A Warden's Heart

The Monster Within

"She's where?!" Anders voice echoed loudly off the walls of his clinic. He passed the fool in front of his desk, wringing his hands in frustration. Only an hour ago he had nearly had a heart attack when he had opened his door to find Hawke holding a beating and blooded Isabela. She had rushed past him, placing the wounded woman on a near by cot. "What happened?" He had asked, kneeling beside the cot. He began pulling mana to heal her. She had lost a lot of blood from a stab wound in her back, and it was a miracle that she wasn't dead.

Now the pirate woman sat on the cot, retelling the story. "She didn't even try to fight back." Isabela said rubbing at the side of her head where a bandage covered a large gash. "I knew I should have followed her." Anders said, his anger boiling to the point that he found himself punching a wall, pulling back bloody knuckles. "I swore I would never let this happen. I promised to keep Carver safe. I've failed her." He fell into his desk chair and raked his fingers through his blonde hair causing it to fall from its leather tie. Hawke had just returned with the rest if their friends as Isabela had finished talking. They all stood around with a mutual air of worry.

"Calm down Blondie. We'll get Bright Eyes out of there." Varric said from his place by the doors. The storyteller always seemed so calm and at the moment it irritated Anders to no end. "You don't understand! They will kill her as soon as they figure out that she is not normal. For all we know Meredith has already ordered it! This is all my fault." He placed his head in his hands,trying his best not to picture his only remaining family dead at the feet of a templar. A gentle hand on his shoulder brought him back to the now. Hawke stood behind him, a sad smile gracing her fair face. "We will get her Anders. We all love her just as much as you. And I made a promise to my brother that I would protect her too." His love for her grew even more. This woman was the real thing and he had never felt this way about anyone else since Karl.

"No! He is right!" Fenris stood in front of the desk, his fists hitting the table. "This is all your fault!" The elf launched himself at the mage, knocking him backwards. Anders head hit the floor with a loud crack. The warrior was on top of him, pinning him to the floor. "You don't get to feel sorry for yourself!" Fenris spat at him, his clawed fists gripping at Anders' coat. "You hate mages, remember!" Anders yelled back at his attacker. "She's different! She can control her powers!" He said shaking the other man violently. Anders shook his head. "Not when her full powers emerge. I've only seen it happen twice and she doesn't even remember what happened the first time. So I've never told her. But when it happens, when she unleashes her whole powers, it's like an unending storm. As if someone else is in her body." They stared at one and other, a tiger and a wolf, until Aveline walked up beside them. "This isn't helping!" She shouted. Fenris slowly moved off of him, but it was clear that his rage was still there, just under the surface.

"If we are going to do this then we better get moving." Varric said pushing off the wall and placing his crossbow on his back. "That is if the two of you can wait till after Bright Eyes is safe." The two men flashed death glares at each other but did not move. "I believe that we would be more likely to live through this if we made a plan. Unless storming the Gallows head first is the plan." Fenris stated sarcastically. "I have an idea." Anders said, standing up and reaching for his staff. "There is a set of tunnels not far from here that lead under the Gallows."

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Her mind was clouded by a grey haze and a persistent ringing in her ears sent razor sharp pain shooting throughout her head. The ground beneath her was cold and hard. Taking in a deep breath, she gagged on damp moldy air. Coughing caused shockwaves of gut wrenching pain to radiate from her side. Her eyes fluttered open to reveal iron bars. All at once the memory of the last few hours hit her. Anders, Isabela, Templars, and...Carver. Her body may be in pain but inside she was numb. When she had seen the Templars she had seen her release. An end to all the pain, no more sorrow, no more dreams. Just oblivion.