The horrifying déjà vu of the situation dawns on her as she strides out of the Gallows courtyard, her numbed mind reminding her of the promise she had made so long ago to herself that she would never again flee from her home. Her hands tighten into fists that want to strike out as she thinks of the reason why she is being forced to flee. He is back there following after her, like a damn sheepdog that in a fit of insanity has driven a whole flock over a cliff to their deaths, but still comes back with tucked tail and a hopeful gaze that he will somehow be forgiven. Forgiveness is the last thing on her mind right now. She has to focus on getting out of Kirkwall alive.

She realizes as they make their way through the narrow streets of Lowtown that this will probably be the last time that her eyes will take in these sights that have become so familiar to her over these last years. More tears well up at that thought and she quickly brushes them away with the back of a bruised and filthy hand. She will not let him see her cry. She feels as if she is lost in a horribly familiar nightmare, that her world has once again been turned upside-down and submerged under ice cold water and she is drowning in the chaos of it. Everything that was once familiar to her now distorted and altered almost beyond recognition into a twisted and painful version of reality.

She tries to turn her mind down a more useful path ,setting it to the task of making mental lists of what they can quickly grab that will be easy to carry and will benefit them most on the road. Up ahead she sees Templars running towards the Gallows and she quickly cuts through a shadowed alley and over two side streets before coming back to the main road. They have to get to the estate without being seen. If they are forced to leave without any supplies they are as good as dead. She glances back at her companions, making sure they are still keeping up with her as she forces her burning leg muscles into a jolting unbalanced run, desperation giving her body the adrenaline it needs to keep going.

As they pass by the Hanged Man, her thoughts turn momentarily to Isabella, that her twin blades and sharp tongue would be a most welcome addition right now, but they had lost her long ago in her betrayal and sudden departure over the Qunari relic, yet another choice that can never be undone.

The steps up into Hightown are packed with throngs of well dressed citizens desperately trying to get back to the security of doors that lock and gates that can be barred against this onslaught of madness and Hawke's group only manages to stay together by pushing their way through the sea of people. It seems to take forever to force their way up the hundreds of steps to her estate and all of them are at the end of their borrowed energy as they finally race into the Amell courtyard. "Bodahn" she tries to scream the name as she slams back the heavy oak door, but the dryness of her mouth will only allow it to leave as a raspy shout.

"Serrah, what is happening out there?" she hears the older dwarf call back to her. "We heard the explosion and all the shouting so the boy and I hid in the cellar" he continues as he and Sandal come to the top of the basement stairs.

"Bodahn, there is no time to go into details. We need to quickly gather some supplies and leave Kirkwall" Hawke's voice drifts back to them as she races up the stairs to the bedroom that she and Anders have shared these last years to hastily throw a bundle of clothes and money together.

"Varric, go into the kitchen and gather up as much food as you possibly can, we will need it" she shouts from the second floor. "And Maker be quick about it, we won't have much time before the reinforcements come looking for us here"

It takes Hawke only a few moments to grab some belongings and race back to the bedroom door, but she turns back for one last look before she leaves, remembering that first night that Anders had walked through this same doorway and claimed her heart. The memory seems to belong to a different lifetime. She allows a few tears to escape down her cheeks as she imagines a happier future that will never take place now. She hears the faint creak of a floorboard behind her and whirls around to find Anders in the doorway. He doesn't say anything, just gently reaches out to wipe the tears from her cheek. His hand barely reaches her face though before she recoils from his touch and pushes past him to run down the stairs. After a moment he slowly turns and follows her down, blinking back the tears now forming in his own eyes, as he too thinks of everything they have lost to gain this freedom.