This was the seventh vendor, but Hawke wasn't about to give up. Some tried to hide the swords, some had tried to charge double what they were actually worth, and some were simply glad to be rid of them.

No one actually wanted to be found with a Qunari sword by an actual Qunari after all- it was just asking to be killed.

Hawke could understand why these Qunari remained to gather the swords, once it had been explained. These weapons represented the warriors, and deserved to be buried, or whatever Qunari did for their dead, he thought.

Pockets reasonably lighter, and arms much more full, Hawke and his crew made their way back into Hightown, to give the swords they had found or purchased back to the one that had originally asked for help.

Hawke could admit that he had been somewhat leery at first being approached, but Aveline had pointed out the benefits to helping the Qunari. Varric was quick to wonder why the horned giants weren't mad about Hawke killing one of their leaders, but Hawke just shrugged it off.

Perhaps he could ask Fenris about it sometime in the future, though ever since the time Fenris had said something about mages having their lips sewn shut, Hawke hadn't brought up questions of the Qunari around him. It seemed the wiser course of action at the time.

Thinking of Fenris, Hawke's thoughts turned to his other missing crew. As he walked through the streets, he wondered how Isabela, Fenris and Zevran were doing in their quest to take down the Crows that had been targeting their newest acquaintance and Cat by association.

He really wanted them to hurry, it had been far too long already.

The months had flown by, since he had been so busy in the city. Too busy to focus on his feelings, and the anger he had once felt had simply slipped away before he had even realized it. Speaking with Varric a few times had helped also, and he had come to admit that while he didn't like being the one left behind, he couldn't blame Cat. He would have done exactly the same thing, without a qualm, to keep his friends safe- so how could he be mad at her?

Added to that… Hawke gave a little sigh as he trudged up some stairs. It usually came back to this, the feelings of regret. I should have enjoyed what I had when I had it. Now, if I ever see her again, she'll most likely be married one of the wardens, belly swollen with another man's child…

He grimaced at his own thoughts, though he couldn't seem to ever be rid of them. I am such a fool! It could have been me- but I was too focused on saving the day, too focused on my own needs!

"Hawke?"

Garret shook his head slightly, focusing on where the voice had come from, stopping in his tracks and looking over at Aveline in question.

"Uh… weren't we going to deliver these swords?" she asked in confusion.

Hawke looked around, and noted that he had walked past the Qunari and was heading toward home. Feeling embarrassed, he gave a self depreciating smile. "Sorry about that, got thinking about home, I guess."

He turned around, telling himself to get it together, and made his way to the Qunari, ready to rid himself of all the extra weapons.

Cat could hardly believe where she was. Even months ago she would have called anyone that said she would willingly go into the Deep Roads insane. Now here she was, travelling to a place near Orzammar with only Duran, Alistair, Nate and Dog as company.

The strangest part of all, was that she actually felt pretty good about it. After Duran had shown her a letter about a dwarf named Jerrik Dace describing an expedition to Amgarrak, she had told him what she could remember, which even she could admit wasn't very much.

She knew there was something strange that had nothing to do with darkspawn, and in the story Duran had gone alone, and had found out terrible secrets about people who had tried to recreate Caradin's research on creating golems, and ended up creating a monster called a harvester.

She tried to explain what it looked like, and all three of the wardens had finally stopped her with the looks on their faces. She smiled a little at the memory.

"Thank you for that visual Cat, I wasn't really wanting to sleep ever again," Alistair complained.

"That is positively horrific, are you certain?" Duran asked, looking concerned.

"About the creature? Yes. About it being real and actually there?" she shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, though most of what was in the story has been real," she reminded him.

"This is not good," Nathaniel commented, and waved away their smirks before they could respond. "I mean, if this were to come to the attention of those seeking power? The ability to create such monsters in the hands of those without morals would be devastating for the entire world."

"One of whom is my brother," Duran added, looking sickened. "In his letter, Jerrik Dace said they had kept this place secret from Orzammar, but who knows what spies the king has had following their progress? This Jerrik is a cousin to Lord Anwer of Orzammar, so there is a chance that Bhelen already knows."

"What exactly is this man asking of you?" Alistair asked.

"The expedition never returned, and his brother was leading it. He wants my help to go after them, and find his brother," Duran answered. He turned to Cat. "You said I went alone?" he asked, and she nodded. "Is that necessary?" he asked.

Cat looked thoughtful. "I doubt it, though Jerrik may want to only involve you because of who you are. In my limited experience, most dwarfs do not want humans to interfere with dwarven matters."

"True," Duran conceded. "However, I am not merely dwarven, I am a Grey Warden, and any that I bring along would be as well." He turned around, and they each knew him well enough to know that he was weighing his options, and silence prevailed. Eventually he turned back around, having decided. "I'd like the three of you to accompany me."

Cat shook her head as the memory faded, and she looked at the men and dog that were her companions. She may have shied away from the thought at first, but with the last several months of combat training from Alistair, and the stealth training from Nathaniel, she felt like she was on a different level now.

She giggled to herself as she wondered what level she would be if she were really just playing the games. Leveling up in real life was much more difficult though… she thought. And so incredibly rewarding too.

Traveling with seasoned wardens meant being warned far in advance of any darkspawn, and Cat was grateful that the wardens were not looking for fights, but trying to avoid them. When she voiced the question, Nathaniel explained how the darkspawn could easily become more than they could handle, and it was simply smarter to avoid the fight to begin with.

Though they travelled quietly, as to not attract attention, Duran peppered Cat with questions, mostly concerning how she managed to get into such trouble on the other side of the sea.

"Uh… well, about that…" she muttered.

"Yes?" he asked, smiling at her, as if he already knew.

"Well… the story about the blight… it wasn't the only one about Thedas."

"Obviously," he replied, much to her surprise. "Cat, you have known many things that have happened after the blight, so there was obviously more," he explained.

"Oh, right," she answered, wanting to face palm for her lack of thought. "Well, the second story follows the happenings in Kirkwall."

The wardens stopped, this time surprised, as they looked at her.

"You mean you knew about the Qunari and everything that was happening in that place as well?" Alistair demanded.

"Yes?" she answered, unsure how to handle this more forceful side of him.

He rolled his eyes as he scrubbed a hand over his face. "Ancestors, Cat, what were you thinking going there?"

"I was thinking that I was on a ship headed there, so since I knew what would happen, I could keep my head down and stay out of trouble."

"Oh really?" he asked sarcastically. "Bang up job."

"Hey, Issy was the one that got involved with Hawke, not me," she complained. "I found a job-"

"In a whorehouse," Nathaniel interrupted with a smile, and she glared at him as she continued.

"-and I was minding my own business, until I got dragged into things."

"Like you got dragged into the blight?" Duran asked with a smirk.

"Similarly," she muttered in a pout. "But I had much more training with those sailors. I was capable of handling myself, unlike before."

"Oh really?" Alistair asked dryly, and he started walking again, the others following suit.

"They taught me to fight dirty," she said with a smile. "They taught me how to read and write common."

"I wondered where you picked that up," Duran commented.

"And, I tried to avoid Hawke's crew, but I felt something for them, just as I did for all of you. I couldn't really stay away."

"It's not that I think you were wrong," Alistair said by way of apology. "More that it seemed foolhardy."

"I changed things this time though," Cat admitted guiltily, and they turned to look at her again.

"You changed things with us as well," Duran pointed out.

"Not really, not in the same way," she murmured, looking away. "I mean yes, me being there changed things, but I didn't change the outcome of the way things were happening."

"And you did in Kirkwall?" Nathaniel asked shrewdly.

"Yeah."

The silence stretched on for a little while before Nathaniel cleared his throat. "You mentioned it before… would you like to tell us?" he asked.

"Do you want to know?" she asked in reply.

"I must admit to being… curious."

"All right," she answered, and took a few steeling breaths, as she wondered how they would react. "Little things at first, knowing what to say to get people to cooperate, avoiding traps and such. It made my life easier, but also gained Fenris' attention. He questioned everything, and eventually it all spilled out."

"So he knows?"

She smiled at Alistair's question. "Yes, and admittedly, I was afraid that he would kill me, just as I was when I first told all of you," she said, lumping Nathaniel into the origins crew. "Fenris was a slave to a magister in Tevinter, and had been experimented on. Those tattoos he has all over his skin are lyrium, and give him the ability to pass through solid objects."

"You're joking," Nathaniel commented grimly, while Duran looked impressed.

"No, his usual move is to reach into someone's chest and grab ahold of their heart, and squeeze it. Good for questioning people, but also a quick death that cannot really be avoided."

She smirked at seeing both Alistair and Nathaniel rub their chests as if their own hearts were paining them. "Needless to say, I was afraid that he would see it as magic, and kill me. But, he actually was more interested in my home, hearing that there was no magic there. He said it was my comments on mages that were so different, that had him wondering."

She sighed, "After that, I decided to talk about it with Anders, seeing that some of the worst things that happen in Kirkwall are due to the problems that arise between templars and mages, and the fact that Justice can only deal with black and white, and cannot understand that bringing about major change takes varying degrees of gray.

"He didn't believe me at first," she stopped at hearing Nathaniel's snort. "And you did?" she asked him, and laughed at seeing him look so disconcerted.

"Like I said, once he thought it over, he realized he believed me, whether or not he could understand it all. After that, there were a few big changes."

"Like what?" Alistair asked, looking around as they walked, keeping on guard, though he was listening carefully.

"There was a young mage girl, taken by slavers. I happened to be taken by the same group, and I helped to keep her calm, telling her we were going to be saved. And we were. We ended up taking her in, and she helped Anders with his free clinic in the undercity."

"Oh, so she would have been a slave if you hadn't have been taken too?" Alistair asked, seeing where she was going."

"Not really," she answered. "In the story, she let become an abomination and was killed."

Silence met her again, but she barreled on. "And then there was a necromancer, who was killing women in the city. Eventually, Hawke's mother would have been one of his victims, so Issy and I directed the crew to him before that could happen."

"That seems like good changes," Duran said, smiling at her. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," she replied, feeling down. "It didn't all turn out as I hoped. The necromancer's apprentice came to Kirkwall looking for his research, and started killing others to perfect his magic. The young mage we saved, Olivia… was one of his victims."

"Oh Cat, I am so sorry…" Alistair murmured, giving her a one armed hug as they walked.

"Thank you," she said patting his arm. "It has been some time, but Anders was the one that pointed out that we had all that time with her because of the changes we made. Fenris and Anders both keep trying to get me to tell them more, so that we can make better changes."

"But you don't think so?" Nathaniel asked.

"More like I am worried," she replied. "Worried of what greater calamity would rise from the ashes. The apprentice was not a killer in the story I knew, but because of the changes I made, he became one. Maybe it was in him all along, but I worry what could arise because of stopping something else."

"Which is why you asked for our opinions about the sentient darkspawn," Duran mused. "I understand better now why you do not want to make that decision on your own."

"I guess it may seem strange, like I am asking for permission or something," she replied. "But this is your world, your home, not mine. I feel like when I make changes I am intruding or interfering."

"Living in a place for over five years constitutes home to me," Alistair said with a smile. "Not to mention you've defended both Ferelden and Kirkwall a few times."

"I guess you're right," she said with a return smile.

"So Cat," Duran said, and she turned to look at him. "You've told us how Fenris and Anders reacted, but you've been very quiet about Garret Hawke. Why is that?"

Hawke sat as he watched Adrius practically guilt Anders into joining them for a small meal. He couldn't help but be glad that the older mage was there, otherwise he felt certain that Anders would be practically destitute, and starving.

Adrius was the reason the clinic still made money, having taken over making the potions for the Rose, though Hawke or one of the crew would deliver them if Anders forgot to.

"Come on young man, as a healer you know how important meals and friends are to your overall well being," Adrius said to Anders as he practically pushed him to the table that Hawke was sitting at.

"Yes, I know," Anders said while rolling his eyes. "I just need to finish-"

"You can finish later," Adrius interrupted. "Your manifesto will still be there tonight. And if you take this break like I ask, then I will even give you some of my time later."

"Really? Why didn't you say so?" Anders replied with a smile, which Hawke was glad to see.

"It's nice to see you smile Anders," Hawke spoke up, as the mages joined him, Anders sitting and Adrius moving to collect the dishes to bring out. "I feel you have been too serious of late."

"It seems there are fewer and fewer reasons to be smiling," Anders responded. "With everything that Meredith and her templars are trying to do, it is not a good time to be a mage in Kirkwall."

"That may be true," Adrius spoke up as he returned, putting a few plates on the table and sitting down. "But there is also so much good coming from it all. We mages are being tried… and it is heartening to see them stand tall against such persecution."

"I'm sure it has something to do with having courageous mages show them how," Hawke replied, nodding to the two of them.

"I am continuously surprised at the mages that choose to stay behind in the circle," Anders said. "It would be much easier to escape."

"Yes, but knowing what your escape would cause to befall the others?" Adrius commented. "It becomes easier to stay, knowing you are all in it together."

"I feel perhaps I should apologize for insisting that you leave, Adrius," Hawke said concernedly. "I didn't realize how it would weigh on you."

"It has been a weight, but not how you are meaning," Adrius replied, and gave Hawke a smile. "Performing magic in the courtyard sealed my fate, and if you had not come for me, I would be a tranquil now. A fact for which I am eternally grateful."

"That would be Cat's doing, mostly," Anders said, his eyes seeming to look far off. "She was inconsolable when she found out what Meredith would do, just for helping keep her from dying." He looked back to Adrius. "And as I keep saying, it was a small thing to do to repay you for saving our friend."

"Well, I admit I even took myself by surprise with that one," Adrius said with a chuckle. "I am not one to call attention to myself usually."

"If I may ask," Hawke spoke, "I'm curious as to why you haven't tried to leave Kirkwall. Not that I want you to," he added quickly. "Just that most in your situation as a hunted man would put as much distance as possible."

"It may very well come to that," Adrius said. "However, I still feel that I am part of the circle here. I would do anything to help my friends there, though I can admit I am not certain what I could possibly do. But running now will help no one."

Hawke smiled, taking a piece of bread, and breaking off a chunk to eat. "You have been in Kirkwall's circle long?" he asked.

Adrius smiled. "Long enough to have met Malcolm Hawke," he said with a grin.

Hawke stared, uncertain. Why had he waited so long to say anything?!

"Really?" Anders asked, looking concerned. "Why didn't you say something before?" he asked.

"It didn't seem the right time," Adrius said, in the vague way those that were older tended to do. "And there wasn't much to say, as he was older than I, so I didn't interact much with him."

"But you knew him?" Hawke asked. "Before he met and ran off with Mother?"

Adrius nodded. "Indeed. He reminded me much of Anders here."

Anders and Hawke gaped at each other, before turning back to Adrius. "Seriously?" Hawke asked.

Adrius smiled again, getting lost in memory. "Oh my yes, he was so devoted to his fellow mages, and a bit reckless with it. He was also a bit cold, or… aloof really. He refused to make connections you see. Connections meant there was something… someone that could be used against you."

Hawke and Anders nodded, knowing full well what that was like.

"Then one day, it was as if he changed into a different man," Adrius said, seeing that the younger mages were hanging onto his every word. "Suddenly so serious, no longer reckless. For a younger man like myself it was a disappointment- having a man you saw as a rebel, a hero, suddenly conforming to the rules. There were many who wondered at the time what the templars had done to get to him."

Hawke was fascinated. His parents had never spoken of this side of his father, in fact he wondered if his mother had even known.

"Of course, once he was gone, and it was discovered he had left with a noble's daughter… it became clear." Adrius sighed, looking at his hands. "He now had someone worth everything, the greatest connection a mage could have. I realized then that that was why he changed… to protect, not himself, but another."

The older mage chuckled dryly. "After that, I became a rule follower. Well… I say that, but I mean in appearances of course. I honed my healing magic, because healers will always be needed, even protected by templars. Keeping my connections to others close, not allowing them to be seen."

He looked at Hawke then, smiling. "I'm so glad to have been able to meet you, Garrett. To see at Malcolm was able to have that life that he fought so hard to achieve for mages. It gives me hope that that will happen for others. So how can I run?" he asked.

"Mages will have that life!" Anders declared vehemently. "No matter the cost!"

Hawke and Adrius looked to Anders, then glanced back at each other, both seeing their concern reflected in the others' eyes.

Cat stood silently with Alistair and Nathaniel while Duran argued with Jerrik Dace about bringing humans into such a place. They had been at it for quite some time, and she could see that Duran was starting to get annoyed.

"Veata!" Duran finally exclaimed. "These are no mere humans, they are Grey Wardens, and I am their commander! They will follow orders, and will say nothing of seeing Amgarrak. You have my word on this, but if you cannot accept it, than we shall take our leave!"

"Feh," Jerrik muttered, turning. "Agreed, my lord," he replied. "I just want my brother back."

He began walking and Duran followed, so the others started moving as well.

"This way," Jerrik said, as he picked up his pack.

A huge boulder near him started moving, causing Dog to bark rapidly. Cat looked on in shock, seeing the rock turn and face them, it's horned face tilting as it viewed them each in turn before focusing on the loud animal that was barking at it.

The bronto gave a loud noise in reply, causing both Cat and Dog to yelp in fright, and move back behind the other warriors. The men and dwarves started laughing loudly at the scene.

Duran moved over to Dog, giving his head a quick rub. "Now Cat I understand, she's never been done here before, but you? You've fought an archdemon without hesitation, and you're scared of a bronto?" he asked, chuckling. "Come on then, little warrior."

"Do you need me to hold you?" Nathaniel said softly to Cat behind him, who huffed, and moved away.

"It startled me, that's all," she said, miffed at them for laughing at her. "What's its name?" she asked Jerrik.

"Danica," he replied, amused.

"Hey there Danica," Cat said gently as she moved forward, at a slow but steady pace. Getting closer, she put her hand out, letting the bronto see what she had in mind. The animal shook herself, but stayed put, so Cat reached out to touch her thick hide.

"You're a warrior too, aren't you girl?" Cat asked, as she gave a few rubs to the scarred, pebbled skin. "I'm glad you're on our side."

"She'll be a big help, for certain," Jerrik said, looking at Cat in a new light. He didn't know humans that would not only let themselves be the butt of the joke, but concede their need for help.

"Let's get going," Duran suggested, and with a much better mood in the air between them, the warriors headed off towards Amgarrak.

"I don't understand," Jerrik said as he pushed against the air that held solid around them. "How can mist keep us held in?"

"It is no ordinary mist, for certain," Nathaniel replied. "It is as if it is corralling us to a specific location."

"Or it is a series of tests one must pass?" Cat added. "The mist shifted once we destroyed those corpses."

"Very well, we should keep going then, see where the mist is leading us," Duran concluded.

The group continued on, destroying everything they came across, though there were shadows of darkspawn and deepstalkers that could not be hit, confusing the entire party- save one.

But she didn't provide answers, for she didn't truly have any. Saying that that was how the story went, wasn't exactly an explanation after all.

After some time, they made their way to a set of extremely large doors. Jerrik ran forward, exclaiming that they had made it to Amgarrak. He quickly opened the doors, and the others came through, only to have the doors slam shut behind them with a glow of light that travelled along the surface of the metal.

"What was that?" Nathaniel asked.

"Magic," Alistair replied, as he reached out and touched the door. "Sealing us in."

"Can you dispel it?" Duran asked him.

"I doubt it," Alistair replied. "The surface area is extremely large, and it looks as if it will reseal the spell if the magic isn't dispelled at once."

"Then we'll look for another way, as we search for Jerrik's brother," Duran said, moving further into the great entrance hall.

The others moved with him, steadily forward, but on guard. Jerrik stopped and bent down, coming back up with a long piece of metal in his hand.

"A control rod," he muttered.

"For a golem?" Duran asked, surprised.

"That's what it appears to be, though who knows if the golem is even here," Jerrik answered. He reached over, placing the rod inside his pack and kept moving.

The group made into a central chamber, that looked like a deserted foyer. "No one is here," Alistair said. "But the good news is that there are no bodies either."

"That doesn't mean anything," Cat said. "We should stay on guard."

"Girl has a point," Jerrik mumbled.

Cat glanced at him, but didn't bother to remind him of her name. She didn't think he actually forgot it. She looked around, seeing a small stone table in the corner, with something sitting on top of it.

Moving over, she saw that it was a piece of parchment with runes written on it, in what she assumed was dwarven. "Duran, Jerrik?" she called. "There's something written here."

The dwarves moved to her, and she stepped aside so they could read the page.

"What does it say?" Alistair asked, as he and Nathaniel continued to look around the room.

"It's notes from the scholar of the expedition," Jerrik explained. "It mentions a laboratory where a dwarf and a mage from Tevinter worked to recreate Caradin's research."

"They were trying to make golems?" Alistair asked, and Jerrik looked at him, then angrily at Duran.

"Alistair was with me in Orzammar during the blight," Duran explained with a mild expression, and Jerrik nodded hesitantly.

"The interesting part, is he mentions that Branka's notes had said something about Amgarrak, and he wondered why she never tried to pursue this angle."

"Commander?" Nathaniel called. "You should come see this."

They moved over to where Nathaniel stood, and he stepped aside to give them a good view of the chest he stood next to.

"A treasure chest?" Duran asked. "Why does it seem as if it is made of mist?" he asked.

"That's not all," Nathaniel said, as he moved his bow, taking the end of it straight through the chest, as if it wasn't there at all.

"That's new," Alistair muttered.

"What is it, some... surfacer curse?" Jerrik asked.

"Perhaps we should look around some more?" Duran said. "Thoughts?" he asked his people as they moved on.

"Lyrium?" Cat said, causing him to glance at her. "Remember Fenris? His lyrium tattoos give him the same ability, and that's exactly what it looks like when he does."

"But he has to use the lyrium to create that effect doesn't he?" Alistair asked. "So maybe someone discovered how to use lyrium to do the same thing on objects… in order to keep others from looting?"

"Seems as plausible as anything else," Duran commented, though he didn't sound convinced.

Room by room they searched, the worry of Jerrik rising with each empty space they found, until finally they came across a shadowy form of a dwarf.

"What the devilry is this?" Duran asked, appalled.

"He's just like that chest," Nathaniel murmured.

"Brogan!" Jerrik called, trying to gain the dwarf's attention. "Brother! It's me!" He looked back to the others, pained. "He can't hear me!"

"If this is lyrium, then it stands to reason it should still be nearby, yes?" Cat said, looking around. "If we can find it, we can change it back, don't you think?"

Duran nodded, moving over to grab Jerrik's shoulder. "Come Jerrik, let's find a way to free your brother from this." Jerrik nodded, and let himself be pulled away reluctantly.

Room after room they searched, and hour after hour they didn't voice their worry that they would not be able to find the lyrium.

Cat wished she could remember which way to go, but from her memory the room with the large sphere of lyrium was the simple room to find… it was the others that were difficult. She tried not to get discouraged, and told herself to keep looking.

That was when she saw the faint blue light under a door. "Hey…" she said, moving over to open the door.

She pulled it open, and let out a scream. The others turned with weapons at the ready, moving to her as she backed up. Her eyes were blown wide, as she stared into the empty space.

Duran moved in front of her, going to the doorway and looking inside, but seeing nothing.

"What was it Cat?" he asked. "A creature made of mist?"

"A harvester," she mumbled, and the wardens looked to her in concern.

"What the…" Nathaniel started, as he looked at Cat.

"Uh, Nathaniel…" Alistair said, feeling uncomfortable at seeing the man stare at Cat's chest.

Nathaniel reached out, and brushed his fingers over the breastplate of Cat's armor, and turning to Duran. "Commander…" he said.

Duran looked, as Nathaniel's hand moved, and he could see the three deep slashes through the armor. He walked forward, looking from the armor to Cat's face.

"Cat?" he asked. "Did it go through?"

She looked down, seeing what they were looking at, what had given her such a shock. "No Duran," she replied, as they breathed a sigh of relief. "Just surprised me."

"I'd say so," Alistair said, looking at the slashes in concern, then back to the doorway. "The good news? Looks like you found the lyrium."

They moved carefully into the room, searching it carefully before moving over to look at the large glowing sphere.

"So now what?" Jerrik asked.

"It looks like this is some kind of switch?" Duran said pointing to a small lever in front of them.

"Let's try it then," Jerrik said, bracing himself.

"Here we go," Duran said, and pulled the lever.

They all watched, transfixed, as the sphere began to spin, faster and faster, until a surge of blue light moved over the entire room, and beyond. They looked around at the slight blue tint that now permeated the room.

"Did that do it?" Alistair asked.

"We won't know for sure until we check," Duran said.

"Brogan! I'm coming!" Jerrik yelled, and raced out of the room. Cat and the wardens glanced at each other before following.

"Sweetheart, you're back," Leandra said with a smile as she moved to Garrett to kiss his cheek.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mother, I wasn't aware you had company," Garrett said, not liking the look of the man his mother was standing near.

"Nonsense," she said with a laugh. "This is Lord Henley, you remember he has been monumental in keeping the city able to provide for the refugees, and even worked with the royals in Ferelden in assisting those that wanted to return once the blight was over."

"Most of that was actually my wife Sarah," the man said humbly, and Garrett felt bad for what he had been thinking.

"Of course," Garrett said smoothly. "I believe I have spoken with your wife at numerous functions, though I haven't seen her lately."

Both the man and his mother looked stricken, and Garrett wondered what he had said.

"I'm so sorry Jacob," Leandra said. "I wasn't aware that Garrett didn't know."

"It's not a problem," Lord Henley said sadly. "It has been somewhat easier that time has passed.

"But never truly easy, I know," she replied softly. She turned to Garrett, a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you Garrett, but Lady Sarah was killed during the Qunari invasion."

Garrett's stomach dropped- both in the horror if his grievous error, and the fact that his widowed mother was spending time with a man that was also unattached. He wasn't ready for his mother to… to … be courted.

"My deepest apologies Lord Henley," Hawke said in complete sincerity. "I have always appreciated the work you and Lady Sarah were engaged in for those that came from Ferelden."

"Sarah was from Ferelden, did she ever tell you that?" he replied with a small curve of his lips. "She was adamant that we help them. I couldn't have done anything else, even if I had wanted to."

"Again, I am very sorry to have you relive your grief," Hawke replied.

"It is ever present," Henley said, his sadness apparent to the Hawkes. "I appreciate the thought, but I don't actually want to forget her."

"You never will," Leandra said. "She will always hold a piece of your heart."

"Thank you Leandra," he replied, patting her hand where she had rested it on his arm.

Garrett took another moment, seeing that the two of them hardly remembered that they weren't alone. He couldn't fault his mother for wanting companionship, he was rarely home after all. He could only think that if she were married, she would leave… and he would be alone in this giant house. It was a pretty depressing thought. And he felt like a selfish ass just thinking that way.