Okay, just a little background here. In my universe, Hawke is a female mage without any siblings. Also, Hadriana waited until Danarius arrived to attack Fenris, but Hawke gave him over without a second glance. Also, Merill doesn't exist.
"If I can't see my reflection on the table, you'll all wish you hadn't been born." Danarius remarked casually as he oversaw the slaves' work in the dining room.
Fenris gave a cursory glance around the room. A very important merchant was coming over for dinner, and all the slaves were working furiously to make the house sparkle. He knew that a special team was preparing the guest room for an overnight stay.
Instead of his usual armor, Fenris was wearing a green vest with loose, black trousers held up by a rope belt.
Less than half an hour remained until the visitor was supposed to arrive, and there wasn't anything for Fenris to do, which left him time to think.
Which was something he tried to avoid.
A female servant left the kitchen and walked over to Danarius. Her eyes were respectfully aimed at the floor, but Fenris knew they were a rich brown. Just like-
No.
"Dinner is ready, master."
Danarius flicked his hand in acknowledgement, and she bowed her way back to the kitchen. "Make sure you behave, Fenris. This is a very powerful merchant that I need to convince to do business with me."
A male servant dashed into the room.
"Master, the guest has arrived."
Danarius strolled over to the fireplace. "Show them in. Fenris, fetch the wine from the cellar. Bring two bottles."
Fenris bowed his head. "Yes, master."
He opened the door next to the one that swung into the kitchen and descended into the basement.
Repressing the memories of when he had gone into a similar basement to retrieve a wine of his own choice, Fenris grabbed two bottles of the vintage he knew his master preferred.
He heard voices as he climbed the stairs, indicating the guest had been seated.
Hesitating for a second to steel himself, Fenris braced himself for the night to come. Dinner parties were never an enjoyable experience, but at least there was only one guest to worry about offending in the slightest way. Hadriana was present, but Danarius hadn't allowed her to invite her friends. Thank the Maker.
Fenris exited the cellar, making sure to close the door carefully. Composing his features to those of an attentive slave, he turned around to face the newcomer.
Crash!
The wine bottles shattered simultaneously against the stone ground as they fell from Fenris's semiphased hands.
"Fenris! What is the matter with you?" Danarius exclaimed, glancing at Fenris's glowing hands and rising to his feet. "Control yourself!"
Fenris could only stand there, gazing at the visitor with a maelstrom of emotions tearing through him. Shock, pain, and then blind fury all had their turn, until he was positively quivering with the effort of not phasing and eliminating the source of his turmoil.
"He hasn't changed much." the visitor remarked dryly. "Although, I haven't ever seen him without his armor on before. So much had been left to the imagination..."
With that, Fenris's control snapped and he lunged at the woman with a roar of rage.
He was immediately thrown back and his marking were set aflame by a spell from Danarius. The visitor looked alarmed, but not terrified like others would have been.
Danarius spoke loudly enough to be heard even over Fenris's gasps for air. "I apologize for my pet. I refrained from wiping his memories after retrieving him, which I see now was a mistake. Hadriana, escort my little wolf to your chambers and punish him thoroughly. I do beg your pardon, madam. I thought I had retrained him sufficiently. This was an error on my part, one I assure you I will rectify. If there's anything I can do to make up for my horrible oversight, please don't hesitate to ask."
Hadriana had grabbed his leash and yanked him out of the room, so Fenris didn't hear the visitor's response.
As soon as they reached Hadriana's chambers, she sent a wave of magic at him that threw him into the wall on the other side of the room.
Hadriana, having been an apprentice for 7 years, knew how to punish slaves not quite as brutally as Danarius, but enough to have driven several slaves insane. But not even the worst punishment could shake Fenris out of his flashback of what had gone wrong.
Them together. He leaving. The letter. The meeting. Convincing her (he never thought her name) to come with him. Danarius. Being betrayed without a thought. Long weeks of intense "training." Drowning in the agony of what he had almost been. Suffocating in the knowledge that this was all he would ever be.
Finally, Hadriana stopped, exhausted. She had eventually resorted to force magic, and then whipping, and Fenris offhandedly noted the burning pain in his back and the fact that at least two ribs were broken. Being used to this didn't help him heal any quicker, but he could identify injuries like a champ.
"Go wait in Danarius's chambers." she ordered, looking at him in faint bewilderment at his lack of emotion.
Without a word, he stood up and limped out of the room. His entire body ached from what had literally been an hour of fierce magic, but he didn't let that slow him down.
Fenris knelt in his customary punishment position in the middle of the room. Even though the pain of his past had overshadowed Hadriana's beating, Danarius's intense rage would give his magic a strength that Fenris had only experienced twice before. And those two times were running through his head as he waited for his master to finish dinner.
Finally, he heard footsteps approaching from down the hall, and he prepared to greet his Maker.
The door opened.
"Get up." Danarius ordered.
Fenris rose to his feet with slight difficulty, still staring at the ground.
"The visitor has requested your services for the night. You will go to her chambers and serve her."
In spite of his training, he head whipped up and he stared at Danarius. "You can't be serious, Master."
"I am completely serious. You have performed such services in the past and this is a chance for you to repay the outrageous offense you have committed against this very influential merchant."
Fenris's jaw dropped and he couldn't respond for a moment. "Master, I'll gladly take the punishment. Just, don't make me-"
Danarius's eyes flashed. "That's enough. I am ordering you to go to her chambers and do whatever she commands you. Do you honestly want to test me further?"
"No, master. I'll perform my duty and return to guard you later," Fenris intoned, slumping in defeat. Hopefully she wouldn't make this last too long.
Danarius shook his head. "You will stay in her room tonight, and if I hear that you so much as thought about hesitating to obey her, I will become so creative with my punishments that your delicate mind will shatter into pieces. Go."
"Yes, master," Fenris responded, departing with a bow that rendered him unable to breathe for a moment as pain shot through his abdomen.
He turned and strolled down the hallway, fear building with every step. Fenris had seen her in battle before, he knew how vicious she could be. Even if she didn't harbor any resentment (why else would she have just stood there?), he would be lucky to escape this night with only minor scarring.
Her door. He had arrived.
Bracing himself for the worst experience of his existence, he opened the door.
"Fenris!" Isabella exclaimed from where she was standing near the room's only illumination, the fireplace. "I've missed you so much!"
She hadn't changed much since he last saw her a year ago. Her hair was longer, but that was the only big difference. And the fact that she was wearing modest clothing, possibly for the first time in her life.
Fenris found himself unable to put on a show, and instead ripped his vest over his head and threw it on the ground. His stomach had nasty bruises around his upper ribs, and the pain from moving set his markings aglow. All in all, not the best he's looked.
For a moment, Isabella stopped walking toward him.
"Fenris-" she started, but he didn't give her a chance to continue.
"I'm sorry if I'm not putting on the show you desire. Can we just skip to the beating? Or did you wish to taunt me by describing how my old 'friends' in Kirkwall are doing? Tell me about Anders! Are he and Hawke-" His voice broke as he said her name. It had been a year since he had even thought it, and the amount of pain it still caused was incredible. Hawke.
Isabella took another step towards him. "That's not-"
"Okay then," Fenris said. "Let's get to the main course. This always has been your favorite part, hasn't it?" He started to undo the loop of his belt.
"Fenris, stop!" Isabella commanded.
His servile instincts went too deep to allow him to disobey a direct command, and he nearly threw up when he realized what he had just done. He had practically challenged the person who owned him for the next 12 hours or so to maim him. Past experience had taught him that the nightstand held all sorts of toys to make things interesting for those particularly sadistic visitors, and from the look she was giving him, Isabella had fallen into that category.
Unable to believe how foolish he had been, he fell to his knees, shaking with the terror of what was to come and the knowledge of how badly it would undoubtedly hurt.
Isabella walked over to were he was shaking, and gently touched his head.
His immediate action was to flinch back, and he cursed himself for making what was to come worse.
"Fenris, I'm so sorry."
The simple apology hung in the air. Sorry for what? The night of horror that was to come?
"Please, come sit on the bed with me."
Fenris drew a shaky breath, rose to his feet, and continued undoing his belt. Only twelve hours, only twelve hours he thought to himself desperately. You can survive for twelve hours.
"No, Fenris. Keep your pants on. Never thought I'd say that." she joked, but he didn't respond as he went to sit on the bed.
Isabella looked at him for a minute before speaking. "Fenris, Hawke is a blood mage. She has been since her mother died."
Fenris's eyes widened, but he remembered to keep looking at the ground. Hawke is a blood mage? Since Leandra's death? That made sense, but that was was two years ago. How had he been with her for a year and not noticed?
"She'd become very powerful, right under our noses. When Danarius came to get you, she placed Varric, Anders, and I under a thrall. We didn't even know it, but that is the only reason we didn't fight to the death to protect you."
Fenris's mind shot back to that afternoon. He had only focused on Hawke and her betrayal, but now he remembered the faint smell of blood in the air. Danarius had been the obvious source, but what if-
"Kirkwall has fallen into chaos. Hawke stormed the Circle with a group of other mages, and released all of the occupants, even the dangerous blood users. Crime in the city is unimaginably common. With less than two dozen Templars left, mages are roaming the street, destroying at will. And Hawke is holed up in her mansion, doing experiments with blood magic. Fenris, she's going to destroy the world."
There was silence, and Fenris glanced up at her, noticing the stress lines on her forehead and her slightly grayer hair. Gone was the flirty, carefree pirate with her constant teasing. He didn't know what to make of this new Isabella.
"And let me guess. You came here to buy me from Danarius so I can clean house in Kirkwall. The fact that I'm a slave just makes it so much easier. Do you prefer Mistress or My Lady?"
Her jaw clenched. "If the circumstances were different, I would slap you for saying that. I didn't come because I needed a slave. I came to rescue one of my dearest friends from a hell I accidentally consigned him to. The only reason I wasn't here sooner is because there have been nasty hurricanes sweeping the coasts for months, drawn by the crackling magic in the air. We left as soon as we could, and I'm so sorry it took so long."
Fenris met her eyes, glancing from one to the other quickly. This almost sounded like she wasn't here to make him pay for having hope. "Why does Danarius think you're a powerful merchant?"
She smiled. "Don't I look like one? I spent good money on these chantry clothes, and they served their purpose admirably. Of course, it didn't hurt that Varric has been sending out couriers to spread word of my vast fortune. When I let it be known that I was looking for a magister to do business with, Danarius practically tripped over himself trying to make sure I went to his house. And then I made an appointment for dinner, and you know the rest. I have a healing potion in my bag, hold on a second."
As she rustled around inside her bag, Fenris tried to process all she had said. There was a small seed of hope blooming in his stomach, one he desperately tried to crush. This could easily be a sick joke that would lead to a shattering of the innermost part of him.
Isabella found what she was looking for, and handed it to him. "Drink this, you'll feel better. Also, side note, I've invented a new cure for a hangover that is only 80% more alcohol. There may be a reason I leave making potions to Anders."
"What does he think about the new mage status? I bet he's overjoyed." Fenris said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He downed the health potion quickly and almost groaned with relief as his bones righted themselves and the lashes on his back closed up. His inner cynic (born one year ago) wondered if she just preferred a blank canvas to work with.
"You'd think that, but even he has a problem with it. He has hordes of new people crawling to his clinic every day, most of them victims of magical attacks. The mages will attack anything in their way, and even things that aren't. They burned the Hanged Man to the ground because it was out of beer. It's nothing left but confusion and terror for nonmagic users."
Fenris frowned. If even Anders thought something needed to change, it must be bad. "Why are you here?"
"I told you, I'm here to get you. And also possibly loot some safes. But you're the priority."
Fenris stared at her. "I'm practically priceless to him. Danarius isn't going to just sell me."
"I don't expect him to." she said calmly.
"Then how-" Fenris stopped. It was all a trick. This was a diversion!
He turned around and lunged for the door.
The past year hadn't been kind to him, and a lot of his muscle mass was gone. Due to the outbreak of mages, Isabella had to stay in shape and was indeed stronger than ever. She easily overpowered him, and pinned him against the floor, the door still shut.
"If I don't protect him, he'll come after you later! You have no idea what he's capable of! Let me go, so he won't suspect you!"
He desperately tried to break free of her grip, but she remembered to grab him above his elbows so he couldn't phase.
"I'm trying to save you!" she hissed, and then venom in her voice made him struggle more violently. "If he's dead, you're free!"
Their current situation, him pinned under her, fully clothed, was not exactly how he had pictured this night going.
He needed to get to Danarius. Otherwise there would be nothing left after Danarius got to him.
With a deep breath, he gave up his attempts to struggle. Isabella relaxed her grip.
"Thank you. See, it's-"
Drawing strength from his lyrium, Fenris jumped up and sprinted towards the door.
Isabella, being a rogue, was caught off guard for only a moment.
Fenris had barely opened the door when he gently closed it again. He strolled back over to the bed and sat down.
"I'm sorry, Fenris, but you left me with no other options." She said, and he noticed she was pointing a thing at him.
He had served Danarius for long enough to recognize a control rod when he saw one.
"It's for your own good. You just don't understand every force that at play here." She didn't apologize, but she did look uncomfortable.
And it might not be such a big deal to her. How would she have known that Danarius and Hadriana used those to make him beg, scream, and give them suggestions when punishments became too dull?
"It's only until he's finished. Then I'll destroy it, I promise." If he could have, Fenris would have rolled his eyes. Yeah, right.
Hadriana would have a field day when she discovered how he had been restrained. He could picture the "training" Danarius would insist she put him through.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Fenris prepared himself for the blast of magic that would strike Isabella and he.
It wasn't Hadriana at the door.
"Is it done?" Isabella asked anxiously. "Are they dead?"
"As a particularly lifeless doornail, my dear. The guards will also be out until tomorrow morning." Zevran said, and then glanced at Fenris. "He's taking this very calmly."
"Oh, crap!" Isabella started fumbling with the control rod. "I don't know how to turn this off."
Zevran held out his hand. He had shed his usual green armor in favor of a slick black ensemble, and it was indeed hard to see him in the dim light.
Isabella handed it over to him and Fenris felt a flash of fear. He didn't trust Zevran an inch and he didn't expect for a second that the Antivian would free him.
Zevran, who was fully aware of this hatred, smiled a little bit and twisted a section of the device.
Warm spread through his veins and Fenris abruptly stood up. Zevran handed the device back to Isabella, who threw it onto the ground, shattering it. Fenris cracked his neck and then made a frantic dash out of the door, semiphasing so they couldn't grab him.
Neither of them tried, however, and he sprinted all the way to Danarius's chamber.
On the bed was his master, with several piercings he hadn't had prior to this.
As arrogant and unbearable as Zevran was, he did know how to kill someone sufficiently.
Fenris stood there, looking at the body of the man who had shattered him into pieces and scattered them so he could never rebuild a life.
And then he smiled.
He was free. Free to not make the same mistakes as last time.
"His apprentice is likewise incapacitated," Zevran remarked from where he stood in the doorway.
Fenris whipped around to face him.
"Isabella is looting the library's unsecured valuables."
Without speaking a word, Fenris walked over to a brick in the wall and pushed it in. With a whirring of mechanics that may or may not exist in this universe, certain bricks melted into the wall, revealing a metal safe.
"My my my. This Danarius was just full of secrets, wasn't he?" Zevran remarked as he strolled over to the safe, pulling out a lock picking kit as he did.
"Don't bother," Fenris spat. He picked up a knife off of a nearby table and made a tiny incision on his finger, just enough for a drop of blood to appear.
He pressed it to the door of the safe, which popped open with a quiet click.
"Blood magic. How devious," Zevran muttered, examining the contents.
Fenris thought back to when Danarius had first had the safe installed. Anyone can be a thief, little wolf, but few will be desperate enough to be successful at it.
There were piles of gold and papers. Without giving them a glance, Zevran slid them into the bag that had been tucked in his belt.
Fenris shot one more glance towards the bed before he went to go verify Hadriana's death.
"It's not their fault, Fenris." Zevran said, calmly. Fenris paused at the door. "They came as soon as they could."
"And why did they come back? To use me again. To take care of the problem they let happen."
Zevran walked toward him. "Actually, the current plan is to take Isabella's ship to Rivian. If you assume that everyone just wants to use you, you'll start scaring away the people who don't."
Fenris didn't respond, simply walking out of the room. Confusion was running rampant through his mind, but so was a sense of hope. Maybe Hawke really had poisoned the minds of his friends. Friends...
Hadriana was indeed dead, and Fenris took pleasure in smashing her staff against the stone flooring, breaking it in two. However, it did release a static shock, which was surprising but not painful.
"You ready, sweetie?" Isabella asked. She had found his armor and somehow managed to drag his greatsword to him. "We should get out of here before the guards come to."
Fenris looked at it and then her. "Isabella, I'm a rogue now."
"What?" she exclaimed. "You couldn't have told before I dragged this hunk of iron all the way up here?"
He chuckled. "I'm only kidding, Ize. Come on. Let's go kill us a bloodmage."
Isabella frowned, and then smiled. "How about multiple blood mages?"
Zevran silently joined them, and the three of them strolled out of Danarius's mansion into the bright sunlight (just kidding, it's nighttime.)
They met up with Varric and Anders, and the five of them set out to prevent the next Tevinter Imperium.