Chapter 100

1st Harvestmere 9:31 – Kirkwall

Aedan and Emma climbed the steps to the Gallows. "Maker's breath, this place is really grim. They should definitely think about redecorating," he said as he stood in the middle of the courtyard, looking at all the statues of downtrodden slaves. "And I don't like the way the Templars are eyeing you and your staff, Angel." She followed his gaze and saw a couple of wary looks thrown her way, but then she spotted a friendly face. "Cullen! How are you?" She strode across the courtyard to greet the Templar. His head snapped up when he heard his name and his expression was foreboding, however, it cleared when he spotted Emma and Aedan. She chuckled when she saw the look on his face. "Sorry, I should have addressed you properly, Knight-Captain Cullen."
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not even going to ask how you know that. I've only just recently been promoted." The conversation became a friendly chat about general things, and Emma was pleased to hear that he'd kept in touch with his family. Cullen's eyes still held a haunted look, but she hoped that in the long run, it would help him recover from the trauma of what had happened to him at the Fereldan Circle.

After promising to stay in contact, they left him and walked over to Emeric. "I understand you're investigating the disappearance of some women?" Emma asked.
The grizzled Templar looked taken aback, and then wary. "How do you know that? I've only spoken to one other person about this."
"Oh, you've already talked to Hawke?"
Emeric gave a nod of confirmation. "Just a few days ago, but I haven't heard anything back yet."

‑‑‑

The building was rundown, to say the least, and a disturbing image of an upside down hanged man was painted on the board, which creaked noisily above the door. "Are you sure this is the right place?" Aedan asked as the door opened, and the smell of stale alcohol and vomit wafted out. Emma chuckled. "Oh yeah, this is definitely the place. The Hanged Man is a landmark in the city of Kirkwall."
"For criminals?"
Emma sniggered. "Pretty much."
She wondered if Fenris would be inside, and was surprised to find that the idea of meeting him didn't excite her as much as she thought it would. She glanced over to Aedan; he smiled and she felt the familiar pulse of desire between her legs. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, and his arms circled her waist, pulling her up close to his body as he deepened the kiss. There were a few whistles and a roughly shouted: "Get a room!"
Eventually, they pulled apart, breathless and flushed. "He has a good point. Maybe we should get a room," Aedan suggested with a lusty grin.
"Actually, we do need somewhere to stay while we're in Kirkwall," she answered with a similar expression.

They walked into the Hanged Man, and Emma almost squealed with delight when she saw Varric. She made her way to the bar and casually leaned against it so that she could get a look at whoever the dwarf was talking to. Her jaw dropped open slightly when she realised it was Hawke. As a female gamer she'd always played as a female, so it was something of a shock when she saw the tall, bearded Hawke sitting opposite Varric. She contemplated him, trying to gauge whether he was a mage, rogue or warrior. She opened up her senses and felt the mana emanating from him; a mage then, which meant that Bethany had died during their escape from Lothering. Damn it! She'd always preferred the sister over Carver.

From Aedan's side, a sultry, sensuous voice spoke, "Hmm, do I know you? And if not, I'd like to." Emma peered around Aedan and got a glimpse of Isabela. Emma had always liked the pirate queen, but not to the point of sharing her husband. She met the rogue's tawny coloured eyes. "I believe my husband and I met you at the Pearl."
"That's it! I never forget a face." She grinned at Emma. "And message received, though I wouldn't say no to you joining in too." Emma couldn't help but laugh, the woman was incorrigible. Aedan looked stunned. "Are you always this forward?"
Isabela chuckled. "Only when I'm feeling horny... so, yes."

Emma turned to the bartender and ordered drinks, so her back was to the door when Isabela spoke again. "Now, I wouldn't mind getting him in a bed... well, any flat surface would do actually. Unfortunately, I think Hawke has a thing for him, and he has a thing for Hawke." Emma looked over her shoulder and saw Fenris - slim, muscled, and broody as ever. "Would you like a handkerchief, Angel?" Aedan asked with a twinkle in his eye. She laughed and handed him one of the drinks left on the scratched bar by Corff. "No, I'm good." And, she realised that was the truth; there was no denying Fenris looked sexy, and had a voice that could make a person forget their name, but he wasn't Aedan. "Let's go and talk to Hawke."
"Any idea how you're going to start this conversation?" Aedan queried.
"Don't worry. I know Hawke, so I can introduce you," Isabela said as she led the way, uncaring of the many eyes that watched her hips sashay across the room.
"Hawke, you've got a couple of visitors," Isabela told him as she approached the table, then realising she didn't know who they were, she turned to Aedan and Emma. "I didn't get your names."

A familiar voice spoke up before Aedan could answer. "I can answer that, and I'm surprised at you, Isabela for not recognising the Hero of Ferelden."
Now all eyes were trained on Aedan, and he flushed at the unwanted attention as he pulled out a chair and quickly sat down. Anders took a seat at the same table, watching Aedan and Emma with cautious eyes. "Are you here to bring me back to the Wardens?"
Aedan rubbed a hand over his face. "No, and did you have to announce me to the whole bar?"
The mage chuckled. "Sorry about that. I was just a bit surprised to see you here." He toyed restlessly with an empty glass. "So, you're really not here for me?"
Emma reached over and stopped his restless fingers. "We're not, Anders, I promise. To be fair, our initial recruitment at Vigil's Keep didn't go so well; only Nathaniel stayed with the Order."
Anders nodded, and then fidgeted with the glass some more. "I want to apologise for leaving so suddenly, but it was..." He stopped when he remembered they had an audience. "I'll talk to you later," he mumbled.

Aedan nodded and looked around the table to find stunned faces staring back at him. "Well, this didn't really go as planned." He gave them an easy smile. "I'm Aedan, and this is my wife, Emma. We're in need of some help."
"I'm Garrett Hawke." A strong hand reached across the table and Aedan clasped it. "I have to say, this is the last place I would have expected the Hero of Ferelden to show up."
"Can we just stick with Aedan? I swear Alistair gave me that title as a joke, he always did have an odd sense of humour."
Varric looked intently at Aedan. "You're the one who sent me the letter. How did you know about the Deep Roads Expedition?"
Aedan rubbed the back of his neck. "Angel, do you want to handle this one?" Emma nodded, a big grin playing across her face. "This is awesome! I can't believe I'm sitting here with all of you! Where's Aveline, and Merril, and Sebastian, and Carver?" she babbled excitedly. Eyebrows were raised, but Anders and Aedan just laughed. "I've actually missed you doing that sort of thing," Anders said wistfully.
"Emma, I think Varric is waiting for an explanation," Aedan prompted her.

"Right, sorry." She took a calming sip of her drink, and promptly started coughing. "Holy shit. This really is rat-flavoured whiskey." She gave the drink a nauseous glare before continuing. "I can see the future, that's how I knew about the expedition. It's also how I know about the serial killer currently roaming free in Kirkwall."
"Are you referring to the missing women that Emeric told us about?" Fenris asked. The sound of his deep husky voice caused Emma's brain to momentarily freeze, and she sat there looking dazed. Aedan leaned close and whispered, "Are you sure you don't want that handkerchief? If not, I think I do." She let out a snort of laughter at his words, and under the table, she reached over and laced her fingers with his. Turning her attention back to those at the table, she answered Fenris, "I am. I guess you've already spoken to Ghyslain?"
Hawke nodded a confirmation. "We checked out the foundry. There's definitely something going on there because we saw someone run away, and then we were attacked by demons. After we got rid of them, we searched the place from top to bottom, but all we found were..." He stopped abruptly, feeling a little uncomfortable talking about what they'd recovered. Emma completed the sentence. "All you found were a bag of bones and Ninette's ring."
Varric's eyes widened at Emma's knowledge. "Well, shit. That's going to take some getting used to."
Aedan laughed and shrugged. "It keeps life interesting."

Emma placed her elbows on the dirty table as she leaned forward and spoke quietly to Hawke and his companions. "The killer is a mage called Quentin. He's still at the foundry, and he's going to kill again. I know where to find the trapdoor that leads to his hideout. So, who wants to hunt a lunatic?"
Hawke grinned. "I think I have some free time." The others all agreed, and quickly downed their drinks. Emma stared at her glass and shook her head. "Yeah, I don't think so. I'd rather go through the Joining again."