Chapter 39 -- Time to Go
*****
Were any of us upset to leave Denerim behind? Anora shed a few tears upon boarding the royal ship that would take us to Kirkwall, but I think the general mood was one of excitement. I was just glad to leave the place behind. Not to say I didn't like Denerim, but there were just too many reminders, and I yearned for something a little different too. I think the only person in our group who did hesitate about leaving was Neria, as she would be leaving her friends and family behind. We had a heart to heart conversation the night before leaving, and I said the decision was hers.
She eventually chose me, which made me feel rather good about myself, in all honesty.
The royal ship was an impressive vessel, loaned to us by Alistair, in thanks to me for my service as Lord of Denerim, and even as thanks to Anora for taking the role. He had even done her a favour, releasing a notice that she would be continuing her role in assisting the kingdom by becoming ambassador to the Free Marches, with even a hinted promise that, given time, she could return to Gwaren as lady of the province. I'm not sure Anora was entirely interested in that but she was thankful for the possibility.
I handled the week-long journey across the sea with relative ease. The only others who did were Anora and Ser Cauthrien, who remained by my side despite the fact I was no longer a lord but she insisted her word remained regardless. In fact, Lenina was still by my side too, Eamon ensuring she was released to the service of Anora. She knew why, and was content enough to take her on as one of her handmaidens. Everyone else from our party suffered some sort of seasickness, particularly when our ship was caught up in a storm that seemed to last at least a couple of days. With all the sickness, Anora and I, and occasionally Eliza and I, spent a lot of time fucking and making a lot of noise that couldn't be heard. I didn't have relations with anyone else, considering most were far too ill.
Kirkwall finally came into view and even those who didn't suffer on the journey were pleased to see land ahead. What we saw upon reaching the harbour did not please us at all, however. Despite it being six months and more since the end of the Blight, there were still refugees camped outside the city walls. I wasn't the only one to mutter a few things under my breath. Met by a delegation from the Office of the Viscount, we were quickly whisked away from the harbour after introductions were made.
First impressions were okay, I suppose. Kirkwall was far larger than any place in Ferelden. Led towards an area of the city called Hightown, the building in which the embassy was housed wasn't just an estate. It was a mansion, and there was little doubt it had been picked by Alistair as a statement of their power. Anora was handed the keys, the dignitary with us explaining that, since receiving notice of its reopening, the embassy had been cleaned from top to bottom in preparation for our arrival. Once the tour was completed, the dignitary disappeared, leaving us to settle in.
Anora and I headed straight to the master bedroom, where an enormous bed sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by furniture that was exquisite and must have cost a small fortune. We could hear shrieks of approval from everyone else, causing Anora and I to chuckle. She then hugged me, standing on tiptoes to whisper, "That's a big bed, Ragnar. Large enough for more than just two."
She leaned back to see my reaction. "You're kidding?"
"Ragnar, no-one really knows us here. We can do whatever we want. And, trust me, apart from what we talked about, I think we can allow ourselves to go a little wild. At least until you've impregnated most of us, at least."
That just made me laugh, as she said that completely straight-faced. "So you're saying this place could be full of babies in the future?"
"Well, it's possible, but don't worry. No matter how tired we are, sex will always be on the table." She paused and smiled, "And I mean that figuratively and literally."
"Now
that
is a good thought. We'll definitely have to give your desk in the office a good working over."
She kissed me before adding quietly, "Well, I'm going to hold you to that one. The only question is; am I bent over the desk or am I sitting on it with my legs as wide as possible?" One of her hands moved to my crotch and she smirked. "You like that thought?"
"All two of them!"
"Ragnar?" I met her eyes at the tone. "Never forget your other girls, okay? Remain how you were with Leliana, as I'm just as understanding."
Leaning down to her ear, I whispered, "And that's another reason why I'm crazy about you."
We took our time settling into the building. There were more rooms that people, and while some of us could have taken our own rooms, Anora and I shared a room, Sereda and Natia continued to share a room and their side relationship, Solona took her own room, as did Eliza and Lyna, while Neria and Lenina also chose to remain in the same room as they were now involved with each other, despite their denials as Lyna finally spilled the beans.
I did ask Solona why she chose to take her own room, and she replied stating that while she might fool around with Eliza occasionally, she hoped I would sleep with her more often. I promised I would.
Anora thrust herself into her role as ambassador, immediately working on getting the refugees either into the city or back to Ferelden. I had no real role except a vague idea of being an attaché. Anora eventually suggested I could find work doing something else, particularly if I wanted to fight. She already knew me well, as I'd fought dragons and darkspawn, so I figured there'd be something else out there that needed to be clobbered.
It was probably two weeks after our arrival when the embassy was visited by a member of the Kirkwall City Guard. She introduced herself as Aveline Vallen, and I wasn't the only one to recognise the accent. "You're from Ferelden?" I asked once she was sat in Anora's office. Anora was sitting down too; I was standing just behind her. If I had one job, it was as her bodyguard, always by her side whenever we left the embassy. I was prepared to swear my service to her, but she said it wasn't necessary though loved the sentiment.
"I arrived here around nine months ago. I'm a refugee from Ferelden."
"How did you manage to get inside the walls?" Anora wondered
"I was a soldier at Ostagar. Barely escaped with my life and..." She trailed off, and you couldn't miss the heartache in her eyes, "Well, let's just a good friend helped me escape."
"Who?" Anora asked.
"Hawke. Marian Hawke. You haven't heard of her yet?" We both shook our head. "I'll send her this way. Her and her sister, Bethany. You'll love them immediately. Just... Be mindful. They're both mages, and any mages not in the Circle are considered apostates. For some reason, the templars are turning a blind eye to their presence."
