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Free as a Bird	By : Letticiae Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 9737 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age, nor do I own the characters. I do not make money/profit from writing this fanfiction.

Chapter List
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Aveline went to check on Hawke and Anders first thing in the morning. She wanted to see them before the Viscount paid his visit. Thankfully, Hawke was feeling better and the guardswoman unlocked the cell to free the mage as she had promised.
He lingered in there, though, hesitating about leaving Hawke alone so soon. "She's not completely healed and if she stays here she'll get worse again," he told the guardswoman.
"If that happens, I'm sure I can find another reason to arrest you," Aveline replied and then turned to Hawke. "The Viscount wanted to check the facts behind your arrest, so I asked Cullen to talk to him. They had a meeting yesterday and Cullen told him Ser Karras was to blame for what happened. There's a very good chance the Viscount might let you out," she explained.
"What does he want with her anyway?" Anders asked.
"I don't know, but I think it might have something to do with the Qunari," the Guard-Captain answered.
Anders looked at the prisoner. "Are you going to be fine?"
She nodded and gave him a kind smile. "Thank you, Anders. I really appreciate what you did. I owe you one."
"No, you don't," he replied, hugging her and gently kissing her forehead before exiting the cell. "I'll wait outside. If the Viscount lets you out, I'll walk you home. If he doesn't…" he looked defiantly at Aveline, "I'll get you out."
The warrior rolled her eyes and ordered the jailor to escort the mage out. "The Viscount will be here shortly, Hawke. Please, be nice," she said as she locked the cell again.
"Don't worry, Aveline. I will. Vanard won't have the pleasure of sentencing me to death," the rogue said, her chin set with determination.
Aveline was relieved. Seeing Hawke look anything other than defeated was a nice and much needed change.

Dumar arrived with a few guards and seneschal Bran in tow, but dismissed them all so he could talk to Hawke in privacy. He skipped the pleasantries and cut to the chase. Granting forgiveness to a prisoner that was being accused of murdering a templar did not sit well with him and would certainly ruffle some feathers among important people in Kirkwall. The Arishok was forcing his hand on that matter and the Viscount tried to convince himself he was only doing it for the greater good; after all, something had to be done. The continued Qunari presence in the city for almost three years was causing tensions to rise. It was hard to believe they were still just waiting for a second ship to come pick them up. There had to be something else they wanted.
"We cannot afford to antagonize the Qunari and the Arishok won't speak to me. They will not leave and we do not have the resources to force the issue. At least not in a way that would leave the city intact. The Arishok requested you by name, Serah Hawke. I just need him quiet. Your crime will be forgiven and you shall be released if you agree to speak to him. You are to give him what he needs to keep the peace. Can you do that for Kirkwall?" he asked her.
That the Viscount had agreed to be a messenger for the Arishok and was willing to pardon a murder suspect, spoke volumes of how serious and tense the relations with the Qunari were.
"I'll do my best to solve this, Your Excellency," Hawke answered.
"I hope you understand the urgency and gravity of this situation, Serah. You brought Seamus back to me a few years ago, but you'd been rewarded for it. I don't owe you anything and I'm not here to do you any favors. It's Kirkwall you owe for your freedom and you will repay the city by appeasing the Arishok."
She did not object. Though at first she might have thought rotting in prison was a fitting punishment for all her screw-ups, now there were quite a few reasons for her to take her freedom back – not giving magistrate Vanard his undeserved revenge; murdering Ser Alrik; helping Kirkwall. Her time in that awful little cell was done.
The Viscount called back the seneschal and the Guard-Captain to inform them about his arrangement with the prisoner. Aveline immediately left to take care of the paperwork for Hawke's release. She wanted her friend out of there as quickly as possible.
The guardswoman got back just in time to find Anders and Fenris in a heated argument. The mage had been outside the prison the whole time, waiting to accompany Hawke home, and the elf had just arrived to see if her health had improved from the day before.
"For Hawke's sake you two had better play nice with each other. If you drag her into this argument on her first day out of jail, so help me!" Aveline scolded them in a motherly way. "Better yet, why don't you two go tell Varric and Isabela to throw her a party or something. I'll take her home."
They grumbled and grimaced, but Aveline crossed her arms over her chest and shot them her nastiest glare. She was clearly not going to back out, so they finally complied and left.

Back home at last, Hawke was welcomed enthusiastically by Leandra, Garrus, Bodahn and Sandal. Her mother prepared her favorite dish, while the dwarves drew her a bath. After eating and bathing, she asked them not to let any of her friends in for the rest of the day and then locked herself in her room. Not only did she need to rest, but also she could do without the pity looks Leandra and the older dwarf were giving her. She sunk in her unbelievably comfortable mattress and stayed there until the next morning.
As she left the bedroom to have breakfast, her companions were all waiting for her downstairs. It was early in the morning and it was awfully cold outside. She wondered what she had done to have this much loyalty from such an odd group of people.
Bodahn had suspected they might all be joining Hawke for breakfast so he was already coming back from the market with extra eggs, cheese and bread.
Indeed her whole party sat down to eat with her.
"When are you going to see the Arishok? I want to be there too," the Guard-Captain said.
"If you're thinking about taking me, I can't go. I'm busy," the pirate hastily uttered.
"I didn't even say when I'm going, Isabela. But don't worry, you won't be needed. And you can come along, Aveline. I'll go there this afternoon. I better see to this right away, before the Viscount regrets letting me out," Hawke replied.
"I wish I could see Vanard's face when he hears there won't be a trial, that you just got to walk free," Varric chuckled.
"Are you sure you're up for this? You haven't wielded a blade in months," Isabela pointed out.
"And you're still weak. You need to rest," Anders added.
"I'm not going there to fight. I'm going there to talk," Hawke replied.
"Come on, Hawke. We all know how quickly things can fall apart around you. You'd better not take any chances," Varric said.
"There will be no fighting, I assure you. Nevertheless, I need to get back in shape. Anyone wants to be my sparring partner?" she asked them.
"Me," Fenris and Sebastian offered at the same time.
"No offense, Fenris, but I think I'm a better option. I'm a rogue like her," the prince argued.
"You are. So what is the point? It is best if she practices with me. We all know she could learn how to defend herself from warriors better," Fenris replied.
"Hey!" Hawke protested. "I defend myself from warriors just fine."
"No, you don't," Isabela chimed in. "You would benefit greatly from practicing with this smoldering elf here."
"Tsk, tsk," Varric shook his head. "That's not fair, Rivaini. You're only saying that because your money is on the elf."
"What are you talking about? Is it a bet? Can I participate?" Merrill asked, looking eagerly at the pirate and the storyteller.
"Sure you can, Kitten. We're trying to guess who will get in Hawke's pants next, now that Knight-Captain Hottie is out of the way," Isabela answered. She winked at Hawke who just rolled her eyes impatiently.
"So Daisy, are you putting your money on Blondie or Broody?" Varric asked.
Fenris was blushing, which made the angry glare he shot at the dwarf not at all menacing as he had intended it to be.
Anders arched his brows in an inquiring way and smiled smugly when Varric answered his unspoken question. "My money is on you, Blondie," the dwarf said.
"What about Sebastian?" the elven mage asked.
"Oh, we have a different a bet for him," Varric said, looking at the prince sideways.
Sebastian gave them an annoyed look. "What bet?"
"How long is it going to take for you to forsake your vows, of course," Isabela answered as if she were stating the obvious.
"This is absurd!" the Chantry Brother protested. "Hawke, they are making a mockery out of our lives. You can't possibly be fine with this!"
The Rivaini woman was quick in rattling on her friend. "Actually, she has money on this one too," she said.
Hawke pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath, trying to pretend she was upset and not about to burst in laughter. Teasing Sebastian was too much fun.
"This is no big deal. It's just a cheap bet. We all have money on this," Anders remarked dismissively.
Aveline suddenly found something very interesting at the ceiling for her to stare at.
"I don't," Merrill said.
"Fine. Who has never?" Sebastian asked, clearly pissed.
The silence in the room was almost palpable.
His nostrils flared and he continued angrily, "How much to get in?"
"One sovereign," Varric answered promptly.
The archer reached into his pouch, grabbed one gold coin and threw it over the table. It landed right in front of the dwarf. "Then put my name under never."
"Let's do it like this: if you're still in the Chantry five years from now, the money is yours," the storyteller proposed.
"No one bet more than five years?" the Brother asked indignantly.
"What can I say, Choir Boy? People who shoot arrows at the Grand Cleric are usually not Chantry material," Varric pointed out.
"Won't you let this go? I didn't shoot at Elthina; I shot at the parchment in her hand," the prince explained, upset.
"Not what you expect from your friendly neighborhood Chantry Brother…" Isabela jested.
"The Chantry is not a place for princes, Sebastian, especially when they are the last of their line," Hawke stated matter-of-factly.
"And obsessed with revenge," Anders added.
"Look who's talking," the prince scoffed.
"Let's not hold that against each other. Revenge is something wonderful. It's what keep us together. We're all about revenge. All of us," Isabela started.
"I'm not," both Aveline and Merrill said in unison.
The pirate continued, "Varric wants to get back at his brother. Hawke wants to get back at Ser Alrik, the Circle, all the ogres in Thedas and so on. Fenris wants to get back at his former master. Anders wants to avenge… what's his name? That ex-lover of his that was made Tranquil."
The healer looked away, embarrassed.
"Anders, we all know about you and Karl and, seriously, no one cares," Hawke reassured him and then turned to Sebastian and gave him a warning look, so he would keep his righteous mouth shut. "And let's not forget Isabela, of course, who wants to get back at Castillon," she added.
"Exactly," the pirate agreed.
"Now, Fenris, how about I come over to your place so we can spar and continue your reading lessons?" Hawke asked the elven warrior, changing the subject.
He felt his mouth going dry and licked his lips. Not trusting his voice to come out without wavering, he just nodded his agreement.
Isabela gave Varric a knowing look and the dwarf shook his head.
"Great! We'll start tomorrow, then," Hawke gave the elf a small smile and turned to the others. "Aveline, Varric, you'll come with me to see the Arishok. Sebastian, there's something going on at the Harimanns'. I think there's a chance they might be involved in the murder of your family. Keep watch at their estate and see if you can confirm our suspicions before we take action. Bring…" her eyes roamed through her companions' faces, "… Isabela with you. She's good at stealth," and she's the best at making you uncomfortable, Hawke added in thought. "During the cold season let's switch our meetings at the Hanged Man to lunchtime. What do you think?"
Everyone agreed. Before they left, Varric told them they would have a gathering to celebrate Hawke's freedom at the weekend and then Anders gave her a quick check-up and made her drink an elfroot potion for good measure.

Her talk to the Arishok went well, but Hawke thought she might not be so lucky venturing in Darktown to search for Javaris. She needed to get back in shape first, so she left it to Varric and Aveline to track him down.
During lunch the next day, they told her they had found a lead on Javaris and that they were on to him. Sebastian and Isabela, however, didn't make any progress investigating the Harimann estate.
"What happened?" Hawke asked the two rogues.
"Choir Boy just left me there and went back to the Chantry. Said he needed to pray, or flog himself, I don't know," Isabela answered, shrugging.
"She only talks about vulgar things, Hawke. All. The. Time," the archer complained.
"It's because I like seeing you blush. You're cute when you're blushing," the pirate teased.
"She's impossible," he grumbled.
"Come now, Isabela. Don't be like that. He's cute even when he's not blushing," Hawke said and gave the Chantry Brother a wink.
To her utter amusement that made Sebastian blush furiously to the tip of his ears. Anders huffed and Fenris rolled his eyes while Varric and Isabela chuckled at the scene.

Hawke went over to Fenris' in the afternoon. The hearth was lit for a change and there were no dead bodies on the floor which made his place look less like a wolf's den and have some resemblance to a home. The furniture had been pushed close to the walls, giving them more room to spar.
She suggested they begin with the reading and writing lesson, though. They sat side by side on the table, but he kept a polite distance from her all the time. She wondered if something had happened. When they were having lessons in prison he was always holding her hand, touching her face, caressing her hair… had it been just out of pity, because she had been jailed? Hell, she hoped not or she would… kill him, probably.
After the lesson, they grabbed their wooden weapons to spar. They went to the middle of the room and facing each other, they assumed their fighting stances. He lunged at her first but she rolled away. She got back on her feet behind his back, but before she could perform a backstab, he swung and brought her to the ground with a low kick.
She wasn't quick enough to escape his next blow and found herself trapped under his flaring form with a gauntleted hand around her neck.
"Too slow. You would be dead by now," he hissed.
His grasp on her throat was a bit too tight for comfort and she squirmed underneath him. He felt his blood rushing south and hastily let go of her. He would not make a fool of himself in front of her.
She took a deep breath and got up. "Not fair. I was expecting a sword attack, not this… lyrium hand crap."
He attacked her again, but this time she swiftly slid under his blade and connected a blow to his ribs. Before he could react, she disappeared. He assumed a defensive stance as he focused in hearing her steps to find out where she was.
"I see you cleaned up the place," she teased.
He attacked in the direction her voice came from, but hit nothing.
"Are you expecting anyone?" she continued.
You. "No," he replied as he lunged, but missed again.
"Danarius, perhaps?" she continued, deliberately trying to annoy him.
He didn't attack this time. First, he wanted to find out exactly where she was. He wouldn't miss another blow. "Do not mock me, woman," he warned her. "This mansion is not his. It belongs to a Tevinter merchant who has evidently given up on the place. He must be dead. Danarius has probably killed him," he said, closing his eyes so he could better concentrate on using his other senses to find her.
He felt the air shifting around him and knew she was right behind him. He turned just in time to defend himself from her strike. Now out of stealth, she rolled away from him.
They began circling each other, ready to go another round.
"Does he know you're here?" she asked, twirling her practice daggers in her hands.
"If he does, he has done nothing about it," he replied, adjusting his grip on his wooden sword.
This time she attacked first. He dodged, swinging behind her to strike back at her, but she briskly lowered herself, evading his blow as she sent him to the ground with a kick to the side of his knee.
He recovered quickly and they began circling each other again.
"Tell me: what do you do when you stop running?" he asked.
"You start over," she replied, panting heavily.
"Stamina draught?" he offered, smirking.
"I'm fine," she dismissed it.
To prove her wrong he used his scythe attack. She failed to evade it and his sword clashed with her daggers. She wasn't strong enough to hold her ground against him and he pushed her, backing her until he had her pinned against the wall. He increased the pressure of his sword against her daggers until she was forced to drop them and then he had his weapon against her throat.
"Dead again," he uttered. His body was pressed flush against hers and she spread her legs just enough for one of his to slide between hers.
Maker help him, he could feel her heated center right there in his thigh and without even thinking he crushed her even more between him and the wall.
She looked deep into his eyes and parted her lips, curling her hands around his waist.
He threw his sword away, grabbed her wrists and pinned them on the sides of her head with his hands. His body was still pressed against hers, but he had an angry look on his face. "Why do you do this, Hawke? Is it not the prince you want?" he snarled.
"No," she answered flatly.
"You sure seemed to be going out of your way to make him blush today," he spat.
"Yet here I am, sparring with you," she retorted.
He swallowed and let go of her wrists, keeping his hands where they had been. "I'm an escaped slave and an elf, living in a borrowed mansion. None of these things bother you?" he asked in a slightly lighter tone.
"I'm a refugee who just got out of jail. Doesn't that bother you?" she countered.
"You have me there," he admitted.
"Don't I?" she uttered mischievously and licked her lips.
Festis bei umo canavarum. It was his last coherent thought as his mouth descended upon hers with bruising force.
His fingers tangled in her hair and their tongues met as they started exploring each other's mouth. She pulled back and nipped at his lower lip, eliciting a pleasured moan from him. His free hand was still on the side of her head, so she gently guided it down, running it on the side of her body until it was resting on her hip.
He curled his hand around her and instinctively ground his erection against her. Her tongue delved into his mouth again and she started fumbling with the binds of his armor. His chest piece quickly fell off and she moved on to unbuckle his belt.
Startled at how fast things were going and not knowing how to deal with that situation, he broke the kiss and held her eager hands in his. "I… have never allowed anyone this close," he spoke.
She raised her brows and gave him an expectant look.
"When my markings were created the pain was… extraordinary. And the memory lingers," he continued.
"Oh, no," she mumbled. Worried that she might have ruined things once and for all with him, she started to pull away.
He allowed her.
Looking down, she turned away from him, straightened her clothes and ran her hands through her hair, smoothing it. He couldn't help thinking it had looked better all disheveled from his grasp.
"But you are unlike any other woman I have ever met, Hawke. With you it might be different," he said. He wasn't ready to take that next step with her. It was too much, too intimate, but he didn't want her to go either.
She turned back to him, a confused look on her face. "What are you saying, Fenris?"
"My first memory is receiving these markings, the lyrium being branded into my flesh. The agony wiped away everything. Whatever life I had before I became a slave… it's lost," he uttered.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying? You've never…?"
"If there was someone before, I have no memory of it. And after I escaped I stayed nowhere for long. Who would I trust? I didn't think I needed anyone. Or wanted anyone. Until now," he said. His voice was even lower and huskier than usual, sending shivers down her spine.
Her eyes widened. She liked him, of course, and there was something about him that made her feel drawn to him from the start, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Plus, he was really attractive and she thought it would be great to fool around with him. If it led somewhere, even better, but it was obvious this… affair or whatever they were starting here meant a great deal to him already and, at that point, sex would mean a lot more to him than to her. Right then and there she knew she couldn't just jump in bed with him like she wanted to.
"I get it, Fenris. You want to do this, just not today. It is fine," she smiled.
"… yes. Uh… on another evening, perhaps?" he asked, hesitantly.
"Sure," she said kindly.
He seemed uncertain about what to do next, so she approached him to say goodbye with a quick peck on the cheek. Her lips were reddened and swollen from their kiss and he couldn't resist turning his head to capture her mouth with his. She deepened the kiss at first, but quickly broke it when she noticed things were about to get out of hand again. For this to work she would have to respect his limits, even when he seemed ready and eager to tip over them.
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Free as a Bird