A Worrying Brother (Honovi)

[Elissa Vuronia]

Through out her journey to understand what life is, Elissa had really enjoyed the quest she had given herself. Luckily danger had not crossed her path so far, and all was well as her story continued. This time however she decided to travel to the Frostback mountains and visit Orzammar the proud stone city of the dwarven people. All though small in size, they make up for it with their immense strength, courage and their extraordinary abilities of stone craftsmanship. Dwarfs were strong warriors, but were also great engineers, the problem is that their home was deep within the Frostback Mountains.

Traversing the might of these mountains was going to be another hard challenge. But then again Elissa was more then happy to visit the dwarven people and see their work in action, visiting another culture was going to be strange for the teenage adventurer. She didn't mind though as she respected all races which included dwarfs, thoughts ran deep within her mind as her eyesight stood before the powerful mountain range.

The weather was quite dull however and a bitter cold swept across the mountain. It was like a chilly wind was guarding the mountain within its icy grip, Amity stood quietly beside her friend as they both stared hard at the mountain path which led upwards threw the mountain and onwards to Orzammar. Looking over to her pure white stallion friend, Elissa smiled and spoke in a gentle tone. "Come on Amity! Let's go" Amity soon marched beside Elissa, she quickly pulled the hood of her emerald cloak over her face and wrapped the left and right edges of the cloak tightly around herself.

They soon marched upwards threw a small forest, Elissa felt excited about visiting Orzammar for the first time. However what she didn't know was that her older sibling was keeping a close on her, of course Alex knew that her little sister was more then capable of defending herself. But after hearing she was visiting Orzammar, He quickly found out that it was his little sister' first time travelling up a mountain path, and since he couldn't leave his post Alex decided to hire a mercenary to keep Elissa safe. As for Elissa, she continued her quest to learn the meaning of life.

[Honovi]

The air was pleasantly chill so high in the mountains as she trotted through the trees. Honovi could see a flash of white on the road, the pale smudge quickly resolving itself into a horse. That must be the girl's pet then - she was close. Slowing her steps Honovi turned to the road, making her way to the child smooth and silent as fog.

Her hawk screamed a warning across the road before she left the cover of the forest and she unslung her bow, melting completely into the shadows of the forest. Eyes and ears straining for any sign of an attack, she nocked an arrow and pressed herself to a tree. There - a shadow that didn't belong moving through the woods on the other side of the road. With practiced ease she pulled back and let fly, the pained cry as the northman fell a warning to other attackers in the area.

But there may be more, and that meant Honovi's charge was in danger. A few leaping strides had her at the girl's side and she shoved a letter in the child's hand. With any luck the seal of the family Vuronia would be all the proof she needed that the girl had nothing to fear from her, savage though she looked in her pelts and feathers and bear-claw jewelry. There were real dangers in these mountains, and she was well acquainted with the bandits and Avvar raiders that plagued these roads.

With a hand on the girl's shoulder Honovi pushed her to her knees out of her line of fire. One shot after another the attackers fell, until they gave up on using the trees for cover and made a dash toward the road. It seemed they meant to get too close for her bow. Fools.

Slinging her bow across her back, Honovi drew her daggers and flicked a glance to the girl. "Stay down." The attackers were upon them, and Honovi fell upon them like a winter storm as Makwa attacked them from the air.

[Elissa Vuronia]

The Frostback Mountains were just as impressive as ever as they towered over Elissa as she moved onwards. It was a great time to learn more about the famed Dwarfs, to understand their knowledge of their craftsmanship and learned about there past. Not to mention see what they had to offer on their stalls, from trinkets to armour and weapons. Either way she was more then happy to visit Orzammar and learn more about the dwarven people, but the chill within the very air didn’t quite help.

Luckily the emerald cloak did its best to shield the teen from the cold as it was pulled tightly around her. The hood sat neatly over her face, even Amity did his best to stay beside Elissa. He too could feel bitterness of the freezing air as his hooves marched across the stone path; it was no long before a screeching sound was heard as it echoed across the sky. It was soon followed by a painful scream. However just as she was about to react to the noises, she soon felt something appeared in her available hand.

Elissa looked at her hand, which held Amity's reigns, which had the cloak partly open. There she noticed a parchment with the seal of the Vuronia family! She gasped in amazement and looked towards the very person, who placed it there, it was a woman who had swiftly appeared out of no where. This was the second time something like this had happened, but there was no time for the young teen to talk to her as the stranger placed a hand on Elissa's shoulder and felt her push downwards.

Immediately Elissa understood what the stranger wanted and immediately she knelt down on both of her knees into the safety of cover. Placing her trust in the stranger, she watched her fire a few swift arrows towards the direction of the trees. She had to admit that the woman was impressive in using the bow, seeing it was dangerous to leave Elissa held out her available hand to Amity and quietly told him to remain.

Pulling the hood back behind her head, Elissa remained still and watched her new ally march onwards towards a group of bandits with great courage. She looked back at the parchment which had the seal of her family's crest; Elissa wondered who this woman was. But Elissa believed in girl power and watched her bring the pain to the bandits.

[Honovi]

The attackers were dead to a man, and Honovi gazed at the corpses impassively as she cleaned and sheathed her daggers. She showed no emotion, every inch of her bearing radiating neutrality, but she felt an old familiar weight in her gut. Why did they never run? However long she was a mercenary, she would never learn to enjoy the constant killing. But it was no matter - she had things to do.

"I am Honovi, and my hawk is Makya. And You are Elissa Vuronia?" Honovi tilted her head at the girl on the ground, grabbing her hand and pulling the girl to her feet. "We go to Orzammar, yes? Come."

Turning away from the girl, Honovi strode up the road. She preferred to travel through the cover of the trees, but the city-child was... well, a city-child. They'd keep to the road. Besides, the horse would slow them in the brush - he was a handsome animal sure enough, but made for fields and clear paths. In the forest he'd break a leg, and there would be no help for the poor creature but to kill it quickly.

She hadn't gone far, however, when Makya's warning scream rang through the air. Honovi spun and bore the girl to the ground as a great red lion leaped out of the trees, through the spot where the girl had been standing. No sooner had it appeared, however, than it vanished into the brush once more. Honovi hummed, unslinging her bow and drawing an arrow from the quiver at her hip. The lion wouldn't leave until it was dead or they were, it would just keep moving, silently, relentlessly, their only warning of the beast's movements Makya's warning cries.

Another scream, this time from the south. Honovi spun, aiming at the hawk's voice through the trees, and loosed just as the lion appeared. The arrow lodged itself deep in the lion's shoulder and it roared, more in rage than pain, tail lashing, claws burying themselves deep in the earth as the beast lunged. Honovi grabbed Elissa by the back of her cloak and hauled her out of the way, only to have the great weight of a red lion bear down on her instead.

There was no reaching her daggers, her bow far out of reach, but her quiver was just in reach. She closed her fingers around the smooth wooden shaft of an arrow, squirming trapped under the beast as Makya clawed at it from above to keep it from removing Honovi's head. Tiny bit by tiny bit, she inched the arrow out of the quiver. The barbed head was in her hand, wicked steel meant for war, and she carved a great furrow down the beast's side. It roared and reared, truly in pain now, blood pouring freely from the great gaping wound, giving Honovi a chance to roll free and take up her bow once more.

Her ribs strained, her body ached, great bloody gashes in her arms and shoulders where the lion's claws had torn through her armour, but she lived. Bow in hand, arrow notched, she drew back and aimed for the lion's mouth as it roared. Hold your breath and aim, then loose... Her grandfather's voice rang in her mind as clear as they they'd been spoken, and Honovi let fly. Straight and true, the barbed steel launched itself straight into the lion's mouth and kept going, the arrow passing through the back of the beast's throat to bury itself in a tree.

The lion stumbled, choking, drowning on its own blood, and Honovi aimed another arrow for it's eye. Hold your breath and aim, then loose... Again her arrow flew unerring to its mark, the lion taking a last stuttering step, and collapsed in the road. Honovi knelt beside it, biting back a wince at the pain lancing through her body now the adrenaline was wearing off, and ran her fingers through the soft striped russet fur. The lion... no lioness hadn't attacked them without reason, animals never did. She had likely just been hungry, the poor thing, and died for it.

Honovi set to skinning the lion there on the edge of the road, unwilling to leave it to rot and unable to move it's great bulk. The lion's teats were heavy with milk, and though Honovi's expression remained neutral her stomach turned to a great lead weight. Not just hungry - protecting her young, or feeding it. She couldn't have let the animal kill them both, but it felt cruel to kill a mother. The cub must be somewhere, but the great red lions of the Frostbacks left little enough trail in good conditions, and it was starting to snow - not to mention she couldn't drag the city-child and her horse all through the forest as she tracked it.

Just then, Makya cried out from overhead again. Not a warning call this time - he'd found something. The cub? Honovi tore off through the trees following the hawk's voice, and just inside the treeline was a mewling kitten hidden under a bush. It was so small... Honovi carefully lifted the little red cub from under the bush and held it to her chest. It's eyes weren't even open yet - she'd have to find a way to feed it. She had some coin, perhaps she could by a goat? It would make an interesting wet nurse, but she thought she could manage.

Tucking the cub snugly beneath her pelts next to her skin, Honovi made the short walk back to the road. She wouldn't leave the mother to rot, and the cub could get some nourishment from the milk yet. Setting him down to feed, Honovi quickly finished skinning the carcass and rolled it up - she could tan the skin and make a very fine warm cloak. That done, she cut the meat into neat strips and carefully packed them away - it was getting dark now, and she could smoke and dry them over night.

Once the cub was done eating, Honovi gathered him up and rose, tucking him once again beneath her pelts. "Come," she told Elissa, "It is time to make camp."

[Elissa Vuronia]

One after another the attackers fell to their doom. Until at least the Frostback Mountains were silent once more, who was this strange woman? Now that the threat had passed Elissa welcomed the peace that once again made itself known. With a gentle sigh of relief she slowly looked behind her to check on Amity, and as usual the white horse was there looking happy as ever. Whoever this woman was her skills in battle were pretty impressive, the identity of this warrior was revealed as she off spoke her name and even a name for her hawk!

It was impressive to know that Honovi had a bond with her hawk, just like Elissa had with Amity. With the danger now over Elissa pushed her arm out from underneath her cloak and gently took it as she was slowly pushed upwards to stand up, quickly she took her hand away from Honovi's and slid her arm back underneath the folds of the cloak. Amity gently trotted over to Elissa's side and looked a bit nervous, still Honovi didn’t seem like a bad person. In response Elissa spoke to her new ally in a tone filled with deepest thanks to Honovi. "Yes I'm Elissa Vuronia, this is my dear friend Amity" She said as her eyes moved over to Amity.

But the warrior wasted little time for conversation and seemed like she was in a hurry. There wasn’t even time for questions as to how Honovi knew Elissa? And about the letter, clenching the letter tightly she quickly followed Honovi up the mountain path. While Amity followed suit, it was quiet journey as Elissa followed Honovi to Orzammar. She looked up and could barely see the hawk Maya scanning the area, and then Elissa figured something out. It would seem that Maya was used like a scout and would warn Honovi or any possible danger, a very clever tactic and shows that they both had a strong bond.

Marching onwards she soon heard Maya scream out. And with an utter gasp Elissa was forced downwards by Honovi, she maybe be skilled in battle but boy was she rude! There was however a reason to this as Elissa saw a terrible four legged creature, gasping she quietly trusted Honovi and watched her take out her bow once again. But the beast had gone in an instant, danger had come back just like a nasty cold.

Quietly she remained calm and said nothing to allow Honovi the concentration to focus. Within a blink of an eye the beast reappeared but was injured thanks to the quickness of the arrow, but not even that could stop its pounce upon them. Elissa gritted her teeth and prepared for the worst, but she found herself thrown backwards by Honovi's agility and strength. Gasping she fell away from the spot where she was, Elissa tried to balance herself. However instead she fell to the floor and rolled away from Honovi.

There she quickly moved and detached her cloak from her body and stood freely to stand up to one knee. She watched as Honovi as wrestled with the creature, despite being quite rude this warrior had tremendous strength and courage. Elissa decided to help her, but the lass was too late as Honovi finally put an end to the beast which brought peace once again. Picking herself up Elissa grabbed her cloak and slung it over her left arm, there she slowly whistled slightly.

With a neigh of response Amity rushed to his friend's side. Elissa was glad that he had done what she had always wanted him to do, if danger was present. He would always retreat to safe distance to allow her to deal with the danger, with a smile the teenage noble gently rubbed her best friend's nose and patted his neck in glee. Of course he loved every second of it and of course as usual he thrusted his head into Elissa's arms. A scream was heard once again which alerted the teen, however she looked over towards Honovi who was not surprised by the latest calling from Maya.

Elissa laughed but soon turned her attention to Honovi who was now carrying a young creature. He looked so cute, and he was quite small. Whatever reason the female warrior had to carry such a beautiful creature in her hands must have been a pretty good reason. Darkness ensnared the sky within its black grip, noticing this Elissa grabbed the reigns of her friend and followed Honovi who headed back towards the pathway.

With another sigh of relief she caught up to Honovi and noticed that she was hurt during the battle with the creature. Elissa soon heard her new ally as she mentioned that it was time to make camp, although she didn’t complain about it. However she finally spoke to Honovi who appeared to be a person who acted first and talked later, Elissa's voice was a serious one. "Your hurt", she said as she followed Honovi towards a potential campsite.

[Honovi]

Honovi arched a brow at the girl's statement. "I am," she replied simply, wrapping the cub snugly in a wolf pelt that she wore around her shoulders and setting her on the ground. "I will call her Kachina, I think." She spoke to the girl mostly for the sake of politeness, wishing only to hear how the name felt on her tongue. But the girl was right, and though she tried not to show it Honovi was in a great deal of pain. First thing first, however - if she was to clean the wounds, she would need to heat some water and that meant fire. "These are in a bad place to bandage them myself," she told Elissa, "If you are willing, I would be grateful for your help."

Even as she spoke, Honovi knelt to start a fire for the water and their food with Makya keeping steady watch overhead. She would start the water heating to clean her wounds before they were bandaged, and she pulled a poultice from her pack to dress them. It wouldn't do to have an infection set in after she'd killed the beast. But it was unkind to ignore her charge, and she tilted her head up at the girl. "Have you read the letter yet?" she asked for lack of a better topic. She knew what it said - when she'd asked to read it the girl's brother had nodded without a word, likely surprised to learn a savage could read. Typical northman. Though in fairness, it was true that the vast majority of her people never learned to read or write.

"Your brother said that you wish to visit Orzammar simply to see it, yes?" The thought baffled Honovi. Walking about in caves beneath unknown miles of stone seemed a good way to be buried alive. And lost. She had never learned to be comfortable in cities, preferring forests and plains, and great mountains, all the untamed parts of Ferelden there were to be found. Even all these years after coming north, walls looked the same to her. But she had not been payed to guide the northern girl, simply to keep her from harm. Well done so far she thought, prodding her shoulder gingerly. "You are well, yes? I will cook some of the lion and dry the rest. We will eat well." With that, Honovi set about cooking up the organ meat while she set the rest to dry. It was a great deal of meat, and would serve them well while they were below ground eating... whatever there was to be had so deep beneath the earth.

[Elissa Vuronia]

Life certainly had plenty of surprises. And one of them was being saved twice by Honovi who now was the proud mother of a baby, which was nearly identical to the one she recently killed, the little one seemed quite cute. Elissa was amazed at Honovi's skills in battle, and now she owed her new ally a great debt, and with the creature huddled into the pelt she had to make sure that Amity wasn’t afraid. In fact he was quite disturbed. He backed up a little and neighed in utter nervousness, as ever though Elissa held up her hands and called out to her best friend in a calm tone.

In the end Amity shook his head and moved up towards Elissa who happily stroked his neck and nose. Gently she kissed his nose and soon headed back to follow Honovi and her new little friend who was know named Kachina, it was quite a unique but unusual name but soon they arrived in quite a nice little place to set up camp. With the white stallion happily eating some fresh grass, Elissa plunged her hands into the saddlebag and took out some of her own bandages.

Gently she knelt down beside Honovi and placed them beside the health poultice. It was the very least that she could do to help her ally, she was even quite surprised with her words. With a smile Elissa replied in an honest but calming tone. "It is the very least I can do Honovi. And don’t worry about the letter, we must tend to your wounds first" Gently she enjoyed the warmth of the fire as she calmly waited for the water to boil.

As she remained quiet, Honovi asked about Orzammar. And as always her big brother was looking out for her even though they were far away from each other, but Elissa simply nodded to Honovi as she turned to meet her gaze. Honovi even mentioned about cooking up the lion, which seemed to be the name of the beast that attacked, Elissa simply decided to try this lion and said. "Cooking the lion? Well I won’t say no".

[Honovi]

The little northern girl was amusing, playing mother to not only her horse but Honovi herself, as well, though Honovi didn't show it. Instead she simply inclined her head in thanks as the girl insisted on tending her wounds before doing anything else. When she asked the girl about Orzammar she received only a mute nod, and when she spoke of cooking the lion Elissa looked skeptical but willing enough to try. Perhaps she wouldn't be intolerable after all. It would at the very least be amusing to watch the girl's reaction to the tough, gamey meat of a proper mountain predator.

Skewering a few thick chunks of meat on a stick, she buried one end in the dirt so that the meat was angled over the flame to cook. No spices on hand in the winter but what they carried, and Honovi had better things to fill her pack with. Such as bandages and poultices. The water was boiling and Honovi poured some on a clean rag to clean her wounds. Well, that didn't half tickle. It hurt quite a lot, in fact, but it wasn't half as bad as some of the things she'd endured in her life and her expression remained impassive as she cleaned the great gashes the lion's claws had left behind.

"If your horse is nervous of Kachina and Makya, try having him smell them. He will fight at first, but when he is used to them he will not fear hawks or red lions. My wounds are clean now, if you would not mind bandaging them."

Taking the little lion cub in her lap, Honovi shed her clothing heedless of the chill and sat very straight and still for Elissa to work. The tiny flakes of snow melted as soon as they touched her skin, the brief touches of cold on her bare flesh faintly ticklish. Makya landed in a tree to watch, ever mindful of his mistress' safety, and Honovi snorted. "Come eat, you great pigeon," she called to him in Chasind, "And keep well away from the horse." Perhaps he could understand her and perhaps he couldn't, but he knew what it meant to eat and he pulled a half-cooked chunk of lion-meat straight off the skewer in midair. The bird really was an insufferable show-off, Honovi thought with a faint smile.

[Elissa Vuronia]

It seems that Robert was still looking after Elissa even know he was quite far away. And if Honovi hadn’t shown up then either the bandits would have killed her or that four legged lion could have made Elissa its next meal, Honovi had a strong bond with her hawk and now the lion cub which was just wonderful. At least Amity was safe and as usual the white stallion was grazing happily just beside the spoke where his friend had chosen to settle down for the night. Elissa quietly took off her weapons belt and placed it down on the spot she had chosen which was just north of the blazing fire, which burned with strong but warm flame. But Elissa smiled as Honovi silently inclined her head and in return she just watched her companion, this was the only way the teen knew how to repay Honovi for saving her life twice.

Her eyes watched Honovi quietly as she tended to the meat that looked quite tasty. Even now her stomach churned and growled she looked downwards but soon turned her gaze back towards Honovi who was now preparing herself to tend to her injuries. Sure enough the extent of the injuries sustained in the battle against the red lion was revealed, it was amazing to watch as she used some boiling water onto a clean piece of cloth and gently placed upon the wound and began to clean it. Blood soaked deep into the material but looked a lot better, she was truly amazing thought Elissa. Yet she soon talked to her about Amity, and thought of a way for him to get to know Maya and Kachina,

Elissa looked over at her dear friend and back to Honovi and replied to her. “Amity is a special case Honovi. He was tortured and beaten by a group of thugs, I went to his aid and has been with me ever since. Amity doesn’t really trust anyone except for me. But he is more then just my horse, he is my friend”. She said with all her heart, Elissa loved Amity dearly and would do anything to protect him even if it meant being injured to saving him, with Honovi having now disrobed Elissa gathered the bandages and headed over towards Honovi.

Quietly she knelt down beside her and looked at the wound of her arms. Taking a clean piece of cloth she ripped it into four pieces and gently she placed a piece onto the wounds on her right arm and gently held it in place and used her other hand and began to slowly wrap the bandage around the wound, using the bandage. She went around and around but then went around Honovi’s right shoulder and then back around her right arm, then she sliced the end of the bandage. Soon she did the very same thing with the other arm and shoulder until they were all bandaged up, with a nod Elissa spoke to Honovi. “Its done Honovi, I m truly grateful to you for saving my life twice”.

[Honovi]

Even if they never found another scrap of common ground, it seemed as though Honovi and Elissa would at least share a deep respect for animals, and a deeper affection for the ones in their personal care. The girl spoke very passionately about her horse, describing why Honovi's suggestion wouldn't help, and the mercenary inclined her head politely. "It is not my companions he is afraid of then, but me."

Perhaps the horse was wise. Kachina was yet far too young to be a threat to anyone, and while Makya was trained for hunting and combat both he never attacked without command or, at the very least, powerful cause. Among them all, including Elissa who carried a sword on her hip, Honovi got the impression that she was the only true killer. That was well enough - if she wasn't, the girl's brother would have found someone else to accompany her. And truly, there were precious few mercenaries as gentle as Honovi, whatever she might lack in charm.

But the girl had left for and returned with bandages while Honovi's thoughts had wandered and she turned her attention back to her charge. She had to admit, young Elissa was an excellent nurse and might prove to not only be tolerable, but useful as well. Not squeamish at least, if not exceptionally skilled, and Honovi hoped fervently that the girl would never have cause to gain more experience. Honovi herself had spent so many long years tending wounds, both minor and mortal, that even proper healers no longer turned away her assistance when there were any to be had. Not that she was much used to actually having a proper healer around to offer assistance.

Once the girl was done Honovi flexed her arms experimentally, forcing her expression and bearing into her usual dignified calm against the pained grimace that threatened at the fire in her wounds. It was difficult to appreciate the restricted movement that they presented with or without bandages, but Elissa had done a fine job tending them and Honovi waved off her thanks. "Your brother did not hire me because I am charming."

Oh dear, was that rude? Honovi sighed. Eleven years after coming north she had yet to master northern manners, and at this point perhaps it would be just as well to simply give up. But her grandfather's words, always reminding her to represent her people well when she travelled to the northland's southernmost outposts, rang in her mind. The northmen would never learn that her people were not savages if the only Chasind they met behaved like savages. Which meant, of course, that she had to remember the northmen's manners while she was in the northmen's lands. It was... irritating, that they believed her people had no manners simply because they were different.

The question was, how was she supposed to repair whatever insult she had unknowingly offered. Pulling her clothing back on to gain time, Honovi said the first thing she could think of eternally grateful that it came out calm and measured. "It is good he cares so much." Perhaps not the perfect save, but she'd managed not to sound as though she'd simply blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Which, well, she had.

No matter. She pulled a chunk of cooked meat from the skewer and handed the rest to Elissa. The girl could eat her fill and Honovi would eat whatever was left. And she didn't doubt that the girl would leave some left. After all, there was quite a lot of meat and it was very tough, even for Honovi who'd been eating the stuff her whole life. Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she started ripped off a mouthful with her teeth and chewed. The girl was likely used to a much more pampered way of living and it would be interesting to see her reaction to the strongly flavoured, shoe-leather tough meat. "Take small bites," she advised, swallowing down her first mouthful, "It is hard to chew."

[Elissa Vuronia]

Elissa had to admit that she did a pretty good job with Honovi's injuries. In fact it brought back a rather pleasant memory where she was training with her brother on the outskirts of Amaranthine in a quiet little clearing. Of course back then she was a lot younger and her big brother was still rising in the ranks of the guards, the siblings trained and even fought against each other. But he always won their sparring together, one day as they trained Erik accidentally caught Elissa off guard and grazed her shoulder with his sword, she scolded her older brother for nearly trying to kill her. But Erik replied in a completely honest way and simply said that he was trying to toughen Elissa up.

And so the siblings ended their training, which had Erik tend to her sister’s wound. Luckily it was just a minor scratch but he didn’t want it to be infected, soon Elissa watched her old brother and quickly learned how to dress a wound. Back in reality she watched as Honovi checked what the teenage noble did, however it was unexpected when she immediately spoke out in a rather rude way. However Elissa simply expected to react that way, with a sad nod she spoke out in utter disappointment. "I know, I know the job comes first right?" She turned her gaze over to Amity who was quite happy eating away with complete content.

However she immediately remembered the letter which was in her hands. Elissa gently opened the seal and gently opened the parchment outwards to reveal what was written inside. Her eyes sparkled as they slowly began to see the words, The letter was written as follows.

To my Dear little Elissa,

By the time you receive this parchment you would have already met Honovi. I had a feeling you would want to see the dwarven city of Orzammar but there had been several disturbing reports involving the Frostback Mountains, Now I know you will want to kill me should our paths cross again. However please do trust me with this as I simply followed by gut instinct as an older brother and not as a guard captain, always remember little sister that a true warrior uses his heart and mind as they are always sharper then any blade.

Mother and Father are doing well but they miss you dearly as do I. Elissa I know you can take care of yourself, but I hired Honovi just to keep you safe until you reach Orzammar. Please do not mind her as I have great respect for her, she has a great reputation for always getting the job done. Elissa do you remember what I taught you? Always remember little sister that the flames of life burns forever in your heart and Amaranthine will always be your home, keep the fire burning my dear sister.

You’re big brother

Erik

Tears flooded down from Elissa's eyes but she sighed and wiped them away using her fingers. Soon Honovi amazed the teen once again and spoke about Erik; the noblewoman smiled slightly and spoke to Honovi in total honesty. "Your right Honovi, he does" The thought struck her as once again her big brother was watching over her. Soon dinner was served as Honovi handed Elissa the piece of meat which looked pretty tasty, she quickly removed her cloak to allow better freedom of her arms and listened to Honovi as she gave out some advice as to how to eat the piece of meat.

It was going to be the first time trying something that was a piece of meat from a red lion. Slowly but surely Elissa followed Honovi's advice and gently used her teeth to bite a small piece off the meat, sure enough she understood why Honovi gave out the advice. It had quite a unique texture and taste, it was quite chewy and tough to bite into it. But Elissa never gave up and eventually she continued to eat until she swallowed the first mouthful, she found it quite tasty actually and all she could was simply nod in approval as she continued to eat the new delicacy.

[Honovi]

Tending to the cooking food to as Elissa read the letter, Honovi tried to ignore the girl's tears. She wasn't good with crying children, they always made her turn into a great big puddle of goo. Even when she was young they'd had that effect, and the fact that Elissa was more than young enough to be her daughter. Honovi loved children, and it had always been one of her greatest regrets that she and Honaw had never had any, despite ten years of marriage and youth on their side before the Blight had taken everything from her.

Perhaps it was better, though, that she'd never had children of her own. Whether it was her late husband or herself that had been incapable she didn't know but she was too old now for children, if not pregnancy. If she'd had children while she was still young and married, however... Would she even still have them? Or would the Blight have claimed them, too, leaving her not only a widow but also a mother bereft of her children? Or worse, what if they had been Tainted so that she had to kill them herself? her mind shied away from the thought. That was a pain she couldn't bear even to think about, when the best possible scenario was raising children in a land that distrusted and often them. No, it was better this way.

Elissa's sudden response to Honovi's earlier comment about the girl's brother caring jerked her back into the present. What if's and could have been's were nothing, she had a job to do. Handing a chunk of hot lion meat to Elissa with a few words of advice on eating it, Honovi grabbed her own piece and tore into it. Proper mountain predators always had very tough meat, especially older ones like the lioness she'd just killed had apparently been. A few fellow mercenaries she worked with often often teased her that her habit of eating any animal she killed was the reason she spoke so little, as chewing the meat must tire out her jaw.

It was true enough in some ways, she supposed. Such tough meat made for a quiet meal, and once it was done she stood. "You should sleep now. Makya and I will keep you safe."

[Elissa Vuronia]

Just seeing the letter from her big brother was just heart warming to young Elissa. She was pretty close with her older sibling and sometimes they were also best friends, and as always he was there for her when she needed it. Gently she closed the parchment up and held it close to her, even though they were apart Elissa realised that her family would always be with her inside her heart. Still she had to continue her journey and perhaps someday she will come back to Amaranthine and be with her family. Quietly Elissa went back to slowly eating her piece of lion meat, until she gulped down the last piece.

Thoughts wondered into her mind and was still curious about the dwarven domain Orzammar. She had hoped to understand the history of the dwarfs from how they lived to the great paragons of old and the weapons and craftsmanship these people were famous for, perhaps she could find something in Orzammar to bring back for her father? He was always had a passion for history, all she could do was go to Orzammar and find out.

Looking up she noticed the stars, which shone brightly. She then turned her gaze over at Amity who happily looked back and lowered his head down to the ground to graze, Elissa soon was more determined then ever to learn about life and return home. Soon Honovi told her to get some sleep, while she watched over the teenage noblewoman.

With a gentle nod Elissa gently laid down on her side with her head resting on the ground, and slowly closed her eyes to descend into the world of dreams.

[Honovi]

The girl followed instructions well, at least. And she looked very... sweet, curled up in sleep like that. Honovi smiled faintly, tucking a blanket around Elissa and placing a few soft rolled up pelts beneath her head so the girl wouldn't strain her neck. She moved as slowly and carefully as she could manage to avoid waking Elissa up, and when she was done she sat on the opposite side of the fire to ready the lion pelt for tanning.

It was an old routine, and as she set to scraping away what was left of the meat and fat she could let her mind wander. However quickly the professional city-tanners could do it, there was not one of them that could manage a hide anywhere near the quality of her own. They were just greedy northmen doing it as quickly as they could to make more money, but tanning a hide was an art that, when properly done, could easily take a month to complete. All the better that she could do it herself.

Once she was done scraping the hide she stood and stretched, joints popping rather more loudly than she liked. Honovi was getting old, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. But no matter. She had to stretch and dry the hide before the fur fell out and she picked up four very long, sturdy branches from the ground before she took her catgut from her pack to tie them together. As long as the fire was going the pelt should dry quickly, and if she was very lucky would at least be dry by the time they were ready to leave the next day. And at the very least it would be ready for transport as long as she kept it on the rack.

Sitting back as she punched holes along the edges of the hide, Honovi started humming softly. An old melody, one meant for flutes before the whole tribe and not a lone woman's voice in the darkness, but it was home. By the time the song was done she was done punching holes and had, at some point, started stretching the hide out on the rack without even realizing it. Honovi snorted. She spent entirely too much time daydreaming these days, and she quickly finished tying off the lion skin. Hanging it over the fire to dry overnight, she climbed up a nearby tree to keep her vigil until she fell asleep in it's great branches.

---

Honovi's actions in tanning the red lion's skin are historically accurate - if you follow her throughout the thread you sill see the whole process, in order, right down to the ingredients that go into the tanning solution.

If anyone is interested in hearing the song she's humming, you can find it here.

[Elissa Vuronia]

A smile crept up on Elissa's face as she entered the realm of dreamland. Her best friend remained close as he enjoyed the night sky as it loomed over them, gently her dreams began to make their presence known. In the dream she stood staring at a younger version of herself beside her brother as they literally looked out towards the open sea, Erik took out his weapon and turned his little sister who had also taken out her sword. As the two siblings stared at each other they quickly clashed with their favored weapons, Erik would push forwards with his attacks while Elissa did the same to her brother.

It was a see saw battle but in the end, Elissa was on the ground panting in exhaustion while Erik stood with a grin as he stood triumphant. Holding his sword he held it up high into the heavens to deliver the final blow, but the teenage girl had other plans as she kicked her brother in the groin area. As he bent forwards in pain Elissa rolled just slightly backwards away fro Erik and landed a straight sideways punch into his face followed by a kick to his ribs, but Erik recovered just in time to block another attack and connected with a punch of his own.

They literally dropped their weapons and went to classic hand to hand combat. Again it was an equal battle until finally they both stood staring towards each other, their faces were covered in sweat while their skins revealed the beatings of their fight. Both combatants were tired, exhausted and were aching all over as their fists gently became relaxed.

Erik soon smiled happily towards Elissa who did the same. They soon hugged each other, The dreaming teenage noblewoman laughed happily as the dreams of her memories showed this one training session she had with her brother. This happy memory disappeared in a flash of light, but another scene arrived in the form of the night sky and the two slightly younger siblings sitting before a light fire which burned with the same strength as their will to survive and enjoy life.

The oldest of the siblings handed Elissa a bowel of soup which sat in a small wooden bowl. Gently she took it in her hands and held it tightly as Erik sat down next to her, there he looked at Elissa and said to her. "You did well little sister. But did you have to hit me down in those regions?", the younger Elissa happily giggled with laughter.

Still she quickly replied as she looked to meet Erik's hands and said. "Sorry Erik you did teach me to take any opening in an enemy's defense, but I guess you got your own back with those punches. You pack a wallop big brother" Erik laughed in return and soon they dug into their bowls of soup.

The scene quickly fast forward to after they had their meal. Erik happily placed his cloak around Elissa's shoulders, she quietly thanked him and wrapped it tightly over her body completely. But her older sibling once again sat beside her and looked serious for the first time, he turned to Elissa and said. "Elissa listen to me very carefully because its important, only courage in the face of doubt will lead one to the answer. Always remember that my sister, never give up. And always press forwards no matter what outcome appears before your path through life".

Younger Elissa looked into his brothers eyes and soon looked deep into the fire as though she was in a quiet trance. But in reality she was merely remembering what he had said, suddenly Erik placed his hands on his sister's shoulders and once again spoke to young Elissa. "Promise me Elissa that no matter what happens you will follow your dream and your heart" The younger sibling happily nodded and vowed to her brother to do so, back in the main reality the sleeping Elissa was fast asleep.

Many hours later dawn soon appeared as the sun slowly rose up to its place in the heavens. Elissa began to slowly move her head as it was met by a slobbery nose of her faithful friend Amity, gently her eyes slowly opened and she smiled as Amity stepped backwards slightly to allow her to get up. Standing up she gave Amity his usual morning cuddle and stroked his nose and neck, he happily stood still and soon walked off to eat some fresh grass. She soon looked around for Honovi but couldn't see her, but she soon looked upwards to see her protector standing on a branch which gave a good view of the area.

Elissa stood quietly before the tree but quietly she called up to Honovi. "Good morning Honovi"