A/N: Written for my own prompt over at dragonage-kink LJ meme:

So, during playing as a F!Mage!Hawke I noticed that when Carver is arguing with Hawke and their mother, he says that he should go to the Deep Roads and Hawke should hide. Now, let's say that that Hawke agreed with that, gave him her/his blessings, the expedition leaves Kirkwall and we all know what happens next. This is where the AU starts - we all know that Carver is different personality than Hawke. Who does he pick for the expedition? Will Hawke recommend someone to him, and will he accept or refuse the suggestions? How will the whole Ancient Crypt thingie go? And most of all, how will he handle that Hawke got discovered to be a Mage and taken to Gallows? They swap places like this, he being the head of the family now, taking care of the estate and their mother, and all the shenanigans which happen next. Would Arishok consider him worthy? Would the viscount call him for help with the qunari trouble? Would he become Champion? Whom would he support in the mage-templar struggle? How would his relationships with his companions be like?

The plot-darkspawn wouldn't leave me alone, them bastards.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own cup of coffee.

The Beginning

Carver should have known that if Thea agreed with anything he said, it will go south pretty quickly. Like this thrice damned expedition. Not only it run into more trouble than it should, they were also locked in an abandoned thaig by Varric's brother Bartrand, who decided that dividing the expedition pay in several parts would be too much of a waste.

The way back had been shorter than they expected, their fury quickening their steps, even with their bags full of smaller artifacts they were able to scramble together so the expedition woudln't be complete waste of time. Varric spend many happy hours by thinking the ways of inflicting revenge on his traitorous brother. Anders had been on edge all those weeks, the Taint and the Darkspawn making him nervous and more alert than Carver ever saw him be, while Fenris was still his taciturn self, distrustful to everyone, grumbling about how Bartrand's betrayal should be expected the whole time.

He, for one, had been pissed off at his sister for sending him here, even if he asked for that.

Still the blood stilled in his veins when he run to Gamlen's house and saw the scene unfold before hsi eyes. Mother crying, Gamlen holding her back. Thea standing there in Circle issued robes, packing some things. And the Knight-Captain coming to join the scene from behind the corner where he couldn't be seen before.

"What the hell is going on here?!" he barked, hands reaching for his greatsword. Thea looked up from the small bundle of her things to give him a sad smile but it was Knight-Captain who answered. Thea had been discovered after she was ambushed by bunch of mugglers and casted a fireball to get rid of them. Only their previous dealings with the Templar order earned them the right that he himself went to extract Thea from her home without making a spectacle from it.

He didn't get to tell her about the disaster expedition, not before she had to leave. With one last hug to her family she was gone, leaving whimpering mabari, stunned brother, stony-faced uncle and crying mother in her wake.

It wasn't supposed to be like that, run through his head. Thea was supposed to be safe from the templars, especially now after the expedition when they will finally move up in the society and gain enough influence in the process that she would be safe from the templars. It was her who should enjoy the spotlight. He was never meant to be truly in charge, the one meant for the life mother wanted to restore for herself. Their mother blamed him for Thea being taken away. "Why weren't you here? If you took her with you, she would have never get caught by the templars!" It reminded him so much about how she was when they escaped Lothering, and how he himself was towards his older sister about loss of Bethany, that it made him feel deeply ashamed of himself.

Next day, they received small note by the Knight-Captain that Thea successfully passed her Harrowing. At least one good thing came out of that and now she can't be made Tranquill, Carver thought, as Varric gave him report about how searching for buyers for their artifacts was going on. If all went well, he was going to be noble, Maker help them all.