3rd rewrite's the charm... Sebastian and Isabela got pushed back two chapters, sorry. (Seb for length, Bela because another character fit her part better.)
Kirkwall, 9:31
Pushing through the Hanged Man's customers, Varric reached his seat and dropped down. Looking about at the crowd, he sipped his drink before sighing. "Nope, Corff's still using the same recipe… so what's with the swarm?" he asked, sliding another mug across the table.
Frowning, Hawke took a long swig. "Didn't you hear? The Ferelden Wardens will be passing through sometime this week, and Corff keeps claiming he's going to put them up for the night before they leave. True or not, it gets the curious people in."
"That's… actually pretty clever, if it's true" Varric muttered. "Real question, though, is how does he even know about their plans?"
"Oh, you can thank my Uncle for that. Carver sent word to Mother, and the two of them have been gushing about him all week. When Gamlen's not bragging around town about his hero nephew, he'll make little comments… 'That boy, he knows how to make something of himself – you're still mooching after a year.' Because Carver needs more people inflating his attitude, apparently."
"Look on the bright side; you'll soon have more than enough coin to shut him up."
"If this expedition of yours pays off… and it better – I spent everything I'd saved, buying out the last stretch of my contract from Meeran."
"Trust me, the information is solid… until then, there's plenty of paying work for someone of your skills. Just stick with me, you'll see" Varric boasted. "Actually, I know about a job available right now. There's another group forming an expedition, to some other part of the Deep Roads, and we've been comparing information. One of their leaders, Anso, has had a business disagreement with his suppliers and he needs someone persuasive to… well, bash some heads, most likely."
"Stubborn merchants?" Hawke frowned. "Sounds like a job for Athrenil's crew… but I'll see what he's paying before I decide anything. If they're simply holding out for a larger cut, breaking a thumb or two usually helps lower their price."
"An old trick, but a good one…" Varric declared, finishing his mug. "Well, we've got a few hours before the night-job you arranged. You going home for a while, or staying here?"
"No… if I go home, just to leave in a few hours I'll probably have Mother complaining about how I'm tracking in dirt and blood while she's cleaning. As if Carver is even going to stay in Gamlen's little rat-hole – he's way too important for that."
Resisting the urge to reply, Varric stood. "Come upstairs, then. I still have to finish with Junior's notes, so I guess it's an unofficial recital – I'm finally up to the High Dragon battle, so your splendiferous brother won't be making an appearance."
Entering the mansion, Aedan handed the bag to a waiting servant. "Put this in the main chambers, Adriano, please." Giving Leliana and Schmooples a studious glance, the man smiled and walked away.
"Welcome back, meserre. Will you be staying in tonight?" asked an Elven servant, also making a quick inspection of Leliana.
"Yes, I think we will" Aedan replied, moving to a nearby desk where he lifted a collection of papers.
"Nothing from the Viscount's office, still, but several messages from the Chantry."
"Now what's happened" he asked himself, before looking up. "Before you go, can you help find a rodent-proof room for my lady's pet? I think he'll just tunnel out if we put him in the garden."
"I believe there's an empty store-room in back… please, follow me" she gestured, before turning to another curious worker. "Ceri, quit standing about and go prepare the baths! He shouldn't be too long with that, meserre."
"Thank you, Serendipity" Aedan replied, flipping through the messages.
Reaching the storage wing, they quickly set up Schmooples' bedding. "So…" Leliana began, scattering some dried meat on the ground, "Serendipity, was it?"
"While I'm working, meserre" she replied. "Lusine like to say she hired me at the perfect time, and it must have been serendipity I came asking about work… the name just stuck."
"Is there a reason everyone is-"
"Oh, don't mind the gawkers – they've just been wondering about you, since your man wasn't what we expected when the arrangement came through. Not that Cerimon ever deals with nobles, but he's just here for the heavy lifting."
"He's not usually a valet?"
"Oh, none of us are" Serendipity laughed, "but poor Bran had to find a house-staff quickly when he realised the Lord was staying on, and Madam Lusine's wanted to branch her business out into service-work for a while, so Bran made an offer."
Leliana stared up blankly at the word 'Madam', before Emfer marched into the room and gave a demanding bark when he saw Schmooples chewing on the last of the meat. "I've told you" Serendipity gave the hound a cold stare, "your master does the cooking, go bother him for food!" Whining, he turned and left obediently.
"Huh… he almost never listens to me" Leliana said in surprise.
"If only I could train Sabine's little monster to leave a room so easily" Serendipity shrugged. "Don't worry, though – your man's been a perfect gentleman, after his initial surprise. Hasn't given us any judging comments or anything, and lets us work around our shifts at the Rose… we were about to leave, when you came in."
"… I" Leliana began, before trying again. "Sorry, I'm stuck on my surprise. He didn't mention any of this…"
"If I may presume, perhaps he forgot the small things when you arrived. A man who can call someone 'my lady', the way he did, wouldn't pay mind to us if that lady is about."
"What way?"
"Oh, he was just so simple about it. Wasn't said for airs or grace, it was because he meant it. You must have trained him well?"
"Not well enough to just tell me things..."
"Of course, wasn't suggesting it changed the fact he didn't consider you might want to know about our presence. Since I'm already speaking out of turn, you should make him squirm out of it…"
"Oh, easily done… I just wish I didn't have to prod him so often. Today's far from the first time."
Sighing sympathetically, Serendipity shut the door as they left. "Enough of that, come and I'll show you to the baths before I go."
"And with an agonised roar, Ser Walter used his good arm to drive the protruding blade further into the Reaver's chest. Finally piercing a vital organ, the wound slowed the Cultist long enough for three other Redcliffe knights to bring him down once and for all. Sneering, the robed man looked down at the group. 'These men you seek, they were smart enough to accept my offer… but Andraste Herself will decide what to do with you!' He began pounding a hanging drum, before a well-placed arrow ended his insanity. Silence hovered uneasily for a moment, before a massive roar filled the sky and a shadow covered the mountain-side."
"All of this is on that one sheet of paper?" Hawke interrupted. "He must write incredibly small."
"Small on details" Varric replied in frustration. "So a natural story-teller like myself must extrapolate the tale, to make it worth telling."
"I wouldn't think fighting a High Dragon would need exaggeration?"
"Extrapolation… and when Junior's telling it, it does. Here, read his version."
Taking the offered page, Hawke read it quickly before voicing his second time. "The Knights spread out as it spat another blast of fire, this one finding a target. Cailan and Wynne disappeared from sight as it struck the ground before them… this part's been blacked out, with a note in different ink. Must change this part; doubt the Chantry will react well to Wynne's Spirit – or Neria's Arcane Warfare learnings. Varric, if I'm letting you read this, make up something about Wynne raising a force-field just in time."
"Force-field it is" Varric shrugged. "Sounds a lot easier to remember than all this Magey mumbo-jumbo."
"More audience-accessible, too… my father probably would have understood it" Hawke said, before continuing. "Shale had managed to charge the Dragon during the chaos, and tore away segments of the soft flesh upon its wing. It scooped her up into its mouth, before failing to bite through and spat her out onto the snowy slopes. Seeing it was grounded, Alistair led the knights as they ran back and forward around its body, hacking desperately as they went. Spot his Chantry education… how else could he manage to make this sound so boring?"
"See what I have to work with?" Varric asked, taking the page back. "He even changed how it dies… I'm insulted he didn't think I would hear the soldiers tell the true version."
"I knew what I read at the bottom was ridiculous… seriously, an explosive rune?"
"Oh no, the 'Boom!' stone did kill it. He just tried to change how it happened, because ' I don't want to hear about it for the rest of my life'. This part: Rushing over in a panic, Aedan found Kallian already checking on Wynne and the King. Realising they were somehow still breathing, his relief was swept away by the sounds of someone screaming and Perth ordering the men back. ´Draw your bows, and aim for the eyes!' Quickly finding the belt-pouch Wynne kept the Runestone in, Aedan lashed it to an arrow with string and found a vantage point. The extra weight unbalanced his intended aim, and the arrow struck the ground beneath the monster as it finished chewing on the Knight."
"He yells out to the Golem, who manages to bulls-eye the arrow with a hurled boulder and the explosion takes out the Dragon's chest. I read it."
"Sure – that's his 'Please don't turn this into a tavern song, Varric! Drunken people will be asking me about it forever, Varric!' version. According to the soldiers, and the Golem – she denies ever throwing a rock at it… his shot didn't miss. I've seen him with a bow; he knows about aim-correction, the arrow was off target, so it missed the eye. Instead, it struck on the jaw, where the Golem had caved in and torn off the scales while it tried to eat her. Pierced through the skin, the Rune glowed for a moment… and BOOM! Sent most of the head soaring into the sky in bloody chunks, knocked the soldiers arse-over into the snow, and whether he likes it or not, made him 'The man who blew up a High Dragon'."
"... No, still don't believe you."
"Take your complaints to the witnesses… The Knights hung one of its teeth in the Redcliffe tavern, so it probably is a tavern song already. The Golem's an ornithicidal lunatic, think she'd give someone else credit for taking out the biggest bird of all if she didn't mean it?"
"Orni… what? Making up words isn't going to confuse me into believing you."
"Ornithicidal. I don't know if there's an actual word for maniacs who roam the countryside slaughtering birds with bloodthirsty glee, so that will have to suffice as a description."
"Uh-huh…."
"Believe it or don't… but consider this: if your brother starts going on about the Dragon he helped kill, which mostly involves him getting kicked into the lake, just tell the story of someone who blew up an even bigger Dragon. That'll take the shine off his armour, right?"
Deflating, Hawke groaned. "Fine… I still don't believe you, though."
"Ask him, if we run into him tomorrow… just watch him squirm and try to change the subject."
"Yeah, yeah… think it's time yet?"
"Close enough – I haven't been inside the Chantry for a while… I wonder if they ever repaired the locks."
"The locks?"
"They broke from disrepair a few years back – for a while; everyone was using the building for a midnight meeting point, where the City Guard couldn't go. Supposedly Meredith eventually found out, but I haven't had the time to check for myself."
"Ah, Kirkwall… hopefully the Chantry isn't crowded tonight."
Most of the next chapter was done, before I stopped for length - hopefully won't need as much work. That bit about the locks? Just my attempt to hand-wave why goons are able to hide in the Chantry at night, since "recycled environments" jokes are so 2011. Just bugged me, so Hayder and co. will probably be in some other building, when they come.
Thanks to everyone reading, following and/or fav'ing. A "hi!" to the 'new' people (been slack on these lately, sorry) - nemezide, reality deviant, Isebas, Sati James, exiles soul, randyr2015.
