the dragon's lullaby

Chapter 3

--LUNARA--

The journey to Skyhold had been dreadful.

The horse provided by the inquisition couldn't make up for the cold that had crept into her bones, and even so, there were times she had to lead the majestic, beautiful beast by the rein because some parts of the mountain pass were simply too steep or slippery.
The inquisition had also provided her with an escort. She had been offended by the offer at first; she felt perfectly capable of defending herself. Thankfully she had swallowed her pride and let the guard do his job because she'd surely have died out here on these paths; they were hard to navigate with the thick blanket of snow covering any signs of whereabouts. It was also nice to have a traveling companion again, after living in silence for so long, save from the voice in her head that belonged to Aranul. It was a welcoming change; conversing with Aranul was sometimes draining, whereas conversing with the Fereldan soldier was easy and pleasant.

When they finally reached the gates of Skyhold, she let out an audible sigh. She felt the familiar pangs of hunger and was nearly frozen to the bone. It had been so long since she had a decent bath, too. She was certain that she reeked terribly.

Life as an apostate and a wanted fugitive had always prevented her from relaxing and taking proper care of herself. A lifetime ago she had been beautiful, but that was exactly what it was—a lifetime ago. Now, her brown locks were matted and her ribs were visible due to lack of nourishment. Her skin had turned sickly pale and her eyes had lost its lively spark.

Lunara and the inquisition soldier both halted their mounts at a spot where other soldiers were awaiting their arrival. The moment they took hold of the reigns, Lunara dismounted. She fell face flat on the ground of exhaustion. Such a gracious entrance, she thought to herself in pain, feeling the pebbles poking against her cheeks.
"My lady, are you alright?!" a shocked voice asked her before she felt two strong hands lift her up her feet. A woman stood before her, with short black hair and a scar on her cheek. Concern graced her features while she looked Lunara over for any injuries. Lunara offered her a sheepish and unconvincing smile. "Just fine. A little exhausted from the journey, is all." she offered in reply. Her muscles ached terribly, even more so after that unflattering fall.
"I understand. Please take today to rest. Someone will show you to your chamber, with a meal and a bath so you can freshen up. I imagine it to have been quite the journey." The woman said kindly. Truthfully, Lunara hadn't expected such a warm welcome. Perhaps the years of traveling and being wary of strangers had made her overly cautious. A little too much, maybe.
"Thank you, lady..?" "Just Cassandra will suffice. Such formalities are better saved for the official meetings."

Behind them a small group had gathered, though Lunara didn't feel up for socializing. Cassandra seemed to notice it, too, and turned to the group. "Lady Lunara is tired from her travels, as is to be expected. We'd be best off holding any official gatherings until the morning." she proposed. Judging by the tone of her voice it sounded more like a command, however. "Ofcourse, Cassandra. I didn't expect any different." a man replied. He was quite handsome, with an olive toned skin and deep brown locks. His emerald eyes held nothing but kindness as he approached Lunara. "Luc Trevelyan, my lady. A pleasure to make your acquintance. I will gladly show you to your room." he said, just as friendly. Lunara nodded with a tired smile.

A different man had been eyeing her with a somewhat judgemental look. Luc, who Lunara presumed to be the inquisitor, was ready to lead her off to her quarters before the man behind them spoke up.
"No dragon?" he mused mockingly, looking at Lunara with raised eyebrows. Lunara tensed and noticed a few bypassers looking up at them. It might have been rumored that the 'dragon's daughter' was aiding the inquisition, but the people had yet to find out it was in fact, her. She didn't mind and would rather to continue to live in anonymity here, for her sake and Aranul's safety.

Apparently the man with the stupid furry coat had a different idea. For what reason she didn't know. Maybe to humiliate her? It seemed like he had a strange superior complex and it uneased her. It somewhat reminded her of her time in the circle and her time being a venatori's captive. It rattled her nerves to put it mildly.
Lunara shot him a bitter look. The hooded redhead woman standing next to him glared daggers at him, while the woman dressed in golden ruffles holding a wooden writing board, gasped of utter shock at his unfiltered words. "Commander, this is not the place.." Cassandra warned him, her voice laced with venom. The commander, however, shrugged. "I merely assumed.. If there was any truth to the tale, she would be riding in on the beast and make an entrance, would she not?" he continued, his glare hardening.

The fury beneath her fingertips was threatening to burst. It was a good thing she was tired.
"She is not a beast and I have nothing to prove to you. I am here assist the inquisition, not to parade around like some court jester. The lack of your belief is not my problem, commander. Don't try to make it so." Luna spat back, shooting him one more death glare before returning her gaze to the inquisitor, who gave the commander a stern 'we will discuss this later'- look. The commander grumbled something under his breath before storming off into the opposite direction she'd come from.

"I apologize for the commander's outburst, my lady. Please, take all the time you need to rest and be assured this will not happen again. And do let us know if there is anything you recquire to make your stay more pleasant." the woman dressed in golden ruffles offered earnestly. "Oh! Where are my manners, My name is Josephine Montiliyet. Just ask someone in inquisition clothing and they will forward the message to me." she added quickly, slightly blushing due to her misstep in her social etiquette. "Thank you, lady Montiliyet. And thank you for your kindness" Lunara said.
The redhead next to Josephine had an unreadable expression, yet she tried to offer a forced smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Leliana, my lady. We will continue our introductions tomorrow. Please, rest, and we will see you then." Leliana said, before walking into the same direction the Commander had gone off to.

The rest of the group went all their seperate ways and Luc Trevelyan offered Lunara his arm with a boyish grin. "Shall we, my lady?"