Alone part 4

     Anders didn't explain himself until the more pressing matters were taken care of; removing Danarius's corpse and getting food for Fenris, mainly. Varania also needed to be dealt with.

     Before, Fenris would have turned on her, gone to rip her heart out for her betrayal. Now, he simply didn't want to see her again. His sister left once he told her; where she went, he didn't know and couldn't bring himself to care. Maybe Leto would never want to leave her, but she was no more than a stranger to Fenris.

     Now, he and Anders sat in a room the mage rented out while waiting for confirmation from the court of records that Fenris was now a free man.

     "You should get something to eat." Anders spoke up; no words had been exchanged between them since the duel.

     Fenris stared down at the plate set before him, still toying with its contents. He had gotten his armor and sword back after Danarius's death and the familiar weight was welcome to him.

     "And you said you would explain what caused this change of heart." He retorted. "That explanation you still owe me, mage."

     "…You're right, I do." Anders agreed. "So we compromise; you eat and I'll do the talking."

     "Very well."

     So as Fenris gave his body the sustenance it so desperately needed, Anders told him everything that happened. About the growing tensions between mages and templars, culminating in the destruction of the Chantry via Anders not long after Fenris was recaptured. About Meredith calling for the Right of Annulment and the mages standing up to fight back. About Hawke taking the side of the templars in return for the Viscount's seat. About Anders and Merrill nearly getting killed for siding with the mages, but being saved by Isabela, who managed to escape her Qunari captors and take them out of Kirkwall.

     "Last I heard, Varric, Aveline, and Carver stayed with Hawke." Anders finished. "Though even with the Champion of Kirkwall taking power, I doubt this will deter the mages."

     Fenris stared down at his now-empty plate, letting everything sink in. Of course Anders would deal with the so-called mages' plight firsthand. Still, for him to go this far…

     Then there was one other thing bothering the elf.

     "That doesn't answer my question; why did you save me?"

     Anders was quiet for a short moment, as though putting what to say together, before he spoke.

     "Justice didn't approve of your return to slavery. And…neither did I, when I finally got around to really thinking about it."

     Fenris's eyes narrowed. "So you decided to rescue me from a fate you thought I deserved because the demon didn't approve?"

     "He's not a demon!" Anders snapped as he always had whenever Fenris referred to Justice as a demon. That bit of familiarity was an odd comfort for the elf. "At least…not anymore." Wait; now he was admitting that he had been the vessel of a demon?

     "When we left Kirkwall, I was sure that everything that happened would inspire the other mages to stand up for themselves as I mentioned before. My anger faded…and as it did, I remembered what happened to you and realized how wrong it was. I would always try to convince you that the Circle was the equivalent of slavery, but didn't stop to think that the opposite would be true as well. And with my anger mostly gone, Justice agreed that what was done to you was unjust and we should help you. Once they heard what happened, Merrill volunteered to come with and Isabela took us to Tevinter. Thankfully, it seemed we arrived in the nick of time."

     "You did." Fenris confirmed. "Danarius was about to have my memories erased again. Had you come later, I would have no knowledge of freedom nor the wish to obtain it."

     "…Then I'm glad I arrived when I did." Anders said.

     "You mentioned that Isabela and Merrill came with; where are they?"

     "Getting the Siren's Call II ready to leave. You're welcome to come with if you want."

     Fenris was quiet. Ever since he ran from Danarius, he never thought of anything else but how to keep his newfound freedom. Then when he decided to turn and fight back, all that occupied his mind was killing those who tried to drag him back to Tevinter. While there were times where he wondered what he would do once he stopped running, inevitably there would be something that would take his attention back to the present and away from the possible future. And now he was finally free, he wasn't sure what to do next even with Anders's offer.

     "I'll think about it." Fenris promised. It was all he could do.

     "Well don't spend too much time thinking about it; we're leaving tomorrow afternoon." Anders got up and began heading for the door.

     "Why that soon?" Fenris asked before he could leave.

     A smile spread on Anders's face. "None of us are really fond of Tevinter; the atmosphere here makes you seem all sunshine and rainbows. We don't have any specific plans in mind, if that's what you're asking. I think Isabela plans to go back to pirating, and she mentioned making Merrill part of her crew so she could keep an eye on her. Merrill doesn't seem to mind being out at sea either. As for me…" he stopped. "…I don't really know; I was sure Hawke would kill me after what I did. I planned on it, too. But I'm alive." He opened the door. "I guess I have to figure out what to do, too. For now, I'm staying with Isabela. If you don't mind traveling with mages again, the ship's at the Minrathous docks."

     Once Anders passed through the door, Fenris was alone once again.

     Not quite like before, though. At least this time he had people he could consider allies. If he chose to.

     Once again, Fenris had his freedom; now he needed to figure out what he would do with it.