The Messenger [David]

[Sophie]

DATE: Firstfall 9:40 Dragon
TIME: Evening
LOCATION: Northern Orlais; Rebel Camp

Serves him right. Whether he was Emperor or not, it didn't give him right to do whatever the hell he wanted! Especially take advantage of women like her loved to do. Sophie was only surprised that he hadn't forced it upon her, but that could have just been because of the painful slap she gave him afterwards. And why should she be afraid? She only did what any woman should have done! This was her body, her life, and she wasn't about submit at his every whim like the other girls chose to. She was surprised at herself, quite frankly. The ex-servant girl never believed she had it in her! To actually slap the Emperor of Orlais across the face� It was practically a dream come true.

And Maker, did it feel good.

Her family was probably wallowing in their sorrows; her mother in her bedroom sick with depression, and her father breaking vases from madness. They were probably asking themselves where they went wrong, why their daughter disobeyed them. And yet, would they actually do a thing? No, of course not! Truly, they only cared about their status! They only cared if they were in the Emperor�s good graces and welcomed within the Palace�s walls. But they wouldn�t come to their daughter�s rescue after being shoved out onto the streets.

She didn�t care. Really. It was no different than before. It wasn�t like she hadn�t seen this behavior already from her parents for the last 6 years, ever since they shoved her into the Servant role. She was happy that she finally stood up for herself. She finally stood up for what she believed in. She was that strong, brave girl she always aspired to be.

With her back pressed against the cold, stone wall of the building behind her, she stared at the small locket that her mother gave to her years ago. She examined the well-kept small picture of her mother inside it; her beautiful long wavy hair and bright blue eyes, just like her own. On the other side was a tiny mirror, a crack shattering through the middle from a time way back when she threw it in anger. Even in this dark alley at the break of dusk, it made her smile, despite her situation. She probably should have been on her way to finding an vacancy at a nearby Inn, but she didn�t want to take her eyes off the locket. She didn�t want the moment to go away.

Next thing she knew, the shuffling of feet could be heard farther down the alley. As soon as she raised her head to take a look, the sounds had stopped and nothing could be found in sight. Worried, Sophie stuffed the locked into the pocket of the black cloak wrapped around her before starting off in the opposite direction. Within a blink of an eye, a pair of two strong arms grabbed her frail body and flung her against the wall, pressing her tightly against it as they pressed themselves tightly against her so she couldn�t wriggle free. She couldn�t see them as they had her facing the wall, but by the feel she could tell it was a man. The man�s face could barely be seen in the corner of her eye, but when he quickly turned her around, making her face him, she was able to see only the lower half of his features.

�What do we have here?� His eyes were masked by the shadow of his hood, but she could see the smirk form in the corners of his mouth. There was a notable, fresh cut on his left cheek, just above the corner of his mouth. It was small though, most likely from another brawl, maybe a fingernail or small knife. �What is a sweet young thing like you doing out here in such a dangerous place?� Even though she couldn�t see his expression in his eyes, she could sense them scanning the features of her body, taking all of her in like a glass of water; practically undressing her with his eyes. His hands glided down to around her waist, and then lower, as the smirk on his face grew under his hood.

She tried to wiggle free, but his grip on her proved to be too strong; it only tightened when she resisted, making it even harder for her to breathe. One of his hands raised to her cheek, slowly stroking the pale skin, as she reacted with quickly turning her head in the opposite direction, trying hard to keep him away from her as fast as possible. But it was no use, he only grasped her jaw tightly in his hand, forcing her to look back at him, while his other hand raised a dagger to her neck, feeling the sharp blade barely touching her skin. She could have sworn she felt a drop of blood slither down to her collar bone. �You scream, you die.�

His grip quickly loosened as he was quickly pulled off of her as if there was suction behind him. It all happened so fast that she couldn�t make out the face of the other that had seemingly come to her rescue. The new figure, who was larger than her attacker, pushed the man against the wall next to her, shoving his forearm into his neck as he pinned him up. �Is your life so worthless that you have to spend time picking on young defenseless women?� Defenseless? She wouldn�t say she was completely defenseless� If she was given the time, she probably could have defended herself� Oh, who was she kidding! That man would have chopped her into small bits. �I�d suggest you run, lest I do worse to you than what you ever had in mind for her.� The stranger said as he slowly let go and the younger man ran off like the four winds down the alley, until he could no longer be seen. She stayed against the wall, not saying a word as the man turned to her and slowly walked back to her.

�T-Thank you, Monsiour. I fear what might have happened if not for your timely arrival,� she bowed her head slightly with a thankful smile

�Ah, no need to thank me, Miss. Just helping someone in danger. I like to think anyone would so such a thing, but� Well, you know the life we live in. My name is Philip, I-� he hesitated before holding out his hand, studying her even more closely than before. �I�ve seen you before� Wait a second, you�re Marquis� daughter, aren�t you? The Briere's. I thought you were working in the Palace?�

Sophie was surprised to know that he recognized her. She didn�t recognize him, but the name she did. He must have known her father for quite some time now. Her family was close not only with the Empress/Emperor, but the fellow noble families as well. �I� was. I was� kicked out of the Palace some time ago, the look on her face grew dark as she looked down at the ground below her feet. She was afraid to say anything bad about the Emperor, she didn�t even know if this man was loyal to him or not! �The Emperor was not pleased with me� I-�

Philip hushed her before she could go on with her explanation, realizing that it most likely wasn�t good. He knew how that man was, how ruthless he could be. Maker only knew what that man did to this poor girl, but she didn�t need to relive it after finally escaping from him. �You�re probably better off out here instead of there. At least away from him�� He could see the sadness in her face as she looked down. His hand brushed the letter in his pocket, thinking things through thoroughly before he made his next move. �I know someone who can help you. But I need you to do something for me, all right?� He at least gave her time to accept or deny it as she wished, it was going to be her decision after all, he wouldn�t force her to do something� dangerous.

She raised her head though, her blue eyes staring back at him with hope. It was as good as a yes as any, �I need you to deliver this here letter to� a friend of mine. It�s going to be quite a trip, but he shouldn�t be too hard to find if you follow my instructions. You can find him North of here, near the border. His name is David Bouvier, and tell him that you�ve been sent to deliver this message from Philip. He�ll know who I am. You can�t let anyone else know, for your safety if anything.�

He cautiously handed her the folded letter, a light piece of parchment folded neatly. And something told her this wasn�t just any old letter, there was something extremely important about it. But she didn�t have anywhere else to be, nowhere else to go. Anywhere but this alley was definitely safer, especially if she was protected by another. But how did she know she could trust this �David�? How did she know he wasn�t working with Gespard? It was certainly a risk to take, but� It was a risk she wanted to take.

She gently took the parchment into her hands, rubbing her fingertips against the sides. �I will do it, Monsi-�

�Philip. Please, call me Philip.�

�Philip.� her cheeks blushed with embarrassment as she looked down at the paper once more. She was so used to being so formal with others, so used to being so formal to everyone else above her, even if they truly weren�t. But those were habits that she would need to lose, at least if she was going to survive out here.

--------------

Sophie loved the wilderness. She didn't know if she had ever been outside of the city. Sure, there were times when she was younger where she would sneak out at night and run to the woods behind their estate. It wasn't large, nor did it compare to this, but it was the closest she ever had in her life. It was beautiful though. How lush the trees were, how tall they stood above her. The wildlife that she had passed along her travel... If there were any doubts about this mission of hers before, they were gone now. She was happy she accepted. The was sight of possibly a new life over the horizon--if this turned out how it was supposed to-- and she was taking one of the best ventures of her life.

She didn't know if she was supposed to look at it or not. A part of her was scared to. If it was something so important, so secretive... But wouldn't he have told her not to? Surely he wouldn't have left out that important bit of information. She was already practically to her destination--she hoped--and only now did she gain the strength to open it.

To say the least, she was confused. She could only assume the sender was Philip, but she didn't understand the meaning of it. And she didn't bother any longer to understand. It probably wasn't any of her business, and maybe there was a reason why she didn't understand it. She probably wasn't supposed to.

The blonde quickly shoved the note back into her pocket as she pressed onwards. The scent of smoke started to fill the air, but not enough to cause any harm or danger. It wasn't a wildfire, it was too weak. This was a scent coming from something man-made. A campfire maybe? It was possible, but she couldn't see anything in the distance. Not yet at least.

But as she pressed forward, she could see something grow larger as she drew closer through the trees.

And that's when she saw tents. The girl stopped in her tracks, frozen with fear. Was this it? Was this where she needed to be? Or was this something else? Without any time to respond or turn back, however, it was too late. Two men came forward, coming out of the darkness as they caught sight of her. "Hail, Stranger! I suggest you turn back now unless you have business here."

"She's probably just some stray looking for shelter. Seems you can't escape them no matter where you go..." The other guard responded without taking his eyes off her. "Speak fast, or turn around." Their stern behavior definitely caught her off her toes, but she had a job, and she wasn't going to leave now. Not after coming this far.

"I've... come for David... David Bouvier. I-I've been sent to deliver a letter to him from Philip." Now she could only pray that this was the right place. If it wasn't... It was possible she wouldn't be seeing the right one.

"Should we trust her?" One of the guards' eyes grew wider after she spoke, only turning to his friend for advice.

"There's only one way to find out," the other man turned back to Sophie, narrowing his eyes, "We'll take you to him, but if you try anything funny we won't hesitate to retaliate." She couldn't tell if they trusted her or not. By the look on their faces, they were definitely cautious, but yet the man's words said that they were at least willing to take the risk. They knew what they were doing though, and the swords on their hips proved it.

They weren't forceful with her, thankfully. It only calmed her nerves a bit. Not only had she trusted her instincts, but she was sucking up all that fear inside her and letting her courage show. Both guards were close on either side of her as they lead the way into the camp, until finally approaching a tall man who she could only assume was David. "This woman here says she has a letter for you," one of the men said as they approached, Sophie only taking a few more steps farther forward than the other two.

Sophie bowed her head slightly as she took the parchment out from the pocket of her cloak, "My name is Sophie, Sir. Philip told me to deliver this letter to you."

[David]

David sat in his tent, staring blankly at the maps that laid out on his desk. To his right laid his armor in pieces, which was still caked with dirt and blood from the battle. There was a bucket on a small stand next to him with water and a towel, water that was already red with blood from David's hands and face. It had been a hard battle, a gruesome affair, one which David would need a very long time to forget. Nearly 5,700 men of the First army were either dead or missing (undoubtedly washed away by the river), with at least twice as many injured. That was almost an entire legion... Gone. The 8th legion, the ones that bore the brunt of the bridge fighting, had had only one officer left standing and half their number gone. The 2nd legion, his own legion, suffered heavy casualties, though would undoubtedly be able to get back on its feet.

It had been a bloody day... A red day... And one that had an unexpected outcome... David was now General of the First Army.

As he contemplated the ramifications this could have, one of his guards pardoned his intrusion and said there was a messenger. David stood up, wearing his grey wool pants, brown boots, and a brown, long sleeve v-neck shirt, and looked at the young woman they were bringing before him. She was... Very pretty. Young, clearly from the city though, as her skin was pale and she was well dressed for being out in the front. As she spoke, she sounded sweet, yet had the natural deference of a servant in her manner of both speech and posture. So... The letter was from Phillip? And this girl must have been one of his servants... Why'd he send her though, when he had so many male servants better suited for the front?

"Merci Mademoiselle. I am David. A pleasure to meet you." David replied warmly, offering the woman a soft smile as he gently grabbed the letter from her hand. As he held it, he immediately sensed something about it was... Off. The paper was far finer than any of Phillip's other letters, and it remained sealed, meaning it had to be of at least some importance. The seal on it appeared... Unique. He looked at the woman curiously for a moment, then opened the letter. His eyes widened a bit as he read who it was from. "Guards, leave us." David ordered as he turned to walk back to his field desk, the guards exiting, leaving the two of them alone. He looked at the letter, not yet truly reading its contents, then back up at the young woman... Sophie. His expression was not soft anymore. It was the stern look of a man who wanted answers.

"Mademoiselle... Did you have any idea what you held in your hands? Were you followed as you delivered this letter? And who exactly are you that Phillip would entrust a letter such as this in your hands? Clearly, you are not a mere servant girl..." Though his face was stern, his eyes were not unkind, as he simply wanted to get to the bottom of this letter... A letter that could potentially land him on the chopping block.

[Sophie]

Sophie's pale cheeks blushed when the man before her gave her a warm smile. Despite being a man of authority, he had a warm presence about him, unlike the Emperor, or many other men she knew. While working as a servant at the Palace, she knew many, many men who had the egos of a God. She knew the heartless behavior of those men well. They didn't care about anyone except themselves. She had been at the their beck and call for 7 years.

But when he read the letter he took from her hands, it all seemed to change. The smile swept from his face just as fast as her hand swept across the Emperor's face months ago. From Phillip's words, she knew that this letter was of great importance, but just how important? Had this been a set-up of sorts? Of course she'd be the greatest prey for something like that. A young woman on the streets by herself, one who looked as if she would never hurt a fly. They thought her naive and gullible, and maybe, they were right. If this turned out to be one large lie.

The blonde shook her head with his question, asking her if she knew exactly what she held in her hands. Phillip didn't reveal as much in their conversation. As important as her delivery seemed to be, it also seemed to be just as secretive as well. For all she knew, she was delivering a letter from an enemy, putting herself in an even worse position.

Normally in a situation like this, she would have already been far far away, miles away, but something kept her here, preventing her "coward" side from slipping through. Something told her that everything was still alright. This man wasn't a threat to her, and she had done exactly what she was supposed to. "Phillip didn't reveal as much to me. He only ordered me to deliver this to you and to keep it out of the sight of others. I was not followed, I assure you. I made sure to stay far from the cities and establishments as much as possible, keeping to the wilds." She hoped. From her days on travel, she had not noticed anything to suspect that someone was following her. It was always a possibility that there was a spy or two on her trail, but if there was, they knew their job well because she not once noticed. She didn't tell a soul what she was doing, nor did she let it be obvious that anything was being done. Maybe it was from her days in her childhood when she'd sneak out of the house all the time. She knew how to cover her tracks well, and keep out of sight and mind.

"I was a servant at the Imperial Palace. Phillip knows my parents as they are nobles. I was... The.." she stopped to clear her through. It nearly put a bad taste in her mouth referring to the man as the title, " Emperor kicked me out of the Palace some months ago and I was thrown out on the streets, where Phillip found me. I can only thank the Maker for Phillip finding me, as I'd probably be dead. He must have trusted me to you because of my status against Gespard. He said you could help me, and gave me the job of delivering this letter." She was only lucky to know that David, and the men that surrounded them, were about as against the man on the throne as she was. If she had known that these people were here months ago, she probably would have left the Palace earlier.

But maybe it was better that she didn't. Lord only knew that she didn't want others to get a hold of the information she now knew, standing here this very moment.

[David]

Studying the woman as she spoke, David could sense no falsehood in her statements. She seemed genuine, and her story believable. If David knew one thing, it was that Phillip covered his tracks, did his homework. Chances are, his friend knew long before he met this woman of her story, and sought her out because he knew she would be of use. The game in Orlais was intricate and dangerous, and David did not know how to play it nor did he have any idea how to. However, over the years he had developed an ability to pick up on anyone who appeared to be a player, unless they were a master at it. The young woman before him, Sophie, did not appear to be trying to play him.

Giving her a subtle nod, he looked down at the paper once again and read it. It bore the royal seal, the seal of the empress, and read.

To David Bouvier,

I am in dire need of the support and manpower of Army Group North. Your support could mean the inevitable downfall of Gespard's reign and the decimation of his loyalists. I alone cannot bring down that wretched throne thief, which is why I call upon you. It is you and the Northern half of the prestigious army that can turn the tide upon who rules Orlais once and for all.

I pray this letter finds you well, and that you will indeed assist with the dethroning of Gespard. I urge you to think carefully upon this troublesome matter, for the fate of Orlais rests upon our shoulders, or rather for the moment, your shoulders since I am currently in no position to be rushing back into Orlais. If you have come to a decision, I wish to hear back from you. I pray the Maker guides you towards what is right.

Sincerely, a friend.

It was from Celene. It had to be. Phillip wouldn't have sent it to him otherwise, and it bore the right markings. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, but found it incredibly difficult. Finally, their actions had gained the notice of the one person they needed to be a true rebellion. Well, restoration is really what it was, but that was an issue of semantics. Smiling widely, he put the letter on his desk and got up from his chair and put his hands on her shoulders, kissing her right cheek, than her left cheek. "Merci mademoiselle, a thousand times merci. You have no idea how long we have waited for this letter!"

David then patted her on the cheek and looked at her for a moment. She appeared so... sweet. That was the only word he could use to describe it. Then, as quickly as he had leapt from his chair, he walked back over to his desk and stood there, grabbing papers, searching for something. He found it, and grinned.

"I will have to confer with some of the other officers in secret. Once I get their assurances of support, we can make our move and I can write back to the empress." He looked back up and smiled at Sophie, a smile that had an almost childlike excitement and mischievousness to it, and asked. "But for now mon cherie, let's keep this our little secret, bon? If word of this letter spreads too quickly... Well, let's not worry about that now. Come, it must have been a long journey, you must be hungry. How long has it been since you've eaten?"

[Sophie]

Sophie watched David's face as he read the letter. She watched his eyes go from confusion to wide-eyed in a matter of moments. There was even some excitement on his face, happiness. She could already feel the mood around them lightening, as if smoke had been lifted from the air. Especially with the smile that spread across his face when his eyes finally lifted from the parchment. He had a kind smile, sweet, not like the nobles she knew growing up. This man wasn't like any of them, there was something different about him. She couldn't help, but smile with him.

And then he got up from his chair, came around from the other side of his desk, planted his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her on both cheeks. It shocked her at first, she couldn't help but jump a little when he did. She could even feel her cheeks reddening as he looked into her eyes. He had kind eyes as well, a very light blue like her father. What was it about that letter that provoked this kind of reaction. What was in that letter that changed his behavior so quickly? He was extremely pleased, nonetheless. He began thanking her for the letter, despite the fact it wasn't from her. And something told her that it wasn't from Phillip either.

He patted her cheek and returned to his desk, shuffling around some papers before he continued. Empress? Did he say... Empress? No, that wasn't right. Celene was dead. Everyone knew that! Did he mean Emperor? That wasn't right either. They weren't loyal to him, she didn't think he'd make that kind of mistake. "I'm sorry," she began with a warm smile while take a few steps toward the desk where he was at, "Did you say 'Emperess'? Could it really be her? Could she actually be alive? If it was confirmed, Sophie would probably join this man in the excitement as well.

She shook her head, "I swear I won't tell! To be honest, I don't have anyone to tell anyways... When I left Val Royeaux, I left everyone behind as well. For the best, anyways. I never really considered it home, nor did I belong with anyone there." Sophie followed the man as he mentioned food before she continued. Just the word 'food' put her stomach into a frenzy. It had been some time since she had eaten anything filling. "Oh, that would be wonderful! It has been some time since I've had a proper meal. It isn't until a travel like that, that you realize just how vast the land is. I'm just happy to be away from there... From Gespard. He probably would have killed me had I not escaped."

It felt odd telling someone else the information, knowing that it was safe with the other person, that she could trust him. Trust. That was an odd word in itself. She barely knew it. She never even truly trusted her parents, nor her siblings. They were just like all the others. They only cared about their money and status. They only cared about Sophie being their "golden child" like Vivianne. But she never was, and Sophie didn't want to be. It made her sick just imagining what that life would be like right now. Not in a million years did she want to stoop to the levels of her family.