A Simple Gift

So far Blake's theory seemed to be correct. Jannasilane found she was sleeping better as well. She felt safe for the first time since her parents died and she enjoyed talking to Alistair at night before falling asleep while Blake took the first watch. Blake was a little harder to know; he was better at hiding his emotions and was naturally more aloof. Still, it was a bit difficult to not get to know somebody better when you woke up next to them every morning. He didn't talk about his recent tragedy, or she hers, but sometimes in the morning or if they happened to be awake they talked a little about growing up. Blake was attracted to Jannasilane, but he felt protective of her more than anything. He enjoyed her enthusiasm for new experiences such as the trip they were making into Denerim.

Jannasilane's eyes were sparkling with excitement as they neared the gates. "I didn't realize how big it was. I thought Lothering was big, but this . . . this is huge. And noisy," she answered with a slight grimace. She rubbed her ears, "I suppose I'll get used to it. Do you think they have a Chanter's board here, too? What will we do first? Do you think they have candied nuts? My mother used to tell me how much she enjoyed going to the big markets and treating herself to candied nuts." Her expression grew wistful as she thought of her mother.

"I promise that if we find any candied nuts I'll buy some for you, maybe we can share them later," Alistair grabbed her hand and pulled her into the heart of the marketplace.

It was late afternoon and they were putting up the new and larger tent. Four would fit comfortably, and they would use one of the smaller tents as an entrance so the men could take off their armor without disturbing those sleeping within. Jannasilane finished tying down the corners and looked up at Blake, "I liked Denerim, once I got used to the noise. It's all so exciting, so much going on. I do have one question, how can people stand to have their streets covered in such filth? I think that's the first time I can remember actually wanting to wear shoes or boots. The alleys were even worse. Did you find out everything you wanted to know?"

"It's worse than I thought. Loghain made Howe the Arl of Denerim. That's a lot of power for one man to have and many of the Banns here are reluctant to speak out openly against either of them. They may not like what Loghain has done but with the darkspawn threat they need to be careful about committing forces against him." Blake scowled at the thought then sighed in resignation, "On the plus side Loghain's tactics are further alienating the Banns. He may not have people fighting against him right now, but he's not going to get any more support. We've got some coin and we know which lands will be easier to travel through. Some of my family's friends will turn a blind eye as long as we're not too obvious. I'd rather fight darkspawn than Fereldans."

Jannasilane peered up at him sideways, "Doesn't it feel a bit strange to do work for Sergeant Kylon at the same time we act on tips from Slim Couldry?" She thought about it for a minute and added, "They're both kind of fun, though."

"Trying to make an honest man out of me, Package? Or maybe I'm trying to corrupt you," he bumped her with his hip when she stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed, "We need the money. Would it make you feel better if I told you I only took jobs from Slim that hurt Loghain or Howe supporters? Tomorrow we strike a blow directly at Howe. That bastard has been stripping the Cousland treasury and instead of turning it over to the war effort he's squirreling it away for himself. We're going to take it back." Jannasilane could practically feel his determination as a physical force.

She rubbed his arm in comfort and offered him some of the candied nuts Alistair gave her earlier. He refused and she popped one in her mouth, "I should thank Alistair again for his nuts." She laughed at herself, "I like sucking on them and seeing how long I can make them last until all the sweet is gone. Sometimes I even roll my tongue around them to get the sugar out of the crevices." Alistair had come up behind her and stood rooted to the spot. She was putting away the small sack of nuts and didn't notice the heat lighting the eyes of both men at the images conjured by her words.

Alistair literally shook himself before letting them know the stew was ready. He watched as Jannasilane left them and Blake moved to stand next to him, smirking at the templar's discomfort. Alistair's voice was hoarse when he spoke, "Do you think she has any idea of what she's saying?"

Blake shook his head, "No. If she were older or more experienced I'd say yes but if she's grown up as isolated as she's given us to believe then I can't imagine so. She'd have to be the best actress or bard in Thedas to keep up that air of innocence for so long in such close proximity. Sorry my friend, we're just going to have to enjoy, I mean suffer, her turns of expression until she starts to realize what she's saying. I don't know if I want that to happen or not."

Alistair agreed, "She certainly makes life interesting, doesn't she?" Blake slapped him on the back when he muttered, "If we survive."

He had the first watch that evening. Jannasilane felt a bit awkward retiring for the night with Blake instead of Alistair. She still wasn't as comfortable with him as she was with the large blond warrior. Tonight was also the first time there were three different watches, with the others alternating for the middle watch. Blake was aware of her discomfort and waited in the small tent until she was settled in her own bedroll before joining her. The larger tent made it easier for them to space their bedrolls a bit farther apart. He pulled out a map from his pack and made some markings.

Jannasilane watched him for a few minutes before saying anything, "What are you doing with the map?" She edged over to him and looked at the areas he had lightly shaded. She traced with her finger where he had shaded Highever.

"We should avoid traveling through these areas if possible. We've got a lot of traveling to do and I want to figure out the best routes. I think we should go through here and to the Circle of Mages next. The Dalish could be anywhere in the Brecelian Forest, so we'll cut different swathes through the Forest as we travel around. Where's your home?" Blake asked casually.

"It used to be down about here," she pointed to an area east and south of Ostagar. Blake noticed that the area she indicated was very isolated and to his knowledge had a sparse scattering of very small villages and farms loosely connected by tenuous paths barely wide enough for a small cart or wagon. "I used to have a little dog I called Buttercup. We found him in the woods and Mom nursed him back to health. I think he was left in the woods because he was so tiny. He never got very big. He was my best friend for years before he died." She smiled remembering her pet.

Blake nodded. He thought back to when General Lee was a puppy and how happy he was when the mabari chose him. He smiled, "Our nanny used to tell us a story about a dog named Hohaku. Want to hear it? I'm pretty sure I remember it," Blake asked. She nodded and waited for him to begin. "I should remember it after the number of times Nan not only told it to us but made us tell it back to her," he thought. "I used to get impatient with that tale; I know she wanted me to remember it because General Lee frequently annoyed her. Now I wish I could hear her tell it again, with that same note of exasperation." He put away the map, blew out the candle, and settled back, "Well, it begins with a tribe in the mountains, the chief's son, and the birth of a war hound . . ."

The next morning Alistair was watching Jannasilane packing up her things in the tent since they would be moving on as soon as they rescued some of the Cousland treasury. He'd already finished except for one small package. "Janna, um, do you have a minute? I have something for you," he held it out to her when she turned toward him. "I noticed you having trouble with the streets in Denerim. I saw these quilted slippers in the market and had a leather sole put on the bottom. I hope they fit. I know they're not exactly pretty or elegant," his voice trailed off and he shrugged his shoulders.

She smiled at him and opened the package eagerly. She tried them on and lifted one foot to show them off. "I can't even feel the leather, the quilting is so thick. How do they look?"

"Beautiful," Alistair replied. When Jannasilane looked at him he wasn't looking at her feet but at her face. Her lips parted and she blushed at the look in his eyes.

Impulsively she leaned towards him, "Thank you, Alistair," and kissed him on the cheek. She was slow to move back and he turned his head, his lips barely brushing hers. Alistair found himself entranced by the green flame lighting up her unusual eyes. They stared at each other and he slowly brought his hand up and stroked the side of her face before sliding it through her hair to the back of her neck. He held her still while he closed the breath of distance between them and softly kissed her. She sighed and leaned into him without breaking contact.

When they finally broke apart a few minutes later they were both flushed and breathing unevenly. Alistair rumbled against her hair, "We should go." Reluctantly he released her and watched her finish packing up and then exiting the tent. He took a deep breath and exhaled in a whoosh before following her out.