A New Hero

A Lie's End

"Ma'am?" Daryan tipped her head in confusion, but her red rimmed eyes darted around the area. "Darkspawn attacked."

"Yes, they did. And yet I find myself curious where you were..."

"She was ordering us from behind the barricades." The new voice skipped up a moment, causing both Rosie and Daryan to whip over at Squire Gavin with a flushed face. He'd been across the field and must have broken into a run to make it over so quickly.

"That's..." Daryan began, but Rosamund lifted a hand up to silence her.

"After, your Majesty..." he pulled in a breath to steady himself.

"Take your time," Rosie smiled, well aware of how close he came to death. If she understood the reports correctly, a few times. "It's been a long day for us all."

"After Snowy and I rescued the Prince and the others, we stumbled upon Ser Daryan taking out a pack of hurlocks." He stood so tall, his chin stuck out while he locked his hands behind his back. Turning around, he stared at the dwarf, "Right, Snowy?"

For his part, the dwarven squire shrugged, sighed, then stuck his thumb up in agreement.

It was obvious Gavin was glaring at the man even with his face turned away from Rosie, but when he looked back it reset to neutral. "Ser Daryan was the one to instruct us to build up the barricade. To prepare a wave of combat to take down the darkspawn, and..."

"And to order my sister to take them head on, including an emissary?" Rosie interrupted. She watched Ser Daryan's jaw drop, the woman's rosy cheeks turning to blinding red rage as if she was about to shout at her squire for such a thing.

"No, your highness, Myra chose to fight on her own."

Rosamund snorted at the first truth he'd told. "After you finished Ser Daryan's brilliant strategy to protect the wagon of armor and arms, what then? What happened to her?"

"She chose to remain behind, afraid there might be another wave, while we were sent off to scout out your location and procure you to safety."

It was a good lie, it put all the squires under it and no one else. None of them would be stupid enough to risk their Knight's wrath at revealing the truth of her vanishing during an attack. Stretching her neck, Rosamund sighed. She could call him on it, but he saved her life. Saved countless lives from the sound of real events. Whatever his reasons for covering for the Knight were, she'd let him have them.

"Thank you, Squire Gavin. And thank you for...for keeping my sister safe."

His lips slipped up into a wide smile, the eyes misting over as he bobbed his head, "Always."

"Ser Daryan, it seems your plans and tactics were successful," Rosie turned to her, not hiding the scowl.

The Knight blinked a moment. She expected to be all but hamstringed or hanged as a traitor. Daryan's liquid ice eyes trailed Gavin as he scampered back to the squires that all went deathly quiet. "Of course, my Lady. Is that not why I am here?"

"I am beginning to wonder," Rosie whispered to herself. "Regardless," she shook her hands, "please assist in the clean up, counting the heads, assessing any injuries. It is a wonder how you escaped so unscathed."

"Skill," Daryan spat out, "your Majesty." She glared at Gavin who was staring at the ground, her eyes never leaving the boy as she stomped off towards the first darkspawn pyre needing a light. Attempting to appear important, Daryan grabbed the flint off the man struggling to get the wet wood aflame. She struck it twice, barely a spark breaking free, when the entire stack erupted into giant flames.