Chapter 52
Gavin stood at the window looking out at his peaceful farm. A merry fire crackled in the hearth, and the smell of spiced porridge filled the air. Orana was an excellent cook, to which his stomach could attest. So far, all the outdoor work he was doing was keeping him fit. He wondered exactly how he was going to keep the weight off when winter came. If only his beloved hound were there with him, he wouldn't have to wonder, for playing with the dog was good exercise. They'd left Kirkwall almost three months ago and winter was just around the corner now. He should have been there by now. Something had to have gone wrong.
Fenris glanced over from his seat at the table and frowned at the tall figure of the mage. He was concerned now too at the lack of word from Varric. But, brooding didn't help matters. A small smile curved his lips at that thought. Varric had nicknamed him 'broody' back in Kirkwall, and it had been accurate. Now, he brooded far less and Gavin seemed to be doing it much more. He got up and walked over to the mage.
"They say no news is good news," he said quietly.
Gavin sighed and his shoulders slumped slightly. "And it could also mean that Varric ran afoul of Meredith, or the Carta, or renegade blood mages..."
Fenris placed a finger over the mage's lips, "Don't borrow trouble Hawke." He locked eyes with the taller man and said firmly, "He could be on his way here right now. And if that's the case, he wouldn't bother sending a letter for he could travel here just as fast."
Gavin stared at him silently for a while before smiling slightly. "You're right," he said. "And if it wasn't so late in the season, then I would probably be more patient. But, I know how quickly the weather can turn bad at this time of year. If he doesn't come soon, it will most likely be spring before I see Fang again."
Fenris raised an eyebrow at that. He'd heard the stories about the loyalty of mabari, and also how Fereldens prized them about all other dogs. But looking at Hawke now, he realized that the bond went far deeper than he suspected. Hearing the clatter of dishware, he turned to see Orana setting their breakfast on the table.
"Come," he told the mage. "Let's have breakfast and then get some hunting done. We need to fill the larder with cured meats and we'll need more furs for the beds and to wear when we go out. If we wait too long, game will become scarce and then we'll have to buy more of what we need." He didn't add that frequent trips to any town or village would increase the risk to Gavin.
Gavin silently joined them at the table, his thoughts dwelling on his missing friend. He knew that it was unlikely that Varric would have been detained by anyone or run afoul of someone. He was just really missing his dog. He'd lost the feel of the bond once they'd crossed the sea and it felt like there was a hole in his soul. He hurriedly ate his porridge, eager to get out and do something to take his mind off his missing friends.
By late afternoon he and Fenris had managed to bring down a deer and four rabbits. It wasn't enough for the winter, but it was a start. Jethann had been tasked with setting traps for smaller animals, something he'd learned to do from a previous lover. Gavin was sure there was a good story behind that tidbit, and he hoped to hear it one day.
They had just set down their kills when the sound of hooves drifted to them from the road. Fenris dropped to the ground to listen as Gavin tightened his grip on his weapon. "How many?"
Fenris listened for a moment more and then got to his feet. He looked at the mage, his eyes full of concern. "It sounds like multiple horses, but there is also a rumbling noise, plus a lighter, faster step."
"A merchant perhaps?" Gavin suggested as they headed towards the front of the farmhouse so they could see who or what was coming. He really doubted it could be an enemy for they would have heard of any strangers in town.
They waited in tense silence for a few moments before they finally saw two rather large wagons weighed down with numerous goods. But, Gavin didn't need to wait for the wagons to get closer to know who it was. The bond was back, and with a smile of pure joy he ran out to the road in time to see a brown bundle of teeth and fur hurtling towards him, barking at the top of its lungs. "Fang!" he shouted and raced to meet the dog.
With a final joyous howl, the mabari jumped up on Gavin and knocked him to the ground, licking his face all over and mewling with delight. Gavin couldn't stop the tears that flowed down his cheeks even as he laughed in pure joy.
Fenris smiled at the sight of his mage and the dog rolling around on the groaned. He looked up to greet the dwarf riding on the first wagon as they came to a halt. "Welcome to the Hawke farm Varric. We were wondering if you were coming at all."
"Yeah, had some trouble in getting here," the dwarf grumped as he watched his friend's reunion with the dog. "Glad to finally be here though. Damn dog was driving me up a wall."
Gavin finally got up to greet them, "Bring those wagons on up and around the side of the house. There's an open sided shed where we can stack the goods to be sorted."
Jethann and Orana joined them and greeted the dwarf with delight. "It's so good to see you here at last. Master Hawke was just about out of his mind with worry," the elven woman said softly.
"Yeah, he always was the worrying sort," Varric snorted and then picked up the reins. "Let's get these wagons unloaded and then I can catch you up over dinner."
Fenris looked to the guards riding with the wagons, "There is room in the barn for all the horses and plenty of ground just outside where you can set up your tents."
"If you need meat for your supper, I have a couple of hares you can cook up," Orana offered.
Varric stared at her in astonishment. "Look at you, all friendly and such. Quite the change from the shy, quiet girl I used to know. Looks like being in Hawke's employ has been good for you." He chuckled as the elven woman blushed to the roots of her hair and scurried off to the house to begin supper.
"Yeah, she's really grown," Gavin said as he walked beside the wagon towards the shed. "She has become the woman of the house and she does an amazing job."
"Yes, if left to us, we'd still be eating dried rations," Jethann joked, dodging a cuff to the head from Gavin.
It took until just before nightfall for them to unpack and sort the items in the wagons. Gavin had purchased mattresses in Amaranthine because the ones from the estate wouldn't fit on the ship they had taken. Seeing those in the wagons he had set about getting them into the house. He was glad to see that he'd guessed right about their size and that they actually fit the frames. He gave the old ones to Varric to sell and told him to keep the money to cover some of the costs of the trip.
He smiled as he opened a crate to find books from his library in it. "You brought them all?"
"Of course Hawke," Varric laughed. "I know how much you love reading them and how much trouble you went to acquire some of them." He looked around, "In fact, everything you cared about from the estate made it into these wagons."
"Supper's ready," Orana called from the house.
They saw the hired men had already finished eating and were getting ready to settle down for the night. They headed in and washed up before sitting at the table. While they ate, Varric caught them up on what had happened the past couple of months.
"I did send a letter explaining why I was being delayed Hawke," Varric told them. "But, it never went beyond Denerim. Because of the Blight, the lands between here and Ostagar are largely unpopulated still. They wouldn't send the post this far just for one letter and there were no merchants heading this way whom they could send it with."
"Did Meredith give you a hard time?" Gavin scowled.
"She questioned me some, but that wasn't why I was delayed," the dwarf shook his head. "Lot's of shit going on in Kirkwall right now and some of it landed on my doorstep."
"Like what?" Fenris had finished eating and was leaning back in his chair.
"The biggest problem right now is Orsino and Meredith doing verbal battle in public over the fact that the mages are all but prisoners in their rooms now," Varric snorted. "Sebastian has been pleading with Elthina to intervene before it gets out of hand but she refuses. Keeps saying to have faith in the Maker," he rolled his eyes earning chuckles from everyone. He shoveled some more food into his mouth. "Then, there was this elven lass asking around about you Hawke. Something about an invitation to some estate in Orlais?"
Gavin snorted, "Yeah, a pompous duke of someplace was chatting me up at the victory dinner the city threw after my fight with the Arishok. He thought I would enjoy participating in his annual wyvern hunt on his estate. I never said I would go though."
"Well, I set her straight and then sent her packing," Varric shook his head. "By the time the dust settled, a couple of weeks had passed and the ship I was planning to take was long gone and no others were available. Plus, Meredith had the Templars dogging me every day. Guess she figured I'd give them a clue to where you'd gone. But after a couple more weeks she pulled them off to help with other problems. Then it took a little while longer for a ship big enough to transport your stuff to become available. Luckily, I was able to get all the stuff aboard it without anyone being the wiser."
"How did you manage to get all that to the boat undetected?" Jethann asked.
"Anders knew a couple of mages who'd escaped the tower that were adept at illusion and such," the dwarf shrugged like this was a normal occurance. "We moved the stuff down during the night and got it all aboard before anyone could say shit about it or stop us. Then I said goodbye to Bodhan and took Fang by the collar and stepped aboard myself."
"How are they doing? Sebastian and Anders, I mean," Gavin looked intently at his friend.
"They miss you, just like the rest of us," Varric answered. "They actually gave me letters to bring you. But, I can tell you that I'm most concerned about Anders."
"Why?" Fenris asked sharply. It was no secret that there was no love lost between him and the healer.
"He isn't eating or sleeping well, despite making use of your mansion as you suggested he do," Varric replied around another mouthful of food. Orana couldn't keep from smiling as she kept refilling his plate. "He's talking to himself, or that spirit, more than ever before. He's also been scurrying about and disappearing for days on end lately."
"Anders has access to the estate?" Jethann scowled at Hawke, while Fenris growled low in his throat.
"I gave him the key to the cellar entrance, so he could come up from his clinic if he needs to," Gavin informed them. Seeing their concern, he hastened to reassure them. "He needs a place he can retreat to and the mansion is good for that. There's nothing there he can harm. Bodhan knows to keep an eye on him when he comes around."
"I thought you were going to sell the estate?" Fenris scowled.
"Well, the market's bad right now," Varric pointed out. "Holding on to the estate is the wisest choice. But, who says you won't go back one day? At least it'll be there if you do." He finally pushed back from the table and looked up at Orana. "That was the best meal I've had in a long time."
"I'm glad you liked it," she flushed with pleasure.
Gavin stood up, "Where are those letters Varric?"
"Here you go," the dwarf dug into one of the numerous pockets in his coat and pulled them out.
Gavin took them and then went to sit in his favorite chair by the fire, Fang quickly coming to lay at his feet. He opened up the letter from Sebastian and slowly began to read. Once finished, he opened Anders letter and read it slowly as well. When he was through, he stared silently into the fire.
"What did they say?" Fenris asked softly as he sat on the hearth in front
Gavin looked at him and sighed, "I think we left Kirkwall just in time. Things are getting worse there with each passing week. I will send a letter back with Varric inviting them to join us here. But the tone of Anders' letter worries me the most. Some of it doesn't even make sense."
"It's that bad huh?"
"Yeah, and I'm afraid it's only going to get worse," Gavin said solemnly and then yawned. "I'm too tired to think about this tonight."
Fenris got to his feet and held his hand out to the mage. "It's been a long day. Let's get some sleep.
They said goodnight to their company and calling to Fang to join them, went into their room and closed the door.