Author's Notes: Just a few things to note first.

*The Warden/Commander/Warden-Commander/Cousland/Hero Of Ferelden/Commander Of The Grey = All the same person. I just use these different titles and such to give variation.

*I intend for this to be a long story, and the things I mentioned in the summary may not come in to place until later.

*The protagonist of this story is a Male Warden with a Human Noble Origin. That means it's the same protagonist in DA:O and it's expansion packs. Also note that for this particular Warden, I'm not going to give him a first name or specifically describe his features. I'll simply use his last name "Cousland" or his titles (e.g. "The Warden," "Warden-Commander," "Hero Of Ferelden"). General adjectives such as "handsome" or "muscular" might apply because that's something that the Bioware writers implied for all male wardens. I ask that you simply think of the same face your warden had when trying to visualize him. If you made a female and/or non-human warden, then just use your imagination.

*I've never played any of DA2's DLC/Expansions, nor have I read any of Dragon Age's Novels. I'm writing this story concerning what I know from Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Origins, The Awakening Expansion, and any other DLC for DA:O. If any new DLC comes out for DA2 while I'm writing this, I'll probably just ignore it.

*Finally, this story is set shortly after Hawke had killed both Kirkwall's First Enchanter and Knight-Commander (i.e. those last two bosses in the DA2), but has a heavier focus on The Warden and his old companions.

Thirty.

The word seemed to carry a certain weight for him, like the disdain of a sought-after women realizing they wouldn't be the desire of men forever. It was a petty thing for one to think about, especially one in his position, yet there it was, outshining all else in his mind. The indirect mediator role he was playing between Alistair and the Orlesian Empress, the overdue aid requests for Darkspawn attacks in the new Elven Nation, three different disputes between his bann vassals, and on top of it all: there's some "Hawke" fellow who decided to overthrow Kirkwall's Templar's and is starting to cause some of the circle towers to go restless. Turning thirty years old today should be the least of Warden-Commander Cousland's worries.

Maybe it was his status that caused this. Maybe if he was just another seasoned Grey Warden that still had a world to save in one way or another, it would all be fine. Thirty isn't old after all. He was still in top shape, and there was no man or woman that could best him in single combat, nor were there any aspiring new recruits that had the potential. But what was the last thing he did that history will truly remember? Killing the Archdemon of course. The world didn't sing and dance when he defended Amaranthine. Few knew what danger the altered "Mother" possessed once he had slain it. No one other then himself cared as Morrigan, the only women that felt truly dear to him, slipped through the Eluvian and forever out of his grasp. And now he is at a desk, ordering his rebuilt Ferelden Grey Wardens through signing papers and issuing orders. How long had it been since he used his sword? A year? Two years? He didn't even keep track at anymore. Somewhere inside, he was hoping that the Sixth Blight would come any day now and call him back into the front line.

When he turned twenty-three there were spontaneous celebrations on the street, of course it had only been a month since he had ended the blight then. He was receiving marriage requests from women every time he went for a walk in Denerim. And even a few from men. Actually, a lot from men. Everyone seemed to turn bisexual for some reason after his origins were complete. More importantly, however, everyone he knew were still at his side back then. All the people he had met and recruited, all the people that settled in his camp during the last blight had scattered: Morrigan was never seen again after she disappeared through the Eluvian, Alistair was busy with royal duties and ensuring that his new son wouldn't start out the clueless heir as he was, Zevran was on the run from the Crows, Leliana was allegedly involved with some cloak and dagger business on behalf of The Divine herself, Sten was commanding an Army in the Qunari's war against the Tevinter Imperium, Shale and Wynne hadn't been heard of since they traveled north to the Imperium, and his faithful dog had passed last year from age. Of them all, only Oghren remained at his side, and even he wasn't the same, his drinking habit lessened from his duties as one of The Warden's Lieutenants.

In the midst of his contemplation, the creak of an opening door was heard, and a voice addressed him: "Commander."

A young woman clad in heavy red steel armor entered his study. As was routine for the junior wardens, she briefly bowed her head as she entered to show respect. The Warden-Commander nodded his head in turn, a signal that he was ready to receive today's agenda. She stepped forward, walking with a disciplined posture towards the Warden-Commander's desk. She stopped five paces from his desk, and began verbally listing tasks and notices that required his attention:

"Ser; Nathaniel Howe believes the new recruit is ready to undergo his Deep Roads test and Joining. Knight-Commander Tavish is at the front gate in addition to an unidentified templar, and requests entry. His Majesty has sent you a congratulatory letter regarding your thirtieth birthday. Lastly, the captured warden deserter has been transferred in the Keep's Dungeon as you asked."

Cousland waited a few seconds to ensure she was finished, and then responded with a voice grizzled beyond his years:

"Is that all?"

"Yes, Ser."

"Good. Go tell Howe he has permission to open the Deep Roads gate so the recruit and the newest warden can retrieve the darkspawn blood. Schedule the tribunal in twelve hours for the deserter, and leave Alistair's letter on the desk."

"And what of Tavish?"

The Warden's eyes darted to a paper on his desk, pretending as if he had to double-check something before he gave an answer. Normally, his first reaction would be to send one of his three lieutenants to the gate and have them sort the situation out. Unfortunately; Howe was initiating a recruit to become a full warden, Stroud was investigating recent events in Kirkwall, and Oghren was...undiplomatic. He looked back to his subordinate and replied:

"Do nothing, I'll go meet him myself."

"Yes, Ser."

The junior warden turned and left in a manner as formal as she entered. As the door shut behind her, Cousland stretched his arms towards the ceiling and took a deep breath; inhaling until he felt his lungs pressing against his dragonbone Warden-Commander armor, followed by a strong yawn. Tavish's visit inevitably meant he wanted something, and more than likely wanted something the Commander could not give.

...

The Warden's sight met the sun's glare as he emerged from his study, blinding his surroundings to him briefly. He paced forward, hearing the sound of his armored feet hitting a stone surface beneath him as he did. He stopped at a point a few steps away, looked down from the sun's luminosity, and read a small amount of text one of his wardens had engraved on the floor in a memorial-like fashion:

Here lay the site where the Hero of Ferelden had slain a Darkspawn Disciple and ended the Darkspawn Occupation of The Keep. It has not fallen since, and it shall not fall again.

The Warden had read that particular engraving every time he had begun his morning routine at The Keep. It was flattering, but but not exactly original. There was one in Redcliffe about killing undead, one in the Circle Tower about killing Abominations, and then his favorite: a statue in front of Fort Drakon with a long description of how he killed The Archdemon, in addition to the children carving their names and obscurities on wherever they could reach it.

"Why do they always make something about me killing someone? Why not about how I unified the Bannorn or negotiated a peace between the Dalish and Werewolves? Should ask The Chancellor about that next time I see him."

The Warden abandoned his thoughts and adjusted his line of sight away from the sun, instead peering down into the courtyard of Vigil's Keep.

Ever since killing The Mother, The Keep had grown in both prominence and power. Vigil's Keep had become the warden stronghold his predecessors envisioned, with a force of roughly one hundred Wardens in addition to another three hundred experienced knights sworn in fealty to him. In addition, he had another eight hundred professional soldiers and fifty more wardens scattered through the Arling of Amaranthine, giving him not only a Grey Warden presence comparable to his Orlesian neighbors, but one of the strongest forces in Ferelden. Attacking Vigil's Keep, whether the aggressor be Darkspawn, rebels, Orlesians, or anyone else short of Andraste herself; would be a suicidal mission. Dwarven-make from fine granite, the Keep's walls could withstand direct battering ram charges. And failing its construction, on top of the walls were several marksmen armed with silverite armor and dragonthorn longbows that would thin an army to few before even touching the fort itself. And failing that, there were his Grey Wardens, the majority currently occupying the courtyard under Oghren's supervision. Cousland could spot about seventy of his wardens in the courtyard now, and they were the most colorful sight of any of The Keep's features. While the knights of the Silver Order guarding the walls all had the aforementioned excellent equipment, they all had the same silverite armor and dragonthorn bows, and it would be hard to tell one apart unless standing an arms-length away. The Grey Wardens, on the other hand, bore a variety of different weapons and attires. Drakeskin light armor, ironbark bows, white steel swords, red steel shields; even a few mages with veridium staves and robes ranging from standard Circle of Magi clothing to Tevinter robes fit for an Archon. And that isn't even a fifth of the variety The Commander saw. And yet in spite of these differences, they were more disciplined than the Royal Guard. Each would serve him to their dying breath. Each had individual fighting power rivaling a legion of standard troops.

Once, Cousland brought ten wardens with him on a visit to the Royal Palace for a demonstration. Each would be individually pitted against Ferelden's legendary champions and highest mages as a test to see if The Warden-Commander had them trained as proper Grey Wardens. For all ten Wardens, and for all the different tests of strength, skill, and combat; the Grey Wardens won every time. And during this spectacle and competition, there were several figures of high rank and nobility in the palace that witnessed it. All of them, save Alistair whom was still a warden at his core, were never able to tell exactly how wardens were able to take action as effectively as they did. And in Cousland's mind, an explanation would be along the lines of this:

Every warden knew death. Whenever they fought, whenever they stressed their bodies to perform at their peak; they did so as if fighting for their for life. No intermediate stage, no "going soft." Some let their arrogance blind them; but those with the taint have nightmares of being overwhelmed by darkspawn, a hard training regimen, and no chains other than duty to their mortality.

But it seems like not all were respecting that as of now. Observing the courtyard further, he saw two figures in Templar Armor just outside the front gate, with Oghren standing opposite from them. Instinct telling The Warden-Commander this couldn't end well, he turned towards the walkway on his left, and began moving towards the base of the keep.

...

Oghren, clad in Legion of The Dead armor, stood inside The Keep while accompanied by a younger elven Grey Warden under his command. Standing opposite of them just outside the keep were a fully armored Knight-Commander Tavish, and a young female Templar similarly armored with everything but the helmet, and was presumably acting as his bodyguard. She had a stoic indifference to any actions or words that didn't involve harm to her Templar superior, including the continuous stare Oghren held towards her.

Tavish, whom was keeping a glare on Oghren while pacing in impatience, began speaking:

"I came here with the intention to negotiate with the Commander himself."

Oghren, ignoring him completely and instead spoke to the female bodyguard: "Are you sure you're not a baker? Cause you got a sodding nice set of buns."

With the bodyguard subsequently ignoring him, Tavish continued trying to get the dwarf's attention: "I came here to discuss a matter of utmost importance!"

Oghren broke his gaze and looked at Tavish: "Was Bella's Brewery attacked?"

"What? No, the matter is-"

Oghren interrupted him and gave a terse reply: "Oh."

He returned to staring at the bodyguard: "Eheheh, how'd you like some sauce for that rump roast."

Tavish attempted to catch his attention once more: "Ferelden's Commander of the Grey must hear the consequences of the dire action he has performed!"

Oghren looked at Tavish again: "Do you have an appointment?"

"Well, no. But this-"

"Oh."

Oghren returned to staring at the junior Templar once more: "So woman, have you ever done it with a Grey Warden before?"

Tavish turned towards the elven warden: "Is this dwarf really a Grey Warden?"

"He outranks me, actually."

Tavish looked at the ground and shook his head: "Maker..."

The aforementioned banter more or less repeated itself for another ten minutes or so, until the Commander that Tavish had been seeking appeared, doing so suddenly as if he had silently teleported next to his comrades without any transition out of the building. And just as immediately as he appeared, Tavish posed a less-than-pleased question:

"Warden-Commander, was it really necessary for you to have taken as long as you did to arrive here?"

"Actually, I arrived here five minutes ago, I was just hiding on top of the wall because I didn't want to miss a second of Oghren time here."

Tavish sighed, and the Commander waited a few seconds for his frustration to calm down until continuing to speak:

"Anyway, Knight-Commander Tavish, it's been a while. Is your Templar Chapter in Denerim doing well?"

"It's been better."

"A lot of things have. And what of this Templar you've brought with you? I don't believe we've met before."

The female Templar lowered her head in respect and broke her silence to address him: "Hero of Ferelden."

She looked back up at him and kept a refined posture as if she were one of his own soldiers, and began speaking again.

"I don't know if you remember me, but, I was a young girl in Redcliffe's chantry when the undead were attacking."

The Warden looked at her with an almost curious manner, and replied:

"You were on one knee and praying with Revered Mother Hannah, weren't you?"

"I...yes, that was me. Do I really look so much like my younger self that you could recognize me?"

"Nonsense, I remember everyone from those days. I just couldn't recognize it was you at first because you've become such a beautiful young woman."

"I...well...ah..."

With the female Templar unexpectedly finding herself without a proper response and fighting to keep the blood from rushing to her cheeks, Oghren ruined the moment with an untempered interruption.

"But what about my sodding-"

"Oghren, go check on the other Wardens. We'll break into the wine cellar after the Tribunal."

Oghren mumbled a few incomprehensible words as he walked away, the elven warden following. Tavish, curious of what the Warden just said, inquired:

"Tribunal?"

"It's for a Grey Warden Deserter."

"Is it for a mage?"

If Tavish wasn't wearing a helmet, Cousland probably would've seen him raise an eyebrow.

"Yes it is. But it's not the mage you're thinking of. And if you're here about that particular mage, then go ahead and step inside. And take off that helmet. Half the reason people don't trust Templars are because you decide to wear those ominous carved buckets on your head."

The Warden-Commander made a slight sideways nod of his head for the Knight-Commander follow him and began walking towards the center of the courtyard. Tavish followed with his bodyguard closely watching, taking off his helmet and tucking it under his arm. The Warden stopped in front of Vigil's Keep's merchant area, next to the bulk of his Wardens. Tavish stopped alongside the Warden, looking around at the crowd of Wardens as if trying to find a certain individual. The Warden-Commander noticed this, and quickly replied to Tavish's non-verbal question:

"The Blood Mage isn't in there. He's currently in the preparation process of The Joining."

Tavish turned his attention back towards Cousland:

"Then he hasn't become a true Grey Warden yet, has he?"

Cousland returned eye contact, and noticed Tavish's face as he did. Tavish still had the same stern expression and manner, little different from the man he was when he was standing close to Arl Eamon's Estate in Denerim, ready to make an Exalted March against the Mages' Collective. However, while he had not softened his zeal, he had aged considerably. The Warden had met him eight years ago during the Fifth Blight, but he looked like he had aged two decades. His red hair turned grey, and his face was developing deeper wrinkles. It sparked an internal interest The Warden himself had: whether or not others thought the same of him. Of course he wasn't old, but the change from twenty to thirty that he had been thinking of haunted him still. Again, he wasn't old, but was he perhaps "older," and perhaps when he was giving orders and looking one of his soldiers or wardens in the eye, they thought the same about his face and age. This thought echoed through his mind, with Cousland having to force it to the back of his head so he could reply:

"He has been conscripted under my orders, which are permitted by the Crown. It is not of your concern."

"It is not merely my concern, he is maleficarum. It is all of our concern."

"Oh? All of our concern?"

"Magic exists to-"

Cousland interrupted, finishing his sentence for him: "to serve man, and never to rule over him. Your point? The Grey Wardens have conscripted many blood mages in the past, and have occasionally had conscripted circle mages turn to a darker side for the greater good."

"Regardless, it is the Chant of Light from which that phrase originates. Will you defy Andraste's Law for this man?"

"I've done a lot of things that Andraste wouldn't approve of. And I'm not proud of that. But if I must forever wander the Fade a lost soul after death because those same actions saved the kingdom, than I have no regrets either."

"Than you are not even a Follower of the Chant?"

Cousland looked towards the sky with vein hope that the Maker himself pop out and explain the fine line between following The Chantry's law in an abstract sense versus taking every word of it literally.

"Tavish, why did you come here? Why did you travel on foot all the way from Denerim to my Arling when you should be at the Grand Cleric's side?"

"For the Blood Mage's-"

"No you didn't. You came here to talk about the blood mage. But you didn't come here for the blood mage. This blood mage I've conscripted into the Wardens is just the Means. True that you wish to revoke my actions and imprison this blood mage. But then what is the End?"

"The Chant of Light is-"

"Did you come here on behalf of The Chant, or The Chantry? Do you really expect me to believe that this mage concerns just The Chant of Light's phrase about magic, when I've already conscripted twelve other mages into my order since taking Command of The Wardens? Or is it The Chantry's reputation, which is being tested by the new First Enchanter and his Templar Ally?"

Tavish opened his mouth to speak, but quickly realized that he didn't have a true rebuttal before he could form words. The Warden spoke truth, and nothing but truth. In the years following The Hero Of Ferelden's successful battle against the Archdemon, Ferelden's Circle of Magi had become a source of controversy and conflict. Following the Circle Tower's purging of abominations by The Warden-Commander, there were few mages left save Irving and a handful of those barely living through the incident. To this end, the templars doubled their efforts on catching apostate mages in order to bring more new blood into the Tower and attempt to restore it to normalcy. While this managed to be fairly successful, many of the aggressively captured mages were disdained over their captors show of force, and many who survived their Harrowing joined the Libertarians' Enchanter Fraternity, which had traditionally been in the minority in comparison to Aequitarians and Loyalist Fraternities. And in the midst of this, both Knight-Commander Greagoir and First Enchanter Irving passed from age, both of which were long part of The Circle and pivotal to maintaining its stability. The Grand Cleric of Ferelden, whom had often simply deferred to Greagoir's judgement on matters of The Circle, appointed Senior Enchanter Torrin, the highest ranked mage other than Irving to survive Uldred's attack and a moderating influence in Circle Politics, as First Enchanter of The Circle. And in an attempt to appease the newer circle members whom were affected by the Templar's efforts; she appointed Knight-Commander Harrith, once Commander of the Redcliffe Chantry's Templars and a supporter of greater Magi freedom, as the new Knight-Commander of Lake Calenhad's Tower. Harrith, whom was once a secret ally of the Mages' Collective and Tavish polar opposite, took a hands-off approach towards his management of The Tower and was willing to cede virtually any freedom The Enchanters would agree on short of full independence. And thus, The Libertarian Fraternity seized the opportunity for Ferelden's Mages to have greater rights and autonomy. Apprentices could have their Harrowing delayed if an Enchanter deemed it necessary, Senior Enchanters could take a vote to allow a mage or group of mages be granted leave from the Tower without Templar supervision or protest, templars had to follow a lengthy and bureaucratic procedure if they believed a mage was practicing forbidden arts, and a number of other risky freedoms were granted in this time. This did, however, keep the mages passive, and true independence was still considered something of an extremist ideal.

Or at least it was until an influential figure known as the Champion of Kirkwall decided to help Kirkwall's Circle of Magi overthrow their local templars, which in turn has sparked rallying cries throughout Thedas for a Mage Revolution. Though none of the Circles had rebelled, at least not yet, it was on the tongue of every mage, and probably the last thing Ferelden needed while it was still licking its wounds from The Blight. First Enchanter Torrin died shortly after the Kirkwall Incident under suspicious circumstances, and was replaced by a strong opponent of The Chantry, whom to make matters worse was a young and charismatic figure, possibly even a successor to the Grand Enchanter come the next time the College of Magi put the incumbent one to a vote.

After a long pause, Tavish started to speak again, taking a more casual tone:

"The new First Enchanter, it hasn't even been ten years since he passed his Harrowing."

"He's around my age, isn't he?"

"Younger, actually."

Tavish's comment reignited a hidden irritation in The Warden's mind. Again, there it was: thirty years old. Hiding this, the Warden continued:

"He's half a Calender Age younger than Irving was. But I doubt he's so much a fool that he would break from the Chantry entirely."

Tavish turned from Cousland, facing back towards the gate. He placed his templar helm back onto his head, and began walking towards the exit, saying a few words as he did:

"Than it is clear I cannot persuade you. May the Maker watch over you, Hero of Ferelden."

...

The Vigil's Keep Dungeon's maintenance was not exactly a priority on the Warden-Commander's list. In fact, ever since he took over The Keep as Commander of the Grey, he had only had one prisoner: Nathaniel Howe. And that man was now one of his top Wardens. Since then, The Dungeon had remained empty, his soldiers at The Keep itself were neither foolish or unloyal to do something worth locking them up over, and any outsiders attempting to harm Vigil's Keep would simply be killed. And for that reason, the dungeon lacked any cleanliness, facilities, or even a single well-lit candle or lamp, making it impossible for someone to see further than a couple meters away while they were in the building. So when Cousland entered the same building he first met Nathaniel Howe at, he heard a guard draw his sword and shout:

"Halt, name yourself."

"My full name? Seeing as how everyone likes to call me as one of my nine different titles instead of my actual name, you can just call me 'Your Boss.'"

"Commander, I apologize. I did not recognize it was you."

"No harm done, I just finished speaking with our templar guests, and figured I should stop by here before directing the morning training. Anyway, how's our prisoner? Or should I just ask them myself?"

"Nothing to report, Ser. The deserter is still not speaking and remains detained in the cell behind me."

"Ah, in that case, hand me the cell key and take a break, soldier. I'd like to question the prisoner alone."

"Yes, Ser."

The guard approached the Warden-Commander and gave him a key to unlock the sole cell in the room, fumbling to do so because of the dungeon's poor lighting. He left shortly after, leaving only The Warden and a prisoner unseen by Cousland's eyes due to the room's darkness. The Warden approached the cell slowly, hoping the prisoner would say something first. But the prisoner remained silent, and even as The Warden-Commander opened the door and entered their cell, they said nothing. Knowing that they would be tight-lipped about any useful information the may give before their trial, The Commander started by reciting their crimes:

"So, according to my reports, you deserted from your post under Stroud and disobeyed his orders to stay away from Kirkwall. Furthermore, you were seen fighting the templars in the recent Kirkwall rebellion, and according to Stroud he found you after you had fled from the Gallows following The Champion's final sighting there. Is this true?"

There was no answer. The Warden waited a full minute before asking his next question, unsure if the non-response was from spite or uncertainty.

"Would you care to explain any justifications, or deny anything I've spoken?"

No response.

"Perhaps there is something you wish to say me now before your trial?"

Again, no response.

"Right, so I see you clearly don't want to speak with me. But before I go, could you do me a favor simply to ease the whole process? Stroud may have reported your actions, but he was particularly elusive regarding details to your background. So I'll make you a deal, I'll have myself and my guards stop harassing you until the trial if you can just tell me a few things about yourself. Perhaps something about your origin, or something a sibling of yours did. Or instead, how about your name? As peculiar as it seems, Stroud seemed to have excluded your name from the report, and we'll have to address you as 'prisoner' at your tribunal if you won't give a name."

There was still only silence from the deserter. Taking this as a nonverbal "no," Cousland turned and began to exit the cell. But as he was about to close and re-lock the cell-door, he heard a feminine voice speak to him:

"My name is Bethany Hawke, and my sister was the Champion of Kirkwall."

Author's Notes: In case there's some references to DA:O or DA2 that you didn't understand, here's a convenient little list of bullet points explaining some references:

*Cousland=Last name of Warden with Human Noble Origin.

*Knight-Commander Harrith is the guy you bribe with Lyrium potions in a Mages' Collective quest. Knight-Commander Tavish is the guy you can give the bribe to if you want to expose The Collective.

*Fifth Blight=The Blight that The Warden dealt with in Dragon Age: Origins.

*Vigil's Keep=The fortress you arrive at in the start of the Awakening expansion.

*The Divine=Head of the Chantry. They are situated in Val Royeaux (i.e. The Capital City of Orlais), and are occasionally called the "White Divine" in contrast to the Tevinter Chantry which has its own "Black Divine" that is not recognized by any other country. According to the Dragon Age Wiki the Divine as of DA2's events is Justinia V, whom actually was once Revered Mother Dorothea, the same figure who saved Leliana's life in the DA:O DLC Leliana's Song.

*Grand Cleric=The sub-leaders of individual countries/nations Chantry divisions. Second only to the Divine in Chantry ranks.

*Libertarians, Aequitarians, and Loyalists are three of the Circle of Magi's largest "Fraternities," each being something of a political party amongst Mages who hold power. Loyalists are those who approve of the Chantry's dominance of The Circle of Magi, Libertarians are those who want their Circle to have more autonomy or in some cases complete independence from the Chantry. Aequitarians are moderates, with ideals lying somewhere between the Loyalists and Libertarians' beliefs. Irving, Wynne, and most of the Circle Tower's enchanters were noted to be Aequitarians. Uldred was a Libertarian whom advocates full independence; and Anders can be considered to hold Libertarian beliefs, though not actually of an Enchanter Fraternity because he is an apostate.

*Calendar Age=The lore equivalent of a century. Each Age lasts 100 years and is named after a certain event or such. The current Age is the Dragon Age, named after a high dragon's rampage towards the previous age. The Ages in chronological order are: Divine, Glory, Towers, Black, Exalted, Steel, Storm, Blessed, Dragon. Each year is dated by the chronological number of its Age, followed by a colon and then how many years have passed during that particular Age. For example, Dragon Age: Origins starts at 9:30 (Thirty years into the Dragon Age) and ends at 9:31. DA2 starts towards late 9:30 in the prologue (Hawke fleeing Lothering), with Act 1 starting at 9:31 (Hawke meeting Varric and starting Deep Roads Expedition), Act 2 starting at 9:34 (Hawke regaining his family estate and killing the Arishok during the Qunari attack on Kirkwall), Act 3 starting at 9:37 (Anders destroying the Kirkwall Chantry and Hawke killing Kirkwall's First Enchanter and Knight-Commander), with the game ending at 9:40 which is when Varric is being interrogated by Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast and the Mage-Templar war is at its height). This fanfiction starts at early 9:38 (Two years before Varric's interrogation by the Seekers and a little less than a year after Hawke kills Knight-Commander Meredith to be precise).