"Alright, guys, let's keep this short," Eriana said, surveying the room full of Wardens. "I need everyone to check out the duty roster and sign up for a patrol route on the schedule. We've had a few scattered reports about darkspawn sightings throughout the arling, so we'll need to step up patrols for the next few weeks. They're probably just remnants of the Mother and the Architect's forces, but I'm not taking any chances. Winter is approaching fast, so we need to get this knocked out before travel begins to get difficult. Trust me, you do not want to be sleeping in a tent when it starts snowing; been there, done that, and it's no fun. Luckily, things are quiet in the rest of the nation, so let's hope things stay that way till we head out to start recruiting in the spring."

There was a murmur of agreement through the room. "As it is, though, things will likely be slow during the coldest part of the winter anyway; even they have should trouble digging through frozen ground. We should be good until the thaw. I will be asking several of you to go out on the recruiting trip around the country, so let me know if any of you are interested in going."

"However, we have an even bigger job coming up in the next month," Eriana said with a sigh, "the one year celebration marking the end of the blight. Their Royal Highnesses would like for all of the Ferelden Wardens to be in attendance, but as things are, we can't leave Amaranthine completely unguarded. Keenan has volunteered to stay behind to be in charge of things while we're away, but we'll need three or four volunteers who would be willing to miss out on all the pomp and circumstance in Denerim. Maker knows, I'd prefer to stay here; you all know how much I enjoy these things."

"Wouldn't be much of a celebration without the Hero of Ferelden," Oghren grunted from the back.

Eriana rolled her eyes as several people around the room chuckled. Everyone knew full well how much Eriana hated being the center of attention, and there was no doubt that she would be front and center at every event that was held for the entire week. "Yeah, yeah, Alistair made it quite clear that I was expected to be in attendance, as if I didn't already know that. But if you'd like to stay behind, let me know. If no one volunteers, I'll be forced to draw names."

"Any questions," she asked, surveying the room one more time. It felt good to have all her Wardens in one place. It definitely made things easier for organizing and assessing everything, but it wouldn't last. She expected their numbers to increase quite a bit over the next few years, forcing her to spread her forces out over the whole nation, which would definitely increase her administrative duties. "Okay, one last thing. Aedan and I are planning to go into the city for the next few days. I have some administrative business I need to take care of before leaving for Denerim. If any of you are interested in spending some time in the city, let me know. We'll be leaving after breakfast tomorrow. Other than that, keep up the good work. I'll be making my rounds during training this afternoon, so I'll see you all then. Dismissed."

Eriana wasn't surprised when Nathaniel and Keenan both told her that they wanted to accompany her to Amaranthine. She had assumed that they would want to visit their families before they left for the capital. However, much to her surprise Justice approached her and expressed an interest in accompanying her.

"I have not had much of a chance to see anything beyond the walls of the Keep since I arrived in the mortal realm, and I would very much like to see what else is out there. Kristoff's memories are quite strong, and I am interested to see those things for myself."

"That would be fine, Justice, but I do ask that you leave your helm on when we're out in public. I'm afraid your appearance might be a bit shocking to most people not familiar with you."

"Understood, Commander. Thank you," he said with a curt nod before exiting the room, leaving Eriana alone with Anders who was hanging back against the wall, fidgeting nervously as he waited to talk to her.

"Commander, I noticed that there were no mages accompanying you to the city. I think it would be wise for you to have at least one mage in the party, particularly one who is adept at healing."

"I suppose that means that you are volunteering, right?"

"Yes, if you would have me, I would very much like to accompany you."

Eriana sighed, "That should be fine, Anders. Just be sure you're ready to leave in the morning." The mage had been back in the keep for a week, and she had yet to really talk to him. She was still too angry with him for leaving the way he did, and it would take some time before she was ready to let him make amends. Without giving him a chance to say anything more, Eriana turned on her heel and strolled out of the room toward her office.

She knew that she would probably be spending the rest of the day in there, going over the financial reports for the city. As much as she hated Esmerelle for trying to kill her, she hated her even more dying and leaving mounds of paperwork behind for Eriana to sort through. Most of the nobles who had died during their failed assassination attempt oversaw farmland for the most part, so it wasn't imperative that Eriana put someone in charge of those lands until planting time came around in early spring. She could wait until the next arling council meeting to appoint overseers for most of the vacated positions, but the city couldn't wait that long, ergo, Eriana was forced to take on the duty of running a city. That's why the trip to the city was a necessity. Eriana and Aedan were going to assess the rebuilding, evaluate the city guard, and appoint a seneschal to oversee the city directly. The sheer volume of work almost made her miss the blight, almost.

-0-

The actual trip into Amaranthine the next morning was rather uneventful. The party of six managed to make it to the city without being attacked by bandits, darkspawn, or wild animals. Eriana rode with Aedan, grinning to herself every time Anders looked over at them with that kicked puppy look on his face. Part of her knew it was wrong to find joy in Anders' misery, a small, part of her anyway.

As soon as they made it to the city, Keenan and Nathaniel disappeared to visit their families, agreeing to meet at the tavern for dinner. They had made very good time, so Eriana had some time to kill before her first meeting with the captain of the guard. Aedan suggested that they tour the city, doing an informal assessment of the repairs that were being done before meeting with the foremen. The group had barely made it past the chantry when they were stopped by a severe looking elven woman.

"Anders," she barked, staring daggers at the mage. "It's about time you showed up."

The mage glanced nervously back at Eriana before turning back to the other woman. "Namaya, you're still here. After everything that happened, I assumed…"

"Yeah, well, unlike some people I know, I keep my promises." Anders flinched at her harsh tone. "I did some checking, and as it turns out, you were right. The cache is here in Amaranthine."

"You found it, Namaya, thank you so…"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving her hand. "Do with that information what you will. I for one am through dealing with mages, especially you," she said with a growl before looking up at Eriana. "If I were you, Sweetie, I'd watch yourself around this one; unless you like getting screwed over." Without saying another word or sparing the mage another glance, the elf turned and stormed away.

"She seems nice, smart too," Aedan whispered in Eriana's ear, eliciting a small giggle from the elf. "I for one would like to get to know her better."

Anders sighed and turned around. "I suppose you are wondering what that was all about."

Eriana shook her head, "No, that was pretty self explanatory, given your history. What'd you do to that one?"

"I guess I sort of cheated on her, but I didn't mean to." Eriana and Aedan exchanged a quick look of disbelief. "I promise. She was a friend, well more than a friend; she and her sister helped me during my last escape attempt. But one night, we were all hanging out, drinking, having a good time. Well, they both went upstairs while I finished my drinks. I'm not so sure what happened after that because I was kind of drunk, but I ended up in the wrong room and, well, didn't realize it till it was too late."

"Wait, you slept with her sister?" Aedan said with a laugh.

"It was dark, and in my defense, they look an awful lot alike."

"And you didn't notice you were with the wrong one?" Eriana asked, looking up at him.

"Well, I figured it out eventually, but once I did, it was a little too late to stop." Eriana groaned and shook her head. "Needless to say, Namaya was furious at me. I can't believe she still found my phylactery for me."

"Is that the cache she mentioned, a cache of phylacteries?"

Anders nodded. "The chantry moved the phylacteries of the circle mages here during the blight. I had hoped to find mine and destroy it once and for all. That is why I was here in Amaranthine in the first place, looking for it."

"What is this phylactery of which you speak?" Justice said, speaking for the first time that day.

"It's my leash." Anders said, the bitterness evident in his voice. "It's a vial of my blood that the templars use to track me whenever I get free from the circle. They have one for every mage in Thedas. No matter what happens to me, as long as they have that vial, I'll never be free of them."

"And why would the templars wish to track you; have you done something wrong?"

"Besides being born a mage, no. Well, that and wanting to be free from tyranny and injustice of the chantry, but I don't think that's so wrong."

"Injustice," Justice said, "What kinds of injustice?"

Anders sighed, "Where do I start? Everything about the circle is unjust. They steal us mages away from our families the moment they discover our magical abilities, forcing us to live in that prison. They force us to undergo a dangerous test to prove we have the fortitude to withstand demonic temptations, and if we fail we are killed. If we refuse, we are made tranquil, severing our connection to the fade and stealing our emotions as well, and that's just the stuff the chantry will admit to. There are tons of other abuses the templars throw at us, and we are powerless to defend ourselves for fear of labeled blood mages."

"That is unjust," the fade sprit said indignantly. "Why have you done nothing about it?"

"What?"

"Why do you not strike a blow against your oppressors? Ensure they can do this to no one else."

"Because I stay as far away from my oppressors as humanly possible. I'm only one man. What in Thedas could I do against the entire chantry?"

"So you are apathetic about the plight of your fellow mages. You are free so the suffering of others does not matter to you. Apathy is a weakness you know."

"Yeah, and so is death."

"Regardless, you should do something about it. You have a responsibility to right this wrong that is being done to your fellow mages. By what right do they enslave your kind?"

"It's not slavery, not exactly," Eriana interjected, "It's imprisonment more than anything. The mages aren't being forced to work or do anything. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's right. Their freedoms are taken from them, that's true, but you have to understand, not all mages are like Anders here. Many of them are extremely dangerous."

"So we should all be locked away, then, just because a few of us are dangerous? There are dangerous people all over Fereden, it's not just limited to mages, you know."

"That's true," Eriana said, "but most of them can't set an entire building on fire with their mind. You have to admit it, Anders, you and all mages have a great deal of power at your disposal. Not every mage is a good person."

"The presence of a few dangerous mages does not justify the wholesale imprisonment of all mages," Justice said, indignantly. "There are many elves who make a living through thievery, so should we assume that you are a thief as well. Would that justify locking you and all your kind up just because a few are dangerous? "

"In a way my kind is locked up," Eriana pointed out. "Not in the same way mages are, but we don't have the same rights and freedoms as humans and dwarves have."

"So what have you done about it?"

"I've done what I can to try to change things, but you can't change an entire society and system of beliefs overnight. Look, do I think the chantry system is perfect? No, there are a lot of flaws in the way we treat our mages. That's why I conscripted Anders in the first place, to save him from an unjust punishment. But do I have a better solution? No. I have seen too much damage done by uncontrolled mages to support a carte blanche approach to magic. There have to be checks and balances in there somewhere." Eriana turned back to Anders, "But back to the situation at hand, and am I to believe that your phylactery is here, in Amaranthine?"

Anders nodded, "Apparently it's in an abandoned warehouse just outside the gates, near the entrance to the smuggler's cave." He glanced down at the note Namaya had given him. "According to this, it is likely unguarded. I hate to ask this of you, Commander, after all I've done, but do you think we could go and get it. I would feel so much safer knowing it was destroyed."

Eriana hesitated, not because she was averse to helping Anders. No, she was willing to help him, but something about this felt wrong. A scorned ex-lover coming with to him with the one thing he desired most; something just didn't add up. Sighing she nodded and motioned for Anders to lead the way while she dropped back to talk with Aedan.

"I noticed that you didn't correct Justice when he made the assumption that you weren't a thief," Aedan whispered, grinning down at her.

"Yeah, that was on purpose. If he found out what I did to get by during the blight, he's probably have my head, and I like my head where it is, thank you very much."

"Yeah, I like your head where it is too. Probably for the best then." He glanced up at the mage and the possessed dead man. "So any thoughts on this new development?"

"I hope we find this phylactery, but I think we're walking into a trap. My assassin senses are tingling."

"I don't think it takes an assassin to figure that out," he said with a sigh. "So if you think it's a trap, why did you agree to help?"

Eriana grinned. "It's better to go into a trap knowing it's a trap than to get caught unaware in their second attempt to ensnare you. Make sense?"

"No."

Eriana chuckled. "Chances are, whoever is behind this is after Anders, and they won't stop until they get a hold of him. I'm still mad as hell at him right now, but I'm not about to let someone hurt him. If this trap fails, they'll just set another one, one that I might not catch until it's too late."

"Ah, got ya. At least you're prepared for this one."

"Exactly," Eriana said, sure that she was ready for whatever the templars had in store for them.

She was wrong.

-0-

Of course the cache was empty; Eriana expected nothing less. And she wasn't surprised to see Rylock leading the party of templars; that woman had wanted to get her hands on Anders ever since Eriana conscripted him right out from under her. The elf was surprised, though, that the templar expected her to hand over Anders without a fight.

"Rylock, we've been over this," Eriana said, glaring up at the larger woman. "The Grey Wardens have the right to conscript whomever we want, and King Alistair himself allowed this conscription. So back off! You are not getting this mage."

"The King isn't here to defend him, so unless you want to die along side of him, I suggest you back off," Rylock said, nodding to the two templars beside her.

Eriana stepped between the tepmlars and Anders, daggers drawn, "I'd like to see you try." Around her, the sound of steel being drawn filled the air, as the templars all hit Anders with a holy smite, sending the mage staggering.

"Justice, protect him," she said as she began to slip behind the first templar. Beside her, Aedan engaged the other templar while Justice took on Rylock one on one. It quickly became clear to Eriana that she wasn't ready for a fight like this; the effects of her pregnancy and subsequent illness had left her weak. Sparring with Garen wasn't the same as going against a fully trained templar who was out to kill, and it definitely hadn't built up her strength enough. It was all Eriana could do to keep the templar off her. Her footwork was a step and a half too slow, her daggers moving just a breath too slowly, her strength was fading far too quickly, and Eriana realized with increasing anxiety that she was one wrong move away from losing this fight. If she could make it to the wall, she would blend into the shadow and get behind the templar. But she never made it that far. Before she could disappear, the templar plowed into her, catching the side of her head with the broad side of his massive shield, knocking her head back against the brick wall behind her. Her head cracked with a sickening thud, and the world grew a bit fuzzy around her as she slipped to the ground, her daggers clattering to the floor beside her.

"Nathaniel is going to kill me," she thought to herself as the templar stepped up to her sword raised above his head. "Well, maybe he won't have to," she suddenly realized. She tried to move, tried to roll away, but her body simply wasn't responding. Closing her eyes, she waited for the inevitable blow, but it never came. Instead, she was jarred from her thoughts by the sound of steel on steel as the templar's sword met something solid. Opening her eyes, she saw Aedan standing over her, his massive shield between her and the templar, a furious look on his face. He moved faster than she had ever seen him, slamming into the templar, catching the knight completely by surprise and knocking him to the floor. The nobleman wasted no time, driving his sword into the man's chest while Eriana simply stared up at him, still slightly dazed.

Sheathing his sword, Aedan rushed over to her, kneeling beside her as he cradled her face in his hands, his thumb lightly tracing her injured cheek as he examined her. "Ana, are you alright."

"Yeah, my head hurts, but I think I'll be okay." She looked up at him, shaking her head slightly. "Thank you; if you hadn't gotten over here so quickly…"

"I know, I know. I guess we're even now, right. You saved me back when we were facing those darkspawn back in Highever, and today I got to return the favor." He tilted her head to the side to look at her cheek. "You're going to have a bruise tomorrow."

Eriana reached up and lightly tested the area beneath her eye. "I think it might be broken," she said, wincing as she applied the slightest pressure. "I'll get Anders to… Oh, sweet Andraste, Anders," she gasped, suddenly scrambling to her feet and rushing across the room to where the mage was crumpled on the floor. "Anders, Anders," she hissed, rolling him over onto his back and cradling his head in her lap.

The mage opened his eyes, looking up at her. "Ana," his whispered, reaching up to touch her cheek and struggling to sit up. "You're hurt, let me…"

"Shh," she said, catching his hand and putting it back on his chest. "You're weak right now, okay. I'll be fine, Anders; don't push yourself. The templars really did a number on you; just relax." She smiled, pushing his hair back off his face.

"What's wrong with him?" Aedan said, coming to stand beside her.

"The templars drained his magic," she said, never looking up from the mage. "It's a nasty little trick of theirs, leaves the mages completely helpless."

"Can't he just drink one of those blue potions and be okay?"

Eriana shook her head. "If it was just one of them, maybe, but all three of those templars hit him at once. He'll likely be out until tomorrow morning, even with a lyrium potion or two." She held a vial up to his lips. "If he tried to use lyrium to regain his full strength, the amount it would take would kill him or addle him completely. This will help him get back to the inn, but he will be unable to use his magic for the next few hours. Justice, I hate to ask this of you, but could you stay with him tonight. I would do it myself, but…"

"I would be happy to protect Anders," Justice said.

Eriana and Aedan helped the mage get to his feet, and Justice put an arm around the mage, supporting him until they made it back to the inn. The mage fell asleep the moment he hit the bed, so Eriana and Aedan left, leaving Justice to watch over the vulnerable mage. Once they were back outside, Aedan turned to the elf, catching her face again and tilting it up to get a better look at it in the sunlight. "That's a really nasty bruise; you know that, right? It's already turning blue."

Eriana nodded, "I'll get Anders to take care of it in the morning." She looked back up at the nobleman. "Thank you again, Aedan; you didn't have to involve yourself in Warden business."

Aedan shrugged, "Yeah, but where would you be if I hadn't. Besides, isn't that why I'm here, to help you sort out all your Warden business?"

"I don't think that includes killing templars, though."

"Ah, don't worry about that," he said with a grin. "In fact, watch this." He strolled up to the guards on duty at the city gate. "Excuse me, guardsmen. I'm am Aedan Cousland, brother and emissary of Teryn Fergus Cousland. You will want to send some men in to clear up a mess in that abandoned ware house," he said, nodding toward the building they had recently exited. "You will find three dead templars there."

"Templars," the guard said. "What happened?"

"They attacked your Arlessa and tried to take one of her Wardens captive," he said, nodding toward Eriana. "Look, one of them nearly broke her jaw. We had to kill them in self defense. I trust you will be investigating this quietly. I would hate for it to get out that the chantry here is attempting to assassinate the Hero of Ferelden and blatantly violating the laws of this nation concerning the Warden right of conscription."

"Of course," he stuttered. "I'll report it right away. I'm so sorry, Warden Commander."

Aedan nodded and turned to walk back to Eriana. "I can't believe you just walked up to the guard and told them we killed those templars like it was nothing. That was bloody brilliant!"

"Hey, I'm a nobleman; that's what we do. Now, I believe we have some meetings to attend, and believe me, that bruise is going to make you nice and intimidating."

"So I'm not already intimidating?"

"Nah, you're too pretty to be intimidating, but that's what makes you so dangerous. Everyone underestimates you until they get to know you."

"Whatever, Aedan. Let's just get these meetings over with," she said as they made their way toward the barracks.

-0-

Eriana was right about one thing, Nathaniel was furious when he saw her. But to her surprise, he wasn't furious at her, he was furious at Aedan. "How on earth could you knowingly let her walk into an ambush like that? You know she is still recovering from her illness, and you let her walk into a fight against templars. Templars!"

"Nate," Eriana said, stepping between the two noblemen.

"No, I'm not done with him," he said, refusing to make eye contact with the elf. "I can understand her agreeing to help; she can't say no to anyone who needs her help."

"Hey!"

"You can't and you know it," he said, giving her a slight smirk. "That's why you have to say no for her. She is barely back on her feet. What were you thinking?"

"Nathaniel, stop it. I knew it was a trap, and I went willingly. This is my fault, not Aedan's, so if you want to yell at someone, yell at me. He saved me, so you should be thankful he was there."

Nathaniel sighed, "I'm taking your daggers from you if you pull something like this again."

Eriana laughed, then gave a slight groan. "Please don't make me laugh; it hurts too much when I smile," she said, touching her cheek gently. "Now, if you two think you can behave yourselves for a while, I'm going to go check on Anders then I'm going to bed. Night."

"Night," the men said, turning back to their dinner and drinks as Eriana disappeared upstairs.

"Hey, Justice," she said, poking her head in the door. "I can stay with him if you want to go out for a while."

"You don't mind?"

"No, go down stairs; just don't try to administer any justice without clearing it through Aedan or Nathaniel first." The sprit nodded and disappeared down the stairs. Eriana smiled and moved over to the bed where Anders was sleeping. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she gently pushed the blonde hair back off his face. Sighing slightly, the mage opened his eyes and looked up at her. "Hey you."

"Hi. What time is it," Anders said, sitting up slowly.

"It's just after dark; you've been sleeping for about eight hours. Are you hungry? I could go and get you something to eat."

Anders shook his head and put a hand on her arm. "No, just stay," he said, smiling up at her. "I'd rather have your company than food right now." He reached up and touched her cheek, his hand glowing a bit as his healing magic washed over her. "You have a fracture here, did you know that?"

"I figured as much," she said, pushing her hair back. "But a broken bone was really the least of my worries at the time." She caught his hand and lowered it. "Don't push yourself, Anders; I know there's no way you've gotten your strength back yet. You don't need to wear yourself out on my behalf."

"Yeah, I do because I'm the reason you're hurt. You wouldn't have that bruise if you hadn't stood up for me." He cocked his head and looked up at her. "Why did you stand up for me anyway? I mean, after what I did to you, I thought you'd be thrilled at a chance to get rid of me."

"You thought I'd just hand you over to that sadist? She was going to have you executed, you know that right?" Eriana asked, more than a little insulted. "Anders, I was, am angry with you, but I would never do that to you. You hurt my feelings when you left, that's true, but…Anders do you really think I'm that vindictive?" Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"No, it's not that; it's just…look, everyone I've ever trusted has turned on me in one way or another. I've never had anyone defend me before, until you. And how do I repay you? I hurt your feelings; I abandon you." He sighed, pulling her to his chest in a massive hug. "Ana, you had every right to turn me over to the templars; I betrayed you in every way possible. I betrayed you as a friend, as a healer, as a Warden. Why didn't you turn on me?"

"Because I promised I would protect you," she said with a sob. "Don't you remember what I said when I recruited you? I promised you I would defend you; that we would keep the templars away from you. Do you really think I would go back on my promise the first time it's tested?"

"Ana, please don't cry. I didn't mean to insult you; it's just everyone in my life has turned on me. I guess I just expected you to be like everyone else. I'm sorry," he whispered to her, his lips on her hairline.

"So is that why you run? You don't trust anyone so you, so when things get difficult you split."

"I've never really thought about it, but I guess that could be part of it. All my life, I've never really been able to rely on anyone, so being on my own has just been easier. If I don't let anyone close, then I no one can let me down."

"Were you afraid I would hold it against you that I lost the baby, that I'd let you down somehow?"

"I didn't think you'd ever forgive me for that, Ana. I felt so guilty about not catching it sooner, and I realized that this time, I was the one who had let someone down instead of it being the other way around. I just didn't know how to handle it. But, Ana, I swear, I will never let you down again. I won't leave you; please believe that. Please forgive me, and I promise I will make it up to you."

Eriana sighed. "I want to believe you, Anders, I really do, but I don't know if we can just go back to the way things were." She moved out of his embrace and looked up at him. "And it has nothing to do with the baby. You weren't there for me when I needed you most, when I was at the lowest point in my life; there's no undoing that. It took a lot for me to begin to open up the way I did with you, so it hurt when I woke up to find you weren't there, especially after all that had happened."

Anders nodded. "I understand, and I don't expect you to just forget what happened. I know I hurt you, and I know I probably ruined whatever chance I might have had with you," he tilted her head up and looked at her, "but I want you to know that I will be here or you in whatever capacity you need me. I promise."

"I'll hold you to it," she said, easing back off his bed. "But for now, you need to get some rest. Having three templars smite you at the same time couldn't have been fun."

"No," Anders said with a slight chuckle as he settled back on his pillows. "You're right about that much. It was no fun at all."

Eriana sat at his bedside, watching as the mage drifted back to sleep. She had started to care for him, she was able to admit that to herself now. That's why his disappearance had hurt so much. Now that he was back, she couldn't risk putting her heart out there again. Not with him and certainly not with Aedan. Though it had been fun using the nobleman to nettle the mage, she realized that it probably hadn't been her best idea. Aedan had started getting a bit too friendly, just a bit too protective, not that she minded today against the templars. But it was dangerous letting the nobleman get the wrong idea. She wasn't ready to open her heart to him, to anyone. The elf sighed and rested her elbows on her knees. All she had to do was hold Aedan off a little longer; then he'd be back in Highever and her life would get a whole lot less complicated. Maintaining a friendship with that particular man was much easier when he was in another part of the country; too close was just too dangerous. And she didn't think she could survive another heartbreak, not so soon. She just wasn't strong enough yet.

-0-

Hello everyone. I know it's been a while since the last update. I didn't realize how tough it would be juggling two stories, so I hope you can bear with me. I was out of town last week without my laptop, so this has been my first chance to update. The next chapter of this one is already partially finished, so hopefully it won't be so long between updates this time.

As always, thank you so much for continuing to read, and a special thanks to those of you who review. I really take your comments into consideration as I'm writing, so let me know what you think. Hope you enjoyed this one. Thanks again!