Ferelden.

Its bitter winter air made Claire glad she had spells to ward against the cold as she tucked her cloak around her battle mage armor. The clouds were gathering overhead, threatening rain, but she didn't care. She made her way down the rocky path, heading towards Denerim, where she was hoping to find a job to gather more coin until the Blight. The Wardens probably didn't even know it was coming yet, as it was only Verimensis, or as the Fereldens called it, Wintermarch, just a couple months over nine years after she had first arrived in Thedas. Tyranius hadn't wanted to let her go, but she could be pretty convincing when she was angry. She smirked, remembering how all she had to do was make herself glow and he had changed his mind. He knew she had grown more powerful than he could ever be and hadn't wanted to test her.

He had tried to convince her to stay, to become a magister herself, saying that she could be an incredibly powerful one, but she said she didn't want it, she wanted to be free, and she had business in Ferelden. And then she turned, gloating at having won, and saw Abelia's face. Claire had gone to her and gently ran her hand down the elf's cheek.

"Are you going to be all right?" She'd asked. Abelia shrugged and looked down. "I can take you with me, if you like, but it won't be an easy life. There will be days without food or shelter."

"I'll be fine." Abelia had smiled. "Don't forget me, though."

"Just send the word and I'll set you free." Claire had grasped her friend in a hug before wrapping the cloak around her shoulders and walking out the doors. Abelia had been a good friend and she had made sure the elf would be taken care of, as well as the other slaves, though little did they realize.

She looked around at the tall pines surrounding her and wondered if she shouldn't fly to Denerim. She had flown most of the trip already, why not complete the journey? She sighed and continued walking. She needed to get used to it, she thought, since she would be surrounded by humans afraid of magic again. She would need to get rid of the armor, too, hide it somewhere until Ostagar, and just wear a plain Ferelden style dress so she would blend in better. Bloody Fereldens and their fear of magic. Tevinter may not have been a wonderful place with its blood magic and slaves and backstabbing politics, but at least she, as a mage, was able to practice magic without fear. Was there nowhere in Thedas where the two could live in harmony?

She walked most of the day and realized by the time the sun started to set that she hadn't eaten since the previous afternoon. She sighed and looked around. There to the south, she saw some farmland and a plume of smoke was rising from the chimney. She headed for it and saw some people still working, using as much of the daylight as they could. An older man, maybe in his forties, with grey streaks in his otherwise brown hair, was working with two younger men, maybe early twenties or younger. A woman nearby was taking wash off the line and Claire figured she was about the same age as the man. A shrill shriek pierced the air and Claire looked over to see two little girls, twins, running around and giggling. One of the young men had spotted Claire and pointed, saying something to his father.

"Hoy, what brings you here?" The older man yelled. Claire hurried her steps so she wouldn't have to yell, but they seemed very wary of her.

"I've been out traveling and have not eaten all day." Claire said. "I am starving and it's getting dark, and I was wondering if there was anything I could do for maybe a bit of bread and a place to sleep?" The men shared a nervous look and Claire noticed the woman and the two girls were coming over.

"I-I beg your pardon, but are you an apostate?" The father asked. "That staff..."

Claire grabbed the staff and twirled it around, slamming it into the ground. "You're more afraid of my staff than my sword?" She asked. She gave a hollow laugh. "I have seen skilled swordsmen take out multiple mages without getting hit once."

"You're not doing anything to set us at ease." One of the sons said.

"We want nothing to do with magic." The woman said, her voice shaking. Claire wondered if they were just afraid, or if they had had a bad run in with a mage before. Either way, she was thinking it was a mistake to seek any sort of assistance. She could always deny her magical abilities, or if she was the evil sort, she could even force them to help her, but she was too tired to care who knew any longer.

"Not all mages are evil, you know." She said. "I've no idea why you're so afraid, but I will respect your wishes and leave." She put her staff back on her back and turned into an owl, flying as high as she could, as quick as she could.

"She's a Witch of the Wilds!" She heard the father gasp. She wasn't happy with her amazing hearing at the time, she didn't need to hear them freaking out about her visiting some curse upon them. She should know better than to talk to people... She found a secluded area in the nearby forest and settled down to sleep.

It wasn't hard to find Anders, she'd gotten pretty proficient at finding people in the Fade, but she was sad to see he was locked in a nightmare. She was nervous about entering it, though, since it had been at least two years since she had last visited him. She had been afraid he was starting to like her and was contemplating not seeing him again anyway when he had yelled at her.

"How great for you!" He had snarled at her after she told him about another ancient temple she'd explored. "You get to be trained by some great magister, showing off your magic, free, and I'm stuck here in this blasted tower never getting to see the outside world! Go, then. Go show off to someone else! And don't bother coming back!" She could still hear his words as if it was yesterday and so she stared at his nightmare. He was in solitary confinement, surely he would welcome anyone, right?

She slipped in, glad that she had perfected being stealthy so no one would know she had ever visited, and looked around. She was in a dark dungeon and there were three Templars, one of which was heating a brand in a small box of coals. The brand...

"You can't do this to me!" She heard Anders yell. She looked quickly around and spotted Anders, stripped to his small clothes, being dragged into the room by a couple other Templars. He was fighting them as hard as he could, but they acted like they didn't even notice as they forced him down with his back against the wall. She noticed his hair was tied back in a ponytail and he was wearing an earring, perhaps a prize from his last escape.

There was a profound fear in his eyes while he watched the Templars laugh as they pulled out the white hot brand. One of the Templars grabbed Anders by the hair and jerked his head back. The mage struggled to break free, tears streaming down his face, and Claire couldn't stand to watch so she yelled and banished the Templars, watching with glee as they disappeared into smoke. She stepped out into the dim light and looked down at Anders.

"I can't leave you alone for two years without you trying to go get made tranquil in your dreams?" She sighed, making the ropes binding his hands fall away. He stared at her, bewildered, as he rubbed his wrists.

"Claire..." He said, his voice choking up. He quickly stood up and grabbed her, hugging her. "I can't believe you came back!"

"You said you didn't want me to." She said, resting her head on his shoulder and hugged him back, relishing how good it felt. "But it was too hard to stay away and now that I'm back in Ferelden, I just had to see you..."

"I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you." He said. "And I wish you had come back sooner. They have me locked away in solitary confinement for a year, just for escaping. I'm going mad in here!"

"Oh Anders... I'm so sorry." She looked at him sadly. "How many more months do you have, or have you lost track?" He shrugged.

"I dunno, maybe half a year left." He said. "It doesn't really matter anymore, does it? They'll just keep thinking of worse things to do to me each time I escape... They even sent Karl away."

"Even Karl?" Claire sighed. "But you won't stop escaping, will you? They can't break you, and curse them for trying."

"Please... just... take me somewhere else." He said. "I don't want to be reminded of my situation right now." Claire nodded and tore down the dream, building up a large, dark rainforest instead. She was pleased she could still remember all the sounds, the birds, the leopards, the frogs, insects... It was so noisy and colorful, nothing like what she'd shown Anders before.

"What is this place?" He gasped, reaching towards a bright green tree snake.

"It's a rainforest." She smiled at him as the snake slithered down and started wrapping itself around his arm. He seemed almost alarmed by it, but also fascinated.

"Everything is so... bright." He said. A leopard jumped down from a tree and padded over to them and Claire began petting it as Anders backed up.

"I've seen pictures of tigers, but I don't think I've ever seen a cat like that before." He pulled the snake off and tossed it to the side, watching in wonder as Claire snuggled with the big cat.

"Don't be afraid, it's a leopard." She said. "Remember, I'm in control and you're safe here." He knelt down and put his arms around the cat, feeling the softness of the fur. It butted its head into him and pushed its body against him as if to tell him to pet it, making him laugh.

"I wouldn't mind having one of these in reality." He said. "Show those Templars who's boss."

"Anders... are you going to be all right?" She asked. "I'm worried about you..." He stood up, smiling at her, and she caught herself looking at his bare chest with lust in her heart. Oh it wasn't fair... That he should be locked up in solitary confinement, and not with her, running around Ferelden...

"I'll be fine." He said. "So long as you continue to provide me with distractions, that is!" He laughed, and it sent shivers down her spine as she felt herself getting hot. But no, he probably still thought of her as something like a little sister... She could tell, the way he treated her compared to how he'd talked about Karl, and it would be awkward to mention anything. Sighing, she created a squirrel monkey and had it climb up Anders and sit on his shoulder, tail wrapped around his neck. He stared at it in surprise, then looked at Claire as if to ask for help, so she made it get off him and ride the leopard instead.

"What in the Maker's name is that?" He asked.

"It's a monkey!" She replied, smiling. "There are so many animals out there... Ferelden certainly doesn't have a wide variety... I thought I'd show you some of the others there are."

"I'm... not entirely sure I like your monkey." He said. "I'll keep the leopard though." Claire's heart just wasn't in it and she wanted to leave. She hadn't realized how hard it would be to be near Anders again, nor had she realized how much she actually cared about him, in that she even wanted to have a physical relationship with the man. Even though she had worked past most of the inhibitions her bedroom lessons had created, she was still wary of being touched, yet she felt comfortable around her oldest friend. She was just able to hide the inhibitions better, and flirt more.

Flirt.

Anders hadn't flirted with her at all and it just made it more obvious that he didn't consider her as something that could be more. But then, she hadn't flirted with him either, had she?

"Hey, are you all right?" He asked, laying a hand on her shoulder. She jerked away, then cringed.

"I'm sorry, I was just... thinking." She said.

"You still can't handle being touched, even after all these years?" His voice was soft and worried, and it made Claire ache. Had she never told him how the magister had used Abelia against her so that she would continue the lessons?

"You just surprised me, is all." She said, giving him a smile. "I've gotten a lot better."

"Good! Maybe one of these days I can give you one of my famous massages, then." He winked at her and she had to quickly distract her thoughts away from Anders by petting the leopard.

"That... that would be nice, I think." She said. They started walking silently through the forest, with Claire making a path as they went, enjoying all the sights and sounds. She put parrots all around them, and toucans, and other birds that probably didn't even live in the rain forest. Anders would never know. She set up a cliff covered in rivers and waterfalls falling into a large basin, making it so that they were able to look out over the vast expanse of trees.

"It's amazing." Anders said. He glanced over at her, then back to the waterfalls, making Claire wonder what was wrong. Then he asked, "Did you leave anyone... special, behind in Tevinter?" Claire shrugged, missing his hesitation and meaning. The only one she had thought special was the slave who helped her through so much.

"Abelia... She was an elven slave and..." Claire blushed, remembering the special moments the two had shared. They'd never been lovers, Claire just didn't feel that way about women, but the elf had helped her get past most of her fears and anxieties about being touched and without her, Claire wasn't sure she would have been able to tolerate Tyranius' bedroom games. "I would have taken her with me, but this is no life for a girl like her. She was too used to being a slave, it was all she knew, and she was well cared for there."

"Oh." Anders sounded... surprised, yet disappointed? Was he expecting some sordid love affair or something? "You sound like you're trying to convince yourself that it was better to leave her."

"It was." She said. "There's no need to convince myself. Things are happening here that... well, you'll see."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. "What are you planning?"

"I'm not planning anything." She said, sitting down at the edge of the cliff. "It's... Anders... I... I think I saw a vision of the future." She had to tell him something, she felt like he was her only friend, and surely he would understand... No, no he would not understand. He would want her to change it. Shit. She screwed up again.

"You're joking." He said. "No one can see the future."

"We'll see..." She laughed nervously. "I'm afraid to tell anyone, and I didn't want to tell you... it just... I shouldn't have told you. It was probably just a nightmare..." He sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Care to tell me about it anyway?" He asked. She could feel her heart trying to beat out of her chest as she started to panic. It was just Anders! She needed to calm down.

Clearing her throat, she said, "I don't know if I should tell you. Promise you won't tell anyone else? I just... saw a Blight. The darkspawn were coming up, and there was a huge battle at Ostagar, and King Cailan was killed, along with all the Grey Wardens, and the entire land was plunged into chaos." She closed her eyes and envisioned it, hearing the screams of the people as they were slaughtered, as Loghain quit the field, and she felt Anders' grip tighten on her. Looking up, she saw they were sitting in the middle of the battlefield. She watched as the king was picked up by the ogre and crushed, tossed to the side like a rag doll, and as Duncan killed the ogre and was struck down himself.

"Claire..." Anders' voice was quiet with a hint of urgency in it. "I think we should not be here." She was staring in horror as everyone was dying in front of her. Even in the game, this part made her cry, and tears were coursing down her cheeks. She couldn't look away. "Claire!" Anders grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her until she looked at him. She quickly changed it to a serene valley by a lake and broke down sobbing.

"It feels so real!" She cried. "And I keep seeing them die..."

"It may not come to pass." Anders said, gently hugging her. "It may be a demon playing tricks on you, trying to weaken you. You need to stay strong." Oh if only he knew! But he would soon enough. She nodded, leaning her forehead against his bare chest, enjoying being held again.

"I'm hoping to try to get a job working for the Wardens as a maid or something." Claire said. "I just... I need to know."

"Be careful." He said. "The Wardens are smart, and I would hate for you to get in trouble, or worse, recruited... If you're not cautious, they'll be able to tell you're a mage."

"I'll be careful, and if I do get caught, well... I can fix that." She smiled a little. "Though I don't think that I would want to... From what I saw of Duncan, the commander, he is an honorable and reasonable man. You saw how he took down the ogre..."

"You seem to have gotten a lot more information than I did from that vision." He said.

"I... can feel everything... When I look at the people..." She shuddered and pulled away from Anders. "Duncan feels that he failed Cailan, and King Maric's bastard son Alistair. I can feel so many thoughts and feelings from him... When I look at the king, he thinks of Empress Celene in a way that indicates there was more than friendship going on... Loghain abandoned the king to die, but there are so many feelings going on with him as well. That he felt it was a lost cause, that Cailan wasn't fit to rule, and that he should be the one to put things right. He felt the Wardens had corrupted the young king, and that they aren't needed to stop a Blight. He will tear Ferelden apart with his ideals..."

"This is getting creepy." Anders said, staring at her with a hint of fear in his eyes. "Why are you telling me this?" She frowned and backed up further.

"I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." She felt herself close to tears again. "Forget I said anything, it was just my imagination. I need to go."

"Claire wait!" She jumped out of the Fade before she could change her mind, waking up in a cold sweat. There was no way she would be able to go back to sleep, so she became an owl and took to the skies, heading to Denerim, trying desperately to forget her mistake.