Korlys followed Mario out to the dining room, his stomach rumbling, although he worried about how the others would react to his sudden reappearance. It seemed Mario had forgiven him, at least tentatively, but the others probably wouldn't be so gracious. And here they all were. Staring at him. At least the little mage's feelings didn't seem to have changed, although how that was possible, the ex-Crow still couldn't fathom.

"Bongiorno," the assassin said casually, as he and Mario walked up to where they were sitting. It seemed they were right in the middle of lunch.

Claudio arched his brow. "Five weeks late for breakfast. That must be a record, no?"

"I thought it was lunch," Korlys quipped, not missing the surprise lurking under the healer's sarcasm.

"Were you and Mario in touch? He was so certain you would be here by the time we returned from Alamar," Claudio continued.

In touch? Korlys had never felt more out of touch. Before he could recover from his own surprise, however, Attrei spoke up.

"Yes, I also wondered how he knew – but isn't this perfect! Now we can hurry to rescue Mariel! We should inform Jack, and we can set sail for Kirkwall tomorrow morning!" The whole time they had been in Alamar, he'd had an ice pit in his stomach – what if Korlys wasn't back yet, despite Mario's hopes? What would he do then? He couldn't leave a girl to be turned into a Tranquil – but he also couldn't leave Korlys behind, not really. He'd be crazy with worry every moment until they returned.

"Kirkwall? But we had planned to sail to Nevarra. And why would we be rescuing anyone?" Korlys sat down. "I think I need an espresso... maybe a whole pot." He signaled to a lurking waitress, who brought one around immediately.

"You have not told him yet?" Claudio turned to Mario.

"We had more important things to talk about," Mario said. "And besides, this was your and Attrei's idea... Basically, Kelton approached us-"

"The arl's son? Does this have anything to do with his naked butt?" Korlys demanded, looking at Mario.

"Ah, no, that was later," Mario assured him. "But I think your old pal Claudio may be a better one to tell you about that. Since his naked butt was also involved." He winked at Claudio who almost choked on his coffee.

"It is not as interesting as Mario makes it sound," he explained when he regained his composure. "We went to a bar-"

"Oh? It was my understanding that you did not swing both ways," Korlys broke in with a smirk.

"-we met some girls," Claudio continued, ignoring Korlys' remark, "we had a lot of fun, but in the morning we found out they were low-down snakes who robbed us. We had to send a message to Mario to send us clothes. And that is all."

"I see," Korlys said gravely, although it was clear he didn't view it as a grave matter at all. "And what does this have to do with Kirkwall?"

"That episode, nothing. As I said, that happened later," Mario said. "Kelton made us a business offer, of sorts. His cousin is a mage in Kirkwall and is in danger of having her emotions wiped out. Kelton hired some mercs and found out we were more than merchants – though I'm sure he doesn't know about you or the Crows – and offered a nice sum if we went to Kirkwall and got the girl out of there."

"Yes, but we are doing it to save an innocent girl, not because of money!" Attrei added. "That's why it's urgent – but Mario was adamant that he would not leave without you."

"So, you were posing as merchants, yes? And yet it seems he has hired you as mercenaries. What would have given Lord Kelton the idea that honest merchants would be interested in mercenary work? And especially something as scandalous as helping a mage escape from Chantry control?" Korlys suspected the noble knew more about them than Mario thought, although he didn't let his alarm show in his demeanor.

"From what we know, his mercs, Red Jenny, started following us after we registered in the merchant guild," Claudio said. "I am sure the papers were fine, and we laid low, used aliases… But we still stayed in one city for too long. We could not hide the fact that we recently hired a new crew, or that half of us are Antivan, and that the ship is registered in Antiva, too."

"Are all Antivans criminals, then?" Korlys asked sarcastically. Although Korlys suspected he knew why Lord Kelton would investigate them – some similar situation was the reason he'd been sent to assassinate the Fereldan noble in the first place. Or so he'd been told. But he needed time to think this through, and do some investigating on his own. He turned to Mario, although his question was addressed to them all. "What is left to be done before we set sail?"

"Nothing," Mario said. "Captain Jack was instructed to always keep the ship ready to sail, and resupply anything we needed right after we docked, because as merchants we're always moving. And we bought personal equipment – some of it very expensive – on our last trip to Alamar." He glared at Attrei, but the mage just sighed, clearly determined not to talk about it again.

Korlys nodded. "Since it is already noon, perhaps we should plan to leave early tomorrow morning," he said to Mario. He turned to Claudio. "I am sure you purchased ingredients for the most common poisons and antidotes we use, sí? But I would like to inventory them with you, if you do not mind, just in case there is some last item I want to pick up before we go."

"Sí, we can go right now-"

"No you can't," Mario cut in. "We still haven't eaten and Korlys is not skipping any more meals."

"True," Claudio agreed. "It seems the past few weeks were really wild. Any spicy stories you would want to share with us?"

"You know how business trips go," Korlys said vaguely. The fact that Claudio would even ask such a question – something he would have never done before his escape – told him the mage was really angry and wanted answers. It occurred to him he could only feel entitled to explanations because the fundamental nature of their relationship had changed; someone who wasn't emotionally invested might be angry, but wouldn't feel as if Korlys owed him anything. The problem was, he couldn't be truthful without betraying Mario's confidence, which was something he'd die before doing.

He turned to Mario. "How about I grab a few rolls to tide me over and you can feed me later," he said with a waggle of his eyebrows. "It would be better to wrap up business early today so we can enjoy our last evening in a real bed, yes?"

"There's not much to wrap up, but okay. Just let me warn you – I will feed you, literally, before I let you do anything else."

"I am counting on it," he said with a wicked grin. There was a basket of leftover rolls from Claudio's and Attrei's lunch, so he got a couple and wrapped them in a napkin, then gestured to the healer to follow him out. Knowing that Mario was watching him go, Korlys couldn't resist grabbing a banana from a basket of fruit on the counter and turning to wink at Mario before walking out the door.

oOo

Korlys finished up his inventory with Claudio quickly, gratified to find there really were a few more things he wanted to pick up. What he had said to Mario wasn't a lie – he did want to make sure he had all the ingredients he would need – but it wasn't the whole truth, either.

He needed time to think without interruption, and it was hard to find solitude with Mario and Attrei around. Claudio respected his need for space and didn't pry, but the other two didn't seem to understand his craving for privacy, as if wanting his thoughts to be his alone was some sort of betrayal. As he made his way to different shops, his mind went back to the events leading up to his original mission to Ferelden.

oOo

Korlys left Nico's office, his head spinning. A major contract, and in Ferelden, no less. This could be his chance. His heart raced at the thought as he sought out the cell's researcher. Korlys found the man in his library, surrounded by books, maps, dispatches, and Maker only knew what else. The assassin walked up to his desk, where the man sat hunched over an old parchment, gnome-like, spectacles perched on the end of his nose.

"Percy, what do you know about a Fereldan noble by the name of Kelton Langdon?"

"Kelton… ah, yes. The second son of Thomas Langdon, Arl of Amaranthine. They are close to the throne. After the Blight, their position even strengthened, as the arl and his sons took part in the Battle of Denerim, and in the battle for Amaranthine. The arl has three sons, the elder is the usual heir, the third is… a painter." There was a tiny hint of contempt in the man's voice. "The second son appears to be an unruly black sheep, spending too much time at inns with girls."

"Hmm, a hometown hero who is not in direct line to rule the arldom, much less take the throne, and not interested in politics, from the sound of it. Seems an unlikely target for a Crow contract, yes?"

"Seems so, sí. But some of the girls he meets are infamous around the whole of Thedas. Red Jenny, for example. It seems our young noble often uses Red's services."

"Oh?" Korlys perked up. 'The Friends of Red Jenny' was a shadowy organization with no well-defined structure or goal, as far as he knew. "Why would a playboy have anything to do with Red Jenny?"

"Meddling in the affairs of foreign importers, mostly. The Langdons do not appreciate certain goods, such as lyrium and slaves, being trafficked through ports under their control."

Now the contract made sense – Antivan merchants would happily trade in anything lucrative. If Kelton was the point person for monitoring merchant activity in Amaranthine for his family, he could have easily run afoul of one of them.

"Anything else I should know?" Korlys asked.

"No. I'll let you know if I uncover something else before you leave." The researcher turned back to his books, losing all interest in the assassin.

oOo

The question was, had their surmise been correct, or was there some other reason a contract had been placed on the arl's son, and how could he determine that quickly? Well, the person paying for the contract was Antivan, and rich enough to afford the contract – that much is certain. Which, in Antiva, meant it was more likely to be a merchant. So, who in Amaranthine would know about merchant business? The local merchant's guild, naturally.

The more he thought about it, the more Korlys realized that was his best option – if it hadn't been a merchant who had paid for the contract, there was no sure way for him to discern motive now, and if it had been, the guild was his best bet for finding out the truth. But, how could he do so quickly, and without endangering himself? If Lord Kelton was in charge of monitoring merchant activity in Amaranthine, any inquiries he made, no matter how discreet, would be sure to get back to the noble.

Another problem was, the Freedom's Shadow had initially docked at Denerim when the Crows came looking for him, and that was months ago. The Denerim Crows would have spread the word far and wide that he was being hunted. There must be at least a couple of them in Amaranthine keeping an eye out for him. Korlys wracked his brain, but no matter how he came at the problem, the inescapable conclusion was that he was hamstrung.

Then I will need to contain the problem, and if necessary, eliminate it. His best bet would be to get Kelton on the ship and set sail as soon as possible. At peace now that that was decided, he headed back to the inn.

oOo

"Boys," Korlys said as he walked up to the two apprentices, who were sitting at a table in the empty dining room playing cards. "I have a job for you – go to Lord Kelton's manor and give him this message from Ser Alessi," he said, using the alias Claudio had used in Alamar. He handed Dante the folded note, since the boy was closest.

"Um, ser…" Dante started, suddenly realizing Ser Korlys might not like that they had stopped using aliases. Brasca! Why didn't the thief or the mage tell him about it? "The thing is… we are known under those names in the merchant guild, but Lord Kelton already knows our real names. Ser Attrei told him yesterday."

Korlys' blood turned to ice. "Oh? And why would that be?"

Master Korlys' voice sounded calm, but it was the sort of calm you heard from allenatores right before they skinned you alive. Dante tried to restrain himself, and keep his voice as steady as he could when he replied. "He said that if we are supposed to trust each other with our lives, we should also trust each other with our names, ser."

The look of fear on Dante's face took Korlys aback; it reminded him too much of the look on Piers' face, right before he'd slashed the Templar's throat. How easy it had become to forget himself! Korlys took a deep breath. Maybe it wasn't a complete disaster. "Does he know my name? And does he know of our connection to the Crows?"

Anastasio gathered his courage. "No ser, he only knows it is an alias. And he knows nothing about us being runaways from the Crows." He could only hope Ser Kelton hadn't overheard what he'd muttered under his breath at the magic shop. If only he hadn't been so impulsive and foolish!

The boy was hiding something, that much was obvious, but both apprentices were now too fearful for him to work with them. "Fine, then continue to use my alias, anyway," Korlys said. "You do remember it, yes?" he added, folding his arms and looking at Dante sternly. He would have expected any good Crow apprentice to do so, under normal circumstances, but Maker only knew how lax they might have grown while he was away.

"Naturally, ser," Dante hurried to assure him. They had used the same names when they'd haggled with the fine silk merchant in Alamar – it had been amazing and he'd helped. "Yours is Giannio Calabresi. And Claudio's is Gasparo Alessi."

Satisfied, Korlys nodded and waved them off dismissively.

oOo

Dante and Anastasio arrived at the Keep a little breathless, and took a moment to straighten their clothing and brush off any road dust from their trousers before walking up the path to the Keep's main gate.

Naturally, they always kept all their clothes in pristine condition, even though they rarely had a chance to dress up. When Master Korlys told them they'd be going to Lord Kelton's mansion, and to put on their best clothes, it was a chance they wouldn't miss for anything in the world, and they were ready in no time.

Once they were satisfied with their presentability, they passed through the open gate and looked around. The Langdon's manor was set on a hill, so it was easily visible, and the boys walked up to the main door in silence, butterflies in their stomachs.

The door opened promptly at Anastasio's knock. A smartly dressed doorman said, "May I help you?"

"Buongiorno, signor," Dante replied with a polite bow. "We have a message for Lord Kelton from Sers Alessi and Calabresi."

"Ah yes, Lord Kelton said he'd be expecting you." The man stepped aside. "Please come in."

As they stepped inside, he closed the door behind them, then gestured to a waiting servant. "These young gentlemen are runners for Ser Alessi. Lord Kelton is expecting them. Could you show them to the sitting area?"

The young woman smiled at them and said, "Right this way, please." She led them down the long main hall and into the sitting area. "I will let Lord Kelton know you have arrived. Would you like anything to drink while you wait?"

"Sí, thank you. A glass of water, please." Dante smiled at her.

Anastasio nodded agreement. As soon as the servant left, he turned to Dante. "I am sure it will be a few minutes before anyone comes back. We should look around."

At Dante's agreement, Anastasio headed straight for the tall open windows at one end of the room. He found the room overlooked a private garden, where a young man who looked very much like a younger version of Kelton sat at an easel, a tray of paints by his side. From this angle, Anastasio couldn't see what the painting was of, though.

"Dante?" Anastasio called without taking his eyes off the painter. He didn't raise his voice, but he knew his partner would hear.

"One moment, please," Dante replied, distractedly, as he walked around the room. There was too much to admire. Master's Nico's house was grand, everything was expensive and shiny and luxurious – and now Dante knew what he had been trying for and failing miserably. Everything here was also expensive and grand, but in a nonchalant, sophisticated way; every piece here breathed history.

Just then, the servant came back in. Anastasio turned, his heart in his throat, but the girl just smiled. "Lord Kelton will be with you momentarily," she said, as she put two tall glasses of water on a table, each one with a wedge of lemon on the rim. She also had a small tray of cookies. "In case you are hungry," she explained, then left the room.

"Mille grazie," Dante said. He drank a bit of water, and nibbled on one fancy cookie, but no way he would sit down and wait. He was a bit impressed by Anastasio's discipline – as always, the older apprentice was fully focused on the task. But Maker knew when he'd be in a house like this again. He wanted to see as much as he could and engrave every detail into his memory.

A huge steel coat of arms hung above the fireplace, and he stopped to admire it. It looked like a shield, with a crown on the top, and held from right and left by two lions. The shield itself was made of four squares, yellow and white, with a big brown bear in the middle, and a motto was written in ornamental letters below.

"Semper Fortis, Semper Fidelis, Semper Audax," Dante read aloud. "Wow. What does it mean?"

"It means, 'Always Strong, Always Faithful, Always Bold'," Kelton replied as he stepped into the room.

Dante started and quickly turned around. The lord didn't look angry, but he knew that didn't mean much; nobles could hide their true feelings behind smiles almost as well as the Crows. "Mi scusi, your lordship," he said with a humble bow. "I meant no disrespect."

Kelton waved him off with a laugh. "Kelton is fine. You have a message for me?"

"Sí, Ser Kelton," Dante took out the message, carefully folded in his breast pocket, and handed it over.

The man had just started to read the letter, when Anastasio heard someone approaching, and a voice coming from just beyond the doorway. "Kelton, there you are-"

Anastasio turned to see an elegant woman pausing in mid-stride just inside the room. "Oh, I'm sorry – I didn't realize you had guests."

Kelton looked up. "Mother," he said, as the woman resumed walking towards him. "May I present Ser Dante Flaviani and Ser Anastasio Bianchi?" He gestured to each boy as he introduced them, and each one bowed in turn.

"How do you do?" the woman said, a pleasant smile on her face.

Before either boy had a chance to untie their tongues, Kelton continued. "I was just reading the note they delivered from my partners."

"Oh, that's right – you've finally decided to take an interest in business. Your father was so pleased to hear it." There was a note of gentle teasing in the arlessa's voice, and her expression was affectionate, but her gaze sharp. Anastasio had a feeling that nothing escaped her notice. But he detected the hint of excitement on her face as well. Of course, the family wouldn't speak openly about their real objective, lest a servant overhear.

"The last of their partners have arrived, and they have accepted a job to ship fine wool to the Free Marches," Kelton said. "It says the ship will sail out tomorrow at dawn."

The arlessa turned and gave the boys a conspiratorial wink, and said, "Let me guess. You want to join them." Anastasio was impressed by her acting ability. Nobody without Crow training could have guessed their real mission.

"Do you think I should?" Kelton replied with a grin. "Well, I trust your judgment." He turned to Dante and Anastasio. "Boys, wait here while I write a reply." Then he was gone, leaving them with his mother.

The arlessa turned to them. "Well, that was fast, wasn't it?" she asked as she crossed her arms, a smile on her face. "Will you boys be going as well?"

Dante smiled politely, a bit unnerved by her attention. "That depends on our masters, your ladyship, but I think so."

"What a charming accent!" the arlessa said, her eyes lighting up. "It's Antivan, isn't it? I have a dear friend from Antiva."

"Sí, your ladyship. We are both from Antiva City."

"I love Antiva City – my husband and I have traveled there several times. The food is absolutely divine." Her eyes held that mischievous twinkle in them they'd had when she'd winked at them. "You must think Fereldan food terribly bland compared to that."

"Not at all, your ladyship. Quite the contrary, the most decent food we ever tasted was here in Ferelden," he replied earnestly.

"Really?" The arlessa seemed honestly, but pleasantly, surprised. "What's been your favorite restaurant?"

Before Dante could reply, Lord Kelton came bounding back in. "I hope my mother hasn't been boring you to death," he joked as he handed them a note.

"We were just discussing Fereldan cuisine," the arlessa replied.

"Oh? Well, you haven't had good food until you've had my mother's. Everything our chef knows, she learned from her."

The arlessa made an, 'oh, please' wave of her hand at him, causing him to laugh and put an arm around her. "What? It's true."

"Alright- Oh! I almost forgot why I was looking for you. Have you seen your brother?"

Apparently, Kelton didn't need to ask which one, because he replied, "I believe he's out in the west garden painting."

The arlessa sighed in mock exasperation as she strolled to the window. "Your father wanted to discuss some things with him regarding the guild." Suddenly she turned around. "But, since you're taking an interest now, maybe you can-"

Kelton cut her off with, "I'd love to, but I should go pack. We're leaving early tomorrow." He turned to the kids. "You'd best run along now; I'm sure Ser Alessi and Ser Calabresi are waiting for my reply." That's when Anastasio noticed that Lord Kelton had that same mischievous twinkle that his mother had. It suddenly made him wonder if he had gotten anything from his mother, and he felt a wave of longing for a real family and a home like this.

The boys both chimed, "Sí, your lordship", bowed, and hurried off, glad to be out of such an awkward situation.

oOo

When Kelton arrived at the docks, he found Mario and Attrei at the bottom of the gangplank, along with a taller, darker elf. That must be the man they've been waiting for.

"You must be Ser Calabresi," Kelton said as he extended a hand, smile on his face. "I'm Kelton Langdon."

"Pleasure to meet you," the man replied, shaking his hand. His smile was cordial, but it didn't extend to his eyes.

"Hi, Kelton!" Attrei beamed. "Just in time! See, I told you I wasn't late!" He turned to Mario.

"No, he isn't late. We told you to be ready half an hour ago – so that you would be just in time," Mario corrected him with a smirk. "Well then. If we're all ready, and no one needs to return for forgotten briefs again, I think Claudio has already gone to ask the cook for fresh coffee for us. Let's go."

oOo

Korlys had already settled into his and Mario's cabin, so while Kelton went to stow his bags, the assassin grabbed some coffee and headed back up to the main deck. Attrei was already by the navigator's side, happily chatting and asking questions about the whole process. The two apprentices and Mario were in the rigging, lending the sailors a hand as they set sail. He made his way to the railing on one side of the ship where Claudio was already ensconced. It was the only place on deck where they were mostly out of the way of the working men.

They stood side by side, watching the ship's progress out of the harbor, without a word. Finally, Korlys spoke up. "So, you spent some time with Kelton during your trip to Alamar, yes?," he asked in their native Antivan. "Plenty of time to feel him out. What was your impression of the man?" Claudio might not have been a Crow, but he was close enough, and no fool. He would have known to gather as much information as he could.

"He seems to be telling the truth about his goals. He really organized this expedition to save a girl from becoming a Tranquil. I think we can trust him in that, at least. He also acted in an honest and direct way when he was with us. But, we were followed a few days before he approached us, and we came to the conclusion they weren't Crows, which leaves only one option – him. If he works with mercs and spies, he might not be as much of an honest, law-abiding citizen as he'd like to appear."

Korlys considered that for a while. "Well, it would be entirely reasonable to attempt to learn as much about you as he could before approaching you with such a delicate request. And I'm sure the Langdons are no different from any ruling family – pragmatic men who know what it takes to remain in power."

"Sí, that is why I am not willing to trust him," Claudio said. "He is friendly now that he needs us, but what will he do the moment his family is safe – and we know too much?"

"The most sensible thing to do would be to eliminate all who know the family's secret," Korlys agreed with a nod. He hesitated instinctively. But, Claudio was the only other Antivan adult here, and the only one who had a good grasp of political realities. Korlys wanted his insight. "Kelton was my mark." He looked at Claudio. "He was the reason I was sent to Ferelden."

The healer glanced at him in surprise, then burst into laughter. I really did get involved in a comedy of errors. "Well. It is lucky he survived. Our business in Amaranthine would've been much more complicated without his support."

"How likely is it that this is a coincidence?" Korlys asked quietly. "How likely is it that the man who had a Crow contract out on him just happens to pick Antivans for this most unlikely mission, and those Antivans just happen to know the man sent to kill him?"

Claudio became serious again. "I do not think he knows," he said after a moment. "He investigated and approached us only after we applied to join the guild, a few weeks after you left. The fact that we were Antivans might've played a part in it, but he didn't approach us because of you, no. But, I am sure you will confirm that before we reach Kirkwall. And before Attrei decides Kelton is a part of the 'family', too."

Korlys nodded grimly. "You can count on it." But it turned out it would take him longer than expected.

oOo

It had only taken a day for them to sail to the Free Marches' side of Brandel's Reach. They would be there just long enough to get some fresh food to supplement the staples they already had, then they'd head across the Waking Sea until they reached the Free Marches, where they'd travel down the coast before arriving at Kirkwall.

They did not plan to spend more than a few hours there – they should use the good weather while it lasted, Captain Jack said – but they still had enough time to stretch their legs and check the local market, and have an early dinner at an inn. The crew knew a lot about all the ports in the area, and recommended a decent one, not far from where they had docked.

To be honest, Mario was a bit disappointed. He'd heard so many stories of this place, each more terrifying than the previous one. Alamar was the City of Thieves, a place on the edge of the law, but Brandel's Reach was supposed to be entirely lawless, far more dangerous and exciting. From what Mario saw, it was only dirtier and messier. If someone had told him that he'd miss the sight of the guards, he'd suspect they got high smoking deathroot. Yet here he was, wishing he could see the familiar figures with their stiff postures and bored faces. They were easy to spot, easy to avoid, no real hassle for a master thief; but their presence was a sign of a familiar structure.

If you knew what to look for, half an hour in the market gave you an idea of who was who, helped you sort them in neat little boxes – a thief, a rat, a smuggler, a corrupt guard who pretended not to see them, and the ones who still held to their naive ideals of 'justice', a self-entitled rich cretin, a citizen more or less oblivious to what was happening behind the facade of order.

Not here. The inhabitants of Brandel's Reach never felt the need to put up any facade, leaving all the ugly, brutal reality in plain sight. It made him nervous; he wouldn't miss it once they left. For once, Mario would prefer to head straight to the inn and stay there until the ship was ready – if they were robbed here, even he wouldn't be able to get their stuff back. These guys wouldn't be scared by hearing about the Crows. But the sailors mentioned that at the local market you could find things that were not available in any other place in this corner of Thedas, so they decided to check it out.

Twenty minutes later, he could confirm that the sailors hadn't exaggerated. Korlys found some cool-looking curved knives that resembled claws – karambits, the merchant had called them – some bombs that were apparently super rare, and some that were super dumb. Like bee jars. The best distraction ever, the seller claimed. The only one who thought they might be useful was Baby, and that was all anyone needed to know.

Ten minutes later, the magical pest found a book he liked on mind magic. Mario was half tempted to refuse to buy it, but at least this seemed to be useful. And either it wasn't as special as Attrei believed, or the seller didn't know its true value, because she only asked for five gold.

Attrei immediately started flipping through it, stopping to read interesting bits. When it happened for the third time, Mario snatched it from his hands. "You'll get it back at the inn," he said when Attrei started to protest. "Move on." Attrei grumbled, but obeyed. Silly Baby, Mario thought as he stopped to put the book into his backpack. He was just closing it again when something pressed against his nose and mouth, and then the world went dark.

AN: Thanks to our wonderful betas, Bloodsong13T and Suilven for their help.