"How long will you be gone for?" Netta asked, pouting.
Ahnnie smiled and pat the little girl on the head. "Probably for a few weeks," she answered truthfully. Feeling a soft, wet sensation on her other hand, she looked down to see Lady sniffing and licking her fingers. She couldn't help but smile as she gave the dog a hearty scratch behind the ears.
"That's a long time!" Netta whined.
"Come now, Netta, don't be like that," Flissa chided.
Feeling sorry for her, and partly responsible for her displeasure, Ahnnie knelt down so that she was level with the little girl's face and held her hand encouragingly. "Hey, before you know it, it'll go by in a flash. In the meantime, be good for your mama, okay?"
"You heard her," Flissa added. "Now step back and don't get in the way."
Netta obeyed with a sullen nod. "Yes, Mama," she said in a deflated tone.
Ahnnie straightened up and put her left foot in the stirrup; with a strong push, she swung her right leg over to the other side of the saddle. Her smoky grey mount snorted, pawing at the ground. With a tug of the reins, Ahnnie swung the horse around so that it was facing the others: Varric on his sorrel mountain pony, Solas on a graceful dun, and Cassandra on a stocky dark bay.
"Everyone is ready?" Cassandra inquired. Her tone made it sound like both a question and a statement; it was foolish to have mounted a steed and yet be unprepared for the journey ahead, but in case anyone forgot anything, now was the time to remember it. When she received nothing but nods in return, she swung her bay around to take the lead, and with a click of her tongue, the horse ambled into a steady walk.
The other animals followed suit, taking the initiative from the lead horse. The gates of Haven lay open before them, and Cassandra's horse began to take the first few steps beyond the threshold. Ahnnie turned around in her saddle to look back at the town; Netta waved to her, as well as Flissa, and she waved back. Her eyes moved even farther back to the Chantry, and though she couldn't see Evelyn, she could rest easy with the knowledge that the Ostwick mage's copy of Hard in Hightown had been properly returned.
Ahnnie turned back to the road ahead, coming in third behind Solas as the gate posts went by her vision. Upon thinking of Evelyn, she immediately thought of Josephine and how flustered the poor woman had been when she heard of the confrontation in the cabin (right at the moment she was dealing with an unpleasant missive from the Marquis DuRellion, too)...but since it appeared Evelyn kept her promise, everything seemed to be all right. Lord Trevelyan would leave on the morrow, having finished his charitable duty (and the Marquis would be made to see reason in letting the Inquisition stay in Haven).
All that was left was to sit back and let the horse do the walking.
They settled that night in an old wooden shack built conveniently to the side of the road, one of the few rest houses for travelers going up and down the mountain. It had little besides a few tools, some firewood, and blankets, but it served its purpose as a shelter well enough.
Cassandra taught Ahnnie how to build a fire in front of the shack, as it had neither chimney nor fireplace, while Varric unpacked the rations and Solas spread out the bedrolls on the shack floor. As they used flints, it didn't take forever as Ahnnie had imagined, rubbing sticks together fruitlessly for hours, but Cassandra promised to teach her how to do that once they were off the frigid mountain and more tinder was available nearby.
How to make the fire, or how to waste time looking like an idiot? Ahnnie wondered.
The thought was put aside when they sat around the fire to have their supper. Varric thought up of the ingenious idea of skewering some bread and cheese and holding it over the fire to 'toast' it, which made the seemingly bland rations a little more enjoyable. Paired with some strips of tough dried meat, she was soon made full and hugged her knees as she warmed herself by the fire, closing her eyes as she basked in its heat.
"Excited?" Varric suddenly asked her.
Ahnnie opened her eyes. "Hmm?"
"For the trip," he clarified.
"Oh. Yeah," she nodded. "It's the first time I ever went somewhere purely on horseback."
He chuckled. "Then you're probably glad you took those riding lessons, eh? You'll be used to sitting on a horse's back for long periods of time by now."
Come to think of it, he was right. She didn't have much of a problem with riding anymore besides slightly sore thighs and a small ache in her bottom, all of which went away after a few hours of rest.
I'm lucky Cassandra made me take them, she thought. "It's also the first time I'm traveling for longer than a day," she added. "The longest I've ever gone for was twelve hours. Oh, and it's my first time camping out," she added yet again.
"There's always a first for everything."
"Quite so," Solas agreed from Varric's left. "Even for those who have been around a long time. One simply never stops learning." He looked up from digging through his pack and gave Ahnnie a smile. With a sudden toss, he threw something in the air, which the girl caught and found to be a small cloth-wrapped bundle of honeyed oat squares. "Give some to the horses. They deserve a little treat after carrying us all this way."
"You made these for them?" she asked.
"They were actually mine, but they went hard. Should be no problem for a horse's teeth, though."
Ahnnie smiled back. He had probably noticed throughout the trip how close she tried to be with her own mount, either by rubbing its neck or talking to it softly – even after all this time, she still seemed fascinated with the chance to work so closely with horses. "I'll get right to it," she assured him. She stood up, stretched, and made her careful way through the dusk.
The horses were stabled in a small lean-to structure next to the shack, open to approach without a door and yet closed in enough to protect from the wind. Ahnnie stepped up first to her gray and heard it nickering as she came close; "Here I am," she announced, as she was entering from behind and it was never a good idea to approach a horse's rear silently. "How're you doing?" As she continued in this conversational manner, she slowly eased up to the horse's side and pat it gently on the flank, moving up to the neck as she came closer to the head. It gave a huff of satisfaction as it crunched on the oat square at the center of her palm.
Varric's pony thrust its snout at her back, causing her to jolt. Ahnnie turned around and gave its snout a friendly rub; the pony dug its nose into her palm in response, looking for treats. When it found none, it snorted and turned away.
"Well," she remarked playfully, and shook out another oat square from the cloth into her hand. "How about now?"
The pony's snout was in her palm a moment later and the treat disappeared faster than it took to produce it. With a sarcastic roll of the eyes, she next went over to Cassandra's bay and Solas' dun. Hot air pulsed down her neck and face as both horses turned to look at her at the same time; she pat them each in turn, delighting in the almost woolly feel of their winter coats. For fun, she put two treats into both palms and watched as they crunched down on the oats in unison.
Seeing nothing left to do, and understanding that the horses would need their rest, she dusted her palms free of oat crumbs and exited the lean-to.
"Hey!" Varric gestured towards her as she came close; from his gleeful expression, he had probably been regaling whoever would listen of the latest humorous story he'd thought up of. "Did I ever tell you about that one time Hawke took my ghost stories a little too seriously? No? Well, you're missing out..."
Ahnnie settled down in anticipation of a good story, huddling by the fire until she was snug, and listened along with Solas to the dwarf's humorous account followed by the aforementioned spine-chilling ghost stories.
When it grew late, she was loathe to put out the fire and retire to what she believed would be a cold, rough bed. But with her traveling clothes, cloak, and the bedroll, she was made warm enough. And so, pillowing her head with her hands, and saying the customary 'Good night' to everyone, she spent her first night on the road.
They cleared the mountains by the end of the second day, emerging from the pass onto more level and noticeably warmer and greener land. It was still rather cold, making Ahnnie wonder if it was in the middle of autumn or an approaching winter, but the snow had gradually disappeared as they descended until it was no more.
It grew evident as soon as they left the mountains behind them that the path took the quartet around the fringes of a great lake; Lake Calenhad, as Cassandra explained to Ahnnie. It was so named after King Calenhad Theirin, or Calenhad the Great, the man who united the Alamarri tribes into one country...the first king of Ferelden.
Legend had it that King Calenhad spent a day and a year in the Tower of the Magi, a Circle tower built on the waters of the lake, from which he drew a cup of water every day and brought it to the top of the tower to the Formari, magic crafters who created and enchanted items. Using their skills, they meticulously forged each cup of water into a ring of mail armor until it was complete and presented on behalf of the Circle to King Calenhad. It was said that the armor, made from the lifeblood of the land, was such that no blade could strike it and no arrow could pierce through, so long as the king stayed on Fereldan soil.
Adding more to the lake's mystery was the origin of the Tower itself, or what little Cassandra knew of it – the Tevinters, believing the lake blessed by one of their Old Gods, built it in the middle of the water in hopes that it could somehow aid their magic research.
Her interest piqued, Ahnnie would sometimes gaze across the lake when the path took them close enough to its edge, believing that she saw a distant shape jutting out from the lake's surface. She saw in her mind's eye a legion of people dressed like the Romans (for she did not know what Tevinters wore, precisely) standing in admiration of their newly built tower, and a red-bearded Celtic king bending over the waters every morning to fill a chalice before making his careful way to the very top of the tower.
Did he fill it to the brim? she wondered. Or did he leave enough room at the top? That would make more sense. And a Thedosian year consists of twelve thirty-day months, so that's three hundred and sixty days...a year and a day, three hundred and sixty one rings...that's not enough. He must've drawn water more than once a day to make that work. How many rings are in a suit of mail armor, anyway?
And then they made camp. Cassandra picked out a clearing in the midst of some evergreen trees, a nice level spot close to water and shielded in a rough semicircle by bushy shrubs and brush. They tied their mounts to some nearby trees before getting to work clearing up the camp, setting out the bedrolls, and – most importantly – starting the fire.
There was tinder aplenty in the green forest around them. Cassandra had her collect dry grass, weeds, mosses, even feathers if she found them – anything dry and fibrous. While they were on the mountain, they had used pre-dried grasses as their tinder, and while there was still enough of it the Seeker was intent on teaching Ahnnie how to build the fire herself. When she gathered enough, Cassandra had her separate them into a large bundle that would be placed under the cone of firewood and a smaller bundle that would be transferred to the wood as soon as it caught flame.
Ahnnie shaped the small tinder bundle into a bird's nest, just as she'd done back on the mountain. This time, rather than striking flints until the tinder nest smoked, Cassandra made her lay it aside and pulled out a plank of wood called the fireboard and a straight stick of wood roughly eight inches in length and an inch and a half in diameter, known as the drill.
"When choosing wood for the fireboard, be sure it is light, dry, and non-resinous, yet soft enough to be dented. The board should be at least one inch thick, two to three inches wide, and a foot or so long."
Laying the board aside, Cassandra picked up the drill. It didn't look like a drill; at least, not yet. "The drill should be made of wood harder than the fireboard to handle the friction. Now, using a knife, you must carve one end to a tapered point and the other into a blunted point." Ahnnie watched closely as the Seeker used her small hunting knife to carve the ends as she instructed. When she finished, the stick looked like a large pencil, the blunted end being slightly rounded.
"Before you start rubbing the drill to the board, a small hole should be carved in about the size of the blunt end. Make it so that if you insert the drill, it will be difficult to turn; that is the source of the friction."
Cassandra carved the aforementioned hole near an end of the board, about an inch and a half away from the edge and about a quarter inch deep. Once she was done, she cut a V-shaped notch out from the edge, so that once the rubbing process started, the burning coal would catch itself in the notch and could be removed to transfer to the tinder nest.
Ahnnie sighed as she was handed the drill, believing this meant she had to start the arduous process of rubbing it on the prepared fireboard. Once Cassandra laid a flat piece of bark beneath the fireboard, she inserted the blunt end of the drill into the carved hole. Surprisingly enough, Cassandra took up a long, bent stick and began tying some string around its ends. The result would end up looking like a hunting bow, but she looped the cordage in a little noose around the drill before loosely tying it to the stick's other end.
"What is that?" Ahnnie asked, puzzled by the strange contraption.
"A firebow," Cassandra explained. "Rubbing the drill by hand is one way to go about it, but a firebow will make the process much faster and less painful." She gave the girl a wry look and Ahnnie knew then that the Seeker, though gloved, wasn't fond of the hand rubbing method either.
Taking up a stone this time, Cassandra carved the bottom into a socket for the tapered end of the drill and placed it squarely over the stick. She then made Ahnnie crouch in such a posture: one foot placed on the fireboard, holding it in place, and a hand clamped over the rock as if to hold the drill down, but gently enough so that the stick would have room to spin. The other hand held an end of the firebow, and when Cassandra gave the signal, Ahnnie pushed and pulled it quickly (like a violin bow, she thought) while simultaneously pressing down with the hand on the stone.
It was a rough and jerky process. Several times she pressed too hard on the rock and the drill wouldn't move, or she didn't press down hard enough and the bow would jostle it; however, about a few errors in, she was able to adjust her movements so that the drill twisted as fervently as she wished it to. Cassandra made her pull faster, and her arm began to scream with the exertion. Then, just as she was about to drop, she was rewarded with a rising plume of smoke.
Per Cassandra's instructions, she gently removed the drill and fireboard and blew on the small coal deposited on the bark. Encouraged by the still-smoking ember, she lifted the bark and dropped the coal into the tinder nest she had laid aside. She squeezed the tinder around the coal and blew at the same time, keeping up the smoke, and gave an exclamation of joy when the first tiny flame erupted amidst the tinder – an exclamation that soon turned to one of urgency when the growing flames threatened to lick her fingers.
With a little toss, she watched the bundle fall in with the other tinder beneath the firewood, and continued to blow on it from a safer distance. The flames grew, and grew, and grew, until they cheerfully consumed the cone of wood that housed the tinder. Ahnnie sat back to admire her handiwork blazing away within a circle of stones – a feat that would have been impossible had it not been for Cassandra.
The Seeker deflected each and every bit of praise and thanks. "It is only common knowledge, necessary for journeys like these." Leaning back against a log, Cassandra pulled off her leather gloves and held her hands before the fire. "Remember what I have taught you," she then said. "Make camp before it turns dark and be sure to have enough firewood nearby." She nodded towards a pile of wood stacked to the side, courtesy of Varric. "Else you'll be left to spend a cold night, vulnerable to predators. This is especially important where there are no rest houses on the trail, like the ones back on the mountains."
Ahnnie nodded in comprehension.
"Water should not be a problem if you have a full skin and expect to continue traveling," Cassandra went on, "but it is the best practice to find a source close at hand. It becomes especially necessary if you intend to make camp for longer than two nights."
Just then, Varric jumped into view with Bianca in one hand and two dead rabbits in the other. "Good, you've got the fire going. I shot us some dinner." He held up his catch by the ears, a proud grin on his face, and Cassandra turn to Ahnnie.
"Now, I will show you how to skin and dress a rabbit," she said, and Ahnnie gave an inner groan of disgust.
Rabbit and herb soup was on the menu that night.
Not only was Ahnnie taught how to prepare the meat, but also how to set up a cooking tripod for the pot. Water was fetched from the lake to boil the rabbits into broth and Solas added freshly washed herbs a little later after having gone to pick them. When it was ready, Ahnnie was surprised at how much she missed having a hot meal, even though it had only been two days. It was her first time eating rabbit, too – she found it similar in texture and taste to chicken, but gamier and leaner. The herbs lent the soup a tangy, sweet taste, and it was worth the scarring experience of gutting an animal in the end.
That night was also the first night she spent out in the open.
It was a totally different experience from sleeping on the hard planks of a rest house. With the fire at the center of the camp, there was little reason to feel any cold, and whenever she looked up, stars twinkled against the night sky like little jewels studded into black fabric. Ahnnie lay still for a while in her bedroll, mesmerized by the sight of so many stars. Surrounded by the leafy smell of the woods, the crackling fire to her right, the boundless sky above, and her companions settled around her, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction that sleeping in a bed couldn't compare with. I should do this more often, she thought. Luckily, there were plenty of chances to do so on this trip.
Ahnnie caught sight of Cassandra walking around from the corner of her eye and lifted herself up by the elbow. "Cassandra? You're not sleeping?"
The Seeker settled down on a log with a shake of her head. "I am keeping watch," she explained. "I will sleep once Varric relieves me."
Ahnnie refrained from asking why. If Cassandra saw fit to keep up a night watch, then there would be a night watch. She worried for a moment that perhaps the area they were traveling in was hostile, but then thought of how a night watch was smart regardless of how politically safe an area was; out in the open like this, dangers both human and animal lurked just beyond the firelight.
"Well, let me know when it's my turn," she said as she lowered herself back into the bedroll.
"That will not be necessary," Cassandra assured her. "Solas, Varric, and I will suffice."
Somehow, that stung. "Are you sure?" Ahnnie asked.
"I am sure."
"Okay..." She turned to her side, resting her head on her folded hands, and tried to get some sleep.
And so they continued traveling. As the days went on, the routine became fairly simple; wake up, break camp, ride on horseback, take a midday break, continue until near twilight, make camp, sleep, and rinse and repeat. The more they went on, the more their surroundings began to change. The lake narrowed beside them into a river that they would have to cross easterly to reach Mother Giselle; at the same time land became more uneven, walling them in with steep foothills at intervals, so that the river occasionally disappeared from view. When that happened, the others relied on the placement of the sun to gain their bearings, and Ahnnie learned a thing or two about compass and solar direction though she was confused more often than not.
Six days after their departure from Haven, Cassandra finally announced that they were within a day's travel of their destination. They would reach it in a half day at the earliest, by the day's end at the latest. But it was also on this day that gray clouds covered the sky, blocking out the sun in an ominous haze.
"I know the way," Cassandra assured Ahnnie when she asked about it, "and we should arrive before any rain falls. If not, there is a place I know where we can stay."
Varric sniffed. "Let's hope it doesn't start before then. There's nothing more uncomfortable than riding on horseback and being wet and cold at the same time."
Something told Ahnnie that she'd experience the feeling sooner or later, and she sighed as her grey trudged after the others.
The path lay before them in a stretch of rocky, forested ground. They were once again separated from the river, and with the sky overcast, Ahnnie couldn't make heads or tails of their current direction. Solas said it was a southerly one, though. Whatever the case, she hoped they reached Mother Giselle or the place Cassandra mentioned soon; the trip had quickly lost its charm after the fourth day or so, and the monotony of travel grew boring. Plus, she didn't relish the thought of being soaked by a downpour.
Time seemed to pass at a syrup-slow speed. The landscape drifted by ever much the same; trees, rock, plants, dirt, everywhere with no difference in sight. No one spoke a word and only the clip-clopping of the horses hooves broke the silence.
"It's kinda quiet, don't you think?" Varric then asked, and Solas frowned.
"Indeed," the elf agreed. "A little too quiet..."
"What–" Ahnnie was about to ask, when she was interrupted by a shrill scream. It came from a distance and echoed over the land, reverberating eerily through the air.
"Up ahead," Cassandra estimated, and urged her horse into a quick trot. The others followed suit.
The scream pierced the air again and again, growing louder as they advanced. At one point it was interspersed with a shrill, high-pitched, unhuman shriek, which Solas quickly identified as that of a horse's. The reason for the screams was revealed when Ahnnie's left hand vibrated with a familiar sensation. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she called out to the others, "M-my hand! I think we're headed for a rift!"
Before they could go any further Cassandra checked her horse and swiftly dismounted to tie it to a nearby tree. Solas and Varric did the same, followed by a tentative Ahnnie. "Why?" the girl asked, too speechless to elaborate.
"The horses will spook if we get too close to the rift," the Seeker explained, understanding her question all the same. "They were not trained to handle combat, but don't worry about them; just follow my lead."
"Okay..."
When Ahnnie saw the others draw their weapons, she steeled her resolve as best as she could and drew out her glaive, holding it defensively before her as taught by Corporal Hargrave. Using the screams as a marker, the quartet maneuvered quickly yet cautiously towards the spot. Between intervals, they relied on Ahnnie's hand, which only seemed to vibrate more as they approached. Eventually they spied the glowing green riftlight through the trees and stumbled upon an urgent and gory scene.
A dark-skinned girl, no older than eighteen or twenty, was frantically fending off the advance of a shade with only a dagger from her prone position on the ground. A terror demon, on the other side of the clearing, was quickly making mincemeat of a fallen palomino horse with its claws. Frothy blood rushed through the horse's nostrils and mouth as it kicked frantically with all fours in a futile attempt to distance itself from the demon; but it was too late, for the abdomen was thoroughly decimated, diminishing any chance of survival even if it pulled through. In the farthest northeast corner lay the carcass of a giant brown creature resembling a buffalo, cut open like an envelope.
"Storm! Storm!" the girl cried when her eyes spied the horse.
It cost only a second to take in the scene, but to Ahnnie it felt like an eternity gazing upon the gore. Her heart was chilled in particular by the horse, still fighting and shrieking despite its horrifying wounds.
She was only vaguely aware of the others rushing in and broke from her reverie just as they joined the fray. With widened eyes, she looked left and right before dashing up to the menacing rift. Meanwhile, Cassandra was coming to the aid of the girl and Solas and Varric took on the terror demon, whose legs were quickly frozen by Solas' magic.
Ahnnie rose her marked hand toward the rift, spewing an eerie green beam that bridged the space between them. She squinted as she focused with all her might, hoping the rift would be closed indefinitely with this attempt, but when she widened her eyes again the ungodly mass spewed forth another terror demon and two wraiths.
Ahnnie jumped back just as the terror demon made to spring on her. She blocked its claw with a swipe of her glaive and forced a stab with the bladed end. Still, she would have been knocked right off her feet had Solas not frozen the demon's arm and leg in time.
"I'll take care of this one," he assured her. "Go–"
"Close the rift, I know," she finished for him, and headed for it again. Chancing a quick look back at the others, she could only see that the girl was safely shielded behind Cassandra before she thrust her marked hand upwards again. A momentary lapse of strength hit her when a wraith fired its magic, but her mark continued to fire the beam, so she ignored the wraith and pressed on.
Oh my god, how long is this going to take!? she found herself thinking after the wraith had fired one too many balls and the rift still had not closed. A wave of dizziness passed through her head and she felt on the verge of collapse. Maybe I should have taken care of that wraith first? Ugh, I am so stupid! She tried using her free hand to wave her glaive-guisarme at the wraith, but the damn thing was too far away. As a result of overreaching, she stumbled to her right, and the connection to the rift was broken off.
No, I was almost done, she protested, and moved left again. The connection held and she kept it, though her vision was starting to blacken at the edges.
Almost suddenly, she fell onto her back as the rift finally closed. The momentum sent her skidding a foot or two on the ground, planting her right at Varric's feet. He steadied himself before he could get knocked over and lifted her up by the arm.
"You okay, kiddo?" he asked her amiably, as if they had been in a spirited ball game rather than a fight against demons.
Her breath came out in choppy, ragged gasps and her head felt like it weighed a ton. "Yeah," she drawled out drunkenly, "I'm fine..."
"Storm!"
Ahnnie swiveled her head to the left, still unsteady but slowly regaining consciousness. She caught sight of the girl dashing away from Cassandra's side and up to the fallen horse, crumpling to her knees as she reached its head. "Oh, no, Stormy," the girl gasped, her breath caught in an oncoming sob.
The animal's eyes fluttered open at her touch, and every breath it took pulsed more blood through its nose. As the girl cradled its head in her lap, the horse let out a soft nicker that was gurgled by the blood in its throat. The girl began to cry and hugged the horse's head, stroking its graceful neck gently.
Cassandra approached them and laid a solemn hand on the girl's shoulder. "It is beyond rescue," she said, her voice stoic.
The girl sniffed, gasped, and straightened up from her hug. The horse's breath puffed out more feebly now, though its eyes still tracked the girl as she sat up. "I know," the girl said at last. "Please...don't let her suffer any longer..."
The Seeker nodded and took her sword up again. Varric pulled the girl away and she hid her face in his shoulder as Cassandra thrust her blade downwards in a blunt, cracking thunk through the palomino's skull. The horse's body stiffened slightly before growing slack, and then still.
Varric spoke soothing words to the girl as the Seeker withdrew her sword. She began sobbing inconsolably and the group settled around her, not wishing to leave her alone. When her sobs subsided Cassandra attempted to speak to her, asking who she was and where she had come from. As she slowly ground out her answers, Ahnnie sank down on the grass beside them, unable to take her eyes off the dead horse.
"Papa!"
The old man looked up from his work in the stables and let out a gasp of shock when he saw the sorry state of his daughter. "Seanna!" he exclaimed.
Seanna rushed up to him and buried herself in his open arms. "By the Maker!" he exclaimed once again when he held her out at arm's length. "What happened to you, child? You look as though you took a fall in the woods!"
Seanna bit down on her lower lip and let forth a fresh burst of sobbing again. "I was taking Storm out to look for Druffy, and while I was leading Druffy back, there was this green magic in the air and then demons – demons –"
She seemed unable to go any further and her father took her up in his arms again. "There, there," he coaxed, cradling the back of her head in one hand and grasping her shoulder in the other. "You're safe now. It will be all right."
"Storm didn't make it," Seanna added in a choked whimper. "And Druffy..."
"It's all right," her father reassured her, though a troubled look was etched across his face.
It was only after a while that the man noticed the strangers standing across from him. With a scrutinizing squint he regarded the forms of Cassandra and Ahnnie. Behind them at a distance were Solas and Varric, riding on a horse and a pony and leading two other horses by ropes.
"Master Dennet! Something wrong?" A young man emerged from deeper within the stables to stand by the old man's side. He first noticed Seanna, weeping softly in her father's arms, and then the strangers. "We have guests?" he then asked.
Master Dennet waved him off with a dismissive hand. "I'll tend to the matter, Bron. You go bring Seanna inside, and when you can, go tell the Bensons about their druffalo. Send them my condolences."
"Yes, sir."
As gently as he could, Master Dennet withdrew from the hug, squeezing his daughter comfortingly on the shoulder before she turned away with Bron and headed out of the stables. The pair walked along a dirt path up to a modestly sized cabin, disappearing from view upon rounding the corner.
"Well," Dennet said once they were gone. He was addressing Cassandra, who looked more authoritative, "I suppose I must thank you for bringing my daughter back safe and sound. I assume you rescued her from the demons."
The Seeker gave him a nod. "And you are Horsemaster Dennet, formerly of Redcliffe?"
"The very same. And you, lady Seeker?" For he had noticed the rather obvious Seeker emblem on the front of her armor.
"Cassandra," Cassandra supplied. With a vague gesture towards Ahnnie and the others, she added, "We are of the Inquisition. And since we have crossed paths, there is an important matter we would like to discuss with you."
A look of recognition passed through Dennet's eyes. "The Inquisition, eh?" He rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully. As Solas and Varric finally neared the stables and dismounted, his interest seemed piqued at the sight of the mage elf and rogue dwarf. "Feel free to stable your horses here," Dennet said at last, "and when you're done, head up to that cabin." A browned, calloused finger pointed towards the house Seanna and Bron had left for. "We'll be able to discuss things better there."
Ahnnie waited until the rugged old man left the stables before looking curiously at Cassandra. "You know him?"
"He is well-known in these parts," Cassandra affirmed. She began to walk towards where their mounts stood waiting, and Ahnnie followed. "His mounts are said to be the finest in Ferelden. He used to be the horsemaster of Redcliffe, but retired after the Fifth Blight. Where he retired was not exactly known, but Leliana had a hunch he was somewhere in the northwest corner of the Hinterlands. If we can convince him, we can obtain better horses for the Inquisition."
"Was Leliana right?"
Cassandra smiled wryly at the girl. "Indeed. We are in the northwest of the Hinterlands."
"Oh," Ahnnie nodded.
With a chuckle, Solas couldn't help but add, "A little more practice and you'll get your bearings straight."
Ahnnie noticed the mischievous glints in the corners of Solas' and Varric's eyes, and she gave them a mock pout. "Stop making fun of me," she whined playfully, before helping the others stable the horses.
Once they were done, they entered the cabin as promised. It was a nice, spacious abode with a stately red carpet spread over the stone floor and what looked like hay or rushes strewn about here and there. Elaina, Dennet's wife, ushered them to a round wooden table where Dennet was waiting.
Elaina bade them to have a seat and disappeared round the corner to fetch some tea. Once seated, Cassandra pulled off her gloves and Varric made himself comfortable by leaning back in his chair. Ahnnie did her best to maintain her posture, though she was starting to grow a little sleepy. A side effect of the wraith magic, she presumed. Beside her, Solas was taking everything in with observant eyes. When Elaina returned, everyone gratefully nursed their own steaming mugs of hot tea.
"I can't thank you all enough for saving our daughter," Elaina said as she slid into the chair next to her husband's. "Had you not been in the area, we would have lost her."
"We only did what was right," Cassandra deflected. "Besides, there was a rift in the area. We had no choice but to take care of it."
Elaina's face became grim. "Those rifts...they've been opening up all over the Hinterlands and aggravating the wolves...as if bandits weren't enough of a danger already." She shook her whitened head. "I've told Seanna over and over again that she can't go off on one of her escapades, not in times like these. But she has a strong sense of justice, that girl. When the Bensons lost their prized druffalo, she got it in her head that it was her duty to bring it back." She took a careful sip at her tea and then added from the corner of her mouth, "Just like her father, that one."
Dennet gave his wife an amused look, but only held it briefly before turning back to their guests. "So, you're the Inquisition," he began. "Hear you're trying to bring order back. It's high time someone did." His eyes wandered over to Ahnnie. "Never thought it would be a child, though."
"Not much older than Seanna," Elaina remarked with a pitying glance.
It took Ahnnie a while to realize they were talking about her. She fidgeted in her seat as a prickle of discomfort made her face warm. They identified me so easily. Rumor sure spreads fast...
"This matter you want to discuss – you're looking for mounts, are you not?" Dennet turned his gaze to Cassandra, much to Ahnnie's relief.
"We are," the Seeker affirmed. "It is no secret that you served Arl Eamon well in your time at Redcliffe, and that you are an expert on the animals. Your horses will greatly aid us, as we are currently relying on Haven's livery stables and the mounts between our forces are stretched thin."
"Simple messenger horses aren't going to serve your purpose," Dennet nodded. "I can see why you need me, but I can't help you at the moment." He took a deep sigh, and explained, "I hope you understand. I can't just send a hundred of the finest horses in Ferelden down the road like you'd send a letter. Every bandit between here and Haven would be on them like flies on crap."
Elaina frowned at his crude language. "Dennet," she chided.
But Cassandra held up a hand. "It's fine. I would prefer that he spoke plainly."
"In short, you'll have mounts once I know they won't end up a cold winter's breakfast," Dennet finished, and he took a big gulp of tea to commemorate it.
"Of course," the Seeker nodded. "That is only reasonable."
There followed a short pause in which it seemed Cassandra was mulling over the old man's words. Ahnnie looked from Elaina to Dennet to Cassandra, wondering what this rejection would mean for the Inquisition. Last she checked, it wasn't an organization with deluxe caravan services to guarantee safe passage to a group of four people, much less a hundred horses. With their current resources, it looked to be a logistics nightmare.
But he cares about his horses, she thought, and that's a good thing.
"We cannot stay any longer if we want to reach our destination in time," Cassandra said at last. "The Herald of Andraste has much to do." Ahnnie immediately shot a look of discomfort at Cassandra, but was ignored. "We will, however, send someone from our camp once we arrive to work out the details with you. In the meantime, we will do our best to secure the area and surrounding roads. I hope that we can arrive at a suitable arrangement within a month's time."
"Same," Dennet agreed.
Matters seemed to end there and they finished up their tea, but when Dennet opened the door for them the sky was revealed to have let loose the rain it threatened not over an hour ago. With a plaintive sigh Dennet remarked, "A pity. The roads'll be muck tomorrow." Turning to the group, he offered, "You can stay to wait out the rain, but it'll be near dark by the time it finishes. On the other hand, Elaina and I wouldn't object to feeding and housing you for a night. Take your pick."
"I'll take the feeding and housing, thanks," Varric decided with a grin, and they moved back into the house to get settled.