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"You didn't have to kill them."

"And what would you have me do then?" I answered, trying my best to keep my tone low and even. "Let them take Riven? Rely on the hollow promises of your friend the Lord Seeker? You know as well as I that the Circle of Magi is a death sentence! When they see the power Riven holds they will chain her, or worse- turn her Tranquil! How could you even entertain the thought?!"

"They were good men." Leliana knelt before the corpses, "If you had just let me speak to them...I could've convinced him."

"Convince him of what?" I scoffed, "The moment you reveal Riven's true heritage you will be branded a heretic. If that was your plan, then you're a bigger fool than I imagined."

"Don't presume to know Aldren, he would've listened!" Leliana defended hotly.

"You're right." I turned heel and picked up my daughter from the dirt, brushing her little dress clear of the soil. "I don't know him. Therefore, I will never entrust the fate of my girl in his hands. He damned himself and his men when he drew his sword." I stood still for a moment, gazing down at the Divine's lackey. "I've made my decision and defended my cause. What happens now is up to you."

She will have to report everything to her superiors, which would mean that it would no longer be safe for me and Riven to stay in Kirkwall. But she has the choice to look the other way, as did Aldren before he chose poorly. I meant what I said concerning him. I didn't know the man, and so I will never place my fate or Riven's in his hands. But I knew Leliana, whatever she will decide on the matter I won't think any less of her.

"Papa?" Riven asked quietly as I returned to the camp and saddled the horse for the long journey back to the City of Chains, "Where is Leliana going?"

I turned around to see the rogue already on her way East, Orlais' general direction. "She's got a job to do, and so do I. Come, little one, let's go home."

After reclaiming what was left of our belongings in Seleny, Riven and I set out for Kirkwall without Leliana. The woman took our exchange that night very personally, and I'm not too optimistic that I'll be seeing her again any time soon. No matter, time will heal those wounds, and I'm not in a hurry to bridge the gap between us.

On the way, I found myself wondering again if I made the right decision bringing Riven to Seleny in the first place. Bonding with the child and giving her a chance to see the world outweighed the potential risks. Looking back at what happened, all that trouble caused...I began to blame myself for everything she suffered.

Then, I stopped. The fault lies not with me, but with that rogue who kidnapped her. Hunting him down was not my priority anymore. I had to see to Riven, she needs me more than my desire for vengeance. But if it so happens that our paths cross again- and I have no doubt that's likely to happen- I will bury my fist in his chest and tear out his fucking heart!

"Papa." Riven approached me on the sixth day of our slow journey back to Kirkwall, while we had stopped on the roadside inn set in the middle of the Imperial Crossroad. "Will you teach me again how to use a sword?"

I was in the middle of honing the blades in my possession, pausing to consider this odd proposition. "Why?" Of all the things I child could ask for prior to some traumatic event, this came as a surprise. "Do you plan on stabbing someone?"

I noticed something change in Riven's behavior, it started since that night. I could no longer ignore it. Her timidness, which was born out of her natural childlike nature, was gone. She takes a deep breath and explains herself, "I don't want anyone to take me as easy as that man did ever again. I want to learn everything you know about fighting, and how to use my powers."

I tilted my head to the side and regarded her curiously. I knew this conversation was going to happen sooner or later, but not in this fashion. Here, it was Riven asking me, not the other way around. I rose up and wrapped the weapons in a blanket, "If we are to do this, I must warn you that you will have to train harder. No more hesitations on your part."

Her face grows hard with determination, "I'm ready."

"Then come." I motion for her to follow, "We'll do this in the woods. It's not wise to make a show of your skill to the world, not yet."

I marked the trail we left as we progressed deeper into the forest. We didn't stop until we reached a clearing wide enough for the child's lessons. Riven had torn off her cotton dress, the yellow one which Bethany had sown for her, and donned hard leather trousers that she'd purchased in the market with her allowance. The shirt she wore was for a boy's attire, but I saw the practicality of her gear. She'd been planning on this for quite some time.

I'll hold back as much as necessity demands, but Riven must grow strong, I can see that now. It is good she has an eager mind, but I must see how far that conviction goes.

"What are you doing?" I inquired, watching her search the bushes for something.

"Looking for sticks." She answered bringing out two branches twice the size of her arm, "Y'know, for practice swords."

I shook my head and unwrapped the blades, laying it out on the grass. "No. We're going to use the real ones, as we've always done." I crossed my arms and stepped back, "Choose your weapon."

Riven kneels and brushes her fingers across the swords, daggers and waraxes. "Why should I be so choosy?"

"A warrior can be adaptable in combat and may use all manner of tools to achieve victory, but always comes for what is most familiar." I unsheathed my sword, holding it up to let the geisteel edge play with the sun's light. It was sharpened, well and freshly oiled, ready to do some damage. "Take your time, get a feel of the weight of each weapon. But you will only settle for the one."

She takes the sword and tests its weight. For a while, she seemed to like the feel of it, but ultimately rejects it.

She goes for the daggers, but then decided they were too light and too small. Speed was not one of her strong suits, I've got to work on that for her sake.

Then, she reaches for the axe. The thing weighed at least one third of the girl's own, but she managed to lift it just the same, albeit unsteadily. "I like this one."

I sighed inwardly. I really hoped she wouldn't go for that one. Training a little girl with a weapon that could easily tip her over could prove difficult. Nevertheless, this is where my path leads, and so I must stick to it. "Good. First lesson; a proper stance. An axe is heavier than a maul or sword, but the heft ensures that one strike is enough to finish a man- if you can land a proper hit the first time." I showed her how far her feet must spread to accommodate for the axe's cumbersome load. She doesn't complain, follows each and every instruction, and when the first strike was drawn- she delivers with astounding execution!

The head falls quickly as Riven rotates her shoulders, allowing the weight of the axe to be distributed around her back and over her arms, striking my shield with a blow strong enough to cleave through a man's unprotected chest.

"Good." Not bad for a beginner. "Again."

Riven withdraws and regains her stance quickly, repeating the act from a different angle. She strikes from above, from below, always true and never once falters. "The timing!" I growled out, parrying her blows in between commands. I taught her the lessons I've learned in the cursed lands of Drangleic. "Watch your opponent's movements! Analyze their fight patterns! Save your strength for their attacks! Dodge! Don't stay in one place! Move!"

After a full hour of the lessons, I struck a blow that knocked the breath out of the child and laid her low. She collapsed and grabbed onto the wound on her shoulder, eyes wide as the crippling pain gripped her. I had dealt that blow on purpose, no matter how much it pained me to do so. I believed I would do her no favors if I did not, for there was one of great import that I must drive home. Riven stared at me in disbelief, but I surmounted the inner agony that came with this act.

I raised the edge of my blade against her throat and spoke quietly, "Your enemies will show no mercy, show no pity. One day they will lay you low as I've done, but they will kill you. What will you do then? What will you do now?"

Riven casts as quick healing spell on her injury, opens her mouth and screams. This time, the scream was a more controlled burst, born out of anger in place of fear. I was knocked right off my feet and slammed against a nearby towering oak tree, which then shatters on impact. The bark groans as every fiber snaps, and the great tree falls over. I picked myself up and turned my gaze out, watching calmly as Riven charges like a mad bull, axe raised to strike.

The axehead gleams as the sun's light touches its edge, right before it whistles through the air as it was brought down upon my chest.

I heard the soft thunk as the blade tears through the leather cuirass and buries itself into my flesh. I could feel the cold steel touching my frantically beating heart. I could taste the blood flooding my throat and backing up my mouth and nose. But I felt most was not pain, nor betrayal...

No, I felt pride.

"Papa?" The anger leaves the girl's eyes, "Papa!" She frantically pulls the axe out, planting her foot on my chest to fully extract the embedded weapon. The exit wound spurts a torrent of bright red onto the forest floor, adding to the urgency of the situation. "No no no no no no!" Riven lays her hands on my wound and proceeds to cast a healing spell. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

I stopped her by clamping down a firm hand on hers, "No!" I glared at her, "Lesson's not over yet." I was dying, and I only had a few moments left to make this one count. "Close your heart to your enemy's suffering! Mercy in life, it is granted only to the strong and the honorable! To the men like that man who took you, their's is only death!"

The tears flow from the child's eyes, she sobs as I grip her shoulders gently. "Do you understand?" She bobs her head and dries her tears.

"Good." I smiled, satisfied that I've made progress. "We'll continue this when I return."

Then, I closed my eyes and died.

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