Chapter Two
Outside of learning all about her new home and getting used to her magic, Jenna learned that Hawke and Varric were planning an expedition into the deep roads. From what she could gather, the Deep Roads were a bunch of underground tunnels that lead to a bunch of abandoned Dwarven cities. Varric was certain that the expedition was going to make them rich, and Hawke needed the money to take care of his family, and to keep Bethany and now she supposed herself out of the Templar's sights. There was so much love between Hawke and his family; it was actually kind of nice to see. Her own home life had been…well let's just say some people should not have kids, and her mother was one of them. Jenna didn't want to freeload on their hospitality, she wanted to contribute any way she could, and the only problem was how.
An opportunity presented itself in the form of a former Grey Warden who had filed into the city with some other refugees from Ferelden. He had a map to the Deep Roads that they very much needed. Hawke asked her to look into it and she was glad to do it, anything to help. He supposed it should have been a safe enough task for her. She and Bethany learned that his name was Anders, and he was running a clinic in Darktown. "Just look for the lit lanterns, Anders will be within" they were told.
Darktown was as the name implied, Dark, with a musty smell to it; you could almost feel people's hopelessness. This was where the lost and forgotten souls came, the poorest of the poor. There were also some very proud people in Darktown, who thought that if you didn't like living there you should die to make room.
They found the clinic, just as they were told, lit lanterns shining out front. As they entered they spied a man with dirty blonde hair standing over an unconscious young boy, his hands shining with white magical light, his eyes squeezed tight in concentration. The boy's parents stood nearby looking very worried. The two women watched silently as the boy suddenly sat upright, gasping. As the boy's parents gathered up their child, the healer stepped back, staggering a bit. He turned away to lean against a pillar, the magic having taken a lot out of him. Jenna and Bethany stepped towards him when Jenna suddenly felt a strange pressure in the room, right before the man turned to them, staff raised high as though to attack.
"I have made this a place of healing and salvation, why do you threaten it?"
Jenna raised her hands in front of her in placation. By his reaction she had a hunch that this was there guy.
"Whoa there, calm down mister dramatic, were just here to talk, we need help getting to the deep roads. Are you Anders?"
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the two strange women.
"Did the Wardens send you to bring me back, I'm not going. Those bastards made me get rid of my cat. Poor Ser Pouncealot, he hated the Deep Roads."
Bethany looked a bit confused, and Jenna had to stifle a laugh.
"You had a cat named Ser Pouncealot? In the Deep Roads? "
"He was a gift, a noble beast. He almost got ripped in half by a Genlock once, swatted the bugger right on the nose, and drew blood too. Blighted Wardens said he made me too soft."
He smiled at that, sounding very proud of his pet.
"You came all this way, just to escape the Wardens?" Bethany asked skeptically.
Anders scoffed at that.
"You say that like it's a small thing, here there are no darkspawn, no Warden outposts, and a whole group of refugees to blend in with."
This talk was getting them nowhere, so Jenna decided to get them back on track.
"Look, we need those maps to the deep roads; they could help save people's lives. Will you please help us?"
Anders didn't look too convinced; in fact he looked slightly more irritated.
"I will die a happy man if I never have to think about the blighted Deep Roads again, you have no idea what I went through to get here, in fact I…"
He stopped as a thought struck him; He looked to the two women again.
"Although, a favor for a favor. Does that sound fair? You help me, and then I'll help you."
Jenna was skeptical, she didn't even know this man and he was already asking her for a favor. She had asked him for one first, but that was beside the point. She certainly wasn't going to say yes blindly.
"Depends on the favor, if I have to sacrifice a goat I'm out."
Bethany giggled; Anders however was a bit more serious. This guy was going to be a lot of fun.
"I have the maps you want, but there's a price. I'm here to help a friend, a mage; he's a prisoner in the wretched Gallows. The Templar's learned of my plans to free him. Help me get him safely out and my maps are yours"
Well, was that all she had to do, get past templar's. That should be no problem…Oh wait that was a big problem. Hawke had told her that it was safest to avoid Templar's, not walk right into the whole bleeding nest of them. She sighed, knowing she was going to agree. She couldn't just turn her back on someone who needed help. She almost wished he had asked her to sacrifice a goat.
"Of course well help, I would even without the maps. What do you want me to do?"
She heard a small gasp of alarm from Bethany behind her, but Anders seemed overly relieved.
"I welcome your aid; I sent word for Karl to meet me in the Chantry after dark. Meet us there and I will assure we all walk out of there free. "
Bethany wasn't so sure of this plan, she grabbed Jenna's arm.
"Are you sure about this? We definitely don't want to anger the Templar's "
"Don't worry about it Beth, I'll go with Hawke and Varric, You'll be at home, where it's safe. I'm not going to bring you that close to a bunch of Templar's. "
Bethany wasn't convinced.
"It's not just me I'm worried about sister."
Jenna smiled; Bethany had taken to calling her sister. It made her feel good, like she was really part of a family. Her mom didn't exactly make her feel like she was family, or even wanted. It wasn't as though Jenna was totally alone, she did have her big sister, and they were born a year apart and were as thick as thieves. Back home, they only trusted each other, took care of each other, or rather her sister was always taking care of and protecting her. Where her sister was now though, well she didn't want to think about it. She turned her thoughts back to Bethany.
"It will be fine, I promise."
She turned and walked out of the clinic, Bethany just a step behind; she called to Anders over her shoulder.
"See you tonight Mister Dramatic."
As to be expected, Hawke was not exactly pleased with the whole idea, but they needed those maps. So of course naturally they went. When they arrived Anders was pacing outside the front of the Chantry. He looked over as they approached.
"I saw Karl go in a few minutes ago, but no Templar's. Are you ready to go inside?"
"These streets seemed pretty clear, let's just do this."
They entered the Chantry and Hawke never took his eyes off the mage. He didn't like the idea of sneaking into the Chantry, with an apostate, right under the Templar's noses. That was usually a one way ticket to the Gallows. Hawke would be damned if he lost Bethany or Jenna to the Templar's. Of course he had tried to talk her out of this insane idea, but in the end there was no dissuading her from giving aid to someone in need.
Up a short flight of stairs and towards the back of the Chantry they found Anders friend Karl. He had his back to them and both Jenna and Hawke could feel something off.
"Anders, I knew you would never give up"
There was something wrong with his voice, it was monotone, emotionless. Anders seemed to pick up on this as well, he stepped towards his friend.
"Karl, what's wrong? Why are you talking like…"
Karl turned around to face them, his eyes were flat, emotionless, and there was a sunburst mark on his forehead. Anders stepped back, a stricken look upon his face. Karl spoke again.
"I was too rebellious, like you, I had to be made an example of. How else will mages ever master themselves? You will understand soon."
All of a sudden there was Templar's surrounding the group, giving them no escape. Hawke cursed under his breath. Jenna moved instinctively closer to Hawke and Varric reached back, keeping a hand on Bianca, just in case.
"This is the mage I spoke of"
So, Anders friend had sold them out after all, Jenna mentally kicked herself for being too trusting. Damn it! Suddenly that pressure was back, the same one she had felt in Anders clinic. This time around it was a stronger feeling than before. Her eyes turned to Anders where he had fallen to his knees on the floor; his body began to shake as he looked up, his eyes now glowing a bright blue. There was a strange energy surrounding him. Jenna had to step back as Ander stood up, gaze focused on the Templars.
"You will never take another mage as you took him."
His voice boomed, but it wasn't just his voice. It seemed to be two voices coming out of Anders mouth. He motioned to the Templars and suddenly they were all flung backwards. That is when all hell broke loose. Jenna was at a loss in all this chaos, she wanted to help but, she didn't even have a weapon. Hawke pulled her behind him as he fought off his share of the Templars. It wasn't as if she was helpless, but these were men in armor with very big swords. Bethany hadn't exactly taught her any offensive spell either, which would have been nice in this situation.
When the fight was over, and the Templars were all felled Anders seemed himself again. He walked over to his friend Karl, who was looking around, confused. It was as though he had just woken up.
"Anders, what did you do? It's like you brought a piece of the fade into this world."
"I wanna know the same thing"
Jenna remarked crossing her arms over her chest. Anders didn't seem to hear as his focus was still on his friend. Karl spoke again.
"I had almost forgotten what that's like."
Hawke wasn't buying it.
"So much for being tranquil, did you set us up?"
"No, I… It's as if the fade is inside Anders, shining like a sun. You need to kill me, do it quickly before I forget again."
Anders shook his head in denial, and Jenna felt sorry for him at that moment.
"Can't we do something to help? Isn't there a way to cure him?"
Anders laughed harshly at the idea.
"Can you cure a beheading? The Tranquil are cut off from the fade for good, there's nothing left to fix."
"Anders, you have to do it. I can't go back to that…please."
Karl was begging and Jenna could see the indecision on Anders face, was he actually thinking of killing his friend? Hawke sighed deeply behind her. She knew he was thinking that this could be Bethany.
"Do it" He said softly.
"My sister always said she would rather die than be tranquil"
Anders pulled a small dagger from his robes as he approached Karl, he gripped it tightly.
"Please hurry, I can feel myself slipping"
Karl was begging, there was desperation in his voice.
"I'm sorry."
"Anders, why are you looking at me like that?"
The emotionless voice was back.
"I am so sorry Karl."
The words were so soft Jenna wasn't certain she had heard them as Anders stuck the dagger in Karl's chest, sending what was left of him to the Makers side. That is if you really believed all of that anyway. His shoulders were slumped as he headed towards the door.
"We should go, before more Templars come."
They followed him back to his clinic because of course, that's where the maps were. Jenna didn't want just the maps though, she wanted an explanation.
"So what happened back there? I'm no magic expert or anything, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't normal."
Anders scratched the back of his neck nervously.
"When I was in Amaranthine, I met a spirit of Justice trapped outside the fade. We became friends. He saw the injustices Mages suffer and he wanted to help."
Hawks hand went to his sword.
"How is that different from a Demon exactly?"
Anders sighed, thinking about how to explain.
"Just like Demons embody our sins, there are Spirits who embody out virtues, like Compassion, Fortitude, Justice."
"and that makes your eyes glow?"
This whole thing was making Jenna's head spin.
"He needed a body, I offered him mine. Although now you can't tell where he starts and I begin. We wanted to make the world a better place for mages, but I guess I had too much anger in me. It changed him; he was no longer a spirit of Justice, but a force for Vengeance."
Hawke seemed on edge with his confession, but Jenna relaxed a bit. It must have been very hard for him to admit to all of that, especially with the fear most people have of demons. There was something sad in him that made her want to reach out to him.
"We can't always know the outcome of our decisions; we can only make them with an open heart."
Anders smiled at her kind words.
"Kind wise and beautiful, you must have made a deal with a demon yourself."
Jenna felt herself blush, and Anders smile widened.
"I didn't expect anyone to be so understanding of my secret. My maps are yours, as am I if you wish me to go with you into the Deep Roads."
Jenna smiled and the three of them headed back home to Lowtown.
"You know, he doesn't seem like such a bad guy, and he's kinda cute."
She didn't realize Anders was watching her walk away, thinking the same thing.
Authors note***
So, not 100% happy, but I had to get it out there, I had intended to find Fenris first since I always do in the game, but I found myself going after those maps. Damn it Anders!