Howe sits upon one of the elegant bronze chairs atop the raised platform looking out at the large doors at the end of the hall. Leaning against an arm of the chair, he stares idly, almost expecting Bryce Cousland to burst in and arrest him. That's no longer an issue. He reminds himself with a smirk. I saw with my own eyes as my men wheeled the headless bodies of the dead Teyrn and Teyrna, tossed nonchalantly on a cart with their servants and maids, out to the pyres in the courtyard.

Surprisingly, with all the rain they had gotten the night of the siege, he half expected the courtyard to be flooded. Much to his pleasure and relief, most of the water had begun to dry up with the next day's heat. After having his men rescan the castle to retrieve the bodies littered all around the castle, he was irritated to find out that his fears had been confirmed; Not only are the Warden Commander and Ana's bodies missing but so was Ana's personal guard, Ser Gilmore and her mabari hound.

The doors of the hall suddenly open and he quickly sits up before slumping back down, seeing that it's only one of his scouts. Coming to stand before the platform, the man bows. "My Lord." He greets. Howe beckons him closer "What is it?" He asks. "Have you news on the Warden or the brat?"

The man nods. "I have, My Lord. A Grey Warden with dark skin and hair and a young noblewoman were seen at the Chantry in the nearby town of Barnston."

Howe straightens. "What of her hound and guard? Were they with them as well?"

"No, My Lord." The man says, shaking his head. "It was only them. We've heard no news of the other two."

Howe snorts. "With luck, Ser Gilmore and the hound were set upon by bandits or something and killed." There's a long paused before Howe speaks again. "They're heading south towards Ostagar then." He mutters, more to himself than the soldier. "No doubt going to tell the King…" He turns his hawk-like gaze towards the man. "If they're going the way I think they are, they'll probably try finding aid from my bastard of a brother-in-law, Leonas." He grimaces. "Send some of our fastest men to South Reach. Hopefully we'll be able to intercept them…" He pauses before shrugging. "Either that or at least gain some sort of lead."

"Yes, My Lord." The man bows. "Is there anything else?"

Howe shakes his head, slouching back in the chair with a dismissive wave. "That's all."

After breaking their fast the next morning, Ana and Duncan quickly pack up and are back on their mount and heading south. By the time they exit the Ashbark Forest, the sun is hanging high in the sky, warming their backs. Duncan kept his gaze trained forward as he felt Ana shift behind him. He felt her warm breath by his neck and her body press against his as she leaned forward. A jolt of excitement ran through him to his groin, making him shift slightly in the saddle. "Duncan?" She asks.

"Yes, My Lady?" He asks, calmly.

"Where are we headed next?"

He turns his head slightly. "I was thinking about heading towards South Reach." He replies, conjuring the route he decided on last night in his mind. "But first, we'll be stopping in Hatfield. Given that I have no idea when this horse was last shoed, I figured it would be wise to have him re-shoed since we still have a long ways to go."

Knowing he can't see it, she frowns. "South Reach?" She asks. "But that's where Arl Bryland is! He's related to Howe!"

"Aye, he is." Duncan nods. "But he also hates his brother-in-law. Seeing as he and your father were close friends, I figured it would be a way to rally some support against Howe. If anything, perhaps he can divert his brother-in-law's men to buy us more time."

"I doubt it. Howe was supposed to be my father's dearest friend as well." She sneers. "We all saw how that turned out."

He feels her lean back once more and sighs. "I know… try not to despair, My Lady. It's not over just yet. If I spot any signs of potential danger, I will protect you."

He waits for her to say something and signs when she doesn't. If only there were something I could do to alleviate her sadness.

In Hatfield, everything seems to go as expected. While they waited for their horse to have new shoes put on, they wandered through the small marketplace to kill time. Taking notice of Ana's richly embroidered gown, many of the merchants waved them over, in hopes of prizing her coin from her. "Come!" One man, his face aged with broken and yellowing teeth, motioned them over. Much to Duncan's dismay, Ana diverts from their path to look at the man's wares. Seeing his mark walk over, he smiles a wicked smile, holding up a small ordinate box of gold and jade, decorated with small mabari hounds. "You! You, Miss, look like you like fine things!"

She approaches the man, her eyes trained on the small box. "That depends. What do you have there?"

The man holds it out to her which she takes to examine it while Duncan's eyes narrow at him, his hand ready on his pommel. Turning the box around in her hands, she wrinkles her nose. "What is it?"

"It's a box!" The man smiles.

She shoots him a glare. "I know it's a box." She snips. "But surely there's something inside? Why would I want a box when I know actual craftsmen who could make me boxes of far better value and material?"

The man's grin falters for a moment, making Duncan smirk. Once it returns, the man nods to Ana. "Of course! Look inside. Inside is what's really worth it's price in gold." He motions toward the box. "Go ahead. Open it!"

Shifting his gaze, Duncan peeks over Ana's shoulder. She opens it and gives a scornful snort. "Dust?" She asks, looking down her nose at the man. "You dare stand there and try to sell me a box of dust?" With each word, her tone grows louder and more hostile. "Do you take me for a fool?"

"Of course not!" He says quickly. "I would never insult you, dear lady. Tis a true treasure!" Taking the box from her, he opens it and motions to the pile of ash inside. "These are ashes of the Maker's bride herself, Andraste!"

Ana snorts. "You expect me to believe that you found Andraste's long lost ashes? The ones from the stories that have been lost for ages?"

"It is!" The man insists. "I swear on my life!"

"On your life, eh?" Ana smirks, earning a nod from the man. "Your life must not be worth much then." The man glares at her as she continues. "If these are indeed the ashes of Andraste herself, then you are guilty of not only desecrating the prophetess' remains and taking part in illegally obtaining a holy relic but you are now extorting it for money!" She says, loudly. Duncan eyes her curiously as she continues. "Perhaps I should notify the Templars or the Chantry themselves. Surely they would not take kindly to somebody illegally selling their property for profit."

The man looks around nervously as people turn to look at them. "Keep your voice down!" He hisses. This only angers her more.

"How dare you try to tell me quiet down!" She fumes. "Do you know who you're speaking to?"

Duncan looks around at the people watching them. He nudges her. "Ana…" He mutters.

She gives him a dismissive wave and continues on her tirade. "You should learn how to treat your betters, fool!"

"Ana!" Duncan hisses, noticing some men off in the distance in full armor muttering to one another, their eyes trained on her. Somebody stands in the way but Duncan can just barely make out the Arl of Amaranthine bear crest embossed on their breastplates; Howe's men. "Ana!"

Furious, she spins around to face him. "What?" She hisses.

Gently grabbing her arm, he motions away. "Calm down." He says quietly. "We need to leave, now."

With an annoyed huff, she pulls her arm away and turns, hitting the box from the man's hand and spilling the ash and dust all over him as they head off, the man yelling obscenities and cursing her out as they leave. Grabbing her arm again, Duncan maneuvers her through the crowd, looking back every so often to find the armed men following them. They weave in and out and around corners in attempt to evade their pursuers as Ana squirms to get her arm free. "Let me—" She begins to say before Duncan whirls her around into a dark side passage, pinning her against the wall. In seconds, he lifts her hood and his own, leaning forward as he presses a gloved hand to her mouth. She squirms and he mutters a warning to her. Shushing her, he listens as they hear the metal clang of the men's boots on the ground at the opening a couple yards away. Tilting his head slightly to glance over, he peeks around his hood as the men look around puzzled before walking away. He waits until he's sure they're gone before removing his hand and stepping back.

"Forgive me, My Lady." He says, looking around them. "Those were Howe's men." He looks at her as her eyes widen. "You alerted them of our presence when you made a scene."

Folding her arms over her chest, she looks away with a huff, her cheeks reddening. "You could have just said that." She mutters."There was no need to…assault me."

Ignoring her comment, he checks around the corners to make sure their pursuers left before motioning for her to follow. "Come. It's no longer safe here. We need to get back on the road. With luck, we may be able to get to South Reach before them."