Into the Woods (a Dragon Age fanfiction)

For What It's Worth

Refreshed by their sleep, the party was on the move again by noon, slightly heavier with the addition of the bandits' best goods. They'd been remarkably well equipped, and well entrenched, for a group of thieves so close to Val Royeaux. Jennie privately wondered whether they were some kind of additional tax on the populace, given tacit permission to remain, and to steal, as long as they paid their dues to the Orlesian authorities.

The remainder of the first day passed without incident. Jennie didn't bother with a camp that second night, wanting to continue riding as late as they could; it was slow going anyway, none of them being used to spending so much time on horseback, and she thought the time it would take to set up camp was better spent on the road. They rolled themselves in blankets in the midst of a copse of trees, atop a thick carpeting of old pine needles, preparing to head north up the road toward Andoral's Reach in the morning.

They were all stiff and sore the next morning as they saddled the horses, chewing on hard bread and dried meat for breakfast.

"The last time I did this, I was much younger," Zev complained.

"Can't get by without yer beauty sleep?" Oghren said, nudging Zev in the ribs with the end of his axe.

"Ah, my friend, it is not sleep that provides the beauty," Zev said. "Perhaps I could show you sometime."

"Show me what? Yer mud mask? Felsi used to make one o' those out o' gravel and grass. Real pretty."

Zev grimaced. "I do not doubt it. No, my methods are far more ... soothing than mere skin care."

Oghren grunted. "What do I look like, a woman? Heh. If I was, I'd still be in my tent playin' with myself." He chuckled, shouldering his axe and walking toward his horse.

Isabela swung herself into the saddle, grinning at the exchange between the two men.

"Come on," Jennie said impatiently. "We're supposed to be a well-oiled machine here. Right now we seem to be missing a few cogs."

"All that soft livin'," Oghren said. "Pampered city folk don't know how to travel without their comfy carriages."

"Rowdy, some of us prefer to avoid even the carriages and simply stay home. Ouch," Varric muttered, wincing as he seated himself astride his horse.

"I could help you with that, you know, Varric," Anders put in.

"Thanks anyway, Blondie. I'd prefer to avoid having your magic at work in that particular area."

"I would be glad to put my magic at work there," Zev said, sidling his horse next to Varric so that his long, lean thigh was touching the dwarf's shorter one.

"If you people rode as well as you run your mouths, we would already be at our destination," Fenris said. He sat easily atop his horse, reins held comfortably in one hand. Clucking to the horse, he moved it to Jennie's side. "Hawke, we are at your disposal."

"It's about time," she said. "Thanks, Fenris." She dug her heels into her horse's side, and they started out. Fergus, at her side, was utterly silent, as he had been all morning, his eyes a thousand miles away. Jennie cleared her throat, glancing pointedly at Fenris, who nodded in return and dropped back to ride with Isabela and Varric, who were trying to agree on a set of rules for playing Wicked Grace on horseback. Jennie moved slightly closer to Fergus. "Want to talk about it?"

"Hm?" He turned to look at her, blinking as though he had forgotten the rest of them were there.

"Clearly there's something bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?"