A/N: I'm back! ...finally. Sorry about the long hiatus. Life got busy, as it tends to do. I'm going to make more of an effort to work on this story though so the next chapter will show up much sooner.
Thanks to everyone who has stuck around this long. I appreciate all of your comments/critiques. Hope you enjoy!
It was early the next morning when a knock on the door roused them from their sleep. Only half awake, Hawke looked at Isabela from the corner of his eye.
"Who could that possibly be?" he moaned.
Isabela opened her eyes for the first time and met his gaze. "From your lack of movement, I'm assuming that means you want me to get it then?" she asked incredulously. Hawke only smiled in response. With a groan Isabela pushed herself up on the bed and threw her pillow at Hawke's head, which he caught with a chuckle.
"You are closer to the door…" he said as he half-heartedly fumbled with an excuse.
Isabela ignored him as she pulled on his robe and deftly slipped the dagger from her nightstand into her sleeve and out of sight. "Some Champion you are," she muttered to herself as she groggily opened the door, her blade at the ready. As the sunlight from the open door lit up Isabela's face, Hawke noticed her features darken almost imperceptibly.
"What are you doing here?" she asked skeptically. Hawke saw her body relax as she slipped out her dagger and set it on the nightstand. Immediately Hawke sat up and peered through the doorway, anxious to see who was waiting on the other side.
Katiana looked from Isabela to Hawke, a sad smile briefly filling her face before she covered it with one more convincing. "I… I thought of something that I thought might help you," she said. Isabela glanced over her shoulder at Hawke with a look on her face that clearly portrayed her hesitance, though Hawke couldn't understand why. He furrowed his brows at her for a second, before clearing his throat and focusing his eyes on Katiana once more.
"Right... I'm not exactly dressed for company, but come in," he offered. Quickly he slid off his side of the bed and pulled on his smallclothes.
"It's not much, but I thought it might interest you," Katiana said.
Hawke turned to face her. "We'd appreciate anything you could give us," he replied. Katiana smiled meekly and bounced her gaze off the floor, glancing at Isabela beside her before meeting his eyes once more.
"The mountain - the one we were on in the Fade… I couldn't figure out why it seemed so familiar to me," she began. "Then, last night, I remembered. It had been so long since I'd been up there; I'd almost forgotten it completely…" She trailed off, losing herself in some memory beyond Hawke or Isabela's grasp.
"Katiana?" Isabela asked softly, eyeing Hawke suspiciously.
"Sorry," she replied, breaking free of the thoughts that had taken hold of her. "The, um… place. It's the mountain that overlooks Llomerryn. I had Ronan draw you a map." She withdrew a piece of parchment from the pocket of her dress and handed it to Isabela. "That should lead you to the exact ridge we were on." Hawke watched Isabela unfold it before looking to Katiana once more.
"Thank you, Katiana," he said. "I appreciate you bringing this to us."
She nodded in response and turned toward the door, stopping short of the exit. "Be very cautious. You don't know what might be waiting there for you," she said, her back turned toward them. Before either could respond she stepped out and closed the door.
"Well, that was weird," Isabela stated.
Hawke nodded as he watched Katiana's figure fade from view out the window. "Do you think she's alright?" he asked.
"It's us I'm concerned for," Isabela replied. Hawke walked behind her and slid his arms around her waist.
"Not all Seers are your mother," he assured her.
"It's more than that," she insisted, leaning back against him. Hawke grinned slightly. "You've been wary since we met her," he argued. "You have to start trusting people eventually."
Isabela's eyes flashed with anger and she spun away from him. "I trust you, Hawke," she exclaimed. "Excuse me if I don't recruit every bloody misfit I meet to be my new best friend."
Hawke tried to stifle a laugh. "But look how well that's worked for me," he said.
Isabela stood her ground. "My instincts have gotten me this far," she said. "And they're telling me now that something isn't quite right with this." Hawke sighed in resignation and took a step toward her. He touched his hand to the delicate skin of her cheek and met her fierce gaze.
"Alright," he agreed. "We'll be careful."
With his reassurance spoken, Isabela sighed and shook her head. "Andraste," she murmured. "When did I become the careful one?"
After eating breakfast in the tavern, where Hawke relayed the details of his encounter with Eleni Zinovia to Isabela, they emerged from the building, their packs prepared for the journey ahead of them. Isabela said it looked like a few hours to the ridge Ronan had marked on the map, so they guessed they'd be there by just after midday. As they set out, the clouds above the mountain cracked and a flash lit up the darkened landscape.
"Oh, lovely," Isabela muttered. Hawke sniggered and drew her close to him as they walked.
A couple of hours passed before they reached the base of the mountain, upon which they spent another hour circling trying to find the overgrown path they were supposed to ascend. Surprisingly, they found the path more trodden than they had expected and, though it was no easy climb, they began their ascent. The path was wide enough for two or three at a time, but the edge crumbled away at the slightest touch so they took the path one after another instead of side by side. They climbed for a few hours or more, neither speaking as they concentrated on their footing during the steep incline, until they reached a point where the trail leveled out. They rounded the mountain once more and then came to a wide ridge that overlooked Llomerryn and its port.
"Wow," Isabela whispered as she took in the view. The ocean, though darkened by the storm clouds, glinted like thousands of diamonds in the distance as the sun peeked through patches of cloud.
Hawke stood in front of her, as wordless as he was motionless. The wind tore at the fabric on his armor and whipped at his hair. If not for that movement, he could have been mistaken for a statue. Isabela gingerly stepped beside him and placed her hand on his should.
"Hawke?" she asked, breaking the spell that had a hold over him.
He blinked and met her gaze. She felt his muscles relax beneath her touch and waited for him to speak.
"This is it, Bela," he murmured. The sky above them took that opportunity to crack wide open, enveloping them in a torrent of rain. As the droplets hit the ground, the smell of water mingled with the dirt and gave off a powerful earthy scent that signaled the arrival of a storm. Yet neither of them moved an inch.
"How can this be exactly as it was in the Fade?" he asked her. "I've never even been here."
Isabela could only shake her head. "That's what we're here to find out though, right?" she asked.
Hawke nodded and the haze that had enveloped his movements dissipated. "Why don't we rest for a minute? It's not much further and we don't know what we'll find."
Noticing the rain that poured over them for the first time, they quickly ran toward the mountain and sat on a natural bench of stone beneath a hollowed out portion that protected them from most of the water that fell. Hawke leaned his staff beside him and pulled the drinking water from his pack. After taking a sip, he handed it to Isabela and as she took it, he noticed that the skin of her flesh was covered with goosebumps. He pulled a hooded cloak from his pack and wrapped it around her neck, bringing his face close to hers as he tied it. Isabela looked at him with longing, as she often did, but when he finished the task he pulled away with a smile.
"Such a tease," she complained.
Despite the cloak, Hawke noticed a shiver run through her. He scooted closer to his pirate and wrapped his arm around her in an attempt to block the wind.
"There are easier ways to get warm," she remarked. "Much more fun as well." Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
Hawke laughed and moved his free hand to her thigh. His face was inches from hers when he spoke.
"When this is over, we'll settle down and make all the love in the world, maybe buy a nice house, have a few children…" he paused to note the horror in her eyes. "But for now we need to focus on the task at hand."
Isabela's mouth hung open. "That better be your idea of a joke," she said.
"You wouldn't exactly be the ideal housewife," he replied with a grin. "I suppose I'll have to find someone better suited to the task when this is over with."
"Only if we can share her," she said suggestively.
"Agh, that wouldn't really work for me," Hawke answered.
"Jealous? Really?" The thought seemed to please her.
Hawke's mouth curled up and he took hold of her hand. "Not exactly. I just realized I only have one of these to give," he said, holding up her hand to display his ring on her thumb.
Embarrassment instantly colored Isabela's cheeks. He wasn't sure if she had just forgotten the ring entirely or if she'd kept it on purpose, but he knew the commitment, even if accidental, made her feel self-conscious. He smiled at the realization that the most beautiful woman he'd ever known was only uncomfortable about something as simple as loving someone.
"Right," she mumbled. She stared at her hand as her fingers twirled the metal around her thumb. "I… uh…. Oh, balls."
Hawke cupped his hand over hers, giving her nothing else to look at but him. "I'm not asking for anything to change between us," he assured her. "Think of it as a promise you can throw back at me if I ever break it."
Isabela chuckled at the thought. "I quite like that idea, actually," she replied.
"Alright then," he said, his eyes focused fully on hers. "It's sorted."
"Alright," she agreed. "I guess we can focus on more important things now... like leaving this mountain alive.
"You never know, this could all be for nothing. Or maybe our foes are something cuddly this time… like bunnies! We never fight anything fluffy."
Isabela giggled in response. "I'm not sure I'd want to fight something fluffy. It'd be too depressing."
"Well," Hawke thought for a moment. "Maybe we could just keep one as a pet then."
"Yes… a guard bunny for our quarters," she sniggered.
As her devilish grin lit up her face, Hawke found himself falling in love with her all over again. Even in the darkest, most dire situations she always found a way to be a light for them both, even if it was entirely unintentional. He would do anything to keep that light from going out. As these thoughts distracted him from everything else, he didn't realize he was staring at her with a ridiculous grin on his face.
Isabela cocked an eyebrow at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.
Her voice broke his trance and he found himself caught off-guard by her question. He laughed nervously and shook his head. "I…." He hesitated with his answer, but the longer he looked at her, the clearer his answer became. "You're beautiful."
Shock registered all over Isabela's face, but before she had time to fully process his words she was caught up in a kiss. His lips lingered on hers until he eventually forced himself to pull away, though only an inch or so. He nuzzled his nose against hers and closed his eyes, losing himself in her completely.
"You're good at playing the nonchalant type, but then you kiss me like that…" Her breathing was ragged and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"I could say the same about you." Reluctantly he pulled away from her and looked at their surroundings. His chest heaved, exhaling a sigh that communicated just how little he wanted to continue this journey despite knowing how necessary it was.
"Are you ready then?" he asked. "It doesn't look like this weather will be letting up anytime soon."
"Such a tease," she joked, ending their conversation exactly as it had begun.
Unenthusiastically they picked up their packs and stepped into the rain once more. Hawke took one last look over the edge before leading Isabela around and up the mountain. Everything appeared just as it had in the Fade, though notably damper. It took only a few minutes for Hawke to find the opening to the cave he shouldn't have known existed.
Isabela let out a sharp breath and looked at Hawke. "This doesn't look at all foreboding."
He glanced at her with an amused expression before turning his gaze to the utter darkness before them. With a flick of his wrist a flame ignited in his palm. Isabela drew her blades and took her place beside him as they stepped out of the rain and into the eye of the storm, moving ever closer to the unknown.