Zima leaned over the map table, trying to locate Highever. “Josephine, where does that report say they were again?”
Josephine held up the parchment, turning it toward the candles to squint at the smeared ink, “The troops were last seen…” She broke off as shrill, excited voices rapidly grew louder from the hallway, turning to face the noise. Zima straightened, reaching for the bandolier with her knives, face alarmed as suddenly a dozen small children, human, elven, and dwarven, from toddlers to sturdy five and six year olds, burst through the doorway, led by a small child in a familiar lion helm and followed closely by…
“Cul…Commander? What’s going on?” Zima pulled her hand back from the bandolier, still staring at the tall blonde man, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Troops! Wait for the command to charge! Remember, we must rescue the Lady Josephine!” Josephine frowned, then realized that a slow grin of delight was spreading across the Inquisitor’s face as she saw the bread stick weapons each of the children carried, then Zima seized a long thin loaf of Orlesian bread, breaking it in half to wield one piece in each hand, stepping in front of Josephine to face them.
“Lady Josephine, behind me, I’ll protect you from these dangerous bandits with my last breath! For Clan Lavellan!”
She dropped into her fighting stance as Cullen roared, “Charge! Take down the vile creature holding our Lady captive!”
The mob of children charged forward, trying to manage war cries that sounded more like giggles, and the young Dalish woman dodged to one side, lightly tapping one child on the head with a loaf of bread, while gently whacking another on the side as they all giggled and yelled, “For the Lady Jospehine!” Within a few seconds, they had surrounded her and charged in, poking at her with their bread stick “swords”, then grabbing her hands and pulling her down, mobbing her under a giggling pile of children.
Zima “died” dramatically, dropping onto the floor of the war room, and crying out, “Run, my lady, they are too many for me, but I will cover your escape if I can!” then collapsing limply, eyes closed, “daggers” crossed on her chest. Josephine watched, hand over her mouth and eyes laughing as she looked across at Cullen, who was standing with his arms crossed in the doorway, one of the keep’s nursemaid standing behind him looking both amused and horrified at this treatment of the Herald of Andraste.
The Inquisitor lay perfectly still long enough for one of the youngest children to frown, leaning over to pull open one of her eyelids. “Inkistor?” she managed. Suddenly, Zima’s eyes pop opened, and she grabbed the small child to begin tickling her, grinning and laughing maniacally.
“Ah ha! I have fooled you all! I am really the wicked tickle monster from Nug marshes, and I have used your lady to lure you all in to be tickled!” She began darting toward one child after another, moving on her knees so she was almost the same height as they shrieked and ran screaming around the table trying to stay out of her reach, but also ducking back within arm’s reach as if daring her to grab them. Zima caught another child, tickling him just enough to make him shriek with laughter and squirm out of her grasp. By now, Josephine, Cullen, and the nursemaid were all openly laughing as Zima and the children kept the game up for several minutes. When the Inquisitor was thoroughly out of breath and red-faced, the nursemaid stepped into the room, calling the children.
“Now children, thank the Inquisitor and the Commander for a nice game, and let them go back to work.” Zima sank down to sit on the floor, laughing as several of the children paused to hug her before running toward the door. Cullen stopped the little girl with his helm long enough to reclaim his property, then crossed to offer Zima a hand up from the floor. Josephine just shook her head at them as Leliana entered the room behind Cullen.
“Commander, what inspired this?”
Cullen set his helm on the table as Zima smoothed her clothes and hair back into place. “The children were playing in the courtyard when a horse broke loose from a groom and almost ran through them. We caught the horse, but the children were so scared, I thought they needed something to distract them from their fear. Then I remembered a conversation the Inquisitor and I had while playing chess a few days ago and thought I’d kill two birds with one stone.”
Zima finished straightening her clothes, her face still lit by a broad grin, eyes shining at Cullen. “Yes, you asked me what I missed most about my clan, and I told you that it seemed so silent here because I almost never hear or see the children.” She glanced at Josephine almost shyly. “In a Dalish camp, there is always the noise of children-playing, laughing, chattering, fighting, and crying. And all of the children belong to the whole clan, so almost every day I could stop and play with the children, or even just hold a baby so parents could eat their meal.” She turned back to Cullen, gently resting a hand on his arm as she smiled up at him. “Thank you, Commander, you couldn’t have given me a better present.”
Cullen chuckled and covered her hand, “Inquisitor, your laugh was all the thanks I need.” Josephine exchanged a questioning look with Leliana who raised an eyebrow and pretended not to watch the two until suddenly Zima dropped her hand from his arm and turned back to the table abruptly. “I’m sorry Josephine, now where were we?”
Retour en haut
