I own nothing of Dragon Age or Bioware.

Prologue

It Begins In the End…

It was the 40th year of the 9th Age known as Dragon and a great conflict had begun. Thedas was to be torn in two as mages, after millennia of abuse and hardship have risen against their masters the Order of Templar and the Chantry of Andraste.

High Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast looked for the last time towards the city of Kirkwall. She gazed upon the bronze statues decorating the narrow passage to the city. She was leaving the City of Chains in favor of completing her mission. What a horrid pace to idolize the slaving of people. Has the Chantry taught them nothing?

She looked back at her task in the Hawke estate where it had been rather productive she had to admit. The dwarf Varric had enlightened her original perspectives of the one they called the Champion of Kirkwall. Varric whom was a close friend of the Champion's had told her the whole story; Hawke's rise to power from nothing more than a Ferelden refugee to the man that the entire city developed a deep respect and dependence for.

She turned her gaze to a similar ship baring the Chantry flag. While in Kirkwall after her interrogation of Varric, Cassandra happened upon an encoded page of Hawke's journal. Amidst the unreadable codes and symbols that the Champion hid, it offered a solution to her original problem: The whereabouts of the Champion of Kirkwall. She headed there now. Cassandra had assigned Leliana back to Ferelden to locate another key person that the High Seeker thought might help put a stop to this Mage-Templar War. Leliana only hoped that The Hero of Ferelden would agree to help her.

'But he is already married, High Seeker. I do not wish to interfere with his life after ze ordeal with ze Blight, and ze Darkspawn problems constantly plaguing Ferelden.' Leliana had interjected. 'I owe him as much as to leave him in peace.'

'Leliana, we need him. He will help us in this struggle. Lives are at stake here and although there hasn't of yet been any upfront battles beside Kirkwall, I fear that things are turning as we speak. The dice has been cast, Leliana and our world may never again be the same but at least we can try. We can try to prevent deaths. We can try to change things…for the better.'

The red haired Seeker sighed in defeat. Leliana complied and agreed to take on the assignment. The Gray Warden Cousland had returned to Denerim after a good five years in search of the witch Morrigan and when they had appeared from the bloodied battlefield at Ostagar they were already married and had walked up to King Alistair with a child…a daughter. Yes, Leliana knew where she would find the Warden. It was a matter of persuading him to leave his family for a venture more important and dangerous than any that he has had or ever will have again.

As Cassandra looked at the ship sailing toward Ferelden, she let out a breath of concern then her thoughts raced away from the mission an onto a face— one that she had longed to see for quite some time.

The Mage-Templar War had done quite a lot of damage to Thedas. It had torn families, friends, and lovers. Cassandra's was no exception. She dwelled on the mage that captured her heart, the one that she was forced to betray in the advent of the war. But she promised…yes she promised herself that she would make things right and with the Divine's blessing, it would be inevitable— it had to be.

'I hope you're right about this, Carver, for there can be no delays or detours. Your brother better be there,' warned the High Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast.

A tall black haired man in Templar armour ignored her and focused more on the open oceans and the sunset— his own mind dwelling in other matters and troubles. Yeah, me too, Seeker, he thought. It was not going to be easy even if they did find Hawke. After the events of the Battle of Kirkwall, Carver doubted his brother would be overjoyed to see him; the brother that betrayed his own out of pure hatred and a child's desires. 'Maker, watch over us.'