Merrill led her new friends, as she called them, through a system of caves that allowed them to circumvent the impassable eastern face of Sundermount. Finding their way through was not a problem, as the three mages cast various spells upon themselves and Varric which surrounded them all in a soft, ethereal glow, allowing them to navigate the dark caverns safely. Fenris had declined to have a spell put on him, which had resulted in another huff from Anders, but nothing further had been said.

After clearing a path through the various wild animals that resided in the caves, the group stopped for a brief rest before continuing their ascent.

Anders and Merrill were getting along famously, and they chatted like old friends, while Fenris sat on the ground and examined his bare feet in the pale light that emanated from the others. While the others were occupied, Varric took the opportunity to take Hawke aside.

"How's it hanging, Hawke?" he asked pleasantly.

"To the left, as always," Hawke deadpanned, his eyes dropping to his groin.

Varric rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Remind me never to ask you anything, ever again."

Hawke exhaled and smoothed down his robe. "I'm all right now, Varric. Sorry for popping off at you like that."

"Meh," Varric mumbled with a shrug. "I guess I'd have reacted in the same way. He's pretty scary, huh?" They looked over at Fenris, who had crossed one leg over the other and was busy picking debris and tiny stones off the soles of one of his feet.

"Hawke?"

"Hm? Oh, well, yes…he did frighten me, I'll admit that, but I think I frightened him more. He doesn't really look that scary now, does he?" He sighed, turned away from Fenris, and looked down at the dwarf. "You're right, Varric; we do need someone like him. I just think I'd better keep Beth away for now, at least until I know what sets him off. She hasn't had it easy since…well, and now she has to take care of Mother, who's never been the same after losing Carver."

He meshed his fingers together on top of his head. "I know I've been an irritable shit, but it's only because I want this expedition so badly. It kills me to see Mother and Beth wearing second-hand clothing and sleeping on rotten floorboards. I just…I want better for them, you know? All I care about is the expedition, and we can't get that money together fast enough for my liking."

"Hey, we have eighteen sovs in the kitty already, Hawke, with that five from your handsome prince; that's not bad going at all. We'll get there; we'll just have to wade through some crap on the way, that's all."

"I can do that," answered Hawke.

"It'll be worth it, just you wait and see. Your ma and sister will live in a palace, and will wear the finest dresses money can buy."

"You'd like to see that, wouldn't you?" asked Hawke with a grin.

"A palace? Sure I would."

"I meant my sister in a pretty dress."

"Well, that would be nice, as well," said Varric, returning Hawke's smile. "For her, of course."

Hawke held his hand out and Varric gave it a firm shake. "You're a good friend, Varric. I would hug you, but I think you'd prefer I yelled at you, instead."

"I'd rather you stabbed me, actually," Varric quipped, and Hawke's laughter echoed throughout the cavern, prompting Fenris to look up.

"I'm gonna go and see what Blondie and his little friend are up to, before they start canoodling and embarrassing us all."

Hawke slapped his friend's shoulder and watched as he walked away, becoming aware of Fenris in his peripheral vision. He took a deep breath and slowly walked over to him. "Fenris? May I speak with you?"

Fenris nodded, brushed his feet off, and pushed himself up, all the time watching Hawke warily.

"Look, I'm sorry if I, erm, startled you back there…"

"No," Fenris cut in. "It is I who should apologise."

"Oh." The two men examined the ground for a moment, and Hawke fiddled with the ties on his robe. "Well, erm…let's call it even then, shall we?"

"You are gracious," said Fenris.

"No, I'm not; I'm an arsehole."

Fenris' brow creased, and he wrinkled his nose a little. "Is that not what you called me?"

"It is, isn't it?" Hawke said with a rueful snort. "That's the pot calling the kettle black, as we say here."

One side of Fenris' mouth turned upward, and a halting laugh rumbled through his chest. "Yes, that is said in the Imperium, also."

"Did I hurt you?" asked Hawke. "If so, I really am sorry."

Fenris turned aside, his posture stiffening. "No, it is not that…I…well, as you said, you startled me, but that did not justify or excuse my reaction."

"I expect you've had to rely on that…ability of yours since you escaped?" Hawke speculated. "It must be hard to just switch off."

Fenris looked down at the ground, and then glanced briefly at Hawke before averting his eyes. "Perhaps."

"Anyway, I'm glad we cleared that up," Hawke said briskly, sensing that Fenris was uncomfortable with discussing his markings. He extended his hand, and Fenris stared at it for a moment, seeming unsure of what to do.

Hawke retracted his hand and forced a smile. "Well, let's get a move on." He turned and walked toward Anders, Merrill and Varric. "Ready?" he asked them.

"Yes, we won't be far from the summit once we leave the caves," Merrill piped up. "Should be an hour or so."

"Lead the way then, Merrill," said Hawke.

"Oh! You want me to lead?" she asked in surprise.

"Well we don't know the way, do we?" Anders asked good-humouredly.

"True. Very true," agreed Merrill . "That is why I'm here, isn't it? Right; this way, then." She walked ahead, and then stopped. "Erm…that was the way we came in, wasn't it? Silly me." She then proceeded in the right direction, with Anders' laughter following her.

A little way on, Anders dropped back, beckoning Hawke over to him.

"Everything all right?" asked Hawke.

Anders shot a glance at Fenris, who walked ahead of them. "Please don't tell me you just apologised to him."

"We both apologised," Hawke explained, holding his hands up to stop Anders' protestation. "Look; I know you're not keen on him, but I thought it was better to clear the air, rather than have a bad atmosphere hanging over us all. I'm trying to be nice. I know I've been a bit…prickly, lately."

"Only with people who've deserved, it Hawke. I just…his reaction to what you did was completely out of line. I consider you a friend, Hawke, and…oh, it doesn't matter."

Hawke stopped and turned to Anders. "No, say what's on your mind."

Anders sighed. "It's hard enough for us mages as it is, without working with someone who clearly despises us. He could go to the templars, for all we know. They'd have a field day: you, me, your sister, and now Merrill, all banged up in The Gallows?"

"I can't see him doing that, Anders; I get the feeling he doesn't want to draw attention to himself."

"Well I'm not taking any chances. I'm keeping an eye on him; I don't trust him."

"You do that, friend," replied Hawke, and Anders ventured a faint smile, his posture relaxing. "So…you and Merrill. Getting along like a house on fire, aren't you?"

Anders hung his head bashfully and snorted. "She's cute, and I think we have the same sense of humour. Yes, I think I'll get on with her."

"And?" Hawke prompted.

"And, what? Maker, Hawke, we've only just met!"

"I'm just wondering if I need to be fitted out for a suit, that's all?"

"Oh, piss off!" Anders began to walk ahead.

Hawke quickly caught up and very obviously stared at his face. "If I didn't know any better, Anders, I'd say you were blushing."

"What?" Anders touched one of his cheeks. "It's the light in here."

"What light, you fool? We're in a bloody cave."

"This discussion is over," Anders declared, walking quickly ahead, almost breaking into a run, with Hawke hot on his tail.

~o~O~o~

Hawke was still badgering Anders when they exited the cave and stepped out onto the winding trail that led up the southern face of the mountain. From their vantage point they could see far across the Waking Sea, although they were too high up to hear the ocean, or anything else for that matter, save the wind that wailed mournfully around the lonely peak.

Hawke squinted, wondering if he'd be able to see Ferelden from there, and then he shook his head in self-remonstration. Of course he wouldn't be able to.

Fenris stood away from the group near to the edge of the path, his eyes also fixed on the horizon. "The silence is beautiful," he said quietly.

"No it's not, it's bloody boring," Merrill argued, much to Anders' amusement. "Does anyone know any good jokes? I know a few, but they're all sort of…elfy. Might go over your heads a bit."

"Tell me anyway," said Anders as the two of them walked ahead, followed by Varric, who offered to tell them a few of his own. Fenris sighed and began to follow them.

"It was beautiful, while it lasted," Hawke said to him.

Fenris glanced at him, a hesitant, almost shy smile pulling at his lips. "I am glad you agree. Surprised, but glad, nonetheless."

"I'm full of surprises," said Hawke with a grin. "As are you."

Before Fenris could respond, a loud exclamation could be heard from up ahead. "What's that?" they heard Anders ask.

Fenris and Hawke quickened their pace, and, as they caught up to the others, they were astonished to find that the path forward was blocked by a magical field that neither Anders nor Hawke had seen the like of before.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that," Merrill muttered with a shifty glance at the others. "I-I know how to get us through, just-just give me a minute."

She stepped closer to the magical barrier and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. When Hawke spotted her slipping a small dagger out of her belt, he understood why she'd been so nervous, and watched the others closely for a reaction.

"No! What are you doing?" Anders cried as she plunged the blade into her left forearm and raised both of her arms into the air, a second field of energy surrounding her. Anders covered his face with his hands and turned his back on her.

"Blood magic? Why am I not surprised?" remarked Fenris, his reaction much more measured than that of Anders'; clearly, he'd encountered maleficarum before.

"And who asked you?" Anders spluttered, stomping over to where an unconcerned Fenris stood.

"Look, that's enough," Hawke interrupted, placing himself between them. "The way is clear, now. Let's just get this over and done with."

"Erm, fellas?" called Varric. "She needs a little help, here." Merrill stood next to Varric with her hand clamped over her forearm, which was bleeding heavily.

"I don't know how to heal," she admitted.

Anders shook his head in disbelief. "Then what the bloody hell did you do that for?"

"I had to get us through, didn't I?" she argued.

"We could have discussed it! There are two other mages here, you know!"

"No, that was the only way…"

"I thought you were all right!" griped Anders, pointing a finger at her. "How could you be so…so stupid?"

"I am all right!" Merrill insisted. "I'm still the same person I was five minutes ago, you know!"

"No." Anders shook his head, his expression hard. "You're not the same person at all."

Hawke walked over to Merrill's side and examined her arm. "Why don't I heal Merrill, Anders, before she bleeds to death?"

"Do what you like," he huffed.

Ignoring the sulking Anders, Hawke tended to Merrill. "Hold your arm up above your head," he instructed her. "No, Merrill. I mean the one that's bleeding."

"Oh, yes, of course," she blathered, shooting an anxious glance over at Anders.

"You do know this won't heal properly, don't you?" asked Hawke, noticing several scars criss-crossing her forearms.

"I know. I appreciate whatever you can do, Hawke."

Hawke completed healing his spell, which stemmed the bleeding, but a nasty gash still remained. "That's the best I can do, Merrill; I'm sorry." He looked around in vain for something to use as a sling, and finally removed his belt, using it to secure Merrill's injured arm across her chest. "Keep that arm out of action for the rest of the day; you don't want it to start bleeding again."

"Thank you very much, Hawke," she said sincerely.

"Anders, will you keep an eye on her? She's lost quite a bit of blood."

"I'd rather you did, Hawke," Anders replied, walking away from the group.

Hawke threw a strained smile at Merrill, and quickly walked over to Anders, stopping in front of him. "You are supposed to be our main healer, Anders; that is why we agreed for you to stay with us after you gave us the maps, and it's also why you get a share of our money."

"But she's a blood mage!"

"So?"

"So?" Anders exclaimed. "How can you be so casual about it? That girl looked a demon in the eye and made a deal with it! Do we really want to be associating with people like that, Hawke?"

"So you don't see any parallels between that and the deal you made with a spirit, then?"

"That's not the same thing at all, Hawke! When I took him into my body, it was to help him, not to gain power or anything like that…"

"Hah," sneered Fenris. "So you are also an abomination."

Anders' eyes blazed, and he charged over to Fenris, stopping inches in front of him. "Call me that again! Go on, I dare you!"

Merrill gasped and placed her hands on her hips. "Wait…did he just imply that I'm an abomination?"

"He didn't imply anything," Fenris answered, his tone biting. "He came right out and said it!"

"Everybody shut up, now!" commanded Hawke, striking the ground with his staff, the resulting tremor almost throwing the slightly-built Merrill and Fenris off their feet. As the shockwave subsided, Hawke's four companions watched and waited for him to speak. "We are not here to judge Merrill. We are here to bring this amulet back, which I would like to do as soon as possible; then, we can all go our separate ways."

He walked back over to Merrill and took another look at her arm. "Merrill and I are going to continue up the mountain. The rest of you can either come with us, or you can stay here and bicker like small children until night falls. I couldn't care less. Come on, Merrill."

Without a backward glance, he led the petite blood mage up the mountain path. Varric raised his eyebrows and quickly followed, leaving a simmering Anders and a righteous Fenris glaring at one another. Finally, Anders broke eye contact with the elf and the two of them caught up to Hawke and the others, walking several feet apart.

~o~O~o~

After finding a witch inside the amulet, or, at least a piece of the witch, Hawke stood in the Dalish camp at the foot of the mountain and scratched his head, sighing. On any other week, he would have deemed such an occurrence bizarre, but since meeting Varric and Anders most of his days had required at least a little suspension of disbelief.

Following a final appeal from the Keeper for Merrill to stay, which she refused, Hawke reluctantly agreed to escort Merrill to the alienage, where accommodation had been arranged for her in advance.

"Don't suppose anyone wants to come with us?" he asked his by now rather dour companions.

"I will have no part in aiding a maleficar," Fenris declared haughtily, and, without another word, he turned and departed the camp.

Anders, annoyed that Fenris had stolen the very words from his mouth, and not wishing to appear as though he agreed with him, made an excuse. "I need to get back to the clinic."

"But I thought you weren't needed there until later?" Hawke reminded him.

"It's later now," he replied as he walked away from them. Merrill stared after him and hung her head as he, too, departed.

"Varric?"

"I'll walk with you as far as The Hanged Man, Hawke; I have some business to take care of."

"Good!" said Hawke with false chirpiness, looking down at Merrill. "See? Not everyone hates us!"

"Oh, that's good," she replied, not even trying to feign enthusiasm.

Merrill was very quiet during the trip back to Kirkwall, and started to look distinctly nervous as they walked through Lowtown.

"I guess this is where I say goodbye," Varric announced as they arrived at The Hanged Man.

"Hang on, Varric," said Hawke, "I need to split that money we got from the bandits before I get it mixed up with my own." He scrabbled through his pockets and produced a handful of coins, which he began to sift through. "I'll catch Anders later and give him his share. I wonder where Fenris is staying? He didn't stop for his cut."

"He's holed up at that mansion in Hightown."

"What…what? You mean his former master's house?" Varric nodded. "The one full of dead shades and demons?"

"The very same, Hawke. I know; creepy."

Hawke sighed loudly. "Great. Just the place to end my day." He continued to count the money in his hand. "Right, between the four of us…" He glanced at Varric and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Shall we…?" he asked with a glance at Merrill. Varric understood and nodded.

"Between the five of us, then…here, Merrill," he said, holding a few coins out to her. "We earned a bit of money, today; this is your cut."

"My cut? But I didn't do anything!" she protested, staring at the coins.

"You're going to need money, Merrill," advised Hawke, dropping the money into her tiny hand. "Let's call it…three sovereigns."

Varric raised an eyebrow, suspecting that Hawke had given Merrill his own share. "I think you'll find that's four-and-a-half, Hawke."

"Yes, you're right," replied Hawke with a wink at the dwarf. "Four-and-a-half. There you go." He placed another one-and-a-half sovereigns – Varric's cut – onto the palm of her hand.

"Oh! Trying to swindle me, were you?" Merrill teased.

"You've got me there!" joked Hawke, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Well, I'd better go," said Varric, turning to Merrill. "Listen, Daisy, stop by sometime; I'll set up a tab for you."

"My name's not Daisy. It's Merrill. Oh…that's a nickname, isn't it? I've never had one of them before." She glanced up at the front of the Hanged Man. "But…I've never been in a pub before. I've heard stories…"

"Varric lives here," Hawke reassured her. "And if he's not there, I usually am. Tell you what, why don't I see you to the alienage, then later on my sister and I will call for you, and I'll show you around my second home."

"You have a sister?" Merrill chirped excitedly. "Does she look like you?"

"Thankfully, no," answered Hawke. "She got the looks. So, how about it, Varric? We'll meet you later? Unless you have other plans, of course."

"Never too busy to see my friend, Hawke."

"Or his sister." Hawke and Varric shared a laugh, and Varric entered the pub, letting the door swing closed behind him.

"See you later, then!" Merrill called after him.

"Come on then, Merrill; we're not too far from the alienage."

"Oh, all right, then," she replied, glancing around at all of the new sights, sounds and smells as they walked. "I, erm…I wanted to thank you for sticking up for me, you know, earlier on?"

"Well, I wasn't really…" he began, and then sighed. "Those other two were being unreasonable, I thought."

Merrill glanced up at him and quietly cleared her throat. "Do you…do you think that Anders will, erm…well, are you friends with him?"

Hawke grimaced a little, realising the meaning behind her words. "I daresay you'll see him at The Hanged Man; he's a regular," he said evasively.

"But do you think he'll reconsider…you know?" she asked with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Merrill; Anders is pretty set against blood magic."

"Oh." Merrill hung her head and fell quiet.

"Where did you learn blood magic, anyway?" he asked quietly, glancing around to ensure passers-by could not hear.

"Well, a spirit came to me one night while I was asleep," she explained, and Hawke nodded; most mages had had a similar experience at some point in their lives. "She was so kind and friendly, and told me that she could show me things that would benefit my clan."

Hawke shook his head at Merrill's naivety, but continued to listen.

"When I told them what I'd done, though…they just turned on me. They didn't understand. I only wanted to do it to help them, but…" she sighed and they continued through Lowtown in silence for a few moments.

"So…how did you learn it, then?" she asked as they neared the slums.

"How did I learn what?"

"Blood magic, of course!"

Hawke stopped in his tracks and frowned at Merrill. "What do you mean ?"

"I-I just assumed…you're the only one who hasn't wanted to lynch me when they found out. So…are you…?"

"I'm sorry, Merrill, you're mistaken," Hawke answered briskly, quickening his pace.

Merrill struggled to catch up with him and gently touched his arm, quickly retracting her hand and looking up at him nervously. "I haven't offended you, have I? I-I'm not exactly beating friends off with a shitty stick at the moment."

"No, it's fine," Hawke answered blankly with a sigh as they entered the alienage. They walked down the steps together, and Hawke remembered his first meeting with Fenris, and noted with relief that the slavers' bodies had been removed.

"Ah, there's our contact," he said, noticing a female elf standing across the square. He took Merrill over and introduced them, and, after making sure that Merrill did indeed have accommodation, he left with the promise that he and Bethany would call for her later, hoping that the two women would become friends; the only other woman Bethany had to talk to was their mother, and Merrill had no friends at all now she'd left her clan.

Making his way back through Lowtown, he once again stopped outside The Hanged Man and placed his hands in his pockets to see how much money he had, producing approximately one sovereign, fifty silver. Fenris's cut.

He stared at the coins for a moment, almost tempted to slip inside for a quick pint, but the money he held in his hand didn't belong to him.

He once again pocketed the coins, and began to make his way toward Hightown, and the mansion at which Fenris was staying, wondering what kind of reception he'd get.