A/N: Sorry for not updating for a while... I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life~ But, I hope ya'll enjoyed the last few chapters. No reviews still I see. No matter! Let's see what else Mina will get into shall we? Or maybe I'll do a bit of Garrett? We'll see.

The sounds of the early morning forest woke Mina up. Birds were singing and small animals were rustling in the bushes. But, despite the familiar surroundings and the usual inner peace it brought, Mina felt more hardened. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she felt more angry and fed-up with the world. What worried her more was that she felt more powerful.

She hadn't talked with her wolf, nor watched her bird. No dreams at all befell her that previous night. She wanted so badly to talk to Fen'Harel and ask him just what was going on. She felt as if he'd have some insight to what and why she was... the way she was. Green fire and all. With a sigh, she stood up and looked around her. She wondered if anyone had noticed that she hadn't been back home all night.

"That's a stupid thought. Varric seems to know just about everything I do while I'm awake," she muttered to herself. It wasn't that she minded much, but she got slightly annoyed that he knew her every move. It was strange for her to think that someone was keeping such close tabs on her for whatever reason. Even if he was her brother, he needed to know when to back off. That day happened to be one of those times.

As if on cue, Keter trotted up to her, carrying a scroll in his mouth. Mina assumed it was from that uppity slaver that was her sister. She felt her lip curl in disgust just thinking about Ceras. A small voice in her head scolded her for being so judgemental, but she squashed it without hesitation. She wanted none of that.

The wolf dropped the paper in her outstretched hand and eyed her almost sympathetically. He seemed to sense the 'thing' inside of her. And her caution at opening the scroll Ceras had sent her.

Mina scoffed at what it said. It seemed Ceras had invited her to tea for an explanation. To top it off, Ceras had invited their father. It was laughable! Ceras made it clear that she hated Thalion. The whole idea of sitting to talk, over tea, in such a tense environment made Mina want to go. If not to see what Ceras wanted, at least to see how well things went.

She looked at Keter, who was waiting patiently, "Alright, Ceras will have her tea. But, that does not mean we're friends again." With a sneer, she burnt the scroll and stalked off towards Kirkwall. She needed a bath, and a stiff drink; not exactly in that order.

Mina seemed to emanate anger like poison; people cleared out of her way quickly and quietly throughout the Hanged Man. The bartender, whom she was usually friendly with, even poured her a drink without excess conversation. After she downed the foul drink, she headed straight for her room, noting that Varric wasn't in his usual spot. She figured he was with Hawke on a mission or out looking for her.

As she sat in her warm bath water, her mind wandered to Fenris. Her stern, idiot brother. She wondered if he'd even seen what Anders had done to her. She wondered why he, of all people, didn't seem to care that Ceras had slaves. He was acting weirder than normal. That was pretty bad, since he was plain weird to begin with. More than anything, Mina felt isolated by her newly found magic. She'd snapped at Fenris and pretty much told him that she was a mage. He'd hate her. Garrett wouldn't want her anymore. Everyone else would be afraid once they learned that she didn't really have control over it.

The more her emotions intensified inside her, the more she felt the mana trying to escape from her skin. The water around her started splashing violently though she was still. The tub started shaking and she felt as if the water was getting too hot. She jumped out and realised that she was losing control of herself. Her magic was reacting to her emotions and she couldn't calm down. She threw a robe on and sprinted to her bed. It was always where she hashed her thoughts out and where she could always reason herself out. But, no matter how many deep breaths she took, no matter how much she told herself everything would be fine, it wouldn't stop. Heat built up around her, her bed shook, and sound seemed to explode around her. To anyone else it probably sounded like a high pitched sound, but to her it sounded like screaming; like someone was in absolute agony.

'WHY?! WHY DO I HAVE TO HAVE MAGIC?! WHY CAN'T I CONTROL IT?!' she screamed in her head. She felt as if her skin was on fire. For all she knew, it probably was. She just sat with her head in her hands, rocking back and forth, eyes wide. She wasn't crying. She couldn't cry. She had to focus on making it stop. Everything needed to stop!

And then, she felt arms around her. They were too lanky and rough to be Garrett's...

She looked up, eyes still wide and frightened to see Fenris. His eyes were closed and he squeezed her tightly in an embrace she hadn't known she needed. She took a few more shuddering breaths before she hugged him back.

Everything stopped. No burning, no shaking, and no screaming.

"F-fen..." she stammered quietly.

He just smiled at her sadly and kissed her forehead, "I know, Da'assan. I know little sister."

She let herself relax a little. She was so relieved to have him there. He didn't hate her after all, and that was what mattered most. Especially after the nasty things she'd said. Of course, he was still in danger, since she had no hold on her magic. For the time being, she was just happy that it'd stopped.

"I thought you'd hate me," she mumbled, "Since... I'm a mage."

"I knew you were a mage, you idiot," he said with a smirk, "No one without magic could ever make music out of thin air."

He paused a moment and raised an eyebrow at her, "I could never hate you, either. You are my sister after all. A sister of my own choosing."

Mina smiled sheepishly at his words. She knew about his bad luck with his sister, Varania. He hated the woman and refused to acknowledge her as family. He hadn't killed her like he'd wanted to, but it was as if she'd died anyway.

She looked down and pressed her lips together in thought. She didn't want to make him mad again, but she hoped that he didn't think that she'd forgotten about Ceras. It seemed that was on his mind too.

"I heard that Ceras invited you and Thalion to talk. I think she's going to try to convince him to bring her with you two when you leave for his clan."

Mina made a face, "I don't want her to go. I mean, she'd probably get tired of wandering the woods without so much as a bar of soap. Plus... I'm doing something for Varric. She'd just get in the way."

Fenris gave her a look like he was going to scold her. Instead he sighed, "As long as you three talk, it doesn't matter much to me. You need to listen to what she has to say, Mina."

The silver-haired Elf rolled her eyes and started chewing on her nails.

"By the way, I think Garrett's looking for you," she perked up at his words, "But... keep your power in check. It's still dangerous, no matter who you are. The best intentions can still hurt."

Mina winced but nodded. What he said was true. She was very dangerous at the moment. The sooner she learned how to control herself, the better. It was just as likely that she'd end up hurting herself as much as hurting someone else. What scared her most was that she wanted to hurt someone. She dared someone to try and get in her way. As Fenris left the room, she smiled cruelly.

"Let's hope that I only lose my temper on someone who deserves it."

Fenris' eyes flashed with worry, but he didn't say a word.

"Hawke, I never imagined I'd say this, especially about you, but... Do it. You won't get another opportunity this perfect," Varric said honestly as they left the shop.

Garrett rubbed the back of his neck worriedly. He wasn't so sure. He thought he was a little ahead of himself. Plus, Mina seemed to be in a bad spot. He wanted to make sure she was okay before he did anything. Varric almost read his mind.

"Because Kitten is so distraught right now makes it an even better time. She needs something to take her mind off of Maker-knows-what she's got going on in her womanly mind right now. The only person that could do that is probably you," he added.

The Champion shoved his hands in his coat pockets and milled around Lowtown market, almost in a daze. He didn't know what to do. Ceras and Mina had some talking to do. Fenris had shed some light on what exactly was going on with them. He had no idea about what Ceras was doing, and he doubted Mina knew either. Whether the hardheaded Elf woman would listen to her sister was another matter entirely.

He had half a mind to go with his lover and talk sense into her if she started to get irritable. He laughed at himself. To think that he was becoming the reasonable one. He usually hit first and asked questions later. And usually they were just full of sarcasm and snarky remarks.

"What's so funny?" Varric inquired.

"I had a moment of sanity; I tried being logical and reasonable. It was awful," he replied with a lazy smile.

"You need to stop hanging around Aveline so much. People will talk! The Champion becoming a voice of reason? The scandal!"

Garrett looked at his trusty Dwarf and rolled his eyes, "What you're trying to talk me into with Mina will cause more people to talk than me finally getting a sense of responsibility."

"So? People talk no matter what. I'd think the latter would be more enjoyable."

Varric shot Hawke a sly smile, to which the Champion glared.

"Not going to happen, Varric. It's not the right time."

They stood outside of the Hanged Man a moment and watched people go by. Just about every one of them looked at Garrett and smiled... or scowled. Each of them had a look in their eyes that made him cringe. It was a look of dependence. They needed him; expected him to protect them from whatever threatened them. He frowned and rubbed a cheek. He hated walking around and seeing people he was expected to protect. It was different with his friends because he knew them and they'd get his back no matter what. But the children were what got to him most. If they died because he didn't have what it took...

"I'm not ready for more, Varric. Being Champion is more than enough. I couldn't..." Hawke sighed and trailed off.

Varric held open the door and shrugged, "If you ever want to, let me know. I could probably work out a good deal for you somewhere."

"I'll keep that in mind. You know how much I care about her."

As Varric strolled towards his table, he chuckled, "I'd say it's a bit more than 'care', Hawke."

Garrett smiled shyly and shook his head. He knew the Dwarf was right, but he wouldn't say it. There was no way he'd ever admit it, even if what he almost did that day proved it. He'd have to make sure Bethany never found out. It'd be the end of him if she did.

He waved, "Yeah, yeah. Just tell your stories and drink," and walked towards Mina's room to check on her. He was worried when he hadn't seen her after the ordeal with Ceras. He was hoping she was back. Just as he went to knock on her door, she came out in her signature all black outfit. He grinned at her surprised face and stole a kiss.

"There you are, cutie."