"You know, it's very rare that we get to spend more than a few minutes at The Hanged Man anymore," Isabela lamented as the trio made their way up the Lowtown steps into Hightown so that Hawke could collect Aveline from the barracks before meeting with the First-Enchanter. "I...Do you think we've become more sensible over the years without realising it? It's a sickening thought, I know."
Hawke and Varric chuckled, hearing the disapproval in Isabela's voice.
"Either that or our lives have just become a lot more complicated, Rivaini," the dwarf offered instead. "I think that's slightly more probable than us becoming sensible. I mean we've always had Aveline's example to put us off."
"True," the pirate agreed, with a smirk, "Though I can't help but realise how mellowed out I've become recently."
Hawke and Varric stopped dead and stared at her pointedly.
"This is you mellowed out?" Hawke asked, trying not to laugh, "Didn't you come up with the idea to seduce our way into a Templar gathering, chain me to a damn ceiling threatening me with...whatever that thing was, slash open the Knight-Commander's face, then beat Anders to a pulp all in the space of a few days? I mean throw in that wild sex we had a few days ago and you've given 'mellowed out' a whole new meaning, Bela!"
The three of them laughed.
"Well, when you put it like that..." Isabela said, shrugging, as the trio started to walk again. The pirate considered the last few weeks then, feeling a little less worried now. Hmm, I suppose I haven't mellowed out that much. "I think this is the longest I've gone without being chucked in the brig though. It was almost a daily routine for me before."
Lana laughed again, "And that's a bad thing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the pirate. "Maybe you're just better at not getting caught now."
"Hey, I was always good at evading capture!" Isabela replied, a little offended, "I wouldn't have survived this long otherwise, would I? It was just when the Big Girl started to pursue me directly that I started getting caught a lot more than usual. You try running away from a bloody red-headed, heavily-armoured, battering ram after drinking The Hanged Man dry and struggling to put one foot in front of the other. Throw in one of Worthy's concoctions and I wasn't even in the same world as her most times. It wasn't exactly a challenge trying to catch me."
"Well, you did sort of provoke her," Hawke said, giggling, "You tease her way more than I do. I think the only reason she lets me off is because we're friends. You two hate each other though." She remembered her own trips on Worthy's potions then. Those things could make you believe you were a damn half-Dwarven, half-Qunari whore-queen with three arms, one leg and a giant curly, black moustache if you took too much. "Didn't your brawls include no less than twenty people at a time Isabela, and almost always spread out onto the streets?"
The three of them laughed as they recalled the last brawl they had been in. Isabela was famous for being a troublemaker. She had definitely lived up to her piracy over the years, even without a ship.
"Only the very good ones, Hawke," she joked, grinning her crooked smile, "And those have been few and far between these days."
"Maybe we should get another potion or two from Worthy and blow off some steam one day then," Lana said, feeling that tingle of excitement as she anticipated it. Varric wheezed a laugh.
"The day you two go back on that stuff will be the day that Kirkwall gets demolished into nothing but rubble!" he teased, "Don't you remember what happened last time?"
"Remember?" Hawke blurted, "I still have the spank marks on my ass!"
A noblewoman walking by with her friend gave Hawke a dirty look then and made a disapproving remark a little too loudly to be ignored, having evidently just heard her revelation. Lana grinned back at her and held out her arms widely, unashamed.
"What are you looking at, Prude?" she bellowed loudly, "Jealous, am I right? As if you don't dream of getting a good ravaging by your husband! I'll give him a few pointers if you like."
The woman looked appalled as Isabela and Varric doubled over in kinks. Hearing Hawke yell at nobles was one of their favourite forms of entertainment. Ever since her mother's dinner party all those years ago there were still some in the city who treated her with disdain, despite her many exploits.
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Serah!" the noble yelled back, holding her hand across her heart as though shocked.
"Come on, 'my lady'! I bet the last time you got any ass was when your hand slipped through the linens as you wiped," Hawke joked, making Isabela and Varric almost wet themselves with laughter.
"You're language is repulsive, Serah!"
"Oh Maker, if I throw a stick will you go away then?" Hawke replied, rolling her eyes.
"You need to curb your tongue, Girl!" an elder nobleman interrupted, as he passed. A lot of nobles who were making their way home for the evening watched from afar as the insults were slung. Maker, this is quite a scene now, Isabela thought, impressed, and Hawke says I like to cause trouble?
"Well, you ought to keep your mouth shut, Serah, otherwise I'll come right over there and spank you into next week!" Hawke replied, sick of the condescending looks she still received from some nobles despite everything she had done for this city.
"You come near any of us and I'll call the guard you Lowtown wench!" the woman's friend bellowed back angrily. There was definitely a flicker of fear in their expressions as they observed the fearsome killer of the Arishok. As much as they disapproved of her, they couldn't deny her prowess with a blade. "You should have stayed in the slums with your wretched Uncle. You don't belong up here with the Highborn."
Hawke and her companions laughed again.
"As if I'd want belong up here!" Lana shouted back. "Tell me, how do you manage to walk so well with that silver spoon wedged up your ass?"
The two women threw her another scowl before turning on their heels and walking away. Lana chuckled to herself and turned back to the others who both were standing with their arms folded, amused.
"You're so bad, Sweetness," Isabela said proudly, shaking her head.
"I try to be," Lana teased, throwing her a wink. "There's just something about screaming at nobles that makes me feel like the balance in the world is set right again, you know?"
The three of them laughed and continued on their way through Hightown towards the Viscount's Keep.
The Gallows was a wretched place to visit, even more so these days as tensions between the mages and the Templars remained at boiling point. The hard, unforgiving stone that had entombed and enslaved many prisoners over the ages had a foreboding effect on the latest arrivals. Hawke shivered as she walked across the courtyard with her companions, their footsteps echoing off the cold, stone floor. Templars lurked in the shadows, ever vigilant, watching for any signs of escapees. The idea of being branded an apostate for leaving the Circle of Magi seemed to appeal more to mages now than staying under Templar supervision as conditions worsened for them under Knight-Commander Meredith's iron fist.
Two bald Templars were standing with their heads together in the corner, whispering secretively. Isabela started to laugh uncontrollably at the sight of them, cutting through the tense atmosphere like a knife. Hawke gave her a questioning stare.
"What is it?" she asked. The pirate waved her off, unable to speak. Varric turned to her then, a glint in his eye.
"Didn't you ever hear about the two bald guys who put their heads together?" he asked, grinning, "They made an ass out of themselves."
Hawke glanced back over at the back of two men again and realised what they were getting at. The moonlight was bouncing off their shiny heads, illuminating the unmistakable shape of a bare bottom. She burst out laughing, shaking her head at the joke. Varric joined in with the other two, causing them to receive questioning stares from the surrounding Templars. Aveline threw them a glare.
"You three are impossible to take anywhere," she scolded, as a mother would her children. She shook her head as she scanned the Templar guards."Control yourselves!"
"Sorry, Av," Hawke replied, wiping the tears from her eyes, "Let's just keep moving. Orsino said he'd be here somewhere."
"We should try the offices up there," the Guardswoman said, pointing to more gates ahead of them leading to the Templar Hall.
Hawke led the others onwards, getting threatening looks from a few familiar Templars. Well, I have killed too many of them in recent years to go unnoticed. She was starting to wonder if this meeting with the First Enchanter was a good idea after all. Too many Templar feathers had been ruffled by her and her companions. This was risky, and the others knew it too. Isabela glanced up at the old slaver statues which lined the walls.
"I hate those things," she said quietly to herself, a little ways behind Hawke, "They bring back too many stabs of guilt for me."
"What do you mean?" Lana asked curiously, turning to look at her. Isabela hesitated, seeming to regret speaking aloud. Balls, I've put my foot in it now.
"Um...nothing..."
Hawke raised an eyebrow at her, not fooled.
"Let's...um...Let's just speak sometime when this is over, Hawke," she said evasively, though having no real desire to. Some things in her past were better left there. This could change the whole dynamic of their relationship, and she hated rocking the boat even more.
"About?" Hawke pressed, feeling a little worried now. When Isabela looked this shifty it definitely was something to arouse apprehension. It reminds me of all that business with the Qunari a few years back, Lana thought, and we all remember how that turned out. The pirate glanced nervously back at Aveline then, who was eyeing her suspiciously.
"Later," she repeated to Hawke, knowing the Guard-Captain was listening in on their conversation. I don't need to give her another reason to arrest me...and something tells me she might just if she hears this little tale, no matter how long ago it was. Hawke sighed, and then nodded, wondering what in all of Thedas this could be about. She knew that look in Isabela's eyes only too well.
Pushing the worries from her mind, Hawke opened the door to First-Enchanter Orsino's office to see him standing, staring out the barred window behind his desk, seemingly lost in thought.
"Ah, Champion!" he said, turning to great them, "Thank you for coming to see me on such short notice, but I'm afraid this couldn't wait. Few will associate with me now that I am the focus on Meredith's ire, though I'm afraid that she is not entirely wrong to invoke such suspicion."
"Tell me why I shouldn't just walk out this door right now then," Hawke replied, disliking the thought of Meredith's actions being called just. "My entire body is still bruised from the torture that bitch inflicted on me, First-Enchanter. Do not tell me that she had right to do what she did because of mere suspicion!"
"I apologise, Champion," Orsino said quickly, "What happened to you was indeed wrong. I was merely talking about the situation with the mages. A few of my people have been using dangerous means to oppose her. It leaves me in a difficult position."
"I missed the point where this is my problem," Hawke said, folding her arms and observing the First-Enchanter as he paced around the room slowly.
"Come now," Orsino said, turning back to her, "You know your sister is at risk here, Champion. Merely being a member of the Circle these days is almost enough to be killed on the spot or made Tranquil, and she has been an outspoken member as any in recent years."
Hawke's jaw tightened. Since when was Bethany ever outspoken about anything? She's nothing like the gentle girl I once knew back in Lothering now. A sickening feeling arose in the pit of Lana's stomach as she realised just how much her sister had changed over the years. She didn't even know who Bethany was anymore. That good-natured, warmth that her sister had always possessed, her unwavering optimism, it all seemed to have been replaced somehow with the cold, bitterness of a woman twice her age. Maker, what has my family become? Lana thought sadly.
"So what are these mages doing?" she asked, knowing she had no choice but to help. Whether she liked it or not, Bethany was still her responsibility. They could hate each other all they wanted but blood was always thicker than water, even bad blood.
"All I know is numerous mages have left the Circle at night, sometimes for days at a time," Orsino said, continuing his pacing again, "Surely you noticed security has gotten much tighter in the Gallows recently. I'd rather not follow the Knight-Commander by jumping to the worst possible conclusion but I'm sad to say that the idea of blood magic has crossed my mind."
"Meredith does like to add one and one and get eleven, doesn't she?" Hawke said lightly, "Any excuse to behead a few more mages, I suppose."
"Well, I'm afraid if we don't act, there will be many more heads on the chopping block," Orsino said, "I've heard rumours of a meeting tonight in Hightown. I would have gone myself to investigate, but should I leave the tower without permission I will most likely be accused of involvement by Meredith."
"So I shouldn't slit my wrists and dance naked under the moonlight just to fit in?" Hawke joked, "Granted she probably believes me to be involved in some way anyway. The mages might just recruit me then and there, blood mage or no."
"The dancing under the moonlight thing brings a nice touch though," Isabela added, smirking, "Who could say no to a body like that?"
Orsino chuckled a little, surprised to find he still could after the stress and worrying of recent years. "Well, if that's what you intend perhaps I'll join you after all," he joked. The others tittered.
"What exactly do you need us to do, First-Enchanter?" Aveline interrupted in a businesslike tone, before this conversation went off track (as conversations of this nature usually did with Hawke, Varric and Isabela no matter what situation they were in).
"Just find out the nature of this meeting," he said, serious once more, "You needn't interrupt unless you find proof of something sinister...I pray not, or Meredith will have what she needs to justify the Right of Annulment."
"Let her try," Hawke spat, "She'll have the right of decorating my blade with her blood!"
"Calm yourself, Hawke," Aveline whispered nervously, glancing over her shoulder towards the door. "This is no safe place to speak threats."
"The Captain is right," Orsino said grimly, "It's not so much as safe to sneeze in the Gallows these days without being accused of treachery."
"Then I best be off," Lana said, frowning, "Before I say what's really on my mind."
"Very well. Good luck to you, Champion."
Hawke turned and led her companions from the office and the four of them rushed across the Gallows' courtyard, feeling watching eyes on them as they went.
Hawke doubled over, trying to catch her breath after her first real fight since the Knight-Commander's torture. She held her side, staring down at the bodies of mages and Templars alike, strewn across the large alleyway in a bloody mess. So the Templars and mages are forming alliances, she thought to herself in disbelief, things in the Circle must be worse than ever. Someone placed a comforting hand on her back.
"Are you alright?" Isabela asked. Hawke grimaced and straightened up slowly, careful not to strain herself further.
"I'm still a bit stiff," she groaned massaging her ribcage. Isabela's hand rubbed her back, running down along her spine and settling along her waist then.
"You can still fight like a bleeding Arch Demon though," she joked, grinning at her. Lana chuckled.
"Flatterer," she teased.
"Hawke, I found something!" Aveline called, as she searched the leader's body. The two of them made their way over to the Guardswoman as Varric continued looting the rest or their victims.
"What is it?" Lana asked, hovering over her shoulder. Aveline got to her feet. She handed her a note.
"A letter, or at least part of one anyway," she said, "You're going to want to read this."
Worried now, Hawke snatched the letter from her and opened it, reading the hastily scribbled words.
...not safe bringing any new recruits to meetings. Meredith has eyes everywhere. Bring anyone who claims to be against her to Gardibali's Warehouse at night. We must ensure their loyalty lest Meredith discover us before we are ready to confront her...
Hawke looked up then as Isabela read over her shoulder.
"Tell me why I'm doing this again?" she asked Aveline. "Shouldn't I just step back and leave them to it? We all know Meredith has lost her mind. What's stopping me from just letting these rogue Templars and mages finish her off?"
"Because we both know the rebellion won't stop there, Hawke," Aveline replied, sternly, "You heard Orsino! Meredith's looking for any excuse to call for the Right of Annulment. If you let her be killed by a Mage/Templar faction group we're going to have an all-out war on our hands, and what do you think will happen then? The Divine did not send agents like your friend Leliana from Orlais simply to observe. They are sending information back as we speak, Hawke. We could have another Exalted March on our hands if we're not careful."
Hawke's mouth went dry. She hadn't considered the possibility of all out war. Things were tense in Kirkwall, it was true. But war? Why did the Grand Cleric refused to leave for Orlais when I informed her of Leliana's message from The Divine then? Even though Lana held no love for the Chantry she couldn't help but feel that the Grand Cleric had made a grave mistake in staying behind. Maybe she felt she could do some good. It was true that she seemed to be the only one who could control Meredith when she got out of hand, but that power was waning as the Knight-Commander grew more and more reckless with each passing day. Elthina was no fighter, she was a high priestess, and it wasn't often that The Divine herself would send requests like this one, calling one of her own away from their post, fearing for their safety.
"Then what do you propose we do?" Lana asked, seeing Aveline had a point. "Who's to say this isn't simply a trap?"
"I fear if this is a trap then we are already caught in it," Aveline said gravely, "We must follow up on this lead, even if it proves a waste."
"What about Bethany?" Isabela asked, "Won't she be one of these mages opposed to the queen bitch?"
"It's possible," Aveline relented, "But we don't know for sure."
Hawke considered this. It was a possibility that her sister was among these rebels, but something about the whole thing didn't add up. Bethany would never align herself with Templars and bloodmages simply to exact revenge on Meredith...Or would she? Another voice in Hawke's head spoke up then. Could Bethany be behind this? Could her sister really have changed that much? It was one thing to send information from the Circle and act as an informant, but would Bethany really take up arms against the Knight-Commander of Kirkwall and ally herself with bloodmages and Templars to do so?
"Let's check out this warehouse," Hawke said, finally, "You know where it is?"
Aveline shook her head.
"I do," Isabela said, looking at Hawke, "It's down at the docks, the Western District directly facing the ships."
"Good. Then let's not waste anymore time," Lana said, giving her a nod.
The four of them left the corpses of the conspirators lying in the street and made their way towards Lowtown, following the twisted, unknown path now led out for them. Something told Hawke that the current situation in Kirkwall was not going to last. She needed to be extra careful to make sure that the inevitable fight didn't end up on her doorstep. It was starting to seem like a more difficult task than she realised.
"I told you she was hunting us! Orsino sent her!"
A terrified mage almost jumped out of his skin as Hawke and her companions burst into the warehouse like raging bulls. Templars and mages appeared threateningly from the shadows as the snitch withdrew his staff and immediately began to channel mana through it.
"Watch out! That one's got a lot of power!" Aveline yelled in warning.
As a magical stone fist came flying through the air towards them, the Guardswoman pushed the others to the side taking the full blow herself. Hawke looked up just in time to see it catch her square in the chest and slam her back into the wall. She fell to the ground in a heap, a trickle of blood oozing from her forehead.
"AVELINE!" Lana yelled, having never seen her being floored so easily, especially wearing all that armor. She dreaded to this what would have happened to the rest of them, wearing no armor at all, if Aveline hadn't of reacted so quickly. The woman had just saved their lives. "KILL THESE BASTARDS!"
Varric and Isabela didn't need telling twice. The Heartbreaker and Backstabber daggers and Bianca the Crossbow got to work, carving up mages and Templars alike as Hawke took care of the snitch. She dodged another stone fist spell aimed at her chest then clambered up from the ground and charged down the mage responsible, shoulder-tackling him to the ground, having no time to spare to withdraw her blades. The two of them wrestled in the dirt, struggling to get the upper hand in the scuffle. Hawke swung punch after punch at the mages face and felt him dig at her ribs painfully. Why is it always my ribs? Seeing more mana rise in his hands as he pinned her down, she head butted him hard on the forehead and withdrew one of her daggers with difficulty, lunging upwards with it and lodging it in the mages gut, feeling that sickeningly-sweet satisfaction of having someone else's life in your hands. The mana drained from him then, along with his blood and he fell to the side, dead.
"No one touches my friends and lives!" Hawke snarled, spitting on his corpse.
She jumped to her feet then tracked down the Templar he had been speaking to. If he got away Orsino would be in danger. Suddenly her eyes caught a blond head peeking out from one of the nearby crates. Hawke reached over it and grabbed a handful of the straw-coloured hair, dragging the hiding man on the end of it out into the open and throwing him to the ground roughly. By now the other conspiritors were dead. Isabela and Varric wiped off their weapons and returned to Hawke's side. Aveline had come just around.
"Everyone alright? I think I was...out," she groaned, picking herself up and walking towards them. Isabela chuckled.
"We're fine Big Girl. Always knew your big steel covered bollocks was good for something," she joked. Hawke sighed.
"What she means is thanks, Av. You really saved out hides back there," she corrected. She glared at Isabela, who simply shrugged. What? It's hard trying to be nice to her...It feels funny.
"Don't mention it," the Guardswoman said, rubbing the blood from her temple. "Just doing my duty."
"Shouldn't you do your 'dooty' in private like everyone else?" Varric asked, grinning cheekily. Isabela and Hawke sniggered. Aveline rolled her eyes. The four of them turned to the Templar cowering on the ground then. Suddenly recognition came over Hawke.
"I know you!" she said, surprised. "Keran?"
"I told them not to do it, I swear!" Keran said, looking up at them all and holding up his hands in surrender. "If I knew you were the one they were talking about I would have warned you! I don't hold with kidnapping, not after what I went through."
"Keran what's going on? Why did you try to kill me? Didn't I save your life?" Hawke asked, confused. Keran got to his feet.
"You did," he said with a nod, "And believe me I would never have let them take anyone I knew was one of yours."
Hawke's heart stopped.
"What are you talking about?" she asked worriedly, "Keran, what has happened?"
"They said someone was spying on us," Keran replied, "We needed leverage, someone they cared about as a hostage. They just pulled some girl out of the Circle, a sister I think."
Uncontrollable rage overcame Lana then.
"YOU BASTARDS KIDNAPPED MY SISTER!?" she yelled, grabbing him by the front of his armor.
"W-we weren't going to hurt her," he cried, "Just make sure you left us alone. She was in Cullen's pocket! We had to take her away before Meredith did and caused open war with the mages. You couldn't be stopped otherwise!"
"What do you mean she's in Cullen's pocket?" Hawke snarled, shaking him, "What hold has he got over her?"
"H-He desires her I think," Keran said, "I-I don't know how far the r-relationship goes...or even if one exists at all. All I know is Cullen is doing everything in his power to protect her. Thrask says-"
"Thrask!? The Templar?" Hawke repeated, "Is he the one running this conspiracy?"
"He's the one who brought us together," Keran said, nodding as best he could, "You know him, he's a good man! For six years he's been working in secret behind the Order's back. Cullen suspects him, but he is yet to do anything about it. That's why kidnapping your sister was important, not just to keep you away but also to keep him away. We have to oust Meredith from power. This city needs a proper Viscount!"
Hawke's grip on Keran tightened as she shook him again in fury.
"Tell me where my sister is!" she demanded, staring deep into his eyes.
"W-what are you going to do to Thrask?" he asked worriedly, seeing the rage in Lana's eyes. "T-to me?"
"Tell me where she is and I won't kill you!" Hawke growled, her face inches from his. "I warn you, my patience is wearing thin!"
"T-the Wounded Coast!" he cried at once, "They took her to our base there...beside the ruins."
Hawke released him then and threw him to the ground. She turned, without addressing the others and rushed ran towards the exit.
"I'm sorry!" Keran called after her.
The pirate raced after her, Varric and Aveline in tow, leaving the young Templar alone in the warehouse, grateful for his life. The rain had started to lash down now, the brisk wind on the docks picking up as Hawke ran as fast as she could through the streets towards the outskirts of the city.
"Hawke, wait!" Isabela called after her in the night. She had seen the same look in Hawke' eyes only once before: when Bethany had been taken by the Templars after they returned from The Deep Roads all those years ago. The pirate knew what came next, an uncontrollable blood rage. She had witnessed it first hand back then, along with Varric. She glanced down at the dwarf who looked just as worried.
The three of them followed Lana through the mountains, trying to keep up as she ran along the coastline with only murder on her mind. So my sister's sleeping with Templars now? She thought bitterly, she's unbelievable! After everything I've done to keep her out of trouble? The Templar/Mage base finally came into view in the distance. Hawke ignore the pain in her ribs from the climb and ran towards the party, taking out her daggers as she did so.
"Where is my sister?" she yelled furiously, breaking up the meeting at once. The mages and Templars fell silent, afraid to move an inch and feel the wrath of the Champion of Kirkwall. It was clear they had wanted to avoid confrontation with her.
"I suppose it was too much to hope that you wouldn't have come here."
Ser Thrask appeared from behind a group of mages. Lana saw Bethany lying on the ground behind him, seemingly unconscious.
"You asshole! I'll kill you for what you've done!" Hawke yelled. She made to raise her blades and charge when suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her midsection, holding her back as another stronger pair of hands wrestled her daggers from her grasp. The familiar scent told her it was Isabela who held her.
"Get off me, Bela! I swear!" she growled angrily, immediately getting déjà vu as she remembered back to the pirate's arms locking around her all those years ago exactly like this, in a situation very similar to this one.
"No," the pirate said calmly, "Not after last time, Hawke. The Big Girl will put you in the brig again if you kill him."
Aveline held Hawke's blades in her hands, having taken them from her for safety. She turned to Ser Thrask then.
"What's this about?" she asked, "In the name of the Kirkwall Guard I demand you release this woman!"
"I do not understand," Thrask began, still addressing Hawke who was being restrained by Isabela, struggling against her grip, "how you can side with Meredith now after everything she has done to you, Champion. You were the one who showed me we can stand up to her. Please, I have nothing but respect for you. It is Meredith we should see gone!"
"I will not negotiate with you until you unhand my sister!" Hawke said threateningly.
"No harm will come to her," Ser Thrask promised, "She will be released once I have your promise to support us against the Knight-Commander. It is not safe to let her go when Ser Cullen has taken a personal interest in her."
"No! The girl dies!" a female mage interrupted angrily, stepping out from the crowd. Hawke recognised her as well.
"YOU! I saved you as well!" Hawke spat, almost breaking out of Isabela's grip. She now realised there were more than a few familiar faces among the conspirators, having saved most, if not all of them from the Templars or their counterparts at some point. White hot rage of injustice burned inside Lana then, slithering through her like a snake as she cursed the mercy she had bestowed upon others. "I'll kill all of you backstabbing bastards if you don't let Bethany go! I knew you would come back to bite me in the ass, Grace. If it wasn't for my sister's mercy you wouldn't even be here."
"And you killed the best man I knew that day! Decimus was right. Mages cannot live under Chantry rule," Grace said menacingly.
"Restrain yourself!" Thrask scolded as Grace started to turn red with rage. Suddenly he was lifted off his feet. There was a second of stunned silence as everyone watched him hover in the air, bound by an invisible force. Then Grace stabbed herself in the stomach with her staff and the world exploded around them in a sea of blood. Ser Thrask fell to the ground in a heap.
"Forget the girl! KILL THE CHAMPION!"
Hawke broke free from Isabela's grasp and snatched a dagger from the pirate's back as the Templars and mages all around them were called to action. The entire Wounded Coast was set alight with spells and war-cries as the fighting erupted, Hawke and her companions in the middle of it all al usual.
Lana was covered in blood from head to toe. The rain was lashing hard on her face now, the icy wind howling around them. She pulled Isabela's dagger from Grace's heart and tossed it back to the pirate before picking up her own, which Aveline had discarded on the ground. A few of the Templars and mages who were unwilling to fight watched warily, cowering on the sidelines as the Champion of Kirkwall walked over to her sister.
"S-she's being held by blood-magic, Serah," a young man said, breaking from the crowd. Lana glared up at him, recognising his face.
"Alain, right?" she asked. The man nodded.
"I c-can free her," he replied. The others watched in horror as he slit his wrists and called upon a demon to release Bethany from the enchantment placed upon her. Hawke watched as her little sister began to stir, and finally opened her eyes.
"Wh...what happened?...Where am I?"
"You know, I'm surprised at you," Hawke began coldly, staring down at her as the others observed them in silence. "How could you let yourself be taken like that, Bethany? Didn't Father teach you anything?"
Bethany got to her feet as her older sister came into view. She smiled widely at the sight of her.
"Lana?...Oh, Lana! Thank The Maker you came!"
Hawke stiffened as her sister threw her arms around her. It was an odd sensation, a feeling of familiarity that had long since passed and soured over the years. It made her nothing but uncomfortable now. Lana shook her off, not reciprocating the hug.
"Do you think you can just hug me, Sister, and everything will be alright again?" she asked spitefully. Bethany pulled back then, a hurt expression on her face.
"I...no...of course not," she said gently, "I know I've hurt you deeply, Sister...and I know that's not likely to change overnight."
"Yet you still write to me," Hawke said, glaring at her.
"And you still come to rescue me," Bethany countered, defiant.
"Old habits die hard," Lana replied, remaining bitter to the core. Bethany stared into her sister's chocolate-brown eyes and could see the distance between them once more. There was no warmth in Lana's gaze like there had been when they were little, only indifference now. The day her little sister had turned her back on her was the most painful thing in existence Lana had ever experienced. As much as it hurt Bethany to be on the receiving end of her glares, she could hardly blame her for being like this. She had hurt her beyond all reckoning. "You didn't answer my question," Hawke continued, feeling the rain water drip down her face. "How did they capture you?"
"Do you care?" Bethany asked, imitating her sister's coldness now. "Do you even love me at all anymore?" She was soaked to the skin. Her hair was plastered to her face. She brushed it back, not taking her eyes off Hawke.
"Do I have a choice?" Hawke replied, "If I fail you does that mean that I have really let my entire family fall to pieces, Bethany? Or am I still only responsible for Mother and Carver's deaths?"
"That's not fair," Bethany said, in a heartbreaking whisper.
"You're right," Hawke said hoarsely, "It isn't...but since when did that ever matter to anyone when I was always around to shoulder the blame for everything?"
Bethany swallowed over the lump in her throat, her words catching there as she choked up.
"I...I don't blame you, Lana," she said sadly.
"But you did," Hawke replied, not softening, "And that hurt more than anything in the world, Bethany, knowing that you could think so little of me after everything I had done to keep you safe."
"THEY'RE OVER HERE!"
"ARREST THEM ALL!"
Everyone jumped at the sound and turned to see Knight-Captain Cullen move along the coast towards them, Templar guards in tow. They immediately began to fan out, taking people into custody.
"Champion!" he said, as his eyes fell on Hawke, "No one told me that you were involved in this."
"I tend to crash Templar parties unexpectedly," Lana replied, a hint of a joke on her lips. The others were led away by the newly arrived Templars, leaving just Lana, her companions, Bethany and Cullen now. He smiled at her, remembering.
"I can see that," he said, before turning to Bethany, "Thank The Maker you're ok. I was so wo-"
"Worried?" Hawke interrupted, her tone becoming dangerous once more. "I would ask for what reason, Cullen? The only person whom my sister should concern is my Uncle and I. What claim have you put on her?"
Bethany placed a hand on her arm. "Lana..."
Hawke shook her off again and rounded on her.
"Is this what you've been doing with all you free time, Sister?" she asked disgustedly, "All those years I was selling my soul to protect you from Templars, while you were too busy to care, bedding them one by one behind my back?"
"What like you and Sister Leliana?" Bethany exclaimed, "I haven't forgotten you know...and this is nothing even like that! You're crazy!"
"Don't lie to me!" Hawke spat, her temper rising again, "I know Cullen desires you. Maker's Breath, what would Father say if he was alive to see this day, Bethany? I'm sure he's spinning in his grave right about now."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Bethany cried, tears forming in her eyes, "Cullen's been protecting me, that's all."
"Yes, for his own selfish gains!" Hawke turned back to the Knight-Captain then. "You'll stay away from my sister, Cullen, or so help me, I will put my foot so far up your ass-"
"Calm yourself, my good woman!" Cullen interrupted, holding up his hands, "I have done nothing untoward. I have merely protected her from Meredith's wrath. You already know of her plan to kidnap Bethany to get to you, do you not? Obviously that's not going to happen now that Ser Thrask took the plan and flipped it for his own means however, but the point still stands."
"He's been helping me, Sister, nothing more I promise," Bethany said softly. "You must believe me..."
Hawke exhaled in anger. Bethany reached out to her again but Lana found she couldn't take any of this anymore. She looked up into her little sister's eyes then, "You know what, Sister...I really don't care anymore...Do what you want...We're finished..."
She turned her back on them all and started to walk back to the city. Bethany felt her heart breaking as she watched her go. Isabela took one look at her face then ran after Hawke. She placed a hand on her arm when she was close enough, stopping her.
"Hawke, you can't leave her like-"
"Leave me alone, Bela," Hawke said, not wanting to hear it. She sidestepped the pirate without looking at her and walked away from her sister for the second time in only a few months with nothing but bitter thoughts and memories for company.
Isabela watched after Lana sadly as she made her way back down along the coast line, her head hung. Maker's Breath, when will it end? the Rivaini asked herself. She sighed, not liking the idea of Hawke withdrawing from her like this again, especially when she had promised Bethany she would do her best to repair their broken relationship. I've tried though, but Hawke just never wants to talk about it if she can help it. Whether she was willing to admit it or not, Lana missed her sister more than anything in the world, even if she was still angry with her and hurt by her betrayal. Some scars went a little too deep though. Isabela had a few of those of her own, but she couldn't help but think that there was still a chance for Lana and Bethany to overcome this bitterness. Only time would tell, and they were quickly running out of what precious little remained. Would there be enough though? That was the real question that remained to be seen.