Welcome to my mental wanderings.

I've already written the entirety of this story and it will be posted over the next three weeks.

I hope you enjoy it, please review and let me know what you think.

Chapter 1 - I see you.

She ducked down over the horse's pommel, her shoulder stung like the blazes and she could feel tears streaming down her cheeks. The beast was reluctant to run in the dark but fear was pushing it through, come on, come on, please! Please just let me get away! She thought desperately as she held the reins tightly. She could hear them behind her, it wouldn't take long for them to catch up but she had stolen the only horse.

-x-

Garrett laughed and shook his head as he sipped on his skin of wine. 'Oh shut up! It didn't happen like that!' He smirks as he gives the pirate a look. He was glad that he had brought Isabela along, Fenris and Anders didn't exactly get on. They were sitting opposite each other and ignoring the fact that the other person was even breathing.

'Well it kinda did,' Isabela grins. 'The first time I see your arse cheeks and it's only because you've got a damn arrow bouncing around in one of them!' She cackles. Fenris can't help but wear a slightly amused smile as he looks at the Champion. 'I grabbed that bad boy and yanked as hard as I could!'

'You damn near tore off the best part! I still have that scar, fucking hell, I couldn't sit down for weeks,' he complains. Anders rolls his eyes as he breaks a bread roll into two, he didn't understand why he had been brought up the coast, it was only slavers. True, with Isabela's and Garrett's fighting style they were more prone to injury than most and it was easier to heal them on the job than afterwards.

Isabela winks at Garrett, 'well maybe next time I see it I'll kiss it better,' she grins. For the first time in all the years they'd known each other, Fenris and Anders share a unanimous look of agreed disgust. Garrett goes a little flushed in the cheeks and a silence drifts over the camp, comfortable for some, agonising for the other two. Isabela goes to stab a piece of meat in her bowl and pauses. 'Do you hear that?' She asks as she sits up straight, it was the sound of a horse, panting heavily. The hoof beats unsteady and sluggish.

'Sounds like it's been run to death,' Garrett says standing up. There was a brief whinny and the sound of the creature falling heavily to the ground, it's breathing deep and strained. Anders and Garrett look at each and quickly begin to climb the dune that they were making camp behind. Anders cast a light and they could see what had caused the commotion. Isabela and Fenris soon followed them and they looked at the woman who had fallen from horse's back. 'Well shit,' Hawke says as he starts to slide down the hill towards her. With pained movements she had lifted her head and looked like she was trying to keep going, pulling herself up before falling again, unconscious.

Isabela got to her first having half skipped down the hill and pulls her into her lap. 'She's been hit by an arrow,' she says as she notices the broken shaft sticking out her shoulder, 'a through and through,' she adds as she looks at the arrowhead. Anders brings his light closer and it's only then that they can see the woman's face. Freckled, her hair long and loosely curled. What Varric would call conventionally pretty. 'She's breathing pretty slowly,' Isabela looks at Anders who nods and begins to summon his healing mana.

Garrett and Fenris can only watch as Isabela pulls out the arrow making the woman wince, but to their surprise no cries of pain. Fenris takes the shaft from the pirate as she holds the stranger still so that Anders can heal her. He inspects the arrow, 'Tevinter,' he mutters giving Garrett a pointed look. 'Those slavers we are looking for?' Fenris suggests. They pause as they hear the sounds of dogs and men shouting. 'Or that have just found us?'

'Bela, you okay here?' Garrett asks as he draws his blades. She nods, she'll be able to keep them away should any get through. Hawke nods at Fenris and they begin to make their way towards the group of men that were coming around the corner. The fight was rough and nasty, Fenris seemed to have taken it personally and there was no stopping him. Garrett had to settle with picking them off as and when he could without getting clipped by the elf. They returned after a while, Isabela and Anders had moved the woman back to camp where her head was resting in Isabela's lap.

'She's an elf,' Isabela says conversationally, she had been playing with a couple of curls and discovered that her ears were pointed. 'Anders says she's just asleep.'

Garrett nods and wipes his blade on the grass. 'Any idea why they were after her? To the point of possibly killing her?' He asks as he looks at the sleeping figure.

Fenris scoffs, 'they were probably aiming for the horse and hit her by accident. Slavers will not damage merchandise if they can avoid it,' he says bitterly. Isabela pulls a face of both awkwardness and annoyance, she found it hard to talk to Fenris at times, though she tried. 'She has chains on her ankles,' he adds. Garrett raises a brow and tactfully lifts her dress a little to see them, wide but thin cuffs around her calves and indeed some broken chains. He gives Fenris a look and the elf rolls his eyes, 'yes, I noticed them. Anything more to say on the matter?' He states.

'No, nothing at all,' Garrett smirks and takes out a set of lock picks to remove the cuffs. After a few minutes there was a clink and one cuff was released. The woman started to move as if she was coughing but there was no sound, she opened her eyes and looked around sitting up a little and spotting Garrett by her skirts. Her mouth and actions made it seem like she screamed and she lashed out with her foot, but again to everyone's confusion there was nothing uttered from her lips. Her heel caught Garrett full on in the face and he swore streaming blood as he turned away in pain. 'Fuck me!' He yelped as he held his hand to his face.

The woman was clinging to Isabela and breathing heavily in fear. 'Easy, we're not going to hurt you,' Isabela says simply as she holds her by the arms. 'What's your name?' She asks trying to calm her down.

She looked at Isabela and then at everyone else, her eyes settling on Fenris for a moment longer than everyone else. 'Eve,' she mouths.

'Is it just me or is there no sound coming out of her mouth?' Isabela said tilting her head. The woman sat up, the rest of them ignoring Anders as he healed Garrett from his sudden broken nose. She moved her fingers and Fenris felt his stomach drop as he realised what she was.

'Her name is Eve,' he says simply.

'Hold on,' Isabela says looking at her hands. 'Do that again,' she asks. Eve repeats the action and Isabela nods, 'I recognise a little of that. Some sailors are mute and they use a similar way of talking. So you're a mute?' She asks. Eve nodded, she could understand everything they were saying but she couldn't reply. 'Why do you know what she's saying?' She asks Fenris.

'Because some slaves are mutes. Slaves understand slaves,' he says simply. It was why she paused while looking at him, she knew instantly what he once was.

Eve looks over at Garrett and winces, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt him,' she signs with an apologetic expression.

Fenris smirks and shakes his head, 'do not worry, it is not the first time and I doubt it will be the last,' he says honestly making her smile a little. Garrett and Anders return to the group, Garrett wearing bitterness around his eyes. 'She apologises,' Fenris says simply along with Eve nodding.

'My fault, I scared her,' he admits as he picks up his lock picks, 'though if you promise not to kick me again I'll remove the other cuff,' Garrett said softly. Eve pauses and then nods signing thank you. Garrett raises a brow and looks for an explanation which he was given promptly. 'Oh, I see,' he said nodding.

'Question, is it a case of always having been mute or-?' Anders asks as Garrett begins to work on the lock, her ankle resting on his knee.

Eve sighs and shakes her head, 'no, I have not always been mute. It's a spell,' she explains with Fenris translating for her. She gives him a grateful smile making his ears turn a little pink. Eve picks up Anders' hand and motions for him to summon mana, a small amount dances around his fingers and she gently presses his hand to her collarbone. The mana begins to highlight and travel over her skin, revealing a large sigil that had been magically branded. Isabela gasps and shakes her head. 'Only my master can activate it. When he does, I can talk normally, sing, and make normal noises. It will only disappear when he dies. It can't be broken. Blood magic,' Eve signs. Anders tactfully pulls his hand away and the sigil disappears, the very tips of it danced up her throat and across her lips but faded quickly.

'Well shit,' Garrett says as the cuff clicks off and he moves it away from her ankle. 'There's not much we can do to help you I'm afraid. I mean we can take you into the city-'

'I'm not asking to be looked after, I just don't want to go back to the slavers. I have skills so I can hopefully find a job,' Eve signs over him. 'I don't care if I'm mute for the rest of my life, I just... don't want to be a slave any more.'

'-Any more,' Fenris says as she finishes signing. There was a pain in his chest as he translated, he knew that feeling. With a sigh he nods and rubs his eyes, 'she can stay with me until she finds a home of her own,' he states making her tilt her head in surprise.

'Uh, okay?' Garrett says confused. 'Why the sudden kindness?' He asks bluntly.

'Because I know what it is like to be in this situation. I have no doubt that she will blend into Kirkwall easier than I, once she has a job and a home there is little chance of slavers ever finding her again,' he says simply.

'I mean, I can understand that,' Garrett nods, he looks at Eve, 'is that okay with you?'

'Thank you,' she signs to Fenris who nods in reply.