Though the fire enveloped her like a shroud, and the heat from the blaze
Reached across the field, Andraste was silent and did not cry out.
And the legionnaires who stood guard nearby
Were shaken, and began to whisper among themselves:
"Is she truly the servant of a god?"
—Canticle of Apotheosis 2:8
Reached across the field, Andraste was silent and did not cry out.
And the legionnaires who stood guard nearby
Were shaken, and began to whisper among themselves:
"Is she truly the servant of a god?"
—Canticle of Apotheosis 2:8
The year was almost at its end, and still nothing had been decided.
Snow covered the grounds of Skyhold, and the Inquisition soldiers worked about as hard to keep it clear from the paths as they did fighting in the Hinterlands their first few months. It was relentless, but the fortress refused to be buried. Romulus was improving in the cold, but he still wasn't meant for it. It seemed he could only get away from it in one place.
His quarters were proving to be the best chosen of them all, with ample space and natural warmth from below. It was covered and protected from the snow flurries, but never approached becoming like a cave, as the rough hewn, rocky walls would imply. Perhaps that was just him. Romulus was used to living out of sight, underground if need be.
He and Khari had just concluded another session of training. She was improving quickly, and he was beginning to struggle with finding her new things to improve on. Not that she was a master in hand to hand yet, but Romulus's proficiency as a teacher only stretched so far. Still, he welcomed both the exercise and her company.
He grabbed a towel from a rack on the wall and wiped his face of sweat. He felt tense. Anais had not been back to Skyhold in some time, which to Romulus meant that she felt she was on to something. It would be soon. Perhaps more troubling, his father seemed to persistently avoid him. It wasn't all that large of a fortress, and yet the man was near impossible to find. Romulus wasn't even sure what he wanted from Borja, but this was certainly not it.
He sat down on his bed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Do you think I should use my birth name?" he asked Khari. "My father said I was born as Tavio. I suppose that would make me Tavio Borja." He looked as though the words tasted a little sour. "Not sure I like the sound of it."
“Hm.” Khari scrunched her nose, distorting the tattoos that lined her face. With one hand, she picked up her foot and stretched it up behind her. It was a common cooldown practice of hers. It didn’t seem to take much effort; her expression was thoughtful and not at all strained. “I feel like I say this a lot, but you should do whatever feels right for you. If you don’t think it suits you, then don’t use it.” Dropping her foot back to the ground, she picked up the other one.
“I mean, it’s not like you’re stuck with whatever name someone else gave you. My name’s Kharisanna.” She rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. “Which is just ridiculous.” She paused. “Don’t tell Marcy—she’d probably use it.”
Releasing her other foot, she stretched both arms up over her head, twisting her torso to one side and then the other. “You can be Tavio, or Romulus, or… whatever else you want. You gotta warn me if you’re gonna change though—it’d take me forever to stop calling you Rom.”
He watched her stretch for a few seconds, then shook his head. "Yeah, I don't think I could do it. I like my name." Didn't really matter if someone from the Tevinter Chantry branded him with it. He'd made it his own by this point, and it was simple, to the point. Andraste didn't bother with a family name.
He almost groaned at the comparison. That still needed getting used to.
"I happen to like your name, too," he admitted, getting back to his feet and walking over to his water skin. "It is a bit of a mouthful, though." He tipped the skin and took a long drink. Several short knocks on his door interrupted him halfway through. Setting it back down, he pulled the door open, and found the ever-sullen looking Adan Borja on the other side. Romulus's mouth hung open for a second, completely blank on what to say, but the pirate lord filled in the gap.
"Anais has something," he said, in that grumbling drawl of his. "But it's not going to be simple."
Romulus almost responded with a good to see you too, but the information was important. More important than his lost family relationship, no doubt. He stepped aside, gesturing shortly towards a chair. "That's good, though. What's going on?"
Borja stepped through the opening and sank heavily into the chair, exhaling as he did. He glanced over at Khari. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I? I could come back. Not like we're leaving today or anything."
Khari dropped her arms, bringing one of them to absently fluff the hair at the back of her head. A few curls fell loose from her braid, floating free at odd angles. She blinked back at Borja, tipping her head to the side. “Uh… no? Training just finished so…” She glanced between him and Rom, and understanding lit her face. “Oh. Should I leave? If I should you have to say so; I’m not really good with hints and stuff.” She didn’t particularly seem to want to go; clearly the proclamation had at least caught her interest. But she chose not to verbalize any curiosity she might have had.
Romulus looked about to speak up, but Borja opened his mouth first, accompanied by a wave of his hand. "No, no, stay put. Figured you'd want to tag along anyway." He settled his eyes on his son, and leaned forward a little. "One of the leads Anais was working on was tracking down my old acquaintance, Conrado. The one that sold your mother and I out, or so I believe." He grinned then, as though slightly enjoying the delivery. "Bugger's apparently gone grey a bit, but still finds himself in the smuggling game. We go hunt him down and ask some questions, might have a real lead on finding proof of your bloodline."
Romulus honestly hadn't thought of it at the time, but it was a name connected to his parents and their past, specifically his mother's. He would've had contact with a group that wanted her captured or killed for some reason. Even if he didn't have the answers himself, perhaps he could point them in the right direction.
"I'm assuming you tried to find him before? Years ago?"
Borja expected the question. "Aye. I was never much good at investigating. He disappeared after I didn't die from his little betrayal. Probably when he heard I was alive, and coming for him. Guess he couldn't stand staying hidden forever. Or he made a mistake. Either way, we'll get our hands on him."
Khari crossed her arms, shifting her weight a bit. “You think he still knows how to find whoever wanted the information he gave away? It was a pretty long time ago…”
"Andraste was a long time ago, too. If some group wanted to kill my wife because of her bloodline, I figure they're still around. Maybe Conrado would know how to get in touch. Maybe not. Either way, it's the best lead right now... and I could go for a spot of revenge." He stared hard at Romulus for a moment, possibly trying to glean something in his eyes. "What do you say to that, boy? Let's go give the bastard what he deserves."
Having never met the man, Romulus had only Borja's word that he deserved the revenge that was planned for him, but even still... it stirred something in him. That he could look upon a face that was perhaps directly responsible for the course his life had taken. And that there was even a slim chance he coud lead them onwards, to some answers.
"Where do we find him?" he asked, his answer evident in the question. Borja rubbed his hands together in pleasure.
"Right, this is where it gets tricky. Conrado's got a gift for pissing people off it seems. Landed himself in hot water with the Qunari. Anais says he's in their custody, bound for Par Vollen and some hellish punishment there. If we want to give him our own punishment, we're gonna have to grab him before he gets there. Fortunately, the Qunari vessel was damaged and had to dock at Llomerryn. If we leave soon, we can pull this off."
“Never been on a real voyage before,” Khari observed. She turned to Rom, tipping her head towards the door. “Figure we should talk to the Commander or something? Might be a good idea to bring a few more friends.”
Romulus nodded, and Borja seemed to agree with the sentiment as well. "Should enlist that pirate queen of yours. Dare say her ship might be faster than mine. Mine's outfitted more for war, and we can't really go attacking a Qunari ship in the harbor of Llomerryn."
"We'll go speak with Leon immediately then, get everything arranged. Thank you... for bringing this to me." He'd almost wanted to add father after the thank you, but somehow it just felt too awkward to say. He suspected Borja might have been uncomfortable hearing it. Then again, maybe it was just him.
"Thank Anais, not me. She's the one with the hound's nose, sniffing these things out. Might be your spymaster should hire her, after this." The thanks were largely wasted it seemed, for Borja clearly missed that he meant thanks for delivering it personally. Rather than simply speaking with one of the cultists, who frankly were a little too devoted for Romulus to be comfortable with.
Borja stood, and nodded towards Khari. "Right, I'll leave you to it. Word'll be sent along to the redhead, she'll likely meet us near Llomerryn." Before Romulus could so much as utter a word in farewell, he was out the door, nearly slamming it behind him. Romulus stood still for a moment, mouth slightly gaping, before he blinked and turned to Khari.
"I feel like I want to say something to him... but I never know what." He shrugged, frustrated.
She huffed a short sigh, shaking her head slightly. “For what it’s worth, I think that might be mutual.” Khari raised a hand, setting it on his shoulder and giving a soft squeeze. “Maybe it’ll get easier when all of this is figured out.” She smiled, but it didn’t have the fierce happiness of her usual grins. It was a lot smaller, and maybe even a little sad.
It vanished quickly. “For now, let’s focus on the present. We’ve got answers to find, right?”
He nodded, exhaling a fair amount of tension that was seemingly trapped in his chest. "Right."
Snow covered the grounds of Skyhold, and the Inquisition soldiers worked about as hard to keep it clear from the paths as they did fighting in the Hinterlands their first few months. It was relentless, but the fortress refused to be buried. Romulus was improving in the cold, but he still wasn't meant for it. It seemed he could only get away from it in one place.
His quarters were proving to be the best chosen of them all, with ample space and natural warmth from below. It was covered and protected from the snow flurries, but never approached becoming like a cave, as the rough hewn, rocky walls would imply. Perhaps that was just him. Romulus was used to living out of sight, underground if need be.
He and Khari had just concluded another session of training. She was improving quickly, and he was beginning to struggle with finding her new things to improve on. Not that she was a master in hand to hand yet, but Romulus's proficiency as a teacher only stretched so far. Still, he welcomed both the exercise and her company.
He grabbed a towel from a rack on the wall and wiped his face of sweat. He felt tense. Anais had not been back to Skyhold in some time, which to Romulus meant that she felt she was on to something. It would be soon. Perhaps more troubling, his father seemed to persistently avoid him. It wasn't all that large of a fortress, and yet the man was near impossible to find. Romulus wasn't even sure what he wanted from Borja, but this was certainly not it.
He sat down on his bed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Do you think I should use my birth name?" he asked Khari. "My father said I was born as Tavio. I suppose that would make me Tavio Borja." He looked as though the words tasted a little sour. "Not sure I like the sound of it."
“Hm.” Khari scrunched her nose, distorting the tattoos that lined her face. With one hand, she picked up her foot and stretched it up behind her. It was a common cooldown practice of hers. It didn’t seem to take much effort; her expression was thoughtful and not at all strained. “I feel like I say this a lot, but you should do whatever feels right for you. If you don’t think it suits you, then don’t use it.” Dropping her foot back to the ground, she picked up the other one.
“I mean, it’s not like you’re stuck with whatever name someone else gave you. My name’s Kharisanna.” She rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. “Which is just ridiculous.” She paused. “Don’t tell Marcy—she’d probably use it.”
Releasing her other foot, she stretched both arms up over her head, twisting her torso to one side and then the other. “You can be Tavio, or Romulus, or… whatever else you want. You gotta warn me if you’re gonna change though—it’d take me forever to stop calling you Rom.”
He watched her stretch for a few seconds, then shook his head. "Yeah, I don't think I could do it. I like my name." Didn't really matter if someone from the Tevinter Chantry branded him with it. He'd made it his own by this point, and it was simple, to the point. Andraste didn't bother with a family name.
He almost groaned at the comparison. That still needed getting used to.
"I happen to like your name, too," he admitted, getting back to his feet and walking over to his water skin. "It is a bit of a mouthful, though." He tipped the skin and took a long drink. Several short knocks on his door interrupted him halfway through. Setting it back down, he pulled the door open, and found the ever-sullen looking Adan Borja on the other side. Romulus's mouth hung open for a second, completely blank on what to say, but the pirate lord filled in the gap.
"Anais has something," he said, in that grumbling drawl of his. "But it's not going to be simple."
Romulus almost responded with a good to see you too, but the information was important. More important than his lost family relationship, no doubt. He stepped aside, gesturing shortly towards a chair. "That's good, though. What's going on?"
Borja stepped through the opening and sank heavily into the chair, exhaling as he did. He glanced over at Khari. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I? I could come back. Not like we're leaving today or anything."
Khari dropped her arms, bringing one of them to absently fluff the hair at the back of her head. A few curls fell loose from her braid, floating free at odd angles. She blinked back at Borja, tipping her head to the side. “Uh… no? Training just finished so…” She glanced between him and Rom, and understanding lit her face. “Oh. Should I leave? If I should you have to say so; I’m not really good with hints and stuff.” She didn’t particularly seem to want to go; clearly the proclamation had at least caught her interest. But she chose not to verbalize any curiosity she might have had.
Romulus looked about to speak up, but Borja opened his mouth first, accompanied by a wave of his hand. "No, no, stay put. Figured you'd want to tag along anyway." He settled his eyes on his son, and leaned forward a little. "One of the leads Anais was working on was tracking down my old acquaintance, Conrado. The one that sold your mother and I out, or so I believe." He grinned then, as though slightly enjoying the delivery. "Bugger's apparently gone grey a bit, but still finds himself in the smuggling game. We go hunt him down and ask some questions, might have a real lead on finding proof of your bloodline."
Romulus honestly hadn't thought of it at the time, but it was a name connected to his parents and their past, specifically his mother's. He would've had contact with a group that wanted her captured or killed for some reason. Even if he didn't have the answers himself, perhaps he could point them in the right direction.
"I'm assuming you tried to find him before? Years ago?"
Borja expected the question. "Aye. I was never much good at investigating. He disappeared after I didn't die from his little betrayal. Probably when he heard I was alive, and coming for him. Guess he couldn't stand staying hidden forever. Or he made a mistake. Either way, we'll get our hands on him."
Khari crossed her arms, shifting her weight a bit. “You think he still knows how to find whoever wanted the information he gave away? It was a pretty long time ago…”
"Andraste was a long time ago, too. If some group wanted to kill my wife because of her bloodline, I figure they're still around. Maybe Conrado would know how to get in touch. Maybe not. Either way, it's the best lead right now... and I could go for a spot of revenge." He stared hard at Romulus for a moment, possibly trying to glean something in his eyes. "What do you say to that, boy? Let's go give the bastard what he deserves."
Having never met the man, Romulus had only Borja's word that he deserved the revenge that was planned for him, but even still... it stirred something in him. That he could look upon a face that was perhaps directly responsible for the course his life had taken. And that there was even a slim chance he coud lead them onwards, to some answers.
"Where do we find him?" he asked, his answer evident in the question. Borja rubbed his hands together in pleasure.
"Right, this is where it gets tricky. Conrado's got a gift for pissing people off it seems. Landed himself in hot water with the Qunari. Anais says he's in their custody, bound for Par Vollen and some hellish punishment there. If we want to give him our own punishment, we're gonna have to grab him before he gets there. Fortunately, the Qunari vessel was damaged and had to dock at Llomerryn. If we leave soon, we can pull this off."
“Never been on a real voyage before,” Khari observed. She turned to Rom, tipping her head towards the door. “Figure we should talk to the Commander or something? Might be a good idea to bring a few more friends.”
Romulus nodded, and Borja seemed to agree with the sentiment as well. "Should enlist that pirate queen of yours. Dare say her ship might be faster than mine. Mine's outfitted more for war, and we can't really go attacking a Qunari ship in the harbor of Llomerryn."
"We'll go speak with Leon immediately then, get everything arranged. Thank you... for bringing this to me." He'd almost wanted to add father after the thank you, but somehow it just felt too awkward to say. He suspected Borja might have been uncomfortable hearing it. Then again, maybe it was just him.
"Thank Anais, not me. She's the one with the hound's nose, sniffing these things out. Might be your spymaster should hire her, after this." The thanks were largely wasted it seemed, for Borja clearly missed that he meant thanks for delivering it personally. Rather than simply speaking with one of the cultists, who frankly were a little too devoted for Romulus to be comfortable with.
Borja stood, and nodded towards Khari. "Right, I'll leave you to it. Word'll be sent along to the redhead, she'll likely meet us near Llomerryn." Before Romulus could so much as utter a word in farewell, he was out the door, nearly slamming it behind him. Romulus stood still for a moment, mouth slightly gaping, before he blinked and turned to Khari.
"I feel like I want to say something to him... but I never know what." He shrugged, frustrated.
She huffed a short sigh, shaking her head slightly. “For what it’s worth, I think that might be mutual.” Khari raised a hand, setting it on his shoulder and giving a soft squeeze. “Maybe it’ll get easier when all of this is figured out.” She smiled, but it didn’t have the fierce happiness of her usual grins. It was a lot smaller, and maybe even a little sad.
It vanished quickly. “For now, let’s focus on the present. We’ve got answers to find, right?”
He nodded, exhaling a fair amount of tension that was seemingly trapped in his chest. "Right."