Decided to write my own version of certain in-game events, which will lead up to what I think might happen in Dragon Age 3. Yes, some of the dialogue has been taken directly from the game, and some has been re-worded. Other scenes are entirely of my own creation. This story contains major spoilers for all Acts, so you have been warned. FemaleHawke and Anders-centric, and this Hawke is a warrior. I've specifically kept her name to "Hawke" to avoid any confusion. Comments are appreciated.
Chapter 1: The Deep Roads
Hawke lay awake, staring at the remains of the fire. Bartrand had told people to take shifts to watch for darkspawn, but she still felt uneasy. Sitting up, she cast a quick glance over the rest of camp, looking for her companions, and wishing she'd been able to bring everyone along. Varric was snoring loudly a few feet away, Bianca cradled to his chest. Isabella had been gone all night, getting her kicks in with one of the hired help. Hawke shook her head as she thought of Aveline and Bethany, safe in Kirkwall. At least, she prayed they were safe. Glancing to her right, Hawke's gaze came to rest on the last companion that was down here: Anders. The mage had expressed disdain for the Deep Roads, and now Hawke could partially see why. It was dark, cold, and crawling with more creatures than just darkspawn. Already they'd had to fight off a patrol of the evil things, plus an attack by giant spiders, and from something the dwarves called Deep Stalkers, which had looked like upright lizards with a nasty ring of fangs in their mouths. Still their party was doing well, and tomorrow they would hopefully reach wherever Bartrand was leading them. "Maker knows what we'll find though," she whispered.
"…No…. Get away…" Hawke's hand was immediately on her blade, but no one was up except for the two sentries… And even they seemed to have nodded off. A tense moment later, Hawke's eyes finished scouting the perimeter, but nothing was visible. "Stay back… Warning you…"
"Anders?" Indeed, the mage seemed to be tossing in his sleep, mumbling about something. She walked over to him, unsure what to do. Bethany had often had nightmares as a child: A dream of demons come to claim her, the templars finding them, or even losing the family to a spell gone wrong. Hawke would always wake her and comfort her, but what could she do for Anders? As she got closer, she could see that he was trembling, and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Whatever he was dreaming about, it was bad. "Anders, wake up," she said, reaching out and giving him a light shake. When he didn't respond, she shook his shoulder a bit harder. "Anders." A moment later, his eyes snapped open, but Hawke quickly stepped back. She recognized the blue glow that always accompanied Justice, and she did not want to anger the spirit. However, the glow faded, and Anders sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"Hm? Hawke? What's wrong?"
"You looked like you were having a nightmare." She stepped back and crouched next to him, a small smile on her face. "It looked bad."
"It was." He rested a hand on his staff, and she could see it was still shaking slightly. He pressed his free hand to his forehead for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Did you wake me?"
"My sister used to have nightmares a lot when we were younger. I was always the one to bring her around. I'm sorry if I overstepped any boundaries."
"No, it's all right. That was a particularly nasty one."
"Do you want to talk about it?" He turned his head, meeting her gaze in the dim light, confusion written clearly on his face.
"You wouldn't understand."
"I can't if you don't tell me. Was it a mage nightmare?.. Or a Grey Warden one?"
"Both." The hand on the staff tensed for a moment, and he turned away from her. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to lose everything? To be taken against your will and told "This is the way you will be"?"
"No," Hawke replied as she shook her head. "But Bethany sometimes had nightmares about the Circle finding her and taking her away. I just feared losing her and my father."
"Your father was a mage? I remember Bethany mentioning something about that." Hawke smiled as she thought of her father: A strong, compassionate man who had taught his children well in all forms of combat. But she knew he had been most proud of his younger daughter, who had inherited the magick.
"Father got away from the Circle, but he never really told us how. Then he met my mother, and they married and settled in Lothering. It was a constant issue to keep the templars from finding out about him and my sister. That's why I became a warrior: To protect my family." Anders turned back, and she swore he smiled a little.
"I'm sure he's very proud of you."
"I'll still listen if you want to talk about your nightmare," she offered. "I don't know any other way to comfort you." His eyebrow went up for a moment, and he chuckled.
"Seeing as how your definition of comfort probably vastly differs from Isabella's version, I don't see the harm in it." She slid a bit closer to him, but kept at least a foot between them. This close, she could literally sense his apprehension and confusion like a small barrier between them. "My nightmare was an… amalgamation of things. My being taken from my mother, kept practically prisoner by the templars in the Circle, and then being made a Warden." His hands tightened again, and he shook his head. "That is one of the things I still haven't accepted. The Wardens just seem to think that if you survive the joining process, you're perfectly fine with life among them."
"But you weren't. Why did you become a Warden anyway?"
"The Hero of Ferelden saved my life, but she had to conscript me to do so. Otherwise the Templars would've just taken me back to the Circle and made me Tranquil." Hawke's eyes widened. She hadn't realized that Anders had traveled with the Hero, nor that it had been she who had brought him into the Wardens.
"You… You fought alongside the Queen of Ferelden? What was she like?"
"A bit like you, actually. Brave, noble, a tempest on the battlefield… She told me that she wanted to give me a chance to change the world, and that she didn't think all mages were dangerous. But she'd seen the destruction at the Tower first hand, and she also knew that blood magick wasn't something we could ever rely on."
"Is that why you dislike blood mages so much?"
"They're the ones who keep the Templars looking at us like we're monsters. They never know when one of us will "go rogue" and become a maleficarum."
"Is that worse than being an apostate?" He nodded, running his hands through his hair and sighing heavily.
"An apostate is just a mage outside the Circle's authority. A maleficarum is a mage that has knowingly and willingly trafficked with demons. Like Merrill…" Hawke nodded as she thought of the Dalish girl now in Kirkwall. Even her own people had been afraid of her.
"I'm sorry you've had to go through all this Anders. I wish I could make it better for you." He smiled again and met her eyes.
"You already have, just by listening. It's nice to talk to someone who doesn't see me as a potential threat all the time."
"I don't see you as a threat at all," she blurted out. "I mean, I know how powerful mages can be, but you'd never hurt an innocent."
"I've hurt Templars," he pointed out."
"They're not exactly innocent," she shot back. "Besides, they made your friend… They took him from you, for no reason it seemed. I don't know what I'd do if either Bethany or you were-" Hawke stopped herself from going further. She did not want to complicate the matter by bringing up her feelings.
"If we what?" Anders pressed, shifting closer to her.
"If the Templars took either of you, I'd face the wrath of the Maker himself to get you back," she whispered, looking down as she clenched her fists.
"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. Even nicer than "Here Anders, have a cat." That was the Commander for you… Always listening even when you thought she wasn't."
"She gave you Sir-Pounce-a-Lot?" Hawke was glad for the change in subject, as her cheeks were burning with embarrassment. Anders nodded and smiled as he recounted the story.
"She did. I told her about a cat I had befriended in the Circle, and a few days later she dropped an orange kitten in my lap and said "I found him wandering around the Keep. Why don't you take care of him for a while?" So I kept him in the hood of my robe during our travels, and he was the best companion a mage could ask for."
"I'm sure he misses you." He placed a hand over hers and she looked up, feeling the blush return as she met his eyes.
"Thank you, Hawke. You didn't need to concern yourself with me, but you did. I'm glad I came along, even if it does give me nightmares."
"I'm glad you came too. But I should be getting back to bed so I'm not falling asleep during any fights tomorrow." She stood up and turned away. "Sweet dreams, Anders. May they be filled with cats and a free world." She walked off and got back into her own bedroll, and Anders smiled as he watched her go.
"They'll be filled with you now, Hawke."