He didn't come to see her for weeks. She honestly didn't expect him to come at all, but he did. One afternoon, he just knocked at her door. "They are visiting Merril, and I can't stand her. Thought I would see your house. They don't know I am here, so don't tell them."

"Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry, it's a mess, I was actually just cleaning."

He glided through the door way and started cleaning with her. They worked in silence for about an hour. The party started to leave, so he did as well. He nodded solemnly as he left, and rejoined the party as they went back into Lowtown. She didn't question it, and was thankful for the help.

From then on, it was a sort of tradition. He would drop by when Hawke visited Merril, and they would just be near each other. He rarely said a word to her, and sometimes, when there was no more work to do, they would sit in silence, while she read and he contemplated voluntarily being in a mages house.

She didn't push him to hard. She knew that he was put off by her magic, and disturbed by her beliefs. He was probably just as curious about what happened as she was. Eventually, they would work up to it, but for now, they existed near each other in silence.

One day, he came over swearing and livid. The party went to Merril's house, and he glared as they left, shooting daggers with green eyes.

"What is it?" she asked, sitting in one of her chairs and repairing tears in her clothing.

"They moved in together! The abomination and Hawke!" He paced in tightly wound circles, and looked ready to punch something.

"Weren't they already together?"

He paused to glare at her and then continued pacing. "Yes they were 'together,' but it wasn't official. Then the mage told Hawke about a Templar who was using the rite of Tranquility on mages who didn't deserve it, and how this Templar planned to make all mages tranquil. They followed the Templar and Anders lost control, like he would, the abomination. So he ran. He tried to leave Hawke 'for her safety.' She wouldn't hear of it, he kissed her, and then they…" his ranting faltered and stopped. He gathered himself, and continued, "Anyway, he lives in Hawke's mansion now. He taunts me too. He tells me of his love for her and how he can't imagine why I left her. I swear, I could rip his heart out!"

He continues pacing in tight circles, anger being his only way to express the dejection he felt. She let him wear himself out, knowing he isn't a talker. After a while, he stopped, and glanced around the room aimlessly, before slumping into one of her chairs. She put down her sewing and studied him.

"Do you want to discuss it, or did you just need a good rant?"

"Why? Why did I leave her? I had the most amazing person in the world, and I lost her to the bane of my existence. Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't I do it right?" His anger returned, and he stood to pace again. He was trying really hard not to break anything in her house, and pacing was all that helped.

"Well, why did you leave her? There must have been something to prompt you to do so."

"It was after we… lay together. I started remembering everything, from before, and it was too much. I had to do it on my own. I didn't expect her to wait for me, but I also didn't expect her to move on so quickly..."

"Remembering everything from before what?"

He stopped and looked at her. "Oh, I never told you, did I?"

"You only said his name and what he was to you."

"Danarius," he snarled. He sat back in the chair, and started his tale. He told her of waking up to excruciating pain, the lyrium in his skin, and being a slave. He told her of escape and of hiring Hawke. He briefly talks about their love affair, skimming over most of the details. He told her of not remembering anything before the pain, and of what he started to remember. He runs out of things to say and his life story dwindles, until he eventually just stops talking.

She doesn't say anything for a time. She thinks about it, all of it, rolls it around in her head, before she replies. "I had an idea that your past merited animosity to mages. You abhor us so, and that hurt me initially, as a mage, but I can't take it away from you. What I can do, is apologize. I am sorry magic was used on you in this way. I am sorry that mages have repeatedly torn you apart, and left you feeling like your insides were screaming. I wish I could heal it away."

He turns to her, in shock. He makes eye contact with her, connects to her startling storm grey, and sees the protection therein. In these months, where they just existed near each other, had she started to see something in him, something she could love? He shakes his head, no way. "Thank you for your concern, and your apology. I have met none like you."

She held out a hand for him, and he took it. The sparks danced up his skin, and for a moment everything felt right. He dropped her hand quickly. "Anytime," she said.

He left that day confused. When he saw Hawke, with Anders draped artfully around her, he felt a little less sad. Like he had someone.

The next time he visited, he couldn't sit with her in silence. He wanted to talk or to listen or something. Since the last visit, he just felt closer to her, so he asked about her story.

"Nothing exiting really," she replied.

"Well, I still want to hear it. Come now, I can't be the one who spills my feelings everywhere. I'm not even sure I have them," he teases.

She is shocked by that, Fenris, joking? She didn't mind it though, it was nice to see him smile. "Well, I was born in Nevarra. I was discovered to have magic at the age of six and I was taken to the mage tower. I lived there until I was 17. An incident occurred, and I escaped. It took me a long time to get here. I traveled by foot the whole time, and had to stop for a couple months at on occasion to get the funds to continue. When I got to Kirkwall, I managed to sell my abilities, like sewing, cooking, etc., to make a living. Basically anything I could do that wasn't being a mage, I did it for money." She didn't look at him for her whole story, and he could tell she was leaving a lot out.

"What was circle life like in Nevarra?" he asked.

"I don't really want to talk about that," she replied, curtly.

He was taken aback by that. She had never been short with him, except for the argument they had in the beginning. "Oh, sorry."

She looked apologetic. "No, sorry, I just… it wasn't a good time in my life. I would rather not dwell on it.

"I understand."