Ahhhh! This chapter has taken way longer than I planned, and for that I'm sorry! Anywho, I hope you like this one. The Enemies Among Us quest is gonna be a sort of amain plot event before the Deep Roads. Also, Cullen is gonna be a bigger part in this than he was in the game story line. There's gonna be a light smattering of Cullen/Hawke in the future, so I hope people enjoy that!
Anyway, thanks for reading and to all of you who subscribe or added this to your favorites list! Don't hesitate to review- I'd really appreciate it. And sorry again for this taking forever to get out!
Anders
"Anders! Are you here?"
The blonde mage blinked several times, looking around him. His back ached and a yawn tumbled from his lips as he sat up in the splintered wooden seat behind his desk. In front of him was a pile of stained and ink smeared parchment filled with messy scribbles about the rights of mages. Our manifesto, Justice declared proudly. He must have fallen asleep while writing again.
"Anders?" a voice called out once more.
"Try telling him you're naked."
"Isabela!" the voice exclaimed, but a chuckle followed.
The mage sighed and got to his feet, shuffling towards the door. He grabbed his staff on the way, likely going to need it for whatever they wanted his help with. When he opened it he was surprised to find not only Astrid and the busty pirate, but an elf covered in strange white markings from his chin downward.
The man, with his platinum white hair and spiky charcoal armor, looked him up and down with a faint look of disgust on his tan face, cursing in a foreign tongue.
"Good morning to you too," he acknowledged and turned to Astrid. "Who is this?"
The girl wore a sheepish smile on her pink lips. "This is Fenris. Fenris, this is Anders."
"You didn't tell me he was a mage," the elf remarked in a rough baritone, eying him warily.
"To be fair, you weren't completely honest with me when I took out the men who were after you yesterday," Astrid replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Besides, he does a weird glowy thing too. Maybe you'll like each other!"
"Doubtful," Anders grumbled. What was she thinking bringing someone who was prejudiced against mages here? Did she really expect him to work with someone who sneered at the mere sight of him? Justice was boiling with rage inside of him. The mage had to swallow the spirit's protests with a grimace as he faced Astrid. "Can I talk to you?"
The young woman sighed. "Okay."
He took her by her elbow and steered her to his bedroom, slamming his door behind them.
Astrid looked around at his plain room with a curious expression, studying his barren cracked walls, and the rumpled sheets atop the rickety old cot where he slept. Her eyes landed finally on his desk and the papers resting on top of it. She moved closer to peer over at them, but he intercepted her, standing in front of the desk.
"Do you seriously want me to work with someone who hates mages?" he demanded, completely incredulous.
Astrid scowled. "Look, he's a great fighter and I think he'll be a lot of help. He has his reasons for not liking mages," she raised her hands to stop him from commenting, "and while I don't agree with him, I can sympathize."
Her eyes turned soft suddenly and she looked up at him with a pleading look on her face. "You don't have to like him, but please tolerate him? I've seen him fight and I think he's just what we need for the Deep Roads expedition."
The mage rubbed at his temples, anger disintegrating under her heavy gaze. The expedition. He had almost forgotten about the blighted trip she'd been planning, that that was the reason he had been fighting alongside her all these weeks.
While his attraction to her was something that he'd pushed away in favor of a platonic relationship that she now seemed to desire as much as he did, his feelings for her were undeniable. He hadn't had someone like her in his life since the Warden Commander, but this was different. Cousland had been a huge influence on him and a great friend, but she was committed to the king, and friend was the only title he'd seen her as, except maybe during the occasional drunken fantasy. But no, Astrid was more, so much more than that. The idea of her in the cold dark and damp recess of the earth, fighting the tainted, vicious creatures of his most frequent nightmares was suddenly terrifying to him.
He opened his mouth to advise her against going, to warn her about the dangers, but then stopped himself. She knew the dangers, she wasn't stupid. This was an opportunity for her to help her mother and sister and there was no way she would pass that up. He knew better than to try and change her mind by now. He could only do his best to make sure she got out of it safely.
"I'll work with the elf," Anders replied instead with a smile. "But only because I'd hate to see you in charge of a map down in the Deep Roads."
Astrid let out a sound of protest but wasn't hiding her smile well. "I am excellent with a map!"
"Then how did we end up in a cave full of giant spiders when we went to the Coast last week?"
"I meant to go there! Giant spiders are Kirkwall's most underrated problem, Anders," she said seriously before her face broke into a full grin. "I'm glad you're still coming with us."
"It's been a while since I've thrown myself at death's door. I think it will be therapeutic," he said, only half joking. It was very probable that he could die. That any of them could. With any luck it would be the elf, who he was already dreading traveling with.
"Ooh, then you'll love what we're doing today-tracking down a missing templar recruit!"
Anders' face fell. "You're joking, right?"
Astrid
Astrid had not been joking.
Between the fog and squishy mud under her feet and the bickering between Anders and Fenris, the trek to Sundermount had not been pleasant. The only good thing about the trip so far was the cool mountain air against her skin and the salty smell of the nearby ocean. Also, she was at least grateful for Isabela's company.
The pirate rolled her eyes as Anders began to vividly describe the horrors of the Circle of Magi to an indignant Fenris. "Men. Sometimes they're no better than a bunch of schoolgirls."
Astrid laughed. "Maybe I should have asked Bethany and Aveline instead."
"Your darling sister is always welcome, Hawke, but bring Lady Man Hands and she and I would be ten times worse than that lot," Isabela replied. "That woman is such a stick in the mud."
"Aveline is…an acquired taste," Astrid replied carefully. Isabela had a point, but the guardswoman wasn't just any stick in the mud, she was her friend, and therefore Astrid's stick in the mud. In fact, mother had invited her to dinner tonight so she hoped she could wrap up this mission fast so that she would have time to clean up when she got back home.
"Speaking of acquiring tastes, what's with you and Mr. Doom and Gloom back there? Don't think I forgot that night you were flirting at the Hanged Man a few weeks ago. And I know for a fact it would have been easier to bring Bethany along today instead. Have you been…polishing his staff behind our backs?" Isabela asked with a smirk.
Astrid whipped around to see if Anders had heard her, but he was thankfully too busy waving his arms about and saying something about Andraste while Fenris attempted to talk over him. "No, I am not…doing that," she hissed, cheeks glowing pink. "Look, nothing can happen between us. He doesn't want me."
Isabela laughed. "Sweet thing, have you seen the way he looks at you? At least one of the voices in his head wants you. Let's just hope it's the fun one."
The girl's heart had skipped a beat. She and Anders had grown closer over the past few weeks, talking and laughing, almost always walking alongside each other when he came along on whatever adventure she was currently embarking on. Sometimes she dropped by the clinic to visit if she was in the area, and even dragged him out to the Hanged Man on occasion to lose at cards to Isabela and Varric. He had become a good friend to her, and one that she didn't want to lose; not just because she needed him for the Deep Roads, but because he was funny and kind, and always had something interesting to say.
Before she could let herself think more deeply on the subject, a noise broke out in the distance, echoing off the rocky territory leading to Sundermount.
"It sounds like someone's yelling." Anders was just behind her now, close enough so that she could feel the warmth of his presence and smell the familiar faint hint of mint and lyrium on him. Astrid fought back a shiver by rubbing her hands up and down her arms as if affected by the chill of the air.
"I think we've found Wilmod," she replied.
"Doesn't sound like he's doing well," Fenris observed at the sound of another yell.
"Maybe we should hurry."
The group arrived at the small clearing that hosted the young templar recruit just in time to see a tall burly man with light curls, adorned in the signature silver and scarlet armor of the templars, grab a younger looking darkhaired boy by the shoulders.
"Andraste be my witness, Wilmod, I will have the truth from you now!" the senior templar bellowed, shaking him like a ragdoll.
"Mercy, ser! Mercy," Wilmod begged in response. The poor boy looked about Bethany's age, with dark hair and pale skin that made him look especially fragile against the hazy grey landscape. She immediately felt a twinge of pity for him.
"Were it that easy," growled the man.
Astrid's mouth fell open as he delivered a knee into Wilmod's gut, sending him sprawling on the ground, all pleas ignored. The man continued to horrify her by unsheathing his sword and aiming it just below the younger templar's chin. "I will know where you are going, and I will know now."
"Have you lost your mind?! Get away from him," Astrid demanded, stepping forward. An arrow was already strung on her bow, ready to be fired should the clearly corrupt Chantry warrior make any move to harm the boy or charge at her party.
The man's sharp jaw tightened and he cut a glance at her through narrowed eyes. "This is templar business, stranger."
Before she could retort back, the tense air around them was filled with dark, hysteric laughter. Wilmod was rising, backing away with a twisted grin on his pallid face. Suddenly, the innocence was gone and Astrid could no longer remember how she could have compared him to Bethany.
"You have struck me for the last time, you pathetic human. To me!" he screamed, holding his arms out. A flash of light exploded from him and they were faced with not a weak templar recruit barely out of boyhood, but a ghastly, violet creature with hollow glowing eyes and a hunched form. Similar figures rose around them, so close that Isabela nearly bumped into Astrid as she stepped away from one.
"Alright. I may have spoken too soon," Astrid called out to the now lone templar as the creatures swarmed around them.
Fenris, Isabela, and the templar slashed at demon after demon, sending them back to the ground that they had rose from. Meanwhile Anders and Astrid stood close by each other, shooting of spells and arrows quicker than lightning, except of course when Anders actually did shoot lightning. Astrid wasn't sure what to compare that to, but let out a whoop of celebration as the creature struck by it lit up like a candle before dying at their feet. However, though they were quickly falling, fiery rage demons kept appearing around them, slashing with flaming hands and burning everything within reach.
"Do demons have stuff we can take after we kill them?" Isabela asked as she dug her dual daggers into one of the snarling creatures summoned by Wilmod.
"I'm afraid not," Anders yelled over the cacophony of the fight.
"Damn," the pirate pouted before fighting on.
Suddenly, with a well placed slash from one of the demons and a groan from his lips, their templar associate fell to the dirt just before Astrid sent a killing arrow into the beast's flaming orange neck. He lied there, clutching at his side in agony as the others continued fighting unaware, but Astrid let out a gasp.
"Anders! Help him!"
"The templar?" The mage demanded, looking at her as if she'd grown a second head.
"No, the rage demon." Astrid rolled her eyes. Still, Anders stood motionless, looking as if he'd prefer the bloodthirsty demon on his side than the man with the sword. Astrid groaned. "He's helping us!"
"For now. Later he'll be dragging me away in chains," Anders grumbled, yet he summoned beryl healing energy to his fingertips. "Oh, the things I do for you."
Astrid snorted. "Oh, you poor dear. Come to Gamlen's later and I'll make it up to you," she offered before sending of another arrow into the chest of a demon that was getting close to the templar as he climbed back up to his feet.
Anders' lips formed a wry grin and he cocked a single brow at her words. The impact of what she'd said and how it sounded hit her like a ton of bricks and she blanched nervously.
"I meant that as an invitation to dinner! My mother is making stew. Aveline is coming as well!" Astrid clarified with a laugh.
Astrid was vaguely aware of her companions joining together after the last of the enemies fell, but her concentration was on Anders as his expression turned regretful. "As much as I'd like to see what Aveline is like when she's not killing things, I really have to go back to the clinic. Lirene has a few of her assistants working there but I feel it's unfair to leave them there while I enjoyed a hot meal with friends."
"You know, you're looking tired lately. Maybe it would do you some good to have some food and relax," she persisted, staring at the bruise colored lines framing his warm brown eyes.
He smiled regretfully and shrugged. "You know what they say: no rest for the wicked."
Now it was her turn to raise a brow. The man never drank and spent all his time healing people. Compared to her and Isabela, he was a saint. "What do you know about being wicked?" she challenged, putting a hand on her hip.
"You'd be surprised," he replied in a low voice, leaning intoxicatingly close.
Somehow she didn't doubt him. Astrid's heart jumped at the mere proximity of his body to hers and the way his dark eyes bore into her. But before she had a chance to say something that would surely complicate things the templar approached them, standing tall and looking outraged.
"I knew. I knew he was involved in something sinister!" the man exclaimed.
For a moment, she thought he was talking about Anders. Did he know about Justice? Could he sense it? She was ready to jump to her friend's defense before she realized that the man was gesturing a heavy gauntlet at the thing that was once Wilmod.
"Yet you still confronted him alone," she observed, eyebrows shooting up.
There was definitely muscle tone under all that armor, sure, but if he had any idea of what kind of dark things it seemed Wilmod had gotten into it was foolish of him to approach him without help. The man was either very reckless or very confident. Perhaps both.
"I didn't think he would be so…dangerous. How is this even possible?" he mumbled, mostly to himself as he took in the number of dead creatures around them.
That was a good question. Yet another piece of the ever growing puzzle involving the templar recruits. If the templar Kerren were not still missing and if Wilmod hadn't met such an end, the case would be almost humorous. How Astrid managed to get involved in things so deeply when all she wanted to do was earn some coin was beyond her. Though secretly, part of her enjoyed helping people. Even if Isabela called her a goody-two-shoes.
Plus it gave her more things to do before the Deep Roads expedition. All the running around helping some woman find her brother or some man locate a family heirloom or what have you kept her mind off of it, for which she was thankful. There wasn't much time left before they would be departing Kirkwall for the dwarven tunnels, but she wanted to spend it doing something productive. Maker knew if she wasn't doing this she'd be sitting in Gamlen's house or the Hanged Man imagining the cavernous darkness and the snarling monsters that awaited her below. With a shudder, she turned her concentration back to the matter at hand.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Though I can't say this will make finding Kerren any easier." Astrid let out a sigh.
"You're looking for Kerren?" he inquired. "His disappearance is part of an investigation I was doing on some of the recruits who have gone missing." Suddenly, he seemed to remember his surroundings and the circumstances of their meeting as color crept up his neck and onto his cheeks. "Forgive me, I am Knight Captain Cullen. I thank you for your assistance with Wilmod. I did not realize we had similar goals."
Astrid felt her lips curving at the sight of his blush and the mere fact that a templar was apologizing to her. It was strange to see someone she'd been trained to fear look embarrassed. It made him seem strangely human.
"I'm Hawke. Astrid Hawke. Kerren's sister asked me to find him and I was pointed in this direction to Wilmod. Do you know what's been going on?"
Cullen shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't. I was hoping to confront Wilmod quietly, out of sight, as he was the first recruit to return. But as you can see, things did not go the way I'd imagined."
"I wouldn't call it a quiet confrontation," Isabela cut in. "We could hear you from down the hill. Very aggressive. Did I mention I like a man who takes charge?"
"You seem to like anything that can walk," Fenris muttered beside her.
Astrid had to bite her lip to keep from grinning at the Knight Captain's burning cheeks. Saving the poor man from replying to Isabela, she asked, "Do you have any idea what may have happened to Wilmod to make him…er-that way?"
The Knight Captain's hazel eyes traveled to the twisted corpse that was once a young templar recruit and drifted over to Anders, or more precisely, the magic staff at his back. There was no mistaking the hard look on Cullen's face as he finally met Astrid's eye. "If it's not too much trouble to you, this is formally a templar matter and I would prefer to speak to you in private."
As agreeable as the blushing and politeness was, the man was still a templar and could very well take Anders back to the Gallows to be locked away. Or worse. Astrid thought of the emptiness in Karl's tranquil eyes and barely suppressed a shiver. That was not happening to Anders. Not as long as she was armed.
"I assure you, my companions are trustworthy. If the healed wound on your chest means anything, it's that my friends are in control of their abilities and can help with this investigation," Astrid replied carefully, meeting Cullen's eyes with a determined glint in her own.
The templar hesitated. "I am…thankful for that, and my appreciation will not go unnoticed," Cullen replied with a pained sigh and a nod at Anders, whose tight lipped expression was impossible to read. Astrid on the other hand let her shoulders sag with relief. Thank the Maker he healed him. "But some templar matters cannot be ignored and I would rather speak to you later."
If he wasn't going to turn in Anders she'd go all the way to Antiva City with him if he asked. Astrid agreed and made plans to meet him at the Hanged Man after dinner to further discuss the missing templars. With a curt goodbye, Knight Captain Cullen was gone, heading down the long path back to Kirkwall and the Gallows.
"I shouldn't have healed him," Anders grumbled.
"Healing him is what saved you!" Astrid retorted.
"More like your pretty mouth, sweet thing. Now you've got a date with a templar," Isabela said. "Did you see the way he wielded that sword? Makes me wonder what else he's good at."
"He's all yours if you want to find out. He's not exactly someone I can take home to meet the family," Astrid replied with an eye roll.
"Who said anything about taking him home to meet your family? All I'm saying is get a room at the Hanged Man, drag him up there, take off your-"
"Spare us the details, please," Fenris interrupted dryly. "Also, we should move on. The sun is going to set and we have much walking to do."
"Ahh, finally a voice of reason. I knew it was a good idea to recruit you, Fenris," Astrid said with a smile. "Let's get out of here."
Anders was still adamant on not joining her family and Aveline for dinner, but walked Astrid home as Fenris and Isabela headed towards Hightown-him to his mansion, and her to the Blooming Rose. None of them had said much on the descent from Wilmod's camp, aside from Isabela commenting on the breeze of the ocean nearby, but it wasn't until now that the silence felt uncomfortable to her.
"What do you think about what happened to Wilmod?" she asked quietly as they passed a few merchant's who were packing up their wares at their stalls.
Anders kicked a stray pebble as they walked, considering the question. "I'm not sure. It's not unheard of for non mages to become possessed, but I don't know how it could have happened. I'm sure the Knight Captain will have his own theories."
He said the words Knight Captain as if it were a disease or a gruesome insect. Astrid snuck a glance at him through her thick lashes and saw that his mouth was pressed into a hard thin line. The girl bit her lip, feeling guilty for dragging him into this. If he'd only seen the desperation on Kerren's sister's face, then maybe he would have been more willing. As it was, she felt like she owed him.
"Oh, he'll probably just spend the whole time cautioning me against keeping company with scary, dangerous mages," she joked, nudging him with her shoulder, trying to lighten the mood.
Anders chuckled but it wasn't as full as his usual laugh that made his eyes crinkle in the corners and brightened his whole face. They were stopped now, just outside of Gamlen's old hovel.
"Astrid," he began, lightly taking her calloused fingers into his warm hand. She looked at him and saw a certain tenderness flash upon his face for a moment before disappearing under his furrowed brow. Anders let out a low sigh. "I suppose it would be foolish of me to tell you to be careful."
Astrid smiled up at him. "Because I'm always careful?"
He grinned. "Because no one tells you what to do."
The girl let out a laugh. "I only wish everyone else in Kirkwall could pick up on that."
"I'm sure they'll know soon enough." Anders gave her hand a squeeze and released it. "But I think you should be wary of this templar. I don't trust him."
She widened her eyes in mock surprise. "You? Not trust a templar?"
He gave her a serious look. "He could put Bethany and the Gallows and jail you for the rest of your life, Astrid. Or worse, you could both be executed. He saw that I was a mage today and he knows you sympathize. I just…I don't want to see you get hurt. By anyone."
Astrid inhaled sharply. She opened her mouth searching for something to say, but fell short. The part of her still reeling from Isabela's claim that he wanted her was dying to throw herself at him, but the quiet, rational side of her remembered the way he'd rejected her just a few steps away only a few weeks ago, making her stomach sink. In the end, the rational part of her won and she took a small step back, putting distance between them.
"I…appreciate that," she replied slowly, watching his eyes dim and his expression become neutral, all the while wanting to throttle herself. "Thank you for coming today, and for putting up with Fenris. I know you two see things differently, and it-it means a lot to me."
Anders smiled weakly. "You've been a good friend. It's the least I could do."
Her whole body was warmed by the statement and Astrid felt there was nothing she could do except drag herself inside before she ruined everything by saying something they'd both regret. "I suppose I should go inside. Aveline will be here soon and I'm covered in blood."
"Right. Of course. Please, tell me how the investigation goes, and if you need me I'll be in the clinic." The mage gazed at her with concern. "Don't hesitate to see me if you need help."
"I will," Astrid promised and watched him walk off towards Lowtown under the dusky setting sun. She let out a long sigh, hoping this wasn't becoming a theme in their friendship.
Bethany peeked her head outside from the front door at that moment with a smile. "Is that Anders leaving? Why didn't you invite him to dinner?"
"I did," the older sister said with a miserable sigh.
"Oh." The dark haired girl took in the archer's stained armor and unkempt hair and gave her a look of sympathy. "I'll distract mother so you can clean up. Let's go inside."
"Thanks Beth," Astrid replied, smiling gratefully at her sibling.
She still had to speak with Cullen later, but at least her mother would have nothing to harass her about during dinner. Thank the Maker for small favors.