Chapter 7

Varric sat at a table in The Hanged Man, drink in hand and Isabella at his side. Varric had tried to get the pirate to share some of her stories from her adventures on the sea but he had no such luck. Not even to get names of her crew members.

"You're no fun," Varric sighed as he closed his journal.

"You don't want to be telling stories of me, I think you should keep your mind on our 'adventures' with Hawke," Isabella said using air quotes when saying adventures.

"I supposed you're right."

"Speaking of Hawke… Do you think Anders is getting a little too close to her?"

"What are you getting at, Rivaini?" Varric couldn't quite understand what Isabella was saying. Anders and Hawke?

"Haven't you seen it? The way Anders looks at her – Hawke is oblivious to it!"

The tavern door opening caught Varric's eye and he watched as the blonde mage took a few steps into the tavern and looked around for someone.

"Speaking of Blondie," Varric mumbled to Isabella and raised his hand to wave Anders over to the table Isabella and Varric were sitting at. Anders made his way over to the table and sat opposite Varric. "What brings you here?" Varric asked Anders.

"Well you've been asking me to tell you stories of my time with the Wardens and I thought I might just tell you some."

Varric smiled and then turned to look at Isabella. "Why can't you be as kind as Blondie?"

"Be quiet, you," Isabella said and gulped down the rest of her drink. She stood from her seat and made her way over to the bar to get another drink. "Want one, Anders?" she asked.

"Uhm, no thank you, Justice doesn't approve of me drinking," Anders answered sheepishly.

"That's why you never merge souls or whatever with a demon," Isabella said and turned to face him with her back against the counter.

Anders thanked the maker that the music in the tavern was loud enough soo no one could hear Isabella say those words.

"It's a spirit!" he hissed in her direction.

"Same thing," she said and turned to get her drink.

"Just ignore her, Blondie, she's had a bit too much to drink, if you get what I mean," Varric told Anders. "Soo you were going to tell me about your Warden days?"

Varric was great at changing subjects because Anders had forgotten that Isabella almost let a whole tavern know about him being an abomination, even though the occupants of the tavern were probably too drunk to understand anything judging by the time of the day… well, night.

Anders started his story about how he first met the Hero of Fereldan at Vigils Keep; surrounded by dead Templars and Darkspawn.

"Are you saying the Hero of Fereldan saved your life?" Varric asked in disbelief.

"Yes, she conscripted me into the Wardens soo I wouldn't be taken back to the Circle of Magi and possibly being made Tranquil," Anders explained.

"She was a mage herself, right?" Varric asked.

"Yes, I remember her from the time I actually spent in the Circle but we never actually spoke. I guess I didn't really have time, with escaping and chasing after the young girls." Anders let out a small chuckle and refrained his expression from dropping when thinking about the days before he met Justice.

"Wow, you actually knew how to have fun?" Isabella said, interrupting the conversation Varric and Anders were having.

"Yes, I was," Anders said, becoming impatient with the pirate. With the amount of alcohol she was drinking, she was verging on getting drunk, and Anders didn't really think Isabella could actually get drunk for her daily alcohol intake increased. But Anders had been proved wrong as he watched her throw drink after drink down her neck.

"Must you drink soo much?" Varric asked Isabella, "It can't be healthy."

"After the day I've had, you won't be surprised, honey," she said with a slight slur to her words.

Isabella had been following a lead on a relic she was searching for only for it to be wrong. She also thought that the lead on the relic would help get Castillion off of her back, or to at least find him and bring Hawke along to help Isabella get what she wanted. She turned out empty handed and disappointed.

Anders rolled his eyes at the pirate and pulled out a little bottle from the pack he carried around attached to his belt.

"Have her drink this in the morning, it'll take the headache away," Anders said and handed the drink to Varric.

"Will do Blondie," Varric said and placed the bottle in his pocket after flashing the mage a quick smile. Varric have Isabella a quick pat on the back before she downed another drink. "I won't be surprised if they just stop serving her here."

Anders laughed quietly in agreement.

It wouldn't be the first time they had stopped serving Isabella drinks in the tavern. Even though she rented a room there and had been staying in the room for almost five months, they knew what she was like when intoxicated and the serving men/ women always tried their hardest to prevent seeing that again. But Isabella needed to drown her sorrows and this was the only way she could without starting a fight of some sort.

"Well, I think I should be getting back to the clinic," Anders sighed, "It was nice talking to you Varric."

"Same time next week?" Varric asked with a friendly smile on his face as he watched the mage, "I'd like to hear more of your stories."

Anders nodded his head with a smile on his face as he stood from the table and walked to the door of the tavern. He exited the Hanged Man and made his way back to Darktown, keeping himself hidden in the shadows in fear that Templars might be out. Not fear of being captured by them, fear of what Justice might do to them.


I know I've taken soo long to uplaod this, I am soo sorry but my mum took my laptop from me and then the internet went down and I've only just finished my exams.

I am soo sorry! I hope you like this chapter, I kinda wanted to show Anders telling Varric stories and how it started up in my view.

Thank you for reviews and such!

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