Chapter 21
"Lady Leandra, you look absolutely beautiful tonight," Sebastian greeted as he bent and kissed her hand.
Leandra Amell, dressed in a new pale blue, silk dress with silver stitching, felt herself blush at the compliment paid her by the handsome prince. "When we received the Viscount's invitation, Gavin made sure that I had something suitable to wear."
"He is coming, is he not?" the prince asked, looking around. He spotted Fenris standing nearby and nodded.
"Not willingly," Leandra sighed. "Dining with the nobility is not something he's used to. But, he understands the importance of this occasion."
"Yes, wouldn't want to end up on the bad side of those in power," Fenris muttered. "In my experience, the consequences are... unpleasant." He had no use for the nobles in Kirkwall, despite having lived in Danarius' old mansion for nearly three years.
"Sadly true," Sebastian nodded. "I know he's recieved invites to various dinner parties over the past year and a half. Already some of the noble families are beginning to mutter amongst themselves at how rude the Amells are being."
"We've been grieving, what did they expect?" Leandra protested.
"No one here has suffered the losses you have, serah," Sebastian replied. "They don't understand."
"No, they pay others to take the risks and suffer the losses while they sit back and enjoy the profits," the elf sneered. An uncomfortable silence fell. Finally, Leandra cleared her throat.
"Before we go, I just wanted to thank both of you for the support you've given my son," she said sincerely. "I had no idea just how much guilt he was feeling. I still can't believe he thought I would blame him for Carver's death. That boy always wanted to be more than just a younger brother. He would have gone no matter what I or Gavin said."
"He seems to have put it behind him," Fenris stated.
"I hope so, but he's always been the one to take his responsibilities seriously," Leandra sighed. "He wasn't always so serious though. It wasn't until we settled in Lothering that I noticed the change in him. He'd always been a happy, bright child. But after his fourteenth birthday he became much more subdued and serious. I don't know what happened the night Malcolm told us we had to flee, but it changed my son."
Fenris looked sharply at the woman. So, Gavin hid the events of that night even from his own family. Perhaps it was for the best that his mother never knew. "He's never talked much about his father."
"Despite the supposed stigma of being an apostate, Malcolm was a good man and a loving father," Leandra sighed. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss him. Our lives weren't easy, always moving and hiding. We did the best we could."
"You gave up much for your husband," Sebastian glanced around the living area. "What did your children think about having to hide all the time?"
"They loved their father," Leandra said cautiously, wondering just how much the prince knew about their family.
"I imagine you could have returned with your children to Kirkwall," the prince continued. "Surely your parents would have taken you in." He saw Fenris suddenly move away from the wall, the elf's body tense and a dangerous look on his face. "What?"
"They would not have accepted all my children," Leandra said, anger now coloring her voice.
Sebastian pondered that statement for a moment while silently assessing the tension in the elf's body. Suddenly, it came to him, "You mean Gavin is a mage?"
"You're smarter than you look," Fenris snorted. "Yes, he's an apostate, just like his father. The question is, what do you intend to do with that knowledge?"
Sebastian saw the worry in Leandra's eyes and hastened to reassure her. "I'm not a templar and thus am not obligated to do anything. Besides, I've come to know Gavin and he seems to be an honorable and good man. As long as he does nothing to cause concern, I see no reason to tell anyone."
"Right answer," the elf growled, his hand briefly touching his sword. Noise from upstairs stopped any further conversation.
"Bodahn, your fussing is not helping," Gavin was saying as he approached the staircase.
"But messere, you should really consider just one piece of jewelry," the dwarven servant worried.
"I was not born to this life, I have no intention of wading any deeper into it than absolutely necessary, so I don't see the point in getting fancied up," the mage snapped. "It's bad enough I have to wear these ridiculous and uncomfortable clothes. I am not wearing jewelry too."
Fenris felt his breath catch in his throat as the mage came down the stairs. His dark red hair had been stylishly cut to shoulder length and to fall in near perfect waves around his face. He was dressed in a velvet doublet of a color so dark a green as to appear black in the subdued lighting. The emerald green silk shirt underneath seemed to intensify the bright green eyes that he found so arresting. The trousers were of the finest black velvet tucked into supple, knee-high, black leather boots. He had never seen a more handsome man in his life and he was glad of the fact that the light was not enough to reveal his body's reaction.
Gavin saw that they were all looking at him in surprise and felt himself flush in embarassment. He cleared his throat and asked, "I hope I look alright."
"My friend, I think I'm going to have to keep my eye on you tonight," Sebastian smirked a little. "You are surely going to incite jealousy and envy amongst the other guests at the party."
"You look so handsome, and so much like your father at your age," Leandra said, her voice full of pride.
Gavin smiled at his mother, her words easing some of his misgivings. He was always proud when she compared him to his father, for his father was his role model and he strived to live up to the same standards as Malcolm. "I think we should get going or we'll be late," held his arm out to his mother.
Sebastian moved to Leandra's other side as the left the house. Fenris moved into step a few paces behind them, his eyes and ears alert for potential danger. Night was already starting to fall and who knew what creeps would be out and about. When Hawke had asked him to provide an escort for him and his mother, he had readily agreed. Having to leave his weapons at home, Hawke would only have his magic which he wouldn't be able to use without giving himself away. Even though Cullen and Sebastian had promised silence, it was doubtful anyone else would, despite the Amell name. When they arrived at the Keep, he joined the other bodyguards as they congregated in the foyer to wait, but held himself aloof as he settled in to wait for the dinner party to be over with.
Hawke had never seen such opulence as was on display this night. He thought about all the people he knew from Lowtown and Darktown, Fereldens such as himself, and frowned. Even those who were native to the city struggled to scrape out a living, while dodging the Coterie, Carta, and other criminal elements. It didn't seem right that thousands starved while the nobles feasted. Did no one here care that they had everything while others had nothing? He wouldn't have believed it if not for seeing it with his own eyes.
"You're frowning and it's making the other guests nervous," Sebastian whispered to him as they sat together at the table to the right of the Viscount's. The prince had been offered a place at the high table, but had demurred so he could keep an eye on his friend.
"Sorry, just bothered by all this," Gavin muttered. "Do you know how many people could be fed with just the food on our table?"
"True, but now's not the time to point that out," the prince retorted. He watched carefully as the man beside him ate and interacted with their dinner parties. To his surprise, Hawke seemed to fit right in, his manners gracious and charming. Too charming perhaps, he thought as the young lady across from them leaned forward to bat her eyes at them.
After the meal was concluded and the tables cleared of food and dishes, musicians started tuning up. Hawke realized that everyone was now going to dance and he quickly found himself surrounded by a bevy of very eligible young ladies. The only experience he had was with the dancing at the annual Lothering county fair. His nervousness made him hesitant at first, but he soon realized that the dances were very similar to what he knew and he began to relax. After about an hour of this, he felt the need to get away and managed to slip out onto an empty balcony. He had glimpsed his mother from time to time and she seemed to be really enjoying herself so he couldn't be too upset.
"How are you holding up?" Sebastian had joined him on the empty balcony.
"Fine I guess," he shrugged. "I just needed some air, I was feeling smothered. All those women looking at me, coming on to me, dropping not so subtle hints about marriage and family ties-"
"Well of course they were," the prince chuckled. "You're young, handsome and wealthy. Your family line is one of the oldest in Kirkwall, going back more than 700 years. You, my friend, are the prime catch of the day."
"Now I know how the prize bull at the auction must feel," Gavin snorted. "Do you realize not a single woman wanted to talk about anything other than the latest fashion from Orlais?"
"What? They didn't want to talk about darkspawn and bloody battles with Raiders?" Sebastian said in mock astonishment. "How unenlightened of them."
Gavin busted out laughing, "It does seem rather far fatched to expect that. But, I mean, seriously, how can anyone talk about nothing for as long as they do."
"I understand it's an art that's passed down from mother to daughter," the prince was unable to keep a straight face as he said it and they both ended up laughing even more.
"Well, I'm glad my mother never taught Bethany-" Gavin paused as he remembered that his sister was no longer with him. No she was with his brother and their father. The smile faded from his lips and the sparkle disappeared from his eyes.
Sebastian saw the sudden change in mood and fell silent as well. "I'm sorry about your brother and sister. It's an awful thing to lose your family when you're not particularly close to them. I can't imagine how bad it is when you're as close as you were to yours."
Gavin nodded his thanks for those words and they stood in silence for several minutes. "How long do these things usually go on for?"
Sebastian glanced back into the dining room and saw that the Viscount was saying his goodbyes. "It looks like our host is making an early night of it. I assume you're ready to go." Getting another silent nod, he led the way back into the room in search of Leandra. After finding her, they stood in line to say goodnight to the Viscount.
"Lady Amell, it was a real pleasure to see you again after all these years and to welcome you home," Viscount Dumar took her hand and pressed a kiss to it. He turned to Gavin and smiled and nodded, "It is good to see that the Amell line is still going strong. A pleasure meeting you, Serah Hawke."
After the Viscount had left, Hawke walked as quickly as was polite to the foyer. Spying Fenris, he nodded his head towards the door of the keep, getting a silent nod in return. Time to go home and get back to his normal life. If this was what it meant to be nobility, then he wasn't sure he even wanted to be a part of it. He felt his discomfort and anger coming back as he remembered seeing half full trays of food being taken away. He had asked one passing servant what they were going to do with all the uneaten food. The servant had looked at him like he'd just grown horns and sniffed that it would given to the dogs, of course. The servant seemed to find nothing unusual about it. He looked at Sebastian who once again was walking arm in arm with his mother, this time walking a little ways in front of him.
"You seem to be rather put out Gavin?" Fenris said softly, having seen the tension in the mage's steps.
Gavin told him about the food and the women and all the other things he'd seen. "I guess I just don't understand how such a thing can be."
"It is not just mages who abuse their power," the elf agreed. "It is common amongst the nobility everywhere. Danarius travelled to many places, and it was always the same. The powerful few living in the lap of luxury and the huddled masses scraping to get by."
"Well, if that is what it means to be nobility they can keep it," Gavin snarled. "I wonder now if mother had more reason than just my father to flee Kirkwall."
"Why not sit down and talk with her about it? You have the time now," Fenris prompted.
"Maybe I will at that," Gavin nodded. He fell silent, taking enjoyment int he cool night air and the knowledge that Fenris was at his side. He hoped the elf would always be there. Arriving at the estate, he bid Sebastian and Fenris good night and then immediately went to his room and stripped off the fine clothes. They were the best garments he'd ever worn, but they seemed to represent everything that was wrong with the world.
Even though he was tempted to throw them in the fire, he hung them in the wardrobe. He might need them at some point in the future and he'd be damned if he paid for something like them ever again. He reached in and took out an old pair of homespun trousers and plain cotton shirt. These were what he was and he was never going to forget that. He stretched out on his bed and stared up at the canopy. He fell asleep thinking of ways to use his new status to help those less fortunate.