Cat looked around the market, "Sebastian? Should we get something to eat for later?" she asked her companion.

"The animals will be able to smell the food on us Cat," he replied. "Some fruit perhaps, nothing cooked."

Cat smiled and headed toward the nearest food stall. Perusing her choices, she settled on a small sack of berries, the vendor letting her sample one before she purchased. They were sweet and slightly tart, reminding her of raspberries back home.

"I've never seen a woman with an appetite such as yours," Sebastian commented. Cat turned to face him, a frown on her face.

"And… no berries for you," she said, trying not to be offended. She knew that he was merely commenting on the difference between her and the noble ladies he was used to. However, she was far more active than that, and was constantly hungry, and didn't feel bad about it.

Sebastian gave her a pout. "I didn't mean it as a slight on you," he said. "Merely an observation."

"Well, think these things through before they escape your mouth," she replied, buying another sack of berries from the vendor anyway. "Is that the kind of thing you would say to one of your previous conquests?"

Sebastian flushed, as Cat knew he would whenever she brought up his lifestyle before he joined the chantry. She appreciated his lack of regret, saying that it had been a rebellious time in his life, and helped him now to relate to others in the chantry. And yet, he would continue to blush whenever she brought it up.

She chuckled as she grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the weapon stands. "I'm only teasing you," she said, and he laughed along with her.

"Just wait," he warned. "I'll get you back for that."

"Oh yeah?" she asked with a smirk. "How do you expect to do that?"

She stopped in front of a stall that had arrows and bolts displayed, and seeing some top quality arrows, she turned to point them out to Sebastian. Before she could say anything, she felt something hit her, knocking the breath from her lungs and taking her to the ground.

Sebastian whirled around at the commotion, shocked to see a huge dog on top of Cat. From his view, it looked like it was tearing into her, and he quickly pulled out his knife, moving in to save her. And then he heard her laughing, which stopped him in his tracks.

"Hafter! Get off me!" She yelled, though she continued to laugh uproariously. Sebastian moved around the pair, and caught a glimpse of her face, grimacing as he noticed that she was being licked and had dog saliva everywhere.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry!" A woman cried as she ran up. Sebastian held up a hand to stop her, giving a smile.

"It's quite all right, it seems they know each other," he said, as Cat was finally able to push Hafter's face away from her own. That didn't keep the dog off of her however, and she had to hold onto his neck to keep him down.

"Blech," Cat said, wiping her face on her sleeve. "I think it went in my mouth," she said with a grimace, looking down at Hafter. Sebastian stifled a laugh as the dog looked suitably chastised, giving Cat a whimper.

"Oh, I can't stay mad at you, and you know it," she said, rubbing his head as he practically sat in her lap. "Are you here alone?" she asked, looking up and around, finally noticing Sebastian and the woman beside him. "Lady Hawke, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there," she said, trying to move the dog enough so that she could stand up, which Sebastian thought an impossible task.

Sebastian turned to the woman, "Lady Hawke is it? I'm Sebastian, and it seems you know Cat already?" he asked her. He smiled as she brought her own hand up to cover her mouth, trying not to laugh at Cat's attempts to move around the dog.

"It seems it is not only my children that have a hard time getting around Hafter," she said. "Hafter! Come here!" she said a little more forcefully, and the dog obeyed, though it looked sad to do so. She turned to Sebastian then, her hand outstretched. "Yes, I'm Leandra Hawke. It's a pleasure to meet you Sebastian. And to see you again as well Cat," she said with a beaming smile.

"Whoa," Cat said as she picked up a few of her fallen items, looking slightly unsteady on her feet. "Thank you for that. I knew Hafter and I were friendly, but he's never given me that reception before."

"That's my fault," Leandra explained. "With Garrett and Carver gone, Hafter hasn't gotten out much. This is his first trip out in weeks."

"Oh," Cat said, feeling sorry for him. "I wish I had thought of it sooner, I could have come and taken him out for you," she said with another scratch for his head. "What brings you out today?" she asked.

"I thought I'd fix a nice dinner for Gamlen and myself," Leandra answered. "I thought to wait to celebrate until the boys are back, but with First Day almost here, it seems as good a reason as any."

Cat could see the sorrow and worry in her eyes, and wanted to help reassure her somehow. "It's hard to believe it's already been three months. It feels like it was just Harvestmere yesterday. They'll be back very soon, I'm sure of it."

"Maker, I hope so," she replied. She gave a polite smile and asked, "So what are you and your man up to today?"

"Oh, uh, Sebastian is just a friend," Cat said quickly, seeing Leandra brighten. "We've been practicing our archery, so we thought we'd try our hand at a hunt today."

"Yes," Sebastian added. "Cat is fantastic with her crossbow, so I am sure we'll bring home excellent game." He leaned forward to pet Hafter, and then quickly leaned back when he heard the low growl.

"That sounds nice," Leandra said. "I'll let you go then. Anytime you want to come get Hafter, please do," she said to Cat, taking her hand and patting it. "I'm sure he would love to get out more."

"I'd like that," Cat answered. I'll come for him in the morning," she said, and received a loud bark from Hafter in response, causing the two of them to chuckle.

"Seems he is looking forward to it," Leandra said. "Farewell, until tomorrow!"

"Goodbye!" Cat called, and waved as the two of them left. She turned to Sebastian, "Let's get what we need, and get going," she said.

"Cat! You're hurt! What did that dog do?!" he exclaimed, turning her to peer at her hip. She looked down in confusion, and groaned.

"My berries!" she complained, holding up the smashed sacks that had been tied to her waist.

Cat walked at an unhurried pace toward the gallows. She was giving Hafter plenty of time to explore as they made their way from the Keep. She smiled as she remembered the look on the guards faces when she showed up this morning with a mabari.

"We're unbeatable!" she crowed, as Hafter came back to her side. "Aren't we boy?" she asked, giving his head a pat as he barked in agreement. "Those guards didn't know what hit them," she added with a chuckle. "I wonder what the templars will make of you," she said.

Hafter let out a small growl and then a whimper, and Cat glanced at him in question. "Oh, I suppose you're not used to being around templars on purpose, are you boy?" she asked. "Well, we're really only coming to see Cullen, not the other ones."

She laughed as Hafter made a noise that sounded disgusted. "Oh, he's not so bad," she said. "He really needs friends though, and besides, he's Ferelden, so he loves dogs."

She glanced down, seeing Hafter rolling his eyes at her. "You know," she said, "you're smarter than most guys back home, or here for that matter." He tilted his head in question, and she felt like laughing again. "Yeah, of all the guys I know, you're the smartest," she said, giving him another scratch.

She laughed as he started strutting, laughing hard enough that she had tears in her eyes. She finally stopped, so that she could get control of herself, and said, "Thanks buddy, I needed that."

They finished their walk into the Gallows courtyard, seeing Cullen talking to a group of templars. She stopped, and said, "let's wait here," which had Hafter stopping as well. "That's him, the blond one in charge," she said quietly. "Remember, we're being nice, right? Not like with Sebastian?" she said with a look at him, and emphasized, "right?" when he bared his teeth.

"This should be interesting," she said quietly.

Cat hesitated in front of the door, as she could hear the wailing from outside. Hafter was agitated, but she didn't feel right just opening the door, so she knocked. If no one answered, she could always open it after.

The door opened, and Cat was face to face with Gamlen. He looked as surly as always, but there was something else, like grief on his face. Hafter ran in, pushing the man aside, and Cat could see Leandra curled on the floor weeping, with Hawke trying to comfort her.

She thought, oh no, and Hawke's eyes met hers. She was sure her face looked stricken as well, and she wished she could do something. He looks so… defeated... Then the door closed in her face.

Hawke… Hawke was here, and Carver wasn't… she thought. I've got to talk to Anders.

She turned, and started running, not hearing the door opening behind her, or her name being called.

"It looks like he will survive."

"Don't sound so thrilled Nathaniel."

"It's not that I wanted him to die, but I really didn't want Anders to be right."

"Maybe he'll be a horrible Warden and you can kill him later," Alistair said in a sarcastic voice.

"Maybe I will," Nathaniel responded, walking away, with Alistair staring after him.

"I will never understand him," Alistair muttered as the boy started to wake up. "Welcome to the land of the living," he greeted. "Well, tainted living, full of fighting and loss… but hey, it's better than being dead, am I right?"

Carver blinked a few times, wondering how there could possibly be another man in the world like his brother, and if he would have to be around him much.

"Did I hear something about killing me later?" Carver asked.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't take it seriously," Alistair said dismissively. "That's just Nathaniel's way of making friends."

"Right…" Carver replied, as he hauled himself up. "So… now what?"

"Now? We head to the fire and hope there is some food left."

Over the next few weeks, Carver didn't speak much. He enjoyed being with a group of warriors, even if there were mages too, where there were no outlandish expectations. Just killing darkspawn, which he was more than happy to do. He wasn't sure where he fit in yet with this group, so he simply observed, hoping to find his place eventually.

Just as Alistair had said, he was glad to still be alive, even as he discovered that his life was now shorter than he had thought. It could have ended that day in the Deep Roads after all.

After days of walking, he was glad to see the ship. After days of sailing, he had never been so happy to see land. And after days more of walking, he resigned himself to the boredom. It seemed this life wasn't as glorious as the tales had said, but it was his, and that meant something… something he could be proud of.

Now he stood in front of a set of huge stone doors, waiting. He wasn't the most patient man, but felt that it was a skill that would soon be honed with his new status. The fighting was usually short, but the waiting was always long.

The door in front of him opened, and he was waved inside. He strode forward, coming up to a sitting area in front of a desk. At the desk was a dwarf, with short hair and a very long beard that was braided and twisted into a complicated pattern. In front of him, seated, were Alistair and Nathaniel, and he noticed that there was not another place to sit, so he stood to the side of the desk, assuming that the aura of leadership surrounding the dwarf meant that he was in charge.

The dwarf glanced to Alistair, and he spoke. "Duran, this is our newest recruit, Carver Hawke. We picked him up in the Deep Roads near Kirkwall as we mentioned."

Duran turned to look at him, and for the first time, Carver felt like curbing his sarcastic comment.

"So Carver, what were you doing in the Deep Roads? If you were wanting to join the Wardens, there are easier ways."

Carver wasn't sure what the smirk meant, but he tamped down his annoyance. "I was part of an expedition, looking for treasure."

"Really?" Duran replied. "I didn't know there were such foolish people still in the world. The Deep Roads are no place for the ill prepared."

"We were plenty prepared," Carver shot back, only to receive the infuriating smirk again.

"Oh really?" Alistair said. "Then why are you here now?"

"Casualties are to be expected," Carver replied sullenly. "I'm sure he's telling Mother it was my own fault."

"He?"

Carver's eyes lit with anger. "Is this an interrogation then?" he asked. "I had thought I already passed my joining."

"Passionate, and loyal," Duran mused. "Both good qualities."

"Your expedition went in that specific direction due to maps that were taken from the Wardens," Nathaniel spoke up. "We'd like to know what you found."

Carver glanced between the three men. "This isn't going to get anyone in trouble?" he asked, and Duran smiled.

"The Deep Roads are not territory for wardens to protect," he said. "We are merely curious."

Carver nodded, and proceeded to tell them about their time in the Deep Roads. He explained about the thaig, and it's lack of dwarven statues, as well as the creatures they faced. The men stayed quiet, merely nodding as he told them his tale, leaving out anything of his companions and sticking only to the facts of the place.

"This is troubling," Duran said, once he finished. "It seems that Tethras may sell the location to others, and we will have more trying to locate the thaig."

"Undoubtedly," Alistair agreed with him.

"What I don't understand, is why Anders was there!" Nathaniel said angrily. "He wants nothing to do with us, and suddenly he is not only in the Deep Roads, but seeking us out to give us a recruit?!"

"It was a favor."

The three senior Wardens stopped, turning to stare at Carver.

"What?" Duran asked.

"He went to the Deep Roads as a favor," Carver said. "And he tried to save me, because of my brother."

"Your brother must have helped him immensely, for Anders to willingly go into the Deep Roads again," Duran said. "It was something I could never get him to do."

"Well, actually…" Carver hesitated. "That was Cat."

He watched as two of them exchanged looks that he couldn't decipher, and then Duran looked at him and said, "Explain."

It hadn't sounded like a request, so Carver tried his best to be vague. "It was nothing really, our friend Cat, she had a really bad feeling about the expedition, and so she pretty much begged Anders to go. Since he was a Warden, he'd be able to give us some warning about darkspawn being near."

He was more than surprised to see a smile on Duran's face. "Thank you Carver, you're dismissed. Nathaniel, will you show him to his room?" Carver was wondering what he had said that changed the atmosphere of the room, as he turned around and followed Nathaniel back out the doors.

Once the door was shut, Alistair said, "It can't be, can it?"

Duran opened his desk, and pulled out a sheet of paper, handing it over to Alistair. "Read this."

Alistair looked down first at the signature, and gave a sound of surprise before shaking his head and starting to read.

Warden Commander Duran,

I hope this finds you well. I have missed speaking with you and the others for some time now. Do you hear from them at all? Thanks to a mutual friend in the Wardens, I was able to locate where to send this, and felt it was well past time to convey my gratitude, as well as letting you know how I am faring.

This past year has been very exciting, and though I am no longer with the Wardens, I still find myself in similar situations, and must conclude that I am a beacon for such things. Those whose care I was entrusted into, have proven to be exemplary teachers, and I hope that when I see you again, you will be proud of my education.

If you agree, I would like to continue correspondence, as I plan to be here for the foreseeable future. If you are in touch with any other of our mutual friends, would you be so kind as to pass this information along? I would love to hear from everyone, as I have missed you all terribly. Don't worry, I have not been pining away, but have found new friends, some of whom I have even shared some of our stories with.

I heard of your time in Amaranthine, and tried to visit, but was unable to at the time. I have heard of your archer friend, and am excited to meet him as well.

Ancestors bless you, and may the Maker watch over the Wardens.

Cat

Alistair glanced up, meeting Duran's face. "It's really her?" he asked. "I thought we'd never see her again," he said with wonder.

"It seems she is cursed to forever be where the commotion is," he replied with a smirk.

"She wants to meet Nathaniel?" Alistair asked. "I don't think I will ever understand the knowledge she possesses."

"There are plenty of things she hints at," Duran said as he took the paper back. "I sent a short reply, as the messenger was waiting, but next time I will ask some questions, to be sure. However the way she doesn't come out and say specifics, or names of the others, makes me curious."

"Do you think there is some enemy we should be aware of?"

"Isn't there always?" Duran replied sardonically. "I don't know," he answered. "After that business with the Architect, I've been wondering what will show up next."

"That's not ominous… at all…" Alistair said glumly. Then straightening, he exclaimed, "Wait, so those people we met in the Deep Roads, were her new friends?"

Nathaniel walked back in at that moment, coming forward and sitting down. Duran handed over the note, and let him read it, his eyebrows raised as he got to the final part. "This is the girl you were telling me about before?" he asked.

"The same," he replied. "I've told him everything once I received this," Duran explained to Alistair. "If anything were to happen to me, I needed him to be able to continue communication with Cat."

"It's still hard to swallow," Nathaniel said with a grimace.

"And yet, true," Alistair responded. "Don't worry, it still doesn't make sense, even after all this time."

"Very reassuring," Nathaniel said dryly.

"It seems likely that she is now with the group you met in the Deep Roads," Duran said to them with a smile. "What can you tell me about them?"

Cat was exhausted, physically, mentally… everything. Spending the last couple of hours with Anders, had her apologizing over and over for asking him to go, but he shook it off each time, saying that Carver would be dead now if he hadn't.

He told her of the Wardens, and how afraid he had been that they would take him too. She hugged him and comforted him, finally helping Olivia get him to bed. Cat warned her that he would most likely wake up with nightmares after being in the Deep Roads for so long, and then had taken her leave.

She had headed home, hoping to see Isabela, but after a quick glance inside, turned around and headed to the Hanged Man. It was Isabela's go to bar, now that they were part of Hawke's group. As she entered, she glanced around, but didn't find her anywhere. She started up towards Varric's room and knocked on the door before wincing, hoping that she wasn't pulling him out of bed.

Her hopes were dashed as Varric answered the door in only his trousers, and Cat flushed in embarrassment. Varric just smirked, and beckoned her inside.

"Good to see your face again Little Dove," he said as he closed the door behind her. "There were a few times there that I wondered if I would."

"Yeah, I've been at Anders', so I've heard most of it. Sorry about your brother, by the way." Cat found a seat, and relaxed.

"Meh," he replied. "No one's fault but his own."

"True. Still stinks though," she said. "And about Carver too."

"Well, we're still hoping he's alive, but I guess we'll find out sooner or later. For all intents and purposes though, he's gone, which will be hard for Hawke to tell his mother."

Cat frowned, remembering the scene she saw at Hawke's home. She wished she could forget the look on his face, but knew she'd remember it for a long time.

"Well, once I heard everyone was back, I figured I'd say hello, and check on you," she said with a smile. "I didn't mean to pull you out of bed."

"No one pulls me out of bed," Varric smirked. "I just hadn't gotten in yet."

Cat smiled back, shaking her head. "Now that sound like a challenge, Varric. You know I can't resist a challenge."

"True, I should watch it, otherwise you'll be in here waking me up every morning." Cat stood, heading towards the door.

"Sleep well Varric," she said.

"It wasn't for nothing, you know."

She stopped and turned back. His face was sad, and it seemed as if he was trying to convince himself.

"Once I sell the items we brought back, we'll be rich. Don't think I forgot your investment," he said with a forced smile. "At least something positive will have come from this."

She smiled back, and said another good night, before pulling the door closed behind her.

This time, she headed home, and stayed there. Isabela would eventually come back after all. Perhaps she had simply missed her.

The knock on the door had Cat jumping out of bed ready for a fight. She peered around cautiously, before hearing the knock again, and muttering to herself about being paranoid, went to answer it. She looked over, noting that Isabela's bed was still empty, and wondered where she was.

She pulled open the door, surprised.

"Hawke?" she asked, as his eyes travelled down from her face, his eyebrow raising and a smile blooming. She looked down, remembering that she hadn't put pants on, and her sleep shirt ended at her hips. She flushed, shutting the door quickly, and leaning against it, willing her face to fade back to its normal color.

The knock sounded again on the door, and she pulled herself together. "Just a second!" she yelled, rushing over to find her lounging pants where she had dropped them by her bed, and pushing her feet into them. In her haste, she started moving before they were up, and toppled over onto the ground with a yell.

"Cat? You all right in there?" she could hear Hawke say through the door, and practically snarled at the amusement in his voice. But, she told herself, that was better than the look he had when I saw him last night.

She finally situated herself, and returned to open the door. "Yes, everything is fine," she said, the picture of calm and collected.

He smirked at her, "No need to get dressed on my account," he said, and she rolled her eyes.

"Isabela's not here, and I'm not sure where she is," she said, changing the subject quickly.

"That's not why I came, though she did say something yesterday about following up with some contacts. We were gone longer than we expected."

"Yeah," she replied, uncertain of what to say.

"I just wanted to come say, thank you."

She looked up at him, confused. "For what?" she asked.

He didn't meet her eye, and searched for what he wanted to say. "For… Carver. I assume you heard?"

She nodded, but he wasn't looking at her, so she answered - but it came out as a whisper. "Yes."

"If Anders hadn't been there… if you hadn't…" he stopped, clearing his throat. "Carver would be dead right now. I don't know where he is, and I don't know if I'll see him again, but he knows now, that I care, that we're brothers- always." He slowly looked up, into her eyes. "When those wardens took him away, all I could think of, was that I would have had to watch him die…" he closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead.

Cat looked at him in sorrow. Here he was, trying to be a good brother to a man who didn't appreciate it, coming home after a traumatic experience where he essentially lost another sibling, only to take the blame, as well as comfort those around him. But who will comfort him? she thought.

She didn't hesitate after that, just moved forward under his arms, and put hers around him moved her hands in circles over his back. "I'm so sorry Garrett," she said softly. She kept murmuring words of comfort as she moved her hands, keeping both soft and slow in an effort to stay calm. She found that she was more angry than anything- angry at the people in his life that couldn't see what he needed. He couldn't always be the strong one... who could?

She continued as she felt his arms around her, one hand at the small of her back and the other moving up into her hair and simply holding on. She could feel him tremble, but he didn't cry, he just let himself relax and let go. As their cheeks were pressed together, she could hear when his breathing calmed, and the very faint, "thank you."

Then as if she had dreamed it all, he stepped back and gave her a smirk. "Meeting at the Hanged Man in about an hour to make future plans. Perhaps you should wear pants."