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12 Bloomingtide, 9:26 Dragon
Dear Loghain,
Don't be silly. Your letters are wonderful, and far more interesting than mine. I'm just doing the same, regular sorts of things I always do, while you're out on an adventure, seeing all manner of interesting new things. (Although, yes, I do see how floating around on the ocean for days on end could be dull. And if your letters went on and on describing all that water for pages and pages, I suppose it might not be the most interesting thing ever. But as it is now? Your letters are perfect).
So, tell me what it was like in Antiva City. Did you find anything there, any sign of Maric or his ship? Did you see any assassins? (Although, I don't suppose they wear signs that say, "I'm an assassin," so I'm not sure how you'd tell them from all the other people).
Oriana tells me stories about Antiva sometimes, and it always sounds so exciting. Based on her stories, I'm absolutely certain you did see assassins, whether you knew it or not. To hear her tell it, half the population are assassins, although sometimes I think she says that because she knows I like exciting stories. Which is funny because even though she knows I like them, she never tells me any truly exciting stories. She says they're "inappropriate for a young woman of my social standing." I think she might faint away at the thought of the story you told me when I was five. Decapitating spiders and fighting darkspawn? I have no doubt that was highly "inappropriate for a young woman of my social standing."
Did you know what a bad influence you have been on me over the years? Please don't let that deter you from being a bad influence again in the future, though. Promise? And in return, I will absolutely promise to perform at the Festival of Wolves again next year if you are back by Drakonis. So please come back by Drakonis. Or sooner. That would be fine with me, too. I'd even recite my whole Haelia speech for just you if you were to come back sooner.
I also promise not to teach Dane any more words in Orlesian. And, as he generally sleeps through most of my lessons (snoring quite loudly!), it is doubtful he'll learn any directly from my tutor, either.
Let's see. What has been happening in Highever? Oh, I know! I don't think I told you yet that Father's decided I can enter the tournament this summer. I'm so excited! At first, he wanted me to compete just in archery, but I was able to convince him to let enter the melee, as well. Well, the tirocinium, anyway, with all the knights who received their accolade in the past year. I had to swear I wouldn't die a horrible, bloody death, but it's a tournament, after all. I'm really not worried about dying a horrible bloody death. Do you think there is any chance you will be back in Ferelden by Harvestmere? I would dearly love to have you here to watch me in the tournament.
Even though you called me lazy. I think you might have a few 'skills of terror' yourself. And it's not true. I'm not lazy. I'm just . . .
Oh, nevermind. You're right. When it comes to archery, I am lazy. Ha ha!
Oren is growing like a weed. He talks now, and has gotten into the habit of following me around just like Dane did when he was small. Oriana won't let me put a sword in his hand yet, though. She says I have to wait until he's at least five years old. Which I think is excessive, but Mother says I have to follow Oriana's wishes in this matter, so I am. Instead, I'm teaching him how to catch frogs and lizards and snakes. Well, I catch them, of course, and just let Oren pet them very carefully. Sometimes he wants to "show Mummy and Da," so of course then I have to bring them inside. Can you imagine how much Oriana loves that? She's very nice about it, though, and always tells Oren how clever he is and what a beautiful snake he's found this time. But then when he's not watching, she gives me "that look." But I ignore her, because it's good for him to get to know the animals like this, and I make sure he knows which ones are venomous, or might hurt him in other ways if I wasn't around.
And speaking of Dane (except I wasn't speaking of him, was I? Nevermind that, I am now), he has gotten huge. His head comes up to my waist and I'm pretty sure he's still not full grown. I think he might be as tall as Faolan by the time he's finished. Possibly, you could have skipped giving me the horse, and I could have just ridden Dane around the countryside. I'm joking about that; even if Dane were big enough, I would never want to be without Faolan. I love him so much.
I can tell you've sailed farther away now. It is taking the birds longer to make the round trip. I still say a prayer for you and for King Maric every single night. I hope Andraste is listening. If you don't find King Maric soon, I might have to switch to some other religion. Perhaps I could pray to that Avvarian trickster god. The one on King Maric's horribly ugly amulet?
That is a joke, and I hope Andraste won't be angry with me for joking like that. I do love her dearly. I truly do. I'm pretty sure she knows, and wouldn't be angry with me for wanting you and King Maric to come home, even if it meant praying to someone else. To be honest, if the Avvarian trickster could help you find King Maric, I would pray to him as well, no matter what Andraste and the Maker might think about it.
Love,
Rhianna
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15 Solace, 9:26 Dragon
Dear Rhianna,
Happy Birthday! Enclosed is your gift, which I know will arrive belatedly, but I hope you will consider it to have been worth the wait. It's called an ammonite, and apparently it was a creature that lived in the sea a very, very long time ago. It's kind of like a nautilus (have you ever seen one? They live in the ocean and they're very strange, and have a big shell with tentacles sticking out), but this one didn't come out of the sea. The man who sold it to me swore he found it on top of a mountain in the Hunterhorns, which he thinks is proof that a very long time ago, that part of the world was covered by the ocean. I'm not quite sure what to make of his story, frankly, but it is certain the ammonite is very old. As you can see, it's turned to rock. In any case, I thought you might find it interesting. I'd certainly never seen anything like it before. And I know how much you love animals, but I didn't want to get something for you that had been killed in order to become a trinket. So this seemed appropriate.
Again, I apologize for not getting it to you before your birthday, but it took me a while to find something I thought you would like, mostly because we are only on land in a town perhaps once a month. The rest of the time, we spend out at sea, or sailing close to the coast, looking for any sign Maric's ship might have passed nearby. We often take a small boat into shore, to search some of the more remote areas where there aren't many people. I have seen some beautiful and amazing things: lightning storms that lit up the night, and breaching whales, and tiny islands populated by birds and wildlife the likes of which I have never seen in Ferelden, and sunsets that have taken my breath away. But still no sign of Maric. A few days ago, I did see something that made me think of you. Well, I often see things that make me think of you, things I wish you were here to see, as well. And to be honest, just looking out at the waves often makes me think of you. But this in particular was something I knew you would have loved.
It was a turtle. We were out in the middle of the ocean, and there was a turtle. Its back was very dark, with deep ridges, and it swam right at the surface, its head poking out of the water to stare at the boat as we sailed past. The most amazing thing about it, though, was its size; it was at least as big as a horse cart. I am not exaggerating. Just think of a cart you would use for hauling hay or bringing goods to market? You would not be able to fit this turtle inside. It was incredible. I tried talking to it - well, thinking at it, actually, as you have described to me, with pictures - but to no avail. It ignored me completely. I suppose I shall just have to rely on you to do all the talking to animals in the future. And of course, seeing turtles always brings a smile to my face, when I think of the one I am wearing as I write this (which I haven't removed, not even once, since you tied it around my neck).
Oh, one other thing did happen you might find interesting. We had to "sally ship." Do you know what that means? I'm guessing you do, but I'll tell you anyway. We'd sailed a bit too close to shore, and got stuck in a sandbar, and the captain had all of us - everyone on the ship - line up on one side, and then run to the other side, and then back again. Soon, the ship was rocking back and forth enough to dislodge her from the bottom, and we were able to sail away again. It was quite exciting. And I suppose I'm glad we were successful. It would have been difficult to search for Maric if we were stuck in that one spot for the rest of the trip.
Now, however, I am at a bit of a loss as to what to write next. I had originally planned out several pages of detailed descriptions of the water we've sailed through, well-organized by type (blue, green, blue-green, green-blue, water not really blue enough to be called green-blue, but also not entirely green. And water neither blue nor green at all, but entirely grey, plus a separate section devoted to nighttime). After the disparaging comment in your last letter, however, I decided not to include them.
Perhaps it's for the best, for all concerned. Particularly the gull who will carry this letter to you. An additional twenty or so pieces of parchment would have been uncomfortably heavy, no doubt.
So, instead I suppose I shall tell you about Antiva City.
If Oriana's stories made it sound like a wild, raucous place filled with thieves and assassins and prostitutes and con artists, then she probably didn't do the place justice. I have never seen anything like Antiva City. Even in the middle of the night, there was as much activity on the streets as we see during the daytime in the Denerim marketplace, and during mid-day, the crowds are almost overwhelming. The air smells like spiced meat and tomatoes, and the food was amazing. I wish I could bring you back some of the dishes I was able to try, but I could think of no way to do that. So, one of these days, we will go back there together, and you can taste everything for yourself.
At every turn, I half-expected someone to put a knife in my back, just for fun, which fortunately didn't happen, although I did witness two stabbings. In both cases, the victim was just walking down the street, apparently minding his own business, and a moment later, someone had put a knife in his back and been gone again before the body hit the cobblestones. So, to answer your question, yes. I most assuredly did see assassins, and they weren't even trying to be sneaky about it.
In the end, I have mixed feelings about Antiva. I enjoyed the excitement and the stimulating environment (and the food!), but it is a place I would only ever want to visit for short periods at a time.
I am glad your Father is allowing you to compete, and you won't have to dress in men's armor and sneak onto the field. Good luck in the tournament. Not that you need luck. You have skill, which is far more important. As I'm sure you've figured out by now (since I'm still sailing in the opposite direction of Ferelden), I won't be there to watch you compete, for which I am genuinely sorry. I know you'll make me proud, though, even if you don't win a thing. Just do your best. Of course, if you do your best, you'll win. I have trained you very well. (Did you like the way I'm already taking the credit for your victory? As you would say . . . ha ha)!
We are going to head further north soon, having nearly finished exploring the island east of Rivain. I think we'll sail for Seheron first, and eventually, I want to visit Minrathous. It's a very busy port, and if the Demelza came anywhere through those waters and was seen, someone in Minrathous should know something about it.
I hope you enjoyed your birthday.
Yours,
LMT
P.S. I'd stick with Andraste if I were you. Imhar was a bit dodgy, I thought.
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4 Kingsway, 9:26 Dragon
Dear Loghain,
Thank you so much for the pendant! It is absolutely beautiful! I have seen a nautilus before, just once, washed up on the beach after a storm. Although I am having a hard time seeing how this could have possibly looked like one. They're so strange, like an octopus inside of a shell, and this looks nothing like an octopus. (I do believe you, though, when you say they're related). Also, I have never heard anything about the Hunterhorns having been under the sea! It's an exciting idea, although if it's true, then it must have happened a very long time ago.
In any case, I really do love the pendant and have worn it constantly since it arrived. Thank you. I think it's possible you know me better than anyone else in the whole world, even my parents. I know they love me, but I don't think they understand me the way you do.
Please promise we'll go to Antiva together some day! Your account makes it sound even more exciting than Oriana's stories. She never saw anyone actually get stabbed! (Not as far as I know, anyway). Maker's breath! Didn't I tell you you would see assassins?
And you had to sally ship? Ha ha! That must have been exciting on the caravel. Of course, Fergus and I have had to rock ourselves out of trouble a few times in our little row boat, but when it's just the two of us, and the boat isn't very big, it's not particularly impressive. And when we take the birlinn out, we have to be careful not to get stuck, because she's too big for just the two of us to sally her out of anything. You probably weren't really in danger of being stuck there forever, though. Unless you managed to get stuck at high tide (which seems unlikely; Captain Rackham struck me as the sort who would not allow that to happen), the ship would have come loose when the tide came back in a few hours later. But it is a better story the way you told it, so you can always pretend I never said that about the tides.
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to answer your last letter, but I've been away from home for more than a month, having some adventures of my own.
All of us, Oriana and Oren included, traveled to Denerim for the Landsmeet, and it wasn't nearly as horrible as I feared it would be. Since Mother was there, she and I attended the salons together, and it was actually rather lovely. Well, it probably would have been fine even if Mother had stayed in Highever, considering that Habren is still exiled to South Reach. Tanith and Thomas tried to be horrible to me a few times, but I could tell they weren't as committed as usual, and most everyone else was quite friendly, especially after the rolls were called at the Landsmeet. Because, of course my name was included, along with all the knights who received their accolades and such, since I'd received Calenhad's Cross last year. I'd sort of forgotten about it, but after it was announced, everyone was curious as to what I had done to deserve such an honor. So, what happened with the bees is now common knowledge (although people have been led to believe they got into the flowers accidentally; everyone who knows the truth was careful not to mention Habren or the fact the bees were put there on purpose). A few people even asked if they could see the medal, so I was glad I'd worn it.
The attention did start to get tiring after a while, though. Especially from one person in particular. There were a few days when, every time I turned around, Vaughan Kendalls was there, as though he had been following me, or waiting to talk to me. And then when we did talk, he . . . well, how do I describe this? He was friendly, and polite, mostly, but he seemed very skeptical about me having done anything worthy of Calenhad's Cross. I explained to him what had happened, and he just sort of laughed in a way that made me uncomfortable, as though he thought I was lying about it. Even so, it was much less annoying than the sorts of things Habren used to say, so I suppose I shouldn't complain.
After the Landsmeet, Mother and I sailed from Denerim to Kirkwall, and then took a carriage to Starkhaven, to visit Mother's sister, Mathilde, and my cousin, Luna.
You're right about Kirkwall. The statues are horrible, and it is not a pleasant city. I always had the feeling I was being watched, and I kept seeing things out of the corner of my eye that weren't really there when I turned my head. I was very glad we only stayed there one night when we arrived, and two nights while we waited for the ship to take us back to Highever. I didn't like it at all, although Hightown is quite a bit fancier than just about anywhere in Denerim. Still, I'd take Denerim over Kirkwall any day. Thank the Maker I'm Fereldan and not a Marcher.
As for Starkhaven, it was interesting, I suppose. Mother and I went to a salon (salon!) at the Vael Manor, which is the home of the prince of Starkhaven. The prince has three sons and a daughter, which makes me suspect Mother brought me along to meet them. (The sons, not the daughter; you can guess why).
I can't say I was impressed with the city in general, or with any of the sons. Everyone was nice on the surface, but they seem to think Fereldans are all barbarians, or something. They kept asking me about Alamarri tribes and Avvar raids (I can't even remember an Avvar raid happening during my lifetime. Has there been one?), and they would say things like, "she's so well-spoken for a Fereldan." I think they were surprised I'd remembered to bathe and wear shoes and comb my hair. Or perhaps they were surprised to learn the people they refer to as the "Dog Lords" aren't actually dog-people after all, with long snouts and tails and pointed ears.
Either way, trying to answer all their questions and listening to their strange ideas wasn't really an enjoyable experience.
As for the Vael brothers themselves, they were . . . all right, I suppose. Have you met them? One of them (I can't remember if he was the eldest or the second born) is called Ewan, and he was quite nice. Much nicer, in fact, than anyone else at the salon, but he seemed a bit slow in the head. It took him a long while to decide what to say, although I didn't really mind because when he finally did speak, it was usually something very friendly. Alec (the other "older" brother) was polite in the way that he spoke, and definitely quick-witted, but I didn't like the way he looked at me. It reminded me of the way a wolf watches a deer, just before trying to run it down, if you know what I mean. The daughter - her name is Meghan - wasn't rude, exactly, but it seemed clear she thought herself above having to entertain a little girl from across the Waking Sea, so I mostly tried to stay out of her way.
And the youngest brother was something else entirely. Sebastian is his name, and during the party, I was wandering by myself out in the garden (having had enough of ignorant comments about Ferelden) and I turned a corner to find him with two people sitting on his lap. Two! A young man, and a girl who looked about my age. At the same time! He was kissing the man, and had his hand up the girl's skirt, and I think they were probably all drunk, judging by the selection of empty wine bottles beside the bench. And Sebastian is not much older than I am!
I tried to leave before they noticed me, but Sebastian saw me and called out before I could get away. And do you want to know what he did? He asked me if I wanted to join in! To come and sit on his lap, too! Maker's blood! I'd never dreamed of something like that. Him with two lovers, and inviting a third! What in the world could he have done with three of us, all at the same time?
(Although, this does remind me of something Bann Teagan said to me once. He asked me if I had three husbands. He was joking, though, and I really doubt he had anything like this Sebastian thing in mind).
In case you were wondering, I told Sebastian 'No, thank you!" as quickly as possible, and ran back into the manor. Better to be insulted for being Fereldan than to have to watch Sebastian Vael doing . . . whatever he was doing. With two different people at once. Besides, I had no intention of kissing him, and I certainly didn't like the idea he might try to stick his hand up my dress.
Otherwise, the visit was fine. Aunt Mathilde was very nice, as was Cousin Luna, and the Free Marches are pretty, all rolling hills dotted with trees. It became a bit monotonous after a while, though, and wasn't nearly as pretty as Ferelden, although I will admit I enjoyed seeing a bit of the world.
Oh, and all the way to and from Kirkwall, on the ship, I stood out on deck and looked for a turtle like the one you saw, but no luck. I did see a lot of jellyfish and some dolphins and two whales. But a turtle as big as a horse cart? Someday I should definitely like to see one of those! It must have been amazing. Although how grumpy of him to ignore you. I'm proud of you for trying, though. I'm sure you did it right, and he was just in a bad mood or something that day.
Thank you again, so much, for the pendant. I wear it every day, which got me into a bit of trouble when Mother noticed it and asked where I had gotten it. I told her you had sent it, but then she was curious as to how it had arrived here when she hadn't seen any messenger. I told her a little bird brought it, which wasn't a lie, although I'm pretty sure she didn't believe me, and now she keeps looking at me strangely.
I think perhaps you're right, and I ought to tell my parents my secret. It's not as though they'll be angry about it, right? It's not my fault, after all. It just . . . is. Still, it makes me a bit nervous. I did tell Fergus (a while ago, actually), and nothing bad came of that. So, I think it's time. Or will be, soon.
I miss you terribly and I can hardly wait until you come back to Ferelden.
Love,
Rhianna
P.S. I apologize for what I wrote in my last letter: the hurtful suggestion I would not find a discourse about water utterly fascinating. (Although I suppose I'm not really all that sorry; skills of terror, you know). However, if you really want to write twenty pages about the ocean, next time feel free to send it. I would honestly read every single word of anything you choose to write. And, of course, I've always been particularly curious about the difference between blue-green and green-blue water (and please don't neglect teal and turquoise; those are also favorites). Just give me some warning, so I can send a pelican or an albatross, or some other bird big enough to carry the weight. (Ha ha).
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As always, an enormous THANK YOU to my lovely beta, Psyche Sinclair, and to my wonderful reviewers: Searena, Arsinoe de Blassenville, Milly-finalfantasy, Nascense, KrystylSky, Mialiah and Psyche Sinclair.
If you google "ammonite pendant," the first hit is a necklace very similar to the one Loghain sent to Rhianna.