Promises: Chapter Thirty-Four

Disclaimer: Dragon Age and all assorted characters/places/etc belong to Bioware, not me.

Fenris and Hawke wound up waiting just outside the cave for the man they had rescued—or rather tried to rescue. Neither of them felt right just leaving without making sure that the man made it out of the cave safely, and so they lingered outside. Hawke insisted on checking Fenris for injuries, clucking like a mother hen at him when he told her that he was unharmed, and healed him of everything, including the slightest of scratches. By the time she was finished, they were rejoined by the dour archer.

"Any luck?" Hawke asked brightly as if she was not responsible for virtually burning the bandits' hideout to a crisp.

The man crossed his arms. "No."

Hawke winced. "I see. Well sorry about that. If it makes you feel any better, that blast was actually larger than I thought it would be." She frowned. "Probably because it was an enclosed space. I must remember that next time."

"Next time?" the man asked sharply.

"Yes, it's rather inevitable that we'll be fighting in a cave again. I was complaining to Fenris earlier today how slavers, bandits, and the like have no imagination when it comes to choosing their hideouts. They're always caves."

"They are, aren't they?" A slow grin formed on the man's face. "They never have their headquarters in someplace unexpected like a bakery or a meadow. Although I can understand why not a meadow…not much defensible space in meadows."

"Well it's not as though all the defensible space in that cave did those bandits any good," Hawke pointed out.

"You have a point," the man admitted. "They weren't very good, were they?"

"No, they were not," Fenris agreed.

"Yes. One would have to be extraordinarily inept to be captured by that bunch," Hawke said, her eyes glancing over at the archer as she threw that barb his way.

The archer was no fool. He knew an insult when he heard one. "I was taken unawares," he replied stiffly.

"Of course." Hawke had a large grin on her face, one that Fenris knew was calculated to be infuriating.

"And betrayed," the man added. "By a fellow squire no less." Then he glared down the long length of his nose at Hawke. "And if this is an attempt by you to get some coin, then stop. I had no need of assistance from the two of you nor did I ask for your help. If you were promised coin, I would go back and demand it from whoever posted on the chanter's board you mentioned."

"Thank you but no," Hawke muttered softly. Fenris agreed with that sentiment. It was not worth the trouble to go back to town, and besides he didn't want to take the risk that the templar would not believe them that the noble's son was more than capable of taking care of himself and therefore decide to imprison Hawke after all.

"Anyway," Hawke chirped brightly. "I think introductions are in order. I'm Hawke, and the tall scary elf with the sword is Fenris."

"Howe," was the archer's reply. "Nathaniel Howe."

Hawke blinked in surprise. "Howe as in the Howes from Amaranthine?" she asked.

"Yes," Nathaniel replied. "From Amaranthine."

Hawke turned to Fenris without prompting as though she sensed the questions the elf had. "The Howes are a noble family from Ferelden," she explained. "They've held Amaranthine for ages and are also known for being close to the lords of Highever."

"Someone knows her high ranking families of Ferelden," the archer noted. "Read up on them much perhaps?"

Hawke rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. My family lived in Highever once though briefly."

Now it was Nathaniel's turn to blink in surprise. "You're from Ferelden?" he asked, taking a step back.

Hawke glared at the man. "Yes. I am," she replied shortly. "Where did you think I was from? Orlais?"

The man shook his head. "I thought you were a Marcher given that we're in the Free Marches. Don't see too many Fereldans this far north," he said. "But I suppose I should have known better. Only Fereldan women are so fierce." He inclined his head towards Fenris. "That's a warning by the way. That's the reason one of my best friends chose to marry an Antivan. Said that Fereldan women are too scary."

Fenris repressed the urge to sigh. The archer was clearly baiting Hawke, and his mageling was on the verge of losing her temper. He recognized that telltale twitch of her fingers that meant she was about to do something foolish. He quickly latched out an arm and pulled Hawke to his side. "Thank you, but that's entirely unnecessary," he told the man. "I might add that your friend sounds like the sort who scares easily."

Nathaniel let out a short bark of laughter. "Funny that's what—" He paused, a dark look flickering over his face. "Never mind," he said with a shake of his head. "In any event, we had best get away from here before any reinforcements show up. I would rather not have the little pyromaniac here set the entire hillside on fire."

"That wouldn't happen now," Hawke grumbled. Thankfully the archer kept his mouth shut, instead of trying to provoke the mageling further. The three of them stuck together as they trekked away from the cave, though this was more of Fenris' doing than anyone else's. Several times he tried to send meaningful glances towards Hawke, to prod the mageling into asking if the Howe had heard of her family. Hawke remained uncharacteristically silent, however, and hardly spoke at all. She seemed to be upset at being teased by the other man, which puzzled Fenris because Hawke could give as good as she got.

Hawke perked up after they stopped for the night, eager as always to help Fenris with the cooking. Fenris made sure that they prepared enough food for three, feeling that it was best to be polite to the archer in case Hawke came to her senses and started questioning him for news. Nathaniel offered to keep a look out after seeing that dinner was well in hand. Fenris noticed that the archer kept an eye not only on their surroundings but on how he and Hawke were preparing the food as well. Such vigilance was something Fenris approved of; they had just met after all and so it would be foolish for the man to trust them absolutely.

Thankfully Nathaniel stayed some distance away. This gave Fenris the chance to see why Hawke was being so reticent about asking after her village and her family. "I must confess that I'm somewhat puzzled by your behavior," he murmured to her.

"Oh?" Hawke cocked her head to one side, confusion writ large in her eyes.

"Yes. I would have thought you would have been all over our new friend here, plying him with question after question about your home."

"Oh." Hawke bit her lip. "I doubt he knows anything," she mumbled. "Amaranthine isn't close to Lothering at all, and it's not as though his family and mine run in the same circles. Rather the opposite, in fact."

Those sounded like excuses to Fenris' ears. Hawke hadn't been shy about asking any other Fereldan about her hometown, no matter where in that country they might have come from. For her to be so restrained now was out of character for his mageling. Still he saw no reason to press the issue for the moment; when Hawke was feeling stubborn, it was nigh impossible to get her to change her mind.

Hawke's curious behavior continued after they had finished making dinner. She offered Nathaniel a bowl readily enough but then retreated away from him. She sat down next to Fenris, practically pressed up against his side, and ate her food quietly rather than talk. Fenris could feel the other man's eyes on them.

"So that's it," the man said, his voice smug.

Both Fenris and Hawke's gazes snapped over to the archer. "What?" Hawke asked shortly.

"I was wondering why you were so far afield from Ferelden," Nathaniel explained. "It's one thing for a family to send a son away to be squired, but daughters are a different matter. You ran away from home, didn't you, so you could be with your elven lover."

Hawke's face turned bright red. "I…I…" she stammered, seemingly at a loss for words. "I did not run away from home!" she said fiercely.

The archer merely cocked an eyebrow up at her and then gestured to the way Hawke was curled up against Fenris' side.

Hawke's blush deepened, but she did not move from her spot. Rather she snuggled closer to Fenris even as she shot daggers at the other man with her eyes. "I was stolen away from my home by slavers," she told the archer in icy tones. "If you must know, it was Fenris who saved me. We've been together since then."

"I see." Nathaniel gave her a knowing smirk.

"Not like that!" Hawke's voice was strident. "I'm not…that is to say, neither of us are the sort…argh! You're insufferable and you know it!" She wagged a finger at the archer accusingly.

"My sister would say that I'm proud to be as insufferable as I am," the man told her modestly.

"You have a sister?" Hawke pulled a face. "My condolences to her. I thought I had it bad with Carver, but I have to admit you're loads worse."

"Well as Fergus used to say, a brother's role in life is to make sure that his sister isn't always happy. If she is, then he's doing something wrong. Obviously your Carver is of the same mind," said Nathaniel. He turned his gaze over to Fenris. "There's another duty that brothers have, but I am sure you'll find out soon enough once the two of you return to Ferelden. That is where you're headed, isn't it? Since you didn't run away."

Hawke nodded her head. "That is the plan at least," she said softly.

"I see. Did you know that you're headed in the wrong direction?" the man asked. "The closest sea port is Wycombe but you're headed towards Ansburg and Starkhaven," he pointed out.

"Oh really? I knew we should have taken the left fork at that last set of crossroads," Hawke replied sarcastically.

Fenris rolled his eyes. He wondered why Hawke all of a sudden was too proud to ask for help. Perhaps it was because of the way the archer kept teasing her. Whatever the reason, it was unproductive and he decided it was high time for him to help her out. "Hawke doesn't believe her family would stay in the same place after slavers attacked both her and her little sister," he explained. "So we're headed towards Kirkwall as she has an uncle there who might know where they are."

"Kirkwall?" Nathaniel repeated. "I wouldn't go to Kirkwall if I were you. You must not have been in the Free Marches for long otherwise you would know it's not the best place for mages."

"My mother is from Kirkwall and my father was a member of Kirkwall's circle if briefly so I'm well aware of how unwelcoming that city is towards my kind," said Hawke. "If we go there, I intend to stay there just long enough to look up my Uncle Gamlen and shake him down for information."

Nathaniel Howe was no fool, and he easily parsed through their words to what had been left unsaid. "You're hoping to come across a hint as to your family's whereabouts before then, aren't you? Well you must not be doing a very good job. You know I'm from Ferelden and you haven't once asked me if I've heard of them."

Fenris could feel Hawke bristling from her spot by his side. "Why would I ask you? You've obviously been in the Free Marches for awhile, not Ferelden."

"Ah yes, and of course I would have no news of home." Nathaniel shook his head from side to side.

"Oh please. I doubt you've even heard of Lothering," Hawke snapped back.

"Lothering? That small town in the south?" Nathaniel smirked over at Hawke. "As you can see, I have indeed heard of it."

"Have you heard anything recent?" Fenris asked before Hawke could try to antagonize the other man again.

"No, I'm afraid not," was the man's reply. "If I had, I would tell you, but it's not exactly a place that gets that many visitors."

Hawke mumbled something that suspiciously sounded like 'I told you so' but Fenris ignored her. The elf knew that she was irked by her fellow Fereldan, but personally Fenris felt that Nathaniel Howe was somewhat trustworthy—at least more trustworthy than either the elven assassin or lusty pirate captain they had traveled with. As such, he saw no reason not to continue conversing with the man. Fenris would never admit it, but dinner was almost too quiet for his liking with his mageling remaining as silent as she was.

"So what are your plans once you return to Ansburg? I imagine the squire who had betrayed you will be most surprised to see you walk in," the elf said.

A cloud darkened Nathaniel's face. "He will indeed. I imagine him and all of his conspirators will be given quite a shock when I return."

"Is that how you intend on identifying them?" Fenris asked curiously. It was a decent strategy, he supposed, so long as one's opponents were not used to hiding their emotions.

"I already know the ringleader. It's that bastard Ian Carrow. He was miffed that I beat him so handily in an archery contest and made no bones of the fact that he had it out for me. If I can readily discover some of his accomplices just by showing up…well then that will make my job easier."

"Let me guess. You're planning revenge," Hawke put in. "That's what Carver would do."

"Something tells me that you would do the same yourself," Nathaniel noted. "But yes, I am planning revenge. It's what any good Fereldan would do."

"Somehow I think the man who betrayed you won't be living for much longer," Fenris noted. The shots Nathaniel had made during the short time they had fought together were impressive. Fenris doubted that the other squire would ever see his doom coming.

"I don't intend to kill him. That's too good for the likes of him," Nathaniel stated flatly. "Killing him would be too easy and painless for a backstabber like him, especially since I'm not the type of prolong a death by torture."

"All right. So if you're not planning to kill him, then what are you going to do for your revenge? Spread nasty rumors about how much he hates cheese?" Hawke asked.

"Close," said Nathaniel, "but not quite. I plan to ruin him. By the time I'm done with him, there will not be a single noble family in all of the Free Marches who will willingly associate with that snake."

Fenris exchanged a glance with Hawke. He definitely wouldn't want to get on the bad side of the archer because Nathaniel was nothing short of ruthless when it came to revenge. However the elf privately thought that the man had set himself quite a task in completely ruining the other squire.

Hawke shared his feelings there as evidenced by her next words. "Well good luck with that," she said. "You're going to need it."

The man looked at her and then at Fenris, a crafty light in his eyes. "While I won't say no to any luck that comes my way, I believe that it's best not to rely on it. The problem with luck is that it's too unpredictable," he said. "It does occur to me, however, that given the number of conspirators that Ian must have on his side, it would do me some good to even the odds so to speak."

Fenris and Hawke glanced at each other once again. "Are you asking for our help?" he asked.

"You were looking for a job earlier, weren't you? That's why you had stopped to look at the chanter's board," the man noted.

"A job entails getting paid. You've yet to mention any remuneration we could expect from helping you." Hawke cocked her head to one side. "Again," she added, wrinkling her nose in annoyance.

Nathaniel inclined his head towards Hawke. "Of course it would be the lady who brings up payment," he murmured. "I've found that women are ever practical in that regards."

Hawke tapped her foot impatiently. "Please. Fenris isn't the sort to work for free either. He wasn't even interested in taking this particular quest off of the chanter's board." She sighed heavily. "I really should have listened to him," she muttered softly in an aside.

Fenris was gratified to hear such an admission from her. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him, squeezing her shoulder once to let her know that he accepted her unspoken apology. She leaned her head against him, tangling her hand with his, as she took comfort in having him so close.

Their silent communication did not go unnoticed by Nathaniel but he wisely chose not to remark upon it. Instead he answered Hawke's original question. "As for payment, I feel that the sum of fifty sovereigns should be adequate," he said. "Each of course," he added before either of them could speak.

Fenris was all for accepting the job after the mention of such a sum. They hadn't had a decent job for weeks, but this would more than make up for it. However Hawke had other ideas. "So you're saying that you're willing to pay us a total of one hundred sovereigns?" she asked. "Forgive me, but I doubt you have that much coin. While I have no doubt that your family has arranged for a small stipend for you, I have trouble believing that they would send you that much every month."

"They don't," Nathaniel agreed readily enough. "My father isn't exactly known for being generous with his purse as you have no doubt have heard even in a small village such as Lothering. I have been saving the bulk of my monthly allowance for quite some time, and so I've more than enough coin to cover that amount." A shadow flickered over his face, leaving a dark scowl in its wake. "I had been saving it for a certain…contingency, you might say. I've recently learned that I was a fool for planning for such a thing. Thus I've sovereigns to spare when it comes to paying you."

"But I'll sweeten my offer even more," the man went on. "You're looking for your family, right? I imagine that I have more resources than you when it comes to getting a letter to Ferelden. If you help me, I promise to do everything in my power to get a single letter from the lady to her family in addition to the coin I've already offered." He smiled briefly at Hawke. "And I'll have it sent as soon as we arrive at Ansburg if you have it ready then."

That offer was one that was too good to refuse. Though it might take some time for them to arrange for as complete a revenge as Nathaniel wanted over his fellow squire, Fenris thought they would be well compensated for their time both by the sovereigns the archer promised and the letter he promised to get to Hawke's family. He knew by Hawke's soft sigh that she felt the same way, and so he wasted no time in letting the archer know that they would help him in his quest for revenge.

Author's note: My thanks to everyone still with me on this fic. I hope you like this latest update.