54. Reunion

I don't know how I get myself into these situations. I really don't. The sentiment could easily be applied to over a dozen scrapes I've found myself in over the course of the past couple years, but I'm currently applying it to the game of Diamondback that Anders and I are losing badly. If I'd known Sigrun was this good when she suggested the game as a way to relax, I would have told her no.

"Good grief, Sig, I thought you said the Legion spent most of their time fighting and dying, not playing cards," I grumble as she wins another hand.

She giggles. "We did, but we had to do something in between. A deck of cards is small and easy to carry."

"And what's your excuse?" I ask Nathaniel, raising an eyebrow at him. He's the only one of us who's anywhere close to being as good as Sigrun.

He shrugs. "Diamondback is even more popular than Wicked Grace in the Free Marches. I got plenty of practice, though I am a little rusty."

I stare at him in disbelief. "This is a little rusty? I hate you so much right now."

He chuckles as Sigrun looks at the cards the rest of us laid down. He knows I don't mean it.

"Alright, Anders, you're the low hand again. You know what that means," she grins at him.

Since I balked at the idea of actually playing with money or possessions, Sigrun and Anders came up with alternate rules. Whoever finishes with the lowest hand has to take a swig from the bottle of ale sitting in the middle of the table or answer any question the winner wants to ask them. Not as high-risk maybe, but that's the best they're getting out of me. And with how horrible we are, Anders is well on his way to being smashed, and Sigrun's found out more about me than even Leliana or Zevran knew.

Anders looks askance at the bottle. "'M not drinkin' this time," he mutters, pressing the heel of one hand-which is glowing faintly-to his forehead.

Headache, I guess as I watch Sigrun shrug.

"Fine," she replies breezily, gathering and shuffling the cards. She bites her lip in thought for a moment. "Okay, here's one I don't think I've asked yet," she smirks. "What's your biggest fear?"

He smirks right back at her as he takes the cards she passes him. "Finding out all of this is just a lovely dream and I'm actually chained in a templar prison in nothing but my smallclothes."

"Wow," I laugh. "And here I was thinking it would involve running out of food or something like that." I fight the urge to wince when I get a look at my hand. These may be the worst cards I've gotten yet.

"That's a close second," he teases. "But I know you think I'm too fun for you to ever stop feeding me."

"Ah ha," I laugh. "So your plan comes to light."

"Yep. You found me out," he confesses cheerily. "Though, while we're on the topic, Rahna, I am rather curious what would be your biggest fear."

"The thought of feeding you, of course," I shoot back with an impish grin. "You eat more than any other Warden I've ever seen."

"Commander, you wound me," he retorts playfully. "Seriously, though. I really am curious."

I bite my lip. "You be serious first, and I'll tell you."

He glances at his cards and sighs. "Fine. This hand's so horrible, Sigrun'll just win again and ask me, anyway. Losing my freedom."

I think back to our conversation outside Amaranthine what seems years ago and have to admit that makes sense. "You know the Chantry can't touch you here," I remind him.

He snorts. "Didn't stop Rylock. And how many other templars are there who would feel entitled to ignore that little fact? But it's your turn, Rahna. Biggest fear?"

"Alright, alright." I sigh and rake my hand through my hair. "Either my claustrophobia or losing someone else I care about. I've lost enough friends and loved ones. I really don't want to lose any more."

"Oh, sod," Sigrun mutters.

"What?" I look up at her as the dwarf bites her bottom lip in consternation.

She shakes her head. "Nothin'. Let's keep playing."

I let it go, and we continue playing, things somber for only a few more minutes before Sigrun and Anders are joking and laughing and everything's back to normal. Or, at least as normal as it gets around here.

After losing a few more hands and spilling a few more secrets, I beg off. "I need to go find Fade. I haven't seen him in hours, and bored mabari can cause all sorts of trouble."

"Rahna, could you look for Honey while you're at it?" Nathaniel asks as I push away from the table.

"Sure. Knowing them, they're probably together anyway," I chuckle. "But if they aren't, I'll look for her, too." I'm gone before any of them can notice that that's not my real reason for begging off.

oOo

"So, where were they?"

I grin up at Nathaniel as I scratch the pair of mabari heads resting in my lap. "Under the stairs up to the wall, chewing on a pair of soup bones I'm fairly certain they liberated without the cook's permission."

He chuckles, crouching to scratch between Honey's ears. "Why am I not surprised?" Honey gives a contented groan and abandons me to roll over at his feet and beg for a belly rub. Nathaniel obliges.

"You're such a softie when it comes to that dog," I tease.

He shrugs. "I could say the same." He nods toward Fade, who's still chewing on one of the bones.

"Got me there," I confess, laughing as I pull the bone away from my dog and throw it. He gives a happy bark and chases after it. Honey join him. This could be interesting...

"Something bothering you, Commander?" Nathaniel asks, sitting next to me on the bottom step.

I crack my knuckles and hedge, "Why d'you ask?"

He shrugs. "You just... seem rather quiet, especially for you."

"Thanks for that."

"You aren't a very quiet person usually, Rahna," he points out. "So, when you are, I find myself wondering what's bothering you."

I give him a wry smile. "Very perceptive of you." I sigh and stare after the dogs. "I... sort of lied to Anders."

"Oh?" I can tell he's raised an eyebrow without even looking.

"About my biggest fear," I elaborate, playing with the amulet around my neck. "I am horribly claustrophobic, and I am terrified of losing another friend, but neither of those is what scares me the most in this life."

"What does, then?" he asks quietly.

"Forgetting." I feel my throat tighten off just that one word, as the memory of too many nights floods my mind. "I'm terrified beyond description that one day... I won't remember him any more."

"Him- Alistair?"

I nod, swallowing hard. "It's already starting. I dream about him sometimes, sure. But as soon as I wake up, it's like he fades and I can't remember what his smile looked like, or envision the way his eyes would light up when I said something to make him laugh." I stare at my hands. "Maker, I miss his laugh." I look up at Nathaniel. "But you probably don't want to listen to me carry on about that..."

He smiles slightly. "I do have a sister, remember, Rahna. It's hardly the first time I've served as a listening ear."

I have to chuckle at that. "Thanks, Nate."

His smile widens. "My pleasure."

One of the sentries descends the stairs, denying me a chance at a reply. "Beg pardon, Commander, but there's a group of travelers approachin'."

I sigh and slip back into the mindset of Commander of the Grey. If that's Anora again, we're going to be having words. "Can you tell who they are?"

"Liam swears they're Wardens; a couple of 'em have griffon emblems on their armor."

I raise an eyebrow as I scramble to my feet. "You disagree?"

He shrugs. "He has better eyesight than I do, Commander, so's I don't like t' argue with him. But I've never heard of Wardens allowin' civilians to travel with them."

My eyebrow arches higher. "Civilians?"

"Most of 'em are in armor, but there's one man who ain't," he explains.

My heart skips a beat. No sodding way, I tell myself. "How... how close are they?"

"Not far. You can see 'em plain as day from the wall-"

I'm charging up the stairs before he can finish his sentence, both the bewildered sentry and Nathaniel following me. It can't be, Rahna. Don't get your hopes up. Just don't. When I reach the top of the wall, I lean forward to see if I can recognize any of them. Most I don't; a few humans and a dwarf, but the two elves I certainly do. I've never met another elven Warden with hair the same shade of red as Gabriel's, and there's no mistaking Kiv's swagger-like stride.

But my excitement at seeing the two of them pales in comparison to the surge of unadulterated, near-speechless joy that flares through me when I recognize the dark-haired man the sentry thought was a civilian. "Oh, sweet Bride of the Maker!" It is him! I lean so far over the parapet to make sure my eyes aren't fooling me, I would probably have fallen if Nathaniel didn't grab the back of my shirt.

"Careful, Rahna," he chuckles, once I'm balanced again. "I take it you know them?"

"Do I ever!" I snort, grinning and swallowing the very un-Commander-like squeal building in my throat only with a supreme effort before tearing off down the stairs to greet our new arrivals.

oOo

The gate's open, but the Wardens haven't quite reached it yet by the time I make it down the stairs, so I don't stop running until I reach Jowan, tackling him in what may be the most enthusiastic hug I've ever given anyone in my entire life. "Maker's breath, I've missed you!"

"And here you were wondering how she'd react. I'd say she's pretty happy, no?" Gabriel laughs. "If I get half that reaction out of Miri, I will be a happy man."

Jowan shoots him a dirty look as he hugs me back. "Shut it, Gabriel. And I missed you, too, Rahna."

Kiv is laughing almost as hard as Gabriel as he offers me a hand up. "Come on, Commander."

"Thank you." I know I'm grinning like an idiot as I accept his help, and then turn to offer my hand to Jowan once I'm up. Maker help me, I don't bloody care. I've missed Jowan more than I can really properly put into words, and now he's here. I feel the scar across his palm rub against my skin as he takes my hand and I help him up-and hug him again. Both of us are covered in dust from the road, but I'm having trouble caring about anything other than the fact he's here. "Sweet Andraste, Jowan, I can't even... Oh, I'm so happy to see you!"

"The feeling's mutual," he chuckles, wrapping one arm around my shoulders to return my enthusuastic hug.

"Do we get hellos like that?" Gabriel teases, motioning between himself and Kiv.

I let go of Jowan to give them each a hug as well. "Sorry."

"No, don't apologize," Kiv smirks. "I won five silvers off that hello." He grins at Gabriel, who rolls his eyes in response.

"I'll pay up once we're settled," he promises. "It's good to see you again, Rahna."

"Likewise." I may be happiest about seeing Jowan, but I've also missed Gabriel and Kiv. "Can I get introductions?" I ask, nodding toward the armor-clad men and the grinning dwarf. Gabriel nods, and introduces me to all of them in quick succession as we finish the little bit of the walk left to the Vigil's courtyard.

Nathaniel's waiting for me there, and I introduce them to him, explaining, "The rest are inside, we just happened to be out here when the sentries saw you coming."

"The keep looks like it has been attacked recently," one of the new men, Aimon, comments.

I sigh. I'd wanted to wait a bit longer before I had to tell them about that. Mostly to figure out how to tell Gabriel about Keenan. "It was," I admit. "Just before I got here. We've spent the last couple months repairing things."

"What happened?" This question comes from Syn, who I like from the second Gabriel introduced her. She looks worried.

"I... We're not entirely sure, to be honest," I confess. "We have a ... gnarly darkspawn problem around here; they're more..." I sigh again, searching for the right word. "Sentient, I guess. Some of them even talk. From what I can tell, they came for the Wardens stationed here."

"And did they get them?" Gabriel's frowning as he asks.

I nod. "They're all dead." I can explain about Kristoff and Justice later... "I'm sorry."

"Was there one here named Anton, do you know?" Syn asks.

"I don't. They were... the darkspawn had dragged them all off by the time I got here. Again, I'm sorry." This is the part of this job that I hate the most.

"Then how do you know they're dead?" demands the nasally-voiced warrior Gabriel introduced as Zimri. I already dislike him as much as I like Syn.

I swallow hard and bite my lip, looking at Gabriel as I explain. "We were... investigating a mine in the woods and I... found Keenan. He was badly wounded, dying. I tried to save him, but he was beyond the help of even magic. Before he died, he told me the rest were all dead."

"Does his wife know?" Gabriel asks, his voice rough.

I fight down the wave of anger at the though of Nida. "Yes. She knows. Now happy as I am to see you, I have to ask: What're you doing here?" I look up at Jowan. "Especially you. I thought the whole reason you were in the Free Marches was because that garrison needed mages."

"They did," he replies, running one hand through his hair. "But we found something in the Deep Roads that was... disturbing to say the least. And the commander thought you needed to know about it."

I frown. "Me? Why me?"

He sighs, pulling on his ponytail as he begins, "The darkspawn were digging these tunnels..."

A/N: Oh, Maker, I've been waiting so long to write that reunion scene! *giggle* I had this huge goofy grin on my face the whole time I was working on it. That is totally theway Rahna would greet a really good friend that she's been missing for a long time. Not 100% happy with the bit at the beginning, the card game, but I've stared at it and tried to rewrite multiple times, and just can't get anything better, so I guess it stays for now...

Now I just need Zevran back, and the original crew will all be together. XD