The Hawke Family

"There really isn't much we can gather here..." Ciara noted, eyeing their lacklustre supplies that Alistair carried. "That is troubling."

"At least we managed to warn some people away?" Alistair offered. "Some more groups are leaving town now."

"Yes, but they won't have much time left, and there's still so many people here." Ciara grimaced. "They're waiting for help, but they've been abandoned."

Alistair's fists clenched. "If Loghain hadn't... Dammit! If he hadn't hesitated-"

"We'd all be dead," Ciara said sharply. "And then there would be no one to defend Ferelden, and this Kingdom would be in ruins."

Alistair flinched. Ciara sighed, breathing in deeply, and forced herself to soften. He was in mourning, he was allowed his anger, but it couldn't endanger everything the Grey Wardens worked for.

"Are you going to be alright after what Ser Donall said about Arl Eamon?" Ciara asked gently, laying a hand on his arm. "That was bound to be difficult to hear."

"Honestly? I feel lost without Duncan, and now with Arl Eamon dying? It's killing me. Duncan didn't deserve..." Alistair breathed in sharply. "He tried to protect us, all the recruits, all our brothers and sisters did, but I wish I had been there with them in the end."

"They've passed the torch to us." Ciara squeezed his arm. "We're the generation of Grey Wardens who will stand between Thedas and the Blight. Dying with them would have been easier, comforting even, but they wanted us to live, to fight."

Alistair stared at her, eyes wide, but she pressed on.

"We do this for them. They sacrificed their lives for us, so we do the rest."

Alistair smiled weakly. "Kick the Archdemon's ass?"

"Exactly as Lawrien planned." Ciara grinned.

Alistair paused, then hesitated, shifting. "What... What about you? How are you holding up? You were with them for longer than me."

She chuckled. "Don't worry about me. I have always been much less inclined to form emotion attachments to people."

"So you're fine?" Alistair asked, baffled, frowning. "How?"

Ciara paused. "I wouldn't say fine, but I am capable of handling my emotional reactions. I have been for years."

"Because you have two empathic sisters?"

"No, even before that," Ciara admitted. "I came from a family that was..." She grimaced at the look on Alistair's face, the worry and pity. "Difficult. I learned how to control my emotional reactions very early in my life and chose what I wished to do and how I wished to feel."

"But why? Why would they want you not to react to things?" Alistair frowned, shaking his head. "That's just wrong. Why-"

"Because I was supposed to be just a pretty piece of finery that was supposed to stand still and look beautiful," Ciara said. "I wasn't supposed to have an opinion, I wasn't supposed to speak without being spoken to, and I was to be polite and lovely at all times."

Alistair bristled. "What the hell-"

"That is why they aren't my family. Only my little brother is, because I wasn't decoration to him. We loved each other. We were siblings." Ciara shook her head. "But that doesn't matter-"

Alistair spluttered. "How-"

"I have Lawrien." Ciara grinned. "And back in the Circle I had Myra, Anders, even Jowan before things went bad. Then I suppose I met you."

"Me?" He blinked.

She chuckled and walked away. "Come along, Alistair. Our friends await."

Alistair still stood there, baffled. It was kind of cute actually.

"Ciara!"

Ciara braced herself, feeling a familiar weight hit her back as a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders, dragging her into a hug. Ciara smirked and easily threw Lawrien over her shoulders, earning a strangled yelp.

"You shouldn't do that to people in case you startle them," Ciara lectured, smirking when her sister groaned up at her.

"Ouch." Alistair grimaced.

"But you knew I was there," Lawrien huffed before blinking. "You changed your armour?"

Ah yes, Ciara had changed into an older set of leathers she had kept in her back pack. Still Grey Warden blue, but without all the symbolism attached with the Griffons and such.

"Yes, makes it less noticeable that I'm a Warden." Ciara smiled, holding out her hand. "I doubt we're ever getting you to change yours however."

"I like it." Lawrien grinned, grabbing her hand so Ciara could pull her up. "That or my green set!"

"Where did you even leave it anyway?" Ciara couldn't help but ask as Cobian, Epona, Faren and an unfamiliar redheaded woman caught up to them.

"I think back in Orzammar? It was to get repaired after a fight. I did get a letter saying it had been delivered back to the Warden estate."

"The Grey Wardens have an estate in Orzammar?" Faren asked, looking amazed.

"Indeed we do." Ciara nodded. "They do tend to treat us fairly well in Orzammar considering we're old allies."

"Sister Leliana?"

They all paused. Ciara glanced back, seeing a dark haired girl with a pair of warm, golden eyes staring at new redhead in their group. Ciara leaned against Lawrien. "New friend?" she asked quietly.

Lawrien grinned. "She's weird like Epona."

Epona's scowl deepened.

"Hello, Bethany," Leliana greeted her warmly. "Did you manage to find your siblings?"

"Syrus sent a message ahead with one of his..." Bethany's nose wrinkled. "Companions... Anyway he, Carver and Aryia should be back soon. We've been told to run on ahead, but I doubt we'll leave without them." Bethany's brow furrowed when she glanced over at Lawrien, confusion in her eyes.

Lawrien had the same expression on her face.

"I can't feel your emotions," Lawrien said, crossing her arms.

"You're an empath too?" Bethany blinked, startled.

"Empathy?" Leliana asked, looking bewildered.

"Who are you?" Lawrien asked. "The only people I can't read are darkspawn and my family."

"You can't feel your family's emotions?" Faren spoke up this time while Ciara took in the girl's features, trying to find some familiarity in them.

"No. I've never been able to feel any of my siblings emotions. It's weird." Lawrien grimaced, her face scrunching up.

"I'm Bethany Hawke."

"Lawrien Amell."

"Amell?" Bethany blinked before smiling. "That explains it then! My mother is an Amell. Leandra Amell."

Lawrien tilted her head and bit her lip. "Um, I remember a Gamlen Amell kind of-"

"Bethany?" A young teen, perhaps thirteen or fourteen approached.

"Oh, Sarai. This is Lawrien Amell, she's our second cousin I believe?" Bethany introduced.

"Hello, nice to meet you!" Sarai greeted them cheerfully, actually bowing her head at them.

"She's so polite," Alistair whispered.

Ciara blinked, surprised at the separate colours in her eyes. She had heard of it happening to people before but had never met anyone with separate eye colours. One was a bright blue while the other was golden and long black hair trailed down her back in a braid.

"Your eyes are pretty!" Lawrien beamed.

"Thanks. I think they're pretty cool too." Sarai grinned. "So how did you find out she's our cousin, Beth?"

"I can't feel her emotions and she can't feel mine."

"Unless you two are both disguised darkspawn I think the family thing can be assumed," Ciara said, amused while Lawrien gasped dramatically.

"You aren't darkspawn right?"

"Of course not!" Bethany snapped before shaking her head. "Anyway, Sarai, when will they arrive?"

Sarai grimaced. "They are cutting it close. People seriously need to start evacuating soon."

"The sooner you guys leave the better. The darkspawn will be here in about a few days I can imagine," Ciara warned. "A week at most."

"A week?" Leliana cried out, alarmed.

"Spread the word as best as you can and try hurry."

Sarai grimaced. "Bethany, go warn mother. We need to be ready to leave the moment the others step foot in Lothering."

"Right. What are you going to do?"

"Start spreading the word," Sarai said, then eyed them. "Thank you. Shall I let everyone know the Wardens told us?"

"Just say whatever will get them outta here the quickest." Lawrien grinned.

"Will do! See ya!" Sarai waved as she ran off.

.::.

"I usually trust your judgement, Narascha, but didn't this guy kill a whole family?" Alistair winced away from Sten. "Why would you bring him with us?"

"He's a good warrior," Narascha said, crossing her arms. "But I was always planning to see what Lawrien thought of him. I trust her judgement considering her gifts."

"He panicked." Lawrien stared intently at Sten, Sten who stared right back. "He couldn't find her. He couldn't find his soul. You could never go home again, they would kill you. So you panicked, and in your panic you killed people. Innocent people who tried to help you. You won't forget their faces or their screams."

Sten snarled at her. "Witch!"

"You're scared of me." Lawrien's eyes hardened. "Good." She stepped right into Sten's face, a flare of fire flickering from her hands. "Because if you panic and dare raise your hands to innocent people again I will kill you myself."

The others had caught up to them outside of Lothering with a new friend it seemed. The redhead looked friendly, maybe a bit too friendly. It was a bit unnerving for Narascha. Right now though it was Sten who was the most important person to figure out. Ciara didn't trust him obviously. She had a dagger drawn, and her stance was tensed. She was ready to pounce.

Lawrien grinned at her. "He's not going to attack me right now."

"Right now?" Ciara's eyes narrowed.

"Later if we prove we can't handle ourselves," Lawrien laughed.

"You're taking this too easily," Ciara complained, but sheathed her dagger. "But fine. I'll wait. If he does try to hurt you or anyone else though, I will guy him."

"You're another woman." Sten's brow furrowed.

"Ah, yeah, there is that shit." Torph scratched his ear. "Apparently women don't fight where he's from."

"I'm surprised you haven't murdered him yet." Ciara eyed Narascha.

"It's tempting," Narascha admitted. "But this is a Blight and we need all the help we can get."

"In qunari culture that is quite true. They don't fight as warriors," Cobian said. "But many other cultures are different. Women outside of the qun do in fact fight. Narascha is a warrior of Orzammar. Ciara and Epona are rogues, Ciara uses daggers while Epona is a huntress for her Dalish clan. Morrigan and Lawrien are mages, and Leliana is also a rogue. A bard from Orlais, actually-"

Leliana choked. "Wait, how did you-"

"Your fingertips. They look as if they have played the lute plenty of times with the string indents," Cobian said happily. "Also your accent has a lingering hint within it, but mainly your fingertips for the bard part."

Epona snorted. "As always he's figured things out."

"It's fucking scary," Torph grunted.

"That's my Cobian!" Lawrien grinned.

Cobian laughed sheepishly.

"What's a bard?" Narascha frowned.

"Yeah, I don't know either. Guess it ain't a dwarven thing," Torph grunted.

Cobian smiled. "Bards are technically assassins, spies and saboteurs, but they follow traditional Orlesian ways rather than organisations like the Antivan Crows." At their blank looks, his smile brightened. "They are elite assassins."

Torph notedly stepped away from Leliana, putting Faren in between them.

"Yeah, and the Antvian Crows don't get along with the Thieves Guild," Faren added, crossing his arms. "But do have a decent relationship with most bards."

Leliana blinked. "You know about the Thieves Guild?"

Faren smiled.

"Mainly they are hired by nobles to deal with any grievances they are currently having," Cobian continued. "Bards use the minstrel's arts to become skilled performers and masters in manipulation, but if I understand right, they are also good at inspiring their allies with their songs and tales."

Leliana looked nervous. Very nervous.

Torph blinked. "So, is she here to kill us?"

Epona drew her dagger, but Lawrien grabbed her wrist, forcing it back down. Alistair winced, muttering something about 'murder happy elves'.

"Nope," Lawrien said cheerfully. "She wants to help."

Leliana frowned at the dagger. "I don't completely understand this empathetic ability you have, Lawrien, but I do wish to help you all defeat the Blight. It is the Makers will."

"Huh." Torph crossed his arms. "Makers will. Right..."

"It's fine, Torph." Lawrien grinned. "I trust her."

Leliana startled.

"So, what about Sten?" Narascha asked Lawrien.

"Yeah, he can stay."

"She is deciding? The witch?" Sten's brow furrowed deeper.

"She's our Commander." Narascha smirked.

"She's a woman and a witch," Sten growled.

"Well you better get used to having your mind blown, because there's a lot to do. Now go patrol for us while we get down to business." Narascha nodded to the group. "Alright, so Ciara and Alistair gathered as much as they could, but it was pretty limited which is understandable. We also know all us Grey Wardens have bounties on our heads, and that Cobian has warned Loghain off."

"We'll see if he listens," Cobian said.

"Hopefully. But we've also gained two new companions, so we've got Sten and Leliana. So in all honestly we've actually not done too bad considering everything," Narascha said. "Now we have to deal with the treaties."

"We might want to split into two groups." Cobian laid down a map of all of Ferelden. "We have three treaties. The dwarves of Orzammar, but it compels their King. So hopefully the King is feeling friendly towards us."

"Well, we have a warrior of Orzammar," Faren said hopefully. "So that might help. Right, Narascha?"

"No, I'm afraid I parted on bad terms in Orzammar," Narascha said softly. If her father saw her...

No, she couldn't go back.

"Ah, sorry to hear?" Faren offered, hesitantly.

"I parted on excellent terms." Torph grinned sharply, laughing. "Those snobs must have been pissing themselves when I became a Grey Warden!"

Narascha couldn't help but smile at the thought.

Lawrien frowned. "Wouldn't it be easier to stick together, Cobian?"

"Ah, no. We Grey Wardens all have bounties on us, and a large group like ours will attract attention. It will make it easier for us to be ambushed and captured. Dead or alive, depending on the condition of course," Cobian explained.

Faren shifted at that. "So I take it these bounties are going to cause a bit of hassle?"

Narascha grimaced. "Sadly. We've already been attacked."

"Unfortunately they will hinder our progress," Ciara grumbled, crossing her arms and glaring at the map like it offended her.

"So Denerim is the capital," Narascha mused, pointing up north where the city was. "Loghain will be there with the Queen. Orzammar is the opposite way and the Circle is at Lake Calenhad. The most struggle will be where the Dalish are."

"My clan has moved on by now, but I can take us to one that might be residing in the Brecilian forest," Epona offered.

"We cannot risk splitting our group too much," Cobian mused. "Especially since we're being hunted. We could be picked off, one by one. No, two groups at most, Epona's for the Dalish treaty. Yes, would make sense."

"And I believe the easiest place to go would be the Circle for now," Ciara said.

"But Arl Eamon is also sick," Alistair protested.

Cobian grimaced. "That is true. The Circle is unlikely to move anytime soon, but Eamon's situation sounds bad. He would be our strongest ally in uniting all of Ferelden. The armies are for the darkspawn, so we must use Arl Eamon to win over all of Ferelden."

"Not you?" Narascha frowned.

"No, I was the youngest Cousland, and also a bit insane, from what some people think, considering the way I ramble at times. Ah, speaking of which, best I not go to Redcliffe."

"Why not?" Epona startled. "A Dalish camp wouldn't be any better for you."

"Mother punched Lady Isolde and broke her nose at court. Lady Isolde was humiliated, and the resulting argument between Arl Eamon and Cailan was really bad..."

Faren choked on his water, coughing and spluttering. Narascha roughly patted his back, helping clear his throat.

Alistair cried. "Why would she do that?"

Cobian smiled sheepishly. "She was insulted when Lady Isolde suggested I be taken in by the Templars and checked if I was possessed by a demon."

"Fair enough." Epona nodded. "Any good mother would do the same. Alright, noble, let us see if you can survive in a Dalish camp."

"Can I take notes?" Cobian asked hopefully.

"I don't mind. Your notes are always factual, so I trust they will remain so." Epona crossed her arms. "Because I swear if you try write about how we sacrifice babies and eat people, I will stab you."

Cobian smiled. "Good thing I like writing facts."

"Alright, then Epona's group will meet with the others at Redcliffe and we shall sail over Lake Calenhad by boat to get to the Circle of Magi," Ciara said. "Now, who shall go where?"

"I'd like to go to Redcliffe," Alistair said, then turned to Ciara, rubbing the back of his head. "Would you like to come with me, Ciara?"

She smiled. "I'd like that."

Lawrien wrinkled her nose. "That lady sounds horrible. She upsets Cobian and Alistair. I'll go with Epona, as long as you want me to, of course."

Epona nodded. "That is acceptable."

Alistair rubbed the back of his sheepishly. "Lady Isolde really isn't that bad."

Lawrien scowled. "I'm already close to bashing her face with my staff. So don't lie to me."

Alistair winced. "Yes, ma'am."

Ciara chuckled. "You have him well trained, Lawrien." She ignored Alistair's splutter. "Now, it seems like Epona will lead one group, and Alistair the other?"

"Eh?" Alistair froze. "Lead? Me? Why not you?"

Ciara patted his hand. "We can lead together if you wish to compromise."

Lawrien grinned. "Sounds like a good deal."

"That doesn't answer my question." Alistair shook his head. "But I'll take it."

"It makes sense," Narascha said. "You're the only one who will know this Arl Eamon, well, except for Cobian, but he's going with Epona. Also his mother punched the Arl's wife."

"It was a good punch," Cobian said cheerfully.

.::.

"Faren, perhaps you would like to come see how the Dalish live?" Epona asked.

Faren paused. He didn't actually know much about the Dalish, so maybe it would be interesting to learn more. Although he was a city elf, so maybe they wouldn't like him very much and want him to leave? Eh, if they did that he and Cobian could just go camp somewhere until Epona dealt with their treaty.

Faren smiled. "Yeah, actually that sounds pretty good. I don't really know anything about them."

"We can learn together." Cobian beamed.

"I'll trust you to take all the notes," Faren laughed.

"Where should everyone else go then?" Ciara asked.

"I'm not looking forward to walking through a forest," Narascha admitted. "I'll take the castle."

"Same," Torph yawned.

"Morrigan should go to the Dalish, better than trying to keep her magic hidden from Lady Isolde," Cobian began. "Sten the opposite, he definitely should go to the castle. Qunari don't treat their mages well and I fear he'll do damage if he sees a Dalish mage."

"I'd like to see him try hurt our Keeper or our First." Epona crossed her arms.

"He'll be murdered by the Dalish and eaten!" Lawrien grinned.

"We don't eat people."

"That's what someone who eats people would say."

"So that leaves Leliana." Ciara frowned.

"I would love to see the Dalish!"

Almost everyone jumped. Faren managed to hear her coming back, and probably Epona and Ciara did too, because none of them jumped. Everybody else though? Yes. Torph, who had been dozing, yelped, while Lawrien jumped, nearly whacking Cobian.

"Fucking hell! When did you get here?" Torph hissed.

"You fools have been completely absorbed in your planning," Morrigan said as she handed out a few bowls, Leliana doing the same. "Your beast went to help Sten guard the camp."

"Thank you, Morrigan." Ciara nodded, smile as usual in place.

"Tis no problem." Morrigan's eyes narrowed. "Though thank you for taking the decision of where I go from me."

"If you want to go with Alistair-" Cobian offered.

"I'd prefer to travel with you." Morrigan sat down next to him. "You're far more reasonable."

Faren shared a look with Torph who mimed gagging before starting on the stew.

"So we've got everything sorted. Good." Narascha nodded. "You're group can catch up to us in Redcliffe, and hopefully by the time you get there, Arl Eamon will have recovered from whatever sickness he has gotten."

"Time heals all wounds." Leliana smiled.

Yeah, sure. Faren didn't believe a word of that, but he hoped it was true.