Velanna had a point. Well one point out of all her disputing. That the Wardens weren't supposed to involved in politics. She remembered this all too well when traveling with the Warden in the past. "You may be right there…" She paused, as she placed her hands over each other and began to interlace her fingers. "But you have to admit he is human. And people make mistakes."
Shifting her eyes from the elf to Anders, than Oghren, than back to elf again a sigh slipped pass her lips. She was really beginning to get fed up with all this crap of people wanting revenge for what Anders had done. Like he said and even Oghren said, it was in the past. There was nothing they could do now, but rebuild. There was no way to bring the people who died back, killing Anders wouldn't help. No matter what others thought. Ultimately she thought if the knights had succeeded that night she found Anders, and they did kill him than they would have just gone killing other mages eventually... Maybe that's why she went searching with the Starkhaven knights, in search for him. And the good she saw in him from the first time she met him she knew she couldn't let him just die. Everyone deserved a second chance… Didn't they?
Leliana didn't want to make a scene, especially in this tavern with so many people in a little area. She sat there for a moment longer, before shifting her cranium to the side looking to Anders. She had no clue how to save him this time. That was without hurting anyone. And the least she wanted to do was go against a Grey Warden of all things. Than her name would truly be un-savable. But she still wasn't going to allow this. She refused to let her take him to his death, torture, or whatever they wished to do to him. "I can't let you do that." She spoke towards Velanna, her orbs still fixated upon Anders for a moment until she began shifting her head again and with that she locked her eyes on the elf. She expected a fight, an argument. Which she was all too ready for.
"I may not follow the exact religion of the Shemlin culture, but I am aware that a BOMB killing over 48 virgin Brother and Sister servants, four Holy Mothers, and one Grand Cleric to the Maker is not a mistake, its blatant murder!" Velanna blinked for a moment, as if she wasn't certain if she had heard Leliana correctly. Her neck stiffened a bit and quickly her retort prepared its strike.
"I am sorry for you, but it's not your decision. By the Right of Transcription, Anders was recruited into the Grey Wardens. He was never given a discharge, he disobeyed direct orders from his higher officials, and dishonored a unified Front by desertion and breaking our code of ethics. Because of all this, he is still representing the Grey Wardens, and his latest crimes certainly cannot go unpunished without trial."
"Now, who's turning this into a political issue?" Anders groaned some and reached up to rest his hand against his cheek.
"You made this slaughter our problem." Velanna snapped at him and pointed in his direction quickly. "Ever since then, the Templar Order of Orlais have reported two Circles attempting to revolt—"
"Hooray!" Anders cheered carelessly in between Velanna's constant verbal assault.
The elven woman glared at him briefly before continuing. "We're going to have to handle it the most peaceful way we know how. That means removing you from the surface of the problem."
"He's still going to be given a fighting chance in Court isn't he?" Oghren asked Velanna and nudged his head over towards Anders as he continued. "I mean, I've seen a couple of those cases go down; and good ol' Soprano-Singer, here, is still our best bud! We can't just throw him out into the Legion of the Dead on his own."
Anders cleared his throat a little; ignoring the new name for now. "Yes, I'd very much, like to avoid the whole darkspawn verses Legion of the Dead thing, thank you."
Velanna paused for a moment and then sighed before speaking again. "Anders… I need you to talk to me about Justice."
"Funny concept, justice—"
"You know what I mean." Velanna said and interlocked her fingers together underneath her chin. "Where is he?"
Anders paused for the moment, closing his eyes and at last moving to place his hands on the table across from Valenna and Oghren. He was dreading having to have this conversation, but it wasn't like he hadn't had to confess to this situation before.
"He is here." The male mage spoke softly, and slightly more serious than he previously was. His brown eyes opened once more and he looked towards the elven woman carefully. "He is … aware… of everything around me. He hears you, but he does not agree with your ultimatum; just as I do not agree with it."
"I thought you said he was dead-…well dead-dead." Oghren looked to him puzzled.
"I lied." Anders retorted back with a glance.
Within that moment, Anders's hands instantly frosted over with the evidence of ice. He used the blizzard ice spell to quickly cover over Velanna and Oghren. The two Grey Wardens struggled to get free, but the ice spell was too powerful, and practically gluing them to the chairs. Anders abruptly stood up from his chair and reached over to take Oghren's drink from his hand.
"Wh-What's the big idea here, you over-grown chicken?" Oghren responded in a slight scowl, though it was driven more from surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry, my friend." Anders gave him a sad smile and tilted the tankard up to Ogrhen's lips to at least leave him a final sip of ale to keep him warm. "But the best-case scenario out of this is me in shackles, and you know I don't look good in gaudy jewelry."
"By the Creators!" Velanna started to seethe and near her hands, the ice had started to melt rapidly.
Anders's eyes sparked momentarily upon seeing the fire spells that the elven woman was trying to conjure and in one quick turned-around swoop, he moved to slam his left hand over the top of her head. His fingers sparked with electricity, but only enough to have grasped her attention; like a static-shock.
"Don't move!" His voice boomed slightly louder than the music that was playing in the background.
He watched as Velanna jumped, a little frightened, and looked at Leliana from across the way before making a few scared glances back towards him. Anders could only give that intimidating glare but it was suppressed by an obviously guilty smile. His skin was flashing in small flickers as if the threat of Justice was near.
"You… You don't want me to hurt you, do you?" Anders said while trying to keep himself composed. "No, of course not, and I don't want to hurt you… But I will if you force me. You understand?"
"Y-Yes. Yes, of course." Velanna almost hiccupped from the fear of being electrocuted.
"Good." Anders nodded and then looked towards the door, wetting his lips some and then back towards Leliana as he continued to speak the elven woman.
"You see that woman in front of you? You tell Stroud, …Nathaniel, … and anyone else in his crew trying to hunt me down, that I have a Lay Sister for a hostage. Nothing new, right? Now… Me and her, are going to walk out of here, and you're going to give us to the count of eighty before you start to move from that sodding chair. If you move from that spot, I will fry your brain. If either you or Oghren move out of the building before your time is up, I will burn everything within—and believe me, Velanna, I can count that high."
"Not all of them were virgins." Leliana muttered under her breath which could only be heard if someone listened carefully to her. She knew all too well about everyone in Chantry's. And just as she, no one was so pure as everyone claimed them to be. Though this was no reason for them to die, just as the elf was saying. She was just as sure though if Anders could turn back time maybe he would have done it different. Making it so not as many people hadn't gotten hurt, or died.
Leliana rolled her eyes at Velanna's words. What happened next she wasn't expecting. She watched in a stocked state of mind as Anders began freezing the two in place. Of course this had brought attention from other patrons towards them. But Leliana had no concern for them but more of Velanna and Oghren. "Anders…?" She whispered out, in a questionable tone. Not completely sure how to react to his actions. But it wasn't until Velanna looked to Leliana as helpless as she did that she began to step forward.
Her arm had reached out in that moment, and she began to rest her palm against Anders hand. She felt the small current of electricity surging through his hand. She shook her head in a left and right motion, trying to pull away his hand from Velanna and eventually too her side. "Come on Anders…" Pausing for a moment she had took no thought to his past words of her being held hostage. She knew the truth, and that's all that truly mattered to her.
As she began to lead Anders to the door, she would look back to Oghren and give a half smile and a wave of her hand to him. "See you around buddy, I'm sure Velanna will help you out of that frozen mess once we're gone." Looking ahead she continued fourth and began to make her way out of the tavern and onward. A silentness came over her as she exited the tavern, followed by a long awaited sigh. Leaning against the framing of the closed door behind her, she took no time to look over to Anders, releasing his hand and with her now free hand, she held it out before her as if asking him to lead the way. "Lets go…"
Back in the tavern, far in the back corner where shadows had casted over a small group of people a woman's smirk could only be seen in the dim lighting. One of her fellow apprentices sat near by, noticing she had been watching the whole event that was going on between Anders, Velanna, Oghren and Leliana. The male had finally spoke out to his lady. "I take it you know her?"
The brunette nodded "Yes. That was my pretty little flower once."
"Flower...? Once?" Questioned the male.
"Oh never mind." She stated waving her hand. Her eyes had never left the door Leliana had exited.
"Looks like you two have some unfinished business."
She nodded in a yes response to the man beside her. Than began shifting her orbs over to him. "I think we should follow them… See where there headed. Maybe have a—"
"Discussion." The male interrupted, finishing her sentence for her. Even though the both of them knew clearly what their true intentions were.
"Yes. It would do me some good, and maybe even her to see little ol' me again."
Anders remained to have been high-strung. At any moment, from nearly anywhere, one of the other Grey Wardens could have approached them; even when they were leaving the building. Then, upon taking the lead and darting through the dwarven city, his repercussions had hit him like a ton of bricks. That was Oghren and Vellanna he just threatened! They were practically the closest of his friends he had made in the Grey Wardens; sure Oghren picked on him a lot and Velanna kept him in line, but that was no reason for his death threats. Was it?
"Maker…! What did I just do?—She gave me no choice.—I hate mages like her!" And just like, in a quick fit of a few tears and final scowl, he was visually over it.
It would have been a lot worse if Justice truly did break free in that moment, and (whether intentional—or known—or not) Velanna was obviously starting to anger him. Anders couldn't afford to be angry anymore. He couldn't afford to lose control anymore. Justice was difficult to control and he doesn't believe in mercy for anyone or anything that stood in his way. So, Anders had to react that way, because if he panicked and lost all control, surely it would have been much—much worse.
"We have to keep moving." He started to say; as if to encourage himself more other than to really ensure Leliana that he was still safe to be around.
Don't think about it. Thinking about it brings guilt and we have no time for guilt.
Pressing North meant scouring the tunnels though. As long as they steered clear from the main roads that lead towards the darkspawn and the Legion of the Dead, he believed they would have been alright. The roads were cavernous and hollow; much like the constant paths that the dwarves normally built. Anders could only guess that they wouldn't have much of a problem from the Grey Wardens, since they hopefully would have been too busy fighting off darkspawn from the other tunnels east of their direction. Perhaps word to Stroud of him being down there, hasn't even made it yet.
Looking to Anders, Leliana had let out a sigh. She had seen his anger which turned almost immediately into sadness. This had made her want to reach out and comfort him. But she knew they hadn't much time. And that they needed to push forward if neither of them wanted to get caught. "It's alright Anders… I'm sure they'll understand at some point." She replied, a half smile appearing upon her lips. As her hand reached out and was placed on his shoulder in a form of short comfort.
As they went forward and to the tunnels, the deeper they went in the more the darkness had seemed to surround them. It was quiet, too quiet for her taste. Looking around curiously, Leliana had locked her eyes to the frame of Anders almost about to break their silence between one another. That was until she heard a small crack from behind her. "You hear that?" She asked curiously. Her frame turning around to where now her back was to Anders and her gaze was in the direction of where the once entrance of the cave was. Her eyes scanned the area. Her pace hadn't stopped, wanting to be able to keep up with Anders and not to waste time either.
She began thinking she was just being paranoid. And shrugging her shoulders she began turning to walk normally once again. As she did she began to see a flash of something coming straight towards her. The object was moving to fast for her eyes to focus on. She attempted to dodge it, and just in time too. A few strands of her crimson hair was sliced away from this. She watched as the few hair strays fell to the ground, and it wasn't until a pinging sound of an arrow impaling into the inner of the stone cave made her realized she was shot at by an arrow. "What the—"
"Looks like you still have your reflexes." Voiced a familiar tone, that strolled closer to the two. Her weapon now dropping now that she had gotten her attention.
Leliana squinted her eyes, taking a step forward. It wasn't until a figure walked from out of the shadows and into the light that she muttered her name. "Marjolaine!?... I thought you were de—"
"Dead?" She finished. "Sorry to disappoint you."
"What are you doing here?" She began to question, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Watching over you of course. And it seems as if you've been having fun since our terrible separation."
Leliana shifted back in shock of her words. "Just how long have you've been watching me?"
"Long enough."
Furrowing her brows, she began to turn her back to Marjolaine as if to walk away she had heard enough. And begin around Marjolaine always brought the worse out in her. But before she could start walking even a foot, Marjolaine commanded her apprentice to halt them. In which, a blazing fire bomb had erupted near her feet stopping her in her tracks. "Will you stop that!" She demanded, looking over to see a male walking up to Marjolaine's side. The same fire spell that was casted in front of her, was still emitting in the palm of his hand, awaiting another attack to be thrown on his masters command. "Great you got a new toy…"
All Marjolaine could do in return was smirk at her once well beloved rouge. "Yes. And it looks like you have one as well." She replied, shifting her head in a motion towards Anders. "I hope you told him about you, us… Your past?"
"Irrelevant." She replied to her speaking of her past. "There's no need for him to know. And hes not my toy. I'm not like you Marjolaine."
"Oh but I think you are… I wonder what he would do if he had learned of your past doings… Would he still be so eager to have you by his side I wonder."
"Wait. So there are more secrets the Divine hide under her petticoats? Why am I not surprised?" Anders questioned, more from the sharp wit rather than anything serious. For all he really knew was that Leliana was Sister Nightingale, and he was slowly coming to realize that she also fought alongside the same Hero of Ferelden that he knew.
He then turned slightly, looking towards the other mage who happened to have been wielding fire still in his hands. "And where are these mage-on-mage hate crimes coming from? Seriously. You could fry someone's hair off doing that, you know."
Anders raised his hand towards his forehead briefly and the spell of rock armor formed quickly over himself and Leliana. He was spooked enough as it was with fire and arrows being thrown in their directions. He then looked towards Marjolaine carefully.
"I'm warning you." He started to speak. "You're stalling me from reaching Tevinter, and I'm an impatient man. Make your peace or stay out of my way."
"I know what you're trying to do…" Leliana replied shifting her eyes away. "Whenever you see me with someone else besides you, you start to get jealous. And want to rid that person of my life. You tried it with the Warden, and it didn't work. And it won't work this time."
"Whatever happened to that Warden?" She asked snide tone of voice.
"He left… To fin—"
Without finishing her answer Marjolaine so happened to jump in "See he left you… What makes this one different?"
Leliana had shifted her cranium to look to Anders, Marjolaine's words were not true that was for sure. But she couldn't help but get angered with each word she said. When would she stop… Ever? The only way it seemed to be putting an end to this was doing what she never wanted to do. "We need to leave Marjolaine, I suggest you go back in your shadows. Leave me be."
"What fun would that be?" Stepping forward she had made her way over to Leliana and stood no more than a few feet away, she began to reach out. The back of her hand making a slow motion towards her cheek. Leliana didn't hesitate as she slapped away her hand. A scowled look had smeared across Marjolaine's face as she then looked to Anders "I promise it won't take long. After all it's a short story after all." She replied to Anders with a pause, taking a breath in. "You see Leliana is a traitor. This is why you shouldn't trust her."
"You mean you're the traitor." Leliana muttered her way.
"Now now Leliana did you forget what you did?" Leliana shifted her hues away at Marjolaine's words not saying another word. Obviously Marjolaine had this power over her that she could never overcome. "She use to be my little spy. Planting and then gathering evidence. One day the poor thing so happened to betray me. Looking at documents she had no purpose with and making it her business. Now do you really think you can trust someone like her. Someone that would to go behind another's back?"
"But since you two are such on a tight schedule I will leave you." Her brown eyes shifted back to Leliana. "Just remember to watch your back with this one mage. I wouldn't protect her forever… She'll just turn on you like she had me. Just a friendly warning." She said with a fake sigh, and turned back towards the exit, gesturing the apprentice of hers to follow. A soft rumbling chuckle spilled out of her lips to echo just slightly through the walls of the cave as she disappeared out of their sight.
Leliana watched as she walked away, wanting to stop her. Just too finally put an end to her. But she hadn't done so. She turned herself and began walking the opposite direction. "Come on, we've spent too much time here if we dilly dally any longer I'm sure someone else is bound to find us."
Anders watched carefully, making sure that they had left before finally turning to listen to Leliana's request. His eyes watched her, studying her for a bit as he continued to walk onward. He wasn't certain if he was really in the place to question anything of her past though. Anders had seemed to be a bit more curious about Marjolaine though.
Why would someone go so far out of their way—obviously—to give only a warning like that? It didn't really make sense to him. Not unless Marjolaine had been working for the Divine now as well; and there was no indication from her of such. The only subtle thing Anders could conclude was that she was an Orlesian and they were currently in a spiraling war against Ferelden ever since their Emperor's death. It was just more political stuff that Anders wished he hadn't paid attention to, in the past. The only thing he wanted to be concerned over was the mage struggle.
The dig took three weeks of little rest and fighting mostly spiders and old spirits. Things that awakened Justice occasionally, but his moments of being controlled were brief and focused on fighting. They found an exit finally, after sneaking past another army of the Legion of the Dead. Dwarves normally didn't ask too many questions when a Grey Warden addressed himself. Reaching the top surface of the cave, Anders had turned and started to pull Leliana out with him.
Finally. The state line was crossed. Anders was free… in a sense. He wouldn't have to worry nearly half as much about people hunting him down in these lands. The mage had never felt more at ease to have seen the sun again. He walked over towards a tree that had a creek running nearby. He sat down to the ground and started to wash his face from the soil and dried blood.
"At last… I was starting to feel like a worm." Anders sighted and started to drink the water after checking to make sure it was fresh.
Leliana had wanted to let Anders know of her past. But the unfortunate circumstances and given time they were given to get out of harm's way gave her little to no time to do so. She just had to hope that the person from her past that seemed to keep coming back to haunt her every time she turned around hadn't gotten under his skin and made him believe in such lies she was trying to plant.
Upon exiting the cave Leliana had reached out to block the rays of the sun. No longer use to the rays that were shining brightly in the sapphire sky, she forced herself to look up to the clouds that floated carelessly on their way. Looking down, she had watched as Anders walked to the near by stream. Following slowly behind she found herself stopped under the shades of a tree was giving. A breeze ruffled her crimson locks, as she smiled and began leaning back into the trees trunk. Finally maybe they could relax… Maybe.
"You were feeling like a worm?" She asked chuckling. "Here I thought traveling with the warden was difficult. After that cave adventure through dirt, grime, and ickyness I need a bath that will probably take a week to get myself completely clean." She joked.
Looking down to her feet, she began pointing the tip of her foot in the ground, twirling her heel around a moment. "About Marjolaine…" She said parting her lips for a moment. "I guess I should explain myself right?" Sighing she began pushing herself forward again until she stood near Anders and sat down her emerald orbs fixated upon the ripples of the flowing water.
"She was my mentor… Someone who took me in after my mother had passed… She taught me everything I know, and more. I became her spy thinking I could do nothing else at the time. But what she says is all lies, you can't believe a word that woman says. There were documents I was to place on this man, but as I doing so I saw the Orlesain mark upon them, and knew she was up to something. So I tried to stop her. Thus Marjolaine framed me by changing the documents and turning them in to Orlesian authority, making me out to be the bad guy… That's why I came to Ferelden, to Lothering… To escape it all, and from there I ran into the Warden…" She paused shaking her head, her hand reaching out as her fingers ran in the streams water. "And eventually found you."
He listened while washing his face and drinking from the stream. Anders wasn't certain if he believed everything that Leliana had to say. There had to be truth to it; but his mind was still busy wrapped around Marjolaine's reasons for even being in the dwarven tavern. Was she waiting for him to have been chase down that far into the tunnels? No… That couldn't have made much sense. Surely, Anders was paranoid into thinking it, but he couldn't help it.
"You conveniently left out the part about the chantry or Justina VI." He spoke after a while and sat back against his ankles. "I'm sorry…. I don't know why I'm snipping away like that. I shouldn't be high-strung now that we're finally in Tevinter lands…"
He looked around and started to stand up in the forest. "This is Solas… If we keep heading north, we'll reach the water… Now, all I have to decide is to follow the shore line to sail to Minrathous."
Leliana gave Anders an arch of her brow as he snapped towards her. And once he began to apologize she raised her hands swaying them side to side, showing it was okay. She understood he had been on edge. And they just gotten free of any danger. "About the Chantry... They don't matter. Not anymore. I don't see myself going back to them ever again. Even if I wanted to I doubt they would take me back." This obviously didn't bother her. After all her life was on a whole different track than what it was when she escaped Marjolaine, and had finished her adventures to save the lands with the Warden.
With her wettened hand, she began cleaning her own face, from any debris that laid there. As well to wake herself up. She let her hand drop back into the water, to playfully splash water his way. "Don't be so serious, it might kill you if you're not careful. Then what would I do without my favorite mage?"
Snatching her water pouch from her belt she leaned in towards the flowing water to fill it. Once filled she tossed to towards Anders and began filling another for herself. "Well if you're not too afraid of me now, thinking I'm gonna shank you in the night. Then I will continue to follow you, and help you." Her eyes averted from him, and she stood to her feet after she had readied herself and her supplies. "So... What say you mister apostate?" She joked shaking her finger to him.
"I say, let's find us a bath before we start smelling like the caves." He laughed some, trying to loosen up a little since he figured there shouldn't have been much for him to worry about now.
Reaching the city lines wasn't a problem for them at all. In Tevinter it was all Anders could have hoped for and more. The mages were free from the Circle. They had to closed in buildings and towers, but it was regularly maintained, like a school. There were people who couldn't do magic as well as those that could. The hierarchy ran down as followed: the High King, the Magister Court, Magisters, Apprentices, Nobleman and Isolationists, Slave traders, the Commoners, and lastly slaves.
Slaves were a large economic product of the lands. The slaves sometimes would help keep vending shops open, and sometimes even sell items in their vendors…or more specially their souls were. Magisters commonly performed an occasional blood ritual that would tear the soul from a slave's body and trap it into a gemstone. That gemstone would later remain as a storage use for power or bargaining chips with other demons. The only twisted thing to this was that sometimes even slaves would end up selling gemstones for money as well as any Magister.
Ignoring this slight detail was something Anders could easily do, since he was more at ease with the thought that mages here were not mistreated. It was rather, the other way around to those who could not do magic. That was because the commoners were viewed as weak and sometimes seen as tools.
For the most part, Anders and Leliana kept to themselves. They didn't really interact much to the outside around them. Staying a few days at one of the hotels was enough. Anders was glad to finally get a bath and relax. The tavern was a little different than the hotel, but has usual Anders didn't go anywhere without Leliana close by.
Upon entering the city Leliana of course was first drawn to the way things had been here. She wasn't too sure about the people or the slaves for that matter. Attempting to keep to herself was difficult since she was always a chatty box. But so far she had done her best. She followed Anders to the hotel they would be staying at and eventually spent most of her time there. She wasn't fond of seeing people used as Slaves just like she hadn't liked it when refugees were treated the way they were in Lothering. But she was just one person, and she wasn't of these lands so her say didn't matter.
Leliana had found herself resting in the hotels room. Soaking in the tub, wiggling her toes as they surfaced above the water. Her face was half-way emerged into the water, as she glanced around her surroundings. She was debating if it was a good idea to come here after all. Sure she enjoyed being around Anders but she was really starting to get annoyed with him. He hadn't spoken yet of their night they spent together, and of course this irked her in more ways than one. As she began sitting up to where her face was no longer in the waters, she parted her lips to call out to him. "Anders! Help!" Okay so that was more than a call out, that was a prank. But still it might of grabbed his attention more quickly if he were there.