"The Knight Commander," the tranquil aide introduced him as she moved aside to let the visitor into his office.

Baxter stood, extending his hand out to the stranger. It appears the tranquil was correct, he mused, taking in the signs of a haggard appearance.

"I am Commander Baxter," he introduced himself again, for while the man had entered the room, he had yet to speak a word. The man looked pointedly at the aide, and Baxter sent her on her way with a flick of his hand. "Please, sit," he offered, frowning when his offer went unheeded.

"You seem familiar," Baxter continued, his curiosity mounting. "You were a templar here? Under the previous commander?" he asked.

"I was," the man replied, as he continued to look about the office, as if searching for something. Finally, he spoke again. "Since that time, I did as many, scraping in the slums to survive."

"Oh?" Baxter asked, looking at the man closer. "Yet, you do not seem to be suffering as the others that returned to us," he commented.

"I have… found something," the man answered, finally coming forward to sit across the desk from the commander. Baxter was quiet as he searched the man's face.

"I am a contradiction, am I not?" the man asked with a smirk.

"Indeed," Baxter agreed, his curiosity evident in his voice. "Your clothes, and overall appearance indicate that you are as you claimed- a former templar. Yet I see none of the indicators of lyrium withdrawal." He looked directly at the man. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Not that it matters, but my name is Samson," he replied easily. "And I am exactly as I said. I was a templar here for years, before Meredith found that I was soft on the robes."

"She dismissed you," Baxter nodded, knowing full well the previous commander's proclivities. "And you somehow found another source for your lyrium?" he asked, wondering why the man was sharing such information. If he was as he claimed, he would know that the templars would extinguish any other sources of lyrium trade… he thought. What is his game exactly?

"Not at first," Samson admitted. "I spent years doing anything I could to get what I craved." He shook his head, reminding himself that that was behind him. It wasn't him anymore.

Samson looked up at the Knight Commander, his head tilted as he studied the man. He wasn't sure if he would cooperate, but he could at least try. It would make things simpler. "How much do you know of the Grey Wardens?" he asked.

"Most are unaware of the actions of the Wardens," Baxter spoke easily, leaning back in his chair, thinking that he was being underestimated. It was becoming clear where the man was getting his lyrium. "But I know they travel in the Deep Roads, much as the dwarves."

"Not exactly as the dwarves," Samson retorted. "A discovery was made, not too long ago. The Wardens, however, are not equipped to uncover the true potential of the find."

"And the templars are?" Baxter asked dryly, understanding dawning. "What was discovered?" he asked.

Samson leaned forward. "Lyrium," he said with a wide smile. "A new type of lyrium, more powerful than the previous ones."

Baxter unconsciously leaned back, his mind whirling. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Samson stood then, taking a deep breath and concentrating, as he tightened his hands into fists. Baxter wondered what the man was doing before the purging shockwave shot out at him. His jaw dropped, at the power behind the spell- it normally took several templars to create that strong of a purge.

Baxter swallowed, warily eyeing the man in front of him. He wasn't even winded… he thought as Samson gave him a wide grin. Creepy… he thought.

"I understand if this worries you," Samson stated, sitting back down. Baxter thought perhaps he had imagined the crazed look that had been on his face. "New can be frightening, however, if we truly want to be able to put down the malificar, we need the power to do so."

Baxter's mind was churning. It was a good point after all… he thought. Blood mages were becoming more and more frequent, and the templars seemed less effective individually than ever before. Several years ago, some malificar even tried to place demons inside of the templars themselves!

He looked up, still wary. "I'm listening," he said.

Samson grinned.

"All right, is everyone here?" Hawke's voice boomed over the noise, and the group quieted down.

"It looks like it," Varric answered with a smile, then going back to his paper and quill.

"I hope you all realize that I am aware that everyone shows only on the days that you get paid, right?" Hawke grumbled good-naturedly.

"I feel that that is merely a coincidence," Isabela replied. "After all, we're the best merc band around, so of course we're busy!"

"Here here!" Charade chimed in, and Hawke shook his head, but started passing out coin all the same.

"Well, I can't say you haven't earned it, and I can't help but agree that we're the best," he said.

"The guard is very grateful to have you all here in Kirkwall," Aveline added. "The gangs that terrorize the citizens are becoming a thing of the past."

"We keep doing jobs like that, and pretty soon we'll be the guard," Varric teased. He was given several dirty looks in return.

"Don't even joke about that," Isabela blurt out, taking a long drink.

"As much as I loathe to agree with her, I have to on this," Aveline added.

Sebastian chuckled. "It's nice to help keep the city safe, but I don't think most of us are… uh, diplomatic enough, to be part of the guard."

"You and Aveline are the only ones, to be certain," Hawke said, grinning. "No one has ever called me diplomatic."

Charade whispered something to Cat, and she gave a loud laugh, causing everyone to turn and give her questioning looks. She avoided them, shaking her head and grabbing for her wine.

"Anyway," Hawke said, smirking as he thought that later he would find out what she was told. "Let the planning meeting begin. Varric?" he said, giving the dwarf the floor.

"Nothing substantial right now, Hawke, just a few odd jobs here and there." He started shuffling papers. "We've got a request for an escort; they are wanting three people to go with the caravan about halfway to Nevarra. Apparently, they've got others waiting there to escort them the rest of the way."

Isabela looked over at Charade, who gave a shrug. "Char and I will go, if anyone wants to join with us."

"I will go also," Fenris spoke up, causing several surprised looks. "It won't be too long, and I should be back before anything happens," he defended himself. "Now that Nyssa and Cat have moved into Hawke's estate, I do not have to worry as much as before."

"It will be good for all of you to be out of town for a while," Cat agreed with a smile. "You all seem to get twitchy if you're not out on an adventure."

She expected an argument, but got an embarrassed look from Fenris, and cheers from Isabela.

"I'll watch out for them," Charade said from beside her. "You watch over Nyssa, and no one will have to worry."

"Deal."

"Ahem," Varric cleared his throat. "So that's Broody, Riviani and Trickster on that job," he mumbled as he wrote. "I'll let them know, and get you the details later today," he told them.

"Next," Hawke ordered.

"A few things here in town, all requesting the Champion to come and look intimidating," Varric smirked as Hawke's face fell.

"Don't worry Hawke, it's meant as a compliment," Sebastian told him with a gentle smile. "I can accompany you, if you would like."

"Please do," Hawke answered as he rolled his eyes. "It'll help stave off the boredom."

"And that's all I have for now," Varric finished.

"Anyone else have anything?" Hawke asked, looking around.

"I have a couple of things," Cat spoke up, and Hawke waved for her to go ahead. "So, there isn't a job per se," she said, wondering yet again if she should even bring up her concerns. "But I've received some letters that have information that could lead to trouble for us, so I wanted to share."

"Trouble?" Aveline asked, brow furrowed. "What sort of trouble?"

"Mage and Templar trouble," Cat answered, giving Anders and Hawke an apologetic face.

"Go on," Hawke said, wondering why she hadn't told him about this before now.

"Are these the letters I just gave you this morning?" Varric asked when she remained quiet.

"Yes," she answered, taking a deep breath, and exhaling. "All right," she started, steeling herself. "So first, I read a letter from Leliana. She was merely passing on some information that she thought I would want to know."

Actually, she was asking what I could tell her about what to expect, but that's neither here nor there… and, receiving these letters makes it a little easier to give them information. Even if it is actually coming from what I know…

"Things are brewing, even more so than before," Cat continued. "One of the grand enchanters put forth a vote for the separation of mages from the chantry." She paused, receiving the gasp from Anders that she was expecting. "The motion failed. This time."

"What does that mean?" Sebastian asked, his voice hard.

"This is just my opinion, but I think as things become more difficult for the mages, more and more of them are going to see this separation as the only choice. If your choices are only to fight or die, which would you choose?" she asked him.

"Those are not the only choices though," he replied. "They merely must submit-"

"WHAT?!" Anders hollered as he jumped to his feet. "Are you insane?!"

"Anders-" Hawke started.

"How blind can you be?!" Anders yelled at the prince. "Have you not seen the mages that have submitted as you so arrogantly suggest? We see them every time we go to the gallows! You know, the ones that have been made tranquil!"

"We all know now that Meredith went too far," Sebastian continued as he slowly stood, trying to keep his temper in check. "But that situation has been rectified."

"And that's it?!" Anders goggled at him. "Sorry, there was a mistake, and you're worse than dead, but we've fixed it now, so everyone should just submit?! You really are insane!"

"Okay, okay," Cat yelled, putting her hand up to stop Anders. "There is no end to this argument, we already know that you two will not convince each other." She looked back and forth between them, pleading with her eyes. Eventually they sat down, grumbling like pouting children, but they sat quietly.

"Thank you," she said softly, then turned back to the group. "I think this shows a small piece of the turmoil that is happening all over Thedas," she said, trying to get them all thinking of the bigger picture.

"I also received a letter from Feynriel, where we learned that whoever knows about the research that Danarius has done, has not made it known. But it is still out there somewhere, and eventually we should be rid of it. Magisters having servants with skills like Fenris would only escalate things, most especially with the Qunari."

Most of them were stricken quiet now, thinking back to their own troubles with the huge warriors.

"There are also magisters that are training warriors called perrepatae," she continued as many of them looked up to her in confusion.

"Mage killers," Fenris said without emotion.

"Yes," Cat agreed, the group looking back at her after turning to Fenris. "They are specifically trained to fight against mages. They fight without fear and use any trap or trick that will give them an opening. They can be quite frightening."

"Why would mages train their slaves to be able to kill them?" Merrill asked, perplexed. "Won't they just turn on their masters?"

"No," Fenris answered again, though he just stared ahead as he spoke. "They are broken first, trained to know without a doubt that they have no power over their master. They are merely a tool for destroying his enemies, and that is all."

Cat glanced at Hawke, silently asking for help. He turned, giving Fenris a nudge with his shoulder. "True, but that doesn't mean they are beyond help," he said to the former slave. "You are proof of that."

Fenris shook off the mood and gave Hawke a nod. Cat gave a small sigh of relief, not wanting her friend to have to recall those painful memories.

"So, as I said, nothing set in stone, just the stirrings that could become something much bigger," Cat recapped. She gave a sigh and shifted her letters. "But then, I read this letter from Cullen."

The group sensed the tone and focused in on her.

"He doesn't say much, but that in of itself speaks volumes," she said, her worry palpable. "He mentions that several templars had gone missing, and when he brought it to the Commanders' attention, he was told that they were sent on an important mission. Being the Knight Captain, he felt he should know about these types of things, but was told that he should not worry, and trust that the Commander knew what he was doing.

"Cullen himself mentioned that perhaps his own concern comes from the time with Meredith, and that he is most likely making a mountain from a molehill. However, I don't feel Baxter has earned the trust he is demanding."

"He may not be as bad as Meredith, but he still hates mages," Hawke spoke as he thought it all through.

"So, what are you saying here?" Aveline asked Cat. "This is all circumstantial."

"Agreed," Cat answered, giving a shrug. "I merely wanted to make you all aware of the potential for crisis." She glanced around the table, making sure they understood what she was saying. "I believe that this conflict will only continue to grow. We helped to curb it for a bit, but it will not simply go away. And it is not just here in Kirkwall."

"So now we're going to save all of Thedas?" Isabela asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, right," Cat shot back at her with a grin. "No, not us. I'm only saying that I don't know what will happen…" she almost laughed at her own words, "but we need to be prepared for when it does."

Hawke sat back as the others continued to talk, thinking it over. He had no illusions that his time as Champion was anything but fleeting. His status, his home, his money… he knew they wouldn't last. But he hoped that he could ensure that his friends were taken care of, at least before he and Cat needed to leave Kirkwall.

Hawke looked over at her, giving a small smile as he watched her debate a few more points with Aveline and Isabela. He hated knowing that he would have to leave at some future time but knowing that he wouldn't be leaving alone made all the difference.

"Hello Little Dove," Varric greeted Cat as he returned to his room from meeting with one of his people. "I'm surprised that you're still here."

"Waiting for Hawke," she answered with a sardonic smile. "He seemed to think that he would be right back." Her eyebrows rose in question. "I can go downstairs if you need…?"

"Nah, you're fine," he reassured her, waiving her down to keep her seat. "I'm done with meetings for today, so I was just going to work on my manuscript a bit."

"Manuscript?" she asked curiously. "For Hawke's story?"

"That's the one," he answered with a nod. He grabbed a stack of papers and sat in his chair at the head of the table. "Since I need to make some edits…" he grumbled.

"Sorry, but not really," she replied, smiling at him, and resting her elbow on the table with her chin in her hand. "Hawke and I both know he won't be Champion forever," she continued. "And having people recognize us on sight will not be helpful."

"So you said before," he conceded. "But how are you even sure that that will happen?"

"I suppose I can't be sure," she teased him. "But with Hard in Hightown as a best seller, won't the masses be scrambling to read Master Tethras' next work?"

"You have a point," he cackled. "Though I'm only agreeing to changing some features. I don't want to change who you are, not really."

"Honestly…" she was rethinking what she had asked of him. "I think it mostly bothers me thinking that random people will call me Little Dove. I mean, no one calls me that but you and Zev, and I don't want that to change."

"Hmm…" Varric mused, deciding that she had a good idea there. "I'll agree to that," he nodded. "And I'll take a bit of creative freedom in your descriptions. That should keep most people unaware."

"Thanks Varric, I appreciate it." She watched him for a bit, as he made scribbles through a few words on a sheet of parchment. "Um... so, feel free to tell me to shut up, but…"

He chuckled and looked up at her. "Ask away," he offered. "But if you're going to ask me to read it, you'll be disappointed."

"Actually, I just wanted to know how far you've gotten," she smiled in reply. "Though I do want to put my order in for one of the first editions."

"Consider it done," he answered, putting his quill down, and shuffling papers a bit. "I'm actually further along on the main story than I would have thought, however I still need to add in a few of the minor jobs we took." He looked up again, and grinned. "I'm currently writing the romance section."

"Oh Maker," she said, wincing. "Please tell me that you're not giving too much detail."

"Creative freedom," he reminded her. "But no, I'm more into the angst than the actual romance." He laughed again at the look on her face. "Don't worry Little Dove, I won't make you look bad."

Cat shook her head, wondering why she got involved with Hawke's crew in the first place. She could have avoided all this. But then my life would not have been as full, she thought.

"On second thought, I'll let you work," she said as she stood. "Do me a favor and tell Hawke that I went home to start on dinner, all right?"

"Dinner?" Varric asked knowingly. "Have you been cooking for our Champion, Little Dove?"

"As if you didn't already know," she smirked back at him, before moving to the door. She paused, looking back, and decided she may as well offer. "Oh, and if you ever feel like sharing some of your writing…" she said as he looked up at her unamused. "I'd pay for it with stories of my own."

She laughed as she saw his look change to contemplation, and she shut his door behind her.

Merrill looked around the mansion, a little surprised at how tidy it was. She had been coming in once a day for the past week, but since Fenris, Isabela and Charade had left for their escort job, there wasn't anyone making new messes.

She knew that Cat had tidied up after Fenris for the most part. He wasn't especially messy. More that he tended not to notice things, as he would focus on whatever was the most important thing. Housework didn't seem to make the top of that list very often.

Helping her friends was something that Merrill enjoyed more than most others. Plus, Cat always notices and offers to go visit the clan with me… she thought. Cat seemed to know how desperate she would become to get out of the city for a time.

And besides that, Merrill felt that she was constantly in Cat's debt. Cat had shared important information that had saved her keeper, her clan, and most importantly, her own well being. That wasn't something that Merrill took lightly, even if she still didn't understand how Cat knew it all in the first place. She could only just be grateful.

Merrill froze suddenly, hearing footsteps upstairs. There shouldn't be anyone here… she thought with a frown.

Being an elf meant that she was quieter than others and being a dalish meant that she could be sneaky when she had to be. She moved slowly, as she knew she could be clumsy, and hoped that this was not one of those times.

She breathed shallowly, hoping to stay as silent as possible as she crept to the stairs. She was simultaneously wishing that someone was there with her, and grateful that she was there to stop whoever the intruder was.

Hearing something else had her whipping around, just as Cat came in the front door and called out her name. Merrill ran over waving her hands in gesture for her friend to be silent, then stared in horror as Nyssa came in behind her.

"Merrill?" Cat asked, oblivious to what was happening. "What is it?"

Merrill thrust her hands out, preventing either of them from continuing forward. "I heard someone, upstairs…" she whispered, looking up at the ceiling. There was silence as the women waited for a sound, though Cat heard nothing, she could see when both Merrill and Nyssa stiffened.

"Merrill, stay here with Nyssa, I'll go check it out," Cat whispered, moving to get beyond her friend, while taking out a dagger.

Merrill grabbed her arm, and shook her head. She pointed to Cat, and then down to the floor. Then she pointed to herself, and then up at the ceiling. Cat understood immediately, and began shaking her head.

This went on for a moment, until Nyssa slapped them both on their shoulders. They turned to her, seeing that she was pointing into the room. Merrill and Cat turned around, and stared at the man that was limping down the stairs, holding his side as if in pain.

"Nathaniel?!" they called out in unison, and rushed over to the staircase.

"Nate? Are you okay?" Cat called, reaching him even as she asked, pulling his hand from his side to look for an injury.

He slumped down to sit, panting heavily.

"Tired," he panted, trying to get his breath back. He grabbed for his side again, and Cat realized he was just exhausted, and had most likely gotten a stitch in his side from running.

"What's going on?" Cat demanded, after a moment of trying to let him get his breath back. "I'm sorry," she immediately added. "I know you're trying to get your breath back, but I'm panicking here."

"It's… okay…." he said, taking a much deeper breath to calm his speeding pulse.

"You should use the door," Cat said, reproachfully. "Fenris would swing first, then try to find answers over your corpse, you know."

"I figured… you'd intervene…" Nate replied, trying to get comfortable. "I wasn't… exactly… being quiet."

"Merrill heard you all right," she said, shaking her head. "But we thought you were an intruder! Why didn't you just come knock on the door?" She looked around, realizing that Nate was alone, and bit her lip. "Nate, what's going on?" she asked quietly.

She could see the indecision on his face, and she nodded. "Just tell me."

"It's… Carver Hawke." He looked up at her, wishing he hadn't just put that stricken look on her face. "I… I don't think… he is not himself." He sighed, and swallowed. "Something… is controlling him."

Merrill looked down in shock, as Cat collapsed to her knees, and she was glad that they were on the small landing, otherwise she would have toppled down.

"Cat?" Nyssa asked from the base of the stairs, looking up in concern.

She turned, looking down at her friend, realizing that she would have to share yet again. "I'll explain everything, I promise," Cat said. "For now, though, we need answers from Nate." She waited, and got a nod from Nyssa, who climbed the stairs up to them, and sat with her back against the wall.

"Now," Cat said, turning back to Nathaniel. "What happened?" she asked.

Merrill sat at the table in the Hanged Man, wondering why how so many terrible and crazy things seemed to happen to Hawke and Cat. She wished that she had a way to help them, although she remembered saying something similar to Isabela at one point, and the pirate had laughed it off.

"If they didn't have something happening, they would get bored," Isabella had said. Merrill didn't think that was actually the case, but then again, there was something exciting about all the things that were constantly coming up.

She looked up in surprise when a drink was placed in front of her, and the waitress pointed to Varric who sat down at the table. "C'mon now Daisy, don't make me drink alone," he said with a smile.

Returning the smile, Merrill scooted closer, though not close enough to get in his way. "I'd be happy to Varric," she said. "Thank you for the drink."

"My pleasure," he replied. "Though, I do have a favor to ask if you don't mind."

"Anything," she answered, hoping it would get her mind off all the turbulent things that were happening.

"I was wondering if you could tell me the story about your mirror," he said, his face radiating innocence. "I know you've decided to let it go, but I never did hear how that happened."

Merrill looked uncomfortable, and she fidgeted in her seat. She hated telling lies to her friends, but she didn't want to share secrets, and Cat had asked her not to tell anyone.

"Uh, I just… well, I spoke to Duran about it," she answered. "And realized that there was no way to fix it, so I needed to stop." She thought it over and realized that there was nothing in what Duran had told her that would be sharing secrets, so she went ahead and told Varric what the Grey Wardens had shared with her.

"But the knowledge of the eluvians is not something to share with everyone," she added afterwards, realizing how upset Marethari would be if that were to happen.

"Don't worry Daisy, I was just curious," he answered.

Merrill nodded with a smile, glad that she remembered that important piece, and feeling happy that Varric understood. She continued to drink, wondering how long she should stay out. Nathaniel had been insistent on leaving, and Cat had refused. They had finally compromised by hiding somewhere no one would think to look, and Merrill had offered her home.

She had taken Nyssa with her, though she had been unable to answer all her questions. She didn't know much about the job Hawke had done with the Grey Wardens, they had all been pretty tight-lipped about it.

Nyssa had decided to stay at home when they had stopped there looking for Hawke, so Merrill had come here, knowing that Hawke would stop either here or at home at some point. She hoped to find him soon, so she could send him to Cat. She didn't like seeing her friend so upset.

Varric seemed to understand that she wanted quiet, so they merely sat to give each other company, drinking sparsely. It didn't take more than a couple of hours before Hawke walked in, Anders beside him.

"Hawke!" Merrill said loudly as she saw him and jolted to her feet.

"Merrill," Hawke nodded at her, then frowned, wondering what the matter could be. "What is going on?" he asked.

"Hawke it… it's not good," Merrill started, her face scrunched up in sorrow. "Nathaniel showed up suddenly, while I was at Fenris' house."

"Nathaniel?" the men echoed in surprise.

"Yes," she nodded, her foot tapping as she was unable to stay still. "We need to go, come on."

It didn't take long, but longer than she may have liked since Varric had to grab all his papers. Finally, they were out on the street, rushing off towards the alienage.

"I don't understand it all, but he said that Cat is in danger, and she needs to leave," She faltered, seeing that the three of them reacted just as Cat had at that statement. She gestured them all forward again, feeling the need to hurry.

"I assumed that it was assassins or something, but Nathaniel said it was Carver- and that he was being controlled by something. And it has to do with knowing too much about Cat," she continued, though quietly so as not to be overheard.

Hawke leaned in, his face serious, yet concerned. "How would knowing about Cat matter?" he asked, looking from Merrill to Anders. "We know all about her, but that doesn't make her any less a part of us."

"Oh, so she finally told you?" Merrill asked happily, and Anders turned to him in surprise. "And you really don't care?"

"Why would I?" Hawke waved the thought away. "She's still Cat, no matter where she came from, or what she's kept from us, that's all in the past. She's one of us now."

Merrill clapped her hands, and Anders looked bewildered. They had both seen the distress Cat had whenever she even thought of telling Hawke the truth. To think that it had happened, and she hadn't even told them about it was shocking.

"Yes, but since she knows so much, she has to keep it secret, I mean… well you know." Merrill replied, still giddy from the news.

"Merrill…" Anders hissed under his breath, giving her a pointed look, and glancing over at Varric.

"Oh creators, I didn't even think…" Merrill moaned, wondering how she would ever ask Cat for forgiveness.

"Oh, don't worry," Varric said, an intrigued look on his face. "Hawke told me everything."

The pair looked back to Hawke, who paused and then nodded along. He could feel there was something that they weren't saying, and he'd have to ask for their forgiveness later, because right now, he was going to find out what it was.

"I did," he answered. "I didn't want Varric to be left out."

"So you told Aveline and Sebastian too?" Merrill asked, and Hawke struggled to keep his face passive.

"No," he answered. "Not yet. It took some doing just to convince her to let me tell Varric."

He was lying through his teeth, and he hoped that they didn't catch on. He knew he should confront Cat about this, but he had no idea what answers that would actually get him, if any. He did feel bad about manipulating Merrill and Anders.

Anders nodded eventually, but he was still reserved. "I think it may be the only option," he said quietly. "If someone knows about Cat, she needs to go into hiding."

"It didn't go so well, last time she was with the Grey Wardens, or Nathaniel in particular," Hawke shot back.

"But if someone gets to her…" he left the thought hanging, as Hawke approached Merrill's door and threw it open, storming inside.

"Cat, I don't understand."

"I know Nyssa, and I'm sorry that I can't take the time to fully explain."

Nyssa put a hand on her arm, stopping her in her tracks. "That's fine, you'll tell me when you can. I'm talking about how you think it will be okay to tell Hawke you're leaving with Nathaniel, and don't know when you'll be back." She gave her a glare. "Or why you think I'll let you go anywhere without me."

"Nyssa, it's too dangerous," she started, before Nyssa interrupted.

"You agreed to stay with me, and I won't let you out of that promise," she said with finality. "Zev and Fen will always come back to us, and we told them we would stick together."

"I know, but they wouldn't want you in danger," she argued.

"They wouldn't want you in danger either," Nyssa shot back.

Cat thought it over, and glanced around the room as she did. "Actually, no one really knows about you, outside of our group. It may be better to hide together."

"Of course it will," Nyssa said, a smile on her face. "And since I'm an elf, we can hide in a city instead of camping in some mountain."

"It's not that bad," Cat replied, giving a smile. She actually felt better, just thinking of having Nyssa with her.

"Oh yes, it really is," Nyssa said, moving over to grab the bag that Cat had haphazardly thrown clothes into. She took the bag, and looked up at Cat. "It may be better to not tell Nathaniel where we are going," worried at how Cat would take that.

She didn't like it, but she had had the same thought. So instead of replying, she just nodded. "Get a bag together," she told Nyssa, as she moved around her to get a dress or two. If they were going to hide in a city, she'd need to look the part. "I'll go check on Everton, see if they can put some provisions together for us."

They parted ways, and Cat headed down the stairs. She saw the desk as she descended, and thought she had better leave Hawke a note. She had hoped that he would be back before they left, but it wasn't looking like that would happen.

Then the door opened, and she stopped in surprise as Hawke made a beeline for her, grabbing her in a bear hug.

"I don't know what is going on, but I'm really glad you're not gone," he murmured to her. "Especially after reading that note at Merrill's house."

She patted his back, and he stepped back so they could look at each other. "You almost didn't make it," she told him. "But this time I'm not just leaving without a word."

"You aren't leaving at all," he told her, and she frowned just as Nathaniel walked into the room.

"Cat, are you ready?" he asked, then stopped as he saw all the others that had gathered. "Ah… Hawke," he said, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Hello again."

"Cat, I think I have everything," Nyssa called as she hurried to the stairs. Seeing all the others had her stopping in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Nathaniel asked, glaring at Cat. "She's not coming," he declared.

"What? Of course I am!" Nyssa answered hotly as she descended the stairs.

"No, you're not," he replied definitively.

"No one is going!" Hawke declared loudly.

"Hawke-"

"Garrett-"

Several voices were talking at once, and Hawke didn't want to listen, so he bellowed out, "ENOUGH!"

There was silence as he looked down at Cat. He could see she wasn't happy, but he didn't truly care at the moment.

"Explain," he told her.

"There is something that is harming the Grey Wardens," she told him, using all of the practice speeches that she had come up with after she had finally agreed to go with Nate. "And for some reason, it is after me."

"Because you're from a different world?" Hawke asked, not hearing the commotion that caused behind him. "So what? What do they care?"

"Well… I … I don't know," she answered, not expecting that reaction from him. She hadn't even thought that he would connect those two things together, but in hindsight it was the only way that this would make sense to him.

"They want what you know, of this other world?" he suggested. "Maybe try to send the darkspawn there?"

"Uh…" she was at a loss for words, not only at his reasoning, but at how calm he seemed.

He nodded. "I can understand why you would want to hide from them," he said, pulling her into a hug, and kissing the top of her head. "I'll have the servants prepare some travelling food, and we still have some sleep rolls made from the last job we did."

Her mind was whirling now, as he continued to list off how he would help her. Then his last sentence had her pushing him away.

"I just need to pack a bag, and then we can go."

"What?! No!"

He looked down at her, her hands on his chest as she held him at arms' length. "No?" he asked, uncertain of what she meant. "If you're going, so am I. That's non-negotiable."

"You can't go," she said, glancing around at the others in the room, and starting to panic. What? Go? The Champion leaving his city? That CAN'T happen!

"Then neither can you," he said, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest. "It's very simple. We go together, or not at all."

He gave her a knowing look that she couldn't decipher.

"We can't both go, you're needed here!" she could hear her panic in her voice, as she spoke.

"Why?" he asked, perplexed. "Today I went to a rally for some noble and stood there making intimidating faces. I'm not needed here."

"Maybe not today, but what about the next time something bad happens? Who will take care of the people when the gangs come back, or the templars start something with the mages?!"

He didn't understand what she was panicking about, but her voice was getting higher and louder as she continued. "The guards," he answered with a shrug. "I'm not the city's nanny," he replied, then gestured to those behind him. "Besides, our friends can handle things while we're gone-"

"No!" she cried, looking around for help.

"Really?" he asked, his voice calm, his expression unreadable. "Why not?"

She stopped, knowing she couldn't explain.

"Give me one good reason," Hawke said. "And I'll let you go."

"I…" She could come up with something… couldn't she?!

"Well?" he asked.

"Just… give me a moment to think!"

"What is there to think about?" he asked, his head tilting as he watched her. "Just tell me the truth." He glanced to the man behind her. "If you want to leave me for someone else, it would be better to know."

She looked at him, horrified that he would come to that conclusion. "Of course not!"

"What am I supposed to think?" he asked, taking a step forward. "You want to leave, but you want me to stay here."

"I don't WANT to leave, I HAVE to!" she countered.

"Hawke-" Nathaniel started, but Hawke cut him off with a look. He turned back to Cat, and patiently waited for an answer.

"I'm sorry Cat, but he should know," Nathaniel said, and both of them turned to him- betrayal written on their faces, though for different reasons. "She has to leave, because of what she knows," he said, knowing that she would hate him, but he had to get her out of Kirkwall.

"They can't need information about another world that badly, especially when there is no evidence of the truth of it," Hawke replied, glancing at the warden icily.

"That's not it," he continued.

"Nathaniel!" Cat screeched, and Hawke grabbed at her, before she could shut him up.

"Then what is it?" Hawke demanded.

Nathaniel sighed, not liking what he was doing, but determined to do so anyway. "It's not what she can tell them of her world. It's what she can tell them of ours."

Author's Note:

I know that this has been awhile guys, and all I can say is that I'm not giving up on it! Not ever! But, real life gets in the way sometimes.

And sometimes when you're writing multiple stories, one of them consumes you for a little while.

It's at the point now that I'll post as soon as I have a new chapter ready, though I enjoyed having a weekly update schedule- with the holidays and my retail job, that doesn't seem plausible.

Thanks for understanding and thank you so much for sticking with me!