I am so sorry about the lack of updates. I know it mentioned it before but I have no internet at this time. I am taking the laptop with me to get coffee at Starbucks to update. Heh. I will try to update once a week or so, and try to make sure the updates are worth the wait!
"More avid listeners for my glorious tales of The Champion of Kirkwall?" Varric asked as he crossed his feet on the table before him, his arms folded neatly across his abdomen.
"Why of course, Varric! Who else would I bring to you?" Isabella said with a sultry laugh. "Though, they could have come for the…exotic delights."
The two men looked at each other and inside the helms, both Fenris and Anders inwardly groaned. She would assume that. Before they could think to reveal themselves, or even speak, the door slammed open with a resounding thwump as it hit the wall and bounced hard. They all jumped defensively and, as Sebastian made his way into the room, he found all eyes on him and hands poised to draw weapons.
When Varric saw him, the dwarf let out a relieved breath and took his hand off of Bianca's handle. His eyes couldn't hide his surprise, however, and he straightened up in his seat. "Why if it isn't the renowned Prince of Starkhaven!" Varric exclaimed. "There is no danger here, Sebastian. You can put away your bow."
Isabella and the 'raiders' she had brought to Varric seemed to have relaxed as far as Sebastian could tell, so he nodded and put away his grandmother's bow. He moved into the room and shut the door behind him, quietly this time. He crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head towards the helmed men.
"Enthusiastic story seekers, according to our lovely Sea Queen, Isabella, here." Varric assured him.
Before a word could pass the prince's lips, one of the said men stepped forward with a shake of his head. "A little more than that," he said. The helm was gone quickly enough, landing on the table hard as Fenris shook his head to ease up his helm flattened silver hair. Isabella purred with delight and sauntered toward the elf with a rather persuasive sway of her shapely, enticing hips.
"Fenris! What a delicious and rather pleasant surprise!" Isabella said with a sly smile. "You have a change of heart and come to play?"
Fenris shook his head with a frustrated scowl; really, would Isabella ever lay off of trying to get him into bed? "Keep dreaming, Isabella," he muttered with a smirk. He turned to find Sebastian watching him intently. "I can safely assume as to why you are here," he mused as Isabella huffed with a pout and made her way back into Varric's lap, her hands smoothing over her favorite part of the dwarf – the ever so tempting chest hair.
Sebastian's brows pulled tight over his eyes. He eyed the other helmed man suspiously. "This is a touch too convinient," he finally said. "Am I to assume that your friend is also a former member of our little group? Pray tell, whom have you brought? Merrill? No…too tall. Aveline?"
"Not so lucky, Choir Boy," Anders said as his hands quickly disposed of his helm, dropping it down beside Fenris'. When the prince realized who it was he was staring at, his bow swung out, an arrow notched before any of them noticed. He set it free with a twang of the bow string and the bolt soared toward the mage like a bullet. Anders moved quickly, a hastily cast haste spell causing his movements to become temporarily boosted with superhuman speed; as soon as he arrow buried itself in the wall behind him, Sebastian's body unwillingly froze. The green blaze beneath his feet alerted him to realize that Anders had cast a paralyze glyph on him.
Sebastian found himself snarling angrily. "Release me this instant! I have every right to put an arrow in your decietful heart!"
Anders held strong and didn't so much as let the paralyzed man budge an inch. He narrowed his eyes at Sebastian and said, "If you so much as look at me wrong, I will make impossibly quick work of you." The mage then released him from the power of the glyph. The mark beneath Sebastian's feet flared brightly efore disappearing and he, very reluctantly, put his bow away for the second time.
Fenris cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head. "You two done marking your territory?" He questioned. "That way we can get to the business at hand?"
The two men glared at each other with intense hatrred as the rest of them watched on tensely. After a very long moment they both nodded but did not let down their guard. Varric clapped his hands together. "Excellent, my friends! Now, why don't you tell me what it is that I can do for you?"
"It's Hawke –"
"Hawke's been – "
Both Sebastian and Anders broke off to look at each other. "Hawke put a sleeping spell on me when we took a break in the caves, but I found where the Templars had captured her. I came here with her." Anders said as he eyed the prince thoughtfully. "You though…what do you know of Hawke's capture?"
Sebastian glared at Anders for a moment. Then he sighed. He gestured for everyone to get comfortable as he made his own way to the large table. Anders and Fenris took seats across from him, and Isabella moved from Varric's lap to sit a little too close to the elf. Despite his obvious displeasure at her persistant advances, which he always vehemently discouraged, Isabella made no effort to keep herself from the elf. Sebastian remained standing, leaning to brace his hands on the wooden surface. Isabella and Varrics seemed to have thrived well enough since the battle in Kirkwall, whereas he, Fenris, and anders had all suffered in their own ways.
He eyed Varric, his body tense. "As you all know, I'm sure, I returned to home to take my rightful place as the Prince of Starkhaven," he paused to glance at Anders. "I did it to build my army, for my revenge on you, for the Chantry, for Elthina, and even for Hawke." Though the mage nodded, Sebastian could see his hands were balled into fists. "It's because of that I formed a tenacious alliance with Cullen, who has taken place of Meredith as the new Knight-Commander. He's the one who has been rebuilding the Templar order."
"Wasn't Cullen one of the understanding ones?" Isabella asked, surprising them all by showing she actually gave a shit about something other than her sexual interest in Fenris – at least in this moment. She had even turned toward the table, elbows braced on it.
Anders scoffed and crossed his arms.
"Yes, Anders, we know," Fenris said, eyeing him with his sharp green eyes. "From what I recall, Cullen took Hawke's word on every situation. For instance, that boy whom I was certain was possessed – Hawke assured Cullen that he was demon free, and what happened? He allowed the boy back into the order; under guard, that is still usually unheard of."
Anders sighed and forced himself to relax again. "I suppose in some instance he was…compassionate," he finally admitted.
Sebasian slowly shook his head. "He may have been that way before, but…something happened to him. He is not, nor does he want to be, compassionate or understanding. We thought Meredith was extreme in her methods and cruel? Cullen has become twice what Meredith was. He has rebuilt the order – if that is what you can call it now – with very unsavory men. Thugs, rapists, and I would even daresay, murderers. He's literally taken on anyone willing to join. Men who want control over others, especially over women." He could see the growing concern. In Anders' case, all he saw was anger – it made Sebastian remember what Anders claimed to have gone through in the circles and that the mage would never want the woman he loved to go through any of what the Templars dished out(he held no delusions in that – he knew anders was in love with Hawke, that he had always been).
Anders found his hands balled into fists again. "So Cullen is behind this then," he stated.
Sebastian nodded. "He is sure that Hawke and I still love each other." He didn't bother to elaborate here, instead just sighed softly. "I had asked Cullen to keep his eyes and ears open for you and Hawke. I wanted you both for my own – I was consumed with vengeance. Something I am sure you understand, Anders." The mage's lips were pulled tight and his eyes flashed dangerously, but he nodded to Sebastian's words. "Cullen promised to tell me if either of you were spotted – alone, or together, it didn't matter. He also promised that I, and I alone, would take you both as…prisoners of war. He lied. He was leading me astray the entire time. He wanted my eyes, my help in finding you. He promised me anything I desired in return for my cooperation. I had no idea what he was really up to; rebuilding the order with trash, turning the circle literally into a prison – they even found a way to block a mage's magic without making them Tranquil."
Anders bolted upright with wide eyes. "They what?"
"Cullen had his second-in-command take me to see Hawke – his twisted idea of a gift to me – and she wasn't able to use even a fraction of her magic. She told me that the chain-link collar they'd placed around her neck had either nullified or supressed her magic."
Fenris frowned tightly as Anders seethed in silence. "If the order has been rebuilt with men as bad as Sebastian insinuates, this is no doubt their solution for their sick and twisted kinks. They get off on the pain and suffering of those who are helpless against them. Hawke always told me Tranquil mages feel nothing. To men like that, there is no point in torturing a body with no conscious life, no emotional reactions. Mage's magic is always a threat if they are not made tranquil." Fenris ignored Anders' angry glare. "The order must have found a way to achieve exactly that – cut off a mage's magic without severing their soul, their emotions, their personalities, their tie to the Fade."
Sebastian and Anders both stared at the elf in obvious disgust. Despite his lack of support of mages, Sebastian would never welcome such treatment on anyone, mages or otherwise.
"How? How is it even possible?" The question was on everyone's mind, so whom actually asked it wasn't obvious.
Varric leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, just as confused as the rest of them. "I was led to believe that the only to get rid of a mage's magic is the Rite of Tranquility – to cut off a mage's tie to the Fade."
"That is the only way," Anders said firmly, obviously in denial.
"Denarius used Lyrium in a way once thought impossible with you, Fenris. Any ideas?" Sebastian asked as he finally took a seat at the table and leaned toward the warrior.
"Denarius used some sort of ritual to infuse the Lyrium into my flesh," Fenris said after a very long, tense moment – obviously not eager to share the details of what he'd been through, but if it was to help save Hawke, who was he to say nothing. "He has tried many before me and many after me – I was the only success. I am not certain as to why. It could have been because of me, or that combined with the right circumstances, and ingrediants, spells – who knows." He paused for a thoughtful moment. "'I can say with confidence that I am certain that a ritual was needed to infuse the catalyst – whatever it may have been – into that collar, the very thing that is allowing the collar to block her connection to her magic."
"What could possibly do that?" Varric asked.
As the conversation intensified, Sebastian tipped his head back thoughtfully and didn't notice that Isabella had found it in her best interest to admire the exposed column of tan, muscular flesh, silently licking her lips at the unexpected treat. It quieted for a few moments as they all tried to figure out an answer. Isabella managed to find the willpower to rip her eyes from Sebastian's tempting flesh.
"That Rite of Tranquility? Does anyone know how it works?" she asked.
Four pair of eyes found Anders and he sighed, shaking his head slowly. "It's a closely gaurded secret, even in the circle. Mages aren't even told that they will be made Tranquil," he said, tapping his fingers on the table top. "Whatever goes on, I can safely say it can't be good."
Fenris turned his attention to Sebastian and pointed a finger in his direction. "You," he started, "you sat you've seen Hawke. How is she? Is she alright?" The elf tried to keep his cool, detached demeanor, but Sebastian could hear the concern and see his genuine worry in his eyes.
"As well as you could expect," he replied. "She can't heal. Last time I saw her, she had a severely lacerated ankle, a black eye, split lip, and a score, or more, of scrapes, and bruises." He had to supress an angry growl himself, but was happy to see that he was not the only angry one. He heard Varruc whisper 'poor Hawke' under his breath as silence fell all around the table.
"Do you know where she is being kept?" Isabella asked.
Sebastian shook his head. "She was in Cullen's office in the Gallows. However, I know they meant to take her to a more permanent residence within the prison."
"So she could be anywhere," Anders muttered. It may slow his plans to rescue her, but it would not stop them. He was not about to leave Hawke in the Templar's hands.
"That won't stop us," Varric said with a laugh. "After everything Hawke has done for us, we aren't about to leave her now. Bianca needs to have some fun anyway."
They all nodded and then Isabella stuck her lower lip out in a pout, crossing her arms under her chest to push up her breasts enticingly, until they were almost spilling from her dress. "So many delectable choices – " she sighed "all work and no play."
Anders shook his head. "Same as always aren't you, Isabella?"
"I wouldn't leave Hawke either," Isabella defended as she leaned forward to allow Sebastian a rather generous view of her cleavage as her breasts strained for freedom. "I just like to play, too." She winked as she licked her lips.
They all laughed in their own way and Fenris shook his head, propping a foot on the table as they all settled and began their plans.
Hawke held in her tears as she laid on the terrible cot the prison provided her. Her whole body ached and she just wanted to go back to those hours with Anders, or those days before Anders destroyed the chantry. She shut her eyes and grit her teeth, clenching her hands as she tried to follow that connection to the Fade, to try and find that thread that tethered her to her magic. It didn't work. Every time she tried, she came up against a wall – figuratively speaking.
She was utterly helpless. A strange turn of the tides – for once, it wouldn't be Hawke that would do the saving. She had to trust in Sebastian, and Anders. Those two would never give up, she knew that.
The final confrontation between the three of them…she groaned. What had she managed to get herself into this time? Maker only knows.
Hope you all like the update! :) If you do, make sure to review! It's what motivates me!