Disclaimer: The Dragon Age universe belongs to Bioware, along with all recognizable characters.
This is my version of the events that follow the ending of Dragon Age II with a female mage Hawke in a romance with Fenris. Some liberties will be taken, but I have tried to stay true to the characters and settings. The first chapter doesn't feature any Hawke/Fenris interaction, but it's coming, I promise! Future chapters will contain mature romantic content. This is my first attempt at fan fiction, so all comments and critiques are welcome. Thank you for reading!
"Maker's breath, Hawke, what do we do now?"
Madison Hawke glanced over at Varric when the dwarf spoke, taking in the worried expression on his normally jovial face. Glancing to her other companions, she saw the same worry reflected in all of their eyes as they looked to her for guidance. She couldn't blame them. Orsino was dead. Meredith was dead. The Chantry was nothing but rubble and the Gallows were painted red with the blood of mages and Templars alike. The senselessness of it all weighed on Hawke like lead weights, but she couldn't afford to let it show. By coincidence or by fate, she had become the leader of this group and, as such, she had to be the one to make the hard choices and shoulder the heaviest burdens so her friends wouldn't have to. Touching Varric's shoulder reassuringly, her expression and voice were calm when she spoke.
"We have to leave Kirkwall. Tonight." She held up a hand to stall the chorus of protests from her companions. "I don't like it anymore than any of you do, but we don't have a choice. Once the citizens of this city stop reeling in shock, they will be out for blood. Someone is going to have to answer for what happened here and since the real villains are all dead, we will be the most convenient target for their wrath."
"But that's just wrong!" Merrill protested, her eyes wide with indignation. "This isn't our fault! Just because we were here doesn't mean..."
Shaking her head, Isabella gently interrupted Merrill's rant. "It's not about what's right or what's fair, kitten. It's about finding someone to blame." The pirate's eyes turned to Madison. "I can have my ship ready to sail in an hour."
Hawke nodded, grateful before speaking firmly to her gathered companions. "Return to your homes, gather anything you can't bear to leave behind. We will all meet at the Docks in an hour."
As her friends quickly dispersed, Hawke turned to head toward Hightown, but was stopped by Sebastian's gentle hand on her arm. "Hawke."
Looking up into the prince's earnest face, Madison could see the conflicting emotions in his blue eyes and it made her smile sadly. He was a good man and a good friend and she know that, if she asked him, he would follow her from Kirkwall without hesitation. A small selfish part of her wanted to do just that, but her conscience wouldn't allow her to ask him to choose between his loyalty to her and his duty to Starkhaven.
"It's all right, Sebastian. Go." She said before he could speak again. "Starkhaven needs you and I had no illusions that you would be willing to follow me around forever."
"May the Maker bless you and guide you." Sebastian clasped her shoulders gently and placed a chaste, brotherly kiss to her forehead. "It has been my honor to fight at your side."
"The honor was mine, Sebastian."
Hawke replied as she hugged him briefly, her throat tightening and her eyes burning with tears she would not allow herself to shed. Only once he had walked away, leaving her alone on the dark street, did she feel the warm wet trace of a single tear rolling down her cheek. Wiping it away hastily, she forced herself to calm before hurrying toward Hightown.
"Bodahn!" She called loudly for the dwarf as she crossed the threshold into the foyer of her estate. "Pack your things and help Sandal and Orana do the same. We're leaving. Now."
"Messere…" Bodahn's voice trailed off as he came around a corner to meet her, his face drawn with sorrow. "Orana was…" The dwarf's voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "She was at the Chantry this evening."
No other explanation was necessary and Hawke closed her eyes, feeling as if someone had punched her in the gut. Orana had been more than just a servant, she had been a friend. The blonde elf had been so frightened and unsure when she had first come to the Hawke estate after being freed from slavery, but time and working for a kind mistress had brought her out of her shell. She had become a delightful young woman that loved to play her lute and spent her free time volunteering at the Chantry, helping to pass out food and clothing to the orphans and the homeless. Now she was gone, one of hundreds of innocent lives that had been taken by the fanatical actions of spirit possessed mage.
Maker curse you, Anders!
Madison thought to herself, feeling the hurt anger boil up again over his betrayal. An apostate herself, she had sympathized with his cause of wanting to see mages free from Templar control, but she had disagreed with his often violent tactics for trying to achieve that freedom. However, she never would have believed him capable of killing hundreds of innocent people by blowing up the Chantry. The rogue mage had paid for his crime with his life, but that did little to ease the pain of loss that Hawke and so many others felt at losing someone they cared about. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Madison opened her eyes and put a gentle hand on Bodahn's shoulder.
"There will be time to mourn her later. We can't linger here. Isabella's ship will be ready to sail in less than an hour."
"Do you think you will ever return to Kirkwall, Messere?" When Hawke sighed and shook her head sadly, Bodahn nodded. "Then if you will allow it, my boy and I will stay behind to put your affairs in order. Once you settle somewhere, you can send word and we will forward the profits from the sale of your home."
"I can't ask you to do that." Madison frowned. "The templars..."
The dwarf cut her off. "The Templars will not look twice at a pair of abandoned dwarven servants who know nothing of your whereabouts and are seeking only to gain enough profits to start a new life by selling off the home their mistress left behind."
Bodahn smiled slyly and Madison hugged him abruptly, touched by his loyalty and willingness to lie for her. "When it is safe, I hope you and Sandal will come and join me… not as servants, but as treasured friends."
"Perhaps we will, Messere." Bodahn replied, clearly surprised by her embrace, but touched by her words. "Perhaps we will."
Feeling tears threaten again, Hawke released him before sprinting up the stairs to her room. She didn't know how much time she had before the Templars regrouped and came knocking at her door, but there were a few things she couldn't bear to leave behind. Her mother's locket was clasped carefully around her neck before she shoved several changes of clothes and a few personal letters, gifts and mementoes from her friends and companions into a backpack.
Slinging the first pack over her shoulder, she grabbed a second backpack before moving quickly into the library. In the time since she had taught him to read, Fenris had discovered several books he enjoyed and she shoved those volumes, along with a couple of her own favorites, into the empty pack. Two backpacks of items out of an entire estate of belongings… it almost seemed like a cruel joke, but circumstances forced her to travel light. Trotting downstairs, she whistled for her faithful mabari hound, Khan.
"Come on boy. It's time to go." Khan whined softly in reply, his ears drooping and Madison patted his head. "I know. I don't want to leave either, but I bet Isabella's ship will have a few rats you can chase."
The mabari barked once, a delighted sound, and Hawke chuckled. Khan was smarter than some people she had met, but he was still a dog and sometimes amused by the simple things. As she moved into the foyer, however, her amusement faded at the sight of Bodahn and Sandal waiting by the door. Madison hoped with all her heart that the pair of dwarves would find her again once all the madness had passed, but there was no guarantee. As such, the hugs she gave each of them were perhaps longer than necessary and she didn't even bother to try and hide the tears that rolled down her face.
"May the Maker watch over you both." She said as she straightened, but before she could step toward the door, Sandal pulled a rune from his pocket and held it out to her.
"You like the shiny?"
Sandal, despite his simple mind, had always had a knack for creating some of the most impressive magical runes she had ever seen. As she took the small, smooth stone, however, Madison could feel the power that hummed within it and couldn't help but wonder if the young dwarf had outdone himself with this one.
"It's beautiful, Sandal. Thank you."
"Be safe, Messare."
Bodahn said and Hawke nodded, wiping another tear from her face before leaving her Kirkwall estate for the last time. With Khan at her side, Madison moved quickly through the darkened streets of the city, using the many shadows to avoid the various groups of citizens and Templars that she encountered on her way to the Docks.
"Is everyone on board?" She asked Isabella as she boarded the pirate's ship.
"Yes. We were just waiting on you."
"Then let's go."
As Isabella headed toward the wheel and Khan trotted off in search of rats, Hawke moved to the railing and watched in silence as the ship began to pull away from the Docks. As the lights of Kirkwall faded into the distance, Madison sighed and bowed her head, wondering how things had gone so horribly wrong. Varric's earlier question echoed in her mind again, but this time, she didn't have an answer.
What do we do now?