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Blood Promise	By : Hikari86 Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 4556 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
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The Servant Anomaly

The elven girl cowered in the corner, her body curled and shaking, tears running down her face. Jordan approached her slowly, not wanting to startle her. She was obviously frightened, and Jordan didn't want to make her even more.
“Please,” she whimpered. “Don't hurt me.”
“No, we're not going to hurt you,” Jordan said as she crouched low, next to the girl. She gave her a genuine smile, showing she really meant no harm. It seemed to work, and the girl relaxed a little. “What's your name?”
“Orana,” she said, wiping away tears. “But... I don't understand.” She stared over at Hadriana's corpse before quickly looking away and back at Jordan. Her large, green elven eyes pleading.
“I know it's hard,” said Jordan. “But it'll be all right. You'll find you're better off without her.”
Orana shook her head. “She was killing everyone. Including papa. I don't understand. She loved his soup.”
“Why did she kill him?”
“She said she needed power. That someone was coming to kill her. I suppose... it was true.” She began crying again, placing her face in her hands.
“Oh, it's all right, sweet thing,” Isabela said as she wrapped her arms around Orana's shoulders. “Go ahead and cry it out.”
Orana cried for a while on Isabela's shoulder before she could finally say anything. “What do I do now?” she sobbed. “I'm all alone.”
“She can come with me,” said Sebastian. “I can take her to the Chantry where the sisters can take care of her and give her a good home.”
“Like the Chantry's done any good for anyone,” Anders muttered.
“No, I don't think that'll work,” said Jordan before Sebastian could say anything to Anders.
“Why would you think it wouldn't work, Hawke?” Sebastian asked. “The Chantry has always taken in the lost and scared. Including elves.”
“Yes, but don't forget, she's Tevinter. I doubt she even knows anything about our Chantry.” Jordan looked back at Orana, her head on Isabela's shoulder while the pirate gently stroked her hair. The way the elven girl looked made Jordan's heart strain. Thanks to her and Fenris, she now had no home, no where to go, no money or anything. She wouldn't be able to survive on her own, and would more than likely be taken advantaged of due to her naïve nature. She was a slave, after all, and didn't know any better.
“That might be true,” said Sebastian. “But do you have a better idea, Hawke?”
“Actually, I do. Orana...” The elven girl blinked at her. “How about you come and live with me.”
Orana took herself from Isabela and stared at Jordan in wonder. “You will be my new mistress?”
“Well... yes and no.” Jordan scratched her head. “You'll come with me, but you aren't going to be a slave. You'll be a servant.”
“I-I promise I won't let you down.” Orana went to her knees and bowed to Jordan deeply, going so low she could kiss the floor. “I can cook and clean and do whatever you need of me, Mistress.”
“Alright,” Jordan said as she stood. “No need to go cleaning this floor with your face now. Please, stand.”
“Yes, Mistress.” Orana stood, but kept her head down.
“And look at me.”
Orana slowly lifted her head and peered at Jordan with her large eyes. “I... You want me to look at you, Mistress?”
“Yes, I want you to look at me,” said Jordan. “You're not a slave anymore, Orana. No longer do you have to stare at the ground.”
“I'll... try my best.” Orana's eyes shifted back down and she curtsied. Jordan knew it was going to be some time before Orana realized she no longer needed to act like a slave around her.
“Anders,” said Jordan as she turned to the mage. “Can you check her out and make sure she's not hurt too badly before we leave?”
“Sure,” said Anders as he went over to Orana. “But I think she's all right besides that cut on her throat.” He examined her and healed her wounds before Jordan lead their group out of the slave caverns. When they made it outside, Jordan had hoped to find Fenris waiting for them, but he was no where in sight. On their way back to the city, she continued to look, but there was no sign of him, and it was beginning to worry her. Jordan would have liked to have gone to his mansion to see if he was there, or to continue to look for him around Kirkwall, but it was dark by the time they reached the city. She needed to get home, not just so her mother wouldn't worry about her, but to also get Orana situated.
Saying good-bye to Anders, Isabela, and Sebastian as they went their separate ways, Jordan lead Orana through Hightown and to her estate. Bodahn greeted them at the door, and seemed surprised to see the elven girl trailing behind Jordan.
“Good evening, Mistress Jordan. Glad to see you home at a reasonable hour,” Bodahn bowed. “But might I ask...”
“Bodahn, this here is Orana,” Jordan said, gesturing to the elven girl. “She's going to be living with us as our newest servant. I'm thinking maybe as the cook, since she did say she could.”
“Oh yes, Mistress,” Orana nodded. “I can make decent meals, although I'm not nearly as good as papa was.”
“You'll do just fine, Orana, but remember...” Jordan took Orana by the shoulders and forced her to look her in the eyes. “You are no longer a slave. You're a servant here in the Hawke estate. That means you'll get paid, and you can move freely about the house. Is that understood?”
“I...” Orana blinked several times. “A slave is all I've ever been, like papa and grandpapa before me. But... I'll try to be a good servant. Thank you, Mistress. You're too good to me.”
“I do what I can,” Jordan smiled. “Now Bodahn, do you mind taking Orana and finding a room for her to stay in? There should be some empty servant rooms, right?”
“Indeed there are,” Bodahn nodded. “Come with me, my dear.” He put out his hand and Orana took it. “We'll get you all nice and settled in. You'll love it here. Mistress Jordan is one of the nicest humans I've had the pleasure of working with.”
“Oh, and Bodahn!” Jordan called to him.
“Yes?” he said, looking back at her.
“Tomorrow, take her to the market so she can get some clothes and anything else she may need, since I believe all she has is the clothes on her back.”
“Will do, messere,” Bodahn bowed. He went to lead Orana to the servant rooms, but she didn't budge.
“Wait,” she said. She then went back over to Jordan and stood before her for a moment. After some time, she hugged her. “Thank you so much,” she whimpered.
“You're welcome, Orana,” Jordan said, hugging her back. “But this is a little fast, don't you think?”
“Oh, I'm so sorry.” Orana quickly let go and backed away. “That was not appropriate of me. Please forgive me, Mistress.”
“It's all right, Orana,” Jordan beamed. “Hugging is allowed.”
A small smile curved up Orana's face. “Of course, Mistress. But... if it's not too much...” Orana took something from her neck. A necklace with a amulet hanging from the end. “Please, I would like for you to have this.” She handed it to Jordan.
“Orana... I don't really need anything from you.”
“I know, but I would still like for you to have it. As a thank you for giving me a home and a... job.” Orana was able to look Jordan in the eyes, but only for a brief second before she looked back at the ground. “Good night, Mistress.” She then curtsied and went back with Bodahn.
Jordan stared at the amulet in her hand. It was dark in color, and the symbol upon the surface was that of a sunburst, similar to the symbol of Andraste but the rays were straight and there were slightly more. Jordan knew this to be a Tevinter Chantry amulet, and if she was caught with it, could potentially be put to death. It was a nice gesture from Orana, but obviously she didn't understand what the amulet meant outside of Tevinter.
Clutching the amulet in her hand, Jordan placed it in her pocket. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with it yet, but she would keep it—out of sight, of course—to appease Orana.
“Jordan. I heard you were home.” Leandra made her way down the stairs from the second floor. She smiled over at her daughter, obviously happy she was home.
“Hello, Mother,” said Jordan. “How are you this evening?”
“Much better now that you're here. Well... you aren't going anywhere tonight, are you?”
“No, Mother, I believe I'm here for the night. No need to worry.”
“Good,” Leandra nodded. “But, there is... something.” She looked in the direction Bodahn and Orana had gone. “Did I hear correctly that elf was a... slave?”
Jordan sighed. She had hoped she didn't have to deal with this with her mother. “Yes, or at least, she used to be a slave. Orana is now our servant, and she will be paid. Don't you worry. Besides, don't all the other nobles have elven servants?”
“They do, but most don't live with them. Plus Orana seems like a sweet girl but she doesn't have the traditional elven Marcher look. Or accent.”
“So?” Jordan said, shrugging her shoulders.
Leandra frowned at her daughter. “Do you know what you're doing?”
“Mother, it'll be all right. Orana is a servant. The other nobles can talk all they want. They already talk enough anyway.” Jordan went to go around her mother, but Leandra blocked her way.
“I know you don't care much about our reputation, but you really should,” said Leandra. “How else am I suppose to find you a suitable husband?”
Jordan grimaced at her. “How about instead you let me deal with that.”
“Because if I did, there'd be no possible way I could have any grandchildren. The way you treat the young noblemen around here.”
“They're all pompous bastards!” Jordan exclaimed. “I can't stand any of them. Now if you would please... I would like to get some sleep.”
Leandra continued to frown at her daughter, but eventually moved to allow her access to the second floor. “I'm only doing this because I love you, dear. I want what's best for you.”
Jordan stopped halfway up the stairs. “I know,” she sighed. “But you also know this isn't the life I'm used to. I bought this house mostly for you. I wanted you to have the life you used to have.”
“Sweetheart, I appreciate you buying this home, but I would have been happy if you had bought us our own house in Lowtown. You know that.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Leandra smiled up at her. “I bought the material to make your dress for the gala. Black, just as you asked for.”
“Really?” Jordan half frowned, half smiled.
“With a little extra so it won't be a complete funeral dress. Tomorrow I'll go ahead and get your measurements so I can get started putting it together.”
“Thanks, Mother,” Jordan heaved. “Good night.”
“Good night, dear.”
Jordan quickly made it into her room, closing the door behind her and let out a huge sigh. She was greeted by a loud bark as Chance propped up his head at her entrance.
“Maker's breath,” said Jordan as she saw her huge dog laying on her bed and messing up the sheets. “What did I tell you about sleeping on the bed, huh?”
Chance whimpered a little as he jumped down. He stared up at her with large, puppy eyes. Jordan only rolled her own and went over to scratch behind his ears.
“You big baby.”
Chance barked happily and his back end moved fast as he wagged his tail.
After rubbing her dog down for several minutes, including scratching his belly, Jordan went about stripping her clothing to get ready for bed. She threw her clothes on the floor and placed Edge and Fury on the desk located in the corner. There was a knock on her door, and Jordan placed on her maroon robe before answering it.
“Yes?” she said opening the door. On the other side stood Sandal.
“May I?” he asked politely.
“Of course, Sandal. What did you need?” She moved to allow him in the room, but he stayed where he was.
“Enchantment,” he smiled. He then showed her the assortment of runestones in his hands.
“That's a lot of enchantments ya got there. What do you plan on doing with them?”
Sandal tugged on her robe and she went to her knees in front of him. Taking each stone, one by one, he placed them in front of her. From his facial expressions, Jordan could see he was analyzing each one. He frowned and shook his head each time one of the runestones wasn't what he was looking for. Jordan knew what he was doing. He had done this to her several times before.
“No,” Sandal said depressed when the last runestone didn't show promise. “No enchantment.”
“Still looking for that special one for me?” said Jordan.
Sandal nodded. “Special enchantment for special lady.”
“Well keep looking. I'm sure you'll find it sooner or later.”
Sandal nodded again before he took off, back downstairs.
With him gone, Jordan closed her door and took off her robe and crawled into bed. She grabbed onto her pillow and hugged it. Closing her eyes, she yawned, ready to fall asleep, but was suddenly jerked when something heavy landed on her back. Jordan turned to see Chance right next to her, curled in his usual spot on the bed.
“You never listen, do you?” she said while rubbing his head.
Chance heaved as he pushed more into her.
“Alright, you big lug,” Jordan sighed. “But this is the last night, I swear it.” She went back to her pillow and settled in. Jordan soon drifted off.
***
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead!”
Jordan screamed as she found herself brutally awaken from sleep, and tumbling off her bed to the cold floor. “Andraste's ass!” she cried. “Who the... Aveline?” Jordan untangled herself from her sheets and stared up bewildered at the warrior. “What are you doing here and why are you waking me?”
Aveline smiled down at her. “I'm here to make sure you get your work done. Remember, I told you I wanted you to go see Emeric as soon as possible. Now get up and get dressed so we can head out.”
Jordan groaned. “What time is it?”
“Too early for you, but actually late for me. Since today starts my vacation, I allowed myself to sleep in. When I woke, I had breakfast, got dressed, and even watched the sun rise. It was quite pretty.”
“Wait... you watched the sun rise? That's not sleeping in! Sleeping in is when you wake after the sun has risen. How long did you stay in bed?”
“I stayed in half an hour longer than when I usually get up.”
“Only half an hour?” Jordan questioned. “Forget that. Wake me when it's noon.” Jordan took the sheets and pulled them completely over her head and curled up on the floor.
“Oh no you don't. We're doing this, this morning, whether you like it or not.” Aveline yanked the sheets completely off, only to be rewarded with a full view of Jordan's full flesh. “For the Maker's sake!” she said, shielding her eyes. “Do you really sleep that way?”
“Yes I do,” Jordan said as she stood. “What's so wrong about it? And it's not that bad, I have smallclothes on.”
“Yes, but don't you also have an impressionable young, dwarven boy living with you?”
“Sandal's smart enough not to come in here without knocking. Nor would he ever tear the sheets off me.” Jordan put her robe on and took the sheets from Aveline and threw them on the bed. She then went to look for her thrown clothes on the floor, but noticed they weren't there. Instead, she saw on her desk, next to her daggers, a pile of clothes, neatly folded.
“Something amiss?” Aveline asked, seeing Jordan's puzzled face.
“Yeah...” There was a knock at her door. “Come in!”
As the door opened, Orana slipped in, a tray full of food in her hands. “Good morning, Mistress Jordan,” she curtsied. “I hope you slept well last night.”
“I did,” said Jordan. “But... what are you doing, Orana?”
“I thought to bring you breakfast. You do have me here as a cook, after all. I thought I'd prove myself useful.” She went over and placed the tray on Jordan's desk. Orana stood next to the tray, her eyes still cast down, but Jordan occasionally saw them lift for brief seconds at a time.
“Well, I don't usually eat breakfast, but why not.” Jordan went over to the tray and saw upon it a biscuit, scrambled eggs, toast, a few stripes of bacon and a glass of milk. “Smells good.”
“It's not as good as my papa's,” Orana said softly. “And I would have brought more if I knew you had a guest, Mistress.”
“That's all right. Aveline said she already eat. Isn't that right?”
“It is,” Aveline nodded.
Jordan took a few bits. “Mmm. Not bad. Thank you, Orana.”
“You're welcome, Mistress.” The elf bowed to Jordan, then began to make her way out of the room.
“Wait, Orana.”
“I'm sorry, Mistress,” Orana said, almost scared. “I didn't mean to leave without your permission.”
“No, I was just wondering if you had anything to do with this.” Jordan gestured to the neat pile of clothes on her desk.
“Yes, I put those there,” Orana nodded. “I hope you don't mind. After my talk with Bodahn, I came in while you were sleeping and picked up your clothes from the floor. I then went about finding something similar that was clean and laid it out for you. Was it wrong of me?”
Jordan looked at the clothes, then at Orana, seeing the poor girl was shaking slightly. “No, it's not,” she said kindly. “I'm just surprised Chance didn't wake and attack you, since you are new to the house.”
“Sandal came in with me. Or he at least stood in the doorway and called your hound over to him. He is a very sweet beast. Nothing like my old Mistress's back home.”
“Okay. Thank you, Orana. You may go now.”
“Yes, Mistress.” Orana curtsied low before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.
“Wow, this is really good,” Jordan said as she stuffed her mouth full of food. “Want to try some, Aveline?”
Aveline's stare was that of curiosity. She had been observing Orana ever since she came in. Her face also showed disgust by seeing Jordan's full cheeks. “Who was that?” she asked.
“Who, Orana?” Jordan swallowed. “She's my new servant.”
“Servant? Or slave?”
Jordan began getting herself dressed, taking what Orana had laid out for her and seeing it was her usually pants, undershirt and leather jerkin. “I don't keep slaves in this house. Slavery is illegal in Kirkwall.”
“Jordan,” Aveline said, narrowing her eyes. “That girl is from Tevinter, and I could tell from the way she was acting, she used to be a slave. How in the Fade did you get a hold of a slave?”
“You hit the right word: used to be a slave.” Jordan stared at Aveline through her mirror while she messed with her hair. “Orana was a slave, but now she's not anymore. I am paying her.”
“You better. I expect you to have papers on her real soon.”
“Don't worry, I will. In fact, I'll have Bodahn get them today. And if you want to know how I came about her, then I'll tell you on the way.” Jordan finished what was left on her plate. She then took the biscuit and stuck it in her mouth. “Ready?”
Aveline rolled her eyes. “You need to learn better manners.”
“I'll put them on my to-do list.” Jordan took a bit from the biscuit while strapping Edge and Fury to her back. “Now let's get going if you're so eager to get me to do this. And you know, while we're at the Gallows, I think this'll be a good day to see my sister.”
***
“You what?” Jordan stared with her eyes bulging at her little sister, not wanting to believe what Bethany had just told her.
“Don't look at me like that, Jordan,” said Bethany. “It happened.”
Jordan shook her head. “No it didn't. Take it back.”
“I can't take it back!”
“Yes you can!”
“Jordan!” Bethany fumed at her sister. “It happened, and there's nothing you can do about it. I'm no longer a virgin.”
Jordan became visibly ill from her sister's words. “No, no,” she said low. “This can't be happening. I forbade you!”
“For the Maker's sake!” Bethany heaved. “Will you please just accept this!”
“No, I won't!”
“Jordan!”
Jordan placed her hands over her ears and closed her eyes. “I'm not listening!” she said loudly. “La, la, la, la. My sister's still pure. La, la, la, la.”
“You are acting ridiculous,” Bethany grumbled as she tore Jordan's hands from her ears. “Would you please stop acting like a child and hear me out!” Bethany forced Jordan to look her in the eyes.
“I can't believe you...” Jordan said, her mouth twitching.
“I would think you'd be happy for me.”
Jordan threw up her hands. “Happy about this?”
“Happy that I was able to do it on my own terms.” Bethany kept a stern gaze on Jordan, reminding her an awful lot of their mother. “And glad I didn't lose my virginity to one of... them.” She nodded her head at a random templar standing in a far corner of the courtyard.
Jordan gnawed her teeth as she stared at the templar, still fuming. This was not something she wanted to hear when she decided she was going to visit her sister today.
“She's right, you know,” said Aveline. Jordan turned to glare at her. “As much as I hate to admit it,” she said, matching Jordan's heated gaze. “There are some templars out there that would take advantage of a mage if they knew she was untouched.”
“Okay,” Jordan said low. “I guess I can understand that. But still...” She turned back to Bethany. “Who was it? Give me a name and tell me where I can find him.”
“Why?” Bethany asked cautiously.
“Because,” Jordan said with a grin. “I just want to have a nice little chat with him. And if he's lucky, all I'll do is cut off his dick.”
Bethany heaved at her. “I can't believe you! Could you be serious for once in your life?”
“I am being serious.”
“Did you happen to think that maybe I like this boy and that's why we did it? And maybe... do it again.”
Jordan's jaw dropped. “Don't... I... How...?” Jordan snapped her mouth shut and tightened her fists next to her sides. “This is not happening,” she said to the sky. “I'm dreaming. This is all a dream—or rather a nightmare—that I will be waking from very soon.”
“No, Jordan, this is not a nightmare,” Bethany said as she crossed her arms.
“Yes it is! Now someone pinch me so I can wake up! Ow!” Jordan glared over at Aveline as she rubbed the part of her arm the warrior had pinched.
“You said to,” Aveline grinned.
“Okay, fine,” Jordan grumbled. She then stared back at Bethany. “If I have to accept it, then all right. I do! I don't like it, but I do. What I want to know is what gave you this bright idea in the first place? Or who?”
“If you must know, it was me.”
Jordan looked past her sister at the mage walking in to their conversation. Sacha was one mage that always seemed to give Jordan pause. Being completely blind, her eyes had a milky hue, with a slight hint of brown behind the murky corneas. When Jordan had first met her, she learned the reason why Sacha had become blind. A templar, who didn't know when to stop, had poured lyrium into her eyes for a bet between him in another templar, wondering if it would harm her. Not only did the lyrium take away her sight, but it also scarred the area around her eyes. Small, silver-colored scars stretched from her eyes like sun rays. They shimmered, almost like Fenris's markings, except much lighter. They were brought out more, however, from Sacha's black hair, which hung straight, curtaining her head and falling just past her shoulders.
Sacha walked over to the three women with grace, a small smile about her lips. Even though Jordan respected the blind mage for all she had been through and what she had done to keep her usefulness in the Circle, there was something about her that Jordan couldn't understand. Despite being blind, Sacha seemed to be able to make her way around the Gallows as if she wasn't. Jordan thought it might have been due to the fact Sacha knew the Gallows well since she had been living there nearly all her life. Yet Jordan had even witnessed the mage make her way through a thick crowd in the courtyard without hitting a single one of the people within. There was also a feeling Jordan got from her at times, one that disturbed her a little. It was faint, and even though Jordan tried to figure out what the feeling was, she could never place it. Even Anders had been somewhat shaken by the feeling, during the time he had accompanied Jordan on her first visit to see Bethany in the Gallows. Eventually Jordan began to ignore it, figuring it might have to do with the scars around her eyes. She had nothing to fear about the mage, after all. Sacha was Bethany's friend. Yet sometimes when Jordan looked into those milky eyes, she swore she saw a hit of red instead of brown.
Jordan cocked an eyebrow at her. “You told her to do this?”
“With my history, can you blame me for wanting to protect my friend?” Sacha stopped right in front of her and nodded. “I advised her to do something since I knew there were a few templars who had taken an interest in her.”
“And how would you know this?”
“Templars talk in hushed whispers just as mages do. Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I don't know what goes on. People talk when they think no one can hear them. And for some reason, people think I'm both blind and deaf.”
“So you heard templars talking about Bethany, did you?” Jordan asked.
“That is what I heard, and so in order to protect my friend, not only did I tell her, but I also told her what she should do to get their interest away from her.” Sacha moved her head toward Bethany, but her eyes did not fix on her. “Needless to say, it worked. The templars are no longer interested once they heard.”
“See?” Bethany said to Jordan. “There was a reason. With maybe a few more.”
Sacha smiled. “I could also tell she liked the boy, he also in turn. A little unorthodox introducing them, but such is the way in the life of a Circle mage.”
“I see...” Jordan looked from one mage to the other. “Sacha, do you mind pointing these templars out to me? I think I might have a little talk with them instead.”
“At the moment, no,” Sacha said, turning her head. “I couldn't really tell you, but they were the usual ones that like to cause trouble with the mages. But don't worry, Jordan. Like I said before, they are no longer interested in the Gallows' newest junior enchanter.”
“Wait... Junior enchanter?” said Aveline as she smiled over at Bethany.
“That's right,” Bethany beamed. “That's the other thing I wanted to tell you, Jordan. Maybe I should have started with that.”
“Maybe you should've,” said Jordan. “But how did you become a junior enchanter?”
“Me again,” Sacha nodded. “Another thing unorthodox, allowing a mage who'd been an apostate for so long becoming an enchanter, but I was able to persuade Orsino into giving her a chance. She passed with flying colors.” She nudged Bethany in the shoulder. “A new record, if I recall.”
“It wasn't by that much,” Bethany said, looking down at the ground.
“And guess who the previous record holder was.”
“Who?” Jordan asked.
Sacha grinned. “Malcolm Hawke.”
“Really? You beat Father's old record?” Jordan smiled over at her sister.
“Yes, but like I said, not by much,” said Bethany.
“Still, it's something you should be proud of,” said Sacha. “That record was around for a long time.”
“So what does it mean to be a junior enchanter?” Aveline asked.
“It means I'll start teaching the younger mages,” Bethany answered. “I'll be with the very young, the ones who come right after they start showing signs of magic. Not only will I give them comfort for being torn from their families, but I'll also be teaching them control and the most basic of spells.”
Jordan sighed. She was glad to hear her sister was making something of herself in the Circle, but that only meant it would be harder to get her out. Jordan still had hopes that one day she would be able to break Bethany out, and they could leave Kirkwall and start a new life. Jordan didn't mind the thought of leaving the city, even after buying her ancestral home. That she would leave to her mother, who would be disappointed and probably heartbroken to lose both her daughters, but Leandra would also understand.
“Congratulations, Bethany,” Jordan said, forcing a smile. “I'm happy for you.”
“I was hoping you would be.” Bethany beamed at her sister, but knew Jordan's true feelings.
“Ah, there he is.” Aveline pointed Jordan in the direction of Emeric as he exited the templar barracks. “Sorry to cut this short, Bethany, but we must speak with him.”
“Oh, is it about his obsession?” Bethany asked in a whisper.
“It is, and because Aveline's guards can't do their job, she's dumping it on me,” said Jordan.
“You're the one who gave him the idea in the first place,” said Aveline. “I think you're the perfect person for the job.”
“Then let me get this over with.” Jordan nodded to her sister and Sacha, bidding them good-bye before making her way to Emeric.
“Good luck,” Sacha giggled. “You're going to need it with him.”
As Jordan made her way across the courtyard, she happened to spot Cullen standing at the top of the stairs leading to the Gallows' entrance. He was watching her, no doubt making sure she didn't try anything to free her sister. Even if it was Cullen who was helping Bethany and keeping her safe within the Gallows itself, Jordan knew he would be her most difficult barrier to actually freeing Bethany. Ignoring him, she made a straight line to Emeric, hoping to get what she needed done over with, quick.
“Hello, Emeric,” she smiled. “The guard captain here tells me you're still chasing disappearing acts.” Aveline was right behind her and made a sound of protest.
Emeric was startled by Jordan's sudden appearance, but soon narrowed his eyes at her. “That's not funny. What I'm looking into is a serious matter.”
“Alright, no need to get snippy. I'm here to help you.”
“You are?” Emeric relaxed. “Thank the Maker. I am in urgent need of your help. I've spent the past few years continuing my investigation into the murders of Ninette, Mharen, and the other women. I believe I finally have a suspect, a man named Gascard DuPuis.”
“Yes, I remember,” said Jordan. “You had the guard raid his house.”
“And they did a poor job of it, too,” Emeric grumbled.
“Excuse me, but that was an illegal search you forced my men to do,” Aveline said, stepping in. “You're lucky DuPuis didn't file a charge against the city. It would have been on your head!”
“There wouldn't have been any legal action if your men had been more thorough when looking.”
“They were thorough and they found nothing. And ever since I've heard no end of this foolish quest to link random murders together. It's why I went ahead and gave this task to Jordan. You want someone to annoy this with? Talk to her, and leave the city guard be.”
“Fine.” Emeric turned his gaze to Jordan. “I'm the only one investigating this because I'm the only one who believes it. The templar order believes this is a matter for the city guard. And the city guard, well... they rejected my evidence and dismissed the murders as isolated incidents. They don't care either.”
“Not even with the bones?” Jordan asked.
“There's no way of knowing who those bones belonged too,” said Aveline. “Yes, they were human, but human bones are found all the time in this city.”
Jordan sighed, knowing Aveline was right. Even if they could prove who the bones belonged too, that only proved one of the women was murdered. “Okay, let's just get away from the bones and talk about DuPuis. Mind telling me why you suspect him?”
Emeric nodded. “He's a reclusive nobleman who's rarely seen outside his estate in Hightown. He knew two of the murdered women and made inquires about the others. It cannot be coincidence.”
“Except that it can,” Aveline mumbled.
“Yeah,” said Jordan. “It sounds exactly like a coincidence!”
Emeric glared at both of them. “Gascard DuPuid is hiding something! I'm convinced of it. Look, my hands are tied. I can't do this on my own. What if one of the women who died was someone you loved? If Gascard DuPuis is guilty, he must be stopped before he kills again.” Emeric's eyes grew desperate, wanting very much for Jordan to believe and help him.
Jordan rolled her eyes. “Why is it always Hawke to the rescue?” she sighed. “Alright. I'll go check out DuPuis and see if I can figure out what the guard failed to.”
“Thank you, Serah Hawke,” Emeric bowed. “I promise you I'm not sending you on a wild goose chase. Whatever you find out, please come back and see me. I would very much like to know.”

Paraphrasing from Dragon Age 2
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Blood Promise