A Hawke Flaps its Wings

Prologue

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"There are many, many, many worlds branching out at each moment you become aware of your environment and then make a choice."

― Kevin Michel, Moving Through Parallel Worlds To Achieve Your Dreams

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Bethany squinted at the parchment on the table in front of her, quill posed in an attempt at writing. Her tongue stuck out in between the gap of two teeth as she tried to concentrate on the work her mother had sat her down with this morning.

Mother said that learning her letters was important because even though they live a very meager life they were still nobles through her family. She wanted to pass down the knowledge of writing because it made one seem more cultured even if they were born lowly. Though they were not born of the name Amell, in fact they were Hawkes, they were still Amell in blood except Father.

Father who was not at home. Bethany frowned.

She missed Father who would help teach her magic and was always there to protect her. She was only seven years old but the terror she felt for the templars was real. It coiled deep into her heart and it took everything in her to not frighten at the sight of the templars stationed at the Lothering Chantry.

(Indeed though she feared them she knew there was kind ones in the order as well like Ser Ghalan who sometimes sneaked her treats.)

Father was away on some task an old friend of his asked for help on leaving his wife and three children home with strict instructions to not leave the house lest they accidentally reveal themselves as apostates.

Bethany didn't want this for multiple reasons, number one being she didn't want to be separated from her twin brother Carver and their older brother Niklaus. Niklaus, who like her was also a mage. It wouldn't just be her who would get in trouble but her older brother as well and she didn't want that. He didn't want that.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Bethany placed her quill down. She couldn't figure out how to spell these words for the life of her. She turned her head and looked outside to judge the time. Plenty of time to play.

She got up picking up the parchment with her words already dried up and made her way over to her mother was preparing their mid-day meal.

"Momma I finished my words."

Leandra Hawke turned from her cooking and carefully took the young girls work. "Good job Bethy. Still having trouble with some words though, hm?" Bethany scowled. "That's okay we'll work on them tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay Momma."

"Good now why don't you go play outside? I'm sure your brothers are out there. Just down stray too far from the yard, understand?"

"Yes Momma." Bobbing her head up and down, Bethany was bouncing on the heels of her feet. "See you soon!"

Rushing out of the house she noticed her brothers were rough housing on the ground close to the firewood. She pouted. She didn't want to play in the dirt like that! She sighed. She wanted her Father home so badly maybe then she could go play with her friend Madeleine.

She had been friends with Madeleine as long as they had been here in Lothering. Madeleine could be considered her best friend. Madeleine knew that she couldn't come out and play but not because her father wasn't here. Bethany had told her her mother wanted her to stay home and study more. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. Bethany felt bad for lying but Bethany also did not want to be put into a Circle.

Father said Circle's were bad. Bethany didn't exactly understand why they were bad but she also trusted her dad to tell the truth.

She walked over to the flower patch that was near the woods near their families cabin. They lived in the middle of nowhere but close enough to Lothering to be considered residents. Sitting down she started to pick flowers in an attempt of a flower crown of some sort. Maybe she could give it to her mother?

It is, as she is halfway down with her flower crown that she hears rustling in the woods. Scrunching up her shoulders in slight fear, her eyes dart to her brothers who were now having some sort of contest on chopping wood (which she absently noted Niklaus was winning) she turned her eyes towards to forest. A second later a small blonde head popped out of a bush.

"Madeleine?!" Bethany whispered. The young six year old girl grinned at her slightly older friend before waving casually.

"Hey Bethy! It's been a while so I came here to see how you are!"

Bethany looked at her brothers who were still doing their stupid macho man contest and then back at her best friend. She knew she should tell her to go home but she was so lonely. Her brothers didn't want to play with her because she was a girl. All she had was her mother and while she loved her mother her solution to her boredom was words and learning and Bethany just wanted to play!

So it was for that very reason that all thoughts of staying home on the family farm was all but thrown out.

Standing up, her flower crown half completed fell to the ground discarded.

"Oh Maddie! I've been so bored." Madeleine made a noise, she understood of course what it was like not having anyone to play with she had five older brothers!

"Then let's go play! I know a spot in the woods a little away from here that one of my brothers showed me.

"Okay!"

The two spent close to an hour playing. Bethany was happy now that she had someone to play with. She didn't believe the day could get any better.

It is as they were nearing one hour of playing that it started to get dark out.

"Hey Maddie don't you think we should get going now?" Bethany asked.

"It's okay Bethy! It won't be really dark for a while!"

"O-Okay…"

And so they continued to play. Giggling Bethany went to go tag Madeleine. That is until she heard it. The sound of growling. The two girls froze up and turned to see on the other side of the clearing a wolf had appeared.

Bethany, many years later, will still remember what that wolf looked like. It had dark black fur and bright blue eyes. It was snarling at them looking at them hungrily. Bethany quickly got in front of her friend knowing out of any of them she would be the one to be able to protect them.

But… she wasn't supposed to use magic. Did it really matter at this point? If she didn't they would both die.

And so Bethany made a decision that day. A decision that would change the fate of many and even Ferelden itself.

In one world Bethany Hawke would use magic to save her friend. Her friend, believing her to be to nice to be a mage would not tell the templars of the young female mage.

This… was not that world.

"Nikky! Nikky!" Bethany grinned as she ran over to her older brother. Her brother bright green eyes stared at his younger sister curiously, holding items he had just purchased at Lothering's market.

"Yes Bethy?"

"Look what I can do." Shoving her hands into his face she opened to show an unblossomed flower bud. She looked at it in concentration and suddenly the bud blossomed into Andraste's Grace.

"Bethy!" Niklaus Hawke hissed as he quickly covered her hands with his own and looked around to make sure no one saw.

"You must show no one Bethany. No one must know." Niklaus hissed into her ear as he pulled her out of Lothering proper.

Bethany looked at him confused. What did she do wrong?

Bethany doesn't truly understand what her brother meant now. She stared at her friend who was looking at her and then at the wolf who was coated in ice, frozen into place.

Madeleine stared. And then she screamed.

The Templars came not even 20 minutes later.

As they dragged her away, Carver trying to fight Niklaus's hold trying to get to his twin sister her mother crying knowing she can't do anything, she stares into Niklaus's eyes.

She doesn't blame him. She knows he would be taken away too.

It doesn't stop Niklaus's Hawke's guilt even 19 years later.