The Other Hawke
By: Ryu Katanna
Beta:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter Ten
That night Harry left the Hanged Man with Varric, Marian and Carver. Athenril's contact, Anso, was to meet them in the Lowtown Bazaar. They made their way to meet him now; stopping to fight a few highwaymen along the way. When they got there it was to see a dwarf checking out a cart that had been left there some time before. He was the only other person around this late as the area was otherwise deserted and silent.
"You Anso?" Harry asked; startling the dwarf who jumped so high his feet almost left the ground.
"Aaaah! Sweet mother of Partha. You can't just sneak up on someone like that!" The brown haired dwarf almost yelled as he turned around to face them.
Harry smiled a bit at this. This was Athenril's contact? This jumpy and easily startled dwarf? What was he getting himself into? The man was obviously nervous, and that jittery behavior spoke volumes to Harry. Anso was not the type to deal in shady business.
Over the time in Athenril's employ he had learned well how to act. He had to in order to watch his brother and sister's backs. While it was not surprising that Anso had not heard Harry's silent steps it would have been hard to miss the heavier footfalls of the others. That the dwarf was startled as he was, while amusing, bothered Harry. Anso was distracted by something else.
"Are...you the one that smuggler told me about? The one looking for work?" The dwarf asked shakily.
"Sorry if we startled you, but Athenril did say you were looking for some help. You don't have to worry; we won't attack you unless you attack us first." Harry reassured as he smiled gently.
"Oh! No, no! My apologies, human. I haven't been on the surface very long. I keep thinking I'll fall up into that sky any minute!" Anso explained causing Varric and Harry to chuckle a bit.
"Bartrand used to be like that. Got jumpy every time he stepped outside." Varric said about his brother; causing Carver to give a small chuckle of his own.
"I'd pay to see that." he said.
"I supposed the sky would seem so big as to swallow you if you had always lived with solid stone over you." Harry replied in understanding.
'That can't be it. Too simple.'
"But I digress. I need some help. Rather badly, in fact. Some product of mine has been...misplaced. The men who were supposed to deliver it decided not to. If you could return my property I could reward you handsomely...?" Anso explained a bit of his story, and Harry's attention fixed on the dwarf as he shifted subtly.
That sounded more like a question then a statement, and Harry did not let any apprehension show as he looked around them. He listened as Marian continued speaking to him. His eyes traced the shadows around them as he let his senses take over. He got the feeling there was someone else nearby, but could see no one.
Anso didn't sound like he was telling them the truth. His voice had taken on a nervous tone again as he explain the specifics of the job to Harry's sister. Harry didn't say anything to the others. If Anso was this nervous then he probably had a good reason to lie, but Harry would keep an eye out for if things went south.
They headed toward the alienage with Carver scowling unhappily the whole way. He really didn't like the thought of it being lyrium they were looking for. Honestly, this was a job recommended by Athenril. What had Carver suspected they might be doing went they first set out to meet the guy?
Once they were inside Harry could tell it was too quiet. Marian opened one of the doors after Varric and Harry had disabled the traps, and they were fighting a second later. Harry didn't like the tight space as there wasn't much room to move, and it made it harder to evade their attacks. It didn't take them long until they were all down. Harry watched Marian walk over and open the chest. It was empty. Well wasn't that just great?!
"Looks like we're gonna have to head back and tell Anso." Marian said, and Harry shook head head as they started on their way out.
His suspicions about Anso's story were pretty much confirmed as they left the building. There was a whole mess of people in armor. One started yelling about an elf, and another yelling beck about killing them. Harry watched as Marian cast a lightning storm spell following it up with fire raining down; well now he was glad he hadn't moved. His sister was blasted crazy!
"You hit me Marian, and you'll come to regret it!" Harry shouted at her as he thought of what prank he could pull on her later while he was fighting.
The fight took awhile. Kill one and three more jumped down and into the fray. This was ridiculous. By the time they could see no one else coming at them Harry had what felt like a bruised rib from a shield, and a couple cuts and scratches. He pulled out his elfroot cream to seal the bigger cuts before handing it off to Carver to make its rounds to the others.
He would be having a few words with that dwarf. That was most definitely a trap. Only question he had was; had it been for them, or someone else? They had said something about an elf… They went to leave the alienage going up the stairs when another man in armor came down them. The man gave them all a dirty look as he started threatening them.
'Can no one be more original when they threaten us?' Harry thought.
"I don't know who you are, friend, but you made a serious mistake in coming here."
"Ar to na'din." Harry snarled menacingly; taking great pleasure as the man stepped back.
He looked confused for a split second before angry. Harry couldn't help but laugh in his mind. Did he really think they would be afraid, or intimidated by him? The four of them had already killed all of his little friends. Really, some people just couldn't be helped.
"Lieutenant! I want everyone in the clearing, now!" The man yelled; his eyes widening comically as he tried to look imposing.
Harry couldn't hold his laughter back any more. Who was this clown? Marian shot him a dirty look that told him very clearly to shut up. Unfortunately for her, Carver and Varric had started chuckling at Harry's mirth, Harry just shot her back a big grin. Their attention was soon brought to another man in heavy armor stumbling around the corner; blood gushing from his body.
"C-Captain!" He choked as he fell to the ground; dead.
From behind him a tall elven man stepped out from behind the dead man. Harry could see he wore dark clothing with a metal chest plate and gauntlets. Part of his arms were exposed on one side of the cloth.
What caught Harry's attention the most was his short white hair, and the markings he could see on his exposed skin. The marks looked similar to vallaslin, but were entirely different at the same time. The pattern they created on the part of his arm he could see were kind of similar to his own, but that was no blood writing.
"Your men are dead, and your trap has failed. I suggest you run back to your master while you can." The elf's voice was deep and held the barest bits of aggression, and Harry felt a shiver travel down his spine.
Harry watched on in fascination as the human man acted stupid. He called him a slave and tried to stop him. The elf's markings glowed and his arm went right through the man's chest before he ripped his heart out. The human fell to the ground dead where he had stood.
"I am not a slave." The elf growled as he turned to face them again.
"Wicked!" Harry exclaimed with a smile and a gleam in his eye, and Carver grabbed his arm to keep him where he was.
Carver knew that gleam in his older brother's eyes all too well. It always spelled trouble. Harry rarely found anything truly fascinating to him. When he did, Harry wouldn't stop until he knew enough to satisfy him. He could still remember the lyrium explosion that had resulted from that same curiosity some years ago. Luckily it had been small, and Harry hadn't really been hurt at the time.
"I apologize. When I asked Anso to provide a distraction for the hunters I had no idea they'd be so...numerous."
"It appears we're unscathed." Marian replied with an assessing eye.
"Oh, come on, Marian. Lighten up. That was fun!" Harry replied with a big smile; he had heard what had been said.
He received a disbelieving and curious look from the elf, and a stern expression for his sister. Harry gave a small huff as the others looked at him. Did no one ever listen like he did?
"Harry…"
"No, Marian. Were you even listening? The human called him a slave. He called them hunters, and we just killed the whole mess of them. This is so much better than last night!" Harry sad as he bounced in place a little.
"Only you, Harry…" Carver said with some affection as Marian groaned, Varric chuckled, and the elf looked confused.
Seeing the confusion, Carver decided to explain a little about Harry. Harry could be hard to take sometimes, and often confused anyone who didn't really know him. At least he was in a better mood now that he knew they had just taken down slave hunters. Most any other time his raven haired brother would have been annoyed.
"He makes it a point to kill any slaver he sees."
"Ah, I see. My name is Fenris. These men were Imperial bounty hunters seeking to recover a magister's lost property, namely myself. They were trying to lure me into the open. Crude as their methods were, I could not face them alone. Thankfully, Anso chose wisely." Fenris explained as he looked at Harry's happy expression.
"It seems like a lot of effort to find one slave." Marian stated.
"It is." Fenris affirmed and Harry rolled his eyes; questions like that would get them nowhere.
"Does this have something to do with those markings?" Marian questioned.
"Yes, I suppose I must look strange to you." Fenris answered as he looked down at his arms.
"Not really. The Dalish people do something very similar. Though theirs is more a right of passage. Yours though...I imagine they must have hurt much more. I doubt it was something your received willingly." Harry answered as he took a few steps forward to look at the markings with a healers eye; they looked like burns, and Harry felt his eyes widen as he gave a small gasp.
"What is it, Harry?" Carver asked as Fenris took a step back unsurely.
"Lyrium...these are lyrium burns. What kind of person could do this to someone?"
Marian and Carver both grabbed Harry gently to pull them into them at his distressed sound. Looking up, Marian explained to Fenris as Varric watched on. The dwarf was getting used to Harry's habits, and how his mood changed at times.
"Harry was trained as a healer." She said by way of explanation.
Nodding Fenris looked at the little human. The young man only came to his chest. He had met him only moments ago, but in that time he was already coming to know the type of person he was. He showed such a wide range of emotion in such a short time. He waited until he had Harry's attention again.
"You are right. I did not receive these markings by choice. Even so, they have served me well. Without them, I would still be a slave."
Harry smiled and nodded in understanding.
"So everything Anso said was a lie, then?" Marian asked Fenris when it seemed Harry had moved on from being upset.
Sometime the rate at which his emotions changed concerned her.
"Not everything. Your employer was simply not who you believed." Fenris replied
"It doesn't matter, Marian. You really didn't need to lie to get our help though. If Athenril had known the details, she would have sent me anyway." Harry said with a smile.
"I have met few in my travels who have sought more than personal gain. If I may ask, what was in the chest?"
"It was empty." Marian replied while Harry went back to the bodies littered around the area to make sure they were all good and properly dead.
By the time he returned Fenris was standing next to the body of the idiot who had gotten his heart ripped out. He was talking of going after his former master, and Harry agreed with the notion. He wanted to meet the man who had force such a torture of burning lyrium into another's flesh. He wanted to see the man dead.
"You sound like you intend to do more than just talk." Marian said a bit unsurely.
"Denarius wants to strip the flesh from my bones, and has sent so many hunters that I have lost count. Before that, he kept me on a leash like a qunari mage, a personal pet to mock qunari custom. So, yes, I intend to do more than just talk." Fenris replied as Harry stepped forward and looked at him.
"I'm helping, even if Marian says no. Carver? Varric? Slavers?" Harry asked as he looked back at his brother and friend with a wicked smile.
"Well you've certainly won Harry over. I'm coming." Carver answered with a roll of his eyes at Harry's antics; he was all too happy today.
"If it means fighting more slavers, then you have our help." Marian replied with a small shake of her head.
Harry had forced her hand regardless of if she had wanted to or not. She wasn't about to let him take this on without her.
123
They had made it to Hightown where they met back up with Fenris. Varric had told them he would meet them at the Hanged Man before leaving them. So now it was the Hawke siblings and Fenris who were the ones to enter into Denarius's mansion. They'd had to fight shades, rage demons and an arcane horror before they had searched the entire building. Fenris had been visibly upset, and had left to have a few moments alone.
Harry couldn't blame him. The elf had thought that at last he would be free of the man, who as he had described, had treated him as little more than a pet. He was being hunted, and it wouldn't end until that man was dead. This was why he hated slavers. They ruined people's lives, and treated them as less than a person. His relatives had done much the same.
They left the mansion to find Fenris standing just outside; propped against the building next to the alcove of the door.
"It never ends." Fenris said drolly as he stared out into Hightown.
"I escaped a land of dark magic, only to have it hunt me at every turn. It it a plague burned into my flesh and my soul. Now I find myself in the company of yet another mage." Now he was looking directly at Marian, and Harry had a sinking feeling in his chest.
He didn't understand why. He had feelings similar before, but not like this. Fenris obviously hated mages, and he didn't blame him for it. He had been a virtual slave to his relatives, but what he went through, Fenris had even worse for longer. All at the hands of a mage. Sometimes Harry really hated magic…
He was brought out of his thoughts by Carver's voice.
"If you've got a problem with my brother and sister, then you've got a problem with me."
"Brother?" Fenris questioned before looking toward him.
Harry sighed and stepped forward.
"Yes."
"You...and what manner of mage are you then? You fight with a blade." Fenris sneered in disbelief as he scowled; mages always used their power to meet their own ends.
"I am a healer. I do not use my power for anything else. If I kill, then I do so the same as any other without magic. I have used it to help me hunt game, but I never kill with it." Harry replied softly as he looked Fenris in the eyes, and let him see the truth there.
"Then you are not like the others of your kind, if that is the truth." Fenris said as he refused to believe him, and Harry felt a pang of hurt.
"I do not believe in it. Fenris, just because I was born with magic does not make me anyone other than myself. I will be at the Hanged Man with Varric. I'll see you two at home…" Harry said before walking away.
He did not feel he should have to justify himself to anyone. He had lived his life the way he believed was right. He may be a mage, but that wasn't all he was. He would not let something that was only a part of him be the thing that defined him. If Fenris couldn't see that, then his hatred of mages blinded him to seeing the good in someone for the person they were inside. He would be bitter all his life if that was how he chose to live.
123
Harry spent the next few days moving between the shadows of Darktown and Lowtown during the day. He listened to what people were saying in the places they thought no one would hear. He would go to help Tomwise when the timing suited him. He found he could learn a bit from his elven acquaintance as well. It was nice to trade knowledge and learn more.
He spent his nights at the pub with Varric as they spoke of what they had both found. They would spend the nights compiling and comparing their information for later use, or just having a few drinks. The Hanged Man was becoming more and more a refuge for Harry as he got to know Varric. He was fun to joke with and had a great sense of humor to rival Harry's own.
It wasn't long before Varric had introduced Harry to the books he had been writing, and Harry had great fun as he read the first few chapters of Hard in Hightown. His new friend did have a gift for putting ink to paper.
He knew he was avoiding his siblings, but he didn't want to have the talk that either of them had in mind. He knew they were only trying to help, but this time he wanted to deal with his feelings on his own. He didn't know why he felt the way he did. Harry just didn't understand it.
He was hurt by the elf, but he didn't know why. It wasn't the first time someone had judged him for his magic, and it surely wouldn't be the last. The whole situation left him confused.
Hanging out with Varric had been a great distraction those few days. The dwarf really was becoming a good friend. He and Harry had spoken a lot about anything other than the emotional shit storm that had left Harry so confused. Varric had just had this small, secretive smile as he watched Harry avoid Fenris the one time he had come into the pub. Harry just didn't feel like dealing with it.
Harry started remembering the ease with which he had lived with the Dalish. He missed it, and found himself thinking of the different people he had met since then. Varric had caught him a few of those times, and had told him he was such a dreamer. It had startled him at first. How had Varric found out? Then Varric had explained it was the look that would cross his face. Like he was caught in a daydream.
So, Harry had earned an incredibly ironic nickname.
Soon, Harry knew he couldn't avoid Marian and Carver for much longer. He had gathered enough information on the slave highway going through the wine cellar of the old Amell estate. He wanted to clear them out while the information was still fresh. It wouldn't do to act on the information too late.
That was how he had ended up in front of the cellar door in Darktown with Marian, Carver and Fenris. Marian had convinced Harry to have Fenris come along with them. Something about it making the elf happy to take out a few slavers. Somehow, Harry didn't believe her at all.
They had made it about halfway through the cellar when Marian and Carver had separated from them. Harry grit his teeth in aggravation. They knew he had been avoiding Fenris. They had done this on purpose; he could swear to it.
He looked over to the elf and felt his heart pick up speed. What was this? Was he afraid? He didn't think so. He was startled out of his thoughts by a deep baritone voice.
"I would like to apologize. I doubted you, and I shouldn't have. We do not yet know each other so well that I could be a good judge. I am sorry if I have made any offence." Fenris said as they searched through one of the side rooms' and Harry paused.
"I just don't like to be judged for something that is only a part of me. For good or ill, I am a mage. I can not change that, Fenris. I do understand why you said what you did." Harry replied only to continue at the look of doubt from the elf.
"I do. I have known other magic users who have used their power in some bad ways. One of them took my birth parents from me. It was because of him I only heal with my power. I did not want to be a person like him." Harry replied as he looked through some old documents he had found in a dusty chest.
He didn't know who Tobrius was but maybe it was important somehow. He decided he would show them to Marian later as he slipped them into his belt.
"You birth parents?" Fenris asked so quietly Harry was sure he didn't think Harry had heard him.
"I was not born a Hawke, Fenris. I was only a year old when my parents died. They were magic users as well. I was sent to family who hated magic when I was little over a year old. The way they treated me was no better than being a slave in my own home." Harry paused as he took a breath at Fenris's look before he continued.
"I got away from them for good when I was fourteen. It was only luck that a Dalish clan found me. They took me in for a while. I was taught how to survive on my own. I met the Hawke's after that. Marian and Carver's father was a good man." He said as he thought about the man who had taught him so much in the short time he'd had with him.
"He was a mage, and was protecting two of his children who were also mages from templars. He had every reason not to take me in, but he did it anyway." Harry said quietly as they walked; seem's Marian and Carver had cleared the way.
Fenris had grown silent as he listened. Harry hoped his words reached him. He looked to at least be thinking about what Harry had said. They had met back up with Carver and Marian a few minutes later.
They were coming back, presumably from the vault. Marian shot Harry an inquiring look. He just gave her a small smile before she and Carver smiled back in relief. He was okay.
"Well we've cleared them out, and we have grandfather's Will. Let's head back." Marian said as Fenris and Harry turned to follow.
"I'm sure mamae will be happy. She will have some answers now." Harry replied as they exited the cellar back into Darktown.
Fenris separated from them as they came into Lowtown, and disappeared around a corner. Harry looked at his siblings as they headed back to Gamlen's. This was his family. Blood or not, this was where Harry belonged, at least for now.
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Translations found on various sites. Some may not be entirely correct, but it was as close as I could get without just making things up.
Ar tu na'din: I will kill you
Mamae: Mother