Promises: Chapter Thirty-Six

Disclaimer: Dragon Age and all assorted characters/places/etc belong to Bioware, not me.

As a city, Ansburg was more on the scale of Wycombe rather than Antiva City or Rialto. While it was much larger than any town they had passed through, it was still not half as large as though two cities in Antiva or even Minrathous in Tevinter. For this, Fenris was grateful. He liked to think that their job would be easier just because there were less places for criminals to congregate. He hoped he was right, not only for his sake but for Hawke's. Hawke had put on her best set of mage robes in preparation to play her roles as Nathaniel's cousin, but evidently that had not been enough. The archer took it upon himself to instruct the mageling on how she should act ever since breakfast that morning. Hawke was bearing up well all things considered, but Fenris did not know how long she would be able to last.

When the three of them arrived at the castle, they had been set upon by a veritable army of servants. Nathaniel quickly sent them scurrying, with a command that Lady Elsa be requested so that he could introduce his cousin to said lady. While they waited, Nathaniel explained that Lady Elsa was the margravine's mother, and that she was responsible for overseeing the young ladies at court. Said lady must not have been far away for it only took a matter of minutes until she came.

"Nathaniel, dear boy!" exclaimed a tall woman with iron-grey hair pulled up into a bun. She swept down the steps and enveloped the archer in a hug. "When you did not report in after your morning ride, we all feared the worst," she said. "I am ever so relieved to see that you are all right."

"My apologies." Nathaniel took a step back and sketched a bow. "I am sorry for not giving anyone advance notice of my departure. Mother had written to me previously to tell me that my cousin would be arriving at Eastgate and that I should meet her there, but alas she failed to mention that my cousin would be here so soon. I set off right away when I learned that my cousin was already in the Marches. I hope you understand."

The lady's brown eyes cut over to Hawke and examined the mageling critically. "Your devotion to your family is admirable, Nathaniel, but in the future, you would do best to remember to leave a note," she said gently.

"You are right indeed, my lady. I thought it wouldn't take that long for me to retrieve my cousin—a half day at best—but unfortunately I was beset by bandits on my way to meet her. If it wasn't for the aid of Fenris here," Nathaniel gestured towards the elf with his hand, "I doubt I would have made it at all."

"Bandits? Between Eastgate and here?" Lady Else clasped her hands to her mouth in horror. "By the Maker, they have gotten bold. I will have to say something to the margrave about that. He should increase patrols at the very least, and if it doesn't improve between now and the harvest, then he might need to offer a reward to be rid of them."

"Let us hope it doesn't come to that," was Nathaniel's even response. He then turned to Hawke and motioned her forward. The mageling looked a little put out at being ordered about so, but nevertheless she did as asked and walked up to take a spot by Nathaniel's side. He took her arm and pushed her in front of him. "And please forgive my lack of manners in not introducing my cousin to you earlier. May I present my cousin, Alfonsine Howe?" He sketched another bow, subtly jabbing Hawke in the back to prod the mageling into curtseying awkwardly.

"The pleasure is all mine." The lady curtseyed with all the grace that Hawke lacked. She looked over Hawke from head to toe and then sniffed. "Forgive me for asking, but are those truly the latest fashion in Ferelden?" She held up a hand to forestall Hawke's answer. "Never mind. That question was not worthy of either me or you. I am glad your cousin Nathaniel had the foresight enough to ask for me. If the rest of your clothes are anything like that, then I am afraid you are going to need a new wardrobe straight away."

With that as preamble, the lady whisked Hawke away. Fenris naturally started to follow but was held back by the archer. "Don't. Trust me. You don't want to follow them. Spending any amount of time in Lady Elsa's presence when she gets a new project is not something any man should suffer. We will simply have to catch up with my cousin at dinner." The archer smirked. "I am positive that her transformation will be nothing short of amazing."

"You did that on purpose," Fenris accused him. "Because of all the times Hawke—"

"Yes, my cousin was quite the nuisance on the road," Nathaniel loudly interrupted him before he could finish that sentence. "But then Alfonsine was always a difficult child," he continued, emphasizing the name he had saddled Hawke with. "She always preferred to play outside rather than stay indoors and study her embroidery."

Fenris winced at that. He had remembered Hawke's pitiful attempts at repairing her own robes. He hoped for her sake that she wouldn't be subjected to embroidery here in Ansburg. The mageling would surely hate it.

However Nathaniel was right. He couldn't exactly follow Hawke and Lady Elsa when the latter was planning a day full of fitting while getting her latest charge acquainted with the castle. So it was he tagged along with the archer to the great hall as he sought out the seneschal to make arrangements for their lodgings.

"Your cousin is here?" The seneschal frowned down at Nathaniel. "You might have said something about that before you left, lad. Worried many of us you did. But never mind that," he added quickly, waving aside Nathaniel's apologies. "You're here now and so long as you never do that again, there's nothing to forgive."

"As for your cousin," the seneschal went on. "She can stay in the north wing along with all the other maidens."

"No," the archer said firmly. "I would prefer that she stay near me. Next door if possible."

"That is most irregular," the seneschal replied. "I doubt that Lady Elsa would approve of such an arrangement."

"Nevertheless I insist. While traveling to pick up my cousin, I was attacked by bandits," the archer explained. "I have reason to believe that the attack was not random."

"That may be so, but you are staying in the castle, lad. Your cousin is safe within these walls."

"While I hope that is true, the road from here to Eastgate was supposed to be safe as well. I was wrong then. I won't be caught being so wrong again, especially not when it comes to my younger cousin's safety. I want her lodged in the room next to me," the archer insisted. "And let's put Fenris in the room on the other side of hers. That way my cousin will be doubly protected."

The older man heaved a sigh. "Very well, lad, if you insist. People will talk you know."

"Better that than have something happen to poor little Alfonsine." Nathaniel seemed to be taking a perverse pleasure in using Hawke's name. "She used to follow me around Amaranthine like a puppy. I couldn't bear it if she got hurt."

"And that's exactly why people will talk," the seneschal muttered. However he ended his protests and handed a pair of keys to Nathaniel, telling the archer as he did so that the rooms would not be ready until early afternoon.

"That's fine," Nathaniel said. "We can send Fenris' pack to my room in the meantime. As for little Alfonsine, I do not think that Lady Elsa will allow her to keep much of what she brought from Fereldan."

"Of that I have no doubt," the seneschal snorted. "The margravine's mother is nothing if not effective when it comes to doing well by her charges. Now off with you, my boy. I still have plenty of work to do and not enough time to do it."

That was a clear dismissal. Nathaniel used the rest of the afternoon to show Fenris around the castle, from the kitchen and stable all the way to the large room where dinner would be served later. "Dinner is usually held here," Nathaniel said as he stood just outside of the room, the tour now completed. "Unless there's a dance or a gala or some other event going on. Then the festivities take place in the ballroom naturally."

Fenris nodded his head. He had the impression that the archer was trying to fill their time between now and dinner. That rather surprised him as he thought that Nathaniel would have to report back given that he was a squire. "If you have something else to do, I can bide my time elsewhere and meet up with you for dinner," Fenris offered. "That is if you want me to be there, of course." He wasn't sure what the etiquette was when it came to bringing a bodyguard around.

"Yes, you'll be there if only to keep an eye on my cousin," Nathaniel replied. "Squires normally don't have a bodyguard but you're really more for Alfonsine's protection than my own," he went on, effortlessly keeping up the story he had concocted. "As it is, I should report in for my daily training at the armory. You can come along if you like."

The elf readily agreed to that course of action, and they were off once more with the armory as their destination this time. Nathaniel was enthusiastically greeted by several of his fellow squires when he arrived. Their affection seemed genuine, and more than one expressed relief over the fact that the Howe had returned to Ansburg safely. Fenris hung back awkwardly, not wanting to intrude, but eventually the conversation turned to him—and Hawke.

"So rumor has it that you did not return alone," said one squire. His blond hair gleamed in the sun, and there was a calculating look in his brown eyes.

"Has the gossip mill started already?" Nathaniel asked mockingly. "Although it doesn't reflect well on you, Davis, for you to always be the first one to hear things."

Davis shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? I like to stay informed. But rumor has it that you returned with your younger, female cousin…and that she's truly a tempting morsel."

"Watch it. That's my baby cousin you're talking about." Nathaniel's voice held a hint of warning, but that was hardly enough to satisfy Fenris. A surge of jealousy rushed through the elf as he realized that these young nobles had already started to eye his mageling as if they had the right even to touch Hawke.

"A man can't help but appreciate a bird as fine as that," the other squire replied. "Care to introduce me at dinner tonight?"

"No, I don't actually." Then the archer sighed dramatically. "I was afraid of this though. I was wondering what my mother and my aunt were thinking, sending my cousin here despite how young and innocent she still is. Thankfully I took precautions." He jabbed a thumb in Fenris' direction. "I've hired help so I can make sure that my cousin is well protected from any idiots who come sniffing around her skirts."

The other squires all looked over at Fenris. "So you hired an elf to play nanny for your cousin?" called out another squire from the back. "Then she really must be something else."

"Aye. I know better than to trust you all especially with how naïve Alfonsine is," the archer stated. "By the way, go ahead and underestimate Fenris. He may be an elf, but he's one of the best swordsmen I've ever seen."

"And what would an archer know about swordsmanship?"

"Not much," Howe admitted. "But what I learned, I learned from Teyrn Loghain. Can any of you match that?"

Fenris' raised both eyebrows at that bold statement. They had heard of Loghain even as far away from Tevinter, and he was renowned for his prowess with a blade. While Nathaniel's chosen weapon might be the bow, Fenris was certain that the archer was none too shabby with a sword if his teacher had been that legend from Ferelden.

That seemed to settle the small crowd of squires, and they moved on from the topic of Hawke, much to Fenris' relief. He didn't appreciate even the thought of another man making a play for Hawke's affections. While the elf knew that Hawke deserved better than him, he wasn't prepared to give his mageling up to any man. Now he couldn't help but hope that they would finish this job sooner rather than later in order to preserve his own sanity.

Nathaniel was soon challenged to an impromptu archery contest. Not knowing what else to do, Fenris tagged along though he lagged behind the group of squires. He wound up being very impressed by what he witnessed. The contest was nothing of the sort; there was not a man amongst the other squires who was half the archer that Nathaniel was. If Fenris hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have been firmly convinced that some of the shots that the Howe made was impossible.

With everyone else being so outclassed, the contest did not last long. The other squires saw the futility in trying to keep pace with Nathaniel and drifted away, and so the contest became something more of a practice for the man. While it was still interesting to watch, Fenris' thoughts began to wander. There was plenty of free space in the armory and he considered stepping away. It had been awhile since he had last been able to freely practice his forms, and such practice would be good for him. Fenris was more accustomed to charging the enemy in order to provide a distraction for the magisters hiding behind him. However, given Hawke's new predilection for being on the front lines, it might behoove him to focus more on defensive maneuvers.

Before Fenris could put that thought into action, he was distracted by the sound of rustling skirts. He immediately turned towards the entrance, hoping to catch glimpse of Hawke. To his disappointment, it wasn't Hawke entering the armory but rather the Lady Elsa. The lady made a beeline towards Nathaniel. Fenris coughed loudly to alert the other man to their visitor, and the archer put up his bow just in time to greet Elsa.

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow as he realized that Hawke was no where in sight. "Lady Elsa," he said, inclining his head, "I must admit that I'm surprised to see you again so soon. Is everything all right?"

"No, but it will be," the lady declared. "I am afraid that your cousin's wardrobe is a total loss. I have allowed the child to keep a few things for sentimental value—it wouldn't do to get rid of everything she has brought from home—but I have to say that I have never seen a girl so ill-prepared for court. Did you know she didn't bother to bring a single corset?"

A large smirk appeared on Nathaniel's face, and he opened his mouth, no doubt to utter some sly comment. However before he could speak, the lady pressed on regarding Hawke's adventures in clothing.

"Actually given the fuss she made about being fitted into a corset, I could almost believe that the child has never worn one. Not that she needs one with her figure—the Maker has truly blessed her with that—but still. What sort of mother would allow their child to go as long without—"

"My cousin is from the countryside," Nathaniel loudly interrupted Lady Elsa, "and so I fear that she has been allowed to run amuck as she pleased. Whenever she visited my family, she preferred to tag along with me and my friends rather than join the other maidens inside the castle."

"Maker's grace!" The lady clutched her hands to her chest. "That poor dear! No wonder she is practically a spinster. She should have been married ages ago, especially with her beauty, but who wants the trouble of a wild wife?" Lady Elsa straightened her spine, somehow gaining a couple inches in height, and her jaw was set with determination. "Well I am very glad that your mother finally had the good sense to take your cousin away from her admittedly neglectful parents and send her hear. Don't you fear, my dear. In a matter of months, your cousin will be fit to be the wife of any man, including the king."

"He's married," Nathaniel said blandly. "Though he is the sort to keep on looking," he added thoughtfully.

Lady Elsa shot the archer a glare, albeit not for the same reasons that caused Fenris to try boring a hole into Nathaniel's head with only his stare. "I would hope that you keep a civil, polite tongue when talking with Alfonsine. Your cousin has enough to overcome as it is. The last thing she needs is you encouraging more bad behavior. Thank you, dear boy, for explaining her situation. I have a lot to do between now and dinner to make Alfonsine presentable. I will take my leave of you now, but mark my words, you will be stunned at the transformation you will see tonight."

"Speaking of which," added Lady Elsa with a wrinkle of her nose, "might I suggest that both you and your new servant seek out a bath? I would like to be able to smell the food tonight at dinner rather than the two of you. Honestly! Only a man would think that he can come in from the road, all dusty and dirty, and not need to clean himself." She sniffed once and then hurried off in a flurry of skirts as she left the armory.

"That would be our marching orders then," Nathaniel remarked after the old woman had left. "She may seem like the grandmotherly sort—and to be fair, she usually is—but Maker have mercy on anyone who ignores an order from her like that."

Fenris was not opposed to a bath. Rather he was looking forward to it, given how long it had been since he had last enjoyed one. However the woman's choice of words did not sit well with him. "Transformation?" he repeated. "She means Hawke?" He was of the opinion that when it came to both manners and clothing, Hawke did not need to change her ways. What was even worse was he didn't like the idea of her changing in order to attract a husband the way Lady Elsa had implied. Hawke didn't need to find a man to take care of her; she had him.

"I see my cousin has managed to convince you to use that ridiculous nickname she's come up with," Nathaniel replied, a tad bit loudly for the benefit of anyone eavesdropping. "I will thank you to call her by her proper name in public at the very least. I can understand that it is difficult to tell her no. Maker knows that her parents never did."

"In any event, we will see just how different Alfonsine is tonight. Although I have the utmost respect for Lady Elsa's abilities, I have no doubt that my cousin will prove to be a challenge."

Fenris wanted to protest further, but he held his tongue. It would not be wise to compromise their identities right after they had arrived in Ansburg. So he allowed the other man to take the lead, which was necessary since Nathaniel was the only one who knew the way back to their quarters. Fenris took care to keep track of his surroundings; if things went pear-shaped, he wanted to be able to escape with his mageling without needing a guide to show them the way out.

There was a tub full of steaming water in both of their rooms when they arrived, no doubt courtesy of the very lady who ordered them to make themselves presentable. Fenris suddenly felt the grime of the road most acutely, and he needed no encouragement to get into the bath. It was the work of the moment to send the servants who had brought the tub scurrying away, telling them that they should attend to Nathaniel instead of a mere bodyguard such as himself.

Once he was alone, he wasted no time in stripping off his armor and getting clean. He would have liked to linger longer than he did, but Fenris knew that his armor was also in need of a cleaning. Thus after he had finished, he spent the rest of the afternoon seeing to his armor, ridding it of dirt and mending it where needed. He put his armor back on after he had finished. He then proceeded to walk over to Nathaniel's room and knocked on the door.

The archer opened the door. He raised an eyebrow as he took in Fenris' attire. "I'm not sure that's proper dinner wear," he noted mildly. Nathaniel gestured to his own fine green tunic and soft brown trousers. "Do you have anything else? Generally armor is not—"

"I can hardly function as a bodyguard for you and your precious cousin if I am not properly prepared," Fenris interrupted him. "The armor stays."

"And the sword? Yes, yes, I know that you insist on being armed but perhaps something smaller and less intrusive would do?"

"No," was the elf's firm reply.

"I see." The archer heaved a sigh. "Very well then. Just remember while I'm well-mannered enough not to make jokes about you feeling the need to compensate for your deficiencies, not everyone else is."

Fenris bristled. He could tell when he was being mock. "Better that than to be caught unprepared," he said.

"Seeing how you're responsible for looking after the safety of my cousin and myself, I'm not going to argue with you. The Lady Elsa might take offense. Do be careful, will you? You wouldn't want to become another one of the lady's projects."

That sounded mildly ominous to Fenris' ears, and he pondered its meaning as they returned to the dining hall. There was a crowd of nobles lingering near the door way, all chattering loudly. "That's strange," Nathaniel remarked. "Usually everyone just goes in. There's no standing on formalities here. I wonder what—"

The archer trailed off as they heard Lady Elsa speak up. "Go on now!" Elsa cried out, from somewhere in the center of the crowd. "Enough of this. There will be time for introductions later, proper ones at that." Slowly the nobles did as she bade them. The crowd thinned out as they trailed into the dining hall, letting both Fenris and Nathaniel catch glimpse of the cause of such excitement.

It was Hawke. Yet this was Hawke as he had never seen her before. He had known from the start that his Hawke was lovely. Indeed she often attracted attention due to her looks, and he believed it to be part of the reason that she was so adept at getting her own way. The Hawke now standing before him was far more than just lovely though. She was heartbreakingly beautiful.

The gown that had been selected for her was a soft rose. The bodice was tightly fitted and cut so that it drew one's eye to the curve of her breasts, which were more pronounced due to the corset she had been stuffed in. The gown was fitted snuggly at her waist, emphasizing how small it was, while the skirt was long and full and trailed behind her. Her hair was piled on top of her head, but some curls had been artfully let loose from it so that her face was framed by her dark locks. A light hand had skillfully make-up on her face; Fenris only noticed it because the slight imperfections of her face had been masked. Somehow her nose looked slightly less narrow and her eyes were slightly less wide. Her lips were painted red and were fuller than usual as though to tempt men into kissing them.

For his part, Fenris was torn. He could guess just why her arrival had caused such a commotion. He longed to take his mageling by the hand and lead her out of the blighted castle, far away from any potential interlopers. But then there was also the more visceral part of him that thought it would be better to claim Hawke's lips for his own and make his claim on her apparent to all those around them. The elf swallowed nervously as he shifted about. His leggings were noticeably tighter at the moment, but if he wanted to keep up their façade there was little he could do to relieve himself right now.

Of course, if any idiot laid a hand on his Hawke, then all bets were off.

Hawke scrunched up her nose and marched straight towards Nathaniel. "You," she said, breathing hard while made her chest move up and down in the most delightful manner, "are simply the most foul person I have ever met. You planned this, didn't you?" She stomped her small foot. "Have I mentioned how much I despise you lately?" she added. She crossed her arms across her chest which didn't help Fenris at all when it came to the tightness of his pants. He was seriously beginning to consider forgetting all about this fool job they had accepted and running away with Hawke. Surely with the castle being so big and large, there had to be some nook or cranny that he could have his wicked way with her without being interrupted.

"Alfonsine!" Lady Elsa called out sharply before Nathaniel could reply. "Is that any way a young lady should talk to her older relatives?"

"He's not older than me," Hawke replied. "At least not mentally. You see, he's a boy," Hawke's tone dripped with disdain as she uttered that slur and Nathaniel bristled noticeably, "and everyone knows that it takes forever for boys to grow up."

Lady Elsa clucked her tongue. "Dear child, was such behavior truly allowed by your parents?" she questioned. "I know that your cousin is not your favorite person at the moment. Even so, you should not take out your bad mood on him. It is not his fault that you miss your home."

"Lady Elsa is right," Nathaniel declared. "If you want to complain, complain to your mother. Although I am positive that if she could see you now, properly attired as a lady…I am certain that she would be in tears. You have truly worked a miracle with my cousin, Lady Elsa. I didn't believe it was possible to get her into a real dress rather than those rags she prefers."

"Those rags are more comfortable. I can barely breathe in this thing." Hawke waved a hand at her bodice, indicating the corset beneath.

"You will get used to it with time, my dear," the lady told her kindly. "I fear that this corset might be a little small for you, but alas we have no time to remedy that tonight. The seamstress has taken your measurements, and I assure you that you will have clothes that better fit you in short order. As it is, I am lucky that we were able to find a dress that needed little altering before it could be used tonight." The lady sighed and shook her head.

"Of course, that means you will have more fittings in store for you this week," Nathaniel noted wickedly. "I think that is a good thing. The more practice you have in standing still, the better."

Hawke's head whipped around to glare at the archer. "Oh joy. The prospect of getting stuck with needles has me over the moon," she replied sarcastically.

"That would not happen if you stand still, just as your cousin advised," Lady Elsa told her firmly. "Now enough of this. I expect you to be on your best behavior tonight. And that goes for you as well," she added, looking sharply at Nathaniel. "Don't think that I can't tell when you needle your cousin. The way you two act, one would think that you were brother and sister."

"Thankfully one can tell we are not just by looking at our noses," Hawke put in, needing to have the last word. "I thank the Maker each and every day that I wasn't cursed with my cousin's beak of a nose."

"Touché. If you are done insulting me for the moment, cousin, I believe we have kept both the Lady Elsa as well as your new bodyguard from dinner long enough." Nathaniel made a show of offering his arm to Hawke, which she took gracelessly. Then the archer led Hawke into dining hall, with Lady Elsa clearing the way before them while Fenris brought up the rear, and into the fray that awaited them.

Author's note: And here's the next chapter, though a little later than I would have liked. My thanks for everyone still with this fic. Alas this fic has kind of taken a life of its own, so I'm afraid there is a ways to go before I finally get these two to Kirkwall. Anyway reviews are always appreciated, good or bad, as I'd love to know what you think of this fic so far.