- Chapter 4: The Journey, Part I -
The city of Amaranthine was thriving since the last darkspawn attack. Leonie Caron, the Orlesian Commander of the Grey, surprised everyone who thought she was there only to lead another Orlesian invasion to Ferelden, when she decided to save the city instead of burning it to the ground. The commerce was intense, with little shops here and there selling everything an adventurer or pilgrim might need – if you can't find what you want in that particular store, you have dozens others to make up for it. People were walking, running, selling, buying – it was close to chaos. However, it only showed that Amaranthine had recovered well.
The port was filled with boats and ships. The smell of fish was intense, as Amaranthine had once been a modest fishing village. During the years, however, its importance has grown since the Orlesians were expelled.
Elissa and Alistair were alone in that port. He had asked Teagan and his guards to let them walk alone into Amaranthine, as a large party surrounding them would cause people to notice that the king was amongst them, leading to rumors as where he had gone to.
"She is supposed to meet us here," said Alistair, looking around beneath his brown hood. His cloak hid the fancy clothes he had on.
Elissa was surprised at him. "She?"
Alistair looked at her. Oh, right, I have never told her. "Isabela. You know, from-"
"From the Pearl?" Elissa was surprised. Had he recruited a whore? "The duelist? And other things, I suppose…"
"She's the captain of a ship. There." He pointed at a big pirate ship. "The Siren's Call."
"A silver and I'll be your guide," a feminine voiced sounded behind them. They turned around and faced a tanned skin woman with a piercing below her lower lip, dressed in – What in Thedas is that piece of cloth hovering over her? Elissa thought. "For a sovereign, I'll show you more than just the ship."
"Ha! Isabela, charming as always!" Alistair said with a smile on his face. Right, 'charming' would be the right word to describe her. Elissa was starting to feel like a shadow in comparison to the older – How old is she, about 37? – sexier woman – Is that what men find sexy?
"Eliza, am I right?" Isabela asked, recognizing the red haired woman from a distant memory. She remembered Alistair much better.
"It's Elissa," she corrected. She didn't know why, but the pirate woman was getting on her nerves.
Isabela laughed. "Well, excuse me, sunshine. It's been a few years, after all." She looked at Alistair. "We should talk in the ship."
"Yes, you're right."
Elissa followed them with a pout. She felt something was bothering her, but what? I've met this woman before — she even taught me how to duel. Why does she bother me so much? And suddenly the answer was clear. She looked at Alistair, who in turn was looking at Isabela's… hips, to say the least. Oh, for the love of Andraste! She should definitely put some clothes on.
They got on the ship. The deck reeked of ale, sweat and sea. Isabela guided them through a door leading to the captain's quarters – if that's what they were called. With a flick of her hand she signaled them to put down their satchels on the ground, and both Alistair and Elissa took off their cloaks. The room was broad. It had a large bed in the left corner, a wooden desk with a chair in the right corner and a beautifully crafted green and gold tapestry right in the middle. The wall in front of them supported a huge window that let the afternoon sun barge in, giving the room a summery sensation.
"When are you ready to leave?" asked Alistair.
"As soon as you want. My crew and companion are in the tavern stocking up their livers, if you know what I mean." Isabela laughed at herself and then looked at Elissa, who had a strange look on her face. "Didn't I teach you how to duel?"
"Yes, you did." What an expressionless answer, Isabela thought. But she had no time to dwell on such trivial things. She would be getting good coin, fall on the king's good side and travel with a handsome man. Not bad for a pirate, huh? "So, should we get going?" Elissa asked blankly, once again.
"Yes, I'll— let me go get my crew. Your 'rooms' are downstairs. There are three of them, so pick any one you want." Isabela left them and she went to the docks in order to find her inebriated crew and drag their asses back on board.
Elissa picked up her cloak and reached for her satchel, but Alistair got to it first. "Don't worry. I'll take it."
"What a gentleman." Elissa rolled her eyes. She was slightly mad at him, and Alistair noticed.
"Is everything alright?"
Elissa stopped and stared at him, hand on her waist. "So this is your hired help? Seriously, Alistair?" She gesticulated with her other hand.
"What's wrong with that?" He had a feeling she was attacking him, but he honestly couldn't understand why.
"Do you even know that woman?"
"Yes, I—"
"From that time at the Pearl?" He had hired a woman he had only seen once, in a brothel, and she had less clothing on her now than that time before!
"Elissa, why is this bothering you so much?" Alistair ran a hand through his hair, thinking of what he would say next. "I've been to Kirkwall a while ago. As king, don't you give me that look." Elissa was lifting a brow. "Anyway, I've met their famous Champion—"
"You mean the girl who let her boyfriend burn the Chantry down?"
"I— Yes, that girl. Anyway, Isabela was one of her party members, and she remembered me from—"
"From the Pearl," they both said in unison. "So your friendship or whatever blossomed and here we are."
"We're acquaintances— Wait, are you jealous?" Alistair said that last word with that characteristic grin of his. He put both their satchels down.
"Why would I be?" Elissa tried to shrug it off, but deep down she knew she was a little. Unfounded, she kept telling herself, as she was not pursuing any kind of relationship with her former lover – she just wanted to keep him alive throughout the whole mad quest.
"Well, first of all I'm just the most handsome king in Thedas. Second of all, Isabela is a gorgeous woman and in your mind you might feel threatened." He was still grinning.
Ugh, sometimes I just want to slap that grin off of your face, Elissa thought, getting even more annoyed. "Threatened? Did she defeat an Archdemon? I think not."
Alistair laughed. "Not in that way, Elissa. Threatened as in afraid she'd take the place that once was yours." He had an amused face. He really loved picking on Elissa, she would make the funniest face when she got mad – her brows would come closer to each other, wrinkling the little bit of skin left between them, and her lip would curl on its right corner. He had to do it carefully, however, because when he really got on her nerves, she would spend days without talking to him – and he had to crawl back to her, begging her for forgiveness. That was Elissa, proud as— well, he had no comparison since he never met anyone so proud.
Elissa stiffened her back and looked straight into Alistair's eyes. "Well, dear friend, the place that once was mine is now empty. So feel free to rent it to anyone you like – preferably one that can have children." She caught her satchel and passed by a shocked Alistair, walking to her room downstairs.
He had got on her nerves – she had never spoken words to him with that much poison. I guess I had it coming, he thought. After all, he left her because they couldn't have children, and seven years later there she was, with a daughter of her own. But that didn't mean that they could have children with each other. The thought occurred to him because of Eleanor's age, but he shrugged it off – he knew he couldn't possibly be her father. They both had taint in their blood. But everyone else in their party did not, and he had a feeling he knew who Eleanor's father was. He just would have to wait for the right time to ask Elissa.
Isabela traveled through the streets quickly. She soon walked into the tavern her crew was in. It didn't have much light in there, so she had to wait a while for her eyes to adjust. She followed the screaming and the chants she knew so well.
"Pack up boys, it's time to sail," she said once she found their table.
The five elven men she had spoken to looked amusingly at her, taking their last sips in their glasses. "Ye heard the mistress, let's go!" one of them shouted.
All of them had tattoos on their faces and tanned skin, a result of the long days at the sea. They were also incredibly thin – not because they weren't properly fed (Isabela had been their best captain so far), but because elves were just like that.
The elves left the table to return to the ship, but there was still one man sitting. He was a blondish dwarf with a ponytail and many earrings. "So we're actually working for the king. Why would such a noble man get involved with a pirate and a surface dwarf?" He got up.
"You surely heard the story, Varric," Isabela answered. "Alistair is the bastard son of King Maric. He was recruited into the Grey Wardens and he and his party defeated Urthemiel, thus ending the Blight."
"What does that have to do with anything I asked you?" Varric lifted a brow and smiled.
"Don't you know? His party was a band of misfits – an orphaned noblewoman, a Witch of the Wilds, a Chantry sister, a Qunari, a dwarf, an old mage, a Crow and even a golem. Who would be better than ourselves to guide him out of Ferelden to uncharted territory?"
"So you're basically saying that both you and I are two misfits, just like that weird party he had."
"We'll make him feel like he's home!" Isabela laughed as she and Varric stepped out of the tavern in direction of the docks. "Oh, and so you know, that orphaned noblewoman came with him."
Varric looked up at Isabela. "Okay, is she any good with a sword?"
Isabela gathered the information she had. "Well, word is that she was the one who actually killed the Archdemon. She's a fierce warrior, I'll tell you that. I taught her how to duel. But she did act strangely when we met before I came to get you."
"So the first time you met you weren't… like you are now, I take it?"
"Ha! Varric, I was a lot different back then."
Varric let Isabela board the ship before he did. "Well, you have your answer. Maybe she wasn't expecting you to be the beautiful minx you are. Women tend to be jealous, you know?"
Isabela thought about Varric's words for a second. "You know, now that you mention it, I believe Eliza and Alistair were a couple when I first met them."
Varric laughed. "Jealousy, I tell you!"
She smiled. "I don't think the young king has what it takes to be my man."
"Who are you kidding, Isabela? You're married to the sea!"
"That doesn't mean I can't have some fun on the side, Varric."
Elissa's 'room' consisted of a small division with a bed and a small window. She couldn't complain really; the last time she traveled with a party, she slept on the floor with a piece of fabric she called a tent that protected her from the cold outside. She put down her satchel violently. Alistair had made her quite mad.
What in Thedas is he talking about? Why would I be jealous of that woman? I clearly don't need a man, and I sure don't want him back. She had thought part of her had decided to come with Alistair because deep down she still had feelings for him – turns out she still had feelings for Alistair, the Grey Warden, and not Alistair, the king. He can have her. I don't want that kind of attention from him. She sat down on her bed and put her head on her hands. Was this worth it? She definitely did not want Alistair to die while he's busy chasing ghosts, but what about Eleanor? She missed her, Elissa knew it. I just hope this ends soon so I can go back to her. She needs me as much as I need her.
She heard the door across her room open. Alistair must have gone inside.
She did have a point. He had no right to tease her like that. Maker knows how much pain I've caused that woman.
Alistair put his satchel on his bed. He closed the door and then leaned his back on it. He had thought a lot about her over the years – the unique way she made him smile, the sweet look she had in her eyes… All gone in that one dreadful night. The memory of the two of them together was just that – a memory.
The main reason why he had asked her to come with him was not because she was a great fighter – which she was – or that she was probably the only person he could trust his life while in combat – which she also was – he had asked her to come with him because he missed her and was hoping he could make things right. He was not expecting her to jump into his arms and get married right away, but he truly had hoped there was still something out there for both of them.
Of course the fact that Elissa had a daughter complicated things a bit. She wasn't his, and her existence mocked all the decisions Alistair had made that night. I will need to find a wife, one who can bear a child… who will live to raise it. Those had been his words. How could he have been so stupid? Why did he not wait to see? Why did he destroy the only possible way for him to be happy?
Things will never be the way they were, he thought, running a hand through his hair. He allowed himself to slide down to the ground, where he sat thinking about all the bad choices he had made.
"Dinner is served, oh Captain!" Selnny the cook elf shouted at Isabela from the other side of the ship.
She was on the edge of the deck, hair flowing with the sea breeze, looking out at the dark sea. The moon and the stars made a beautiful reflection on the low waves and the air was cool. The sea had always been her love since she stepped on a ship for the first time, and it was different every time she looked at it.
Awakened by the rumble in her stomach, Isabela's eyes searched through the poorly lit deck. There was no sign of either Varric, Alistair or Eliza, so they must have been either in the dining room or in their bedrooms. She decided to look in the most obvious place first.
Isabela ran down the stairs to the corner where three doors met, one in front of her and two at its right and left. She knocked quickly on each one and shouted, "Come now, loves. Dinner awaits!"
The door right in front of Isabela was the first to open. "Thank the Maker! All that ale didn't keep me from getting hungry!"
"Varric… Not even all the ale in Thedas will kill your hunger."
Varric laughed loudly. "Well, that's what you say, Rivaini! Give it to me and you'll see how long I can be without eating!" With that, Varric walked past Isabela, up the stairs and into the dining room.
The door at the pirate's left opened slowly. The noblewoman stepped out graciously with her head held high. Her hair was no longer braided, as she had a side ponytail with a few bangs hanging loose. The door at Isabela's right opened as Eliza was stepping out into the small hall, and both women looked at it. Alistair came out of the room with a worried look on his face and messy hair. He looked at both Isabela and Elissa and then closed the door behind him.
Isabela could feel tension in the air. These two have some serious unsolved problems. "Let's eat, shall we?" she asked, with a genuine smile. Only the Maker knew for how long she hadn't eaten, with all the rushing and preparation. She turned on her heel just in time to see Eliza turn her face proudly away from Alistair's eyes and she climbed up the stairs, hearing light footsteps after her own. And that girl could use some humility.
The dinner went by without a single word from the former Wardens. Even though Isabela and Varric – who had been introduced to them right before he had started carving the roasted chicken like a hungry savage – tried to make them talk, none of them would budge.
Isabela sighed as she threw her hands in the air. "You know what, I give up! I thank the Maker I was not in your party when you were to slay the Archdemon. The silence and boredom would have killed me!"
Elissa decided to take that opportunity to spill some venom. "Yes, I believe you had much more fun at The Pearl." Alistair's eyes rose widely at her words and he put down the fork he was playing silently with. Varric chocked on the last piece of chicken he was eating.
Isabela's face, however, remained calm. Elissa knew she wasn't usually like this; she had never thought of herself being above anyone, but there she was, pretending she was the better person. But there was something in that older pirate that brought out the despicable noblewoman her childhood 'friends' turned out to be.
Isabela pushed out her chair and laid her feet in her thigh-high boots crossed on the table. "Matter of fact, dear, I believe I had." She looked at Alistair – who was still shocked – and then back at Eliza. "At least I know how to make a man hang around. While getting some… experience on the side," she added with a smirk. So this girl wanted war? She had no idea who she was messing with.
Isabela's words punctured right through Elissa. She was right. She hadn't been capable to keep a man around. "So you are to assume I'm not experienced? You know nothing of me."
"Neither do you of me, sweetie. But I regret nothing." She got up, getting closer to Eliza's face. "But if you say you are experienced," she chuckled – clearly the girl was lying, "I believe only someone as low as an elf would lay with you."
"Enough!" Alistair rose. His face was red – Oh, did the elf thing affect him? The plot thickens! Isabela thought. "We're not here to fight each other, we're here on a mission. You two better get your act together because I will not be caught – or killed, for that matter – because of some petty catfight!" He started to walk towards the exit door, but as he passed Elissa, who was still sitting motionless, he leaned down to her and whispered in her ear, "I brought you with me for a purpose. If I wanted a bitch for a companion, I would have searched for Morrigan."
Author's note: I hope you're not confused with all the Elissa/Eliza thing; for the moment, Isabela thinks Elissa's name is actually Eliza, so when I'm writing from the pirate's perspective, I find it funnier and more character-related to write her name wrong. sarahannmarie123 once again saved my English in this chapter, and for that I am forever thankful!