Chapter 2 : Be Still

Their travels by way of the covered wagon were short, as Carver revealed that they were to take ship from Ostwick to Highever. It only took a couple of days to get to the port city and they hired out a small charter ship to take them across the Waking Sea. Of all things that Kyrie wasn't too enthusiastic about, it was the prospect of traveling by ship, despite the speed and ease of travel.

The trip took about four days and not all of it was pleasant. They had been rocked by a minor storm but it had left Kyrie with her head leaned over a bucket for much of that trip. She was thankful that Anders was there, as he had a stronger stomach and made sure that she stayed relatively healthy...or at least hydrated. Due to traveling in such necessary secrecy, Kyrie and Anders stayed under the deck for the most part in their given disguises while Carver and Fenris kept watch from above deck.

Finally, the quartet arrived in Highever. The first thing Kyrie recognized when she came above deck was the distinct smell of the air. It had a more pronounced scent of dirt in it and it was enough to remind the Champion of the home that they'd left several years prior. Carver was thanking the captain of the ship as Kyrie passed with Anders, the two standing on the dock with Fenris as they waited for her brother.

Carver led them to the edge of the port city, shaking hands with a man that wore a cloak that barely disguised his Warden-issued garments. "Thank you for this, Oliver. I owe you one," Carver stated to him as he ushered Kyrie and Anders into the carriage. "Did the Commander ask too many questions?"

The man, Oliver, grunted and gave Carver a shrug. "Not really. I told Commander Cousland what you sent ahead in your message and she ordered that I depart post-haste and be sure that I met you here," he replied to him honestly before chuckling. "The Commander isn't frequently too worried about anyone outside of the Order but it appears that she has some respect for your family," he added, giving a nod to the two before the carriage shut.

"I wouldn't know why. I always thought she hated me when I was stationed at Vigil's Keep for a short time," Carver chuckled, shaking his head. "At any rate, that isn't what's important. Did she send any other message?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Oliver stated, handing over a scroll to Carver. "She sent that."

Carver quickly unrolled it quickly, glancing over the message before shaking his head with half a smirk on his face. "Alyria..." he muttered.

"Warden Commander originally wanted me to escort you all to Denerim but I told her it would gather unnecessary attention," Oliver replied before giving Carver a nod. "Warden Scouts, however, will keep your path clear of any ruffians that get too intrigued by your carriage. I suggest that you keep moving as long as possible and try not to stop until you get to Denerim. You've got 4 days travel ahead but once you reach the walls of Denerim, you'll be safely under watch of the Guard."

"Thank you again, Oliver," Carver answered with a nod before looking to Fenris, who nodded in return. He then looked back to Oliver. "Hopefully, I'll be seeing you soon...once I get my sister and her friend settled somewhere safe after the trip to Denerim. Maker watch over you," Carver wished, giving Oliver a Ferelden salute.

"Maker watch over us all," Oliver answered, returning the salute before watching Carver take the reigns with Fenris sitting beside him.

It was two days into their journey from Highever to Denerim. Inside the carriage, Kyrie and Anders sat in the quiet. Kyrie would glance over every now and again, seeing Anders staring at her, before glancing back out the small window at the passing scenery. They hadn't spoken to one another and the quiet was almost to the point of being painfully awkward.

"I'm sorry about what happened when Justice and I were together," Anders finally said, apologetic. "I didn't know that things would escalate as they did. I regret what I did...but I don't regret what's happened since," he revealed.

Kyrie looked over at Anders and was quiet a moment. "I wish you would have just told me. Had you said something, I would have-..."

"Helped? Maker, no...I didn't want you in that mess any deeper than you already were," Anders told Kyrie, looking at her with concern in his eyes. "Had you truly helped Justice's plan, you may never have made it out of Kirkwall alive," he stated honestly. "I never could have lived with the guilt that something happened to you because of me."

"Anders..." Kyrie said softly before shaking her head. "Have you ever thought of how I felt, having to send you away to keep you safe? I knew that I couldn't keep you safe here but I had to stay. I..." she began before looking out the window. "I have thought of what I would say to you if you ever returned for all these years."

"Then say it," Anders told her, looking at the woman he had to leave behind for the safety of them both. "Say it while it's on your mind."

Kyrie was quiet a moment but Anders could see her mulling over her words carefully. "Welcome home, Anders. I've missed you," Kyrie said, a sincere tone in her voice before she grimaced slightly. "It rings a bit hollow, us being on our way to a safe house of some sort, but the sentiment is the same. I did miss you while you were gone," she admitted.

Anders shook his head as he looked at her with a sense of surprise. "It doesn't matter where we are. Home for me is wherever those that matter most to me are," he told her honestly. "I've been on the run all of my life because I'm a mage. A physical home means little more than a place to sleep and eat, to be honest," he added.

"Well, doesn't look like we'll have a place to set down roots for some time anyways," Kyrie answered with a shrug as she straightened out her legs to the seat beside Anders, resting her feet there. She yawned slightly before leaning her head against the side of the carriage. "Well, if Denerim is still far enough off, I suppose that a nap won't kill me," she said before her eyes met his. "Try to get some sleep?"

"Of course," Anders answered and relaxed, watching Kyrie finally fall asleep after a few bumps in the route. He sighed as he pulled the curtain closed and soon found himself slipping off for a few hours.

Two more days past and, finally, the quartet arrived in Denerim. A small contingent of palace guards met them at the gates and escorted their carriage into the walls surrounding the royal palace. Anders exited the carriage first and helped Kyrie disembark, and the four followed the palace guards into to home of the King and Queen of Ferelden. They soon entered the throne room to be greeted by Alyria and Alistair Theirin.

"Welcome to Denerim," Alistair greeted the quartet before looking to his wife. "And, Ferelden, I would suppose. It's not every day that the Champion of Kirkwall is a guest here," he stated in mild amusement.

"Times as they are, I can't thank you enough for your hospitality on such short notice," Kyrie answered Alistair with a respectful nod to them both. "This was certainly an unexpected trip but I'm sure you understand our situation in this."

Alyria looked to Anders a moment. "Thank you for keeping my cousin safe. I have heard much of what you've done while in Kirkwall but that is forgiven here," she told him before looking to the group. "We have rooms prepared for you all to rest and clean up after such a long journey," she stated.

"Thank you, Queen Alyria," Carver replied, giving her a respectful Ferelden salute.

"No need for such formalities," Alistair told the group with a shake of his head. "You are all our guests and two of you are family. We would be more comfortable if you referred to us as Alyria and Alistair," he encouraged. "Also, if any of you need your armor cleaned, we have an armorer that can clean the metal and retreat your leathers," he offered, noting that a couple of them wore their armor.

"Now...you should all head to your rooms," Alyria encouraged, waving forward one of the servants. "Please, escort them to their rooms. You may all settle in however you wish," she added and allowed them all to go.

Fenris, predictably, took the first room on the wing and Carver took the next. Kyrie had been about to take the next room down but Anders guided her to the corner room, which ended up being the largest. Despite not driving the carriage, the recent upheaval had taken a toll on Kyrie as she was witnessing her life take a 180-degree turn. Everything she knew was stripped away and the mage was left somewhat confused and slightly disoriented. Anders walked her into the washroom and sat her on a chair as he ran her bathwater, adding a a couple essential oils to the water.

Once the bath was run, Anders looked to Kyrie and touched her cheek to get her attention. It was easy for him to see the far away look in her eyes that disappeared at the gentle touch. It seemed like the only way to get her back from such deep reveries was physical touch. "I'll be in the other room if you need anything," he advised her. "Take a moment to yourself," he added before setting a pair of soft towels on the chair when she stood up and he stepped out of the washroom.

Kyrie stood there a moment, staring at the bathwater, before she peeled off her Champion's armor. She piled it by the chair before slipping into the water. As she laid her head back against the tub, she took the moment to take inventory of her scars. After the years of protecting Kirkwall before becoming Viscountess, Kyrie Hawke had amassed a numerous network of scars. She touched the scar made below her ribs by the Arishok during their duel, one that Anders had struggled to heal the damage from to save her life. Another was the burns on her forearms that had been inflicted by an apostate who was maddened by power during the rebellion. Merrill had done her best to heal them but the elf's gift was simply not in healing.

Lastly was the scar in the midst of her abdomen made the day after being proclaimed Viscountess. She hadn't been expecting the attack and the blade had been generously slathered in a lethal poison. Kyrie had no recollection of the following week but for the rest of that month, she lived in the Viscount's Estate to conduct business as best she could, being extraordinarily weak as a result of the poison. She never asked what happened to the responsible party but from what she'd been told, it was easy to imagine their fate.

After a time, Kyrie decided that she'd soaked long enough. She finished her bath, being sure to clean herself and wash her hair. She pulled the drain plug and stepped out, wrapping her hair in a towel and drying herself before wrapping the towel around her body. She walked out into the room to see her bag sitting on the bed with a note beside it, along with a roaring fire in the fireplace. She picked up the note and recognized the handwriting instantly as Anders's.

Kyrie,

Went down to the kitchens to get a tray of tea. Figured that you would want to pick your own outfit. Be back shortly.

-Anders

Kyrie sat the note down and opened her bag, pulling out a simple nightgown of a cream color and clean undergarments. She was just smoothing out the gown on her frame when the door opened. She looked up to see Anders with the tea tray and gave him a small smile. He smiled back and carried the tray over, sitting it on the table by the bed as he moved her bag off the bed.

"I see that you enjoyed your bath," Anders said as he watched her take her hair down out of the towel and fluff it a bit to let it dry. "I thought that some tea might calm your mind a bit," he told her.

"Thank you for the thought," Kyrie said, taking a seat on the bed and sitting with her back against the headboard. "Are you going to take a bath, too? You've been watching over me this whole trip," she reminded him.

"Of course. I just wanted to make sure that you were comfortable before I did so," Anders answered. He poured her a cup of tea and passed it to her. "I'll be in the bath, if you need anything," he told her.

In the time it took Anders to take his own bath and change into a new set of clothes, he walked into the room and found Kyrie asleep with the empty tea cup back on the tray. He smiled to himself and walked over to her, pulling the blanket over her form. She hadn't been sleeping well on their entire trip and he knew she would need the sleep before meeting with Alistair and Alyria again. He was about to leave before she took hold of his hand, holding on tightly.

Anders had to smile, deciding to crawl over Kyrie to avoid trying to release her grip on his hand. He sat back against the headboard, holding onto her hand as she slept. Under normal circumstances, he would have gone back to his room and let her sleep on her own. However, something about the way she clung to his hand that made him stay in the room. He knew there would be questions but he refused to leave the woman he'd already left behind once.