Chapter 2: The Party Line
After a little convincing, The Doctor and Amy were allowed to join the little group on their way to Haven.
"So, we're gonna walk with them, huh?" Amy asked as they started to walk away from the TARDIS.
"Yes," The Doctor replied as he started to scan the area with his sonic screwdriver.
"Why can't we just let them come with us into the TARDIS and then it'll be a much shorter trip?" Amy asked, wanting to get the short walk over with.
The Doctor turned around and said, "Because A) I don't know how the radiant energies in their bodies would react to the energies produced by the TARDIS, B) I don't want to answer any questions from this small group about why it's bigger on the inside (at least this time), and C) I have a feeling that something might want to get a better look about what is on the inside."
Amy looked a little put down before walking a little closer to Morrigan.
"Is he always like this?" Morrigan asked as she continued to analyze the man walking slightly closer to their leader.
"Actually he can be nice, just depends on when." Amy answered before moving forward to The Doctor's other side.
Wynne looked at The Doctor a little closer and, for the briefest of moments, thought she saw a man that looked about as old as she was; his hair as white as the mountains and holding a cane instead of nothing at all in his hands. She blinked and for another moment she saw a man with light blonde hair instead of the woodsy brown; with a lighter coat on his body, a red ball in his hand and…a celery stick on his jacket?
'Maybe I should rest a little more after this adventure to Haven.' Wynne thought as she blinked one more time and saw the man that had greeted them back at the blue box.
The sextet had arrived at a staircase that led up to what looked like a trellis with a lantern under it. Tamara had decided to let The Doctor up front since he looked like something of a leader akin to her father or to Arl Eamon. Amy was in the center of the group, looking a little like the noble girls she had met at the various functions her mother tried to drag her off to in the past.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The guard at the trellis had asked in a forceful way.
"Oh, don't mind us. We're just passing through." The Doctor said as he started to walk further into the village proper.
"Oh…don't mind him. He's just the Bann of…" Tamara had started but she didn't know which county to name…if he even had looked like the Bann of a county.
"Lothering…This is Bann Doctar of Lothering and his lovely fiancée Miss Almy Phonde of…" Morrigan added but couldn't finish.
"Val Royeaux…My apprentice from Val Royeaux." Leliana finished, adding a slightly coy smile to her face.
The guard didn't look impressed and said, "Really, well…why stumble over the explanation?"
"Simple, we're touring some places that I came to in my youth and I heard of this place by a friend of mine. The four armed people with me are Wardens who were kind enough to allow us to share in the trip." The Doctor explained as he decided to return to the group after looking around the village center.
The guard gave a slightly cruel smirk as he said, "Alright then…Doctar. All that we ask is that you finish your business quickly and be on your way."
"I do have a question…Where is everybody else in the village?" Leliana asked as she was truthfully curious where the majority of the populace were at.
"Simple, they're at the Chantry where Father Eirik is holding services." The guard said matter-of-factly.
"A Revered…Father?" Leliana asked with surprise in her voice.
The Doctor looked oddly at Leliana and said, "Well, let's not dwell on such small matters. Shall we?"
The rest of the group looked at Tamara, who simply said, "Okay…let's go."
As they left, the guard's evil smirk got larger as he watched them leave. No one had noticed that his eyes were slightly glowing as well.
As the group was walking towards the village center, The Doctor had stopped and turned to Leliana.
"You seemed surprised at the fact that the village has a 'Revered Father'…why?" The Doctor asked.
"You don't understand, there has never been a 'Revered Father' in the Chantry. The only ones that even consider having a 'Revered Father' are the Imperial Chantry in The Tevinter Imperium. The spiritual leaders of the Chantry are almost always 'Revered Mothers'. Even The Divine is a woman." Leliana explained with worry in her voice.
"Seriously? All the preachers and priests are women?" The Doctor asked with surprise in his voice.
Amy looked on slightly as she noticed that a light had just exploded behind The Doctor's eyes. She may be new to travel in a time machine but she was starting to get the hang of knowing when The Doctor's interest was piqued when there was a mystery.
"Maybe this 'Imperium' has control of the village?" Amy had pondered aloud.
Tamara, Wynne, and Leliana had shaken their heads.
"Impossible…beside's their style is to come in with a full military detachment and establish a military base before changing the local religion." Tamara said, her studies with Scribe Aldous and Ser Gandran the Knight had paid off.
"Right, so…no invasion," The Doctor had said off-hand before noticing a boy wandering around the path up the mountain and muttering to himself.
'Stupid…ugh, I'm old enough…I can prove to Father Eirik that I'm ready to go up the mountain to…' Thomas muttered to himself before he noticed that a strangely dressed man was approaching him and a larger group approaching behind him.
"Um…sorry to interrupt your little rant but I couldn't help but notice that you're talking about the mountain. Why do you want to go to the mountain?" The man asked.
"I'm sorry but I'm not allowed to talk to strangers." The boy said, hoping the man would just go away.
"I'm not a stranger; I'm The Doctor, This is Amy, Tamara Cousland, Morrigan, Wynne, and Leliana. Now, why do you want to go to the mountain?" The Doctor asked as he introduced himself and the group behind him.
Thomas looked at the man, in complete disbelief at someone being friendly, and said, "Well…there's the chapel to Andraste up there near the peek…"
"Wait, the Chantry is near the peak of the mountain?" Leliana asked in disbelief herself.
"No, I mean the real chapel of the village is up near the peak of the mountain…where Andraste lives." Thomas said.
Wynne spoke up next, saying, "Young man, you are mistaken. The Chantry, as well as all the people in Fereldan know that Andraste had died by being burned at the stake by the ancient Tevinter Imperium."
Thomas looked at Wynne with amusement before saying, "You are mistaken then…cause everyone here knows that Andraste lives at the top of the mountain. That's were Father Eirik says the chapel is at."
"Right then…I think it's time that we had a talk with this 'Father Eirik'." The Doctor said as he head up the stairs to the Chantry.
The others followed behind The Doctor, not knowing that the child ran off to a woman that came outside of her home.
"Did you tell them?" The woman asked the child.
Thomas shook his head, eyes beginning to glow like the guard.
"Good, I'll inform Lord Kyne of the news." The woman said before going back inside of her building.
And that's chapter two.
Pairings declared in chapter one.
Disclaimer in Prologue and Chapter One.