Pair of Hawkes: Finale and New Beginnings

Anders stood on the deck of the ship, gazing at the flames and smoke that still rose from Kirkwall. Well, what remained of Kirkwall, anyway. He'd tried to sleep, but there was a part of him that wondered if he'd ever sleep again. So many things had happened in the last day that he wasn't sure if this was all some fever dream. And it had all started so wonderfully...

"Gunther?" he started at the soft voice, wiping away tears he didn't remember shedding. But now he turned to face the woman whose arrival had begun the events that had marked him. As a fugitive. As a war-monger. As a murderer. "Gunther, please talk to me." Mother Greta Heidenreich stood on the deck, hands clasped in front of her as if in prayer. She had the same eyes as Macha, though he knew his hair color had been from her. Now though, she wore the gray proudly, as it was a symbol of the wisdom she'd gained over the years. Where she'd been wearing chantry robes when they'd first met, now she wore a simple frock with a shawl over it. Somehow, that made her seem more vulnerable.

"I don't know what to say," he finally managed to tell her. "It's like today was a bad dream, but I know it wasn't. And I am partly the reason why."

"Because of the Chantry?"

"Of course because of that!" The anger startled her for a moment, and Anders put his hands over his face and shook his head. "I'm sorry. You are not to blame for anything that I have done."

"But Gunther... I brought that woman back to Kirkwall. I trusted her." That woman. Meredith. Either escaped from Aeonar, or having fought and killed the guards bringing her there; it didn't matter. She'd come back to the city with his mother, having called herself a "simple follower of Andraste". And then all hell had broken loose...

"You couldn't have known what she was."

"I should have! She carried that sword that made me feel uneasy. But I didn't want to pry. And she tried to kill you! She tried to kill your wife and... My grandchildren." Anders crossed to her taking, her hands in his, doing his best to put a reassuring smile on his face.

"But we're not dead. And she is. That's all that matters." Greta buried her head in his chest, not caring that the coat he wore smelled like blood and smoke.

"She made you do such an awful thing, though." Anders swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Maybe she would hate him for this, but he needed to tell her the truth.

"No, she didn't. I'd planned for that for a long time. It was going to be the final argument, and the start of the Mage Rebellion." Now she looked up at him, both curious and frightened.

"You were already planning to blow up the Chantry with magic? But... Gunther, why?"

"For all the reasons I said to Adia and the others. Because there is no compromise. Either mages are free, or we aren't. And now, maybe there is a chance to actually have that happen."

"There were innocent people in there."

"I know. And that will haunt me for the rest of my days. I'm still surprised Adia didn't kill me..."

"She may yet." Both of them turned at the voice of Fenris. He was standing by the stairs to the lower deck, arms crossed. Carver and Merrill were at his side.

"I'm also surprised you let me live." The Elf snorted and shook his head.

"Anders, I may not agree with anything you did, but neither have I lived your life. If the "Circle" is your Danarius... Who am I to take away your revenge?" The blonde tilted his head, staring at the warrior in shock.

"Are you saying you'll help me?"

"Venhedis, no!" Fenris quickly countered. "I intend to take Adia far away from all this nonsense. A simple life will suit us best. But... I will not stand in your way, either."

"Neither will we," Carver added. "And you'll always have a place with us whenever you need to rest." He paused for a moment. "You just have to promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"You keep Amber and those kids safe. If I ever hear that my sister was killed because of this war, or my nephews were hurt in some fool battle-"

"The Templars will be the least of your worries," Fenris took over, markings flaring for just a moment. Merrill gave all the men a chastising look.

"You're forgetting that Amber won't let Anders walk into danger, either. Just like Adia won't ever abandon you, Fenris. Or that I'm staying by your side, Carver."

"Spoken like a woman truly in love," Greta praised as the Dalish blushed. "But this has been a trying time for everyone. We won't be solving anything without sleep and time." Fenris nodded and led the other two back down the stairs. Anders turned towards the captain's quarters, catching sight of Isabella at the helm.

"What about you?" He knew she'd heard everything all ready, so there was no use trying to hide. Isabella flashed him a quick grin and shook her head.

"I'm just waiting for all of you to get off my ship so I can go back to being my little pirate self," she teased. "But don't think I won't help when you need it. You've all grown on me, damn it all."

"I'll keep that in mind, Captain." With that, Anders headed into the spacious room, his mother following. Macha and Keran were asleep on two small sofas, and Anders smiled at his siblings as he headed for the "bedroom". It was a large canopy bed divided off by hanging silks, and Amber lay on one side of the bed, deeply asleep. Shadowfade and Ser Pounce-a-Lot had nestled at the foot of the bed, their three kittens tucked between them. And lying in a box lined with clean linen, were two tiny babies. Anders stared at them for a moment, breath catching in his throat. "Maker's breath..."

"It was a difficult delivery, but everyone was fine," Greta explained. "I'm just glad that young lady healer offered her services."

"One of the mages?"

"Yes, by the name of Bethany. After her fellows were settled, she asked if we needed any help."

"I'll be sure to thank her tomorrow. I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"You best save that apology for your wife, Gunther. But I'm sure she'll be glad you came back unharmed." Anders shook his head and sighed.

"Physically, anyway."

"We'll talk more in the morning. Get some rest." Greta turned to go, when a blue glow stopped her, and she turned back. Her eyes widened as she saw the entity her son had joined with at the forefront, eyes shining a bright blue.

"I am sorry," Justice said, frowning a bit. "That I put his family in danger. That I put you in danger. Years ago I would have been fine thinking of you as necessary sacrifices. But now... Now there is guilt and sadness at that thought."

"That just means you have changed."

"I'm not sure if I like all this "change". But..." He looked at Amber, then at the children. "There are worse things to change for, I suppose."

"There are indeed. It will take some getting used to, but if you are a part of my son, I will do my best to accept you, Justice."

"I will try not to make it an unpleasant task, Lady Greta." She patted his shoulder and turned back towards the other room, finding a plush chair and blanket before falling asleep. Justice turned to Amber, noting with some amusement that she was awake. Her eyes were tired, but she smiled at him.

"Come back to bed, please." Her voice was soft, no doubt strained from the delivery. Justice climbed in beside her, wrapping an arm gently around her before Anders took over again.

"I'm sorry." His voice was a whisper she almost didn't hear, and Amber shifted herself as best as she could to make eye contact.

"You saved me from that bitch. Don't apologize for how it happened."

"Your barrier would probably have held."

"Not against that sword of hers," Amber noted dryly. "Tell me you destroyed it."

"Actually, she destroyed it herself."

"What?"

"She didn't mean to, but she kept calling on more and more power. Eventually... I don't think the lyrium could handle it, and it shattered."

"What happened to Meredith?"

"She became a... Statue? This really creepy, metallic statue that looks like it's screaming."

"Is everyone else all right?" Now Anders grimaced, but knew she wanted the truth.

"Adia was badly injured. I managed to heal her, but she's going to need recovery time as well. Everyone else was the usual big fight bumps and bruises."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"Sweetheart, you were in labor. What would you have done?" Her response was to weakly smack him. "See? You need to regain your strength as well."

"I will. And then I guess... We figure out where we're going."

"Isabella already set a course for Amaranthine, so we'll have some friendly faces for a bit."

"And then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Anders, I heard you yelling at Meredith about freeing all mages. This crusade is important to you. I can't keep you from it."

"But... Amber... I... What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we're going to need to be on the road, and I don't know how that's going to work with two newborns."

"Then we won't be on the road," he quickly assured her. "Maybe we can find a small farm, or I can help the Wardens in their infirmary for a while."

"You and Justice would give up fighting?"

"Not forever. Just until we can move the boys safely. And I have a feeling that there's going to be fighting everywhere, anyway. We'll have plenty to do."

"Speaking of the boys." She motioned at the box they were sleeping in. "We have to name them." He helped her sit up, propping her against the mound of pillows against the headboard. Anders retrieved both babies, giving the dark-haired one to Amber, and gently cradling the smaller blonde.

"Do you have any ideas?" She smiled, kissing her son's forehead.

"They represent everything we've been fighting for. So I was thinking to name them after the ones who inspired us to get this far. Malcolm and... Karl?"

"Those are wonderful names. I can't think of any greater honor to bestow on those who meant so much to us, than to pass their legacies to a new generation." At that moment, the door opened, and Varric peeked his head in. Anders made a motion for him to come closer, and the Dwarf crept towards them while being mindful of the sleepers.

"Blondie. Fire Eyes. Tiny humans." He smiled at the last words.

"Malcolm and Karl," Amber told him, carefully pointing to each.

"A grand legacy indeed," Varric agreed. "Which is actually what I wanted to talk to you both about." From his coat pocket he pulled his notebook. "It occurred to me that writing in two helpless children into this story would be a bad idea."

"I appreciate that, Varric," Amber said after a moment. She was sure there was more.

"Well, and then that got me thinking that maybe I ought to just rewrite the "Tale of the Champion" all together." Now even Anders looked confused.

"But there are two champions."

"See, Blondie, there's a lot of versions of this story. Sometimes it's two, sometimes it's one. Maybe one Hawke is a mage, and another is a warrior. I mean, people can't even keep it straight whether Hawke's a guy or a girl. So maybe I just take the version I think is best and work with that."

"And leave me out?" Amber sounded very hopeful. She'd never wanted to be a hero in the first place. Maybe now she wouldn't need to be.

"I could, sure. Or maybe the mage Hawke people speak of has a different name. Maybe they aren't even the elder sibling. What if people mixed up the twins, and it was the younger two who were? And who says you got involved with the renegade Warden? Maybe it was actually the pirate captain who stole your heart."

"That still leaves me in this tale, though," Anders observed. Now Varric winked at him.

"Really, Gunther? That's awfully presumptuous of you to take credit for a crazy mage possessed by a vengeful Fade Spirit. We both know that Anders would do anything for his cause. Are you really that man?" Both mages blinked at the storyteller, realization dawning on them. "So, let's get the proper introductions out of the way: I'm Varric Tethras, writer and occasional adventurer. Who might you be?"

"I'm Gunther Heidenreich, and this is my wife Amber. Also, our sons Malcolm and Karl."

"Well, it's been a pleasure to make your acquaintance, folks. Now if you'll excuse me, this Dwarf has some writing to get done." He got a few steps before Amber's voice reached him.

"Varric... Thank you."

"Consider it a birthday gift for the little ones, Fire Eyes. They don't deserve to get roped into all this. And Blondie?"

"Yes?"

"That was your freebie back there. You ever do something like that without telling at least me, and Bianca will want to have some harsh words with you."

"Understood." Satisfied, Varric left the new family alone. After a quick feeding and change, the children were settled back into their make-shift crib, and their parents settled down for some much-needed sleep. Amber drifted off, opening her eyes in the Fade and seeing the ship's quarters around her still. As her gaze drifted to where the boys where, her heart thudded in her chest. Two people stood over the box, each of them holding a baby. But when they turned, fear became a flood of emotion.

"Sweetheart, don't cry," Leandra gently admonished. "They're beautiful!"

"It's about time I got to meet my grandsons," Malcolm added.

"Mother... Father..."

"We'll always be in your heart, Amber," her mother said, smiling gently. "Family never leaves you. Not truly."

"You've got a lot of living to do. We'll always be proud of you."

"Father, I'm sor-"

"You've nothing to apologize for, little firebrand. I'd do it all again just for this moment." Amber felt a presence at her back, and realized that Justice was sitting behind her. "Keep her safe, will you? I don't want to see either of them before their time."

"I will, Malcolm Hawke." Then the dream faded, and Amber found herself staring into Justice's eyes. The Spirit looked slightly confused.

"Your parents are very understanding. If that was truly them."

"I'd like to think so. Goodnight Justice."

"Goodnight Amber." The waves rocked them both to sleep as the ship plowed through the dark waters, and on to the next chapter in their lives.