Varric
I watched Anders and Rona as they went over and over the things she could remember. It wasn't much. I was starting to get worried. What if we couldn't undo it? What was that going to mean for Abby? Her family were all dead now. And somehow I didn't see Fenris giving her up to the templars or the Chantry to find her a new home.
This whole episode was going to give me story gold for a long time. If we managed to turn her back. I could just see it now.
Fenris as the glowing protector shielding his tiny lady, until we could save her from the wicked mage who had tried to ruin their love. She would return to her being a woman as Fenris vanquished the evil mage and templar henchmen. Just in time to declare her undying love and devotion to Fenris. He would sweep her up and run off with her into the sunset. Stories of the lovers swooping in saving the day would be told throughout the land. Maybe it needed a dragon. Maybe the evil mage rides a giant fire breathing dragon that injures Fenris. And the only thing to save him is a kiss from his true love. Hmm. Maybe a little too cliché. Stick with the original.
Now we only had the small problem of turning little Hawke back into Lady Hawke. Hmm. Lady Hawke. That had a nice ring to it. I sighed as Anders stood up and shook his head.
"This is going to take some time. She's too messed up right now to remember clearly."
"Do we have time?" I asked as we left her in the cell Fenris had set up for her.
Anders rubbed his face tiredly. "I don't know. I mean I don't think there's a time limit. You know if we don't fix it by the stroke of midnight, she's stuck forever as a child. Magic doesn't work like that."
"Could the spell wear off?" I asked.
"Maybe. Maybe not. Sometimes spells do wear off. Sometimes they are curses that have to be removed. If I knew what the basic spell she mutated was I might could unravel this, but until I know there's not a lot I can do. I'm going to speak to all my contacts. See if any of them have heard anything like this. Justice is going to walk the Fade tonight and speak with other Spirits. Maybe they can help."
"And in the meantime we have a child to take care of." I sighed. I was so not the daddy type. But other than Aveline I had known Hawke the longest. She was the closest thing I had ever had to real family.
"I don't think that the beast is going to let any of us take her. You didn't see how he was with the templars." Anders said shaking his head. "As much as I don't like him, he won't let anything happen to her."
"And people are more hesitant to try stuff with him. But what can he possibly know about kids?" I asked as we went to his room. There were dolls laying about, but no Abby or the others. We heard laughter coming from outside. We glanced at each other and moved to the window in the room.
The sight was one I would never have believed if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Abby in a frilly purple dress, with matching bows in her pigtails and on her slippers, was swinging a stick around as if it was a sword. Fenris had one as well. Abby lunged in a good mimic of a duelist. Isabela would have been proud.
Her tiny voice was deepened comically. "And with that final blow the lands were saved from the evil Orlesians!" She dropped her stick and threw herself at Fenris. "Now it's your turn."
"What am I supposed to do?" He asked looking at her with a bemused expression.
"You're supposed to knight me and name me a hero." She rolled her eyes at him.
"Oh. Um…right. Well, um…you're knighted great hero." He said hesitantly.
She sighed and took his stick. "Not like that, silly. Here I'll be the queen and you can be the hero." She waited a moment and then sighed. "You're supposed to kneel before me."
"Oh." He said and quickly dropped down. She then touched his shoulders with the stick.
"I knight thee good ser, for your faithful dedication to the peoples of Ferelden. From this day forth you shall be the Hero of the lands. Arise good ser and take your rightful place beside your queen." She said seriously.
"Well, would you look at that? Even little Hawke has the power to wrap us all around her little finger. I never thought I would see the day when Fenris actually smiled." Anders said shaking his head. And he was smiling. A full smile. Not his normal smirk. He looked down at her and I could see he was completely enchanted with Abby.
"Well, I guess he's going to be alright looking after a child after all."
"I think Abby will point out if he does something wrong." Anders laughed as Abby was then schooling him on how he was supposed to bow and address his adoring public. "But we should probably go and talk with him. Maybe he doesn't want to keep her. I could keep her down at the clinic."
I felt sorry for Anders. He liked her as well as Fenris did. But Abby had it bad for the handsome elf. I had seen it the first time she had laid eyes on him. She just didn't know how to pursue him. And Fenris was too sure he shouldn't pursue her. So I had watched them dance around each other for years now. Maybe this was going to be a good thing. Maybe it would force them to discuss their feelings.
"Sorry, Blondie. After witnessing this, my money is on Broody keeping the little bossy darling." I said and patted his shoulder.