Hello, hello, readers. This little gem is inspired by a thought I had while reading through a few fanfictions. What if Fenris left a love interest back with the magister? This is my muse having a field day with the thought process. Thus you get Alice, my original character. Hope you enjoy my story!

CHAPTER ONE

OOOOOO ALICE IN DRAGON AGE 2 OOOOOO

Danarius wasn't there. The group could see this when they finished their search of what appeared to be the entire building. Fenris, now chest fallen, left the group to 'get some air' as he put it. Hawke gave Carver and Varric the okay to begin looting the area. The group finished gathering all they could find valuable from within, but just as they were leaving, there came a shockingly loud scream of agony. Glancing around, the group began searching for the source. Was it possible that they'd missed the evil mage? It was Carver who found the door hidden behind a book shelf. Very clever hiding place. Hawke sent Varric to go tell the elf about this while his brother and himself went ahead to search. The staircase downward was short, but the room was strangely illuminated. Upon coming to the bottom of the uneven staircase, they found the light source of the room. It was magically enhanced chains. All the chains were hooked very securely to the walls and the floor. The chains were holding one human looking girl.

"Are you all right?" Carver barked out the question, obviously more concerned than really thinking of the danger. The girl's head shot up, eyes wide in fear. Though it was not Carver that her eyes instantly went to. It was Hawke.

"What do you want, mage?" she asked practically spitting the word mage. It was apparent that she was no longer afraid by the pure savage fury in her eyes. Pressing herself against the wall, she raised her hands up as if in defense. The action made strange symbols visible on her palms. It also made horrid burn marks visible on her wrists.

"I want nothing. We heard your scream of pain as we sought to deal with Danarius." Hawke explained, trying to push beyond this obvious distrust the girl had of him. It did very little. She didn't relax in the slightest, if anything Hawke could see little sparks dancing between her fingers. She was clearly prepared to lash out. Though, just as he was about to continue attempting to calm the situation, Fenris cut him off.

"Do not waste your breathe, Hawke. She will not believe anything you say. She's spent far too much time with mages of Tevinter to trust you." he explained as he made his way down the stairs to Hawke's side. It was apparent he found no reason to mistrust the mage as of yet, this surprised the girl. Her eyes trained on Fenris, she tentatively lowered her defensive position and became clearly unsure.

"Fenris, are you well?" she asked staring at him with an odd mix of concern and sadness. Fenris could recall her often looking at him in such a manner, but could never ask why. He was reminded of the thought then, but it was a question for another time. Nodding, he took purposeful steps towards her and barely touched the chains. This caused a reaction of the chains shining brightly before a whimper escaped the girl's lips as she bite down on her lip, visibly holding in her pain.

"It will take a mage to free you, Alice." he said leaning fearlessly into her face. The girl, now known as Alice, stared back into his eyes, searchingly. After a few moment she gave a slight nod and looked down, giving the approval for assistance from Hawke. It was obvious that the two knew one another well enough for her to trust Fenris' judgment. "Hawke." Fenris spoke up as he stood before motioning Hawke over. No further words were spoken as the mage came to squat before the girl. Nodding in greeting, he got to work quickly. Eyeing all the spells and many entanglements. It was quite intricate.

"I have it." Hawke said softly as he stood his full height and wielded his staff. The girl pushed herself back, obviously preparing herself for the pain. Hawke nodded to the girl and began a chain of incantations. Within a few moments he swung his staff forward and it came in contact with a barrier of sorts. The force of breaking her holdings made Alice writhe in pain, unconsciously looking to Fenris for comfort. All the elf could do was stare back at her, unsure what she wanted him to do. Everyone now wondered what sort of bond did she feel with the oblivious elf. Seconds that felt like hours passed and Alice was free from her binds.

"Thank you, Mage Hawke." she whispered before rising with her head bowed. The group stayed quiet for a moment unsure how to proceed. The girl, Alice, looked up at Fenris and smiled. "I remain at your side." she softly said before she took her place at his side, taking his left hand into her own with a smile everyone but Fenris could understand. Fenris knew this as normal when he was back with Danarius, this girl Alice would remain at his side, helping in guarding their master. Though, why she was forced to remain at his side, he did not know, but he would not deny her a position that lessened her fear.

"I will remain here, Hawke. If you have need of me, I will be here." he explained simply before walking the two of them up the stairs and to the master room. Alice followed without hesitation, wanting to remain near Fenris. Though at the door of the cellar, Alice stopped and turned back to the group, who were by then starting up the stairs as well. Hawke looked up at her stilled form, curious what she wanted.

"I will also be here if you have need of me." Alice said with a slight smile before she scurried away and after Fenris. He wasn't far. Fenris went into the master room and stood before the roaring fire. Softly, she padded into the room and perched herself on the table across the room from Fenris. After a few seconds of silence, she took up her fetal position on the table, leaning her back against the wall. "He got away, didn't he?" she finally asked breaking the comfortable silence between the two of them. The building was empty, so she felt safe asking him tough questions without upsetting him.

"Yes. He escaped me, but he will not get away next time." he swore. Though, Alice couldn't see his face, she could tell he was tense, angry. She understood.

"I know you will get him next time. I'll be there to see you do it." she promised. Resting her chin on her knees, she stared at the floor. Her mind was miles away, so she did not see Fenris look back at her. His expression was conflicted. Fenris knew she looked familiar, but he couldn't remember why. Much like before, he just knew she had been important to him, so worth saving and protecting. Alice jumped and Fenris jerked when a loud knock resounded from the front door. Next sound was of the door opening and a voice called back to them, it was right away recognized as Hawke.

"Hey, Fenris! I brought a healer to come take a look at Alice." his voice called and Fenris took one look at Alice's wrists and expression before going out to meet Hawke. Alice looked ready to run, but she held herself still until Fenris was out of the room. Jumping from the table, she peeked around the corner to see Fenris faced with two, large, male mages. Alice was frightened, but she would not leave Fenris to face them on his own. Walking out silently, she stood tall beside Fenris. It was then she noticed the dwarf from the first group who found her. All conversation stopped when she walked out, but she remained calm. Folding her hands in front of her, she nodded to the group of them.

"Mage Hawke. Healer. Serah dwarf. Evening." she greeted slowly with a small smile at the dwarf male. He seemed the least dangerous of the three guests.

"The healer's name is Anders and our resident dwarf's name is Varric." Hawke introduced, with both occupants nodding to the young girl. Alice smiled to both, but still felt a sort of connection to Varric. She couldn't put her finger on it. Fenris cleared his throat, successfully turning the attention back to him.

"As I said, Hawke, Alice is unharmed, save the cuts on her wrists." Fenris stated, but Alice touched his arm to get his attention, as a side note gaining everyone's attention as well. Fenris looked back at her, obviously surprised by her somewhat calm expression.

"There is more, Fenris. I would like to have the healer take a look, if it wouldn't be troubling." she explained not removing her hand from his upper arm, obviously finding comfort in his presence. Fenris looked at her expression a moment before nodding and motioning them to follow him. The group was lead into a side room where it would appear everyone ate, and Alice took a seat on the table like she'd been sitting earlier. Hawke and the dwarf, Varric, waiting out of the room, but Fenris refused to leave Alice alone with the mage. Alice didn't comment on Fenris' presence, so it wasn't brought up.

"How about we start with what you'd say is the worst feeling wound?" Anders offered and right away Alice laid down on her stomach on the table, rolling up her shirt. Within a few moments, a good number of slices on her back were revealed. Each was a sick looking green. "A whip?" Anders asked softly, and without a second's hesitation, the girl nodded.

"Yes, it was punishment when I attempted to run away." she explained in a soft tone. She glanced to Fenris, but looked away quickly. She had actually been attempting to follow him when she was caught. Fenris couldn't place the look so he made no response. Anders said nothing as he began his job, healing her. A few moments later, the wounds were well on their way to healed and Alice looked ten times better from his vantage point.

"Anything else?" he asked after he was done with her back. Alice dragged herself up to a seat position, scooted back, and pulled back her tight pants. It was obviously painful, so Anders stopped her. "It would be less painful for you if you removed your pants. Don't worry, I won't see anything since you're wearing a dress." he explained, more for Fenris' sake who looked slightly irked by the idea. Alice jumped down before Fenris could say anything and pulled her pants off, which revealed green tinted gashes up and down her legs. They went just beyond her knees, which left Anders wondering how she walked around. They looked very fresh, but on closer inspection it looked as though her pants had ripped off all the scabs. She looked ready to fall, but before he could reach out to help, Fenris was there. He lifted her to sit on the table once more, but then quickly seemed to remember himself and moved out of the way. Alice smiled his way in thanks, but remained silent otherwise. Her legs were already oozing green liquid mixed with blood. Anders sighed and bent down to get to work. "Due to all the infections, it'd be a good idea if you kept the area clean. It would be good if you came to let me check them out in a few days." Anders explained as he healed up a particularly nasty looking gash in the side of her right leg. Alice looked unsure, but it was Fenris spoke up for her.

"It will be done, mage." Fenris said staring down Anders as if he were expecting him to disagree, but the mage just nodded. Alice was confused by Fenris' response, and what it meant. Instead of looking at him for more than a couple seconds, Alice looked down to watch her skin stitch itself back together. Watching the mage, Anders, she had to admit, he was attractive. In a rugged sort of on the run kind of way, but she couldn't forget that he was a mage. She felt unsure about that. Well, if she were to try to become close to him then it would pose a problem, but otherwise, she'd be fine.

"I'm done with your legs. Is that…What's that?" he started to say something, but stopped and asked about something he saw. He reached up and made her turn her head, which revealed a long, painful gash from above her ear down into her neck. It had been completely covered by her hair. Alice blushed a light red as he looked it over, which he noted. "You don't have to tell me what caused this." he stated, which caused her blush to darken. Fenris looked curious, but he didn't ask. He would ask after the mage was gone. Alice just wished to crawl into a corner and disappear, but she said nothing as the healer did what he could. Finally, she was good to have the final wounds checked out, her wrists. Anders lifted them, but right away, he jerked back in pain.

"Sorry." she amended her lash out response before showing him her palms. It was there that the tattoos on her palms were most visible. They were very intricate, very pale, and from what Anders could tell, very dangerous.

"If you don't mind my asking, what was the purpose of these tattoos?" he asked softly, trying not to hit any uncomfortable topics. Alice responded without hesitation, but looked to Fenris when she did.

"After my husband was separated from me, I was trained ruthlessly to guard the master. When they were certain I could do my job, they felt it was best to make me capable of using some spells. The only major spells that I can't use are healing ones. I'm meant for a tactical, magical assassin." she explained simply, but by the end of it had looked from Fenris who didn't seem to know what she was talking about. All Fenris could catch from her words was that she was forced to learn magic, trained in a harsh manner, and had a husband. Why the last one mattered to him, he didn't know. It just rubbed him the wrong way.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Alice." he stated, assuming her husband was gone. Alice nodded, but glanced at Fenris again, as if waiting for him to say something. He didn't, but he wondered what she expected. After a couple of seconds, Anders finished up healing her wrists and took a step back. "All finished, Alice. Hope to see you well when you come by my clinic in a few days." he said with a friendly smile, but all Alice could do was nod. With that, he turned and walked out of the room. Light chatter could be heard outside of the room, but Alice couldn't listen in because she was distracted by Fenris coming over to help her down by her waist. Once she was on her own feet, he pulled back.

"We should get you a change of clothes tomorrow. Until then, I'll see what I can find." he said simply, but with that he turned and joined the others in the main entrance room. Alice looked down at her pants and understood the need. The inside of them were covered in scabs. They needed washed. Sighing, she adjusted her dress to cover herself, but felt exposed with how much of her legs were showing. Pulling the pants inside out, she started to pick the scabs off. It took a few moments, but once she was done, she walked out to join the others. The conversation continued regardless of her coming in, which she appreciated. Instead of really joining in or listening, Alice decided to do something helpful. Padding silently down the stairs, she began dragging the bodies out of the way and letting them fall down the stairs. Once she was sure that the manor was cleaned, she padded her way up the stairs again, but this time everyone was gone. It was only Fenris, back at his previous place, standing looking at the fire.

"Fenris?" she asked as she peered into the room, unsure if she should enter or go to a separate room. Fenris looked her way, but didn't seem to know what she wanted. He looked confused. Alice couldn't understand why he would be confused, but while she stared at his expression, her feet carried her forward. When she was more aware, she realized she'd walked to be standing beside him. He still looked confused, but there was a bit of a conflicted part to the look. As if he wasn't sure what to do about something. He took a short step towards Alice, but made no move to touch her.

"Alice…" he stated, trailing off as if he were debating to say something. Alice gained a look of longing. She wanted him to say or do something, but he looked away. Fenris made a choice, shook his head no, and took a step away from her. For a split second, Alice's face fell and she looked ready to cry, but then it flipped and she shook her own head no, taking a step back herself. She looked away, saw a bundle of clothes on the table and walked over to them. "Hawke brought you a change of clothes. They were his sister's." Fenris explained, now looking back at the fire as if that moment had never happened. Alice nodded, picked up the clothes, and walked towards the door.

"I'll stay in the room next to this one. If you need me, I'll be there." she said softly, not looking at him. Without waiting for a response, Alice scurried to the room next to Fenris' and shut the door behind her. A shuddering sigh escaped her lips, Alice didn't try to stop the tears falling from her eyes. Fenris cursed loudly, but couldn't understand what had made him so angry. Both kept to their space for the rest of the night.

OOOOO TO BE CONTINUED OOOOO

First chapter, check! What do you guys think? I've got more in the works either way. Next time, we have our first mission! See ya then!