The Minrathous skyline had quickly receded as the five ships fled. All with many more souls on board that what they had arrived with. No slave who had joined them on the walk to the docks had been denied their wish to leave. The mages who had helped them in the arena were found space and immediately demonstrated their thanks in helping in the healing those who had been injured in the great magical melee. They had picked up some additional stragglers on exiting the docks as those who had left the decision to get out of Minrathous almost too late had jumped into the water and desperately swam towards one of the ships.

In the clear sky of night the ships sailed on, navigating by the bright stars in the sky, none of them slowed. Only now was everyone on board beginning to relax. All eyes had watched for the chase to begin as Imperial warships appeared in their wake, but none had followed.

"Bugger! I was looking forward to a bit of a fireworks display, a great finale to our stay in Tevinter." Isabella pined as she leant on the rail beside Hawke and the others. "I almost wish a couple of ships had made to come after us and given Barzal an excuse to play with his toys."

"You mean my sister stopping time and bringing Minrathous to a standstill wasn't enough?" Carver asked sarcastically. "I'd have thought just getting out of Minrathous alive would be enough to satisfy you."

"Carver Sweetie, you know better how much it takes to satisfy me." Isabella pouted at him and laughed at the scarlet blush that filled his cheeks.

"How did you do the time stopping thing anyway Hawke? That was far beyond what you and Sandal did in Kirkwall." Anders asked.

Hawke felt Fenris' arms tighten round her, the old abrasiveness between these two had not lessened and she could imagine the glee with which Anders would once have taken in pointing out the hypocrisy of Fenris' opinions of mages once he knew the answer to his question. That Fenris knew it too was evident in the way he had pulled her closer to him.

"That wasn't Hawke, it was me." He said quietly, knowing that he was leaving himself wide open to jibes from his old adversary.

"You're a mage?" Anders asked incredulously, understanding immediately what was implied by Fenris' statement and obviously relishing the prospect of pointing out the strange dichotomy that was Fenris once again.

"Not in the true sense." Fenris answers quickly before there is time for the mage to verbally humiliate him. "I do not think I was born with that innate ability, but I suppose it's possible considering my mother and sister were. Danarius forced the talent upon me, but I never knew until Hawke discovered his letters to the Archon. You explain it Hawke, it still doesn't make that much sense to me yet."

She frowns, thinking for a moment on how to explain this for Fenris' benefit as much as Anders, "Fenris is like a..A magical conduit. For you and I Anders, our magic is energy that is stored in the very cells of our body, when we run out we can take lyrium potions to replenish it. With training we can harness the energy better, learn how to hold more in reserve, you know what I mean. Danarius etched that ability into Fenris; instead of the body's cells the magic is stored in the lyrium in his tattoos. I think Danarius knew something of the way in which we have learned to share magic and thought to use Fenris as a portable means to have access to additional mana. He never intended that Fenris should ever learn that this worked both ways and that if trained he could also use the stored magic to cast spells. In effect he had made a mage of someone who had no magical talent."

"Not just any old mage," Anders said thoughtfully, his gleeful anticipation of making Fenris the butt of a barrage of sarcastic witticisms suddenly put on hold, "An Arcane Warrior. The Warden taught me something of this."

"A what?" asked Carver.

"An Arcane Warrior." Harral replied almost reverently, "Mostly found among the ancient elves, but the talent was lost after the elves were driven from Arlathan. They were said to have specialised in combat magic."

"So in Fenris, Danarius created a specialised combat warrior who had the potential to enhance it with a bit of magic!" Anders whistled, "Maker! No wonder he didn't tell you, he'd created a mage stronger than he could ever hope to be! Shit, you could be stronger than I could ever hope to be!"

Fenris, surprised that he hadn't taken the chance to needle him, looked to Anders ready to have a little fun at his expense,

"Care to find out?"

"Eh...no, I think it's time for me to back away slowly." He said, quietly regretting all those times he had poked fun.

"Oh go on! The only thing he knows is how to make you stand still." Carver smirked. "Something you should have been taught a long time ago."

"Hey! Leave the cowardly mage alone! You know I'm no good when the pointy ends of weapons are aimed at me!"

"I always suspected you had a bit of magic at your back when you were flinging that sword back and forth," Carver smiled at Fenris, "Now I know you did!"

"This still doesn't explain how the spell was cast or why it was so strong and I'm curious to know how Fenris did that." Harral asks Hawke with genuine interest.

"I don't know for sure. Harral, if you've still got that scholarly bent about you now that you are back to your old self you would be better trying to figure it all out. All I do know is that I explained to Fenris how he could do it after I read Danarius' letters to the Archon. He was with the elf children and I thought he could use it to get them out of the Spire. It might have been useful, but Fenris needed training and we ran out of time. Anders, you've seen how much magic Fenris can shrug off when it's being blasted at him, he's better that any Templar we've ever known. I think it's all soaked up into his tattoos. With the amount of magic that was being fired about amongst those magisters, I think one hell of a lot must have built up. In the arena, the spirits helped us. The one with me helped me pull all our magic together to send to Fenris, his one helped him cast it. I doubt any mage has ever had so much mana at their disposal."

"Spirits? You mean like Justice?"

Hawke sighs, "Yes Anders, like Justice, only not like Justice. They stay in the Fade. They helped before when I almost drowned."

Feynriel coughs, "I think I might be able to help out a little with that one. After Justice scared the shit out of me with what he did to Harral, I started looking for the two that had been hanging around you Hawke. I found them in your children's dreams. Unborn baby dreams are really freaky by the way; I would say they helped you to help the kids as they are the ones they've chosen to look out for."

"My children have spirits in them?" Hawke asked worriedly.

"You've got more than one kid in there?" Isabella shrieked.

"It's a good thing Hawke," Feynriel continued, "They don't possess them, they watch over them from the Fade. They only come forward in times of dire need. I would say today was one of those times and they came to each of you to save your children. Lucky they did for all of our sakes I would say." Feynriel laughed.

"That explains the Archon; I thought that must have been what happened." Hawke reflected sadly, "But I don't understand why you weren't affected by the spell Feynriel."

"Merely a little trick our friendly ghost taught me, to protect my physical body when I am in the Fade. What was unexpected was being woken up by it."

"Stuff spirits and archons and stupid ghosts, why didn't you tell me there was more than one kid?" Isabella cried, frustrated that everyone was more concerned with much less important things. Hawke chose to ignore her wailing.

"I remember your friend Karl, Anders. Fenris said the Archon asked him to kill him. His connection to the Fade must have been re-established, because of the spirit that was with him, just like Karl did with Justice in you."

"You sound sad Hawke."

"It does make me sad. I kind of liked the man; I felt that if he wasn't Tranquil, he would not have been a bad Magister like the rest of them. I know that's probably stupid but...he told me where to find the key to the door in the library, he said he never told the Divine because he had made him tranquil."

Harral nodded, tears filling his eyes and trying hard not to let his emotions overwhelm him once again, "its not stupid Hawke. If the Spirit had chosen, it could have healed him and he would be a different man from before. I remember every moment of being tranquil. The only way I could express myself was through withholding information. I did it many times with Santiago, but he never noticed."

"Where is he? Anders said he was with us in the arena."

Harral hung his head, clearly not wanting to discuss this further, "I don't know, he did not come with us."

Anders had told her some of what happened between Harral and his old mentor and could appreciate the difficulty Harral was having in adjusting to what he had done, "I'm glad Justice helped you, I don't think I could have ended your life, no matter how much you might have wanted it."

"A strange thing Hawke, once I joined with you and your friends, the silent screaming in my head stopped. Being tranquil wasn't so bad travelling with you all."

"Wait a minute," Isabella said, forgetting for the moment all about Hawke's babies, "You remember every moment?"

"Oh yes Isabella, every moment."

"Oh shit Harral, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...I was just interested to see if Tranquil people could...you know?"

"As I said, the only way I had to show my objection to something was to withhold, I don't remember withholding anything back from you."

"But you don't even like women!"

"Another human being showing some form of affection towards me was welcome even if I could not return it."

"Isabella have you not changed at all?" Anders glowers at her.

Recovering quickly from her embarrassment Isabella quipped back, "Jealous Anders?"

"Maybe a little." He says shaking his head.

"Really?" asks Harral, "You'll have to explain why to me sometime."

"I don't think Damian would appreciate us continuing to discuss your sexual misadventures Isabella." Hawke chided, reminding Isabella that she had changed and quite a bit, even if Anders didn't see it.

"I know I don't." Carver muttered.

"Tell me, what did you mean when you called Orana's Poppa a sneaky, slave elf?" Hawke asked Isabella, deliberately veering the conversation in a different direction.

"Oh that! Oh Hawke, Poppa and his pals were great! They were going round putting magebane into all the magisters' drinks."

Feynriel started laughing, "That's why it was easy for me to cut their demons off! Hell, I was hopping round the Fade thinking that those Magisters were bloody slow in bringing out their heavy duty weapons. I'll need to thank them; I owe them a few drinks. Ones that don't contain magebane."

"I think I do too, Lucarius would have definitely beaten me if he wasn't slowed down."

"Hawke, they didn't go near that bastard, too afraid he might recognise them. You beat him all by yourself in his unadulterated magebane free glory! Gracie told us all not to interfere with that one, 'help too soon would be no help at all' she said." Isabella looked incredulously at her friend, clearly unaware of just how much more powerful a mage she had become in their time at sea.

"I did have some help, didn't I Feynriel?"

The half elf boy blushed, "My master told me to shut him down, and he wanted his competition out the way for a seat on the senate. I was just happy to oblige him as it fell in with helping you out. It's probably just as well I dealt with him first and as well that Templar's can't detect help coming from the Fade."

"You accusing me of not helping?" Gracie shouted at Isabella as she came up behind them, "I'll tell you what's not helping, you having those tits on display like that, poke someone's eye out with those things you will!"

"Are you sure Aveline isn't your long lost daughter?" Isabella narrowed her eyes at the little woman who stood before them with her arms crossed.

"Who the hell is Aveline?"

"Oh, just someone I strangely miss having about now and then. I wonder what the big girl's up to now." She said wistfully.

"Varric would have loved all this, the stories he would tell, he would embellish them relentlessly. I miss him." Hawke adds.

"Funny, I was thinking of Merrill." Said Carver.

"You miss Merrill?" Isabella and Hawke both asked him at once.

"She said the funniest things. I liked that."

"I would like to see Sebastian one more time." Fenris said quietly.

"I certainly wouldn't." Said Anders. "The man wore external jockstraps with faces on them, like that wasn't creepy at all!"

"Not even if he didn't want to kill you?" Hawke asked.

"Nope, too bloody preachy for me."

"Well I don't care who any of these bastards are, they weren't here today to help out and I didn't come over here to listen to you lot get all maudlin' about folks that ain't here!" Gracie stood for a moment looking at them all, her face softening, "Little brother I want to thank you, my grandson still has most of the skin on his back, he ain't dead and I thought for sure he was done for in all that rabble."

"He did all right Gracie, figured out which end of the sword to hold in his hand just in time. He saved his own skin well enough without me." Carver assured her.

"Ah well, maybe there is hope for him. Dreamer boy! Impressive thing you did, I noticed them demons sent packing quick as you like. Hawke'll tell ya, I'm pretty nifty with a catapult with them demons in the Fade, just give me a call if you need any help with any more of those bastards."

"I'll be sure to do so." Feynriel nodded at her, knowing full well that she would never hear his call in the utter madness of the dreams that the woman had.

She glowered at Hawke and Fenris, "Big fucking risk you two took, sookin' up all the magic without a fucking warning. I still ain't back at full charge yet. Just as well the magic took hold before anyone got killed. Nice trick though elf, I think I'll get myself a set of them tats. Anders. My boy!" she said grabbing him full round the waist before gently slapping his cheeks and then pulling him by the ears towards her face and kissing him full on the lips. The rest of them laugh wondering just what he has done to get so far into Gracie's good books and a little glad that they haven't ended up there if this is what she does.

Hawke watched her and knew she could never deny her the right to pass judgement on them all. She appreciated the immensity of the risk she had taken to help her and thought she deserved every bit of the respect she demanded of others. "Gracie, thank you. I wouldn't have got out of there alive today if it weren't for you and the others."

"Just repaying a debt girl, Seere folks don't much like bein' beholden to anyone."

"You didn't owe me anything."

"Course we fucking did! Don't insult me by saying we didn't. Got us off our arses and helping ourselves, big deal in my book."

"All right then you old hag, answer me this." Isabella spat at her, "I poisoned a priest so I could take his place and be back up for Hawke when she showed that dirt bag Lucarius who was boss. Your bunch of raggedy witches stepped in before the next lot of trouble hit. How did you know when to step up and how did you know it wouldn't make things worse?"

"Same way the elf boy did. We spent three days watching and lugging in to those pampered idiots. Bloody bomb waiting to go off that bunch were. Anyone with an eye for plain old human nature could have known what was coming. When that Archon lad spoke, I knew the fuse was lit, I just used the time it took for all those bastards to decide it was all Hawke's fault to get to the right place."

"And how was the centre of that crumbling dust bucket the right place? I was there; anyone that knows me knows that on land I am never in the right place at the right time!"

"Well, you're right about that. It wasn't the right place, just the best of a bad lot. Only place where the rest of Minrathous lowlife wouldn't get in the way."

A voice calls out Gracie's name and the woman gives a giggling cackle as she turns away, "Watch yourself Hawke, them two bairns don't have much cookin' left to do. You should get some rest."

Isabella whacks Hawke on her shoulder with her fist, "There it is again. Does everyone know you've got twins in there and why haven't you told me?"

"Ow! Isabella! No, everyone does not know! Fenris knew because... because he can sense heartbeats. We didn't tell anyone because... because, damn it Isabella! You are the one who told me I was going to have a baby. I wanted something that I knew about my own body first! Until today, Feynriel was the only other person that knew. How Gracie knows is beyond me."

"You knew?" Isabella glared at Feynriel.

"It's a dream thing." He blurted out quickly, his hands held up in front of him ready to defend himself from Isabella's wrath.

"Well bugger me senseless Hawke, you don't do things by half do you? Explains a lot that does, and here I thought you had just been indulging in too many cakes and pies while you were cooped up in that Palace." Hawke scowled back at her, unhappy at her reference to her expanded girth.

"Just like me and Bethany." Carver looked fondly at his sister, all his old bitterness at her finally gone. "I wish mother had lived to see this, she would be so happy."

"You are kidding aren't you? She would be ranting at me right now for wandering around fighting when her grandchildren are on the way."

Carver laughed, "Sure she would, doesn't mean she wouldn't be happy. Giving you grief meant she was off my back. Besides, it's nothing she didn't do herself while she and dad were on the run."

"She wanted better for us and look at what's happened. History has repeated itself."

"Maybe it won't entirely. I'm a Warden; I'll make sure the darkspawn won't chase you from your home."

"Ugh! Would you please stop with lovey dovey family shit!" Isabella sticks out her tongue at them. "Much as I hate to agree with her Hawke, but the old boot was right, you need to rest. The only bed free is my cabin. Sorry Fenris, a crowd of elf kids have invaded the big bed, you can't have it. I'm sure the only reason that my bed isn't occupied is the crew have warned folks of what I would do to them if they did."

"What about you? Don't you need to sleep?"

Isabella shakes her head, "Storm sense is still tingling, and I won't sleep. I'm willing to bet that those Imperial bastards will be chasing after us as soon as the magic wears off, if it hasn't already, and there is a Magister able to give the order to those ships. If I can make sure we're far enough ahead that they won't catch up, I'm willing to forego a few hours sleep."

As Hawke and Fenris turn to leave, they nearly trip over the elf crouched at their feet.

"Evi? What are you doing? Get up!"

Evi remained crouched, her hands clasped in front of her, "No mistress, please, I wish to beg your forgiveness. I have done a great wrong."

"What wrong? Evi you have done nothing, now please get up and call me Hawke for goodness sake. You are not a slave anymore."

"But it is all my fault, I told others!" Evi remains crouched, refusing to stand and wringing her hands, clearly distressed by whatever great crime she thinks she has committed. Hawke looked up when Orana walked up behind Evi, Hamahakis hovering in the background as always.

"What's going on here Orana? Is this slave stuff I just don't get?"

"Perhaps. Evi was with us all the way from the docks, she just kept saying she had shown you the tree and you had said she could come with us. I haven't been able to calm her since we got back to the ships."

"Evi, just exactly what did you tell and who to?" Hawke asked, a dreadful feeling of premonition rising up from the pit of her stomach, that she knows what the answer to her question will be.

Orana bent down and grasped Evi's hand, encouraging her to stand up and face Hawke, reassuring her all the time that she would not be sent back. Although persuaded to stand up, she kept her eyes downcast as she started to haltingly explain.

"I have never dared to hope that I could have life other than the one I had. When you said we could come with you, I could not contain my joy. I told other slaves I met when I returned to the tree. It was only a few, I felt sure that you would agree to let them come too, but they told others and they told others also. The signs were all there, the seven children for our seven sorrows and the slave who had freed himself with the sword on his back. We believed that it was Shartan who had come back to free us all."

As Evi raised her eyes to look at Fenris in awe, Isabella snorted and began laughing. Carver slammed his hand on Fenris's back, "Well. It's official now brother, you are a God. The Chantry back home will have field day with you!" Having only recently been freed from his own form of enforced servitude, it was Harral who understood best Evi's distress and need to confess and was the one keen to prevent any further trampling on the beliefs that slaves had held to help them survive and stepped into the void of silence and shock that was apparent on the faces of Fenris and Hawke.

"Please fret no longer Mistress Evi, I am sure Mistress Hawke understands completely and assigns no ill feeling towards you for what you did. While I am sure that Master Fenris is honoured that you would think that he could be Shartan returned, I believe he would welcome your thoughts of him as a figure of inspiration that allowed you all to find the courage to break free of your life in Minrathous and no more than that."

Fenris could only nod vigorously in agreement with Harral's words. Hawke looked round and saw the rest of the slaves who had joined them on the ship standing with their heads bowed, hanging on to every word. She elbowed Isabella, "For Maker's sake stop sniggering and say something, take the heat off us, let them know these are your ships and they are here because you say so. I don't want a queue of elves following at our backs and praying all the time!" Isabella swallowed her laughter and patted Hawke's hand, "Only because it's you my friend and the bowing and scraping they will give me because of that will really piss me off."

Isabella stood with her hands on her hips and chest thrust out, "What you lot have not been told is the road to freedom is not paved with swan feathers and you will not be handed bread at every turn. It is earned with blood and sweat and a good deal of angst if you ask the white haired Shartan lookalike. These are my ships and if you don't want thrown overboard you will do your share of the hard work. Boys! Tell 'em what to do!" The 'aye aye cap'n's are heard from around the ship and the crew start organising the additional passengers.

"Hawke, that reminds me, I have a teeny weensy confession I would like to make as well. Not that you can do anything about it, but you might notice at some point that there are a few less coins in the chest you left under the cabin bed."

"I understand Isabella, we stayed in Minrathous longer than expected, and I wasn't there to ask if you needed it."

Isabella wriggled, "Ah well...I didn't exactly use it for living expenses."

"Well what did you use it for? Oh no, do I really want to know?"

"What! Hawke please, have a little faith! You could call it a sort of investment. I ah...well, remember all the slaves that were up for auction at that slave trader? I sort of...well I bought them for you...well not really for you because I let them go afterwards...well most of them...there were a few...a good few that insisted they belonged to me and I would have to take them. They are on Damien's ship. I hid them; just in the off chance you might have some objection. I thought I should tell you before you looked in the chest, I might be a bit of a thief, but I don't steal from my friends."

"So how much coin is left?"

"Well it would have been a lot more if I hadn't made a certain promise to someone, I haven't honed my adapted negotiation techniques, and I really should have sent Argo to do the deal. Look, all I'll say is it's not empty, but it's nearly empty."

Hawke gives a small shrug, "It was a good cause, when I think on all the other things you could have spent it on...Thank you Isabella, you only did what I had thought of doing anyway. I don't think Fenris will mind."

"What won't I mind?"

"I'll explain on the way to the cabin, come on, it's been a long day."

Anders followed them both down below deck.

"What do you want mage?" Fenris growled at him.

"I want to check Hawke over. I've helped a lot of women bring their children into the world. I know what I'm doing. If there are going to be problems I can help."

Hawke sighed, wanting nothing more than to lie down and rest. "Oh just let him Fenris. I've just assumed all was well; it would be nice to have someone confirm it. You know what will happen if you don't, he'll stand outside the door and make a pest of himself until he is allowed to do this. I'm tired and I need to sleep. I don't need you two fighting."

Fenris gives a small reluctant nod feeling torn between his own need for reassurance that Hawke and the children were fine and the fact that it was Anders who would be giving that reassurance. He would have much preferred Marta to be the one who attended Hawke after her sojourn as guest in the Archon's palace, but she was on Barzal's ship. Varania would have done as well, but she knew less about the mechanics of women's bodies and she had gone with Charade.

Anders was aware of Fenris' intent stare as he palpated Hawke's stomach, feeling the shape of the small limbs within and assessing how they lay. If things had been different, these could have been his children, but then he shook his head, chasing the thought away. It was stupid to think of it, the virtual sterility of Gray Wardens was a source of great sadness to them all. Fenris had given her the one thing it was unlikely he could ever have. Hell, the elf was willing to settle down, stay in one place, not something that Anders thought he would ever be able to do and he wouldn't bugger off in a few years to go and fight Darkspawn in the Deep Roads until he died. This one would hang around and look after his family until his last breath. Although it hurt to think it, the elf was better for Hawke than he could ever be.

Hawke was already sleeping when he finished the examination, her small snores sounding loud in the enclosed space.

"Well?"

Anders saw the mix of concern for Hawke and disconcertment at him writ large in Fenris' features. It was time for both of them to bury hatchets. Hawke would need him and he couldn't properly give that help if Fenris was ready to throttle him at the slightest perceived wrong.

"All seems good now, but Gracie is right. It won't be long before those two show their faces. Call me as soon as she complains of backache, or anything else." He gives a sigh before deciding to plough ahead and try to heal the other matter.

"I'm sorry Fenris. Sorry for all the things I said about you. Sorry for all the things I said to you. After what I've seen in the past few days, I think I understand why you hate mages so much. Minrathous was so much less than what I hoped for."

Fenris' surprise at Anders' words expresses itself in a harrumph.

"I mean it! Those Magisters are a real shower of bastards. Sure, come to Minrathous and fire your magic out all you want without any rules to hold you back, so long as you don't break my rules or be better at magic than we are. It's only marginally better than being kept prisoner in a Circle Tower, but definitely more life threatening."

"Minrathous not the mage paradise you thought then? You should have trusted what I told you."

"Trust you! You hated me from the moment you set eyes on me, how could I trust anything that came out of your mouth? And you tricked us, got us to fight off those sell swords Danarius had hired to capture you. Not exactly actions that inspire trust."

"Hawke did."

"One look in your big green eyes and she was lost." Anders gives a resigned shrug, "You rip people's hearts out for crying out loud."

"And you blew up a Chantry."

Anders gives a sardonic grin, "Neither of us is particularly trustworthy I suppose."

Fenris sighed, knowing what Anders was trying to do and he had to admit that the mage had changed, as had he.

"You can really help Hawke?"

"Yes elf. There is no one else among this unholy band that can as well as me. I did a lot of this back in the clinic in Kirkwall. You know I won't do anything to hurt her."

"I do. It is that alone that stops me ripping your heart out." Anders gulped as Fenris looked at Hawke and watched as his face softened. "I don't hate you any more mage. I'm not sure I hate mages any more, maybe just what some of them do. That doesn't mean I forgive you for killing Elthina."

"Shit Fenris, I haven't forgiven myself for that one, I doubt I ever will. It was a stupid thing to do. I often wish Hawke had killed me that day."

"I understand. You saved her brother. She owed you a life."

"It's that simple?"

"Probably not, nothing ever is with her, but I get it. You love her too."

"Does this mean you're prepared to let bygones be bygones?"

"Damn it mage, I'm not about to kiss and make up! Let's simply agree not to waste our energy thinking up ways of killing each other."

"Good enough." Anders agrees and holds out his hand to catch nothing but air before Fenris finally relents and brings his own hand forward and shakes it.

"Tell me. How did it feel wielding all that magical power, to have it all at your disposal and use it?"

Fenris can sense the awe and curiosity in Anders question. Perhaps it was best that it was he who was the one to use it, he could not imagine any mage, possibly with the exception of Hawke who would not have been tempted to use it to send out a furious blast of destruction that would have multiplied today's body count many times over. How could he answer him? The first spell he had ever cast, he had nothing to compare it to.

"I experienced only pain Anders. I would not wish to ever do it again."

"But you are a mage now, don't you want ..."

"I'm no mage! Understand this, magic means pain for me, a lot of pain. It has always meant pain. That one spell I used with the help of Hawke and a Spirit I felt had no right to be anywhere near me. I could not and would not do it on my own. It was only done because there was no other way. I will not be casting any more spells."

"But the mana stored in your tattoos..."

"Hawke can use it if she wishes. I have no use for it."

Anders realises that if he pushes this line of conversation any further, the fragile truce between them would disintegrate. For Hawke's sake he won't do it, but he finds it hard to walk away from someone with so much magical potential and can't understand why Fenris would not want to explore this new talent further.

As he says goodnight and leaves the cabin, he thinks that Fenris is wrong. He uses magic each time he pulls out that sword, his tattoos flare and magic gives him an edge in swordplay that few other swordsmen have available to them. Danarius had indeed created an Arcane Warrior and Fenris was unaware of the magic he used, just as Danarius had intended. Anders had always suspected that there was magic behind the elf's ability to rip hearts out, perhaps at some subconscious level Fenris knew that too and that was why there had been no organ removals done today.

Strange dwarf that he was Barzal never slept below deck. He knew it surprised a lot of people that met him; they always expected that he would be more comfortable in the small confined space of the lower ship, thinking it would be more reminiscent of his dwarven homeland. Little did they know that it was that very confinement that he hated. He loved the open sky, loved the salt smell of the seawater, and loved the wind blowing through the long plaits of his braided beard. Yes he was strange, very different from other dwarfs, feeling more at home on the rise and fall of a ship deck than the feel of solid earth and stone beneath his feet. His favourite sleeping spot had always been at the prow. No matter which ship he had been on, the crew had all quickly got used to the occasional deep snoring that came from that end of the ship when Barzal was sleeping. The first thing he had done when Isabella had made him captain was to haul up a solid wooden deckchair that he could strap to the rail and unfold whenever he wanted. No more sleeping on flat wood. The contours of the chair fitted his body perfectly and not since childhood had he slept so soundly. Though for Barzal the best part of sleeping was waking up with the warm kiss of the first light of dawn on his face. Trumpets could have blasted in his ears and not woken him, but the slight change of temperature of night shifting to day always did. It was a blessing that sound did not bother him; otherwise on this morning the sound of elves throwing up over the side of the ship would surely have prevented him having any sleep at all.

It was not the sound of the elven nausea that bothered him. He would have welcomed more of them on the ship if they had wanted to come. At this moment he could do little to help his sister. Lenkal was safe on Charade's ship with the young children that had been rescued with her; he hoped responding well to the gentle administrations of Varania and no doubt a couple of mages with some healing skill. What he could do was help to get as many as possible away from the city that had dealt with her so harshly. He didn't like to imagine what had happened to the rest of his sisters, the only clear thing his sister had been able to tell him was that they were dead. That information had been easier to deal with than the sight of his surviving sister in such distress. So no, the sound of a few sick elves was not going to put him off his stride. What did was the sight on the horizon that met his eyes as they opened to the new day.

Far off were the instantly recognisable sails of a fleet of Qunari warships. He jumped out of his chair, ready to give the command to raise flags and warn the other ships to change course and hope to avoid them. Before he could grab a member of crew, an elf with a distinct green hue to his skin approached with one hand held over his mouth and the other pointing at the stern. Rushing to the other end of the ship, he could barely make out little dark blobs of something at their back.

"Imperial warships, they're going to get us and take us back!" the elf at his side said.

"No they bloody well won't!"

Barzal thought quickly, but obviously not as quickly as Cavall and Lipiz who in their horse shape he could see were already tearing through the water towards him. His were not the only eyes to see the approaching dangers and he was glad about that, no need for flags now. Turning he saw the crewman who had ran behind him as soon as he saw his captain haring from one end of the ship to the other.

"Jip! Get that Marta woman to round up any mages we have on the ship and get some others to bring up the good stuff. Careful like, but quickly. It's time."

Jip grinned and ran off.

"You three!" Barzal shouted at the elves at the stern, "Get up in that crow's nest with Alf. Keep watching those ships and shout out their positions." He hoped they could stop throwing up long enough to do what he asked. The three ran off without a backward glance to do his bidding and four more stepped forward in their place. Barzal didn't stop to think and ordered them to soak themselves down in seawater and do exactly what Jip told them to do when he returned with the 'good stuff'. An elf child was revealed behind them when they left, staring up at Barzal with large violet eyes, in the plain tunic they were wearing Barzal had no idea whether it was a girl or a boy, but they were charged with bringing up the wooden box that sat on the table in the captain's cabin beside the maps.

Barzal headed towards the wheel, elves skipping out of his way as he did so,

"Where exactly are we Con?"

"Just coming out of the Ventosus Straits Cap'n." The tall man with the unruly mop of red hair answered, "T'other side of Eyes of Nocen, Qarinus to starboard, Seheron to port. Still in Imperial waters."

Looking behind Barzal could just make out in the increasing daylight the green outline of the two islands that sat at the edge of the Straits. They had come so far in such a short time, but not far enough.

"Do your best to keep us the same distance between them two fleets. Move us closer to land starboard side; if they get to us I want us to wash up on the right side of the water."

"Aye aye Cap'n."

Barzal knew when Cavall and Lipiz had climbed on board by the squeals coming from elves caught in the spray of water drops as the two shook the seawater from their hair.

"Captain Charade sends her regards and hopes you noticed the warships." Cavall's voice boomed out, "I think it's time for something to eat!"

Barzal could not help but be caught in Cavall's blatant enthusiasm and laughed out loud releasing some of the tension that had built up in him since waking.

"Oh yes lad, let's just hope it won't be us that's filling your belly!"

"I will do my best to keep you alive, but you would make a fine meal. I've never tasted dwarf, it would be interesting to try it and you I would share with all my clan so that all may know your greatness!"

Fenris hadn't slept at all. His head too full of thoughts that kept sleep far from him. As he watched Hawke he almost envied that human ability where the body took over and stopped for a while to repair and recharge. Elves rarely simply rested, probably why they made such good slaves. He had been tempted to wake her. They had been so long apart with dreams their only contact, now that they were together her body was in front of him, but her mind was far off in the oblivion of sleep and right now he couldn't reach her there.

He wanted to tell her how he felt that he now truly understood what freedom meant. Three days spent in that cage in the arena, with chains and bars around him, to all intents and purposes returned to a slave state had shown him how free he was. Freedom was not dictated by physical boundaries, but by the way you thought. Releasing himself from the mental chains and bars had been a long journey and Hawke had been with him all the way. He wondered what Flemeth might have to say about him now.

He hadn't liked Anders saying he was a mage and he hadn't lied when he told him he was no mage, but he had to grudgingly admit that Arcane Warrior had a certain ring to it that he found appealing. Danarius had done to him what he did and that couldn't be changed. He had spent far too long railing against it and far too much energy had been wasted in anger, hate and denial. It was time to embrace it and accept that this was who he was. On reflection he liked what that was. Hawke had loved him despite it all, maybe because of it and he should too.

He thought on his father and the few hours he had spent with him. He hoped so much that he would be granted the time to be a father to his own children that the unfortunate man had been denied. The sound of footsteps and then banging on the door warned him of hoping for so much so soon, all his instincts told him a new obstacle was in the way of having them realised.

Josson didn't wait for an invitation to enter, his head appearing round the now opened door.

"Cap'n wants you both now!"

Fenris frowned at the groan that Hawke let out as she woke and stood up, the frown deepened as he had to help her steady herself, but it was as she rubbed the small of her back on their way to the upper deck that made him pay attention. Wasn't this what Anders had told him to watch for? Hawke wasn't complaining, but it was clear there was something not right. It was her pause as she made her way up the stairs, her hand reaching out to the wood of the ship to steady herself once more that decided things for him. Isabella could wait, whatever the problem was she would have to deal with it without them. At the top of the stairs he grabbed hold of her and yelled for Anders.

Hawke gave him a puzzled look before glancing at the pool of liquid that was gathering on the deck from the stream that was running down her legs. "What are you doing?...Oh Maker! I've peed myself."

"It's not pee Hawke." Anders told her as he came beside them. "Let's get you back below. Captain's cabin I think and chase out any little elves we find there."

Gracie's cackle followed them down, not quite drowning out the scream that escaped from Hawke's mouth as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I told you it would be soon. I'll join you shortly Anders my lovely, you'll need a hand. I'm just going to let the slut know that her friend won't be helping her out this time!"

Alano was holding court in the cabin, relating to a rapt audience of elf children the story of how Hawke had rescued him,

"I'm telling you true, I swear she had wings and everything..."

The little bodies scooted off the bed quickly and ran out when Anders told them it was time to leave until only Alano was left to look at Fenris, a look of abject terror on his face.

"Is she dying?"

"I don't think so." Fenris answered glancing at Anders, not quite sure what to say.

"Of course I'm not dying!" Hawke spoke up between teeth crunching and grunts, "The babies have decided that now is good time to come out and I think they've made a really bad decision! What is happening out there?"

"It doesn't matter, you can't help, not right now." Anders answered with his best 'I'm in charge' voice.

"Tell me! I don't give a flying f...Ahh!"

"As I said Hawke, it doesn't matter."

Alano relaxes, "I'll go fetch some towels and hot water, that's what they always told me to do in the whorehouse when this happened."

"Good lad."

"Don't let her hold your hand." Alano whispers to Fenris on his way out, "Rosalita broke my finger bones when I held her hand and her baby was coming out."

"Thanks for the tip."

Alano left and Gracie entered bottles of alcohol in each hand.

"I hope you're not planning on getting drunk!" Fenris glared at her.

"How dare you suggest such a thing! Although... now you mention it." She promptly took out a bottle cork with her teeth and spat it on the floor before taking a swig. "Better not have any more; the boy here needs it more than me."

"Does Anders need to be drunk to do this?" Gracie laughed at Fenris' question.

"Oh elf, I had hopes you were going to be better than all those other daddies to be I've met, but you're just like all the rest, eager enough to get their women in the family way and then take no interest in what happens at the end of it. All right lad, hold out your hands."

Anders rubs the alcohol all over his hands and arms as Gracie pours.

"Right then lass, knickers off so the boy can find out what's going on in there."

"What?!" Fenris gasps.

"Look elf, if you are going to get all squeamish about this then leave right now. Gettin' bairns out ain't pretty, so if you want to be useful, shut up and let the boy here do his work."

"Know a bit about birthing Gracie?" Anders asks.

"Only enough to help you out. Marta's the real expert, she's asked me to help out more than a few times. I know what gets done, could do it in a pinch, but you're here so it ain't a pinch. Besides, it's only proper that another woman is in here. Now then lass, just remember your dignity is at the door where you left it on coming in here, you can pick it up later, so let's have your lady bits out on full display."

"Cavall, I know some of your clan is out there. Invite them aboard; I've got a job for them." Barzal looked indulgently at Cavall. He knew the kelpie had sang to his clan in Minrathous, the expectation that they would have a great old feast there, but there had been no time and no need. Not one of the warships had made any move to stop their leaving and Barzal wasn't inclined to attack them without them having made a move against him. Things were different now. It was clear it was them they were coming for. Con had steered the ship inland and the warships had changed course steering directly towards them. The Qunari warships had done the same damned thing, even though by now each fleet must have been able to sight the other. He surmised that the Qunari had decided that anything the Empire was after would be useful to them and were ready to raid them and fight their old adversaries.

Cavall gave a wide grin and then whistled. Immediately Barzal could see the heads of several kelpie poke out of the water and head towards them. Jip and a few of the lads were bringing up a chest and a barrel from the hold, the dampened elves ready to help them haul both onto the deck. Marta came running towards him with four mages in tow.

"What do you need Captain?"

"Can any of you lot do flames and stuff?"

One of them owned up to an ability to send out fireballs, which Barzal thought could be very useful, but not for what he needed right now.

"Start sending out your fireballs if any of those ships get too close and make sure none come near this ship, but for now I want something more refined, a small flame that will light fuses, not blow up the powder before we can get out of range."

Marta looked at him with her heart growing heavy, she knew what he was looking for and who could give him it, but she didn't like what she guessed was coming.

"You need Trix and Alano. They light up the lanterns on Isabella's ship at night with sparks, but Captain, they are children, it's not right to use them for this."

Barzal sighed, "I'm sorry mistress, but there is no other choice, the sea is too choppy for the little lanterns Cavall and Lipiz would have used at the docks. The ships are too far apart for them to return and get another one if they did go out. There is no chance they will stay alight unless there are any of you mages that can think of another way and quickly."

They all shook their heads, the Circle had always encouraged them to move straight to the big spells, them they could do with some degree of precision, but none had ever spent much time on the small things like sparks or a simple flame popping out at the tip of the finger.

Barzal went to the chest just as Jip was laying it down and pulled out the already prepared two oiled backpacks and gave one each to Cavall and Lipiz.

"You know what to do. Get the kids so they can light them. Come back when you need more and whatever you do, keep those kids alive." The two kelpie nodded at Barzal and headed back into the water towards Isabella's ship.

He watched Jip pull out little glass bottles, fuses and rubber stoppers from the chest and begin to show the elves how to fill up the bottles with powder from the barrel and make bombs, explaining first and foremost that on no account were they to run their hands through their hair, wipe their hands on their clothes or drop the bottles, otherwise...Jip just raised his hands with his fingers spread out, expressing clearly what would happen. One thing he could say about slaves was they did what they were told to the letter. Not one grain of powder went where it shouldn't. All the while he heard Alf and the elves shouting down from the crow's nest, but he didn't need them to know that the warships were getting closer.

Turning back to Marta and the mages, he looked up at them gravely, "If you can't help with magic you can help with writing, you can do that can't you?"

The mages nodded vigorously. It was Marta who hung her head. "Ah don't mind mistress, you've done more than most already and if this goes tits up, you'll be kept busy enough."

He turned to the elf child with violet eyes standing patiently with the box in their arms.

"Thank you." He said and took the box and started pulling out paper, quills and ink.

"Get ready to write, I need messages sent to the other ships, with four of you writing it will save a lot of time."

The kelpie who transformed as they came on board towered over the dwarf.

"Can any of you talk like Cavall?"

All of them looked down on him blankly. Barzal swore under his breath then grabbed a piece of paper and popped it in a small bottle. Pointing at the bottle and then the other ships, the kelpie grasped what he wished them to do. One however grabbed the bottle with the blank paper and dove into the water heading for the Song of the Siren; Barzal could only hope that Damian would see the funny side when he received the blank message. He started reciting the messages he wanted sent while watching Cavall and Lipiz. Everything rested on them and their young riders.

Neither Alano nor Trix saw the inherent danger in what they were being asked to do. The two of them only became more excited at the prospect of riding kelpies in the water and using their magic sparks to help everybody.

"We'll be real heroes!" Trix squealed.

"Just like Fenris and Hawke!" Alano squealed back, "This is going to be great!"

Meanwhile Isabella paced back and forth, "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, and fuck! Gianna will kill me, Hawke will kill me, Gracie will tear me limb from limb. Oh this is bad! Bad! Bad!"

Cavall put a hand on her shoulder to stop her pacing, "Don't worry, they will be with us. We will not let them be lost in the sea."

"Drowning could be the least I have to worry about! That little boy has been used as bait, a ship's skivvy and now you want me to let him light bombs to blow up ships. I know I said I wanted a firework display, but not like this!"

"Captain! There's more!" Hamahakis yelled at her from above and pointed. Isabella felt she couldn't take much more. Another fleet was heading towards them, this time from inland. The Imperials must have sent word to Qarinus and sent out more ships from there and they were caught like flies in the centre of the triangle made by the three fleets all heading their way.

"Go Cavall! Take them! Hawke can't kill me if I'm already dead!"

Cavall knelt down and explained carefully what they were required to do. Both of them listened intently and Cavall nodded once they had repeated it back to him and with no more time to waste they entered the water towards their first target. Cavall and Alano to the Qunari fleet, Lipiz and Trix to the Imperials.

Alano thought it was the most wonderful thing ever as he sped through the water on Cavall's back. He quickly learnt to take a deep breath each time they surfaced to last him through the underwater dash until the next time Cavall brought him up for air. His fingers twined in Cavall's mane, Alano hung on, his eyes soaking in the strange landscape that hid beneath. Far below them he could just see the rocks with strange plants weaving gently back and forth. Fish tried to keep up with them as they sped on. Alano felt as if he was flying.

All too soon in Alano's opinion, they reached the first warship. Just as Cavall had told him to he opened the bag. A small amount of water had managed to get past the tightly drawn drawstring, but nothing had got past the second inner bag. Cavall kept pace with the ship and kept Alano as high as he could out of the water. He pulled out the jar at the top and opened it to take a flat glob of the sticky stuff inside and slapped it onto the wood as high up as he could, then oh so carefully he pulled out a little glass jar and attached it to the sticky glob. Cavall had told him if the fuse got wet it would not light, no matter how big a spark he made. Closing up the bags he gave Cavall the strings to pull tight with his great teeth, the kelpie had warned him never to light the fuse until after the bags were closed. Once lit, they had to move away quickly and would not have time to close them then. He sent out his spark easily, all the months of lighting lanterns had made this easy for him. He remembered the first few times when he thought he had to squeeze and squeeze before getting a tiny spark of light to fly out from his fingers, now he could issue a big fat one and didn't even need to close his eyes to do it. The fuse lit and he jumped down on Cavall's back once more and raced off to the next ship. He was just setting that fuse alight when the loud boom of the first bomb rang out. He barely heard it, so concentrated on the task he had been given and did not take the time to look at the results of his handiwork, before moving on to placing the next one. It wasn't perfect every time, he lost three bombs which slipped from his wet fingers and fell into the water to float away. Another time, water splashed on the fuse and he had to leave it stuck to the wood and start again. However, the even louder boom from that ship let them know that the damp had not reached the powder in the glass. That was the point when Alano did look around to see seven of the ten ships floundering in the water. All of them in various stages of sinking and many men who couldn't swim in the water, their heads simply disappearing under the waves. The water had turned red and pieces of blasted bodies floated on top. The game Alano had been playing suddenly became no fun anymore. Cavall caught the look on the boy's face and understood the change. In his strange rasping horse voice he told Alano to finish what he was doing. It was time to return to Barzal. The way back took less time, so much closer to the trapped ships the Qunari had come. Alano saw the last ship explode and saw the hole the bomb had created and the water rushing in. The next time they came up for air, he saw the men jumping from it and those who could swim towards the remaining two intact ships.

Once he had clambered up the rope ladder to the deck he stood at the rail, caught in a macabre need to see the full extent of what he had done. The tears came unbidden to his eyes, so many people dead because of him, he didn't think about their intent to kill or capture him. He didn't acknowledge the words of praise or pats on the back he received from those behind him, the congratulations sounded faint and hollow to his ears. It was the warm comforting arms of Marta that pulled him away,

"It's all right son. You've done enough."

He burrowed his face in the soft cushion that was Marta and cried until his tears ran out.

Trix had no qualms over what she did. At each explosion she gave a triumphant whoop, until one of the soldiers spotted her and Lipiz and she had to dive far under to avoid the arrows that came flying at them. Happily she returned to Barzal after sinking the six ships in the first Imperial fleet, to collect more of the little bombs and headed out to the second. Lipiz stopped her after the fourth ship had blown; the other two had turned and were heading back to Qarinus, no longer a threat.

Not so the remaining two Qunari ships. The threat of being blown up and sunk seemed to be no deterrent at all, if anything they seemed more determined to reach those that had undermined their intended course of action.

Varania had watched in horror at the unfolding carnage, had felt the rising anger at the sight of Alano being used as the means to cause such death and destruction. Surely they could have found another way. Do what they had done back in Minrathous, but as each message arrived from the other ships she almost felt the clang of barriers as alternatives were shut down.

Charade had handed her the first one as it had warned them to gather what mages they had on board and prepare however they could after directing Charade to place her ship where Barzal thought was best.

Although there were few mages to be had on Charade's ship, Varania knew there were enough to share mana and protect those on this ship. Where was Hawke? For months they had worked together on their magic, they did not need to be close enough to touch to share it. She could join her pool with hers, but she had no sense of Hawke's magic to do it. Varania knew that The Song of the Spellweaver had the best pool of mages among all the ships, why was Hawke not using it? How could she let Alano be used like this? Where was her brother? Could they not use him to do the time stopping once more and then there would be no need to use the boy?

She wept when the message arrived from Isabella,

'Hawke useless, busy having babies. Keep following Barzal's lead.'

She had wanted to be there to help Hawke when the time came, never dreamed that she wouldn't be. Never imagined the time would come in the middle of a bloody battle at sea. All she could do was watch as each explosion ripped into the ships surrounding them. Watch as soldiers and slaves that had survived, disappear and drown in the depths.

"Varania! Maker's breath do something!"

Charade's shout gathering anyone with archery skills cut through the fog of her thoughts and she saw the cause of Charade's distress. One of the remaining Qunari ships was heading straight for them, the men on board preparing to fire the ballista, it wouldn't matter if it missed, and the lead lined prow would cut through them like butter.

She gathered the mana from the mages around her and sent out the largest force spell she could muster, hoping only to send it away from them. The spell did nothing to slow the ship down, the momentum the rowers imbued it with too great, but it did shift it from the path it was on, far enough that the men on board would take time to realign the ballista and sent it heading straight for Barzal. Varania's hands went to her mouth, the other Qunari ship had already been going in that direction, correctly surmising that it was his ship that was leading and now poor Barzal had the two remaining ships to deal with. Closer and closer the ships shifted towards him. She heard the dwarf bellow at his crew to retreat and then small balls being thrown towards the ships, someone on board had good aim and she heard the glass shatter as the balls landed on the Qunari decks. She felt the draw on mana and fireballs were sent out. The blast as the fire met the contents of the balls sent wood, sails, oars, limbs, bodies and ballista out in all directions. One warship and then the other disappeared in a falling curtain of debris, barely before Barzal's ship would have been crushed between them.

The sound of ragged cheers drifted down to the cabin.

"There you are, told you it was nothing to worry about."

Hawke grabbed Anders clothing at his neck and pulled him to her face, "Stop telling me not to worry! Those were fucking loud bangs!"

"Hawke please! It doesn't matter; you can't do anything about it!"

"I don't fucking care! I need to know!"

"I'll go and find out." Fenris makes to stand up and leave, but Hawke grabs his arm.

"No you bloody well won't! You got me in this state and you'll bloody well stay and sit it out with me!"

Fenris sits down again feeling chagrined. He had learnt to his cost the value of Alano's tip about the hand holding, but no one had warned him of how angry Hawke would get. He was grateful that Anders continued failure to inform Hawke of the meaning of the sounds from outside meant that he bore the brunt of it. That didn't mean he wasn't on the receiving end of it some of the time. He felt so useless. He got that his job was to support, but had no real idea of how to give it. That was how he had got caught in the hand holding.

"Oh stop your whining girl! The only thing you should be thinking about is gettin' those bairns out. Push harder! They should have been out by now!" Gracie looked to Anders for agreement in her assessment.

Anders stood up and smoothed out his clothing. "You're right, they should be out by now, but it has nothing to do with Hawke not pushing hard enough. Fenris I need you to help."

"Me?"

"I don't know if you remember Isabella suggesting you could pluck knife tips out of shoulders." Any other time Anders would have laughed at the shock on Fenris' face as he grasped a little of what he was asking him.

"You want me to pull the babies out!"

"No, not that. Let's see if we can get them out the old fashioned way first. The first child is positioned wrong; it's got its back to the door so to speak. I've been trying to shift it, but it won't budge, the other baby is in the way. If you can do a bit of gentle shoving from the inside, I can manipulate from the outside. Between us we can get both of them where they need to be."

Fenris balked at the thought. Careful phasing he had never done, always a quick manoeuvre, grab heart and pull, or more recently to get filthy chains off him. The only time he had sustained a phase had been in dreams with Hawke.

"What Anders is not telling you is that all three of them could die if you don't do this." Gracie pointed out baldly.

"Fenris don't think about it, just do it!" Hawke shouted at him, "If this isn't over soon I'll happily die anyway!"

"You don't mean that!"

"Right now I really fucking do!"

He phased. Gently his hands reached round the tiny bodies, slowly pulling them the way Anders wanted as he in turn pushed them in another direction. Anders was still talking when he felt Hawke's muscles tense for another contraction.

"Get your hands out!"

He slowly loosed his fingers and took his hands away from Hawke as she roared out. The huge grin on Anders' face told him they had done it. The child slid out with ease into Anders hands with the next contraction.

Fenris was awestruck as he watched Gracie minister to the new life covered in bloody mucus and white slime. She was right, childbirth was not pretty. It was utterly beautiful.

"Here you are, he's a bit small, but a fit as a fiddle little son." Gracie handed him the tiny bundle that only moments before he had held inside Hawke. "Hang onto him, we're not done yet."

It wasn't long before the second child emerged as loud as the first had been quiet.

"Impatient little besom isn't she! Didn't like being kept waiting did you?" Gracie murmurs as she wraps the little squalling girl and hands her to her mother.

"There's a bit more work to be done here, but you two go right ahead and get all gooey. Enjoy it while you can. A few sleepless nights and you'll be tearing your hair out with the little buggers."

"I suppose this means our adventuring days really are over." Fenris whispers.

"I suppose they are. Now we're off to live in a forest and hide with a bunch of elves."

"Strange places indeed."

"Another promise kept then. Sure you won't miss fighting demons, pirates, slavers and evil magisters?"

"Let's hope they leave us alone long enough to miss it."

"And not just replaced with giant spiders, wolves and bears."

"I'll make sure my blade is kept sharp then, just in case."

Isabella's head peeked around the door before coming all the way in when she saw Hawke and Fenris smiling at her. "You are not going to believe what we just did upstairs and all without your help!"

"It doesn't matter Isabella," said Hawke, "Look what we did down here."

Looking at the two little bundles fresh to the world, Isabella thought that this was not the right time to relate the details of the death and destruction that had been wrought outside the door. Outside the door she had left the occupants of all five ships doing their best to fish out the survivors of the destroyed fleets. There were not many. The weight of soldiers armour had dragged them down to the depths and the dining table of the kelpie. What was left of the Qunari refused to be rescued, preferring to die by drowning than live with failure. The Qun was merciless. The odd few they were dragging out were slaves who had suddenly learnt the art of swimming in their need to survive. The only cost to their own little fleet was a sizeable hole in Barzal's ship where the ballista had been fired successfully, the last act of a man before being blown to smithereens. The mages were holding back the influx of water while crew desperately bailed and repaired. The only injuries to a few on Barzal's ship that had been caught in the rain of debris from the final explosions. The haunting lilt of the kelpie singing could be heard filtering up from underneath.

Gisharel looked out over the Venification sea and saw the dark dots slowly resolve into the ships that Feynriel had told her were coming in her dream. She wouldn't believe that they were real until they were safely in the old pirate cove. Annarrion and all the elves of her clan spread out along the shore, all watching and waiting.

In the weeks since Hawke's departure with the children she had fought hard against her own fears that they would never return and rallied the clan to prepare, not knowing when or if those preparations would be required. Annarrion had built a home for his son and his wife, unlike a home she had ever seen, but as close to those she had read about in ancient texts. A tribute to the life that elves once led and a beacon of hope for the future. At the edge of the clearing above the watchtower ruins he had chosen a tree thick with branches and bent them, shaped them and woven them. As he worked others had joined him, collecting wood, feathers, stones, skins and grasses, together they had carved, woven and crafted a home of unsurpassed beauty. A template for the rest to follow and already other trees had been chosen. This clan would travel no more.

She had instilled a hope in her people that she was afraid to believe would be fulfilled herself, but now, today, she would see the seeds of renewal planted, their faith in her rewarded. They had taken to calling it The Homecoming, the beginning of the return of all their lost children. She knew many believed that this was the start of the return of the elves to the golden, glory days of old. Gisharel knew that this would not be the case. No return to the ancient days, but a carving out of a new path. It excited and terrified her at the same time.

Watching the ships grow closer, she began to see the rails lined with people who began to wave. There were so many, how had they done this? It was Annarrion who moved first, spotting the point where the ship with his white haired son would berth and the others began to make their way to welcome home those who had been lost to them for so long.

Gisharel watched with a growing sense of wonder at the many people disembarking. Only five ships, yet how had they made it here with so many on board? She hadn't seen this many people all together in such a long time, she was sure there were more than there had been at the last clan gathering. She saw elves and humans wearing the tabards that marked them as slaves from Minrathous, robes that told of mages, others in rags that were testament to a life of hardship and a small number in armour that she knew marked them as Templar. Her eyes widened in amazement as she saw horses shift in shape to that of men and women as they clambered out of the water surrounding the ships. She had read of the Kelpie in books, but had thought their kind had been lost long ago. Such a mix of races and all working together to leave the ships without any harsh words or argument. She gasped as she caught sight of two dwarfs, was there any race not represented here? This was no elven homecoming, the people of Thedas were coming together to start something new. Gisharel grasped for a moment a glimpse of the prescience the ghost had tried to convey to her. The survival of the elven race lay not in reaching to the past, scrabbling around trying to find and clutch on to old ways that were long forgotten, but in grasping what lay ahead. It would take years, many, many years, but the Elven way of life would change and right here was where it would begin.

Hawke thought back to the last time her friends had gathered like this to say their goodbyes. Once again there was an entire city in chaos in the wake of her travels, but she didn't feel the same anguish about it this time. Nor the same need to get away from it as far and as quickly as possible. The elves had taken to calling this new settlement Aneth Ara; Gisharel had told her it meant 'My Safe Place'. It seemed fitting and she hoped it would be true, a place she could raise her children without fear. When they had left all she had hoped to return to was an aravel where they could shelter before making more permanent arrangements, but Annarrion had outdone her with a true home and the Dalish themselves looked to stay with them. Already the area had the look of a small village rather than one lonely homestead.

Isabella and the ships were leaving with the dawn and far more than her were also using this last gathering to make their farewells. Not everyone who had come here wished to stay. The kelpie had left on the same day they arrived; keen to return to the underwater larder once the ships were safely arrived at their destination. Only Cavall had lingered and faced the onslaught of questions from Gisharel and he would be leaving in the morning, following Charade's ship this time. Most of the survivors they had rescued from the sea battle had asked if they could be kept on as crew on the ships, not that there were many of them, fewer than Hawke would have liked, but their request was granted, Isabella warning them that if they breathed one word of Aneth Ara, she would personally make them regret every moment since they had been pulled out of the water. The oath of silence they gave her in return made her wonder at forcing the rest of the crew to swear it, clear that their loyalty to her would be absolute. Some of the mages had also asked to join the crew, enough that each ship would have at least one mage on board. Isabella and the rest of the Captains were thrilled at the prospect, but more because they had agreed to double up as cooks than any magical security they could provide.

"Aw lass, get that sad look wiped from your face, it doesn't suit you." Gracie said as she sat down beside Hawke on the bench. "It's not as if you'll never see us again."

Hawke gave her a small smile, "It was those I don't think I will see again that I was thinking of. I always thought I would return to Ferelden, but there is nothing for me there now."

Gracie sighed and patted Hawke's hand, "I'm thinking the same about Seere."

"What do you mean? You have family there."

"Aye that I do, but they are a bunch of ungrateful bastards. I see the looks on their faces when I show up. I don't want to go back to living up a hillside. I'm getting too old to face another winter alone in those hills. Young Trix was the only thing that made it bearable and she's staying here. I'll go back with the rest of them and see those kids safely home, but I'll come back the next time the slut holes up in the harbour. Seere is a truly miserable arsehole end of a place; I don't want to pop my clogs there. I don't fancy fading away and letting the ground and the wolves consume my sorry remains. You'd make sure I get a better send off, wouldn't you lass?"

"Of course, but I hope that won't be necessary for quite a while."

"Long enough to get an idea on how these two little mites are going to turn out I think."

Gracie reached out her hands to stroke the cheeks of the sleeping babies snuggled in the basket at their feet, "What names have you given them?"

"Not definite yet, but we were thinking Malcarrion and Carilleandra. A mix up of their grandparent's names. What do you think?"

"Too fucking long is what I think! You've been hanging around elves too much! You call them what you will lass, its Mac and Cally to me. That'll do nicely."

"And here I thought you were going to call them Isabella and Damian!" Isabella whispered in Hawkes' ear as she and Damian came from behind to sit on the bench beside them.

Gracie's cackle rings out around the fire, "Ha! The lass ain't stupid enough to call her bairns after a brazen slag and a fucking pirate!"

Isabella pouts, "I've changed old witch."

"You're clothes haven't, you still look as if you crawled out of a shagshack!"

"Well you might be right about that." Isabella looks at Damian with a lewd grin who then grabs her chest and pulls her towards him to kiss her full on the lips.

"Oh for fuck's sake, there are kids here! Put it away both of you!" Gracie screeches.

"Not a chance witch, tomorrow we are on separate ships, got to make full use of the time we're on land. Tell you what, you stop swearing in front of the kids and maybe I will curtail my desire to show the world how much I love this bastard!"

"Apologies Hawke." Says Damian, "I brought my love here so we could say your goodbyes now, I doubt we'll get time tomorrow."

"Take care of her Damian, don't let her think up idiotic plans, they never work out."

"I won't." Damian laughs.

"I'm going to miss you so much Isabella."

"I bet you barely miss me at all friend," Isabella smiles warmly at her, "You have Fenris, two kids and a bunch of ex-slaves and elves to boss about now, not to mention an elven mage boy whose grandmother you are leaving me to face and explain why he won't be joining the family business. How is he anyway?"

"Alano? I'm not sure Isabella, but he swears he will never step foot on a ship again. I wasn't sure he was going to use his magic ever again, but Fenris spoke to him and he has started lighting the lanterns once more."

"Fenris got him to use his magic?" Isabella was obviously struggling with the idea that Fenris would ever encourage anyone to use magic.

"I think the deal is that he teaches Alano the time stopping spell. I think Alano feels that if he can cast that spell, he will never need to kill anyone ever again. He could be right."

"Where is your lanky husband anyway? I haven't seen him all day."

"He should be back soon, now that it's dark. He went off with Annarrion, Barzal, Argo, Gisharel and Varania and a bunch of others. I think they have been going around making plans, giving Barzal and Argo shopping lists for things they need. I remember Annarrion mentioning a sight where they could mine ore and Gisharel telling Varania where she could find silk worms and flax plants."

"Well it's pretty clear what they plan on doing with themselves, what about you? I doubt there's much mercenary work around here and you can't be a pirate."

"Me? Looking after these two will take up most of my time, and I suspect my farming skills I learnt in Lothering will come in handy. What I really would like to do is start a sort of magic school, the magic sharing needs to be studied and developed."

"Hawke's Circle! Just so long as you don't start locking people in towers and kitting out Templars."

Hawke shakes her head, "No nothing like that. Gisharel pointed out that Dalish mages have never had their freedom curtailed like that and it seems to work. So there is a way for all mages to be free. Harral is intrigued by the idea and Feynriel wants to build a library like the one in my dream. I think it's worth trying."

"Sounds boring to me, but if I come across any interesting artefacts, I'll be sure to send them your way."

"Look for books Isabella, I want books." Harral demands as he approaches with Carver and Anders, "And paper, plenty of paper! I'm going to need it all to fill Feynriel's library!"

"Oh please, don't get him started again." Anders pleads, "He's got us to agree to send him copies of everything the Wardens have and you will not be pleased when he tells you his plans for Hamahakis."

"Why? Harral explain!"

"Anders what is your problem with this? He is going to be in Minrathous anyway and you two will be no good at getting what I'm looking for."

"Hamahakis is going back to Minrathous? You two as well? What are you thinking of, you can't go back!"

"Sister, we have to go back, we never completed our mission for the Gray Wardens and now more than ever they will need to know the situation there. We can go back, they don't know what we look like and I'm sure there will be too much in-fighting amongst mages for them to notice a couple of Wardens snooping about. Hamahakis wants to set up a route the slaves still in Minrathous can use to get here if they want. He spoke with Evi and Cato; there are still many slaves back there that never got the chance to leave. He wants to give them that chance. Harral wants him to steal the books you said were in the Archon's Palace."

Hawke stared at her brother, knowing that she cannot stop any of them from doing this, "What about Orana, is she leaving too?"

Anders chuckles, "No, Hamahakis wants her to stay here until their little one is born at least. He isn't planning on going to Minrathous for good; he just wants to be a guide for those that want to come here. I imagine he will be travelling back and forth fairly regularly. Don't worry, we'll both be back regularly as well. I doubt Carver could be kept away from his new niece and nephew for too long anyway. "

"You realise you will be going on foot, I won't be heading back to Minrathous for some time." Isabella remarks.

"You're going back there too!" Hawke squeals, "Are you mad?"

"You worry too much Hawke. I'm a merchant now; of course I'm going back. I've got a lot of very lucrative contracts to fulfil, in the time it takes me to sort all that lot out, they'll have forgotten who I am. I might just take Gracie's advice and get some new clothes though, but I warn you now, the boots are staying."

"We'll stay for a few more days before heading out." Carver says, "I still want to catch up with everything you've been up too, complete the other part of our mission and decide what lies I'll be telling the Wardens about you."

Fenris and the others arrive back still all talking animatedly about what they plan to do. Taking a moment to check on the children before sitting down with Hawke, Fenris fills her in on what those plans are.

"Have you got a moment Fenris?" Isabella quietly asks him.

Puzzled at her unusual seriousness he nods and they walk to the quieter edge of the clearing. Isabella sighs before reaching into her blouse and pulling out two books.

"You and Hamahakis never got the chance to look for the documents you were seeking and I'm sure they would have been burnt in the fire at the estate laboratory...prison...aw hell! The fucking dungeon of despair thing he had going on there. I searched the rest of the estate, found a few good pieces, but in his study I found these."

The frayed leather bound books had obviously been well used, odd bits of paper stuck out of them and it looked like some of the pages were about to fall out.

"These are Danarius' journals. I thought you should see them and be the one who decides what is to be done with them."

Fenris took the books from her with both hands and paused for a long time before speaking.

"You've read them?"

Tears come into her eyes and Isabella nodded.

"Don't pity me Isabella. Not you. Not now. You and Varric were the only ones who ever made light of what had been done to me. Don't stop."

Isabella sniffs back the tears and tosses her hair, "Well in that case' I'll keep you in mind for pulling out any unwanted extras I have about my person."

"Thank you for these Isabella. You have been a better friend to me than I deserve."

"Oh Lanky, you have no idea!"

"Please Mistress Hawke; I have a great favour to ask of you." Barzal stands in front of her, nervously drawing the brim of his hat through his fingers.

"Captain Barzal, after what you did to get us here, you could ask me to get you the moon and I would not deny you."

"No, no Mistress Hawke, nothing like that. It's my sister you see, she needs lookin' after, help I can't give her. Help not even the ancestors can give her, but you and your friends..."

"Barzal, you have no need to worry, Lenkal will be well looked after."

"I don't wish her to be a burden, I will give you coin..."

"There is no need! Have you spoken to your sister lately?" Varania interrupts.

The dwarf shakes his head, tears coming into his eyes. Clear that Barzal is finding it too painful to see his sister and cannot cope with what had been done to her.

"Go and speak with her," Varania says gently, "Lenkal is much better than she was. I doubt we can heal her fully, but you will be pleasantly surprised I think. You should say goodbye to her, she is with the elf children."

He nods and heads off to the aravel with a heavy heart, annoyed with himself that an elf should remind him of his brotherly duties.

"Is Lenkal really that much better?" Hawke asks. She had only briefly caught sight of the sickly dwarf when they left the ships and had not spoken with her.

"I believe so. Marta could tell you how unwell she was when they found her. Once Barzal told them she was Lyrium Addled, one of the mages who had spent some time in the Circle in Ferelden recalled a book that a dwarf who stayed there had written. It gave him some ideas on how to heal her and it helped a great deal. She is still very weak and she can talk now, but it is like talking with a child. I do not know how much more she can recover. The children love her and she plays with them, she seems to enjoy that."

"She sounds like Sandal, perhaps we could send a letter to Bodahn. He might be able to help."

"I'm glad Barzal asked that she stay here. I would like to see what more can be done."

More and more people drifted into the clearing, passionately discussing their plans for the future, reassuring each other that this new life was going to be better and saying their goodbyes long into the night.

The sun rose in a clear blue sky. A fresh wind blew in from the sea that sparkled with the reflected light on the waves and caught the sails that billowed out from all five ships. Hawke watched until they were no more than dots on the horizon. It felt strange that this time it was she who was on land while others left to carry on their adventures without her.

"Are you sure you don't wish you were going with them?"

"Quite sure."

Hawke catches Fenris' hand feeling the vibration as their rings touch.

"Let's go home."

A/N Done at last! Hope you enjoyed the ride. If you're reading this then thank you so much for taking the time. I'm off to write something else now!