They were up at first light, wiping sleep from their eyes as they ate a meagre breakfast of cheese and stale bread. He spied Jowan's staff, it was battered and looked as if it's casting days were just about over.
"What can that thing do" he asked gesturing at it "I mean how powerful is it?'
"My staff? Not very powerful anymore, it has had a hard life" Jowan ran his hands over the chipped wood.
Garrett reached into his pack and pulled out Hubris "here take this, you need to be properly armed."
Jowan took it whistling appreciatively "nice… thank you."
"You're welcome, now time to go and retrieve my hound, ah I've missed her" he smiled wistfully.
They didn't have far to travel, an abandoned looking wooden hut sat by itself, the roof hung to one side and the walls seemed about to collapse on itself. Garrett walked to the door and rapped sharply three times.
"The queasy crow flies at midnight" he snickered through the door.
"The smart mouthed Fereldan gets slapped across the face" a deep voice laughed back.
Seeing Jowan's look of confusion "it's a long story" Garrett explained. "Actually it's probably not that long, more of a… you had to be there story."
"Riiiiight" Jowan answered sceptically.
The door was flung open dramatically to reveal a dwarf, hair glistened thickly on his chest and Jowan could barely look away from it.
"Hey fella my eyes are up here" the dwarf sniggered.
"Yes… sorry it's just so… hairy" Jowan mumbled in embarrassment.
"Don't be embarrassed" Garrett said sympathetically "he loves it when people stare at his chest."
"Awww you ruin my fun Hawke."
"Varric, don't upset my new friend" Garret admonished good naturedly.
"Another mage huh? Hope this one isn't as crazy as the last ones" Varric grunted.
"Well, we only just met so that remains to be seen" Garrett chuckled.
Varric eyed Jowan up and down until the mage went red before turning to Hawke "well I guess you have come to get your pooch."
"Yes, where is she?"
Varric went to the back of the house and pulled open a sturdy door, a brown blur shot past him thumping against Garrett's chest almost taking him to the floor. Garrett dropped to his knees and wound his arms around her, a broad smile lighting up his features.
"Ah Rags I've missed you" he whispered.
Rags barked happily, she had missed her master terribly, she twisted her head running her big tongue up his face. Garrett rubbed his cheek against her fur before standing. The Mabari noticed Jowan for the first time and trotted over to smell her master's new friend, she circled him slowly as if judging him, deciding she liked what she saw she gave an approving bark before planting her head firmly in the palm of his hand. Jowan complied with her demand and scratched her head, forgetting his initial discomfort.
"This will have to be a short visit Hawke" Varric said breaking up the happy reunion.
"Throwing me out already? And here I thought we were friends" Garrett declared in mock dismay.
"It's because we're friends I am throwing you out. The Seekers are looking for me, presumably hoping they can use me to get to you. I don't know how far behind me they are" Varric shook his head miserably.
The cloud came back into Garrett's eyes "Maker, Varric I'm so sorry for dragging you into this mess…"
"Stop it Hawke, you know this wasn't your fault, and I made my choice" the dwarf waved his hand in Garrett's face "what's done is done, now we have to deal with it."
"Yes, but the Seekers? They are not known for their compassion or mercy in these situations" Garrett muttered unhappily "I should just turn myself in."
"And leave Sunshine in the clutches of choir boy, I think not" Varric bellowed. "Do not worry about me Hawke, I can look after myself. I figure you can stay the night, but will have to be gone at first light" he smiled at his friend sadly.
Garrett nodded still looking miserable "alright Varric, and… thank you" he gestured to his dog but they both knew he was thanking him for so much more.
Jowan had gone back to feeling uncomfortable, he didn't know exactly what they were talking about, he guessed that Sunshine was Hawke's sister and choir boy was the Prince, but what the Seekers wanted with the strange dwarf was a bit of a mystery. He supposed it had to do with whatever had started the war in Kirkwall, mentally shrugging he decided that he would probably find out in due time. Having his own secrets he wasn't keen to try and make someone share information they weren't willing to, happy to just have some companionship after years of being alone.
They settled at the kitchen table and Jowan looked around surprised at how comfortable and homey the hut looked. He had expected it to be as dilapidated on the inside as it had looked from outside.
"It's supposed to look terrible on the outside mage, that way no-one wants to come in" Varric told him noticing Jowan peering about him.
"I do have a name you know?"
"Really, I thought they had given up on naming you lot, just calling you all mage seems so much easier."
"We are people too, you know?" Jowan retorted.
"Relax, he doesn't have much of a sense of humour does he?" he directed the last at Garrett.
"Mage's are touchy about these things, you know that Varric" Garrett responded "his name is Jowan by the way."
"Jowan, really? You should just stick to mage" Varric snickered.
"With a name like Varric you'd think you would be more compassionate to people with terrible names" Jowan snapped.
"Oooh I touched a nerve there huh?" Varric laughed loudly "this one rises to the bait wonderfully wouldn't you say Hawke?"
Garrett nodded chuckling deeply "yes he does at that. Ah Jowan don't look disheartened Varric is a terrible tease."
Jowan moved in his chair "I'm sorry, I haven't been with people for a long time."
Varric looked at him sympathetically as Jowan still had the look of someone being hunted "alright Jowan" he said kindly "how about we all have a drink?" He produced a bottle of aged Antivan brandy and three glasses.
"How about some food first? We could do with a decent feed" Garrett pointed out.
"If you're looking for five star service Hawke you have come to the wrong establishment" Varric said mockingly.
"I'd be happy with three star Varric" Garrett retorted.
"Well you will just have to settle for two" he heaved himself up from his chair and soon had a delicious smelling stew bubbling on the stove. Varric cracked open the bottle shortly after they had finished eating and soon he and Hawke got to reminiscing.
"So Anders says, could you ever think about me in that way, and I was thinking what, we just met and you killed your former lover merely hours ago and now you're hitting on me?" Garrett was choking on his brandy with laughter.
"So Hawke totally freaks out, I don't want you thinking about me like that, he practically yells" Varric picked up the thread of the story. "Anders got really angry at you after that, nearly didn't give us those damn maps. Why didn't you just say, I'm flattered but I don't think of men in that way?"
Garrett shrugged, his coughing fit having subsided "I don't know, it just came so totally out of the blue."
"You don't like men? Really? Because after the whole go wash yourself incident I thought…." Jowan let his sentence trail off smiling mischievously.
"You smelled" Garrett exclaimed indignantly "Varric you should have smelled him, he smelled like… like an unwashed raider that had rolled in the filth of ten other unwashed raiders."
Varric nearly fell off his chair at Garrett's outraged statement "that must have been some stink boy" he guffawed.
"So anyway, what happened to Anders?" Varric returned to the original topic.
"I sent him packing after we escaped. You know, if Sebastian had just trusted me he would be able to continue living" Garrett muttered darkly "Anders was my only healer, there was no way we were getting out alive without him. I would have gladly executed him after, in fact, Anders was begging me to."
"Why didn't you?" Varric asked quietly.
"He wanted to die too badly, he wanted to not feel guilty for all the innocent blood on his hands. No, death was too easy for him, he deserves to live with what he did" his normally light grey eyes had turned to a flinty steel as anger threatened to overtake him.
Varric nodded understandingly "Sebastian was always a weak fool. Someone murdered my parents, Hawke kill them, Anders murdered the Grand Cleric, Hawke kill him. He was standing right there, he could have easily done it himself."
"Exactly" Garrett said emphatically "then the lousy prick came and took my sister right out from under my nose in revenge. Maker I am going to make him pay."
"Wait, this Anders… he killed a Grand Cleric?" Jowan was astonished.
"He blew up the fucking Chantry with her inside" Garrett thumped his fist on the table "she was worse than useless but she didn't deserve to die. None of them did" he sighed rubbing his fist roughly across his brow.
Garrett threw his drink back in one gulp and pushed it towards Varric for a refill, Varric poured him another shot wincing when Hawke repeated the action.
"Take it easy Hawke" he muttered worriedly.
"What are you my mother…" he stopped short his eyes filling with tears. "Ah shit, I'm going to bed" he muttered lurching drunkenly from his chair.
Varric glanced at Jowan's barely touched glass "not a big drinker?"
Jowan shook his head "not used to it, drinking too much too soon is a good way to set things inadvertently on fire."
Varric chuckled softly "fair enough. So tell me how did you two manage to meet?"
Jowan recounted his initial encounter with Garrett, he finished with a quizzical look on his face.
"You look confused?" Varric framed the statement as a question.
"It was… odd" Jowan commented, seeing Varric's frown he tried to explain "I have never met someone who would selflessly help a mage. Even my best friend in the circle betrayed me when I asked her for help, so I found it strange to be honest, refreshing but strange."
"Ahh, well I can explain that I think" Varric smiled "Hawke was raised to fear and despise Templars. His father was an apostate mage as was his sister. They spent his whole life running to avoid them. The only one I ever saw him show any kindness too was a young recruit he freed from demons. He had some respect for the Knight Captain of Kirkwall, well up until he took his sister to the circle."
"He didn't resent having to worry about something that was essentially not his problem?"
"No, apparently that was his brother's thing, but Hawke is aggressively protective of his little sister and by extension all mages, especially after his father's death" Varric sat back in his chair folding his arms across his girth as he spoke.
"Oh, well I guess that makes sense" Jowan said thoughtfully.
"That it does lad, that it does. Well, it's getting late so we should probably get some sleep, morning will be here before we know it" he stood and shambled off.
Jowan sat for a moment longer reflecting on what Varric had told him before taking himself to the straw mattress on the floor. His sleep was short lived however, Rags' deep growl and the clatter of Garrett's boots hitting the floor waking him. He leaped to his feet, grabbing his staff while every nerve screamed danger. He managed to register a moment of surprise at seeing Garrett fully armoured and randomly wondered if he had fallen asleep in it. Shaking the irrelevant thought away he turned his attention to the door that Hawke was slowly approaching.
Varric came stumbling out muttering about not having a good night's sleep in an age, his deadly crossbow held almost causally in front of him. They stood in a loose semi-circle poised to attack as the door slowly swung open.
"Maker, Varric, did you not lock the door?" he whispered.
Varric shrugged "I wasn't expecting visitors."
Garrett shook his head in dismay before narrowing his eyes when he saw who came through. The young man stopped in his tracks seeing the three armed men before him.
"Keran?" Hawke's sword wavered, unsure whether he should attack or not.
"Please, I come merely to deliver a warning" Keran explained.
"How did you know we were here?" Garrett demanded.
"Relax Hawke" Varric said calmly, lowering Bianca. "Keran has been feeding me information for quite some time now."
Garrett glared at him in outraged fury "you are working with Templars now Varric?"
"Not Templars, Templar, as in one, how else do you think I have been keeping one step ahead of the Seekers?"
Garrett rocked back on his heels before reluctantly lowering his sword "well then, what is this warning?"
"The Seekers saw Varric leave, I overheard them say they were sending a scouting party after him. They are not long away, you need to leave" Keran's voice held an urgent plea.
"Why do you care Templar?" Jowan's stance was still defensive.
"My reasons do not matter, just go, quickly" he glared at the apostate.
He's right, come on" Garrett said quickly gathered their packs, they followed Keran out of the door saying hasty goodbyes to Varric.