A/N: I decided to have a preparatory stage right before the battle, so this is it. I have also changed how you find Sten's sword since I never liked how you had to go traipsing across Ferelden looking for leads.

Chapter Thirteen: Redcliffe Village

"What have you learned, Fergus?" asked Yvaine as she swirled the contents of her mug, not really in the mood for the ale they had ordered. They had already debriefed Fergus and the others about what Teagan had told her, they were all very surprised to hear that walking corpses were appearing out of nowhere and attacking the village. She glanced over at Alistair, he had been grinning and looking rather pleased with himself ever since they left the Chantry, she could only guess it was because of what she had confessed. When he caught her looking at him, he winked and she quickly turned away before he could respond.

Fergus raised an eyebrow, he had a feeling something was going on between his sister and Alistair but he could not be sure, so he chose to ignore it until one of them came clean. "We spoke with a man whom I believe is the mayor, Murdock. He has quite the list of things that need to be done before the battle tonight, mostly getting the soldiers armed and gaining some reinforcements."

"Did he give any leads on how to accomplish this?" asked Alistair, wiping some ale from his upper lip.

Morrigan looked as if she were going to make a comment but Fergus cut her off. "He did, the town's blacksmith, Owen, has been shut in his shop for days and without him the men will have faulty armor which will hinder them substantially. Murdock wants someone to convince him to reopen his doors and get working again, I'm sure you'll be able to do that, Sister." He gave her a wink as he sipped on his ale before continuing. "Then he mentioned a dwarf in town by the name of Dwyn, Murdock wants his help but nothing they've said or done so far has succeeded in gaining his aid to the cause."

Yvaine sighed and nibbled on the roast chicken they had ordered for lunch, she was hungrier than she had ever been in her life but every time she brought food to her lips she felt ill and had to put it down.

"You should at least try to eat one piece," whispered Alistair, leaning in close to her ear. "It's perfectly normal for you to be this hungry, it's all part of being a Grey Warden, but don't let your nerves get the better of you."

She smiled weakly and forced herself to eat the piece of chicken, finding that once she was able to get it down, she was ravenous and wanted to eat three more chickens all to herself. Yvaine reached for a chicken leg and heard Alistair chuckling, apparently this had been the response he had been waiting for. She glared at him until his laughter subsided into a barely contained cough, then went on happily eating.

"So, we need to get the blacksmith and the local warrior on our side," said Alistair, smiling inwardly as Yvaine continued to eat a substantial amount of food for the first time in days. He had been worried ever since they left Flemeth's hut that she was not getting enough to eat, and given how much was required to keep up their stamina, it was not in her best interest to keep herself from eating.

Fergus nodded. "That pretty much sums it up. Oh! Murdock also mentioned speaking to someone called Ser Perth about the soldiers and reinforcing the current lines of defense."

"Sounds like there is much to be done," commented Leliana as she eyed her stew suspiciously. "How shall we do this, Yvaine? Divide and conquer?"

Yvaine nodded thoughtfully. "There is some benefit to that plan, half of us could gain the necessary support for the battle tonight and the other half could help Bann Teagan with the militia. From what I saw, they need a warrior's touch." She looked at her brother whom nodded.

"Warden," said Sten, speaking for the first time in hours. "I wish to speak with you, it concerns the topic we were discussing on the road."

"Of course, Sten," said Yvaine, very surprised that the Qunari had decided to speak. "You may speak freely in front of the others."

Sten glanced at each member of the party in turn. "I would rather not, it is too shameful to express in front of others."

Yvaine had to bite her lip against the smile she felt, while losing a sword is a little embarrassing it was not something unheard of in Ferelden but she could not say so to Sten, to his people it was an act of great shame. "Sten," she said gently, "while we might not have known each other for long, it is essential that we feel comfortable to speak around our fellow companions. It is an act of building trust, which is necessary if we are going to be fighting together."

Sten was quiet for a few moments, while this was not abnormal, it frightened Yvaine a bit since she could see in his eyes that he was processing her words. How they would proceed from here hindered on whether his reaction was violent or surprisingly calm. She feared the latter.

"Your words are true, Warden," said Sten evenly, though he sounded reluctant to admit it. From his position in the booth he tried to face the others that surrounded him. "Before you found me in that cage, I was in possession of a great sword, when I was defeated in battle it was taken from me. I was searching for it when I was captured. The female Warden promised to help me locate my sword Asala and I believe it is here in this village."

"What's so important about this sword?" asked Alistair, very fascinated by the fact Sten had opened up so much.

"It is my soul," replied Sten sternly, "an extension of my being, if I were to return to my home without it, I would be killed for it would prove I had lost my honor completely. As it stands, I have absolutely no honor, my crimes of murdering the people that saved me and losing my sword are both unforgivable in the Qun."

"What makes you think your Asala is here, Sten?" asked Leliana timidly, she was not sure how Sten would react to being asked such a pointed question that was possibly contradicting him.

Sten's eyes lit up with something that seemed to be hope. "I can sense her here, she is so close, I can hear her calling to me."

"You can hear her calling to you?" asked Alistair, his tone skeptical. "So why don't you call back to her? See if she answers."

The glare Alistair received for his words would have reduced even the Maker to his knees and made Him think twice about ever speaking again but Alistair merely met the look with a calm gaze while the others were holding their breath. Needless to say they were all grateful it did not escalate further than a horrifying glare.

"Asala is not a hound that can be called at will, like Gawain," said Sten inclining with his head towards the Mabari whom was laying close to Yvaine. "I must seek out my sword, that is how I will find it."

"And find it you shall," said Yvaine confidently. "You will join me as I help the villagers prepare for tonight's battle, hopefully we'll be able to locate the sword before tonight's battle."

Sten inclined his head into what might have been a small bow. "Thank you, Warden."

Yvaine smiled and then looked at Alistair, he had a strange look on his face that she could not exactly pinpoint and she made a mental note to ask about it later. "So, getting back to the business at hand," said Yvaine lightly, hoping to steer the conversation back to a productive direction. "I'll be taking Sten, Alistair and Gawain with me around the village. Fergus, you, Morrigan, and Leli should report to Bann Teagan and find out what you can do to help train the soldiers."

"Why am I required for such a task?" drawled Morrigan.

"These creatures are walking corpses, Morrigan," said Yvaine politely, while she was new to being a leader, she already did not like having her orders questioned. "You need to be there to train the soldiers against magic, possibly instruct them on runes or something that would give them an edge. While we were walking past the troops, I noticed some pieces of what looked like corpse, perhaps you could see if there was a magic signature there and tell us what exactly we were up against."

Morrigan's golden eyes danced, she obviously liked the idea but her tone suggested otherwise. "A fine way for me to spend my skills, training scared men to fight against something as trivial as the walking dead. I will obey your commands, however, seeing as how I'm not exactly in the position to argue."

Yvaine eyed Morrigan carefully, something was still off about her, even more so now that she was giving polar opposite responses. "Leli," said Yvaine, turning to the redhead, "do you have any complaints about being sent to train the few rogues I saw?"

Leliana shook her head. "I see nothing wrong with helping these men out, they obviously want to protect their homes and families, training them is the least we can do."

"Indeed," sneered Morrigan, flicking a few crumbs off of the table.

"Morrigan, why don't you just go—" started Alistair but Yvaine was quick to shut him up by sticking a roll in his mouth.

"Thank you, Yvaine," said Morrigan smugly, as Alistair chewed on the roll. "'Twould seem you found a way to finally shut him up."

"It's merely to keep the peace," sighed Yvaine, "we have too much to do before tonight and having you two constantly bickering is pointless right now. I think we should get started on our tasks, unless anyone has anymore objections?" She looked around the table at each of her companions and no one said a word. "Alright then, as soon as we pay, we can head out." Then she beckoned for Bella, the waitress to come over.

"You lot done, then?" asked Bella as she cleared away the plates and mugs. "At least you all ate something, that bugger over there ordered nothing but some mead and hasn't moved from that spot for several hours now. I think he just arrived from Denerim."

Yvaine smiled politely, this woman obviously had been without much company these last few weeks and had forgotten that a conversation required two people exchanging information. Glancing over she looked at the hooded figure whom had been in the tavern when they arrived and had indeed remained in his spot for the hour they had been in there, not even speaking when asked if he wanted something.

"He does seem rather odd," admitted Yvaine, her eyes narrowing as she continued to observe him. The elf was wearing a cloak that looked like it was made of a fraying material and what appeared to be ill-fitting second hand rogue armor, all signs were pointing to a very poor man but the ash bow and quiver full of quality arrows was out of place. 'He was hired for something,' thought Yvaine, and she stood up from the booth cautiously. She approached the elf and he turned to her when she drew closer.

"Not looking for company," he said gruffly.

She ignored his attitude and pressed on, she needed answers. "Shouldn't you be down with the militia?"

"Not my home, not my concern," he said with a shrug.

"If you aren't fighting, what are you doing here?" asked Yvaine, there was something off about this man and she was not about to give up until she found out what it was.

The elf fidgeted in his chair, this interrogation was obviously making him uncomfortable. "I'm just waiting until I can leave again, after these things have been dealt with."

"Who are you?" she asked, trying to keep the suspicion out of her voice.

"This conversation is over," he said hastily and he turned away, his back to her. She decided to leave him alone until she had another strategy to gather information.

"Everything alright, Yvaine?" asked Leliana as she approached.

Yvaine shook her head. "This man's up to something," she said in a hushed voice. "He's not giving any clear answers and the moment I asked who he is, he stopped the conversation entirely."

"There's something off about his demeanor," she said, her eyes narrowed in scrutiny then they suddenly widened in surprise. "He's a spy!"

"Are you sure?" asked Yvaine, suddenly very scared that he might have overheard something during their conversation, not that they had said anything overly crucial, just the fact they had a spy in their midst was reason enough to be concerned.

"Yes, I'd know one anywhere," she said with certainty. With confidence in her stride she walked over to the elf and tapped on his shoulder. "Talk, spy."

To say Yvaine was surprised at Leliana's sudden boldness was an understatement for sure, this type of confidence was something she had not expected to see in the slightly timid chantry sister, even if she was a bard.

"Look," said the elf, he sounded scared that he had been found out, "I don't know you and I don't want to. I'm not . . . all I was told was to . . . I mean, just leave me alone!"

"You'd best start talking," said Yvaine sternly, now standing beside Leliana, her brow furrowed in annoyance. "Now."

The elf sprang up from his seat and stood toe-to-toe with Yvaine, all around her she heard the others in her group unsheathe their blades but she gestured to them not to do anything right this moment.

"Just because you're a Grey Warden doesn't mean you can threaten me!" he snapped and then immediately realized his mistake.

A sly smile stretched across Yvaine's lips, she had caught his mistake and knew she had him. "I don't remember mentioning that I was a Grey Warden," she said and he immediately backed away. He looked like he was going to run but she still needed answers and she was not about to let him get away that easily. "You know, this would be much easier on you if you just told me what was going on. I promise, no harm will come to you if you cooperate."

The elf was silent for a moment, seeming to be fighting with himself whether or not he would actually cooperate with her. "Fine," he sighed and then sat back down in his previously vacated chair. "This whole situation is more than I bargained for. Watch the castle, yes. Report back if there was any trouble, fine, I can do that. Hide from undead every night, hoping for some sort of salvation? That was not part of the job description."

"So you were paid to send information? To who?" asked Yvaine, her arms crossed against her chest as she scanned the elf. She was looking for any signs that he might be lying, so far, he appeared to be telling the truth.

"A tall fellow, looked kind of like a rat, he name was . . ." said the elf and he closed in concentration. "Howe! Arl Rendon Howe."

Yvaine felt her stomach flip and her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she thought it might burst out. "Are you absolutely sure it was Howe?"

The elf nodded. "You don't forget a face like that, believe me. Besides, he's Teyrn Loghain's right hand, so I didn't technically do anything wrong!"

It took all her restraint not to grab hold of the elf's head and slam it into the table repeatedly. In Yvaine's eyes, working with Howe was committing a great wrong. "I want all information you might have about what's been going on here," she managed to say through gritted teeth, "you will also turn over any correspondence you and Howe have shared. Finally, because you feel the need to exploit the misery of these people by making some coin at their expense, you will stay tonight and fight to defend Redcliffe. Do you agree to these terms?"

The elf was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking over Yvaine's generous offer of mercy. "Alright, I agree. You've shown me mercy when most would have me gutted for being a spy. Thank you, m'lady, I will not forget this." Quickly he pulled out a stack of letters from his pack, handed them to Yvaine and ran out of the tavern.

When he was gone, Yvaine finally released the breath she had been holding, dealing with one of Howe's spies was not something she had expected to do today.

"You showed that man incredible mercy, Yvaine," said Leliana gently, cautiously putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Why did you let him go, Vaine?" asked Fergus, his tone suggesting disbelief.

Yvaine looked up from the papers in her hand, she saw all eyes were on her now, most of her companions seemed to be in shock that she had allowed the spy to leave with just his word that he would fight for Redcliffe that night. "While he might have worked for Howe and possibly Loghain, he's an innocent, he was simply doing what he thought was right. There was no need to end his life, not when he has a chance to do some good," she said, her voice seeming to gain confidence. "Besides that, I just interrupted Howe's plans without leaving a noticeable trail back to us," she added with a small smile.

Alistair stepped forward, smiling at her. "You just proved yourself better than Howe in a big way, always remember that."

Yvaine smiled at him and then at her other companions, they were right of course, she had made the right call and hopefully she would not regret her decision. "Alright, enough standing around, there's much work to be done and not much time to do it." With that, they headed out of the tavern and broke off into their respective groups.

"Are you sure this firetrap's a good idea?" asked Alistair as he and Yvaine placed a crate of lantern oil beside one of the wooden barriers. "It could just end up setting the entire field ablaze and that we certainly don't want."

Yvaine stood up and wiped some sweat off of her brow, while Ser Perth had seemed confident that this idea would work, she herself was a bit skeptical. She had seen firsthand what happened whenever a firetrap did not go according to plan, and dousing large amounts of lantern oil around wooden barriers in an enclosed pass did not sound like a good idea. On the other hand, if these monsters were slowed down by the fire, it would be worth losing some of the field as long as they were able to stop the fire from getting out of control. "We need whatever advantage we can get, Alistair, but I'll make sure Morrigan's able to put out the fire so it doesn't set the rest of the village on fire," she said as she wiped some oil off of her hands with the rag she kept in her belt, then she passed it to Alistair so he could do the same.

"Thanks," he said and was surprised to see her staring at him so intently as he slowly cleaned his hands. He felt as if her eyes were boring straight into his soul, she was looking at him so intensely, and this made him nervous. "Do I have a piece of chicken caught in my teeth or something?"

"What? Um . . . no," stammered Yvaine, startled that he had caught her staring. "I was just thinking."

He raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"About the stable boy who used to live here," she said cautiously not sure if this was the right time or place to bring the subject up.

"What about him?" asked Alistair and he could feel his body flushing.

"I know he's you, Alistair," said Yvaine seriously. "Why didn't you tell me before? I asked you earlier if there was anything else you were keeping from me and you told me there was nothing else to confess to."

Alistair sighed heavily. "I'm sorry about that, I really am, I've been wanting to tell you ever since you told that story at Ostagar. But then I thought that maybe mentioning that I'm a prince might take priority over saying I was the boy who saved your life when you were a kid."

"But why didn't you mention it after you told me about the prince thing?" she pressed, determined to get some answers out of him.

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I honestly don't know, for some reason it didn't seem important at the time. Maybe I should've told you before you told that lie to Teagan that you were still in love with the stable boy."

"What lie?" she asked. "I meant what I said."

"See? I knew . . .wait, what?!" exclaimed Alistair, staring at her with a strange mix of curiosity and wonder.

Yvaine tried not to laugh. "I said, I meant what I said to Teagan. I was in love with the stable boy and I did intend to tell him."

Alistair crinkled his brow. "What do you mean you were in love with the stable boy? I thought you are in love with him."

She took a deep breath before continuing with her own confession. "I was in love with the little stable boy who saved my life but now I think I'm falling for the man he grew up to be."

A heavy silence hung between them. The last thing he had expected to hear was that she was falling for him, despite everything that had happened, he had not even dared to hope that she would say those words.

"Yvaine," he said softly, "I'm . . . I . . . I don't know what to say."

Yvaine felt her heart break, she had been wrong yet again. "I'm sorry, I should've known better than to say something so foolish."

She went to turn away but suddenly she felt something grip her wrist and pull her back. Looking down, she saw Alistair's fingers wrapped snugly around her wrist, and when she glanced up she was surprised to see he was looking at her with a tenderness she had not expected.

"It wasn't a foolish thing to say," he said and pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I'm glad you did, because I think I'm falling for you as well. I mean, while I loved the little lady you used to be now . . . well, um, now I'm stumbling over my words and ruining this completely."

Yvaine chuckled and laid her head on his chest. "On the contrary, Alistair, this is perfect."

He released a small sigh and fully wrapped her in his arms, burying his face in her hair. "I'm glad," he whispered.

They stood there for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of being so close, not caring that they were standing in full view of the militia plus Sten and Gawain. They had thoughts only of each other, savoring the moment they had been hoping to happen since first meeting, then they remembered where they were and why.

Yvaine pulled away first. "I guess we had better get back to it, huh?"

Alistair absentmindedly nodded, his mind and senses were still reeling from the moment they had just shared. "Right, you're right. Get back to what, exactly?"

She chuckled. "Don't worry, Alistair, in about ten seconds it'll come back to you."

Yvaine walked off towards to the remaining barrels of oil, mentally counting to ten and just before she reached the last number, she heard Alistair's quick footsteps behind her. Soon he was at her side, easily walking in stride with her, glancing over she saw the smile on his face and she felt herself returning it. When they arrived back at the barrels they both made an effort to avoid eye contact with anyone, especially Sten and to a certain extent Gawain, instead they focused on moving more oil to the pass. The task now did not seem as tedious and exhausting as it had earlier.

"Have you been able to detect your sword, Sten?" asked Yvaine as they approached the smithy. They were finally done with spreading oil across the pass and were now on their way to speak with the blacksmith Fergus had mentioned needed some persuading in order to join the cause.

The Qunari nodded. "Asala is close, I can feel her song surging through my blood. She is very close."

"That's not creepy," mumbled Alistair and he caught Yvaine smiling at him. 'Well, at least she finds me humorous,' he thought as they reached the door.

Yvaine knocked on the forge's door, for a few moments there was nothing but silence.

"Go away," came a depressed voice through the wood door. "There's nothing left, you've taken it all, there's nothing left."

She turned to the others with a raised eyebrow, Alistair merely shrugged and Sten gave a blank expression.

"Excuse me, this is Owen right, the blacksmith? I need to speak with you," said Yvaine politely.

"Oh? What do you want? Don't you think I've been through enough?" the man moaned on the other side of the door.

"Is it possible we could come inside and talk? It's rather difficult to have a conversation through a door," said Yvaine kindly.

There was another long pause following her words before they heard a strange clinking sound on the other side where Owen was. "Alright, I'll let you in, just don't cause any trouble," said Owen and suddenly the door opened.

They filed in one after another until they were all standing in the middle of the small forge, the roaring fire in the fireplace on the far wall heating the room to an uncomfortable temperature. Mix the scorching heat with the smell and it was nearly unbearable to stand in there. Yvaine crinkled her nose, whatever that smell was, it certainly was potent and had been there for some time. She heard Gawain whine and knew he too was put off by the smell of the smithy, not that she could blame him, to him the room probably smelled worse than it did to her and the others.

"Somebody's been drinking," remarked Alistair in a light but somewhat accusing tone.

Owen moved away from the door and positioned himself on a pillar close to the fire, his arms crossed and though his eyes were clouded over, there was still some life to them and right now they were scrutinizing the armored people in his home. He was a somewhat grizzly older man with a long beard and heavy black circles under his eyes as if he had not slept for days, and judging by the state of the forge, he had certainly done very little save for drinking. "Alright, I let you in. Now, tell me who the hell you are."

"I'm Yvaine, of the Grey Wardens, here helping Bann Teagan restore order to Redcliffe," replied Yvaine and Owen shook his head.

"Really? A Grey Warden? I guess they'll take anybody these days," said Owen bitterly. "Care to join me as I drink away my misery or is there some nobler cause you've come to recruit me for?"

"We need you to get the forge up and running again," said Yvaine forcefully, ignoring his previous comment. "The militia is in desperate need of armor and arms repairs if they're going to stand a chance in tonight's battle."

Owen sneered. "Why should I help these bastards? They've done nothing to help me." He started pacing a short distance and his face turned from anger to deep sorrow. "My little girl, Valena, is one of the arlessa's maids. She got trapped up at the castle and the mayor won't send anyone to find her." He stopped pacing though he was still swaying slightly and turned to Yvaine. "She's been my life since my wife passed away two years ago, now she's dead or soon will be. I don't care what happens to me, or this village or anyone else for that matter." He walked back over to the pillar he had been standing at before and rested his head against it, suddenly the room was full of the sound of loud sobs.

"Maker, I can't stand it when a man cries," sighed Alistair, "especially when the cause of his pain is because he thinks he's lost his daughter."

Yvaine nodded in silent agreement and went over to Owen, cautiously she put her hand on his shoulder. "Owen, I know this has been hard on you, no one is diminishing your pain in anyway. But would Valena want you to be acting this way? Are you doing all that you can to make sure she can be rescued? You need to help these people, Owen, not just for their sake but for Valena's as well."

Owen did not say anything for a few moments as he considered Yvaine's words. "You really think you can help us win against these undead?"

"I'm willing to give it one helluva try," said Yvaine firmly.

The blacksmith peeled himself off of the pillar and looked straight at her. "Alright, I'll light up the forge again, but on one condition: when we win this battle against those sodding corpses, you will go to the castle and get my daughter out of there. Don't give me your word unless you mean it."

"I give you my word that we will find your daughter and return her to you safely," said Yvaine, placing her fist on her heart, pledging herself to this mission.

Owen breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "I'm glad someone like you arrived when you did, I was really starting to fear the worst before you got here." He gave her a small smile and then looked around the forge. "If you'll excuse me, I have a smithy to get in working condition and a number of repairs to make before the battle tonight. If you ever need anything, just let me know."

"Thank you, Owen," said Yvaine brightly. "I'll tell the mayor that you've agreed to make the repairs and I will find Valena."

"You are a true blessing, Warden," said Owen and he turned his attention to his forge.

Yvaine signaled to the others that they were leaving and as quietly as they could they left the smithy, the sounds of metal clinking against metal soon filling the room.

When they exited the smithy, they were approached by a dark haired, bearded man with a bow on his back. "The name's Murdock, the mayor of Redcliffe," said Murdock. "I saw you go in to see Owen, I'm hoping you were more successful than my other troops were."

"I'm happy to report that Owen is getting back to work as we speak," replied Yvaine and she saw the tension visibly leave the mayor's face.

"Thank the Maker you finally talked some sense into that man," sighed Murdock. "We've been trying for weeks to convince him to help us, what did you say to him?"

"I promised him that I would search for his daughter the first chance I got," said Yvaine simply. "All he needed was some hope, and I intend to give him more."

Murdock shook his head. "I certainly wouldn't want to be in your position, m'lady, nor do I agree with your promise but I trust that you know what you're doing, and that's enough for me. Have you spoken to Dwyn yet?"

Yvaine shook her head. "Not yet, I was just about to actually. Do you know where I can find him?"

"Yeah, he lives in a little house down by the water," replied Murdock. "Just be careful, he's not exactly the nicest man to deal with. Oh, and I heard what you did with Ser Perth, good idea with that firetrap. I'll let Bann Teagan know the militia is just about ready, Warden."

"Thank you, ser," said Yvaine and motioned to her companions to start heading towards where Murdock had indicated.

"Warden," said Sten a few minutes later as they approached the house Murdock had described. "The feeling is stronger, Asala is very close. I believe she is in this dwelling."

"Alright, I'll keep an eye out for her," said Yvaine and they stopped at the door. Slowly she reached out and knocked. "Hello?"

There was no answer.

Sten growled behind her. "I will not be stopped!" He pushed past her and rammed against the door, breaking it in half almost instantly.

"By the stone!" exclaimed a dwarf and the men at his side raised their weapons.

"I'm sorry," said Yvaine, maneuvering herself between Sten and the dwarf. "I didn't mean for him to break down your door, we mean you no harm."

"You might not, but he certainly does," barked the dwarf, his great sword raised.

Yvaine looked at Sten, she saw that his eyes were trained on the sword. "Stand down, Sten."

Sten gave a deep growl but he did not attack anyone, at least for right now.

"Thanks, the name's Dwyn, now get out," said Dwyn, putting his sword away.

"Not just yet," said Yvaine sternly. "Your help is needed in the village and I've been asked to get your aid for the cause."

Dwyn snorted. "Not really my problem, I have enough supplies to last for a while and we are in a defensible position. Besides that, my men can fight just about anything, and their damned good at killing magical monsters. A fine prize for any major army."

Yvaine was not about to walk away from this man, just by looking at his troops she knew they were right for this battle. From the little bit he said she could tell he took pride in the fact he was so well prepared and his soldiers were as well trained as they were. She had an idea. "Well, Dwyn, as you know there is a Blight on the horizon," she said carefully.

The dwarf's eyes lit up but his face remained stoic. "Yeah? What of it?"

"The arl's going to need men like yours to bolster his ranks, train his troops against magical creatures," said Yvaine slyly and she started to circle around Dwyn, one arm crossed against her chest the other resting on her forearm with her fist rested under her chin looking as if she were examining him closer. "If you wanted I could put in a good word for you."

Dwyn smiled, he obviously liked the sound of that. "Hmm that does sound appealing. What would I have to do to gain this favor?"

"Two things," said Yvaine, and she stopped in front of him. "One, you must swear your men and arms to the cause of protecting Redcliffe and her people."

"Done," said Dwyn eagerly.

"Second," said Yvaine cautiously and she looked at Sten, "you will give the Qunari his sword back."

Dwyn balked. "What makes him think this is his?" He pulled out the great sword from behind his back and out of the corner of her eye, Yvaine saw Sten's expression soften for just a brief moment.

"I would know that blade from hundreds of others," growled Sten, looking as if he were going to lunge for the dwarf.

"If it means so much to you, how about you pay me ten sovereign for it?" suggested Dwyn, putting the blade back where he kept it.

Yvaine could tell if this was not resolved, Sten would most certainly kill Dwyn and his company and for many reasons she had to prevent this outcome. "Dwyn, be reasonable," she pleaded. "That blade is his soul, his honor, would you really put a price on a man's honor?"

"No," admitted Dwyn, "but he's not a man, he's a Qunari, and for that reason the price just doubled."

"This is getting us nowhere, Warden," snarled Sten and he took a step forward but Yvaine did not move from between him and Dwyn.

"Look, Dwyn, I don't know how much longer I can keep my friend reasonable," said Yvaine and then she saw the broken door. "If he can do that to a thick, wooden door," she continued, pointing at the perfectly snapped in half door, "imagine what he might do to you for keeping him from his soul."

Dwyn looked from the door then to Sten and back to the door, seeming to understand the seriousness of this situation. "If I give him his sword back, what will I do for a weapon?" he asked calmly.

Yvaine breathed a sigh of relief, she knew he was going to give over the sword, he just wanted reassurance that he would have a weapon for the night's battle. "Owen's smithy is back up and running, tell him you need a new sword and that I sent you," she replied happily.

"Alright, the Qunari can have his blade back," said Dwyn and he handed Sten his sword.

Sten took his blade in his hand with the gentleness one would reserve for holding a small child. "Thank you, warrior Dwyn, the Qun will not forget what you have done for them."

"Yeah, yeah," sighed Dwyn, he sounded disappointed. "Come on, boys, let's go find Owen and see if he can fashion me a blade."

Dwyn and his men left the house, leaving Yvaine, Alistair, Sten and Gawain behind.

"That was . . . interesting," said Alistair as they started walking back towards the Chantry.

"What exactly was interesting?" asked Yvaine, glancing over at him.

"Umm maybe the fact that three times today you've managed to talk people into doing what you wanted?" offered Alistair.

Yvaine laughed. "My father always did say I was skilled in the art of persuasion." She then turned to Sten who was still admiring his blade. "I'm glad we were able to find Asala for you before the night's battle."

"As am I, kadan," said Sten softly.

"What was that last word, Sten?" asked Yvaine, surprised by the soft tone the Qunari had used.

"Kadan, it means where the heart lies," replied Sten, "my people use it as a term to describe one who has become what you would call a friend."

Yvaine gave him a small smile. "It's an honor to be considered as your friend, Sten."

The Qunari was silent but when she looked back, she could see a light in his eyes she had not seen before, she smiled inwardly happy to know she had been able to help him out.

"Gain the Qunari's friendship and trust, I guess we can check that one off the list," said Alistair softly. "Who knew giving him a sword would change him instantly?"

"I had a feeling it might make him see himself as a true member of the Qun again but I never expected him to call me his friend," admitted Yvaine. "Now if only human men were that easy to win over."

"We're a pretty easy going lot," said Alistair with a grin, "no need for complicated rituals such as getting dressed up for a ball or wearing ridiculously high heeled shoes we can't even walk in."

Yvaine let out a loud laugh, she knew he was right, she knew several girls who would spend hours upon hours getting ready for a ball that was usually over in half the time it took them to get dressed. "You don't know the half of it," she said, still chuckling. "Though, I'm sure I could just win you over with a large wheel of cheese."

Now it was Alistair's turn to laugh though he sounded a little unsure. "You won't land me that easily, woman! I am quite the catch, after all."

"Indeed you are, Alistair," she chuckled. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks in front of a house, she had heard someone or something rustling around in there.

"What . . .?" started Alistair but then he stopped when she started towards the house.

The others crept behind her, trying to stay as silent as possible while investigating what might very well be an ambush. Slowly they walked across the creaking floor, their senses heightened as they drew closer to the source of the sound, it was coming from a wooden armoire on the other side. Yvaine held up a hand, telling the others to stay back as she checked out what was going on.

"Hello?" she called quietly. "It's alright, you can come out now."

There was nothing for a few moments then the door slowly opened and a small boy with blonde hair appeared, he was taking great pains to get out of the armoire without opening the door more than he had to.

"Who are you? What do you want?" asked the boy, he sounded nervous.

"I'm Yvaine, these are my friends, Alistair, Sten and Gawain," she said, indicating each one as she spoke. "We heard you moving around in here and wanted to see what was. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," stammered the boy.

"What are you doing here, lad?" asked Alistair gently.

The boy looked from Alistair to Yvaine. "I was looking for something . . . but I can't tell you what, it's a secret."

Yvaine smiled. "Tell me boy, is your name a secret?"

"Nope," said the boy, "I'm Bevin. This is my family's home, I just wanted to find . . ."

"The secret?" offered Yvaine and Bevin nodded.

"I didn't mean to run off, I swear, I just wanted to find it," explained Bevin.

"If you haven't found it yet, perhaps I could help you look," suggested Yvaine and Bevin seemed to relax.

"I already found it," he said proudly, "it's in the chest, I stumbled across it when I heard you lot entering, so I hid in there with it. Trouble is, I can't lift it."

Yvaine motioned to Alistair, whom was closest, to look in the armoire. He opened it a little more and pulled out a longsword with a copper hilt, even in the little light present in the room, Yvaine could see it was a finely crafted sword.

"It was my grandfather's," said Bevin, "my grandfather was a dragon slayer and he passed the sword down to my father and my father said I could have it when I was bigger. I thought I could use it, you know, to kill the bad people who took mother and protect my sister Katelyn."

"A very noble cause, Bevin," said Yvaine kindly. "Where's your sister now?"

Bevin shuffled his feet. "In the Chantry, I was there too, but I ran away to get Grandfather's sword. I-I'm sure she's worried, maybe I should go back."

Yvaine offered her hand to him and he took it. "We were headed that way ourselves, perhaps we could take both you and the sword back to your sister?"

"I like that idea," said Bevin and together they exited the house.

When they arrived at the Chantry, a young woman with blonde hair ran up to them, tears running down her cheeks but a smile on her face. "Bevin!" she cried and immediately embraced her little brother.

"You're Katelyn, I presume?" asked Yvaine with a smile.

Katelyn stood up and faced her, she seemed both relieved and surprised at the same time. "Yes, that's me," she said with a shaky laugh. "Thank you for finding my brother, I had wanted to ask you earlier when you were here, but I was . . . afraid of what you might find."

"I'm glad this has the happy ending I know you wanted," said Yvaine and then she motioned to Alistair who stepped forth with the sword. "We also found this, Bevin said it was your grandfather's."

Katelyn looked at the sword and sighed. "We don't have much use for it, I'm afraid. Perhaps you would?"

Yvaine looked at the sword, it was a finely crafted weapon, that much she was certain of. "It's a beautiful blade, but I wouldn't feel right taking it from you without paying you for it."

"That's not necessary!" said Katelyn quickly. "You found my brother, that's enough."

She ignored the girl's words. "How does fifty silver sound?"

"That sounds great!" said Katelyn, her blue eyes wide as Yvaine pulled out the money. "Is there anyway we can repay you for your kindness and generosity?"

"Just keep you and your brother safe," replied Yvaine as she handed the money over. "May the Maker watch over you."

"May He watch over us all," said Katelyn, she put the money in her pocket and then signaled to her brother to follow her and he did.

Yvaine watched them leave, unaware that Bann Teagan was approaching.

"That was very generous of you, Yvaine," said Teagan, startling her just a little.

She turned to face him. "If you say so, I was just happy to have helped her out."

Teagan smiled, she was being incredibly modest. "You shouldn't downplay your achievements, Yvaine, what you've accomplished here today is nothing short of inspiring. You helped to bolster our defenses, convinced Dwyn and his men to join in the fight, got Owen off his ass and back to work. Not to mention you intercepted a spy for Loghain and reunited one of our own with her kin. I'm glad the Maker saw fit to send you when He did."

"As am I, Teagan," replied Yvaine. "Is everyone ready for tonight's battle?"

He nodded. "Yes, and not a moment too soon, we have maybe half an hour before sunset and the undead start advancing. You and your companions will be up in the pass with Ser Perth and the other soldiers, hopefully we'll be able to stop them there, but if not we'll have a group in town to deal with any that might get in."

She saw the troubled look on the Bann's face and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Teagan, we'll all get through the night. This will all be over soon."

Teagan looked at her and gave a tired smiled. "Hearing those words from you brings me a great deal of comfort and hope. Come, you must prepare for the night's battle and there is much to be done."

Yvaine and the others followed Teagan as he went off to the front of the Chantry, as they walked past the militia men as they geared up for battle, she distinctly noticed that the air in the Chantry had changed. Fear and despair no longer hung over the people like a dense fog, now the air was lighter with the feeling she knew was hope.