Chapter 18: Surprises

One day, after her lessons with the Augur's apprentice, Evelyn finally remembered to ask the young mage about her spiritual dilemma. "Dhara, where does one go to pray to the Lady of the Skies? I know Hakkon has shrines about, but I haven't seen any to her, at least I don't think I have."

"Ah," she held her hands out with her palms up, closing her eyes while looking up, "If ye wish to speak with The Lady, there are a few places to seek her out."

"Very well, let's start with the closest one to Redhold. I'm sure the Thane would not be pleased if I chose otherwise." Evelyn placed her staff on her back as she took off her practice armor. With a wave to her betrothed, she and Dhara exited the training grounds.

"The closest location is the Lady's Eye, a small lake to the north. Its waters are so still it reflects the sky perfectly and because of that, She can't tell the difference and visits its water." She looked thoughtfully back to her less spiritual mentor, "Why is it ye wish to speak with Her?"

"I wanted to thank her for delivering my letters. It meant the world to me to have news from home."

"Then ye need an offering to give Her."

A thoughtful look graced her face as she fingered the scar just above her jawline, "Like meat again or will it require something different."

"It was Her messengers who delivered your letters, perhaps a gift for them would please her?" Dhara gave her a cheeky look, waiting for her to think about it.

"Something like seed?" The apprentice nodded, "It's that simple?"

"Like ourselves, the gods only ask for respect. This does not require us to build them grand temples with statues of gold as you Lowlanders do. We simply reciprocate our thanks."

"That makes a lot of sense. I've been so used to just praying and hoping, to actually have gods who take an interest in the matter of mortals is refreshing."

"Aye, as is having someone to use my magic for the defense of the Hold." The young mage smiled up at her sweetly.

Evelyn gave a bright smile back and hooked arms with her. She supposed this was what it felt like to have a younger sister. Having been the youngest, she was used to being drug around by her older brothers, but her sisters wanted very little to do with her, even more so after coming into her magic. "Do you have any family Dhara?"

"No," her dewy face sagged slightly, "they left for the sky when the Templars attacked years ago."

"Cullen told me about when his parents died, I assume it was during that time?"

"Aye, they came to take mages and my ma and da wouldn't stand for it. Gave their lives to protect me." Evelyn held her a little tighter as she continued, "I could hardly muster a spark of me mana, but they died to save me from a life like…" She paused, rethinking her words.

"Like mine." Dhara nodded. "Well, then they did not die in vain."

"No, but I prayed that someday my magic would be used to protect other mages in case they ever came back. With you here, Phoenix, it's more than I ever dreamed the gods would grant us. You are a gift," the hope and joy in her eyes almost made Evelyn tear up, "you and our Thane will be wed and I get to witness the legend that people will speak of for ages! Not to mention to be taught fire magic from you! My children's children and beyond will speak of how you taught me and I taught them."

"You are a treasure, a quirky, cheeky treasure, but I'm honored to have you as a student. It's fulfilling to have one again. What good is knowledge and experience if you cannot pass it down?" The two stopped at their dwellings to grab their soap and linen towels to bathe, when Cassandra caught up with them. "You done training already?"

"The Thane had a wedding matter to attend to, so I thought I'd join you."

Evelyn laughed, "You and every other woman it seems," all about the village the women were also rushing to follow them to the falls for bathing. "It seems we are being used for our magic," she gave a sly look to Dhara. Since the clan had discovered that the mages' aura could heat the cold mountain runoff, anytime they went to bathe they collected a following. The future Lady of the Hold didn't mind, as each time she became more comfortable shedding her clothing, though her companions still made fun of her for coving herself with her arms occasionally.

The falls were located within the walls of the expansive Hold. The Avvar who founded Redhold certainly scouted the area well making sure there were ample resources within and without its walls. There was an unwritten rule about when people bathed, which was often determined by the time of day. Typically, the women had the run of the place in the mornings after their morning chores, and the men the afternoon after hunting or working since their jobs often were a bit dirtier than the women's.

Per usual, Evelyn was the last to sheepishly disrobe, to which Dhara took the first shot at her, "It's a wonder how ye and the Thane even shared the same bed on Wintersend or did ye just lift yer skirts?"

The two laughed while Evelyn gave a sarcastic laugh, "Unfortunately, I was not. Thank you for reminding me of that night." She couldn't help but blush at the irksome memory.

Cassandra had just poked her head out of the magically warmed falls, spitting out some water, "The feat should be sung of in ballads."

The Phenix made a sound of disgust, "Yes, because that is of interest to people."

"It is to us!" Dhara laughed as she lathered herself with an earthy soap.

"What's is?" The gentle lilt of Rosalie distracted the women away for a moment.

Evelyn sighed in relief, "Good, Ros is here so let's stop talking about it. I'm sure she has no desire to hear about it."

"Hear about what, future sister," out of everyone in the Hold, it was probably Ros who was the most excited about their wedding.

"Nothing!"

"Oh come, Ros has lived with the Thane through two wives, I'm sure it's nothing new to her," Dhara brazenly said with a roll of her eyes.

"Are we still trying to figure out how the two of them actually bedded each other?" The blonde said with a shrug, stepping into the water. Evelyn began to rush through her washing in preparation to run away as she typically had done each time the topic came up, and for the past few weeks, it had worked.

"You do know we'll keep asking until you tell us," Cassandra, though a stoic warrior most of the time, seemed to have a penchant for romantic tales and gossip. "I never like to do this but, if you don't give us something, I will seek out Dorian…"

"Gods no, anything but that!" Dorian had a way of wearing you down until he got whatever embarrassing stories you had stowed away under lock and key. They looked at her expectantly waiting, as she flipped her wet hair back over her shoulder growling, "Korth's boulder balls, fine!" She sat upon a nearby rock, wrapping herself up in her towel. "After I left, I went to… work out some frustrations, if you get my meaning, especially after what Axlan had so colorfully described to me."

"Which was?" Dhara wrung her hair out.

Evelyn scoffed, "Absolutely not! That's all I need is to repeat it and head back home where… ugh, ask me next time I'm drunk." That seemed to placate the mage, "Anyway, I was lying in bed, you know, and next thing I know Cullen bangs through the door, mad as ever, ripping the covers off me."

"Why would he do that?" Cassandra sat on the smooth stone under the falls, enjoying the benefits of the pyromancers.

"Funny you ask, because the leather armor you lent me for the challenge happened to have been under the pelts looking like a body." there was a collective 'oh.' "Despite his idiocy, there was a heated exchange where insults were flung about, leading to me throwing a punch at him, an ensuing fight and then, well…"

"That still doesn't explain how you actually ended up naked, you prude Lowlander," Ros said teasingly.

"Pff, if you knew all the details you wouldn't call me that. It's... You're his sister… seriously, you're really going to make me tell you that?"

"Everyone has sex Evie, we Avvar don't shy away from such talk even when it comes to kin."

"You know," the raven-haired toned form of Cassandra joined her and Dhara out of the falls, "I happen to know where Dorian is…"

"Alright!" She huffed, "He had one of my arms in a hold against the door, so I reached for his sword--"

"Evie, you sly fennec!" Dhara giggled, while Ros cringed.

"Gods, no, not that sword, the actual weapon! Fuck!" She planted her face in her hands for a moment. Opening her eyes, and giving them all a dirty look, she tried to hurry the story along to get it over with. "When I gripped his metal sword, I ended up cutting off his belt-- but he was still in his pants, he just lost everything else. That's when I noticed something…" Another collective 'ah' in understanding made her blush again at the memory. "I may have asked about it, and what he wanted to do about it," she balked at the remembrance of his cold stare, "to which he shrugged and said 'We'll see, take that off,' so… I did."

"And?" Cassandra's tone was almost harsh.

"And what?" She fired back, receiving a knowing look, "Again, you'll have to get me thoroughly sauced for that whole bit."

"Well, at least that explains some of what I saw that night," Rosalie's eyes were wide as she finished washing. "Especially, how mad he was when he returned home that night."

"That wasn't because of me, despite the fight - no he liked--," she caught herself before she could add more. "That was because Axlan showed up to start trouble right after we… finished. I had to knock him and his men back with a spell, and your brother left shortly after to make sure he indeed left."

"How is it none of us knew this was going on?!" Cassandra looked a bit beside herself, especially after she admitted that she and the Thane were almost attacked.

"Truly, I'm surprised none of you heard us considering how loud we were-- shouting that is, nothing else. Gods, can we speak of something else now, not having to do with me?" She ran a hand down her face, while the others laughed at her expense.

"Aye, who's up for getting her piss drunk tonight so we can hear the rest?" Evelyn let out a drawn-out groan as the other agreed to her student's plan. It was going to be a long embarrassing night.

 ***

It had been a peculiar hunting trip, looking for fowl with bright feathers rather than their usual quarry - particularly birds with red, orange, and yellow tones. Ros had tasked him with finding her enough so she could create a wedding dress worthy of the Phoenix. She swore him to secrecy, hiding the supposed masterpiece in Dhara's hut. To him, it was all a bit tiresome having to go through this for the third time. His sister offered to make him a new outfit for the historic ceremony, but he refused just asking her to let out his old set. He considered himself to be in fine shape, but the tight muscles of youth had become thicker. If that alone didn't make him feel old, the fact that this would be his third wife did, having thought one had been enough years ago.

The flourishing land within their borders had not seen such renewed life for years since Evelyn had cleansed it with the power of her mark. Korth himself must've been relieved to have been healed of his wounds, having sped the growth of his fields and forests. They had felled a buck and were stalking another when raised voices echoed off the trees. The party of five, including Bran and Dorian, quietly approached the noise. Cullen was weary of any disturbance with Axlan still bent on war with them.

Upon reaching the riverbed, they found a party of poachers from Wolf-Fang Hold and a Lowlander, who was on his knees with his hands up. There were only four wolves to their five, not to mention the advantage of having a mage on their side. Liking the odds, he nodded and his group emerged out of cover to confront the trespassers.

"You there!" Bran led, "What is the meaning of this? You trespass on Redhold soil."

"We were chasing this Lowlander. Surely, your Thane would want his land free of such miscreants?"

Ever mischievous, Bran couldn't help teasing, "Hmm, well why don't we ask him? What do you say, brother?"

The outsiders paled slightly. Cullen had a fierce reputation, one Axlan rivaled, but it was one most didn't care to test. He looked at the few small game kills they had made, hanging from their shoulders. He knew the Lowlander was just an excuse as to their presence, "Considering my bride is in fact a Lowlander, I have no qualms with this man passing through." His countenance shifted darkly, as he crossed his arms, "What I do have a problem with is poaching. We'll be taking those and the Lowlander."

Even though the man wavered thinking over his options, he lowered a defiant glare, "Who is to say we poached these from your land?"

"Don't be stupid," Bran wiped a hand down his face, "My brother is being more than generous, especially when we could just gut you and take it anyway. You're outnumbered." With a flick of his head, Dorian backed his words by sparking up some magic in his palm.

As Bran tried to reason with them, Cullen took the time to study the man still on his knees. There was something about him, but he couldn't be sure without getting closer. He decided he would, unafraid of the hunters before him, and as he did, one man lunged at him as if trying to take him off guard. With a crack, the man crumpled to the ground having been struck dead by Dorian. The others abandoned all reason and jumped him too.

Having no time to pull a weapon, the next man on him, he simply dodged and threw behind him for one of the others to take care of. With only two now between him and the hostage, the mysterious man with uncommon speed, drew one of the short blades off his back slicing through the led wolf as if he were butter. The man was dead before even he knew it, not making a sound before falling into the eternal slumber.

The last man, Cullen put in a headlock, wrestling him to the forest floor. With the brunt of his weight on top of the man's back, he punched at him until he submitted. "Listen! Go back to Axlan and tell him the next time I find him poaching from my land, I will be at his doorstep!" He growled loudly at the man, who nodded against the dirt, "He should be asking me for assistance with restoring his own land, rather than making war," he stood hulling the man up to his feet, then pushed him towards the tree line, "Go, deliver my message to your Thane!" Skittering into the brush, the man didn't look back and ran as fast as his feet could take him.

With that taken care of, the rogue Lowlander pointed his blades at Cullen who simply raised an eyebrow at him, "Um, thank you, I think…"

"You've nothing to fear from…" with a better look at the man, his words stuck in his throat at the shock. Brown hair, brown eyes, a soft square jaw, though scars in different places, and stubble…

"I'm looking for my sister. A mage by the name of Evelyn Trevelyan. Have you heard of her?"