I do not own anything Dragon Age. Rights belong to BioWare.

There might be a longer than usual pause between this chapter and the next. Got some stuff going on and haven't been able to focus. please comment or message me so I can have reminders to work on it even if it's a few sentences at a time.

My anger at Fenris dissipated as soon as my bedroom door closed behind me. I couldn't imagine how he must feel being promised freedom from someone he barely knew. It wasn't his fault he walked into the conversation at the point he did. I would question my potential freedom if I thought for a second that the person promising it was looking for another slave.

I was leaned against the closed door. The polished wood was cool against my back. I sighed suddenly feeling silly for losing my temper. It would probably take the rest of the day for Fenris to cool off before I would be able to talk to him. As long as I do not have to see Halward and Judy again. No wonder Dorian was so uncomfortable. I don't know what I would have done if Mother had been so open with moving on after Father's death. The thought squeezed my heart. Maybe I would have seen some kind of signs and I could have saved her from a terrible fate.

After what felt like forever, I peeled myself off the door and walked over to my vanity. I sat in front of the leather-bound book that bore Fenris name. I traced my fingers over the cover. He mentioned once that he didn't remember anything before waking up on the table after being branded with the hauntingly beautiful lyrium marks on his body. Maybe this offered some clues to his past.

I wasn't left to my thoughts long when Isabella burst through my bedroom door. She had big tears rolling down her cheeks. "Have I ever thanked you?" she sobbed throwing the question at me like a woman possessed.

"Thanked me? For what?" I asked as I rushed to her throwing my arms around her shoulders. I couldn't remember ever seeing the upbeat woman cry and it was alarming. "You had no reason to forgive me in Kirkwall. Anyone else would have thrown me at the Arishok's feet but you forgave me. You fought to save me from them mere hours after I stabbed you in the back. Why?" She sobbed even harder.

I let her lean onto me as I walked her to my bed. I was quiet a moment as I stroked her hair waiting for her to calm a bit. Once her sobs were a little more under control her breathing steadied. "Isabella, why did you come back?" I asked her quietly.

She took a couple deep breaths trying to steady her emotions. "I didn't get too far before you, Aveline and Anders burst out of the foundry. In fact, I barely had time to scribble that note before climbing the scaffolding. I watched you pull it out of his pocket and read it." Talking seemed to help her catch her breath and her crying stopped. I hugged her closer to me and kissed the top of her head. "I expected you to be angry." She huffed a laugh "I actually expected you to rage and curse my name. You didn't. If anything, you looked worried about me. I just double crossed you and you looked worried! About ME!" She pushed her head away from me to look me in the eye.

"I was worried. I was terrified that the Quanari would find you first. Before I had the chance to talk some since into you." I chuckled and added "I can't believe that you thought that was the only way to get Castillon off your back when you know how fond I am of killing slavers." That won me a genuine laugh from my friend. I continued knowing she needed to hear what I had to say.

"You might not have realized it but after you told me about what you had been through with your mother and then your husband you changed. It was almost like you relaxed. You didn't have so much to prove to everyone. In the end I had to stop the Arishok. Too many innocent lives were being lost and I had to put a stop to it. I forgave you when you walked through that door, back straight head high. I was shaking in my boots and you strutted in like you didn't have a care in the world. You will never replace Bethanny but you became my sister that day."

After a few more sniffles she sat up and looked at me. "I have never been more glad that I didn't bed your brother after hearing you say that. Can you imagine how awkward that would have been for me?" My face burned as I remembered how relentlessly Carver would flirt with the buxom beauty. The grin and laugh she gave me as I shoved her was wonderful. If she's making crass jokes, she must be feeling better. I told myself as she pulled me back. "Shove me while I'm down. You're going to regret that."

I didn't even get the chance to understand what she said before her fingers began to dig into my ribcage. I lost my breath as she began to tickle me. I shrieked, trying to get away but before I knew it, she had me pinned under her. I was trapped. Moments passed and it felt good to laugh this deeply. When I had enough and it started getting difficult to catch my breath, I reached over to grab a pillow. Once I had a good grip, I swung it up into her face. She huffed an "Oomph." and paused. Shock was written all over her face.

It was just enough of a distraction that I was able to push her off me and take a few steps. I had been laughing enough that I doubled over setting my hands on my knees to steady myself as I gulped in air. "You win…. No more… Please." I rasped between breaths.

She sat up on my bed and gave me a cheeky grin. "You know I always imagined making you squirm under me completely different than that." She winked and laughed as my face burned.

Before giving me the chance to reply she jumped to her feet, tears forgotten and said she was going to go get a deck of cards. "I want to know why Fenris rode out of here like you kicked his puppy."

FENRIS

She has said more than once if she could grant me freedom before the completion of her mission she would. She still owns me. I was a gift from her fiancé after all. She could order me to do whatever and by the laws of this fade's damned country I would have to follow it or she would be within her rights to kill me.

By the time I had found Colorful Hughes I had resolved to follow the dwarf's advice and ask Hawke what I was mixed up in. I also needed to know if I had a say so in my participation in their venture.

The memory of waking with her warmth pressed against me rose into my thoughts. From what I've seen of the woman, I couldn't imagine Hawke forcing me to do anything but it was still a possibility. Optimism felt strange in my chest.

I dismounted and tied my lead to the post out front. The building looked small and unassuming. It was tucked into an alley that was not very easy to get to. I wondered how much business the place did so far from regular traffic.

The door was unlocked. As I swung it open a bell rang above me. A high nasally voice greeted me, "Welcome to Colorful Hughes. How can I help you?"

I looked around the place. It seemed to be an artist's supply store. There were canvasses and paints everywhere. In the back behind a cashier's counter stood a halfling on a stool. He needed it to stand face to face with the canvas he focused on. He wore a paint-stained smock and held a palate of paints in one hand. With the other he was making long strokes with a long thin paint brush. His hair was pushed back from his face and unkempt. The round glasses made his eyeballs look ridiculously large in his small face.

I approached removing the slip of paper from my pocket. "I have been tasked with bringing this to a Mr. Vigo Hughes." I told him as I placed it on the counter. The halfling was unhurried as he brought his paint brush to the palate to collect a color.

He painted a few more long lines before he turned to me.

"OOOH, Mr. Vigo so formal. I like that." He chuckled and grinned at me. He set his brush on the palate in his one hand holding it in place with the thumb that peeked through. Once his other hand was free, he gave a flourish of his wrist and the paper floated from the counter to him. Once he read what was written there his already large looking eyes got larger. "You're here to pick up Varric's order! Why didn't you say so. I think he is going to be pleased. Always knew he was a writer, imagine my surprise when he came to me for supplies." He made a different gesture and the paint palate floated to the counter. A third flourish made the front door lock click shut.

Unease filled my chest as we were locked in but the little man was still so busy talking, he didn't notice. "Please let Master Tethras know how sorry I am that this order took as long as it did but most of what he requested had to be hand crafted by yours truly. Follow me." he had jumped off his stool and was disappearing behind a curtain.

I followed behind him as he chattered away. "This was an absolute pleasure to make. I have already started on replacements for it as I'm sure they will be needed. I am also throwing in two one-hundred-page sketch books. Can't ever have enough paper, can you?"

The hallway I followed him down was only a few paces long before spilling into a storage room. In the middle of the room sat a large wooden box atop a table. It was thin and flat with handles on one side and tiny hinges on the other. As I approached, I noticed that carved into the wood was a woman with her arms splayed wide. Around her was a symbol that looked curved like a horse shoe. I had seen a similar symbol carved out of obsidian in Hawke's hair recently. This symbol must be important to her. I wonder if there is a story behind it.

I thought to myself as I looked at the box. It was polished to a beautiful shine and looked sturdy. "Go ahead open it." The small man had climbed onto a chair and was waiting for me to follow his direction. Intrigued I reached out between the handles and flicked open the clasp.

I had no idea what I was looking at but the craftsmanship was immaculate. "It is beautiful." I told him meaning every word. He beamed under my praise. "Everything you can imagine needing is in there and as I've said I am making replacements as these get worn down. Take those two sketch books," he pointed and continued, "I am also throwing this stand in with the lot. It adjusts to whatever height and width you need. It can even break down into a lap desk." He placed something else next to me on the table and I began to stack everything. "I can wrap that up for you are you traveling on horseback or in a carriage? Please tell your friends. I know my shop is a little hard to find but I do not skip out on quality. You will see."

After a few hours of cards Isabella and I were summoned to the dining room. Judy didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to her newest client.

"You weren't kidding about her and Halward." Isabella laughed as she shuffled another hand. "She didn't do as good a job as she thought straightening her hair afterward." She laughed again.

"I wonder what kind of lover Halward is. He always seems like a stick in the mud." She mused aloud as she looked over her latest hand.

"You really do think of the oddest things." I retorted as I separated what cards I didn't want to keep and laid them face down.

"Don't tell me that you've never looked at someone and thought about how it would feel to run your hands all over them. Or have their hands all over you." She teased.

"Of course not. I am not really a fan of people touching me, remember?" I tried to scowl at her but this was still a light hearted conversation and I couldn't keep the smile from my face. "But I have looked at people and wondered how hard it would be to break their jaw."

"Darling everyone has wondered something like that about somebody at least once in their life. Heard it's the worst with siblings. The last time I was out to sea James half assed some knots. If they weren't keeping the sails safe while they were down, I would have lost them to the depths. We would have been stuck rowing. Well, they would have." She snickered. "Anyway, I seriously contemplated strangling him for a few minutes so he wouldn't forget to do it the right way next time."

"I want to strangle that damn woman every time she comes to this house." Dorian's voice rang out before he appeared in a doorway. He sauntered in, robes billowing around him, glass of wine in his hand.

"See. Everyone." Isabella waved a hand in Dorian's direction. "While I'm bitter that Mother hid her budding relationship with the man who murdered her, I will be grateful that I did not have to see as much of her moving on after Father's death." I told Dorian as I motioned for him to sit with us.

"Oh, if only." He laughed. "Judith has been weaseling her way into father's robes since I was a young boy. Apparently after my birth mother was no longer interested in the more carnal aspects of her marriage." He took a deep drink from his goblet before continuing. "Mother didn't have a problem with father's affair as long as it was discreet. I remember being about 8 years old the first time Judith attempted to poison me against my mother." He got quiet again a nostalgic twinkle in his eyes.

"Come on tell us what happened!" Isabella cried as she tossed more cards on the table.

He took another long drink. "I went ranting to my mother about it. She and I were close. It was the first time I got a taste of true Tevinter scheming. Mother wanted to solidify my hold on the Pavus name and remind Judith just who she was messing with. The woman was truly ruthless." He beamed as he spoke.

"Being so young I don't know the exact details of what my mother did to Judith but I know that whatever it was left her barren and engaged to a tyrant of a man. There would be no accidental births to muddle my claim to the house and Judith was in a semi abusive marriage for about 5 years before he finally passed away." He smiled at that.

My mouth was hanging open in shock. "That sounds terrible." He nodded in agreement. "I bet it does to outsiders but with the husbands passing Judith inherited substantial wealth. So what she had to deal with a few years of hardships. Didn't you when you came into your wealth?"

"He's got a point Hawke. If the woman had the stones to interfere in a marriage she should have to deal with the consequences." Isabella's voice had a firm edge to it. I wondered if her abusive husband ever flaunted lovers in front of her. He liked tormenting her. From what she's described of him I wouldn't doubt it.

"I guess I just don't have the view of family that you two do. I couldn't even imagine my mother or father being unfaithful to each other. I don't have the right to judge anyone's circumstances when I don't understand them." I laid my cards down. I had been half paying attention to the game so I wasn't surprised when I lost the hand.

"Hawke have you ever thought that your family is the exception to the rule?" Dorian set his cup on the table and gave me a hard look. Before I could respond he continued. "Your parents had the kind of relationship that is really only seen in romance novels. You know the bodice rippers." He and Isabella laughed at the face I made.

"He's right you know. They met, fell in love, ran away together and lived together on the lam while raising a family. Classic romance novel stuff." Isabella was reshuffling the deck of cards. "It will always be easier to just keep things casual. No one really needs love. Look at what your parents love got them. Constantly hiding, money always tight with 3 mouths to feed. Then your father died leaving the four of you broken hearted and struggling even more than you had been. If your mother hadn't been forced to learn embroidery as a child, she wouldn't have been able to scrape together what little money you did have."

"I've never even seen anyone who truly loved each other." Dorian cut in. "I've seen so many back stabbings in the name of love that they seem to go hand in hand." He shrugged.

Under their scrutiny I was starting to feel defeated. "You two are talking like it's something to be ashamed of." I couldn't keep the hurt out of my voice. I tried to keep myself from blinking to keep the tears at bay. "I'm sorry you two have such a twisted sense of the word that you both don't realize what is in front of you. Dorian, you love your mother so deeply that you laughed at the thought of her crippling another woman who threatened her position. And Isabella don't tell me that you wouldn't care if Zevran died or that you don't care about me. Just because] it does translate to trashy fantasy novels does not mean you have never experienced it yourself. Love is simple. If the thought of a person makes you feel joy, you love them. If you never want anything negative to happen to them, you love them. If seeing them smile at you makes your bad day a good one guess what, you love them." The tears were spilling down my cheeks now.

No one said anything. Isabella just shuffled the cards and Dorian stared down at his empty glass. "You do not have to agree with me but you sure as hell will not condescend to me for my views on the matter."

I let the silence build for a few moments before I rose from the table and left them there.

FENRIS

The man was so long winded I didn't think he realized when I left. The streets were still bustling as I rode back toward the estate. The afternoon was waning and the air was cooling down. I watched people as I made my way through the streets.

The sun had already passed the highest point in the sky and the air was starting to cool. Evening was approaching. I kicked my horse to a trot speeding up my departure. All around me people bustled around their business as evening approached. I couldn't help but wonder what their ordinary lives were like. Working to make a living during the day and going home to their families. It seemed as foreign to me as the odd place I occupied with Hawke and her friends.

Do I want that for myself? Maker knows I have no memory of the family I was born to. Would my progeny be ashamed that their father was once a slave? I found myself laughing at the thought. It was ludicrous to be thinking of my own children when I doubted I would ever have a meaningful relationship with a woman. Anger bubbled in my chest at the thought of the ways I had been made to serve Hadriana. Luckily for me I know that hag would never allow herself to become pregnant with my children. Of everything I endured at the hands of Denarius the worst was the degradation of being reduced to Hadriana's whore.

The buildings were beginning to thin out as I approached the outskirts of the city. I allowed the animal to slow reaching out to pat her neck.

I had just got far enough out of the city that; I'd receive no help when three large cloaked men walked out into the road in front of me. They made no effort to hide the large curved horns atop each of their heads. I immediately noticed they had their arms crossed over their chests. Is this to show they mean me no harm? I thought to myself as I pulled Anna to a stop. I kept my hands on the reigns. I have always understood the Quinari's odd forms of respect. Hopefully they just want talk.

"Greetings Sons of the Qun." I spoke as the horse took her last few steps. They nodded in acknowledgment of my words and the man in the middle stepped forward.

"I will speak plainly as I do not want to be this exposed longer than necessary." His deep voice rumbled from his chest. The cloaks they wore in an attempt to camouflage themselves were tight on their frames. Probably stolen from a nearby farmer's clothes line. The thought was amusing. They are bold indeed to be stopping passersby so openly in their enemies territory.

Since his statement needed no reply, I gave none and stared the man down waiting patiently. The two others nodded in approval as they kept their silence.

"Carry this message to your master. We may be gone when you look away but you are still seen." There must have been nothing else to say because after a hard stare at me the man simply walked away, his companions on his heels. Refraining from watching them walk away I looked down at my hands on the saddle's pommel. Confusion swam through me, followed by anger.

She's hinted at having a reason to get close to Denarius even though she has been very clear she dislikes the man and twice now there have been Quinari involved. What is going on? There were too many odd things happening since Hawke's arrival and I was getting to the bottom of it.

Kicking Anna I sped off towards the manor. I was going to confront the odd woman and get some answers one way or another.