A Warden's Heart

The Things We Have to Lose

The Rain was coming in down in sheet has Anders walked the streets that lead to Darktown. They had made it into Kirkwall just as the storm began and it set the prefect back drop to the party's mood. For the last two miles the only thing he could think of was what he would tell Johanna when he got to the clinic. A sharp gust of wind swept in from the harbor, and he pulled his cloak tighter as he descended the stairs to the undercity.

As he walked up the final steps the clinic doors opened and a woman he knew as Evalina exited with a young man at her side. "Oh. Messar Anders." She said opon see him. "Lady Johanna will be so happy to know you are back. She has been very worried." Anders gave the woman a weak smile and continued up the steps. His hand touched the handle of the door and he stopped to inhale to steady his nerves before pushing the door open. A little ball of fur attacked his feet the moment her crossed the threshold. Leaning down he picked up a small fluffy grey kitten with a deep blue ribbon tied around it's neck. "Well hello there little cutie. Where did you come from?" He said, scratching the kitten behind the ear.

He walked to the nearest cot and placed his bags and the kitten down before looking around for his sister. "Johanna?" He called to the back room. There was the sound of glass breaking and footsteps running. Before he knew what was happening, Anders was nearly knocked off his feet by a rush of auburn hair. "You're home!" Johanna squealed in his arms. He buried his face in her neck inhaling the reassuring sent of rosemary and mint. "Oh Anders you're back." Merrill appeared from the back room smiling. "What happened? Varric said you would only be gone for a month at the most. Where's Carver? Ever mind. I'm just happy you're home. Besides if he looks anything like you do right now I'm sure he went home first." Johanna said pushing away from him just enough to look up at him. "You look absolutely exhausted. Let me draw you a bath, you can wash up and tell me everything. Merrill will you go let Isabela and Fenris know that we'll meet at the tavern later." She added to the other woman who gave a wave and walked out the door.

Anders fiddled with his robes as he watched his sister disappear into the back room and remerge with their tin wash tub. "Johanna we need to talk." He stared as she now set to filling the tub and gathering clean towels. As she bent to test the temperature of the water Anders noticed the glowing crescent moon pendant that hung from her slender neck. "Johanna." He tried again. "I see you've meet Nate." She said as she laid out a clean pair of pants and tunic on a cot and pointing at the now sleeping kitten. "Don't he remind you of Nathaniel Howe! Merrill brought him to me last week."

"Johanna! Carver is not coming back!" He shouted, taking her by the shoulders and turn her to look at him. "The was an accident. He was tainted." The pain in her eyes was almost unbearable to see. "I'm sorry love. But- Johanna?"

The temperature in the room dropped to freezing in the matter of seconds. A strong whirlwind began to blow around them, ripping at their robes and catching up the papers from his desk. Lightning cracked around them and filled the air with the smell of burning ozone. A earth shattering scream erupted from her lips as a blast of energy pushed him against wall. "You lie!" She shrieked as the wind picked up. "You swore to me you would protect him!" Another electrified gust if wind hit the clinic doors, throwing them open with a ear deafening bang. "Johanna stop this!" Anders pleaded from the bottom of the wall, covering his ears as one more heartbreaking scream of agony left her lips.

It ended as fast as it stared. He watched as she collapsed to the floor, the cyclone and lightning dissipating around her. Slowly he crawled across the floor to were she had folded in on herself, sobs racking her body. "Jo, I'm so sorry." He whispered reaching out for her, only to have his hand stopped by an invisible shield. "You let this happen." She hissed darkly. Before he could react, she shot to her feet and ran out the open clinic doors, disappearing into the darkness of the undercity.