A/N: If you're a returning reader, I can't begin to find the words to thank you. I was going to write a long spiel here about how difficult 2020 was, but I haven't updated this story in nearly two years and I've waited long enough. I hope you enjoy. And if you're a new reader who's just caught up here…welcome. I won't promise a new chapter anytime soon, but Maker above, let's hope it'll be shorter than two years. Happy New Year, btw.
Chapter XI - Home Travels With You
Agatha had never been much of a drinker. She had the occasional cup of ceremonial wine back in her youth and the odd shot of liquor with Qurno, but never enough to become truly inebriated. She preferred iced tea or fruit juice.
Charlotte de Touraney didn't have any iced tea or fruit juice. What she had was enough wine, beer, rum, brandy, gin, whisky, ale and mead to kill half the damn city. And she was all too happy to share it. Agatha's palate was undergoing rapid expansion. Not as much as Talkosti however, who had already downed four pints of varying liquor, yet showed no sign of either inebriation nor any intention to stop.
"So, you've run this little diversion before?" Charlotte asked, as she re-filled Talkosti's tankard with Fereldan ale. Where did she get it all?
"Wild Ox? Oh, a handful of times. The last time, I-" Talkosti began to say, before chuckling a bit.
"Here we go…" Shokrakar grumbled. But Agatha saw the shadow of a smile creeping on her lips.
Talkosti cleared his throat, still grinning. "The last time, I was in the middle of Wycome, wearing nothing but a loincloth, my face and chest covered in vitaar. I swear, for a moment, I thought the guards were going to run away, rather than chase me."
Charlotte, William and Talkosti began to laugh heartily and, after a moment, Shokrakar chuckled along with them. Yeven looked faintly amused, as he sipped from a snifter of brandy. Kellin had politely refused any drink, sitting in silence.
With a final few chortles, the champion sighed. "Alright, time to get down to business. I hired your mercenaries to find the source of corruption in the guard. And you say it all came from this...Victor Harlow?"
Talkosti tilted his head back and forth. "The majority, yes. You knew well enough, that in a city of this size, it would have been a fruitless effort to try and stamp out all the crookedness in the ranks. There will always be bribes. Vice. Always be a handful of rotten apples. But I'd wager we got the wormiest fruit."
"But that fruit only got as wormy as it did...because of Silkmarrow," Charlotte said, leaning back in her chair. "Slippery fucker. Matter of time until I had to deal with them again."
Agatha leaned forward. "So it's true? You worked with Silkmarrow?"
The champion nodded. "Of course I worked with them. They paid well. Twenty years ago, I was a two-bit sellsword, living from bounty to bounty. It was either that or fight for Fereldan or Orlais in their little war, which I considered but...frankly, I thought Fereldan would lose and Orlais wouldn't have paid me enough to cover the cost of sailing there. So, Silkmarrow was the best option."
Charlotte shrugged. "I didn't meet them, not for a long time. Yorn gave me assignments or one of his subordinates. The jobs were...weird."
"What do you mean?" William asked.
"Some were pretty standard. Guard a building or a merchant. Or go intimidate some dumb bastard into following the rules of the Rust. But sometimes…"
The champion looked around the room. For the first time since Agatha had met her, she seemed slightly worried.
"For example, one time I was told to wait in an alleyway and watch for four crows to fly by. Then I was to go to a baker in the Bronze and buy a croissant and only take two bites. Leave the rest of it on the grave of a man named Reglan Barnhold in a cemetery west of the bakery. Then I had to…"
Charlotte closed her eyes in shame.
"Skip-hop back to the alleyway."
For a few precious moments, the room was silent. Before Shokrakar, unable to contain herself any further, broke down and began to laugh uproariously. Before long, Talkosti had joined her and even Agatha was giggling. Yeven smiled, while Kellin remained stone faced. Charlotte took it all in good humor, however.
"You actually did it?" Agatha asked, smirking.
"Does the Divine shit in the woods? Silkmarrow has spies everywhere and I wasn't going to lose out on nearly a thousand crowns just because I was a little embarrassed," Charlotte said, smiling back. "Sure enough, Yorn met up with me, said the master was pleased and I got my gold."
"Wish we got a few more of those kinds of jobs...I'd love to practice my hopscotch skills and get paid for the privilege," Talkosti said, frowning.
"Stick around here long enough, you might get the chance," Charlotte said. "But yes, I worked with Silkmarrow for over a decade. It was mighty profitable for all parties involved."
"But then you stopped. They said you stopped. Found something to fight for, besides gold," Agatha replied, staring into her eyes. "They didn't know what it was."
The champion narrowed her eyes. "You're a curious kitten, aren't you?"
Agatha blushed. "I-I just...I thought-"
"That's what they said?" Charlotte asked. "I found something else to fight for?"
"...Yes," Agatha said, confused.
She put her drink down on the table. "Horseshit. Just like them to twist and bend the truth, until it suits whatever fucked up fable they're spinning at the time. Silkmarrow can call it whatever they want, but what happened is I saw them for What. They. Are."
Charlotte leaned forward. "Silkmarrow doesn't give a damn about Tantervale. All they care about is making sure they get to commit crime. Seriously. They're in it for the pure thrill or...or the expression of it. It's an artform to them. Just like...painting or playing the lute. I never understood, but back then, I didn't care. I was making coin hand over fist." She took a deep breath, before sighing. "Then Colton Reeve came."
"Sounds like a slimy prick," William mumbled.
"Oh, considerably so," Charlotte said. "Reeve was the leader of the Black Bears, the greatest bandit clan in the Planasene. He went to meet with Silkmarrow; offer them a proposition. Reeve knew exactly how to butter them up. Complimenting their control over the city's underworld, showing deference to their station and sharing an appreciation for the finer aspects of criminality. Make no mistake, Silkmarrow can put on an air of ethereal mystic hoo-ha, but they're just as susceptible to flattery as your common kingpin. Maybe more so."
"What did he offer?" Kellin asked.
"The only thing Silkmarrow really wants. More power. More crime," Charlotte mused. "He offered connections to the Kirkwall, Starkhaven and even Nevarran underworlds. The bastard even hinted he knew people as far as Tevinter. Silkmarrow has long desired access to the smugglers and artifact traders in the Imperium. It may be their greatest weakness."
"And what did he want in return?" Talkosti asked, rubbing his chin.
"The entire Copper district. To put it bluntly, Reeve wanted Silkmarrow to let them take the district as their central base of operations in the Free Marches. They would follow the rules of the Rust but operate largely independently."
"Wait...how...how would you take a district? Wouldn't the people notice? The citizens would see what was happening. The guard would see what was happening!" Agatha exclaimed.
"Not if the guard couldn't get in. Not if the citizens were all dead," Charlotte said.
Agatha blinked. "What?"
"Reeve called it the Breath of Andraste. A potent, poisonous vapor which could be spread and contained in a certain radius and cause a painless, quick death to any who breathed it in. With Silkmarrow's help, they would flood the Copper with it and eradicate the populace. Thousands of people would die in minutes."
Yeven shook his head. "That is...horrifying. But, also absurd. What did they hope to gain from an empty commoner's district? Lots of bodies? Not to mention, the guard would find their way in eventually. Whether through magic, science or pure stubbornness, this trick would be discovered.'
Charlotte shrugged. "I agree. To be honest, I haven't the foggiest fucking clue what Reeve and the Bears expected to accomplish with this, besides mass murder on a grand scale. Maybe they planned to depose Silkmarrow once they had established themselves. Perhaps there's some great secret treasure hidden in the Copper. To this day, the answer eludes me." She frowned. "But what I did learn...was bad enough. Reeve lied. The Breath of Andraste was bullshit. But Toth's Tears is all too real."
"You're lying," Shokrakar said. "Some fuckwit bandit clan couldn't have access to such a plague."
"What is Toth's Tears?" Agatha asked.
Talkosti ran his hands through his hair. "Perhaps the most gruesome poison ever seen on Thedas, short of the Blight itself. Most say it came from Tevinter; they have deployed it against the Qunari twice before, with...bone chilling results. Within minutes, a victim is wracked with convulsions and soon loses control of bodily functions. Crying, vomiting, soiling themselves...by the end, they bleed from the eyes as they expire. Toth's Tears."
Agatha felt her stomach turn. She wished she hadn't asked.
"Toth's Tears'' isn't easy to contain, though. So, keeping it in a certain radius would have been next to impossible," Kellin said. "They couldn't have meant to…"
"Kill the entire city? Maybe. But what I can promise you is that they definitely had a sample of it. I saw it myself, shortly before I killed Reeve," Charlotte replied.
"Ah, I was waiting for that," Talkosti mumbled.
"Yes, my greatest accomplishment. And what led to me cutting any official ties with the Lord of the Rust," Charlotte explained, smiling. "Silkmarrow was...unamused. Especially since I tossed his body off the city's wall afterward and watched him splatter. I had 'ruined their business opportunity', you see. Their fucking business opportunity. You know...just a touch of genocide, but they get a few hundred extra smugglers and some Tevinter chamber pots. What a score, huh?"
"How were you able to kill him?" Agatha asked.
"A potent cocktail of arrogance and stupidity. And a few actual cocktails. You see, Silkmarrow trusted me. As much as they trust anyone, I suppose. I hadn't raised any objections back when Reeve introduced his plan. I kept my screaming and swearing strictly internal," Charlotte said. "So, they had me give him a tour of the Copper. He had two bodyguards with him. I took them through the markets, showed them the southern wall, stopped by the cathedral and finally...we stopped at The Alleycat, for drinks."
"That place is a shithole," William said.
"Precisely. It's had more bar fights than any other establishment in Tantervale. Half the customer base are gang members and muggers. Two dead thugs found in the shitter barely raised an eyebrow."
"You killed both of his men?" Agatha asked, eyes wide.
"After I got both of them piss drunk, it wasn't particularly hard. I lured them into the privy with the unspoken promise of some afternoon delight-"
"In the bathroom of the bloody Alleycat?!" William groaned, making a retching noise.
"As I said, piss drunk. While they dropped their trousers, I sliced their throats. One of them almost made it back into the bar, spurting red mess all over his tunic, pants around his ankles, but I pulled him back into the stall and let him finish bleeding. Of course, that was about the time that Reeve walked in."
"Of course," Yeven muttered.
"He was a quick little bastard. Screamed and made off like a whipped mare. If we had been on his home turf, out in the Planasene, I expect he would have vanished. But despite his plan to poison the whole district, it didn't seem like Colton knew much about the layout at all. He made it down a few alleys, but eventually got stuck behind some knick-knack outlet...er…"
Charlotte rubbed the back of her head. "Bekin's...Burton's…
Agatha suddenly felt queasy. "B-Burkon's Quality Antiques?"
The champion snapped her fingers and pointed at her. "That's the one! Caught him behind the shop and held him at knifepoint. He offered me gold, jewels, anything and everything. Told him I wanted to see the poison. He handed over the vial. A tiny little thing, but enough to kill dozens at least. 'I can get you more!' he whined. 'Enough to take over the whole city!'"
She smiled. "A slimeball to the last breath. I gutted him where he stood." Charlotte closed her eyes, seeming to revel in the memory.
This is the champion? Agatha thought. She seemed much different than anything she could have expected. The men she described were evil, no doubt. But she spoke of butchering them the same way one might reminisce about a fine steak dinner. It was an uneasy feeling and she hoped the tale would soon end.
"So, I lugged his body up to the ramparts and chucked him off. A couple days later, the rest of the bandits discovered this. And a few days after that, they attacked the city in force," Charlotte said, pouring herself another glass of wine. "Yada yada yada, we beat them back, they made me champion, Silkmarrow and I broke off any official contact."
Shokrakar growled. "You can't yada yada an entire battle! What was your strategy? I want details!"
Charlotte chuckled. "Then you can read one of half a dozen books they wrote about it. There's a lovely little bookshop in the Silver I can introduce you to. But being as I was in the battle and I am dreadfully tired of recounting the gory particulars, I can yada yada as much as I'd like to."
The qunari scoffed at this but crossed her arms and said nothing more. William coughed and spoke up.
"Well, if that's the end of storytime, I think it's best if we settle accounts. Are you satisfied with the outcome of this matter, madame De Touraney?"
Charlotte rubbed her neck. "Harlow is dead, then?"
"If he's not, he wishes he was. Last we saw him, he was bleeding from an arm stump and being carried away by Silkmarrow's people," Yeven said. "I doubt we'll ever see him again."
"And Silkmarrow gave their word? They would stop meddling in the guard?"
"As much as you can trust that word...they did. Their dwarf majordomo seemed shocked by the suggestion," Talkosti replied.
"Ha! Yeah, that would piss Yorn off. And strangely enough...I do trust their word, in this instance. At least for now. They know I'll find out if they meddle again," Charlotte said, sighing. "Mission accomplished, Valo-kas."
Talkosti, Shokrakar and William grinned at each other, clinking tankards together. Kellin said nothing but did give the tiniest of smiles. The champion clapped her hands.
"Fernando! Bring our guests their payment," Charlotte commanded.
"At once, messere," the old seneschal replied, from out in the hallway.
After one more round of drinks, the man came back, hefting a moderately large purple sack. He set it down on the table in front of the champion, bowed and left the room once again. Charlotte pulled the velvet string and opened the pouch, checking the contents inside. Seemingly satisfied, she pushed it toward Talkosti.
"It should be all there, but please, check for yourself. I can get a scale if you want to get extra precise," she said.
"I doubt that will be necessary. You seem to be a stand-up individual, madame champion," Talkosti replied, waving his hand.
"Aww, you'll make me blush, horns," Charlotte said, lying back on her couch.
Talkosti began to divide the gold among himself, Shokrakar, William and Kellin. Agatha saw that many of the coins were Tantervalen Wings, each worth at least fifty Fereldan Sovereigns or Orlesian Royals. Her heart beat faster. Just a handful of those could get her what she needed for Marilyn.
"Everything looks to be in order. Champion, it was a pleasure doing business with you," Talkosti said, tying up the remaining gold and standing up. Soon, everyone else had risen to their feet, leaving only Agatha yet seated. Yeven looked toward her, waiting.
"Well, is our business concluded then?" Charlotte asked. "I can get you all a carriage back to the Copper. So you don't have to go traipsing through the sewer again."
"Yes, I think we're-" William began.
"Wait!" Agatha interrupted, standing up. Everyone in the room turned to look at her. She was getting tired of being the center of attention, but it was necessary in this instance. "Madame de Touraney, do you know of the dwarven doctor named Evegor?"
The champion looked down at her, confused. "I do. Why do you ask, girl?"
"I need to meet him. I need to get him to help a good friend of mine, who is...she may die without his aid. She has a young son, who means the world to her. I..I nearly had the gold to pay for his services, but it is all gone now," Agatha said, staring her in the eye. "Harlow took it and spent it, to the very last copper. Please...is there any way you could get him to help me? Could you...loan me the gold? Could I work for you?"
Charlotte looked down at Agatha and sighed. "No."
She felt her heart drop. "W-why not? I swear I can...I could do something for you! I can clean your floors! I can help out in your garden! I can...I'll do whatever you want!" Agatha pleaded.
The champion shook her head. "I have a dozen servants who do that already. I'm not going to put one of them out of a job and bring on a teenager who doesn't even have skill in housework. I'm sorry darling, but I'm the champion of Tantervale, not the champion of charity."
Blood in her handkerchief. That's all Agatha could think of. A young mother, dead and buried in a potter's grave. She had gotten so close but lost it all. The tears were beginning to form, no matter how hard she tried to hold back from shame.
"I-"
Ka-chink.
The pouch of coins hit the floor, next to Talkosti's feet. Charlotte turned to look at it, while the towering qunari looked toward Agatha.
"Join the Valo-kas and I will give my share to you," he said. No jest in his tone. Stone-faced and severe. Shokrakar looked speechless, but fury tickled at her cheeks. William did a double take. Yet Kellin seemed entirely unsurprised.
Agatha didn't realize what he had asked. Not a first.
"Join...what?" she asked softly.
"I want you to serve in my company. In my karataam. The army of mercenaries we call the Valo-kas. Do so...and you can pay for your healer."
She understood it now.
"But...why?" Agatha whispered.
"Yes, WHY?! How could you possibly offer such a thing to this...brat! Vashedan! Take it back, kadan!" Shokrakar hissed.
Talkosti did no such thing. He was silent, focused on Agatha. Yeven frowned and did the same.
Memories of the last five years flashed through her mind. This life under the bridge she loved. The family she had found. Raeri and Rhodis, her dear friends. Qurno, grumpy but deeply caring. Marilyn and Danny, kind and playful. And Yeven, as close to a father as Brother Elton. Give it all up, to save Marilyn's life? Leave with these sellswords?
Danny held out the pieces of chocolate. "Everyone have some," he said.
"I feel like I'm missing the proper context for-" Charlotte began to say.
"I'll join," Agatha said, softly. "I'll join the Valo-kas."
Talkosti kicked the sack of gold toward the champion. "Call your healer, Madame de Touraney. He has a patient to attend to." Agatha swore she could see the veins in Shokrakar's neck pulse.
Charlotte picked up the sack and shrugged. "It's your gold, big guy." She whistled and soon enough, the old seneschal had returned.
"Yes, messere?" Fernando asked, smiling.
"Send a runner to find Evegor. Check his house and then the Flowing Flagon," she said, reaching into the sack and passing along five gold wings. "Tell him he gets the rest of it when he gets here."
Fernando bowed and took the coin. "He will likely be angry with you, messere. Considering your last meeting..."
"He's getting the gold. The greedy fucker can shove it up his hairy hole," Charlotte muttered. "Looks like our guests will be staying a bit later."
"Of course, madame," Fernando said. "I will inform you as soon as he arrives...or if our runner returns alone."
"You're the best, 'Nando," Charlotte said, blowing him a kiss. The seneschal chuckled and left the room.
Shokrakar was pacing back and forth, fists clenched. Talkosti looked entirely too pleased with himself, smiling at Agatha. William looked stunned, but seemingly ready to burst out in a fit of laughter. Kellin, as always, showed no clear emotion. Yeven had already sat back down, rubbing his hands together.
Agatha sat back down as well, face in her hands.
"Uh...more wine? I'll get more wine," Charlotte mumbled.
She did get more wine. Several bottles of red, white and otherwise. But there were comparatively fewer drinkers than when they had first arrived. The room was on edge, waiting for the doctor to arrive. Shokrakar and Talkosti spoke rapidly in Qunlat; her voice much louder than his, until they eventually reached some sort of understanding. She still looked angry, but as that seemed to be her natural state, Agatha assumed she was feeling a bit better.
Yeven had sat down beside her. She couldn't bear to look at him. Even when he put his arm over his shoulder.
"How are you feeling, Ag?" he asked.
"Take a wild guess," she muttered, eyes stuck to her feet.
The elf shrugged. "A potent combination of sorrow, guilt, relief and fear?"
Agatha groaned. "You forgot shame."
He shook his head. "Nay. There's no shame in this. Neither should there be guilt. Sorrow and fear though...that I understand. You have hitched your wagon to someone new. Who knows where they could lead?
"They lead away from you. From everyone," Agatha said, finally looking back at him. "From the home you gave me."
Yeven took her hand and squeezed softly. "Home has always been a rather fluid concept for me. For years, my home was the clan. Vhenas. Wherever I hitched my aravel; wherever I lay with ma vhenan or sung with brothers and sisters. When they were killed...when I watched my home burn...I thought that was the end."
Agatha saw that his face was strained, as if the words were too heavy to release. She squeezed his hand back. "You never spoke of your clan. I am...so sorry."
His shoulders sank. "It is...hard to remember. I ceased to be Yevanarin that day. I set upon what I thought to be my din'anshiral. My journey of blood and pain. I killed so many shemlen in the woods of Hunter Fell. Some deserving…"
Yeven closed his eyes. "But many...were not."
"When Nevarra finally came for me, in force...I ran. I was a coward, at heart. Despite my bravado, I didn't want to die. I reached this city, much as you did. I found Qurno first...of all people, a durgen'len took me in." He laughed. "Even now, the thought is comical. Soon after, Raeri and Rhodis. City elves! Flat-ears, I would have called them, years ago. Rebuffed them without a thought. But we were all in the same clan now."
He leaned in closer. "Then Marilyn and her infant came. A bloody shem and her spawn," Yeven said, faux-disgust in his voice. "And she asked if she could stay with us, under the bridge. She asked me, without fear and without judgment."
He frowned.
"I didn't ask about the black eye. Nor the bruises on her arms. I just said yes, of course, have some bread. And she smiled...so brightly. Hugging me, like ma vhenan did years ago."
Yeven smiled at Agatha. "You see? It was home all along. My people had never left. My clan had returned, bit by bit. And you, lethallan are one of us. But it doesn't matter if you're in Tantervale, Nevarra or blasted Tevinter. The clan travels with you, in spirit."
He kissed her forehead. "There is no shame."
Agatha wiped her eyes, tired of the tears. "Yev...thank you."
Fernando entered the room then, clearing his throat. "Meserre Evegor has arrived."
Charlotte looked up from her wine and smiled. "Finally! Send him-"
Shoving past Fernando's waistcoat, a young dwarven man entered the room. Clad in fine fabrics and sporting a crystal monocle, he was decidedly wealthy looking...and conspicuously clean shaven.
"What is the meaning of this de Touraney?" he said, wiping his hands with a cloth. "You interrupted an important meal."
The champion blew a raspberry at him. "Oh calm down, Evey. You've got a new job."
"Oh, what is it this time, then? Another hangover remedy? Genital itching? Daybreak sickness?" Evegor grumbled. "I've had just about enough of-"
At that moment, it appeared Evegor finally noticed the other occupants of the room. Particularly the three Qunari.
"Maker's breath!" he squealed, stepping backward. "I want nothing to do with this, de Touraney! Whatever claptrap you're involved in, I want out!"
Agatha stepped up. "Wait! Doctor Evegor, I need your...my friend needs your help. She is coughing blood and can barely stand some days. She has a young son, who loves her dearly. Can you please meet with her?"
Evegor harrumphed. "To think you can even speak the common tongue. Where's the rest of the gold I was promised?"
Pushing aside her indignation, Agatha took up the bag of wings. "Here," she said, taking another coin from it and tossing it toward him. "You get the rest after you help Marilyn."
The dwarf fumbled and caught the gold piece, frowning. "Fair enough, girl. Take me to her then."
Evegor looked at the rest of the room with barely-veiled contempt and turned around, walking toward the foyer. Talkosti and Shokrakar looked at each other with confusion. William made a particularly rude, potentially sexual gesture in his wake.
"Bloody charmer, isn't he?" Charlotte mumbled, brushing herself off as she stood up. "Alright you lot, beat it. I have a carriage waiting outside."
Talkosti went to shake her hand, which she took and to her credit, withstood his colossal grip. "As I said before, it was a pleasure Champion. Normally I'd suggest you contact us again should you require more assistance, but I'm afraid the Valo-kas may need to avoid Tantervale for the foreseeable future."
"You'll break my heart, big guy. Good luck on the hunt. And be careful with your new recruit...she's got sticky fingers, from what I've heard," Charlotte replied, smirking at Agatha. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Terror. If there's anything else I can do, I'll...well I can try."
Agatha sighed, staring out a window, into the champion's vast garden. There was nothing else to do. Nothing else to ask. She would soon be leaving this city. Leaving her family. Losing any chance of seeing-
Oh.
"There is something. Can you...do you know anyone in the Circle Tower?" Agatha asked. "Could you send a message to a mage inside?"
Charlotte tilted her head. "Perhaps. The Templars there are vigilant bastards. But they are men and women at heart. With vices of their own."
Agatha pointed at the rows of flowers outside. "Can you send a daisy? To a Katerina Trent."
The Champion and Yeven exchanged a glance. He shrugged. "A flower? You want to send a flower? It could wilt by the time it arrives."
"That's fine. You could press it into the paper, if you'd like. But...yes, that's what I would like."
"Fernando?" Charlotte asked. "Do we still have Knight-Corporal Viglund's...information?
The seneschal nodded. "We do, messere. Shall I compose a note?"
"Nah, I'll write it. Katerina with a K?" Charlotte asked.
Agatha nodded.
"Just the flower? No words? No other message for this mage? Should I even say who it came from?"
She shook her head, blushing. "No. She'll understand."
Charlotte nodded at her servant, who left the room. "It will be done. Or...I'll give it my best try."
"I appreciate it."
"IF WE DON'T GET MOVING IN THE NEXT MINUTE, I'LL BE TAKING MY GOLD AND WALKING OUT OF HERE," Evegor shouted, loud enough to be heard from the courtyard.
"Get going, Agatha. Good luck," Charlotte said, giving her a crisp salute. The champion walked back inside. "Nando, get me some parchment!"
She gave the mansion one last look, before leaving with the group. As she crossed the stone mabari hounds by the doorway, she was greeted by the sight of the largest horse drawn-carriage she had ever seen. Pulled by two colossal draft horses, the carriage itself towered above her. The coachman standing nearby however, was a very short man, who Agatha might have mistaken for a dwarf if not for his lack of beard and accent.
"Evening folks!" he said, smiling. The man seemed entirely unfazed by his prospective riders. "Where to, exactly?"
"Saint Jacob's bridge, in the Copper," Agatha said, smiling back.
"Can do, messere!" he said, opening the carriage door. "Best climb in now. Might be a tight fit, but we should manage."
Talkosti and Shokrakar exchanged a look but stepped inside anyway. The carriage creaked and sank yet held together. Yeven and Kellin were next, with Agatha bringing up the rear. William whispered a few words to Talkosti, who nodded, before the human climbed up to sit with the coachman, who shut the carriage door.
"Tight fit" may have been the understatement of the Age. Talkosti and Shokrakar's horns scraped the ceiling and Yeven found himself in the unenviable position of being squished against the carriage wall by the man's sheer size, but he seemed to take it in good humor. Kellin sat next to Evegor, who was pointedly looking at his pocket watch with shameless impatience. Agatha sat next to her, just as she heard the coachman snap the reins, sending the carriage forward with a jolt.
"Tell me about this woman's symptoms again. I need to have my hypothesis ready by the time my shoes hit stone," Evegor grumbled, not taking his eyes off the watch. "Human?"
"Yes," Agatha answered. "She's...very weak on the best of days. She sleeps late, unless Danny wakes her up. Or her cough does."
"She coughs blood? What color? Thickness?"
"Dark, almost black. I...well, I haven't touched any of it, so I don't know how thick it was."
Evegor grunted. "Well, that is something I will need to know. It must not be easily transferable, if her spawn hasn't shown any symptoms."
"Her spawn?" Yeven snapped. "Must you be so clinical?"
"Yes, I bloody well must be," Evegor said. "I am not some deepstalker oil salesman. I am a trained and licensed medical practitioner."
"Who licensed you?" Kellin asked.
"The Orzammar assembly and then...eventually...the Healer's Guild of Tantervale. Once I had proven myself," Evegor replied, with some degree of venom. "Has your woman been seen by any others claiming to be healers?"
"At least two people. A human...er, Phillipe was his name," Agatha said. "I..didn't like him. He was pretty arrogant."
Yeven shook his head. "Useless lump. He told her to drink cleaner water and to eat healthier food. Easy for him to say...he didn't live in the ass end of the Copper district, under a rotting bridge."
"The other was an elf from the alienage. Delia. She recommended some plants we could harvest near the river. Added to her food. It seemed to help a bit. The coughing wasn't as bad. But she didn't seem to get any stronger. And then…" Agatha started to say. 4
"Delia was killed two weeks ago," Kellin replied soberly. "Found dead behind the herbalist shop in the alienage."
Evegor rubbed his chin. "Hrrm. Well, that elf may have actually done some good. If the symptoms are treatable with simple river herbs, it could be much less severe than I feared."
Agatha felt her heart beat faster. "So...you think you can cure her?!"
"Don't get too excited, girl. I won't know anything for sure until I inspect her myself. It could be anything as tame as Lockwood's Bile or as bad as a cancer of the stomach. I make no promises but my best effort."
She felt her pulse slow. That would have to be enough.
The rest of the ride was silent, only the sound of hooves on progressively less-tidy roads echoing outside the carriage. With every moment that passed, Agatha grew progressively more thoughtful. About Marilyn, about the life she would soon abandon and about all the myriad of awful, gruesome, yet incredible things she had experienced in merely a day.
The hoofbeats slowed to a trot and then a total halt. She heard the coachman and William drop down from their seats and pop open the carriage doors.
"Messeres, we have arrived. I do hope you had a pleasant ride this evening. If you need transport in the future, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. You'll find my prices quite competitive. Of course, your ride tonight has been covered by our lady champion, so-"
Evegor was already leaving the carriage, crudely shoving a gold piece into the coachman's palm. "Yes, yes, we've all heard the spiel before, Matthieu. I hope to be done here within the hour. If you can wait for me that long, I'll have more gold for you."
Seemingly unfazed by the dwarf's brusqueness, the coachman merely smiled, nodded and waved the group off, before returning to his carriage and brushing the horses.
Girding herself for what was to come, Agatha and Yeven lead the motley crew toward the bridge and the passage leading underneath. Evegor grumbled as he carefully maneuvered down each makeshift step, but the whole of their group reached the bottom just as they heard the voices coming from the camp.
"Just what in the bleedin' hell is going on?" Qurno said, walking up to the group with a club in one hand. "Ag? Yev? Just who-"
Evegor took one look at Qurno and pursed his lips. "Casteless. Of course."
Qurno noticed the well-dressed dwarf and cocked his head in confusion. "We're all casteless now, you kalna piece of shit."
"In the eyes of the assembly, perhaps. But not here. Not while I bathe each morning and you roll around in mud, beneath a rotting bridge. Remove this duster from my sight at once."
"Oh, I'll remove your fuckin' sight-" Qurno growled, stepping forward in an aggressive stance. Yeven was faster, jumping between the two of them and raising his hands.
"Enough! We don't have any time to waste on squabbling," he commanded. "Messere Evegor, while you are under Agatha's employ, you'll respect the members of this community." He turned to his friend. "And Qurno, you'll leave Evegor to his work. Agreed?"
The dwarves still stared daggers at each other, but they nodded. Agatha stepped forward.
"Qurno, I can explain everything later, but right now, I need Evegor to check on Marilyn. Is she awake?"
"Yeah, she's sitting with Danny. She…" Qurno frowned. "She's not doing good, Ag. Coughed up more blood tonight."
Agatha felt the color leave her face, but Evegor was already moving ahead of them. "Take me to her, now!" he barked.
"Go, Ag. We'll catch up," Yeven said. Talksoti and the others nodded, as Qurno approached the new faces.
Evegor was moving rapidly, but her long legs helped Agatha catch up to the doctor. Ahead, she saw the rest of their company sitting by the cookfire. The camp looked much better, since the ransacking it had received this morning. Maker above, had that happened only hours ago? So much had happened today...she didn't know how much longer she could go without bursting.
Rhodis looked up first, seeing them approach the tents. "Ag's back!" He looked much better; like he had had a proper meal and bed rest. His sister followed his voice, smiling softly at Agatha. But it was Marilyn and of course, young Daniel, who had the most pronounced reaction. The boy tore himself from his mother's lap and ran to her.
"You're back! You're back! And Rhodis came back!" Danny yelled, grabbing her by the ankles. He looked up at her, grinning. "Like you said!"
Agatha grinned back, kneeling down and picking him up, kissing him on the cheek, through his giggling. "Just as I said. It's good to be back, brave grey warden." She put him down, kneeling so they were nearly face to face.
"This doctor here is gonna talk with your mom, ok?" Agatha said. "So we'll just need to leave them alone for a bit, alright? It's almost your bedtime anyway, ain't it?"
Danny shook his head. "I-I'm not even…" he yawned. "...tired."
She gave him a sharp glance, but ruffled his hair anyway and watched him go sit with Rhodis. Evegor had made his way to Marilyn, who looked extremely pale.
"Madam, have you experienced any gastrointestinal distress since this sickness began?" The dwarf asked, reaching into his bag and putting on a pair of gloves.
Marilyn's confusion was evident. "Gastro...what?"
Evegor smiled. His entire demeanor seemed to have shifted. "Have you had any...eh...stomach pain? Trouble in the privy? Too many trips to it?"
The young woman blushed but nodded. "I...yes. I…" she leaned forward and whispered something to him. He nodded, his face immaculately professional.
"I see. That's good to know," Evegor said, placing the back of his hand on her forehead. "Now, your young friend here says that some river herbs have helped your symptoms in the past?"
Marilyn looked at Agatha and smiled weakly. "Yes...the elf who came to our camp told me to mix them and eat them every other day."
"Do you have any of them available at the moment?"
She nodded. "There's some...in the chest, in my tent. Agatha...could you…?"
"Of course," Agatha said, stepping inside and looking around. Looking by Marilyn's pillow, she saw a wooden box with a latch. Inside, she found several items. A tarnished brass ring, a piece of parchment wrapped in string, an iron dagger and beneath it all, some cut flowers and weeds. Scooping them up, she returned outside to see Evegor staring down Marilyn's throat.
"Say ahhh...that's good, thank you, madam."
Marilyn looked even more confused but complied without any complaint. Agatha handed the plants to the dwarf, who adjusted his spectacles to peer more deeply at them. "Hmm...embrium and elfroot...oh, of course!"
The doctor turned around to look at Raeri and Rhodis. "Does...does anyone here have a mortar and pestle?"
"Qurno does," Raeri replied. She crept over to his tent, rummaging around inside for a minute or so, before returning with the tools. Evegor took them with a quiet "Thank you" and began grinding the herbs.
"Qunar…" he began to say, before catching himself. "Agatha...please look in my bag for a silver canteen."
Agatha did so, reaching past a handful of odd-looking instruments and finding a shining canteen. She handed it to Evegor, who placed the bowl of finely ground herbs onto a tree stump nearby. He removed the stopper and poured a bit of water from the canteen into the bowl. Letting it collect for a moment, he then carefully poured the mixture back into the drinking vessel. Once it was corked again, he shook it rapidly. For a few moments, Evegor looked more like a Silver District bartender than an accomplished man of medicine.
With the mixture sufficiently shaken, he uncorked it for a final time and handed it to Marilyn. She took it with some trepidation.
"Your elf medic had it close. But the herbs needed to be mixed in fresh water and finely ground to take proper effect. It'll taste bloody awful, but you should drink a mixture of that sort at least twice a week, for three weeks.
"Well...I...I'll give it a go then," Marilyn said, gripping the canteen in two hands and drinking deeply. For a moment, she looked as if she might not be able to keep it all down, but she powered through, until the canteen was empty.
"Maker, that is rancid…" she whispered. "We'll...we'll have to find more herbs, I suppose."
"You can find elfroot and embrium at most of the general stores in Tantervale. Usually...well...for a handful of copper," Evegor said.
Marilyn smiled at Agatha. "I think even we can manage that."
"We certainly can…" Yeven said, walking up to them with Qurno and Kellin close behind him. "And we will. I have some money to spare. Not nearly as much as Agatha was saving, but certainly enough to acquire elfroot and embrium. Gods, I should have known, Marilyn."
She shook her head. "It's alright. We all know now. Thank you, messere Evegor."
"You're very welcome," Evegor said, bowing. "But to be certain the treatment is working, I'll have to check up on you next week. If there is any trouble before then, please contact me through my brother's shop. I'll come right away."
"And which shop is that?" Kellin asked.
"By the paragons, what does he call it now?" he asked himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "Burkon's Quality Antiques, I believe?"
Agatha couldn't help but laugh, causing him to give her an odd look. "I'm sorry, I just...it's funny how everything seems to tie together."
"I see…" he replied, clearing not seeing. "Well, yes. He'll be able to get in touch with me faster than just about anyone else."
"And just how much will ye' squeeze out of us for a follow-up visit?" Qurno grumbled.
Evegor gave a look of deep offense. "I have been paid to cure this woman. Until I am certain this illness has passed, I am not finished and do not require more coin."
Qurno raised an eyebrow at this, but Agatha could tell he was impressed. "Well, that's...good."
"It is my creed. Anyone who claims to be a doctor but demands additional payment before the ailment is dealt with...is little more than a back-alley huckster," Evegor said, picking up his medical bag. "It's time I left, though. I will return next Wednesday."
She gave him the rest of the gold, as promised. He pocketed the coin purse into one of his seemingly dozen or so shirt pockets and gave her nod of acknowledgement. He walked away, past Qurno without even a glance and was soon gone from the camp entirely. Distant hoofbeats signaled the carriage's departure.
"So...is it over? Yev told me that Harlow has been dealt with," Qurno asked. "Can we finally get back to normal around here? At least our version of normal?"
Agatha sighed. "Not...not quite. I...need to tell everyone something."
Shortly after, the whole group...plus their new Valo-kas guests, were sitting together, eating a late dinner. It was a quality stew, as expected of Qurno, but she swore she noticed some grilling marks on the chicken. She smiled at that.
"Alright, Ag. Out with it. I think you've kept us all in rapt anticipation for long enough," Qurno grumbled.
Agatha put down her bowl and wiped her lips with a handkerchief.
"I'm...I'm leaving Tantervale. Tonight. With the Valo-kas."
Qurno looked as if he'd been slapped. Rhodis was sullen. Marilyn raised her hand to her mouth. Raeri...simply nodded.
But Danny just kept eating. "Where' ya going? When will you be back?"
Damn it. It was time to tear the bandage off.
"I'm not coming back, Danny. Not...for a long time, at least."
First came the confusion.
"What?" Danny said, looking up at her in disbelief. "Why?!"
"I...I've always wanted to see more of Thedas. To travel and find new, exciting things."
This was close to the truth. "But...but we were gonna go together! Me and momma and Rae and Rho and mister Qurno and mister Yeven...and you!" Danny whined, the realization slowly dawning on his developing mind.
"I'll be there. In spirit. Like The Maker was with Lady Andraste," Agatha tried to explain.
"The Maker left!" Danny yelled, standing up. Eyes filling with tears. Marilyn rose to hold him, but her grip was still too weak. He broke free and ran over to Agatha, grabbing her by the knees. "You can't leave too!"
Agatha kneeled down to face him, gripping his shoulders. She saw her own tears reflected in his eyes. "Daniel, listen. I know this pain...I know how hard you hurt right now. I watched someone else leave, before I met you. Someone that I loved very deeply. So, I'm going to try to help, just as she did."
She picked up a light, twisted branch from the ground and carefully stuck it in his curly hair. "Now, whenever you'd like to remember me, you only need to take a branch from a tree and wear it on your hair. Like one of my horns, see?" Agatha bumped one of her horns into the branch. Danny giggled, while choking back a sob. "We're practically twins."
"Will you...will you remember me?" Danny asked, holding onto the branch.
"Always. You, your momma, Yeven, Qurno, Rae and Rho. Everyone."
He hugged her, for a long time. She kissed his head and eventually, he walked over to his mother, to cry just a bit more. Marilyn whispered to him and rubbed his back, while giving Agatha a reassuring smile.
"You're certain about this, Ag?" Raeri asked. Her voice was seemingly flat, but Agatha could sense the tiniest tinge of regret in her voice.
"I am. Even if I wasn't...I made a deal. I have to live up to it," she replied.
Raeri nodded. She hugged her as well. "I'll never forget what you did for us. Nor your friendship."
"Thank you, Rae."
Rhodis came next, trembling, but still looking far better than he had before. "I'll never be able to repay you, Ag. You...saved me. Saved me from my own mind. Maker bless you."
"And you, Rho. Keep that mind sharp. And never stop digging," Agatha whispered, embracing him gently. He returned the gesture with more strength than she expected. He'll be ok, she thought.
Qurno's emotional scale had never been particularly varied. He was either angry or joyful, there was no in-between. No sadness. Until now.
"Oh, Salroka, you're sure about this then? If those other oxen are takin' ya under duress, you just tell me, eh? I'll go for their knees. Never see me comin'," he mumbled, shaking her hand with both of his own. His lip was quivering, just a bit.
"As much as that would be a sight to see, no, Qurno. It's my own choice, of my own will," Agatha assured him. "I'll...I'll miss your cooking so much."
He chuckled and reached into one of his many pockets. "I can help with that, I think. Here…" he handed her several sheets of ragged parchment, tied with twine. "...I wrote down most of my best stew and steak recipes."
Agatha took the papers with shock. "You can't give these to me! What if-"
Qurno shushed her. "They're all in my head anyway, girlie. I can make more copies if I need em'. Go on, give em' to whatever excuse for a cook they got in their merc camp. Add a bit of Qurnian' flavor."
She laughed. He laughed. And then he walked away, rubbing his eyes.
Marilyn came up to her next, still holding Danny, who was fighting desperately to stay awake.
"You're a generous and kind soul, miss Agatha. What a fool I was," she whispered.
Agatha blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"When you first came to us...I was terribly frightened of you. I had only ever seen your people in horrible history and storybooks. And I tried to keep Danny away from you."
Agatha remembered, somehow. Marilyn had been perfectly courteous to her, in those first couple weeks beneath the bridge. But she always sat as far away from her as she could. Danny, when he just a toddler...had tried to crawl over to her, many times.
Each time, Marilyn would scoop him up and take him away. "Time for a bath!" she would say. "Time for a nap!" Always an excuse. But Agatha hadn't realized that until now. It was only, about a month into her new home...that Danny had come up to her after dinner. When they first played "Dragon."
"I realized that day...Maker above, I had nearly robbed my boy of a kind and loving friend. And that would be the greatest sin of all."
Marilyn hugged her, Danny squeezed between them and shook her head. "Thank you for all you provided for me. For us. I'm sorry I took as long as I did to realize that."
"Not at all, Mary. I...didn't realize you had ever felt that way, but I don't blame you. There's no need for forgiveness, as I take no offense."
"Regardless...thank you. Come back, if only...to visit. Danny grows bigger every day. We'll have to compare your heights, next time."
Agatha laughed. "Count on it."
Packing was light, all things considered. Agatha took her pillow, a blanket, her only other set of clothes that fit her and Harlow's dagger, that Silkmarrow had handed to her. It was a crude, lewdly designed handle, but the blade was sharp and well crafted.
"Know how to use that, do you?"
She looked up to see Kellin, standing nearby. The elven woman still wore her alienage commoner's clothing. She looked just as average as any elf you might find in the street. For a moment, Agatha wondered if that might be quite intentional.
"Not really, no. I assume you do?" She asked, stuffing Qurno's recipe leaflet carefully into her pack.
Kellin nodded. "Daggers can be an effective weapon. Easily concealed. Harder to track than a sword or spear. But just as good at slicing flesh."
Agatha shook her head and chucked. "Were you ever really a waitress? Or did I just happen to be saved by a hyper skilled elven mercenary that day?"
Kellin smirked. "Perhaps the Maker guided you into my path. Or perhaps a demon thought it would be a hilarious joke. Whatever the reason, I'm happy to have played my part."
She reached down to shake Agatha's hand.
"If this is truly to be the last time I work with the Valo-kas, I'm glad it was for this."
Agatha took her hand and shook it, heartily. "So am I."
Kellin smiled and walked off to speak with Talkosti, Shokrakar and William, who had stick around the outskirts of the came all night.
So it left only one last goodbye.
Yeven was sitting down on a tree stump, whittling away at a chunk of wood with a small knife. He looked up at her as she approached, his scarred face ablaze with mixed emotions.
"Hello, Ag. Finished packing?" He asked.
"Just about," Agatha replied, adjusting the knapsack on her shoulder. "But I worry I'm forgetting something. I wish I could just stuff you all into this pack too."
Yeven laughed, twisting the knife to make a hole in the wood. "If I could lend you an aravel, I would. But even that would be a tight squeeze, I think."
Agatha smiled, but sighed. "I know we already talked about it...but now it's happening. You said the clan travels with me. How can I be sure?"
Yeven held up the piece of wood, about the size of a drink coaster. "You can never be really sure. You must trust your heart and your soul. The mind can be tricked, but the soul cannot lie. But if you need more encouragement, perhaps this can help." He blew on the coaster, the last bits of sawdust floating away. Then he handed it to her.
Agatha took the piece and stared at it. It was an intricately carved landscape. It was the bridge! St. Jacob's bridge! And underneath it was a series of figures sitting around a fire. Her clan. Her home.
"Let it travel with you. Just a bit more literally, now," Yeven said, smiling.
Agatha broke down, crying once more. She hugged him, more deeply than even Danny had. He reciprocated, wrapping his long arms around her and letting her tears flow.
"Lethallin, thank you for letting this old elf feel young again," Yeven whispered.
"Shut up…" Agatha sobbed. "You're not that old yet. But you were still a great father."
Yeven gasped. "Ag, I…"
Agatha leaned back and laughed, wiping her eyes. "Most kids only get one dad. I've had two now. I'm a lucky gal."
The scarred elf shuddered and laughed too. "You...you don't know how much you lift my heart. Thank you, vhenan. Go now, before I snatch you away like the dread wolf."
With her pack full and her coat fastened, the moment had finally come. Agatha walked up to Talkosti, Shokrakar and William. Kellin was gone by then. Back to the alienage? Agatha didn't ask.
"Ready, imekari?" Talkosti asked, fastening his boots.
"No. Not really. But I can't delay forever," Agatha said, taking a deep breath. "Need to take the plunge, eventually."
William gave her a thumbs up. "That's the spirit, girl! You'll fit right in."
Shokrakar just frowned. "This has taken long enough as it is."
Agatha ignored her. "How are we leaving? I doubt we can just walk through the gates."
Talkosti nodded. "You're correct. Three qunari strolling through the front gates wouldn't make it very far, not without a significant fuss. Which is why we're not going to be qunari."
"And how exactly are we going to do that? I've actually grown to like my horns," Agatha replied.
"Nothing quite so drastic. Just a bit of trickery," Talkosti said, grinning.
The huge qunari took his staff and rapped it onto the ground, three times. A blazing blue energy enveloped the oaken wood, before splitting off and covering Talkosti, Shokrakar and Agatha. Before her very eyes, she watched as the other two qunari morphed and shifted.
Talkosti became a very tall, broad-chested human man with a bushy brown beard. He looked much like a Orlesian circus strongman, but wearing traveling leathers rather than a leotard.
Shokrakar had turned into a similarly tall human woman, though she was much more sleek and svelte looking. Her loose leather and velvet attire would make one question whether she was a merchant or a mercenary. Or both.
Agatha looked down at her hands. They still looked grey and normal. She reached up and felt her horns.
"It didn't work for me!" She moaned.
Talkosti and William chuckled, while Shokrakar smirked like a fox. The human man pulled out a dingy hand mirror and flashed it in front of her eyes. To her shock, a younger human woman stared back at her. Olive skin, brown eyes and black curls, standing tall in worn traveling attire. It was a shocking sight.
"Holy hell…" Agatha whispered, watching her human lips make the same motion back at her. William put the mirror back into his coat pocket.
"Nifty, eh?" he smiled.
"It won't stand up to close scrutiny. Your horns are still there, just not visible to the non-magical eye," Talkosti cautioned.
"The more powerful Templars can see through it too," William added. "Though they would need to be focusing."
"So don't fuck it up," Shokrakar grunted.
"Hardly intend to, ma'am," Agatha said, rolling her eyes. "Time to go then?"
Talkosti nodded. "It's a night's ride to our camp. I expect we'll arrive just before morning. We have a wagon stored away outside the city wall."
"Let's go, then. Before...before it hurts any worse," Agatha said.
The older qunari (well...the older man, from her current perspective) gave her a long look. "Very well."
Against her better judgement, she looked back. Down, underneath the bridge. Just a glance, at her home for the last several years.
A flicker of firelight was all she saw.
It was time.
The journey through the Bronze district was a relatively simple affair. Under their magical disguises, the four of them looked no different than a group of common travelers, perhaps dock workers or tradespeople making their way through the evening crowd.
There was an air of tension...after all, there had been a prison breakout only hours beforehand and guards patrolled every block, looking for any suspicious characters. Thankfully, they only wore traditional Tantervalian guard uniforms, rather than any Templar armor.
Agatha briefly wondered if the champion had succeeded in sending her daisy yet. Likely not. At best, she would be able to pass it off to the Templar she had mentioned. Perhaps the man would just toss it in the trash. Maybe he owed her a favor. Her hope would have to suffice.
"Goodbye, Kat. I'll see you again...some day," Agtha whispered.
"Hm?" Talkosti asked. "What is it?"
Agatha shook her head. "Nothing. Just...it's nothing."
The qunari narrowed his eyes but shrugged and didn't press any further. She was grateful for that. Some things were better left unsaid.
"We're nearly at the gate. Just play it cool and we'll be on the road before you know it," William said, dusting off his coat.
Peering through the crowd, Agatha could see the grand gate of the city, flanked by a dozen guardsmen inspecting travelers coming in and out. Memories of her last trip through here flooded back...even if she had been covered by a mountain of animal furs at the time. She had never left the city walls for five years. Some days, she had wondered if she ever would again. None of those ideas ever involved leaving with a group of qunari.
"Next!"
The group of humans in front of them had been waved through, the line of guards breaking formation to let them pass, before remaking their wall. William walked forward, followed closely by Talkosti, Shokrakar and Agatha.
"Good evening, serah!" William said, bowing. "We're making our departure from your fair city and we would like to-"
"Slow down, messere. Names please," the guard interrupted, raising a gauntleted hand.
"William Rosethorne, a pleasure."
He turned to Talkosti, who cleared his throat. "Talisen Brooke, with my wife Shona and our daughter, Agatha."
Even through her human disguise, Agatha could see Shokrakar had been taken off guard by this particular bit of deception. "A...good evening...serah," she mumbled.
"Hmm...reason for your departure?" The guard asked, looking at each of them with a trained, if exhausted eye.
"Visiting Andelburg! Gonna see that special tree and take in some er, local flavor," William replied. Her hometown's name made Agatha's stomach do a loop and she frowned.
The guard yawned but stifled it with his fist. "You're not too excited to visit that hamlet, girl?" Agatha suddenly realized he was looking at her.
Out of a combined desire to keep up the disguise and a feeling she'd never get another chance to do this, Agatha grabbed Shokrakar's arm and rested her head on it, almost nuzzling her elbow. The taller qunari vibrated with shock.
"I'm sorry, serah. I'm just a bit under the weather. Mama, can we have some tea once we're on the wagon?"
Shokrakar mumbled something under her breath, before adding "Of course, dear." Talkosti and William looked as if they might pop like a soap bubble.
The guard chuckled, nodding to his compatriot who was thumbing through a book titled Darktown's Deal. The man caught his gaze and nodded back. With a wave of his hand, the formation broke apart again and they were ushered through themselves.
As the four of them walked through the gates of Tantervale, into the wide, open air of the Free Marches, Shokrakar turned to her, glaring.
"The hell was that?!"
"That...was the funniest thing I've seen in years," William said, grinning.
"It was absurd!" Shokrakar growled.
"No doubt...but I have to say, a cup of tea does sound good right about now," Talkosti chuckled.
"With the steam coming out of Sho's ears, we could probably just tip her over and pour ourselves a full pot," William snickered.
That was enough to earn the man a swift kick on the rear end, courtesy of their tall, angry tea kettle. But it only seemed to make everyone laugh even more...even Shokrakar smiled. Agatha felt her spirits lifting as they walked down the road, away from the city walls.
Finally, she didn't look back.