Only a few days later the entire situation escalated in Kirkwall and Anders found himself running after Hawke towards the Chantry with the rest of the crew. They found Orsino and Meredith arguing outside at the base of the stairs.
"I WILL have the tower searched! Top to bottom!", Meredith announced.
"You can not do that! You have no right!", Orsino argued standing his ground.
"I have every right!", Meredith squared her shoulders and pointed at Orsion," You are harbouring Blood Mages and I intend to root them out before they infect this city!"
"Blood Magic?", Orsino threw his hands above his head in frustration," Where do you NOT see Blood Magic? My people can not sneeze, without you accusing them of corruption!"
"Do not trifle with me, mage! My patience is at an end!"
"A wonder, that I never saw it begin!"
Hawke finally reached the two and came to a halt just in front of them giving them a silly smirk.
"The way you two carry on, people will talk!"
Meredith swiftly turned and marched towards him.
"This does not involve you, Champion!"
"I called him here", Orsino interrupted and crossed his arms in front of his chest," I think the people deserve to know just what you've done!"
"What I have done", Meredith turned back to Orsino," is protect the people of this city, time and again! What I have done is protect you mages from your curse and your own stupidity! And I will not stop doing it. I will not lower our guard, I dare not."
"Does the word crazy mean anything to you?", Hawke questioned, frowning at Meredith.
"What other option do we have?", Meredith countered her face changing from angry to sad," Tell me, Champion, that you have not seen with your own eyes what they can do, heard the lies of the mages that seek power."
"Some of them want exactly what you want, Meredith. They're not the enemy."
"You would cast us all as villains, but it is not so!", Orsino butted in, his enraged face close to Merediths.
Meredith continued to give Orsino a sad look.
"I know, and it breaks my heart to do it, but we must be vigilant", her face turned hard again," If you can not tell me another way, do not brand me a tyrant!"
Anders snorted and sneered in disgust at that. What a lame excuse to get away with all she did.
"This is getting us nowhere", Orsino sighed and started to walk away," Grand Cleric Elthina will put a stop to this."
Meredith stormed after him and grabbed him by the robes on his arm.
"You will NOT bring her Grace into this!"
Anders had had enough. He grabbed his staff and barged his way past his companions to stand before the two his insides clenching with rage.
"The Grand Cleric can not help you!"
"Explain yourself, mage!", Meredith snapped whilst turning and marching towards him now.
"I will not stand by and watch you treat all mages like criminals", he slammed his staff hard on the stone floor and then faced Orsino," Whilst those who lead us bow to their Templar jailers!"
"How dare you speak to me-",
"The circle has failed us, Orsino", Anders cut the elder mage off the rage growing so intense inside him that he could feel justice taking over and his voice dropping to a deamonic deep one," Even you should be able to see that!", he shook his head slightly and closed his eyes to get Justice back under control before turning away from them," The time has come to act. There can be no half-messures."
Anders slouched knowing what was about to come would cause many people much pain.
"Anders," Hawke came up behind him," what have you done?"
"There can be no turning back", Anders answered coolly and slammed his staff on the ground one more time to activate the bomb he had planted inside the Chantry a few days ago. The ground began to shake viciously beneath their feet before a great ray of red light erupted from the centre of the Chantry, rising high into the sky above Kirkwall. The crumbling walls of the great building around it twirled up into the ray of light to gather at the top of it, then exploding to then be spread out far across Kirkwall.
The dust that remained gushed past all of them after the light show had ended and left the houses around the Chantry aflame.
"Maker have mercy…", Meredith muttered taking a step back in shock.
Everybody looked up in utter terror until Hawke stared at Anders in well played disbelief.
"There can be no peace", Anders stated with bitterness thick in his words.
"Elthina! No! Maker no!", Sebastian dropped to his knees he looked like he was about to break down in tears," She was your most faithful, your most beloved….", he shook his head before dropping his head so his chin touched his collar bone," Why didn't she listen to me?"
Everybody watched Sebastian as he knelt there for a while, his face went blank and absent as he rose to his feet again. He held his hand out in front of him and lowered his head once more.
"Blessed be the souls of the faithful that they ascend to your right hand…"
Orsino turned back to Anders his face incredulous.
"Why? Why would you do such a thing?"
"I removed the chance of compromise, because there is no compromise", Anders explained himself with grief thick in his voice.
"The Grand Cleric has been slain by magic, the Chantry destroyed", Meredith muttered to herself before turning around and grasping the opertunity," As knight-commander of Kirkwall, I hereby invoke the Right of Annulment! Every mage I the Circle is to be executed, immediately!"
Orsino swiftly turned to Hawke in fear.
"The Circle didn't even do this! Champion, you can't let her! Help us stop this madness!"
"And I demand you stand with us!", Meredith invoked and pointed at Hawke," Even you must see that this outrage can not be tolerated."
"Why are we debating the Right of Annulment when the monster who did this is right here?", Sebastian butted in furiously," I swear to you, I will kill him!"
Anders shot Sebastian a hateful glare. He never really liked said prince, to hypocritical for his taste and now this.
"It can't be stopped now", Anders turned to Hawke again," You have to choose."
"This won't be easy, but I'll defend you", Hawke sighed looking the other way.
"But what of Anders?", Sebastian shot in again.
"Hawke if you do this, I don't know if I can follow", Avelin shot in her doubts.
"And so you would defend these mages, after all they have done? Throw yourself at a hopeless cause?", Fenris questioned doubtfully.
Anders caught his eye for a swift moment, seeing the disbelief in his eyes that made his heart clench.
Fenris probably felt betrayed, Anders thought to himself, but he didn't let it break his facade.
"You sure about this? Even you might not win this fight.", Verric shrugged.
"I know we can do this", Merrill answered instead as she looked from Varric to Hawke,"I believe in you Hawke!"
"Shit. What have you gotten yourself into this time, Isabela?", Isabela muttered to herself.
"Think carefully, Champion", Meredith grimaced," Stand with them and you share their fate!"
"I can live with that", Hawke answered cock-sure.
"Thank the Maker", Orsino whispered.
"Even if I don't agree with it", Fenris sighed looking sternly at Hawke," I will stay at your side, my friend."
"I see what you are trying to do, and my place…. Is with you", Aveline joined in.
"You are a fool, Champion", Meredith interrupted and waved her Templars over," KILL THEM ALL! I will rouse the rest of the Order!"
Orsino immediately turned to his fellow mages.
"Go! Get to the Gallows before it's to late."
The Mages hurried down the burning allays towards their circle just before the present Templars attacked.
Anders slouched on a box beside him and let his head and shoulders sink oblivious to the fighting going on beside him. It was done… he had killed numerous innocent people to save many more and there was no turning back now.
"Are you happy now?", he asked Justice.
"Our task is far from done yet, my friend. But we have taken the first most important step", Justices' booming voice echoed in the back of his head.
Anders sighed and absently looked up at the Templar that had rushed up to him. Even beneath all the armour Anders could see he was a big burley man and his eyes glinted in blind rage through the slits in his helmet as he held his sword high above his head, ready to bring it down. Anders didn't care to defend himself, for what he'd just done… he deserved death really.
But before the knight could bring his sword down his chest was pierced by a large sword and he was hurled off to the right to reveal Fenris behind him, his chest heaving and his entire body covered in blood. Anders idly watched the dead Templar hit the side of one of the walls and slide down to the base of it before looking back up at his saviour. Fenris stood there with an incredulous expression on his face and gently shaking his head, as if to silently ask "why?".
Anders just looked back up at him with a sad and sorry face, tears gathering at the edges of his honey brown eyes. The elf immediately understood what he was trying to say to him and lowered his gaze equally as sad as Anders. That moment didn't last long though, the next Templar was already coming their way and Fenris stormed off towards him with a deafening war cry.
The battle didn't last to long after that and Anders remained on his box of shame during the entire time.
Orsino walked over to a mound of Templar corpses and sighed.
"So it's come to this", he turned to Hawke with a serious expression," I don't know if we can win this war, Champion, but…. Thank you", he casted a hateful look towards Anders," I will leave your…. Friend for you to deal with. I must return to the Gallows. Meet me there as soon as you can."
After that Orsino left and Hawke turned to Anders to walk to him and come to a halt behind him.
"I hope this works", Anders thought to himself. He had placed a bag under his robes on his back that was filled with a mixture that desolved tin and he dearly hoped that Hawke hadn't forgotten to pack the right blade and where to "stab" him.
"There's nothing you can say that I haven't already said to myself", he began his good byes," I took a spirit into my soul and changed myself for ever to achieve this. This is the justice all mages have awaited."
"I might have understood, if you had only told me", Hawke answered coolly.
"You condone this? The brutal death of an innocent woman of faith? Someone you knew!Who trusted you?", Sebastian threw in yet again with hate glittering in his eyes.
"I wanted to tell you", Anders continued and spoke every word that was actually ment for Fenris, not Hawke," But what if you stopped me? Or worse, what if you wanted to help? I couldn't let you do that. The world needs to see this. Then we can all stop pretending the Circle is a solution. And if I pay for that with my life… then I pay. Perhaps then Justice would at least be free."
Anders swallowed dryly. Now it all depended on their acting to make this believable and leave Hawke free of any guilt.
"You have to pay for what you've done", Hawke said coolly.
"I know", Anders replied equally as cool," For what it's worth. I'm glad it's you. You have been me a good friend."
He heard the slicing noise behind his back as Hawke pulled out the preperated dagger and felt a slight sting as it stabbed through his robes into the bag and desolved but not before cutting him a little. Anders put on his best shocked looking face as he fell to the side the dagger still stuck in his robes as he hit the floor hard. He then gently twitched his hands and slowly closed his eyes, relaxing his features to then try and hide his breathing the best he could.
He could hear Hawke walk away behind him and thanked him silently for all he had done for him.
"It will never be enough", he heard Sebastian sigh," but it's a start."
"How invigorating!", Isabela sighed further away.
"We'd all best get to the Gallows, and quick. It's going to be quite a show", he heard Varric, his voice was undefinable.
After that he heard multiple people's footsteps leaving the area, but didn't dare move until he was perfectly sure they were truly all gone.
His decision was proven wise as he heard soft steps approaching him and coming to a halt just beside his chest. He knew exactly who it was and had the greatest of issues keeping himself from keeping up his farce. He heard something else hit the floor with a soft thud next to his head and figured they might have been knees.
"It seems I was not good enough for you to reconsider this", he heard Fenris' deep voice speak. He had never heard his voice like that before, so sad so full of despair. Anders had a hard time keeping back his tears and to hide his breathing at that.
He could feel one of the elf's hands brush over his cheek, down his neck and up over his shoulder. When he felt the elf's chest touch his back and his head on his shoulder Anders had to hold his breath.
"I am truly sorry I wasn't good enough to keep you alive", the elf was shaking and Anders could feel something on his robes in his shoulder area. It was moist…. Fenris was … crying?
Anders could feel his heart breaking, his intestines clenching and his eyes swelling.
The elf stayed like that for a short while until Hawke's voice called his name from the far distance. Before he raised himself from Anders he gave the mage one last peck on the cheek.
"You shall never be forgotten", he whispered and got to his feet to then run towards where Hawkes' voice had come from.
Anders lay there for a while longer, tears streaming down his cheeks freely now. He curled up into a fetal position and sobbed and shook hard on the hard stone floor.
"He is free now", Justice tried to sooth him," See it that way."
"I know", Anders whispered and tried to calm himself down," Still it doesn't make it any easier for myself right now."
"You must look on, Anders. You now have a mission to free the rest of the circles in Thedas. No doubt this incidence will cause them to arise already. But you must help them. Personal and private issues have no place in such a mission."
Anders sat up and pulled the half desolved dagger out of his robes alongside the bag and healed the little flesh wound the show had caused.
"You're right", he sighed," as always."
He wiped his tears off of his face with the back of his hand and got up to start walking towards the wounded coasts with a heavy heart.
" I will personally see that all mages in Thedas are set free."