Big thanks to all those reviewing, and yes, it is time to find out whether Feynriel goes to the Circle or to the Dalish. Warning, I have taken quite a lot of liberties with Thrask's involvement, but hey, I'm hoping it's at least somewhat original!

Chapter 21

9:31 Dragon

City of Kirkwall

When Riona finally caught up with Bethany and Merrill later that day, it turned out they had learned exactly the same information but with minimum fuss, meaning Riona's entire trip to the Gallows had been unnecessary, even if interesting. After a little bit of flirting, Vincento had divulged that his son had come to visit him briefly, informing him of his imminent departure from Kirkwall, thanks to Samson's aid.

Later that evening, Riona was joined by her sister, Merrill, Aveline and Varric as they made a trip to the entrances of the Darktown, where the mysterious Samson was supposed to meet them. In due time, the ex-templar showed up as promised, a man of similar age to Thrask's, with face aged beyond his years, dark circles under his eyes, side effects of lyrium withdrawal and the one sole reason why hardly anyone dared to leave the service of templars.

Even though Samson had clearly been instructed that they could be trusted, the news he brought with him were not helpful, but more troubling instead. Feynriel hadn't had the required coin to pay for his passage from Kirkwall and Samson hadn't risked making an exception for the boy in fear of being swarmed with penniless apostates should the word of his charity ever got out.

Feynriel had been so desperate and adamant about escaping Kirkwall that he had pressed Samson into telling him of another way out, using the aid of a less than trustworthy ship captain Samson knew, a man named Reiner. This captain had occasionally helped out those with no coin, and Samson had sent along another desperate apostate girl a few months ago as well. It was only after he had directed Feynriel to Reiner, rumors came up that Reiner had kept both young apostates as his captives. Upon further questioning, Samson revealed that Reiner operated out of a quays warehouse in the docks, Arthuris's private dock, and it was likely that the prisoners were being kept there.

With these news, the group had briefly stopped by the Hanged Man to find Isabela, Fenris and Anders there, playing dice over a bottle of something that could be generously referred to as wine. With their numbers bolstered even further, they had stormed the warehouse, expecting heavy resistance from Reiner's crew, and it was a decision that Riona came to regret later. If they had gone in with a smaller, stealthier group, perhaps they could have caught Reiner unaware and he would not have had the time to do what he had done.

The captured apostate girl, only a year or two younger than Bethany, lay dead at their feet, her throat cut open, robes coated with her own blood. Reiner's body was crumpled nearby, the dagger still in his hand, a cruel grin as if permanently etched on his face. With the battle decided overwhelmingly in favor of Riona's group, he had made a run to where the captive was held and before anyone could stop him, he had murdered the girl in this final pointless, sadistic act of defiance.

They did not find Feynriel in the warehouse, dead or alive. It was Isabela who came upon Reiner's accounts in a table drawer, showing all the sales made by Reiner and his band. Amongst the deals was the sale of one male human apostate to a slaver operating from Darktown, man called Danzig who according to Anders, who had met the man a few times, had deals with some prominent Tevinter magisters.

That was not the only interesting find, however, all though only Aveline and Riona recognized the importance of a certain name in Reiner's books. It was the name of Thrask, along with a hefty sum of gold, and other names, including Feynriel's, the last one on the list. Riona and Aveline exchanged looks of surprise, until Riona had found a letter in the possession of the slain girl.

After reading it, Riona had felt sickened and tired, unwilling to give chase to this slaver Danzig through Darktown. Together with Bethany and Merrill they had returned to Lowtown, completely exhausted. Riona was confident that Aveline could lead the others against the slaver scum without requiring their aid and the long day had truly knocked all wind out of her sails. As had the letter, which she was now reading for the umpteenth time, sitting at a table in Gamlen's house, in the light of a few flickering candles, while her sister and the rest of her family peacefully slept in their rooms.

The never sent letter was short but poignant.

Father,

I know the sacrifices you've made to conceal my secret, but I am a child no longer. I cannot burden you my whole life, lest my secret will destroy us both. I must live my own life as a woman... and as a mage. It is oddly freeing to write the word.

Farewell, Father. I hope one day you make peace between what you have been taught and what you have seen.

All my love,

Olivia

In Reiner's ledger, Olivia's name had been at the very top, circled together with Thrask's named. Together with the letter, it suggested only one thing. Olivia had been Thrask's daughter. Was that the reason he was trying to aid mages? Likely. It was strange to realize that someone wearing the templar armor she had learned to fear from its mere looks could in fact be willing to aid someone of her kind.

She wondered briefly what would Anders do upon meeting someone like Thrask. Would Justice still take over and attempt to kill the templar? How could he justify that? Extremes of any kind had always scared her. She resented that people judged her simply for being a mage. What right did she have then to judge any single templar or a Chantry sister just for being who they were?

Shaking her head to clear it from heavy thoughts, Riona placed the letter back in the pocket of her shirt and blew out the candles. Quietly she snuck into the room she shared with Bethany and started to undress in the dark, trying not to wake her little sister. Naked, she slid under the sheets and tried to settle in, her heart still beating too fast to fall asleep immediately. Aveline and the others had probably dealt with Danzig by now and tomorrow morning she would rush over to the Viscount's Keep to see what her friend had learned. And then... then, together they would go to the Gallows again. Thrask needed to know the fate of his daughter. And the long list of names against his own in Reiner's accounting books... there were many things that still needed to be cleared up.

Next morning, Aveline used the long walk to the Gallows to bring junior guardswoman Hawke up to speed with the events of last night. Indeed, Riona was back in the guard uniform, still not wanting to take chances by being careless in the templar stronghold.

"Old smuggler hideout on the Wounded Coast, you say?" Riona asked as they walked. "I hope you had no difficulties in making him talk."

"Fenris has... certain ways, whenever slavers are involved," Aveline said, looking a little uncomfortable. "Danzig would have been willing to tell us each and every of his most personal secrets by the time the elf was done with him. He can be very... intense. I can't say I always approve."

"To be fair, he has spent all his life as a slave," Riona argued. "We cannot blame him for having special hatred for slavers, nor some lack of refined and more cultured approach... I do agree that sometimes his brutality is a little frightening."

"Isabela annoyed me even more, making the most inappropriate comment about that strange combat technique he has, killing people with his fist," Aveline scowled.

"Yes... I wonder, do you think there's something between those two?" Riona asked.

"No idea," Aveline shrugged. "What, did you still have designs for the elf yourself?"

"Uh, I don't think so. I mean, he's handsome and has a nice body, but... I get the feeling we would be poorly matched personality wise."

"That's what people said about me and Wesley at first, too," Aveline said, her eyes full of fond remembrance. "But we digress. Here, let me give you a map with the hideout location," she passed a scrolled up parchment to Riona.

"Why, you won't be joining us?" Riona asked.

"I doubt I will have the time," Aveline replied. "Chasing around the city with you has created a backlog of tasks I badly need to catch up with, I'm afraid. I trust you will have no trouble handling those slavers."

"I guess not," Riona pouted, a little sad.

"Don't give me that look now Riona," Aveline admonished. "You know I would love to join you. Also, know that you don't have much time. Danzig told us he had already finalized the deal with the Tevinters and they would arrive at the hideout in a few days to pick Feynriel up. You must hurry."

"I was going to tackle it right after we are done here," Riona said, as they came in sight of the frightening towers of the Gallows.

This time it seemed as if Thrask had expect them, for he came right out of the templar side of the fortress to meet them, anxiety in his step. "You are back," he said with bated breath. "Do you have any news of the boy?"

"We learned where the boy is being held," Aveline replied. "But we haven't gotten around to rescue him yet. We came back to return something that was meant for you."

Riona held out the letter. The templar looked at her, his brow creased with worry as he took the letter and quickly read it. Having finished reading, his eyes darted back and forth from Aveline to Riona. "But if you have the letter then..."

"I am sorry," Riona spoke gently. "Olivia is dead."

Thrask crumpled up the letter in his hand, covering his face with the other hand as his shoulders shook. Riona and Aveline exchanged awkward glances but it did not take long for the templar to get a hold of himself. "I... was afraid that it would come... to this," he said quietly, hiding the letter away. "You have questions, but this is not a good place for discussion. Come... walk with me outside..."

When they were outside the gates of the Gallows, Thrask stopped and shook his head sadly. "If only I could have gone against her wishes and forced her into the Circle... none of this would have happened... was the freedom she desired worth such terrible cost?"

"How did Reiner come to have Olivia as his captive?" Riona asked.

"I don't know what Samson told you, but I suspect most of it was lies. Understand that Reiner had been part of our network from the very start," Thrask explained. "Together with him and Samson we had managed to send away about dozen of magically gifted children who would have otherwise ended up locked in the Gallows. I was never certain of the man, I feared he would one day turn on us, but even so I finally decided to use our network to get Olivia to safety. To this day, I still don't know how Reiner recognized that she was my daughter. Even Samson didn't know. Perhaps Olivia was careless and mentioned it. It does not matter now..."

"He used her to blackmail you, didn't he?" Aveline asked, her face grim.

"He did," Thrask admitted. "Gold first, but I did not have much. We templars don't get big stipends for what would we need the coin for? To buy smuggled lyrium and become independent of the Chantry supply?" he added bitterly. "I ran out of coin soon. Then Reiner came up with another idea of payment. He found a buyer who was interested in purchasing children with penchant for magic. One every month were the terms, or the Knight-Commander Meredith would learn all about my crimes and my daughter's head would be delivered to me in a box."

"We saw the list of names," Riona said. "Feynriel was the last of them."

"Yes... yes, I admit that to my great shame. I learned of his situation from his mother. Then I carefully spread a rumor that led the boy looking for help from Samson, and then he ended up in Reiner's hands, while I continued to 'search' for the boy even after that to hide my involvement. I beg you," Thrask pleaded tearfully. "Please, if he is still alive, rescue him! I cannot have any more lives on my conscience."

"We intend to do that, Ser Thrask," Aveline said. "Your secret is safe with us."

"Thank you. Thank you so much," Thrask breathed out a sigh of relief. "Samson and I have found other means to get these young apostates to safety, and these people are trustworthy, unlike Reiner. We managed to save ten, perhaps more for each one I had to give to Reiner every month, to be sold off like slaves. A terrible choice, and a terrible burden to bear for the rest of my life."

"A regrettable situation to be put in," Aveline nodded sadly. "We will not be the ones to judge you. I understand why you acted as you did."

"I agree. And you have been honest with us, so let me be in turn honest with you," Riona said, removing her heavy gauntlets, briefly stretching her long slender fingers.

"Riona, are you sure about this..." Aveline warned.

"Sometimes you have to risk and place a little trust," Riona said, as tiny balls of flame encircled her fingers, dissipating just as quickly as she put the heavy glove back on.

"I... see," Thrask said in a hollow voice. "It changes nothing, though. You have helped me more than anyone here, and now all that is left to do is to save Feynriel. Please, come back afterwards and tell me about his fate, regardless of what the outcome is."

"I promise as much, Ser Thrask," Riona said as they bid their farewells. "We will do everything we can to save Feynriel."

They arrived at the Wounded Coast late in the afternoon, the entrance to the smuggler hideout supposedly close according to the map. Riona was accompanied by Bethany, Merrill, Varric, Fenris and Anders, only Isabela and Aveline missing, the Rivaini impossible to rouse after she had been up drinking at the Hanged Man until the morning light came.

It didn't take them long to find the entrance to the cave, an old mining shaft with rails and hastily abandoned wagons half filled with ore and mining picks. A group of slavers guarding the entrance were dispatched quickly and quietly, but the larger force inside was up in arms and ready for them by the time they entered. The leader, burly red bearded man, was holding a dagger at a young boy's throat, barking at them to halt and move no further.

Not wanting a repeat of what had happened with Olivia, Riona motioned the others to hold their ground and while she thought how to best talk themselves out of this situation, Varric took over to spin an elaborate lie about Feynriel being the viscount's favorite bastard child with his beloved elven mistress and convincing the slavers that they had gone in way over their heads. As the leader's grip on Feynriel loosened, the boy seized the opportunity and leapt aside to safety, as Fenris charged in and decapitated the slaver leader in one fell swoop, effectively ending Riona's and Varric's attempts at diplomacy.

Demoralized from the sight of their headless leader, the other slavers weren't able to rally and were dispatched quickly. After the brief scuffle, Feynriel crawled out from his hiding place under an overturned mining cart to stand before them. The boy was of no more than sixteen years of age, with his long blonde braided hair and delicately chiseled face with just a tiny hint of elven blood, Feynriel appeared very girlish. "Have you been sent by the templars?" he asked in a resentful, somewhat whiny voice. "I should have figured."

"Actually it was your mother who sent us," Riona said.

"Pfft, that's hardly any difference," the boy scoffed impetuously. "She claims to have protected me my whole life, then I get a few bad dreams and before you know it, she's calling in the templars."

Riona felt a great urge to slap the boy. "A few bad dreams? Listen here, you foolish child, one day you will not be able to wake up from those bad dreams and in your stead an abomination will rise, because you were too dumb to understand the seriousness of the situation."

"Oh, I know about the demons and the danger," Feynriel said quietly, taken a little aback by Riona's anger. "But the Circle and the templars aren't the only way. I was... hoping to go to the Dalish, once I got out of the city. The Keeper could help me, teach me how to ward off the demons without imprisoning me in the Gallows."

"I don't see any drawbacks to this," Anders said approvingly.

"If only the Dalish will accept you, after all you appear mostly human," Riona said. "Your mother said that they turned her away after your birth, why would they reconsider now?"

"I have an even better idea," Merrill spoke up. "Have him remain in the alienage with his mother. I will teach him how to protect himself from the demons, just like Marethari taught me."

"What a fine pupil you must have been then," Anders scowled darkly. "Maybe you'll teach him a bit of blood magic on the side, too?"

Merrill had gone pale from the shame and hurt of her secret being brought up in front of everyone, as Feynriel boggled at her. "But... blood magic is evil!"

"You know what," the young blood mage recovered to reply. "He does sound like he would be better off with Marethari." She turned and walked away, back towards the entrance of the cave.

"Well, that was helpful, Anders," Riona looked at the ex-Warden. "I suppose you think you would make a better tutor?"

"I make no such claims," he replied defensively. "And it needed to be said. The boy deserves to know the truth."

"Feynriel, if you would stay with your mother in the alienage, Riona and myself could tutor you the same way our apostate father taught us," Bethany offered with a smile. Riona wasn't sure she wanted to dedicate a lot of time to spend with this bratty youth, but it probably was a small sacrifice if it meant not losing the boy to demons.

"It's his choice," Riona shrugged. "At least he has more choices than just the Circle, as Chantry would have you believe."

"That is kind of you to offer, but I think I will take my chances with the Dalish," Feynriel said, after a brief pause to think. "If they refuse me I will return to Kirkwall, but I won't stay with my mother. Perhaps my father will have some room for me. I will let you know in case I return."

"As you wish," Riona said. The mother does all the feeding and raising for sixteen years, but then acts out of desperation for his life and suddenly she's the villain. The father refuses to acknowledge his existence for sixteen years and suddenly he's the good guy... what an ungrateful, stupid child. "Bethany, take Feynriel outside and together with Merrill show him the way to Sundermount and Merrill's old clan."

"Right away, Ri," her sister nodded, taking the boy's hand. "Come along now, Feynriel."

They all started to move out of the mine, Varric and Anders in front, Riona and Fenris behind the others. Just before leaving the smuggler hideout, Riona pulled Fenris back lightly, forcing him to turn and face her. "Fenris," she said. "That was a rather bold move on your part. You could not have known what my intentions towards those slavers were."

"That is fine," he said simply. "I knew what mine were."

"I'm not saying I don't agree with killing slavers. But we did not anticipate your... initiative. And you placed Feynriel in more risk than was necessary."

"I was certain he would be unharmed," Fenris replied sternly. "When you accept me in your group, you also accept that certain things will happen. That includes slavers getting killed."

"And my authority challenged?" Riona asked, her hands on her hips, as she stared at him darkly.

"If you feel it was challenged then only because you were slow to choose the right course of action," Fenris said tonelessly. "I think we are done here." He turned and left, leaving Riona fuming in anger.