Namesake

1308

 

Lion’s Arch.

Despite having lived here for several years already, Arth really did not like this city. It was dirty, it was loud, it was crowded, and nothing at all like his peaceful forest home that he’d left behind.

But he never hated it more than this moment, where he was standing still in the middle of a bustling street, watching an interaction between a street vendor, and a tiny, tiny girl draped in dirty rags that were much too big for her. 

Her hand was reaching for a loaf of bread, discontentment and anticipation mixing together on her face, only to be shooed off by the unpleasant man running the stall. At his harsh words, the girl shrank back dejectedly, and ran off without a word, eyes brimming with tears. 

Jostled at the shoulder by another civilian passing by, Arth stumbled forward, and with the momentum, set course for the vendor. He was a shorter man with a heavy scowl pressed into his face by numerous wrinkles. When he approached him, leveling him a flat, cold glare, the man greeted him with a ‘How do you do?’ and expectantly smiled up at him, the look dripping with greed. 

Arth’s dark expression turned glowering.

“Shame on you,” He growled, and grabbed the loaf that the girl had been reaching for. Not bothering to slap down even a single copper, he spun on his heel and walked off in the direction he’d seen her disappear to.

“Sir!” The older man shouted after him, indignant, and began to give chase. “Thief! Pay me this instant!”
“I won’t. You’ll be fine without it, but she won’t,” He lifted his voice, never looking over his shoulder as he carried on. “Piss off.”

It only took a few steps for his pursuit to stop. Arth was covered head to toe in numerous blades of varying sizes, with others surely lying beneath the dark heavy fabric of his cloak, and he had the build of a trained combatant. He didn’t particularly look like somebody to mess with, and the man could see that. 

Grumbling curses under his breath, he returned to his stall, looking insulted on top of his already grim face. If he wasn’t getting business, it was his own fault. 

Slipping into an alley, Arth’s sensitive ears could make out the distant pattering of small feet scampering about, so he continued forward in an unhurried, calm manner. As long as he could isolate and track the sound, he’d catch up eventually. Besides, he didn’t want to startle her with a sudden appearance.

Moments later, it’d sounded like she’d stopped a few paces after turning another corner. She’d probably tired herself out and decided to stop and catch her breath. But when he also overheard the chinking of armor, and intelligible conversation, his pace quickened until the murmurs became clear enough to hear

“She’s the one we’re looking for, right?” 

“Looks to be. Matches our description, alright.” 

Arth slowed to a halt at the corner, dropping into a stealthy crouch. Who in the world…? 

A woman spoke up, authoritatively. “Little girl, you ought to come with us.” 

“S-soldiers…? I didn’t steal anything, I-I swear!” The girl insisted, frightened. She sounded unwell, puny voice raspy and quiet. “I won’t!” 

“You’re not in trouble, but I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter,” The woman insisted, chain armor clanking loudly between the dark walls as she walked closer. 

She sounded even more wary, shuffling a few steps backwards. “P-papa said not to trust strangers…” 

“‘Papa’,” She’d snorted, sounding as if she was rolling her eyes. “You don’t have one.”

Arth winced. The bluff had been called so quickly. To the girl’s credit, though, she stomped her foot and insisted further that she did, and that she wasn’t going to go with her.

An idea occurred to Arth, then, and he set to work stripping himself of the majority of his weapons, keeping one ear trained on the conversation beside him as he worked, and more than prepared to physically step in if it escalated. Why would soldiers be interested in an orphan? Who’s orders were they working under? 

His comically large collection of knives was stashed behind a crate to his right, while one remained pressed into the heft of his palm - A short, serrated blade. He sawed at the edges of his cloak and made a few cuts to the rest of his clothes, teasing and fraying the threads to have it take on a much more worn appearance. Not that he was the wealthiest man in the first place… most of his gear was already well-worn, but it wouldn’t have been convincing enough for this purpose. 

It wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t have much time. The soldiers were growing impatient, and the girl was going to flee any moment.

“Ah, Selene, I finally found you! I got us some food for tonight…” He called out to her as he finally stepped into the alleyway, showing the loaf of bread from beneath his cloak. His voice trailed off with confusion as he pretended to see the soldiers for the first time, then allowed his demeanor to grow serious and concerned as he walked up to the scene, reaching up a hand to mess with his long, dark brown hair. 

‘Ministry?’ Arth wondered as he spotted the crests on their armor, and took a good look at each of their faces. There were three soldiers in total, all human. The two in the back were younger men with serious-looking faces and plain gear, while the woman was dressed in captain’s armor, and had her chestnut hair tied back in a plain, tight ponytail. Her severe face scowled at him, immediately sizing him up to see if he was a threat or not. 

He was, but his remaining weapons were concealed out of sight, so there was no way she would know. 

‘What the hell brought Ministry soldiers to Lion’s Arch? On what minister’s order…?’

“Captain… Is… there a problem? Did my daughter do something wrong?” He asked, taking a protective step in front of the now bewildered orphan, strategically placing himself between her and the Ministry captain. He hoped she would take the hint to play along, she seemed clever enough to recognize him as an ally, at the very least. 

The captain’s bravado faltered as his words struck her, and she looked between the two of them with narrowed green eyes. “You… sir, are her father?” 

“I am. What’s the meaning of this?” He lowered his brows, vexed. He felt a slight tug on his pants, close to his knee. When he glanced down, he found her hiding in his cloak, cautiously peering out. 

“Ah!” The woman tittered, snapping her fingers with a revelation. “I get it, you adopted the orphan, didn’t you? Well, I’m sorry to say that she has business in Divinity’s Reach, so she will be coming back with us, the Ministry.” She pointed at her crest for further emphasis. 

Arth cleared his throat, shifting his stance to face her square on. “I think you misheard me,” He said in a low, quiet voice. “I am her father. She will not be going with the Ministry. You have the wrong child.” 

The tension in the air turned menacing, and he watched, unmoving, as she placed a hand on the hilt of her blade, and the other two followed suit. Slowly and carefully, he reached down and unhooked ‘Selene’ from his leg and hoisted her up to his waist, unsheathing a knife attached to the backside of his thigh in the same motion, and keeping it hidden by holding it flat against his forearm.

“Selene…” The captain smiled sweetly, “This man is actually your father?” She asked. “You’ve known him your whole life?” 

‘Selene’ glanced up at him with wide brown eyes, considering her answer for the briefest of seconds. “Yes!”

 … ‘Actually, looking at her close up like this… we look rather alike’  Arth realized, thanking fate for the accidental resemblance. They shared a similar golden-brown skin tone, and had the same shade of dark brown for their hair, as well as matching dark eyes, although her’s were tinted by hidden shades of blue. The only differences were his clear Canthan ethnicity, and the energetic curls in her short, messy bob compared to his half-up, flowing hair.

But the captain smirked. “Then, what’s your father’s name?” 

The question took her by surprise, and she looked at him, flustered once more, but it was too late to come up with one on the spot. Her hesitation had proved the captain’s suspicion correct. 

“Get them!” She shouted, drawing her sword. “We have orders to bring that girl in! We are not leaving until we do so!”

 

…

 

“Alright,” Arth said, stopping before a warmly-lit, worn down building. He reached his arms up and plucked the tiny vagabond from his shoulders, setting her on the ground in front of him. “I got that bread for you earlier, but you really ought to eat a lot more than just that. I want you to ask for anything you want, okay?” He told her, sighing as she wasted no more than a couple seconds before latching back onto his hand and staring up at him. 

“... What…?” She questioned, turning her gaze ahead of him at the doors. 

Arth reached down and wiped a drop of drying blood off of her cheek. “This is my favorite restaurant, I’m buying you dinner tonight. All you can eat,” He insisted, and pulled her along with him through the doors. 

Subconsciously, his eyes scanned the building as they walked in, on his usual high guard for any suspicious characters. To his surprise, the joint was unusually quiet. Aside from the tavernkeep and a handful of regular patrons, the building was empty.

Exhaling, he pulled the girl by the hand to a booth sheltered comfortably in a corner of the shop a few paces from the lit hearth. She climbed into the seat across from him, but her face was still askance with nervous eyes, like she still didn’t quite understand what was going on.

He reached for the menus that were left leaning against the wall, and moved to hand one to her, but froze in place. “Do you know how to read?” But as soon as he spoke, he felt a little foolish. He hasn’t interacted with a kid in so long he couldn’t remember what age they become literate, even with a good education. 

A shake of her head, curls bouncing with the motion.

He hummed a neutral sound, and looked at the menu himself. “I’ll read it to you then.” 

Although she listened attentively, it took some coaxing to get her to actually tell him what foods to order, no matter how many times he explained that it was his treat tonight. Eventually, she decided on a stew and to try some of his steak, but after they struck up a conversation with the tavernkeep to order, he was chided on giving her nothing but meat.

“A girl her age needs to eat her veggies too, Arth. Don’t give her your bad eating habits,” The asuran cook had laughed at him, and Arth could only relent and add a dish of grilled vegetables to their order 

Left alone again, however, Arth turned his attention back to her, chin resting on the upturned palm of his hand, bored. “What’s your name?”

“Selene.”

His brow knit in confusion. He’d just come up with that on the spot… Surely that was too coincidental to be true?

She blinked at him. “I like it.”

“You want to change your name?”

Her tired dark eyes shifted as she glanced away from him, looking out of place on a child's face. “Don’t have one.” 

He hummed again, feeling oddly touched that she was a fan of that name. “Alright, Selene it is. My name is Arth,” He began, then scratched sheepishly at his cheek before continuing, “... I also picked it as a name I like.” 

Her first weak smile grew on her face at that, and he heard her feet swing under the table, kicking lightly against the backboard. “You didn’t have a name either?” She asked.

“Ah… I did, but I can’t use it anymore.” She looked a little confused at that, but seemed to accept the answer after a short moment. “How old are you?” He asked instead.

Selene shook her head. He sighed through his nose, roughly estimating her to be somewhere around five, but it was hard to tell with how malnourished she was.

He’d been hoping she’d have some idea as to why those soldiers had an interest in her, but finding those answers might be a lot harder than he thought. She seemed just as bewildered as him about… everything, and the Ministry had been too quick to flee for him to take a hostage tonight.

“Do you live in an orphanage? Are there any adults I can talk to?”

Selene stilled, her sullen look returning as she fiddled with her hands in her lap, obscured by the table. 

Arth remained quiet, giving her room to gather whatever thoughts were evidently brewing. Realizing that staring probably wasn’t helping, he turned his attention back to the rest of the restaurant and watched the chef behind the counter prepare their meal.

“I don’t want to go back.” 

He didn’t respond right away. In fact, by the time he spoke, their dinner had already been served and Selene had started shoveling the steaming stew into her mouth. 

Truthfully, he hadn’t decided on what he was going to do with her. It was a complicated case. He wasn’t the best with children and didn’t have the time to care for one all the time, yet the Ministry would undoubtedly return and he wanted to get to the bottom of their involvement without endangering her further. 

And… she wasn’t healthy. Wherever she was staying now, it wasn’t working. He didn’t have it in him to simply put her back on the streets, Ministry aside. 

“Slow down,” He chided gently, reaching for her arm with a hand. “You’ll make yourself sick.” 

Stray tears streamed down her cheeks. “But it’s so good.” 

“You should tell Chef Rhell how much you like his stew,” He said, grinning. “But if you eat it that fast, he’ll know you aren’t really tasting it.” 

Her spoon lowered hesitantly as she peeked over at the chef he’d previously been watching. She sniffed, not seeming wholly convinced. 

“Here, try a bite,” He said, slicing a small cube off of his steak and offering it on an outstretched fork. Selene leaned forward and plucked it from him, chewing it a little bit slower than she had the stew. “Besides,” He began, “You can get more tomorrow, too. You’re going to be eating well from now on.”
At that, she went completely still and wide-eyed. 

“Tomorrow…?”

He nodded. “I want you to come to my work with me. I have a lot of friends who can help keep you safe,” He explained, glancing about the tavern once more to make sure none of said coworkers were present. His skin crawled at the thought of any of them hearing that he’d called them friends. “We’ll figure out why those soldiers were after you, alright?”

She sniffled a few times. Then, her cheeks reddened. And then she tipped her head back and wailed.

At the sudden loud crying likely directing the judgment of the tavern’s patrons over to them, Arth felt himself go cold in humiliation, and immediately jumped to try to hush her. His hands flailed about in the space between them, not sure what to do. “A-ah… um… Miss Selene… There’s no need… it’s okay, just quiet down..” He mumbled, uncharacteristically tripping over his words frequently due to his nerves. Sincerely, when was the last time he’d worked with a child? It had been when he’d met Zuhaira’s son in Elona, wasn’t it? He hadn’t cried like this!

Selene coughed through sniffling sobs, face a mess dripping with tears and snot, but she was undeterred. She wiped her face with clumsy hands, then disappeared under the edge of the table. Arth’s brow knitted, staring at the spot she disappeared, only to feel something grab onto his knee a moment later. A glance down confirmed… It was her snot-covered hand. He sat frozen as she clambered into his lap from under the table, wailing all the while. His eyes searched the rest of the tavern in a silent plea for help, but instead of judgment, he was only met with amused sympathy for a young parent from the others. No… It’s not like that, don’t get the wrong idea!

Biting back a sigh, he picked her up beneath the arms and pulled her to his chest, bouncing his leg gently the way he’d seen Zuhaira and other parents do so to comfort young children. She continued to cry, grabbing onto his shirt, but gradually the wails turned to soft sniffles and hiccups.

It wasn’t like he didn’t understand why she was crying so suddenly. In fact, he understood the feeling quite well. When you’ve been on your own and feeling unsafe for so long and then somebody comes along, the first sympathetic face you’ve seen in ages… It’s enough to make even someone like himself weep and cling to that person forever. Which made his heart ache more. He wasn’t sure he could be that person for her. He wasn’t exactly trying to bond with anyone these days, and he hadn’t realized how much he’d grown attached to Aurelia until she’d been badly wounded on a mission with him. The worry he’d felt for her then had been alarming enough, he didn’t intend on throwing a baby into the mix. He was far from a father anyway.

He was intending to get her off the streets and investigate the Ministry’s interest in her, but nothing more. Surely somebody else in the Chantry would be willing to look after her.

“Alright kid,” He finally spoke as she finished calming down, tapping her back and making the girl look up at him with still dripping, shining eyes. He made a face and wiped at her remaining tears with his thumbs, then stuck his tongue out at her. “You’ve gone and gotten tears and snot all over my work clothes, and your food’s getting cold. How about we finish eating and then get you some new clothes and a handkerchief, hm?” 

Reminded of her delicious stew, she gasped and crawled back under the table to her seat, tears completely forgotten. Arth relaxed as she scampered away from him, and wiped his now slimy hands on his pants, and wished his mood was as flexible as hers.

His steak lay forgotten as he watched her dig into the stew and even into the grilled vegetables on their separate plate beside the bowl. Providing for somebody… It never stopped feeling nice, he thought. It reminded him of days long ago when he’d first taken Katsuhito, the shrineless guardian, into his care. Of defending small villages where no one would remember the fallen, or bandaging the wounds of wild animals he’d found throughout his travels. It was in his namesake, wasn’t it? His original name, at least. 

No matter how much he tried to lie to himself that he didn’t care for the people around him, no matter if he began going by a different name… This was something he couldn’t change about himself. 

Selene gave him a bright smile, dark blue eyes glittering with happiness. She was just one child, one of so many without somewhere to call home. But it’d be nice if he was able to preserve that look on her face. He probably wouldn’t be able to, but it’d be nice.

He wasn’t going to get attached.

He offered a small smile in return, but it didn’t seem to reach his eyes.

What a lie.

Note: Arth's given name is Tamotsu, coming from the character 保. This character means safeguard, maintain, preserve and protect