Chapter Fourteen: A Noble's Hearth
At sunset, the sky turned its angry orange and we set out on the last leg of our long journey. All of us had changed into a new set of clothes, as we had no desire undo the good work that the 'Crowned Spring' had done for us.
Of course, one of us didn't have a spare set, and had to borrow from my assorted collection.
Inevitably, Julie was now fully dressed in the uniform of my world, complete with a jacket with all the symbols of Fraser's country and body armour. Her toolbelt had been replaced with combat webbing, on which she hung the rounded helmet off of one hip, and her weapons on the other. With her hair tied back into a ponytail, she probably wouldn't have looked too far out of place back home. Tam had also augmented her clothing with one of my t-shirts, which without the leather and cloth cross-wrapping underneath actually managed to reveal more of her body than before. The temperature had dropped off suddenly and sharply, so I didn't really blame her for making a practical choice there. Ciara donned a padded hunting outfit, which was quite a contrast to the linen serving clothes she had on before. Armen, inevitably, kept his robes with his numerous, well-hidden pouches.
To the eye of anyone in Hearth, I reckoned we might as well have dressed as aliens. I suppose we had, actually, given how strange we must have looked to the common person on the street. As a precautionary measure, I had everyone fitted out for armour again, doled out more ammunition for Julie's handcannon, and broke out the rest of the fragmentation grenades I had left.
Which might lead you to believe that I didn't have faith in Julie's plan. The opposite was the case. If I was going to play the foreign noble, then I had to look as foreign as possible, while playing to the commoner's idea of how a noble acts at the same time. Showing up in strange garb while possessing an overwhelming capability to kill was exactly the right move, both Julie and I agreed. Armen was less enthused, worried about provocation of the local authorities, but I dismissed his worries. If I was a noble, I couldn't hide it. If you've got it, flaunt it, as the old song goes.
It was all part of the scheme which Julie had dreamed up, which according to her, she had pieced together over the course of our entire escape and concerned everything we had to do.
The traffic of wagons and donkeys had disappeared an hour earlier, as expected. Without the benefits of technology, my understanding was that people had to rise with the sun and work until it went away. So we had the road to ourselves, for the most part. There were fires on the roadside where people had set up camp for the night, either too exhausted or too broke to proceed to the town. After an hour of travelling, sometimes with the help of my flashlight, we exited a particularly dense plantation of pear trees.
Hearth was revealed to us in the gloom.
The town was surrounded by a substantial defensive wall, punctuated with round-towers with high peaked roofs. I made a mental note to inspect these in the daytime. Big walls didn't necessarily impress me, as I had weapons that could bring them down, depending on where I struck and the construction itself. They were tall enough to require a siege tower to mount rather than ladders, at any rate. Torches moved along the top of the fortifications, tracing the positions of guards as they went about the business of keeping the people inside safe. The space between the wall and the farmland around the town was a couple of hundred yards, or in other words, an arrow's flight distance. So they could turn besiegers into pincushions with a clear line of sight. The walls ran right up to the river, which appeared on our left.
"By Andraste, it is good to be back," sighed Julie, looking up at the walls. She didn't look happy, just relieved. I wondered if I would feel the same, when I got back to Earth. It was a strange notion.
"Let's hope it stays that way," Tam added, "The hardest part is next."
"I hope the chevaliers are either asleep or too drunk..." said Julie, catching my full attention.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
Julie gave me a nervous glance, but didn't elaborate further. The feeling that I would be involved in some gratuitous violence struck me again, as we approached the gatehouse. I shifted in my seat, all the better for firing, and tightened my grip on my firelance. Noticeably so, apparently.
"Don't worry, we have your back," said Armen. The cliché words didn't reassure me in the slightest. Still, the man was trying. Ciara was beside him, not paying much attention to the conversation, directing her full gaze at the guards ahead.
Like the guards at Halamshiral, they were dressed in blue and had masks on, although their face-coverings were a dull red instead of polished metal. They had the same longswords that Duval's men had in great numbers, but no shields. Not that shields would have helped them much. There were only two of them on duty there, and if I had to guess, I would say they were bored. They slouched against the rock, chatting. I frowned at the lack of discipline. After all we had seen on the road, I had expected a great deal more wariness. Testament to my own professional mindset I guess, as their sloppiness was about to help us get by.
As I was in the middle of my mental disapproval of their readiness, the guards were startled as Tam rode up ahead of us and drew her sword. As planned. They went for theirs, but didn't draw before she spoke.
"Make way for the Most Honourable Marquis de la Fayette, Lord Samuel Hunt!" she shouted, mustering all of her authority. Which was considerable. She had been trained to exude authority since the age of twelve, after all. The guards' hands flinched away from their blades, and they looked for the 'most honourable' lord in question. I stood up on the wagon, helmet off and beret on, as they approached with lit torches smoking away.
One glimmer off the gold on my pins and beret, and the leader slapped his subordinate's chest into a short bow. I smirked at that, before quickly turning it into a warm smile for appearance's sake.
"Please, take these as a gratuity for your cooperation," I said, in Orlesian so I could hide my accent, "And for your inconvenience."
I tossed them two silver coins, which the leader caught awkwardly, hardly believing his luck. Julie had told me that was equivalent to somewhere between a week's and a month's worth of wages for them.
"Thank you, milord," he replied in common, "Will you be calling upon the baron? He will want to be informed of your arrival." I guess they weren't entirely incompetent, as they were directing the unknown noble to their own liege-lord for verification of my identity. After all, how many guards could recognise a real noble from a fake when they saw one? My respect for them inched upwards a little.
"Tell him I will be staying temporarily at the Marteau residence in the smith district," I replied, "And that I hope to meet him tomorrow to talk about purchasing some land."
The guards looked at each other quickly on the mention of Julie's surname. She had warned me about this, and had told me to hurry along once our purpose was made clear.
"Good night," I said, "I hope to meet you again." I wasn't sure that I kept a straight face when I spoke, but the guard seemed to accept it. I had only been informed of this particular duty a few hours before. I hadn't quite got my head around it.
We got waved on, through the gate and into the town itself.
"Thank the Maker," said Julie, once we were out of earshot of the gate.
"Told you I could pull it off," I joked. I got a soft punch in the arm for that, causing the wagon to swerve a little in the process.
"So... take us home," said Tam, not appreciating the irony of her words.
"Just follow this street," Julie replied to her, "We're going out of the gatehouse on the other side."
Tam nodded, and took Fritz forward, horse hooves knocking on the cobblestones loudly as they went ahead on the lookout.
The avenue itself was wide enough for two wagons to pass in a pinch, but without room for pedestrians. It was far less grand than that of Halamshiral, but far better than Gethran's Crossing or any of the other villages we had seen on the way. There was no street lighting, but the moons were both full that night, and having two moons makes the night very bright indeed. There were also little lights in windows, as well as the peeking of fireplaces out of doorways. By my watch, it was only about twenty-one hundred hours. People were still awake but paying passers-by no heed at all. The sounds of people talking leaked out of every small tavern and family home, and the smell of the street was greatly moderated by the smell of food and burning wood.
It felt safer than Halamshiral too, despite the similarity of the winding streets. Whether it was the expectation built up or the size of the town itself, it was far less imposing in many ways. Less guards to bother me, yet enough to fend off the dangers of the countryside. Less people to barter and trade with, but enough to get to know. Most importantly, it was the journey's end. As far as I hoped I would need to travel, and a clear landmark for anyone of my world looking to find me.
We passed the empty central square and marketplace, a space flanked on all sides by more salubrious buildings, through another avenue until we reached Tam. She was waiting at the next gatehouse, which was darkened with the gate open and no guards. Julie brought the wagon to a halt beside her.
"Trouble?" she asked.
"There are no guards," the Qunari reported, "Why?"
"They patrol the palisade on the other side," Julie replied, "There are archers in the towers above though, so try not to look suspicious." It would be some feat for Tam to avoid suspicion, given who she was, but we proceeded anyway.
On the other side of the gate, outside the walls again, was another large collection of buildings. They were lower than those inside and had large yards, usually including some form of large equipment. This was the smithy district, I realised. Somewhat of a deceptive name too, as I saw potters and butchers too. I later learned that any business using significant fires had to be outside the walls for safety reasons, with potters using kilns, smiths using forges and butchers smoking their meat. Almost all of the manufacturing was done nearby. The smiths dominated however, which is why the area was named after them.
At the end of the street, I could see a wooden wall, complete with spikes on top to deter climbers. Cutting through it, another gate where the night watchmen were passing the time with a few drinks. Which was recklessness that pissed me off a little.
Thankfully, we didn't need to talk to them, as we shortly pulled into a courtyard between two buildings, one square shaped with a huge chimney and another horse-shoe shaped one. Tam swung Fritz in first on Julie's order, circling around and looking through open windows for any sign of life. She quickly reported to us that there didn't seem to be anyone in.
Julie, Armen and Ciara jumped off the wagon, while I covered the entrance from the top of it. The former went straight for the forge building, undid several chains barring the door and opened it.
"How odd," said Julie after she had a very brief look inside.
"What's wrong?" asked Ciara, "Are all your things missing?"
"No, everything is still there," Julie said in confusion, "I thought I would come home to find myself robbed blind."
Something smashed inside the house, like pottery or thick glass. We all turned our heads towards the windows, trying to spot movement. I saw nothing.
"Tam, ditch the bow and come with me," I said, falling into my usual mindset when I perceived danger, "Rest of you, spread out and make sure no one escapes."
The others complied, which I was very glad to see. We were working better as a team with every incident. Tam placed her bow on the wagon's bench, as I pulled my mace off my belt. No need to draw attention with gunfire, I thought. Not this early in the game. Tam drew her own sword, a weapon I remember considering a "crusader" type as she palmed it. If it was back on Earth. Very appropriate.
We approached the nearest door, and I tried the cast-iron handle. It was unlocked. I grabbed a flashlight in my spare hand. With mace and sword ready, we two most physically imposing members of our group entered the house in deathly quiet. My heart was pumping hard, not sure what monstrosity or evil prick we would find in the dark. When we were both inside on either side of the door, I depressed the activation button on the device with trepidation. White light streamed out.
The scene was a shambles.
The room was a kitchen, complete with cupboards and a sink, though it lacked the plumbing I was familiar with. The stone floor was wet and covered with shards of a large pottery container, which explained the noise we had heard. Alongside the shards was a candle in a holder, the wick smoking gently. A large table dominated the room, where the culprit lay splayed out, breathing quietly on her stomach as she slept, red hair obscuring her face.
My first instinct was that it was a child.
"You've got to be kidding me," I said, putting away my mace again, "Children go around empty buildings, getting drunk?" The notion actually sounded less ridiculous to me once I actually said it, considering the lengths my own people had to go to in order to prevent the same thing. Tam shook her head with a smile on her face.
"You really aren't from Thedas," she said loudly, half laughing. Still, Sleeping Beauty remained just the way she was.
"Oh, ha ha, you guys have more fun, is it?" I said indignantly, pointing at the body, "Going on a binge at her age is dangerous." Not like me to play the moral crusader, but damn it if some things just go over the line. My own drinking was hardly abstemious.
"I think you need to look again," said Tam, her warm smile on now.
I approached the table, and examined its occupant. My mistake was immediately obvious. It was an adult dwarf, and definitely of the female variety. She was dressed in some sort of leather padding that opened near her neckline. I frowned and turned to find Tam's smile had expanded.
"I can't believe the first dwarf I'm going to meet is unconscious, drunk, and asleep on a table," I said flatly.
"Better than one trying to kill you," assured Tam through her amusement, which succeeded in raising my spirits a little, "Though I'd make quick work of this one." Always throw in a mild death threat there Tam, don't let anyone stop you. Tam in action was a thing of art.
I scratched my head, figuring out what I wanted to do. The sleeping woman looked very comfortable, and didn't strike me as a burglar. On the other hand, having a random stranger wake up as we unloaded the Earth weapons and electronics seemed stupid beyond reason. So, with a snort of amusement on my own part, I made a decision.
"Go get the others," I said to Tam, "Bring a bucket of water."
"She looks so peaceful like this," remarked Julie, hand on chin as she inspected the intruder in the candlelight. We had to light the place up more naturally, as the flashlight wasn't great for filling a whole room with illumination. The battery was limited in power too, which I had begun worrying about. The entire troop was arranged in a circle around the table, as the dwarf continued to sleep comfortably. Just watching, wondering who she was.
"You know her?" asked Armen, smirking, "She's... an interesting one."
"Of course I know her, or I would have already thrown her into the street," said Julie, hand going to her hip, "What she's doing in here, I don't know."
"Is she a friend?" asked Ciara, hopefully.
Julie grimaced for a moment, thinking about how to put it right. I braced myself, knowing that look and knowing it was going to be good.
"How can I say this... She is a colossal bitch," Julie continued, with a wave of her wrist, "But she's my colossal bitch." Ciara looked like she had eaten something sour, as Julie ran her fingers through her hair, probably wondering if she had said it right. I let out a small heh, quite satisfied by the response myself. I knew exactly the sort of person she meant.
"What does that mean?" asked Tam, eyebrow raised.
"She's a business partner that I trust," said Julie, "We have a lot in common." Which I knew better than to probe into.
"Well then..." said Armen, "Who will do the honours?"
"Oh, it's not going to be me," said Julie, hands held up, "I have a business to protect."
"Waking her with a bucket of water is a threat to your business?" I asked.
"Certainly," Julie replied.
My eyes widened at that. "You're right, she is a colossal bitch," I said. Who breaks into their arrested friend-slash-business partner's house, gets drunk and falls asleep on the table. That bitch, I guess.
"I'll do it," said Tam, "If she tries to punish me, she'll regret it." A promise I could believe in, to say the least. Tam having two feet on the dwarf, and probably a great deal more experience opening people up with sharp objects. Or so we thought. I picked up the bucket, and gingerly handed it to Tam, who happened to be standing closest to the target's head.
The Qunari turned the bucket over, and water washed over the table in a brief torrent. The dwarf jumped up as if receiving a shock to the backside, rolling into a sitting position and blowing dripping water out of her face. Her breathing was heavy, the water must have been pretty cold. As a final insult, Tam placed the bucket over the victim's head, and crossed her arms. We broke out laughing loudly.
"My lords and ladies, may I present the lovely Leha Cadas," said Julie, in a stage-play announcer's voice. The dwarf grumbled loudly from the bucket, before lifting it up so she could see who was mocking her. With a scowl on her face. She eventually tossed the bucket away, with a little more force than was required, and rubbed some more water out of her face.
"You're alive," said Leha, "Well, that's something."
My jaw dropped. Everyone and their dog had been right. The woman's accent was so close to my own that could have passed for a local back home. All the talk about my accent sounding dwarfish was merited. But that just brought up more questions... how did that come to be? I added it to the pile of questions along similar lines, like how do Orlesians speak French...
"That's all you have to say?" asked Julie, "I thought you'd be more surprised. Don't you want to hear about my daring escape?"
"Right after I kill the person who woke me up with a bucket of water," Leha declared, standing up on the table. She started cracking her knuckles, eyeing Armen and Ciara. Who she perceived as easy targets, because they were smaller. I would have liked to see the result of that, personally, but the bout was stopped before it could begin.
"Good luck," Julie snorted, pointing behind her friend. Leha turned to find Tam staring at her, hand on curved dagger, her smile turned just as curvy with the addition of bared teeth. Clear anticipation of a fight. They had a staring contest for a little moment, tension hanging in the air as Leha decided whether or not to strike. That is, until the Qunari spoke, her features relaxing with a particular realisation.
"Actually, it was his idea," said Tam, stabbing a finger towards me. I gave her a pleading look, to not make my plight worse, but she just found that amusing and it was too late. The dwarf's attention rolled over to me, and she looked me over. I tilted my head, trying to get a gauge on her thinking, but I couldn't read her. She hid her feelings well, when she wanted to. She was a merchant, I guessed.
"So, you're the one who decided this was a good idea," Leha said, holding up her dripping sleeves outwards, "Too bad for you, I hold grudges." Whoopty-doo, I hold weapons that can mow down whole armies. I almost said it out loud, but caught myself with a grin before I gave away anything.
"Easy, Leha," said Julie, trying to soothe her, "They're friendly."
"I was having a great dream, I'll have you know!" Leha snapped, "You could have waited until morning."
"No, we couldn't," said Tam firmly. Which was right. The dwarf was uninitiated into the secret of my existence, and I had no intention of explaining to anyone else. I hadn't even intended to explain to Ciara, but Armen has a big mouth. Or likes pillow talk a little too much.
"Who's the Qunari?" asked Leha, "Matter of fact, who are all these people?!"
"She's my mistress," said Julie, with more than a little pride. Leha's gaze returned to the silver-haired giantess, with a new atmosphere about it. A lecherous one.
"I thought you were lying about that," she said, running her eyes lengthwise down Tam's person, "Thought you were using it as an excuse to go about the countryside for fun, and avoid the suitors." Bullseye, I thought.
"Well, things have developed since then," said Julie awkwardly, not exactly denying the lie.
"Which means these ones, I guess," said Leha, "A mage, a Dalish she-elf, and a... Fereldan noble?" Her eyes searched me this time, not assessing me as a sexual object, but rather trying to work out what my deal was. Ì narrowed my eyes at her, which did not deter her to my annoyance.
"Leha... this is my betrothed," Julie said, clearly a little embarrassed, "Sam Hunt, the Marquis de la Fayette." I still wonder if she was being shy for dramatic effect or not. I hadn't learned her tells at this point.
The dwarf's eyes flickered about with confusion, moving between Tam, Julie and I. She scratched her head too, practically spinning on the spot. I supposed if I learned that my best friend had come home from gaol with a much-talked about mistress AND a fiancé, I'd be confused too. I had to say something. If this was a friend of Julie's, we'd be seeing more of her.
"It's alright, I'm not a complete bastard," I said cheerily, "Even for a noble." Which was all I could say, given how outraged she was that I had soaked her to the skin. Well, Tam had, on my order.
Leha's eyes widened upon hearing me speak.
"You sound like you're from the deeps near Orzammar!" she said, "What is going on!"
"It is a lot to take in," joked Armen, "Try not to hurt yourself."
"And you! Shouldn't you be locked up in some tower somewhere?!" she said, pointing at the mage. She was still drunk, I finally realised. The mage didn't take kindly to that remark, however.
"Shouldn't you be underground in some damp cave?" Armen rebuked, tip of his staff sparking ever so slightly, "Or perhaps we're both seeking more than the stereotypes provide."
Leha's jaw chewed for a moment, angry but not sure what to say to that. Or perhaps it was the threat of a lightning attack. After all, she had suggested that he should be imprisoned. This woman spoke her mind a little too easily, and it was far from nice thoughts. Though the shock of our arrival, Julie's freedom and an ice-cold bucket of water probably had a lot to do with it.
"Not a very nice way to treat a guest..." said Ciara, "In someone else's home."
"Yes, speaking of that," said Julie, leaning forward, "What in the name of Andraste are you doing here?"
Leha's anger disappeared in a flash, which intrigued me, as her face turned to a neutral pose.
"You were imprisoned, not likely to come back after you slapped the chevalier around a bit," Leha said, "As your supplier, I took it upon myself to take control of your assets and find a suitable replacement as mastersmith so I could continue to trade."
So she moved in as soon as she thought Julie wasn't going to come back, for her own benefit. Lovely. Julie herself didn't seem to mind though, as if she expected it. Perhaps she even had it arranged like that.
"And that leads to you being drunk and asleep on my kitchen table... how exactly?" she asked, laughter creeping into her voice as she spoke.
"It hasn't gone well," said Leha, "None of the other smiths want to use the place, or associate with me, because of the whole hidden gold thing. Your apprentices are out looking for new work too, so I lost them. Oh, and the baron is disputing my right to hold the property for you." The hidden gold thing of course meant hidden income, the taxes on which they hadn't paid up. I began to suspect that scheme was Leha's idea. Not that Julie was incapable of such deception, but she had less malice in her.
"And..." said Julie.
"And I missed you," added Leha quickly, crossing her arms, "By the Stone, you are stubborn one."
Julie smiled, and embraced the drunken, soaked dwarf for a moment. I felt better about things, upon seeing that. They were close, it was obvious. The dwarf even permitted herself a small smile, before returning to her sullen stoicism.
"Isn't that nice?" said Ciara cheerily, "It is good to have friends you can depend on." Regardless of her skills with a dagger or bow, count on Ciara to see some positives. Both Julie and Leha stared at her like she was mad though.
"Depend on her to drink up all my ale," said Julie, "I presume the food is either eaten or gone off."
"Nothing but hard bread left, sorry," said Leha, "Mostly due to spoiling. Didn't have time to buy more." Julie sighed, and shook her head. There was some conversation about what had happened in her absence, stuff I didn't really understand. Incidentally, having no refrigeration sucks. Thank the Maker for ice mages, and mages in general. Living industrial shortcuts that they are. They also appreciate liberty as a political ideal a lot more than most. Or at least, southern ones do. I guess I'm biased, because they can't hurt me.
"Well, we can talk about how I got back in the morning," Julie said, "Go home, get ready for work. We've got a lot to do, and I could use your help."
"Profitable work, I hope," Leha complained.
"Very," I replied, knowing the plan could set us up for life. Even if I thought we wouldn't be waiting that long.
Leha jumped off the table and landed surprisingly easy, for a drunk lady, and walked off in the direction of the door we had entered by. I was about to breath a sigh of relief, when she stopped dead and turned around again.
"By the way, your sisters will be glad to see you are alive," the dwarf said, "Visit them tomorrow."
"I was planning to," said Julie, "When Lord Hunt is visiting the Baron."
Leha let out a laugh at that, which didn't help my nerves. Nor did the reference to me as "lord" anything. "That'll be an interesting conversation," she said, then left.
I turned to Julie.
"Why will it be interesting exactly?" I asked, "Beyond the obvious deception I'll have to play." More convenient details were missing, I knew. Though trying to get them was almost pointless.
"It's... complicated," said Julie, "Just be you, and there won't be any problems."
I wondered if there was an implication that I was to simply blast the man's head from his shoulders. If he made some absurd threat or exposed me, which seemed likely, it would have been the only course of action. I guess she meant I should act natural, though now I am tempted to believe she was flattering me. I determined to do my best not to upset him anyway, because it was her asking. I hoped he was more like Duval than Goldie or Red Mask, the irony of which is substantial.
"By the way," Armen interrupted, "Sisters?"
"I have two younger half-sisters," Julie explained, "They have families of their own, too busy to worry about me too much." I realised that I'd be meeting the sisters soon enough, if the cover was to be maintained. I had mixed feelings on the subject.
"I guess they're not blacksmiths," Tam said, taking a chair.
Julie laughed. "In spite their father's name, they would just hurt themselves if they tried to be." I could only imagine what that meant.
We spent a couple of hours unloading the wagon, putting the equipment in Julie's basement. Most of it, anyway, the electronics and lights we kept upstairs as we expected to use them. Armen's magic helped a great deal, as he levitated several of the heavier items away. When I asked him why he hadn't done this at the crash-site, he responded that he had been afraid to. Something about drawing undue attention around the Fade-touched helicopter wreck. Which was a satisfactory response, given that I had actually seen demons and had no desire to meet more of them. The books we put into Julie's room, to join a small collection of tomes she already had.
Julie's home was actually fairly big, easily big enough for the five of us. Which of course it was. Her step-father, mother, two step sisters and Julie herself all must have lived here together at some point. That wasn't counting her apprentices either, whom often had to stay there I reckoned. There were three bedrooms on the top floor, and a guest room on one of the ends of the curved building. I would have been satisfied with it entirely, modern conveniences aside, if it wasn't for the image I was trying to create. I very much doubted that any nobleperson, except perhaps the military diehards, would have found the place acceptable in any way. It's not that it was dirty or small or badly constructed, it was just... common. It was in a commoner neighbourhood, "middle-class" as we would put it back home, built from common materials rather than smooth, pretty stone, and the smells of industry surrounded it on all sides rather than incense. I regretted that we couldn't stay there for the plan to work.
After a small meal with the remaining cooked nug and the very last of my rations, we went to sleep. Ciara and Armen went away into a comfortable bedroom on their own early on, leaving the rest of us to decide on quarters. We considered splitting up into the remaining rooms. Briefly. In the end, Julie wouldn't hear of it. Her bed was massive to begin with, why would we end our association so quickly? Or so went her logic. I was far from unhappy about the situation. Tam was positively gleeful to be sleeping 'in commune' again.
All three of us collapsed onto Julie's bed exhausted, barely undressed, and fell asleep immediately after getting comfortable. It was Tam's turn in the middle, which I have to say was very agreeable.
Julie and I woke up before her, to the sound of people beginning to work. Metal striking metal, hooves outside, that sort of thing. At six damned o'clock in the morning. I could have killed the workers for that. We both went out into the yard, still half-dressed, though both of us had our handcannons. Julie went to get a bucket of water from a well, while I brushed my teeth with some of the water we already had. Which nearly caused Julie to drop her bucket when she saw.
"What are you doing?" she asked, "Why are you foaming at the mouth?"
I removed my toothbrush from my mouth and stood up over the pale I was using to spit. I thought she had already seen me do this, so I was surprised.
"I'm cleaning my teeth," I said, "Don't you?"
"I don't look like I have rabies when I do," frowned Julie, approaching, "And what is that smell?"
"Mint," I replied, "It's the flavour of the toothpaste."
Julie sniffed a little more, and tilted her head, thinking about something. She rushed off into the house and returned with a wooden container. She opened it and held it out to me. I must have looked at her like she was on something, as she rolled her eyes promptly.
"Smell it," she said.
I did as I was commanded. It was mint, or something very close. "So you chew this?" I asked, getting the drift of what she was trying to show.
"More or less," said Julie, "This is elfroot. It has many healing and cure properties."
"Mint?" I asked, "As far as I know, it just tastes good." Not being a herbalist or alchemist, I didn't really understand why it was used for this purpose.
"Elfroot, and it heals because of a connection to the Fade," said Julie, "I was wondering if it would have a reaction, but it seems not." I grumbled. More Fade shenanigans I could do without. Of course, the properties of elfroot are many and not entirely magical. It is surprisingly effective against microbes, as an anti-inflammatory and makes a hell of an ice-cream flavour. Julie chuckled a little, and I got a warm kiss to pacify me. Which I returned on her neck, teasing.
"So, am I going to hear about your sisters or do I have to wait for another campfire drinking session?" I asked. She shrugged.
"There's not much to say, really. Their names are Élodie and Claire," Julie said, dipping a cloth into the bucket and rubbing her face with it, "My mother remarried after coming here, and had two more daughters. She died giving birth to Claire, and we were all raised by my step-father. They both grew up as normal as could be and got married. I love them both very much, but they are quite busy in their own homes." I was tempted to laugh in pity at her step-father's plight, raising three girls on his own. Couldn't have been easy. It wouldn't have been on Earth.
"How old are they? Do they have kids?" I asked, "Actually... how old are you?" It seemed like a delicate question, but she didn't seem to mind. Quite the contrary.
"Élodie is twenty, and Claire is eighteen. I am twenty-five," Julie said, seemingly happy I wanted to know, "Élodie is pregnant, though it is still early. I wish my step-father could see her now. He died in a siege in Emprise two years ago, during a dispute between our baron and a neighbour." There was pride in her voice like I had never heard before. Without a mother, she would have had to help raise her siblings. That was the source of it, I knew. I would hear such a thing again.
"Are they both as beautiful as you?" I asked, trying to flatter her so the conversation wouldn't get too serious. She laughed at my attempt.
"Even more beautiful, but don't get ideas," joked Julie, "However, I'm the useful one."
"They're useless?" I asked.
"Oh, absolutely," Julie continued, "When they were young, I had to do everything for them."
"You spoiled them," I said flatly.
Julie feigned shock, opening her mouth and giving me a slap on the shoulder. "I did not," she said, "Although I am being harsh. They both work hard."
We finished cleaning up as the sun rose and shone into the place. I managed to shave, thankfully, so I was back to a suitable state for meeting people of importance. The others awoke soon afterwards. Armen and Ciara both had bed hair as they came out, a sprig of black and blonde hair out of place on opposite sides of their heads. They had been sleeping face-to-face, producing the amusing hair sync. Tam on the other hand entered the yard in perfect order; hair combed, sand-colour uniform on, and weapons on her back and hip. They joined us in the middle of the yard, and we exchanged good mornings.
"So, today's the day," yawned Armen, "Are you ready?" He was addressing me, and I would have rather not thought about it.
"No problem," I lied.
"I'm sure you'll do fine," Ciara assured me, "After all, this has to be easier than fighting." That wasn't strictly true, not with my arsenal, but I suppose it carried less risk as long as I didn't overplay my hand.
"You better get dressed," said Tam to Julie and I, "If we keep this... Baron waiting, he won't like it." Men in charge rarely like being kept waiting, that's for sure. Women in charge, even less so, actually. We nodded to her, and went back upstairs to change without another word.
I dressed as formally as possible. I made sure there was no dirt in my rank insignia or on the symbols of my world, that the golden icon on my beret was polished, that my boots weren't out of order. Clean clothes, armour, bayonet, combat webbing, ammunition, grenades, mace and kite shield, handcannon, firelance. I layered myself to intimidate, both with my weapons and my person. It was a trick I had to pull before, talking to tribal leaders and UN diplomatic pukes alike. I was very pleased with myself when I checked the over-polished metal that served as a mirror.
Julie was taking longer, and the reason was that she had opted for a dress instead of her work clothes or the uniform I had given her. I questioned this as soon as I was done with myself, but it was a very elegant thing. It was a deep red, a dark scarlet through and through, with a reasonably wide bottom like you would expect of a dress before the development of the fashion industry.
"I'm supposed to be newly-betrothed," said Julie, "You know, happy and celebrating it? My sisters might wonder what I'm thinking if I don't show up like this. This is Orlais, remember?" As you can tell, Julie might have been a commoner, but she was no peasant either. There is a word on Earth, bourgeois, that applies. It explains a lot of what happened later, that particular fact. Peasants don't tend to be the ones to rock boats, they're too busy working to survive.
"Whatever that means," I said, "Why aren't you coming with me to meet the Baron anyway?"
"Trust me, you do not want me there when you meet him," Julie said forcefully, as she struggled to do the strings up on her back. I went over to her and helped, not able to watch her fight them any longer. Once that was done, I put my hands on her hips from behind, and she put her hands over mine.
"The baron is a good man," Julie continued, "But I am not sure how he will react to this."
"To what?" I asked.
"To the face of our deception," she said, slapping my hands away from her stomach, "Anyway, go wait in the courtyard."
"Yes, Your Majesty," I joked, and left the room.
When I exited the house, Tam was inspecting a newly washed Ciara while Armen looked on, enjoying the spectacle. The horses were watching too, while they ate. Yet another moment where I had to stop and appreciate that while she was an efficient killer, Tam had also been raised from childhood to be a surrogate mother. Ciara was still young enough to trigger her training. Armen probably was too, but he was a mage, so no doting over him. Still, Ciara didn't seem to mind too much.
I sat down on a bench outside, and Tam stopped her fussing to join me. Allowing Armen to move in and make a joke, which sent Ciara giggling loudly. They were an interesting pair, I thought. I was happy for the mage though. He had been through a lot, I knew, and there was more to come. Not sure if I felt the same for Ciara, I didn't see her as prepared for the trouble.
"Where is Julie?" asked Tam, rubbing her hands together.
"Getting dressed," I replied, "How are you feeling?"
"Like I can breath again," she said, stretching out, "Sleeping a lot better than I was before, thanks to you two."
"Happy to hear it," I said.
Tam's eyes went a bit glassy as they regarded me. Before I could wonder why, she leaned in and kissed me. It was not a modest one either. She grabbed my face lightly to hold me in place with one hand, while the other lay on my chest. We got closer, ignoring a hoot from Armen. If only the Qunari kissed more often, they'd win more followers.
She tasted like elfroot.
After a minute, Armen's amusement turned to warnings, and we separated to see what he was trying to say to us. I think we both would have liked to dunk him head first into a bucket, if it wasn't for the figure standing in the way. Someone I did not expect to see until at least the afternoon.
"Enjoying yourselves?" said Leha, "Because I'm going to enjoy this tale." She was wearing linen now rather than the leather of the previous night, a pendant of some sort in silver, but kept the same boots she had escaped the kitchen in.
I was rendered mute by her words. The dwarf's presence was unwelcome, particularly when I was about to set out to deal with someone who was likely as annoying as she was. While our fellow lover was well aware of the attraction between Tam and I, I didn't really know how she would feel about her being left out of this sort of thing. I needn't have worried.
"She knows," said Tam bluntly, "I asked her."
Now it was Leha who joined me in being surprised. I wouldn't have broached that topic in a million years, as it seemed too complicated to me. I had believed the whole thing was natural, but it was not. Tam was not shy about the subject in the slightest, and neither was Julie. They had come to arrangement, leaving little old me out deliberately. I could live with that. The dwarf didn't look like she believed it, but I certainly did. The intruder's rude reappearance was grating my nerves though. I stood up, and she backed off a little. Which was gratifying.
"So, what brings you here?" I asked politely, making sure it was perfectly evident that I wanted an answer quickly. With a little brush of my hand across the pommel of my mace.
"Oh, right," Leha said in a rush, "Listen, you don't have much time..."
As you can expect by this point of this tome, her voice was drowned out. Shouting and horse hooves filled our ears from the street. I panicked. Tam and I drew our weapons, and moved quickly to cover the entrance. Armen spun his staff around, electricity arcing around it, preparing to discharge as much power as he could gather. The selector on my firelance clicked to automatic, and I waited for a target.
Around the corner rode five men on horseback, followed by about twice that number of footmen. Those behind the lead rider were guards. Dull-red masks that doubled as helmets, chainmail covered with blue cloth emblazoned in bright yellow with a tree and a mountain, longswords for the footmen and spears for those on horses. Their leader was much better equipped, wearing partial plate armour on his shoulders and upper torso. His mask was a brighter, enamelled red and encrusted with black pearls along its edge, and he had a sabre-like weapon by his side with a gold-rimmed scabbard. He was on a large white horse, with its own barding.
I thought of two things as I watched them assemble on the threshold of the property. The first that this number of men was no real threat, which caused me to relax a little. There might not even be any need to spill blood. The second thought was of a strange irony; Julie had probably made some of the things these men and women were carrying.
"You are the Marquis de la Fayette?" asked the leader in surprise. I could hardly blame him. I was in full Earth-panoply. So was Tam. He hesitated at the sight of us, perhaps more so than I had anticipated. He had a deep timbre to his voice, but his accent had wavered with the question. I stepped forward, slinging my firelance again, and stood as tall as I could. How I thought a noble should stand.
"Lord Samuel Hunt, Marquis de la Fayette," I said clearly, "And to whom am I speaking?" Laying it on with a shovel is surprisingly effective when talking to people who expect it. Especially in Orlais. He seemed to appreciate the respectful tone.
"Baron Pierre des Arbes, the Lord of Hearth," he replied through his mask, "Where is Julie Marteau?"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, proceeding quickly. To be honest, I was expecting to write the full encounter in this chapter, but it turned out more words than I had originally planned, so cliffhanger time. On both the encounter and the rest of Ms. Marteau's plan.
Enclave93: Yes, they will meet Varric and yes, they will join the Inquisition.
5 Coloured Walker: Here's more. I haven't played Trespasser myself, but I got spoiled on it, so I just watched a few playthroughs. I was not happy when it was spoiled for me.
Ww1990ww: He doesn't say America is the best. Sam won't industrialise anything. He's a peacekeeper and a soldier, not an engineer or scientist. At best, he knows about war and politics. How weapons and some civil engineering work, how societies work, you're not going to see steam engine trains or things like that. Not because I believe those things are impossible to make in a few years, they are because magic, but because of his fear of advancing technology more quickly than political ideas. He's looking to avoid industrialised war and mass murder.
I also promise that Sam will not try to change the political structure of Thedas.
Ripper1337: That's what I was going for. Also, sort of a riposte to the tons of Self-Insert fics that have people going to Thedas with knowledge of how things are going to turn out. Sam hasn't got a clue.
SleepiPanda: Thanks!