"So, you still don't believe my story, hm?" a stout dwarf sitting on what looked like a throne huffed, "What? Too much glamour for it to be true?"

He was speaking to a woman who stood not too far from where he sat. She looked more upset than the dwarf, and spoke in a deep French-like accent, "You tell me these… stories, and you expect me to believe you? They are all so… so…"

"Heroic? Romantic? Too cunning for you?" the dwarf chuckled, "All right, I'll tell you the true story. From beginning to end. No jokes, no rumors, just cold, hard truth. Are you sure you're ready for this?"

The woman sighed in relief, "Nothing would make me happier!"

"Very well," the dwarf leaned back in his seat, making a tent with his hands, "I will start when the Champion and her family were running for their lives, leaving their home in Lothering.

Darkspawn were overrunning the town…"

"We have to keep running," a girl looked over her shoulder, making sure they weren't being followed.

There they were, a small party of four. An older woman, with her hair just graying, fell to the ground from exhaustion and the other three rushed to her aid. One of the three was a boy, the other two, girls. One of the girls helped up the woman while the remainder fought off the rest of the darkspawn that rushed to feast on the older woman.

"Carver!" one of the girls cried out to the boy, pointing up.

The whole family looked to the sky and saw the archdemon bellow out a foul noise that shook the earth and heavens, bringing the family to their knees. From the cry, there came footsteps that rattled the bones of the family who looked around them in caution; some of the darkspawn had slunk away. They all felt the steps become heavier and heard them approaching fast. They turned around, coming to their feet once more, only to face a most horrible sight.

An ogre, at least twenty feet tall, stood before them, growling and gnashing its dirty teeth. The boy of the family rushed towards the ogre, thinking that his blade would crush the beast and save his family. He was wrong. All the ogre had to do was pull back its hand and come down on the boy, ki –

"Enough!" the woman broke the dwarf's story, "Dwarf, if this part stays the same, please go to a place in your story that does not. And, the last time you spoke of the ogre it was only nine feet tall,"

The dwarf raised an eyebrow and sighed, "Did I say that? Hm, I meant twenty feet, I'm sure of it. Ah, very well, if you insist," he shrugged and thought for a moment then nodded, "You have already learned of how the Champion came to meet Fenris, Anders, and the handsome dwarf Varric. Of course, in case you've forgotten…"

"Dwarf…" the woman almost hissed.

Varric laughed, "Very well, I'll just get on with it, then," he closed his eyes, resumed his hand pyramid and began to tell his story, "The Champion had obtained many friends along the way, making many enemies as well. But, there was one thing that the Champion kept consistent: her party. It was always Fenris, Anders, and me. At the beginning, I wasn't sure why she would do this, but then I became used to it, and thought nothing of it,"

The woman listened and then piped up, "The Champion put an apostate with a slave whom, as you've told me, hates magic? What was she thinking?"

"Well," Varric thought for a moment, "That was the best team we had. I would be with Anders, shooting from afar, Anders would heal as needed, Fenris would take all the damage from the enemies, and Hawke, the Champion, she would clean up any bad guys that Fenris didn't or couldn't get to,"

"And it worked?" the woman raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

Varric nodded, "As Hawke once told us:…"

"Please… stop bickering… I don't care if you fight before a battle, but… when we're fighting enemies, please pretend to be civil and work together," Hawke sighed, rubbing her eyes as she interrupted yet another argument between Anders and Fenris.

Anders shrugged, "This wouldn't be a problem if your elf slave didn't keep shaking his head in disapproval every time he looked at me,"

"At least I do not allow strange beings into my body and expect good things to come from it," Fenris stated abrasively, "And she is not my master,"

"You could have fooled me, the way you follow her and watch her when she walks,"

"That's what you do, you idiot,"

"Don't call me an idiot! You… stupid elf!"

"And you had to think about that. What a shame," Fenris glanced to the side, pretending to ignore any further comments from Anders.

Maximus, Hawke's dog, watched the two fight, then whimpered and covered his face with his paws as they did. He was Mabari, and could understand almost every word. Hawke pet his head gently to soothe him, glancing around, "I guess we walked right into Hightown and didn't even know it," she looked over at Varric and smiled, "Luckily, you aren't bickering,"

Varric laughed, "Even if they stopped for a moment, I wouldn't be able to intercede," he glanced at the two who had already begun to bicker again, "Because they'd be back to it eventually,"

Hawke sighed, shaking her head. The two had not stopped their fighting from the moment she picked Anders up from the clinic, then Fenris from his mansion. It was as though one was hot oil and cold water (respectively), and the fighting would ensue as soon as the two were present. Hawke had only ever bickered a few times with Carver before he had died, and maybe once with Bethany, but it was never this bad. Not as bad as these two, at least.

"We should go find my brother," Varric smiled, "I'm sure he'll tap dance when he sees how much gold you've been able to accumulate,"

Hawke smiled, "Very well. Varric?"

"Hm?" Varric pulled his attention from the two fighting behind them.

"I didn't know your brother could tap dance,"

The two laughed to themselves, trying to ignore the squabble behind them.