—

Friends and good friends

Varric just woke up and was waiting for Norah to bring his usual breakfast, when Aveline charged into his room, not even bothering to knock.

Varric raised his hands in irritation. "Hey Red, I understand you've obviously got something important on your mind, but can it wait until a respectable dwarf finishes his breakfast?" The day was definitely going to be "good".

Aveline rubbed her forehead as if attempting to wipe away a problem, then slammed her hands on the table with a frown. Varric jumped in his chair. When Aveline was this upset, it meant only one thing - trouble. At least he could be sure, that her ire wasn't directed at him. He was too discreet in his dealings for someone so blunt, as Aveline.

"It's Fenris!"

Varric's hand froze halfway to his mug. "Fenris what?" Suddenly he got a feeling, that he didn't want to hear her next words.

Wincing, Aveline made a noise in her throat, which suspiciously resembled a sob. Varric took a closer look, to find that her eyes were a bit red and swollen.

"He's in the city's prison. He's killed Anders and... Varric! He's killed Hawke, too!"

Varric discovered that his room had become surprisingly small, and the air was too heavy. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to reprocess what he just heard from the Guard-Captain. Hawke is dead, was it even possible? No more of her crazy errands, winning her coins in a weekly Wicked Grace over the mugs of ale, no sorting out her too complicated life with friendly advice and a couple of bolts from Bianca? And Anders... As much as he considered Anders too hot-headed, and let's be honest - a bit crazy over his mages - Varric was rather fond of the healer. And now both of them were dead, killed by another one of his friends, the one he thought he would never see again? The one, who forced Varric to question his loyalty to Hawke, to feel some kind of revulsion whenever he saw Anders these days. The thought of whom made him feel like a piece of nug shit every time he looked in the mirror. How did that even happen? Fenris was... gone.

Trying to wrap all these thoughts in his head, he took a long sip of ale and nodded to Aveline, who already pulled herself back into Guard-Captain's mode.

"Start from the beginning, Red." Varric gently patted her forearm.

"He obviously came back and don't ask me how! My guards found him in the morning, sitting in the pool of blood from Anders' body. Hawke was upstairs, same picture."

"His fist trick?" Aveline inclined her head and Varric felt a fit of nausea, picturing an unpleasant image in his mind. He always hated that trick of elf's.

"Yes, both of them. The door was open. The bodies were already cold and the blood dried up in part, so he had the time to run, if he wanted to. He didn't. Looks to me like he was waiting for the guards, Varric." She finished with a deep sigh.

Varric bided his time, thinking on the next words. Now, this part was unsettling. For a runner like Fenris to stay after brutally murdering the city's most famous person and her lover? Something there wasn't right, and he wanted to know, what changed the elf's nature.

"You know he had reason, Aveline." He started cautiously. "We both know. After what happened here... You wanted to charge her yourself."

Casting him a warning glance, Aveline retorted - "Still, he took the law in his hands and I..."

"And you would do nothing about Hawke. She sold him into slavery and was allowed to walk free, Guard-Captain." Taking another sip, Varric gave her a pointed look, but decided not to push further, ignoring her protesting cry. Shoving the thoughts of Hawke aside for now, he continued. "Anyway, what are you going to do with him, Aveline?"

"What can I do, Varric?" She helplessly spread her hands. "I can't hide it and I won't, even for him. The guards will talk and the city will demand his execution. She was the bloody Champion!"

For a while Varric seemed to be deep in thoughts, absentmindedly tapping on the table. Running out of time, Aveline took a gulp of water from the jug and was about to stand, considering their meeting to be over, when Varric spoke again:

"Let me talk to him, Red. Please." He saw the mix of determination and sorrow on Aveline's face, but he owed the elf at least that attempt.

For a moment she mulled over his request, before nodding in consent. "I think I can manage that. He was my friend too, Varric."

Varric reached for his coat, when she stopped him. "I left him with Donnic, and I just want to warn you - he's in no mood to talk, the last I checked."

He snorted. If he witnessed a crying Aveline and a chatty Fenris in one day, he would bet that the world was coming to its quick end. "Oh, you surprise me, messere! I wouldn't have thought!"

—

"So, what did he tell you? Anything we can use?" Aveline paced in her office, throwing impatient looks towards a pensive dwarf.

Varric scratched his head. "Well, he certainly wasn't about to let me write down the story of his life. But I'm going to try something. I think it might be his best chance, unless we're talking about breaking into the prison..." He paused, letting this thought to sink into her head.

Whirling on her heels, she jabbed an accusatory finger in his direction. "No, not a chance! What?! What are you planning, dwarf?"

He held his hands up in denial. "No, nothing, Guard-Captain ma'am! Anyway, how much time do you think we have?"

"I'm afraid not much." She sighed, allowing his goading to slip. "A month, two at best. Doubt I can delay it any further."

"Well, then I need to get back. Until later, Aveline." Varric stood up, dismissing any following questions, and hurried out of the Keep.

Making haste to the Hanged Man, he tried not to think of Hawke's fate. He'd have time to grieve about her and Anders later. He lost two friends, but still had one to save.