Chapter 9

"Luna's certainly changed since we came here. She isn't angry all the time like she used to be. She actually smiles and laughs now. Perhaps she enjoyed working with the Red Iron more than she let on. Hah, Luna always did love a good fight! Maybe she was only angry around us, her family, not that we ever treated her as such. We never paid her any attention; none of us did, including Mother and Father."

"Aveline doesn't seem to think there was a change in her though. She once mentioned to me that Luna was a lot livelier than this at Ostagar, before everything went wrong. I have a hard time imagining that, probably because she was always yelling at us and had this sneer on her face whenever she was around us. Her family that is."

"I guess she's acting like her true self now because she's pretty much on her own like Ostagar. I should be happy for her but she still annoys me and I still hate her. After all, it is HER fault that Marian's dead!"

Garrett thought about his sister and her turn in behavior over the past year as he walked to the Viscount's Keep to ask Aveline if she had any jobs for them. Her change in attitude puzzled him, as did the fact that she was no longer JUST his little sister.

"She's turned into quite the beautiful woman," he thought. "She's...certainly grown in all...the right places to attract a man. Her black hair is down to the middle of her back and long hair is always sexy. Her eyes...could be seen as gorgeous...I guess, even if they are certainly unsettling when she fixes you with a stare with them. Who's ever heard of someone with bright, white eyes?"

"Yes, she has everything a man would want. Nice curves, tight and fit body, fair skin, pale skin as well which resembles ivory, she's five foot eight which is a perfect height, and...well she does have a nice bosom but I'm only stating this from a brother's perspective that is observing his sister's growth and nothing else! ...Hmmm...It looks like I will have to look out for her now when it comes to men trying to claim her. I still hate her though, and can't stand her company. She never takes things seriously still."

Because Garrett was so focused on his thoughts he arrived at the Viscount's Keep faster than he expected. As he walked to through the court yard he heard several people mention that refugees should stay in their place and that the guards are letting anyone into Hightown now. This made Garrett's blood boil. "You're only noble because you've got money! But the true nobility are the people who try to help others that are less fortunate then themselves, or the people who help others even though they're in the same, or worse, conditions!"

He wanted to grab the next person who said anything, but like always her remained quiet and didn't draw any attention to himself. That was one of the easiest ways to keep the templars from breathing down his neck more than they already were. The templars were aware that there were Fereldan refugee apostate's in Kirkwall. They just didn't know who they were...yet.

Garrett walked into the Keep and headed to the barracks where he knew Aveline would be. He was aware of the many dirty looks and remarks he got from the nobles that were waiting for an audience with Viscount Dumar. But Garrett didn't pay any attention to them, he never did.

Aveline was in the barracks of course. She was checking the duty roster, or just standing in front of it, Garrett could never figure what women were thinking or doing when they were looking at something. It was often the opposite of what he thought.

"Aveline," he said in a voice that only sounded as recognition. "Maker! Maybe Luna is right about me needing to work on my people skills."

"Hello Hawke," Aveline said. She always called Garrett "Hawke" and Luna, well, "Luna." It was something she did; Garrett guessed that it was because she didn't like him that much.

"That's it?" he asked.

"And your greeting was so much better?" she asked. Finally she turned around and looked at him. "I apologize any way. It just seems like I've talked to you and Luna recently." She paused then resumed what she had been saying. "I've been keeping an eye on you two. I owe you guys a lot so I figured I might as well try and help keep—"

"Thanks Aveline," Garrett quickly interrupted her so that she didn't have to finish that last of the sentence, "but I don't think Luna will appreciate the fact that you were spying on us again, no matter how good you intensions may be. I can't say that I do either."

"It's the only thing that's kept me from sleeping on your doorstep. Besides information is one of the perks of this job. You should watch out for Bartrand, he's a son of a bitch."

"Right now he's our only option to keep...our "friends"... off of our backs."

"Fine, fine," she said. "If you need anything just holler. Maker knows I could use more satisfying work." She finished with a frown, clearly not liking the fact that she wasn't really helping people like she should.

"So, have you eavesdropped anything useful?" Garrett asked trying to pull of the levity that Luna has. He failed though.

"You know better than to ask that!" Aveline said firmly.

Garrett brought up his hands to signal peace, "I'm here under orders from Luna. Technically it's her asking not me."

"It looks like you're still covering your ass with Luna's," she said sourly. "But there may be something. There's an ambush by highway men tomorrow at noon. I don't why or who, but it doesn't matter, they need to be stopped."

"Very well, Aveline. Luna and I will break some necks for you," Garrett said with a sly smile.

Aveline laughed, "I knew I could count on you two. Meet me here tomorrow morning alright."

"Alright," he said, "have a good day Aveline." Garrett then turned around and started to leave the barracks.

"And you too!" he heard Aveline call after him.


"I hope Aveline has some work, because the Chanter's board is looking pretty empty right now."

I walked calmly in the Chantry's courtyard to the board, someone was already there though. He was a tall man with reddish brown hair that was wearing shiny white armor and chainmail. He also had a bow and quiver slung across his back. I almost kept on walking but I noticed Grand Cleric Elthina and stopped dead in my tracks.

"You can't do this Sebastian!" Elthina yelled. She waited for a response but the man, Sebastian, kept on posting something on the board. "The Chantry cannot condone revenge, Sebastian!" She said at last.

"It is my right, my duty, to show these assassins there is nowhere to hide in the Free Marches," said Sebastian as he turned to Elthina. "That has got to be the sexiest accent I have ever heard."

Sebastian then started to walk away. Elthina ripped his post of the Chanter's board and waved it in the air as she said, "This is murder!"

An arrow shot from Sebastian's bow nailed the post back to the Chanter's board. "No," he said, "what happened to my family was murder!" He turned back around and bumped into me as he stormed out of the courtyard.

Elthina looked as if she was about to take Sebastian's post from the board again but stopped and left it up there. "That Sebastian has quite the aim, and the looks...and the gorgeous blue eyes..."

I finished walking up to the Chanter's board and looked at what Sebastian wanted done. As I read his post my jaw immediately fell open. "By the blood of Andraste, he's Prince Sebastian Vael! Well I'm certainly not going to be able to get to know him, but I guess I can still do what he's asked...hmmm...so he wants me to kill the Flint Company Mercenaries that murdered his family. At least it won't be boring."

I informed the Chanter that I was indeed going to do this and she gave me a letter that had more instructions inside. I gave her my thanks and walked back to the market where I bumped into Garrett who told me about Aveline's job about some kind of ambush tomorrow. "Well the ambush site is close to the Wounded Coast and Sundermount, where two of the three groups of mercenaries are, so we could kill a couple of birds with one stone." I looked up at the sky and noticed that not even half of the day was gone. Time must go by slower than I actually think apparently.

Garrett and I walked back to Gamlen's hovel in silence. I had told him about my plan to kill three birds with a stone and he agreed by saying it was a good plan. And that was it. That was all he said on our entire trip from Hightown to Lowtown, to...home I guess.