Chapter 7

Worn

They headed back to the Keep for a resupply and so Fable could bring her replacement up to speed. The Seneschal came out to greet them and let her know that Carver Hawke had arrived the night before.

"Carver?" Hawke asked.

"Yes, my replacement," Fable answered and winked at her cousin.

"Are you sure?"

"Have faith in the Hawke family line, cousin, he's an incredible leader and an amazing Grey Warden. He's done well under Stroud."

"You always do that," Carver said.

Hawke turned around and found her brother standing under the portcullis. He looked annoyed.

"I didn't mean," she tried.

"Yeah, I know what you meant, sister," Carver said. "What's he doing here?" He hooked his thumb over his shoulder at Cullen.

"Cullen is coming with us to help with the Circle."

"Are you sure he's not going to fulfill the Right of Annulment? Some big, blighted Divine plan?"

"Carver!"

"It's alright, Hawke," Cullen said. "I can speak for myself. As the least desirable member of the new Team Hawke, I can assure you that I'm not here on official Templar business, Messere."

"You will always be a Templar, Knight-Captain."

"A Knight-Captain without mages is of little use to anyone, Messere."

"Warden-Commander, I did not come here for trivial insult exchanges with my sister's lackeys. I'm sure you have some business to put me to?" Carver replied and disappeared into the Keep.

Cullen turned to Hawke. "I'm sorry if I overstepped," he started.

She threw up her hand to stop him. "In this group, he's everyone's bratty little brother, welcome to the club."

Cullen gave her a small sideways smile. "She has any easy way about her," he told Merrill when she walked past.

"Not if you cross her, then there's flames and blood and screaming, not to mention the disapproving glances," she said and continued walking.

Fenris stopped in front of Cullen and looked him dead in the eyes. "If you are up to something, Templar, you will regret it, I promise," he said and followed Merrill.

Hawke smiled at him and tossed him a pack. "Load up, I don't know when we'll be restocking again. And I'd see Anders about that limp of yours; you're no good to me injured."

Cullen looked surprised; he hadn't thought she'd noticed his leg.

"You're a long way from home," Fable replied.

"What?"

"Well, we're not Templars."

"No, definitely not," he said.

"You'll get used to it. You know what? I'm glad you're here," she said and followed the rest into the Keep.

Cullen smirked and checked the pack Hawke had given him. He headed off to find Anders.

Inside the Keep, Fable approached Hawke. "You get everyone ready. Nathaniel, Carver, and I have Warden business to attend to," she said.

They left for Lake Calenhad before light the next morning. The road was quiet and damp. Fog accompanied the better part of the morning and more than once Merrill announced she was happy they had three Grey Wardens with them otherwise they wouldn't see any Darkspawn until they were poking them in the nose.

"Darkspawn haven't been very active in Amaranthine as of late," Nathaniel told her. "I would be surprised if we ran into any at all."

"Oh," Merrill said. "Now you're just begging for it."

Cullen trotted up next to Fable. "Can I ask you something?"

"It depends, is it personal?"

"Sort of."

"I'll decide after I hear the question then."

"Jowan."

"Did I know he was a blood mage?"

"Yes."

"Maker, no!

"Did you really warn the First Enchanter that Jowan was planning on running off with Lily? Or was he just protecting you from Gregoire?"

Fable frowned and looked at him. "Yes, I told Irving about Jowan and Lily."

"Then Hawke might be right," Cullen said.

"About what?"

"About having mages that want to join the Templars. It never occurred to me that some of you may want to police yourselves."

Fable sighed. "Yes, I suppose it would work. And if we're going to break the Templars of their lyrium addiction, having Templars that can fight fire with fire would be helpful," she said. "Speaking of that, how are you not going through withdrawal right now?"

"I am not completely stupid. I brought a supply to wean myself off with. I've been taking smaller and smaller doses of it, I'm hoping I'll be alright by the time I run out."

"What did the Circle do with Jowan?" She asked.

Cullen's expression fell. "I thought you knew. He was made Tranquil."

Fable stopped in her tracks. "He was what?"

He closed his eyes. "Jowan was dangerous, Fable."

"No, Knight-Captain, he was not," she said around the lump in her throat. "Please leave me to grieve my friend."

Cullen let her pass. Hawke and Anders caught up with him.

"Making an impression, I see," Hawke said.

"Not a very good one, I'm afraid. I just had to be the one to tell her one of her best friends in the Circle was made Tranquil after she turned him in for being a blood mage."

Anders pursed his lips together and sneered. "The Almighty Divine, doling out what you lot would consider justice, I presume?"

Hawke frowned. "Oh, Cullen," was all she could say.

Cullen looked thoughtful for a moment and then shook his head. "Why can't it just be the black and white that the Chantry teaches us?" He asked. "These variations of greys are muddling things up."

Hawke's gaze softened. "Nothing is as easy as black and white, Cullen."

"I must think on this more," he said and walked away.

"I don't know what I'd do if you were made Tranquil," Anders said.

"You'd kill me," Hawke replied. She took his hand and kissed his cheek. "Because you love me and because you know it's what I would want. I'd kill you if it happened to you, Anders."

Anders nodded.

After several days of travelling, they were met by a group of Templars near the Lake Calenhad docks. Hawke, Fable, and Cullen approached them carefully.

"Sers," Hawke said and gracefully nodded her head. "Anything going on?"

"Are you joking?" The first one asked. His long auburn hair was braided with a thick cord tying it off and an ages old mageburn discolored the lower left corner of his face.

"We've travelled from Vigil's Keep and have had no news as of late," Fable replied.

"We've been ousted out of our own tower," he snapped back.

"Wait a minute," said the second Templar, a big man with a shaggy beard and wide nose. Hawke looked away, afraid that they had been recognized. "That's the bloody Hero of Fereldan. I seen her at King Alistair's coronation in Fereldan some years back. You're the bloody Hero of Fereldan!"

Fable offered them a weak smile. "Please, tell me what is happening at the tower. It used to be my home."

"My lady!" The first one exclaimed and took a knee.

"Oh, look how sweet that is, and how completely unnecessary, please, get up and report on the situation?"

"The blighted mages! They ambushed us all in the middle of the night when the watch was lightest. There was a skirmish before we realized they were driving us back. They were shouting something about some bloody 'Champion' and 'Kirkwall'. It's a right mucked up mess, it is."

"Where are your commanding officers?" Cullen asked.

"Our?" The second asked and then his eyes went to the top of the tower.

And then Hawke saw what they were looking at. Everyone turned and looked up at the tower sticking out of the glassy lake. The tower wore a necklace of hung Templars, they were stripped down to only their skirts and sigils carved into their skin so deep that Hawke could nearly make them out from far below. Crows pecked and pulled at flesh and eyes, most of them had no recognizable features remaining.

"Maker preserve us," Cullen breathed.

"What have they done?" Merrill asked and brought her hands to her face.

"It's a ring of protection, carved from flesh," Anders replied. "Blood magic."

"So," Hawke began and tore her gaze from the grim scene to look at her cousin, "I hear being a Grey Warden is nice. Brood mothers, you say?"

Fable frowned. "Wynne," she said. "Was Wynne in there?"

"She'd have to be," the first Templar said. "She's the First Enchanter."

"Wynne would never allow this to happen," Fable said. "Something terrible must have happened. We need to get in there, Hawke."

Hawke wrapped her arms around her cousin. "It'll be alright," she said, but it rang hollow. Even to her.