Hi everyone! So this is my first ever fanfiction! Oh my im so scared of posting this. Im more of an artist than a writer but oh well might as well have fun and try something new. Ummm there will be mistakes in this. I don't have anyone to proof read for me. But umm let me know what you think.
Hawke
"Finally we are here, let's hurry up and get this over with!" Kristine Hawke heard her brother yell from behind her. She could hear the exhaustion in his voice. They were all pretty worn out for the long lasting maze to get to this so called home of the warden mage. It looked more like a shack that would fall with the slightest bump or push. Who in their right mind would come to place like this for healing?
She turned to look at the dwarf beside her and gave him and small smile. "You really think he will give us these maps Varric?"
"It might be tough but it never hurts to try." He said with a wink.
Varric, her newest friend was still picking off what they all hoped was mud from this blonde ponytail, leather coat and revealing chest hair. They ran into a couple of thieves on the way here and sad to say they gave them a good run. Her brother was also covered in filth and was sporting a fresh black eye and a spilt lip. Mother is going to be furious about this. His dark hair was sticking every which way with pieces of feathers hanging in it and his clothes were worse for wear. The white shirt he was wearing was no longer white and was ripped and his brown trousers shared the same fate. She was sure that she looked just as bad but they had more important matters at hand than appearance.
She hoped this warden mage would easily give up his maps to the deep roads. Fighting him was the last thing she wanted to do. The trip through Darktown had been a horrible one and she did not want it wasted for nothing. Much more after seeing the devastating state of this rat hole she wanted nothing more than to get those maps to find her fortune and get far away from any possibility of ever ending up here.
This place made Lowtown look like a paradise. The air was thick, polluted and even had a taste to go along with the smell. People littered the streets begging them for food or coin when they passed them by. Bandits and thieves ruled the place and were constantly harassing people that were just trying to live.
Kris felt a small ping of sadness for the people down here. Most were from her home country Ferelden and were just trying to escape the blight just like her family. Seeing Darktown made her realize just how lucky she really was but she wanted more. Thinking that made her feel selfish but she had to do it, for mother. Hearing her cries every night about her lost sister Bethany pushed her harder to get a chance to go to the deep roads and find those riches. To make everything right again so her mother and her brother Carver could be happy once more.
Poor Bethany. Their own trip from Ferelden had been a troubling one to put it lightly. They left too late and suffered the consequence of having her sister die at the hands of an Ogre. Kris looked down at her cloth covered arm. She did everything in her power to stop the Ogre, everything. The screams of her mother shouting, blaming and lecturing her on her own stupidity still haunted her sleep after a year of living in Kirkwall.
Her hand tightened into a fist, she would get those maps. If this warden mage forced her hand then so be it she will get those maps and make everything right again.
"After you, Carver." Kris opened the door ushering her brother forward. She put her foot forward as he passed making him stumble a few paces. It was a terrible thing to do but torturing Carver in small ways like that made life a little easier and made her think of the good days before the blight. Push the dark thoughts away Kristine.
"Really?!" He turned and yelled at Kristine and she shot him a glare back.
The inside of the shack was larger than she thought. There were a few wooden tables lined up on the dirt floor and more tables against the walls covered with books and supplies. She stepped past Carver with Varric on her tail as she saw a mage in front of her. He was surrounded by a small group of people towering over a small boy who lay on a little wooden table and was radiating with powerful magic. It felt strange to her and she suddenly had the urge to turn back and run. Something was strange about him. Is this the warden?
"Careful Hawke." Varric warned from beside her. "I would slowly approach him if I were you. Last thing we need is to add singed eyebrows to the bumps and scratches we already acquired from being down here."
Kris stepped a little further and watched as he finished his healing. A woman in rags was sitting next to the boy holding his hands and crying. Blue light swirled above the boy covering his whole body before sinking into him. He came to with a loud gasp and the woman jumped up and grabbed the boy in her arms shedding new tears. Many choked thanks were tumbling from the woman's lips and Kris could not help but feel a tad bit of envy of the mothers love for her child.
Her focused turned back to the mage when the mother and child along with the rest of the people started to leave the unsteady shack. The warden mage had his back turned to her and was really quiet. She gave him a quick look over. He was tall with shoulder length blonde and his robes were in poor shape. His blue gray coat had a mass of grey feathers on his shoulders which made them look extremely broad or maybe it was just his shoulders. It was hard to tell. Strips of cloth were tide around areas on his sleeves and dark pants probably to cover holes. Kris's attention was suddenly at his hand as he quickly grabbed a staff. Oh no.
"Who are you and what do you want?" He said forcefully turning quickly towards her taking a stance of defense. Kris was at a loss for words she could have sworn when he turned to her his eyes were blue but now they were brown. Something was strange about this man.
Anders
"Who are you and what do you want?" He said again as he stared at the woman in front of him. She took a step towards him and had her hands held up. Two other men stepped closer to the woman with their weapons drawn.
"Easy, easy." Her voice was soft and carried lightly like a child. "I'm just here to talk. Are you the grey warden?"
Panic rippled through him. How did this woman know who he was? Who was she? He felt a small burning sensation of rage start to filter through his mind. No not now, let me keep control. She may not be a threat. The battle with his mind raged on as he continued to stare at the woman.
"Who are you?" He needed to know that she was not a threat. The rage of this mind needed to go away. Taking a few deep breaths he asked again. "Who are you?"
"My name is Kristine. I'm looking for a Grey Warden." She still held her hands up and looked directly at his face with piecing sky blue eyes.
"Why are you looking for me? I am not going back to the wardens nor am I going back to the circle." He may sound paranoid but he had been doing a good job by keeping himself hidden and no matter what he was not going back to either place. Too much work has already gone into his plans to get caught now. The thought of being trapped with the wardens and their betrayal or going back to the prison known as the circle of magi again made the anger building inside of him rage harder.
The woman's head cocked to the side and gave him a small smirk. She motioned to the other men to lower their weapons. "Why would I take you to the wardens? Or for that matter to the gallows?" Her hand lit up with a bright blue flame.
She is a mage, an apostate just like him. He lowered his staff and the slow building rage quickly went away. This is interesting.
"You see I'm here because I heard a rumor that you have these maps that could lead me through the deep roads." She flashed him a smile. "I would like to have them."
"You have to be joking? Why would you want to go into the deep roads? It's dangerous. Very dangerous." He stared at the woman in disbelief. "No."
"No?" She said in an almost shocked tone. "What do you mean no?"
"Just no." The warden flashed a quick smirked and the woman groaned in frustration. His eyes lingered to her mouth as she bit her lips. He could not help but look at the rest of her. Her hands ran through her messy short red hair brushing out thick curls. A small chocolate colored bodice hugged her petite form and her black leather pants hugged her tighter. Aside from the mud covering her face and body she was not too bad to look at. She was not an extreme beauty by any means but had this cute awkward tom boyish look about her. Just one of the types he would have had fun with back in the day. Oh its been way to long. Bad Anders, bad looking can't hurt right?
A loud cough brought his attention to the two males that were with her. He forgot about them. The dwarf looked at him with a knowing glance and held up his crossbow to prove a point and the other taller male glared at him with the same blue eyes as the woman. Must be family.
"You should leave." Anders said turning away from them. He had no time for distractions or confrontations and wanted them out. In truth he honestly did not trust them and thought it strange that they would want access to the deep roads. What was more disturbing to him was how did they know he had the maps?
"Hey wait! I'm not leaving!" The woman grabbed his shoulder. "I really need these maps!"
He glanced back at her. "Why?"
"We are going on an expedition." She grabbed his hand and placed a couple of coins in his hand. "Please this is all I have."
Anders placed the coins back in her hand and looked at the direction of the males. Was this really an expedition? Are they stupid? "The deep roads have dangers that you yourself have never seen and it will take more than coins to get these maps off of me."
"I know of the dangers and I know of the darkspawn. I killed an ogre once by myself." She straightened herself out and crossed her arms. "What do I have to do?"
"You killed an ogre?" He could have help but raise an eyebrow to that. The girl deserved some credit for trying. Maybe she could help him, just her. "Let's talk privately."
Hawke
Finally she was getting somewhere with this man. "Varric and Carver wait for me outside."
"Are you sure you want to do this sis?" Carver gave her a worried glance. She felt worried too and was not naïve to the way this warden was looking at her just but a few minutes ago.
"Hey mage, you touch her and Bianca will make you pay." He shot the man a deathly glare one that even made Kris feel uneasy. She hurriedly waved them out the door.
"So now that we are alone. Let's talk." Kris looked up at the man's face. He seemed more relaxed now. Carver and Varric must have made his nervous.
"My name is Anders." He calmly said and he motioned for her to sit on a small wooden stool. "I think you're crazy for wanting to go down there for an expedition but if you truly want these maps you need to try for them. I worked really hard to get these."
"Okay and how do I "try for them"?" She sat down on the stool and waited for him to continue. He handed her a small cup of some kind of beverage. At least she hoped it was a beverage.
"It's just tea. I promise I'm not going to hurt you." She could hear the amusement in his voice and he sat down in front of her take a drink from a cup of his own. "See I'm not dead."
Kris stared down at the cup and took a small sip. Oh my, this stuff is delicious. She noticed the smile that played across his lips and she drowned the whole contents of the cup. Great there was something in it.
"Nothing bad in it either. It's going to help relax you." Anders was right she did feel more relaxed and her mind felt more open.
"I have a friend that I'm supposed to meet tomorrow night. I want you to come with me." Anders continued. "There might be some trouble but if everything comes to plan there won't be any. I need you to be on lookout for me and warn me of anything suspicious. Do this and the maps are yours."
He was not telling her everything. Something was strange about him. "What kind of trouble are you talking about?"
"Templars." He stated and grabbed for her glass to fill it up again.
Bile started coming up to her throat. This Anders had to be joking. There was no way she was going to do this. Any contact of any form with any kind of Templar was the one thing she tried to avoid for all of her life. She was not going to throw away her life for some man she did not know. What if he was some kind of crazy mage who was working with the Templars to catch apostates? What did I get myself into?
"I wish more than anything that the trouble could be wild kittens but it's not. I despise Templars with every ounce of my being; I will not let them get you." He handed her the glass again and she saw it a quick flash of blue in his eyes. Strange.
Kris looked down at her glass. She wanted to go home; she did not want to deal with Templars. The sight of her covered arm made her think of her mother. Could she really let her mother be miserable for her fears of being sent to the gallows? Maybe being sent to the gallows in some way would help her mother cope with the pain of losing Bethany. She finished off the new cup of tea. Drown out the bad thoughts Kristine.
"I'm in." She said calmly her blue eyes meeting his brown ones. "These maps are important to my family's wellbeing and I promise you this is just for an expedition."
"Meet me tomorrow at the chantry at midnight." He held her gaze. "Don't be late."