Amaryllis felt a great ache in her chest as they entered the alienage. Though the people seemed well, clean, and far better off than those outside the city's walls, their squalid homes looked much the same. The still air of Lowtown smelled like the musty bottom of a chamberpot. Amaryllis had to fight the urge to cover her nose for fear of offending the bare-faced elves watching their arrival.
Upon seeing Merrill, their faces lit up. A man with shoulder-length hair and a stern expression approached her. When he spoke, he smiled widely in genuine happiness.
"Good day, Merrill," he nodded blankly towards Isabela, who grinned like a cat that got the cream. There was obviously a story behind that. "I see you've brought your friend again. Will you be leaving, then?"
"On dhea'him, lethal'lin," she said. "And yes, just for a few days. I'm going sailing!"
"No hello for me, Loren? Have you forgotten me already?"asked Isabela, batting her eyelashes. The elf, Loren, sneered.
"I wish you'd stay away long enough for me to forget," he grumbled under his breath then smiled again at Merrill who seemed not to have noticed the tension between her two friends. "I'll watch over your plants then, if you'd like."
"Oh, thank you, Loren, you're too kind. I would truly appreciate it."
"Not a problem." His cheeks flushed pink and he scratched at the side of his head bashfully. Amaryllis fought a snicker, clamping her lips shut to keep the sound back.
"I'll be back in just a few days." Merrill assured him. "Thank you again!"
The man quickly stalked off, taking position by the enormous tree in the center of the courtyard as he watched the group enter Merrill's home. Isabela snaked an arm around her friend's torso, giggling madly when the elf leaned into her. Loren could be heard hissing angrily behind them.
"Look at that sorry sack, he's positively fuming. Jealousy is an ugly emotion."
At the sister's confused looks Isabela shrugged and pressed a kiss against Merrill's cheek. The elf was so happy she seemed to be floating.
Ah, there it was, then. Amaryllis smiled. No wonder the two women had been delighted to see each other.
All four women pushed through the doorway into Merrill's home. The dusty wooden floor creaked softly beneath their feet.
Thankfully, there were no "thieving asses" to kick. The room before them was by no means large, but it was bigger than an travel, longer and taller than their tent, and it had Amaryllis's heart twisting as she remembered her family's house… it had been so long since then she could scarcely recall the color of the walls, what photos lined the stairway, or what door in the upstairs hallway was hers. She shook her head to disrupt her negative thoughts.
Everything in Merrill's home seemed to be a light brown, the color of dried mud. She squinted her eyes and it all seemed to blend together into a blob of tan, but it was warm, clean, and the air smelled of dried herbs.
"By the Dread Wolf! Why is my house always a mess when someone comes by? I usually keep it sparkling, I swear!" Merrill exclaimed. She quickly lit a lamp hanging above a rounded table in the corner of the room then began scouring her home for a bag to pack, muttering a list of necessities under her breath. Isabela took a seat at Merrill's desk and propped her boots on the surface, crossing her arms over her chest. Her breasts seemed as though they might pop through the laces of her dress at any moment.
Amaryllis was pulled from her staring by Ellana, who leaned in closely to whisper. "This place is horrible. These elves... Why would they continue to stay here? If Merrill's clan is close by, why wouldn't they join them?"
"Oh, the Dalish would never accept them," Merrill said from where she had popped up behind them, expression still open and joyful though the subject was anything but. "These elves are children of slaves and servants that have spent generations away from their clans. The Dalish view them as blood traitors. They call them flat-ears." She tilted her head to the side in blatant curiosity. "It's strange you did not know this already."
"I don't recall it ever being mentioned, and to be honest if it was, we probably weren't listening." Amaryllis said with a shrug, though both she and Ellana's faces had flushed pink with embarrassment and shame at the admission. "We've never lived near any cities either. Our clan keeps mostly to themselves, save for the few instances we came across other Dalish."
"You're quite lucky to be so untouched by others' prejudiced beliefs," the elf said, cinching her bag shut tightly. "To be able to think for yourselves and form your own opinions is not something to be taken for granted."
"Well said, Kitten," Isabela rose from her seat and came to Merrill's side to wrap her arm around her once more. The elf smiled dopily and leaned against her. "I've been dying to ask though, how did a human come to join the Dalish?"
"Oh, it's a very interesting story," Merrill exclaimed. "Maybe they can tell it again, on the way?"
"Good idea." The woman leaned over to blow out the lamp, casting them all into darkness.
Merrill squeaked and quickly made for the door, stumbling over her own feet. A hard thud - like the dropping of a stone - could be heard. The door suddenly sprung open, illuminating the elf who was rubbing at her forehead as she winced in pain. "I wish I wasn't so clumsy."
"It's all part of your charm." Isabela said, twisting around Merrill to hold the door open for the other two. She motioned with her head towards the courtyard and smiled. "Come along you two, I've got a ship to sail."
The weather had turned out to be quite perfect for sailing.
Though the wind was cold, biting to the point where Amaryllis felt the tip of her nose might turn blue and fall off, ice had yet to form along the water's edge and the wind actually provided them with such lift that Isabela was sure they'd arrive faster than they'd originally thought. There seemed to be no issue with their journey but Amaryllis was suffering from her own. She had become violently seasick and she was constantly gripped by terror, unable to stand or look at the open sea surrounding her. The memory of why had never left her, never turned fuzzy around the edges like birthday cakes and cuddles between her mother and father on the couch, or staring at the sky upon the ceiling of Akasha's room. It hadn't grown old, was still clear, distinct, and she couldn't shake the feeling of freezing water around her throat, choking her, filling her lungs until she was nothing but ice.
She turned to the railing and welcomed the distraction of her heaving gut.
After emptying her stomach for what felt like the hundredth time, Amaryllis sat back against the railings of the main deck and closed her eyes in the hopes of forgetting her entire existence until they next touched land.
Ellana slid to the floor beside her and wiped her sister's mouth with the corner of a cloth. "Are you alright?"
"I will be once I see land," Amaryllis muttered, resting her clammy forehead against Ellana's shoulder. "Did the captain say when we might arrive?"
"By morning at the earliest," Ellana pulled her hood up to block out the wind and nudged Amaryllis with her arm. "Come, Merrill said we could join them in the captain's quarters. It'll be dinner soon."
Amaryllis groaned. Her stomach clenched in protest at the thought of food. "No, I can't eat. I won't."
"You should at least eat some bread."
She shook her head in disagreement but stood when Ellana helped her. Together they took the stairs through a small doorway below the quarter deck leading down to the captain's cabin. The moment she entered the ship seemed to sway further to the side and Amaryllis lurched forward, grappling for the railing along the sides of the walls. Ellana sighed and put her arm around Amaryllis's middle to help her the rest of the way down. Eventually they found the doorway and she knocked a few times loudly, huffing impatiently when there was no answer.
For a moment nothing could be heard but the muted splash of waves above deck and wind whooshing past the entrance to the stairwell, until suddenly there was a sound from behind Isabela's door. Giggling, a whisper, the smacking of lips, and then a cut-off groan. Ellana quickly turned red.
"Let's just wait in the kitchen," she squeaked, turning on her heel and dragging Amaryllis along with her. They hadn't gotten very far when the door to Isabela's quarters clicked open.
She stood at the threshold watching them flee with a self-satisfied smirk, then sighed and spoke. "Come along you two, dinner is waiting." Isabela stepped out to hold the door open and motioned them inside with a commanding swing of her arm. The pirate looked the same as she had all day. There was no evidence of what Ellana had imagined to be going on behind closed doors. Merrill, however, was a different story.
The elf sat at a small table in the middle of the room which had obviously been set for dinner. Four bowls filled to the brim with stew sat before their chairs. There was a plate of butter upon the table, and a platter where there should have been bread. For some reason the bread was strewn upon the floor, Merrill's hair was mussed, her lips the same pink as her cheeks, and the pale tunic she wore was obviously backwards. The strings usually used to fasten the front were hanging over the back of her chair.
"Oh, hello," she said with a small, embarrassed wave of her hand. "I'm sorry, we were… sleeping. Lost track of time. Sorry!"
Isabela rolled her eyes and slammed the door shut behind them, sauntering over to the chair beside Merrill where she plopped down gracefully, crossing one leg over the other. Ellana dropped her sister in one chair then took a seat herself. Amaryllis tried to sit still, as if it would stop the sloshing in her stomach. It didn't.
"The stew is still warm," Merrill said cheerfully, taking a large bite. Her face burned a brighter red and she opened her mouth, sucking in air to cool the fire on her tongue. "It's hot! Hot!"
"Please be careful, Kitten," Isabela brought a cup of port to the elf's lips, encouraging her to gulp it down. "That mouth of yours is too valuable to lose."
Ellana snorted into her own cup, coughing so hard tears welled in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. It was Amaryllis's turn to pat her on the back.
The room grew quiet as they ate, save for the scraping of their spoons against their bowls. Amaryllis attempted a few small bites, but the brown sludge color of the stew had her pushing it towards Ellana before she could find the strength to vomit again. Eventually Isabela spoke.
"Where did you say you're going again?" She asked from behind her desk. Papers and ledgers were strewn across the surface, riddled with scribbles Amaryllis couldn't make out. She was beginning to feel better though she knew there would be no stomaching a meal, not until she stepped foot on land.
"The Temple of Sacred Ashes," she answered, murmuring a thanks to the cabin boy who had come by to clean up their dinner. He smiled bashfully and scuttled out at Isabela's amused chuckle. "Near a village called Haven."
"Haven," Isabela stood to lean against the edge of the desk, tapping a gloved finger against her pursed lips. "Why does it feel like I'm missing something important?"
Merrill popped up from the table suddenly and jumped for her bag. She dug around for a moment, pulled out a small book that was wrinkled severely from use, and flipped through the pages until she stopped. "Isn't that where Varric went with that angry woman?"
"Oh, I remember now," the pirate grinned lasciviously. "The Seeker, Cassandra. She had such lovely eyes." She said the last bit with a wink.
"She was very cross with him, and she didn't let him say goodbye." The elf pouted, then looked towards Ellana and Amaryllis who had been sitting quietly, listening. "He had to help her with something 'important,' he said. They left a few weeks ago. I hoped he would write but I haven't heard from him since."
"I would imagine he's busy annoying some poor sods in a tavern, or cheating in archery competitions, creating new stories for his damn books." Isabela shrugged. "But I know you miss the little man."
"He's only little because he's a dwarf," Merrill said. "And he always writes when he goes away. He knows I worry."
"I think it's the other way around, Kitten."
"You might run into him," the elf turned to the sisters. "Haven is only a village, not a city. You might see him. He's got yellow hair, and he's the only dwarf without a beard. If you see him, could you tell him to write to me?"
"Of course," Amaryllis agreed. "We'll keep our eyes peeled." At Merrill's worried expression she added, "I meant we'll look for him, Merrill. We've got to repay you somehow."
"Thank you," the black-haired elf came forward and gave the unsuspecting woman a hug. Amaryllis just blinked, unsure of what her reaction should be, but Merrill didn't seem to care. She ran a hand over Amaryllis's head, patting her mussed hair back in a soothing manner. "Thank you, lethal'lin."
Somehow Ellana and Amaryllis had found themselves in a bunk in a cabin further inside the hull. The back-and-forth of the sip lulled Amaryllis into a surprisingly restful, uneventful sleep.
They arrived in Jader not long after dawn. Merrill was barely able to convince Isabela to bring the ship to anchor at the port; she was wanting to go on a little adventure of her own while she still had time with her Kitten. When Amaryllis's feet finally touched solid ground again, she felt like weeping. She had never felt such unadulterated joy at the sight of dirt.
The walkway was quickly pulled back on deck. The wind seemed to pick up, causing the sails to shake and billow out, pulling the ship back towards sea. From the quarterdeck Merrill could be seen standing beside her beloved pirate, waving towards Ellana and Amaryllis, who stood beside the docks watching them go.
"Don't forget to find the dwarf!" Isabela cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice though she was more than loud enough on her own. Others turned to watch and see what the commotion was all about, but Amaryllis couldn't be bothered with embarrassment. Instead, she smiled.
"We won't! Goodbye, and thank you!" She yelled back.
Amaryllis waited just a moment longer, until she felt the ship was far enough away and Merrill was no longer waving, then turned to Ellana and slapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Now," she said with excitement, turning to face the busy path of the bustling Orlesian city before them. "Let's see about getting some breakfast. I'm starving."