Thanks for the kind words again, Aaron. :) Obviously, everyone loves reviews, but lack of them doesn't discourage me, I really am writing first and foremost for myself and not to engage in some popularity contest!

A note for this chapter: It is time for Riona to have a little freak-out about possible Bethany/Anders romance. She's not normally this... bitchy, but the combination of being overprotective of her younger sister and the fear of demonic possession and not really understanding what's going on with Anders... uh yeah, it gets nasty. She'll get better though, don't hate her please! :)

Chapter 14

9:31 Dragon

City of Kirkwall

On the morn of the next day, Riona got up and still yawning entered the common room to find Gamlen and mother sitting at the breakfast table, her sister nowhere in sight. "Mother, where is Bethany?" she asked immediately.

"Oh, she ate and left already," mother replied. "She said something about meeting a friend."

"Ah, Merrill," Riona relaxed, sitting down to slice some bread for breakfast.

"She didn't seem to be heading towards the alienage, though," mother said then. Riona pushed the knife and the bread away and got up from the table, looking for her mage staff. "Is something wrong, Riona?"

"Probably not, but Beth is in a world of trouble for sneaking off without me, if she has gone where I suspect," Riona spoke quickly, rushing out the door, only barely overhearing her mother's warnings to be careful.

Walking swiftly she strode past the Hanged Man, for a moment thinking to invite Varric along, but then decided against bothering him. He didn't need to see how she scolded her younger sister, after all. So Anders is 'interesting', is he? No sister of mine is going to consort with mages that allow demons to possess them. Merrill and her dangerous childish toying with blood magic is bad enough and almost more than I can tolerate, but this... this... oh, and if he starts leading her on, I swear I will strangle him and that demon inside too, so help me Maker.

Such and similar thoughts went through Riona's head during her quick trip to Anders' clinic in the Undercity. There were less beggars and escaped criminals and other lowlifes slumming about at this hour, not that it was easy to determine the time of day in this dank, glum cesspit. Certainly, the near vicinity of the clinic was devoid of any desolate souls pleading for help, so Riona strode up straight to the door and peeked in through one of the cracks.

There was giggling coming from inside. "I just find this whole tortured look very cute," that was Bethany's voice.

"Maybe I should look into the looking glass more often," and that was Anders' quiet laughter in response.

Riona could not take any more of this and banged on the door with such force that the door almost fell open from the knock alone. "Go away, I'm busy," Anders shouted from inside, but she wasn't going to let that stop her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite get that," she said, strolling in imperiously and staring Anders down. "Could you repeat it?"

"Oh... well met, Riona," Anders greeted her, looking a little embarrassed.

"Hey, Ri," Bethany seemed a little disappointed, but otherwise unperturbed. She was sitting on the table, her legs crossed, finger still entwined in her hair, twirling it. "You were sleeping soundly when I woke up, so I thought I'd come pick up the maps from Anders," she pointed at a bundle of documents on the table. "Save you the trip to this stinkhole."

"That is very considerate of you, sister dear," Riona looked at her younger sibling icily.

Bethany did not shrink from her glare, however, assuming a defiant posture. "Indeed, I thought so too," she said. "Anders has expressed desire to help us as we gather the funds for the Deep Roads expedition."

"That's very kind of you, Anders. I'm sure that with an abomination at our side, people will just jump at our feet with pleas for help," Riona said, her anger still seething.

"He's not an abomination," Bethany protested. "What has gotten into you, Ri? Stop being such a... witch!"

"Eh, please do not fight, ladies..." Anders suggested timidly. "Bethany, I think your sister deserves an explanation."

"That would be lovely, thank you."

"It all started back in Amaranthine. There, I met Justice, a spirit locked out of Fade and unable to return to it. This noble spirit was outraged about the injustice that was performed daily against mages of Thedas. We quickly grew close friends."

"Isn't the word 'spirit' only used because saying 'demon' just sounds too icky?" Riona asked.

"Surely you know that not all spirits of the Fade are evil? There are many good, benevolent spirits, the Maker's first children who represent all our virtues such as Hope, Righteousness, Compassion... Justice."

"I have heard the tale that the Chantry loves to spin, yes," Riona said. "Not sure how much stock I put in it. Our father," she stared hard at Bethany, "certainly did not seem to, as he taught us specifically not to trust any creature of the Fade, for how are we to know it's true nature? It will try to appear as benevolent as necessary until we have invited it in."

"It is true that I let Justice inside me, he needed a host to survive outside Fade. But together, we were going to change the life for every mage on Thedas! We would make sure no children ever went to bed in fear they will be taken from their mothers just for being mages," Anders argued passionately.

"And how has that been working out for you?" Riona demanded. "The thing that took control over you... didn't seem like justice was on its mind. It looked like it wanted to murder and it didn't care whom."

"It... has not worked quite as I intended," Anders admitted, the expression on his face so desperate that it made some of Riona's anger dissipate. She feared that the exact thing that happened to Anders would one day happen to her or Bethany. Anders was obviously unhappy at his situation and she realized that lashing out at him for his foolish choices was not helping anyone.

"I think I had too much raw anger within me," Anders spoke again. "It seemed to change the spirit of justice, and it has warped into a force of vengeance for all the atrocities that have been performed against mages."

"It did seem to hate the templars in particular," Riona nodded, recalling the grisly scenes of the dead templars from the previous night.

"I feel unable to control the spirit when nearby templars, especially when they are threatening a mage, any mage. Then it takes over me, no longer with care for justice, but only for swift retribution. And I have no control over it at all."

"But isn't there something you can do to expel that spirit from your body?" Bethany asked, hopeful, yet sad.

"I haven't heard of any such thing," Anders admitted. "Justice and I have melded together, and it is no longer possible to say where one starts and the other begins. All attempts to remove him from me would likely end up killing his host."

"We don't want that," Bethany said, smiling softly.

"You realize that what you just told me hasn't set me at ease one little bit," Riona said. The idea of her sister consorting with this mage was not one she wished to entertain, she could see nothing good coming of it.

"I did not expect that, you're obviously not stupid," Anders said, smiling bitterly. "Nevertheless, my offer for help still stands, even if I would not be surprised if you refuse to travel with someone like me. I can't promise always being able to control the spirit."

"You could be a great risk to myself and my group, so I'm not sure what to say," Riona hesitated. She did not have many allies in this city yet, she did not want to dismiss Anders outright, dangerous as he was. "I think you should lay low for a few months at least, for now. Karl would have told the templars about the apostate he was leading into the trap. They have your name, and possibly your description. For the time being, I don't want you near myself, my family or my friends, I don't want them to be connected to what happened in the Chantry last night."

"I can understand that," Anders nodded. He looked genuinely apologetic, making Riona even more regretful of her harshness. "I am very sorry I have endangered you all. I believe that the templars won't be able to ever find me here, but I will respect your request. Perhaps... in time you will feel more accepting to my company."

"I'm sure we'll think of something, Anders. Maybe we can take you on some trips that take us outside the city, no templars there," Bethany offered helpfully.

"We will discuss it," Riona said, giving her sister a hard stare. "But now we should be off. Get the maps and let's go." Bethany hesitated. "I said, take the maps and let us leave," Riona repeated, her temper rising again.

"What if I don't want to?" Bethany challenged.

"Please, Bethany," Anders cut in quickly, trying to defuse the situation. "Listen to your sister. The patients will start arriving shortly as well."

"Ah, alright then," Bethany nodded, jumping off the table and taking the maps with her. "See you later, Anders!" she walked out, Riona following her, briefly nodding to a sad looking Anders as she left.

They hadn't walked for too long, before the inevitable outburst came. Bethany's hand reached out and yanked Riona's shoulder hard, forcing her to spin around and face her sister.

"What was that?" Bethany stared at her angrily. "Riona, what were you trying to accomplish? The man had just helped us like he promised he would and you treat him like... like some beast!"

Riona pushed Bethany's hand away from her shoulder. "How easily you have chosen to forget everything that father taught us. A blood mage friend there, practically an abomination here, what are you thinking? Maybe you should put on your mage robes and go dance in the Gallows with a sign saying 'I'm an apostate!' around your neck?"

"And how blindly you never question that some of the things he taught us might not even be true, but he just warned us off that path because he himself didn't truly understand it or was afraid of it!"

"I have tolerated Merrill and her blood magic, because I allowed myself to be convinced that there is a chance that blood magic might not be inherently evil," Riona took a deep breath. "I am not entirely convinced it was the right decision; she is as naive as she is reckless. But then you run off to flirt with this man who has willingly allowed to let a demon-"

"Spirit!"

Riona swore. "I say demon, based on what I saw. I really question what's going through that mind of yours, you used to be a lot more careful than this! When we're supposed to lay low, of all times!"

"You're jumping to conclusions, Riona. What happened to Anders... it's not like any other possession I've heard about, he clearly hasn't transformed into an abomination, or did your blind hatred make you miss that too?"

"I don't hate him. I pity him."

"I pity him too, which is why I want to see if I can help," Bethany spoke softly. "Like I want to help Merrill understand the danger in dealing with her demon. I think I've made progress with Merrill, and maybe... just maybe, I can do something for Anders, too."

"Would that hair twirling and eyelash fluttering stares be included in all that helping business?" Riona asked harshly.

Bethany blushed. "You have no right to intrude in that, sister," she said, hard edge to her voice. "I know you've always tried to protect me, but I warn you, stay out of this."

"You will only get hurt," Riona shook her head bitterly. "If he hurts you, then so help me, I will-"

"I will be careful. I promise. Ri, you seem to think I'm a complete trusting idiot. I assure you, I know the dangers, I'm not stupid."

"We know nothing of this de-... spirit, possessing Anders. You can't know the danger because we have no idea what it is capable of."

"Maybe so. Let me ask, Ri, what do you think is worse. A mage that practices blood magic but keeps the demons at bay or a mage who resents blood magic, but has made a deal with spirit in order to fight and help other mages regain their freedom?"

Riona stared at her sister for a while, suddenly feeling very exhausted from the fighting. "I don't know, Beth. I don't know. Both seem equally unwise." She reached out and took the maps from Bethany. "I'll take these to Varric now. Come along if you wish."

"I'll pass, thank you," Bethany replied coolly.

"Fine. We'll continue this another time then, I suppose."

"Looking forward to it. Not."

"Whatever," Riona finally gave up, throwing her hands up and walking away. "See you back at home."

Riona was still in a bad mood when she reached the entrance to the Hanged Man. Why can't we have some nice, harmless mages that Bethany could meet and grow fond of? she thought. Oh wait - the nice, harmless ones are all locked up while the raging lunatics are running around the countryside, turning into demons and terrorizing innocents. Brilliant job, Chantry, well done templars.

Such thoughts on her mind, she opened the doors and headed in, coming up to a scene of one of the scheduled bar brawls that took places almost hourly. Amongst those involved was the strangest looking woman Riona had ever seen before. Well, if you didn't count Flemeth, but only Maker knew what she really was. This particular female was dressed in an outfit that Riona would have considered too risky even for a nightgown, displaying far too generous amount of cleavage. The massive pieces of gold jewelry around her neck probably had protective value, because nothing else she wore could provide any defense from incoming blows whatsoever. With a greenish-blue bandana around her head and a scarf of the same color wrapped around her waist, wearing leather boots that reached high up her thighs, this odd creature was currently in the process of beating three nasty looking thugs senseless.

It didn't take her long to send the clumsy sword-wielding brigands packing, and as Riona quietly observed the scene, keeping away from the vicinity of flying chairs and mugs, the woman in white... whatever you could call this piece of clothing, returned to drinking the horrible swill that the barkeeper of this establishment was serving.

As Riona passed the woman at the bar and was about to head upstairs to Varric's glamorous apartment, the exotic female turned around to address her. "I haven't seen you around here before. Watch yourself," she warned. "You're nothing but tits and ass to the men in this place, and they'll happily grab at both."

She stared at the woman, the crudeness confusing at first. Riona took in the woman's features, she was what men would likely consider very beautiful, and her ridiculous outfit only emphasized her more prominent... assets. Antivan? Has to be, the dark olive skin, the brown eyes, Riona mused. Then she remembered the woman's words and laughed hoarsely, leaning on her staff. "The way they all scatter when a mage is passing by, I almost wish they would do what you said."

"Trust me, you don't want these types to do that, no matter how desperate you are," the woman laughed, before introducing herself, bowing with flourish and probably breaking dozens of rules of public decency in the process of doing so. "I'm Isabela. 'Captain' Isabela, though the title rings a little hollow, without a ship to my name."

"I'm Riona. Riona Hawke."

"Fereldan, are you?" Isabela looked at her curiously. "I was in Denerim just recently, but we set sail as those darkspawn were starting to gnaw on the city's walls."

"You must have missed out on all the fun then," Riona smiled.

Isabela laughed heartily. "How will I ever get over such loss?" she turned a little serious then. "Listen, you look just like someone I have need of. Would you be willing to do me a small favor?"

"I have heard that we Fereldans look a bit gullible," Riona said. Isabela grinned at that. "But well, nothing bad will come out of you speaking your piece."

"Someone from my past has been pestering me. I've arranged a duel with this man, but I don't trust him to play fair. I need someone capable who could watch my back." Seeing Riona's questioning look, Isabela went on to explain further. "The man's name is Hayder, we worked together back in Antiva. Now he's here and asking all around Kirkwall for me. I'd like to get this thing over with."

"So my guess was right, you are Antivan."

"Wrong, love," Isabela chuckled. "Born Rivaini, not that it matters, I've spent time in every corner of Thedas. Well, every corner you can sail a ship to, that is!"

"Did the brawl I just witness had anything to do with the Hayder situation?" Riona wondered.

"It's unrelated. I hired Lucky to find something for me, and he failed to do so. That is all."

"Lucky, what a delightfully ironic name for someone currently sneaking back into this crummy tavern to pick his teeth up from a pool of blood on the floor," Riona remarked.

Isabela laughed so hard she almost spilled her drink. "You know, I think I like you," she winked at Riona. "So, what do you say?"

"Well... I'd love to help," Riona started. "But I could do with some payment for the task."

"If coin is what you're after, I suppose I can throw something together," Isabela said, then grinning wickedly and leaning a little closer. "But for a pretty girl as yourself, perhaps I could find a way to repay you in more... imaginative ways."

Riona felt herself blush from embarrassment. "Umm, no, I thank you for that offer and the compliment, but I, ah, don't quite lean that way..." Still, having been called pretty felt very nice, Riona admitted as much to herself. She was aware she was attractive, perhaps not as much as her sister, but in case of them both, the interest of the opposite gender usually ended at the 'Eeeeek, mage!' revelation.

"Coin it is, then," Isabela said, looking just a tiny bit disappointed. "I've arranged a meeting with Hayder in Hightown at midnight, in the big square at the end of Viscount's Way. Be there tonight."

"I'll be bringing some friends, just in case," Riona said. Isabela shrugged, obviously not caring about details. "Well, see you then. I'm awaited upstairs," she added before leaving. Isabela nodded at her and went back to her cups.

Little amused at the whole exchange, she proceeded upstairs and towards Varric's suite. The dwarf was up and awake, calling her to enter after the first knock, sitting at the table and carefully oiling up the disassembled metal innards of his beloved crossbow.

"Hey, Varric," Riona said. "Oh no, you killed Bianca!" the dwarf just stared at her antics numbly before starting to laugh. "Also, I met Isabela."

"Oh, her," Varric said, grinning ear to ear. "She's quite the wicked pirate lady, isn't she?"

"I'll say," Riona nodded. "Does she keep a room here?"

"Yes, further down the corridor. Been here for a couple of months, stranded after her ship sunk. I think it might have been the same storm out in the Waking Sea that hit those goat heads, because the wrecks of their ships drifted into the channel at about the same time."

"Right," Riona said, then remembering the reason for her visit. She took out the Warden maps and threw them on the table next to Bianca's loading mechanism. "Tada! One pair of Warden maps for dearest Bartrand, coming up."

"Excellent. This will give us more guarantee that Bartrand won't be able to leave until we also gather the coin he requires," Varric spoke, rubbing his hands together and looking content. "How are we looking on that front, anyway?"

"Not bad... not great either, but not bad," Riona looked around for something to sit on, but not risking the frighteningly low chairs, deciding to perch on the rug again. The warmth coming from the nearby fireplace was pleasant, too. "Almost ten sovereigns. But hey, Isabela hired us for a job, so there could be more coin on the way."

Varric didn't often look surprised, but for once he was. "Our little pirate queen is in trouble? Whatever it is, I better come along and watch your backs."

"Sure, we meet here an hour before midnight then. And hopefully soon afterwards we can embark on the scenic Deep Roads trip. According to the charming Anders, it is just lovely this time of year."

"Quite, quite, the darkspawn are not yet in full bloom," Varric laughed. "Still, should be plenty of danger to keep us on the edge."

"Do you know more about the fun that your dear brother has lined up for us?" Riona asked.

"I'm sure there are plenty of details Bartrand has not shared with me yet," Varric said. "But I know that the thaig he is looking for is about a week's travel from the surface. Hopefully you're not afraid of the dark."

"That is so unfair, you dwarves will always have an advantage there," Riona complained.

"Not so, for I was born on the surface."

"Oh?" Riona was genuinely surprised. "Tell me more."

"You're in luck! I'm always happy to discuss myself with beautiful women," Varric grinned. Beautiful, huh? Riona thought to herself. And twice in one day, this is unheard of. Maybe I've come into some inheritance without knowing myself? "My family came from Orzammar, the noble house of Tethras. That is until my father was caught fixing Provings and got the whole family exiled. The others in the family still haven't gotten over that, but I see no huge loss. Sunshine suits me just perfectly," he chuckled at that.

"I keep seeing more and more dwarves up on the surface," Riona remarked. "I guess someone in Orzammar is spreading the word about how great sunshine really is."

"You caught me, I confess," Varric raised his hands in mock-surrender. "But yes, there is less pining for the abandoned ways of the old amongst those of us who find ourselves on the surface, discovering that the thought of never again being allowed entrance into Orzammar is not as big a blow as you'd expect. The surface has more benefits, more opportunity, and more and more dwarves are finding that out."

"So no small nostalgic side trips to Orzammar while we travel to this Bartrand's thaig of mystery?"

"Absolutely not," Varric said adamantly. "Why would I want to go there? It's just... cramped tunnels, filled with nug-shit and body-odor."

Riona laughed as she got up from the carpet. "I think I can trust you to hold on to those maps for us," she said, wondering a little why she felt so confident about Varric. The dwarf himself seemed to be a little flattered from the trust she placed in him. "But right now I better head back before mother gets worried. I sort of ran off in a hurry earlier."

"Very well, Hawke. See you in the evening," Varric smiled as she left him alone again, carefully putting Bianca back into working order.