This is a request I got on Facebook that I actually thought would be pretty fun to write! In the main story, Aedan and Leliana kill Marjolaine, but we wondered what would happen to the bardmaster if she somehow survived that and came after Leliana in Inquisition.

"Spymaster!"

I flick my eyes up for the briefest of moments and extend my hand for the scroll my spy is carrying. I don't look away from the report I'm scribbling down for Arin Lavellan, the Herald of Andraste. He had me send people to keep an eye on my brother-in-law earlier this month, and I suspect he'll want to know what happened. Fergus was eternally grateful for the support, as he usually is, and sent along a sword for the recently appointed Inquisitor. Cullen already sent men to Highever to oversee some burials for the Haven soldiers, but Fergus was fearing a Red Templar presence, and when Elissa didn't respond to his pleas for help, he turned to me.

"What is it?" I ask as I close my fingers around the parchment and set it aside for later.

"We...are not sure," he says nervously. "But you told us to watch out for mention of the Agents of the Maker, and that mentions them."

I nod, halfway between listening to him speak and writing. "Thank you. You're dismissed." He nods too before running off. "Oh! And do me a favor. Find Aedan. He should be around here somewhere."

"Of course."

I finish my scribbling in relative silence, twitching when I feel the familiar tingle signaling the approaching Grey Warden. I'll never get used to being one of them. It...it's strange. I do not like it.

"That guy on the steps said you were looking for me," Aedan says. I tear my eyes away from the envelope in my hand to look up at the man standing across the table from me, and smile. He returns the gesture, sitting to reach across and place his hand on mine. He has grown out his hair (probably because I asked him to do it) and has allowed his stubble to remain. Although he keeps it trimmed to a small goatee around his mouth, it's still a stretch for him. Aedan...I haven't seen him in so long that I can't remember seeing him with facial hair. The last time we spoke, nearly two years ago, he was still clean-shaven. I'm not used to it, or the scratching feeling on my face when he kisses me.

"I am."

Aedan raises a brow, smirking. "Is it business or...of a more personal matter?" I huff, but allow a small grin to crack through my wall. His smirk broadens at the sight. "You should smile more often. It would make you seem less...terrifying."

I shrug absentmindedly. "I'm supposed to scare people. If I didn't, I would be a bad Spymaster."

Aedan chuckles. "You know you'll never be able to scare me, right? I still see you as the crazy Chantry Sister talking about visions from the Maker."

I point my quill at him, closing an eye like I would when aiming my bow. "I'm not completely crazy. My hand doesn't glow like Arin's or Elissa's. And your sister does claim to have the Maker speak to her, so... I'm not all that crazy compared to her."

"Instead, you plot on how to best kill the next Comte or whatever these stupid Orlesians do."

"I could have Josie's job," I remind him. "Then I would drag you to all of these political meetings."

Aedan grimaces at the very thought and I give a recently uncharacteristic giggle, covering my mouth with a hand to cut the sound off. "You ever drag me to a political meeting, we're marching to the nearest Chantry to absolve this marriage, woman."

"You say that like it's supposed to hurt me." I say it with a straight face and a raised eyebrow. Aedan buys it for the first second, but quickly realizes I'm just teasing him, and gives me his typical sarcastic laugh.

"That was hilarious, Leli. Truly."

"Clearly. It was me making the joke."

He rolls his eyes and I grin, looking down at my hands still clasped in his. "So what's this you wanted to see me for? I'm up for anything. Not like I have much to do around here other than help you out." Aedan smiles. "And I think it's long overdue, us spending time together. Don't you agree?"

I feel squishy inside and look away from his eyes so he does not see my blush. After all these years, I've adopted a shell to keep from getting hurt again, and yet, he always manages to crack it and bring out the blushing idiot side of me. "Of course I do, but...we've both been busy. It...it's understandable." I try to keep the relief from my voice, but I know I failed before I even continue. "You're here now. That's what matters."

"Sounds like you missed me," Aedan remarks.

"You didn't miss me?" I ask sarcastically.

"Oh, if we're playing the mean game, then no. I didn't." Aedan gives a short laugh after I do. "No, I did. Everyday I missed you, and I'm glad to be back in Ferelden."

I hesitate before saying, "I am glad to be here as well. Ferelden, I mean."

"What? Did we grow on you, love?"

I scowl at him and he laughs openly, releasing my hands to clap his together once. I roll my eyes despite my obvious amusement, and reach for the scroll my agent brought me. It concerns the Agents of the Maker, so it concerns Aedan and I, but most importantly, Elissa and Alistair, the only two of the original four that are completely loyal to the cause. Aedan has been looking for a cure to the Taint and I've been with the Inquisition, searching for a way to explain who the Elder One is. Well, I was until Corypheus nearly obliterated Haven.

Unrolling the dusty piece of paper, I spread it out on my desk...table...thing. Ugh, I feel so eloquent. I shake my head at myself as I skim for the words I'm looking for, but that's when I see something I never thought I'd see again. My eyes widen on the pseudonym and my heart races much like it did when I first found out she was looking for me. Except...this time, I know for a fact Marjolaine is dead. Yet there sits her pseudonym in a sentence explaining how Corypheus wants her to handle the assassination of Arin and Elissa. Two different targets at two different locations.

Aedan must notice a change in my demeanor because he takes my hand and looks at me with his worried expression. "Leli? What's wrong?"

I move my mouth, but words don't come out. Not for a while. "It's...I...that name..."

"What name?" Aedan asks, getting up to sit beside me. I tap it as I feel my heart clench in my chest. "Raven? What about it?"

"All bards take on secret names in case we ever need to keep our identities hidden. Mine was Nightingale. Marjolaine..." I shudder at the memory. "She gave me it."

"Why didn't you change it?" Aedan seems confused. He knows better than anyone how terrifying I find just thinking of the person who betrayed me. I like to think of myself as a brave person, but Marjolaine...after what she did to me, I don't feel like I can think about her without feeling terrified. I acted brave when we went to confront her in Denerim. I acted like nothing mattered except finding her, and eventually, killing her. As far as anyone who was with us knows, that's how I actually felt on the subject. Only Aedan knows how scared I really was, how terrifying I found being forced to confront her was. I try not to think about her so I can avoid the fear and sense of betrayal, but when everything in my life has been influenced by that miserable excuse for a woman, it's hard not to. If she hadn't trained me, I never would have ended up in Lothering. I never would've met Aedan, or Elissa, or Alistair. I wouldn't be who I am today.

Sometimes I wonder if that would be better for the world.

"I...don't know," I admit. "You think I would have, but it just stuck."

Aedan nods his understanding, squeezing my hand the way he always does when he tries to comfort me. "Then what's Raven? Was it...hers?"

I squeeze my eyes shut and force myself to nod. "It's foolish to think it's her, but...I get the feeling it really is Marjolaine. She would do something like this." I hand the missive to Aedan so he can read it. "Either she's working for Corypheus, or she has held a grudge for what we did to her."

Aedan growls. Actually growls. He quickly becomes angry and frustrated, crumpling up the sheet of paper in his hand. "Leli, if it really is Marjolaine, if she did somehow survive us killing her, then she will want revenge, and we both know it. She'll see you dead in the ground when she comes after Arin, if she does." I hadn't realized that. I was too absorbed in my flash of fear. "I won't let that happen. I'll protect you the same way I did when we first confronted her. I promise." I just nod. "I won't let anyone hurt you. Not her, not Corypheus, nobody. I'd have to be dead for that to happen." He hugs me to his chest, and instead of fighting him off and telling him to save it for later, I let him hold me, thankful for the man the Maker has gifted me with. I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his chest, breathing so deeply my lungs ache. "If you get your men on this, I swear to the Maker that I'll help you hunt Marjolaine down again, even if we have to travel to the ends of the earth this time. She will not hurt you. Not while I still draw breath."

Aedan follows me to Arin's quarters. It's been three months since my spy found the letter ordering his and Elissa's deaths at the hands of Marjolaine, and I believe I finally have a location on her. It took everything I had, all of my contacts and all of my spies, to track the woman down. And surprisingly, it was her. She isn't dead.

Not yet. I intend to change that in the near future. That is one mistake that needs to be rectified. Immediately.

I knock once before going in. Arin is sitting on the balcony with Sera, like he usually is on Wednesdays. He blinks at me, confusion apparent, as I march right up to him. His brows crease into a frown. "What is it, Leliana?"

"Do you remember that woman I told you I would be tracking down?" Arin blinks again, and then nods, crossing his arms. "I found her."

"Do you want me to go with you?" he asks.

I glance back at Aedan for a brief moment. "Ah...no, thank you. Aedan and I can handle it. This is more of a...personal issue. It won't take us too long. We should be back at Skyhold within a few weeks."

He raises an eyebrow. "You have someone to fill in while you're gone?" I nod, mouth set in a grim line. "Then good luck. See you soon."

"Thanks," Aedan says when I just make for the door. I walk right out of Arin's quarters and down the steps without another word. I cross the main hall, glaring at anyone who dares to look at me, Varric included, and head up past Solas and Dorian to the rookery. Aedan manages to keep up with me, calling out my name even though I ignore him. I go straight to my supplies and begin packing, blatantly refusing to say anything. He walks up to me, bumping my shoulder with his, and when I still ignore him to pack, he grabs my hands in his. "Look at me, Leli." I exhale slowly and squeeze my eyes shut. It takes every ounce of willpower to keep from snatching my hands back when I know he only wants to help. "Leliana."

"I don't want to talk about it, Aedan. I don't want to go after her, I don't want to think about her, and I don't want to see her again."

"Then why are we still going?" By the look he's giving me, it's obvious that was a rhetorical question. "Why? It's not like she's not going to end up here eventually. Why do we leave when she has to come here to kill Arin? What's the point? We both know she'll make a side trip for you. Marjolaine will march in here and do her best to kill you regardless of what happens. She won't leave until you're dead. So why? Why do we go?"

My eyes narrow and I pull my hands away from his in a fit of irritation. "You know why."

"I do not. So tell me." I decide it's safer territory to ignore him again, so that's what I do. I shove my flint and steel into my pack, tucking them between a spare shirt and bandages. I drop a waterskin inside before going towards my bow, but Aedan catches my arm, blue eyes narrowed. They are bright in the way that shows his anger. Not like I'm going to let him, of all people, stop me. Right now, I couldn't care less what he thinks of me and my own fury. I suppose most people would be mad at him because he didn't actually kill Marjolaine, but I find myself feeling indifferent on that matter. What's pissing me off is the fact that Marjolaine still breathes. Not that she survived his sword, that she survived in general. The fear I felt before is almost nonexistent. I know that the moment I see her I'll be as terrified as I was previously, but at the moment, all I know is anger. I want Marjolaine dead more than I've ever wanted anyone (except perhaps Howe for what he did to Aedan) dead. She wants to kill Arin, the only person on the face of Thedas who can close Fade rifts, and my best friend that I've been through hell and back with. Aedan might not want to admit it, and it's not like I want to either, but if Marjolaine has the chance to kill him, she will take it. She probably wants to see him dead as much as she wants to see me in the same position.

I'll be damned if I let any of my friends get hurt.

"Leli, answer the question."

"I shouldn't have to," I snap, yanking my arm from his grasp. "You should know me well enough to know the answer for yourself."

"I do," Aedan says. "I want to hear you say it, though. I want to hear you tell me you don't want to kill her because she's threatening the Inquisitor, but because she hurt you. I want you to admit you have human feelings."

I freeze in the process of reaching for my quiver to look back at him with wide eyes. He looks embarrassed to say the very least, and ashamed for saying such a thing aloud.

"Why wouldn't I have human feelings?"

He shifts awkwardly under my gaze before standing up straight and fixing me with his serious stare. "Don't you know how you've been acting these last few months?" I just blink like an idiot. "From what you've told me, you've been acting exactly like Marjolaine would. You're like a demon, Leli. You play the Game with much more cruelty than you should. You are so cold and insensitive that I fear there's nothing left of the woman I love. The only person you act normally around is Josephine, and even she's told me about your ruthlessness. It...it's not normal to order the death of someone who was once a friend so willingly even if he's a traitor." My eyes widen even further and my head snaps up. How did he find out about that? "Normal people look for ways around it and use death as a last resort. You just told your man to kill him without a second thought, and only let him live because the Herald told you to." Aedan walks closer, eyebrows knit together in concern, as he rests his hands on my elbows, effectively trapping me. I could probably get free if I wanted, but I find myself unable to move. "The Leliana I know wouldn't do such a thing. She'd try to excuse him until she had no excuses left. She's kind and brave and knows when being selfish is better than selfless. This Leliana... I don't like her. She's terrifying. She's cold, and ruthless, and is so close to becoming what she swore to not that I don't believe there's a way to save her." Aedan releases me with a shaky breath. "You've changed, Leli, and not for the better."

I don't want to admit he's right, want to believe the lie that I'm still me, but I know he is. I've caught myself reveling in the kill of enemies recently. I've enjoyed playing the Game again. I'm slipping. I'm losing my grip on everything I've sought to become. I'm falling closer and closer to Marjolaine's level, and now that I know others care enough to be disturbed by the change, I find it scary too. I'm becoming the very monster I seek to destroy.

"Why are we going after Marjolaine?" Aedan asks, arms crossed.

"Because she needs to pay for what she did to me."

Aedan grins. "Good. To the Hinterlands we go."

I pull my quiver over my shoulder and grab my pack, slinging it across my waist. Aedan tosses me my bow before pulling on his shield and sword. He shoves a few essentials into a pack, and then he's as ready to leave as I am.

I get a sick feeling of excitement as we make our way down the tower and to the stables. The hunt has begun.

Aedan jostles my shoulder to rouse me. I blink back my sleepiness to reach out for my bow and climb to my feet, stifling a yawn. Aedan beckons me after him, so I follow, rubbing my eyes. We slept without a fire or tent last night on account of our nearness to Marjolaine's supposed location. Just thinking of how close she might be right now...it sends the nauseating fear rushing through my body in waves. I squeeze the grip on my bow so tightly my knuckles turn white. My heart races. My breath hitches in my throat. I'm terrified of facing her again. I can't...Marjolaine has always been one step ahead of me, always better. I never thought she taught me everything, and now it could be my downfall. Permanently. She's always been good at manipulating me. She knows what makes me tick, and if she's smart and resourceful (which she is) she already knows about Aedan and I. He'll definitely make me twitch.

I don't want to get any closer to Marjolaine than I have to. If she talks, she might dissuade me. If she fails, she'll attack. If she attacks, Aedan could get hurt. I could get hurt. One of us could die.

Marjolaine makes me feel like a soldier entering battle for the first time. Useless, terrified, and utterly stupid. I don't know what to do with her! She...she...I can't even...

I bump into Aedan from behind as we crest a rise. I scowl at myself when he turns back from looking at me like I've lost my mind. In the predawn light, the camp below is hard to pick out, and the moving shapes even harder. I don't know why I expected her to be alone. Marjolaine never goes anywhere without at least one person backing her up. This time, she has several mercenaries. Some are bound to be apostates. Aedan has that look in his eye that confirms my suspicions. Alistair trained Aedan well.

"Should we go now?" I ask softly, feeling oddly submissive to him at the moment.

Aedan hesitates, glancing between me and the camp before saying, "No. You're far too tired for any fighting. We'll head back to our own camp so you can sleep some more. I just wanted to show you what I found while scouting around."

I nod, failing to stifle a yawn. Aedan smiles and wraps his arm around my shoulders, kissing the side of my head. I groan at him halfheartedly as he leads me back to our little hideout among the trees. It's far away enough to be hidden from their sight and their ears, so I risk leaving Aedan up alone. I attempt to disentangle myself from his grasp, but he pulls me closer.

"Why don't you want to sleep beside me?" He literally looks offended.

I yawn again. "Because you might need to move without me being in the way."

Aedan sighs in amusement. "Oh, Leli. You never seem to understand when to be smart and when to be foolish." He gives me a look that brooks no argument and adds, "You're sleeping beside me." I just nod as he goes to sit against a tree. Patting the spot beside him, he waves me over, so I go, setting my bow by his feet. I put my quiver beside my leg after sitting. "See? I'm good company."

I smile faintly as I wrap my arms around his abdomen. "Of course you are." I lean on him and almost fall asleep instantly. Normally, I would welcome such an easy time falling asleep, but with the nightmares I've had recently, I wouldn't mind having the opportunity to enjoy the feeling of Aedan's arms around me. His embrace is comforting and warm, offering an acceptance I never knew existed until I met him.

"You're safe here, Leli. I promise."

My smile widens as sleep claims me.

I'm awake when Aedan starts to try to wake me. My eyes snap open and I breathe deeply. Fully awake as soon as possible, I reach for my weapons. I sling my quiver over my shoulder before scrambling to my feet. Aedan is on his feet just as quickly, stretching, while I retrieve my bow. He rolls up the blanket he had and tucks it away in his pack.

"Ready to go?" Aedan asks.

I swallow. I look down at my feet, unable to meet his eyes, and nod. I feel foolish, like a weak puppy. Marjolaine shouldn't have this effect on me. I've fought her before; she's the one who trained me. I know her fighting techniques better than my own. Aedan will be right there with me, too.

"Come on," Aedan whispers gently, extending a hand to beckon me after him. I follow wordlessly, eyes focused on the ground under my feet, and listen. I want to hear everything I possibly can. Marjolaine not knowing about us...it's strange. Unless Aedan knocked her brain loose, she should be smart enough to have a perimeter. But we would've been camped in it all morning. How did they not find us? "Down."

Aedan drops into a crouch as he leads me forward. We go a new way, sneaking through the brush and shrubbery instead of peeking over the hill as we did earlier. I stay back several feet so that the movement of the leaves we rub against is more fluid.

Then I see a figure between Aedan and I.

My mouth opens to call out to him, but I restrain myself. Marjolaine does have men running rounds. Aedan and I were dumb enough to pass into someone's rut. I grimace as he walks after Aedan. I can barely see past the mercenary to him, but I know he's trying to find a way to move out of the mercenary's path that does not raise suspicion. My hand drops to my dagger as I creep closer to the leather-clad man. The moment he stops to watch, I rip the blade free of its scabbard on my belt and lunge. He begins to turn. The sound of steel on leather is probably what alerted him, but I don't give him the chance to call for help. I clasp my hand around his mouth and plunge my dagger into his neck. Blood sprays onto my hand, making my stomach churn. In the back of my mind, I know his death was necessary, but all I can think of is how wrong killing is. In that brief moment of disgust, I realize just how much I've changed. I used to be like this, queasy and uncertain at the sight of blood. When I met Aedan, killing was as easy as breathing. It hardly fazed me. Now...now nothing stops me. Or that's how I've been lately. Marjolaine's reappearance has turned me back into the spineless idiot I was when she began training me.

"Get down!" Aedan hisses.

I blink stupidly. I hear a twig snap, so I jerk the dead man down after me, freeing my weapon from his flesh. I wipe it on the grass hastily before snaking off after Aedan. I'm not sure how he manages to stay as quiet as he does in armor like that, but if he knows how to, I won't question it.

Glancing over my shoulder, I faintly see the outline of the man I just killed lying in a puddle of blood, and someone new. He looks around, eyes narrowed. By the lack of terror that would usually be apparent in a new person's eyes, I expect he has some experience. He's smart enough to stay quiet as he draws his sword. It's still too late. I am reaching for an arrow before I can stop myself. My bow is in hand the same moment I'm standing. The instant he turns, I fire, and he drops with a dull thud.

I would normally go back for my arrow. I don't now.

"Leliana," Aedan whispers. I slide back into a crouch as I turn. "Come on. Keep up." He nods at the camp that is slowly becoming visible through the trees. Nervousness worms its nasty way into my head and I completely miss what happens between here and the collection of tents. My palms become sticky with sweat; my heart races. I feel sick.

What in the Maker's name is happening to me? I shouldn't be like this!

Aedan was right. I was turning into a monster. If killing bothering me is what it takes to avoid that, then I'll take the sick feeling. I've felt it creeping up on me since my spy brought me the letter. The realization first started when Aedan snapped just before we left. Now it hits me full-force. I would do anything, give anything, to prevent from turning into Marjolaine. Aedan once said I was better than that. I want to go back to being better.

"Wait here," I whisper, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. We're crouched behind a stack of crates beside a tent, and I want to take the opportunity to get ahead of him. He won't stop me from killing Marjolaine, but he'll stop me from the arguing I find myself desiring. I want to scream at her, to make her understand how much she broke me, and then I want to hurt her just as much.

A smile breaks through my façade. A sick, masochistic smile that I never want to experience again. But...I think I will indulge this side of me one last time. After all, she wants to kill Arin and Elissa.

"Are you sure?" Aedan asks, eyebrows drawn together to show his concern.

I nod grimly. "You'll know when I want you to join me."

"I don't like the sound of that," he admits with a frown.

"It will be fine," I say forcefully. Aedan hesitates, a look of indecision crossing his features, before he nods.

"She's yours this time."

Good.

I draw several arrows and tuck them between my hand and my bow before pushing to my feet and entering the camp. At this time of day, it's relatively empty. That doesn't include the people dozing in their tents, far too lost in themselves to see my silhouette on the canvas, or the men patrolling thirty yards out.

I walk through the camp unopposed and determined. I want her to be awake. I want to see the light leave that bitch's eyes.

I want her to suffer.

I clench my fists when I hear the canvas of a tent flap ruffle. I freeze, squeezing my eyes shut, before whipping around and firing one of the arrows in my hand. I don't need to see to know whomever it was is now dead. I don't even need to see to aim at them. The idea that I've been killing long enough to fire my bow off sounds makes me sick. I bite my tongue, eyes locked shut, and wait for the half-asleep others to hear. The victim yelped when he fell, and I wasn't exactly trying to be quiet when I fired my arrow.

They start coming to. I can hear the familiar sound of rustling armor and weapons. Aedan can hear from where he is. I know because he runs to my side, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Easy," he whispers. When I don't respond, much less open my eyes, he jostles me once. "Leli. Look at me. Come on." I force my eyes to open, wincing at the rush of light, and he smiles. "Good. You can do this."

"No, I can't," I mutter.

He squeezes my shoulder reassuringly before releasing me to draw his sword. People straggle from their tents, fully armed and armored, and I begin to think I've gone insane. I turned down the Inquisitor's help...for what? He offered to come with us, but that undoubtedly would've meant Sera, Dorian, and Cassandra would have come as well. We'd be better suited for a fight like this with four others.

Of all things for me to notice, it's the birds. They chirp and whistle at each other despite the clamor that has formed beneath them. Usually, birds would have flown off at all the noise. These stay.

"They killed Rin! Get 'em!"

I didn't need to hear his name.

Aedan launches himself into the fighting the same way he always has. Without hesitation, energetic, and furious. He kills the first man to charge him easily. Then I lose sight of him in a rapidly closing crowd of armed men and women. Whatever fear might've existed is gone and I raise my bow. The arrows in my hand are gone quickly, several bodies left in their wake, when I feel a knife being pressed into my side.

"My little Nightingale, come to sing."

I start to turn, but the knife is pressed more firmly and a hand covers my mouth.

"Weapons down," she croons. "Down, or all three of them die."

Three?

My hand snaps open and my bow falls to the grass. Marjolaine laughs, actually laughs, and every fiber of my being screams at me to kill her, to twist around and snap her miserable neck. "Good. Now kick it." I get the tip of my boot underneath the grip of my bow, and with a swing, kick it to my left. "Excellent." I can hear the smile in her voice. I hate it. My chest constricts when I inhale and fill my nose with her scent and fresh air. My muscles itch, burn, to hurt her. "Fate is a strange thing, is it not? Ten years ago, you came to me as you do now. With more passion and swagger than I've ever seen." I twist, or try to. She pulls my head farther back so she's speaking right beside my ear. "You came to kill me."

I want to tell her that was not the plan until Aedan suggested it. I want to tell her that's my plan now, that I want to see her suffer as much as she made me, but I couldn't even if I was able. My heart hammers in my chest so loudly that my head aches from it. I'm more than scared. I'm petrified.

"Now it is my turn to kill you, Leliana."

I hate the way my name sounds coming from her.

"But first, I would see you suffer. I would see you scream as you once did. I would see you break." She snaps out an order in Orlesian. The men fighting stop. "In all my life, you seemed to be the last person I would expect to tie yourself to another." I jerk again, but Marjolaine presses her knife further into my side. "What person was lucky enough to claim you the way I sought?"

I almost laugh.

"Was it someone from the Inquisition?" she asks. "Perhaps a man from Orlais? A woman from the streets of the dog-city you adore so much?" The group breaks out in a small fight and wrestles Aedan forward. I hear Marjolaine inhale sharply, surprised. The shock quickly changes to amusement as she laughs. "The Warden? A Fereldan man?"

I want to strangle her.

Aedan looks dazed. Blood pours from a gash in his forehead into his eye. There's a burn mark on his shoulder guard, but I don't see the mage who caused it. I have a very strong urge to hurt Marjolaine. It's made worse by the state Aedan is in.

"Do you truly love him, Leliana?" Marjolaine asks. "Or is your love for him the same as yours for me?" Oh Maker. She's going to hurt him. "Would you leave him if he couldn't see?" I struggle yet again, and yet again, she effectively manages to keep me from breaking free. "Uh-huh! You must stay to watch, yes? I hear you enjoy torture these days. You have become quite proficient, no?"

Aedan looks up as he's forced to his knees. His eyes find mine, but he doesn't show his fear. His eyes are empty, calm even. He's confident. Something is making him that way.

"What would break you, Nightingale? His screams of pain? The look of betrayal as you stand here and let my men break his hands?"

Aedan barks a laugh and extends his hands for them. My eyes widen. What's he doing?!

"Hmm," Marjolaine says. "A brave man." The mercenary on his left takes his hand. "I've heard he's kind as well. A good person." She brings her face closer to mine as she whispers, "It's a wonder that he chose you. A murderer, a liar. Someone like me."

It is. I gave up trying to change his mind a long time ago.

Aedan keeps his eyes locked on mine through the entire ordeal. He groans as his bones snap. The mercenary throws his crushed hand back at him, but Aedan doesn't twitch. He lets the man take his right. It kills me to watch this. I can't believe...!

Yes I can. I can believe Marjolaine would do this.

"Not even a whimper?" she asks. "Break his other, then. You will bend before me, Leliana. I will spend everyday I have making you suffer."

The mercenary closes both of his hands around Aedan's. My heart lurches, urging me to do something, anything, to help him, but Marjolaine moves the knife to my neck. She presses hard enough that my skin breaks and blood drips out onto it.

Just as the man begins to squeeze, he collapses with an arrow in his back.

"I suggest you let them go and surrender to us, or we'll have to kill you."

I want to laugh again. I never told Elissa about my...issue with Marjolaine. I spoke about her with Aedan, once, during the Blight, and after what happened, Aedan and I agreed to not bring it up if I wouldn't bring up Howe.

And there she stands, the Inquisitor and his party in tow.

"You said three? Try six," Elissa says. "Honestly, I thought if Leliana had enemies, they'd at least be able to count."

"Kill them!" Marjolaine orders.

"Or we could do that," Arin grumbles.

The mercenaries forget Aedan and scramble for their weapons. Marjolaine takes a step back, trying to force me after her, but instead, I drive my elbow into her side. Her grip on me weakens, so I wrestle free. I start to turn to face her. Then I decide I'd rather have my bow and run for it, scooping the weapon up. A foot pushes me to the ground just as I get a hand around its grip. I roll to the side and up onto my feet before a sword can impale me, and when I finally meet Marjolaine's gaze, everything comes rushing back. All of the memories, good and bad, all of the pain, the betrayal.

"My Nightingale," she says, smiling.

And I snap.

Without pause, I load an arrow and fire it. My arrow hits her foot a moment later, sticking her and it to the ground. She cries out, but I don't give myself the chance to find satisfaction in the noise. I march up to her while she recovers and kick the shaft so hard it splinters. She looks up at me in horror. I allow myself the briefest of grins before pushing her to the dirt. The arrowhead remains stuck, twists her ankle, and before I can realize what I'm doing, I step on the joint. I apply pressure, just enough, to make her ankle break as slowly and agonizingly long as possible.

I love broadheads.

Her scream only drives me on. I stand back, arms crossed, as I decide what I'm going to do. When I see her leg, I can't help but crouch down beside her. I pull my dagger from my belt, running the point along her thigh, and flip it fluidly. I slam the weapon point-first through the artery I know is there. That'll make her bleed. That'll make her hurt.

"I'm going to make sure you are dead this time, Marjolaine. I'm going to see you dead in the most painful way possible, and then I'll leave you here for the buzzards. It's all you deserve."

I take another of my arrows and pin her arm. When Marjolaine realizes what I'm going to do, she struggles, but I have the advantage of being on top and heavier. Her fight barely fazes me as I press the tip of the arrowhead to her wrist. Blood trickles into the grass.

"I can't make you feel what I felt all those years ago, but I can do my best to make you hurt."

I twirl my arrow in my fingers before dragging one of the four blades on the arrowhead across her wrist. She groans in pain. That's not enough. I want her to scream. I want her to know the pain I felt. And I'll make sure she does, even if it's the last thing I do. Changing course, I move the bloodied arrowhead further up her arm to her elbow and press it through the flesh there with little effort. The arrowhead bounces off her bone, but I force it on, using all of my muscles to cut the bone.

"You...are like...me," Marjolaine gasps.

I bring my face closer to hers, sneering as I say, "You're right. But I don't care."

Seeing the scar on her face, the one I left during our fight with her at Denerim, gives me a sick sense of pride. Everyday since, she's woken to a mark I left on her, a mark she will never be rid of.

I get to my feet, leaving my arrow and dagger embedded in her, as I pace around to her right, crossing my arms again. I stare at her, disgusted. Disgusted with her, with myself, with everything. She doesn't need to know I hate what I am. As long as she believes I'm as ruthless as she is, then she will believe I'll let her live for later. I won't. I am not that merciful. I'll kill her.

Bringing my leg back, I hit her in the side with my armored boot. Her cry of pain isn't enough. I do it again, and again, and again, until I'm sure her ribs are broken. Then I move to her shoulder. Kicking it hurts me, too, but I couldn't care less. The bone dislocates first, so I keep at it. It's unfair, cruel, wrong, and not my place to punish her for everything she has done, but that does not stop me. I hit her until her body is numb from pain. When I can't possibly hurt her anymore, that's when I stop kicking.

Marjolaine is still breathing. Somehow. Miraculously.

I crouch again, this time by her shoulder, and lean down.

"Tell me why I should be merciful. Tell me one time you were kind to me, and I'll make it quick."

Her eyes roll around, dazed and unable to focus. I doubt she even heard me. So I wrap my fingers around her throat and squeeze. She struggles only slightly, barely anything at all. Her eyes are now locked on mine with some last ounce of defiance. They radiate fear and anger, emotions she will take with her to the grave.

When her face slackens, I sit back.

She's dead. Good.

I stare at her bloodstained corpse, unblinking, when someone sits beside me. The lack of a shine and the silent movements tell me it's not Aedan. The wider shoulders say it's not an elf, so it's not Arin. A quick glance tells me it's Elissa. She's not looking at Marjolaine or me; she's staring forward with a carefully blank expression.

"Are you hurt?" she asks. I shake my head. "Do you want to be left alone?" I shake my head again. "Do you want to come back to camp with me?"

"Where's Aedan?" That's all I can think to say. I didn't care about anything but Marjolaine once the fighting started, and now I'm worried.

"At camp. With the Inquisitor." Elissa gets to her feet and offers me a hand up. I flick my eyes to Marjolaine one last time before accepting the help. The blond drags me to my feet. "It's good to see you again."

I just nod.

Who knew? A reunion with someone who was supposed to be dead ended with another destined to die.

Elissa hands me my dagger. "Come on. This way."

As she leads me from Marjolaine's camp, I push the memories with the Orlesian woman to the back of my mind. I am just like her, but instead of using the anger to kill for myself, I use it to do whatever I can to protect others.

Like Aedan said before, evil doesn't worry about being evil. It's strange that only Marjolaine ever makes me worry about being evil.

I look over at my friend and her easy smile before deciding that I am going to change.