The carriage rattled down the old road that led to the gate of Vigil's Keep. The journey home had been quicker once the Commander had managed to…persuade…a merchant caravan to divert to Amaranthine, giving them all a ride on the series of wagons and carts.

He didn't dwell on just how she'd managed it.

It was good to be getting back. It was strange how soon he'd come to think of it as home, even though technically it had belonged to his family. But he didn't think of it as his home, he was a Grey Warden, even if he didn't always feel like it, it was their home.

And he had shaken the worst of the fever. Things were looking up.

He lowered the pipe from his mouth, and let out a short breath. A hazy smoke ring wafted upward, disappearing into the distance as they rolled on.

"How do you do that?" Sigrun asked, from beside him.

The two were sat side by side on the back of the last cart, pressed up against a stack of grain sacks.

He grinned to himself, inhaling another mouthful. With a little focus, he puffed out another ring, followed by a second, then a third.

"Practice." He leaned back against the sacks, satisfied.

He saw her holding something in her hands, fondling it idly. She always seemed to have it on her, whatever it was.

"What is that?"

She jumped a little, obscuring whatever she was holding as she turned to facing.

"Just something the Commander gave me." She replied. "Before we went to the Dragonbone Wastes."

"Is it a secret?" He smiled, shutting his eyes as he lay back.

"No." She replied, after a moment.

He felt something pressed into his right hand. It was cool and smooth, glass most likely. He held it up and opened his eyes, momentarily blinded when the light glared from behind it.

"A snow globe?" He asked, half-looking at her.

Sigrun nodded, looking embarrassed for some reason.

He gave it a gentle shake. Snowflakes whirled about inside. As they settled, he noticed the little figures inside. Nathaniel sat forward, cradling it in both hands to get a better look. Sigrun must have noticed because she leaned over too.

"The one in gold is the old king, Cailan, Commander Cousland said. And the other is-"

"Queen Anora?" He finished, looking at her.

"Yeah." Sigrun nodded. "Look I know it's silly but-"

"It's pretty." He cut in, giving her a smile. "Nothing wrong with liking something pretty."

Sigrun's gaze met his for a moment. Her expression softened and she smiled a little at his words. It made him feel good.

"I've never seen snow." She said, turning her attention to the globe.

"But you practically lived under the Frostbacks." He replied, surprised, before he could stop himself.

"Practically lived under Orzammar too." She quipped, wryly. "Casteless rarely venture into the city proper, and had no place wandering out to the surface entrance un-escorted." Her shoulders slumped a little.

"I hear King Bhelen is trying to change things now."

"Maybe. Doesn't help all the injustice done before, does it?" She shrugged. "He's probably getting something out of it himself too."

Nathaniel inwardly debated mentioning that he'd heard Bhelen had 'allowed' casteless to volunteer for the army too and decided against it.

"Do you ever think about going back to visit? Nobody could stop you now." He prompted, changing tack.

"I'd be going back as a Warden." Sigrun sighed. "Not as a dwarf."

Nathaniel winced. This was not going well.

"Sorry I brought it up at all now." He placed a hand on her shoulder, in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"It's okay." She smiled sadly. "There's nothing for me there now."

"And come winter, you'll have more snow than you know what to do with up here." He added giving her shoulder a pat.

"Yeah?" She chuckled.

"Mark my words." He grinned. "You'll be sick of it in a week."

Her smile became less sad, making him feel a little better.

"Thank you, Nate." She said, looking down at her knees.

"What for?"

"For taking an interest. Caring. I don't know." She replied, quietly.

"I do." He thought about specifying, and realised he didn't need to. "You are pretty interesting. You and your interest in trinkets." He held up the snowglobe again, studying it closely.

"Alright." She snorted, reaching out for it, but he pulled it out of her reach.

"And so decadent for a former Legionnaire." He grinned, rolling the snow globe from one hand to another. "Truly you have become one of us, here on the surface."

"Alright, alright." She grinned, snatching it back as he laughed. "If you tell anyone else I'll break your knees." She threatened, but the effect was spoiled because she couldn't stop smiling.

"So it is a secret!" He elbowed her playfully.

"No. I just don't want anybody else to know." She elbowed him back.

"You told me." He leaned over.

"You're different." She looked up at him.

Again they paused a moment, eyes locked. He wasn't sure what was going on.

"Is that good or bad?" He meant it as a joke, but it came out far more somber.

"Good." She replied, simply.

He was aware they were sitting pretty close together. That sort of thing just hadn't really occurred to him before. It made him feel on edge.

"I'll try not to disappoint, then." He swallowed. "I'd hate to let down the first proper friend I've made in years."

"You're doing okay." Sigrun grinned. "For a Howe. According to the Commander, anyway." She shrugged.

"Ouch." He mock-winced, laying back on the sacks again, glad that whatever had just come over him seemed to have diffused. "Give me a kick when we get there." He said, shutting his eyes.

"Sure." She replied, watching the road.

As he stretched his arms back, resting his head on his hands, he opened one eye lazily. Nathaniel watched the dwarf, kicking her feet idly over the edge of the cart, for a while, her small hands resting on flat on the boards.

It was a strangely comforting image, and it stayed in his mind, along with thoughts of other pretty things, as he drifted off to sleep.


Nathaniel u so smoooooooooooth.