Chapter 1 – Broken branches

I raise my glass of vodka and drink it in one, using the back of my hand to wipe away the tears that had fallen down my cheek as I did so. I look at Liam, the bartender and nod. He pauses for a second before filling it up. I reach inside my pocket and produce a grubby fiver which I hold out to him. He wears a sympathetic smile and shakes his head a little.

'Not today sugar cube,' he says softly. Fresh tears prick my eyes as he takes pity on me, I go to knock this one back but he places his hand on my arm. 'Just, take this one slow, okay?' He suggests. I look at him, wanting to throw his hand from me and scream at him, but I can't. He has a point. I lower the glass and nod, letting my hair fall over my eyes. He smiles weakly and moves down the bar to serve someone else. It's not particularly busy, it's a Tuesday. I couldn't give a damn what day it is, it's the date that matters to me. It's three in the afternoon, a bit early for straight spirits some might say, but I couldn't give a fucking damn about those people either. I watch Liam for a while, a distraction to say the least. He was a nice lad, twenty three, kind beyond his years. At six foot two he still towered over my five foot eight, something he loved to tease me about. Soft brown curls that swung by his ears, often pinned back for his work. I used to reply to his teasing by saying he looks like a character out of Supernatural. Sam. It always wound him up. But I haven't teased him in months. Looking at Liam meant that I didn't see myself in the mirror that was along the back of the bar. But I caught my reflection as I took a sip of my drink.

Pale skin. Freckles. Long dark hair that had neither a curl but wasn't quite straight. I have massive bags under my eyes and I've lost weight. I'm pretty gaunt. Attractive, I think sarcastically. My large hoodie and jeans, feel comfortable but more loose than usual. The only unique thing about me is my eyes. They're a brownish colour, flecked with red. More of a copper really, but catch them in the right light and they look redish. My parents always used to say that's how they came up with my name, and it suits me. According to some. I wipe my nose and stare at the clear liquid that was currently causing a burning sensation at the back of my throat.

'A year,' I mumble to myself, feeling more tears fall down my cheeks. I don't give a shit what anyone thinks, a young twenty two year old woman, drinking her sorrows in a back alley bar. They can all go hang. I sip my drink again and a sob breaks from my lips and causes me to cough a little. 'A fucking year,' I whine, burying my head in my arms as my tears flow freely. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I don't even bother reacting. I don't care.

'Come on, sugar cube, let's get you home,' Liam says softly pulling my arm and making me sit up. He looks over at his boss, Jamie, who nods and takes the glass away from me.

'Make sure she gets some sleep, I'll cover you,' Jamie says simply, tipping the shot of vodka down the sink under the bar.

'I'll not be long,' Liam says pulling me upright off the stool. I stand pathetically, unable to stop crying. Luckily, I suppose, most of the patrons are regulars and know me, and what today means. They all sit quietly and try not to stare.

'Take your time, lad.' Jamie nods as he takes over.

Liam smiles and wraps his arm around my shoulder. 'Come on sugar cube, time we got you home,' he murmurs quietly as he leads me out the bar. We only get halfway down the street before it truly hits, as I hear the bells from the local church ring out four. It was this time last year that I got the phone call that pretty much ended my life. My legs buckle as the conversation runs through my head. Liam holds most my weight as I sob and scream. He eventually just picks me up and carries me as I bawl into his top. Most people would think I'm overreacting, it just means they don't understand and they have no idea what I've been through. I don't live far from the bar, and soon we're at my flat. My flat now. Liam fishes out my keys from my hoodie pocket and unlocks the door. He wanders in and puts me gently on the sofa.

'Thanks...Liam,' I say forcing myself to act human.

'Don't worry about it, I can't even begin to understand or say I know what you're feeling,' he says simply as he grabs the blanket from the armchair and wraps it around me. 'Just make sure you look after yourself tonight, I'll pop in tomorrow to check up on you. I doubt you want me here today,' he says putting my keys on the side. I want to disagree with him, but the truth is that I don't want any human interaction. I'm not exactly pleasant company.

'Thank you,' I mumble. He drops a chaste kiss on the top of my head before he walks out the door. I sigh and pull off my boots, I'm such a fool. I'm not handling this well at all, but I can't bring myself to do something constructive or positive. I pull the quilt up around myself and click the TV on, some noise is needed. Something distracting. All I can think about is the half bottle of whiskey that I have in the cupboard that I had previously forgotten about until now. Typical isn't it? I don't want to drink heavily, but I don't want to even think or remember anything about today. I sigh and rub my eyes as I get up and stumble into the kitchen; they can bitch and complain at me tomorrow, but until then, I would rather see the world through an amber haze.

…

I feel that my teeth have dissolved and the paste become stuck to my tongue. I cough and scrape the fuzz off my tongue with my top teeth. I am freezing, which isn't normal. I rub my eyelids and pick the scum out my eyes as while I'm blinking, I look around. What? This isn't right. Explains why I'm cold though. I'm outside. The blanket half wrapped around me, only wearing socks, my jeans and hoodie. I don't remember coming outside. Then again, I don't remember a lot about yesterday. I cough and rub my temples, my head is pounding and my stomach feels incredibly fragile. Oh my god, I feel sick. Incredibly so. I look around a little more, I'm in a forest, early morning it looks like, there's still dew on the leaves. I don't recognise the woods, which is strange because I've been to all the forests around my way. I pick myself up and wobble as I do so. Being hungover isn't really the best state of mind for what situation I'm in. Hungover and incredibly depressed, I haven't forgotten the reason for yesterday's drinking. It's a clear stab in my heart each day and will only get worse.

I shakily begin to walk, I'm not doing any good just standing here. I need to get home. Liam will worry if he visits and I don't answer. I need to apologise to him, definitely. I think about what I'm going to say to him as I walk, well stumble. These woods are thick and dense and to my horrific discovery I find spider webs the literal size of me, spun between the trees. I hate spiders and the thought that I might find big ones here, well it sobers me up in an instant. I'm glad I'm wearing thick socks, the bracken is sharp and there are odd white bits here and there. I curiously bend down and pick up a piece, flat, white, quite sharp where it's been snapped. Reminds me of ...bone. Oh my fucking god, is this all bone?! I spin around clutching the blanket to me. I'm surrounded by webs and bone. Fuck me, this is going to be like a scene out of the Hobbit. I swear down if I see a spider bigger than my hand, well no that's a lie, if I see a spider at all, I'll freak out. Totally flip.

I begin to run to where I feel the web is thinnest. Praying that I'm not getting deeper into the damn nest. I can feel my breath hot in my throat and my heart pound painfully. Where am I? And how did I get here? Unfortunately I run to what seems to be a fucking mountain! Seriously, I simply get to this massive expanse of rock and there's no visible way around or over. Brilliant. I look over my shoulder into the trees, there's very little web here and I can't hear or see anything. Not that that gives me any confidence at all. My head is throbbing and I'm not in the mood for this shit. I'm tired, hungry, dehydrated and pissed off. I just want to be at home. I sigh. Well, this isn't getting me anywhere. I need to get to civilisation and move on from there. I look around and notice planks of wood. Okay, planks means built by humans, not spiders. I'm hoping. I walk towards it, stepping over a rather large log in the process, god knows what I look like. To my sort of relief, I see a tunnel. It's been propped with planks and looks like an mine. Admittedly it looks abandoned, but it's the only way I have to go. There's no way I'm going through the spiders and I'm hoping it goes through the mountain. It doesn't look like anyone comes through this way, so it seems good. Now, I get that I could be totally fucking up my life right now if I go in here, but what other choice do I have?

There's an odd silence in the forest before I hear a hiss. Making me jump, I slowly turn around and see the Goliath of spiders. It's larger than me. It's fangs glisten with some unknown liquid and it crawls from the nearest tree. I am so scared I can't even begin to contemplate what's running through my mind. I'm too shitting well scared to scream. I simply back up a little. It does this weird clicky thing and hisses again and that's enough to flick the primal monkey switch in my head, aptly named, ''when going to be eaten by large spider. Fucking run.'' Or in shorter terms. Fuck this. I feel the adrenaline rush and I turn on my foot, running into the tunnel. I really have no choice. I can hear the crashing as the spider fights it's way into the tunnel with me. I can feel my tears stream down my cheeks but I keep running. Ignoring the burning in my throat and tightening in my chest. It's getting darker and darker and I have no form of night sight, but I do see a brief light ahead. Maybe it's people. I trip and briefly stumble, I don't dare look back. I gashed my hand on something as I reached out to hold myself up. Ignoring the pain and the constant burning. I just run. There it is, the light! Another flash. The spider hisses and clicks behind me, it's having trouble moving down the tunnel. It's getting narrower, but that just means I have more of a chance to live. I've never been so scared in my life. I'm crying and I don't give a shit.

The light disappears and I cry out. No! It can't go. I urge myself to run faster still, my socks catching on the rubble and stones. I come to the end of the tunnel and end up falling down a massive hill like slope. I've come to the main cavern and the ladder to the tunnel I exited seems to have broken. I can hear voices as I fall and I whimper as I reach the bottom. Ow. Ow, ow. I look up and see a group of people, one of them holding some sort of torch.

'Oh. Well. Wasn't expecting that,' the man said. I pull myself onto my knees and whimper again in pain, coughing from the dust. I look up at them and mentally sigh.

'Is she alright?' A red headed woman asks.

Now, I don't trust strangers. Not after what happened to my twin. Two years ago, she was taken from me, a year ago she was declared dead, seeing as the police can't find any trace of her. My life ended that day. All hope of finding her, torn from me. Hence the depression. But, between spider and strangers? Strangers win, hands down. I cough and try to get to my feet, yelping. I've fucked my ankle. So I stay where I am, sitting in the dirt.

'What's the matter?' The man asks, a cascade of small rocks from the tunnel I fell from answers his question. He looks up and directs his light to the mouth and sighs. 'Oh great,' he says simply looking at the woman. 'Find Anders and Fenris. This thing looks like it's crawled out the arse crack of the fade.' He says dryly. The spider hisses angrily as it crawls onto the ceiling. I can't do anything by shake and pull my ragtag blanket around me as the adrenaline wears off. He looks at me, the light means I can't see him, but I'm guessing he can see me perfectly well. 'I wasn't expecting you at all. But half expected another spider. Just not one that looks like it could take on dragons,' he jokes. I simply gape at him. Does he not realise the danger we're in?

'Hawke. Oh. That explains it,' a deep voice says simply. I look in the direction, two more men and the woman have returned from a tunnel. The spider is on the ceiling hissing angrily. The group of people seem totally at ease.

'Well, we also have another problem,' the man called Hawke says motioning with his head to me. Me? How am I a problem? Okay I may have attracted the damn thing, but that wasn't my fault so to speak. I feel them look at me and I try to make myself as small as possible.

'But-' The other man who was previously quiet speaks up. Blonde I think he is.

'Aye, I know.' Hawke says cryptically. What? What does he know? I scream mentally. The woman sighs and punches Hawke lightly on the arm.

'Spider first. Woman second,' she says simply. Then to my horror she pulls a small war axe and shield from her back. The others do the same, the white haired man unsheathes a massive sword and the blonde takes out a staff. What in the name of living fuck is going on? I simply sit, shocked and unable to say anything as these four crazy people lunge themselves at the spider which leaps from the ceiling. I whimper as I hold my hands over my eyes. I don't want to be here, I really don't want to be here. My heart stops as I hear hissing again, but this time right next to me. I risk a look and see a smaller spider, but the size of a dog. I open my mouth to scream, but it's cut off as the spider literally explodes. I'm covered in spider gloop and I look at Hawke, the man that just popped the damn thing. My heart stops for a moment and I pass out.

…

'She's gone, totally out,' Anders says checking her over. 'Ankle is twisted badly and she's got a nasty cut on her hand. I can heal those easily enough,' he says as he begins to do so. Hawke nods and looks at Aveline, who shrugs.

'You tell me,' she says simply.

'I really wasn't expecting that to happen.' Hawke replies. 'Not the whole passing out thing, I mean I totally expected that. I'm talking about-'

'What is she?' Fenris asks simply, interrupting him. 'Demon?'

'No, I don't feel any trace of the fade on her. At all. She's as linked to the fade as Varric is, meaning, fuck all,' he replies. He watches as Anders finishes healing her. 'It's strange, to say the least,' he shrugs.

'What are we going to do with her? I mean she doesn't exactly fit in, dressed like that and she's not going to survive out here on her own,' Aveline says simply. 'We'll have to take her home with us.'

'She can't stay with me, I don't want people thinking she's a relative, not with what happened to Bethany and Carver. I don't think mother would be too happy,' Garrett sighs. 'She can't stay with Anders, he's got enough attention as it is. Merrill is definitely a no-no, especially not in an Alienage. A young human woman, living with an elf? Mayhem. As for Sebastian, I don't think the Chantry would appreciate a stray woman staying. Isabela and Varric? As happy as they would be to take her, I don't think it's the best place,' Hawke sighs heavily. 'Which just leaves-'

'No,' his reply comes simply.

'What? You want to leave her here?' Hawke asks.

'I will not play babysitter.' Fenris says crossing his arms. 'I refuse.'

Hawke laughs and wipes his eyes dramatically as he wraps an arm around Fenris' shoulder, ignoring the automatic flinch that went through the elf. 'Oh Fenris, friend. I'm not giving you a choice,' he grins.

'I am not yours to command,' Fenris says narrowing his eyes with a flat tone.

'True, but you owe me,' he says, his smile getting larger.

'Hawke...' Fenris says rubbing his eyes. 'You... you are infuriating. Fine. I will house the woman. For now.'

'That's what I thought. Thanks friend,' Hawke laughs hugging him and completely disregarding the uncomfortable contact that Fenris was feeling. 'I knew I could count on you,' he adds. Fenris simply grunts in return, pushing him away.

'The bigger problem we've got on our hands is how to we tell her?' Aveline says.

'Tell her what?' Hawke says raising a brow.

Anders sighs. 'How do we tell her that we recognise her? Because not two months ago, another woman appeared that looks identical to her?' He says bluntly. 'Idiot.'

'Oh. That,' Hawke says rubbing his beard as he thinks.

'Not identical,' Fenris says simply. 'The other has hazel eyes.' He avoids looking at Aveline who was sending a rather pointed look at him. 'I notice things,' he says defensively.

'Oh, like the eye colours of beautiful women that happen to appear?' Garrett teases. 'Fenris, I'm surprised at you,' he laughs.

'It is not like that, Hawke,' Fenris says simply. 'Venhedis.' He mutters under his breath folding his arms and refusing to look at any of them. Aveline actually giggles and nudges his arm, making him look even more sour. Anders rolls his eyes and nods at Garrett who picks the woman up.

'Well, regardless, we had get her back to the city. I don't want her to wake up anytime soon and flip out,' he says simply. 'If she's from the same place as Hazel than I will imagine her reaction will be the same,' he sighs as he begins to walk out the tunnel.

'You're lucky Varric isn't here Fenris,' Aveline chuckles. 'He'd have half a book by now, he'd be writing furiously.' She says as she follows Garrett and Anders.

Fenris scowls, 'it would be hard to write with broken fingers,' he replies tartly before looking up to where the woman appeared. Problems just seem to be dropping on him now. He was worried what else was going to happen. Life was complicated enough.

Guess you all saw the ''twist'' happen xD Well, don't worry story isn't going to be as depressing as the first bit. If you liked it, please review and let me know.