This is obviously an AU story. As far as I know, the time of Fenris' escape and the period leading up to the start of both DA:O and DA:II have never really been specified. So I decided to just make up something that suits the plot here.

I do not own Dragon Age franchise. And oh, English is not my main language!

01

He had become a free man.

It all thanks to those Fog Warriors of Seheron. They had treated his injuries and let him stay with them after he survived another fierce battle between the Tevinter and the Qunari there. For months, he lived with them and learned many things. But he had to leave as soon as he recovered before Danarius came after him. They tried to persuade him to stay, telling him that they would not give him up. It was honestly touching, but he knew better than to involve them with his problem any further. He was afraid that in his master's presence, he would not be able to remain in control of himself or his power.

So he bid them farewell. And became a free man.

At least that was what he kept telling himself. In actuality, he had been on the run and constantly on guard. He had not encountered any Tevinter hunters so far, but it was only a matter of time. He had to keep running. It was tiring, not to mention made him awfully felt like a coward.

At some point as he fled south, he seriously considered stopping at the City of Chains, Kirkwall, where Danarius' mansion was supposedly located. Make a final stand there and wait for those hunters or even that blasted magister himself to come after him. He was ready for a bloodbath. All or nothing. Kill or be killed. But somehow before he made the first step to the infamous city, his gaze turned toward the Waking Sea. His mind wandered to the vast land beyond it.

Ferelden.

What would he find there?

Freedom?

He shook his head to get rid of the ridiculous thought. Fate had been nothing but cruel to him all his life. Why would it be any different now? But as he was once again about to take his first step to Kirkwall, his eyes stubbornly looking south again.

What was wrong with him?

Surely he couldn't be so delusional as to believe that he could change his fate there beyond the sea.

Wrong.

Fenris later found himself on board of a merchant ship to Highever after having succeeded in persuading the ship captain with his sword. No! He didn't use his sword like that! It was the only valuable thing in his possession, so as a supposedly honest free man, he gave it up in exchange for a place on the ship. He didn't mind really. On the bright side, it would draw much less attention if he just walked around weaponless.

It was the right decision, he supposed.

Once he arrived at Harper's Ford, an outpost town in the coastlands of Highever, he could blend in quite well. It was only normal that he received weird looks here and there for his unusual appearance, but no one bothered to say anything, considering that he was just an elf. Even so, he decided to not stay there any longer than necessary. Tevinter was still not far enough from there. He needed to keep moving south.

It was not much of a surprise when he came across the grand Imperial Highway. It was hard to miss after all. But he ignored it, and just continued on his way through smaller roads instead. Mostly out of spite for the damned Imperium. It just so happened that his rational mind also considered that it would be wise to stay away from such a busy road.

The decision came with a cost, though.

For days, he barely came across any civilizations. He only passed through a couple of small settlements, and none of the wary residences wanted anything to do with a dangerous-looking elf like him. So he slept on roads, bathed in rivers, and hunted for foods, all the while trying to avoid wild animals and occasional bandits that tried to mess with him. It was tough. He felt relatively free at last, but he had to admit that such a lifestyle was a bit too tough for him. It seemed like he was just not prepared to live like a Dalish.

Thankfully, he had learned recently that there was a village not that far away to the south.

/

Lothering...

... was quite underwhelming.

He had expected the place that served as a strategic trading post in this land to be, well, larger. Though he had to admit that at the very least, its business lived up to his expectation. In fact, it was even busier than he had imagined. Surprisingly, however, quite a lot of people there didn't seem to be merchants. To his puzzlement even, judging from their wagons and other belongings strewn across the field, they appeared to be... refugees?

He shook his head.

This had nothing to do with him. He would just find a quick job, and then leave as soon as he got himself some coins. Maybe he would be luckier next time and come across a decent settlement further south.

He kept walking then, but before he got far, a curious view stopped him.

There under the windmill, a redheaded woman who based on her clothing seemed to be a Chantry Sister was speaking heatedly to a shady-looking man. He snapped back at her. Fortunately, she was a Sister. He surely would not dare to hurt her. But no. All of a sudden, his hand was raised, ready to strike the helpless Sister. However, something absolutely unexpected happened. The hand stopped abruptly as the man suddenly felt the sharp tip of a dagger on his neck. The Sister still with a dagger in hand spoke lowly then. The man could only nod in fear, and ran away as soon as the weapon was lowered.

Fenris watched all of this with a raised eyebrow. He had barely ever encountered Chantry Lay Sisters before, much less interacted with them. But it had never ever crossed his mind that one of them would possibly carry a real weapon with her, and knew how to use it.

Just then, said Sister finally noticed his presence as she turned to leave. Her eyes widened immediately. Her face reddened.

"T- This was not what it looked like! I mean, he was a criminal! I just asked him to leave us alone. And it's not a weapon!" She hurriedly hid the dagger in her robes. "Just a... kitchen knife?"

"... If you say so."

"A- Anyway. You seem to be new here." She stepped out of the shadow then after composing herself. "I am Sister Leliana. How may I help you, stranger?"

She seemed to be genuine enough. He would not trust her that easily, not after what he had just seen. But it wouldn't cost him anything to talk to her for a bit, he supposed.

"I'm looking for a job. A high risk high reward one preferably."

"Oh. Then you may check the chanter's board. Hopefully, you could find one there."

Chanter's board?

He had no idea what that was. Though he was not that stupid as to completely fail to get the picture.

"... Is this chanter's board something that requires reading?"

"Huh?" She blinked in bewilderment. "... It obviously is."

"Then it is no use to me."

"You mean you can't..." Her eyes widened quickly. "Oh, my apologies! Come with me then if you please. I'll give you my assistance."

With that, she began to walk away, fully expecting that he would follow her. He did after a brief hesitation. And so they walked together in silence with her leading the way.

Interestingly enough, instead of using the main road, they went behind the windmill. There he found a small path that went around the back of the village. This was actually preferable to him since he didn't like walking close to the crowds. It was unlikely, however, that she chose this path simply because she was being considerate to him. They were strangers. Still, he couldn't help but be somewhat curious.

"Why not use the main road?"

That broke the silence. And the Sister slowed down a bit before looking back at him with a sheepish smile.

"Well, I don't think it would be good for our Chantry's reputation if people see one of the Sisters walking around together with a handsome elven man."

"I see." That was when his eyes widened. "Wait, what?! Handsome? Me?"

To his frustration, she only giggled and kept walking as they came across a small bridge. He could do nothing but follow, still in quite a shock.

This woman...

Her background was questionable. He doubted that being a Chantry Sister was the only occupation she had ever had. It was not hard to see that she already had quite plenty of experiences in other unrelated things. She was definitely not as innocent as she tried to appear to be, far from it. He wouldn't be surprised if before she became a Sister, she had been a thief or assassin, or even a whore. Most likely some kind of whore at some point, he was convinced of that. Her allure and overall attractiveness really reminded him of one.

No matter.

He couldn't care less about this so called Sister as long as she didn't try anything funny with him. Besides, it was quite pathetic of him to assume anything about her background if she honestly just wished to help him. Not to mention, he really had no right to judge her, considering his own background.

Lost in thought, Fenris didn't realize that they had gotten to their destination. Seeing this, Leliana giggled again before lightly tapping the chanter's board in front of them to get his attention.

"Still can't believe that a Chantry Sister considers you handsome, hmm?"

"Shut up." His face turned a bit red. "Just get this over with!"

Fortunately for him, she decided to give him a break, and began to read the job offers on the wooden board one by one. Unfortunately however, none of what she read came close enough to what he wanted. Though again fortunately, his companion was more than patient enough with him, despite his constant argument and rudeness. The smile never left her face as she kept reading.

"Oh, how about this one? Mrs Amell offers one sovereign to anyone who can return her escaping cattle. It is quite a high risk, no? Cattle can be pretty nasty, especially to strangers."

"..." He just didn't know what to say anymore.

His defeated expression only served to make the strange woman giggle once again.

In all honesty, she could understand him. This elven male was clearly a warrior, judging from his equipment, posture, and relatively well built physique. He just so happened to not have any weapons with him for some reason. Perhaps him being short on money had something to do with that. But she was not about to pry. What mattered was she understood that as a warrior, he much preferred to face something that could be solved with his fighting skills alone.

It was a good thing then when she eventually found what he was looking for at the bottom corner of the board.

"It seems like the Maker smiles upon you, stranger. Ser Bryant has promised three sovereigns for those brave enough to deal with some groups of bandits occupying the northern parts of Lothering. It's not that far from the windmill, I think."

"I'll take it."

"Good luck then." She smiled encouragingly. "And be careful! You seem to be quite an experienced fighter, but it's still best to not let your guard down."

"I know."

Then he turned around, heading back to the back road, but not before giving her a slight nod of appreciation.

Hours later, when the sun almost went down completely, Fenris stood over the unmoving forms of the last group of bandits. He appeared to be relatively unharmed but still somewhat out of breath. Not bad, he supposed. He had to admit that outnumbered fights even against poorly trained foes still proved to be quite a challenge. It also didn't help that the only weapon he got, and threw away already as soon as he was done, was just a rusty sword he took from the first bandit he incapacitated.

He looked around after a moment then. Somehow, he didn't feel like looting these lowlifes' possessions. Nothing seemed to interest him, and he didn't want to go to the trouble of selling their armors and weapons. Except for the leader's weapon, they all seemed to be nearly worth nothing. So in the end, he just took the veridium greatsword and what little coins he found before turning around to leave.

It was already dark by the time he came out of the back road again and returned to the front of the chantry where the chanter's board was located. He had no idea how to receive his payment, so along the way he cursed himself for not bothering to ask earlier when he got the chance. That was until his eyes found a familiar figure waving at him.

The strange woman, Leliana, stood alone near the board. She wore a dark hooded coat over her robes since it had become quite cold outside. And she smiled warmly when their eyes met.

"Thanks the Maker you're alright. I take it you succeeded?"

"Yes. See it yourself if you wish."

"There's no need. I trust you." She handed a small pouch to him then. "Here's the reward. You deserve it."

"Thanks."

He took it carefully from her hand, making sure to not make any skin contact. She didn't seem to notice his strange behavior, but if she did, she chose not to say anything about it. Though she regretted her decision soon enough because they fell into silence after that, a rather awkward silence. Thankfully, her previous line of work had taught her to become an excellent conversationist.

"It's already dark. I think Dane's Refugee across the river still has some rooms. You could go there now that you've got yourself plenty enough coins."

"No."

"Or you could stay with us in the chantry. We sometimes offer a temporary shelter for those who need it."

"That won't be necessary. I'm about to leave."

"Oh." She seemed a bit deflated at that. "Where are you going then if I may ask?"

"South."

For some reason, at the brief answer, the woman seemed to come to an understanding that was soon followed by a sad acceptance. It was as if she was mourning someone's death. And sure enough, there was an unmistakable poignant look in her eyes as she looked back at him.

"I see... So you're joining the Ferelden armies and the Grey Wardens in Ostagar to face the evil hordes of darkspawns in the south. May the maker be with you, stranger. Your sacrifice would be remembered." At this, she took off her long coat before giving it to him. "Here, take this. It would be cold out there. This is the only thing I can offer to a hero who would fight for us all."

In bewilderment, Fenris unconsciously accepted it. He really had a difficult time trying to comprehend any of this. It even crossed his mind briefly that perhaps this so called Sister was somewhat mentally unstable. Regardless, she had been nothing but kind and helpful to him since he arrived here. He didn't forget that. So he decided not to be rude for once, and chose his words carefully.

"... Are you by any chance joking?"

"I'm sorry, what?" She looked at him in surprise. "Wait a second. You're not going to Ostagar... You don't even know about this... But you've seen the refugees here, haven't you? They all came from the south, fleeing from those monsters."

Not joking then.

Fenris couldn't believe his already rotten luck could get even worse like this. It was only logical to think that by going far to the south, as far away as possible from Tevinter, he could finally leave his past behind. But it seemed like he was quite bad at 'choosing direction'. It wouldn't stop him from trying, though.

"I'm going east then." He paused suddenly, and handed the coat back to her. "Take it back. You gave it to the wrong person, it seems."

He was no hero... clearly not the hero she expected.

Leliana would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to be angry at this stranger. He was not a bad person, she could see that well enough. Somehow, she even felt that they were alike in some ways. They were both just unfortunate persons who still kept living and fighting despite all the burdens they carried in their souls. So in the end, she gave him another smile, not as bright as the previous ones, but not less genuine.

"Keep it. Believe it or not, I gave it to you, not the hero I spoke of."

"..." He hesitated for a bit before letting out a sigh. "Thank you... Leliana."

"You're welcome. Good luck on your journey, and..." She smiled brighter. "May someday we meet again."

"Farewell."

Since he doubted he would ever see her again, this time he allowed himself to return her smile. It was too much for him though, the sappiness. That was why he quickly turned around and walked away, not knowing that her smile turned into a fond one as she watched him left.

/

Fenris had never felt like such a fool before. He blamed it on his pride, but his natural instinct to appear like some kind of badass was also responsible for his current predicament.

Really. He had not gotten that far.

It was absolutely stupid to refuse to return to Lothering just because he felt that he had made quite an impression to a random Chantry Sister as he coolly left. And what a stupid idea it was to leave before he even had a chance to get some decent meals and rest under a roof. All because his stupid instinct kicked in as he talked with the woman, telling him that it would be so in his character to just leave without much words. But it was too late now. He couldn't imagine how awkward it would be to come across her again if he decided to return.

And so he had to bear spending another night under a tree with empty stomach.

At the very least, his new coat proved to be warm and comfortable. It was made from quality materials, it seemed. He particularly like the hood. The sleeves were also not that bad, not loose enough to be irritating. He enjoyed the coat more than he cared to admit, and chose to wear it even at the cost of having to forsake his spiky pauldrons. Most importantly, it was the first gift he had ever received all his life as far as he could remember.

As strange as she was, the Chantry Sister really had his gratitude.

He got quite a decent sleep that night despite the unfortunate circumstances. He was still hungry, though. It forced him to wake up early and get something to eat. However before he could even start looking, he found something that made him not quite sure whether to feel lucky or stupid. There as he looked up at the tree he had been been spending the night under, he saw familiar looking fruits amidst the leaves. Oh well, he was more lucky, he supposed. Then without a second thought, he climbed up what he just found out to be an apple tree.

Sometimes later, he continued on his way with a fresh apple in hand, having eaten plenty enough previously. He felt much better. Somehow the coat he wore gave him an unfamiliar sense of safety. And the feel of a long blade strapped on his back returned his confidence. Not that he needed much of those feelings, considering that he seemed to be the only one walking through the small deserted road.

It changed soon enough.

Coming from the opposite direction, there were two men... and a huge dog. But what quickly grabbed his attention were the weapons they carried. They were no ordinary people, or animal, especially the bearded one. Feeling alert, he instinctively put on the hood of his coat, but kept walking in silence.

Unfortunately, it seemed like had used up what little lucks he had with the apple tree.

When he got to a close distance with the group of three, the bearded man who was clearly the older one of the two humans stopped in front of him. The man's presence alone gave off such a strong and unmistakable feel of a battle-hardened veteran. It was enough to make Fenris stop as well. They both stared at each other for a moment in silence until the man calmly decided to speak.

"Greetings. I am Duncan of the Grey Wardens. What is your name, elven warrior?"

"It's none of your concern."

"It actually is. Because you will join our rank."

"Ridiculous."

"Not as much as you think. With the Right of Conscription, as a Commander of the Grey I have full authority to recruit anyone in Thedas. No exception."

The Grey Wardens' absolute right. It was one of the most established law in this world.

Fenris was aware of that. But it was hard to see reason when the thought of having no control to his fate again overwhelmed his mind. He refused to return to a bleak existence that could barely be called life. The odds were completely against him, that much was obvious. But his mind, as clouded as it was, was set. He would fight to the death for his freedom.

Without warning, he drew his weapon from his back before swinging it in a vicious arc. It happened so fast, but his opponent managed to evade it with almost no difficulty. Then the long blade without a pause came down upon the man as Fenris made a sudden jump toward him. This time, the attack forced Duncan to draw his own weapons and skillfully use the longsword to parry the greatsword. The dagger in his left hand soon darted toward Fenris as he landed, and it forced him to roll out of the way. He had no chance to breath, though, since he had to block a lethal dual weapon strike that came right after.

This was a duel. That much was clear. The other human and the dog were sensible enough not to interfere.

The reason Duncan had become the esteemed Warden-Commander of Ferelden was clear to see. He showed his unparalleled skills and experience in combats as he overwhelmed the elven warrior. They were on wholly different levels it seemed, even Fenris realized that. He could only try his hardest to block and parry the seemingly unending series of flurry attacks with his broad blade.

The outcome of the fight had been decided.

Fenris couldn't help but wonder if it was worth it to keep struggling. But he shook the thought away immediately. His lyrium markings glowed all of a sudden, and it made the Warden-Commander hesitate for a brief moment. However, it gave him enough chance even just barely to use his cursed power. In a flash, he dashed forward. His body phased through the blades between them. His free hand reached out for a killing move.

Only to find thin air.

He stumbled to the ground as his formidable opponent, having sensed the incoming danger, moved out of the way like a shadow. And before he could even recover from his shock, he felt the cold edge of a blade on his neck.

It was over.

Surprisingly enough, Duncan's eyes softened. He had seen how this elven warrior fight, including the mysterious ability. He had seen the burning desperation in his every moves, and beyond it, he found what he was looking for. The unquenchable will, not merely to survive, but to fight for what had to be important to him. And it was enough to make a smile appear on his bearded face as he sheathed his blades.

"Join us, young warrior. Being a Grey Warden means a lifetime of vigilance, but it promises you one thing." At this, he bent down slightly to offer the defeated man a hand. "The freedom to fight for what matters the most."

How strange.

That was such a vague statement. Fenris was beyond doubtful that what mattered the most to him and the bearded man could be the same thing. And in all honesty, he wasn't even sure what it was to him. Even then, the notion that he could freely fight for it undeniably sparked something deep within his soul.

He felt invigorated like never before, somehow. Then looking up, he accepted the offered hand with a sureness that caught him in surprise, and just let himself be pulled to his feet. There was no need to say anything. It was a clear enough statement of his compliance - no, not compliance.

Willingness.

Duncan could see it well, and relief washed over him. Because from the moment he saw this elven warrior, his exceptionally reliable instinct had been telling him that the young man had it in him to even surpass the great Garahel. What he needed was a guidance, and Duncan would be there to provide it to him. After all, this unforeseen turn of events might be the proof that the Maker had not forsaken them.

And so in the mighty Commander of the Grey's journey to Ostagar, he gained one additional recruit. A promising one.

Further introductions ensued then as they started walking again. Fenris just told his name and that he came from Seheron, nothing else. He had no plan to be close to any of them. Though he appreciated that none of them pried about his strange power.

The others were much more open. The rich-looking human that he hadn't paid much attention to, turned out to be a Cousland nobleman of Highever, and the huge mabari dog was his. The two sure were friendly, the dog in particular was too friendly to his liking. Instead of staying on its master's side, for some reason it walked so close to Fenris that its drools fell over him. But he tried his best to ignore it, just because it'd be stupid to pick a fight with a dog.

Thankfully, the master noticed this, and was kind enough to pause his talking for a moment to help the irritated elf.

"Your drools, boy! Give Fenris some space, or you'll have to wash his coat for him later."

What a funny human.

Fenris thought drily as the image of the dumb dog washing his coat involuntarily crossed his mind. Though he suddenly looked in disbelief at the bearded man walking at the front of the group when he heard a chuckle coming from him. The dog even joined the man by barking happily as it, to Fenris' relief, obediently did just what its master said.

It would be a long tiresome journey. Strangely enough, however, as he walked the new path chosen for him, he felt...

Free.

What a weird story...

But I hope it's enjoyable! Near ten years since the release of DA:O, this idea came to my mind. Still not sure if I should continue it, though.