Hello everyone!
I have been waiting to post this one for so long! I hope you enjoy reading it!
It has been a week or so since the discussion I'd had with Zevran and in that time he had been back one more time, with a brief update; that update-visit did come with some positive notes. He mentioned that he was certain that the source of the bounty was someone in Tevinter, which was a mix of good and bad news… At least we knew where it was coming from, but it was too far away to really stop from here. Zevran also mentioned that that someone had been pushing for my capture less and less of late. The negative side note to that is that it was making the trail harder to follow, but that also meant that perhaps it would be easier to have the bounty hold less weight so far from the Imperium.
Admittedly, I eagerly await the news that I can leave the city. I didn't know that someone could feel stir-crazy when they have an entire city to wander.
I have wandered much of the city, whether I was helping haul something or simply passing time. I have been through the alienage where the city elves live, with it's less than desirable quality of life while still seeming homely with how everyone greets each other with warmth and the trust that was thick in the air there. Despite the obvious differences I could feel the similarities between the alienage and the clan I had been with. Maybe it was the large tree in the center of the space… One of the city elves there told me that it was called a Vhenadahl… I think I vaguely remember Merrill saying something about how it was meant to be a symbol of connection to the Dalish and their beliefs, and that it is often given by a local clan. I think.
I also wandered as close as I dared to the royal palace's gates. With the guards standing watch at the entrance it reminded me of the time I had stood outside Buckingham Palace in London with the Queen's Guard standing watch in their vibrant red uniforms and notable hats.
Some of my time was also taken by my continued aid to the baker, Loretta, at her shop. To which Allan frequently visits. Each time getting a 'shouldn't you be doing something else' look from Loretta before she goes ahead and sells him some pastries. I feel like I should know his face, but I think it is mostly because he was so adamant about being called 'Allan' mixed with the fact that he keeps his hood up even inside the bakery. Although…. Who am I to talk about wearing a hood a lot of the time?
Although, the bakery has been a little slower the past couple of days, so Loretta told me to take a few days off from working with her. With that, I decided to take a day to go about the city and draw but every time I sit down somewhere, I have to force myself through a drawing before I get inexplicably bored and have to move on. So now, I stroll down the street towards the market, nodding at those who I have helped with their various tasks.
In my stir-crazy fit, after my last failed attempt at drawing, I meandered over to Brigh and Bryce; my blacksmith team, to see how my swords were coming along. She had only said they were well on their way to getting done, but breathing down their necks wouldn't help things move along any quicker… So, she shooed me away.
And now, here I am. Walking at a pace that is nearly a third of my usual brisk canter.
I stop at the farmer's stall and buy an apple before continuing into the market square, placing my apple in my bag next to the aggravating sketchbook and small box of drawing implements.
I found that I have been more and more enjoying seeing the merchants changing throughout my time. I amble around the market's stalls dodging and weaving around people. The voices of everyone bartering theirs prices and the chatting of the people in the square becomes the typical sounds of a gathering of people. A sort of white noise that lingers in the air.
Today, the table that stops me is a table full of the most beautiful looking masks. Mask that don't seem to different from those that inundate Venice. Perhaps once I leave Denerim it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a mask to wear to cover my face. After I help in the Hinterlands, if I ever get there, I could go to Orlais. There most people where these lovely masks and I wouldn't stick out at all for it. I admire the colours and beautiful designs; some are beautiful in their simplicity and others are so intricate that they outshine the rest. Some of the masks are meant to cover a whole face and other wouldn't be out of place at a modern masquerade party.
"Ah, my lady, how might I help you?" The unmistakable thick French accent told me that he was from Orlais. Mental note… Stop referring to it as 'French' and begin referring to it as 'Orlesian.' I look up to see a man with a kind looking face; and wearing clothing that is an understated version of much of what I saw in Val Royeaux. The embellishments are lovely but far less there than that which I saw in Orlais.
I admire the masks pondering whether I should buy one. When I was free to be me as Sophi, I wouldn't have hesitated, it would look so nice on a wall or a shelf surrounded by other things with a similar aesthetic, but as Gaelea… I couldn't be frivolous with money, but I also had to protect my identity… And masks have certainly proven in superhero media that masks were effective to that end… Right?
"I am thinking I may buy one of your masks. I am planning to go to Orlais once my business in Fereldan is complete and I think I may find myself wanting a mask once I'm there." I smile and I see him perk up over the possibility of a sale.
"And what kind of mask do you desire? What inspires you?" I could see his eyes darting between the two points of my ears. "I imagine you wish something to nod towards your favoured deity?"
"Oh, I don't worship the elven deities. What do you have that is more animal inspired?" And then of course, what do I see but Zevran standing at the edge of a building, looking my way. "Apologies, I will come back soon, I see someone I know over there."
I leave the stall, and start making my way over to him, until I see a hooded figure approach him from behind and grab him. Worry fills me and I pick up my pace, until I see the expression on his face. He knows this person, someone close enough to him to chastise him. And judging by the body language, he has most certainly slept with them before. I have seen the hip motion he is using now, as used on a variety of people; male, female, somewhere in between or outside of…
Whelp, I guess he can wait to talk to me then, I fish the apple out of my bag. I turn around to go back to the merchant selling masks but when I turn around, I am faced immediately with two men who are standing far too close.
"Oh, excuse me." Practically drowning in the smell of alcohol rolling off the two men. This can go wrong too many ways. I should find a way to make sure this doesn't escalate… I take a step back, dip my head slightly before taking a step around them.
"My apologies…" As I pass by one of them, he grabs me by the arm, wrenching the apple out of my hand.
"Now how has it come that a knife-ear such as yourself, come to even think about buyin' a fanciful mask such as those?" He points to the table I just left behind to talk with Zevran. He squeezes my arm before I pull myself free, noticing the other man come around behind me.
"Through hard work like everyone else. Ask the farmers down at the stall on the other side of the square, or the baker Loretta, or any of the merchants who travelled before last week." The two men laugh, forcefully loud.
"I didn't know that knife-ear sluts could tell such great jokes." He leans in, "We all know that elf trash don't work honest," standing straight again he raises his voice, "No, I'm pretty damn sure I saw you steal that apple and you likely lifted that jinglin' coin purse off some noble while you were prancin' around the mansions and castles!" He shouts the last part into the market to draw attention to us, I suck air into to start a defense.
"No, I bought the apple and I fairly ear—"
"We seen ya hangin' around the alienage! We know yer all up and cozy with all the rest of tha' trash. I betcha you were goin' to bring all that coin you stole to those lazy good for nothing lumps!"
"I only went to dra—"
"AND as a dutiful member of the guard here in this wonderful city, I shall have you arrested for your unlawful actions." His volume elevating with each sentence. I put my hands in front of me, and gesture in a settle-down motion.
"Now hold on—"
"AH!" He grasps his arm suddenly, the apple falling to the ground and popping open spilling the seeds onto the street, "This pointy-eared bitch hit me!" Wow. What a lying Pansy-ass bitch.
"What? No, I—"
"I saw with me own two eyes!" The other man pipes up, whom I shall now dub Patsy, the scene now drawing the eyes of most of the market square. "She obviously means to resist our arrest! We'll have to take her down first!" I turn to face the man to have a fist meet me halfway. Which sends me straight to the ground. I taste blood in my mouth because I didn't have a chance to clench my jaw and ended up biting my tongue.
These fucking assholes. I spit the blood onto the ground and take a slow breath in, readying for a fight. Because apparently that's what they're looking for; although I intend on giving them a lack there of. I sit up to dodge a kick from Pansy. These two are seriously out for blood, this is not going to end well…
I get myself on my feet and step back to avoid a second swing from Patsy, bumping a table behind me. I glance to see that the surface of the table is empty. Patsy goes in for a grab, taking a handful of my leather coat, I shed bag and then the coat, and I jump up onto to the table.
"HEY! CALL THE GUARD!" I look over to see Pansy calling for back up from the guard, there's no way that they will be on my side. I've seen how some of them treat the elves in the Alienage; although then I had stepped in to stop them before they took it too far. However, in this situation I don't imagine there are too many people who will step in to protect a 'thief.'
Now, I doubt that how they are acting is sanctioned, however that will not help me now. All they will see is two off-duty guards in a scuffle with an elf. I run to the other side of the market; Pansy follows me, but Patsy takes the other way around and cuts me off from the exit on that side. I stop, waiting for one of them to make a move when I see a group of on-duty guards come from the road that leads across the Drakon river.
Pansy shuffles sideways to meet them, and I see him lean over to them and speak. But his words are too quiet and he's too far away; past the clamouring of the people at the edges of the scene the words are drowned out before they reach my ears. But I can take a good guess about what was said when the rest of the guards draw their swords and fan out around me; one passes a blade to Pansy. Once they reach Patsy on the other side of me, they begin to move forward slowly.
I keep my hands low in front of me, trying to look less threatening than Pansy seems to have made me out to be, I don't have my sword on me. Which is maybe going to be in my favour… Eventually. Although, I'm also not dressed for this kind of fight. I have taken to leaving my equipment in my room at the inn when all I'm expecting to do is wander around the city. My soft, cotton shirt with sleeves that only come to my elbow is not going to do much against a sword.
"She never stole that apple! I sold it to her fair and square!" The merchant tries to shout into the rising tension of the market. I also hear a few other voices agreeing with the merchant. When I scan left to right looking at each of the guards, a couple of them almost look as though they are doubting the whole story glancing between the other guards and me, but there are also a couple who look as though they are in on Pansy and Patsy's scheme. I watch the swords, all pointing right at me, following my movements. This is not good. I can't decide if I want Zevran to rush in and help since he was close enough to see the beginning of this, or if his involvement would only escalate the problem…
"ARGGHH!" Pansy hollers as he launches forward sword lifted up as he bears down on me. Before he could close half the distance between us, a familiar hooded figure intercepts him. A clang as Allan's sword collides with Pansy's, and Pansy's sword ends up on the ground a couple of feet away from him.
"What is going on here?" He says it like anyone else would but somehow his voice carries more authority behind it.
"We are apprehending a dirty elf thief. We have witnesses that say she has been robbing the people of this city blind this whole time!" Pansy replies.
"Wait, you really don't recognize me?" Allan's voice is full of shock, apparently, he is supposed to be very recognizable with his cloak-and-dagger style hooded disguise.
"Of course, I've seen you around here before." Pansy grins wickedly, "Colluding with the rotten knife-ear!"
One of the on-duty guards jumps forward right after Pansy finishes speaking but he falls flat on his face as a smaller hooded figure is revealed behind him.
"OH, dear… You should really watch where you step." A woman in leather armor stands with her hand on her hip and her cocked to the side. Her hood hides most of her face but a smug smirk is plenty visible just past the shadow of the hood.
Patsy makes his move by charging right at the woman, who deftly hops out of the way as he cleaves his sword down and through one of the tables at the edge of the central plaza of the market; not the woman he was apparently hoping to cut down. Gasps of disbelief ripple through the crowd watching. That same disbelief fills me, that swing of his sword was filled with a desire to actually maim or kill her. I can even see a couple of the guards lower their swords. Then two more groups of guards file in behind the woman. Again, there seems to be a few in on the scheme mixed in with the innocent hoping to protect the people against the terrible and apparently quite productive thief that has been terrorizing the people of Denerim. And here I thought I had been keeping my head down.
"Arrest them all!" One of the new arrivals strides forward, his guard uniform appears to be more decorated than the others. I see Allan turn to face this new addition and his jaw drops, presumably with recognition.
All at once the guards rush forward drawing swords and shouting at us. The hooded figure draws daggers and begins to deftly disarm as many of the guards as she can. 'Allan' shoulder checks a couple of them, one of which falls into what is left of the table that Patsy put his sword through, causing it to break pieces of wood spraying out in a very Hollywood style. I dive past a guard that reaches to grab me and pick up one of the boards of wood.
It feels awkward in my hands as I swat the swords into paths away from me while backing up through the middle of the market. The clashing of blades surrounding me. I see one of the scheming guards coming up on my left where I also spot a wooden chair that was once behind the table that now sits as a pile of sad splinters. I grab the chair and bring it up to meet his sword; luckily, he had swung with enough force that he got it lodged right into the chair. I grin at him, and toss the chair, with his sword, away from us. I hear a grunt as the chair-sword combo hits another guard knocking him to the ground. While the guard in front of me is distracted by the new direction of his sword, I land a frontal kick right on the core of his chest and he staggers backwards gasping for breath.
"AAGGHHH!" Shit. I turn, expecting to see a blade that I'm too late to dodge, but instead I find myself facing the back of a familiar blond elf. He deftly disarms and knocks down the guard.
"I am beginning to wonder whether you don't have a lure attached to you somewhere that draws trouble right to you, no?" Ugh… Zevran. I have decided. Zevran's involvement in this is probably only for the worst. But…
"Thanks, Zev."
"My pleasure." He bows dramatically before moving on to the next riled up guard.
Despite the fact that he is endlessly irritating, I can't deny that Zevran knows how to fight.
Also… Apparently, Allan is not so shabby in a fight himself. In my moments of dodging and deflecting blades with my piece of the unfortunate table, I have seen him singlehandedly fending of at least three guards.
The mystery woman is considerably skilled as well, so far as I can tell she hasn't actually killed anyone despite what her appearance would suggest. Not that she doesn't have the skill to do so. In fact, I'm sure she has had to dispatch more than a few people before; whether it was in defense or offense.
The sensation I get when I use my magic to keep tabs on everyone in a fight alerts me to someone coming up behind me. I turn to find Pansy bringing his sword down, a step back takes me out of lethal range, but I feel his sword make contact with my left arm; grazing from my bicep to my forearm, easily slicing the thin material of my shirt.
I step in before he brings his sword back up, and punch him in right in the gut area hoping that I made contact with his solar-plexus; a trick Arry once showed me. As he bends over, I bring my knee to meet his face and he slumps to the ground. As he falls, I see a scene beginning to unfold behind him, a guard approaching a surrounded Allan, his hood still up. I start fighting my way over to him as one of them goes for a grab at Allan; they end up with a handful of his cloak and tear it away, revealing his full head of sandy hair. He turns to face them and the one approaching him lifts his sword above his head. One goes to intercept me, but Zev stops them. I sprint forwards and I see the flash of the sword coming down towards Allan's back. Almost there!
Too late… The sword bares down towards its target.
I won't make it.
Just as I'm about to reach Allan, another flash and the ringing sound of another sword clashing against the offending one fills the market; instead of the awful sound of a sword burying into a person. I stop in my tracks a couple of feet away from Allan.
"WHAT IN THE ANDRASTE'S SACRED FLAME IS GOING ON HERE?!" A female voice thunders throughout the whole market, stopping all fighting. I spot the mystery woman grabbing Zevran and booking it. I go to run and find my hand being anchored down; I turn to see Allan holding onto my hand with a wildly desperate look to his hazel eyes. I pull at the hand to try to say 'we should leave too.' And all I get is a shake of his head with a sort of resigned sorrow in his eyes. What in the hell is going on?
"CAN ANY OF YOU EXPLAIN TO ME WHY EXACTLY YOU ARE ATTACKING YOUR KING?" She aggressively sheathes her sword. A gasp ripples through the crowd, as all the offending guardsmen fall to their knees eyes wide as they look in our direction. The entourage that came with the woman fills the market even stepping behind Allan and I. Preventing any remaining hope of my escape.
I look around to find this king, when Allan releases my hand and steps forward holding himself a little higher as he walks towards the woman. Wait… What?
"Take them all into custody." She waves her hands to gesture to all of the guards in the square. A couple of them come over to me and gently take my arms. I see Allan whisper to the woman, and she looks right at me, "Except her, grab the rest of them." She takes the few steps to close the distance between us, "You'll come with King Alistair and myself to the castle's barracks to explain all of this."
Oh boy…
It was quite the spectacle to behold. They marched all the offending guards out of the market, with who I understand to be the Lieutenant of the guard leading the way. The woman, Hadley Allen, is the Captain of the Royal guard. She, along with myself and… The King… As I had suspected, not Allan, but Alistair. Alistair Theirin… The King of Fereldan. Who apparently has a penchant for exploring his city incognito… And introducing himself to newcomers as Allan… Well… Anyway, the three of us are bringing up the rear of the parade of shame through the city to the Palace district. And boy did we draw attention. In total there ended up being about a dozen and a half or so guards who had been attacking me and those who ended up defending me; Zevran, Alistair, and the mystery woman who took Zevran somewhere. Escorting them at a two to one ratio are the Royal Guard. And with the Captain of the Royal Guard and the King bringing up the rear… Well let's just say that there were more than a few curious eyes lining the streets of the city between the market and the palace.
Captain Hadley Allen is a fairly tall woman, not statuesque by any means but certainly taller than average. She has wheat coloured hair in tidy plaits leading into a long, elegant braid. All in all, she reminds me of Aveline. Maybe it's the job but there is something about her that is reminiscent of Aveline; perhaps it could be the air of authority.
At one point I tried to walk behind Alistair and his Captain Hadley, to tie a strip of cloth around my arm above the gash, but she is sharp and noticed before I could get more than a whole step behind them and adjusted her own pace to match me. I did manage to tie the cloth quickly enough to be unseen, I hope. I also pulled my long sleeve shirt out of my bag and put it on over top of everything. Luckily, I had convinced the authoritative Captain to allow me to fetch my coat and bag before leaving the market and I put that on over top of the rest in the effort to hide my wound. I want to deal with it myself at the inn. Preferably before it gets too much worse…
This whole business is not likely to end well…
The two Royal Guard at the gates of the palace turn salute Captain Hadley and bow as Alistair passes through before returning to their original position. I look back at the street behind us as the doors of the palace close with distinct finality.
Captain Hadley strides over to her lieutenant and gestures to the lines of men waiting for instruction. The lieutenant salutes her and then starts shouting at the Royal guard on instructs for their new influx of people. She marches back over to where Alistair and I are standing; it would be hard to miss the look of disapproval that she shoots at Alistair, who bits his lip, slouches a little, and looks at the suddenly incredibly interesting ceiling. This seems less like a Captain of the Guard and their King, and more like a puppy being scolded by his owner.
She stands in front of him with her hands on her hips, "Staying in the palace today, huh?" She pauses just a moment as Alistair takes a breath, "What was it again? 'Too much work to do today.' 'Really need to focus on all this Conclave in Haven paperwork.'" She taps her foot on the stone floor, it would be an understatement to say that she seems entirely unimpressed.
"Uhm…" I start, but she puts a hand up to silence me. Yikes. I keep it to myself…
She gestures for us to move further into the palace, "We'll use your office, my King. Seeing as you apparently haven't been in it nearly as long as I had thought." Alistair leads the way up some stairs and down a few hallways until we arrive a particularly ornate door which Alistair opens and steps through allowing me in and Captain Hadley follows me and closes the door behind herself.
The space is large but full. Bookshelves filled with books and trinkets, a sitting area with a small couch and regal looking chairs, and a large ornate desk covered with papers and other various clutter. There is a small fireplace that the sitting area is next to and a large, majestic portrait of a very royal looking man with smooth, blond hair and full beard. The fireplace is decorated with the Fereldan mabari icons on either side with embellishments adorning the borders.
Alistair sits down in the fancy chair on the right of the space, Hadley claims the one on the left and gestures to the small couch facing the two of them for me to sit in. I hesitate a bit but sit down slowly on the couch, which turns out to be much plushier than it appears. I angle my left arm away from the intricate brocade-looking upholstery on the couch, it had stopped bleeding at some point in the city but better safe than sorry...
"Now… Could one of you please tell what in Maker's mercy was going on in that market square?" She sits forward with her elbows resting on her knees.
"Well… At first two men approached me and accused me of being a thief," Hadley raises her eyebrows, "Which I am not. More than a few of the merchants in that square can tell you as much." She nods, waiting for the rest, "I try to explain to them that I am certainly not a thief and the one man accuses me of hitting me and things basically spiraled out of control from there." I left out that to me it seemed like there were a few of the guards escalating the situation. That piece of information will surface through talks with the guards in question I'm sure.
"From what I saw of the situation before I intervened, it almost seemed as though the two men, a few of the other guards, and Lieutenant Harris were trying to escalate the whole thing. The two men and Harris were the first to attack." Alistair interjects. "As for Gaelea, I never saw her even make a move towards them. From my perspective it seemed like a one-sided confrontation against her." Or now… I guess that information is surfacing now.
Hadley sighs, "Harris has always been a problem. Far too biased against the elves of the city." She rubs her temples, "He has been pulling similar ventures for almost three years now. He always chooses a victim ahead of time and has a group of guards ready to arrest them for whatever crime he fabricates. I have been trying to find solid proof that he is behind it all for almost a year now. He has been hiding his tracks well."
"Well, I don't imagine he expected there to be able fighters present in defense of his chosen victim." Alistair comments while cavalierly gesturing at himself.
"Yes… A couple of my men said there were two other people involved who vanished in the confusion after I arrived." Hadley looks between us waiting for answers.
"One of them was Zevran Arainai." Alistair says with a hint of sour to his tone. My jaw drops for a second before I gather myself. Alistair, the King, knows Zevran? And obviously well enough to not be excited to see him. I wonder what exactly it was that Zevran did to garner such a response from the king.
"Truly?" Hadley looks at the king, "I had received a report that he had been spotted in the area, but I wouldn't have expected him to step in like that."
"Yes… That is a little unusual of behaviour for Zevran. He doesn't do things for free." Alistair rubs his chin. "And I had no idea who that other woman was. But by Andraste could she fight." Do I mention that I know Zevran? Is that really relevant information right now? Can I afford to withhold information now? From a King?
"Considering the situation as it was, I am not surprised that they fled the scene. Most with sense would have taken that kind of opportunity." Hadley sits back in the chair, "Although, maybe not in Zevran's specific circumstances, he does know you personally of course." She sends a smug grin Alistair's way.
Alright, here it goes, "I saw the other woman grab him by the hand and pull him away from the scene. I tried to follow but a certain someone prevented my own escape." I take a breath in, "Isn't that right, Allan?" Hadley, who had been taking a drink of whatever was in her mug choked for a second. Alistair shoots me a betrayed look as Captain Hadley turns and looks at him expectantly.
A knock at the door before a servant opens it, followed by a few more people, interrupting what could have been a humorous retelling of our first meeting. One of the men hustles over to Alistair with a servant in tow carrying a box with a shoulder strap; the man is wearing mages' robes and the bottoms sweep the floor around his feet.
The mage marches straight up to Alistair and begins to examine him. After the mage's hands light with the glow of magic for a couple of moments, he steps back seeming satisfied with his work. He must be the court healer or something to that effect. I try to angle my arm away from him, I can deal with this myself later, but I see Alistair beckon him down and speak with the healer. The healer nods and bows before walking the short distance over to me.
"The King informs me that you need tending as well?" The mage must have finished out his time in the Circle before they all fell, he sounds remarkably well spoken. I shoot a look at Alistair… This must be revenge for calling him Allan…
"Uh… No, I'm fine, I can handle any scrapes and bruises myself later on. No need to waste your time on me." I smile as courteously as possible, trying to remember how it felt when I had to wear the obligatory customer-service smile. Until I see the King's face poking out from behind the mage as Alistair leans in his chair supervising the whole exchange.
"I'm afraid the King insists." I meet the King's eyes and narrow mine at him. I see a moment of shock pass over his face before he narrows his eyes right back at me. "Heavily."
Ugh.
Seriously. I don't think it's that bad.
The mage extends his hand towards my left arm. I hate feeling this… This vulnerability. It never leads anywhere good. Trusting people… Getting comfortable… It always leads to bullshit like Pansy and he gang of dipshits causing a scene in the middle of the market in broad daylight. But here I am again. Cornered. I couldn't get out of here without using significant magic; with as many skilled fighters as there are and a mage to boot.
But they surely don't mean any harm, they would have done so already if they had.
I lift my arm to his hand and he gently takes hold of it. He carefully slides the sleeve of my coat back and peels my, now bloody, sleeve away from the wound. It stings but I'm sure it probably looks worse than it is…
He releases my hand before turning to Hadley and Alistair.
"I would prefer to treat her in my office, if we may have leave of you." Uh… What?
"Of course, you are excused." Alistair waves us off, sounding awfully smug.
"Miss Gaelea, please stay within the castle grounds until we have this all sorted out." Captain Hadley says as I stand up, the mage already at the door waiting.
"Wait, I never agreed to that. I have a room at an inn in the city, that's where all of my belongings are."
"I'm sorry, but until we are certain that all of Harris' accomplices have been apprehended I would rather you not leave the castle. Less so about your own safety, than that of the people of Denerim." Ah… Yes… If there are more of them out there that never got their chance to take a swing at me then more people might get caught in the crossfire. Strangely, I find it comforting to know that she is more concerned about the safety of the city than myself.
"Fine, I will stay here as long as you need me to, but it does not change that I need to retrieve my things from the inn. If something can be arranged for me to go there, however it has to happen I would prefer to do it before the end of the day." I bow to the both of them, my irritation escaping in the form of a grossly exaggerated bow… A sting at my arm is the price for letting my irritation get the better of me as the bow reopens the gash.
We arrive at the healer's space before too long and he ushers me inside; sitting me down in a plain wooden chair. I let my eyes wander as he mills about grabbing this and that, it honestly looks like a proper mage's study in a fantasy story would look. With vials and bottles, herbs and other drying ingredients, and even a collection of alchemy looking implements.
"Coat off please, and we can have it taken away to be washed. I imagine you cut has bled more than you let on to the King and the Captain." Jeez… And here I thought I was being subtle. I shrug the coat off and the young servant collects it and leaves the room.
"May I ask your name then?" I ask as he brings another chair over, sits down, and holds out his hand again. I lift my arm to his hand. He peels the shirt sleeve up my arm to reveal the whole of the gash made by Pansy's sword.
"You may call me Marlowe. And yourself?" He dips a cloth in a bowl and gently cleans away the blood from around the cut.
"Gaelea." He then unstoppers a ceramic flask and pours some of the contents onto a fresh cloth, "Which Circle did you study at?" He softly dabs the substance onto the wound, it stings but it begins to close a little.
"I studied at the Circle in Amaranthine. I left to be the healer here some years before the first Circles began to fall." He puts the cloth down on his table and moves his empty hand over the wound. His hand lights up and the warmth of healing magic wraps around my arm, and the gash closes up leaving nothing but a smooth pink line where it had been.
"Well you must have been a good study; you certainly know your stuff." He chuckles lightly at the remark.
"It may not be as flashy as tossing lightning or fire, but it is where my talents lie." He cleans the blood off the rest of my arm. "And done. Thankfully it only looked worse from the blood around it," Marlowe unties the strip of cloth that I had put there to slow the bleeding, "I imagine this likely helped you from losing too much blood. Quick thinking."
"Thank you for healing it, you've done better than I would have cleaning it out and stitching it up on my own…" He sits back in his chair and smiles.
"Be sure to thank King Alistair and Captain Hadley for noticing that you had been injured." He gestures for me to leave, so I open the door and step outside the small room. "You did a good job of hiding it when I arrived, if it hadn't been for the King saying so I would not have noticed."
A servant steps forward from against the wall, "Miss Gaelea." The young girl does a quick curtsy, "I am Saoirse. My lady, the Queen Anora, sent me to bring you to supper." She curtsies again, "Follow me, please."
I have never felt so exposed and simultaneously protected as I do right now with three of the Royal Guard escorting me to the inn, in order to retrieve my belongings.
Supper seemed like a flurry of formalities. I was introduced to the Queen, Anora. Initially, the beautiful blonde woman seemed like most here, but before long, it was obvious that she works at least as hard as any of them for her kingdom. Small talk filled the table, until Anora dropped the bomb question of, "So, Alistair… What did you get up to today?"
Allan's response was absolutely comical, and I think I will remember, and cherish, that memory for a long time. He had been taking a spoonful of soup, and consequently breathed it all in at once. Commencing a coughing fit that lasted at least five minutes, all the while Hadley was boasting the biggest shit-eating grin I'd ever seen, and Anora simply continued eating as though nothing were amiss.
Of course, then Anora was appraised of the happenings of the afternoon from Alistair's and my own perspective; though she had already heard much through the rumor mill.
It had been after supper, when Anora and Alistair went to speak privately about the details of how Hadley and Alistair had decided to go forward, that Hadley had pulled me aside to inform me of how we were going to go about getting my things.
This was not what I had in mind.
I could practically feel the eyes of all the people on the streets as the guards march me down the them to Laoise's inn.
As we arrive at the inn, I tell them that I can handle the inside of the inn on my own just fine. They seem hesitant at first but concede, allowing me to enter the inn alone.
Only a few steps into the inn Laoise flies from behind the bar straight to me, grabbing my hands in hers.
"Gaelea! I heard the most horrible rumors earlier." She pulls me over to the bar and pours me a mug of the cider she knows I've taken a liking to, "I heard there was a huge brawl, right in the middle of the market! And that you were at the center of it…"
"Laoise, I'm perfectly fine," I sit down at the bar, "There was a huge fight, some guards were trying to accuse me of being a thief." She gasps a little. One of her kids comes up to her and she leans down to hear her whispers. She pats the little girl on her head and sends her to the kitchens.
"How could anyone believe that?" She wipes the counter of the bar, "You have probably been one of the most upstanding long-term visitors we've had at this inn in a long time." I look at her, surprised by the glowing remark. "I heard that they took you to the palace," Laoise glances at the door, "and that you've been escorted here by guards."
"Yeah, I don't think that the Captain and the King buy the whole 'thief' thing…" I finish off the mug of cider, "They are looking into the whole incident, but they want me to return to the castle and stay there until all of the dust settles." She nods.
"I suppose that makes sense, but I guess that means I'll be losing your patronage for now, won't I?"
"Yeah, I'm only here to collect my things and sort out what I owe you since it's too late to fill the room for the night…" She places her hands on mine, "Now don't you worry about any of that!" She takes the mug and then sends me on my way to my room to get my crap.
I open the door and go to the window to look out at the small courtyard.
"We did get in a quite a lot of trouble, no?" I turn and I'm not sure if I'm happy or irritated to see that blond elf gracing my doorway.
"Now there's a face I wasn't sure I'd see again…" I begin to walk around the room collecting my stuff from the various hideaways I had put them in, "The way you were pulled out of the market by that other fighter I was sure she planned to keep you forever…"
"Ah, if only my dear Lashes desired me so!" He exaggerated a swoon.
"Oh… So that was your famous 'Dear Lashes?' Interesting…" I reach under the simple mattress to fish out a coin purse, "You know… You might've mentioned you personally know the King of Fereldan."
"Ah… Yes… Alistair, such a dear friend." He chuckles sheepishly as he sits down on the bed. "Are those your friends outside?"
"Ah… Them… Yep." I stuff a few more things into my leather bag, "They were the condition… Captain Hadley and Allan… Ah, Alistair, insisted that if I wanted to get my things from the inn I would have to have them with me, just in case there were more of the crooked guards roaming the streets looking to cause trouble and potentially injure innocent bystanders." I roll my eyes as I say the last bit for effect, which earns a chuckle.
"Well, perhaps I shall join you on the way back to the palace and say hello to my dear Alistair." I heft the bag, laden with everything, including my armor and swords. Zevran offers to carry it but I decline by getting the other strap over my shoulder as well.
I thank Laoise on the way out and when I exit with Zevran my troop is concerned at first; but I get them to relax some. Then we make our way back over the Drakon to the Palace.
"So, why did you refer to Alistair as… What was it? Allan?" Zevran asks raising his eyebrows at me. I oblige him with the story, and his laughter fills the streets as we move through the city and arrive to the palace where he finally calms himself. The guards escorting us nod to the ones who stand at the gates of the palace letting us pass through. How ironic would that be if they hadn't let us in?
In the entrance of the castle Captain Hadley, Allan, and Anora were all waiting and discussing something. Until the door shuts behind us and they all look over, confusion colours their expressions until they realize who is with me.
"Zevran?!" Alistair steps forward, even I'm impressed by Zevran for how much outrage Alistair got into just his name.
"Ah, Alistair! Is it not wonderful to meet again?" He spreads his arms as if expecting a hug.
"No. No it's not."
"Now, now… No need to be so hostile. I'm here to help!" Zevran and I make our way to the fireplace where the three had been talking, Hadley dismisses the three guards who had been our escorts. "I understand you are looking for more details on what occurred in the market earlier yes?" Hadley steps forward.
"I am Hadley Allen, Captain of his majesty's Royal Guard." She does a short and quick bow before gesturing to follow her, "Please come this way." Alistair goes with them, presumably back to his office for more talking. I go to follow as well but Anora puts her hand up for a moment before waving over the young servant, Saoirse.
"Saoirse, please escort Gaelea to the chambers we have had prepared for her stay." I do the short bow, it feels awkward, but Anora dips her head and leaves me with Saoirse.
"Please, this way, Miss Gaelea."
We walk through a few hallways before we come to an ornate door that she opens and steps through. There is already a fire roaring in the fireplace and across the room from it sits a large but simple bed. The room also has the other furniture you'd expect from a guest chamber, a small wardrobe, a desk with some basic writing essentials and small chair, a modest vanity with a stool, and a couple of chairs set around a small rug near the window. Tapestries decorate the walls and I can see a few mabari icons scattered around the room.
Saoirse hustles about putting things away, getting others out, and other various tasks that all seem to be for my comfort. I set my bag down on the chaise that rests near the window, where the bag I had when we first arrived also sits. I take a peek out, to see the city at night below the palace, lanterns and torches lighting the streets. It isn't as bright or colourful a city at night back home, but it has a certain warmth to it.
"Goodnight, Miss." She bows before exiting and closing the door behind her. After she leaves, I prop a small chair against the door handle. The last thing I need tonight is an unexpected visit. I can already feel the exhaustion coming over me.
All it takes is me laying down on the bed before a sleep deeper than I have had in a long time overtakes me.
Thanks for reading!