A Pair of Hawkes
The Hawke family had been running for what seemed like hours, through mountain paths that seemed to offer little deterrent to their pursuers. Darkspawn, if what Carver and Adia said had been true. They had descended on Lothering in a vast horde, and they'd barely had time to grab their essential gear before escaping their house. Adia's twin, Amber, had made sure to grab their father's staff (which by default was now hers), while her other siblings had packed spare clothes and whatever food had been within reach. The village was just starting to burn as they'd fled their home. Now they were quite a ways from the town, but still those wretched creatures chased them. Falling to her knees for a moment, Leandra Hawke cried out as a trio of darkspawn advanced on her. Amber turned, eyes wide as she launched a fireball at the creatures. "Mother!" she called out, grabbing the attention of Carver and Adia. The warrior turned, racing back and slicing down at another of the beasts. Adia loaded her bow and let the arrow fly, quickly reloading for another strike. It didn't take long before that group was dead, and Leandra stood again, leaning on Diego, Adia's Mabari hound, for a moment as he licked her hand.
"Maker, we've lost it all! Everything your father and I worked so hard for," she said, casting a glance back towards the smoke. Adia smiled sadly at her.
"It'll be okay, Mother. At least we're together... We can replace what we've lost." Carver scoffed, folding his arms across his chest.
"We should have stayed, Adia. Maybe we could have taken out more of these things instead of running away." Amber rolled her eyes and assumed the same stance as her little brother. He shivered slightly under her red gaze, but refused to alter his position. She might be older, but Carver was a fighter, and his sister merely a mage: A mage who usually wore a hood to conceal her eyes from casual observers. However, her own furry companion was currently nestled in the cloth, staring at him as well.
"Right Carver, and then Mother and I would've been out here by ourselves." His blue eyes narrowed.
"Hey, at least we weretrying to help turn this Blight around!" Adia held her hands up and stepped between them, shaking her head, her dark-red braid swinging back and forth across her back for a moment.
"Oh, whoa, time out! Fighting is seriously not a good thing right now." She motioned to the darkspawn behind the wall of fire that were pacing about like caged animals. "Perhaps we can finish this later? You know, when we're not being chased by darkspawn?" Leandra stepped up beside her children, sighing softly.
"Please, listen to your sister." Amber closed her eyes and took a deep breath, smiling at her twin. Red eyes met blue ones, and the sisters nodded once at each other.
"Right, sorry. Running and living is definitely the good option." She was usually the calm and logical one, but Carver always knew how to get under her skin.
"Then let's go," the boy said as he started walking once more. They got further away from the darkspawn, until Amber stopped again and looked around. Adia didn't see anything in the area, and cast a quick look at her.
"So... Where exactly are we going, anyway?" the mage wondered. Adia smirked for a moment before replying:
"As far away from the horde as we can get? I hear Tevinter is wonderful this time of year." Amber returned the look as she shook her head, settling her black locks back over one eye. She preferred her shoulder-length hair loose just for that reason.
"Oh yes, just what I always wanted! To be surrounded by-"
"We can go to Kirkwall!" Leandra said with a smile of her own. Amber seemed stunned, and it took her a moment to even form a complete thought.
"I'm-sorry-what?" she managed to stutter. Adia cocked an eyebrow.
"Mother...There's a lot of men in tin-can suits running around there. Are you sure?" But their mother's look only further showed her resolve.
"We have family there. And an estate. We'll be safe."
"Yeah, if the Templars don't see Amber," Carver said with a shake of his head. His own black hair was disheveled from all the running, and he shook a few short strands out of his eyes. The eldest Hawke gripped her staff tightly for a moment.
"I know how to hide, remember?"
"Then it's settled," Leandra said, seemingly ignoring the tension that had sprung up again between her two children.
"We'll need to reach Gwaren and get a ship then," Carver wisely stated, turning away from both of his sisters' gazes. Neither seemed to approve of his earlier comment. Maker, did they have to be so alike in how they viewed him as well?
"Let's get going then. The longer we stand around here and talk about it, the closer those things get," Adia added. They suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of fighting, and looked down the path to see a rather large number of darkspawn attacking a couple. One was dressed in Templar armor, but appeared to have been wounded by one of the creatures. The woman with him grabbed his dropped shield, killed the two darkspawn near him, and stood in a defensive position.
"You will not have him!" the woman defiantly challenged the foul things.
"Bloody Andraste, we have to help them!" Carver shouted, bringing his weapon to bear once more. Amber hesitated only a moment before following him towards the fight, Adia at her heels.
"Mother stay back!" the rogue warned, quickly eyeing Diego and nodding. The Mabari barked and stood in front of Leandra, ready to defend her if the need arose. With her steady aim, Carver's reach, Amber's spell onslaught, and help from the woman, the darkspawn were soon reduced to a pile of corpses. However, the Templar immediately set his gaze on Amber and took a slow step forward.
"Apostate! Keep your distance!" he yelled, one hand stretched towards her. She froze, one hand at her side, and the other still wrapped around the staff.
"Wesley!" the woman called out in a chiding voice. He seemed to ignore her.
"The Spawn are clear in their intentions, but a mage is always unknown," he argued, taking another step. Amber glared at him, but remained still. "The Order dictates…" Adia drew her bow back suddenly, sighting down the arrow at the man's head, eyes narrowing.
"The Order dictates you take one more step and I'll put one between your eyes, Templar. We just helped save your lives, you could at least grant us the same courtesy." The woman, a redhead like herself, walked up to the man and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, smiling slightly.
"Dear, they saved us. The Maker understands."
"Of course," he replied with a nod, eyes flicking back between the girls. Adia noticed lightning crackling in Amber's free hand, but she quickly stopped the spell and turned to smile at her sister. The woman stepped forward, sword and shield down.
"I am Aveline Vallen," she introduced. "This is my husband, Ser Wesley. We can hate each other later."
"I thought all Templars left with the Chantry priests? What are you still doing here?" Amber wondered.
"I was on my way to Denerim when I heard of Ostagar. Aveline was there, and I needed to know if she-" Wesley began, before his wife cut him off.
"Chance put us on the same road. However, that also meant we encountered the darkspawn." Adia lowered her bow and put the arrow back in her quiver, smiling back at Amber and breathing a small sigh of relief.
"Ostagar? We were there as well," she revealed, motioning to Carver and herself.
"Then you know what happened on the battlefield," Aveline said with a shake of her head. "At least not everyone who was there met that grisly fate. If I may ask, where are you headed?"
"Gwaren and then Kirkwall, apparently," Adia answered with a shrug. "The road back that way is crawling with darkspawn." She pointed behind them in the direction they had just come from. She turned back quickly, not wishing to linger on the still-rising cloud of ash and smoke. Aveline shook her head and huffed.
"Unfortunately, the road to the north is cut off as well."
"Then we're trapped! The Wilds are to the South, and that's no way out," Carver whined, rolling his eyes.
"Seems to me that's the only way. Any thoughts, Adia?" Amber offered with a shrug of her own, meeting her sister's gaze. Adia tilted her head and smiled playfully at Carver. He saw the look she had, and knew the next words out of her mouth would only be ridicule especially for him.
"Afraid of the big, bad witches in the Wilds? But Amber's right. It looks like we don't have any more options."
"Maker's breath, I'm not five!" he shot back, eyes narrowing.
"May we travel with you for a while? It seems groups fare better," Aveline asked, shouldering Wesley as best she could.
"Just keep your husband away from me," Amber warned, turning away.
"I'm sure we can put aside our differences until we're somewhat safe. But the longer we stand around, the better the chances we're going to get swarmed. Let's get a move on," Adia wisely told them. The group began moving again, with Wesley and Aveline bringing up the rear. The Templar seemed to be in a considerable amount of pain, and Leandra came up to Amber, who was walking next to Adia.
"Sweetheart, isn't there anything you can do to help that man? He seems to be suffering," she whispered, touching her daughter's arm.
"Mother, don't take this the wrong way, but even if I wanted to help him, I doubt he'd let me near him. Besides…" the mage replied, shuddering slightly. "I don't think I can help him much. There's something about that wound that makes me nervous." Adia sighed and frowned, glancing back every so often at Wesley.
"Maybe once we get to Gwaren we can find someone who can help him... He really doesn't look so good." As they approached the top of a hill, everyone felt the earth start shaking, almost throwing them all to the dirt. A whole group of darkspawn then swarmed towards them from the other side, led by an Ogre that towered over everything. Leandra screamed and backed away, but Carver immediately jumped at the thing.
"Die!" he yelled, bringing his blade down on its arm. Amber's eyes widened as she quickly sent a chain of lightning at the nearest group of darkspawn.
"You blighted idiot!" she called out. Adia met her gaze, and she waved towards the Ogre. "Help our dear brother while Aveline and I get the rest of these things." The rogue nodded and took off after Carver, nocking back arrow after arrow and slicing at darkspawn as they got too close for her aim. The blade on her bow was soon drenched in blood, but she paid it little heed.
"Andraste's flaming knickers, Carver! Are you mad?" she shouted, now within
five feet of him and the giant darkspawn. Maker, it looked even uglier up close.
"I can-" He carved a chunk out of its leg. "Handle this-" Another slice into its arm "Thing myself!" He was just hacking into it now, still keeping one step ahead of its massive hands and feet. The creature roared at him, anger clear on its face.
"Carver, be careful!" Leandra warned, standing by Wesley and Diego, wringing
her hands in terror and concern. Adia had reached Carver's side now, and took a moment to assess the situation
"Care to make a wager, dear brother?" She grinned, flipping backwards to dodge an attack even as she nocked back her bow again, firing rapidly at the Ogre. The warrior chanced a brief look at her, a smirk on his face.
"What kind of wager, sweet sister?" He continued to run around and slice at the thing, the blood flying everywhere now.
"Ten silver to the one who gets the killing blow? That's about what I've got in my pocket right now." Adia chuckled, using a darkspawn as a springboard to jump onto a higher rock. She used one of her "special" arrows, and grinned like a child when it hit the Ogre's chest and exploded, sending gore flying over Carver. He shook his head to get it away from his eyes, taking up a fresh grip on his blade.
"You're on!" She and Carver continued their relentless assault on the Ogre, which kept trying in vain to grab the little man running around it. However, Carver's moving and dodging took him nearer to Amber, who was only paying attention to her own foes. Rolling out of the way of a swipe, the boy realized too late where his sister was standing. The Ogre's clawed hand grabbed her around the waist and picked her up. Immediately, she turned as far as she could and threw a small fireball into its face.
"The Void take you! Let me go!" But its grip only tightened, and she felt the breath start to leave her lungs. "Ah, a little help here!" Carver paused for only a moment, shock in his eyes. Then instinct took over, and he launched himself at the thing.
"Leave her alone!" Adia saw what was occurring from her higher vantage point, and took just a second to confirm that Aveline could handle the rest of the smaller darkspawn on her own. Taking another exploding arrow, she aimed at the beast's head neck, waiting for it to open its mouth.
"Amber!" From out of Amber's hood came a black streak, which headed straight for the Ogre's face. The cat swatted at the creature, its claws catching an eye. The Ogre howled in pain and dropped the mage, who proceeded to catch the cat as it fell as well. That was all the opening Adia needed, and she let the arrow fly. It made contact, blowing the horned head to pieces. A moment later, the body toppled to the ground, twitched once, but stayed dead. However, there were still more darkspawn coming up the hill. It seemed reinforcements had arrived.
"There's no end to these things!" Carver exclaimed. A roar suddenly deafened all of them and the group looked up the mountain to see an enormous dragon unfold itself from the rocky side and streak towards the battle. It breathed flames as it passed, roasting most of the spawn, and it picked up one, climbing once more before dropping it from a height that caused the darkspawn to splatter once it hit the ground again. The dragon landed, and the remaining darkspawn scattered, knowing they were no match for the winged monster. But as the humans continued watching, the dragon's form flashed with yellow light, and it became a woman: An old woman, with her white hair in the shape of horns, and dressed in what looked to be red dragon skin armor. She approached them and smirked, resting one hand on her hip.
"It used to be we never got visitors to the Wilds. Now they arrive in hordes." Her voice was slightly raspy, but held a tinge of power that made Amber's entire body shake. Shadowfade hissed softly in her arms, and Diego growled. Adia stared at the woman with wide eyes, not believing what she was seeing at all. She eventually picked her jaw up off the ground and leapt off her rock, rushing to Amber's side.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked her twin, checking to make sure there were no bruises or broken bones. The dark-haired girl shook her head, running her hand softly down the still-hissing cat's back, trying to calm her.
"I'm all right, thanks to you, Carver, and Shadowfade." When her furry companion finally settled down, she turned to the newcomer. "Thank you, as well." Their mystery rescuer inclined her head and smiled. However, it was not an entirely friendly smile, and Amber found she could not meet the woman's yellow eyes for more than a second before she felt her magick begin to react. What by the Fade was she?
"You're very welcome, child. But tell me, what are you all doing here? If you're looking to escape the horde, you're heading in the wrong direction." Adia looked over to Carver and grinned.
"You owe me ten silver, little brother." She immediately sobered at the second part of the woman's news, and glanced at her, wary not only of the power she'd seen, but the fact that Amber seemed nervous as well. "We were on our way to Gwaren actually."
"And where from there did you intend to go?"
"How far do you suggest? Perhaps the Deep Roads?" Amber had no idea why she had even opened her mouth, but that had just popped out when she did. Adia's eyes widened. She was usually the snarky one of the two. What had gotten into her sister? She nudged her, fear bright in her sapphire eyes.
"That woman was a dragon just a few seconds ago, I don't think being smart mouthed is such a good idea," the rogue whispered. However, the woman seemed to think it was an interesting comment, as she tipped back her head and laughed.
"Oh, I like you. But it seems your sister is wary of me. Smart girl." Carver still had his sword up, but his muscles were twitching with nerves, unlike his sisters.
"Why are you two talking to her? We don't even know what she is," he reminded them. Aveline came up to them, putting away her weapon, but not taking her eyes off the woman. She scarcely wanted to believe what she was seeing as well.
"I do. She's the Witch of the Wilds." The woman shrugged.
"Some people call me that. Also Flemeth. Asha'bellenar. An old hag who talks too much." Adia's jaw again hit the ground as she felt her eyes bug straight out.
"Flemeth? THE Flemeth from the stories?"
"That might depend on what stories you've heard, but more than likely." Amber looked up again, finding it slightly easier to meet Flemeth's gaze now.
"None of the stories said you could become a dragon." The Witch quirked an eyebrow, stepping closer to the young mage.
"An omission that seems to have roused your jealous side, child." Amber felt her face flush scarlet, and she dropped her head and swallowed nervously.
"Well, being a dragon would be useful..." Adia put a hand on her twin's shoulder.
"Dragon or not... Thank you for saving us. But I think the big question would be why?" she wondered.
"I saw a most curious sight: A might Ogre, vanquished! Who could perform such a feat? But now my curiosity is sated, and you are safe for the moment," Flemeth replied, her gaze now centered squarely on the girls as she walked in a circle around them. Adia groaned and put a hand to her forehead.
"For the moment? Please don't tell us there's more on the way... This is just getting silly."
"This is a Blight, child. There will be no end to the darkspawn until the Grey Wardens can kill the archdemon," the Witch shot back with a small smirk.
"But there are no more Grey Wardens. They all died at Ostagar," Aveline countered. She was crouched by Wesley, who looked ten times worse than before. He was lying propped against a large rock, his breathing starting to sound more like wheezing. His face was deathly pale, and Amber thought she saw the veins leading from his neck turning black. She shivered and turned away. Again, the Witch shrugged.
"Not all. But the last are now on their own journey."
"Please, help us reach Gwaren so we can get to Kirkwall," Amber begged her. Flemeth seemed a bit surprised at this news, and brought one hand to her chin, stroking the clawed gauntlet across her wrinkled skin.
"Kirkwall? That is quite the journey you plan."
"We have family there," Carver added.
"Can you help us? I mean... You can't just leave us here, right?" Adia wondered.
"I could, but I would miss an opportunity." Her voice grew softer for a moment as she turned her back to them. "Is it fate or chance? I can never decide." After another moment, she turned again to face the twins. "If I get you to Gwaren, I have a task I would like you to complete for me. Can you do this for a "Witch of the Wilds"?"
"What are you asking of us?" Amber inquired.
"To deliver an amulet to a clan of Dalish Elves. There you will speak to their Keeper, Marethari. Do as she asks, and your debt to me will be repaid."
"Adia, what do you think?" The rogue thought for a moment, a frown settling on her features as she finally sighed.
"It sounds too good to be true, but we need the help... So I'm not against it. Plus it looks like Wesley could use medical attention as quickly as possible." Flemeth locked her gaze on them again, and though Amber's mind was screaming at her to look away, she set her jaw and did not flinch. Neither did Adia, though a fine trembling was visible in her hands.
"Hurtled into the chaos, you fight. And the world will shape before you." The Witch nodded at them with a smile, and then walked past them. "However, before we depart, this is one more matter." She took a step towards Wesley, but Aveline drew her sword and stood in front of him, shield up. Leandra tried to take her arm, but the warrior redhead shrugged her off.
"No, leave him alone," she said, eyes narrowed at Flemeth.
"What has been done to your man is within his blood already."
"Aveline, she's right... I can feel the corruption inside me..." Wesley's voice was soft, with a somber edge to it that forced a frown to his wife's face.
"Corruption?" Amber wasn't sure what was going on, but wanted answers. He wasn't suffering from lyrium withdrawal, so what was the matter with him?
"Wesley, we'll get you to a healer. You'll be fine," Adia argued, not caring about how injured he was. They'd saved them from the darkspawn… He just had to make it.
"No, I won't be... It's the darkspawn sickness..." Aveline hung her head for a moment before she nodded. The Hawkes remained confused.
"Then how long until-" Aveline began.
"Not long now, if I am any judge," Flemeth interrupted, voice low.
"Aveline, what's going on? What are you all talking about?" Amber demanded, fists clenching at her sides.
"Aveline... Is he... Is he dying?" Adia did not want to believe what she was hearing, but by the look on the older woman's face, she knew the truth already.
"In a way," the warrior-woman replied. "The darkspawn's blood is poison. Didn't they tell you this at Ostagar?"
"No, they conveniently left that part out," Carver said with enough scorn in his voice that even Leandra frowned at him.
"If you come in contact with their blood, you... You become corrupted... A twisted creature bent on serving them," Aveline continued.
"Aveline, you need to kill me before that happens," Wesley told her. She turned to face him, eyes wide.
"No! Don't ask me to do that!"
"The only cure for Blight Sickness is to become a Grey Warden. And as I said before, they are out of your reach," Flemeth reminded them.
"There must be something we can do to help him!" Adia said as she stared at Flemeth. But the Witch shook her head.
"There isn't, child. It is either death now, or let the sickness turn him into a ghoul. Neither is a pretty end."
"Aveline... We can't make this decision for you," Amber said softly.
"I know. Just… Give me a moment, all right?" the older woman replied as she knelt beside Wesley. Adia frowned and turned away, not wanting to see what she knew was coming next. She leaned on Amber slightly, and her sister put an arm around her shoulders. Shadowfade was once again safely in the mage's hood, and her purring calmed the two of them.
"We'll be all right, Adia. I promise. Once we get to Kirkwall, everything will be better," Amber swore. They both heard the crunch of metal on metal, and Amber's grip tightened on her sister. Adia flinched at hearing the noise, and turned her head further away from it. Diego moved closer to her, licking her hand. She reached down and gently pet his head. Flemeth came up beside them, but seemed to be looking past them.
"Without an end, there can be no peace. It gets no easier from here. Your struggles have only just begun..."
"Let's just get to Kirkwall and be done with this mess," Adia said, balling her hands loosely into fists.