A/N:

Guys. I am so sorry. I have no idea what happened to me, but my muse just kind of slipped out from under me. Very rudely, in fact. I deserve a very stern admonishment from all of you, if anyone is still reading this after my long break. xP.

I think I'm going to make more of an effort to go back and edit my previous stories. I think- I hope- my writing style has improved since the last one, but you guys will have to tell me. I am making a change or two otherwise: I'm changing the title again to one that may be slightly better, as well as updating the summary and possibly removing a few of the more pathetic stories. Otherwise, I have no guarantees as to when the next story will be posted (although it will probably be sooner if you guys review ;p).

As always, thanks for reading!

One of the hardest lessons that we- we the Hawke family, we the readers of these stories, we the human race and all the other sentient beings on Thedas- have to learn is that the future is not set in stone. It changes, fluctuating with your decisions and the decisions of those around you. You can attempt to predict it, but there's always at least one variable that you have ignored or taken for granted, and that variable will cause something to change. It could be a big something or a little something, but either way, you can't have predicted that it would turn out exactly that way.

In hindsight, I know I could have prevented this. I was just so thoughtless, so optimistic. I forgot that Rathina can't protect me every time I take a misstep. She did the best she could do, but even she doesn't always have a timely arrival. She knows that, and that fact kills her inside; nonetheless, she agreed to add her own tag to the end of this tale.

This is the story of how I learned the hard truth about fate.

-Bethany

Fated Return

Bethany awoke that fateful morning with no sense of foreboding whatsoever.

Instead, she was rather excited. They had received word the previous day that the Deep Roads expedition had been a success. Rathina, Varric, Fenris, and Anders were expected to return to Kirkwall soon. Bethany was optimistic that- supposing they weren't delayed- the party might even make it back that very day.

Sure, she had been upset at first that Rathina hadn't allowed her to come. Bethany had seen in her sister's eyes that the elder Hawke had intended to bring her along, at least until Leandra had intervened. Rathina's cheeks had been pale, her eyes brighter than usual, when she had informed Bethany that she had to stay; the mage wondered what it was exactly that their mother had said to have such a profound effect on her usually stolid sister.

Well, she had given her mother the silent treatment for an entire day after the expedition left, and she had discovered the hard way that maintaining a grudge is incredibly difficult. So, she gave up on her anger and allowed herself to see Leandra's point of view. There are probably too many darkspawn down there for me anyway, the younger Hawke sister consoled herself. Not to mention the fact that she disliked the dark, and stifling, enclosed spaces with Maker knew how many tons of stone over her head, and roughing it with only a blanket protecting her from the hard, rocky ground...

Yes, it was definitely better that she had stayed.

With that in mind, Bethany left her shared room and strode out into the miniscule, smelly living room. Poking her head through a nearby doorway into an even tinier room, she observed her mother making biscuits; the delicious scent wafted through Gamlen's apartment, although it did little to obscure the musky odor of alcohol and urine. Even the disgusting scent couldn't dampen Bethany's spirits; if the expedition was successful, then they could be moving into the Amell estate within a fortnight, and then they wouldn't have to put up with Gamlen's drinking and gambling habits.

"Good morning, Mother," Bethany greeted Leandra cheerfully, planting a kiss on her mother's cheek as she strode over to the small dining table and sat down on a three-legged stool.

"You're awfully chipper today," her mother teased, glancing over at her with twinkling almond eyes that were identical to Bethany's own.

"I'm just looking forward to Rathina's return," the mage replied with a shrug, still grinning. Leandra placed a chipped plate of biscuits on the table in front of her before returning to the kitchen, presumably to do the dishes.

"Aren't we all," she agreed, concern laced in her words.

"Not all of us." Naturally, Gamlen chose that moment to make his appearance, and he offered Bethany a glower as he seated himself at the table across from her. "At least my house was less crowded with her and that blasted dog gone." With a huff, he snatched up a biscuit and began to gnaw on it in what he obviously imagined was a dignified manner.

"Well, luckily for you, we'll be moving out of here as soon as we can," Leandra answered rather coolly as Bethany barely managed to suppress an eyeroll.

"Mother, I'm going out," she stated, stuffing a biscuit into her mouth and grabbing a few more, rising to her feet as she did so.

"Be careful, dear," Leandra replied absently from her position in the kitchen.

"Don't hurry back," Gamlen grumbled. Bethany didn't bother answering; she merely picked up her magic staff and strode out the front door.

"Good morning, Bethany." The exotic, lilting accent framed his words perfectly, and a small smile touched her lips at the sound of that handsome voice. Sebastian was greeting her at the door of the Chantry, as he had been doing for the past few days. His sky blue eyes, gentler and more patient than Rathina's electric ones, watched her with a benign air. She loved visiting the Chantry, despite the obvious irony of it. There was comfort and solace within its walls, and she felt safe in a way she hadn't since she had discovered she was a mage. She wouldn't realize until later that walking into the Chantry that morning had been one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

"Hello, Sebastian," she answered cheerfully. "Have you heard the news? Rathina and the others are supposed to return soon." Rathina wasn't particularly close to Sebastian- sure, she had worked on one or two jobs with him, but she disliked going near the Chantry. Bethany, on the other hand, had made friends with the former prince; the air of tranquility around him had a rather calming effect on her.

"That's excellent," he said, his blue eyes twinkling, as he led her down the center aisle deeper into the Chantry. "It seems the Maker has indeed blessed their journey." Just a few days ago, Bethany had been a nervous wreck; she'd been almost positive that Rathina and her entourage had gotten trapped or killed in the ancient thaig, which was what had caused her to seek out the Chantry in the first place. Sebastian had recognized her and appointed himself as something of her guide while she was there.

"It would appear that way." They knelt side-by-side in front of the statue of Andraste. Sebastian chanted under his breath while Bethany remained silent, choosing to simply enjoy the rhythmic sound of his low voice. After a while, even he fell silent. She closed her eyes, her mind drifting peacefully and then settling like a still pond.

She wasn't sure how long they had been kneeling there for when she felt a prickling feeling at the back of her neck, as if someone was watching her. She lifted her head, glancing around, and her gaze fell on a blonde Sister who stood at the edges of the room, cloaked in shadows. The Sister's hair was cropped short, and even from this distance, Bethany could recognize her sharp features. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but Bethany couldn't place her exactly; she had met many people in the last year.

"Who's that?" she whispered to Sebastian, who discreetly lifted his sky blue eyes to see follow Bethany's line of sight. She caught the way his features tightened but smoothed almost instantly as he attempted to hide his disturbance.

"That's Sister Petrice," he informed her, just as quietly.

"Ah." Bethany could remember her now. Rathina had been hired to transport a Qunari through the sewers by this woman. She didn't understand exactly why, but the Qunari had ended up committing suicide when they left the sewers. Rathina had been very unhappy with Petrice after that.

She rose to her feet, skillfully diverting a grimace when her feet tingled with the rush of blood. Her muscles felt rather cramped; without even thinking about it, she flicked her fingers and felt cool bliss when her healing magic folded around her protesting muscles, soothing them. When she turned back to face Sebastian, who had also risen, she noticed that the Sister was gone. Oh well. It must have been a coincidence. It wasn't.

"Thanks for keeping me company," she told Sebastian, offering a small smile.

"Anytime," he answered with a gentle smile in response. "Send Hawke my greetings and congratulations when she returns." Bethany accepted this with a nod. Eyes twinkling, she reached out and grasped Sebastian's hand, squeezing it once before she turned and strode out of the Chantry.

Bethany took her time on her return trip. She strolled through Hightown, enjoying the sights as she often did and occasionally pausing to speak with one of Rathina's acquaintances. Feeling especially genial, she paused at the market to buy a fresh, warm loaf of bread before she started the walk back to Lowtown. It wasn't long before she was back at Gamlen's rundown apartment. Without hesitating before flinging the door open, she began, "Mother, I brought-" A sharp intake of breath cut across her words. Whether it was her gasp or her mother's, she wasn't sure. The loaf of bread hit the floor.

"Miss Hawke, we need you to come with us." The fact that she recognized this voice, too, was little comfort to her at that moment.

"Knight-Captain," she breathed upon finding herself face-to-face with none other than Knight-Captain Cullen, flanked by several other templars. The other templars she didn't recognize, for they wore helmets; Cullen's metal helm was missing. His expression was grim as death. She could only stare at him in disbelief; she had lasted so long here, why was this happening now? For she had no doubts as to what was going on. A quiet sob broke into her reverie, and she glanced to the back corner of the room. Her mother was standing there, shoulders hunched, gazing at her with horror and the same disbelief.

"But... Mother..." Bethany's voice broke, and she stared miserably at Leandra before turning back to Cullen, whose expression didn't change.

"I'm sorry, Miss Hawke, but we have to take you away." There was a slight flicker of something in his handsome golden eyes, though- was that sympathy? She tasted something bitter at the back of her mouth, and she shook her head, her vision blurring. Something touched her shoulder, and she flinched.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled, suddenly fearful, and she shrank away from the templar who had approached her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Cullen gesture at the man to back off, but she didn't pay any attention to that. She turned back to the Knight-Captain, her eyes wide. "You can't do this!"

"I'm sorry, Bethany, but we must," he told her gently. He took a step closer, looking her in the eye. "You must understand..."

"I can't! It's not fair!" She felt like a child throwing a temper tantrum, but she wasn't sure what else she could do. She backed toward the door, but suddenly one of the templars was blocking her exit. She felt something within her snap, and her hands began to glow threateningly.

"Bethany? Mother? What's going on, I heard..." Bethany whirled around to see her sister standing in the doorway. Matted black hair framed a pale face streaked with dirt; blazing blue eyes stood out more than ever against her pale features. Concern changed to confusion, to shock, to a slow, dawning horror. "...shouting," Rathina finished quietly. Bethany had never seen her sister look meek or frightened before, but at that moment, Rathina's expression exhibited both. Her mouth was open in a small, round 'o' of shock, her eyes wide as she took in the scene. Suddenly Rathina moved toward her with the swiftness of a viper, but just as quickly, the templars stepped into formation around Bethany, forming a square with the mage in the middle. Cullen now towered over the elder Hawke sibling, and the two gazed at each other meaningfully. Rathina had regained her composure, and her gaze blazed once more with righteous fury and stubborn insistence. She opened her mouth to speak, but Bethany couldn't her hear over their mother's fretful sobbing and the cotton that seemed to be blocking her ears. The mage watched dumbly as Cullen responded and then shifted so Rathina could look at her.

"You can't do this," Hawke hissed up at Cullen, her jaw taut with anger. "You promised me you wouldn't say anything!" She couldn't believe that this was happening. She and Bethany had been living in Kirkwall for over a year and nobody had said anything to the templars before, and when he had seen Bethany in action, she had exacted a promise out of Cullen that he wouldn't be the one to let the cat out of the bag. Perhaps those precautions were for naught, though. It was unfair- just when their life was about to change, when status would have protected Bethany, the templars came barging in. She had to stifle a dry, bitter laugh at the irony of it all.

"I didn't," he answered calmly. He appeared nonchalant, but Hawke noted a similar blaze of anger in his eyes. Whether the anger was directed at herself or at Knight-Commander Meredith, she couldn't guess. "I don't know who tipped off the Knight-Commander, but I have been given direct orders to take your sister into custody." She lifted herself onto her tiptoes and peered around him at her sister; he obligingly took a small step sideways so they could see each other. Her shoulders sagged at the pitiful sight of her sister, who appeared to be in shock. She would never be able to get this image out of her mind.

"Don't fight them, okay, Bethany?" she whispered, her voice breaking. "I'm so sorry." Bethany only stared back, and Hawke lost sight of her when Cullen moved back into position. She straightened, tilting her head back to gaze up into his eyes.

"Take care of her, please," she whispered plaintively. He met her gaze and nodded once; the nod was so tiny, it was nearly imperceptible, but it was there. She obediently stepped out of the way as the templars began to move. She crouched beside her mother, who had crumpled to the ground, sobbing with the deep pain of one who had lost too much. She wrapped her arms around her mother, holding her close and watching silently as the templars led her younger sister away.