The Beresaad had returned early that morning. The Arishok had just been awakened by the sun's heat. Rivain was certainly far cooler than the Free Marches, but not near as comfortable as Par Vollen. Every night he thought about how insufferable these places were, the Free Marches and now Rivain.
The Arishok sat quietly as the Ashaad reported the events of the night. One thing was for certain; Sicilia was starting to get under his skin. He dismissed the Ashaad and returned to his thoughts. When will she give it up?
A part of him was relieved that she had been there; the Beresaad wouldn't have been able to fight off that many opponents. The other part of him wanted her to stop interfering. It was one thing to have her searching on her own, but another entirely for her interfere when the Beresaad was trying to get information. This is what really made his skin crawl. I will go to her myself. She will stop.
"The seasons are changing. The rain will be here soon," she murmured to herself feeling the cool air moving in. The sand beneath her shifted as she wrenched the boot from her foot.
"It's already cooling off." Markl announced from behind her before taking a seat.
"You're here early."
"Yeah, I wanted to ask you something. Haiden told me what happened last night. I just wanted to make sure you know what you're doing. You do realize that the Arishok isn't going to stand for you interfering much longer, right?" He brushed a strand of hair from his face.
"I know. I can't help it, though. The way he is, I guess, just makes me want to argue for the fun of it. Maybe I'm just…" she stopped short. "Markl, you may want to leave now. He's coming this way."
She watched the Arishok's massive form march down the coastline towards her. Markl quickly stood and headed back towards town. When he was close enough to hear her, she said, "Shanedan, Arishok. What did I do to deserve you coming to see me?"
"Your insufferable interference." His armor had been recently polished and she was sure he had sharpened his weapons as well. The blades shone brightly in the sunlight.
"I won't apologize for saving his life." A shadow darkened his face and his expression was grim. Sicilia remained seated and gazed up his towering stance. "If I am insufferable, it is only because you chose it to be so."
"You dare blame me for-" She found that the arguing had gotten old for her; now, she only wanted to converse. On some level, she wanted to get to know him. Therefore, she interrupted.
"I'm only saying that you suffer because you choose to do so, Arishok. Shok ebasit hissra." She watched as he clenched his fists; the muscles in his arms tensed. "Struggle is an illusion. I understand that you have been far from home, unable to return for some time, but that gives you no reason to forget your own ways." His silence was victory to her ears! Perhaps, I can get him to understand that not all humans are ignorant to his ways. "Sit. Come on. Sit. Relax. Just let the world be for a while. Then, we can return to our bickering."
Though, she could tell the Arishok did not like her ordering him to do anything, he did sit. Sicilia closed her eyes and let the air wash over her, the waves of the tide coming calm her, and the sun's rays give off their last bit of warmth as the day drew to a close. She opened her eyes and saw the Arishok doing the same.
His brow was no longer drawn so tight. His hands rested on his knees and, even as he slouched forward, his head was still higher than her own. In her peripheral, she watched as his muscles relax. Sicilia began to think to herself that this was how the Qunari really were. They were not some demonic creatures bent on destruction, but a peaceful people who only sought perfection.
She smiled as she thought aloud, "You have lost yourself, Arishok." Realizing she had spoken, she laughed at herself. She watched as his brow drew tight and his eyes shot open at her words. Smiling, she said, "There is no chaos in the world, only complexity. Knowledge of the complex is wisdom. From wisdom of the world, comes wisdom of the self. Mastery of the self, is mastery of the world. Loss of the self is the source of suffering. Suffering is a choice, and we can refuse it."
Her brother had spoken these words to her so many times before she could even understand the meaning. Once, she even had to speak them to him. Now, she was speaking them to the Arishok. Even though she could feel the irritation billowing off him, she could also feel the sense of calm he now had.
"Everyone looses their sense of being at some point in life, no matter how hard they try. If you are suffering, stop and send that suffering upon the person who caused you to loose yourself."
"Why do you think I'm here, Basra?" he said through clenched teeth. Keeping his eyes forward, he lifted his head high, his chin parallel to the ground.
She snickered. "You think that I started all this? No, the one you should make suffer is the person who now has the tome. Not me. I'm just someone who is trying to find myself again and it happened to lead me here." After a moment of silence, she continued, "After my brother left, I found myself suffering more and more. I blamed him at first, but then I got a letter from him. Shok ebasit hissra. Meraad astaarit, meraad itwasit, aban aqun. Meraas shokra. Anaan esaam Qun." She heard a small noise from him. Was that a laugh? It had almost startled her.
"Struggle is an illusion. The tide rises, the tide falls, but the sea is changeless. There is nothing to struggle against. Victory is the Qun," he translated.
"Every time I find myself struggling, I stop and just be. Try to relax, Arishok. Things are as they should be."
"You expect me to relax while someone plans to sell the relic to the Tevinter Imperium? You really are an ignorant woman."
"I'm ignorant? I'm not the one who forgot my own ways. I wasn't even raised in the Qun nor am I a convert and I'm the one spouting scripture." She looked at the Arishok expecting a retaliation. She sighed deeply. "How about we change the subject? I, for one, am tired of bickering like an old married couple."
"Why should I remain here talking to you?" He shifted as if he was ready to leave.
"Because you like it. And you came to me remember? I can see the difference in the air about you, Arishok. In that camp, you have to keep face for your men, but I've just seen a new side to you. You can relax while you're here. It's just me, the ignorant woman. You have no need to impress me."
"I do not like being made a fool, Basra."
"I do not think you a fool, Arishok. In fact, it's quite the opposite. If I have made you think otherwise, I apologize, but please, don't call me that anymore. I am not a thing; I have a name." She leaned back against her palms. Honestly, she had thought that he would've left long ago.
Haiden's eyes were fixed on her, though he couldn't hear her. He had seen Markl leaving the coast and he had also seen the Arishok walking towards Sicilia. He understood why Markl left, but that shouldn't include him, right?
He continued to argue with himself. I should be down there, right? For backup. Just in case. They don't seem to be fighting, though. Wait, is she laughing? Damn it! Admittedly, he was jealous. Seeing her with the Arishok had struck a nerve in him. Why should I be jealous? He wouldn't go after a human. But why is he even here?
Not wanting to interrupt, he decided to stay back and watch. If she needed back up, he'd be there. After the previous night, Haiden had made a promise to himself. Instead of telling Sicilia how he felt, he would simply show her. Tonight, he had brought dinner.
"Have you eaten?" she said reaching for her pack. Since she had been meeting with Haiden and Markl every night, she had thought it best to always bring dinner. Every once in a while, Markl would bring some ale or wine and Haiden would always try to force coin in her pocket for feeding him every night. Tonight, she happened to bring three sandwiches made with fresh bread she had bought that morning. She also had brought a surprise for Markl; he had a love for anything baked, especially cookies. Oh, well. I'll get him some more. "Here. Do you want smoked ham or cured salmon? Haiden doesn't like salmon so I usually bring ham for him. If you like both, you can have one of each. I have my salmon and usually I can't eat it all."
As Sicilia began to eat her sandwich, she watched out of her peripheral as the Arishok would eye the meal. She noticed that he would grind his teeth as if cursing her for putting food in front of a hungry man. I can't help it I'm nice. A smiled crossed her face as the Arishok picked up the sandwich made with cured salmon.
By the time she had finished her sandwich, the Arishok had eaten both of his. Reaching inside her pack, she pulled out two large, wrapped cookies. She held out one for him, which he took curiously. "So, tell me about your homeland. For all my brother told me, not even he could tell me about Par Vollen."