Author's Disclaimer: I don't own a thing belonging to "Dragon Age 2." Nothing at all.
Author's notes: And the Fall Part Deux!
Of course a few minor liberties taken with the last events. Tried to mesh up with the cut scenes and give Hawke more renegade responses.
For Queentyzula and the guests. And any eyes that capture the chapter. Go on, there's battles to be had. And getting out of Kirkwall while the getting is good.
"Catching the Wind"
Chapter twenty-two "The Champion's End"
Hawke and her somewhat smaller party moved through the fortress building of the Gallows. They happened upon odd groups of templars. In one instance, a troop of templars were on their knees praying. Hawke got the jump on them, leading Aveline and Donnic in to hack and slash where they knelt. Varric jogged after, notching another metal arrow into his beloved Bianca, and making sure to cover their rear.
Hawke almost ran full into a body, and before she could raise her sword, familiar features had to be taken in again and again before her sword hand lowered. Wide green eyes, similar to her own, took her in.
"Bethany?!" she asked. Her sister looked as battle worn, and two other Grey Wardens stopped at her side. Bethany held a hand up, halting her colleagues.
"Hawke! I came…well I came to help," she said. Hawke felt herself smiling, even as tears filled her eyes. The frantic energy of the night, her grief and fear at sending her mates off to Isabela's ship…..Isabela, Merrill, Falcon, Lark….Mother….
"We can use all the help we can get," Aveline spoke up. Bethany clasped her arm in greeting and Varric hugged her waist.
"Sunshine," he called her. Bethany gave a terse smile.
"I'm glad to see you," Hawke admitted. The group moved toward the market area of the Gallows.
"Me too," Bethany declared. Her eyes sparkled. "I saw Isabela…she had your sons with her."
Hawke breathed a sigh of relief. So Isabela was on her way to the ship with their boys. Good. "Was Merrill with her?" she demanded. Bethany nodded, sensing a link there to the plucky elf. She wondered how deep it was, with the pirate as her mate.
"Yes….I'm just so glad despite all this. Father's line will go on," Bethany declared. Hawke grinned, suddenly proud.
"Mother…she…." Hawke tried to get out. Bethany swallowed.
"She's dead…isn't she?" she asked. Hawke felt weak, like her heart was slain on the spot. She swallowed, her mouth was so dry. Her fault…it had been her fault…
"Yes…." She had to admit. Who knew how much time they had left together before the Grey Wardens took her sister away again.
"Poor Mother….." was all Bethany had time to say. Hawke wanted to curse at the lines of templars waiting for them in the Gallows market square. She had only a few moments with her sister. And they were intruding on even that! Meredith was waiting at the head of the armored soldiers, a self-indulgent smirk on her face if there ever could be one. Captain Cullen stood beside her, and his face held no help, at least none that Hawke could see. Her party formed up behind her as they descended the last of the stairs. She scowled to notice Fenris right beside Cullen, as obedient as any templar.
"And here we are Champion, at long last."
Hawke glared. The fury of the night, of the actions that had led to her sending her family away, that she may not get to join them, the destruction to her city, all of it erupted in her outburst. "I was afraid you were going to let everyone else do your fighting!"
Meredith was nonplussed." Not at all. I am here to see order restored. What happens to you now is your own doing."
Hawke seethed. Her love for Father, Bethany beside her, and Merrill gone with her other mate and their sons surged through her. How dare she bring war on mages when the world needed them too?
"You are no mage." Meredith went on. "But in supporting them, you've elected to share their fate."
Cullen spoke up, diverting her attention. "Knight Commander! I thought we intended to arrest the Champion!" His brows furrowed as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
Meredith lashed out at the tall man. "You will do as I command, Cullen!"
"No!" Cullen looked heart-broken but resolved to get his say. "I defended you when Thrask started whispering you were mad. But this is too far!"
"I will not allow insubordination! We must stay true to our path!" Meredith unsheathed her weapon and the great sword glowed with an eeire red light not of any other forged weapon.
"Andraste's dimpled butt cheeks!" Varric cursed suddenly. Meredith smirked.
"You recognize it, do you not? Pure lyrium, taken from the Deep Roads. The dwarf charged a great deal for his prize…." Meredith purred. Hawke knew she meant Varric's brother Bartrand when she said 'dwarf.' He'd been seduced and driven mad by an idol taken from the Deep Roads, an item forged of rare red lyrium. And she had smashed down that idol to forge the shards into her own weapon.
And judging by the crazed look in the Knight Commander's eyes, that same madness had passed to her.
"Turning the idol into a fancy sword won't save you!" Hawke bit out. She felt Varric shift behind her and knew he was notching an arrow into Bianca.
Meredith turned her fury to the templars and Fenris. "All of you! I want her dead!" She pointed the glowing red sword directly at Hawke. Hawke unsheathed and readied her sword.
"Enough! This is not what the Order stands for; Knight Commander, step down! I relieve you of your command!" Cullen ordered. Authority laced his words and the templars shifted behind him. Fenris darted a look from him to Meredith.
"My own Knight-Captain falls prey to the influence of blood magic?" Meredith's eyes darted over the templars. "You all have! You're all weak! Allowing the mages to control your minds, to turn you against me! But I don't need any of you! I will protect this city myself!"
Cullen moved to Hawke's side. "Enough, Meredith! Stop this madness!"
"Idiot boy!" Meredith cursed. "Just like all the others!" She brandished the blade and let its magic coursed through her. "Blessed are those that stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter…."
Sufficiently raised with power, Meredith pointed the tainted weapon at Hawke's group. "Kill the Champion!"
The battle raged on, surely as a summer storm. The templars moved in with Fenris and Hawke was dismayed to have to press him back. She resolved to not kill him. He had been her friend.
The fighting became a mess.
After several harrowing attacks, Meredith staggered back, from the onslaught of attack. She was clearly winded and weakened, if not by Aveline and Donnic's hard attacks, then the lyrium-laced weapon itself.
"Maker! Your servant begs you for the strength to defeat this evil!" Suddenly, red power laced through the warrior, surging through her and tossing her impossibly high in the air in a backward leap. The red power expanded from her sword, filling the nearby statues of the Gallows.
Hawke gaped as the statues begin to shift, to move in jerky motions as metal scraped on stone. Bethany clutched her sleeve and Varric cursed. She could hope and wish Fenris would come out of this ordeal alive because she would not kill him.
The statues of the courtyard were coming to life and were descending upon them. Hawke turned and ran for the far corner of the courtyard, dragging Bethany with her. She had failed Mother and Carver….. she wouldn't let her sister die too! Meredith's power did not discriminate, as the statues of soldiers and slaves alike woke and began to clamber down from their perches. The many-arms of the soldiers whirled, brandishing metal weapons.
Bethany gave her a slight push. "Go! I can cover your attack!" She brandished her staff. Hawke gave her one final anguished look, and charged into the center of the courtyard, Donnic and Aveline right behind her. The statues at least seemed to take damage despite their formidable outer casing, and after several sweaty moments, one slave fell, and the group moved onto the other statues.
Hawke ran full sprint around one of the soldier's tall legs, hoping to take the attack from behind. The soldier moved suddenly, tracking her movements, eyes gleaming down at her from a twenty-foot height. Before Hawke could run or leap away, his foot was raised and slamming into her side. Hawke's vision went to white as she flew through the air and landed fifty feet away. Her ribs hurt awfully, and it was taxing to take a breath. Colors spotted the air before her wide eyes as she wheezed and tried to roll to her knees. Red pain pulled down her limbs and Hawke cried out.
Even as her vision and breathing finally began to clear and Hawke staggered to her feet, pushing up from the ground with her sword to gain her footing, she could hear Meredith yelling curses. The templars had stopped trying to attack her friends and were going for the statues instead.
"It's not enough that they make innocents suffer! No, we must also have insult added to injury!"
Hawke staggered to limp back to the fray, but Varric, stolid Varric, was by her side suddenly, supporting her weight onto his shorter shoulder. "Easy, Hawke! They got the rest of 'em!"
And Hawke could see the templars, Cullen, Donnic and Aveline had taken out the rest of the soldiers, the metal behemoths twitching or laying still on the courtyard stones. The few templars that had been killed littered the courtyard as well. Hawke couldn't make out any white hair on the fallen bodies. She hoped suddenly that Fenris had managed to get away.
Hawke's attention was drawn back to the Knight Commander. Meredith was hard-pressed to defend herself against their combined assault, and staggered backward, sword arm raised in defense as the red lyrium coursed through her and made her eyes glow in an ungodly way.
"I will not be defeated!" she spat. "Maker, aid your humble servant!"
Before Cullen could direct the templars to attack, something had gone horribly wrong. The lyrium continued coursing around the Knight Commander, then continued to enter her and her shrieking screams indicated a horrible recourse. Her soul was extracted through her open mouth as her body slumped to its knees, head upturned as if to curse the heavens, red flames licking at her limbs.
Several of the templars cried out. Cullen even looked affected. But at his silent command, as he sheathed his sword and stepped aside, the other armored soldiers did likewise and stepped back. Hawke limped past, leaning on Varric's shoulder. Her eyes met Cullen's through her sweaty bangs and he nodded in something like understanding.
"What do we do now?" Donnic asked as they rowed back into the city. "The city's on fire! Where are the other guardsmen?"
"Are there any left at all?" Aveline mumbled. She leaned against her husband as he rowed.
"I have to get to the docks." Hawke would not be swayed. "We're leaving on Isabela's ship. Come with us."
Aveline shook her head. "I think Donnic and I could make our way through the countryside. Find some semblance of order to attach to and then…."
"Guard Captain!" A voice raised out as they stumbled into the city again. Aveline's face lit up with a fierce smile. A few ragged ranks of the city guardsmen trotted up to meet her, saluting and awaiting orders.
"We go save the innocent and take them to a safe place. Varric, are you coming with us?" Aveline asked.
Varric shook his head. "No, I'll help Hawke."
"Go with them, Varric. I'll be fine," Hawke insisted. Varric reluctantly stepped away, and watched the Champion take a faltering step and regain her equilibrium.
"Are you certain? It's no bother and the city's in flames," Varric said. Hawke watched the gathering flames moving across the rooftops.
"I'll be fine. We'll all meet again, won't we?" Hawke said to her friends. Aveline clasped her arm, then surprised Hawke by hugging her. Donnic even gave her a brief hug himself.
"Of course we will. We will meet again. Go to your family," Aveline said. And Hawke realized the situation was indeed grave when Aveline did not try to insult her mate.
"Until we meet," Hawke said. She refused to say farewell. Varric shook her hand one final time and Hawke was left to say goodbye to her sister. She and Bethany stood opposite, not knowing what to do, then they were hugging. And Bethany began to walk away. Hawke felt her heart drop to her feet again, not as bad as when they found the Grey Wardens for her in the Deep Roads but just as bad.
Then Hawke was alone, stumbling and running toward the docks. She did encounter ruffians and stray templars on the way, even a few rude mages throwing power demons at her that demanded she return battle to.
Hawke felt her staggering limp become more pronounced as she came onto the docks. She hoped she could at least make it.
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Craven had never been so glad to see a commanding presence when he had spotted Isabela rushing down the docks. She was carrying a large sack, holding onto one of her son's hands. Merrill was holding the second son by his hand, and another elf was in their midst, hurrying with them.
"Bout time! Andraste's tits!" one of the women sailors muttered. The other sailors hurried to unfurl the sails and tie off lines. They had been in a horrible state of half-action, idly tying and untying certain lines, ready to cast off, yet unable to. Their captain wasn't there. But she was here now. Craven shoved off the gangplank and met Isabela on the docks.
"Good to see you, Cap'n," he greeted. Isabela blinked when the burly man leaned down and picked Falcon up, hoisting the lad easily to one shoulder. He hurried her up the gangplank onto the top deck. Another two sailors hurried off to grab up the sacks Merrill and Orana carried and help them along. One of the women lifted Lark up, hurrying them up the gangplank.
"Is everyone here? We're ready to go?" Isabela snapped to, all business. The men and women nodded, rushing to get to their positions. Craven nodded, setting Falcon on his feet on the deck. The boy stayed at his side, fisting his tunic, staring at the flames lighting up the city. Lark was set down and the boys stared at each other, fear in their wide eyes.
"Aye, I made sure everyone stayed on deck as you commanded. We're up on provisions, ready to cast off. I'd say now would be the time," Craven said nervously. Other ships had already left, and several looters had already tried to get onto the ship. His bulk had aided in shoving them off the gangplank into the water, but others would surely try and sooner than later and with more force behind them.
Isabela's eyes were wide and wild, but she shook her head. "Hawke said she'd come. Not without her."
One of the women sailors uncoiled several lines of rope. She frowned up. "But, Cap'n, we don't know if…."
The boys gasped, and Craven set a kind hand on each of their heads. Isabela whirled to her.
"Don't say that! Hawke is the Champion of Kirkwall, she'll get out and get to us and THEN we'll leave!" she snapped. Merrill's eyes were wide with fear and worry. Isabela hugged her briefly. "Ready your positions until we do."
The woman shut up and the sailors sprinted off. Craven stayed at Isabela's side at the top of the gangplank. The fires worried him, but he knew Isabela was far off more worried, almost quivering beside him. She held her stance strongly, but Craven could tell her worry for her mate was far more encompassing.
The waiting was brutal. It seemed hours had passed, and in that time, templars and mages had rioted onto the docks, battling each other. The sailors were put to work, putting out flame arrows that had made their way onto the deck by accident, or on purpose. Merrill, Orana and the twins had been put below decks, but Craven glimpsed the four camped out on the top stair leading below. Isabela fingered the handles of her daggers. Craven wondered if something had truly happened to the Champion and how he could broach that possibility to his captain.
But a limping figure soon took that horrible decision away from him.
"HAWKE!" Isabela bellowed and was off the gangplank, running on the docks toward her lover. Craven ran after her, worried about the stray templar soldiers also on the docks. The Champion looked quite the worse for wear.
Her sweaty bangs hung in her eyes, a partially healed gash was over her brow, blood and other fluids were sprayed across her armor and person. The limp hinted at a deeper injury. Before he could offer to help, Isabela ducked beneath her mate's arm, helping her lean on her.
"Bela," Hawke smiled weakly. Her joy seeing her lover was all over her face. Isabela hurried her along and Craven flanked them as they staggered up the gangplank. "Ease off, big fella."
Craven stepped back from the captain's warning but ready in case the Champion needed help.
"The Champion!" one of the sailors called. The others gave a ragged cheer.
"NOW we cast off!" Isabela ordered. The sailors ran quickly and comically to their tasks. Craven pulled up the gangplank and the ties to the dock were cast off. The wind filled the unfurled sails and Stormy Lover was slowly on her way, inching out of port.
Hawke stayed standing at the prow, eyes darting over the dock. The templars and mages seemed to have forgotten them, and the ship WAS getting away. Isabela tugged at her arm.
"Come on, let's get you taken care of…"
"No, not yet," Hawke murmured. Her eyes continued scanning the horizon. "Not til we're safe."
Before Isabela could protest, there was a cry and Merrill and her sons were running up on deck, surrounding Hawke. Hawke gave an 'oof' of surprise as the twins hugged onto her armored legs, and Merrill took her arm. But she still didn't relax her watchful stance.
"Hawke, are you okay?" Merrill leaned up to kiss the corner of her jaw. Hawke turned her face to her briefly, a sad look on her face.
"Merrill," she said weakly. But Hawke wouldn't lean down to kiss her fully. Isabela took her other arm, and put her hand over Hawke's gloved hand, urging her to lower her sword.
"Hawke, we're getting out of the harbor. We're going to make it," she urged. Hawke shook her head.
"Not yet. I have to watch."
"I'll keep watch, Champion," Craven spoke up. Hawke's fatigue was clearly all over her face and her stance. And her sons were beginning to blubber and cry against her legs.
"No, not yet," Hawke insisted. Merrill murmured on her other side and Isabela tried to coax her to at least sit on the deck and rest herself. Rest if she wouldn't take her armor off at the very least.
Finally, after what felt like an hour but maybe was only twenty minutes, Merrill and Isabela convinced Hawke to retire to the captain's quarters.
"Okay…." Hawke's slow gait threw terror through Isabela. She and Merrill locked eyes and nodded.
"Bring fresh water, for washing and drinking," Isabela called to one of her sailors. The thin man nodded and ran off to one of the barrels of supply water.
Hawke grunted as she shuffled down the stairs to the cabins below decks. They passed the galley and the crew's dining room, and past several small cabins. Isabela opened up the captain's quarters and the boys tried to help loosen Hawke's greaves. Hawke slumped in one of the chairs at the table in the large chamber and weakly protested.
"Oh, stop it, love, we need to take these off," Isabela murmured. She paused in her cleaning of her mate's face with a clean cloth then leaned to kiss her. It was a short, desperate kiss and she was relieved Hawke's lips moved to kiss her back. Merrill was unfastening her breast plate.
Hawke's heart moved in her chest when she noticed the tears in her son's eyes as well. She tried to smile for them. "We'll be fine, boys. Don't worry."
"But we were worried!" Falcon tugged at her arm. Hawke leaned to kiss his brow and Lark's.
"I came back. I promised." Hawke met her mate's eyes at that. Tears filled Merrill's eyes. Isabela swallowed her own tears as she and Merrill undressed their mate. The purple splotching along Hawke's ribs made both women gasp and the twins began to cry. Hawke winced.
"See, I didn't want them to see that. Ow," Hawke wheezed. Isabela didn't even know where to start.
"Kitten?" she asked. Merrill took up her staff and began trying her healing, glowing lights spreading over Hawke's pale skin. The wheezing breaths Hawke took terrified her.
"There….it should help…There was a ….crack. But now your ribs should be fine. Maybe abit bruised….. you should take it easy, Hawke," Merrill murmured. Her throat felt too tight with constrictive emotion. Hawke felt her shoulders sag and almost relax. And she knew she had to work a bit longer. To get her family to calm down.
"Yeah, I shouldn't let any more twenty-foot tall statues kick me….."
"Statue?!" Merrill squeaked. Hawke put her hand over hers.
"It's okay….I promise. Bela? Do we need to do anything else with the crew?" Hawke asked. Isabela shook her head.
"You stay here. I'll make a few more rounds, but Craven will get us if something….happens. That's what a first mate does," she insisted. Hawke's features relaxed finally.
"Okay….boys, let's get ready for bed…" Hawke said. The murmurs of her sons filled the air as Isabela excused herself to check on the crew.
A few of the men were in the crow's nest and along the beams, keeping watch. Craven had the wheel and he kept a sharp look on the horizon as he steered the ship well. Isabela stopped beside him, casting her gaze to the dark horizon as well.
"No one near us yet," Craven responded to Isabela's unspoken question. Isabela heaved a sigh.
"Have some of the other men or women take over from you in shifts. And always get me if someone approaches us."
"Aye, Cap'n," Craven said. Isabela nodded. She moved along the deck, talking to some of the men and women. They all responded and answered, going about their tasks. Isabela was pleased to see that one of the women had kept all but one lantern dimmed out so as not to attract any other ship's attention. Only then did Isabela amble back below decks.
She bypassed one of the woman sailors, a beta, who was on her way to the galley for a late meal. The cook had taken up residency in the galley, perched on a high stool and half dozing. Loud weeping sounded from one of the smaller cabins. Isabela poked into it to note it was the women's cabin. Orana was near inconsolable, one of the women omegas putting a friendly arm around her shoulders. Isabela knelt by the weeping elf.
After several moments talking to her, Orana's tears finally slowed. Isabela patted her knee and moved back to her chambers. The twins had their nightgowns on, at least she or Orana or Merill had thought to pack those, and they and Merrill fussed over Hawke who was stripped to her under tunic and small clothes. Lark was tracing the edge of her raised abdominal scar that showed from her half open tunic and Hawke winced slightly. But she didn't move her son's hand.
Isabela's heart winced as if wrung out. Hawke had made it back to her. She was lucky this night ended this way. She changed to a simple shift and moved to Hawke's other side on the bed. The twins lay against her legs and waist, holding onto her. Hawke looked slightly uncomfortable but didn't move her sons. Her mate's green eyes met hers and Isabela leaned down to kiss her lips softly.
Hawke squeezed Merrill's hand on her other side as they settled down. The twins began to snore lightly and finally, the Champion closed her eyes.
End for now
End notes: There will be more to come! Please leave a review. Let me point out it only takes a few moments to do so. And to put my all into a rather large chapter and not even receive one is like a slap in the face. Leave a review, if you liked, or if you even didn't so much. But leave one. I'm not going to say I'll stop writing if I I don't see any, as I enjoy it in some fashion, but consider taking a few seconds.
pen
11/06/2018