"There can be no peace…"

Hawke stood as still as a statue as sparks of magic fire floated down around them. All of Kirkwall had just seen the destruction Anders and the Revolutionists had just caused; the Chantry along with the Grand Cleric and all the lay brothers and sisters within had all been blown to pieces by Maker knows what. The column of sinister red magic had completely pulverised the Chantry, sending pieces of burning rubble hurtling towards neighbouring houses and estates, sending them alight also.

She watched as Sebastian fell to his knees, crying out to the Grand Cleric and the others inside the Chantry as Isabella desperately tried to comfort him. Katherine was being held back by Alistair as she screamed and shouted at Anders, a murderous glare in her eyes. Meredith and Orsino were already blaming each other for the destruction of the Chantry as the rest of her companions just stared at the now reddened sky. So much destruction and pain had occurred all at once, and it was all down to one mage's fault.

Anders slumped down onto a stone block that used to be part of the Chantry, his chin resting on his hands as he seemed to fade out of this world and into his own; Hawke knew that he was having a conversation with Justice.

"Serah Hawke, you must choose whose side you will be on now, and there is no other option," Meredith's cold tone of voice brought Hawke back into reality.

"Can't I just sit back with some popcorn and watch you all fight? I would rather do that," Hawke jested but the evil glare she received from both Orsino and Meredith was the only answer she needed.

Sighing with exhaustion, Hawke started to pace back and forth, muttering to herself as she created a set of scales with her hands, weighing up the good and bad things, and the possible consequences of whichever side she took.

Hawke knew that siding with the mages would be natural; she was in fact a mage after all, as was her sister and beloved father. She believed that all mages should be free and the Rite of Annulment would be out of the question; but she also knew that most of the mages of Kirkwall would most likely turn to blood magic to defend themselves, she had seen that way too many times since she arrived here almost ten years ago. There were very few decent mages left in this city apart from herself, Bianca, Blaize and Winter.

On the other hand, could she really side with the templars? They were Hawke's only threat to her freedom throughout all of her life, and because of them, her family had to constantly move from one village to the next to escape them. Plus, Meredith had been hounding her since her family regained status in Kirkwall, despite all the money Hawke poured into Kirkwall's economy. The Knight Commander still perceived Hawke as a threat. But without the templars, she would not be here today, nor would Carver or Bethany, if she were still alive.

She turned to face both Meredith, feeling everyone's burning gaze on her. Whatever she was about to say would upset someone, and to be honest, she just wanted to solve the shit that both Meredith and Orsino had made for themselves.

"I will not let either of you turn what I now call home into a pile of rubble; I'm with the templars on this one," Hawke stated plainly, glaring at both Orsino and Meredith, daring them to challenge her decision.

"We must get to the Circle; everyone on me!" Orsino ordered his fellow mages as they all started to flee. Meredith ordered her templars to chase after them, and as she followed them, Meredith stopped briefly to the side of the Champion of Kirkwall.

"This is…unexpected. Now I shall leave you to deal with your companion here, and I shall meet you at the Gallows."

Hawke only nodded for a reply, not even turning to watch the Knight Commander storm after the mages like a rampaging hurricane. The rest of her companions either stared at Meredith, or were still in shock over Hawke siding with the templars, but all of them were trying to wrap their brains over what had happened in the short space of a few moments.

Now all eyes rested on the mage perched on the stone block.

"Anders, what have you done?" Hawke tried to prevent her voice from breaking, but failed to do so as she felt the tears well up in her eyes.

"I removed the chance of compromise, because there is no compromise."

"You son-of-a-bitch! This could have been resolved peacefully if you had not intervened!" Katherine managed to break free from her husband's grip and launched herself at Anders, knocking him off the stone block as she began to punch him like a piece of meat. The heart-wrenching crunch of bone and the way some of Anders' blood splattered across Katherine's face made Hawke want to scream.

But when Katherine was about to go in for one more punch to the face, Anders' eyes flashed blue and Justice came through, sending forth a burst of energy to send Katherine flying backwards. Luckily, she landed on both Alistair and a couple of Grey Wardens.

Although his face was bloody and his nose broken, Anders' body stood upright, showing no pain as Justice took complete control.

"You humans know nothing of justice!" Justice roared angrily, slamming the end of his staff on the floor as eerie blue flames started to surround him, his veins visible through his skin.

"How is killing innocent people justice? Velenna and Sigrun are dead because of you!" Katherine screamed, almost to tears as Alistair held her close, trying to calm her down.

"They should not have tried to stop us!"

"This ends now, Justice," Hawke said coldly, readying her staff. Fenris was already glued to her side, his sword at the ready, and one by one, each of Hawke's companions drew their weapons, even Sebastian who had managed to get a grip on his feelings as he aimed his rage at the abomination in front of him.

"Ah Hawke, the love of Anders' life…and the woman who made all this possible" Justice grinned sadistically, "Without the ingredients for the 'separation' potion that you helped us gather, Anders was able to make that bomb, and the Mage Revolutionists planted it."

But Hawke remained undeterred as she suddenly stormed forward towards Justice.

"Trinity!" Fenris called out, but it was no use.

Hawke somehow managed to grip Justice by the throat, choking him as she surged the lyrium coursing through her veins into his body. With a blood curdling scream, Justice went away and Anders came through again. She needed honest answers, and she knew she would get them from Anders. The mage had nothing to lose now. As Anders struggled to catch his breath, Hawke leant him against the stone block, her hand still gripped around his throat.

"I need to ask the obvious; why?" Hawke began her interrogation, as she loosened her grip.

"I removed the chance of compromise. I set forward a motion of events that forces people to choose their side, to act upon justice and vengeance combined," he managed to reply in-between gasps of breath.

"Is that you talking to me Anders, or is it that messed-up spirit in your mind called Justice?" she said coldly, knowing that the man she once called her best friend was no more.

"We have...become one."

Hawke remained quiet for a few moments, she felt everyone's eyes set on her as she paced back and forward slowly in front of the abomination, the distant screams and shouts of battle filled her ears as well as the tenacious crackle of burning buildings. She prayed to the Maker that Sandal, Bodahn and Orana were safe.

"Have anything you wanted to add Katherine? He is your Warden after all," Hawke finally turned her back to Anders, folding her arms as she shut her eyes tight, needing to think things through.

"I was just wondering what the best way to kill him would be," Katherine announced casually, her booted footsteps followed by yet another break of bone as she heard Katherine punch Anders once again.

Hawke scoffed, one hand fiddling with the bone wolf-head necklace around her neck that Fenris made her, "Do what you please, I have no more time to waste on him."

"Hawke…" she heard Anders mutter under his breath.

"Any last words before I finish you myself?" Katherine smiled sadistically, cupping his chin in her hand as her eyes glimmered with a bloodthirsty vengeance.

"I want Hawke to be the one to finish me."

"Well say good- what?"

"You heard me."

Hawke spun around on the spot, her eyes widened in shock as Anders stared up into her eyes, and he already appeared to be devoid of all life. There was no emotion in his eyes, his face pale and his body slumped. Katherine simply nodded to Hawke and stomped away, annoyed that her lust for Anders' blood would not end with his head sliced off by her own blade.

"Fenris, I don't want Winter to see this," she whispered softly to her elf as he simply nodded in reply, kneeling down with Winter's back to her auntie and Anders. Winter buried her face into Fenris' neck, whimpering quietly as the others watched Hawke's every move, and for once Varric or Isabella made no motion as to make a lewd joke.

Hawke knelt down in front of Anders, their eyes interlocked as she carefully placed her hand on his forehead. This was the very technique Anders taught her to kill him if he was ever made tranquil, and to this memory, Anders smiled sadly, tears pouring down his cheeks. Hawke joined in soon after, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wept for the loss of her best friend, although she should have cried a long time before this moment.

"Thank you, Hawke."

Anders' face relaxed as he closed his eyes. Hawke channelled a powerful force spell through her palm, the power gradually building up as she suddenly cried out as the unrelentless force came straight out of her palm, knocking both her and Anders' lifeless body away from each other. Merrill screamed in horror, hiding in Carver's neck as parts of Anders' head painted the stone block he had just been sitting on in a mixture of vivid reds and pinks, his body laid a little away from the block, right at Katherine's feet. Fenris kept Winter's face hidden from the horrific sight in front of him.

"Holy shit…" Varric was the first to break the silence as he hastily wiped gore off his boot.

"Whenever either of us was made Tranquil, Anders and I made a promise to end each other this way. It was quick, painless and released our true spirit. In this case, Justice is now dead as well," Hawke simply explained as she stared at the blood on her palm she had used to cast the spell.

"Well then, off to the Gallows then, I presume?" Isabella pointed out, Hawke nodded before everyone made their way down the Chantry steps, preparing themselves for the battle of their lives.

After wiping Anders' blood from her hand and onto her robe, Hawke immediately hugged Winter.

"Auntie Hawke, will everything be alright in the end?"

Hawke simply smiled, tucking a ginger lock behind Winter's semi-pointed ear, "Of course it will. Everything will be just fine."