Learning Letters (Alarian)

Ali works on teaching Fenris to read and write and teaches Alistair to read Hebrew. And Happy Fenris is the best Fenris!

Sometime before Fenris becomes more literate:

Leliana and I walk through HighTown with a stack of books to take to the Hawke Manor. “Why did Fenris never learn to read? I mean if his master liked him so much why didn't he have someone teach him?” Leliana sighs at my rather naive question “In the eyes of the slave masters, knowledge is power. If Fenris knew how to read before his escape it would have made things much harder for the people who hunt down escaped slaves. It's still remarkable he escaped at all.” As we walk I quickly rifle through the worn books, a few of my favorites, a basic Hebrew book, and some other simple stories for learning the alphabet. At one point the sleeve of my shirt gets roughly pulled dragging my away. I had been so absorbed in my thoughts I did not realize I was about to walk into a brick wall. We find the door to the manor unlocked with Fenris inside playing with Maisie, Garret's pet Mabari. Alistair sits over by the fire, as I had asked him if he knew how to read bilingually, and with the help of Leliana and Morrigan who sat in the next room fixing her shirt he explained...The chantry doesn't do that kind of thing.

“Should we start?” I drop the books on the carpet and get their attention. Fenris nods but seems a bit unsure. “We’ll start slow.” I reassure him and his expression turns from concerned to slightly excited. I work mainly with Fenris going over the alphabet as Hawke had already started teaching him. Alistair flips through a Hebrew book with the English translations and pronunciation  above the words, sounding out the words under his breath. “Shalom ani Alistair.” He says to me and look up from watching Fenris attempt to write his name. “Good job. Keep going, I’ll check in with you in a few minutes. Or go ask Leliana to quiz you.” I turn back to Fenris, for someone just learning to read and write his handwriting is surprisingly good.

Over the course of the day I continue to work with Fenris on learning his letters and later stringing them into simple words. As the day grows dark Leli informs me we have to go soon. I go over what we worked on one last time and retrieve a wrapped package that was hidden under my cloak. Handing it to Fenris he gives a puzzled look. “Has anyone ever given you a present before?” He holds up his wrist in which a piece of a red cloth is tied tightly. “Only this.” He smiles slightly at the thought. I hand him the package and he tears it open “it's one of my favorite books from when I was little. I thought you might want to have it.” He looks over the heavily worn cover, the title barely readable now and looks at me. “Thank you, my friend.” We shake hands and promise to see each other soon before I reluctantly gather my things, not wanting to leave.

Morrigan, Alistair with his head still buried in the book, and Leliana stand by the door waiting. We say our goodbyes to the Hawkes and Fenris one last time before stepping out onto the vacant street. “I believe that went very well.” I say to no one in particular. Morrigan taps me on the shoulder and points to the window of the Hawke manor where Fenris stands holding a small piece of paper with the words “Thank you, Alarian.” scrawled in messy script. I grin at seeing the action. Yes, today went very well.