Ostagar was destroyed, Darkspawn had long since defiled that place and it now stood as a monument to the War. Lothering too, the last place they'd lived, had been ransacked and razed. Redcliffe was where her petty thievery started and Denerim was where Korinne died and Hawke was truly born.
She sighed and shook her head, half to herself. If there was anywhere in the world she'd rather die, than go back to, it was Denerim. Sure, it helped shape her into the ruthless, thorough assassin she was today, but it had a cost. Things like that always had a cost.
Denerim had it's fair share of people to help and money to go around, sure but she'd been an outsider. She'd not realised she was stepping into territory that didn't belong to her. She had no idea she was fixing problems that gangs didn't want her fixing. Her boyfriend then had paid the price. She'd almost died. Instead, she fought for her life, the healing procedure rendering her sterile. Not that it mattered, at the time, she considered that a boon. Then she rose up, learnt how to fight dirty and dismantled the entire gang.
But she still couldn't stand the sight of the city.