AN: Sorry for leaving everyone hanging Friday. I went with a group of friends to an anime convention this past weekend, so I spent the week beforehand imitating a Chinese sweatshop woman and working on cosplays like mad. I didn't forget about you! I just had no time to update! Also, I saw someone cosplaying as Morrigan while it was there. It was epic.

The night was dark with no moon in the sky to light it, the weak shimmer of the stars barely able to illuminate the dark forest of masts that swayed on the swell of the ocean. Under the cover of this dark night moved a small group, confident in their safety as they navigated the docks. Armor creaked, seven of the marchers equipped from head to toe in their battle gear, hands on hilts of swords and watching the handful of elves that they escorted through the dark of Denerim city and out onto the docks. The elves were silent save for sniffling or pained cries when an armored escort would lash out at them for falling behind or stepping too far out of rank and file, but it was hard given that each of them were bound at the wrists to each other. Among them, two mages headed the walking group, their presence notable for the strange clothing that they wore, their lack of armor and over use of feathers marking them easily as mages from Tevinter.

The silent procession continued to weave their way amongst the ships and crates, then everything became drastically less orderly when an explosion of green gas plumed into the air. One of the mages that had been leading the procession tripped flat on her face, breaking a trip wire that sent another plume of the sluggish green mist spreading out over the slavers and their prisoners. Those who breathed the stuff in started coughing and sputtering, the mind-numbing mist providing a curtain of cover as three elves dashed out from hiding places behind crates and barrels to sink their knives into the backs of any slaver near by, red handkerchiefs tied around their faces to keep from being similarly effected by the mist.

The mage that had fallen unsteadily got to her feet, fingers fumbling to find the hilt of a knife in her robes and quickly brought the blade across her palm. Power bloomed, causing a near physical ripple of energy in the air, and the elves immediately turned on the source. A glass vial soared through the air and exploded at the mage's feet, a glowing blue powder shimmering in the air from the shattered vial. The mage balked, the powder causing her to cough and stumble over herself. A fourth elf that had been hiding amongst the boxes came out of concealment and sunk a dagger between the mage's shoulder blades.

The second mage having been left to his own devices was gathering power and in a startling burst of energy seemed to light the whole sky with a ball of fire. Flames erupted around the elves, captured or otherwise, and screams of pain rose from the gathered group. From there it was a pitched battle, the four remaining armored guards pitting themselves against the four rogue elves, the final remaining blood mage working his dark magic to quickly subdue their attackers.

Just as the mage slit his wrist and used the surging power of his blood to enslave all of the elves in the immediate vicinity, he froze. Ice crept up from the docks and splayed out across his skin, encasing him solidly. The elves that had been silently suffering with boiling blood dropped limply where they stood, then tried to regain necessary seconds as the four slavers rushed forward to fill the void of action.

A threatening howl split the night, and a single four-legged animal darted out of the shadows. The mabari war hound tackled the first armored man he came across, barreling the man to the ground and tearing viciously at his armor, scratching every exposed bit of flesh his claws could find. Two armored men tore out of the shadows after the hound, one bearing a shield and sword, the other dual long knives. Both joined the fray, taking the pressure off of the struggling elves and the slavers instantly became more desperate, finding themselves outnumbered this time. Spells rocketed from a hidden mage from further away, the caster staying well out of weapon range. The battle came to an end quickly enough, the victorious attackers silently patting down their victims for items of use before dumping the bodies into the harbor, the armor dragging them to the bottom to never be seen again.

The elves that had been enslaved watched this quietly with frightened gazes, wondering what was to become of them now. However, there was hope in the pained whispers as they watched, and finally one of the masked elves attended to them, brandishing a key that he'd pulled off the corpse of one of the mages and began the process of unlocking them all. Many whispered thanks were exchanged, and the elves, uncertain of their fates, stood by. Some disappeared into the night, but most remained behind, helping others to their feet.

Solona made her way over to the group, nodding to Noris and Rido as the two stood watch, waiting for the guard to inevitably show up. Their battle had not been a quiet one, and already warning bells could be heard echoing in the distance. They had little time to start moving. "Please be calm." She said over the heads of the elves, who quieted when the mage addressed them. "You are free, so the choice of what to do next is yours. However, returning to the Alienage will be impossible for you. If you have family or connections outside of Denerim, go there. If not, then come with us. We can offer safe harbor." There was muttering, and three more elves disappeared into the night, but the rest stayed looking all the world like sheep that were looking for guidance.

Silently, Kallian ran down the docks, Pita in tow as the two elves honed in on the ambush site. They were greeted with a call of hello when Sticker noticed the two, and she pulled up short in front of Solona. "The guard's been alerted." She murmured, and Solona nodded, then walked over to Aedan, easily recognizable for his height among all the elves. Oen stood at his side, fidgeting slightly, both men equipped with heavy armor that they'd managed to fairly buy at the market with the loot that they'd been pulling off the slavers. "Keep 'em off our backs fer a bit while we get these ones back to base." The three nodded and Keran gave a low short bark, his stubby tail wagging. "The rest of you, follow me if ya wanna keep yer freedom!" She started heading back toward the inner city, the other members of the Knifers following in her wake. The elves were quick to follow along, the procession of elves disappearing into the darkness of the city.

There was quiet on the docks for a little while, Aedan, Oen, Solona and Keran holding their ground, alert for signs that the guard was coming. The Knifers had been holding raids on the Tevinter slavers for weeks now ever since the Wardens had requested aid in distracting Loghain enough that they could tour the country recruiting allies. It was something that they had all agreed on, Aedan not at all being a fan of pitting himself against the Hero of River Dane, regardless of the crimes that he was being accused of. However, his resistance to the idea that Loghain was completely innocent of the rumors was degrading by the day. The presence of the Tevinter slavers was not something small and easily glossed over. The mages made very little attempt to hide their powers, which told Aedan that somebody was interfering with the sacred duty of the Chantry to keep the mages in check, especially the ones that belonged to the Black Divine. He could only imagine what the Grand Cleric would think if she found out that Denerim was playing host to an infestation of blood mages.

The final nail in the coffin had been that every time they had managed to ferret out the slaving operation, it was to discover that they just happened to be taking the only route that no guards were stationed at for the night. Somebody high in the ranks was pulling strings to make sure that the slavers went unnoticed by the common guard, incompetent as they were. Initially, Aedan had been eager to pin the blame on Howe, his position as the Arl of Denerim serving as an excellent excuse to tinker with the guards. However, he had also come to the realization that Loghain couldn't have been entirely ignorant of the Arl's dealings, seeing as the man practically lived in Denerim now. If he wasn't prowling the Bannorn looking to subjugate the lesser nobility, then he was looming in Denerim, speaking for the Queen and issuing orders and threats in equal measure if the willful Banns didn't immediately submit to his rule.

The Teyrn had only been Regent for six months, and already the kingdom was crashing down around his ears. Only the stubborn pride of the Banns and Loghain's sheer force of will were keeping things together and preventing the citizenry from falling head-long into full-blown panic. The Blight had also been a confirmed terror, the rumors no longer the whimsy of tired refugees that were half mad with thirst and hunger. Arl Eamon's recovery had brought with it a prominent voice that revealed the startling truth of the state of the south and what havoc the darkspawn wrought. The destruction of Lothering was household fact now, and the fate of a handful of southern lying Banns were common topics of gossip, none of which were pleasant to hear. One Bann had retreated entirely from his home, bringing with him what little troops had survived an outbreak of darkspawn, the soldiers now stationed in a permanent camp outside of the city's walls. It was a constant reminder of the danger that they were all in, though none of the ghastly beings had actually made it to Denerim as of yet, which was a blessing. The city was already in a desperate state, adding another tragedy to the mix would do no one good.

Once it was clear that no guards were coming to their immediate vicinity, the four started moving in the direction that Kallian had taken, heading back to their base of operations warily. Their job was to catch any guards who might have caught wind of the elven liberation group that was growing in the docks area and silence their inquiries.

By the time that dawn broke over the city, word had spread that there was another mishap on the docks, though nobody seemed entirely sure what the cause was, or why it was allowed to continue. Weary, battered and needing a good rest, the four entered the ship assembly building, confident that they had taken care of any guards too clever for their own good.

The assembly building had undergone a radical transformation. It was like a mini Alienage in here, crammed with elves that had escaped the clutches of the Tevinters with the help of the Knifers but had nowhere else to go. The result was that there were hammocks hanging from the ceiling everywhere with only enough space for a person to pass between them sideways. Privacy was a nonexistent thing, and it was hot from the fire that burned in the forge almost constantly. The air was heavy with the smell of people, but the body odor was covered by a more pleasant scent of cooking. Some of the elves that they had rescued were from Denerim and had jobs in the city. What little income they had was piled together for food, clothing, and other necessities. It was a sparse lifestyle, but it wasn't anything that the elves weren't used to, and they adapted quickly to it.

Early on when they had started collecting refugees, Kallian had noted that not all of the elves were from Denerim's Alienage. In fact, she did not recognize a fair few of them. Upon questioning, it was found out that they were from other Alienages from other cities, the majority of the strange faces coming either from Amaranthine or Highever. Those from Highever had lamented the death of their Teyrn, recalling with fondness that though it was still an Alienage, at least the one that they had come from was safer than the rest under Bryce's time as leader. Aedan had started to become afraid that some of these elves would recognize him, assuming that at least one of them may have worked in the castle at some point, or even lived there as part of the staff. It set his blood to boiling every time he heard one of the sad tales of how their Alienage was being subjugated as cruelly as the rest under Howe's authority, just another reason to have the man put out of power as soon as possible. Like Aedan needed any more reasons.

He and Solona as the only humans were still given some space by the elves. The ones from Denerim and Amaranthine watched the mage and the warrior like hawks, though the ones from Highever were far more tolerable, and it showed in the sleeping arrangements. The two had settled down in their corner of the assembly building, silently dressing down to sleep the morning away until they were called on again to train the elves who would stand and fight later in the afternoon. Typically, they were left to themselves unbothered unless Solona's skill as a healer was needed, but today it seemed like Kallian had some business with them.

As the leader of the Knifers, she had immediately assumed responsibility for the refugees that they were collecting at an astonishing rate, and they followed her lead. However, that also made her in charge of looking after their well being, and this past week the redhead had started getting agitated with the press of bodies in the limited space of the assembly building. She had also started getting paranoid of their little operation being discovered, a well-founded suspicion, all things considered. They didn't catch the Tevinters shipping out slaves every week, though Kallian was convinced that they had a regular running while the Tevinter ship was in port. She had tried to destroy it once, but that had turned out to be a disastrous folly from which nearly all of them had died, and a few actually had lost their lives. With the movement of all the elves, it was bound to pass that someone would finally figure out that there was a nest of estranged near-slaves hiding out here. It was only a matter of time.

Kallian leaned against the wall, watching Aedan take off his heavy plate and chain armor for a few moments while Solona collected herself, drinking a lyrium potion with the expectation that her healing services would be needed before she was allowed to rest. "We've got a problem." The elf stared past them, her gaze not quite focused on any one object, but distant and thoughtful.

"We've several, if I remember correctly." Aedan quipped, unbuckling his chest plate and setting it down gently alongside his sword and shield. "You'll need to be more specific."

Kallain rolled her eyes, but didn't choose to retort in kind. "It's the space. We've managed to keep everythin' hunky dory so far, but it's only a matter of time. One case of the flu, an' we're all sick fer a week. We've had a few close calls with clever guards, too, and I ain't keen to be set on by the Arl's men."

Solona rubbed her temples, sitting down in her hammock and looking up at Kallian. "But we've discussed this. There's no bigger place that we can occupy. Our only other alternative would be to find a second hideout and try and coordinate between the two locations."

"Which is even riskier, I know." Kallian finished, looking about as weary as Solona was, the two women lapsing into silence for a moment. "But we need to do somethin' 'afore it's too late. There's gotta be somethin' that we haven't thought of yet…"

The silence stretched for a long while, broken only by the constant hum of chatter from the elves in the background. Aedan sat in his own hammock and started pulling off his greaves, a frown on his face. "There is… one place that we may be able to go."

Both Solona and Kallian looked at him, though were unable to meet his eyes since he was concentrated on pulling the last of his armor off, and so was not looking at them in return. "Well?" Kallian hedged, cocking her head to the side. "I ain't a mind-reader."

Aedan waited until he had all of his armor off before looking up and meeting the elf's gaze, examining her silently. The two didn't always see eye to eye, literally and figuratively, but they'd developed something of an understanding of one another. They could be described as friends, but that wasn't precisely the right word to use. They argued a lot for friends, especially considering points of morality. "Before I tell you anything, I want your word that if you find what I say to be disagreeable that you won't attempt to kill me outright."

The elf snorted, an amused grin appearing on her face. "Awe, Basher, you know that I'd never stab ya out of hand. I'm facin' ya, for one thing." Basher was the nickname that she'd given Aedan without being prompted, which was another point of contention amongst the two. Solona had quit trying to correct Kallian about using the nickname 'Ammy' some time ago and therefore avoided that particular argument. She'd tried convincing Aedan that it was a lost cause, but he was determined to get back at her somehow.

"This is true." He replied with a small grin of his own, though it faded quickly. "My idea is this; we occupy one of the empty estates in the nobility quarter."

For a moment, Kallian just stared at him with a dumb look on her face, trying to figure out if he was serious or not. "Sure, that'd work, 'cept fer the live-in maids that'd report us ter the guard right away. 'An you know that there's talk of a Landsmeet soon. All the dusty nobles are gonna be airin' their halls."

Aedan was shaking his head before she even stopped talking. "I know for sure that at least one estate will be holding no noble family for this Landsmeet." A pained look crossed his face briefly, but he soldiered on. "And the live-in servants would… not trouble us."

Kallian cocked an eyebrow, obviously skeptical. "Explain yerself Basher."

Solona shot Aedan a worried look, her fingers twisting in the hem of her shirt in her lap nervously. Aedan only gave her a half-baked look of reissuance before inhaling deeply. "Some months ago, the Teyrn of Highever and his entire family were killed. Howe, despite having been appointed the Teyrn seems like he's been content to make his home in the Denerim estate as the Arl here, leaving the Highever estate abandoned."

"Alright, that takes care of the Landsmeet, but what 'bout the staff?" Kallain's face had gone surprisingly neutral, her game face on now. Whatever thoughts she had about this new development, she was keeping to herself, though she did glance once at Solona, who was wearing her heart on her sleeve again.

"I can… deal with them." Aedan replied carefully, wondering how much he could reveal without Kallian jumping to dangerous conclusions. "They would know me, and I doubt that they would be unhappy to see me amongst them."

For a long moment Kallain simply studied Aedan's face, her thoughts firing away as she tried to piece things together. Truth be told, she had come to be rather fond of Aedan. He had a sense of humor buried underneath his dour demeanor, and he was level headed and a killer strategist when the occasion called for it. At first she hadn't liked him because he'd been so quiet that she thought he was intentionally being standoffish because she was an elf. As she got to know him, however, she came to discover that his silence was a product of a greater factor that probably only Solona was aware of. He was wicked with a blade as well, and had developed an easy camaraderie with the elves that he'd trained in swordplay. He was loyal too, fiercely so, and she recognized that he was the sort of man that once pledged to a task would fulfill it no matter the risks. She'd come to the realization that the only reason she felt she couldn't trust him was because he kept himself closed off from everyone but Solona, and even the mage was not privy to his every thought. He was easy enough to get along with, but he held people at a distance, as if he had some great terrible secret that he was hiding from everyone. It made her nose itch, and made her more privy to argue with him because of her own unsettled opinion of him.

"Who are you?" She finally asked, standing away from the wall and crossing her arms loosely over her chest, finally allowing her neutral expression to slip in favor of one that was equal measures concerned and curious. She had been suspicious of his claim to be a simple sword-for-hire for a long time now. He was too righteous, too smart, and too damned good with a blade to be a common street thug. And he didn't speak like a slummer either, his mannerisms too refined to have been brought up in some back alley.

Aedan met her stare for a long time until Solona started fidgeting in earnest. "Aedan…" She murmured, drawing his gaze for a few seconds. "If we go, she's going to find out anyway."

After a moment of silent contemplation, Aedan sighed, nodding. "You remember your promise? To not kill me out of hand?"

"Aye."

"Then there's nothing for it…" He stood and retrieved the battered shield that he kept by his side always, the metal old and coppery. The hide that had been stretched upon it to be marked with heraldry was a tattered mess, but mostly covered whatever was underneath it still. Carefully, he removed the stretched leather, revealing the enameled sign underneath, two green laurels outlined in white and azure. "This is the heraldry of House Cousland." He stated simply, his fingers tracing the familiar pattern before turning to look at Kallian directly. "I am the second son of Bryce Cousland, and by rights of inheritance, the true Teyrn of Highever."

A/N: BWAHAHAH! I've been waiting to pop that line forever. This chapter's a little longer than usual, which is why I've left you with such an awesome cliffhanger. Of course, we all knew who he was, but poor Kallian just got the shock of her life right here. Her reaction in the next chapter, and more fun things. There's a lot going on now that we're halfway through the DA:O timeline. So, sorry if anybody really wanted me to go on a week-by-week basis on these chapters, but that's not happening. All the fun and exciting things start happening when the ball gets rolling around Landsmeet time, anyway. Nothing like a congregation of nobility to start bringing things to a head.

The Warden's Progress:

Arl of Redcliffe :: Complete
Broken Circle :: Complete
The Urn of Sacred Ashes :: Complete
Nature of the Beast :: In Progress
A Paragon of Her Kind :: Unstarted