Some Lovers

A 100 prompts challenge on Fenris/LadyHawke by Marianne Bennet

019: Alive

The Genlock Alpha had shoved Fenris against the wall and it hurt. Pinned between the crumbling stone of the abandoned thaig at the floor of the elaborate Grey Warden prison and the creature's massive shield, there was no where he could go. The narrow strip of land between the ruins and the base of Corypheus's tower had become a battleground; Varric had remarked only minutes earlier that it was an excellent choke point for an ambush. That random aside had proven to be only too true.

Anders had constructed an arcane shield to keep himself and Hawke from the worst of the assault so naturally the majority of the fighting fell to Fenris. Varric kept back; with that shield and that helmet, it was near impossible for even Bianca to get a good shot in.

"What are you doing, Fenris?" Varric was shouting at him as the edge of the genlock's shield began to press against the elf's throat. "Do your magical glow thingy and get the hell out of there!"

I can't. Even his lyrium tattoos could not make him entirely incorporeal and, with his hands pinned to his sides like this, things did not look good. The creature's mottled face was twisted in brutal satisfaction; if it was capable of thought, it probably was thinking: Crush, crush, smash! It raised its shield; Fenris felt his body lifted with it until his feet were dangling.

"No!"

Hawke had tasked herself with fending off the encroaching army of lesser genlocks; until that moment, she had been at the other end of the bridge, contentedly whipping her staff about and setting darkspawn aflame. Now the fire was in her eyes as she challenged Fenris's assailant. "Hey ugly! You want a fight?" Her staff sent a trail of ice up to nip at the massive genlock's heels before she tossed a throwing knife into its shoulder. The weapon clattered off of the creature's armor but got its attention. "Try me!"

The effect was immediate. Fenris found himself dropped to the ground as the genlock alpha turned away from him and moved toward its new prey. Hawke dropped her weapon to the ground, ice and fire crackled in her bare hands. The genlock moved faster toward its target; she flung fire faster, scorching its shield. The creature picked up even more speed, driving forward until the shield itself crashed into Hawke. The mage suddenly seemed so small and helpless as she was thrown into the air to land with a splash in the waters beside the bridge.

"No!" both Fenris and Anders yelled, united in their fear. A crossbow bolt buried itself in the genlock's exposed neck but that small revenge went unnoticed as Fenris shoved past the dying creature and dove into the dark water after Hawke.

He didn't know what he was doing as the icy water enveloped him. He didn't know anything save the blind instinct to get Hawke to safety. A small part of him noticed with satisfaction that Anders had not followed suit –probably worried about getting his coat's feathers wet –but the majority of Fenris's mind was focused on narrowing the gap between himself and Hawke's slowly sinking form. Her eyes were closed, skin ghostly and pale in the strange half light of underwater, hair billowing out around her face in a fan. His own white hair floated around his face as he propelled himself forward. I have to get to her, was his sole thought. I have to save her. Because…

Fenris didn't know the "because" and it didn't matter. What mattered was that she was within reach now, that he could wrap an arm around her waist and drive them both upward. So he did; felt the bottom of her ribcage pressing into his forearm. Her blonde head lulled to one side, falling just below his chin, the strands of her hair brushing against his throat. She was heavy, the thick fabric of her robes and the chainmail he knew was beneath were weighing them down. Idly, in some distant corner of his mind, he wondered if that was not ironic, that the trappings of a mage were dragging them both downward. That didn't matter. She had taken the fall for him and Fenris was determined to pull her to the surface, baggage and all.

Their heads broke the surface of the water. They both gasped for breath. Treading water, Fenris turned Hawke around in his arms and saw with relief that her gray eyes, though hazy, were open. He watched her cough water back into the lake before closing her eyes again and leaning her head against his shoulder. His heart leapt in worry; was she going to pass out again? Did that mean she was still in danger?

She would be in danger until he got her to shore; that much was clear. So he did. As they reached the bridge where they had been attacked, Anders reached down to take Hawke from him and unfortunately there was nothing Fenris could do to keep her from the mage. He let Anders take her from him, pull her up out of the water, and wrap his blue coat around her shivering form. Hawke's feet seemed unsteady but she could stand and seemed determined to, even with Anders all too ready to support her.

"I'm alright," she told the mage, gray eyes intent on Fenris as the elf scrambled out of the water with Varric's assistance. "I'll be fine in a minute. You saved me."

That last bit had been directed at Fenris himself who turned almost in surprise at the words. "I did," he replied, his voice both grave and… confused? Hawke didn't think she could tell and, if she could, she didn't understand. Why would he be confused? "Are you injured?"

"I got the wind knocked out of me," she answered, slightly diffident. "I almost… drowned. But I'll be fine in a minute. What about you?"

Fenris hesitated; Varric saw this. "Why don't we see about setting up camp somewhere?" the dwarf suggested. "We don't want Hawke and Broody catching consumption or anything while we're stuck down here."

"You're right," Anders agreed. "Let's find a good spot and I'll start a fire."

Moments later, Hawke found herself seated in front of crackling flames, still wearing Anders's coat. Her own cloak along with most of her garments had been laid out to dry and new ones pulled from her pack. Fenris was sitting beside the fire as well; he had been shivering too as they had trekked to the place that had become their campsite. He was sitting relatively close to her but far away all at the same time; close enough that she could reach out and touch his arm but far away enough that he could move and subtly pull himself out of her reach. But she wasn't going to touch his arm; he probably wouldn't like that, even if last New Year's… he had been drunk. She had been tipsy. Anders and Isabela had pushed them both to it in their different ways. It had been a potent combination and one that probably would not be repeated.

No matter how much she might have liked it.

"Thank you," she said to him

"Perhaps I should be thanking you," was his response. "I might have died back there with that genlock."

"You don't know that. You might have gotten away."

"Perhaps," he acknowledged with a hint of a smile, "and perhaps you would have swam back up to the surface had I not jumped in after you."

Hawke laughed a little and then looked down at her knees. "Why'd you do it?" she asked suddenly. "Why did you jump in after me?"

"Truth?" he asked. She nodded, wondered if she'd regret it. "I don't know." That wasn't enough; he saw that in her face. "It occurred to me that you have risked your life half a dozen times over for my benefit and I have been… less than appreciative. The very least I could do would be to save your life, at least once."

"And will there be other times?" she asked with a crooked smile.

Fenris chuckled. "I should hope not."

"I don't know," Hawke replied, stretching her legs out against the rocky ground. "I rather like the idea of us saving each other's lives. Though I would never intentionally put you in harm's way."

"Nor I you," said Fenris solemnly in response. Festis bei umo canavarum, he thought to himself and did not quite realize that he was speaking aloud.

"What does that mean?" said Hawke.

"I'll tell you someday," was his answer and she supposed that she would have to be content with that.

…

A/N: Just to clear some things up, this is taking place during the DLC "Legacy" which in my mind takes place between Acts 1 and 2. Please let me know if you enjoyed it and if there are any moments you might be interested in seeing in future chapters!