Eye of the Storm

by xseikax

The Blight has been ended and Ferelden is at peace. But a new threat is coming, and a cryptic warning sends two women in a desperate attempt to keep a little girl safe. And while they hide from their allies and seek out answers, the danger begins to come from every direction. Sequel to Eyes of a Stranger. AU Story

2. Chapter 2

I. Prelude to an Apocalypse
9:37 Dragon; Six Years after the death of the Archdemon

"Mamae! Mamae! Look at this!"

Ashara stood in the training yard of Vigil's Keep, helping to teach some of the Warden mages their new spells but, at the sound of the six-year old's voice, she turned to look at the girl, who was beaming with pride. "What is it, da'vhenan?"

The little girl's dark blue eyes lit up like a sapphire sparkling in the sunlight as she held out her white arms proudly. After taking care to make sure Ashara was watching, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Soon, Ashara saw a little ball of blue light appear in the center of the girl's palms. The sphere grew bigger and bigger until it was almost as big as her head. Then, she opened her eyes, noticed the other Warden mages watching her, giggled, lost her concentration, and the sphere was gone.

"Did you see it?"

"I did!" Ashara knelt down next to her daughter Anyu, the girl she was still amazed to have had. "What a fine mage you'll make!"

"She could rival any apprentice in the Tower," one of the Warden mages, a human woman named Gwen, said cheerfully. The other mages chuckled and nodded in agreement, each of them eager to encourage Anyu in her magical ability.

Anyu twisted strands of her perfectly white hair around her little finger, suddenly acting shy at all this extra attention. "You really think so?"

Gwen nodded, smiling indulgently as everyone did when they dealt with Anyu. "I know so, sweetie. Most mages don't learn to control energy like that until they're a little older." She tossed Ashara a wink.

Ashara suppressed a smile and looked at her daughter. "What do you say to that?"

"Oh! Ma serannas! That means 'thank you' in the ancient elf language," the little girl said proudly.

Gwen laughed at that. Everyone knew that Anyu absolutely adored helping the humans and elves learn how to say some words in the ancient Elvhen language, even going so far as to ask them to repeat it to her to make sure they were learning. Ashara didn't mind it; the Wardens that lived at Vigil's Keep were their Clan and it was natural that Anyu would want to try to teach others. After all, a Keeper's blood flowed in her veins. Ashara's father, Anyu's grandfather, had been Keeper to the Clan, and Ashara would have been the next Keeper if she hadn't become a Warden.

Besides, Ashara no longer demanded that Dalish secrets remain secret. After nearly seven years of living in the human world, she had come to see that a lot of humans weren't waiting for the chance to steal everything from the Dalish. Some of them—especially those that lived at Vigil's Keep—were good people, people that were amazed by the proud history of the Dalish, who even respected the ancient magic.

Ashara straightened up and looked down at her daughter. Now that she was beginning to control the flow of energy, it was time to begin the next part of her training. She glanced back at the four Warden mages who had gathered together to practice some new spells.

"Gwen, I need to help Anyu for a few moments," Ashara said to the human mage. "Will you make sure the others keep practicing draining aura?" Her eyes traveled over them. "Only this time make sure that they learn how to control it. We don't want a repeat of what happened yesterday."

Gwen grinned at that and the other two mages chuckled and patted Keiran, an elf from the Tower, on the back; he snorted loudly, unable to keep a straight face. The story of how Keiran, intending to only play a small prank on Oghren, had accidentally drained him of all his energy, causing him to pass out on the table at supper, was one that would be repeated for months on end. Oghren was still on a rant about Stone-cursed mages, although it didn't help that Keiran couldn't stop laughing long enough to actually apologize.

"You heard that, guys," Gwen said with mock seriousness. "Back to training! And just know that if any of you end up making me pass out, I swear I'll make you pay for it!"

The others went back to their training while Ashara turned to her daughter. "Well, sweetie, now that you're learning to control a healing spell, I think it's time to move on to the next part of your training."

Anyu's beautiful face, as white and delicate as a porcelain doll's, lit up. "Really, Mamae? Tell me!"

Ashara smiled at her enthusiasm, remembering how eager she herself had been for Keeper Marethari to teach her everything. And, now, Ashara was passing those same lessons on to her daughter.

Although they weren't technically part of a Clan of the Elvhenan anymore, it was still Ashara's duty to teach Anyu as much as possible. She alone was responsible for teaching Anyu the ancient, sacred magic of the Elvhenan, and to instill as much history as she could because, one day, Anyu might very well become First to a Clan.

Ashara closed her eyes for one brief moment at the thought of it, remembering the message she had received from Keeper Marethari, who had taken Ashara's Clan north to Kirkwall only five years ago.

Through Carver, a young Warden whose sister knew Ashara's Clan and occasionally sent messages to Ferelden for Marethari, Ashara had learned that Merrill, Ashara's one-time friend who had taken her place as First to the Clan, had been informally exiled from the Dalish. Foolish, stupid, Merrill, who was becoming so consumed with cleansing the eluvian, the ancient mirror that had tainted Ashara and Tamlen, that she had been willing to leave her Clan, abandon her people, and turn her back on their way of life.

Ashara didn't know why Merrill was so obsessed with the eluvian. There was no way to cleanse it without a demon's power and every mage—well, every sane mage—knew to never trust the word of any spirit from the Beyond. The Clan, afraid that Merrill was risking bringing back the darkspawn taint, had finally convinced Marethari to make the hard decision to exile her First. And Merrill, refusing to set aside the eluvian, had walked away from her own people.

But now the Clan had no First. If, Falon'Din and Dirthamen forbid, Marethari were to die, the Clan would have no Keeper to protect and care for them. Marethari knew that Anyu had been born a mage, and had sent a message through Carver's sister, asking if Ashara would be willing to part with her daughter for the sake of the Clan.

Ashara's first answer was an immediate and very firm "no". She had once sworn that she would never abandon Anyu, as her own mother had done to her; not for the Dalish, not for the Creators, not for anyone, would Ashara ever willingly part from Anyu.

It took Tamlen's calm, practical mind to help Ashara realize that, perhaps, the decision should be left to Anyu. They decided that, when she came of age at fifteen summers, she would be given the option to join Ashara's Clan as the next Keeper. And, although it hurt for Ashara to think about it, Anyu, of course, was all for it. She wanted to learn to be the next Keeper as soon as possible. She wanted to start fighting with knives like Kali, and go out hunting with Tamlen and Zevran. She wanted to grow up as fast as she could, while Ashara wanted to keep her as her little girl forever.

With a sigh, Ashara shook her head to clear her thoughts. Every child must grow up eventually; she would be a poor mother if she didn't teach her daughter how to prepare for her responsibilities.

She walked over to the large oak tree that stood proudly in the training yard. As Warden-Commander, Ashara had always insisted that the trees and foliage on the west side of the yard be left alone to grow unattended. They could clear out the rest of Vigil's Keep, pull out the beautiful weeds and leave only grass, but this was Ashara's own little piece of the forest; her place to sneak away to when the duties of her task became too exhausting.

She put her hand reverently on the bark for a moment before looking down at Anyu, whose round little face looked ready to soak up knowledge like a root soaks up water. "Today, I'll start teaching you how to speak with the trees. You've heard that Keepers can talk to the forest, right?"

Anyu's head bobbed up and down vigorously. "Yes, Mamae. Tiatha told me that her Keeper can make the trees move just by asking them to!"

"Well, that takes a lot of training." Ashara knelt down next to her daughter. "First, you need to learn how to listen to what they say, and the easiest way to start is to learn how to hear gratitude. So, what I want you to do is to make a ball of energy; it doesn't need to be big, but make sure to fill it with as many happy thoughts as you can. What makes you happy?"

"When Aunt Kali lets me ride that big horse of hers," the little girl answered automatically.

"Good. Think of that while you're making your ball of energy."

"But why?" Anyu asked curiously. "I don't need to think happy thoughts when I make a healing spell. Why do I need to do it now?"

Ashara felt a quick flash of pride at her daughter's inquisitive nature. "No, but you do think about healing, don't you? That's because that's a different sort of energy than what we're doing now." She saw Anyu's frown of confusion and sat back on her heels. "As mages, we pull on the flow of energy around the world. The wind, the birds, the trees, the ground you walk on, everything has its own energy, and mages can pull on that energy to create our magic."

"So, when I make a healing spell, I'm taking it from something?" Anyu asked. "Isn't that stealing?"

Ashara smiled, remembering how she had posed these exact same questions to the Keeper when she was young. It was hard for mage children to understand exactly how they cast their spells, since most of them drew on the energy of the world naturally and without thought. "That's why Keepers and Firsts try to give energy back, da'vhenan, which is what you'll be doing now. This tree will be grateful, and you're going to listen and see if you can hear it."

Anyu still looked confused. "But, if I give energy back, isn't that just giving the tree the energy that I already took?"

"Sort of, but we add a bit of our own energy to it. After you create a healing spell, you feel tired, don't you?" Her daughter nodded. "That's because, although we take energy from the world, our magic allows us to convert that energy into whatever we need. You could take that energy and change it into a healing spell, a ball of flame, or a chunk of ice. We add our own energy to the mix to change it."

Anyu's frown deepened. "So, how come we don't just use our own energy for a spell then? Why do we take it?"

"There are mages that use their own energy. They're called blood mages, but they aren't an example you want to follow."

"I've heard of blood mages before," Anyu said. "Keiran said a whole bunch of them attacked the Tower before he became a Warden. But when I asked him why, he just said they were evil."

Ashara winced at the memory of the Circle Tower; to this day she could still remember the sight of all those twisted and corrupted mages, the stench of blood everywhere, and the frightening feel of the Veil being torn. "Blood mages are evil, and that's why I say you don't want to be a blood mage."

She hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether Anyu should hear about blood mages, but then decided to continue. She and Tamlen had long ago decided that, if Anyu was old enough to question or comment on something, she was old enough to get an honest answer. "Blood mages... they use their own blood to cast spells. Blood is filled with energy, and it makes their spells stronger. But, to learn blood magic you have to go to a demon. You know to never trust a demon, right?" Anyu nodded, her young face solemn. She knew well enough that demons were dangerous creatures. "Blood mages steal the energy from other people and hurt them. They get in their heads and make them do things they don't want to do."

Anyu looked awed and afraid at the thought of it, but then she bit her bottom lip and said, very practically, "Do they have to use their blood to hurt people? Can't they just use their energy for normal spells?"

"I suppose that they could and, from what the Keeper told me, blood mages do generally cast normal spells with their blood. But, it takes a lot of effort to learn to use your own blood in a spell. It's not like using natural energy, which all mages instinctively know how to do." She studied Anyu, trying to judge if she was going too fast, but the little girl was watching her attentively as if she understood completely, so Ashara decided to continue. "For a mage to learn how to use their own energy, they have to either go to a demon, or be trained by someone who already knows it, someone who has already gone to a demon. Demons, of course, are evil creatures; they only teach twisted blood magic that can hurt people."

"Well that's stupid," Anyu said, with all the surety of a young girl. "Why would someone go to a demon to learn something?"

"Oh, they make up a lot of different reasons to try to justify it, but that doesn't make it right." Ashara smiled. "Now, let's get back to your training, all right? Since we're constantly taking energy from the world, sometimes it's a good idea to give some back as a way of saying 'thank you'. What we do is make a ball of energy, fill it with as much joy and cheer as we can, and give it back to the trees, plants, or even the ground."

"But how does it say 'thank you' to give energy back that we already took?"

"As I said, mages can convert energy into something we need. We're the only ones that can do that." Ashara gestured to the oak tree. "This tree can't change its energy the way that we can. So, we take some of its energy, change it into something cheerful, and give it back. We make a gift that it can't make on its own."

Anyu's mouth was a perfect little "o" as she understood what Ashara was saying. "Now," Ashara continued, "what you're going to do is make the ball of energy, filling it with plenty of happy thoughts, and give it to the tree." She patted the large roots that poked up from the ground. "Then, you're going to put your hand on the bark and listen. You should be able to feel its gratitude."

"I can do that!" Anyu closed her eyes and held her hands out in front of her, and began to summon energy.

oOo

The dining hall of Vigil's Keep was a disorganized mess of people talking, singing, laughing, and gossiping. Kali grinned as she helped herself to a plate of delicious chicken; she always enjoyed the familiar sounds of her fellow Wardens having fun together, although it was a constant complaint of the nobles of Amaranthine.

Every other week, Ashara and Kali got to hear of some new complaint or other from the nobles, who seemed to search for anything they could to criticize. Their biggest grievance was that Vigil's Keep was a rowdy place where humans, elves, and dwarves would drink and roister in the courtyard; where Dworkin frequently set off his "safe" explosives, and the mages practiced their experimental spells in full view of anyone. The nobles often complained that the Grey Wardens should be a proud, sophisticated lot, but Ashara, who disliked any sense of formality, waved aside their protests, claiming that the loudest, most obnoxious men and women in peacetime were the greatest warriors in war.

Kali liked the loud, boisterous feel of Vigil's Keep, where social standing meant almost nothing. Even though Ashara was Warden-Commander and Kali was her Second, no one ever called them by their titles, and Kali enjoyed that. She and Ashara only rarely ordered anyone to do anything, so most of the time Kali was just another Warden.

She looked around the room, smiling as she often did to see that everyone seated around was a good friend; it made Vigil's Keep feel like a home in a way that the Alienage never had. Roth, one of the Dalish hunters who had been tainted at the Battle of Denerim, sat next to his wife, Tiatha, laughing at some naughty joke Oghren was telling. Roth's son, Seith, sat next to them with Anyu; the two children were ignoring their food, preferring instead to fold up their napkins into animals and compare them to one another. Nathaniel Howe, the son of Arl Howe–who had turned out to be a surprisingly honest man and loyal Warden–was laughing quietly, blushing while Gwen flirted unabashedly and Sigrun teased him relentlessly.

Kali liked living here with the other Wardens, who felt like a family. They had had one extremely rough patch when they had first settled in, when the nobles had plotted against Ashara and Kali, and talking darkspawn had attacked the Keep, but that was all behind them. Zevran and Tamlen had been quick to put down the nobles that threatened them—although, to this day, Kali had never asked them how—and, with the death of the Architect and the Mother, the talking darkspawn had disappeared as well.

The Wardens had been at peace for the past few years. They had helped to rebuild Amaranthine after destroying it to kill the darkspawn, and most of the people seemed to love them. Oh, there were still some scattered problems here and there; the nobles still complained about everything and some of the common people grumbled about elves taking charge of everything, but for the most part it was peaceful.

Kali took a bite of the fresh, warm bread, enjoying the taste of the herbs stuffed in it. The cooks at Vigil's Keep were truly gifted, although Kali believed that a lot of it was thanks to Tiatha, the Dalish woman who had nursed Anyu, and who had followed her husband to the Keep when she had found out that he was to be a Warden. Tiatha had refused to become a Warden herself, and had instead found her way to the kitchens. Ashara had tried to tell her that she didn't have to be a cook–she was welcome to stay with the Wardens no matter what–but Tiatha had sworn that shemlen had no idea of how to season meat or cook herbs, and had taken control of the kitchens for herself.

While Kali was nibbling on the delicious bread, Carver, a young Warden that had joined them a few years ago after being tainted in the Deep Roads, leaned around her to look at Ashara, who was talking quietly with Tamlen. "I received a letter from my sister," he said, waving a piece of a parchment.

Ashara immediately perked up and looked at him attentively. Carver's sister, Katerina, lived in Kirkwall near the Vinmark Mountains, where Ashara's—and now, Kali's—Clan resided. Ashara didn't often get the chance to speak with Marethari anymore. The distance was too great for them to communicate on the wind like Keepers often did, so whenever Carver received a letter from his sister, Ashara would ply him with a thousand different questions about the health and welfare of her Clan.

"Has she seen Marethari?" Ashara asked eagerly.

Carver shook his head and Kali noticed Ashara's shoulders slump a bit. "No," he said. "She's been busy running errands for the Viscount." A note of irritation slipped into his voice. "After all that money she made on the expedition, she bought Mother's old mansion and now the Hawke name is important." He frowned, but then shook his head and continued. "But, she did send me some news about Merrill."

Tamlen scowled at the mention of Merrill, and Ashara leaned back in her chair and affected an air of disinterest. "Oh? How's she doing? Still stomping on the history and tradition of our people?"

"According to Kat, she's been locked up in her home in the Alienage. She won't come out for anyone, she even forgets to eat. She stays shut up in the dark, trying to get that mirror of hers to work."

"Bel'soren asha," Ashara muttered angrily. "I don't care if she rots in that home of hers."

Kali looked down at her plate and felt Carver wince next to her. Merrill was always a sore topic for Ashara. She was severely offended that her old friend would so easily relinquish her place among the Dalish, a place that Ashara had been devastated to leave. Kali knew that a Clan needed their Keeper and First to survive. In Ashara's mind, Merrill was willing to risk her Clan's death for a tainted mirror that should have been left alone.

But, Kali also knew that—although Ashara would never admit it—she was hurt by Merrill's decision. They had trained together as girls, had sat side-by-side as they dreamed about what sort of Keepers they would make. Kali knew that Ashara felt as though Merrill no longer cared for any of them, including her.

"I shouldn't have mentioned Merrill, huh?" Carver whispered to Kali.

She glanced at him. "Ashara won't admit it, but she does like to hear how Merrill is. The two of them were friends once."

He shrugged, as if the whole situation was confusing to him. "Merrill's talked about Ashara, too. At least, she did when I knew her." He hesitated. "Kat also mentioned Anders in her letter, but maybe I shouldn't tell Ashara about that."

Kali put a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Go ahead, but only if you really want to see her get mad."

Carver grinned and shook his head. "No thanks. I don't need to get my hair set on fire."

He chuckled and turned back to his meal, but Kali bit her bottom lip. "You can... tell me though. Is Anders... is he okay?"

She tried to keep the concern from her voice, but knew that Carver would hear it. Anders and Justice had been good friends of hers; they had been good friends of Ashara's, too; of all the Wardens. But, then Anders had decided that he and Justice should merge together to help the mages, a thing Ashara had flat out refused to allow to happen. In a rare moment of authority, Ashara had even gone so far as to actually order them not to.

Then, because they were her respected friends, Ashara had tried to talk to them individually. She had told Justice that helping the mages was a fine idea, but that as a spirit with no real understanding of the mortal mind, he couldn't handle merging with a human.

In private, with Kali there to try and help, Ashara had told Anders that they couldn't trust Justice. Sure, she had liked and respected him, but there was no such thing as a good possession. They couldn't even be sure that he was what he said! Ashara had admitted that Justice was no demon, but she had also said that no one knew much about the spirits of the Beyond and, if a spirit was willing to possess a conscious, living human, then how could they trust it?

But, all of her orders and pleas had done nothing, and Anders and Justice had merged together. Then, even worse than disobeying an order from their Commander, they had run away from Ferelden, abandoning the Wardens to go hide in Kirkwall. Ashara had been beyond furious when she'd found out. She had sworn that they were no longer Wardens and had spent days storming around the Keep in a fit of rage. For a while, Kali had thought that she would want to hunt them down, but Tamlen had said that they weren't worth it and, in the end, Ashara had agreed to leave them alone.

Personally, Kali kind of agreed with Ashara. She might not be a mage, but even she knew that humans and spirits shouldn't mix. But, that didn't mean that she could forget about them. Anders and Justice had been her friends, and Kali had seen too many friends die; she couldn't just pretend they didn't exist anymore.

Carver frowned. "Kat said Anders is still trying to rescue as many mages as possible, but he's getting worse. They had a run-in with some templar—" he scanned the letter. "Ser Alrik. Apparently, Justice took over and almost killed a young girl. Kat had to talk him down, but she says she's getting worried about him."

"Is he really getting that bad?" Kali asked.

Carver scowled. "He was when I knew him. Always going on and on about the mages' plight, always telling me that because I was raised around mages I should understand their suffering and bend over backwards to help them."

Kali turned her head so that he wouldn't see her grin. Carver's resentment of his mage sister was well-known around the Keep, although she was glad to see that he had started to calm down. Maybe being a Warden, separated from his family, was helping him to see that he did care about Katerina. The two of them were constantly exchanging letters back and forth and it seemed that Carver didn't mind talking about his family, including the sister that had died, as much as he once did.

She was about to make a response, but then the door behind her opened and she saw Zevran walking towards the table.

As always, just the mere sight of him made her smile. They had been together for almost seven years now—a thought that still amazed her—and, although neither one of them had any plans of ever getting married, it was obvious to everyone that they loved each other. Zevran never wanted to actually go through the Joining, but he was content to stay at Vigil's Keep and help train some of the Wardens, although he was constantly joking that at some point he'd like to go back to Antiva.

He came to the table, taking the empty seat between Kali and Ashara, and Kali smiled. "Did you finish your talk with Wade?"

Zevran chuckled as he helped himself to some early salad leaves. "It is hard to tell if I truly got through to him or not. You know I am quite the connoisseur of beauty, of course, but even I apparently do not truly appreciate his artistic talent. I informed him that I only wish for those dragonbone daggers he promised me, but that set him off on a tirade about being unable to truly work a masterpiece."

Kali giggled. Wade's dramatic antics were well-known around the Keep. Some of the other Wardens liked to intentionally annoy him by asking him to make iron swords or bronze clubs, just so they could see him fling himself over the counter and sob about being forced to work for heathens. It drove Herren absolutely crazy. If not for the generous sum the Wardens paid them for their work, Herren probably would have taken them both back to Denerim.

She felt a light tug on her sleeve and looked back to see Anyu hopping from foot to foot, trying to show a patient face but clearly eager to say something. "What is it, Anyu?" Kali asked with amusement. Everyone absolutely loved the little Dalish girl. Although she was technically Ashara and Tamlen's child, she was treated as the daughter of the Keep. Everyone had a soft spot for her, everyone went out of their way to sneak her treats, or look the other way if she did something naughty. She had a way of making everyone smile just by showing a toothy grin and widening her eyes.

"Look!" The little girl held out her hands to show Kali the small swan she had made from folding napkins. "Gwen showed us how to fold animals!"

Kali took the little swan, making a big show of exclaiming over the folded wings and neck. "Look how pretty it is!"

Seith, the little Dalish boy who was Anyu's best friend and playmate, pushed past Anyu with a pout. "Look at mine! Mine's better!" He showed Kali his own little swan. "It's better than hers!"

Zevran laughed and shook his head. "Now, Seith, a gentleman never corrects a lady. You must let her believe that hers is better."

He tossed a wink at Kali, who laughed, but, clearly, Seith didn't appreciate the advice. He scowled at Zevran with all the superiority of a seven year old boy. "But it's not! Mine's better."

Anyu lifted her chin haughtily, a gesture so like Ashara that Kali chuckled to see it. "It is not! I'll show you!" She snatched the swan back from Kali and pranced over to Ashara and Tamlen. "Mamae, Havhen, look at my swan!"

"No, look at mine!" Seith exclaimed, rushing after her.

Kali heard Ashara and Tamlen praising the two birds and turned back to her food with a smile. "So, mi querida," Zevran said casually, "what are your plans after supper?"

"I was thinking I might start showing some of the rogues how to use their throwing knives." The assassin adopted a mockingly sorrowful expression that made Kali smile. "Why? What did you have in mind?"

He gleamed at her. "Oh, I think you can imagine."

Kali laughed and scooted her chair towards him. "Well, I might be able to train them tomorrow," she said teasingly, "but, only if you're really nice to me."

"Excuse me," Carver said irritably. "Some of us are trying to eat, here. Maybe you could wait until after supper to start talking like that."

Zevran's grin only widened. "Do not be jealous, my handsome Warden. I am sure there are many ladies who would be willing to share your bed." He saw Carver's face flush a deep red and leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Or, perhaps your prefer men? I have heard of a rumor about a certain mage Warden named Keiran..."

Carver's ears were such a shade of deep crimson that for a moment it reminded Kali of Alistair, who could never get through a conversation with Zevran without blushing. Carver turned back to his meal, muttering about perverted assassins that needed to mind their own business.

Kali laughed and sat back in her chair. She absolutely loved being a Warden at Vigil's Keep.

oOo

Ashara scanned the letter from Queen Kira for the second time—as if reading it again might change the words—and sat back in her chair, closing her eyes and rubbing her throbbing forehead, wishing that she didn't have to deal with all of this.

Seneschal Varel, always polite and proper, tilted his head quizzically when he saw Ashara's gesture. "Trouble, Commander?"

Ashara raised her head and looked across the desk at him, managing a small smile. "I've told you a thousand times now, call me Ashara. All this 'Commander' business makes me uncomfortable."

Varel inclined his head but remained quiet. Ashara, knowing that it was pointless to argue, sighed and waved the letter. "It's a letter from the Queen. The Dalish Clans are having some trouble with one of the neighboring human villages. I'd heard that there was some trouble from Keeper Lanaya, but now Kira tells me it's getting worse."

The Seneschal raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Apparently, some young men from one of the villages decided that they wanted to see the famous Dalish Clans, so they hiked into the forest to try and find them. And they did." Ashara frowned, trying to think of how to explain the Dalish reaction to a human who might not understand. "The Dalish... they're trying to learn how to live close to humans, but when four human boys storm into their homes without invitation, it's hard to put aside their natural fear."

The Seneschal nodded as if he did indeed understand. "What did the Dalish do?"

"They only scared the boys," Ashara said defensively. "They caught them and... well, they were probably going to kill them, but before it got to that point Keeper Soora demanded that the Dalish release the humans. They had to listen to the Keeper, so the boys were sent home unharmed." Ashara sighed and rubbed her forehead; her headache was getting worse. "But now Kira tells me that the boys are swearing that the Dalish almost killed them, and now the villages are demanding that the Dalish be expelled."

"Ah, I see." Varel looked at her with sympathy. "Trying to make peace with two different races, each with their own prejudices and superstitions is a difficult task. They have lived side by side for years now; that alone is a great accomplishment."

Ashara leaned forward, resting her elbows on the hard wooden desk. "I understand that, but it's like we're trying to balance everything on a tightrope. One small shake and we'll all crash to the ground."

"However, the reward for that balancing act will be great." Varel smiled at her. "Does Kira make a suggestion on how to handle this?"

"She says that she and Alistair are going to go on progress this summer, to see some of the castles and speak to their people. They're planning to make a stop at Dragon's Peak and speak with the leaders of the villages that live near the Brecilian Forest. Hopefully, they can help to smooth the situation. And She wants me to go visit the Dalish Clans and speak to them."

Ashara set the letter down. "But, I can't go just yet. We still have work on Amaranthine that needs to be finished, and Gwen is still studying the effects of Warden blood, to see if what the Architect said is true." She frowned. "And, we have some new recruits that need to be tested to see if they should go through the Joining. I can send a message to the Keepers, but I don't know if I'll have the time to actually make a trip to the Brecilian Forest right now."

"Might I suggest that you go ahead and send a message to the Dalish? Explain the situation and remind them that we must all work together. Then, you can visit them this summer when the King and Queen are on progress. It is only a few months away, and you can take some of the Wardens with you. Perhaps seeing elven and human Wardens working together can help them to see that we can find peace."

Ashara brightened at the sensible advice. "That's a good idea. Thank you, Varel."

The Seneschal inclined his head politely, never one to take praise or thanks. Every time Ashara tried to tell him how much she appreciated his steady good humor and practical suggestions, he waved it away. "It's getting late," she said. "You can retire for the evening, if you like. We'll finish dealing with these letters tomorrow after evening meal."

Varel smiled. "Good night, Commander."

He left the room and Ashara stood up from the desk and opened the door on the side wall, which connected to the room she shared with Tamlen.

As she expected, Tamlen was sitting on the floor in front of the large fire, sharpening his knife on a sturdy whetstone. He looked up as soon as he heard her enter the room and smiled. "There you are, vulpasha." He saw the solemn look on her face and frowned. "What's wrong?"

She sat down on the edge of the bed and watched him set the whetstone and knife on the small table. "Just some problems between the Elvhenan and one of the human villages."

A look of concern passed over his face. "Anything serious?"

"Yes and no. Right now it's just a bad situation, but it could get a lot worse if we don't do something."

They both heard a soft knock on the door to their bedroom. Tamlen called that it was open, and Anyu walked confidently in with a slight pout on her face.

"Tiatha says that I have to go to bed soon, but I don't want to," she said with a little scowl, as if trying to appeal to them both.

At once Tamlen scooped her up in his arms and grinned. "You don't? But da'len need their sleep or else they'll be too tired to train in the morning."

"It's not even dark out!"

Tamlen carried her over to the window, where they could both clearly see the moon and stars twinkling against a black sky. "It's not? Hmm, maybe we need to have your eyes checked." Ashara could hear the laughter in his voice.

Anyu giggled. "Well, it hasn't been dark for that long." She saw Tamlen's easy smile and decided to change tactics; Ashara watched her lower lip stick out. "Havhen, do I reeeaaallly need to go to bed now? I want to stay up with you and Mamae. Pleeeeaaaase?"

Ashara didn't need to hear Tamlen's laugh to know that he would give in. Anyu had him wrapped around her little finger. All she had to do was pout and adopt a baby voice, and Tamlen would give her whatever she wanted.

"Well, I suppose we could let you stay up for just a little bit, da'vulpa," Tamlen relented. He turned them both towards Ashara. "What do you think?"

Ashara didn't let him see how amused she was. "I guess so," she said, pretending to be reluctant.

Anyu pitched herself out of Tamlen's arms and flung herself at Ashara, wrapping her thin arms around her mother's neck and hugging her tightly. "Ma serannas, Mamae!"

Ashara's headache was starting to lessen; she kissed Anyu's warm cheek, which smelled of sunshine and flowers. "But, if you stay up you'll have to come downstairs with us."

Anyu's dark blue eyes, the perfect replica of her father's, widened. "What do you do downstairs?" The way she said it made it seem as though she half expected the adults were doing something exciting while she and Seith were asleep.

"Oh, it's really boring," Ashara said teasingly. "We sit with Kali and Zevran and just talk."

Most nights, after everyone was asleep and all the business was done for the day, found the four elves sitting down in the dining all, sharing a drink while they laughed and joked about nothing important. They had formed something of a bond over the years. All four of them had stood shoulder to shoulder against the Blight; they had dealt with everything together and understood each other in a way that the others didn't. Oghren was the only other Warden who understood what they had endured against the Blight, and occasionally he found his way down to join them. But, more often than not, he was passed out from drink long before the sun set.

Anyu's pale brows, almost invisible against her white skin, puckered together; she clearly didn't believe Ashara. "Uncle Zev is never boring."

Tamlen laughed. "And we are?"

"No, but he was a Crow! Oh! Maybe he'll tell me more stories tonight!"

"I'm sure he will," Ashara said easily. She and Tamlen never minded it when Zevran entertained Anyu with stories about his time as an assassin. He never told her things she was too young to hear; instead, he preferred to make it sound like he was a marvelous hero who helped save people from evil men; Ashara suspected that Zevran enjoyed telling those stories as much as Anyu enjoyed hearing them.

Anyu hopped down from the bed, eager for the chance to stay up late with the adults, and practically dragged her parents out of the room. "Then let's go!"

oOo

Leliana moved the flickering candle closer to the clean parchment on her desk, dipped her quill into the black ink and began to write, her lips pressed together on a grimace. Every now and then she would hesitate, sitting silent as the templars walked down the hall, keeping watch. She didn't want them to hear the scratch of her quill against the parchment.

The Seekers were determined to find answers to their most troublesome questions, and though the Divine herself had spoken for Leliana's loyalty to the Chantry, they still seemed to think the bard knew something she wasn't saying. Although Leliana didn't know anything that wasn't common knowledge, she felt that she owed it to her friends to warn them. She put the quill to parchment and began to write.

My dearest friend,

How long has it been since we last spoke! I regret that our duties took us from one another, as I have heard of the great things you have done for your people, and would have liked to have been there. Our time together is a subject of much discussion here in Orlais, as I am sure you can imagine. Many people have asked me all sorts of questions; so many that I find I have no answers for them.

I recently encountered a puzzle that I would like to discuss with you, privately, and in person. I hope this request for your presence does not sound presumptuous, but I believe it to be very important.

You will find me in the greatest city of Orlais.

~L

Leliana sat back in her chair and scanned the letter, trusting that if it fell into the wrong hands, they would not understand it. She trusted that Ashara would be able to read between the lines and hear Leliana's urgency; it was, after all, no small thing to ask the Warden-Commander of Ferelden to leave their country.

To Leliana, the Chantry was a good place of peace and reverence, but something about the way the Seekers had questioned her made her wonder. Were they truly concerned about something that had happened during the Blight? Or, were they concerned with Elvhen heroes? Once, Leliana would have sworn that the Seekers had only pure intentions at heart, but now...

Now, it seemed as if they sought answers to a question that even the Divine didn't care about. Leliana didn't know what it was that they wanted, but she knew that she owed it to her friends to at least warn them.

She folded the letter and tucked it under her shirt, to keep it hidden until she could pass it on to Gavan, her good friend who had followed her to Orlais. He was the only one she could trust to smuggle it past the border to Ashara. Leliana knew that the Seekers would be alerted if she left the country. She wasn't exactly under house arrest, but she knew that, if she tried to cross the border, they would come for her.

Once Gavan had the letter, she would sneak out of the Grand Cathedral. If, Maker forbid, the letter was intercepted, the reader would assume that Leliana was meeting her friend in Val Royeaux. But, she knew that to Ashara, the proud Dalish mage, the greatest city in Orlais was Halamshiral, the city that had once been the capital of the Dales.

Silently, Leliana slipped out of her room and, taking care that no one saw her, went in search of Gavan.

---

Translations:
Mamae - mother
da'vhenan - little heart
Ma serannas - thank you
eluvian - the word means mirror, but it's now used for the mirrors that were used for communication in Arlathan
Falon'Din - Friend of the Dead; the twin brother of Dirthamen
Dirthamen - the Keeper of Secrets, twin brother to Falon'Din
bel'soren asha - stupid woman
Havhen - father
vulpasha - vixen; lit: female fox
da'len - child/children
da'vulpa - kit; lit: baby fox

A/N: Since the timeline of events between Awakening and DA2 can be a bit confusing, I pushed back the events of DA2 to coincide with this story. So, as of this chapter, Hawke is in Act 2. I hope that doesn't cause confusion to anyone, but it'll make things fit together more smoothly as the story gets going.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, is reading, or requested alerts. It means a lot!

Special thanks and lots of hugs to my awesome beta Suilven, not only for patiently going through this chapter and fixing up all of my messes, but also because she's had a long, very exhausting weekend and still made time for me! I really appreciate it, sweetie!