Author's Note: Almost to the end of part one! I plan to continue on to part two right away in the same document just to make things easier to find and follow. Part one will finish roughly where Act I finished.
Update 4/7/15: added note about timeline discrepancy at end of chapter.
The journey to the surface was uneventful; the Wardens had indeed cleared the path. The group stopped once for a bite to eat and then trudged along to the exit – yet another large stone door. Even as they approached the doorway, Hawke could feel a draft of warm summer air. Compared to the stench of the Deep Roads, the scent was heavenly.
As the four heaved open the heavy door, they were suddenly blinded by the bright sunlight that came pouring into the cavern. After allowing their eyes to adjust for a few minutes, they stepped into the outdoors to get their bearings.
They were standing on a low hill looking out across a golden meadow. Not more than a mile ahead of them was a wide dirt road. Looking to the north, Hawke noticed the skyline of a town.
"Tantervale," Varric spoke up. "That's promising. That would make this the main road heading south toward Kirkwall – and that means we can't be too far from Wildervale. And from Wildervale, we can hire a cart that can get us to Kirkwall in less than a day." He turned and grinned at the others.
"Thank the Maker," Anders sighed heavily. That was the first he'd spoken more than one word together since their encounter with the Wardens. They all took a moment to adjust their packs, heavy with the spoils from the thaig, and then slowly began making their way toward the road.
They grew hot in the sun as they made their way south. They eventually came upon a small brook where they stopped to soak their feet and refill their water skins. Settling down on a rock next to the stream, Hawke removed her cuirass and boots. Andraste's wet mabari, I must smell awful. She laughed to herself as she waded in the spring, using one of her handkerchiefs to wash her legs and arms in the fresh, cool water. Fenris followed her lead and removed his armor, rolling his leggings up to his knees. He sat on a boulder that rested in the middle of the stream and stretched his legs out in front of him, letting the water flow over his sore legs and feet.
After rinsing her hair in the stream, Hawke made her way over to Fenris and sat on the rock behind him so they were back to back. She leaned into him and stretched her legs out as well, placing her hands to her sides on the rock to help support herself. She smiled as Fenris reached one of his hands over and placed it on top of one of hers, weaving their fingers together.
Hawke had been resting against Fenris with her eyes closed for a few moments when he finally spoke, "So, you really didn't recognize her?" Hawke turned her head a bit so she could hear him better.
"Recognize who?"
"That Warden. The woman."
"Ah, yes," Hawke felt a momentary twinge of jealousy as she realized he had been thinking about someone else, "No, I didn't recognize her. Should I have?"
"Considering that you're Ferelden, I would have imagined you'd know who she is." She could feel the smile in Fenris' voice.
Hawke idly swished her feet back and forth in the stream, waiting for Fenris to continue.
"Your own Hero? Savior of the fifth blight?" He paused for effect, "...your queen?"
Hawke nearly lost her balance as she scrambled to sit upright. Her sudden motion caused her to splash water, nearly soaking her and Fenris.
Fenris laughed as he shifted so they were now sitting side by side on the rock. Hawke was staring into the water, her eyes wide. She suddenly groaned, covering her eyes with her hand in embarrassment, "I drank coffee with the Queen of Ferelden and I didn't even know it was her."
Hawke drew her bare feet up onto the rock, pulling her knees up under her chin. She stared down at her toes as she recalled the encounter in the Deep Roads. "She must have thought me a complete idiot." Hawke sighed, her face still red.
"I doubt that," Fenris laughed, taking her hand again, squeezing it between both of his. "In fact, she seemed rather impressed by you."
Hawke jerked her head to make eye contact with him, "Impressed? Surely not." He just smiled knowingly.
"Well," Hawke continued, "That explains why Anders has been so quiet."
"That's right, he knew the queen when he was in Amarathine. I remember him going on about it."
Hawke laughed, "He didn't just know her. He was in love with her." She sighed, shaking her head. They both glanced up the stream where Anders was kneeling on the grass, splashing water on his face.
"Figures. He's always been a fool." Fenris grumbled.
"Yes, well, that's apparently what his discussion with Bethany was about, the night before we left on the expedition." Fenris threw her on odd glance that she couldn't quite interpret. "What?" Hawke inquired, squinting in the sunlight.
"Nothing," Fenris shrugged, looking away again. So Marian thinks he turned down Bethany because of the queen? That explains why she's been so blind to his behavior toward her. I suppose I should be relieved.
"So how did you know who she was?" Hawke inquired.
"She visited Tevinter once right after her coronation; just before the trip to – before I escaped." He caught himself. "I had to accompany Danarius to the palace the evening of her visit."
Before Hawke could ask any more questions, Fenris stood and offered his hand to her. "We'd better get moving if we want to reach Wildervale before nightfall." He glanced up in the sky, noting the location of the sun. It would begin to set in just a few hours.
Using Fenris' hand for support, Hawke pulled herself up off the rock and headed back to the shore where the rest of her armor lay. She suited up again and laced up her boots, cringing at how sore her feet still were. She waited for Fenris to get the rest of his armor on and they met up with Varric and Anders at the edge of the road. The group headed back on their journey south.
Dusk was just beginning to settle on the Free Marches as the group caught sight of the glow of lights not far off in the distance. Wildervale was finally in sight, causing all four of them to pick up their pace. They were all eager to get a hot meal and good night's rest.
The town was quite a bit larger than Lothering. It reminded Hawke of Redcliffe, a village not far from Lothering; they often went there if they needed supplies they couldn't find in their own town. Even though it was after dark, it was still early enough that the streets were bustling and pie vendors were still about.
Varric knew of an inn that he claimed served the best stew in the Free Marches, and also had the best mead. Hawke looked longingly at the hot pastries a young woman was selling as they passed her and headed toward the inn.
They were able to procure two rooms for the night; one with a single bed, the other with two cots. Everyone seemed to just assume what the arrangements would be for the night and Hawke and Fenris were comfortable with it this time – they had come a long way since the tent fiasco at the beginning of the expedition. After depositing their belongings in the rooms and locking the doors, all four headed down to the main room of the inn where they ordered some of the famous stew. Anders and Varric immediately ordered pints of the mead. Hawke was about to inquire about the wine when she saw Fenris place a bottle in front of her, already opened. It was the aggregio. She had completely forgotten he brought it with them; that had seemed like ages ago.
"Oh sweet, merciful Maker," Hawke sighed, reaching for the bottle. After their time in the Deep Roads, it tasted like she had died and gone to the Golden City. She and Fenris continued sharing the bottle once their food arrived, along with a large loaf of piping hot bread and a slab of fresh butter.
"Surely we died in the Deep Roads," Hawke mumbled as she shoved another piece of buttery, crusty bread in her mouth, "And this is the Fade." They all laughed but the conversation was minimal, since they were so focused on the food. I have to admit, Varric was right about this stew. Hawke thought as she scraped her bowl clean. The barmaid was already bringing more bowls, as if she had read their minds.
Hawke grabbed the barmaid's wrist as she set the bowl down. "You must be Andraste incarnate," Hawke whispered, looking up at her with wide eyes. The wine was clearly taking effect.
Fenris laughed as he released Hawke's grip and apologized to the poor, confused woman.
"She's sooo beautiful," Hawke sighed, returning to her meal. As she reached for the wine again, Fenris quickly pulled it out of her reach. She stared daggers into him.
"You're going to make yourself sick at this pace," he shook his head, still smiling in amusement.
"Whatever you say, mom." Hawke rolled her eyes. She was too tired to argue. Hawke managed two more bites of the stew before she found it difficult to keep her eyes open. As the town clock chimed the tenth bell, Fenris stood and began to help her up.
"She's much more beautiful than Bethany," Hawke sighed, leaning heavily on Fenris. He glanced back at the barmaid. She certainly was not unattractive, but she was older than Bethany and far frailer.
"That barmaid has nothing on your sister," he tried to comfort a very tipsy Hawke, who seemed rather upset.
"Mmmnooo, not her," Hawke hiccupped, "The queen. No wonder Anders prefers to pine for her instead of my sister."
Fenris sighed, "Anders doesn't deserve your sister. Please stop worrying about it." But he knew it was a wasted argument. Hawke wasn't thinking clearly. He carefully led her up the stairs to their room, listening to her ramble on about how lovely the Warden Queen was.
Once they returned to their room, Hawke flung herself onto the bed, on her back, with a sigh. Fenris stood, crossing his arms in frustration. He was tired and wanted sleep.
"You're not going to sleep very well fully armored," he tapped his foot impatiently. Hawke propped herself up on her elbows and smirked at him.
"Why, Fenris," she slurred. "Are you propositioning me?" He sighed dropping his head into his hand.
"You need sleep, Hawke," he responded, ignoring her question.
"Fine," she sounded a bit annoyed but swung her legs over the side of the bed and carefully stood trying to regain her balance. Fenris quickly turned away toward the wash stand as he saw her begin to strip her armor off rather hurriedly. Gods, save me from this woman, he thought wryly as her heard the familiar jingle of her armor behind him. He removed his tunic and began rinsing his face and scrubbing his hands in the cool water in the wash basin. As he was patting his face and neck dry he heard a small, startled cry from behind him. He turned quickly to discover Hawke had fallen back into the small wooden chair in the corner of the room, wearing nothing but her small clothes and her boots.
Fenris swallowed the lump forming in his throat and clenched his fists in frustration as he tried to ignore the way his heart was racing and how warm he suddenly felt. The wine was a terrible idea, he chided himself. You should have known better. As he reached her chair he could tell she now seemed irritated that she couldn't remove her boots. She sighed tiredly as she dropped her elbows to her knees and rested her head in her hands.
"Here," Fenris offered, clearing his throat. He knelt in front of her to untie her boots, fighting the urge to let his gaze go any higher than the top of the boot. After he had pulled both boots off he stood, still avoiding looking directly at her, and helped her up. He waited as she climbed into the bed, on top of the covers. Despite his best efforts he found himself staring at her bare legs – they were even more beautiful than he could remember. Calm yourself, Fenris. He clenched his jaw, forcing his gaze to her face; he stood next to the bed as she was already beginning to drift off to sleep. He carefully pulled the blanket from under her and draped it over her as she shifted to her side with her back facing him. Her breath dropped to the deep, slow breathing of sleep and he sighed, relieved. He carefully crawled under the blanket next to her and lay on his back, cautious not to brush up against her lest he wake her.
The worn mattress of the bed at the inn felt like a cloud compared to the hard stone floor of the Deep Roads. It wasn't as comfortable as the bed in Danarius' Kirkwall mansion, but at that moment it could have been a bed in the Winter Palace. Fenris sighed contentedly thinking about going back to "his" bed. Home, he thought. I never thought I'd have someplace I could consider home. Somewhere to go to. Somewhere I would want to go to. And I never thought there'd be someone in my life I'd want to share it with. He glanced over at the back of Hawke as she slept peacefully, and he smiled.
A/N: User EkoCentric pointed out that Fenris escaped Danarius during the events of the fifth blight and therefore could not have encountered the queen of Ferelden after her coronation. Just chalk this up to an adjustment in the timeline for the story. (Thanks for the catch, EkoCentric!)