Chapter One

Wreckage

Meredith's smoking wreck of a carcass finally came to rest on her knees before the Champion. Hawke's hands were still aflame with the mage fire she had felled the former Knight-Commander. After Meredith had stopped screaming, an eerie quiet seized the stone courtyard. The caw of a crow cut the silence as everyone lowered their weapons and caught their breaths. A hand came to rest upon Hawke's shoulder and she whirled around, her wrath blazing anew.

"It's over, love," Anders said softly.

"Do not touch me," Hawke replied. Her hands lit with more fury and she pulled back as though she meant to strike him. Anders only shut his eyes and awaited his fate.

"Hawke, no!" Merrill cried.

"We have to get out of here," Isabela said.

Hawke lowered her hands and the flames went out. A mask of disgust twisted her delicate features. She nodded to Isabela, who had both eyes on the encroaching Templars and Hawke firmly in her peripheral.

Cullen approached the Champion and looked to Meredith. He looked back at Hawke with a mixture of fear and awe. Cullen took a step back when Hawke's hand twitched. She looked at him and he nodded for her to run. Her face was a worry of regret when she last looked at Cullen, unspoken apologies of the mess she meant to leave with him.

Aveline was the first to take a step back, and the rest followed suit. They turned their backs on the wreckage of the courtyard and limped out.

"Well, what now?" Varric finally asked.

Hawke steeled her reserve and looked at each of them: Varric, Aveline, Isabela, Merrill, Fenris, her brother, and Anders, who hung behind them all. She let out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes. Her thoughts drifted to Orsino who had let out the very same sigh when he addressed the mages he knew had no chance against the might of their Templar keepers.

When she opened her eyes, she found them all waiting with a certain expectant patience she hadn't thought she'd earned. "Carver, get back to the Wardens," she said. "You were never here."

He nodded, a frown spread across his face. "What will you do?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm not letting you follow me this time. You're free of this shadow, I promise."

"I can't leave, not like this," he said.

"You have a choice?" Hawke asked. "Go."

Carver nodded again and hugged Merrill close. "Take care of her?"

"You know she can take care of herself."

His gaze fell upon Anders. "I don't know, Merrill, this time may have been too much."

Isabela approached him. "Oh, the things I was going to teach you, little boy," she said and tossed him that signature Isabela glance.

Carver broke a small grin and he turned to Aveline. "What will you do now, Guard Captain?"

Aveline's eyebrows rose. "I can't run, Carver. I'll have to stay here and clean up this mess, but she can't stay, you have to know that. Besides, there's Donnic," she said. Her husband was still in the courtyard, with the Templars and the guard he had brought to his wife's aid.

"Will you be all right?" Carver asked her.

Aveline looked to her closest friend and then to Anders, a man she had broken bread with on regular basis, the one who had shattered Hawke's heart and maybe even her spirit. There was nothing Aveline could do or say to help Hawke now. "No, Carver," she replied. "None of us will be 'all right'."

Aveline crossed over to where Hawke stood on the dock and pushed her breastplate out a little straighter. "Hawke," she began.

Hawke stopped her with a wave of her hand. "I know, Aveline. You have much here, the most to lose."

"You will always have a family in Kirkwall, Hawke, but maybe you should go for now. I want you safe."

Hawke nodded. "You take care of Donnic, Aveline."

Aveline turned and regarded the rest of the group. "I'll miss you, slattern," she said to Isabela.

Isabela smiled, "That's my girl."

"Well, then," Aveline said and took a short nod on her leave.

They watched her leave for several moments and turned their attentions back to the Grey Warden who was also preparing to go.

Carver shook hands with Varric. "Don't disrespect this with embellishments, dwarf," he said.

"I won't need to, Junior," Varric replied.
Carver turned to Fenris now and his face fixed with firm resolve. "You love her."

A small surprised expression colored the elf's face for the briefest moment. "I do enough," he said.

"Then prove it. Do not let that crazy mage do more damage to her than he's done," Carver said.

Anders stared with wide eyes at the ground, scarcely containing his substantial emotions.

"She is her own woman, Carver," Fenris said.

"Not when he's around, she's not," Carver said. "Just, please, Fenris, I need your word that no harm will come to my only sister."

Fenris' gaze rested upon Hawke and he considered. The Champion looked more undone than he had ever seen her. It only served to remind him of the night he left her at her estate. He nodded. "You have my word, Grey Warden."

Carver stood before Hawke now and she rested her cheek against the cool breastplate of his armor. "Thank you, Carver, for coming, for being here," she said, helpless to find the words. "I love you, you jackass."

He roughly kissed the top of her head and walked away.

Anders looked up then, "Carver!"

Carver turned with an expression full of burning hate for the mage.

"I know this probably doesn't mean anything, but I did it for her," Anders said. "I love her."

"You drove her from her home as surely as the Blight did, so what does that make you, magey?" He asked and walked onto a boat headed across the harbor.

He was gone again, her little brother. Hawke watched him sail away, and he watched her for as long as he could see her. Both of their expressions were the same, they had both lost so much. They would never understand one another, but Hawke knew she always had her brother. And he was a Grey Warden.

"Now can we leave?" Isabela asked. "Please?"

Hawke nodded. "Where's your ship, Isabela? We have to get out of here before Cullen changes his mind about letting us go."

"Right," the pirate captain said. "I knew I'd get you below deck sooner or later, Hawke." She winked and led the way.

They all stared at the place where the Chantry once stood and followed Isabela. Anders stood where he was.

Hawke stopped and turned to him. Fenris touched her hand, "Come, we should not linger."

"Go, I'll catch up, I promise."

"I can't let you out of my sight. I made a promise to a Grey Warden. I'll wait here."

Hawke walked to where Anders stood. "Let's go," she said.

"Why? You would have me go with them? They all hate me."

"They have reason to, Anders. You betrayed us all, you and Justice. I cannot fault them for how they feel." She turned to have him follow her.

"I'm – sorry," he replied.

Hawke whipped around at him, her fury blew into a ring of fire surrounding them. She put both hands on his chest and shoved him with all her ferocity. "You don't get to be sorry, Anders! Would you have me lose you now, as well? Along with Aveline? Sebastian? Kirkwall? I can't do that! Now you get on that blighted boat and quit feeling so damned sorry for yourself!" Tears filled her eyes and she choked on her words. Her hand lashed out and she grabbed the mage by the throat. "I loved you! I would have done anything for you!" She stormed away and with one last look at the Gallows, Anders followed.

Fenris narrowed his gaze at Anders as he passed. "She will one day regret the mercy she has shown you on so many occasions, mage."

"I know," Anders replied and sullenly followed the Champion.