Thank you Kira and McKenzie for being my wonderful beta.
And Ellie XD I luff you, forever and ever and ever XD
Do come to my house for Christmas, you beautiful thing, you!
"I think you have been hit on the head too many times, Hawke." Anders told her over a drink, glaring at her for all he was worth. Since knowing Hawke, he had yet to see the woman do anything normal; even their first meeting was strange because she was seeking him out about venturing into the Deep Roads, which was almost entirely suicidal. Though, asking a giant warlord to give her punishment is definitely a new one.
"If only that was the case, Blondie," Varric scowled disapprovingly. "Then fixing her would have been much easier."
Hawke leaned back in her seat and pouted, as affronted as the mage and dwarf sitting across from her. "Well, If he would just understand!"
After they got back to Kirkwall, Hawke had barked out a farewell to the Arishok and left without another word. She wasn't worried about what punishment the Arishok might dispense, but she was mad that he could be so...domineering.
Despite what her friends thought, she really doubted that he would abuse his soldiers. Sure, the Qunari might have strict rules, but there's no way the Kossith would follow a man who is not fit to lead. She knew from experience that when a leader abused his position and his subordinate, that all respect would be lost.
Fear, hatred, obedience, yes, but never respect; and it was clear as day that they respected him immensely. The Kossith were so attuned to their leader that the Arishok barely had to breath for them to know what he wanted. That intrinsic understanding was one of the many things that Hawke admired about them. It was rare to see that kind of relationship.
However, the Arishok could be very annoying.
"He's the leader of the army, Hawke." Fenris turned to her, not as alarmed as her other two friends because he had arrived at the same conclusion as hers. "He follows the laws of the Qun, I would say he understood. It's just that the way of the Qun is different; as one of the three leaders, he knows nothing else."
"One of the three leaders?" Hawke blinked at Fenris. She had heard the Arishok mention something about triumvirate, but nothing more because he refused to explain any further. "Three leaders of what?"
"Of the Qunari."
Anders and Varric groaned, while Hawke continued to stare at Fenris as what he said sunk in. The Arishok wasn't just a leader of the army, he is the leader of the army.
Well...That's...something to think about. Hawke let out a long breath. No wonder he is so set in his ways.
"I thought you knew." Fenris chuckled. "He did told you about the Triumvirate."
"Two sentences that did not make sense," Hawke rolled her eyes. "And you think I knew?"
"If you weren't so busy staring at his horns." Varric wagged his fingers at her.
"They are impressive, aren't they?" She grinned, making Anders groaned again.
"But really though, watch yourself, Hawke." Varric gave her a knowing look.
Of all of her friends, she could say that Varric is the person - or dwarf - that understood her the most, and so far he had become the big brother that she never had, with half the height and twice the sass; he was at her side most of the time, watching out for her, taking care of little things so she didn't have to worry as much, and generally acted as her confidant. While she was easy going and enjoyed life as much as she could, there weren't a lot of people she could talk to without worrying that they would use her fears against her. With Varric, she could tell him her worst nightmare, and he wouldn't breath a word of it to anyone - despite being such a storyteller. He would even go as far as working with her so she could overcome that fear, and she knew with her heart that he would never use it to his advantage.
Varric was one of the reasons she liked being in this city. He would never be the one that held her back, though he probably would have something more to say to her in private. She trusted his judgment of people, and she wanted to know his impression of the Qunari leader.
"Do you think this is wise?" Fenris asked quietly.
"If given the chance, wouldn't you want to live with the Fog Warriors again?"
"The Fog Warriors are much different than the Qunari." Fenris pointed out, but the wistful smile on his face was her answer.
"Even so, they're interesting." Hawke responded. "And it doesn't hurt to learn something new."
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"I'm worried about you." Varric said as he walked into his room.
"Varric, you know that I can handle myself." She replied as she followed in behind him and closed the door.
"Sure you can." He didn't smile as he sat down on the bed, gesturing for her to sit next to him. "But I wasn't just talking about combat, Hawke."
"I've told you how I grew up, Varric." She sighed and dropped herself onto the soft mattress. She kicked off her shoes before sitting crossed-legged in the middle of the bed. "Until Lothering, I don't think I ever had a friend longer than half a year, and even then we had to keep a low profile. I can't exactly invite friends for sleepovers, or talk to them about boys and do girly things while training how to take down people. Oh, and how to run like people are chasing you."
"I understand." The corner of Varric's mouth lift up a little as he imagined little Hawke running around training to be a fighter. That must have been a sight. With pigtails. "I know you can handle yourself, but aren't you romanticizing the Qunari a little? I heard that Broody told you about his time in Seheron, but those Qunari are probably different from these."
"What have you heard?" Hawke asked, cautiously.
"Nothing serious, it's just that...They haven't bothered with the normal folks, and not a lot of people can just go into the compound so there isn't any trouble from that end." He sighed, scooting over to sit against the headboard, and pushed the pillows to one side. "However, there are many people who want to drive the Qunari out of Kirkwall. I'm just worried that if you get involved now, there will be trouble later on."
"They haven't done anything." Hawke frowned, wondering if there was more to it. "The Arishok already said that they were here to retrieve a relic, not to attack the city; And I believe him. The Qunari prefer the straightforward approach, so if they want to do something big - like take over the city, they would already have done so."
"It's not what they do, it's what they are." Varric rolled his shoulders as he tried to explain it to her. "You see the bigger picture than most people, and you're more forgiving, but I've dealt with others who aren't as open-minded. It could potentially escalate. I'm hoping it won't, but still, it's better to be prepared. The Qunari aren't well-received with some people. The Viscount is trying to stay neutral, but eventually he would have to make a choice."
Hawke threw her hands up in the air and laid down sideways on the bed, her feet and hair hung off the frame. "I'll never understand. Why can't people just be happy with their lives?"
"You're asking for the moon, Hawke." Varric chuckled.
Hawke sighed, looking up at the ceiling with an exasperated groan. "Varric, give me a drink, will you? I feel the oncoming of a headache."
"You wanted to ask me something, didn't you?" Varric rolled his eyes, but gave her a pat on the knee as he slid off the bed to do as she asked.
"What did you think of the Arishok?" She sat up, taking the drink when he gave it to her.
"The Arishok as a leader of the Qunari?" He stared at her, reading her thoughts as they played out on her expressive face. "Or the Arishok as man?"
"You're a mind reader, that's not fair!" Hawke whined, blushing as he grinned at her.
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When she was back at home, Hawke mulled over what Varric said. Having been with her when they met the Arishok and saw the same things she did, Varric indeed had a good idea of how the Arishok operated. He had agreed that the Qunari leader is true to his word, but they had a long talk about her interest in the Qun. He had found books about the Qun, and gave them to her to read knowing that it would be a lot different from what she expected. He told her personally that he didn't think Hawke would fit in with the Qun, seeing as how they are so strict, and she loved freedom more than anything. Before they left, he also told her to be careful.
Gotta love that dwarf.
Still, he was serious about his cautions, so she would take his words into consideration. Hawke stared down at the books on the table, and settled herself down to read them. When Hawke heard a knock on her door, she look over her shoulder, wondering just how long she had been reading.
"Messere?" Bodahn's voice called. "Are you awake?"
"I am." Hawke got up and opened the door.
"You asked me to wake you up early."
"Ah, thank you, I didn't realize...Thanks again, Bodahn."
"Will you be eating breakfast? I can go right down and make you something before the Mistress wake up."
"That won't be necessary." She smiled, apologetically. "Please tell my Mother good morning for me, and I'm not sure when I will be home."
"You are going to be busy all day?" Bodahn sighed. "The Mistress had been missing you, that she has."
"I know." Hawke grimaced. "I'll make it up to her soon. Don't let her know where I'm going though."
"I wouldn't dream of it. I myself don't know where you go most of the time."
"And yet you always managed to find me when needed." Hawke laughed, waving to the dwarf as he winked and left.
Closing the door, she hurriedly got into another change of clothes and strapped her weapons onto her back, then rushed out the door. The Arishok wanted her there at dawn? She'd be there to bother him before the sun had the chance to rise.
When she arrived at the compound, the guard let her in, without a word. For some reason, that make Hawke grin. They probably think she's a bother, but have no choice but to deal with her. Such is my lot in life.
As she walked in, one of the Kossith, an Ashaad, was waiting by the stairs leading into the compound. He waved her over when he saw her.
"Good morning," she greeted him cheerfully.
The Ashaad nodded at her, acknowledging her presence. "You are ready." He noted, nodding again in approval. "We shall leave for the mountains."
"Why the mountains?" Hawke asked, looking at what look like a basket in the Ashaad's hand. The basket is about three feet long, and have big circular opening, with long straps that can be slung over the shoulders. It doesn't look like it was made from the regular straws, though; nor does it look like the ones from the market. The Qunari obviously can make everything they needs on their own. "What's with that thing? Don't tell me you'll fit in that once the punishment is over?"
He looked from the basket to her in blank confusion. "I would not be able to fit in here. We are to leave and collect resources."
"So our jobs is to collect?" She raised an eyebrow. "And then what? Bring them back? This is the 'punishment' the Arishok had for you?"
"My punishment is to work hard." the Ashaad replied, heading out of the compound's gate.
"No hard labor? No running around the compound wearing weights? No baking under the sun as we carry heavy things?"
"No." He did not stop, but he sent a questioning look back at her, seemingly asking with his eyes if she was out of her mind.
Perhaps I am. Hawke sighed, she had tried not to think about what the Arishok might want them to do today, but she was half expecting it would be something strenuous, or a little humiliating. Not to hurt or be laughed at, but to teach a lesson. She didn't expect an easy job of simply going up to the mountain to get resources that the Qunari can use.
From what she had read in one of the books, was that Qunari did not believe in cruelty, but she didn't truly understand what that meant. For her family, 'punishments' were usually extra chores, but given the harshness of the Arishok's expression yesterday, she didn't expect the Ashaad's punishment to be something similar. She had thought he would make Ashaad suffer for his mistakes. She told her friends not to worry, but she, too, was overthinking it.
For a while, Hawke walked with the large Kossith in silence, contemplating the things she read last night. The laws of the Qun were pretty short and to the point, and out of the five books that Varric gave her, the actual text of the Qun was the thinnest, barely a dozen of pages - but it laid out what one must do and what is taboo; the rest was much thicker, and contains personal experiences of those that had went through the indoctrination into the Qun.
Those stories started out with confusion, and referencing embarrassing scenarios, but eventually they all came to understand the Qun. According to the books, the military aspect is not all there is to the Qunari. It made her want to see how the other two branches of the Qun behaved. 'What would it be like to see complete unity?' She wondered.
"Take heed of your surroundings," the Ashaad said, breaking her out of her thoughts as they exited the city. "You will need to remember every little detail of the areas we visited."
"For what purpose?"
"The Arishok requested a report of what we see."
"What?" Hawke gaped at his back, and he stopped, turning toward her with impatience obvious on his face.
"You should start to listen better. I said the Arishok requested a complete report of where we go and what we see."
"I heard you, but what do you mean he wants a report?"
"I was not paying proper attention to my surroundings yesterday." He reminded her. "That is why I must do so."
"He said to commit everything to memory and write it down?"
"That is the task, yes."
Hawke groaned. Forget what I was thinking earlier, this is no easy assignment. This is torture.
And I volunteered for this? "What was I thinking?" She groaned again.
The Arishok can be so cruel!
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It was well past the afternoon when the Ashaad and Hawke made it back to the compound. They have gone in at least five times around the mountainside; Hawke swore the Ashaad deliberately went into every cave they came across, and did not leave a stone unturned. Hawke understood it was his way of making sure he did his task properly, but it made remembering things difficult. She probably had already forgotten half of the places they'd been to, but at least they returned with rare herbs and a good amount of small games, not to mention a dozen of rocks that can be use to sharpen weapons - courtesy of the Ashaad's digging.
He was a good - no, great - scout, but right now Hawke want to bang her head against the wall. Growing up moving from place to place, Hawke learned how to read and write from various people, but she was never a good writer.
'Detailed report of everything,' the Ashaad had said.
As Hawke was quietly bemoaning her fate, he gave the filled basket to another Kossith, and motioned for her to follow him. They entered an open area with various tents of different sizes. Curious, Hawke looked around, trying to find clues as to what this area was used for. Probably equipment from the look of it, as it has crates stacked up against one another on the sides of the tents.
There were only three Kossith milling about, and one of them handed out items to the other two. They had given her a cursory glance when she had followed the Ashaad into the compound, probably wondering what's a human was doing there, but they turned their attention back to what they'd been doing, ignoring the little wave Hawke sent their way.
"Go in." The Ashaad called to her, and she looked over to see him waiting by a small tent.
He had lifted up part of the flap, and she was able to see a table in the center of the tent. The table was rather small, and low, with cushions on the floor instead of chairs.
With a big sigh, she walk in, sitting down on one side of the table and mournfully stared down at the blank papers, stacked in front of her.
The Ashaad took an inkpot from a bench and set it down in the middle of the table along with two...things. Seeing him pick up one of them when he sat down, Hawke took the cue and picked up the little stick and examined it: it was barely longer than the length of her hand, and one and a half finger's width; it was painted black, and the silver band on the tip bound fine tipped-
"Horse's hair." The Ashaad explained as he watched her her fiddle with the pen.
"It is?" Hawke ran her finger down to the fine tip, noticing it didn't become mussed up or spread. "I didn't know horse's hair could be so soft."
"Our craftsmen made them," he said. Hawke detected a hint of pride in his words. "Stop fretting and write."
Hawke's gaze moved to the stack of paper in front of the Ashaad. In her moment of fascination, he had already jotted down a good number of lines; she looked back at her blank page and sighed again, remembering the punishment.
This is going to be a looooonnnnggggg day.
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The Arishok looked down at the sleeping human, her fingers was stained with ink, and the pen was still in her grasp; next to her head lay a dozen pages of words written in the common language. He picked up a page, scanned the first few lines before he looked back at her. His thoughts were on how easily she had blended in with her surroundings and yet, at the same time, seemed to stand out.
Most bas had trouble with the Kossith based on their sheer size and different appearance, not to mention that they were fearful of the skills the Kossith possessed and assumed that his race were barbarians. Ignorance lot. This female though, she was not easily intimidated, her willingness to see from different viewpoints was rare; and unlike those whose words are to falsely flatter, she was sincere in her curiosity. She is also honest, he had seen more integrity in her eyes than in the whole city combined.
A Sten came into the tent, nodding to the Arishok and glanced at the human, speaking in their native language. ["Do you want me to wake her?'"]
The Arishok looked over at the Sten, returning the nod. ["No."] Then he gathered up the papers. ["Let her be, but bring her to my tent when she wakes up."]