Dragon Age: Inquisition: Anders Inquisitor AU

[wolfehawke]

Hawke is called away from his fugitive life with Anders to go look into some red lyrium stuff with Stroud. Anders heads for the Conclave to "redeem himself".

This can only end well.

Comments

[apurrstate]

There's so much in all of that and Anders has to grasp to hold onto it. The mages made sense, that was why they were in Redcliffe. The templars...was that what happened because Anders hadn't gone to them? They turned to Corephyus? No, he couldn't spare that any thought right now. Empress Celene, a demon army...Corephyus back from the dead. These needed his attention.

It gave him pause, but that determination slipped back in after only a moment. His grip on Wolfe tightened and he nodded. "We'll figure it out, Hawke. We always do. First we go to Alexius, make this right. You've told me who he is and how he does it, I swear we'll stop him this time. None of this will happen. Will you help me make sure we put this right?"

[wolfehawke]

Put this right he says. None of this will happen.

Its already happened. He's already watched what little remains of what he cares about be eradicated. The world is ruins, nowhere is safe, and a specter of his love he saw die is telling him it's not going to happen if he helps to find Alexius and somehow set everything right.

It will feel good to turn the magister into paste, at least. If they get that far and Anders doesn't just simply disappear and the guards descend on Adalwolfe for being out of his cell again. He'd stopped that months ago but they're still vigilant, exchanging whispers on how the annoyance that is him will be rendered inert soon, attached to the wall in a vein of pulsing red lyrium just like Fiona. It's a wonder it hasn't happened yet.

The urgency fades some from his eyes but he does nod, slipping into an easy and utterly superfluous smile. "What are we waiting for?"

[apurrstate]

He can see when his Hawke fades into this new and broken one and it broke Anders' heart all over again. This man...red lyrium crystals in the shapes of blood magic sigils on his arms...he could feel Justice trying to stir in anger that Hawke had fallen so far, but that emptiness...he couldn't. Hawke had been through more than Anders could guess or even had time to try and listen to, all he could do for him now was make sure this never happened. Make sure he was always at Hawke's back to ensure it never ended up in a corner.

Anders steeled himself even as he brought a hand up to brush at Wolfe's hair, one last moment for softness and mourning, but then they had to continue.

"Alright."

Anders led Wolfe out of the cell, his eyes locking briefly with Varric's and, for just a moment, they shared that mourning and a flash of guilt, but then it was over. They really needed to keep going. Leliana was still missing.

Their numbers greater, the guards they ran into didn't stand a chance and Anders let some of his fury out on whoever they came across. They didn't get the chance to give the ones torturing Leliana a taste of their own medicine before she did it herself. Anders tried to offer her healing, but she turned him down and pushed past him.

'Let me help you, you're hurt.'
'This is nothing and nothing you can do will make it better unless you make it right.'

Her tone had been scathing, almost hateful, and Anders didn't know that he could blame her, even as his own ire stirred. He'd vanished, her wounds still open about Justinia, his actions in Kirkwall still a tense subject between them, and then everything had fallen to ruin.

'And mages wonder why people fear them.'

He followed her to the open area in silence, his strikes slowly changing from focused fury to determined efficiency as they finally got across the bridge into the rest of the castle. When they hit the courtyard, Anders stopped dead in his tracks, eyes drawn to the Rift...and what remained of the sky. "Maker...It's...everywhere."