Fiona found she was deeply suspicious of the red haired woman - perhaps because she knew enough about bards to distrust the front of fluttery girlishness - perhaps simply because she was so much younger. Yet there was no doubt she exuded an air of competence that had everything to do with the worn drakeskin leathers she wore and the polished daggers she wielded. In her chainmail and skirt, Fiona felt positively frumpy.

Alistair trusted her. That much was obvious. She couldn't be certain about her feelings for her son - other than an overwhelming desire to protect that if she was honest with herself had never deserted her, even when she'd handed the child to Maric. How others around him reacted - Miranda, Anders, Neria - that was how she had to judge him for now. Trying to judge him herself was too painful, not when she could see another man standing in his place, for all his darker eyes and hair.

The smile was what hurt the most, she'd pinned down. It was Maric to the core and the boy had never even met his father...

They were to leave immediately - Anders and Neria had gained almost a day on them while Fiona slept off the effects of the templar smites. Queen Miranda didn't seem too anxious that they would be captured in that time. "Even his worst escape attempt lasted a week, and that was when they had his phylactery," she'd said. "He'll be lying low. An abandoned farm or a cave network or even a forest if there's one nearby - the Dalish took him in for a few weeks once."

Fiona had been surprised at that - the Dalish were so prickly - but maybe they were different in Ferelden. One thing she was certain of - Anders didn't know Orlais and its surrounds as well as she did - or as well as her new companion. They would find them.

Leliana was chattering about shoes as they left the compound and Fiona did her best to block out the noise.

"It is so nice to speak Orlesian again," she was saying and Fiona grunted. After years of hearing nothing but the harsh, gutteral tongue of the Anderfels, Orlesian was a nice change, but it still had unpleasant connotations that the noises and smells of Val Royeaux did nothing to assuage.

She was just about to turn to Leliana and ask her to be quiet when she spotted him. In the shadows of a building, hunched over himself and trying so hard not to be noticed that he stood out like a sore thumb. Vaguely familiar. Fiona nudged Leliana, who didn't look at her but simply nodded and continued to speak in exactly the same tone she had been using to discuss the intricacies of lace on ball gowns a few seconds before.

"He's been following us since we left the warden compound," she said.

"Why?"

"I know him from the Tower in Ferelden," Leliana continued. "Cullen - the one they say will now be Knight Commander."

"A Templar?"

"Indeed," Leliana glanced casually behind her, giggling girlishly and leaning to Fiona's ear as though to share a confidence. "I do not believe he wishes us harm. He may simply be keeping tabs on the mages who leave the compound. If he still follows us once we leave the city we shall have words."

"Words?"

The bard flashed her a dazzling grin. "Yes, words."

At the gates of Val Royeaux Leliana motioned Fiona to a hiding place and then placed her helm over her bright hair and lounged casually against the east wall. Her stance changed - she went from being a sleek, dangerous and exotic woman to a scruffy mercenary for hire so quickly that Fiona had to blink to be certain it was the same woman. Even the drakeskin no longer looked expensive and well cared for - something about the way she stood made it look ill-fitting and cheap. Fiona was suitably impressed - the woman was obviously skilled.

From where she hid in some bushes to the side of the road she had a clear view of both Leliana and the gate. When Cullen came through he was walking awkwardly and Fiona realised he'd been injured - in the side by the way he was carrying himself. And no one had healed him. She had no way of knowing whether the injury had been acquired fighting with the Templars or against them, although she thought if he'd been in the company of the Templars of Orlais the least they could have done for him would be some healing.

Leliana approached him as soon as he exited the gates and the two of them had words. Halfway through the conversation Leliana straightened and removed her helm and Fiona took this as a signal that she could also approach.

The Templar was twisting his hands in front of him and looked far too nervous and uncertain to possibly be a candidate for a Knight Commander. When he spoke, however, his voice was steady and calm and oddly, reminded her of Anders.

"I need to come with you," he said. "I've been telling the lady here..."

"Leliana," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"I know Neria... and Anders. I... have something for them."

Fiona cocked her eyebrow and looked at Leliana, who shrugged. "How do we know you weren't on the side of the Grand Divine in the Council?" she said. "You could be leading your fellow Templars to them."

Cullen's face hardened a little at that. "If I were, I have no doubt your friend here would be able to tell," he said. Leliana smirked a little at that and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Certainly you would not be able to lead them to us through any conventional means," she said. "But you Templars have other methods of finding people, have you not?"

"They all require phylacteries," he replied shortly. "And Anders and Neria's were moved once they became wardens. Only Knight Commander Greagior knew where."

Fiona whistled under her breath. That was interesting. It made her think more highly of the Ferelden circle - that they recognised the threat mage wardens were to the Chantry - and that they came down in favour of those mages. In the Anderfels it was no problem - the wardens were powerful enough that mages were recruited as a matter of course, but she knew in other countries it was far more difficult.

"So does that mean you know where they are now?"

He looked more nervous at that. Greagior left me instructions before he started... before we left for the council. I don't know where they are now but I will when we return."

"So why should we bring you with us if you're not going to be any use?" Fiona said shortly. "I can think of better things to do with my time than travel with templars."

Cullen's composure broke. "Please, I have to go with you," he said. "The First Enchanter... before he died he made me promise to find them. To help them. It's the least I can do. I have to make it up to them.."

Leliana frowned and Fiona caught her eye. "Make what up to them?"

The Templar buried his face in his hands. "This is all my fault. I... I told them they were blood mages. The Grand Divine commanded her Templars because of my word."

Leliana wisely decided it was a conversation they needed to be having on the move rather than in the middle of the road outside the largest city in Orlais. Cullen regained his composure quickly, but he still thrummed with nervous energy.

Leliana didn't seem surprised by Cullen's words. "Quite frankly I am surprised the circle in Ferelden ever trusted you with command," she said harshly as they walked. "When we left you you were a broken man."

Cullen's lip twisted. "I won't deny it," he said. "You know what it was like in the Tower - you saw what they did. I don't believe there are many would have come through that unscathed."

"So why were you appointed Greagior's successor?" Fiona asked.

"As a direct order of the Grand Divine," Cullen said. "After the blight I sent her a report on what had happened at the Tower. It was sent on my own initiative, you understand. I... I told her I thought Irving and the other mages were abominations, biding their time, waiting for the right moment to strike. You must understand.. what I went through... what they did.. I honestly believed it was true."

"You thought they were all abominations?" Fiona said. Cullen nodded.

"Irving and Greagior knew nothing of it, at least, nothing until she responded." He laughed bitterly. "Greagior wanted to know why the Grand Divine was insisting I become his successor. When I told him about my report he laughed."

"Laughed?"

"Then he assigned me to be Neria's personal Templar. He told me if I was so sure she was an abomination I'd have to prove it. I... I ended up believing I was wrong."

Fiona grimaced. Although she knew the generalities of what had happened at Kinloch Hold she'd never heard details of what the mages and Templars had endured. From Cullen's face and the way his hands shook when he referred to it, she was certain she didn't want to know any more.

"I think I begin to see something of Irving and Greagior's plan," Leliana said, eyeing Cullen. "Very clever of them, to turn you to their side."

"They appointed me Greagior's successor," Cullen agreed, nodding at the bard. "They wanted to placate the Grand Divine, make her believe that when Greagior retired she would have a loyal man heading the Ferelden Circle."

"That all changed, of course, when the call for the council came," Fiona said.

He nodded. "Indeed."

"So what is it you have for Neria and Anders?" Leliana asked, curiosity blazing in her eyes.

Cullen eyed Fiona. Leliana hadn't been there when Anders had revealed the relationship between them, but she had. "I imagine it's something to do with the proposal, Leliana," she said. The bard raised an eyebrow, obviously not satisfied, but willing to play along for the present.

"Documents, yes," Cullen said. "I haven't seen them myself. But I assume Irving left instructions for what was to be done at the circle in his absence. Torrin is slated to succeed him as First Enchanter, but for various reasons we'd prefer that didn't happen."

"He's a Loyalist?" Fiona said.

Cullen nodded. "Aequitarian, but Irving suspected that was a front. He never would tell us which way he was going to vote. The Aequitarians were mostly behind us, even though they usually vote with the Loyalists. I know there were some pretty heated arguments between the two groups when the proposal was first raised."

They travelled in silence until they were in open country. She and Leliana had poured over maps of the area and pinpointed some likely locations Anders' might think had good cover, but it truly was touch and go - they'd be picking a random direction and hoping. And there was no doubt other Templars would be doing the same.

Fiona stopped suddenly, feeling a strange pull in her senses that had nothing to do with darkspawn. A connection to the fade, she realised. She often felt the feather light touches of demons - all mages did - but this was subtly different. There was no malevolence, only a gentle calling. A vague sense of direction accompanied it and she called ahead to Leliana.

It was better than picking a direction at random, after all.