Dragon age Fanfiction,
Action/Adventure/Romance
Hawke (F) all characters will make an appearance
My first fan fiction so please be kind (reviews critics), set directly after the events of the end of DA2 so spoilers are very likely. Rated M for lee way
An attempt at a believable follow on from the original story, work in progress
Please review, feedback is greatly appreciated!
Chapter 1 – Out of the fire and into the ash
Kirkwall was lost, the guard worked tirelessly to soothe the flames that ate at Lowtown, Darktown and parts of the docks. Down the narrow streets of Lowtown a woman clad in heavy armour hefted two great pales of water to the edge of a building that was ravaged by fire. The fire licked at the stone skin of it, and smoke billowed from the crumbled ashes of the dilapidated ruins that surrounded it, with many others she threw with all her might spilling the water up the building into the now broken windows. Great hoses were being fed with water, two burley men furiously handling the levers that pressurised the water up. It was all the people left could do after the fall of this towns hierarchy… they had little choice but to either flee and hope for another life somewhere new, or cling to a town that had been cursed, drowning in fire and ruin. The woman stopped to watch as she wearily trudged back for more water. The faces of people around her gave her little hope, she saw signs of the same weariness the same fear of the inescapable
This town has seen too much destruction… she thought to herself
Her usual robust and tireless attitude waned; words of encouragement and fervour that usually spilled through her were lost in a moment of brief hopelessness. What was there left for her to save, when so much had been utterly destroyed.
War was coming, this she knew as fact, she had felt it when the Grand cleric had fallen in an inferno, the death of both Orsino and Meredith would have only sped up the process of domination that was to come. Nothing so destructive would deserve less; the full power of the chantry would come crashing down on top of them. She could not see the good from saving the homes that would no longer be safe. When the time came for men to stand and fight who would defend the damning actions of few.
We need more barracks, not homes. Her hands dipped into the water of the well in turn for each pale and swiftly marched back moving faster than the tired men and women that still fought to save the homes that were quickly falling from the pressure of load bearing beams collapsing that had held them for so many years. As she neared the home once more the heat from the raging fire blossomed before her making her take a step back. She was about to call to the others to leave this home and move to somewhere that could still be saved, when her ears heard a faint and distant tapping through the roar of the flames. Her ears pricked and her eyes followed the sound like a bloodhound that had caught a scent, she scanned the shattered windows to see a single one still paned in glass, like a ghost through mist a slender white arm hammered against it urgently, and with the shift of smoke a slight boyish face appeared distorted with fear disappeared again amongst the clawing smoke.
"Oh Shit." Aveline swore surprised by her new found vehemence
She quickly dove to the ground to grab at a large rock that protruded from the earth and as she stood and pulled her arm back the face reappeared and its eyes widened with realisation his body finally dropping out of view, her mouth clenched in strain as she threw with every inch of her body aiming it at the centre of the glass. Releasing the rock it smashed against it, thousands of fragments of glass spilt down like falling diamonds as acrid smoke curled in urgency out. She could only hear the beating of her heart pounding in her chest, her breath barely more than a zephyr as she tried to calm herself, seconds passed like minutes until one black coal encrusted hand grabbed at the window ledge followed by the face desperately gasping at clean air.
Aveline ran to an abandoned crate and dragged it to the centre of the window above, few hand holds were below only a ledge that ran from window to window on the second floor. She stepped up onto it and tried to jump to the ledge, hands falling short she called to straggling recruit that had emptied his bucket and made back for more
"You!" the man stopped and turned "yes you, stop gawking get your arse over here" she snapped at him, his bewildered expression annoying her, dropping his cargo to the floor he ran over.
"I need a leg up recruit, hop up" he got on the crate mechanically, holding his hands in a cradle for her to step on, without complaint. She grabbed onto his shoulders and placed her foot in his hands, straightening her leg both hands searching the surface of the wall for a hand hold the ledge above frustratingly out of reach she wobbled as the recruit readjusted his footing
"Steady…" she said as she swayed one footed on his hands, "I need to be higher, final push come on." She said encouragingly finding more and more confidence in herself.
The sounds of obvious strain, as he grunted with effort came up to meet her, he lifted her feet higher "Almost there…" her fingers traced the outline of the wood, finding enough tread to allow a grip to hold her weight. Finally getting it she lifted enough to relieve the weight from the suffering recruit. Now hanging precariously from the ledge
Why didn't I take off this maker forsaken armour ... She chided to herself as her feet clanged against the wall. Hot smoke assailed her as she pulled herself up, biting back stinging tears she struggled herself up to lift her elbows onto the ledge, her arms aching with strain. Come on Aveline the worst isn't over yet... she thought as she struggled to get her hands into a position to lift the rest of her body up and over, arms wobbling with the tension of such a weak position she forced herself up, finally standing on the ledge she moved to the edge of the window using a useless beam next to it to get a higher footing. Wood splintered in her hands as she climbed, the ledge where the boys head hung over crookedly, hearing the rasping rattled breath she pushed on. Hand at long last grasping the ledge she needed and pushed again to come over the outcropping of wood. The boy pointlessly tried to help her by slightly tugging on the clip of her breastplate, following her over. Hearing the metal scrape on glass her ears sang with it cringing for a moment before coming to stand in the sweltering house. Now inside her ears stung in the heat and fetid air, her lungs burnt with a fit of coughing she bent over the window pushing the boys head further out, avoiding the broken glass still lodged in the sill. She moved with effort as violent coughing threatened to overtake her, unclipping her armour she swiftly removed it tossing the armour the two stories below.
"I should've done that before." She laughed sarcastically to herself more and more to her lack of planning.
A large groan shook the floor beneath, her mind began at that to race to what to do, what on earth was I thinking? – She muttered– Too much of Hawkes influence – a small voice tickled the back of her mind. Playing the Hero and risking lives over carefully laid plans and strategy was not her modus operandi , and here she was jumping head long into burning buildings without a thought to what squad of men would be there to support her.
The young boys hand clung at her undershirt, really looking at him she suppressed another coughing fit, he couldn't be any more than twelve, and was extremely thin and jaundiced. The urgency of this ill planned escape attempt heightened as she saw this, he was weak and the longer he spent up here the less likely it would be he would make it out of here alive.
She quickly ducked her head over him and out the window, looking to the side of the building she saw a balcony that was supported by two long vertical wooden columns, a ledge run from the window to the balcony railings. A quick plan formed, she ducked her head back in and grabbed the boy by the shoulders shaking him out of the daze that endangered him.
"Look at me lad." She said sternly, his eyes rolling in his sockets before looking loosely at her
"I said Look at me."
His eyes focused on her and with effort she tried to see past the fear that formed there, it fed into her own and she squashed it.
"I am going to climb over to the balcony and get us Both out of here, you need to get on my back and hold on as tight as you can. You can do that right?" He nodded weakly at her then, taking that she grabbed hold of him, his hands snaking around her shoulders limply clasped in front. She lifted him under his thighs and encouraged him to clasp them together to.
Stepping out she felt hope in his strength, as she felt his arms tighten. She ducked under the wooden beam above and turned to put herself in between the wall and the boy as she side stepped further away from the window. With a crash smoke billowed out of it peppered with hot glowing embers – No time to waste the - Shifting her weight from one foot to another she edged toward the balcony with each step she risked unbalancing and after this thought sped through her head her foot caught and her weight shifted, feeling the weight on her back all too keenly, her hands gripped the next hold that much tighter and arched forward, a slight whimper vibrating through her back as he buried his head in her red hair.
"It's Ok, it's ok." She reassured him, "What's your name son?" she asked trying to get his mind off their predicament.
"It's Daniel." He replied after a moment
"Im Ave..."
"Aveline." he said at the same time "You're the captain of the guard."
"Smart boy, yes I am"
Listening to the rumble of large beams falling to the lower floors one by one. Sweat now slick and cold against her neck and spine – really I couldn't of thought of a better plan? – Determination sculpting her face, she had brought this on herself and she would see whatever it will be through to her last breath, the balcony laid less than three feet away. Stoically moving on she inwardly cursed the builders of Kirkwall at such shoddy wooden inner structures.
Her foot touched the base of the balcony, and gingerly removing one hand she nudged the boys feet wrapped around her waist. The boy hooked his foot over the railing and with one hand he levered himself over, free of him she followed. Helping him limp over to the edge seeing a long length of wood that could support their decent she turned to him lifting his chin.
"You need to climb down now Daniel." He looked at her and then over the edge and with a small smile he replied in a very young but firm voice "I can do that." Surprisingly confident he put his hands on the edge and looked down; Aveline patted him and looked behind her as the house kept stirring, sending shocks through the balcony that made it teeter this way and that, with an inkling of realisation she stopped , her hand gripped Daniel halting him as he began to swing his leg over. Aveline scanned the walls, looking for signs of similar beams that protruded from the walls. The mortar that held them was not as firm as the rock in high town it crumbled around the beams that supported the upper floors, the beams ran from south wall to north wall, spanning the lengths of the house. The beams that were left seemed to swell with heat, large embers glowed within them. As the balcony began to teeter alarmingly she picked Daniel up under his arm and brought him back toward the wall, the heat was stifling but this distance was necessary.
"I need you to do as I say when I say it Daniel." The balcony groaned behind them "I will." his tone holding the firmness of a man not a boy.
"You will jump and roll to the ground when, and only when I say." Daniel nodded as the beams supporting the balcony to the wall splintered further; Aveline took a long deep breath, the floor snapped free of its moorings and for a brief second it hovered in the air like a felled tree at the mercy of the wind, Aveline focused on its decent and after the moment passed it began its decent forward to the earth below.
"Hold" Aveline said as her feet steadied against the angle, during their downward dive the sounds of warning and people scattering beneath them could be heard and as she saw the blurred shock on their faces she waited for her moment, a heartbeat later she ran forward Daniel with her
"NOW!" she shouted over the noise of air rushing in her ears and leapt off the stage to roll awkwardly on the earth, the deafening crash behind them sending shocks through the ground.
Tiredly she pushed herself up, her hands thankful of the sand beneath them, with aching muscles she pushed her shoulders up and twisted her head to where her armour had been. White rock and smoulder ash now lay, her armour buried beneath the ruin of Daniels home. Tattered and exhausted she stood, watching as large pieces of roof collapsed under the pressure of itself and began to let her mind drift for a moment, Daniel was safe. She took heart in that small consolation, many of thousands had perished where she had no control, but this one small boy had lived thanks to her, and she found solace in it. Through the sight of ash and destruction she felt the stirring of someone next to her, steady breathing and a familiar smell that she had no energy to welcome
"They don't make 'em how they used to." The voice said
Aveline's eyes sharpened as her senses came to, out of the mental duldrums of her self doubt to the reality of her fears.
"Hawke," she turned her head "Where the hell have you been..."