Credits:

Portuguese Beta: Rohh Lael

English Beta: wintryone

Disclaimer: Dragon Age Universe belongs to Bioware.

Chapter 22

"Pretty as a painting"

.

My dearest father,

.

I hope everyone is well, as far as possible.

I apologize for my delay in sending news.

Since I left, I've had no chance to sit down

and write you this message.

.

So much had happened since then.

.

Ostagar fell. Duncan died… and the King, too.

Don't worry, though - I'm fine. And I'm not alone.

.

My companions aren't easy people. Well,

you know how humans are – infuriating and…

Confusing…

.

There is no hesitation in their actions, however,

and their motives are true. Although my mind

keeps telling me the opposite, my instincts

insist that they may be worthy of my trust.

Whichever is right, only the time will tell.

.

I can't return home yet. I can't tell you

the details, but there are still some pending

issues we must attend to and only we can do it.

I hope you can understand me.

.

Keep me in your thoughts, Dad, and one day

we shall be together again.

.

Love,

Kallian.

.

-X-

Kallian

Shaw-Shaw is amazing!

And warm, too.

That first night I slept cuddled with him. I think it was a more peaceful slumber than I'd had in years. There was a moment, however, when I had the impression that I was in Denerim, back in the old scenario of my dreams. Instead of the Lion, however, I could have sworn that I saw the Archdemon again.

But everything happened so fast and blurred... In the end, nothing happened at all. Thankfully, I could say, but truth be told, it only made me worry more.

Not that I'm complaining - to be honest, I couldn't say that I wasn't happy, too. I needed to sleep. It was just… Strange, that's all.

Anyway, the little one was only skin and bones. I even dare say that it was My poor puppy's ribs stood out like angry sentinels on his back, a testament to the many days his stomach had been empty. He was so hungry that he almost swallowed my two remaining breads with a single bite.

Yes, I gave my last supplies to him. And of course, this generated comments from my companions. You know how they love to be annoying.

"You gave your food to the dog by your own free will, so don't come whining that you're hungry because I will not split mine with you!" That's what Noah said. Of course, Noah wouldn't be Noah if he didn't complain at least one time per day.

"I won't, don't worry." I remember I said something like this to him, probably irritated.

But in the end, I saw him giving his share to Shaw-Shaw when he thought that no one was watching him. Heh, fool. It was nice of him to care about my dog. They like each other, and I think that's what matters.

"Take this," Alistair said, giving me his bread. Of course I declined. He knew that I knew it was last of his supply, so he forced me to accept at least half of it.

"You're hungry, take it. I won't accept no for an answer," He gave me that lopsided smile, when we were alone at the new camp.

"Alistair, hunger is not a problem," I tried to convince him, but he was adamant. Stubborn Templar!

"Of course, hunger is a problem," he insisted.

"I'm saying that I'm used to it. It doesn't bother me, really," I replied, and to be honest, his thoughtful expression touched me a bit. Was he having pity on me?

Nah, It wasn't pity… those were sad eyes.

"Exactly why you should accept it." He took my hand and gently put both halves in my palm, before bring my hands together.

Needless to say, after that there was no further discussion. He practically ignored me all night, afraid that I would put the bread back inside his backpack. Maybe I should, but he kept it well hidden.

I don't know why I had accepted it in the first place. I blame his stupidly cute smile.

Though I was uncomfortable having taken his food away, it was a nice gesture. I can't say that I hadn't noticed his protective stance over me, or that I wasn't enjoying it, because I'd be lying. Not that I needed it, just to be clear - and I think he knew it too, because it was a different type of protection. I don't know quite how to explain, I just felt… good, when he was around, I guess.

Anyway, I was grateful to know that I could count on him.

"By the Creators! You city people do not even know how to care of yourselves!" Mahariel muttered, after listening to our conversation about food. "If we do not get to Lothering in the morning, I will hunt you something to eat. Dar'Andruil Shala'ar*...!"

Note to self: Remind me to ask her what the hell she meant by that.

"Hunph." That's what Morrigan always says about everything. I love so much the way she snorts and ignores us when she loses interest in the subject.

Anyway, we arrived in Lothering in the early morning hours.

Since everything we do has to have complications, a group of people smiling strangely and armed to their teeth surrounded us on the bridge that gave access to the city. Needless to say that it meant trouble, right?

Of course not.

"Hey, travelers!" A skinny guy, tall and bearded came to greet us. I didn't like the fact that he was wearing leather clothes and that he had two shortswords on his waist. A Rogue, maybe? If so, he was at a distance short enough to give a lethal blow to one of us.

If that wasn't bad enough, his swords were loose in the sheath.

There were six others around us - Two along with the leader, wearing heavy armor and carrying axes at their waists, two further away, near the stairs that lead to the city, each one with a pair of daggers on their backs and the other two behind us, holding big sledgehammers close to their bodies.

We were outnumbered. But at least they had no mage with them.

"Highwaymen ... Taking advantage of those who are fleeing from the Darkspawn ... It's disgusting ..." Alistair whispered, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Eyes open," Noah whispered through his teeth to me, never diverting his attention from the leader. I gave a quick glance over my shoulder to see if my teammates were on alert, too. Alistair held his shield close to his body, ready to react. Mahariel already had her bow in hand, hiding it beneath her cloak. If I remember right, I saw some hidden arrows tied on the inside of her cloak, so I had no doubt that she was ready to shoot if need. I didn't have to look at Morrigan to know that she had a good amount of energy already accumulated in her hand.

It could not go wrong, right?

"Hey, what are ya whispering there?" The leader asked me, stopping right in front of me.

"We're deciding how we're going to make the fools who dared to stand in our way pay for their insolence, maybe?" Morrigan said, crossing her arms. Another thing that I love about Morrigan, is that sometimes when she opens her mouth, it's a good thing.

"That's no way to greet others, don't ya think?" The leader replied, purposely placing his hand on his waist so the metal of his sword could creak inside its sheath.

"Hey ..." I heard one of his bodyguards whispering in his ear. "They don't seem to be refugees. Wouldn't it be better to let them go?"

"Nonsense," the leader said. "What can two elves, a woman and a dog do to us?" He smirked at us. "Look, let me say how it's gonna be - fifty silvers and you're free to pass. No hard feelings, okay?"

"Fifty silvers?" Noah asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"A nominal fee to enter the city." He replied. "I'm sure you don't want to mess with my friends, right buddy?"

"Look, buddy," Noah said, snapping his neck. Uh-oh, that was new. I wonder what he was planning to do. "I am the guy who is almost as tall as a Qunari that carries a sword whose weight is at least half of your own, and that is able to handle it with one hand if necessary. So, the right question is: Do your friends really want to mess with me? "

"Also, his sword flies," I said, crossing my arms as an excuse to place my hands near the sheaths on my back. No, I couldn't say that phrase without having this stupid victory smile crossing my lips or without that sarcastic grin. Damned if Morrigan hadn't understood the joke – I always had fun with that, and that was what mattered.

Obvious that the bandit didn't understand either. Nor Mahariel. Alistair must have remembered the ballista episode back on the tower in Ostagar, because I saw him holding back a smile.

And Noah ... Well, he was pissed. He slapped his face and looked at me so angrily that, for a brief moment, I thought that he would kick me off of the bridge.

"Really? Do you have to say that every time?" He asked me, through gritted teeth.

"What, Grumpy? It's my favorite thing about you - of course I have to say it," I replied, shrugging.

"Less talk, more silvers, please," the leader said, totally incredulous, folding his arms impatiently.

"Oh…" exclaimed one of the rogues. "Tall and strong dude, with a' custom sword ornamented with white gold. "He pointed at Noah. Another one with light brown hair, shield with a griffon and ridiculous tuft and an elf ... Look, I don't know who the others are, but aren't they the Grey Wardens who killed the King? Those who have that huge reward on their heads? "

"Are you sure?" One of the axe-guys asked.

"How many redheaded elves with yellow eyes and a scar on the right ear you can say that you've seen in your life?" The rogue replied, drawing his daggers.

"Yes, Grumpy. I think my friends want to mess with you," the leader said, drawing his swords, too.

It was enough.

As I recall, it happened really fast, like all our fights tended to be.

Noah grabbed the wrists of the leader and headbutted him, followed by a kick that threw him to the ground. In the next moment, he was with his greatsword in hand, defending himself against the onslaught of one of the axe-guys.

Mahariel threw her cloak over herself, raising a cloud of dust and disappearing before the eyes of all. Holy shit, that was awesome!

Ahem ... Morrigan literally fried one of the rogues with a violent electrical discharge, that stretched around and stunned the other guy near him.

Naturally I jumped at the chance and threw one of my daggers at him. It didn't hit exactly where I had planned, but at least he was not going to hurt anyone else.

As I ran toward the second axe-bandit, I saw Alistair pushing one of the sledgehammer-guys against the eaves of the bridge with his shield. With a precise movement, Alistair took advantage of a loophole in his defense and impaled the bandit against the guardrail, hitting him in the stomach.

Three down!

My opponent must have thought I was too busy looking at the others and that I wasn't paying enough attention to our duel, because he made a risky horizontal thrust against me, throwing the weight of his body on his ax to try to behead me. He was either too naive or too stupid, because I just reached down and gave him a trick. Basically he fell by his own strength. I didn't have to do anything else, because soon Shaw-Shaw was already upon him, with his teeth carved on his throat.

Good boy!

I was so enchanted with the skills of my new canine friend that I didn't realize the other sledgehammer-guy was approaching us – He hammered Noah's back so damn hard that he went to the ground immediately, followed by such a strong sound of metal clashing that I could swear that something had broken. I just hoped that it wasn't him.

Alistair had thrown himself against the last axe-guy, before he could kill Grumpy. I threw myself against the hammer-guy, using my dagger to hit the back of his head. Shaw-Shaw helped Alistair and together we killed the last bandit standing.

I went to the rogue's body and gathered my dagger, wiping the blood from the blade before sheathing it. When I looked around, to check the team, I realized two things.

First Mahariel wasn't anywhere. And second, and perhaps more importantly ... there were only six bodies on the ground.

My gaze met Morrigan, and by her expression, she thought the same thing.

"Where's their leader?" I asked, looking around.

"I will make him appear," Morrigan said, charging electricity in her hands.

The idea was good, but when I felt that the air was streaming around me, I knew it was too late - I could feel him behind me, ready to stab me. It was that kind of popping that happens in a split second, you know? It didn't give anyone time to respond, not even me.

When I heard the crack of metal against the floor instead of the sound of my own blood dripping on the stone, I dared to look back.

"Talk," said Mahariel, yielding the leader in the back, holding the iron tip of her arrow against his neck. The leader was standing behind me with his hands raised and his swords were on the floor near my feet.

"She isn't just a real elf, but also a real rogue," Noah muttered between coughs, still lying on the ground. "Stealth."

"Still with this?" I mumbled, rolling my eyes. Just remembering those agonizing hours of riding made my leg ache.

Despite the small moment of relaxation, my heart was still racing. All I could do was give Eilleen my best look of gratitude and whisper a silent "thank you" for her. She just nodded, her lips curving into a slight half-smile in my direction.

"P-Please, I surrender!" The leader stammered, looking scared.

"You heard the lady," Alistair said, approaching us. "Tell us everything you know."

"The R-regent Loghain, he ..." The leader gasped, gulping before continuing. "The regent Loghain put a big reward on the head of the Grey Wardens who betrayed the King and fled from Ostagar," he paused, breathing a lot of air before continuing. "The yellow-eyed elf, the noble from highever and the man who carries the emblem of the griffin on his shield."

"He was the one who betrayed the King!" Alistair exclaimed angrily. "How dare he ... Regent? How come ..." He stammered. It was hard to swallow the whole thing. Too much information. Even I was having trouble digesting it all – I couldn't blame him for sounding so incoherent.

"I believe it I swear!" The bandit broke, trying to be convincing.

"I do not care, Shemlen," Mahariel said, pressing the arrow against his throat. "Keep talking."

"Okay," he said paralyzed. "After the defeat at Ostagar, Loghain returned to Denerim and proclaimed himself regent, announcing the betrayal of the Grey Wardens soon after, as I mentioned. Ten gold pieces per head - dead or alive, that's the deal."

"That means we have to be discreet from now on," Noah said, standing up. His armor was falling apart as he moved - the bits of his breastplate fell into the ground carelessly. "Ten gold pieces worth approximately fifty sovereigns. With so many refugees and people wanting to leave Ferelden, I have no doubts that there's already a good amount of candidates willing to kill us." He looked at his body revolted, taking off the rest of the armor from his body. "Shit, I need a new armor ..."

"How did they ..." Alistair growled. "How can they believe in the lies of that filthy traitor?"

"The people idolize him," I replied in a bad mood. "He can say whatever he wants and everyone will believe him. After all, there's no one to say otherwise."

"We can," Noah growled. "We know what happened. We'll make him fall."

"And how has Queen Anora allowed that?" Alistair said, starting to walk in circles. "Cailan was her husband!"

"That bitc ..." I bit my tongue before I speak something stupid. I know hate is a strong word, a feeling I've learned that it's not healthy to keep, but even so, I can say that I hate some people. Anora was one of them and I couldn't avoid it. "She's his daughter," I corrected myself quickly, before anyone realized. "What did you expect?"

"What should I do with him, Da'shal?" Mahariel asked, interrupting everyone. And she was right - arguing about it wouldn't solve our problems.

"I say we should make him pay," Morrigan said, casting a small flame in the palm of her hand.

"He took advantage of people who were fleeing the Blight. Poor souls that have nothing to eat, that just wanted to get their loved ones to safety," I said. "And to me, this is unacceptable." I carefully searched his pockets until I found the bag with the stolen money. "I will take this. Now, if you're going to kill him or turn him to the authorities, well, the choice is yours."

"Please, d-don't kill me! I'll never steal again, I promise!" The leader grunted, sweating so much that it seemed he had fallen into a lake.

"I think we should turn him in," Alistair said, trying to calm down.

"Why? Soon he will be stealing and killing again," said Mahariel, and I agreed with her. With all this confusion, he probably wouldn't last one day in prison.

"No, actually it might be a good idea," Noah said, giving a strong blow on the nape of the thug, knocking him out. "He must have annoyed a lot of people with this tax stuff. Probably there's a bunch of angry people that will be happy to teach him a lesson."

"If you say so," Morrigan complained disappointed, extinguishing the flame in her hand. I don't blame her, but I agreed with Noah – the victims wouldn't allow him to get out of this alive.

"We are about to enter a city," Noah continued, putting the thug's body over his shoulders. "We don't know who we can trust, then the word is discretion. No moves or actions that might give us away. Especially you, elf. Find a hood."

"I see nothing wrong with my hood," grumbled Mahariel.

"Not you, the other elf," Noah replied, rolling his eyes. Mahariel snorted. "Your red hair draws too much attention."

"Right, Grumpy, I'm sorry for being different," I said, starting to walk towards the town. "No way I'm going to hide."

"And stop calling me Grumpy!" he growled, glaring at me. "I have a name!"

"What a coincidence I also have one, but you don't use it either," I replied, about to ask a question to which I already knew the answer. "Will you stop calling me Elf?"

Noah looked at me for a good ten seconds without saying anything, before snorting deeply and slowly. He also looked away. He'd never looked away before, so I couldn't help myself but to wonder if there was some sensible subject hidden inside this topic.

"As I thought," I said pointing to the stairs. "Lead the way, please."

"You have no idea how much I hate you, elf," he grumbled, taking the lead.

"I know, Grumpy, and this is my second favorite thing about you." I replied, trying to hold on to this moment with all my strength to avoid the tears from reaching my eyes, as I took the letter I had written to my father from my backpack.

Nothing more incriminating than a letter - It could report our position, and if for some reason Loghain still thought that any of us were dead, it was the best to stay that way. As much as it hurt me deeply, I couldn't risk it.

My family would have to understand…

So I held the letter over the flames of one of torches attached to the wall after I was sure that everyone was far enough from me, watching the words disintegrate while the paper burned between my fingertips, just like my heart inside my chest.

All I could do was hope that the wind could help these ashes to reach home and give them more comfort than the flames did to me.

Leaned against the top of the stairs, Alistair was waiting for me with that sad, concerned look that I hated so much. I don't know what he saw, or for how long I stood staring at the fire, but when our gazes met, he smiled. A shy, sad but sincere smile that had this strange ability to play with my feelings when I least expected.

"You're okay?" He asked me when I approached him.

I will be, I thought, but instead I just nodded and faked a smile, hoping that he wouldn't notice.

He gently patted my shoulder, before we properly entered Lothering.

Note:

*May Andruil protect me ...

A/N: Thanks for the faves/follows! And for the amazing reviews, too!