Chapter ten
Sundermount part two
So, time for Merril! Apologies to Merril fans, but it's not in her point of view as she isn't my favourite character L
Thanks for the reviews/follows!
My beta, as always is fabulous. Enchantm3nt 3
He pulled a part his tent, doing the reverse of what Hawke had taught him the night before. It was still quite early and the morning sun glistened off of the dewy leaves and grass blades surrounding the clearing they were camped in. Fenris glanced at the sleeping form of Hawke; she was curled up by the nearly burned out fire. He could hear her light snores and could see that she had been there long enough for her white hair to turn grey from the fire's ash. Nobody woke her up but all of the men in their group kept glancing over at her. Once done with his own tent he joined Varric to help him bring his down. "Thanks, Broody. I bet you're wondering why we're all tip-toeing around Hawke like this," Varric said as he passed him one of the tent poles.
Fenris merely nodded at the dwarf.
"It's the first time she's slept in a while," Varric explained. "She's been a pain in the ass because of it so we're all hoping she sleeps for a while, she needs it." He finished disassembling his tent and Fenris got the distinct feeling that Varric wanted to jump into some elaborate story but then Hawke began to stir before she nodded off again.
He sat down staring at Hawke whilst he tried to figure out what her true intentions were, whatever she intended, she looked somewhat innocent whilst she slept, you couldn't tell by looking at her that she was a viper, an apostate, a mage. Maybe her intentions were initially pure, but all mages would stray; it was only a matter of when. .
"Did you hear that broody?" the dwarf asked, pulling him out of his thoughts
He looked up at the dwarf who was watching him with knowing eyes, he wondered if another one of the dwarf's talents was that he could read minds.
"Sorry?" was all Fenris could muster, he was starving and tired and the dwarf was annoying.
"Me and the other boys are going to get firewood, you can sit here and brood into oblivion and also make sure Hawke doesn't ruin the fire or become an abomination, but mainly the rolling into the fire part because I've kind of got used to the luxury of breakfast," Varric said with twinkling eyes. Fenris knew the dwarf was mocking him but could not be bothered to play their little game knowing that the dwarf was eager for a reaction.
Fenris nodded and watched as the other men proceeded into the woods to gather firewood, leaving him alone with the slumbering woman. He eyed her apprehensively, as if she were a bomb instead of a woman who could wake up at any moment.
He watched as Hawke began to move more vigorously and became extremely close to the now completely dead fire. He argued with himself as she moved any nearer and decided that he would try and move her, he deliberated for a moment how he was going to do this without touching her but before he could think anymore her eyes snapped open and she looked at him with such a scared expression it made Fenris jump back in the shock of it.
"What in the Void do you think you're doing?" she demanded.
"You were tossing and turning in your sleep, the dwarf insisted that I make sure you did not roll into the fire or become an abomination,," Fenris explained, even though he had been free for a while now he still panicked at raised voices and made his excuses quickly as if he was waiting for the inevitable punishment.
She nodded and looked at her fringe with a sigh, attempting to rid her hair of the ash that had settled on it as she sat down. She gestured at the place next to her and he sat down making sure there was a decent gap between them. He observed her brush the ashes out of her with her fingers, her eyes locked in concentration.
She looked free of all her worries whilst she did it; almost happy. He wondered if Hawke had ever truly looked like that, but he imagined that her life had been nought but a struggle. The way her younger brother protected her as if she was a piece of fabric-easy to rip and soft- it made Fenris wonder what had happened to her. Not only that but she knew how to use her magic, it was not that she was untrained in sorcery, but she did not wield it so willingly like he had seen countless mages before do, it made him wonder what had happened to this woman to make her so reserved.
It reminded him a little bit of himself; he thought almost feeling sick as he noted their similarities.
No, you are not the same, you did not choose to have this hatred burnt into your being, Hawke chose to be as she is.
He observed the woman for another moment, her brow furrowed as she was becoming increasingly annoyed with the stubborn dirt in her hair.
Maybe she did not have a choice?
"I'd wash it out, but I really can't be bothered," Hawke said, tying all of her hair into a bun quickly as if due to habit.
Fenris merely nodded, it seemed all he could do. He could not think of anything to say to what she had stated. He had not attempted to make light conversation for years and was more than rusty in that area it seemed, unless it was bantering with the dwarf, Varric.
He looked at her hair, and wondered if that was her natural colour. When he was under his master's rule he would watch as Hadriana experiment with dying her hair and she had made it into all sorts of extravagant colours; it had become a growing fashion trend in Tevinter.
"Did you dye your hair that colour?" he found himself asking, his mouth betraying his mind.
"I had the red streak done at Ostagar, one of the Circle mages I became friends with there did it for me. It was either that or have matching barking mabari's with Carver," she said wrinkling her nose at the thought.
"You were at Ostagar? I have heard stories of that place and none of them are good," Fenris replied, trying to picture Hawke as a soldier. It puzzled him that she only mentioned that the red streak in her hair was dyed in and not the rest of her white hair but he did not pursue it.
"Yeah, well Carver decided he wanted to fight and I couldn't leave him alone, "she said, her eyes were concentrating back onto her fringe.
So it seemed that Hawke protected Carver just as much as he protected her. Fenris found it strange that these two siblings relied on each other. The thought of relying on someone to him was nothing more than a weakness to him.
"And who looked after your parents whilst you went to war?" he asked, curious to the answer.
"My father died before the Blight, and my mother was being protected by our sister Bethany, who died by the hands of a darkspawn ogre," Hawke said, almost coldly, it suggested to him she had to recite this line many times.
"I am sorry," Fenris felt bad for the woman, she seemed to have lost a lot.
"Why are you sorry? Did you kill them?" she replied bitterly, the ice in her voice sending shivers down Fenris' back. She observed him for a moment and then shook her head.
"I apologise, my family are a very touchy subject for me. But a change of topic if that's okay? Are you excited to see the Dalish?" she asked, an amused expression now colouring her face.
Fenris was confused, why would he be excited to see the Dalish? And then it clicked, because he was an elf she would immediately think that he would want to find a place to belong amongst the Dalish. In fact everything he had heard about the Dalish elves he had not liked, their halla's and the way they lived and their flimsy attitude to nature. He also did not like how he was told that the Dalish had frolics where they all touched and pleasured each other it reminded him of the magisters in Tevinter touching each other. He shuddered at the thought.
"No, I am not excited to be amongst the Dalish. I am merely an elf aesthetically it would seem," he replied stiffly.
"Oh and there I was thinking you looked like you'd fit right in with them, I can just see you doing a dance around the fire," she laughed, giving him a coy wink.
"That would be about as likely as you dancing with a Templar, "he replied sarcastically.
"And what would you say if I've already done that?" she laughed.
"I would say once more; you are a strange mage."
Before she could reply to him, the other men from their party returned, the mage and her brother both carrying firewood whilst the dwarf held what Fenris counted to be about five sticks. They threw the wood where the fire used to be, the dwarf looked at the male mage expectantly who rolled his eyes and clicked his fingers, summoning a roaring fire. He winked at Hawke who replied with an amused grin. The dwarf began to ready the food to be cooked whilst the mage sat down next to Hawke.
"You know you don't have to click your fingers to make the fire appear, "she said, looking at him in amusement.
"Sweetheart, it's just no fun without the theatrics," the blond mage winked at her and she rewarded him with another grin.
Hawke took over tending to the food on the fire, and Varric had decided to annoy her by explaining step by step how to cook meat properly for a good ten minutes. He could see that this was annoying Hawke and was shocked when after no more than fifteen minutes of this dwarf's intentionally goading she began to swear rather loudly at the dwarf who looked at her with a bemused smile.
"Listen to me you short stacked nug humping saggy left tit of Andraste, you will have your blighted food cooked as it comes, what the fuck do I look like to you? Do I look like a chef or a fucking warrior?" she snapped, glaring at the dwarf after he told her that she was doing it all wrong for the fourth time.
"Oi, Junior you owe me money!" the dwarf called over to Carver who had taken to watch the swearing commence from a safe distance from his sister. Carver groaned at the dwarf who chuckled victoriously. Hawke narrowed her gaze at the dwarf for a moment as he shot her a devious grin, then shook her head in defeat, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Varric, one day you are going to wake up with a moustache and no chest hair, "she chuckled.
"How's about I buy you a mug of ale from my winnings? Won't that put me back in your good graces, my dear lady? Varric said sincerely. Fenris had a suspicion that Varric was barely ever sincere.
"Call it two and you have a deal," she laughed, taking the meat off of the fire.
"You drive a hard bargain, my friend," he chortled.
She passed them all a plate of food, all with equal shares of the meat. Fenris looked at the meal gratefully. She did not have to cook food for him, he would have happily caught his own or done what he had for the past six months and starved.
She was a good cook; he gave her that as he took a bite out of the food. It was delicious, he had never tasted meat so good or it might have been the fact he just never had such a quantity of meat before. He had been thrown the scraps of it at the feasts Danarius held for his fellow magisters but most of the time he was nit-picking at the bones, there was never much left.
For a short while they ate in silence, and then Varric and Hawke decided to banter at each other whilst they disassembled the rest of the camp. It seemed the dwarf did this with everyone.
Fenris walked with the dwarf when they had begun travelling again, he was locked in his own thoughts and not truly listening to the outside world until he heard Carver hissing, peaking his curiosity.
"I don't care for this spirit of Justice crap, he's told her, you know," Carver huffed, watching the mage speak to his sister with narrowed eyes.
"Blondie's fine enough, it's just when Justice rears its ugly head," Varric replied, taking the neutral stance it seemed.
"Sister assures me it's not a demon, but still. I think it's creepy that you're talking to two people technically," Carver moaned, looking at the mage and his sister with obvious discomfort.
Fenris had heard enough, he wanted to know what this was about; especially when it involved mages.
"What is this you speak of?" Fenris asked, Carver turning and eyeing him for a moment.
"Let's just make this the short story, the mage –Anders- has a little spirit friend called Justice and when Justice sees something bad happen to mages he comes out to play," Varric explained.
"A demon? And he is allowed to walk amongst us?" Fenris almost growled, looking at the mage with hatred rather than just a strong dislike. It made his blood boil.
"It's not a demon, Broody, like I said, it's a spirit. They met a while back and now they've joined together to bring justice to the mages," Varric said raising his arms dramatically.
Fenris snarled, the dwarf was tiptoeing round the subject when he wanted answers. He almost roared as he walked up to Hawke and the… abomination, startling them both.
"Is it true what I hear? You are an abomination?" Fenris asked the male mage, his voice becoming almost feral. The abomination looked at him as if he was no more than something he had trodden on.
"Why don't you shout? I'm sure there are people in Ferelden that didn't hear you!" he retorted.
"Do you see yourself as harmless then? Are you an abomination that would never harm anyone?" he snarled, his hatred was dragging him back and instead of the abomination's face he saw Danarius, stood there mocking him. His perfect self-control began to ebb away.
"What like ripping someone's heart out?" the mage snapped back at him, his hand tensing his staff. They were all the same; he was foolish to have thought this time would have been any different. The abomination was readying himself for a fight and so he should.
"I did that at the behest of no demon," he roared, his lyrium lighting up.
He was foolish to think there could be an exception; mages wanted nothing more than the power to do as they wished, whether gained by blood or spirits.
"Oh good, so we agree that it doesn't take a demon to be a monster," the abomination practically screamed, raising his staff.
Faasta Vas, go on you pathetic maleficar.
Hawke stood in between them, her eyes were narrowed, but she did not show any expression of hate towards him. He readied his sword for a fight nonetheless.
"Broody, I don't think you should even try that," Varric said from behind him, he could almost feel the crossbow aimed at him.
Hawke studied him for a moment and turned her head slightly to the mage and her brother.
"Anders, carry on walking with my brother," she said. The mage hesitated and then nodded. Carver looked as if he was about to argue with his sister but the look on her face was positively feral. The pair walked off, leaving Fenris alone with Varric and Hawke.
"Anders is not a demon, he has some strange circumstances but he will not harm any of us," she said, her daggers in her hands.
"He is possessed by a spirit; eventually he will doom us all!" Fenris argued.
"And when that day comes, Fenris, then you may happily kill him," she said, her determined face staring at him, she was ready for the fight it seemed.
"And what if I'm not planning on staying?" he asked snarling.
"Then broody, I will hire a tracker to find you and bring you back here just so you get to slaughter him," Varric laughed behind him.
Fenris debated for a few moments. He owed this woman a debt, and he would see it done with before he left. But then he found himself wondering if he actually wanted to leave, he was tired of running around the world just to start the cycle all over again and become hunted. He needed somewhere he could make his final stand, what was the point of freedom if you were constantly running? He could have allies here it seemed.
He flung his sword onto his back and lifted his arms in defeat. He would watch this disgustingly weak mage and when he had the opportunity he would rip his heart out. Hawke kept her weapons close to her as she stared at him, a violent gleam in her eyes.
"I will have your word, that you will not hurt Anders unless he gives you good reason," she said.
"You have it, Hawke, but the mage will give me reason," Fenris replied.
Did she care for the abomination? Is that why she spoke to him in deep conversation and walked ahead of the others?
She turned around and walked off in the same direction that the other two men had.
When they had caught up to her and the two other men the walk became silent, occasionally Varric would try and shoot a Templar joke at the abomination who would merely shake his head. The dwarf remained silent until they were closer to the camp.
"So, Hawke, fancy a bet?" the dwarf challenged, looking up at Hawke who was about three foot taller than him.
"It depends what it is," she replied, looking at the dwarf suspiciously. Fenris could understand why she gave him such a look, he was pretty sure whatever the dwarf did; he cheated.
"How's about whoever can get the best kill on the way home wins?" the dwarf said an evil smile painting his sincere face. Fenris rolled his eyes.
"And what do we win?" she asked
"Well, if I win I want you to pick up the lute and sing me a good old song preferably ones about a handsome dwarf with manly chest hair," Varric replied his eyes twinkling.
She stopped walking and turned quickly on her heel. She looked bewildered for a moment, as if this was odd and then realisation hit her face like a wave. She turned and looked at her brother; it was obvious to her who had betrayed her.
"CARVER!" she exclaimed, and she lurched at him, making them both fall to the ground. She began a flurry of punches, but none of them hard enough to draw blood. The two siblings rolled in the mud play fighting each other and when they had both finished they were both laughing at themselves. Fenris' eyebrows raised as he looked at them incredulously, the legendary smuggler and her warrior brother rolled around like they were children? He had not heard of this in any of the stories of Hawke.
Hawke got up and held her hand out so Carver could get up too. They both had childish grins on their faces, giving the impression that this happened often with the Hawke siblings. Before they could continue a voice echoed out of the woodland.
"Hold, Shemlen, your kind are not welcome amongst the Dalish," the voice hissed from the shadows of the trees.
Fenris grabbed his sword and squinted his eyes at the woods as if trying to make out what or who was residing in there.
"Well, I'm not expecting tea and cakes I just want to see someone," Hawke replied nonchalantly.
As soon as Hawke had replied, soft thuds came from the shadows confirming whoever it was had jumped down. Three elves all equipped with bows and swords emerged from the shadows, eyeing Hawke like prey as they walked towards her.
The tallest male elf seemed to be the leader of the small group; he looked Hawke up and down as if readying himself to fight. "There is nothing here for humans," he hissed. The female to his left looked at Hawke curiously as she smiled back at them sweetly. Fenris did not trust Hawke's sweet smile he feared it was much like Varric's sincerity.
"Wait, this is the one the keeper spoke of," the elven woman said to her leader.
"A shemlen? I thought she would be an elf," the male replied, looking at Hawke almost disgusted. "Enter the camp; Keeper Marathari has been waiting for you,"
"Why thank you," Hawke replied, flashing a grin at them as she walked past.
Fenris felt no sense of his elven heritage when they walked into the camp, they seemed far too self-righteous to say that they were once at the top of everything and they'd plummeted to the bottom, they did not really have a right to be so high and mighty about themselves and yet they were. The elves around the camp looked at the group with cold eyes and Fenris felt the prickle of arrows pointed at him as he walked.
"Don't you just love their hospitality?" Hawke asked amused.
The Keeper was the oldest in the camp; her face was decorated in golden tattoos that swirled around her wrinkling face. She was looking into the fire until she turned and gazed at Hawke intensely as if she knew Hawke would be coming.
"Keeper Marathari, I was told to bring you this amulet," Hawke said politely. She passed a small amulet to the keeper who looked at it with knowing eyes, and passed it straight back to Hawke.
"Andaran atish'an travellers, indeed I am Keeper Marathari, let me look at you," she pointed to Hawke and beckoned her forward. Hawke walked closer to the elven keeper, who examined her face.
"There is a light in your heart human, but it is caged. Do not let the light go out, for you will need it," she said, her tone serious. "Tell me how this burden fell to you?"
"A dragon fell from the sky, charred some darkspawn and then asked me to bring you this amulet…No big deal," she joked.
Fenris felt his eyebrows climb to the top of his forehead. Was this true? Had a dragon really done this? Or did the rolling around the dirt do something to Hawke's head. He looked at her companions in disbelief and was stunned when her brother gave him a nod, confirming it was the truth.
"You are blessed by luck then, may Mithral watch over you. The amulet must be taken to an old burial site at the top of the mountain and given a Dalish rite for the departed then you must return the amulet to me," the keeper said, her eyes watching Hawke. "Do this and your debt will be repaid,"
"Are you going to teach me this rite?" Hawke asked, confused. It was obvious to him that there was something more to this amulet and Hawke must have been very naïve to think that it would just be a simple delivery.
"I will send my first with you; she will see to it that the ritual is done. And when it is complete, I must ask that you take her back with you," the Keeper said, her grey eyes still staring at Hawke, not even acknowledging any of the other party members.
Hawke's expression became painted confusion. "That seems a little odd," she remarked, as the keeper nodded with agreement.
"It is her wish, and I must grant it, "the Keeper said sadly. "You will find Merrill waiting for you just past the trail up the mountain, Dareth Shiral,"
"Ma Nuvenin, dareth falon,"
If he had not watched it come out of Hawke's mouth he would not have believed what she had just said. He noticed how the younger Hawke rolled his eyes at his sister; it was obviously something she showed off about.
"I think you are the first human I've heard to speak elvehn," Fenris said, trying to recall another time.
"I don't know all of it, when the Dalish came near my home in Lothering; I made friends with some of them and they taught me some of their language and I gave them cookies," she replied coolly, as if she was discussing the weather rather than she was good friends with a race that had been segregated for the past two millennia.
"You gave them cookies?" Fenris asked incredulously.
I think I'd rather believe the dragon story.
"Yes, you know cookies… biscuits with chocolate in them? Apparently they'd never had chocolate before so it's no wonder these lot are so grumpy," she tittered, her head nodding back to the Dalish camp.
So many things were strange about Hawke, and the more he got to know her the more he realised that they would certainly be stranger. She was rather charming and accepting to everyone she met, it was a shame that her nature made no exceptions to abominations.
They travelled a little further on into the trail and found the elf the Keeper had told them about.
She stood next to a large boulder, with her eyes darting to and thro, fidgeting excessively, as if she could not stay still. She seemed to be lost in thought, as she did not look up when they approached, but moved her short beaded black hair from her face as if it were annoying her.
Hawke walked up to her, a smile on her face as she looked at the female elf.
"Oh! I didn't hear! You must be the one the Keeper told me about!" she said, looking at Hawke with huge orb like eyes. "I'm so sorry; I didn't ask your name! Unless… it's not rude to ask a human their name? I'm Merrill, which you probably already knew! I'm sorry… I'm rambling." She seemed extremely nervous and jittery. Fenris did not trust nor like jittery.
Hawke smiled at her kindly, "You'll have to work harder than that to offend me, and my name is Hawke,"
Merrill smiled at her gratefully and replied, "Thank you, I am afraid I am not very experienced with your kind," she explained, a slight blush on her face as she looked at Hawke. "Have you been in the Free Marches long? Do you like it here?"
Hawke smiled at her again, as if this elf was some sort of cute little puppy.
"Ah, I miss the cold, and the dirt of Ferelden. Kirkwall's not brown enough for me, but hey, no darkspawn," Hawke sighed as she wrinkled nose. Fenris watched her nose, confused as to why she did it. Did the memory of Ferelden make her nose twitch as if she could smell the dirt and the cold? Or was it because she remembered the smell of the darkspawn?
The small elf woman seemed to feel more at ease with Hawke as she exclaimed "Ferelden wasn't that brown! The dirt and muck gave it character, I think! We should go… Your task if for Asha'bellanar and it is not wise to make her wait," a serious tone coloured her voice.
Fenris followed Hawke and her companions as they moved up the mountains; she was busy chatting to the elf woman when all of a sudden she let out a gasp.
"I thought I recognised you! You're Tamlen's friend! Where is he?" she said excitedly, her eyes lit with happiness.
"Hawke, do you have an elven lover you never told us about?" Varric asked, his eyebrows waggling and then when no answer came from Hawke he looked at her brother who did not answer but just winked. So, Hawke had a lover? Did this new information shock him? He did not understand why his stomach suddenly felt queasy as if someone had stuck a knife in it and stirred the contents of it round until he felt almost sea-sick.
"You… you know of Tamlen?" Merril asked her, her voice sad.
"Yes, he was a dear friend to me. He helped me learn elven in exchange for cookies," she said, her face animated. This Tamlen must have been very dear to Hawke because she seemed almost hyperactive at the thought of him. He wondered if Hawke had ever really been the boring young girl Carver described or it was merely an act for her family.
"Tamlen is no longer with us," Merril said, Hawke's smile disappeared as soon as she said it.
When they reached the top of the trail, rumblings from the ground put Fenris on edge. Just as they were about to enter the cave to get to the summit of the mountain, skeletal hands clawed their way up from the ground, snarling at them with their rusted weapons ready.
Hawke drew her daggers, and shot Fenris a vivacious grin.
The skeletons were easy work; they were merely bodies with no mind left within them. He noticed that the elven woman had taken out her staff and was chanting out elven. As Fenris slashed the last of them with his great sword he groaned out loud at the thought of being surrounded by three apostates. It was bad enough when it was one.
As they continued through the caves he felt the elven mage stare at him, he turned to face and raised his eyebrow and snarled, "What?" at her.
He had quite enough of mages for the rest of his life and when he had repaid this debt he would- he would? What would he do? He had nowhere to go, nowhere to flee to. He looked at Hawke for a moment; she was the only ally he seemed to have. This was not what he had expected from his freedom, being trapped in a cave with three mages a warrior and a dwarf. It seemed like the start of a very bad joke.
"You and Hawke have the same hair," she said, looking at him with a scared expression.
"Well done," he grunted, glaring at her with dislike.
A mage and an idiot, those two never go well together.
"You almost match," she said, making the abomination who was walking behind her snort in disgust.
Fenris shot a glare at the mage before growling, "we do not match in anyway, mage,"
"It is a Dalish custom when you are married to match is some way, most people go for tattoos instead of hair though," she said, he could feel her beginning to ramble as he glared at her, his lyrium almost humming with annoyance. "I'll just shut up," she said and scurried back to Hawke who looked at Fenris and then back at Merril, shaking her head. She instantly cheered the elvehn girl up by speaking about her time with the Dalish in Ferelden.
As they neared the exit they were blocked in by a nest of large spiders, behind him he could hear the younger Hawke sibling moaning at the sight of them. He raised his sword at the sight of the arachnids and charged.
Hawke followed behind him and took to fighting next to him, darting in and out of the swings of the great sword as if she knew where it would strike next. It almost felt normal to have this rogue at his back, slashing the spider's legs whilst arrows rained down on them and the earth shook at the elven mage's command. The abomination was throwing spells left right and centre, aiming them near Hawke as if he was doing all in his power to make sure she wouldn't be injured.
He felt a rush as he and Hawke fought, it was odd to be able to work with someone so naturally. She rolled and flipped around him in perfect harmony.
"Whew, that was quite a show!" Varric shouted at them, whilst helping Merril up who had fallen down in fright when a spider had jumped her from behind.
"Shame your brother is terrified of spiders, although you did pretty well on your own Hawke," the abomination said, his eyes glowing with praise. He failed to mention that she worked alongside Fenris.
"Oh that has to go in a story junior, you've fought darkspawn but spiders scare the shit out of you," Varric said, nudging the younger Hawke's elbow, his face creased as though he was ready to burst out laughing any second. Carver looked disgruntled.
"Thank you, Anders, although I wouldn't have done as well if it wasn't for Fenris' aid," she said, shooting a smile at him.
They walked out of the cave to then be greeted with a magical barrier that seemed impossible to pass. Fenris tried to open it with a lyrium fuelled fist to no avail. Hawke asked the abomination to try with his magic, but not even magic could open the barrier.
The elf mage walked up to the barrier nonchalantly and took a dagger to her wrist, making blood leak down her arm. The barrier sucked up every droplet of the blood, apparently hungry for it and then vanished. Fenris' breath become short; his temper was getting the better of him once again.
Fenris tried to keep the swear words and curses and disgust inside him, but he could not hold it any longer. He looked at Hawke who was just as disgusted as he was however, obviously unaware of what the elf mage was going to do. He calmed slightly at that thought but he turned on the elven blood mage with an anger that could rip down the juggernaut golems that protected Tevinter in one swift glance.
"Faasta Vas! Blood magic! Because being stupid wasn't enough, was it? You are foolish!" he spat. Mages wanted nothing but power, whether it be by blood or any other means. They would get their hands on it and when they did they would use their hands to abuse those who did not have the power to fight back. He had seen it all before.
"Bless you broody," Varric said, obviously not fazed by what happened.
"Yes, it was blood magic, but I know what I'm doing! The spirit helped us, didn't it?" she stammered, looking towards Hawke for kind words of reassurance.
Hawke was looking at her as if she had spat on her. Her face was painted with disdain and disapproval, her brother mirrored her expression.
"Yes, demons are very helpful. Right up until they take your mind and make you into a monster," she said in cold humour.
"Well… yes. But that won't happen, I know how to defend myself," the blood mage tried to argue back. She was pathetic.
Hawke did not reply to her, she just closed her eyes for a second and pinched the gap between her eyebrows. She took a deep breath and looked at the blood mage with a calm patient expression.
"We are nearly there, but be careful up ahead. The spirits are restless," Merril said half-heartedly as if her feelings had been hurt. Hawke nodded to that and continued onwards past the barrier.
As soon as they crossed the barrier they were ambushed by undead shadow assassins and the bodies that were once buried in the grounds; the once dead corpses becoming animated. They were cornered on the summit of the mountain with both exits blocked, making the fight incredibly risky in fenris' eyes.
Hawke didn't seem to care about the risks and began to dance with her daggers alongside her partner in this violent dance; her younger brother. They swiped and slashed whilst the mages aided them with their magic, Varric had his trigger ready for a shot. Fenris roared into battle and joined the fray.
He scythed amongst the enemies, becoming nothing more than the hum and flash of blue light, defending Varric who was firing his crossbow when he got the chance. He would rather do that than become a third wheel in the Hawke partnership, it seemed he was not needed.
He was fighting a shadow assassin when he heard her scream, he heaved his great sword at the assassin he was battling, decapitating its inky head from its rotting body and swivelled around, his eyes searching for the person that that scream belonged to but he already knew the answer.
Hawke.
He searched for her on the battlefield and found her lying near the edge of the mountain a dagger impaled through the small gap in her armour, her body hanging off the edge. She was deathly pale.
He grabbed her, holding her awkwardly so their skin would not meet and ran through the fray and towards the abomination. The mage looked at Hawke's limp body with shocked and panicked eyes, and quickly grabbed her from Fenris.
Carver Hawke screamed in anger at the sight of his big sister's body and sliced the last enemy that threatened them. He ran towards the mage and knelt down with his sister, his body shaking with rage and panic.
Panic charged the atmosphere as Fenris watched Carver Hawke look at his sister's body for a second and then back at the abomination "On three," he commanded and the mage nodded in agreement.
"One"
She's too pale, she might have lost too much blood.
"Two"
Maybe it's for the best; if she dies then he can just leave and carry on.
"THREE!"
He ripped the dagger from her chest, blood spurting like a fountain and then the gaping hole in her chest was knitted together by the blue light radiating from the abomination's hands. For a moment Hawke laid on the ground as if she were sleeping, the mood had become deathly quiet even the funny dwarf had nothing to say.
She shot up like a comet, taking a deep gulp of the air as if it was the first time she had ever truly breathed. She spat on the floor and muttered several curses and looked up and shot a smile at everyone who chuckled.
"Hmm, anyone else feel like they've been hit over the head with a boulder? Just me? Oh well," she joked, getting herself up and dusting herself off as if nothing had happened. Fenris had been calling this mage strange for most of the day but he decided he had found the correct adjective for her: insane. She had spent the morning chatting to abominations about herbs, blood mages about chocolate and then when she got stabbed in the chest with a rusted dagger causing her to nearly die she had acted as if it was nothing. This woman was truly mental. And yet, even though her mental health was questionable this group of opposites were all together because of her.
"Fenris, you're bleeding!" Hawke exclaimed, bringing Fenris out of his thoughts.
He looked down at his arm and saw the laceration in the gap of his armour; to him it was nothing. He was used to being cut and sliced when he was cornered by hunters. This was merely a scratch to him; he had been cornered by the hunters once and they had done far worse.
He shrugged at her and wiped away some of the blood. The wound was shallow and was not life threatening to him in fact he couldn't even feel it.
Still not satisfied with his shrug, Hawke went into the pouch that was tied on her belt and passed him a red vial. He was going to argue with her that it was nothing but when he met her eyes he saw that she had a stubborn expression on her face and decided to take it and not complain. He sipped the vial and felt a sudden warmth simmer in his body and when he looked down the wound was gone, save for the blood that was now staining his armour.
"You know this dirt thing's starting to grow on me, Hawke, like a sodding lump on my balls," Varric said, kicking a corpse to empathize his words.
"Let's get this over with and I can win that bet and you will be wearing a dress for the rest of the night," Hawke muttered at the dwarf.
She turned around to the blood mage who walked towards a stone table at the very end of the mountain summit, close to where Hawke had been dangling off the edge just a few moments ago. He had not realised that this boulder classed as an altar to Dalish elves. In Tevinter the magister's alters were made of gold and encrusted with gems with small symbols of Dumat painted delicately around them.
Hawke must have felt the same way about the pathetic excuse for an altar as she looked at the blood mage in surprise and said, "Is this it?"
It seemed Hawke must have expected something a little grander than the boulder that looked like it had eroded coincidentally into the shape of an altar.
"Stone lasts longer than wood and metal would be stolen, it still works just as well, or so the Keeper says. Personally I think it would look lovely with a few flowers around it maybe some pretty vines too," the blood mage rambled at Hawke.
"I don't know, it just seems a bit too plain to pay homage to a dragon," Hawke tutted sarcastically.
The blood mage was not listening; she had put the amulet on the altar and had begun chanting quickly in elven and the amulet began to shine intensely, encouraging the mage to continue and at the end of the chant the light had become so bright Fenris shielded his eyes from the intense rays. When his eyes finally opened the light had completely gone and had been replaced by a white haired old woman who looked at them with keen yellow eyes and an amused smile on her face.
Behind him he heard gasps and grunts from the three other men of the party who were obviously as surprised as he was at the woman standing before him, the blood mage threw herself on her knees mumbling in elven.
"One of the people I see, so bright and young. Do you know anything of me beyond that title?" she asked looking down at the bowing elf.
"I know only a little," the blood mage replied, still bowing at the old woman's feet.
"Then stand, the people bend their knee too quickly," the white haired woman said and turned to Hawke almost smiling. "So refreshing to see someone who keeps their end of the bargain, I half expected my amulet to be in the pocket of a merchant!"
Hawke's expression was a mask of calmness and she smiled at the witch that had appeared from the amulet as if they exchanging pleasantries.
"No one wanted to buy it! Perhaps because it had a witch inside?" she cajoled, making the old woman that stood before her smile widely.
"Just a piece, a small piece but it was all that I needed. A bit of security should the inevitable occur and if I know my Morrigan it already has," she said in a dangerous whisper that made the hairs on fenris' arm stand up.
She observed Hawke for a moment as if Hawke was completely naked and the witch could see every part of her.
"Oh little songbird, now you've locked yourself in a cage the wolf will prowl," she whispered more to herself than the group.
Hawke looked at her confused for a moment; the words did not make any sense as the witch had intended he was sure.
"And will I be no doubt eaten by the big bad wolf?" Hawke replied with humour laced in her threatening tone.
"Maybe, maybe not; the wolf will bring you out of your cage there is no doubt about that," the old woman laughed.
Hawke stared at her for a moment her brow furrowed as she looked at the old witch.
"Fenris, what do you think of this?" she asked him which shocked him that she had asked for his opinion on the matter and not the abomination or the blood mage.
He observed the white haired witch for a moment and she smiled at him exposing her teeth as if in a threatening manner. He had seen his former master duel other magisters and trap their souls in small vials of their blood to augment his power but they could never escape their fate. This woman had walked out of the amulet freely, as if she was merely slumbering inside the amulet.
"You are no simple witch," was all he could comment, and it was true enough.
"Figured that out yourself, did you?" the old woman asked, almost laughing again.
"I have seen powerful mages, spirits and abominations but you are none of those things. What are you?" he asked, it irked him that he had left Tevinter with the idea that he had seen everything that mages were capable of doing and now he stood before another entity of magic and had no idea what she was.
She laughed at him for a moment, and then started to tap her chin almost comically as she pondered him for a moment, her amused expression never leaving her face.
"Such a curious lad, the chains are broken but are you truly free, little wolf?" she asked, causing Fenris' stomach to jolt as she had called him the pet name Danarius was so inclined to call him.
He stared at her looking into her knowing yellow eyes and wondered what else the old witch knew about him.
"You see a great deal."
Her eyes flickered around the members of the group once more until they landed back onto Hawke, her gaze was intense she stared at Hawke with a pensive stare.
"I am a fly in the ointment, I am a whisper in the shadows. I am also an old, old woman, more than that you do not need to know," she said.
Hawke raised an eyebrow at the witch's answer but did not pursue her curiosity as she asked, "You have plans I take it?"
The old witch's smile almost turned feral at the question, a sadistic gleam shone in her eye making Fenris shudder, wondering what it was that she was thinking about to make her look the way she did.
"Destiny awaits us both, my dear girl, we have much to do. But before I go, a word of advice. We stand upon the precipice of change; the world fears the inevitable plummet to the abyss. Watch for that moment songbird, and do not hesitate to take the leap for it is only when you fall that you will truly learn to fly,"
Hawke's faced was marred for a moment with confusion at the witch's monologue; the old woman was a snake with her words and did not make sense on purpose.
"Cheap advice from a dragon," Hawke sneered making the old woman laugh again.
The old woman nodded and countered, "We all have our challenges,"
"We're really going to regret bringing her here," Carver Hawke groaned to his sibling.
"Regret is something I know well, take well not to cling to it or hold it so close that it poisons your soul. When the time comes for your regrets; remember me," she said solemnly as she turned towards the blood mage "As for you, child, step carefully for no path is darker when your eyes are shut."
The elf fell to her knees in worship making Fenris' stomach turn at the sight of her willingly worshipping the witch; it was because of elves like this one that their race had been submerged into slavery.
"Ma Serannas, Asha'bellanar," the blood mage replied.
The witch's yellow eyes glanced at the elf for a second and flitted back to Hawke, still scrutinizing every inch of her face.
"Now has come for the time for me to leave, you have my thanks and my sympathies," the witch said, walking towards the mountain edge. The same light emitted from the old woman so bright they were temporarily blinded and when it faded the woman no longer stood but instead replaced by a roaring crimson dragon that had taken off into the skies.
Fenris felt his eyebrows hit the top of his forehead as he saw the dragon, which to him confirmed the authenticity of the Hawke's story. The next time he heard a ridiculous story about Hawke, he would think twice before setting it down to rumours set about by the funny dwarf.
The dragon continued flying towards the horizon, and just before it got out of sight released a blazing cone of fire before migrating into the clouds.
* Ma nuven dareth falon- As you wish, be safe my friend (actually from the dragon age wiki ;) )