Anna's footsteps were slow and heavy when she returned to her room that night. An air of exhaustion and defeat hung around her, even though throughout the city people drank in her honour. She should feel ecstatic, but all she felt was tired. She wanted to go home to Ferelden, to just pack up and leave with her mage and her child and never set foot in this blasted country again. She had barely closed the door behind her before a voice cut through the darkness, taking her completely by surprise.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Fenris demanded, sounding hurt and furious.

"Tell you what?" there was a thumping noise as if he had just slammed his fist down on the table.

"What do you think?" he yelled.

"I don't know." Anna made a desperate play for time.

"That you CAN'T SEE!" She flinched as his voice struck her like a battering ram.

"Please don't yell" she begged, feeling a headache coming on.

"I yell as much as I damn well please!" he hollered back. "When were you going to tell me that you're blind?"

"I don't know!" Anna screamed back, "When the time was right!"

"And you didn't think it was before you faced the challenge of the keys? You could have been killed!" He sounded both angry and hurt, something that was unbearable to her.

"But I wasn't! It was fine!" Her voice sounded shrill, desperate, even to her own ears. She wanted to grab him, hold him there, and cling to him like a desperate limpet. But that was impossible since she could not discern where he was.

"You lied to me!" Fenris fumed.

"I didn't lie! You never asked!"

"So now it's all my fault?"

"I didn't say that! But it was you who gave me the potion!" The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. There was complete and utter silence. Then the silence was broken by the most horrifying sound Anna had heard in her whole life. She heard the door opening, and the shuffle of bare feet on the floor. Then the door closed with a soft click that was more final than any slam could ever have been.

"Fenris?" Anna begged. "Fenris, I'm sorry, please don't go." But he was already gone. Anna sank down on the thin cot, weary to the bone, her sightless eyes still wide and pleading. She laid down on her side and pulled a pillow into her arms. She licked her lips, and tasted salt and ashes. Ashes like the end of something beautiful. Salt like the tears slipping without permission down her cheeks.

No sooner had the door closed behind him before Fenris regretted his harsh words, wanting to run back inside and take her into his arms and make sure that she was okay. He had been completely terrified all through the Third Task, after he'd realised that she had no way of seeing the items the statue demanded. However, pride is one of the most dangerous demons in the Fade and now it kept him from going back. Instead, he straightened his back, squared his shoulders and marched down the corridor, through the door and into the late spring night. It was chilly, but he was used to a slight chill. Huddling up to protect himself as much as possible, he hurried through the darkened city, avoiding the groups of drunks and day labourers, ignoring the whores and thieves. All the way back to the Manor he thought of Anna, who was putting her life on the line for his sake. His Anna, whom he had yelled at when he should have comforted. Accused when he should have supported. The urge to go back was strong, but he resolutely pushed it down. If Danarius found out where he had been, and that he had been there regularly since she was taken, well… it would not bode well for neither him nor Anna. The magister was a cruel man, something he knew better than any other. As he hurried home through the dark streets, hoping against hope that his little sojourn had not been discovered, he could not help but imagine his Anna at the mercy of his Master. The thought was enough to make his blood run cold and rage unlike anything he had known in his life boil in his veins. That was when it happened: his tightly clenched fists burst into blue light.

Fenris stopped cold, staring at his hands who were still shining brightly. It did not feel the least bit painful, instead he only felt powerful. As if he could take on the entire city and win, and lie with a beautiful Fereldan woman on top of the smouldering bodies. If he had been able to see himself, he would have seen that every scar on his body glowed with the same blue light that came from his hands, power crackling in the air around him like a thunderstorm about to erupt. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the blue light vanished and left him exhausted, weary to the bone, and with a feeling as if every single scar ached nearly as badly as after he had received them. For a long time he stood still on the street, fearing that whatever it was would return. Perhaps it was the magic Anna kept on insisting was within him. He had no idea, nor did he know how to handle it; wanted to ask Anna, she was a templar, surely she knew? But he could not: that would mean returning to the arena, swallowing his pride and asking her forgiveness. And he was not ready for that just yet. Instead, he pulled his tatty cloak tighter around his shoulders and hurried on towards home, resolutely pushing any thoughts of Anna or blue light or new and strange abilities as far from his mind as he could. It was safer that way.

Fenris' entire body jerked from pain, his mouth filling with blood from biting his tongue both to keep from screaming and as a result of his entire being writhing and shaking as Danarius shocked him over and over again, a look of twisted pleasure and ice-cold fury on his face. He had lost any track of time and his surroundings, not knowing how long this had been going on and not caring. He hung suspended from his arms in the middle of the cold dungeon, as he had from the moment he came home after having seen Anna and been met by a furious Hadriana.

"What did she do to you that I didn't?" Hadriana shrieked.

"Gave me pleasure." her hand struck his cheek so hard and so unexpectedly that his head snapped back. He tasted blood, but refused to back down. He knew now what it was like to feel pleasure from another's touch; to actually want to have sex.

"That filthy dog lord, how could you find pleasure rutting with her when I let you love me?" she demanded, petulant like a child.

"You know nothing about love. Nothing at all. Anna taught me-" she slapped him again, harder this time.

"Shut up, you piece of shit! MASTER!" Danarius had entered the hall, frowning.

"What is the matter?"

"He insulted me! I want him punished!" Hadriana shrieked, sounding even more like a petulant child than before. She even stomped her foot for good measure.

"Calm down, child. I need to have a… word with our dear wolf. In private."

After that, time had passed in a haze of pain. First, there had been the whip, coming down on his back over and over again until there was little left but bloody ribbons. He had screamed; screamed until his voice was hoarse, but he had refused to beg. Anna had taught him to stand proud even against immeasurable odds, and he would be like her. He would not bend to this twisted bastard. Then had come the staff, first beating his aching body until he was covered in bruises, then the magic. It always ended with magic. There were fire spells burning his feet until they turned black and blistered, skin cracking and falling off. Ice spells, freezing his fingers until they were unable to move and starting to turn blue. Shock spells making his entire body jerk and writhe in agony. It was never taken beyond his endurance, however, ensuring that his master got his pleasure without actually killing him. Then, after the magister had satisfied himself causing pain, the worst part would come as the man untied the chains and Fenris fell to the floor, his body screaming in protest as his bruised knees hit the stone. He knew, however, what was expected of him and leaned forward, bracing himself on his aching arms. If he appeared compliant, perhaps it would be over quickly and he could go convince one of his master's apprentices to give him some basic healing, at least for his burnt feet and frozen fingers. He closed his ears to the noises from behind him as his master took what belonged to him. His mind hid itself deep inside, to protect itself from the horror around him, the pain burning inside. Strange, it felt as if… as if his mind rested in Anna's arms. As if, somehow, she was cradling him, shielding him. Loving him, even now.

Anna laid on her tiny cot and cried, her body trembling from exhaustion and despair as phantom pain shot through her body. The bond was even stronger now, strong enough to let her feel Fenris' pain. His fear and despair coursed through his body, and she felt the abuse as if it was her own body suffering instead of his. Her body shook as his was run through with magic, her feet blistered as his were burnt. She felt as if she was ripped apart when the animal that still owned him, owned them both, forced him to- she did not want to know. Did not want to see. But there she was, like a mute helpless witness that had no eyelids to close. Finally it was over, and she felt exhausted as if she had battled a dozen demons at once. Her mind reached out for her mage, found him, and wrapped itself around his in a mental embrace that soothed her as much as it soothed him.

'I'm sorry' he whispered, like the slightest of breezes.

'I know. I love you.' She sent back, pulling him in and rocking him like warm, gentle waters. She felt him tremble as he sank into her, becoming one with her, his soul safe within hers.

'I will protect you' she vowed. 'Trust in me.' There was silence for what seemed like an eternity, then it came, gossamer soft:

'I trust you.'

In the darkness, Anna wrapped her arms around her knees and smiled. They would make it.