We sent Varric on ahead to casually watch the town square. He needn't have worried about being conspicuous; there were Templars, police and reporters everywhere, as well as the usual crowd of hangers-on who had nothing else to do on a Wednesday.

"I don't sense any lyrium," Merrill said, as we pulled up in her car.

"She won't use that trick again," Orsino said. "Not so soon, anyway. She must have something else planned."

"I wish I had something planned," I said. "Are you ready, First Enchanter?" Once he stepped out, the reporters were going to be all over us.

He nodded.

Orsino and I stepped out of the motor while the others dispersed through the crowd. I had questions shouted at me and flashbulbs popped, but I left the talking to Orsino, as was my place as a mere employee.

Meredith was waiting for us. Carver was among the Templars standing behind her, chewing nervously on his thumb and staring at me, then Orsino, then Meredith and back to me again. At least they hadn't arrested him.

I grinned and waved at my brother. More photographs were taken.

"First Enchanter," Meredith spoke, and the crowd went silent. "We were wondering where you were. You have some questions to answer. And if I don't like the response, I will be applying to have this Circle annulled." The crowd murmured. "I have done everything I can to protect everyone, mages and innocent citizens alike, and yet this Circle continues to defy me, continues to be an embarrassment among Circles. And for so long," she was addressing the crowd now, rather than us, "I thought it was me. I thought I wasn't working hard enough, that perhaps I was too soft. But it wasn't me, was it, Orsino? It was you. It was you all along. You and your apostates, right under our noses all this time."

"Are you quite finished?" Orsino asked. "Do you have any proof of this vast conspiracy, Meredith? Any proof that you haven't already planted, like you planted that yellowcake. You want to talk to this man?" He gestured towards me, "Talk to him. I hired him to find your yellowcake and he did. I asked him to smuggle me out of the Gallows and he did that as well, at considerable risk to himself. Because you are out of control; you've been out of control for a long time, but now you can't shut me up. Or are you going to tell all these people that it's not in their best interest to hear what I have to say? You accuse innocent citizens of being apostates just because they get in the way of your plans. You think yourself above the law, and you treat City Hall like your holiday home. The citizens of Kirkwall deserve better than you."

Meredith smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

"That man is a mage, and I can prove it."

"Meredith, if you torture people, you can get them to say whatever you like."

I was looking at Carver. He shook his head, helplessly.

"Oh no, Orsino. This will be poof, not hearsay. Correct?" Meredith turned and looked at a slight elvish woman who until now had been hidden among the Templars. "Do you recognise her, Hawke?"

"Hello Varania," I said. "She hired me to find her brother. I see her plans to go to Tantervale didn't work out."

"I swear I will wipe that smile off your face, Hawke. Give him a gun." The Templars looked at her in surprise as my stomach clenched. "Go on, do it!" Meredith grinned triumphantly. "And then stand well back."

There was a scuffle somewhere in the crowd, and I heard Fenris call out, "Here, take mine!"

His automatic arced towards me, the metal gleaming in the sun as it seemed to hang at the zenith of its arc. Almost instinctively I stretched out my hand to intercept it. And I caught it, absorbing the downward force of its fall, the butt pressing against my palm as my fingers wrapped around it. Orsino took a step back.

I held the gun in my right hand, pointing it at the ground, calmly.

"What now?" I asked. "Do I pull a rabbit out of my hat? Do you?"

Meredith turned on Varania, "You said-"

"He did, I swear!"

Meridth and I glared at each other as she willed my self-control to crack.

"Enough of this farce!" A Templar stepped forward. Cullen. "Meredith, where is your proof? What was the point of all this, other than to bring the Order in to disrepute throughout the Freemarches? There are many questions about this that need answering, and some of them will be asked of you, Commander. I will be tabling a report and in the meantime, I must ask for you to stand aside. For the good of the Templars." He was speaking politely, but I noticed a few of the other Templars, Carver included, were stepping up behind him, all looking at Meredith.

"He is a mage, I swear it. Expose him to lyrium, interrogate his brother! Maker's Breath Cullen, don't let him get away with this."

Cullen shook his head, "It's clear you need a break, Meredith. We can talk about this all later."

Gently but firmly, the Templars clustered around their leader, and took her away.

Cullen stepped forward to talk to us, waving his hand irritably at the reporters as the police tried to disperse the crowd.

"I trust you'll be coming back with me, First Enchanter?" Cullen asked.

Orsino smiled, "I rather enjoyed my time away, but there is much to be done. Thank you, Cullen."

Cullen looked at me, and then at the gun in my hand. "You know, Hawke, I find myself wondering, if I examined that gun, whether or not I'd find any bullets in it."

I raised my eyebrows, "You think it might be empty? I can't imagine why anyone would carry around an empty gun."

"Mm. You're probably right." He looked over his shoulder and then back at me, "There is going to be an investigation. Questions are going to be asked. The Seekers might even get involved. It might be easier if you weren't around to answer them."

"Are you warning me off?"

"I'm doing you a favour. Frankly, I'll be sorry to see you go; I've been watching this situation get worse for weeks, and I couldn't think of a way out." He stuck his hand out and I shook it. "Well, I've got a mountain of paperwork to do. I suppose I'm Acting Commander until we get it all sorted out. I'll see you later, Hawke, or not, as the case may be."

Kirkwall Station was bustling in the bright morning sunshine. Every so often a whistle would shriek, and a train would arrive or leave, and the tide of people standing around on the platforms drinking coffee and reading the papers and counting their luggage and arguing with the ticket collectors would ebb and flow.

I'd finally decided what to do with the money Ma had left me, and I'd sold my comic book collection. I'd spent some of it on second-class tickets to Tantervale. Several bags were piled up at my feet as Fenris and I stood around smoking and watching the clock.

"If they're late, we leave without them," I declared. I frowned, "What in the world?"

Varric had Bianca's case resting on his back, a suitcase in one hand and with the other he was pushing a little trolley with a huge stack of papers on it almost as tall as he was and with his typewriter strapped to the top. Isabela was trotting along beside him, wrapped in a fur coat I didn't recognise; she'd commandeered a porter and was directing him to put her numerous cases into the luggage van.

"What have you got there?" I asked Varric, when they halted next to us.

"Screenplays, Hero," Varric said. "I'm rewriting all my novels. Movies are going to be the next big thing; people go to Tantervale with a dream and they become millionaires. In two years time Sam Falcon is going to be a household name, I guarantee it."

"And you're going to give me a part, aren't you?" Isabela asked.

"I'm gonna make you a star, Rivaini. The biggest and brightest there ever was."

One of the conductors tapped me on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Sir, but animals need to be caged."

"So?"

"Your dog?"

Horse barked.

"He's not my dog," I said.

"Well whose dog is he then?"

"He's got a ticket," Varric pointed out. Indeed, Horse had a second-class ticket tied to the back of his collar. "Maybe he belongs to himself."

Horse barked eagerly and wagged his tail.

"Yes but-"

"It doesn't seem fair if he's already paid."

"He's a dog! He can't pay!"

Horse barked some more.

"Well he has, hasn't he? He's got a ticket, after all. They don't just hand them out for free."

Horse barked.

Isabela laughed.

"He can't ride on the train." The conductor tried again.

"Why are you telling us?" Fenris asked. "You should talk to him."

Horse barked eagerly.

"I…I'm going to find someone. This isn't right."

We were still laughing when Merrill arrived, chock full of excitement about riding in a train. Isabela was telling her unlikely stories about Tantervale when Aveline and Anders arrived, the latter looking rather gloomy.

"I can't find Purrsival," he explained. "I looked everywhere. He must want to stay in Kirkwall, oh I hope he'll be all right. Poor thing."

"You're coming with us?" Fenris asked Aveline. "I thought they reinstated you?"

"They did," Aveline said. "But I think I'll be needed more in Tantervale." She eyed Isabela warily, "What with the number of miscreants arriving in the near future. Not to mention, it has the highest crime rate of the Freemarches. To be honest, I'm looking forward to it."

"See," I nudged Fenris, "there'll be plenty of work for us."

A train pulled up at the platform and I looked at the clock."I think that's us," I said.

We gathered up our bags and parasols and coats and hurried to find a compartment, Horse in our midst. I stopped as Gamlen jogged up, out of breath.

"I'm sorry lad. I nearly missed you. Traffic and so on." He looked at me. "It'll be good to have my room back, but I'm going to miss you, Trip." We shook hands and he squeezed my arm.

"Save your coppers," I said, "come and visit us sometime."

"You and that elf?"

"Well, I hope so," I smiled.

Gamlen shook his head, "I don't know what's wrong with this family. You look after each other. I'll write."

I didn't believe him.

I waved and hurried to join the others in our compartment. We flung open the windows and leaned out to wait for the train to leave.

"Trip?"

I turned.

"Carver?" He was standing in the doorway, smiling awkwardly. I stood up and embraced him. "You've come to see us off?" I asked.

"Nah," he said, and slung a bag up into the storage partition. "I'm coming with you. Cullen didn't want me to, but I told him he could sign the transfer or a receipt of my resignation." He grinned, "He's wiring the paperwork on ahead."

"Welcome back!" Isabela ruffled Carver's hair and he turned red and we made room for him on the seats.

"Everyone's back together," Merrill declared happily.

"Except Purrsival," Anders said sadly. "Purrsival!"

Horse barked and wagged his stumpy tail as the cat himself strolled into the carriage.

I raised an eyebrow, "Well that's just strange."

Another cat followed.

"And you've got a friend," Anders declared, delighted, as both cats leaped onto his lap. The second cat was a rather handsome silver tabby with green eyes.

Carver looked at me.

I shrugged. It wasn't my business.

The whistle blew and we crammed ourselves at the windows and shouted and whistled and waved our hats and made such a commotion that the conductor asked us if someone needed a doctor. Gamlen waved, and little kids shrieked back at us, as other passengers turned bemused at the noise.

Goodbye, Kirkwall. Not quite the love of my life.

Anders played with his cats, and the others watched the Kirkwall cliffs until they disappeared out of sight. I sat down next to Fenris.

"When I hang out my shingle again," I told him, "I want you to be my partner in the business. And don't say you don't need the money. You'll have to pay rent in Tantervale."

Fenris smiled, "Are you sure?"

"Well I'm not letting you stay for free," I said, "and you're not living with anyone else, that's for sure."

He frowned, "Trip."

I grinned at him.

"Don't worry; it's a three day journey. You've got lots of time to think about it and then say yes."

Fenris laughed softly, and surreptitiously took my hand.

End

A/N: And that's all he wrote, folks. Thank you very, very much for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoyed the read, I certainly enjoyed the writing – well, most of it. This is undoubtedly the longest single work I've ever written, and I appreciate your patience with me. I certainly never intended it to take this long. Hawke can now finally ride (a train) off into the sunset with his friends and cause trouble in another city. And I can finally rest easy now the story has been told to my satisfaction. This was, ultimately, fix-it fanfiction, and it's fixed now.