Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age.
One Night
Amara Hawke stared at herself in the mirror as she finished her self-examination. As a mage, she knew that what she had just discovered within her body was the truth, but she couldn't believe it. She suddenly decided to go to Anders for a second opinion. Pulling herself out of the trance she seemed to be in, Amara rose from her dressing table and began pulling on her clothes.
Leandra Hawke watched her daughter walk down the stairs.
"Where are you off to so early, my dear?" Leandra questioned causally. Amara seemed a bit startled to find her mother up so early.
"Good morning, Mother. I am surprised to see you up this early. It is just after dawn." Amara returned as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"I couldn't sleep. You didn't answer my question. I don't recall you mentioning any pressing quests or meetings last night at dinner."
"I am going out to get some air. I didn't sleep very well last night either. I will be back later." Amara explained and kissed her mother on the cheek before whistling to her mabari, Sanyo, to join her and heading out the door.
Anders was just opening the clinic when he saw Amara walking towards his door with her mabari in tow.
"Hawke! What a pleasant surprise!" Anders greeted her cheerfully as she reached the clinic. Amara smiled and greeted him in return. "Is there something I can do for you?" Suddenly, Amara looked embarrassed.
"Can we continue this discussion inside?" Amara asked quietly. Anders raised an eyebrow at her change in demeanor, but opened the door for her.
"What seems to be the problem?" Anders questioned after he shut the door behind them. Amara chewed on her lower lip nervously as she thought about the best way to approach the subject she needed to discuss with Anders.
"I have a health situation that I need a second opinion on." Amara began slowly.
"A health situation? Are you ill?" Anders began towards her to examine her. Amara put her hands up to stop him. "Hawke, I must examine you if you want answers." Amara hesitated before she nodded her permission. Anders had her laid down on the nearest cot and he began looking over her. A few moments later, Anders pulled back in surprise. "Hawke, are you carrying a child?" Amara sat up and smiled nervously at Anders.
"So I was correct, huh?" She asked, sighing.
"Yes, but you already knew that. Why did you have me confirm what you already knew to be true?"
"Because I didn't totally believe it." Amara confessed.
"Well, I can't say I am not surprised, but no one is a saint all of the time. Who is the father?" Anders ventured to ask. Amara rose to her feet without answering Anders. She didn't want to think about the father.
"I assume that you won't tell anyone about this for the time being until I can sort things out."
"Of course. Just remember to take it easy."
A few days later, Amara joined her mother for breakfast. Leandra looked up when her daughter entered the dining room.
"Good morning, dear. Did you wish for some breakfast?" Leandra asked as Amara seated herself. Amara began to reach for the platter of bacon, but the rolling of her stomach stopped her.
"I think I will just have some tea and toast this morning."
"Tea and toast? Are you feeling all right?" Leandra asked in concern.
"I will be fine, Mother. It will subside soon enough." Amara answered as she lightly buttered some toast.
"Can't you heal yourself?"
"Umm, I don't think I can heal morning sickness, Mother." Leandra almost choked on the tea she had just taken a sip of.
"Morning sickness? You mean to tell me that you are expecting a child?" Her mother stared at her in disbelief. Amara smiled sheepishly.
"Yes, that is exactly what I am trying to tell you."
"Well, congratulations, my dear. Are you happy about this?"
"I'll admit that I was very surprised at first, but over the past few days, I have come to like the idea of having a child." Amara answered honestly.
"Who is the father?"
"Mother, I cannot lie to you. I am well aware who the father of this child is, but I believe that it is best that I keep that to myself."
"Why, dear?"
"I have my reasons. All I ask is that you trust me in this." Amara said seriously. Leandra didn't like the answer, but she nodded in agreement.
"I must warn you, my dear, Kirkwall isn't going to look too kindly on a noble mage having a child with no father. Even your friends may say a thing or two that you might find unseemly."
"Hightown will accept my fault eventually because it seems the people of this city cannot survive too long without my services. My friends, well, they won't rest until they know who the father is, which is one of the reasons you are better off not knowing. And me knowing his identity please let that be our little secret. I plan on telling everyone else that I cannot remember."
"Have your told your friends yet?"
"No, I plan on telling them all tonight when we gather at the Hanged Man for our weekly Wicked Grace game."
Amara was the first to arrive at Varric's suit of rooms above the Hanged Man tavern in Lowtown.
"Hawke, you're early. Care to help me set up?"
"Sure, Varric. What do you need me to do?"
"Go down to the bar and fetch a first round of drinks, on you, of course."
"Of course."
As she went back downstairs, she saw Isabela at the bar and Merrill entering the tavern. Amara parked herself beside the pirate.
"Going to join us tonight, Rivaini?" She asked as she waited for the bartender to acknowledge her.
"Don't I always?"
"When you don't find better entertainment." Isabela laughed.
"It's still early, my friend." Merrill had spotted them and come over to greet them. "Hello, Daisy, find any good frolicking spots lately?" Amara rolled her eyes at Isabela as she placed her order with the bartender. Merrill brightened at the question.
"Yes, Isabela, as matter a fact. I have. I found this one spot..."
"Merrill, would you do me a favor and take these up to Varric?" Amara suddenly shoved two drinks into the elf's hands.
"Sure, Hawke." And with that, she ventured off into the crowd. Isabela let out a sigh of relief.
"You're welcome."
"Thanks, I should have known better than to ask about her adventures in the woods."
"Well, you can repay me by helping me carry the rest of the drinks upstairs. The others will be here soon."
The others included Aveline, the captain of the guard, Fenris, an ex-slave elf, living in his former master's mansion, Anders, the former Warden turned healer for the poor, Carver, Amara's younger brother who was also a Templar, and the newest member of their group, Sebastian, a prince of Starkhaven. They all arrived soon after the drinks had begun to flow.
"Hawke, you have been very quiet tonight. Something on your mind?" Varric said pointedly as he shuffles the cards for another round.
"You could say that, Varric." Anders caught her eye questioningly. She gave a slight nod and looked back towards Varric.
"Well, would you care to share it with us?" Isabela inquired. "Is it a guy?"
"Ohh, has Hawke fallen in love?" Merrill asked excitedly.
"Not exactly, I..."
"But where would she have met him? If she isn't with one of us, she's at home, mostly." Aveline countered.
"She also attends noble parties." Sebastian pouted out.
"Oh, Hawke, please tell us you are not in love with a whiny ass noble?" Varric cried.
"Now, what's so wrong with that? If she is in love, then we should support her like good friends do." Merrill chimed in.
"Daisy is right. So, who is he, Hawke?" Varric looked straight at her and all conversation stopped as they all waited for her answer.
"I'm not in love with anyone. I'm...I'm going to be a mother." She finally got out. Blank stares met her statement for a moment until Varric's laughter started to fill the room.
"That's a good one. Hawke. It's hard enough to believe you would be in love with someone, let alone pregnant." Varric said between his bouts of laughter. Amara didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his reaction. No one else said anything as Varric sat there laughing and Amara just stared at him.
"Is it true, Hawke?" Aveline finally ventured to ask.
"Yes, Aveline, it is true."
"But you aren't in love with anyone?" Merrill asked, hope still filling her voice. She wanted to friend to be happy. Amara shook her head sadly in answer and Merrill slumped in her seat. Looking over at Varric, who was still chuckling, she answered the next question before anyone could ask.
"Before anyone asks, I do not know who the father is. All I remember is getting drunk a couple of months ago with Isabela before she left with a sailor and waking up the next morning in a strange bed. The man I had been with was gone and here I am. I thought I would let you all know before the gossip reached you."
"Are you planning on keeping the child?" The question came from Anders.
"Yes, Anders, I could never kill am innocent child."
"Would you like us to help you find the father?" Isabela asked. Amara shook her head.
"No thanks, Bela, even if I did find him, I think he might be better off not knowing."
"But I recall the night in question. Varric was there too. Surely between the three of us we could come up with something."
"No, thank you, Bela. As I told you, after your departure, I remember very little of that night." Amara said more firmly.
"To be honest, I don't think I would be much help either. All I recall is us all getting very drunk that night." Varric said honestly, his chuckles finally dying away. Amara smiled at her friends.
"Besides, who needs a father when I have such great male examples right here to help me raise the child." That statement made Varric start chuckling again.
"Oh, yes, Hawke, a dwarf, a former slave, a possessed mage, a Templar, and priest prince are all good role models. Me, maybe not so bad, but these others, well you better run for the hills the moment the child is born."
"I have to disagree with you. Varric." Isabela countered. "Each guy here has qualities that they could pass to Hawke's child. If it is a mage, Anders could help with its training. Either way. Fenris would be a good fighting teacher. Sebastian would be a good teacher in general and you would be good entertainment for the child."
"Good entertainment? Do you expect me to read the child my Hard in Hightown as a bedtime story?"
"Okay, you two, you have made your points. Either way, I am sure things will work out."
"Have you told Mother?" Carver asked his sister.
"Yes, I told her this morning. She seemed excited about having a grandchild."
A few weeks later, Amara screamed her frustration at the mess had created as she made the dying blow to the Qunari leader. She turned to Isabela with fury raging her green eyes.
"I should kill you for this, Rivaini! What were you thinking?"
"Hawke, calm down, all this excitement isn't good for you or the child." Anders said, coming up to her and Isabela.
"Me fighting the Arishock was perfectly fine for the child, but yelling at Isabela isn't?" Amara fumed.
"Hawke, I am sorry." Isabela said sincerely. Amara sighed.
"Well, at least you came back. Why did you come back?"
"Because you have been a bad influence on me. You are so good sometimes, it's sickening. If it wasn't for the slight bump forming on your skinny ass form, I would think you are nothing short of a saint."
"Thanks, Isabela, I think."
"Well, it looks like the city of Kirkwall has a new Champion." Knight Commander Meredith said from behind them. Varric chuckled when Amara's mouth dropped open at the Knight Commander's statement.
"Your mother would be proud of you, Hawke." He said as the people began to cheer for their new Champion. Amara wondered how long their good opinion would last when her condition became apparent. It still surprised her that her little band of friends had kept quiet about her pregnancy. She certainly hadn't told them to.
Anders placed the newborn in her mother's arms after she had been all cleaned up.
"You did well, Hawke. She is healthy and beautiful." Amara looked down at the tiny creature in her arms. Little Erica had her mother's coloring, but as the infant opened her eyes to look up at her mother for the first time, Amara saw that she had her father's eyes. "Have you thought about telling him the truth?" Amara looked up at Anders in alarm.
"What do you mean?"
"There is only one other person I know that have eyes that color."
"Anders, no, he can't know the truth. I won't ruin my friendship with him when he can't remember what happened that night."
"Your friendship? What will happen to that friendship if he ever learns the truth? Why are you protecting him?"
"Because I was a fool and fell in love with him." Amara felt tears sting her eyes. Anders shook his head at her stubbornness. "If you ever tell anyone the truth, I will fry your ass, Blondie."
"Yes, my lady. Shall I send the others up?" Amara nodded.
After the other had all left for the night, Amara sat in the rocking chair, quietly singing her new daughter to sleep. A soft knock on her bedroom door made her look up. She called for whoever it was to enter and was surprised to see Varric enter.
"Good evening, Varric, I thought you had gone with the others." Amara said as she rose from the rocking chair to place Erica in her cradle.
"Should you be up and about so soon?" Varric asked in concern. Amara smiled as she covered up her sleeping daughter.
"Anders healed me, but I do still have to take it easy for a few weeks. I can care for Erica though. So what brings you back here?" She explained as she settled back into the chair. Varric walked over to the cradle to peer down at the sleeping child. "Varric, are you going to answer my question?"
"I thought I would come and see how the new little lady Tethras was getting along." Varric finally answered, still peering at the child he had help create.
"Oh, she is doing fine for only being a few...hours...old..." Amara's voice began to trail off as she realized what he had said. "Lady Tethras?" Varric turned to her with a smirk on his face.
"Well, it's nice to see that you aren't denying that she's mine."
"You know the truth? How? Did Anders...?" Amara couldn't believe that the dwarf was there telling her that he knew the truth about the origins of their daughter.
"Yes, Amara, I know the truth. And no, Blondie didn't spill the beans. I figured it out for myself soon after you informed all of us that you were with child."
"But...but why didn't you say anything?"
"Because you kept stating that didn't remember anything from that night." Varric explained.
"How did you know that I did remember?"
"It was something Isabela said to me in out many conversations when we were trying to figure who the father of your child might be. She had vaguely remembered seeing you coming out of my room the morning after, but she didn't think anything of it until later on. Then, she mentioned that you seemed to be keeping your distance from me for reasons that she didn't understand. The only thing that made sense to me that you had remembered that night and were afraid of talking to me for that reason."
"Varric, I am so sorry. If I had known you had recovered your memories of that night, I would have told you, but I was afraid you wouldn't believe me. I have would rather she not know you than have you reject her...or me."
"Amara, I am not angry. I know you had your reasons. I should have come to you when I realized that there was a chance that I was the father."
"A chance? Do you honestly believe there was ever anyone else?" Amara asked, astonished.
"I know was your first, but I didn't dare to hope that I was more than a one night fling."
"Well, my lord Tethras, let me tell you something, there will never be anyone else because I..." Amara paused, deciding whether to place all her cards on the table.
"Because why, Amara?" Varric prompted when she didn't continue right away. Amara sighed and made her decision.
"Because I have fallen deeply in love with you." Amara felt a few tears fall down her cheeks.
"Hmm, a human and dwarf together, the Kirkwall gossips will have a field day."
"Varric, what are you saying?"
"I am saying I love you, you daft woman. And also I want to marry you."
"Well, in that case, forget Kirkwall. What will your dwarf nobles say to you having a human mage as your wife?"
"Probably not much at first, since they will be too busy fainting at the news." Amara chuckled. "I will take that as a yes that you will marry me."
"Yes, Varric, it does." She leaned down to kiss him just as their new daughter began to cry.
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