"WHAT?"

Her screech silenced the entire building, all eyes drawn to Kallian's rigid form. She stared at Aedan with her mouth gaping open, completely unconcerned with the fact that she was doing so.

Aedan winced visibly at the sheer volume that the small elven woman managed to produce in her surprise, rubbing one of his ears that had set to ringing. "A little warning would be appreciated next time." He muttered, glancing up to see that all eyes in the room were focused in their vicinity. All the attention made his palms itch, and he became worried that if Kallian was set on taking the news hard that things might get ugly.

"Warning?" Kallian exclaimed in disbelief, her face still registering the pure shock she felt. "WARNING? You announce that you're a Maker-be-damned-Teyrn and you want me to warn you 'afore I get surprised?" She was giving him a look like he was stupid, or had grown a second head, or had just kicked her puppy, or maybe all three at once. It was hard to tell. "Andraste's great flaming ass!" She put both hands to her head, rubbing her temples and closing her eyes, her whole forehead scrunched up in concentration.

Sticker and Rido came over, both of them looking ready to handle trouble, warily staring at their two human companions. "What's the problem, Kallian?" Rido asked, his hands resting easily on the hilts of his daggers. "Trouble?"

She attempted to wave him off, but Rido wasn't budging, his concern only growing when Kallian remained silent. "Are you kidding me?" She asked with sudden vehemence, snapping her eyes open to glare at Aedan. Without waiting for him to answer, she looked at Solona. "Is he kidding me?"

The mage gave her a pained smile. "No, not at all."

"Kallian…?" This time it was Sticker, the elf taking a step forward when no explanation was being given out for her outburst.

With a heavy sigh, Kallian let her hands drop to her side, not meeting Aedan's eyes when she turned around and lifted her hands above her head with palms facing out toward the crowd. Usually it would be used as a silencing gesture, but it was already silent as the grave in the room with all of the elves startled as they were. "It seems that we've been hostin' an important guest." She announced and looked over her shoulder once at Aedan. "The Teyrn of Highever has invited us to stay in his estate." There was an audible gasp from the collected elves, the sound far more profound coming from the cluster of elves that hailed from Highever.

One elf came forward, a girl with black hair and dark eyes, her movements timid and bird-like. She was a little singed around the edges and bore the burns of a magical fire, indicating that she was one of the newest set of would-be slaves that they had managed to liberate from the Tevinters. She halted a few feet just in front of Aedan, her dark eyes scanning him thoroughly, gaze flicking to his shield then face and back. A shuddering sigh left her, and tears sprung to her eyes. "My lord…" She whispered, then sank to one knee with her arms spread to either side. "Your Grace, I am glad to see that you survived."

The single elf's action lead to a curious ripple effect among the Highever born elves, all of them taking the same pose with a delayed reaction until they were all on one knee, facing Aedan. The rest of the elves looked distinctly uncomfortable with this development, though some of them did bow their heads in respect. The others who didn't looked anywhere but at Aedan and the other elves showing their submission.

"Your Grace." Kallian said slowly, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips. She gave him a half-bow, rather enjoying the stricken look on Aedan's face when he saw that everyone was taking a knee for him. "So, what's the first order of business, eh?"

If it was odd to suddenly have a room full of elves bowing to you when before they had been content to ignore you, then hearing Kallian asking for direction was an even stranger thing still. "I would have everyone rise, first." He said loudly enough for all to hear. Slowly, the elves that had bowed straightened, and those that had taken a knee stood, listening to him with rapt attention. He met their eyes slowly, wondering if this was what it was like for his father to make an address to the people, knowing that every one of them was hanging on your every word. "Second, I will need to take a small party with me to the estate and make contact with those already there in order to clear the way. Afterwards, we should be able to move everyone to the estate." Silence stretched for an uncomfortable moment before Aedan realized that they were waiting for him to say more, so cleared his throat to speak again. "That is all." The Highever born elves gave him another respectful bow then turned and went about their business. The other elves in the room followed their example, and the chatter began up again, though at a lesser volume than before.

Kallian sighed and shook her head, giving Aedan a long appraising look. "I figured that the only time I'd ever come face to face with a Teyrn would be at my execution." She murmured slowly, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. "But here it seem that I've been bleedin' with one this whole time. Ma was right. There are kind shems in the world."

"What do you mean?" Aedan asked, feeling a little better now that all eyes weren't on him and looking for a speech.

"When I was younger, my ma was captured by the city guard an' taken away from us for a long time." She replied, her expression carefully neutral to hide whatever it was that she really felt about that dark time so long ago. "My pa told me that we'd never see her again, an' we started preparin' fer her funeral. But she came back, dirty an' battered but alive. Once she'd recovered, she told me the story of how when she was imprisoned she thought fer sure that it would be the end of her. She was always gettin' into all sorts of trouble with the city guard, an' this was the last straw. But a shem woman came in an' set them all free. Picked the locks on the door and told them to run. She told me; 'Kali, there are good humans in this world. You just have to let them help you.' I didn't wanna believe her but…" She gestured to Solona and Aedan with an outstretched hand. "Then you two come along an' set me free from them slavers, patch me up, an' then run with me as Knifers. Yer who my ma was talkin' about, no doubt."

A weary sort of smile appeared on Aedan's face after hearing the tale. "Thank you for trusting us, then. I don't know where we would be right now if you hadn't helped us on our return to Denerim."

Kallian nodded, grinning to herself. "Who knows? But enough 'bout that. What's yer plan, your Grace? We got a house full of elves that need relocating."

Aedan heaved a heavy sigh and ran his hands through his hair, messing up his dark brown locks. "Well, I think that I'd like you to come with me to the estate, but not until evening." He looked over his shoulder to Solona. "You as well. But I wouldn't want to bring more than that. If Rebecca is still in charge of household matters at the estate, then I wouldn't want to vex her overmuch. She will probably be flustered enough when she learns that I am still alive, and bringing a whole host of elves along with me would probably send her to her grave with worry." He smiled at some private joke, recalling the tendency that the matronly woman had to jump to conclusions and worry about every single little thing that could possibly be worried about. "Besides, there's a small chance that Howe could have his own agents there. I don't know why he chooses to stay in the Denerim estate as opposed to the Highever one, but that doesn't mean he might not be in the habit of visiting his conquest every once and a while. Going as a small group would be less remarkable to anyone watching the place."

"Good, I wanted to sleep anyway." Kallian replied easily, making a show of yawning. "Then we'll head out 'afore sunset. Rest easy, your Grace."

Aedan shook his head when Kallian left, heaving a heavy sigh. "I'm glad that everything is finally out in the open, and that I haven't been stabbed for my heritage."

Solona smiled, walking over and squeezing his arm gently. "Under that gruff exterior, Kallian is actually a nice person. We're lucky to have saved her."

"Indeed." He watched the redhead go over to a cluster of Denerim born elves and begin talking to them, the small group clustering around her and paying attention to whatever it was that she was telling them. "She's been a good ally."

"And a good friend." Solona added, to which Aedan nodded slowly.

•º•.•º•

Aedan, Solona, Kallian and Keran left the assembly building together when dusk rolled around, several elves departing at the same time that they did to start patrols. Kallian was taking no risks about being discovered, and so with so many elves to utilize she had set up regular patrol schedules to warn them if anyone of authority was making a b-line toward their secret base. The warning system hadn't been used so far since the day that the Wardens came, which was a blessing.

The four silently walked through the city toward the noble quarter, Aedan leading the way since this was his party. He had avoided wearing armor, leaving everything except for his sword behind in the assembly building. It would attract an undue amount of attention for him to go fully clad in armor, and was confident enough that there would be no attacks from guards here as long as they did nothing rash.

The further they walked, the more lavish the houses became, and the more uncomfortable Kallian got. She was a bundle of nerves, eyes darting around in every direction, her fingers clenching and unclenching. Aedan had to convince her to leave her weapons behind and trust him to deal with any guards that stopped to question why an elf was outside of the Alienage so close to sunset. The cover story was that Aedan and Solona were some important nobles that had taken a tour of the city, Kallian being their dutiful elf servant that tagged along everywhere to fulfill their whims. Kallian had not been happy with the arrangement, but neither did she complain overly much, knowing that anybody would buy the story. Aedan could exude the air of nobility, something he'd been trying to keep under wraps during his time serving for Kallian with spotty success. Solona didn't exactly have the bearing of a noble lady, but she could step lightly enough and play the demure wife card pretty well, having plenty of experience from her time in the Circle acting in the submissive role.

The ruse had been completed by dressing up the two humans in noble clothes that the Knifers had swiped on one of their raids, and Kallian had changed out of the blood-stained dull rags she'd taken to wearing, instead wearing something a little more appropriate for a trusted elf servant. It was a little big on her, since the garment had been made for a human, but Solona had done a fairly decent job on hemming it so that it didn't look like Kallian was swimming in the fabric.

Apparently, their disguises worked well enough, for they weren't once stopped on their way through the city. When they finally reached the Highever compound, it was to find the place looking absolutely deserted. None of the torches on the high stone wall surrounding the estate were lit, and there was nobody patrolling the borders. The large metal gate was closed, barring entrance to the compound.

"I was afraid of that." Aedan muttered to himself then gestured for the two women to follow him. He walked around the side of the wall until he found a door and tried the handle. "Locked. Kallian?"

"Let me at it." She lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing a pair of pants underneath until she found the pouch that she always carried on hand with her lock picking tools in it. Digging around for a little bit, she found what she needed and crouched in front of the door, working at the lock. It took her a few minuets, but the door finally opened with a satisfying click and Kallian stood, putting her lock pick back. "After you."

Aedan nodded his thanks, entering through the door that came into a hallway. It stretched left along the inside of the wall and would lead to a set of stairs and the device to lift the gate. Instead, he simply opened a second door on the direct opposite side of the hall, which let the four out into the yard inside the gates. They stood on a beaten dirt path that lead around the entire estate, currently facing the east wing of the house, which served as a lodging for guests. If they went left they would go to the courtyard and main entrance, but heading right along the wall would lead them to a garden and a different entrance that would be easier to access and probably not locked. Once Kallian and Solona were out in the yard as well, he closed the door behind himself and lead the way. Keran, recognizing familiar territory sped off toward the courtyard, barking as he went with joy. Aedan rolled his eyes, but didn't move to stop the dog. It would be unlikely that anyone inside the estate would hear the mabari anyway.

When they came to the gardens in back, he heard Solona gasp audibly. They had come across a wall of roses that stood as tall as Aedan was. Some of the buds had closed for the night, but the square was still full with the heavy sent of the flowers.

"It's a maze garden." He explained while leading them left to avoid the maze part and get to the east wing entrance faster. "It was built by the Orlesians during the occupation. Most of the estates in Denerim have something in them that the Orlesians left behind, and the one that occupied this estate was particularly fond of flowers and fountains." Above the hedges he could see the top of the gazebo that stood in the heart of the maze, but quickly averted his gaze. There were a lot of childhood memories here. It wouldn't do to get caught up in them.

There were windows back here, and one of them flickered with the light of a candle inside. He tried recalling the room by memory as he walked by, and came to the conclusion that it was the groundskeeper, Corbert, who must still be about and awake. When he got to the door, he simply knocked loudly and waited for someone to answer it.

He didn't have to wait long. A man with leathery sun-darkened skin answered, squinting out into the night with a candleholder in hand. He looked startled to see someone standing there, his posture immediately going defensive. "I don't know who you are or why you're here, but you're trespassing! This is the Teyrn's estate, Maker rest his soul, and if you don't leave immediately I'll call the guards!"

Kallian and Solona stiffened behind him, but Aedan was not worried, and had to try not to smile. Instead he held up a placating hand. "Corbert, I'll admit that it's been a long while since last you saw me, but don't you recognize me?" He waited a second while the man examined his face, then Keran chose to come back from digging up holes in the yard, barking with his tongue lolling out and shoved his way past Aedan's knees, licking the ground keeper's hand before the man could withdraw it to a safer height.

Cobert was astonished when he finally recognized Aedan's face, and he very nearly dropped the candle he was holding. As it was, some of the wax dripped off and hit the stone floor, his hand was shaking so hard. "Young master Aedan, is that really you?" His voice suddenly sounded very restrained and raspy, the hand that Keran had licked going to his chest.

"Aye, it is me." Aedan replied solemnly. "I am neither a ghost nor a flight of your fancy."

"My lord!" Cobert immediately doubled over, spilling more candle wax onto the floor. He held that pose for a few seconds before meeting Aedan's gaze again, a look of profound sadness and utter relief on his face. "When we heard word of what happened at Highever… We thought you dead, my lord. And then Arl Howe was proclaimed Teyrn… We were outraged, my lord, absolutely outraged. Thank the Maker that you are yet alive. Have you word of your brother? We had feared him dead as well since the news of Ostagar, but since you are alive…"

Aedan shook his head, and Cobert's face fell. "Maker rest his soul…" They shared a solemn silence for a moment, then Cobert stepped back and gestured for them to come in. "I… I suppose that I should be addressing you as your Grace from now on?"

He tried not to wince at the reminder that he was the last of his line, though he was heartened by Cobert's eagerness to see him alive. It was comforting to know that somebody else close to his family had survived. "That may not be appropriate just yet." Aedan replied, walking in over the threshold, Solona and Kallian following him silently while Keran ran through the halls of his own whims. "As you said, Howe has taken the title. I would need to call a Landsmeet in order to get my rights of inheritance settled. But with Loghain as Regent and being the one that appointed him… I'm afraid that this treachery goes deeper than I had first suspected."

Cobert didn't hide his surprise at the news, gaping openly at what Aedan was suggesting of their Regent. "That would be… treason, my lord."

"I am well aware." Aedan replied grimly. "Tell me, is Rebecca still in charge of the house staff here?"

"Aye." The groundskeeper nodded and gestured toward the interior of the house. "She's doing her final rounds before bed, I suspect. She'll be along shortly."

"Thank you, Cobert." Aedan nodded, to which he got a respectful bow out of the groundskeeper.

"Any time my lord. Maker keep you."

Aedan led the way into the house, leaving the halls that lead to the guest rooms and heading toward the foyer in the main body of the house. Kallian whistled when they walked in the large open room, her eyes traveling up to see the grand ceiling and balconies that ringed either side of the room. "This ain't nothin' like the Arl's estate." She declared, sounding immensely impressed by the grandness of the space. "Now I see why a Teyrn is only second to royalty."

"We should be able to fit everyone in here without any difficulty at all." Solona added, walking farther in the foyer until she stood in the center, rotating in a small circle as she took everything in.

"Well, I wouldn't want to put them in the foyer." Aedan replied, a small smile on his face. "There are guest rooms back in the wing that we just came from, and below in the basement are the barracks. We've plenty of room without having to resort to stringing hammocks from the banisters."

Kallian visibly tensed at the mention of the basement, though her momentary panic was totally missed by Solona, and though Aedan saw it, he chose not to ask.

"Are you going to try and claim your title as Teyrn?" Solona asked suddenly, finished with her visual exploration of the foyer and settled her gaze on Aedan instead, searching his face carefully for answers.

"Yes." There was more conviction in his voice than he felt, but there was no need to debate about it. Highever was suffering under Howe's reign if the large presence of Highever elves they had rescued so far was anything to go by. Power had corrupted him, and there was also the matter of vengeance to be settled. "Though that will take time, and support. Everyone thinks that the entire Cousland line is dead. For one to suddenly appear from the grave and try to claim his rights… Well, it would scream incredulity at best. I think that I will need to-"

"Who are you!" A voice suddenly yelled, and all eyes snapped to a door on the opposite side of the room that led to the dining hall and kitchens. A portly woman stood in the doorway, a look of fright and confusion on her winkled face as she gazed at the three in the room. Keran was standing behind her, looking a lot like how he did whenever Nan tried to scold him.

"Sorry to startle you, Rebecca." Aedan called, walking forward so that he was a little in front of Solona.

Instead of falling over herself in submission, Rebecca narrowed her eyes and stomped forward, her hands on her wide hips. "I thought it was you." She grumbled and then pointed backwards at Keran. "I was locking up the larder and first thing that hound does is run straight past me and start tearing up the place. I swear, there's no other dog in Ferelden that gets into near as much trouble as this one does."

Aedan laughed at that, unfazed by the woman's lack of respect for him in comparison to the humble greeting that Cobert had given him. "Sorry, but he was so happy to be home."

The woman's face finally softened then, and she gave Aedan a quick bow. "And we're happy to have you back, my lord. I thank the Maker that you- that you're-" She ceased trying to speak, her eyes suddenly clouding up with tears. "Forgive me, my lord, but we all took the news hard… To see that it wasn't all true…!"

Aedan allowed her show of grief for a little while, his own face having gone soft and unreadable. Solona touched his arm gently, snapping him out of whatever contemplative state that he'd sunk into and bringing him back to matters at hand. "Rebecca, I've a few questions before you retire for the night, I'm afraid."

She sniffled and withdrew a handkerchief from the folds of her skirt, wiping her eyes dry. "Of course my lord, anything."

"Has Arl Howe been to this estate yet?" Aedan refused to call the man a Teyrn, though calling him Arl was more a force of habit than a conscious decision.

Rebecca shook her head, more recovered now that she'd had a moment to breathe. "No, my lord. He's shown no interest."

"Good." He nodded, glad that things were working out so favorably thus far. "Then I'm afraid that I will have to impose some guests upon you. Some of them will be coming tonight."

"Who, my lord?" Rebecca asked, her curiosity showing in full. "And how many? There are only two of the live-in staff here, excluding myself and the groundskeeper. I could prepare dinner…"

"That will be unnecessary. And I think that you'll find my guests are quite capable." He heard Kallian snort behind him, and couldn't help but to chuckle a bit at the situation. Kallian probably wasn't going to be pleased with the idea that the elves they had rescued would be needing to help keep the place up like servants. But, he would cross that bridge when he came to it. "Please, get your rest. You'll see in the morning."

A/N: As far as I can understand it, the event of Leliana's Song takes place about four or more years before the events of DA:O. It has also been confirmed by David Gaider that the elf you set free named Adaia is in fact the City Elf's mother. She will promise Leliana that she will teach her child about humans like her when you set her free. Circles within circles, eh? This is also the reason that my version of Kallian tolerates Aedan and Solona at all and allowed them to join her band of thieves in the first place. So everyone, thank fortuitous in-game circumstances.

Again, a bigger chapter, but I hope you all don't mind too terribly much. If you're interested in seeing the map that I've crafted for the Highever estate, I've put a link for it in my profile.