BioWare owns all but what I have made up. : )
For those of you on the BioWare forums, I posted this story there too under community creations for Dragon Age. While I love your traffic and your reviews here, if it is easier to read there, know that it is up for your viewing pleasure. Sorry I forgot to mention it earlier. : (
Poor Kai, girl talk, getting her brother and Morrigan together only to have them "get together" in her and Zev's room, and of course Zev is having so much fun at her expense. In this and following chapters we have introductions, and the meeting with Lelyth's siblings will be coming up. And Rajed will get introduced to his new weapon. More humor and some heart wrenching will be in the works. Oh, and Gnat's real name is revealed, though she is never going to answer to it, LOL. I hope you all continue to enjoy. : )
For those who don't speak French or find it is rusty, Leliana asks about Gnat's being from Orlais and comments that her name can't be really be Gnat. Gnat is so happy to hear her own language, she lets out what her real name is, but that she never answers to it, and she tells Leli she lives in Val Royeaux. She is an acrobat and Bard and she was trained by Gaheries Magnon (the name being close to one Garrus on ME and ME2 whom I have a shameless crush on). : )
I don't have any author shout outs tonight, sorry, I will later again I promise, I just haven't had time to keep up with anything else and write too.
Night Hunter MGS you are way too clever at catching my subtle hints. So much so that I am surprised I have ever blindsided you at all, or any of you, really. I have the cleverest fans, as Zev told Kai in this story once, I like practicing on you, and you almost always catch me at it. I find it a challenge. That goes for all of you, clever, clever people, you all are so good, I find it makes me work harder which I love! And a shout out to Night Hunter MGS for some ideas you had given me before and I didn't use at that time, but, now is their time. So a shout out to Jim Henson and The Muppets, as well as NH MGS, and I cannot stress it enough that in the last chapter I stole shamelessly from Night Hunter MGS, the last two sentences in particular, or as he says, I was given permission, but still. You should all know it was he, not I who came up with those hilarious lines, so again, my deepest and sincerest thanks my friend. And if you're wondering about Zev catching Kai's change in pronoun when she speaks of their living arrangements, well we all know Zev is too clever not to have caught on, I say again, you all are such talented people.
Thanks again to all who lurk and read, again, I woke up today to find several more new people had added my story to favs and alerts, and me to fav author, THANK YOU! I am truly humbled, and for all of you who review, even on a holiday weekend, you amaze me and thrill me. Same goes for my lurkers who are reading this on the holiday weekend too, I know some are out of town or going to be, please be safe. And I am so grateful, every day for such smart, observant, clever fans, the people who review that are such great writers in their own right, and you all think I am good, well, I am undone.
Blessings!
Kai took a moment to breathe, and it was Fi's little chirps and craning her neck to look at her mommy which snapped Kai out of her roiling thoughts. She sighed, kissed Fi on her downy head and walked after Zev to the dining hall, she soon felt a presence tailing her, and it couldn't be Zev. She stopped and turned to see Gnat's figure unfold itself out of the shadows, "Bonsoir, my lady." Kai grinned at her, Gnat had apparently been given a room and she had bathed and changed.
"I hope you got settled in all right. If you need anything, don't hesitate to speak to me or..." Kai was going to say 'my brother Fergus', but he was otherwise occupied for who knew how long. Kai stopped herself, "...Or any servant." Kai felt herself blushing, if Gnat noticed, she said nothing, she just nodded.
They made their way to the doorway of the dining hall and walked in, the place was full of Scath and her extended family, well, minus her brother and a certain witch. Shale was standing in her favorite spot in the dining hall, behind Sten, Leli sat between Sten and Oghren. Fiona and Wynne sat at the end of the table next to the high chairs where Duncan was already seated while Fiona put a bib on him.
Her family looked up, but the Scath all stood and gave her a crossed arm bow. Kai handed Fi to Wynne and returned the bow. Zaeed and Naseel came over, Zaeed met her with that wide infectious grin of his, putting out his arm to grasp hers, Naseel did the same when Zaeed stepped back. It was then that Zaeed's eyes landed on Gnat, they got very wide, and he couldn't seem to take them off of her. In fact all of her Scath were looking at the mysterious young woman with varying expressions. Most of the looks were curious other held curiosity with a mix of seeing some beautiful creature who looked like an elf out of the legends of Arlathan. Everyone, that is, except Naseel, who looked from Zaeed's face back to Gnat with a nasty scowl and a hard glint in her mismatched eyes.
Oh boy, Kai thought, she knew Zaeed was in love with Naseel and this was nothing more than a healthy male being in proximity to someone as exotic and alluring as Gnat. She'd had time to get used to Gnat's looks and had forgotten how truly eye catching they were. Naseel was not impressed, she turned to Kai after another cold look at Gnat and a really hard jab to Zaeed's ribs, which had him wincing, rubbing his side and looking sheepish. Kai had never seen him with such a look on his face. She wanted to laugh and kept herself from doing so only by the thinnest of margins.
Kai addressed the dining hall, "Everyone, may I introduce Gnat, she is a bard from Orlais and she is here to help 'The Silver Griffon'. She has permission from a powerful friend to aid us against Anora, I will speak to you all more on this later. Suffice it to say, treat her as you would any Scath." Kai watched her Scath nod and turn back to their plates, still glancing at Gnat and speaking with each other. Those closest to Jarren started to ask him questions. Kai only hoped they gave him a chance to eat.
"Scathach, we were worried, but Zevran sent word via the procul globe that you lived, we were only truly comforted when the witch returned to give us a complete report on your health." Kai thanked them for their concern and gave them a briefing on the darkspawn attacks, both of them.
Naseel smiled at Kai, "Your other friends have been telling those of us new to your country about the Blight, you mean that they are not going back to the Deep Roads" Naseel's eyes widened.
"And this sounds as if intelligence lies behind your battle on the road back here, could it be that they have unearthed another dragon so soon?" Zaeed's voice held concern, and righfully so.
"That I do not know, my friends, we may have to delve into this disturbing development along with handling all that is going on with Anora. For now, go back to your meal, my friends." She smiled at both of them, "We can speak on this more later, eat." Kai grasped Naseel's arm and then Zaeed's, and watched as they sat back down next to Jarren and Rajed.
Kai motioned for Gnat to follow her to the table. Kai introduced Gnat to everyone except Zev before sitting across from him, where he took the opportunity to rub her leg with his foot. Gnat sat across from Leliana and next to Kai.
Since breakfast was informal and people tended to rise at different times, the food was put out buffet style. Supper was more formal at Highever and always had been. Her family never ate by themselves unless it was Cousland Camaraderie Day. Her parents, and thus Fergus and herself, always ate with castle staff or soldiers in the dining hall. Supper meant everyone showed up, cleaned up and ready to sit down and eat, unless they had duties that kept them from it. The food was placed on the tables in front of everyone rather than on the buffet. Kai and Gnat started to fill their plates from the array of bowls in front of them.
Leliana looked appreciatively at Gnat, Kai knew that the bard did not mind the company of women. In fact, the beautiful redhead hinted during the Blight, that she would have liked Kai's company. Kai hated to hurt her, but she wasn't interested in women, though one could do worse than the lovely and sweet bard.
She wasn't sure if Gnat's joke about Kai coming to her if Zev and she didn't work out was a real offer. What Kai did know was that Gnat and Leliana were both bards and shared their country in common. It didn't surprise her when they shifted into Orlesian. Kai couldn't help but listen in, what was it about foreign languages that just stirred the senses? Of course Kai's limited Orlesian meant she was probably missing some things, but that didn't stop her from listening, their accents were too lovely, like a lilting song.
Leli smiled and introduced herself, "Bonsoir, mon nom est Leliana, vous venez aussi d'Orlais?"
Gnat grinned her face reflected a look of mutual homesickness, she seemed to enjoy hearing her own language though, " Enchantée, je suis Moucheron. Et oui, je suis originaire d'Orlais, j'habite à Val Royeaux."
Leliana's eyes sparkled and she giggled, "Vous êtes sérieuse, vous vous nommez réellement Moucheron?"
Gnat looked at the pretty red head and laughed, she shook her head, "En fait, mon véritable nom est Allaire Jardiniel, mais je ne l'utilise jamais, et je préfère de loin me faire appeler Moucheron. Je suis une acrobate et une barde, j'ai été formée par Gaheriès Magnon. Avec qui avez-vous reçu votre entraînement pour devenir barde?"
"J'ai été formé par Gaheriès Magnon, avec qui avez-vous une formation pours être Bard?"
Leliana's eyes brightened, and she flushed, Kai caught enough to know that Gnat has asked with whom Leliana trained as a bard. It was a painful thing for the pretty redhead. Kai listened as Leliana explained all of this to Gnat. How her mistress and teacher betrayed her, blaming her for her own treasonous acts. Eventually, it was Kai who gained the pretty and vulnerable woman's trust, and she confessed to being a bard for Orlais. Leli told Gnat how she told Kai about what happened with papers that her mistress, teacher and even lover had sent her to kill a mark to get. These papers had named her mistress as engaged in treason against Orlais, These were papers that Leliana's curiosity led her to read, taking her concerns to Marjolaine, afraid for her teacher's safety. Marjolaine then framed Leliana who had been arrested and then tortured. Kai knew that torture for women always included rape, from Gnat's face, she did too.
Leli had never spoken of any of it in detail except to say that she escaped using the very bard skills she trained in and used them to run to Ferelden. She put herself in the Chantry as a Lay Sister, hoping to gain forgiveness for her past deeds and to find peace. Despite what happened to her, she remained a kind and caring soul, she'd not allowed herself to be bitter or even to feel vengeful toward her former mistress and teacher. She stayed happy in the cloister until she'd had her vision, a dream of the Blight, she joined Kai and her group in Lothering and had been a loyal and true friend ever since.
Leli continued her tale telling Gnat about their travels that later they had been attacked by assassins hired by Marjolaine, as her old teacher discovered Leli was alive and in Ferelden. They'd gone to Denerim and found Marjolaine, who was a nasty piece of work. In fact now that Kai thought about it, Marjolaine reminded her very much of Vimaro. Leli told Gnat they killed Marjolaine.
Kai remembered how she worried that Marjolaine's telling Leli she was a walking abyss coupled with having to kill the woman would break the sweet Bard. It had taken several conversations with her, but Kai had shown Leli that she was not Marjolaine, nor would she ever be. With time and the love of her new friends, Leliana had come to see that she and her former Mistress were very different.
Gnat smiled an apologetic smile at Leli. "Je suis sincèrement désolée de ce vous est arrivé ."
Leliana smiled her brilliant smile, and shook her head, her flaming red hair dancing like her eyes, "Non, tout cela est du passé, J'ai de très bons amis et une vie merveilleuse maintenant ."
Kai had to smile Leli's response to Gnat's sympathy was so Leli, cheerful, optimistic, forever hopeful, and never bitter, she simply put her in her past and counted her life now as marvelous and filled with good friends. Kai had reason to know that Leliana even considered Morrigan as a friend, and Sten, even when she never received a warm welcome from either of them, a less than warm welcome had never stopped the beautiful bard. Kai was reminded of the Spumante Master Ignacio had brought to their meeting from Antiva, golden, bubbly, and cheerful, it would tickle your nose whether you wanted it to or not, that was Leli, Kai smiled at her friend, Maker, she was just so lucky to know such great people.
It was Shale that broke the intense concentration Kai required to follow the conversation with her rusty Orlesian,"I have a question for the Warden."
Kai looked at Shale and smiled, "What can I do for you, my stone friend?"
"When I was injured, I went into a kind of shut down mode. It was not like the years I spent in the Deep Roads before that bastard Wilhelm found me." Shale's face took on a heavy scowl at the memory of her former and abusive owner.
"So, you didn't just shut off and see darkness?" Kai raised an eyebrow, "How was it different? Could you hear all of us or sense us?"
"No, I think I had what you squishy beings call a dream." The golem's face got even sterner.
"I didn't know you could dream anymore, was it a pleasant dream, a fun dream?" Kai couldn't help but be excited by this development. The golem was a female dwarf before she was a stone giant with exceptional killing skills and brute strength. Kai always wondered how much of the dwarf was still in that stone skin.
"No, it was horrid. I think it was brought on by all the damage I had taken. I was in a strange place, and it had yellow bird taller than the Qunari which kept trying to ingratiate itself with me while ignoring my attempts to squish its head. It kept pushing chocolate covered bird seed on me, finally, I was forced to flee from it, as I could not crush it into a fine paste. Then I found myself in a theater with a strange, small blue creature."
"Creature, what was it, do you think?" Kai noticed that the entire table had gone silent, listening with rapt attention to Shale's story.
"It reminded me of a Darkspawn, except it was fuzzy and had a large curling nose. It tried its hand at jocularity, like the other warden used to do, while firing itself out of a cannon like the Qunari use."
"Well, that doesn't sound so bad," Kai grinned at Shale.
"It would say that, wouldn't it? But it does not know the true horror of the small blue darkspawn."
"And that would be?" Kai leaned forward on the edge of her seat.
"The small darkspawn led a legion of... of chickens!" Shale huffed at her, stone brows scrunching down in a menacing scowl.
"Needless to say, it was most...disturbing. I thought only a weak, fleshy mind deluded by an overdose of deep mushrooms could have come up with such hellish images, it was most unsettling, most unsettling indeed."
Kai wanted to laugh, but she didn't want to hurt Shale's feelings, "I wouldn't worry too much, Shale, I think it was just due to your grievous injuries. I don't think it is a sign of weakness, you were hurt very badly, my friend, for which I am sorry."
"Huh," Shale then smiled at Kai, "As I trust the Warden, I will be content that this was only due to injury and we shall not speak of it again. And the Warden was not to blame, if the Warden insists on taking the blame. I shall be forced to squish its head."
"Fair enough, my stone friend, fair enough." Kai just grinned at the golem and shoveled another forkful of food into her mouth to keep from laughing.