Chapter Title: The Unbidden Rescue
Written by: Wintryone, LucienGrey, & FenZev
Beta'd by: Erana
Chapter Summary: Despite her best efforts, Hawke finds herself involved in Qunari affairs again when the Viscount's son goes missing.
So far, Hawke had managed to keep her promise to herself, and stay away from the Qunari compound. She had not, however, been as successful at keeping the Arishok out of her thoughts. Or her dreams. Nor had she been able to avoid the constant teasing from Anders. The annoying mage was always sneaking up behind her and groaning in her ear in imitation of, well - she didn't want to think about it. It did cause her to leave Anders behind more and more, and bring her sister on their frequent adventures to raise coin. Bethany was more than compliant, and had happily been improving her healing abilities.
Fortunately, planning for the Deep Roads expedition was keeping her plenty busy, and the work available in Kirkwall seemed to be growing exponentially. Even the Templars seemed to be willing to part with their coin. Both Cullen and Thrask had paid her well for services rendered, even if those services had not been to her liking. In fact, most of the work she'd found in Kirkwall had been distasteful, to say the least. Yet, when she'd seen the advert in the Hightown Market that the office of the Viscount was hiring, her only thought was that the gold would likely be exceptionally good. She'd torn the poster off the wall, and headed for the Keep.
Hawke wasn't sure which she hated more, the politics of Kirkwall or her desperation for coin. Her mother had tried desperately, yet with no luck, to schedule a meeting with the Seneschal, or the Viscount, and she'd been turned away at the doors numerous times. Now that the Viscount's son was in trouble, the Seneschal was practically talking to anyone who would listen. It annoyed her, and after nearly being knocked down the stairs by some Nevarran woman and her entourage, the Seneschal's cross-armed posture when she spoke to him didn't help stifle that annoyance.
She was surprised to learn Saemus may have been taken by the Qunari. Of course Bran didn't say so outright, only hinted that the boy was missing and the Qunari were sighted. He also suggested that the Arishok had already been notified of the matter, but wouldn't admit it. Word games, fear of political consequence, it was enough to make Hawke's head spin. If the boy's life was indeed in danger, why all the games? You'd think a father would do anything within his power to save his child, and the Viscount certainly had power. Instead they tip-toed around appearances.
Politics aside, the reward was decent, so Hawke accepted the job much to Varric's delight. Bran made it known, almost too easily, that the Nevarran mercenaries were going to search the Wounded Coast for Saemus. Hawke didn't mind giving them a head start; she could always intercept them on the way back to Kirkwall. Before she found herself caught in the middle of some war between the Viscount and the Qunari, she wanted to see for herself if there was any truth in what the Seneschal had told her.
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By the time she arrived at the docks, Hawke's mood was still foul. Even though her interactions with the Arishok to date had been brief, she knew all too well that she must compose herself before entering the compound. To spit and snarl at the leader of the Qunari would not be wise. It might even be suicidal.
Yet, she was determined to find out whatever information the Arishok had concerning the Viscount's son. She also believed there was a certain code of honor in bringing what she'd discovered at the Keep to the Arishok. It went against her very nature to play the kind of games Bran apparently liked to play.
Today, she'd brought Fenris, Varric and her sister, Bethany with her. Of all the companions she'd gathered to herself since leaving the Red Iron, these three she found the most satisfying to work with. Even though Bethany was too nice sometimes, and Varric's constant sarcastic chatter could be annoying, she enjoyed a certain level of trust with them she could not find with the others.
At the bottom of the stairs leading up to the compound, she turned to Fenris.
"So, should I be doing this?" she asked the elf suddenly doubting herself.
"It is a risk," Fenris said, "but I believe one worth taking."
"How so?" His opinion carried some weight with her, because of his greater knowledge of the Qun, of course.
"He will either kill you outright, or be impressed with your honesty," said Fenris. "If you impress him, that would of course be to your advantage in the future."
Hawke nodded. "Well, he can try to kill me, anyway," she said grimly.
Fenris' soft chuckle surprised her. "Very true."
"All right, let's do this thing," she said and marched up the stairs.
Once they'd been admitted by the guard at the gates, Hawke heard her sister softly whisper, "Oh my," from behind her.
"It's okay Bethany, they look mean, but they don't bite," she said in an aside.
"Are you sure about that, sister?" asked Bethany, her voice filled with awe.
"So far, anyway," Hawke replied, and then turned to the Qunari leader. "My apologies for intruding Arishok." She made sure that her voice carried none of the inner turmoil that arose from seeing him again. "I wonder if you might have a moment for a few questions?"
The Arishok uttered a disinterested growl. "It appears all you do is ask questions. Have you no answers of your own?"
Hawke smiled at this, knowing it was probably not the appropriate thing to do, but she did so anyway. "If I had the answers to these questions I wouldn't be here, now would I?"
"Hawke," Fenris warned with a stern tone.
She released a frustrated sigh. "Fine," she said under her breath to Fenris. To the Arishok she offered, "I apologize Arishok, forgive me. It would only require a minute of your time."
The Arishok leaned forward and stared intently at her. "Ask."
Dear Maker why does he have to be all grunty like that? Clearing her throat, Hawke took a step forward and informed the Arishok why she was there. "The Viscount's son, Saemus, has recently gone missing. Rumor has it he may have been taken by Qunari."
She stood, waiting for an answer, and after several breaths the Arishok responded. "Careful human, your question sounds more like an accusation."
The threatening tone in his voice shook her for a moment, but Hawke recovered quickly with a sly grin. "You misunderstand Arishok," she said. "I only wished to inform you that this is what those in the Viscount's office believe, and thus you should be wary of them."
Hawke was certain she heard him grunt, and then the Arishok stood. He walked from one side of the landing to the other, a clawed hand stroking his chin, and then stopped when he reached the center of his bench. "Interesting that you believe I care what your Viscount thinks." He descended the stairs, as he had done before, standing close enough to tower over her. "Tell me human, are you here for an answer or a reaction?"
She resisted the urge to swallow before answering. She hadn't realized it before, but both times now that she'd spoken to the Arishok, it was almost as if her friends weren't there beside her. Why was it that this man, this beast, this powerful creature, consumed her entire world whenever she was mere inches from him? "Both?"
"Are you looking into this matter personally?" the Arishok asked.
Hawke nodded, her dry mouth suddenly unable to respond upon feeling his warm breath on her skin. Yet, she thought she may have heard an underlying tone of... what? Approval in his question?
"Pity you waste your time here then, seeking answers and reactions," he said, before turning his back on her to return to his bench.
The Arishok was dismissing her. And when Hawke realized this, her blood began to boil in anger. Dismissing her? After she had come to do him the favor of letting him know what the Viscount and Seneschal were thinking? Quickly she found her voice again and was about to use it until a gentle nudge from Varric changed her mind.
"Um, Hawke?" the dwarf muttered under his breath. "Ixnay on provoking the giant oxman."
She sighed, clearly agitated that Varric was right, and also not happy with the fact that the Arishok would win this battle. One battle, she thought to herself, not the war. "You're right Arishok, of course," Hawke said through gritted teeth. "We'll just be on our way."
As they were about to exit the compound, the Arishok called to them. "One more thing, human."
Hawke turned to acknowledge him, though she did nothing to hide her scowling expression. "Yes Arishok?" she asked with a sarcastic bow. When she corrected her posture, she thought she saw him smirk.
"Tell your Viscount Qunari do not take kindly to rumors."
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After her conversation with the Arishok, Hawke considered that Seneschal Bran was extremely lucky his head was still attached to his neck. She may not understand the Qun very well, but she understood what a manipulative weasel the Viscount's right hand was.
"Pompous ass," muttered Hawke as she, Varric, Fenris and Bethany made their way along the cliffs of the Wounded Coast, searching for the Viscounts son, Saemus.
Varric laughed from behind her. "The Seneschal or the Arishok?"
"We can start with the Seneschal," she stated.
"Bran is like all good politicians, Hawke," Varric said conversationally.
"How's that, Varric?" she asked, though without much interest. Between that bitch Ginnis, with her 'Get out of my bloody way,' and Bran's condescending 'If you'd like to try your hand...'
"Slippery and slimy like all snakes," Varric said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Snakes are not slimy," said Fenris, sounding bored.
"And you know this, how exactly?" asked Varric.
"Just stop!" Hawke said from between clenched teeth. "You'll have the Winters, and every other bandit on the coast on us with your inane chattering." To make herself feel better she drew her sword and quickened her pace.
When they finally found Saemus, the Qunari who'd been with him was dead, and he was snarling at Ginnis. "Ashaad... you killed him! You... you vashedan bitch."
Things sort of went downhill from there, or uphill, depending on if you like a fight where you're outnumbered ten to one - and Hawke did.
The first thing she did was take down Ginnis, with the help of a well-placed freeze spell from her sister. For the next hour, they fought wave after wave of the mercenary Winters, while in between she tried to keep Saemus calm. The boy, because that's how she thought of him now - he simpered and cowered from just seeing a little blood - was no help at all, and she worried he'd get himself killed without even being in the fight.
When they'd finally dispatched the last round of mercenaries, the others began to sort through the weapons and possessions, searching for anything that might be sellable. She knew this task was distasteful to her sister, especially from all the little squeaks and groans that Bethany made as she did so.
Hawke walked up to Saemus. "You're all right?" she asked succinctly.
"Thanks to you, Serah, yes," he replied, and he gazed around at the bloody, mangled corpses with a look of disgust on his handsome face.
"I admit I have no idea what the proper way is to deal with a dead Qunari," she told him.
"The body is no longer him, and is worthy of no special treatment," said Saemus sadly. "That is apparently, their way."
"You and this... Ashaad," said Hawke. "You were friends?"
"I don't know if that's the right word," he replied. "I am the Viscount's son, bound by everything that means. Ashaad... did not care. We were both seeking something. It was enough."
Hawke thought back to her recent encounter with the Arishok and her not-so-welcome reception. Was that how her own thinking was off? Was it more that the Qunari accepted what was, without the usual sort of ingratiating that she found in the other races? Yet, Ginnis had implied there was something more between Saemus and this Ashaad. Considering her own reaction to the Arishok, Hawke found she had to ask. "Saemus, was there... something... special between you and Ashaad?"
Finally, a demeanor worthy of the Viscount's son appeared on Saemus' handsome face. "Keep your assumptions," he said. "Take me back to my father."
After that little awkward exchange, Saemus seemed to prefer to walk between Bethany and Fenris, while Hawke and Varric followed.
"Well, that went well," said Varric sarcastically as they began the long trudge back to Kirkwall.
"You think so?" asked Hawke.
"Actually, no," replied Varric. "Step carefully, Hawke. I'm beginning to wonder if your interest in the Qunari is... healthy."
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The Karasten entered the compound later that night after returning from the Wounded Coast. He approached the hovel where the Arishok had retired for the evening and stood at attention, awaiting permission to speak.
The hovel itself held little in the way of comfort, for the Qunari required only the basics to survive. The Arishok's armor lay in one corner with his giant battleaxe beside it. A bedroll, table, small chest and single chair were the only other items in the space. The Arishok was seated at the table reading a water-worn tome, when the infantry commander presented himself to provide news from his mission.
"Yes," the Arishok spoke the word without looking up from his reading.
His Karasten began his report. "The Ashaad you had sent to map the coast is dead."
This news gave the Arishok pause, and he looked up at his subordinate with interest. "The human?"
The Karasten shook his head. "Not by her hand. A group of mercenaries in search of the boy, who pleaded with the human to take revenge for Ashaad's death."
The Arishok had not anticipated this. "And did she?"
"She and her companions eliminated the mercenary leader and three dozen of her men," the Karasten concluded.
"Interesting," the Arishok said before closing the book he was reading. "What of the boy?"
"Returned to the Keep, escorted by the human. I believe he was seeking a path to viddathari through the Ashaad."
A nod by the Arishok let the Karasten know he was dismissed. The Arishok retrieved his axe and walked out into the compound, holding the axe against his bare-chested shoulder. He began to pace the large square as he thought on this latest report.
The Viscounts son seeking conversion to the Qun had its advantages. There was very little the Viscount could do if that was the boy's wish; he would be protected under all laws of the Qun. If something were to happen to the Viscount, and the boy was chosen to lead Kirkwall, by Qunari rite and custom Kirkwall would then belong to the Qun. This was worth considering.
The human was a conundrum the Arishok had yet to figure out. This warrior, unlike most humans he encountered other than viddathari, seemed to have ability. In fact, he knew of no viddathari that could take down an entire mercenary band. The Arishok had seen the filth of this city and others, such as in Rivain, but none had ever been so bold. No one had ever dared to challenge him, and never had he caught the quickening pulse of a female's heat who was not of his own race.
If he was unfortunate enough to remain in this city, he decided both the Viscount's son and the human were worth further study. For now though his priorities were clear; find the missing artifact so he and his people could return to Par Vollen. Only if unsuccessful would he consider using both the boy and the human to help re-educate Kirkwall.
