With fair weather it would take less than a week to get to Kirkwall so the group used that time to come up with a base plan. Befriending the Champion as well as his inner circle was necessary to be sure everyone involved was on the same page. Keeping Anders in Kirkwall was also going to be key to avoid any unnecessary conflicts along the way.
"I can convince him," Elissa grinned, winking at her husband. "I'll threaten Anders within an inch of his life and guilt Justice into staying with me in the city. No problem." She sat back in her chair, confident in her persuasive abilities when it came to the mage as well as the spirit.
"Elissa, Anders has changed," Kora replied, the sorrow in her gut moving up into her chest as she thought about what the man was now capable of. Kora loathed admitting it but she had become attached to him too, even going so far as to invite him to the estate when Caden and Elissa would visit. She took every opportunity to try to talk some sense into him but it ended up creating a friendship she valued highly. She would find out soon enough if she'd made a difference. "Be careful, he and Justice are now one being. He does not trust Wardens."
"If you don't mind me asking," Lyle spoke up, "why did he leave Amaranthine?" Elissa's expression saddened as she glanced at her husband.
"We'd gone to Denerim like we did every few months to check in with Cailan and visit Kora. Normally we would have brought him but Nate had taken a large contingent after the Architect and we were leaving an Orlesian Warden in charge being she was the senior member. We thought Anders could be of assistance to keep people off her back." Elissa's eyes darkened and her face turned hard.
"Apparently in her infinite wisdom the bitch alienated Anders, brought more Orlesians across the border without our consent and threatened to send him back to the circle if he complained," Caden continued. "Even made him get rid of Ser Pouncelot. All in a matter of a few weeks they turned the Vigil upside down. Damned Orlesians." His stomach tightened as he thought about it. He was almost glad to be going to Kirkwall, at least he'd have a chance to apologize to Anders personally. Seeing her brother get emotional, Kora decided to change the subject.
"So being I am the only one with Templar abilities," she said as she stared down at the table, "I will have to go with the others to the prison." Just thinking about it made her stomach flip but she managed to keep her expression even. Caden shook his head, his worry for his sister taking over reason for the second time during the meeting.
"You said it yourself," he insisted, "we don't know if the Champion's brother or sister survived. If it was the man hopefully he joined the Templars and there will be no reason for you to go." Kora huffed her frustration, taking her head in her hands.
"You'd send a green initiate in my stead? My abilities far outweigh an experienced Templar and you know it!" she retorted. "Besides, having more than one can only increase our chances for success." Sensing the tension between the siblings rise, Elissa interjected.
"And if he did survive and is a Templar, maybe he will have friends that will want to come along?" She offered, looking back and forth between the two blondes in hopes of evading another shouting match. Kora looked at Elissa, the red head's face changing to a dramatic smile, and grinned back at her.
"Alright, yes you have a point," Kora relented, "but I still intend to go. The Templars there are impulsive and get themselves into trouble easily. Well, all except…" Her heart jumped into her throat, realization taking over her features as she remembered who had been transferred from Kinloch to Kirkwall. She hadn't seen him in so long, would he recognize her? In that moment it dawned on her how much she had missed him, the man who she took her vows with. The man who was her brother and her best friend for four years…
Until she died.
"Your Grace?" Lyle took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She glanced at him and, snapping out of her trance, cleared her throat.
"You'll have to stop calling me that Lyle," she insisted, not sure if she would be able to keep herself together if her thoughts became the topic of discussion. "We are going into hostile territory; Meredith is not an ally of Ferelden or the Wardens. First names only from this point forward, is that clear?" He nodded, his face concerned as he turned to Elissa.
The rogue nodded toward the door, glancing at Caden as well and the two men left the room. She smiled at her sister and waited. Kora's eyes dropped down to stare at the table as she took in a ragged breath, the tension building in her chest the more she thought about the possibility of seeing him again.
"He meant a great deal to me." Elissa reached across the table and took her hand.
"Did you love him?" Kora's stare seemed as if it could burn a hole through the wood.
"I…"
"You don't have to say it," Elissa squeezed her hand, knowing the answer. "How did you leave things?" Kora's eyes shot up to Elissa's, the Warden finally able to see the tears that had been building up spill down the warrior's cheeks.
"He asked me not to go," she whispered, slowly bringing her voice up to its normal volume. "I was ill and he asked… no, he begged me not to go but I was stubborn. It was to be my first command, bringing four new initiates into the wilds to track apostates. I was so excited, so proud…" Her voice broke, new tears falling. "I was such an idiot."
"Hey," Elissa pulled on Kora's hand, prompting her to look up, "you didn't know. What happened at the circle was not your fault. You can't control everything sis." Elissa tried to smile but failed, swallowing back a few tears of her own. "We can't control everything and sometimes we need to be reminded of it."
"What if he hasn't forgiven me?" Kora blurted out. "What if he blames my taking off all those years ago for what happened at Kinloch and hates me? I'll never be able to forgive myself, Liss." She shook her head back and forth, finally bringing her hands up to her face to wipe away the tears. "Never forgive myself." Elissa laughed, spurring Kora to gape at her, utterly confused.
"I know you, my dear," Elissa began, smirking across the table, "and I know the kind of man you are attracted to as well as what kind of man is attracted to you. The lengths they would go for you, no man you would fall for would be so heartless.
"Look at Garrett! Even after his Father's instructions he still let his feelings for you guide him. That man would have dropped everything and everyone if you asked him to, parted the Waking Sea to be with you." Elissa was giggling at that point, relishing the idea that her own sister could bring a man to his knees. "Shit, he took off across Thedas to avoid running into you! You bwoke his widdle heart." She pouted mockingly then burst into laughter, making Kora smirk then smile. Shaking her head Kora sighed deeply.
"You had to bring him up," she said as she toyed with a stray lock of hair that had fallen from her pony tail. "He may be in Kirkwall too." Elissa gasped, slapping both hands on the table as her grin, if at all possible, grew wider.
"No. Way." Kora nodded and Elissa fell into a fit of giggles, nearly falling out of her chair.
"You are an ass!" Kora hollered, laughing herself as she threw a piece of fruit at her. She shook her head. "He's with Isabela and as long as she's still there I'm sure he is too." Elissa regained her composure and sat back up in her chair, still red-faced but keeping the laughing to a minimum. Kora sighed. "Then again who knows, if she took off with the Tome of Koslun and didn't look back they may not be there."
"Well," the tiny Warden sighed, still wiping tears from her face, "only one way to find out."
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Kora ran down the gangway, eager to get her feet onto solid ground. Once she reached the end she jumped, landing on the not-so-solid dock but sighing in relief anyway. She took a deep breath and looked around, wide-eyed until someone bumped her from behind.
"Outta the way, blondie," one of the dock workers spat, pushing past her with a large crate in his arms. She moved a bit further from the plank to allow others to get by and turned to face the bay…
And the Gallows.
She swallowed her heart back down as the feelings of despair and hopelessness overwhelmed her. It felt as if every mage in that circle was screaming to either let them out or let them die. Tears had begun to well up in her eyes as she felt a large arm drape across her shoulders.
"Come on," Caden nodded at the stairs to Lowtown and guided his sister toward them, giving her a squeeze as he kissed the top of her head. He had felt her tension building up and after seeing what she was looking at he didn't need to ask. "Let's get you bathed, dressed and fed. You'll feel better." Elissa came up on the other side of her, taking her other arm and smiling.
"Hey, we have work to do." Kora smiled, taking comfort in the fact that there was a purpose to their presence and once fulfilled they were free to leave.
Kora freed herself from Caden's grip as they walked into the Hanged Man. Looking around briefly, she saw a few men and a large breasted Anitvan woman standing at the bar. She smiled, making a B-line for the woman.
She cozied up next to her, elbows on the bar and being sure their arms brushed against one another, humming softly to herself. Feeling the woman's heart rate speed up a bit she turned her head toward her and, without making eye contact, ran a finger down her bare arm.
"My, my," Kora cooed softly, "you are as alluring as ever Bela. Edible even." The woman gasped and Kora brought her eyes up slowly to meet the beautiful deep brown ones she knew would be waiting. "Hello stranger."
"Kora?" Isabela's shock gave way to laughter, "holy shit, it is you. Little prude, I should take you in the back and make an example of you." She gave Kora a wink and swallowed the rest of her whiskey. Kora laughed and waved to Corff, pointing to Isabela's drink and holding up four fingers. "Well then, looks like you plan to make an example of me." Holding her smile, Kora shook her head.
"I'm not traveling alone," she replied and waved Caden and Elissa over.
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After introductions the shots arrived. Then another round appeared. Then, after their accommodations were paid for and everyone got cleaned up, they ended up at a table with mugs and a few more friends.
"Varric, tell Elissa the one about the spiders in Anders' hair when we went to the Bone Pit," Merrill giggled, about halfway through her first mug. Varric winked at the little elf and looked back to his 'adoring' listeners, taking a breath to begin.
"Let's not tell anyone stories about Anders," a voice bellowed from the entrance to the tavern. The table turned all at once to see the tall blonde man making his way over to them through the now-thickening crowd. Elissa jumped up and squealed, plowing into him.
"I hate you, I love you, I want to kill you," she rattled on, repeating the phrase several times before she released him. Looking up into his light brown eyes he saw hers were shining with tears. "I hate her, you know. I got rid of her the moment we returned but you'd already gone." Anders smiled, pushing her hair away from her face.
"I'm glad, love," he whispered as he planted a kiss on her forehead. Caden stood, clearing his throat. Anders looked up at him and smiled. "I'm even glad to see you."
"Anders," Caden laughed as the men embraced briefly. "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about what happened, that bitch had no right." Anders held up a hand to stop him.
"It's over and done with, no worries Commander." Kora jumped up, slapping a hand over Anders' mouth and smiling. Calling Caden 'Commander' was just going to cause them all sorts of trouble, especially if word got back to Meredith.
"We need to chat," she whispered. He gave her a confused look. "Now." She dragged him away and down the back hallway past Varric's room.
"If you wanted some alone time, Your Grace, you only had to ask," he smirked as Kora looked around for eavesdroppers. She looked up at him and smiled, shaking her head.
"Glad to see you still have your sense of humor, Blondie," she whispered as she pulled him into a loving embrace. His long arms wrapped around her completely, his nose buried into her hair. They stood there for a moment, only then coming to terms with how much they had missed each other.
Anders always felt calmer when Kora was around, as if deep down he knew she would do anything to keep him safe. Her presence, no matter the circumstances, instantly put him at ease. He found that odd since he knew she not only was an ex-Templar but she also had one hell of a temper. It didn't emanate from her like her heart did though.
He'd seen how raw her anger could be, watching her unleash it on Caden in the sparring ring more than once during their visits to Denerim. It never ceased to amaze him to see this woman who stood a foot shorter than his commander take him to the ground with speed and ease. When she fought it reflected her true rage and he had to admit it was a little frightening, but then her son would call for her from his window and she'd look up, her grin so wide and pure as she waved to him and blew him a kiss that it made his heart melt.
Kora had clicked with Anders immediately, her vivacious and flirty side thrived with him as her 'sparring partner'. They had grown so used to each other that Alistair admitted to getting a bit jealous when the Warden mage came to visit along with his in-laws, Anders' comments and hands sometimes roaming to a few places he did not like. Eventually Kora soothed his ego, assuring him Anders was just playful and then making it abundantly clear Alistair was the only man for her. Of course she did so in as many ways as she could think of, and she had quite the imagination.
Anders' breathing started to move Kora's hair, tickling her neck. She giggled, giving him a pinch on the waist for some pay back. He jumped and grabbed her hand, pulling away so she could see his smile.
"You could turn a summer salon into an orgy," he said, pulling her head toward him with both hands and planting a firm kiss on her forehead. "Evil woman. Andraste's ass have I missed you terribly." Kora's heart swelled as she fought back the tears threatening to make an appearance.
"I missed you too," she whispered, "but you can't be using titles with any of us, alright? No one can know who we are and why we are here except those involved. No one." Anders arched an eyebrow but nodded his agreement. Kora wrung her hands, still scanning the hallway for anyone listening in.
"Things are going to get very dangerous for people you know here in Kirkwall and we're here to help. Do you know someone named Hawke?" His face answered her question, a mix of surprise and frustration. She could tell they weren't getting along at the moment so she tread carefully. "If you would be amenable to it, could you please ask him to come meet us here? I really need to sit down with him to discuss the situation." She held her breath, waiting for his reply.
Anders felt his temper flare, confused as to why his friend felt she could talk to Hawke and not him as well as being more than miffed about it. Kora saw his eyes narrow and felt his heart speed up so she put her hand on his chest and smiled warmly up at him.
"Jealous?" Before he could stop himself Anders barked out a laugh. Realizing he was being ridiculous he shook his head and smiled warmly back at her. That woman knew him better than he knew himself.
"Always. When do you want to meet with him?"
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Anders and Kora made their way back out into the tavern and sat down at the table with the rest of the group. Caden gave Kora a questioning look and she nodded in response, easing his fears of being kicked out of Kirkwall before they even got started. Anders was a wild-card, what with Justice being firmly implanted in his soul, trying to predict how he would react was sketchy at best. Thankfully their mutual hate for Meredith seemed to be keeping them on the Wardens' side.
Kora noticed Isabela glancing at the door more often than not with a worried expression. She moved to sit next to her and whispered in her ear.
"Who ya waitin' for?" she smiled. Isabela glanced at her as a broad grin took over her face.
"Him," she responded and the two women turned to look at the man entering the tavern.
He walked in and stood stock still for a moment, scanning the entire room before meeting Isabela's eyes, smiling, and heading straight toward her. As he let his eyes stray to the blonde sitting next to her he stopped dead, his heart jumping into his throat.
"Kora," he mouthed, a shocked look ghosting over his face before he schooled it and resumed his stride. Kora smiled back at him as calm and friendly as she dared however Isabela didn't try to contain her annoyance as she stood and poked him in the chest.
"Where the hell have you been?" she demanded, poking him in the chest again. "You were supposed to be back hours ago. If Kora and her lot hadn't shown up I'd be sober by now!" Garrett smirked at her and motioned to Kora.
"Then I should thank her properly, don't you think?" he asked sweetly as he dropped the package he'd been carrying on the table and moved around her to Kora's side. Kora stood, slapping his arm as she grinned at him.
"Don't even think about it," she commanded. She glanced at Isabela and winked. "I am a happily married woman and I'm relatively sure your understanding of the term 'properly' and mine are very different."
Her grin turned soft as she looked up into those chocolate brown eyes, the ones she'd known for most of her life. They still made her heart skip a beat. Damn him, she thought as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. As if sensing her guard lowering he glanced at Isabela and held out his arms toward Kora, waiting for permission.
"Oh, fine, whatever you two," Isabela rolled her eyes and headed back toward the bar. Garrett didn't waste a moment, wrapping his arms around Kora and pulling her close, trying to make up for the last seven years in those few moments. Her arms snaked around his waist as she rested her forehead on his shoulder.
"Missed you love," he whispered into her hair. She smiled, taking a moment to inhale his scent and raising her eyes to meet his.
"Missed you too," she whispered back, giving him one last squeeze before she sat down. She gave him a wink and a smile, scooting over to make room for him to sit between her and Isabela. Kora took a deep breath and returned her attention to the rest of the table, noticing that all eyes were on her and Garrett, Elissa giggling like an idiot. Her shock almost came across her face but she maintained… until Garrett's arm hung across her shoulders.
"Her Gracefullness and I had a 'thing' at one point," he casually explained to everyone present with a shit-eating grin on his face. Kora went from shock to rage and elbowed him in the gut hard enough to make him gag for close to a minute. Everyone at the table, and near the table for that matter, burst into laughter but Caden simply glared at him.
"You got away lucky with that shot she gave you Wulff," he growled, clenching his fists on the table top. Elissa, still laughing, put her hand on her husband's arm and gave him a firm kiss on the cheek. His expression softened as he looked down at his red-headed rogue, the love of his life that he couldn't imagine living without. She always could calm the beast within.
"He won't be so lucky later," Isabela chimed in as she joined them back at the table. Giving Kora a wink and Garrett a glare she practically purred.
"That I can guarantee."