"You brought Bethany to this place?" Anders asked Varric, chuckling to himself as they entered Dead Man's Pass. "Dwarf, you have a lot to learn about the fairer sex."

"And I guess you're the one to teach me, huh, Blondie?"

"Actually," said Bethany in Varric's defence, "he was taking me to a really nice stretch of the coast. It's supposed to be very pretty at night," she said with a smile at Varric, which the dwarf returned.

"And that's what he told you, is it?" Anders scoffed.

"Hey!" protested Varric. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching me about the fairer sex? Help me out, here!"

"I think you're beyond help," Anders laughed. "Bringing a lady to a desolate, cold and scary place like this late at night? Wouldn't have been my first choice, I can tell you."

Varric halted and bowed low to Anders. "Then I am eternally grateful that I have your vast knowledge of women to draw upon, Blondie; I can see you're beating off the ladies with a stick as I speak."

"Lesson number one, Varric: sarcastic dwarves are not attractive to the opposite sex," Anders remarked pithily.

"I'm sorry to change the subject," Bethany said, looking around, "but shouldn't they have been here by now?"

Varric shrugged his shoulders. "This is where we agreed to meet. Maybe they got held up?"

"We should take a look around," Anders advised, his tone more sober as he readied his staff.

With a grim nod, Varric hefted Bianca from his back, and the three of them silently made their way further up the pass, knowing better than to call out for their friends.

As they reached the crest of a small hill, Anders and Bethany stopped dead and looked at each other.

"What is it?" Varric whispered.

"Someone's using magic up ahead," replied Anders. "Bethany? Can you tell if it's your brother?"

Bethany closed her eyes and concentrated hard for a few seconds. "Yes, it's him," she confirmed, her eyes snapping open, and she and Anders started to charge ahead.

"He's healing someone?" asked Varric, struggling to keep up.

"No, and that's what I'm worried about," she called back. "His offensive magic is not very strong; he wouldn't use it unless he was under attack."

Anders broke into a run, quickly followed by Bethany, and Varric cursed his stumpy legs as they disappeared from sight. After a few seconds, he heard Anders yell, "Hoy, you big, fat bastards! Pick on someone your own size!"

The Pass was lit up as Anders and Bethany began casting, and Varric arrived next to them as three Qunari ran towards them, one of them frozen in mid-stride by Bethany.

"Varric!" Anders yelled as the other two advanced on them. The dwarf, way ahead of Anders, let fly two bolts, both of which struck the Qunari warriors, slowing them long enough for Bethany to immobilise them.

Further up the path, Anders could see a clearly-weakened Fenris defending Hawke from two Qunari; Hawke seemed to be injured or incapacitated as he was on all fours, his staff lying discarded on the ground next to him.

Anders opened the Fade and bestowed his most powerful protective magic upon Fenris; the elf momentarily glanced in Anders's direction, his face twisted with rage. As another bolt from Bianca slammed into one of his aggressors, Fenris regained his focus and once again engaged the nearest Qunari, his neighbour quickly turning into a block of ice courtesy of Bethany.

The three new arrivals joined the fray, with Bethany running over to her brother while Varric and Fenris took care of the remaining Tal'Vashoth. As the last Qunari fell, Fenris dropped to his knees, his sword clattering on the ground as it fell from his hand.

Anders arrived at the elf's side and knelt down beside him. "Where are you injured, Fenris?" He reached out to clasp Fenris's shoulder.

"Do not touch me, Mage!" snarled Fenris, furious that Anders had used magic upon him, and he lashed out at Anders with his hands even as he collapsed onto his side, trembling.

"Hawke, what's the matter with Fenris? Hawke…?" Anders glanced over at Bethany, who was clutching Hawke's face between her hands, trying to talk to him.

"He's not making any sense!" she called over. "Fletcher? Fletcher! How much lyrium have you taken?"

Hawke stared at her blankly with dilated pupils, his mouth opening and closing but with no words coming out. "I think he's taken too much lyrium, Anders," Bethany guessed.

"What?" asked Varric, taking his eyes off the path for a moment. "Is that even possible for a mage?"

"It is, and it's serious." Anders scrambled to his feet and went over to the siblings. "Bethany, see if Fenris will talk to you. I can't see any injuries on him, but there's something wrong with him." Bethany nodded and walked over to Fenris, who was trying without success to push himself up onto his elbows, while Anders tended to Hawke.

"Guys, I'm going to keep an eye on the path," Varric told them, walking ahead.

"Be careful," replied Bethany, and she knelt down next to Fenris, holding her hand up to indicate she wasn't going to hurt him. "Fenris," she said softly, "what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Fenris slumped onto his back, panting. "Hawke…see to Hawke first…"

"Anders is with my brother," she told him. "Please, Fenris, tell me what's wrong. Did they injure you?"

Fenris closed his eyes and shook his head, and Bethany looked over as Anders gently lowered Hawke, who was now unconscious, onto his back.

"You were right, Bethany," he called over. "I've had to completely drain his mana; he was addled." All mages, as templars, had the ability to deplete another mage's mana, although they rarely did so except in situations like this. Anders stood up and walked over to her, looking down at Fenris, who was deathly pale and slick with sweat. "Is he hurt?"

"He said no, but look at him, Anders; he's obviously not well."

"Let's get him out of sight," said Anders, nodding over to a small cleft in the rocks ahead, and he crouched down, wrapping his arm around Fenris's back.

"I told you not to touch me!" yelled Fenris, although he no longer had the strength to offer any physical resistance.

"Shut up, you idiot!" barked Anders. "I'd be quite happy to leave you here, but for some reason Hawke is friends with you, so just be thankful for that!"

"We're just going to take you over there," Bethany said quietly, also wrapping her arm around the elf, and they helped him to his feet.

"Hawke…" mumbled Fenris as they walked past the mage.

"He'll be all right," Anders told him. "Now, come on."

They took the reluctant elf over to the secluded area and sat him against the rock. Bethany summoned a few wisps to light the area and remained with him while Anders went back for Hawke. A short time later, Anders called for Bethany to help him.

"Sorry, Beth, I can't lift him," Anders admitted sheepishly. "He's too bloody heavy."

Taking an arm and a leg each, Anders and Bethany carried Hawke over to where Fenris sat and laid him on the ground next to the elf.

"What happened, Fenris?" Anders asked, crouching down. "Why did Hawke take so much lyrium?"

Fenris shook his head and slumped against the rock, his breathing laboured.

"Anders…he's burning up," said Bethany.

"Yes, I can see that. Fenris," he said sternly. "I need to examine you."

"No," snapped Fenris, bringing his knees up to his chest. "Hawke has already…no…not you…"

"Hawke has already examined you?" Anders asked. "What did he find?"

"Wake him," demanded Fenris. "I will only speak with him."

"Wake him?" Anders sprang to his feet and glared down at Fenris. "He needs to bloody rest! Honestly, do you care about no one but yourself?"

"Anders," Bethany softly remonstrated. "This isn't helping."

"Well see if you can get any sense of out him, then!" Anders snapped, his harsh tone directed at Fenris. "I'm going to see if Varric needs any help."

As Anders disappeared into the darkness, Bethany sighed and sat next to Fenris, crossing her legs. "We can't wake Fletcher yet; he has no mana and has to rest in order to regenerate it," she explained. "Will you tell me what happened, Fenris? Why did he take so much lyrium?"

Fenris watched her warily for a moment, his posture gradually relaxing a little after a minute or two. "We were surrounded; I tried to talk with them, reason with them, but they paid us no heed. I…I was not strong enough." He shook his head and glanced over at Hawke, who lay sleeping at his side.

"What do you mean, you weren't strong enough?"

"I am…ill. Hawke told me that I am infected with something. I tried to fend them off but my body failed me. Hawke…he tried to protect me, but it proved too much for him."

"He used his offensive magic?" asked Bethany. "But that would have been a terrible drain on him."

"He was fearless. I-I am ashamed." Fenris hung his head and sighed.

"Ashamed that a mage had to protect you?" she guessed.

"Yes," Fenris admitted. "That was…wrong of me. He did his best, but could not continue. He kept drinking his potions, but eventually, he became exhausted." Fenris once again looked over at Hawke.

"He'll be fine, Fenris, once he's had a little sleep. I'm more concerned about you. What did Fletcher say you were infected with? Have you been poisoned?"

"He did not know," said Fenris quietly. "I do not want Anders to examine me. Perhaps...perhaps you could?"

"I'm sorry, Fenris, I'm not a healer," Bethany said apologetically. "I know you and Anders don't get on, but you really should let him look at you. He's a very good healer, even better than Fletcher, and Fletcher wouldn't mind me saying that; he says the same thing himself."

"No," Fenris insisted. He was comfortable with Hawke and Bethany, now, but didn't trust the abomination as far as he could throw him, which wasn't far. "I will only allow Hawke to."

"It's only us," they heard Anders say from a short distance away, and he and Varric emerged from the darkness.

"There are more of them not far from here," Varric quietly told them. "I think we can take them between the three of us, and they won't be expecting us. Depends on these two, though," he said with a nod at Fenris and Hawke. "Are they gonna be ok if we leave them?"

Bethany glanced up at Anders. "Fletcher suspects that Fenris is infected with something."

"Did he say with what?"

Bethany shook her head.

"Well, we can't treat an infection here, anyway," Anders said thoughtfully. "He needs medicine, which has to be made fresh; it doesn't keep well."

"But how is he going to get back?" asked Bethany. "He's too weak to walk."

"I will manage," Fenris said with more conviction then he felt.

"Let's just take care of these Qunari, first, before they find us," said Varric. "If they do, there could be five of us lying flat on our asses, if not dead, and we won't need to worry whether or not the elf can walk."

"All right, then," Bethany agreed as Anders offered his hand, helping her to her feet. She looked down at Fenris. "I can make you feel a bit more comfortable, Fenris, or Anders can. We can lower your temperature…"

"No, thank you," Fenris answered with a polite nod. "I will be fine."

"I wouldn't bother, Bethany," Anders said angrily with a pointed look at the elf. "He obviously doesn't want our help. You'll want our medicine, though, won't you?"

"Keep your voice down, Blondie," advised Varric. "Let's go."

"Fenris," said Bethany, "I'm going to place a few wards around here; they'll protect you both. Don't leave here until we return."

Fenris nodded, squeezing his eyes closed, searing heat creeping along his markings as Bethany warded the area. "We'll be back as soon as we can, Fenris; hang in there," she told him with a kind smile.

"Thank you," said Fenris, exhaling as Bethany left with the others. He then glanced over at Hawke, who, by now, was snoring. He smiled, slightly envious that anyone could sleep so soundly on cold rock. Surrendering to his own exhaustion, his eyes slowly closed.

~o~O~o~

Fenris was woken abruptly as an arm was slung across his legs. Hawke had turned onto his side and was snuggling against Fenris's thigh for warmth. Fenris very carefully removed Hawke's arm and placed it over Hawke's chest; the mage flopped onto his back and woke with a snort.

With a huge yawn, Hawke blinked several times and looked around, his eyes eventually finding the elf. "Fenris?" he mumbled fuzzily. "We're…alive?"

"We are, indeed."

"What are we doing here?"

"Not much, at the moment," answered Fenris with a weary smile.

"Smartarse."

Fenris began to tell him how they'd been rescued by the others, and Hawke again turned onto his side, propped up on his elbow, and attempted to sit up, but was overwhelmed by dizziness. "What the…?"

"Anders took your magic away," Fenris explained.

"Oh." Hawke eased himself onto his back. "How are you doing, Fenris? Were you hurt?"

"I was not injured," he answered. "I must confess, though, I have felt better."

"I don't suppose you let Anders examine you, did you?"

Fenris shrugged and didn't answer.

"I'll take that as a 'no', then." Hawke shook his head. "You really are a stubborn sod, you know that? Not that I'm taking advantage of your weakened state to say that to your face, while I'm right next to you."

"Of course not," Fenris answered, laughing softly, closing his eyes as he rested against the rock.

Hawke, with a supreme effort, got onto all fours and crawled forward a little until he reached the rock wall Fenris sat against. He slumped against it, sitting a few inches away from Fenris. "We're a right bloody pair, aren't we?" he asked the elf with a weak laugh.

Fenris opened his eyes, nodded and bent his right leg, examining his foot. "Hawke," he began quietly. "You should not have endangered yourself like that. That was very foolish of you."

"You're probably right. I should have fled and let them butcher you. Would you have approved of that?"

Fenris looked askance at Hawke, not certain whether he was joking or not. "I do not think I would have been alive enough to approve." He sighed. "I…do appreciate what you did, Hawke."

"You must be ill," quipped Hawke, and he felt warmth pool in his belly as Fenris laughed. "Fenris," he said seriously with a frown. "What have you done to your foot?"

Fenris looked down at his cracked heel, which had started to bleed again. "It is a recurring problem. I have treated it."

"What with?"

Fenris told Hawke of the ointment he used on his foot.

"You make that yourself?" asked Hawke, and Fenris nodded. "I'm impressed." He bent forward a little to take a closer look at Fenris's foot, noticing that his ankle was red and slightly swollen. "Well, Fenris; I think we've found the source of your infection."

"You think my foot is the cause?"

"Well, yes," answered Hawke, raising his hand and placing it next to Fenris's ankle. "May I? I won't hurt you, I promise."

Fenris nodded his assent, and Hawke gently rested his hand against the elf's ankle. "Yes, your skin's hot. You must be in a lot of pain with this, Fenris; why didn't you say anything?" Receiving no answer, Hawke sighed. "I suppose you're used to pain, aren't you?"

"I have always had problems with my feet," he answered with a shrug and let his head fall back against the rock, exhaling slowly; Hawke could see how relieved he was that Danarius hadn't been the cause of his illness.

"Fenris…don't you think it's about time we put an end to Danarius?"

"I would like nothing more, Hawke, but I do not know where he is. My guess is that he has returned to Minrathous for the time being, but he could still be here, for all I know."

"But you can't just waste your life away in the mansion waiting for him to come to you," said Hawke. "When I told you that you had an infection, you immediately suspected the worst and thought that he'd been responsible for it. Fenris…the thought of it terrified you. You can't live like that; it'll make you paranoid."

"What would you have me do, Hawke?" asked Fenris with a heavy sigh. "I would not know where to begin. I do not enjoy living like this, but I see no other alternative."

"I'm going to talk to Varric," Hawke said, realising that his hand was still resting on Fenris's leg, but he didn't move it. "He knows a lot of people, both here and in other places. If that bastard Danarius wants a fight, Fenris, then we won't wait for him to come to you; we'll take the fight to him."

"That is admirable, and I thank you once again for your concern, but…"

"I'm not making empty promises, Fenris. I mean what I say." Hawke fixed Fenris with a determined look, and the elf nodded with a faint smile. "As soon as you're better, we're going to start making plans," Hawke promised.

Hawke finally retracted his hand from Fenris's leg and began to remove his boots. Fenris watched him curiously. "What are you doing?" he asked as Hawke took his socks off.

"Put these on your bad foot," Hawke told him, passing the socks over. "They'll protect it a little on the way back. They don't smell too bad, honestly. Don't just take my word for it; give them a good sniff."

"I am not going to sniff your socks, Hawke," chuckled Fenris, slipping one of them over his right foot. "Unless that is a cure for the infection?"

"You'll wish it was when you taste the medicine I'm going to make for you," Hawke told him as he pulled his boots back on.

"Why?"

"Well, I'll tell you what's in it, and you can decide whether you'd prefer to sniff my socks or not. I hope you like garlic, because there's tons of garlic in it."

Fenris's face fell. "I loathe garlic."

"Oh, dear. Well, look on the bright side; that's not all that's in it. There's also onion, pepper, lemon, honey, echinacea, a drop of silver…oh, and stinging nettles, just to give it a bit of a kick. The garlic does tend to overpower everything else, though."

"And this is applied as a poultice?" Fenris asked hopefully.

"No, you have to drink it. Four times a day to be exact, until the infection has cleared up."

"Drink it?" Fenris looked at Hawke, aghast, and then his eyes narrowed. "You are attempting to put me on, aren't you? To cheer me up?"

Hawke burst out laughing. "Whatever you say, Fenris."

"You are…serious?"

"That's the most up-to-date treatment there is," Hawke told him, "and it actually works."

"You are nothing but a quack," Fenris joked, and Hawke laughed harder. "Not that I am taking advantage of your current lack of magic powers to say that to your face."

"You're getting extra garlic, just for that," Hawke threatened. "Count yourself lucky; back in my grandparents' day you would have just had your foot cut off."

"Having my foot cut off sounds preferable to swallowing…that," Fenris opined. "Four times a day," he added with a shudder.

"You haven't even tasted it, yet! I was given that treatment when I was a kid, and I think I can still taste it now."

Fenris shook his head. "Nothing but a quack," he repeated.

"I like it when we're like this, you know," said Hawke with a soft laugh, his eyes fixed upon the elf.

"As do I, Hawke," replied Fenris, who looked down at his lap.

"I might just not give you the medicine at all, if being ill means you're too weak to argue with me."

"And perhaps your magic powers should be permanently removed," Fenris said magnanimously.

"That would certainly make life a lot simpler," Hawke said seriously. "I spent most of my childhood wishing I hadn't been born a mage, you know. I still think that way now, sometimes," he admitted to an astonished Fenris.

"Why would you want that?" asked the elf. "You have all of this power at your command. Why would you wish to be rid of it?"

"We're not like the Magisters here, Fenris; oh, sure, there are a few like that. On the whole, though, we Fereldan mages are not a bad lot, really."

"I am beginning to see that," Fenris said quietly, still looking at his lap.

"Well, now I really am concerned about you," laughed Hawke. "I think we need to give you this cure now. Either that, or you get double the amount of garlic when we get back."

"No extra garlic," protested Fenris, his eyes moving to Hawke's face. "You are enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Certainly not," Hawke insisted earnestly. "Us quacks take our jobs very seriously, you know."

"I am going to regret calling you that, am I not?"

"Oh, yes."

They laughed together, and Hawke closed his eyes, leaning back against the rock with a sigh as exhaustion washed over him again. Fenris watched him for a moment and then placed Hawke's second sock over his foot. He then rested against the rock next to Hawke, closing his own eyes, no longer fearing that Hawke would harm him after the mage's valiant display against the Tal'Vashoth.

Perhaps Hawke would be the first mage that Fenris had ever trusted, after all.

~o~O~o~

By the time Varric, Anders and Bethany returned to them, having dealt with the remaining Tal'Vashoth, Hawke and Fenris were fast asleep. Fenris had slumped slightly and his head rested against Hawke's shoulder.

"Aw, look at them; aren't they sweet together?" said Bethany with a huge smile. Varric rolled his eyes; Anders just stared at them.

"We need to think about how we're going to get them back," the mage said briskly. "Both of them are weak and are going to need support."

"Give them a bit longer," whispered Bethany, sitting down on the ground. "We could do with a rest, anyway."

"Just a quick one then, Sunshine," said Varric, joining her. "I'm guessing it'll take us a while to get them back."

Anders, who remained standing, tilted his head and looked at Fenris's foot. "Why is he wearing socks on his foot?"

"Those are Fletcher's socks," said Bethany. "I knitted them myself."

"Maybe the elf's foot got cold?" offered Varric. "What?" he asked as Bethany groaned.

"More likely he's injured it," she replied.

Anders crouched down next to Fenris and looked at his foot. "That ankle's swollen. Hawke wouldn't have been able to heal it, and I doubt Fenris will let me do it. One of us may have to carry him. Any volunteers?" he asked with a grin. "You needn't look at me: I don't fancy getting a fist through my heart, thank you very much."

"Maybe Fletcher can help him," said Bethany. "He should be fine, now."

Anders reached over and shook Hawke's leg a few times until he woke up. "Anders?" he asked blearily. "Is everyone all right?"

"We're in good shape, Hawke, which is more than can be said for the Qunari," answered Varric.

Hawke glanced to his side and gave a joyful laugh. "Look at Fenris, Beth; he's lying on my shoulder!"

"I know, and it's a shame to separate you, but we probably need to start heading back, soon," replied his sister.

Hawke scooted away from Fenris a little, and the elf's head flopped against his chest. "Fenris?" Hawke called softly, lightly tapping Fenris's arm.

Fenris woke with a start and pushed himself up straight. "You ok there, Elf?" asked Varric.

"I am, thank you," he answered. "You are all well?"

"We're fine," said Anders. "Can you stand?"

Fenris shot a glance at Hawke, who pushed himself up as the others stood with him. He bent forward slightly and held out his hands to Fenris. To Anders's surprise, and Bethany's delight, Fenris took Hawke's hands and the mage pulled him up, holding him steady as he wavered a little.

Hawke backed away a little from Fenris but kept his arms outstretched in case Fenris lost his balance. "How do you feel, Fenris?" Hawke asked him, noticing that the exertion of standing had caused Fenris to break into a sweat.

"I am fine, Hawke," insisted the elf, who managed a few steps before stumbling as his right leg gave way. Hawke grabbed Fenris's arms and straightened him up, loosening his grip on the elf but not releasing him.

"So I see," said Hawke with a wry smile. "Are you going to let me help you?"

Fenris took a deep breath and looked at the ground, knowing that there was no way he could walk back unaided.

"I would appreciate that, Hawke."

Hawke stepped closer to Fenris and snaked an arm around the elf's shoulders, and Fenris slowly wrapped his own arm around Hawke's back, grabbing a handful of his robe.

The others started to walk ahead, and Bethany exchanged a gleeful smile with her brother before turning and summoning her wisps to follow them.

"Let's go, Fenris," said Hawke.