Chapter Two

"You get back here, you li'l whore!"

A girl ducked into the alley and spotted Klyde- Meriam. As Klyde watched, Meriam fixed the strap of her dress, and took off running. A burly man came into the alley through the same door and started off.

"You c'n't run forever!"

"Hey!" Klyde called, getting the man's attention. He stopped and turned.

"Andraste's ass, don't you see I'm busy?" He demanded. Klyde's hand found her dagger sheathe without realizing it and she glared at the man. He was big for a human, but stank of alcohol and grease.

"Who is she to you?" Klyde asked.

"Step-daughter, the li'l wench."

Klyde cocked her head to the side. "And you feel that gives you the right to call her a whore and do who knows what else?"

"I gotta pay for the wench!"

Klyde nodded slowly. "Right, and I'm supposed to believe you're responsible for the household funding? No wonder she's running away."

"I oughta-" he charged at her, and Klyde ducked nimbly aside, unsheathing her dagger. She stuck out a leg and tripped him, and used the leg to propel herself onto his back as he crashed to the ground. She placed her dagger to his throat and leaned close.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" She hissed in his ear. "Now, the way I see it, she wouldn't run unless she had something to run from, and as you were chasing after her, I assume that would be you. She's not strong enough to combat your advances, but I am."

"Ger off!"

Klyde clicked her tongue. "You're pathetic."

She hit him over the skull with the pommel of her dagger. To her shock, his skull caved and the skin began bruising. As he went limp, blood began to trickle from his mouth. She leapt up and began to back up.

"Oh, Maker! Did you do that?!" Meriam called. Klyde glanced over her shoulder.

"Why did it cave in?!" Klyde demanded.

"He has a soft skull from a head injury a few years back!"

Klyde eyed the man, and then took off. She grabbed Meriam by the arms.

"Go to the Hobbled Knob and go to the third room on the left on the second floor. Grab my stuff, and I'll teach you how to fight. Meet me outside of the city. Oh! Look for a man in black, goes by the name of Jensen, tell him to meet us outside as well. Got it?"

Meriam nodded vigorously, looking shocked, and Klyde took off. She couldn't be seen at the scene of the crime- not with her reputation. She was on eggshells around the law as it was. She exited the city in minutes and found a camp not far off the main road, a collection of tents with a group of men and women sitting around it. Bull's presence in the middle called her to him.

"Hey, when are you leaving Wycome?" She asked. He jumped at her sudden appearance, but just shrugged.

"We were debating this evening or tomorrow morning."

"Where are you headed?" She pressed.

"We weren't sure; we were thinking about looking for a contract further south-"

"Perfect; can I travel with you? I'm headed to Ostwick, and need to leave Wycome quickly."

Bull's eyebrows rose, but he shrugged again. "I don't see why not. Can I know why?"

"Let's just say I tried to do the right thing and took it too far, and need to go before the guards notice. I've got a couple of others who will be traveling with me, but we can pull our own weight. It's just easier to travel in a group, you know?"

"Yeah, I've got you. Can you travel in formation?"

Klyde nodded. "I was soldier for a little while; I assume your formation won't be too different."

"It won't. Not as big as an army formation, but we pull our travel tactics from them. Will your friends be able to?"

Klyde thought about it. "It's doubtful, but I can teach them by the morning."

Bull nodded. "Then feel free to tag along. We look forward to having you."

Klyde thanked him and went to wait by the road for Meriam and Jensen. She began to worry that they would steal all of her stuff and go, or turn her in to the authorities, but before she could worry too much they appeared and walked over. Klyde sighed in relief, running a hand through her short platinum blonde hair, and met them halfway. She took her pack from Meriam.

"Thank you. Meriam, are you free for adventure?"

Meriam glanced over her shoulder. "My ma's all I've got back there, and she's always drunk. If adventure means getting out of that, then by all means, I'm free."

Klyde spent the rest of the afternoon teaching Jensen and Meriam how to march in formation, starting with basic positions of attention and rests, how to fall out and fall in, and then finally columns and halting. By the time they could perfectly fall in and march, the sun was setting and their stomachs were growling. They ate a quick meal with a few of the chargers: a burly dark-skinned dwarf named Jones, a feisty red-haired mage named Luella, and a quiet elf who spared no chuckles for any of them. It took a while to learn his name was Solas.

They fell asleep early in a tent spared by the Chargers, and Klyde fell into a restless sleep, still thinking about the accidental murder in the alley. To save someone was one thing; to knock someone unconscious to save someone was a good thing; to accidentally break someone's skull and kill them in an alley was a whole other thing, whether she was saving a life or not. She didn't think anyone had seen her, but she didn't want to take any chances on revisiting Wycome any time soon.

Morning came early, a gray dawn with pearly clouds in soft silver, peach, and even green and blue here and there. They packed up, helping the Chargers load up, and then fell in at the back of the formation. Bull let Krem command, and came back to march alongside Klyde.

"So, can I hear the full story now that we're headed away from Wycome?" He asked, and Klyde noticed Jensen perk up. The rogue had been trying to pry the story out of her all the night before. However, as Klyde was currently indebted to Bull, she gave a submissive sigh. She told with as little detail as possible, fluffing with good intentions. As she finished, she kept her eyes ahead and stayed focused on the marching. The road was getting muddier as they moved into a boggy area of the Free Marches often avoided by mercenary companies.

"It sounds as if you did more good than bad. Here was a man who would have continued to prey on innocent girls such as Meriam, a parasite of society, and now he's dead. A simple case of self-defense and defense of someone much more helpless has resulted in the death of a dangerous man. Don't beat yourself up over it; just don't return to Wycome for a season or two."

Klyde couldn't help a smile at that, but said nothing, only continuing to march. They carried on past the bogs and were just out of the wetlands as the sun sank. Wetlands turned to arid grasslands with hardpacked dirt and sparse flourishing life. Finally, the grasslands grew more bountiful as they approached a stream, where they were called to a halt. It was dark by the time the tents were set up.

"Boy, I feel as if I my legs are going to just fall off!" Meriam complained, collapsing to the soft grass next to a fire while stew was cooked. The fragrant smell of spices and barley filled the air, tantalizing, but Klyde had more to do before she could eat. She turned to Meriam.

"Oh, no you don't- get back up."

Meriam gaped. "Why!"

"Because you have to learn the basics of weaponry," Klyde reminded her, but Meriam shook her head, beaming.

"Nope, I'm good."

"Meriam-"

"I'm good," Meriam repeated, and held her hand out palm-up. A flare of ice swirled up from it, and Klyde gasped.

"You're a mage!?"

"Shush!" Meriam said, clamping her non-icing hand over Klyde's mouth as she withdrew the ice. "Any of these Chargers could be ex-templars who would kill for a second chance at glory."

Klyde removed Meriam's hand from her mouth. "Then why did you flare ice out in the open?"

"I never said I was smart."

Klyde sighed. "Either way, it would be better for you to know some weaponry, that way you can fight off opponents without revealing your true self. Keep magic as a backup, okay?"

She sighed in reluctance. "Okay; so, what's first?"

They started with one-handed sword combat, with Jensen's commentary steady behind them.

"I swear, if he tells me to be light on my feet one more time," Meriam grumbled, and Klyde laughed. "I'm serious! He doesn't even use swords, he's an archer!"

"But he knows how to use a sword, just in case," Klyde pointed out. Better safe than sorry, right?"

"I suppose."

A hulking figure approaching drew Klyde's attention for a short moment.

"Remember: Look for my weakness."

"My enemie's weakness is my weapon," Meriam finished for her, and Klyde smiled.

"You're getting there."

Meriam sighed, and then pressed harder. Klyde let her advance for a moment, and then dodged to the side. Meriam was left fumbling.

"Anticipate!" Klyde said, stepping to the side. Meriam caught herself and turned, and Klyde nodded as they started again.

"She's a good teacher," Bull said, off to the side.

"She knows what she's doing, I'll give her that," Jensen replied, and Klyde rolled her eyes. They continued for a while longer, until both were sweating and Meriam was exhausted. Bull applauded her as they made their way to the food, and then sat with them as they began to eat. Klyde watched as Bull turned to Meriam.

"Now, remember: you'll never master the weapon the first day. In fact, you may never master it- to this day, I'm awful with a bow. But knowing the basics is all you need while you travel with us. In formation fighting, your job is to cover the man next to you, and he'll do the same for you. Eventually, this wears down the opponent, and then you've only to look for an opening."

He turned to Klyde, who watched with an appraising eye. She swallowed another spoonful of stew. "You're a good man, you know that?"

"Good for a Qunari?"

Klyde shook her head, blowing on the stew. "Good for a man."

She swallowed the spoonful as he chuckled. He leaned in close and whispered, "What do you say we spend the night in my tent?"

Klyde looked at him by the firelight for a moment, but shook her head. "While I'm all for casual encounters, this isn't the time. Currently, I'm dependent on you for safe passage to Ostwick, and I think I like you too much at the moment for it to be just a casual encounter."

Bull nodded slowly. "You want it to mean something if we do, then."

"Yes."

"I can respect that, then," he said, and rubbed his leg. "So, what's your story?"

"Story?" Klyde repeated, and he nodded.

"Yeah, where'd you learn to fight? How did you end up delivering messages in Wycome?"

Klyde laughed softly. "Well, I'm officially Lady Klydellia Trevelyan of Ostwick, second daughter of Yorin and Delia, ex-betrothed to Duke Henris of Flath. But that life was never for me. From the time I was walking, I was sneaking out of that awful manor house, and learning how to be street-savvy, and spending weeks at a time as a farmhand at the farms outside of the city. I learned how to skin cattle, groom horses, pickpocket, get information, travel without being seen, do my own laundry, and many other things noble children often don't know how to do. As you can imagine, by the time I could lift a blade, I was coercing guards to teach me how to use them. I started with swords, then greatswords- weren't for me-, then archery, axes, added in shields, and eventually, after much time, I mastered dual-dagger-wielding. I turned to dueling at fourteen, and won constantly."

Jensen leaned forward and asked, "It sounds like quite the life; what made you leave?"

Klyde smiled at the fire. "They wanted me to marry some fancy Duke I'd never met. I was still only fourteen, but all my life, I'd been assured I wouldn't be caught in an arranged marriage. 'Marry for love,' they'd always said. Then they turned their backs on me. I knew my parents were disappointed I didn't wear frilly dresses and sit pretty for the pathetic salons my mother threw, but I had no idea how much they despaired. My older sister, their firstborn, was a mage, and left that life when I was barely aware she was there. My brother had left that summer to join the army in Fereldan to fight the darkspawn in the south. As for me, I was left at home- and they decided they needed an heir as soon as possible.

"So I ran away. I left a note saying I wouldn't return until they cancelled the marriage. I went first to visit my sister in the tower at Montsimmard, where she was visiting for a while. She's lovely, and very kind, but very serious. After that, I spent some time with raiders, but left when my brother joined the ship. I carried on to be a smuggler, a mercenary, a soldier for a one-year contract helping rebuild Fereldan, and then I traveled, taking what work I could."

Bull nodded. "And how did you come to be delivering that letter?"

"Oh, that," Klyde rolled her eyes, "After I left Montsimmard, I found two apostates had snuck out behind me. I offered to help them travel, as I knew how to get by without being seen, and the plan was to get them to Ostwick. By then, my parents had cancelled the marriage- I was hoping to get soem money from them to give to the apostates. We ended up in Highever, where Arl Fergus Cousland gave us refuge, even knowing the two were apostates. He managed to find them work as farmhands with a reliable sort just outside of Highever, and I vowed to help him out, should the need be. Visited again a couple weeks ago to borrow his library and check on the apostates; he had a message he needed delivered to Wycome. He secured my ride across the sea, and that was that."

"You're a very interesting woman," Bull commented, and Klyde just laughed. She stretched and stood.

"Enough story-telling for tonight; let's get some rest. I think poor Meriam's about to fall asleep where she's sitting."

"Maybe," Meriam mumbled, and Klyde laughed. She turned to Bull.

"What are the watches for tonight?"

"Jones and Dalish are up first, then Bret, then Deli."

"I'll take late watch; Deli cooked."

"I'll let him know."

"Goodnight, Bull."

"Goodnight, Klyde."