Chapter 10: Memories of Home
AUTHOR NOTE: This chapter gives the first real intro to Jowan. I tried to imagine what kind of person would get along well with my sarcastic Amell from when I played Origins. I hope he reads well and not horribly OOC.
Alice tightened the strap on her recently-improved armor, loving the adjustments that Harritt made. She'd already seen Leliana this morning, and verified that there was no second letter from home, much to her disappointment. She now stood outside the gates near the stables, waiting for the others.
Varric was the first to arrive. "Hey Princess, sure you got enough beauty sleep?"
"What are you saying, exactly?" she asked, but didn't get a chance to hear his reply, as Cassandra arrived with Cullen.
"Morning, you two," Alice greeted.
"Are we ready to leave, then?" Cullen asked, looking at the assembled group. Alice nodded along with the others.
Alice walked up to the wooden horse pen. "Hello Buttercup," she said, reaching out to stroke the horse's neck. She was happy to see the animal remaining calm. "Ready for another adventure?" The horse nickered in reply, and she smiled.
They retrieved their mounts and set out from Haven. The plan was to take the narrow path down the mountains, followed by the main road to Jader, and finally a ship that would take them to Val Royeaux. It was a journey that would likely take them at least a week and a half, possibly longer, depending on the weather and conditions at sea.
Still, the first part of this trip was familiar now to Alice, and she found her mind wandering back to the letter. Why hadn't Jowan sent anything back? She'd been looking forward to hearing his opinion, his worries, his something about everything that happened, and she wasn't sure what she thought of his silence.
She remembered when he had first come to live with them. After the Hero cured Eamon with the Sacred Ashes, Jowan was to be returned to the Circle, and likely made Tranquil. That's when her family made their move. Alice's mother was the one in the green cloak back then, portraying the symbol that was the Jade Lady.
Together, their people had taken out the templars sent to collect Jowan, and sent their operatives into Redcliffe in disguise to claim possession of him. None at the castle were the wiser. Alice remembered sitting atop her horse, next to her mother, waiting as the "templars" escorted their charge outside of town.
At first glance, he looked quite pitiful: his wrists were tied together, and he trudged along between the two men, his head lowered enough that his long dark hair covered his face. His robes were dirty and tattered, and she realized how long he must have already been a prisoner.
The makeshift templars left the road to enter the forest, and Jowan looked around in confusion. When he finally saw her mother, the signature green cloak billowing in the breeze, his jaw dropped.
"Jowan," her mother said in a clear, confident voice. "You are being given a choice. Forsake blood magic, and live your life as a free mage, as have countless others before you. We will teach you what you need for your new life. Or…" she paused, and that was my signal to raise my bow, aiming an arrow straight at him, meeting his blue eyes as I did so.
I finished her statement, "Or we will make your death quick, if that is your wish."
He fell to his knees, and Alice's arm wavered, waiting for him to answer. What are you waiting for? Say yes already, she thought.
His voice was steady when he finally spoke. "I just wanted to fix what I had done; I was willing to accept my punishment. I don't think I deserve what you're offering."
"Then you have chosen," her mother said with finality, nodding at Alice to take the shot.
"No, wait," Alice responded, lowering her bow. Her mother gave her a sharp look, but Alice shook her head and replaced the arrow in her quiver. She dismounted, moving toward the mage, and looked down at him.
Alice cleared her throat. "We know everything, Jowan, including how you put yourself at risk to save young Connor. In my experience, bad men don't bother with accepting responsibility, or trying to make amends."
He looked up, and she saw uncertainty in his face.
"Good men deserve better lives and better deaths than this. You can atone by living. Join us," she pleaded, extending her hand to him.
He took it. She helped him to his feet, which turned out not to be too difficult, as he was about the same height as her, and looked as though he had not had a good meal in a long time. That will be the first order of business when we get back.
Jowan was silent the whole way to their camp. Introductions were made, and still he said nothing unless directly asked a question, although he certainly ate a good portion at dinner in camp that night. Alice caught him watching her a few times, but after her behavior during his recruitment, her mother was reluctant to let her do any of the teaching. It wasn't until they'd been traveling for four days that her mother changed her mind.
The two of them were sitting on a broad rock ledge near a stream, and Alice was teaching him how to tie different kinds of knots. He was a quick study, thankfully, and already had the first one down. The second, however, seemed to be giving him some trouble.
"No, Jowan, you want to loop over twice for the fisherman's knot. You only had it once, it's going to come loose that way. Here, watch me," she said, using her own sections of rope to demonstrate.
When she pulled the two knots together, she looked up and found him watching her, not the rope. She chuckled. "You're never going to learn tha-" Alice cut off when she felt his hand on top of hers, and pulled hers back, frowning.
He winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just...thank you for what you said the other day. You saved my life."
Alice smiled. "I'm happy to see you settling in. I can imagine this must all be a lot to take in."
"Why does your family do this, anyway? There can't be much gain in setting us free."
"I'm not sure how it started, I just know my family has helped mages for generations."
"Then what about you, Alice?" he asked. "Why do you do it?"
Hearing him use her name made her happy. "For moments like this," she said, gesturing toward the water, watching it sparkle in the afternoon sunlight. She took a deep breath. "For freedom. No one deserves to live in a cage just because they were born different. I can't believe that's the way the Maker intended it."
"Pretty words from a child who's never known what it feels like to be locked up."
Alice narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll have you know I'm sixteen. I'm not a child." She got up, tossing her rope down next to him. "You need more practice."
Laughter followed her as she walked away from him, and she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
"Alice…"
Alice realized someone was actually calling her name. She'd been so lost in her memories of the past that she stopped paying attention. She looked up to find Cullen looking at her.
"Sorry, Cullen, what is it?"
"We're stopping to rest the horses," he answered.
Alice looked around her, amazed at how much the terrain had changed already just in the few hours that they had been traveling. She pulled Buttercup to a halt, and dismounted, walking her forward. They'd stopped on a small plateau, and water ran down from the melting snow above, forming a small waterfall on the northern side of the path.
Once the horses were secured, she was surprised to see Varric walking her direction.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked.
"Yeah, do you want to take a walk? It's unlikely, but maybe we can find some edible berries."
"Uh, sure, Princess," he responded, glancing over his shoulder to where Cullen and Cassandra were talking.
The two of them walked out of earshot, and Alice worried her lip, waiting for him to start. Valiant let out a soft whine, as if sensing her unease.
Varric cleared his throat. "Gustave was a wonderful source of information. Did you know he's a chatty drunk?"
"Get to the point, Varric." Alice sighed, knowing what was coming.
"I'm just wondering if King knows the extent of your involvement with the Mage Underground." Varric smirked.
"No, I figured I'd tell him on our wedding night," she joked. "Of course he knows."
"Shit, it's true?" Varric laughed, his chin tilting upward in smug satisfaction.
"You mean Gustave didn't...oh," Alice said, the cold realization dawning on her. "You were bluffing! Damn it, remind me to never play cards with you."
"I mean, how is it even possible? From what I hear, your family practically lives in the Chantry."
Alice glared. "Don't tell anyone. I'm not worried about myself, really, but it would put a lot of people in danger if it got out."
He paused, thinking. "I don't claim to understand all that magic stuff, but some of my closest friends have been apostates. I get it, but I don't think you can hide this forever. If I figured it out, I'm sure Nightingale knows already at least."
Alice considered that. "If she does, then she's being discreet about it."
"True enough. I do have a question, though."
Another sigh. "Alright, what is it?"
"Who did Gustave think you were? It sounded as though you were someone important, and I didn't get the impression he was talking about nobility."
She chuckled. "I'll keep what secrets I can, thanks. But, turnabout is fair play. Do I get to hear about the crossbow?"
"Look, I have reasons for not wanting to talk about things, too. I just can't."
"Then you understand my position. Maybe someday I'll tell you, if the danger passes."
Varric made a sound of amusement and shook his head. "I guess that's good enough for now."
Alice took a few steps toward where the horses were, when Varric stopped her again with a word.
"Wait."
What is it now? Haven't you already done enough damage? But she managed to keep her guilt and annoyance hidden. She was mostly angry with herself, anyway.
"You alright? You haven't been yourself today."
That was the last thing she would have expected Varric to say. It took her a moment to respond. "I'm just worried about a friend back home."
"I thought that was a bit too easy earlier," he muttered. "So what happened?"
"I got a letter from my parents, but the friend didn't send one. My mother didn't mention him, either."
"I'm guessing that's out of character for them."
"Definitely. I made sure to ask about him in my letter the first time. What could be going on that they don't want me to know?"
"Hm. Maybe it's just delayed."
"That would be nice, but I doubt it. You've never met my mother. She's quite a force to be reckoned with, and if she wants something done, it gets done."
"Sounds like someone else I know," he teased, watching her.
Alice scoffed. "I wish that were true. Let's hope it works with this meeting in Val Royeaux, at least."
"Maybe we should recruit your mother."
Alice laughed. "It's more like she would recruit you. I do miss them all, though."
"Yeah, family's like that. They drive you nuts, but you'd still do just about anything for them."
"Exactly. You must have family back in Kirkwall, then."
"Yeah...you could say that," he responded evasively.
"Varric…" Alice started, a concerned frown forming. "I-"
"Don't," he said, interrupting her. "You're the hard-nosed, bossy type that takes no prisoners. You don't get to be nice."
Alice raised an eyebrow. "Wow, it must really be bad. Wait," she said, her expression falling, "that description - I'm a character in one of your books, aren't I?"
A small grin formed on Varric's face.
"Shit."
A surprised exhalation caught her attention and she saw Cullen watching the two of them. Varric looked as well, the grin widening.
"Yeah, you'll find that Princess has quite a foul mouth on her. I knew a pirate once, and she puts even her to shame."
"Stop it, Varric, I'm not that bad."
"I'm blushing, just thinking about all of the things you've said," Varric added.
Alice laughed. "You practically live in the tavern, but I use the word 'fuck' once, and that's what breaks you?"
Cassandra laughed, and Cullen hid his smile by turning to the side.
Varric shook his head, feigning disappointment. "I hope Alistair knows what he's getting with you, Princess, what with your cursing and your grandpa music."
She shrugged. "Hey, those songs are classics. Anyway, we should keep moving. I'd like to get out of the mountains as soon as we can, and back into more civilized temperatures."
"Okay, now you're doing it on purpose," Varric chuckled.
She flashed a grin at him before moving back to Buttercup and vaulting back into the saddle. Being tall had some advantages.
A mile down the road, Alice was humming a song, and Varric chuckled, but joined in again.
The surprise came when Cullen's voice joined both of theirs, clear and strong. They both stopped, and turned to look at him, mouths agape.
"What? I know that one," he replied, looking between the two of them.
Alice smiled, and shifted her eyes to look at Cassandra. "If you're secretly hiding a tambourine or something, now's the time to tell us, Cassandra."
"Hardly," she stated, meeting her gaze.
Alice faked a dramatic sigh. "That's a shame. But, I won't let it stop me." She launched back into humming the song from before, and they traveled on.
Making camp was a familiar routine for her now, and after putting up her tent, she set up her fish blind in a tiny stream that headed down the slope. She doubted there were many fish this high up, but it was worth a chance. After returning to camp, she and her companions ate a relaxed meal by firelight before turning in for the night.
Alice was used to waking up now in the middle of the night, and had her boots ready when she crawled out of her bedroll. Cassandra was still on watch, but stood when she saw Alice emerging from her tent.
"Oh, good, you are up," she said. "I was just about to wake you for your shift."
"Sleep well, Cassandra."
Cassandra ducked into the tent that Alice had vacated. They'd only set up two tonight, given the small space at the side of the mountain path. It saved time, too, as they had to clear away some of the snow to find a good spot. Cassandra will just have to put up with the smell of dog tonight.
Alice settled in for her watch, the fire at her back, and surveyed the stillness of the night. She was fairly certain with the snow and mud in this area that she would hear the footsteps of anyone coming from quite some distance away, but it was always good to be cautious. Still, after a while, her thoughts drifted back to the Free Marches, and Jowan.
He'd been so infuriating, picking on her every chance he got. She tried to ignore him when they got to the estate, choosing to train the others, instead, but he always seemed to turn up when least expected.
Finally after a few weeks, she'd had enough, and once her duties for the day were done, she sought him out. One of the other mages told her that they'd last seen him down by the river. The sun was setting, so she wouldn't have long to find him before it got dark. She walked down the normal trail that led to the water's edge, but stopped dead in her tracks at what she saw.
Jowan was bathing in the river, his back to her. The sunset illuminated the area with an orange glow, and she was transfixed by the way the light hit the water on his body, cascading down his back to the gentle rise of the top of his buttocks. The river water covered everything lower than that, but she found herself unable to turn away, even though a thought screamed in her head to run.
He ran his hands over his damp hair, squeezing out the excess water, and turned, the surprised "O" of his mouth slowly spreading into a smile.
Alice spun around, turning her back to him, and his laughter sounded from behind her.
"Did you get a good show, Alice?" he teased, and she was glad he couldn't see the beet-red color mottling her cheeks.
The sounds of splashing followed by rustling came from behind her, indicating he likely had left the river. She tried to will her legs to move, but it was as though her brain had turned to mush.
She felt, rather than heard him walk up behind her, and he spoke from no more than a couple of feet away. "Perhaps you're not such a child, after all," he drawled. "Do you want me to continue?"
Alice bolted, hating him for mocking her, and hating herself a little for her own reaction. She ran back to the estate and didn't stop until she was upstairs in her room with the door firmly closed and locked. How dare he! Okay, I guess I did kind of spy on him, but that was an accident! It's not like I wanted to watch him.
The memory flashed through her again. He'd been slim of frame, true, but definitely bigger than she would have guessed from his robes, with more than a hint of smooth muscle under his skin, and then there was his…
She flushed. Stop thinking about his bottom, Alice! She'd never seen a naked man before. Ugh, I'm never going to live that down. How am I going to face him now? I just need to pretend like nothing happened. I mean, nothing did happen. She took a few deep cleansing breaths before going down to dinner.
Dinner at the Trevelyan estate was usually a relaxed affair. Each night, one of the mages joined them at their table. It was a chance to practice table manners, but also it helped the mages understand what family life was really like. Of course, that night of all nights, it was Jowan's turn to eat with them.
Alice's father sat at the head of the small informal table, and her mother to his right. That left Alice and Jowan sitting next to each other on the remaining two sides. He smiled at her.
"This is really nice, Your Lordship, to be able to eat with you and your family," Jowan said.
Alice stole a glance at him while he was speaking. When her father turned away, Jowan winked at her. She inwardly groaned. This is going to be a long night.
"Wow," Jowan remarked. "This roast is excellent. Is this the rump?" he asked.
Alice choked.
Her mother set down her fork and leaned forward, concern wrinkling her brow.
"Are you quite alright, my dear?" she questioned.
"Yes, Mother," Alice squeaked, taking a drink from her goblet. She shot Jowan a glare that would have frozen him solid if she'd had magic. Lucky for him, she didn't.
"But yes," Jowan picked back up, "your cooks are to be commended. It's surprisingly... moist."
Alice remained calm and held onto her composure this time, being a bit more prepared for Jowan's provocations. He looked a little bit disappointed, and returned to eating. Probably scheming up something else, she thought.
She jumped when she felt something touch her thigh under the table, but it was over in a split second. Another worried look from her mother.
"Hiccups," she explained with a shrug, reaching for the goblet again.
Alice felt the outside edge of her chair, and palmed the piece of paper she found there, tucked between her body and the seat cushion.
Dessert was served, and Alice was grateful. She wanted to run out of the room and tear open the note, but she dared not. It would have to wait until she could make a reasonable excuse to leave the table. After dessert would be soon enough.
Finally, she excused herself from the table and rushed to one of the side rooms. The note read: "Meet me in the garden tonight".
Seriously? What kind of fool did he take her for? But, he'd managed to get through at least the last half of dinner without creating more of a scene, so it was obvious he was capable of behaving himself. What could he possibly want, though? Surely he wasn't serious when he offered to show her more of his body earlier.
In the end, she found herself pulling the hood of her cloak up around her as she snuck out of the manor to meet him. Most of the mages lived in the main camp outside of the estate, so Jowan would have returned there after they finished eating. The garden fell in between. She made her way there quickly, slipping out the side door of the manor. She kept off the tree-lined paths in hopes of avoiding being noticed.
She waited in the shadow of the darkened archway that led into the hedge maze and tried to spot him before he saw her.
No such luck.
"Curiosity got to you after all, eh, Alice?" he greeted with a chuckle, stepping into the light. "Or maybe I should call you Allie Cat since you're so curious."
Alice grunted in disgust. "What game are you playing at, Jowan? Whatever this is about, just say it."
He smiled. "You're too much fun to tease, you know. But I came to tell you that your childish infatuation with me is pointless."
Alice scoffed. "You think I like you? You've been tormenting me to no end."
He leaned in close, whispering in her ear. "Something tells me you like it just fine, Allie." She felt the warmth of his hand on her shoulder.
She couldn't help it. She wasn't used to men getting this close to her, at least not like this. Her father would usually set them straight if they even thought about touching her. Her face warmed, betraying her.
"See? That thing you're doing right there." He was grinning when he took a step back. "But you need to know that my heart is already spoken for."
"What?" she asked, surprised by the sudden turn in their conversation. "By who? You just got here about a month ago."
His expression changed, all humor gone, more like the serious Jowan she'd first met. "I knew her in the Circle. Her name is Lily, and back then she was a Chantry initiate. She's part of the reason I had to leave the Circle. Your father has agreed to help me find out where she is."
"Oh," Alice said. She tried to make sense of the mix of emotions she was experiencing, but it was confusing. Surely this couldn't be disappointment that Jowan had someone else to occupy his attention.
"I would like to be friends, if you're alright with that," he went on, looking away from her.
"Friends?" she asked, still feeling a little bewildered. "Friends, right, yes, of course. Does that mean you're going to stop picking on me?"
"I'll ease up a bit, but I can't help it if you make yourself an easy target, Allie Cat."
"Stop calling me that!"
But, as usual, he'd gotten the last word, and his laughter sounded as he walked away from her, blending back into the darkness.
A sound broke Alice's train of thought, bringing her attention back to the watch she was supposed to be keeping. Groaning...coming from Varric and Cullen's tent. For a second, Alistair's sleepy countenance flashed through her mind. He was probably awake right now too, what with his darkspawn nightmares. But it wasn't Alistair who emerged from the tent.
Cullen blinked at her, running a hand through his wavy locks as he ducked out of the flap and stood up, stretching.
"Hello Cullen," she greeted. "It's not your turn for watch yet, but you're welcome to join me."
"We seem to meet quite often at this time of night."
"Yeah," Alice said, looking down at the glow of the mark, a constant reminder of how her life changed at the Conclave. "This thing wakes me up around midnight every single night. Do you have trouble sleeping, too?"
"Yes, no - just shaking off a bad dream," he answered, looking out into the night.
They had reached the treeline not long before making camp. It made it hard to see too far out into the distance.
"I bet the view at sunrise is going to be breathtaking from here," Alice commented, following his line of sight.
"Let's hope for good weather, at least," he said. "Our scouts report increased fighting between the mages and templars between the foothills and Jader. We may not get much rest then."
"Clearly I'm skipping the sunrise then."
A soft chuckle sounded from him.
"Sit," Alice said, patting the area next to her.
Cullen found a place not far from her and sat, his long legs sprawled out ahead of him. Alice noticed he'd taken off most of his armor. She'd never worn armor that extensive, but she was willing to bet it was rather uncomfortable.
"I'm actually glad you joined me," she told him. "I was getting stuck in memories, and it was making me a little homesick."
Cullen said nothing, but seemed to be studying his boots.
"What would you be doing if you weren't with the Inquisition?" Alice asked.
"I haven't really thought about it. The Order was my life before the Inquisition."
She looked over at him, but he was still avoiding eye contact.
"Right. I heard you were stationed in Kirkwall," she said, nodding.
"And the Ferelden Circle before that, during the Blight," he stated.
Alice turned her face away to hide her expression. The Ferelden Circle during the Blight? Then he must have known Jowan...and Lily. Careful, Alice. Change the subject.
"What about family?" she asked. "Anyone writing you letters from home?"
"I...yes, I have family, though I don't speak much with them these days."
"Oh, no! I'm so sorry...did something happen?" Alice asked.
He finally turned to look at her. "No, nothing like what you're obviously imagining. I was just busy."
"Ah..." Alice nervously toyed with her hair. He obviously doesn't want to talk about his family. Ugh, you're terrible at this.
She faked a yawn. "Well, since you're up, are you okay taking over? I could use some sleep."
"Very well."
Alice stood, eager to end this awkward exchange.
"Alice, wait," he said, looking up at her. She stopped.
"I may not be the best at showing it, but I want you to know that I appreciate everything you're doing so far."
At that moment, Alice's hand burst into light and she cried out at the stinging sensation.
"Are you alright?" Cullen asked, standing and moving to lay a hand on her other arm.
"Yeah, it more surprised me than anything. But that means a rift just opened nearby. We need to wake the others. You get Varric, I'll get Cassandra and Valiant."
The fight lasted several minutes, and they were all exhausted by the time the last demon fell and the rift finally burst open, ready to be sealed at last. Alice felt the pull of the "fish" on the line as before, the vibration shooting like lightning from her hand up her arm. When the rift closed at last, she could do no more than breathe heavily for a few seconds.
She was aware of Valiant returning to her side, and the others recovering from the fight. There were quite a few cuts and bruises, as they hadn't had a chance to put on their armor before the fight began. Alice let her arms fall to the sides, the intricately carved bow from Leliana gripped loosely in her fingers as she trudged back to camp.
"You okay, Princess?" Varric asked as she passed.
She nodded vaguely and continued on, not even bothering to kick off her shoes as she ducked inside the tent and collapsed on her bedroll.
"We should let her rest," Cassandra's voice said from outside the tent.
"Is it always like that?" Cullen asked.
"No, that one was pretty bad," Varric admitted. "But don't worry. That girl in there is tougher than you think. Five crowns says that by morning she's up and telling us about her latest hare-brained idea."
Varric's usual half-compliment warmed her heart, but their voices moved away and she couldn't make out what they were saying anymore. The heavy blanket of sleep came over her.
The next morning dawned clear, but still cold. Alice woke a bit more rested, and greeted the new day. She had been right, though, the trees were just sparse enough that the view of the valley and its thick treetops was magnificent. They set off, and it wasn't long before they were in the dense forest and the view was obscured. After a few hours, the path widened a bit and she could tell they were most of the way out of the mountains.
The trek to Jader seemed to take forever, but only once did they encounter any fighting. They were able to get between the combatants, and both parties ran off into the wilderness. Alice considered it a win, even though she knew they would again be fighting soon, if not on their own, then they would fall back to the rebel bases, or the mages to Redcliffe and return to fight with renewed vigor. Alice hoped that Leliana and Corporal Vale were able to locate the templar and rebel mage encampments soon.
They left their horses at an Inquisition camp not far outside Jader, and boarded the ship to Val Royeaux. Immediately, Alice was reminded of why she hated ships. They were barely an hour out of port, and she had already lost the contents of her stomach over the side of the ship. She spent most of the voyage in her bunk, praying for it to be over.
When she finally walked off the pier and onto the dock at Val Royeaux, she was grateful to be standing on land again. She took a deep breath, and her stomach settled a little. Hopefully, in another hour or two she'd actually be able to eat again.
"We should secure lodging," Alice announced.
"I'm sure the boat will be in port for a few days," Varric teased. "We could always stay there."
"You sleep on the boat. I'm getting a bed that doesn't move."
Cassandra smiled in sympathy. "Josephine used her contacts already to arrange something for us. Lady Navet Pervenche has given us the use of her townhome in the northern district."
"A noble is willing to help us?" Alice asked, her face lighting up. "That's great news!"
"I hate to break it to you, Princess," Varric said with a chuckle. "But Lady Pervenche is known for loving a good scandal. I'm sure she's just helping us to shock her friends."
Alice's face fell. "Great. You know, I was looking for another way to disappoint my mother today."
"You're the Herald of Andraste," Cullen pointed out. "There's bound to be some resistance from the more conservative sectors. But there are plenty who support our cause as well."
Cassandra nodded. "They cannot ignore the threat of the Breach forever."
Alice sighed. "Sorry, I know we're doing the right thing, I think I'm just feeling a bit shaky. Maybe I'll be more confident after some breakfast."
Valiant barked, drawing the surprised attention of some of the locals. Alice winced. Maybe bringing the dog along isn't a good idea.
"We're a bit conspicuous," she said. "We should head to Lady Pervenche's townhouse first."
"Good thinking," Cullen agreed. "We could probably all use a change of clothing before we meet up with the Chantry mothers."
"Scandal or no, I'm sure she plans to feed us, too," Varric commented.
They made their way through the side streets of Val Royeaux. She wished she had Buttercup, but they hadn't brought the horses on the ship.
It took an hour to find the townhouse, and they were ushered inside by Lady Pervenche's courteous staff. She was not currently using her residence, for which Alice was grateful. They ate a meal and each went to their rooms to clean up and change into their clothing that had already arrived from Haven.
Alice dressed in the formal coat that Josie and the seamstress had prepared for her. Looking in the mirror, she turned, admiring the cut of it. It was bright blue, the color of bluebells. Alice would have wished for green, of course, but she liked the stiffness of the fabric. It was heavily embroidered, but only along the center, with beaded flowers adding to the simple, yet sophisticated silhouette. The high collar flattered Alice's shorter hairstyle.
The accompanying pants were deep charcoal grey, hugging the shape of her legs before falling straight past mid-calf. All in all, she was quite pleased. She'd feared some giant Orlesian-style dress, or a frilly monstrosity like Josie preferred in a blinding metallic shade. The subtle sheen to the coat was understated, and much more her style.
Good choice, Josie. Alice didn't do much to style her hair, leaving the pieces messy in a way that looked artfully done. She'd need a haircut again when she got back to Haven, but for now, she thought she was passable for a stylish noble.
She picked up the pretty silver pendant as well. The symbol of the Inquisition. It was a nice touch, and completed the look. Now that her stomach was settled and she looked the part, she felt more ready to stand in front of the Chantry mothers. I can do this. We're going to get the templars, and this will all be over soon.
Of course, that would mean she'd be faced with sealing the Breach soon, too. She felt her nerves return. No, I have time. It's not time for that yet. I can worry about that once we get back to Haven with the templars.
Exiting her room, she met with the others. Varric hadn't changed much, merely ditching his armored jacket for a softer-looking one, but still left it slightly open. At least Val Royeaux is warmer, but seriously, doesn't he ever get cold? Maybe the chest hair helps. Cassandra and Cullen looked positively imposing standing next to each other in their Inquisition armor.
"We're as ready as we're getting," Alice announced. "Let's go."
She moved to open the door, and found Valiant at her heels. She squatted, meeting him in the eyes.
"I appreciate your protection, boy, but you have to wait here. This isn't something you can help me with."
(Whine?)
"When we come back and celebrate, I'll be sure to give you something tasty."
(Bark!)
Alice chuckled as she stood. "Let's go recruit some templars."