Over a year had passed, but Hawke's life had completely changed. What had been a family of four in a tiny house in Lowtown had become a family of two in a large estate. Clea sat on the couch in front of the roaring fire, sipping on wine. She tried to spend as much time with her mother as she could with Bethany gone. That goal had been difficult to accomplish due to her work load. Issues with the Qunari had ignited and the Viccount was relying on her to help contain the problem. Hawke had also been roped into helping people she had met during her first few years in Kirkwall. Even though she now lived in Hightown, she still had a heart for her fellow countrymen and those who were down and out.

Bodan, Sandal, and Oranna kept Hawke's mother busy, but she felt guilty for not spending more of her free time with her. The truth was, every time she looked at her mother, she was reminded of how she had failed Bethany, and Carver. Leandra seemed to be recovering well, but Hawke struggled to stop the guilt. Why her? Why Bethany and not me? Hawke took another drink and lay back in the pillows.

Her mother had not taken the news well, and rightfully so. A few of her closest companions had offered support and condolences. Anders had admitted to having the beginnings of feelings for Bethany; it had taken several months for him to recover. Fenris said little, but was always there when she needed him. Hawke needed the jobs just as much as they needed her.

Leandra was still at Gamlin's, on her weekly visit, and Hawke was waiting patiently for Fenris. Hawke sometimes missed living in Lowtown, so close to the Hanged Man. Living in Hightown did have its advantages though, such as living very close to Fenris. When she had given him a book as a gift, it was revealed that he couldn't read. Since then, Fenris had come over about once a week for lessons. Some nights were better than others. Hawke had quickly learned that the lessons were a little less stressful if she had some sort of alcohol in her system first.

Hawke set her glass on the table and was about to walk the room when she spotted Fenris. At first he would bring the book, but a after a few lessons Hawke had convinced him to leave it on her table. She was about to sit back, but Fenris stayed standing. Hawke noticed he looked especially distraught. "Is something wrong?" she asked, standing up. Hawke had noticed that as of late Fenris had again become very focused on finding his former master.

He shook his head and moved toward to couch. "It is no matter."

"Denarius?" Her voice was barely audible.

Fenris looked up from his newly-occupied seat on the couch. His eyebrows creased and he gave a tight nod. His glassy, green eyes shimmered. A slight pain in her heart reminder her of how much she wished she could help him. "When the time comes, I am here." She dared not push further. Fenris nodded again then pulled the book toward him.

Hawke heard the front door shut. Fenris knew the cue to leave. Hawke's mother had not been too fond of her house guest. "The elven slave" he mother would call him. Hawke would want to scream, "He is not a slave!" but always bit her tongue. Leandra never called him this to his face, but Fenris had taken the hint from her body language. He stood to leave, but Hawke halted him with her words. "I'm headed outside Kirkwall tomorrow and would appreciate it if you join me." She unconsciously held her breath.

"Of course, Hawke."

She nodded and grinned in thanks. She followed him out in case he had to face her mother. As they walked through the front room, Hawke noticed that Bodan and Sandal had already left for bed. Mother was out later than normal. Hawke opened the door to let him out, but he paused under the frame and turned toward her. "Thank you, Hawke." He stood for a moment in silence, eyes locked on hers. Her breath caught. His white locks of hair contrasted against lightly-tanned skin. His bright green eyes seemingly peering into her thoughts. He blinked, then left.

Hawke slowly shut the door, leaned back on it, and let out a large exhale. I'm falling for him. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt it. Any time he was in close proximity she felt her heart jump and her thoughts go fuzzy. More than that, she felt a deep compassion for him that she hadn't experienced before. She wanted to always be there for him, to comfort him in times of trouble. She knew they weren't motherly feelings because she would also catch herself staring at his markings and wondering where they went. She knew that Fenris at least trusted her some, but wasn't sure how deep his feelings went for her. Above all, she knew that Fenris would need to make the first move, if there was to be one.

In the morning, Avaline, Fenris, and Isabella had met at Hawke's mansion. They made their way to the Wounded Coast to follow up on some leads for various missions. Clea was listening to Aveline and Isabella bicker when she saw him, or rather them. Fenris moved to stand next to her. "Hunters," he muttered under his breath.

The men stood up on one of the cliffs and clearly had been loking and waiting for Fenris. "Stop right there!" The apparent leader of the group shouted. "You are in possession of stolen property! Hand over the slave!"

Hawke felt her blood begin to boil. "Fenris is a free man!" She shouted back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fenris smirk.

"Don't make me repeat myself," the man shouted back, raising his sword. "Hand over the slave!"

Hawke heard Fenris give a low growl. "I am not your slave!" he bellowed and charged forward. The three ladies followed suit, charging up toward the group of men.

In a matter of minutes, only one of the mages remained. Before Hawke could question him, Fenris charged up and held the man's head by his hair. Hawke looked off toward the water; she couldn't bring herself to watch. She knew that Fenris was trained to kill and had an ugly temper, but she didn't enjoy watching his fury in action.

She heard Fenris demand the man tell him where "he" was. Hawke, and everyone present, knew that Fenris was referring to Dinarus. Hawke flinched when she heard the man cry out in pain. The man swore he didn't know where he was, but said that a woman named Hadrianna had brought them and she was in holding caves north of the city. The man's hope for survival was almost palatable. Hawke almost wished she could warn him of the likely impending doom. The man said he could show Fenris where, but Fenris assured him that he just where to look. The man predictably begged for his life, but she heard Fenris tell him that he had chosen the wrong master. She heard the sickening cracking noise, then silence.

Knowing it was over, Hawke turned back toward the scene. Fenris came charging her way. Aveline and Isabella were paying attention, but stood back several feet."Hadrianna," he spat. "I should have known. She is my old master's apprentice. If she is here, it is at her bidding." He looked down and said more quietly, "I knew he wouldn't let this go." Hawke thought back to his worries the night before. "We need to go before she had time to prepare or escape." Hawke looked to Aveline and Isabella and both nodded.

"Lead the way," She said softly. She meant what she had said the previous night and she planned to make good on the promise. He needed resolution and this Hadrianna appeared to be an important piece.

Fenris charged ahead, causing the ladies to almost jog to keep up. The ladies stayed silent but he would occasionally turn his head to provide more information. "The caves used to hold slaves. Let us hope she is still there." Hawke could tell they were etting closer. Fenris was slowing down and he was getting more talkative. "Handriana," he spat again. "She used to torture me; hound my sleep and deny me meals." Hawke shivered. She couldn't imagine anyone treating another human being that way, especially him.

They approached the cave, "This is it," he declared. The four took a collective breath and entered.

After defeating her men and pinning her to the ground, Hawke deferred to Fenris to deal with Hadriana. She knew he needed the closure. Again, she could only listen. His anger was to the point that his markings were lit, though not yet to full capacity. Hawke stepped back and looked down at her boots. She heard Hadriana tell Fenris that he had a sister and that she was safe. She heard Fenris promise he would release her if she provided more information. Hawke knew this promise was for not. After he got all that he could out of her, she heard his markings flare and then silence.
She felt a breeze as he walked by her quickly. "We're done here," he said under his breath.

Hawke jerked her head up, flustered. "Don't you want to talk about it?"

Suddenly he whirled around. "No, I don't want to talk about it!" His voice was raised. "this could have been a trap. Dinarius could have sent her here to tell me about this 'sister'. Even if he didn't, trying to find her would still be suicide." He paused. Hawke saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes, but then it was gone. "But all that matters is that I got to crush that bitch's heart. May she rot, and all the other mages with her." Fenris and turned his back and walked a few steps away.

Hawke waiting a few beats, then stepped closer. "Maybe we should leave," she said softly. She placed a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"Don't comfort me," he spat, then turned to face her. Hawke felt her face pale. "You saw what was done here. There will always be some reason or some excuse why mages need to do this. Even if I found my sister, who knows what the Magisters have done to her. What does magic touch that it doesn't spoil?" It was a rhetorical question, but he paused for a moment, staring at her. His face fell. "I… need to go." Fenris put his gauntleted hand to his forehead and turned to leave. Hawke, Aveline, and Isabella stayed behind to clean up and give him some needed space.

Clea was on her way back from the Hanged Man. She had filled Varric in on the days' events. She had asked him not to document the story. At first he seemed to agree out of obligation, but by the end assured her that he wouldn't speak of it again. He said he would invite Fenris for a drink in the next few days, just the two of them, in an effort to provide support. Hawke had also mentioned that she had run into an elven slave, Orianna, and agreed to take her on as household staff. Varric made some joke about Fenris having a fit, but Hawke assured him that she wanted Oranna to learn some self-confidence and be an employee, like Bowdan. Varric agreed that it was the best possible outcome.

Hawke had left her large weapon at home, but had pleanty of protection hidden under her pants and buttoned blouse. Darkness had fallen while she had been at the Hannged Man. Part of her visiting Varric had been to forget about Fenris. She had dropped by his mansion after returning from the Wounded Coast, but it was empty. This had caused worry, and Varric plus alcohol had presented itself as a logical remedy. It had worked for a time, but she found herself worrying again. He had left so suddenly. Hawke pulled her hair tie out and pushed open the door to her home. She sighed, and shut and barred the door. She turned toward the front room and headed for a hot bath. Movement to her right caused her to freeze. It was Fenris. In her home, sitting on the bench in her front hallway.

He stood and approached her. "I've been thinking about what happened with Hadriana. I took my anger out on you, undeservedly so. I was… not myself. I'm sorry." His tone was light; he certainly wasn't begging for forgiveness.

Hawke's throat had gone dry from the surprise appearance, but he patiently waited for an answer. "I didn't know where you had gone. I was concerned." It was the truth.

"I… needed to be alone." His eyes darkened and he turned away. "When I was still a slave, Hadriana was a torment. She would redicule me, deny my meals and hound my sleep. Because of my status I was powerless to respond and she knew it." He turned back toward Hawke. "The thought of her slipping out of my grasp now… I couldn't let her go. I wanted to but I couldn't."

Hawke stifled her surprise. It was good to hear that some part of him wanted to show mercy. Or is that what he meant? "What do you mean?" Hawke could sense that he was in a more talkative mood than usual and was likely willing to answer her questions.

"This hate… I thought I'd gotten away from it. But it dogs me no matter where I go. To feel it again, to know it was they who planted it inside me… It was too much to bare." Fenris broke eye contact and made a dismissive sound. "I didn't come here to burden you further," he muttered. He turned away, preparing to leave.

Hawke didn't think about what she was doing, it just happened. Her compassion for him was overwhelming. "You don't need to leave, Fenris." She reached out and lightly touched his arm, fully prepared for him to shrug it off again.

His markings flared a light blue and suddenly Hawke felt herself being shoved backward against the wall. He held eye contact and she braced herself for an attack. Clea saw the surprise and aggression melt away from his eyes the longer they stared. His markings went out. His handsome face was so close she could hear and feel his breath. This is it, Hawke told herself, my chance to see if he truly feels the way I do. His hands still held her arms pinned to the wall and he hadn't moved or tried to walk away. It felt like electricity was running through her veins.

Fenris released her arms and Hawke leaned forward. Suddenly, she felt his lips on hers. She let her eyes flutter closed. They felt as smooth and wonderful as they had looked. Emboldened by his reception of the kiss, she held his upper-arms, turned him, and pushed him toward the wall where she had just been. The movement broke their kiss and he gave a small groan when he hit the wall. Clea saw it in his eyes and face: he wanted her too. She approached him to resume the kiss; he gave no objections with words or body language.

When their mouths met this time, he gently opened her lips with his tongue to deepen the kiss. Her hands rested on the wall on both sides of his head. His legs spread slightly, allowing her to lean on his body completely. Clea felt his gauntleted hands on her lower back, and it felt like they were slowly moving lower. She let out a small sigh when their lips parted slightly. All of the kissing and emotions were making her slightly dizzy. For Hawke, it was bliss knowing that he reciprocated her feelings. She tried to ignore the inner voice that told her she was just taking advantage of his vulnerable state.

She felt him leave the wall, pushing her slowly backwards. The rest of the house's residents had gone to bed, so Hawke allowed him to slowly walk them toward her room. She was grateful she'd had the foresight to show him the room briefly when giving him a tour of the mansion before his first lesson. Clea enjoyed going up the stairs; being level with him, then stretching down to maintain contact with his lips. The kisses were becoming deeper and hungrier.

They broke contact when they reached her door. Clea leaned back against it, and Fenris leaned forward with his hands braced on the door above her head. She held his gaze in silence, asking for permission without words. After a few moments, he moved to open the door. She walked in backwards as he continued to face her but didn't touch her. She was afraid to touch him first, surprised that they had made it as far as they did. She felt the back of her legs touch the bed frame and stopped. He never dropped eye contact, which was beginning to unnerve her, but the intensity present in those eyes was almost palatable. Clea struggled to take in a breath.

Fenris gently wrapped one of his arms around her waist, and with the other gently moved them both onto the bed with eyes still connected. She had wondered where this Fenris had come from; or was it, where had he been before? If she was his first in a while, it didn't show. He finally broke eye contact, to trail kisses down her neck. Goosebumps quickly followed behind the kisses. Finally, she thought.