Chapter 2

Busted by the Crow | Revised

The next morning Madeia watched in complete horror as the Warden, Morrigan and Alistair made their way to Redcliff castle. There was absolutely no chance that she'd be able to follow them, not without walking right with them into the hidden pass. She kicked the tree next to her in anger before turning to find where the rest of the team had disappeared to.

She found them relaxing next to the castle gates and eased her way closer until she could see them but was positive that she couldn't be seen and stretched out in the tall grass. Zevran smiled and turned to Leliana, clearly saying something that aggravated her.

Wanting to be able to listen better, she crawled forward in the grass until she was certain that if she went any farther, someone would be sure to notice her. It'd been so long since she had the chance to talk to other people casually, so when she had the chance, she tried to catch as many conversations between the Warden and her companions. It didn't help that it meant she also got to learn more about the Warden and figure out how she thought.

"So tell me of this vision of yours, Leliana."

Madeia tried not to laugh at the womans expression.

"I'm not certain I wish to discuss my vision with you, Zevran. You'll make fun of me"

The elf was clearly trying not to grin as he shook his head.

"No-ooo, why would I ever do such a thing?"

Again, Medeia found herself smiling, the elf had a certain way of doing things. She'd already started to like him even though she had personally, never had a conversation with him. But sometimes his voice had her flushing and his overly openness about sex had her much more curious to the concept than she'd ever been before. She'd never had many chances to get to know people, let alone explore that topic. Her father had had her on such a short leash in order to control her, that the only people she'd ever come in contact with repeatedly, had been him and only a few of his associates.

"See? There you go. No, I am not speaking to you of it"

Zevrans eyes looked as though they could do all the laughing for him. Mischief and joy seemed to make them appear more golden, or maybe that was just the sunlight. Madeia wasn't sure.

"Hmm. Yes, I suppose the Maker would not want you to spread His words. Very well, I'll accept your reproach"

Leliana's jaw dropped and she dropped her balled fists to her sides.

"I... Why do you even wish to know?"

He shrugged, leaning against the tree near him.

"Why, to make fun of you of course."

Leliana didn't respond this time, simply huffed quietly and walked away to go sit next to Synner and pat him on the head when he bumped her hand. With the conversation over, she started to ease herself away from the now lone elf but froze when he tensed and turned to look her way.

"Maybe you should come out of hiding before I decide to come over and make you?"

His voice no longer held the warmth it did when he talked with Leliana but it also didn't hold the cold steel she'd heard in men that were ready to attack. But that didn't stop her heart from racing as he stepped forward and she knew, he'd chase her down if she tried to run. At least, if he was feeling up for it and Zevran seemed like the kind of man that was often up for a challenge. Or, at worse, he'd kill her without knowing who or what was watching him.

So instead of running like her fears all but screamed at her to do, she slowly pulled her hood father over her head, tucked the stray strands of her hair back under it and stood just as slowly, keeping her hands palm forward as she came out of the grass.

"Ah, so you chose to reveal yourself? I can't say that I'm not delighted to find that the person I felt spying on us was a woman. Have you heard anything of interest?"

Swallowing, she suddenly felt all too vunderable in her armor. Not trusting her voice, she shook her head slightly but that wasn't enough for the elf. He shifted on his feet, putting all of his weight on one leg while he crossed his arms. It looked like a relaxed pose but she knew he was ready to strike if he needed. Both of his hands fell just above the handles of his blades.

"Why not take that hood off? Let me see the face of our little stalker."

Stalker?!

She didn't take the hood off but she did move so that at least her face was visible from under the hood. Now at least he could see the anger that she was feeling at his comment.

"I am no stalker." She bit back a snarl at the grin on his face as he stepped closer to her.

"No? But you no doubt crawled your way here, just to listen to our conversation? I can only assume that you've been following us for a while."

She felt heat creep across her face at his assumption but that only made his grin widen.

"So I am right? Tell me, what's a flower like you doing following a group like us?."

She tried and failed at not biting her lip at the question and took a step away from him. Trying to put at least another step of space between them.

"I'm not - I'm not following you."

She knew he could read her lie, even though it wasn't a complete one. After all, it really wasn't him that he was following. She cursed herself silently, why did it have to be him that discovered her? If it was any of the others she knew she could have made a story, a believable story at least. But with him, her mind seemed to go blank. Damn, it wasn't like she'd never came in contact with attractive people, one elf should never have such an affect on her.

"Lies will get you nowhere, my dear. Are you an assassin? Sent to kill our dear Warden?"

Her jaw dropped at the accusation.

"An assassin? You think I'm after the Warden?"

He moved forward again.

"If you are, I highly suggest you reconsider your occupation."

Her jaw shut with such force she knew the sound of her teeth meeting was audible even to him.

"No. I'm not an assassin and if I was, I would have had my job done and over with by now. Unlike you."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she clenched her jaw shut and her eyes widened as the implications of what she'd just said swirled around her. There went any chance of convincing him that she was just a curious bystander now. Not that she really believed that he would have before.

"Aah, so you have been following us! A tad longer than I assumed, of course. Out of curiosity, just how long have you been trailing our dear Warden?"

Giving up on getting away she simply narrowed her eyes up at him as he approached her. But she silently thanked anyone that would listen to her as he stopped an arms length away. How was she going to get out of this? She kept her eyes on his as she ran through any possibilities that she had, only to give up moments later.

"I found them in Lothering, the Warden, and her crew. Her raggedy band of misfits. She's interesting is all."

He nodded and recrossed his arms.

"So you decided to follow her? Perhaps, to watch over her?"

Squinting up at him she let huffed an amused breath of air. He was good. She figured someone with such calculating eyes would be, but it didn't mean she had to like it.

"I decided I wanted to help out. I heard them talking about the Blight, and I thought she could use some help, so I followed."

Another nod.

"Then why not approach her like Leliana had?"

Angling her body away from him, she shrugged and allowed the hood to slip back just a fraction more.

Zevran stared down at the girl in front of him quietly. There was definitely something she wasn't saying.

"If it's obvious that the Warden needs help, why would she not want yours?"

He watched as she messed with the hood that covered most of her face from him and looked away. He didn't miss how she'd positioned herself, a side stance. Making herself a smaller target, a bit harder to grab and easier for her to evade him if she needed.

"Who wants an ex slave in their ranks?"

Aaah, so that was it. She was an escapee then. Unable to resist anymore, he reached up and quickly snagged her hood and pulled if off of her head. Seconds later, long white hair fell around the girls absolutely shocked face and he stared, completely entranced. She was stunning, absolutely stunning. Wide silver blue eyes started up at him as she reached after the hood.

"Why in the Maker would you hide something so beautiful." It wasn't a question, and she hesitated. He still held her hood though, and that got her to move.

"It's too noticeable! Give that back!"

"Why not be noticed? Beauty isn't something that should be sheltered away, why would you wear a hood?"

Glaring at him, she closed the small space between them, leaving her just a breath away from him.

"Because I don't know where my father is, if he's still out there and learns that I'm still alive he-"

She stopped, catching herself, and felt her jaw clench.

"Why would it be so bad if your father finds you?"

After a second, she looked away again but remained quiet. He'd actually thought she'd never respond when she finally shifted away, sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"Because my father was my master."

Now, Zevran had heard a lot of things, strange things even but he'd yet to hear of a father enslaving his own flesh and blood.

"Why?"

She turned to him again.

"Because my mother was an elf and she passed a small amount of her magic to me. I was useful but I wasn't to be acknowledged as his child. I was nothing but a nothing that could kill whom he wanted, when he wanted. Without leaving a bloody trail to his feet."

After a few seconds of thought, he extended his hand offering the hood back to her.

"We are not all that different then."

He could see the question in her eyes but she didn't voice it. Instead she accepted the hood and eased it back over her head, but didn't pull it up so that it lay around her neck like a scarf.

"If you say so." A pause, and then a quick inhalation of breath, like she was throwing the question at him, "Are you going to reveal my presence to the Warden and the others?"

He rubbed his chin, seemingly debating it for a moment.

"Not if you tell me how you killed your targets. If they suffered or if you seduced them, which I would find highly plausible."

Her face flushed at the suggestion, and he had to stop himself from grinning as she stuttered for a second before her voice steadied.

"I never - No, I haven't seduced anyone. I wouldn't - I simply went in and killed them." she paused before a small smile crept across her face, "Well, I killed the ones that deserved to die. Others, they were lucky. My father would accompany me to my mark but never detected the spell I'd cast on them, making them seem dead. I'd drop a note telling them to get the hell out of dodge if they wanted to live."

Zevran was grinning now too, that was until he thought about what would happen if her father ever found out about her treachery.

"He never found out about this?"

Her own grin faded almost immediately and her eyes seemed to darken.

"No, he did. I was punished severally every time he found out that a mark lived. But I refused to kill anyone I didn't see fit to die."

She was honorable, no wonder she was drawn to the Warden. The two seemed cut from the same cloth. He watched as she shifted and looked up to the sky.

"Actually, I think he may have been planning my disappearance before the Blight started. Which is probably why I'm still alive after so many living marks," shrugging she turned her gaze back to him "so you'll let me go now, yes?"

Before she could step away again, he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him as he turned. Though he wanted to honor his word to her, he couldn't allow this woman to run off before the Warden learned about her and decided what they should do. Though he was positive he knew what the answer would be, she'd be drawn into their group just as he had been.

"I truly am sorry my dear, but I'm going to have to alert the Warden about this. She is the one that you're following after all"