A/N: Happy New Years, everybody! And as a New Year's present, you get a new chapter, a nice long one at that! The next one after this will go back to Mardin's POV, or possibly be a split POV, I haven't fully decided yet, but you'll get to see what Mardin thinks again, anyway. Hope everyone enjoys the new chapter!
Thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, and read so far! And extra special thanks as always to my awesome reviewers, Candle in the Night, Lethal Dragon, WolFang1011, NoleeJade, Ioialoha, novonia, Asilyessam, LostSpace and Tactus501st. I love hearing what you guys think of the new chapters!
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Disclaimer: Bioware owns DA2 and its related characters and dialogue, etc. I own everything else about the story!
Chapter Four: It's Always Been My Job
Having woken up shortly before dawn, Brianna took the time while she was eating her breakfast to check through the pile of mail that had been accumulating over the past few days while she'd been busy. In the end, she decided that she would take on the task of finding some missing Fereldan miners today. She hadn't thought much of the mine's owner, Hubert, when she'd met him briefly the other day, but if the fellow Fereldans he'd employed were in danger, she couldn't very well abandon them. She doubted anyone else that Hubert might have asked would bother to endanger themselves for Fereldan workers, as most of Kirkwall had a fairly low opinion of the Fereldan refugees. Therefore, it would be up to her to ensure that her countrymen were safe.
The only other letter of any import was from the Templar Emeric, who had been looking into the disappearance of a mage named Mharen. Brianna had run across him while looking for a missing woman named Ninette. Her husband Ghyslain had been the one to ask Brianna to look for her, though she suspected he really only cared about his own name being cleared in his wife's disappearance, and not whether she returned alive. Still, the deeper she'd dug into it, the more apparent it had been that Ninette had not just run away from her husband, but that something bad had indeed happened to her – and likely to the mage Emeric was looking for, as well.
Emeric's letter stated that he thought the Lowtown foundry would be a good place to look for the missing women, as someone had reported seeing a woman of Mharen's description enter the foundry some time ago, and many people had heard mysterious noises coming from the foundry at night. His letter concluded that he thought it would be best to explore the foundry at night to see if the rumours of the noises were true or not, but that he no longer wished to risk his life in the search after his near miss in Darktown when they'd met, and she could do what she liked with the information he'd recovered. Brianna decided that she would have to check it out tonight, as she was indeed worried about what was happening to these women, and why they were all disappearing after receiving white lilies from an admirer. She would wait until tonight, however, and see if she could confront whomever was behind these disappearances directly.
In the meantime, she decided, she would go to the Chantry and let Sebastian Vael, the Starkhaven prince, know that all the Flint mercenaries that had been responsible for slaughtering his family were dead, and then she would head out to the disturbingly named Bone Pit, the mine that Hubert owned, to look for the missing miners.
Firstly, however, Brianna elected to make a quick visit to Anders in Darktown, hoping that he'd answer some of her questions about Mardin and who he really was. Throughout her breakfast and reading of her mail, questions about him that had cropped up from yesterday had been endlessly nagging her until she thought she might go insane. Carver was still sleeping, having gotten back from the Hanged Man late last night, so she decided to leave him where he was for the moment as she headed off alone to Darktown. She'd get him and some of the others on the way back before she left Kirkwall for the Bone Pit.
For once, Anders wasn't in the middle of treating someone when she arrived, likely due to how early in the morning it was, but was instead sorting through a stack of herbs on one of the tables in the clinic. He looked up when she approached, smiling slightly. "Hawke! To what do I owe this visit? Do you need help again?"
"Well, in a manner of speaking," she replied slowly. "I actually had some questions I was hoping you might answer."
"Of course." He turned to her, folding his arms as he leaned back against the table. "What would you like to know?"
"Well," she began hesitantly, though she watched Anders' face closely, "I think Mardin is hiding some things from me, like how he actually got here, for starters. He says he was shipwrecked, but I checked at the docks and there haven't been any shipwrecks recently. And I can tell that he doesn't know about things that he should, but he also . . . knows some things that he shouldn't. There's just something unusual about him, and since you know his sister quite well, I thought you might have some answers for me."
"Answers about what?" Anders asked carefully, his expression now blank instead of friendly and open.
Brianna sighed, having the distinct feeling that she would not be getting her answers here, but she pressed on anyway. "Where he's really from, who he really is, what he's hiding from me. Those answers."
Anders frowned. "Shouldn't you be asking him those questions?"
"It would be rather pointless," Brianna retorted. "If he trusted me enough to tell me the truth in the first place, he would have told me the first time I asked. You've known me longer than he has, though; you must know that you can trust me."
"It's not about trusting you, Hawke. It's . . ." Anders sighed and shook his head. "It's not my secret to tell. I . . . made a promise."
"What do you mean, you made a promise?" Brianna asked, trying her best to keep her voice even and quell her frustration. "You can't have promised Mardin already; you only just met him yesterday."
"Not to him," Anders said quietly. "To Ayla, and Commander Alistair. I've known them far longer than I've known you, and they saved my life. I owe them."
Brianna sighed, her frustration rapidly dissolving. Anders was right; he'd known Mardin's sister and her husband for nearly two years, by the sounds of it, and fought by their side. She couldn't expect him to betray a confidence like that. But the fact that he'd made a promise only proved her right; there was something that both siblings were hiding about themselves, and she was still no closer to knowing what it was. "I'm sorry, Anders, you're right. I can't ask you to betray a promise like that. I just noticed a lot of . . . inconsistencies, yesterday, and it's been bothering me."
"It's no problem, Hawke," Anders responded softly. "I'm sure it must have been frustrating for you." He hesitated for a moment, studying her carefully. "I can tell you that he's not just hiding things to deceive you, or out of malice. He's doing it to protect himself, and his sister, of course. And once he knows that you can be trusted, that you'll . . . believe him and not betray him, I'm certain he'll tell you himself. You just have to give it time, that's all."
Brianna frowned. While what Anders said relieved her, for the most part, not all of it made sense. "What do you mean, that I'll believe him? What wouldn't I believe?"
Anders shook his head. "I'm sorry. I really can't say anything more about it."
Brianna nodded, sighing, trying not to let her frustration build back up again. The whole exchange had only made her more curious, if anything. Still, it was nice to know that her instincts had been right, and that at his core, Mardin was still trustworthy. If anything that he'd been hiding was truly dangerous to her, she was sure Anders would have told her. She would simply have to wait until Mardin himself told her, even if it drove her crazy in the meantime.
"Thank you for telling me what you could, anyway," she said after a moment, and Anders nodded. Deciding she wanted at least some of her curiosity satisfied today, she asked, "Can you at least tell me how they saved your life? Was it while you were fighting darkspawn?"
Anders laughed. "Wardens don't really keep track of how many times they save each other's life when fighting darkspawn. It would get a little out of hand. No, it was when I first met them. I'd been captured by Templars during one of my many escapes from the Circle, and they had me imprisoned at Vigil's Keep when the darkspawn attacked. All the Templars were slaughtered, though not before one let me out of the cell to help fight the darkspawn. So of course it looked suspicious, a live mage out of his cell surrounded by dead Templars, no matter whether there were dead darkspawn there too. A Templar commander named Rylock was more than willing to condemn me as a murderer, and I have no doubt she would have had me executed after that battle, had the Commander not decided to conscript me under Ayla's advice. She knew I was telling the truth when I said I didn't kill those Templars. And later, when Rylock caught me trying to destroy my phylactery to make sure the Templars could never come after me again, and was going to kill me, Grey Warden or no, they stood up for me again. They didn't let her take me. Being with them and the Wardens was the most freedom I'd ever had. As long as I did my part, I could do whatever else I wanted and go where I wanted. I owe the two of them more than I can ever repay for saving me and giving me that life, so I won't betray their trust, even if I'm not really a Warden anymore."
"I'm sorry," Brianna said softly. "I've never been in the Circle; I can't imagine what that must have been like for you." Though her family had been chased by Templars more than a few times, they'd never been caught, and she'd never had to deal with being imprisoned in the Circle, or having to fear execution or the Rite of Tranquility for something she'd done. She couldn't really know how it had felt for Anders to finally escape all that, but she could see how the faith Mardin's sister and her husband had put in him had inspired such loyalty from Anders in return. There were few people that would have taken a mage's word so readily, or stood up to a Templar for them, and she wondered what had inspired such faith, considering the circumstances they had found Anders in had been very suspicious. "How did Ayla know that you weren't responsible?"
Anders looked suddenly uncomfortable, the reminiscent smile vanishing from his face. "Oh, um, she just had a feeling, she said. An instinct that she could trust me."
Call it gut instinct. Mardin's words from yesterday flashed in her mind, so similar to what Anders had just said that Brianna's curiosity piqued again. "Instinct, huh? Funny, Mardin said something like that yesterday, when I asked how he knew something was dangerous. That's quite a coincidence, wouldn't you agree?" When Anders opened his mouth to reply, looking slightly alarmed, she waved him off. "I know, I know, you can't say anything about it. I'm guessing, however, that if Mardin says he has a bad feeling about something, I should listen?"
Anders relaxed, smiling slightly, and he nodded. "I certainly would. Let's just say that he and his sister have very good instincts, so if he says something is dangerous or that you can or can't trust somebody, I would believe him."
Yes, this whole thing was definitely very interesting, Brianna thought. She would have to work hard at gaining Mardin's trust, so she could unravel this mystery as soon as possible. In the meantime, she would simply have to store up the clues that she learned. "Thank you, Anders," she said sincerely, nodding at her fellow mage. "I'm sorry to have bothered you . . . and I'm sorry that things did not work out better with the Wardens."
Anders gave her a sad smile. "As am I, Hawke. If you need help with anything else, I'll be here."
She smiled. "Thank you for the offer. As soon as I need the aid of another mage, I'll let you know. But for now, I have a lot to do, and so do you, I imagine." She nodded at the young couple that had just come in behind her, the very pregnant and pale young woman leaning heavily on the arm of the young man.
"It seems I do," Anders agreed, hurrying forward to take the woman's other arm and guiding her to a cot. "Goodbye, Hawke."
"Goodbye, Anders," she called over her shoulder as she left.
Brianna decided to head to Fenris's mansion next, and see if he and Mardin would agree to accompany her out to the Bone Pit. She wanted to bring Carver as well, but she thought it would be best to let him sleep for as long as possible, in the hopes it might improve his mood. Varric, as well, was not much of a morning person, so she would stop by the Hanged Man on her way out of Kirkwall to see if he would come also. Maker only knew what they would run into out at the mine, after all, and the five of them had worked well together yesterday.
It didn't take her long to reach the mansion, and she knocked lightly on the door. It didn't usually take much to alert Fenris that someone was there. When there was no immediate response, she frowned. Maybe he was still asleep? She turned the knob, knowing that the door wouldn't be locked. Fenris never locked it, either unconcerned about the possibility that someone would break in, or hoping that somebody, such as his former master to whom the mansion had once belonged, would break in, allowing Fenris to freely attack them. As she suspected, the doorknob turned easily, and she swung the door open, stepping inside before closing it behind her.
"Fenris? Mardin?" she called lightly as she stopped in the large entry hall, a trifle worried. Surely the elf would have heard her by now – she'd never made it past the front door before without alerting him. Was he really sleeping so heavily? And where was Mardin? Had he not made it back to the mansion last night after walking her home?
She heard a noise off to her right, and turned to look in that direction, where a hallway led to a group of rooms, only to see a very naked Mardin emerging from the hallway, dagger in hand. She gaped at him, completely floored. His body was every bit as fantastic as she'd expected, was the first insane thought to flicker through her head. His arms, chest, and abdomen all rippled with taut muscle covered only lightly with red hair that matched his slightly darker stubble, the trail running down to the narrow vee of his hips, and her eyes skittered rather frantically past what she had to admit was a rather impressive cock, as well, taking in his powerful thighs and the lean grace of his long legs before snapping back up to his face.
"Why are you naked?!" she exclaimed, veering between alarmed, flustered, and aroused.
"Because I was sleeping?" he retorted, sounding a trifle grumpy. He lowered the dagger he'd previously been holding in a defensive position, but made no move to cover himself up, nor did he show any sign of being embarrassed.
Rooted to the spot, she kept her eyes firmly fixed on his face now as she blurted, "Do you always sleep naked?" She mentally kicked herself immediately after the question escaped her mouth. Why would you ask him that?!
He grinned suddenly, the annoyed look vanishing abruptly from his face. "Why are you so interested in my sleeping habits, Brianna?"
"I – you – I'm not – it just doesn't seem very safe, is all," she managed, pleased to have come up with at least a slightly decent reason for asking, considering how very fuzzy her brain was right now.
His grin spread a little wider, but he nodded, saying in a perfectly serious tone, "And you would be right, of course, if I had been sleeping outside. But since I had a roof over my head and my own room to sleep in, I'm sure I was quite safe, thank you. Did you need something?"
"I –" She wanted a lot of things, she thought a little wildly. She wanted to know what those muscles of his felt like under her hands – or her mouth. But that wasn't the reason she was here, she reminded herself firmly, giving her head a little shake. "Can you please put some clothes on?" she asked, relieved that her voice was finally steady.
His eyes were sparkling with mischief as he answered gravely, "Of course. Wait here a minute; I'll go get ready."
He turned around to go back down the hallway, and she couldn't help the strangled squeak that escaped her as her eyes flickered down, seemingly of their own volition, to take in his firm, muscled buttocks that she had a sudden wild urge to squeeze. He glanced back over his shoulder, his expression sly. "Something wrong, Brianna?"
She shook her head, keeping her gaze firmly fixed on his again. "No, nothing." Why, oh why did he have to sleep naked?! "Clothes, please?" she added, pointing down the hallway. Mercifully, he didn't say anything further, instead vanishing down the hallway.
By the time he re-emerged several minutes later, dressed in his sky-blue tunic and leggings of brown fur, bearing his sword, shield, and the few light bits of armor he wore, she'd managed to get herself under control again. "I'm sorry for waking you," she apologized when he approached her. "Usually Fenris hears me as soon as I knock, and when he didn't answer the door, I got worried. Where is he?"
Mardin shrugged. "He never came back last night, as far as I know. He must have stayed with Varric to sleep it off. And I guess my hearing isn't quite as sharp as his; I didn't hear your knock, only the door closing and the sound of you talking, but not what you were saying. Anyway, don't worry about it. I take it you have a job you need help with?"
Brianna nodded, relieved that he seemed content to dismiss what had just happened. "Yes, there's a mine just outside of Kirkwall called the Bone Pit. The workers have gone missing, and the owner has asked if I would look into it. And there are a few other things I would like to take care of today, as well. Would you mind helping me?"
"Of course not." He frowned, studying her for a minute. "Do you get enough sleep, Brianna?" he asked her gently.
She flushed, warmed by the concern in his gaze even as she felt slightly embarrassed. Did she look so tired and worn out that he felt the need to ask about it? "Yes, of course I do, thank you," she said formally. "I just like to get up early in the morning when I have a lot to do."
He nodded, still looking thoughtful. "Just make sure you don't push yourself too hard. It doesn't do anyone any favours, but especially not you."
"I won't," she promised, wondering even as she said it if he was speaking from personal experience. She headed towards the door, but he beat her there, holding it open for her to walk through before he followed her out. She nodded at him in thanks, trying to remember the last time anyone had held a door open for her. "At any rate, since we're already in Hightown, we might as well stop by the Chantry first before we get the others, so I can tell Sebastian Vael we found the last of those mercenaries yesterday."
"You know, I've been meaning to ask you," he began, walking at her side as they made their way through the marbled streets of Hightown towards the Chantry, "but what exactly is this expedition you're raising money for?"
"Oh, right, I suppose I haven't told you anything about it yet. It's an expedition down into the Deep Roads," she explained, "led by Varric's older brother, Bartrand. You see, the Deep Roads used to be a vast network of dwarven cities connected by roads, before the darkspawn came along and nearly annihilated the dwarves. Now Orzammar is the only dwarven city left standing, but there are still many ruins down there that might contain gold and weapons and other valuables. Bartrand found some maps that lead to what's supposed to be a previously unexplored area, so there's probably a lot of treasure to be had from there. If I can raise enough money, Varric says he can get Bartrand to agree to let me come along, and split some of the treasure, as well. And if we succeed, then I can get a better life for my mother and Carver with that money." She told him about how her mother was formerly of the nobility, and how, if she only had the money and influence, she might be able to get her mother her inheritance and former title back – and keep herself out of the hands of the Templars.
Mardin listened closely to her as they walked through the streets towards the Chantry, nodding every once in a while, clearly absorbing everything she said. "But there are still a lot of darkspawn down there, aren't there?" he asked when she'd finished.
She nodded, realizing he must have heard that from Varric. She'd decided to take it easy on him for the moment, and explain things to him that she thought he likely didn't know, instead of pestering him about his lack of knowledge. It was obvious that he'd already picked up a few things from Varric's stories, though. "There are, which is why I'll need people to come with me as well as help raise the money to go on the expedition. I'm not going to lie to you, it will be very dangerous," she warned him. "And I'm not just talking about losing your life; you could become tainted by the darkspawn's blood, too. I've seen it happen; it starts to corrupt you, and from what I've heard, can even turn you into one of them unless someone . . . kills you first." She could still remember the anguish in Aveline's eyes as she'd had to end her own husband's life before they fled Ferelden, to stop the spread of the corruption. It wasn't something she ever wanted to see again, but she didn't know what else she could do to get her family out of Lowtown. "But if you're willing to risk all of that," she went on softly, "I could really use your help down there."
He didn't even hesitate before he nodded, surprising her as he replied, "Absolutely, I'll help. Anything you need, I told you that already."
"Are you sure?" she asked him, a little floored that he'd agreed so easily. "You don't have to feel obligated to do everything I ask, you know, just because I helped you find a place to stay."
"And you helped me get news of my sister," he reminded her.
"Well, yes, but all we had to do was ask Anders," she protested. "It was such a small thing in comparison to how dangerous this expedition will be –"
"It wasn't a small thing to me, believe me," he told her quietly, interrupting her. "My sister is all I have left, and just because it turned out to be fairly easy to get news of her, does not mean that I am not extremely grateful for your help, and how readily you offered it. Besides the fact that I owe you for that, I just . . . want to help, that's all." He shrugged. "Anyway, I have little else to do; I gave up my post as a Captain to go looking for my sister."
"You could go back," she suggested quietly.
He shook his head. "No, I can't," he said shortly, his face now closed off, and Brianna decided not to press the matter, as curious as it made her, especially as they had arrived at the stairs leading up to the Chantry.
"The Chantry is up here," she told him, and started heading up the stairs as he followed her. "And, well, thank you. I really appreciate the fact that you're so willing to help me with all of this. Especially with the expedition. If it goes well, I will owe you more than I can ever repay."
"Well, I don't know about that. Didn't you say you were going to give me a cut of each job?" he asked her teasingly, his earlier seriousness suddenly gone, and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Yes, because some gold is certainly equal to you risking your life," she said wryly.
"The Order always seemed to think so," he replied, grinning and shrugging.
By this point, they had reached the top of the stairs, and the large double doors leading into the Chantry were ahead of them. Mardin pushed one door open, holding it for her as she slipped past him into the entryway beyond. This Chantry was far more impressive than the one at home in Lothering; it was a vast building of grey marble with high, vaulted ceilings, filled with large golden-red statues spaced along the walls at intervals, with an incredibly large one that extended all the way up to the ceiling at the very back. Red candles burned at the bases of the statues and in sconces along the wall, and the Chantry itself was multi-leveled, numerous balconies of white marble stacked one above the other, with stairways connecting them and red banners hanging over their railings.
It was an immense building, filled with many Chantry sisters and brothers, and Brianna really wasn't sure where to go to look for Sebastian, the Starkhaven prince who was also a Chantry brother. She had only been in the Chantry a couple of times, not being a very devout Andrastian. Fortunately, not far down the hallway, she recognized the gleaming white armor trimmed with gold, overlaying silver chain mail, that she'd seen him sporting only a couple of weeks ago when he'd fired an arrow at the Chantry board to keep his posting up there.
She approached him, Mardin still close at her side, and stopped a few feet in front of the man to address him. She hadn't actually talked to him yet; instead, she'd had Varric do some research on him before she'd decided to take on his posting. "You are Sebastian Vael, aren't you?" she asked, and when he nodded, looking surprised, she went on, "So, will anyone smite me if I tell you we killed the men who wronged your family?"
"My post to the Chanters' Board? Did Her Grace let that stay?" Sebastian asked incredulously, his voice tinged with a pleasant, if unfamiliar, accent. She admitted to herself that he was pleasant to look upon, as well, with slightly curly auburn hair and stunningly bright blue eyes in a handsomely featured face. She privately wondered at the fact that she felt no actual attraction to him, however. Or, at least, it was nothing compared to what she felt for Mardin. She shook that thought off, nodding in answer, but before she could say anything, Sebastian went on, "I thought for sure no one even read . . . But you say you've killed them? You have my eternal gratitude, serah! It is comforting to think my parents might now rest easily in their graves."
"You are most welcome," she replied formally, but unable to resist her curiosity, she couldn't help adding, "Why didn't your family's enemies hunt you down, as well?"
"That's why I took the offensive," the prince replied. "Thanks to you," he nodded gratefully at her, "those Flint Company assassins are no longer a danger. I'm the last of my line. Unless I survive, my family will have no justice."
What would it be like, she wondered, to be the last one of your family left alive? She couldn't even imagine it; it had been bad enough to lose her father and Bethany. She didn't even want to think how horrible it would be to lose everyone. "Do you have any idea who sent these mercenaries?" she asked Sebastian, for surely the Flint company hadn't just decided to do this all on their own.
Sebastian shook his head in reply, frowning. "My family has ruled Starkhaven for six generations. We have enemies, but none who would identify themselves openly. A distant cousin of mine is claiming rulership now, but he is . . . a bit simple. He can be no more than a pawn in this plot."
"But surely you must have a guess as to who was behind it?" she pressed. She simply couldn't believe that a royal family wouldn't have any enemies.
"My parents were always . . . prudent," Sebastian said carefully, ". . . in how they handled our nobles." Brianna heard Mardin mutter something under his breath that sounded like, "not prudent enough", and she elbowed him quickly as the prince continued, "They did not allow rivalries or resentments to flourish. The attack must have come from outside. Kirkwall is our largest trading partner. I came back here to find support for my claim and perhaps for a clue as to who is behind this foul deed."
"Well, if you find out who it was, I'd be happy to help you take your revenge on them," Mardin offered. Brianna glanced at him in surprise; he looked almost eager at the thought of revenge, even as his expression was a trifle dark.
"I – thank you, yes, I would appreciate it," the prince replied, looking a bit startled. "Forgive me, but what are your names?"
"Oh, yes, I apologize, we didn't introduce ourselves," Brianna said quickly, realizing how incorrectly she'd probably handled the whole situation. "My name is Brianna Hawke, and this is my companion, Mardin Trichlor." She pointed to Mardin who nodded at Sebastian in response. "Anyway, I'm . . . sorry that it was too late for the rest of your family, but I hope you sleep a bit easier now that the Flint company is gone."
Sebastian nodded soberly. "Yes, I hope I will. Thank you." He dug into a pouch hanging from his belt, producing four sovereigns which he handed over to Brianna. "Consider this an advance. When I have secured my lands again, you will be paid royally. Now if you'll excuse me, I must meet with the viscount and petition him for aid to a fellow city."
"Of course," Brianna replied, tucking the coins away in her own pouch. "Thank you."
Sebastian nodded and walked away, heading towards the doors, and after a moment, Brianna and Mardin followed, exiting the Chantry and heading down the stairs.
"We might as well go get Carver now, then head to the Hanged Man to see if Fenris and Varric will come," she told Mardin as they trotted down the Chantry stairs. He nodded, and she couldn't help saying after a moment, "You seemed awfully eager to help Sebastian get revenge for his family. Why is that?"
He glanced over at her, his expression shuttered, not replying right away. She held her breath, silently willing him to answer at least one of her questions honestly, and finally he said tightly, "Because I know what it's like to want revenge, that's why."
Remembering what he'd said earlier about his sister being all that he had left, she asked gently, "Was it your parents?"
He looked away, his jaw tight, and she thought this time he would simply refuse to answer, but he finally did. "It was my father. My mother died of an illness when I was young, and it was my father who raised my sister and I. He was killed six years ago by bandits while he was on patrol. They . . . tortured him before they killed him, and left his body in front of Order headquarters for us to find."
"Oh, Mardin," she said softly. "I'm sorry. My father died too, three years ago, but it was just an illness, not . . . I'm so sorry." She didn't know what else to say. She had been devastated to lose her father, as they had been very close, but she couldn't imagine how much worse it would have been to have one's father tortured and then killed. Without even thinking about it, she reached up and laid a hand gently on his shoulder, squeezing it. He looked down at her, giving her a half-hearted smile.
"Thank you. I – " he cleared his throat, looking away, and she let her hand drop as he went on, "Anyway, Ayla and I tracked them down later and we made them pay for it. Every last one of them." He looked back at her almost defiantly, his eyes cold with remembered rage. "So yes, I'll support anyone who wants to take revenge for their slaughtered family."
"I don't blame you," she replied honestly. She really didn't, after hearing what had happened; if her own father had been killed in such a fashion, she could easily see herself doing the same thing. She did, however, find the coldness in his expression more than a little disturbing, even though she knew it wasn't directed at her.
She wondered how she could ever have doubted that he was really a captain. When they had first met, he had seemed so easygoing and flippant that she had seriously thought he might be lying about being the captain of an order, as she couldn't see how someone like that could command a bunch of warriors. Having seen the way he reacted when he thought his sister had been killed, however, and again now, she no longer had any doubt. He had been suddenly and truly frightening in both moments, and Brianna wasn't the type to be easily intimidated. She could clearly see now the side of him that could keep an entire order of rowdy warriors in line, and it made her wonder just how much of that easygoing nature of his was real and just how much of it was affected to make people underestimate him like she initially had.
As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, he closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head, and when he opened them again, the cold rage was gone and he gave her an easy smile. "Let's talk about something else, shall we? Why don't you tell me more about the oh-so-ominously named Bone Pit and the other things you need to do today?"
She couldn't help but smile at the way he referred to the Bone Pit, even though she knew he was deflecting her away from the serious conversation about himself that he'd obviously been reluctant to have. At least he'd answered her honestly on this matter, for she couldn't doubt that his reactions had been genuine this time, so she let him distract her. As they made their way through Hightown and into Lowtown, she told him everything she knew about the Bone Pit, and also about Ninette's disappearance that she hoped to look into.
They stopped by Gamlen's house first and picked up Carver, who was finally awake and ready to go, and then went by the Hanged Man, where they found that Fenris had indeed stayed to sleep off a night of too much drinking in the set of rooms that Varric kept there. Both Fenris and Varric willingly agreed to accompany them out to the Bone Pit, however, making Brianna wonder again just what it was Varric did for a living. He never seemed to have anything to do beyond helping her, yet unlike Fenris and Mardin, he wasn't a recent arrival to Kirkwall with nothing better to do. She'd always assumed he helped his brother Bartrand with his merchant business somehow, yet when did he find the time to actually do anything besides help her? Well, it didn't really matter, she supposed, since she really needed his help.
It took them a few hours to travel to the area in the mountains where the Bone Pit was located, using the map that Hubert had sent Brianna along with the letter, so that it was nearly noon by the time they reached it. They stopped for a brief break to eat on the side of the path before they began to get closer. It struck Brianna as a gloomy little area of rocky ground, with scraggly bits of plants growing out of the rocks here and there, and it didn't help that the wind began to pick up as they got closer, sending the sun behind some dark clouds.
Fenris scowled. "This ground is cursed. Only wretched or ignorant souls would linger here."
Almost as soon as he'd said it, Brianna heard some faint, eerie noises in the distance, and gave an involuntary shiver. Mardin wrinkled his nose, looking as disturbed as Fenris was. "Smells like fire and death," he muttered, glancing warily ahead.
"Well, we have to find out what happened to the miners," Brianna said, trying to talk herself into it as she continued along the trail, and the others followed.
The trail wound around the side of a mountain, becoming steadily narrower and more rocky as they went, until it finally opened up onto a wide plateau of sandy ground in front of the mine entrances. She heard a shout as they came out into the clearing, and suddenly Mardin and Fenris were running ahead of her, followed shortly by Carver, to meet an oncoming wave of attackers.
Nearly a dozen rough-looking men and women attacked them, having obviously been looting the crates that lay abandoned everywhere outside of the mine entrances. Brianna sent a fireball blast at a clustered group of three of them that were coming up behind the several already facing Carver and the others, sending the three men flying. She finished them off with merciless lightning blasts, while Varric picked off a few more with lethally accurate bolts from Bianca.
Numerous though the looters were, they weren't terribly skilled at fighting, and it wasn't long before the five of them were victorious. Though she felt a bit bad about it, Brianna went about looting the bodies afterwards, and the others helped. She didn't have so much money that she could afford to be picky about where she got it, for most of what she got from her jobs went directly into her expedition savings. She still needed to somehow feed herself and her family, as well as give the others that helped her their fair share. She would do whatever she had to do, she reminded herself for what seemed like the hundredth time as she picked the pockets of one of the looters.
"There does not appear to be any miners out here," Fenris observed when they'd finished with the bodies of the looters.
"Maybe they all just ran away?" Carver suggested as they all looked around.
Mardin shook his head. "I don't think so. Too many scorch marks and burnt bodies. Look." He pointed at a badly charred body lying next to a mining cart.
"I think Red's right. They must have been attacked by something," Varric said. "Do you know, I heard stories that the Tevinters used to raise dragons out here?"
"Maker, please don't let it be dragons," Brianna muttered. "We'd better check inside the mines, and make sure there aren't any other miners around that might need help."
"Lead the way, Hawke," Varric said grandly, gesturing around them at the various mine entrances.
In the end, they only found one mine entrance that was still accessible; the others were all blocked by rubble, though Brianna didn't know if it was the miners that had done it, or something – or someone – else. They made their way into the mine through the one opening, and had only gone a short way in, coming across the first cavern, before they were attacked by several small dragons, no bigger than a Mabari hound. Small though they were, they were still dangerous with their teeth and claws, and just as they'd nearly defeated them, yet another dragon appeared, this one a bit larger than a horse and breathing fire. Still, between the five of them, they were able to finish it off without any serious injuries, Brianna counteracting its fire with ice while the others attacked it, Fenris dealing the finishing blow from its back.
"Well, Bree, it seems that it is dragons," Carver said wryly when the fight was done. "At least they're smaller than the one that witch turned into."
"Yes, lucky us," Brianna agreed dryly. "At least we know what happened to the miners; they wouldn't have been prepared to fight off dragons, small or not."
"There may be more miners hiding somewhere within these caves, though," Fenris pointed out.
Brianna nodded. "Yes, we'd better keep looking."
So they continued on through the rocky and dusty tunnels of the mine, where thankfully the miners had placed lanterns every few feet to light the way, most of which were still burning. There were also wooden sets of stairs in several of the caverns, connecting the ground level of the tunnels with higher rocky areas above. They ended up fighting a few more groups of the small dragons as they went through the mines, though fortunately none were bigger than the first ones they encountered.
Finally, they stumbled across one of the miners just as they were about to head through another entrance; he nearly ran right into Mardin, who had insisted on taking point after the first group of dragons, which Brianna had seen no reason to object to; his shield would be better protection than her robes. The miner was a red-haired man with a beard, dressed in simple woolen clothes, pale and wide-eyed as he stumbled to a halt in front of them.
"Are you all right?" Brianna asked him, stepping forward next to Mardin. The miner waved his hands frantically at her, making shushing noises and pointing behind him. Brianna nodded in understanding, realizing there must be more dragons behind him.
"Praise Andraste you came along," the miner whispered, glancing carefully over his shoulder. "Them dragons would have sniffed me out for certain."
"Hold on," Brianna said, trying to be as soothing as possible. "Can you tell us what happened here?"
"I'll tell you what I can, but be a friend and keep your voice down. There's another dragon close by," the miner hissed.
Brianna nodded, making sure to stay as quiet as possible as she asked, "Where did the dragons come from?"
"We was mining a new tunnel when the wall collapsed," the man explained, "and dragons came through! It was a bloody slaughter!" He shook his head, looking terrified, which Brianna couldn't blame him for. "Scared out of my wits, I ran like my ass was on fire – it probably was. Only I went the wrong way. Ended up trapped here."
"Did anyone else manage to escape?" she wanted to know. They hadn't seen anyone else so far.
The man nodded hastily. "Some of my fellows ran for the surface. I hope they made it."
Brianna could only hope that they had escaped before she and the others had arrived, since they hadn't met anyone on the way here. But at least she could be thankful they'd managed to save this one man, if no one else. "You should get out of here, and hurry," she told him, pointing back the way they'd come.
"Don't have to tell me twice. You should leave, too, but don't go that way." The miner pointed behind him, before holding his arms out wide. "There's this huge dragon!" Without further ado, he scooted past them and ran back the way they'd come.
"Seems we've another dragon to slay," Varric sighed, readying his crossbow. "Here I was hoping to get back to Kirkwall in time for happy hour . . ."
"Me too," Carver agreed mildly. "But of course it couldn't be that easy."
"Personally, I like a little challenge before I go celebrate with a drink," Mardin drawled. Brianna glanced up at him, noticing in surprise that his eyes were gleaming with excitement. Was he really looking forward to fighting a big dragon?
"Well, I suppose we have to kill it," she said after a moment. "If we don't, it might make its way to Kirkwall eventually."
They all readied their weapons, nodding in agreement, and Mardin went first, Fenris and Carver behind him, Brianna and Varric bringing up the rear, as they made their way through the tunnel beyond the entrance where they'd met the miner. The tunnel eventually led them outside, onto a circular ledge high above a rocky clearing, surrounded by mountains. No sooner had they all gotten outside than a dragon came flying down from above. This one was much larger than the others they'd seen previously, though still not as large as Flemeth had been; it was about twice the size of an ox.
It spewed flame at the three men in front as it landed, and they dove out of the way. Brianna cast a cone of ice in front of her as the flame got closer, and the two elements fizzled out as they met. Brianna followed up with yet another blast of ice, catching the dragon in its side, and it roared, charging forward. It stopped short, however, roaring again as Mardin and Carver swung their swords at it from either side, while Fenris leapt onto its back, landing with his greatsword point down. In the next instant, however, the dragon had succeeded in bucking Fenris off its back, while it swiped Carver aside with its tail and moved to bite Mardin on the other side.
Varric began firing bolts at the dragon, his main focus seeming to be the dragon's eyes and wings, while Brianna hit it with arcane bolts between blasts of ice, trying to preserve her magical energy as much as possible. The other three continued attacking it, trying to stay out of reach of its claws, teeth, fire and tail as they circled it and Fenris tried to get on its back once more. Though the fight was much harder than the ones previously, the dragon seemed to be growing progressively weaker as more sword wounds and crossbow bolts appeared on its side.
Then the lashing tail hit Carver hard, and he went down with a sharp cry. Brianna raced over to his side, sudden panic pounding through as her mind flashed back to the moment Bethany had been killed by the ogre. She would not fail Carver as she had failed her baby sister, was her only thought as she dropped to her knees next to him, a basic healing spell at the ready as she checked him over.
"Bree, I'm fine," Carver got out through gritted teeth, and though he was clutching at his side, Brianna didn't see any open wounds or signs of severe injury. At that moment, though, she heard a cry of "Hawke!" followed by "Brianna!" behind her.
She whirled around in time to see the dragon's head coming straight at her, snarling with teeth out and ready, and she raised her staff, hoping she'd be fast enough with the one shielding spell she knew to stop it. Before she got out the words, however, Mardin was there in front of her, deflecting the dragon's mouth aside with a bash of his shield, and trying to swing his sword into its head right after. He just barely missed the head, and before he could recover, the dragon's front claws raked into his unprotected back, blood flying as it rent right through the light chainmail.
"Mardin!" Brianna screeched in horror as he went down hard on his knees, just stopping himself from landing face-first by planting his sword in the ground. The dragon let out a shriek at the same moment, as Fenris had taken advantage of its distraction to stab his greatsword into its side.
Carver scrambled up from behind her, and while the dragon whirled to get at Fenris, he stabbed into its chest on the other side while Varric peppered that same side with bolts. This distraction proved sufficient enough that the dragon tried to turn back towards them, and Fenris stabbed right into the base of its neck, slicing down hard and opening up a fountain of blood. With a final gurgling shriek, the dragon collapsed to the ground, Fenris and Carver moving to make sure it wouldn't get up again.
"Oh, Maker, Mardin!" Brianna scurried closer to him, flinching at the sight of the three deep claw marks across his back, bleeding profusely between the slashed bits of his chainmail and tunic. He was leaning heavily on his sword, gasping for breath, but he turned a bit to look at her and smiled faintly. "It's not that bad of a wound," he managed.
"Yes it is!" Brianna snapped as she started casting the healing spell she'd been going to use on Carver on his back instead. The blue glow spread from her hands into the deep gouges, but they were closing up very slowly, and she frowned, concern rushing through her. Anders had been teaching her some healing magic when they had time, but she was still really more of a combat mage than a proficient healer, and she suddenly wished that Anders was here to fix the wound. Her worry for Mardin and her concern that her magic wasn't enough only fuelled her anger as she yelled at him, "Look at all this blood! What did you think you were doing?!"
"Helping you?" he offered mildly, though she could hear the pain in his voice that he was trying to mask. "I did avoid the teeth, you'll notice."
"Well you didn't avoid the claws!" Brianna snarled at him. "And don't you dare move!" she added angrily when he shifted as if to turn and look at her.
"Yes, my lady," he said meekly, though she could hear a current of amusement in his voice now, and she blew out an exasperated breath, trying not to laugh herself.
"Take it easy on poor Red, Hawke," Varric said as he came up next to her. "He did just get clawed by a dragon for your sake, you know."
"It was his own stupid fault," Brianna grumbled, ignoring Mardin's soft chuckle as she concentrated hard on the spell, frowning down at the wounds. Though the bleeding seemed to have largely stopped, the wounds were only marginally smaller, and she didn't have a lot of magic left, or any lyrium potions. "I'm not sure I can fix this, Varric," she added quietly. "I'm not Anders. Does anyone have any of his healing potions left?"
"Sorry, Hawke," Varric answered regretfully. "I used my last one up on that last batch of dragons."
Carver and Fenris had rejoined them, having made absolutely certain the dragon wasn't getting back up and having cleaned off their swords as well, and both shook their heads. "I did see a crate of healing potions back at the entrance to the mines," Fenris offered. "I left them there, as there were too many of them to carry at the time."
"Can you go get them?" Brianna begged him. "Please?"
"I'll be fine –" Mardin began, but Brianna cut him off. "No, you won't," she snapped. "Please, Fenris?"
The elf nodded before heading towards the entrance, and Varric went to follow. "Come on, Junior, let's go get as many as we can carry," he called over his shoulder.
Carver nodded, looking down at Mardin first. "Thanks for protecting my sister," he said gruffly. Brianna smiled slightly, her heart warming at her little brother's words. Every once in a while, Carver managed to surprise her.
"You're welcome," Mardin replied seriously, before Carver hurried after the other two. "You can stop, you know," he said after a moment, when the others had disappeared down the tunnel. "I know you're running out of magical energy, and I'm not bleeding to death. I can wait until they get back."
Brianna frowned, but he was right; she was feeling close to drained, and the spell wasn't really doing much anymore. Besides, the bleeding had stopped for the most part, with only the occasional trickle here and there, and it shouldn't take long for the others to get back with the potions. She cut off the spell, lowering her hands and sitting down heavily behind him. "How did you know I was running low?" she asked softly.
He glanced over his shoulder, and when she didn't immediately yell at him, he turned himself very carefully around before sitting down cross-legged next to her. He looked very pale still, she noted with worry as he answered, "I could feel it. The wounds were closing up at first, but that feeling kept slowing down, and I know you were trying as hard as you could. It meant you had to be running low."
She sighed. "I'm sorry I'm not a better healer. Anders could have fixed that right away, I'm sure."
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. As you so kindly pointed out," he grinned at her, eyes sparkling with mirth, "it was my own fault. I should have been watching out for a second attack, instead of trying to get in an attack of my own."
"And I'm sorry for yelling at you," she added with a wince. "I tend to get angry when I'm worried." He waved this off as though it was a minor concern, and she went on softly, "Why did you do it, though? Get between me and the dragon?"
He studied her thoughtfully, seemingly contemplating his answer, before he said at last, "It wasn't anything personal. I would have done that for anyone. That wasn't my enemy, at least," he amended.
"But why?" she pressed, trying to understand his motivations, even as she admired the fact that he hadn't used it as an opportunity to try and charm her - which, she admitted to herself, just might have worked.
He shrugged. "Because protecting people is one of the Order's duties. I'd be a poor Captain if I wasn't the first one willing to lay my life on the line." He said the last with the air of someone reciting something he'd heard many times before, a faint smile on his face.
"Who taught you that?" she asked him quietly.
He gave her a slightly startled look before he smiled again, a much brighter and more genuine smile that gave her a warm feeling inside. "My father. He was the Captain before I was, for many years. I think he became Captain before I was even born."
"He must have been a very good Captain," she prompted gently, hoping to get him to open up a bit more, though she sincerely believed her statement, as well.
Mardin nodded, a far-away look in his eyes. "He was. I tried my best to follow in his footsteps, after he was killed. I don't know if I really succeeded, but . . . I tried."
"I know what you mean," Brianna agreed, laying a hand over his where it rested on his knee and squeezing it gently, feeling that they both needed the comfort. He flipped his hand over, squeezing hers in turn as she went on, "After my father died, my mother was devastated. She kind of . . . fell apart. I did everything I could to look after her, and Bethany and Carver - to make sure that they had everything they needed. I really tried to do it the way he would have . . . but I failed to protect Bethany. I won't fail to protect Carver."
He squeezed her hand a little tighter, meeting her eyes seriously. "Varric told me what happened to her. That wasn't your fault."
"It was," she insisted, feeling tears gathering in her eyes that she tried to keep back. "It was my job to protect her, and Carver. It's always been my job, ever since they were born, and I didn't – I couldn't – "
"Hey." He captured her other hand in his, squeezing them both tightly, bringing her attention back to him. "I understand, okay? It's always been my job to look after my sister, too, ever since we were little. Keeping her safe, that was on me, and I lost her. But there comes a point when . . . they're not little kids anymore, and they go off and do things on their own, and we can't stop them. We just have to . . . accept that they made those decisions for themselves."
Nobody had ever understood the pressure she was under before, to look after the twins, but she could see that Mardin did, one older sibling to another, and she felt her heart ease a little with his words, but not completely. "I was right there, though –"
"Right there, and too far away," he cut her off gently. "You couldn't have done it any differently, trust me. There's no point in torturing yourself with what you could have or should have done. I did it for years with my father, telling myself I should have gone on patrol with him, or stopped him from going on patrol. It never does any good, and there's no way to go back. You just have to . . . let it go."
She nodded, letting out a deep breath as two tears escaped, trickling down her cheeks before she managed to hold them back. He was right; there was no way to go back, and no point in torturing herself anymore. Bethany had decided for herself to protect Mother, and she needed to accept that. He reached up with one hand, gently wiping away her tears, and she felt herself flush. "Thank you, Mardin, really. I . . . needed to hear that."
He smiled back at her, those ice-blue eyes suddenly a soft and deeper blue, in a way that she'd never quite seen before, but it still sped her pulse up. "You are most welcome, my lady."
She heard Varric's voice just then, and the sound of approaching footsteps, and she quickly pulled her other hand away from Mardin, standing up as she flushed with embarrassment, not wanting Carver or the others to see her moment of weakness. The three of them came hurrying through the gap in the cave wall a moment later, arms laden with potions.
"There were even some lyrium potions in there, Hawke!" Varric exclaimed triumphantly as they came to a stop a few feet away. "We should be able to get you and Red going again with all of these!"
"That's good news, Varric," she said, smiling as they all set the potions down on the ground.
It took four of the healing potions before Brianna was happy with the state of Mardin's back, and she still added a little bit of the basic healing magic to it after she'd taken three of the lyrium potions. She ran her fingers over the skin afterwards, checking to make sure it was unbroken once more, and finally satisfied, declared that they should get back to Kirkwall and report to Hubert. They divided up the remaining potions between their pouches, and made their way back to Kirkwall.
By the time they reached the city, it was nearly supper-time, the sun dipping low towards the horizon, but she still led the others to the Hightown marketplace first to report the results to Hubert. He was still at his booth when they arrived, a dark-skinned man with dark brown hair and a beard, wearing what was in Brianna's opinion a very gaudy tunic of patterned red and gold, though the velvet it was made of was clearly fine material. "I solved your problem," she told him simply when they stopped in front of him.
"So, what happened? One of the miners told me you rescued him from dragons," Hubert scoffed. "I cuffed him for lying."
Brianna narrowed her eyes. She really didn't like this man, but she needed the money he owed her, so she did her best to hold her anger in as she replied shortly, "Well, he wasn't. Go there and see the corpses for yourself. The largest dragon injured my companions." And she wasn't likely to forget that anytime soon; either her moment of terrified panic over Carver, or the blood spraying from Mardin's back, even if it was gone now.
Hubert's eyes widened with clear shock as he protested, "But . . . I thought they're extinct!" When she glared fiercely at him, he waved his hands at her, shaking his head. "Eh, I believe you. You made them extinct again? If it is safe, the miners can return to work."
"I don't know if I'd call that place safe," Mardin said skeptically.
Remembering Anders' words about Mardin's instincts, Brianna nodded in agreement. "The Bone Pit is hazardous at best. And if the dragons return, well . . ." she shrugged. She hoped she didn't need to explain to Hubert what a disaster that would be.
"I appreciate your concern for my worker's welfare," Hubert replied, smiling and nodding, and very obviously not listening as he continued, "I could use someone like you to ensure their continued safety. Since you did so much more than I was expecting, how about we work together?"
"Work together?" Carver repeated incredulously, glancing from Hubert back to Brianna. "With him?"
"I am offering a fifty-fifty share in the mine," Hubert said quickly before Brianna could answer. "You will make us both rich if you can keep your countrymen safe."
Brianna chewed on her lip thoughtfully. There wasn't much work available for Fereldan refugees in Kirkwall, and it was obvious that Hubert was going to keep sending workers there regardless of what she said. Having made her decision, she answered at last, "Seems like the miners could use protection . . . and an advocate. I'll work with you, for their sake."
Hubert beamed and nodded, clearly ignoring the intent of her message as he clapped his hands together. "So to our first order of business: we replace the lost workers. I will hire new hands. Plenty of desperate Fereldans out there, but it will take some time." He pointed at Brianna. "I need you to convince the surviving miners to return. They are holed up in Lowtown. Tell them the Bone Pit is safe again."
She sighed. "I'll see what I can do." Hubert took out three sovereigns, handing them over to her, and she tucked them in her pouch as well before walking away, the others following.
Since they were heading back to Lowtown anyway, Brianna tracked down the miners first; they weren't hard to find, drinking and carousing noisily on the street not far from the Hanged Man. After a few moments of conversation with Jansen, the red-haired miner they'd rescued, and his very drunk friends, she managed to convince them to return to work for twice what they were getting paid before. Let Hubert deal with that, she thought smugly. If he was going to send them back to a potential death-trap, the least he could do was pay them decently.
That done, she turned to the others. "How about I buy us all supper and a drink or two at the Hanged Man? We have to wait until it's fully night to check out that foundry, anyway."
"I never say no to free food and drink, Hawke!" Varric declared. "Lead the way!"
The others nodded their agreement, and they all headed over to the Hanged Man. As they went, Mardin whispered quietly to her, "And after the foundry, you'll go and get some proper rest, right?"
She stared at him for a moment in surprise before nodding. She supposed he did have a point; she had been putting in some long days lately, trying to finish all of these jobs. "Right," she agreed.
"Good," he smiled down at her, before holding open the door to the Hanged Man for her. As she went in, Brianna tried to remember when the last time was that anyone had tried to look after her, even her own mother, and came up blank. Until now, no one had really expressed any concern about her well-being since her father had died three years ago, and she found herself more touched than she wanted to admit at Mardin's concern, however minor it might be. She'd been right from the very beginning; there was definitely far more to Mardin than met the eye, and even more than she'd initially suspected. That made her wonder if her heart might not be in just as much trouble as the rest of her, and decided after rolling her eyes at him when he pulled a chair out for her with a flourish and a wink, that maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing, after all.