The ocean remains [Thedas]

They allowed him to keep his name, because the Tamassran understood, for Viddathari, this was the thing most hard to let go of. But she warned, as she looked down at him, that they would not call him by it. There was a name he had been given, by the Qun, and this was the name that he was known by now. He understood that, and, in a way, he understood the Bull all the more for it.

She had handed him a letter then. "From Hissrad," she said. "You are to meet him in Orlais. And do try to work on your penmanship."

"Yes, Tama."

It was almost a week's journey from Rivain, where the enclave had been. It had been good weather there, and Krem had missed it, the summer balminess of sea weather that never got too hot. When he arrived in Orlais, it was not hard to find the Bull's Chargers. They were still a motley crew, the core of it not grown from what had left Fisher's Bleeders months ago when Bull had taken him aside and told him that his questions needed answers--real answers.

They hadn't noticed him yet. No--Bull must have, because Skinner had, but she wasn't letting on about it. Dalish would notice next.

Krem let it be like that for a moment. Then he kicked Rocky's chair out from under him unceremoniously. It didn't really go out, just skidded a little. Rocky was too bottom-heavy for the trick to work out in Krem's favor.

"Don't tell me the Chief got paid in rice again," Krem bemoaned, as if he hadn't been gone for months.