And here we are on chapter 5 already! Woo hoo! Anywho, on with the story! And…Bioware owns Dragon Age.

Chapter 5:

Several days had passed since Fenris' visit. Saura busied herself with more odd jobs around the city and found that as a whole, Nevarra City wasn't all that bad! She never really liked the city scene before, but the people were nice enough, and work came easy. She'd even caught a glimpse of the alienage and was pleasantly surprised to find it well maintained as far as alienages go. She kept as far away from the College of Magi as she possibly could. The College would host an array of mages from the Circles of the nations who convened every so often to make decisions. Saura knew she was probably just being silly, but she worried the mages would somehow be able to detect her magical abilities and drag her off to one of the blasted Circles. It wasn't being locked up within its confines that terrified her. It was the teaching of magic.

Saura ached all over. She had just finished up a manual labor job delivering packages to upper class clients. The herbalist she'd been hired by had given her crates of potent health mixtures to deliver in bulk to his customers. Her right shoulder was on fire even though it was almost fully healed. The muscles protested angrily at the heavy lifting she'd been doing all day. She rolled it now, hoping to relieve some tension.

It had been one of the longest days of her life and now as she walked through Nevarra City's streets it was quite late. The sun had set several hours ago and she was currently walking at a snails pace back to her room at the inn. The candles within the lampposts flickered cheerily as she strode passed, illuminating the path. A cool breeze swept her dark golden hair away from the nape of her neck, and although she always pulled her hair up into a ponytail, her hair had been sticking to her neck. But now she was thankful for the breeze and continued on her way, wanting nothing more than a nice long bath. Her hardened red leather armor was slick with the sweat of the day and she suddenly wished she could peel it off along with her heavy sword draped over her back. She never went anywhere without either, but at the moment she wanted to be back in her inn relaxing in the tub naked.

She cursed under her breath as she placed one foot mechanically in front of the other. Why in Thedas did the job have to be situated on the opposite side of the massive city? Her feet were killing her….

She awoke abruptly from her inner pity party as the sounds of a scuffle met her ears. She halted, body tense, and attempted to locate the source of the sound. There. To the left. The noises were coming from the opposite side of the merchants square she'd just entered, and she crept closer to find a group of figures swathed in dark shadows. They were just out of the reach of the lampposts soft glow in one corner of the square. Taking another silent step closer, she noted there was five large figures huddled around a petite one.

" I'm sick and tired of your shit Karyn!" Yelled one figure- a man by the sounds of it. He pushed the figure back against the wall roughly. Saura could just discern the dull thunk noise as Karyn's head met the stonewall behind them.

" Please serah!" Came a desperate feminine voice. " I do not even have coin enough to feed my children! Please, give me another month and by the Maker I'll—"

"Bullshit!" Roared another.

"It's been several a fortnight already Karyn. We've been patient enough. Pay up or meet my blades."

The smaller figure slumped to the ground sobbing.

" No, please have mercy! I cannot find work!" The sobbing grew hysterical as one figure brandished two ornate daggers.

"Well that's not very nice." Saura called tauntingly, stepping out of her hiding place without giving herself a moment to fully think through her decision. Heads whipped around at the sound of her voice and all five figures turned to face her while pulling out an assortment of weapons. "Five against one isn't really fair is it?"

"None of your business you knife-eared bitch! Get lost!" Yelled one of the figures with a set of matching daggers. He stepped closer menacingly.

"Hmm…no I don't think so. You see, I take offense to your continued breathing." Saura growled, unsheathing her sword. " We'll have to fix that."

The five men charged at her all at once, and for the briefest of moments, Saura wondered if she could survive an attack of so many. Well, too late for second thoughts.

Without further time for idle thoughts, her brain kicked into tactical mode and she surveyed the impromptu battlefield. Two men were three steps ahead of the others, so naturally, she went for them first. She struck out mightily, plunging her sword up to the hilt in the first man's belly. He dropped his massive maul as his eyes rolled back into his skull. She kicked his body from her blade and jumped back a pace just in time. The man carrying the matching set of daggers went in for a sideswipe but instead swept the air, sending a cool blast of air that ruffled her golden hair. She dropped suddenly to the ground and knocked the man's legs out from under him with such force that she could hear him wheeze as the air was knocked out of his lungs. The slowest of the five descended upon her all at once in a tight group. She stepped back to gain leverage and in a massive, sweeping arc, she heaved her blade through the air catching every one of them in the midsection. All but one died instantly, and she quickly finished the job. She turned to find the man she'd tripped already on his feet.

"You whore!" He rumbled. " You'll pay dearly for messing with us!"

The man surprised her with his agility as he came at her, daggers glinting in the candlelight. Saura was more than ready however, and countered his attack easily. The sound of metal on metal reverberated through the empty square.

"You're strong!" Saura managed through gritted teeth. Even under pressure, the surprised tone of her voice was unmistakable. She put all her weight into her sword and forced the man back a couple steps. She took the opportunity it was taking him to regain his balance to jump forward, slicing her sword across diagonally. The result of which splattered against the walls sickeningly.

It took Saura a minute to catch her breath and force down the nausea that was building as she looked upon what she'd done. Even after living her life on the road, engaging in countless battles, sometimes to this day she became physically sick afterwards. She hated death. She despised the idea that she had caused it…but she'd come to realize there was no other way she could possibly survive.

"What have you done?"

Saura whirled around at the voice and saw the petite Karyn staring at her with widened green eyes that shone with tears. Her mid-aged, slightly wrinkled face was wet with the tears she'd already shed. The woman was elven, Saura noted, looking at the pointed ears popping out from graying brunette hair. She held her hands to her mouth in terror and even from five feet away, Saura could see she was trembling.

" I…think I just saved your life." Saura said bluntly. She wasn't expecting a golden plaque or anything…but a thank you would have been nice. Her words seemed to trigger something in Karyn because she took her hands away from her mouth.

" I cannot thank you enough, serah. Pardon my rudeness, but do you know whose blood you've just spilled?" Her words were so low that Saura had to tilt forward to catch them.

"Umm…should I?"

Karyn suddenly looked unbelievably weary as she stepped forward toward the nearest body. Saura noted the odd way the woman moved when she walked, swaying as she placed far more weight upon her right leg than she did her left. She knelt down and began searching the body for something. Probably coin.

"These men are a part of the Thieves Guild of Nevarra City, messere. They will not let this go unpunished." Karyn stood back up, holding a shining golden locket in her hands now. Fresh tears rolled slowly down her face. " I am so sorry, but I have condemned you to death for your involvement here!"

Silence filled the dark merchants square as the information sunk in. Well, this wasn't good. Wouldn't be the first time she'd made herself a target though…

"Please serah, take this!" Karyn pleaded, holding out the necklace. " I had given it to the thieves as payment, but it wasn't enough. It was my mother's and it is very rare and worth at least a couple gold pieces. I know this does not in any way begin to repay you for your kindness, but I would like you to have it."

"No. I do not require any compensation." Saura said quickly. "You need that necklace far more than I do. And here." Saura tossed a gold piece in the air, which Karyn caught clumsily. " You'll need as much coin as you can if you're going to flee the city. You need to get out of here immediately. Take your family and flee north to a small town called Solas. It is a lovely town that will be happy enough to take your family in."

"But serah…thank you, but I cannot—"

"Your leg. Injury or deformity?" Saura asked.

"Injury. Years back. All the bones in my lower leg were shattered after a wagon tipped over and fell upon it. I didn't have coin enough to pay the healer to fully heal me. It still pains me more often than not." Karyn looked so small standing there in the dark. Her head was hanging and she was brushing away more tears as they fell softly down her face. She looked so beaten down by the world and all it had dealt her, and Saura felt sympathy stir within her for the woman's plight. She placed a comforting hand upon the woman's shoulder and smiled.

"There is a good man by the name of Corbin Yevitts at the Merriam estate to the east of town. Go to him and tell him Saura sent you. He'll take care of you and make sure you get a job that won't be too painful for you."

And then suddenly Saura had the breath squeezed right out of her as Karyn embraced her fiercely.

"Thank you! Thank you so much miss Saura!" Karyn was sobbing almost uncontrollably now. " I cannot tell you how sorry I am to have gotten you mixed up in all of this! But I will do as you ask and leave the city this very night. Please, please be careful. The thieves guild will not rest until they find you."

Saura smiled bitterly at the warning.

" Well, I'll deal with that in time, I'm sure. But as you have seen, I know my way around the sword so they'll have their work cut out for them."

"Yes, yes. Well, may the Maker light your path serah! Thank you again!" Karyn bowed lowly and limped quickly off in the direction of the alienage, leaving Saura with her darkening mood. Great. She'd inadvertently picked a fight with the notorious thieves guild. She'd be dead within the week if they discovered this was her doing, and all because she had to be a righteous soul. Damn it all.

A knock sounded on her door two nights later, sending Saura nearly to the ceiling as she jumped. She turned and eyed the door with mistrust. She'd kept her sword more closely at hand than usual since she'd killed the thieves, (which was really saying something), and now was no exception. She grasped the leather handle tightly and tiptoed toward the door slowly. In one fluid movement she flung the door open and crouched into a battle-ready position, only to find Fenris on the other side. He raised an eyebrow, but otherwise looked bored. He stood there a moment and Saura noted the way his arms were crossed before his chest, and the way his tattoos seemed particularly pronounced today.

"Expecting someone? Or have you finally decided you dislike my visits?" He asked cynically. Saura let out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding and dropped her sword.

"Fenris. It's you. Come in." Saura stepped aside to allow him entry. She shut the door behind him and turned to explain.

"I apologize for that. I've…made some enemies." Saura started. There was no sense in trying to keep it from him, she thought. She waited for his angry words…but none came. In fact, he didn't seem at all surprised by her admission.

"Yes. I am aware. Your scuffle was situated just outside the inn where I'm staying. I heard everything."

Saura stared at him, completely dumbstruck.

"You…did?"

"Yes. And let me say, you're right to be cautious. In fact, in all truth it may have been the stupidest thing you could have done." Saura glared daggers at him, but he continued on unfazed. " But, as far as I could tell there were no other witnesses to the act, and you were smart enough not to leave a trail, so you should be safe here for the time being. So I do not want you fleeing the city just yet, and in fact I will ask that you stay so that I can monitor you."

Saura rolled her eyes and plopped down into one of the chairs at her kitchen table.

"I wouldn't dream of going anywhere without your approval Fenris dear." She said mockingly, to which Fenris narrowed his eyes. " I wasn't planning on going anywhere. But it is good to know there were no other witnesses." Saura admitted.

Fenris nodded and shifted his weight nervously as his eyes wandered over the small space of her living quarters. Saura popped up from her chair and grabbed a pitcher and two glasses and filled them both up with a yellow liquid. She held a glass out to Fenris, who eyed in warily.

"Just take it." Saura said with a sigh. "It's fresh squeezed lemonade, and I guarantee it'll have been the best thing you've had to drink all week. Alcohol excluded of course." Saura took a long drink of hers, savoring the tangy sweetness. Fenris held up the glass and looked at it carefully with narrowed eyes. He sniffed it once, and finally took a sip after watching her drink her own. His eyes widened ever so slightly.

"What did you call this?"

"Lemonade. You like it?" Saura watched him closely.

"Yes." Fenris admitted almost begrudgingly. "It is…unlike anything I have ever tasted before."

"Oh, that's the poison!" Saura said brightly. Fenris' head snapped up, an alarmed look on his face. Saura burst out laughing. She laughed so hard tears sprang into her eyes and her stomach began to ache.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself." She finally managed, watching the mix of anger and distrust flit across his features. She took his glass from him and took a sip. "There, see? No poison. I just have a sick sense of humor apparently." She handed it back to him.

"For someone in your situation, you are awfully cheery." Fenris hissed, setting the glass down on the table with a little more force than necessary. Saura, who had been setting her glass off to the side of the counter, stopped a moment.

"My situation?"

She turned to look at him in her confusion, only to find him a breath away. He loomed over her menacingly, meeting her eyes directly. She made an effort to move away from him only to find her back pressed uncomfortably into the wooden counter. His hand shot out to the wall behind her, trapping her. It took more effort than she'd hoped to look up at him calmly, but she could feel her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Shit. Now she'd really done it.

" I hold the very key to your survival, I suggest you start acting like it." Saura began opening her mouth to spit a retort when his next words had her pausing. " I dislike being mocked."

To this day, Saura couldn't pinpoint what it was about that last sentence that had her holding her tongue. Maybe it was the honest way he said it, even in his anger. But looking up into his eyes, that were so close to her own, she could see the painful truth there. It was at that moment that all fear left her. They hadn't known one another long enough for her to actually hurt him with her words, but it was the situation itself that bothered him. No one liked being made fun of, but for him, she could see it made him nearly livid. She wondered why…

"I wasn't mocking you." She said softly, and yet with no hint of fear, because quite honestly, at that moment she felt none. All she felt was a longing to understand him a bit better. " I just wanted to lighten the mood. My mistake. Next time I'll tell the joke about the mage that blew their arse off."

Fenris blinked. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He looked completely, and utterly confused. And that had the smile spreading on Saura's face. He looked cute when he was baffled. Like a little lost puppy. She loved the way his sensuous lips curved downward in a slight frown, and the way confusion played in his eyes.

" So…wanna make out?" She said with a grin, after he'd made no attempt to move away from her.

Fenris' eyes widened as he abruptly came to. He almost jumped back in his urgency to widen the space between them. He hadn't realized how close he'd been to her. He could still feel the warmth on his leg where their bodies had connected…

"Kidding." Saura grinned. She finished putting her glass away and turned back around. "So what can I do for you Fenris? I mean, besides the usual avoidance of blood magic and demons."

He was looking at her with a peculiar expression on his face, as if he didn't really know how to respond to her. Finally, he must have come to some kind of conclusion and his anger seemed to melt away. He sighed.

"You are the strangest woman I have ever met. And trust me, that's quite the feat." He ran a hand along the back of his neck as if he were trying to relieve some tension there. " How you make light of such things, I will never understand."

"It's a talent."

"Truly." Fenris said dryly. He paused a moment to collect his thoughts. He watched the woman closely as she busied herself trying to straighten out her table. Try as he might, he could not picture her situated at home. She looked so out of place in her leather armor and sword draped across her back. The mundane tasks of daily living seemed strange as she performed them. He pictured her out amongst a battlefront, waging wars against darkspawn. Not tidying a kitchen. And yet here she was looking so…harmless. But this thought of her harmlessness hadn't been what propelled him here this evening. It had been two nights ago when he'd witnessed the fight with the thieves. He had witnessed everything. He'd witnessed how skilled she truly was in battle, and how effortless it had all seemed to her. But what had been the cornerstone of his decision had been the fact that she had never once used her magic…even when outnumbered so greatly.

Fenris sighed again and prepared himself for what he was about to do.

" I have a request." He finally managed. Maker, how he hated asking for assistance.

Saura looked up at him from her work, a slight crease forming in the center of her forehead just above her eyes. A sudden ominous feeling swept over her.

"And that is?"

Fenris didn't answer immediately…as was usual it seemed. He instead took to pacing the room, his face a mask of seriousness.

"I've caught wind of a secret slave caravan passing through the city tomorrow night. I plan to intercept it, but I'll need help. The slavers usually travel in groups of four or more to keep the slaves in line, but from what I hear this caravan is a bit larger than average. I expect nearly double that amount, and one warrior against a pack of slavers is suicide." He finally turned and looked directly at her for a moment, before looking away almost sheepishly.

"And you think I'm right for the job? I thought you didn't trust me." Saura couldn't help but say.

"I saw you last night, and I know what you're capable of. You're a very talented warrior, and one I would trust at my back." Fenris held his tongue and left it at that. He could have added that he trusted that she wouldn't turn against him, but held back because that would have sounded foolish. But that didn't stop him from thinking that way. Indeed, the way she was so open with her feelings he couldn't help but trust her, regardless of her situation.

Saura nodded, seeming content with his answer.

"Ok, I'll do it."

"What? That's it?" Fenris asked incredulously.

"Yep." Saura said. She smiled at him again and stretched her arms, which had been aching since the fight with the thieves. "Not much more I need to know is there? I'm always up for slitting some slaver throats!"

Fenris stared at her a moment before responding.

"You seem…particularly intrigued by this."

Saura shrugged.

" I've never been affected personally if that's what you're asking. But I am more than aware of the plight of our people. Slavery is sickening and should be stopped at all costs." Her eyes were bright with true anger now as her memories came flooding back to her. Memories of no one she knew personally, but as she walked the streets in Tevinter years ago, she remembered countless times seeing slaves beaten in the streets for insignificant things. Looking back on it now, Saura wished fervently that she had intervened then…

Saura was too focused on her own memories to see the flash of emotion that appeared on Fenris' face. He turned his head away, allowing his luminous silvery hair to conceal it.

"If that is how you feel then we are on the same page. I expect this caravan to contain eight slavers. Can you handle that?"

"No problem." Saura replied, not missing a beat. Fenris nodded.

"Meet me at the old warehouse district near the edge of the city tomorrow night at sundown. We'll prepare our attack then."

"I look forward to it!" Saura said brightly, flashing another bright smile.

Fenris left shortly after that with few words spoken between them. Mainly because Fenris was baffled at her attitude toward him. Saura should hate him for the knowledge he had hanging over her. He could turn her over to the Templars at any moment if he chose to, and yet she acted as if it didn't bother her at all! In fact…she seemed to act as though they were…friends. Fenris snorted at the thought as he traveled back through the darkened streets toward his inn. He couldn't picture it. She was…odd. And no matter how harmless she seemed she was still an apostate, and a very talented warrior. She was dangerous. And yet…

Fenris slowed to a stop as his mind wandered back to the way she'd smiled and joked with him tonight. She seemed so sincere. She'd even seemed as if she'd looked forward to seeing him again.

"She's utterly insane." He grumbled gruffly.

And yet….Fenris couldn't stop the strange and foreign feeling welling up inside him as he thought of her. He remembered the way she passionately revealed her circumstances to him. The way tears had gathered in her eyes as she told the story of how her mother had met her demise at the hands of a magister, and how she fought against using her magic every day. He rarely trusted anyone. But he trusted her. He knew he should keep his distance, but he found himself longing to know more about her.

At these thoughts, he swore violently and continued back toward his room at the inn.