Chapter 21

"There he is," Nan remarks, as soon as we leave the larder. "As brazen as you please, licking his chops after helping himself to the roast, no doubt!"

I have to stop myself from telling her about the rats. "He's not so bad, Nan. Just a dog being a dog."

"Look at him, now. Snuck into my larder once again and makes off like a free thief, he does."

One of the workers enters the larder, but stops in the doorway. "Oh, mistress! There are rats in the larder! Big ones!"

The other worker walks over to the larder door, "It looks like the dog killed them."

Nan doesn't look convinced, "Hmph. I bet that dog led those rats in there to begin with." Aseir whines, "Oh, don't even start with the sad eyes! I'm immune to your so-called charms." Aseir whines more, and continues to give Nan sad eyes, causing her to sigh. "Here, then. Take these pork bits and don't say that Nan never gives you anything!" Nan kneels down and lays some pork bits on the ground, and Aseir licks them up quickly. "Bloody dog."

Nan turns to me, "Thank you, my lady. Also your guest is fed, aswell. Now we can get to work. That's right, you two, quit standing about!" Nan continues to give orders as I walk to the table.

Nieena had managed to find some paper and a writing utensil and was scribbling out a quick list of the things she needed. It seems as though she had not noticed my presence.

"Nan fed you well, I assume?" Nan doesn't let anyone leave the kitchen hungry.

She looked up from her paper. "Yes she did. I see you managed to get your hound back."

I chuckled, "Yes though he was fulfilling his duty of helping me protect the castle." I show her my blood smeared hands, "Seems he followed rats into the larder."

"Clever dog, but chances are the rat burrows will be sealed and he'll need another way in."

I laugh, "Well shall I actually show you around the castle now?"

She stood up from her chair. "Please do, I would like to know my way around."

I nod, "Let's head to the library then, it is nearby. Also if you have any questions, I will try my best to answer them." We walk out of the kitchen, and start to head towards the library.

"A lady of Ferelden nobility being trained as a warrior, how did that come about?"

"Well, to start out, my mother is also a warrior, though she favors a bow to a blade… Anyhow, my parents both thought it important for me to be able to defend myself, so I could protect our people. Well, that and they thought the discipline of learning how to fight would be good for me."

"A very rare mindset amongst nobility. Most of the ladies I met were too pretentious to ever do more than host fancy tea parties."

I chuckle, "That is the reason I tend to not get along with most of the girls my age."

"I tend to not get along with my peers either, though that says more about them than me."

"I would agree… I don't mean to offend, but since you have had contact with nobles that probably means that you are from an alienage. How did you learn to fight?"

"My mother taught me some, and after she passed when I was little I continued to just teach myself."

"I'm sorry to hear that…"

"No need to apologize, you aren't one of the shems that killed her."

"I may not be, but humans as a whole still seem to need to learn that we are no better than anyone. Especially if they are making that assumption based on race. 'There is always someone better.'"

She seemed a bit taken aback and surprised by my answer. "Where's that quote from? I've never heard it."

"It is something my father taught me. We are no better than anyone because of birthright. The Couslands must push themselves to be better because of the duty that we hold."

"Maybe you should go to Denerim and explain that to the shems that live there."