Disclaimer: 'Course I don't own Dragon Age. It's called a FAN fiction for a readon, guys.

P.S., I have a question at the bottom of this chapter for my readers!

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Love of mine, someday you will die.

But I'll be close behind. I'll follow you into the dark.

I'll Follow You into the Dark, Death Cab for Cutie

I stood at the cliff that morning, the cold air nipping at my skin and sending goosebumps down my arms and back. The Arishok was gone and everyone was grateful and happy to move on with their lives and forget about the destruction.

I was not.

I am a simple rogue, an archer with actually not much skill with daggers. I have a small frame, even for a human, and not much muscle or stamina. There was no way I could face him by myself. No possible way I could even hope to survive in those close quarters. Isabella had left with that damned book and that was that. My companions and I might have been able to take him alone, but if I wouldn't fight him by myself, then his underlings wouldn't stand by as we took on their Arishok.

They would have killed all of us, and there was no way I could stop that.

But then she came back. She came back with their book and offered it back. My heart had soared and I knew looking back, I was beaming. She had come back.

But it wasn't enough. They wanted to take her as repayment or some dumb shit like that. If they weren't allowed, then they would attack all of us for the pirate. I couldn't let that happen.

Merrill was shell-shocked, didn't realize what I had just done. I thought Varric would start crying right then, and had to physically hold him back. Aveline was maybe the only one who understood me, had stayed with me long enough that everything I did was for the greater good, but she would have fought.

I couldn't watch her being dragged away.

I couldn't turn around as the dagger slipped in between my ribs, and warm arms encircled me as I started falling. She was crying, asking my why over and over again in suck a broken voice. I couldn't answer her from the blood coming up from my mouth. As I pushed away Isabela's arms from me and stepped forward, I couldn't help but ask myself if I would do it again.

I didn't have an answer for myself as I fell from the cliff, her hand reaching out for me to take once again.

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I had a year left in Lothering before everything started. Roughly a year, at least. I still trained Carter as much as I could, and sometimes Samson would humor me and train with us, too. He wasn't as bad as I expected, and I only hoped he could get himself out of the village when the time came.

I couldn't help him anymore than that, though.

Sometimes I would come home and feel empty, and it was harder to breath and hear, and it was so hot, then cold. It would pass after a few moments, but I always had to block my magic afterwards, not wanting to take a chance.

I had been careless lately. The other day I could have sworn someone saw my practicing with Carver, teaching him to fight against magic, but thank the Maker I was wrong. The little girl apparently didn't see anything, and showed no sign of knowing I was a mage.

Just in case, though, that night I had went over with Mother on the procedure if I was to get caught. It hurt her, but it was always a 'what if' situation. It had never happened before, but better safe than sorry. She was to take the other two and run. I told her to go to Kirkwall, because I had 'learned' of our noble ties through Father. She was to run, and to wait for me, and I would prefer mercenary work, if needed, thank you very much. She looked a little pale after that, but she took a deep breath and agreed. I'm glad she was stronger this time.

We were running and running, feet sore and breaths short. Pounding, pounding, everywhere, all around, but no where to escape. We were caught, caged, broken. Screams all around, blood and gore flying, tossing and splashing onto our skin. He was pale, paler than usual, a deathly white of a corpse but still breathing. We were alive, but barely, Loghain's troops swarming, darkspawn swarming, melting, 'til everything was one and it was chaos.

We had our backup, but it wouldn't be enough, it would never be enough. Their twisted faces and grinning lips would haunt me for the rest of my life, which wasn't that long, but still. My King was dead, broken, defiled. Commander Loghain was fighting beside us, his face sharp and hard, anger and maybe a little fear shining through his eyes. Carver was injured, bleeding; he wouldn't make it. There was too much blood seeping out from the cracks in his armor, and the smell of death poisoned the air around the few survivors, fighting.

I didn't want to die again.

I ran, and ran and ran and didn't look back until I was home, home sweet home. I was alone and they knew it. Their eyes were accusing me, but it didn't matter, doesn't matter, will never if I can save some of my family.

Soothing words were whispered in my dreams and I was crying as I woke up every morning.

Carver was definitely annoyed with me by now. I couldn't find it in me to care, though. I hadn't been training with him these past few weeks -being found out my main excuse- and just being lazy. I couldn't help it; this was the most relaxed I had been for a while. A long, long while. And it confused me.

I wasn't supposed to relax; I was supposed to train, both myself and my siblings. Carver still was hesitant when swinging his sword -though less so when I mocked him- and Bethany was still scared to use her magic. They needed to be prepared for the coming times if both were to survive.

And here I was, laying beside some simple farm hand in the grass, while he dozed off and I contimplated what I was even doing anymore.

Samson had that effect on me, see. When he was around I dropped my guard, which was a big no. I could only do that around my -to be- friends and family, and never completely.

But as the boy -man, really, but I was still so much older, so much more jaded- opened his bright eyes and yawned, I couldn't help but smile.

Maybe I could possibly save him, too.

So about that chapter that was supposed to be out earlier? Yeah...let's just say when I was almost finished with it, it somehow ended up deleted. I couldn't finish it again after that.

It was so good too! But when I went to go type it out again, I just couldn't form the same words v.v

Anyways, this chapter is now finished, it's a little past midnight and I have ACTs to take at school tmorrow-well, today I guess- so sorry for any mistakes! I'm also typing this out on my phone, so yeah, small buttons and chubby fingers don't mix.

Question, would anyone be interested in a spin-off with Samson? I hate to not go more into depth with their relationship, but there's just no time in this story to. He's a lot more interestimg than I believe I make him out to be. Amd the story would also have maybe short chapters of Marian's old memories, also.

Thanks for reading!