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Warden-Commander Natia Brosca stirred the stew she had been preparing for the last hour, occasionally taking a bite out of the apple she had found on the way to the cave she was now sitting in. She could hear people puttering outside, whispering among themselves, clearly aware of who she was. It was something she got used to over time, so she was able to ignore it well enough most of the time, but she had to admit, sometimes it still made her feel a bit awkward, even after all these years.
Natia still had no idea if agreeing to help the Inquisitor with handling the outcome of what had happened in the Adamant Fortress was a good idea. Up until the moment when she had finally sealed a letter to Leliana and had handed it to one of the Inquisition's scouts, she had had no idea what her answer to her friend's request to meet would be. But now, after talking to the Inquisitor, and to Leliana, at least she knew how the situation actually looked like, and she could plan accordingly in case something went wrong.
Meeting the Inquisitor's Inner Circle had also been an adventure. Talking to each of them had reminded Natia of how she had met all of her companions back in the day, and she had immediately wished that she could meet up with them. She missed her friends terribly, and she hoped they were doing well.
Once the Inquisition's forces had arrived in the Western Approach, Natia had offered to take the first shift as soon as the tents had been set up, even though the Inquisitor had assured her that they had more than enough people to keep the area protected. Natia had insisted, however, since she didn't like sitting idle while everyone else was working.
After familiarizing herself with the area a little bit more, Natia had settled in a cave where the soldiers already had a fire going, and decided to make some stew. From her position she could keep an eye on the camp, as well as on a couple of vantage points she had located earlier. She had propped her greatsword against the tree trunk, so she could easily reach for it if the need arose, and focused her attention on the food.
After over an hour of watching the stew simmering, Natia dipped the spoon in the pot to taste it, and that was when she heard someone walk up to her.
The stew tasted exactly as it should, so the warrior turned her head to look up at whoever wanted her attention this time.
Scout Harding tucked a lock of hair behind one ear, as she said: "Hello Warden-Commander. The Inquisitor was wondering if you wanted to read the reports we've gathered so far."
"Leave them with me. I'll look at them after I eat somethin'."
Harding handed over the reports, before sitting down on the other side of the tree trunk, keeping a respectful distance between them. As she took off her gloves in silence and started rubbing her hands together to warm them, Natia went back to stirring the stew.
Natia didn't mind the quiet, but she was too curious for her own good, so after a while she decided to ask:
"You always this quiet?"
Harding looked up, clearly surprised by the question, but she hid it behind a shy smile. It was a really charming smile.
"Not really. My parents still complain about me asking far too many questions when I'm interested in something. The Inquisitor says it's rather useful, though. How about you?"
"Oh, I love to talk. My best friend, Leske, used to joke that me babblin' all the time was the reason for at least half the trouble we used to get into back in Orzammar. Leliana could tell you somethin' about that, too, if you ask her."
"I don't think the Spymaster ever mentioned that," Harding smiled, still rubbing her hands together. "Do people often ask you about Orzammar, or is it mostly questions about the Blight, Warden-Commander?"
"Mostly the Blight and the Archdemon. Ever since everyone started callin' me the Hero of Ferelden, not many of them care about that I'm also just Natia Brosca. All they care about is the Warden they can contact if the need savin'. You get used to it after a while, but I'm not goin' to lie, it was one of the reasons why I decided to stay away from this whole mess for as long as I did, doin' my own thin'. Until Leliana wore me down. I got all of her letters, and I'm goin' to be teasin' her about them somethin' fierce. And just Natia's fine, by the way. My head will get even bigger than it already is if even here people keep calling me the Warden-Commander," Natia joked, making Harding giggle. "You really wouldn't want that happenin'."
The rogue shifted in her seat, still smiling. "If I get to call you by your name, you can call me Lace."
"That's a pretty name," Natia said, and it might have been just a trick of the light, but she thought she saw the other woman's cheeks redden at the compliment.
Since the stew was already done by that point, Natia reached for the bowl she had grabbed for herself earlier and filled it with a portion, before handing it to Harding, Lace, who looked at it with curiosity clear on her face.
"You've been runnin' around the whole day; scoutin', organizin' patrols, and deliverin' reports. You deserve some good, fillin' food to keep you goin'. My own recipe. Try it."
Lace accepted the spoon Natia handed her, their fingers brushing together briefly, and at the first spoonful of the stew, the rogue's face lit up even more.
"This is delicious! Did you add apples? Or pears?"
"Apples. And raisins, because I like my food sweet. I like sweet things in general, and if you don't mind me sayin' this, you strike me as very sweet," Natia winked at Lace, propping her elbows on her knees. "I hope you don't think I'm bein' too forward here."
Lace ate another spoonful of stew, before putting the spoon down. "I appreciate people being forward, actually. I'm surprised, though. I mean, I'm just me."
"And I'm just Natia Brosca, askin' a nice girl if she'd like to spend some time with me, maybe go for a walk, or to a tavern. Whichever you prefer."
"Both sound good, actually," Lace tucked another lock of hair behind one ear, smiling in a way that made Natia want to be the reason the other woman smiled like this more often.
"We can think of something when we're done here," Natia promised, and as she watched Lace enjoying the food, she added: "I can cook somethin' else for you, too. Not to brag, but I do make a decent roasted ram. Especially if I have fruit and spices available."
"I definitely wouldn't say no to that. And if you wanted, you could tell me more about your life before you joined the Wardens. I'd love to hear more about Orzammar, and about your friend."
"Oh, the stories I could tell you. But only if you share some, too."
"We have a deal, then, Warden-Commander."
As Natia and Lace enjoyed the stew and the warmth of the fire, and Lace laughed at each of Natia's stories about some of her and Leske's misadventures, the warrior decided that letting Leliana talk her into joining the Inquisitor this one time might not have been such a bad idea.
