A/N: So this one was a quick chap and thus a bit unrefined. However, I'll go back through it and add were needed if I must. Thanks for the reviews and hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: Bioware, Dragon Age II, not mine.
Chapter 3: Dealing in Flesh
Hawke fiddled with a sovereign in her hand and flicked it to a moderate-sized chest. Forty-nine sovereigns down and one more to go. It seemed like just yesterday she hadn't been able to rub two bits together, and now she had a small fortune. With this she could support her family, but Varric had promised her more than that with the expedition. He promised her protection; a way to be free in a place that would enslave her for the potential danger she posed to those considered 'normal.' It wasn't that Hawke didn't realize the threat that mages could pose, but it was the encompassing mentality that every mage was a ticking bomb. Mages were no different than regular people. There were mages like her father and Bethany who used their magic to heal and shelter those from the ravages and travesties of battle, and there were mages like the magister Fenris often loathingly spoke of. There were humans that matched the same types, yet the good ones managed to not be shackled up for their potential to do bad.
Hawke rose and slammed the chest shut, making sure to lock the damned thing before she left. She had caught her dear uncle Gamlen trying to pick the lock a couple of nights ago. He said he was only going to 'borrow a little' for some food items, and Hawke wondered what vendor would be selling any products at the dark hours of night. However tonight she didn't have time to worry about her thief of an Uncle; Athenril had offered her a simple job.
"Where are you going?" Carver caught the door just as Hawke was about to leave.
"Athenril has some work and we're only a sovereign short." Hawke spoke without stopping or taking time to look back. "I'll be back soon." She waved and disappeared into the darkness of Lowtown.
She didn't want to put up with Carver's input at the moment. Her brother was growing angrier and bitterer as the days passed by. Not to mention he seemed fond of picking through her love life as if she had one. Hawke absently muttered as she recalled some of the things he had said about Isabela. She hadn't exactly acted the mature sibling when reacting to his statements, and a part of her felt a tad bit guilty for taking a couple of low blows at him, but he simply didn't know when to stop. Hawke shook her head and focused on the area she was just entering. The Red Lantern District was always throbbing with life, light and… Gamlen. Hawke watched from a distance as her uncle walked up to the Blooming Rose.
'So this is where the dirty old man has been disappearing to at night. I suppose since his hovel is occupied by Mother, he can't ply his trade there anymore.' Hawke chuckled as he walked in and she slinked off to a shadowed corner.
"You made it." Athenril stepped into the light. "I was afraid you wouldn't."
"I'm in the need of gold." Hawke peered past Athenril to see what the elf was hiding behind her.
"And I'm glad for it, tonight's deal is a little different."
Hawke grew suspicious and felt as if she was being watched from a distance. She looked to the left and to the right but nothing was there, or nothing that she could make out anyways. Unbeknownst to the mage, a familiar pirate was watching the transaction. Isabela hadn't meant to spy on the mage, in fact when she first caught sight of the mage she was tempted to pounce on her until she caught sight of the shady elf woman. Instead of dragging Hawke into the Blooming Rose as Isabela had planned, she was crouching behind rotten cargo and listening to Hawke's conversation.
"What do you mean by different?"
"As you know I try not to deal in flesh, but…" Athenril pulled a small child with a cloth-bag pulled over their head.
Hawke's eyes opened wide as she began to understand what Athenril was asking her to do.
"This buyer paid a pretty sovereign for this one." Athenril shoved the child towards Hawke and looked away from Hawke's baffled expression. Athenril was no fan of slave trading but this was one deal that beat out her moral superiority.
Isabela watched with furrowed brows as Hawke took hold of the child by the shoulders. Isabela was a thief but human lives were never on the market, and those who dilly-dallied in human trafficking were often the ones she tended to backstab. She watched as Hawke pulled the child closer to her but kept her gaze steady.
"The exchange will happen at the docks, just take the gold and give him the child. It's as simple as that, but I wanted you specifically. They need to know that you can overpower them if they try something stupid. So will you do it?"
"Of course" Hawke answered swiftly and held the child against her.
Isabela almost knocked the crates over as she leaned in to hear Hawke's response. Had Hawke just agreed to sell a young child into slavery? No, no, no she must have heard wrong, there was no way Hawke would ever agree to such a heartless ordeal.
"How much will I be getting?" Hawke asked and this time Isabela managed to make the crates creak and whispered lightly a couple of profane words. Luckily no one noticed.
"I'll give you fifty percent. The brat sold for 20 sovereigns." Athenril frowned as she looked at the child's trembling legs. "Get it over with Hawke."
"Fine." Hawke lifted the child and carried her in her arms as she set off for the docks.
With Athenril gone and hardly anyone out on the streets, Hawke decided to lift the bag over the child's head. It was cold outside and its legs were trembling frightfully. Perhaps the bag would keep them warm until they got to the docks. As she lifted the bag, gold locks of hair poured out and familiar eyes rested on the mage's gaze.
"Til!" Hawke exclaimed as the terrified girl wrapped her arms around her neck.
Hawke held her close and felt hot tears begin to form on the verge of her lids. She had wondered why she hadn't seen Til in the past couple of days. Ever since she had rescued the poor girl from Merril's twine, Til had always greeted her whenever she visited the alienage.
"Don't let him take me." The girl cried as she burrowed deeper into Hawke's neck.
"Shhh, shhh I wouldn't dream of doing any such thing." Hawke set the girl down and kneeled so that she was at eye-level with the young girl.
Isabela watched from a distance the scene that was beginning to unveil and recognized the girl from the alienage.
"I have to take you to the docks, but I won't let them take you. Do you trust me?" Hawke wiped a tear rolling down her cheek.
The small girl nodded and took the mage's hand. Hawke placed the bag over her head once more and lifted her from the ground. Even if it hadn't been Til, Hawke would have never given up the child. From the start she had planned to kill the trader, no matter how many men were present she would have dealt with them.
As Hawke neared the docks, the smell of cheap alcohol and decay began to set in. A small lamp was lit next to a vessel and a stern man stood in front of six others. He looked at her and then at the small child she was carrying and nodded.
"Hand me the child." His gruff voice demanded.
"Hand me the gold first." Hawke demanded and set her staff before her with a loud thud.
The man spat on the floor but signaled one of his men to hand him a full bag of coins. Hawke heard the jingle and quickly sent a wave of ice towards the men in front of her. They shouted in surprise as Hawke pushed Til behind barrels that were out of the way. She poised herself for battle and channeled her magic through her staff producing a brilliant ball of flame in her hand. The men charged her with swords and spears while others drew back to shoot arrows from a distance. She hurled the fireball and shielded herself as the explosion took place.
"You damned mage!" Their assumed leader broke through the flames and raised his blade.
As he brought it down, Hawke raised her staff and blocked his killing blow. She cast a mind blast and stunned the man for a few seconds but the pain that ripped through her thigh caused her to stumble back on her bum. She cursed as she pulled at the arrow lodged in her flesh, but not fast enough to scramble away from the black-bearded man that lifted her from the floor by the roots of her hair.
"You'll be compensation for the mess you've caused. I can think of a few things to do with you."
Hawke gasped for air as he gripped her thin neck with his grubby fingers. She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Til still crouching behind the barrels. She sent her last bit of energy throughout her body causing a shock to course through her enemy's limbs. The black-bearded giant came crashing down, but so did Hawke.
"Maker you're so stupid sometimes." Hawke recognized that annoyed tone and smiled as she blacked out from her own spell. Isabela stood by the twitching man and gave him a hard kick in the head.
Isabela threw a smoke bomb, picked up the satchel of gold coins, grabbed Hawke's arm, lifted her up and instructed the small child to follow as she took off the bag from her head. Within minutes the group was out of danger's way for now. Hawke's leg was bleeding profusely and there wasn't any time to stop and patch it up until they got to the Hanged Man.
"You're Hawke's friend." The child piped up.
"That I am." Isabela groaned as she lifted Hawke up the last flight of stairs before getting to her room.
"You'll take care of her, won't you?" Isabela looked down at the small child as she laid the mage on her bed.
"I can't promise anything sweet thing, but she'll be fine tonight." Isabela softened her gaze as she spoke to the girl.
Isabela removed Hawke's pants and, for once, Isabela wasn't focused on the type of underwear that adorned her now pant-less partner. She wasn't a doctor, but she had dealt with wounds before out at sea. Luckily the arrow hadn't punctured any main arteries, but Hawke would likely have a limp the next morning. That fool, she could have died out there. She stitched what she could and placed a bandage around the wounded flesh. All the while Til sat by the mage and ever so often moved the hair out of her face.
"Rivaini!" Varric barged into her room, "you won't believe it, I…" He spotted a half clad Hawke on the bed, a small elven girl and Isabela off to the side. "What in Andraste's ass have you done to Hawke this time?"
"Believe me Varric she's not half-naked for reasons that are usually associated with me, though I wish that were the case." The pirate smirked. "Would you mind getting me a cup of water? I think she's coming to."
Varric rushed off to get whatever could pass as water from the Hanged Man's reservoirs while Hawke groaned on Isabela's rock hard bed.
"Is…abela." Hawke winced as pain shot through her leg. "Where is…"
"Right next to you." Isabela pointed at the small girl at Hawke's bedside.
Hawke smiled as she small girl hugged her and looked back up at Isabela.
"Thank you."
"What were you thinking?" Isabela scolded her.
"I was thinking you'd help when you saw that I needed it."
"You knew I was there?"
"Who else mutters out 'by Andraste's hardened nipples' amongst other things? I knew you were at the Red Lantern District." Hawke began to laugh but the pain caused her to bite her tongue instead. "You were behind the crates, weren't you?"
Isabela grinned at the mage's accusations; she wasn't so stupid after all.
"Why didn't you just call me out?" Isabela asked.
"I figured you would show yourself whenever you wanted to. Did you get the gold?"
"Of course I did." Isabela handed the bag over to Hawke.
"Here," Hawke handed her five sovereigns. "For your ship. You'll need to save up for it." Hawke threw her a boyish grin. "And this is for you Til." She gave the girl ten sovereigns. "With this you and your parents can leave to a safer place." Til nodded but couldn't help her little jaw from dropping at the amount of money that had been given to her.
"Feeling generous aren't we?" Varric returned with a mug. "What happened?"
"This heroic idiot decided to take on a couple of slavers all on her own."
"I had help from another heroic idiot." Hawke added as she handed over the rest of the gold to Varric. "This makes up the entire sum for the expedition, I'll bring the rest by tomorrow."
"Well done Hawke. I'll make sure that girl and her parents get out of Kirkwall safely before we leave." He had grasped the story without being told.
"Thank you Varric."
"Why don't you come with me?" Varric called Til over.
The young elf girl looked down at the mage sorrowfully; this would be the last time she would see her. Hawke smiled gently at her and squeezed her small hand with her own before telling her to go. With a quick kiss to Hawke's forehead Til left her bedside and followed Varric out.
"You know you're going to turn that poor girl into a lesbian right?" Isabela broke the silence.
"Jealous are we?" Hawke jested as she tried to sit up.
"Lay still." Isabela commanded as she gently pushed the mage back down.
Hawke obeyed and observed the different expression that Isabela wore. It was serious, but more than that it was genuinely concerned.
"I'm not jealous," Isabela's mischievous glint returned to her eyes. "After all, I was the one that got to take your pants off." She lightly traced her finger along the mage's thigh and along her panty line.
"T,t,this is not fair." Hawke stuttered but didn't bother to smack Isabela's hand away.
"I never play fair." Isabela purred but drew her hand away. "Now thanks to you my beds taken. There's not much fun to be had with an invalid in bed… well, that's not exactly true."
"It's not like I'm fat." Hawke shifted to the side with a slight wince.
"I don't sleep with people I don't get to rut with, and I definitely don't sleep with those that I do." Isabela explained even as she took a seat on the bed.
"I'll leave as soon as I can. The wound's not too bad." Hawke pulled on Isabela's arm. "You must be exhausted from carrying my limp body all the way over here."
"Is this your way of seducing me, by the Maker it's horrible." Isabela jested.
"No," Hawke blushed, "it's my way of saying thank you."
"I think the five sovereigns covered that."
"Fine I just want you to sleep next to me and not on the floor." Hawke resigned as she threw a hand over her head; Isabela could be so difficult.
"On one condition," Isabela placed a finger on Hawke's lips.
"What's that?"
"The next time you're in my bed, half-naked and what not, will be of your own free will."
"Deal." Hawke replied in earnest much to Isabela's delight, but something about Hawke's tone worried the pirate. However it wasn't something that the pirate wished to dwell on as she climbed into bed. She was one article of clothing and promise closer to her desire of ravishing Hawke.
When it came to dealing in flesh, Isabela knew what to do and how much to pay for what she wanted. What she wanted was Hawke's body and nothing else, or so she kept telling herself. It was the smooth, fair skin and warmth that Hawke possessed that called out to her, not her stupid heroic acts. She would soon rut with the mage and that would be that; one more tally in captain Isabela's sexual escapades. She would only deal in flesh with the mage and leave all else for fools that believed in the virtue of attachment. Isabela closed her eyes and felt the mage rest her head on her shoulder. Isabela sighed as she realized how many rules she was breaking, but Hawke was no different from the others and Isabela would put the mage in her place… eventually.