"It runs on steam?" Celes peered curiously at the ship before her. If there was a time to be sceptic, this would be it. The dwarf before her tried to explain the concept of his 'steam-ship' over and over again but she just failed to understand what he was trying to convey. Comprehension eluded her, and she turned her attention away from Egar and looked longingly at the safe and trusted wooden hulled ships off the other side of the port.
"I assure you, my lady. This ship has been tested time and again and is ready for its maiden voyage." Disappointment was clear in the dwarf's tone.
Egar was obviously very proud of his creation, and refused to acknowledge that it may have any sort of flaw. Celes sighed and resigned herself to her captain. It was strange that a dwarf who first came from stone would want anything to do with the seas and the sky, very strange indeed. Perhaps she would be able to pry his history from him during the trip.
"I know, I know. But you can't blame me for being nervous, can you now?" She tried a weak smile on him which wasn't returned. Then she looked back at the city of Denerim. She would not be back for at least five months, if it were true that the ship could move as fast as Egar claimed, perhaps she would be back sooner. Alistair had mentioned a festival would be held the next year to commemorate the ending of the blight, and she intended to try her best to be back by then.
Celes shivered at the breeze that blew from the coast as she walked up the plank leading into the cabins.
Steamships are not as fast as Egar led me to believe. It was two months into the trip, and they were almost approaching their checkpoint at Antiva. Egar said they would be stopping by there to restock and they were probably about a day or two away judging from the... course map or whatnot. Celes decided to stop trying to understand Egar and his 'ship-talk' after the third day aboard his ship.
A few interesting people were on board, including some of the knights who were originally assigned to guard the Arl of Denerim's estate, and now assigned to the King's Consul. She heard Arl Howe was staying there during his time in Denerim and actually took over as the Arl of Denerim. I never heard of that before. She was talking to one of the former guards. She found that most of the guards who were loyal to him died during the fight in the Landsmeet, where Sierra and Arl Eamon fought against Loghain's men in the power struggle over the new King. The man she was talking to, Bimm, was one of the less willing of the men recruited from the bannorns to serve in Denerim under Arl Howe. He was happy enough under King Alistair's rule, however. It seems there were some people in Ferelden who weren't quite so blind to the cruelty and injustice Arl Howe committed after all.
She was just laughing with him over the 'Oghren in a skirt' incident at the coronation when she felt the ship shake. "What was that?" Celes stood immediately, and Bimm followed. "I don't know. Let's check the deck." They exited the drawing room after the ship seemed to calm, a little.
It was raining outside. Once on deck, Celes raised a hand to shield herself from the battering of the rain, and a deckhand ran up to her offering a cloak. She thanked him and draped it around herself. Over the sides, she could see what was causing the boat to shake so violently. Giant waves were crashing against the side of the ship, threatening to spill onto the deck. It was nature's wrath in full force. And in the skies... "Oh no, thunderclouds." Celes uttered aloud and her body froze over as she saw the huge dark clouds that were in the ship's course.
Celes ran past the gunport to the forecastle deck where Egar was shouting orders. Upon seeing her, Egar approached her and said, "This was not on the course before! The men are trying to steer around it but... I fear the worst, milady." Celes' heart sank as she saw where he was pointing at.
"A maelstrom." She gasped.
"Aye," Egar confirmed her fears and left, his head hanging.
Celes stood by the bow as she saw the gaping vortex that swirled inward in the deep ocean depths. Fear clutched her insides and she felt nauseous. Her senses dulled and she could only hear faded murmurs of the crew as they ran past and around her.
The mast crashed down. Then the crow's nest. The bowsprit snapped. Something hit her on the head, hard. And she heard the splashes as she fell into the darkness.
If it weren't for Hughe, Anders feared he would have gone insane with boredom in the last month and a half. The Grey Wardens from Weisshaupt had finally arrived with a couple of Orlesian Wardens. It was strange that the Fereldens still held much disdain for the wardens even though they were just saved from horrible deaths at the hands... talons of the archdemon two months ago by a warden. Not Orlesian, given, but still, a warden. Perhaps the people regarded them as Orlesians first before all else, just as I am a mage before I am a warden to them. Anders knew, all too well, the different ways one could be discriminated against. A pity, really. Perhaps he would shoot lightning at them when they were not looking. That would make for great fun. Hughe could come and watch. He might even cheer.
He thumbed the chain around his neck and stood as the newly appointed Warden-Commander addressed him. "Anders, is it?" he asked.
"Yes, that is me." Anders straightened his back and bent slightly to see the commander properly. He was a handsome man, frightfully so. But he seemed... off.
The man clapped him on the shoulder, "Well met, mage." Anders stiffened. Why couldn't these idiots address me by name? I have a name. It wasn't that he was ashamed of being a mage, you are what you are. But still...
"My name is Gayle. And I will be the new Commander of Ferelden's Grey Wardens." He was addressing Hughe and Eldric together now. "As you all may be aware, this post would have been Alistair's if he had not become King, and he has done a great job thus far. I was even surprised that he managed to get a few recruits before I arrived, though I can't imagine you would have seen a lot of action after that one last battle." He quirked his lips and continued, "But yes, that aside, I have been appointed by the First Warden to be the commander of this Ferelden."
Following that, Hughe and Eldric introduced themselves to Gayle and went to mingle with some of the other wardens who came from Weisshaupt. About a dozen of them came from Weisshaupt Fortress and three accompanied Gayle from Orlais. Apparently, the mighty 'Wardens of Weisshaupt' needed a dozen men to come collect a body. At least the Orlesian wardens would be staying, despite what Alistair had said about the Weisshaupt wardens bringing spare men. Anders saw Gayle approaching him.
"Mage," he said.
"It's Anders." He took an immediate dislike to the man.
"Yes, Anders. Do you know why you are still in Denerim?" Gayle seemed to drop the question on him. He wondered if this would be the case in times to come. "Ah, because the flowers are pretty here?" Anders offered.
"Hm. You do know that the king has granted the Grey Wardens the arling of Amaranthine, do you not?" Ah, he did at that. Now that Gayle mentioned it, he remembered. At that funeral, he recalled catching a few phrases here and there and knowing enough to piece together that the king had given Amaranthine to the Wardens. "Strange that you have yet to move there. Perhaps the king prefers to keep his wardens close? But that will change soon enough." Gayle looked as though he just smiled. But it vanished so quickly, Anders could not be certain.
There was a quick talk with the King that eve, and they received their orders. They would depart for Amaranthine first thing the next morning. It was just as well. The palace was dull without Celes around, and Wynne had left a week ago. He really could not leave soon enough. And besides, it would be interesting to poke around the place Celes grew up in.
Anders found himself standing in front of the room that she used to sleep in. He placed a hand on the doorframe, smiling at the fond memories that came to him.
I wonder how she fares now..?
Numbness. Pain. Confusion.
Survival instincts kicked in as Celes opened her eyes. A shore. She coughed up some water which left a bitter taste in her mouth. Seawater. Am I safe? She found herself alone.
When she tried to stand, her head spun. Little grey spots flashed before her eyes. She collapsed again, and remained unconscious for Maker knows how long. By the time she came to, the moon was hanging high in the sky, illuminating the sea. I never did like water. She spat the bile from her mouth and looked around. I wonder where I am. Ah well, at least it is not raining now.
Her body ached, but lucky for her, she did not sustain any major injuries, except the one scar on her forehead and a lump near the back of her head where something had hit her prior to her loss of consciousness. The ship. She looked back at the open sea and saw nothing. The ocean was calm, and there was no sign of tide or disturbances, only the lone gulls that swooped over the water.
She knelt, and offered a silent prayer to the Maker. May their souls find rest at Your side.
Celes finished and got up. She felt around herself for her belongings. Luckily, her light armor did not drown her in the water, and her daggers were still strapped around her sides. Unfortunately though, her throwing knives had slipped out of their compartments and her bow and quiver were lost. Panicking, she felt for her coins. Blast.
She was stranded on an unknown shore with naught but her weapons, and it was late. But she had survived a shipwreck and perhaps she still had some luck in her. No use standing here. She started towards the inlands.
The houses she passed were tattered and falling apart, with no sign of life within them, or so she thought. When she tried entering one of them, she was confronted with a locked door. Oh, there are people inside! But perhaps disturbing the residents at night is not such a good idea. Ah, but I'll have to sleep outside if I don't. Celes' mental struggle lasted for a few moments and she finally knocked on the door lightly. She thought she might have heard some shuffling, but no one answered.
"Hello? Is anybody home?" she called out. And that's when she heard the locks click. The door opened just a crack and a small elvhen girl peeked out. She could not have been more than twelve, and her eyes widened when she saw Celes. The girl started pointing at her daggers and saying something in a language that Celes did not understand.
"Hello there. I apologize for bothering you so late at night..." Celes was cut off by a man who she assumed was the girl's father who gave Celes a frightful look and pulled his daughter away from the door, slamming it shut behind him. Celes spluttered, "But... I don't understand." Her hands hung by her side, and her body sagged. Would she have to stay out that night? So be it then.
Celes walked around until she finally found a single shack that was unoccupied. Its door was smashed apart and lay on the ground beside it, and the roof had holes in it, but it was better than sleeping outside for the night. As she hugged herself to keep warm, Celes decided she would venture further into the lands the next day. Hopefully, she would find civilization. Well, proper civilization.
When the sun rose the next morning, Celes was already awake. She had woken a few times that night, her sleep disturbed. There were no dreams, but she just could not rest. Something else was causing her unrest. She was sensing things, or perhaps it was her imagination. Hm, I don't like this.
With her long range weapons gone, she only had her daggers to defend herself, and she had to remedy that. And what's worse was that she was ravenous enough to eat a cow. Maybe a solution lies further inland. She walked.
The small area she passed seemed to be where the elves lived, she deduced. Strange. Some seemed to live fairly comfortable lives while some others sank so deep into the depths of depravity that they did not even have proper clothes. Even the elvhen had their own difference in status and standards of living. Curious, indeed. However, they were still a suspicious bunch towards humans in general, including Celes, and would not entertain her when she tried to ask them questions. She suspected that some of them did indeed speak her language, but were taunting her by replying in their foreign tongue. It was incredibly frustrating.
She seemed to have made it to the edge of the town when a woman commented aloud about her weapons to her companion. When Celes tried to approach them, seeing as they were human, she was shouted at. "Stay away from me, barbarian!" the woman had screamed, as if Celes meant harm to her. It was a new experience, to invoke fear in others. It felt really good, actually. Empowering. However, if she was to get help and avoid trouble along the way, she needed to blend in.
Celes sneaked into a nearby house and 'procured' a simple white dress and a pack for her armor and daggers. When she exited the house, her hopes raised. She seemed to be in the middle of a bustling district. There were vendors on each ends of the streets in front of her and a giant fountain in the middle of the square. She must have ended up in the slums before. Strange, considering most humans enjoyed building their houses near the coast. Humans. Maker, the way I think...
The people passed her by but some sneaked looks of interest at her. She must have been a sight, a dishevelled young woman trudging through the streets, looking completely foreign. Most of the people in the village were tanned, almost comparable to Isabela, but not quite as dark-skinned; while she was fair and paled in comparison. And she was alone. Looking around, Celes saw that there were humans with elvhen servants and elves with human servants. It was a strange land indeed.
Suddenly, the vendors were packing up. Celes looked around her and saw the men and women retreating back into their houses. What's going on? One man pointed to the sky and within seconds she saw a flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder. She groaned, "Not again."
Celes raised her arms and let them drop to her sides in exasperation as the rain began to pour on her, drenching her to the bone. "Ugh. I hate this province. Stupid rain." Celes much preferred snow. Oh, now I'm talking to myself. Fantastic. I'm going mad.
Celes walked around the fountain and sat on its side, feeling the rain battering on her back as she pondered her next step. The streets that were so full of life moments before were now desolate, with not a soul in sight. But her skin prickled. She was being watched.
There was something in the alleyways. Someone. Hiding. Who would be out in the rain? Whoever it was certainly did not want to be seen, because as she glanced nonchalantly in the direction, she only saw the raindrops hitting an invisible barrier that looked like the outline of a person. Hm, someone else who plays my game. Too bad for them, she was the best.
She stood, and turned to her left, walking behind the fountain. As she did, she disappeared into the shadow realm and slowly approached her invisible stalker. She contemplated what she would do. A little knocking about won't hurt. Nobody else is around, after all.
Celes knew that she would not be seen, as her skill was superior, and unique in ways she never told anyone else about. Walking up to the person, who seemed to be turning left and right in search of their target, Celes appeared and in a second brought her foot up to meet the person's head.
It was a man. An elf. He fell to the floor with a thud.
"Ahh." He groaned, and Celes pressed her foot on his neck to prevent him from getting up.
"Who are you? Why were you watching me?" she demanded. And was surprised when he smirked and took hold of her leg and pulled her under. She felt the wind escape her lungs as she fell against the wet cobblestone floor.
He spoke with the same accent Celes had heard from the townspeople. "Tsk, tsk. So aggressive, fierce little kitten." The elf wagged a finger at her and tsk-ed at her while shaking his head in slow motion. Their positions were now reversed, and he held her hands down, preventing her from retaliating.
Celes fumed. "What do you want from me?" she growled, turning her head to deflect the man's long blond hair that fell forward, dripping water on her cheeks. Her head was spinning.
"Mmm. A most dangerous question." Celes felt his knee snaking up her thigh and realized her legs were still free. Disregarding his response, Celes brought her knee up hard and fast, hitting him where it hurt most and ran, not looking back.
Who was that..?
Celes slowed her pace as she began to see grey flecks spot her vision. What..? She held her head. Everything was dimming. Why? Her vision failed her, and while her eyes were open, she only saw grey. She turned her head in all directions, shook her head, all in trying to regain her sight. She clutched her forehead. It was burning.
What's happening to me..?
A/N: There! I promised :3 another chapter~ Love you all! Thanks for all your support~ It keeps me going. Err... Rating may be changed to M in the coming chapter or two, for real this time.