After washing her hair and thoroughly scrubbing her skin with a rugged fabric, Layel sunk into her bath. The water was agreeably warm, perfumed with rose water and sprinkled with some red and pink petals. She inhaled through her nose and closed her eyes. She wasn't the type to make such efforts, she didn't even take baths regularly let alone perfumed ones…but now, she wanted to try, smell nice at least if she wasn't able to look beautiful. Layel Lavellan wasn't really ugly, she had dark sweet eyes and full round cheeks that made her seem lovely when she smiled, lovely but never truly beautiful.

All this brought back memories, the last time she was willing to make an effort to look more attractive was when she was trying to seduce one of her fellow hunters…Nothing would have helped her, neither the lips dyed in red nor the scented oil she purchased with half of her savings. and to understand why one should consider who she was more than how she looked...She was the orphan daughter of a woman who had married a man from another clan, although the union between different dalish clans' people was encouraged, some clans had such a bad reputation that inbreeding would be considered better than mating with them…and her father was one of those. he had abandoned her mother after she got pregnant and was unable to hunt and provide for him…her mother, had been bitter and sad till her last breath, leaving the nine years old Layel in her grandmother's care.

She had always been considered as lower than the other members of the clan, added to that her modest beauty and her average skills as a hunter, no dalish man would have seriously considered her. They looked for a woman who would give them the power of her parents' clans or to provide for them with her hard labor. at that point, she knew that none of her efforts would make the man she chose to fall for her … until the Keeper, probably judging her expendable, sent her to the conclave.

Lavellan took a deep breath and immersed completely into the water.

She couldn't help but think about him…Loghain Mac Tir, not only he possessed a strange charm and a great confidence but he was also so different from the power hungry young man surrounding her. Long ago He had gained everything, the power, and the gold, then he had lost everything and yet he still now, standing like a castle made of stones…if a man would fall for her for herself and not for the material things she would bring him, if such a man existed , it would be Loghain the old Warden.

When she couldn't hold her breath any longer, Layel emerged from the water, gasping and squeezing her eyes. The dalish was ready to lean back against the tub's marble side and enjoy the relaxing water when she heard someone coughing. She swiftly turned her head toward where the voice came and saw Loghain standing near the stairs that led to her chamber.

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. But she quickly put her arm around her chest to hide her breasts.

Her panic didn't seem to trouble his calm attitude as he said

"I knocked, but I guess you didn't hear it,"

Layel blinked. The man who barely spoke when she talked to him and seemed more annoyed than thrilled by her lame attempts to catch his attention, was inside her room, audaciously looking at her nakedness and making it seem like a casual thing.

"I…is there an emergency?" her question was serious…Skyhold must be in flames or something equally urgent for this to happen.

"May I come in?" he asked as if he wasn't already inside her room.

"Yes…yes, of course, but first…Can you…" she made a sign with her hand for him to turn "I need to get out of the…bath"

Her eyebrows rose at what she had interpreted as hesitation or maybe refusal when the man stood immobile for a few seconds then complied reluctantly and turned his back to her.