Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age unfortunately. I do own Alessia though.

Prologue

The Real Story

A figure stood imposingly upon a hill, staring down the darkspawn that rapidly approached her. She smirked as she twirled two oversized daggers above her head then rested one on each shoulder. She glanced to her little brother at her side. Nodding her head in the tainted beasts' direction as if to say he could handle them. The brother gave a faint roll of his eyes but grinned as he charged the creatures. His older sibling marveled at his work, oblivious to the darkspawn creeping up behind her. A blast of fire shot past her shoulder and sent them screaming and flailing as the flames rose high. Quickly she spun to see charred corpses falling to the ground. She turned back and smirked at her little sister, who smiled back, before the younger girl's eyes grew wide at the sight behind her eldest sister. With amazing speed, she swung her blades around and struck at the monstrous ogre that had charged at her. Gritting her teeth, she held onto the crossed daggers in front of her. As she was being pushed back by the horned bully, she flipped back and jumped forward swinging her blades and lopping off the monster's head. Giving a coarse laugh she waved off her sister's concern, who had crossed her arms beneath her ample bosom and shook her head with a small grin. Their brother rejoined them, covered in blood, and the three sighed in relief. A loud roar thundered above head; they immediately looked to the cliff behind them. A dragon, large and grand, stood there before shooting into the air and swooping down upon them, fire-

"BULLSHIT! That's not what really happened!" The warrior woman shouted out tossing the book in her possession. She watched as it slammed against the dwarven face of her captive. Her eyes flaring in anger as she paced about in front of him.

He rubbed his jaw and set the book in his lap, lightly fingering the leather imprints. A smirk spreading faintly across his lips as he watched her with a smug glance. "Does that not match the story you've heard, Seeker?" He leaned his elbow on the chair arm. His chest exposed in all its hairy glory.

She grimaced and continued to pace, her black armor catching in the dim torch light. "I'm not interested in stories. I came to hear the truth." Her tone annoyed and strained.

A sigh escaped his lips and he put his hand up. "What makes you think I know the truth?"

"Don't lie to me!" She descended upon him swiftly, fire in her eyes. Her finger pointing at him in an accusatory manner, nearly poking out an eye with how close she had come. "You knew her even before she became the Champion!"

"Even if I did," his hands slowly went up in defense as he kept her gaze. "I don't know where she is now…" He looked down solemnly thinking about the Champion.

She gritted her teeth and turned from him staring off distantly, anguish in her voice. "Do you have any idea what's at stake here!?"

"Heh," he gave a small grin, eyes still cast down. "Let me guess: your precious Chantry's fallen to pieces and put the entire world on the brink of war?" He waved his hand out at the word world, finally peering up at the back of her head. "And you need the one person who could help you put it back together again."

The Seeker turned and glanced at him, eyes intense. "The Champion was at the heart of it all." She sighed and rubbed her brow. "And if you can't point me to her, tell me everything you know."

He leaned forward clasping his hands together. His grin growing. "You aren't worried I'll just make it up as I go?"

"Not. At. All." She stated bluntly, staring him down.

"Then you need to hear," he leaned back into the chair his fingers steepled, eyes focusing on her and yet beyond her. "The whole story…"

"Yes, tell me from the beginning of the Champion's tale." Her arms crossed.

He tilted his head to the side and chuckled as if she had said something amusing. "Well just remember you asked to start there." She cocked an eyebrow at his meaning but refrained from interrupting as he began his tale again. "Though a minor part in her story, and perhaps a bit before the Champion's beginning, this is important to mention…"

The Hawke family fled from their home in Lothering as the Blight spread over the land. Taking a break from running, the four members stopped. Disheveled and worn, the youngest began to squabble amongst themselves. Finally fed up with her younger siblings bickering the eldest child struck one of her blades into the ground, causing the land to fracture and split around it.

"Stop it! Bethany, Carver, get your acts together. We don't have time for blame."

Both immediately stopped. Carver grumbled and crossed his arms about his chest and looked off. Bethany glanced down, her hand gripping her staff tightly. "Sorry, Marian," she whispered softly.

"Your sister is right let's go before they-"

Before their mother could finish a pack of darkspawn swooped upon them. Marian and Carver attacked several of them as Bethany stayed back with their mother using her magic for both defense and offense. They dispatched the group and resumed their running, feeling that any arguments could wait until long after they were safe. Marian led the group and charged in without thinking when she saw a knight, fighting off several of the nasty beasties, trying to protect her companion. Once all was done the groups stared each other down. Tense introductions ensued and terse agreements, for everyone to stay their weapons, were made. The family, along with the Templar Wesley and his wife the knight Aveline, looked to the eldest child.

"Let's get a move on." Marian commanded before heading off, not wanting to be caught standing around.

The others followed closely as the group battled their way through the Wilds trying to make their way to Gwaren. It wasn't long before they were surrounded by a small horde of tainted fiends. The group, the ones capable of fending off the brutes, dispatched of them as quickly as possible. When it was over they panted, and attempted to rest only to have a large ogre come stomping towards them. Marian watched as Carver was about to charge at it. She ran over ramming him in the side to stop him. Looking in his direction, to make sure she didn't hurt him, she barely had time to glance back before her mother and sister screamed as the ogre grabbed her up. Marian's eyes widened as she stared into the soulless ones of the giant darkspawn. She feebly tried to move her arms as the creature's grip tightened around her. She could feel this and she knew there was no escape. With one last look to her loved ones, she closed her eyes and the ogre finally crushed her then tossed her aside. Her mother shrieked in horror and ran over to the limp body of her eldest child. Bethany, Carver, and Aveline all struck out against the ogre using any amount of energy they had left to destroy the foul thing. As soon as it fell to the ground dead, Bethany and Carver ran to their mother and sister. Upon seeing the look of utter desolation and agony on their mother's face it was obvious to them:

Their elder sister was dead-

"Stop!"

"Something wrong, Seeker?" The dwarf grinned watching her face contort in confusion and anger.

"The Champion can't die before she even reaches Kirkwall." Her rage flared up again. "Maybe I was mistaken, Varric Tethras. Perhaps I shouldn't have trusted you tell me the truth without some incentive." She placed her hand on the hilt of the sword at her side. Catching this the dwarf once again waved his hands in defense, not removing his eyes from her. Just in case.

"Hold on, Cassandra Pentaghast." Keeping his sarcastic demeanor by using her full name as she had used his. "I was offering the entire story, but in my defense, you did tell me to begin at the start of the Champion's tale."

"Death is not a beginning, dwarf!" The Seeker bellowed, gripping his tunic. "The Champion doesn't die in the Wilds she obviously survives to cause mayhem here!"

A soft chuckle left his lips as he smirked.

"When did I ever say that it was Marian Hawke who was the Champion of Kirkwall?"

She paused at his words, a sudden thought striking her. It was true, not once did he say it was Marian. Everyone knew that a Hawke was at the center of it all but in all the tales and legends she had listened to over the course of her search for the elusive Champion…not once had anyone actually mentioned her first name. She had only assumed that Marian was the one for the simple fact she was older, more experienced, and was present at Ostagar as many of her sources claimed. Cassandra released him and straightened.

"Then tell me the whole story, from the beginning." Her eyes darkening with confusion. "Do not spare a single detail, understood?" She said flatly, crossing her arms, her jaw tightening.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He commented with a grin. "Now the entire story this time, from the very beginning."