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Random had returned the Keep the previous night, tired but glad that more soldiers would be arriving soon. He'd slept well, waking refreshed to a day of hope that maybe, somehow, someday he'd be able to resolve the shambles of politics and darkspawn incursions that were plaguing Amaranthine. He wasn't a politician, a fact he'd tried to explain to Alistair at some length, but the king had just waved his protests away, saying "If I can be a King, you can be a politician. Neither of us asked for this, but we're just going to do the best we can."

But Alistair was a good king, and he, Random, had made a dog's dinner of Amaranthine. Except for his arling, Ferelden was peaceful and thriving. Granted he did have the small problem of darkspawn to deal with, but that he could deal with, it was the nobles and peasants that were unmanageable, at least by Random. Never before had he met such a contentious lot. They not only fought each other at every turn, they fought among themselves as well. It seemed that he would have many long boring hours of cases about chickens, sheep and some haughty nobleman's drunken daughter. Couldn't they at least control their children and livestock?

The day passed as he had feared, petitioner after petitioner, and being required to make judgements about things that he could not possibly understand. The seneschal was a great help, but when a decision was viewed as unwise or unjust, the blame fell squarely on him. Which was fair, of course, but difficult none the less

One of his first decisions has been to hang a deserter, a deserter, and it had garnered nothing but outrage and rebellion, even among his troops. Did these people really expect that they would ever win against the darkspawn if every skittish son or daughter ran off to check on momma whenever they wished?

Ah well, the day was done, for good or ill. The morrow would show if he was growing in wisdom or not. He smiled as he saw Anders break off from talking with Nathaniel and come to meet him. When he was in Amaranthine, Anders was his rock, his support and the source of much needed humor. If he'd been asked, Random would have described himself as completely self sufficient and self contained, but be that as it may, there was always someone with him that fulfilled the role Anders played now. And Anders, it must be said, played it to the hilt.

The two men hugged briefly, then, arms around each other, retreated to Random's private study cum war room for their evening meal. The seneschal had tried to explain that it was expected that the new Arl would eat with the nobles in residence, thereby cementing his position, showing his power and, not incidentally, catching up on the latest gossip. Random had flatly refused, quickly delegating the responsibility. In truth, Seneschal Varel delighted in having dominion over the elaborate state dinners. He was in his element amongst politics and nobles and it was a relief to not have the grim Warden Commander dampening the festivities.

For some time Anders and Random ate and drank in contented, companionable silence. Chewing happily, then taking a sip of ale, Anders cleared his throat. "There's someone I'd like you to meet," he said.

Random raised an eyebrow and nodded, "The attractive elf maiden I presume? It seems that you enjoyed yourself while I was gone."

"Uh, you've noticed her?" Anders asked with some trepidation.

Random smiled in reply, "It was hard to not notice you two snogging in the corner. Did you fancy that you were invisible? Or maybe you just forgot to cast the invisibility spell?"

Tentatively Anders asked, "You don't mind, do you? I mean, you said, when you're away, uh, that I could, uh, indulge myself and you wouldn't care? Right?"

Looking at Anders levelly, Random said, "Ah, but I am back now. And I would remind you that you are mine. I have no interest in what you do when I am not here, but when I am here I expect all of your attention. On the other hand, I did notice that it was she who snagged you and that you would have been hard pressed to disengage without making yourself more noticeable, so you are forgiven. But please impress upon the young lady that when I am here, you are not available."

"T'herendalin," Anders said softly, a bit dreamily.

"What?" Random angrily asked.

"T'herendalin. Her name is T'herendalin. I just thought that maybe we could stop referring to her as the â€˜young lady' and â€˜attractive elf'." Anders laughed as he said it, hoping to lighten the mood. It had scant effect.

Random was silent for a moment, then said, "And you want me to meet her? Why?"

Still laughing, though a bit forced, Anders said, "It's not anything to do with, well, what she and I have been, uh, doing. I want you to meet her because she's an exceptionally well trained and powerful warrior who has agreed to help us, albeit for coin. She was, in fact, an Antivan Crow. I think that you can make good use of her in scouting and leading small bands. She has a lot of, uh, experience."

Random had not moved and his expression remained neutral. Nodding he said, "Yes, I will meet her. I need all of the trained fighters I can muster. But you must know, there is not was a Crow. Once you are a Crow you are always a Crow... or dead. It's not a job you retire from."

Anders was amused by this since he knew the story of the Commander's personal Crow who, it seemed, had indeed managed to retire under the close protection of the Grey Wardens.

He cleared his throat and said, "Yes, that is what is commonly believed, but apparently it is not true. Only if you are very high up in the Crows can you buy your way out, and such release costs a great deal of coin indeed. It is, it seems, one of the ways that the Crow's finance their order. It also relieves them of members who are no longer, um, productive. The young Crows, or those that do not rise high in the ranks, yes, they are killed if they try to leave. But the highest ranking members, who I imagine make the rules anyway, have left themselves this out."

This was news to Random, if true. He had always believed that once a Crow always a Crow, with only one notable exception. He thought for a few minutes than said, "That girl, forgive me, what was it? Ah yes, T'herendalin, does not seem to be old enough to be a high ranking Crow. Are you sure that she's not just spinning you tales to gain your interest?"

Anders shrugged, "I've seen her fight. And experienced other... talents she possesses. To me her story is believable, but then I have no way of actually knowing. Whether or not she ever was a Crow, she very good at what she does."

Random's look made Anders blush. Damn! Random was the only one in all the world who could do that to him and it aggravated Anders no end. At least they weren't in public.

Random asked, "So how is it that she fetched up here? Is she a mercenary looking for work, come to where the trouble is?"

Settling back in story telling mode and pulling his ale nearer to hand, Anders replied, "No, not at all. She came here for her own reasons. It seems that she had been away, quite far away apparently, when her younger brother ran off to join us here. The typical youth looking for adventure apparently. When she returned and heard that he had gone and that there had been no word of him, she determined to track him down. This is where the trail ended.

"She found him here, but sadly in the graveyard behind the Keep. Thankfully there was a gravestone. He'd been cut down early on when it was still possible to give each body respect." Random winced at this. It hurt him deeply that there had been times when the slaughter was so great around the Keep that all they could do was dig trenches and drop the bodies in willy nilly atop each other. War was seldom kind.

Looking thoughtful, Random asked, "So she made it here by herself? Across all of that?" He waved a hand in the air indicating the ravaged and dangerous wasteland Amaranthine had become. "I did wonder how anyone new could arrive except in force. But you're saying this girl, pardon, T'herendalin made her way here by herself, for her own reasons?"

"She did travel in groups when possible, I understand, but mostly yes, she traveled by herself and survived, which seems to me should be enough recommendation." There was a note of pride in Anders' voice as he said this, something not missed by Random.

"That, or she has very powerful friends in interesting and high places," Random mused. Anders knew that he was thinking of the Architect, but forbore comment. He, Anders, didn't believe such a thing for a minute, but then Random had yet to meet T'herendalin.

"Yes, I will meet her. At your request," Random continued. "When and where?"

That easy, was it? Anders had expected more of an argument, more questions, perhaps even a haughty refusal tinged with a little jealousy. Well, he could hope. But no, almost as easy as asked it was done.

With enthusiasm Anders said, "She has asked us to dinner tomorrow. She is a remarkable cook. It seems that the Antivans have a knack for taking simple ingredients and making exceptional dishes. It will be a change from whatever this stuff is they whip together in the Keep's kitchens."

It was true that the Keep's fare lacked finesse, or much of anything else except endless pottages and the occasional roast. But the bread was good, at least. Reaching for his tankard, Random drank, savoring the dark bitter ale, then looking across the table said, "Us? I thought you wanted me to meet her."

Anders stammered in confusion. Maybe he was getting that tiny bit of jealously from the Commander he'd wished for, but, well... "Uh, yes," he stuttered out. "Us. I thought, well I assumed, forgive me, but I thought you'd want me along. To, uh, introduce you, you know, since I know both of you I could sort of..." He trailed off realizing that he sounded like a fool.

"You thought that you could steal more time with your paramour," Random replied, but he was smiling. "Very well, you may come along."

Description

Random had returned the Keep the previous night, tired but glad that more soldiers would be arriving soon. He'd slept well, waking refreshed to a day of hope that maybe, somehow, someday he'd be able to resolve the shambles of politics and darkspawn incursions that were plaguing Amaranthine. He wasn't a politician, a fact he'd tried to explain to Alistair at some length, but the king had just waved his protests away, saying "If I can be a King, you can be a politician. Neither of us asked for this, but we're just going to do the best we can."

But Alistair was a good king, and he, Random, had made a dog's dinner of Amaranthine. Except for his arling, Ferelden was peaceful and thriving. Granted he did have the small problem of darkspawn to deal with, but that he could deal with, it was the nobles and peasants that were unmanageable, at least by Random. Never before had he met such a contentious lot. They not only fought each other at every turn, they fought among themselves as well. It seemed that he would have many long boring hours of cases about chickens, sheep and some haughty nobleman's drunken daughter. Couldn't they at least control their children and livestock?

The day passed as he had feared, petitioner after petitioner, and being required to make judgements about things that he could not possibly understand. The seneschal was a great help, but when a decision was viewed as unwise or unjust, the blame fell squarely on him. Which was fair, of course, but difficult none the less

One of his first decisions has been to hang a deserter, a deserter, and it had garnered nothing but outrage and rebellion, even among his troops. Did these people really expect that they would ever win against the darkspawn if every skittish son or daughter ran off to check on momma whenever they wished?

Ah well, the day was done, for good or ill. The morrow would show if he was growing in wisdom or not. He smiled as he saw Anders break off from talking with Nathaniel and come to meet him. When he was in Amaranthine, Anders was his rock, his support and the source of much needed humor. If he'd been asked, Random would have described himself as completely self sufficient and self contained, but be that as it may, there was always someone with him that fulfilled the role Anders played now. And Anders, it must be said, played it to the hilt.

The two men hugged briefly, then, arms around each other, retreated to Random's private study cum war room for their evening meal. The seneschal had tried to explain that it was expected that the new Arl would eat with the nobles in residence, thereby cementing his position, showing his power and, not incidentally, catching up on the latest gossip. Random had flatly refused, quickly delegating the responsibility. In truth, Seneschal Varel delighted in having dominion over the elaborate state dinners. He was in his element amongst politics and nobles and it was a relief to not have the grim Warden Commander dampening the festivities.

For some time Anders and Random ate and drank in contented, companionable silence. Chewing happily, then taking a sip of ale, Anders cleared his throat. "There's someone I'd like you to meet," he said.

Random raised an eyebrow and nodded, "The attractive elf maiden I presume? It seems that you enjoyed yourself while I was gone."

"Uh, you've noticed her?" Anders asked with some trepidation.

Random smiled in reply, "It was hard to not notice you two snogging in the corner. Did you fancy that you were invisible? Or maybe you just forgot to cast the invisibility spell?"

Tentatively Anders asked, "You don't mind, do you? I mean, you said, when you're away, uh, that I could, uh, indulge myself and you wouldn't care? Right?"

Looking at Anders levelly, Random said, "Ah, but I am back now. And I would remind you that you are mine. I have no interest in what you do when I am not here, but when I am here I expect all of your attention. On the other hand, I did notice that it was she who snagged you and that you would have been hard pressed to disengage without making yourself more noticeable, so you are forgiven. But please impress upon the young lady that when I am here, you are not available."

"T'herendalin," Anders said softly, a bit dreamily.

"What?" Random angrily asked.

"T'herendalin. Her name is T'herendalin. I just thought that maybe we could stop referring to her as the â€˜young lady' and â€˜attractive elf'." Anders laughed as he said it, hoping to lighten the mood. It had scant effect.

Random was silent for a moment, then said, "And you want me to meet her? Why?"

Still laughing, though a bit forced, Anders said, "It's not anything to do with, well, what she and I have been, uh, doing. I want you to meet her because she's an exceptionally well trained and powerful warrior who has agreed to help us, albeit for coin. She was, in fact, an Antivan Crow. I think that you can make good use of her in scouting and leading small bands. She has a lot of, uh, experience."

Random had not moved and his expression remained neutral. Nodding he said, "Yes, I will meet her. I need all of the trained fighters I can muster. But you must know, there is not was a Crow. Once you are a Crow you are always a Crow... or dead. It's not a job you retire from."

Anders was amused by this since he knew the story of the Commander's personal Crow who, it seemed, had indeed managed to retire under the close protection of the Grey Wardens.

He cleared his throat and said, "Yes, that is what is commonly believed, but apparently it is not true. Only if you are very high up in the Crows can you buy your way out, and such release costs a great deal of coin indeed. It is, it seems, one of the ways that the Crow's finance their order. It also relieves them of members who are no longer, um, productive. The young Crows, or those that do not rise high in the ranks, yes, they are killed if they try to leave. But the highest ranking members, who I imagine make the rules anyway, have left themselves this out."

This was news to Random, if true. He had always believed that once a Crow always a Crow, with only one notable exception. He thought for a few minutes than said, "That girl, forgive me, what was it? Ah yes, T'herendalin, does not seem to be old enough to be a high ranking Crow. Are you sure that she's not just spinning you tales to gain your interest?"

Anders shrugged, "I've seen her fight. And experienced other... talents she possesses. To me her story is believable, but then I have no way of actually knowing. Whether or not she ever was a Crow, she very good at what she does."

Random's look made Anders blush. Damn! Random was the only one in all the world who could do that to him and it aggravated Anders no end. At least they weren't in public.

Random asked, "So how is it that she fetched up here? Is she a mercenary looking for work, come to where the trouble is?"

Settling back in story telling mode and pulling his ale nearer to hand, Anders replied, "No, not at all. She came here for her own reasons. It seems that she had been away, quite far away apparently, when her younger brother ran off to join us here. The typical youth looking for adventure apparently. When she returned and heard that he had gone and that there had been no word of him, she determined to track him down. This is where the trail ended.

"She found him here, but sadly in the graveyard behind the Keep. Thankfully there was a gravestone. He'd been cut down early on when it was still possible to give each body respect." Random winced at this. It hurt him deeply that there had been times when the slaughter was so great around the Keep that all they could do was dig trenches and drop the bodies in willy nilly atop each other. War was seldom kind.

Looking thoughtful, Random asked, "So she made it here by herself? Across all of that?" He waved a hand in the air indicating the ravaged and dangerous wasteland Amaranthine had become. "I did wonder how anyone new could arrive except in force. But you're saying this girl, pardon, T'herendalin made her way here by herself, for her own reasons?"

"She did travel in groups when possible, I understand, but mostly yes, she traveled by herself and survived, which seems to me should be enough recommendation." There was a note of pride in Anders' voice as he said this, something not missed by Random.

"That, or she has very powerful friends in interesting and high places," Random mused. Anders knew that he was thinking of the Architect, but forbore comment. He, Anders, didn't believe such a thing for a minute, but then Random had yet to meet T'herendalin.

"Yes, I will meet her. At your request," Random continued. "When and where?"

That easy, was it? Anders had expected more of an argument, more questions, perhaps even a haughty refusal tinged with a little jealousy. Well, he could hope. But no, almost as easy as asked it was done.

With enthusiasm Anders said, "She has asked us to dinner tomorrow. She is a remarkable cook. It seems that the Antivans have a knack for taking simple ingredients and making exceptional dishes. It will be a change from whatever this stuff is they whip together in the Keep's kitchens."

It was true that the Keep's fare lacked finesse, or much of anything else except endless pottages and the occasional roast. But the bread was good, at least. Reaching for his tankard, Random drank, savoring the dark bitter ale, then looking across the table said, "Us? I thought you wanted me to meet her."

Anders stammered in confusion. Maybe he was getting that tiny bit of jealously from the Commander he'd wished for, but, well... "Uh, yes," he stuttered out. "Us. I thought, well I assumed, forgive me, but I thought you'd want me along. To, uh, introduce you, you know, since I know both of you I could sort of..." He trailed off realizing that he sounded like a fool.

"You thought that you could steal more time with your paramour," Random replied, but he was smiling. "Very well, you may come along."