"How do the templars always find you, Anders?"

"Incredibly angry, that's how they find me."

A friendship like Anders and Nathaniel Howe is hard to come by. They were rightfully the best of friends throughout their time in the Wardens together, no matter how brief. But it lasted far longer than Anders did.

Chapter 3

We were camped on the overlook in the Wending Wood. Oghren was sitting as far away from the view, deliberately with his back to the open space, and was of course...drinking his flask. Mumbling to himself.

I was attempting to read my book, the traces of rose petals saving my places...which was a great representation of me and a certain former Warden's relationship. One of Nathaniel's bows were snapping, and he was trying in vain to tape it up as much as he could.

I had to remember to buy a man another bow, remembering time and time again how many bows Leliana had broken in the course of our year together. Anders was taking off his large hoop earrings, getting ready for bed, when he began chuckling to himself.

At first we ignored him, me trying to pronounce 'q' in my head, and Nathaniel continued to fumble with his tape, muttering blasts and curses. When Anders looked up at Nathaniel, he opened with…"So...you are a Howe."

Didn't we...have this discussion already?

Nathaniel didn't even look up, as he continued to test his bow's durability. "Do you have a point, Mage?" He asked, sounding more frustrated with the task at hand.

Anders laughed, "Hey, I'm fond of the Howes! I'm also fond of the Whys, the Whos and the Whats."

"..."

Oghren sputtered his drink, falling back in a hoot of laughter, and despite the too obvious pun, I struggled to keep my laughter in, but found myself snorting into my open book, the noises coming out of me muffled as Oghren was dying in hysterics.

"That was so stupid…" I managed to get out, "I don't know why I am laughing."

"It's the exhaustion." Anders smiled wickedly, "For him, it is the drinks."

Oghren clutched his stomach as he struggled to get his breathing back to regular, his flask laying forgotten beside him. Nathaniel sneered, "How clever." Was his stale reaction.

Anders wiped a tear from his eye, "It's shameful how long it took me to come up with that."

"The whole caravan ride it seems like." I coughed, wiping away my own set of tears, closing my book, done for the night.

A companionable silence followed before Anders spoke up, "You know, Nathaniel, you're just like me." He declared.

Nathaniel tossed his bow to the side, giving up on it before he glared at Anders, who was sitting near him, hands resting on his knees. "Am I, now?"

Anders shrugged, "Everyone hates your family for something terrible they did, even though you weren't involved!"

We waited for a long moment, Oghren's snores signaling he fell asleep right where he laid. When Anders, just stared inbetween Nathaniel and I, not finishing his sentence, the former noble pressed in annoyance, "I hope you have a point, Anders."

"It's like you're a mage! If there were more Howes, they'd lock all of you up in a tower to protect everyone else!" Was Anders' point.

I shook my head, "Anders...how did you come all the way to that conclusion. You really do think too hard on these long trips, huh?"

"Well, it's not like I ever have anything better to do. This is the first taste of freedom I have ever truly experienced. I have to learned to entertain myself with my thoughts. This feels so homey, the confused and slightly offended looks on your faces."

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes in mild annoyance, "I am pleased you are happy with yourself. Warms the heart."

"Whoa there! You do have a sense of humor? I never would of thought, Nate. Can I call you Nate?"

"I would prefer that you didn't."

I chuckled, standing up from my spot on the ground and brushing the dirt off my pants, "I think we should call it a night. We don't know what's lingering in these forests, and we need to be on high alert when we investigate."

"Yes Ma'am." Anders saluted.

"Understood, Warden-Commander." Nathaniel responded.

"Snore…." Oghren was out cold for the night, as I stepped over him to my tent.

DAA

Sigrun was the newest member of the Order. As she was getting rest in her quarters after the Joining, I found Anders and Nathaniel outside Vigil's Keep. I was curious as to what they were doing out there, but when I noticed Anders holding the kitten I have given to him as a 'cheering up gift', I made my approach.

"I've thought about what you said, Anders." Nathaniel was saying as Anders was busy playing with Ser Pounce-a-Lot by producing little sparkles of magic to distract the baby kitten, "The comparison between my family and mages. It's idiotic. I am not about to transform into an abomination simply for being a Howe."

Anders had glanced back at Nathaniel with a shake of his head, as if it was Nathaniel himself who had said something odd. "I didn't say it was a perfect analogy…"

"Anders," I tried to explain, "There is literally no connection in Mages and the Howes. At all."

Nathaniel added, "Being a Howe also does not allow me to control your mind."

Anders stood up, raising his hands up, "Hey, just...wait a moment now. I believe the two of you are missing the point."

"There is no point. Your little analogy is oversimplification. Which I have never been fond of."

"Alright, fine. Fine." Anders backed down, kneeling again for the kitten, "Don't hate me for simply attempting to try and relate to your struggles." Anders opened up the pouch of the particular robes he wore during his off-duty time. Ser Pounce a Lot meowed, before crawling in with a bit of a stumble.

In an attempt to change the subject, Nathaniel suddenly said, "You don't always wear robes, do you?"

Anders grinned, as he looked up at Nathaniel, "Not when I'm naked I don't," he said with a wink.

Nathaniel silently winced, before responding, "I mean when you run from the Circle. Robes would make you easy to spot."

Oh...I realized. "Yeah. Literally when I ran into you you were in your Circle robes."

Anders scoffed, "So does the 'I'm a mage!' sign around my neck. I like to make it easy for the templars."

I shrugged, "Why?"

Anders shrugged back, before leaving us behind. I noticed then Tery….Warden Loghain making his approach. It looked like he had something important to say to me. So I made time for my former enemy.

DAA

"You seem rather attached to that cat, Anders." Nathaniel remarked at the desk in his quarters. I was helping with the former noble with something very important during this very dreary storm, when Anders suddenly popped into the room (No doubt, bored) and began talking to us through his cat.

So extremely bored he was. It reminded me of Barkspawn, on those longer trips, Alistair would bother our companions by speaking through Barkspawn. Some played along like Leliana or Zevran. Others were annoyed like Morrigan or Oghren.

A brief feeling of melancholy washed over me as the two men...or rather a man to another man's cat, continued their conversation. "It's more that he is rather attached to me. Isn't that right, Ser Pounce-a-lot?"

The cat meowed, licking Anders's nose sweetly.

Nathaniel scowled as per usual, "Isn't that name a little... ridiculous?"

"What do you think I should call him? Frederick?" Anders snarked, petting his kitten obsessively with the roll of his eyes as he sat on the bed beside me.

A silence passed, "I named my dog Barkspawn. It was...the King who came up with that name."

Another silence passed as Nathaniel stared at me quizzingly, "There are worse names, I suppose…"

Seneschel Varel made his appearance, as he knocked on the door. "Warden Commander Brosca, I had to send away another templar who has tracked down Anders."

I narrowed my eyes, "He is a Warden now, did the King not make that clear?"

"They were simply following his phylactery." Varel remarked, "I also have your letters here. One of which is marked 'Very Important', by a...Leliana?"

My face lit up at the name. Oh dear Leliana. Always a good friend that I could depend on no matter what. We had only one fight during our travels, at the Urn of Sacred Ashes, but in no time we made up after clarifying misunderstandings. We were like sisters.

"Leliana?" Anders waggled his eyebrows at the name, "Is she pretty? Are you going to introduce me? Is she single?"

"Anders, is there ever a day when you are not thinking of girls?" Nathaniel asked unamused as the Seneschel made his leave.

"Speak for yourself. I see the way you have been chatting up with Velanna."

Nathaniel scoffed, but didn't deny it. "What is with these templars. How do they keep finding you?"

"Incredibly angry, that's how they find me."

"There must be some trick to it, surely." Nathaniel remarked.

Anders made a joke, "They began recruiting women. The male templars never stopped to ask for directions."

"Anders," I began… "I'm pretty sure somebody has already told me this already but...what is a phylactery?"

DAA

6 years later…

"Warden Commander." Caron addressed me as I arrived back in Weisshaupt after my trip to Orlais. Beautiful country, and thanks to Leliana I was able to navigate my way through the city.

"Gerod," I addressed, "You missed your trip home. Great place. Very colorful and...vibrant, I would say. Look, I am starting to talk like them now!"

"Orlais is no longer my home. It...that was a long time ago." Colorful past...I understood.

"And before you bombard me with questions that I have no doubt already answered in my report, Empress Celene is fine. There is no more taint hidden within the kingdom...yada yada yada."

Warden Commander Caron rolled his eyes in annoyance. The two of us had to work very closely as co-leaders in Weisshaupt Fortress. "Well, Sigrun is still in the Deep Roads, she says she hears the stone rhythms deep within. We do not understand what it means."

"Not darkspawn. Should I go?" I asked as we approached the Throne Room.

"She claims she has it under her control. But I do have business I need you to attend to in Nevarra. Bring Velanna and Nathaniel with you. Stroud also would prove to be a valuable asset in your quest. I will report more details later."

"Nathaniel's back?"

"He just returned from Kirkwall. He requested he visit his sister on the way to Amaranthine."

There was something I noticed, "What of Carver?"

DAA

"He is still in the Free Marches." Nathaniel explained. "I do not know what he is doing..."

I sighed, "He might be pulling an Anders."

"I wouldn't say that. Carver is devoted to the Wardens cause. But...he told me he feared of what Anders might do."

"Of what Anders might do?" I asked in confusion. "What do you mean? Have...have you met with Anders?"

Nathaniel nodded, "Yes, he was in the Deep Roads with Carver's older sister, Garnet Hawke. Now the Champion of Kirkwall. Anders...is different. He seems...troubled. I know nothing of magic or spirits but...it felt like...like I was talking to Anders...through Justice."

"So what Stroud said was true." I remarked, "I mean Carver told me as much. Reminds me of Wynne. But Wynne didn't have Faith speaking through her. And Willa Surana and Daylen Amell never mentioned anything strange about her. Hm...I wonder what this means..."

Nathaniel appeared very saddened by the thought of Anders being possessed. He was a good man. And I never really liked Justice. My thoughts went to Carver, wondering what it was about Anders that would cause the young man such distress and concern.