Well, I owe one heck of an apology for how long this update's taken. Between my last year of uni, work, receiving a massive crack over the head from RL and writing for Warden's Vigil where I now play four characters (Siali, Nicolette, Anders, and Paige, if you plan on sticking your head in), this fic pretty much slipped to the back of my head for a while, and sporadic attempts to get rolling again were met with writer's block. However, as this monster is one of the longest chapters, I've put out, I'll hope you forgive me. So, sorry for keeping anybody still watching this waiting : )

Jaiden is mine. Everybody/thing else belongs to Bioware.

-Genjutsu-Dragon-

O

If there was one thing Zevran had not expected when he joined this roaming band of misfits – other than being allowed to live in the first place – it was that he would actually enjoy the company of his new companions. Alistair was especially good fun to tease, particularly as Zevran was fairly certain the templar hadn't even known that men could be attracted to each other, let alone 'do…things', as the blushing Warden had succinctly put it. Alas, there was no persuading him to try and explore the benefits of such a coupling, which was a pity. For all his bumbling and blushing and borderline simple way of looking at the ways of the world, he did have very nice muscles.

If he wanted a little reminder of the arrogance that was a casual attitude amongst Crows, he had originally gone to irritate Morrigan, who had a haughty air that would not have been out of place amongst the masters of that organisation. Of late, she had been distracted by something, and frequently his comments to her were utterly ignored instead of batted back. So instead he had fun aggravating Wynne, who acted like the best of the assassins; sage-like and quick to dispense friendly advice, but always, always cautious.

If he felt like a bit of culture, or simply enjoying the view, he talked to Leliana. The woman could wax lyrical about almost anything and Zevran genuinely enjoyed listening to her. They treated each other as friends by now, but he knew she wouldn't hesitate to turn on him if he turned out to be plotting against their group, and he on her. She might have been softened by two years of having Chantry dogma poured into her ears but she could be refreshingly ruthless when it came to a scrap. And she had delectable curves. His kind of woman, entirely.

He would also have liked to talk to Sten about Par Vollen and find out a little about the land of the qunari, but speaking to the warrior was like attempting to coax conversation from a brick wall. Occasionally he suspected he detected a sense of humour behind Sten's words, albeit a slightly sarcastic one. As it was, most of their time together was spent devising new tactics to send Jaiden reeling into the dust at their next sparring session.

And speaking of the lady herself…

Well, Zevran never hesitated to refer to a woman as a lady, but he did get the impression that calling Jaiden that too often would cause him to get his teeth kicked in. She was a scrawny little streak of blades and messy red hair who apparently had not let life beat her down in the alienage and wouldn't let it as a Warden, despite the interrupted nights of sleep and the little hints Zevran caught from time to time that she didn't expect to live long. She made for an interesting study; her fighting style could be brutal, but according to Alistair and Jaiden herself she had started out not much more than a scrapper and had over the course of her journey become very skilled. Sparring with her took real effort, these days; despite her size, she was strong, and getting unbelievably fast. And she was always watching out for them in battle; Zevran had lost count of the number of times he had seen one member of the party, or even himself been in a predicament only to have the elf come flying out of nowhere to save them. She was compassionate and Zevran now counted her as a firm friend; during the times they had been on watch together she had badgered him for stories of Antiva and the Crows, less professionally curious than with the enthusiasm of an over-grown child. It was endearing, in a way.

As was the developing relationship between her and Leliana.

It seemed to have taken a turn once Alistair had made his feelings for the bard clear. Her run to the tent the moment he was distracted was as good as a rejection and with it came down some wall Jaiden had apparently established to keep herself emotionally detached from the other woman. She had always submitted to the other woman's habits of touching her or fiddling with her hair; Zevran supposed that she let Leliana close because she could fool herself that while the touches were comforting, they were also platonic.

Lately, Jaiden had actually started to return the casual gestures of affection; a brief squeeze of the hand here, an arm around the shoulders there. For as long as Zevran had known her, Jaiden's gaze always went to Leliana first at the end of a fight, although she paid equal attention to each of them in those circumstances, and now friendly concern had developed a slight panicked edge if she thought the bard was injured.

Right now, Zevran was particularly enjoying himself; Leliana had been leaning against the log by the fire, chatting to him, and Jaiden had come and sat down behind her, hands firmly kneading at taut back muscles until the bard's eyes had fluttered shut. Jaiden had seemed a little surprised at herself, but pleased when the Orlesian complimented her massage skills. She had been less pleased when Zevran insisted on a demonstration for himself, and he had fought the urge to laugh at the slightly frustrated look on her face when Leliana walked away to tend to dinner while she was stuck tending to the Crow, who tilted his head back to look at her as her long fingers pressed into his back, offering a wide grin.

"You look somewhat put out, my dear."

Jaiden had been looking over to where Leliana was tending to the food and started when he spoke to her.

"Huh?"

Zevran laughed. "If you're so distracted by a pretty face, my dear, perhaps you would not make the best Crow after all." Jaiden flushed bright pink, which was a rare occurrence, and made Zevran laugh even more. It really clashed with her hair. "Are you annoyed that I demanded your attentions?"

"A little," Jaiden admitted grudgingly. "You could have waited your turn."

"Jaiden, if I had waited my turn, I would have been left sitting there until the archdemon came along personally to swallow you and Alistair." He lowered his voice. "Although I wouldn't have objected if you had let your hands wander a little." Jaiden smacked the top of his head before returning to her ministrations. Zevran groaned a little. Leliana hadn't been flattering her; she really was quite good at this.

"Lech." Her tone carried a faint note of amusement along with the embarrassment his words had caused. Jaiden didn't shock anywhere nearly as easily as Alistair, but it seemed Zevran had found a handy button to press when it came to the topic of attractive women. It had been worth the swats she had given him in the forest when she caught up to him after bringing up the 'Isabella Incident', as he referred to it in his head. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall of that particular captain's cabin.

Before he could make further comment, however, both of their heads snapped up as they caught a sound that didn't fit in with the usual noises of the forest around them. Jaiden did not look around for as long as he did, and turned back to him with a puzzled expression on her face, but he held a finger up to silence her. The pair of them sat silently, listening; the other members of the camp were still making their usual clamour but Zevran was utterly focused on the surrounding area, taking in every detail of the trees around them and whatever lurked within.

His ear twitched; there was a movement within the trees and on instinct he grabbed Jaiden by the collar and pulled her sharply forwards off the log while pitching himself to the side as the pair of arrows that had been aimed at their heads thudded into the ground behind them. They landed in a tangled heap, but Zevran extracted himself quickly and yelled for the others as one of the largest bands of bandits they'd ever seen poured into the camp.

The first man upon him was wearing well-cut leathers and wielded his blades very well – but not well enough. Zevran met his strikes evenly and kicked outwards, knocking the assailant off balance with his foot before plunging the dagger through his back. Jaiden was on her feet as well, nimbly dodging around the sweeping blows of…was that a qunari wielding it?...an enormous axe. His movements were nothing like as efficient as those of Sten's, and Jaiden's sword flicked out, slicing most of the way through the thick neck. The other attackers didn't go for them, but moved around, heading for the others in camp in an unusual formation that left their backs wide open to retribution from himself and Jaiden.

They were looking for something.

Zevran's first thought as he charged and landed on the back of a second qunari was that these people were after the Wardens. Jaiden in her trews and tunic couldn't look less like a warrior of legend if she tried; authority was something she seemed to pull on with her armour. So it would make sense that they would overlook her at first, instead going for Alistair, who actually looked like a leader despite his disinclination towards the role. He fortunately still had his armour on, and although he hadn't finished sharpening his sword he was quick to drop everything unnecessary and enter the fray. Morrigan and Wynne both unleashed a torrent of boulders and ice upon the invaders, freezing most of them in place, and yet they kept coming, moving past the mages, past Alistair and heading for…

Before he could call out to Jaiden there was a flash of red as she sprinted past him, bringing the pommels of her weapons down hard on the helmet of the man going after Leliana. The bard was up and firing arrows into the scuffle, but the mercenaries had their own mages and a bolt hit Leliana square in the chest; Zevran heard Jaiden's cry rise above the clashes of metal and the grunts of the other fighters, but the bard seemed unharmed. However, every time she tried to lift her bow to fire her aim veered wildly. A Misdirection Hex. Catastrophic in a situation like this; Leliana could now do little more than run until the effects wore off. Zevran leapt to the side, his blades slamming into the archer who had been aiming to take advantage of this temporary weakness. Shale rumbled towards them before anybody could try to cut through the elf's injured side, his enormous fists swinging and scattering their attackers quickly; now that they were spaced out they were far easier to deal with, and Jaiden ran to stand in front of Leliana, who had drawn her own blades but still looked woozy, deftly fighting off the last man to lunge at the bard with a quick slice across the throat. The remaining mercenaries did not take long to deal with, leaving just the one Jaiden had stunned lying on the ground. The moment Jaiden had checked Leliana was alright, she stormed over to the man, pressing a foot on his chest and raising her sword to take off his head.

Leliana darted over, managing to catch Jaiden's wrist before she could drive home the blow.

"Stop! Don't kill him!"

Zevran braced his hands against his thighs as he leaned forward, catching his breath. Fighting without armour was difficult and the mercenaries had presented a considerable challenge. Apparently they'd overestimated their own abilities, though. Personally, he would have waited until watch was set up, and then picked them off with arrows before killing the rest of them in their sleep. It was the method he would have used had he actually intended to succeed in killing the Wardens. In the meantime…

Why was Leli demanding that Jaiden spare this man? Was it the same practicality that had caused her to support him when he lay at the wrong end of Jaiden's sword?

Jaiden met Leliana's eyes with an expression between annoyance and confusion, for which the ex-Crow could not blame her. "Leliana-"

"You know this wasn't an ordinary attack. Their weapons and armour are of fine make, and they are well-trained." The bard's eyes shifted to the man on the ground, and instead of merciful her gaze was hard. There was to be no talk of the Maker here. "You know what I am talking about. Who are you?"

There was a faintly ironic twist to the man's mouth; he had nerve in the face of his death, Zevran had to give him that.

"Someone who regrets taking you on." He reached upwards and Jaiden's blade pressed further into his neck, but he only removed his helmet, revealing the gigantic bruise where the edge had crushed into him when Jaiden slammed him with her weapons. "We were told it'd be an easy job. Kill the little red-haired girl…" the direction of his glance spoke as clearly as the general direction of the fight had – "and deal with the others as we pleased."

"So you were trying to kill me." Leliana's expression shifted almost imperceptibly from hard to afraid; she controlled it well, and Zevran might not have noticed had he been watching her face. Jaiden, meanwhile, looked as though she wanted to hack the man's head off then and there; sensibly, she kept herself controlled, perhaps realising that more questions needed to be asked first. "Who sent you? Why am I wanted dead?"

The man shrugged, as much as he was able to on his back with a sword point at his throat. "I don't ask questions like that. Causes trouble further down the line if I pass it on to somebody else by accident. I'm a mercenary, not a secret-keeper."

"So you have nothing useful to tell us?"

Zevran couldn't recall Jaiden's voice ever sounding colder. Apparently the man realised that he was going to die a quick and undignified death if he didn't talk, so he very quickly replied.

"Wait. I do have information." He looked up at Jaiden. "Maybe we could work something out?"

"Speak quickly."

No sign of a promise from Leliana there, but the man would have to take it.

"I've no real quarrel with you. Wasn't me that wanted you dead." He looked around the group, his expression shifting from laconic to sly. "But I can tell you where to find the one that does."

Jaiden simply gave a curt nod.

"I have some directions written down on how to get to the house. It's in Denerim. 'S best I can do."

"Thank you." Leliana's eyes were narrowed, but there were still signs of fear evident in the shaking of her hands as she crossed them. "Now, leave."

"Are you sure?" Jaiden looked across at the bard. "Isn't it better if whoever hired him doesn't know he failed?"

Sound thinking to Zevran's mind. But Leliana shook her head.

"No. He won't attack us again. Please?"

Jaiden stared at her for a few moments, but then nodded again, grimacing as she lifted her sword from the man's throat. The mercenary was obviously smart enough not to waste his chance at freedom and got up, limping off into the surrounding forest as fast as his injuries would let him.

Leliana slumped on the log while Alistair and Sten started dragging the bodies away from camp and picking up pieces of armour, assessing what could be sold later on. Jaiden left the bard for now, sorting through the discarded weapons, although she lifted her head, meeting Zevran's eyes briefly, before her hand pointed into the trees where the man had limped off.

Zevran recognised that gesture. You know what to do. He nodded, waiting until everybody's attention was occupied with clearing up the mess before following the messy trail the mercenary had left behind. No sense in leaving a loose end.

OOO

When he returned, most of the camp had returned to gather around Leliana, and apparently his timing had been fortuitous; the bard was just starting to speak, less offering an opinion on the attack than knowing exactly who it was who had sent the mercenaries after her.

"It's Marjolaine." Leliana buried her face in her hands, muffling her voice. "It has to be."

Jaiden settled beside her; everybody else hovered. "Why now?" Levi had emerged from his hiding place now, looking between the elf and the obviously distraught Orlesian with complete confusion.

The bard's shoulders rose and lowered. "I don't know. Maybe somebody saw me?" After a few moments, she seemed to gather herself, and sat up. "I have to go and settle this. I – I'll go to Denerim, try to sort things out and then…then if I can sort things, I'll come and find you again."

"No." Jaiden moved around to kneel in front of Leliana, a hand coming up to touch the bard's cheek. Alistair coughed and looked away. "We're all going. One of the first things Duncan taught me about the Wardens is that they're supposed to be loyal to their friends, and even if he hadn't, I wouldn't abandon any of us to be hunted down by a treacherous bardmaster."

"Jaiden, is this wise?" Wynne, ever the voice of reason, spoke up, but Zevran knew even before she spoke that her advice was not going to be taken well. "We only have so much time before the Blight hits; I'm already uneasy about bypassing the Dalish clans to go to Soldier's Peak. And somebody might recognise you in Denerim…"

"We're going." Jaiden frequently gave orders, but this was only the second time Zevran had heard such steel behind the elf's voice – the first being the time she had trounced Sten and told him to get back in line. "There's no sense in anybody in our group having to constantly look over their shoulder while we try to deal with the Blight. It's better to eliminate the threat as quickly as possible so everybody can devote their full attention to retrieving the treaties."

Wynne started saying something back, but Zevran's attention shifted as he took note of Morrigan's expression at this. Instead of sneering, the witch was looking at Jaiden with something that was equal parts fear and hope. She needed something from their leader - that much was certain, but for some reason she had not ventured it yet. Perhaps she had her own demons chasing her; that would explain why her usual arguments with Alistair had lacked some of their spark of late. The golden eyes lifted and met his gaze; after a few seconds she managed to affect her usual supercilious curl of the lip, but not nearly fast enough for Zevran to dismiss what he'd seen.

Very interesting.

He turned his focus back on Jaiden. Wynne seemed to have backed down; Zevran had known she would. The elder mage made an effort to look at the big picture most of the time, but she was not above being swayed by her personal attachments. It was smart of Jaiden to pull on them. The bard treated Wynne with a great deal of respect and a certain, almost daughterly affection that was sorely lacking from the rest of their part. Of course, Zevran had long since offered his services in warming Wynne's bed, and as he had expected she had rebuffed him pretty much instantly. She had secrets of her own, but whatever those were, they did not compensate for the fact that she genuinely cared for the bard and didn't want to see her hurt.

Jaiden had gone into her tent to retrieve her maps and begin planning a quick route to Denerim; even though Zevran had ensured that they had the element of surprise, it would be quickly lost if they did not return before the mercenaries had been expected back and Marjolaine's suspicions were raised. Zevran knew enough of the bardmasters that he could expect her to be prepared for trouble anyway, but there was no sense in giving her an edge.

Leliana escaped into her tent and Zevran followed her progress with his gaze. He wouldn't be surprised if the bard, out of a misplaced sense of nobility (and fear for Jaiden) made a bolt for it tonight, but he was reasonably confident that if she tried they could use Boy to track her down. He had to agree with Wynne's initial assessment; technically they didn't have time to be going to Soldier's Peak, let alone detour to Denerim to take care of a problem that only really affected one party member. Then again, short of abandoning Leliana to the wolves, their only recourse was to deal with the problem at its source and take out Marjolaine. Whether the bard would have the strength to try and kill her former mentor was something for Zevran to worry about when they got there. Jaiden had proved herself somewhat ruthless when it came to protecting their group – as the now deceased mercenary lying with his throat cut in the woods demonstrated – and if Leliana didn't finish her, Jaiden probably would.

Zevran wasn't sure if Leliana would forgive Jaiden if it came to that.

He sighed, gathering all the remaining armour they could carry into one pack that Alistair would probably be bullied in carrying until they ran into a trader. This would all be so much easier on his mind if only he could watch the women sharing a tender moment for a while.

OOO

Leliana had her armour on already; all that really needed to be done was to pack up her bedroll and slide her pack underneath the back of the tent and then following after it. The canvas would block whoever was on watch tonight – she hadn't really been paying attention when they were allocated – from seeing her, and even if they heard her she would be well into the dark forest and nearly impossible to place before they could follow her.

Her insides were cramping and she had to fight back tears. Two years. She had been gone from Orlais for two years, and knowing that Marjolaine was still paranoid enough about the possibility of her sharing what she knew (although nobody would believe her) that she'd hired apparently quite expensive mercenaries to track her down. They'd been strong enough that Marjolaine also had to know who she was travelling with. And that made Leliana scared because by travelling with them, she'd inadvertently put the only two people with a chance of defeating the Blight at risk. And that she more than cared for one of them…

She started at the sound of the tent flap opening, turning as sharply as she could on her knees, half-expecting another mercenary to come charging in. Instead, Jaiden stepped in. She had her bedroll tucked under one arm.

"Jaiden, what are you doing?"

"Making sure you don't run off during the night." Jaiden set her bedroll alongside Leliana's. She turned her head towards the bard, offering her a smile. In the dim light shining through the canvas, her scar was barely visible, and Leliana realised she hadn't really noticed it in a long time. "I take it that was what you were planning to do, right? Sneak out the back of the tent so Sten and Zevran didn't catch you on watch."

This had pretty much exactly been Leliana's idea, as much as though of actually running away from a group of people who were the closest thing she had to friends had made her gut wrench.

Not as badly as it was doing right now, however, with Jaiden preparing to bed down right beside her. Leliana couldn't help replaying the kiss Jaiden had pressed to her forehead the night her scars were revealed, and as much as she kept telling herself that it was wrong, that Jaiden was a Warden and had her duties and really, really didn't need a lovelorn Orlesian minstrel following her about, she still hoped…

Jaiden removed her armour, stacking it outside to air, but to Leliana's mixed reaction of relief and disappointment, kept her trews and tunic on as she wriggled into her blankets. She then propped herself up on her elbow, looking up at Leliana expectantly, and it took the bard a few moments to realise that Jaiden was indicating that she do the same.

"Could…could you look away?" Leliana was ashamed to hear her voice trembling. "I'm not going to run, I just…" This was ridiculous. She would be separated from the elf by several layers of blankets and clothing, but it still felt far too close, and not close enough. Maker help her, she didn't know what she wanted to do more now; run out of the tent as fast as her feet could carry her, or curl up beside Jaiden and let herself imagine that she never had to leave the tent again.

Jaiden accepted her request, tucking an arm under her head and shutting her eyes. This gave her face the same vulnerability Leliana had noticed the first night in camp, and once Leliana had pulled off her own armour she knelt on her bedroll and looked down at the Warden. Despite herself her hand went out and brushed against the elf's cheek.

Jaiden caught it, her eyes opening, looking up at Leliana with a measured gaze before pulling the hand to her mouth and kissing the back. The touch of the Warden's lips against her skin sent an involuntary shiver through the bard and when Jaiden sat back up, her other hand creeping around Leliana's side and pulling the bard to her, Leliana couldn't think of a single reason to resist. Those pale green eyes were hidden behind the lids again as Jaiden shut them and then kissed Leliana directly on the mouth.

Merciful Maker, but the simple touch utterly weakened Leliana's resolve to leave. She found herself cupping the elf's face as she returned it, feeling Jaiden's arm wrap around her waist possessively. It was good, better than good – without motivation behind the kiss, for information or to gain trust, she had never experienced a kiss like it, and Leliana let herself become almost drunk on it, on the feel of Jaiden and her smell that was like leather and woods and rough lye soap, with the almost imperceptible musky scent that was Jaiden herself.

It was that which caused her to finally push herself away; Jaiden's eyes were shining, her lips slightly swollen from the kiss, and with a flush that Leliana had rarely seen painting the Warden's cheeks. At any other time – a few hours earlier, even – she would have giggled, knowing her expression was almost an exact match, before claiming Jaiden's mouth again, and let herself become completely lost.

But now…if, when they came up against Marjolaine, her former mentor noticed the feeling she harboured for the Warden…the bardmaster would have no hesitation in exploiting the knowledge, using it to torture Leliana a last time before trying to kill her. She couldn't, wouldn't let what the elf felt for her be Jaiden's downfall. If the Warden was to die because of her…

She pulled away. "I can't." Leliana shut her eyes, turning her face away from Jaiden, desperate not to see the heartbroken look that would surely cross the elf's face. Tears seeped across her cheeks before she could stop them.

Familiar hands reached up and brushed across her face, wiping away the tears. "Then don't." Jaiden's voice was soft. "Until you're ready. When you feel safe again."

After Marjolaine is dead.

She knew Jaiden couldn't promise that she could defeat the bardmaster. Marjolaine had not become who she was without years of practice and Jaiden only had what she had learnt in scraps of practice with her mother and everything she had fought against in the last few months. But Leliana couldn't stop herself latching on to the hope that she would succeed, somehow – without actually killing the woman she had once loved. Despite everything Marjolaine had done, she couldn't help remembering how tender the bardmaster had once been, how she had coaxed the very best from Leliana with acclamation, and when she was taken to Marjolaine's bed for the first time how very gently the other woman had explored her, kissing away her nervousness and uttering soft assurances until Leliana was no longer afraid.

Whether that softer woman had existed at all or just been an act for Leliana's benefit, the bard did not want to know. All she wanted was to be safe in the knowledge that the woman would not hurt Jaiden. Or anybody else in their group, for that matter. To that end, she might have to give herself up to Marjolaine, and she knew instinctively that Jaiden wouldn't allow it.

Maker, she couldn't see a way out of this.

But she curled up under her blankets and turned her back on Jaiden. They would go to Denerim. Face Marjolaine, and then…

Whatever the Maker willed.

The aphorism did not comfort her as much as it had whenever she had used it before.

A hand slipped around her and Leliana tensed as she felt Jaiden huddling up against her; there were still several layers in the way, but it still felt too close. The elf was warm and as Leliana lay there, Jaiden leant up; there was a brush of breath against the bard's ear that made her desperately want to roll back over and keep kissing the elf.

"It'll be all right, Leliana. Trust me."

She couldn't. But despite herself, Leliana found herself relaxing in the elf's arms, lulled just by her Warden's presence.

Her Warden. For better or for worse, she could think that now.

Her roiling thoughts kept her awake for some time after Jaiden's breathing had evened out into the gentle measures of sleep, but gradually, she felt herself succumbing; she let exhaustion claim her, pulling her under into dreams both troubled and hopeful.

O

*ducks from onslaught of arrows for Leliana pulling away*. Hope that was a good return to form for you all. Next chapter – the group returns to Denerim…