Chapter 1 - Dream

Beautiful flickers of orange and yellow danced around the legs of the Tevinter elf, Fenris. The flames grew and spread as they danced into the air, trying to reach the endless sky and touch the stars.

"Fenris..."

Fenris' head turned sharply at the sound of his name being called so gently, to find a young woman with the resemblance of a beautiful porcelain doll, staring at him a few miles away. Her skin as pale as death and hair trailing the floor behind her like a veil, she placed one foot in front of the other, as if to walk to him, and reached out her hand. Her body was completely exposed and naked, the flames encircling her delicate form, burning the soft flesh, as her face blurred and tears began falling from her scorched cheeks. Her lips trembled as she silently whimpered in pain and called out to him in distress,

"Help me!"

Fenris jolted upright in his bed with a start. Sweat pouring down his face and his breathing erratic, he tried to familiarise himself with his surroundings. After a few minutes of trying to calm his breathing and his racing thoughts, he realised he was in the abandoned mansion just like always and everything was normal. Only it wasn't. That dream he had, it felt so real. The young girl begging for his rescue and the tears she had shed. Her skin was so pure, untainted, soft and fragile. The complete opposite of himself. He wanted to take her hand, to stop her tears and help her with whatever was troubling her. But, it was only a dream.

He sighed as he got out of bed and stared at the midnight sky, the cold moonlight seeping in from the window, making his lyrium markings glow in response. He knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep again that night and the frown on his face deepened as he remembered that he was supposed to be going on a mission with Hawke and the others in the morning. He ran his slim fingers through his silver hair and let a low growl summon in his throat as he slumped in the armchair by the fireplace. He grabbed a bottle of wine on the coffee table beside him and took a swig of it before closing his eyes. Images of the young girl entered his mind once more and his grip on the bottle tightened.

This was going to be a long night.

Fenris was completely exhausted when he met up with everyone at the Hanged Man that morning. They just stared at him with shock as he didn't even try to hide his exhaustion. He was always the one who stayed in control and hid his emotions, kept himself closed off and tried his best to make himself look professional. Today, however, his hair was scruffy and spiked in all directions and he had huge bags under his eyes. He was slouched, not in his usual protective stance, but more lazily and drowsy. He swayed as he walked, his late night drinking coming into effect, and he was completely lost in his own thoughts.

"Fenris…?"

He winced at his name being called, still not used to anyone other than the girl in his dream uttering it since last night, and looked in the direction the voice was coming from.

Hawke.

Her face was filled with concern and she reached out to touch his arm comfortingly. His eyes widened and he flinched back instantly. He tried to visualise the girl from his dream calling his name and standing before him, but instead, all he could see was Hawke. She was fading and he hated it. It was like the memories of his past all over again.

He saw Hawke wince and draw back her hand, but still managed to give him a reassuring smile as she turned to the rest of the group to tell them the plan for the oncoming mission. He sighed inwardly as he barely listened to Hawke assigning roles to each of her comrades. Once she had finished explaining, she took one last glance at Fenris and offered he stay behind this one time and catch up on some sleep. He refused, knowing that if he tried to sleep in that empty mansion of his, he would only end up lying awake, thinking about the girl from his dream, and become even more exhausted than he was to begin with.

The mission was a long and tiresome one and Fenris was beginning to wish he had taken up Hawke's offer. They had arrived at the Wounded Coast, stressed, after having to listen to another session of Varric's endless stories and jokes, and Fenris and Anders bickering over Blood Mages and Abominations. They were supposed to be clearing out a band of Mercenaries but instead, had ended up trying to clear out demons from a nearby temple. Shades and Desire Demons poured out of nowhere and one by one the group eliminated them all in a tangle of blades and magic.

After the last demon was slain, Fenris was relieved that the mission was over and done with and was ready to leave the god-forsaken temple forever, when suddenly an explosion came from the locked room next to them. Flames poured from the room and a shade scrabbled out in an attempt to flee the inferno clinging to its skin, and ended up running into Fenris' mighty blade. The group quickly slaughtered any remaining demons and inspected the burning room, thick black smoke blurring their vision, to come upon a naked young girl.

Hair pooling around her and flames burning her soft, porcelain skin, she breathed heavily, choking on the air, and winced as she collapsed against a wall. Her back scrapping against it as she slid down to the floor, she quickly fell unconscious from inhaling too much of the thick smoke that was slowly poisoning her lungs. The group gasped as they looked upon her and Fenris' eyes widened in complete shock as he recognized the girl he had lost a great amount of sleep over.

"It's her!"