They arrived at the Hanged Man just after night fell only to find Aveline sitting in a corner by the door with Varric looking painfully bored and unimpressed.

"Hawke," Aveline said when she saw him, "thank the Maker. If I have to see this kid make an ass out of himself one more time..."

Hawke sat down beside her with a thump. "Whats that?"

She wrinkled her nose and move further down the bench, away from him, "where in the void have you been? You stink!"

"We found Evelina, in the sewers, it was quite the experience. So who are you watching?"

"Well, Emile De Launcet appears to be trying to get laid." Varric chuckled.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"I couldn't make this shit up."

"How come you haven't done anything with him?" Hawke asked.

"You were asked to collect them, I figured so long as he stayed here we would just wait for you to show up." Aveline told him.

"That seems as though its against your better nature." Hawke teased.

"It is." she said sourly.

"Alright, lets go talk to this bastard. Which one is he?"

"He's the one that's drinking alone at that table." Varric told him, pointing.

"Alright."

Aveline and Varric stayed at the table while the rest of them approached the mage.

"Emile De Launcet?" Hawke asked quietly.

Emile jumped and sat up straight, before looking at him blearily.

"Hey how did you know my name, did Nella tell you? I gave her my Launcet signet ring in exchange for a kiss, and tonight, she's going to make me a man!' He told him with a large smile on his face.

"This is what lack of sex does to a person. I can only watch in horror." Isabela told them.

"He's lived in the circle all his life. He can't function in the real world." Anders said sadly.

"And yet, you've been advocating for their freedom?" Fenris questioned.

"Not all mages are idiots." Anders snapped at him

If Emile heard them he ignored them, "round of drinks on me?" he asked, "I am Emile, as you know...and you are?""

"Feeling very sorry for you." Hawke said with a shake of his head. "I'm also helping the templars hunt a mage named Emile de Launcet. And here you are!"

"Oh buggery!" Emile said, standing up from his seat, "I know what this is about. I...I'm not a blood mage, all right? I, uh, started that rumor because...because I thought it would make me sound dangerous and...suave".

"Do you have a death wish? You grew up in the Circle, you know what the templars do to blood mages!" Anders said incredulously.

"I've only told people in the tavern. And only women! You don't understand. I've been in the circle since I was six. Six! For twenty years I was locked up. Never had a real drink, or ...or cooked something for myself. Never stood in the rain, or kissed a girl..."

"The Ferelden Circle's more fun." Anders chuckled, "everyone was kissing everyone. Though that was before the abominations."

"Oh Anders, I knew you were a slag." Isabela teased.

"'Was', Isabela, 'was'" Anders smiled, remembering when his only concerns were who to bed and how to get out of the tower. How things changed.

"I just wanted to live a little." Emile sighed, "if you are going to kill me, do it. I would rather die drunk."

Hawke thought for a moment, "Emile wants to live a little...why don't you give him a hand, Isabela?"

"You don't mean...no. No! He's revolting! I do just fine whoring myself out without your help, thanks." She told him crossly.

Hawke chuckled before turning back to Emile. "Did you really escape the Circle so you could kiss a girl?"

"Well, not just that. I've read so much about the other things you can do with girls.."

"Oh maker, this is the most awkward-I'm getting a drink." Nero suddenly said, heading to the bar.

"I'll join you." Isabela trailed after him.

When they were gone Fenris voiced his opinion, "This is an act. The mage makes himself out to be harmless."

"No, I think he's really that pathetic." Anders told him.

"You can't run, Emile. The Templars will find you eventually." Hawke told him.

"I...I'll make you a deal, all right? Give me just one night, One night! One of the tavern girls, Nella, agreed to lie with me. I even paid for a room. Please, let me have this. You can take me back in chains after." Emile begged.

Hawke raised an eyebrow, amazed at how far this man would go to get laid, "would you really risk your life to be with her? She's not even special to you."

"She's not too ugly." Emile said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"The templars may come while you're with her, and believe me, they wont ask questions before they run you through."

Emile lowered his head sadly, "maybe your right. Maybe it isn't worth it." he turned to look at Nella sadly, only to see her snuggling up to another patron and sighed, "you win. I'll go back to the circle. This was a stupid idea from the beginning." he muttered, heading for the door.

Aveline approached Hawke as he began to follow the mage, "maybe I should take him back you, well, you need a damned bath. And Varric has a lead on the third apostate."

Hawke sighed, "today is turning into a long one. How have the templars failed to capture these people? It's going pretty well for me. Thanks for your help Aveline."

...

"So, he's supposed to return to Nyssa tonight?" Anders asked Hawke.

"Apparently so, hopefully we're not too late."

"Hopefully the apostate didn't do anything stupid, you mean." Fenris corrected.

"You know, I'm never quite certain whether you are referring to me or someone else when you say 'apostate'" Anders scowled at the elf.

"I'm referring to this Huon, there is no doubt that you will do something stupid."

"So help me..."

"What are the chances that is Huon?" Nero asked.

They were descending the stairs in the Alienage and he was referring, of course, to the elf with a staff strapped to his back, who was currently speaking to another elf, presumably Nyssa.

"Huon." Nyssa said, her voice shaking, betraying her fear.

He spread his arms and she strode to him, whimpering when he embraced her.

"Hush, love. Don't be afraid." He said, "Your blood will bring new life to our people."

With that he stabbed her with a knife in the stomach and lowered her gently to the ground before resting on his knees and saying, "she was so beautiful."

"Someday I would like to go one week without meeting an insane mage. Just one week." Hawke said.

"I am a visionary." Huon told them, " I have seen our destiny. I know what fate holds for the elves. The humans keep us down because they're afraid of the magic within us. Look at the magic Nyssa held inside her. She was just afraid to use it."

"It's always the same. Always." Fenris said as he drew his sword.

Huon stood and faced them, his hands glowed red from the blood coming from Nyssa and he summoned several shades.

Nero smiled and glanced at the large tree behind them, it had been quite some time since he had called upon the vhenadahl, but it was always eager to listen when he called for it. He figured it might have a bit to do with the part of him that was elvish, or maybe the tree just thought he was awesome.

When he reached out for it's aid the fight ended quickly, several of the vhenadahl's roots erupted from the ground to impale the shades, but most of the damage was done by branches which quickly untangled themselves from the great tree's foliage and set about wrapping themselves around several of the enemy, particularly Huon.

The blood mage screamed in frustration as his limps were encircled but it was cut off short as a rather large branch penetrated through his chest. As soon as Huon died any remaining shades disappeared, their anchor to this realm cut off.

Nero watched with interest as this happened, he had never before altered the flow of the river so much that he had manipulated the actual tree. He had wished, on several occasions, that he could get the branches to just beat down his enemies but never before had it actually happened. He let his eyes drift to his hands, and realized that he was once again covered in that eerie purple/black smoke, but it was dissipating quickly.

Ahead of him Hawke slowly turned to face him, with an eyebrow raised.

"Getting a little carried away, aren't we?" Hawke asked.

Nero shrugged, "I'm... sorry?

"Meh, whatever. I'm tired, I'm going to bed. Meredith can wait for news tomorrow."

They all agreed and Anders headed to Darktown while Hawke, Nero and Fenris headed to the stairs that would take them to Hightown. They passed by Isabela, who was hanging out of her window in the Hanged man and called down to them. But she was plastered and they were tired so they didn't stop in to see her.

On the way home Hawke mumbled a whole lot about how stupid the templars were and Nero appeared to be busy thinking, which in turn led Fenris' mind to wander. To the same crap that it always did since they had returned from Ostwick.

Denarius.

It seemed indubitable that the magister was going to return. It had been more than a decade already and the bastard had never stopped hunting him down, and now that he had had Fenris in his hands, only to lose him again, he was going to be furious. Long ago Fenris realized that Denarius continued to chase after him for the sake of his own pride, certainly the mage had spent just as much money trying to reclaim Fenris as he did on the lyrium that marred his flesh. Before he could have let himself believe that Denarius would give up when it became too expensive to keep chasing him, but now...Denarius wold never give up.

Fenris sighed, Nero had done a stupid, stupid thing. Denarius would attempt to recapture Fenris, but Nero had crossed him in a way that Fenris knew would make the bastard's blood boil. Denarius grew furious at the smallest act of insubordination, even if it was accidental, and Nero had gone onto his own ship, killed it's crew, and his apprentice, and freed the slave that he had been after for years. And taking into account that whoever returned Nero would receive payment whether he was alive or dead...there was no doubt in Fenris' mind that Denarius planned to kill him.

So ever since they returned to Kirkwall he had been tense and stressed about it. When was Denarius going to return? How many men would he bring with him? Would he come himself, would he use magic so openly in the middle of a city that was considered the capital of templar power in the Free Marches? Fenris was tired, and growing sore, and the worry was eating at him in such a way that he was growing restless and irritated.

He wasn't even enjoying the rekindling of his relationship with Nero as much as he should be. When they were alone at night things were fine, he could ignore Denarius' inevitable return then, but when Nero fell asleep he could not. His stomach would tense and he would feel like he was going to puke until he finally fell asleep out of exhaustion. Nero could obviously tell something was wrong, and had asked what it was a couple of times, but Fenris knew that Nero knew he was worried about Denarius and he didn't feel like sharing the details. Luckily Nero never pushed.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize they were home until Nero began speaking to Hawke.

"You can go home if you wish, Hawke. You've covered for a lot of people this week and i'm sure you would like to sleep in your own bed."

Hawke frowned, "And what if Denarius comes?"

"If Denarius comes I have a feeling it wont be quietly, and there are plenty of guards around...maybe we should just get a dog."

Hawke laughed, "we should get you a mabari war hound. They're amazing brutes."

Nero smiled tiredly, "go home Hawke."

Hawke sighed, "alright, but only this once. If something stupid happens you bastards run and you come to my estate, i'll leave the door unlocked."

"Is that a good idea?" Nero asked.

Hawke chuckled, "there are a bunch of guards around, remember?"

With that Hawke left, leaving them to enter the quiet house alone. Fenris waited for Nero to do his scanning thing, something that he didn't quite understand, but Nero assured him it was foolproof. Something to do with feeling the river flow through things. Fenris didn't think about it too much, it made him uncomfortable.

Neither of them said anything till they were in the bedroom taking off their armor to get ready for bed. Fenris sighed loudly as he tossed a gauntlet on the chair, "do you not worry?" he asked

Nero turned to face him but did not look up from where he was untying his vest, "I worry about plenty of things."

"About Denarius returning, I mean." Fenris frowned struggling momentarily to unhook one of the buckles holding his chest-piece and back-piece together. He would never understand how Nero got out of his armor so quickly.

Nero set his over-shirt on the back of a chair and sat down on the bed to pull his boots and pants off. Leaving him in his sleeveless undershirt and underpants. He looked up to see Fenris struggling with his armor, and smiled a little before getting up to help him.

"I do worry about Denarius...but I try not to. If I let it bother me too much then I'll be as tired and tense as you are."

Fenris scowled, "how can you just not worry about it?"

Nero frowned and carefully set bits and pieces of Fenris' armor on the table, the elf had been forced to put on his spiky set, due to his other clothing smell like shit...literally.

"When I was in Tevinter...it was easier to ignore all the painful things, the things I couldn't convince myself I liked, than it was to lie awake at night and let them plague me or torment myself with apprehension of the next day when it would happen again." he said quietly.

"You convinced yourself you liked things that you didn't?"

"You didn't? Maybe it was different for you, maybe you were forced to pretend that you enjoyed things you didn't less often than I did." Nero's expression grew dark, and Fenris could see a pain that he was sure Nero had not worn around him before, "It was a daily thing for me. Most...clients didn't want to simply torture me, they wanted to degrade me. It wasn't enough to whip me or rape me, they wanted me to believe I liked it. So I tried, I figured if I liked it then they would stop, and usually they did. I had myself believing I liked all sorts of things, when really all I liked about it was that it would stop if I begged and moaned for it."

"Sum paenitet." Fenris whispered, but it wasn't enough, he wanted to offer better comfort, but he did not know how.[I'm sorry.]

If Nero was even aware that Fenris spoke, he showed no sign, he seemed lost in his memory. "the worst part was that they would then ridicule me and belittle me for liking such dirty and twisted acts. As though they weren't the ones that had done it to me, as if I was the one that originally asked them to do it. And I would believe them, I would hate myself and be disgusted with myself and ask them for forgiveness, but they wouldn't give it to me. For years I tormented myself, thinking that I was demented and filthy.

"But there were things that I couldn't like, I wasn't capable of even pretending I liked. And I suffered those things repeatedly. I would lie awake every night, I barely got a few hours sleep, dreading the next day and the abuses I would have to suffer all over again, and I would be too tired to eat come morning. I would become so exhausted and strained that I would feel sick, and I would hate myself even more, because I wasn't pleasing these people. I lived for their pleasure, but I was failing so tremendously, until eventually I just stopped caring. I accepted that I would feel physical pain, whether I worried about it or not. And I could sleep again, and I could eat, and these people would grow bored and go away because they weren't breaking me so badly anymore.

"So yes I worry, but I've learned that when you worry about things you can't control, you'll lose your fucking mind."