The Dalish Warden (The Daughters of Thedas Book 1)

28: Denerim

I had never set foot inside any of the Shems' cities before. The villages of Lothering and Redcliffe were one thing. Denerim was a different beast. It was so vast and so crowded. How could anyone breathe? I felt Alistair's hand on my back in a reassuring way. He seemed to have known I was a breath away from being overwhelmed.

"I know it's not what you're used to, but don't lose yourself now," he said.

I nodded and took a deep breath, then wished I hadn't. The city stank of stale air, animals, and unwashed bodies. I missed the crisp clean air and fresh smells of the Brecillian Forest. "The faster we find Genitivi, the faster we can leave," I said. I wanted out of this city as soon as possible.

Alistair nodded.

We ventured deeper into the city and I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about it. This was my first visit to Denerim, well, any city for that matter. Tristan suddenly ran off.

"Hey! Come back here!" I called after him. He returned a moment later with a boy following him. Tristan barked.

"Puppy!" the boy cried.

"Where did you find that?" I asked.

Tristan barked.

"No, you can't keep him. Go put him back where you found him."

Tristan whined but obeyed. Alistair laughed and shook his head.

As we passed by a house close to the market square, Alistair stopped. I walked a few steps before I realized he'd stopped.

I turned around. "Alistair?"

"That's..." He pointed at the house he had stopped in front of. "My sister's house. I'm almost sure of it, this is... yes, this is the right address. She could be inside. Could we... go and see?"

"Are you sure you're ready for it?" I asked. "If you are, we can."

"Will she even know who I am? Does she even know I exist? My sister. That sounds very strange..."

"Alistair."

"'Sister', 'siiiisssster'."

"Alistair."

He seemed to realize why I was saying his name. "I'm babbling, aren't I?" I nodded. "Maybe we should go. Let's go. Let's just... go."

I motioned for him to lead the way. "Stay out here," I said to the others. "Don't draw any more attention to yourselves than we already have."

"Good luck," Zevran said.

Alistair and I went inside the house. We saw no one when we entered.

"Err... hello?" Alistair called.

A woman with reddish hair and a dress I was sure had once been green came out of a back room wiping her hands on a dingy apron. The real Goldanna looked nothing like the one that the demon had posed as. It had apparently assumed that they looked exactly alike. In fact, I really didn't see any resemblance between Goldanna and Alistair at all.

"Eh?" She asked. "You have linens to wash? I charge three bits on the bundle, you won't find better. And don't trust what that Natalia woman tells you either. She's foreign and she'll rob you blind."

"I'm... not here to have any wash done. My name's Alistair. I'm... well, this may sound sort of strange, but are you Goldanna? If so, I suppose I'm your brother." That was smooth.

Goldanna gave him an odd look. "My what? I am Goldanna, yes... how do you know my name? What kind of tomfoolery are you folk up to?" Her look turned suspicious.