Full summary: You'd think one Herald of Andraste is enough to set the world of Thedas upside down, but two? Evelyn and Maxwell Trevelyan were just ordinary twins trying to do their duty to their family by going to the Conclave like their father wanted, but they never suspected how things would change so much for them by taking a wrong turn.
Evelyn is the older twin, the free spirit living in her father's shadow, resisting being put in the role of one day becoming head of her house. All she wants to do is live her own life and not have to deal with the responsibility of leadership.
Maxwell wants everything Evelyn rejects. A failed Chantry initiate and a Templar that couldn't hack it, all he's ever wanted was to impress his father and live up to the Trevelyan name.
On top of all this, throw in a dashing apostate Garrett Hawke charming his way into Evelyn's heart, and a tough as nails Cassandra Pentaghast Maxwell's hopelessly in love with, maybe the siblings will manage to save the world while they're trying to navigate love and life's challenges!
A/N:This story was largely inspired by "Oneiric" by mahbecks on AO3! I don't plan on this being a super long fic, but I do know I like to write decent sized chapters, so it shouldn't be short either. Since there's so many stories out there that comb over the entire game, I'm probably going to be making time jumps through out, because I already have another DA fic that has turned out to be rather tedious to write. I want to have fun with this one, so I'm not making any promises, but I don't abandon stories either.
"Maxwell Trevelyan, did you eat the last apple? That was going to be my breakfast!" Evelyn Trevelyan threw a twig at her twin brother, who laid his head against a tree off from the beaten path they had been travelling.
Max smiled at her, knowing the older twin couldn't begrudge him. "I was hungry!" He shrugged off her chiding look before standing up and stretching.
"You're lucky we're almost to this conclave. Father didn't tell me it would be this cold down here, but I suppose that defeats the point of the name." Evelyn rubbed her hands up and down her arms, wishing she had opted for the fur lining mother had insisted on.
Max ran a hand through his dark auburn hair before gathering his bearings for the day's ride ahead. Evelyn had her own misgivings about going, but as next in line to take over her father's place as head of the noble family, she was given little choice in the manner. And of course Maxwell had insisted on going too, so there was no sneaking out of it!
She shook her head at the thought. "You know, if you hadn't tagged along, I could be halfway to Rivain by now, where the women don't have to deal with overbearing fathers. Hmm and the tea too!" Evelyn could almost taste the cloves and ginger that was hard to come by in Ostwick.
"Oh, not that again! You know, I wish I had your position. You're lucky." Maxwell started cleaning up the camp while Evelyn readied the horses.
"Ha! I'd give it to you if Father would allow it. It's not my fault I was born five minutes sooner than you." Evelyn hated that fact, she never wanted to lead. But what father wanted for the Trevelyan family was usually set in stone, regardless of how much Evelyn had chafed at his attempts to push her into the role.
"I don't know why he won't let me lead, I want it!" Maxwell sighed, frustrated. "First I join as a Chantry initiate, but he's not satisfied. Then I join the Templars, and that's still not enough. The man's as pious as they come, what do I have to do to impress him?" Evelyn never enjoyed this talk, it was always circular.
Before she could reply, the pair heard a rustling in the leaves across the path, immediately putting them on guard. "Who's there?" Evelyn already had her bow aimed at the bushes before Max could draw his sword. The siblings had trained side by side for years and were equal in skill, but Evelyn always had him beat on speed, to his chagrin.
"Don't shoot! Maker, I definitely don't need this after the journey I've had…" A deep, male voice answered her, an exhausted man stumbled forward.
"I asked, who are you?" While Max had already sheathed his blade, Evelyn was still on guard.
Who was this man? He didn't look like any ordinary traveler or commoner, his appearance stood out. Evelyn kept her eyes trained on his muscled, armored form and noted an odd blood marking on his bicep and another across the bridge of his nose. And along his back lay a staff. An apostate! He looked somehow familiar, but she couldn't place him.
"He's hurt, Evelyn get my pack!" Maxwell was already rushing forward to meet the man, Evelyn sighed and set down her bow to retrieve her brother's supplies.
"Gah, terribly sorry to disturb such a cute, innocent couple. I was just trying to get to Haven, was ambushed by a group of bandits about an hour ago." His sarcasm was already testing Evelyn's patience, but she knew her brother was too altruistic for his own good so she'd never hear the end of it if she didn't help.
Evelyn couldn't help but roll her eyes at the mage. "Uck, he's my brother. Here, Max." She handed her brother the bag and proceeded to lean against the tree, not caring to help any further.
"You've got a nasty cut on your arm. Here, sit." Maxwell gestured the man to sit on a nearby rock and took to rifling through the bag for bandages.
"Thank you." The mage commented as Max went to work dabbing at the cut. "My name's Garrett. You're the first friendly people I've seen in days. Almost got lost in this forsaken mountain…" Garrett spoke eyeing Evelyn, making her feel uncomfortable for some reason.
She never met a mage before, and while she tried not to be too quick to judge, with rebel apostates running amok since the rebellion started, her trust didn't come easy.
"Well, Garrett, I'm Maxwell Trevelyan, and this is my sister, Evelyn. It is nice to finally have some company. We've been following some older maps, trying to avoid main roads since we heard of the rebellion. Are you headed to the Conclave, like us?" Max looked up with trusting eyes, ignoring Evelyn's disapproving look at giving away too much information.
"What a coincidence, me too! I'm trying to find my friend, Varric Tethras. The last letter I received said he would be there."
"Would you like to join us?" Max's eyes lit up with a youthful innocence that always seemed to drag trouble Evelyn's way.
"I'm sure our friend here would rather travel alone, Max…" Evelyn hinted, but of course Max didn't care. He was always the good samaritan, even at his sister's expense, but she let it pass because it made him happy to help.
"Oh, it wouldn't be a trouble at all to me. Unless it bothers your sister?" Garrett wagged a teasing eyebrow at the woman, followed by Max giving her the puppy eyes she always melted under.
Despite the pleading eyes, Evelyn still had to speak up. "Dear little brother, might I have a moment?" she practically dragged him by the collar over to her. "We don't know this man, and as well meaning as his intentions may be, I don't want to take chances on this trip." She whispered even though they were out of earshot.
"Oh, come on, Lyn. We'll be fine, and besides, I could use some company other than a nagging sister!" Max did have a point there. And maybe he wouldn't talk her ear off so much if he had someone else there.
"Very well then!" Evelyn turned on her heel and announced to the apostate. "It's no trouble at all, but we really must be going. We're running late as it is! We don't have an extra horse though." Evelyn feigned regret, knowing Max didn't have an excuse for that.
"Oh, well you can ride with me, Ev!" Max packed up his bag and went over to the horses.
"Lovely. But before we head out?" Evelyn turned to Garrett, "I see you're an apostate. I don't have any problems with apostates, so long as you don't cause trouble for us, you're fine. If you put my brother in a compromising situation, though…" She didn't need to finish the sentence.
"My lady, you needn't worry! I've had enough trouble in the last year to last me a lifetime so you'll get none from me." He held out his hand in a gesture of good faith and flashed a smile her way, making her blush.
Garrett was obviously a few years older than the twins, but had a youthful appearance about him. His shaggy brown hair clung to his head, the locks were cropped in a layered, jagged fashion that gave the impression he was a young adult, while his beard and mustache balanced it out by giving him a more mature look.
As the trio made their way back en route to Haven, Evelyn slowly began to drop her guard with the strange man after a time when she saw he wasn't going to pull any tricks with them to her relief.
"So, who is this Varric Tethras you spoke of earlier?" Max chimed in, eager to fill the silence.
"Oh, you don't know? Don't worry, he'll tell you all right." Garrett snorted, not realizing the twins had no idea what he was talking about.
"And what does he do? You make it sound like we should know who he is." Evelyn found herself speaking up, interested enough in the conversation at least for the sake of boredom.
"Many things really, but you might know him by his books. Hard in Hightown ring a bell?" Garrett shifted his staff on his back before shifting his attention over to Evelyn.
"We don't read much, other than force fed Chantry rhetoric." Evelyn never had much time for reading anyways, she was far too busy exploring her family's land growing up.
"Ha! Speak for yourself, it wasn't forced on me, sister." Max, the ever faithful Andrastian would always defend his faith, even if it stood apart from his sister's views. On most things he was steadfast with his sister, but religion was another matter.
It's not that Evelyn didn't believe, she just didn't care for organized religion all that much. She always mentally wrinkled her nose to Max's attempts to conform, to be the good little Chantry boy mother always wanted.
"It seems your sister isn't a fan of the Chantry, but it's okay. I'm not either." Garrett sent a wink Evelyn's way, once again making her blush and making her regret her body's betrayal to someone she didn't even know. "Apologies, it looks like my words have affected the lady!" The two men shared a teasing laugh, Max clearly enjoying the mage getting the best of her.
"Ha ha, very cute. You two, already cozying up!" Evelyn snapped off a twig from a passing tree and threw it at the mage, and soon the trio were cutting up, trading light barbs with each other. It took some time, but eventually they became more familiar with one another as they neared the village of Haven.
X
By the time they saw the village in the distance, Max was thoroughly exhausted. It was already well into afternoon, with the Conclave beginning early next morning, so Max relished the idea of getting the first bed he could find and have a proper nap.
They stopped the horses by the lake where the village path started, Max helping Evelyn down even though she detested it. He could be just as protective of her as she was to him, just in his own way.
"Maker, I hope there's a free bed!" Max stretched his legs out as the other two unloaded their gear. "Oh, of course you want help. Sorry, sis." Max rushed back over and took his fair share of their bags before they set out on the path.
Just outside the main gate, there were a few dozen soldiers practicing their drills, and Max was immediately envious of them. All he had ever done in his life was serve, but he always found himself serving a purpose that wasn't really what he wanted in life. It was what he thought his father wanted.
It was when he and his sister took up sword and bow at age ten that he found his father looked at him differently. He wasn't a natural at fighting like Lyn was, he had to practice a lot more to even get a glance of his father's approval. And that always bothered him. So, when improving his fighting skills wasn't getting him as far with Bann Trevelyan, he thought joining something bigger than himself would do the trick.
And then as they walked, Maxwell in his distracted ruminations, bumped into a woman.
"Maker, what in the-" A tall woman with cropped raven hair exclaimed when she turned and met his eyes. Max would normally freeze from the embarrassment he would be suffering in front of Lyn, and especially Garrett, but this time Max's reaction was different as he looked into the woman's eyes and became transfixed.
"My lady…" For a moment he caught a soft expression from the woman. It was one of surprise and vulnerability that struck Max, he couldn't tear his gaze from her. Her irises were a warm and calm walnut hazel shade, the shape of her eyes were feminine and yet practical. Not too wily but not too homely either.
He didn't fail to recognize her other features. Maxwell's focus quickly darted to how her angular jaw and heart shaped face perfectly juxtaposed her soft lips and eyes. Never mind the scars, they didn't even register to him…
"Ahem." Evelyn stifled a laugh at her brother. "You'll have to excuse my brother, Seeker. He's not around women very much!" Her teasing jest is what brought Max out of his trance and then he realized how ridiculous he must have looked slack jawed in front of this woman. And a Seeker! He was never going to live this down. Max wasn't sure if the red in his cheeks would ever go away, he certainly felt it.
"It's alright, maybe you should watch him. We wouldn't want him stumbling into any more people." The Seeker bowed her head, and before Max could finally speak up for himself, she was already on her way with her red-headed cloaked friend by her side.
"Well, I think I've had my fill of entertainment for the day." Garrett smiled with his arms crossed across his torso, but was soon proved wrong as they entered through Haven's main gate.
"Well, shit! Look who finally decided to show up!" A booming, distinct voice called out to the trio as they entered a local tavern. Max quickly found who the voice belonged to, a strawberry blonde dwarf enjoying a pint at the bar.
"Varric!" Garrett strode forward to greet his friend, picking him up in the most manly hug Max had ever seen exchanged between two men, and that wasn't saying much because he never saw two men hug before. Max and Evelyn exchanged humorous looks with one another as the two caught up before Garrett forgot about his new friends in company. "Varric Tethras, I want you to meet my recently discovered travelling companions: Maxwell and Evelyn Trevelyan!" He held out an open hand in grandiose introduction.
"Well, if you two got this nughead here in one piece, this storyteller might just have to include you in Hawke's sequel I've been writing! Due to popularity, it's tentatively titled: Tales of the Champion." Varric shook the twin's hands despite their varied confused reactions at hearing the name Hawke.
"The Hawke?" The twin's of course being on the same wavelength, a proud cliche of theirs. They exchanged confused and shocked expressions with one another after realizing they had been travelling with the Champion of Kirkwall and had no idea. Oh, and of course Max knew that name, given his involvement with the Chantry more recently!
"I suppose I should really introduce myself." Hawke ran an awkward hand through his hair. "I'm Garrett Hawke." Max was not expecting this trip to be so much fun!
A/N: So that was the introductory chapter :) I'm going to be moving things along as I write, I don't want to spend a lot of time on all the major stuff that happens in DAI, so the plot will probably be written out fast to focus more on relationships. I hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think of twin Inquisitor's!