Something Wicked This Way Comes
You all know that Bioware owns all characters and settings (but not our imaginations!).
This story takes place about a year after Varric is interrogated by the Chantry Seeker. It will definitely contain spoilers. If you know anything about Dragon Age, you know that happy endings are very hard to come by…
And I've been fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around
All of his questions, such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
'Cause I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
"Shake it Out" Florence and the Machine
"Andraste's tits, Daisy! How I hate the outdoors!" Varric swore exasperated as he slipped again on some loose rocks. Merrill looked back and stretched out a delicate hand towards him.
"I forget dwarves aren't built for this. I was walking terrain like this since I was a little girl. Oooh, watch out, this patch will be slippery as well. Are you sure you want to keep those clunky boots on, Varric?" she prattled on even as she helped him gain better footing.
Varric gave her a glare and shook his head. "No Daisy, I don't think I'll be taking my boots off. I may be a shaven, surface dwelling dwarf, but there has to be a limit. The boots stay on" He looked around. "Are you sure you know where we're going? All these trees and things look the same to me. I need at least a tavern and a brothel to get my bearings somewhere."
Merrill nodded, ignoring his uncharacteristic foul mood; she knew he wasn't really angry at her. "The clan we met up with said they had seen the elf we described heading in this direction with a shem, uh, a human I mean. "
Varric huffed and followed. "Good thing Broody's memorable. Humans all look alike." He shook his head and adjusted Bianca's weight on his back. "However, If we can track them this easily…" his eyes clouded over with worry and Merrill put a reassuring arm around his broad shoulders.
"The clan wouldn't talk to shemlen about another elf. They only told me because I'm Dalish. Even then, they were cautious. I'm sure they were keeping things from me. They just spent the one night with them and by what they said it was ages ago. It may well be that we really aren't on their trail."
Varric nodded and sighed. A part of him desperately wanted to find his friends and warn them. Another part hoped he wouldn't find them at all, that they had disappeared so completely that no one that wanted to put them in any danger would find them. His emotions were at an impasse. However, his experience with Seeker Cassandra Penderghast had left him rattled and needing to warn the Champion. He had lain low in Kirkwall for a few weeks, knowing the Seekers would still have their agents watching him, seeing if he would lead them to Hawke. He had caroused like he was still a teenager, trying to get the Chantry to get tired of watching him. At the same time he had his contacts seeking those who could help him, those few people he could trust.
Isabela was at sea somewhere, so she would be no help. Sebastian was busy ruling Starkhaven, so even if he'd wanted to go, he was tied up with politics and family drama. Aveline and Donnic were also excused, they were important people in Kirkwall and their absence would cause comment. Bethany was also no good to him. She had become First Enchanter of Kirkwall. No way to quietly sneak her anywhere anymore. No, he heeded someone who could slip under most people's notice. Finally, his network came back with some good news, a band of Dalish had settled near Starkhaven. Seeing as that was all he had to go on, he faked a huge business deal in the city and started asking around. As luck would have it, the sister clan to the one he was visiting had just taken in some new members, and one was a Dalish mage that hailed from Sundermount. That tidbit was enough to track down Merrill. By then, two months had passed since his interview with the Seeker. He was beyond restless.
Merrill had been the perfect choice, it turned out. Her wood lore and tracking experience (Varric's tracking experience was handy for finding a business opportunity or a greasy tavern) allowed them to painstakingly piece together Hawke's path all those years ago. From village to village they gathered what tidbits of information they could, slowly moving away from civilization. A story of two warriors killing a dreaded beast here, a memory of an elf and a woman moving though town, these were the clues they based their directions on. Every now and again, they would hit a dead end in their search and they would backtrack till they felt they may be making headway.
In fact, if Varric hadn't brought Merrill with him, chances were that he'd never have gotten this far. The Dalish hated talking to anyone but their own. The latest clue was years old. Merrill had gotten them to open up. They had asked about Hawke and Fenris. The clan leader did not remember the human clearly, but the lyrium tattooed elf had remained in his memory. He said that the couple had asked for shelter during a particularly awful storm, staying with the clan for three days. Varric was amazed the taciturn Dalish would give them shelter even under those conditions. Hawke must have charmed them like crazy; Ancestors know Fenris was not the diplomatic member of that pair. He grinned to himself trying to imagine Fenris trudging these rugged paths. Hawke may be a Fereldan country girl at heart, but Fenris was citified to the hilt, much like himself. They were both equally baffled by anyone who chose to live in the countryside.
His own thoughts gave him pause. What were they hiding from that would lead them to live in this backwater? Hawke knew that Fenris hated the wilderness. His anxiety remained unabated. He trudged after Merrill, hoping that this time they would have some luck.
