Sorry for the delay on updating, life keeps getting in the way. Short filler chapter here, will try and get the next one out a little sooner if I can. Thanks for reading everyone!

Dragon Age: Revengeance

ACT I

Chapter 6

It took time for Anders to recover from his ordeal. The templars had tortured him whilst he was a prisoner at the White Spire. Once he was safely aboard the Siren's Song and they were underway, he was given food, water, a bath, and medical treatment. He explained as he ate where he had been. For the past few years he had been living with an Avvar tribe, who had given him shelter in exchange for his healing skills. Eventually they had helped separate him from Justice through one of their rituals.

And then the templars came for him. When the Avvar stood in their way, the templars slaughtered them all. Men, women, and children. The last Anders saw before he was knocked unconscious and dragged away, was the bodies of those who had helped him, their homes ablaze.

"Sounds like the Chantry," said Hawke bitterly. "Well you're safe for the time being. In fact if we succeed, you and everyone else will be rid of the Chantry and the templars forever."

Anders swallowed down a gulp of water and shook his head. "It can't be done, Hawke. You have to understand, the Chantry is merely an arm of the Orlesian Empire. They're two sides of the same coin. You can't destroy the Chantry as long as the empire remains."

"Then I will destroy the empire as well!" she snarled. Isabela chuckled.

"How hard can that be? It's only an empire after all."

Hawke slumped back in her chair, scowling. "Obviously we need a plan. Something inspired. That's partly why we rescued you, Anders. You helped start the mage rebellion. I need you to come up with a way to bring down the entire Chantry. Whatever you need, I'll get it. Money. Influence. Rare magical artefacts. Anything."

Anders drew a hand across his face. "I'll … I'll try. But listen, about Bethany? Hawke, there's a cure for tranquility!"

That got their attention. Hawke and Isabela exchanged startled looks.

"There is?"

Anders pointed at her. "The Seekers have it. They've known all along how to cure the tranquil. Learning that fact helped us tip the balance towards open rebellion. The knowledge is kept in a tome – the Book of Secrets – which is in the possession of the Lord Seeker. Get that book, and you can cure Bethany." He threw up his hands. "We can cure everyone! No one need ever be made tranquil again!" He gave a bitter laugh. "And she knew! Divine Victoria and Inquisitor Trevelyan learned the truth, and they covered it up."

Hawke sneered. "I'll add that to the long list of reasons I have to kill them both. So then, all I need to do is find the current Lord Seeker, slit his throat, and steal the book. That shouldn't be difficult, the Seekers are based in Val Royeaux, we just left there."

"No good, he's not there," said Anders. "I overheard my templar captors gossiping while I was being held in the White Spire; Lord Seeker Benedict left recently with Inquisitor Trevelyan."

"Left for where?" said Isabela.

"Aeonar."

Hawke whistled and hung her head.

"Someone want to clue me in?" asked Isabela, obviously having never heard of the place before. Anders rubbed his eyes.

"It's a mage prison, somewhere in the north of Ferelden. No one knows exactly where, save for a handful of templars."

"And probably the Lord Seeker," Hawke added. "If we only knew where it was, I could get rid of Benedict and Trevelyan at the same time."

"I might be able to help with that," said a voice. It was Merrill. She smiled shyly. "I couldn't help overhearing..."

Isabela ushered her into the cabin. "It's fine, kitten, come in and tell us what you have."

"How are you feeling, Anders?" Merrill asked. "They didn't hurt you too badly, did they?"

"I'll be fine, thank you for asking." He chuckled as he looked around at them all. "We've almost got the old band back together."

Hawke cleared her throat. "Just don't ask about Varric or Aveline. Merrill, you were saying?"

"Yes, well as you know I've been working with Marquise Briala to map the Eluvian network. That was until Fen'Harel reset the Eulvians and changed all of the keys. Well it turns out that my Eluvian, the one you helped me restore, Hawke? It wasn't reset with all the rest. Likely because I had patched it together. Either way, I can still use my Eluvian, it isn't under the control of the Dread Wolf. And there is an Eluvian at Aeonar I could send you to."

Hawke perked up at this news and almost jumped to her feet. She planted a kiss on Merrill's cheek. "You are amazing, do you know that?"

Merrill blushed. "I do now."

"You best stay here, Aeonar is no place for a mage, and we'll need you to keep the Eluvian open from this end. Make sure Anders gets plenty of rest. Isabela?"

"Yes, Hawke, darling?"

"Grab your weapons, Admiral, we're going to raid a mage prison."