again, to my lovely friend, beautiful-phantom: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! hope your day is amazing and wonderful!

note: i was making a timeline of the events so far, and due to future and in-game plot reasons, i ended up having to change the ages of Fenris and Kagome. they meet when they were 22 and 23 respectively—as of this chapter, Fenris is 26 while Kagome is 27. sorry for any inconvenience!

*4.1.21: retyped edited to fix mistakes, update writing style, and add to the story.*

hope you guys enjoy the chapter! thank you SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed, liked, and favorite'd!

Part VI

Another spiel of curses burst forth from Captain Rylan's mouth, loud and harsh and each syllable sharp with furious dread. He turned, shouting for all hands on deck and a change of course. "Tevinter mages," he spat with vitriol, pounding a fist against the thick wooden rails of his ship. Following his glare across the waters, it stunned Kagome to find three mages standing at the helm of the apparent Imperial vessel — while their waving arms as they weaved a spell were barely blips in the distance, the raging ball of fire they had churning up between them and growing with each passing second was unmistakable. "The hell are they doing here and the fuck do they want with us?"

Next to her, Caralina actually snarled — Kagome's head snapped around, taking in the other woman's normally dark-skinned face paled with her wrath. Stormy, amber eyes caught Kagome's for a brief moment before she answered, words dripping with acid as she pushed off the railing and strode towards her Captain.

"My guess is slaves." Caralina slid to a stop at Rylan's side, curling her hands around the wooden bar. The thin pale scars criss-crossing over her fingers were stark against her dark skin, but they faded as her hold on the railing tightened into a white-knuckled grip, blunt nails digging into the grooves. "Or our goods. Whatever it is, there's no fighting them — we're no match to fucking fireballs."

"I know that, shit." Rylan glanced over his shoulder to check his crew's progress; more sails were being dropped while they raised the ship's colors. "Our only chance is to escape, which we don't have much of at all." His lips curled, teeth bared in a sneer. "Fucking mages — can't even fight 'em, they'd only sink us and sweep up what's left." He turned back, eyes squinted in the direction they were sailing. "Maybe if we make it close enough to Kirkwall they'd back off, but..." His gaze fell away, hands curling and clenching as he trailed off with a harsh laugh, dismissing it as a lost cause.

Kagome bit her lip, watching the growing inferno with bated breath. Her palms began to itch, her feet growing antsy. Just a few of those spells were all they would need before people started jumping ship.

Heart pounding in her chest, Kagome breathed out a curse of her own.

These people didn't deserve a fate like this — to die by sea or flame, or to live life as a slave. Nor was it a fate she wanted for herself.

Decision made, Kagome pushed off the rail and drew closer to Rylan and Caralina. She pitched her voice low as she asked, "You really think they'd back off once we get close to Kirkwall?"

The Captain and his First turned to stare. "A damn sight better than trying to escape a ship of theirs," the former answered. "We're fast, but fast doesn't mean shite if we get sunk." He turned his gaze to scan the deck, mouth fixed in a grimace. "Even with the extra sails up and if we dump the extra cargo, it'd take nearly two hours to get within view of the port."

Kagome swallowed thickly, jaw clenching. There wasn't any other choice, then. "And the attacks — we've only mage fire to worry about?"

Caralina drew up, spine straightening. Her gaze narrowed as she eyed Kagome. "Yes, we can stay out of range from any cannons." She clicked her tongue, the noise a bitter sound. "Unfortunately, the same is said for them."

Kagome let out a steadying breath and then gave a firm nod. She turned to them fully. "I can protect the ship from getting hit then."

Rylan's face slid into an indecipherable look — but even Kagome couldn't miss how his obsidian eyes lit up. He leaned closer, lowering his voice as he caught her eye and asked under his breath, "You telling me you're a mage?"

Kagome was quick to shake her head. "No, I can't cast any magic like that. But I can block anything they throw at us, dispel it, cleanse the area, that sort of thing."

"Like a Templar, then?" Caralina prompted, followed by a swift look up and down. Her inspections drew skepticism, mouth pursed in a grimace and eyebrow raised. "Don't look like any Templar I've seen."

Kagome only shrugged, glancing at the vessel pursuing them. The ever-growing fireball above the ship was huge now — it was only a matter of seconds before it would come flying at them. "You don't need to go through the initiation to learn the abilities." Which — while it didn't quite apply to her, it wasn't a lie, but now wasn't really the time to go into details.

Rylan shook his head, waving Kagome over to follow. "Mage, Templar, you could call yourself Andraste reborn for all I care so long you keep those goddamn bloody bastards off our arses long enough," he grounded out, leading her towards the ship's stern. He paused just for a moment, looking over his shoulder to pin her with a serious look. "But if anyone asks, Templar is what I say."

Kagome nodded grimly and prepared herself.

"Rise and shine!"

Downstairs the door banged shut, jolting Fenris awake with a sputtered, "Fasta vass!" He nearly fell out of his bed, only catching himself by the bedpost at the last second, and his eyes snapped left and right about the room, searching for whatever had awakened him.

His ears soon caught the sound of boots pounding up the stairs. Heart racing, one hand reached for his blade out of instinct, fingers curling around the hilt resting against his bed; his other whipped the bedsheets off his body, legs swinging over the side. Just as he was careening off the edge of his bed, the door swept open.

Fenris froze mid-rise, eyes catching sight of the person stopping short at the entry.

Hawke stared back at him, grey eyes gone wide and round. Her mouth had taken to gaping at the sight of Fenris half out of the bed, an ironclad grip around his sword and the wild look upon his face only just fading, his legs still tangled in his sheets and still dressed in his nightclothes of a lone pair of faded breeches.

Hawke's mouth closed with a sharp click, and Fenris finally lowered his blade, resting it atop his bed. "I— I hadn't thought you'd still be sleeping," the mage muttered, clearing her throat and politely averting her eyes, sounding appropriately contrite. "You're, ah, usually up earlier."

Grunting under his breath, Fenris stripped the rest of his sheets from his person with a snap and took to his feet, tossing them back to the bed behind him. "What time is it?" he asked, voice rough. Pushing back at his mussed up fringe, he squinted at the window — it was bright, so mid-morning at the latest, he wagered.

"Nearly noon now," came Hawke's answer then, and Fenris stiffened. Turning, he found the woman to be peering at him out of the corner of her eyes, a look of concern growing on her face. "Everything alright?"

"Yes," was Fenris's curt reply. He turned away, snatching up his jerkin before shrugging it on. "It'll only be a moment before I'm ready to leave."

There was a brief pause before, "You're sure?" Looking up, Fenris saw Hawke rolling back on her heels, a gloved palm rubbing absently against the back of her neck, brows furrowed as she regarded him. "I can ask Aveline to join us instead — we're only going to check out whatever happened to that missing Qunari sentry. She probably wouldn't mind, especially if we make a patrol of it."

"There is no need," Fenris waved the offer away, as well as her concern, "I'm sure, though I appreciate the thought. I will meet you and the others at the gate shortly."

Hawke looked reluctant to leave it at that, her eyes lingering on his face and her feet at his bedroom door, but in the end she didn't push. Instead, she dipped her head in acquiesce and stepped out, informing him that she would grab the others and to meet up at the east gate as she left.

Fenris listened to the sounds of her quiet bootsteps, coming slow as they eventually faded climbing down the stairs, and heaved out a weary exhale. He scrubbed at his face with his hand as he heard the door closing in the distance, dropping back to sit on the edge of his bed, just for a moment. He sat there leaning forward, arms braced against his thighs.

Minutes passed in near silence, with only the quiet murmurs of people passing by outside to keep him company, until he gave another lengthy sigh. He rose to his feet and started pulling on his armor.

Today, he felt, would be a long one for sure.

"They're pulling back!"

Cheers rose from the crew scattered among the deck, covered in soot and sweat and grime, but none of that deterred the giddy grins of relief flashing bright on their faces. Kagome turned away from the celebration, instead choosing to slide down against the bulwark and plant her bottom on the deck, and as she slumped forward to rest against her bent legs, she never thought she'd be so happy to hear three words until that very moment.

The Imperial ship had been stubborn in their dogged chase, and had tailed them for the better part of an hour before pulling back once they finally sailed into Kirkwall waters, and Kagome was drained.

She had severely underestimated the effort it would take to shield the ship — normally her barriers had no problem with blocking spells, but it had taken little time for her to realize group spells were a whole different beast, especially with casting a barrier wide and high enough to protect the ship's stern.

Kagome wasn't aware just how tired she was until she found herself awakened moments later at the sound of someone calling out to her, startling her out of the shallow doze she'd slipped in.

"Hey."

Blinking rapidly, Kagome picked her head up from her knees. She squinted up, eyes adjusting to the sudden shift of light to find Caralina hovering over her, arms crossed and similarly covered in soot and sweat, a waterskin in hand. "Hey," she rasped in reply.

Stepping aside, Caralina dropped to the deck to sit beside Kagome, passing the skin over. "You certainly look like you need a drink," she murmured, resting a steady hand over her shoulder before giving a gentle squeeze, "Not to mention a bit of rest."

Grateful, Kagome accepted it and popped the cap, bringing it to her lips. She was parched and was quick to guzzle down almost half before her thirst was finally sated for the moment. "Thanks," she breathed out once she pulled it away, her tongue darting out to swipe across her mouth and catch stray drops of the water. "'Appreciate it."

Caralina nodded, giving her a small grin, "Least I could do after you saved all our arses," she said with a wink, "The bastards retreated far earlier than any of us thought they would — must've figured there'd be no point in chasing us right to Kirkwall's doorstep when they couldn't land a hit in all that time." She clapped her hand firmly on Kagome's shoulder, giving another squeeze — this one a grateful one, before she pulled it away. "You did good. Thank you. Rylan sends his thanks as well."

Kagome let out a wry huff and took another greedy sip of water. "Well, I didn't fancy drowning or becoming a slave either," she murmured once she'd swallowed. More seriously, she gave Caralina a weary smile. "But, you're welcome. I was glad to do it. I like this ship." Her smile grew, eyes peering at Caralina from the side as it did, "The crew's pretty good too."

Caralina's mouth quirked, before the snort she'd spent all of three seconds trying to rein in escaped anyway. She shook her head, and, as her amusement subsided, her amber gaze shifted over the waters, to the land far in the distance towards which the ship was sailing to. A grimace twisted lips. "Welcome to Kirkwall," she murmured, voice faint.

Something in her tone made Kagome pause. She turned to Caralina in concern. "Well, that doesn't sound good."

Caralina steered her gaze back to the other woman. "It's not," she muttered, fingers curling into her palms. "Kirkwall's the last place we wanna be — was hoping we could push on to the next port-city, but the first hit caused quite some damage and set many of our supplies and goods to flame."

"... Do I want to know why that is?"

Caralina barked out a sharp laugh. "No," she replied with a surprising amount of vehemence, "But you should. A few years back, the survivors of a Qunari dreadnought washed up on the Wounded Coast. And for whatever reason, they've camped in the city ever since. Last I heard, relations are getting dicey, tensions building and whatnot — people want them gone, but none of 'em have the balls to give their arses the boot. It's an uneasy peace and it won't last."

Ah.

"You don't want to be there when it ends," Kagome guessed, and Caralina nodded.

Her travels had never taken her to Par Vollen, the stories she'd heard warding her away, but she had crossed paths with Qunari before — or rather, Tal-Vashoth. It was easy to see why people might be frightened of them, how their appearances and towering size might be intimidating.

She also knew from first-hand experience how ridiculously strong they were — Sahiya, a soft-spoken, mercenary rogue she once met years back in a tavern in Ostwick, had once picked her up one-handedly by the back of her tunic and tossed her aside as if she were a small animal, just so she'd dodge the oncoming assassin meant for the Tal-Vashoth herself.

The woman was rather pleasant company after the fact, though, and was the one to teach her how to pick locks so as to make up for the hassle.

"You wouldn't either, trust me," the other woman muttered, "There's a reason the Tevinters have been in a deadlock with them for decades despite all that magic they've got. Besides, Qunari and us don't get along — not after Estwatch."

Not after Estwatch?

Kagome paused, confused. "What do you-"

It was then that she saw it, just out of the corner of her eyes: a couple of crew members rolling up the sails they'd set up to escape the Tevinter ship, and another taking down the flag they'd raised.

It was the sight of the flag that had Kagome stopping mid-sentence.

She stared up at the worn piece of cloth slowly making its descent, face sliding into a blank expression. Too distracted in the attack's chaos, she hadn't gotten a good look at it until then, but now it all made sense: the "mixed-bag" comment; the bit about Estwatch just now; the fact they had canons, which Kagome hadn't even thought twice about until just then — what kind of cargo-passenger vessel carried canons?

Though she spent most of her time since entering Thedas researching the Eluvian, Kagome had taken the time to learn a bit about the world she came into — particularly the island she'd inadvertently been deposited on.

And Estwatch, while an island vied for its strategic placing off the coast of the Free Marches and Ferelden, happened to be disputed territory. It was, in simple terms, a naval base since the Qunari took it over in the Storm Age up until they had lost it. Since then, the port changed hands and so the town of Little Llommeryn was built in honor of the city in Rivain, out of which the Felicisima Armada operated out of.

Raiders.

Estwatch was essentially run by raiders.

And Kagome recognized that flag.

The miko felt faint. Twice she had used this vessel to travel between Estwatch and the mainland, the first lasting five days, and now, six days into their voyage so far.

Eleven days she'd spent with these people, eating with and chatting and sleeping on the same ship, and it wasn't until this very moment that she realized she was on a pirate ship.

"..." Kagome stared at Caralina in open incredulity. In the end, though, all she could do was sigh, unable to muster any more shock after the day's events. "... You guys are pirates," she exhaled, sounding distinctly exasperated.

Pirates…

Shippo would have a field day if he found out. He'd never let her live it down.

(She was never letting him find out.)

Caralina twisted around to face her, blinking, before lifting her shoulder in a lazy shrug. "Ferryin's a good cover, don't you think? How else would we smuggle our goods?" She released a hearty laugh, head thrown back and lips upturned in a smirk. "Honestly, I thought you already knew. You're from Estwatch after all."

Unable to help herself, Kagome dropped her head and buried her face into her hand with a laugh that rang a touch too hysterical.

She heard Caralina sigh, soft and wistful. "Unfortunately, I think this might be the end of sailing together," the pirate confessed, sounding uncharacteristically somber. "For a time, at least."

Kagome's laughter faltered; she pulled her hands away, looking up to see the odd expression that had crept across the other woman's face. It didn't take long for understanding to come to her though; even she hadn't missed the lingering glances the crew had been shooting at her every so often as the two talked, she had just been trying to ignore it.

Even though she truly wasn't a mage, implying her abilities were those of a Templar was perhaps too long of a shot. Whether it be the lack of armor or just her general countenance, questions would be raised, comments may be remarked, and the last thing Kagome wanted were for actual Templars to overhear when they pulled into Kirkwall to stay for a length of time during repairs and restocking. "Probably for the best," she murmured wryly.

Caralina nodded, a touch of remorse in her gaze. "While you can trust the Captain and I to not say a word, the others…" She trailed off with a slightly sheepish shrug. "Well, the crew is all but family and no doubt grateful for what you did for us, but we're still raiders and some happen to have loose lips around ale." The woman tried for a wry grin to lighten the air. "Push comes to shove, you shouldn't trust any one of us as far as you could throw. It's not a risk I'd like you to take, especially where we're going. Not after all you've done for us."

Kagome huffed in amusement and offered her a half-smile. "It was great sailing with you, Caralina.

The woman wagged a finger at her, tutting. "Now, now, that isn't to say I'm about to let you leave just like that. I'll pass along a couple of contacts of mine that won't mind about your… specialties. They'll get you a safe place to stay the night, help keep you head low and get what you need. I can't say how quick you'll book passage to Cumberland, but it's a week to two weeks on foot if you'd rather not wait. You should get out of this city as soon as you can, whichever you choose." Caralina snorted and looked back to where Kirkwall awaited them ahead. "Bad enough with the Templars without the Qunari running about."

Kagome didn't disagree.

Turning back to Kagome, the raider looked the younger woman up and clicked her tongue. "For now though, let's get you some rest." Climbing to her feet, Caralina offered a hand. "You look about ready to pass out right here and now."

As if to prove her point, Kagome let out a yawn, her jaw cracking. The two shared a look and then a laugh, before Kagome took Caralina's hand and was pulled up to her feet.

With a disgusted grunt, Fenris flicked demonic ichor off his sword with a sharp jerk, thick droplets splattering into the warm sand below. Finding the missing Qunari sentry turned out to be easy enough; unfortunately, they were all dead — had been for a while by the look of the remains — and demons were roaming among the corpses.

The demons took little effort to dispatch, of course, but it was a messy ordeal nonetheless.

Isabela clicked her tongue, sliding her daggers home into their sheathes. "Well, at least they weren't rage demons — it's hot enough out here," she muttered, shaking out her hair with one hand and fanning her face with the other. She stilled, grimacing as her fingers bumped into a mysterious chunk of something slimy caught in her dark curls, flicking it out with a revolted whine.

Hawke snorted, stabbing the end of her bladed staff into the sand and leaning against it. "There's the silver lining! Shades? Abominations? Well, it could be worse — could've been rage demons too!" she gasped, eyes popping wide in mock horror, free hand pressing against her chest, "Could've been spiders!"

Isabela's made a face, whirling about to point a finger at the woman. "Oh, you had to say that, didn't you? You had to. Now I know we'll be fighting spiders before we go home. You know what spiders do?" The pirate didn't give the mage a chance to answer, "Spiders explode. I'm dirty enough, Hawke, and spider guts are not sexy."

Hawke offered an apologetic shrug that was more sheepish than anything else, leaning towards Isabela with a pretty grin, "Would it help if I said you'd look sexy in anything?"

Fenris rolled his eyes, as did Isabela, but the pirate also had the beginnings of a grudging smile playing out across her face. "You're a horrible flatterer, Hawke," she muttered under her breath, unable to help her grin.

Varric chuckled as he drew closer, joining them. "You're nimble enough, Rivaini. Just dodge."

"Easy enough for the dwarf who doesn't need to get in close range of the exploding spiders to say!"

As the three bickered and laughed, Fenris remained to the side and didn't join in the levity; instead, his eyes strayed out to the bluffs and down the winding paths of the coast, searching, watching. Waiting. He hadn't noticed someone had come up to a stop beside him until they spoke up, and Fenris bit back a curse as well as the urge to jerk and ready a glowing first when they did.

"You alright there, Broody?" Even as Fenris's eyes snapped over to glare down at him, Varric remained unfazed. Instead, a thick eyebrow quirked as he studied the elf even closer. "You're looking a bit… tense." An understatement considering the tension rolling off him in waves. Varric leaned in closer, his warm gaze taking a more serious light and his voice dropping low so the others wouldn't hear, "You've been getting enough sleep? You've been pretty quiet the whole day."

Fenris scowled. Something crawled in the back of his mind, niggling and insistent and leaving his skin prickling in turn. He fidgeted in his spot, unable to push away and ignore the feeling, his eyebrows drawing together in a deep furrow. "I am fine," he muttered, turning away from Varric's penetrating gaze.

At his sides his hands curled into fists, clenching and unfurling unconsciously.

Varric made a skeptical noise. "Yeah, that sounded believable..."

Fenris sniffed, dismissive, and pivoted his heel against the sand. "Are we done here?" he inquired as he stalked over to Hawke, who was bent over and preoccupied with checking for loot.

The mage straightened, glancing at him from over her shoulder. She didn't answer straight away, choosing to study him instead, and it made Fenris distinctly uncomfortable to be under the intense focus of her grey eyes. Said eyes flickered between their other companions before Hawke's expression shifted — to something more relaxed as she gave a lazy shrug and nodded, smiling. "Yeah, sure."

They soon began their walk back to Kirkwall with Fenris leading the front, Varric a few paces behind him, and Hawke and Isabela bringing up the end. Fenris continued to remain largely silent for most of the trip, answering only when directly prompted. It garnered looks, and normally he would've done a better job at keeping up appearances, but he just couldn't be bothered to, not then, not when he was still so agitated.

Perhaps coming out here hadn't been the greatest of ideas, he realized, but he needed a distraction even if it only lasted a short moment.

"I don't want to pry or anything, Broody," Varric prefaced just minutes later as they began cutting through a short valley. His approach this time was different, taking on a delicate tone in hopes that Fenris would be more forthcoming — and perhaps it would have worked another time, when he was not so much on edge.

"Then don't, Varric," Fenris interjected with weary finality, shutting Varric down before he could finish. Rubbing the back of his neck, Fenris cast a look around.

A long sigh soon followed. "Alright, alright," Varric then lamented in his usual dramatic flair, feigning terribly aggrieved, "My sincerest apologies for just being a concerned friend, Serah."

Though he knew it was precisely the rogue's intention, Fenris felt a flicker of guilt spark within him.

"It's the demons, isn't it?" Hawke chimed in from a few paces behind, and a look over his shoulder saw her giving him a wink. "Shades are enough to put anyone in a foul mood, little bastards they are."

Gratitude mixed with the guilt in his chest at Hawke offering him an out. He would speak to her later, Fenris decided, after they'd returned to Kirkwall. Perhaps it would be for the best — before the nightmares and his paranoia got the best of him.

For the moment, however, Fenris contented himself to continue walking in his self-imposed silence and listen to his companions bicker.

"And that abomination was a nasty bugger too!" Isabela complained, "Nearly got my finger!"

"Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't lost a body part yet, Rivaini," Varric chuckled.

"I know, right? Guess I'm just lucky like that! Once knew a sailor who lost his hand, though — wore a hook after. I want a hook. Hawke, what do you think? Should I get a hook?"

A sputtered laugh escaped the mage in question. "What? I don't know — are you planning to lose a hand anytime soon?"

Fenris couldn't see, but he knew Isabela was winking by the cheeky lilt of her laugh. "Always good to be prepared! Though, hm…" The pirate trailed off for a beat, "Wonder how that'll work."

"How what will work?"

"Sex of course, you goose!"

"You'd take it off, I'd hope," Varric remarked, snorting, "Unless you'd want there to be some impaling — and not the fun sort — in some pretty uncomfortable place."

There was a beat of silence. Someone cleared their throat, the sound of it strained — Isabela.

"Maybe I'll hold off on the hook."

"Please do," came Hawke's strangled reply.

Unable to help himself, even in the depth of his dismal mood, Fenris's lips twitched. But his amusement was to be short-lived, for the itch that had been gnawing in the back in his head worsened just then — to the point that he had let out a soft hiss, the lyrium beneath his skin thrumming, racing like a shock against his nerves.

Something is wrong. Something is—

Movement ahead caught his eye; Fenris stopped in his tracks, the others following suit, alert to the tension suddenly stirring in the air. Up ahead, three men were stationed at the exit, fanning out to block their way out of the valley.

Fenris felt a growl rise up in his throat.

"Hunters…"

Isabela spat a quick hiss under her breath, "Shit, up on the bluffs!"

An ambush. Fenris dropped into a crouch, his sword already unsheathed and braced out in front of him. He glanced up, and a chill raced down his spine as a memory washed over him—Danarius, standing at the edge, high up on the cliff, a hand raised to beckon at him. "Now, my pet. Return to me."—only for another chill to follow when the man poised above them, flanked by a mage and another warrior, issued his demand.

"Stop right there! You are in possession of stolen property — back away from the slave now and you'll be spared."

A blaze erupted deep in Fenris's chest, jaw clenching, his grip on his blade tightening. His tongue felt heavy with the curses weighing down at its tip, bursting to be spat. Behind him, Hawke gave a shout, and her incensed words eased the wrath kindling inside him, if only a little: "Fenris is a free man!"

The leader stepped forward, closer to the edge; though Fenris could not see the man's face behind the plate of his helm, his sneer came clear through his tinny tone. "I won't repeat myself. Back away from the slave now."

Slave…

The word burned in his ears, searing into his mind and the pound of his heart, a roar that threatened to consume him whole.

How dare they…

Fury licked at Fenris's skin, his markings lighting up in response as he bared his teeth in a snarl.

He would kill them.

He would kill each and every one of them.

With a furious roar, Fenris threw himself forward and charged the closest hunter.

"I am not your slave!"

"Three times," Kagome grumbled hotly beneath her breath as she pushed her way through the crowded streets of Lowtown, having learned personally that keeping to the alleys brought more grief than it was worth very early on, "In the middle of the day."

Kirkwall certainly was a charming place. It smelled like shit with just a tinge of despair, and barely five minutes in of setting foot in the place, she'd been mugged three times before deciding the open streets were safer.

If only just — she'd already dodged one eager pickpocket thus far.

Huffing, Kagome took a look around her surroundings, her feet following the crowds flow. Okay… Caralina said the Hanged Man was somewhere here in Lowtown. And that I should look for an Isabela… But so far she'd only seen rough looking homes and warehouses…

Catching sight of a stall to her left, set up with a few shields and a suit of heavy armor on display, Kagome looked to the human man running it and wondered if she should ask for directions.

It couldn't hurt.

Decided, Kagome was making her way over to the stall, weaving through the bustling crowd and catching ear of a bit of passing conversation here and there when she heard it:

"—we could have just grabbed him then. He was even alone!"

"Don't be stupid! You know what Danarius said—"

Eyes widening, Kagome reeled to a stop, the name striking her like a bolt of lighting. A shoulder immediately slammed into her back, sending her stumbling, and she could only mutter a half-hearted apology after the person. Her feet moved unconsciously, drawn to the voices. "—this elf's killed every person he's sent so far. You really think just us two would stand a chance? Like hell. Besides, Hadriana's got a plan, and she'd skin us alive and wear our flesh if we mess it up, you know she will."

Danarius. Hadriana.

Hastily, Kagome's feet picked up the pace, veering off from the stall to follow the voice trailing away. Her heart pounded in her chest, pulse a rapid beat.

Fenris…

Could it be…?

"Eugh, Maker, that's one scary bitch. Y'know, I walked in on her with one of them slaves once? She was whistling while carving into some elf, the poor bastard."

As the crowd thinned, Kagome picked out the two men she'd been eavesdropping on with ease. They stood out against the crowd, especially in the armor they'd donned — armor that she'd recognized anywhere.

Her heart stuttered. Fearful hope sparked in her chest.

It… it couldn't possibly be… But, then, what were the odds? Of two men, dressed in the style common among Tevinter slavers, talking about an elven man wanted by someone called Danarius and another Hadriana, for it to not be about who she suspected — hoped — it was? Hoped because, despite Danarius still hunting after him, it meant Fenris had been free this whole time.

It meant Fenris was here in Kirkwall, so close, instead of imprisoned back in Tevinter like she had feared.

"Exactly why you don't fuck with her. Come on, let's go. Hadriana wanted us back at the caves before dusk — by then, we'll know whether they nabbed the elf or if we're gonna have to try again."

Kagome's pulse spiking, she decided then and there. Exhausted or not, this was not a chance she would let slip away — not with Fenris in danger.

Thoughts of the Hanged Man forgotten, Kagome followed the two men.

The heavy crack of the mage's neck as it snapped beneath his fingertips did nothing to sate the bloodlust roaring in Fenris's head and burning in his veins — not after the news he'd been given, the name he'd heard spilt eagerly from the mage's lips in a plea for mercy.

If anything, it only kindled his fury further.

Hadriana…

The name left a foul, sour taste in the back of his mouth. His shoulders itched at the sound of it, like a call back to the sharp nails that once eagerly clawed and dragged into his flesh at any given opportunity. Too easily could he hear the ghost of her taunting laughter just behind his ear, the phantom sensation of her breath heavy with wine brushing against his skin, nose curling in disgust even though there was no smell then and there.

I should have known…

Letting the body drop into the sand, Fenris turned away from it, empty hands curling into fists. "I was a fool to think I was free — they will never let me be."

Hawke was returning her staff to her back as she strode up, a serious expression fixed upon her face as she regarded him. "Someone you're familiar with?"

Fenris barked out a laugh. The sound was void of humor, only caustic bitterness instead.

Familiar? Too much so…

"Danarius's apprentice," Fenris replied, before explaining just who she was: a cold, cruel, opportunistic shrew of a woman, to name just a few things.

When Hawke suggested they go after Hadriana before she could prepare and mount another ambush, Fenris couldn't be more grateful, nor more ready to see the bitch dead with her heart in his palm at last.

Anticipation rolled in his belly at the prospect. It had been years since he'd last seen the apprentice, and oh, he would relish the bloody reunion he knew that was in store.

After all, it was high time he repaid the generosity Hadriana had shown him under Danarius's rule.

For just a brief moment, as Kagome stood before the mouth of a cave through which she watched the two slave hunters enter, the rational part of her mind warred against her.

This was a horrible idea. Who knew how many other hunters waited inside, just waiting to put their blade through her. One person against a den of slavers — of mages and warriors and rogues — spelt instant death.

And yet…

And yet, who knew how many slaves could be in there.

Who knew if Fenris was already in there.

Fenris…

Kagome's grip on her bow tightened, her eyes shuttering. Her feet itched to shuffle, to march onward despite her concerns, but sense had her toes curling against the urge, holding still.

She inhaled, shuddering with the breath.

"The Qunari — did you know it was custom to leash their mages? Danarius… perhaps he thought it amusing, but he liked to do the same to me. To mock it, them. Me."

Any reservation she may have held flew out her mind at the image the memory had conjured — of Fenris, caged and leashed like an animal.

Head bowed, Kagome reached up, withdrew an arrow from her quiver and brought it over to nestle against the string of her bow.

"Shit," she breathed out, shallow. "Shit."

Light on her feet and with careful footsteps, Kagome slipped through the entrance.

so how was it? hope you guys like it! things are finally coming to a head! ^^

now, announcements!

if interested, you can find the link to that timeline i was talking about earlier on my profile! it also includes current ages for some of the other characters that have shown up.

more (a LOT more) amazing art has been created since the last update—beautiful-phantom, miniroonie, and kagomes-lover have all struck again. (please check them all out and praise their hard work, these guys are absolutely amazing and way too generous omg)

AND beautiful-phantom also drew a fenkag doodle, to which inspired me to post a scrapped scene i had written for their reunion.

AND there are a couple of other goodies I posted in my ttlg tag on my tumblr, such as a picture of what imagine shippo's armor to be, face claims for kagome and fenris, and my rough attempt at a DA2 in-game version of kagome lmao.

links for everything will be on my profile! till next time guys!

EDIT: FFN broke all outgoing links on all profiles, so all those links? no good. i've already posted a notice on my profile (which will take like 20 mins or so to take effect) but if you're interested in checking out the fanart and all that jazz, i copied all the links on my profile and made a page for them on my blog. SO, just type in the following link since copy/paste doesn't work here:

zefyre. tumblr. c-o-m/directory

without all the spaces and dashes to find the page with actual, working links and go from there. sorry guys! :c

rainlily^^