It'll take some time to recover.
Garrett held back a grimace, the thought couldn't quite describe the pain. Bethany, bless her heart, had tried her best to heal him, but she had never had any aptitude for that art, and her healing had largely been superficial. As such he was less bruised than at first, but his left foot felt like it was burning every time he stepped on it while every breath had a wheezing quality that made him ever so slightly nervous.
Could we afford a healing potion?
That made him grimace, potions were very expensive, made for those with the money and the need for quick healing, like knights or nobles, not farmers that didn't even own the land they worked on. A boat out of here is first priority, once we're off Ferelden soil we are in relative safety, if we have any money left I may consider it...though they are probably better spent elsewhere, I'll just have to cope for a while, the boat ride should take some time after all.
If we get there, that is...
Grimly looking ahead, Garrett had to admit that no Darkspawn had appeared to stop them along road they had found, in fact he could see Maric come running back after yet another scouting trip, the Mabari not looking like he carried any news of import. Good. To be fair, the landscape was now less hostile than before. The grass was greener, and while the scattered trees and boulders around them made Garrett worry about ambushes, the fact that the treetops were full of chirping birds and green leaves was a positive sign that made Bethany in the far rear whistle, raising the spirits of the group.
Garrett paid little heed to such superficial signs though, for all he knew they were walking right into a trap.
True, Flemeth had given him a necklace and, more importantly, a task that required that he'd reach Kirkwall, which logically meant he could trust her to uphold her end of the bargain.
But magic was not logical.
Garrett had studied the science of it, how it was supposed to work...of course he could only intellectualise it, he couldn't know it like his sister did, it was as if the books were describing colours to him, when he was blind. Still, he knew for a fact that the Fade was a point of extremes, that magic could spawn all manner of things, that things within the Fade didn't understand the logics of the real world...and Flemeth was, if there was any credence to the stories, a being of magic.
As such the supposition that she would act logically was shaky, at best.
Slowing down, Maric turned and came to walk at Garrett's side, the dog giving an encouraging, if muted, bark. "I know." Garrett scratched the dog behind the ear, thankful for the feel of something soft under his fingertips among all the aches of stiff muscles. "She has given us no reason to distrust her, but I plan for all contingencies." The dog glanced up at him, an unimpressed look in his eyes, making Garrett nod and roll his eyes. "Yes I know there's little choice in what to do, but humour me."
The answer was a derisive snort.
"Like you would do it differently if you were in charge." Garrett managed a pale smile, giving the Mabari another scratch behind the ears. It was odd, he hadn't known Maric for more than a few days...yet he already felt close to the dog, like he was family...a confidant. I suppose I have been lacking in companionship...
Carver had now and again spoken about that, how Garrett should head to the inn and get a drink so he could 'get laid' as the brother so eloquently put it. While Garrett had no time for such a waste of time, not to mention risking revealing his family's secret, Carver had perhaps inadvertently hit a nugget of truth, someone to care for beyond the family might do Garrett some good..
And what better companion than a faithful Mabari that would rather die than betray Garrett or the family? A creature whose very instincts made it trustworthy?
Garrett's smile widened a little, and he gave Maric a third scratch, making the dog give his hand an affectionate lick.
Then Carver came up next to him, the man pointing ahead with a frown. "Look at that, brother."
Following the pointing finger, Garrett blinked at the sight.
It was a cart, simple of construction and the back carrying nothing but a flattened pile of straw. More surprising however, was the fact that two horses were still bridled to it, the animals neighing in worry as they glanced back at the approaching group, their legs shaking with terror of whatever they had experienced.
What could make a horse, animals preferring to run, freeze in terror...?
Frowning, Garrett's gaze swept over the landscape surrounding the cart...and grimaced as he saw what little remained of those that had probably owned it. It had, if the torn ribbons and strips of clothing was anything to go with, been a family with two daughters whose dresses were little more than shreds on bodies that were thankfully ruined enough to conceal any features of them. Still...the sight made Garrett's stomach turn.
"Maker..." The others had now noticed the scene, Bethany's mutter swiftly accompanied with a whispered prayer as Leandra pulled the girl close to hide her gaze from the sight.
Aveline on the other hand stepped closer, grimacing as she glanced over at Garrett. "Not Darkspawn, they would have killed the horses...you don't think..." She glanced up at the sky. "...Flemeth?"
She wants us to get to Gwaren, probably as fast as possible, though many possibilities exist it's not unlikely... Garret nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised." He looked down at Maric, giving the Mabari an admonishing frown. "I told you to scout, why didn't you alert me of this?" The hound cocked his head to the side, making Garrett growl. "I know I said to look out for threats, but didn't you think this was something I wished to know of ahead of time?" An irritated small bark. "I'm not saying I expect you to make note of everything, but come now, use your head."
Maric looked away, whining softly in apology.
"Better."
"If you're finished bickering with the dog..." Carver grumbled with that hint of irritation he always had when he spoke of Maric, then he stepped forward and gestured at the cart and the bloodied remains at the side of the road. "...what do you want to do about this?"
"We take the cart, obviously." Garrett responded with a shrug before he, Carver and Aveline all carefully started to walk towards the horses.
"You're going to steal it?" Leandra spoke up, startling Garrett, so far she had been so quiet...
Turning, he found Bethany and her standing side by side, Leandra glowering at Garrett while his sister was looking away while muttering. "It's more like grave-robbing..."
"The horses and cart are no longer of use to..." Garrett glanced over at the bloodied heap that had once been four people. "...them, I'm slow due to my injury and there are Darkspawn around. So yes, we are taking it." He shot the pale Bethany a look before she could reply. "And no, there is no time for burials, and you will not make yourself more tired by burning them."
"We are honest people." Mother replied though, not ready to back down as she crossed her arms over her chest. "That's one of the few things we have left, I did not raise a thief."
"Enough." It was as much a command as it was a thought. Garrett pointed at the cart, eyes hard, making Leandra take a step back. "Get. In. The. Cart."
For a moment it looked like she was going to object even further...but she knew better. With her shoulders slumped and gaze downcast, she grabbed Bethany's hand and pulled her daughter with her, slinking past the scowling Garrett, the two women swiftly climbed into the cart.
"Better." Garrett turned his gaze to the other two of the group, finding Carver with an attentive look in his face and Aveline with something looking like amusement in hers. "Aveline, Carver, you two will drive, I will switch with you after I've rested." The two nodded before swiftly moving to climb up behind the horses while Garrett moved to climb up next to the still scowling Leandra in a more moderate pace. "Maric, scout ahead."
The dog barked an affirmative.
Garrett barely noticed, for the moment he lay down in the hay he felt his exhausted mind drift into darkness, his head sliding down to his mother's shoulder, making her sigh even as she pulled him closer.
"Wake me when it's my..." Garrett yawned. "...turn..."
Then there was only darkness.
8
8
8
Wha...?
Cracking his eyes open as little as possible, Garrett found a bright sun shining down on him, the smell of hay was all around him and the cart rocked gently with each bump in the road.
He frowned, he felt...rested, more so than he should. "What time is it...?" He muttered the question even as he opened his eyes fully and looked around himself. Maric was nuzzling in next to him, the dog having pushed him into the side of the cart where the hay was the thickest. At the other side of it Aveline and Carver sat at the edge of the cart, the brother looking at Garrett as the woman watched the road ahead.
She was the one answering. "Good, you're awake, we were about to wake you up." She gestured ahead, smiling softly. "We're almost there."
"Almost there?" Garrett echoed, frown deepening as his gaze moved over to Carver. "You didn't wake me up."
The grin his brother flashed was one of playfulness. "Nope, sorry, mother's orders." He cocked his head to the side. "Besides, we all decided you needed more rest than the rest of us, don't worry, we could change shifts easily even without you."
"Did you sleep well? Do you feel better, brother?" Came Bethany's question from behind, making Garrett sit up and turn his head after having thrown Carver an exasperated if thankful look.
"Yes and..." Garrett grunted as he shifted where he sat, testing his muscles. Many were aching or stiff, but much of the pain had dulled to a throbbing. The wheezing of his breath had thankfully lessened, though his foot still hurt, telling him the limp wouldn't go away in the first few days. "...yes, much better, a few weeks more and I'll be good as new." No health potion then, good. "Now, what's this about us being there?"
Bethany didn't need to answer, her pointing finger was enough, making Garrett look past her and mother's back and to the winding road ahead.
The road was snaking its way past boulders and small ridges in the land, yet for a road made of dirt it looked well maintained, the ditches on either side deep and bereft of garbage. It was also steadily moving upwards, up towards a plateau that sported an additional hill on the northern side.
The top of the plateau itself was surrounded by a solid-looking palisade upon which a few patrolling guards could be spotted, two towers with their bases made of stone even flanked the open gate, behind which a hint of the town it protected could be seen. The gate itself was manned by what looked like two dozen guards that scowled at the thick line of people slowly pushing their way in, some driving carts, others with large packs on their backs, most with nothing but the clothes they wore. Refugees here, already? Hmmm...that's worrying, the price for a boat will go up.
At least the guards didn't seem to make any effort in stopping people entering, though Garrett doubted they allowed anyone past the walls of stone surrounding the towering keep of the fort that stood upon the northern hill and dominated the town below. The stone walls looked better manned than the town itself, making it clear to Garrett what the commander intended to protect in case of a siege. Probably on order by Loghain, the man is known to be nothing but practical. Garret frowned. Though that means our need to leave is even greater...
They were passing by a few people sitting by the side of the road now, by the looks of their poor clothing and sad faces, they were not expecting a lot out of entering the town, or perhaps they had even tried and failed to find anyone willing to help them. Forcing himself to ignore the desperate eyes, Garrett stood up and looked at the slowly approaching gate with a thoughtful frown. "Mother and Bethany, you come with me, we'll immediately go for the harbour and try to get passage on a ship. Carver and Aveline, you two will go and sell the cart and horses, we need every coin we can-"
A cackle made him turn his head, irritated with the toothy grin one of the men at the side of the road offered him. The man was bald and old, little more than skin and bones hidden under a tunic that might as well have been a sack...and the amused twinkle in his eyes was tinged with desperation as they glanced at Garrett's coin-purse, a purse decidedly heavier since Aveline's contribution. "Sell the cart? Boy, look around yourself." The old man swung his arm out over the broken ground behind him.
Garrett followed the gesture and grimaced at the sight of many carts lying there, strewn around and abandoned, some having been hacked apart for firewood. "No buyers, I take it?"
"Unless the cart is full of either weapons, food or wine, no." The old man groused as he got to his feet, struggling to hobble along the slow-moving cart as he eyed Garrett with interest. "Though the horses..." He once more glanced at Garrett's coin-purse.
"Yes..." Garrett put a hand under it, jingling the content encouragingly. "...what about the horses?"
"The garrison buys every horse they're offered." The old man swiftly replied, now properly encouraged. "Though when I say buy it's more like steal...a silver piece for each horse is robbery, but what can a poor man with a starving family do...?" Again, the eyes flicked to Garrett's coin-purse.
Hmmm...at least that's something. Garrett looked back to the now close gate with a nod, his hand dropping from the purse. "Thank you, you've been very helpful."
"Wha...?" The old man stammered, confused.
Then one of the guards at the gate stepped forward and snorted "Begone, we're generous in letting people into the town, but no beggars." Using the flat of his blade, he pushed the old man down into the dirt even as Garrett's cart rumbled into the town, bringing the beggar out of view to Garrett as he instead eyed the surroundings with keen interest.
Behind him the old man was shrieking, making the rest on the cart shift nervously. "Soulless cheat! Maker spit on you!"
He wasn't important any more.
Garrett sensed his mother's disapproval though, and spoke without looking at her. "Yes, respect and to be known as honest is important mother, but our reputation in Lothering and Ferelden is now unimportant, coin isn't."
The only reply was a low mutter from Bethany, which Garrett let slide as he instead focused on the town itself.
Gwaren wasn't large. It was cramped though, the roads narrow and its grimy-looking houses seemingly leaning over it in their struggle for space. There was also a stench of fish hanging over it, a smell Garrett guessed was a permanent neighbour to the residents of the town, residents currently eyeing the stream of refugees with disproving frowns from their windows as their normal day was interrupted.
Further ahead, Garret could see the road slope downwards towards Gwaren's port, the wide sea covering the horizon a welcome sight in all the despair and filth. "Right, everybody out." Following his own order, Garrett climbed out of the wagon, gritting his teeth when his left foot hit the ground. Ignoring the pain he turned to Aveline and Carver, the former looking a little disapproving, no doubt thinking Garrett somehow owed the old man something for information he would have gotten for free a few moments later anyway. He ignored her frown though. "You two, the plan hasn't changed, go to the fort with the horses and see them sold, I'll take the others to the port and barter us a fare to Kirkwall."
"What about the wagon?" Bethany asked, her voice dull, tinged with uneasiness with what had just happened, the new surroundings, everything...
Garrett couldn't blame her, but he wasn't about to slow down enough to feel the same. "Leave it, someone else will have to deal with it." He squinted over at the distant port, worry worming itself into his gut as he could make out the five ships there, the five ships and the dock full of refugees... "We will go to the docks now, there is no time to lose." There's so many...if we can't get passage...I...Maker...
Without further word, he strode past the family, knowing they would follow his orders to the letter, trusting him to get them safely through the chaos ahead.
Don't let them see you worry...
8
8
8
Grunting, Garrett elbowed himself through the crowd of people that seemed to just stand there, indecisive in what to do, unable to go forward yet unwilling to leave, fearing what fate such a decision would bring. The stench of unwashed bodies and desperation filled his nostrils and made Bethany behind him loudly gasp, but Garrett ignored it as he pushed ahead.
A single question to one in the back of the desperate mob had been enough to determine which two boats went to Kirkwall. The first had been a failure though, it already had a full compliment of refugees on the boat and wasn't about to take on any extra hands, despite Garrett's offer to pay for working for them.
So that left the last boat at the far end of the port, a vessel that was worryingly small. Its narrow hull implied speed, and though 'The Sparrow', as it was called, was supposed to be a merchant vessel the amount of men on board with bows at hand as they with glowers held back the crowd made Garrett suspect they made a fair share of their profits from piracy.
Letting his gaze sweep over the deck as he pushed himself to the front. Garrett ignored the row of burly-looking sailors with arrows resting on their bows in case anyone in the mob decided to make a rash decision, instead his gaze came to rest on a man near the raised gangplank. The man was casually sitting on the railing of the ship, one leg dangling down the side while he casually flipped a copper coin in the air, a coin drawing many gazes from the crowd, much to his obvious amusement.
The man was probably not the captain, but he looked like the one to talk to. His bare torso was burnt brown by months in the sun and covered in white scars while the black trousers and boots he wore looked like they had seen better days. He had a red bandanna wrapped around the top of his head, a gap in it allowing a brown ponytail to hang free down his back, his small beard was worn around a decidedly large mouth and his eyes were narrowed in a permanent squint, probably from having stared at the horizon for a lifetime of sailoring.
He didn't look all that friendly.
Not like we have any choice... "You there." Garrett raised his voice towards the man, then glowered back at a desperate-looking woman in the crowd inching closer to his coin-purse and shot her an armoured elbow to the ribs before looking back to the sailor. "May we speak? I hear you're going to Kirkwall?"
"Wot?" The sailor turned his gaze to Garrett, eyebrows raised. "Another one? Look here mate, we ain't running no charity, so bugger off like the rest of these crabs."
Crabs? Garrett took a step closer, tensing as he saw the other sailors straighten, the grips on their bows tightening. "What if this crab can pay?" He raised his coin-purse. "That is, if you're going to Kirkwall."
"Ah." The sailor's eyes flashed with greed as they took in the offer. "That's better." He swung his other leg over so both were hanging over the railing. "Ya, we're going to Kirkwall mate, you and your princess and queen there looking to go?" He shot a nod at Leandra and Bethany standing next to Garrett, his eyes lingering a bit longer on Garrett's sister, making him step in front of her.
"Me and my family of three others, plus a dog..." Garrett hesitated. We already have her gold, but she's with Carver...guess I could trick her on an errand while we go aboard. Then again, I get the feeling one more won't affect the price, plus she's shown herself capable, an ally would be good...even if she knows of Bethany...then again it's a risk...
"Brother!" Bethany hissed, reading his mind and angrily shoving an elbow into Garrett's side with a glower.
Raising his voice Garrett continued as if there had been no pause, the decision made. "...and a friend want passage to Kirkwall."
"And what are you paying in!" One of the other sailors chimed in, eyes fixed on Bethany as he dramatically licked his lips, drawing raucous laughter from the others as she visibly shirked back behind her brother.
"Coin, and nothing else." Garrett instantly replied, hand instinctively moving to grip his sword, making the sailors laugh even harder, clearly not impressed with a man that couldn't even reach them, never mind fight them with his visibly injuries.
"All right, all right, settled down!" The man with the bandanna shouted, making the other men calm down before turning his gaze back to Garrett. "Not to worry about the pretty ones, I say they're off limits, they're off limits." He grinned widely, revealing yellow teeth. "But that costs extra."
"Agreed." Garrett instantly replied, not about to skimp on such protection, no matter how illusionary such safety might be. "Now, what's your price?"
The sailor chuckled. "That depends, what's in that purse?"
Garrett narrowed his eyes. "That's not how this works, what's your price for safe passage to Kirkwall?"
"Not how it works?" The sailor repeated with a scoff, eyebrows raised high in mockery. "Listen mate, you're here because you have no choice, you're here because you have nowhere else to go. So...what's in that purse?"
Gritting his teeth, Garrett glowered at the man, well aware of the truth in his words, yet unwilling to give away all their savings that easily. "Just give me a price, dammit!"
"Fair enough..." The man looked up at the sky, a feigned look of thoughtfulness on his face as he drummed a finger against his chin.
Silence, the other sailors grinning at him.
Then he looked back to Garrett, a sweet smile on his lips. "How about...every coin in that purse of yours?"
Damn...pirate...! Garrett found himself gnashing his teeth, the hand around the purse tightening as he glared at the smug sailor, a feeling of helplessness gripping him. With such a deal all we'll have are the two silvers Aveline and Carver might get from the garrison...and if Gamlen turns us away...
But if we stay, if the Darkspawn come here and the fort closes its gates to us...
He turned his head, first looking at Leandra, his mother was wringing her hands, nervously eyeing the sailors, fearing what they might do. Nothing compared to what the Darkspawn might do... Then to Bethany, the woman pale, biting her lower lip as she offered him a reassuring nod that only showed how hesitant she was. Yet I can't hesitate, not when it's about your safety...
Turning his gaze back to the now grinning sailor, Garrett managed to squeeze out the needed word.
"Deal."
8
8
8
An early merry christmas to Abydos Jackson and all our fantastic readers!