For the first couple of days alone, Cat didn't do anything out of the ordinary. She spent most of her time with Olivia, not only on the tonics they were making, but getting Olivia out of Darktown for a few hours each day. There was never a shortage of people that needed help, however Cat reminded her that she needed time for herself.
Cat finally convinced her when she spoke of cleaning out Fenris' mansion, removing all the broken items, and making it a bit more liveable. As they went from room to room, deciding what to leave in place and what needed to go, they found some pieces they decided to take to the clinic, including a couple of beds.
They visited Lirene's store that evening and found several men they paid to help move the furniture, and Olivia's eyes were shining at the opportunity of rearranging the clinic space, and getting an actual bed instead of a cot.
The following morning, Cat made her way to the Keep, hoping to see Aveline, and perhaps join in the guard's daily workouts. Though it was an unusual request, Aveline agreed to it as long as she stayed to spar with the guards afterwards.
As Cat left the Keep that morning, tired but invigorated, she heard her name, and turned to see Sebastian coming towards her. She gave him a smile, and a little wave, and stopped to speak for a few minutes, finding out he was meeting with the viscount, and sharing that she was working out with the guards, before going on her way.
The next morning, as she left the Keep, she ran into Sebastian again, which gave her pause. "Oh, good morning, Cat," he greeted her. "Fancy meeting you here."
She gave him a questioning look, but he barreled on, requesting that she join him as he had to assist the chantry with some task or another. She agreed, though she didn't feel that he needed her assistance, figuring he was probably trying to get out of the chantry more.
However, morning after morning, Sebastian was waiting for her, some new reason that he needed her assistance, and finally she stopped him before he could ask, and demanded what it was he wanted from her.
He looked away, then back to her, smile gone. "A friend," he answered softly.
"All right," she answered. "I have some things I need to do this morning, so how about we meet at three bells? I could use some more time spent with my crossbow."
His face lit like she had given him a great gift, and he told her of a place to practice near the chantry. She agreed to meet him there at three, and he took his leave, looking happy. She shook her head, seeing him practically skip away, and headed to Fenris' house to meet Olivia.
Cat and Olivia spent a few hours each morning, trying to make the mansion a little more liveable, and a little less… run down. She wasn't sure that Fenris would even appreciate it, but since she spent time here several days a week, she wanted it to be more welcoming. Most of the rooms were left unchanged, they simply covered the furniture and removed the broken items. However, the kitchen and the front room she felt were necessary to fix up.
After Olivia had left, Cat went home to change, and grabbed her crossbow and quiver, and headed back to Hightown. Meeting with Sebastian, she followed him to the back gardens of the chantry, where he had his own practice range set up, with several targets placed strategically at different heights and angles.
It seemed to be just what they needed, and were finally able to build a budding friendship over archery, learning about how they each were taught, and sharing techniques with the other. Sebastian's aim was much better than Cat's, however she was more skilled in hitting smaller, moving targets.
She was glad at how easy it was to talk with him now, and was more at ease with his company. So when he suggested they practice together daily, and perhaps even go for a hunt, she agreed.
Somehow, after only two weeks, she found herself with a routine. Everyday, she would start out at the Keep, working with the guards, followed by spending time with Olivia or Cullen- rotating to see each of them every other day. Then she would have lunch, followed by practice with Sebastian. In the evenings, she would use her time to practice her reading and writing skills, determined to improve as she had told Fenris she would.
The days went by quickly, but the nights were long. She would find herself sitting alone, and wondering where her friends were, how they were doing. She was still glad she hadn't gone, the Deep Roads seemed to scare her more than they probably should. But… she missed them, every last one of them. Olivia was fun, and loved to laugh, but she wasn't Isabela. Sebastian and Cullen were great… and treated her so well… but they weren't Fenris and Anders. Even though she was busy everyday… she couldn't stop herself from feeling alone.
"My lady, I can't help but feel like you aren't truly here with me," Cullen said, startling Cat out of her thoughts.
"Cullen, seriously!" Cat snapped. "I am NOT a lady!"
He was taken aback by her sudden temper, and immediately apologized, which in turn had her feeling like a heel.
"No," she said, rubbing her forehead. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I haven't been sleeping very well I guess." She sighed as she looked around at the scenery of the coast. "But," she went on. "I really wish you would just call me by my name."
"I don't mean to offend," Cullen said quietly.
"I know…" she answered. "But it makes me feel as if you are keeping a wall between us. If that is what you want, then fine, call me lady."
"Well… no… I …. I mean…" Cullen faltered, and Cat started laughing.
"Maker, you remind me so much of Alistair," she said, and Cullen looked over in interest.
"The Grey Warden? Who was once a templar recruit?"
"The same," she answered. "When I first met him, he tried to call me lady too, but he let it go much sooner than you have. Do they teach all of you manners in your templar classes?" she asked, teasing.
"You would be surprised," he answered, looking out at the ocean as well, his hands clasped behind his back. "I would say they are drummed into us when we are lads, just joining the recruits. Now, it is more ingrained," he added.
"I'm going to be honest with you, Cullen," Cat said, somewhat in warning, and had Cullen glancing over in question, though she was still looking out at the water.
"I always appreciate honesty," he answered.
"I feel as if you do not see me as a friend," she said quickly, wanting to get it out before she changed her mind. "instead you see me as Andraste or someone that is completely out of reach." She turned to face him now, wanting him to understand. "I can't be that, not even for you. I don't want to be admired, I want to have a friend. Someone who will tell me when I am being foolish, or even do foolish things with me and laugh about it. Someone who will tell me what I need to hear, even if I don't want to."
He opened his mouth, and closed it again, unsure of how to respond.
"For example," she offered. "You do not seem like the same templar I first met. I know that you have been through something awful, and that can change your perspective, especially concerning mages."
"In that, you are correct," he replied, still looking out to sea. "Meredith is not an easy taskmaster, but ours is not an easy task." He glanced at her then, with a wry smile, "I would not have liked her, as I was when I met you. I thought mages deserved a softer touch."
His face tightened as he remembered, "I was held in that cage for what… weeks? Months? I can't say. But I would gladly give my life to avoid seeing again what I saw." He turned to face her now, face grim. "Meredith is never fooled by a sweet face. She always sees the demon behind it, and I have come to understand why."
"I can see that," she replied. "but Cullen, it's like you went from one extreme to the other! Isn't there more of a middle ground?"
Cullen was silent for some time, and Cat gave him the time he needed. "I don't know anymore," he said quietly.
"Olivia?" Cat called out the next day as she entered the clinic. She heard some rustling, and suddenly Olivia came out of her room, breathless. "You okay?" she asked with a smirk.
"Oh, Cat, you're alone, thank goodness…" Olivia sighed.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Cat asked, perplexed.
"You wouldn't, I just…" Olivia stepped closer, and lowered her voice. "You know what Anders is involved in, right?"
"Yes," Cat answered slowly, though she wasn't sure what Olivia was talking about, she figured she knew about whatever it was.
"I thought so," Olivia answered. "Well, I have trying to join too, but he wouldn't let me, told me it was too dangerous, but I don't care anymore! I want to help others get free, just like you all helped me!" She spoke resolutely, though still kept her voice down.
Now Cat understood, Olivia wanted to be a part of the mage underground. She smiled at her friend, "Did Anders give any other reasons not to join?" she asked.
"No, and that's why I went ahead anyway," she answered. "If he had had a good reason, I might have considered it, but danger? That's nothing. We face danger everyday, just because of who we are."
"That's true," Cat agreed.
"So… uh… what do you think? Is he going to be mad at me?" she asked.
"I think it's up to you," Cat replied, and Olivia let out a sigh of relief. "But… I would tell him once he gets back, don't let him find out from someone else."
"That's a good idea," Olivia mused. "Anyway, that's why I was so out of breath. I just barely made it back, and I had to hide the books I brought."
"Huh?" Cat asked, confused. "Back from where?"
"The gallows, of course." Olivia replied. "There's a secret entrance here through Darktown, and it's how the underground has been sneaking mages to freedom. Of course, the templars have noticed that too many are going missing, so we've had to stop temporarily, so now we're smuggling out books- spell books and books of theory, anything the templars would ban us from."
"Wow, that's pretty cool," Cat replied.
"Yeah, the grand enchanter has connections, so there is a place in Hightown we've been storing everything. You wouldn't believe the things that are there! Plus we're hiding everything right under their noses!" Olivia giggled, and Cat gave her a smile.
"Like what?" Cat asked.
"Well, I haven't looked through it all, but there are letters, and journals, and books about everything! Spirit healing is the one I brought back, but there were even some on blood magic, necromancy, you name it."
"Whoa, that could mean big trouble if the templars found it."
"No kidding," Olivia replied.
"It's been over two weeks! You'd think we'd have found something by now, even if it was some darkspawn."
"Don't say that," Anders looked up at Carver to glare at him. "You have no idea what they are like."
"I've fought darkspawn, they aren't too terrible," Carver replied dismissively.
"Sure, just like rats," Anders agreed. "One or two is no big deal. But what happens when you are suddenly surrounded by fifty?"
Carver glanced around, not wanting to show his unease at the thought,remembering their near escape from Lothering. "All I'm saying, is that I thought this would be more exciting."
"I'm sure you aren't the only one, brother," Hawke said from his seat on the ground. "Isabela's about ready to tear her hair out."
"Any tearing will be to you, not me," Isabela replied without opening her eyes. "But you're right, we haven't found any of the things you promised. Fights… valuables… I'm feeling let down."
"Come on Rivaini, we'll find something," Varric teased. "Bartrand won't let us leave until we do."
"I wonder what Cat's up to?" Anders asked aloud. "She's probably bored without all of us."
"Kitty?" Isabela scoffed. "She knows how to make her own excitement."
"And what does that mean?" Anders asked.
"Exactly what you would think," she replied. "Even aboard the ship, she was never one to stay idle. She would always find something to keep her busy." Isabela smirked at Anders. "Hopefully she'll take my advice, and let the Knight Captain help her stay busy."
Anders and Fenris both rolled their eyes at her, and Isabela contemplated agitating them by pointing it out, but decided it wasn't worth moving, and she'd save it for another time.
Bartrand's scouts returned then, and Varric and Hawke stood and went over to hear their report. The group waited, seeing Bartrand punch his scout in the face and screaming at him. A few smirked at each other, feeling sorry for his people, and feeling a little better about their own situation.
Hawke walked back to them, letting them know that they were heading out ahead of the group to scout out the side passages, in the hopes of finding a different path, since there had been cave ins. "The scouts informed us these side passages are too dangerous, so it looks like you'll get the excitement you were looking for," Hawke told Carver.
"Finally," Isabela said as she stood.
"Feel free to leave packs or anything else behind, since we'll be coming back," Hawke said.
"That is unwise," Fenris said, and Hawke looked at him in surprise, as Fenris hardly ever spoke against him. "If another cave in were to happen, we could be stranded without supplies," Fenris added, and after thinking on it, Hawke nodded.
"Very well, up to you then," he said, letting each of them choose what they would prefer. He was hardly surprised when everyone except Isabela shouldered their packs. They looked at her, and she asked, "What?"
Before anyone could reply, Bodahn came forward, upset. "I'm sorry to add to your burden my friends, but I'm afraid I must! My boy, Sandal, wandered off and is somewhere in those passages right now! I beg you, keep an eye out for him!" Bodahn's face fell. "He just… doesn't understand danger like he should!"
"One boy alone? Out there?" Hawke asked, trying to be kind, but saying what they were all thinking.
"My boy is sturdier than you'd think. If he has one of his enchantments with him, he'll survive. After all, he's burnt the house down twice already! I'm more worried about him getting lost! Oh, my poor boy!"
"We'll bring him back," Hawke said with a smile. "In at least one piece."
Bodahn didn't see the humor, and just shook his head as he walked away. "Oh, Sandal! Why do you do this?" he muttered.
"Let's get a move on then," Varric said, and Hawke led the way into a hastily made side passage.
They hadn't gone very far, when their tunnel of rock met with another passage. There was rubble all around, yet it was apparent to all that this tunnel was different. The walls looked smooth, and polished, with a light coming from the bottom. Every twenty feet there was a pillar, looking like stacked blocks though they were carved directly into the wall.
"Hard to believe this was once all solid rock," Merrill stated, as they walked slowly, looking around.
"It's definitely warmer here," Carver mentioned.
"It's the lava," Anders answered, pointing at the base of the walls. The others moved over to look, seeing channels dug into the sides of the road where lava flowed, giving heat and light to the tunnel.
"The darkspawn are a much bigger threat than I realized, since the dwarves gave up this place," Varric said. Hawke followed a source of light down the left fork in the passage, and they soon found themselves at a dead end, on a cliff above a lake of lava. They stepped back, and retraced their steps, taking the right fork instead, which was another hastily made tunnel, not nearly as fine, and without the light or heat form the lava.
"Looks like the dwarves were adding this tunnel," Hawke said, taking in the discarded equipment, scaffolding, and and carving machines left in disarray. As he turned the corner, he could see a few random fires burning, and headed forward, before being stopped by Anders.
"Darkspawn. Nearby." Anders spoke softly, and Hawke merely nodded. The group went forward as silently as they were able, pulling out weapons, and preparing for a fight. Hawke turned the corner, and headed down the stairs, seeing a group of darkspawn in the room, though he couldn't see what they were doing.
Before he could give instructions, a hurlock spotted them, and gave a cry, and the entire group turned as one. They charged forward, and Hawke stepped back, letting the melee fighters take point, while he readied a spell. The hurlocks were no challenge, but several of them let out screeches before they fell.
"Do you think they called for reinforcements?" Varric asked Hawke.
"If so, we'd better handle them fast before the call is passed on."
The group moved forward more quickly, crossing a small bridge and finding another group of hurlocks in front of a stone door. The dispatched the darkspawn, and Anders insisted on taking time to check for injuries, as even a scratch could be fatal if any darkspawn blood were to get in it.
As Anders cleared them, the others looked around the area, not finding much, though Carver did discover a large two handed hammer. He placed his sword back in it's sheath on his back, and hefted the new weapon, giving several practice swings.
Once Anders was done, Hawke led the group forward, opening the door, and stepping across the threshold.
"Evil is watching from the darkness…" Merrill said out of nowhere, and the group all paused, looking back at her. "What?" she asked, confused. "It is."
Hawke shook his head, no where to go but forward after all, but he was much more cautious. Not ten steps in, more hurlocks came forward to engage them, and the group once again fell into battle formation. "Emissary!" Anders shouted, and Hawke whirled, seeing a horrific darkspawn, in what looked like old mage robes with a barrier around it, flinging spells at them. It didn't even pause as its spells would kill its own kind, and Hawke's lip curled in disgust.
He made quick work of it, flinging a large fireball directly at its chest, but was feeling somewhat drained, and waited in the now empty corridor for his mana to replenish. He watched as Varric and Isabela walked down another flight of stairs, seeing the old chest they were making their way towards.
"Wait!" Merrill yelled suddenly, and giant spiders began dropping from the ceiling. Hawke started running towards the stairs with the others, seeing far more than they could handle on their own.
Something else came down from above, and blocked the way forward, though it took Hawke a moment to realize that it was also a spider, though the biggest creature he had ever seen. It was easily as tall as an ogre, and twice as wide, and Hawke felt his jaw drop just looking at it. He heard the screams of his people, and jumped into action once more.
"THAT'S THE BIGGEST SPIDER I'VE EVER SEEN!" Anders yelled.
"IT'S MONSTROUS!" Varric yelled back from the other side of the beast.
"AAAHH!" Merrill screamed, as she went tumbling from a hit from one of it's legs.
Fenris somehow made his way on top of the creature, and slammed his greatsword down into its body, causing the spider to screech in pain, and thrash. Fenris held onto his sword, obviously creating more damage to the spider, as it continued to scream and buck.
Hawke threw magic as if he had an unlimited supply, bolt after bolt of electricity, knowing it was their weakness, as well as some well placed stone fists, hoping to break its legs. It seemed like forever, but finally the spider fell, its legs curling up into its body.
Fenris picked himself off the ground where he was flung, and moved to the spider, trying to roll it over from it's back so that he could retrieve his sword. He didn't ask for help, but Merrill finally took pity on him, and using one of her nature spells, helped turn the spider enough so that Fenris pulled out his sword. He took it in hand and stalked over to the spider's head, chopping it off in one massive swing.
"Was that necessary?" Varric asked. "I'm fairly certain it was dead."
"And now you are absolutely certain," Fenris replied, walking to the stairs and sitting.
They all by unspoken agreement decided to rest after this last fight, waiting for Hawke to push them onward. He didn't mind, he needed to replenish his mana if he would be of any help in the fights to come.
"I will not be sorry to see daylight again," Varric said.
"How does anyone live here in the dark?" Merrill asked him. "Don't they bump into things?"
Isabela laughed, as Varric tried to explain, and the others smirked at his discomfort in coming up with a plausible explanation that suited her.
"And everyone told me I was being a baby about the Deep Roads," Anders said with a superior look.
"Well yeah," Isabela said. "It's not nearly as bad as you said," she replied, and everyone agreed with her, causing Anders to splutter and pout.
"We're teasing," Hawke said, clapping his shoulder. "Let's keep going everyone."
They continued without incident, finding a few deep mushrooms, and even a deposit of raw lyrium, giving the mages a boost, just by being near it. There were a few doors, but each one was impossible to budge, and it was assumed that there were cave ins, and the group continued on.
"Well, I'll be a nug's uncle…" Varric said, as he stopped at the top of a flight of stairs. "Isn't that Bodahn's boy?"
"It is! The great warrior stands victorious!" Carver said with a laugh.
"I don't see a weapon," Isabela said, looking at the dead darkspawn around him. "Did he stun them with his wit?"
Hawke glanced over, noticing the boy had his back to them, as if he hadn't heard them approach, and was giving his backside a good scratch. He chuckled and headed down the stairs. The boy turned, being covered in blood, and said, "'Ello."
"How did you kill all of them?" Hawke asked him, and Sandal handed him a rune that was cold to the touch.
"Boom."
Hawke glanced over at the ogre, unsure if it was frozen, crystallized, or stone, but whatever it was, he wanted to know, "And how did you do that?" he gestured.
"Not enchantment," Sandal said with a grin, and he walked back the way they came.
"Smart boy," Varric said quietly.
"Let's go," Hawke said, and led out. Eventually, the passage led back to the ornate type of halls they had passed through before, but this time, they were even more ornate. "Are those… golems?" Hawke asked Varric.
"Too big," Varric said. "Must be statues depicting the paragons."
Hawke continued forward, and Anders said, "darkspawn!" hastily. Hawke pulled out his staff, and readied his lightning, turning the corner, and letting it loose. The hurlocks were stunned, as the lightning coursed through them, jumping back and forth in arc from one to the other, and both fell down at Hawke's feet.
"Two more for me," he said, smirking. "We're keeping score, right?"
Carver gave a disgusted noise, and pushed ahead, heading for the door.
"It's not over!" Anders called, as Carver pushed open the door and walked in. Fenris barreled forward, tackling Carver out of the way as an ogre charged past, and ran directly into the wall. It was stunned, but more than that, it looked as if its horns were stuck in the wall.
Hawke took advantage, as did the others, pelting its back with spells, arrows and cuts from weapons. By the time Carver and Fenris stood, the ogre was dead.
"I was fine," Carver grumbled, and Fenris' eyebrow winged up.
"You are welcome," he replied, and headed off toward the next door. Varric and Isabela both shouted at everyone to freeze, and it showed how much they trusted each other in battle, that each of them stopped without another step.
Isabela and Varric walked slowly in between them, disarming several claw traps, and Hawke gave them a grin, and said, "Good work you two."
Hawke took the lead again, and headed through the door after looking to Anders, who nodded. They were once again in an ornate tunnel, yet this time, it was a wreck. Rubble was everywhere, as well as bones, though it was hard to tell what they were from.
Hawke led down the tunnel, seeing in the distance that it opened into a wide room. He glanced back at Anders again.
"I don't sense anything…" he said, and Hawke nodded, and continued on. The group entered the room, seeing the statues of the paragons again, though twice the size as before, reaching up to the ceiling.
"Scatter!" Hawke yelled, and their quick reactions saved them again. The dragon landed in the midst of the group, and roared loudly. It looked around, choosing its target, before heading straight for Isabela.
She threw down a smoke bomb, disappearing into stealth and moving away. The dragon then turned to the nearest person, Merrill, and headed for her.
Carver and Fenris began yelling, distracting the dragon, and drawing it away from the mage, who backed away at an even pace in order to not draw its attention again. The mages began pummeling the dragon's wings with cold spells, and Hawke was annoyed again that even together, his and Merrill's spells were weaker than Anders' were.
He told himself to work on his cold spells again, and then focused back on the fight. He let out a cry as something attacked his flank, and he turned to see several dragonlings surrounding them from behind.
"Dragonlings!" he called out, limping away and dodging the jaws of the creatures trying to bite him again. Isabela and Varric appeared out of nowhere, helping to quickly down the little beasts, and as a group they turned back to the adult.
The dragon didn't last long after that, as the group systematically broke through its defenses, and killed it, with Fenris cutting through its neck.
"What's with you chopping heads off today?" Varric asked.
"Why? Would you like to be next?" Fenris replied.
"Sorry I asked," Varric muttered, and headed far away from Fenris. He headed towards the tunnel opening, and brightened. "Hawke!" he called. "This leads where we want it to. Let's get back and tell Bartrand."
"Need a minute here, Varric," Hawke replied, as Anders worked to clean the bite to the back of his thigh.
"Thankfully, he wasn't able to get a good grip, but you are missing a piece of yourself," Anders said with a gentle smile. "This will probably take some time."
"Varric, take Carver, Fenris and Merrill and head back, and lead the others here. I should be ready to go by then."
"Okay Hawke," Varric said, hefting Bianca. "Let's go Broody, Junior, Daisy. The quicker we find the loot, the sooner we can leave."
"I hate the bloody Deep Roads," Anders muttered as he worked. "This is why I left the Wardens."
"I heard that, you baby," Isabela said, and Anders turned to glare at her.
"Sometimes I want to freeze you solid, if only to shut you up," he groused, only half serious.
"Doesn't everyone?" Isabela laughed. "But you won't."
"Oh? What's stopping me? Hawke?"
She smirked at him, as she played her trump card. "Kitty, of course."
"Oh, right," he answered, pouting again.