub. "I will admit I find that rather disturbing, but…I am sorry, were you finished?"

"Ah…yes, I think so. No more Warden secrets."

He put her down and rubbed his hair with a towel and wrapped it around himself, going to their wardrobe for clothing. He gathered small clothes, tunics, and leggings for them both and returned to the fireplace where she was now sitting, watching him with a furrowed brow while drying her hair. He handed her clothes to her and began to dress himself.

"As I was saying, that is disturbing but likely not to be of concern to us, as I am sure we will both be killed by the arch demon or Loghain's men or bandits or something before too much longer. You have a knack for drawing that sort of attention to yourself." He paused.

"Do you remember what you first said to me?"

She laughed at the sudden change of subject. "Ah, let's see. You tried to kill us, we kicked your ass, tied you up…right. If I recall, I kicked you in the hip and said 'Wake up, you jackass'." She wriggled her bottom at him as she pulled her leggings on and laced them.

He chuckled. "You did. Not the most graceful or civilized introduction, but it was charming in its own way." He stood before her and helped her pull her tunic over her head.

"My point is this. From that moment, I began to become quite attached to you, amata. Now that I have so foolishly fallen in love with you, I would rather cherish what time we have together than think on such trivialities." He reached out to wipe a tear from her cheek. "But if you tell anyone I have gone so soft, I will have to kill you, so we are even, yes?" He was grinning at her now, holding her hands in his.

Kallian wasn't sure if she was laughing or crying or both as Zevran kissed her. She didn't think it was a coincidence that he was spouting Wynne's wisdom to her, but she didn't care if he had eavesdropped on them.

xXx

When Alistair knocked on the door a few minutes later, he got the distinct impression he had interrupted something, but Kallian was looking much better than she had when Zevran and Morrigan had brought her back, which was a relief. Even the bruise on her jaw where Cauthrien had hit her was quickly fading. Zevran let him into the room and closed the door, motioning to one of the chairs by the fireplace. Kallian was sitting in the other; Zevran settled on a footstool beside her.

"Sooo. It's good to see you." He smiled and launched into his reasons for being there.

"Wynne's mumbling about blood magic, Leliana has been praying since she returned and you are starting to look a little guilty right about now under that healthy blush. Not to mention Anora is giving me terribly nasty looks every time she sees me, but I'm reasonably certain that's not related. What is going on?"

Kallian stood up and began pacing. "Ah…well, we do need to talk about Anora, too, but…Well. You remember when we liberated Wardens' Peak with Levi?" Alistair nodded.

"On our way through Avernus' lab, I was reading his notes?" She waited for Alistair to nod again, stalling.

"I read about a potion Avernus created, one he thought could increase the Wardens' longevity and help them utilize the power of their tainted blood. There was a vial of it nearby and I…I took it with me."

"And then?" Alistair looked as though he did not want to know where this story was going; Zevran's tanned face was paling, his own mind having already gotten there.

"About a week later, a month ago now, I guess, Oghren and I got into a bit of a drinking contest and later, when I was alone, I got curious…and I drank it. Avernus' potion, I mean. I do not know if it is blood magic, but I am no mage, so I would argue it is not." Right, let's just get that out of the way with a completely feeble argument.

There was a long silent pause during which Alistair stared at Kallian, blinking periodically. Zevran sighed and smoothed his hair and clothes.

"You did what now?" Alistair finally asked.

"I drank…"

"Yes, I got that part, thank you. So this bottle had a little 'drink me' label on it and you…you just drank it?" He stood and started pacing, then stopped and rubbed his forehead. "I cannot believe you would do something so…so irresponsible. What if it had killed you?"

That thought had occurred to her the moment after she had upended the vial and swallowed the foul tasting fluid, but then…

"It made me feel…great, Alistair. At the time, I thought it was the ale, that I was drunk, because, well, I was." She snorted, as though this should be amusing, but Alistair just glared at her. "Ah, right. The next day, instead of being hung-over, which I really should have been, I…I felt pretty good."

Zevran was, as was Alistair, wondering what repercussions drinking this potion would have for her in the long run, but the scene playing out before him was amusing. Kallian was blushing, looking contrite, and trying to avoid eye contact with Alistair. He, on the other hand, was now standing in front of her with his arms crossed, staring down at her. His fingers thrummed along the upper arms of his armour, sending a series of staccato pings into the silence between them. This reversal of roles was interesting.

Kallian made the first move, reaching up to put her hands on Alistair's forearms, eyes trying to meet his.

"I can do…things…as a result of the potion, I think. While fighting Howe, I used stealth to dodge him, slipping into the shadows of the room, and it felt as though someone had cast a haste spell upon me. I moved more quickly and I felt far more…nimble."

"Maybe it was Wynne."

"No. I know what that feels like, Alistair, her spells are warm and they make me tingle when they aren't fixing broken bones. This was different. I don't really know how I did it, it just happened. But…when Howe cut me…" Kallian's voice trailed off and she shivered.

"I got angry. He was a despicable man who had done terrible, cruel and treasonous things, and what he was saying to me…I got angry and wanted to…force him away from me. My blood flowed out of the wounds and coated my blades, the taint within it infecting him. When it was over, I…I pulled it back in?" She really didn't know.

"Wow." Alistair began to pace again. "I…you…" He stopped and shook his head. "We have no idea what this will do to you over the course of your life. Wynne said your health was deteriorating."

"Yes, there is that. My blood…leaves me. It takes a bit of mental effort to…well, to stop it, to bring it back, I guess you could say, but after a time I am fine again."

Alistair was wincing. Zevran spoke. "It was something to see, that is certain. I suggest that you do this only when you are in good form, Kallian. If you call upon this ability while you are too weak to stop yourself, the consequences could be dire indeed."

"Thank you, Zevran. Did you know about this?" Alistair turned on him.

"Alistair, don't. He did not know about the potion." Kallian raked her fingers through her hair, making it an even wilder mess around her shoulders. "I am on a roll today. Zev, could you please give us some privacy?"

"Of course, amata." Zevran went to Kallian and took her hands in his, kissing her fingers. "You may just be crazy, we shall have to see. But remember what I said, bella. Siamo il tempo che abbiamo insieme."

When she looked at him with a puzzled expression, he leaned closer and whispered "Let us cherish the time we have together, yes?"

"Si, il mio amore, si."

Zevran nodded to Alistair and left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Kallian motioned to the chairs by the fire and sat down. Alistair followed, albeit more reluctantly.

"You talked to Anora about the possibility of my marrying her, didn't you?" He asked bluntly.

"Yes, I did. Look, this is going to sound rather underhanded. Frankly it is; who am I kidding? I want you to understand that regardless of what I tell Anora I will or will not do, I intend to continue to support Eamon and Teagan's efforts to put you on the throne."

He nodded, much more at ease with the idea it appeared.

"Having said that, if we can do both, with you as king and Anora as your queen, Ferelden would have that continuity, your blood on the throne, and you would have additional support as you learn to rule. She did tack on the condition that you allow her to continue to rule as she has been, but whether or not you actually do is up to you."

"When did you learn about politics?"

"I have been paying attention, Alistair. You aren't saying much. What are your thoughts?"

He rubbed his hand over his hair and leaned back in his chair. "I have come to accept that this is…how it is. But I am not completely powerless. I know that now. Tell Anora I agree. We shall see how things progress from here."

"Wow. I had expected more of an argument from you, Alistair."

"Don't push your luck. I'm still mad at you."

"What, would you have taken the potion? Are you angry I didn't offer it to you? I am not mocking you; I am seriously asking you the question." Kallian folded her legs under her.

"No. I wouldn't have let you take it, either. I am angry that you did it at all, without discussion, without anyone else around to keep an eye on you." He sighed. "I had no idea you were such a crazy drunk."

She laughed out loud. "At least we still have a sense of humour. You are right; it was a crazy thing to do. I knew it the moment I did it, and to be honest with you I was scared to death for a while that something terrible would happen, but so far…I pray to the Maker nothing ever does. In spite of the one drawback we know of, you have to admit the new talents are pretty handy…right?" She smiled as brightly as she could and batted her eyelashes at him.

The glare Alistair threw at her was half hearted at best. He could not stay angry with her for long, especially when she was doing her best to look so cute and innocent. He snorted and stood up.

"Maybe. Go talk to Anora, she's expecting you."

"Right. How about afterwards we go to the Gnawed Noble for a drink?"

"I think we have established that you should not drink."

"Pfft. I'll buy you their cheese platter."

"Fine, be that way. Half an hour?"

"Yes. Get Zev and Leliana? The sooner she sees I am not a terrible monster, the better."

"Good luck with that."