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A Match to Tinder	By : Anesor Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 4095 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age 2, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. Aldera is my character, as are a few new ones.

Chapter List
- 16
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-- The Dale Lands - Nine Riven Marshes
Anders:
Hawke's shoulders had sagged as soon as the sailors started rowing Isabela back towards her ship. I stepped close to hold her close, wishing I could soften this.
I'd been worried about restraining Justice and so relieved when I learned who had captured us, despite the years. I'd known Hawke had been restless for months after we fought the Arishok, with her wondering about the pirate. She got worse the longer it had gone since we'd heard from Isabela, but she stopped saying anything a couple of years after that battle, even to me.
Long used to losing people without warning, from the Circle Tower, from the Vigil, Karl... I had not realized Hawke hadn't lost people she cared about, other than to death. After her confrontation with Isabela, she was very quiet for the rest of our voyage. She talked, joked, and even climbed the rigging, but her eyes didn't smile as much. She wept in the dark in my arms that first night.
The next evening we were enjoying some chilled tea with Isabela and her quartermaster after we ate. Marris seemed to regard me with a mix of admiration and a greater portion of fear. He'd been picked up while manacled on a captured ship, and made himself useful enough that he joined the crew years ago.
I knew Isabela didn't mind mages while she was on shore, but this was the first time there'd been any sign she'd listened to me at all. They were all wanted outlaws, so it wasn't that different, was it? If I'd found a ship like this, would the Templars have ever found me? Or the Warden Commander? It would have been a good life in its way.
How many lives did you affect directly or indirectly in Amaranthine? How many in Kirkwall? That life would have wasted your talents, mage.
-But I would have had a life.
And all the Karls would continue in their secret places. The Chantry gave them the power, and feeds them lyrium if they fail to be brutal enough. The Chantry will not deal with Justice, so now must deal with Vengeance!
-That Chantry is rubble. The tower in Cumberland is without its Templars now. We owe and we should repay before we lose our life.
I wasn't quite sure why he went from rational to angry so fast but he was silent after that, and I realized the others were talking about ships.
“What was the ship's name before, Captain?” Marris wondered. “I joined the crew a few months after the nameing, I think.”
“Oh, something boring, like Pride of Orlais or Jewels of Carastes. But we voted on the name after we took the ship and split to crew both ships,” Isabela said with a smirk at her quartermaster.
Hawke grinned, “Oh, that could be a long list, couldn't it? How did you manage to choose this one? I could see The Outlaw, The Boasting Amy, maybe even The Busy Studs...”
Isabela laughed, “The Studs would be a good one. We had dozens on the list, but finally got it down to five when the crew voted. The Slayer of Diplomats was favored by my First, they're not good for much, are they Hawke?”
Dera snorted at that and toasted Isabela ruefully.
“Another contender was Nathan's Fetish, and that was popular with my first quartermaster,” Isabela drawled.
I had to laugh at that. I wasn't sure if she'd met that Gray Warden, but I could just imagine his sour expression if Howe heard about it.
“Why would you name it that?” Merrill wondered. “Wouldn't Nathan want to keep that secret like Anders...”
Grabbing her arm, Hawke hushed her, saying, “I'd rather you not finish that. There probably wasn't anyone named Nathan in the crew, just a joke.”
Chuckling, Isabela agreed, “Yes, and could you imagine the fun if some Harbormaster was actually named Nathan? One of the ones I suggested was The Generous Apostitute. I never did get around to writing that one with Varric, I can't remember if I'd even told him...”
My face warmed as their humor would more likely cast me in that kind of thing for their stories, more than Bethany or Merrill. Hawke edged closer on the bench and leaned against me.
“Hmm, and the last one...” Isabela said, pretending to be trying to remember. The wicked gleam in her eyes said she hadn't forgotten. “Why, I do believe the last one was The Champion's Disease, but you'd know more about that, Anders. She spent so much time in your clinic for years, I was sure she only went to the Rose to have an excuse to visit you.”
Hawke hadn't ever asked for that, but my face warmed and Hawke stiffened. Marris laughed and Merrill smiled.
I admitted, “No, unlike you, she never visited me for that.”
“Hmm...” Isabela said smugly. “Never too late. I could use some private time with fresh meat and sweet-cakes.”
“You can have all the private time you want with roast nug that you want, but I'm afraid not for me,” Hawke said while rolling her eyes.
My answer was that I pulled Dera into my lap.
“Kitten? Don't leave me all forlorn,” Isabela laughed.
“Why would I do that, Captain?” Merrill smiled not as innocently at the Rivaini.
Marris smirked and held his hand out, palm up, but his Captain muttered something to him.
The nice thing was that we had our cabin to ourselves that night.
After the ship reached a part of the coast that wasn't too close to any port, the ship put down an anchor. A long boat was lowered to the water, and a few sailors scrambled down, to row us to shore.
Hawke climbed down the rope ladder after Merrill to the long boat. Paws with Mew's basket were being slowly lowered in a sling,
Isabela elbowed me, and asked in a quiet voice, “What's with Hawke?”
“I broke up a fight that was about to get bloody, and you ask me?” I asked with gritted teeth.
“That still?” Isabela scoffed and then grinned. “I thought she might still be stiff from when I planted one on her.”
I knew I did a double take, but I had to look at her to see if she was fooling me. Not that I was going to be diverted. “No, when she gets angry enough, she will fight until she wins or would die trying. Then she gets careless, and she was about to step over that line.”
Doubtful, Isabela shook her head. “She doesn't fight like that, that's for Man-hands or Broody.”
“Do you see them with us? She's had to, because some fights they weren't there. Some fights she had worse injuries than the rest of us put together. Some fights she stops thinking.” I sighed, as Hawke's fighting style wasn't the problem, “She was still putting aside extra daggers and exotic necklaces, though she didn't say why. They weren't to her taste, and she saved them for years. We had to sell them when we left Kirkwall. So why would she do that?”
“You'd gotten boring in be...” Isabela cooed.
I interrupted her, biting my words. “Fine, she's angry enough with me to take it out on you. Like she always does. You are so clever, Captain. Excuse me, I think I'd rather get another broken nose from Hawke.”
When I stepped over to look over the rail, Paws barked as soon as he reached the boat safely. Once the net being used as a sling was off, he licked Dera. I know I smiled to hear her laugh carry up to me. Looking back, I saw Isabela was scowling a bit.
I forced my shoulders to relax and called down, “Hawke, catch me! I'm leaping!”
Hawke looked up, alarmed, but laughed when she saw I was only waving down at her. I scrambled down the rope ladder easily enough, but I was surprised when Isabela came down too.
The rest was cheerful enough, with four sailors rowing the long boat to Isabela's bawdy commands and comments. Our goodbyes were cheerful, but Merrill blushed from the catcalls as they rowed away.
I was simply glad to have solid ground under my feet again. Templars may not hunt for mages at sea, but we had fewer options to run or hide. Isabela had no real maps of the land, only excellent ones of the sea, so we only had a general idea of where we were. The old Imperial causeway that had once been a wonder of a bridge wasn't far to the west. Halamshiral and Lydes somewhere to the south, along with a long stretch of Imperial Highway. We were now in what had once been the Dales.
Any Dalish here probably would not mind that much what I'd done, but from what I knew, the Chantry and of course Orlais had claimed much of the land after the March here. Hawke was hoping we could find another of their wandering clans.
“Well, more muck and ooze to fill my boots,” I grumbled as I looked around us. My one foot was already sinking into some mud, so I stepped back a little to ground I hoped was less... squishy. My staff wasn't much help as it sank into the mud faster than my feet.
“Oh, it's not so bad, Ander... oh, my. Heysal, most of it will rinse off, though toes do help slow sliding in mud. It makes the oddest sounds sometimes, so very distracting when a number of us fall into a fast walking pace. Dirt is such a more restful thing to walk upon,” Merrill said while running a bit of the mud between her thumb and fingers.
Hawke was smiling and asked, “Could you lead us, to the south and higher ground? I'd rather sleep on drier ground tonight.”
“Please do,” I agreed as Merrill started off. Once we weren't visible from the shore, I asked Hawke, “What was this about Isabela snogging you the other day?”
Flushing, Hawke stuttered as she walked, “Oh... th..that. Wasn't my idea, really. Really. Usually she settled for only flirting before.”
“What, you didn't enjoy it, my love? She is very good, isn't she? Or were you planning to keep her on the side?” I said as I used my spear to help stop my slide through the muck.
“No,” she said briefly, her voice too flat.
Sliding over until I was next to her, I held her arm so she swung towards me. Hawke's face was pale and her lips pressed flat, but her eyes were huge and almost the same color as the plants around us.
“Hawke...” I said as I pulled her close. I didn't know what else to say, so I told her, “I'm not jealous, love. I've known Isabela longer than you. And you are... very kissable.”
My spear hitting with a wet smack was only a noise while we kissed. I was a little distracted or my boot slid, and we landed on the mucky ground. We scrambled back to our feet while Paws barked at us; Hawke understood them better.
A complaint from Ser Mew, and I brought him out to ride on my pack, and we made slow if steady progress
By evening Merrill found an island in the swamp for us to camp on. We actually had a fair amount of preserved food scavenged from The Recon, though not the tastiest. There even was a small spring, where I was more than glad to wash the now mostly dried mud off me. Not enough to truly bathe, but I felt better. I played with Ser Mew while Hawke studied.
The next day as we walked through the mud again, I carried my kitten even if I needed my staff for walking sometimes. I was a bit embarrassed when Merrill warned me I was about to walk into something.
We'd been mostly silent all day when Hawke asked, “Merrill, why are they called Keepers? I mean I don't think your people would keep an awful lot, the way you travel.”
Merrill seemed to gather her thoughts and answered, “They keep everything that is important to our people, knowledge of the land and our beliefs, history, and wisdom. But those things sometimes may be lost, because above all else, they keep their people safe. They are our protection from outside threats like shemlen and lycanthropes. Keepers protect us from each other, our angry youth and our foolish elders.”
“I'm sorry to ask now, but...” Hawke started to apologize.
“No, this is the proper time, as any Keepers we meet will not owe Asha'bellanar, so it is wiser to understand if you can from what I can explain like this,” Merrill explained woefully.
Stopping, Hawke said, “We're just idiot shemlen, got it. I hope you know what you're planning to ask once we find them. I can play a dumb bodyguard, can't be any worse than pretending I was interested in what the ball-less wonders in Hightown had to say.”
“But your Keeper was a mage, and one who trained others, correct?” I asked. “You didn't say anything about that in your description.”
Merrill sighed and admitted, “They keep those of us with magic in our blood safe from ourselves. We are connected to each other as we work magic together long enough. You saw only blood magic, but we... usually share blood by birth and always from the various occasions and ceremonies of living. My Keeper tried to keep me safe, maybe we spoke different languages by the end. That connection helps protect the clan
“Our mages are not separated from their people, how could they protect and guide the people who need them? Once we all had magic and felt those sweet streams, or had a loved one who did. That is what the Marches took away, above even our land, our history, or our language, they took away so many who should have been Keepers. They took so many with the gift and the old knowledge, that we lost so much, nearly everything,” Merrill hugged herself, looking lost, despite her more usual cheerfulness.
“So the Keepers hold the leash on your mages, and they have blood magic to enforce their will...” I noted, trying to stay calm. Why did every people have to do this?
Hawke slipped an arm around my back, and I took some comfort in doing the same to her.
“No, that kind of control is only for when they are still learning their magic,” the elf objected.
“But it never ends does it? Is that why Marethari kept at you?” I had to wonder.
“No, she cared for me, even if she never understood.”
I could feel Justice begin to manifest. Not quite, but so close to it. “But she had your blood, and she could have forced you, especially when she accepted that pride demon. They are the worst of the lot, encouraging her that she could handle it. A Pride demon with blood connection to how many elves and their Keepers.”
Hawk's laugh was not merry. “No wonder they still won't leave that mountain. They are sure they are fine, no matter what you say, Merrill. We don't know how long that Pride demon was there corrupting the elves that lived so close.”
“It wanted you back as well, Merrill. You were sure that mirror was the only way.” I had to take a deep breath. “That demon sought you more than her. She was only bait, like any Templar trap using their prisoners.”
With one last quick squeeze, Hawke went over to her. “Merrill, we're going to find others, somehow.” Dera looked frustrated, and then put an arm around Merrill carefully.
“I shouldn't have left them...” the elf said almost angrily, even if her eyes shone.
I started to say something, but Hawke glared at me and interrupted, “They choose not to listen to you. They would have slaughtered you, if you had defeated the demon alone. We can only try to fix the future, not what-ifs.”
“Then we simply must find another elder who can speak the wise words they must hear,” Merrill said more confidently.
Our second campsite was much enlivened by finding giant spiders, and I felt no reason not to cast spells. I felt so good to be casting again, as if I'd been starving, unable to openly cast magic. Hawke was bloody by the time the last has been broken enough to die. She was more worried about Paws though. Hawke then wanted to use one of our combustion grenades to clear a space to sleep, but was convinced about the lack of replaqcements.
My rest was uneasy with the remains of layers of webs all around us, but at least the dense webbing blocked any cold breeze. Hawke had nightmares, bad ones this time, even if I held her. She wouldn't tell me what they were, and jerked away when she first woke, bringing me back to when we left Kirkwall. After a time, she would reach out and touch... hold me again in the dark, but it felt like hours and years before she did. I could only thank the Maker that this now happened only weekly.
A few more days, and we reached the stretch of Imperial Highway we'd been seeking.
“Which way now?” Hawke wondered.
“My people would not cling to these roads, lethallan. The halla don't,” Merrill said with a small smile.
I suggested with some nudging from within, “We could use some news, before we go further south.”
Nodding, Hawke agreed, “Supplies, and then we strike out to the south.”
We hadn't walked even an hour, before Paws' growl was suddenly echoed by Ser Mew's claws digging into my shoulder. A large net sprung up from the stone railing. I was at the edge of it and only hampered by the net and weights. Merrill was in the middle.
Shouts came from the sides and road as Hawke charged her nearest opponent.
I was untangling my spear from the net, even as the number of attackers clambering over the side sank in. Too many, as they were already trying to corner Hawke.
Merrill was still under the net and a little hampered, but the net became part of the vines growing out of the earth around her. It was Hawke and her mabari at risk... and she already had gathered most of those attacking as the only one not in the net at all.
I started to cast to enhance my connection to the Fade, as each spell would be far more draining than usual with this armor. It felt good to let loose with an ice spell next.
The last few enemies brought manacles and chains...
My spirit's angry bellow nearly swamped my concentration. One glance and I saw a several pale and worn elves were bound to long chains with manacles; that they let the heavy chain drop with clinks and clanks that seemed to echo. They were not fighting, but the last onto the roadbed was, and he wore the nearly pristine robes of a Magister.
He smiled, even as he brushed his robes, looking at all of us, as much a user as Alrik had been. He positively leered at Merrill but a vile glee showed for all of us.
Even as Justice roared into control, I shouted, “Hawke, slaver!” and began to cast the slow magic to hold him. I could feel lightning striking all around us.
“My, my. The missing Champion here, where there is no Tower. I will just have to revise your value on the market...” He finished his spell first, and Dera was in a shrinking cage of energy. Her shriek of pain pierced my heart, but we had to use a small force spell to force my attackers away.
I was attacked again by tougher ones, one woman had her flesh putrefying as I looked.
-Let me heal Dera! I demanded.
There are too many, these foul mortals will pay! As we cast more spells of ice and my only fire spell.
A faint cry from Dera and she leaped back out of my sight, as I kept hitting the other mage. His fire spell hurt even his agents, but I wasn't going to care.
What I did care about was when I was encased in ice, as a warrior with a hammer swung towards me.
I didn't see much the next seconds, only when Hawke appeared behind the Magister, her knives not quite long enough to go all the way through.
In horror, I saw his blood swirling up even as I could feel the heat and numbness as I was pounded by a mountain, and even Justice's raging didn't let me move yet through the ice.
Dera tumbled around the other mage as we finally had the freedom to act again, and we took the time to paralyze all those near myself and Merrill. I didn't agree, but my shouting at my spirit didn't even break our concentration.
All I could see out of the corner of my eyes was blood swirling from Hawke's injuries and her contorted face. A piercing shout and the Magister's neck was severed and she launched into those attacking me. Most of them were frozen for a moment, and they didn't last long after that.
When I took back control, the extra energy from the spirit faded, and I dropped to my knees, exhausted almost beyond my ability to breathe. My vision grayed, but I realized I had a vial at my mouth and I was sure I wasn't thirsty.
People kept bothering me when all I really wanted was a nap in warm sunshine. Why did others think some booze would solve my being exhausted? I had enough to do, with counting my breathing and trying to decide if I'd pulled any muscles this time... Too much noise, no wonder the Dalish wandered in those land-ships, only wind snapping the cloth. Those would be so much more peaceful to travel in. I was still getting poked, but I could ignore that.
Anders, drink it.
-I'm not thirsty. Don't wanna drink.
Rumblings from inside me said I was and was not ready to lay down.
Anders, drink it. You're too tired.
-Am not.
Yes, you... His answer was stifled as the geese were honking, flying north for the winter.
Which was too bad, they were graceful, flying far above with their honks faintly reaching me through narrow windows, speaking of lands far away. Watching them fly would have been more fun than staring at the road bed. I was watching an ant cross one of the pale gray cobblestones.
Suddenly my nose was pinched, and when I opened my mouth to breathe my jaw was forced down. Panicking, I started to thrash, but I was being held by ogres and had to gulp it.
Trying to free my arms, stand or something, I caught soft flesh for an instant, and then I recognized the flavor of the potion and relaxed a little.
I relaxed more when Dera started speaking, “Look up. Say something. Justice, you say something...”
Yawning and rubbing my eyes, I said, “Yes, love? I need to rest before I can be very wry, you'll have to settle for my wheaty buns...”
Hugging me tightly, Hawke groaned at my unoriginal sally, “I'm not up for a rebuttal to that. Can you do some bandaging?”
When I could focus, I realized she was only holding me close with one arm. Her armor was soaked in places. With shaking hands I pulled bandages off and started cleaning and bandaging, first her and then I'd get to everyone still alive.
Merrill was speaking with the manacled elves, and I could tell Justice was unhappy about them. They were speaking partly in the elven language, so I only caught a few phrases, about their clans.
When I checked Paws, he was fine as were Ser Mew and Merrill. The other elves edged away from me when I moved over to examine them. Merrill said something and the fair one straightened up.
Checking on Hawke, she was looting the slavers' bodies and dragged them over and dropped them off the road. So I returned to my bandaging and light healing now.
We rescued four elves and most of their injuries were what seemed typical: beatings, floggings, small cuts, blisters, and sores from the manacles. I couldn’t help the older injuries on the fair one, but the younger ones I could, as their hurts were not much older than scabbed.
Hawke came over to wave some keys on a ring and say, “I'd think we can get you out of those chains now. Do you have somewhere to go?”
The younger ones nodded, and raised their hands immediately, though the older woman was still looking at us suspiciously.
“Hawke...” Merrill started.
Grinning, I interrupted with, “One silver.”
Nodding, she continued, “Brana, one of our clans is only a few days' travel from here. Mionodir and Teain know the way back. But... two of their group had been left by these... collectors to rot. We should return them to their clan, as is right.”
Hawke's agreement was greeted with several quiet sighs of relief. I took a closer look, and I could see how young these elves were. It was hard to tell for sure, but the younger-looking ones were about the ages that new elf apprentices had been delivered to the tower. The youngest was the most lovely, even for an elf, and she was still afraid enough to keep the older one between herself and me.
I'd seen that all too often among the refugees in Kirkwall and tried to appear more bumbling and kitten loving. Ser Mew helped.
We left the road a bit sooner than I'd expected, to travel south a few miles into a small valley that grew a mass of elfroot. I spotted a few other useful herbs, but they were not as plentiful. Near the far edge of the valley, there was a scattered campsite, and two bodies already beginning to rot a little. Hawke went back into the trees and collected a couple of saplings.
Finally, the dark-haired one spoke to us and he said, “I think our clan is about a week away, though I do not know if the Keeper will be willing to speak to a flat ears.”
“You can go on your own, if you can't be polite. Merrill was a First, doesn't that mean something to you?” Hawke said crossly as she wove the net through the saplings.
“It is all right, Brana,” Merrill said quietly.
Bristling, Dera said, “No, it's not. Rudeness like that is unacceptable. The Alienages suck enough, that people who lived there don't need his crap.”
“I do not live in the city. He is only a foolish boy who has probably shamed his teachers. He will have to learn better if he wishes to be a senior hunter,” chided Merrill.
“Merrill, could you introduce us? If we are traveling, names would be pleasant,” I tried to say lightly. “Or I could make up names, like Ser Grumps-a-lot for him.”
The youngest one giggled at that, but Grumpy scowled at everyone and growled, “Call me Hunter, shemlen.”
Hawke met my eyes, and she also looked like she wanted to laugh. It really was like this child trying to imitate Fenris.
“I'm Teain,” the auburn haired boy said. He wasn't quite as full of himself; it was almost refreshing.
The young girl admitted, “My name is Iana, and she is Ker.”
“Nice to meet you, You should call me Brana, and call him Heysal,” Hawke said while waving at me. “Now we need to get moving.”
We tied the bodies on the litter, bundling herbs and the elves took turns carrying it, talking to each other quietly. They were plainly mourning, even Merrill.
It did take a few days for them to lead us to a clan camp. It was so much more active and bustling than I'd ever seen. Well, something must have been wrong there ever since my first visit, even if I hadn't known any better.
Cries greeted our arrival and the bodies were swiftly taken away. Hawke, myself, and even Paws were watched with suspicion and wariness. The outer guard that met us escorted us to a place away from the central part of the camp, even Merrill. Those we'd rescued departed as soon as they were greeted, leaving us not much more to do but look around or talk quietly.
Dera and I sat together.
“So what is one of the People, one trained for leadership yet, doing following a shemlen mercenary?” an older female elf asked us, her voice as harsh as my spirit's could be.
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A Match to Tinder