Chapter 10

It was Leliana's soothing voice that reached through Aedan's rage. He agreed to let them live, however, that didn't stop him from viciously yanking his blade out of the Commander. Aedan grabbed the terrified man by the throat. "Tell Loghain we're coming for him. He'll pay for what he's done."
Emma highly doubted that the man would remember the message considering that he looked ready to pass out.

Once the soldiers had left the tavern, attention turned towards Leliana. Emma took the time to get a good look at the pretty bard who was talking with Aedan. The rogue's vibrant red hair highlighted her pale skin and the rough bob accentuated her large blue eyes. She had an air of innocence that seemed at odds with her fighting skills.

Emma thought of Tom, one of the few people she considered a friend in her world, and grinned at how he would have reacted to seeing Leliana in the flesh. She had a feeling it would have been much like her own reaction to seeing Alistair. Her attention returned to the conversation when Alistair muttered, "More crazy? I thought we were all full up."
She bit back a chuckle and nudged him in the ribs. "Be nice."
He grinned, a boyish charming smile. "I'm always nice."
"It seems your skull was cracked worse than Mother thought." Hearing Morrigan's sarcastic comment towards Aedan, Emma knew that Leliana was now a member of the team. There was some general chatter amongst the group as the bard disappeared into the back room to change into her armour.

Emma made her way over to Aedan and laid a hand on his arm. "Are you all right?"
Breaking his contemplation of the dirty bar he was leaning against, he looked up and smiled. "I am now." He reached over and gently stroked a finger across Emma's cheek. "You need to be more careful."
She flinched as Aedan brushed against the small cut. "I will. My fault for not taking care of the ranged attackers first."

At that moment Leliana walked out of the room, effectively stopping any further conversation. She was dressed in studded leather armour with an ornate longbow slung across her back. Once outside, the group spent some time doing side quests and collecting bits of loot, when it suddenly occurred to her that everyone was still in the party. Alistair, Morrigan, Leliana, Revek, and with Aedan and herself there were now six in the group. Obviously, it would look a bit odd if one of them just suddenly disappeared, still it made her wonder if this was going to be the norm. Would there no longer be a set number of people who could go out on a mission?

As they passed the arguing Chasind, Emma returned her attention to their surroundings and realised they were approaching Sten. While Aedan talked to the imprisoned Qunari, all Emma could do was ponder why BioWare hadn't thought of putting Sten in the outfit worn by the Qunari in Dragon Age 2. Those tight trousers and wide bare chests were just delicious to look at. Unfortunately, Sten was dressed in the basic commoner's clothing, which really did nothing for his body - his very tall and large body. In fact, Emma concluded that Sten looked a lot bigger in real life than he had in the game. She was starting to get a cramp in her neck muscles just from looking up at him.

Aedan agreed to visit the Revered Mother in the hope of gaining Sten's freedom. Emma was about to point out that they could kill all the bandits first and then collect their reward from the Chantry, thereby saving them a trip. However, as she opened her mouth to speak, Sten moved restlessly in the confined space, and she swallowed back the words, understanding how eager he must be to have his freedom.

They made their way quickly back to the Chantry and came face to face with the Chasind warrior, shouting to all and sundry about how doomed they all were. Emma ran a hand over her face, this guy always annoyed her; his shouting and whining were a constant headache.

"There! One of their minions is already amongst us! This man bears their evil stench! Can you not see the vile blackness that fills him?"
Emma rolled her eyes and was about to tell him to shut the hell up when Aedan spoke first. "Why don't you keep your voice down?" His tone was calm, a direct contrast to the frightened, panicked shouting of the Chasind man. As she listened to the conversation unfold, she realised she'd never followed this dialogue path. Hearing his full story, she felt a pang of shame for her earlier thoughts about the stranger and a rise in her esteem for Aedan's handling of the matter as the poor broken Chasind walked away. It seemed there were still some things left in this world that could surprise her, although she hoped any future surprises would be a little less... unsettling.

A sudden silence enveloped them as they stepped into the Chantry, and Emma jumped as the large doors closed behind them. Even with the three Chantry brothers at the front preaching to the faithful, a hushed reverence enveloped the interior that made her want to speak softly. They moved towards the chamber where Leliana had informed them that the Revered Mother could be found.

Their approach alerted Ser Donal who turned, causing Alistair to exclaim at seeing a familiar face. When the Knight of Redcliffe mentioned the Arl's illness, Emma wanted to comfort Alistair but refrained from interrupting the conversation. She kept half an ear on what was being said until she heard mention of Ser Henric. She gave Aedan a quick nudge, but it seemed he'd already made the connection and pulled out the locket and note which he handed to Ser Donal. With a murmured word of sympathy for his loss, the Knight left to go on his way.

"That settles it! We need to go to Redcliffe first." Alistair met Aedan's gaze with a hard look, his tone firm. Emma's head snapped up; this wasn't part of the game's dialogue. "No, please, we have to visit the mage tower first," she pleaded.
"Did you hear what Ser Donal said? The Arl is ill. I need to go to him."His amber eyes reflected the anxiety he felt, and Emma understood the reason behind that silent plea, but she also knew she couldn't back down. To do so would mean someone's death. She may have had to stand back and let Duncan die, but the deaths of Connor and Isolde were avoidable and she couldn't allow it to happen.

She took a step towards Alistair, her hands held out in a placating manner. "I understand, I really do. But you need to trust me on this. We have to go to Kinloch Hold first."
He glared at her, his hands clenching into fists. "How can you understand? How can you know any of this? It makes no sense!"
Aedan's deep calming voice cut through the tension. "Easy, Alistair, she hasn't steered us wrong yet." He turned towards Emma. "Are you sure about this?"
She nodded as she moved closer, placing a hand on Alistair's arm. "I know this makes no sense." Hell, if anyone knew that it was her. "But please, it will work out best for everyone if we do it this way. You will get the chance to see the Arl again." She kept her eyes steady and put as much conviction as she could into her words, hoping they would sway Alistair.
He took a few deep breaths and eventually his hands relaxed. "I don't know what it is about you, but for some reason I find myself trusting you. I hope it's not misplaced."
Emma felt herself to be on unsure footing, but still, she sensed the first delicate thread of friendship being created by his words and his trust. "I won't let you down, Alistair."

Aedan clapped them both on the shoulder, making Emma stagger at the force. "Hello... squishy mage here."
With a grin, he continued to the Revered Mother's room, where, with a bit of finesse, they managed to get the key to Sten's cage. After some looting and a chat with Ser Bryant, they were back with Sten. A turn of the key, an audible click, and the Qunari walked free.

"We should get you some armour and a weapon." Sten turned an impassive face towards Aedan, but Emma caught the flicker of sadness in his eyes and knew he must be thinking of Asala.
"Indeed."

Ah Sten, a man of few words, well, unless he was talking about his beliefs, then there was no stopping him. After all the hours she'd put into the game, she knew about the Qun, had even learnt a few of the swear words in Qunlat, and yet, she still found the Qunari a hard race to decipher. Except for The Iron Bull - that big guy had been an exception to the rule. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as they all made their way towards the vendor.

Aedan, being his usual diplomatic self, managed to reach a compromise in no time at all, and purchased the necessary requirements for Sten. As soon as he'd donned armour and weapon, they turned their attention to the Chanter's Board and picked up the available quest. Walking back the way they came, Emma took a moment to enjoy the banter between all the companions. It was this feeling of camaraderie that had endeared her to the game - listening to their background chats, laughing at some of the hilarious things that were said. With each play through, she had grown to love and care for each character, and now here she was, surrounded by them.

A burst of emotion caused her to blink back sudden tears and her steps faltered. She felt a little overwhelmed; there was happiness at being here amongst these people, but mixed in was a healthy dose of anxiety. Was this all going to be pulled out from under her when she least expected it? She had no idea how she'd even gotten here. The whole thing was impossible, absurd even, yet, she could reach out and touch the world around her and smell the various scents carried on the breeze. Her fingers traced the cut on her face, feeling the sting. All her senses screamed that this world was real, but more than that, her heart told her so.

Her feelings for Aedan pulled at something deep within her; certainly, it was too early to call it love, but the seed had been planted. Her glance swept across the companions, many of whom she considered longtime friends. She let out a groan. Shit, did that make her some kind of pathetic loser? She thought about it for a moment, before giving a fatalistic shrug; it was just the way she was, had always been.

Books had been her first love; losing herself in the exciting stories had been a way of escaping the harsh realities of her life. When she was deep in an adventure, it was easy to ignore the constant jumping from one foster family to another. Not that the families had been horrible but it hadn't made for a secure upbringing. Immersing herself in role-playing games had been a foregone conclusion; if for nothing else, than to counteract the loneliness of her life. It was then that she came to a startling realisation - she never wanted to leave this world.

The big question was, would she have a choice in the matter?