Digging A Hole
Dorian Pavus glared down at the letter in his hand for the fifth or perhaps sixth time since it had been delivered to him. He had been rather looking forward to a nice relaxing time in Skyhold after chasing all around the Emerald Graves after a bear that had been killed by the local Dragon, only to return and be told that his Father was plotting something and asked the Inquisitors to bring him to Redcliffe, naturally neither of the women did so and came to him with the news. a Fact the Tevinter Altus was immensely grateful for and proved to him that he had indeed made the right choice in throwing his lot in with the Inquisition to assist in their attempts to stop the Venatori and The Elder One. Still this Letter had ruined his pleasant mood and while he had done his best to avoid going into the Herald's rest tavern with the swill that passed for booze he knew of a Dwarven man who had arrived at Skyhold not too long ago and had been making rather strong brews of Mead that he referred to as "Holy water" a term that had caused the few Templars who were brave enough and deemed worthy enough to try it either passed out drunk after one tankard or take two tankards and stumbling around like they had dunked their heads into an entire vat of Mead. With a grin he stood up and made his way out of the Library to the tower where the Dwarven man had made his residence.
The Inquisitor's shadow was less so much of a Tavern and more of a private drinks club, even among the Inner circle very few were permitted entrance by the owner Durin Stonehead, and even fewer were allowed to try the Holy Water he offered. The Dwarven mage stood behind the counter that made up the bar and eyed the Templar nursing a tankard with the air of someone who had the world's weight of troubles upon their shoulders.
"Lad, i tell ye' now, stop yer thoughts dead in their tracks." Durin said aiming a finger at Terrance in a stern but concerned gesture that made the former Templar jump a bit in surprise.
"How do you know what i'm thinking?" Terrance grumbled eyeing the Dwarven mage who ran a hand through his long dark beard, silver trinkets clinking together as he moved.
"Because i've been where you are, lad." Durin said with a grin "Back when my beard was barely off me face, all the world lay on my back." he added with a chuckle.
"Let me guess, you grew a beard and it all changed?" Terrance asked sourly.
"Moradin's hammer, no." Durin said chuckling "I learned how much fun it is to lob a fireball or smack a fool in the face." he added causing Terrance to smile despite his mood. "I don't know much about yer Templar Order, but i can tell this ain't cuttin' it." Durin said taking the tankard from Terrance and tossing the contents into a bucket as he walked to a large metallic barrel.
"What's that?" Terrance asked eyeing the metallic cask suspiciously as the dwarven man began to fill the tankard with mead from it.
"This is me finest batch of Holy Water, should clear your headaches right up." he said walking back over to Terrance.
"How did you...?" Terrance asked before looking over as the door opened and Dorian strode in, despite the smile on the other man's face seeing Terrance it appeared that both of them were in less than pleasant moods today.
"Lad, i'm older than you or yer friend, and i can tell this is a situation where alot more Holy Water is needed." Durin said as he walked back to the Cask.
"I had hoped to try some of that." Dorian said as he sat down beside Terrance. "I received some rather unpleasant tidings when Thea and Siona came by earlier." he added as Durin laughed.
"The Lasses didnae confess their love for ye, did they?" Durin asked with a knowing twinkle in his eye.
"That wouldn't be unpleasant they are lovely ladies, though not exactly my own choice in partner." Dorian said with a sly grin at Terrance who blushed slightly.
"Ah, Good man." Durin said as he placed a Tankard in front of Dorian. "So, would this have anything to do with the Revered mother wanderin' around?" he asked and Dorian nodded.
"My Father has sent a request for the Inquisition to have me go to Redcliffe to meet a family retainer, likely to club me over the head and drag me back to the Imperium." Dorian said as he sipped at the Tankard blinking in shock at the Mead, by all accounts it looked like normal mead if a little frothy yet it had the same flavour and smoothness of a particularly lovely vintage of wine he remembered having when he was apprenticed to Alexius many years ago.
"Ah, may want to invest in a helmet." Durin said half jokingly.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Terrance asked seeming to read Dorian's mind, he knew that while Dorian would complain and grumble he couldn't help but want to go and investigate this.
"That would be appreciated, i'm hoping that very nice armour will spook the retainer into behaving himself. " Dorian said as Durin hummed running a hand through his beard.
"If ye be alright with it, i'd like to come along, got to see a man about a tome." Durin said as Terrance and Dorian glanced at each other before nodding not seeing any harm in allowing the dwarven mage to accompany them.
Redcliffe - some time later.
The trio walked into the seemingly abandoned tavern in Redcliffe, their eyes scanning the empty room for any sign of trouble.
"Well if this ain't ominous i'm a Gobbie's Aunt." Durin said as he walked ahead of the two human men. "Oi, Retainer! get yer arse out here so we can clobber ya!" he called loudly as Dorian frowned.
"This is a waste of time, we should..." he began before a figure descended from the steps.
"Dorian..." the man started as Terrance and Durin looked at him, an older man with wrinkles on his face that seemed to age him beyond his years as he looked sadly at Dorian.
"Father?" Dorian asked as he looked at the older man a mixture of emotions crossing his face.
"Ah so this bugger is yer old man?" Durin asked looking at the older human man with a look that would sent even the mightiest High dragon running for their mother.
"He is, i'm assuming the whole story about a Family retainer was just... what? a smokescreen?" Dorian asked keeping his eyes locked on his father.
"Then you were told..." The Man said with a sigh as he slowly approached.
"What is "this" exactly, father?" Dorian asked with barely contained rage. "Ambush? Kidnapping? Warm Family reunion?" he pressed spitting each option with his anger growing by the moment as the man sighed.
"This is how it has always been..." The Magister said with a sigh.
"I don't know much about how ye raised the lad, but i can bloody well tell it wasn't great." Durin said as Terrance eyes the Magister warily as though ready to leap to Dorian's defence.
"You don't know the half of it Durin... but maybe you should." Dorian said with a glare casted towards his father.
"Dorian, please there's no need to..." the Magister began with an almost pleading look on his face.
"I prefer the company of men, My father disapproves." Dorian said simply with a tone of finality that made Durin laugh.
"Wait, Yer father cannae except that ya like men, instead of women?" Durin asked as he looked at the Magister, "Lad, yer family is nae worth giving up over who yer son loves, take it from someone who was in that boat." he added.
"This is not what i wanted." the Magister began as Dorian cut him off.
"I've never been what you wanted, Father or have you forgotten that?" Dorian asked with a growl as the Magister's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Once i had a son who trusted me... a trust i betrayed..." the Magister began after a few moments "I only wanted to talk to him, to hear his voice again... to ask him to forgive me..." he continued as Durin glanced between the men as Dorian blinked the wind seeming to leave his sails and a somewhat hopeful glint came into his eye.
"Lads, ye both need tae sit down and have a good ol' natter about this." Durin said as he looked at Dorin "Ye shouldnae be like me lad, i hated my ol' man for a long time, even by dwarven standards, take this chance..." he said as he gestured to a table. "Terrance, give me a hand would ya? need to set up my Holy Water so we can discuss things like grown arse men." he said as Terrance nodded and walked over to Durin keeping his eyes on the magister but flashing Dorian a supportive smile as the Tevinter Altus walked towards a table with his father and sat down.
"Holy water?" The Magister asked in confusion as he looked at the Dwarven mage.
"Durin is a somewhat unique dwarf with a blend of mead that seems to taste differently depending on whom consumes it." Dorian explained as his father pulled a face that was equal parts revolted at the idea of mead yet curious about it. "Believe me when i say that it's one of the finest beverages i have ever tasted." Dorian added as Durin let out a bark of laughter.
"Glad to hear that, lad!" Durin called over as he opened a portal and started to drag the metal cask out from it. "Terrance, my lad, grab a few tankards you and i are gonna have a wee chat while Dorian and his Pa are hashing things out." he said as Dorian smiled a bit before looking at his father.
"Well then, Where shall we begin, father?" Dorian asked and with a sigh that was equal parts relieved, confused and defeated Magister Pavus looked at his son with sincereity in his eyes.
"I am sorry for trying to change who you are Dorian, i only wanted what was best for you... but in doing so i didn't think about what was right for you..." he said with a small smile "I am very proud of the man you have become Dorian." he added as Dorian smiled a bit and the two men settled into a slowly thawing but civil conversation as the Dwarven mage and Human Templar worked to get the drinks ready.