At Your Side (A Dragon Age fanfiction)

On the Steps of the Chantry

"Are you certain this will work?" Aveline asked, fiddling with her shield for the fourth time in as many minutes.

"Yes, of course," Hawke said with a certainty she didn't entirely feel. The irony that it was Fenris who seemed most determined to help Aveline out of the romantic mess her own reticence had gotten her into wasn't lost on Hawke, and it irritated her. Where was all this belief in romance when he walked out of her bedroom in the small hours of the morning? And now here he was prancing about Kirkwall with her curtain tie on his arm but a heart as closed as the doors of the Gallows.

"You don't look confident," Aveline said.

"It'll be fine, Aveline," Varric cut in. "We kill the bandits, you talk to Donnic."

"Right. I talk to Donnic." Aveline looked slightly green at the thought. She jumped when they heard Donnic's voice calling for her. "All of you, get moving! Don't let him see you!"

"So what's the plan?" Isabela asked when they were out of sight of the Guard Captain.

"We kill the bandits, she talks to Donnic."

"Really? That's no fun at all."

The four of them moved up the sandy paths of the Wounded Coast. There were, as always, a few camps full of bandits around. Hawke sent Isabela sneaking into the camps first, which was always good for two or three of the bandits, and then Isabela would flush the rest toward where Hawke and Fenris were waiting. Bianca did her bit, as well, picking off any who tried to flank the fighters. Hawke lit the signal fires to let Aveline know the coast was clear, and they hung around, concealed in the brush, until Aveline and Donnic caught up.

Aveline proved incompetent at the small talk, hesitantly attempting to discuss proper care and formation of blades, stammering through a conversation about the strange quietness of the patrol, and even uttering the extreme inanity "It's a nice night for an evening." Hawke winced at that one. As far as she could tell, Aveline was doomed.

If anyone seemed more uncomfortable than Aveline, it was Donnic, who appeared extremely distracted. His answering comments came slowly, and often Aveline had to call his name to get him to speak.

"I knew she was hopeless, but this is just pathetic," Isabela said.

"Even Bianca's a better conversationalist than that," Varric added.

Fenris was silent, which Hawke was glad for. If he'd commented on Aveline's relationship skills, Hawke would have had to hit him.

"I'm putting a stop to this," Hawke said with determination. She started down the path in the direction Aveline and Donnic had gone, back towards Kirkwall.

Before Hawke could reach them, an outcry arose in their direction. She ran toward the sound, sprinting around a jutting outcrop of rock to find Donnic battling a pair of bandits over Aveline's prostrate form. Hawke pulled her blade. Donnic took advantage of the distraction her presence caused to slice open the jugular of one of the bandits, while Hawke took on the other. Fenris's onrush followed hers closely, and between the two of them the bandit was soon face-down in the sand.

Hawke turned to her friend, but Donnic was quicker, kneeling in the sand and taking Aveline's head in his lap. He removed the kerchief she wore, using it to wipe up a trickle of blood over her eye. "Aveline."

Aveline stirred, groaning, and her green eyes opened. When she saw Donnic leaning over her, concern and relief on his face, she sighed. Then her pleased look changed to one of alarm, and she tried to scramble up. Donnic's arms tightened around her. "Not yet, you don't. That was a nasty blow to the head. You stay right here until I'm certain you've recovered."