Have you ever wondered what marks our time here? If one life can really make an impact on the world? Of if the choices that we make matter?

I believe that they do.

And I believe that one man can change many lives...

For better...or for worse.


Holden was not known to be a patient man, and when he became impatient he became angry. When he became angry, he became violent. When he was violent, not even the Maker himself could protect the poor bastard Holden had chosen to project his anger on. In this case the bastard happened to be the very reason for his anger in the first place, making his punishment even more severe.

Aedan was once again on his knees in the middle of the hard cobblestone floor. His hands were shackled above his head, the metal digging into his wrists and drawing blood. His hands were balled into fists, clenched so tight that the knuckles had gone white. His cries of pain echoed throughout the keep sending shivers down the spines of even the most hardened guard. The cries were not simply from a man who was in physical discomfort; it was the cry of a man whose very soul was in agony.

There was scarcely any inch of flesh on Aedan's body that Holden had not laid claim to. It was therefore astounding to him that Holden continuously found new ways of inflicting pain. And Aedan was growing weary of surprises.

Holden knelt in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames as he slowly rotated the metal rod in the center of the flames.

Aedan sensed Holden as he stood next to him. The iron mask he had been adorned with weight him down and his head drooped forward allowing him to only see the red stained cobblestone. Though rather the red was a reflection of the firelight or something more sinister, Aedan chose not to think about.

He was at his breaking point. The deprivation of sleep and food, combined with the relentless torture had finally taken a toll on Aedan. He no longer cared about the damage being done to his mouth as he screamed in agony as each new torture occurred.

The metal rod was placed on his skin again, eliciting another scream from him. His body began to violently shake as the new torture was inflicted on him.

Maker, if there be a Maker...Please, please let me die.


The rain was coming down hard, flooding the cobblestone street of Denerim. Lightening flashed across the sky followed immediately by the booming of thunder.

Leliana peered up at the fortress from the hood of her cloak. The structure leered back at her from the darkness, the rain making the building all the more intimidating.

She lifted the hood, allowing the downpour to drench her skin. The icy water assaulted her skin, causing a strangely pleasant sensation to wash over her. She closed her eyes as she reveled in the feel of it, the sensation making her feel alive. Her hands reached up and gripped the bronze medallion around her neck containing the holy symbol of Andraste. It had been one of the first gifts that Aedan had presented her with, at a pivotal moment in her life when she found herself doubting her faith. Her faith; the one consistent thing that she was able to hold on to since she was forced to flee from Orlais.

Leliana sat at the edge of a small river near the campsite. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around tightly around herself. She stared unseeing out into the blackness of the lake. She had been uncharacteristically quiet since they had departed Denerim, something that had not gone unnoticed by the rest of the party.

She had quietly excused herself several hours earlier, seeking a quiet spot to collect her thoughts. She replayed the events in her mind over and over, but no matter how many times she relived the scenario, it still led her to the same impasse.

They had entered Marjolaine's establishment and had been immediately ambushed by Qunari mercenaries. They were easily dispatched by their small group, and it was obvious that Marjolaine had not hired them for their skill. Leliana stood with her hand on the doorknob, feeling her sense of uneasiness increasing. She suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to turn around and run back to Lothering. She would rather face down an army of darkspawn by herself than see her old mentor again. Alistair placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She glanced over her shoulder at her companions who nodded at her, giving their silent approval that they had her back. She took a deep breath and pushed through the door.

They stepped into a slightly larger room, the heat of the fire assaulting them as soon as they stepped in. Several guards stood off to the side, they were well armed but their weapons remained sheathed for the moment. That was a testament to the power that Marjolaine held; the hounds would not bark until their master told them to.

Marjolaine herself stood in front of the fireplace, her back turned towards them. The room was stifling, causing beads of sweat to instantly pop up on Leliana's skin. Marjolaine seemed oblivious to the heat despite the floor length, long sleeved dress that she wore. She spun around, wearing the same smile that Leliana had learned to both love and fear.

"Leliana! It's so lovely to see you again."

The woman's face had aged slightly, but still remained strikingly beautiful. Leliana had always slightly envied the older woman's looks, and even now felt herself comparing the two of them.

"I see the years have not been kind to either of us. I must admit I did not expect to ever see you again after your arrest, but then I didn't expect you to live either."

"I would apologize for disappointing you, but that would make me an even bigger liar than you."

A cold laugh escaped the woman's lips. "Ah, it is good to see that you have not lost your clever tongue."

"If you had things your way I would not have a tongue at all."

"Are you referring to that unpleasant business back in Orlais? You must understand it was nothing personal, it was business."

"Business?" Leliana shouted. "Is that what you call it? You tried to have me killed."

"Only because I knew it was only a matter of time before you did the same to me."

The two former lovers stood facing each other locked in a glare that would sour milk.

"I came here thinking I would get answers," Leliana said slowly backing away. "But it seems I have only wasted my time."

She turned to leave, but the sound of blades being drawn stopped her in her tracks.

"You think you can just walk away from me? You cannot turn your back on me so easily pretty thing."

Leliana felt herself being grabbed roughly before being spun around. Aedan's chest was pressed tightly against her back, his arm still holding her firmly yet gently. He grunted loudly as his body jerked forward slightly. Her eyes caught a glimpse of Alistair unsheathing his blade as Aedan released his grip and stepped away from her. Her eyes widened as they settled on the arrow protruding from his left shoulder. He reached behind him and pulled out the invading object with a grunt of pain. He tossed it aside angrily and unsheathed his sword. The dagger remained at his side, his left arm unable to swing the blade with his injured arm.

The wound did not appear to be too damaging so Leliana instead chose to focus her attention on the small battle that had broken out. It was difficult for the group to maneuver in such a tightly enclosed space, mainly to do the constant fear that they would be decapitated by Oghren's massive battleaxe. Alistair's sword had been re-sheathed and hung at his side, and he had instead opted to use his shield offensively as well as defensively, smashing into the unarmored head of a poorly trained mercenary.

Leliana was in no position to use her arrows so she drew her daggers and turned her attention to a guard who was foolish enough to leave his back opened. She placed a well aimed kick to the back of his knee, catching him as he fell backwards. She held his head against her and quickly drew his blade across his throat. Her eyes settled on Marjolaine who stood a distance off from the battle, watching the scene before her with a bored expression on her face.

She maneuvered her way through the chaos, easily avoiding the battle as she focused on the woman who had nearly destroyed her life. Marjolaine made no move to defend herself as Leliana pinned her against the wall. She held her in place with her left arm, the other bringing her dagger up to the older woman's throat.

Marjolaine's eyes held a mixture of satisfaction, amusement and a hint of something Leliana had never seen in her before: fear.

"Ah, and here we are at last." Marjolaine said, her voice as usual revealing no hint of emotion.

Leliana gave no reply, and she silently cursed herself. She had imagined this scenario a thousand times in her mind, going over what she would say or do. But now that she was presented with the opportunity she found herself at a complete loss. Her dagger remained clutched in her grip which thankfully for the moment remained steady. At least she would not give Marjolaine the satisfaction of of seeing her falter.

The sound of battle died out behind her, the last of Marjolaine's men falling to her companion's blades. Alistair posed a question to Aedan who grunted a response. His voice was wracked with pain, but she did not allow herself to feel the guilt that she would no doubt experience later at what he had done for her.

"You inspire handsome loyalty, pretty thing." Marjolaine said, eyeing her male companions.

"Shut up!" Leliana shouted, a surge of anger coursing through her. Though rather the anger came from hearing her old mentors pet name for her, or from the woman daring to address her companions in such a way, she couldn't be sure. "You framed me. You had me caught and tortured. I did everything for you, I killed for you. I would have done anything for you, I would have protected you. Why betray me?"

To her surprise Marjolaine began to laugh. "Oh, my Leliana. We have built our lives on lies and deceit. It seems you have trained yourself so well that even you believe the lies you have spun."

Leliana glared at her in question. "I made you Leliana. I know what you are capable of, because I was you. I once thought my mentor was my lover and friend, until I discovered a plot that would send me to the darkest dungeon in Orlais, where all that awaited me was an early grave. So I struck first. I took her place and soon began taking on apprentices of my own, each one more skilled than the last. But for all their skill none of them had the skill or the brains to ever act against me, I had nothing to fear from them. But then you came along-my brightest and most talented pupil. You possessed more talent for the game than I did, and I knew that the day would come when you saw that for yourself and slit my throat in my sleep. I could not allow that to happen, so I acted first. I decided to get rid of you before you became a threat."

Marjolaine gave another laugh that held no trace of humor. "But you somehow escaped that prison that was meant to be your tomb. You once again evaded a trap that would have defeated a lesser being. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you would exact revenge, so I had you watched. I must admit you almost had me fooled with the innocent Chantry Sister act. Clever Leliana, very clever. But I was foolish, I let my guard down. When you left so suddenly I knew the time had finally come. And here we are."

Leliana was silent, allowing the woman's words to sink in. She was only vaguely aware of her friends filing into the room behind her, their footsteps heavy on the solid wooden floors.

"You think I left because of you? You are insane!"

"Yet here you stand with a knife at my throat." A smirk came across Marjolaine's face. "You may tell yourself whatever tales to help you sleep at night pretty thing, but you cannot run from who you are."

Leliana could no longer hold her grip steady as anger was now coursing through her body, causing her to shake uncontrollably. A silent internal war between good and evil was raging within her. One part of her was begging her to walk away, to not become the monster she had spent so many years running from. The other part of her, the part that was quickly gaining the upper hand, was telling her to give into her anger. This woman before her had tried to have her killed, after she had made sure she had been brutally tortured. She deserved to die for what she had done, and Leliana deserved to live out the rest of her days in peace. As long as Marjolaine lived, there would be no peace for Leliana.

The dagger moved closer to Marjolaine's throat almost of its own accord. She felt a strong hand gently grip the arm that was only inches away from ending the woman's life. Her body stiffened slightly but her eyes never left Marjolaine's face.

"Leliana," Aedan said softly next to her. "I am not about to tell you to forget the past. If this were Howe the Maker Himself could not talk me down. But you are not me, and you are definitely not her. If you kill her then she wins, don't let her take any more from you than she already has. Don't let her take away who you are."

"And who am I?" Leliana snapped over her shoulder. Aedan's grip loosened slightly but he did not back away. "I am whoever I need to be in a situation. A minstrel, a noble. A Chantry Sister. But who am I?"

A heavy silence fell over the group as Leliana all but spat the last word. She was trained to be whoever she needed to be in a given moment. But when she went to bed each night, and there was no audience to put on a show for, who was she?

"You are our friend." Came Alistair's voice behind them. "I have known a lot of murderers in my life Leliana, but none of them went to bed each night praying for the souls of those they had killed."

"A real murderer would already be halfway through their second pint," Oghren chimed in. "They'd be bragging and talking the ear off any poor bastard who would listen. Trust me kid, you don't have it in you to be a murderer. But your blasted stories however could be considered a method of torture. Could drive a man to suicide."

"You are not her." Aedan's voice was quiet and reassuring in her ear. She was keenly aware of his hand still gripping her arm, causing feelings of a different kind to course through her. Feelings which she immediately shoved down. "Don't give her the satisfaction of letting her see you become her."

Several tense moments passed before Leliana lowered the dagger in her hand. The daggers in her eyes however remained. She released her grip on Marjolaine, slowly stepping away, her eyes never leaving the older woman's face.

"Get out."

Marjolaine narrowed her eyes but made no move to leave. She seemed to be torn between leaving with her life or continuing her effort to destroy Leliana once and for all.

"Do you really think that-"

"I said get out!"

The ferocity in her voice alarmed her comrades and seemed to give Marjolaine the motivation she needed to slowly back out of the room. She kept her back towards the wall as she inched her way out of the room, pausing at the door frame her dark eyes fixated on Leliana.

"You think you have won? You will never be rid of me pretty thing. This isn't over."

A primal scream escaped Leliana, a sound none of them had ever heard from the woman. She threw the dagger she still clutched in her hand with all of her strength towards Marjolaine. The dagger soared threw the air, sinking into the door frame inches from Marjolaine's head. A sinister grin spread across the woman's face as she eyed the blade that sill quivered within the wood.

"Just as I taught you."

She spun on her heel, stepping out into the midday sun. She muttered her displeasure about the stench of Ferelden before disappearing into the crowd.

"Huh, thought your aim was better than that." Oghren quipped.

"I didn't miss." Leliana replied coldly. She took several deep breaths trying to calm herself, but the bitter taste remained. She turned to her comrades, unsure of how to express what she was feeling.

"I need some time, I need to-" Her eyes widened as they settled on Aedan. His face was pale, devoid of all color and covered in sweat. Blood ran down his arm, dripping from his fingers onto the floor where a small pool had formed.

"You're injured." Leliana said stating the obvious.

"I told you that it's a bad idea to wear leather armor if you're within arm's reach of a sword." Alistair said examining his friend's shoulder.

"It wasn't a sword it was an arrow," Aedan said through gritted teeth. "Besides, how often do you complain that your armor is too hot when we're traveling."

"Looks deep, we need to find you a healer."

"Good thing it was you and not the cupcake here," Oghren chimed in. "An arrow that size would have taken her arm off and given your dog a new chew toy."

Aedan's eyes locked with hers, holding the gaze for several moments. Leliana's gaze held gratitude, an unspoken apology, and a silent plea for forgiveness. His held pain, friendship, and something else Leliana could not-or would not, pinpoint.

The snapping of a twig echoed in the area, pulling Leliana out of her reverie. Aedan stepped into the clearing followed closely by Mathias who barked happily as he bounded towards her. She smiled in spite of herself, reaching out to scratch his ears as he sat his massive frame next to her.

"Sorry about him," Aedan said as he approached. "You're the only one who will give him attention in a form other than a threat. Even Wynne threatens him with a bath."

Mathias huffed in response. A brief smile came to her face in spite of herself, a feeling that felt almost foreign. "I don't mind," she said truthfully.

"May I join you or should I leave you two alone to enjoy the moonlight?"

"I have spent enough time wallowing in self pity I think."

Aedan winced slightly as he lowered himself onto the bank next to her. His leather armor had been abandoned in favor of a simple cotton shirt, no doubt to alleviate the pressure on his shoulder. The top buttons had been left undone, revealing his muscular frame-something that did not go unnoticed by her. She shook her head slightly, silently reprimanding herself for thinking such thoughts.

"Are you alright?"

She pelt a pang of guilt at the question. The man had taken and arrow for her, had saved her from serious harm-yet he was the one asking about her well being.

"Why?' She asked quietly.

"Why am I asking if you are alright?"

"No-I mean, why did you do it? You took an arrow for me, risked your life for me. I should be begging for your forgiveness, but here you are asking if I am okay."

Aedan remained silent as he stared out into the lake, his signature brooding expression covering his face. At first Leliana had found his broodiness to be tiring, a defense mechanism used to keep others at arm's length. Yet somewhere in their travels together, Leliana could not pinpoint exactly when-but somewhere along the lines she had started to see past his broody demeanor and notice other things about him. Such as the way he would sit away from the other members of the party, yet cast glances that seemed almost sad towards the other companions who sat chatting around the campfire. Several times he looked as though he would join in with the light-hearted chit chat, but would quickly retreat back into his shell. Or the way he would soften ever so slightly when he saw a child in need, letting his guard down as he handed the child a silver. There was also the way that Aedan would subtly move a few paces ahead of his comrades whenever there was an immediate threat to one of them, putting himself between them and the danger. He placed the well being of others above himself, a trait that showed more than ever that day as he took an arrow that had been meant for her.

"The country is at war," Aedan replied finally. "We fight the darkspawn, the strong prey upon the weak and the nobles fight among each other. There has been enough death and destruction to last Ferelden a lifetime. I couldn't let the one remaining light in this world world go out."

Tears of regret stung her eyes at his words. "I don't deserve that."

"Why? Because Marjolaine said so? You are a better person than she could ever hope to be."

"Because she was right. I did want to kill her, and even now I feel some regret at not ending her life. Maybe I was just fooling myself in Lothering, pretending to be someone who I'm not. Maybe I just needed to believe that I could forget my old life and start a new one. Maybe I just needed to believe that there was someone looking out for me, to feel like I wasn't alone."

"You're not alone." Aedan said softly.

"But I was. And I thought that I had escaped from it all, but then she appears and it was as if I was that person all over again. My time as a bard came rushing back, and even now I feel regret at not ending her life in order to protect mine. She was right about me, she always has been. You put yourself at risk for someone you want to see, not for the person I really am."

Aedan fumbled around in his front pocket, wincing slightly. A small object hung at the end of the chain which he held out to her, the moonlight glinting off the metal. The holy symbol of Andraste stared back at her, and she slowly reached out to take the object. She held the medallion in her hand, her finger tracing over the carving gingerly.

"I bought it in Lothering. I don't know why I felt like I needed it, I guess it didn't seem right to leave it to the darkspawn. I might not be a fan of the Maker lately but I guess some of my father's teachings must have stuck. I've carried it around ever since, but I think you should have it. I know you feel like you have lost your faith, so maybe if you carry it with you it will be harder to lose. Even harder than me losing faith in you."

Leliana looked at him speechless. She searched his eyes for any sort of doubt or uncertainty, but found only sincerity.

"That's why I did it. That's why I couldn't let that arrow hit you-it would damage the last bit of faith I had left in this world."


Thunder boomed in the sky bringing Leliana back to the situation at hand. The image of Aedan faded and was replaced by the towering structure of Fort Drakon.

"This had better work human," Oghren grunted next to her.

She tightened her grip on the medallion, feeling her resolve strengthen.

"Have a little faith Oghren."