Disclaimer: Bioware owns all, except what I most humbly create. While, at times, I will take verbatim from the game, I mostly use the events of the Dragon Age games, expansions and universe as a loose structure around which to construct my re-imagined tale. If you are looking for a strict canon piece, I have no desire to offend, and so I warn you upfront!

When reading this tale, I hope you can easily imagine it being told by the very best of storytellers in Varric (from DA:2). In my version of events, Varric meets "The Hero" (my Elissa Cousland) in Kirkwall during the time period of DA:2. I mention this only so that readers can understand his connection along the way, and so I don't have to mention and rehash it again and again as I make my way through the tale.

A/N: Muse Music: Smoke by Assemblage 23 and Into the Dark by Melissa Etheridge.

Thanks to my readers, followers and reviewers and my glorious betas artemiskat and Snarkoleptic.

Happy Reading!

-Frayed One


Chapter Twenty-Eight: Smoke On the Horizon

By the time Nathaniel pried himself loose from Velanna, having gotten her settled in her room, Elissa had all the Wardens and anyone of import among the Keep's populace gathered at the dais in the throne room. "I think we should have kept someone alive long enough to let any one of the exceptionally talented information gatherers among us have a go at prying anything useful out of them." she huffed, cleaning the edge of her nails with a small throwing dagger.

"Surely the Wardens have not become so saturated with assassins that you're actually considering torture as a viable way to get results?" The look Varel leveled in her direction would have made her father proud, and though she pretended to be unaffected she did find herself slightly cowed in response.

"I would have attempted to manage it with less painful methods at first, Varel. But I doubt marauders are likely to be willing to talk, regardless of what honey-dipped language falls from my lips." Elissa tucked the knife away, leaning forward to rub at her face in anxiety. "As is, we've found almost nothing of use."

"Almost nothing? So you've found something then?" Nathaniel's voice alerted her to his presence, and she waved Zevran forward with an annoyed twitch of her fingers.

The Assassin produced a small swatch of leather emblazoned with heraldry no one seemed to recognize, with the exception of the one person who would have seemed least likely to offer any beneficial information.

"Wait! I have seen this crest before." Mistress Woolsey parted the sea of bodies with her implacable stare, making her way forward to inspect it more closely. "Yes, this matches the merchant's description exactly. I'm sure of it."

"The merchant?" Elissa looked up to find that the silver haired madam had planted a hand firmly against her hip, arching a frustrated eyebrow up in response to her confused glance. "Please do stop looking at me as though I should know what you're talking about and get on with it."

"One of the Merchant's Guild representatives came by the Keep several weeks ago seeking your assistance with the recovery of some goods. He claimed pirates forced his vessel aground near Anslem's Reef. I left a record of his claims along with a description of this crest on your desk so that…"

"And I'm certain it's still there on my desk somewhere beneath the thirty requests for help locating any number of things gone missing. I honestly don't know how people do this job. It seems that most of Amaranthine's populace cannot find their asses without my having to draw a map for them." Elissa sighed long and loud, ignoring the chastising glances from those around her. "All but the Wardens are dismissed. I thank you for your assistance."

She leaned forward in the throne, elbows on knees and chin in hand as she toyed with the edges of the crested cloth at her fingertips. These puzzle pieces just weren't fitting together, and by all means they should. She'd certainly never had this much trouble tracking the people wanting to kill her in the past. Whoever this was, the unknown adversary was quite a bit better at hiding than anyone she'd previously encountered.

"Now they're sending pirates after you?" Anders' face was a mask of confusion, and Elissa knew she could do little to clear it away.

"I doubt whomever this is has actually gone off recruiting pirates. Most likely he just happened across them and sent them in our direction." Elissa pushed herself to standing, handing the torn patch of clothing back over to Zevran for safekeeping. "It does make sense of the Tal-Vashoth, though. Their presence dropped as the Blight waned, but if they're coming back in again it would be via the pirate trade. Any kossith down here for piracy wouldn't be likely to turn down the extra coin to be earned in coming after me."

"You don't think the Qunari are renewing their forces in Ferelden?" Nathaniel queried, not knowing enough about them to understand that the Tal-Vashoth were not a part of the threat about which he was inquiring.

"If this were a force of Qunari, we wouldn't have the time to stand here discussing whether or not they were renewing their forces." Elissa chuckled, remembering Sten's vow not to seek her out on the battlefield when that day inevitably came. "The Tal-Vashoth have abandoned the Qun, which makes them just as likely to be killed by the Qunari as they would by any of us."

"Regardless, we should head down to the coast and see if there is anything else worth finding." Nathaniel insisted, drawing an annoyed look out of Elissa in response.

"I was getting to that." She snipped, turning to address the group as a whole. "There is no need for all of us to go. A smaller group can travel faster, and there is also the possibility that another assault could be launched against the Keep. Zevran, Anders, and…"

"Surely you don't think I'm going to be…" Nathaniel interrupted.

"If you'd let me finish…" Elissa glared him into silence, then cleared her throat and resumed. "Zevran, Anders and Nathaniel will accompany me to Anslem's Reef. The rest of you remain here at the Keep. Oghren, think you can take the helm while I'm gone?"

"Aye." The dwarf saluted her with a smile.

"Good. Those of you coming along gather your things and meet me at the stables. I'd like to get going as soon as possible."

The group dispersed to attend to their needs, giving Elissa the freedom to see to her own. She stopped by Cecile long enough to get her latest stack of mail, sighing when she spied what she was certain to be Fergus' latest attempt to guilt her into a return trip to Highever.

"Let it go, Brother." Elissa sighed, tossing the stack to her desk unopened and moving to pack her things.


The ride down to the coast was quick and silent. It was a refreshing change for all those along for this journey to travel without the constant need to stop and address someone's issues or complaints. Nathaniel was still cross with Elissa as they dismounted near the expanse of beach that lay littered with pieces of the wrecked ship and any salvageable cargo the pirates had pulled ashore.

"I wasn't instigating a fight, Nathaniel. I was simply inquiring as to Velanna's security before I stole you away from your nursemaid duties." Elissa chuckled silently as she anchored her horse next to his.

Zevran and Anders had already moved off down the left side of the beach in search of any clue to whom these men might have answered. They'd been witness to the initial argument between the two volatile Wardens and had no desire to watch the follow up.

"You were prodding at my temper then, just as you're prodding at it now." Nathaniel huffed, patting Nocturne on the flank one last time before heading down the right strand of sand.

"I'm not prodding at your…" Elissa sighed, stopping to fumble through some barrels for anything useful. "Do you not find it curious she required so much of your attention following our little scuffle?"

"She was injured, Elissa. She asked for my assistance in reaching her quarters and getting settled. What would you have had me do?"

"She got a scratch on her leg which barely even bled. A scratch she never would have gotten if she could be bothered to wear some bloody pants." Elissa snorted, flicking her fingers across her nose and moving forward to the next set of wreckage. "I've fought an ogre with one arm out of socket, and both of us managed to keep going in the silverite mines after being mauled by that dragon."

"Velanna is not able to tolerate the sort of abuse you and I are capable of bearing." Nathaniel wasn't even looking at her any longer, hoping that his inattentiveness would relay his desire to end the conversation.

"Velanna is not able to tolerate the sort of abuse Ser Pounce-A-Lot is capable of bearing." Elissa watched her barb fall on apparently deaf ears, as Nathaniel had no physical or audible response to it. "Know what I think?"

"No, but I'm certain you're about to tell me." The irritation in his voice was reaching dangerous levels, but Elissa ignored it and pressed on regardless.

"I think she was hoping that if she flashed her wounded pout and a bit more of her… décolletage… in your direction that you'd settle in that bed with her rather than coming along with me on this little beachside expedition."

When Nathaniel's head finally turned back in her direction the annoyance melted away, replaced by an all too knowing smile. Suddenly it was Elissa wishing for the conversation to end.

"You're jealous. That's what all this is about, isn't it?" He leaned against one of the barrels at his side, continuing to smile at her as she fumbled for the words to deny him.

"Zevran's found something you two might want to have a look at." Anders was a bit winded as he jogged over to them, but Elissa had never been so happy for interruption. "If you can stop arguing long enough to come and see it."

Anders ignored the self-satisfied gaze The Archer left pinned to Elissa's back as they walked to meet up with The Assassin. He didn't know what they could have been discussing that would have shifted the balance in Nathaniel's favor so quickly, and he doubted he wanted to.

"This looks like a tavern marker, but I don't recognize the signature." Elissa muttered, running a thumb across it again as though clearing a bit more dirt would somehow make the symbol more familiar to her.

"I do." Elissa swung her head in Nathaniel's direction, curling her fingers away from his as he reached to take the wooden token for closer inspection. "It's from a place called The Shadow and Mercenary."

"Seriously?" Anders barked out a laugh, pleased to see Elissa smiling again with the sound of it. "They may as well have put up a sign touting swords for hire."

"The people who go there are long past the point of caring who knows what it is they've gone in search of." Nathaniel admitted, holding first Zevran and then Elissa's eyes as he tossed their evidence casually into the air only to snatch it back soon after. "If our mystery benefactor is recruiting from establishments like this, it is too dangerous for you to go there in person."

"Going there in person is exactly what I need to do!" Elissa hissed, taking a step or two forward as her temper rose. "I'll not be frightened by ghosts, Nathaniel! Whoever this is needs to be made aware of that."

"There is a difference between bravery and pigheadedness, Elissa." Nathaniel's assertion was calm, but Elissa's response to it was not, and Anders had to wrap himself around her arms to keep her from taking a swing.

"I must agree with our Hentes Fia this time, my Warden." Elissa's eyes flashed again as she turned to look in Zevran's direction. "I do not doubt your prowess, my darling, I merely fear that drawing you into a venue of such ill repute might be exactly what this ghost is hoping for."

"Fine." Elissa tugged herself free from Anders grip, glaring back at the three men with annoyance as she made her way back to the horses. "Take Anders along. If you get into trouble, I'd rather you had a healer."

"I don't think that will be…" Nathaniel started, silencing when Elissa spun back in their direction.

"That was not a request." She watched them long enough to see that her orders would now be followed without question before turning back to the horses. "I'll book rooms at the Crown & Lion and wait for you there."


When Nathaniel and Anders returned to the inn, Elissa had long been settled at the table near the fire where she sat staring into the flames. Both men doubted the mug she held in her hand belonged to her first ale of the evening.

"Don't tell me you've managed to lose Zevran?" Elissa didn't in any way acknowledge them beyond those words, instead taking another pull from her ale.

"He had hope that a couple of trails might reveal some information beyond what we've gathered and is off seeing to those now." Nathaniel replied, sitting down across from her to force her eye in his direction.

"Were you able to find anything?"

"The gentleman who hired the pirates was likely a second or even third party to the whomever is calling the shots. We followed the trail from the mercenaries back to the man in question only to discover another string of corpses." Elissa didn't seem at all surprised by this information, merely nodding her head to prod Nathaniel to continue. "I don't now who is behind this, but they are willing to sacrifice anyone necessary to stay hidden from your gaze. We need to speak about establishing a proper security detail for you…"

"Not tonight." Elissa turned back to the fire.

"Then when, Elissa? When will you find it convenient to see to your own protection?" Nathaniel was furious.

"Go and see your sister, Nathaniel. We can't leave until morning and I have no idea when next we will have the leisure necessary for me to permit you leave." She sighed when he did not move and turned back to him once more. "I do not desire your company nor your conversation and I'd wager that Delilah would be grateful for both. Now leave me."

"I'll stay with her." Anders offered, sharing an appreciative nod with The Archer before he finally rose and exited the bar.

Elissa finished off the last of her mug, signaling the barmaid to bring another and turning her gaze off into the dancing flames once again. Anders sighed as he settled into the seat beside her.

"Is this really who you want to be?"

Elissa started to laugh, but it was humorless. "Tell me, Anders… who is it you think I am beyond what you see in front of you?"

"I'm pretty sure I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of that yet." Anders replied, watching her shake her head as she took the new mug from the barmaid and turned back to her vigil. "But what I have seen tells me it's a woman far better than the one attempting to drown herself in watered-down swill rather than spend even one second wondering why she might feel the compulsion to drink in the first place."

Her hand darted out and grabbed the barmaid's arm before she could fully make her retreat, and it was then that Anders saw in her face just how wrong he'd been to press her in her current state.

"Go ahead and send two or three bottles of your strongest up to my room, would you love? I think I'm done here for the night." Elissa held Anders' eyes as she tossed back the last of her mug and released the barmaid.

There were no words as she stood and made her way out of the bar, and no improvement in that regard once they took to the road in the morning. The only thing that broke the silence was the mumbled string of curses from Elissa when the gates of the Keep finally came back into view. The heraldry of house Theirin was easily recognizable in the banners peeking over the wall, but there was a second set of flags mixed in among them, bearing the laurel crest most familiar to both Elissa and Nathaniel.

"Fergus is here."