About a week after they had destroyed the cult, a group of Templars showed up at Highever Castle. Kierrai had been eating with Zeriah when they walked through the door with Traven in their midst. The young mage had his usual cheeky grin on his face even though Kierrai and Zeriah were concerned.

"Nothing to worry about, ladies, it is just time for me to return to the old tower on a lake." He said cheerfully. Kierrai could practically see the sarcasm in the words. "My friends here are being kind enough to let me say goodbye to you both." He added. Kierrai smiled sadly. It was unlikely that they would ever see each other again after this. She embraced him first.

"I'll miss you." She admitted. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll miss you too, Kierrai. You are a good person." He said. "Don't let your cage hold you back." He whispered. She nodded.

"You too." She said. He pulled away from her and turned to Zeriah with a wistful smile on his face. They embraced for a long time.

"Ahh, if only the circumstances were different, darling." Traven said fondly. Zeriah chuckled.

"It's all right, Trav. When we actually find love, we'll know." She said. He raised an eyebrow.

"How will we know?" he asked. She smiled.

"When we meet the people that we would rather die than live without." She answered. He returned her grin. "We can still be friends, can't we? " she asked. He laughed.

"Of course we can! I thought that much was obvious." He pointed out. Zeriah grinned.

"I'll see you." She said. He smiled back at her.

"You better believe it." He replied. He glanced back at his Templar escort. "All right, men, let's move out, I suppose." He said in commanding tones. Kierrai giggled as he led the way out of the hall. She glanced over to Zeriah, whose face was surprisingly happy.

"Are you going to be all right?" she asked. Zeriah nodded, a smile on her face.

"It was fun while it lasted but we both knew it was only temporary. We didn't fall in love with each other or anything." She explained. Kierrai chuckled, but then she realized something that snatched all of her mirth away.

"Zeriah that will be me soon." She realized aloud. Zeriah's eyes narrowed.

"Why do you say that?" she asked. Kierrai sighed and looked down at her friend.

"My year is almost up. Soon someone will come to pass me off to another noble family, no matter how much I wish to stay here." She reminded her. Zeriah frowned and shook her head.

"This is unfair. I don't want you to leave. You're my sister now. You can't just go." She argued. Kierrai laughed ruefully.

"I wouldn't if I had a choice." She admitted. Zeriah stared at her with wide eyes.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked. Kierrai raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I do. You are my family now. I've never had one of those before. Why are you so surprised?" she wondered. Zeriah smiled.

"You aren't the type to stay in one place." She pointed out. Kierrai shrugged.

"True, but I would at least try to stick around." She agreed. The smaller woman laughed and surprised Kierrai with a hug.

"You will always be my sister." Zeriah murmured. Kierrai returned the embrace.

"And you will always be mine." She said fondly.

It was only one more week until Kierrai's prediction came true. Some of Loghain's men arrived at the castle early in the morning with orders to pass her over to them. They gave her some time to pack her things, but after a few hours she stood in front of the people she had called family over the last year, barely fighting off the tears that threatened to drown her. Eleanor stepped forward first, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"Take care, my dear. Don't be afraid to write us." She said lovingly. Kierrai nodded, unable to speak. Fergus was next, and he crushed her tightly against his chest.

"Don't be a stranger, little sister." He said, his voice thick with emotion. Tears finally spilled over.

"I won't, brother." She whispered. Bryce came forward, then, holding something behind his back.

"I know that you lost one of your daggers a few weeks ago, and a friend once told me that a pair of blades is never good enough unless they're a matched set." He said, revealing a pair of beautiful onyx daggers. Kierrai gasped as she took them into her hands. They were light, and seemed perfectly molded to her hands. The cool, black metal was unlike anything she had ever seen before. They were incredible.

"These…these are…" she stammered, unable to find words for her gratitude. Bryce kissed her forehead.

"They are made for your hands only, daughter. We will miss you." He told her. The tears were freely flowing down her face at this point, and finally she turned to Zeriah, her best friend and sister. The pair just stared at each other for a long time, not knowing what to say. The pain in Kierrai's chest grew as she thought that they might not see each other again, and finally she just threw her arms around the tiny Cousland. Both of them were sobbing uncontrollably as they embraced, and suddenly the entire family joined in. All of them held each other and cried for a long time before one of Loghain's men cleared his throat. They pulled apart and Kierrai wiped her eyes, smiling sadly at Zeriah.

"Don't forget about me, all right?" Kierrai said. Zeriah laughed ruefully.

"Kierrai, if I ever even tried to forget about you, you would hunt me down and make me remember! I couldn't forget you if I wanted to!" she teased. Kierrai laughed with her.

"We will see each other again. I just know it." She promised. Zeriah nodded in agreement.

"Of course we will. Even if I have to track you down all the way across Thedas, we will find each other again. There is no doubt about it." She agreed. "Where are they taking you, anyway?" she asked. Kierrai shrugged and turned to her escort.

"Where will I be going this time?" she asked them.

"We will be taking you to Starkhaven, my lady." The leader said. Kierrai snorted.

"Starkhaven? That sounds like a terribly boring place. I bet nothing ever happens there."

A/N: And that's all for this tale! I will definitely be posting Zeriah's story at some point...probably this week. Anyway, thank you all for sticking with me, once again. I hope you enjoyed this little story form Kierrai's past! Thanks!