Aedan's eyes glazed over the paper in front of him one more time before he tucked it away in a thick envelope, grabbing a stick of red wax at his side and melting the tip before pressing it over the lip and sealing it. Inside were three very important documents both to the Wardens and his own personal matter of vengeance.

One was a letter written by Theron and jointly signed between him and Alistair. It was to Arl Eamon, containing the details of the agreement that existed between the Wardens and the Knifers, and now the rebels of Highever. Since curing the Arl of his life-threatening illness, the Wardens hadn't been in contact with Eamon, and Theron had blatantly admitted that he utterly forgot to mention their partnership after returning from a long trip to the Frostback Mountains in search of a way of fixing the Arl. The letter would rectify that, and hopefully Eamon would believe that it wasn't a forgery. Between the two surviving Wardens, neither of them seemed to have any sort of official seal that could prove legitimacy, claiming that anything of the sort would have been kept by Duncan, and the man was long dead, his belongings scattered by the Darkspawn that had claimed Ostagar. In place of a Warden seal, Theron had used an idol he dug out of his pack, a hand-sized statue beautifully carved with some flowing words etched on the bottom that Aedan couldn't have even begun to understand. The elf explained that it was a Dalish artifact, and that if Eamon didn't recognize that Theron was the only one who would be sending the Arl written elvish, then he was a fool.

The second two documents were perhaps of slightly more monumental importance, or at least they were to Aedan. The effort to save Kallian may have cost Norris' life, as well as a score of injuries of varying gravity from his own recruited forces and two other dead men besides, but it wasn't completely without merit. After taking stock of the slaver's safe house, any number of documents had been found pertaining to the shipping and trade of the slaves. Many of them were simply numbers or records of number captured, deported, or dead in transport and thus useless except as a catalogue that displayed how deeply entrenched the slaver ring was in Denerim, most notable being that there wasn't just one trading company here, the second one still at large somewhere in the city. But the two that Aedan had salvaged were of a more damning nature. A passport and trade manifest.

The passport was issued on behalf of the port of Denerim and gave the captain of the Tevinter vessel clearance for free access to the port with the added stipulation that the ship was not subject to be searched by the harbor's import and export inspectors. The trade manifest was a detailed documentation of the flow of the tides around Denerim and two other ports near Highever and Amaranthine. The manifest listed in painful detail what was needed to get in and out of the ports, as well as some scribbling in the margins in Arcanum. The most notable and incriminating thing about the manifest, however, was that it was printed in the Ferelden's common tongue, not Tevinter, and underneath a wine stain on the top corner was the bear on a checkered background that was the heraldry of Amaranthine.

With those two documents at hand, Aedan was convinced that he could prove that Howe was a dirty snake to the rest of the Landsmeet, or at least call into question his integrity and have a formal investigation waged against him. It was only a start, but he had a lot of hurdles to jump before blatantly accusing the man of murdering his family. The Couslands were accused of treason, which was normally a hanging offence by itself. But fraternizing with Orlais? That was utterly unacceptable in the eyes of the nobles and of the people in general. Hanging would be too kind of an execution. He needed to earn the trust and support of anyone that wasn't in Howe's pocket, and that started with smearing the man's name.

I shouldn't have to prove anything. The errant thought sent a flush of anger coursing through his body, and he had to resist crumpling the envelope in his hand, tucking it instead into a leather carrier that would keep it safe from the elements. A coldness followed in the wake of his anger, and Aedan shivered, shaking himself. The image of charging into the Denerim estate with a naked blade and nothing between himself and Howe flashed across his vision, and it took a moment to push it aside. Though the confrontation with Mouse had been a few weeks ago, the dark promise that the demon had offered still haunted him. It had been utterly tempting, entirely too good of an offer to say no to, and he had lost to the demon. He still wasn't entirely sure what had brought him back from that, though he imagined that falling with his full weight -armor and all- onto a broken arm had definitely helped snap him back to his senses.

Equipped now with everything he would need, Aedan cast one more look around his room to see if anything sprung up that he would need to carry out as well, then dropped a hand onto Keran's head to scratch behind the mabari's ears. "Time to change our fortune." He said to the dog and got a rumbling bark in return, the dog trotting out of the room and into the hall, human in tow.

When the two arrived in the main hall of the estate, it was to see that a handful of the soldiers he had drawn with his rumor were moving armor and equipment from the basement to the courtyard outside disguised in burlap bags. In an effort to remain unnoticed, Kallian had suggested that they leave the city not as soldiers, but commoners during the morning rush when the traders outbound from the Denerim docks exchanged places with the traders inbound for the market place. All of their weapons and armor were packed in crates and burlap bags on the back of a wagon in an alleyway near the marketplace, under guard by the rest of the soldier who had been steadily trickling out of the Highever estate during the night.

Outside, Kallian, Sticker and Rido were waiting, watching the soldiers march past in the weak grey light of early dawn, the oppressing humidity of the day already gearing up to full tilt before the sun had a chance to properly add it's warmth. When she saw Aedan come out, Kallian waved him over, a stern look on her face. When he got close enough, she leveled a gaze at him and put her hands on her hips in a markedly stubborn way. "Now, just cuz you're goin' off on yer own, don't you do nothin' embarrassin'. You've still got that marker." She gestured at the rest strip of cloth Aedan kept tucked into his belt that she'd given him as proof he was part of the Knifers months ago. "An' if you got that, then you can't let us down, or what'll all the other kids think? They'll come poundin' down the door to beat us up."

Quirking an eyebrow, Aedan did his best to hide his smile. "Oh? I suppose you'll be listening for all the rumors that you can then."

She snorted, puffing a strand of hair out of her face and waved her hand in the air. "Like I do anythin' but babysit rumors? Maker Basher, I figured you wouldn't even have to ask." Rido rolled his eyes at this, looking a bit sour, but Sticker gave a chuckle, his thin shoulders bobbing with mirth.

At that Aedan did smile, knowing very well that she would be keeping a close ear to the ground, as always. Secretly, her tough warning was her way of showing she cared, but he would never be so brass as to accuse her of being a huge softie. They would loose a skilled hand with Kallian staying here, but honestly he was glad for it. This was where she was needed most. "Take care of the estate while we're away. I'm counting on you."

Kallian rolled her eyes. "Of course you are. Speakin' of which, I gotta tell you somethin'." She nodded her head toward the gate, indicating a bare patch of ground around the corner where the two could talk with relative privacy and strode that way purposely, not bothering to check over her shoulder to see if Aedan would follow.

Half bemused and half curious, Aedan chose not to remark on her suddenly imperious manner and followed without complaint, wondering what the elf had to say that would warrant a private conversation. She stopped with her back to the stone wall of the estate, waiting for him with her thumbs hooked in her belt. "Well?"

"Two things." Kallian replied, holding up two fingers, then jerked her thumb behind her in the general direction of where she'd left Sticker and Rido. "First, I wanna let you know that we're gonna cover your escape. The three of us are gonna cause some trouble near the river just outside the marketplace an' see if we can't draw the guards out to the docks. Hopefully, that'll help while ya'll are sneakin' out." Aedan inclined his head gratefully; glad that she'd have the foresight to think up such a plan.

"Secondly," Here she jabbed Aedan in the chest hard, a look of grim determination on her face. "If Ammy comes back cryin', I'm gonna rip your balls off, you hear?"

His eyes widened in surprise at the sudden vehemence, and for a moment he lost his voice. "What? Why would she be crying?"

"Don't play dumb." The elf poked him again, this time hard enough that he actually flinched. "I know you got your heart all locked up and stuffed away, but Ammy doesn't. I swear that if you break her heart, I'll make you pay, got it? So watch yourself." Threat delivered, Kallian eyed him with a slow burning look, then crossed her arms over her chest. "We clear?"

Aedan ran a hand through his hair with mild irritation, looking at a point somewhere above Kallian's left ear. "I understand. But I really don't think it's necessary, I don't…" Back where they had left Sticker and Rido he heard a laugh above the small din of conversation and looked up to see that Solona was talking with the two elves, a wide smile on her face as the three laughed together. Something in his chest twisted, and he sighed to relieve the sudden tension in his throat, looking back at Kallian with an expression that was vaguely related to defeat on his face. "I understand." He reiterated, and hoped that Kallian would drop the matter.

The elf had followed his gaze when she heard the laughter too, and her previously stern look was replaced with a sly grin. "You just keep your promise Basher, an' we won't have no problems." Slapping his forearm in a friendly manner, Kallain smiled and turned on her heel, heading back to join with the other two elves and the mage, leaving Aedan shaking his head and watching her retreating back.

When Kallian rejoined the group, she and Solona talked for a moment, then the mage smiled and nodded sadly before pulling the elf into a tight hug with little warning. She caught sight of Aedan still standing by the corner of the building over Kallian's shoulder and after releasing her smiled and gave a little wave.

Aedan felt the peculiar twist in his chest again and gave a small half-hearted wave in return then turned his attention to those gathered in the courtyard. Dawn was coming, and they needed to join the others before the neighbors woke up and saw all of them leaving. They were all dressed like common travelers as their disguise in hopes that doing so would help them blend into the crowd better. Aside from the grimness around the mouth and the way a few of them searched their surroundings with expert intent, he would never have known them as anything different. Funny how taking a man out of his uniform suddenly changed your perception of him.

Moving to the head of the gathering he gestured briefly for silence. "We move out now." His voice projected through the courtyard, instantly silencing anyone still talking. "Remember, above all else do not panic. This will work as long as we all keep a level head. If somehow we are found out, your orders are to scatter. Do not waste your lives here before we have a chance to change anything. Am I understood?"

A chorus of "Yes Sir!" rang out, a few drawing straighter in a semi-attention stance when they called out their understanding. They moved out through the door in the side of the wall, Kallian, Rido and Sticker following behind and chatting to each other in low voices, planning their distraction technique.

Solona hung back with the elves, tapping Kallian gently on the shoulder. "You take care, alright Kallian? If you get caught again…"

With a sad grin, Kallian smiled and bumped her shoulder against Solona's arm. "I've been runnin' from guards my whole life, Ammy. I ain't gonna get caught now." Seeing the worry in the mage's eyes warmed her heart a little, and she smiled in earnest. "It's you I'm worried about. You look after yourself, 'aight? I don't wanna see you hurt."

"I promise." She gave Kallian a sideways hug, and a smile then jogged to the front of the line to fall in behind Aedan.

Behind her, Sticker whistled, instantly drawing a look from Kallian as she prepared to be irritated at him. "She's got it real bad, hasn't she?"

Sighing, Kallian tried to elbow him in the ribs, but he deftly twisted out of the way with a chuckle. "She does, but you're cross in the head if you think I'll let you tease her about it."

Sticker raised his hands in defense, shrugging. "I'd never provoke you, boss." A thoughtful look crossed his face, and Kallian waited patiently for him to utter something stupid. "Still, you think that when they get back we should take 'em to the Pearl and lock them in a room?"

Rido snorted at that, and Kallian cackled, imagining the stricken look on Aedan's face if they actually did manage to convince him to set one foot into the brothel, let alone wrestle him into one of the rooms. Half-heartedly she aimed another elbow at Sticker's ribs, but didn't rebuke the idea.


I'm actually sort of sad that I haven't gotten any letters in the mail expressing a desire for me to hang myself by my thumbs for the ending of the last chapter. Oh well! But I do promise to write from Keran's point of view next time I get the opportunity, as per multiple requests~

But OMG finally getting out of Denerim and heading out into the great blue 'yonder! What awaits our heroes on the road to Redcliffe? Will Eamon take them seriously? Will Howe find out about their voyage? Bandits? Darkspawn? Who knows! But I swear, big things are happening, and with only a few months until the Landsmeet is officially called to order, our band of misfits is starting to feel the pressure.

P.S. I'm really sorry that today's update was later than normal. It's insanity right now. Moving out, midterms, group projects… I was a little stretched thin this week, and I'll probably be even more so next week (Midterms 2.0). So, if you're disappointed that I didn't reply to a review, super sorry D: Just… life. Blah.