Mayana walked through the forest the sun peaking through trees and catching the small medal emblem on the front of her Dalish armor.

"Why are we walking back to this ruin?" Zevran called watching the sway of her hips as she walked.

"You don't have to come Zev."

"You expect me to let you wander this forest alone?"

"I grew up in these forests." She looked over her shoulder at him.

He looked up at her giving her a sly smile and a wink.

They walked through the broken door into the ruins, Mayana walked down the stairs making her way to the ritual room kneeling down next to the fountain and placing the tablet on the floor next to it.

"Doesn't this fascinate you?" she looked up at him as he sat down next to her. "Our people once roamed these halls. Our ancestors slept here. And now… it's nothing but a forgotten ruin." She ran her hand along the surface of the cool water. "The shemlen stole this from us, made us forget everything and submit to them."

He reached out to her wiping the tear that ran down her cheek.

"Something awful happened here." She whispered closing her eyes and leaning her face into his hand. "Do you know much about our people?"

"I've heard stories."

She looked down twisting her necklace between her fingers.

"What's this?" he leaned across the small pool of water and held her hand still looking at the necklace.

"It belonged to my father." She smiled looking over at him brushing her fingers down his tattoo. She tilted her head catching his lips with hers in a brief kiss.

"You my dear warden are tease." He smirked as she pulled away.

"And you enjoy it." She smiled touching the tip of his nose with her finger. "Can I hear about your last mission now?"

He sighed sitting back down on the floor. "I suppose there is no reason for me to remain silent any longer, you have been a good friend to me. There's a reason I took your contract, it wasn't to leave the crows meeting you was quiet an accident. My contract before this… did not end well." Mayana slid across the floor to sit in front of him shaking the water from her hand. "You must realize before that day I was cocky and arrogant. I was the best crow, I believed, and I bragged of my conquests… both as an assassin and a lover."

"Before? You seem the same to me." She smiled.

"I was often told I was insufferable… right before I ended up in bed with someone. Such is how it was." He laughed. "One of the crows grew tired of my bragging and I was given a very difficult contract. A merchant with many guards and completely silent. Another crow Taliesen agreed to be part of my crew as well as an elven lass named Rinna. She was... a marvel." He smiled looking down at his hands. "Tough, smooth, wicked. Eyes that gleamed like justice. Everything I thought I desired. Rinna was special, I had closed off my heart, I thought, but she touched something within me. It frightened me. Taliesen revaled to me that Rinna had taken a bribe from the merchant and had told him of our plan, I readily agreed that she needed to pay the price and allowed Taliesen to kill her. Rinna begged me not to. On her knees with tears in her eyes, she told me she loved me and had not betrayed us. I laughed in her face and said that even if it was true, I didn't care. Taliesen cut her throat and I watched her bleed as she looked up at me. I spat on her for betraying the crows. When Taliesen and I finally assassinated the merchant we found the true source of his information. Rinna had not betrayed us after all. I wanted to tell the crows of our mistake, what we had done. Taliesen convinced me not to. He said it would be a foolish waste. So we reported that Rinna had died in the attempt. But they knew what we had done. The master who disliked me told me so to my face. He said the crows knew… and they didn't care. And one day my turn would come."

"Why would he tell you that?"

"To rub it in my face, perhaps. That I was nothing. That she was nothing." He shrugged looking up at her. "You once asked me why I wanted to leave the crows." She nodded. "In truth what I wanted was to die. What better way than to throw myself at one of the fabled Grey Wardens? And then this happened… and her I am."

"Do you still want to die?" she asked reaching out for his hand.

"No. What I want is to begin again. Whatever I sought by leaving Antiva, I think I have found it." He smiled running his thumb over the top of her hand. "I owe you a great deal."

"You owe me nothing."

He smiled pushing her hair out of her face. "So tell me… you said you had been hurt. What man could be so stupid to hurt your heart?"

She frowned pulling her hand away and turning back to fumbling with the water again. "He didn't do it intentionally… his name was Tamlen." She smiled. "He had been my best friend since my first memory, I loved him."

"What happen to him?"

"We were sneaking away from camp together to be alone when Tamlen spotted some shemlen running through the forest. We thought they were here to harass the camp, when we caught them they told us they found an elven ruin. They gave us an artifact they had found and told us that there was a monster that had chased them out of the ruin and they were just trying to get back to their home. After we let them go Tamlen insisted on visiting the ruin. It was very similar to this one, the undead walked, there were signs of not only elves but humans as well." She shook her head looking around at the ruin. "There was a mirror… I told him not to touch it." She whispered trying to hold the tears back as her breath caught in her throat. "He didn't listen… and then I woke up back in camp. We looked for him but could not find him anywhere. The mirror had been tainted by the darkspawn and infected both of us. That's why I became a Grey Warden, I would have died otherwise. Where ever he is…" She shook her head as the tears fell down her cheeks. She quickly turned away hiding her face in her hands.

Zevran reached out to her pulling her across the hard floor into his lap. She buried her face into his armor hiding her face from view. "It seems we are not so different as I believed."

"Are you feeling better?" Zevran looked over at Mayana as they walked through the forest back to camp.

"Yes thank you Zev." She smiled glancing over at him.

"I think we should head to Redcliff now that we have recruited the Dalish." She announced as they walked up to the group gathered around the fire. "If we leave now we can make it back before night fall."

They packed their things up and tossed them into the back of Bodahn's wagon. Mayana said her goodbyes to the clan and followed behind them scratching Lyis and flashing him a smile when he looked up at her, ears flat against his head. She pulled a small piece of meat from her cloak and handed it to him he took it from her hand swallowing it whole. She laughed pulling her hood over her head.

"You spoil that dog you know." Zevran smirked appearing next to her.

"Oh…" she jumped looking over at him.

"Did I take you off guard?" he laughed.

"I thought you were in the wagon with the others." She smiled pulling her hood down.

"You looked lonely" he smirked grabbing her chin and turning her attention back to him.

"Warden!" Oghren yelled from the back of the wagon taking her attention away from Zevran.

"Yes Oghren." She sighed turning towards him.

"Little pike twirler says he is sensing darkspawn. He wants to set up camp and see if we can avoid them."

"Okay. We can camp in the clearing just up ahead like we did last time." She smiled pulling her hood back over her head.

She followed the wagon up into the clearing and pulled her furs out, if there were darkspawn she didn't want to deal with having to escape her tent. She laid them out in front of the fire pulling a package of crackers from her pack and falling onto the furs next to Lyis. She tried to ignore the far off humming in her head as she watched Wynne light the fire before she disappeared into her tent.

"Sleeping under the stars?" Zevran smiled as he walked out of his tent no longer wearing his armor.

She nodded looking up at the dark blue sky with a smile as he sat down next to her. He laid down on his back grabbing her arm and pulling her down next to him, she laid her head on his chest draping her leg over his. "Do you think the crows are looking for you?" she whispered.

"I would be offended if they weren't." he laughed.

It wasn't long before the camp fell silent and the three of them fell asleep next to the slowly dying fire.

Mayana jerked awake sweat running down her neck soaking the front of her armor, she panted looking around the dark camp.

"Lethallan…" she looked around desperately as the wind blew through her hair carrying his voice with it sending a shock up her spine.

"Tamlen" she whispered looking around searching for him, she caught the pairs of golden eyes shining in the moon light. "Zevran… Zevran get up." She whispered shaking his arm.

"Ooohhh… What is it Mayana?" he groaned looking up at her terrified face. He quickly sat up grabbing his blades and looking towards the forest.

"Darkspawn." She whispered pulling her arrows onto her back before she readied one on her bow. "Alistair! Alistair come now!" she screamed firing her arrow into the forest the shriek letting out a scream as it lodged into its eye.

Zevran pushed her behind him staying clear of her bow as she fired arrows at the charging shrieks. Alistair appeared from his tent with his sword in hand quickly grabbing a shield from the ground. "Go get out of here!" he yelled helping Sandal into the back of the wagon. Bodahn took off down the road towards Redcliff taking Morrigan with them for protection. Mayana ducked as Zevran swung his blade around taking down a shriek full of Mayanas arrows. Alistair quickly followed them slicing through a shrieks arm as it reached out for Mayana.

She spotted him at the edge of the forest still wearing his Dalish armor though it was badly damaged the tattoo on his face almost invisible against his now black skin.

She dropped her bow and arrows on the fur and slowly stood up ignoring Alistair's yells and pushing past Zevran walking towards him at the edge of the forest. "Tamlen" she whispered as he turned around and walked into the darkness of the trees. She ran after him Zevran and Alistair calling after her still battling the shrieks. "Tamlen" she whispered again searching the trees for him.

"Lethallan" his voice echoed around her coming from every direction.

Her body shook as the tears fell down her cheeks a small smile forming on her face at the sound of his voice. "Tamlen please." She pleaded searching the trees. His form pulled out of the shadows and walked towards her. "Oh Tamlen!" she sobbed reaching out and taking his face in her hand. He closed his eyes her touch flooding his decaying mind with memories… the way her hair smelled, the touch of her lips, her smile, her laugh, the way she felt against him, how she looked the night they first made love under the moon the stars shinning in her blue eyes… the way he felt when she told him she loved him.

"No" he jerked away from her hands the song in his head becoming louder his body shaking with pain. He dropped to his knees screaming holding his head in his hands. "Kill me… Please Mayana… end it, end my pain, end the memories, end the song… I can't hold on any longer."

"Tamlen… please we can heal you." She cried dropping to her knees and taking his head back into her hands pulling him to look at her. "You can become a Grey Warden like myself… Tamlen please."

"I love you Mayana." He cried pulling her to him and pushing his lips against her.

She screamed against his mouth as his nail ripped through the skin on her back. "Tamlen please!" she cried as the hot blood ran down her back soaking the grass behind her.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance." Tamlen growled sinking his sharp teeth into her shoulder.

She screamed trying to push him off of her the pain surging through her body.

"Mayana!" Zevran yelled running towards her followed quickly by Alistair he shoved his dagger through Tamlen's head causing him to quickly release Mayana, stumbling backwards and to the ground. "Are you alright?" Zevran asked as he crouched down next Mayana she nodded covering the gash pouring out blood on her shoulder.

"Abelas Mayana…" Tamlen whispered reaching to her. She crawled towards him quickly grabbing his hand and taking it in her own. "I love you and always will." He breathed the life in his eyes slowly fading.

Her body shook as the tears poured down her face covering his chest where the armor was torn. "I love you Tamlen." She whispered as his head fell to the side and his eyes slowly closed a sob broke its way through her lips as she kissed his hand holding it against her lips as she whispered an elven prayer for him.

Zevran knelt down next to her wiping the tears from her cheek the best he could before slowly pulling Tamlen's hand from hers and laying it on his chest. She clung to Zevran burying her face into his neck as he picked her up off the ground. "Can you take care of him?" Zevran nodded towards Tamlen looking at Alistair. He nodded walking over to the body and pulling Zevran's dagger out. "Wynne!" Zevran called sitting down onto a stump someone had pulled in front of the fire.

"By the Maker Zevran! What happened?" she yelled as she ran over to them pulling Mayana's tattered top piece of her Dalish armor off Zevran pulled one of the furs off the ground covering the front of her with it.

"It's a long story. Can you just heal her?" he asked pulling her long brown hair that was sticky with blood off of her back so Wynne could see the twin claw marks running down her back. "Leliana, there is a herb in my bag that's in my tent." She nodded ducking into her tent and returning with a bag and handing it to Zevran. He pulled some out pulling Mayana's head up so he could see her face. "Here my Grey Warden." He whispered pushing the herb into her mouth. "It will help you sleep." She opened her eyes now blood shot and red, she ate the herb and laid her head back against his chest. Her body quickly fell into the rhythmic breathing of sleep. Zevran watched as Wynne slowly healed her tattered back before turning to her mutilated shoulder.

"I can't heal this fully Zevran. She will have a scar." She looked up at him as her skin pulled back together. "Leliana can you help him wash the poison and blood off of her in the river?"

"Of course." She disappeared in her tent returning a moment later with soap, a towel and a t-shirt. "Come on Zev." He followed her carrying Mayana in his arms. "If you sit with her here I can use this cup to wash her." Zevran nodded tossing the fur on the shore before sitting down in the shallow water. Leliana pulled the rest of her armor off and tossed it next to the fur. "Just lean her head back." Zevran complied tilting her head back watching the water run down her neck as Leliana rinsed her hair before massaging the soap into it. "Umm… Do you want to?" She held the bar of soap out to him nodding to her body.

"As wonderful as that sounds I think maybe we should just let her do that when she awakes." He smiled dipping her further into the water to rinse the blood off the rest of her body as Leliana walked out and grabbed the towel draping it over Mayana when he stepped out and patting her body dry.

"Okay sit down here and hold her up so I can slip this shirt on." Leliana motioned towards a rock. They quickly pulled the shirt on and Zevran wrapped her in her fur and readjusted her in his arms as he stood up.

"I'll just put her in my tent, she didn't pitch hers." He whispered looking down at her face. He slipped into his tent laying her down on the pile of blankets and furs. He pulled his wet clothes off switching for a pair of dry pants before lying down next to her pushing her wet hair out of her face.

Zevran opened his eyes when he felt her shift under his arm.

"Hi" she whispered pushing his hair behind his ear and running her finger down it. "Thank you for saving me."

"Anytime dear warden." He smirked.

She frowned laying back down on the pillow. "Poor Tamlen."

"I am sorry you had to see him like that. It looked like he loved you a great deal." He sighed tracing the light tattoo on her forehead and down her nose.

"Yeah" She smiled shutting her eyes.

"Do you want to talk about him? Some believe that it helps mourn lost love."

"No. I mourned him along time ago when I left my clan." she opened her eyes staring into his golden eyes and pushing herself up enough to press her lips against his slipping a hand behind his neck pulling him down with her as she lay down onto the pillow deepening their kiss.

"I don't think this is the best time to do this Mayana." He whispered pulling away from her.

"I want to." She pushed her lips back against his.

"But you don't." he pulled away from her. "Your heart is aching and your just looking to me to try to fill it with pleasure and I refuse to do that." She looked up at him. "I want to don't mistake that but you will only regret it in the morning." He pulled the fur over them and laid back down wrapping his arm around her stomach.

"I have to say you surprise me Zevran." She smiled turning towards him and closing her eyes.