Hello lovely readers out there, I hope you enjoy this story; becuase I have put one of my others on hold just so I can bring this to you. The setting for the first chapter will be during Bait and Switch though this is going to have quite the switch to it. You are warned that his has some course language in it. Enjoy!

'It Is A Plague Burned Into

Our Flesh And Our Souls'

Chapter 1,

Bait And...,

He had never imagined that after he escaped from that twisted bastard of a master Danarius that he would find anyone willing to set aside their personal gain and help him. And he definitely hardly expected to be faced with another version of himself; he would never forget the day he broke into that hovel in the alienage.

There crouched on the floor beside blood covered tevinter slaves with her back to him was a woman, her hair was white as snow and bits of it hung by her eyes just out of the way, the outfit she wore he soon recognized to be Dragon Knight armor. He thought she was a mage because he had seen many female mages wear the same style; he starred on for a moment longer before she flicked her head in his direction.

Her ice blue eyes almost piercing holes through him, she was battle stanced in an instant, her dual blood fang sisters ready to cause more destruction, as fire radiated form the blades. She studied the elf before her curiously, he was dressed in black spiky armor and his hair was also as white as snow but his eyes were unlike hers they were green, although they held just as much misery.

She noticed that he didn't have his weapon drawn so she sheathed her own, although her stance remained pretty much the same; they stood in silence for what seemed like hours studying each other as much as they could before one spoke. It was her that broke the silence.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" She asked on a single breath,

"I could ask you the same thing, this poor set up was supposed to be my trap." He returned,

"Well my information was good, yours must have been bad." She mocked,

"These men were imperial bounty hunters seeking to reclaim a magister's lost property, namely myself." Fenris explained,

"You're a slave?" She asked, surprised,

"Yes, a magister named Danarius keeps sending his slavers to capture me but so far they have failed…what was you're business here?" he asked, she was horrified with the name that he spoke,

"What's wrong?" He asked, because she looked as if she had just seen a demon,

"You are a slave that escaped from Danarius, what makes you so important, why would he chase after you and how do I know you speak the truth?" She demanded, backing away nearly to the opposite side of the room,

"You don't." He said flatly, "But what was your business here?" He asked again,

"I…came here to kill some slavers that I was tipped off about, I was told that it appeared to be a trap of sorts, so I took care of them before they had a chance to capture whoever they were waiting for, but I didn't expect this." She explained,

"Well you have my thanks for the help my name…is Fenris." He said gratefully,

"Lupita, it appears our names have the same meaning." She said,

"What do you mean?" He asked,

"My name means little wolf." She said,

"Then you were a slave as well once." He realized,

"Yes, I am being chased to but not by Danarius I am being chased by his apprentice Hadrianna." She said,

"Hadrianna, why what have you done?" He asked, suddenly curious,

"I was her 'little wolf'; it appears she was more like her mentor than you thought, but I have never heard of you when did you escape?" Lupita asked,

"Over four years ago, when did you escape?" Fenris asked,

"About a year ago, I have been a slave nealry my whole life under Hadrianna's boot, I should have heard of you…if you're lying to me elf I swear I will kill you, I did not come all this way to have someone from her catch me now." She warned,

"The last thing I want is to return you to her, she tormented me, she would ridicule me, deny my meals, hound my sleep, and not only that she was there with Danarius when they branded lyrium into my flesh. Wiping my mind clean of any memory of my life before that I had from the shear agony it caused." He assured,

"Did you say Lyrium?" she asked, as she got close enough to him so that she could see every last mark to fine detail,

He looked at her and noticed that she was covered with lyrium markings to but not the same shapes, hers were more like slinking vines , fine with detail, one branch come just under her eye and ended at her nose, the marks on her chin making an O like his. They had both been marked by their masters they were more alike than either of them cared to imagine, they even shared the same goal to kill their former masters and escape recapture.

One thing that they also shared was the fact that one didn't know the other, and they thought it a plan their masters had concocted to draw them into the net of slavery once again. But the only thing that blew that idea out of proportion was the lyrium that covered each others skin, if this was a trap why would the sign of torment be etched over them.

"It seems we share a common goal Fenris, perhaps it would be wise if we stuck together and face the music when our masters come to collect us." She offered, she kicked herself in her head for doing that, what had come over her, this was just another elf like so many in the alienage,

"You would trust a stranger that you just met?" He asked curiously,

"I sense a yes in that question so I could ask the same thing." She returned,

"Then yes I will help you, but first there has to be something on their bodies indicating if Danarius is here with his men." Fenris said,

"I already looted everything that had even the chest in the back room which was empty; you're welcome to the coppers, slave invoices, and dirt they had in their pockets though." She joked,

"No you can keep it all I want nothing from them only information." He said,

"Well I'm keeping the invoice, that's why I do this, I get the information that leads me to the next lot, it's a hopeless cause I know but I try to send a message." She explained,

"You are sending a message, in fact you're saying "I'm a slave looking for revenge while I wait for my master to find me, and I'm coming out in the open taking on more slavers than I could possibly handle, and I'm going to blame you if I get returned to you"." He stated, taking note of just how many men were cramped into the small room,

"Well steady on Fenris, we only just met usually when I try to start a relationship, I take small steps before I leap." She teased,

"I…what? No that's not what I meant." He stuttered,

"I know." She said, as she stepped past him and out of the hovel, he sighed and followed suite,

"So where do you intend to stay tonight?" He asked, she stopped dead in her tracks, turned and starred him down intently,

"Yes?"

"Listen I wasn't always a slave, as you know the ritual that places these markings to skin wipes away everything you used to know, but there's only one thing that I still remember from before, my heritage." She explained,

"So you lied to me already, I have been completely honest with you and yet you see fit to lie to my face, did I not just offer myself to you on a silver platter?" He asked, almost hostilely,

"I know believe me I wanted to tell you the truth but for all I knew you could have been someone sent to recapture me." She reasoned,

"Fair enough, but who are you?" He asked,

"My family name is Hawke that's all I remember I swear." She said,

"So you just happen to be a noble here who is now an escaped slave, how do you think that looks from my point of view?" He asked,

"That's not true, Hawke was the name I got when my mother ran away with a Feralden apostate instead of marrying the Comte De Launcet…so I was told…by Hadrianna…and you don't believe me." She realized,

"Did I say that?" He asked,

"No but the way you're looking at me says it." She said, as she then turned and started walking towards Hightown, but Fenris soon followed suite again, she stopped again surprised to see she was still following him,

"You don't need to say anything, I hold nothing against that fact that you know more about who you are than I do because of what Hadrianna told you, so I will still help you." He explained, so they continued towards Hightown,

They finally arrive at the mansion and walked inside, the smell of stale blood took Fenris by surprise as the door was opened allowing the rank odour to attack him unprepared.

"I probably should have mentioned this place was 'once' occupied by slavers, they're gone now and a message sent to those who would try to take back the place so we're safe." She explained,

"Charming guests you entertain." He mumbled,

"This was my mothers home I will not allow it to be a slave depot for the undercity, I wish my mother…well you can choose any room in the house you like I'm sure we have enough, there's a fire place, (bark) a mabari, StoneHeart's his name, he'll be nice to you if you're a good ma…elf, and if you're not he soon lets you know, he keeps the stupid slavers away." She explained,

"Charming." He muttered, once again,

"Here boy." Lupita called, the cream colored mabari soon bounded towards her,

He eyed the elf curiously, and Fenris simply starred in return, there was a pause as the animal wandered around the new guest smelling and determining whether he was friend or foe. But soon StoneHeart licked Fenris' hand showing he approved, Fenris moved his hand and wiped away the saliva before pushing the dog away from him.

Hawke ordered him away and soon led Fenris into the living room with the fire place roaring with life, both were cold but neither wished to show such meaningless concern.

"Well we have bread, cheese, a bit of fruit, vegetables, meat, water obviously, and not much else, there's plenty of dust however, you're welcome to your share of that." She explained, as she sat her blood fang sisters over the fireplace,

Fenris looked around at everything there was to see his eyes getting caught on several large statues that seemed to have their eyes trained on him, he hated ones like that Danarius had plenty. He didn't notice Hawke walk into the kitchen to prepare a simple meal for the night, it was all she had and she knew it would do him fine to, because they probably would have had worse.

After he was satisfied with how much he was able to ensnare in his gaze he set his eyes back on the spot where Hawke used to be, he looked around and found that she was no longer in the room. He wanted to find her and was not about to stand where he was and wait for her to reappear, so instead he took this as a chance to search the house.

One room that he stumbled upon was beautifully decorated with slaver blood, and so he decided that room could stay untouched, dust he could handle but blood from people he never wanted to see again he wouldn't. After the first room he lost interest in exploring so he went to find the kitchen, it wasn't had because he caught drift of some stew on the hot coals.

He left his Greatsword by the fireplace where Hawke left her blades, and continued into the kitchen where he found her stirring a small pot that no doubt had whatever they were going to be eating tonight in it. He had to admit it did smell inviting, as he walked up to her, he brushed against her arm that was now exposed because she had changed her clothes.

Her lyrium markings burnt with a glowing blue color, and she shot back causing the wooden spoon she was using to fall to the floor, he was startled by her action, but then let it go because he was probably like this once. He picked up the spoon and walked over to her.

"I'm sorry." He offered as he handed her the spoon,

Never before had he seen anyone's eyes look so frightened and torn at the same time, but she quickly took the spoon and moved back to the pot. He realized there was a story behind this and having his own first hand experience; he thought he should extend her the curtesy of offering to listen to the tale.

"I don't do this, but I was a slave and went through the same things you did, so if you wish to tell me about it I will listen." He said,

"Do you, do you really know what I've been through, have you had to watch as you're family was murdered in front of you and have no option but to watch and ignore saving them, because I have. Have you ever been locked in a room blind folded with your hands tied so you could interfere with what was about to happen day in and day out, to have things move in the dark, things you couldn't see that would…they…they…" She couldn't continue, instead she sobbed,

He stood back and watched, he wanted to comfort her with his touch but realized if he touched her it would do nothing for her benefit, she had been through so much more than him, she wasn't just any ordinary slave, she was a sex slave. He had heard of these kinds of slaves, they were forced into rooms blindfolded unless they were willing, where they would be defiled without knowing by whom or where the intrusion would be taken.

This was mainly set up so that people that no one wanted to lie with could have a chance, he didn't agree with any kind of slavery but this was a certain kind that made his lyrium lines glow just from the thought of it. She had every right to cry, there was no telling how old she was when this life started, but even though it was over she could never be free, whereas he had the option she really didn't.

Danarius was many things but this was not one of them Hadrianna had to be acting on her own without his consent.

"I know nothing I say can comfort you so if you wish I shall leave." He offered,

"No you don't have to, you had no way of knowing, this won't happen again." She assured,

"Regardless of what Danarius is I cannot believe he would allow something like this to go on, he doesn't deal with things like sex slavery, Hadrianna is striking out on her own, so you're more valuable to her than I thought, she's worried you'll tell him and she'd be killed or worse." He explained,

"She has every reason to be worried about me, because when she finally catches up with me I will crush her blackened heart." She swore,

So what o you think, I hope I wasn't to fast paced, because this was originally just going to be a one shot that progressed into a 21 page story so far. This is the retelling of the past however and in the next chapter or the one after we will be put back into present time.

I will keep the companions, and follow some of the story line, like coming to Kirkwall with Aveline and what not, and Varric and his deep roads expedition, though it has been altered to suite my needs. There will also be a bit of character swapping but I hope you like it. Review!