A/N:
Hey again! I hope I didn't make you guys wait too long for another update. If you haven't noticed, I uploaded the first chapter for my new story, Rising Tensions, Flaring Passions (the one I put a preview for a couple stories back). If you want to know what happens to Rathina Hawke after she leaves Kirkwall, I suggest you check it out!
Anyhow, here's the first part of the Mark of the Assassin story. This one will be cut into two or possibly even three parts. I'll probably upload a filler story in between this part and the second, though, 'cause I have an idea for one dancing around in my head.
I borrowed a bit of dialogue from the game for this story, but I also changed it a bit and added in some of my own. I find myself growing more comfortable with the characters, so I'm taking more liberties now with this :D. By the way, as this story is packed full with spoilers, I suggest not reading it if you haven't played through the MotA DLC yet. Anyway, I hope you enjoy :p
So I was wandering through the market yesterday- disguised under a large, plain cloak, of course- when I looked around and spotted this red-haired elf. Naturally, she reminded me of another elf with red hair I met in my last year in Kirkwall. Our little quest with Tallis was probably one of my favorites- the one I'm on now excepted, of course! So, of course, I wrote about our entertaining journey to Chateau Haine with Tallis the elf.
-Hawke
"And of course there's no one here," Hawke said dryly as they stopped in Hightown. She turned to the others and lifted an eyebrow. She wasn't exactly sure what they were looking for, but Varric had convinced her to come meet somebody based on a tip-off he'd received from one of his buddies. Now the dwarf shrugged helplessly.
"All I know is that it has to do with you and nobles-"
"Doesn't it always?" Hawke interjected.
"-but Edge is usually very reliable," Varric finished, rolling his eyes at Hawke's wit.
"Usually," Isabela repeated sardonically. "With a name like 'Edge,' you can never really be sure."
"And this is normally where we're ambushed," Fenris added, glancing behind them warily.
"Why? It's not always an ambush!" Varric insisted. Hawke's gaze flicked up to the roof of a building to their left, alighting upon a lone archer who crouched there, bow strung, and she nudged Fenris and nodded to it. The lanky elf sighed and shook his head as another man stepped out in front of them. Hawke sensed more men sneaking up behind them. "Well, maybe this time it is," Varric amended with a sigh, loading Bianca and holding her ready. Hawke snorted.
"And there is the Champion of Kirkwall. You die today," sneered the man in what was definitely an Antivan accent. He was holding lethal looking daggers that swirled with poison and glaring at them menacingly.
"Well, doesn't this just make my day. I spend all morning arguing with templars, the afternoon hunting down rogue mages, and now I have to deal with some Antivan Crows. Just my luck," Hawke sighed, drawing her own daggers.
Suddenly she heard a muffled grunt behind her- the kind of grunt a man makes when he's stabbed unexpectedly, a sound that Hawke recognized easily. She whirled around, trusting Fenris to guard her back, to see an elf woman perched on top of the building, kicking away the corpse of the man who'd been stationed there. The elf jumped into the air, drawing her arm back to hurtle another dagger toward the men who had sneaked up behind Hawke and her companions, followed by another which was thrown with amazing speed. The elf was obviously a skilled rogue; Hawke wondered for a moment if she was another Crow, but she didn't recognize these moves as belonging to the assassins. She cut down several more men before they had time to react and then performed an excellent dive roll toward the leader of the Crows to avoid arrows that whizzed over her head. She popped up beside the man and pressed her dagger against his throat, glowering at him.
"Kill them! Kill them all!" wailed the man pathetically before she slit his throat. She tossed a glance back at Hawke and the others, her misty eyes thrilling with the kill.
"Well? Are you going to just stand there?" she laughed in a musical voice. As if on cue, Hawke herself spun and hurled a fire bomb toward some of the men before disappearing into the shadows.
"Who the hell is that?" she shouted to Varric, who shrugged as he lifted Bianca.
"Don't know!" he yelled back. "Kill first, ask questions later!"
Hawke watched the strange elf out of the corner of her eye as she attacked the Antivans. For once, this stranger was fighting on their side, something Hawke was immensely grateful for, if totally confused about. She had a really unique fighting style, though; for the most part, she stood back and flicked shivs at the Crows, often killing or at least incapacitating them so one of the others could finish him off. Whenever one of them got too close, though, the elf would effortlessly whip out one of her own poison-coated blades and kill him swiftly.
Thanks to the stranger, they quickly made short work of the Crows. Hawke crouched next to the last man she'd killed and cleaned her daggers on his belt before she turned and lifted an eyebrow at the elf, who was leaning against a pillar and casually cleaning her daggers.
"You'd think the Crows would be better at this. They've been doing it for ages," the elf remarked with a sly sideways glance in Hawke's direction.
"Yes, I think their performance today was more substandard than usual," Hawke agreed. Isabela snorted behind her, and she threw an exasperated glance at the other rogue. "That was an amazing entrance, by the way. You have some fine moves," she added with a slight grin.
"I do, don't I?" The elf grinned in response, shoving herself off the pillar. "My name is Tallis," she went on, with a bit of a mocking curtsy. Hawke decided right away that she liked this elf. "I've been looking for you."
"Now there's a surprise," Fenris muttered under his breath.
"Looking for me?" Hawke asked, arching a mocking surprised eyebrow. "Well, obviously you already know my name, then."
"Looking for someone with an invitation to Chateau Haine, to be more specific," Tallis corrected. Tallis was a slender elf with flaming red hair, somewhat reminding Hawke of (*cough*Felicia Day*cough*) Leliana. Her eyes were an intriguing, misty gray color. She had fine green armor that might have been of Qunari make, and it was also very light and evidently easy to move around in; she carried herself with poise, a fact that wasn't wasted on Hawke.
"That's what Edge was on about," Varric remarked in an aside to Hawke. "You remember, Duke Prosper, the one who fawned all over you at the Champion of Kirkwall banquet? He talked about a hunt."
"Andraste's sweet ass, I don't want to remember that man," Hawke groaned in a long-suffering manner. "I doubt I'd go to such a thing, anyway," she added after a thoughtful moment.
"I was hoping you'd reconsider. The duke is supposedly a delightful host." Tallis gave her another sideways glance, as if she was sizing her up.
"I'm guessing this isn't just a social call, then," Hawke sighed.
"Is it ever, with you?" snorted Isabela.
"Shut up, whore," Hawke hissed to her. Tallis watched them, a little bemused, before she shook her head and turned, pacing away.
"I need to... relieve him of something he has no right to possess. And I can't do it alone." Tallis turned back to face them with a disturbed expression.
"Naturally... wait, you want me to help rob him?" Hawke was genuinely dumbfounded. She'd been asked to do many things before- many of them illegal- but she'd never been asked outright to help rob somebody.
"Stealing from Orlesians is never wrong. Or so I've been told." Varric spread his arms helplessly. Hawke gritted her teeth.
"This isn't how I was planning to ask you this," Tallis sighed. "I was hoping for an introduction with... less blood." She gestured grimly around the clearing, littered with Crow bodies. The Hightown residents would have an unpleasant surprise when they came out the next morning.
"What makes you think I steal things just because people ask me to?" Hawke demanded, her bemusement quickly changing to anger that flashed in her icy gaze.
"Well... I may have... talked you up a bit. Maybe more than once." Varric scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Oh, Varric," Hawke groaned, running a hand through her hair with a scowl.
"Would you rather I told everybody you slaughtered half of Kirkwall?"
"All I've heard," Tallis interjected quickly, probably sensing a brewing argument and wisely dissuading it before it began, "is that you get things done. I'm hoping that's true." Hawke hesitated.
"Well, what is it you want to steal?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"A... jewel. The duke thinks it's valuable, and it is... but not in the way he believes. What's more, he shouldn't have it in the first place; it's not even his." She paused thoughtfully, then quoted, "'He who walks on water must first learn to swim.'" Hawke wasn't sure how that particular quote applied in their situation, and she'd never heard it before in her life, but apparently it had some signifiance to Tallis; out of the corner of her eye, Hawke thought she saw Fenris react in surprise, and she figured she'd ask him about it later. Tallis was watching Hawke imploringly, her own eyebrow arched, waiting for an answer. She made a snap decision; she would accompany this Tallis to Chateau Haine, but if this stealing thing proved to be too much, she'd back out. Easy enough.
"Sounds like fun," Hawke decided. "I hear the Orlesians make good cheese!" Tallis laughed, but her gaze narrowed shrewdly, and Hawke knew that she'd guessed her plan.
"That's right- you're Fereldan, aren't you?" sniggered the elf.
"Contrary to popular belief, we aren't actually dog people," Hawke replied, rolling her eyes.
"I'll keep that in mind." Tallis grinned. "Come with me to Chateau Haine, and I'll explain everything on the way. If nothing else, you'll get wine and fancy company. But... I hope you'll want more than that."
"Wine and fancy company. Just what I needed." Hawke smirked.
"What, am I not 'fancy' enough for you? You know you only need to say the word and I can be," Isabela pointed out, grinning.
"She's got Broody for the fancy stuff," Varric retorted, sniggering and even Tallis giggled. Hawke and Fenris just exchanged an exasperated glance.
"Let's just loot the bodies, and we can be off," Hawke said, gesturing to the bodies. Tallis nodded and turned toward the stairs that led to Lowtown. She stopped there, leaning against the wall to wait.
"Everywhere we go, people try to kill you," Fenris sighed with a slight scowl. Hawke glanced at him, her own mouth twisting with wry amusement.
"Yes, well, that's what I keep you around for," she teased.
"I hope you keep me around for more than that," he growled, but his own gaze glittered with amusement.
"Would you two kids stop flirting so we can get going?" complained Varric. Hawke rolled her eyes and knelt, rummaging through the Crows' pockets. They took anything useful before following Tallis out of Kirkwall.
"The jewel we're after is called the Heart of the Many," Tallis explained as they walked.
"Interesting name," Hawke commented.
"Interesting jewel. All I care about it getting it away from the duke," the elf went on.
"I'm sensing a catch," Hawke muttered. Tallis grimaced.
"Here's the problem: the Heart is in a vault, behind who knows what kind of traps, protected by a private army of Orlesian chevaliers." Now Hawke was the one to grimace. She'd heard all the stories of the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden, especially the Battle of the River Dane. "All contained inside a fortress which is designed to be impregnable. And let's not forget that it's on the side of the mountain, in the middle of nowhere, and surrounded by monsters."
"That's convenient." Hawke sighed. "They're trying to make it easy on us, aren't they?"
Tallis just laughed wryly.
"The first to find and slay a wyvern wins the honors of the evening- and bragging rights, of course! Good luck to you all!"
Hawke sighed as they finally reached the end of their journey, where Duke Prosper stood. There were other nobles nearby; they glanced at her curiously but didn't spare time to speak to her, as they all melted into the trees to begin the hunt. As they stepped out of the trees, a foreboding-looking man stepped out in front of them, his arms crossed, glaring down at Hawke. She just gazed back at him cheerfully, well aware of Fenris stepping up beside her with a hand on his sword hilt.
"Lovely day for a hunt, don't you agree? Very... outdoorsy."
"Ah, the Champion of Kirkwall!" exclaimed the duke, peering at them around the large man. These are honored guests," he added to the man, who grudgingly stepped aside. "Please excuse Cahir, I hear a polite bodyguard is contrasting in terms!" he chuckled.
"A Chasind? Here?" Hawke couldn't help but be wary of the large man. She shot a glance at him.
"Ah, yes, you are Fereldan, aren't you?"
"I was, last time I checked. Does everyone have to keep reminding me?" Hawke muttered under her breath. The duke didn't notice, but Isabela, Fenris and Tallis all had to muffle chuckles.
"You would know of his people," finished the duke cheerfully.
"I know of darkspawn, too, but I generally don't let them breathe on me." She couldn't suppress her sarcasm. Orlesians always bring out the best in me...
"Aha, he breathes on all the guests. Think of it as a rite of passage," chuckled the duke. "And who is this lovely specimen?" he added, his gaze flicking over to Tallis.
"You flatter me, your Grace," Tallis simpered. She was good at the whole diplomacy thing, Hawke noticed.
"And I see you brought a manservant or two, already armed and armored. Wonderful!" exclaimed the duke. Hawke somehow managed to resist smiling by nodding sagely. She could feel Fenris's annoyance at being called a "manservant".
"I must say, I didn't expect you. I already have an Amell, you see. Or Hawke, I suppose it is. A member of the Kirkwall Circle of Magi, no less! And endlessly charming." Hawke followed Prosper's gaze and froze with shock when she saw Bethany standing there, chatting with some other man.
"Did you know your sister was going to be here?" Fenris whispered in her ear. She shook her head and quickly composed her expression. Bethany glanced up at them, and surprise flickered across her own expression momentarily before a shadow fell across her own gaze.
"Sister," she greeted Hawke rather coolly. Hawke grimaced at her sister's accusatory expression, but she was able to divine some relief in her sister's almond gaze. Bethany walked over to them.
"Perhaps you should join forces," Prosper went on, seemingly unaware of the tension between them. "To avoid any appearance of collusion between parties. At any rate, I won't keep you from the hunt! Wouldn't want you to fall behind the others, yes?"
"Err, no..." Hawke muttered distractedly before she pulled herself together again. She grinned. "The sooner we get to the celebrations, the happier I'll be!"
"Oh, I quite agree!" chortled the Orlesian. Maker's breath, this man is such an idiot, Hawke thought with an inward sigh. "The festivities cannot come soon enough!" Here he looked at her with such a leery expression that it was all she could do to keep from backing away. "Good luck to you, my lady! Remember, fortune favors the bold," he added forebodingly.
"Er, right," Hawke answered, plastering another grin on her face. "We'll see you again after I win!" He laughed as she turned and led them away, Bethany tagging along. They spoke with a few other people in the clearing before Hawke finally led them out onto the hunting grounds.
"'Manservant,'" Fenris repeated with a snort once they were out of earshot of the Duke. He looked thoroughly disgusted.
"Aw, Fenris got his feeling hurt," Isabela snickered.
"You still harping on about that?" Hawke chuckled, leading them down the grassy slope.
"He hasn't said anything yet," Tallis pointed out, looking bemused.
"No, but he's been brooding about it the whole time," snickered Hawke, who was growing more amused by the heartbeat.
"I don't brood," Fenris insisted.
"Whatever you say, hon," snorted Isabela.
"It's only a cover, anyway." The red-haired elf shrugged.
"I'd like to cover him with six feet," Fenris growled.
"Don't we all," sighed Bethany.
"Annoying bastard," Hawke agreed.
"Well, aren't you guys cheerful," Tallis remarked sardonically.
"Tallis, I hope you have an idea for killing this wyvern," Hawke said after a few moments of silence.
"Well, first we have to get it to attack us," she pointed out. "We can't exactly set a trap for it, wyverns are too big. And we don't have a very long time to try to come up with an idea for a trap, anyway."
"So, bait it to us," Bethany suggested. "See if we can find clues as to what attracts them."
"That's... actually a very good idea," Tallis admitted.
"So, we'll just wander around, picking up clues along the way, and once we get to a nice, big clearing we'll try to bait one down to us," Hawke decided. "You know, I've never tried to get anything to attack me intentionally."
"And I hope you never have to do it again," Fenris sighed.
"Me, too."
Their pace picked up now and they walked with a purpose. They continued on in silence for a few more minutes, passing several more Orlesians along the way.
"I heard wyverns nest in trees," one Orlesian commented to another as they passed. Another was swearing at his Mabari. Hm, they have Mabaris, too, but somehow us Fereldans come across as the "dog-people". Hawke was tempted to voice this comment aloud, but they were still in earshot of the Orlesians, so she figured it would be a bad idea.
"Hunting for sport." Fenris snorted quietly. "Is it wrong of me to cheer for the wyverns?"
"Just ignore them." Tallis sighed, running a hand through her bright red hair.
"How long has this wyvern hunt been going on?" Bethany wondered aloud, glancing around curiously.
"It's an annual tradition," Tallis explained. "The Montforts began it to keep the population down- they breed like rabbits."
"And the Orlesian nobility is too happy to help out." Hawke wrinkled her nose in disgust as they trudged along.
"It's all part of a game. The Montforts are close to the empress, so anything that pleases them is worth pursuing. Plus, they make this interesting wine out of it. You should try it, you'll be seeing purple dragons in the sky for days."
"Hmmm..." Isabela contemplated that thoughtfully.
"Don't even bother," Hawke scolded her teasingly. "Well, not till we've accomplished our objective, at least."
"Fine." Isabela sighed theatrically.
They wandered along for a little while longer before they were attacked by ugly little creatures that popped out of holes in the side of the mountains. They were easy to defeat, but Hawke and her friends were almost overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
"What the hell are those things?" Hawke asked as she cut down the last one, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"Ghasts," explained Tallis. "Little creatures that hide in mountain caves. They don't usually come out, though."
"Disgusting things," Isabela complained, moving away from one and shuddering as she cleaned her dagger on the grass.
"Woahh, what do we have here?" Hawke had continued down the path and nearly stepped right on the corpse of a...
"Dragon," Fenris observed, glancing instinctively toward the sky.
"Do dragons and wyverns even mix?" Tallis asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," Bethany deadpanned.
"So if we drop some of this in the right spot," Hawke mused, "we might be able to attract the wyvern?"
"Bingo." Tallis grinned.
"Is that..." Hawke paused. "Wyverns mating?" They stood at the edge of a clearing, listening to raucous animal sounds coming from the trees, as well as loud crashing, like trees were falling over.
"I think so." Tallis wrinkled her nose at the sound of the wyverns' whimpers and moans.
"Hm." Hawke fell into a thoughtful silence.
"Uh oh," Bethany whispered.
"Could we mimic that?" Hawke asked after a moment, grinning. Tallis turned bright red.
"No! Ohh, you mean the sounds. Right, yeah, I think I could pull that one off."
A while later, they finally crossed into the eastern part of the hunting grounds. They were met by the sight of a wide, beautiful lake, with enchanting scenery. Hawke paused a moment to allow them to take it all in before they continued down the path. They were attacked by several more ghasts, and Hawke reflected that it was nice to be fighting with Bethany again. She was very useful when it came to fighting several monsters at once, like with the numerous ghasts. Often, Hawke would start to creep toward a group of the things, only to have them explode in a ball of fire right before her.
They moved along beside the lake, keeping an eye out for a wyvern. As they walked, they began to smell something horribly nasty, and the smell only grew with every step.
"What the hell is that smell?" Isabela complained loudly, covering her nose with her hand. She appeared not to notice her inadvertent rhyme.
"Shit," Hawke pronounced.
"What?" Tallis asked, lifting an eyebrow, and Hawke pointed.
"Oh, gross," the elf groaned.
"At least it means we're getting closer," Fenris pointed out, but even his features were screwed up in disgust.
"Sister- no- Maker's breath, Rathina, what are you doing?" Bethany exclaimed.
"Looking for clues." Hawke grimaced and peeled off her gloves. Holding her breath, she knelt by the pile of crap and started digging through it, looking faintly green.
"Oh, for Andraste's sake, do you have to do that?" her sister sighed, closing her eyes. Isabela stood behind her, howling with laughter. Fenris rolled his eyes, amused and disgusted at the same time.
"Look, nug bones," Tallis observed, peering at them over Hawke's shoulder. "Maybe we could use a nug call to attract the wyvern." Hawke sat back on her heels and stared up at Tallis.
"You know a nug call?"
"You go elbow-deep in wyvern shit, and I'm the weird one?" countered Tallis.
"Point taken." Hawke rose to her feet, grimacing, and walked over to the lake, where she promptly washed off her hands. Fenris handed her a rag which she accepted gratefully and dried her hands. "Gross."
They continued on up the path. Hawke felt a growing sense of discomfort, as if they were being watched; glancing back at the others, she could see that they felt it, too. Bethany was especially jumpy, and Fenris kept glancing over his shoulder and peering into the trees; Isabela fingered her daggers as was her wont when she was nervous. Tallis's whole body was tense, and she crept along like a cat.
"What happened to all the birds, and... everything?" she asked nervously. "Uh oh..."
"Be careful, guys," Hawke warned, lowering her voice. "Keep your eyes out for it." The others just nodded. They continued cautiously down the path, and more hints to the wyvern's position became evident; they passed several human skeletons and another pile of wyvern dung. They stepped out into another clearing.
"Well, the trail suggests wyverns just love this place to bits. If we were going to find one... it would be here." Tallis glanced around the clearing anxiously.
"Right." Hawke set her bag down and rummaged through it.
"I think we have enough bait to lure one down here, although it may not be a huge one," Tallis remarked.
"Good. I just want something manageable for us."
They set down the dragon corpse, and Tallis smeared some of the blood on her skin. When the others gave her a weird look, she lifted an eyebrow and explained, "The prey needs to be moving, doesn't it?" Hawke just rolled her eyes and stepped back.
"Be careful, Tallis," Hawke warned.
"Always," the elf answered cheerily before she moved away from them. "Don't forget that the wyverns are poisonous!" she added over her shoulder before she set to work luring the wyvern. She started jumping up and down, flapping her wings and making loud nug calls, looking utterly ridiculous. Hawke would have laughed at the comical sight, if her nerves weren't so tightly wound. Isabela wasn't able to contain her snigger, though.
They heard a loud rustling sound, and the wyvern burst out of the trees. Isabela instantly quit snickering.
The wyvern was a large, ugly creature. It looked kind of like a giant lizard- Hawke could easily see its resemblance to dragons. Its body was long and lean. The scales on top of its body were blue, but underneath they were gray; its eyes were a piercing yellow color. Yellow-and-black spikes protruded all along its back, and one even poked out on its nose. It glowered at them and bared ferocious teeth. Its tail lashed back and forth as it threw back its head and uttered a bloodcurdling shriek. Her blood ran cold.
"Be careful," she whispered to Fenris as he charged forward to intercept it.
Tallis immediately stopped fooling around; with wicked speed she reached for one of her throwing knives and hurled it forward. It stuck in the wyvern's left eye, and it howled again- with pain this time. Blood seeped from its bad eye as it swung its head around to glare at the elf with its good eye. Then, with blinding speed, it charged toward her, and she only managed to hop out of the way just in time. Hawke dove forward and plunged her dagger into its armpit; she knew, from battling the high dragon, that the armpit would be its least protected spot. And she'd judged right; the wyvern growled and batted at her. She rolled out of the way, and an icy blast soared over her head. Bethany hit the wyvern with one of her frost spells and it froze momentarily. Fenris hacked at its shoulder, and Isabela darted in to plunge her own dagger into the wyvern's right eye. Then it became mobile again, and, hissing, it turned to face Isabela.
Hawke took this advantage and she dove underneath its belly. She lunged upward and plunged her dagger into its belly; it roared, turning around, and only succeeded in carving a deep furrow in its stomach. Hawke grimaced at the image of its insides as she rolled away again.
The wyvern was crying in pain now. It limped away, twisting its head balefully in an attempt to look at them. Then it opened its mouth and spat at them; Hawke cried in shock, twisting away as a glob of yellow something flew past her. It spat at them again, and now Hawke and her friends were on the defensive, dancing away from its poison. She noticed Tallis circling around the wyvern silently from the corner of her eye, and she understood instantly what the elf was doing.
"Hey, wyvern! Over here, you stupid ass-face!" Hawke yelled, swooping down to pick up a rock and hurl it at the wyvern. It hit the creature on the head, and the wyvern growled angrily, swinging around to face her. It prepared to charge.
Tallis leaped upward and landed on the wyvern's neck, locking her legs around it to keep her balance. It tossed its head around in a vain attempt to throw her off; she shoved her daggers, both of them, into the base of its head. It caterwauled in a sound that dwarfed every noise it had uttered earlier before it slumped to the ground, dead. Tallis calmly jumped off the wyvern and bent to clean her daggers.
"Anybody hurt?" Hawke asked tightly, turning to face her companions.
"Not too badly," Isabela answered, shrugging. The pirate queen had a long score on her arm, but the wound was very shallow, and Bethany immediately moved forward to heal it.
"None of us got hit by the poison, at least," Fenris replied, glancing around at them. His armor was scratched by the wyvern, but it appeared that most of the blood on his skin wasn't his.
"Good," Hawke sighed with obvious relief. Tallis walked over to them, sheathing her daggers.
"Well, let's head back to the chateau-" she began, before she was interrupted.
"Well, if it isn't the Fereldan turnip." Another Orlesian stepped into the clearing, sneering with a very heavy accent. Rage bubbled up under Hawke's skin and her face flushed a bright red as she turned slowly to face him. The idiot kept speaking. "I heard you were the champion of some backwater city in the east. Quite an achievement, I'm sure."
"Quite," Hawke agreed coldly. Her eyes narrowed, and she leveled a chilly glare at the man. "Can I help you?" He glared right back at her. Fenris stepped up to her side, glowering daggers at the Orlesian, his sword still in his hand. The man took no notice.
"I suggest you run along with your servants while you still can. This wyvern was mine to kill, not yours," he growled, gesticulating angrily. "Mine, mine, mine!"
"Are you drunk or something?" Hawke interjected. "You sound like my whiny bitch of a brother Carver when he was twelve." He scowled darkly.
"I paid good coin to be the one who wins this contest! It was my turn!" he snapped. The way he was yelling at her in his very prominent accent was very distracting, and Hawke might have thought it comical if he wasn't brandishing a sword and flanked by other armed men.
"Oh, I didn't realize the duke was offering charity to his more useless guests. My mistake," she sneered.
"I will not accept such talk from a backwater mongrel!" howled the Orlesian.
"You do realize this woman eats thugs like you for breakfast, I hope?" Tallis asked, smirking.
"Only when we're out of pancakes." Hawke shrugged.
"More insolence- and from a knife-ear, this time!" shrieked the man. "That's it! Kill them all, we can say the wyvern did it."
"You're an idiot, don't you know that swords leave marks on a body that looks nothing like a wyvern attack?" Hawke pointed out, but the Orlesian didn't care. He charged right at her. She shrugged and dodged, whipping out her daggers in the same motion and stabbing him behind the knee.
"Bastard," she muttered as he fell, and she kicked him hard right where it counted.
"Now what is going on here?" The battle was interrupted by Duke Prosper, who strode into the clearing with his Chasind bodyguard and a few other men, looking vaguely amused.
"Prosper! This blasted she-bitch tried to steal my rightful kill!" whined the Orlesian, picking himself up off the ground and wincing.
"Now, Baron, is that any way to speak to the Champion of Kirkwall?" the Duke asked, arching an eyebrow.
"This is your fault for inviting a stinking turnip in the first place! Your mother would be ashamed," he sneered. A moment later a dagger was flying through the air to bury itself in his chest. The Baron looked down, his mouth open in shock, before he toppled over, dead as a doornail. Everybody glanced at Tallis, who shrugged, before turning to look at Hawke.
"He called me a turnip," she said innocently, batting her eyelashes before adding vehemently, "Bastard." Isabela howled with laughter. Bethany rolled her eyes, and even Fenris chuckled. Tallis just sighed. Duke Prosper was amused, however, and he laughed as well.
"Ah, the nerve of some of my guests," he sighed, then turned to Hawke. "Well, congratulations on finding the wyvern. It looks like a fine one, indeed! There will be a celebration in the chateau courtyard. I hope you attend, when you're ready."
"Thank you," she answered, grinning triumphantly, and he nodded and walked off.
"Stupid fool. It didn't need to come to that," Tallis sighed.
"If you're referring to the Baron- and I really hope you are- he did attack us first," Hawke pointed out, rolling her eyes.
"I know," Tallis answered with another sigh.
"Well, he didn't have to be rude!" Bethany scowled. "Turnip, indeed! What a jerk." Hawke chuckled.
"He had it coming," Fenris pointed out. "If we had allowed him to live, he would have come back later for revenge."
"We should go to the chateau," Tallis said, rolling her eyes as well. "Time for you to practice your table conversation!"
"And my Orlesian accent," Hawke sniggered.
"I think I can mimic a fairly decent one," Isabela remarked as they started walking back to Chateau Haine.