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[reaver-of-kirkwall]

Hawke Appreciation Week 2026

Day 1- Refugee | Slavery | Vengeance

After the darkspawn attack, Lothering was completely destroyed. Everything Vespera had ever known was gone, along with any belongings of her father. She took a moment to grieve, before directing her family away from Lothering to the unknown.

@daheroweek

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[theunsinkablesappho]

Hawke Appreciation Week - Day 1: Refugee

Word Count: 100 @daheroweek

Hawke bent down and placed the bundle of bread and cheese into the man’s outstretched hands. He had a visibly broken leg, healed wrong. He offered gruff words of thanks, a Ferelden accent heavy on his lips. Before she had even finished standing several children swarmed around him. She retreated back to leave the family in peace.

“Wasn’t that your food for the day?” Varric asked. Hawke just shrugged. She would manage.

“I already ate today,” she answered tersely and walked way. Darktown stank of stale air and human suffering. Gamlen’s hovel was bad, but it could always be worse.

[themagebard]

Oldest

Day 1 of Hawke Appreciation Week - Refugee

@daheroweek

Hawke is about to depart from Ferelden when she meets someone who seems familiar.

1.2k words

Hawke should have felt relieved as she trudged towards the nearing dock, where her family would hopefully find passage to Kirkwall. Instead, she only felt numb. Although she was still fairly young, this was an old story - one that she knew all too well. Her family was driven from their home, able to grab only the most important and and quickly-packed items, and then fled, never to return again. The fact that it was a blight instead of someone discovering the magic that runs in her family's blood changed the outcome very little.

Hawke, Carver, Leandra, and Aveline traveled in silence, each person mourning their own losses. The steel-grey sky seemed to reflect the mood.

Before long, they were able to hear the cry of the circling gulls and the splash of waves against the rocks. The harbor was nearly empty. On the dock directly in front of them, two passenger ships bobbed on the water. The only other ship present was a small fishing vessel several docks down. The ship on the right of the dock in front of them was a bustle of activity. Hawke hadn't traveled by ship before, but in contrast to the lazier ship on the left, it was obvious that it would be leaving imminently.

There were a handful of people around the docks, some sitting on crates, others standing listlessly. It was easy to see which were the refugees. They all shared the same emptiness in their eyes.

"You got money for fare?" someone shouted over the side of the busy ship at approaching group.

"Yes," Hawke replied confidently. "Are you heading to Kirkwall?"

"That's the plan," he responded.

"When are you leaving?" she questioned. She noticed a child approach and tug at Leandra's sleeve as she was speaking with the sailor. Leandra brushed the child off.

"Within the hour. We're pretty full, but we've got room for a few more paying passengers," he said, putting an emphasis on the word 'paying'. "You interested?"

"We really were planning on sitting on one of those crates and watching the blight spread across Ferelden like a sunset, but since we're here, we might as well," Hawke replied. and pulled out a money pouch to negotiate as fair a rate as they would find during these desperate times.

Out of the corner of her eye, she again saw the child make a bid for Leandra's attention, but Leandra appeared to tell him off. He returned to a woman with two younger children.

Hawke dropped the settled-upon coins into the man's hand, and he grinned at the exorbitant amount he had dragged out of her.

"Yer free to come aboard," he said.

Her companions had held back while Hawke negotiated with the seafaring crook. As she walked back towards them, she kept the pouch out in her hand.

"Are we set?" Leandra asked.

"Yes," Hawke replied absentmindedly, eyeing the small family a short distance away. The mother was hunched over hopelessly, and the two younger children looked oblivious to what was happening. The clear and determined expression in the eyes of the oldest showed that he understood the gravity of their situation. Hawke's heart clenched. Something about the child... the situation... seemed familiar.

She turned from her friends and started to walk towards them.

"Sister, you can't help everyone we come across," Carver said. "We don't owe them anything."

Hawke ignored him and approached the family. The mother glanced up. Her face was blotchy and eyes bloodshot. She quickly looked back down, allowing her hair to cover her face. The two young children looked at her with wide eyes.

She turned her attention to the oldest.

"I see you were trying to talk to my mother," Hawke stated.

"I was. She didn't want me bothering her," the boy answered.

"She's... like that sometimes. And my sister just died recently. She's not been in much of a talking mood since then," Hawke explained apologetically. "How can I help?"

"My dad died recently, too," the boy said. "He told me to take care of my family..." Her heart went out to him. "but I'm doing a bad job already."

"What do you mean?" Hawke asked.

"They won't let us go on the ship," he explained. "We don't have enough money," he said, looking hopefully at her pouch.

Hawke's hands clenched. Were they really going to leave these people here to die?

"That ship is leaving today, and they won't take us," he said, pointing to the ship Hawke had just arranged passage for. "That one isn't leaving until tomorrow," he said, pointing to the other ship, "but they won't take us either."

Hawke's eyes narrowed in the direction of the ship.

"Let me go talk to them," she said almost too cheerfully. The boy's face lit up.

Hawke strode back to the ship and pushed past her group of companions. "You won't take that family?" Hawke asked loudly as she neared the man she had negotiated with.

"They can't pay their way. We don't run a charity here," he said, straightening up from the knot he was tying and turning back to Hawke.

"There are children," Hawke fumed. "You can't just leave them behind to face the darkspawn!"

"No one's stopping me," he said, crossing his arms.

Hawke peeked into her pouch and hoped that she had enough for four more fares. "I'll pay for them."

"Sorry. Ship's all full," he replied.

Hawke took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Give them our spots," she said.

The sailor's eyes widened, and he didn't speak.

"Well, then. I will just go tell them they can take their spots belowdecks," Hawke said, turning on her heel.

"You aren't really going to give your spot up and just hope that the darkspawn don't arrive before tomorrow," he said.

"No one's stopping me," Hawke replied.

As Hawke neared, Aveline and Carver watched her expectantly. "We're leaving tomorrow," she told them as she passed.

Hawke returned to the boy who reminded her so much of herself. "You guys better get on your ship. I hear it's leaving soon," she told him.

"You made them take us?!" he asked. The mother looked up and wiped her nose on her hand.

"I did," she replied.

"Thank you so much!" the mother gasped. "There is no way we can ever repay you. What is your name?"

"Marian Hawke," she replied.

"We will never forget you," the mother said. "Thank you!"

As the mother and two younger children shuffled towards the ship, Hawke took the oldest child's hand in both of hers and knelt so that she was on his level.

"You are doing an excellent job taking care of your family," she said, then released his hand. He scurried after his family, but paused at the bottom of the plank that led up to the ship.

"Come along, Garrett," his mother called from the ship.

"Just a minute! I have something I need to do." He ran back and gave Hawke a hug, then ran back to the ship and joined his family onboard. Tears pricked at Hawke's eyes as she saw that other oldest child make it out with both of his siblings.

[theunsinkablesappho]

Hawke Appreciation Week - Day 2: Family | Friends | Rivals

Word Count: 300 @daheroweek

Sometime in 9:11 Dragon

Hawke marveled at the baby who slept against her chest. His squishy head was covered in a thick mat of impossibly thin wisps of black hair; short fingers balled up into soft fists. Mother had set her into the corner of the bed, leaned up against the wall, and told her not to move with him. She was barely breathing, not wanting to move or upset him. Hawke did not know people could be made so small. So soft, and fragile. Bethany was even smaller, but Mother would not let her hold Bethany yet.

“We’re gonna be best friends, Carver.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Sometime in 9:18 Dragon

“Sister! Wait!”

Hawke looked back to see Carver struggling to keep up through the dense brambles and fallen logs. She glanced back ahead then hurried back to him. Carver was the only one who liked exploring the woods with her.

“I got you!” She grabbed him by the shoulders of his tunic and helped haul him over the massive slippery log.

“I could do it,” Carver protested weakly even as he threatened to lose his balance again.

“I know you could.” She refrained from touching him as he jumped down onto the soft earth.

“I’m strong.”

“Strongest brother I’ve got.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Sometime in 9:26 Dragon

“I can do that,” Carver’s voice cut in as Hawke put down the Templar’s sword. She was sweating heavily from swinging the blade. Hawke always attended Chantry services with Bethany. This time, Carver had come along. One of the Templars was letting the youngsters “try” his sword.

“Yeah?” Hawke bantered, and Carver answered with a scowl. He was always scowling, taking everything as an insult. And it felt like he was specifically mad at her.

“Better than you did,” he said sharply as he grabbed the sword from her hands.

“Then do it.” Maybe it would make him feel better.

[theunsinkablesappho]

Hawke Appreciation Week - Day 5: Anger

Word Count: 271 @daheroweek

“You’re a son of a bitch, you know that?”

Hawke stood alone in the Chantry.

“She went looking for love and you send her a killer? What? Was that supposed to be funny?”

The Chantry was hollow, silent. Nothing answered her words, or the firm, angry fall of her boots with each step.

“You cannot conceive, nor can I, of the apalling strangeness of the Maker’s will, says Brother Green. I don’t know who’s ass he was kissing, because I think you’re just vindictive.”

With each slow, intentional step toward the statue she felt the rage rising inside of her like a tide.

“What was Carver? A warning shot? That was her son. What did she ever do to you except praise your name? Yes, she married a mage. It’s a sin. We’ve all committed many sins.”

Hawke stopped at the last pew, lifting her eyes up to Andraste’s face. Just another woman who had served the Maker and died. For what?

“Did she displease you, you feckless thug? Did I? I’ve protected the workers in the Bone Pit. That wasn’t good? Stopped countless gangs, saved children, fed the poor, protected this city. Was that not apology enough for you?”

Hawke waved the funeral announcement through the flames of the candles, letting it catch. She watched the flames race up the dry paper until they reached the name. Leandra Amell Hawke. Beloved Mother. Hawke dropped the paper, letting it flutter to the floor of the Chantry. Then she stepped on the blackened, smoldering remnants, grinding it into the stone.

“To the Blight with your forgiveness. And to the Blight with you.”

[theunsinkablesappho]

Hawke Appreciation Week - Day 6: Hero | Champion | Villain

Word Count: 306 @daheroweek

9:34 Dragon It always started as murmurs. Whispers. Excited gossip passe behind long fingers. But it never stayed quiet. Someone would approach her. Or shout it out, announcing her.

“Champion!”

There was no corner of Kirkwall she could walk through anymore. The title followed her with a dogged determination. At first it had thrilled her. The city that once refused to see her now turned to follow like sunflowers. And she was the sun. From invisible to unmistakable. Time turned thrill to tedium to irritation. These people did not know her. They did not care. Their reverence started to feel like ownership.

9:37 Dragon Running again. Maybe not for her life, but only maybe. The city was awash in a fury she could not quell this time. Not when she was the center of the storm. How quickly the weather turns. Champion to villain. The people who praised her at dawn now threw trash at her door of her home. Her mother’s home. They screamed threats through broken windows.

Villain. Monster. Betrayer. Murderer.

She was right though. Meredith was the monster, not her, corrupted by red lyrium. Killing innocents never solved anything.

But she was the one on the run. Leaving everything behind. Again.

9:41 Dragon Word reached Kirkwall faster than feet ever could. This city that ignored her, loved her, hated her, ushered her home in a flood of adoration and praise. More than Champion, she was their Hero. It chafed. Grated against her conscience like the rough floors of Gamlen’s hovel on her skin. The attention had never appealed to her, but having been victim to the whims of the mob, it was so much worse this time. Merrill stood at the steps of the Viscount’s Keep with their daughters. Bethany and Isabela with her. All smiles.

Being their hero felt good, at least.

[theunsinkablesappho]

Hawke Appreciation Week - Day 4: Truths

Word Count: 100 @daheroweek

“Well, well, what have we here?” Hawke couldn’t help it as she came to a stop.

Flemeth’s laughter had an ethereal quality as it bounced off the rocks and dirt. She turned, looking the same as she had almost a decade before. If she had a sovereign for every time she had met Flemeth while fleeing for her life…

“Oh, I still like you.”

Hawke was careful to stand in front of the others. Merrill, Fenris, even Sebastian. Bethany was at sea with Isabela. She was not losing anyone else.

“Don’t worry, child, the world is not yet done trembling.”

[theunsinkablesappho]

Hawke Appreciation Week - Day 3: Hightown

Word Count: 100 @daheroweek

So this was where Mother grew up. A whole set of tiles in Hawke’s head slid into place. So many questions about Mother answered in an instant. From riches to rags to riches again. Mother was already up the stairs, making comments about changing decor, Bodahn following. Beast was a boneless lump in front of the massive fireplace. Sandal was gaping at the chandelier with disturbing fascination. She envied their instant comfort. This did not feel like a home. It felt like a museum. As if she was walking on some priceless rug in muddy boots.

Everyone fit. Except her.