"Bethany!" was loudly whispered from the other side of the room.
Bethany sighed, maybe if she ignored Marian just this once she might actually get a full night's rest instead of gallivanting through the forest or going to Brian's next door to drink his parents wine stash dry.
These excursions were fun the first few times, the thought alone of sneaking out in the middle of the night and trying not to get caught by their Mother or Carver had made her grin and her sister laugh until she snorted, but every morning after she had to explain to their Mother why they either had cuts or bruises everywhere or why they were so unusually groggy and sick.
She always had a good enough excuse for her and Marian but that wasn't the point, it was the fact that they've snuck out every other night for the past four weeks without doing anything fun.
"Bethany!" her name was whispered again but Marian's voice was closer this time meaning she had probably gotten up and would shake Bethany awake if she didn't answer in the next thirty seconds. Stifling a groan, but rolling her eyes in exasperation, Bethany flipped over roughly and came face to face with Marian's unflinching knee.
She would not punch her sister in the knee and tell her to go back to bed.
She would not.
"Yes, sister?" Bethany asked, her voice croaky from exhaustion, she had spent all day practicing her healing with Father. Normally it wouldn't have taken this much out of her but her Father had insisted that she learn some more advanced healing.
"Come on, everyone's asleep, lets go." Her sister said excitedly pulling at Bethany's arm
Said arm pulled back and Marian grunted looking back at her sister in confusion, "What? What's wrong?" she asked Bethany
"Nothing, I just-" she started to say but paused, she loved spending time with her sister, and she wanted to continue to do so, but she was really tired. Thinking on how not to disappoint her sister, Bethany cautiously looked at Marian, the girl looked equally as tired as she felt but there was an underlining excitement that had been there on her face for these past four weeks that she had dragged Bethany out. It was confusing, her and her sister shared everything, for Marian to keep something from her was highly unusual, and suspicious, "Why do you want to go out so badly anyway?" she asked and a second later the other girls face had gone deep red and she averted her eyes.
Hm, interesting.
"No reason!" she said quickly and turned back to her sister, only to scowl because Bethany's face had a very large grin on it, "What?" Marian asked suspiciously
"Who are they?" she asked pleasantly, enjoying how her sister's face had gotten a deeper shade of red in the small light provided from the candle light next to the pair and how her eyes widen slightly.
"What? No, there's- I have no idea what you're talking about! Let's just go, alright." Marian said with a frantic look in her eye but Bethany stayed seated, only moving to lean on her elbows and watch her sister twitch under her gaze
"So, obviously you met someone," she said and continuing to speak over Marian's loud protests, "but why were we walking in the forest for the past month? Also why would you want me there with you, wouldn't you want some, uh, alone time?" Bethany said, the last part accompanied by an eyebrow wiggle.
If she thought that her sister's face couldn't blush harder anymore she'd be wrong.
"Bethany!" Marian said in a hilariously scandalized tone, which was equally hilarious in itself because she knew that her sister wasn't a prude and that Marian was only shocked because Bethany had said something suggestive.
She didn't always go to Brian's with her big sister.
In response to Marian's outburst she simply raised her eyebrows until her sister broke. Lying down next to Bethany with one hand over her eyes, she grunted when Bethany poked her shoulder impatiently, "It doesn't even matter, we looked everywhere and…" She trailed off, and Bethany took the time to actually look over her sister.
She looked at the slightly defeated slump in her shoulders, the sad tilt in her brow. She took her sister's hand off of her face and looked in her eyes, searching.
They were dejected, but, looking closer, there was a spark Bethany only saw in her sister's eyes when Marian successfully completed a difficult move when sparing with carver.
It was nice, seeing her sister untroubled about their lives and keeping Bethany safe, and it cemented something in Bethany.
She would find this boy who made her sister happy.
"Tell me everything." She demanded and Marian rolled her eyes but a grin was pulling at the corners of her mouth.
"There's nothing to tell really, I found him one day wandering around and-" she stopped, frowning slightly and looking down at her hands, avoiding Bethany's encouraging stare, "I don't even know why I want to find him again, he wasn't particularly nice, even if he did save me from a goddamn bear." And the way Marian had said bear, with such vehement dislike, made Bethany snort a laugh until the full brunt of her sister's words hit her
"A Bear!" she said and her sister had the decency to look a bit guilty, "When did you fight a bear?"
Her sister shook her head slightly, "I didn't fight the bear, I left my daggers at home- don't ask, I don't know why either- he fought the bear off for me." she said
"I like him more and more."
Marian snorted but some tension flitted off of her face, "You haven't even met him."
"Well, when I do, I'm sure I'll like him, he did fight off a bear for my big sister." Bethany said and Marian grunted
"Don't remind me, good first impression I'm sure." She said embarrassed, but Bethany didn't pay attention to her sister's affinity for never being 'weak', whatever Marian's definition of weak was.
"What happened after the bear though, did he sweep you off your feet? Did he-" Bethany gushed, but Marian put up a hand to stop the onslaught of questions before the could become really ridiculous.
"Bethany, I did say he wasn't super pleasant when we first met didn't I?" she asked and Bethany closed her mouth and tilted her head slightly
"What do you mean?"
"Well, after wiping the blood off of his terrifyingly huge sword- shut your mouth you know what I mean and that's gross- he came over to me, pulled me off the ground and started to yell, at me, about being dumb." she finished with a laugh but Bethany's eyes widened
"He yelled at you? After he saved you?" she asked incredulously and Marian just shrugged in response
"I told you he was no knight in shining armour, more like a lanky elf swinging a sword that was bigger than him, covered in blood."
"Huh." Bethany said dumbly
Marian nodded slightly, a look of disbelief passing over her face before she smiled, eyes slightly unfocused, "But he was…" she trailed off and Bethany hummed encouragingly for her to continue, her smile softened further, "He was sweet, in his own way. I mean- I don't even know him, why am I talking like I do?" she asked in a self-deprecating tone but Bethany shook her head and grabbed her sisters hand
"Doesn't matter, you met him and what's done is done."
Marian raised and eyebrow, "What does that even mean?"
"It means," Bethany stressed, "that we gotta go and find him."
"He lives in the forest, Bethany."
That explained one thing, at least, "He lives in the forest?"
"He also doesn't particularly like mages."
"Marian!"
"He'll like you though!" Marian was quick to reassure her sister
"I don't-" but before Bethany could say anything Marian pushed on
"And if he doesn't, he can keel over for all I care." She said strongly and despite herself Bethany snorted
"But you like him." She said and her sister waved her concerns away with a dismissive hand
"You're my sister, and he's just some- some hot elf with weird tattoos."
"Ooh," Bethany said, ignoring the warming feeling in her chest, her sister was very sweet in her own, unusual way, "tattoos, mother isn't going to like that very much."
"Mother isn't going to like what very much?" said a voice from their doorway and both girls jumped and stared at their mother guiltily.
"Mother!" Marian said but quieted when her Mother raised an eyebrow
"What are you two doing up? You have to help your father get groceries from town tomorrow morning."
"Sorry mother." They chorused and Marian quickly got up and slipped into her own bed
"Now go to sleep, and don't make me wake up again." Their mother sighed and turned to leave, blowing out the candle next to Bethany's bed
She waited a few seconds, after hearing her mother's own bedroom door click shut faintly, before lighting the candle once more and staring at her sister's amused face from the other side of the room.
"How many times have you actually talked to him?" she whispered and Marian rolled her eyes good naturedly
"I don't know, we talked a couple of times." She said, and squirmed when Bethany said nothing, "Ugh, fine, I've talked to him multiple times, on multiple occasions, for a multitude length of time."
"So he likes you too!" Bethany said happily and Marian looked over to her in confusion
"How did you come to that conclusion, I just said we talked a few times."
"A lot."
"Not really."
"Well, if I'm imagining him correctly, he seems a bit of a recluse. He lives in a forest, for Maker's sake."
"Uh, well, he's got a good enough reason."
"What's that suppose to mean?'"
"He kind of has a bounty on him?" Marian said it like a question, but there was something behind that that made Bethany pause instead of freak out
"What did he do?" she asked cautiously and her sister's face darkened slightly
"He's from Tevinter." She said simply, but Bethany could put two and two together, an Elf who hates mages, from Tevinter.
"Oh." Bethany said finally and Marian nodded grimly
"S' why he lives in the woods." And Bethany nodded
"When did he tell you?" she asked which made Marian chuckle
"He didn't, I found a reward for a 'Tevinter Fugitive' one day, he didn't talk to me for days after I showed him, the idiot thought I was gonna sell him out, can you believe it?" She said fondly and Bethany could feel a grin spread across her face, Marian looked over and floundered slightly and pointed to her sister, "Stop with that face or I'll stop it for you." She threatens but Bethany just laughed quietly
"I can't, I've never seen you in l-"
"Don't say it!"
"-In like before." Bethany quickly says, she almost forgot about her sister and feelings
"Whatever, like I said before, it doesn't even matter, I think he left."
That stops Bethany short, "What do you mean he left?"
Marian shrugged slightly, but she chewed on her lip, "I haven't seen him in a month, he usually- I mean we usually talk every week or so, but when I tried to find him he never showed so…" her voice softening at the end, making Bethany frown
"He left with out a word?"
"He is being hunted."
Bethany huffs slightly, "It's still rude."
Marian's mouth lifts slightly, and there's mirth in her eyes when she looks back at Bethany, "You know, you're right, he could have left a letter or something at least." She said jokingly and Bethany shot her a look
"Of course he should've, you're friends, and friends don't just up and leave with out prior notice."
"One," Marian said pointing a finger, "friends who happen to be running from evil men do, and second, I don't even think he considered me a friend, more like an angry tick or something." She said, and Maker help her, she sounded wistful.
"What do you mean you weren't friends, you said you talked and saw each other a lot!" she said and Marian shook her head
"Do you even listen when I talk?"
"Some of the time." Bethany said cheerfully
"Go to sleep sister, you heard mother, we have to wake up early tomorrow to help father." She ignored Bethany's whine and turned her back to her sister, then there was silence, only accompanied by the sounds of sheets moving and one quiet sigh
"I'll help you find him sister, you'll see him again." She whispered and her sister hummed, and Bethany could tell from her shoulders that Marian didn't believe her, but she let it go, for now.
She'd see her sister happy like this once more.
"Fenris?" Marian said, and her voice gives Bethany a pause-
She's heard her sister sound like that before-
"Hawke?" and oh, she's never heard her family's name said like that before.
"I- You-"
"Hawke."
"Bastard, I thought you were dead!"
"Marian?" and that's her own voice, though she doesn't know why she spoke until her sister turns to her and there's anger in her eyes but-
Elf. Big sword. Bloodied. Weird Tattoos.
"Oh, Maker." She breathes and Marian rolls her eyes at her sister's theatrics and turns back to the Elf- Fenris- who is staring at her with wide eyes.
"Well, this is probably something back from Lothering to haunt Hawke." Varric said and stored Bianca on his back, against her better judgement Bethany snorted
"You have no idea." She said, and Marian shot her a glare but Fenris had started to walk towards the group and her eyes locked onto his.
He stopped in his tracks and grimaced slightly, "I- I had to leave."
"Why?"
"Someone found me."
"You could have left me a letter."
Bethany nodded her head, yes, he could have.
"You shouldn't have had to deal with my problems, I didn't ask for you to." He said, and he looked like there was to be no arguing of the matter, meaning that he's forgotten who he's talking to.
Case in point, Marian walks quickly to where Fenris was standing at the bottom of the staircase and next to a dead body.
Romantic, Bethany thinks warily as she watched the couple.
"You don't get to decide what I can or can't deal with." She said, slightly angry but mostly hurt, Bethany could guess what her sister's was thinking of, you left me for that dumbass reason?
Fenris seemed to understand the unspoken and he looked away, guiltily, before clenching his jaw and turning back to her, "Tell me, what would you do? Would you leave your family for me if I asked?" and Marian snaps her jaw shut and the Elf nods, "I didn't even want to ask you, so I left, and I hoped you forgot about me."
"I didn't." Marian says and he nods again, this time with a wary grin
"That- that's good."
"Did you? Forget about me?"
"How could I forget about the leach of a girl who never left me alone? And ripped my shirt on more than one occasion, on accident."
Bethany's jaw dropped, "Marian!" she said, slightly louder then she intended
"It was an accident!" she said it in a way that sounded like she had to defend herself against this multiple times.
"Sure it was Hawke."
"Shut up Varric." She grumbled but she didn't look away from Fenris and the two stared at each other, lov- liking-ly.
Gross.
"Sister." She said loudly, and the two jumped further away from the other, even if they were already standing an acceptable ways apart
Marian cleared her throat, and Bethany was distracted by Fenris' blush, the boy could become as red as Marian, "What are you even doing here?" her sister asked
Fenris turned, slightly away from them, staring at the dead body at his feet with disgusted expression, "I need your help."
And Marian was already nodding.
Bethany sighed, after years her sister stilled had a crush on the Elf, and looking closer, well-
Bethany knew that things would work themselves out eventually.