Varric Tethras had been a dead end. The dwarf had infuriated Cassandra, every word had annoyed or angered her and she was sure he was lying to about half his stories.
About knowing where Hawke was.
His information on the whereabouts of Bethany Hawke were accurate however.
It was hard to lie about it though, especially when the youngest Hawke was working for the Hero of Ferelden. Even though the Warden Commander was no where to be found Bethany was easily found – while she was working out of Weisshaupt she was never really there. Always in the Deep Roads, she was told working towards the same thing as the Warden-Commander, something that would benefit both of them.
A cure.
Cassandra found her on the Storm Coast, not in the Deep Roads, but in some of the caves that had once led down there, searching old artefacts and killing sporadic groups of Darkspawn. Cassandra was glad not to go too far underground. While she didn't mind going into the Deep Roads – she had fought many Darkspawn during the Blight – this was not the time to be cut off from the Divine or Leliana and the attempts at making peace.
She didn't see Bethany at first. The care was barely lit up towards the entrance by a few old torches and what little daylight managed to get through the dark clouds covering the entire area barely reached a few feet inside. So Cassandra didn't see the young mage, nor the Hurlock behind her.
The first thing she saw was the force magic coming out of the darkness, a flash of light as the Fist Of The Magic skimmed past her ear. There was a grunt of shock, a cry of pain and a thud. Then nothing. Cassandra whiled around and could make out the Hurlock dead on the ground in the dark, and when she turned back Bethany Hawke was lit up by her own staff.
This was not quite the sweet and innocent Bethany Hawke of Varric's stories, but a wiser, more worn Bethany Hawke. Her face was set in a tired frown, her brown eyes dull in the light, her hair longer and darker than Cassandra had imagined.
Her breasts smaller too.
Not that she had imagined them much at all she told herself but Varric had been very thorough with his descriptions.
"Sorry," the mage said, "it was about to put a dagger in your back."
"Thank you," Cassandra said, looking down at the dead Hurlock in the soft light.
"Are you lost Ser?" she asked.
"Seeker Pentaghast," she said, "Cassandra," she added.
"I'm a Grey Warden," Bethany snapped, "you have no authority over me."
"I'm not here for that," she told her and the young mage relaxed ever so slightly. Enough for Cassandra's trained eye to notice. "I'm looking for your sister."
"Are lot of people are," she said, walking past Cassandra and bending over the Hurlock to take a few vials of blood.
"For more recruits?" she asked.
"No, to study," she explained. "What do the Seekers Of Truth want with Marian?"
She pocketed the vials in a satchel at her waist, wiping the blood onto her warden uniform without a care. It wasn't in the best shape, with a few rips in places and a lot of blood already covering – most darkspawn, some not.
"We're hoping she can help us broker peace between the Templars and the mages."
Bethany laughed then, a sweet sound that Cassandra associated more with the woman of Varric's stories. She smiled then, using some more magic to grow the light shining from her staff so they could see each other a little more clearly. In the light, she looked older still, which made Cassandra feel older too.
"Tell me, how do you expect Marian to do this?" Bethany asked, urging Cassandra to follow her to the entrance of the cave, the mage looking out at the rain that never ended before stepping out into it. Cassandra hesitated.
"I'm hoping she will consent to leading the Inquisition," Cassandra said, "It has been put together on the order of the Divine to find stop the war."
Bethany nodded, thinking it over.
"An Inquisition?"
"Yes. It has been a long time since the last one, but Divine Justinia has deemed it necessary," Cassandra explained, watching the rain cover the young woman without her even noticing.
"She won't help," she said.
"How can you be so sure?" Cassandra asked stepping closer and out into the rain herself.
"Because she blames herself for starting it," Bethany said. "And she won't want to get involved for fear of making it worse."
"But she is not responsible. She saved a lot of lives, she stopped Meredith and Orsino from destroying the city between them," Cassandra cried.
Bethany smiled.
"Are you camping nearby?" she asked instead, "I've yet to pick a spot."
"There is an abandoned cabin not far. I was planning to spend the night there."
The mage nodded.
"May I join you? I'd like to hear more about this Inquisition."
The Seeker smiled then, feeling more hopeful than she had since the war had started.
In the cabin, in a run down fireplace, Cassandra built the fire and Bethany lit it, the two of them working together quietly to make camp. They set up bedrolls and shared out what little food they had between them, before settling down with the last of Cassandra's water and the last of Bethany's ale. Once they were warm again, and Bethany felt dry and Cassandra felt safe, the Seeker had an idea.
"Would you join the Inquisition?" she asked suddenly, the words blunt and dry. Bethany smiled again, each smile seeming warmer and sweeter as time went on. "If only to advise," she said. "There are no mages with us currently, you're insight would be invaluable."
"Are you serious?" Bethany asked in a gasp.
"Yes. And perhaps you can get hold of your sister. Or the Warden-Commander," she said.
"I can try my best."
"It is all I ask."
Bethany nodded, looking down at her ale for a moment.
"Do you really want me to join the Inquisition?" she asked.
"Yes. Of that I am certain. You sister's contribution, the Warden-Commander's, would be beneficial, but to have a mage assisting us would mean the mages would have someone they could trust trying to find peace. Someone like them," she explain. "You were once an apostate, were once free like they have always wanted. You continue to be free. You are their aspiration."
Bethany was blushing by this point, and Cassandra stuttered slightly at the look of wonderment on the young woman's face.
"Th-think about it," she said. "Sleep on it."
"I'm not sure I am something people should aspire too. I can sense Darkspawn and my lifespan has been cut short."
"For good reasons. And you work to change that when you could've easily given up. You became a Grey Warden out of necessity but remained one out of choice."
Bethany smiled at her and Cassandra smiled back, that warmth returning once more. The hope.
"I'll sleep on it," Bethany said, and for a moment she looked exactly like Cassandra had imagined and so much prettier.
In the night, their bedrolls were next to each others by the fire, Cassandra fell to sleep easily but woke as easily when Bethany called her name in the night, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Warden?" she asked.
"Bethany," the mage said. "You should call me Bethany if we're work together."
Cassandra smiled at her in the firelight.
"You will join us?"
"Yes," Bethany smiled. "I would be honoured."
That made her much more hopeful. Like this might actually stop the war.
x
Cassandra had seen the explosions created by the dwarfs, the gaatlok the Qunari used, the different abilities mages had but nothing compared the breadth and destruction of the explosion at the conclave. A shot of green towards the sky, the scream the sky made as it split apart and tore the veil. Never had she seen to many people killed all at once and all she could think about were two people.
The Divine and Bethany Hawke.
The two of them had become close since the young woman had joined them. While she had been unable to find Warden-Commander Cousland, and almost unwilling to find Marian Hawke, she had been as invaluable as Cassandra as suspected.
Also sweet and funny and an absolute wonder to have around.
Cassandra would've considered her a friend if it wasn't for the fact that the seeker couldn't quite figure out how she felt about the young woman. She was overwhelmed by how beautiful she was when cleaned up. Overwhelmed by the fact she found her attractive when cleaned up. That she found her attractive at all. Bethany was nothing but kindness and honesty, careful considered words; a counterpoint to Cassandra's own bluntness. All soft curves and well timed sweetness where Cassandra was hard muscle and often misplaced hostility.
The Inquisition set up base in Haven, the conclave at the Temple of Ashes nearby, all Justinia's planning. The Divine had taken to Bethany too, everyone she met did, and as time went on the worn look on her face had given way to something lighter. The dark look in her eyes shifting to something brighter.
That's why Justinia took Bethany to the conclave with her, insisted on it. That's why Cassandra agreed, why Cassandra had recruited her.
Not to die by the Divine's side in some unholy explosion that tore the sky apart and forced the demons from the fade itself. Every demon she cut down as she made her way from Haven to the Temple in a blind panic was in their names, was for them, was another fear that they were dead. The temple was in ruins, it could be seen from miles, the mountain itself not quite what it had been but she kept moving.
Just in case, just in case.
Leliana was behind her somewhere, a dozen soldiers they'd recruited over the past few weeks, a couple of Templars who had left the order with Cullen, because Cullen had left the order. She didn't wait for them. She cut down everything in her path with her sword, letting the fear fuel her long after she should've felt the ache in her knee start and the panic subside. Long up the mountain and only stopping when she saw the first dead body, a black burnt husk of something that could've been human once. Perhaps Elven.
Only then did she stop.
She threw up.
It was not the first time she had seen a dead body. Not even the first time that week, but the reality of it hit her hard and she imagined it to be Bethany for one long awful moment. Once she felt in control of her stomach again she ran into the rest of the temple, trying to remember what was where. When she came to the heart of the temple, to the heart of the breach she felt like throwing up again, only the increase in demons kept her going. She fought to the very centre, bodies of people and demons all around her.
Then she noted one looked different to the others.
Bethany had kept wearing her Grey Warden uniform. She felt it gave her a certain amount of protection against the Templars and the rebel mages – gaining a modicum of respect from both parties when she wore it. Cassandra had told her she would always protect her, against anyone that would think to harm her, both women blushing at the determined offer but Bethany could protect herself. She would rather no one died by her hand, or for her hand.
For her hand.
That phrase had Cassandra tripping over her words and Bethany had simply smiled at her and moved on.
So Cassandra knew the blue and white stripes, knew the obsidian hair cut a little shorter now. Knew the pale skin of the fingers that were still wrapped around her staff.
Cassandra knew the way she breathed.
Breathed.
Cassandra ran to the mage's side, dropping to her knees beside her and turning her over. She was unconscious but alive and in one piece. Whatever had happened it was a damn miracle and without stopping to think about which of these bodies could've been the Divines she lifted Bethany in her arms and got her out of the temple.
Back in Haven Solas and Adan tended to Bethany while Cassandra watched over them carefully. Watched over her carefully. Leliana and Cullen, along with the soldiers, some scout and some villagers had searched what was left of the temple, trying to find the Divine, trying to find out what had happened, trying to stop the flow of demons coming down the mountain. They weren't successful, she could hear the fighting from inside the village; her hand twitched over the pommel of her sword.
She couldn't bare to leave Bethany's side though, despite getting in the way of both Solas and Adan, she didn't want to leave the woman she had come to admire. Come to adore.
Come to care for.
Deeply.
She sat in the chair beside her when the two mages announced they had done all the could for now, that more research was needed, that they were needed elsewhere. Cassandra knew they were all needed elsewhere but she remained with Bethany, waiting for the woman to wake up. She told the others the mage must have some answers; she told herself she must have some answers but deep down could feel the sickening pulse of her fear.
Of her love.
"Cassandra?"
Her voice was small, a tiny fragment of light in the dark but Cassandra caught sound of it and smiled at her, the fear decreasing as Bethany opened her eyes to look at her.
"Bethany," she breathed.
Then without thought she bent over and kissed the younger woman on the lips.
"Cassandra, what?"
"I am – I am glad you are alive," the Seeker tried to explain, suddenly flushing red. Bethany smiled again.
"Is that all?"
Cassandra couldn't answer, but managed to shake her head. Bethany reached out to her, pulling her down for another light kiss, lips soft and warm under Cassandra's. When she pulled back she went to take the Seeker's hand, the sickly green glow catching her attention for the first time. She looked at the palm of her hand, turning it over and back again.
"Cassandra?" she asked. "What happened? What is this?"
Cassandra took the marked hand, holding it between her own and kissing it.
"I don't know," she said, softly. "But I promise you I will find out." She let go to help Bethany sit up in the bed. "But first you must tell me everything you remember. Everything that happened at the Conclave."
"Cassandra, I don't remember anything. I don't even remember going to the Conclave."
"Then if you have the strength, there is something you should see. It will be easier than trying to explain it."
Bethany nodded and let Cassandra pull her to her feet, taking her staff from her and straightening up. She looked a little ill, the green from her hand reflecting off her pale skin but there was a determined look in her eyes Cassandra already knew well. She gave her a small nod and headed for the door.
"Wait!" Bethany said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back. She kissed her hard on the lips, wrapping her arms around her to hold her close and Cassandra went with every movement, let the mage guide her for long minutes.
"Just in case we don't get to do that again for a while," she said, dipping her head low to avoid Cassandra's eyes for a moment and there was the sweet and innocent Bethany Hawke Cassandra had imagined on meeting her months ago.
She found she preferred the reality of knowing her much more.
If only the circumstances were better.
With one last kiss and a tight embrace, Bethany pulled away and smiled.
"Let's go," she said, leading her out the hut.
Cassandra decided then and there to follow this woman anywhere.