Lothering looked nothing like the village they had grown up in. Everything was… dead. They knew the Blight had poisoned the land, but to see just how horribly it had affected everything hurt more than words could say. Carver's death only worsened the pain. Hawke knew Bethany felt the same when she grabbed Hawke's hand in a vice-like grip.
Despite the state of the land, the town wasn't empty. Some people had returned to try to reclaim their lost homes, Wardens had been stationed there to keep an eye out for darkspawn, and thanks to the King and Queen setting up a memorial, it had become a pilgrimage. The people there ignored them for the most part. If anyone recognized either of them, they didn't say a word.
They walked towards the large, stone obelisk near the old chantry. There were a few people standing around it already. As the sisters drew closer, they could start to see the details. It looked to be made of Obsidian, and had a large list of names with beautifully done roses framing them had been carved into it. The carvings had then been gilded. The list was too big to have only people from Lothering, even if it did include the living, so Hawke guessed it was a list of all those who had died during the blight.
The people standing around the memorial barely glanced at them. They were too caught up in their own grief, and while she would never admit it, Hawke was grateful. Just like them, she didn't want to be bothered by anyone but her loved ones.
They walked up to the obelisk, eyes scanning the list for Carver's name. Hawke froze when her eyes landed on his name. Bethany let go of Hawke's hand, and raised it to touch the carving of his name. She traced the gold letters, shoulders shaking slightly. Hawke wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders. She read the other names. She saw King Cailan and the Cousland family. She saw the names of all those who had died at Ostagar and in Denerim. She saw Aveline's dead husband, Wesley. There were so many names. Too many names. She didn't bother to stop the tears that slid down her cheeks. She had held back for too long, and there would be no better time.
A few minutes that felt more like hours passed, and Bethany lowered her hand. She turned to Hawke, her eyes bright red and face puffy from crying. She took a deep breath, and muttered, "We should go now. Seeing this… it hurts too much."
"Alright," Hawke nodded, and grabbed Bethany's hand.
Together, they left Lothering for once and for all. They took the path they ran down to escape all those years ago. It was midday when they left, and just after dusk they arrived at where Carver had died. Flemeth had agreed to let them have a pyre. It hardly qualified, but it was better than nothing. There was nothing there now. The only reason they knew that they were in the right place was that it had been burned into their minds.
Hawke knelt on the ground, and shrugged off her pack. She pulled out a small, marble sword, and a stand for it. The stand had his name carved into it. Together, it was only a little over a foot tall, but it would serve well as a marker. Sebastian had managed to get approval from the Arl of South Reach to have a proper memorial set up to replace the little one they brought anyway.
She set it up just next to the cliff to protect it from the elements. Bethany muttered something under her breath, and waved her hand. The air around the sword glimmered momentarily before returning to normal as the ward settled into place.
"I wish we could do more," Bethany said, voice cracking slightly.
"I do too."
All Hawke could think about was the moment when the ogre had grabbed Carver. The way her stomach dropped as she watched in horror. How she screamed when she couldn't move fast enough to do anything to help. The sound of Bethany and her mother crying in despair. It was too much, and she started crying again.
It was Bethany's turn to pull Hawke into a hug. Eventually, Hawke pulled away, sniffling. She pulled out her canteen to take a few swigs of water as Bethany started a campfire. Together, they set up their camp and dinner for the night. They were silent for the rest of the night until they wished each other goodnight.
The next morning Hawke woke up sore, but a little more at peace. She glanced at the little sword, and felt a small pang of grief, but it wasn't as bad as the day before. Bethany wasn't awake yet when Hawke pushed herself out of bedroll. She stood before the memorial, and laid her hand on the crossguard.
"We'll make sure the world knows your name. I promise," she whispered into the wind, hoping Carver was listening.