A Future to Be Had (a Dragon Age fanfiction)

Reconstruction

Hawke came slowly to wakefulness. It was warm under the covers and a familiar lean body was pressed against hers. For a moment, she thought she must be dreaming; the reality that she was sure of, that of being imprisoned in Aeonar Fortress, did not seem to match the evidence of her senses. Did it matter? she thought sleepily, cuddling closer and listening to his deep, even breathing near her ear. Better to lie there dreaming of being in his arms than to lie there fearing the Templars.

No, she told herself sternly. It would not do to be sucked into the Templars' soft, warm maw. She moved, throwing the covers off, and was greeted with a murmur of protest as Fenris's strong arm tightened around her waist.

Only then did she remember the events of the night before. Relaxing back against Fenris, Hawke sighed in contentment.

"Much better," he murmured in her ear, and she shivered.

"I forgot you were here."

"I see your experiences have not altered your difficulty in achieving full cognition on first waking."

Hawke snorted. "Hardly. They kept me drugged all the way here. It wasn't until my feet touched good hard Fereldan soil that I managed to wake up at all."

Fenris drew her more closely against him, his arms closing around her protectively. "They kept you drugged?" he asked, in a tone that boded poorly for whichever Templar was first through the door.

"It was probably more pleasant than whatever they might have thought to do if I'd been awake." Evelyn shifted so that she could look at his face, smiling at him. "And no doubt more pleasant than your journey. I can't imagine Varric and Bethany made that any too much fun."

He glanced sharply upward at the wall, clearly wondering if they were being overheard. "They did not. Nor did Bianca, who blamed me quite severely for the entire situation."

"Bianca blamed you for something? Well, as I live and breathe. I never thought I'd see the day that the favorite parent was toppled from his pedestal." She poked him in the ribs.

"It was not amusing."

"I'm sure it wasn't. But it had to happen sometime. She couldn't go on thinking you hung the moon her whole life. Not even I think that."

Fenris sat up, looking at her with troubled green eyes. "I am far from perfect. Or worthy, for that matter. You and Bianca have always deserved better than anything I could provide. It is to my eternal shame that my actions landed us in this mess to begin with."

"Yes, it is, and they certainly did. I swear to the Maker, Fenris, the next time you decide that the answer to our problems lies in closing yourself off from me, I'll kill you myself, then follow you into the Fade and bring you back again. I've had it with this nonsense, you hear me?" Hawke was sitting up now, too, holding his gaze with her own.

"Why would you go to the trouble of bringing me back, in that case?"

"You think I would let the Maker have you after I've gone to so much trouble to keep you for myself?" She smiled, but Fenris shook his head, his eyes dark and troubled.

"I do not understand why you have forgiven me for my selfishness. I failed to understand it all those years ago, and I do not now. Why do you not send me away after all the hurt I have caused you?" he whispered, searching her face for the answer.

"Because I love you, you idiot. I don't ever want to live without you, not for a minute. You may be a stubborn, selfish fool—but everything you've ever done, you've done because you thought it was better for me, and at great cost to yourself. Just because you were wrong doesn't mean your heart wasn't in the right place." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Just don't do it again. I couldn't stand to lose you one more time."

He cleared his throat, and Hawke tensed, preparing for him to protest again that he would be returning to Tevinter with his sister once they escaped. Assuming they managed such an unheard-of feat as escape from the Aeonar, Hawke fully intended to deal with Varania herself, and as for the rest of the Tevinter manhunters ... where there was a will, there was a way, she believed.

Fenris seemed to read her thoughts, because he stood up without answering, looking for his fallen armor. It was a small cell, so the search was a brief one. "It appears they do not feel the need for such amenities as feeding their prisoners."

"Not too much, no. And pretty much only when it occurs to them. If there's any kind of regular meal schedule, I haven't been able to figure out what it is." Hawke got up, too, stretching.

"You are so thin," Fenris said, frowning.

"You're not any too hefty yourself. What does Varania feed you, leftover carrot tops?"

He didn't respond to that, tugging his gauntlets on. "When will they come? I expected them long before now."

Hawke shrugged. "They pride themselves on being unpredictable. The question is, who will come, and what we should do about it when they do." She collected her own clothes, which didn't take nearly as long to put on as Fenris's armor. She looked at it longingly, missing her own armor.

"I have an idea." The flare of his markings was bright in the dim room, leaving little question as to his intentions.

"Cullen and Keran both know what you can do. They'll be prepared."

"Cullen? He is here?"

"Yes." Hawke crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "I can't figure him out. He's all hot and cold. One minute he's my best friend, the next he's a tool of the Templars, then he turns on the charm—"

A low growl from her husband cut her words off. "I will kill him."

"He didn't touch me, Fenris."

"I do not care."

"You know, some women might find it irritating to have the husband who abandoned them threatening a perfectly nice man who tried to flirt with them."

"And you?" His voice deepened, and two swift steps had him in front of her, his arm stealing around her waist to pull her against him.

For answer, she kissed him, her fingers curving around the back of his head. She missed the silky fall of hair that she loved to bury her hands in.

"Did you flirt back?" Fenris asked into her ear, nipping the edge and licking her earlobe.

"No." He hummed in satisfaction, his mouth moving down her neck, and Hawke arched her neck into his touch. "What about you?" she whispered. "Did Varania live up to the magisters' reputation and try to stud you out to her other slaves?" The sudden stillness of his hands and mouth were an eloquent response, and she grasped him by the shoulders, moving her head until she could look into his face. "Did you allow it?"

"I did not," he said forcefully. "You must believe me."

Evelyn searched his eyes. "Did you want to? I'm sure they were young, and beautiful, and ..."

Fenris cupped her face with his hands, stopping her words with his thumbs over her lips. "You are the only beautiful woman in the world."

She hadn't even known she was so worried about this, but his response filled her with relief. Evelyn heard herself sigh as his mouth closed on hers again, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on for dear life.

And, of course, that was when the door opened.