Border Crossing

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"You're late." Baralai Fairchild despised the rain, almost as much as he despised mages. He was waiting at one of the bridges that crossed the river that in turn divided the two largest kingdoms in their land. It was the same bridge where he had waited countless times. Templar or no, gold was gold, and this gold also got rid of troublesome mages.
"You want the gold or not?" A black clad man snarled as he jumped down gracefully from his equally black steed.
Baralai muttered something rather unbecoming of a Templar, then held a gloved hand out. "Gold first, then the cargo. Try anything..." He words were cut off as the mage he was transporting broke free of his restraints. It all happened so quickly that he didn't see the flash of lightning and the proud Templar was crashing into the raging river below.
Six months. It had been six months and the fallen Templar still woke in a cold sweat after dreaming of that night. The mage had rendered him immobile, though wide awake when he had plunged into the river, his heavy armour weighing him down until a pig farmer had dragged him from the river several miles away. It had taken months to get back to health and pay back the farmer for his kindness. In that time word had gotten out that Fairchild the Templar was a deserter.

Alice Gormanghast was scowling into the mirror. She hated this world she had been born into, even now as her maid pulled tightly on the laces of her dress she thought of nothing but a way to escape. Her brother's were all war heroes, famous to everyone in the kingdom for their brave deeds and triumph in defeating several of the dragons. But Alice... All she was known for was to be the prize her father handed over to the man he deemed brave enough to end the war altogether. She was the proverbial Princess in the tower, useful only for luring in prospective suitors. The young brunette didn't even realise her rose coloured lips were quirked into a slight smile 'if only they knew'. Indeed, her father would have a literal heart attack if he knew his prized daughter had secretly been learning how to shoot a bow and handle a sword. She lost herself for hours at an end in books that told of the thieves guild, and their mysterious leader who was sometimes known to have a higher moral code than the knights of their kingdom.

Alice hadn't been expecting Garrik to suddenly pull her to her feet, leaving her to simply fall against him whilst grinning stupidly. It was clear to anyone she adored the halfling. "You promised me a good time, nug humper." She teased.

"You do realise you can't ever leave this place now, don't you?" Bear sneered, covered in demon blood himself now. "The Maker must always be on the throne, unless he's dead."

"You're the one hobnobbing with my mother, not me." Garrik purred tipping her chin up and pressing his lips to hers. "I've been waiting patiently. But I'm done with that nonsense I'm afraid." 

"I've told you before...that's what the dragon is for. Her magic holds a stable portal. I can come and go as I please." Kane hissed. "Being a Templar doesn't make you an expert on the maker, boy."

"You left me with her." Alice pouted, not even noticing that everyone seemed to be watching Her and Garrik dance.

"I think it kind of does." Bear snorted quietly.

"You seemed to be holding your own." Garrik chuckled. He settled his hands on her hips and they swayed with the music. "I'd forgotten how much I missed this music. I think it's the only thing I missed."

"You'd be wrong." Kane said, watching as Yena and the Templar began to fight the demons that were his fault.

Alice was smiling in agreement. "I used to hate the balls my father threw... Dancing with whomever he told me to... but I think a part of me was always hoping I would simply find the right partner."

Bear could feel his limbs burning with exhaustion as he took on more and more demons. He was only fighting because he couldn't leave Yena alone with this monster.

"And yet i get the strange feeling that you plan to leave me." Garrik said quietly, his voice filled with sadness. "Is it him, Captain? Are you still buried with him?" 

Yena too was fighting keep herself from giving up. She'd never wanted to fight anyone or anything. She had wanted to hide from the world and was happy to live in her forest.

Alice's smile quickly faded, as it always did when Garrik was so formal with her. "Why must you drag up the past?" The pirate Queen whispered as her arms slipped away from her dance partner.

"You can stop this!" Bear hissed at Yena. "You could kill Kane before he ever had a chance to crush your heart!"

Garrik didn't answer her. Her watched her with an expressionless face, allowing her to get further away from him.  "I'll go prepare the ship for our journey to Blackbeard's island."

Yena shook her head. "You don't understand. Just...finish your job. We are almost done."

Alice watched him walk away, feeling everything was suddenly silent and all eyes were upon her. The Captain headed in the opposite direction, beginning to understand that she had been wrong; there was no king for her. Garrik was forever drawing a line between them. She would just have to do what she had told Garrik's mother she would do, and confront Kane alone.

"My job is to keep you alive, foolish knife ear!" Bear hissed. "You really think I care what happens to this soul now?"

"You are not going to survive Blackbeard, child." The white haired elf queen told her as she came to stand beside her, watching the pirates as they stumbled to join the first mate on the ship. "But I shall wish you luck at trying. At least I know the boy will be safe from him. It is a comfort we can share."

"Why? Because there is no Maker you stupid fat shem?" Yena snapped, pushing off a row of demons with her nose. Bear was the only one that could get a rise out of her and it was working perfectly.

Alice nodded her head. "I should never have told him I loved him." She whispered. "It isn't safe to be loved by me..."

Bear chuckled at the reaction he had gotten and nodded. "Of course! How can there e a soul if there is no maker to create one?"

"I should say not. I heard what became of Anaris." The dalish woman said darkly. "I will not allow it to happen to my son. Even if it means setting a mad man on your path."

"Again you show how stupid you are. You think your Maker wastes his time parking his ass on a throne? What wants to bother with that?" The dragon singed a row of demons and they ran from her, smoke trailing them.

"I told you I would do what is best for Garrik." Alice replied rather defensively. "If that meant carving my own heart out and leaving it here in a box for him to find, then I would do it! I'm not fearful of anything Blackbeard may do to me."

"Where else would he be? He certainly isn't tending to his flock!" Bear shot back. "I don't think he was ever even here! Perhaps we are all the children of demons!"

"That all sounds about like something he'd cook up." The elven woman smiled ever so faintly. "But you don't need him. You're a disaster all on your own aren't you?" She laughed softly. "Go now. I am eager to have back what he stole from me."

"I think you are all elf children and you just don't want to face that." Yena said once the last demon was gone. "You hate my kind and always will. The maker is probably some drunken elf hiding in Fereldan watching the lot of you make fools of yourselves."

"I imagine you alone are the reason so many people have issue with knife ears." Alice spat, simply to try and be cruel, not because she herself had any problem with elves, Dalish or otherwise.

Bear was simply leaning on his sword grinning now as he let Yena continue, well aware she had vanquished the last of the demons.

"I agree." The queen said with a smile. "My people stay alive that way. Now get out of my sight. You are not welcome here." 

Yrna again changed her firm and marched toward Bear, giving him a shove. "You are pig headed and mean!" She shouted at him. "Damn shem. Are you that desperate to escape me? Did you die on purpose! It does not surprise me!"

Alice had looked to her ship after speaking with the Queen, knowing Garrik was there. Her heart longed for him, but her head was telling her to be sensible. Leave them all behind and save their lives.

Bear began to laugh, his large hands resting down on Yena's slender shoulders. "Yer only upset I made you do the chasin' fer once!" He drawled.

Aranthi watched the separate ship as it sailed away in the opposite ditrection, smiling to herself. Like his father, Garrik was no fool. He knew his lover well and had hidden himself away below deck. Whether she knew it or liked it, the pirate queen wouldn't facing the dread Blackbeard alone. 
The dalish queen was more than a little pleased. S&S&e couldn't wait to see her lover again. It didn't matter that she'd tried to kill him.

"You came to me." Yena reminded him, resting her hands on his chest. This moment wouldn't last.
 Kane tossed a strange looking crown between them. "Put this on my head and bow to me, girl. Now." He demanded.

Alice had taken a small ship, one she was confident she could sail alone without the need to involve anyone else in this fool mission. She had no intention of dying, but she would be damned if she was going to put anyone else in danger.

"What's the matter? Too fat to lift your own arms now?" Bear sneered, refusing to bow even a little.

Garrik waited until they were too far to turn back to show himself. The scene was very familiar to him. He'd done it when he was a young boy. He remembered standing on the deck looking back at his home, the way he was now. "We're you really going to face him alone?" He asked over his shoulder, his tone soft and almost heartbroken.

"I am a king. I shouldn't have to." A flick of his wrists had Bear on his knees and Yena stumbling to obey him. She was fighting it but it did not matter. "Perhaps I should take this one as my consort until I have what I really want."

"You walked away." Alice whispered in reply from where she stood at the helm. "You think you know me..." She added, trying hard not to look at Garrik. "I know I am a bad omen, Garrik. Being with me would bring you only pain, but you didn't want to know, you just assumed it was because of Anaris."

"And what would that be?" Bear growled, clearly still fighting to resist what Kane was forcing him to do.

"And you assume I'm afraid of a little pain, Alice." Garrik said softly. "Why do you insist on being alone? Don't you trust me?"

"The lovely pirate queen of course." Kane chuckled. "I thought you'd already figured that out " he purred, grabbing Yena's hips and yanking her into his lips once she'd put the crown on his head. "Hail to king, right?"

"Because alone is less painful for me." Alice breathed, finally looking at Garrik. "I told your mother I would rip out my own heart and lock it away before I would see you hurt... She was disappointed I didn't physically do it."

Bear only laughed and fought harder. "I'll tell you again, her army is twice the size of yours! You'll never get close to her!" He growled, though was beginning to snarl like an animal when Kane stole a taste of the lips he had claimed for himself.

"At least you know I wasn't kidding about her." Garrik said softly. "I'm sorry she was so cruel. But at least she gave us an answer."

Bear was given a vision of himself making love to Yena. He would be reminded of the happier days when the two of them had been alone and free. A day that Kane promised to never allow him to have again.

"She expects me to die on this fools quest." Alice corrected sadly. It seemed even after proving herself as leader of the Pirate court... Alice still didn't feel she was worthy to be called a leader.

Bear was thankful for the memory, but at the same time it was a pain he didn't want right then. His memories were a mess, still feeling like he had treated Yena shamefully.

"She doesn't know you very well." Garrik said, still look out at the water. "But I do have to wonder how you thought you were going to bag that insane bastard alone."

Yena gave Kane a nasty scratch on his twisted face when he tried to do more than kiss her. She pushed herself off his lap and stumbled toward Bear, stumbling at his feet. She was so tired. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up.

Alice gave a quiet snort, then chuckled. "You know me though... You think I thought that far ahead?"

Bear lifted Yena into his arms and began backing away from Kane. He didn't know where they would go, but he was running and not looking back.

Garrik chuckled, seating himself on the deck railing. "Excellent point. Which means...we have six hours to begin hatching something. Did my mother say anything to help us?"

"I'm sorry," Yena whispered in his ear. "I'm always making you run. You should have left me in that pig pen. The money wasn't worth it."

"Only that I didn't need Blackbeard to kill me... I'm a disaster all on my own." Alice snorted as she hopped onto the railing beside Garrik, though she was facing the opposite way, her legs danging high above the water.

"You're right/" Bear mused. "This has been so  much more fun than a little coin could have bought me."

"Well...you can't say she's wrong. I've always said you are like the wind...at hurricane speeds, my love." Garrik said with a soft laugh though he didn't turn to look at her. "Blackbeard won't kill you. I won't let him."

Yena laughed wearily at this. "How could death be fun?"