Author's Note: Again, I took quite a bit of creative liberty here and continued factoring in my own theories about some of the mysteries that remain the DA universe. Hope you enjoy and as always, feedback is welcome!
Hawke slowly opened her eyes as a soft grey light filled her vision. It was blinding at first, compared to the dark of the Deep Roads, but as her eyes began to adjust, she was able to see her surroundings clearly. The grey light was diffused by a soft mist, limiting her field of vision. Glancing around, Hawke's eyes widened in awe. She didn't know where she was, but it was beautiful. Surely this is a dream. But I have never seen the Fade like this before.
She seemed to be outdoors, yet her footsteps echoed as though she were in a hall. On the ground, many square stone slabs were randomly scattered - the remains of an ancient road. Lovely, haunting trees stood every few yards with perfectly straight trunks that reached up until they bowed out into a goblet shape; instead of a solid chalice, however, the bowl was made of wide, curving branches that reached up, as though they were encircling a perfect sphere.
Among the trees stood strange monuments. They almost looked like doors but they did not appear to open. Each stood on a marble base with several small steps leading up to it. As Hawke walked around to observe some more closely, she realized they were mirrors. Many were shattered, and the ones that weren't only held a dark reflection; nothing like a mirrors she was familiar with.
As she continued to walk, trying to take in everything around her, she came upon a mirror that was quite different from the others. Instead of glass, it held a strange blue barrier of some kind; it looked like water on the surface of the pond, rippling when she touched it. The barrier gave off a soft blue light. It was inviting her. Calling to her. Slowly, Hawke stepped forward, her right arm extended in front of her. She watched as she pushed it through the mirror and felt a strange tingling sensation flood and warm her body instantly. It reminded her of Fenris' lyrium markings.
Inhaling deeply, Hawke pushed off of her back foot and stepped through the mirror. Suddenly, she was somewhere else entirely. Lush greenery surrounded her and the sound of birds could be heard overhead. Bright floral vines hung from the trees next to her and a warm breeze washed over her as she stepped away from the mirror.
Hawke's heart skipped a beat when she realized she wasn't alone. Someone was on the path ahead of her, kneeling on the ground and hunched over something that she couldn't see. As Hawke approached the man, her vision suddenly grew foggy and the light grew brighter around her. She continued to press on until she was next to him. Looking down, she froze in horror. The lyrium idol. This…this is the carving on the lyrium idol. Just as she had seen on the strange object they discovered in the thaig, a man was hunched over holding a woman's dead body. Suddenly, the man –no, he was an elf - looked up. His eyes were glowing white and it felt as though he were staring into her very soul. Hawke stumbled backward and closed her eyes tightly, trying to shake the image from her head.
Suddenly, Hawke felt cold. She cautiously begin to open her eyes again, but the light was gone. She was back in the Deep Roads, lying in Fenris' lap.
It was a dream after all. I have never experienced something so vivid. It felt so real. Hawke blinked a few times letting her eyes adjust to the black. Anders' staff was dark again, but a very soft glow emanated from the wards he had placed in front of them. But, there was another light several yards beyond that. A campfire?! Hawke's eyes grew wide. Surely if it were darkspawn, Anders would have noticed. Her heart was racing. She began to turn her head to look at Fenris when she felt him squeeze her arm firmly. She turned her head the rest of the way and saw that he, too, was watching the campfire. He had his finger pressed to his lips, telling her to remain silent. Hawke stopped moving and tried to listen. She heard soft footsteps shuffling around near the fire, occasionally seeing a shadow as someone – something? – passed in front of the flames. The whisper of voices caught her ear, but she couldn't make out what was being said. Fenris motioned for Hawke to stand up and she did so as quietly as she could. She carefully unsheathed her daggers, managing to not make any noise. Fenris followed suit and wielded his sword. Glancing down, Hawke saw that Varric and Anders were still sound asleep; attempting to wake them was not an option.
Hawke stealthily made her way around the traps and wards they had laid. Fenris followed close behind as they approached the fire. She noted three figures in the dark, all standing near each other, whispering. All at once, Hawke realized she recognized their armor.
"I wonder what the odds are of running into the Grey Wardens in the Deep Roads," Hawke spoke up clearly yet quietly. She expected them to immediately ready themselves for combat, but instead, they casually turned to face her, leaving their weapons untouched. It was then that the shortest one stepped forward into the firelight.
Before Hawke stood one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen; there was something almost haunting about her appearance. She had rich brown skin, unblemished except for a jagged scar that ran from her jawline to her collarbone. Her untamed, raven-colored hair reached just past her ears with a bright silver streak crossing above her left brow. Her eyes were amber colored and glowed bright in the light of the fire. Although she was slightly shorter than Hawke, everything about her posture was commanding.
"These days?" the woman replied in a low, husky voice. "Pretty slim. There are few of us left in Fereldan." She casually reached her arm up to run her finger along the string of the bow that was slung over her back.
The Warden continued, "I am more surprised, however, to find a small group of adventurers alive down here." She paused and stared at Hawke, clearly waiting for a response.
"We were…separated from an expedition that was attempting to find a lost thaig." Hawke offered carefully, unsure of how much she could trust this woman.
"I see," the Warden replied distractedly as she squatted down in front of the fire, warming her hands. "Well it is a good thing you have a Warden of your own with you then." She looked up at Hawke and Fenris with a small smile on her face, her eyes sparkling.
Hawke furrowed her brow, gripping her daggers tighter. "What makes you say that?"
The woman was looking back at the fire, "Your mage," she jerked her head in the direction of their camp, but didn't shift her gaze from the fire. "He's a Warden, yes?" After a few moments of silence, she laughed softly and stood, once again facing Hawke and Fenris. Hawke felt Fenris shift uncomfortably as he stood next to her. "And does your elven friend not speak?" The Warden addressed Hawke.
"I prefer to listen when I am faced with an unknown presence." He replied coldly.
The Warden regarded him for a moment and then nodded in agreement, "Wise words." She brushed her hands together and addressed Hawke again, "Well, regardless of whether or not you believe me, we are no danger to you." Her two companions stepped forward slightly. Hawke had forgotten them as she had been so enamored with the female Warden. One of the other two was a male elf with a staff in his hand, undoubtedly a mage. The third was a middle-aged man who leaned on a large mace and had a beautiful bronze shield strapped to his back.
"And who might you be?" Hawke addressed the female Warden. The woman looked at her as if surprised at first, but then a smirk appeared on her lips.
"You may simply call me Warden. My name is of no consequence."
Hawke sheathed her daggers and offered her hand to the Warden who took it and shook heartily, "And you may simply call me Hawke." She smiled.
"And your broody friend?" The Warden glanced again at Fenris, who had returned his sword to his back. He crossed his arms and sighed as Hawke attempted to stifle a laugh, but she ended up just snorting.
"I'm Fenris. And I am not brooding." But he offered his hand anyway and the Warden shook it firmly.
"Given your circumstances, I imagine you're looking for a way out of the Deep Roads. Where might you be heading?"
"Kirkwall is home," Hawke replied.
"I see. I'm afraid you're several days from Kirkwall," noticing the discouraged expression on Hawke's face, the Warden continued, "But it's only a half a day's journey to the surface." She smiled.
Hawke's gaze snapped up from the ground to meet the Warden's eyes, "Half a day?" She whispered hoarsely.
"Yes indeed," the Warden laughed, "And lucky for you, we've cleared out most of the darkspawn and spiders." She winked.
Fenris looked over at Hawke, "We should wake the others. If it's such a short distance to the surface, we ought not to spend any more time down here than necessary." Despite his curt manner, Hawke could see the relief in his expression. Hawke just nodded but didn't shift. Fenris left her to speak with the Warden as he went to wake Varric and Anders.
"Your accent is Fereldan," Hawke spoke up, "I thought the remaining Grey Wardens were primarily Orlesian."
"You thought correctly," the Warden looked away, her expression suddenly sad, but her voice still bright, "I am indeed from Fereldan, however." Hawke wanted to ask where specifically but got the impression that it was not a topic the Warden wished to discuss. Instead, she moved up to sit in front of the fire as the Warden joined her. The other two Wardens sat in silence on the opposite side of the fire. The mage was writing in a small leather-bound journal and the warrior was polishing his shield, staring at the flames of the fire. They sat in silence for a few minutes until they heard the rest of the group approaching from behind them. Hawke stood to face the others but the Warden only shifted slightly to turn and look back at the others.
As Varric and Anders stepped into the light of the fire, Hawke saw Anders turn white and stop in his tracks. He was staring at the Warden. Hawke glanced down and saw the Warden meet his gaze as she gave a small but firm shake of her head as if to say "no." Anders shifted his weight to lean on his staff, his expression still pale as he stared at the ground.
"Something I should know?" Hawke asked, crossing her arms.
Anders shook his head, "No, I just – I didn't expect to see the Grey Wardens again. It—it caught me by surprise." He swallowed hard, avoiding eye contact with Hawke. She didn't press the issue.
Varric was busy introducing himself to the group, already asking numerous questions; undoubtedly "research" for his stories. Hawke sat next to the Warden again, one leg bent with her elbow resting on her knee.
"Why don't you join us for some coffee before you begin your journey home?" the Warden suddenly spoke, smiling warmly at Hawke.
"Coffee?" Hawke's eyes widened again; she was sure the Warden saw the sudden delight in her expression. The Warden just laughed.
"Yes indeed. It is the one luxury I refuse to forgo. Even in the Deep Roads," she winked again as she stood to gather up a pot and small sack. She went to work preparing the coffee as Fenris sat down and joined Hawke. Hawke noticed that Anders was keeping his distance as he sat alone, further back from the fire.
Hawke nudged Fenris as she raised her eyebrows and whispered excitedly, "Coffee!"
Fenris chuckled, "Yes, indeed. I think you will find you like it." He smiled, recalling their discussion in the mess tent the other day, "Although, it is unlikely the Warden has also brought sugar. I find coffee tastes better when it's sweetened."
"I don't care," Hawke shrugged, "I just want to try it!" Fenris laughed again and wrapped his arm around Hawke's shoulder. They continued to talk idly about what it might be like to go home, to sleep in real beds, to eat a good home-cooked meal, and to see Hawke's family again.
After some time, a wonderful smell began to reach Hawke's nose; it was warm and invigorating and heavenly. If that's the coffee, I feel I've been missing out on something wonderful my whole life. With the fortune that we've salvaged from the vault in the thaig, I plan to buy coffee as soon as we're settled back into our family home. Hawke looked up to see the Warden approaching them with two tin mugs in her hands.
The Warden handed one cup to Hawke and the other to Fenris. Holding the cups in both hands, Hawke felt the warmth creep up from her finger tips to her shoulders. She raised the mug to her nose and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. She felt Fenris' amused gaze as he watched her but she paid him no mind. Carefully, she took a sip. She nearly choked as a grimace formed on her face. Fenris and the Warden both burst out laughing.
"I thought you said this was supposed to be good?" she gave Fenris an accusatory glance.
"I think you'll find you might like it with some sugar," the Warden spoke up, still chuckling. She leaned over and dropped two cubes of sugar into the mug and offered her a small wooden spoon for stirring.
Once the sugar had dissolved, Hawke decided to give it another try, offering up a wary glance at Fenris before raising the mug to her lips once again. This time, the experience was quite different. She felt the hot liquid running down her throat until her body was warmed through.
"This is so much better than tea." She sighed contentedly.
"I'm glad you enjoy it," the Warden smiled as she returned to the fire to pour herself a cup of coffee as well.
Fenris had nearly finished his coffee as Hawke continued sipping hers slowly, savoring every drop.
"I can't believe what a difference the sugar makes!" she looked over to Fenris again.
"When we get back to Kirkwall, you will have to try it with cream as well. I think you will be pleasantly surprised."
The conversation shifted back to talk of going home again. Every so often, Hawke would catch the Warden watching Anders carefully, though he seemed not to notice as he was staring into his mug the whole time. Hawke was unable to read the expression on the Warden's face, but she almost detected a hint of sadness. Who is this woman, really? Why do I get the feeling she's hiding something? Hawke thought to herself as she watched the enigma that was the Warden out of the corner of her eye. Despite how little Hawke knew of her, she felt she could trust her implicitly somehow. In fact, Hawke felt like this was someone she could look up to, someone deserving of respect and admiration. She was almost envious.
Hawke's thoughts continue to drift until finally she was interrupted by the Warden announcing it was time for everyone to move on.
"We have a long journey ahead of us," the Warden motioned toward her two companions, "And so do you." She looked again at Hawke.
"I cannot thank you enough –" Hawke began but the Warden interrupted her by holding her hand up and shaking her head.
"Please don't. I only ask that you not mention to anyone that you encountered us down here," her gaze was piercing.
"Of course, as you wish," Hawke stammered, shaken by the expression on the Warden's face. The rest of the group agreed, though Anders only nodded, looking off into the blackness.
Once she instructed the group on how to reach the exit, the Warden extended her hand to Hawke and they shook hands once more.
"May the Maker watch over you," she smiled as she held Hawke's hand firmly.
"And you," Hawke replied. She released her hand and watched for a moment as the Wardens finished putting out their campfire and began heading down the passage under torchlight.
Finally snapping back to attention, Hawke turned to the group, "Well, friends. Shall we go home then?"