Leyla entered Anders' clinic, who smiled and gestured for her to take a seat. "I had a friend like you once. Got in all kinds of trouble and dragged me along. Didn't think I'd be doing that again." He sat down across from Hawke. "I got a bit weighty the last time we talked. Sorry for putting that on you."

Leyla just smiled reassuringly. "You can tell me anything."

"Anything? Be careful what you offer?" Anders' gave her a tentative smile and then sighed. "I just… hope I didn't seem too selfish when I told you about Justice." He shifted slightly. "I didn't know what would happen. I figured a willing host, a friend… it had to be better than playing the demon and haunting some corpse."

For a moment, Leyla just shook his head. Anders had been a Circle Mage once; surely, he would have realised the dangers of being a host to a spirit, even a benevolent spirit. Her father had stressed the dangers of possession and granted mages in Achea do it, but they had years of training, and it was only temporary.

"Spirits aren't meant to inhabit human bodies," she said. "That's what demons do."

Anders started to look annoyed. "The templars have everything! For a thousand years, they've had the knights, the lyrium, the bloody Maker on their side." He then looked at him resentfully. "You're lucky they never found you. Most of us, they hunt us down before we've even learned our letters. They tell your parents they'll be thrown in prison if they ask about you, stripped of their rights in the eye of the Maker. And if you run away, they hunt you down. Again and again and again." Blue light started to shine out of Anders' eyes.

Leyla remained silent, not wanting to rile him up any further. She didn't necessarily hate the templars; after all, they were only doing their duty, though she will admit some of them do take it to extremes. There again, given what happened in the Midgard Circle, it's like mages were completely innocent.

"You're speaking from personal experience?" she asked.

The light from Anders' eyes faded away. "Andrate's words were that magic must not rule over man. It is not ruling to simply wish for the same rights as any man. Doesn't every mage deserve the freedom you've had?" He then looked away bitterly. "Growing up in the Circle, everything is about order and rules and the templars. The apprentices… we find ways to make that bearable. Karl and I… he was the first. We could forget that out in the world, we were nothing but templar slaves." He shook his head. "We hadn't been together for a long time. But still… it hurt."

Leyla decided to change the subject. "How did you become a Warden?"

"I'd been captured again by the templars. They stopped in Vigil's Keep. That was the night the darkspawn attacked. The newly appointed Commander asked for my help, and I gave it. And when the templars tried to reclaim me, he conscripted me to keep me from them."

"And then he took your cat?"

Anders shook his head. "He gave me the cat. Wardens out of Weisshaupt took over and…" He sighed. "I left a mess for him. There were… templars there when we left. A couple of former templars turned Warden… I think I killed them." He shook his head. "He believed that mages should be free, but he told Justice once that wouldn't happen unless the mages themselves choose to stand." He stood. "We have much to do before the Deep Roads." A smile came to his face, almost reaching his eyes. "Next time, I'll try to keep to more… pleasant… topics."

Dak and Leyla went into the hangman for a drink when they suddenly heard yelling.

"You owe us, Isabela."

They looked around and saw a bunch of men harassing a dark-skinned woman. The woman in question was showing quite a lot of her body and didn't look ashamed of it.

"Well, Lucky, I'll tell you what…" She casually poured another drink. "Since the information you gave me was worth nothing…" She tossed the glass back. "That's what I'll pay you."

"Me and my boys will get our money's worth, bitch."

Dak knew the situation was about to get ugly, but before he or Leyla, the woman gave the men who were accosting her a flirtatious look. "Oh, you poor, sweet thing."

She instantly grabbed Lucky, who wasn't living up to his name, and slammed his head on the table. One of his men grabbed her and lifted her off her feet while another man grabbed a bottle. She, however, head-butted the man on the nose, freeing herself, and ducked just in time as the man smashed the bottle against him moments later.

She then punched the first man in the face twice, followed by a knee in the chest and slammed an elbow down upon his back, knocking him to the floor. Lucky had recovered and grabbed her sword, which was a mistake because he found her knife levelled at his throat. "Tell me, Lucky, is this worth dying for." The man fled, and she chuckled as she went back to the bar to finish her drink as if nothing had happened. "I didn't think so."

"What do you know, dinner and entertainment," Dak smirked.

"At least things aren't boring here," Leyla admitted.

Apparently, the woman heard them talking because she gave Dak an appreciative look. "My, and here I thought the only men in this place were besotted fools who couldn't hoist the mainsail."

Dak crossed his arms. "You mean like the men you sent scrambling from the tavern?"

"Exactly like them. Worthless twits." She then gave a mocking bow. "I'm Isabela. Previously 'Captain' Isabela. Sadly, without my ship, the title rings a bit hollow." She raised an eyebrow at him and Leyla. "You two are Midgardian, aren't you? You have that look about you. I was in Aresgan not long ago. You know, you might be just what I'm looking for to solve a little problem I have."

Leyla shook his head. "Can't anyone fix their own lives around here?"

"Must be something in the water." She shrugged. "Someone from my past has been pestering me. I've arranged for a duel—if I win, he leaves me alone. But I don't trust him to play fair. I need someone to watch my back."

Dak had a hard time focusing on her face and not her cleavage, which was a lot. "Who's this person you've arranged to meet?"

"His name is Hayder. We worked together back in Rocros. He's never liked me. He's been asking about me all around Huttsgalor. Thought I'd get it over with and meet him face-to-face."

He had a feeling that there was more going on than she was letting on. "What makes you think I'm right for this?"

She set her cup back on the bar and gave a frustrated sigh. "You saw me talking to Lucky, didn't you? Those boys couldn't manage simple information-gathering." She gave him a slow once-over. "I can't trust the riffraff in this place to do anything right. But you… you're different."

Dak suddenly felt very hot and found it difficult to speak, but Leyla gave a small cough, bringing him back to his senses.

"We think we could manage watching your back," he said quickly.

She chuckled. "I'll bet." She finished her drink. "I've arranged to meet Hayder in Hightown tomorrow after dark. I'll meet you there." She trailed a hand over his arm as she left.

"I'd close that mouth of yours before a fly flying in it," Leyla suggested.

"Sorry, it was hard to think straight," he said.

"I bet," said Leyla, rolling her eyes. "Do you really think we should help someone like her?"

Dak raised an eyebrow. "It was you who wanted to help a possessed former Grey Warden and a fugitive, and you're questioning me whether we should help a pirate?"

"Point taken."

Dak, Leyla, Varric, Anders and their dire wolves met up with Isabela outside the Keep, and she looked relieved to see them.

"There you are. I've been here for hours." She then began to pace up and down nervously. "Hayder hasn't shown up. No one has. I don't like this."

"'I don't like this?" said Varric. "That's up there with, 'What could possibly go wrong?'"

Suddenly, an armoured woman appeared with several thugs and glared at Isabela.

"That's the wench we're looking for. Gut her!"

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take them very long to take down the thugs, and it appeared that Isabela was right about Hayder being a cheat.

"Hayder sent them. Search the bodies. I need to find out where he went," said Isabela.

They searched for the bodies, taking a few coins, and found a letter from Hayder that told them that he was in the Chantry. Dak handed the letter to Isabela, and she narrowed her eyes.

"Hiding in the Chantry and selling folks to finish me off? Coward." She then looked at Hawke. "He'll not get away with this. Come on."

They wandered into the Chantry and met a handsome Rocrosan, who had to be Hayder. Behind him were several more Rocrosan.

"Isabela. Should've known you'd find me here," said Hayder.

"Tell your men to burn the letters next time," Isabela advised.

"Castillon was heartbroken when he heard about the shipwreck. You should've let him know you survived."

Isabela shrugged. "It must have slipped my mind."

Hayder chuckled. "Where's the relic?"

"I lost it. Castillon's just going to have to do without."

Hayder glared at her. "Lost it? Just like you lost a ship for valuable cargo?"

"They weren't cargo, Hayder; they were people!" Isabela snapped.

"Those slaves were worth a hundred sovereigns a head, and you let them scurry off into the wilds. And now the relic's gone too; Castillon won't be happy to hear that, I promise you."

Dak and Leyla looked at one another as they were having difficulty trying to understand the situation.

"Will someone explain what's going on?" Dak asked.

"Isabela's has been a bad girl," Hayder said as if he was a schoolboy. "Ruined a perfectly business deal and then ran away. She didn't tell you?"

"I told them enough!" said Isabela.

"Really? Because it doesn't seem like it," said Leyla.

"I said I arranged a duel, which I did. I also said you wouldn't play fair, which you didn't." She then looked at Dak and Leyla. "We can talk late if you want. Right now, we have other problems."

Leyla clearly wanted to avoid more bloodshed in the Chantry and looked at Hayder hopefully. "You don't have to tell Castillon about Isabela."

"If I cross him, he'll have me killed. And my life is worth more than hers."

"There's only one way to settle this," said Isabel.

Isabela then pulled out a dagger and tossed it right at one of Hayder's thugs, killing her straight away. She then pulled out her two other daggers. Dak had no idea where they came from; he didn't want to know and charged at Hayder.

He charged and engaged the nearest thug, who held a pair of twin swords to block the attack, but Dak's blade cut right through them. Varric fired Bianca, taking out the archers the furthest away. Leyla and Anders used their magic to deal with the archers nearby. Both Summer and Winger pounced on two thugs, plunging their fangs into them.

Once they took care of the thugs, Dak turned to find Isabela had just disarmed Hayder and then slid his float.

Leyla made her way over to her and frowned. "I was trying to talk him down."

"Trust me. It's better this way," said Isabela dismissively. "Castillion won't hear about me from Hayder, but he'll find me eventually." Isabela shrugged. "I just have to get him the relic. It's as simple as that."

"What's so interesting about the relic?" Dak asked.

"I don't really know what it is, except that it's ancient and worth my weight in gold." She shook her head. "Castillion has me chasing it down as payback for freeing his slaves." She sighed. "To be honest, I think he just wants me dead. But that would be letting me off easy."

"What's this about you freeing slaves?" Leyla asked.

"I was asked to escort Castillion's cargo ship. I got a bad feeling about the job partway through. Boarded the ship to find slaves." She closed her eyes as if reliving a terrible memory. "Nearly two hundred—elves, humans… children even. It was sickening. They paid Castillion to take them away from the Blight. He took their money and sold them into slavery. Even I can see that wrong."

Dak nodded. "If getting the relic gets Castillion off your back, then I'll help you retrieve it."

Her smile was brilliant. "I still don't know where it is, but you'll be the first to know if I hear anything." She picked up a knife from one of the corpses, cleaned it, and added it to her boot. "Anyway, thanks for helping me out with Hayder." She gave him another slow look. "I think I'll tag along for a while. There might be something I could do for you." She brushed against him as she walked to the door. "And I have a room at the Hanged Man if you're looking for… company later."

Leyla looked at Dak. "Why did you just promise that? We have no idea what this relic is or where it is."

"Come on, Ley," said Dak. "She's in trouble for freeing slaves from our homeland. Don't you think she deserves our help?"

Leyla sighed. "Fine, but I tell you, the people we're recruiting are making our lives a lot more difficult.

The next morning, Dak visited Aveline in her office and discovered she was arguing with Varric.

"Varric, no," she said firmly.

Varric merely gave her his charming smile. "You're the captain, or you will be. It'll be easy."

"I'm not petitioning the viscount to help you steal ownership of the Hanged Man."

"Steal? Madam, you wound me."

"I'm about to," she warned and gestured him to get out.

Varric merely shrugged and walked off, but not before giving Dak a wink.

Aveline merely looked at him suspiciously, and he felt she had heard about the mess in the Chantry. "Big changes are coming, huh? Captain of the guard." She sat on the edge of her desk. "Thank you, Wesley."

"That you keep his memory speaks well of him," said Dak smoothly.

"He's not with me. I know that. Wesley's at the Maker's side, or he's not. Either way, he knows no pain." She met his eyes. "What I keep is that moment. I won't let anyone down like that again."

"I don't see how you can take the blame for the darkspawn horde."

"I put him to the sword myself, Hawke."

"At his behest," he reminded.

"I know in my head that it was right. So did Wesley. But in my heart, that cut was cruel."

"You clearly miss Wesley, but that's not the issue?"

"Of course, I miss him, but he's not coming back. Pining like a child serves no one. So I remember him, but I let him rest."

Dak folded his arms. "You're not so kind to yourself, though."

"No."

He sat down on the desk next to her. "I can't imagine the captain of the guard will like wandering my shadow.

She shrugged. "It's not like this job means we're on opposite sides. The good you do, it seems rather appropriate. Besides, I'll be making the patrol schedule, and I don't intend to lead from a desk."

"I look forward to working with you, Guard-Captain Aveline."

"Still strange, isn't it?" She smiled. "Captain of the guard. Thank you for helping me get here, Dak. It's where I should be."

"All in a day's work," Dak shrugged.

Aveline then looked at him sternly. "Now, would you care to explain what happened over the past few days? I've been getting reports of some mysterious murders; one of them happened in the Chantry last night."

"What makes you think I would know anything?" Dak asked.

"Dak, this has you and your sister's fingerprints all over it. I just hope you have a good reason for these massacres."

Dak gulped, knowing that he had no choice but to explain exactly what had happened to Aveline.

"So they teamed up with a Raider; their choice of companions is hardly appropriate and does not reflect well on them," said Cassandra.

"Did you miss the part where she sent some slaves free," said Varric. "I'm pretty sure not every single Raider would do such a thing. Besides, I understand that the King of Midgard's chosen company weren't exactly upstanding citizens themselves."

"True," Cassandra acknowledged. "However, I am more curious about this relic she was after what exactly was it."

"If I told you now, we would be missing a great chunk of the story," said Varric.

"How dramatic, but very well. Do continue."