**Any person, place, thing, dust bunny, etc. that you recognize is the product of BioWare and not my imagination.
** AU where Fenris never escaped Danarius. F!Hawke mage has left Kirkwall after killing Knight Commander Meredith with her companions. Thanks to Anders blowing up the chantry, they've fled to avoid the influx of Templars and have gone to the Tevinter Imperium.
Minrathous, Tevinter Imperium
"Finally! Solid ground! My knees are quaking with delight," a young woman who had just walked off a ship exclaimed loudly for all the people in the docks of Minrathous to hear. She then fell upon said knees and literally began kissing the sandy ground.
"For Andraste's sake, Hawke, get a hold of yourself. You've only been on the ship for a month." A very tan and scantily clad pirate walked up behind Hawke, shaking her head and chuckling. "Careful, or my ship will take offense."
"Your ship, Isabela," Hawke said, standing, "can kiss my well-toned ass!"
"Perhaps I'll take you up on that offer instead?" Isabela winked and began walking ahead, ignoring Hawke's tsks.
"She's insatiable," a scruffy blonde man said to her as he walked from their ship onto the dock, closely followed by a younger man with the same dark look as Hawke. They stopped by her but both followed Isabela with their eyes as she approached the Harbor Master.
"Speaking from experience, are you Anders?" Hawke chuckled, snapping his and her brother's attention away from the pirate.
"Hardly," Anders scoffed, "I'd say your brother is closer to plundering that one than I am!"
"I wh-what?" Carver sputtered, blushing furiously. His sister and Anders laughed.
"Oh calm down! You know they're only teasing. Besides, if you didn't want Isabela in your bed you'd be the only man within all of Thedas who could say so," a dwarf accompanied by a waifish elf had joined them. The dwarf spoke again, "with the exception of me, of course."
"Of course, Varric," Hawke smiled, "everyone knows you only have eyes for Bianca there." She gestured to the crossbow on his back. The elf woman frowned slightly.
"Help me! Please! Somebody!" an older woman dressed in rags suddenly ran through the crowd of travelers gathered.
"Calm down!" Hawke said, approaching her. The woman stared at her with wide and glazed eyes, tears streaming down her face. "Please tell me what has happened."
"Danarius!" was all she got out before two city guardsmen caught up to her. They grabbed her roughly under the arms and started dragging her away.
"Hey! Put her down!"
The guards didn't stop, provoking an angry spark in Hawke's eyes and her hands started to glow and crackle with flames.
"Oy! She's a magister!" The guards dropped the woman, who fell hard on the ground. Hawke and her companions rushed over.
"We're very sorry, didn't realize you were a mage." One of the guards said, "This one's been spouting nonsense about one of your peers, a Danarius by the sounds of it."
"I'll take it from here, gentleman," Hawke replied amicably, "I'm sure there's a pickpocket around just begging to be apprehended. Off you go!"
When the guards were out of sight, Hawke bent over to help the woman up.
"You can trust me, my name is Marian Hawke, what did this Danarius do?"
"He's kidnapped and enslaved my daughter! But she's not the only one, oh no," the woman shook her head, fresh tears brimming in her eyes. "By my reckoning, he's been kidnapping free girls for a few months now." She collapsed in Hawke's arms and began bawling her eyes out. "Please, Mistress Hawke! Please help me!"
"Wonderful," Isabela sighed, watching the spectacle, "not ten minutes off the ship and already Hawke's found trouble!"
"You love it and you know it," Varric said laughing. He turned to Merrill, the elven woman beside him, "What do you think, Daisy? Up for another one of Hawke's goose chases?"
"I'm certain I didn't hear anything about that, Varric," the Dalish responded in her heavy accented voice, "we're going to find a girl! Not a goose."
"Fenris!" a lilting voice called. His head snapped up, seeing his master's apprentice approach him with a dangerous look in her eye. "I have a task for you to complete."
"What do you want, Hadriana?"
"Well first," she said softly, running a hand up his arm, "I have some… needs for you to satisfy."
Fenris snarled, "I do not belong to you, Hadriana."
Her smile disappeared and she burned his skin with her fingers, sending shocks through his body. He fell to the ground, convulsing.
"You will do as I say, slave," she spit out, "or else Danarius will know of your insubordination and his punishment will be much worse than this!" Fenris tried desperately to get up, but Hadriana held him down with unseen force. Luckily, at that moment, a commotion resounded in the front hall.
"I demand an audience with Danarius!" a woman's voice reached them. Hadriana immediately let go of Fenris and made her way to the front of the mansion, Fenris following and staying in the shadows. He placed himself in a corner off to the side of the foyer and watched as a group of men and women, including a dwarf and an elf, approached Hadriana.
"How dare you burst in here!", Hadriana didn't hesitate before sending a bolt of ice towards the group. The woman who had spoken earlier quickly deflected it and hit a suit of armor instead.
"I am Marian Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall," the mage woman responded. "I need to speak with Danarius.
"Champion of Kirkwall, eh?" Hadriana eyed her suspiciously, "very well. I'll see if my master is in."
Fenris gazed at the Champion while Hadriana went to fetch Danarius. He stood in the corner, hidden by shadows. So this was the savior of Kirkwall? A female mage? She was beautiful, and intimidating in that armor and spiked staff, but she was still a mage. Short black hair fell haphazardly across her forehead; piercing turquoise eyes surveyed the mansion with amusement. He found himself wondering how she had gotten that angry red scar across her nose.
"What do you think, Isabela?" she addressed the woman to her right. Fenris reluctantly dragged his eyes away from Hawke to focus on Isabela. Dear Maker, did she have to dress so provocatively? Danarius would try to bed her no doubt.
"His tastes are even more gaudy than mine!" Isabela said with a hint of disgust, "just look at these tapestries! Hideous!"
"Exactly my sentiments," Hawke said, frowning at a statue of a mage standing on a pile of slaves.
"May I present to you Master Danarius," Hadriana interrupted them and gestured to the man who appeared at the top of the staircase. Danarius scowled at them, attempting to look intimidating.
"Andraste's ass! You're the 'Great' Danarius?" Hawke submitted to peals of laughter, some of her companions laughing along. "But you're so ugly!"
Fenris barely held in a guffaw while Hadriana gaped at them, this mage had guts, though whether or not she was stupidly brave he had yet to tell.
"You will pay for your mockery, Fereldan bitch!" Hadriana screamed, preparing to attack.
"Hold yourself, Hadriana!" Danarius spoke for the first time. He waited for Hawke to calm down before he continued. "Yes, Champion of Kirkwall," he said with a sneer, slowly descending his grand staircase. "I am Magister Danarius. May I inquire as to what I did to deserve the honor of such a," his eyes roamed her figure, "distinguished guest?"
"Honor indeed," Hawke scoffed, "I hear you've been a very naughty boy, Danarius." She smiled sweetly and approached him. Fenris readied his sword, but Hawke still made no move for her staff.
"Whatever do you mean, Champion?" Danarius reached the foyer and crossed his arms, smiling back at her.
"Enslaving free humans and elves and hiding them away in your dungeons? Sound familiar?" Hawke smirked when Danarius's eyes flashed.
"Fenris!" Danarius barked. He dutifully stepped out of the shadows and Hawke's gaze fell on him for the first time.
"By the Maker," Hawke said quietly, eyes widening when she took in Fenris's tattoos. That was the first thing everybody noticed. He scowled.
"Hawke, this is my body guard," Danarius smiled ruthlessly, "Fenris has certain… talents that would make trying to hurt me very unwise."
"Oh I am sure he has numerous talents," Isabela said, winking at the elf. Fenris ignored her. He and Hawke were still staring at one another, though he tried not to make it obvious he did so because he wanted to. Her eyes were following the lines of his tattoos, her gaze warming him.
"Fenris," his name slipped off her tongue like caramel, meeting his eyes she said "are you a slave?"
"He is my slave, yes," Danarius responded impatiently, "and if need be, he will kill you for me."
"Too much of a chicken to do it yourself?" Hawke said, not taking her eyes off of Fenris. He found himself wondering if he actually would be able to kill this woman.
"Insolence! If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done so already!"
"Ha!" Hawke finally broke eye contact with Fenris, "It is I who will punish you Danarius, but first I want to hear you admit it."
"Admit to enslaving free peoples? Why would I do that?"
"No matter," Hawke sighed, "did I mention we came in through the basement?"
Fenris looked nervously to Danarius at that last statement, but his master stood stoic and silent. Only the glint in his eye gave away his anger.
"Oh? So you saw the rest of my pets?"
"Your pets," Hawke was visibly pleased with herself, "are now free from your enslavement."
"What-? How did you-"
"You may be an evil blood mage who consorts with all manner of disgusting demons, Danarius, but I and my companions do not. We have powerful ways of breaking through your sort of enchantments."
"How dare you!" Danarius took his staff from his back and aimed it at Hawke, who responded in kind. Fenris eyed her companions as they trained all sorts of weapons at Danarius. The pirate had two blades, the dwarf a crossbow as big as he and there were at least two other mages in the group- the Dalish elf and a blonde man who was now glowing blue.
"Fenris!" Danarius shouted, "teach this bitch a lesson!"
Fenris hesitated, but readied his two-handed sword and walked toward Hawke, who was looking at him skeptically. Her companions moved to protect her back from Danarius as Fenris circled her.
"Fenris," she said quietly, "you do not have to do this. I can free you."
"I shall never be free, and certainly not with the help of a mage!" His tattoos came to life like silver fire and he leapt at her, swinging his sword down hard. Somehow, she narrowly missed the blow, rolling out of the way as the sword met the marble floor with a crack! Fenris turned to swing again but Hawke was back on her feet and swung her staff in an arc before her, shooting out ice and trapping him where he stood. The cold engulfed him and he could not breathe.
"I do not want to hurt you, Fenris." Why did she keep saying his name like that? "Danarius was the one I came for."
She turned from her frozen opponent and with one hand seemed to grab Danarius by his robes and lift him in the air, even though she was standing several feet away.
A force mage! Fenris thought, Danarius has no defenses against such power.
Before Danarius could respond, Hawke threw him across the room where he landed in front of the door head first, neck breaking with a sickening snap.
"Anders?" Hawke said to the glowing mage. He walked forward and examined the body.
"Dead."
With a wave of her hand, the icy cold around Fenris vanished. He sank to his knees, gasping for breath. Moments later, he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He cringed and shrank away, looking up into Hawke's concerned face.
"Fenris, Danarius is dead, you are free."