Haven was on fire. All around the sounds of fighting echoed through the mountains, creating a pulsating wave of desperation and fear.
The Hawke siblings had journeyed to the Ferelden mainland in response to a letter from their old friend Varric. In it he had described many fantastical and troubling things, including red lyrium of which the siblings knew all too well. Without invitation they had left the Free Marches almost instantly only taking time to alert Aveline of their departure before boarding a ship Captained by another old associate.
Their journey had been filled with whispered conversations trying to figure out what in the Maker's name was going on, and now as they looked to the lower peak of a mountain they knew this at least. Corypheus, the Ancient Magister they had fought and killed nearly a decade ago, had returned.
"We have to get down there and help," Garrett said solemnly to his elder sister. In silent response Marian drew her greatsword and nodded.
Down in the midst of the fighting Dorian found himself in uncomfortable close quarters combat. Alongside Iron Bull, Cassandra and Varric he raced behind Tara Trevelyan towards the trebuchet they needed to use to stop the rapidly advancing army. It was a suicide mission that Tara had initially offered to engage in alone. Cassandra would not allow it, and the rest of them had offered their help readily as well. The Tevinter native had been almost honored to be selected by the Ostwick noble to watch her back. Not many people trusted him because of his origins, but Tara was always ready to compliment his skill and his loyalty.
Both of which could easily be assumed to be on shaky ground at the moment, especially considering the giant dragon spewing red electric flame all around them and the demon army closing in like a vice. But he would prove them wrong, he was proving them wrong. Casting spell after spell even as his mana burned through his body in ever weakening waves.
Suddenly a black clad woman rocketed down into the midst of the fray, a mage, and a powerful one at that. She cast a huge wave of magic knocking all but Tara, who leapt high of the blast, off of their feet. True to her nature the small rouge woman acted like a Qunari wielding a battle-axe, and charged towards her new opponent.
Dorian moved to get up but the scream of a demon froze him in place. His eyes moved up to find the monster looming directly overhead. He rolled away as talons shredded into the earth he had been laying on and lifted a hand to cast a defensive barrier. His magic flickered and died at his fingertips. His mana reserves finally depleted. The cold feeling of fear crept into his chest as the creature again raised its claws. Out of the corner of his eye Dorian also saw Tara fly back as a blast of magic caught her off guard.
They were overrun. They were going to die. And they hadn't even bought Cullen and the others enough time to get a head start to escape. Out of nowhere a ferocious rage filled war cry rang out above the noise of the battle. A large ball of fire slammed into the demon above Dorian, incinerating it instantly. As it faded to ash a towering woman clad in heavy armor rushed past the blinking mage and hurled herself at Tara's opponent like a blooded hound, giving the rouge time to regain her feet.
A large hand closed around Dorian's upper arm and dragged him back onto his own feet. The mage turned to thank his rescuer, who he assumed was Iron Bull, but instead his gaze collided with a set of burning blue eyes. The hulking man at his side smiled slightly and pressed a vial of lyrium into his hands before turning and rushing towards where Varric stood raining down suppressing fire. Dorian downed the potion and threw himself back into the fight, still silently wondering who these two newcomers were.
"Hawke!?" Dorian heard Varric cry out in a confused voice. "What in Andraste's name are you two doing here!?"
"Helping," a deep masculine voice responded as lighting lit the battlefield cooking many of the creatures in an unforgiving chain. Impressive.
"Hawke," Cassandra's voice shouted in angry shock as she cut down a demon before her, her eyes moving to accusingly glare at the dwarf.
"We can talk about this if we survive okay Seeker."
"You need to cheer up Varric," the burly mage called out as he moved to flank Iron Bull, shielding the warrior as he carved a line to the trebuchet. Together the two hulking individuals managed to move the war machine into position just as Tara and the warrior woman managed to take down the former Enchanter Fiona.
For a moment the battle stilled, and the group of fighters all took a minute to breath. "Good work everyone," Tara said as she moved towards the trebuchet. "We still might make it."
A terrifying roar split the sky overhead and they all looked up. Time stood still, as the Elder One's dragon dove down towards them. "MOVE NOW," Tara shouted, shoving her nearest companions clear of the impending blast.
It was all a blur of terrific proportions after that. Dorian watched Tara stand alone before the Elder One, who named himself as Corypheus, and his pet dragon. An archer by trade, it had been odd to watch her heft a sword into her slim hands, shouting her defiance at the powerful creature. "I am not afraid of you!"
"A phrase many mortals say," Corypheus had responded mockingly, but Dorian had known that his friend meant every syllable. The truth of her words was punctuated when Tara swung the blade into the restraint cable of the trebuchet, letting it fire wildly into the mountain just behind where they all stood. The avalanche had come then, and for all he had known, Tara had vanished in the flurry of ice and snow.
For their part, Dorian and the others had raced to get to the Chantry before the snow swallowed them as well. Diving down into the secret passageway, shoving and carrying one another down the narrow chute until they found themselves collapsing before the rest of Haven's escapees.
Cullen raced towards them then, shoving aside soldiers and civilians alike. "Tara…?" He asked, his voice tight, his eyes already dulling as he noted the Ostwick noblewoman's absence. Cassandra shook her head and the blonde man nodded, his eyes then falling to two surprisingly familiar faces. "Garrett? Marian?"
"Hello Cullen," the hulking mage said getting to his feet and moving to shake the commander's hand. "Tell us how we can help. Do you have any injured? I can assist them." The fierce looking warrior woman, named Marian, was the next to reach her feet, assisting Varric to his as she moved. Her blue eyes slowly moving over the crowd of huddled desperate looking people before her, "Heal as we move," she said loudly. "We have to get going. If you are able bodied enough help your fellows, we must keep moving if we are to outmaneuver the horde."
"Just like them," Varric said quietly enough that only Dorian could hear, watching as the two newcomers moved forward into the throng. "Even when the problem isn't their own…"
Somehow, even with their collective moral shattered, the Hawkes made them all stand as one. Marian headed the group, trudging through the snow as if she were well rested and leading a company of intensely trained soldiers. Garrett moved amongst the crowd, tending to the wounded, and calmly helping to bury any who were beyond even his help. No one knew who they were, aside from Cullen, Cassandra, Lelianna and Varric. Yet they followed without question. They needed someone to lead them and the Hawkes knew the chaos that could erupt should leadership fail.
For two days and nights they guided the numbed masses through the mountains before finally Marian declared they were safe enough to make camp. People wearily pitched tents and coaxed fires to life, huddling close to one another seeking comfort and warmth, but in the wake of Tara's death and surrounded by unforgiving terrain there was little of both.
The Hawkes moved towards the Inquisition leader's tent, and found the four advisors deep in the midst of an argument. Without a word the siblings slipped away, and instead went in search of Varric. They found their old friend seated in the snow amidst a company of what were clearly mercenaries, one of whom they recognized as the Qunari who had been fighting alongside them back in Haven.
"Varric," Garrett said the dwarf's name quietly. A set of sharp eyes lifted to meet the mage's gaze, warming at the sight of the colossal Ferelden.
"Hey Hawke, Blue, come have a seat. You both look like shit."
"You always know just what to say Varric," Marian retorted as she sank down at the dwarf's right. She reached out an arm and pulled her old friend into a warm hug, kissing the top of his head before releasing him.
"You two know Varric? I remember you from the battle but…I've never seen either of you before…not that I mind. You both fought like hell out there," Iron Bull noted as he beckoned for Dalish to pass the flask of spiced rum to their new companions.
"Thank you, you as well friend," Garrett said as he took a long pull from the skein.
"My name is The Iron Bull, and these are my men. The Chargers, we're a mercenary company that travels all over the world, currently we are at the disposal of the Inquisition…if the Inquisition really still exists at this point."
"Why wouldn't it," Marian asked, as she wiped the remnant liquid from her lips before handing the skein off to the man seated beside her. "Your leaders all still live."
"Yes, but our real leader, the leader and hope of the people…is dead."
"That woman who cut the trebuchet loose," Garrett said sounding distant to which Iron Bull nodded.
"Her name was Tara and she was the true face and voice of the Inquisition…without her I do not know if this will last much longer...me and my boys are pretty impressed with how you two have been leading us thus far though, especially considering that no one knows who you are."
"Perhaps I should introduce my friends," Varric interjected smoothly. "This is Garrett," he said motioning to the big mage at his left, "and his big sister, Marian. I met them both in Kirkwall, we have been friends ever since."
"So you two are from the Free-Marches huh? …either of you the Champion then," Bull asked pointedly. An uncomfortable silence hovered over the trio facing the Chargers for a minute and then Garrett cleared his throat.
"If you are asking if either my sister or I was the one who killed the Qunari Arishok in single combat, the answer is me. I did that, and gained the unfortunate title of Champion from the act."
"Why do you say unfortunate," Bull asked, his tone mild as ever, betraying nothing to anyone regarding his true feelings towards the matter.
"Because I respected the Arishok, and were it not for the fact that my family and my friends were in danger in the midst of the Qunari uprising, I would not have been forced to face him at all."
"Hmm…I like you," Bull said then a smile cracking his battle scared face.
It was then that the group fell into a shocked silence as the sound of Commander Cullen's voice rang out in the immediate distance. "It's her! It's her!" Instantly they were all on their feet racing towards the sound along with the rest of the camp.
They found the Commander stumbling down the mountain side, with a half-frozen unconscious Tara Trevelyan cradled in his arms. The camp ignited into a bustling frenzy of hopeful whispers and tentative warnings against such a miracle. Cullen hastily swept the dead looking woman into a private tent, and Garrett nodded to his sister before moving after him to offer his aide. With a frenzy about to brew Marian then climbed to the top of a nearby crate and loudly insisted that everyone return to their tents, and wait until their leaders gave further information.
Beneath the warrior woman's stern gaze everyone eventually turned to do as she had bid.
"Your friend is quite the commander," Iron Bull said in a low voice to Varric as he and the rest of the Chargers returned to their own space.
"That's Blue…er, Marian, Blue is the nickname I called her in Kirkwall. She's a bit demanding but her heart has always been in the right place…her and her brother have had a hard life…I didn't quite know how much either of them had changed over the past few years…"
"And have they?" It was a pointed question to which Varric had an immediate answer, but the dwarf chewed his words as he usually did before sharing anything.
"They both look a bit more…beaten down than even I remember, and Marian is harder than I've ever seen but I can't blame her. Out of the two of them, she had the hardest time when things went to shit in Kirkwall."
"She's a fair bit slight for that sword she's carrying, but she knows how to use it. That I can respect," Iron Bull mussed before falling silent as the warrior woman made her way back over to Varric's side. She settled in, wordlessly staring at the fire before her for a long while. Then she lifted her hard blue gaze to meet Iron Bull's. "Introduce me to your men Iron Bull. You seem the kind of people I could stand to get used to."