100 Suns by Chirusea Rutherford
(Anders/F!Hawke)
Chapter One : To The Leader
Dragon 9:40 (Late Firstfall)
It had been nearly three years since the Rebellion in Kirkwall, where the tension between the Mages and Templars had finally come to a head after Anders caused the destruction of the Chantry. The Champion of Kirkwall, Kyrie Hawke, was forced to choose between supporting her fellow mages or supporting the Templars. It surprised everyone when she chose to support the Templars, rather than her fellow mages. Kyrie had instructed Anders to flee the city before the fighting grew too fierce, sparing his life before she made haste to the Gallows. She was surprised to find her Grey Warden brother, Carver, in Kirkwall but the pair ended up teaming up try and get a handle on the madness.
Instead of cutting down all the mages, Kyrie fought ahead of the Templars and was able to buy the majority of uncorrupted mages time to flee through passages under the Gallows. She encouraged them to travel the mage underground and spread word of what had happened in Kirkwall, suspicious of Meredith since the beginning. It was only after defeating Orsino that Kyrie realized that Meredith was corrupted by her sword, forged of the red lyrium idol that drove Bartrand into madness. Once the battle had ended, Kyrie was surprised when the Templars knelt at her feet but she realized that the task ahead of Kirkwall wouldn't be easy. After these events, Kyrie accepted the offer to become Viscountess of Kirkwall and spent her time over the next few years trying to improve the city.
Kyrie found that being the Viscountess after the Rebellion was more of a headache than she could have imagined. News came first that other Circles of Magi had heard of the Rebellion in Kirkwall and had followed suit, rebelling against their Templar Overseers. Next came the news that there had been an incident at the White Spire between the Seekers and the Mages. Shortly after came the news of a vote of the College of Enchanters that resulted in the Circles formally pulling away from the Chantry. Many of the surviving mages that remained in Kirkwall soon scattered to the winds in hopes of uniting with the rebel mages, aided by the remnants of the mage underground.
On the other side of the conflict, the Templars still remaining in Kirkwall merely remained to help protect the mages that chose to stay and waited on a directive from Val Royeaux on what to do next. However, as the days passed, it became more obvious that no directive was coming and some began to scatter to the winds. News of the Nevarran Accord being annulled early that year fueled those that departed and whispers that the Templars were gathering in a secret location spread.
In the aftermath, Kyrie began to realize that there was some safety in remaining in Kirkwall. The remaining Templars seemingly posed her no threat at the moment and the city guard kept close vigil in the city for any faces out of the ordinary. Besides, if there was any danger, it was from Sebastian Vael. The Prince of Starkhaven hadn't been heard from in the years since the Rebellion and, frankly, Kyrie was glad for one less headache to deal with. On the positive side, Fenris had stayed behind to keep her safe...lest the wayward Prince returned with intent to keep his promise. Fenris hadn't agreed with Kyrie's decision to spare Anders either...but he wasn't going to make her a pariah for the other mage's decision.
Kyrie kept a close friendship with Aveline Hendyr, Kirkwall's Guard Captain, and Varric Tethras, who eventually published her biography (with changes as appropriated by Kyrie...and some minor embellishments). With their insights and help, Kyrie found herself turning Kirkwall around from a town dominated by slavers, the Carta, and smugglers into a city state that could be regarded as one of the cleaner areas of the Free Marches. Of course, all of those things were still part of Kirkwall life, but none had the audacity to be visible outside of Darktown and the shadier parts of the Docks.
Kyrie was making her walk back to her estate, at the foot of the stairs from Viscount's Keep. Somehow, despite the everyday risks of assassins and other ruffians, she had managed to convince Aveline and the others that she was perfectly safe at the estate (or at least more than she was in the Keep). She was saluted by two of the Templars in her doorway and returned the gesture, crossing her fist over her chest before she entered her estate. Strange...she didn't remember asking Cullen for guards for the estate. She'd have to send word once she was able to take a moment and write.
The estate was as quiet as it was any other day. Bodahn and Sandal had left the estate with Orana right after the Rebellion. Kyrie had convinced them to take Orana, encouraging the girl to pursue her dreams and even giving her enough gold to do so. She almost regretted sending Orana along with everyone else but the quiet was welcome after a busy day of being Viscountess. The only person she had refused to part with was her ever loyal Mabari, Garet, until an unexpected illness took him from her. She had buried him along the Sundermount approach, knowing that he had preferred the open air and tall grass. Another loved one she had lost in the cursed city of Kirkwall.
Kyrie sunk into the chair at her desk, dipping her quill into the inkwell and beginning to pen her letter to the Knight-Commander of Kirkwall. She was in the midst of writing a line about how she had no need for Templar guards at her door when she heard the muffled sounds of a scuffle downstairs. She raised a brow and laid the quill down, getting up and walking out. She walked to the railing and looked down into the living room area. There, she saw Fenris pinning a larger man to the floor, one of his knees pressing to the man's sternum as his lyrium brands glowed bright. She couldn't see the pinned man's face but she recognized the ponytail of familiar blonde hair...
"Fenris, no!" Kyrie spoke out, rushing down the stairs. She glanced to the doorway, thankful that the Templars hadn't heard the small ruckus, before she pushed Fenris slightly with her hands. "Get off of him," she advised as she looked down to the figure in the floor.
When Fenris moved off and to the side, Kyrie knelt beside the man and was looking at him as though she couldn't believe who she was seeing. Seeing Anders was like seeing a ghost. It almost threatened to suck the breath from her lungs as she reached out and took his hand, helping him to stand up. She was happy to see him, deep down, but she wondered how he had gotten there...or where he had been all this time. She was about to say something before the amber eyes of her long-lost beloved met her green eyes.
"Kyrie...Holy Maker, it's really you," Anders said, reaching out to cup her face in his hands. She knew that she should have pulled away from his touch but Maker damn her for missing such a gentle contact. Something seemed different about him but she couldn't place it. "I was so worried when I heard the rumors that I came to find you."
"What do you mean that you heard rumors? What have you heard?" Kyrie asked Anders, placing her hands over his. Seeing the concern in those amber eyes bothered her, making her want to know more about his reasoning to come.
"Templars all over Thedas are surely searching far and wide for you, Mage, and you come back here? Either you're incredibly foolish or you better have an astonishingly good reason for returning to this city," Fenris spoke up in his deep voice, arms crossed as he watched the two.
"I-I do," Anders responded to Fenris before looking to Kyrie. "I'm sure that you've heard about the Circles pulling from the Chantry and the Nevarran Accord being struck void," he told her, receiving a nod of confirmation from Kyrie. "The Divine is trying to get some sort of balance in this madness. I was traveling through a small village when I heard rumors that the Templars were going rogue and disappearing. I happened to hear a few of them talking about plans to unseat Kirkwall's Mage Viscountess and I was worried, to say the least. I rushed here as quickly as I possibly could."
"We've heard the rumors but I can assure you that the Templars under acting Knight-Commander Cullen are still under control," Kyrie replied to Anders, feeling confident in her answer.
"Really? Are you certain? How many nights do you usually have Templar guards outside your front door?" Anders questioned, raising a brow curiously.
Kyrie bit her bottom lip, having to give that point to him. She hadn't been too sure about the two outside and, thinking on it some more, they weren't any that she had seen in any of her recent trips to the Gallows. That boded ill. "You...have a fair point," Kyrie agreed with Anders, thinking. "So, when did you make plans of getting into the city? You're a bit recognizable, you know."
"Only a day ago, while I was on the road. I sent word to Carver and he wasn't all too happy with me but he did agree that, for your sake, he would help me slip in," Anders told Kyrie before glancing to Fenris. "I was going to ask you for your assistance but I hadn't been aware that you were personally guarding Kyrie. So, I had Aveline help me slip in through the undercity last night."
"Aveline helped you? Who else is in on this plan that I didn't know about?" Kyrie questioned Anders, helping him to his feet.
"Just her, Carver,...and Varric," Anders told Kyrie honestly as he looked to her. "I started to get nervous, though, when Aveline told me that she'd seen Templars sizing up your manor yesterday. Needless to say, it was all the convincing I needed to go through with this today," he added as he looked to her. "Do you trust me?"
"I...what?"
"Do you still trust me?" Anders repeated his question to her.
"I...yes, I suppose. Why?" Kyrie asked him, unsure of what he was meaning.
"Then you should get a bag packed so that we can go," Anders told her, shifting his weight on his feet. "I asked Carver to wait outside the city walls with a covered wagon. I want to get you out of Kirkwall and to somewhere safe. Carver had a place in mind but we needed you to come willingly," he revealed to her.
"You can't possibly think that I'm just going to let you take Hawke from the city with only your word about going to safety," Fenris objected to Anders, frowning. "For all we know, it could just be some ploy, perhaps by Justice."
"No. This is no ploy," Anders rebuffed seriously, shaking his head at the elf. "I found a way to separate myself from Justice - or Vengeance, by then - about a year ago. Really complicated magic but somehow it worked. I wanted to send word sooner to Kyrie but it's a little difficult when I didn't really have a messenger bird," he tried to explain. "Just...please. You can come as well but we need to get her to someplace safe. It's dangerous enough for us to be talking about this small part of the plan at all while we're here."
Fenris scowled at Anders before looking to Kyrie. "For once, as much as I hate it, I have to agree with the Mage. Your safety has been my highest priority the past three years," he stated. "You should go pack your things. We can be off as quickly as possible...through the undercity and then out of the city."
In short order, Kyrie, Fenris, and Anders had slipped out of the Hawke estate through the old slaver tunnels. After emerging in Darktown, and avoiding a couple of Templars that were acting strangely, the trio passed through one last tunnel and made it outside the city walls. The waves of the sea crashed against the rocky coast, throwing sea spray into the light breeze. Kyrie took a sharp breath before looking back to the city she had stood vigil in for the past three years, being their Champion for even longer than that. She knew that this wasn't the way she had intended to leave Kirkwall behind. However, it was for the best if she was to stay safe.
"Well, Hawke, looks like you made it out unnoticed," a familiar voice spoke up behind Kyrie.
Kyrie turned swiftly to see Varric walking over. "Varric..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I should have told you about Blondie's plan and everything but I wasn't too sure what was going on at first," Varric admitted, folding his arms as he looked at Kyrie. "Thankfully, we cleaned all the manifestos out of your library. Before I came out here, I watched an unfamiliar group of Templars go in to ransack your estate. I'm assuming you brought all your good stuff and precious heirlooms with you?" he asked her.
"Whatever I could fit into this bag. Frankly, I didn't need half the stuff in that old house anyways," Kyrie admitted, shrugging her shoulder that held her bag. "And, thankfully, I decided to wear my armor and staff so everything else was pretty light."
"That's good to hear," Varric answered before looking to Fenris. "Went by the place you call a house and picked up a rucksack of your things for you, Broody. Wasn't sure if you were going with Hawke or not but I figured that I'd make sure you had your things, just in case," he told the elf.
"I might as well go along with Hawke. Isn't like there's much here for me to do with her departing, other than trying to avoid questions about where she might have gone," Fenris stated, looking to Kyrie and the others in their small group. "Besides, I'm sure that our travels won't be easy and my sword will be appreciated."
"Good. You go with Hawke, Blondie, and Junior. Make sure that nobody gets killed on route to the place you all are going to hide out," Varric said before looking at Kyrie. "I'll write as often as I can."
"You're not coming?" Kyrie asked, surprised.
"Someone's got to stay behind and keep stories about you circulating," Varric replied, dropping his arms as he looked at the three of them. "Kirkwall's always been my home and it's safer for me here than anywhere else," he said, shaking his head. "Don't worry about this place. There's almost no way it could turn into anymore of a mess than it was before you took over," he said honestly, before jerking his head towards a small clearing that was hidden by boulders and began to lead the group over.
"Carver!" Kyrie exclaimed, hurrying over to her brother and embracing him in a tight hug. Even though she'd already been told that he was involved, it was somewhat of a relief for her to actually see her brother there. It'd been a few years since they had last seen each other and, since the Rebellion, they had been on much better terms. It was strange, though, not to see him in his Warden armor but she assumed that he was trying to stay inconspicuous.
"Sister," Carver greeted before they separated. He gave her a nod before looking at the other three who approached. "Is this everyone that's coming?" he questioned, as if he were looking for someone.
"Aveline will have her hands full with the fallout after Hawke's departure and Daisy wants to stay behind and continue her work helping the alienage," Varric answered Carver. "It'll just be you four, which will make it easier for you to stay anonymous" he added before giving them a nod. "Just try to travel as fast as you can and don't let any crazy people stop you along the road."
"Varric..." Kyrie sighed, looking at the dwarf that she had befriended in her many years spent in Kirkwall. He'd practically become family, like the rest of her friends. They would be the only parts of Kirkwall that she would truly.
"Just get going, Hawke. The sooner you guys get there, the easier that I can sleep at night," Varric joked honestly.
"I'll...I'll see you sometime, when this is over," Kyrie promised, not wanting to say goodbye. She'd bid farewell to too many people in the past few years.
"I'm sure you will, Hawke," Varric replied. He watched the three load into the covered wagon as Carver snapped the reigns. With an added click of the tongue, the horse began pulling the wagon and Varric watched the Champion of Kirkwall wave to him before Fenris dropped the flap at the back and that was the last he saw of her as the wagon soon disappeared over the hills. "I'm sure we'll see one another before this whole mess is over..."
Author's Note : After a long hiatus, here is the rewritten '100 Suns' that I've been working on intermittently. This story takes place after the events of DA:2 but begins before and will run over into Inquisition. I hope that you enjoy following Kyrie's story as much as I enjoy writing it. I won't promise weekly updates but I will do my best to keep up with it. Any questions? Send me a PM and I will answer it as soon as possible.