*A/N* So, this is probably one of my favorite stories in this series. I think that Live Free or Let Me Die is almost perfect for the story and I absolutely love it. So, without further ado, I'll remind you to review and present the story.
No Peace Solution: Live Free or Let Me Die
www. youtube. com / watch?v=4bFbEg0SwJ8
Cassyndra Hawke sat in her study, pouring over books about the Imperium. It was late and Anders was asleep upstairs, but Hawke couldn't sleep. It had been nearly three weeks since his 'ritual' to separate him and Justice and it was more than apparent that he had lied to her. At first she'd been livid but over time livid had become annoyed and annoyed had become curious. What had he done that day in the Chantry?
Fortunately, most of Anders books were here in the estate and it was easy enough to shift through the ones he'd read recently – they looked so horribly worn. Whatever he'd done, he'd been determined – or at least, Justice had been determined. Hawke flipped the through the pages until she found the one that the book fell open to naturally. Her eyes skimmed the pages – reading where the Tevinter script had been translated in Anders' handwriting. There were pieces of paper tucked in between the pages of the book where Anders had copied portions that he needed Fenris to translate – clearly, he hadn't wanted the elf to see the entire passage. It outlined a ritual that Cassyndra was having trouble understanding, but it was decidedly not a ritual to separate him and Justice.
Cassyndra set down the book. She'd gathered enough to understand that things had been escalated. He was no longer writing manifestos and working with the Mage Underground – it was much, much more than that. For the first time, Hawke looked past everything she thought she knew about the mages and the battle they were fighting. She looked past her childhood surrounded by what she perceived as content apostates who spent their life on the run and tried to see what Anders and Bethany and Father saw when a templar appeared. She'd heard them talk about demons and temptation and blood magic. She knew that Anders would never resort to blood magic, but she was beginning to understand what made mages resort to it – she'd seen so many fall looking for power or escape.
Death until the dust, and we're waiting
Ruined in the rust, of our craving
It feels like, it feels like
Meredith was a maniac – anyone who breathed could see that, but looking at it through Anders eyes, Hawke could see so much more. She could see the pain and devastation Meredith reaped in Kirkwall. She could see the fear and loathing that ran deeper than it ever did for her, Fenris, Aveline Varric or Isabela. It ran deeper than Justice – it went to the core of a wounded man who never forgot the things that the Chantry had done to him. Now, Hawke knew that the Chantry would pay for their crimes against mages and she didn't know what to think about it.
Don't you know the cost, of your betrayal?
You're the one that's lost, you're gonna fail
It feels like, it feels like you gasping with all your might
She understood that Anders was finally standing up – in a big way – for everything that he believed in and everything that he believed to be right in the world. Cassyndra rested her head in her hands and let herself cry. It was horrible to imagine what destruction would be reaped when Anders decided to unleash this power, but was it more horrible than the destruction that had already been caused? He had spent so long trying to find a peaceful solution; what had made him decide that there was no peaceful solution – had it even been him who'd decided?
You can't take away my strength
Fix these broken veins
There's nothing left to fight (Live free or let me die)
You can't take away my pride, I won't be denied
There's nothing left to fight (Live free or let me die)
Crossing to the window of her Hightown mansion, Hawke realized for the first time that she could see the Gallows from there. She could see the tower that housed the Circle of Magi and it pained her to look at it. The mages there were treated like criminals – like vermin who were too hard to kill to be rid of and so they were allowed to remain – caged and sedated.
Insects walk below, I'm on a wire
Fire will burn below, but I am higher
It feels like, it feels like
Maybe Anders was right. The Grand Cleric was little more than a turncoat, pandering to the needs of the templars and the mages in turn. Maybe she deserved whatever she got as a result of Anders' ritual.
Don't you know the cost, of your betrayal
You're the one that's lost, you're gonna fail
It feels like, it feels like you're gasping with all your might
Maybe they'd taken too much away from the mages for there to ever be peace – perhaps the blood spilt by all the mages who'd been forced to dark magic to prevent the abuses of templars could never be cleaned up. There was no peace left. There was only a fight – a fight that Cassyndra was now a part of. She would fight to be with her lover – to be free with him or die in the process. Hawke snapped the book closed when she heard him stirring in their room upstairs.
You can't take away my strength
Fix these broken veins
There's nothing left to fight (Live free or let me die)
You can't take away my pride, I won't be denied
There's nothing left to fight (Live free or let me die)
"Hawke? Where are you, Love?" She stood and went to the sitting room – hoping to avoid him realizing she'd discovered his secret.
"I couldn't sleep so I came down to answer some letters." She said, meeting him halfway up the stairs. He wore his robe partway open, showing his toned chest and Hawke leaned up and kissed him. "Tell me more about being a mage." She said, pulling him back up to the bedroom.
"What?"
"Just tell me more. I just… want to understand what it's like to fight for freedom like you do. I want to know what motivates you."
"You've seen it all, Hawke. You've seen the mages who are struggling for freedom." He said, sitting beside her on the bed.
"Yes, but I don't really know, Anders. I'm a rouge… a trained assassin, which doesn't endear me to many, but I'm not oppressed like you." He looked down at his hands as if thinking before he responded.
Do you remember how
You became who you are now?
Do you remember how
It felt to breathe without
Gasping with all you might?
"I remember what it was like before I came to the Circle – but only just and I'm one of the few. Most of the mages I met didn't even remember their families. All I knew was that, from the beginning, I never wanted that life. I always knew I was meant for more. I never felt at home in the Circle – it was never where I was meant to be. From there, my hatred grew as I saw my friends killed when they failed their Harrowings. I saw people fall and fail when they tried to escape." He stopped, looking forlorn and like the memories were tearing him apart. "Now, when I see the templars and hear or see of their abuses all I see is the pain and devastation I saw at their hands. I see the faces of all the people who have died and…" He trailed off and Cassyndra scooted over into his lap and lifted his chin. "I see my mother. She never wanted my father to send me to the tower. She wanted to run and find someone else to teach me, but it was too late. The templars were coming and I've never seen her since."
"Oh, Anders – "
"I'll never let them take the people I love from me again, Hawke. I can't let them win this fight. I'll live free or I'll die – there's no getting around this anymore. I know it breaks your heart to hear it, and I love you, but nothing is more important than my freedom –" Hawke cut him off with her finger to his lips.
You can't take away my strength
Fix these broken veins
Nothing left to fight
"I know, Anders. I love you too and I'm with you. No matter what."
You can't take away my strength
Fix these broken veins
There's nothing left to fight (Live free or let me die)
You can't take away my pride, I won't be denied
There's nothing left to fight
Nothing left to fight (Nothing left to fight)
Live free or let me die
Live free or let me die
Live free or let
In case you're still reading, I wanted to tell you all to check out the video on youtube about anders and hawke. It's the quintescential tragic romance video for the Anders fans out there. Link following:
www .youtube .com/watch?v=lHz7gRYhcJI