It didn't take Nathaniel very long to make arrangements for their emergency trip to Denerim. As soon as Brendan heard what had happened Eriana's father, he immediately agreed to oversee the Wardens for as long as they were gone, including overseeing the Joining ceremony that was scheduled to take place next week. Eriana generally preferred to be present for all Joinings, but both Wardens felt that it would probably be better for her to skip this one, seeing the death of a potential Wardens was not something she needed at present. The former knight also helped Nathaniel formulate his plans for the actual journey. At first, Nathaniel had only planned on taking himself and two other Wardens, Anders and Garen, along. Anders was a competent horsemen and would be able to use his healing abilities to rejuvenate the horses throughout the journey, allowing them to travel faster and farther. Garen volunteered to go the instant Ogren left the room with Eriana. Nathaniel immediately agreed, hoping the former thief's unique abilities and knowledge of the city could ferret out information that others may not find. Brendan, however was uncomfortable with this arrangement.

"You do realize you are taking three rogues and a healing mage, right?" Brendan pointed out. "I'm not saying you three aren't capable, you are, but in her state, I'm afraid Eriana won't be much help in a fight, and neither will Anders, his magic will be strained just keeping the horses going."

Nathaniel nodded in agreement. "I wish there was another option, but Anders said that he couldn't handle more than three horses without completely draining himself, and I need Garen once we get in the city. I can only hope that most of the bandit groups will still be hidden away since the traveling season isn't exactly in full swing yet. Winter has just broken, after all, so there aren't may groups traveling on the roads just yet."

"Still, it concerns me, sending you all out without a warrior or a true battle mage. Anders is good, but he's a healer first, not a fighter."

Nathaniel sighed, running his hand through his hair as he tried to come up with a solution. "What about Amell? He can use that transforming magic he learned while we were working in the Wilds." Brendan suggested.

"Amell," Nathaniel thought for a moment. "That might work. How long can he maintain one of those transformations of his?"

"When we were traveling up here, he stayed a bird for nearly three days; he said he'd rather fly than walk."

"Does it drain his magic?"

"Not that I know of, but you'd need to ask him to be certain."

In the end, it was decided that three Wardens, Garen, Anders, and Niko Amell, would join Nathaniel and Eriana on the journey. The group would leave at first light and, if all went according to plan, should be in Denerim in a day and a half. After informing the other Wardens of the plans, Nathaniel managed to get a few hours of sleep before going to collect Eriana.

It was Sigrun, not Eriana, who opened the elf's door, a sad, tired expression on her face. When she saw Nathaniel standing here, she softly shook her head, answering Nathaniel's unasked question. "I tried to get her to sleep a little, but I doubt she got more than an hour or so. I managed to get her to eat a little something, but…Take care of her, okay. I can't imagine how she's dealing with all this after everything she's been through; it's so unfair."

"I know, but she's a strong one."

"Even so, there's only so much anyone can take before they break down completely."

Nathaniel nodded, moving across the room to Eriana's side. "Are you feeling any better this morning?" he asked, tucking a hair behind her ear. Eriana shrugged her shoulders, moving lifelessly as she pulled on the riding attire Sigrun was holding out to her, not saying anything, even when Nathaniel asked if she was ready to go.

That was the norm more or less for the rest of the day. Eriana traveled in silence, clinging to Nathaniel's as she rode behind him on the way to Denerim, merely shrugging or nodding when spoken to, but otherwise giving no indication that she realized what was happening around her. The Wardens rode hard, resting only briefly every few hours to stretch or eat. During these short breaks, Eriana made no attempt to speak to anyone or move on her own, sitting and staring into the woods with her knees drawn up to her chest, only eating or drinking when food was handed to her.

It was just after twilight when the company stopped at a small road-side inn. Garen and Niko immediately went to the stables to see that the horses would be tended to properly while the other three went inside to speak to the proprietor about getting a room for the night.

"I'm sorry," the old innkeeper said, briefly eyeing the expensive weapons and well-maintained armor the three were wearing. "The largest room I have available only has four beds. You will need two rooms for the night if you want to sleep five."

Nathaniel sighed, knowing the man was attempting to take advantage of them. He really didn't want to split the group up; there was safety in numbers in these kinds of inns.

"We'll take the room for four," Eriana said, speaking for the first time all day, the cool authority in her voice, despite her small size and unassuming presence, startling the innkeeper for a moment. "We're used to sleeping on the ground when necessary."

"Up the stairs, second door on the right. I'll send up some water so you can wash up if you like."

Eriana nodded and motioned for Nathaniel to pay the man as she made her way upstairs with Anders. By the time Nathaniel had worked out a price and collected the other two Wardens, their young elven leader had already stripped off the riding leathers and was sitting on the bed in the back corner of the room, staring out into the darkness.

"Anders," Nathaniel said, taking the mage by the arm and leading him away. "Is there anything you can do to help her get some sleep?"

"Well, there is a spell that will knock her out for a little while, but it would take a lot of magic to maintain it all night. Besides, she wouldn't get true rest under the effects of the spell, but it may be enough to induce actual sleep."

"Do it, then get some rest yourself; I'll take the floor in front of the door." Anders nodded and walked over to Eriana, whispering a spell and easing her back onto the pillow. Nathaniel watched her with a heavy as the elf's face began to relax for the first time in two days as the spell lulled her to sleep. It was hard to see her like this again. She had fallen into a similar state when her daughter died and was only jarred from it by the presence of the King. Nathaniel hoped that Alistair's presence in Denerim would have the same effect this time.

Sighing softly, Nathaniel situated himself by the door, replaying the previous day's journey in his head. They had made excellent time, traveling farther than he had expected to. His predictions to Brendan had proven true. The bandits and robbers had yet to make their way out onto the highways just yet, so the closest they had come to being robbed was when the innkeeper tried to force them to pay for two rooms. The highway, though, wasn't his main concern. He was very worried about Eriana's safety once they entered the city. Something about this whole situation screamed trap to him. He tried to take comfort in the fact that Alistair would ensure that they were well guarded during their time in the city, but the timing of it all seemed too perfect. Cyrion was killed just as the snows melted enough to ensure swift travel. He was murdered in the alienage and according to the messenger all evidence pointed toward the racist radicals who, according to the city guards, had made an attempt on Eriana just months before. Nathaniel and the Wardens knew, however, that the attempt on Eriana during the one year celebration was a professional hit. Though the racist group was still out there, Nathaniel seriously doubted that they were the ones behind Cyrion's death. Too many things worked out perfectly; there was no way it was all coincidence. This was a focused attack on his elven friend; deep in his bones, Nathaniel was sure of it.

That was the thought that was keeping him awake when Eriana awoke and made her way across the room to his bedroll. Without saying a word, she pulled back the blanket and slid beneath it, snuggling up beside of him. Automatically, Nathaniel's arms wrapped around her drawing her close to his chest as body shook with silent tears. After several minutes, her breaths began to slow, and she drifted off to sleep beside him. "I've got you, my Ana," he breathed into the top of her head, giving her hair a soft kiss, "and I'm not going to let anyone get you; I swear."

With that thought in mind and the young elf in his arms, Nathaniel was finally able to drift off to sleep.

-0-

It was just past midday when the Warden party made its way through gates of Denerim. Garen broke off from the group, immediately heading to the palace to inform the royal guards and King of their arrival. He would spend the rest of the evening touching base with the seedier contacts he had throughout the city, searching for information about the murder. The others made their way immediately to the alienage. Under Shianni's leadership the elven district had changed drastically since the darkspawn attack on the city. New buildings lined the newly paved streets and there was an air of prosperity despite the recent killings. All of that was lost, however, on the Wardens who were looking carefully at the new buildings for signs of trouble. Having been to the Tabris residence before, Nathaniel led the group through the streets, Eriana's hold on him tightening on him as they moved through her former home to her family's house.

The before Nathaniel even managed to get the horse completely stopped, Eriana slid of the back of the horse and dashed quickly into the house. Tossing the reins to the pair of mages, Nathaniel followed close on her heels, finding Eriana in the entryway, her cousin Shianni in her arms. "I'm sorry, cousin, I don't know what happened. I have no idea why he was out alone. I was late getting home from a meeting with the King's seneschal when the guards found me and told me he had been attacked and.."

Eriana silenced her cousin, kissing her on the forehead before tilting her face up. "Can I see him?"

Shianni nodded, wiping tears from her cheeks. "He's just through there. The court mage has his body under a stasis spell, but it won't last more than another day. Cousin…"

"I just need to see him, Shianni; we can talk later."

The red-headed elf nodded, stepping away from her cousin and pointing her toward the room that held her father's body. Nathaniel stood by the door, unsure of exactly what his role would be now that he had gotten her safely to the city; he was about to duck out to check the perimeter when Eriana turned and looked at him, motioning for him to follow her before she ducked into the room. When he entered, she was standing at her father's bedside, looking carefully at the shrouded body. She chocked back a sob as she reached forward, taking a corner of the shroud that was covering Cyrion.

"You don't need to be the one to do this," Nathaniel said softly, his hand covering her smaller one. "Ana, let me examine him."

Eriana shook her head, wiping away tears with the back of her free hand. "No, I need to see for myself," she said, reaching forward and pulling back the cloak that was covering her father, carefully looking at the wounds. Without looking up, she gestured toward the body. "Tell me what you see here, Nate."

As Nathaniel looked over the body, his worst fears were confirmed. "Simple, precise incisions at vital points with a few secondary cuts made to mask the fatal ones. I'm sorry, Ana. I know that this isn't what you wanted to hear, but this was no random attack," he said after a few moments. "His injuries are too precise for them to be random or amateur."

"You think this was a professional job then?"

"I'm almost certain it was. I'm so sorry, Ana."

"Damn it," she muttered, draping the cloak back over her father. "I was afraid of that. I had hoped that perhaps it may have been random thugs who had a problem with elves, that it had nothing to do with me, but I guess that was too much to ask." She shook her head, turning away from Nathaniel, almost whispering to herself. "I thought he would be safer away from me; that if I kept him away, I wouldn't have to worry about someone targeting him because of me."

"Ana, this isn't your fault," he said, taking her into his arms and pulling her back against his chest. "You didn't ask for this; just like you didn't ask for anything that has happened to you over the past two years."

Eriana turned in his arms, resting her head on his chest as she cried. "It still doesn't change the fact that my father is dead because of me." She looked up at Nathaniel, her blue eyes shimmering with tears. "What have I done to them to deserve this, Nate? Why do they hate me so much that they kill innocents just to hurt me?"

"Because you are extraordinary, and people don't like extraordinary. You have done something no one else has ever done. You rose above your race, your birth, even your gender and did something no one else in this nation could do; you saved us all. And while most of the nation adores your for it, there will be a few who resent you for it simply because you stepped up and did the hard things when they could not. Who ever is behind this is embarrassed that you have gained so much. That is why they resent you."

"I didn't want this. This was never part of my plan. I never expected to survive the Blight. Maybe it would have been better if I hadn't."

"Stop, just stop right there; you will not start thinking along those lines again. I know you're hurting now, and I know you want to blame yourself like you always do, but I'm not letting you. Not this time. Ana, you are the single best thing that has ever happened to this nation, to me. Not only did you save us from an unspeakable evil, but you have forced us to reevaluate everything we've ever believed about elves. This is a good thing; our nation will be a better place because of this. Think of what we will gain by looking past our prejudices and wrong assumptions. There is a wealth of knowledge and potential that we humans never knew because we were too stubborn to see it. You forced us to see it. But change is never easy. People are resisting, and, as a result, lashing out at you. I know that that is poor succor at this moment, but if it helps take comfort in this," he said, taking her face in his hands and forcing her to meet his eye. "I swear to you, I will find out who is behind this. And when I do, they will pay."

"Thank you," she whispered, looking up at him. "I know I say this all the time, but I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you. I don't know where I'd be without you."

"Probably curled up in a corner somewhere," Nathaniel said with a grin.

Eriana chuckled softly through her tears. "Probably. Look, Nate, I want this dealt with by the Wardens. As far as I'm concerned, this is a direct attack on the Grey, so we will deal with it in our own way."

"Understood," he was about to say more when the sound of many heavily-armed footsteps approached the house. "Alistair?"

"Likely, no one else would travel with that many guards, not in this district anyway."

"He's a good friend to you, Ana. Are you sure you don't want to talk to him about this?"

"Positive. He's a good friend, but he's not shrewd enough to know who to and who not to trust. Besides, he'll want to rush into things, make a big deal about it. It's going to take a certain amount of stealth to sort this out."

Nathaniel nodded in understanding, following with Eriana as she moved back to her father's bedside, taking his hand and stroking it lightly as tears once again began to flow down her cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, Nathaniel moved to open the door to allow admit the King. Alistair move in quickly, motioning for his guards to stay at the door, but sparing neither Nathaniel or Eriana's family a second glance. "Ana," he said, immediately taking her into his arms and pulling her onto a massive hug. Knowing that his commander generally preferred to spend time with the King alone, Nathaniel turned to leave, but before he could move toward the door, Eriana glanced up over Alistair's shoulder, her blue gaze meeting his own, pleading with him to say before turning back to the warrior who held her. The whole exchange took less than a few seconds, but it marked a complete dynamic shift if their relationship. She needed him here as much as if not more than she needed the King. The realization floored him.

"Alistair, what happened?"

"There's been some growing discontent in the city," he said, taking her to the couch on the other side of the room and pulling her onto his lap. "There have been a few people expressing a concern with the new rights elves have been granted since the war."

"How can people be so stupid," Nathaniel hissed moving to take a seat in a chair beside them. "After everything elves have done for this nation lately; how can people still see them as second-rate citizens?"

"It baffles me too," he said, "but Eamon likes to point out that old habits are hard to break and that some will always resist change. According to the guards I have looking into this, that vocal group has moved to violence, and it appears that your father was a victim of that. He was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. We found one of these next to his body," Alistair said, handing her a familiar flyer, the same that she had seen at the anniversary celebration.

"So this was all a coincidence? It had nothing to do with who I am?"

"No, in fact, I'm pretty sure most people in the city have no clue that you're even involved. They've mentioned Bann Shianni's loss, but no one has mentioned your name."

Eriana let out a sigh of relief that seemed so genuine, Nathaniel was almost convinced of her relief. "Thank the Maker. I was so afraid that this was about me. I don't know if that makes it better, but it does elevate a little bit of my guilt."

"I know that this won't bring your father back, but I've increased patrols through this district especially in the late afternoon and evening. We will find the group that's behind this, and they will answer to me."

"Thank you, Alistair. That's all I can ask for."

Alistair stayed for a little bit longer, comforting the blonde elf before leaving to return to the palace, expressing his regret that he wouldn't be able to return the next day for the funeral. "If it was up to me I'd be here, but my presence would draw way too much attention to the alienage. I've made arrangements for you to have a guard the entire time you're here; though I'm sure Nathaniel will be putting extra measures into place." The rogue nodded in agreement with the King. "The Revered Mother has agreed to do the ceremony here in the alienage."

"Good, he'd like that. He'd want his funeral to be among his friends."

Alistair drew her into another hug, kissing her gently on the temples. "I love you, sister, and I wish there was more than I could do."

"You being here is enough. Thank you, Alistair."

The King kissed her again and rose to leave. Just before he reached the door, he turned back to Nathaniel. "Take care of her."

"On my life," the rogue answered. Alistair smiled sadly and gave him a curt nod before leaving the house.

-0-

The next day, Eriana stood beside Nathaniel in the alienage courtyard as she and the rest of her community said their goodbyes to Cyrion Tabris. Anders stood beside of the two rogues, keeping a keen eye on the elves around them as the Chantry sister recited from the Chant of Life. Garen and Niko were close by, watching the ceremony from the rooftops so that they could keep an eye on the entire assemblage from above. The King also had guards stationed throughout the alienage, claiming that the patrols were necessary as the deceased was family to Shianni. Though the situation seemed relatively secure, Nathaniel was still fighting the notion that this whole thing was an elaborate trap. Who ever was behind the old man's death could use this as a chance to attack Ana. Even if they didn't, chances were that they had spies amongst the crowd watching the commander.

"I shall not be left to wander the drifting roads of the Fade, for there is no darkness, nor death either, in the Maker's Light, and nothing that he has wrought shall be lost," the Chantry Sister said in closing, bowing her head and stepping away from the pyre.

Eriana too bowed her head, a few tears escaping and flowing down her cheek as she watched her cousin say goodbye to her father. Once Shianni was finished, Eriana stepped up to her father's side.. "Dareth shiral, Ada. Ma'arlath. May you find peace with Adaia and Sky at the Maker's side." Wiping the tears from her cheeks, the blonde elf moved up to the pyre. Placing a flower on his chest, she kissed the old man's cheek one more time before turning and walking into Nathaniel's waiting embrace. Nathaniel pulled the small rogue against his frame and leaned down to press a kiss against her temple, ignoring the judgmental faces of the elves around him.

"Are you sure you want to do it this way Ana?" he whispered in her ear.

Eriana nodded, "I just hope Shianni understands that I'm doing this for her protection. Try to explain that to her."

Nathaniel nodded and loosened his hold on the elf as the elder moved forward to set the pyre alight. The elf in his arms sighed sadly as the assembly began to break up and the members of her former community began to move forward to offer her their condolences. This was the part that made Nathaniel extremely nervous because it was when Ana would be the most vulnerable. It didn't turn out to be a problem, as everyone who approached her seemed genuine in their condolences.

As the last of the elves said their goodbyes, Eriana turned back to the fire, watching as the flames consumed her father's remains. "Cousin," a soft voice said, as Shianni came up to stand beside her. "How are you holding up?"

Eriana took a deep breath and prayed that her cousin would understand. "Holding up?" she said bitterly. "How do you think I'm holding up? My father is dead. I trusted you to keep him safe, and you couldn't even manage that. You knew the alienage was unsafe at night; how could you ask him to come to the palace like that?"

"What, I didn't..."

"Don't lie to me Shianni,"she snapped, pulling a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket and throwing it at her cousin. "I found that in the pocket of the cloak he was wearing; a note from you asking him to come to the palace, that you needed his advice about something. Notice the date? It's dated the day he was killed."

Shianni looked pale as her eyes danced over the letter. "Cousin, I swear, I didn't write that."

"Are you sure because that looks an awful lot like your handwriting."

"I know it does, but I swear..."

"Forget it, Shianni; I don't want to hear your lies. In fact, I want nothing more to do with you. As far as I'm concerned, we're through. Nathaniel will collect our things from your home; we'll spend the night in the Warden compound." With that, she stormed out of the compound, leaving a sobbing cousin and a courtyard full of stunned faces behind.

Shianni dissolved into her husband's arms, sobs shaking her entire body. Her husband, Trevers, tried to comfort her, all the while shooting Nathaniel furious looks as the two elves led the Warden back to their home. Once they were inside, Nathaniel took Shianni's arm and led her to a chair, handing her a handkerchief and a sealed letter.

"What is this?" Trevers snapped, taking the letter from his wife's shaking hands.

"It's a letter from Eriana explaining why exactly she had to do what she just did. Burn it after you've finished reading it."

"Had to do what she did...you mean she's not angry with me; she's not blaming me?"

Nathaniel shook his head. "No, but she did what she had to for your protection. Shianni," he said, kneeling down in front of the elf, "what happened to your uncle was no random attack by a group of thugs; it was a professional hit."

The red-headed elf gasped, reaching out and taking her husband's hand. "Are you sure? I mean, how could you possibly know that?"

"We are both trained assassins; we can recognize a professional hit when we see one, there's no disguising the wounds a pro will leave behind. They're clean and efficient. Someone found out that Cyrion was Ana's father, so they hired someone to attack him in order to hurt her."

Shianni's face paled considerably. "So are we in danger here?"

"We hope not, not after today at least."

"So Ana did all that at the funeral to protect us, but why? What good would that do, and why didn't she warn me?"

"We needed your reactions to be genuine; I'm sorry about that. It also needed to be in a public place. I have no doubt that who ever arranged this hit had agents here tonight, watching the funeral. Hopefully,those agents will report back that you two had a falling out so you are no longer a valid target. However, I still suggest that you procure 24 hour guard; Alistair can arrange it. But, Shianni, you can't tell anyone any of this. You do, and word gets out that Ana is trying to protect you, and you may as well paint a giant target on your forehead."

"Is Eriana in danger?"

Nathaniel sighed. "Eriana is always in danger; that's the life of a Warden. However, This threat is real, and who ever is behind it is becoming more desperate. We are hoping to uncover the conspiracy before anyone on our side gets hurt, but to do that, we must be as discreet as possible. That means no communication, no secret missives, nothing. Until we settle this, you can have no contact with her. It's safest for both of you."

"What about Soris?"

"He's safe in Highever. Besides, I doubt anyone in the nobility would be able to discover that he's your brother."

"You think that a noble is behind this?"

Nathaniel nodded somberly. "No one else could afford to hire the Crows or any other professional group to do this." He stood up and took their bags. "I need to go; it will look suspicious if I stay any longer. Be smart, and stay safe, both of you. I don't think Ana could handle another loss like this. Her daughter, her fiancé, and her father all in one year; she's strong, but no one's invincible." He swung their bags over his shoulder and moved toward the door. "I'll try to send word whenever I can, but don't contact us. Wait for us to contact you."

"I will," Shianni said softly. "And Nathaniel, please take care of her. She's like a sister to me."

"I will; you just make sure that you take care of yourself. Don't forget to burn that letter as soon as possible," he added before ducking out of the door, making a show of adjusting the bags before moving quickly through the streets of the Alienage toward the Warden Compound where he would no doubt find an anxious elf waiting for him.

-0-

Haden Tammerly stood in a high window, watching as the Wardens left Denerim to return to Amaranthine, a grimace on his sour face. "She was here and she was vulnerable. Why exactly didn't we attack her while she was here?"

"Patience, Haden, patience," his co-conspirator said softly. "The purpose of this wasn't to lure her into a trap; she's too smart and would have suspected it. No, the purpose of this was to injure, to hurt, and to knock her down just a little further."

"But we had her!"

"No, Haden, we didn't. She was well protected the entire time she was here. Did you fail to notice the increase of fully armored guards? For every one of them, there were two more in plain clothes. Besides, we move on her in the alienage, and the entire district would rise up to her defense. It would just be another failure, another reason for her to become more cautious. No, waiting is a better option."

"Waiting for what?"

Tammerly's companion sighed, annoyed at having to deal with the simple-minded nobleman more than necessary. "Waiting for her to slip up."

"She's too cautious; between her and Howe there's no way she's slipping."

"Oh, but she will when she realizes just how many people she is putting in danger. Believe me, she is now desperate to see an end to this before either of those cousins of hers get hurt. Besides, I'm tired of waiting for news that she's dead. I want to be the one to do it. I want to watch the blood rush out of her and watch her die at my feet where she belongs."

Haden smiled at that image. "And who's to say I can't have a little fun of my own before you do it."

With a roll of the eyes, his companion walked over to the window. "Soon, Eriana, very soon."

-0-

Okay, so good news is, I'm not dead, and the story is not abandoned! Real life, Skyrim, and Mass Effect 3 kinda got the better of me. I had a really rough patch this winter and kinda lost all desire to write. It became a chore, so I took a break, hoping to find joy in it again. It's taken me a bit to get back into the habit, but here's hoping the next few months are better than the last. Thanks for sticking with me!