"There's been unsettling reports concerning him."
Varric hadn't meant to eavesdrop. But it's hard not to when just behind the door where he usually hangs out at Skyhold, an agent was reporting to Leliana.
"Which one? All manner of men are unsettling."
"Fenlen." The agent whispered.
Fenlen? The Hero of Ferelden? That peaked Varric's interest.
"He sent his report about what happened at Amaranthine."
He heard rustling of paper, the dwarf guessed that Leliana accepted the report and began reading. After several minutes he felt the air shift in a direction that he didn't like.
"No one else read this?" Leliana asked.
"No, ma'am."
"Don't speak a word of this."
"What about the Inquisitor? Shouldn't she be informed?"
"Not right now." Leliana opened the door only to eye Varric. He cleared his throat. He knew he was caught.
"Did I ever tell you about the time Hawke and I met Fenlen?" Varric wanted to smack himself. He had panicked and it showed.
"What?" She was thrown off by the distraction. She knew it was a distraction, and yet her curiosity was peaked. "When was this?"
"It was around the time Keeper Marethari became possessed. We initially met him same time we met that run away Crow."
"Zevran." Leliana remembered this part of the story that Varric told. "But why didn't you tell us this before?"
"Because I didn't think of it as important. You guys were after... Well, Hawke."
"Then tell me now and consider this a warning for eavesdropping."
"Shortly into the fight against the Crows..."
It was chaos. Varric's fleet of arrows from Bianca, Isabella's quick dueling attacks with her daggers. And then there was Hawke with Fenris as her guard. Honestly that pair are inseparable. And it has become a lot more noticeable.
Someday someone might use that against her...
Varric's train of thought was interrupted when more arrows struck at the Crows.
"Those weren't mine..." The dwarf looks around. Up on a hill above them stood a figure.
An elf with long black hair. Intense blue eyes, and red tattoos. The black armor suggested a rogue, as if the intricate bow wasn't enough to tell. Soon as Varric noticed a number of others did as well.
"Fenlen! My love!" Zevran yelled out in excitement.
"Ma vhenan!" He leaps down and drew his daggers to join the fray.
With little time to ponder they were in the midst of the Hero of Ferelden of all people, Hawke and her group returned to fighting. Once everything was done and the Crows, save for one, were on the ground dead. Zevran embraced his lover tightly and released a hearty laugh.
"How did you find me?"
"I needed to see my old keeper. Then I was approached by the Crows to find someone. Someone who matched your description. So I tailed the Crows."
"You followed them? You know they could have easily killed you, right? All of them against one of you?"
"Ma serranas. I was only thinking of you."
"Forgiven. You're here. That's enough. And you, my dear friend." The blonde elf turned towards Hawke. "Thank you for helping me take care of that vermin."
"It's good to see you two together again. In all the time I've known Zevran, I've never seen him smile like that." Isabella eyed Fenlen up and down. "You've changed."
"How so?" Fenlen tilts his head.
"Hmm... Can't quite explain."
"Hold up! You know him too?" Varric was still trying to keep up. He was beginning to smell a really good story.
"Of course. He beat me at a game of Wicked Grace. Taught him how to duel as a reward. This was all before he became the Hero of Ferelden, though."
"Ha ha! Before anyone knew of him! Except for as that meddlesome Grey Warden who escaped death itself from the Kacari Wilds." Zevran laughed.
"So what brought you here? I heard of your disappearance." Varric inquired.
"I'm pretty sure everyone heard, Varric." Hawke teased.
"Business with my old keeper. I heard my old clan has been stuck around these parts." Fenlen wasn't going into details.
"You mean Keeper Marethari? She's further up the mountain. Just before you reach the peak." Hawke informed. "I didn't know that was your clan."
"I prefer the majority of the world kept it that way." His eyes drifted to each of them one by one. They were bright, which gave everyone an eerie feeling with the stark contrast of the dark expression from them.
"Is that a threat?" Fenris tensed up.
"A promise. I wish to keep the knowledge of my clan out of the public eye."
"C'mon, Broody. Wouldn't you want to keep the knowledge of Hawke's whereabouts a secret from everyone else if it ever came down to it?" Varric reasoned, hoping that this wouldn't get out of hand as he feared.
"... I suppose that's fair." He relented after a long thought.
"For that I thank you. All of you for helping us. I believe it's our time to leave."
"Yes. We certainly have... A lot of time to make up for." The smile on the former Crow's face said it all.
"Time for us to go anyhow." Hawke caught on and took the lead. Her group willingly followed.
"Okay, then Isabella owes me all the details of meeting these two." Varric wasn't interested in sticking around two lovers going at it.
"I suppose it's fair." She sighed.
"Is that all?" Leliana frowned. She didn't seem that impressed.
"Not at all." Varric resisted a smile.
"You mean there's more?" It took her a moment. "Oh. The Keeper."
"He was... Very angry. And still he kept his head enough not to allow the clan to kill Merrill. He knew that Hawke and her company would slay everyone to protect Merrill." Varric recalled with a sigh.
"Why didn't you reveal this part? It makes so much more sense as to why the elves let you go."
"Because if I told you that during his fury, darkspawn appeared out of nowhere and surrounded all of us? And yet they listened to him, and didn't attack anyone. Would you have believed me?"
His questions were met with silence. And that was answer enough. And for a long time it was silent. Unknown to either of them someone had been eavesdropping their conversation as well. Solas quietly filed away the information of this curious Hero of Ferelden.