Eiris: Oh no! I didn't want you to cry! Though I won't deny I'm smug.

Moonpriestess30: I thought it was sooo obvious. Hope little one is okay.

Chapter 12 – This is nuts.

'How is she?' Isabela asks quietly as they loiter in Hawke's study.

'She's still unconscious. Anders says that her body has gone into shock,' Garrett replies from his writing desk where he's replying to correspondence. He sighs and puts down his quill as he leans back in his chair rubbing his face with his hands. 'I don't know what's going on, Bela,' he moans. 'We killed the Magister, Fenris is... Fenris,' he mutters as he looks over at her as she leans against his bookshelves.

The pirate nods and walks over placing her hands on his shoulders and gives him a squeeze. 'Have you learned any more about what an ''Intended,'' is? Anything we can do to help her?'

Garrett sucks air through his teeth, 'basically,' he says as he pulls a letter from Orsino towards himself. He begins to read the brief overview that the Head Enchanter had been able to give him. 'An Intended is a person bound to another through blood magic. The ''Master,'' is protected from the Intended by the ritual, any harm that befalls the Master by the Intended's hands is replicated against the one who is bonded. The Intended are able to be given brief orders that they will then have a compulsion to complete to the point of physical and mental pain.'

'Fucking hell,' Isabela said pulling a face.

'Yeah, it doesn't get any better,' he nods as he continues to read. 'If the Master is to die the Intended will live but may be mentally incapacitated. If they are, they are easily bound to another using a different ritual and can live out their lives equal to Tranquils. If the Intended has full mental capacity they can only be bound to another of the same bloodline that originally completed the ritual.'

Isabela sits on the edge of his desk and clicks her tongue. 'So, either she's going to wake up and be okay, but susceptible to being used again, or,... she's going to wake up and ….. pretty much be tranquil.'

'We've got to plan for that option. After the injury that she sustained because she stabbed him I wouldn't be surprised if her mind turned. I'm thinking... a post at the Chantry? Somewhere safe? She can become an acolyte and be looked after?' He suggests.

Isabela nods and bites her thumbnail, 'yeah makes sense. The Chantry has a lot of power and she'd blend in easily once in the robes. Plus their duties don't require a lot of thinking, just faith. Sebastian could keep an eye on her,' she sniffs and wipes her eye discreetly.

Hawke smiles weakly at her and tilts his head, placing a hand on her thigh. 'You okay?' He asks softly.

She clears her throat and looks at him, 'yeah... I just. She was so nice. Despite everything that happened. I get that she had no control but I can't help but feel bitter. She didn't deserve all of that and Fenris... It wasn't fair on him either.'

'I've tried to see him but he's shut off a little. I don't think he knows what's going on in his head until she wakes up,' Garrett agrees with what she's saying. 'Do you want to go see her? It's been a couple days,' he suggests, hoping it would make her feel better. 'I think we should drag Broody with us as well,' Garrett grins. 'Bitching at Anders will perk him up.'

'You're mean,' she giggles a little as she rolls her eyes and stands up with a stretch. 'It can't hurt to get him out his hovel.' They start to get their things ready and walk into the foyer when Sandal wanders up to Hawke.

He beams at the Champion who raises an eyebrow and smiles, 'hey, what's up?' He asks as Sandal only loitered if he wanted something.

'Awake!' He grins as he claps his hands.

'Awake?' Isabela repeats as she walks around Garrett to look at the dwarf. 'What do you mean?'

'Awake! Awake! Awake!' Sandal laughs clapping his hands more.

Bodahn runs over, 'begging your pardon, miss Isabela. There was a message from Messere Anders, he says that the young lady has woken up. Not to rush, she seems a little out of it,' he explains.

Isabela and Garrett look at each other and Garrett speaks quickly, 'how long ago?' He asks trying not to be demanding.

'Oh, I would say about an hour, maybe a little less. He said not to tell you until you came out the study. He didn't want her overwhelmed you see,' Bodahn smiles. He pats his son on the shoulder and leads him back to his toolbox where there were runes that he had been fiddling with. By the time Bodahn had turned around to address them again, they were gone. 'Oh, well that's that then,' he muses to himself in good humour as he carries on with his duties.

-x-

The pounding echoes through the house and he swears holding his head in his hands. 'Enough,' he hisses as he looks at the door that leads down to the main foyer. Fenris was sure that they would give up soon but after about five minutes the banging simply became more frantic. 'Venhedis!' He mutters as he gets up. The headache he was nursing was self inflicted, the last week had been very emotionally rough and he had shut down a little.

He takes the stairs two at a time and angrily walks over to the front door opening it roughly. Dislodging Hawke as he attempted to pick the lock. 'Good, you're here. Come on, let's go,' Isabela says grabbing his arm.

Fenris pulls himself out her grip roughly and shook his head, 'what ever it is, I do not care,' he says bluntly as Hawke gets to his feet and puts his tools away. 'What if I had not been in? You were just going to break in regardless?'

Garrett sighs and gives him a look, 'one, you've not left the house all week. Two, you will care and three, pull yourself together, man. Look, Evelyn is awake! She's woken up!' He reveals happily. Fenris' expression didn't change and Hawke wants to hit him, he refrains. Just. 'Fenris, come on! She's woken up, she'll be able to talk and she's not under control of that asshole any more!' Privately he hoped that she had kept her wits.

'And?' Fenris mutters as he crosses his arms.

Isabela's eyebrows furrowed as she stepped forward giving him a shove. 'Are you fucking kidding me?! Don't you give me that shit, you self pitying, nug humper! I know that you fucking cared for her and in the end she tried to fucking kill that Magister knowing that it would have killed her in the process. Have a wash, grab your sword and so help me if you don't act like you're glad she's awake I'll kick you so hard in the nuts they get lodged in your fucking nostrils,' she snaps at him. Fenris glares at her but deep down he knows she's right. With a snarl and curl of his lip he stomps off into the mansion leaving Isabela and Garrett at the door.

Hawke waits until he's out of earshot and looks at Isabela. '…..You've got more balls than me,' he says quietly.

Isabela nods and breathes heavily, 'if I hadn't seen them personally I would agree with you,' she teases making him flush pink. 'Hey, so, while we're waiting for the broody bastard in there to pull his act together, you wanna talk about perhaps... what happened between us?'

Garrett raises a brow. 'I didn't think you were one for... attachments.'

'Yeah I know,' she admits. 'I came back for you though. That whole Arishok shit and then you didn't just hand me off to the Qunari. I just wondered if you wanted more than a one time thing,' Isabela says simply.

'I don't share, Bela,' Garrett reminds her.

'I know that too. I do. But and I can't believe I'm saying this, I like you. A lot. If it was something you wante-' she didn't get to finish her sentence as Garrett grabs a hold of her hand and pulls her close. He kisses her sweetly making her cheeks darken in reaction. Hawke smiles as he moves back and she bites her lip, 'okay, I'll take that as a yes then.'

Fenris clears his throat and looks at them both, he had appeared about a minute ago, 'if you are quite finished?' He says grumpily. Isabela gives him a look, he had scrubbed up well and presented himself a lot better than the mess that had opened the door. 'If you are insisting on dragging me along I do not wish for it to take longer than necessary.'

Garrett rolls his eyes, 'look, I get that you feel betrayed but it wasn't her fault-'

'And that is supposed to make it better or remove the emotions I feel?' Fenris says bluntly as he walks out the house and shuts the door behind him, walking past them his annoyance clear.

'Well, no, but you can at least understand it?' Garrett replies as they follow.

Fenris growls and turns to face him, 'yes. Yes I can. I do understand it. That is what makes it so damn hard to deal with. Knowing that she had no control. No way of warning me. Even though...' he runs his hands through his hair. 'Even though she looked at me with tears in her eyes and told me, told me that she did not want me to save her.'

'Fenris, it's okay to be angry, or upset... but she needs you right now and I think it would be good for you too,' Hawke says softly as he places his hand on his friend's arm. 'She's scared and well, we don't know what this ordeal has done to her. Honestly I don't even know if she's going to remember us, but you need closure on this. One way or another.'

The Tevinter elf sighs and looks at the floor, he nods lightly and Garrett removes his hand after giving him a squeeze, no more words needed to be said as they made their way down into Dark Town to find out what had happened to the young woman who risked her life. Arriving at Anders' clinic they can see that the lamps are out, for today at least he wasn't seeing patients. Hawke didn't want to just barge in, just in case they scared her, he knocked on the door lightly and waited.

Anders opened it enough to see through and nodded, 'if he's going to be a nasty-'

'He's fine, Anders, he's just as concerned as us,' Isabela says refraining from rolling her eyes. Anders clearly didn't like the idea of letting Fenris in but he allows them to enter regardless and locks the door behind them.

'Just... be careful please, one at a time. I don't want her overwhelmed,' he says making them stay near the entrance. 'Isabela, you first,' he motions for her to follow him. The pirate looks at the Champion who shrugs and folds his arms. With a heavy sigh Isabela follows Anders to the back of his clinic to a partitioned area. Anxiety grew deep in Fenris' chest, he didn't want to be here. The thought of seeing Evelyn again, it was a mix of elation and utter fear.