Dak and Leyla return to their home in Lowtown, but they use the term "home" very loosely. It was more of a dingy shack than anything else; apparently, it was all that Duggard could afford with his job helping out the local blacksmith Hannahr.

Hannahr was apparently an old friend of Duggard and was pretty much the finest blacksmith in the entire city. She had a small stall in Hightown, which Duggard ran, but apparently, recently, the business had gone downhill.

When they entered the house, they found her mother and Duggard talking.

"My children have been in servitude—servitude—for a year," said Mother. "They should be nobility."

"I know, but it's the best I can do," said Duggard.

"And here I was hoping this was all a dream," said Dak as he walked up.

"Believe me, I wish it was," said Duggard and looked at Mother. "You know our parents blamed me when you ran off with a Midgardian apostate. They had arranged you to marry the Comte de Launcet."

"I'm sorry, Duggard."

"So am I," Duggard sighed. "The Fink family quickly acted against us; it was certainly a delicious scandal, and they used everything to discredit us. After our parents passed away, I tried to hold the ship together, but you know how I am with business deals. I ended up selling the entire estate."

Leyla looked at Mother. "I know the Amells were nobility, Mother, but not much else. Why don't you ever talk about them?"

"The Amells have been a noble family in Kirkwall since Garahel drove out the Fourth Blight. But we've always carried magic in our blood. It's been a stain on our lineage. No family of good standing would ever marry into a line with magic." She sighed. "When I married your father, I was bringing more into our family, not less."

"Even though you left suddenly, they still left you the estate," said Duggard.

Mother's eyes widened. "What?"

Duggard blinked. "You didn't know? But I sent you a letter and everything."

"I never got it," she said honestly.

"Huh, I just assumed he didn't want the place when I didn't receive a reply."

"Maybe we got our hands on the will, and we could use that to get the estate back," Leyla suggested.

"Sorry, lass, but the will is locked in the vault in the estate," said Duggard.

"Why did you leave that behind?" Dak asked.

"I was in a rush; the people I sell the estate to ain't exactly the most friendly of sorts."

"We have to get it back."

Duggard sighed. "You're so intent on getting the will back that you could attempt to sneak into the estate through the secret passage."

"There's a secret passage?" Leyla blinked.

"All noble houses have secret passages."

"Duggard, you can't seriously suggest that the twin break into the estate," said Mother, horrified.

"I'm not suggesting anything, it's their choice, but I would advise against it. The people who own the estate now are not to be trifled with."

"We're going, Mother, and you can't stop us," said Dak.

"You'll need a key to unlock the passageway," said Duggard. "Go to Hannahr, she has it."

"Why don't you have the key?" Leyla asked.

"Hannahr thought it would be better if she held onto it, given recent events."

They made their way to Hightown and then to Hannahr's store. Hannahr, herself, was roughly Duggard's age and had shoulder-length blonde hair and powerful arms.

"Dak, Leyla, what do I the pleasure?" she asked.

"Duggard said that you have the key to the secret passage that led to the Amell's estate?"

Hannahr's smile quickly vanished. "The two of you are thinking of breaking in, are you?"

"We're just looking for the vault to get our hands on will," said Leyla.

"Do you even know who owns the estate now?" Hannahr asked, leaning towards them so no one else could hear.

"We don't know," said Dak honestly.

"Though we get the impression that the new owners aren't the friendliest of people," said Leyla.

"I'm afraid the estate has been owned by a bunch of slavers masking as merchants."

"Slavers?!" they gasped.

"They enjoy kidnapping people and sending them to the Imperium for a premium price, and now they have a base of operations. Their business has unfortunately got quite a bit of a boom ever since the Blight. Midgardian refugees are currently vulnerable, and no one is going to miss a few refugees in Darktown."

"All the more reason to take the estate back, but we need that will," said Dak pleadingly.

Hannahr sighed and handed them the key. "Very well, but do try not to get caught."

"Let's hope this key works," said Leyla.

The key worked, and they were in. Since they were technically breaking and entering, they decided not to bring Aveline along. They didn't want to get her in trouble when things were going so well for her. The moment they entered, they were attacked by slavers, but they didn't stand much of a chance against them.

Varric disarmed the few traps they found.

"I expected a bit better security," said Dak.

"I wouldn't complain," said Leyla.

"Shh, we don't want to attract any attention," said Anders.

"Relax, Blondie, these slavers are complete amateurs," said Varric.

They then encountered the leader of the slavers, who made a comment about slitting Duggard's throat. Leyla took a special offence to this and blasted him with a fireball.

"There's the vault. If there's anything to learn about the family, that's where it is," said Dak.

Leyla unlocked the door with the key they'd taken from the dead cartel leader. There was a chest containing some gold and other valuables. Another chest contained a bunch of papers. And an old letter written to his father… and a copy of the will.

"So this is it?" Dak asked, looking over her shoulder. "Grandfather's will? Let's just take it back to Mother and Duggard and be done with it."

Leyla nodded.

When they returned home, Mother practically wrapped her arms around them.

"Thank the Maker, you're right," she said.

"Mother, we've had a worse than a few would bid slavers," said Dak.

"Any problems?" Duggard asked.

"Nothing we couldn't handle, and we did take down the slavers' boss."

"And the will?" Mother asked.

"I have it here," said Leyla as she pulled it out.

Mother held the will out gently and began looking through it. "Duggard was right; Father did leave everything to me. Now, we may have a chance to get the estate back."

"It won't be that easy," said Duggard. "The slavers may be dead, but you still don't possess the money to buy or maintain the estate. And I'm willing to bet that Magnus Fink will do everything in his power to stop the Amells from taking back their prestige."

Mother only smiled. "Then I had better get started."

Dak looked at Leyla. "What about that letter that Father wrote?"

Leyla looked through it. "Mentions an old friend of Father's in the circle. Talks about a friend that he is not able to mention."

"I wonder why?" Dak frowned.

"Only one way to find out."

Dak looked at her, alarmed. "You're not thinking of going to the Gallows?"

"Relax, brother, I'll be perfectly fine," she said confidently.

Dak did look too sure. "Maybe, but I'm coming with you."

They made their way to the Gallows, and it wasn't anyone more inviting than the last time they were there. The difference this time was there were no refugees, but the mages in the courtyard looking over their shoulders every which way.

The place certainly felt more like a prison than a place of learning, and Leyla began to wonder what the Chantry was thinking, establishing a circle in a place that used to keep slaves. They have to be careful when talking to the mages, who begin pointing in the direction of their father's friend.

There was an old man with pale eyes, and he looked at two of them with boundless curiosity.

"I know your faces," he said. "I am Tobrius. And the two of you are both Hawkes." He smiled. "I remember your father. Malcolm was a good man."

"We found a letter you sent," said Leyla. "About a friend of his, you could not name."

Tobrius nodded. "Ah, the templar. Your father could not write directly, lest the Order found out."

"The templar?" Dak stared.

"He allowed your father to leave Huttsgalor. 'Rule is not served by caging the best of us.' A wise man."

"Not what I would expect from a Templar," said Leyla.

"There was a time when the rules of the Order could be… interpreted to suit a situation unlike these days. I will send the letters I held. It seems fitting that they return to family."

A few minutes later, Tobrius returned with several papers.

Tobrius handed him a stack of letters. "Such a friendship. Few like your father remain. Even fewer like the templar."

Leyla looked at the letters, and her eyes widened.

"What do they say?" Dak asked.

"Take a look," she said, handing letters over to him.

Dak glanced at it, then began to read aloud. "For your service that cannot be admitted, I ask that you accept this trinket and know that I shall respect your name. Thank you, conscience of the Order, Ser Maurevar…" Carver was silent for a moment. "Dak." He looked up at Leyla. "Dak?"

Leyla smiled. "The templar who allowed Father to leave Huttsgalor. Your namesake."

"A templar?" said Dak, confused.

Leyla merely shrugged. "Father must have felt he was worth honouring."

Dak looked at the letters again. "A man who let him look ahead, and name that would always mean 'skilled thoughtfully applied.'"

"Seems like he thought it held some promise."

"I still can't believe this," said Dak.

"Believe it it, Dak."

Leyla was on the other side of the room counting the sovereigns they had acquired, and Mother had left to petition to see the Viscount. This left both Dak and Duggard alone at the table.

"What was she like?" Dak asked as he scratched Winger's ear. "As a girl?"

Duggard gave a small smile. "Adventurous, always wanting to learn new things and immensely curious. She was like the crown jewel of our family, and our parents showed off any chance they got."

"Speaking of grandmother and grandfather, what exactly happened to all our family's fortune?" Dak asked.

Duggard sighed. "Some bad business dealings. I tried to invest. Got some good tips on trading Qunari cheeses. However, every single business deal I invested in the Finks quickly jumped to tarnish their business."

"So how do you meet Hannahr?" Dak asked curiously.

"Her shop was one of the few business dealings in which I actually made a tidy profit. I saw her skills as a blacksmith very early on, so I gave her some gold in order to establish her first shop. A business started from there but wasn't enough to keep the family estate afloat. However, she was able to give me a job, which allowed me to afford this place.

Mother soon returned, though judging from the look on her face, her petition didn't go all too well. She sat at the fireplace looking at the flames, and Leyla put a blanket over her shoulders and sat next to her.

"When I told your grandmother I was marrying your father, she threatened to disown me," she said. "She said my children would be mongrels. My father wanted to lock me in, but she told him, 'It's her life. Let her ruin it.'" Tears rolled down her cheek. "I wrote back to her when each of you were born. She never wrote back. I'm glad she didn't die hating me."

"Grandmother didn't want you to leave," said Leyla, placing her arm around her. "She tried holding on to the only way she knew."

Leandra pulled her into a hug. "She would have been proud of you and Dak. You're both everything she wanted in an Amell grandchildren. She might have had a hard time accepting it at first, but she would have loved you all."

She then pulled away and wiped away her tears. "I've written to the Viscount. I've an audience for after Bartrand's expedition leaves."

"So that's how they lost the estate," said Cassandra.

"Leandra was certainly a driven woman," said Varric.

"I am guessing that her petition alone would not have been enough to acquire the estate."

"Which is why they need to join my brother's expedition, to get the coin needed to acquire it."

Cassandra folded her arms. "I'm a lot more interested in this templar that assisted the Champions' father in escaping."

"Not much more I can tell you, but from what I understand, the knight commander wasn't too pleased that the mage managed to escape under her watch. She did try to chase after him, but he had already left with his new blushing bride in Midgard, which was quite out of her jurisdiction."

"Still, a templar that allowed a mage to escape a Circle is unprecedented."

"Especially given these days, but I am to understand that after the escape, the knight commander immediately began to crack down even harder on the mages here."

"While all this is very interesting, we're getting off-topic. I hope the next part of the story provides more context to the situation we're in."

Varric merely smiled. "I'll let you be the judge of that."