Chapter Text
After actually meeting the children, the rest of my day was filled with being led around with one on each arm showing me everything they had found interesting in the hold. I learned that the clan was getting ready to begin their exile into Tevinter. This was their original hold. I had often wondered where they had come from originally and I suppose my question was now answered.
We were located a few days ride north of the Fallow Mire, thankfully far enough away that the weather was nowhere near as horrendous as the game had implied that the Mire was. Though, I would later learn that when the wind blew just right from the south, the unmistakable smell of mildew and rot would waft through the air. I was surprised that it wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be, before I remembered that we were in the southern hemisphere of Thedas, so the farther north one travelled, the warmer it became as the equator of Thedas got closer.
The clan was welcoming. Apparently being found worthy of being pulled between worlds by their gods was enough in their eyes to make us worthy of being adopted into the clan. I was introduced to Hannigar, though the twins refused to call him such. They insisted on calling him babysitter. At first he seemed like he hated the name, though it must have grown on him as he stopped correcting them after the first dozen times or so they yelled for Babysitter.
Hannigar informed me that he had been given the task of helping us settle in and find our place within the clan. While I was worried about what this would mean, I was hoping it had nothing to do with marriage, he settled my anxiety quickly by telling me that it was his responsibility to teach us the workings of the hold and anything else that we might need to know to survive as a member of the clan. This included starting the cooking fire if and when it burned out, hunting if I was so inclined, preparing the hunt for meals, preparing meals and so on. My days quickly became filled with helping other members of the clan feed those who were responsible for hunting and the like. I hated it. I could barely cook ramen for myself. As a single woman with a decently paying job, it was cheaper and quicker for me to eat out most of the time back on Earth. The only foods I kept on hand at home had been protein shakes and bars that I ate when I trained for my marathons.
The twins were made sure I was always in their sights, I noticed this almost immediately, though they were not near as clingy as they had been the first few days after I woke up. They mostly played with the other children of the clan and did their best to stay out from under the feet of the adults hurrying to and fro while they packed their lives up and prepared to make the long journey to Tevinter. The days were long and filled with hard work, and I had no trouble falling asleep in the evening. That being said, my sleep was far from peaceful. The panicked screams of my neighbors, and the shaking of the ground as it collapsed around me, haunted my dreams. I hated the Fade. Everything felt more real in my dreams than they ever had before, and since I had never managed to learn how to lucid dream on Earth, I was powerless to change the direction of my nightmares in this magical dreaming.
The large sow that was the Benna, the Holdbeast, apparently loved me as much as she did the children. Hannigar informed me that Hareda had told him that the god that resided in Benna was the same god who had helped Hareda pull us through the realms. When she wasn’t following the children closely like an overprotective mother, she was following me with the same focused intent. It was disconcerting to turn around at random points in the day to find an eight hundred pound pig right behind me, but if I thought that was rough, it was nothing to waking up with her snuffling around me at night as she made herself room on the pile of furs we all slept on. Her attention bordered on obsessive.
It was only a few days before the clan was planning to move out when Hannigar asked me if I would like to join him in the hunt for the day. I was so tired of cooking and feeding the fires that I jumped at the opportunity to explore a little more of the area before we were planning to head out permanently to one of the most unsettling and dangerous areas of the world just then. I told the twins to stay near Benna and Hareda and to please, don’t go exploring on your own. The happily agreed, as they had long since made friends with the other children and they had no interest in going out into the woods with the bugs and the scary animals. I learned quickly that there was an alternate motive for the invite.
“Hareda does not think that you and the twins should follow us to Tevinter, World-Walker. She feels that you would not be safe if they should find out how you came to this world. The entire cursed country is full of Tevinter mages who would love to study you. The gods agree with her,” he said rather suddenly in his abrupt way. “She has asked me to accompany you as far as the Inquisitions hold to ensure that you arrive safely. A few other hunters will come with us to help protect the children. But we are to leave you there and return to clan, meeting up with them, hopefully before they get to Tevinter and kill all the slavers before we can get our share in.”
I found myself incredibly grateful and relieved. I had been worrying about the exact same thing for days now; since Hareda told me where they were headed to be more accurate. It had added another flavor of terror and uncertainty to already torturous dreams and my attitude and health would not be able to handle it much longer. I nodded in agreement. He seemed relieved at my lack of an argument. He must have been worried that my pride would be offended.
“Rowan and Willow don’t need to be anywhere near Tevinter,” I said at last. “We are far too different than the people of this world. It would be noticed immediately. The children deserve a safe a place as I can find for them, and being that close to some of the largest slaver markets in this world is just not one of them.”
Hannigar nodded, clearly pleased that I was being so reasonable. Avvar woman took extreme exception to anyone thinking they needed defending unless they were far along in pregnancy. A few days before I had seen one stab her husband in the arm for trying to take her place on the hunt because she had caught a boars tusk in her leg. Hareda had healed it quickly and the younger woman refused to be coddled any further than a small dose of what must have been a pain reliever before she had been healed by Hareda and the spirits that were always hovering just out of sight of the mundane. While I had been impressed, I knew that the twins had not been raised Avvar and it was my responsibility to keep them safe until they were old enough to defend themselves.
“It’s a good idea,” I replied easily and smiled reassuringly at him. “I am unable to fight with any weapon to defend myself, let along two small children.” He nodded and stopped walking, suddenly alert.
“There is game nearby.” He told her., unhooking his axe and looked back to her. Go, this game is of the human variety. I froze and stained my eyes, attempting to see what it was the Hannigar was talking about. “Now!” he snapped, I hopped to somewhat startled and took off running back down the hold. I ran through the gates and started yelling that Hannigar was under attack. I sure hoped he wasn’t; that it was him over-reacting to something. But if I had learned nothing else about these proud people over the last few days, it was that they were rarely inclined to exaggerate and they never worried the clan over silly things they could handle themselves. Several warriors and hunters immediately took off in the direction I had come from.
I returned to the cooking fire with much less distaste than I had before. People I had befriended over the last couple of weeks were possibly in a fight for the lives and safety of the clan. Some might not return, but those that did would be hungry. If they were going to keep me safe and defended I was certainly not going to complain about having to feed them when they came back.
It was several hours later that a successful group returned to the hold. True to my prediction they were starving, however I was happy to see that there were not many injuries and no deaths. Everyone had left in one piece and returned in the same way, albeit somewhat bruised and battered. It had been a stray group of slavers that had thought they would be able to steal a few of the Avvar women to sell when they returned to their homes and their auction blocks. They obviously did not know the Avvar or they would have stayed far away. As it was, they had made a mistake of pride in thinking that they would be able to overcome a village full of mere women. There was nothing mere about the Avvar women. They could defend themselves just as well as the men, even the young woman who had not yet reached their sexual maturity were quite capable with their weapons of choice.
It was decided over the evening meal who all would escort us to Skyhold. Quite contrary to what I was used to , there were so many volunteers to escort the World-Walker and her charges that they had ended up contesting and challenging each other for the ‘privilege.’ I would have gone to bed long before then if I hadn’t been informed that since the contests were held due to me, it would be my decision on who won and would escort us to safety. Everyone wanted a chance to be helpful to the World-Walker and I was kept up late into morning choosing my escorts. By the time I had finally made my way to my bed the sky was beginning to lighten and the stars were no longer visible. Though, for the first time since I had come to Thedas, my sleep was nightmare free.