Some comments would be nice! ^_^


When the group returned to the clinic in the sewers, Hawke immediately asked the healing mage "Okay, spit it out! What in the Maker's name happened to you back at the Chantry?"

Anders turned to face her and he hesitated to answer her. He looked distraught "I…" he sighed heavily "This is hard to explain."

"Try."

"When I was in Ameranthine I met a spirit of Justice who was trapped outside the Fade. We became friends and he saw the injustice mages face every day."

"So he's not a demon?"

"No. Demons are perverted by their desires. Spirits are the first Maker's children and they all have given up on us long ago. To live outside the Fade, he needed a host. I offered to help him. We were going to work together, bring justice to every child who was ripped away from his mother to be sent to the Circle. But…I guess I have too much anger. Once he was inside of me, he…changed."

"Can you bring him out at will?"

He shook his head "No. He only comes out after I lost all power over myself. It's a madness. A frenzy. Not even the best scholar can tell you where I end and he begins."

"Can he be separated from you?"

"The only thing to separate a spirit from a living host is by its death. All I can now is hoped to control it."

Hawke sighed heavily and rubbed her brow as she felt her head throbbing. Especially the voice in her head wasn't helping either. It was screaming her to turn back and get away from him as far as possible. Bethany looked at her oldest sister worriedly and asked "Sis, are you okay?"

Anders instantly approached and reached a hand out to her forehead. When he pressed his hand on her forehead he used his magic to examine her. Hawke's eyes widened and she quickly pushed his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted in anger and it surprised the whole group, including Anders.

Anders looked hurt by her words and she immediately felt regret and guilt at the pit of her stomach. She quickly apologize to him "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Thank you for your concern, though. But I'm fine. It was just a small headache."

Anders arched a brow at her curiously and he glanced at her party. Aveline and Varric shrugged their shoulders to the mage, but Bethany was looking at Hawke with a very worried expression.

Hawke sighed heavily and said to Anders "Okay. I've done my bargain. Now it's your turn to keep your end of the bargain."

Anders looked a bit irritated that she would go straight to the point after he intended to help her. Shouldn't the woman even look glad that he was willingly to help her? Despite that they hadn't started out in good terms.

"Wait here," he grumpily replied to her and he walked to the back of his clinic where he kept his personal things from the pasts, but it wasn't much. He returned to the group with the maps and passed it to Hawke. "Here. These are the maps I have of this area. I can understand if you personally not wish for me to join your expedition."

Hawke looked surprise and exclaimed "Wait! Whoa! Hold on a minute! How in the Maker's name do you know about this expedition? I didn't tell you that!"

He smirked at her accusation. He had to admit: it was quite adorable to see her looking frustrated. He simply replied "Words spread quickly. Everyone knows about Bartrand's expedition."

"Terrific…" she grumbled sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

Anders shifted his position a bit and said to her "But anyway, if you need of me. I will be waiting here."

She nodded "Good to know." She safely put the maps in her bag and turned her back to him as she intended to exit the clinic. "Let's go," she said to her party and they followed her out of the clinic.


Hawke returned to Gamlen's place with her sister. The others in her party left to their own homes. Her mabari was the first to greet her with happy barks and was jumping around in happiness.

"Who's the funny puppy? Yes, you are!" she cooed at him as he petted his head and scratched his belly after he fell onto his back.

Suddenly she heard her mother's voice "My children have been in servitude! Servitude for a year! They should be nobility!" She was arguing with uncle Gamlen, AGAIN. Seriously for a year that's all she had done. Bethany tried to make her find a job but she was still grieving for the loss of Carver – her little brother who she had lost to a wretched ogre when they were fleeing from their home.

"If wishes were popping we would all be dreaming!" argued Gamlen back to Hawke's mother.

Hawke felt angry for her uncle to talk to her mother like that so she quickly joined her mother's side and shouted at her uncle "Don't talk to mother like that! Why there was nothing set for us, uncle!"

"Your mother was supposed to marry the Count De Launcet. But instead she ran off with her Fereldan opostate." He turned his attention to his sister with a small glare "You don't get to stay the favorite when you do THAT."

Mother looked angry and demanded "Where is Father's will? If I could see it for myself…"

"It's not here, all right? It was read, it went to the vault! No one needed to look at it again!"

Bethany looked at him suspiciously "You didn't bring your parent's will?"

"It was old news! You think I've been sitting here for 25 years waiting for Leandra to slink back here?"

"I'm sure you were doing more important things through the years," Hawke growled quite angrily with sarcasm. Gamlen knew not to mess with her because of her anger issues. She could be VERY aggressive.

Gamlen glared at her, however. "Don't look at me like that, girl! I don't have the blighted will with me!"

"Take me to the blighted vault then! I'll take the will myself!"

"Can't! It's locked up in the estate! Someone else lives there now!"

Hawke groaned loudly in frustration and turned her back to him "This is getting us nowhere!" She stomped her way towards the door.

Her mother cried out to her "Where are you going!"

Hawke opened the door and replied over her shoulder "I'm going to the Hanged Man before I rip his head off!" Then she exited the house with a loud bang behind her.

She sighed heavily and gladly walked down the stairs to the ground level and quickly walked towards the Hanged Man to stay there for a while and to drink some pint with Varric.


Hawke sat alone at the bar with her pint while Varric was sitting beside her. He was trying to cheer her up "Don't look so down, Hawke! Once this expedition is over you get to be a rich woman!"

"Riches are the least of my concerns right now, Varric."

"They'll get over it, Hawke. Besides, that uncle of yours looks like a back-stabbing bastard. No offense."

She chuckled "None taken. I don't see how he's my mother's brother."

"The same thing when I can't imagine you being related to him. It really boggles the mind."

"You're not the only one," she grumbled before drinking some more of her pint.

Suddenly she heard a familiar voice behind her "Zayna?" Hawke turned her head to see her little sister standing behind her.

"Bethany," Hawke turned to face her "Why are you here? You shouldn't have come here alone."

Bethany rolled her eyes "I'm a big girl now, sis. I don't need you to hold my hand."

"I know, I know. But still…" She sighed heavily and asked her "How's mother and that 'uncle' of ours?"

"Still arguing as ever," she replied.

Hawke let out a small laugh "Not surprised. Is there something you need, Bethany?"

"I needed to get away from all the arguing. And I need to talk to you in private."

"Use my room, up the stairs. I'll be here," offered Varric. Hawke grinned at him and quickly leaned forward to press a kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks, Varric!" He grinned up at her. Hawke quickly grabbed Bethany's hand and led her up the stairs to the room. Once they were inside, Hawke released her sister's hand and asked her "Okay. What's up?" She crossed her arms on her chest and shifted most of her weight on one leg.

"You know how upset mother is. So I was thinking that we should get the Will for mother. I've talked to mother and Gamlen about this. Gamlen said that they guard the front entrance well."

"'They', Bethany?"

"Slavers. Apparently, our ancestral home is now a base for slavers all over Thedas. Gamlen lost it to a man who beat him at dice."

Hawke shook her head in disproval. She thought she couldn't hate Gamlen anymore, but she was wrong. Now she really wanted to rip his head off and sell his meat in the market. Hawke asked her "Okay. Then how are we going to get in?"

Bethany smiled "Mother gave me her old key. She said it should unlock the cellar from the sewers. That's our best bet now."

"I'm ready whenever you are."

"Then let's go."


Hawke walked through the sewers with Varric and Bethany. Though she stopped when she saw Anders's clinic just right next to the entrance of the sewers where it led to the estate.

Bethany saw what she was looking at and suggested "We should bring Anders with us. Who knows? One of us might need a healer since slavers plague the place before the vault."

Hawke sighed heavily and told her party "Stay here." She walked towards the clinic.

She pushed the doors open to see Anders wrapping a bandage around a man's injured arm as he was sitting on one of the cots. Hawke stayed silent and went to a near pillar. She crossed her arms on her chest and foot over the other as she watched Anders work.


The man stood up and thanked Anders before he walked out of the clinic. Anders cleaned his hands with a cloth and turned around to go to his desk. He stopped when he saw Hawke looking at his notes.

*When did she get here?* he asked as he tiled his head. He quickly approached to her and said "That's private you know?"

She stopped and turned to look at him. She smirked and said "It's not much of a private if you keep these things exposed like this. After all, many people come here."

He went to her side, grabbed the notes and shoved them in a drawer before sealing it with some mere magic. He glared at her as she was smirking at him widely. He asked her "What are you doing here? You don't seem to be injured."

"I'm perfectly fine…for now. I need your help with something."

Anders arched a brow and asked "What would you have of me?"

"Just come with me. I just don't want to drag an unconscious body of my party to you. I may be injured as well so it would be more difficult if I don't have a healer with me."

"Your sister's a mage. Let her heal."

"Ah, but she doesn't know any healing magic, unlike you. So, you're coming with me." She grabbed his collar and forced him to come closer to her so his face and body was an inch from hers. He gasped when he realized how close he was and he could smell her scent which smelled like roses. He needed to grab hold onto his desk instead of grabbing her waist, but his fingers were twitching to do so.

She however didn't seem to look uncomfortable and she growled as she softly glared at him "You're coming. Whether you like it or not."

Suddenly they both heard some scribbling. They both looked at the side to see Bethany gawking in shocked and Varric was scribbling something in his notes at the doorway. Varric saw them and waved his hand as a gesture to continue "Carry on! This is good stuff!"

Hawke scolded him angrily "Varric!"