Disclaimer: Dragon Age characters, settings, and all in-game dialogue property of Bioware. I only own my Hawke, Roxanne, and my wonderful Inquisitor, Mhyrra.^^

A strange feeling settled over Mhyrra as she and Varric stood waiting on the battlements. Like something incredibly important was about to happen.

She too was beginning to have some small inkling as to just whom it was Varric was about to introduce her to. It had obviously taken quite some time for the person to reach them all the way out here, during which, despite all that had happened, things both big and small, drastically far-reaching or personally happy, the thought had lingered in the back of her mind, growing stronger by the day, and now here it was.

And if it was who she thought it was, then…well, she was about to cross that bridge shortly, wasn't she.

The clanking of metal boots on the stairs drew her attention, and her harlequin-green eyes widened a tad as her and everyone else's suspicions were confirmed.

Tall, for a human, the lighter-garbed left arm showing her toning from years of endeavours both mundane and magical. Short, coal-black hair. Sun-kissed skin. Eyes of such a striking azure Mhyrra could have sworn she was looking into the summer sea, underlined by a streak of crimson. Warpaint, of course. Actual blood would have long since dried and crusted.

Her armour itself, the Mantle of the Champion so often depicted in sketches she had seen, looked like it had seen more than its fair share of trials, and yet still it seemed to glint with the strength of a mighty bulwark. Sling to her back, the Staff of Parlathan showed similar signs of usage, yet the gem still pearled with power and the blade gleamed with sharpness.

Her face was still strong and graceful, but Mhyrra could see the weariness behind it all. If even half of what she'd read in Varric's 'Tale of The Champion' was true, along with what Varric himself had told her, then she could hardly be surprised or blame her.

Her. This woman. Roxanne Hawke. Champion of Kirkwall and, to many, the Catalyser of the Mage Rebellion.

Utter rot of course, but not all shared her opinion.

"Inquisitor Mhyrra Adaar, meet Roxanne Hawke. The Champion of Kirkwall." Varric presented somewhat needlessly, his storyteller habits shining through.

Roxanne smiled wanly at her long-time friend, before speaking to her for the first time, her voice soft but firm.

"Though I don't use that title much anymore."

Varric stepped between the two women, gesturing.

"Hawke, the Inquisitor. I figured you might have some friendly advice about Corypheus. You and I did fight him after all."

Shaking herself, Mhyrra held out her hand.

"It's an honour to meet you, Lady Hawke."

Roxanne let out a small laugh, taking and shaking the offered limb.

"Haven't heard anyone 'honoured' to meet me in quite some time. Or call me 'Lady'."

"Well, you haven't called me 'ox-woman' yet, despite your…past experience with Qunari, so I felt it only right I should return the courtesy."

Another laugh, this one a little brighter, Varric and Mhyrra joining in. Roxanne walked over to the ledge, leaning onto her elbows, staring out at the view of Skyhold.

"This view reminds me of my home in Kirkwall." She began softly. "I had a balcony that overlooked the whole city."

Mhyrra walked up beside her, listening.

"I loved it at first. But after a while, all I could see were the people out there depending on me."

Mhyrra couldn't help but hum.

"You're lucky it was just a single city. I'm dealing with half of Thedas." Her words were not harsh, not intended to mock or boast. Just quiet empathy. Roxanne took it as such.

"You're doing everything you can to help them." She told Mhyrra.

Mhyrra shook her head, leaning up beside her.

"Not just me. My friends. My family. The Inquisition. One person can change the world, Hawke, but it takes from everyone to make it better. That's what we're all doing here, every single one of us, tackling and squashing two or three apocalyptic catastrophe at a time." She smiled down at the black-haired woman. "And that includes you too."

The ghost of a smile across Roxanne's face as she returned the gaze.

"That's what I always tried to tell everyone. I guess you're just a better teacher than I am. Lead by example, eh?" Her gaze lowered.

Mhyrra frowned, reaching to clasp Roxanne's shoulder, Varric walking up to lay his hand on her other arm.

"Hawke, it was you and your friends against practically an entire city of lunatics. With issues that had been festering for years long before you ever set foot there. Whatever you had done, it was all going to end in disaster eventually. You throwing a wrench in the works as best as you could might just be the reason why we have a chance to put things right for good."

Roxanne's expression blanked for a second, before she scoffed, shrugging of the hands and turning up to look Mhyrra in the face.

"That's easy for you to say, you've got half of Thedas just lining up to follow you. I could barely get my friends to stop arguing." She hissed with more venom than she'd meant. Varric winced.

Mhyrra turned stoic, crossing her arms and staring down at the blue-eyed fire-blaster.

"You're right."

Roxanne and Varric blinked.

"I do have a frankly astounding number of people ready to stand beside me. And do you know why? Some would like to believe, or have others believe, that it's because I'm the "Herald of Andraste".

I say piss on that. It's because I chose to be the Inquisitor. To say to ashes with all this bullshit politics, "tradition" and bureaucracy. To stand up and stand tall for all the screaming, innocent people begging for help while the Chantry sat on its collective cushy arse. To help people with every ounce of strength I possess. To break and smash however many stupid rules and tear down as many convenient and complacent lies as I need to in order to make the world better."

She waved out towards the scene before them. "And it can only warm my soul, bolster my heart, strengthen my back, to see that I am able to inspire so many others to strive to do the same." She turned back. "Because I chose to be a hero to these people, Hawke. A hero of the people, fighting for this world instead of fidgeting about the next one. Just like the Hero of Ferelden. Just like you."

Roxanne snorted, fingers beginning to twitch.

"Riiight. I helped a madman blow up a Chantry with countless innocents inside and personally helped kick of a bloody rebellion. And apparently, failed to properly kill the other madman I crossed paths with that's currently giving you and the rest of Thedas so much grief.

When exactly is the last time you screwed up?" Roxanne snarled. "Was it when you stopped the Breach from swallowing Thedas whole? When you stormed a fortress filled with Venatori and finally reigned in the Rebel Mages, managing to do so by having the guts to ally with them rather than chaining them in irons? No wait, it was between then and staring down a Darkspawn Magister and his pet Archdemon while Haven burned around you, saving the lives of every single one of your people!"

"Uhm, technically, there wasn't much actual storming, though what really happened was a whole lot weirder." Varric tentatively chimed in.

"NOT NOW VARRIC!" Both women turned to yell, sapphire and emerald blazing.

Varric, for all his wit and glibness, wisely knew when to shut up. Two angry, super-mage women who could literally break him in half and were yelling at him? This was one of those times.

"AND YOU!" Mhyrra thundered. She reached behind Roxanne's head, fisting her hair, before slamming their heads together with a dull thud.

"STOP. BLAMING. YOURSELF."

Nobody moved, both women puffing hotly in each other's face, gazes sparking between them. After a few seconds, Mhyrra pushed on.

"I'm not some perfect, invincible colossus like you and everyone else in Thedas seem ready to believe! Your problem, Hawke, is that from what I understand, you're always trying to mediate and appease everyone. You might be strong enough to have made that work for the most part with your friends and family, which I will be the last person to judge you for putting first. But Kirkwall was, just as this is, war being waged between crazy people. You couldn't and can't reason with the unreasonable!

But you tried anyway. To some, that might make you a fool. To me, that is what makes you strong. But now you think that your ideals, who you are, should be spat upon and discarded because they failed to halt a catastrophe that you had zero chance of stopping all on your own.

Ideals shouldn't be discarded or compromised when it's convenient or they don't fix everything in a flash. You fight with and for what you believe in with all your heart!

I believe in being the one to carve your own future. I believe that if you stand up for what you believe in, and it is so just and worthy that countless others join by your side to help you do the same, then what else can you call such a thing, but strength and hope?

All those "triumphs" you just mentioned? I'd have had no clue how to seal the Breach if it wasn't for a good friend of mine. I didn't save everyone at Haven, the faces of the blasted and burned are still stamped quite firmly into my mind!

And I saved the mages rather than collar them again because I believe with every fibre of my being, that each and every living thing in this world deserves a chance to prove themselves! To choose! To stand! To live! And that it was high time someone finally gave one to them, a real one!

Sometimes others disagree, things get hard. Do I break down? Throw blame around? No! I bust heads and cross fists as much as I have to, as many times as I need! I learn. I grow. And those who do the same, who believe in me, they keep me grounded and going, reminding me that I am not alone. That I have "all of Thedas lining up to follow me". To believe in the same things as I do and fight like dragons for it!"

Mhyrra tightened her grip.

"Trying to stand by what's right, to make the world better, is admirable, Hawke. But sometimes, you have to prove that your ideals are strong and right. To show the world that it needs to help you help itself, that if it doesn't, it will only end up crushed by those who do choose to believe and fight for a better tomorrow."

Silence. Finally the two seemed to start deflating.

"And what if you're all wrong? If you're wrong? What if you end up leading the world into oblivion?" Roxanne asked.

"Is that what you think we're doing?" Mhyrra queried back.

"…No. I think you're the best chance at making things right." Roxanne answered quietly.

Mhyrra smirked tightly. "Glad to hear it." She abruptly shoved Roxanne back, staring her dead in the face. "But the simple truth of the matter is, if you're just going to keep moping and beating yourself into the ground, then the Inquisition has no need of you. Thedas has no need for a quibbling, broken-down, has-been wreck. We need Roxanne Hawke. Champion of Kirkwall and Hero of the Dragon Age." She crossed her arms again. "So tell me, woman. Just who are you?"

Varric glanced worriedly between the two, Roxanne head down and Mhyrra standing impassively, as the moments ticked by.

Sapphire sought out Emerald once more.

"I'm Roxanne Hawke. Nothing more and nothing less. I don't want to be anything else. I'll let the people of this brighter future you're building decide how to put me down in the history books."

Mhyrra gave a small smirk, patting Roxanne's arm.

"That we're building together. We did bring you here for a reason after all, Lady Hawke."

Seconds later, a thin smile spread across Roxanne's lips.

"I don't really see what I can tell you that beats dropping a mountain on that crag-faced bastard, Inquisitor Adaar. But I'll tell you what I can and help however is possible."

"That's all anyone can ever ask of anyone." Mhyrra piped, before taking Roxanne by the arm and leading her down the stairs.

Both said woman and Varric blinked, the former in confusion, the latter in growing anxiety.

"Where…?"

"What, you think I'm going to waste time recounting everything you tell me to the rest of my inner circle?" Mhyrra scoffed with humour. "Anything you can tell me, you can say in front of all those involved in this mess."

"Uhm-"

"Varric, Cassandra is already going to try to murder you. There's no way to make it worse. Don't worry, big sister Mhyrra will protect you from mean old Cassie." She teased.

Varric heaved a tremendous sigh.

"The Inquisitor, Saviour of Thedas, against The Seeker. That's one cat-fight I'd rather not take bets on…"

Both women laughed.

Author's Notes: Welp, I've mulled it over, and I've decided that there are at least a few of my pieces that I want to port over from my dA space. And this is the first piece of the second. The second part is already written and rearing to go, if you guys really want it.^^

Let me know!

Now about this piece. It occurs AFTER "Gifts". I'm having it that in fact took Hawke QUITE some time to get over to Skyhold from...wherever it is she was. That makes sense, no?^^

I have to say, this one really fought with me. I knew what I wanted to do and have happen, but the proper way to word it out just grappled with me for hours.

Bioware did a rather good job at how they went about the 3 distinct personalities Hawke could use in Dragon Age II. I for one always went for the "Paragon" (Diplomatic) option, occasionally the Charm one whenever the Diamond appeared instead of the Mask.^^
But really, no matter how well you go about it, people are not uni-dimensional, nor are their feelings.
So frankly, you'd at least expect that, after the fiasco that has been what's happened to her in the past years, that Hawke can still retain her core of goodness, but also have moments of dry humour, as part of coping or self-deprecation, and also moments when she just boils over, even if the real anger is towards herself, deep down.
Good thing Mhyrra's a big girl who can take it AND give right back. ;)

On that note, I've yet to see many other fics out there where Hawke and the Inquisitor flat-out butt heads. So I'm very interested in seeing how I did with this!
I mean YES, they still mostly sort themselves out by the end, but still! XD

Oh! One last thing. If you're wondering about the title: By word of Mary Kirby (one of the Writers of Dragon Age at Bioware, for those few who don't know)
"Adaar" the Qunari Inquisitor's surname, can mean both "Weapon" or, literally, "Fire-Thrower". Guess which one I went with.^^
/BioMaryKirby/statu…

Cheers, Warm Tidings and Happy Holidays Everybody, to you and all your kin!