Living Not Just Surviving
Summary: When Malandra Hawke met First Enchanter Orsino she did not know that this would lead to an adventure she never dreamed of. As Hawke, Anders, and Orsino fight to free the Kirkwall Circle from the tyranny of Knight Commander Meredith they struggle to balance the need for mages to be protected from the demons in their own minds, and the need to seen as equals to the other peoples of Thedas.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age II, or the characters.
Prologue : Endings and Beginnings
Malandra Hawke leaned over the rail staring as the Gwaren coast disappeared in the distance. She felt lost. Lothering had been home as long as she could remember. There she, Bethany, and Carver had lived free from fear of the Chantry learning to use their Maker granted gifts under the firm yet gentle guidance of their father Malcolm Hawke. When the Blight came Carver had gone to join Bann Ceorlic's forces at Ostagar after king Cailan had mustered the armies of Fereldan. Malcolm Hawke struggled to help the refugees without being caught by the dreaded Templars but one of the refugees had brought the Blight Sickness to Lothering and Malcolm Hawke had become ill and died shortly after the war had begun. This left the Malandra and Bethany to look after their mother and avoid the Templars on their own.
Within weeks Carver arrived at home, dirty, hungry, and injured. He said that good King Cailan, the youthful and impulsive King of Fereldan was lost and all the Grey Wardens of Fereldan with him. He ordered his mother and sisters to pack those belongings that they could not live without. " We must flee, the darkspawn are on our very door mother! I know you don't want to leave our home but Father would not wish us to face the same horrific death that he did. We must go."
As the family fled from Lothering carrying all of their worldly possessions on their backs they began to run into Darkspawn who were seeking the Arch Demon. Bethany and Malandra sent fire and ice spells furiously while Carver wielded his broadsword like a Ash Warrior Berserker. Soon they ran into a warrior woman and a Templar fleeing the city. Malandra grew quiet while Carver moved protectively in front of his twin sister. " Apostates… the Chantry dictates… whispered the Templar hoarsely until the woman with him shushed him affectionately. "Wesley they saved our lives" said the woman who they soon found out was named Aveline Valen she and her husband Ser Wesley Valen were fleeing Lothering, Wesley having been assigned to work at the Lothering Chantry while Aveline served in King Cailan's army. As they continued to flee they soon found themselves surrounded by Darkspawn including an ogre. Bethany and Malandra cast spells seeking to protect both Ser Wesley and their Mother one of whom was injured and the other who did not know how to fight.
Suddenly the Ogre attacked trying to bring its giant club down on Bethany's head. All of the sudden Ser Barclay of Lothering the families prized Mabari came out of nowhere and attacked saving Bethany in the process. Sadly poor Barclay (or Barky as Bethany and Carver had called him as babies) was tossed across the barren field like a rag doll. The Hawke siblings raced to the old dogs side and while Carver held his oldest friend his sisters began casting healing spells and trying to feed Barclay some Mabari Crunch to heal him. As their efforts began to fail Bethany began to cry. "Poor Barclay, he saved our lives. At least he got to die doing what he loved, protecting us" teenaged Bethany sobbed into her mother's shoulder. "Come we must go… the Darkspawn are gaining on us" said Aveline.
The group began to run, Bethany and Malandra helping Leandra while Aveline helped Wesley but it quickly became clear that it was hopeless. They were surrounded by Darkspawn on all sides. Suddenly they stopped as they heard a roar behind them. Malandra looked up to see a huge red dragon swooping out of the sky roasting the Darkspawn alive. Once the Darkspawn were gone the dragon morphed into an elderly woman who admitted she was the Flemeth of legend. She then agreed to help them get to Gwaren where they would take ship for Kirkwall in hopes that Leandra Hawke's family would take them in. However, she asked one favor that Hawkes take an amulet to a Dalish encampment near Kirkwall and give it to Keeper Maretheri. As she turned to go she turned around and looked at Malandra and said "Hurtled into chaos, you fight... and the world will shake before you." This statement gave Malandra a sense of foreboding as she contemplated what was to come.
The trip to Kirkwall was harrowing. The seas were stormy because of the Blight and Carver and Leandra Hawke spent most of the journey dreadfully seasick. Malandra and Bethany tried desperately to ease the seasickness but they also had to deal with the fact that Aveline was deeply depressed about Wesley's death at the hands of the Blight. Despite being a hardened warrior and the daughter of a former Chevalier, Aveline was deeply sensitive and Malandra could tell that it would take her many years to get over Wesley.
Finally, the journey was over but, things were not as they should be. Gamlen Amell had stolen the family fortune from Leandra who despite her running away had been forgiven by her parents and made heiress to the family fortune in their wills. He had then gambled away the family fortune and abandoned his own wife and daughter. The disgraced nobleman than told his nieces and nephews that they would have to sell themselves into indentured servitude amongst mercenaries and thieves for a year and that Leandra would have to work as a housekeeper in one of the homes where she had formerly been a welcome guest in order to pay for their entrance to the city. Furthermore they would all have to live in Gamlen's Lowtown slum apartment since he had sold the family home to pay his debts.
So the three Hawke children went to work for Athenril, an elf who ran a lyrium smuggling operation in the city (since the human mercenary Meeran wanted them to kill one of the few people helping the Fereldan refugees and was likely to turn Malandra and Bethany into the Templars for being apostates at the first opportunity) and began their year of servitude while Leandra took work as the Viscounts housekeeper. Aveline came out of her depression and joined the City guard in an effort to make much needed changes for her fellow Fereldan's in the city. Little did Malandra know that this would be the beginning of a glorious adventure.