A/N: Oi! I forgot to mention that this fanfic is inspired by Sabaine. Who is a lovely writer of many fics and if you like Dragon Age, you should DEFINITELY read them. Just so you lot know, I'm no good at smut, so you're not getting it. Plus, it's embarrassing as hell to write. If I get too much protest and ya'll want a little bit, I just might work up the courage for one scene. Btw I'm going off script for things except major events. Oh and yes, I know this was in act 1 but, I wanted to do this one. Sorry if it bothers you.
Sarah... oh Sarah. You'll see darling.
Let's get going, shall we?
Disclaimer: BioWare owns all of these characters (except my OC). Please support the offical Dragon Age releases.
Mina put her bow back in it's holster on her back and walked slowly to the scared mages, "Look, we're not here to hurt you, but Blood Magic isn't the way to go, ok?" She'd taken over talking to them because the girl, Grace, that seemed to be the leader now refused to talk to Hawke just yet. She was a noble looking girl maybe eighteen or nineteen years old. Her red-blonde hair was in a tight bun that matched the neatness of her circle robe of lavender cloth. The girl sneered at Mina and the other companions as if they were lesser beings. That really bothered Mina, but she ground the irritation down. 'I'm doing this for Anders. I'm doing this for Anders,' she repeated in her head.
"There are Templars on their way here now!" Hawke urged.
"Garrett, kindly shut your mouth," Mina said with a smile to take the venom from her words. He shrugged and watched the tunnels with Varric. Anders checked the wounded mages and helped to calm them down. She could tell that Justice was having a hard time with the state these poor creatures were in. Some of them no more than ten years. All of which had become haunted by the Templars' cruelty. The cave was damp and rugged. No place to live, or camp out. Plus, now it was spattered with different shades of blood thanks to their ex-leader Decimus. Who had, unfortunately, been Grace's lover. At the moment, the mages looked more like frightened children than the 'savage killers' they were described as.
"Why aren't you sending us back? You're no mage, so why do you care?" Grace asked with a big attitude that was starting to get on Mina's nerves yet again. She'd been a mouthy little thing from the start.
"No, but Anders over there is. I don't dislike mages. Despite what you lot think, not everyone hates you guys. Plus, that guy you don't want to talk to? His sister is a mage. We have another mage friend, who is an Elf. You need to run ok?" Mina rubbed her eyes gently. This was giving her a headache. How come every mage that took leadership seemed to have the 'poor me' thing going on? Anders... had his moments as well.
"What about the Templars? They know we're here! What would you tell them?" she retorted.
Mina snapped a bit then and got in Grace's face, "Look, hun, you and your friends either scat, now, or end up back in the Circle you so desperately wanted to escape. Beleive me when I say that we can handle a few Templars. I've been through worse by myself. So... Leave."
Grace scrunched up her nose and turned away, "Come on, everyone, we're heading for Starkhaven."
Mina threw a rock at the wall after they'd left and muttered to herself. Varric and Hawke sauntered into the cavern snickering. Anders stood beside Mina and rubbed her back reassuringly. He seemed relieved that they had come to a peaceful arrangement that didn't end in the mages being sent back to the Circle. His black feathers brushed her face and tickled her neck only slightly. She secretly wondered why he always wore feathers and what he looked like out of them. She pictured his body not too muscular but definite muscle tone. Slim, but sexy. He didn't need a tan to be considered sexy in her mind, despite what everyone back in Texas thought. Varric shook her from her silly thoughts then.
"I thought for sure you were going to snap her neck, kitten," Varric teased. Mina scowled and stuck her tongue out at the Dwarf. Hawke picked her up and twirled her around, earning a glare from Anders.
"Haaaaaawke!" Mina yelped.
He laughed and situated her on his back, "You did the heavy lifting, cutie. I'm just helping~."
"Fine, fine. Then, can we get out of here, boss-man? I wanna get back to Kirkwall. Izzy and Merril wanted to show me something. I swear if it's anything to do with that mirror... Venhedis! I'm gonna strangle her."
Hawke laughed at Mina, "You sound like Fenris. Don't tell me you're going to be Broody Junior!" Varric almost tripped laughing. Anders looked none too happy. Mina playfully hit Hawke on the head, feeling his soft black hair envelop her hand. 'Maker, I love his hair! But... he does need it cut a bit,' she mused to herself.
"Fenris is one of a kind, I assure you. Now, let's GO!" she urged the man holding her. He obeyed for once and started jogging towards the entrance where Ser Thrask was waiting. As were more Templars. Mina looked at Anders and mouthed 'Stay back' to which he nodded happily. She slid off of Hawke's back and watched the large group nervously.
"Where are the mages Ser Thrask?" the knight Mina recognized as Ser Karras asked. He was known to be cruel and to purposely cause mages harm and blame them for anything he could think of. Mina's tried her hardest to hide her disgust.
"Ah, Ser Karras, I-" began Thrask.
"Who is that?!" the other Templar interrupted.
Hawke crossed his arms and looked outraged, "You don't know who I am?! Varric, tell this man who I am. This is an insult!"
Without missing a beat, their Dwarven friend spoke up, "Messere, you wound us! Knight Commander Meredith called in Knight Commander Hubert herself! You have disgraced his honor."
The Templar scowled and shook his head, "What of the mages?"
"Some of them are dead, but the rest escaped before we could catch them. Looked like they were headed to the coast," Varric answered.
Satisfied, the knight nodded and commanded the others to march back to Kirkwall. Ser Thrask sighed with relief and nodded his thanks to the group. Hawke picked Mina back up and they started walking back to Kirkwall as well. Although, a different route.
They were in the Lowtown market when Mina started feeling the sting on her leg. She knew a mage had got her with a fireball but she'd thought it just grazed her. 'Damn... this really hurts. Did they get me that bad?' she thought wincing with every step. Sure, she had a few cuts and bruises, but they weren't anything to be too worried about. She refused to let Anders heal her. Relying on magic wasn't something she would let herself get used to. If that happened, she'd be too reliant on someone else. As it stood then, she could patch herself up pretty well.
Hawke noticed her limp and stopped, "Hey, are you ok?" She nooded and kept walking. Anders had gone back to Darktown, after he stole a kiss. Varric had noticed but hadn't said anything. He'd gone to talk to the Merchant's guild about his brother not too long ago, so it was just her and Hawke.
The dark haired man put a hand on her shoulder and kept her from going any further.
"You can't lie to me, Mina. You're hurt; I can tell by the limp, genius," he said with a gentle voice.
"C'mon, Garrett, I'm sure it's nothing. Let's just get back to your house. I want to see Leandra. Haven't seen her in a week and I'm sure she'll fuss about it for hours."
"Don't change the subject. Why didn't you tell me about it? Or Anders for that matter?"
He was really cute when he got all protective. She'd never admit it or tell anyone. Especially not Izzy or Merril. He got closer to her and demanded an answer with his eyes. Those beautiful, beautiful blue eyes. The color of a bluejay's feathers.
"I honestly didn't notice it until now. Would you stop looking at me like that damn it?!" Mina turned away and tried to hide her blush. Thankfully it had just gotten dark, so it would be harder to see the red in her cheeks.
Hawke smiled a little then, "Look at you how? I'm just looking at you, cutie."
"Shut up and let's go. We can look at my leg at your place. It's really not that bad," she insisted. She was trying to convince herself as well as the man she was now leaning on.
Hawke had her sit by the fireplace in his study. It felt more like a miniature library from Beauty and the Beast. She looked around it for the hundredth time and smiled. How she loved books. One of the librarians back in Texas let her get a card. It was free, of course, but you had to have an address. She'd let Mina use her own. A kind lady. That's where Mina had gotten blankets for the kids and herself... It was a happy thought that made her miss the place she left. The theory of her being dead wasn't dismissed, but she'd thought about other possibilities. Maybe some stray magic had pulled her to this world. Assuming magic was actually really real. Or perhaps she was in a coma and this is how her mind was coping. Her mind wandered back to the thought that she had just gone mad from too much cold and someone had found her. She was likely in an asylum, rocking back and forth in her own world. The thought terrified her. Some friends of hers got sent places like that for no reason.
Leandra and Hawke walked in, disrupting her thoughts.
"Hello, darling. How are you feeling? You look a bit banged up. Would you like some tea?"
Mina smiled at the dear woman. She imagined if she could remember her mother, she would have been like Leandra.
"I'm just a bit tired. Long walk. I don't suppose you have any cold tea?" It was a southern thing. She'd never cared much for hot tea. Cold, sweet iced tea was how she liked it and that's about all she would drink. That or warm peach tea. Maybe that's because that was all she could get back then...
Leandra chuckled and handed her a cup. "I knew you'd ask, dear. I had Orana make some up for you. It is curious why you like it that way, though."
Hawke looked at Mina's injured leg as they talked. They had determined that it wasn't a terrible burn, but she would have a scar. Bohdan gave him some cooling salve to put on it. It really stung and felt hot even as Hawke put the cold white paste on. She could feel the skin already starting to wrinkle up like how it did after a bad sunburn.
She continued her conversation with Leandra,"Where I'm from, Ma'am, it's a common thing. It's usually pretty hot there, so we like our drinks cold. Not to say we don't like warm drinks like hot cocoa and coffee, but we usually keep something cold near by." She'd never talked much about her home. It felt good to share some memories. She felt Hawke's eyes on her. He'd finished bandaging her leg and was listening intently, sitting on the floor like a kid. The fire seemed to make him more dark and handsome than usual. The effect it had on Mina's heart rate bothered her. She wanted Anders, not Hawke... right? Not Garrett. She could never!
"Oh! It sounds different. How far away is it?" Leandra asked. Mina smiled and looked at the doorway to see shy little Orana listening in too. She loved stories. The way her little ears seemed to perk up and her big green eyes lit up with wonder.
"It's... quite a ways," she smirked,"It is very different from how it is here. Where I'm from there are no slavers and no slaves. People are pretty much equal. You are free to love who you wish, be who you want. There aren't any nobles, but... there are rich people who act like it. No one is better than the other. Although, people act like it too. No matter how much money they have. We do have our problems, but I worked as hard as I could to make things better for me and those around me..." Mina trailed off and stared into the fire. Her life hadn't been that great. She knew that. But it could have been much worse. Seeing how Darktown was and especially hearing about Fenris' past, she knew she'd been lucky not to be homeless in this world. Sure, she had a room in a smelly tavern only because of Varric, but she had a job and could pay for a place if she had to. Varric insisted she stay close when she was in town.
"Thank you for telling us about your home. I think I'd better get to bed. I must go see Gamlen early tomorrow. Weekly visit. Orana, I think it's time you went to bed as well," Leandra said, politely excusing herself. Orana nodded and left to finish her duties.
Mina hugged Leandra before the older woman left. Hawke took up the seat next to Mina, but scooted it closer. He put his hand on hers, the room silent but for the dying crackle of the fire. It was warm and rough. He had many calluses and a few scars from fighting and training. He helped Aveline from time to time train the Guards what to expect from someone who fought dirty.
"Was your life hard?" he asked quietly. It was almost a whisper and Mina barely caught it.
She took a minute to answer, "In some ways, yes. I had no home, no way to make any coin. I tried my hardest to take care of the other kids on the street. I got lucky and found places that were dry and warm in the winter. Except... this past year. I almost froze to death."
Hawke kissed her hand, "I'm sorry. It must've been awful... What about your parents?"
Mina shrugged,"I don't really remember my mother. She must've taken care of me for a while. I remember light blonde hair and soft brown eyes. But, I don't think I ever knew my father."
They sat in silence for a while before Mina decided she should get back to the Hanged Man. Garrett offered to walk her back, but she declined. People knew better than to mess with one of Varric Tethras' people. She mostly wanted to get her mind off of how sweet Garrett was being to her; how his lips felt against her skin. It was different than the kiss her and Anders shared. It was more tender. She shook her head and quickened her step. The air was growing more and more chilly.
It was relatively quiet for the Hanged Man when she got to the place she now called home. Varric was at his table telling the story of 'The Champion and the Ogre' to a few drunk patrons. Mina rolled her eyes and went back to her room. Right as she went to open it, she heard an angry cry. It was Isabela. That woman had the worst timing! Of course, Mina had promised her she'd be by after they got back from saving mages- again.
"Where have you been, Mina? I thought you were going to come by Merril's earlier?" the pirate raged.
Mina looked at her friend defeated, "Sorry, Izzy. I had to stop by to see Leandra. The woman can talk. That, and I had to get my leg patched up."
Isabela went to work questioning the poor Elf woman about what happened and why she was hurt. How did she get hurt? Why didn't Anders fix it? What was going on between her and the mage? Mina made a mental note to scold Varric later. As skillfully as she could, she deflected the questions and made her excuses for needing to go to bed. Isabela narrowed her eyes and promised it wasn't over. A threat Mina knew was very true.