"Hold on a moment Garin, just calm down." I said nervously.
"I take it you aren't too friendly with this gentleman?" Eric said with a good-natured chuckle. "What exactly is the quarrel?"
I noticed that though Leylla had seemed a bit giddy from her drink a few moments before, she had snapped back into a deadly focus.
"You're sitting at a table with a crook, that's the quarrel." Garin sneered.
Leylla's eyes narrowed towards me again. My everything started sweating.
"And you are...what exactly?" Eric asked. "I mean...who?"
"I am Garin, the leader of the Crimson Oars."
"Which is...what exactly...?" grinned Eric.
"What? You haven't heard of us? We are prestigious group of mercenaries with members all over Ferelden."
"And mercenaries are...people who kill for money...and, since killing people is against the law, doesn't that make your organization...a group of people who break the law for money? And we might therefore call them..." Eric gave an extremely sarcastic gasp, "...crooks, yes?" he spoke as if he were arriving at an immensely influential and shocking logical conclusion.
For once Garin was knocked out of his confident narcissism. He fumbled with his words for a moment his mouth opening and closing. It was Leylla who actually broke the awkward incoherence.
"Enough of this. What did he do? Why do you call him a crook?" Leylla asked with perfect seriousness.
Garin immediately seized the opportunity to return to smug superiority.
"He's got a bet with the bartender, you see. He wins the bet by tricking people into paying for his drinks."
Eric laughed very loudly and Leylla began glaring at me.
"I can't say there is anything exactly illegal about that, Mister...uh...what was your name again?" Eric began.
"Garin! Leader of the Crimson O-"
"Yes, yes, yes, the Crimson Oafs, very nice. But understand, Garin, that killing people for money, and tricking people into paying for your ale, are different things. And as far as who's a crook around here-"
Garin was flustered. "Fools, insufferable fools. Have it your way."
By now I was covered in sweat. I wanted anything but a fight. As well as I had done to hide my secret, I don't keep my control too well in a fight, and a Templar ally can become a Templar enemy in the fraction of a second when you're an apostate.
"We're done here I think, Mr. Garin. Leave the establishment, if you know what's good for you. And if you intend violence, I suggest we step outside. I'm sure nobody would benefit from starting a brawl in this extremely alright establishment." Leylla said with determined composure.
I knew there was no way.
"Right!" said Garin "lads, break their legs."
Everything started moving all at once. Leylla full body smashed into two of his grunts, and Eric somersaulted over the table and landed his foot firmly in another's face. Garin swung a powerful strike at me, and I ducked underneath it hitting him once below the belt, and then as he doubled over, again with an uppercut to the chin knocking him back. Just as his ass thumped to the floor, his final henchman grabbed me from behind, turned me around, and smashed my face through a table. Before I could get to my feet, I found myself showered in glass. Leylla had launched a hefty liquor bottle into his face and he stumbled back and fell to the ground. I turned to find Eric holding a knife Garin's throat. His two men that had got to their feet froze in place, and Leylla and I stepped back to dust ourselves off.
"Now, now, Mr. Garin." Eric oozed into his captive's ear "Surely you can see that this was a poor idea? Let's just let this go before someone gets hurt, yes?"
Eric let go, and Garin and two of his bleeding, bruised men ran out the door, the other two still unconscious on the floor. My face was bleeding, and my nose was broken, but I wasn't about to heal myself in front of 'Ser Leylla'.
I stumbled on my words "I...I...thanks...I...thank you so much..."
"Oh, shut up. It was nothing. These foolish...fools...had it coming." Leylla moving slowly out of her battle rage. She clearly still didn't trust me.
"Come, let us find somewhere to fix your nose, yes?" smiled Eric.
"I'll be alright. I promise." I said, as the three of us walked towards the door of the tavern.
The moment I stepped outside I felt a terrible pain in my gut. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the abdomen. Then I realized, someone was stabbing me in the abdomen. It was one of Garin's men. His two lackeys had been waiting outside, though, Garin, it seemed, had fled. Time slowed and I felt fuzzy. I noticed a fist coming quickly into the face of both grunts. Leylla had then taken the liberty of simultaneously smashing both assailants in their respective faces. I tried so hard to keep it together...but I could feel it searing up inside me. The lyrium in my blood seemed to be turning to fire, and I could feel the tingle of electricity in my fingertips. Luckily, I blacked out. ...
When I awoke, I was fully healed, and, predictably, scared shitless. I stared into the face of Leylla, unaware of what I might have done, and I honestly thought I was gonna die.
"Thank the Maker...he's alive" she smiled.
Potions and poultices lay around me, and I was starting to come into full awareness. I wasn't any less afraid.
"Ah, and how are you feeling my friend?" said Eric.
"Well enough." I managed. "Good to see I'm not dead or permanently scarred or dead, or severely injured or dead or anything. Once more, thank you."
"Why exactly do these people want to kill you so badly?" asked Leylla, with genuine concern.
"Well, I suspect it's because I am a couple days from winning five sovereigns from the barkeep on that free drink wager."
"Ugh. The people in this country will kill for a bit of coin." said Eric "It's disgusting really. You should be able to kill each other for no reason at all."
.Despite my nerves, I found it impossible not to laugh.
"Yes well. Thank the both you a whole lot, but I've got to be going."
They seemed sad to see me go, and to a degree, I was sad to leave. Trying to think past my fear, they were fun to be around and they had already probably saved my life twice. But I still knew it was too dangerous to be near a Templar like that.
I walked out into the street. It was dark and I wasn't sure exactly where I was. I wandered a while until I found my neighborhood. A dilapidated little shack in an alleyway, abandoned by its former owner, is what I had claimed as my residence from the other scum that coveted it. As I walked through the door, I froze. My place had been ransacked, searched and looted. I retrieved my staff, my armor, my robes, and my weapons from their hidden location. They hadn't found me out, at least. I decided it must simply have been scavengers looking for anything of value, but the joke was on them, because I always carried around what little money I possessed. Too exhausted from the day's excitement to put things right, I lay down in a corner and drifted off to sleep.
...
The next morning, I headed straight to the Gnawed Noble. I knew that if necessary I could get the last free drink on this visit, but was more worried about making sure the bartender would honor our agreement, which I had come to doubt. I figured it was likely that the Oars would be hanging around, so I concealed two knives about my person. Instead of thugs, however, I was surprised to see my new friends waiting for me.
"Ah! There he is! The rascal who always drinks for free, eh?" cried Eric, waving me over to their table "How are you this morning? No serious stab wounds today, I hope?"
I walked over and sat with them stunned.
"So," started Leylla in a business-like manner "here's the deal. I've been talking with Eric, and we've decided...we like you."
"And we usually try to keep people we like from getting stabbed" added Eric.
"Yes, usually", she continued "which is why we're going to help make sure the bartender honors his agreement."
I'm almost certain my jaw literally hit the table.
"But I must ask you," said Eric "do you have any combat skills? Perhaps when you are wearing armor and have a weapon?"
"Do you, in fact, own a weapon?" Leylla asked, somewhat doubtfully.
"Uh...I...I mean...yes I...why?" I was proud of how coherent I was being.
"It's nothing, certainly nothing you are required to do. But you see, Leylla has been charged by her Knight-Corporal with a patrol around the streets of Denerim tomorrow night. She can certainly handle the task, but would prefer it if the two of us could keep her company. Of course, nobody is forcing you, but if you would like to repay us for helping you with your bet, this would be a very nice opportunity."
"Yes...well...um...I'll uh..." I said.
I knew it was a terrible idea. I just couldn't make myself say no. They had been so good to me, that I owed them at least as much as walking around with them for a night pretending to look for an apostate who may or may not actually have been me.
After several seconds, I realized nobody was talking, and that I had just been staring into space.
"Oh...uh...yes, sorry. I'd be happy to accompany you guys."
"Ah! Fantastic," Eric said overjoyed "do you have the necessary equipment?"
I thought for a moment.
"Yes, I have a few old things I could use. Luckily they weren't stolen when my house was ransacked."
"What happened?" said Leylla, outraged. "Have you told the guard?"
"Didn't you know?" I said "The guard around here is virtually useless."
"Shame. Guess we'll have to teach those responsible a lesson ourselves. Oh, I really hope they come start trouble again." she said.
It was only then that it hit me that, though neither was wearing armor, they both had brought weapons this time. They were expecting a fight. Something lit up inside me. I remembered the days before I was sent to the Circle. I had always dreamed of going on wild adventures and slashing people to ribbons. I smiled. I was beginning to really like these two people, and since I had deliberately avoided making friends in Denerim, they seemed to be my best companions.
"Well then." I said, standing and winking at them "let's go have a word with the barkeep."
I walked up to the counter feeling bolder with each step, with my new friends at my side.
"I hope you have those five sovereigns ready, because I'm going to win our bet today, and I expect payment within three days."
I went back and sat with Leylla and Eric, truly happy. More than that, I was tingling with excitement for the patrol the next night. I laugh now, thinking of how confidently I mocked the bartender and how smug I was when I got my final free drink only an hour afterwards. I shouldn't known that things would never be so easy for me.