Shane Hawke 🦅⚜️

He leaned forward to look over her shoulder, unaware he was breathing on the back of her neck. ⚜️

“Walk in front and don’t squeeze with legs, got it,” he repeated trying to remember the tips she was giving him.

He put his arms around her waist to hold on as they started heading out on the trail.

“So far, so good. Not too bad,” he commented.

He hopped off his horse then climbed up behind Cassandra on her horse, leading with his left foot this time.

“Alright, I did it. Look at that! I’m already making some progress.” He put his arms up in the air triumphantly, but he almost lost his balance so he quickly put his arms around her waist.⚜️

Her reaction made him laugh harder.

“I guess the Maker doesn’t give out with both hands!” He kept laughing holding his stomach, then wiped his eye as he tried to collect himself.

“Alright, let’s try it your way. I’ll need to use the training wheels first to get the hang of it.”

“I do not,” he said honestly. “I don’t think I have ever, actually. How hard could it be?”

He tried to mount the horse and led with his right foot instead of his left and ended up sitting on the horse backwards facing its rear end.

“Well now, I don’t think that’s quite right…” he laughed. ⚜️

He leaned in to kiss her cheek, then smiled big.

“Keep it safe now, that’ll be worth a lot of money someday, Miss.” He winked.

“And I’ve got time, why not tell me the story now? I’d love to hear it. Maybe while we’re riding?” ⚜️

To Cassandra,

My biggest fan! Keep dreaming big and best wishes in your next magical adventure. Thank you for your support!

Love,
Shane Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall ❤️ ⚜️

Shane opened the book to the title page and wrote a little message along with his signature. He winked at Cassandra as he handed it back to her.

“There you go, darling. Thank you for your support,” he said with a warm smile.

When Cassandra opened the book, she saw his inscription:

Hawke smiled wide — he didn’t expect her to have it on her.

“You…carry it around with you? That is adorable…and of course I will, I thought you’d never ask. Always happy to meet a fan,” he said playfully.

He took the book from her, handling it carefully. “First edition, hmmm. Very impressive.”

“Hmmm. Well, I guess a few autographs won’t hurt.” He leaned over to nudge her gently with his elbow.

“Speaking of which, I’m surprised you haven’t asked yet, being my biggest fan and all.” He liked teasing her and seeing her blush.

“Good point, maybe riding separately would be the best idea…” ⚜️

- holds so many memories there. Surely if I returned I’d be hounded by fans looking for autographs…” he lightly chuckled.

They arrived at the stables and to their surprise, the Seeker’s stead was indeed still there.

“So are we each getting a mount or shall I ride together with you, darling?” ⚜️

— emerged and am here for you now. Don’t worry about me, love. I’ll figure it out. You’ve enough on your plate already, I don’t want to add to it.”

His heart warmed at Cassandra’s gesture. “You are very sweet. I suppose I can return there, someday. It’s just so different now — the City of Chains-

“I don’t need to run, I’ve just nowhere else to call home, so I wander now. As you know I disappeared when the mage rebellion ignited with the collapse of the Chantry, and fame due to our lovely dwarf friend’s novel of my exploits.” Hawke shook his head.

“Now that I can be of some help, I’ve —

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh dear. It sounds as though The Anchor’s power may be increasing for some reason, The Fade trying to come through perhaps?” ⚜️

He looked over at her, hoping she would finish her thought, he wanted to know if they were actually thinking the same thing, though he had a good idea of how to fill in the blank.

“The estate is collecting dust now since I fled Kirkwall and went into hiding. I don’t have much use for it now.”

“Cassandra, in all honesty, I don’t have much family left. My mother and sister are gone. Uncle Gamlen has his own house, as does my cousin Charade. As for Carver, he’s always off on his own. Always was.”

Hawke sounded forlorn but had grown accustomed to being on his own.

But, they were still needed.

“Maybe after all this is over…we could do just that. But yes, we need to be successful first so there is a world left to travel.”

He furrowed his brow. “The Inquisitor is ill? I hadn’t heard. Has it to do with the Anchor?” ⚜️

“I would do it in a heartbeat. Just say the word.”

Shane was dead serious, his grip around her arm tightened.

“I could sell the family estate in Kirkwall, we would have enough coin for a long while.”

He paused again, considering the fantasy for a moment, then agreed it wasn’t realistic.

Their duty to serve others, of course. But just this once, could they do something for themselves?

Hawke turned to look at her, then confessed. "Alright, maybe it's more than a part of me, more like 80% wants to act on this brilliant idea. Am I that crazy, or -- ?" ⚜️

- here & not return. We could find another dragon, commandeer it and fly away to a far-off land -- or perhaps your horse would be up to the task --," he said with a sly smirk. "I’m sure the Inquisitor and her advisors could handle things without us.”

It was a tempting idea. What was stopping them?

“I’m sure I will.” He’d forgotten he called her cute earlier in regard to her Nevarran accent. It sounded so noble, so proper – fitting for a respectable woman of her stature.

“You know…” he said with a devious grin as a spontaneous thought came to him. “A part of me wants to take you away from -

“Yeah? I would like that too. And Is that so? That’s very cute. What did you read to them?” He asked sincerely with interest.⚜️

Hawke put his arm through hers & walked slowly with her through the field towards the Inquisition camp. It felt as if time slowed down and the worries troubling Thedas had washed away. He had no intention of pulling away this time, his demeanor calm and his muscles relax as they walked together.

He looked back and forth into her eyes for a moment and could see the yearning she’d had for something like this. He was glad to be the one to provide it for her. It did feel as though they were living in a fairytale together. ⚜️

Hawke smiled warmly.

“You are most welcome. I thought the flower species appropriate, given your devotion to the Chantry.”

He raised his hand to rub her face, his thumb softly brushing the moist part of her cheek.

“Well then, I’m glad I could make you feel special, darling -- because you are.”

— handed her the freshly picked flowers.

“For you, Lady Seeker,” he smiled. ⚜️

“Wait here a moment, darling.”

Hawke walked over to a patch of Andraste’s Grace, picking the ones with the longest stems. After gathering a handful, he pulled a red ribbon from his pocket and wrapped it around the stems to create a bouquet. He made his way back to where Cassandra stood and —

That made him laugh, he liked her brutal honesty. He proudly took her arm in his and walked through the lush green grass over a hill filled with various flowers local to the Hinterlands. Hawke’s eyes widened when he saw the field full of vibrant color, then unhooked his arm from hers.

“I mean, we could walk if you prefer, but…that may take a while. Although that may not be such a bad thing — spending more time with you.” He smiled sincerely.

He gathered his staff and utility belt then secured them to his robes.

“Ready to head out? Let’s start heading back to camp.” ⚜️

Hawke chuckled softly then nodded.

“Perhaps my feelings for you are stronger than I realized.”

He rubbed her arm before heading out of the river to grab his garments and put them back on.

“I’m unsure if the carriage waited for us, but maybe we can borrow a few Inquisition horses back at camp?”⚜️