Chapter 9) Tales and Travels

Layla POV


"Seriously, Layla, you should really just try something," Neria laughed as she brushed my hair. "It's fun, I promise."

"I would rather not," I insisted, trying to convince myself the flush on my face was from heat, not embarrassment. "I am perfectly content with not flirting, not kissing, and not doing… well, that!"

"Layla, you have got to be the only virgin our age!"

"That is fine by me. I will get ahead in my studies."

"Any further ahead and you'll likely get put through your Harrowing."

"Is that not what we strive for?"

"Yeah, but I'm nearly twenty and haven't gone yet. You can't upstage me!"

"Why not?"

"Oh, you!" She laughed, before switching from teasing me to simply singing. I loved it when she sang. She had the prettiest voice and it was just so soothing to listen. It was certainly better than the topic she had been forcing!


The road from Denerim to Highever was, apparently, a long one. At least, it felt like a long one, but perhaps it was because I was not tripping nearly as much. The roads were smoother, and Cleon kept a close eye on me, taking my arm whenever it seemed like I might fall. While I was grateful to not be flat on my face, I could not say I enjoyed the extensive exercise or sweating. There were also the horrid sunburns I kept getting! I hated the burns. They were an ugly pink and red color, hurt worse than a backlashing spell, and, perhaps the worst part of it all, I was the only one getting burned! Commander Duncan had bought be a special lotion to protect my skin, but it was sticky and made my skin crawl even more than the sweat.

Trying to distract myself from the misery that was the outside world, I kept glancing at Aiden, curious about our newest companion. He was certainly handsome. I could admit that. With skin the color of cinnamon, eyes the color of chocolate, and hair the color of caramel, he was almost like a walking treat! Treats… Oh, I was getting so hungry, but Commander Duncan stated we would not stop for food until nightfall. I missed the Tower. Unless you were specifically told to fast, a mage could just wander into the dining hall or kitchens to pick up food. Mages and templars kept odd hours, after all. …Now I was thinking about food, in addition to being sweaty, dirty, sticky, and absolutely miserable. This was not good. I had to cheer myself up! …Oh, I knew just the thing!

With the breath I had left, I went about singing one of the songs Neria would sing back at the Tower. It was a song about a thief who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. It was a nice song, though I was not fond of the ending. The ending had the thief poisoned by his sister and dying, painfully, in the forest he so loved. I did not like sad endings much. Happy endings were much, much better.

"Mistress Layla, may I ask where you heard that song?" Aiden asked me softly when I finished. I suppressed a sigh at how formal he sounded. "It's an Alienage song."

"Neria taught me," I answered. "So, I suppose that would make sense. She is Alienage-born." He looked startled. "Is something wrong?"

He took a moment to reply. "Was… was her last name 'Surana', by chance?"

"Yes, it is. May I ask why?"

"A… Neria Surana is my cousin, Mistress."

"Really?" I laughed in delight. "Oh, what a coincidence that is!" I knew she was native to Fereldan, but to think she came from Denerim, a place I would actually visit!

"I'll say," Cleon commented dryly. "Guess the country is smaller than we thought."

"Country would not matter, Cleon," I corrected. "Mages come from all over. My friend Anders is actually from the Anderfels."

"I… don't even know where that is."

"It's far," Aiden answered. "Very far. Across the continent."

"Please tell me that his name isn't his real one," Cleon sighed. "That would be horrible."

"No, it is a nickname," I reassured. "Neria was Fereldan, and Jowan… well, I do not know about him." Jowan… it still hurt to think of him. Why? Why had he…? "I am from Kirkwall."

"Across the sea?" Aiden asked.

"Yes, but I think there was bribery involved, truth be told."

"Bribery?"

"Yes, my family, the Amells, were apparently nobility there and-"

"You are a noble?" He gasped. What? What did I do? "F-forgive me, milady, for the incorrect title!" What?

"There is no need to refer to me by title." I looked to Cleon for help, but he just looked amused. "Truly, there is not!"

"As you say, Lady Layla." …'Lady Layla'… that was not… not a term, a phrase, I had heard in a long time. I last heard it from Ser Maurever, when he pulled my father off me. I did not like the title. I hated it. I hated it!

"Fine, be that way!" I snapped, whirling away from him and the still-amused Cleon.

"Layla!" I heard Cleon yelp. "Hey-!"

"You just keep on laughing!" Grumbling, I stomped up to Duncan was, still way ahead. "I am going to walk up here with you, Commander Duncan," I declared sourly.

"All right," he replied, as if there was nothing wrong. I should have been annoyed at that, but, instead, it soothed me. Perhaps it was because it seemed like something Irving would do.

We walked in silence for a while. I could hear Aiden and Cleon bicker and banter some distance behind me, but I took care to not eavesdrop. I was still horribly cross at both of them, after all. Still, hearing it made me long for some sort of conversation myself. Of course, the only one I could talk to was Commander Duncan and… well, there was nothing to be afraid of, yes? Commander Duncan was kind. Surely, even if he did not want to talk, he would not be rude about it.

"Can…?" I began hesitantly, fumbling for a topic and coming up with nothing.

"Yes, Layla?" he prompted when I did not continue. "I promise we are near a stopping place for the night."

Oh, that was good to hear. Wait, was it not a little…? Oh, why was I complaining? I was tired! "That is good to hear, but not what I was going to ask."

"Then what was, Layla?"

Oh, what would be a good topic to… ah, maybe… "Might I hear more about the Wardens?" My voice was soft.

"What would you like to know?"

"I… Actually, I would like to know the Order."

"I thought the Circle told you the history."

"I do not want the history, per se…"

"Oh, you want to know about us as a people?" I nodded and he laughed. "Sorry, I'm not used to people asking for that. They care more about how we used to be."

"I have heard the Wardens once swooped down on griffons to fight."

"Swooping is bad, Layla." It was? "Regardless, you want to hear some stories, yes?"

"If you do not mind, yes, I would love to listen."

"Hmm… let's see, then." He thought for a moment before grinning. "Ah, I have the perfect tale." Oh? "Now, there is this one fellow in the Wardens, Ulster, who very much loves his alcohol. It drove the others absolutely insane how much he could drink without getting a hangover. In fact, not once had anyone seen him drunk, or so they think."

"So they think?"

"The only way you can tell he's drunk is because his reflexes aren't as sharp, but that's not something anyone but the older Wardens know. Even then, it takes a while." He chuckled. "So, during a party six months ago to celebrate the new recruits, Alistair asked if anyone could drink Ulster under the table. He meant it innocently enough, but it soon turned into a drinking bet."

"This had to have ended in disaster."

"Ulster drank one full pint to every half the rest of them had. By the time I arrived, Ulster was still drinking and the rest of them were passed out on the floor."

"That must have been hilarious to see!" I thought of the times Anders or Neria had passed out from drinking. "Did you draw on their faces?"

"Me? No, I'm the Warden-Commander. I'm supposed to maintain some sort of dignity." That was no fun. "I gave Ulster plenty of colors to draw with, though." I laughed brightly at that. "After I had my own laughing fit. Ulster took great joy impersonating everyone, and boasting the next day when they all had hangovers."

"Oh, that is just so silly!" I had not thought they would be so ridiculous.

"We're humans, elves, and dwarves, just like everyone else. We still make mistakes. Like challenging Ulster to a drinking contest."

"It seems so!"

I was still giggling when we crested a hill and Commander Duncan pointed to the small cluster of buildings nestled at the bottom. "That's where we're stopping for the night," he told me. "We made good time today."

"Oh, it is adorable," I cooed. "Are we truly stopping there?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful!" I turned back to let the two boys know, when I saw Cleon suddenly stumble. He quickly righted himself, with help, but… but I knew what had happened. I had seen things like it many times. Cleon had not tripped or 'stepped wrong'. His leg had stopped functioning for a split-second. "Commander Duncan," I whispered as Cleon waved off Aiden's questions. "Cleon, is he…?"

"I want to stop early so that he has plenty of rest," Commander Duncan murmured, indirectly answering my question. "It does not seem bad yet, so I will pretend to not see if, for his own pride."

"Pride is a sin."

"Wardens do a lot of things the Chantry would not approve of." Huh? "Regardless, Layla, it's not at a point where your magic would provide any sort of relief."

"You are… certain?"

"Yes." He smiled slightly. "Cleon is stubborn and willful. It's… serving him well. After Highever, though, we shall head straight for Ostagar. I'm not comfortable pushing his limits much farther."

"If you say so, Commander Duncan."

"All will be well, Layla. Just focus on not tripping."

…Not two seconds later, I tripped and fell flat on my face. What wonderful luck I had.


"Do I need to order for you two again, or do you think Aiden can help you two with the things you don't recognize?" Commander Duncan asked us as we walked into the bustling inn. Cleon immediately pulled me between Aiden and him as we stepped into the crowd.

"We'll be fine," Cleon answered before turning to grin at Aiden. "Layla and I will only recognize half the things on the menu. At best."

"I think I can recognize most," Aiden laughed. "What's the budget?"

"There isn't one," Commander Duncan answered. Aiden looked startled by that. "I will be very, very surprised if you can out-eat my purse, Aiden. I'm used to financing Wardens. We eat a lot."

"That's an understatement," Cleon mumbled into my ear. I giggled as I recalled the sheer number of plates Commander Duncan tended to work his way through during meals. It was a wonder he did not balloon up!

"Regardless, go find a table and grab yourself food and drink." Commander Duncan gave us a look like he knew what Cleon had said. "I'll get rooms. You three will share."

"Surely-" Aiden began to protest, but Commander Duncan left before he could. So, instead, he turned to me. "Milady, would you not like your own room?"

"Why?" I asked softly. "All the apprentices lived together."

"But…"

"Table," Cleon interrupted. "There was mention of a table?"

"Ah, yes," Aiden agreed. "Looks like there's one there in the corner." I was glad someone could see over the crowd. I could not at all. "Here, I'll lead."

"We need more burly people in the group," Cleon joked as Aiden carefully pushed a way through the busy place. "We're too thin, Layla, to make an impression."

"I am afraid it comes with being a mage," I sighed mournfully. "Rarely will you see a mage that has bulging muscles."

"Are you two mocking me?" Aiden asked sourly. He immediately looked panicked, though. "N-no disrespect meant, of course, milady."

"No, we're admiring," Cleon answered as I winced, again, at the title. I was so thoroughly sick of it already. "And here we find our prize. Do we just sit?"

"Yes," Aiden answered, pulling out the chairs. I was glad to note he pulled out one for Cleon too, not just me. "And a barmaid will be by to get-"

"What do you want?" As if summoned by the words, a woman dressed in a… bizarre dress came over. The dress was quite low cut and short. Why would she wear something like that?

"Water for drink, I believe," Aiden answered as Cleon and I just stared at the woman. "We'll be deciding food in just a second."

"Got it." She waltzed off then, swaying her hips oddly. Surely it would hurt to walk like that?

"Shem'len are weird," Cleon declared as she disappeared.

"Have… you two not been in a tavern before?" Aiden asked.

"We have, but not sat down and gotten someone to take the orders."

"We just ate quiet dinners in our rooms the past few times," I added. "Commander Duncan thought it better." I glanced around and noticed there were other women dressed like the one before. "I know it is warm out, but is that not an odd choice of clothes?"

"I'm sure a few of them provide other services, milady" Aiden mumbled awkwardly. Enough with the title already! Wait…

"What other services?"

"You mean sex?" Cleon asked, incredulously. Oh, so we were being served by prostitutes? That was so odd! "Do shem'len not take such things seriously?"

"Relationships are, but it is considering acceptable to sleep with whores," Aiden explained. "Well, here in Fereldan at least. Can't answer for any other country."

"I have already told you such things were free in the Circle, Cleon," I reminded. "You did not protest much then."

"There were other things to think about, really, but it's fine. I will never understand non-Dalish and I accept this," Cleon sighed and twisted to look at the menu hanging on the back wall. "What is this 'pot pie' thing?"

"Well, it's a meat pie that's made in a pot?" Aiden answered with a laugh. "It's stewed on a stove instead of baked. You can have them with a lot of differing kinds. Seems like pork is the specialty."

"How can you tell?"

"There's a lot of pork on the menu. You can figure out deals that way."

"If you say so. Pork is… pig, right?"

"Yes, have you not had it?"

"Once or twice, when we killed a wild one. Shem'len don't exactly let them run around, though. Seemed good when I last had it. I prefer deer or bird, myself." But… but deer and birds were beautiful.

"Sounds like you're getting the pork pot pie."

"I guess so."

Aiden laughed at that before turning to me. "And for you, milady?" he asked.

"Aiden, please, do not call me that," I mumbled. "I am a mage. Mages do not hold titles."

"You're a noble. Regardless of the magic, you are still of noble birth." He paused before continuing. "Milady."

"But…" Oh, I did not want to fight. I did not like it, though.

"Look, Aiden, how about you two compromise?" Cleon suggested. "Keep calling her 'Mistress Layla' or whatever that ridiculousness was." Aiden frowned at that. "Lethalin, if you make her cry, I will hurt you. I'll lose in a contest of strength, but I don't have to fight fair."

"If… that is acceptable," Aiden replied after a moment.

"I can accept it," I whispered, giving Cleon a thankful smile. 'Mistress' was far better than 'Lady'.

"Well, then, Mistress Layla…" He pointed at the menu, ignoring Cleon as he rolled his eyes. "Does anything look appetizing to you?"

"Ah…" I studied the menu. "What is this… 'cornish pastry'?"

"The Cornish pasty?" Oh, there was not an 'r' there! "It is a type of meat pie."

…Oh, the thought of meat made my stomach turn a little. "Perhaps I will have something else then. Is there anything that does not have meat in it?"

"If the Dragon Noodles here are the same in Denerim, mistress, then that should be something."

"I will eat these noodles of dragons, then." I made sure to say it in a very solemn tone, in hopes of getting Cleon and Aiden to laugh. Thankfully, they did and I felt myself relax again at last.

This was good. It was not the Tower, so it could not be perfect, but this here, right now, was quite close. I could live with this.


Author's note: Just a simple, mostly light-hearted, chapter. Nothing serious here. Just interactions. Okay, and some minor bits of foreshadowing. And lots of Layla complaining. Hey, she's 17! ...And sun + red hair don't mix well. Sunburns hurt and sunscreen is almost worse. The tale Duncan mentions here is ACTUALLY something Alistair tells you in game. If anyone is wondering what 'dragon noodles' are, it's something they serve at a tavern near where I live. And before ANYONE asks, yes, I had Duncan say Alistair's classic line. In Saga, I'm having Alistair take it from Duncan. Yes, the song is based off Robin Hood, sorry.

Next Chapter – Another traveling chapter, with Aiden.