Plenty of Time to Talk

Chapter 1

"Oh Maker, what happened?" Hawke groaned as consciousness returned. Everything hurt. For a moment she was afraid that she'd gone blind, as she couldn't see anything. But almost as soon as she spoke, she saw a faint blue glow start to alleviate the darkness.

Honestly, what the light showed her didn't help put her at ease. This was some sort of rocky pocket. Stone walls on both sides and a wall of boulders to another. Across from the boulder wall lay a tunnel of absolute darkness. She blinked several times before she made out the source of light…

"Fenris! Are you alright?" she cried in surprise. His lyrium brands were glowing faintly. His face was contorted in a grimace. She tried to get up but discovered that her left leg was having none of that. She cried out and fell on her behind with a thump which jarred everything else that hurt.

"Stay down Hawke. I think that ankle is fractured. I would help, but I suspect my right arm is broken and something is wrong with my shoulder." Fenris said stoically. He was holding his arm to his chest with the left. His shoulder did look strange. He was covered in dust, grime and minor cuts and scrapes. Awkwardly he got up and wobbled towards Hawke. "Help me check on her. With one arm, I was afraid of hurting her more than helping." Fenris gestured with his chin at a bundle near Hawke.

Looking carefully, Hawke recognized Merrill's still form. She wasn't moving in any discernible way. "Andraste's mercy! Is she dead?" Hawke felt a lump raise in her throat, dreading how she would find the young Dalish. Merrill was just within reach if Hawke stretched out. Fenris knelt down near the women, bringing his light closer. "Hurry, I can't keep the light going indefinitely."

Tentatively she extended her torso and arms to feel the young elf's neck for a pulse. She felt the steady heartbeat there and she felt tears of happiness begin to gather. She blinked them away and gingerly rolled Merrill towards her. Merrill had a clearly had a serious wallop on the head. A huge lump had formed on the right side of her forehead and the bruise that had begun to flower there was going to be spectacular. The rest of the mage's injuries seemed to be superficial cuts and bruises.

"How bad is it?" Fenris asked through clenched teeth. Hawke shook her head as she wiped some of the dust and dirt from Merrill's face. "I'm no healer. She hurt her head, but everything else should be in working order. I hope she wakes soon. I don't think I have any healing potions or injury kits on me."

Fenris settled down near the women and let his brands dim back to darkness. It was eerie, knowing her companions were there, but being unable to see them. She felt a long fingered hand touch her shoulder. It was shocking because of the darkness and because, well…Fenris never touched anyone unless he was killing them. Still, she was glad to feel his hand. It made the dark more bearable.

"I'm sorry, but I can't keep them alight like that for a long time. It's exhausting and we might need our strength to protect ourselves. Remember, these tunnels are filled with darkspawn." Fenris said quietly.

"There's a comforting thought." Hawke chuckled and regretted it. Even that slight vibration made her body remind her of how battered she was.

"You seem to have all the answers today, Fenris. What happened? All I remember right now is going to the Wounded Coast for something." Hawke's mind was slowly getting back on its rails.

"We fought some slavers. We chased them into this tunnel and that's when the darkspawn came out. In the confusion, I think one of Merrill's nature spells got out of hand and collapsed the tunnel we were standing in. You tossed Merrill away from the falling rocks, but you fell in the process. I think that's what happened to your ankle. I looked before, and it seemed very swollen in your boot. At least it doesn't seem to be in any unnatural position. If you're lucky, it could just be a very bad sprain." He finished with a sigh. He sounded very tired and a bit peeved.

Hawke reached down and carefully felt the ankle. It throbbed a bit and it did feel very swollen, but she hardly felt any pain there. She said so.

"It happens. If you're injured badly enough, the body bypasses the pain for a time. Don't worry; it'll catch up with you." Fenris said. She imagined him giving her that sardonic half smile he sometimes graced her with.

"Are you feeling pain?" She asked, suddenly keenly aware of his earlier self-assessment.

"I've had worse. I wish I could do something about it, I hate feeling defenseless. I have no potions either." His tone was light, but Hawke imagined he was used to dismissing and hiding his injuries. 'Like the wolf he's named for. Never let them see you bleed.' She thought ruefully.

Hawke frowned and went over what Fenris had told her about their predicament. "Wait, if we went out, who was our fourth? You know I like safety in numbers. We always go out as a quartet." Her mind was still hazy on details. She wondered if she had hit her head as well.

"Aveline. She was the one who'd had the reports of slavers. I hope she got away from the collapse." Fenris spoke quietly. Hawke's mind raced with possibilities. 'Had Aveline evaded the boulders? Had she been left alone in a cavern full of darkspawn? Was she (Hawke shuddered at the thought) buried under the boulders? Had the slavers survived and harmed her?' She felt herself getting dizzy from all the grim possibilities.

She felt Fenris' grip tighten on her shoulder, as if by touch, he had read her thoughts. "She was on the other side of the tunnel while we were fighting. I think she was well away from the collapse. She's also one of the toughest fighters I've ever seen. She will have gotten away." He sounded so matter of fact that his words soothed her tremendously. 'Of course Aveline would have gotten away. She'd be back with the entire city guard to get them.' They just had to wait.

"You're a regular ray of sunshine through all this. Varric is never going to believe me that you were the one keeping me from going crazy down here." Hawke said, humor coloring her words. There wasn't much they could do but sit and talk. Hawke couldn't walk, Fenris couldn't carry her and poor Merrill…well hopefully Merrill would wake soon.

"I've told him I'm not brooding. He just likes to believe that." Was that a chuckle from him? She wondered how much of his moodiness was just an act to rile up Varric.

"There is no point in concentrating on what we can't do. We must accept it and concentrate on what we can accomplish." His voice washed over her like a balm.

If she was to be stuck just listening to someone, she admitted, that Fenris was definitely at the top of her list. He had such a lovely voice.