Standard Disclaimer: Bioware owns all Dragon Age characters and in game content. I own the bits that are left.
Chapter 3 – Charitable Behaviour
Working her way blindly through the crowded streets, not caring if Greagoir or the halla followed, Ines bumped into a street urchin who lowered his head in apology before promptly tripping over a tree root that erupted from the cobble stoned paved street. Ines gasped, turning in a wide circle even as she cradled the babe in her arms tighter. The boy brushed himself up staring dumbfounded at the offending root and made to run off again when the root took on a life of its own and snaked up his leg.
Gasps could be heard from the crowd even as they moved away from Ines and the boy, fear etched clearly on their faces. Many muttered and pointed at the staff holstered behind Ines' back and crossed themselves fervently as if to ward off evil.
The boy, thus entangled, turned over large ochre coloured eyes at Ines, blushed, looked down and reached into his breeches. Hand trembling, he offered Ines a money bag that looked similar to hers without glancing up at her.
Ines was jolted out of her stupor and futilely searched for her money bag in her side pocket where she had stowed it. Her eyes narrowed as she snatched up her money bag from the little thief.
"Vergogna su di voi! Quali sarebbero i tuoi genitori pensa alla tua furto?" Ines took in the boy's destitute appearance and sighed. "Anche se dagli sguardi di voi, esse possono apprezza si correre il rischio."
The boy was thin with sunken cheeks made even more prominent by the proud, high cheekbones that he was blessed with. A straight, just short of hawkish nose graced lips that were now pulled tight. Straightening, the boy tucked his blond hair behind large, pointy ears and regarded Ines with a sardonic smile too cynical for someone of his youth.
"Essi sarebbero devono essere vivo per apprezzare me anche se non sono sicuro loro sarebbero cui vergognarsi di me per questo." He lifted up a brow and gestured to his trapped limb. "Dea magica. Prega di essere così gentile da rilasciarmi o hai voglia di mano su di me più le guardie in modo che possano tagliato fuori le mie mani per questo furto?"
Ines gawked at the child, for child he was, who could no more than seven years old if she were to judge from all the young apprentices she taught Herbalism to at the Circle.
"Ines! I thought I told you not to cast magic unnecessarily here. What a spectacle you are making!" Greagoir pushed through the crowd surrounding them and glared at her.
Stiffening, Ines scowled and grumbled. "What made you think it was me? It couldn't be that unknown apostate? He may have noticed the little scamper making off with my money and wanted to slow him down. If you are listening, o mysterious one, you may release the boy. I would not have him maimed when he so obviously needs his hands to work for his food."
The root slowly untwined itself from the boy's leg. Ines quickly fished out a sovereign and flipped it to him. "Usalo per mangia bene, ragazzo. Lo sguardo come avete ne hai bisogno."
The boy caught the sovereign and tucked it in some unknown place so quickly Ines was not able to make it out. With his right hand over his heart, he bowed, backing away quickly. "Io, Zevran, sono sempre in debito con voi."
Greagoir frowned. "I didn't know you spoke Antivan." He muttered as his eyes flittered over the crowd for the possible apostate. With the spectacle over, everyone looked to be busy going about their business.
"Why did you think the First Enchanter wanted me in this delegation? It's definitely not for my diplomacy." Ines retorted acerbically. "It certainly wasn't for my good looks either." She added self depreciatingly, shifting the bundle in her arms to holster her staff once again. Greagoir's eyes lit upon the bundle in Ines' arms with the motion and noticed that the babe had both arms in the air again. With a deepening frown, he laid his hand on her and felt the tiniest hint of magic emanating from her.
"You didn't cast that spell?" He demanded urgently.
"I am not so gifted in Creation spells." Ines remarked drily. "If…"
"Then it's the babe." Greagoir stated without preamble.
"What? Impossible! Magic only manifests near puberty. Some of the more gifted after six years old age. Even the very gifted only after three years. This wee bairn is not even in her first year! You know this Greagoir." Ines denied just as the multitude of coincidences flashed past her eyes. The halla, the burning man, the boy. Her eyes went round as saucers as she stared down at the babe in her arms before she smirked. "That means I get to keep her."
"You not only let her bring back a halla but also a baby? Remind me why I chose to let you go with her instead of Bran?" Irving stated sarcastically, staring at the magnificent halla that they did not manage to lose and the bundle that Ines held so closely to herself grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"You thought that I would be able to stop her from her habit of picking up strays." Greagoir mumbled apologetically, not quite meeting Irving's eyes.
"Yes, I can see you did a splendid job." Irving rolled his eyes.
"She's an Extreme!" Ines interjected, practically bouncing in excitement, but keeping her voice hushed. "She called out to the halla, incinerated a full grown man and trapped a boy with tree roots!"
Irving paused in his ranting, giving the herbalist his full attention. "An extreme? Are you sure? They are supposed to have died out after Andraste's Exalted March against the Tevinter Imperium." Irving whispered and tilted his head towards the tavern proper. "Why don't we discuss this inside?" He strode briskly to the door, pulled it open and gestured for them to enter. Once inside, they headed upstairs for the corner rooms that Irving had insisted on taking for privacy even though they cost a silver more each per night.
Hurriedly unlocking his door, he ushered them in before locking the door behind him. "An extreme? And you mean to keep her? How do we know if she can be taught?" Extremes were a force of nature onto themselves. Their ability to cast spells without a thought and their huge amounts of mana made them especially dangerous and targets for large numbers of demons.
"She hasn't shown any sign of demonic possession as yet. Perhaps the demons don't know what to make of one so young. I don't suppose she would acquiesce to demon possession for a bottle of milk." Greagoir quipped.
A lightning bolt flashed, lighting Greagoir's templar armour in brightness as he yelped in pain. "That wasn't very nice of you, young lady. It's positively uncanny how much she understands us, even at such a young age. Who knows what kind of danger she would post in the future?"
Irving, ever taking the opposite stance to Greagoir, commented softly. "With constant vigilance and early teaching to control her emotions, she may be able to harness this gift. Otherwise…"
"You can't mean to kill her? She's only a wee bairn." Ines cried, cradling the little one to her breasts, her agitation visible in the way her hands clutched the bundle.
The temperature of the room sank. Frost began inching up Irving's legs, reaching towards his stomach and up his arms. Startled, he cast a small flame blast melting the ice encasement and immediately cast a mage shield around himself.
"Calm down, little one, he doesn't mean to hurt you." The room immediately returned to its original temperature and Ines raised her eyes besmirching Irving. "You don't, right?"
The door knob turned and everyone froze. "Irving, are you in there? I thought I heard you speaking with Ines? Why is this door locked?"
Irving moved to unlock the door and Wynne sailed into the room, her arms laden with bags, before depositing them on the singular bed in the room and rummaging through them. "They had the most delicious chocolates and malt sweets. The children will love them. The robes were also very sexy. I bought one for you, well for me actually, but only you get to see me in it." She giggled coquettishly, holding up a very skimpy robe, that left very little to imagination, to her front and turning around.
Irving groaned as Greagoir flushed heatedly and Wynne dropped the robes in astonishment. "Irving! Why didn't you inform me you had visitors other than Ines?" Wynne intoned formally, picking up the robe, folded it quickly and deposited it into a bag.
"You didn't give him a chance and do you really need another robe?" Ines shook her head ruefully at the Creation mage. "Too many sweets and the children have to take the stomach cure with the foul taste that I still have not perfected to taste good."
Wynne sighed. "I don't know why you bother making potions when a simple healing spell would cure anything they may have. Oh wait… I remember why… You can't heal a paper cut."
"Ha ha ha… At least I don't have to trouble the servants to bring hot water up those ridiculously long stairs for a bath." Wynne huffed indignantly and was about to make a rejoinder when a happy warble rose from the bundle in Ines' arms.
"What is that? Did you pick up something you shouldn't again?" Wynne sneered. "Asking Irving for his permission to keep a new pet?"
Ines bristled. "It is not a pet but, yes, Irving needs to decide if we may bring her back with us. That was what he was deciding before you interrupted us."
Nodding, Irving pondered on the question, frowning thoughtfully, before he replied. "You can't keep calling her little one if she is to be with us. No one must know that she is an Extreme. I doubt the Antivan Circle of Magi would be happy to release such a find to us."
"Her name is Neria…" Ines stated softly as Neria gurgled happily at her. "Neria Surana." Ines intoned, smiling down at the babe. "She will be my apprentice."
Wynne gasped, crossing the room to hover over the little bundle. "Oh, isn't she precious? Why are we bringing her back? Why Neria? I like Maybelline better."
"Just drew that off the top of your head, did you?" Greagoir grinned at Ines. "Nothing to do with the Elvish embroidered on her clothes?"
"I'll have you know that the clothes only have Neria embroidered on them. Surana is my contribution. It means making a pleasing sound." Ines softly caressed Neria's cheek and added. "I hope you will be happy with us, dear one."
"I still think Neria is a stupid name." Wynne scoffed. "If you want the name to start with N, how about Natalie?"
A fist thrust out of the bundle before lighting up in a blue flame. Ines smiled and stated softly "Neria means burning light of Sylaise."
"Well, thank you for that demonstration, Neria. However, I need you to keep as quiet as possible and no fancy light show till after we're well underway out of Antiva. I want to keep this as quiet as possible and not have Alfonso suspecting we are stealing her right under his nose." Irving considered his options before turning to Greagoir. "Tell Captain Cedric we will not be extending our stay after all and ask if the tide is still good for leaving tomorrow morning. We need to leave as soon as possible or Neria's use of magic will be more noticeable with more mages leaving for their respective countries."
Greagoir nodded and rushed out to brief his men and intercept the ship's crew before they could leave for activities that would take them off the ship for the night.
"Wynne, I suggest you pack up if you don't want to leave any of the stuff you bought here." Irving stated shortly before nodding to Ines and leaving to inform the tavern keeper of their departure.
Wynne sighed and glared at Ines. "Now look what you have done. Couldn't you leave her well alone? Why did you have to pick her up anyway?"
"Yes, because that would be such a charitable thing to do. To leave a little baby out in the wilds to take care of herself." Ines frostily retorted before lugging the basket of herbs behind her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have precious herbs to catalogue and pack before we leave."
"I didn't mean it that way and you know it." Wynne shouted at her back.
Turning around, Ines looked deeply into her eyes and asked clearly. "Didn't you?"
Translations
Vergogna su di voi! Quali sarebbero i tuoi genitori pensa alla tua furto? – Shame on you! What would your parents think of your theft?
Anche se dagli sguardi di voi, esse possono apprezza si correre il rischio. – Although from the looks of you, they may appreciate you taking the risk.
Essi sarebbero devono essere vivo per apprezzare me anche se non sono sicuro loro sarebbero cui vergognarsi di me per questo. – They would have to be alive to appreciate me even though I'm not sure they would be ashamed of me for this.
Dea magica. Prega di essere così gentile da rilasciarmi o hai voglia di mano su di me più le guardie in modo che possano tagliato fuori le mie mani per questo furto? – Goddess of magic. Please be kind enough to release me or did you want to hand me over to the guards so they can cut off my hands for this theft?
Usalo per mangia bene, ragazzo. Lo sguardo come avete ne hai bisogno. – Use it to eat well, boy. You look like you need it.
Io, Zevran, sono sempre in debito con voi. – I, Zevran, am forever in your debt.
Author's Notes:
I don't speak Antivan (Italian) so please pardon me if the words or translations are wrong. I would also appreciate any reviews (either good or bad would not matter but please be constructive). Thanks in advance.