The next morning, Melisandria woke with a start as Hammer licked her face, whining. She must have had a horrible nightmare that scared the mabari, something that rarely happened. She rubbed his ears and made sure that he knew that she was ok. She got out of bed and got dressed in a purple tunic that had no sleeves and a v-cut down the center featuring a leather cord that weaved through the loop holes to tie it shut, a pair of dark brown light leather leggings, a pair of hard leather boots. She braided the top of her hair and let the rest hang loose. She looked in the large looking glass on her dresser and smiled. She was happy with her appearance. She touched the wolf head amulet Liam had given her as it rested against the center of her chest plate.
Ready for the day, Melisandria went down to the kitchen where Sandal and Bodahn and packed some food and wished them a good morning before heading out. She stopped by the Hanged Man to see if Varric wanted to come with her, as she was planning to go see the men who worked in the Bone Pit, the men who were under her protection. Varric said he missed the men and agreed to come along. Next, Melisandria stopped by Anders' clinic and then by Fenris' mansion, as they too had helped to eradicate the dragons to ensure the miners' safety. When they had joined her, they all made their way up through Hightown and out into the Free Marches towards the Bone Pit.
A short while after they started their trek, Hammer began to growl. Melisandria and her companions stopped and looked around, readying their weapons. A group of people that looked like Tevinters came up to them, surrounding them on all sides.
"Hunters..." Fenris said.
"Stop right there! You are in possession of stolen property." one of the hunters said from above them on the cliffs. "Back away from the slave now and you'll be spared."
Melisandria readied her staff and stepped in front of Fenris. "Fenris is a free man! He is not a slave and you will not take him!" she yelled back at the hunter.
"I won't repeat myself." the hunter said.
"And I won't repeat myself. You will not have him!" Melisandria retorted, interrupting the hunter.
"Back away from the slave now!" the hunter said again.
"I am not your slave!" Fenris cried and summoned his lyrium abilities, attacking the slavers.
Melisandria and the others followed suit, attacking the slavers and the hunters. Melisandria and Anders threw spell after spell at the hunters while Varric shot the hunters with Bianca's bolts and Fenris hacked away at them in a lyrium fitted rage. When they were all but dead, Fenris walked over to the remaining survivor.
"Where is he?" he demanded, grabbing the mage's hair and pulling his head back.
"Please, don't kill me!" the mage begged as Fenris slammed his face against the sandy ground.
"Tell me!" Fenris demanded.
"I don't know!" the mage said. "I don't know, I swear! Hadriana brought us! She's at the holding caves north of the city! I can show you the way!" The mage was pleading, trying to bargain with Fenris.
"No need." Fenris said. "I know which ones you speak of."
The mage looked up at Fenris as best he could and begged, "Then let me go. I beg you! I swear I won't-"
Ignoring the mage's pleas, Fenris said with a grimacing tone, "You chose the wrong master." and snapped the mage's neck.
Standing, with his back still to the others, Fenris growled the name Hadriana. As he turned to face the others, he said, "I was a fool to think I was free. They'll never let me be!"
Melisandria had sheathed her staff and looked at Fenris. "We have to do something. This cannot be allowed to continue any longer. Where do we need to go?"
"The holding caves held slaves in the old times, but apparently they are no longer abandoned." Fenris said. "We must go quickly, before Hadriana has a chance to prepare... or flee."
"Let's go then," Melisandria said.
Fenris nodded and led the way up Sundermount toward the holding caves. When they reached the entrance, Fenris stopped and looked at Melisandria. "We must be careful. Hadriana is my former master's old apprentice and she is just as ruthless. There were many such holding caves, especially in the mountains, where individual slavers kept private pens."
"Why would they keep pens?" Melisandria asked.
"They were designed to protect against raids by fellow slavers." Fenris explained. "No doubt it's why Hadriana chose this place."
"Do slavers attack each other often?" Melisandria asked.
"They did." Fenris replied. "What better way to find slavers than to steal them?"
"I see. Well then, let us move on so that we make sure that Hadriana doesn't escape us." Melisandria said.
"Let's hope this isn't a waste of time." Fenris said as he led them into the caves.
They walked through the caves and reached a room where there was a table with a bloody corpse laying upon it, clearly the remains of a sacrifice.
"See for yourself the work of the magisters." Fenris said as they passed by and continued down through the hallways.
As they made their way through the eerie tunnels of the holding caves, they passed several empty prisons. They encountered several corpses and skeletons that were brought to life by dark magik and fought their way through them. When they defeated them and moved on until they reached a large room, they were attacked by slavers. They battled the slavers until they had killed every last one in the room. Nearby, a young elf maiden stood, frightened.
"Are you hurt?" Fenris asked as they approached her. "Did they touch you?"
The elf maiden shook her head. "They've been killing everyone! They cut papa, they bled him..." she cried, tears and desperation in her eyes.
"Why?" Fenris asked. "Why would they do this?"
"It's a demon at work." Anders said. "By this point, there's nothing human left inside."
"The magister... she said she needed power, that someone was coming to kill her." the elf said. "We tried to be good! We did everything we were told! She loved papa's soup. I don't understand..."
"Is the magister still here?" Melisandria asked.
"I... think so." the elf replied. "The magister said they were to prepare for battle. I think she's very frightened!"
"She has every reason to be." Fenris said.
"Please, don't hurt her! She'll be so angry if you hurt her!" the elf begged.
"We may not have any choice." Melisandria said. "This has been terrible for you."
"Everything was fine until today!" the elf said.
"It wasn't," Fenris said, his face falling. "You just didn't know any better."
"Are you my master now?" the elf asked, sounding hopeful.
"What? No!" Fenris said, rejecting the idea.
"But... I can cook. I can clean! What else will I do?" the elf said.
Thinking for a moment, Melisandria smiled. "If you go to Kirkwall, I can help you. Wait at the Hawke estate and I'll head straight there when we are finished with our business here."
"Yes? Oh, praise the Maker! Thank you!" the elf said and ran off.
"I did not realize that you were in the market for slaves." Fenris snarled at Melisandria.
Melisandria smacked him across the face, hurt that he would even say a thing like that. "I gave her a job, Fenris. I will pay her just as I pay Bodahn and Sandal for their services. How dare you think that I would ever take on a slave! What kind of person do you think I am?"
Varric and Anders stared in bewilderment when they saw how red Fenris' cheek was. Fenris put a hand to his throbbing cheek.
"I apologize. I should not have doubted you. It is good that you gave her a job, it will provide her with a new life and freedom." Fenris said, ashamed that he ever doubted Melisandria.
"Don't just go jumping to conclusions, Fenris." Melisandria said, her voice softening. "Now, let's find this magister and put an end to all this."
Fenris nodded and watched as Melisandria marched on forward through to the next room. He and the others followed behind her. Varric chuckled to himself, but shrugged and played dumb when Fenris glared at him. Anders thought he deserved it. They continued through the halls and finally made it to a large room where they had finally found Hadriana. Hadriana gasped when she saw Fenris and began to summon shades and rage demons and corpses in a frantic attempt to kill him and the others.
Melisandria and Anders drew their staffs, trying to use dispel spells to deflect Hadriana's spells. They fought off the demons and corpses, and when she managed to clear a pathway, Melisandria went at Hadriana. She threw spells at her and deflected the ones Hadriana threw at her. When she managed to dodge the spells and get in close enough, Melisandria began to beat Hadriana down with her staff, cutting her a few times with the blade at the end of her staff.
"How could you treat Fenris like that?" Melisandria yelled as she gave up on her staff and began to punch Hadriana with her fists. "He is not a slave and you cannot have him!"
Behind her, Fenris, Varric, and Anders had finished off the demons and corpses and were watching Melisandria beat the living hell out of Hadriana. They watched in awe and fear, having never seen her like that before.
"You know nothing, child!" Hadriana managed to say.
"I know nothing? How about you take a look in a mirror. Fenris is a free man; he has earned his freedom many times over! You will not take him from me!" Melisandria retorted and threw one final punch before she backed away, panting. "You will never know the freedom Fenris has found. You have become a slave to your own magik, allowing it to consume you. You make me sick!"
Fenris stepped forward with his sword drawn as Hadriana lay on the ground, beaten.
"Stop! You do not want me dead." Hadriana said, pleading for her life.
"There is only one person I want dead more." Fenris said.
"I have information, elf, and I will trade it in return for my life." Hadriana said.
Laughing in spite of her, Fenris said, "The location of Danarius? What good will that do me? I'd rather he lose his pet pupil."
"You have a sister." Hadriana said. "She is alive."
Melisandria could sense the shock of hearing that radiating off of Fenris.
"You wish to reclaim your life? Let me go, and I will tell you where she is." Hadriana said.
"How do we know you speak the truth?" Melisandria asked.
"You don't." Hadriana smirked. "But I know Fenris, and I know what he's searching for. If he wants me to betray Danarius, he'll have to pay for it."
"Fenris, this is your call. If she speaks the truth, it may be worth listening to what she has to say." Melisandria said, looking at Fenris.
As Fenris walked up to Hadriana, she asked, "So I have your word? I tell you, and you let me go?"
"Yes," he replied, leaning in close. "You have my word."
"Her name is Varania. She is in Qurinus serving a magister by the name of Ahriman." Hadriana informed him.
"A servant. Not a slave." Fenris said.
"She's not a slave." Hadriana confirmed.
"I believe you." Fenris said, then summoned his lyrium abilities and thrust his hand into her chest, crushing the magister's heart.
Standing, he began to walk away from Hadriana's corpse. "We are done here."
Melisandria looked at him, concerned. "Are you alright, Fenris? Do you wish to talk about it?"
"No, I don't want to talk about it!" Fenris retorted, turning angrily to face Melisandria. "This could be a trap! Danarius could have sent Hadriana here to tell me about this 'sister'."
Melisandria winced at his harsh tone. "But what if she is speaking the truth?"
"Even if he didn't, trying to find her would still be suicide! Danarius has to know about her and has to know that Hadriana knows." Fenris continued. "But all that matters is I finally got to crush that bitch's heart. May she rot and all the other mages with her."
Melisandria felt a pain in her chest when he said that and felt tears beginning to brew. Next to her, Anders made a snide comment. "And here I thought you were unreasonable..."
"Fenris, I'm sorry." Melisandria said, holding back her tears. She placed a hand on Fenris' shoulder and added, "Maybe we should leave..."
"No, I don't want you comforting me." Fenris retorted, shaking off her gentle hand. "You saw what was done here. There's always going to be some reason, some excuse why mages need to do this."
"Fenris, that's not fair and you know it!" Melisandria said, defensively. "We are not all like Danarius or Hadriana."
"You are but one mage I have yet met who hasn't shown me that you are like them." Fenris acknowledged. "Even if I found my sister, who knows what the magisters have done to her. What has magik touched that it doesn't spoil?"
"Is that how you truly feel about magik? Even after what we have been through?" Melisandria asked.
Ignoring her, Fenris put a hand to his forehead. "I... need to go." And with that, Fenris left the holding caves.
Melisandria watched him leave, not sure what to do. Next to her, Varric and Anders came up, not sure what to say or do either. Anders put a hand on her shoulder, trying to make sure that Melisandria was OK. Melisandria placed a hand on his and managed a smile.
"Let's get out of here." Varric said.
Melisandria nodded and they left. When they reached the outside world again, Fenris was nowhere to be seen. Figuring he went home, they made their own ways back to their homes after they had stopped by the Bone Pit. The workers were happy to see Melisandria, thanking her for the visit and for making the mines safe for them again. They even thanked her for getting them a raise- she had convinced them to go back to work after defeating the dragons by doubling their salary, knowing that Hubert would have to comply and knowing that the men more than deserved it. Satisfied that the workers were happy, they made their way back to town and went their separate ways.
When Melisandria got home, she sighed, taking her boots off near the front door, having gotten them caked with mud and not wishing to make more of a mess in the house. When she looked up, Fenris was sitting there on one of the benches, resting his arms on his knees.
"Fenris? What are you doing here?" Melisandria asked.
Fenris stood. "Mel, I..."
Shaking her head, Melisandria went into the next room. Bodahn and Sandal weren't around at that moment, so Melisandria assumed they went out to the market as they usually did on days like this. "Fenris, I don't even know what to say to you right now."
Stopping her by the fireplace, Fenris said, "I've been thinking about what happened with Hadriana. I took out my anger on you, undeservedly so. I was... not myself." He looked at her. "I'm sorry."
Melisandria looked at him, seeing that he was truly sorry and trying to find a way to make sure that she knew that. She sighed and said, "Fenris, I was worried about you. I had no idea where you went; I was concerned."
"I needed to be alone." Fenris said, looking away for a moment. "When I was still a slave, Hadriana was a torment. She would ridicule me, deny my meals, hound my sleep. Because of her status, I was powerless to respond and she knew it. The thought of her slipping out of my grasp now... I couldn't let her go. I wanted to, but I couldn't."
"What do you mean, Fenris?" Melisandria asked.
"This hate... I thought I'd gotten away from it. But it dogs me no matter where I go." he replied. "To feel it again, to know it was they who planted it inside me... it was too much to bear." Turning away, he added, "But I didn't come to burden you further."
"Fenris, don't go." Melisandria said. "You don't need to leave." She reached out and grabbed his arm.
He tensed and glowed as he pushed her against the wall, pinning her. When he realized what he was doing, he relaxed and backed away. "I'm sorry, but I think it best for both of us if I leave."
Leaving Melisandria leaning against the wall, dumbfounded, Fenris left the Hawke estate and went home. Feeling her heart pounding, Melisandria went to go lay down. A knock came from the door, though, and she went to answer it. The elf maiden from the holding caves was waiting outside.
"Ah, I finally found you!" she said.
"It's you!" Melisandria said with a surprised smile. "I am glad that you made it."
"It was difficult to find your home, but it is a good thing that you are as well-known as you are. The people here are very nice and were kind enough to point me to your home."
Melisandria let her come in. "What is your name?"
"Orana, Mistress." the elf said.
"That is a beautiful name. I am Melisandria Hawke."
Orana bowed in respect to her. "Thank you for letting me come here. I will serve you faithfully."
"Orana, if you are going to live here and work for me, it will be as my servant. I don't want you to continue to be a slave. You'll be paid like everyone else here and you will have your own room." Melisandria explained.
"I won't be a slave?" Orana asked. "But that's all I have ever known. Papa was a slave and his papa before him. I shall try my best, then, Mistress and do my best."
"You are welcome to come and go as you like, as well. Now, please, make yourself comfortable. If you'd like, in the morning, we can even go to the Hightown market and buy some clothes and other things for you so that you have more available to you."
Orana smiled. "I would greatly appreciate that, Mistress."
"Then it's settled. We shall go in the morning. Now, get some rest and I'll make dinner tonight." Melisandria said and showed Orana to her new room.
Going to the kitchen, Melisandria began to make dinner. She cut up some vegetables, some meat and fired up the stove. She put the meat in a skillet and filled a pot with water, then put the vegetables into the pot. Using one her mother's favorite recipes, Melisandria began to put everything together for the roast, steamed vegetables and potatoes, and a hearty gravy. When Bodahn and Sandal returned, Melisandria had finished dinner and had it ready and waiting.
"Mistress, you should not have made dinner." Bodahn said. "We would have done it."
"It's quite alright, Bodahn." Melisandria said. "Ah, there you are, Orana." she added as Orana entered the room. "Bodahn, this is Orana. I saved her from a magister and offered her a position here in the estate. She can cook and clean, so some of the burden will be taken off of you."
Bodahn smiled warmly at Orana and welcomed her to the estate. He introduced Sandal to her as well, and Melisandria smiled when Sandal danced around the kitchen in joy to have a new friend.
"You are part of the family now, Orana. I'm sure that you will meet my mother, Leandra, in the morning." Melisandria added.
Orana thanked them gratefully and bowed before she joined them around the kitchen table. They began to eat their meal and Bodahn entertained them with stories of his travels with Sandal. Some of them were beyond belief, some were funny, but they made everyone smile and enjoy the night. When the meal was over and the night had grown late, everyone retired for the night. Melisandria told everyone to take the rest of the night off and offered to clean everything up herself. Reluctantly, they went to bed and let Melisandria clean up things. When everything was clean and put away, Melisandria went to bed herself, Hammer close behind her.
