Epilogue

Ebost, Asala.

Sten

The light flickered—flames wavering in the face of the wind. We were walking along the perimeter of the docks; she had been unable to sleep. I knew this, and had sought her out immediately after the evening meal.

"Pardon?"

She was distracted, her focus was elsewhere, but I wished to know if… she had immediate plans to leave.

"Do you mean to leave Par Vollen now?"

"Well… not now. The next ship south will leave tomorrow. At dawn."

"Quite immediately?" Even as I repeated this question, I knew the answer. Pity that it seemed that she did not understand its context.

Her reply was wistful and almost a murmur. "Hopefully. I have overstayed my welcome. I'd gather that everyone hates me by now."

Some of the anger directed at the kadan was not entirely her fault. This was what I wanted her to know. "The qunari are not known for being… hospitable."

She laughed, and it reminded one of why she was such a pariah in the eyes of the Qun. As a bas, she had no purpose. It could also be said that one might be jealous of the 'freedom' she exhibited with such ease.

No matter—she was leaving, and the teachings will outlast the events she had wrought during her stay on the island.

xOxOx

The ship was leaving, Antiva was where the kadan was to be expected next. He was not entirely sure that she should be spending any time alone with the Crow, but she seemed most determined to be there. Nothing ever stood in her way once she made up her mind. This was why he did not protest, nor did he offer to leave with her. She would not have allowed him to do so—that much was clear.

All he had left was the large package of sweets she had prepared, and she had presented this with such a hopeful look that he could not refuse. They were delectable, but now was not the time for the cookies. Each one left an odd, somewhat bitter aftertaste, and he wanted to savour these as long as it was possible. She had assured that these would keep—having separated them into several satchels, just so that they would last.

The book he opened when he was alone, its contents pertained to the secrets of the Wardens—encoded by more of the infuriating symbols and detailed lengthy rules. While flipping the pages impatiently, he noticed one important piece of information that interested him greatly.

With enough concentration, one might track down a fellow Grey Warden.

This was one side effect of being a Warden that he did not mind.

xOxOx

She watched the land grow ever further away, the sun was rising, the ship was speeding, a good wind was indeed crucial for such quickness when travelling. Fingering the package which was wrapped in oilpaper, she briefly wondered what he had meant by that last line.

"I will struggle no more, kadan. Asit tal-eb."

It is to be.

How…odd.

Well, at least she would be certain that he would enjoy his cookies, hurriedly made as they were. Scaling those walls in the dead of the night for an entire week was beginning to take a toll on her—Kiera was exhausted. At lease those would last him quite a while.

She unwrapped the gift he had placed so nonchalantly among her things—gifts were unconventional for the qunari. The brown paper revealed a beautifully carved frame, motifs similar to those she had seen aboard the galley. The rolling symbols seem to render the images as if at sea, which the qunari often alluded to.

It was endless—and tireless.

If anything, it was the painting that the frame contained that drew her attention. It was a picture of a female figure, slipping some loose hairs behind an ear, staring out to the sea, where there was the loveliest sunrise. She remembered this particular sunrise. All gold and red, the sky seemed aflame, but the water was calm.

There was some swimming (and near drowning). It was lucky that Sten had been there. The tides were treacherous at certain times of the day—and she had picked the wrong moment to dive into the surf.

Running her fingertips over the edges again, she marveled at the complex shapes which revealed a story, a fight that was depicted in the smooth, engraved wood. Curiously, there were also two words. She struggled with identifying it, feeling the swirls.

She stopped when she realized what it said. "Ebost, Asala."

She covered the souvenir— the gift —lest her tears marred it.

Oooh. And Ebost means "Return".

P.S.: And we arrive at the end. I hope you liked it! Please leave a review if you did? Thanks for being with me the whole way! I love you guys! XD