"Fenris, are you here?" Hawke called out as she entered the mansion.

The sound of bare feet on the stone floor above her told Hawke that he was indeed home, and she smiled at him as he appeared over the railing of the upstairs landing. "Is there somewhere else I would be?"

Hawke laughed as she climbed the stairs. "I never know with you these days," she teased. "Drinks and Wicked Grace at the Hanged Man, or distracting one friend while the other conspires to blindside her…"

"Ah, is that what this is about?" Fenris asked. "As I recall, that blindside was to come with a satisfactory ending. Is that not so?"

Her cheeks flushed at the ending she had received, though she doubted that was what Fenris referred to. "Sebastian is living at the estate now, yes."

"Then I believe you owe me one," Fenris said with a smirk as they entered his study.

"And I am here to repay you," Hawke said, retrieving the sword she had hidden under her robes. "After our recent sword shopping, I remembered I had found this when we were dealing with Grace and Thrask. I also remembered the expression on your face when you saw it."

Fenris reached for the sword. "I had wondered what became of it," he said as he admired the weapon. "A Blade of Mercy," he told her. "I have seen several in the Imperium. They are replicas of the sword Archon Hassarian used to kill Andraste. Most are cheap knockoffs, but this one appears finely crafted."

"Is it worth anything to you?" Hawke asked. "Could you use it?

He turned the blade over, and then took a step back from her before testing the sword with a few swinging arcs. "Yes, I believe I could," Fenris said. "I am surprised someone easily discarded it. Normally they are gifts of honor given to those who have performed a service to the Imperium. I remember Danarius had several on display in Tevinter."

"Maybe whoever had it no longer cared about status in the Imperium," Hawke suggested. "Much like you I imagine, since you rarely talk about the Imperium."

Fenris nodded. "True. It is not a place I remember fondly."

Hawke sat on the couch in front of the fireplace. "I'm sorry," she told him. "Maybe the sword was a bad idea. Had I known…"

"It is fine," Fenris said as he joined her on the couch, setting the blade aside. "Danarius is gone, I need to put those days behind me, as I have often been reminded."

"Sometimes I wonder what it's like, living in a place where mages are in power," Hawke admitted. "Sebastian suggested I consider the Viscount position. At first I thought it was a fascinating idea the possibilities seemed endless. But the more I think about it, the more I don't know if that's possible, or if I'd want even more attention than I get now as Champion."

Fenris leaned forward and stared into the fire. "The Chantry saying of how magic exists to serve man and not rule him applies heavily here. In the Imperium, they take that to mean magic should serve the greater good, and that is what the magisters claim to do. But there, the magisters rule all, including the Chantry and its templars." He shook his head. "Were you in a position of power in Kirkwall, every decision would be guided by both, with the threat of throwing you in the Gallows if you did not comply."

"Which, unlike the Imperium, they have full authority to do," Hawke stated.

"Exactly," Fenris said. "In the Imperium, most of the magisters turn to blood magic because more power equals higher status, which leads to better positions of changing laws to their advantage. It is accepted there. Here, you are nothing more than a mage who has served this city well, but the moment you try to bring true change that may reflect poorly on the Chantry?"

"I get it," Hawke sighed. "So neither place is really ideal for a mage who stays away from blood magic."

"An unfortunate reality," Fenris told her. "What one may think is a positive change is not always the case. There was one archon who tried to have slavery outlawed from the Imperium, but he was quickly assassinated. Politics of any sort are dangerous."

"It's hard to watch this city fall apart and not be able to do anything about it," Hawke told him. "As Champion I have a title and nothing more, and as Viscount, as you said, I'd merely be a puppet. That's not how I want it."

Fenris turned to look at her. "You do not have to be in a position of power to bring change," he said. "Consider what you have already done for this city. You were able to stop a Qunari invasion, something the Imperium has been struggling with for decades. Change has already happened due to your actions. Do not think you are helpless because of your lack of position. And, while you do not have the title that matters, there is someone who does."

"Sebastian," Hawke stated.

"Indeed. With no viscount and Meredith in charge, Kirkwall may be beyond hope," Fenris told her. "But Starkhaven is a city demanding change. With the fall of their circle, I see no better opportunity for you than to begin your mission there."

Hawke laughed. "And what exactly is my mission? I don't think I even know."

"Whatever it is, I am certain you will achieve success," Fenris said as he stood, picking up his new sword. "And when that day comes, it will be an honor to be at your side."

Dearest Father,

Fenris has my mind spinning. While Sebastian made some good points about how me becoming Viscount of Kirkwall could benefit this city, I think maybe Fenris is right. Regardless of title, I am and always will be a mage, and a mage with any power is unthinkable outside of the Imperium. They wouldn't allow me to make changes to the Gallows, or how the templars do things, or the restrictions on mages within the city. It's clear from others who have held that position that they still answer to someone else, and so change is near impossible.

But Starkhaven...there is where real change can happen. With Sebastian as Prince, he would hold all of the power over his city. And together we could do so much more than we could ever do here in Kirkwall. A fresh start to try and make real change, show all of Thedas that it's possible for mages to live freely without consequence. Starkhaven could be the start of something amazing for mages.

But my heart is torn, because I have given so much to this city already. I had true hope that I'd be able to make things better for the mages here. But every day things are getting worse from what I hear. Anders has completely isolated himself from everyone, focusing only on his mage underground and very little on his friends or even his clinic. I feel like there's a darker side to the city that I'm not even aware of, where the escaped mages are plotting and planning revenge, instead of trying to make real change. Thrask and the others had the right idea, they just went about it the wrong way.

I can't help but wonder if there was some progress there, before Grace turned to blood magic and proved why mages shouldn't be trusted. I haven't been able to get back to the Gallows and see what the remaining templars were thinking, but I'm sure they had a change of heart after seeing Thrask die. And I can't really can't blame them if they did.

Maybe some things just can't be fixed. Maybe I need to learn when to just walk away, instead of fighting to the death for something that can never be. Do I remain here and fight the unwinnable fight? Or do I move on to where I know I can make things better? It seems like such a simple decision, and yet I'm still here.

You taught me to never give up, but you also told me to know when I'm in over my head and when to cut my losses. And I don't want to give up on Kirkwall, but Fenris is right; there is no hope for this city. At least none that I can see. In a perfect world, I could convince Anders to come with us to Starkhaven, where he too can be optimistic about the changes we could make for mages. And if there's a way to convince Carver to join us, please let me know, because I'd hate to leave him here among this brewing chaos. If the mages are planning something, it'll be against the templars, and if anything happens to Carver, I don't know what I would do.