Looking back I saw the vessel the brought me here was already setting out on another voyage. I turned around with a small shrug of my shoulders. Welp. No turning back now. I thought to myself. Looking around all I could see was the sand of the beach and the scorched grass of what they call the Wounded Coast. Now all I had to do was trek the rest of the way to Kirkwall. By the look of the landscape, it will hot and long.
The water was blinding at the high rise of the sun. It nearly made me trip on a rock. Making my way through the dirt and sand to the gates of occupied Kirkwall. I was hoping they would let me in since I wasn't loitering around the front gates where all the refuges rode in. I also was lucky enough to know someone on the inside. I was hoping she would have gotten my letter and would meet me at the gates.
After what felt like forever, but was most likely to be about three hours, I finally made it to the gates. Attached to the pillars, with their hands in their hands as if they were crying for all who live. The statues were made to intimidate. They were thin and bronze with a collar wrapped around their necks. Looking down to the entrance I could see the fiery red hair I was waiting to see.
Aveline. She looked like she lost a bit of weight since I last saw her. Granted that was about seven years ago. Thankfully the adorable freckles I used to tease her about were still there. Aveline and I were war buddies before she met her husband, Wesley. She stood tall and strong with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Hello my dear," I greeted as I came to a stop.
"Nice to see you made it here in one piece," Aveline said as she separated her arms to engulf me in a hug. She seemed to squeeze with all her might.
"By the Marker Aveline. You've not just gotten stronger but you filled out. Where in the fade did you get those?" I pointed in the direction of her very full chest.
Her eyes narrowed to near slits as she replied. "Shut up Lilith. You didn't travel all this way to point out that I've grown did you?"
"No, I did not. I did notice however that the land, like my own, has been tainted by all the blood that has been rained and killed most of the living." I said as I walked through the threshold of the city.
"So you did settle down and build yourself a life away from the killing. When I heard I couldn't believe it."
"Yeah, the warrior in me was tamed. With all this killing around me, leaves me thinking if I made the right choice," Thinking back to just the year before I had a small farm and owned a small stable/inn in town. My farm yielded enough wheat and trained horses to lead a healthy life. Then the darkspawn came and killed a good three quarters of my horses and burned my crops. Knowing what would come next I fought off what I could in town and fled. "But that shall be for another time. It's good seeing an old friend and I would love to buy her something to eat."
"I couldn't let you do that. You just arrived and should rest." Aveline always acting as the mother hen.
"I'm good. Not much to do on a ship other then sleep or vomit." We started down the dark streets lined with coughing and scowling mortals. "I assume this is the slums of Kirkwall?"
"This is Darktown. Ferelden refugees end up down here. Most of them end up sick and dying. No one really treads down here unless they need too." Aveline said as the air around us clouded with sadness.
"How did you escape living down here? You have still yet to tell what happened."
"Wesley and I were fighting the Darkspawn when Hawke and his family stumbled upon us. We fought and Wesley became ill." Aveline turned her eyes to the ground as she walked. The cloud around her thickened. "Wesley and Hawke's brother died on the battle field. Hawke promised a favor to the Witch of the Wilds in exchange for our safe journey to Kirkwall. For us to gain access to the town, Hawke, Bethany, and I have been serving one year of servitude to a smuggler."
When she finally looked up we stood in front of a sand stone building with a man hung by his ankle. "I know saying sorry will not change it but, I am truly sorry. I know how much you loved him. I'm glad he's not suffering," I said as I hung my head.
"Yes, well, here we are. The Hanged Man."
Judging by the smell, it is either a piss bucket or place to hide the dead. Aveline opened the door and walked in. It turned out to be a tavern. To the left you could see the bartender dealing with some unruly drunks asking for free drinks. To the right you could see a few tables and a fire place surrounded by people. Some of them normal looking humans drowning their sorrows in mead. One table in the back held a tall man in a suit of gray armor. To the left of his table was a small group of templars. Each one carried a long sword and a pink color on their checks.
Aveline walked up to the table in the back holding the tall man in gray armor. The man was surprisingly hansom. Dark hair covered his head and jaw. Even under the beard you could see the strong jaw line. His dark eyes met mine and shined.
"Hawke this is my friend Lilith. Lilith this is Hawke." I leaned in with an outstretched hand. He grabbed it with a strong sure grip.
"Nice to meet you Lilith. Aveline has told me little." Hawke greeted with a strong barreling voice.
"Hello Hawke. Thank you for looking after her. She can be a bit of a handful."
"That she can," Hawke agreed as I glanced over to Aveline. She just stood there shaking her head with a faint smile on her face.
We all sat and talked for a bit. Hawke told me about Kirkwall and his time here. He came here with his sister Bethany and his mother Leandra. Currently he and his sister are serving a guild of smugglers to pay off his debt to enter into the city.
As the night drew on, the trip hit me. I paid for the food Aveline and Hawke munched on without their knowing and paid for a room. The bed wasn't too comfy but my head hit the pillow and I was out.
Hi! Thank you for reading. This is my first publish on FF. I've been lurking around till now. Comments are always welcome!