Trust: Anders/Hawke/Fenris (DA II Manifesto)
Trust: The Anders/Hawke/Fenris Triangle
A manifesto looking into the character dynamics of Anders, Hawke and Fenris, as well as how these dynamics relate to the main plot of Dragon Age 2.
Warnings: Spoilers for endgame
Disclaimer: This is inspired a lot by my own personal headcanon, which involves unrequited love between Anders and Hawke, and assumes that Hawke romanced Fenris. I am not saying that this is THE~ ultimate analysis of Anders, Fenris and Hawke, but just my~ analysis following this logic.
Anders, Hawke and Fenris--an intense love triangle if there ever was one to be written. Honestly, Bioware’s writers really created dynamite with these characters in particular. At first glance, Anders steals the entire narrative out from under Hawke when he chooses to destroy the chantry at the end-game. Another glance makes it appear that Fenris doesn’t seem to serve a purpose other than being fanbait, and Hawke is a fairly blank slate other than what the player uses to input his/her gender, class and basic personality set.
I can definitely say that after some analysis, that this is not true.
All three of these characters have individual layers, which only serve to grow more complex as these layers overlap in their interactions with one another. Although the party of companions gels extremely well, it’s really Hawke, Anders and Fenris that can potentially cause the most friction in the narrative, should the player choose to romance either Fenris or Anders (assuming all party members were recruited in a playthrough). However, before I can explain why, I first have to explain the characters individually.
Let’s begin with Hawke, a refugee from Lothering whom escaped into Kirkwall. S/he initially doesn’t have much of an attachment to Kirkwall, other than Leandra’s Amell blood. S/he, does, however, have an attachment to the mage/templar story that runs concurrent to his/her endeavours in the city. Depending on the player’s input, Hawke either has Bethany, his/her mage sister, live through Lothering and has his/her deceased mage father, or s/he is a mage themselves.
Either way, Hawke’s stake in the mages is high. As DA2’s plot progresses, this stake grows higher, not just because Hawke grows to be an important figure in Kirkwall, but because his/her connections to the party and the city deepen as well. After losing losing their second sibling to circumstance and their mother to murder, the companions are all s/he has left. Without them, Hawke would basically be alone in the middle of Kirkwall surrounded by politics that s/he never meant to be dragged into in the first place. Hawke tries to step up to this responsibility, but only proves how incapable s/he is of taking a situation of this magnitude under control. S/he unintentionally triggers a war just by his/her very presence. This only serves to make the story more tragic when the end-game appears.
Anders, a Grey Warden mage whom is hiding out in Darktown as a healer to refugees. He’s escaped the Circle of Magi multiple times and has his share of run-in with templars. Understandably, he doesn’t like the order at all and wants to free the mages, no matter what extremes he has to reach in order to do so. He is also possessed by Vengeance, a spirit that has been corrupted from Justice. Although he tries to work with Vengeance, ultimately it takes him over and contributes to his most extreme action yet--the destruction of the Chantry, which results in the death or many innocents, and the beginning of a bloody battle of mages versus templars.
Lastly, there is Fenris, an escaped Tevinter slave. Having come from the Tevinter Imperium, he has witnessed many corrupted mages in his time, and has powers derived from lyrium imbued in his skin which have taken away his memories prior to receiving these markings. His owner, Danarius, is a powerful magister who pursues Fenris for a majority of the plot behind the scenes, with the intent to capture him again and wipe out his memory for a second time. There are also implications (later confirmed by David Gaider) that Fenris was also sexually abused by Danarius. Fenris generally doesn’t approve of mages or their magic for these reasons (though he does remain cordial with Bethany, and respects mages who keep their powers under control, like a mage Hawke).
There is one thing that immediately stands out first about these characters. Anders and Fenris, who of course hate each other because of their opposing viewpoints, unintentionally drag Hawke in the middle. Both Fenris and Anders show examples of halting Hawke and providing exposition about the mages and templars, as well as bickering with each other. This not only shadows the way the Viscount, Meredith and Orsino drag Hawke in the middle of politics, but also highlights the way that the story forces the player to choose sides at the end on a more personal level. Which brings me to another point:
Fenris and Anders are the same exact character. They obviously have different backstory, but they share the same views from their distinct sides of the mage vs. templars argument and both struggle with inner demons (Anders more literally). They both have elements that have spiraled beyond their control that they have to contend with during their time with Hawke--Fenris with Danarius, and Anders with Vengeance continuing to consume him more.
There are alternatives as to how a romance triangle with these characters can end up, of course. Hawke can even choose not to romance neither Fenris nor Anders. The most tragic is without a doubt, however, if Hawke chooses Fenris over Anders. That relationship alone has issues within itself to contend with that causes both Hawke and Fenris to grow.
Fenris must cope with his PTSD of the abuse from Danarius, and must accept Hawke’s mage blood, whether it is actually Hawke themselves or in the form of Bethany. Hawke must learn to be patient with Fenris being so short with mages--even a templar-friendly Hawke stands up for Bethany if Fenris puts her down. However, both characters come out better for it in the end. Although both never completely drop their prejudices for the time Hawke is in Kirkwall, they learn to tolerate the opposing sides more within the context of their relationship. This is exhibited in particular when a friendship track Fenris, whom still opposes mages strongly, will help the mages in the final battle if Hawke sides with them.
Anders gets the short end of the stick regardless of whether Hawke romances him or not. He can end up dead--at Hawke’s hand--or becomes a wanted criminal regardless of his relationship status. He lies to Hawke about his true intents of the chemicals he asks Hawke to gather in one of his sidequests. Vengeance eventually wins. If Hawke romances Fenris, Anders still has feelings for him/her regardless, becoming snippy with Hawke after s/he begins courting Fenris.
Though it’s never said outright, it’s quite clear that Anders is especially jealous of Fenris’ relationship with Hawke. If Hawke romances a different character, he generally will not acknowledge it, or if he does, his words don’t have the same sting to it. He is downright vehement of Fenris, comparing him to a “wild animal” and a “beast”.
If Hawke romances Anders instead, Fenris remains quieter. Even if Hawke romances Fenris and then breaks up with him for Anders, Fenris is clearly hurt, but his resolve remains more independent from Hawke. His past trauma, though it causes him great pain both physically and mentally, gives him enough of a defense against his present heartbreak. This defense is what Anders lacks, and is another example of how Fenris serves as a foil to him, and how much he has in common with Hawke, whom also has developed this defense from losing his/her family.
Anders still loves Hawke even if he is not courted. If this interpretation is utilized by an individual player, that would also mean that it wasn’t just Vengeance that drove Anders to near madness, but his unrequited love for Hawke. He wanted to prove himself to Hawke that he was strong--but Vengeance leaves him taxed. If a player really wanted to add more tragedy to Anders’ character they could consider the rivalry track. Not only is Anders trying to prove his point to Kirkwall by blowing up the chantry, but he is trying to reach out to a Hawke who has been against his actions every step of the way.
This is the final blow for Hawke before s/he leaves Kirkwall in the future. Though s/he has his/her relationship with Fenris, one of his/her friends has completely betrayed the party’s real cause at the end game--to prevent tensions from tipping over between the mages and the templars. No matter what happens to Anders, Hawke is more likely than not ever going to want to talk to him again. Whether a Hawke is templar friendly, mage friendly or anything in-between, Anders has given him reason never to trust him again.
Regardless of whom Hawke sides with, there is a common theme with both endings from him/her--there is order. Hawke is defeated and order takes over when it’s all over and done with. That is what Fenris stands for in reality--order, a new beginning. Yes, he doesn’t trust mages, and both he and Anders were held under someone else’s control for different reasons. The difference between him and Anders is that a part of Fenris is now, for the most part, dead, because of the memories he lost.
What trust Fenris had in people of his past life, like Danarius whom he may have trusted too long ago, was killed because of their actions. Once Fenris sees the truth, his situation, how Danarius actually was and all of the people who died at his old master’s hand, he runs away. He starts a new beginning.
In a sense, Hawke repeats this cycle in his/her character development after Anders betrays him/her. Fenris has come into Hawke’s life not just to begin his own healing process, but to assure that Hawke doesn’t repeat the same mistakes that he did on his own path to trusting others once more.
Anders will never have this second chance after his own torment.
After the rebels Anders led earlier in the story on dissolved, there was nobody left for him to trust who fully sided with his cause. He couldn’t even trust any of the companions with his idea to destroy the chantry, and can’t even trust himself ever again because Vengeance has warped his mind so much. It’s left a high price because he was never able to trust anyone--especially Hawke after what he sees as a betrayal when Hawke chooses Fenris over him. Anders has lost everything--his friends, Hawke’s friendship and for all intents and purposes, his life. And all because Anders wanted to be right and he wanted others to trust that he was right--even when he refused to fully trust them.
It’s this type of drama that makes the Anders/Hawke/Fenris triangle stands out from the other pairings in this fandom for me. The only other triangle that comes the closest for me in the fandom is Female!Warden/Alistair/Anora, and that is for the same reasons that the Anders/Hawke/Fenris triangle works so well. They both not only have interesting dynamics in the individual characters, but they also reflect the overall themes that tie into the main plotlines of their respective games. And while I realize not everyone else’s opinions are like my own, personally I felt that once I did analyze Anders/Hawke/Fenris on this close of a level, it made the main story so much more tragic for me and brings a new level to just how close-knit the companions are, despite their disparate backgrounds and circumstances. DA2 is not just about templars vs. mages, but it’s about how trust can form strong bonds between strangers, but how trust, or lack there of, can destroy these bonds as well.