The noble paid well, but I admit to having most of it spend on maintaining my armour and weapons, they needed some care after the mercenary battle. I also got that wooden staff I desired.

The entirely of Val Firmin was in chaos. Not the death and destruction chaos, but festival prep chaos. Ribbons of pastel colours were being hung across the streets. Banners too. A big pole was being prepared for the festival as well. Flowers were being delivered daily for the event. The festival was a spring celebration. Dancing, music and food where going to be everywhere. Kids would get an egg hunt and the country would be packed to the nines for young couples looking to get married. I had been so absorbed in my own little world, and the mildness of the winter, I didn't even notice that spring had arrived. This festival felt like it came out of nowhere. So much time and effort was being thrown into the event. This also meant that someone like be that did general labour around town had a lot of work to do. Franck Babineaux, a tall man golden skinned man with a birthmark that took up half his face, hired most of my time. He was a baker and needed help with a lot of heavy things, but also a lot needed to be made for the festival. I found out he also had an outrageous order for the mayor if the city as he was throwing a dinner party that night as well. So on top of needing to bake an outrageous amount for the festival he had a huge order for the mayor. Franck wasn't married and didn't have children so he was running a bit short staffed.

I was elbow deep in kneading bread dough today. It would be set aside to rise for baking tomorrow. Franck expected me to be in early long before sunrise to help with getting the oven set up for the day and hull massive bags of flour and sugar into the store. I admit that the Arcane warrior talents came in handy, I probably won't be able to lift one bag a day let alone multiple. Baking was honestly a mind numbing activity, I enjoyed not having to think for a period of time while I baked.

"Bastien, dear boy, decorate the cookies I have the dough." More and more Franck trusted me with decorating the baked good. It wasn't that hard. I looked at the way Franck had decorated the previous cookies. They were rather plain and only in solid colours.I thought it rather plain. I sighed and pulled out the icing tubes I wonder how mad Franck would be if I made them look like flowers.

Turns out the Franck wasn't mad at all and wanted to know how I did it, I showed him that a cut differently how you could shape the icing from the tube to look like a flower. He seemed super excited and started decorating other food with flowers.

The festival was well worth the effort. Kids laughter could be heard everywhere threw the day. Franck sold all of his baked goods by time mid afternoon. The poll dance had been wonderful to watch. Young women of the village participated in it with special white outfits and flower crowns. It was a beautiful dance to watch.

"Bastien, boy, you look like you have never been to a flower festival before." Franck gained my attention. I shrugged.

"I have attended festivals, but nothing like this." I had vague memories of festivals in my childhood. There was one every fall, I remember games and events and art and crops.

"Well, find yourself a flower and pin it to your chest. Lets the people around you know what you're looking for tonight." I lifted a brow at Franck. He just sighed. "Look, each colour means something. Red is romance with the opposite sex. Yellow is romance with the same sex, white is nothing. Of course there is also blue that you can use for just having sex." I floundered at this conversation and quickly found a white flower to pin to my shirt while Franck laughed. "You have disappointed half the town Bastien, you are the catch of the town you know." He walked away then.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" I shouted after him only getting a laugh in response.

As night fell over the festival the drink started to flow and dancing began in the town square. I enjoyed watching people dance and stuck to the edges of the dance floor. I snacked and drank some wine. I was forced to participate in a few line dances by Frank and a few of the other affirmed brothers and sisters of the chantry. A few people approached me before leaving before even asking me anything. Perhaps the power of the white flower was something I should have been appreciative for.

Time seemed to fly after the festival. Franck kept bringing me back to the bakery, I didn't mind the work and he liked the experiments I did with icing. It was fun work, and I got free bread that I shared with the chantry brothers and sisters. But tonight I needed to be L'orage.

L'orage had gained popularity here in Val Firmin. I didn't think a name would change much in his popularity, but it did. I couldn't help but think sarcastically that it was almost everyone had something they could find you with a name. I sighed and started humming a tune sitting at the part of the docks where people could find me as L'orage. Fall was just beginning and the breeze off the lake was cold cutting threw me, I wondered if this winter would be as mild as the last.

"L'orage." A nobleman came around a pile of crates. He had a group of bodyguards with him as was the custom for nobles. "I have a job for you." I jumped off my create and held out a hand waiting for the paper to be placed in my hands, it didn't take long for one of the nobleman's guards to place the paper in my hand. I broke open the seal and opened it. I took my time to read what was offered, and could feel my stomach twist in disgust as I read what this man wanted. I folded the letter and ripped it in half and then into tiny pieces and dumped them into the ocean.

"Monsieur, if you want to hire an assassin perhaps you should go to the House of Rapose. If you can't afford them perhaps the Antivan Crows." I had to grit my teeth to prevent myself from walking over and punching the man. Why would he think he could hire me for such work?! The noble squawked out commands to his guards to capture me. I turned and climbed the crates and made a quick escape as arrows were fired at me, I was a liability for him now. I huffed in annoyance. Nobles were so entitled, what possessed them to think out right murder was an okay method of gaining power. I needed a code, something short and simple. To the point. I would also need to leave Val Firmin, L'orage likely won't be able to find any more work in this town.

It took me some time to gather my things and make plans. I would have to leave the city on foot and loop my way back for morning to get on a boat to Val Royeaux. It was best if people also saw L'orage leaving too. He wasn't labeled as wanted not yet. I would like to keep it that way.

"So you intend to leave." Revered Mother Annette spoke from the entrance to the shared room of the affirmed. Stood up from my packing and smiled kindly at the Mother. She had been a gift from the maker in my time here. Granted no one asked the affirmed about their lives in exchanged for them to have quiet contemplation. I didn't stick to that as much as I should have but I did my share around the chantry. "I thought perhaps one day you would find a home here in Val Firmin." She took a seat on the bed that was mine during my stay here, I sat next to her. "I feel though that you are restless, and that you have something to do in your life yet that will not happen here." She took a deep breath. "Where ever you go Bastien, always know that the doors to the Chantry I am to run will always be open to you." That was a big promise. I didn't get the chance to thank her before she left the room.

I honestly was surprised at the number of people that came by the Chantry to see me off. Franck came by and gave me two loaves of bread for my journey. Many of the affirmed came by and gave me bits and bobs to remember them by, one even gave me a set of lock picks saying he didn't need it anymore and I might find a use for them. I sputtered at that one. Melanie, one of the templars, came by and handed me a symbol of the Chantry as an amulet, she said it was a gift from all the templars. I was surprised at this. I didn't think I had made an impression on any of the templars. The amulet looked like it was made of gold, aside from the armour for L'orage and weapons this was likely the most expensive thing I will ever own.

I had been telling the people of Val Firmin that I was going to Velun. I was going to walk and that worried many people but seeing as that I came back after trying to get family heirlooms from a bandit raid and came back unharmed they seemed to be at ease with me going alone. I had a plan to back track to Val Firmin during the night and as L'orage leave the city via boat.

I walked along the highway till nightfall. I walked off the road and made a little ball of light with magic. The trip back to Val Firmin would be much shorter, I intended to fade step my way back to the city walls and that would take me an hour at most. Magic was to convenient sometimes.

I sat on a ship dressed as L'orage waiting for dawn to arrive. This ship was going to Val Royeaux and the Captain was known for not asking questions. I got to watch the sunrise over the lake in an array bright warm colours splays over the water, it was peaceful.

The Captain was the first to arrive out of the ship's crew. He seemed startled to see me and even more so when I tossed him a sack of coins.

"Val'Royeaux, please." He just nodded. I walked on to the ship and hid below deck. I felt sick most of the trip to Val Royeaux. I actually had to make my way above deck and watch the endless horizon to ease the seasickness, not that I had gotten sick yet-I did not intend to ruin my dignity in such a way. I heard a boisterous laugh from my right. I turned my head only slightly to look at who it was that was laughing. The captain had a wide grin on his face as he walked over to me.

"I did not think that the famous L'orage of Val Firmin could be seasick!" I ignored him and turned back to face the lake. "Don't be making a mess of my ship yeah, gonna have to make you clean it!" At this, he laughed again while I just glared pointedly at him as he gave my back a good slap. I might have stumbled if not for the railing.

I had a lot of time to think on the boat. I needed a code and that was on my mind for the trip. It had been something I had been meaning to think about for a while, but life had proven to get in the way till now. I came up with three points. I couldn't say I was above stealing but there where a few things I needed to make clear. My number one was 'I shall not murder unless my life is forfeit and I see no other way out'. Number two was 'I will not aid in attempts at enslavement as no one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade should be prohibited in all their forms.' Number three I thought was a good place to stop with 'I shall not subject anyone to torture or to cruel or degrading treatment or punishment'. I thought all these things important. And thinking about this certainly kept my mind off the sea sickness.

After I got over my seasickness and the odd balance that was required to walk on a ship, the five-day trip to Val Royeaux wasn't that bad.