High end Orlisan fashion was horrible. The clothes were stiff and hard to move in, the pants were tight in all the wrong places and I had to constantly worry about my small clothes giving me a wedgie. I honestly would have preferred being in a full templar suit of armor then these clothes. The pants were far too tight. I mean, I wore leather pants as L'orage but this was just stupid. It cupped all the wrong places. I huffed in annoyance as I squirmed in discomfort. My teacher, Jaque Garcon, gave me a nasty glare. I had been working under the man for eight months, but he seemed to think it was the time I learned the ways of the Orlesian court. Jaque had been commissioned to make a portrait of the new empress. So, of course, the two of us were to dress in our best clothes of the newest fashions. So in return to his nasty glare, I glared back. I was going to so change into my worn soft leather pants the first chance I got. I don't care if the Orlesian nobles gave me glares of doom, their opinions meant nothing to me. I honestly would dare to set a new trend then remain in these suffocating things they dared to call pants.

"Stop squirming, there is nothing wrong with the clothes your wearing, boy." Jaque was and old man. His gray hair was thinning and gray, his eyes were small and sharp. I glared at him again. We hated each other for the most part. I appeared as a young lad with a passion for freedom and art as I saw fit. He saw art was merely something to please the nobles of Orlais. To be fair, both are valid forms of art. Both have their merits and they both have meaning to historically.

The man was unaware of my late night activities working as L'orage, and tried to push me to the brink of complaining of being overworked, though I always got what he wanted done. Mind you, sometimes magic helped. For instance trying to wash out paint stains from everything the man owned. That was near impossible without destroying my own skin. I had a feeling that the man was getting wind of my magical abilities. I would have to leave soon for a different country, I had more than enough savings. With every bit of coin I earned, I got gems: I had something of a treasure trove at this point. Of course, I kept some coin for spending. Gem's where lighter then a massive amount of silver that seemed to be the majority of currency. It was easier to carry a chest of gems then a chest of coin that was for sure.

Le palais d'hiver, also known as the Winter Palace in the trade tongue, was where Empress Celene made her home for the winter, along with her cousins. It was a three-day boat ride and a day by coach. We would be spending six months outside Val Royeaux. As a part-time mercenary, I didn't like this. The game the nobles played in the palace became dark and L'orage was not a killer, and nor was I for that matter.

Halamsheral was sad. I saw the city form the carriage window and most of it looked to be falling into ruin. Even at this distance I could tell that most of the city was not taken care of, one shining spot close to the winter palace could be seen. How much did I want to bet myself that the upper class of the city or visited stayed there. I felt like cursing Orlias and the Chantry for what it had done to the elven people. I wasn't able to get a closer look of the city from the carriage. We immediately pulled into the high quarter, it was not as fancy as Val Royeaux that was for certain.

The palace was breathtaking. The whole place screamed wealth, (and so little time on rich people's hands) but did these rich people ever have taste. It was also huge. And finding a place to set up the canvas for painting was a royal pain in the butt; I had to move at least a dozen times. At one point I just gave up and picked a room to set up in, regardless if the empresses gave permission to have her painting painted there or not. It had an amazing view of a small garden with a fountain that bubbled slightly. Birds chirped to themselves, minding their own when an elf came in a little panicked. I opened up one of the doors for the poor woman and shut it behind her. At a quick glance, she was just a maid. Then again she could have been a bard and I wouldn't have known the difference. I continued my work when a noble lord walked into, more like stormed, I smiled at him while he adjusted his clothes. His codpiece was out of place (a piece of clothing that showed off size for men in the pants), and his clothing a little ruffled. He cleared his throat and straightened his spine. I felt the urge to punch the man, It was clear what he intended to do.

"Forgive me, serah, but have you seen a young elven lady come through here?" I smiled at him, even though it felt forced.

"No, I am afraid I haven't, there are many servants here my lord, perhaps you might find the lady you are looking for in the servants quarters?" He nodded his head in thanks and took off the way he came. I rolled my eyes and snickered at the fool. The young lady would probably tell her friends and words would spread through the servants quarters faster than a wildfire in the dry season.

Empress Celene was a lady of power, she played the game, at the very least better than her cousins, and somewhat attractive considering the men in the area eyeing her the way they were. I will say she is pretty but not something I find attractive.

Empress Celene's curiosity got the better of her and asked to see the room I had selected. I felt slightly smug after she agreed that the room was best. Of course, that didn't mean that my teacher wasn't going to treat me like a servant or, at least try to. But he wouldn't succeed in the Winter Palace. I might have a sarcastic mouth most of the time, but that didn't mean that I was incapable of trying to play the game. I spoke out of turn speaking for myself instead of my teacher, and gradually gained the Empress' favor with all my suggestions. The woman was very easy to read, I was even able to see her attraction to one of her elven servants, Briala I believe her name was. I wondered why such a woman made empress, but then I realized that the court would have wanted someone far easier to manipulate than her cousin Grand Duke Gaspard, who failed at playing the game and had a sense of honor and duty.

I had found that the game was far more difficult to play than I originally thought. The game so many things at once. It was making a statement, by being fashionably late. It was deals in back rooms and assassins in back alleyways. It was letting people assume and think one thing and the reality of it all be another, or having the rumors be true and letting the people gossip any way, if it helped your political standing move up in the world then it was useful to you in the game. I suppose the court for the first month of us being here was amused at the painter's apprentice attempting to play the game, maybe now more than a few regretted it. More than once in the time spent in the winter palace did I spend time in one of the many parlours with the Empress and her Ladies in waiting gossiping over tea, it was a deadly game gaining the favor of the Empress. I underestimated her like many do when they meet her. She was truly a lioness. Granted there where things that I still noticed. I suppose that just came from me being paranoid constantly or maybe I was just to observant for my own good. Regardless the Empress played the game on a drastically different level than the other nobles. She had to play everyone, she had to be good at the game, no she had to be the best at the game next to the Dowager. She was not only playing the game for her title but also her life. The Empress never did anything herself. A suggestion here and a suggestion there. I had spent enough time to know that she was getting the nobles of the court to do her dirty work for her. It would not do well for things to lead back to the Empress. But because they came to the conclusions that the Empress wanted it done and then act on their own accord then it could never be pinned on the Empress. I had spent the better part of the month watching these things unfold and it sent a shiver down my spine on how effective the Empress was at it.

L'orage had an easy time making profit with in the winter palace as well. I had a code now, an easy one to follow and one the nobles took advantage of. The type of work L'orage got was mostly petty thievery, but also kidnapping nobles and handing them off to other people. They never died thankfully, I didn't let it happen, mostly. I would not have my reputation sullied because a noble wanted to. L'orage also got hired to place things in other nobles rooms. Everything from dead rats to stollen gems and jewels. L'orage became well acquainted with a lot of the staff here in the manor as well, paying well for information did that. I ended up finding Brialla's side gig this way. She held a spy network at her fingertips. The Empress had a powerful tool in her pocket, and may not have even realized it. I also had to be extra paranoid now that I knew the servants, for the most part, all worked with in this network. No noble paid attention to a servant in Orlais, why would they.

I sat listening to the ladies giggle at their latest gossip. Though it didn't interest me what they where talking about I had learned a great number of social phopas that a lord or lady could make the empress was also giggling along with the ladies. It seemed to be a rare moment for the Empress to be herself, if only for a little while. Granted the game was still on, it was always on, but that didn't mean that she couldn't take a reprieve for a few moments. The mood changed swiftly when a young nobleman came over to the empress and whispered something in the Empresses ear. She looked pleasantly surprised for a moment before placing the mask of the game back on.

"I see thank you." She waved the man away and stood, I stood as well as a sign of respect for the Empress, her ladies in waiting followed suit. "It seems a noble who has not attended court in many years has decided now is a good time to come back to playing the game. Come we shall all greet him I think." The Empresses eyes glittered with amusement as she turned to leave.

I slipped away from the Empress and her ladies in waiting upon getting to the throne room. Though it would be a power move to do so, and very acceptable at this point I was not a noble by any measure of the means. I stuck to the walls of the room with in the crowds of nobles and guests of the Empress. I searched for Jaque, but had no such luck. The man was probably busy painting really.

I could feel my whole body go tense at the title and name being presented to the room. Baron Aldric was here. I watched from the back of the crowd as the Baron moved through the center of the room as he was announced to the empress. I closed my eyes and attempted to make myself breath. It would not do me good to panic here. As far as I am aware he hasn't noticed myself yet and he is actually here to participate in court like a noble should. I opened my eyes again and forced myself to listen to the Empress address the Baron.

"Welcome back to my court Baron Aldric, I do hope you have properly mourned the loss of your family."

"Your Radiance, it is a great pleasure to join your court once more."

It was all pleasantries and formal conversation that was expected of the court. I could feel my stomach turn at the mention of the Baron's family. The painting I saw coming back to mind. I didn't like this at all.

Leaving the throne room was easy enough, the servant's entrance was hidden and easy to access if you knew where to find it. I had no desire to be in the same room as the Baron. I played the game with the others and did my best to avoid the Baron, but not long after leaving a room he would enter it. It was proving grating on the nerves. I learned a lot about the Baron threw the playing the game. It seemed that his family died not that long ago. With how long I had been in Orlais it was likely a little over 2 months before my arrival that they died. Not long after they all died, he had to replace every single servant that worked in his home, I knew the cause of that, but I was not inclined to share how I arrived here. I didn't want to be mistaken for a spirit or worse a demon. The Baron had been traveling recently as well, he claimed he wanted to get out of his house for a while, he had at first gone to Jader, then Val Firmin and a few other towns on the way.

I checked in on Jaque after a while of the game of cat and mouse with the Baron. I didn't want to talk to the man I had learned next to nothing about. I didn't like the idea of him following me.

"About time you stopped galavanting with the nobles and got to work." I almost sighed in relief. I was more than willing to do some manual labor for the old man if it meant avoiding the Baron for the rest of the day.

The evening hours rolled around and I had not seen hide nor hair of the Baron. When dinner time came around I took my leave from helping Jaque paint. L'orage may not have had work but he could be found easily enough. I stalked the hall when I noticed a distinct flash of magic from Jaque's painting room. Peering around the corner through the crack in the door made me tense. Jaque sat in the middle of the room pleading for his life and the Baron stood above him with blood magic forming at his fingertips. A different glow came from a vial in his other hand now. I cursed myself mentaly. He had a phylactery, for me. Son of a bitch.

"Ah, my little pet is nearby~" The Baron said in a sing song tone. I felt a shiver of fear go down my spine and my stomach turn. "What is it that they call you here? Paul?"

"Paul, boy save me, don't let me die" I could hear Jaque plead. I could feel myself grow cold. L'orage would be exposed as my alias if I came out from hiding. I turned as a servant opened one of the entrances to the servants quarters. I made a motion of shushing her, I motioned her over and whispered to her to get the guard in the room as soon as possible. I had to leave now. I couldn't save Jaque, I didn't like him didn't mean he had to die, but I couldn't stay. I hoped the guard would get there quickly. "Well little pet, why don't you come out to play? I will find you again." I glared at the Baron threw the crack in the door. He began to walk in a circle around the room. I wouldn't let me have the advantage of finding me again.

I fled the winter palace faster than you could say Andraste. Halamserhal was sad to see. Most of the buildings were abandoned and being used to preserve the ones in use outside the high quarter. It wasn't a good place to hide I would be going to the nearest port back to Val Royeaux, fade stepping had never been more useful than today.