Chapter 21: Antiques and Assassins

"You have coin strangers? With Orzammar closed off, Old Tegrin can give you a discount. Fine weapons and arms, dwarven made." the eager dwarven merchant said as the young wardens approached his cart.

"We sure do run across our fair share of dwarven merchants." Aedan said casually.

"Especially those who offer supposed discounts." Daylen added.

"We should at least see if his items are crap or not." Natia chimed in.

Theron lingered in the rear of the group, completely lost in his own thoughts and barely acknowledged the merchant. The group had just returned from purchasing supplies from the quartermaster at the circle's tower and were on their way back to the campsite. "So, what's up with him?" Aedan whispered.

"Darrian pulled ahead of him a bit, so he's probably wondering how to close the gap." Daylen replied while grinning.

"Oh yeah, your doing if I'm not mistaken." Aedan said seriously.

"All I did was bring Darrian along on a mission, the fact that the whole fade fiasco brought him closer to Neria was a complete fluke." Daylen replied while browsing Tegrin's wares.

"I have to know, would you really be okay with Neria going out with Darrian? Sweet, innocent, always helpful Neria dating that jackass. You'd really let that happen?" Aedan asked incredulously.

Both Daylen and Natia laughed at his expression. "The two of you really do hate each other, don't you?" Daylen mused. "On a side note, you really will have to learn how to work together. I can't keep making teams to accommodate the fact that you and Darrian don't get along." Daylen added seriously.

"Fine. But answer my question." Aedan responded impatiently.

"I don't have any issues with Darrian or Theron for that matter. I'd trust either one of them to take care of Neria. They've both got their work cut out for them seeing as she's completely clueless when it comes to romance where she's the center of attention. That being said, she's already in love. I'm pretty sure she hasn't even realized it herself yet. The fact is I already know who she's fallen for, hell I knew before she did." Daylen explained.

Aedan looked at him for a moment before laughing.

"What?" Daylen asked.

"Nothing, it's just...you really are her big brother." Aedan said while still laughing.

"Yeah, well anyway, how are things with Leliana? The whole bard thing must have thrown you for a loop." Daylen said curiously.

"Honestly, I'm fine with it. After she told me about her past and the whole mess with this Marjolaine woman, all I wanted to do was hold her. Who she was doesn't matter to me and I know that her past will always be a part of her, but that won't change how I feel." Aedan said resolutely.

"That was good, you should've written it down. Ancestors, the two of you should be coaching Duran." Natia said while examining one of Tegrin's daggers.

"Or you could try giving our buddy a chance? I mean come on Natia, the two of you have been flirting back and forth since we met you guys." Daylen teased.

"Sorry, but he'll have to impress me first. If he can convince me that he's in it for the long haul, then maybe. I've seen enough spineless dusters walk away after talking big..." Natia trailed off.

Natia never talked much about her past, but she and Duran had explained the caste system of Orzammar. Life as a casteless dwarf sounded awful to say the least and Daylen couldn't help but draw parallels between their plight and those of many elves who lived in the cities. His conclusion was simple, dwarven society was run by assholes. Natia agreed.

"Hang on! How much for these?" Aedan suddenly blurted out enthusiastically.

He was holding a pair of powder blue satin shoes with ribbons that circled the ankles. They were also covered in gold lace trim with dangling charms shaped like puppies. The design was elegant but also slightly ostentatious, clearly Orlesian.

"I certainly hope those are for Leliana, otherwise we'll need to have a long talk later." Daylen joked.

"Haha. Obviously they are. She was just telling me about a pair of shoes like this that had been tempting her back in Orlais." Aedan replied.

"You actually remembered that? You're gold in my book sweetie." Natia said, clearly impressed.

"How whipped are you?" Daylen joked.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me after you take a look at THAT and not buy it." Aedan said mockingly as he pointed to the item that sat next to the shoes.

Daylen's eyes lit up at the sight of the antique sitting before him. "I concede." Daylen sighed as he pulled out his coin purse.

After making their purchases, the group continued their trek back to camp. It wasn't long before a strange woman approached.

"Please! You have to help us! They've attacked the cart!" she shouted before taking off in the opposite direction.

"Can you say setup?" Daylen said sarcastically.

"I've set better traps than this." Natia added.

As the two grinned at each other they noticed that their two less cynical companions were already rushing ahead to help the stranger.

"Sodding morons!" Natia yelled as she and Daylen rushed after them.

The mystery woman led them to a small canyon. As they arrived, their path backwards was immediately blocked by a fallen tree while archers revealed themselves from both sides of the cliffs that surrounded the gorge. Ahead of them stood half a dozen armed rogues as well as the mystery woman who revealed herself as a mage. The leader of the group appeared to be an elf with blond hair and tattoos on his face. He quickly drew his daggers. "The Grey Wardens die here!" he shouted before launching the attack.

Daylen quickly noticed that the paths that lead to the archers were lined with traps. "Natia head for those traps and do your thing, Theron cover her, Aedan and I will handle our friends here!" Daylen yelled. The team reacted instantly. Theron began firing precision shots at the archers forcing them to take cover while Natia disarmed the traps. After clearing herself a path to the top of the cliffs she began backstabbing the archers before they could react. Meanwhile, Theron focused on taking down the archers on the other set of cliffs.

Daylen quickly dispatched the enemy mage with a mana clash before transforming into a bear and tearing into the hapless rogues who'd attempted to ambush him while Aedan dispatched his own would be ambushers. After laying waste to the rogues, Daylen quickly returned to human form and fired several powerful blasts from his staff at the mysterious elf who'd led the attack right as he attempted to kill Aedan. After Theron took out the final archer and they made sure the coast was clear, the group decided to catch their breaths.

"Let me make this really clear, DON'T EVER FALL FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN!" Natia yelled at Aedan and Theron. "It makes me look bad!" she added angrily.

"Actually, it makes us all look bad." Daylen added. As Aedan and Theron both lowered their heads in shame, Daylen decided that they'd been chastised enough for the day and moved on to examining the leader of the would be assassins.

"Time to wake up buddy!" Daylen announced as he prodded the unconscious elf with his staff.

The elf groaned as he regained his senses. "Oh, I half expected to wake up dead." he said cheerfully.

"That can still be arranged." Aedan responded angrily.

"Easy Aedan, I have a few questions for our friend here." Daylen said seriously.

"Is this the part where you interrogate me? Let me save you the trouble. My name is Zevran, Zev to my friends and I'm an assassin employed by the Antivan Crows." the elf said casually.

"The Antivan Crows!" Aedan shouted, clearly shocked.

"You've heard of them I take it?" Daylen asked.

"Oriana told me about them once, she was from Antiva. They're supposed to be the best assassins in the country, they're famous for always getting the job done." Aedan explained.

"Right you are my friend, although I must say that given the current situation, I'd understand if you had some doubts." Zevran said before laughing.

"You're awfully carefree for a guy who could be dead pretty soon." Natia replied.

"My dear, in my line of work one tends to grow accustomed to the threat of death. After all, it comes with the territory." Zevran said calmly.

"I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but I'll ask anyway. Who hired you?" Daylen asked.

"A rather taciturn fellow in the capital by the name of Loghain. He paid a rather substantial sum to the Crows for the elimination of all remaining Grey Wardens in Ferelden." Zevran replied casually.

"You just keep pushing my buttons Loghain." Daylen said, mildly annoyed.

"So, we must now be wary of assassins as well." Theron added in his typical, calm demeanor.

"What's one more group of idiots that want us dead?" Natia mused sarcastically.

"As if our job wasn't hard enough." Aedan added.

"If I may interject? I have just failed in my attempt to kill you and therefore my life is forfeit as far as the Crows are concerned. You seem like the reasonable sort, so perhaps I could accompany you and offer my services for awhile." Zevran proposed.

"You're joking right? Why the hell would we trust you?" Aedan asked, astonished by Zevran's audacity.

"He has a point. Weren't you paid a fortune to kill us? Wouldn't failing and then aiding us violate some sort of assassin's code or something? At the very least it's bad business etiquette. Daylen mused.

"I suppose that's true, but I wasn't paid anything. The money went directly to the Crows which makes me about as poor as a Chantry mouse. The truth is I never had a choice in joining the Crows. They purchased me as a boy for quite the bargain I hear and trained me to kill for them. Personally, I'd prefer to part ways with them if possible. And as I said before, I'm a dead man as far as they're concerned for my failure to kill you. Even if I somehow managed to finish the job now, they'd still kill me on principle for failing the first time." Zevran explained.

"Why should I even remotely consider this?" Daylen asked seriously.

"The fact is, there is still a contract on your heads, but I am familiar with how the Crows operate. I can make sure that you don't fall into any of their schemes. I'm also a trained killer obviously, I'm skilled at picking locks, good at cards and I know over a dozen massage techniques." Zevran said before laughing. "The truth is I'd rather take my chances with you than with the Crows, so what do you say?" he added seriously.

Daylen took a moment to consider. Everything that Zevran had just said was true, he was certain of that. There was no deception on his part, but the question remained. If the Crows pushed, would he stick with them?

"I have been rolling the dice a lot lately." Daylen said as he eyed Zevran. "What the hell, welcome aboard Zevran."

"Are you serious?" Natia asked.

"Daylen, he just tried to kill us." Aedan added.

"And he failed, which means his status is the same as ours as far as the Crows are concerned. Plus, it's not like he's the first dangerous stranger we've picked up." Daylen responded.

"I agree, his talents may be of use to us." Theron added.

"Dammit Daylen, alright. I'll back you on this, but if he so much as sneezes funny I'll slit his throat." Natia said as she eyed Zevran menacingly.

"Alright, I'm convinced. Maker help us when Elissa finds out though. If you can't sweet talk your way out of this, then for all our sakes use that trump card." Aedan said seriously.

"You worry too much. Once I explain things, Elissa will come around. Now let's get moving." Daylen said confidently.

Several hours later, Daylen found himself facing his greatest battle yet as he faced a furious Elissa who, despite his best efforts, was far less than receptive to the idea of Zevran joining them. He'd decided to hold a meeting at camp to introduce everyone to Zevran and to decide their next destination.

"So, let me get this straight. He tried to kill you and you recruited him." she asked, still fuming.

"That's about the gist of it, but to be fair there are a lot of other elements at play here." Daylen replied calmly.

"Why the hell did you let him go through with this?!" Elissa shouted as she spun around to face Aedan.

"You know how Daylen is, what was I supposed to do?" Aedan said defensively.

"So the three of you couldn't be bothered to try and talk him out of bringing home an assassin." Elissa said angrily as she glanced at Natia and Theron.

"I must say this has been quite enlightening, I had been wondering what type of woman Daylen's lover would be. I imagined she'd have to be a rather phenomenal woman to hold the interest of such a man and you my dear do not disappoint." Zevran said in a charming tone.

"Shut up!" Elissa shouted.

"As you wish." Zevran said while smiling.

"Elissa, Daylen has already made the decision. All we can do now is accept it and trust his judgment." Neria added soothingly.

"At this point we've all gotten used to the wizard's recklessness. At any rate, I'll keep an eye on the assassin." Darrian said while glancing at Zevran.

"And I would welcome the attention my young friend." Zevran said while smiling at Darrian, catching him off guard.

"If that's settled, then we should really decide where we're heading to next." Duran added.

"I've actually been thinking about that. Even if we fulfill all of the treaties, we'd still need the support of Ferelden itself. As long as Loghain is in control, that's not going to happen. We need the support of a noble with a good enough standing to challenge Loghain. Basically, we need Arl Eamon." Daylen explained.

"I agree, but if he's as ill as the rumors suggest..." Alistair began.

"Well, we can see for ourselves once we arrive in Redcliffe. To be honest, I'm not convinced that Loghain hasn't had a hand in this and the sooner we get there, the better. Neria and Wynne can examine him at least and we'll go on from there." Daylen explained.

"So you're taking those two with you then?" Natia asked.

"No, we're all going this time. The fact that he has assassins after us means Loghain is fairly desperate and if I'm right he's already made his move in Redcliffe. I'm not taking any chances, so everyone be ready." Daylen said before dismissing the meeting.

"Daylen, I must say you travel in rather enchanting company. But I suppose that's a given, you being a mage and all." Zevran said before laughing.

"I hate to burst your bubble Zevran, but none of the guys here swing that way. As for the women, it goes without saying that Elissa is spoken for. Neria is like my little sister, so making a move on her is taking a serious gamble with your life. She also has two very protective potential suitors who wouldn't hesitate to murder you. Flirt with Natia and Leliana at your own risk, Duran and Aedan will definitely have a few choice words for you, that's assuming they don't just kill you." Daylen explained. He felt he should establish the social dynamics of the group early, especially after Zevran spent half of the journey to camp making passes at him and his companions.

"And what of the raven haired witch and the senior mage? Zevran asked completely unabashed.

"Morrigan is...well Morrigan. I can't explain it any better than that, if you get to know her you'll understand what I mean. And Wynne? Are you serious? She's like my grandmother! You know what, have at it Zevran." Daylen said, completely exasperated by Zevran's moxie.

Zevran laughed once more. "On a serious note, I want to thank you Daylen. There aren't many who would've given me this chance. I'll try to make sure you don't regret it." Zevran said before bowing and taking his leave.

Afterwards, Daylen caught up to Elissa on the edge of camp. "So are you still mad at me?" he teased.

"Yes, I am." she pouted as he wrapped his arms around her. "Just because everyone else goes easy on you doesn't mean I will too." she added.

"Listen, Zevran is without a doubt a dangerous guy. But I also believe that his word means something and that's pretty rare these days." Daylen said as he kissed her cheek.

"Daylen, I worry okay. I can't help it. We're Grey Wardens, danger will always be a part of who we are. I just don't like to see you adding to it, especially with this Loghain situation. But you made your decision and you do tend to be right about these things, so I'll live with it." she replied.

"I'm glad. I'd hate for you to be in a bad mood when I gave you this." Daylen said as he withdrew a small, gift wrapped box from his pocket.

"What's this?" Elissa asked curiously.

"Something else that I'm sorry to say I made you wait over a decade for." Daylen said while smiling.

Elissa quickly opened the gift to find a small, silver horse with sapphire eyes staring up at her. "Daylen..." was all she could manage before embracing him and initiating their most passionate kiss yet.

The next morning Daylen made sure that all of his companions were prepared. He and Neria had made sure to craft extra health and lyrium poultices during the previous day and Morrigan had lent her assistance as well. Redcliffe wasn't very far from their current location, But Daylen couldn't shake the feeling that they were about to walk into a warzone and he'd make damn sure that they were prepared. As they packed up the last of the campsite Daylen noticed that Alistair seemed to be distracted. He was pretty sure that it was due to Arl Eamon's condition. The former templar had previously explained how his mother had been a servant in Castle Redcliffe and how the arl had raised him after her death until he married an Orlesian noblewoman who resented his presence in the castle. Afterwards, he was sent to the Chantry and he hadn't handled it well. The thought that the man who'd taken him in might now be dying without knowing how grateful he was had to be eating away at him.

"We were all brats as kids. I know I was and so were Aedan and Elissa despite what they might say. Even Neria had her moments." Daylen said as he approached Aliststair.

"You a brat, never!" Alistair responded sarcastically.

"I know! Practically Impossible!" Daylen shot back with an equal amount of sarcasm.

The two friends laughed for a few moments before Alistair spoke again. "Thanks Daylen."

Daylen smiled before turning to walk away when Alistair grabbed his hand. "Wait, there's something else."

"What is it?" Daylen asked.

"You see...nothing, never mind." Alistair said hesitantly.

Daylen looked at him for a moment. "Alright, well let's get going."

"Yeah, right." Alistair replied before walking off.

It didn't take a keen sense of observation to see that Alistair was hiding something. But Daylen decided not to press the issue, after all the guy had enough on his mind and so did Daylen. A few minutes later the young wardens and their allies were on their way to Redcliffe village and a disturbing new battle.