Sooo this is my first official fanfiction story and I would definitely appreciate reviews! I'm hoping it didn't start off too slow. I really want this to be something that people will enjoy reading! Thanks for reading!
Twenty minutes after Meeran handed her the final bundle of coins she would ever receive as a mercenary, Astrid Hawke found herself spending it at the Hanged Man with Bethany beside her looking anxious.
"I don't think mother would approve of us being here," she squeaked, though she made no motion to actually move.
Astrid ruffled her younger sibling's hair."Have some fun, Beth! Mother doesn't approve of anything that doesn't involve finding us noble husbands or picking out curtains for our future estate. Who knows, maybe we'll meet some rich young men tonight who are just begging to settle down and marry." Astrid couldn't suppress a snort at her own words before taking a long swig of her ale.
The younger girl watched her sister inelegantly wipe her mouth with the back of her tan hand. "I feel bad for whoever falls for the likes of you," Bethany joked, allowing herself to relax in her seat.
"So do I," Astrid agreed with a laugh.
Two or three (or was it four?) drinks later, the young women were telling slurred tales about their time working for the Red Iron. A bored crowd of about four inebriated men and a grumpy looking waitress watched as Astrid threw her hands out in front of her, describing how their dog, Precious (named by Bethany, much to Carver's chagrin), had caused a target of theirs to piss his pants by simply growling. They'd felt so bad for the man that they let him walk and told Meeran he escaped. Although her sister had to wipe tears from her eyes from laughing so hard at the memory, the waitress simply reminded them of their tab and stalked away. Most of the men went back to their conversation. However, one of the bolder fellows took the time to look over Bethany with a lazy smile.
"What's yer name, darling?" he asked.
The long haired beauty looked like a dear in the headlights. A girl like Bethany should have been used to receiving compliments and flirtatious remarks from men, but with their constant running from the templars and the amount of isolation the Hawke family preferred because of Malcolm and Bethany's magical abilities, she never got to truly spend time with boys or flirt. It was one of many things Astrid wanted to change for her sister in Kirkwall. Mage or no mage, there had to be someone out there who would love her sister for who she was.
"Bethany," she replied finally with her usual shy smile. "And yours?"
"George," the young man replied, shaking his copper hair out of his face. "What brings you to the, eh, Hanged Man?"
Astrid grinned at her sister and announced she was heading to the restroom to allow the two to chat alone for a bit. She normally never let the girl out of her sight-it was her duty to keep Beth safe, especially since Carver's death almost exactly a year ago. But everyone deserves their own space once in a while, and Astrid was a bit buzzed and why couldn't Bethany speak to an attractive boy? Bethany was an adult and he seemed harmless. A bit drunk, but not threatening with his mop of red hair and skinny arms. I could take him, the young woman thought as she looked in the dirty mirror in the Hanged Man's rather repulsive bathroom.
Years of practicing with her bow and competing with Carver had toned her body into something she had taken pride in back at Lothering where she could best the other boys at archery and still earn the occasional lusty gaze here and there. However, now her face was a bit too thin, flaxen hair less shiny, and while she still felt strong, the need in the pit of her stomach for a real, proper hot meal seemed to be ever present. She looked tired. Hell, she felt tired. Carver could now easily beat her in combat were he still around to challenge her, she realized. For what had to have been the thousandth time, she wished he really could be there, fretting over Bethany and lecturing Astrid for leaving her alone. She would let him beat her in all races and duels for the rest of her life if it would bring him back to them in Kirkwall.
Resting her heavy head back against the wall, she waited a few more minutes before checking up on Bethany, dwelling on the sound of her brother's complaining ringing in her head. When she returned to the bar, what she saw made her green eyes widen and ignite with rage. The girl was sure that flames were roaring inside her as she shoved her way over to her younger sibling.
The man, George, was gripping Bethany's arm tightly and pulling her close to his chest despite the young mage's hands protesting against him. A crooked grin sat upon his lips but Bethany looked close to tears. With a sound like thunder, the man's head slammed into the shoddy splintered table beside them, a crack that meant a broken nose following in its wake.
"What the fuck! You bitch!" George spat through the deluge of blood pouring from his nostrils. He struggled against the hand restraining his head to the table, but to no avail. Astrid's grip was unrelenting, as was her temper. "Let me go!"
"Astrid!" Bethany gasped in what sounded like both relief and fear.
"Don't you ever lay a finger on my sister again, you creep," the older of the two women hissed. She pulled a short, rusty dagger from her belt and held it close to his panicked eyes. "Better yet, if I ever see you handle a woman like that again, I will cut off a few crucial parts of your body. Do you understand me?"
George looked close to tears as he whimpered out a muffled "Alright!" It was funny how quickly men changed when they lost control of a situation. Astrid released the boy with a sneer and stepped back, allowing him to stumble to the exit and attracting all eyes in the tavern.
"Are you lot gonna be trouble?" the gruff looking man behind the bar asked in that gravelly rumble of a voice that all bartenders in all shady taverns seemed to share.
"No, not anymore," Astrid replied, cooling down. The man merely shrugged his wide shoulders and turned back to his work, paying no mind to the blood soaking into the table on the side of them.
Astrid tucked her dagger away and glanced at Bethany. "Maybe we should go home."
The girl nodded. "Could we wait a little while though, just to make sure he's gone?"
Astrid gave her a sympathetic glance. "Of course."
They took their seats, Bethany biting her lip and playing with her hands, and Astrid rubbing her temples. Some night this had turned out to be. "I'm sorry, Bethany. I thought this night would be different- that we could have some fun for once."
"It's not your fault. I only wish I could do magic in public so I could have lit his hair on fire," Bethany stated, a smile forming on her face as she calmed down again.
Astrid let out a laugh. "Imagine that! You would have been doing him a favor. I wasn't going to say anything if you liked him, but his hair was dreadful. I know Lowtown isn't fabulous, but I'm sure he could have washed it somehow. And George? What a terrible name. I should have known you could never fall for a George."
Suddenly a deep cough cut through their laughter. Neither Astrid nor Bethany had seen the dwarf standing before them approach, but now that he was there, his appearance seemed to demand their attention.
"May I?" he asked, gesturing to an open seat on Bethany's side. Everything from the very undwarven clean shaven face, to the deep smoothness of his voice and the huge crossbow at his back was intriguing. Bethany giggled and looked at her sister questioningly.
Astrid raised a blonde eyebrow but nodded. The dwarf shot her a grin and sat down.
"That was an interesting story you were telling earlier. But I would suggest less hand movements. Also, change the dog to a dragon you found on Sundermount and tamed with your bare hands and you'll be infamous."
Both girls cackled with laughter. "I'm sorry. Who, ah, who are you?" Astrid asked.
"Varric Tethras at your service. I'm a bit of a storyteller myself, but the way you took out that scum just a minute ago was what truly got my attention. I've never seen someone move so fast in a tavern in my life, not even during happy hour. You even beat Bianca to the punch," the dwarf said, gesturing to the crossbow behind him.
Astrid eyed him warily. "Why do I feel as if you're not just here to insult my ability to tell stories?"
Varric laughed, a deep full sound that filled the air around them. "I have a business proposition for you. My brother Bartrand-"
"Oh Bartrand! That was the name of that horrid dwarf we spoke to in Hightown yesterday!" Bethany cut in with a sour look contorting her face. "He was so rude."
"That sounds like my brother all right," Varric replied, far from offended. "So you know about the Deep Roads expedition he's been planning?"
Astrid let out a snort. "He rejected us."
She had heard about the expedition to the ancient tunnels of the Deep Roads and had been captivated by the profit it seemed to guarantee. However her dreams were crushed when Bartrand promptly yelled in her face in refusal.
He shook his head. "Bartrand wouldn't know an opportunity if it hit him square in the jaw."
She flicked her green eyes to his. "But you would?"
"I would! What my brother doesn't realize is that we need someone like you."
"What makes you certain we could help? You don't even know us." The expedition was an opportunity that promised wealth for her family, a greater life for her mother and Bethany, the chance to get out of Gamlen's stinking shack; however she could not help but question the dwarf's intentions.
Varric leaned back in his chair, resting his feet upon the table. "On the contrary- I know you're an awful storyteller, for one thing, and you know how to properly scare the piss out of a man. Plus you've made quite a name for yourself over the past year. The name 'Hawke' is on many lips these days. Not bad for a Fereldan fresh off the boat."
"What about Bethany?" Astrid asked, stealing a glance at her sister, who was staring quizzically at the dwarf.
Varric smiled at her, causing her face to flush pink. "She is certainly welcome, but I'll leave that in your hands."
Astrid thought things over. She had worked a year as a mercenary just to scrap her way through life in Lowtown. What were a few weeks in the Deep Roads for a chance to get back the Amell estate in Hightown that her mother and Bethany so deeply desired?
"There must be some way to persuade your brother to hire us on, preferably not involving sexual favors. No offense but I'd sooner kiss a Hurlock than touch Bartrand," she said, only half joking.
Their new associate laughed. "I assure you, my brother wouldn't be interested. I don't think he thinks of anything beyond dwarven politics and the Merchant's Guild…which are the same pain in the ass thing really. But we don't need another hireling- we need a partner! The truth is, Bartrand has been tearing his beard out trying to find one on his own, but he can't do it. Fifty sovereigns and he can't refuse. Not with me there to vouch for you."
At the words "fifty sovereigns" Bethany gasped. A frown pulled on Astrid's lips. "If I had that kind of coin I wouldn't need to join the expedition!"
"You need to think big! There's only a brief window after a Blight when the Deep Roads won't be crawling with darkspawn," he replied. "The treasure you find down there could set you and your family up for life!"
Damn. Fifteen minutes and he already knew how to rope her in. Astrid bit her lip, still considering.
"It won't be easy, but it's a chance," Bethany pointed out quietly. "I think we have to take it. Better to work our way into this expedition than to sit around waiting to be thrown in the Gallows."
Astrid could handle the smell of piss in the alleyways, the snobbery of the nobles, and even the leeches that lurked in the bars, but the Gallows, with its gargantuan old statues of slaves, and the severe looking templars with their heavy swords and deep frowns, gave her nightmares. Astrid would sooner die than lose her only living sibling to the stone prison of the Gallows.
The dwarf, noticing the pale that had taken form on her cheeks, spoke once again. "We work together and you'll have all the capital you need. What do you say?"
The older of the two Hawke girls exhaled. Forcing herself to shrug, she replied "It's not like I had anything better planned."