When Fate Summons (a Dragon Age fanfiction)

Would I Lie to You?

Anawyn trudged along the road toward Denerim next to Granny, listening as the old woman went on and on about the wind in the grasses, or something like that. Admittedly, Anawyn wasn't really paying attention. They'd been walking for several hours since she'd met the old woman and her granddaughter on the road, and Granny had done most of the talking, saying things that sounded perfectly serious but often laughing when she'd said them. At first, Anawyn had tried making friends with Cybele. She'd spent so little time with children her own age that she was intensely curious about this one.

Dropping back a bit, to where Cybele walked just behind Granny, Anawyn tried a shy smile at the other girl. "Have you been traveling long?" she asked quietly.

Cybele stared at Anawyn, her unusual golden eyes wide with surprise. "Yes." She glanced up at Granny and then away, not meeting Anawyn's eyes.

"Where did you come from?"

"Far away." Cybele's eyes were on the dusty road now.

"Are you going to Denerim?"

"I don't know." Now she was looking off into the trees along the road. Clearly the other girl would rather look at anything other than Anawyn.

She tried again. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No." After a moment she added, "I don't think so."

"You don't think so?" It was an intriguing answer. "Don't you know?"

Cybele shook her head, staring straight ahead at Granny's back.

"What's your mother like?" Nothing. Cybele wouldn't even look at her now.

Anawyn sighed.

Given the choice between Granny's boring rambling and Cybele's complete unwillingness to talk, Anawyn preferred Cybele, but all things considered, she'd almost rather be traveling alone. Since they were all going the same way, it seemed impossible to get away from the other two. All Anawyn could do was hope it didn't take as long to get to Denerim on foot as her mother had said it would. She really didn't want to spend three more days of this.

When the light turned gold as the sun began its descent in the later afternoon, Granny turned to Anawyn. "Should we stop to eat, my young friend?"

"I ... don't have very much food," Anawyn said.

"Don't trouble yourself, child. We have sufficient." The three of them turned off the road, Granny glancing back over her shoulder. She smiled to herself when she saw the empty road, as if something was highly amusing, but Anawyn didn't see what.

Granny prepared a simple meal of bread and water. As the girls sat down next to her, she suddenly said, "Oh, I almost forgot." She reached into her bag and took out a big wedge of cheese. Both girls' eyes brightened.

"I love cheese," Anawyn said, clapping her hands.

"I do, too," Cybele said more shyly. The two girls looked at each other, exchanging a small smile, glad to find something in common at last. Granny was smiling, as well, as she handed them each a piece of cheese. "Aren't you having some, Granny?" Cybele asked.

"No, I don't believe I will," Granny said. "Cheese doesn't agree with me."

The cheese was a bit strange-tasting, but Anawyn enjoyed it. She and Cybele both ate hungrily. As Anawyn finished off the last of her bread, she yawned hugely. It felt like her face was going to split in two. "I'm sorry," she said, embarrassed. "I'm so tired."