Chapter 2

Nathaniel leaned back in the chair, his leather boots on the table. He was tall and lean with black hair that was shoulder length but pulled back away from his face. His face wore a stubble of fuzz and his blue eyes surveyed the tavern. He was currently dressed in a plain shirt and trousers outfit, his quiver and bow hidden under the table. He watched as the hostess came up to the table.

"Comfortable, Nate?" she asked in her thick Antivan accent and put a pint of ale down. "Have you heard the latest rumors out of Ferelden?"

He shrugged. "I'm not going back Juliana, so what do I care?"

"The Blight has been defeated already," she said ignoring his indifference. "Only a year it took to defeat it. The last blight lasted ten years, no?"

He sat up putting his feet back on the floor and looked at her. "I'm no historian. I am just a poor man looking for some fun." He put his arm around her waist and pulled her to him.

"Not now, you rascal," she laughed giving him a half-hearted swat. "I am working, perhaps later." She winked at him and sauntered away, overly swinging her hips for his benefit.

A boy rushed into the tavern and looked around. Spotting Nate, he raced over. "Nate! Nate! Did you hear! The Blight has ended, I'm going home!"

"Good for you, Travis." Nate said.

"But, you're coming too, right?" Travis said, looking at him with eager brown eyes. Travis had dirty blonde hair cut short, a clean face and was fifteen. Nate had taken him under his wing when he found him wandering the streets last year. Travis' parents had been killed by darkspawn and he had somehow made it to Amaranthine, then onto a ship to Antiva.

"Now why would I want to leave the richness of Antiva to go back to the dullness of Ferelden?" Nate asked.

Travis's enthusiasm plummeted. "But, there's all kinds of rumors. I heard an elf talking in the market the other day and he said that the Ferelden Grey Wardens are recruiting as many as possible."

"Yeah, so"

"I'm gonna sign up." Travis said.

"Sounds like fun Travis. You enjoy the trip and if you ever come back to Antiva, look me up." Nate said, taking a drink from his mug.

"Aw, Nate. I thought you'd come too. Didn't you say you were from Amaranthine? That's where the new Warden base will be, in Vigil's Keep." Travis said imploringly.

"What!" Nate exclaimed angrily, slamming his mug on the table. "They can't just take over the Keep! Where did you hear this?"

Travis looked at Nate surprised. "I told you. An elf in the marketplace, she had just arrived from Amaranthine and was talking about it."

"Did you happen to hear what happened to the Arl?" he asked trying to keep the anger and panic down.

"No. The elf only said what I told you." Travis was now worried about his friend. Nate never got upset about anything.

"Sorry, Travis. I didn't mean to yell. Thanks for the news. I think I'll go wander the streets myself and see if I can find out more." He stood, slinging his bow and quiver over his shoulder and left the tavern.

Nate headed towards the docks. If the Blight was truly over, refugees who had come to Antiva to escape would be making passage back. He liked coming down to the piers. It was always busy and there were always jobs. He stood quietly looking over the bustling wharf. The salty sea air was mixed with the smell of raw fish and sweaty workers. He got snippets of conversation, but it all he heard was the fact that the Blight was over and people were hoping to get back.

Nate looked at the various ships docked and spotted a captain he knew. Nonchalantly, he worked his way through the crowds. "Captain Pete!" he called.

"Hoy there Nate!" The captain called. "Need work?"

"Maybe. What I really want is information. What do you know about the happenings in Amaranthine?" Nate asked trying to keep only casual interest in his voice.

"Why, what have you heard?" Pete asked back.

"That Grey Wardens were taking over Vigil's Keep. What happened to the Arl?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh that. Yeah well, what I heard is that the Arl turned traitor and was killed by the Hero of Ferelden and since there is only one Ferelden Grey Warden left, the Queen gave her the keep as a base to reestablish the order." Pete said, watching for Nate's reaction.

It took all of his willpower to not let his emotions show. "Wow. That is big news. Are you headed back there any time?"

"Yep, I'm actually gonna leave tomorrow, seas willing. There are a lot of people who will pay good money to go back now that it's safe it didn't take long to fill up." Pete said. "Wanna sign on? You're a hard worker and I can use the help."

"Sure. I can always use the money." Nate said offhandedly.

"Okay. Show up bright and early tomorrow." Pete said.

"Thanks, Captain Pete." Nate said and walked off, lost in his thoughts.

...

Travis headed from the tavern to his room over the leather shop. He had become an apprentice to learn the armor trade. It was hard work, but he had food and a place to sleep. His master of the trade, Umberto, was a kindly old man that had taken a liking to him. (Even if it had started out as a favor for Nate.) It had taken all of his savings to book passage and he didn't have much to pack, but he had lots of friends he wanted to say goodbye to.

He felt sad when he thought about leaving Nate. Nate was the big brother he never had. Travis had learned so much from him. Hunting, fishing, how to make camp and how to survive both in the wild and in the city. He was going to miss him. He had already said his goodbyes to Umberto and his wife. They had been sad to see him go, but wished him the best. Umberto had given Travis a letter of recommendation to help him find a job in Amaranthine. Travis surveyed the now empty room, shut the door behind him and left.

...

Nate stretched out on his bed thinking about the news he got today. If his father was truly dead, then why wasn't his younger brother Thomas the Arl? And what about his little sister, Delilah? The Hero of Ferelden. It wasn't the first story he had heard about her. Half the stories made her out to be this beautiful goddess who came to save the land. The other half told of a woman who rode on the coattails of a group of stout warriors and she just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Listening to rumors was a lot like looking for gold. You had to sift through a lot of dirt before you found a speck of truth.

The most common rumor was that King Cailen and all but two Grey Wardens died in a massacre at Ostagar. One of the Grey Wardens was a woman, who organized an army and killed the archdemon. Queen Anora proclaimed her, the Hero of Ferelden and gifted her Amaranthine and Vigil's Keep for the Wardens.

Vigil's Keep had been his home. Nate thought about the argument with his father seven years ago when he was only sixteen. Now, it seemed petty, but then...there had been happier times, but his father was strict and always looking for a way to improve the Howe family's place in society. Nate had decided he wanted to see more of the world before he settled down, but his father kept insisting that he marry Beth Cousland so that he would be in line for the Teyrnir of Highever and ultimately in line to be King.

As he laid on his bed looking at the ceiling, he realized that he had grown up. The idea of his father being a traitor was ludicrous. If anything, Renden Howe was too much a Ferelden. If this rumor was true, and his father was dead at the hands of the Hero of Ferelden, she'd better watch her back because he would avenge his father and take back Vigil's Keep.

...

As the sun rose over the Amaranthine Ocean, Nate walked through the already busy wharf to Captain Pete's ship. Pete was already working, assigning men to chores and he waved when he saw Nate.

"Ready to sail?" Pete said.

"Yes ser, let me stow my stuff. You got a full ship already?" Nate said.

"You won't believe how many I had to turn away." Pete said shaking his head.

Nate went below, found an empty hammock and dropped his bag in it. Topside he started working on securing the rigging.

...

Travis headed to the pier early so he could get a good spot in the hold. He knew the boat would be crowded and it was a three week's voyage back to Amaranthine. That was a long trip to be uncomfortable. As he boarded the ship, he looked around, listening to the crew singing, the seagulls squawking and the waves slapping against the boat. He watched as sailors swung and climbed agilely through the ship's masts and sails. Suddenly he spied a familiar face. "Nate!" he yelled and waved.

Nate looked around. He could have sworn he heard Travis's voice. Looking down, he spotted the boy waving excitedly at him. Nate swung down gracefully from the rigging and went up to Travis.

"What are you doing here?" Travis asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"I needed some coin, so I hired onto Pete's crew. You going to Amaranthine on this tub?" Nate asked.

"Yep. I'm going to sign up with the wardens like I said." Travis replied, excitement in his voice.

Nate looked him over. "I don't know if you're old enough." he said, trying to let the boy down easily.

"Well, I had hoped to get work at the keep and learn." Travis said. "You said I had good bow skills."

"Yes, you do. I guess that's a good goal to have. Being a warden and all." he ruffled the boys hair. "I got work to do, see you later."

Travis watched as Nate expertly climbed up the rigging and began working on one of the yardarms.

Nate watched Travis head for the hold and shook his head. 'That boy gets the craziest ideas sometimes.' he thought. He got back to work checking all the lines and watched as the passengers began boarding.

The sun rose above the horizon, the sky a crystal blue. The sea was perfect for sailing with just the right amount of wind to move a ship steadily along. Nate had just finished checking the last of the rigging when a shout came from below, "All hands on deck!"

Sliding down a line, Nate took a spot leaning against the main mast. Captain Pete looked around at his crew and nodded. "Well mates, looks like we got a great day to head out. I'm going below to get our 'cargo' settled," Quite a few snickers were heard. "and then we'll set sail. I know we don't usually ferry people but the money is good. Let's keep the drinking, gambling and swearing to a minimum, what with women and children on board. Man your stations." The crew dispersed around the ship readying to sail.

"Cast off!" was shouted and the ropes securing the ship to the dock were untied. The capstan was turned to haul in the anchor and long poles were used to maneuver the ship out of the pier.

"Unfurl the sails" was shouted. The sounds of the billowing cloth unrolling and catching the wind echoed around the ship and Nate stood on the yardarm looking out over the open sea. The ship began to cruise along with Captain Pete standing at the ship's wheel, lining up the compass with south.

...

Nate's days on the ship kept him busy. He had his chores around deck, which depended on the day, and he got to visit with Travis when his turn to watch the 'cargo' rotated around. He loved being high on the mast looking out over the ocean when his task required a turn in the crow's nest. Between fishing and swabbing the deck, the time aboard ship was tough but enjoyable and the days passed quickly for him.

Travis' days, on the other hand, were boring and long. He wasn't old enough for the men to include him in their discussions and he wasn't young enough to play with the children. The hold wasn't a terrible place. Unlike other stories he was hearing, Captain Pete made sure the passengers were comfortable. There were small portholes in the sides of the ship to allow light in, so the hold wasn't depressing dark. Food and water was rationed out, but there was enough that he never felt deprived. It was the waiting with nothing to do. His only consolation was that Nate would rotate into the hold and he would have someone to talk to.

The trip wasn't all fun and boredom though. The ship sailed through a nasty storm that lasted four days. Constant lightning, loud cracks of thunder and crashing waves made sailing impossible. Many of the passengers got seasick. When the fifth day dawned bright and sunny, Captain Pete allowed everyone to come on deck so the hold could be swabbed down and let the passengers refresh themselves. Everyone was anxious for this voyage to be over, but they were still days away from Amaranthine.