A Warden's Heart

A Walk Among the Chains

The couple walked along the Lowtown market streets in relative silence for a time. Boy and girl stealing odd glances at one another and opening mouths just to close them again without saying a word. For ten minutes or so they carried on in this mannor till the quite became unbearable.

"So..." He started nervously. "Does my mystery lady have a name? Or should I make one up for her?" The sunden break in the silence took her off guard and she paused in her tracks looking up into his deep amber eyes. Maker he is handsome. She thought as her eyes began to roam his body, taking in every inch of his well built frame. Her eyes stopped at his muscular chest and arms and for the briefest of seconds she could see them wrapped around her holding her small figure tightly to his chest.

She could feel the flush creeping on to her cheeks as the image began to fade away. Now she looked over Carver's face, drinking in the well defined cheek bones strong chin and surprisingly soft lips. A new picture evaded her mind of those lips. First on her own and then moving to her jaw, her neck, wisphering her name.

Her name!! He had asked her for her name. Shyly she duck her head down allowing her long hair to hide the honey glow in her face. "Johanna." She said under breath not looking at him. "But people call me Jo." She added. "Johanna." He repeated, seeming to test the sound of it. "It's lovely. Is it a family name?" He asked.

Jo looked at him now, wondering just how much she should tell him of her past. After a second she besided that the odds of ever seeing him again were rather low and that most likely he was only asking to be palite. With a shurg she tossed the rest of her hair over her shoulders and let out a breath Jo did not realize she had been holding.

"No. No it is not. The first enchanter of my old circle gave it to me when I arrived." Jo answered. "I didn't know they changed peoples names when they are brought to the circles. Wow." Carver replied, and Maker help him, there was hurt in his gentle eyes.

"Well they don't actually. I- I don't remember my name from before then. In fact..." She paused oncen again to exhale looking down at her feet. "I don't know anything of my life before the templars found me." When Johanna looked into Carver's face again she found a sadness there that she had not been expecting. "I'm... I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Carver said, bringing one large hand up to rub the back of his neck and casting his eyes down.

Johanna started to walk again mostly to hide the tears that were gathering at the corner of her eyes. Only three other people in her life knew of her origins, or lack there of, and they were first enchanter Irving, and her two "brothers". When Carver had caught up with her, Johanna fourced a smile and continued her tale.

"It's alright Carver, you didn't know. I mean I was six years old when I was sent to the circle in Feralden. A hunter found me unconscious in the middle of the forest. They said that when he tried to pick me up lightning poured from my body." She peeked at him from around her waterfall of hair. "He wasn't hurt, at least the templars told me he wasn't hurt. Anyways, the templars came and carried me off to the circle and when I woke up I couldn't remember anything. So Irving gave me a name." She finished in a rush.

After a moment Caver laughed and Johanna glanced at him confused. The tall warrior smiled down at her and said "Well I like it. You said you have a brother, does he not know your really name either?" It was Johann's trun to laugh now. She squeezed her eyes shut and thru her head back causing her to not see the wooden crate in the street. Her foot hit the side of the crate and she raised her hands to brace for impact with the stone road. But next thing she knew, a strong pair of arms engulfed her waist, pulling her back and against a toned chest.

Carver held her close for just a heartbeat of time. She could feel the warmth of his body and hear the hammering of his heart matching the speed of her own. He released her slowly, as if he did not want her to leave his embrace nor did she want to. Pulling back and straightening her skirts, Jo started to laugh again. "Yes well Anders is not really my blood brother. Him and his friend, Karl, are both mages. They are a few years older than me and kind of took me in when I first got to the tower. They became like my family and watched over me."

"How old are you? I mean - you don't look that old. I mean- Urg! Maker's balls! I think I'll just stop talking now." Carver said, covering his handsome features behind a hand. Johanna smiled to herself. "I'm eighteen." She said trying her best to suppress the fit of giggles threatening to escape her lips. It's so cute when he stumbles on his words like that.

Carver removed his face from hiding and stared down at her. He was at least a foot taller than her own five feet and seven inches. "That's great! I mean I'm tweenty, or well I well be in a month." She smiled up at him and realized that this man standing before her was trying to flirt. So this whole "I'll walk you home" acted was not just him trying to be nice. For a moment Johanna considered reaching up and just kissing him.

"Johanna! There you are! Anders has been going crazy worrying about you. He has haft of the refugees out looking for you." An older man with grey hair and drity clothing came running up to the pair. "He is always over reacting!" She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Thank you Dustin. I'll head back in just a minute." She said sweetly to the man she recognized as one of Anders' helpers.

The man about-faced and headed back the way he'd came. Johanna sighed and turned back to face Carver. "I should go. At this rate he may never let me leave his sight ever again." Then she stood up on her tippy toes, placed a hand on his chest to brace herself, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thank you again for being my knight in shining armor." She said, lifting her free hand to brush his raven black hair out of his eyes. "If you're ever in the undercity look me up. We could take a walk and see the great view of the city's chains."

Without waiting for him to respond, Johanna turned on her heels and ran the rest of the way to her home in Darktown, all the while committing Carver Hawke to memory. In her heart she knew that she would never see him again and that thought made her tears come back anew.