Disclaimer: In case anyone thought anything else, Dragon Age and all its characters belong to the wonderful, amazing Bioware. Everything else is my fabulous mind going wild. ;)
A/N: So...yeah...what the hell happened?! I just kind of disappeared. Well, life, shit and fuckups happened and my muse flipped me the finger and took off leaving me with a writer's block from hell. I've tried to write, but anything that came out was just poor quality and I couldn't publish it and still be proud of this fanfic. But, here comes winter and Christmas and lots of love from friends and family and an amazing woman who pushes me to work harder, encourages me and makes me believe I can do anything I set my mind to. Also a mail from a reader gave me the final kick in the butt I needed and I have been writing like a madwoman ever since. Ok, enough, I know you don't want to hear about me, but here it is, the next chapter of To The Edge of The Earth! I do hope you all enjoy and I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I'm already working on the next chapter so I promise that this time you won't have to wait a year and a half for the next update. ;) As per usual, I have no beta [my lady has offered, but is super swamped with stuff so I don't want to add more, plus if she's betaing that means less time for us to play WoW on. ;)], English isn't my first language, so please bear with any grammatical errors and typos, I've done the best I've can with editing.
Thank you so much for reading and if you like it, please review.
~Elmjuniper
THERE BE DEMONS AROUND
"THIS MAN," THE ANTIVAN CROW pointed at Sten. "Is crazy." Sten glared angrily at Zevran, his face wearing a frown. "Not only did he kill a whole family for a sword, now he's trying to get us all killed."
"You might not have survived, but that is of no meaning to me," Sten stated, his voice as unchanging as ever.
Armour clanked loudly as Deanna and the templar came stumbling in to the small camp hidden by the high rising trees of the small glen.
"What in the Maker's name were you thinking!?" The teryness shouted as she threw her helmet on the ground.
"I was not. It was the Qun."
The shorter woman strode up towards the Quanari and slammed him forcefully in the chest with the flat side of her great sword. He stumbled backwards, almost losing his balance and for a short moment Leliana could see the surprise on the large man's face.
"You do not follow the Qun any more, you belong to ME! Your oath is to me, and your loyalty lie with me until the blight is over!" The young warden shouted with rage.
The witch and enchantress emerged from the tent looking confused by the commotion in the small camp. Sten's eyes blazed with anger, his lips thinning. The angry warden slammed him once again with her sword, angrier, more forcefully. The templar winced at the loud clanking of the impact.
"I have taken down and ogre by myself, do not think for one second I won't disperse of you just as easily."
Sten snorted opening his mouth to retort when Deanna pushed off the ground slamming into the Quanari pummelling him over. They landed with a loud bang, dust swirling around them. As the dust settled the companions saw the smaller woman kneeling on top of Sten's chest the sharp edge of her sword pressed against his exposed throat drawing blood from the skin which split underneath the pressure. The bard saw the Quanari grimace in pain.
"Do not tell me to try because I would succeed." She snarled through clenched jaws. There was something unmistakeably dangerous about the warden. She looked so small and fragile, but was full of confidence with a quick mind, though as friendly as she seemed there was this undeniable wall of defence surrounding her, a wall the bard had not yet seemed to be able to penetrate. But there was something else. At times Deanna would be so immersed by the battle Alistair had to shake her out of it. The warden would blink and look around at the scattered corpses almost as if coming out of a trance.
Sten stared back, his defiance slowly fading. "I apologise."
She drew a deep sigh before standing back up holding out her hand so that he could grab it. He took it getting up awkwardly as the small party stared at them.
"What happened back there?" Deanna asked her voice once again just as soft and calm as it usually was.
"I am Sten of the Beresaad and I have always lived by the Qun. It is nothing I can choose or not choose. It is what it is."
"I know that, but you could have gotten us killed."
"Your deaths are a small price in comparison to restoring my honour." Deanna frowned. "But I admit I gave you my word and the Qun demands I honour it."
The templar rolled his eyes as his fellow warden sighed resolutely.
"Why would attacking a noble man restore your honour?"
"It does not matter what he was. He could be a peasant, but he had something of mine."
"He had something of yours?"
"Asala." He answered. "My honour."
"Asala?" The young teryness looked perplexed.
"My sword."
"So the sword is his honour." The templar said in an almost childish realization.
Deanna put her hands on her hips looking stern. "That's why you killed that family and all those people?"
The bard shuddered at the memory of the slaying of the Gahlan family back in Lothering. It had shocked and disgusted many of the villagers. The Gahlan family had been such a nice and well-liked family in the small village of Lothering. The youngest of the children had been no older than six floods and the oldest used to come in to Dane's Refuge with her best friend, the young Hawke girl, the older Hawke sister watching them from a corner whenever she was around. The two friends used to giggle with their heads bent close together whispering of secret things only they could understand. Leliana smiled fondly at the memories of the nights in Lothering when the villagers would gather in the small tavern and listen to her sing her tales.
She felt a sting as she thought of the girls' young faces and Lothering's fate. Did any of them survive? Swallowing she bit her lip. She had just left them all without hesitation, just because she had a dream...not even once thinking of the people who might have needed her help. She had hoped that Lothering would have been evacuated by the time the Dark Spawn overran the town, but rumours said it had been a massacre. She closed her eyes momentarily feeling the guilt creep upon her, festering upon her conscience before looking back up at her companions. Whatever decision she had taken she could not change it now, and the Maker had set her this way, how could she refuse him? This was the right thing to do.
"Yes." Sten's voice brought her back to the harsh reality.
"Why didn't you tell us instead of rushing in drawing the attention of every guardsman in Denerim?"
The big Quanari seemed puzzled by the question. "I..."
"Didn't think." Deanna finished his sentence, sitting down to scratch the back of her head. "This sword of yours is obviously important."
"It is my honour." Sten repeated.
"Then..." Her voice soften. "We should get it back."
Sten nodded where he stood glaring his deadly glare.
"However we can't return to Denerim without being recognized."
There was a moment of silence before the witch sighed. "'Tis not so difficult! I'll go and see who this noble is."
Deanna looked up form where she sat, smiling gratefully. "Then I will make sure to solve your...problem."
Morrigan nodded once before leaping into the air transforming into a jet back raven soaring into the sky. As she disappeared from view the proud Harpia took off after her, his large wings beating the air lifting him higher and higher into the blue summer sky. The bard frowned. Was he following her to protect her?
"We'll get your sword back, but I need your help with something in return."
"I am at your service." The Quanari nodded stoically.
"What is it exactly we're going to do?" Alistair said his brows furrowing in a suspicious frown.
"We've got...a witch to kill and no, it's not the one you're thinking of so stop smiling." Deanna said before looking up to face the bard for the first time since they had to flee Denerim. Leliana smiled carefully at the warden hoping she wasn't still angry about the trouble she and Morrigan had caused by opening the locket in the Gnawed Tavern. Deanna simply stared back before turning to Wynne.
"How is Sinniralin?"
"She is sleeping for now. When she wakes up she will need to eat and rest to regain some strength, but she will be fine."
Leliana glanced towards the elf's tent. She had seemed fine at first but had deteriorated during their first night after their hasty flight. She had fallen into a restless sleep, her body wracked with fever. It was good to hear Wynne say that she would be fine despite the events over the last couple of days.
"We cannot postpone this much longer. I think it's best if we split up." The templar's head snapped towards the blonde warden who remained calm despite his look of outrage.
"Zevran and Morrigan stay behind while the rest of us go back into the Wilds."
"But I..." Leliana started before the warden cut her off.
"I need all the manpower I can get. There is not second guessing me, you're not staying behind. You are the best archer we have and I need someone who can assist us with ranged attacks." Something strange burned behind her eyes and Leliana felt herself back down, frowning slightly.
"And, if I may ask, what will I be doing? The lady needs tending to and I'm afraid the only sort I know would not help her right now."
Deanna seemed to bite her tongue as the healer spoke softly. "I too think it would be better if the bard stayed, she knows a lot more of tending to wounds than Zevran."
"And I am trained in archery, milady," said Zevran suavely flexing his arms in demonstration.
The bard could see the battle raging inside the warden, then her face turned calm once more and she nodded."Very well, then you stay."
The templar cleared his throat in attempt to break the awkward silence that followed. "Shouldn't we be bringing Morrigan instead of Wynne? No offense Wynne," the templar said giving their healer an apologetic nod.
"Not this time."
"Where are you going?" Leliana asked wondering what Deanna had referred to when speaking to Morrigan.
"The less you know, the better." The warden stared flatly at her before standing up. "We best all prepare."
~•~
The group was preparing for their trip when the witch swooped down with a loud swooshing sound, landing with a loud thud not far away from the strawberry-blonde templar who jumped startled. Leliana could see a smile spread across Morrigan's lips as Alistair cursed.
"'Tis simple. The sword is with a noble man, but I'm sure our bard here knows a trick or two that would help us get it back." Leliana saw the witch eye her.
"What are you implying?"
"I imply that you do what you do and steal it."
"I can't just walk in and steal it, not until they return." Leliana pointed out where she stood mending the broken strings on her amulet.
"You know what has to be done, you do it when you will." The witch shrugged and retreated to her tent.
Leliana sighed shaking her head before securing the last thread. It had broken during their escape from that crazy cult's estate and she hadn't found the time to mend it until now. She looked at it and gave a satisfactory nod before tying it around her neck once again. She put the rest of the thread into the small leather pouched tied to her side when her fingers brushed against the silver locket. Picking it up she looked over at the elf's tent. She should go and check on her before Deanna was back with tonight's dinner.
"Sin?" The bard announced her presence as she ducked into the tent. The mysterious elf seemed to have tossed and turned, kicking the bedrolls aside in her sleep. A small slip of her bedroll slithered across her hip like a snake covering nothing more than a fraction of the exquisite body, revealing long well-toned legs, scars scissoring along the thighs on the milky skin. She could see how, despite the scars, Sin made for a perfect seductress. The bard blinked looking up at the elf's face. It twitched, eyes fluttering wildly behind close eyelids. The elf's breath sounded strained and laboured, little beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead. She was running a fever again.
"Sin?" Leliana whispered softly. "Sin, you have to wake up to drink some root tea, you're running a fever again." Leaning in she saw Sin's veins turn dark forming an eerie web-like pattern. Turning her head she could see it spread like a wildfire across the seductress' whole body. She gasped in shock. The elf had been poisoned!
"Sinniralin!" She put her hand on Sin's arm in an attempt to shake her alive when she heard a sharp sizzling sound from underneath her palm. A shrill shriek escaped the seductress' lips as she flew up from her bedroll hunching on all four like the deadly shadow cats one could find on The Silent Plains. Sin bared needle-sharp fangs at Leliana, hissing in wrath. Her skin wasn't milky-white like it had been only seconds ago, but had turned grey, her eyes nothing but hollow eye sockets burning with blue fire, smoke billowing from them.
"By the Maker!" The bard cried as she threw herself backwards out of the tent.
~•~
There were times when she came back to the camp and it laid silent save for the one person sitting guard, other times her companions loitered about mending their armour or making friendly conversations. This, was not one of those times. Walking up to the campsite, the stag slung over her shoulder, she saw the bard stumble out from Sinniralin's tent looking horrified and pale. Commotion seemed to erupt as the companions looked up from whatever they were busying themselves with, Zevran and Alistair bolting in from their watch.
"What's going on?" She rushed up to the bard, but before Leliana could speak an invisible wave knocked them off the feet as the seductress emerged from the tent.
"A demon!" Alistair shouted as he used what little templar powers he still knew to strip the demon of its powers. Nothing happened and the seductress kept gliding towards them. Morrigan pulled at her magic, assaulting the creature with her most powerful spells and Wynne raised barrier after barrier, none of them strong enough to keep the monster from advancing on them. Deanna stared wildly around the camp. Something must have set Sinniralin off, she'd only ever seen her like this once before. Think Deanna, Think! She pulled at every memory she had, her mind reeling, grasping at old fragments until she remembered. The Chantry! When they were sneaking into the Chantry to use their fountain for something wildly inappropriate.
"What did you do?" She screamed at the bard.
"Nothing! I just touched her and then she..." Stones, branches, leaves and dirt rose from the ground soaring high up in the air as Sin's powers mounted. The group backed away slowly and Deanna caught a glimpse of something glinting from the bard's chest. An amulet. She grabbed the bard turning her towards her. A Chantry amulet! Racing against time she ripped the amulet off the bard's neck.
"Throw this as far away as you can!" The sound of boulders and thick branches spinning in the air and colliding was deafening.
"What?! My mother gave me that!"
"Just do it!"She ordered. The bard gave her a hurtful look, but rose to her feet and threw it with all her might. The elf's head snapped towards the bard giving Deanna the momentum to grab the water buckets and lung herself at Sin. She grabbed the seductress hand swiping her feet from under her. The demonic elf shrieked at her, whipping her head at the strong warrior, clawing with her razor sharp fingers at her.
"I'm sorry, Sin," Deanna said before grabbing the elf by the hair forcing her head down on the ground as she poured the whole bucket of water onto her face forcing her to swallow it. With the Chantry amulet gone it didn't take long for the elf to return to her old form. She coughed and spluttered, blinking in confusion, still swallowing the water, her body racking in tremors as it transformed back and forth between the two forms, her frail body fighting to suppress the demonic essence. Deanna pulled her into her lap, cradling her gently in her arms, caressing Sin's wet hair reassuringly.
"It's alright, Sin. You're doing just fine, you can fight it," she cooed soothingly, staring Sin in the eyes bringing her back to reality as the elf's demonic side faded in and out until it eventually disappeared and she fell into an exhausted sleep in the warrior's arms.
The group of companions stared in shock at her.
"S-she's a...demon," Leliana stammered still in shock watching the place where she'd burnt the elf. It was still red and swollen.
"Did you know about this?" Alistair asked in an accusatory tone. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it's not for you to know and she's..."
"Not for us to know?! She could have killed Leliana, she attacked her! How could you possibly defend that?"
"It wasn't Leliana the spirit wanted," Deanna tried to explain.
"She is dangerous, Deanna, why can't you see that, we cannot bring something, something so vile with us."
"You are threading on a very thin line, Alistair," Deanna said sternly. "She is my friend, I know Sin, she wouldn't just attack Leliana. Something must have triggered it," She insisted.
"Let's hope it doesn't happen again, shall we?" The witch said before adding, "though 'tis not wise to keep her on."
The mage opened her mouth to speak, but was cut short by the warden. "This is non-negotiable, Sinniralin stays. I have not judged either of you and I will not do so with Sin." And with that she rose to her feet leaving the companions to mull over those words while she helped the elf to bed.
~•~
She sat by the fire staring at the rounded locket in her hand, the distant crackling of the fire and buzzing of nearby crickets humming in her ears. The other companions and the wardens had been gone for three days and the elf still hadn't woken up since that night when they had all found out what she was. Alistair had tried to push the teryness to leave the demon behind until Deanna threatened to leave him behind if he did not stop pressuring her about it. "Do not make me choose, because it will always be her." Something about the way Deanna had said it made her feel a sting of jealousy. It was clear the two of them had a far more intimate history than what they had all thought. Leliana still remembered the look of hurt on the templar's face as he fell silent before nodding a short 'fine'. She hadn't seen him return until the day they set out to deal with Morrigan's problem. Deanna had made sure Leliana remembered to keep her amulet off as long as they were gone and keep a bucket water nearby in case of...emergency.
Leliana pinched the bridge of her nose. Was this really happening? Was Sin really a demon? She had seen the demons in the fade and in the mage's tower, but Sin didn't look like any of them. If she was truly a demon, then how come she was so kind and thoughtful and protective of them? How could it be that she...that Leliana felt this sense of belonging to this woman if she was really a demon? Could it be something else? It had to be.
The bard twisted the locket between her fingers. What if..? No, she shook her head, Sin couldn't have anything to do with this blasphemous story about some twin God. Though, the elf held no love for the Maker, she had said so herself or at least implied so at several occasions. Holding up the locket towards the flickering flames of the fire she studied it through squinted eyes. She could still feel the pressing darkness from it where she held it in her hand. It chilled her where she sat next to the warmth of the fire and she shuddered to think that Sin maybe couldn't feel its wickedness because she too was an evil entity. Leliana shook her head defiantly at the thought. Sin was not evil, but why had Sin reacted like she had when Leliana had touched her? It would explain why Sin had kept her distance from her. Did she know something the bard didn't?
A stirring from within the elf's tent caught her attention and she held her breath as she saw the elf duck out from the tent. She wore a cloak, her hair pulled up in a loose bun moving slowly as if she were an old lady. She stopped in her tracks as she saw the bard watching her from where she sat.
"Oh, hey..." Her eyes flickered insecurely and she squirmed a little awkwardly. Winter's breath eyes locked with Leliana's and she felt that strong tingle in her chest. It was still Sin, the same woman she'd saved all those nights ago, the same woman whom she'd had so desperately wanted to kiss. She smiled bashfully her cheeks suddenly red with a hot flush.
"I've got something of yours." She held out the locket. Would Sin dare to come close to her? What would happen if she did?
Sin hesitated before slowly inching closer, drawing to a stop a few footsteps away, a puzzled look upon her face, eyes searching the bard for something.
"You're not wearing your amulet."
Leliana shook her head 'no'.
"Why?"
"Well, Deanna said that it probably was better if I didn't."
Sin sat down rubbing her forehead. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."
Tilting her head Leliana could see the worry the deadly guilder masked with her otherwise so playful personality. "So you remember then?"
"My memory is a little foggy and mixed up, but I remember bits." Sin pulled her knees up towards her chest. "I don't know what happened. I don't know why you have this effect on me."
"Me?" What did Sin mean with that?
"It's you. Whenever you're near, this thing, this side of me I try to suppress becomes stronger. It fights harder to get out."
Leliana took a deep breath. "Is it...are you really a demon?" She was afraid to ask, but she had to know.
"No, I'm something else. Though I wish it hadn't been discovered like this."
"Does it hurt? When you transform?"
"It hurts all the time. Every moment it's not let out it tears at my body."
The bard swallowed thickly averting her gaze. "Do you transform often?"
"Every fullmoon."
She looked back in horror seeing Sin smile at her.
"You cheap liar..." Leliana chided her playfully.
"Only when I'm near the Chantry or...you."
"Why me?" The bard couldn't understand it.
"I don't know, even without your amulet it still hurts," Sin looked down before raising her gaze looking at her with an almost pleading look. "Who are you?"
"What do you mean? I'm just me. I'm no one special." Leliana said in confusion. She was just a bard, just a simple girl who had been fortunate enough to be picked up by Marjolaine instead of starving on the streets when Lady Cecilie died. Sin sighed heavily before leaning over to grab the locket gently, her fingertips brushing against Leliana's palm. She let her hand linger, fingers closed around the locket.
"Then I suggest you stay away from me."The elf's eyes never left Leliana's as she spoke before she got up, turning her back on the bard.
What?! She hadn't expected Sin to say something like that and she stood up in frustration. Why did the elf keep on pushing her away? What was it she was so afraid of?
"Why?!"
Sin turned to look at her, pulling her hood up. "Because it wants to kill you."
TO BE CONTINUED...