A planned series of vignettes interlaced with lyrics by Massive Attack – obviously the band behind my pen name.
I caught some lyrics in a song by Massive Attack the other day that immediately set my mind thinking about how I could work them into some story telling of my mage Hawke and Anders. I decided to have another listen to more of the band's songs and found loads of applicable lines…so there you have it. Song fics overload!
Honestly, I'm trying a second playthrough as a Chantry supporter/mage-neutral warrior, and it's hard not to fall for that crazy man again. Until I break that barrier, you'll be getting a lot of Anders-centric stories.
Characters from the DA universe are the property of Bioware/EA.
Protection
This girl I know needs some shelter
She don't believe anyone can help her
The moment he laid eyes on her, he knew she would be trouble. The feisty redheaded woman that stood in the doorway of his Darktown clinic, all but demanding that he hand over some old maps of the Deep Roads from his time with the Wardens. She reminded him so much of the elven mage that rose up to become the Warden Commander. But that was another time…a lifetime ago. This was now, and Anders was staring down what looked to be a bunch of mercenaries, led by the woman.
She's doing so much harm, doing so much damage
But you don't want to get involved
You tell her she can manage
And you can't change the way she feels
But you could put your arms around her
He is slightly perturbed by her assumptive nature at first. She demands the maps for an expedition underground – for money, no doubt. He knows her type. Anders refuses outright. The raven-haired man beside her becomes visibly upset, stepping forward angrily.
"Listen here, mage," he begins, but is silenced as the woman gently places her hand on his arm. The man looks at her and she shakes her head slowly at him. There is no anger. She does not attempt to blackmail him with threats to turn him over to the templars. She simply steps forward towards Anders with pleading eyes and tells him that it could help a lot of people.
I know you want to live yourself
But could you forgive yourself
If you left her just the way
You found her
After brief contemplation, Anders sees his opportunity to make this about helping people – specifically a friend in the Circle. He presents the idea of freeing his mage friend to the woman, and she hesitates briefly.
"You want me to fight templars?" she questions, and in that moment, Anders recognizes her hesitation – she is also an apostate. His mind begins to wander, wondering if she has ever been in the Circle herself. But before his thoughts take him too far, she tells him she will help his friend with no further questions asked.
With details exchanged, Anders knows that this will be a potentially dangerous task, but he will have support. And should it be needed, he would be able to return that favour.
I stand in front of you
I'll take the force of the blow
Protection
You're a boy and I'm a girl
But you know you can lean on me
The eldest Hawke sibling stands in the Chantry beside her new acquaintance, though not nearly as dumbfounded as he over the fact that the man he has come to rescue from the grips of the templars has actually been used to entrap him. Her grip tightens around her staff, sensing the conflict to come. She feels no regret for agreeing to this task.
Her mind is full of empathy for the blond mage and his friend, now tranquil – presumably for his attempts to escape the confines of the Circle in Kirkwall. Nevertheless, the rumours have run rampant that the Knight Commander has been making mages tranquil for less reason than that. Anders is devastated over the loss of his friend.
Tranquility can be – for some – a fate worse than death itself, and for those around them, mourning occurs long before the body ever grows cold. Never one to back down from a fight – especially against an injustice such as this – she surveys the group of templars that are encircling them. She will fight for the tranquil. And she will fight for the healer.
And I don't have no fear
I'll take on any man here
Who says that's not the way it should be
As she readies her own abilities, Anders explodes into a furious rage – a strange blue light emitting from his body. His eyes in particular are terrifying. He moves as if possessed by some unseen force, violently cutting through foes with magic that no healer should know.
It is in that very instant that she realizes this man has more struggles hidden just beneath the outer layer than he has let on. She does not know yet what they are – or even if she can help, but she vows to try.
I stand in front of you
I'll take the force of the blow
Protection.
Sometimes you look so small, need some shelter
Just runnin' round and round, helter skelter
The years have not been kind to Anders. She recognizes that he is sinking into his own personal anguish, further every day. He is losing his grip on reality – and on his own life. Justice is consuming him. Still, she does not falter. She remains steadily at his side, with hope. With support. Regardless, he is beginning to come apart at the seams, and she is not certain how much longer she will be able to hold him together.
And I've leaned on you for years
Now you can lean on me
And that's more than love, that's the way it should be
He charges her with one further task – gather the materials required for a concoction to try to drive Justice out of his no longer willing host. Old Tevinter research, he said. And despite the oddness of the request to distract the Grand Cleric for a few moments, she agrees, for he has never given her reason to suspect before.
He is on edge…distant. But she is there, as always, to comfort him.
Now I can't change the way you feel
But I can put my arms around you
A series of events have been set into motion that will force a choice – from everyone.
A rumble – an explosion – destruction.
Worlds collide.
That's just part of the deal
That's the way I feel
I'll put my arms around you
For her, the choice is easy. The choice was made that crucial night in the Chantry when she witnessed first-hand the fury and vengeance of Justice; and the cruelty of the templars that exposed him within Anders. The alternative is non-existent. There is no other option.
I stand in front of you
I'll take the force of the blow
Protection
Selected lyrics in italics from "Protection" (Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, Andrew Vowles and Tracey Thorn) by Massive Attack, 1995.