A/N: I would like to give a big thank you for the views I have received for this story... I really wasn't sure if I should have continued with writing it, but I received a very inspiring review from Anton-The-Rogue so... I decided to see where this story would take me. Come hell or high water!
"I really don't know how we did it!" Aveline states as she stares back at the ruins of Kirkwall. A place her and the rest of their motley crew had called home for the past seven years.
"Sheer willpower and determination..." Varric says with a smirk. "Aww shit... it was just dumb luck to be honest, Red. But what I said before would be perfect to write down as part of the story." The dwarf reaches into his satchel and looks around with confusion. "Hey! Where in bloody hell is my parchment? I hope I didn't leave it in The Hanged Man!"
"How in the name of the Maker, did you know what Isabela and I were doing before we got to the tavern that day, Varric?" Hawke asks as she peers over the parchment she had stolen out of the dwarf's satchel as they made their way to the docks.
"Hawke! How dare you take a man's writing before he is finished with it! Sure, it is about you and I would love for you to read it before I get it bound for sale, but wait until I am finished. I still need to work a few kinks out." He tries to reach for the paper but fails as Marian lifts it just slightly out of his reach.
"Let me see that!" Isabela snatches the parchment out of her lover's hands and starts to read it. "Really, Varric? I seriously don't think people would want to read that about Marian and myself... if you could make it a bit more expletive, then maybe you would get a more people's attention." The pirate bursts out laughing when she sees the look on Marian's sister, Bethany's face. "Oh come on... you mean to tell me that you don't believe that the more raunchy a description of a sex scene, is the better?"
"Before you even try to answer that one Bethany, let me just say that I do not think any of us should be talking about anyone's sex life while we should be on the alert for any leftover templars." Aveline says with finality as she casts her gaze from left to right, ensuring no one will get the jump on them.
"Spoiled sport." Isabela replies petulantly while sliding closer to Hawke. "Hey sweet thing, what say you about dropping Lady Man-hands off at the first deserted island we see and we sail off into the sunset?"
Marian laughs quietly as to not draw the attention of the guard captain, "You know if we do that she will only swim her way back to find us."
"That is true... I didn't think of that. But on a more serious note..." The pirate reaches for the champion's arm causing her to stop. "How are you feeling? You didn't get hurt when we had to fight Meredith, did you? I saw you had too many close calls back there and it scared the shit out of me."
"Isabela... I told you before I am fine. I believe you should know me by now." Hawke tries to walk faster as soon as she eyes her lover's ship in the moorings.
"Yes, I do know you Hawke, and I know how you don't like to make a fuss about your well-being. I remember that time you passed out because you told Merrill you were fine. I thought you would never wake up once I carried your arse to the Alienage and had Merrill heal you properly. You know I am only looking out for your health. You didn't even let Bethany take a look at you after we defeated that mad arse bitch and Cullen let us leave." Worry etched the pirate's face as she came closer to her lover and noticed she was breathing a bit harder.
"Well, she seemed a bit preoccupied after the battle, taking care of Merrill's wounds and all. I didn't want to disturb them." Hawke looks back at her younger sister and the elf, walking hand in hand a few metres behind them. "I would have never thought that Bethany would have fallen for a blood mage."
"Ex-blood mage, my love. You know, I think Kitten is exactly what your sister needs, someone who is as innocent as she is. They almost act like little children together, always smiling and blushing whenever their gazes lock on to one another." Isabela stops as a thought passes through her mind. "Hey! I know what you are doing Marian! You are trying to change the subject. We were discussing you, not your sister's relationship."
Hawke turns swiftly around to retort when suddenly the colour drains from her face and she falls to the cobble-stoned street that edged the the wooden landings of the docks. "Marian!" Isabela cries as she hurriedly closes the few feet of distance that had separated them. "You bloody fool! I knew you weren't alright!" She exclaims as she lifts the other rogue's head up into her lap as the rest of the group rushes to their fallen leader's side.
"What the hell happened, Rivaini?" Varric asks as he sets down Bianca, his favoured crossbow, and looks uncertainly about Hawke's person, trying to find the cause of her current state.
"W-we were talking and I asked her if she was alright. I know she had quite a few close calls during that last battle with Meredith and she said she was fine. She even started talking about other things to keep me from asking about her well-being. Then next thing I know she faints." Isabela croaks as she tries to keep her emotions from breaking over the already fragile dam she had created. Before the pirate had met Marian and the others, she had learned to keep all emotions hidden from anybody and everybody. To the point where even the swashbuckler herself didn't think she knew how to feel. All of that changed when she became part of their rag-tag group, everyone, including Aveline had found some special place in her heart. But, none held dearest save for Marian and then Merrill.
"Let me have a look at her." Bethany says as she tries to pry her sister's body out of the protective grasp of Isabela. Once she was able to inspect her sister without the pirate's hands in the way, the healer was able to magically sense the ailment that was effecting their leader. "By the Maker, she was grazed in the stomach by that dreadful sword that Meredith was wielding."
"Will she be okay?" Isabela asks, afraid that her voice will give out at any moment.
"Luckily, she is not a mage... the lyrium that the sword was made from would have killed her even from a small nick. But it is still causing her harm, the infection is spreading rapidly. We need to hurry and get her to your ship, Isabela. So Merrill and I can heal her properly." Bethany, with the help of the pirate, hoist Marian's unresponsive body up from the cold, hard cobblestone. "I will help you carry her."
"O-okay." Isabela replies feebly as the fear of possibly losing the one person she has ever loved rips through her body.
Her eyes flutter open as she hears gasping breaths and feels something wet hit her shoulder. The ground underneath her sways back and forth, causing her to groan in protest to the movement.
"Marian!" She hears the melodious voice of her lover exclaim in surprise close to her ear then she is pulled in to a searing kiss. Before she could even respond in kind, Hawke feels Isabela move away and slap her hard on the shoulder. "Don't you ever do that to me again! I've been crying my bloody eyes out for the past two candle-marks before you do me the courtesy to wake your sodding arse up!"
"What happened?" Hawke grumbles hoarsely as she looks about her and realises she is in the captain's quarters of Isabela's ship.
"You almost bloody died on me, sweet thing." The pirate replies more softly while tears of relief trail paths down her bronzed cheeks. "It took Bethany quite a long time to heal you..."
"But it was just a graze!" Hawke exclaims, trying to move out from underneath the blue satin sheets of the bed she was laying on.
Isabela places a firm hand on Marian's shoulder to keep her from rising. "A graze from a sword made of lyrium. A substance, I might add, that can harm someone who has non-magical blood running through their veins. Like I was saying before, it took your sister quite a while to heal the gash properly."
"Where is Bethany now?" Marian asks when she notices her sister is not in the room. "And how long was I out for?"
Isabela reaches for Marian's hand and absent-mindedly starts playing with the rogue's fingers. "Bethany is resting in the first-mate's quarters next door. It took a lot out of her to heal you. She was at it for five hours before she was able to get all of the lyrium out of your system. So, you were passed out for seven hours." She stares intently into Hawke's eyes before speaking again. Her voice cracking slightly. "Promise me you will never do that again. I-I thought I almost lost you."
"I promise Isabela." Marian slowly leans up from the plethora of pillows that adorned the pirate's bed and kisses Isabela lovingly, conveying without words everything that the pirate meant to her and a promise that everything will be alright.
"Oh... It seems Hawke is awake after all." Varric interrupts the tender moment between the two women by barraging in unannounced. "Hey do you want us to come back in a few hours?" He looks around as if slightly embarrassed that he caught the pair in an emotional moment.
"Did you say Hawke is awake, Varric?" Aveline asks as she walks through the partially closed door into the captain's quarters. "Oh... I wouldn't have expected you to still be in here Isabela."
"Where else would you think I would be?" The pirate asks, her hand still holding tightly onto Marian's.
"I thought maybe you would actually be commanding your ship or pretending to at least, since you claim you are a captain." The guard captain states as she moves closer to the bed Hawke was lying in. "But I am not here to make low jabs at the local slattern... I came to see how you are doing, Hawke."
"I'm doing great... considering that I've been unconscious for seven hours from a minor scratch." Hawke said sarcastically as she moved around uncomfortably, hating the fact that she was having to lie in bed when there was still a lot to do.
"A minor scratch!" Aveline shakes her head gruffly before starting back up again. "I will have you know that sword was made out of lyrium. Lyrium that drove Bartrand crazy might I add! So of course we were all bloody worried about you! Hawke, I swear you really need to be more careful, what if she had drove her sword in a bit deeper? What would we have done then?" The guard captain paces the floor of the cabin as her mind runs rampant with all the ideas that could have happened to their leader, while Marian moved around, made even more uneasy the more the fiery red-head spoke. "And besides..."
"Why did he have to pull that shit?" Isabela ponders aloud in attempts to draw the guard captain's attention off of Marian.
"Why did who do what?" Aveline questions, annoyance colouring her response.
"Anders, of course." Isabela responds, ignoring the annoyed look the red-haired guard captain gave her. "I mean none of this would have happened... Well, let me rephrase that. None of it would have happened then if he didn't decide to blow-up the Chantry with everyone in it. Marian had everything under control until the Chantry blew sky high, which by the way I would have loved to have learned what recipe he used for that explosive." The pirate smirks when she sees Varric's, as well as Marian's, face light up with all the ideas of what they would have done if they had their hands on that type of fire power. "I mean, just a little bit could have let us see what real treasures were hidden at Château Haine."
"Yeah, it's a shame you let Choir Boy kill him off before we asked him the recipe, Hawke." Varric states sadly as he remembers all the places they couldn't explore because Cahir and his men were after them.
"Who says I didn't take the formula off him after Sebastian killed him?" Marian grins mischievously as she dramatically waves her hand in the air the plunges it directly into the front of Isabela's tunic.
"Marian, I don't think they want a show!" The pirate exclaims. "What in the Void are you doing?"
"Give me a second." Hawke replies as she pulls a bit of parchment out from between the pirate's breasts. Waving the parchment about, Marian spoke. "I nicked it when everyone thought I was checking to make sure he was dead. Also, I took his coin purse. It should still be in you satchel, Varric."
"When did you put that there?" Isabela asks as she looks between her breasts to see if Hawke had put anything else there.
"I'm surrounded by bloody thieves and lunatics." Aveline states as she hangs her head. "At least Donnic is here."
"You love us all, Big Girl." The pirate smirks as she sees the guard captain shake her head remorsefully.
"Wow, Hawke. You've gotten really good at placing shit on us without us finding out about it!"Varric jingles Ander's coin purse before placing it on the dresser. "I didn't even know it was in there and I had rummaged through my satchel not that long ago to pull out my quill to start writing down everything that had happened yesterday."
"Maker... Don't tell me you are writing another story about my exploits, Varric?" Hawke groans as she covers her face with her hands. "Don't you think enough people are already bored to tears when they even hear my name? And besides, shouldn't we make plans on how to use this bloody formula, instead? I am more than certain those Orlesians are now gone from the Château, so I think by the time we restock and turn back round. I will be out of this bloody bed by then and we can see what all we missed while running through those dungeons." Marian had uncovered her face and was grinning madly at the thought of finding more treasure.
"Just do me a favour, Hawke." Aveline states as she walks towards the door of the room, "Make sure that when we restock in Ostwick, you leave Donnic and myself at the docks. I do not want to be a part of this treasure hunt you are devising."
"I will be more than glad to give you an emergency boat, Big Girl!" Isabela grins as she squirms about in the wooden chair she was sitting in. "The quicker we get your sour dour arse off my ship the better!"
Aveline slams the door in response to the pirate's exclamation, leaving the three rogues to sit quietly, if only for a brief moment. "Well... here's to a dawn of a new era for the Champion of Kirkwall!" Varric cries out as he pulls a bottle of Antivan brandy out of his satchel. "Who would have thought that the saviour against the dreaded Qunari would become a privateer!"