Hawke wasn't quite sure what to make of Anders. He'd been very quiet since she and Tallis had escaped from the dungeon. He didn't seem sad, though. He seemed...furious.

If he was mad at her for flirting, Hawke couldn't blame him. She wouldn't be surprised if he decided to leave her when they go back to Kirkwall.

Well, if he left, he left, Autumn supposed. He'd been nearly gone before they ever started this adventure. At least, this way, she'd tried. She'd done what she could to try to rekindle his interest in her, and if she'd failed, at least she hadn't let him go without a fight.

She turned to look at Anders and found him watching her. To her surprise, he gave a small smile.

"I always figured you'd be the one coming to rescue me from someone's dungeon," Anders said. "I had it all planned."

Hawke hadn't expected this topic of conversation at all. She didn't know what to say. Anders being caught by templars was her biggest, most secret fear. It kept her up at nights, fretting about whether she'd bribed the right templar, or if she'd let something fall through the cracks, or how she would fight them off if they showed up on her doorstep.

The image of Anders being dragged away screaming haunted her nightmares, and Autumn was shocked that he had broached the subject here, now, under the clear, open, sunny sky. She had never discussed these fears with Anders–or Bethany, or her father. Such ideas were meant to be locked away in the darkest recesses of her soul.

But Anders didn't seem to think so, because he was going on almost without pause. "I'd be in the Gallows, templars all around, holding the brand for the rite of Tranquility. Then you'd burst in and break my chains." One corner of his mouth quirked upwards. "And then it would be all about the best way to show my gratitude."

Autumn's words stuck in her throat. She wasn't the only one who thought about this, who lay awake nights worrying about what the templars might do if they go their hands on him.

Except...it didn't seem that Anders was worrying. In his version of events, Hawke rescued him. She came rushing in like a knight in shining armor to save the man she loved. Anders might fear being made Tranquil above all things, but when he pictured the worst happening, he believed Autumn would be there to protect him. His faith in her was staggering.

She hoped it wasn't misplaced. If Anders were captured–she could barely stand to think of it. Maker knew she would try. She would move the Fade itself to bring Anders home safely, and nothing would stand in her way. But she was only one woman.

Anders was watching her. She couldn't say what she'd been thinking, how terrified of the templars she really was. This wasn't the moment for that confession, not here in the countryside, in broad daylight, with Tallis and Isabela only a few feet away.

She cleared her throat. "Then I should spend some time working out how to thank you." He had come to her rescue today, after all.

Tallis made an irritated noise. "Not to come between you two or anything," she said to Anders, "but you didn't actually rescue us. I did."

Anders's face darkened. "It's the thought that counts," he muttered, turning away.