Chapter II

Meanwhile, in Alagaesia

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

Authors' Notes:

Blood: I've started a forum where you can discuss this story. The link can be found in my profile for the curious.

Lukas Thale was bored.

He had been recently assigned to this tiny village far away from the front lines, and while he was happy that there was no real risk of getting killed by a Varden agent there was nothing to do.

Every time he and the others had tried to sneak off to the bar their commanding officer had caught them and forced them to run around the village for 'drinking on duty'. So that was out. They weren't all that popular here either so it's not as if he could spend some time with one of the girls, so that was out. And ever since Markus had gotten his die stolen things had turned from 'tedious' to 'mind-numbingly boring' as they lost the only source of entertainment they had. Even counting the various countables, like the barrels and crates around the village, lost it's entertainment value as they memorized the exact placements over the weeks.

Angvard dammit, there wasn't even any crime around this place now, what with them being here. Bandits? What bandits? There weren't any damn bandits because no group is dumb enough to try and take on twenty, thirty Imperial soldiers and expect to come out sans losses, and no one wants to die so you've got zero bandit presence. Highwaymen were still around here, but the moment they hear four armored men coming up they scarper. Huh, never thought he would ever be wanting a fight; hell at least a fight would break up the monotony!

He grunted as he turned and began walking down the street, following the route he had been taking for the past few weeks. Well, I shouldn't wish for something exciting to happen anyway. I just know that something like that is going to wind up biting me in the ass. Oh, that was new.

An oddly dressed man with extremely dark skin, possibly a tribesman from the desert,-although he couldn't begin to fathom why one would be all the way out here without any significant amount of gold,-was walking down the street, evidently looking for something. Well, might as well do the other aspects of my job. "Oi! You there, what's your business?" He looked startled, and as he turned around Lukas saw a finely crafted bow with a quiver of arrows. A hunter?

"Ah! Hello, I am looking for a bowyer. Do you happen to know of any in this town?"

"Nah, people around these parts just pass their bows down along families or go to a bigger city. You won't be finding anything here." The man uttered a curse under his breath, evidently frustrated at having come out here for nothing. "Well, don't cause any trouble now, you hear?"

"Of course! That is a reasonable demand. Farewell." With that, the hunter turned and walked away, probably to the inn. It was getting late out after all, and why risk the night?

Well, that was interesting. Now back to patrol One, two. One, two. One, two. One, two. One oh they fixed that water barrel two. One, two. One-oh Angvard yes. Yes. Yes. Before him, out in the street, were two belligerent drunks and he was pretty sure more were inside the bar that he and the boys weren't allowed into courtesy of Officer Has-A-Twenty-Foot-Pole-Up-His-Ass. A nice little fight potential with no real permanent risk to him. Excellent; get the blood pumpin' a bit so that the next few hours won't be as bad.

Striding forward, the two drunks turned towards the sound of the clanking armor to see one of the more well-built Imperials walking towards them. They hesitated, brains still working through the alcoholic fog to decide on the course of action before Lukas took that choice out of their hands.

Reaching out he grabbed their heads, one in each hand, lifting them up so that they stood up straight before slamming their skulls together knocking them senseless. The two troublemakers dropped to the floor where they lay, groaning in pain. Lukas smiled, before sighing and bending over to grab their collars. Time to drag them to the lock up for a night.

Then a chair crashed through the window and slammed into his head.

Cass smashed a chair off one of the bar patron's back. Her plan hadn't gone exactly how she wanted it. She was supposed to simply pickpocket the officer of the Imperial Soldiers for a message he received recently from his superiors (and to get some coins out of his little purse for herself).

Cass ducked as the same drunken officer threw a punch towards her, only for him to miss as Cass slipped on some spilt beer on the floor and the officer tripping over her and crashing straight into a gang of fighting drunkards.

Serves you right for getting too handy with me, Cass thought, now to get out of here without making things worse, certainly can't when an officer takes reaching for his purse means you want to bed him. Cass made a rush for the inn door, almost everyone paid the robed Varden agent no heed. Cass yelped as she felt someone grab her brown ponytail.

"Oh no you don't!" The officer who had a bleeding nose and split lip used his strength to pull Cass back towards him. His eyes bulged wide as Cass used the momentum of the pull to enhance the blow from her elbow to his gut. The other patrons around them were busy, punching, kicking, smashing and brawling with one another to pay attention. The bartender was try to hide behind his stall

"Sorry, but I'm looking for a better man than a pervert." Cass smirked as tried to run again, only to be tackled to the ground by the officer again. He straddled her stomach as he wrapped his hands around her throat, everyone too busy or trying to avoid the chaos to interfere. Cass struggled to get the large man off her as he employed more pressure on her throat and force his weight on her stomach.

"I'm going enjoy watching your pretty emerald green eyes of yours go-" The officer screamed as a glass mug that was thrown smacked into the side of his face. He raised his hands to grasp his bleeding face. Cass used this opening to smack her forehead against his, knocking him down off her. She held her throat and tried to gain her breath as the officer laid fetal positioned next to her.

The fighting in the bar stopped entirely as a bellow rang in their ears.

"WHO THREW THAT CHAIR!?" Through the broken remains of the window a man could be seen, his form indistinct.

The inn owner pointed to the same officer on the ground who was trying to stand but failing spectacularly at it. The inn owner walked away from his stall and came closer to the centre of the room as the officer finally stood on his two feet.

The door burst open as another Imperial soldier rushed in, his shoulder pointed towards his target as he bowled into the officer. As the man lay groaning on the ground, the soldier in one smooth motion dragged the man back to his feet before slamming his fist into his superiors jaw. Not stopping there he kneed the dazed man in the gut before using one hand to grab his collar and another to grab at his belt, before picking up him up bodily and throwing him into the counter with a massive cry of exertion and rage. He then paused, blinking.

The inn owner and pretty much everyone in the inn looked at the man in complete shock. The slightly pudgy inn owner then spoke up again as he found his words,"He was also trying to harass this fine, kind lady here," the inn owner pointed to Cass who was sitting on the floor as she rubbed her neck,"she helped him when he was about to fall down the stairs but he kept making advances on her despite her refusal, I interfered in her honour and she interfere in mine when he threatened me."

The man seemed to be nodding absentmindedly as he examined the officer. He then pointed at the insensate man. "He's really, really drunk right?"

"He is incredibly so sir, he kept getting worse in his behaviour as he drank more mugs of ale," The inn owner answered, almost everyone not noticing Cass trying to sneak away quietly and slowly. "Pretty much a light weight if you ask me."

"Good." Turning around, he walked over to Cass, hugging her around the waist before picking her up, placing her back on her feet. "You alright miss?"

"Yes...um, I'm okay," Cass brushed her short cloak down as tried to avoid eye contact."Just a little shaken from near death by strangulation inside an inn… not really the first and quite possibly be won't be the last time it will happen to be honest. I'm Cassenda, and you are?"

"Lukas Thale. Now if you'll excuse me," he turned back to the officer and picked him up like a sack of grain, slinging him over one shoulder.

Cass nodded respectfully as she headed towards the back of the inn. The inn owner scratched his bearded chin as he frowned his eyes at her back. He pulled a piece of paper out of his apron and looked at it, his eyes went wide as he recognised something.

"Stop her! She's a wanted thief in the Empire's capital!" A man who was looking over the inn owner's shoulder shouted while pointing at Cass," The reward is 820 crowns for her!"

Cass grabbed the nearest chair and flung it at a nearby window, the glass shattering as the chair smashed through it. Cass sprinted for the window and leapt through it as the inn patrons slowly stormed towards her as their delayed reactions wore off.

Lukas's reaction was slower, throwing the prone body of his officer at her a second too late, the body slamming against the wall useless. He instantly began to run as well, grabbing at the bell at his belt and ringing it as loudly as he could; the noise spreading out all over town. Similar sounds began to ring out as distant shouts of other watchmen began to be heard.

"Stupid bad luck!" Cass muttered to herself as she sprinted down the street, she took a turn an alleyway as some guards were about to come around the corner ahead of her. She looked around for something to disguise herself with or to hide in. She then saw a barrel that contain some local flowers and herbs; she took off her cloak and wrapped it around her mouth as climbed into the barrel. She ensure that the flowers and herbs were over her head as she snuggled herself into the barrel.

Well at least I've got this nice smelling plants to take my mind off this whole affair, She thought cheerfully as she pulled out the message scroll that she stole from the officer as well as his purse, and I managed to do the job and get extra benefits to boot, nothing could-

The top of the barrel was sealed shut, hammering of nails made Cass pause in her thoughts. Then she grunted as the she felt the barrel being tip onto its side and then being rolled. She felt nauseous as the barrel was quickly rolled down the alleyway to cart filled with hay in which Lukas was inspecting at that moment.

The barrel was lifted into the cart, both man trying to pick it up seemed puzzled at the weight of it as it settle up right in the hay.

"Sir, do you honestly believe someone would hide in this hay?" The cart owner, a woman in her forties asked Lukas as she wrapped her capel tighter around herself as a strong, cold breeze passed by them.

"I've seen men hide in sewage and….other things before." Lukas grunted as he sifted through the hay with his sword, carefully moving the blade to and fro.

"Well I'm transporting herbal materials for healing purposes to the capital," The old woman said with a scowling expression. "If the thief was trying to hide in my cart I'd kick her skinny hide off it and turn her in."

"Good to hear ma'am. Well, everything seems to be in order, I won't delay you any further."

The lid of the barrel moved slightly but didn't budge as Cass tried to open it slowly, listening in on the twos' discussion outside the barrel. She looked at a tiny circle in the wall of the barrel. Cass pushed the wooden cork out and then gazed out the freshly made peephole to see what was going on. She smirked as Lukas walked near the side of the cart, heading on ahead, hopefully away from her. What she didn't expect to see next were a pair of black eyes suddenly appearing in the corner of her vision and staring right back at her own green eyes.

One thought went through her head. Cass' bad fortune strikes again.

The eyes blinked, then disappeared from view. A moment later, a scrap of paper was shoved into the hole with one word: Why?

Cass paused for a moment. She wasn't sure as to how to answer back, and even if she could find the answer, she couldn't write back because she didn't how to write.

"What are you doing back there?!" The old woman shouted at the person that Cass couldn't see probably.

A thick, heavily accented voice replied and through the hole she could see some rather exotic clothing. "Your barrel has a hole in it, ma'am! I was simply plugging it as best as I could."

"Ah, for… I bet some lowlife stole some of those herbs." The old woman sounded distress before getting ready to get the cart moving.

"If I may ask, where are you headed? Perhaps we could travel together, if our destinations be the same."

The old woman was about to reply before the wheel of the cart got caught in a deep murky puddle. She yelped as she tried to balance herself on the cart. The cart's weight shafted; making the barrel fall off the cart and onto the street. It smashed apart revealing its contents, Cass groaned in pain as she grabbed the back of her head and slowly got up.

"What the?!" The old woman jumped off the cart and ran in the direction in which Lukas was heading to. Cass rubbed her eyes as tried to regain her sense of things. She looked at the strange man before her.

"So who are you? I never seen anyone like you around, especially with eyes like that." Cass asked as she looked around for somewhere to hide.

The man clapped his hand to his chest as he spoke, and now Cass was seeing him clearly she could see a high-quality bow and a quiver on his back, as well as his dark skin and the rather simple gold patterns on his face. "I be Ululaik, chiefest hunter of the Haru-laik clan. I hail from the Hadarac. What of you?"

"Cassenda, bastard clanless vagabond. Hailing from the slums of Urû'baen." Cass answered grimly as she saw nowhere to escape or hide fast enough before the guards came back for her.

The man tilted his head. "Vagabond? Do you mean that you steal from others?"

Cass sighed, she could guess he was probably against such a thing."Yes, beats the other choices to survive…certainly prefer a life of being on my own then being alongside others in the slums."

"I see." He nodded once, then tilted his head again as he seemed to analyze her, his expression unreadable. Then, he turned around and rapidly climbed up the wall of one of the houses, before standing on the edge. "Come with me, or you may turn yourself into your Imperial justice system."

Cass stared dumbfounded at the Ululaik before climbing up after him. "This Hadarac homeland of yours Uluk must be very far away from here," She pulled herself onto the roof and stood next to him. "Or the idea of money to your culture mustn't have much meaning at all… thank you, not many show kindness to my ilk simply for the sake of it."

"Do not misunderstand my actions for approval of your own. I simply understand that circumstances may force one to commit deeds that they'd rather not." Ululaik then turned. "And it is here where I wonder: When do you plan to stop? You appear to be healthy, well fed, and properly clothed. Is there some other reason or cause for which you steal?"

"... there is reason but I can't tell you what it is or who my employers are. I can only hope one day I can get enough crowns for… a personal dream of mine. Maybe then I will stop," Cass replied, she crossed her arms and looked down below at the street where several guards were searching for her. "What about you? Why are you here, is there something you want to do first before settling down with a childhood love or did your clan send you here for a purpose?"

"My clan requires items, bows to be exact. Of a make that we cannot properly obtain in our current state. I have come to the Empire to find suitable replacements, for many of our hunters were left bereft of weapons after an….incident." Ululaik crossed his arms. "In any case, very well." He pointed out across the rooftops. "Follow these roofs, but stay away from the larger houses or the markets. There are in-place ladders and windows that the guards may use to get to your position. Stay near the center of the town as well; they may fire arrows at you from the walls and towers. The East gatehouse has a faulty lock and latch. It should be little trouble for one like you to bypass it."

"Thanks, good luck on your quest and here," Cass tossed the purse that she stole from the officer to Uluk," In case you need it for emergencies, just make no-one see it in your grasp." Cass followed the direction Uluk pointed out for her to go.

Uluk watched her leave, then looked down at the swirling, moving mass of guards, and lastly at the sack of gold in his hands. He stared at it, before pocketing it with a sigh. "Hopefully I will not be forced into using this."

Narsil strode down the road, noting how the scenery had changed since the last time he'd been this way.

It had been ten,-no,-twenty years?

It was difficult to remember, he moved about so often, but at least these days he didn't need to worry about Morzan swooping down on him.

A strange feeling in the air made him pause and a faint susurration too faint for Human ears to hear made him detour off the road, using his steel-shod staff to push the brush out of his way.

He came to a small clearing and a greasy feeling in the air made him think of magic.

The clearing didn't seem natural, the strange patterns in the dirt notwithstanding.

At the epicentre a strange grey, red and blue creature the size of a hawk, with elaborate frills and eyes the colour of ice hovered, flapping its wings and blinking, head cocked in puzzlement.

Abruptly the greasy feeling vanished, leaving Narsil face to face with the creature.

It blinked in his direction, but made no move to glide closer, just observing him thoughtfully.

Narsil licked his lips and lowered his hood slowly, before saying with the precision of someone long out of practice:

"I mean you no harm, little one." In the Ancient Language.

The creature blinked again.

"Oh…?" It said in a monotone frills lowering slightly.

That wasn't all that surprising. Everything knew and understood that 'Oh?' or any variation there of, could only be a request for clarification, preferably in a more understandable language.

Narsil was about to try again, but stopped as the creature spoke:

"What are you?" It asked in the same monotone, frills pricking forward.

Now it was Narsil's turn to blink stupidly.

Despite speaking in a dead monotone, this creature spoke Common, albeit with a strange and unplaceable accent.

"I am Narsil, of the elves." He responded, trying vainly not to sound flustered. "What are you?" He asked.

The creature blinked, head and frills cocking at odd angles.

"You have never seen a fae dragon before?" The dragon asked, frills flicking again, still in that dead monotone. It was almost unnerving.

If Narsil had been any other elf, he would've fallen to his knees in awe.

However, having actually met a few dragons before the Fall and not giving a care for elven decorum to start with ever since he'd been banished from the woods, he could only feel mild surprise.

It was self-evident really:

Despite the tracery of gold on the dragon's dark blue wings and frills, it had the characteristic six limbs and serpentine neck and tail. The only problem was it was so small as to have been able to sit on his shoulder with no trouble.

He noticed that what he'd taken for red colouration was actually a loose-fitting tunic. Curious.

"What is your name?" He asked. If the dragon's behaviour so far was any indication, it was confused, so figuring out how it got here would have to wait until some other time.

"I am Patientia." The dragon replied, frills flicking forward as she nodded in a way that for reasons Narsil wasn't quite certain of, made him certain the dragon was female. "Where am I?" She asked.

"A couple of hours' walk from the town of Bullridge." Narsil replied. "Perhaps you would like to travel with me and I can tell you more?" He offered.

Patientia's frills flicked as she thought, before they pricked forward again.

"Very well." She said simply and flitted down to perch on Narsil's shoulder.

He braced himself unconsciously, then cursed himself internally.

This was a wild dragon. Why the hell had he thought there was even a remote possibility contact would trigger a bond?

With some effort, Narsil found his way back to the road, then took up a light jog as he began educating Patientia on Alagaesia.

Yes, this is one hell of a lot faster than usual in terms of my usual updates, but that's mainly down to the fact that my co-authors are really fast writers, I can write quickly when I put my mind to it and this is an enormously fun project we've got going here.

Next chapter is when things start to get interesting.

Please review, favourite or what-have-you and we'll see you next time.