Redcliffe village...Isolde Tavern..

Riheet Tirvac is sitting on a window apron while painstakingly checking his blade, inches away from his eyes. A dozen of dark elves are chatting and drinking in the corner of the premises near him. 

Two dark elven men are running past him which slightly touches his leg, causing him to return to reality. Glancing at playful dark elves here and there, he insert his sword into the sheath. He observes thousands of wooden houses outside from the tavern that is in top of a hill with his right leg on the window stool and his back on the inside casing.

A teenage boy enters, ignoring the gaze from the local customers, walks towards the area full of dark elves. 

A thin but muscular dark elven man, in happy go lucky demeanor calls the boy,

"Tamm. Have you toured the human town?" 

"Yes. Others are still lurking at shops but for me, I got these household items."

A large man on asks, "Any problem?" 

Tamm sighs, "Only the weird gaze from the humans. Once you get used to them, it is fine. But...still I never use human money and the king gave us a lot!"

Another dark elven man who just enters, walks to Tamm's side and says,

"At first, the shopkeeper looked really uncomfortable when he saw us with the money but we mentioned the King Hezri, his attitude completely flipped. Hahaha!"

Tamm passes a bag to  the thin man with long white hair,

"Azal. This is for you."

Azal receives it excitedly.

The another man passes a bag to the big man,

"Zucca. This is for you."

Lupine Tirvac, silently isolating herself at the edge of the table only glances at the men. 

"Riheet. I put yours on the table."

"Thanks."

"Lupine.." Being called by Tamm, the slightly older girl turns her face away as if not to let everyone knows she has been watching their actions.

Tamm in childish tone tells her, "Lupine. You wanted to eat it freshly baked, right?"

He throws a bun and she catches it casually while desperately trying to show indifference.

She stares at the bun in her palm awkwardly.

"Go ahead. Take a bite."

While desperately trying to maintain indifferent and cold demeanor, she bites the bread.

After a while, she seems surprised.

"That bean bread is pretty good, huh?" Tamm smiles.

Being slightly embarrassed, she turns away and answers coldly,

"Ferelden food are salty." 

"Heh. I guess we don't agree on that one."

Tamm and the other guy sits at other nearby table.

Tamm voices up, "Over a decade ago, dark elves used to live among human in Castall, right?"

"Oi. Don't bring that story!" Zucca the towering man scolds him.

"Sorry. Sorry."

"You guys, anymore drink?" A young woman with loose dark orange hair walks casually among the sitting dark elves and put two jugs of water on the table. 

"Oh, beautiful Bella!" Azal nonchalantly spanks her butt but she acts as it is nothing.

"Tavern owner Bella, why do you treat us normally unlike other humans?" A dark elf man asks.

Bella seems shocked by that question and answers with a confused face,

"Why? The King personally asks me to treat you, the dark elves as the most honourable citizens , even more than the noble." 

Another dark elf man teases her with his pink finger raised,

"Are you the king's woman?" 

Bella immediately blushes and acts girly while her palms on her cheeks.

The men mostly laugh but Lupine seems annoyed at the edge of the corner table.

Tamm asks, "Still the king is very unusual guy."

"Yes. Very down to earth.. although we never meet any Kung in our lifetime." Another man responds.

"I had known him long before him becoming king. You know he just recently became a king, right?"

Another man jokingly says it aloud,

"And the King seems very interested in our cute Lupine Tirvac!"

"If lucky, she could become a Queen."

Bella walks to her side and taps her shoulder,

"Then, if that happens, miss dark elf girl. We can become pole sisters. His majesty is very nice man!"

"Hahahaha!"

As the dark elves are laughing merrily, the dark elven girl stares down with her palms on her laps, trembling angrily with her wheat coloured face turns completely red in embarrassment. 

Riheet Tirvac stares at his embarrassed little sister while pondering something seriously.

***

Late night. Isolde Tavern.

A group of fifty dark elves are sitting at various tables with Riheet Tirvac standing in the middle. The tavern is close and Bella as usual sleeps in Redcliffe castle. The many vacant rooms in the tavern and adjourning buildings are used as dark elves accomodation. 

"What? We are going to become a special division of knights?"

"That's amazing. From nomadic mercenaries to special knights!"

"And Riheet becomes a Count. That's a top noble position in human state!"

"We did it finally!"

Tamm shouts,

"I am not glad about that dumb promotion. Remember, our goal is to avenge Castall and others, after taking over top position of human country!"

Azal beside him grabs the teenage boy with his right hand while his other hand holds a mug.

"Joining knights and a count means being able influence them faster!"

"O.. I see "

Riheet Tirvac observes the reaction before continuing, "Everyone. Be even more alert than before."

The dark elves nod.

"Try to keep your good boy act, Tamm." Azal brushes Tamm's hair.

"Stop treating me like a child!"

"Still, I don't expect you will get such high position suddenly. What's in it for the king?"

Zucca asks.

"We had been aiming this for long time and finally obtained the good chance. But it still not good enough... We need even higher position next to the king. The position above count is margrave, that even is not powerful enough."

Azal stops playing with Tamm and straightens his posture and stares straight at the leader.

"Riheet. It seems the Dalish chief lives in the castle. That woman, Lanaya is Marchioness. Marquis or Marchioness is almost like a King or Queen. How the leader of Dalish tribe get to be a Marquis while dark elves who are also descendants of legendary elves only get to be a count?"

A dark elf man voices up," Could it be they serve the king long enough?"

"No. It appears they also served the king over 2 months before."

"Could it be Dalish are more populous than us? Their number is almost a thousand while dark elves are only two hundred thirty?"

"Could it be but the Dalish have two members who are countess. What's their name..those women...Gheyna and Mithra."

"Could it be they are king's women?"

"Hahahaha!"

The dark elves are throwing random ideas and laughing. Their laughter echoes on the hill.

Zucca, Azal and Riheet Tirvac looks at each other while simultaneously glances at the indifferent Lupine Tirvac before the three nods as if they agree on the last statement.

***

After midnight in a room in the second floor of Isolde Tavern.

Riheet is watching the moon from the window. 

Tuk..tuk...tuk..

Sound of footsteps climbing the wooden stairs. Lupine finally reaches her brother.

"The moon is brighter than usual."

"... Shouldn't you be sleeping?" 

"The same question should be answered by you, brother."

The siblings turn silent for a while.

She gazes the sky and says,

"Staring at the stars always calm my mind."

Both of them are being reminded event a decade ago while they escape into the wilderness from human persecution.

..

Lupine who was still a child crying with Riheet sitting beside her.

"Don't cry. The Castall enjoys hurting us. Crying would be giving them what the want."

"But.."

"Hold your head high. Then, the tears won't fall."

When the child looks upward, there are thousands of stars and a bright moon that catches her breath away. She stops crying.

"I swear to avenge our family one day." The teenage Riheet bites his lips while hugging his small sister. 

The reminiscent ceases when the sound of owl is heard from nearby tree.

"We've finally come this far, brother."

"..."

She is slightly disturbed by her brother's serious silence.

"Brother.."

"Lupine..I have a request from you. I never force you to do anything. Only this time...."

Looking down at the man, she feels worried, "I have never seen you this indecisive, brother. What happened?"

"I need you to be at least a Marchioness...."

"What??"

Lupine stands up and grabs her shoulders, staring straight into her eyes.

"You must be close and nice to the king. Seduce him."

Her eyes widen in disbelief. 

"How?"

"Be his woman. Look at the Dalish women. They got the king using their bodies!"

Usually, she would defy such words but now the cold girl is overwhelmed by her brother's determination.