Reflections

The sun was shining softly over the grass in the courtyard of the palace. There were guards all over the place but that didn't make the day any less lovely. What made it less lovely was the thoughts and worries pervading the elven lass's mind as she sat in a gazebo looking out at nothing.

The last few days had been harrowing and difficult for her and she just wanted to have some time to be somewhere besides inside or in the garden she loved so much. No. Today she needed a change, cushioned chairs and warmth with a pitcher of lemonade at her side on the table top.

Normally Ianto was by her side but he was asleep and she had wandered out, not wanting to wake him. He had to be exhausted. Now she sat in a comfortable spot yet still uncomfortable.

The Tamassran had been converting some of the poorer folk in the streets of Denerim for the past few days. They gratefully accepted their new roles in the Qun after much convincing that their Maker did not exist and that He had done nothing to get them out of their predicaments. After instructing them on the basics of the Qun, The Tamassran heard Jezarine had been kidnapped but was subsequently rescued by their companions. Relieved that one of the few people he could have an intelligent conversation with was safe, he decided to see how she was doing.

"Greetings, Jezarine." he said to her with a small smile.

Contemplation had gone to a simple lack of thought when a voice cut into the void which was forming withing the woman's mind. The haziness had been collecting her will, making her feel lost in the whirlwind of life but that voice made her look up, suddenly unsure and curious as to what was going on.

There was still fear in her eyes but when she saw it was only the Tamassran she smiled ever so slightly, "Tamassran. I did not know you were around."

The Tamassran looked down at Jezarine and saw the brief moment of fear in her eyes. "You are frightened of my presence? I can leave if you wish." He asked her, folding his arms over his chest. Truly, he just wanted to see if she was alright. The Qunari's golden eyes glinted a little bit as he observed the dark-skinned Dalish.

An embarrassed sigh, fingers wrapping about each other in a nervous almost tug of war and a simple tug at the edge of her lips showing dismay for showing that she was still fearful, "No your presence does not frighten me. It's just I'm having a difficult time coping, getting back into the stride of things I guess you can say."

She patted the chair beside her, "You have been away."

The Tamassran sat down beside Jezarine in the neighbouring chair. He watched her again carefully. "You are unharmed from your ordeal. You will get over it." He said simply enough. "I was checking to see if you were alright. As to my whereabouts I have been teaching the Qun to the poor here. Many were all too happy to get out of their predicament, others required more forceful coaxing. And no, I did not harm them. The ones I converted did, not by my orders." He sighed at the barbaric nature of humans, all too willing to get into a fight. The Tamassran placed his hand to his chin in thought.

"I know. It takes time, that is all. Two of the men who did the kidnapping will become wardens because they proved that they only did it as a job, not out of malice towards myself or the wardens." She shrugged then thought over what he said.

"No offense intended but why would I believe a teacher would hurt others to get them to believe in what you say?" Jezarine tilted her head, "Would violence not be a detriment to trying to have others understand your belief? I mean, I know that there will be an invasion in time but that is not the same, sort of. And ... uhm ... I am surprised that the king has not ... curtailed your actions."

The Tamassran grunted his diaspproval. "Your enemy shouldn't be shown mercy unless the Qun demands it." He said and folded his arms over his massive chest. "There is a general misconception that I am a brute because of my size. I do not like violence, and I do not like being compared to humans in barbarism. Humans are so presumptuous." He grunted again.

"And I do not know why the king has not intervened, nor do I care. Perhaps he is willing to embrace the Qun."

"If you look at it that way then Nygozy, in a sense, would be a representative of what we would consider the Qun and her verdict was created as to not have waste from what could possibly be recycled." She reconsidered this, "She believes that they could possibly be saved from becoming waste and redirected to a positive outcome. It is not often used with criminals as many believe that most are not recoverable but the wardens have been known to take in many if they believe they are capable to fight the Darkspawn."

She nodded, "That is true. Many do find your size to be intimidating. Personally, I found your race to be intimidating because of not wanting to be treated like a sareebas. Other than that you are quite a gentle giant." Jez rubbed her forehead, "I really am not saying this right. I think when it comes to the king maybe he just has more pressing concerns than to watch what you are doing."

The Tamassran listened to Jezarine's words and shrugged his massive shoulders. "The Warden-Commander knows and accepts that the Qun may be necessary to stop the bickering. Only under the Qun can society function rationally, without petty ambitions getting in the way." He lectured, folding his arms over his chest. "You fear the Qun because of its treatment of Saarebas. Once you learn to embrace the Qun you shall find true happiness."