Chapter 2
"What was that… soup you made for supper last night?" Leliana couldn't help but ask.
Their little group was on their way to Lake Calenhad docks, their destination being the Circle Tower. It had been Alistair's suggestion to try and secure the help of the mages first, and seeing as it was the closest – Orzammar or the Brecilian Forest would take weeks instead of the mere two days to get to the Tower – it was the obvious choice.
And it had been the blond ex-templar to whom she directed her question.
"Ooh, that? That's a traditional Fereldan lamb and pea stew." She heard Sten's grunt from behind. Morrigan had decided to not react at all. Cousland, walking a few paces before them, shook his head. "Did you like it?"
Maker, he looks so hopeful. How can I disappoint him?
"Oh, so… it was lamb then? It had a certain…" She searched for the right words. "...texture I don't normally associate with lamb." There, that was gentle enough.
Alistair tilted his head to the side, giving her a curious look. "They didn't make lamb and pea stew for you in Lothering?"
It was still early in the morning, a few hours left to go till noon was upon them. A cool wind caressed Leliana's cheeks before rushing southwards, rustling leaves in its wake. Their surroundings were so serene, so beautiful, that she had a hard time believing a Blight was upon them. The fact that Lothering, a place she had considered home, was now probably nothing but ruins was also a hard thought to swallow.
But she tried to smile anyway.
"We ate simply there. Whole grains made into biscuits or bread, and vegetables from the garden, cooked slightly." She smiled softly at the memory. "But no heavy stews, I'm afraid."
The warrior gave her a rather sage nod. "Ah, so the last lamb you had was probably cooked Orlesian style. Food shouldn't be frilly and pretentious like that. Now here in Ferelden, we do things right," he said, displaying faux patriotism by bringing up balled fists to his chest. "We take our ingredients, throw them into the largest pot we can find, and cook them for as long as possible until everything is a uniform grey colour. As soon as it looks completely bland and unappetising, that's when I know it's done."
"You're having me on!" Leliana said incredulously, and mock punched his shoulder lightly when he began chuckling.
"You should eat in more Fereldan inns. You'll see what I mean."
"Do they all cook like you?" Leliana said teasingly in good humour. "That might colour my opinion of Fereldan inns."
To that, Alistair wagged his finger at her face. "You can't go straddling both Orlais and Ferelden, missy. You're in Ferelden now, so you're Fereldan. You have to take pride in such things." After a pause: "Tasteless stews included."
By then, the party had reached the docks by Lake Calenhad. It's so easy to lose myself in conversation.
On the horizon stood the Circle Tower: tall, proud and alone. "The view from the top must be spectacular," she remarked. "Have you ever been to the Tower, Alistair?"
"Not that I can recall," he said. "Unless they drugged me and brought me there unbeknownst to me. Then I can't say. Although you'd think I'd know if they did take me on an abducted expedition."
Morrigan was about to retort sharply, Leliana noted from the look on her face, but was interrupted by a templar blocking the way to the shoreline.
"You! You're not looking to cross the lake, are you? Because I have strict orders to not let anyone pass."
The man emphasised every other word, giving his station more importance than it probably held.
"We're Grey Wardens," Cousland said, stepping up to the interrogation. The man didn't talk much, if at all, so Leliana hung on his every word. "We're here to seek the assistance of the mages to fight the Blight."
"Oh so you're a Grey warden, are you?" Sceptical. "Prove it."
"I have these documents here," Alistair chimed in, elbowing past Cousland and handing over some papers.
"Oh? A Grey Warden seal, eh?" the Templar returned the documents, clearly unimpressed. "I have some papers too. They say I'm the Queen of Antiva. What do you make of that?"
Leliana giggled. "Aren't queens supposed to be female?" she asked before she could stop herself.
"Don't be questioning royalty!" the man readily replied.
"Is idiocy a prerequisite for being a templar, I wonder?" Morrigan asked mostly to herself, though she didn't get a reply from Alistair, who merely huffed.
"Anyway, it was nice chatting with you. I've one job, and one job only, and by the Maker's shiny gold cutlery, I will do it!" the templar said and then made a shooing motion with his hand. "Now on your way. Right now. Go."
"Look," Cousland said and took a step forward. Even from a single word Leliana could clearly see that the man had lost his patience. "What's your name?"
"Caroll. What's it to y-"
"Listen, Caroll. I'm sure we can work something out, eh?" Alistair suggested, shooting Cousland a nervous glance, as if ready to hold him back.
"Well, maybe... if you had forty sovereigns you're willing to part with... I know a girl in Wutherford and she'll only agree to see me if-er, never mind," Caroll said and cleared his throat. "Hmm. That redhead, there at the back. She doesn't need to go to the Circle, does she?" Leliana felt her eyebrows jump to her hairline at the implications. "Because it gets a little lonely here sometimes and, you know, you could leave her here with me-"
"What?" the redhead blurted out and blushed deeply when she felt every pair of eyes on her. Except perhaps Cousland's. "Err... no. I'm sorry, I'm a... poetess, yes, and I'm not interested in anything you have to offer."
I should have spoken more slowly.
"I've never met a poetess," Caroll said very agreeably, sounding happy even. "The other men tell stories about them. When the knight-commander isn't around, of course."
"He doesn't approve of such tales, I take it?" Alistair chuckled, apparently glad that Cousland hadn't punched Caroll's nose back into his brain.
"Fah. The stories sheltered Templars tell will pale in comparison to mine," Leliana grinned and looked at Caroll through half-lidded eyes. If she was going to be sexually objectified, she might as well give proper reason for it. "Would you like to hear my tales of debauchery and excess?" she asked in a semi-sultry voice.
"Yes! Please?" Caroll begged, wringing gauntleted hands together.
He looks like a puppy!
She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Sten walk past, a small bundle in his palm. He shoved the packet into the templar's chest. "You look peckish. Munch on these if you like."
"Oooh! Cookies!" Caroll exclaimed and began gulping down three at a time.
"At least that should shut him up," Morrigan commented sourly. Leliana, however, was curious.
"I am content to part with them if it saves us from this fool," Sten said to Caroll's face, mirroring Morrigan's opinion.
"Mmm. You shrcash my back and I scrash yoursh, yesh?" the templar said between chewing. Then he swallowed and sighed happily. "We can go across now, if you really want."
"Maker be praised," Alistair sighed. "Yes. Yes we would like that very much."
"Come along then."
As everybody fell into step behind Caroll, Leliana trotted up to Sten. "Where'd you get those cookies?"
"I relieved a child – a fat, slovenly thing – of these confections in the last village we passed. He didn't need any more."
She heard Alistair chuckle beside her. "You actually stole cookies from a child? Seriously?"
"For his own good," Sten said solemnly before stepping onto the boat.
Alistair went next, and helped Leliana onto the boat.
"Thank you," she smiled at him "Chivalry isn't all dead, I see."
"Oh you know me," he waved it off and sat himself down to man the rudder, as Sten and Cousland manned the oars. "Always trying my luck with the ladies. Can't let my hair do all the work, can I? Amazing as it is."
Morrigan had sat up front with Cousland's mabari. Leliana knew through conversation that she had not seen much of the world. Even the lake must be new for her. She smiled and sat across from Alistair. "Now you're a smooth talker."
"No, you're the smooth talker here. The way you handled Caroll? Brilliant! I wish I could do that," the man sighed dramatically as Caroll cast off the moorings and pushed the boat away from the jetty. Then he brightened. "But now that I have you all to myself, how about some tales of debauchery and excess? I'll even beg and plead like Caroll."
Leliana laughed aloud and tousled Alistair's hair. "Mais oui! Now this is among my favourites. It's about that cluster of stars, see?" she said and pointed, "Elindra and her soldier..."