Hawke

"Apparently, I'd just walked straight out of there, not even bothering to put my clothes on first."

"No! In the middle of winter?" Mahariel asked, her mouth gaping as he told the story.

"Remember, I was piss drunk, I probably didn't even notice that I was as naked as the day I was born."

"Not... not even your underclothes?"

He shook his head and Mahariel cracked up and started laughing. "All because she happened to..."

"She didn't 'happen' to do anything!" Hawke interrupted. "She stuck her finger where she had no business sticking anything - deliberately! That much I can remember. The rest she told me later. She called me a prissy for weeks after that... Hey, stop laughing!"

But he smiled as she shook with laughter, her hand in front of her mouth. "That sure sounds like Isabela," she said when she'd calmed down. "Did you know she..."

"That she did the business with you and Alistair? Yes, wouldn't shut up about it, in fact." He leaned in closer to her. "Can't blame her, either. Well, Alistair was an example of poor taste, of course, no offense love, but you on the other hand, whew." He pretended to wipe sweat off his forehead. "Definitely can't blame her for wanting to get it on with you."

Mahariel made an exaggerated shocked face. "Hawke! I'm a married woman."

He just snickered. "Like that has ever stopped me before. Granted, sometimes it has sent me running with my clothes in my hands out of windows and back doors when angry husbands have arrived home too early. Speaking of husbands and poor attitudes, where do you keep your new little pet, Mahariel?"

She slapped his arm, but so lightly he hardly felt it, and he could see the ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "Don't call him 'pet', Hawke. His name is Cullen."

"Remind me again, why did you marry him?"

"Because he asked. And I need someone here to keep an eye on the arling, you know that."

"That doesn't sound very romantic. Have you even done the only fun part of marriage yet?"

"No! There's been no time to even think about things like that."

Hawke shook his head and tsked. "That man is a disgrace. If I were married to a drop dead gorgeous woman like you, I would have fucked you to the high heavens so many times already, you wouldn't have had time for anything else," he smiled and touched her arm as if she were already his.

"Maker's mercy, Hawke, only you could say something as brazen as that without getting a slap in the face. How do you manage that?"

"By being devastatingly handsome, of course." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she burst out laughing again.

Someone approached them from behind Mahariel.

"Well, well, speak of the darkspawn. Here he comes now," Hawke said and 'omphed' loudly when Mahariel elbowed him in the side. Cullen came to a stop before them and he looked as stuck up and pissed off as ever.

"Don't you get a headache from scrounging your face up like that all the time, Commander?"

"Hawke, behave," Mahariel scolded him. He snickered when Cullen's jaw tightened with irritation.

"I'm Commander no longer, as I'm sure you're well aware. What are you doing here, Hawke?"

"Would you believe me if I say I've come to congratulate you on securing this lovely woman as your wife?"

"No."

"Well, you're right about that. Although, really, congratulations. Mahariel is a true prize," Hawke said and stroked her back. She rolled her eyes at him, but he didn't miss the way Cullen's eye twitched when he touched his wife. Mahariel wasn't exactly shrugging away from his touch, either.

Interesting.

"I'm here simply because I have a delivery for Mahariel." He turned to face her. "If you would be so kind as to follow me, my dear. Oh, you can come along too, if you want," he said to Cullen over his shoulder, having already started walking. He felt rather pleased with himself as he heard Cullen mutter something under his breath.

They went out into the courtyard, where a covered wagon stood, guarded by six mages. The bustling sounds of Amaranthine's afternoon market could be heard in the distance, but it was otherwise eerily quiet.

Hawke stopped with one hand on the canvas covering the wagon and turned to Mahariel.

"I thought you might have better luck getting answers out of him than me," he said, and pulled a piece of the canvas aside. He unlocked the metal gate and dragged the man sitting inside to him and proceeded to yank off the bag the man had around his head.

Mahariel's expression didn't change, she just cocked her head to the side, observing. Cullen hissed between his teeth and a dark cloud fell over his face.

"Anders. It doesn't look like you've been getting along," Mahariel mused.

Hawke glanced at Anders, who he was holding by the neck. Did she mean all the blood and the bruising? "He was being difficult. Well, he wouldn't shut up, at least. He was being whiny. You know how it is."

Mahariel shook her head. "I don't, actually. I don't think he was the same person when he was in my company all those years ago. He was light-hearted, funny, sarcastic. If what you've told me about his time with you in Kirkwall is true, something changed in him rather soon after he left me. I don't know what you expect me to do."

"That's just the thing, dear. You're from before the 'crazy'-time. It's worth a shot, at least."

Mahariel stared at the unconscious, blonde man in Hawke's grip for a few seconds, before nodding. Several guards appeared as soon as she moved her head and she motioned for them to take him. The mages Hawke had with him followed their prisoner.

Mahariel looked at Hawke as soon as her guards had taken Anders inside. "I'm afraid I don't have much time to question him. I'll try my best tonight, but I have to leave soon, and I have much to go over with Cullen before I do. But come see me later. I'll tell you anything I've found out. Louisa!" she called, waving a servant girl over. "See to it that the Champion gets our best guest quarters, immediately." The girl didn't quite seem to hear her. "Oh, please, pull yourself together girl and stop fawning over him. I know he's a famous hero, and a handsome one at that, but do as you're told now."

The girl turned beet red in the face and almost fell over herself when she hurried toward the castle, motioning for Hawke to follow.

"You hear that, Cullen?" Hawke smiled as he walked past the man. "Your new wife thinks I'm a dashing legend. Wonder what she thinks of you?" He laughed and followed the girl, not waiting to see what was certainly murder in Cullen's eyes.