A/N: Well, here it is. The beginning of the end! There's only two chapters after this one, then it's all over!

As always, thank you for all for reading, and, of course, you're welcome to leave a review with your thoughts!


Olivia frowned, staring down at her pack with impatience. Hawke's servant girl, an elf named Orana, had stuffed her pack full of lyrium potions and various types of breads and cheeses. Olivia was grateful, of course, but now it was bulky and heavy.

There was a quick knock at the door, pulling Olivia from her mental assessment. "Come in."

Hawke strode into the bedroom that Olivia was using, an unreadable expression on her face. The Champion offered a wry smile. "You have company."

"Company?"

"Yep. I told you it was a good idea to stay."

Laughing softly, Olivia left the pack on the bed and followed Hawke to the front room. She had been convinced by both Hawke and Varric to stay a week longer than expected, and as much as she was enjoying Kirkwall with her new companions, she had a duty to Ferelden as the Warden-Commander. "So, who is this mysterious visitor?" she asked as they descended the stairs.

"You'll see," Hawke taunted with a sing-song voice. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Bodahn walked into the main room, leading someone Olivia recognized immediately.

"Alistair!" Olivia cried with joy, quickly crossing the room to throw her arms around him.

He chuckled softly, holding her tightly and murmuring, "I decided to come when I got your letter. There have been reports of unrest in the city, and I thought I should check it out. Coming here had absolutely nothing to do with my hatred of paperwork, honest."

Beneath the humor, Olivia sensed a tone of sincerity. "What reports?" she asked, pulling away and slipping back into the role of Warden-Commander.

Alistair straightened, the grin dropping from his face. "The same reports we've been getting for years. Mages attacking templars in the Circle, rumors of blood magic, Meredith overstepping her bounds…" He shrugged. "Nothing new, but apparently the Guard-Captain of the city has been complaining about the Viscount's empty seat and it caught the attention of the last patrol. She thinks—"

"She thinks Meredith is abusing her power to keep it empty," Olivia finished. "I've met Aveline. She seems like a sensible woman, if a bit pushy."

"Meredith is abusing her power in general," Hawke insisted, her voice unusually aggressive.

"There's nothing we can do about that, I'm afraid," Alistair apologized with a sigh. "Olivia might be able to speak to the Knight-Commander and First Enchanter, but outside of the fact that she's a mage, we can't interfere."

The Commander turned to face Hawke, keeping her expression and tone carefully neutral. "In the interest of peace, we'll try and negotiate a middle ground. If this… situation goes beyond talking, Kirkwall will just have to look to its Champion for guidance. The Wardens can't get involved."

Hawke looked disappointed, but gave in. "Let's not bother with this right now," she suggested lightly. "We'll go to Hightown and get something to eat, then I'll leave you two alone." She winked at Olivia, grinning as the Commander's face flushed a bit.

The trio made their way into Hightown. Olivia expected to find the typical morning crowds in the normally bustling city, but to her surprise, the market was entirely empty. She could hear a voice from further in the city, but she didn't think to investigate until she saw Hawke was already heading that way. With a little sigh, Olivia grabbed Alistair's hand and tugged him along, following Hawke.

What they found made her head throb with impatience. The First Enchanter addressed a large crowd, speaking of the injustices of the templars. As the group approached the crowd, Meredith pushed her way to Orsino, demanding he stop with his demonstration. Olivia shared a nervous glance with Alistair, and his hand squeezed hers reassuringly.

"Well," Hawke chuckled, shouldering her way through the crowd, "you two bicker like an old married couple. People will start to talk, you know." She clicked her tongue in mock chastisement.

"Champion." Orsino seemed relieved at her appearance, and stared the Knight-Commander straight in the eyes.

Meredith began to say something, but Hawke beat her to it. "If you don't start treating mages like the civilized humans and elves they are, poor Orsino is going to lose his voice. That, and you'll force the mages to show off all those dangerous things they learned in the Circle. Well, whatever they managed to learn between the beatings."

"Maker's breath," Alistair whispered. "She's mad. That's the Knight-Commander!"

"She's not mad. She's just Hawke." Olivia bit her lip; she wasn't pleased with Hawke's foolish bravado, either.

Meredith, Orsino, and Hawke went back and forth for a bit, but the Grand Cleric eventually emerged through a respectful parting in the crowd. There was an audible sigh of relief from the crowd as Elthina demanded that the arguing cease. Hawke remained to speak with Orsino, but Meredith had caught sight of the two Grey Wardens.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of entertaining a second Amell mage in my city?" The Knight-Commander's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but her tone was genuinely warm.

Alistair's grip on her hand tightened protectively, but Olivia didn't feel threatened. "Just here to visit family and friends," she answered honestly. "The Wardens have no interest in becoming involved in these conflicts."

Meredith chuckled dryly; it reminded Olivia eerily of Flemeth. "I wasn't suggesting you would. I'd like to speak to you privately. Both of you," she clarified. "Please, stop by the Gallows when you have the time."

"We don't want to—"

"I'm not asking you to wage war on my behalf," Meredith interrupted sharply. She inspected the pair for a moment, nodding thoughtfully. "I merely ask to speak with you." With that, the Knight-Commander turned to leave. As she walked away, she called over her shoulder, "Sometimes, influence has a farther reach than a sword, Wardens."

Once Meredith was gone, Hawke rejoined them. "I hope I didn't get you in trouble with her," she apologized, frowning slightly.

Olivia shook her head. "She wants to speak with us, is all."

Hawke winced. "I'm sorry. You can just go home. Don't worry about her." She looked down, her face twisted with concern. "I'll take care of it. I promise."

"We can't," Alistair sighed. "She's the Knight-Commander, in case you hadn't noticed."

"I know." Hawke grinned, her green eyes dancing with something more dangerous than mischievousness.

"We're going to go speak with her after we get something to eat," Olivia decided. "Little chats like this tend to take hours. We'll be out of your way," she smiled amiably, knowing Hawke already had other plans for the day.

A quiet, nervous laugh slipped from Hawke. "I'd almost rather have you along today," she admitted. "Remember what I told you about Fenris' sister? We're meeting her at The Hanged Man for lunch."

"You'll be fine," Olivia consoled her, tugging her hand from Alistair and wrapping Hawke in a gentle hug. "Just don't drink too much, and remind Fenris that it's okay to smile sometimes."

Hawke fidgeted, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "I'm not worried about making an impression."

"Marian Hawke," she chastised, feeling a bit like Wynne, "you have gone to the Void and back for that man emotionally. If anything happens to him—whether he runs off or that coward of a magister shows up—I will personally lead an entire legion of Wardens to fix it." Hawke had spilled Fenris' heartbreaking story to Olivia the night before, admitting that she and Fenris were worried that his sister was a distraction, and that Fenris' former master would force him back into slavery. With a little pang, Olivia realized that there was a hint of truth in her words; she had come to care for Hawke a great deal in the past two weeks, and wanted nothing more than to see her happy.

The Champion's face lit up, and she smiled slowly. "Thank you." With one last, hopeful look back at Olivia, Hawke took off through Hightown.

"That is not the same woman I met during the Qunari attacks," Alistair muttered.

Olivia tipped her face to his for a kiss. "There's a lot more to Hawke than just being Kirkwall's Champion. Are you hungry, or should we go straight to see the Knight-Commander?"

"I could eat the entire market," he groaned. "But we should go talk to her."

Laughing quietly to herself, Olivia took Alistair's hand again and they made their way to the Gallows. Meredith seemed to be waiting for them, pacing in her office impatiently.

"I admire you, Warden-Commander," she began, closing the door and moving to stand behind her desk. "As a mage, you did exactly as the templars asked. You remained a diligent student in the Circle, leaving when the Wardens summoned, and not a moment sooner." Her eyes regarded Olivia coldly. "You could teach these Kirkwall mages a thing or two about obedience."

Despite being a bit flattered, Olivia couldn't help but wonder whether the rumors about overbearing templars were true or not. "My apologies, Commander, but I've heard terrible things about the Circle here. I don't want to cause offense," she defended quickly.

Meredith tapped a finger on her desk. "Your words are known, even here in the Free-Marches." Her voice was insistent, and she blatantly avoided the question. "You call the templars a necessary evil, do you not? Our actions must be taken to ensure the safety of all our citizens, regrettable as they may be."

"I do believe templars are a necessity," Olivia confirmed, "but I believe in co-existence, not in domination."

"Would you co-exist with murderers and conspirators?"

The question caught Olivia off-guard.

"The mages plan to rebel," the Knight-Commander continued. "I've received word of… gatherings. I told you I wouldn't ask you to wage war for me, but I would recommend a casual stroll through Hightown tonight. If you did see any mages conspiring against me, it would be helpful to know." She looked Olivia straight in the eyes, her words deliberate.

"The Wardens cannot intervene," Alistair insisted. "Even something as… innocent as this."

But Olivia wasn't so sure. Many times, she had been told of the Wardens' role as the protectors of the people. While they weren't supposed to choose sides in a fight, she assumed it was in everyone's best interest to keep peace.

"Commander?" Meredith crossed her arms, peering down at Olivia expectantly.

Still, Olivia didn't answer, continuing to mull the idea over in her mind.

"Perhaps it would be helpful if I pointed out that I am familiar with your apostate healer who cowers in Darktown," the Knight-Commander scowled. "Hawke's status is the only thing keeping him safe, but she's quickly losing any respect I held for her."

Anders. "We'll do it," Olivia decided hesitantly. "But in the interest of peace. Beyond that, I won't get involved."

Meredith looked as pleased as she could. "I only ask you because I have no desire for war to break out. If there are conspirators, measures must be taken to strike them down."

"I won't strike them down for you," Olivia warned. Considering their talk over, she marched out of the office, ignoring Alistair until they were well away from the Gallows.

"What in Andraste's name did you just agree to do?" he demanded, grabbing her arm to get her attention.

Smoothly, Olivia replied, "Didn't you hear? We're taking a casual stroll through Hightown tonight." Narrowing her eyes, she added, "I don't care that we're not supposed to get involved. We saved Ferelden, didn't we? If we can help save Kirkwall, we should."

"Olivia, we aren't saving Kirkwall. We're damning any mages we find."

"I'm just going to talk to them," she assured him. "If there are conspirators, hopefully they'll listen to a voice of reason."

Alistair sighed, his eyes softening. "And just what is that voice of reason going to say?"

She shrugged, a little grin playing at her lips. "I don't know. But there's plenty of time for you to inspire me."

"Maker," he grumbled. "One of these days, I'll be able to stay mad at you."


"So, Hawke is an Amell?"

"Correct."

"And she's trying to have—what did you say she called it? A stable relationship?—with an elf?"

"Yes," Olivia sighed, leaning against a column and tugging off her heavy gauntlets. It was well past midnight, the conspirators had ambushed them, and she was tired beyond belief. "Sorry, Alistair, but unless this has to do with our predicament, I'm afraid I don't want to answer any more questions."

The courtyard was littered with bodies of both mages and templars. The awkward group was, apparently, part of a larger conspiracy to overthrow Meredith. The reality of it all made Olivia's foggy brain hurt.

"Well, it could be important," Alistair muttered. "Is this elf Tevinter, with white hair, lyrium markings, and frequently sighted at The Hanged Man?" His statement sounded like he was reading a list.

"Yes, Alistair. That's Fenris."

"Yep. It's completely important, then. It seems our new friend has been kidnapped by these conspirators."

Not totally certain she'd heard correctly, Olivia snatched the paper Alistair was staring at. Sure enough, a spot-on description of Fenris was scrawled at the top, followed by the words Prisoner and Bait. She turned the paper over and found a detailed map of the Wounded Coast, complete with a clearly marked delivery spot.

"Alistair," she breathed, "Hawke's been with Fenris all day. We have to find them."


A/N: I'd just like to point out that the inspiration behind Olivia and Meredith's chat comes from the scene with the Wardens during the Qunari attack in DA2. Their "We mustn't intervene" stance seemed a bit at odds with Wynne's "Wardens protect the people" speech in DA:O. Is there something I missed, or does that inconsistency bother anyone else? I tried to interpret it as they would keep peace, but not get involved if peace was no longer an option. *shrugs*