Fenris thought about following right behind Hawke and her companions, but those last words that Marian had said to Anso made the elf feel uneasy. Fenris knew that there was no way that she knew he was hiding in the alley. Hawke's actions, however, gave the elf reason to pause. It was almost like she was waiting for Fenris to do something, but he really could not be too sure.
So instead, the elf chose to keep on the fringes of the Alienage. Mostly to make sure that there would not be any damn slavers ready to attack Hawke and the others once they had dealt with the main group in the Alienage. The buildings around the Alienage were mostly warehouses which would be very good places to hide a small number of heavily armed soldiers. All of them had bits of crumbling plaster falling off of them revealing large brown bricks.
"How long do we have to wait here?" questioned a gravelly voice from the warehouse to the elf's right.
"Until the captain calls us to help him kill that fucking slave," answered another voice, a female one this time. "He should be leaving the shack in the Alienage about now."
Fenris slowly walked over to a nearby window, taking great care not be seen by anyone who was inside. He did not need to look inside to know that these were with the same group who were trying to take him back to Danarius. Still, it would not hurt for him to carefully take a quick look inside, to see how many he would have to kill if nothing else. Taking great care not to be seen, Fenris took a glance in the window to see roughly fifteen; heavily armed Tevinter soldiers were waiting in the warehouse. By the insignia on their armor, Fenris knew that these were highly trained and elite fighter.
So, Danarius has sent proper soldiers this time. Fenris thought, sneaking away from the window. He must be more despite than I thought. This was not what Fenris was expecting this. All of the other times the elf had been attacked, they were just thugs or slave hunters, not highly trained troops. The elf grabbed his two-handed sword, which hung loosely on his back, and quietly sneaked over to the only door. If there had been more than fifteen, the elf would have been in trouble, but, as long as he had the element of surprise, Fenris would not have too much trouble.
Once at the door, Fenris drew his blade, took a deep breath, and kicked the door open. The Tevinter forces were caught completely unaware making them easy prey for the elf. While they were scrabbling for their weapons, Fenris's lyrium markings glowing brightly as the elf cut through the fools. The elf darted back and forth while removing the limbs of several soldiers before any of them were even able to put up much of a fight.
Fenris was about to finish the last one of them off, when a male voice shouting, "Lieutenant, I want everyone in the clearing now!"
The last soldier ran out of the warehouse with a heavy trail of blood following behind him. That one will be dead before he gets to the clearing. The elf thought with a small smile on his face.
"Captain…" Fenris heard the weakened voice of his foe weeze.
Fenris walked out of the warehouse to the clearing just in time to watch the man fall down dead. He looked around the clearing trying his best to hide his shock. The clearing was covered with bodies of Tevinter troops, and at least four mages. In the middle of it all, Marian and her friends stood near the last living Tevinter standing in the clearing without a scratch on them.
"Your men are dead," Fenris said, walking slowly down the stairs and past the soldier. "And your trap has failed. I suggest running back to your mast now while you can."
"You are going nowhere, slave!" The last Tevinter ordered, grabbing the elf's arm.
His touch caused the lyrium to glow, and a stab of pain shot though Frenis's arm. Without thinking, Fenris turned to face the man and thrust his glowing arm into the man's chest.
"I am not a slave!" Fenris spat while crushing the bastard's heart.
Fenris allowed the slaver's lifeless body to fall to the ground with a thud. And I never will be a slave again! The elf finished his head.
Fenris turned to face Hawke and her friends. "I apologize."
"For what?" Marian asked walking toward Fenris, "Having Anso send us into a death trap, or not saying hello while you were hiding in the alley?"
She did know I was hiding there! Fenris cleared his throat and did his best not to act surprised. "I asked Anso to provide a distraction from the hunters. I had no idea that they would be so numerous."
"Only a distraction, I feel a little insulted," Marian retorted with a cocky, lipped smile on her face. "But, it appears we're unscathed."
"Impressive," the elf stated, which was really what he thought. "You are as good as the rumors claim."
"Don't put much stock in those rumors, if I were you sir," Hawke said with an off handed wave. "They are all slanderous lies. But would it be alright to ask for your name?"
"My name is Fenris," The elf looked that the nearest Tevinter body. "These men were Imperial bounty hunters, seeking to recover a magister's lost property, namely myself."
Fenris looked back at Marian. "They were trying to lure me into the open. Crude as their methods were, I could not face them alone. Thankfully Anso chose wisely."
"This is a lot of effort to find only one, escaped slave." Marian pointed to the several bodies behind her.
"It is," Fenris agreed.
"Does this have something to do with those markings?" she questioned, glancing at the visible marks on skin.
"Yes," Fenris half laughed. "I imagine that I must look strange to you."
"Believe me," A small private smile briefly appeared on Hawke's face. "I have seen stranger things."
"Well I did not receive these markings by choice," the elf sighed. "Even so, they have severed me well. Without them, I would still be a slave."
"You know, instead of setting all of this up, you could have just asked for help," Marian stated, taking in what was happening very well in Fenris's eyes. "But that is neither here nor there. If these men were really trying to recapture you, then I am happy I helped."
Fenris was slightly taken aback by her words. "I have met few in my travels who have sought anything more than personal gain. If I may ask, what was in the chest? The one they kept in the house?"
"It was empty," the dwarf answered before Hawke.
"I suppose it was too much to hope for…" The elf said, more to himself than the others. "Even so, I had to know."
"What did you think was in it?" Hawke asked.
"I was," Fenris replied. "But I shouldn't have. It was bait, nothing more."
"All that for an empty chest," Marian laughed.
"No," Fenris thought of Danarius. "There's more."
Before any of the four could question him, Fenris walked over to the body of the captain and starting going through the pouches on his belt. After a few seconds of searching, the elf found a small slip of paper that was signed by his former master. Even better, the paper told where in Kirkwall Danarius was hiding!
"It's as I thought!" Fenris stood up. "My former master accompanied them to the city. I know you have questions, but I must confront him before he leaves."
"I will need your help," Fenris said looking at Marian.
"Good to know you've learned how to ask for help," she replied, "But it sounds like you intend to do than just talk."
"Danarius," Fenris almost spat out the name. "Wants to strip the flesh from my bones, and has sent so many hunters that I have lost count. And before that he kept me on a leash like a Qunari mage; a personal pet to mock Qunari custom."
"Ouch!" Fenris saw the blonde mage grimace.
"So, yes," Fenris gritted his teeth. "I intend to do more than just talk."
"Let's go kill some assholes then," Marian drew her blade from her belt with a predatory smile on her face.
"The magister is staying at an estate in Hightown," Fenris said as the group left the Alienage. "We must hurry and enter before morning."