Disclaimer(because I forgot it in pt1): I do not own Bioware nor anything affiliated with it. Dragon Age is there sandbox, I am just playing in it.
A/N: This story is set 3 yrs before the blight began. I'm taking a rough guess that Marian is about 3yrs older then the twins and therefore 21 during the start of DA:2. I am also going to stick with the default Hawke and her name, which will be used for most of the story. This is an AU which deviates from the game a little bit but I am trying to stick to the timeline as close as possible. Thanks to everyone for reading/favouritng/adding to alerts etc. and please enjoy and review.
Minrathous was more magnificent then she had ever imagined. Looking out the window of the dark, horse drawn carriage, her eyes strained to take everything in. Tall, white buildings glowed in the midday sun, cobbled streets, full of people in robes of all colours, coming and going from massively domed buildings like nothing Ferelden had to offer. It was quite the sight. It was loud, it was busy, it was new and all she wanted to do was jump from the stuffy carriage and immerse herself in it all. She heard Danarius say something and reluctantly pulled herself away from the window. Her eyes blinked rapidly trying to readjust to the darkness of her surroundings.
"Sorry? I…erm…wasn't listening." She hastily apologised.
Danarius laughed, and her skin prickled. "I was just saying out loud, how delightful you are. You have never seen anything is wondrous as the City of Minrathous I take it?"
Marian glanced back the window, the faces of the people less recognisable now they were on a quieter street and able to move faster. "No, it is quite something." Growing up on the run, hiding from the templars, meant they only stayed in small villages and towns where there was less chance of them being caught, although Marian remembered once begging her father to be allowed to accompany him on a trip to Denerim, when he had business in the city. He refused her, telling her the capital was no place for a young apostate mage and her mother would never forgive him if she got caught. She felt a small pang of guilt at the memory of those words.
"Well, we will make a true 'sophisticated, city girl' of you yet, my dear." He smiled. Marian took a slight offence to that but said nothing. She smiled politely and swore to herself she would remain a Ferelden until the day she died.
Returning to the window, the city was quiet now. What people there were on the streets looked poor and haggard, the buildings; though still the white stone that must be used throughout all the city, looked dirty and dilapidated. They slowed to a stop and Marian, saw well dressed little girl run up to what seemed to be a pile of rags huddled by the door of a rundown old building.
"Mama, mama! This one, I want this one!" The girl yelled out excitedly, jumping up and down clapping. Marian watched as the pile of rags uncurled itself and revealed a small elven child. She didn't know enough about elves to know if it was a boy or a girl, but she suspected it was a girl. It had long blonde hair, darkened with filth and large, scared looking green eyes which were looking up at the little girls mother in fear. A man came into view holding a piece of rope, which he quickly tied around the elven child's neck giving the free end to the woman, who deposited a bag of coin in his hands, without looking at him. The well dressed girl was dancing around, obviously happy with the purchase of a new plaything. The girl took the elven child by the hand and proudly proclaimed "You shall be called El'sah!" The mother seeing this yanked on the rope, separating the two children, causing the elf to fall to the floor, grasping at the rope around its neck.
"Don't touch it!" The mother all but screamed. "It's dirty! You will have to wait until we get home and it can be washed and clean clothes can be found."
The girl pouted but that was nothing to the look of devastation on the elven child's face. Tracks of bright skin were appearing on it's cheeks, as tears washed away the dirt that covered it, an angry red mark across it's neck could be seen where the rope slacked. Marian gasped, tears prickling at her eyes. 'That poor babe' she thought to herself. She sat back from the window, not wanting to see anymore. They started moving again after that, moving past a thick wall and tall black iron gates. Marian looked over at Fenris who was sitting opposite her and obviously must have heard the whole thing but his face was impassive and his eyes where looking down at his knees. He must be used to seeing this sort of behaviour towards his kind.
Marian took a deep calming breath and glanced back to the window and mused sadly to herself. As hard as it was to be an apostate mage in Ferelden, being a slave in Tevinter, seemed much, much worse.
By the time they pulled up to Danarius' estate the sun was starting to set, bathing everything in a soft pink glow. Marian had never seen a house so big. She thought even the King of Ferelden would be envious of the palace, Danarius seemed to live in. Three floors of windows towered over the surrounding tree line, the green tiles of the roof shining like an glittering sea. There was a small line up of people waiting beside large wooden doors. Mostly elves from what she could see, and one tall, proud looking woman in similar robes to Danarius, the same blue, except they weren't as fancily adorned or intricate.
The carriage came to a stop and Fenris jumped out and pulled down the step for her to exit. Now Marian had never been one to wear robes and she had never before been in a carriage, so trying to duck out of the infernal contraption, step down and not step on the hem of her robe that the Ferelden circle so happily supplied her with was a bit complicated. After a couple of seconds of indecision, the woman who was standing with the elves marched over to them and struck Fenris across the back of his head.
"Stupid elf!" She spat at him. "Are you just going to stand there and let her struggle? Help her!" Fenris held out a hand never looking up from the ground. Marian went to take it, but he moved ever so slightly so her palm was resting on top of his gauntlet, she lent on it as she lifted her robe with the other hand and stepped off of the carriage carefully. "Now, prove to her you aren't completely useless. Retrieve her things and take them to her room!" Marian wasn't sure who this woman was, but she could already tell they weren't going to get along.
"Ah, Hadriana." The smile upon Danarius' face held real affection for this woman and that unnerved Marian all the more. "No doubt everything ran smoothly today, in my absence?" He descended the steps so easily, he made her feel foolish for dallying so.
"Yes, Magistair." Her voice was poisonously sweet now. "There was an incident with one of the serving elves but that has been seen to and they were punished." Something in the tone which Hadriana said 'punished', made Marian, feel uneasy.
"Very well," Danarius sighed, like he didn't really care. "I trust your judgment." Hadriana smiled and bowed, then turned to her
"I am Hadriana, I am also Danarius' apprentice. I am sure we will be working together closely once you…catch up." Although she was smiling, Marian thought she looked more like a tigress sizing up her prey before pouncing.
"Catch up?" She asked confused.
"Ah," Hadriana looked back and forth between herself and Danarius, unsure as how to continue. "well, what I mean is-"
"Do not listen to her, my dear, Marian." Danarius interjected "Hadriana has been my apprentice for many years now and she obviously thinks that you may need some time before you are as capable as she in the magics that I will teach you." Although he was trying to be pleasant, Marian knew that tone, she had used that tone to settle many an argument between Bethany and Caver. "But she did not see the fear in the eyes of the five-" he looks over to Hadriana "five templars, they assigned to bring her here." Bringing his attention back to Marian, he rested his hands on her shoulders. "You will be fine, more then fine in fact. So confident in your abilities am I, I invite you to join us tomorrow, as I work. Hadriana is going to be there and I feel you will be able to keep up, contribute and learn much." His eyes narrowed slightly there, a lie, he wanted to see how she would cope and he doubted it would be well, but it was a challenge Marian was willing to rise to.
She nodded slowly "As you wish, Magistair."
His attention was suddenly on something over her shoulder. "Hadriana, the carriage." Was all he said and Hadriana turned to the line up of nervous elves, well, slaves, and started barking orders, lashing out with her hand or staff, even kicking when they weren't moving fast enough. They scurried to the carriage, as Danarius guided her into the house.
If she thought Minrathous was magnificent, it was nothing to the splendour of Danarius' home. White gleaming marble as far as the eye could see. The entrance hall they were standing in could fit every hovel Marian, had ever called home inside it and leave room to spare. Plush, deep blue rugs covered the shining white floor guarding against the cold, two massive stair cases on either side of the room curved up stairs to passages unknown. Above her a balcony encircled the entire room, leading to a set of doors directly above the main door which must lead to the balcony that overlooks the entrance outside. Marian was literally speechless and heard nothing of what Danarius said as he lead to the bottom of the staircase on the right of the room.
Marian was still in awe when she was snapped back to reality by Danarius' voice growling;
"Ignorant, elf."
In front of her, Fenris was on his knees, head bowed, hand clenched on his lap, either side of him, were sitting her bags. But the most peculiar thing was how the white markings on his skin, which Marian has just assumed were some sort of Tribal tattoos, were glowing blue. Danarius hissed something in a language Marian didn't understand but guessed was Arcanum. Fenris answered in kind, leapt to his feet, grabbed her bags and started for the stairs. He was half way up before he stopped and turned, eyes down as always.
"Mistress," he licked his lips nervously. "are you following?"
Danarius nodded before waving a hand dismissively at Fenris "Yes, yes. He will show you to your room. I have things to attend to." He rubbed a hand across his forehead and walked off in the opposite direction. Marian all but ran up the stairs to Fenris' side. His eyes flicked to hers quickly before darting away, he nodded once, and carried on towards what would be her new bed chambers.
They walked in silence, along what, Marian was sure was the longest corridor in existence, before taking a left turn only to be greeted by a second corridor, almost as long. These corridors were wide and luxurious like the entrance hall but they were panelled with the darkest wood, which gleamed in the lamp light that flickered on the walls. Luckily they stopped half way down in front of large double doors. Fenris placed her bags down and opened a door only to be met with another corridor, albeit somewhat smaller and it opened up into a beautifully decorated bedroom, The room was rectangular if not for the large bay window which gave her an almost panoramic view of the surrounding countryside and not too far off in the distance, the ocean. A massive bed was against the wall opposite the window, a four poster bed made from the same dark wood as the panelling on the wall, with white drapes tied in the corners. A desk was in front of the window, the chair facing away from it, which was a wise decision, it was probably very easy to get distracted from the beauty of that view. There was a fireplace on the far side of the room with two very comfortable chairs and a bookcase near by, and finally a vanity, with a mirror and a chair between two doors, one Fenris informed her was a bathroom, the other a storage space for clothing.
Marian looked around at all that was before her. The expensive furnishings, the freedom she would have as a mage in the Tevinter Imperium and thought of Bethany. Bethany locked up in that cold horrid tower, in the middle of a lake, surrounded by templars with no way to escape. She would probably never see her again, never see her mother again, never see her father or Carver. This was her home now, this was a family, a man who consorted with demons, a woman she already hated and a houseful of slaves that refused to make eye contact. A wave of cold dread swept over her and she sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped in dejection.
For the first time since she was a child, and the first time she could recall, Marian Hawke began to cry.