A/N: Going back through the game I've finally gotten to, and completed, Bait and Switch. So I figured to get back into the groove of writing, I may as well start here! I know, I know, I'm supposed to be typing out the explanation on my Hawke being a Blood Mage without dealing with a demon. It's in progress so don't worry my lovelies! I just need to get to a certain part in the story line first, and I've limited time to play the game... SO, for what I have played through again, I was reminded of two particular factors that had always prodded my curiosity. What did Fenris believe to be in the empty chest!? And why does Hawke only get paid if Fenris is never accepted to the group!? ... here's my reasoning.

Darkavion Hawke: Male. Mage (Elemental, secretly Maleficar) Pale skin. Shoulder length white hair. Golden eyes. Clean shaven.

Perspective: Fenris!

How long had I actually ran through the Free Marches? Two months, three perhaps? ... it doesn't really matter. All that matters is where I ended up. Kirkwall. Of all places I had been corralled into the City of Chains, what was once a stronghold of the Imperium that was notorious for its use - and its abuse - of slaves. I imagine this had been Danarius' every intention, but to his misfortune it served to my advantage; I was able to slip between the cracks of Darktown and lose my pursuers, for a time. A few days later while sneaking about the city I found the hunters, for once before they could find me, and that's how I heard about the chest...

"Why does the Magister want the chest in the Alienage of all places? Why not keep it in the mansion?"

"Simple, you dolt! It's safer in there! That runaway elf wouldn't be slinking about such an obvious location, after all."

"So what's in the chest, then?"

"A manuscript on the slave's bloodline. You know, like the family names and who they belong to, when they were born, their place of origin and such. Essentially it proves that the elf is a slave."

Looking back, I should have known this was bait from the very beginning. Perhaps I was just too hopeful, or maybe I was just being foolish - after all I couldn't even read at the time. At least I was still cautious, which is why I hired Anso to serve as the middleman.

Anso... He was a very strange little dwarf. Through my years on the run I can admit I had grown a little bit paranoid, for good reason. But Anso... he seemed to jump at just about everything. Footsteps, people talking, even the call of the birds made him leap a few feet into the air, and the moment he landed he would drop down and cling to the ground, as if he felt he should have floated on forever. But I digress...

Anso did surprisingly well; within two days he informed me that he had possibly found a man for the job through one of his contacts, a smuggler by the name of Athenril. Anso said that the man came highly recommended, that he was capable of taking out multiple enemies in a single strike, and that despite all his strength and ability he was far from cruel or callous; Athenril had even called him charming, gorgeous, and funny - in his own way. At the time such details didn't matter to me, but now I admit I agree with each of those sentiments.

Ironically, Anso caused me to jump when he barged into my hiding place unannounced, and by pure instinct I had swung my blade at him. Luckily dwarves are short, and he didn't jump until after my blade had dug itself into the decaying wall of my little hovel. I didn't even have the time to mutter an apology before Anso was rambling.

"The guy we've been waiting for, he showed up! He said he was going to the Alienage immediately! The noises coming from there, it sounds like a war is going on! All the yelling and the screaming... it's horrible!"

Anso always appeared to be in a state of panic, but this time it was different; I believed him. The next thing I knew, I was high tailing it to the Alienage, and it wasn't long before I ran into a group of Tevinter hunters. They appeared to be on standby, and to my advantage they were facing the direction of the Alienage, with their backs turned to me.

I took out as many as I could with my initial strike, taking them by surprise and wiping out half the group before they could counter my assault. I had never seen Danarius use this many hunters at once, and over the sound of my own blade's striking I could hear the other battle echoing out from the Alienage.

"Kill the mage first!"

That was the fist time I heard his voice, a powerful commanding cry ringing out over the noise of the battlefield. Kill the mage. I can't even explain what I felt at that moment. Joy? Hope, perhaps? Either way, I was glad to hear it; to me it signified that this man knew the danger of mages. Adding that to his reputation I felt that maybe, just maybe, I had found someone skilled enough to help me take down Danarius, and put an end to my running. The thought alone doubled my efforts in battle; the sooner I took down the hunters that stood in my way, the sooner I would meet him, and as the last dieing man staggered towards the Alienage, I simply followed.

I was impressed when I saw the number of Tevinter corpses on the ground after my entrance, and the four who remained standing seemed equally impressed as I phased my hand into the commander's chest, thus taking down the last of the hunters. It was a rather odd looking group, a dwarf without a beard, a woman in guardsman armor, a young man with black hair wielding a greatsword, and a second man, with hair as white as mine, but longer, and golden yellow eyes that almost seemed to glow, in the right light.

It wasn't long before I was able to identify which was the one known as Hawke. I could recognize him by his voice easily enough, and as we spoke, however briefly, he met his reputation perfectly. From the start he was... kind. He wasn't concerned in the least that the job wasn't quite what he had signed up for. He didn't even seem to mind that the chest was empty; it almost seemed as though he found it amusing, strangely enough.

"All that for an empty chest?"

I can admit, shamefully, that I sounded desperate when I said that there was more but I couldn't let this chance get away, especially since the opportunity to learn who I was had been nothing more than bait. I had nothing left to offer at the time but even so... Hawke accepted without the slightest worry of payment, even though he was fully aware that my intentions were to pick a fight.

"I will find a way to repay you. I swear it."

How I regretted saying those words just moments after...

Hawke and two of his allies, the dwarf and the dark haired man, arrived in Hightown shortly after I did. It seemed like Hawke wasn't one to waste any time; he had charged into the Alienage immediately after meeting with Anso, and now he had shown up in Hightown within minutes of meeting me. He did, however, like to ask questions. He wanted more information on Danarius, which I didn't mind sharing; only a fool would walk into a battle with a completely unknown enemy, and I could already tell that Hawke was no fool.

With such a man at my side I felt confident barging into the home of my former master, but as the first wave of Shades appeared my heart sank. Hawke charged into the bulk of them, but instead of using his bladed staff to strike them he waved it across their ranks, and following the path of his staff a wall of ice spewed forth, turning the Shades into solid ice that shattered to innumerable pieces seconds after. He was a mage. Of all things he was a mage, and his reputation for destroying multiple enemies in one strike had proven to be true. Such power...

"Fenris!"

Shortly after hearing him call my name I saw a ball of fire heading straight in my direction, and for a moment I had thought that I was its target, by either accident or intent. Instead it swerved around me, and with an explosive impact it struck a Rage demon that had crept up behind me, stunning it for a moment and allowing me the chance to destroy it. Such control...

The deeper we drove into the mansion, the more powerful our enemies became, and the more power the mage displayed. Over the sounds of clashing blades and flying arrows and the foul drone of charging magic Hawke shouted his commands, and without a moment's hesitation his commands were followed, even by me. Such influence...

I was growing increasingly uncomfortable with this mage, and by the time we had cleared the mansion I was more than ready to flee. Danarius was already gone, giving me a chance to travel further south and possibly lose him once more.

"I assume Danarius left valuables behind. Take them if you wish. I... need some air."

I thought about leaving then and there, but the fact remained that I owed this man a debt. Mage or not, Hawke had been willing to aid me in my time of need; he had risked his life for a total stranger who had no way to repay him. I... couldn't do it. It was shocking enough that any man would be willing to render his aid so freely, but a mage? Though his ability was fearsome, his personality was truly remarkable. I couldn't simply leave, no matter the thoughts going through my mind my instincts told me I should stay.

And so I waited outside of the mansion. It wasn't long at all before he and the others walked out, and it took even less time for my unease to set in again. Perhaps I was a bit crude in my approach, but I could not stop myself from asking this mage what it was he sought in life.

"You want me to tell you and spoil all the fun?"

It was an unexpected answer, one that I could not manage to decipher no matter how hard I tried, and it seemed the wariness in my own response had captured the other human's attention. It turned out the two were brothers, and judging by the other one's defensive nature it seemed that his first thought was I might inform the Templars. Not that I could truly blame him for the concern - I did sound ungrateful for the aid I was given.

Hawke, however, did not seem worried at all, and instead began throwing more questions at me. I wasn't at all used to such a thing; usually hirelings would take their pay and go, as simple as that. He asked me about Danarius, and even asked why he was so bent on chasing me. When I said it was just the lyrium markings he was so bold as to ask if it was at all possible to simply pay him back. I snapped at him.

"You have no idea what he's done to me, what I went through just to get away."

He answered my flash of anger with a gentle, understanding smile, and said he was beginning to get the idea. I was... ashamed, and abruptly apologized for how I had acted. Me, apologizing to a mage. Again. His questions about myself and of Danarius continued for a while longer, but eventually he asked why I would help a mage so willingly, after all I had been through.

"You are not Danarius. Whether you are anything like him remains to be seen."

It was the only answer I could think of, and it was honest. I had never met a mage, or anyone, like Hawke. Eventually his questions came to an end, or at least that's what I believed it to be at the time. Now that I know him better, I've noticed that usually when he questions people he's actually calculating what type of person they really are, and deciding whether or not he should trust them. Somehow, despite my obvious hatred of mages and knowing that I would inevitably be hunted by the Imperium again, I passed his test. He informed me of an expedition he was planning that he may need my aid with, and, as a show of my gratitude I told him that I would be at his disposal up until then as well. Immediately he smiled.

"There are a few tasks I need to complete tomorrow, actually. If you're serious, meet us at the Hanged Man around noon. You know where it is, right?"

I knew the place already, and agreed to meet with them. It was then that Hawke did something even more surprising... He held his hand out towards mine, and I had thought it was going to be a simple handshake. Well, it was a handshake, but with something added to it; he returned the coin I had paid him. I was speechless, literally, and all I could manage to do was stare at him with a confused look on my face. Hawke simply smiled, giving no explanation before bidding me good night and taking his leave with the other two following at his heels.

I kept my eyes on him until he rounded the corner and left my sight, which snapped me out of my astounded daze. I felt I was dreaming, or that I had been transfered to some alternate universe where mages were exceedingly kind, rather than being exceedingly cruel. It blew my mind... I don't know exactly how long I had stood there, but there was only one more thing for me to do for the night. The night had ended in victory for me, and the mansion was as good as mine.

The only good thing about Shades and Demons is that their corpses always return to the Fade once they are slain, and since I didn't mind the destruction of the mansion I simply left everything as it was. I felt a since of pride as I strolled into what was my former master's room, and I was lucky to find a set of clean bedding stashed in a corner. The pillows still held Danarius' foul stench, but even without pillows it as a massive step up from sleeping on the ground. I was exhausted; I had been on the run for months without a good night's rest and with little to eat, but even so I couldn't get to sleep. My thoughts were still mesmerized by the mage...

From the moment we met I knew there was something different about Hawke. It was in his smile, the light in his eyes, his calming and understanding nature, his sarcastic charm and generosity; I had never seen anything like it. I made up my mind then to give this mage a fair chance, and he has yet ceased to amaze me. Even after discovering that he was a blood mage I chose to stay by his side... and since then he has defended my freedom, reinforced it as well in moments that I've shown weakness to old habits, and he has displayed practical uses for magic as well. More importantly, he's made me smile, made me laugh, he's made me feel... safe, protected, useful... happy to be alive, and to be who and what I am. In the past couple of months he's even taught me to read, which is why I am currently practicing my writing. I guess what I'm really getting at is that...

I think I may be falling for him... No, I think we may be falling for each other. It's no secret that we've grown increasingly close, especially after everything that happened in the Deep Roads. I had never dreamed I would feel comfortable enough to sleep on someone like that, but it felt... right. The way we talked, with my head resting on his lap and our eyes locked with each other's... The way his magic soothed the burning in the lyrium brands and put me to sleep... I've never felt this way before - so far as I can remember at least. But still there remains the fact that he is everything I have ever hated: a blood mage, a human, a male... just like Danarius. And yet, he is nothing like my former master; in fact he's practically the opposite. Is it really enough for me to overcome my sordid past? Can I truly fall in love with a blood mage?

I suppose only time will tell... Tomorrow marks the anniversary of my escape, which also coincides with Hawke's weekly lesson in reading. I suppose that means I should probably burn this - it is just practice after all.

A/N: There. Not my best work (or at least I don't think it is) but that's what happens when one disappears for over a year... and only gets a chance to write late in the evening until early in the morning... In fact it's currently 4:00 in the morning, and I've been at it since 1:30 to finish this one off. And it also serves as a little foreshadowing on what else I have in store.