A/N: New chapter, on time and everything! As a note to those who haven't read one of my stories before, I will be doing my best to make the updates biweekly. It may not always happen that way but I will try my hardest. Also, this story will take place from different POVs, this chapter is in Mardin's POV again but the next one will be in Brianna's (Hawke's) POV, and future chapters might be from different POVs altogether. Hope everybody enjoys the new chapter!

Thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, and read the first chapter - I'm glad everyone's liking it so far!

Special thanks to the reviewers from the first chapter: TheDoctorsTimeLady, NoleeJade, Candle in the Night, Ioialoha, novonia, Asilyessam, Lethal Dragon, and WolFang1011. It's always great to hear what everybody thinks!

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Disclaimer: I don't own DA2's original dialogue, events, or characters, just my OCs and the rest of the story.

Chapter Two: Are You Sure?

Mardin stood out in front of Fenris's mansion early the next morning, the elf on the other side of the door, waiting for Brianna to make her appearance. Mardin had actually slept surprisingly well in his new home last night, once he'd picked a room and cleaned it out. Fenris apparently had little interest in keeping the mansion he was squatting in clean, nor had he spoken much last night. He had, however, generously offered Mardin some wine and food. And honestly, Mardin was relieved that the elf hadn't wanted to speak much; any getting to know one another conversations would have raised a lot of questions that he wasn't prepared to answer yet.

He had no idea what sort of answers he would provide to anyone who pried deeper into his admittedly weak cover story, so at the moment, his best hope was that no one would bring it up. And the easiest way to make sure of that was to not pry into anyone else's past, either. Which meant that Fenris might actually make the perfect roommate for him, as he suspected that the elf had a dark enough past that he didn't wish to share it with anyone unless he had to. He could only hope that the rest of his new companions would be as willing to leave his past alone as Fenris seemed to be.

Brianna finally appeared around the corner at the moment, her incredible scent preceding her. Mardin had not thought it possible for her to smell even better than she did yesterday, but it seemed he was wrong. Nor had he exaggerated his body's reaction to her, he realized as the bright smile she gave upon seeing the two of them waiting sent another jolt of desire through him. Well, he decided, that wasn't a bad thing. He'd been getting a little bored of the women at home, to be honest. Brianna, he suspected, would be anything but boring once he succeeded in getting past her defenses.

"Mardin, Fenris, good morning," she called as she walked up to them, stopping a few feet away. "Nice to see that you're both ready and waiting to go."

"Hawke." Fenris nodded in greeting. Mardin frowned a little; he'd noticed yesterday that both Fenris and Varric referred to Brianna by her last name rather than her first, and he didn't know the reason why. Certainly he had no interest in calling her Hawke unless she asked him to, so until she said otherwise, he'd keep calling her by her first name.

"Good morning, Brianna." He gave her a little bow, adding, "You look even more beautiful this morning than you did yesterday."

He could see the light flush that passed across her cheeks, even as she shook her head at him, smiling. "And you, good ser, are remarkably persistent."

"So I've been told," he replied easily. "That doesn't make what I said not true, however."

"Uh-huh," she remarked skeptically, though he was pleased to note that she couldn't seem to stop smiling. "Anyway, we should get going. We have to meet with the Arishok and Anders before we leave for Sundermount, and Carver must have spent the night getting drunk with Varric, since he never came home last night. We'll have to go by the Hanged Man and pick him and Varric up on our way to the Arishok, so we have no time to waste. Let's go."

She turned to go without even waiting to see if the two of them followed, and Mardin smiled to himself as he fell in line behind her along with Fenris. She might pretend she was unaffected, but he was definitely making progress.

Fenris drew up alongside him as they were still several paces behind Brianna, asking quietly, "Do you honestly expect something like that to work with Hawke?"

Mardin cast a considering look at the elf. He couldn't quite tell if Fenris was more curious about his methods or skeptical. "It's certainly not going to hurt. Trust me, Fenris, no woman dislikes being told that she looks beautiful."

Fenris made a non-committal noise in response, looking thoughtful, and Mardin decided that it must have been curiosity that prompted the question as they hurried to catch up to Brianna.

She led them through the streets of Hightown and down a flight of stone steps to the area of Kirkwall known as Lowtown. In this part of the city, the streets and buildings were made of plain white stone, instead of grey marble, and the streets were a good deal smaller, smellier, and more crowded. The buildings, too, were smaller and all scrunched together, often sharing the same wall rather than being spaced apart. Mardin decided that overall, he didn't much like the place, particularly the strong smells of unwashed bodies and sewage.

The Hanged Man, it turned out, was a tavern in Lowtown, a two story building made of the same white stone as the others, with bars over its ground floor windows and an odd set of metal double doors for its entrance, above which hung a wooden dummy suspended by its feet. Varric and Carver were waiting out front when they arrived, and Carver definitely looked as though he'd spent the night drinking, his clothes and hair rumpled and his eyes bloodshot. Varric, on the other hand, looked fresh and alert as he waved them over.

"Don't start with me, Bree," Carver snapped as soon as they were within earshot. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

Brianna held up her hands, shaking her head. "I didn't say anything, Carver."

"You were going to," Carver retorted. "I could see the look on your face."

"Come on, Junior, give Hawke a break, would ya?" Varric asked with a sigh. Mardin could tell this was a common occurrence, as Varric seemed already weary of mediating between the two. He found it odd that the two siblings got along so poorly; though he and Ayla had gotten into some disagreements, it was usual only over each other's safety in a fight, and never lasted long. He couldn't even imagine his sister being as bitterly angry as Carver seemed to be, and wondered what the underlying issue between the two was.

"Let's just go," Brianna said after a moment, obviously choosing to ignore Carver's anger. "The docks aren't far from here."

She walked on past the tavern, and Carver and Varric fell in line without any further comment. It took them only a few more minutes to reach the docks, which appeared to be an extension of Lowtown, an area consisting of more white stone streets leading down to various wooden docks extending out into the nearby ocean. Brianna stopped in front of a large wooden gate where a Qunari guard stood watch with an immense spear. "Let me pass. I have business with the dwarf Javaris, and your Arishok."

The long look the guard gave her made Mardin's hand itch with the desire to have his sword in it, but just as he was tempted to draw it, the guard gave her a short nod. "The short mouth, yes. Enter, if you must, basra."

The guard stepped aside, and the wooden gates were opened from within the compound. Brianna walked through without hesitating, and Mardin and the others followed. The compound was enclosed on all sides by stone walls, and a wide set of stone stairs led up directly in front of them, with balconies on either side. Qunari warriors were everywhere, ranged along the balconies on either side and littered here and there at the top of the steps. Mardin could feel the tension in the air, as his instincts clamoured of the possible imminent danger, making his hand itch even more and the hairs on the back of his neck rise. One wrong word in here, he knew, and all these warriors would descend on them. He stuck close to Brianna's side; her magic might be impressive, but physically he had a much better chance of standing up to a blow from a Qunari warrior. Fenris, as if thinking the same thing, stayed close to her other side, while Varric and Carver walked directly behind her as she made her way up the stairs towards the end of the compound.

A sandy-haired dwarf with a beard, wearing red and gold patterned silk, waited at another, smaller set of stairs at the other end of the compound, below a dais with an impressively large chair, not unlike a throne, at the top. At the moment it was empty, however. Seeing them approach, the dwarf called up the stairs to another guard, "Ah, my right hand arrives! Summon your Arishok – the bargain is done!" Turning to Brianna, he added in a low voice, "About time you showed. I've been here for hours."

Brianna frowned as they stopped a few feet away, not bothering to answer the dwarf, to whom Mardin had taken an instant dislike. He seemed like the very lowest sort of opportunistic type. Mardin was surprised that she was even working with this Javaris, but he supposed she must need the money for that expedition she had planned. Which, now that he thought about it, he didn't really know anything about; it was something he would need to ask her about when he got the chance.

Before he could think further on that, however, another Qunari approached from the side of the dais, larger than any of them that Mardin had yet seen. This had to be the Arishok, as they called him, which Mardin assumed was the equivalent of a Qunari captain or something of the like. He had decided to not ask questions about this sort of thing unless he absolutely had to – he would simply observe and absorb as much knowledge about this world as he could, and hopefully this would enable him to not arouse anyone's suspicions about where he was really from. With this in mind, he studied the Arishok carefully, trying to note any differences beyond size. Unlike most of the other warriors, who went bare-chested and wore nothing but breeches, the Arishok wore immense red pauldrons on his shoulders, held in place by large straps criss-crossed over his chest, and a sort of blue skirting around his waist that hung over his breeches. He also bore a large gold collar around his neck, which must have been a way of denoting his rank, rather like Mardin's own armband. The Arishok sat down in the large chair, facing them, a Qunari warrior standing guard on either side of him, and another waiting at the top of the stairs, though Mardin doubted that he would actually need their help in battle.

Before the Arishok could say anything, Fenris stepped slightly forward, giving a brief bow before addressing the Qunari leader in what Mardin assumed was his own language. "Arishokost. Maraas shokra. Anaan esaam Qun."

Mardin wondered briefly if that had been planned, but saw by the quick look of astonishment that Brianna shot the elf that it obviously hadn't been. The Arishok appeared equally surprised, saying incredulously, "The Qun from an elf? The madness of this . . . place."

"Tell me that helped," Brianna murmured to Fenris.

Fenris shrugged slightly. "We shall see."

"He seems marginally less hostile than before," Mardin whispered to Brianna. His instincts were slightly less on edge, which was a good sign, and Mardin thanked the Goddess for whatever knowledge Fenris possessed of the Qunari, since he had no desire to fight these warriors if he could help it.

Javaris cleared his throat, looking up at the Arishok. "Yes, well, that said, I am here to report that your hated Tal-Vashoth were felled one and all. Right?" He looked quickly back at Brianna, who rolled her eyes before nodding. "Yes, they were. So I'm ready to open negotiations. For the explosive powder. As we agreed."

The Arishok leaned forward, studying the dwarf intently, who squirmed under his gaze, before saying, "No," with a chilling finality.

"He's not getting it," Javaris hissed to Brianna. "Make your chatty elf say something."

"What about it, Fenris?" Brianna asked, turning to him. "Any insight that would help?"

Fenris looked up at the Arishok consideringly. "Qunari do not abandon a debt. I humbly request clarification from the Arishok."

The Qunari leader leaned back in his chair. "I have a growing lack of disgust for you. The dwarf imagined the deal for the gaatlok. He invented a task to prove his worth, when he has none."

Fenris bowed his head. "Then we have wrongly inserted ourselves in your affairs. Would you have us kill this dwarf?"

Javaris whipped around, staring at the elf in alarm. "Wait. What now?"

"I'll do it," Mardin offered, trying to keep his lips from twitching in amusement at the matter-of-fact way Fenris had said it. He hadn't liked the dwarf from the start, and he doubted he would lose any sleep over killing him, particularly not if it would defuse the situation with the Qunari any. The dwarf cast a look of growing horror at Mardin.

The Arishok shook his head. "If you faced Tal-Vashoth, he is not worthy of dying to you. As he was not worthy of dying to them. But you . . ." he stared at Brianna long and hard, who met his gaze unflinchingly. "You keep good company. Let him live. And leave," he ordered his guards.

Brianna cleared her throat, stepping forward a little, and Mardin had to restrain the sudden urge he felt to pull her back. It was a protective impulse he had rarely felt for anyone other than his sister, and that bothered him more than he would like to admit, he realized as Brianna said to the Arishok, "He had big plans for your recipe. He had promised that some of those profits would come to us."

The Arishok's head whipped over to Javaris. "Dwarf, did your imaginary bargain make promises on my behalf?"

Javaris looked rightly terrified as he replied slowly, "I . . . expected your wisdom to be more profitable."

The tension in the compound went up several notches as the Qunari guards, who had sat down during the conversation, suddenly stood up and picked up their spears. Mardin found his hand going to his sword almost involuntarily as the Arishok got to his feet, snarling angrily, "Then you will pay, on my behalf."

Javaris threw up his hands in defeat. "Sod it all, take your coin. Take whatever." He rummaged in a pouch, producing a few large gold coins and handing them over to Brianna, who took them, tucking them into a pouch of her own. Javaris walked away as she did so, and Mardin could hear him mumbling as he went, "Horn-head ox-men and mongrel dog lords. Suck your own powder and blow your head off. Sod it!"

"You will leave as well, human," the Arishok said at last. "There's no more coin for you here."

Brianna bowed her head in acknowledgement, and turned, gesturing to the others to follow as she headed back to the gates they'd come in. They all followed, walking at a normal pace, though Mardin felt an unwelcome urge to turn tail and run. He normally welcomed a good fight, but even with his shifter abilities, he knew that compound was beyond him; his instincts would not have been warning him so powerfully otherwise.

They left through the gates, which closed behind them, and Brianna led them around the corner from the compound and down a ways before she stopped, leaning against a wall and letting out a long breath. "Maker," she gasped, "that's not something I want to do again anytime soon!"

"Well, if it helps, I couldn't even tell you were nervous," Mardin told her. His admiration for her had gone up several notches after she'd had the stone-faced nerve to essentially ask the Arishok for money. He'd met few women so recklessly brave, but it was something he found undeniably sexy when he did encounter it. As if he needed another reason to find her attractive, he thought wryly, before he asked the question burning a hole in his brain, "What are those Qunari even doing here, though? They don't seem like they want to be here."

Varric snorted. "They don't. Their whole fleet got shipwrecked off the coast a while back, stranding them here. The Viscount gave them that compound to stay in, but they've made it no secret that they hate Kirkwall. Funny thing is, it doesn't seem like they're trying to build a new fleet to leave – and no one knows why. By the way, Hawke, that was great new story material. 'Hawke versus the Arishok' – almost as good as the ogre."

"I'm so glad I can be an inspiration for your exaggerated storytelling, Varric," Brianna said dryly.

"Why, Hawke, I'm offended!" Varric exclaimed dramatically. "I don't exaggerate, I embellish. There's a big difference. All great storytellers embellish."

"Right, of course, big difference," Brianna drawled, rolling her eyes. "My mistake."

"If those Qunari have no plans to leave, that's not good," Mardin said quietly, glancing back over his shoulder towards the compound. "They're spoiling for blood, and if they don't get it soon, anything is bound to set them off."

"I doubt they will attack without a reason," Fenris mused, "but what is a reason to them may not be clear to the rest of us until it is too late."

"You're both probably right," Brianna said, glancing back at the compound herself with a frown, "but I don't think the Viscount has any clue what to do with them, and unfortunately, it's up to him."

"This Viscount doesn't sound like much of a leader," Mardin replied, frowning. He wondered if the Qunari and the Arishok had something to do with his destiny here. If so, he wasn't eager for the fight, but Cranin had not promised that his destiny would be easy.

"He's not," Varric said simply, "but he's the only one Kirkwall has, sadly. Anyway, we've got enough to worry about, with the expedition to plan. Where to next, Hawke?"

"Darktown," Brianna answered, nodding at Mardin. "I promised Mardin we could check with Anders about his sister before we leave for Sundermount."

"All right, let's go see Blondie, then," Varric declared. Mardin thought he caught Fenris muttering something that sounded like "abomination", but he couldn't be sure, as he lacked his sister's enhanced hearing abilities. He'd obviously heard something, though, for Brianna cast a quelling glance at the elf before starting off again for Darktown.

Mardin found himself feeling both nervous and eager as they went. He wanted news of his sister, and the others seemed to feel that this Anders would be a good source of that news, yet at the same time, what if what he found out was bad? Cranin had not been able to confirm for sure that Ayla was alive, merely saying that as far as the Goddess could tell, "the odds were good" that she was still alive. And pure-hearted though Cranin might be, Mardin wouldn't put it beyond him to exaggerate those odds if need be to make sure that he would go to this world and fulfill his destiny. Still, Cranin would not have lied outright, which meant there was at least a chance that she was alive and well. And there was no point in putting it off, he told himself. He would simply have to find out, and pray that the news was good.

Darktown turned out to be a series of tunnels below the city, making Lowtown look like a paradise by comparison. They had to have been sewage tunnels at one point, as well, as the smell of them was even worse than Lowtown had been. The smell was so disgustingly strong, in fact, that it made Mardin feel nauseous. The toxic fog that seemed to permeate the air down here probably didn't help either. In spite of these things, and the fact that there were no actual buildings down here, there were still many people scattered throughout the tunnels, with crude campsites set up here and there as places to live. Brianna explained as they went that many refugees fleeing something called the Blight in Ferelden had ended up down here, having no other place to live. The way she referred to the Blight made it obvious that it was something commonplace that Mardin should know about; he resolved to discreetly learn more about it when he had the chance.

As Brianna led them deeper through Darktown, she explained to Mardin that Anders was another mage with a particular talent for healing, who ran a free clinic down here for the many ill refugees. Mardin could tell that many of the people they passed by were sick or diseased, though that was unsurprising considering they lived in a place with such toxic air. He frowned, disturbed. He'd only been here for a day or so, and already he had seen many things wrong with just this city in this new world. No wonder Cranin and the Goddess were so worried about the balance in this world, if Kirkwall was an example of what things were like here. He wondered briefly if keeping this world from sliding into darkness wasn't more than he could handle, but shook the thought off. He would succeed, somehow; he had to.

They arrived at the clinic at last, which was built into a corner of the tunnels in Darktown, and was one of the few places down here that actually had a roof, though the entrance was merely an open wall next to a lit lantern. Inside, numerous cots were laid out, some filled with people, others empty for the moment. A curtain hung in the far back corner, sectioning it off from the rest of the room, and Mardin guessed that Anders must live back there. Brianna crossed the room, heading towards a man in robes at the back who was working on one of the patients, and Mardin followed her along with Varric. Carver and Fenris hung back at the entrance, obviously preferring to wait.

When the man had finished with the spell he was working on the patient, Brianna and Varric greeted him, and Brianna introduced him as Anders. He was a young man, likely in his mid-twenties, with slightly long blonde hair that he wore tied back at the nape of his neck, and a growth of stubble that he hadn't bothered to shave off. He wore heavy yellow and grey robes with feathered shoulders, and though he wasn't currently wielding a staff, there was a twisted one of grey wood leaning against the wall behind him to indicate that he normally did. Though he smiled pleasantly enough as Brianna explained who Mardin was and what he was doing here, there was something about him that made Mardin slightly uncomfortable, though he couldn't quite place what it was. Some slight tingling sense of underlying danger, or something? He wasn't sure.

"I'm not certain I can be of any help," Anders said as Brianna finished her explanation of why they were here, "but I'll try."

"It's nice to meet you," Mardin said, stepping forward to shake the mage's hand. Anders turned his attention away from Brianna as he shook Mardin's hand, frowning slightly as he got a better look at Mardin, studying him as though trying to figure something out.

"You as well," Anders replied absentmindedly, his gaze roving over the symbol on Mardin's tunic and finally landing on his golden armband. His eyebrows shot up as recognition clicked into place in his eyes. "Where did you get that armband? The Commander has one that he wears that's just like it, except it's silver."

The 'he' in the mage's statement was all Mardin needed to hear for his worst fears to be realized, and for his temper to snap, for he knew Ayla would never just sell the armband or hand it over without a fight. He grabbed the mage by the collar of his robes, lifting him completely off his feet and slamming him into the back wall of the clinic, ignoring the surprised cries of Brianna and Varric and a sudden feeling of danger as he snarled at Anders, "Where did your commander get that armband? Did he kill my sister?! Did he?! Tell me!" He shook the mage for emphasis, fury riding high in him, enough that he could feel his eyes change color and his canine teeth begin to lengthen as his control over his animal side started to slip.

Anders had been stammering in surprise and shock, clearly floored by the sudden turn things had taken, but instead of reacting with fear when Mardin's eyes changed color, as most people did, his expression cleared as if he'd realized something. "Wait, your sister – is her name Ayla? And she has red hair, like yours, except she wears it in a long braid?"

"Yes . . ." Mardin said slowly, some of the rage draining out of him. It was his turn to be surprised; Brianna had not given the mage his sister's name or a description, so it was obvious that Anders knew – or had known – Ayla. But – "Is she dead? How do you know her? What happened to her?"

"She's not dead, so far as I know," Anders replied, looking confused. "She's the Commander's wife, so I would guess she gave him the armband. I never did ask where he got it."

"His wife?" Mardin repeated incredulously, dropping the mage back to the ground, his rage completely disappearing in his utter shock. "Ayla? Are you sure?" If what Anders said was true, not only had Ayla become this man's wife, or whatever they called it here, she'd bonded with him too. That was the only reason she would have given him her armband, and not a reason that would ever have occurred to Mardin until now. Like him, his sister had never been the type that was interested in taking a life-mate, or any sort of serious romantic entanglement. And now, apparently, she'd not only taken a life-mate but had gone and permanently bonded herself to the man, by the sounds of it. He simply couldn't bring himself to believe it.

Anders straightened out his robes, and looked up at Mardin, frowning. "Yes, I'm sure. They wear wedding rings, they call each other husband and wife all the time – well, no," he amended, "she calls him her mate sometimes, I suppose. Why do you ask?"

"I'm sure they're . . . married," Mardin said faintly, stumbling over the term that was rarely used in Fallor as he tried to wrap his mind around the concept of his sister with a life-mate, "but are you sure this woman you're talking about is my sister?"

Anders raised his eyebrows, clearly completely confused by now. "You said your sister's name was Ayla, and she had long red hair in a braid, right?" Mardin nodded, still shocked. "She has green eyes, fights with two swords, and she's really pretty?" Mardin nodded again, though he couldn't help feeling slightly amused at the mage's obvious admiration of his sister's looks. He was used to men drooling over her; it had been commonplace back home. "Then why wouldn't you think it's her?"

Mardin frowned as he tried to put his confusion in words. It obviously was his sister that Anders knew, for the description matched her perfectly, yet he couldn't quite bring himself to believe it. "Because the last time I saw her, she had absolutely no interest in being . . . married. She liked men, but she wasn't remotely serious about staying with any of them. And yes, it's been three years since I saw her, but could she really have changed so much?"

"I suppose the Commander must have changed her mind," Anders replied, shrugging. "They were already married by the time I met them, almost two years ago now, though I think it had just happened. And they're very much in love, almost embarrassingly so, really. Lots of . . . um, public displays. In fact," Anders was grinning now, "the Wardens at the Keep all had a bet going as to how many times a month the two of them would be found outside of their room being . . . indiscreet, shall we say?"

"Well, that part does sound like her," Mardin said wryly. His sister had never been shy about public displays of affection, that was for sure. And he'd heard once or twice that it wasn't uncommon for bonded mates to have difficulty controlling their desire for one another. Still, had she actually gone and bonded with this guy? It was obvious that a lot had to have happened while she was gone. "You said she's alive, though? Doing well?"

Anders nodded. "I'd say so. At least, as far as I know," he amended. "It's been a few months now since I left the Wardens and came to Kirkwall. She was alive and well then, but I haven't heard anything since, and the Wardens aren't exactly in the habit of staying safe. Nor is she; she insists on going out on missions with the Commander, whether he likes it or not." Mardin nodded, rolling his eyes; that definitely sounded like her. If there was a fight or trouble to be had, she'd be in the middle of it. "You'd have to contact Vigil's Keep, the Warden headquarters in Ferelden, to find out for sure if she's still okay – and even then, they're sometimes gone for weeks at a time with no word." Anders was frowning now, as though the thought that something might have happened to Ayla in the time since he'd left was disturbing to him.

"Why did you leave the Wardens?" Mardin asked, suddenly curious. It was clear by the way Anders talked about them that he remembered his time there fondly, and Mardin couldn't see why anybody would voluntarily end up down here instead.

"It was for personal reasons," Anders said abruptly, his face now closed off. "I'd rather not talk about it. But it wasn't because I didn't like it there," he added after a moment. "I did, actually; I was treated very well there, much better than I'd ever been treated at the Circle. The other Wardens were good people, the Commander and your sister especially so. It was just that . . . something happened, and there was a difference of opinion, and I had to leave." He looked suddenly very sad, for a moment, which only made Mardin more curious than ever.

"Was it because of Justice?" Brianna asked quietly, having come up next to Mardin. Anders looked up at her, startled, and then nodded slowly.

"The Commander told me it was a mistake, letting Justice possess me, but I wouldn't listen," Anders said softly. "I said that letting Justice possess a friend had to be better than him haunting some corpse like a demon, and that he was just letting his former Templar nature cloud his judgment. It turned out he was right, though. I . . . lost control a couple of months later, like I did with Karl, when I saw a mage being mistreated, and . . ." he glanced at Mardin, backing up a few steps, "Ayla got hurt in the process, trying to stop me. She was fine, though," he added quickly, obviously seeing Mardin's scowl, "afterwards. When I realized what I'd done, I regained control, and I healed her immediately. But I couldn't face her after, or what I'd done, so I ran away, and eventually ended up here."

Mardin frowned, the quick flash of rage he'd felt at hearing his sister had been hurt calming down after Anders' explanation that he'd healed her afterwards. He didn't understand why the mage had fled, though, after hearing that it was a lack of control that had brought it about. He didn't understand the bit about Justice, either, though it sounded like some type of spirit, but he did know a thing or two about losing control. "Why leave? Ayla would never have blamed you for something like that," he said with complete certainty. No shifter would ever blame someone for losing control and accidentally injuring another person.

"She didn't," Anders agreed quietly. "She told me as much, before I left. I was the one that couldn't stop blaming myself, and I was afraid it would happen again, to one of the others. Besides, the Commander wasn't there when it happened, and I wasn't sure how he'd react when he found out I'd hurt her – and I didn't wait around to see." He shrugged. "It's better for them this way. There was enough controversy about the Wardens conscripting mages into their ranks – they didn't need a possessed mage around making things worse."

Mardin frowned again, wondering why there would be any controversy about enlisting the aid of mages; there was so much going on here that he didn't understand. He mentally added learning more about mages to his list of things to find out discreetly as Brianna said softly, "I'm so sorry, Anders. That must have been difficult, having to leave the Wardens when you liked it there."

"Well, I liked it, except for the Deep Roads and the darkspawn," Anders replied wryly, obviously striving for humor now, and Mardin sighed inwardly, adding two more things to his list. "But other than those two tiny little things, yes, it was . . . good."

"Thank you," Mardin told the mage sincerely after he'd finished. "For telling me about my sister. And I apologize, for losing my temper. I'd been expecting the worst, so when I heard that someone else was wearing her armband, all I could think was that she'd been killed for it, and I lost control. I'm sorry."

"Well, if anybody understands what it's like to lose control, it would be me," Anders said matter-of-factly. "Don't worry about it, I understand."

"I think we have to get going to Sundermount now," Mardin continued, glancing at Brianna questioningly. She nodded. "But I'd like to hear more about my sister when we get back, whenever you have the time. I'll buy you a drink, and you can tell me what she's been up to, and about this . . . Commander of hers." He couldn't quite help the slight curl of his lip at mentioning his sister's life-mate. This guy had damn well better be worth the risk to his sister's life from the bond, Mardin thought, or he'd have a few things to say about it when they finally met. "If you don't mind, that is," he added. "I'd like to hear whatever you know."

Anders nodded, though there had been a slight twitch to his lips when Mardin had mentioned that Commander, as if something had amused him. "Of course," the mage said. "Stop by when you get back, and I'll tell you about my time with the Wardens and Ayla. You should see about sending word to the Keep, when you can. If she's out on a mission, she might not get it for some time, but I know she'll be happy to hear from you."

"I'll do that. Thank you, again." Mardin nodded at Anders in thanks before turning to Brianna. "Sorry about that. We can go now."

She studied him curiously for a moment, a slight frown on her face, and he guessed his sudden display of temper had been startling for her, but she said nothing about it, merely nodding before saying, "Let's get going then, it's a long way to Sundermount." She turned and headed for the entrance of the clinic, waving goodbye to Anders, and Mardin and Varric followed her, meeting up with Carver and Fenris outside the door.

Varric fell into place beside Mardin as they walked through Darktown, saying after a moment, "I can't believe your sister is the mystery woman of the Blight!"

"What are you talking about?" Mardin asked, startled, glancing down at the dwarf, who was beaming with excitement.

"The Commander of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden – Alistair Theirin!" Varric exclaimed, waving his hands in exasperation as if Mardin had missed something very obvious - and he probably had, he admitted. Mardin noticed that Brianna kept glancing back over her shoulder as if she were listening in as the dwarf went on, "There were two Wardens that defeated the Blight, the Hero of Ferelden, Aedan Cousland, who is now sitting on the throne of Ferelden with Queen Anora, and Alistair, who is supposedly the bastard son of King Maric. One of the stories that's been going around after the Blight is that he was set to inherit the throne, but he refused it because he was in love with some mystery woman that had fought the Blight with him. The story goes that she's some mercenary from Kirkwall, so the nobles in Ferelden would have never accepted her as a Queen, and Alistair wasn't going to be King if he couldn't be with her, so he refused the throne to stay with the Wardens and marry her, and the Hero of Ferelden took the throne instead. That bit about her being from Kirkwall obviously can't be true, because like I said, I'd know if she'd been here. I'm not even sure if that bit about Alistair being a bastard prince is true either, but if it is, well - what a story! Hardly even needs embellishment! I'll have to sit in on your drink with Blondie, if you don't mind, and find out how much of it is true." Varric rubbed his hands together with glee as he finished, practically vibrating with excitement, and Mardin could only stare at him in surprise. By the Fox, just what had his sister gotten herself into?

Realizing that the dwarf was still staring at him, presumably awaiting a response, Mardin finally answered, "Yeah, I suppose you can." He couldn't see a reason why he shouldn't allow Varric to hear about his sister; it wasn't like what she'd been doing in this world was any great secret, obviously. He'd also realized that the most effective way to learn about things in this world would be to listen to Varric's stories, and the dwarf would be more likely to tell him whatever he wanted to know if he kept him happy. And the way to keep Varric happy seemed to be to keep him supplied with story material.

Varric grinned. "Great! I'll even buy a round. Maybe. It sure was a lucky coincidence that Blondie knows your sister, though."

"Yes, it was," Mardin agreed, though he suspected it wasn't really a coincidence at all. "It was a lot easier to find information on her here than I'd expected it to be."

"So," Brianna asked as she dropped back a little ways to walk on Mardin's other side, "are you going to head to Vigil's Keep in Ferelden now to find your sister?"

Mardin shook his head. "No, I don't think so. For one thing, I'd have no idea where to go, or have any money to get me there. For another thing, she might not even be around if I did manage to make it all the way there. No, I think it's just best for now that I send word to her. Maybe she'll be able to come here, or at least somewhere closer that I can meet her." Though all the reasons he'd listed were perfectly plausible, none of them was the real reason he wouldn't go, of course.

"So we're stuck with you, then?" Brianna said teasingly.

"Seems that way," he replied, grinning at her. "After all, I did promise to help, and I'm sure there are still all sorts of things I can do for you."

"Oh, there are all sorts of fights you can help with, certainly," she said agreeably, smirking at him. "I'm sure I could probably even find some heavy lifting for you to do."

"Whatever my lady wishes," he told her, giving her an exaggerated little bow. He heard Carver mumble something behind him that sounded distinctly uncomplimentary, but chose to ignore it as Brianna laughed at him.

"Seriously, though," she said after a moment, "if you ever wanted to leave to go see your sister, you're welcome to. I wouldn't hold it against you."

He nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, thank you. But for now, I'll wait to hear back from her and find out just where she is. It's enough to know that she's okay; I can wait a little longer to see it for myself."

"All right," she said, taking up the lead again, "let's get going. We need to reach Sundermount as soon as possible, if we want to be back before dark."

"Lead the way, Hawke," Varric said. "I'd rather not end up camping out if I can help it."

As they headed out of Kirkwall, Mardin realized he felt lighter than he had in years; it was as if hearing that his sister was not just alive, but had been doing well since she'd left had lifted a heavy burden from him. He could breathe easier now, knowing that she was okay, and focus on the reason he'd been allowed to come here. He was fairly certain he was on the right path; all he needed to do now was to figure out what Brianna and the others were involved in that could change this world, and where he fit into everything. He would start, he thought, by finding out just what this expedition of Brianna's involved. The answer to his destiny had to be here somewhere, and he would find it.