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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
- 7
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Chapter 8 – Chains

Flemeth guided the women to a side route and vanished. Hawke thought the witch wouldn't keep their deal, however from time to time a bear or a wolf or even a flying swarm would magically appear before them and point them to safe paths through the Wilds. Even though they never got lost or ran into any enemies, it took them a week to reach Gwaren. At least there was always a stream or a lake where they could refill their waterskins and there were plenty of small animals so Hawke and Aveline had no trouble hunting their lunch and dinner. Nights were rough without tents and sleeping bags and the three younger women having to take turns in guard duty, but they got some sleep anyway due to exhaustion. Except for Leandra, constantly whining about how terrible their fates were, no one was in the mood to talk. Aveline was silently trying to cope with her husband's death; Hawke was obsessively focused on their survival and Bethany was unresponsive and apathetic, probably in shock. No doubt her twin had taken a piece of her with him when he had died.

Gwaren had once been a prosperous and wealthy city; built over a dwarven outpost by the same name. It had grown relying on the active trade with the dwarfs underneath it and the busy port used to ship their merchandise throughout Thedas. When the dwarven kingdoms fell to the darkspawn during the first Blight the trade with the surface had come to an end and it was never restarted. Now Gwaren was a town of fishermen and loggers that had been granted to Loghain when he had become teyrn.

Once there, Leandra sent a letter to her brother Gamlen informing him of their misfortunes and asking him to receive them in Kirkwall. The women had to pay all the coin they had to afford passage on a ship that would sail for the Free Marches the next day. After spending the night awake, sitting by the docked ship, they embarked in a crowded dark hold to begin a dreadful two-week journey to the city of chains.

The sailors were taking advantage of the desperate refugees and charging them exorbitant prices for food and water. The already unwholesome hold was becoming worse by the hour with the heat and people getting sick. Hawke took all opportunities she had to steal food from the sailors and even talked her way into their late-night Wicked Grace game. Cheating shamelessly, she won enough coin to buy her family and Aveline extra water and food. Thanks to Hawke the four women arrived in Kirkwall in better condition than all the other refugees on the ship.

The minute they docked Hawke knew there was something wrong with that place. The refugees were disembarked in the Gallows, an area with architecture even more oppressive than its name. Guardsman Wright, who was in charge of a squad protecting the walls of the city so the refugees wouldn't climb in, was quick enough to point the Knight-Commander of the templars, Meredith, as the one giving orders in Kirkwall. The Viscount himself never dared to go against her wishes, he said. Hawke was uneasy. After losing Carver, she had brought Bethany to a city ruled by a templar.

They went to see captain Ewald, who guardsman Wright said could get them into the city. The man was surrounded by Fereldans trying to get in and unabashedly asked for a bribe, which none of the refugees had the coin for.

Hawke convinced Ewald to find her uncle and maybe let the four of them in, which didn't make the others happy. A fight broke out and suddenly Hawke was killing more men, Fereldans and refugees just like her. There was no compassion left in this broken woman.

It took a few days for Gamlen to go to them. Hawke was not surprised to find out he had lost the whole inheritance her grandparents had left them to debt, after all she was getting used to always running into the worst-case scenario.

Her uncle best offer was to give Hawke and Bethany into servitude for mercenaries or smugglers for a whole year in exchange for the coin to bribe their way into the city. The smuggling job was a safer choice, since the woman in charge didn't deal in slaves. A smuggler with principles, or so it seemed. But when Hawke asked both Meeran and Athenril about the tasks she had to perform to gain a place in their bands, killing a man for Meeran sounded simpler and she went for that. It turned out to be a lot more than one man, since the guy had guards; however Hawke slaughtered them cold-heartedly. One or ten, it made no difference anymore.

"It's done," Hawke returned to Meeran.

"Good. May the vultures feed on his corpse and shit him in the ocean. Welcome to the Red Iron," he greeted her.

"If this is a trick, you'll pay for it, dwarf," Hawke hissed.

"Wonderful, I'll take that as a yes," Varric sneered, after spending a long time trying to convince her to let him tag along and help her get fifty sovereigns to join as a partner in his brother's expedition to the Deep Roads.

It took Bethany only a couple of minutes around the dwarf for her to start telling him about Carver and their escape from Lothering. How could she trust people like that? In her year as a mercenary, Hawke made no friends, took no lovers and trusted no one. Outside her uncle's hovel she talked only to Meeran and Red Iron's suppliers Elegant, Tomwise and Worthy. She didn't want to draw attention to her apostate sister, so they usually went alone on the jobs that were assigned to them; which had another advantage, for they didn't have to share the loot they would get on these jobs. Since they were not getting paid, they had to rely on loot to survive. Hawke was amazed to find out she could sell anything in Kirkwall, even moth-eaten scarves and torn trousers.

Aveline never offered to share Hawke and Bethany's burden. She took advantage of their sacrifice to get a free pass into Kirkwall and build a life of her own. When she joined the guard, Hawke took it as a personal insult. The warrior was now an enemy, since disregarding the law was a basic requirement for a mercenary. Clearly aware of that fact, Aveline often had guards following the rogue around and making her life even more difficult. Hawke had to pretend not to see them and lose them in the alleys of Lowtown, because, though she considered it many times, killing city guards wouldn't help her situation at all.

Hawke hated that blasted woman. Broken as she was, it never crossed her mind that Aveline had evidence to get her arrested any time she wanted, but wouldn't do it and the men following her were ones the guardswoman really trusted. Though not crazy about Hawke, Aveline recognized she had a debt to her fellow Fereldan and her family and wanted to make sure they were okay.

The name Hawke quickly became famous among mercenaries, raiders and all sorts of low-lives in Kirkwall. She was the one who always got the job done and the person to be called to fix the mistakes and failures of other Red Iron associates. When her year of servitude was over, Meeran wanted her to continue working for him and offered her payment. Her refusal infuriated him, but she didn't care. She was aiming much higher.

That was why Hawke ended up accepting Varric's company and help. The expedition to the Deep Roads was a perfect opportunity to make money fast. She couldn't stand another day in her uncle's stinky three-room hovel in Lowtown, not only because she had to share a small bedroom with her mother and Bethany, but mainly because of Leandra's unstoppable nagging about how they should be nobility, should have an estate and so on. Also, Gamlen had made a habit of reading her mail. And she really missed having a bathtub… Yes, she desperately needed her own place.

Putting up with the talkative dwarf paid off. He knew all the places to go and people to talk to in order to get work. Also, he convinced Hawke to go see Aveline, remarking that having a friend on the guard could be really useful. It surprised Hawke that the warrior offered to help her around during her off-duty hours, so she set an appointment for the four of them in the Hanged Man, to discuss their next moves.

When Varric told Hawke about the Grey Warden that was in the city and probably knew an entrance to the Deep Roads, she made finding him a priority. It wasn't difficult and they were in his clinic in Darktown less than an hour later.

"Forcing the mages into servitude is not the way to prevent the rise of another Imperium," Hawke said, wanting to gain the mage's trust and imagining how easier their lives would be if Bethany could live freely, without the risk of being locked up in a Circle or killed for being an apostate.

"That's not usually the response I get. Perhaps we will work together better than I had expected," Anders looked at her, amused.

The Warden healed the refugees and the poor asking nothing in return and did it to exhaustion every day. Hawke couldn't help but admire that genuinely good man who hadn't lost faith in life. Bethany thought it would be nice to have him around, thinking that maybe his hopeful and altruistic attitude towards others would soften her sister's heart a little.

Before her appointment with Anders at the Chantry, Hawke went with Bethany, Varric and Aveline to retrieve her grandparent's will from the Amell estate cellar and then clear Lowtown from some Carta thugs for Sergeant Melindra. The four of them working together made everything easier and Hawke had to admit they were a better team than only Bethany and her.

At night they went to free a mage named Karl, a friend of Anders, in exchange for the maps to a Deep Roads entrance. Hawke left her sister behind, not wanting to push their luck taking the girl into a place full of templars. It was a wise decision, for Karl had been made Tranquil and had sold them out to the templars. They were fiercely attacked and only won thanks to Anders' healing spells and his powerful angry glowing trick that frightened everyone.

Hawke saw how devastated the mage was about Karl's fate and remembered how he had told her earlier he had come to Kirkwall for him, to free him. They were obviously more than friends, she thought, but decided it was none of her business and didn't press the matter.

Aveline hurried her companions out of the place and remained there alone to deal with the impossible task of explaining how there were nine dead templars in the Chantry. No matter how much Hawke hated the guardswoman, she had to acknowledge they were on the same side.

Back in the clinic Anders explained to her about his extra passenger and Hawke had no problem accepting him for what he was. She understood what it was like to be willing to do anything to achieve an end and felt connected to him somehow. There was so much sorrow in his beautiful amber eyes…

"So that explains your sexy tortured look," she couldn't help saying, though she knew she was being insensitive in flirting with a man who had just tragically lost his lover.

"My maps are yours, as am I if you wish me to join your expedition," he said, surprising her by accepting her for what she was, with her rough manners and inappropriate flirting, as easily as she had accepted him.

A mage more powerful and experienced than Bethany, a healer and a Grey Warden, he would definitely come in handy in the Deep Roads. Hawke thought she could get used to having him around.

To make it up to Aveline about the mess in the Chantry the past night, Hawke went with her to investigate a possible caravan raid in Sundermount. It turned out to be a task a lot more complicated that it seemed and it took them two days to unravel it, but in the end the Viscount appointed the red-haired warrior to replace Jeven as Captain of the Guard. If Aveline really meant to help Hawke, as captain she would be most useful.

Varric suggested they go celebrate Aveline's promotion at the Hanged Man and took the opportunity to try and get more information out of Hawke, interrogating her about her flight from Ferelden, already writing a tale in his head. The subject bothered her deeply and her aggressive answers hinted the dwarf she had a lot of unresolved issues with her past. To make her feel more comfortable and trustful around him he decided it was best to tell her some things about him first.

"I'm a younger son. It's a difficult and dangerous profession. A lot of us die of boredom." Humor was the best way he knew to break the ice.

They were interrupted by a Rivaini woman beating the hell out of three lads and making them run as if their asses were on fire. Hawke went to get a beer from Corff, instead of asking Norah, just to check Isabela out more closely. A woman who could pull off an outfit with no pants in a place like the Hanged Man had to be really sure of herself and a good fighter too, no doubt. A couple minutes later Hawke was taking her companions to Hightown to back the pirate up in a duel.

As usual, the deed was more complicated than it seemed at first and Aveline was once again left behind to explain dead bodies in the Chantry. At least they had killed raiders and not templars, which would make things easier on the guardswoman.

It was morning when Hawke got to Lowtown. Before going into Gamlen's, she bought freshly baked bread as a peace offering for her mother who would surely want to lecture her for spending the night out and having a dozen new blood stains on her armor.

Meeran had sent Hawke a letter about a dwarf named Anso who needed someone for a job. Though she felt inclined to turn down anything coming from the Red Iron, the mention that Anso would pay well made her give it a shot. So at nightfall she took Varric, Isabela and Anders with her to meet him.

The whole thing was looking very suspicious. Thugs were expecting them in the house where the dwarf had sent them and Tevinter bounty-hunters attacked them once they were outside. It was definitely a trap since the chest they were supposed to retrieve with Anso's merchandise was empty.

And then they ran into this intriguing elf who had odd lyrium markings lighting up his dark skin. Hawke was curious about what this escaped slave had been hoping to find in the chest, but he just gave her an enigmatic answer when she asked. Another handsome man with a troubled past… Of course Hawke would help him rip the heart out of his former master. They went right away to confront the magister in a mansion in Hightown.

"Danarius, come and face me," Fenris cried the minute they went into house.

"That was subtle! Are you crazy? Why are you yelling?" she muttered.

"I want to face him and get it done with."

"Well, I'm a rogue and facing enemies is definitely not my thing. If you're in my band, you follow my lead and my orders. We'd rather flank."

"You're not in charge. I'm paying you," he snarled.

"Keep your coin. If I knew there were slavers here I'd have come and killed them anyway." She raised her hand to stop Varric and Isabela from protesting.

Fenris felt offended by that. He had just met her and she was already giving him orders. He was stronger and more capable than her. He was sure of that. If she wanted to flank or backstab enemies, that was due to her own weaknesses. He sure could face them.

"Danarius, do you hear me? Your pets cannot stop us," he continued, challenging her supposed authority.

She rolled eyes but before she could say anything shades erupted around the room, making her give up on that argument, for now.

"I assume Danarius left valuables behind. Take them if you wish… I need some air," Fenris said, leaving the mansion after they had had cut down all foes.

"It never ends. I escaped a land of dark magic only to have it hunt me at every turn. It is a plague burnt into my flesh and my soul. You harbor a viper in your midst. It will turn on you and strike when you least expect. That is in its nature," he uttered when Hawke and her companions showed up outside.

"Ah, here it comes," Anders sighed impatiently.

"You're talking about a Grey Warden and a healer." Hawke was tired and her patience was running thin with the stubborn elf. Good thing I didn't bring Bethany or I'd have to kill this ungrateful prick.

"And a few other things, but let's not mention those," the mage unnecessarily added.

Revealing to the mage-hater elf that Anders was also some kind of abomination would definitely not help their situation, so Hawke changed the subject right away, asking Fenris about Danarius, the hunters after him and his lyrium markings.

"And, now he wishes his precious investment returned, even if he must rip it from my corpse," Fenris finished answering all her questions.

It seems like a waste of a perfectly handsome elf, she thought but didn't say it. He was a decent warrior with very unique talents and getting him to stick around would be useful, since Aveline was not always available and surely wouldn't be able to take time off the guard to join in the Deep Roads expedition. However Fenris could be dangerous for the mages in her band.

Hawke left him to cool off in the mansion where he had announced he would be staying, and went to the Hanged Man for a beer with the others.

"I wonder if we can trust him. We do need another warrior and –" she started as they took the stairs to Lowtown.

"You can't possibly be considering having this elf walking around with us, Hawke," Anders interrupted. "He could be running to the templars to tell them about me right now. It's a good thing your sister wasn't with us. Oh, Maker, if the templars come for me…"

"I guess you're right," Hawke agreed.

"Oh, that is such a shame. He seemed so talented. Can I recruit him just for me then?" Isabela teased.
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Free as a Bird