Dragon Age 2 FanFiction :Chapter 6:

Chapter 6

Author: Ariyannaxshiku
Game: Dragon Age II
Pairing: N/A

The sound of muffled voices pulled Serenar from her unconscious state and her eyes fluttered open as a small groan escaped through her pale lips.

"Look, she's awake!" Someone announced. Serenar blinked the blurriness away and turned her head to try and see where she was. There was an old fireplace newly lit not far from her with a staff leaning up against it, the floor was just levelled out dirt with many faded foot prints spread through it and the walls had hardly anything hanging from them. Serenar turned her head in the other direction and noticed a tall figure standing over near a bench with their back turned to her. They had honey blond hair tied up into a neat little ponytail and were dressed in a robe, partly covered by a cloak with feathers stitched into the fabric and covering their shoulders. Anders…?

"It's about time you woke up!" Another person shouted enthusiastically. Serenar's head snapped in the direction of the voices and saw a whole lot of faces looming over her head. She yelped and jumped in fright, slipping off the cot she'd been lying on and hitting the ground with a loud "thud".

Serenar groaned and placed her hand over her throbbing shoulder, only to realise that there was supposed to be an arrow wedged deep into her bone. "Don't worry, I already took care of all your wounds," Anders said as he smiled and held a hand out to the confused elf. Serenar stared at his hand with a dumbfounded expression, not sure what to do. Anders chuckled and shook his head at her. "It's okay; I'm just trying to help you up." He explained.

The young elf blinked and hesitantly placed her delicate hand in his. Anders gently pulled her to her feet then guided her back to the cot. "Your wounds are healed, but it will still hurt for a few days. Be sure to take this potion, it will help ease the pain." He handed her a small vial filled with a strange green liquid. Serenar popped the lid off and looked inside before talking a large gulp of the concoction

Her eyes widened and she forced herself to swallow, which she only ended up gagging on. The others burst into laughter and Serenar's face turned red as a blush covered her cheeks.

"I never said it would taste good." Anders quipped, trying hard to muffle his laughter. Serenar huffed and placed the lid back on the vial. She looked around again, still wondering where she was. "We're in the lowest part of Kirkwall, Darktown; and this is my Clinic." Anders informed her, reading the question in her sparkling elven eyes.

Serenar nodded slowly in understanding before looking at the others that were seated upon lined up barrels. Athena was sitting the closest to her with Liana perched in her lap since there weren't that many barrels, Varric was next, followed by Aveline, Sebastian, and finally Isabella who was leaning up against the wall. But Fenris wasn't there. She glanced around the entire room, but she couldn't see him anywhere.

Serenar felt disappointed by this, she wasn't quite sure why though. It wasn't like she could ask him any of her questions, so why did Fenris not being here disappoint her further? Maybe it was because he didn't care. He didn't care that they were somehow the same; that they'd been through the same thing, whatever that was.

"You've been out for almost an entire day! I'm so sorry I should've checked to see if you were following but I was just so tired and distracted," Athena started immediately apologising, guilt obvious on her face. "If it wasn't for Liana I never would've noticed that you were gone! I'm sorry you got lost, please forgive me!" Athena continued to beg.

Serenar looked at the pleading dark haired human and simply smiled at her. She didn't blame Athena. It was her fault for wondering into that stupid warehouse in the first place. She suddenly remembered that group back in the warehouse and their plan to meet up with someone and invade the Viscount's Keep.

The elf jumped off the cot and tried to run to the door, but the sudden movement made Serenar's head spin and she fell forward, only to be caught by two strong arms covered in white armor. She looked up at the dark skinned man with stunning blue eyes and neatly combed back brown hair.

"Are you okay?" He asked in that Scottish accent of his. Serenar gave him a small smile of gratitude and straightened herself up before pointing at the closed doors. "What is it?" He questioned, following her finger before turning his gaze back onto her.

Serenar opened her mouth, but then remembered that she couldn't talk and quickly closed it again. She pointed at her shoulder where the arrow had been then pointed back at the door.

"You want to open the door with your shoulder?" Varric questioned slowly. Serenar shook her head and pointed at her shoulder again before turning her finger back to the door.

"Oh, oh, I know! She wants to bash the door down!" Isabella guessed, finding the elf's little charade game entertaining. Serenar sighed and shook her head before walking over to the fireplace and picking up the staff. She walked around the Clinic, rubbing her foot along the ground until she found a reasonably soft bit of dirt she could draw in.

The others got off their seats and walked over to watch. Serenar knelt down and drew a box with a roof and stick figures inside it. It took everyone a while to guess what she was trying to say, but Aveline finally caught on.

"I think she's talking about the men that were in the warehouse." Aveline suggested. Serenar nodded before wiping the drawings away and standing up. She looked up at the redheaded warrior. She always had her short hair tied back loosely with a red band around the top of her head. She had green eyes, cream skin and a dusting of freckles across her nose and cheekbones. Serenar also noticed that she was dressed in the same armor that the guards around Kirkwall wore. In her opinion, Aveline was quite frightening and most likely not a woman to be messed with, but there was something about her that kept Serenar from running away in fear.

"Don't worry about that, we took care of them; and the others." Anders suddenly said, anger quickly filling his voice.

"We found a letter that was addressed to someone called Garrod Lamont. Apparently there was supposed to be an ambush on the Viscounts Keep," Athena inquired and she walked back over to her designated barrel and sat down. Everyone followed after her and began taking their seats as well. Serenar perched on the edge of the cot and Liana sat next to her with a smile on her face. The young elf hesitantly smiled back before turning her attention towards the dark haired human. "I guess it's kind of a good thing that you got lost after all, otherwise those guys would still be plotting against the Viscount." Athena finished, grinning at Serenar.

"You weren't scared at all?" Anders asked, looking at her with concern now. Serenar hesitated for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. She had been scared, but she didn't really want to admit to anyone, especially these people, that she was weak.

"Oh! You guys I just remembered that we're supposed to be at the Hanged Man in half an hour!" Athena blurted, jumping off her barrel.

"We better start heading over now then." Sebastian suggested as everyone else got up as well.

"Perhaps it would be best to dress Serenar in something more appropriate before she goes to the Hanged Man. We wouldn't want the drunken fools to ogle the poor girl." Varric said, shaking his head as he grimaced at the thought. Serenar blinked a few times in confusion before looking down at herself, only just realizing that her cloak had been left in the warehouse and she was only covered by her tattered rags.

The elf's face turned bright red and quickly crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to cover herself better, suddenly feeling very exposed to the others around her.

"We'll quickly drop by Gamlen's place and get her a change of clothes. We'll meet you guys at the Hanged Man." Athena told her companions as they all walked out of Anders' Clinic and into the chilling draft that travelled around the streets of Darktown.

Everyone walked through the filth of the lowest part of the city until they arrived at Lowtown. Athena, Liana and Serenar said their goodbyes before splitting from the others and heading in the opposite direction. Serenar was sure to stay right beside the Hawkes this time as they walked passed poorly dressed people who were sitting against the walls and gesturing with their hands for someone to give them money or food.

Serenar shivered as a brisk breeze blew her messy hair around and bit at her exposed flesh like sharp little teeth trying to gnaw through her skin. Liana walked up on the other side of Serenar and smiled at her, unclipping her cloak and handing it to the shivering elf. Serenar gratefully took it and wrapped it around herself with shaking fingers; glad to have something to shield her from the eyes of the strangers they passed by.

"My name's Liana, but you probably already knew that…" The little mage introduced herself. She seemed as shy as Serenar felt, and that made a small smile spread across her features. She looked at Liana then, examining her closely. The girl had light blonde hair that fell a little past her shoulder blades, sun-kissed skin with a light dusting of freckles across her cheeks, and long lashes that rimmed her shining blue eyes. Serenar was about the same height as Liana, but the elf knew that this human was younger than her, simply by how child-like she still was. She had to be…15, at the least?

The walk wasn't that long, and within no time they were walking up a flight of stairs and through the door that Athena had unlocked. "It seems Gamlen and Mother are out. Callum isn't here either."

"Maybe he's already at the Hanged Man?" Liana suggested as she followed her older sister through the incredibly small house. Serenar hesitantly stepped into the foreign home, looking around and taking in everything her eyes landed on. The sudden sound of loud barking followed by heavy footsteps caught the elf's attention and she turned to see a large mound of brown fur bounding towards her, drool flying all over the place. Serenar screamed in fright as she was knocked onto her back and attacked with a large slobbery tongue.

"Rex! Stop before you lick her face off!" Athena ordered in a firm tone. The overly huge animal stopped in its assault and trotted over to the dark haired woman's side, sitting at her feet as it whined unhappily.

"Are you okay?" Liana asked, quickly running over to help the petrified elf to her feet. Serenar gave the human a slow nod, shaking from head to toe as she looked over at the dog that looked more like a bear.

"I'm sorry about him, he usually doesn't do that. Well, he didn't eat you, so I guess that means he either sees you as a friend, or you don't taste very good." Athena joked, trying to make light of the situation.

Serenar could only nod again, not entirely convinced if she could trust the beast sitting merely a few feet from her.

"Bad Mabari! Bad boy for scaring the poor girl!" The human scolded the dog, wiggling a finger as she shook her head in disapproval. The Mabari whined again and went back to lying on the floor, tongue lolling out of the side of its mouth as it began panting again. "Liana, could you go pick out some clothes for Serenar?"

The mage nodded and scurried off behind a door into another room. Serenar put a hand on her arm and awkwardly stood near the front door, glancing around once again. Her attention went back to the little human as she came back out and walked towards the cautious elf, a nervous smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Sorry, but I hope you don't mind wearing my clothes. I couldn't find anything else that would fit you." Liana explained, somewhat sheepishly. Serenar shook her head and gave the girl another small smile before taking the bundle of clothes and following the human to the room she'd just came from. "You can get dressed in here. Um, we'll be waiting out in the main room if you need us." Was all she said before retreating and closing the wooden door behind her.

Serenar turned to face the room. There wasn't much in here, just a bunk bed on one side of the room, and then a single bed pushed up against the opposite wall. There were no comfy mattresses, just a bundle of squashed straw covered by layers of thin dirt stained blankets. The elf quickly took off the cloak, and after hesitating for a moment she removed her rags as well.

She held up the fabric that had been given to her. It was a simple robe, one that a common mage would wear. She slipped it over her head and slid her arms into the sleeves, shivering delicately as the fabric brushed against her skin on its way down. The robe was pink, much to Serenar's distaste, and had a thin cream band that sat just above her waste. The band had been made to show off ones curves, but curves was not something Serenar had. Compared to other females she has seen so far in Kirkwall she was practically a stick.

The elf scooped up the rags and cloak in one arm and opened the door with the other before walking out to join the two waiting humans. "So, does it fit?" Athena questioned as she turned her purple gaze towards her. Serenar nodded and held the cloak out to Liana who gratefully took it and replaced it upon her shoulders.

Serenar walked over to the small fireplace and dumped the rags into the fire, watching them catch alight and burn away until they were nothing but ashes.

"Now, we just have to deal with that dishevelled hair of yours." The dark haired woman said, walking over to a table in the corner of the room and picking up a brush. She motioned for the elf to come and sit in a chair and Serenar quickly obeyed, taking a seat and turning way from the human so Athena could brush the tangled locks on top of her head.

After several long minutes of knot ripping, wincing and profuse apologies Serenar's hair was as soft as silk and once again fell down her back in cascading waves. "I wish I had your hair." Liana sighed, her voice wistful as she felt her fingers glide easily through the dark reddish brown hair.

Serenar blushed in embarrassment and smiled a little awkwardly, not quite sure how to take the girl's compliment. "Alright you two, I think it's about time we started heading over to the Hanged Man before the group get pissed off and come around to drag us there by our feet." Athena said with a grin as she walked out the front door again, holding it open as Liana and Serenar followed her through.

Once they walked through the door to the Hanged Man the three could see that everyone else was already crowded around one of the tables. If Serenar thought the smell of the warehouse was bad, the stench of this local pub almost knocked her straight out. The smell of lingering vomit, alcohol and sweaty workers was far worse than a musty room with the faint aroma of fish. Serenar covered her nose and followed the other two towards the table, wondering how on Thedas they could stand the potent smell.

"Kyon!" Almost everyone at the table cheered as they caught sight of them making their way through the crowd. Serenar was incredibly small amongst the large group of people that were gathered in the Hanged Man, but even her size didn't stop her from getting knocked around like a ship on a violent sea. Serenar reached out and grabbed the end of Athena's sleeve just as a rather large behind almost knocked her flying. Serenar held onto the sleeve as tightly as she could, using it as a life line as they were guided through the chaos and finally reached the destination.

"Quite the crowd tonight, eh?" Athena said, looking back at the drunks that were laughing and swaying on their feet.

"Aw, ain't that sweet?" Isabela suddenly said, gesturing towards Serenar and how she was gripping onto Athena's sleeve. "You look so precious in that pink dress!" The ex-captain continued to coo, making Serenar turn red from head to toe as she let go of Athena and looked at the grimy floor.

Sebastian looked up from his untouched mug of ale that Varric had generously bought for him – even though he didn't drink – and stared with a bewildered expression at the girl that stood beside his friends. He had never seen someone that looked quite like her. It wasn't the lyrium markings covering her skin that had first caught his attention. It was her eyes; they were full of such purity and innocence. Sebastian had been with the Chantry for as long as he could remember, and throughout his whole life he had never met someone as pure as the elf that stood before them all. It made him happy to see such an alive spirit that wasn't haunted by a dark past, like all his friends that sat at this table.

As soon as Anders's gaze landed on Serenar his jaw would've smacked into the floor if it hadn't been for the fact that he was resting his chin on his folded arms. It had been awhile since the mage had seen someone as beautiful as Serenar was. She looked like a true elven goddess, especially with that long hair of hers that seemed to almost glow under the dim light of the Hanged Man. How had he not noticed her beauty earlier? He had known from the start that she was pretty, but seeing her now…even the Maker himself would've turned his head in her direction.

Fenris noticed the sudden silence from the two men sitting across from him and glanced up to see what was the matter, but when he saw the ogling looks they had he gave them a perplexed look and shook his head before following their gaze, only to see an extremely uncomfortable and seemingly embarrassed elf standing beside Athena. Fenris had not expected to see her here or to see her looking so…so…he couldn't come up with anything to describe her. Was this even the same elf that he'd saved from the horde of Darkspawn? The one that had saved him from falling off the edge of that cliff in the Wounded Coast? His gaze flickered up to hers, and as soon as he saw those large, emerald eyes he knew for sure that this was the same elf indeed. He quickly glanced back down, crossing his arms as he pretended as if he hadn't seen her. Fenris was still not sure what to think of her, or if he could trust her.

Yes, she had saved him from dying that night, but maybe that was all part of her plan. If she is working under Danarius, she would want to befriend him, to gain his trust first before she did anything. Or maybe she was just here to make sure he didn't flee so Danarius could assemble another army in hopes to try and recapture him again. Then there was the theory that maybe she was like him, a slave that managed to escape only by miracle, but it doesn't make sense that she escaped, and has no memory of it. It just didn't add up. He had to be careful around this girl, he knew that much.

"Will you two stop staring? You're making it awkward for her." Aveline demanded, giving the Chantry boy and the apostate narrowed glares of frustration. Varric smiled and shook his head.

"It seems you attract even the men at our table, Bambi." Varric chuckled as he gestured at Sebastian and Anders who looked a little embarrassed for being caught staring.

Serenar glanced at the two of them before looking back at Varric, her hand still clasped tightly over her nose. She wasn't sure what a Bambi was, or what it meant…or why he'd even called her that, but she kind of liked it.

"So is that her new nickname?" Isabela asked curiously, leaning over the table and resting her elbows in the centre.

"Indeed it is, Rivaini. Suits her, no?" He said smugly as he glanced around the table.

"Oh, you definitely have a way with picking the best nicknames, Varric." Athena agreed.

"Exactly. Now, I think we should all move this conversation up to my room. Little Bambi here doesn't seem to like the smell." Varric chuckled as he gestured towards Serenar before getting up.

"Good idea." Liana agreed, quickly following Varric across the room and up the stairs as everyone else slowly trailed behind.

"Hey, has anyone seen my hard head of a brother today?" Athena questioned as they walked through a doorway and sat around a large stone table. Varric's room was a lot nicer compared to the rest of the Hanged Man. And it even smelt better too. Serenar looked around, noting everything that hung on the walls and the furniture that was pushed to the side, until finally her eyes landed on a semi-large fireplace not that far away from the head of the table where Varric now sat in a large stone chair.

"Nope, haven't seen him at all." The Dwarf replied as he watched everyone else take their seats, only to leave no room for Serenar to sit anywhere. She looked around at the table, standing awkwardly to the side as she ringed her hands nervously. "Come now, Bambi. You can sit here, I'm sure Bianca won't mind giving up her spot." Varric offered as he moved his beloved crossbow and sat her on the table in front of him.

Serenar smiled and gladly went over, taking a seat next to Varric on his overly large chair. She glanced at the crossbow, her eyes lighting up as she leaned forward to get a better look at it.

"No, Bambi," The dwarf said, reaching out and grabbing the elf's hand before she could lay a finger on his weapon. "You can look, but not touch. Bianca doesn't like being handled by other people."

Serenar nodded slowly and pulled her hand back, folding both of them in her lap. But she couldn't help staring longingly at the crossbow. "Aw, she has puppy eyes just like Fenris!" Izzie cooed again.

"There are no puppy eyes." Fenris growled as he crossed his arms and shot a glare in the pirates' direction.

"Sure there aren't. If thinking that helps you sleep at night, then by all means, think away." The ex-captain teased, which only earned her an aggravated sigh from the brooding elf.

"Why don't you show us all your big "puppy eyes" now, huh?" Anders suggested, smirking evilly as he also crossed his arms.

Fenris' eyes flashed and he turned his hateful gaze towards the apostate. "Don't you start with me, mage. You may be on the other side of the table, but I can assure you that I can run a lot faster than you'd ever be able to."

Serenar could practically feel the anger and hatred chorusing between the warrior and the mage from where she was sitting. If someone didn't stop this now, a war might possibly break loose in this very room.

"I'd like to see you try! I dare you to!" Anders yelled, slamming his hands on the table and pushing the chair away as he stood up.

"Don't tempt me, abomination; because right now I'd like nothing more than to rip your heart out!" Fenris punched the table with his fists as he also stood up. The lyrium markings across his skin lit up from the anger that was coursing through him, and the light pouring from them was almost too bright to look at.

"Both of you stop it. Stop this nonsense right now!" Aveline ordered, but the men were too blinded by rage to even notice the redheaded warrior.

"Big girl, they're not going to listen to anyone." Isabela pointed out, leaning away from the table as she squinted against the light.

"Shut up, whore, at least I'm trying to deal with it." Aveline narrowed her eyes at the pirate as she stood up and took a step back from the table.

"This isn't good, this soo isn't good," Athena mumbled as she shook her head. "Fenris, you have to stop this, now!"

"You too Anders, please, listen to us!" Liana called, trying desperately to get the two men's attention.

The young elf couldn't take it anymore; she didn't want to see two people who were supposed to be friends fighting each other. Serenar climbed up onto the table and slipped in between the two, putting a hand on each of their chests in attempt to push them away from each other.

"No, Bambi!" Varric protested.

"Serenar, get out of there!" Athena started.

"It's too dangerous when they're like that!" Liana finished.

The sound of cracking caught the elf's attention and she turned her head to see Anders skin splitting beneath her hand and a blue light beginning to pour out of it, lighting up the already bright room even more. What…what was happening…?

"You will not take another mage!" A deep, booming voice erupted from Anders, sounding like a completely different person. In a mere matter of seconds Serenar had been lifted off her feet and thrown across the room, stopping only when she came into contact with the hard wall. Her head snapped back and cracked against a sharp ornament that was hung up before she fell to the floor.

Serenar groaned and lightly prodded the back of her head, hissing as she touched the tender skull. She looked down at her fingertips only to see blood running down into the palm of her hand.

The sound of footsteps caught her attention and she looked up just in time to see Anders, or at least the shell of Anders stalking towards her. Why was he targeting her? She had only tried to stop the situation. Though, she was glad that it was her and not someone else getting hurt.

"What are you?" The voice demanded, grabbing Serenar by the front of her robe and lifting her off the ground. Serenar wasn't sure how to respond, or that she even could. The only thing running through her head right now was that this side of Anders frightened her. "Answer me! You are no normal elf, so what are you?!"

Serenar cried out in pain as she was shoved roughly against the wall, the now tender part of her head slamming into something else rather sharp.

"Justice, stop!"

"She can't talk!"

"Just leave her alone, she's only young!" There were so many voices all yelling at once, but Serenar couldn't make out any of them. Except one.

"Get away from her abomination!" Fenris growled, running up and knocking the mage over. Serenar's robe slipped out of the apostates grasp and she slid to the floor, trying hard to catch her breath. She felt like she was going to hyperventilate.

Serenar pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked with wide eyes at the two struggling against each other. Fenris grabbed the mage by his robe and pushed him up against the wall, much like what Anders had done to her.


Everyone in the room watched in horror as Fenris' fist lit up and he pulled his arm back, ready to strike. Serenar wasn't sure what he was going to do, but she knew that it would kill Anders.

"Fenris, no!" The others screamed at him. Serenar leapt to her feet, ignoring the dizziness at the amount of blood she'd lost and jumped in between the two again. The sudden feeling of something phasing through her chest and clutching her heart made Serenar let out a short scream. She looked up into the taller elf's face, watching as the anger quickly turned into shock and his moss green his eyes widened.

Fenris quickly withdrew his hand and moved back, staring at the dazed girl whose heart he'd almost crushed. Serenar felt her whole world spin as she stumbled forward and fell to the floor. Voices yelling and feet moving rapidly were the last things she acknowledged before her vision and everything else disappeared.