Smoke and mirrors (Stephan)

[Aurora Briere]

Beneath the veneer, a mask of indifference, Aurora felt out of her element. It was a niggling feeling that crawled beneath her skin, a feeling she couldn't ignore no matter how hard she tried to push it from her mind. She had enough distractions to focus her time and energy on, but that strange feeling always lurked in the background like she did in the shadows, never forgotten for too long. It slipped into her mind after she crossed the border of the Tevinter Imperium and followed the Imperial Highway into Nevarra, and it stuck there, etched into the bottom of each fleeting thought. It was, in small ways, both a blessing and a curse; as bothersome as it was, it made her more careful and more conscious of her mannerisms and idiosyncrasies. It made her think before each movement, each word that left her mouth; it made her check her impulses; it silenced each rebellious feeling that bubbled inside of her.

She had first guessed it had something to do with being so far from Marnus Pell, but as the days passed in Cumberland as she blended in with the countless sell-swords and warriors who wanted to showcase their skills and prove their mettle, Aurora became sure that it was much more than that. It was Nevarra itself: it was new entirely different world. It was strange to see a culture so different from the Tevinter lifestyle she was so accustomed to. She was always put-off whenever she heard someone speak, expecting to hear the familiar sounds of Arcanum and instead having to rely on a vocabulary that was nowhere near as extensive or impressive as it was in her native tongue. It made everything a tad more difficult, but Aurora wasn’t going to shy away from the challenge. She wouldn’t dare to.

Resisting the urge to show the smallest trace of disgust, confusion, or irritation from her face, Aurora slowly traversed the bustling street and weaved through the crowds of people. She curled her fingers against her palms to keep her hands from wandering into pockets they shouldn’t be in long enough for her to find a suitable spot without risking detection and unwanted attention. She stepped out of the main mass of citizens to walk along to the perimeter of the center, ignoring the gorgeous view of the golden dome seen from nearly every square foot of the city in favor of observing the various stalls leading to a market district. Calculating and apprehensive eyes darted around the vicinity, studying the buildings before glancing from person to person, giving the more prominent ones a longer once-over. Scoping out the environment was ideally what she should’ve done immediately upon arriving and finding her way to the enormous, densely populated city, but entering the grand tourney was a more intensive endeavor than she had expected.

Misjudgment number one.

Aurora couldn’t afford slip-ups, and it was only by chance that her miscalculation was in judging time apportioned for settling in, and not for anything absolutely crucial. There were some things that simply couldn’t be fixed or changed, a lesson Aurora had learned time and time again. It was the real deal, now. Memorizing and remembering as much as she could about the city’s topography could be the one difference between success and failure—or survival and death. Neither failure nor death was ideal, but such was the risk. It was not something to be taking lightly, that was for sure.

People-watching usually yielded unexpected results. Often, she would discover habits about strangers she doubted anyone paid much mind to; moving closer would give her an eavesdropping opportunity, and, with the luck and skill she didn’t always have, she would hear things that could bring gold coins her way. Today’s little adventure had results both unexpected and fortuitous as Aurora’s mostly undivided attention was drawn from a small, seemingly commonplace commotion to an interesting sight. The corners of her plump lips turned upwards at her good fortune, and in a matter of seconds Aurora had disappeared from her place near a jewelry vendor and reappeared feet away, fumbling with her pack and stumbling over her feet and conveniently paying no attention at all to where she was headed. If timing was perfect, well, then, it would be quite serendipitous.

[stephan]

From the far distance as the royal wagon carried the king and his family across the green slopes outside the city of Cumberland, King Stephan could see the golden reflection from the Sun Dome of what once had been the collage of magi, and one could hear the sound bells echoing throughout the land, telling the people that the royal family had finally arrived. Sitting in his wagon along with his wife and mother, he looked out the passenger door and became in awe as he beheld the great city, a city that was three times larger than Denerim, which had its own dwarven quarters known as the Dragon`s Den and an Alianage housing thousands of Elves.

The Grand Tourney would begin in a few days and already the city of Cumberland was crowded by locals and visitors, all excited for what soon would be known as the greatest tournament in the history of Thedas. Outside the city gates the tourney arena was already complete, but still it was being prepared and secured by those who had been set to administrate it all. Lots of tents had been put up close to it and the place had been given the name "Tent city", a common place where those who visited could camp and prepare themselves for what was to come, without the need to pay for a room within the city walls.

With a slight smile and a worried look, Stephan watched the city as his wagon brought him closer and closer and he came to remember the past; At the age of sixteen he had accompanied his father to Cumberland and at that time there had also been held a Grand Tourney, but the Tourney had ended up to be a massacre as his father had died when the Tourney arena collapsed. The events that had happened had caused Stephan`s trauma and since then he had remained slightly paranoid for being assassinated, always on the watch for danger and never quick to trust. The only person he did trust completely was his Captain of the Guard, Jenna, whom had been his closest friend ever since he was a child. She had saved him from death the day his father had died, and since then he had forever been grateful, as he also had fallen to love her. However instead of marrying her, he had ended up marrying another, a Ferelden woman named Edeline whom had come from the city known as West Hill. Stephan`s mother and sister had been spared the grim fate that had happened to most people that attended the Grand Tourney in the past, but Stephan firmly believed his mother had ordered the assassination on his father, and since those thoughts had hit his mind, he had always kept a bad relationship with her, as she also in the past had tended to overrule him.

As Stephan sat in his wagon, he held the hand of his wife gently, but he did not look at her, instead he watched what was happening outside, as next to them rode Captain Jenna along with the guards and the servants, and on the road next to them he could see all the visitors who had come to find fortune and glory in the city. The Grand Tourney was bringing in the best champions in the world and they all would attend, if not for other reasons. The reason why Stephan had agreed to hold the tournament this year, was because the treasure chest of his kingdom were running low and he hoped that in this final act with the money left, he could host something that could draw in money for the kingdom to at least last one more year. If his kingdom went bankrupt, the state of things would turn very bad and the land would be open for riots and attack from foreigners.

Passing the city gates, the people gathered around to get a glimpse of the King and the royal family, and the streets was quickly filled by a large crowd. As the wagon came in, it stopped in a large square, where the people stood around and where the Duke of Cumberland and Rainer Aehrenthal (the man in charge of the tournament) stood waiting. The guards were quick to station themselves around, but unfortunately they found themselves totally overwhelmed by all those who wanted to see and speak with the king. Once the wagon door opened, Stephan stepped out and his gaze on the people made him almost speechless. It made him nervous for what could happen, but gladly he had Jenna at his side. Standing there in his finest noble clothing and with a red cloak hanging down his back, he was about to help his wife out, when suddenly a woman bumped into him and caused Stephan to stumble and fall on the ground.

All of sudden he found himself lying on his back with the woman on top of him, and he was shocked and surprised. For a moment he remained silent as he looked into the eyes of a woman, but then as he released what had happened he quickly stood up, almost pushing the woman off him as the guards quickly came to his aid. With a wave of his hand, Stephan told them to back off for a moment as he became curious to know the woman. “Who are you to bump into the King like this?” He asked firm and serious.