DISCLAIMER: Bioware owns Dragon Age. I just write about it.

Chapter 11: The Rematch

She had been watching them for some time, hidden in the snow. Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall, and the Pirate Queen Isabela had left Redcliffe, heading towards the Waking Sea, past the Frostback Mountains.

"That's where I'll get them," Vaela figured. The terrain, the weather, and even the numbers would soon be in her favor. "There's no way I'll lose this time."

"Isabela…" Hawke's voice trailed off, sensing a newcomer's arrival.

The pirate, focusing on keeping herself warm, ignored Hawke's warning. Seconds later, daggers would fly towards the duo, from seemingly all directions.

"Isabela!"

"Heartseeker!"

Vaela's plan worked. Isabela, though unharmed, was pinned against a tree and neutralized while Hawke had just been impaled. The Warden would finally hear everything she needed to know. Or… that's what she expected would happen, anyway.

"Now then!" The Hero of Ferelden drove her lightning enchanted Twinblade deeper into the Champion's armor. "You'll tell me everything!"

"Damn," Hawke thought. He reacted quickly enough during the surprise attack to grab the Warden's blades before hey pierced his skin, but there was no denying the Mantle of the Champion wouldn't be able to take many more direct hits. "I'll have to act quickly."

In an instant Hawke focused a large concentration of holy energy into his free hand. "Holy Smite!" Before Hawke's signature attack connected, the Warden suddenly released the daggers being driven through Hawke's armor and backflipped away.

Snow continued to fall. The Free Marches didn't have much snow, Hawke wasn't used to fighting in these conditions at this altitude. He threw the Warden's daggers away and addressed her. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?"

The Warden only responded with a single name: "Merrill."

"You're persistent, I'll give you that." Hawke muttered under his breath. Hawke charged at the Hero of Ferelden, who was much more suited to fighting in these cold temperatures.

"He's exhausted," Isabela thought to herself. "If he could just grab my blades…"

Before leaving Kirkwall, Isabela asked Sandal and Bethany to work on an enchantment for her daggers and armor. She wanted something that would make her faster than ever before, something that would always keep her at Hawke's side.

Without her weapons, the only offense the Grey Warden could muster was a good defense. She correctly guessed that Hawke's body wouldn't be able to adjust fighting in these conditions. "Only a matter of time, now," she thought.

Hawke knew that he'd run out of stamina soon, he needed to free Isabela somehow. He remembered Isabela mentioning something about her enchantments, but he couldn't remember how they worked. "Of course, it's all moot if I can't distract the crazy Dalish girl long enough to use those damn daggers," he thought.

After quickly scanning the area, he finally found the pair of blades trying to hide amongst the snow. "There they are!" Hawke thought, finally finding the key to victory, as it were. The Champion leapt into the air and slammed his sword into the ground, causing a minor tremor that forced Vaela into the air. "Now!" Hawke yelled as reached for Isabela's daggers and threw them at the Warden as she fell to the ground.

Undaunted, the Warden revealed another ability: Ghost, which let melt into the shadows, becoming completely impervious to any physical attacks. She laughed as the dagger phased right through her.

"Damn!" Hawke shouted.

With her signature smirk across her lips, Isabela only said "Perfect," before she vanished.

"Behind you!" she shouted at the Warden.

When the Warden looked over to where Isabela had been pinned and saw that she was gone, the gravity of the moment was truly felt. When she turned to face the pirate, she was struck by Isabela's backhand. The newly freed pirate seized the opportunity to pull the daggers out of the tree and was finally able to attack the Warden directly.

Immediately after recovering from Isabela's backhand, Vaela's cheek was slashed by the Pirate Queen. Isabela's speed was such that Vaela found herself outmatched by the self-proclaimed greatest duelist in the world.

The end for the Warden seemed near until the forest itself came to her aid and restrained Isabela. Hawke took up his sword and ran over to assist his companion before he came under fire from an unknown assailant. Arrows rained down from the sky near Hawke, who could only cover himself for protection.

"Hawke!" Isabela yelled. With as much strength as she could muster, she threw one of her daggers need Hawke's feet and instantly reappeared beside him as she had done before.

"Have I told you much I love those enchantments of yours?" Hawke asked.

"You could tell me a little more often, I think." Isabela responded.

"They're powerful," the Warden thought. "More powerful than I ever imagined. Even if the others have finally arrived…"

Hawke and Isabela stood back-to-back, Hawke facing the Warden while Isabela faced whoever would emerge from the shadows of the forest.

Hawke and the Warden stared each other down before they summoned their signature weapons.

"…I'll need to go all out!"

Starfang appeared in the Warden's hands while the Hawke's Key was summoned to aid the Champion.

A/N: I'm sure you were all waiting for round 2. If you haven't noticed, I like relying on the game mechanics when I'm writing these fights. I think it worked well here.