The Arrival

I'm still awaken when I hear the call and that's maybe which saves my life.

This last month I have had it hard to get asleep. Not that I don't feel like sleeping, because I could do it even standing on my feet, but now my tummy is so heavy I can't find a good position and when I do, often a kick from the creature inside me brings me back to vigil. So tonight I had been sewing and preparing some things for the little one and when I realized I was not going to sleep, I sneaked to the kitchen to find some smoked herrings to have a late dinner.

Kyle laughs at my appetite for strange things but I tell him that next time he should try and be the one to get pregnant. Funny enough I can't stand the sight of my beloved apple pies but salty and sour things are always catching my attention. And since tonight he's on duty, nothing prevents me from getting to the kitchen at a late hour and eat what I prefer. At least, he can't complain. Now I have hips. And breasts. And a big big belly with a pointy button.

I'm coming back from the kitchen when I hear the cries. Somebody is attacking the castle.

My first thought flies to Kyle. As I said, he's on duty tonight so he will be in the middle of the combat. I know he can take care of himself but anyway, I feel a chill in my back. As if his son had thought the same, I feel a kick inside my tummy again. I caress it and whisper some words. I don't know if he or she can hear me, but the kicking stops. He's due to come in a couple of weeks, and in this moment, it is not a reassuring idea.

My second thought, then, is to survive. I guess it is the logical outcome, now I have again somebody to protect. The castle is supposed to be safe, but if the enemy is inside, it can also be a trap. I know there must be secret passages somewhere, but I'm not leaving without Kyle. I come back to the room we share here, even if we have our home at the alienage. When he has to spend the night in the castle, Ryan agreed to set a room for me so I wasn't away from him, specially when the due date was near. I've already overcome the fear to sleep alone, since technically I'm not alone anymore, but I want him to be here when the baby arrives, because this makes me more afraid than all the dangers we're defeated together.

I look around for a place to hide and I see the wardrobe. Old memories come to me while I ponder the safety of hiding into it again. I can lock it from inside, and if it is a simple attack, I'm sure they will have more interesting places to loot that a simple wardrobe in a servant's room. And anyway, I can't think of a better place, so I jump into it. For once I'm happy I keep some long dresses in it, because I can hide behind them and not been noticed. I curl under a blanket and pray to wathever can hear me that they don't find me. I melt on the shadows, and I remember that night.

A sudden pain crosses my abdomen and I know what it means. "Oh, no!" I think. "Not now!".

Don't breath, because they can hear you. Don't sweat, because they can smell you.

But mom, you didn't have a creature kicking inside you when you taught us to do that. How can I stay silent, if he wants to get out? How can I not sweat, if I'm using all my strenght to control the pain?.

______________

The tall, darkhaired warrior hears the shouts and turns to his redhaired companion.

"An attack? How timely", he smirks. "Just tonight that Fergus depparted with most of the men".

The redhaired one looks around.

"Seems they're already inside. Someone has betrayed us".

The tall one stops suddenly. He looks back, and his green eyes seem to pierce the dark. "Mari", he whispers. His companion hears it.

"She's here, isn't she? Go for her. Kyle. I'll help in the Main Hall".

"No, Rory", Kyle shakes his head. "My duty is here. And I'm sure she can take care of herself".

But his friend knows his heart is broken in two.

"Nobody will blame you if you save her before joining the battle, bro. She's not only your wife, she'll be soon the mother of your son".

"Even so. Don't make it harder, Rory. I'm not leaving my post".

Ser Roland Gilmore shakes his redhaired head and curses his companion's stubborness between his teeth. On their way to the Main Hall they find some people fighting, some people dying, some people dead. Kyle recognizes the crest on some of the dead warriors uniforms and spits one name. "Howe". And they rush, fighting when necessary, to where they feel they're needed.

The Main Hall is a battlefield because the Howe men which were already in the castle have opened the main gates wide to allow their army in. Kyle and Rory rush to the battle trying to reach the gates and block them. The Teyrn is fighting with their men to secure them.

"Have you seen the Teryina and my son?", he asks, when he sees the young warriors approaching.

"No, milord", Rory admits. "I thought they'd be here with you"

"I told them to meet me here, but the situation is getting to hard for them. One of you should go to find them and lead them to the pantry's secret passage".

"It's you who should go", Kyle says. "Our duty is defending the castle".

"Look who talks", Rory mumbles, but suddenly an explosion makes all of them turn the attention to the door, where a mage has appeared. Kyle realizes the explosion has downed Lord Cousland and he rushes to assist him. The Teyrn is badly wounded, but there's no much that can be done during combat.

"You must go to the secret passage, milord", Kyle says to him while helping him to get up. "We'll tell the Lady and your son where you are if they come here".

Ser Bryce doesn't argue. His injuries are bad, but he's able to walk. Kyle helps him to the door and asks a couple of soldiers to assist him on his way. Then, he returns to the fight, under the disapproving look of his redhaired companion.

"You should have gone with him". But Kyle, stubborn as always, shakes his head. "He'll be safe", he says. "We need to wait here for Ryan and Lady Eleanor".

Ser Gilmore shakes his head and continues fighting. The mage is though to defeat and many man fall under his spells. Fortunatelly for them, a group of men get into the Hall through one of the side doors. They include a man, slightly older than them, a dog, and a mature woman in a fighting attire. The man greets them between sword blows, and soon together they kill the mage.

"Ryan! You're safe!", Ser Gilmore greets the man.

"What has happened?", Ryan asks.

"Howe has betrayed us. His men are besieging the castle", he replies.

"Where's Bryce?", asks the woman. "I though he'd be here"

"He went to the pantry", Rory says. "He said you should join him there, there is a secret passage you can use"

Ryan shakes his head. "What about you?"

"We'll stay here guarding the doors. The more we resist, the more time you'll have to escape"

Suddenly Ryan notices the tall warrior besides Rory.

"What are you doing here, Kyle? Go and fetch your wife!"

"My place is here, Ryan. I'm on duty tonight"

"Your place, my ass!" shouts Ryan. "Your wife is pregnant! Go and save her!"

Rory nods. "That's what I say to him, but he's too stubborn"

"She can take care of herself", Kyle says, not very convinced. "And you'll need all the help I can provide"

"One man won't make any difference, Kyle. Go with them".

"But… they surely wouldn't harm her? She's pregnant!" 

Lady Cousland steps ahead and slaps him in the face even if she has to tiptoe to do that. Her eyes are full of tears.

"Those bastards killed little Oren, Kyle. What do you think they'd to to a pregnant elf?? Go and save her! If you rush, you may meet us at the pantry's passage"

Kyle touches his cheek still shocked by the woman's reaction and slowly, seems to understand. She's not safe. Wherever she is, she, and her baby, will die, or even worse, if the Howe men find her. And when he realizes it, he understands there's only one thing he can do.

Kyle runs out of the Hall, almost forgetting there are still enemies to be defeated, charging against and running over them on his way to the side door. Runs to the servants quarters, saying under his breath a single name, "Mari", like a prayer, and reminding that other night, the night he arrived too late.

___________________

I'm silent, mother, I'm silent. But my baby doesn't agree, and he's kicking, and moving, and sometimes I feel he's going to tear my flesh appart to get out of my body himself, because the space is now small for him, and he needs to breathe. I bite my lips to avoid screaming, and I think I'm drooling when I feel a taste of iron and I realize it's my own blood runing down my chin.

I try not to move, but the pain is growing, and I need to change my position from time to time to be able to cope with it. I'm covered in clothes and blankets, so if anybody opens the wardrobe there's a chance that they don't look further… Men never are interested on women's clothes, specially if they're poor servant's ones.

I hear noises in the room and I freeze. I had not used the bed, so I hope they think this is an empty room and not take a lot of time searching it. I hold my breath. I hear voices.

"Nothing here?"

"No. A pity, I wouldn't have minded to find a couple of elven bitches"

"You always thinking the same"

"Yeah. Sure. What do you think I signed for? The pay? The adventure?"

The voices laugh. I count two…. No, three men. Scavengers. Probably searching for loot now this part of the castle is silent. Don't even think, Mari. Your thoughts can betray you. A sigh, a sudden movement. Anything.

And the sudden movement happens, because I feel another stab of pain in my belly when a contraction arrives. I have felt some before but none as strong as this one and I know what this mean: the baby is coming. It is too soon, it is not the moment, but he has felt my fear and wants to run away too. It surprises me and I moan. And I know it has been a mistake, becaue the voices out there are now silent.

I stop breathing again, while I hear only the beating of my heart. Finally, I hear steps. Coming towards the wardrobe. I'm lost and I know it. Me and my baby. I didn't bring a knife with me. But I won't surrender without fighting. Just wait, my little one. Let me fight for you, and you'll have time to see the world after that.

I locked the wardrobe from the inside, like that last time, but I know it won't be a nuissance for those men. The handle moves, the door rattle. The man curses under his breath, and a second one says "Move away". A loud thud, and the blade of a two handed sword shines through an open hole in the wardrobe's doors. I cover my head with the blankets, but these are not children ghosts. That won't make them go away.

A few hits after, and a hand gets into the wardrobe looking for the bar which blocks it. I step back trying not to be touched, but I know it will be useless. But before the doors are opened, the hand disappears and I hear again fighting sounds. I take a chance and peer through the hole.

And I sigh of relief and thank the maker.

Here he is… My Kyle, my knight in shining armor, fighting his way to me through those bastards. I have the feeling that going out is safe now and I finish the work the hand did… falling shamelessly to the floor because after all this time into the wardrobe, my legs don't support me anymore. I crawl to a safe place, and when I see one of the soldiers down on the floor, I get his sword and point out with it, just to let anyone know that coming to get me can be dangerous… or at least, painful. Kyle just fights. I can see his rage and as always I feel a mix of fear and pride. He's a killing machine… and he's doing it for me.

When the last of the three men in the room falls lifeless on the ground, Kyle turns his head and looks at the pityful mess of hair and sweat and clothes I am. He's covered in blood and I pray that it is not his, and for a moment I smile… . He thinks I'm crazy when I say I find him sexy that way, but his green eyes shining through his enemies blood always makes me feel excited. But my smile changes into a grimace as soon as another contraction makes me fold in two.

Kyle realizes my pain and reacts swiftly, taking me in his arms and craddling me like a baby. He softly kisses my face, my tears, my sweat, and I realize I have been crying. I hold onto his neck and whisper

"The baby. It's coming".

I see his eyes widening with terror.

"You can't bear him here".

"Tell me something I don't know", I scowl while feeling another contraction.

"There's a secret passage", he says. "Can you make it to the pantry?"

"Is here another option?". I get up with my remaining strenght, and I lean on Kyle's reassuring armored presence to walk, as fast as we can, to the near kitchen. At least the servant's dependences are close enough to trust we won't have more unpleasant encounters.

We arrive to the pantry, Kyle carrying me like a baby, because the contractions are so painful I can hardly walk. The door is blocked from inside and I feel a moment of panic, but he just leaves me sitting against the wall and charges with all his strenght. He still surprises me, when he leaves the rage take control, he can do things I can't imagine. After a few blows, the door falls down… and a blade points directly to his heart.

"Lady Eleanor!", he shouts. "It's me, Kyle!".

The woman lowers her sword.

"Kyle? Maker's breath, I almost kill you! I thought you were one of Howe's men!"

"I'm here with Mari. Please, let us use the secret passage!"

Lady Cousland nods. "Ryan has already gone, with that Grey Warden… If you rush maybe you can reach them…"

I walk slowly to meet them. Each step is painful, the baby is demanding to go out, but I resist as much as I can. Lady Eleanor gasps.

"Is she…?"

"Lady Eleanor, please", I beg. "Help us… the baby… all this has rushed everything"

The Teryna covers her mouth and makes me enter the pantry. Kyle is trying to put the door again in place, to give us a bit more time. I see a body in the ground. It's the Teyrn, Ser Bryce. He's dead.

Lady Eleanor follows my glance and lowers her head. No words are needed, though I can whisper "I'm sorry" before another contraction takes my breath away. Suddenly, I feel something wet between my legs and I gasp. "Oh, no!"

The Teryna has seen it too. "Andraste's sake!! The baby's coming now!"

She hurries and opens the secret passage for us. "Hurry, go out there. You can't bear him here!"

"Lady Eleanor", I beg. "I'm afraid. It… it hurts so much!". I wish Lauren was here. I'm sure she would know what to do.

Lady Eleanor seems torn. "You're so young… and Kyle won't be of much help, will he?". Kyle shakes his head, ashamed. This is too much for him. He can face an entire army of enemies, but the miracle of life is still an enigma to him.

What a couple we are. I can't say a word, I'm bitting my lips trying to control the pain, and Kyle just doesn't know what to say, because he's never been the talkative type. I just beg at Lady Eleanor with my eyes. She looks at her husband's corpse and mumbles "Bryce"…

"He's already dead, milady", Kyle finally manages to say. "And I'm sure he will prefer to see you alive than dying alone…"

She's got tears in her eyes. She looks from her dead husband to me, and I can understand her pain… If Kyle was dead, I'd have it hard to leave him behind too. But me, now, I have something else to fight for. And she knows it, because she's a mother too. She finally makes her mind up.

"All right. I'm not going to let your baby die. I… I can't do anything for Bryce, but I can do it for you… like… like when little Oren was born…"

She kisses her dead husband's lips one last time, while whispering "Forgive me", and gets up. Kyle is nervous blocking the door; after having knocked it down, it won't resist another attack from outside. Lady Cousland takes me by my shoulders and leads me to the passage. Kyle rushes behind us and blocks it from inside. We were lucky Ryan didn't block it when he used it, I guess he still hoped we would arrive. We walk some meters, but I can't resist anymore. I can feel the baby making his path through my hips. I need to sit down. I need to help him out.

____________

After a few eternal minutes in which I swear Kyle wouldn't lay his hands on me ever again, I hear a baby's cry and I know everything is over. Lady Eleanor hands me a small figure wrapped in the dirty blanket I've been dragging around since I got out of the wardrobe, and suddenly all my pain, all my concerns, disappear when I see his tiny face, his dark hair and his rounded ears… Rounded ears. He's a shem. Funny enough, that's my very first thought, but I don't mind. I know nothing will matter now, nothing except this baby's happiness.

"He's a boy", Kyle says, all pride in his voice.

"He's a miracle", Lady Eleanor adds, smiling for the first time, and while looking at him, such a tiny sparkle of life amongst all this death and darkness, I can't but agree. A miracle, indeed. 

Bonus:

 

Ghosts from the past

Things have to end to give a chance for new ones to begin, I guess. And after we got Lirya back with us to Highever, it was like a new beginning for her. She was hungry like the wolf, her body aching for all the food she had not provided it during… maybe weeks? How long can an elf live without food and water? Whatever. She made sure to recover properly, and even if we had to wake her up in the mornings and after lunch when she always took a nap to force her to come back to the world of living ones, it was like having her with us again.
And the best news was a change in her mind. I’m still not sure if she was recovering her memories or she was stuck so deeply in the Fade that part of her mind was still sleeping, but to Kyle’s happiness, she started to call him son again. And there’s a recognition gleam in her eyes. Maybe it is just a matter of time.
Maybe she will be completely back sooner or later.

I get out of the house and look into the distance. I’m not actually seeing  anything – not that the alienage has anything interesting to look at anyway. I’m just lost in my thoughts. A gush of cold wind strikes me and I brace myself. How can my life have changed so much?
It looks as if there had been ages since I met Kyle, but when I come to think about it, I realize it has been just a bit more than two years. And in that time, my world has turned upside down. From a lone cat to a married woman. With a mother in law, a dog and … some kind of brotherly noble shem who is always looking for trouble. Oh and let’s not forget my adoptive daughter. I sigh. I don’t even know how to cope with all of this.
The wind brings now a succulent scent and that brings me back to reality. Kyle must have been cooking dinner!! I’m happy he does it. Even if I’m doing my best to learn, twenty years of surviving on scraps and junk have not taught me to perform a proper cooking, and when Kyle takes his time to cook himself the results are much better. I grin, and get back inside home.
Kyle is in the small dinning room, preparing the table, and when he sees me walking inside, he smiles and moves to hug me. I kiss his nose.
“Mmh, what are you cooking? It smells delicious”
Kyle chuckles, his face so happy I would squeeze him. “It’s not me who is cooking. It is Lirya”
And I understand the source of his happiness. Lirya comes out of the kitchen some minutes later, with a tray in her hands which smells delicious, and I can’t help but purr out of pleasure. If it tastes as it smells, this is going to be quite an experience. So I sit on the chair and wield my fork excited as a child. Kyle chuckles, and Lirya’s smile widens into a grin.
“I hope the taste won’t spoil your expectations” she jokes, but I shake my head.
“It doesn’t look so. But I’m a bit surprised. It is the first time I see you cook”.
Lirya shrugs. “I didn’t dare at first. My memories about which herbs were good for poisoning and which ones were good for cooking were a bit mixed. But now I think I remember then properly” she winks.
“Do you mean you’re not sure?” I say perking a brow. I know she’s joking, but the thought is scary. Kyle just grabs the tray and serves me a generous portion of roasted meat, another for Lirya and then he pours the rest of the food in his own plate.
“Just call a healer” he says. “I’ll be your guinea pig”, and starts munching as if there was no tomorrow. We all laugh.
This feels so much like a family…

Short after we take over the succulent dinner, Lirya excuses herself and says she has to go to bed. That spoils a bit the feeling of happiness. Not only because our family dinner time ends too soon… It’s because we know the reasons she’s gone.
She still has to perform her gatekeeper task.
When we woke her up in Denerim, she was confused at first, then angry because she felt she had to stay watching the gate and we had not allowed her to do it. It took Kyle a long argument to convince her she could wake up, at least from time to time, to stay with her family and to perform the basical life needs… Eating, drinking and so on. Even if after death her spirit surely could have continue watching the gate, we wanted her to survive. Kyle wanted her to survive. Too many deaths in his life lately.
Kyle looks at her leaving with a sad expression, and I put a hand on his shoulder to try to cheer him up.
“Now I know who did you take your cooking skills from” I say. But he sighs.
“Why?” he just whispers. “Why everybody I love has to go?”
“What can I say?” I sigh too. “I think it is the price we must pay”. I suddenly remember Dorella and Willow, and their sacrifice to save us and help us retrieve the Cousland relic. “Some people have to do it so others can continue living”.
He takes my hand and kisses it, but I already know the night has been spoiled.
“Look at the bright side”, I say. “She’s back. With us. Alive. Hey, and she cooks for us!”
The sad smile in his face is reward enough, but anyway I need to take the dark thoughts out of his head somehow, so I lean down to bite his ear.
“Last one to arrive to the kitchen will have to wash the dishes” I whisper, and run away, knowing that no matter who arrives last, we will do it together.
I arrive first, but just by a hair. As soon as I put my hands on the border of the sink, he grabs my waist and lifts me up, laughing. I kick and punch, but with no harming intentions, until he spins me to face him and I can kiss his nose.
“Are you trying to bribe me to wash the dishes for you?” I tease. He grins.
“I just want to share kitchen time with you” he says wickedly, and makes me sit on the counter to kiss me deeply. I close my eyes to enjoy the moment, and when I move my hands to embrace him better I feel something falling to the ground. Damn it. I don’t even have time to curse in loud voice. Kyle moves also without thinking (who can think in a moment like this?) and steps over whatever I let fall, which breaks with a crunchy sound.
The spell is broken. Like the dish.
I’m trying to avoid Kyle look down to the floor, but he smiles and ignores me. Leaving me sitting over the counter, he leans down and grabs the pieces of the broken dish. If he had not stepped upon it, maybe it wouldn’t be broken, but now it is beyond any repairs. He sighs.
“You know? Most of the dishes here were purchased by Lirya, when she got this house”.
I nod, suddenly feeling like an intruder.
“Maybe we should consider to move to our own house, then”
And as soon as I say it I regret it, because I know this only will cause him more ache.
Kyle looks at me as if I were talking in Anders. “Our own house? And who would take care of Lirya… specially make her wake up in the mornings?”
I sigh. He’s right, and I suddenly feel old and caged. “To think I was reluctant to have children because I didn’t want to have to stay at home caring for them…”
“But this is different”, Kyle protests. “Lirya is a capable adult, and once someone makes sure she didn’t get stuck in the Fade, she can do anything by herself. Heck, she can even come with us adventuring! She was a bard once. I’m sure she has faced death even more often than us!”.
I smile and nod, but my smile is sad. I don’t mind adventuring with friends but this?
“I bet Tahl would come too, eh? Adventuring together keeps the family close”, I joke, taking the broken pieces of the dish from his hands. “Well… at least your mom’s deep sleep doesn’t let her hear my screams when we make love”, I say, and his face blushing crimson rewards me, at least a bit.
All right, I may sound selfish, but who likes to have their mother in law living with them at home, sleeping just two doors away from the bedroom you share with your spouse?.
Those are some of the thoughts that cross my mind while I roll on the bed that night, restless and unable to get asleep. Not even Kyle’s attentions have been enough to make me fall in the Fade’s arms, but I try not to disturb him and I pretend to be sleeping when he gets up to go outside for his training time. I sigh and hug the pillow, but sleep continues being a hard mistress and I finally get up too, going to the kitchen to get a hot drink to warm both my body and my soul.
That’s how Kyle finds me, sitting on the table and sipping some chocolate, when he returns from the training time, his dark hair wet and his breath becoming steam because of the contrast between the cold outside and the warm temperature in the kitchen. He perks a brow.
“Still awake?”
“I couldn’t sleep” I sigh, sipping my drink. “Do you want a cup of chocolate too?”
He rubs his hair with a white towel. “I’d love it. It’s raining outside and the wind doesn’t help. I feel frozen”
“I had noticed”, I smile, getting up to pour some hot chocolate in a mug for him. He follows me and holds my waist while I do it, making me shiver. “Hey! Your hands are frozen indeed!”
“That why I want to warm them in your heath”, he chuckles. “So you couldn’t sleep, eh? Why?”
I give him his chocolate and let my head rest in his chest, listening to his heartbeat. I sigh. But don’t know what to reply, so I just stay silent.
He strokes my hair softly, not knowing what to say either. After all, I am the talkative one. Finally he kisses my forehead and moves towards the kitchen table, sitting on a chair to finish his chocolate.
“We should come back to bed, honey”, he says, hiding a yawn. “There’s still some time to dawn.
I nod. I take the empty mugs and put them on the sink, then I see the broken pieces of the dish and I don’t know why, I feel sad again. He takes my hand, and silently pulls, and I let him do.
Time to go back to bed. This time the chocolate and his warmth do the miracle, and I fall asleep.
But my plans to stay lazy in bed are spoiled again by dogs barking and voices speaking outside. I groan while I look for Kyle’s body by my side and groan even louder when I realize he’s not there. I get up yawning and scratching my head and recognize the voices.
“Ryan…”
The name of the shem comes followed by all the swearing I know, even some Antivan “tacos” Adri taught me when we were together at the inn. Trouble, as always. I can’t forget all the problems that damn medal of Highever brought… and the damn gate to the Fade which… well, it led to us finding where Lirya was, but has tied us to her home during all these weeks too.
Though if he’s bringing up some adventure, I suppose I can give him another chance, I say to myself, while looking for some clothes to put on and combing my hair quickly to meet the noble. Kyle is already talking to him. I suppose that gives me some time.
When I get out, still scratching my head and hiding a yawn, Ryan shakes his head.
“I’m sorry, Mari. I didn’t mean to disturb you”
“It’s okay, Ryan”, I sigh. “I… didn’t sleep well tonight, but it was time to get up” I lie. “What’s the matter? Is it for Kyle’s eyes only?”. The last question is a bit bitter. I know they’re childhood friends and sworn brothers, but I hate when Ryan’s news are supposed to bring adventures which only involve Kyle and not me. Ryan chuckles.
“Well… I guess you can look at this too, since you were involved”. He shows me a bunch of letters.
“What is this?” I ask.
“Dorella’s notes and correspondence”, Ryan says. “Since she died without heirs, I talked to my contact in Antiva to see if he could send me her research notes”.
“About the Medal of Highever” I sigh. He nods.
“That was the intention. But I found more”, he says, handing me a couple of letters.
I grab the letters, a bit confused, tossing a glance to Kyle. He already knows, or so do his eyes say. But it seems they want to play the mysterious and make me read the letters before telling me what it is all that fuss about, so I give a look at them.
I’m impatient by nature, and these letters, written with an unfamiliar handwriting, aren’t easy to read. So I jump from one paragraph to another. “That woman has betrayed me… How could I be so naïf to tell her my secrets… I don’t give a damn about where her husband is…”. I remember Dorella said she had a talented servant she tried to train in magic and I guess this is what she’s talking about. For what I understand from the letters, the woman used that knowledge to try to retrieve her husband, who had abandoned her for another woman, and that attracted the templars attention towards Dorella, causing her to leave Nevarra in a hurry. Well, and what’s the matter with all this?, I wonder. That didn’t teach her a lesson, since she had the same problem with Nada. Dorella was careless about her secrets even with us, and I guess that’s what caused her death…
And then I come to the letter Kyle and Ryan were expecting me to read, and I freeze…
“Dear Dorella
Following your instructions, I managed to find safe passage to Highever, Ferelden for your servant Serena Kent and her daughter Lindy…”
I slowly leave the letter over the table and look at both of them, Ryan and Kyle. The letter is dated in 9:07 Dragon… I guess it makes sense. Finally I break the silence.
“So what? The world is a small place and Dorella knew Lindy and her mother. Very well. What is so important about it?”
Ryan realizes the anger in my voice because he tries to appease me.
“Nothing, my dear Mari, nothing… I just thought… you…” He hesitates and I know that you only meant “Kyle” at first. “… had to know”
I snort and look at my husband. He tries not to look at me in the eye and I understand the harm is done. Why on Thedas had Ryan to come and open old wounds like that? Lindy wasn’t a shadow between us from ages… and now this…
“To know what?” I grunt. “That Dorella sent her to Ferelden? And what does it change? She’s dead!”
“Her mother was a mage”, Ryan says. “Untrained, but a mage. And she probably was too”.
“She was” I say determined. “That’s how she healed Kyle’s eye”.
“If we had just known”, Kyle says, his hand on his forehead. “Maybe she could have had proper training… maybe she could…”
…have survived, I finish the line in my mind, and even if it sounds selfish, I hate the consequences of the idea… because that means I would have never met him… or worse, he would have been already married to her when I did.
So I decide to do the only thing which crosses my mind, to get his attention back to me again, and to appease myself.
I step forward and grab my husband’s nape, to kiss him hard, a kiss born out of frustration, but also of hope and reality. A kiss to remind him about his feelings towards me.
And that works, because he only takes a fraction of a second to reply to my kiss, enjoy it and make it long and sweet.
Lindy is gone again. Her shadow can’t darken for long what’s between us. I know a small part of Kyle’s heart will never forget her, but the rest is mine. And I won’t let it go easily. She is dust now. And the future belongs to us. That’s what our kiss say, and we take our time to listen to our hearts. And when I finally step back, I think we both feel much better, the ghosts of the past gone, at least for this time.
Ryan bounces a bit, awkward, and for once he doesn’t seem to know how to get out of the mess. He starts collecting the letters again and mutters. “Most of this is magical gibberish… But but but I thought… well I need to research about that medal, because if I can find the enchantment used on it… well… we can use it to prevent…” he glances quickly at my tummy “… any harm to your children”.
I stare at Ryan for a moment, then at Kyle. Then at Ryan again.
“So… that’s what you wanted the medal for, all this time?” I ask completely puzzled. He nods. And me that I though he wanted it because of sentimental value!
“I had read about the enchantment against Flemeth. That’s what led me to the ancestors story, in first place…”. He stops a bit, then continues. “Berrygold was a powerful mage, Mari. She was the one who enchanted the medal for Regina and Sarim. But she left no notes about it… and as you remember, her spirit was too disturbed to share any information about it when we contacted her”
“That’s why you wanted Dorella’s notes”
Ryan nods again. “Dorella had the same goal. She had been living under the fear that Flemeth would come one day and possess her body… or even her children if she had any. She had devoted most of her life to research about that, so she had quite an advantage over me. And since despite her efforts, or maybe because of her fear, she had no heirs and there was nobody to claim that knowledge, what better way to honor her memory than continue studying them myself?”
I chuckle “Don’t forget to mention that was your goal from the beginning”
He smiles a bit guilty. “I didn’t want her to die that way, though. I really liked that woman”
“Since when is there a woman you don’t like, my friend?” Kyle intervenes, his green eyes sparkling amused.
“Shhhh! Don’t let Nadette know that!” Ryan hushes, laughing with us.
After the fun moment, Ryan turns serious again and takes a book from the satchel where he had been storing the letters and shows it to me. I open my eyes wide when I recognize it, despite the spots of dirt and the ruined aspect it has.
“That is…?”
“Edanhor’s journal, yes”, Ryan says. “I found it on the marsh, after we closed the gate”.
I move my hands to get it. “They told us… there was nothing left…” I mumble. Ryan lets me take it, but he doesn’t withdraw his hand.
“Mari… I would like to keep it too. I know… there’s personal stuff written there… but if I can find any clue about how he did that… trick to transfer his soul to another body, it will help me with the enchantment”
I nod and release it. “I guess it’s better if you have it”, I say, a bit sad. “It only brings bad memories”.
Kyle squeezes my shoulder and sighs.
I raise my hand to grab Kyle’s hand, grateful for his support, as always. But it is not such a big deal, actually. I almost didn’t notice when Dorella disappeared in the Deep Roads with the diary in her backpack, and I won’t notice it under Ryan’s custody either. Edanhor was a part in my life, but the less I think about him, the better.
I move towards the kitchen. “If we’re finished talking business, are you going to stay for breakfast?” I ask to our visitor.
Ryan waves his hands, looking scared, as if I were going to kill him with my bare hands.
“Don’t worry about me, dear Mari!!! Just five minutes more, and I’ll go back home! I have already stolen enough of your time”
His attitude is suspicious, and I perk a brow.
“You sure? No more secrets? Nothing else you want to plot with Kyle?”
And the two friends exchange a look and I know I have put a finger in the wound again.
I rub my forehead and sigh, using all my patience not to jump at Ryan’s throat.
“All righ. What is it this time? A surprise trip to climb the Anderfells mountains? A reception in Orlais?”. I frown at them. “Did you even plan to count on me for it?”
Because to be honest, that’s what pisses me more. I know Ryan and Kyle are like brothers, and that they have been sharing adventures since they were children. But now I am part of Kyle’s life too, and I’m tired that Ryan never counts on me… or only counts when he realizes I’m not going to allow to be left behind.
Ryan starts to stammer, but Kyle puts his hand on my shoulder.
“Of course WE counted on you, Mari!” he says, determined.
“Sure. Like when he sent you to find the damn medal of Highever without me” I mumble. “And the worst part of it is that you always do as he commands!”
Kyle scratches his head, a bit uncomfortable. He knows I’m right.
“That’s because your task was more important!” Ryan tries to appease me. Sure. The one I had to perform with Tahl.
“Next time, make sure it’s the grumpy elf the one to go alone, and let me go with my husband” I grunt.
Ryan sighs. “Mari… Tahl and you were the ones who had to go to that tomb. It was dalish territory. We humans wouldn’t have been welcome”.
I see he’s serious now, and that somehow he’s right, but still doesn’t change the fact that if I’ve married Kyle is to be by his side, not to be parted in different ways each time Ryan wants to involve us in a silly quest.
The dogs come playing into the kitchen, and their barking provide the Cousland the distraction he needed.
“Well. This time we all are going together” he says cheerful. “Shall we start preparing everything?”
“Do we have an option?” I say, cynically.
Ryan grins and takes a rolled up piece of paper from his bag. It is brittle and old, and it creeps when he spreads it over the table, but we can clearly see it is a map. After all my travels with Kyle I have some geography knowledge, and I see where he wants to lead us.
“Seheron?” I say, a bit scared.
He shakes a bit his head. “Not exactly. Look. This island”. He points at a tiny island at the far right of the big one. “Mostly unexplored, and close enough to Rivain to be a nice place for pirates to hide their treasures. We can go by ship to Antiva, take a shortcut by land and take another ship at the north of Arlathan forest. That way we will avoid the Northern Passage, in case the Qunari are in dangerous mood”.
I follow the route he’s marking with his finger and I smile. I can see Kyle’s eyes gleaming, and I must admit I’m feeling interested too. Such a long trip, so many new places to visit!
And the prize, of course.
Ryan said “treasure”. And my loot sense is already tingling.
It is not that we need the money that much. I’m not saying we’re rich, but most of our adventures have been productive enough to allow us to make a good living with our savings, or to start some kind of business. But well… for that we need to settle down, and seems we both have no intention to do that. So we can’t stop the money flowing. And a pirate treasure sounds good enough.
But Ryan… what interest has Ryan, the son of a noble home, who never lacked a copper, in a pirate treasure? I glance at him. So innocent, so excited. But I’ve already learnt to know him. He’s plotting something.
There’s something in that treasure he wants. And it’s not the gold.
“Oh well”, I say to myself. “Who cares. We’ll learn it when we’re there. With time. Isn’t adventure what we wanted?”
Ryan gets up and starts rolling the map up again. The cracking sound gets on my nerves.
“Then it’s decided! We’ll part in a week, if I get passage for a ship”. Then he turns to Kyle. “Is it okay if tomorrow we meet at sunrise to fetch some supplies?”
Kyle glances at me and then nods. “I guess so, if it is only shopping”.
“I will check our clothes and any other things we may need to carry in the meanwhile”, I reassure him. “You know I don’t like getting up so early anyway”.
Kyle gets up and kisses my forehead. “So actually you will check nothing, but just stay the morning sleeping” he teases me. I laugh.
“The temptation will be too strong” I agree. “But what if we realize we need new clothes or new weapons because the ones we have are too old or not suitable for those tropical places?”
Kyle chuckles. “We can always purchase them on the way. You know as well as I do that Antivan steel and leather are awesome… and I bet you’d look gorgeous in a Rivaini pirate outfit”
I purr. The idea also appeals to me. Maybe a short shirt and tight trousers, leaving my waist naked. Kyle would protest if I wore that out of the house, of course… but feeling his hands in my bare waist… brrrr! I shake my head to take the thought away and smile wicked to him.
“Then even better. I will wait for your return in bed, so you better hurry”.
And the way he returns the smile to me shows me he’s thinking the same I do.
Ryan starts bouncing from one foot to the other, scratching his nape, and I can see our conversation is making him nervous. He excuses himself.
“Well… I… I think it’s time for me to leave” he stammers. “Come on, Nero!” he calls his mabari, who reluctantly stops playing with Nelson, and they both leave. Nelson whines a bit by our side, but soon something else catches his attention and he runs barking happily out of the kitchen, maybe to chase a bird or just to scare the neighbours. Happy dog’s life. And he’s contagious.
I turn to Kyle. “Well. Alone at last” I say, stroking softly his chest over the shirt. “Maybe we can take a bit of time for us before waking up Lirya?”
He growls in his throat and I am sure that he agrees. Good.
In less time than I can even react, he’s already kissing me and pushing me towards our bedroom, pulling my clothes away, while I try to do the same with his, in the rush the flame of our desire causes us.
“You should tell Ryan never to come in the morning” I pant in his ear. “He steals too much time from us in the bed”. He chuckles.
“I think no time in the day would be good for him to come, then”. His mouth leaves my skin a moment enough to say this, then it returns to nibble my ear. “Besides, this is an excuse as good as any other to rip your clothes away”, he purrs there, arousing me immediately.
It’s amazing how I never get tired of his hands, his kisses, his body. Every single time we make love is different. As in a different universe, our bodies meet for the very first time, again and again. The thought somehow crosses my mind as my body shakes in an uncontrolled climax, and when I collapse in the bed, I know that means our love will last forever.

I’m now lying on the bed, my head conveniently resting in the socket of his armpit, licking his ribcage just for the fun, when he turns at me, obviously disturbed by the tickles.
“What are you up to, you mischievous minx?” he says, seeing my smile.
“What makes you think I’m up to something?”
“You’re making a cat face…”, he chuckles. “That means you have dirty thoughts”.
I grin now.
“I was thinking our love will be eternal. Like the one in the stories”
“Did you have any doubt about that?” he laughs, turning to lick my ear. I struggle a bit, just for the fun.
“Of course I didn’t!”, I laugh too. “But I wanted to let you know you’ll have it hard to get rid of me”. I jump over him and sit astride his hips, making it clear I am ready for a second session.
“You greedy one” he whispers in my ear. But I can feel in my buttocks he’s more than ready too. “Maybe eternity won’t be enough to satiate you”
“Never”, I agree.


And in the afterglow, as usual, I realize our story has no ending. It is fun, because most love stories finish when the couple gets married… And for us, that was hardly the beginning!
But, to be honest, no story has an ending. It just needs a moment to stop telling it, because it becomes too much of a routine, too boring. But not ours. Maybe, when one of us is gone, the pain will make it to hard to continue telling it. Maybe, if we go together, people behind us will fall to do it. But I know that, as long as we are together, our story will continue being worth living it.
I look at his profile, at his calmed features, and I know my heart will belong to him forever. If there’s a life after this one, I know our souls will be together there. We will find a way.
I know he is my only reason for living. I think about all the things I’ve given up for him, and I know I wouldn’t be able to do it for anybody else. And I wonder what would happen if I he left me… Would I accept it and leave too? Or would I mourn him every single day? Probably both.
Probably…

The fog

I’m not sure what makes me more angry, if the fact of him having listened to Ryan and gone to Denerim without me, or the fact that I didn’t follow him as my heart demanded me to do. But the wrong is done, and he left me alone…

… and then I received the note from Evelyn. I knew from the very first moment there was something wrong with it, mainly from the fact that it was that: a note. Evelyn and me haven’t written to each other since she left that farewell note to me when she left the Mabari, and, strange as it may seems, we both have been ok with that. Except for the natural desire of having her by my side the day I got married, the rest of the time we both understood we needed to live our lives, and I guess we somehow knew the other would be all right.

So no. Evelyn writing me a letter made no sense at all.

The note asking mysteriously to meet her at a lonely place close to Highever, made even less sense. Why doesn’t she come here to see me, if she’s so close? She knows where I am, and she knows I am more than happy to host here at my home. But it was definitely her handwriting. She had written it.

I knew there was something wrong with that note. And even so, I went to the date. Or maybe because of it.

Because it was clear Evelyn was in trouble.

“And now we both are”, I mumble, struggling against the fetters which hold me prisoner. Evelyn is wearing a couple similar to mine, and like me, she was caught by surprise by that strange fog our captor summoned. She looks up at me from the floor. She has not surrender yet either, I can see it in the gleam of her eyes, but she’s worn out, having been in this strange cottage much longer than me.

“What?” she whispers.

I shake my head. If I can just… Damn I almost have it. I ignore the pain at the base of my thumb, while I try to make my hand as narrow as possible to slide it under the fetter. I feel something pouring and I wonder if it is sweat, then I realize it is blood… I’m leaving my skin in the attempt, but I will get it…

“I will take you out of here. I promise”, is my only answer. Before the crazy mage comes back.

To distract myself from the pain I focus my mind in Kyle. What will he be doing now? How will he react when he arrives back home and realizes I’m not there? Damn it, I hoped to come back before he arrived but it is clear I won’t be able to. I didn’t even leave a note. Why was I so stupid? Why?

With a last effort, I feel the hand slide down. It hurts like hell, but now I can move it… Then I look around. What now? I need something to pick the other fetter’s lock… and then free Eve. I touch my hair. The mage took almost all our clothes off, not for sexual purposes, but just to make sure we didn’t hide a weapon, and I’m just wearing a dirty chemise which probably was intended to be white… But he didn’t take my hairband… and maybe I can use the pin which fixes it… I bite my tongue trying to reach it. Yes!! And now, to ignore the pain in my hand and pick that fetters’ lock…

A ‘click’ is the reward to my effort, and with my hands free, I rush to release my sister. For the look of her hands, she has tried the same too… but without luck. She looks at me grateful.

“Hurry up!”, she says faintly. “He can come back in any moment”

He. Our captor. For a moment I had feared Edanhor himself was behind this, and I had cursed myself for having believed for a second his promise to leave us alone… at least until my first son was born. But when he showed up, we could see it was not our father, though he was definitely touched by the same insanity.

Nada.

I thought he had died with Dorella, in that old cave, but it seemed he escaped somehow. And he had got Edanhor’s journal, which was in Dorella’s backpack, and somehow started to consider himself a disciple, or a minion, because he spent the time saying how happy his Master would be that he had succeeded to capture not one, but both his offspring.

But now he wasn’t there, and it was our chance to escape. I rush to the door, which is not locked, and Eve grabs my hand.

“Wait! The ring!”

“The ring?” I blink, confused, then I remember. Nada had something… a magic ring or so… “Do you think this is time for looting?” I finally snap back at her, a bit more harsh than I intended.

“No, no… It is important, somehow… He said it keeps this house hidden in the fade or something. He showed it to me the first day, bragging about how clever he had been. If we destroy it…”

“… there’s a chance that people out there finds us and help us…”, I finish her sentence, and she nods. I’m still not sure it is a good idea. The ring can have a magical protection and warn him or kill us or whatever, but Eve has a point. If the house is visible from outside, whoever is out there… maybe Kyle, I think selfishly, will be able to see it and help us back home. We are not in a very good shape to run away for long. And I don’t want to wander in the fade when get out of this damn house, either. So I follow Eve, who is rushing upstairs to the Mage’s room. She crouches under his rickety old bed, and takes a wooden box with a triumph expression in her weary face. I come closer to her and examine it. It is locked, but it is not a problem for my pin, which was back to its safe haven in my hairband.

When I open the box, I find surprised something which looks like a tiny silver filigree ring, but which wouldn’t have fitted a human finger at all.

“Is this it?” I say. Eve nods. So I step over it to crush it, and not happy with it, I run to the window and throw it away, watching with a relieved smile how it falls beneath some bushes. If he wants it back, he’ll have to go for it.

And I can’t do much more because as soon as the ring leaves the house, everything seems to collapse around us.

Kyle Mallory was on his way home after a bounty mission at Denerim. People kept greeting him as “Ser Mallory”, even if he had not a knight title, and that made him feel uncomfortable, but the Highever armor Ryan had provided him combined with his height and build did nothing to avoid that fact.

Despite his wife's advice to stop and rest at an inn, he continued walking as his mind was focusing on one thing: home. The warrior wandered across a marsh he didn't recognized. It was late and fog was starting to come down. After hours of walking, he realized he couldn't see anything and his compass wasn't working.

Then, from the deadly white walls of smokes, came a screaming figure of a bloody elven woman. "Please, don't do this! Please!"

Kyle was startled, because he almost could recognize the face of the elven woman. But before he could utter a name in reply, the woman disappeared, and the fog was upon him once more.

Our confused, lost and tired warrior touched his sheathed blade, prepared to take down anything that came next through the fog.

Minutes later, he heard growling. The warrior blinked, and then a dark shape was upon him, gnawing at his armoured neck, pinning him down. Reaching for his beloved sword, he sunk the blade into the beast's shoulder. The beast hissed and broke away from him, its blood shot eyes gave him a final warning before it ran into the fog, the sword still on its shoulder, and Ser Mallory's package in her mouth. Poor Kyle was left without a weapon, without a mean to continue through the marsh, with his package gone. What ever could he do except finding a shelter and wait till the morning?

I grab Eve’s arm and we both run down the stairs trying to get out of the collapsing house when I head the mage yelling in front of us.

“You fools!!! What have you done? The gate is open!!”

He stands between us and the door out of the house, and exhausted and wounded as we are, I’m not sure we can fight him. I look around for a way to escape while Eve distracts him.

“Good! That way we can return home!”

He runs towards us, and I prepare my body to fight, but he just moves us apart to run upstairs.

“Stupid! Stupid children!! Nothing can stop her now!!!”, and I hear horrible sounds behind us. I turn my head just a fraction of a second, enough to see a spider-like face, full of horrible eyes, before a log from the ceiling falls between the mage and the monster and us. I don’t need much more. Not spiders again! I run, hearing Evelyn panting by my side, and we leave the house at the same time it collapses completely, or at least that’s how I feel, but we don’t wait to see if the spider is dead inside it.

A marsh surrounds the place. We jump to the water, walking awkwardly and then swimming when the water becomes deeper, not looking back. Only the splashing sound of Eve by my side keeps me aware that she’s all right. And soon we reach a muddy shore and we run, or try to, our feet sinking in the mud and tangling in the roots of the swamp trees. We have to keep running: we hear clearly the sound of the creature running after us. I trip. Eve turns back to help me up and for the expression of horror in her eyes I see the creature is too close.

“Run! Run!! Don’t worry about me!!” I shout, and I see the struggle in her eyes when she finally turns back and runs, while I try to crawl away before I feel the sting, and then my limbs become heavy… and all is darkness….

There goes another day.

Kyle opened his eyes, still half asleep. The fog had a strange effect in his mind and he had not been able to sleep during the night, but he wasn’t completely awaken either. Suddenly, a figure came out of the mist, screaming.

“Please! Please, help me!!!”

He got up with a jump, completely aware now. The elven figure was completely familiar, and yet… Wait, was this a déjà vu? This was the image he had seen the day before.

But this time the elven girl, white soaked chemise completely stuck against her skin, wrists in blood and bare feet, ran towards him and grabbed him by the neck of his shirt.

“Oh, Kyle!!! Is it you? Maker’s breath, this is a miracle!”

He was at the same time surprised and relieved, and a bit aroused at the revealing shapes of his wife under the chemise, when he suddenly realized something. It was maybe the way she looked at him, or the way she had spoken his name… That elf was not Mari.

“Eve? Is that you?”

“Yes! Come with me! Mari! The monster!!”

Kyle had it hard to think about it twice. Mari was in danger. There was a monster. And he had not his sword. Awesome, said a small portion of his brain, while the rest motioned his whole body for combat.

And soon he saw it. Eve stood by his side, trembling but not stepping back. Brave little girl, it probably was in the Blank’s genes. He put his arm between her and the giant spider.

“Go for help, Eve. I’ll fight it in the meanwhile”

She hesitated for a moment, a “It’s my sister!” reply in her eyes, but then she nodded and ran away. She knew she could do nothing against that thing.

It was a spider indeed, but not like the one Mari and him had fought in that cave, the day he realized he could have lost her. This one had an…unreal thing about it. It looked like rotten flesh, and the head… he could swear there was an elven head on the top of the spider’s one. A head he had seen before, in the Deep Roads. But overall, it seemed something from the Fade. An abomination.

The monster was busy wrapping something with its spider-like jaws, and Kyle didn’t need to see the hint of red hair to know it was Mari’s body. He screamed in rage, his berserker fury burning across his veins.

“Release her!!”

And he rushed trying to move it apart from the cocoon with a head butt. The spider, taken by surprise, stumbled away a couple of steps, to turn back its jaws and jump over this new danger. Kyle couldn’t avoid a first blow.

Blood was streaming down his eyes as his vision was blurring, but Ser Mallory knew he couldn’t give up. His ears were also bleeding, and he couldn’t listen for the creepy crawly's claws shuffling on the muddy floor, but the rage was still burning in his blood.

"Bite off his head, tear him in half, pick his brain or eat him whole, leaving bits of bones behind is a no - no". He could almost hear the beast’s thoughts as the spider drove him to a corner. He took something from the ground and stabbed blindly at it.

“Darkness is your ally”, a soft female voice whispered, “not only because you can hide, but also because of me”.

Slender, smooth hands went around his body. Lovely, soft voices poured into his ears. He closed his eyes to drink them all in and feel strength returning into him.

“Mari?” he asked. But there was no reply.

He opened his eyes and was cornered, right below the beast’s huge shape. The elven head’s cold eyes looked into Kyle’s green ones, and its pale lips were curved into a deadly smirk. The poor Ser Mallory knew that, if he died here, it would make a lasting impact on whoever the monster was trying to impress.

Then, her sweet voice was pouring into his ears again. "Stop, stop the mage, please." And he wanted oh so much to turn around and kiss her, but he had the feeling he couldn’t.

His newly found strength and clarity of mind allowed him to realize three of the Spider's Eyes were bleeding. His heart pounding in his chest, he threw a handful of mud into the remaining eyes, and slide below the furry creature as it struggled with its new blindness. Within seconds, ignoring the creature’s enraged cries; he crawled on the creature's back and proceeded to break off its neck with his bare hand. The monster collapsed…. But the barely human head stood up.

A grotesque thing detached itself and crawled on four hands from the dead spider’s body. There was fire in its hands. The spider was burning. The thing groaned. “You… will… pay!”

On the opposite side of the clearing, Evelyn appeared with a person with golden armour. Then, in an action that no one expected, the creature’s hand heated, and proceeded to throw a fireball at Ser Mallory. But Templar magic calmly neutralized the pale mage, then the person with the golden armor pointed at him and bellowed a single word: "Maleficar!”. Behind him, a group of soldiers fell over the creature, now with nothing to defend himself.

Kyle stumbled and excused himself, anxiously searching for something with his eyes. He caught a glimpse of something glowing in the corner and immediately ran towards it. He ripped the cocoon, looked inside and despaired. Her hair was red and her arms were smooth, still beautiful, but he couldn’t kiss her. Seeming barely a child, she laid dead with red and blue on her skin. Ser Mallory held the little body into his arms and sobbed.

The warrior was taken back to reality by the sound of horses and a hand on his shoulder. Lord Cousland - his long time friend - was looking battered and worried when he finally looked up at him. Evelyn was also there, deep concern in her eyes, and also that templar they had met a couple of times… what was his name again? He didn’t care. She was dead. It was too late…

Ryan squeezed his shoulder. “Let me see her, Kyle… The mage wanted her alive… maybe…”

Kyle reluctantly released his grip around Mari’s body, at least enough for Ryan to examine her. The noble checked her pulse and put his shinny greave in front of her face. When a very faint breath fogged up the surface he looked back at his friend with a sigh of relief.

“Alive”

Ser Mallory’s reaction was just looking into her face again, taking a lock of hair away from it, and suddenly hug her, sobbing. Evelyn knelt on the floor like collapsing, with a sigh of relief. The Lord Cousland shook his head, got up and rushed to call a healer. “Someone has to keep a cold head”, he mumbled.

Do you know that feeling when you were sleeping so tight that when you wake up it is as if someone pulled you back into your body?. Well that’s what I’m feeling now, and it is not a pleasant feeling… because my head aches and my limbs are dumb and I feel I can’t control them… I was so much better where I was before coming back to my body!!

I open my eyes and I could swear that even my eyelids hurt.

I see Kyle’s… and Evelyn’s… and even Ser Ryan’s faces staring at me and for the look in their eyes I’d swear this time it has been close… even closer than that other time the spider bite me… and for the first time I really feel scared.

And suddenly the memories strike me like a bolt… not only the kidnapping, and the destroyed house… and the spider… I also remember standing by Kyle’s side while he was fighting, the way I always do, the way we’re meant to be. And I could swear he heard me, he could feel me… Was I dead?

He suddenly hugs me so tight I am out of my breath again, and when I try to beg him to release me, I just cough. Evelyn puts a gentle hand in his shoulder.

“Careful, big boy… let her recover. You’re going to crush her ribs”

And I’m back on the improvised bed, panting again, and under the healer’s care, I get asleep again… But this time it is a healthy, strength recovery sleep.

When I wake up, things seem more calmed. Ryan’s men are still moving around, researching on the ruins of what had been that wooden house where the mage had held us. A man in a templar armour, with his hand replaced by a sword, is checking a cage where a grotesque thing is kept. I narrow my eyes… I have seen that thing… when I was fighting… dreaming that I was fighting with Kyle. Evelyn is curled up close to me, sleeping too. I forgot she was also wounded when we escaped. And Kyle is still by my side, holding my hand. I squeeze it slightly to tell him I’m awaken.

He strokes my forehead lovingly, more calmed now. “How do you feel?”

“As if a herd of brontos had ran over my whole body” I reply quite accurately, in a low voice not to disturb Evelyn. “But happy to see you… What happened?”

Kyle rubs his nape, both because he’s probably more tired than I will ever be, and because he’s not sure about how to start, or how even to tell it. My speechless warrior. I rub his leg. “All right, don’t worry… you’ll tell me later”. Or more accurately, Ryan will. I will make sure of it.

As expected, Ryan has no problem to give me all the details about the story. Even the unwanted ones.

Evelyn had run into him when he was searching the marsh because of reports of strange events happening in the marsh. Ser Campbell, the Templar, had arrived to Highever and asked the Couslands for permission to investigate those events, which seemed to point to his personal quest for Edanhor. Ryan didn’t hesitate to offer also his help, and even a group of his personal men.

He had had it hard to believe the weird stories about the haunted place… until he found the corpse of one of the beasts with Kyle’s sword deeply sunk into its flesh and the package his friend had gone to fetch to Denerim in its jaws. So now he had a personal interest to stay in the marsh in search of his friend, and that’s how Evelyn found them.

While Ryan talks, Ser Campbell is watching the cage where the unfortunate abomination is kept, seeming disappointed. The thing is just repeating “You’ll see, master… I got them… both of them… alive… for you”, but no clues of where his master is, neither why he wanted to capture us. Not even our.. father’s diary.

“I will send this poor… thing… to Kirkwall”, he announces. “The First Enchanter is studying abominations and the effects they have in the people’s bodies. This will be both a good subject of study and a warning of what dealing with demons may bring to mages”

As if I cared. The further it is from me, the better. But Ser Campbell has other concerns.

“This area”, he adds, getting up and walking towards us, and especially towards Ryan. “We have to seal it”.

“You can feel it too, huh?” Ryan looks up at him.

The templar nods. “The veil is thin. It is as if they had left a gate opened…”. I remember what the crazy mage said with a shiver, and I wonder if I should tell him about the smashed ring. He sighs. “I can send some of my men to watch over, but if you can, at least, forbid people to get close…”

Ryan nods. “No problem. We will spread a story about Barbarians camping here. That will keep people away”

Kyle smiles, tired. “And why should those barbarians be so interested on this place, anyway?”

Ryan’s face lightens up. His storyteller side is already plotting.

“They were waiting for you, my friend, of course!” he says enthusiastically. “And for those goodies you bring from Denerim. And little did we know that their base was right on this marsh; in fact, if you had kept on walking, you would have fallen right into one of their traps, as they received news of your return to Highever last night and planned to intercept the package and capture Ser Mallory himself”. He stops to catch breath, then adds "They thought I will trade Highever for you, my friend."

"And would you?" Ser Mallory asks jokingly.

"I would, but then I remember that you'd kill me anyway." Says the young Lord Cousland, chuckling. "Now, we should return to castle Highever to examine the package”

“With your permission, my lord, I’d like to have a night off. To spend it with my wife” Kyle turns his head at me. I’m just leaning mine over his shoulder, relaxed, while he strokes my hair. “We both deserve it, after the experience”

Even if the place still feels haunted, the fog has started to clear out, and some sunrays make the place brighter, making all of us feel better.

“Just what was in that goshdarn package anyway?"

"Nothing. Definitely not the medal of the Champion of Highever", Ryan chuckles.

Everything is all right now. Time to go home.

Antivan Sailors

I’m peacefully dreaming that Kyle is kissing and licking me in a very sensual way, when I realize it is Nelson, the mabari puppy Ryan and Mary Sue gave us as a Wedding Anniversary gift’s tongue which is soaking my face in the morning. I’m about to shout something, angry, but the tickles make me laugh, and the dog takes it as a good sign and starts waving his tail. Unable to get rid of him, I yell at Kyle. "Take that filthy thing away from the bed!"

Nelson looks at me with beggar eyes, and I continue laughing. I can't be mad at the poor thing. Mabaris are maybe the ugliest dogs ever breed, but I must admit as a puppy the little beast is adorable… and his eyes already hint that legendary intelligence of the mabaris. And of course, as all dogs do, he adores me. I wonder if it is something in my scent? Sigh. Well, I have lost track of Stripes back at the tavern, so it is kind of healthy having something similar to a baby to care for again. Helps us to heal the wounds of Emma’s lose.

But when I’m already resigned to my fate, I feel another tongue licking my ear and I turn my head surprised, to find my own husband licking me like the puppy, and making a puppy face at me. The situation is so hilarious I can’t resist.

"Oh you two are crazy!!", I say shaking my head and making a bubbling noise, and wipe the drool from my face with the sheets

He blinks "But Nelson is not filthy". Yeah. Because I bath him once a week, I think, but I have no time to say it.

The puppy scratches his ear and pants, looks at me again and licks my fingers, while Kyle bites my earlobe

"Hey, hey". I laugh again. "If you do that I won't be able to know who's the puppy, and I may end up kissing the wrong one"

Kyle laughs at the idea, while Nelson makes a whine sound, so I scratch him behind the ears as an excuse to release my hand from his tongue.

I smirk. "You laugh, but what if he's better kisser than you?" I tease him. Nelson barks happy and leans on the side where I scratched him, so I sigh resigned and scratch his tummy

"So now I have two puppies" I tease again. As a reply, Nelson shows his stomach and startles the left leg that way silly dogs do. Kyle grunts and sucks my cheek. I continue scratching the greedy puppy while I turn my head to smooch Kyle, making him smirk proud. Nelson is already on heaven.

I’m starting to feel excited, so I grab Kyle's nape with my free hand, and feel delighted how he pulls my lower lip and release it.

I notice Nelson turning around so I can scratch his other side, but I’m too busy invading my man’s mouth with my tongue, and I soon ignore completely the dog to hug Kyle. Nelson whines, but finally he jumps out of the bed and goes away. An angry shriek from the kitchen announces us he has decided to go to pester Tim, so now we can focus in ourselves.

A furtive thought reminds me I have left in the kitchen the buns I baked yesterday night for breakfast, but I get crushed by Kyle’s body when he decides to pay attention to mine and I soon decide I don’t give a damn for those buns after all.

His passionate embrace becomes so tight I can hardly breath, so before I choke I steal breath from his mouth, until he realizes it and releases me a bit. Then I catch him between my naked legs and I move a hand between them to grab his crotch.

"Fufufu. What is going on I wonder?" he winks.

"You tell me, but I'd swear your baby demands attention". He shakes his head, disagreeing, and then rubs it on my neck, making me purr of delight. While I mess his hair with the hand that is not busy, he sucks, and I know that when I get up I’ll find another mark in my neck. As if I cared, I think, and tease the back of his legs with my feet while finding his earlobe to bite. I’m rewarded by a faint meow and a smile, and his hands caressing my body shape.

I’m busy nuzzling his ear and playing with my hand between his legs, feeling his desire teasing my belly button, when we hear a crumble sound from the kitchen with makes me startle and lose all my concentration.

"What was that?" I complain, more upset by the interruption than by what it may mean.

"Maybe they made the tray fall" he mumbles, and then pouts at my expression. "Meh, they’re having fun”, he says, meaning the puppy and Tim. “We should have it too. Now come back to me".

His enthusiasm makes me smirk. "But you arrange whatever they broke", I purr in his ear, and retake my work where I had left it.

But after some minutes and when we are at the most embarrassing heat of the moment, someone knocks on the door.

I curse beneath my teeth, my senses returning to reality, and look at my sweaty husband, still moving over me. "Do you wait for someone?"

"Uh huh?”, he groans, not stopping. “I don’t know… who can be… at this time?"

I bite my lips. His movement makes it hard to concentrate. "So if we wait for nobody, we ignore them?"

His sweat makes a bead on his temple. "Unless it is..."

I blink, stare at him. Damn it, let’s sort this out and finish what we were doing!

"Who?"

"The Cousland", he finishes, grabbing my breast. I close my eyes, and moan, happy to be reminded of what the priorities are.

"Fuck the Cousland, we're busy", I say, keeping his hands there.

He bites the pointy tip of my ear with an evil smirk. "What are you saying?”

As a reflex, my hips move faster. "Nothing".

He laughs. Outside the knock stops for now, so we can focus on our task, forgetting soon that there was a world around us trying to take us away from our morning sex.

After everything is over, Kyle looks at me with a tender smile, which somehow becomes a smirk.

“So our daily need was more important than a meeting, eh?”

I snort. “Hey. You were the one who ignored it. If you had shown the least interest on receiving whoever was knocking, we’d have stopped… But since you seemed to think it wasn’t important, I decided to continue too”. Then I remember the first noise and sigh. “Anyway, I should check what that pair did in the kitchen”, and I get up, put a dressing robe over my naked body, and go to the kitchen to see what the dog did. As I expected, the buns are on the floor and the puppy and the mabari are feeding on them, while Tim looks at them from…

…wait…

The puppy and the mabari?

I look up at the kitchen table.

Of course the Cousland is drinking our tea.

“Don't tell me he picked the lock and is waiting for us in the kitchen” I think, feeling all the blood concentrating in my cheeks. Here I am, naked under a simple robe, and that son of a… Cousland is eating our buns and drinking our tea as if nothing had happened.

"What are you doing there?”, I say cold.

"Eh… I just wanted to have some breakfast time", Ryan says, crouching to feed his adult mabari, Nero, a piece of one of MY buns.

I glance around to make sure the puppy didn't make a mess. At least, Ryan has put back the tray in its place, but the floor is full of scattered pieces of bun. Then I look back at Ryan, narrowed eyes. "Didn't they teach you to respect the privacy of people?" and then I add... "...milord?". No courtesy intended of course.

"And… that’s why I stayed silent!". Ryan smirks teasing, and now I’m sure my cheeks are redder than my hair. Of course! He has heard me scream. I want to punch his smiling face, but Kyle now just steps out, wearing only the trouser, and saves his friend’s ugly face with a yawn and greeting.

“Come back to the bedroom” he whispers in my ear, aware of my embarrassment. But I am too furious to shut up.

"Doesn't your friend want a cup of coffee? I must be a good host" I snort.

Kyle quirks a brow. “What about you ?"

I shrug. "What about me?" I move into the kitchen and put water to boil for the coffee. Then I check the buns on the tray to see if they're bitten or something, but not trusting it, finally I sigh and throw them to the dogs. "All right, at least someone appreciates my buns". Teg’s comment about Adri’s mother’s cooking still hurts, and that’s not helping in this situation.

Kyle comes behind me and takes me by the shoulders. “Go and dress up, love” he whispers again. I shake my head.

“What for?” I whisper back. “Ryan has already seen me in the robe and even worse, he has heard us having sex”. Anyway, I make sure the belt of my robe is properly fastened. I still want the intruder to have to imagine what’s under it.

Finally I am rewarded by noticing how Ryan stirs in his chair and scratches his nape. He can see he came in a bad moment. While the water boils, I look for a jar with cookies, and put them in a dish, then I put it in front of Ryan, on the table. "Here you have. I'm sorry I can't offer you the buns I baked"

I see by the corner of my hand how Kyle rolls his eyes and shakes his head, while Ryan waves a hand "Your buns are good enough".

I see the crumbles over the table. Oh, so he already ate some with Nero? All right, better for me. I start serving him some boiling coffee, as hot as I can, but he sneaks past me to lend Kyle a small note. As if I wouldn’t notice it.

"Glad you like them", I finally say, meaning the ruined buns, and then turn to go to the bedroom to get properly dressed. I know he’s not that stupid as to drink the coffee instantly, but the fact that he has to wait until it is colder makes me feel better, I don’t know why.

While I dress in my simple, daily housewife clothes, I raise my ear to listen to the conversation they are probably having, but they’re whispering and I can’t get any of the words, so I try to come back as soon as possible and stare at them. They put what they think is an innocent smile, as if nothing happened and they were just enjoying the breakfast, while the dogs are cleaning the floor.

And it is exactly because of that that I know Ryan is planning trouble.

I sit by their side and serve coffee for myself too, take a dry cookie and soak it in the coffee. "So what did bring you here, milord?" I say then, sarcasm not concealed.

"Because of a promise " Ryan glances Kyle. "And it seems the host forgot the day!"

I glare at Kyle. "Care to explain me, love?"

He turns to me, all sweet smiles. "Ah, just something about the future!"

I smirk. "Do I leave you alone? I'm sure I can find something to do. Like..." I look at the dogs... "more buns". The dogs stare back at me, licking their snout. They’re not for you, little beasts, I think to myself. I plan to replace the ones you spoiled.

Ryan laughs. “Ah, no, you can stay. It isn’t such a big secret”

“And it may lead to a new adventure” Kyle says with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. He’s happy to be with his partner in crime again, and who am I to spoil their fun? As long as I’m invited, of course.

I sit in front of them and smile too. “All right. I’m all ears”. And I shake them to add emphasis to my words.

I’ve been listening carefully, while eating my cookies, and trying to get something which makes any sense from the fragments both Kyle and the Cousland are telling sparsely to me. After our adventure with the Dalish, Ryan has become interested about the past of the Cousland family and the reasons they have that treaty with them and certain witch they call “Asha'bellanar”. And there’s a relic somewhere he needs to retrieve, for what he has taken passage in a ship to take us there… The day and the time of the departure is in the note he has slipped in Kyle’s hand.

When they say a ship I blink

“So we’re travelling by boat?”

“Sure.” Ryan smirks. “You’ll love it, Kyle. I rented the Reina de los mares”

Kyle suddenly gets pale. “What?”

“The what?” I ask. “That sounds Antivan”

Ryan nods. “Because we’re going to Rialto, my friends”. Then he turns at Kyle and chuckles. “Oh, come on, don’t make that face”. Ryan seems about to spill the coffee laughing. “The captain was delighted to know we were going to travel with him again, Kyle”

Kyle’s face says “nopppeeeenopeepeenoeneonepenpenpepe”, and I start to put two and two together.

“The… captain? You mean that captain?”. Ryan’s smile answers my question, and I have to bite my lips not to laugh with him too. “You did it on purpose!!” I finally manage to say.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Kyle says, red of anger. “We better get a very high value loot, because nothing can pay meeting him again”.

I grab Kyle’s arm and try to calm him. “Leave him to me” I just say. Oooh, I think I’m going to enjoy this!

So the Reina de los Mares is waiting for us at Amaranthine’s docks. It is a beautiful ship, and I can see a handsome blond man, maybe only a couple of years older than Kyle, moving on the board giving instructions to the crew. He looks /too/ handsome for a man and I understand Ryan’s explanation that his crew didn’t take him seriously. If he had a female crew, though, maybe things would have been different, I ponder.

I glance at him and whisper to Kyle "So that's the captain who thought Ryan and you were a couple?”

“Yeah. I hope he doesn’t toss us to feed the sharks when he finds out the truth”. Kyle pouts and tries to move ahead to hide in a corner. I grab him by the hand and drag him on board.

“Let’s go to greet that Ferdinand”, I say, delighted.

As soon as we get into the boat, the man comes to greet us with a wide smile.

“Welcome to La Reina!” he says. “Ooh, it is my favourite couple! Ryan and Kyle! How have you been doing lately?”

Kyle blushes that shade of red he used to blush when I harassed him, a year ago, and doesn’t return the greeting to the captain, while Ryan laughs wicked.

"Hello ser! I take this is your ship?", I interrupt, making clear I am there too, even if I’m female and an elf. Then I lend him my hand. "Thanks for helping MY husband and me reach the island".

The captain looks at me raising an eyebrow, then I return to him what I hope it is a wicked smile and tiptoe to kiss Kyle on the lips, making it clear "he's mine, bitch".

"Your husband?" he stammers.

Then I wink and add "But Ryan is still free", and then I drag Kyle to where I hope the cabins are, not letting the poor man time to react. While I go I can imagine Ferdinand looking at Ryan, tilting his head, like saying “But you told me…?”, and Ryan shrugging a bit embarrassed, then feeling relieved because he’s not Ferdinand type after all, and finally laughing to ease a bit the situation and search another person to troll.

A nice sailor points us our cabin, and I push my husband over the bed, trying to erase that blush from his face by kissing him. “If you don’t want to see that man, I’m okay to stay in this cabin during the entire trip and only get out to eat”, I tease.

He finally chuckles. “And in the ship they will wonder where all the howl sounds come from?”

“Oh yeah”, I laugh. “But admit it is a good way to prevent being getting seasick”

“I didn’t know you had seasickness,” he says nuzzling my ear. I purr as only answer.

Of course we exaggerate, and we go out from time to time, to watch the stars, or to feel the sea breeze.

Or to feel the whisper in the air around… and something like a song…

I blink.

We have just had dinner and we went out to breath some fresh air. It is already night… but the air looks darker… it seems we’re crossing a fog bank. Maybe that’s what makes the things sound weird, I think. Fog always gives that impression. It looks as if we’re sailing over an enchanted place. I brace myself.

"This is weird,” I whisper. I could even say the fog has a purple hue.

“We never said this was going to be a normal trip” Kyle tries to comfort me, but I think he feels the same. I look around.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?".

Kyle makes that weird attempt to move his ears he usually does.

"I don’t know?"

I smirk, trying to ease the mood. "Care to ask the captain?"

I know nothing about sailing, but I’m good at orientation, thanks the Maker (since poor Kyle can get lost in his own kitchen), and for a while I’ve had the feeling we’re not going the correct way. I mean, the sun is not where it should be if we were travelling to the North, and though we should have been following the coast of the Free Marches and Antive, we seem to be sailing in open sea. Damn it, why didn’t I care about it later? It seems I was too busy in the cabin. I’m starting to get really worried.

I hear steps near. Ryan is coming to us, scratching his head and not hiding a yawn. He probably was asleep, and this strange fog woke him up. He walks and stops by our side, trying to see into the cloudy weather too.

“The crew is acting weird,” he mumbles.

“What?”

“They’re acting as if their minds were foggy. Like this weather”. He points around. “Even the captain seemed confused, though that’s nothing new” he smirks. “Well. The ones that are awaken. Seems most of them went to sleep early”.

Kyle yawns. “I feel sleepy too”

I look around and smell the fog. “I don’t like this…”

“It’s as the fog were enchanted,” Ryan finishes my thought.

“Enchanted? What the fuck?” curses Kyle, when we hear a loud “Thud” on the other side of the ship. We run there, only the sailors fighting amongst themselves. One of them sees us and soon a group is charging towards us. They seem Antivan Crows, for the tattoos I can see in their faces.

"Oh great" I swear, drawing my daggers.

“Fuh”, Kyle snorts, holding his dagger too.

The assassins come closer playing with us like cats with mice. Ryan uses his magic powers to freeze the feet of the closer one, immobilizing him, and then he hits his ribs with his elbow. I spin around myself slashing whoever is near, but my foe dodges and grabs my neck, almost choking me. I try to kick his groin, at the same time than Kyle kicks his knee, and that makes him release me so I can move closer to my husband so we watch each one's back. But before I give my first two steps, I see three of those thugs taking him down. I jump over them, reckless. How do they dare to touch my man? Suddenly, a couple of them go out from nowhere and grab my arms and my neck, and I only can kick defenceless while I see how the other three tie Kyle and hold him in place. I struggle like crazy! If I just could move my arm…. And cut their throat… But there are like a dozen of them, and we’re only three…

Ryan whacks the head of his three rivals with a magical hammer made of water, and runs to try to help us, but before he can reach us one of them kicks my stomach and makes me bend over myself. The last thing I remember before everything turns black, is my head falling to the ground, and Kyle’s concerned look.

When I wake up again, the first thing my eyes look for are Kyle’s. I finally see him sighing of relief, standing by Ryan’s side and watched over by a couple of assassins. I see the rest of the crew around, and I’m not sure if being scared or relieved, because it seems the assassins didn’t mean to kill any of us, and I’m not sure if that means they need us alive or they just want to have their fun killing us later.

A young elven man, blond hair and the dark skin of the Antivan people, walks towards me and takes my chin up.

“Look what we have here” he says with a very strong Antivan accent. “Who’s say this little kitty would be more difficult to reduce than a full grown warrior and his mage friend?”

And while he talks he looks into my eyes as if he was looking for something special. I try to move my face away, but his grip is stronger than I can stand. Suddenly he releases me and laughs.

“She’s clean too, Taliesin. Bring him with the others”

A human nods and drags me by Kyle and Ryan’s side. They’re tied like me, but they don’t seem harmed either. The elf continues examining the rest of the crew, but he shakes his head and keeps them in the other side of the board. Finally he arrives to the captain. The poor man is shaking, but his eyes look confused and even tied and hold by a couple of strong crows, he struggles and tries to bite the elf’s hand when he approaches it to his face.

“This man is the most affected” the elf says. “Keep him under vigilance; one doesn’t know what he may try”. Then he turns to us.

“Please forgive us, my friends. It seems this has been a terrible mistake”

“A mistake to attack our crew?” I scowl. “What did you expect? A party?”

The elf shakes his head, moving his long blond hair in a funny way. Though I think he believe he’s trying to be seductive.

“And she has a sense of humour! What a pity we don’t have time to know each other better... Just know we’re on your side. We just had to fight for our lives when the possessed crew attacked”

“Possessed?” I ask again

“The fog”, says Ryan. “It was an enchantment, wasn’t it?”

The elf nods. “Yes. And it seems it was aimed specially to our brave handsome captain, wasn’t it, my dear Ferdinand?”

But Ferdinand is looking around as if he was hearing strange voices, and doesn’t seem to notice the elf. Which, by the way, makes the assassin looks a bit disappointed. As if they had had an affair before. Damn it, are all these Antivans gay?

“So suddenly the crew turned against us. Against all of you too”, he points at us, “But fortunately their minds were not clear. They were following orders, from whom, I don’t know. But they were changing our route”

“That I noticed” I mumble. “That’s why the ship is going nowhere”

“I wouldn’t say it is going nowhere” the elf’s friend, the one he called Taliesin, interrupts. “I’d say we’re heading to Llomeryn”

Llomeryn? That would explain why we are in open sea, I think, but I don’t say it aloud.

“So we have to un-possess the captain” says Ryan, using very technical magic words.

"Hope he doesn't need a kiss from his true love" I tease.

“Ah yeah he needs”, says the Assassin distractedly. “A pity he’s not there, is he?”

Ryan and me turn our heads to look at Kyle. He has that “What the fuck are you looking at me” face, green with anger, and starts hitting the ground with his foot where he’s standing, like a grumpy kid. I can’t help but giggle.

Even with his hands tied, Ryan pushes him as if were an accident, and poor Kyle stumbles and falls into Ferdinand’s open arms, unable to avoid it.

I look at Ryan “What?” he says. “That way the horror will be lesser”.

Ferdinand catches him and gives him a French kiss, and I have the feeling he continues doing it delighted even after the possession is over, while poor Kyle struggles, his face greener as if he was about to puke, absolutely freaking out, while the captain releases him with a face which is screaming “It was awesome!” Pfft, as if I didn’t know it. Those lips are mine, captain, and will continue being so.

After the Assassins’ laughter, the elf approaches to us and cuts our ropes, and I have the feeling he takes a bit longer to cut mine... touching my butt more than necessary, but I say nothing because Kyle would skin him. With my hands released, I cover my mouth not to laugh too hard, and pat Kyle’s back

"Ok, ok... calm down...” I say. "Your sacrifice saved us"

Ryan is busy biting his hand, not to laugh too loud, while Kyle’s face say “The Void with sacrifice”, and moves away looking for water to wash his mouth. So I walk towards him, grab the collar of his shirt and kiss him, deep and hungrily, the way he likes it, to make him feel better, while both the Assassins and the sailors whistle and shout as us, encouraging me to make it deeper. Which I do willingly.

But he shakes his head, not much better.

“Please”, he whispers, pushing me away. “I need water. I need to clean my mouth”

I see him go, and then I notice that poor Ferdinand, who was looking at him with dreamy eyes, walks away depressed.

Ryan’s laugh sounds like the howl of a wolf, because he cannot unsee that kiss scene repeating in his mind. Poor Kyle, he’ll remind it to him again and again.

“But what about the crows?”, I ask to Ryan. Now that I think about it, I recognize the faces. They were amongst the crew, or maybe like passengers too, from the beginning.

“We should ask them” Ryan shrugs.

Some time later, we’re all sitting at the captain’s table, drinking ale and Antivan wine, all cheerful except for Ferdinand’s heartbroken face and Kyle disgusted grimace, which doesn’t seem to soften with my cuddling. The elf, Zevran was his name, explains to us that they were hired by someone to protect the cargo and make sure it arrived safe to Rialto.

“Then, why attacking us?”, Kyle asks.

“We didn’t mean to attack you” ,Zevran says. “Well, at least not until the sailors attacked first. We couldn’t know who were possessed and who wasn’t, though it is clear the spell was directed only to the crew. Specially the captain, who was the one who commanded them to attack”. Ferdinand lowers his head, ashamed.

“So now we’re going to meet our contact in...where?” I say, confused.

“Antiva city”, Ryan says, drinking a sip of his wine. “But it seems someone wasn’t interested on us to arrive”

“Who?” I ask.

“A blood mage”, Kyle says, grim.

Ryan nods. “Yes. Hence the enchantment... the fog... the possession over the captain and his crew... But the mage isn’t on board. We would have already noticed him... or her... so... It must be something in the cargo”. He turns to Ferdinand.

“Most of them are goodies a respectable widow from Rialto made us bring to her under contract” the captain says, getting out of his melancholy. “Except the ones you hired me to carry, of course”, he turns to Ryan

“Maybe not so respectable”, Kyle mumbles.

“Whatever it is, it may be dangerous”

“So we should pay a visit to her, before we meet our contact”, Ryan smiles. “Hope she is young and pretty”

Kyle and me facepalm at the same time.

The way to meet the mysterious widow is easy. Zevran is more than happy to let us join his group of mercenaries when we deliver her goodies, something his partner Taliesin doesn’t seem to like much. But strangely the elf is in charge, and more strange even, he seems to like us, so we follow him.

The goodies include several boxes, and one in particular draws my attention… to long and big enough to keep inside a corpse. I shiver. The widow’s house, though, has nothing special.

A servant greets us and leads us to the back door to deliver the boxes, but Ryan steps ahead and demands to see the Lady. His charm barely works, but when he says his real name the servant raises a brow and allows him to accompany him to the widow’s room. Kyle and I exchange a look. Ryan takes his time and we’re already considering to fight our way to rescue him when the servant comes back.

“Milady called for her guest’s friend” he says, harsh as a dry tree. I’m about to scowl but Kyle pushes me ahead. We start following the servant and I realize Zevran comes too. Kyle doesn’t seem to mind so I shrug. He has saved our lives… sort of, so if that doesn’t include him in the “Friend” category, at least it doesn’t put him in the “Foe” one.

We finally meet in a highly decorated and not very well lit room and I wonder if that woman has Orlesian ancestors. Ryan stands up to greet us, by his side a woman stays sitting on a chair. She has her legs covered by a blanket even in the hot Antivan weather, and I guess she’s the Lady. Seems she doesn’t feel she should get up to greet us.

Even if the dark ambiance of the room has been studied to hide that she’s not young, as Ryan wished, she definitely keeps a serene beauty. Her hair is black, except for grey streaks in her temples, and her eyes pierce us with a golden look. She nods slightly, with a faint smile which is, though, warm and welcoming. Even so, her presence is imposing and I don’t feel at ease.

She looks at us and smiles at Zevran, silently approving that he’s there too. Of course, she hired him, so I guess she trusts him after all.

“Please my friends, take a seat”, she says, pointing at the remaining chairs with her hands. We do so, and stare at her. At least me, I’m not sure about what to say or what not, so better stay silent. “I am Dorella Montoya. Ser Cousland, right here, and me”, she starts, slight head movement at Ryan, “have had a very interesting conversation… and it seems our interests are similar. Because, you know… That Asha'bellanar he’s trying to research about… she was my ancestor” she smiles in an “isn’t is fascinating?” way. I tilt my head.

“Such a coincidence” I can’t help but say. “Does that mean you both are going to join your forces, or you’re going to fight over... those interests?”

The woman chuckles. “Clever observation, my elf friend. Both ser Ryan and me want to get some… items connected to my great-great grandmother… But” she points at her legs “look at me. I have the knowledge… but I don’t have the means to try to retrieve them. And as much as I trust my good friends Crows here”, she points at Zevran and I’m starting to think this woman likes to point too much, maybe she was a teacher when she was younger, “I can’t forget they’re mercenaries and, no offense meant, my handsome friend” Zevran shakes his head and mutters “no offense taken”, but the woman continues as if he had not spoken, “I can’t send them alone in such a task… no without someone with legit interest in that relic, to prevent a better buyer offering a price higher than mine, if you understand what I mean…”

“And if we find that relic, what?” Kyle frowns, direct as always.

Ryan tries to keep the peace. “We have a deal, Kyle. None of us wants the relic because of its value, but because of what we can learn of it… and the use we can make of it. We both want the same, so I’ve agreed to provide the working hands while she’ll provide the knowledge to reach our goal”

“If it works for you…” Kyle replies. He doesn’t trust the woman much, but he trusts his friend. I’m reluctant myself, so I continue asking

“What do you need that relic for, anyway? For what Ryan says, it is a Cousland heritage”

Dorella nods. “Indeed. The relic is the Medal of the Champion of Highever, and it is actually what Sarim Cousland used to defeat my ancestor in the Tower Age. And just because of that, I want to study it to protect myself from her”

I blink. “From her? But… the Tower Age… she must have been dead for ages?”

The woman chuckles as if I had said something very funny. “Flemeth? Dead? Oh, no, my friend. She found a way to escape that fate… or maybe she always was truly immortal, since there are tales which say she never was completely human… She feds on her daughters and she has had many of them during the years, to recover her strength or to come back from the Fade if someone kills her…”

Suddenly something makes “click” in my head. Of course. Flemeth was the author of that grimoire my father was so interested about when he was in the Circle tower, and the one from whom, it seems, he learnt the possession spell he used on poor Farinellaros to use his body. I get pale, and despite the faint light, Dorella notices it.

“My grand-grand mother managed to escape that fate”, she is saying, “and she could build a family which eventually led to myself. But others haven’t been so fortunate… And for the look in your eyes, my sweet girl, I’d say you know something about it, am I wrong?”

Kyle looks at me and squeezes my hand, trying to comfort me. Ryan smiles.

“Tell her, Mari. I trust her, and maybe she can help you…”

I swallow, and finally I tell Dorella about my father, Flemeth’s grimoire and all the harm he has caused us… or at least part of it. Dorella’s eyes are understanding and sweet, and now I get why Ryan trusts her.

“Do you have that grimoire, sweetheart?” she asks. I shake my head.

“No. It is at the Circle Tower in Ferelden”. Dorella frowns. A place she probably doesn’t want to visit, since it is quite clear now she’s an apostate. “But… I have my father’s diary…”. Dorella blinks.

“Oh, I would love to read it… will you mind to lend it to me next time we meet?”

I nod, and turn to my backpack. I always carry it with me, that and my own diary. I don’t want both of them to fall in dangerous hands. “I have it here” I say, lending it to her. She takes it with reverence. “Edanhor Blank… I’ve heard rumours…” she looks at me, and something has changed in the way she looks at me. “So… you’re his daughter?”

I nod. “So he told me, even if I grew up thinking my father was a good man at the alienage. But I think he only wants me as a vessel to give birth a male heir he can possess”

Dorella surprises me moving her hand over the table to squeeze mine. “So you understand why I need to protect my family from Flemeth” she says. “Now the urge to find that relic becomes greater”

“You said you don’t trust someone would pay a higher fee to the Crows to make them change sides… do you think that’s related to the attack at the ship?”, says Ryan suddenly. I guess there’s no time for sentimentalism.

“Do you think Edanhor sent the attack?” I ask, concerned. He has been quite true to his promise of not messing with us again, but I still don’t trust him. “But they were trying to kill us…”

Zevran, who has been silent all this time, shakes his head. “No, the attack was addressed to the crew. Someone wanted the cargo in Rivain… and no witnesses. That’s why they tried to kill us all”

Dorella nods. “And if they wanted the ship in Rivain… I have my own suspect”. Ryan, Kyle and me stare at her, while Zevran nods slightly – I guess he knows a bit more than us. “Nada”, she finally says. “We were lucky he didn’t know there were other people apart from the crew in the ship…”

“Nada?” Ryan blinks. “What’s that?”

“It’s nothing”, Kyle protests. “Nada means “nothing” in Antivan”.

“It’s not something”, Dorella replies. “It is somebody. Nada is the name of a disciple I took when I established myself in Antiva… when I married Domingo. He was an elven slave in Tevinter. I’m not sure if he escaped or was released when his magic abilities appeared, but by then he was already insane because of the things he had to endure”

I shiver. Same of Haakan seems to fear the Circle more than anything in this life, I’m afraid of slavism and what it means, specially after the stories I’ve heard from Tevinter. “In any case”, Dorella continues, “he ran away and managed to arrive to Antiva. A friend found him, almost starving, delirious. “Nada” was the only word he muttered, and finally he took it as a name. It was clear he had magic power so my friend sent him to me, and I tried to help him to channel it, try to heal him from his insanity. Then… he learnt about Flemeth, and became obsessed”.

“I see a trend there” I mutter. Dorella sighs.

“Flemeth’s legend is too powerful, Marilyn. It has infatuated many people. But there was something wrong in Nada’s mind, even before knowing about her. And unfortunately his magic power was too strong too”. She looks at me. “You elves seem to have a natural affinity to magic, did you know it?”

I shrug. “I have the magic affinity of a potato, so don’t look at me”.

“Ah but you have the potential in you, I can feel it… as probably your father does”, she says. “Anyway, Nada finally tried to steal my secrets. He… managed to blow up my laboratory…”, she looks at her legs, sad, and now I understand why she didn’t get up to greet us…. “Domingo tried to stop him… but… well, he… failed… Finally Nada ran away… and for what I’ve heard, he’s in Rivain, where he has managed to make a living from the weak presence of the Chantry there…”

“And you really think he was able to know what your cargo was and prepare an attack?” Ryan says, a bit confused.

“I said he was insane, not that he was stupid. Actually he’s very clever, and I’m sure he has quite an information network right now”. Dorella shakes her head. “But now, my friends, I think I’ve taken enough of your time. Maybe you’ll want to be present tomorrow at the ritual I plan to perform to know where the Medal of the Champion of Highever is?”

The next morning finds us following Dorella, who is carried by the arms of a tall, horned woman whom I wouldn’t like to challenge in fair combat. Later Kyle would explain me that she is a Kossith, the race most Qunaris belong to, but that she probably isn’t a Qunari, but a “Tal Vashoth”, that is, a person who left their religion, the Qun. That doesn’t make her less impressive, and I’m amazed that Dorella trusts her enough to allow her carry her defenceless body like a doll. But, as the widow told us, that woman is not only a servant, but also her nurse, personal assistant and bodyguard. I whistled surprised.

The impressive servant leads us downstairs, to the dark room where the goodies we brought with us in the ship were stored. She gently leaves Dorella on a chair and looks at her like asking for permission to leave, which the widow grants with a slight movement of her head. I look around. The big, wooden box which looked like a coffin is now open and discarded against a wall, but in front of the chair there’s a long table where a body, covered by a sheet up to the shoulders, lays silently. I narrow my eyes. It’s not a body. It is a mummy.

Dorella turns to her right and starts messing with some items she has in a small table by her side. I notice not even Zevran is here. Seems this small show is for our eyes only. What is the witch up to? I’m confused. Suddenly the widow tries to reach some incense bars away from her and almost makes fall a bottle, and Kyle rushes to help her. He stops in middle way, frozen by her glare. Then she shakes her head, and starts lighting the bars, which burn slowly, filling the room with smoke and a scent which reminds me of the Chantry.

“I’m sorry… I don’t usually have people around. These rituals are too fragile, to delicate… one wrong movement, and all will be spoiled”

“Maybe you should allow your assistant…?” Ryan suggests, while I walk towards Kyle and try to reassure his hurt pride. But Dorella dismisses it.

“No. I already committed that mistake before… and she tried to use my secrets in her behalf… dragging the attention of the Chantry over us. That’s why I had to leave Nevarra”.

“But you trust us” I say, arms crossed over my chest. I’m always angry when someone is rude to my husband.

She looks at us. “Most of the ritual is done, don’t be fooled. And since you’re from Highever, I need you to see whatever this spirit is willing to show us”. I don’t correct her mistake, but something in my face must reveal my disgust because she adds. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to invoke any angry ghost… Despite what rumours say, not even the most skilled necromancers can make come back the souls of those who have already trespassed the last threshold”.

I sigh of relief, but still don’t understand. “Then… why do you need that mummy?”

She smiles. “Let’s start by the beginning. This woman, here, is my venerable grand-grandmother. Remember? That Flemeth’s daughter I told you about. She managed to escape from her mother’s influence thanks to the Medal of the Champion of Highever”. She looks at Ryan. “How did she manage to get it, I don’t know, but she was the last person who saw it, and her memories can tell us where did she hide it. Her spirit is gone long ago… but her empty carcass is still attached to her memories. That’s why we preserve our dead ones in Nevarra… Now… let’s see if we can find anything in her…”

She takes a jewel; some kind of precious stone carved and mounted in the shape of an eye, and puts it on the forehead of the mummy. Then she channels her magic, while reciting some kind of litany, and soon some images, at first blurry, then a bit more clear, start to be visible in the smoke curtain the incense bars have created. So the smoke was for that, I suppose. Well, for that, and maybe to drug us and make us see strange things. One never knows with mages.

The feeling is weird. We see images, as if we were there, but we’re not there, and that makes me feel a bit dizzy. I see a woman running. A fight. Darkness. Maybe a cave. Dwarves. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea where the place is.

But Ryan’s smile says otherwise, and the glance he exchanges with Kyle just confirms it.

They know.

Two days after the ritual, we’re sailing back to Highever. Ryan was sensible enough not to hire the Reina de los Mares again, and after an meeting with his contact in Rialto, a dwarf who didn’t have much more information, but confirmed Ryan and Kyle’s suspects, we allowed Dorella to take passage for all of us in the ship of a friend of her belated husband.

And when I say all of us, that included Dorella and her Kossith “legs”, Willow.

“So the entrance is between Highever and Amaranthine?” Dorella is asking, examining a map with Ryan and Kyle.

“It’s an abandoned cave west of Kal’Hirol, probably a hall, or a smaller thaig”. Ryan explains. I frown. I still remember the last time we got into the Deep Roads and I’m not very interested on repeating the experience. Ryan tries to reassure me. “It’s completely harmless, Mari. It probably got isolated from the main Thaig by a collapse ages ago, and now there are only some old passages and caves. It’s not too deep. Kyle and me used to hide there when we were children, and look at us! Still here!”

I continue frowning. Ryan’s charm doesn’t have effect on me anymore. “I still don’t like it. Specially if she’s coming”. I point at Dorella. I don’t want to offend her, but… well, even with the horned lady carrying her, her useless legs will put her, and us, in more danger than anything. Ryan finally gives up.

“All right. I’ll send a note to the inn, and see if our friends can join us. If not, we can always find some adventurers’ help. Is that okay?”

No. It isn’t. But it is better than nothing.