Chapter 2: Lothering!

" Thank you again for your help, sir. But are you sure you're alright?" The woman asked. She looked out of her caravan at Nicolas, who had taken it up and was pushing the cart through the woods. Even though she was worried, she couldn't help but marvel at the man's strength. Her cart was easily one of the largest in Lothering, and it took at least three horses to pull it.

" It's fine, and you can just call me Nick, or Nicolas. Either is fine." Nicolas told the woman.

" Okay, Nicolas, you can call me Dana." Dana told the man.

" It's a pleasure miss Dana." Nicolas replied. " Now, do you mind telling me where we're going exactly?" Nicolas asked the woman.

" To a tavern in Lothering, called the Dane's Refuge. My father Danal used to own the tavern and used it to help refugees who needed it. He would provide them supplies and even allow them to stay in one of the rooms if they needed it, of course he did rent rooms as well. It helped bring in more than just drunkards." Dana explained.

" He sounded like a good man." Nicolas spoke.

" Yeah, he was." Dana went back inside the carriage and bawled up on the seat, holding her head in her lap.

The rest of the trip was quiet, that is until they finally reached Lothering.

As Nicolas and Dana made to venture across the road to Lothering, they suddenly found themselves encountered by a group of bandits claiming to be soldiers.

" Halt strangers! Welcome, you.... Strange man." The lead man spoke. He talked with a light accent, one Nicolas couldn't make out, he was dressed chest to toe in armor and so were his men. The Man on the other hand observed how Nicolas was pulling such a large cart and eyed him strangely. " This is the road to Lothering, if you want to pass you have to pay a toll." The man stated.

" Yeah, that's right." One of his comrades spoke. The man was blubbering and snotty like an idiot.

Nicolas looked at the men, something was off about their scent to him. But he didn't know whether or not they were telling the truth.

" How much is it?" Nicolas asked. He couldn't tell whether or not such a toll really existed. But he did not want to make trouble so soon after coming out from the Wilds. He still had a dream, a goal, he wanted to fulfill. So, playing along with a group of fools wasn't too big of a deal, for now.

" thrity-five silvers." The leader stated.

Nicolas nodded and reached into his robe and tossed the men thirty-five silvers exactly.

" There, you have your money, now move." Nicolas told the men.

" Pleasure doing business, good citizen. Enjoy your time in Lothering. And do try to stay safe." The man spoke. His face was plastered in smugness.

Nicolas continued forward with the cart and with Dana inside, who most likely fell asleep, as she did not speak up.

After some time, Nicolas arrived in the small town of Lothering. There wasn't much to see, there were soldiers in the camp of course, but other than the few vendors and the Chantry building, there wasn't much else to the town.

Nicolas placed the carriage down and walked to the back.

" Dana, we've made it too Lothering." Nicolas spoke as his hands shook the woman's body.

Dana woke from her slumber, dazed.

" Wha?" She asked.

" We're here." He replied once more.

Dana's eyes suddenly snapped open, and the woman sat up. " Oh, we're here." Dana got out of the carriage and took around at the town. " Alright then, the tavern... Right. The tavern is just a little further in. I'll show you to it." She told the man.

Nicolas nodded and picked up the reigns of the carriage once again and followed behind Dana as the woman guided him through the town.

While the people of the town eyed them.

After a while, Nicolas and Dana eventually reached the Dane's refuge.

" Well, I'm home. Thank you so much for the help, Nicolas. It was nice of you to see me." Dana told the man. " You don't have to worry about the cargo. I can unload everything myself."

Nicolas shook his head.

" Don't worry about it. I carried it all the way here. I can at least stick around long enough to help you bring it all in." Nicolas replied.

" Well, thank you once again." She said with a smile on her face.

And true to his word, Nicolas stayed with Dana all throughout the day, helping her unload and pack away all the materials and items that were loaded onto the large barge. And eventually, with Nicolas' help, Dana was able to reopen the Tavern after her long departure.

" Alright, that's everything. Thank you once again, Nicolas. With this all out of the way, I can reopen the Tavern tonight." Dana told the man.

" It was no problem, Dana. I'm happy to have been able to help. But I should probably get going now." Nicolas told the woman.

" Wait where are you going?" Dana asked.

" I wasn't planning on staying in Lothering long, in the first place. I was just looking for a place to stay for a few days and gather supplies." He told the woman.

" Well, if you need a place to sleep, why not stay here?" Dana asked the man. " You saved my life and even helped me bring all of my stuff back. The least I can do is offer you a place to sleep."

Nicolas smiled, thankful for the woman's kindness, and nodded.

" Thank you, I would greatly appreciate it." Nicolas told the woman.

" Well, come on then, follow me upstairs and we'll get you situated." Dana told the man.

Nicolas nodded and walked up the stairs with Dana guiding him, and eventually they stopped at large room at the top of the building.

" This is the biggest room we have, usually reserved for the higher paying customers. But for now, it's yours. Feel free to come and go as you please, and if you get hungry, we serve food from the time we open, to the time we close. So just feel free to pop on down and grab a bite." Dana told the man.

" Thank you, Dana. I appreciate your kindness. I won't forget it." Nicolas told the woman.

Dana gave a slight bow to Nicolas and then quickly departed, allowing the man to place his stuff down and get comfortable with his room.

Ian placed his small bag down and pulled out the tiny necklace his mother made for him. It was made from Storm heart. A virtuous metal found in the Arbor wilds, emerald Graves, and rarely in Crestwood.

On the center of the chain was small charm in the shape of a wolf-like creature.

Nicolas' gaze narrowed and his skin began to flair white, as if some kind of mist flowed off of him. As if white fur suddenly started growing.

" You are who you choose to be, son. Now is the time for you to choose."

Those words echoed inside of his mind.

" Freedom."