Sorry, this chapter took me ages to finish. I wrote the first half when I was creative writing constantly, and the second half after a long period of only writing essays and news stories. Sorry if it reads a little awkward. Anyway, I hope you like it! Please comment or follow if you do! I'd love to hear about how people feel about it.

Anders

"Perhaps the demons will find one of you suitable," hissed a woman that had to be this Tarohne that they were tracking.

Anders wanted to slap a hand to his forehead. He'd spent all day with the blasted Knight Captain of the templars, an extremely lascivious Isabela, and that blighted elf Fenris, fighting off demons on blood mages in Darktown, just to face a crazy woman in indigo lipstick who thought deals with demons would somehow pay off.

"Always the demon thing. Can't you people say no?" he asked with a sigh.

"Like you should talk," Fenris muttered under his breath. It was out of earshot of Cullen, or Prince Charming as Varric had called him, but irritating nonetheless. The mage shot him a venomous glance. His deal with Justice was different. The former slave was just too busy holding a grudge against a mage that Anders didn't even know to understand otherwise.

"I am not some hopeless waif that ran crying to a demon-I sought them out," the blood mage spat, gesturing wildly with her hands like a true maniac.

You poor fool, Anders thought wearily. If only more people knew the dangers of dealing with demons….Moments like this kept him up at night, made his mind buzz until he had to get out of bed and write something, anything to contribute to his manifesto. How did I get dragged into this? The man wondered tiredly as he gripped his staff tighter, waiting for the inevitable time that the enemy mages attacked.

There was a snort to his left as Astrid stepped forward, looking ever the fearless leader, blood and who knew what else on her boots and her bow in her hand.

"Yes, I'm sure you're very bold and tough and whatnot, but you should you turn yourself in now. The templars may spare your life," the girl stated, glancing at the Knight Captain for confirmation.

The man paused for a moment before nodding reluctantly. Anders could not help but notice a few beads of sweat making its way across the man's forehead before being swatted away. Interesting. Either the man was experiencing some serious stress or he had serious body issues. Anders partially hoped it was the latter of the two.

Cullen's presence irked the blonde mage. He didn't like the feeling of being scrutinized or monitored; Nor did he like way the man's eyes had brightened upon meeting Astrid at the Gallows, or the way he insisted on going ahead to open every door for her. He had feared that the Knight Captain posed a threat to his friend, however it seemed Anders had read his intentions wrong….Not that that made him feel any better.

Tarohne sneered. "The templars? We will destroy their entire pathetic order! If a few more templars fall to demons we can seed chaos in their ranks." Cullen's grip tightened on his bloodstained sword and Anders felt himself inching closer to Astrid. "How many abominations can they discover amongst their own before it drives the Knight Commander mad?"

Anders was…almost impressed actually. That would certainly be effective against Meredith. However, the plan would have been put to better use if it hadn't been revealed to the high ranking templar standing before them. Blood mages…they never learn.

"How dare you…" Cullen growled. "How dare you unleash demons on honorable men and expose them to your own twisted perversions!" The templar raised his sword.

Anders was ready to pull Astrid back at the sudden movement of the burly templar, but the girl instead, to Anders' horror, reached out to put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Cullen. Relax," she murmured, her face close to his ear. With a long blink, the templar stopped.

"Are you ready for the demons to take you?" Tarohne asked them with a smug smile, grey eyes shining dangerously.

Astrid looked equally dangerous, fingering an arrow in the hand that wasn't touching the templar, and meeting the blood mage's gaze with a determined glint in them. "Try to give me to your demons."

If there were any doubts about Tarohne's mental stability, they were certainly confirmed when she challenged Astrid by summoning a handful of abominations around her small followers. The archer did not hesitate as she reached for her bow and fired an arrow into the blood mage's neck, sending blood sputtering in all directions as Tarohne fell lifeless to the ground.

The remaining blood mages were also easily taken out by the ragtag group, especially with an enraged templar set on avenging his lost recruits fighting beside them. It wasn't long before all enemies were dead and Isabela was standing above Tarohne, looking at her with shame and regret.

"It's a pity she didn't focus her talents elsewhere," Anders offered, trying to reach out to the pirate.

"What? Oh no, I was just thinking that it's a pity she had such poor taste in lipstick," Isabela replied. "Purple, really?"

"Dreadfully tacky. It seems to be a Blood Mage thing" Astrid agreed with a grin as she collected her arrows from the corpses lying around. "But I'm afraid we have another matter at hand."

The girl gestured to the shirtless figure hovering in the fetal position six feet above the ground in the corner of the room.

"Keran," mumbled Cullen as he stared in horror.

In a burst of light, the young man suddenly fell onto the ground, landing on his knees in the dirty Darktown area. Astrid extended a hand to the templar recruit, who took it gladly and got up on shaky legs. "Who are you? Is…is it over?" he asked.

"I hope so," Isabela muttered. "If I get any more blood on my boots I'm charging you for a new pair, Hawke."

Astrid rolled her eyes at the pirate. "I'm Hawke. Your sister sent me to find you, Keran. Cullen is here as well."

"Knight Captain? Thank Andraste. I thought The Maker had abandoned me!"

"I once experienced something similar at the hands of blood mages, Keran…but the Maker helped me as well," the Knight Captain contributed solemnly, head slightly bent.

Hmm. Anders scratched his chin idly. Something had been irking him about this templar in particular and he was almost sure he'd just stumbled on what it was. "I think I know what you're talking about, and I believe it was the Hero of Fereldan who helped you, not the Maker."

The templar froze. "Where did you say you were from, mage?"

"I didn't," he replied, folding his arms over his chest.

That was it. it had to be. Cullen had been stationed in Kinloch Hold, more specifically during Uldred's takeover. While Anders had been on the run at the time, he had heard all about the atrocities that occurred in the Circle. He could scarcely remember Cullen but he had to have seen him in the tower in between escape attempts. And there was that story Cousland had told him during one of their many discussions about the Circle, about the desperate templar who had been trapped while his friends had been killed. His former companion had not described the man but Anders had a feeling he had strawberry blond hair and a stupid goatee. No wonder they shipped him off to Kirkwall.

"Uhhhh, let's get back to the matter at hand," Astrid suggested, subtlety inching between them. "Do you remember how you got here, Keran?"

"I was with a lady. And then things got fuzzy. Nightmares then. On fire for days, a demon laughing. The naked lady with her razors…in my chest. I'd awake and hear screams. Maybe my own? I'm sorry, it's all a tangle in my head," the young man said, looking away forlornly.

"What happened to him is unfortunate," Fenris contributed, studying Keran before looking back at Astrid. "But how do we know he is not possessed?"

She looked towards Anders, her eyes beaming with curiosity. Her lips parted to form the question but the mage already knew what she was looking for. He stepped forward, fingers brushing against hers as he passed. "Well, there's one sure way."

Without warning, he hurled a ball of electric blue energy at the templar recruit, sending him stumbling backward, limbs flailing as the young man uttered a startled cry of protest. The mage whipped around in time to see the Knight Captain flush angrily and step forward at the same time Astrid forced herself in his way. Anders raised his hands in the air to show that he had no malcontent….at the moment anyway. "If there was a demon in there, it would have defended itself. Looks like he's clear."

Everyone looked at the mage and back at Keran with mixed expressions from curiosity to mild disinterest. Astrid held Cullen's gaze for a moment longer until he nodded and lowered his weapon. She let out a sigh before helping the recruit to his feet. "You've been through enough, Keran. Let's leave."

Keran, however looked fearful, turning to Cullen. "You heard that I was alright, ser, right? This-this won't affect me going back to the templars, will it?"

The rest of the group politely disbanded, focusing their attention on looting the bodies. Meanwhile, The Knight Captain sheathed his sword back into its hilt and looked down somberly at the young recruit. Anders knew that look. He had seen it on the first enchanter the first time he was sent to solitary confinement; Cousland wore it when she said that her time at Vigil's Keep was over. If he thought back far enough, he could see it on his mother's face as the templars took him away. Or maybe he just wished she'd looked that way. For a brief moment, Anders found himself feeling sorry for a templar.

Astrid

"You okay?" Astrid asked as Anders kicked a pebble into the darkened hall ahead of them. They had been walking for a while now and would be heading back into the main area of Darktown very soon if she recalled correctly.

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine," he answered glibly. "Just thinking about our wonderful day with the Knight Captain."

Astrid rolled her eyes, not even bothering to look back to see if Cullen heard. While it seemed like the templar had been trying to lead the group earlier, barging ahead through every door before her, he now remained at the rear of the group, speaking with Keran. "Glad you had fun. Very cute, by the way, shooting a spell at the templar recruit we just saved right in front of Cullen."

The mage grinned. "Cute? I was thinking more….dashing or daring."

Astrid laughed quietly. "Excuse me for not swooning. I was too busy thinking about how I'd be going to jail for defending you against the Knight Captain of the Templars."

"You…would have defended me?" Anders asked.

I'd do anything for you, she thought. Her cheeks burned with the realization that it was true, obvious even, despite attempts to convince herself otherwise. "Of course I would have. We're friends," she said instead.

"Right. I…I guess I haven't had a friend in a long time. Thank you," he replied. "I would do the same for you were our situations reversed."

"Thank you, Anders." Astrid bit her lip and gestured ahead to the bit of dim light in the distance: the center of Darktown. The mage looked as if he wanted to say something more, but shut his mouth with an audible click as Isabela, Fenris and the templars had caught up to them.

"I better take Keran back to the templar quarters at the Gallows," Cullen said as he approached. Surprisingly, he put a gauntleted hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for your help. You're…a formidable woman."

"Thank you, Cullen. You're a good man," Astrid replied with a warm smile.

The man's face flushed pink with embarrassment. "Well, I should be going back to the Gallows now. I'll need to brief the Knight Commander on what's happened here and Keran should not be alone."

"Of course," the girl agreed.

Cullen hesitated, looking down at his silver boots for a moment. "I am sure the Knight Commander would pay you for your services. I didn't bring any gold with me, but if we could meet again at that bar—The Hanged Man—I would gladly recompense you."

That caught her off guard. There were easier ways of getting money than meeting at a bar. The Commander could send a messenger if she really wanted to. "Isn't that a bit out of the way? I could meet you at the Gallows."

"But then I couldn't buy you a drink," Cullen replied quietly, a smile on his lips.

Isabella didn't even pretend she wasn't listening, letting out a loud laugh. Astrid refused to look at her companions as her face became rosy and her jaw fell open. The archer struggled with how to respond.

"If you don't want to, I can send a messenger. I just thought—"

"No, no! I'd love to, Cullen," Astrid insisted in a rush. Part of her wondered what she was getting herself into, but she ignored it. After weeks of uncertainties—she refused to look at Anders—it felt good to be wanted. "Can we meet the day after next?"

The Templar's smile broadened. "Of course. Is around dusk a good time?"

"Yes. That's fine with me. I-I'll see you then."

And so the two parted with the templars going one way, and Astrid's companions facing her with mixed expressions.

"Does this mean we don't need to help mages anymore?" Fenris asked dryly.

"Hawke is going to be too busy with that man to help anyone," Isabela declared proudly. "If you didn't meet him for a drink I was going to decide you were crazy and stop following you around everywhere!"

Astrid laughed weakly, finally daring to look over at Anders. The mage was staring, brown eyes burning right through her. She looked away quickly, struggling to shrug off the uncomfortable feeling that settled in her stomach. But of course he wasn't going to make it any easier.

"Did you forget that he's the Knight Captain of the bloody Templar Order?" he asked incredulously.

"Well—"

"Do you realize that he already knows you associate with mages?"

"I—"

"Do you know what will happen to your family if he discovers what Bethany is? Or what he'll do to you when he realizes you've been harboring them? The templars will only become harsher after discovering you. Honestly, Hawke. What are you thinking?"

It seemed that their easy banter in the tunnels was forgotten in the blink of an eye. She was no longer his friend Astrid, but Hawke—another obstacle in his search for equality for mages, one more threat to his cause.

"That's not going to happen!" she exclaimed. "I'm just getting a drink with him. He's not going to discover Bethany or your clinic! I need to get paid, and—"

He let out a huff of breath. "Is it really about you getting your payment? I've seen you do greater favors for peasants and turn away less coin than he's offering."

"It's none of your business who I see when we're not doing missions to get to the Deep Roads," she shot back, hands flung out angrily. "You've made it abundantly clear that you don't want to have a life outside of your cause, but I do, Anders!"

The mage's eyes flashed lightning blue and his fists clenched at his sides. Isabela gave the girl a concerned look but Astrid stood her ground until he squeezed his eyes shut and opened them once more to reveal his usual amber brown's. "Any chance of me having a life with someone has long been over. I can't rest until every mage in Thedas is safe! You don't know what we've been through."

Astrid felt as if she'd been slapped. "Did you miss the part where I spent my whole life on the run to protect my sister and father? Is this really about the plight of mages or is this about your own feelings?"

Fenris and Isabela looked on with raised eyebrows.

Anders stared down at his dirty boots before meeting her eyes again. It felt like an eternity before he replied. "I feel hatred for the templars for how they've enslaved us and barely permitted us to even live. Those are my only feelings."

Astrid sighed and shook her head. "Right. Because every templar is sadistic psychopath, just like every mage is a maleficar just waiting to use their blood magic on some poor soul. I suppose I'm an idiot for considering someone who might actually want to be with me."

"Astrid—"

But the young woman began walking away, head held high, but eyes filling up quickly with liquid. Fenris and Isabela were behind her but she didn't want to talk. She didn't to hear Isabela's suggestions on what to do with Cullen, or to hear Fenris complain about mages again. She didn't want to fight anyone or yell or get a drink at the bar like she sometimes did on bad days. Astrid just wanted to crawl in bed and stay there for a while.

However, when she got inside Gamlen's house and sunk weakly against the door, ready to collapse in her and Bethany's room from the weight of her broken spirit, not everyone was asleep already.

"Darling! Are you hurt?"

Leandra got up from her seat by the small fire and placed a warm hand on the girl's cool forehead as she looked her over with her sharp yet utterly maternal grey eyes. Astrid simply shook her head. "I'm alright."

The girl's mother backed away once more and assessed her with a knowing look. "Is this about a boy?"

Astrid scowled. "It could be about bandits, or money, or Gamlen, you know. Not everything's about a boy, mother."

"Oh, but this time it is." Leandra smiled.

"He's really more of a man," Astrid replied reluctantly.

"Now, what did he do?"

Tears welled in her eyes until her vision swam. One eventually escaped and slid pitifully down her cheek as she choked back a small sob. Astrid felt about seven years old again. He doesn't like me, mum! And he's possessed by a spirit who hates me!

"It's complicated," she sniffled.

Leandra pulled the girl into a warm hug. She smelled like fresh bread and fire, nothing like the crisp grassy scent of Lothering, but she smelled like home. "You know, I was just thinking about your father and how hard things were for us at first. It felt like the Maker Himself didn't want us to be together at some points," Leandra admitted with a laugh. "But it worked out in the end. And we even got you, and Bethany, and…and Carver."

"Oh, Mother." Astrid rested her head on her mother's shoulder.

Leandra let her go and gave her a smile. "I won't ask for the details about him, I know you're private. Maybe it's even for the best, for now. But have faith, dear. He'll come around."

"I don't know if he will," she said sadly.

"If he's a good man he will. But it's up to you whether to move on or not," Leandra said. "No one should have to wait forever."

"Thank you, mother. And I'm sorry…about Carver. If I could have—"

Leandra waved a thin hand. "I know. But nothing can change what's happened. But anyway, it's late. You should get some rest."

Astrid placed her bow in the corner. "I think I'll go to the Hanged Man and plan what I'll be doing next, actually. I don't think I'm ready to go to bed yet."

"Alright, just be careful," her mother advised.

"I try to be," Astrid replied with a small smile. "Sweet dreams, mother."

Even heroes need their mom's sometimes! Don't be discouraged about Anders and Hawke. Give it time!