drabbley thing~
I wrote this as a response to the "Bethany/Nathaniel, first day as a Warden" prompt over on the DA prompt fest, but naturally it got away from me and became this monster drabble so I'm going to have to post it here so it doesn't take up 3 comments-worth of space over there.
Note to self: learn to stop babbling when you're drabbling.
She'd dreamed of returning to Ferelden, of course, but not like this. She had imagined a grand homecoming, with Mother and Garrett and the dog...maybe Aveline too, so she could pay her respects to Wesley while they gathered around together to do the same to Carver. When Bethany had dared to think about setting foot on Fereldan soil again it had been the result of months of eager planning, whereupon she had driven her brother nearly mad with her excitement for getting to go home.
It isn't supposed to be like this. She's not supposed to be back in Ferelden thanks to a choice that was not her own, feeling so utterly...changed...and away from her family for the first time in her life. She wants to be resentful of what has happened, but she knows what the alternative to this is and is forced to admit that she isn't quite ready to join hands with Carver again just yet. Still, she grips her staff tightly and follows behind the man who had brought her here as if she's ready for this.
Amaranthine is dreary compared to Lothering, but the people here speak with accents that she recognizes and the sight of mabari trotting along warms her heart in spite of her trepidation. It isn't home, but it's enough to make her feel slightly less a stranger. She doubts that she'll ever really feel home again so long as her family lives across the sea from her...but she recalls the tales that Anders would share of the Wardens and hopes to find some of that camaraderie here, if possible.
Up ahead of her, her escort stops walking and she falls in step beside him, eyes fixing onto an approaching figure whose own attention is already locked onto them. He has a bow and quiver strapped to his back, but her attention is drawn immediately to his nose, of all things. It's prominent, but it suits him. The same sort of nose would probably have been hideous on someone else.
"Stroud," the dark-haired man nods once in greeting before he turns his attention to her and she does her best to meet his gaze boldly. She's a Warden now, so there's no need to be fearful of whose attention she draws, she tells herself.
"This is Bethany Hawke," Stroud's introduction is...blunt, but she's come to expect that from him. What she doesn't expect is the dark-haired archer bowing in response. It's so formal and polite that she has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling.
"Nathaniel Howe. A pleasure. I'll be escorting you the rest of the way."
"Rest of the...?" she looks between Nathaniel and Stroud, confused.
Stroud offers her one of his famous not-really smiles and gives her shoulder a squeeze. "The Wardens here are stationed at Vigil's Keep. It's not far, but I have matters to attend to here in the city. Nathaniel will get you set up at the Keep."
She frowns, feeling her confidence waver. She isn't particularly attached to Stroud, but she still isn't too keen on leaving his side to follow a stranger. Even a stranger with a delightfully memorable nose and amusing style of greeting. Stroud doesn't leave much room for argument, though, and she supposes that he wouldn't leave her in the company of someone that she couldn't trust. And there's a nagging feeling in the back of her head when it comes to Nathaniel...like she was meant to recognize him.
It bothers her the entire way out of the city, and lasts until it finally hits her while they're halfway to the Keep. The sun is nearly set, and she's kept quiet for the most part while Nathaniel has shouldered what little luggage she's brought with her, but all at once she stops walking and stares at him. He takes a few steps more before he realizes that she's stopped, and turns to her, brow raised.
"Your name...it's familiar," she blurts out. Thankfully, he chuckles rather than stare back at her oddly like she would have expected.
"Well...my family has its fair share of notoriety, what with its brilliant fall from grace after the Blight," he doesn't sound bitter, despite his words. Bethany nearly smacks herself in the face when it hits her that Nathaniel Howe is a Howe as in...Howe. Oh. All those years reading history books while Carver and Garrett smacked wooden swords together and she'd totally missed that connection. Brilliant.
"That's not it," she insists quickly. "I just...I knew a Warden in Kirkwall. He mentioned you when he shared his stories."
"Did he?" he doesn't seem surprised.
"His name's Anders."
Nathaniel makes a noise that sounds somewhere between a snort and a laugh. She thinks she hears him mutter 'of course', but when he looks back at her and speaks clearly what he says is:
"You're from Kirkwall?"
"I came here from Kirkwall," she explains, staring at the dirt road ahead of them. "Or well, I'm from Ferelden, but I lived in Kirkwall for some time before I...before my Joining."
He stares back at her, quiet for some time before he smiles. At least, she thinks it's a smile. It's hard to tell in this light, but his face seems much more gentle than it had before.
"I've heard a story like that before, Bethany Hawke," he tells her, and now she knows he's smiling. "It isn't exactly the homecoming you'd expected, is it?"
She blinks at him, feeling her stomach knot as he echos a thought that she'd had not too long ago.
"No."
He's quiet again for a few moments before he speaks again.
"Come...we're almost there."
He waits for her to catch up to him before he continues walking. She notices that he's careful to keep closely in stride with her as they make their way along the path, and she's grateful for it. She's also grateful when he opts to skip the tour of the Keep (which is overwhelming in her travel-weary eyes), instead insisting that he show her to where she'll be staying.
He helps her get set up, answering the few questions she can think to ask about what she'll have to prepare for here and, just as he's about to take his leave, she stops him with one question more.
"Nathaniel..." she bites her lip and meets his gaze. "Do the nightmares ever go away?"
"Things will get easier for you, Bethany," he replies, which isn't exactly the response she's hoping for, but it's better than a 'no'. He frowns at her and she recognizes the sympathy in his eyes. "If you need anything...come find me. I'll do what I can for you."
She can't help but smile at that. "Thank you."
He manages to keep from bowing again, but his response is no less silly and formal in her eyes: "I truly hope you have pleasant dreams tonight, my lady."
She smiles again after he's left, mouthing those words -my lady?- to herself as she begins to unpack. This isn't home. She isn't going to have pleasant dreams. She's going to hate being a Warden more times than she enjoys it. But...
But she's smiled twice since arriving here already...and for her first day, that's not too bad at all.
Note to self: learn to stop babbling when you're drabbling.
She'd dreamed of returning to Ferelden, of course, but not like this. She had imagined a grand homecoming, with Mother and Garrett and the dog...maybe Aveline too, so she could pay her respects to Wesley while they gathered around together to do the same to Carver. When Bethany had dared to think about setting foot on Fereldan soil again it had been the result of months of eager planning, whereupon she had driven her brother nearly mad with her excitement for getting to go home.
It isn't supposed to be like this. She's not supposed to be back in Ferelden thanks to a choice that was not her own, feeling so utterly...changed...and away from her family for the first time in her life. She wants to be resentful of what has happened, but she knows what the alternative to this is and is forced to admit that she isn't quite ready to join hands with Carver again just yet. Still, she grips her staff tightly and follows behind the man who had brought her here as if she's ready for this.
Amaranthine is dreary compared to Lothering, but the people here speak with accents that she recognizes and the sight of mabari trotting along warms her heart in spite of her trepidation. It isn't home, but it's enough to make her feel slightly less a stranger. She doubts that she'll ever really feel home again so long as her family lives across the sea from her...but she recalls the tales that Anders would share of the Wardens and hopes to find some of that camaraderie here, if possible.
Up ahead of her, her escort stops walking and she falls in step beside him, eyes fixing onto an approaching figure whose own attention is already locked onto them. He has a bow and quiver strapped to his back, but her attention is drawn immediately to his nose, of all things. It's prominent, but it suits him. The same sort of nose would probably have been hideous on someone else.
"Stroud," the dark-haired man nods once in greeting before he turns his attention to her and she does her best to meet his gaze boldly. She's a Warden now, so there's no need to be fearful of whose attention she draws, she tells herself.
"This is Bethany Hawke," Stroud's introduction is...blunt, but she's come to expect that from him. What she doesn't expect is the dark-haired archer bowing in response. It's so formal and polite that she has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling.
"Nathaniel Howe. A pleasure. I'll be escorting you the rest of the way."
"Rest of the...?" she looks between Nathaniel and Stroud, confused.
Stroud offers her one of his famous not-really smiles and gives her shoulder a squeeze. "The Wardens here are stationed at Vigil's Keep. It's not far, but I have matters to attend to here in the city. Nathaniel will get you set up at the Keep."
She frowns, feeling her confidence waver. She isn't particularly attached to Stroud, but she still isn't too keen on leaving his side to follow a stranger. Even a stranger with a delightfully memorable nose and amusing style of greeting. Stroud doesn't leave much room for argument, though, and she supposes that he wouldn't leave her in the company of someone that she couldn't trust. And there's a nagging feeling in the back of her head when it comes to Nathaniel...like she was meant to recognize him.
It bothers her the entire way out of the city, and lasts until it finally hits her while they're halfway to the Keep. The sun is nearly set, and she's kept quiet for the most part while Nathaniel has shouldered what little luggage she's brought with her, but all at once she stops walking and stares at him. He takes a few steps more before he realizes that she's stopped, and turns to her, brow raised.
"Your name...it's familiar," she blurts out. Thankfully, he chuckles rather than stare back at her oddly like she would have expected.
"Well...my family has its fair share of notoriety, what with its brilliant fall from grace after the Blight," he doesn't sound bitter, despite his words. Bethany nearly smacks herself in the face when it hits her that Nathaniel Howe is a Howe as in...Howe. Oh. All those years reading history books while Carver and Garrett smacked wooden swords together and she'd totally missed that connection. Brilliant.
"That's not it," she insists quickly. "I just...I knew a Warden in Kirkwall. He mentioned you when he shared his stories."
"Did he?" he doesn't seem surprised.
"His name's Anders."
Nathaniel makes a noise that sounds somewhere between a snort and a laugh. She thinks she hears him mutter 'of course', but when he looks back at her and speaks clearly what he says is:
"You're from Kirkwall?"
"I came here from Kirkwall," she explains, staring at the dirt road ahead of them. "Or well, I'm from Ferelden, but I lived in Kirkwall for some time before I...before my Joining."
He stares back at her, quiet for some time before he smiles. At least, she thinks it's a smile. It's hard to tell in this light, but his face seems much more gentle than it had before.
"I've heard a story like that before, Bethany Hawke," he tells her, and now she knows he's smiling. "It isn't exactly the homecoming you'd expected, is it?"
She blinks at him, feeling her stomach knot as he echos a thought that she'd had not too long ago.
"No."
He's quiet again for a few moments before he speaks again.
"Come...we're almost there."
He waits for her to catch up to him before he continues walking. She notices that he's careful to keep closely in stride with her as they make their way along the path, and she's grateful for it. She's also grateful when he opts to skip the tour of the Keep (which is overwhelming in her travel-weary eyes), instead insisting that he show her to where she'll be staying.
He helps her get set up, answering the few questions she can think to ask about what she'll have to prepare for here and, just as he's about to take his leave, she stops him with one question more.
"Nathaniel..." she bites her lip and meets his gaze. "Do the nightmares ever go away?"
"Things will get easier for you, Bethany," he replies, which isn't exactly the response she's hoping for, but it's better than a 'no'. He frowns at her and she recognizes the sympathy in his eyes. "If you need anything...come find me. I'll do what I can for you."
She can't help but smile at that. "Thank you."
He manages to keep from bowing again, but his response is no less silly and formal in her eyes: "I truly hope you have pleasant dreams tonight, my lady."
She smiles again after he's left, mouthing those words -my lady?- to herself as she begins to unpack. This isn't home. She isn't going to have pleasant dreams. She's going to hate being a Warden more times than she enjoys it. But...
But she's smiled twice since arriving here already...and for her first day, that's not too bad at all.