I do not own the Dragon age series, this is only a fan fiction.
The ship finally landed and the sight was far more intimidating in person than he ever imagined. The city port gave the feel of despair and of abandoning hope of finding happiness or freedom here. It was aptly named the city of chains.
Bethany woke up to find Henry keeping an eye on her as she slept. She felt the ship hit the docks as they had stopped to unload cargo, today's cargo were refugees from Ferelden escaping from the blight.
"I am surprised they let the ship dock. " Garret showing some signs of relief. " I am more surprised they didn't just sick the ship while we were out to sea. I expect the templar will go to his fellow Mage hunters and report about me and Bethany. " Westley did look at them and smiled, " In another time, under different circumstances I would. But since I owe you my life and that of my wife I will keep your secret as my way of thanking you. But if you ever need my help be sure to talk to Aveline, we will always be willing to help our friends. "
As they walked towards the gate they heard so many people trying to get permission to enter. Henry did not shout, throw insults he merely walked up to the guard and asked if he could speak with the person in charge and did so by saying please and being polite. Something the group did not expect him to do.
The guard was happy to tell him where to find his Captain, and was going to do so because unlike the rest he showed true respect and manners when asking a favor from a person that you never me before. The Captain was arguing with a group of mercenaries that had spent all their gold to get to this very port.
"Excuse me, before you start a fight may I ask you a question? Or several if you would kindly answer them. " they did not think someone would dare to ask anything to them out of fear. The leader said to ask his questions. " Thank you, if you spent all your gold getting here why are you in such a hurry to enter a city were you will more than likely end living in poverty?"
The leader looked at him and smiled, "Because it is the only alternative I see, unless of course you have another solution." He looked at the Captain and walked over to him. "Securing this port must be a tough assignment. Are you sure you would not benefit in hiring these men to help with such an important duty?"
The Captain agreed it was a tough post and he was indeed in need of experienced people since he was always soft on personnel. The leader asked if instead of being let to enter he could provide them with work as his subordinates. The Captain agreed to recruit the mercenaries and as members of the guard they would earn a salary and be allowed to enter the city.
The Captain asked if they could do any favor for them for diffusing a potential deadly situation. Leandra just said if he could get word to her brother Tamlen, he had a estate in the rich part of the city. Since her family was nobility. "The only Tamlen I know is a swindler that doesn't have two coppers to rub together, but I will sent word of your arrival."
Garret and Carver both said the same thing. They did not like the sound of the possibility their uncle was this swindler that the Captain mentioned. "That does not make any sense. Our family was always wealthy and important. Why would my brother be this swindler the Guard Captain mentioned? And why would I not hear of it? If he was in need of money he would surely send me a letter."
Henry asked them to join him by a nearby wall that offered shade and a nice breeze. "May I offer an alternative explanation?" Leandra so no harm in listening to him. "Maybe he couldn't or more than likely wouldn't send you a letter. When you left with your beloved husband didn't your parents threaten you of cutting you out of your family and their will?" Leandra simply nodded her head and looked sad.
"No parent wants their child to suffer, so they may have threaten you to make you stay, but even after they saw your resolve in going with your husband they did not have the heart to abandon you. No matter how cruel and heartless a criminal is he is always her precious baby boy to his mother and father. "
" So the question is why wouldn't he send a letter? Maybe he liked to squander his money on fun and parties, maybe he spent it on easy women and a frivolous lifestyle, and maybe your parents got sick and he was the only one that looked after them thinking that doing so would make him the sole heir. "
Leandra did mention that her brother was a little reckless in spending their money. " So your parents died and then he finds the shocking truth your parents leave you to administer and receive the largest portion of their wealth. Why would he tell you? If he did he would not have access to all the money, and you would not let him spend it recklessly would you? "
Leandra saw the wisdom in his argument. " So maybe he is this swindler we heard from now, Henry what do you suggest we do? " Henry suggested that they think with a rational mind and not let their minds be clouded by sentiment. He advised them to always be cautious and never letting their guard down.
" I love Bethany, so I would not do something that would make her sad. But this swindler may come and take advantage of us, always be on guard. Think carefully before we agree to what this swindler offers. The swindler may want to use us to solve his problems for him and not just help us. "
It was two weeks before the supposed brother showed up, and he looked as poor as the refugees in the port. Leandra hugged her brother and he did not look happy to see they did not carry enough money to pay off his own debts, they did however carried enough to pay their entry fee.
During the two weeks the mercenaries now guards would sometimes sneak food for them or some water as a thank you for their actions. Many refugees sought Henry out to provide them with a sounding board to their troubles and to think thinks threw. He had helped a lot of people come to terms with their new reality and made the situation a lot easier for the Captain and the Guards.
Tamlen greeted him almost in a friendly tone, but there was an icy glare in his eyes as he refused to shake his hand. "So what can you do for your sister and her children?" Tamlen made excuses and said that their were a lot of wheels to grease and they required a lot of money to grease those wheels.
Leandra asked if he could use their family's fortune or influence to pay these so called bribes. "Unfortunately our family does not have much of either money or influence these days. I know of two groups that will pay off the right people but it would mean working for them for a year before you pay off the debt of paying off these officials."
Tamlen told them the two groups were a band of mercenaries and a band of smugglers. Carver wanted to talk to the mercenaries and Garret decided to hear what they had to say. The rest of the group went to talk with the smugglers. "
The conversation with the smuggler woman went easier since Henry looked like an elf. He found out through the usually expected double talk, that Tamlen owed a vast amount of money to these smugglers for good for one of his quick get rich schemes. Bethany to wanted to march where her uncle was and give him a rather nasty taste of her fireball spell.
Henry decided to talk to Garret and the mercenaries like to gamble, big shock there, and they had a debt by Tamlen on a rather high end poker game that he lost. "So in short both groups hold debt on your dear uncle and he wants to make us sign up with them to clear his debt with one of these groups and receive money to pay off the other."
Garret was practically spitting fire when Henry finished explaining that. "And he knows we have no other way to enter into this city. He will not stop there, if you are thinking the same thing he will continue to try and get use out of us after the year as a slave to one of these groups."
Henry looked at Tamlen and the at Garret. The look he gave him told him he indeed think so. "So here is what we do, we accept to work for them for a year, but we get the money we get paid. Tamlen doesn't touch a copper. If we are going to work I will not be used as a dairy cow for him to milk. As to the groups I favor the smugglers. I wouldn't trust the mercenaries enough to let them anywhere near Bethany. "
Garret, Carver and the rest accepted to work from the smugglers and Henry took care of all the negotiations to be particularly nice for the Hawke Family. They walked towards Tamlen and he was happy that they finally made a smart decision according to him. "So which group will you work for? , tell me so I can make all the arrangements."
Henry walked closr to him and smiled a very nice friendly smile. "That will not be necessary, we are working for the smugglers and I already took care of all the negotiations for us. Good luck paying off your debt with them and those mercenaries by the way."
Leandra did not like the sound of this, "I need an explanation of this so called debt and what you learned NOW." Henry did so just to make sure the lady did not have a heart attack. "So let me get this straight you planned to sell my children and our friends as slaves for one year to pay off your debts?"
"Well yes there is some truth to that, but I need the help and you are family. You can't abandon me in my time of need, would you dearest sister? " Leandra was not believing what she was hearing from her brother. Her answer was very short," Speak with my advisor. " She then pointed at Henry." A knife ears are you kidding?"
"I could see to decide to help you, but I would require several things. First a written and signed document that this debt will be paid back to your sister after one year. " Tamlen was screaming after hearing this, " SO I SWITCH MY DEBT TO THEM TO MY DEBT TO MY SISTER? WHERE IN THE MAKER'S NAME IS THE BENEFIT IN THAT? " Henry looked at him and said it plainly," With us you just go to prison if you do not pay, unlike them who will kill you."
"Fine, what else do you want? " Tamlen must be really desperate to accept to his first demands Leandra began to believe. " Second the original family will. " Tamlen was not looking rather afraid. " I wouldn't know where the blasted thing is, and I lost that house when I had no money to pay off the taxes." Now Leandra did believe his theory about why he never wrote to tell her how her family was.
"Without those two conditions my advice is to refuse him. I have made a very good deal with the smugglers and we will pay our debt for our so called entry fee in a single month. The rest we will get more than enough money to buy a home in a place called midtown. " Leandra knew she had her brother over a barrel and so did he.
" Leandra you can't be taking this knife ears advice seriously, I am your brother, your blood. You can't treat me like I am a complete stranger. Does blood mean anything to you anymore?" Garret was about ready to beat him senseless and Bethany to roast him like the pig he was. Carver just waited his turn to carve up said pig. Aveline was now more disgusted by him than the idea of working for the smugglers. Westley was about to ask Garret if he could help him beating his uncle.
"Sorry brother but so far my advisor has given me nothing but useful advice. So since you can not provide us with that will. There is nothing to be said. We will work our way out of this little port and you will just have to pay off your debt on your own. "FINE, JUST FINE, SOME FAMILY YOU ARE. YOU WILL NOT HELP ME IN MY TIME OF NEED."
He walked away screaming that she should have died with the rest of the dog lovers that died in whatever dump she and her loser husband ended up in. That was when Henry threw a knife at him. The knife barely missed him and stuck to the wooden gate to the exit to the port. "What I am just returning the knife I borrowed from a guard." said guard pulled the knife off the gate.