Hello again!

This story has really taken off in my mind and I'm really enjoying writing it. I hope you're enjoying reading it as well! Well, there are some familiar faces in this chapter.

Again, leave me a review! I like to hear from my readers. Also, a big shout out to DalishEssence and Marika Haliwell. Thank you for your reviews and comments. They made my day. :)

RussianBear27

Chapter 9

The sun was setting as Kaliana slipped out onto the shores of Lake Calenhad. The entrance used for delivery of supplies was unguarded, as she hoped it would be. She stepped to a small rowboat, a small sack of scavenged supplies slung over her shoulder. They wouldn't last her very long. Fortunately she was able to swipe a coin purse with enough to get her going.

As to where she was head, she had no idea. Denerim was out of the question. The Templars were sure to look for her there, and Kaliana knew her presence would only endanger her family. For now it didn't matter, getting as far away from Kinloch Hold was her only priority.

If there was anything Kaliana had to be grateful for out this calamity, it was the destruction of the phylacteries. The storeroom was one of the first to be raided by the rebelling mages. If the Templars were to come after her, they would have to hunt her down without the aid of her phylactery.

Darkness descended as Kaliana reached the far shore. Her arms ached from the rowing, but she was finally out. She looked back to the tower across the lake, the only home she had known for the last thirteen years. It loomed over lake, the last purplish rays of the sun weakly illuminated it. It was odd how peaceful it look, when inside it a veritable house of horrors. A gilded cage destroyed by those it was supposed to shelter and protect.

There was no going back now. There was no going back to the life she had, to the simple days of reading and innocence. What she had, who she was, it was all gone. Even Cullen. Part of her wondered how she could have been foolish enough to hope they could have had something.

She turned away and headed down a new path. Leaving the smoldering tower behind her.

Kaliana headed north. Having no set destination left her with more options than she had ever had. North seemed as good a direction as any. She walked for hours, keeping away from the Imperial Highway as best she could. She walked until she felt she could go no further and found a place to rest.

A small grove of trees provided cover from any passerby's, or so Kaliana hoped. She had nothing to sleep on, no blanket to keep her warm, but she didn't care. She collapsed exhausted beneath a great oak tree. Using her meager bag of provisions as the world's worst pillow, she was asleep within seconds of closing her eyes.

The chirping of songbirds woke her the following morning. The sun's rays streamed through the canopy of the oak's branches. Opening her eyes, Kaliana nearly panicked finding herself in middle of nowhere. Then the memories flooded back, like a nightmare she could never forget.

Gathering her few possessions, Kaliana continued on. Everything ached from sleeping on the cold ground. But she couldn't stop now. The Templars could be coming after her and getting as far away as possible was her only option. All was well until she reached a bridged river crossing.

Five well-armed men stood idle on the bridge, waiting for the desperate traveler to come their way. Keeping her head down, she hoped somehow she could just walk past ignored. Of course nothing could ever be that simple.

"Look what we have here boys," the biggest of the men called, "another refugee."

Kaliana tried to push past him, but he held her back.

"Where do you think you're going miss? At least I think you're a woman under all that dirt!" Another jeered.

"Please just let me by," Kaliana wouldn't look at them, she simply stared at the ground.

The men laughed. "Well, of course you can cross our bridge! You just have to pay the toll like everyone else," the big man smirked.

"I don't have any money," Kaliana pleaded. She was not willing to part with what little coin she had for a stupid bridge.

"That's alright love," the man smiled, "I'm sure we can work out some other form of payment." He reached out to stroke her cheek. She slapped his hand away, glaring at him, but his menacing smile remained.

The other men surround her, there was nowhere for her to run. One grabbed her by the wrist. She tried to pull away, but he was too strong. She screamed as he pulled her in, spun her around, and threw her to the ground. They converge on her grabbing at her robes, ripping them to shreds.

"Hey!" Someone yelled out, "leave her alone!"

Another band of refugees were head towards them. Lead by a man with the biggest great sword Kaliana had ever seen, he was accompanied by three other women. Two of which seemed as ready for battle as he did.

"What should we do, boss?" one of the goons asked.

"We take care of them!" the man commanded.

Kaliana's harassers didn't stand a chance against these refugees. The man with the great sword cut through the first man like it was nothing. One of the women was a mage who froze an attacker in their tracks, while the other cut them down with her long sword. Her mysterious savior cut down another of the armed ruffians in a flash of steel and blood. The two remaining men looked to each other realizing there would be no winning this fight. They fled, leaving their companions to bleed out in the dirt.

"Are you alright?" the oldest woman approached her. Her hair was greying and wild from their travels, but her eyes were kind.

"I'm fine," Kaliana backed away, not ready to trust another person on the road.

"What is you're name?" she asked gently.

Kaliana looked at them, they waited patiently for her answer. "Kaliana," she said finally, "but people call me Kali."

"My name is Leandra. These are my children Garrett and Bethany," she motioned to the mage and the man with the great sword. "This is our friend, Aveline," she referred to the woman with the sword and Templar shield.

After introductions, Kaliana thanked them for coming to her aid. She expected they would continue on their way having completed their good deed for the day, but it seemed Leandra was a candidate for sainthood. The matriarch would not consider leaving her behind, instead insisted she join them. Travelling alone was dangerous, after all.

They travelled up the river for a ways, and then stopped for a small meal. There wasn't much, only what the group had been able to barter for in the previous town. Though anything was better than the stale bread Kaliana had eaten that morning.

After there lunch Bethany beckoned Kaliana to join her by the river, out of sight of the others. When Kaliana nervously asked what this was all about, Bethany smiled and reached into her pack retrieving a small bar of soap.

"I was saving this for later, but I thought you would appreciate it more. I also have an extra set of robes, if you're interested," she offered.

Kaliana knew she must have been a disaster. She hadn't bathed since before the insanity with Jowen, which was weeks ago now. Her blue robes were in shreds and barely holding together. Her hair was completely different story. It would take a miracle to save it. Deep down, Kaliana knew it would probably be best to cut it anyway. Kaliana graciously accepted Bethany's offer.

Bethany turned to leave and gave Kaliana some privacy. The river water was freezing, but Kaliana didn't care. She scrubbed every last inch of herself as if she could somehow wash away all everything she'd been through. Carefully she redressed in the robes Bethany had lent her, feeling like a new woman. The robes were too big for her small elven frame, but they would do. There was nothing to be done with her hair, but to tie it back in a messy bun. She would deal with that mess later.

Returning to the others, they had packed up their few belongings and were ready to get back on the road. Garrett explained they were headed to Highever, and then onto Kirkwall. Their home village of Lothering had been completely destroyed by the darkspawn. Bethany took great joy in the retelling of their escape from the south, though Kaliana found it rather hard to believe it all. An ancient witch of the wilds transforming from a grand dragon to grant them safe passage north, it was a bit hard to believe. Though it didn't really matter.

"You're an apostate," Kaliana pointed out while speaking with Bethany.

"I am," Bethany replied, her tone defensive.

"I suppose I am now too," Kaliana confessed.

"Oh wonderful," Aveline's voice chimed in, "another apostate."

Bethany ignored her, looking Kaliana over, "you were a circle mage? What are you doing out here?"

Kaliana swallowed and decided to giver her the short version of her tale. "I was betrayed by my best friend. He came to me for help and I trusted him. He turned out to be a malificar, and he fled the tower. They were going to punish me for helping him." She took a deep breath, "they were going to make me tranquil."

Bethany was as fascinated with Kaliana's tale as much as Kali had been with hers. "How did you escape?"

"There was a rebellion among the other mages while I was locked away. I managed to escape during all the chaos." Kaliana willfully omitted the rest of her story. They didn't need to know what happened. How Cullen and the others had been driven mad. She could still see his eyes, they were so full of hate and fear. A single tear escaped thinking about it.

"Are you okay?" Bethany asked.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry, it's just been… overwhelming."

"Don't be sorry," Garrett assured her. "We've all been through a lot."

They didn't spend much time in Highever. As soon as Garrett secured them passage, they were on a ship and headed towards Kirkwall. The voyage was long and everyone on board was on edge, all having escaped the ravages of the oncoming blight. Though, Kaliana took comfort in her new friends.

Aveline was a bit standoffish at first, but eventually warmed up to the elven mage. She told Kali about her husband Wesley, who had been a Templar in Lothering. He perished during their escape, but Aveline kept his shield. She told her it was if Wesley were still protecting her in a way. The shield was never more than arms length away from her at all times.

"It's silly, I know," Aveline lamented over the shield.

"No," Kaliana assured her, "it's not." The mage understood the keeping of such mementos. She still wore the necklace Cullen gave to her. It seemed like a lifetime ago, that night beneath the stars. The likelihood of them ever meeting again seemed slim to none, but Kaliana still hoped he found peace. She knew her heart would never be the same and moving on was not an easy task.

Somehow, during their voyage Bethany procured a pair of scissors. Bethany spent a good hour slicing through Kaliana's wild mane. The end result was a much more manageable uneven style. She cut one side and the back very close to her head, but left a good length on the opposite side that reached her jawline.

"Do you like it?" Bethany asked as they looked at her reflection in Leandra's small pocket mirror.

Kaliana hadn't seen her reflection in months. Spending a few moments to take in her reflection, Kaliana was surprised by her appearance. A scar ran from her temple to below her left eye, giving the appearance of a crescent moon. Her cheeks were a bit more gaunt than she remembered, but her blue-green eyes were as bright as always.

"I love it," Kaliana finally announced having examined her hair.

Bethany squealed with the delight of an excited child, even if they were both the same age. Kaliana liked that about her. She always seemed to find the brighter side of thing, even in such dark times.

Then there was Garrett. His only objective seemed to be the safety of his family. Keeping everyone safe and together was all that mattered to him at the moment. The death of his younger brother seemed to be hitting him hard. He kept mostly to himself for most of the journey, but Kaliana enjoyed the time she spent talking to him.

It seemed she couldn't have found a better man to be rescued by. The majority of his life he had spent protecting his sister from the Templars. A job that took on new meaning after his father passed away a few years back. In many ways Garrett reminded her of Cullen. Always looking out for those who could not. An idealist, who would always lend a hand, or sword, if the occasion called for it.

When Kaliana left the circle tower, she had no idea where she was going or how she would get there. Now she was on a ship heading into harbor in Kirkwall. Somewhere she could start over, and begin again. Her companions had already proven their worth to her. For once, she found herself looking forward to the future, blissfully unaware of the danger just beyond the horizon.