by John Bierce
“Ah…, uh… ah like yer suit,” Godrick finally managed. “Yeh look really pretty.”
“I was going more for handsome,” Irrick said, “but I can live with pretty. You’re quite pretty yourself tonight.”
“Do you like my suit?” Godrick said.
“I’ve seen it before,” Irrick said, laughing, “but yes, I do. Your hair looks fantastic as well.”
Godrick certainly hoped so, he’d spent over an hour tidying his curls with his da’s help. Not for the first time, he felt a little envy for Sabae and Hugh— her for having perfect hair that never seemed to need any work, him for just having short hair. Not that Godrick would willingly give up his curls if he had a choice about it, but…
“You don’t need to be nervous, Godrick,” Avah said, laughing. “Irrick has spent the last three hours in a near constant state of panic, trying to make sure he looked perfect, convinced that you would hate it.”
Irrick’s face turned bright red. “You are literally the worst cousin ever!” he said.
Avah laughed even harder. “Well, next time I won’t cut your hair for you, then.”
Irrick swelled up with a response, but Godrick spoke first. “She did a really good job on yer hair,” he said. “Ah like it this short.”
Irrick turned even redder.
“Irrick tries to play it like he’s all suave and sophisticated,” Avah said to the others, “but he’s not at all. Good at hiding it if you don’t know him well, though.”
Godrick managed to drag his eyes away from Irrick long enough to look at Avah’s outfit. Hugh was still trying to catch his breath from Avah’s customary enthusiastic greeting kiss.
Her dress was a strong but not lurid yellow, and she’d woven matching yellow flowers into her long, wavy, dark hair. The desert wasn’t exactly renowned for its flowers, but she’d almost certainly gotten them from Skyhold’s greenhouses on its southern face. The plant mages there could grow flowers to order in mere days— less, if you were willing to pay quite a bit. Godrick couldn’t imagine they’d been cheap, but he’d seen Avah haggle before in Theras Tel— he almost felt sorry for the Skyhold plant mages. There was no way they’d gotten a good price out of her.
That also explained where Irrick’s flower had come from.
Avah’s dress was also very revealing, so poor Hugh was having a lot of trouble deciding where to look.
“The dancing probably won’t start for a little bit.” Sabae said, “Anyone want to join me in a raid on the snack and drink tables?”
“Are we actually going to plan it out, or just try and do as much damage as possible?” Talia asked.
“Ah say we lay waste ta them,” Godrick said. He was feeling extremely hungry— he’d been too nervous most of the day to eat.
After they’d worked their way through the crowd and gotten their food and drinks, they all sat at one of the large empty tables near the dance floor. Godrick had piled up his plate with finger foods— there were more substantial offerings available, but he really liked finger foods.
Talia finally finished listing off all dozen or so different types of bone hanging from her necklace as the musicians finished setting up to play.
“They seem to be pretty disproportionately from sea creatures,” Hugh said.
“I think there’s just more variety when it comes to animal body structure in the ocean,” Talia said. “There’s not much difference between the way wolf and cow bones ignite, for instance, though there’s more of a difference between them and birds.”
“Your dad and Alustin are here,” Sabae said, nudging Godrick.
Godrick glanced over. Sure enough, his da and Alustin had just entered, laughing about something. Alustin had, to Godrick’s mild surprise, a date— he vaguely recognized her from somewhere, though he couldn’t quite place her. She was definitely drawing a lot of eyes, though.
Sabae laughed. “That’s the Alikean ambassador’s secretary,” she said. “How did Alustin get a date with her?”
“Isn’t she…” Godrick started, then stopped. Alustin had mentioned that the Alikean ambassador’s secretary was a suspected spy, but it was probably best not to mention that in public.
“And since when does Alustin go on dates at all?” Talia asked.
Godrick glanced over at Irrick, and to his surprise saw him frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“Guess we won’t be doing any dancing tonight,” Irrick said, nodding at Artur.
Godrick’s heart sank a little. There were at least three or four different balls at Skyhold tonight, he’d somehow expected not to have to worry about this. He still hadn’t told his da that Irrick was anything more than a friend. It’s not that he would get angry at Godrick— Godrick could count the number of times that had ever really happened on his fingers, and they’d all been for good reason— but Godrick had never heard him have anything good to say about people who dated around a lot. Which Godrick really hadn’t, but he was fairly sure that his da wouldn’t think too highly of dating someone when you knew there wasn’t a future in it.
“Ah’m an idiot who needs ta stop overthinkin’ everythin’,” Godrick muttered under his breath.
He stood up and offered a hand to Irrick. “Ah thought the whole point a’ tonight was the dancin’.”
Sabae smirked as Avah dragged Hugh out onto the dance floor after Godrick and Irrick. Hugh was definitely in over his head with that one, but if he’d fallen for a girl who wasn’t willing to take the lead, she was fairly sure nothing would ever happen.
Though Sabae definitely claimed some of the credit for herself. Avah wouldn’t have even gotten the chance to get to know Hugh if Sabae hadn’t hauled him out of his hiding spot.
She turned back to Talia and Phusan. “You two should go dance too! Don’t let me hold you back!”
“Are you sure?” Talia asked. “I don’t want to just leave you here by yourself.”
“It’s fine,” Sabae said, waving her away. “I’ll probably go annoy Artur and Alustin or something.”
Sabae spent a couple of minutes just watching her friends dance and drinking the aggressively mediocre wine Skyhold had provided. Skyhold might be incredibly wealthy as an institution, but no one ever spent more than they had to on students.
She couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if she let herself date like her friends. Irrick even had an arranged marriage, and he was still dating Godrick. Maybe she could do the same?
No. She’d seen up close how it had gone for her family, she knew better.
Sabae stood up and headed for Artur, Alustin, and Alustin’s date. She had no idea why Alustin had brought a known spy to the dance— it sometimes felt like he wanted to get caught. His behavior violated countless rules of espionage, at least according to everything her grandmother had taught her. Spies were supposed to be forgettable, boring, and bland to a fault.
According to Alustin, the Alikean ambassador’s secretary was apparently here to spy on the trade delegations from Sica and Tsarnassus, rather than on Skyhold. Given that all three nations were from the Eastern half of Ithos, it amused Sabae that they were negotiating a trade deal on the western side of the Skyreach Range, but then again, she definitely understood why they wouldn’t want to meet in the middle— that would put them right in Havathi territory.
She doubted that Alikea cared too much about Sica— Sica was in the far southeast of the continent, while Alikea was in the northeast— but they certainly cared about Tsarnassus, given that they were neighbors, and had fought more than a few wars in the past. They had a truce against Havath, but it was far from a comfortable relationship.
Alustin and his date headed towards the dance floor as Sabae approached. Alustin winked at her over his shoulder as they did so, and Sabae rolled her eyes.
“Ah think Alustin and his date were particularly happy yeh arrived, lass,” Artur said. He chuckled. “They didna want ta leave me here on my lonesome while they danced.”
“I know the feeling,” Sabae said.
“It looks like Godrick finally feels comfortable not hidin’ his boyfriend from me,” Artur said with a smile.
“You knew?” Sabae said, surprised.
“Course ah did,” Artur said. “Yeh’d have ta be blind not ta spot that. Ah wish he had been more comfortable tellin’ me, but ah wanted ta respect his privacy.”
Sabae considered that for a moment, then shook her head. “He was worried you wouldn’t approve.”
The big stone mage gave her an affronted look. “Why wouldn’t ah approve? Irrick seems like a good sort.”
“Their relationship also isn’t going anywhere,” Sabae said. “Irrick has an arranged marriage in the summer. Godrick was worried you wouldn’t approve because you don’t approve of flings.”
Artur stared at her for a moment, then groaned. “Ah’m not a fan a’ them, but ah wouldn’t be angry at Godrick or anythin’. Stones, ah’m friends with Alustin, and ah’m not sure that man is physically capable a’ settlin’ down with anyone. He’s got a different lad or lassie on his arm nearly every week, ah swear.”
Artur stopped, then shot her a sharp look. “Not that ah’m not grateful yeh told me, but shouldn’t yeh have let Godrick tell me?”
Sabae shrugged. “I love Godrick, but he’s almost as bad as Hugh when it comes to overthinking things. Talia too, for all she likes to pretend she’s made of fire and battle. Sometimes I feel like my friends would never get anything done without a push.”
Artur rubbed his beard. “Ah’ve had plenty a’ friends like that, but ah’m not sure yer actually doin’ them a favor there. They won’t always have yeh to help them, and if they never learn ta act on their own…”
“There are plenty of people who never get comfortable taking those sorts of risks,” Sabae said. “I’d rather my friends be happy now than waste their youth in service of the future.”
Artur gave Sabae a thoughtful look. “Ah’m not sure yer just talkin’ about yer friends anymore. Yeh sounded a little bitter about somethin’ there.”
Sabae started to deny it automatically, but something about the knowing look in Artur’s eyes stopped her. Godrick’s father liked to pretend he was just a friendly but not too bright giant, but it was hard to spend much time around him and not see how intelligent he was.
Finally, she sighed. “I guess I was talking about myself as well.”
“Would yeh like ta talk about it?” Artur asked.
Sabae was torn. She already felt weird about her friends knowing about her worries, and she didn’t know if she was comfortable talking to others about it as well. On the other hand… maybe it would help. At worst, talking it out a bit more might help her make up her own mind about things.
Artur didn’t say anything while she argued with herself; he just waited patiently. In the end, that was what decided the matter for her— if he was willing to be that patient while she thought about it, she was pretty sure he’d be a safe audience to talk about things to.
So she told him all about her fears in regards to her grandmother’s visit. Her family history, her fears about an arranged marriage, all of it.
Artur was quiet for a moment when she finished. “That’s a tough un, lass. Ah wish ah had some sort a’ easy answer fer yeh. If ah were a character in a novel, ah might tell yeh ta just follow yer heart and live yer life as yeh will. That can be a selfish way ta live, though. Yer right ta worry about yer duty ta yer family as well. In the end, yeh need ta find a way ta balance them out.”
He sighed. “If ah knew yer grandmother at all, ah might have better answers for yeh. All ah know about her are the stories everyone knows— fleets sunk, storms quelled, sea monsters slain. Ah think all yeh can do is wait until she arrives an’ talk to her. Ah wish ah had better advice— waitin’s about the most miserable thing yeh can do when yeh’ve got a problem. Yeh have a good head on yer shoulders, though, and friends that really care about yeh. Yeh’ll get through just fine. Just remember that yer friends aren’t the only ones ta overthink everythin’.”
Sabae smiled, then wrapped her arms around Artur. Or at least tried to— she couldn’t even wrap her arms all the way around Godrick, and Godrick hadn’t even matched his father’s bulk yet.
“Thanks,” she said quietly.
Artur patted her gently on the back. “Yeh’ve had mah boy’s back through thick and thin, lass. He might not have made it out a’ the labyrinth last year if it weren’t for yeh, Hugh, or Talia. Yer all as good as family, as far as ah’m concerned, and if any a’ yeh ever need anything, all yeh have ta do is ask.”
Sabae squeezed Artur harder for a moment, then let go, surreptitiously wiping at her eyes.
“So you mentioned something about Alustin’s dating life earlier,” she said. “How come he didn’t date anyone last year?”
Artur smiled. “Oh, he did lass. He most certainly did. He just felt it wouldn’t be appropriate ta gossip ta his students about his love life.”
Sabae gave Artur a wide smile. “Any chance you could tell me anything about it?”
Artur burst out laughing. “Oh, have ah got some stories for yeh.”
As Artur started telling a story about Alustin, a visiting merchant’s husband, and a leaking alchemist’s lab, Sabae’s smile wasn’t just for the story. Artur might not have had a solution for her, but she felt like some of the weight on her shoulders had been lifted. Not all of it, but… enough.
In novels, whenever a character was dancing with someone at a ball, they always glared at their enemies over their dance partner’s shoulders.
Talia, unfortunately, was entirely too short to even see up to Phusan’s shoulder, let alone over it, so she could only glare at Avah during the moments that she could see her and Hugh to the side.
Not that Avah was her enemy. Talia was just convinced that the Radhan girl was bad for Hugh, and that she was going to end up breaking his heart. She’d never even paid Hugh a lick of attention until he showed off his magical abilities by saving the Moonless Owl from a sandstorm.
Not to mention the way Avah was constantly embarrassing Hugh in public. It clearly made him really uncomfortable, but Hugh was too infatuated with Avah to stand up for himself, and she clearly didn’t care enough to notice.
“Talia?” Phusan said.
Talia realized she’d missed something he’d said. “Sorry, I was leagues away.”
Phusan chuckled. “No worries, I was just wondering if you wanted to take a break? My feet are killing me.”
“I suppose I can make allowances for your weakness,” Talia said, jabbing Phusan with her finger. She made sure to smile at him so he knew she was joking.
Mostly.
They stopped by the banquet tables to grab food and drinks, then headed over to where Artur, Godrick, Sabae, and Irrick were all sitting. They all seemed to be having a great time, which relieved Talia a bit— she hadn’t really thought about how bringing a date might affect Sabae, since she didn’t have one.
Artur groaned as they approached the table and pulled a coin out of his pocket, sliding it over to Sabae.
“Yeh just cost me our bet,” the massive stone mage complained.
“We were betting on who would stay on the dance floor the longest,” Sabae explained with a smug look. “I bet on Hugh and Avah.”
“Ah’m still offended me own da wouldn’t bet on me,” Godrick complained.
“Ah was right not ta. Yeh were the first ones off the floor by a long shot,” Artur laughed.
“I’m going to grab us drinks,” Phusan said. “Want me to grab any food too?”
Talia shook her head and sat down next to Sabae. The taller girl stuck her finger in her wineglass, and a globule of wine began spinning up her finger. It rotated around her hand and up her arm, and then went around her neck and began orbiting her head. Sabae finally caught it in her mouth, looking even smugger.
“How long have you been working on that one?” Talia asked. “And how often did you get yourself soaking wet while working on it?”
&nbs
p; “Oh, ages,” Sabae said. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I got water up my nose before I mastered it.”
After they finished laughing about that, Sabae gave Talia a serious look and lowered her voice. “So did you really get those pins in your sandals mixed up? Because it’s really not like you to take that little care with weapons, or anything even remotely useful for combat.”
Talia shifted uncomfortably. Sabae was really too perceptive for her own good. Or, well, really too perceptive for Talia’s own good.
“No,” Talia said. “I just thought it would be funny to claim I did. They’re where I first said they were.”
Sabae’s expression turned a little skeptical.
“Did you think it would be funny, or were you trying to make yourself more comfortable by presenting yourself as a battle-crazed barbarian?”
Sabae paused, then corrected herself. “More of a battle-crazed barbarian.”
“I wouldn’t…” Talia started, but it sounded unconvincing even to herself.
Sabae pulled another globule of wine out of her glass, but kept it orbiting her head while she spoke.
“I’m not trying to call you out or anything,” Sabae said. “I’ve just noticed you tend to act a little more ridiculous when you’re uncomfortable— more talk of battle than usual, more folksy sayings, that sort of thing. You know if you’re ever uncomfortable, you can always let me know, and I’ll try to help with whatever, right?”
Talia realized she was nervously fidgeting with one of her knives. She quickly rested her hands atop the table. “I know, but can we talk about something else right now?”
Sabae let the globule of wine fly into her mouth, then nodded.
“So when did Phusan ask you to the dance?” she said.
Talia smiled at that. “I asked him, actually! And I encrypted the note I passed him to do it, since we were in Cryptography.”
It wasn’t until much later that Talia thought to wonder whether there was anything else behind Sabae changing the subject to Phusan.
A part of Hugh was still genuinely surprised whenever he turned out to be good at something. At some point in the last year, however, he’d finally let himself become convinced that he wasn’t worthless after all.
