It had been a year since my family and I had escaped to Kirkwall from Lothering, from the corruption of the dark spawn. A year since my brother and I started working for the mercenary company Red Iron. Now I walked in High Town toward the dwarvan district with my brother in tow, him glancing at me now and again. I sighed and stopped walking looking at him, "Something wrong, Carver."

He crossed his arms over his chest, "Are you certain about this."

I mimicked his movements crossing my own arms across my chest, "Do you have a better idea."

He uncrossed his arms and sighed, "No, I don't."

"Then come on," I continued on my way, "This expedition is going to be our chance to get out of that damn hovel our Uncle Gamlen owns." I walked into the district and glanced around, Carver right behind me.

"How are we suppose to know which one he is, all these damn dwarves look the same to me," I smacked him in the back of the head, "Ow what the hell was that for," he rubbed his head where I hit him.

"Do you really want to piss them off, hey I think I see him," I walked over to a dwarf with a ponytail and long braided mustache, "excuse me, are you Bartrand."

He turned and looked at me with anger in his face, "Yea, what of it."

"We heard you're going into the deep roads, we came to sign on."

He narrowed his eyes at me looking like he was measuring us up, "No."

I looked at him with anger, "What do you mean no," he started walking with my brother and me following close behind.

"Andrastes tits human no means no I have enough guards," he stopped in front of a door.

Carver argued with him, "But we've fought dark spawn before."

Bartrand glanced at Carver then back to me, "I don't care if you ripped the horns off of an ogre with your bare hands I said no."

I tried to argue the point next, "look my brother my not always know what he's talking about, but he's right this time you need us."

"Look you're trying to get out of the slums right, well so is every other Ferelden in Kirkwall so go find your meal ticket elsewhere," with that he went though the door to his office and slammed the door shut.

Carver turned to me, "Well now what are we going to do, it's your fault that we are trying to hide from the Templar's."

I cut my eyes at him, " Do you really want to start this argument here, brother."

"No, I just don't want to end up in a cell at the gallows."

"You and me both," we started making our way back to lowtown.

"Maybe Uncle Gamlen can help us, I'm sure he wants us out just as bad as we want to leave." Carver said not sounding too confident.

I grinned, "Well he is just as sleazy as the damn dwarf," I thought for a moment, "perhaps Aveline has something we can help with she is part of the city guards now."

He nodded, "That sounds like a better idea."

"We'll figure something out lets just head back to that shit hole for now." As we made our way through the crowd someone bumped into me, I felt my side noticing my coin purse missing, "Hey," I started after him.

We turned the corner after the thief just in time to see an arrow pin the man to a wall. Carver and I stood there as a beardless dwarf put a wicked looking crossbow away and approached the man, "You don't have the style to work Hightown let alone the Merchants Guild," The dwarf stuck his hand out for the coin pouch. The thief placed it in his hand, the dwarf put it away punched the man and retrieving his arrow, "Now get out of here." The man ran off and the dwarf approached us throwing my coin pouch at me I caught it with ease, "Varric Teathrus," he introduced himself, "I apologize about my brother, he wouldn't know an opportunity if it hit him square in the jaw."

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "and you would I take it."

He grinned slightly, "I would, we don't need more guards what we need is a partner, my brother is tearing his beard out trying to fund this expedition."

I crossed my arms, "If we had coin we wouldn't need to go on this expedition," I sighed and uncrossed my arms, "but seeing that we don't have a damn choice what do you have in mind."

"If you can raise fifty sovereigns my brother won't be able to say no," we entered into Lowtown, "I may have an idea, there is also another matter to address." We stopped in front of a tavern, "Meet me in the hanged man later and we can talk," he entered the tavern leaving us to go home.

I turned to Carver, "Well what do you think?"

"Doesn't seem to bad of an idea if we can get the coin," he started home, "lets go check on mother."

The walk home didn't take long, we entered the hovel, and into the middle of another argument between Mother and Uncle Gamlen, "My children have been in servitude for a year."

Gamlen frowned at her, "you are the one that left Leandra, you don't stay the favorite when you run away with an apostate."

Mother sighed, "It's just hard to belive that they didn't leave me anything, where is fathers will I would like to see it."

Gamlen crossed his arms, "Why it was read, there is no need for it anymore, you won't be able to retrive it."

I interrupted the arguement," You're hiding something, Uncle," I put my hands on my hips, " where is the damn will at."

"It's in the estates vault."

Carver looked at him with suspision," what kind of dumb bastard leaves that behind."

Gamlen went to the door, "I'm not standing for this I'm going for a drink," he slammed the door behind him causing the wall to shake slightly.

I turned towards mother, "Are you ok."

She smiled wearily, "Yes I'm fine dear."

I nodded to her, "Good, Carver is going to stay here I'll be right back, I'm going to meet some people."

"Alright, please be careful, with Bethany gone I don't want to lose you or you're brother now."

I gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry I'll be fine."

"Good," she yawned, "I think I'll get some rest now," she went though the only door in the place that lead to the beds.

I turned to Carver,"You stay here to watch her, I'm going to the hanged man to meet our new friend Varric."

He nodded once, "If you're sure, we don't need our Uncle making her more upset when he comes home drunk," He looked concerned for just a moment, "You watch yourself out there sister."

I smirked, "I can handle myself."

Carver agreed, "I don't doubt you on that I still haven't forgotten last time you proved that to me."

My smirk turned to a smiled as I remember that old memory of me beating him in a fist fight after he tried to sell me short about my fighting skills, "Not all mages are soft."

I went to the Hanged Man and entered the tavern. I was immediately hit with the smell of sweat and alcohol, and the sounds of shouting, drunken singing, and fights about to ensue. I smiled loving it. I approached the bar, and addressed the bartender placing a couple of coppers on the bar, "Give me a pint of your strongest drink."

The man behind the bar eyed me, "you sure you can handle it."

I narrowed my eyes, "Try me." He handed me an old chipped mug with dark amber liquid in it, and I downed it in one gulp. The man looked at me surprised causing me to grin, "Now that's out of the way I'm looking for a dwarf by the name Varric Teathrus."

The man coming back to his senses at the mention of the name pointed toward the back of the tavern, "Up the stairs straight ahead."

I nodded and headed in that direction. As I walked a drunk man tried to grab me, and I turned punching him in the side of the face knocking him out. "Stupid bastard," I spat and continued on my way.

I went up the short flight of stairs a halway went to my left, a room in front of me with the door open. I could see Varric sitting in a dwarven stone chair at the end of a long table. When he heard me enter he looked up from what he was writing, "Hawke glade you could make it," he said with a broad grin, "take a seat I'll get Norah to bring us some drinks."

I sat in the chair to his right, " I would enjoy a drink."

He left the room a moment and came back taking his seat at the head of the table again. The waitress, Norah, came in to place a pitcher of alcohol and two mugs on the table and left. He pour both of us a drink, and both of us downed them. He poured again this time just taking a sip, "so down to business, the expedition needs a way into the deep roads, Bartrand can get us where we need to go once we get there."

I looked stunned for a moment, "You're telling me that he's been planing this expedition without having a way down to the deep roads, how in the void does that even work."

Varric chuckled, "Yeah, he thought he found a way, it turned out to be a bad lead."

"It never is easy," I finished my drink, and leaned back in my chair hands behind my head, "so how can I help."

He nodded his approval, "My sources have been hearing rumors about a grey warden here in Kirkwall, He came in with other Ferelden refugees, A woman named Lirene has been helping the refugees, she may know where to find him."

I thought to myself for a moment, "Grey Warden, huh," I grinned, "aren't they suppose to be dangerous."

He grinned back, "I get the feeling that you like danger."

"That I do my friend, that I do," we finished off the pitcher, "we'll find Lirene in the morning I'll meet you here." I rose to leave.

Varric looked at me, "you gonna be alright getting home," he asked sounding slightly concerned.

"I'll be alright, it'll take a lot more than that to get me drunk." I didn't even slur, "the drinks back in home in Ferelden are a lot stronger." With that I left making my way back home.