Thank you for checking out my story, The Endless Tale! This story is rated M for later chapters due to sexual content plus it has plenty of violence spread throughout. The first section focuses around ACT 1, so it's mainly getting to know the characters—essentially Serena since she's the only character you're not familiar with. If you're not too interested in that or you want to skip to the juicy action filled section, it's possible for you to skip to chapter 18, which is the beginning of ACT 2, although you will miss out on a few bits, but you should be able to catch on. All chapters from that point forward are of my own creation entirely, but Bioware owns all else—Creators, they can have me too. Thank you for reading! Dareth shiral!
ACT 1
HAWKE
"Are there any other options?"
Varric sighs. "None at the moment. Bartrand had an entrance lined up, but it was a bust. I'll keep looking, but if we don't find something, we'll have a fancy expedition with nowhere to go."
"Sounds like you've got it all planned out, Varric."
A smirk appears on his lips. "And that messere, is why I am here." He bows and I let out a chuckle. "All joking aside though, supposedly this Grey Warden came in with some other Ferelden refugees not long ago. A Lowtown woman named Lirene has been helping the Fereldens. We talk to her, maybe we learn where he is. I'll keep after my contacts, see if I can drum up any other work. Until then, we'll focus on what I've already lined up. We've got a big job tomorrow for Choir Boy. It pays well too."
"Choir Boy?" I repeat with a raise of an eyebrow. "Is that his new nickname now?"
Varric shrugs. "The man's a saint. I can't find a single speck of dirt on him. We'll see how long that lasts. Until then, Choir Boy works just fine I think.," he says. I laugh and Varric grins. He then pivots toward the door. "I think that's good enough for the night. Come, I'll walk you out," he says and leads us out into the hall.
The overwhelming scent of musk, stale ale, and vomit immediately fills my nostrils, sending waves of cringes down my spine. Compared to being stuck on the battlefield among a pile of rotting darkspawn corpses though, this is nothing. It's the one thing I know Carver and I would agree on—that is… if he was still alive.
The two of us make our way down the wooden steps of the Hanged Man. The floorboards squeak under our boots to the point where I actually wonder if we might fall through. Thankfully, we do not. Not this time.
As we stroll through the bustling tavern, none of the other bar patrons take notice of our arrival and continue downing their pints one after the other, as if in hope that it will bring about a better tomorrow. Poor sods. Varric spares not a single glance for them, and the two of us take our exit.
The streets are unnaturally cold and empty on this dreary night in Lowtown, but it's not enough to keep the street safe. Blood thirsty eyes watch us from the shadows. Only when we make our way around the corner of the Hanged Man do the predators show themselves. Clad in their characteristic worn leather armor, the members of the Sharps Highwaymen confront us.
"Well, look at that," Varric grumbles. "Friends everywhere. Lovely."
Sticking close to each other, Varric pulls out Bianca and I draw my sword. As the leader of the group starts to close in and I'm about to cut out his jugular, a slim figure suddenly drops from the sky and lands on the leader's back.
The man's head hits the ground hard and he passes out.
A beautiful young woman with ivory skin and shoulder length chestnut colored hair stands on top of the leader. Her teal eyes are focused on the man beneath her like a hawk, and a large scythe gleams in the palm of one of her hands as if the blade is made from a portion of the moon itself. Customary Dalish leather armor drapes over her small hourglass frame and the faint tips of her elvish ears can be seen past her dark locks.
After a moment of silence, the elf looks up and steps off the man. She slowly turns around to face the gang of highwaymen and takes a deep breath. "That's far enough," she says, her voice smooth and composed as if she didn't just jump off a building and take out the gang's leader in one fell swoop.
One of the gangs more burly members furrows his furry eyebrows and straightens his stance, anger clear in his scrunched up scowl. "Who in the Maker are you?" he shouts, his voice rough and gravely compared to the woman's.
"A stranger," she says and lifts her scythe to rest the length of it on her shoulder. "Let's keep it that way."
The man clenches his jaw and his face turns red. "Why you knife-ear—" He steps forward, his sword raised and ready for combat. Varric and I swiftly ready our weapons, prepared to strike. But before we can, the woman moves.
In an instant she manages to run in close, and with the dull end of her scythe, she jabs the man in the side and sends him skidding across the ground and into a pile of rotting boxes. Everyone becomes frozen still. My mind struggles to catch up. Before it fully can, she moves again. One after another she takes out the enemy line without so much as breaking a sweat or spilling a drop of blood. Her nimble movements are too fast for anyone to keep up.
When the last highwayman falls and she strikes him unconscious with her weapon, she stands among a pile of men in the darkness. The enemy was taken out in less than a few minutes.
"Well, that takes care of that," she remarks casually.
Varric lowers Bianca and I look over at him. His mouth is hanging wide open. "Makers breath," he utters, and I nod my head in agreement.
The young woman glances over at us, her gaze soothing and not the typical expression of a potentially dangerous killer. "You there," she shouts at Varric and we both jump. "Could you pass me that rope?" she asks, and points out an abandoned rope on a crate behind the two of us. "I'm going to tie these fools up before they regain consciousness. The city guard can deal with them in the morning." Varric does as he's asked and walks over to pass the rope to the woman. She smiles and replies, "Ma serannas," and then pulls out a dagger from her pocket and starts cutting the rope up into medium-sized bits.
Varric awkwardly scratches his head and clears his throat. "That's… quite some skill you have. The swine didn't even know what hit them. Literally. How have I not heard of you around town? You new around here?"
"Yes and no. I stick to the shadows. Life here is easier that way."
Varric throws his head back and chuckles. "You got me there."
The woman stands up and looks over the two of us. "And you two must be the renown Varric and Hawke. I recognize you. Both of you have made quite a name for yourselves in this town." She focuses on Varric. "Your stories are supposed to be the best around. And you," her eyes shift to me. "You used to work for the Red Iron. Correct?"
"That's correct," I reply, but my voice sounds unusually quiet, even to me.
The corners of her lips form a mesmerizing smile, one that would knock any straight man right off his feet, at least for the moment. "Quite impressive. I couldn't work with Meeran for a day, let alone a year. You must have some willpower, my friend."
The woman goes back to dealing with the rope and starts tying the highwayman up. After the first two are tied together, I step forward and start to help. "I hate to sound redundant, but who are you exactly?"
"I suppose a name wouldn't hurt," she says. "The names Serena. I'm a Fereldan refugee… just like you."
"Fereldan?" It's impossible for me to disguise the surprise in my voice. "How did you manage to slip past the gates?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she grins. "But the past is the past, so let's not dwell on it. Agreed?"
With reluctance I agree. Although her smile appeared welcoming and lovely, the extra chipper tone of her voice held deeper meaning. It was clearly a warning.
In silence, the two of us finish tying up the rest of the highwaymen. When we're done, she stands up and bows her head. "Well, my work here is done," she states. "I'll let the city guard know of their capture. It was a pleasure you two."
"Wait." I stop her before she can turn to leave. She stares at me and pauses. I glance over at Varric and the two of us exchange looks. He nods his head and I shift my gaze back onto her, my mind made up. "We could use a fighter like you," I assert.
Confusion and curiosity flickers in her eyes. Her lips form a straight line, demanding further explanation.
"We're organizing an expedition into the deep roads," Varric explains. "We're going to need as much man—or in this case, womanpower— as we can get. If you come with us, I'm positive it will be worth your while. Bianca can guarantee it." He points to his trusty crossbow and winks.
Serena smiles. "Tempting," she responds, her voice sounding amused. "Unfortunately however, the Dalish aren't too fond of material possessions. Merely carrying around my pack and scythe are exhausting enough." She pauses to cross her arms and purse her lips. After a moment, she continues on. "But I'll tell you what, if you ever need my help, you can call on me and I'll hear you out. I won't promise anything, but the least I can do is that. Give me a few days time to think about this other offer of yours, and I may reconsider."
"Where could we find you?" I ask.
"The Alienage. During the day, I'm typically around the central square where the vhenadahl is located. But for the next few nights I'll be out of town. I have other business to attend to and I'm already running late as it is. So with that, I must be going." She bows her head one last time, then turns to walk away. "Dareth shiral," she waves to us. "Until we meet again."
Bethany is waiting by the door of Gamlen's place by the time I manage to make it home safely. Her arms are crossed and she's leaning against the stone wall, her expression set into a fixed frown. Only when she hears me approach does she perk up. The frown disappears and she lets out an audible sigh of relief. "There you are. What took you so long? I was starting to worry."
"It was nothing. Varric and I merely ran into an interesting woman, that's all," I respond and the two of us step inside.
"A woman? What was she like?" she asks.
I sit down at the kitchen table and Bethany sits across from me. The wooden chairs creak underneath us. "She was an elf, a Dalish elf. And she was strong. Stronger than a lot of the warriors I've seen. We offered her the chance to join us with the expedition."
Bethany raises an eyebrow. I can see the mix of intrigue and disbelief in her cautious chocolate-brown eyes. "And what did she say?"
"She said she'd think about it."
"Do you think she'll say yes?"
I shrug. "She didn't seem too interested. She may change her mind."
At least, I hope she would change her mind. We could really use a fighter like her. I could depend on her to be able to take care of Bethany and Varric if something happened during the expedition. And besides, I want to see her fight one more time. The memory of the fight from earlier is still etched into my mind. I've never seen a woman, let alone a warrior or rogue, move so fast. It was both admirable and terrifying. She would be a great person to have on our side, both before and after our expedition, whatever her case may be.
Bethany clears her throat and I look up. She has a frustrated grimace on her face. "What about the side jobs we have planned? Are we still on track?" she asks.
I rub the back of my neck. "Yes, but we're still twenty sovereigns short. Varric's working on organizing more jobs. It'll probably be another month."
She let's out an exasperated groan. "I just wish this was all over and done with already. I'm tired of running all over town like this. My nerves won't be able to take much more of it."
Sensing her disappointment, I lean forward and grab her hand to try to comfort her. "Tomorrow we're scheduled to head to Sundermount to take care of some of Flint Company mercenaries in the Sebastian Vael case. That'll at least get us out-of-town for a few days."
"Good. I'm relieved to hear that," she answers. "But will we be fine to go there on our own? Just the three of us?"
I lift my hands in the air and raise my shoulders. "I don't see why not."
"I hope you're right. For both our sakes."