BioWare owns all except what I made up. : )

Hello my wonderful fans! I know I promised that I would try to write a chapter a month, cycling which story has a chapter, but as they say, the best laid plans go oft awry. I had a bathroom remodel going on which, surprising enough, eats up a lot of time. More than I'd like, and it's been three months and the project still isn't finished with a no show even. That and I got terribly sick with a horrible upper respiratory infection that was going around my work. It took three full months to recover completely; the last thing to be restored was my lung function and voice. Of course it meant I didn't have the energy to write either on my novel or my stories, and of course the stress of it all caused writer's block. So, I started to play DAO again and doing Kai's adventures so I could write a chapter that would get my groove back. This one is, game dialogue heavy, but it's helped tremendously in getting me back to writing. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thanks for your patience and your support. I and without further ado, my usual shout outs to say thank you: ElyssaCousland, Kikalina, NerdLord2nd, CP Nightshade-Eyesof-Asteria, Muppet245, XtremeDreamer, OneMorePelican, TinaOnTheAstralPlains, Koreemenei, dekicobee, smileintochaos, swanskeep0318, Yolantha, spaceconveyor, KyleChaillin, rubyredgrapes, Winterlight89, jackcoffman, Animefreak217, Anon (thanks for the review), xTeamDamonx, TurianSpaceinvader, LadyGreyBergamot, bunik9xr, ureeber, KrystySky ( I will update, I promise), Winterborn.

I also say thanks to my friends mirelia, Ladyamesindy, and Chele for their continued support and beta talents. I am so blessed to have you in my life for this, and so many reasons, my love to you all.

Blessings!

Stepping from the warm dusty light of the chantry courtyard into the dimly lit hall was like jumping into a cold pool of water. The heavy wooden doors shut out the loud buzz of too many people in too little space, along with the wall of smell. The lack of noise was almost deafening. The quiet murmurs of conversations were punctuated by the chantry priests performing the Chant of Light and the soft ringing of the bells from the tower. The smells of the unwashed bodies inside became lost in the smoke of the incense thrown on the flaming braziers set about the building.

Kai took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the change in light, noticing that this chantry's aisles were used to create a library full of books. The long narrow nave had been emptied of benches, and was filled instead, with various groups of refugees all speaking in hushed tones along with templars in their metal armor. Kai shot the witch a look out of the corner of her eye. Morrigan seemed nonplussed by their presence, reminding Kai once more of a cat in terms of personality.

Candles gave off their sweet honey scent while chasing the shadows into corners to skulk and flicker. If it weren't for the tension of frightened people, it would have been a cozy scene, if one liked religious places, which Kai did not.

Something must have shown on her face as Daveth leaned in with a conspiratorial wink. "I don't know about you, love, but these places give me the hives."

She grinned back at him before scanning the room. "We need to figure out which one of these templars is this Ser Bryant." The words were no sooner out of her mouth when heard a deep voice giving orders about evacuating the village. Kai looked in the direction it came from; the voice in question belonged to a harried and tired looking man. He would have been extremely handsome on any given day that didn't include trying to plan a mass exodus-if the conversation with his men was any indication-that and trying to keep a town from bursting at the seams. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and lines around his mouth spoke of too little sleep and not enough time.

Kai felt a pang of remorse. She suspected, just by being herself, she was about to give the man even more grief to add to his already overflowing proverbial plate. She sighed to herself, hitched her pack on her shoulders, and went to stand before him as his men dispersed.

He gave her and her companions a shrewd glance before addressing her. "Yes, my lady? Who might you be?"

She felt avoiding the whole 'I'm a Grey Warden' introduction, unless it became absolutely necessary, was the best way to start. With that in mind Kai decided to go with her name, "You can call me Kai."

His tired gaze sharpened at her lack of offering anything else, but he sounded friendly enough. "I am Ser Bryant, commander of Lothering's remaining templars." Again he looked at each of them in turn. "You don't seem like the other refugees. Are you one of Arl Eamon's knights?"

Kai cocked an eyebrow, "Do many of his knights come here?" She thought immediately of the body on the highway and the note and locket stuffed in her pack.

"Arl Eamon has fallen ill, and his knights are on a quest for the sacred urn filled with Andraste's ashes said to cure any malady." Ser Bryant shrugged, "He must be very ill if they chase miracles as the only cure. In fact, one of the arl's knights, Ser Donall is here searching for fantasies while...never mind. Ask him yourself if you care about this foolishness."

She shot Alistair a look to see how he was taking the news about Eamon. She knew that for her, news that the arl was ill-ill enough to need a miracle-made her stomach feel as if it held a fistful of rolling pebbles. The mage tower might not be the first place to stop after all. The arl was a loved and respected man who had a lot of clout with the nobility. They needed him, without the arl and his influence, they might as well head for Weisshaupt to find the other Grey Wardens and hope that they got there before the Blight swallowed all of Thedas.

Kai huffed out a breath of air. Why could things never be less complicated? She knew it was useless to ask for things like a Blight and a civil uprising to be simple, but Maker's blood, couldn't they at least be a little less complicated?

It was the feeling of all eyes on her, waiting, that broke her reverie. She jumped on the first thing she could think of. "Things seem very dire in the village." Kai blushed and gave herself a mental head slap. Way to overstate the obvious, great leadership skills.

Luckily no one, including Ser Bryant, seemed to think it an odd statement.

"They are. With the bann having taken his men the village is left to its fate. We will evacuate as many as we can before the horde reaches us. I will stay as long as I am needed."

Kai had to admire him; he must know that to stay until everyone was out of the village could be a death sentence. Despite his being a templar for the chantry, she found herself giving this man her respect. "Ser Bryant, I need some information, if you don't mind."

He smiled at her, "If the matter is important, certainly."

"I spoke to several people outside and they told me you are in charge here, is that correct?"

"The Revered Mother leads this flock after she escaped Ostagar and since we lost our revered mother to the fever. I merely command the templars. Normally our role is to protect the chantry and seek out unsanctioned magic. For now, it's all we can do to protect the innocent."

Kai shot Morrigan another glance. The witch looked as she always did, cool and aloof, unbothered by the comment about unsanctioned magic. Kai couldn't resist a little jab at the witch's expense. Kai bit her lip, "And if you found an unsanctioned mage?"

The witch's mouth curved into a cold little smile as she stepped forward slightly. "Let us pretend I was an unsanctioned mage. What would you do to me, hm?"

Ser Bryant merely sighed heavily and brushed his fingers across his forehead giving Kai a small pang of guilt. "I have no time to even think about such things right now. My concern is protecting these people. I see nothing threatening them other than darkspawn."

Kai swiftly changed the subject. "Are you the only protection the village has?" She knew that the farmer had claimed such, and that the bandits were helping in their own way to keep village from having more refugees.

Ser Bryant confirmed what they had already heard. "Our bann was summoned by Teryn Loghain, and he took his soldiers with him. Lothering has been abandoned."

She felt another swift flash of anger at a bann who would abandon his people. Her father always told her and Fergus, that the people were the strong legs and back upon which the country stood and that the nobility had a responsibility to care for them, to protect them, and to guide them. More anger followed the first burst, at Loghain. Another army wouldn't have been needed if he'd shown up when the tower was lit.

Again she felt all eyes on her, which caused her to flush and relax the fists she'd made. She grinned, shook her head and felt the rolling stones turn to shards of glass in her stomach in regards to her next question. "Where would I find the Revered Mother, Ser Bryant?"

Dead in a ditch somewhere or having been caught running around raving in her small clothes and taken away to Denerim would have been too much to hope for, this Kai knew. The old bat was like a cockroach, nigh indestructible.

Ser Bryant grinned at her, as her thoughts must have shown on her face. "In her study no doubt, preparing what she will take when we eventually evacuate."

Oh goody. Hoping to delay her meeting with her high assedness, Kai decided to ask Ser Bryant as many questions as she could, trying to make it sound like intelligence gathering. After all, they had been stuck in a hut in the Wilds; they needed to catch up on what was going on in the world while they'd been away. "Have you heard any rumors, Ser Bryant?"

Daveth knew what she was about though, leaning in to whisper to her, "Nice try, love. You'll only be delaying the inevitable, like death and taxes." He only winked when she glared at him.

Ser Bryant grinned at their exchange, "Other than the darkspawn horde bearing down upon us? None of it is good. Teryn Loghain is set to declare himself king, I hear. Disaster piled on disaster."

On that Kai tended to agree, but she had been at Ostagar and seen firsthand Loghain's betrayal, not to mention that strange dream with Flemeth as...well whatever it was she had been. Ser Bryant hadn't, he had her curiosity aroused. "What do you mean?"

"Teryn Loghain has no legitimate claim to the throne. He may be a hero and his daughter may be queen, but he's a commoner and the king's corpse is barely cold." The king being barely dead seemed to be Ser Bryant's main concern, if his expression was any indication. "If Arl Eamon was able to intervene, perhaps it would not have gone this far. I do not care who takes the throne. Only fools fight over who owns a cottage while it burns down around them."

Kai grinned at him, "Wiser words were never spoken. About the teryn and that burning cottage-" She decided to take the plunge, so to speak, since Ser Bryant seemed an honorable man. "I'm hoping you can help me. I-that is we-" She waved a hand that encompassed Alistair and Daveth, "Are Grey Wardens."

Ser Bryant's expression turned wary, and Kai had a moment of panic. "I see...Well that is certainly worthy of notice." What he said next made her stomach leap into her throat followed by hot anger that chased it back down again. "Teryn Loghain declared all Grey Wardens traitors, responsible for the King's death. You know this, I hope?"

Kai wanted to punch something, but it fell to her as leader to keep Alistair and Daveth from having the same thought as she put hands out to stop both of them as they started forward. She calmly replied, "The Grey Wardens did no such thing."

Perhaps it was her quiet answer that had Ser Bryant giving her a shrewd look once more. "I don't believe the Grey Wardens would be as careless or malicious as the teryn claims." He grinned at her, "But either way, there it is. It is best you not linger, though, just...in case."

Kai grinned back, "Speaking of not lingering...about those bandits outside the village…"

She was taken aback by the explosion her statement caused. "Maker's breath, how many times must we drive them off?"

"No worries, good ser, it's one less. We drove them off ourselves." Kai grinned as his expression changed from angry, to incredulous, and settled on relief.

"Indeed, they're gone?"

One of his men came over before Kai could reply. "It's true. I saw the thieving bastard and his men running for the hills myself." The man nodded at her and her group before walking off to stand at his post.

"That's an impressive feat indeed! Will you accept a small reward for your efforts, my lady? We posted such for any who managed it. We were hoping to entice aid in helping the village."

Kai, mindful of her promise to Morrigan about accepting paying work, but she felt that Ser Bryant could use it for the evacuation and their need was greater. "No need, your thanks is enough."

She heard a huff of annoyed breath from the witch which made her grin.

"That is very generous of you." What he said next had Kai wondering if he caught Morrigan's annoyance at not being paid. "If it interests you, there is a chanter's board outside, full of tasks that need doing."

Daveth leaned in, "Saved by the Chantry? Oh my, love, using the Chantry to keep an apostate from turning you into a rabbit and being put in a stew pot. The Maker does like his little jokes, doesn't he?"

Kai wrinkled her nose at him while Ser Bryant grinned. "Yes, they pay, not much, but they pay. I cannot help you openly I fear, but…" He leaned in. "Here, take this key," slipping it discretely into Kai's hand. "It opens the large cabinet on the far wall, to the right of the apse. Please be circumspect when opening it. If anyone asks, tell them you are retrieving the items for me."

"Thank you, Ser Bryant; we'll try to keep your name out of it. Have you heard any other news?" Kai knew she was still delaying the inevitable meeting with the Revered Mother.

What Ser Bryant said next made her glad she did, "Only if you're interested in the business of mages." He shot a swift look at Morrigan. "I have heard word that the templars who watch over the Circle of Mage's tower have called for the Right of Annulment. Hopefully I have heard wrong."

"Right of Annulment? What is that, and why, do you know?"

"It's only used for dire circumstances. It's the law that allows the Head Templar of the tower to kill all the mages. To have such a call when mages are needed to fight the darkspawn, something terrible must have happened."

Kai felt a sinking feeling. So far two places they needed to visit were having troubles other than the Blight, if rumors were to be believed. She breathed deeply, trying to calm her rolling stomach. "Thank you again, Ser Bryant, for everything."

Ser Bryant gave her a sympathetic smile. "Travel safely and may the Maker watch over you all."