Blood from Stone [AU]

[Marian Hawke]

"It's like, it's like the ground under my feet is gone and now I am falling," she whispers. "Cindy said forever. She said always. But... but... but now she's gone and I..."

[Varric]

Why would you ask me if you knew... I love you Varric and you'll always be my friend but I don't know if I can forgive you for- Varric brings himself back to now with a painful focus of will. "I know it hurts," he murmurs softly. "But hearts heal. They scar, but they heal. You'll find your feet."

[Marian Hawke]

"She promised I'd never have to take care of myself," she whispers, shuddering. "I can't do it, Varric, I can't. I'm not strong enough."

[Varric]

"She was wrong to promise that," he says simply. "You are strong enough. If you can't stand on your own, yet, then you can lean a bit on your family. But you don't need someone to carry you."

[Marian Hawke]

"I do," she whispers. "I don't... I can't... you don't know what I'm like. I can be strong for her, because she asks it of me, but not for myself, not... not alone."

[Varric]

"That's... not really all that different than most people? Gods Liz, I could never have gone through all I have in the last four years if I didn't have Helene and my kids to keep me moving."

[Marian Hawke]

Liz is quiet for a moment. Then, resigned, she says, "we fought a lot lately. She thinks I'm... thought, I'm... it's just, you keep inviting me over and I won't go without her and she says, said, said I could, but I can't, I need her to look to, but she kept not wanting to, kept trying to push me to go on my own. But... I fuck up, when I do, and... I didn't want anyone to know how bad I was. Am."

[Varric]

"Liz..." Varric sighs a little. "You know you can trust us, right? That we wouldn't hurt you on purpose, that we'd try to make amends if we did it otherwise?"

[Marian Hawke]

"I... I know, but... I've caused enough pain already."

[Varric]

"Any pain you've caused is far overshadowed by the good you've done for us. Besides, that sort of... weighting of things isn't fit for a clan. Family rather." 

[Marian Hawke]

"A... clan?" she asks, hesitantly. "Is that how Dwarves, uh, organize?"

[Varric]

"Yeah. Dwarves still have families, sure, but that's just the beginning of things. Everyone is part of a Clan and the Clan takes care of everyone in it. It's almost like a trade guild or worker union, but it's every part of your life. If you need a loan, then yeah, you go to Clan first. If you need advice on which trade to take up, you go to Clan first. If you need advice on wooing your love, you go to Clan first. If you need a hug or a slap upside the head... you go to Clan first."

[Marian Hawke]

She nods. "What's your Clan?"

[Varric]

"Tethras." He winces, rolling his eyes a little. "Sorta. I left Orzammar almost a century ago and cut ties with the Clan I as part of there. So... Tethras, sure, but slightly murky. I wrote up the legal documents to create a Clan with Helene, which pulls the three of you into it as I've adopted you." I should ask Merrill if she wants me to adopt her officially (as marrying Carver seems to be off the table now) instead of just a wardship.

[Marian Hawke]

"It... you can do that? Even though we're not Dwarves, and neither is Helene?"