Chapter 6

The now larger group continued on their way through the remainder of the forest. As they approached the end of the woods in the middle of the path sat their wolf companion and behind it were three guards from a near by village, "It went to go get help," Caleb excitedly cried out as the wolf ran towards him, he knelt down to pet it, "Now that's loyalty,"

The guards followed behind the lead guard spoke with a heave Orlesian accent, "This animal came into our village barking, we figured it was trying to tell us something was happening and followed it here," the wolf turned to Isala and began to growl at him, "This must be the cause, we've heard many travelers saying how they have barely escaped ambushes you set, we'll take him into custody, thank you for bringing him to us,"

As the guards went to arrest Isala Caleb spoke up, "I don't think that will be necessary, I'm taking him with me to Val Royeaux," the guards stopped and looked at him, "You won't have to worry about him anymore,"

"And what business do you have in Val Royeaux?"

"We're on a mission from the Queen of Ferelden," Ser Thomas answered the guard with dropping his gaze from the guard.

"Why should I believe that?" the guard came closer to the old templar.

"We have the princess with us do we not," Ser Thomas motioned over towards Eleanor who just waived at the staring guards.

"I see," the guard paused clearly considering what he should do next, "Sorry for the inconvenience, please continue we'll send word to…"

Ser Thomas stopped the guard in the middle of the sentence, "No need, we need to arrive in Val Royeaux with as little attention on us as possible,"

"I understand than let us get out of your way," the guard ordered for his men back to the village and within moments they were out of view.

The group continued for some way down the path until they had arrived back on the Imperial Highway a ways past the forest, "That was a great cover back there, I never could have made up something like that on the spot," Caleb told Ser Thomas jokingly.

"It wasn't made up, I really am on a mission in Orlais," Ser Thomas replied looking back at him.

"What do you mean?" Caleb walked next to the old templar.

"The day you were thrown into the dungeon, the Queen called me to talk to me before you went before her and the King, she told me of a plan she had to help make Orlais an active ally of Ferelden, she told me her plan of sending me here to aid the revolutionaries against Empress Celene, I brought you along with the thought that I could keep an eye on you and keep you out of trouble, I didn't however, expect the others to join our venture but the goal remains,"

"So when we left Denerim it was to overthrow the Orlesian government and not to perform some templar errand?" Caleb responded coldly.

"Yes," was all Ser Thomas replied.

"So once again I'm kept out of the loop of information from someone I considered so close to me," his tone filled with anger and he was on the verge of yelling, "why is it that the people I trust don't trust me enough to tell me anything important, I thought of anyone you were the one person I could always trust yet you don't even see fit to tell me the nature of our trip," the rest of the group stopped moving and watched the argument.

"Caleb, if I'd told you, you might not have come and I…"

Caleb cut him off, raising his voice to a yell, "NO, DON'T EVEN TRY TO REASON WHY YOU DID IT, THERE IS NO EXCUSE IN MY MIND THAT JUSTIFIES THIS," he took a deep breath and stopped yelling but still had a very angry tone, "You were one of the few people that I thought I could always trust, and in a month it turns out that not just one but two of them don't even trust me," out of the corner of his eye he could see Eleanor turn her gaze to her feet, "I can't trust anyone can I, is that the final lesson you have for me?," he turned around to face the rest of the travelers, "What are you looking at? Get moving," he ordered the command and continued walking down the Imperial Highway.

They had walked past the city of Lydes which was the city south of the bridge that crossed the Waking Sea. Once across that they would be a day away Val Royeaux. They had run into little trouble since their run in with those guards earlier that day. They were going through another forest to get to the bridge. They had set up camp and were preparing a meal when events started to unfold.

Everyone except Eleanor was around the campfire and she was in her tent. Caleb looked around a noticed that the wolf that had been traveling with them was missing. He looked around but didn't see it around the camp. He then began to think about how strangely intelligent the animal was. It understood human behavior better than would be expected of any animal even a marbari. It also seemed to always know exactly what they were saying and would react like a person would.

"YOU MANGY BEAST, HOW DARE YOU," Caleb and the rest of the group turned to Eleanor's tent where the scream had come from. They all saw the wolf run out of the tent and into the surrounding forest with something in its mouth. Eleanor ran out right after it wearing nothing except her undergarments. She looked around the camp and after not seeing the wolf turned her eyes to Caleb, "Caleb, go after it,"

"Why me?" as soon as the words left his mouth her gaze tightened and shot a feeling of fear through his body, "Right, I'll be right back," he hopped up and ran into the part of trees that the wolf had gone into. He used his sword to cut through the rough parts of the bush and some vines hanging from the trees, he made his way through for several minutes until he found himself in a clearing that he o had only seen in the dream that had burned it's self into his memory.

It was almost exactly the same as it had been when he had seen it in his dreams. The hut sat almost in the middle of the clearing and had a good sized creek running behind it. There was a campfire a few yards away from the hut with a pot over it and upon moving closer to it he could tell that it was full of a stew being prepared for a meal.

He continued to look around the clearing until he heard a voice come from the entrance, "You know Caleb, it's considered rude to wander around one's home," he turned expecting to see the old woman that had given him the message in the first dream he had. It was instead a much younger woman.

She had long wavy black hair and yellow eyes that seemed to show a sense of confidence. She wore raggedy purple robes and she carried a mage's staff which looked to be made of the nearby trees. Caleb turned to face her with his sword still in hand, "And how is it that you know who I am?"

She began to walk slowly towards the campfire staring into the fire. Caleb had never fought a mage but Ser Thomas described it as one of the most frightening things in his life. "I know many things about you, traveling with someone gives you great insight about them. I'm more impressed that neither you or the templar Ser Thomas were able to see through my disguise,"

"That is because I taught you well," they both turned to see the old woman from his dream walk out of the entrance of the hut, "Good Juliet, you brought him here just as I instructed," Caleb but his sword back on his back.

"Yes mother," Juliet answered not looking a way from the fire.

The old woman turned to Caleb, "I trust your journey is underway,"

"You should know since you apparently had someone watching me,"

"She was not sent to watch you, she was sent to make sure that you came here,"

"Was that really necessary?"

"It was, she needed to learn about those she would be traveling with and I needed some quiet," she began laughing and Caleb looked over to Juliet.

"What do you mean 'those she would be traveling with'?"

"That is another reason why I had he bring you here so I could send her with you,"

"You couldn't have just told me and send her than?"

"I felt that you would be far more accepting of her presence this way,"

"What can she do?"

Juliet emerged from the hut where she had been able to enter without Caleb noticing and answer the question herself, "I can shapeshift and have a control over magic something no other in you group has,"

Her mother continued for her, "She will also be able to give you any massage I need to give you,"

"And if I don't want to take her along?"

"Than you will have to figure everything out on your own,"

"Fine, I'll take her along,"

"Excellent, good bye mother, don't move any of my things I want everything where I left it when I return victorious,"

"Yes, and Caleb do try to keep my daughter safe will you,"

Caleb and Juliet walked back through trees back to the camp to introduce the group to their returning companion.