Author's Note: All the characters in here are made by BioWare. Julliet Hawke is my version of Hawke. The story line is mine, although this first chapter relies pretty heavily on the conversations that happen the first time we meet Fenris in the game. After this chapter, the story will start to diverge and become a little more open/relaxed for me to really shine. And please forgive me for any dialogue that doesn't follow the game as I wanted to be slightly creative and I forgot some of the dialogue.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Julliet Hawke walked through the streets of Kirkwall's "Lowtown" at night with her friends, trying to come up with more ways to make coin so they could help fund an expedition to the Deep Roads. As she was approaching the bazaar, she spotted a dwarf standing near a cart. He appeared to be a bit nervous.
"Is something the matter?" she asked, walking over to the dark haired dwarf.
"Ah, yes, you see, I was smuggling a supply of shipments into the city, but they have been taken. It's not Lyrium though," he said.
Hawke narrowed her eyes in suspicion at the dwarf and asked him a few questions before it was revealed that the "shipments" were lyrium.
"Fine, I'll find this lyrium for you," she told the dwarf before she left with her friends to go find the lyrium.
After searching through Low Town a bit more, they stumbled upon a place in the Elven Alienage where some bandits attacked them.
"This must be the place," Varric remarked.
"Keep your wits about you," Hawke told her friends as they defeated a small handful of them. They then began to search the building, fighting any bandits that appeared.
Eventually, they found a small chest in one of the rooms. Opening it, Hawke found nothing. "Not what I was expecting," she said before they exited the building, curious as to why there had been nothing there.
Upon doing so, they came upon a group of slavers who had surrounded the building. "What? This isn't the elf!" exclaimed the leader. "Whatever, let's kill them boys."
After a brief fight, leaving the Hawke and her friends just slightly wounded, another Slaver, one who appeared to be more important than the one who attacked them earlier appeared.
"I don't know who you are, friend, but you've made a serious mistake coming here. Lieutenant! I want everyone in the clearing! Now!" he shouted.
Out from behind one of the buildings, a bleeding figure stumbled out, clutching their side. "Captain…" they said before collapsing to the ground.
"What?!" exclaimed the captain as he turned.
As the captain did so, another figure, a handsome elf with white hair, beautiful markings, and wearing black armor, stepped out from behind the very same building where the now dead slaver had. "Your men are dead. Your trap failed. I suggested running back to your master while you can."
"You're going nowhere slave!" the captain shouted as he reached out and grabbed the elf's shoulder.
"I am not a slave!" the elf shouted, his hand suddenly glowing before he killed the slaver by stabbing his hand into his chest. Once the captain was dead, the elf looked at Hawke and her friends.
As he did so, she couldn't help but notice the greenish color of his eyes and for a moment, her breath caught and her heart fluttered. He was the most handsome elf she'd ever seen.
"I apologize, when I asked Anso to provide a distraction for the humans, I had no idea they'd be so...numerous."
Hearing him address her pulled her out of her thoughts and she blinked before answering. "You were responsible for this?" she asked, gesturing around the Alienage at the dead bodies that she and her friends had killed.
"I'm the reason you are here, yes." He paused for a moment. "My name is Fenris. These men were imperial bounty hunters seeking to recover a magister's lost property, namely myself. They were trying to lure me into the open. Crude as their methods were, I could not face them alone. Thankfully, Anso chose wisely."
"That seems like a lot of effort for one slave."
"It is."
"Does this have anything to do with those strange markings?" she asked, gesturing towards the quite visible ones on his arms.
He looked down at them before responding. "Yes. I imagine I must look strange to you. I did not receive these markings by choice. Even so, they have served me well. Without them I would still be a slave."
Hawke smiled a little. "If they were really trying to recapture you, then I'm happy I helped."
"I have met few in my travels who have sought anything more than personal gain. If I may ask, what was in the chest? The one they kept in the house?"
"It was empty."
"I suppose it was too much to hope for. Even so, I had to know," he said.
She sighed softly. "You know, you didn't need to lie to get my help. I'm always happy to get rid of a few slavers," she said.
"That remains to be seen," he said before he crouched down to inspect the dead captain before he stood back to his feet.. "It's as I thought. My former master accompanied them to the city. I know you have questions, but I must confront him before he flees. I will need your help."
Even though she found him captivating, she couldn't help but be a bit suspicious. "You lured me into a trap, and now you want my help?"
He looked at her. "If Anso had told you to divert an ambush of Tevinter bounty hunters, would you have done it?" he asked.
"It should've been my decision," she responded, crossing her arms.
"Had I known you earlier, I might have asked you personally. I had only Anso to rely on, I fear. I am not lying to you now. Please help me do this."
She took a deep breath and considered his offer, her arms still crossed. Yes, he was handsome, but he also had tricked her. Of course, his arguments had made sense, but the point was still there. Then again, if she did help him, she could help this city be rid of another slaver.
"Alright, if it means fighting more slavers, I'm in," she relented.
He smiled for just a moment before giving her a nod. "I will find a way to repay you. The magister is staying in a mansion in Hightown. Meet me there as soon as you can. We must enter before morning," he said before he turned and walked away, leaving Hawke and her friends to do as they wished.
Hawke knew that she would help him. Slavers were people she did not like, so if she was able to kill a few of them, she would be all the more happy to see them gone.
After a bit of traveling, Hawke and her friends met up with Fenris outside one of the mansions in Hightown. Upon seeing her, he nodded and spoke up as she got closer. "No one has left the mansion, but I've heard nothing within. Danarius may know we're here. I wouldn't put it past him."
Hawke nodded. "Then we shouldn't wait any longer."
"Agreed."
Then the two of them, along with a Varric and her sister, Bethany, entered the mansion. Upon entering, they were attacked by monsters...demons called Shades, so Bethany had said. They travel from room to room, searching for the magister, cutting down any demons that appeared.
Finally, they reached the last room where Fenris looked around and sighed. "Gone. I had hoped… no, it doesn't matter any longer. I assume Danarius left valuables behind. Take them if you wish, I… need some air," he said before he turned and walked out, leaving Hawke and the others to search around for anything of value.
Once the group was satisfied that there was nothing else of value, they headed outside to where Fenris stood.
"It never ends. I escaped a land of dark magic, only to have it hunt me at every turn. It is a plague burned into my flesh and soul." He then looked at Bethany with narrowed eyes. "I saw you casting spells inside. I should have realized sooner what you really were. You harbor a viper in your midst. It will turn on you and strike you when you least expect. That's in its nature."
Hawke again narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. She didn't appreciate people ridiculing her sister, no matter how handsome they were. "My sister is stronger than you think," she snapped. A little peeved at his attitude. Yes, she knew mages could be dangerous, but Bethany had never hurt anyone for her own gain.
Behind her, Hawke heard her sister. "You tell him, sister!" and this phrase boosted her confidence.
"I am not blind. I know magic has its uses, and there are, undoubtedly, mages with good intentions. But even the best intentioned mages can fall prey to temptation, and then their power is a curse to inflict upon others," he said.
At this, Hawke understood where he was coming from. Yes, mages could be dangerous. But then again, so could a blade, and anyone could be corrupted if they weren't strong enough - it didn't matter if they were mages or not.
"No one is stopping you moving on, you know," Bethany said.
"I imagine I appear ungrateful. If so, I apologize, for nothing could be further than the truth. I did not find Danarius, but I still owe you a debt. Here is all the coin I have, as Anso promised. Should you find yourself in need of assistance, I would gladly render it," he said, handing Hawke a small bag of coins.
"I've seen some of your abilities. Do they come from those markings?" she asked, curious. Before accepting his help, she realized she should probably get to know more about him and what he could do.
"Some. All I know is that, even in the imperium, warriors such as myself are rare. Perhaps they believe I should feel honored?"
"Do you think your old master will keep chasing you?"
"He is too proud not to. Perhaps one day the hunt will cost him more than he's willing to pay, but I doubt that matters any longer."
"Your old master must want more than just a runaway slave. I assume those markings have something to do with it?"
He smirked just a tad. "He doesn't want me at all, but rather the markings on my skin. They are lyrium, burned into my flesh to provide the power that Danarius required of his 'pet'. And now he wants his precious investment returned, even if he has to rip it from my corpse."
Now that was something, and quite awful that anyone would want to do that. "Seems like a waste of a perfectly handsome elf," she blurted out. Then she realized what she said and blushed a little.
Fenris chuckled. "The truth is, I know nothing of the ritual that placed these markings on me. It was Danarius's choice, one he now regrets."
Hawke's blush faded as he spoke, but she couldn't help but feel slightly self conscious. She didn't think she had anything else she wanted to ask so she considered. His abilities would be helpful to have along, even if some of his beliefs of mages were a little misguided.
"Alright, well, I'm planning an expedition into the deep roads that I might need help with."
He gave a slight nod. "Fair enough. Should you ever have need of me, I will be here. If Danarius wishes his mansion back, he is free to return and claim it. Beyond that, I am at your disposal," he said with a small bow before he turned and headed back into the mansion.
At this point, the sky was beginning to lighten, so together, Varric, Bethany and Hawke returned to Lowtown. Hawke smiled to herself, thinking about Fenris. She had a feeling that together, the two of them would have many adventures in the future.
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