The first day at sea had been miserable for both Tylis and Endrin, who had never set foot on anything bigger than a fishing boat. Endrin had spent most of the first day puking over the side, and Tylis had spent most of the first day puking into a bucket and experimenting with a spell that would keep the seasickness at bay. The sailors were all Marchers and had found their discomfort amusing, having two of Ferelden's heroes on their ship meant nothing to them. On the second day Tylis had worked the kinks out of his spell, and they spent the rest of the voyage in relative comfort, still they were both relieved when they stepped off the ship's gangplank and into Kirkwall's Gallows.

Endrin pushed greasy hair away from her face and groaned. "I'd kiss the ground, but I don't want to risk bending over."

Tylis grinned and touched his friend's shoulder, Endrin felt instantly rejuvenated, and whatever lingering feeling of nausea she had vanished. "You're welcome." Tylis grinned again.

"So where did you say your cousins live?"

"In the last letter Leandra sent me, she said they'd moved back into her family's old estate, but that was…" Tylis frowned. "A long time ago. I wonder if they're still there."

Endrin studied a road sign and started up the road that would take them to Hightown. "You didn't keep in touch?"

Tylis shrugged. "I've been a little busy running an arling, the Vigil, carrying out what our illustrious leader can't manage on his own, and hunting down Disciples in my spare time." He watched Endrin out of the corner of his eye as he added, "We can't all be carefree Dalish who frolic through the woods, firing arrows into the sunset."

Endrin playfully jabbed him with an elbow and said, "Elves don't frolic."

Tylis looked up at huge estate in front of him and felt the need to gape, but he managed to keep his mouth closed. The big house looked like a small castle, the white stone it had been made from, the straight and rigid edges, the false spires at each corner, right down to the ivy growing up the walls, which was being tended to by a dwarven gardener.

"How rich did you say your cousins are?" Endrin asked next to him, although she seemed less enamored than he was.

"I… don't know." Tylis answered. "You met them back in Lothering, they were commoners back then. When Leandra said they'd moved into their old estate, I'd assumed that meant they'd come into some money, but this… I had no idea."

"Are you sure we have the right house?"

He glanced at the heraldry above the entryway. "No… but their family name is Hawke, and if that doesn't look a hawk of some sort, then I don't know what does."

Endrin cocked an eyebrow at him. "Are you going to knock?"

"Yes…" Tylis said absently, and he hesitantly moved towards the door and banged the knocker twice.

The door opened a few seconds later revealing a young, blonde, elven girl. "Good morning." She said. Her eyes moved to Endrin and widened in surprise at seeing the vallaslin tattoo, then they moved back to Tylis. "Can I help you, Messere?"

"I hope so." Tylis answered. "We're looking for the Hawke Estate, is this it?"

She nodded. "My master and mistress are away at the moment, but Mistress Leandra is here. Would you like to speak with her?"

Tylis's face broke into a grin and he almost laughed, but managed to contain himself and say, "Yes, very much." The elven girl pushed open the door and led the way through the house.

"Are you a slave?" Endrin asked bluntly, and the question caught Tylis surprise so much that he stopped and stared at his friend.

The girl didn't stop until she glanced over her shoulder and saw Endrin staring at her. Tylis didn't seem to know who to look at. "Oh no," She answered, sounding almost embarrassed. "My masters saved me. I am very happy to be here and working for them!" She started walking again and the two Wardens followed.

"Was that really necessary?" Tylis mumbled.

I had to be sure." Endrin answered seriously.

The girl led them through the entire house, out the back door and into a walled garden. At the far end was a grey-haired woman, sitting on a stone bench. A bouquet of flowers rested on the bench next to her, and she read a letter that presumably came with the flowers. "Mistress," The girl said, "These people wanted to—"

"Leandra!" Tylis burst out. "I've finally come!"

The woman looked up and when she saw Tylis the letter dropped from her hands. "Tylis!" She said.

Endrin looked away as the two of them hugged, and she hoped that Tylis wouldn't start crying. She looked at the elf. "What's your name?"

"I am Orana."

"Aneth ara, Orana. I am Endrin. Is there someone I can rest while they two of them catch up?"

"Yes, come with me messere. And I have fresh bread if you would like."

Endrin nodded, "Ma serannas."

"What?"

"It means thank you in our language."

Two hours had passed and Endrin still hadn't seen Tylis or Leandra come in from the garden. Orana had been more than accommodating, too much for Endrin's comfort, the girl seemed to actively look for things to do before Endrin could lift a finger to do them herself, and occasionally started talking as if she and Endrin were old friends. She talked about her papa, and her old mistress, someone named Hadriana, her new masters, she seemed to prefer not using their names, and several other people that Endrin had never heard of. Endrin was almost relieved when she heard a door open and close, but the voices that followed did not belong to Tylis and Leandra.

"…but like I said." A female voice said, "This Nelson was the best fighter I'd ever faced off against, and his attack the Grand Cleric and then taking her hostage only to release her was the stuff that legends are made out of! So, with all that I mind I said that we should take the fight back to my cabin and—"

"I can guess how it ended." Another woman said, and a third person laughed.

"We're going to have to do something about your innocence one of these days." The first voice said, "My offer still stands to take you to the Blooming Rose."

"Very kind of you." The second voice said, and then the three people entered the kitchen. Endrin recognized two of them, the one she didn't know was a dark-skinned woman with a blue bandanna around her hair, and wearing a… shirt that didn't leave much to the imagination. They still hadn't noticed Endrin when Bethany said, "Orana, it's already been a long day, please tell me that you—" She stopped when all three of them simultaneously saw Endrin sitting on a tall stool.

"It's you!" Bethany said in shock. "The one who saved Carver!"

The dark-skinned woman tiled her head to one side and looked Endrin up and down with an odd smile.

"Oh no…" The third person said and started to back out of the room. "You've come for me!" It was Anders.

"Anders, no, stop!" Endrin said, raising both her hands to show she was unarmed. "I'm not here for you, I didn't even know you were here."

The rogue Warden wasn't convinced and disappeared from sight.

"What are you doing here?" Bethany asked, still too surprised to notice her friend was gone.

Endrin grinned. "It's good to see you again too, Bethany. I came to Kirkwall to try and find my clan. I heard they're here, and Tylis insisted that we come to see you first."

"Tylis!" Bethany beamed. "He's here too?"

"Yes, he's in the garden talking with Leandra."

"Bethany," The dark-skinned woman said. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your beautiful friend?"

"What? Oh yes, sorry. "Isabela, this is Endrin. She's one of the Wardens who saved Carver."

"Charmed." Isabela said. "I hope we can…" Her eyes moved up and down Endrin's body again. "Get to know each other soon."

Endrin wasn't sure how to respond to the strange human, but fortunately she didn't have too, Bethany was kind enough to intercede. "Yes, well, perhaps we can sort that out later. Come-on Endrin, I want to hear about what's happened in Ferelden the last five years."

"I think I'll pass on this." Isabella said. "Reunions get me all teary-eyed, and we can't have that. See you later sweet-thing." She looked at Endrin and kissed two fingers, then waved them at the Dalish.

"What is it with her?" Endrin asked when she'd gone.

"Oh, Isabela?" Bethany asked. "She's a… how should I put this… free spirit."

Endrin arched an eyebrow and followed Bethany as she headed towards the garden. She glanced back at Orana, but the girl didn't even look up from her work. For a brief moment she saw herself, without vallaslin, standing over a lump of uncooked bread dough and a pile of chopped potatoes. Not a single thought of independence or free will in her head. Endrin had gathered that Orana used to be a slave, but had been freed. At least her body was free, her mind was still a slave, and on some level she always would be. "Andruil," Endrin whispered and ran her finger along the arrow tattooed the length of her face. "Thank you that I was born into the Dalish."

Carver started shedding his armor as soon as he shut the door behind him. He'd heard Bethany joke that he could be tracked by the pieces of armor he dropped. His armored gauntlets clattered to the floor. He knew it was true, but he was so tired, and his work as a templar was becoming more exhausting. His helmet fell off at the far end of the foyer. Blood magic was a real problem. He knew that not all blood mages were evil, Merrill was a blood mage and she was one of his closest friends. He pulled the chest-piece and attached backplate over his head and dropped them at the bottom of the stairs. But he was getting somewhere! He was the youngest Knight-Lieutenant in Kirkwall, and both Captain Cullen and Commander Meredith sang his praises, telling him that he could easily become a Knight-Commander himself. The greaves landed heavily in middle of the main room. He heard muffled voices coming from the garden, Mother must have had guests over, and he supposed that he should at least make a token appearance before he disappeared into a hot bath for the next hour and then to bed, he was so exhausted it was all he could think about. He left the armored boots on, appearing barefoot just wouldn't do. He lived in Hightown after all.

"Orana, get a bath ready, please." He said without looking into the kitchen.

"Yes, master." He heard her say. He and Bethany had both tried to convince the girl to call them by their names, but she could not be persuaded.

He pushed open the back door, expecting to find his mother entertaining a small group of their neighbors. He stopped short when he saw the guests his mother and sister were entertaining. Tylis looked much older than the mere six years it had been since they saw each other, and there could be no mistaking the elf he'd first met at Ostagar. "Tylis?" He said in disbelief, not even realizing the name had left his lips, and then another one slipped out, "Endrin?" They all looked towards him, and Endrin's face changed from extreme boredom to relief.

"You still remember me." Endrin said. "I'm surprised."

Carver answered, "After Ostagar, and then the dash back to Lothering, you'd be hard to forget."

Endrin grinned in response.

"And Tylis, I was starting to think you were either dead, or would never come."

Tylis grinned as well and shrugged, at the same time Leandra said, "Carver! Is that really how you greet your cousin?"

"I'm sorry." Carver said reflexively. "I'm tired, and it has been six years."

"No explanation needed! Six years is a long time, and longer than I had planned" Tylis said, still grinning as he approached, and they quickly hugged. Tylis pulled back and looked at the uniform Carver wore. "You're a templar now." It was a statement, not a question.

"Knight-Lieutenant." Carver said proudly, and then remembered he was talking to a mage. "I hope that's not a problem."

"No." Tylis answered. "I knew some good templars even when I was in the Circle."

Endrin tilted her head to one side. "How did that happen?" She arched an eyebrow and looked to Bethany, then back to Carver. She pointed to Bethany. "She's a mage, and she's not wearing Circle mage robes, so I'm guessing she's still an apostate… And you're a templar lieutenant."

"Endrin!" Tylis said.

"What?" Endrin answered innocently. "I know you're thinking it too. And I'm curious."

Carver laughed lightheartedly and Bethany chuckled. "Carver's a lieutenant alright." Bethany said. "But I'm a Circle mage."

Both Tylis and Endrin looked at Bethany. "How did that happen?" Tylis asked.

"We get that question all the time." Bethany said.

Carver cut in, "We made the decision together. After a Deep Roads expedition, we got rich, and Bethany being a mage couldn't be kept private anymore."

"I turned myself in to the Circle," Bethany added, "And Carver became a templar the same day." She smiled at her twin. "He was the one who made it bearable for me."

"When I made lieutenant," Carver took over again, "I asked the Knight-Commander that she be released into my supervision. We work together now, a symbol of the Circle itself, templar and mage—in unison!" Bethany nodded in emphasis.

The two Wardens and three Hawkes talked long past sunset and into the night. Carver and Bethany alternatingly telling the story of their flight from Ferelden, arrival in Kirkwall, and their struggle to rise in the cutthroat society of the city. Tylis and Endrin in turn told them the story of the blight after Ostagar, their own fight against the darkspawn, the extreme lengths they had to go to in order to gather an army, culminating in the Battle of Denerim and their defeat of the Urthemiel.

"Tylis was the one who finally killed the Archdemon." Endrin finished. "He was the only one who could have, the rest of us were too beat-up to keep fighting."

"Don't lie!" Tylis immediately countered. "You were the one who killed the Archdemon, remember?"

"No." Endrin answered, and they smiled at each other.

"So, who actually ended the blight?" Carver slurred. He was beyond exhausted but refused to go to bed and leave his cousin and the elf who might have saved his life six years ago.

The two Grey Wardens smiled at each other, and Endrin said. "I did… or… Tylis might have, I can't really remember."

"Could have been Eebon." Tylis volunteered. "Or maybe Dharr. I don't remember, it's all so hazy."

"Don't be coy." Leandra chastised them. "We all want to know, how did it really end? The stories we've heard aren't very clear, and the other Ferelden refugees don't seem to know the truth of it. Which of you really killed the Archdemon?"

Tylis answered, "We'll never say." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but after it was over, we made a pact to never say who really killed it."

Endrin said, "We knew that whoever killed the Archdemon would be elevated to near-godhood status, but we saw our quest to stop the blight, and the fight against Urthemiel as a group effort, and we all played equal parts. So, whenever someone asks who killed the Archdemon, we misdirect them."

"Sounds fair," Carver said tiredly, and made a yawn without any attempt to conceal it. "Well, Tylis… ladies, I'm going to my bath, which is probably cold now, and then to bed."

"Good night." Tylis said, "We should probably hunt down an inn ourselves."

"Don't be absurd!" Leandra quickly cut in. "That would make us the worst hosts in Kirkwall, and we could house a small army in these walls. Please stay with us, it's only fair."

Endrin glanced at Tylis, and the mage nodded. "We would be honored." Endrin responded. "May I sleep in the garden?"

Before they could ask, Tylis said, "She doesn't like sleeping inside, she says it's too human. She might sleep on the floor on the fourth night or so."

Endrin did not sleep that night. Almost as soon as the last human and left the garden she took her bow and climbed over the wall. As a huntress of the Sabrae she'd learned to moved silently through the woods or countryside, and after years as a Warden and friendship with Kylae, she was silent as a shadow in the city as well. She slipped past the drunks who staggered to or from a bar, around the groups of City Guardsmen, and several "patrols" of pretenders, all without breaking her stride. She always moved down, farther away from Hightown, past the markets, through Lowtown and into the Elven Alienage.

Merrill's name had come up in conversation more than once, and Endrin had gathered enough to know that it was the same Merrill she'd grown up with the Brecilian Forest. Tylis had found his family, now it was time for Endrin to find hers.

Lights shone in several of the alienage windows, but only one house was decorated with Dalish carvings. Endrin picked up a carving a halla, briefly examining it in the dim light before setting it back down. She knocked on the door.

"Coming, coming… I'm coming." A voice from the past answered, and Endrin wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. She'd never decided what she would say to her old clan if she saw them again, and so far the only one she'd seen had been Ashalle. She was still thinking what she'd say when the door swung open to reveal the same Merrill she remembered. The same dark hair, and vallaslin. The same wide, curious eyes. The same poise.

"Merrill." Endrin said the name, she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Endrin…" Merrill answered. "Are you a ghost?"

"No." Endrin stepped across the threshold and took the bow off her back. "This is Falon'Din's Reach, Master Ilen gifted it to me when I passed the Hunter's Rite." She set it down and leaned it against the wall next to the still open door. She showed the scar on her arm. "This is where the wolf bit me before Tamlen killed it." She pulled off her hooded green cloak and held it out with both hands, but Merrill only backed further away, disbelief still showing in her eyes. "This is the cloak that Ashalle gave me when we claimed our home in the New Dales." She let it drop to the floor and held out a single hand. "Touch me, Merrill. You cannot touch a ghost."

Merrill reluctantly took Endrin's hand in her own. "Lethallan?" She asked, and her eyes widened as the truth dawned on her. "Lethallan!" She shouted and pulled Endrin closer, hugging her fiercely, as if Endrin would turn into smoke and blow away if she let go. "Endrin, ma falon! You're here… you're really here! You've come back! But how… the Keeper… the Warden… Tamlen… the cave…" Her voice trailed off for several seconds. Endrin didn't answer, she clung to Merrill just as tightly. "You're not a ghost! And you're here! How is this possible?"

"I'll tell you everything." Endrin whispered.

Hello again everyone. I hope you liked this most recent chapter. Writing it made me laugh a couple times. I always wondered what a meeting with the Hawkes and Amell would go, and even more about what it would be like if Mahariel and Merrill came together again. I'll get more into the Bethany/Carver dynamic later, and how Hawke's death affected them... yes, he's dead.

For the record, Endrin does not find out that Merrill is reassembling the Eluvian that corrupted her at this meeting, but she will eventually. I still haven't decided how she's going to react.

Until next time -

Falconhawk