Dearest Father,

I'm starting to wonder why every time I go to check on my friends, Aveline is with them having some sort of argument. First it was Anders, and now Fenris. Sebastian and I walked into the mansion and heard the two of them arguing upstairs. By the time we reached them, Aveline was already walking out, telling me to deal with Fenris as she left. I know the two have had their issues with Aveline trying to keep the seneschal from reclaiming the mansion for Kirkwall, but when I heard the reason for her visit, I was surprised that Aveline would be so uncaring considering the situation.

After Fenris was done cursing in that language he so loves to use that none of us understand, he explained the reason for Aveline's visit. He had asked her to have the guards keep an eye out for a ship he believed his sister was on, and that ship had recently docked in Kirkwall. He told us that he had been writing her, and eventually convinced her to come visit.

There was a time when Fenris told me there was no point in meeting her, that she was probably under Danarius' spell or something and having her here would only bring him with her. I asked him about why he decided to reach out now, but he didn't have a clear answer. I don't think even he knows why he was interested in finding out more about her; yes, it's a part of his past, but his past is so full of nightmares and torture, why go back down that road?

There was no way I was going to let him meet her without backup, just in case it was a trap, and he agreed. He wanted Sebastian to come as well, but asked that I not involved Varric. Five sovereigns says the dwarf already knew the sister was in the city, considering she was staying at the Hanged Man, but I respected Fenris' wishes of not wanting to become the focus of yet another one of Varric's stories.

Of course he may have reconsidered once he found out I asked Anders to come along. If it wasn't a trap set by Danarius, then great, Anders got some time away from whatever it is he's become involved with lately, and Fenris got to spend time with his sister. If it was a trap, I wanted another mage by my side, and to be honest Father, I didn't want Merrill to get a taste of how powerful a blood mage could be when given the freedom to practice such dark magic.

The first thing I noticed when I met Varania was her eyes. So full of pain and a sense of being lost, they matched Fenris' perfectly. It was easy to see that they were siblings; with the exception of her fiery red hair that contrasted his white, they were nearly identical. Nose, lips, ears, even their height was similar, taller than the average elf. She called him Leto, his name before he had brutally lost his memories and been renamed. Seems like such a happy girly name, which definitely doesn't fit the broody strong man that Fenris has become. I can't imagine him ever being a Leto, at least not in my eyes.

The awkward reunion didn't last long. I noticed Varania kept looking toward the stairs, and I knew immediately that we had indeed walked into her trap. I begged Fenris to leave, but it was too late. As if summoned by her glance, Danarius appeared.

I can see why Fenris has been so apprehensive at a confrontation with his former master. Hard lines on his face, cold blue eyes, sinister smile behind that large gray beard. Danarius wasted no time upsetting Fenris and Sebastian with his words, claiming I was Fenris' new mistress, and that Fenris would be returning to Tevinter with him. Once Fenris told him to shut his mouth, the battle began.

Varania did nothing to assist in the fight, just stood at the bottom of the stairs like an obedient dog. The slavers Danarius had brought with him struck first, but they were no match for our skill. The last one fell after he said I'd fetch a handsome price on the slave market, thanks to Sebastian responding with an arrow through his eye.

Seeing his men dead, Danarius began summoning corpses, shades, and demons. I knew then it was the right decision not to have Merrill by my side; I fear if she ever entered into an altercation with the Templars in the Alienage, she'd easily resort to this tactic in fear. To know she has the ability within her is a frightening thought, but I couldn't dwell on that too much, as Fenris was in need of healing, and Anders was distracted assisting Sebastian.

Danarius had spent so much of his energy on summoning his army, that he left little for himself when the final confrontation began. Anders, Sebastian and I pulled back a little, allowing Fenris the chance to fight his former master one on one. It's what he has been both dreading and dreaming of, and we wanted him to accomplish that goal on his own if he had any chance of ever feeling free again. The older mage was no match for the emotion and rage years of torment can bring out in a person. Fenris took a moment to proudly inform Danarius that he was no longer his master, and then the former slave crushed the throat of his enemy without another word.

A once powerful magister lay dead on the tavern floor, surrounded by all who were meant to protect him. Except one, the red-haired elf that stood over his corpse. You can't just turn off anger as easily as it can be provoked, so when Fenris set his eyes on his sister, his rage continued to grow.

Varania backed away from Fenris, putting her hands up in front of her as if to protect herself from his wrath. Hawke kept her distance, waiting to see how this family reunion would be concluded. She could feel Sebastian holding his breath beside her, and was vaguely aware of Anders off in the corner.

"I had no choice," Varania insisted, backing herself against the wall. "He was going to make me his apprentice, and I would have been a respected magister instead of some poor tailor."

Her words only fueled the fire burning within Fenris. "You sold out your own brother to become a magister?"

"Your sister is a mage?" Anders voice came from the distance. Hawke turned to Anders, hoping her glare would stop Anders from continuing, but it didn't. "You're nothing but a bloody hypocrite!"

All eyes were on Anders now, and the anger within both Fenris and Hawke were enough to cause a faint glow from the mage. He felt threatened enough that Justice was near the surface, but that didn't stop Hawke from lashing out at the former warden.

"How exactly does that make him a hypocrite?" Hawke asked. "Fenris didn't even know he had a sister until Hadriana told him, and even then there was no way of knowing she was a mage."

"Why else would he call us all here for a simple family reunion?" Anders asked. "Because he knew she was a mage, knew she'd be working with Danarius. He's let one bad experience damn us all for the power we were born with, including his own sister!"

"One bad experience?" Hawke couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Anders, are you that far gone that you really believe that? What Fenris has had to endure at the hands of a mage is unthinkable! Even if he was aware that his sister is a mage, or even his mother for that sake, I doubt he'd have any sympathy or compassion for us after what he's been through. For you to even question why he feels as he does makes me question if there's anything left to Anders at all in there, or if this is all Justice talking."

It was clear Anders was fighting a losing battle within himself, and it was only a matter of seconds before Justice took over. "You know nothing," the spirit said in his large booming voice. "But soon you will know the true power of Justice!"

Sebastian stepped forward with his bow ready and aimed at Justice, getting in-between he and Hawke. The faint shimmer beneath Anders' skin subsided as the mage regained control from the spirit. He took one look at Sebastian and the arrow that was aimed at his head, and then left the Hanged Man without another word.

"Leto," Varania whispered behind them.

"Stop calling me that," Fenris snarled as he focused his attention back on his sister.

"You have no idea what we went through," she tried to explain. "The things I had to do to survive when Mother died. This was my only chance."

Fenris closed the distance between them as his markings began to glow with the power that was building. "It seems now you have no chance at all," he told her.

Varania could feel the seconds of her life coming to an end, and began to beg the group for mercy. "Please, Leto, don't do this," she said to Fenris. When she saw he had no intention of stopping, she turned to Hawke and Sebastian. "Please, tell him to stop!"

"I'm sorry," Hawke told her. "This can't be stopped now. And even if I had that kind of control over your brother, I'd still allow it to be his decision. We may not ever know what you have been through, but you certainly don't know what Fenris has been through either."

Varania's last hope was Sebastian, but he turned his back on them both, not wishing to be witness to what he knew was to come.

"I would have given you everything," Fenris whispered. Hawke closed her eyes as she heard the familiar sound of lyrium branded hands crushing a human heart.

There was an eerie moment of silence after that Father. None of the patrons of the Hanged Man had dared to come out of hiding, and Sebastian and I just stood there, unsure of what to do next. The sadness in Fenris' eyes were nearly unbearable to look at, but I had to be strong for my friend.

He stared at their bodies for a long time, Varania and Danarius. The man who had controlled his past and the woman who wanted to control his future. To have them both gone now should have brought him some peace, but when he finally broke his silence, I knew it didn't. He said that he thought discovering his past would bring him some sense of belonging, but now he was more confused than ever.

In that moment, I could see that he felt truly alone. He said as much, and Sebastian and I did our best to convince him that wasn't the case. He was alone in his past, in his life with Danarius, not knowing his family. But for the last few years he has built a new family in Kirkwall, we are his family and his friends, and we will continue to be so as long as he'll allow it.

The choice is his.