Chapter Three
Three days flew by in flash. Hawke and her companions did a few minor jobs around the city, but nothing really earth shattering. Each day added a new butterfly in Hawke's stomach. She had found a dressmaker with Isabela and was picking up her gown for the next evening. She had had soft, flat soled boots made to match the dress at Isabela's insistence when she'd expressed her disdain for Orlesian heels. Isabela looked fierce when she said "You are not going in some awful steel toed monstrosity to the party! I will personally steal all your shoes if necessary. Get something comfortable if you must, but make it pretty!" Hawke still giggled over Isabela's indignant expression. 'This from the woman who barely wears clothes on a daily basis.' The pirate queen had approved Hawke's choices and even brought her some jewelry to match.
The day of the event, Hawke felt like a lamb being prepared for slaughter. She bathed until the water got cold. She borrowed some of her mother's perfume and dabbed it behind her ears. She still considered her mother's things to belong to her, despite having lost Leandra years back.
In her own room, her dress awaited. She put on the unaccustomed undergarments for such a dress and then the dress itself. It was a fairly simple purple dress with gold embroidery along the neckline and sleeve edges. It was well fitted to her athletic body; hiding some of her muscular bulk and accenting her curves. Swinging a sword didn't exactly make a girl dainty, but the dress managed to make her look ladylike.
Isabela had brought her amethyst jewelry which matched the dress and made her feel a little like a princess. Orana had been conscripted for hair dressing while Hawke applied what makeup she had. She was finishing up when she heard Bodahn greeting someone downstairs.
Her stomach flipped. 'He's here!' she thought. She chided herself for being silly. She saw Fenris practically every day. She put her makeup away and gave the mirror one last satisfied look. 'Very pretty for a sword wielding barbarian.'
She headed to the stairwell, careful not to trip on her skirts. She looked over the banister and was glad she wasn't standing on the steps. She would have surely fallen to her death.
It was indeed Fenris. He had forsaken his armor. All of his armor! There wasn't a pauldron, chestplate or gauntlet to be seen! Instead, he was wearing a sapphire blue doublet with leggings to match. The doublet was trimmed in silver which picked up the color of his hair and the few lyrium brands peeking from his wrists and neck. The color made a lovely contrast with his tanned skin and it made his eyes luminous. And last, but not least, he was wearing boots! Mercy me! He looked handsomer than ever.
She felt her face flush. He looked up, their eyes met and they smiled at each other. He seemed to be just as surprised by her apparel as she was by his. She slowly descended the stairs, not wanting to make a fool of herself.
Orana and Bodahn smiled at both of them. Sandal declared "Enchantment!" with great enthusiasm. Fenris nodded slightly and murmured "Indeed." Their eyes seemed to devour each other. Hawke broke the intense eye contact. She gestured towards the door and Fenris offered his arm. 'Formal-Fenris, is that you?' she thought impishly as she allowed him to escort her to the De Launcet estate.
The short walk allowed Hawke to gather her thoughts somewhat and get her game face on. This was a Champion of Kirkwall affair, not a Fun-for-Hawke shindig. She sternly reminded herself of all the social rules her mother had instilled in her. While she did that though, she couldn't help steal glances at Fenris, looking so debonair in his finery. Thinking the word made her wonder though. "You look very handsome Fenris. That is a good color for you." She said, trying not to ask where the clothes had come from.
He gave her a half smile. "Thank you. Lucky for me, one of the previous inhabitants of my mansion had good taste in clothes. Bodahn told me where I could get them tailored and so, here I am. The boots happened to fit, so no alteration needed there." He shook his ankle a bit and frowned slightly at his foot.
"I thought you couldn't wear shoes." Hawke blurted, immediately regretting it.
He shook his head. "I prefer not to, so they don't interfere with my brands, but I can wear shoes. I thought having bare feet would be another thing to cause gossip tonight, so I opted to wear these. I don't think I would do this every day though." He shrugged and continued to the De Launcet manor. He looked at her and smiled. "You look very beautiful. I thought you couldn't wear dresses."
She grinned, the unexpected humor putting her at ease. She gave him a bit of a shove with her elbow. "I prefer not to. They are absolutely useless in a sword fight. I won't do this every day either. Enjoy it while it lasts." She said, doing the same herself. She was memorizing what he looked like in his finery. Who knows if she'd ever see him like this again? The attraction between them was almost palpable, but neither was prepared to put themselves out there first.