Chapter Text
Evee dismounted and shook herself off, these clothes weren’t remotely practical for riding but of course mother had insisted that if she was going to attend the Conclave with James she would be going as a Lady and not a huntress. She unclipped the hooks that had kept her skirts round her waist while she rode and let the skirts fall, hiding the riding trousers that were so unbecoming of a noble born lady such as herself. She tugged at the tight sleeves and considered removing the hat that had been firmly clipped on to her head, hiding all of her crimson hair. She heard the sound of galloping hooves and stopped what she was doing to look at the Templar who was approaching, as he pulled his horse to a stop next to hers he looked down at her with mock disbelief.
“You must tell me how you ride so quickly side saddle Lady Trevelyan!” He said with a smile as he dismounted.
“It’s easier than you think when you’ve got idiot noble men telling you about how simply splendid they are at hunting and how wonderful they are in general. I couldn’t stand it another moment- and you were no help at all James!” She continued to tug at her sleeves, why was all this fashionable nonsense so uncomfortable? She remembered that she had been about to remove her hat when she had heard James approaching and decided to continue but he reached for her hands and pulled them down laughing.
“Now now Evee, mother specifically said you had to keep the hat on until you had been able to bathe and get the maids to make your hair pretty!” He laughed again, their mother had never been as protective of him and although his path had always been chosen it was one he enjoyed, she had never had the same luxuries. Originally she was to enter Chantry life as a Sister and eventually a Mother; that had all changed after an accident that had nearly claimed her life. She had been protected and shielded from the world, only really encountering her family and her servants, and although she had been well trained in everything a noblewomen needed to know she had never even really experienced noble life- its parties and fete’s all deemed too dangerous for the youngest Trevelyan. She groaned at her brother and rolled her eyes.
“So this is Haven?” She asked him as someone came to take the horses to be watered.
“I believe so, a lot more soldiers here than I expected” James frowned as he looked at the clusters of tents just outside the gates of the small village, the last stop on the journey to the Temple of Sacred Ashes.
“Just think, the Hero of Fereldan came here, she killed all the cultists and saved the Arl of Redcliff!”
“Yes, and I hear she even has a secret pet griffon that she rides around; when she’s not busy being the Queen of course” James teased, ever practical he didn’t believe all of the stories of The Warden, and although he was a devout Andrastian he didn’t believe that a sprinkle of ashes had worked as a miracle cure. They walked through the gates and were directed to the Tavern. She continued to pull at her uncomfortable clothing and he continued to mock her for it; she was closer to her twin then anyone in the world, but that didn’t stop them from mercilessly mocking the other.
They purchased some supplies and decided to buy a small drink each, settling in the corner she looked around. Most of the people here were Templars and soldiers, gathered in clusters talking amongst themselves. One man sat alone surrounded by papers, he wore a cloak with a fur collar over his armour and she spotted a scar across his mouth. She wondered why he was alone, how he had got the scar; she watched him closely but turned away quickly when he looked her way. She pulled the lace veil from her hat over her eyes-another thing her mother had insisted upon. She would be allowed to reveal herself when they arrived at the Temple, but in the meantime she was to hide the features that gave away her identity. Hidden underneath a particularly Orliasian hat where the two things that most obviously marked her as the youngest of the Trevelyan twins, a mass of crimson curls and unusual violet eyes. It didn’t make sense to her really, surely the fact she was being escorted by James would give her away? Nevertheless she would follow her mother’s rules this time; if she wanted to be let out of her gilded cage this was the price.
“Evee?” Her brother’s voice broke in to her thoughts, and she was glad of it. She would of course never admit it to James but she was glad to be reunited with him, she had missed him terribly ever since he had left home to join the order. When they were younger they had come up with all sorts of plans to stay together when they moved on to their Chantry roles, she would be a sister serving a Circle, maybe he could be the kind of Templar that served at a Chantry- anything to stay together. He was her best friend and she loved him dearly. “Are you off in your own world sister dear?”
“Better than being in yours darling brother” she smiled with a wink he couldn’t see. They talked of being younger, all their plans and even dared to make new ones- things for after this horrible war. They joked but both could feel the tension in the air, the Conclave was a last chance to fix things and if it failed only more danger, blood and chaos could follow. Neither wanted to reach the end of their glass or the end of their journey. Her eyes flicked occasionally back to the man sitting alone working, although she could tell he wasn’t working now; he had been looking at that same piece of paper for as long as she’d been here and she had heard him laugh once or twice at her conversation.
As more people entered the Tavern James signalled that it was time to leave, the soldiers they had seen outside were starting to file in and a noble woman in a gold ruffled dress entered accompanied by a woman in a cloak, they joined the man with the scar. She dragged her feet slightly unwilling to leave Haven, or was she merely unwilling to reach the Temple? They continued to talk and laugh as they walked through Haven and out towards the stables- for a moment they were young and invincible again but both knew it couldn’t last. They retrieved their horses, she rode side saddle as she had been instructed and he rode more slowly in order to stay beside her. Somehow it felt like the longest journey she had ever made.