"Claire... Claire, wake up, you're having another nightmare." Anders shook his wife's shoulder, worried by the intense expression on her face. Her eyes shot open, glowing for a split second before she started focusing.
"Maker, Anders... I think the Qunari are going to start something today." She said, looking at him. "There was so much blood... It's still morning, right? I need to find Hawke, he's going to end up in the middle of it."
"He seems to do that a lot." Anders said.
"Yes... and it isn't going to stop anytime soon." Claire sighed. "More than ever am I convinced he's the one at the end... but he cares about you, surely he won't kill you. No, let's not think about this just yet, let's just find Hawke and get this war over with. You should stay here, just in case he comes down here, while I check his estate. If he's not there, I'll check the Hanged Man, and then come back here."
"Take care, love." Anders said, pulling her close.
"I will." She quickly kissed him, then started getting dressed. "Once this is over with, I think I'll feel a lot better and will be able to relax for a while, maybe focus more on fixing up that old castle."
"I'll be glad for a break." Anders saw the sadness in her smile as she left and it hurt, and with how he was feeling, with Justice starting to disagree more often, he knew he was going to end up hurting her more. She could say he wasn't a monster all she wanted, but what was he really? He was losing control, and he would truly become an abomination before long. He had an idea of why Hawke would kill him, even if he cared about him. Anders had killed Karl, after all, hadn't he? Hawke had been forced to kill his own sister. Anders knew if he begged Hawke, he would kill him, but what would Claire do? She was desperate to find a way to separate him and Justice, but how?
He got up and got dressed himself and started preparing for the day. He would never take his wife for granted, and he never wanted to hurt her, it just seemed inevitable that there was going to be pain. Could he truly feel so bad he would seek death?
Claire knocked on Hawke's door, but Bodhan said he wasn't home yet, so Claire went to the Hanged Man instead, looking around. She didn't see him, or Varric for that matter, anywhere, so she was going to find a place to teleport when she felt an arm across her shoulders.
"How is the healer's pretty little wife today?" Isabela laughed. "I figured you'd be out chasing slavers with Hawke today." Had Claire gotten it wrong, then? She shook her head and looked at the pirate.
"I was looking for Hawke, actually." She said. "I need to talk to him about the Qunari, something I think you know a bit about. I know what relic you're looking for. You realize how many people are going to die because of it?" Isabela grew angry.
"You know nothing about it." She snapped. "What's done is done, it's not like I can change the past."
"No, but you can change the future." Claire said. "You're a good person, Isabela, even if you want to hide that. Just please, be careful. I know Hawke doesn't want to lose you, and I don't want him to get hurt." Before the pirate could respond, Claire hurried away and teleported back to the clinic, where she saw Anders talking with Hawke and Varric.
"There you are!" Anders said. "Hawke said he hasn't heard anything about the Qunari yet, so perhaps your vision was wrong." Claire shook her head and looked at Hawke.
"It probably just means I'm early." She said. "It starts with Aveline, and Isabela."
"Aveline?" Varric asked. "The captain of the guard? I can see how this is going to get messy! Especially if Rivaini's involved."
"We shouldn't worry about it, what's going to happen will happen, we just need to be ready." Claire took hold of Anders' hand for comfort and he squeezed her hand in response.
Hawke frowned as he looked at the two mages. "Does this mean I can still go hunt slavers? Because I got a tip recently that a new batch of slaves was coming in today and I want to be ready for them, and... I was hoping you two would come."
"Certainly!" Claire smiled. "It'd be good to get our minds off the Qunari and onto other things we can actually deal with."
Claire took all her frustration out on the slavers, and they were finished by late afternoon, plenty of time to go home and relax. She still couldn't get the idea that the Qunari mess was going to happen that night out of her head, but she felt a little more relaxed. When she said goodbye to Hawke, she was worried Isabela and Aveline were already at his estate, arguing, and all she could do was wait. The idea that he wouldn't come to her at all crossed her mind as well, but it didn't matter, everyone would know when the Qunari went to war and she would be ready.
When Anders woke Claire, she was pleasantly surprised to see him looking happy, so she kissed him.
"Did I not wake you with another nightmare this time?" She asked.
"No, and I would have let you sleep longer, but it's getting late." He said. "It's been a while since you've had a restful sleep, are you feeling better since nothing happened last night?"
"Nothing that we know of, anyway." She said. "It's still possible that it's started and we've just not been told." She got out of bed and dressed for a regular day.
"Surely we would be able to tell if it's already started?" Anders asked, confused.
"Not yet... when the fighting starts, sure, but not when it initially starts." She stretched, still sore from beating up a few slavers with a sword. She walked over to the door and looked out, but the clinic seemed pretty empty. "I wonder if it's going to be a slow day today."
"Knowing our luck, you'll be right and we'll be full before long with people fleeing the Qunari." Anders sighed, walked up behind her, and put his arms around her. "But... until then, I can at least enjoy my wife." He kissed her behind the ear, making her squirm as she laughed. She turned around and kissed his lips before snuggling her face into the nape of his neck.
"I love you..." She murmured. "Maybe I should go to Orlais and grab some fancy pastry for breakfast for you."
"Now there's an idea." He chuckled. "We should eat like royalty now and then."
"Then I shall be right back." She smiled as she stepped back and disappeared.
Anders didn't like her being gone, but she was at least going somewhere pleasant, to bring back a rare treat. When was the last time he'd had something fancy to eat? Most of the food they got was whatever they could scrounge up, unless Hawke was treating them to something, but Anders hated bumming off the man, and since Claire had been exploring the Tirashan forest, she'd found artifacts for Varric to sell for her. To occupy his time while he waited for her to get back, he began fixing up the cabinets, making them look a little neater.
"I brought some fancy wine back as well." Claire said, surprising him.
"That was quick!" He said as she set a basket down on the table. "And by the looks of it, you brought more than enough for us. Though, at this rate, you'll be out of money in no time."
"You never know when someone might need a sweet pastry to ease the stress. It's worth the cost, which really wasn't much." She said, and he knew she was still worried about Hawke. In some ways, it irritated him with how much she thought about the man, but he knew why. He thought about him enough as it was, he couldn't blame her, and it almost seemed like Hawke was starting to side with the mages more because of it. Anders looked through the pastries and picked out one that had strawberries and some white frosting on it. Biting into the still warm sweet was heaven to his mouth and he savored every bite, washing it down with fine wine. He could get used to living like that.
When he was finished, he looked at the other pastries and wondered if anyone would indeed come for them, or if he would be lucky enough to get to eat another.
"I see how you're looking at those." Claire teased. "Perhaps you may have another... but let's wait until afternoon, all right?"
"Fine, fine, I can wait." He said, staring longingly at the food.
"Well, I guess you already know what happened." A loud grumble came from the door, so both mages looked up as Hawke walked through. "Isabela betrayed me! Why? She said she's the cause of this whole mess, that the Qunari can't leave without the relic, and she left with it! I thought she was my friend!" Hawke looked like he was about to cry and Claire was quick to usher him over to the table, directly in front of the pastries.
"I'm sorry, Hawke." Anders said. "Is there nothing we can do?"
"She's left, with the Tome of Koslun, the relic the Qunari have apparently been searching for since they arrived here." Hawke put his head on the table. "Can I call it quits yet?"
"No, it's barely morning." Claire said. "Have some food, and drink, it'll lighten your mood a bit. I had to go all the way to Orlais for this." Hawke didn't even lift his head as his hand went into the basket, tipping it almost over, and grabbed the first thing he touched. Anders had never seen a man eat like that, but he could tell the pastry was helping. Claire put a cup of wine in front of Hawke and he actually sat up to drink it... all in one gulp... He really was in a bad position.
"I didn't even mention Aveline is going to be waiting for me at the Qunari compound." Hawke sighed, so Claire poured him another cup. Was she trying to get him drunk before his encounter with the Qunari, or just loose enough to not panic over it? "What am I supposed to do with the Arishok? What can I even tell him about his precious relic?"
"Tell him the truth." Claire said. "They greatly value the truth, even if it's not what they want to hear, as I'm sure you've already figured out."
"Yes..." Hawke gave an exasperated sigh. "After that whole mess with Petrice, and Seamus... the viscount hasn't been himself and he doesn't even care about running the city anymore. Sometimes I feel as if I'm doing more to keep the city together than he is."
"We must stay strong, for the city's sake, Hawke." Claire said. "The leaders are failing it. Are you up to the task? We'll be here for you, you won't be alone in this." For reasons Anders couldn't figure out, her words made Hawke start crying as he buried his head into his arms on the table. Claire looked at Anders, confused with her eyes pleading for him to do something, so Anders tried comforting the man.
"I know we haven't always seen eye to eye on things, but you're still our friend." Anders said. "Is there something more going on, or is it just the stress of everything?" Hawke sat up and wiped his eyes, staring at the ground.
"Yes... and everything. I'm still not over my mother's death I keep expecting her to be in the estate, waiting for me... then to have someone I thought was a friend betray me like this, leaving me with such a big mess, and then Fenris..." The rogue's face screwed up as he tried not to cry again, and Anders got the gist of what was going on. He'd seen the way the elf had been looking at Hawke, but...
"He cares a great deal for you, Hawke." Claire said softly. "I don't know if he said something or did something to you, but I know that much."
Hawke took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right, he does care, but... perhaps that's the problem. He said being with me was too upsetting for him and he doesn't want to talk about it. I didn't tell you, but I hunted the Tevinter mages that had aided the magister who kept him leashed, and we killed them all. I thought he would have been happy, but it only seemed to make it worse."
"And even after the magister is dead, if he doesn't work on himself, he won't get any better." Claire said. "But you knew there would be such issues before wanting to pursue him, right? He's talked to you about what he's been through, I'm sure. He considers you his only friend, though I wish he'd give us a little more credit. I'm not opposed to helping him, even if he hates us."
"I've wondered if that's another part of it." Hawke said. "I have been questioning myself and everything I've believed. The more I investigate into the Chantry, the more corruption I see... you were right, it's not just the mages who are being corrupted, but Templars and innocent people as well. And seeing your castle... to see all those people, and to think of what my sister would have given to have lived in a place like that... But now I have nothing. I've lost my father, my brother, my sister, my mother, someone I thought was a friend just stabbed me in the back, and I scare off any potential lovers!"
Anders knelt down beside Hawke and looked at him. "You do still have us, as dysfunctional as we are, and I'm sure if you looked for Merrill, she would be glad to see you."
"Merrill?" Claire looked confused, and Anders wondered if she'd never seen the elf before.
"An elven mage we helped a few years ago." Hawke said. "I admit... I've had a hard time wanting to see her. She's... a blood mage, and she's become obsessed with a damned tainted mirror that apparently killed two of her clan's people."
"Mahariel..." Claire muttered, but Anders didn't understand what it meant, until she spoke louder. "Mahariel and Tamlen. That was in Ferelden, before the Blight. I met them... albeit briefly. If we had gotten to them sooner... we could have at least saved Mahariel through the Grey Warden joining, but Tamlen had disappeared. And you say this mage is messing with the mirror that killed them? This cannot end well."
"That's what I said!" Hawke said. "But she's insistent, and gets mad at me any time I'm there, so I avoid her now. Even her Keeper warned her away, but like she would listen to the Keeper. If she did, she wouldn't be here."
"Maybe when things have calmed down a little, you could take me to the clan. There's someone I wish to see."
"You?" Anders asked, surprised.
"Did I never mention Alberoth then?" She asked. "He was a city elf who helped me out, and in exchange, I took him to the Dalish in the Brecilian forest. That was right before I made it to Ostagar." Before she had confessed her true feelings to him, and he remembered why she wouldn't have mentioned it, because he had snapped at her and she had avoided him until just before the final battle. He had been such an angry young man...
"Perhaps after the Qunari mess." Hawke said, sounding tired. "I'll be glad when things calm down a bit."
"I'm sorry, Hawke, I wish I could help out more." Claire said. "Did you need us to go with you to the Qunari compound? You said Aveline was waiting for you."
"No... it's all right." He replied. "I'm sure you'll have your work cut out for you down here when the victims start piling up. I suppose I should get going. Thank you for the wine, it took the edge off my mood, and perhaps I can get this over with without losing my shit and killing everyone." He stood up and looked around. "At least it's quiet now. Enjoy it while you can, I'm going to start a war!" He laughed and started walking out.
"Just let us know if you need anything." Anders said. "Take care of yourself, Hawke." Once the rogue was gone, Claire sat down and pulled out a pastry. "I thought you said we should wait until afternoon." Anders teased. There was only one left, so he grabbed it.
"I apparently lied." She said. "Hawke really has his work cut out for him, doesn't he... Things aren't going to calm down, they're only going to get worse, until the sky explodes."
"He really is coming to see our side of things, though, isn't he?"
"Yes and no. I think he's more coming to realize that more than a few of the people he was supporting are just as bad as the mages who have turned to blood magic and demons. And then, for him to love Fenris... and to be so conflicted in his feelings over mages... will Fenris ever be able to accept that? Or is it over for good?" Anders shrugged.
"I've no idea, nor do I have any interest in their love life." He finished his food while Claire had only taken a small bite, and wondered why she cared so much about who someone else bedded.
"Love is strange..." She said after a moment. "I'm sure since Fenris does care about Hawke, he won't abandon him. Everyone deserves some happiness, right?" He kissed the top of her head, chuckling. Of course, it was like her to want Hawke to have some bright spot in his life as well.
"Yes, they do. Let's get ready, then, because we're going to be dealing with a lot of unhappy people soon."
"Do you want me to stay here, or do you want me to help up top?" She was asking him?
"You should do what you think is best." He said. "I'll go with you if you like."
"I'm not really sure... it's just... just one night, that's all it is, and we should be good tomorrow." She sighed. "I think I'll go now, and warn people to stay indoors. I can at least do that much." She kissed Anders and he pulled her into a hug.
"Stay safe, I'll see you when you're done."
It was chaos in Darktown when the fighting started, as so many people began flooding it just to get away from the Qunari, and Anders found himself quite busy. There were a few others helping out, and he wondered if Claire was helping out by keeping people from getting injured in the first place. He would have to ask her when she got back.
Even as the night wore on, there didn't seem to be an end to the injuries, and Anders no longer had much time to think about Claire beyond hoping she was all right.