The Blood Raven [Book two]

Midnight

Evune was sitting on her bed, her eyes scanning the eastern field as the moon shone its pale rays over the grass. It held a ghostly glow, which only had Evune sigh loudly, before she got up and walked to the desk pushed to the far wall.

The wooden chair creaked as she sat down and dipped her quill in the ink pot, writing a short letter to her parents, before she had sand on the ink and folded the letter, marking it with 'Mum and Dad'. She placed in on her bed, before she grabbed her backpack, stashed a pair of daggers, a set of clothes, blanket and a leather purse with her money in it and sneaked out her door.

Her parents bedchamber door was slightly open, and she could see their figures sleep beside one another. Evune's father had his arms wrapped around her mother, while as Evune's mother held her hands over his arms.

Evune smiled at the sight of them. They had never fought openly in front of her, if they had ever had a fight, and always showed affection towards one another. Evune appreciated that about her parents, even as worrying her mother could be, or annoyingly jolly her father could be. They had always taken their time to make sure Evune felt good, and often gave a her a little extra attention if she had been sick or injured.

Shaking her head, making her red locks bounce around her head, Evune tip toed out to the kitchen and grabbed her boots and coat, before she slipped out the door to meet Sarah by the lake. At midnight. As planned.

---

Elise stirred half awake, half asleep. Her heart was racing, and sweat pipped through the pores in her skin, lacing her pale skin with sweat. Elise shot upright in bed, looking over to her husband - who now - also was awake. He rubbed his eyes, before he looked questioningly at Elise. "What wrong?"

"Listen..." Elise said, staying frozen in a position for way too long. But Cullen had to admit, the house was quiet. Suspiciously quiet. Cullen threw the furs aside and grabbed his sword from the wall, taking it with him as he peeked around their bedchamber door.

Deciding it was safe, Cullen tip toed out to the kitchen, looking baffled for a minute. Nothing was out of place or showed signs of intruders. Everything was at its usual place, even the embers where still glowing dimly from the fireplace.

His wives call for him made Cullen whirl around on his bare feet and run to where her voice had called from. Elise came walking out of Evune's bedroom, clutching a note in her hand. He immediately recognized Evune's handwriting, and took the paper gently from his wives shaking hands.

"I have run away, as the fate of being imprisoned in the circle is too dire to live with..." Cullen read out loud, giving Elise a short glance over the edge of the letter. "... I will take Blackie with me, don't try to find me, because you will not"

"Cullen, she's gone..." Elise whimpered, her voice thin with fear and disbelief. But in Cullen's mind, only one word was glued to his memory. Circle. His daughter had magical abilities, and instead of talking to him, she had run away, in fear that he would turn her in. His heart dropped at the thought and embraced his wife against his naked chest, caressing her cherry locks as he cooed for her to calm down. "... She is gone"

"I know, love, I know..." Cullen murmured in her hair, before he straightened up, pushing his wife away a little. "... I will find her and bring her home, I promise"

"You can't do that on your own!" Elise exclaimed, cupping her husband's face in her hands, letting her thumbs run over his stubble. "You need help"

"And I will get help..." Cullen replied, looking at his wife softly, before he leaned down to kiss her quavering lips. "... I will go to the Inquisitor tomorrow, will you come with me?"

"Yes" Elsie whispered, encircling Cullen's neck as her tears silently dropped to his naked chest, both of them sharing their fears in one another's arms, just like back then. "We will have to send word for my brother"

"Of course" Cullen agreed. No force in all of Thedas could keep him from taking his daughter home. Templars, circle and dragons alike, he would slay them all if needs be. He wanted his child home, safe and sound.

---

"Sarah?" Evune whispered, leading her horse behind her as she closed in on the spot where her friends usually would gather. It was deadly quiet, and no sound, except from the ripple of water and the hooting of an owl somewhere in the forest. "Sarah?" She tried again, glancing between the trees.

"I am here!" Sarah replied, leading her white horse behind her. "You ready?"

"Yes" Evune replied, climbing on Blackie's back and waited for Sarah to swing up on her horse, before the girls took the route a bit north, towards Redcliffe.

The silence weighted heavy on the pair as they rode down the road, the only sound filling the air was the horses occasional snort, the steady rhythm of eight horse feet walking on the dirt road and the ravens caw as the sun rose above the horizon. None of the girls wanted to speak in fear of being discovered. Their parents had to figured it out by now, and probably running frantically around, trying to find them.

Not that any of the two thought that their parents was close by, ready to drag them home.

In Evune's mind she could picture her father sit behind that boulder ahead, ready to drag her home by her earlobe while scolding her. Sarah would be short of the actual runaway friend, and the image of her father made Evune chuckle lightly for herself in the early morning sun.

"What's so funny?" Questioned Sarah that was turning her upper body around, looking at her friend as she was questioning her red haired friend's sanity.

"Can you imagine my father..." Evune begun, pointing a slim finger at the boulder they where about to pass. "... sit behind that boulder, ready to drag me home by my earlobe, scolding me as a child?"

Sarah laughed, closing her eyes as the picture unfolded in her mind, and she had to admit that Evune was right. It was a funny thing to picture, and Sarah's mind drifted off to her father. What would he say once he found out when she was gone? Or her mother? They had to be worried sick by now. If they even knew she was gone.

None of their friends knew that either one of them was gone, if they had yet to find out of their runaway project.

"Do you think we will reach Redcliffe by dinner time?" Sarah questioned, letting the reins of her horse go, undoing her braid, before she re-braided it.

"Maybe if we hurry a little" Evune replied, glancing up at the rising sun. They had been riding for hours, and was probably no more than half way there, if they had come that far yet. Redcliffe was, after all, just the a pit stop to plan their route. Travels like these never worked out, unless they were planned to the tiniest detail.

By dinner time, the girls rode in between the houses and people, earning a glance or two from people as they passed. Seeing women traveling like they did were not unusual, but people always treated them wearily. Not because the suspected them to be bandits and uncivilized, but out of habit from the blight.

"Let us go to the tavern and rent a room and get a meal" Sarah suggested, feeling and hearing her stomach rumble angrily, complaining about not being fed anything but a few mouthfuls of cheese and water since yesterdays dinner.

"I agree" Evune said, feeling her stomach rumble with the same manner as it always did around dinner time. It had been well a half day since either of them had eaten, and their horses were probably starved at this point.

"I will go in and rent a room, I will be back" Sarah said and left Evune with the horses, which she had to keep from another. Which was easier said than done.

Blackie was curious about the white mare, who was extremely uninterested in him in return. Evune cursed herself for not having Blackie gelded when he turned three. Now he was six years and he kept sticking his nose to Snowie, who just whined in return. Something told Evune to tie Blackie far away from the white mare, or they would have a pregnant horse with them. That was not on the list over 'things to bring on the run'.