It took them six weeks to get out of the Deep Roads. There were some nasty close calls, and a great deal of deepstalker eaten, and one of Isabela's blades was swallowed by a spider, but they made it out in one piece.
Exhausted, they dragged themselves back to Kirkwall. Nathaniel, Anders and Merrill decided to all go to the Alienage to stay with Sigrun and Velanna, Isabela went home, as did Varric, and Abigail went back to Gamlen's to give her family the good news.
She was just in the square where Gamlen's house stood, when she stopped dead in the street.
There were Templars outside of Gamlen's house. Abigail swore and ducked behind a wall. She peered around the corner—the Templars didn't seem to be inclined to leave. They were unfamiliar to her.
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the Hanged Man, where Varric had only just taken off his traveling coat.
“Abigail, what--?”
“Templars,” Abigail gasped. “There are Templars at Gamlen's house.”
“Oh, shit,” Varric said. “How many?”
“Two outside, I don't know how many inside,” she said. “Don't know how long they've been there—they've got to be there for Bethany, but I can't find out! Who knows if they'll be looking for me, too?”
“I'll go,” Varric promised. “You--” he sighed, trying to think. “The docks,” he said. “Go to Isabela's—I'll meet you there.”
“What about Anders and Merrill and Velanna?” Abigail asked. “The Alienage is so close—shouldn't I tell them too?”
Varric ran a hand through his hair and hissed through his teeth. “I don't know,” he said.
Abigail bit on a fingernail. “More people might draw attention,” she said. “Ah, dammit!” she rubbed her forehead. “Just after the Deep Roads and now this--!”
“I'll go see what's up,” Varric promised her. “You go see Isabela, and figure out how to tell the others from there.”
Abigail nodded. “Alright, go, hurry!”
While Varric went to Gamlen's, Abigail ran to Isabela's. Isabela had only just gotten in the door.
“Bloody Templars,” she said, shaking her head at the news. “Can't let us sit for ten minutes—wait here, I'll be to the Alienage and back, grab those mages of ours.”
“Wait--” Abigail bit her lip. “Templars sometimes investigate friends—what about Fenris? He's had trouble with them before...”
“Later,” Isabela said. “Or—wait, I'll get Sigrun or Nathaniel to get them, and—you know what? I might as well grab the big girl too, she'll probably want to hear about it.”
Abigail nodded and paced, nervous, as she waited for Isabela to return. Within half an hour she was back, with Merrill, Velanna and Anders in tow.
“Sigrun's gone to find Aveline, Nate's going to get Fenris,” Isabela said. “I didn't go past Gamlen's, so I don't know what the situation is there.”
Anders kept periodically glowing blue. The most recent time he did it, Nathaniel snapped at him to stop.
“Can't help it,” Anders pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. “Justice is angry, and I'm exhausted. And angry. I can't—I can't calm down enough to stop it.”
“Deep breaths,” Merrill advised.
“Tried,” Anders said. “Doesn't work on him for some reason.”
“You tried getting drunk?” Isabela said.
“How about actually getting some sleep?” Nathaniel said. He rubbed his face. “We could all do with sleep—that's what we were going to do before Isabela banged on the door.”
Velanna crossed her arms. “Of course the Templars would show up just the day you came back,” she said with a scowl. “Why should they do anything that makes things easy for us?”
Fenris and Aveline turned up with Sigrun.
“Templars?” Avelin asked, wasting no time.
Abigail spread her hands. “They were right outside Gamlen's house—I couldn't go back!”
“I didn't even know you were back in the city, and now this?” Aveline sat down.
“The Templars were at your house while you were not there?” Fenris said, his expression troubled. “Then they must be there for Bethany.”
“That is my concern,” Abigail said.
“How do you think they know?” Fenris asked. “She is hardly the most dangerous or uncontrolled of a mage.”
Abigail nodded in agreement. “And she tries to avoid using magic in public,” she said. “I'm uncertain how they even discovered her in the first place...”
“Do you think one of your smuggler friends could have told them?” Aveline asked.
Abigail shook her head. “If Athenril had told the Templars, she would have to tell them about all the other mages with her,” she said. “And she would have had the same problem if someone under her told them—that person would probably get a knife in the back. Athenril does not like it when people go behind her back.”
“Then who--?”
Aveline was interrupted by Varric's return. They all turned their attention to him.
“What is it?” Abigail asked. “What's going on?”
“It's Bethany,” Varric said. “You were right. Someone figured out Bethany was an apostate and reported it.”
“Oh, no,” Merrill said, putting a hand over her mouth. “Did they take her?”
Varric nodded. “I came in while they were talking—we all tried to tell them she wasn't a mage, but they weren't having it.” he scowled in disgust. “One of the Templars wanted to test her being a mage—so he put one of those Silences on her. Just about made her lose her lunch, and then they dragged her out.”
“Only mages react to Templar abilities,” Anders muttered, his eyes flashing blue again.
“They just took her?” Abigail asked. “What did Carver do?”
“He was pretty angry, let me tell you,” Varric said. “Probably a good thing I was there—he almost pulled his sword on one of them.”
“Maker,” Abigail shook her head. “Idiot.”
“He didn't though,” Varric said.
“Are they gone?” Abigail asked. “Did they know about me, too?”
“Just Bethany,” Varric said. “But if I were you, I'd buy back the Amell title pretty quick—they're probably going to find out soon, if they know about Bethany.”
“Oh, poor Bethany,” Merrill said. “Is there something we could do? Anders?” she looked at Anders, who sighed.
“We won't be able to do a bloody thing until she's already in their records, with a phylactery and everything,” he said. “They keep new apostates locked up, so their friends can't get them out.”
“Are you sure there's nothing we can do?” Aveline asked.
“Not nothing—but we can't do anything yet.” Anders had a dangerous glint in his eye.
“Why are they going after Bethany when there are more dangerous mages they could be dealing with?” Fenris wanted to know. “I have not forgotten the fiasco with the escaped healers...”
“Maybe they're worried about that incident repeating itself,” Aveline said. She grimaced. “That might mean they're specifically looking for healers—you'll want to watch yourself, Anders.”
“Oh, that'll be a huge change,” Anders said, rolling his eyes.
Abigail didn't go back to Gamlen's until a day later. Leandra was still upset, weeping profusely, and Carver was furious. He demanded to know why Abigail hadn’t helped, somehow.
“Tell me, Carver, exactly what should I have done?” Abigail asked. “Attacked them, like you almost did? That would've gone over well.”
“You could have done something!” Carver snapped. “You--”
“You're the one who's always saying you want to be in charge,” Abigail said. “So stop looking to me for answers if you don't think I have any.”
Carver growled to himself and kicked a nearby crate. “You always have to be bloody right, don't you?” he snapped.
“I don't have to be right. I am right.”
“If you'd let us come on the expedition--”
"But I didn't. I can't do anything about that now.” Abigail ran a hand through her hair. “I’m going to go to the Viscount and petition for our name back—we have money now, we can do that. We’ll get some legal protections and we might be able to get Bethany out somehow.”
“You know that won’t happen,” Carver rolled his eyes. “Being an Amell didn’t stop our cousin from being sent to the Circle.”
“No, but her family isn’t ours. So we might be able to do something.”
“Like what?”
“Anders had some ideas...” Abigail shook her head. “Either way, if we get back the title, I’ll be in less danger and you and Mother won’t have to live here anymore.”
Carver seemed dubious, but he didn't have any other ideas. So, before doing anything else, Abigail and Leandra went to the Viscount to reinstate the Amell name. The Viscount was quite happy to do this, once Abigail gave him enough money. Abigail felt a great deal more secure with a noble title under her belt.
After that, they went to the Gallows (Carver deciding to accompany them), and petitioned the Templars for a visit with Bethany. Despite the Amell name, they were denied. Knight-Captain Cullen refused to even let them inside the main building, and after an hour of arguing, Leandra lost her temper.
“Let me see my daughter, you jumped-up excuse for a Guard!” Leandra cried.
“No,” the Knight-Captain said again, folding his arms.
“Ser, she's our sister,” Carver insisted, gesturing to himself and Abigail. “She's my twin--”
“I don't care who you are, mages aren't allowed visits,” Cullen insisted, rubbing his temples as if feeling a headache coming on. “Maker willing, we can transfer her soon so we don't have to deal with her bloody family!”
“Transfer her?” Leandra's voice was high and distressed. “As if she's a convict?”
“She is a mage.” he said, as if his point were obvious. “She is dangerous, and contact with you will put you at risk.”
“She's a healer!” Carver protested.
Cullen looked at Abigail. “You were with the Guard-Captain, helping her investigation,” he said. “You know the dangers apostate healers can pose.”
“Bethany's never hurt a soul in her life!” Leandra said.
“And now, she won't be able to.”
Leandra slapped him, hard enough to leave a mark. “I want to see my daughter!” she shouted again, on the verge of tears. Cullen didn't say anything, looking rather shocked, and Leandra continued. “I didn’t escape from the Blight just for her to be snapped up by the Circle!”
“Excuse me,”
They all looked round to see Knight-Commander Meredith coming towards them.
“Knight-Commander,” Cullen saluted, his face still red with Leandra’s slap.
“What is going on here?” Meredith asked, her eyes narrowed.
“This is the Amell family,” Cullen explained. “They wish to see Bethany Hawke.”
Meredith blinked in confusion. “Why?”
Leandra angrily scrubbed at her cheeks. “My married name is Hawke,” she snapped. “But I am an Amell from birth. Bethany is my daughter, and I won’t have you locking her away where I can’t see her!”
“It is for the protection of you and her that she is here,” Meredith said.
“How can she hurt me with just a visit?” Leandra demanded. “I’m her mother, for the love of the Maker!”
There was more arguing, but ultimately, they didn’t let them see Bethany. Leandra and Carver were both distraught, and Abigail was furious, but tried not to show it. Abigail decided that practical solutions were the best ones, so she arranged to buy back the Amell properties immediately. Several of the administrators even knew Leandra and had known her parents, and one woman even expressed her regret for the way everything had turned out.
Abigail felt a great deal more secure with a house that they owned and a noble title that could protect them from possible harm. Leandra, Abigail and Carver left Gamlen's house to go to the Amell manor in Hightown. Leandra, still angry with Gamlen over the will, refused to let him come with them and Carver and Abigail had no problem with it.
Abigail and Carver had only been to the Amell mansion the once, and then, only seen part of it. Leandra had grown up there, but it had changed greatly since she was last there.
The mansion was located quite near to Fenris' home, which was fairly convenient, and the cellars still went all the way to Darktown, which meant that Anders at least had somewhere to go when the Templars were nosing around.
The house wouldn't bring Bethany back, but hopefully owning property and a noble title would prevent any other member of their family from being taken away.
Merrill got a new house as well, the tenement right next door to Velanna and Sigrun's, so they could all have more space (and so the eluvian would stop keeping Sigrun up at night with its peculiar noises).
Isabela got a ship, a modest but sturdy sailing vessel. She immediately moved from her tiny dockside house to the ship itself, but was still in the process of finding crew to sail it.
“I tried to pay off Castillon, too,” she told Abigail “But I couldn't find any of his people.”
“Are you worried he'll still come after you?” Abigail asked.
“A bit. I'm hoping he thinks I'm dead.” Isabela looked edgey, as she always did when the business of Castillon and the relic was brought up, so Abigail quickly dropped the subject.
Bartrand appeared to have skipped town. Varric couldn't find him, although he hunted with the energy that only someone betrayed by their family could manage. He kept an eye out for any strange red lyrium popping up, but so far, there was nothing.
So things went, for a time.