A/N: For images and more trivias about the characters, visit the official site:
manaverisdracona. webs. com (remove spaces)
The bastards tied her down with dragon skin. That was the first thing that went through Anya's mind as she struggled to free her hands from the tight bindings. Not working. Damn. How did they know to use dragon skin?
Anya took a deep breath, closed her eyes and cleared her thoughts.
Amehe. Where are you Rhakkaro?
She closed her eyes and saw through the eyes of her griffon. She saw clear waters. Rhakkaro looked to the left where there lay a shipwreck. Farther left was the island where she probably was.
Stop Rhakkaro. Don't come any closer. You're neither big nor strong enough to defeat these bastards. There are too many of them. Anya felt some resistance from the griffon before it finally changed its course and decided to sit on a huge boulder beside the shipwreck.
Wait for me Rhakkaro. Don't worry. I'll escape them soon. She then opened her eyes and heard a faint screech from far away. Well he's always been a worry wart. Now how to get away from these damn slavers?
She tried the bindings again. Nope. Not gonna happen. I suppose I'll just have to wait for a prince to save me. She rolled her eyes at the thought.
"Ready your arms boys! Someone's coming!" One of the slavers exclaimed. Oh goodie. Let's hope that my luck holds.
A tall auburn haired man started casting spells (and she was pretty sure that those weren't healing ones) at the the slavers and they crumpled down like dead flies. Another man, who had black hair and was obviously much younger than the first one came into view and started to attack the slavers with his great sword, mage-boy laughed when the slaver jumped away to avoid the said great sword. The sword-boy grunted and stabbed another slaver. Suddenly the sky was filled with flying arrows.
"How many have you got Hawke?" A voice from where the arrows came from asked. Anya sat up straight and saw a dwarf who had blonde hair and no beard? Oh a dwarf with no beard. Fancy that.
Then out of nowhere a burst of light erupted from behind the dwarf and right through the slaver who tied her up. Very nasty that one. Now what was that light before? Is that- oh it's another man. Wait- what? Pointy ears. An elf then.
Anya sat back and watched as these four men stabbed, burned and killed each of the slavers. She can't exactly help anyway so she enjoyed the display of blood and gore unfolding before her eyes and before she knew it, the slavers where dead and the tallest man in the group, mage-boy, dubbed in her mind, was approaching her.
"You alright? Did those men hurt you?" He asked concern evident in his ice blue eyes.
She shrugged.
"I'll be fine as soon as you take these bindings off me."
He smiled and knelt down to untangle all the knots of dragon skin on both her arms and legs. She closed her eyes and summoned her griffon.
Rhakkaro. Time to go. You can come to me now. It's safe enough.
The man just finished taking the bindings if her legs and started to free her arms when he accidentally brushed his hands on hers. She gasped.
"You-your name is Hawke isn't it?" She asked. A bit shaken from what she saw with just a brush of his skin on hers. That usually didn't happen unless she concentrates hard enough to see a person's past.
"How did you even-"
"Your sister got killed by an ogre." Anya blurted out without thinking and quickly regretted it as she saw Hawke frown. These things were none of her business even if she did just see his past from that one touch. She looked away as the man who was Hawke finished taking the binds of her arms. How did that happen?
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that. I- Uhm. Thank you. For saving me." Anya quickly said and turned to leave.
"Wait just a minute. You can't just-" A loud screeching sound came from above.
"Rhakkaro no!" Anya said as she pushed Hawke away. Rhakkaro gave another ear splitting screech with his hackles raised. He was no bigger than a lion's cub but he projected an aura of danger.
"Amehe Rhakkaro! They saved me. Hush my little cub." Anya said as the griffon finally stopped stalking Hawke and his companions.
Rhakkaro gave the strangers another hiss before he finally went to Anya and snuggled close to her.
"I'm sorry about that. He's just a few months old and overly protective of me."
"Andraste's dimpled butt cheeks. Is that a griffon?" The dwarf asked, lowering his crossbow.
"That's impossible Varric. Griffons have been extinct for over two hundred years." The younger man who wielded the great sword interjected.
Anya rolled her eyes. "Numbered but not extinct."
"I'm sure the Grey Wardens told us that they were extinct." The younger man insisted.
"So what do you think Rhakkaro is then? A hybrid between a lion and a bird? Because last time I checked that wasn't anatomically possible." Anya deadpanned.
The dwarf and Hawke burst out laughing while the young man just gapped at Anya. Even the elf who was scowling behind them chuckled a little.
"Oh Carver. I think you just got owned little brother." Hawke said, still chuckling, the memory of Bethany fading away. Even Anya couldn't help but smile a little.
"Whatever. Why are you even here little girl?" Carver asked with a scowl on his face.
Anya looked at him then Hawke then at the dwarf then at the elf.
"That's the thing. I was looking for Hawke."
Everybody suddenly became quiet and stared at Hawke.
"Wait what? Why're you looking for me?" Hawke asked.
"Look I don't know the exact reason either but before my mother-" Anya stopped. Not knowing how to continue. She took a deep breath and tried again. Hawke noticed her sudden change and waited patiently.
"Before my mother uhm-died. She told me to find you. She said that the Hawkes would always protect us." Anya almost whispered the last part. How could someone protect one who's already dead?
Everyone was quiet until Hawke decided to break the silence. He wasn't going to stand around in the Wounded Coast, waiting for bandits to attack them while figuring this out. He was Hawke and there's a pretty girl looking for him. That was natural.
"Well come on then time to go home." He said and wrapped his arms around Anya. She visibly stiffened. Or maybe not.
"What?!" Both Anya and Carver exclaimed in unison.
"You-you don't need to do this Hawke. I think Rhakkaro and will manage this on our own. Maybe my mother gave me the wrong name. Besides, we're not your responsibility." She insisted. Why would her mother ask her to find the Hawkes? She was pretty sure that Hawke wasn't a common name, so why?
"Nonesense. I won't leave a damsel in distress in the midle of a crisis. Butcher would love to have a new playmate and mother would love to have a new daughter." Hawke said and wagged his eyebrows at Anya who blushed profusely.
"Unless you're evil, of course." He added, pretending to look serious. That made Anya burst out laughing.
"Nah I'm a sappy, do-goodin' girl. I just want to save puppies and hug brontos until my arms fall off. Or until I die. Whichever comes first. Although, if my arms fall off, I'm probably about to die." She said and grinned as she hugged Rhakkaro closer.