Chapter 2 - One year to not get killed

italic-thoughts

college*-university

Marina POV

As I was trying to avert my eyes from Hawke's, I realized everyone was staring down at me. As usual, I'm the shortest. I'm used to it. Back in college, it was the same thing. I was surprised by Hawke calling at my attention:

"Little Antivan, that was some display back there! Are you alright?", Hawke said while he was crouched next to me. I nodded my head and tried to get up, but I was too shocked to move.

"Here, take my hand.", Hawke offered me his hand and I took it.

"I'm okay, you don't need to… HIIIIII!", as I tried to get up by myself, Hawke lifted me with no effort as if I was a feather.

"No need to get scared, you're so light that I almost lifted you in the air.", Hawke teased me while patting me on my shoulder.

"Eddard, I taught you better than this! Don't frighten the poor thing!", Leandra scolded her son as she pointed her finger at him.

This situation was all very amusing because Leandra was half the size of her son and yet, he was looking very sheepish with all her scolding. Suddenly, I realized that I hadn't introduced myself.

"I'm Marina da Marcela, but you can call me Mari. Nice to meet you.", I said while I tried to clean the dirt from my clothes.

"Nice to meet you Mari, the man that lifted you is Eddard Hawke, my older brother. I'm Bethany and this is my twin brother Carver", Bethany said while pointing to her siblings quite enthusiastically.

"Oh my, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Leandra, sweetheart. Pleased to meet you.", Leandra smiled at me and waved at her older son.

"I'm Aveline and this is my husband …. WESLEY! Oh, dear maker! Wesley, hang on!", Aveline noticed her husband was passed out near the rocks and started shaking him.

"Aveline, I don't think …I will make it. Please kill me before…. hgh…I turn into one of those things.", Wesley begged his wife while grabbing her hand.

Hawke patted Aveline in the shoulder, "I can't make this choice for you, but if you can't, I'll be the one to stop his suffering.", Hawke said quite sadly.

"No… I'm his wife, I'll do it.", Aveline cried and took her sword. Oh no, poor Aveline. This can't be real!

"Goodbye my love.", Aveline struck him with her sword in his heart and he stopped breathing. As Wesley died, I finally realized my situation. This is really happening; this isn't a game. This is my life now; I'll never see my family and my friends again. And as a finally understood all this, tears fell from my eyes.

"No, why?!", I cried. Everyone was surprised by my empathy and Aveline was touched by my concern for her.

"There, there, sweetie. He is with the Maker now. Everything is going to be fine.", Leandra grabbed my hands and caressed them.

"But, my parents! I'll never see them again!", I cried into my hands.

"What do you mean, Marina?", asked Hawke, concerned.

I decided to pretend I was from Antiva to cover up my tru origins. They wouldn't believe the truth yet. I was always good at making up stories, even though I felt guilty for lying to them. It's for the best.

"I was going to Orlais with my parents, because I had been accepted by a patroness to be her translator. My parents worked very hard to take me there. But…the ship we were in, wrecked, and I'm the only one alive. They sacrificed themselves for me.". I cried with my hands in my face.

"Oh sweetheart, we are so sorry for you. Don't cry. Your parents wouldn't want that.", Leandra hugged me slowly and patted me in the back.

"You aren't alone Marina. You have us now. Come with us to Kirkwall.", said Hawke quite determined.

"Yes please, Mari! Come with us!", Bethany grabbed my hands once again quite excited.

"That's a wonderful idea Hawke.", Leandra said while she wiped away my tears with her handkerchief.

"Wait…You'll take …me in? I don't want to be a burden on you!". I waved with my hands quite nervous and at the same time hopeful.

"Of course, honey, think of this a repayment for saving Bethany's life. It's the least we can do for you.", Leandra said.

"Thank you…thank you so much.", I sniffed and wiped my tears from my face. As I was drying them, Flemeth appeared again. What does she want this time?

"Seer, you haven't seen the last of me. I have something to help you on your path.", she smirked at me and handed me a necklace with a tree craved in it.

"What is this for?", I asked quite curious.

"This will help you hide your magic from the others, and it will be important to you on this long journey.", she said. Wait! Magic?! That's impossible!

"I see…You didn't know you had magic.", she smirks at me and crosses her arms.

"I didn't, I never had it.", I said shakily.

"Now you do. And you'll need it. Well, let me take you to your ship now. I never break my deals.", she said as she readied herself to transform. You must be shitting me?! I'm going to fly on a dragon/elven goddess/woman that probably brought me here?! I must be dead! Well…might as well die in style.

In the present

Interrogation room

"Flemeth?", asked Cassandra, not believing his words.

"I thought that might interest you.", asked the dwarf, satisfied with himself.

"You expect me to believe a myth? Swooped out of the wild to save the Champion and the Seer?", Cassandra throwed her hands in the air and paced back and forth.

"Oh, come now seeker. Do I need to recite the tale of the Warden as well?", remembered the dwarf.

"No. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised to hear of her involvement.", pondered Cassandra with her hand in her chin.

"I liked my version better too.", said the dwarf.

"What else aren't you telling me, then? Did she send someone with them?", asked the seeker.

"In a matter of speaking.", laughed the dwarf.

"So, it's true. Continue. But if you tell me they all flew to Kirkwall on a dragon…", glared the woman at him.

"Nothing so fanciful. I assure you.", the dwarf shrugged his shoulders and kept going with his tale: "The witch kept her word and got them to Gwaren, where they took ship. They sailed north across the Waking Sea, lashed by terrible storms, something that didn't help our young seer in her situation…"

In the Past

On the ship

Marina POV

The moment we got on the cargo hold of the ship, I isolated myself from the others and sat leaning against the wall. Bad moment to have an anxiety attack. Oh well, this is going to be great. I just need to control my breathing. As I tried to calm myself, Bethany approaches me.

"Hi Mari, why are you here all alone? Come join us, silly.", she tries to lift me by my parka when she notices that it's still drenched. "Maker, you're drenched! Why don't you dry it with your magic, there's no templars around here.", she looks around to see if there's anyone suspect.

"I…I don't know how.", I told her shyly.

"Really? No one taught you?", she asks me quite surprised.

"Not really, I… never had magic till now.", I tried to tell her. She opened her eyes wide.

"That's strange. Normally, magic unveils around our childhood.", she pondered to herself. As she tried to make sense of my magic, I started to get more nervous. She must have noticed it because she changed the topic and kneeled next to me.

"Mari, can I braid your hair? It's so beautiful and wavy. May I, please?", she made puppy eyes and I nodded at her. "YAY! Thank you!", she threw her hands in the air and takes away my hair tie until all of the strands are loose. "Wow, your hair is really long! You should wear it loose!", she tried to comb my hair with her fingers and unknowingly, started to relax me.

"Mari, tell me about your hometown. Which city in Antiva are you from?", she asked as she parted my hair in tree.

"…", I tried to contain myself.

"If you don't want to…"

"I come from Rialto, a city by both the seashore and the riverside. The architecture is beautiful and the people are so …welcoming. The food is also great.", I described Lisbon to her.

"Wow, I would love to visit it one day. It sounds amazing", said Bethany, really excited. "And your family? Did you have a good relationship?", asked Bethany softly, afraid I might burst anytime.

"I had a good relationship with my parents. My father was a very hardworking man and yet he was really funny. My mother was quite headstrong and yet a romantic. They clashed quite often but they loved each other. I had no siblings; my mother had some difficulties during my birth which made her incapable of having more children. Even though I had no siblings, I had a group of really close friends which were like family to me. I'll miss them…", I started remembering all the good and bad moments with them and I started to cried.

Bethany realizes I'm crying and in attempt to comfort me, she hugs me from behind abruptly and I start hyperventilating and remembering my past.

"Não me toques por favor! Pára! Não!"

As Bethany tried to calm me down, I start to cry in Portuguese while flinching from her touch. Leandra, Hawke, Aveline and Carver see my state and rush in to help me.

Hawke tries to call to my attention: "Marina! Calm down! Everything is alright!"

When suddenly Leandra grabs my hand softly and starts to hum me a soothing lullaby. As she hummed, I remembered my mother. When she reads to me and her hugs when I have a panic attack. I slowly regained my breathing and I stop shaking.

I moved away from Bethany and I apologize: "I'm so sorry. I just remembered some things from my past and… I deeply apologize for my behavior.", I sniff and clean my tears, once again.

"Marina, it's alright. You are not alone anymore. You have me. I mean, you have us now.", said Hawke as he caressed my hair fondly.

"I'm the one that should apologize, Mari! I hugged you without your permission! I promise I'll make it up to you! I could teach you magic!", apologized Bethany.

"Hawke is right, Marina. You have us now.", smiled Leandra.

Carver and Aveline smiled and nodded in my direction.

"Thank you so much, I mean it. Thank you!", I rose up and I smiled for the first time in a while. Their faces lightened up, including Hawke's, who was looking at me with quite an odd look…

Hawke's POV

When I saw Marina smile for the first time, I noticed how shiny her chestnut colored eyes were. And she had the cutest dimples in her cheeks when she smiled. Maker, she is adorable! I'm glad she's calmer, but I wonder who had hurt her that much, that she's afraid of people's touch? Well, it doesn't matter now. I'll protect her. Oh, my sister braided her hair. She has long hair. I need to make her feel more included, but how? Oh, I know! I'll tell funny memories of my childhood.

"Marina, do you know why Bethany has short hair?", I asked her.

"No, I don't. Why?"

"Brother! Don't you dare!", Bethany glared at me.

"One day, Carver nailed her braids to the headboard of the bed! You should have seen her face!", me and Carver laughed at Bethany. And soon enough everyone started laughing. I kept going with my tales.

Varric POV

Two weeks they spent in that dark hold, packed in with the fearful and the desperate. And then they saw it. Kirkwall, the City of Chains. Long ago, it was part of the Imperium, slaves coming from far and wide to work the quarries. Now, it's a free city. But I use the word loosely. Sail through those black cliffs and you'll see what the slaves of old saw: the Gallows, welcoming you. That's where their ship landed with all the rest.

Marina POV

We entered the Gallows and got out of the ship. It had been some of the most tiring two weeks of my life. And I'm a university student, so that's saying something.

When we got to the entrance of Kirkwall, a templar said we couldn't get in. Miss Leandra said she had a brother living there and so, another wait began, for Gamlen to help us out. Even though I know he won't...

A few days later

"I'm tired of waiting! We have to do something!", said Carver.

As we all readied ourselves to get up and try our luck, Gamlen appeared and told us we could get into the city if we worked for one of the guilds he was indebted to: the mercenaries and the smugglers.

Hawke looked at me worriedly and said "Marina, you should go with Aveline. This is too dangerous for you! We've got this."

I had two choices: going with the Hawkes and helping them pay the debt with the smugglers or staying safe with Aveline.

Option 1 –

"You're right Hawke. I would probably only burden you. I can't fight, so I wouldn't be much help. But I appreciate everything you and your family have done for me.", I said sadly.

I hated to be a burden and besides all the support they gave me, he was right. I needed to learn how to fend for myself.

"I'll go with Aveline, if that's alright with you?", I asked Aveline and looked at her, hopeful of my acceptance.

"Of course, Marina. I'll help you.", she said while smiling at me.

"But Mari, we will see each other again, right?", asked Bethany hopefully.

"Of course, we will. See you in a year.", I smiled at Bethany and at her family.

Hawke was relieved and yet he looked… almost disappointed. But why? It was his idea. Well, I need to practice my physical skills since my magic is volatile and I can't control it that much. I discovered that while we were on the ship. Bethany tried to teach me some basics and I almost burnt my hand. She said I might need a vehicle or a conductor for my magic. I don't think magic is for me, I'll try another weapon.

I said goodbye to them and Aveline decided to enroll in the city guard. She soon enough became a good guard and she trained me in hand to hand combat and archery. I never had great accuracy but my will to be able to defend myself overcame that and in one year, I became proficient. Not the best archer in town, but good enough to not die that easily.

In that period, I helped Aveline with her patrols and she helped me in my darkest times. With the strength I had acquired, I decided to help in the alienage and in Darktown. I rarely saw the Hawkes and I missed them. But I knew that I would encounter them and all the other companions soon enough.

Option 2 -

"No, Hawke. If you don't mind, I would like to go with you and your family. I know I can't fight but you were the first people that helped me and I want to thank you for that. If I must work as smuggler to help you, so be it", I was really determined to stay with them and tried to look as strong as I could.

"Marina, you can't fight. You will only hurt yourself! What will happen then?!", Hawke tried to change my mind, but he didn't know how stubborn I can be.

"I will go with you and you will teach me to fight. Then, I'll get out of your hair", I said, with my hands on my hips.

"Very well, do as you wish. But if you hurt yourself, I'll take you to Aveline!", he finally gave up and smiled, exasperated.

"Yay, Mari! You'll stay with us! I'll teach you everything I know.", Bethany jumped excitedly as she grabbed my hands.

"Welcome aboard, Marina.", said Hawke.

"Thank you, Hawke!", I smiled and joined them.

I had to train my magic. Bethany said I had a lot of potential for someone who has magic for such a short time. I discovered that while we were on the ship. Bethany tried to teach me some basics and I created fire and ice out of nowhere. I was also able to dry my clothes without burning them. I must practice if I want to help them.

In that period, I trained with Bethany at home. I learned a bit about every type of magic. Soon, I found out I was best at Force and Healing magic.

The Hawkes and I became very close. Bethany became like a sister to me and Carver was like the annoying brother I never had. Leandra reminded me so much of my mother and my grandmother, as she taught me embroidery and cooking. Hawke… well, Hawke was a friend and yet something made me feel that perhaps he could be more…

With the strength I had acquired, I decided to help in the alienages. I need to plan my future well. I wasn't going to let any of the Hawkes die. Not on my watch.

Varric POV

Thus, began the Champion's first year in Kirkwall and the Seer's first year in Thedas. Word arrived from across the sea that the Hero of Ferelden had defeated the Blight. But Lothering was destroyed. Kirkwall was their home now. So, Hawke remained, paying off his debt. He made a name for himself in the Underwold and Marina trained as hard as she could. This was a busy year in the city, that's when the qunari landed. A great storm had caught their ship and left hundreds of warriors stretched in the city, waiting to return home. That's also when the trouble began with the Mages. The Templars had become very powerful under Knight Commander Meredith. But most importantly, that was also when I first met the Champion and the Seer.

Chapter II-End