** Warning: This Chapter Contains Disturbing Content **

Thanks to everyone who has read and favorited this story!

Many thanks to my newest reviewers: Miltonia, CCBug and cousland1982

And to the "We Hate Howe Club", lisakodysam, voltagelisa, Shakespira, and Nithu: You are my inspiration! Thank you so very much!

Darkness and heat, swirling around him…

He stood atop a deep chasm and watched the hoard of darkspawn writhing below, fire exploding from the rocks surrounding them.

And, circling far above his head, a giant skeletal dragon flew, breathing fire as it dived lower.

The immense beast came to rest on a ledge above the hoard. It looked below at its minions, opened its jaws wide, and ... barked?

Duncan sat up, his head screaming in pain as he did so. His eyes began to refocus and he found himself staring eye to eye with a large, barking Mabari warhound. The hound raced back and forth between the bedroom door and him, as though it wanted him to follow.

Suddenly, the events of the evening returned to Duncan - assassins! He had been attempting to sleep, thinking of Zeva, when he had heard the near-silent footsteps behind him, and felt the change in the air as the dagger came down to strike.

He had confronted the hooded attacker, fighting him off. His only thoughts had been of getting to Zeva, of protecting her and her family. He had gotten careless and had not noticed the second attacker coming at him from behind.

Suddenly he felt the sting of the dart in his neck and knew he had lost. His vision began to fade and he fell. He may well have died, had it not been for the taint flowing through his veins.

The taint pervading each Grey Warden had many negative side effects. One of the positive, however, was a resistance to normal poisons. A Warden could still be incapacitated, but would fight off toxic effects if given time.

How long had he been unconscious? Were the Couslands still alive? Was Zeva? Maker protect them all!

Another ferocious bark quickly returned Duncan's attention to the peril at hand. "Are you Zeva's hound, boy?" Duncan spoke kindly to the Mabari. Bryce had told Duncan of Zeva's devotion to her dog, and how the pair had been inseparable since his daughter had received the animal for her 16th birthday.

The Mabari barked once and ran toward the door. Duncan rose slowly and followed. "Take me to your Mistress, boy! I pray we are not too late."

o~~~~~~~~o

Howe led Zeva through the hallways toward the master bedroom, holding onto her bound hands. "It was very thoughtful of you to wear such a beautiful gown this evening, my dear. I must say, the look of you in it greatly tempted me to take you right there in the study. But we wouldn't want our first time disturbed by prying eyes, now would we?"

Howe stopped in the hallway in front of Zeva's bedroom door. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Zeva, but it appears your friend Dairren met with a rather unfortunate accident earlier this evening." With that, he pushed the bedroom door open and pulled her to it. Dairren lay dead on the floor in a pool of blood. On closer inspection, she could see that his hands had been removed at the wrists.

"Such insolence, thinking he could touch what would never be his." Howe whispered into her ear. Zeva felt a scream rise in her throat, but she choked it back. Uncontrollable shudders passed through her body, and she bit her bottom lip to keep her tears from flowing.

Howe chuckled softly, seeing the pain in her eyes. "I will have someone clean the mess up first thing in the morning, darling. I would not wish for you to look upon such sights again. And I am sure that with the new state of our relationship, you shall never have to." With that, he turned and pulled her into the master's suite, closing the door behind them.

Once in the bedroom, Howe led Zeva to the bed and pushed her onto it. He climbed up next to her and lay on his side, head in hand, his eyes drifting over the curves of her body. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips.

"I have dreamt of this night for so very long, and now that it has finally arrived, I hardly know where to begin. So many wonderful delights in store..." As he spoke these words he began untying her hands. "Now, let there be no distrust between us."

Zeva stared in disbelief, tears in her eyes. "How can you speak of trust to me when my family lies in another room, victims of your greed? How am I to ever trust that you will honor your side of the bargain should I stay with you?" As long as I keep him talking, I have a chance…

Howe looked down and Zeva thought she actually saw sorrow in his eyes. "Whatever has befallen your father and his house, it was through his own actions that it happened. He betrayed me years ago, left me behind to bask in the glory that should have been mine.

But now is not the time for such talk. You and I will have much time to discuss such matters. Now," Howe said as he laid himself fully upon Zeva and began to kiss her neck, running his hands down her sides and across her stomach, moving lower to cup her sex through her gown, "is the time for you and I to solidify our arrangement."

There must be some way out, Zeva thought desperately, as Howe pulled her gown up and ran his hands over her naked thighs, groaning in his lust. She slowly moved her head from side to side, looking for something to aid her. Howe used the opportunity to bring his lips to her throat, sucking wildly and raining bites along her neck.

Searching the bedroom, her eyes landed upon her best chance of freedom. But how to get to it? Suddenly, she realized what had to be done. As Howe grew more eager in his attentions, Zeva bit back her disgust and moaned, slowly running her hands up his back.

Howe immediately stilled, as though unsure of her intent. Zeva bent forward and whispered softly into his ear, "Please, don't stop." He raised his head and looked into her eyes, as though searching their depths for deceit.

Zeva, gaze unwavering, feigned her most seductive smile and spoke. "Rendon, may I call you Rendon?" At his trembling nod, she continued, "I grow tired of boys. They have nothing to offer me. I need a man. I want a man." She reached up and pulled his face to hers, softly brushing her lips to his. He shivered at the feel of her breath on his face.

"And Nathaniel, what of him?" Howe asked, pausing in his question to slide his tongue into her mouth and run it over her own, "I know my fool of a son desired you. Did he ever have the pleasure of your lips on his, his cock buried deep inside you?"

Zeva forced a laugh and ran her fingers down Howe's chest, pulling his shirt open. "Nate? Surely you jest! He tried to 'seduce' me, as it were, on numerous occasions, but his attempts were clumsy, at best." Howe brightened at her admission. He dipped his head to her chest and pulled a nipple into his mouth, bringing a shudder of revulsion from Zeva; an action he mistook for lust as he growled against her chest.

It's now or never! Zeva thought. She brought her legs up and locked them behind Howe's waist. He jumped at first, and then ground his hardness against her, once more taking possession of her mouth was his own. She groaned loudly and rubbed her hips against him. "I have an idea, if you would indulge me..."

"Of course, my beloved. Anything that you desire." he gasped into her ear, reaching between her legs to insert a finger into her. "You are so beautiful and I have waited forever for you. I would give you anything."

She slowly rolled him over onto his back and climbed onto him, straddling his waist with her thighs. She began unlacing his breeches, his desire evident by the bulge throbbing under her fingers. "I think you have on too many clothes, my Arl. Be a good boy and help me remove them, if you would."

Howe laughed lustily and raised his hips, allowing Zeva to pull his breeches down past his knees. She climbed up his body, dangling her ample breasts above his face. He immediately reached up and pulled her down to meet him, sucking desperately on each of her nipples.

As she groaned his name, she slowly reached past his head, toward the small stone statue bearing the Cousland crest that lay on the bedside table. She watched his face and saw he had his eyes closed, reveling in his 'supposed' victory. Perfect.

She leaned closer and wrapped her fingers tightly around the statue, arching her back suddenly and, feigning ecstasy, slid the statue behind her back, away from Howe's view.

Howe ran his hands over her taut stomach muscles and gasped her name. "Zeva, please! I need you so badly! I love you!"

Love? Zeva thought furiously. What could this hateful creature ever possibly know of love? She looked down at him and smiled. "Of course, Rendon! There is one more thing I would ask you to do for me, however." She purred as she ground her hips against his hardness, causing him to gasp, and raise up to meet her.

"Yes! Anything! You need only ask and it shall be done." He moaned as he ripped the smallclothes from his body, and gripped her hips, positioning her above him.

Zeva stilled her body and met his gaze, eyes filling with hatred.

"Die!"

With that she raised the statue above her head and brought it down directly onto his groin. Howe screamed in agony and pleaded for mercy, to no avail. Her second hit connected with his right temple, and his struggling ceased. She sat for a moment, watching the blood pour from his head, then shakily climbed off the bed and removed her gown.

She couldn't rescue her parents in the nude, so she searched their room, looking for her mother's armor. She located some leather armor and two daggers in a corner trunk and hurriedly donned them. With one final glance at the bed to make sure Howe was still not moving, she opened the bedroom door and crept toward the family library, keeping to the shadows.

O~~~~~~~~O

Duncan and the Mabari fought their way through several hallways and the Warden was amazed at how effective the hound had been as a fighting partner. The Mabari was ruthless, ripping into each soldier he met, seemingly desperate to reach his Mistress. Yet, the sheer quantity of enemies was staggering and Duncan found himself growing steadily weaker, his body still feeling the effects of the poison.

Duncan made note of the bodies strewn about the hallways. Men, women, children - it didn't seem to matter. Never had he seen such barbaric treatment of innocents, and it made the panic rise in his chest. Where was Zeva? Was she alive? There were darker thoughts that played on his mind, as well. He knew these were Howe's soldiers and he had seen the way Howe had watched Zeva. He would recognize lust in a man's eyes anywhere. Duncan had a terrible feeling that if Howe had reached the young woman, death would be the least of the things he would have planned for her.

These worries made his movements more desperate, his blades deadlier. He had to reach her before the unthinkable happened. He knew she may never recover from an attack of that sort, especially if she were to lose her family in the process.

Suddenly, the Mabari picked up speed and flew around a corner. Duncan followed quickly and heard the clashing of swords far down the hallway. He followed the sound and saw Zeva, fighting with three soldiers. He temporarily stopped in his tracks, watching how deftly she avoided their attacks and how her blades seemed to blur as she spun from one soldier to another, slicing and connecting with various parts of her opponents' bodies.

His reverie was broken as the Mabari joined the fight, leaping onto one of the soldiers and sinking his teeth deep into the man's neck. Duncan heard a sickening crunch, and the soldier fell to the ground at Zeva's feet. She quickly dispatched the second soldier, removing his head from his shoulders. The last attacker fell to the Mabari, who grasped the man by the leg, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground, Nihlus ripping into his throat and killing him instantly.

Duncan saw Zeva bend over to catch her breath as the Mabari flew into her arms. "Nihlus!" she squealed and fell to the ground, her head buried in his fur. Duncan raced up the hallway, but paused as Zeva stood and her eyes met his. For just a moment, he saw confusion on her face, and then she smiled brightly, getting to her feet and running down the hall toward him.

As she neared him, she seemed to recover her wits and stopped a few feet away. She was covered in blood and there were dark circles under her bright blue eyes. She came to him and placed her hands on his arms. "Duncan, thank the Maker you are alright!" she said, and then quickly turned away. "My parents, Oriana and Oren are being held in the study. We have to get to them - NOW!"

As if on cue, Nihlus turned and ran down the hallway toward the last door on the right. Zeva quickly followed and threw the door open. "Zeva, wait!" Duncan began, wanting to enter the room first should the worst have occurred, but was stopped by the piercing cry which came from within - "NO!"

O~~~~~~~~O

Duncan entered the room behind Zeva and had to fight back the wave of nausea which threatened to overtake him. Before him, still tied to the chairs, were the bodies of Bryce, Eleanor, Oriana and Oren Cousland. Their deaths had not been quick, as each one had been stabbed in the chest and left to bleed.

Zeva was on the floor at her father's feet, holding his hand and rocking back and forth. Duncan moved forward quickly, knowing that if he didn't remove her from this room of death, he may not be able to save her mind. "Zeva," he whispered as he pulled her to her feet, "come with me. The soldiers will be here soon and we must leave!"

She turned to face him, a look of pure fury on her face. "What! You expect me to just walk away from them and leave them like this? What kind of monster do you think I am? This is my FAMILY! I have to bury them. I have to mourn them! I have to seek vengeance for their deaths!" At this last statement, Zeva's eyes grew wild and she got to her feet and sped past Duncan, racing down the hallway. "I will KILL HIM!" she yelled as she ran away, Nihlus close on her heels.

Duncan ran from the room, calling after Zeva. "Come back here, Zeva! I need to get you out of here. It is too late!" He saw her run into the master suite and followed her in. She stood in the middle of the room, staring at the empty bed. Fresh blood stained the pillow and Duncan could see a silk nightgown lying discarded on the floor.

It took only a moment for him to put the pieces together. That evil BASTARD! Howe had obviously attempted to force himself on her and she had fought back, hence the blood. He only prayed that Howe had failed in his sexual attack.

His attention returned to Zeva, who was now focused on a note left on her mother's vanity.

My darling Zeva,

I regret that our time together was cut short. I see that winning your affections will be harder than I imagined. Never fear, I have no intention of giving up, and we will be seeing each other soon. Know that until we are reunited, you will be constantly in my thoughts and dreams.

Yours forever, Rendon

Zeva screamed, screwed the note up and threw it across the room. She turned back to Duncan and said, a look of fierce determination on her face. "I will kill him. I will!"

As he opened his mouth to respond, he noticed an opening in the wall behind her. "Zeva, we must go now," he insisted.

She followed his gaze and moved forward, peering cautiously into the darkened hallway. "So, this is how they infiltrated the castle?" she asked Duncan over her shoulder.

"Yes, and it was more than just Howe's men." he replied.

"What?" Zeva asked as she turned around to face him.

Duncan nodded. "I was attacked in my room by two men dressed all in black. Their faces were covered and they moved more like assassins than soldiers. I would surmise that Howe hired mercenaries for this coup."

Zeva sighed, "Well, I can't just leave my family here with these monsters, can I?'

Duncan walked to her and pulled her into his arms. "Zeva," he whispered into her hair. "Your parents would want you to live. If we linger, we run the risk of being discovered by Howe's men. I passed several rooms on the way here housing dozens of soldiers. We can't defeat them all."

He ran his fingers through her hair. "Come with me. I promise you that Howe will not get away with this. We will find him together and make him pay!"

Zeva pulled back and looked into his eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Thank you, Duncan. You have done so much to help me already, just by being here. I know that you are right. We can't possibly defeat them all now. But Howe will pay for the crimes he committed here. I swear it!"

Zeva pulled away from him and dried her tears. She went over to her mother's vanity and took a ring from her jewelry box. "This was my mother's favorite ring. I will wear it always to remind me of the vengeance I have promised to them." With that, she turned away from the room and walked to the escape tunnel, motioning for Nihlus to follow. Duncan walked behind her, a grim smile on his face.

Has there ever been a woman of such strength before? I think not! And, by the Maker, I will protect her!