Well I finally have my computer working properly. I want to thank my darling beta, PheonRen for her fantastic editing skills. I also want to thank HyperPenguin for her lovely review! Made my day! Last but not least, thanks to all of you who have put this fic in the favorites! Wow, so many of you, I am touched! Love you all!
A sad chapter, that was difficult to write, but also has a major twist in it, which I hope you'll like! :D
Bioware owns!
Chapter 20 - Leandra's Fate
Leandra had met him one day while she was out shopping in Lowtown, on her way home from her weekly visit to Gamlen. She had bumped into him and had been rightly flustered and embarrassed, mumbling her apologies, as he bent and gathered her packages for her. He was dressed in robes, so she immediately surmised that he was a mage, and smiled. The stranger had smiled back at her, and she felt herself attracted to him.
They started a conversation, and moved to one of the stone benches next to The Hanged Man. Soon, they were laughing and talking just about everything. Leandra found him charming. He even told her she was lovely and she felt herself blushing.
As the afternoon progressed, Leandra found herself telling him about her husband and his death. The man proved to be both sympathetic and reassuring. She felt an inner peace with him that she had not felt in a long time. What are you getting yourself into, Leandra? Another mage? Really?
But then they agreed to meet again the following afternoon at one of the inns in Hightown for a bite to eat. Leandra found out that she had no problem accepting his invitation and was surprised to feel that she actually wanted to see him again.
They parted with a smile and he bent over to kiss her hand before he left.
"How silly of me!" Leandra giggled, much to her dismay. When had she become a drooling schoolgirl? "I didn't ask your name, though you know mine!"
"You, my dear lady, can call me Quentin." And the mage with the silvery eyes bowed again and took his leave.
...
Faith arrived at the mansion feeling rested and relaxed. They had just been to visit the Dalish where she had talked to Feynriel. She was happy to see him, though both he and the keeper confessed that he still hadn't managed to control his inner demons. The keeper had even expressed her concern over this. However, she also thanked Faith for having pointed him in their direction. A few years had gone by since his rescue, but it was the first time she had actually met up with him. She was glad that she did.
While they were in Sundermount, Faith and her party decided to climb to the summit. She had not counted on the undead that were prowling about. Nevertheless, her party was well equipped to face the horde that ambushed them, as well as the demons that lay in their path. It was invigorating to be fighting again, something that Faith enjoyed wholeheartedly.
Upon reaching the summit, they were attacked by a mature dragon, much like the one that they had met while at the Bone Pit. The team fought bravely and their efforts were rewarded when the beast finally died.
"That was exciting!" She heard Merrill say behind her.
"Exciting, she says!" Anders commented wryly. "That thing nearly singed our hair and eyebrows, and she says it was exciting." He sighed dramatically.
"Did you see that shot?" Varric exclaimed. "Bianca, you are amazing, my sweet!"
"I swear the way you caress your crossbow is...unique, to say the least," Anders murmured, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
"Jealous, Blondie?" Varric chuckled. "You shouldn't be. After all, Hawke is an indestructible goddess."
"And cute, too," Anders agreed, moving next to her and placing a peck on her right cheek.
Faith giggled. "Well, I suppose we'd better head back to ol' boring Kirkwall," she sighed.
"Lead the way, love," Anders said cheerfully as he slipped an arm around her shoulders.
The way down was cheerful, but Faith found herself lost in thought. Anders turned his head slightly to regard her.
"Are you all right, sweetheart?"
Faith came out of her reverie with a smile. "Oh. Don't mind me. I'm just wondering why things are so peaceful in Kirkwall right now."
She was right. Even though she had informed the Viscount of the Arishok's reaction several months before, nothing major had happened. Both the Arishok and the rest of Kirkwall was quiet; no threats had been made against him or the rest of the Qunari, and everything seemed peaceful.
"This is so like you to want it to be otherwise," Anders quipped. "I imagine you're just itching for something a little more dramatic."
She laughed. "Not that I love chaos and doom, but you have to admit Kirkwall is kind of dull right now."
"Hmmm. I guess dull works for me, sometimes. Especially when the nights seem so full of excitement." Anders's eyes twinkled warmly and she felt herself getting excited.
"I guess we'd better hurry up and get home then," she flirted, her voice low and sensuous.
Anders gave her a sidelong smile, his eyes dark with passion. "I can't wait," he added, his voice a whisper.
...
The mansion was quiet, Leandra was nowhere to be seen, but Anders and Faith were already kissing each other passionately and didn't much care who was in the main hall at that moment. However, they were interrupted by Leandra who arrived with her cheeks flushed and a smile on her lips.
"Darlings!" She cried out as she rushed to greet them happily. She gave them each a peck on the cheek and - Faith was appalled to note - floated up to her room.
"What's up with Mother?" She quizzed, as Anders turned back to focus on her neck, which was tantalizing to him at the moment.
"Mmm," he hummed into her flesh, as he trailed kisses from her earlobe to the curve of her neck.
"I see you didn't notice," she squirmed, trying to control the climbing desire inside her. "But Mother is acting strangely."
"Mmm," Anders retorted, now fully focused on the other side of her neck.
Faith sighed and gave in, and they kissed all the way to her bedroom. Once there, with the door firmly locked behind them, they indulged in their passion for the rest of the evening until it was time for dinner.
At the dinner table, Leandra said something that shocked Faith and surprised Anders.
"I'm wondering if I should remarry."
Faith's fork dropped onto her plate at the same time her jaw dropped open. Anders, who had been attacking his meat with gusto, froze and his eyes darted over to Leandra, a puzzled look on his face.
Leandra smiled at both of them, oblivious to their apparent shock. "Well, it looks like you, my dear, are all set. I can see Anders makes you incredibly happy. And for that I am grateful." She regarded him with a proud look, and he blushed slightly. She turned back to her daughter. "It's just that I have so much time on my hands as of late. And I feel so very alone."
"Remarry?" Faith echoed.
"Well, you are nearly twenty-seven and I hardly see you. I wouldn't want to be breathing down your shoulder every time you come home, especially since you both are together."
"But -" Faith began and was interrupted again by Leandra.
"I would never replace your father. Don't even think that. Nobody could ever replace him. But it is refreshing to think I can still be courted at my age, don't you think?" She smiled sweetly at Faith, and Faith had to smile back. She looked so happy and carefree. When was the last time she had seen her like this?
"If it makes you happy, why not, mother?" Faith agreed.
...
Leandra received the white lilies a week later.
She had been singing in the courtyard of the mansion, as she tended to the roses in the garden there, and Bodahn had interrupted her with a wide smile on his face.
As soon as she saw the bouquet of lilies in his hands, her smile had frozen. She knew, from a couple of years back that there was a serial killer out in Kirkwall, and that he targeted women. She also knew that he sent white lilies to each victim from her friend Alessa, and from what Faith had told her. Her hand flew to her throat, but she received the bouquet and put them in a vase on a table in the main hall.
She quickly hurried to her room to wash up and change; she had to meet Quentin at 'The Lion Inn' not too far away, and she didn't want to be late.
...
She tried not to seem too worried as her eyes caught his and she allowed herself to be led to a table.
"My dear, you look lovely as always," he murmured, kissing her hand and squeezing it softly.
They sat at a table and ordered some wine, and he kept his eyes on her the entire time. Those eyes that Leandra found so mesmerizing...
"I'm sorry if I seem so distant, it's just that -" Leandra bit her bottom lip nervously.
"What is it, my dear? You can trust me," he said reassuringly.
"Well, there is a killer in Kirkwall who targets women. He sends them white lilies. I received a bouquet this morning," she said, turning her concerned eyes on him.
"That is...most...disturbing," he said slowly.
"I'm sure my daughter will take care of this. She is amazing! But...I do have to go through Lowtown tomorrow to visit my brother. It's a weekly visit, and he'll worry if I don't show up," she said, wringing her hands.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'll meet you in Lowtown, my dear. I will do all I can to protect you."
"You would? That is so good of you! Thank you!" Leandra breathed out, considerably relieved.
"It is my pleasure, Leandra. No need to thank me..." the man murmured as he took her hand and squeezed it gently.
...
When Leandra arrived at Lowtown later that day, she saw Quentin hobbling up to her, holding a hand to his side. She had left the house later, hoping to throw the murderer off in case he was following her, and had stopped by one of her friend's houses along the way. Her walk to Lowtown had been slow as she had stopped every now and then to make sure she wasn't followed. The street she was walking along had seemed deserted until she had seen Quentin, and her heart had flown to her throat.
"What is it? Are you hurt?" She asked as she rushed to his side. He was now kneeling on the floor and gasping.
"Dear Leandra. I was attacked by a man. I - I need to get to where I live. I have some strong potions there to heal myself."
"Don't talk!" Leandra said, as she helped him to stand. "I'll help you get there. Don't worry. You'll be fine!"
...
Faith had been out taking care of a personal problem for Aveline. She smiled to herself as she remembered what they had just been through. Anders was still chuckling under his breath, while Varric was grinning and Isabela was trying not to laugh.
But as soon as they were out of the keep, they all burst out laughing.
"So, Aveline and Donnic, huh?" Anders grinned.
"It boggles the mind, I know," Isabela butt in, chuckling.
"I can't wait to tell this one. Nobody will believe me," Varric grinned.
"You can always give them copper marigolds," Faith smirked. "I'm sure they'll believe anything once they receive them."
Everyone burst out laughing to this, and Faith turned to walk down the stairs, the rest trailing behind as they continued with their comments.
When Faith reached the Hawke manor, Varric and Isabela said goodbye. Anders and Faith walked into the manor hand in hand, smiling. There was some shouting coming from the main hall, so Faith looked at Anders alarmingly before rushing into the room.
Her uncle stood there, yelling at Sandal, who could not understand what he was saying. As soon as Gamlen saw her, he gave a sigh of relief.
"There you are! I wanted to speak to your mother. Where is she? Is she alright?"
"I'm tempted to say she isn't, just to see your reaction," Faith smiled.
"Your mother was supposed to come by my house today on her weekly visit, but never showed up. Is she ill? Where is she?"
"We haven't seen her since early this afternoon, Gamlen," Bodahn spoke up. "She received those white lilies and left." He gestured towards a vase of white lilies on the table in the far end of the room.
Faith's hand flew to her mouth as she let out a small cry. Fear clutched her heart in a vise-like grip.
"What is it? Why are you reacting like this?" Gamlen asked sharply.
"There is a killer in Kirkwall who targets women. He's murdered several over the years. He sends them a bouquet of white lilies before he takes them," she said in a small voice.
"No! Not Leandra! I'm sure she's fine!" Gamlen shouted, his brow creased with worry.
"It doesn't hurt to be optimistic," Faith murmured back. Behind her, Anders placed a hand on her back reassuringly.
"Maybe she took another route to my house? I'm heading over there again. I'll continue to search for her in Lowtown."
Faith was already jotting down a message on a note. "Bodahn, please make sure Aveline gets this."
"Right. You might as well help your uncle with his search. I'll deliver this message and stay here with Sandal in case she returns," Bodahn said hurriedly, then left.
Faith turned to Anders, her heart pounding. He took her in his arms reassuringly, kissing the top of her head and massaging her back.
"We'll find her, love. I promise."
...
When they set out to search for Leandra, it was dark. Aveline, Varric, Isabela and Anders all went with her, worried out of their wits, but taking care not to show it.
They met Gamlen in one of the alleyways. He was talking to a boy. As Faith got closer she heard her uncle desperately asking the boy about her mother.
"What do I get for telling you?" The boy was saying.
Faith stepped in. "Here's a few silver. Now, what did you see?"
"This lady was helping this man, who was hurt. He told her that his house wasn't far, that he had potions there to cure himself. The lady agreed to help him get there. She was worried about him."
"Worried about him?" Faith asked.
"Like she knew him. Anyway...they left. In that direction." The boy pointed to an arch leading away from where they were standing.
"What did he look like?" Faith asked quickly.
The boy shrugged. "I don't know. Like a man. He had on some bloody robes, like he'd been hurt."
"I never thought I'd curse my mother's kindness," Faith sighed.
"There is some blood on the ground - where he fell. Maybe there's a trail and you could follow it," the boy offered helpfully.
"I'll go back home to see if Leandra is there," Gamlen said. "You try to follow the trail."
Faith approached what seemed to be a pool of blood on the stone floor. It was shining softly in the bright moonlight.
"I can sense some kind of magic in the blood, love. I think this man is a mage," Anders said softly behind her.
"It's still fresh!" She replied excitedly. "Maybe the boy is right and there is a trail we can follow." Her eyes scanned the area, till she spotted two more drops of blood further down the alley. "Look! More blood over there! Thank the Maker!"
...
The trail led to a dark foundry, apparently abandoned. Faith remembered that this was the place where she had found the bones for Emeric, and the ring that belonged to one of the missing women years ago. Aveline, Varric and Isabela had been there before with her, and recognized the place.
Faith picked up the trail of blood drops on the floor. They were not attacked by anything this time around, thus enabling them to cover the ground more quickly. Soon they were standing next to what appeared to be some kind of trap door, leading into the depths of the foundry.
"This wasn't here before!" Faith said out loud, fear now making her voice shake. "Mother must be down there...with him!"
The rickety wooden stairs led them to a vast room. Faith quickly spotted a trap which she disarmed. Then they were attacked by shades and a fire demon.
They fought their way to another set of stairs that led down to a room, complete with a huge bed and bookcases full of books. In fact, there were books everywhere, even lying on the floor. Isabela picked up the nearest one and recognized that it was a book on necromancy. Faith found some pieces of paper scattered around that had writing on it, and when she read them, it sent a chill up her spine. The man was clearly talking about the other missing women. Each one of them had had something that he wanted. One of them had lovely fingers, the other lovely skin. When she turned to what looked like a mantelpiece against one of the walls, her eyes opened slightly in horror.
"That woman...in the painting...she...she almost looks like mother!" She gasped. "What is this?"
"A shrine dedicated to a dead wife? A sister?" Anders said, softly caressing Faith's shoulder.
Faith brushed his arm off, turning away abruptly. "I need to find her! Now!"
At that moment, they were attacked by a horde of undead, followed by shades and abominations. They fought back and did not stop until they had won and their enemies lay at their feet.
They quietly followed her to another set of stairs. A man was standing beside a huge wooden chair, looking down at something. Faith couldn't see what it was, the figure on the chair had its back to them all. The man then spoke, as he slowly turned to face her.
"Ah, so you came. Your mother was sure you would come," he said smiling slowly.
"Mother always knew me best," Faith replied dryly.
"Yes. She spoke so highly of you. What a lovely lady," he took a few steps to where she was standing, a sly smile still plastered on his face.
"Where is she?" Faith asked through clenched teeth.
"I have touched the face of the Maker and lived," replied the man. "Your mother is now a part of something greater."
"You're crazy, I get it! Where is my mother?" Faith nearly screamed at him.
"Do you know what the strongest force in the universe is? Love. I pieced her together from memory. I found her eyes, her soft skin, her shoulders and delicate waist. And at last, her face. Oh, that beautiful, beautiful face!" The mage exclaimed, looking down at something sitting on the chair. He made a gesture with his hands, and something got up from the chair. "I have searched far and wide for you, beloved. And nothing on the face of this world will tear us apart!"
The figure that had gotten up now slowly turned to face Faith and her friends and with great difficulty started to walk towards them. Faith's eyes opened wide in horror as she recognized her mother. The mage raised his hands, and called forth a shield which quickly enveloped him; shades and undead sprang out of the ground, and all hell broke loose.
They fought for their lives. A desire demon came forth from the ground, and Faith pounced on it, while the rest dispatched the shades and undead. Abominations joined the fray. No sooner had Faith killed the desire demon when another one quickly took its place. The fight continued for what seemed like an eternity to Faith, the hordes kept coming, summoned by the mage, who was still enveloped in a protective shield. Faith now was fighting to get closer to him. She wanted to kill him badly, but had to wait for the stupid shield surrounding him to dissipate.
When the last of the desire demons had been dispatched and the undead lay dead for good this time at their feet, the shimmering shield dissolved and Faith pounced on the mage, performing a vendetta move, and instantly killing him. She smiled wickedly and turned in time to deal with the last skeleton, flinging a dagger into its soft skull. She quickly approached the thing, now lying on the ground to retrieve her dagger.
There was a shuffling sound behind her and she turned. Leandra, or what looked like her was slowly moving towards Faith. She was wearing what looked like a grayish, moldy wedding dress, with holes in it. Her head looked like it had been sewn to her body - her eyes looked dead. She moaned and fell into Faith's waiting arms.
"Mother!" Faith exclaimed as she caught her, then half-sat and knelt on the ground, holding her close. Leandra was now lying on the ground, her head on Faith's lap, smiling up at her proudly.
"I knew you'd come," she gasped, adoration in her eyes as she looked up at her.
"I wasn't fast enough! I tried to find you!" Faith exclaimed.
"My little girl. You've become so strong," Leandra whispered.
"I should have looked over you more, watched you more closely! Protected you!" Faith sobbed. The tears were now coming fast.
"Shh. Don't fret darling. Quentin - that man would have kept me here. But now I'm free. I get to see Carver, Bethany and your father again," Leandra smiled sweetly, then turned to Anders. "Take good care of her, Anders. Promise me you will never leave her. She only has you now..."
"I promise," Anders choked out, his eyes shining with unshed tears.
Leandra's eyes were once again on her daughter. "I love you. You've always made me so proud..." Her voice trailed off, and a last breath escaped her lips.
"There's...nothing I can do, love. His magic was keeping her alive," Anders murmured somewhere behind her.
But Faith did not hear, or acknowledge what he said. She held her mother closely and rocked her softly in her arms, sobbing and crying, until her eyes and face looked upwards and she screamed.
"Why? Why are you doing this to me? Why take away everything I love? Why?"
Nobody said anything. There were no words left, nor any answers to give.
...