The chapters are short but I have one more written in advance. (It happens to me for the first time, yay)

My in-game Hawke, even if a bit 'sketchy' to my liking, was a huge inspiration for me. The concept of a righteous blood mage, with a second, more primal and dark nature was really worth deepening, in therms of character and background story. So I changed few things - hope you won't mind. I just really wanted to show the dualism of her personality impeccable hero reputation against the agressive and wild passion (in therms of sexuality but not only) on the inside.

Ahhh, enough of my talking already!

As always, the world and its habitants don't belong to me. :)

Enjoy!

Hawke mansion isn't enormous but spacious enough - filled with living people and warm lights. He's greeted by Hawke's mother, who remains polite but watches him carefully. She points him the direction to her daughter's room saying she had been informed about the guest and leaves him be, though Fenris is sure she still observes him from behind some corner. He goes upstairs and knocks on a big wooden door.

'Come in.' The voice calls from behind them.

Hawke stands at the window, her back turned to Fenris. In her casual clothes she looks like a regular citizen not a dangerous maleficari, though her favourite staff lies closely beside her bed - presumably 'just in case'.

'Hawke.' Fenris greets her, hoping she would turn to him, start a conversation and help him get through this, but none of this happens.

'You're...' He tries another time, but the right words aren't there. 'Your mother was looking at me quite suspiciously. Like she feared I would steal a family coats of arms as soon as she disappeared around the corner.' This has nothing to do with the matter he wanted to discuss, but it works. Hawke turns herself away from the window smiling slightly.

'She wants me to marry as soon as possible. I guess she's checking upon every possible candidate.'

'I doubt she'd find me suitable for the position.' Fenris returns the smile.

'Wait till she discovers you wanted to behead me.' The temperature in the room immediately drops. Hawke's eyes are fixed on him but there's no warm in them anymore.

'Is that so?' Fenris frowns. He wanted to be polite, leave his anger and proud outside the door. But that woman - she's just too stubborn for her own good. 'Maybe I should inform her about your little deal with daemons first? So that she knows why you're coming home drained and almost dying.' He feels rage speeding his heartbeat, pumping in his veins. 'What did you tell her? Mother, I need rest, I think I've caught a cold?'

'That's none of your business!' She yells and Fenris knows he got her. The mask of politeness is broken and he can see burning fury throughout its pieces. They're on the battlefield know and he's dealing with a daemon.

'Every damn blood mage on the way is my business.' He stays tough. 'Whatever is feeding on you - I'm not scared of it. You can tell it your pact is over.' He wanted to make it better, tell her he cares and find some other way. But she brought that upon her. Fenris slowly pulls out his sword - a beautiful elven artefact Hawke got him after the expedition - but she stops him in the middle.

'I made no pact with a daemon. I'd never do that.' Now he's confused.

'The lies won't make it different. I have to do it.'

'It's not a lie. Look at me. Just look at me!' She shouts. And he does. 'What do you see?' He sees a young woman, almost a girl, but not anymore. The years they spent in Kirkwall changed her on the inside, though her look stayed the same. Big feline eyes, a bit crooked nose and short hair, white as his own.

'What do you want me to see?' He slowly loses it. 'Don't play with me!'

'Have you seen my mother, my brother? Sure you did. Then it doesn't take a templar investigator to tell we're not alike. I'm pale, I don't have my mother's eyes nor my father's dark hair. I'm a Hawke's girl but not his firstborn daughter.' The frankness of that confession strikes him. She sure was different but he never put the pieces together, never done any assumption. He didn't care. 'And since I remember I could do this.' She quickly reaches the small dagger suspended on her belt, before Fenris can react, and stabs her own veins. Then her eyes turn red and familiar glow surrounds her figure. He curses himself, cause he just got tricked and knows it'll be a tough fight now.

But Hawke doesn't attack him. She slowly pulls the dagger out of the wound. And suddenly Fenris notices how the droplets don't fall down but rise up to create a small 'bullet' - like an energy projectile normal mages use. Then all the blood boils and burns turning into a fire ball lighting up the room with a warm reddish tint. At a click of Hawke's fingers it disappears.

'It was...' Beautiful, he wants to say, but keeps it to himself.

'You have to believe me, I'd never harm any of my friends or family. But I won't hesitate to use it against enemies. And no one will ever stop me from doing that.' The sparks in her eyes tell him it's true.

'It's all noble and good, Hawke' He mocks her. 'but you're just a human. What happens if you fail?'

'Then I'll count on you to do the right thing.'

Thanks for reading! Revievs and comments highly appreciated! :)