Fenris glared at the dwarf pacing in front of him, half-listening to the plan… again.
"Now remember, stay out of sight unless things go sideways," the dwarf said, stroking his beard. "I don't want them suspecting I don't trust them."
"Understood," Fenris answered dryly. Generally his employers weren't so nervous. It made Fenris wonder just how likely things were to go sideways. If this had been an ordinary job that Fenris had picked up himself, he might have broken the deal right there. This, however, was a job funneled his way by Varric. Fenris's goal today was not money, but information.
"And you're sure you can swing that thing? You look kinda scrawny," the dwarf muttered.
Fenris growled, drawing his sword and slicing it so close to the dwarf's face, a few hairs fluttered down from his beard.
"F… forget I said anything!" the dwarf squeaked.
Silently, Fenris took his position on the rooftop, well-hidden, but with a good view of the dwarf and his cargo below.
It didn't take long for two men to approach. They were dressed in plain armor, but there was no mistaking that Templar swagger.
"Gentlemen!" the dwarf greeted them. "Right on time."
One man held up a bag of coin while the other fingered the hilt of his sword. "We'll need to check the merchandise."
"Oh, well" the dwarf chuckled nervously. "You lot sure do get to business." He scuttled over to the crate, popping it open to reveal an eerie red glow.
Fenris tensed. Could this really be red lyrium, just as Varric had feared? If it was, he'd have to kill the Templars, maybe even the dwarf. There was no way he could let such a thing fall into the wrong hands.
One of the Templars approached the crate, picking up a piece of the rare crystal. He held it up to the moonlight and hefted it to check the weight. He then turned back to his colleague, eyebrow raised.
"Well, I trust everything is in order?" the dwarf asked.
The second Templar drew near, picking up another crystal. He looked the crystal over before licking it as if it were candy. The look on his face told Fenris that it was likely not candy and certainly not lyrium. Enraged, the Templar overturned the crate, scattering shards of red crystal across the ground. It occurred to Fenris that this was likely what the dwarf meant by sideways.
"What is the meaning of this trickery?" the Templar roared, grabbing the dwarf by the collar. "Where's the lyrium?"
The dwarf stammered, but could form no actual words.
"Leave him," the other Templar said coolly. "We have orders not to draw attention to ourselves."
The dwarf was thrown to the ground and the Templars walked off into the fog. Once Fenris was sure they were gone, he slid from the roof and stood beside the dwarf.
"You knew it was counterfeit," Fenris said. "That was very stupid of you."
The dwarf spluttered. "I… I didn't expect them to taste it! And don't think I'm paying you! They could have killed me and you didn't do anything!"
Fenris stepped away, reaching down to take a large shard of the red crystal. "Keep your coin. But know this, dwarf. Peddle in the real thing, and you'll find yourself on the wrong end of my sword."
...
As Fenris rushed into the Viscount's Keep, the guards knew better than to even question his entry. He hurried to Hawke's room, pulling out a key he kept around his neck. It was quite late, and while he expected Hawke to be asleep, he felt the revelation that the Templars were seeking red lyrium couldn't wait. Fenris was surprised then, to see Hawke sitting beside the fire, reading a scrap of paper.
"Hawke… You're still up?"
She nodded, holding out the paper for him to read. He glanced at the scrawled letters, but could hardly read it. "Who wrote this? It's illegible."
"Sorry," Hawke said wearily, "I forgot it takes some getting used to. That's how Cullen writes when he's trying to make sure no one is reading over his shoulder. I haven't gotten a normal letter from him since before Denerim, so I assume he's had a lot of new Templars looking over his shoulder lately."
Fenris handed the paper back to Hawke and she flung it into the fire.
"What did it say?" he asked.
Hawke deepened her voice to imitate the Knight Commander, "Marian, expect my guests at your lunch tomorrow. They come with orders to escort you away, as they are displeased with the company you kept. I'm sorry, I've done all I can."
Marian? Fenris hadn't heard Hawke's given name since her mother died. As for the rest of the letter, Fenris didn't quite understand, but he didn't like it. "Is this something to do with the Templars?"
"Yes," she explained. "I have a public address tomorrow at noon, where I expect the newly-arrived Templars will arrest me for my involvement with Anders."
Fenris needed only a moment to piece together what Hawke was saying. Cullen's letter read like some sort of nonsense about a family disagreement. Instead, it was a coded warning. Once he understood, he saw only one course of action. "Hawke, we need to leave Kirkwall."
Hawke frowned. "Isn't that rushing to judgement? I don't think the Clerics in the Chantry would stand for this sort of misuse of justice. They already looked into my involvement with Anders and rightly saw that he acted alone. Maker, I executed the man myself."
"So," Fenris growled, "you think they'll make a big show of arresting you in front of the whole city, only for some Cleric to snap them on the nose? You think they'll let you go and run off with their tails between their legs?"
"It may all just be a ploy to discredit me, reduce my standing in the city," Hawke explained.
"And it may also be a ploy to kill you," Fenris countered. He drew the red crystal from his pocket. "This is just enchanted glass, but the Templars have been looking for red lyrium. We can't underestimate what they're capable of."
Hawke's eyes grew wide. "If the Templars are involved with red lyrium, that's all the more reason I need to stay and protect Kirkwall…"
Fenris grabbed her by the shoulders. He was done protecting Kirkwall. "No, Hawke! For once, don't think about Kirkwall, think about yourself. And if you can't do that, think about me."
"What are you saying?"
Fenris tightened his grip. "Do you think, if the Templars come for you, that I'm just going to stand there and watch it happen? I can kill two of them, maybe three, before they realize what's happening. After that…"
"Fenris, you can't," Hawke whispered. He could see the tears in her eyes, but he couldn't give in. Not this time. Not if he wanted to keep Hawke.
"No Hawke, you can't. I'll follow you to the ends of Thedas, you know that, but I won't allow you to fall into this trap. We need to leave. Now."
Hawke was silent, looking into the fire instead of his eyes. She was biting her lip, fighting tears. Fenris let go of her shoulders. Whatever she was thinking, he knew her mind was made up.
"Do you have any idea what it was like, to run from darkspawn?" Hawke began, her voice hoarse. "To watch them destroy my home, kill my brother? Fucking darkspawn… And then, when the Blight is finally over, it's the people who start tearing each other apart? It's… It's hard to watch, Fenris. And I've stood here, watching it, for years. Finally I'm in a position to help, I'm trying to help… and Kirkwall is about to be torn apart all over again."
"You can't help Kirkwall from a prison cell," Fenris said softly, "You can't help anyone if you're dead."
Hawke took a deep breath and stood, wrapping her arms around Fenris. "I know. That's why I'm going to gather my things. Then we're going to talk to Aveline, see what she and Donnic want to do. We'll stop by your place for anything you need, and then try to catch Varric at the Hanged Man. After that…" She lowered her arms and walked to the window that looked out over the city.
"I'm sorry," Fenris whispered, walking up behind her and slipping his arms around her waist. "I know you love this damned city."
"I love you more," Hawke replied.