A/N: I am terribly sorry about the wait (again haha) School started and it's been a wild ride since. I'm a History major with a double minor in TESL and Japanese. So the readings are keeping me busy. I'm also a TA actually so, quite busy. However I'll try to keep up! What did you think about bringing in the Hawkes? Since there are no darkspawn, there is no Blight and Lothering doesn't get destroyed so… :P
As always, thank you all lovely readers for reading, following, liking, reviewing, etc... !
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: The characters and locations don't belong to me; they belong to Bioware and EA and I'm simply using them to fuel this thing called my muse.
.: CHAPTER IX :.
The Life in Lothering
"Do you want to marry me?" Hawke suddenly asked.
"What?" She exclaimed in confusion.
"It would not be a true, consummated marriage. Since I know you would never love me like you love that Alistair… But it would be a way for your son to have a father and the villagers won't have anything to say about him being a bastard. We could ask the revered mother to bless the union, but we won't be truly married.
"You'll make Carver insanely jealous and angry you know…" She whispered, considering the idea.
"Right, he confessed his love to you a few weeks after you arrived in the village, didn't he?" He smiled lightly.
"Yes… He was heartbroken… But Garrett, I can't. No, I shouldn't…" She said.
"Think of it as further protection. If guards ever notice that you look like the so-called late queen, wouldn't it be more suspicious if you're a single mother? And you said your Alistair looked slightly like Cailan, did you not? What if he grows up to look like Cailan?" Garrett said as he held her gaze. "Then people will really talk and wonder, no matter what you have said about your son's father"
What Garrett was saying made sense to Katharyne. "We will be people living together under a ruse then…" She said as she was thinking. "Alright Garrett… Thank you…" She nodded, grateful.
They both agreed to live on her farm, far from prying eyes, and fabricated a story where the boy's father had died a few moons ago and therefore she could not marry until her period of mourning was over. They explained to the revered mother that they wanted to raise her son together. A few days later, the revered mother who, surprisingly, had agreed to bless their union until the mourning period was over set their ruse in stone.
…
Over a year and a half had passed and Katharyne had been raising her growing son away from prying eyes, with help from Garrett and his family once in a while. Each day, her son was looking more and more like Alistair, his golden hair an exact replica of his father's as a child, albeit curly. The shape of his eyes was the same, except they were mint-green with flecks of gold and amber. Watching him grow and become like his father was paining Katharyne, who missed Alistair awfully each day.
"I heard today that the King has remarried this week past" Garrett said as they ate at the table inside the farmhouse, Katharyne feeding her son a mixture of chicken and farm vegetables. "Although, if the rumours are true, he remarried quite unhappily."
"Oh? Is that so? It makes sense, it has been just a little over two years since my 'death'… His mourning period is over." She said, looking up at Garrett. "Who is the lucky lady?"
"Lady Anora Mac Tir"
"Ha! How happy she must be to finally be queen." Katharyne exclaimed with spite in her voice, turning her focus back to her son.
"What do you mean? If anyone heard you berate the new queen…" He started.
"Oh Garrett… Don't worry." She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure the woman has been wanting to be queen ever since she was a little girl. Her father, Teyrn Loghain, although born a commoner, was the late King Maric's best friend and advisor. She has grown up being at the castle, like me. When I was there, she never seemed to like me and was always very cold towards me. Possibly, because there had been talks of her marrying Cailan until I was born. King Maric preferred to have the 'Daughter of Highever' as his son's wife." Katharyne explained as she finished feeding her son. "The woman was always fawning all over Cailan, whether I was there or not. I never loved Cailan but I didn't like the way she acted. However, he always rebuffed her advances, but it seems it has paid off." She added with a sneer.
"Maybe Teyrn Loghain begged him to marry her… I also heard she convinced her kingly husband to name him regent because Cailan has been bedridden." Garrett added as he took a sip of his water.
"Bedridden? The king is sick?" Katharyne exclaimed as she washed her son's face.
"Yes, I was told it has been at least a moon since he has been bedridden."
"It's surprising…"
"What is?"
"Cailan being sick… In all the years I've known him has never once been sick. And now he's sick and Loghain has become regent…?" She said, a sceptical tone in her voice as she watched her son play around the room.
"What are you suggesting?"
"I just think it is highly suspicious that Cailan is sick now that he's married to Anora and Loghain was declared regent. The man never liked me and I've always felt he was very ambitious, although also very paranoid about the Orlesians invading again."
"You don't think that… Maybe-"
"Maybe he got Cailan sick so the man would agree to marry his daughter and make himself regent? It's exactly what I'm thinking, Garrett…" She sighed, shaking her head. "I have a weird feeling and I should ask Zevran something when he comes back."
Garrett seemed puzzled before he looked at her strangely. "You don't think his employer was Teyrn Loghain?" He said.
"It was…" She heard the familiar accent say as she looked up and saw Zevran at the front door. He closed it behind him before he sat down in front of her and Garrett. Her son waddled up to the elf and giggled, "Zev-zev!" raising his arms to be picked up.
"Hi Fionn" Zevran smiled as obliged, giving a pained smile as he sat the boy down on his lap. "You must have questions… It's time that I answer them." He turned to Katharyne.
"Zevran, your employer was Loghain?"
"Yes."
"Did he explain why he hired you?"
"He did not explain it to Taliesen and myself personally, however, I overheard him speaking with his daughter and another man I did not recognize. He said, and I quote, that you were a nuisance and had to be eliminated before you made Ferelden weak to be taken by the Orlesians once more. He hated the changes you had made to the laws, giving the elves much more freedom. I remember him saying he would do anything to return things to the way that they once were. He asked us to get rid of you by any means necessary, making it look like an accident was preferable." Zevran explained, bouncing the boy up and down on his knee.
Katharyne couldn't help but let out a loud laugh. "Such a petty man! Stuck in his out-dated traditions and paranoia of the Orlesians… Who are, might I add, lovely people albeit slightly self-centered and eccentric." She said as she got up from her chair to put away the used dishes. She walked back to the table and reached for her son who gladly latched onto her. "Good riddance, I say!"
"Katharyne, you don't mean that surely-" Garrett started before they heard a loud pounding at the door.
"Open up! This is the King's Guard!" Was yelled behind the door. Garrett glanced at Katharyne and Zevran before he got up from his chair and went to open the door.
"Yes, how may I help you?" He asked the guards politely.
"We have reports from villagers that you are harbouring an assassin. We have followed him all the way to Lothering. By order of King Cailan and his regent, Teyrn Loghain, we are to search your house and…"
Katharyne gasped, droning out the words as she heard the voice of the guard addressing Hawke. "No… it can't be…" She whispered to herself. "Not him…"
Her suspicions were confirmed when the tall figure stepped inside the house, brushing his blond hair back slightly. Other guards filing in followed him. Zevran didn't move from his seat, simply staring at the guards, sitting calmly.
Alistair noticed the elf and approached the table. She was thankful he hadn't noticed her yet and started to step back towards the door to her room, rocking her child slightly.
"Ser knight, I will come with you if you promise not to hurt my friend and his… ehh… wife. They only thought I was a merchant" Zevran said as he pointed to Garrett and then Katharyne.
It was then that Katharyne saw his eyes look up and lock with hers. His brow furrowed before his eyes widened in confusion.
Alistair looked at the woman with shoulder-length brown hair standing near the back wall, facing him. Her mint-green eyes locked with his, sending a familiar sensation through his body. 'Those eyes…' He thought they looked familiar but that was impossible. The only woman to have had those eyes had passed away two years prior. He saw the familiar eyes widen and she seemed to shake her head from side to side in disbelief, a single tear trailing down her cheek. He looked down and noticed she was holding a child, whose mint-green golden-flecked eyes were fixated on him.
"She can't be… her.." Alistair whispered as the woman reached for the door closest to her and slipped inside the room quickly. He snapped out of his trance when the door slammed shut.
"Ser…! The woman… What should we-" One of the soldiers exclaimed.
"Soldier, take the elf to the Arl's castle until we are ready to leave. Take the friend as well, for interrogation. I will go fetch the wife." He ordered loudly.
"Alone, ser?" One of the soldiers asked.
"Yes, Ser Dominic. She is a woman with a child. I will be fine." He sighed.
He waited until the guards had custody of the elf and the dark-haired man he called his friend before he approached the door. He opened it slightly, looking through the small crack. He saw the woman frantically packing some belongings and clothes in a leather bag, her child sitting on the bed, playing with some bauble. Alistair was unsure if he should approach the woman, in case his suspicions were unfounded. He saw she grabbed a bow and a quiver before she put the pack on her shoulders. She approached the child who suddenly looked towards the door.
"Mama! Look!" He squealed as he pointed to the door gleefully. She grabbed her child and spun around quickly. Her eyes widened and before he could even react, she made a run for the window and jumped out.
"Wait!" Alistair yelled.
