.xii.
It's a very nice day in Kirkwall. The sun is shining high in the sky, and all through Hightown, people laugh and talk, congregating in small circles all over the square. The market is all abuzz, and a group of lovely young noble ladies giggle and smile and flutter their lashes at the young prince as he walks by, assisting Sister Lila with several bags. He smiles back chastely, blush settling on his cheeks at their attentions. Lila notices and laughs, patting his arm in a matronly way with a smile of her own.
"Oh, Sebastian. How womankind will weep when you finally take your vows," she laments teasingly. He laughs.
"I don't think they'd be so upset if they knew who I was. Or who I am."
"We all stumble in life, my boy. You would not hold someone's past transgressions against them, would you?"
It's true, he wouldn't...
"Forgive others, and forgive yourself."
"I don't recall that verse in the Chant, Sister."
"It's not a verse, just a bit of friendly advice."
They continue on their walk, speaking of the city and other assorted topics, though what the sister said about his vows... In truth, he still isn't even sure that vowing himself to the faith was what he was supposed to do, any more. Hawke seemed to think that his place was the Chantry... and he had looked to her for guidance. A faithful woman, strong, just, and merciful as well, a better adviser would be hard to find.
Well, maybe he was a bit biased.
After depositing the thankful Sister Lila at the Chantry, he turns, and takes a deep breath of the morning air, finding himself unable to look away from the gleaming roofs of they city.
"Oh, go and take a walk, you need some time to introspect." Lila grins at him, youthful mischief on a wizened face. He grins sheepishly at being read so easily, but complies, setting off at a leisurely pace, losing himself in his thoughts.
Despite the lovely Lady Hawke's input, Starkhaven still called out to him from across the continent, tormenting him with his responsibility to his people, and his conflicting feelings on his desire to rule. It had been years, and he still struggled with the question. And then there was the Elthina, who refused to leave to keep herself safe. And Hawke, even, who bravely championed his mission of vengeance against his parent's killers, and who had turned down his offer a further reward, claiming it wasn't necessary. So many variables, responsibilities, options to consider. Sometimes, it is too overwhelming.
Turning from his heavy train of thought, he thinks affectionately of how Hawke has come to be such a good friend to him over the years, coming to him with her questions about the Chant and their shared faith when she did not understand something entirely, and he to her, even, at times. When her mother died, it had taken her time to recover from the premature loss of yet another one of her beloved family, but she had come to the Chantry late one night, and kneeled down beside him, eyes red and face ashen. 'Will you please pray for them with me?" she's asked, words wavering in a way he'd never heard before. He'd assumed she'd meant not only her mother, but all those she'd lost; father years before to sickness, Bethany to the creatures of the Blight, Carver to the taint and the Wardens... After their prayer, she had spoken, voice soft but strong in the quiet of late night chapel that night.
"Kirkwall took the last of my first family. But it's given me another. Thank you, Sebastian."
It had been humbling.
"That's why I came to you, Captain. If anything were going on, I'm sure you'd know about it." A familiar sounding voice carries over the low excited chatter of the busy square. He turns, searching for the source.
"And you're sure she's missing? This isn't like the time you told me you were going to meet some contact in the middle of the night and you disappeared to Orlais for weeks?" He spots them across the square.
"Spontaneous vacation," he shrugs.
"And then I hear the Duke Prosper was murdered at Hawke's hand!"
"You know that's not true, Hawke could never murder anyone, even if they really, really needed it."
"I know she didn't, but that's beside the point. I'm asking if you're sure this isn't some other covert operation or-"
"She left Galahad behind! You know she doesn't go anywhere without him or us. And the whole 'Anders sending and enchanted note' thing is really rubbing me the wrong way. All of this is."
"Varric, Aveline," the Chantry brother calls out, armor glinting in the sunlight as he waves his hands to get their attention.
"Choir Boy!" Varric catches sight of him and strides over through the scattered groups of people, Guard Captain at his side. "Good to see you."
"Sebastian," nods Aveline. "Have you heard about Hawke's disappearance?"
"'Disappearance'? What's going on? Is she in trouble?"
"We have no idea. I was supposed to meet her a couple of nights ago. She never came. When I went to check in on her, I found out she hadn't been home in days, and that someone had sent her a letter claiming to be Anders."
"An enchanted letter?" he clarifies.
"Burned itself up after she read it, apparently," the redhead crosses her arms, brows drawn. When she gets that look, there's no question as to how she managed Guard Captain of Kirkwall. "And you're sure it wasn't Anders? Isn't he capable of that?"
"The letter? I would think so, but there's no reason that he would. Blondie's been a grouch lately, but he's no liar. I asked him if he had anything to do with it, and he flat out said no." Frustrated, Varric swipes a hand through his hair.
"Anders isn't the one to be wary of," Sebastian adds, "What about that second passenger he's been carrying around. Do you think...?"
"Have you ever seen that guy? It's all 'Mage rights!' and 'You will never take another!', and the like. Hawke isn't as nuts about it as he is, but she's been quite the ally to him and his cause. Why would he do anything to her? She is a mage."
"Not his M.O.," Aveline agrees. "We should be looking elsewhere."
"Guess you haven't seen her around the Chantry, then?"
"No I haven't. I thought that rather strange, actually. She missed evening service. She never misses that, no matter how busy she is."
"I would like, just once, to hear someone giving me good news. 'Oh yeah, we saw her just a little while passed out in her closet! Nothing to worry about! Nothing at all!'"
"Keep dreaming, dwarf," Aveline huffs, but she looks very much like she shares the sentiment. He certainly does. If both Varric and Aveline are in distress about the situation is unsettling.
"Well, how can I help?"
"I appreciate it, kid. We're supposed to be meeting at the Hanged Man, after we ask around for her. Feel free to come with. If someone hasn't found something, I guess we'll be forming a real search party."
The prince falls into step beside them.
"How long has it been, exactly?"
"She left home three nights ago after evening meal," Aveline says, repeating the details with the practiced skill of a professional. "Sandal was the last to see her. He was the one who saw the letter, and who Hawke told where she was going."
"And that's all we have to go on?"
"Pretty much. When I found out she hadn't been home, I went to Broody's, figured she'd be there, if anywhere. He'd been away on a job all this time. We went back to her estate to see if we could find anything, and Sandal told us about the letter and Blondie. And how she was going to the Docks."
"Sandal told you all that?" To his memory, he's never heard the boy say anything other than 'enchantment'.
"Not in as many words, but Bodahn and Orana helped us translate. So we went to the Docks and found Merrill and Isabela, but they hadn't seen her either. No one has seen anything, as far as we can tell."
"This doesn't bode well," Aveline frowns, shaking her head, her golden red hair swinging.
"That is the understatement of the age," Sebastian shakes his head. "What ground haven't we covered yet?"
Aveline looks at him with mild surprise, and then chuckles. "Well, Sebastian, very take command aren't you? You'll do well for Starkhaven when you return."
Her praise is surprising, though not at all unwelcome. He makes no comment, save for a word of thanks.
"We're heading back to the Hanged Man, then, to meet with the others and see if they found anything. Come on."
Author's Note: Hello, lovely readership! I apologize for the delayed update; a pretty intense storm blew through two nights ago and has left me woefully without a proper internet connection. But here is chapter 12, thanks for your patience!
To Annemarie01, I don't think anyone can truly resist the broody elf, and if they say they can, they're probably lying. To MidnightCarnival, I think a lot of people can get so absorbed in their pairing of choice that they forget to flesh out the other characters, or dumb them down because they've already been elaborated on in game. I didn't want to paint anyone as a pure, unwavering, 100% hero/villain/baked potato (omg I'm still laughing at that). They're all far too complicated to be quashed into some ill fitting trope. As always, your reviews are priceless.
Next Chapter: We find out if Danarius will take Hawke up on her offer! Oh, the suspense! I really, really hate Danarius! Stay tuned!