So I was reading this story where Hawke is an Antivan Crow and thought, how about the Ferelden Wolves, and this story idea was born.
I do not own DA:O or DA II. Please enjoy.
Welcome To The Ferelden Wolves
Seven new students stood before the Grand Master of the Ferelden Wolves, all of them ready to learn what it takes to be a killer. On the far end, shying away from the humans was a small elf girl from the Denerim Alienage. At just nine years of age, Aralia Tabris had already been through tragedy when she had watched as her mother was killed by human men. She was here because she had proceeded to kill those men with their own knives.
Next to her stood the eleven year old daughter of the Teyrn of Highever. Most believed that she had led a privileged life, but it was in fact a rough life for two reasons. The first was the kidnapping attempts that she had to grow up with, the other was her name; Andraste Cousland hated her name. Her father had named her to spite the Chantry, which he hated due to them siding with Orlais during the Occupation of Ferelden. Most of the Chantry cried out at the blasphemy and usually called her a heathen, telling people that she claimed to be the prophet reborn when she did no such thing. The reason she was here was that during the last attempt to kidnap her, the bandits had tried to force themselves on her. She was found by the castle guards covered in blood and surrounded by their dead bodies.
Adriana Amell was twelve years old and next in line. She had spent the last eight years of her life in Kinloch Hold with the Circle of Magi. Despite her youth she was proving herself to be the most powerful mage of her generation, maybe even the previous few too. One of the scouts had been visiting the Circle one day looking for potential students and he reported back that none had more potential than her. So an official invite to a school for gifted youngsters was sent. It took a few months as the Knight-Commander didn't want to let her go, but he was finally convinced by the First Enchanter that it could be a good thing for them all.
The next four were all siblings, children of the Hawke family. Septimus was the oldest at thirteen years old and was one of two magi; he was very protective of his family and very powerful. The next was Sapphira who was ten. She was always cracking a joke at something or another, but she was also very protective, especially towards the twins.
Bethany and Carver were eight years old and the youngest, of both their siblings and the children gathered before him. Bethany was the other mage and also very powerful. 'Maybe it was in the blood, they were related to Amell' he thought. Carver looked like he would become a fine warrior.
The Hawke family had been traveling to Lothering when they were set upon by Templars. Luckily one of the Wolves had been on his way back from an assignment and had seen the whole thing. The father had been preoccupied defending the mother, but the kids had been out in the midst of it all. The Templars may have outnumbered them, but the kids had outmatched the Templars.
So here they all were, ready to become Wolves, to become trained killers. They were born killers, but they still needed to be trained after all. Their parents and guardians all thought they were learning at a boarding school for the gifted, but the kids had already been told the truth. They were told when they were asked to join. The kids also knew that they wouldn't be cut off from their families; they would be able to write and visit them, but they were never to reveal the truth about their 'School.' They would be trained for eight years and then they would go on about their lives. They would always have a room at Wolf Fortress in Alamar, but they would have their own lives to live. They would fulfil contracts and assignments, but they would also be ordinary people. They would live two lives, one that everyone saw, and one that no one did. They would be Assassins.
"Welcome to Wolf Fortress," he greeted, "for the next eight years it will be your home. You will learn how to harness your gifts and abilities. You will learn the many ways to take a life. Not only that but you will be taught to fight, not just to kill from the shadows, but to kill on the battlefield as well. In ten years you may very well be the best Assassins in our order." He looked them over; excitement with just a hint of trepidation was on their faces.
"There are three Assassin Orders throughout Thedas. The Antivan Crows, the Orlaisian Bards, although they aren't technically an 'Order' of Assassins, and the Ferelden Wolves. While the other two are well known, the Wolves are not, but we are the best. The Crows like people to know about them because they charge through the roof to acquire their services. The Bards like the thrill of the Game. For the Wolves, however, being an Assassin is a calling. We are not paid to do what we do and more often than not we work for ourselves.
From now on you will lead two lives, one being your own and the other being a wolf. For this reason you will be given a second name, one to use on assignment and in missives to the fortress and so on and so forth. From now on Aralia will be known as Huntress, Adriana as Starpower, Andraste as Bride, Septimus as Seven, Sapphira as Gem, Bethany as Sunshine and Carver as Butcher. These will be your code names. This is Hadrian," he gestured to a man standing next to him in the shadows, "He is the head of staff here and will show you to your rooms. I want to see you all bright and early tomorrow morning at zero six hundred, ready to begin training. Dismissed!" the kids followed Hadrian out of the room and the Grand Master smirked. Those seven would take the world by storm one day, he just hoped he lived to see it.
Ten years later
The Grand Master stood facing three of the best assassins to ever work for the Wolves. His prediction all those years ago had proven years ago they had all finished their training and returned home. In the time between now and then they had fulfilled many assassination contracts. The Hawkes had returned home three years ago for their fathers funeral and had come back two weeks later to complete their training.
Huntress, Starpower and Bride stood before him, and all three had grown into beautiful and capable young women.
All three were also exhausted. They had spent the past few weeks making it to the fortress, having to hide because they were on the run. Not to mention the blight in the south had everyone scared.
Huntress had been about to get married when Bann Vaughan had ruined the whole day, taking some of the female elves hostage. She had fought through the Arl of Denerim's estate, killing all the guards and finally Vaughan and his friends for raping her cousin. She had taken all the blame and escaped from custody later. She fled the city and made her way south to get a boat bound for Alamar, she couldn't get one from Denerim and she wouldn't go to Amaranthine.
Starpower had helped her friend to escape the circle. She hadn't believed him to be a blood mage, nor was she one, but as he fled she realised that the Templars would never believe her, she would be put to death. She had followed her friend out of the main door. As soon as she had arrived and told him her story he had sent someone to track down her phylactery and destroy it.
Bride and her family had been betrayed. Arl Howe had shown himself a traitor and killed her family while the army and her brother were marching south. She had barely escaped with her life and had made her way to the docks, where she had paid the Pirate Queen Captain Isabela to bring her to Alamar.
The Hawke siblings hadn't arrived and wouldn't be coming if the missive he had received was anything to go by. It had been mad chaos since the army at Ostagar fell and the King and Grey Wardens had died. Thankfully there was still hope in the two that had survived.
"The Hawkes are heading for Kirkwall with their mother and a soldier named Aveline. They have family there and they don't want to bring their mother here. They will stay with her for the duration of the blight, but they will continue to fulfil any contracts that I send them. This maybe a brilliant opportunity for us, to have operatives in the Free Marches ready to go at a moment's notice. With the blight going on we may not get much work until it is over. You three are being put on a special assignment for your own protection." He held up his hand to forestall any arguments.
"Bride, Howe knows you're still alive. Until he is dead, you are in danger. Huntress, you killed Vaughan, and while I was getting ready to hand you a contract for his life anyway, you could have done it with slightly more finesse, though I understand why you didn't, considering he killed your fiancé and had your cousin. Starpower, the Templars are hunting you, and when your phylactery is destroyed, they will be scouring the country for any sign of you. The safest thing for all three of you is to keep you together." They looked down and nodded glumly.
"Now as you now know, all but two Grey Wardens died at Ostagar. They cannot be allowed to die. Unlike Loghain, we actually believe that the Grey Wardens are the only ones who can end a blight, after all, no one has done it without the Grey Wardens before. Loghain will stop at nothing to remove them as a threat to him."
"You're talking about hiring assassins, right?" asked Huntress, when he nodded Bride shook her head.
"There's no way we would accept that contract," she said while Huntress and Starpower agreed with her.
"Who said he would come to us?" the Grand Master asked them carefully.
"The Bards and the Crows know that Ferelden is Wolf territory, they know we would rip them to shreds if they so much as pulled a dagger on someone here." He gave a faint smile.
"The Crows will take any contract, providing they are paid enough to do it, including one in Ferelden," comprehension dawned on the girl's faces. The Crows have no principles, no morals and would definitely not think twice about killing the last two Wardens in Ferelden if they got paid enough for it.
"So what's our assignment?" asked Bride.
"Protection detail," he answered.
So tell me what you think. I crave your reviews.