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Strangers with Cookies	By : pirouette Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 9211 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age/Bioware, its characters, or any content used for the basis of this fanfiction. I am making no money from this work.

Chapter List
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Title: Strangers with Cookies
Chapter Fifteen: �It was her ignorance we pitied,
not her mistake.�
Rating: T (violence)

Word Count: 1,900

Characters: f!Mahariel, Sten, Leliana, Alistair, Wynne,
Zevran, and assorted Crows.

Summary: Taliesin makes life difficult for Adhara, and Wynne
comes closer to death than a dead woman has ever managed before.

Sten has resigned himself to Adhara's entrances into the
estate causing a stir. Two days ago, when they returned from their night at the
brothel, she limped in and came face-to-face with the arl.
�I've had my men looking all over for you, Warden. Where did
you run off to last night? Your friends and I were certain Loghain had found
you!�
She rolled her eyes and sat down heavily on a nearby chair.
�We were at the Pearl.�
�The� Maker's breath, Adhara, you are a Warden. You
shouldn't be seen in such places.�
�Only one man saw us, and I guarantee that he won't
be at the Landsmeet. Now sod off.�
When he showed no sign of leaving his own estate, Ahara rose
and hobbled off to her guest room. The arl and the others turned their gaze on
Sten, and he scowled at them.
�Wh-why is she walking like that?� the Templar asked. �She's
not hurt, is she?�
�...No,� Sten replied.
The assassin gave him a wide smile. �So, was I right? She was
lovely, no? Though when I suggested guidance, I was of course referring to
myself!�
Vashedan. �She was not interested in you, elf.�
Sten turned to follow Adhara as the assassin's smile faded.
If the dwarf's account at dinner that night was true, the encounter was all the
servants discussed for the entire day. Which would account for the odd looks
the maids have given him since then.
But now Adhara has found a way to outdo herself. This time
when she enters the estate she is not limping, but bleeding.
Sten looks up from his book to see her framed in the doorway
by two horrified guards. Her arm is thrown around the neck of her mabari, and
her face is the palest he has ever seen it. As soon as the door closes behind
her she collapses on the floor of the atrium, and the estate descends into
chaos. He surges to his feet as Alistair and Leliana run toward her, tossing
the book aside.
�Wynne,� she mutters, struggling to return to her feet. �Get
Wynne.�
Someone goes running�red hair, the priestess�but Sten is rooted
to the floor as he stares at the blood dripping from between the plates of her
armor.
�'Dhara, where's Zev?� asks the Templar, pushing her hair
out of her face and inspecting a deep cut on her cheek. �Is he okay? What
happened?�
Adhara begins fumbling at her armor, attempting to remove
it. The priestess and the overbearing mage come in at a run as the Templar
gives up his line of questioning and begins to help her. As her chestpiece is
removed, Sten spies the broken shaft of an arrow jutting out of her left
breast. It had missed her heart by an inch at most.
The mage looks down at her with thin lips. �Pull that out,
Alistair.�
Adhara's shriek of pain is cut short by magic, and Sten
falls to his knees beside her as Adhara sinks further to the floor. Their eyes
meet, and he sighs in relief when he sees that she has been completely healed.
The cut on her cheek is now a streak of blood.
Adhara frowns at the arrow shaft as the Templar drops it to
the floor. �Creators, that sodding hurt.� She holds her arm out to Sten,
and he helps her stand.
The priestess and the Templar look at her and speak at the
same time.
�Where is Zevran?�
�Were you ambushed?�
Adhara laughs, but the sound does not have as pleasant an
effect on Sten's nerves as normal. �You could say that.�
�But where is he?�
�He's dead, Alistair.� And with that, she leaves everyone
standing in the hall and retreats to her room.
Sten sighs as the others turn to him because he knows what
they will say. The Templar does not disappoint: �Go talk to her, Sten. She'll
tell you what happened.�
�Talk to her yourself.�
�She's your friend!�
�And you are not?�
�What if she hits me?�
�She is not going to hit you.�
�Come with me.�
�...Parshaara, I will if it stops this conversation.� Sten
follows the Templar down the hall and frowns as he knocks at the door to her
suite. When there is no answer, Sten reaches around and opens the door himself.
�...Oh.� They step into the room and find Adhara face-down
on the bed beside Soft, who is purring and� half-asleep. �'Dhara?�
She lifts her head from the bed and stares at them both with
red-rimmed eyes. �Hello.�
�I'm�I'm worried,� the Templar stutters. �What happened?�
�It was an ambush. He said he'd found one of the women we're
supposed to give the letters to, and led us down a back alley. 'Just a quick
stop, my Warden, and then we can return to killing darkspawn and humans and
whatever else suits your fancy.'�
The Templar sits awkwardly on the bed near her, tensed as
though ready to spring should she turn violent. �Were you attacked by a gang?
You should have let me come with you, instead of you just leaving with Zev and
your bloody dog! Maybe I could have��
Adhara sits up and puts a hand on his arm. �No, you don't
understand. Zevran attacked me. He led me right to the other Crow who
had been sent to....�
�Maker's breath!� Alistair hugs her to him. �How many of
them did you fight off?�
She shrugs. �I don't know. I was too busy�I didn't think he
was actually going to betray me until his knives were trying to cleave my head
from my neck.�
Adhara raises her left hand to her recently-cut cheek, and
Sten sees the old hunting wound she told them about months ago.
Wolves. Don't be so focused on the goal that you lose
sight of the dangers beside you.
But he has done just that. His fixation on Adhara caused him
to ignore the assassin, and she had almost died for it.
Shut up, Zevran.
She was not interested in you, elf.
Failure. He turns on his heel and leaves Adhara with
the Templar. She needs to talk, and he is better at talking than Sten. Soft
sees him leave and follows after him with a quiet meow, so he leads her to the
kitchen and demands table scraps from a terrified maid.
The overbearing mage finds him while he is crouched beside
the tabby, feeding her bits of chicken from a bone, but unlike the priestess
refrains from making obnoxious comments about his �sensitive side.�
�How are you holding up?�
He stands and looks down at her. �I don't understand.�
She sighs. �Sten, you care for Adhara. I saw your face when
she walked in today. Realizing that your lover is mortal is always painful.�
Parshaara. Of course she would have an opinion, and of
course it would be incorrect. �I am fine.�
�Good. So you won't mind if I send you on an errand, then?�
When Sten scowls, she continues, �Something for Adhara. I was wondering if you
might go to the market and bring back some flowers to give to her.�
�Why?�
The mage's lips press into a thin line. �To... calm her
down.�
Odd, that flowers would be able to soothe someone, but the
overbearing mage is an herbalist. She would know. Sten nods, gives the rest of
the chicken to Soft, and straps his sword to his back. He can smell Adhara's
blood when he enters the courtyard, and he thinks of wolves again.
She had told the story as a warning, she'd said, the night
before he challenged her for power. The wolf who was shot through the heart,
the one who attacked from behind, and the one who came at them from the side.
Sten had taken it as a lesson. At the time, he had believed Zevran the one shot
through the heart, and himself the one who attacked from the side. Now he knows
better. He was the wolf shot through the heart, who gave up the fight
before the battle had truly begun. And Zevran, the wolf who struck from behind.
He will not be taken by surprise again. The other members of
the party need watching. Granted, they are not assassins, but the mages should
not be trusted because they need someone willing to protect them from
themselves. At least the overbearing mage is too focused on acting like a
priestess and mothering everyone to spend her time using her more dangerous
skills.
...Vashedan. Sten should have asked her which sort of
flowers to purchase. The stall in front of him is disconcertingly colorful, and
he does not like the look the elf girl is giving him. He also does not know how
many the mage will need for Adhara.
�Can I help you, ser?� The little elf looks up at him, and
he scowls and rummages around in his pocket for coin.
�One of each.� Adhara had said something about their stores
being low. Perhaps the others will find a use as well.
She ties them into a bundle and wraps the stems in paper,
and Sten returns to the estate with the flowers in his arms. The overbearing
mage stifles a laugh when he appears and attempts to hand her the package.
�You did not tell me which would be helpful.�
�Those�those are lovely, Sten. Go give them to Adhara.�
�...Very well.�
When he opens the door, the Templar has Adhara laughing
again. Looking at Alistair, Sten knows that he, at least, will not be
the wolf to attack from the side, because he cares about his fellow Warden.
�What are those, lethallin?�
He holds the bundle out to her. �Flowers.�
Adhara takes them from him and begins smelling and
inspecting various blooms. �Yes, a lot of flowers. Thank you!� She falls
backward onto the bed with them against her chest.
�Do they make you feel better?�
She giggles. �Yes. But now I'm hungry. Why don't you to go
find a kitchen scullion or whatever they are and demand food for the injured
heroine?�
Sten follows Alistair out of the room and frowns when he
begins laughing. �Sten, you sneak! I didn't know you had it in you!�
The priestess rounds the corner as Sten stares down at him
in confusion. �What?� they say in unison.
�Sten just gave 'Dhara flowers.�
�No! I knew it! Sten, you are such a big softie!�
�What? No, they were medicinal!�
�If you say so,� the priestess grins.
The overbearing mage comes into view as they enter the main
part of the estate. He does not like the way she is smiling. �Did Adhara like
her present?�
Now they are all staring at him. Soft chooses this
moment to run toward him with a trill, and the priestess bursts into laughter.
�Softie!� she hums.
�Please stop saying that. And stop looking at me and
giggling.�
�But you're so big and stoic! Who would have thought you
would adopt kittens and give your girlfriend flowers?�
Another unfamiliar word, but he is certain that he does not
want to be told its definition. �The cat adopted me, and the flowers were medicinal!�
The priestess glances at the overbearing mage, whose smile
widens.
Parshaara. �I am soldier of the Beresaad. I do not buy
flowers on a whim.�
�Soooftie!�

...He hates humans.��
- 14
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Strangers with Cookies