Title: Mystery Is The Basic Appeal
Author: miss_m_cricket
Fandom: Dragon Age 2
Pairing: Fenris/Anders (Fenders), Bethany Hawke/Sebastian Vael, Carver Hawke/Nathaniel Howe, Cullen/Merrill
Comm: dragonage_kink
Rating: M
Prompt: AU where Templars are more numerous and the Chantry rules the land with an iron fist. But the Templars, as powerful as they are, cannot tell whether a man is a mage or not by simply looking at him. Enter Fenris, a man whose tattoos are so sensitive to magic that he can sense mages even if they never cast anything. He is sent to hunt and capture the dangerous and incredibly elusive apostate Anders, leader or the Mage Rebellion.

Mystery Is The Basic Appeal

Fenris had underestimated the mage.

Usually his targets, feeling death approaching with inexorable swiftness if they didn't surrender, would succumb to blood magic. He knew how to fight blood magic, the skills that had been ingrained in him since his creation by Danarius. A blood mage himself, the rogue mage had performed experiments on various elves and humans, until he had succeeded and created Fenris.

A living weapon to protect him, able to destroy other blood mages, and combat Templars.

But humans were never meant to be slaves, to be wholly, unquestioningly obedient, and Danarius had misjudged Fenris. The elf had fled, and although the Chantry encouraged him to hunt down his former master, he had never been able to trace him.

Except for the paid mercenaries who tried to recapture him of course.

This Anders, this rebel leader, was different.

Instead of attacks on his mind, his resolution, instead of blood magic gripping at his body, he was ducking fireballs, dancing through electrical bolts, diving away from ice blasts.

Anders was more powerful than his usual opponents, and while that made the savage side of him growl with pleasure at a challenge, the analytical side cautioned him to measure his own attacks.

They were a blur of motion, a beautifully choreographed dance of death, where misstep could mean the end of their existence.

Fenris leapt, avoiding another rush of flame as he came down towards the mage, sword raised. Anders pivoted, leaping back in time to block the blow with his staff. The blade sank into the wood and then the metal that formed the centre of the mage weapon, and Fenris wasted valuable time trying to wrench it out.

He succeeded, in time to fling himself to the ground as ice flowed over the air which he had just been occupying. Little ice flakes landed on the elf's face as he lunged up, sweeping with his blade, only to be countered by the metal base of the mage's staff.

They were close together now, and he could see the mage's chest rising and falling with exertion, see the sweat rolling down his cheek, streaking the dust from his race through the streets. Their eyes met, but there was no fear in those honey eyes, merely determination to fight on to the bitter end.

Fenris had underestimated this mage.

Their fighting was vicious, weapons wheeling and clashing as Fenris pushed his opponent back and back. Occasionally Anders got enough range to let off a spell and Fenris knew that his armour and skin were singed from the close calls. Neither of them were giving up though, not Fenris and not Anders, even though some of the cuts that Fenris had managed to inflict were dripping blood.

He did not use them.

It unsettled him.

The tempo of the fight picked up, weapons blurring, Fenris' brands lighting up with bright fire as he pushed his martial advantage, Anders' staff blocking him at every turn but with less and less time to do it in. Their eyes never left one another, so focused were they on one another and their fight that they didn't notice they were no longer alone.

Until an arrow sliced through the air, piercing Fenris' leg.

A snarl and the warrior stumbled back, silver head scanning the rooftops for his second opponent.

There, he saw him, on a balcony, a man with a bow, black hair blowing in the winter's air. It had been the fluttering of hair and cloak that caught the elf's attention, and he charged towards the building, diving for cover as yet another fireball singed the ground where he had been.

The fight changed again now, the advantage falling with the Mage and his archer ally, as Fenris was forced to defend off two fronts of attack.

Suddenly the archer fired three arrows in quick succession, forcing Fenris behind a pillar, as more arrow bolts clattered around him until silence suddenly fell.

Cautiously the elf moved out from behind his pillar, although without any real trepidation. His enemies were gone, the Mage having used the arrow cover to flee out into the streets of Kirkwall. He could not even sense him anymore.

Slowly his eyes lifted to the house where the archer had been, meeting the grey eyes of the man, who was standing on the roof now, bow curved and arrow pointing at Fenris' heart.

"I want you to take a message back to your masters." The man said in a deep gravelly voice. "Tell them that they may have a knack for sniffing out Mages...but freedom is always worth fighting for. They will have no satisfying surrender from us."

"You will not succeed." Fenris growled back, "They will hunt you down."

"And we will fight."

And with in a blink he was gone, disappearing in that frustrating way some roguish fighters had.

Leaving Fenris to limp back to his headquarters, mind awhirl with thoughts and re-evaluations

"That was too close," Nathaniel stormed, slamming the door to Anders office shut as the Mage slumped into his chair. Merrill, seated in a chair next to the desk, squeaked at the loud noise, and Karl and Justice frowned from their place leaning against the wall, "I was an idiot to have allowed you to concoct such a halfbaked plan Anders."

"Hey we're all still here and alive aren't we?" Anders tried to inject a bit of levity into his voice, even though deep inside he was still quaking from the confrontation with that elf, "I think I even burned off all the energy I would have gotten from one of those spicy meat turnovers, if you'd let me have one..."

"You didn't need one." Nathaniel growled.

"What if it had been my last meal?" Anders threw a dramatic hand out, "Merrill got a last meal, why couldn't I?"

"I would have gotten you one Anders if I had known..." Merrill began.

"He didn't need one." Nathaniel told her and then turned back to Anders, "You didn't need one and you shouldn't have needed a last meal because you shouldn't have had to put yourself into danger."

"There was no choice Nathaniel, they were closing in."

"Then we should have had a contingency plan, Anders we have to be more careful. You are the leader of this rebellion..."

"That doesn't mean I matter more than someone else." Anders rubbed his face, "Maker Nate...today was too close...but if I hadn't drawn their attention they would have Merrill now. And it all worked out in the end...we'll just...be more careful next time."

There was silence for a few moments and then Merrill spoke quietly,

"What happened?"

"The elf...the white haired elf with them? He chased me down." Anders sighed, "We fought..."

"Is he dead?" Justice asked suddenly.

"What?" Anders looked across at Karl, taking in the blue glittering around the brand of Tranquility, "No, he's not dead."

"He is not fighting on the side of justice..."

"He's their servant." Nathaniel said firmly, "His free will is questionable at best. We can't go round killing everyone who opposes us."

"We'd never have time to sleep." Merrill agreed, "Or eat for that matter..."

"What happened to the Prince and the Templar?" Anders asked Justice, "You didn't kill them did you?"

"No. They live." Karl considered Anders, "Justice wasn't happy about it...but they live."

"They can sense Mages." Merrill said softly, "And that Templar, he can smite them."

"Speaking of the Templar, he knew you Anders..." Nathaniel moved forward, leaning against the desk, "How?"

"He was a Templar at the Fereldan Circle of Mages." Anders gave a small smile, "Cullen. He was there when the entire Circle...except for me and a few others, were completely annulled."

"He murdered innocents?" Justice glowed brighter, taking over Karl again.

"In his defence..." Anders sighed, "It was a bad situation. Blood Mages, demons...the entire circle was awash with them. And Templar's don't react gently...they react with the full force of the hammer. So they annulled the Circle."

"What about you?" Merrill asked softly, "Why were you not...?"

"The Hero of Fereldan...they were arguing over what to do with me. I'd been in solitary confinement during the entire ordeal. Saw a bit of it...saw a cat get possessed actually. Took down a few of the buggers he did, before they killed him. Poor Mr Wiggums."

"Mr Wiggums?" Nathaniel drawled.

"That is so sad." Merrill sighed, "Poor little thing."

"Who named it Mr Wiggums..Anders..."

"I didn't name him!" Anders shakes his head firmly, "But he was a good cat...I owe him a lot. Ser Pounce A Lot would never have gotten such an excellent home and name if it weren't for him."

"Maker preserve us this rebellion is doomed isn't it.." Nathaniel flopped into a chair, "Tell my sister I love her."

"And you call me dramatic..." Anders flicked a roll of parchment at the rogue, who batted it back with a glare, "Anyway the Hero of Fereldan went in there to sort out the mess, and came across little old me in my cell. Let me out and had me help them out. We found Cullen after he had been tortured by Blood Mages. Poor bastard was almost mad from pain, grief and just from the magic itself. Afterwards he wanted them to kill me too...but the Hero took me along. Said a healer would be useful. And here I am..."

"And she still made you a Warden?" Nathaniel shook his head, "I thought she was a sensible lady."

"She recruited you..." Anders reminded him, "And Justice over there. And Oghren, Sigrun AND Velanna."

"Do you think he is the Witchunter?" Merrill asked softly, "Or do you think it's the Prince?"

"He didn't show any signs of Mage sensing when he was a Templar in the tower." Anders said, shaking his head, "But I don't know..."

"The Prince seems more likely then..." Karl murmured, Justice have gone quiescent again, "Do you think that the elf might change allegiances?"

Nathaniel and Anders looked at one another.

"We have to try," The archer said finally, sighing, "We need more information and right now the elf is our best bet. I can..."

"No..." Anders swallowed, the memory of green eyes and gleaming lyrium burning in his brain, "No...I will..."

"But..."

"This is most reckless Anders..."

"You might..."

"I know..." he interrupted the three of them, silencing them, "I just...this is my call..."

Nathaniel looked at Anders and sighed, even as the other two nodded and quietly left, "Just remember he's dangerous...? Don't take any risks..."

"I'll be careful Nate..." Anders promised, "I'm naturally cautious.."

"You're naturally full of it." Nathaniel growled back, "But...don't die? I'd have to lead this mess if you did."

Anders smiled at his best friend and pegged another scroll at his head, "I love you too."