#I really need to buy rosewater... and perhaps petals... Don't have any at the time of putting this in the queue...

[a-gay-bloodmage]

A Qun of Two: Chapter Three

Art by the beloved @caedharlowe

(The Iron Bull & Ozol Adaar)

Ozol Adaar learned, many years ago, as he ran through the jungle arm in arm with his saarebas, that leaving the Qunari behind doesn’t make one a savage. Nor does it mean abandoning the poetry of the Qun. Now, with the dreadnaught left to wash up on a rocky shoreline, he resolves to teach the Iron Bull the same lesson.

On the Third Day, We Think of Ourselves

Many days passed, until one night, as he gazed out from the shadow of the rocks, he saw the lifeless desert awaken. A hundred thousand locusts hatched from the barren ground, and as one, they turned south, a single wave of moving earth. The Ashkaari rose and followed in their wake: a path of devastation miles wide, the once verdant land turned to waste. And the Ashkaari’s eyes were opened.

—An excerpt from The Qun, Canto 1

Read on Archive of Our Own Here!

The Herald of Andraste’s Baking

A well-known fact about war—amongst those fighting it, at least—is that war is more of a matter of logistics than it is about strength. Mercenary bands, as it turns out, are not as aware of this fact as soldiers are. Yes, to any of my kith who happen to find this entry, it is you that I speak of. A keen mind for numbers and a deep well of patience are inseparable from survival, especially when such survival must be fought in the battlegrounds of marketplaces and tax collectors and taverns. Even a humble jungle cat knows when to rest and for how long as it waits for the next chance to hunt, and it is not unheard of for the more clear-eyed of the apes to take stock of their various little treasures to divide them fairly. It is often a bitter medicine to swallow—this fact that indulgence is not truly measured how much one has or how quickly one obtains it, but in how much such a thing is savored once it is obtained. 

It brings me no small amount of joy that I can hear the voices of my kith repeating my words in a lovingly sarcastic tone. Houses of my heart, know that I adore you despite your poor financial decisions. 

For the times when money flows more freely into metal-skinned hands and the trade routes are clear of import taxes—albeit with more demons—some indulgences can be more often experienced. 

To sweeten the tongue that allows the sometimes bitter-tasting medicine of the Qun to rest upon it, I have taken it upon myself to write down a recipe gifted to me by a woman of Nevarra. I have long since memorized such a thing, but several of the Skyhold staff have requested it, and I see no reason to treat a recipe for shortbread in any manner akin to a secret of the Ariqun. 

Nevarran Shortbread, as gifted to me in the form of moving hands and earnest, if incomplete, Trade. Measurements have been translated into those used by the people of Ferelden. 

1 cup flour 4 tablespoons white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 teaspoon rosewater Edible dried rose petals to decorate

Let the oven warm with a low fire. If the fire burns too hot, the shortbread will burn, either entirely or only partially, leaving the inside undesirably undercooked. 

While the fire burns lowly, keep the butter close by in a cup so that it melts but does not boil or burn. Gather the dry ingredients of flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. It is best practice to use a bowl slightly larger than necessary to avoid spilling any material from the motion of stirring. Blend the ingredients together with a spoon. Once mixed, pour the room-temperature rosewater into the melted butter. Stir together kindly until even. Then, pour the butter and rosewater into the mixture of flour, sugar, and salt, stirring until all is uniform beneath your hands. 

Using a teaspoon, scoop out small hills of dough. Roll each into a small ball, and place it upon a sheet fit for baking lined with parchment that will not burn in the heat of the oven. Once the marbles of dough have been placed upon the paper, press down upon them with a cup until they sit at half an inch thick. Using a sturdy glass is best, but it is not the only acceptable material. When the dough has been pressed, place a rose petal upon it in the center, taking care to be delicate and avoid crushing it. 

The shortbread should cook for ten to fifteen minutes. By then, they will start to brown. If desired, serve warm or at the temperature of the room. If there are rose petals left over, let not one go to waste, and use them to make the shortbread all the more beautiful. 

As I have grown to know the Iron Bull’s tastes in food, I have discovered that he has a deep love for hot chocolate. It is, in truth, quite expected. I have yet to find a Qunari or Tal-Vashoth that does not have their willpower put to the test when they first learn of things such as pastries, cookies, or anything containing chocolate, vanilla, or sugar. Under the Qun, efficiency has dictated that there is no leftover dough to attempt to make do with, and, thus, no such desserts have made their way into the culture. I have listened carefully each time the Iron Bull has described the taste, and I believe I have recreated it just as his recollections dictate. It has taken some time to obtain the chocolate from Rivain, but I have no reason to doubt that my patience has borne fruit. 

This is hot chocolate, as according to the tastes of the Iron Bull. 

3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of heavy whipping cream  2 and 1/4 cups of cow’s milk 2 tablespoons of unsweetened powder of the cocoa seeds  1 tablespoon of fermented vanilla  Around 1/2 cup of solid, semisweet chocolate, chopped roughly into pieces  Cinnamon to taste  Orlesian guimauves, if available 

Whip the cream in a mixing cup or a bowl until stiff peaks begin to form. Such a process is tiring and consumes much time, but it is necessary. Once the cream is at its desired texture, set it aside. Be careful to not allow it to warm too greatly and undo much of your work. 

Start a low fire in a stove fit to place a pot upon. Combine the cow’s milk, cocoa powder, vanilla, and the chopped chocolate in a pot. Slowly, heat the contents of the pot, being mindful to stir it constantly. If the mixture begins to boil, remove it from the heat and give it a moment to cool and collect itself before returning it to the stovetop. Once the chocolate is fully melted, remove it completely. Allow the chocolate to cool for two minutes, undisturbed, before stirring again to assure that everything is of a uniform texture. When serving, add the cream once poured, and then decorate with cinnamon. If available, the Iron Bull has reported that Orlesian guimauves are perfect for such a dessert. It is a small tragedy, but a tragedy nonetheless, that such things are not attainable at the moment of writing. A shipment of various Orlesian goods were stopped at the border into Ferelden by a collection of nationalists, who were then set upon by Pride demons. While such a thing has a certain poetic quality to it, it was quite the unfortunate incident.

—A note, written on spare parchment, found tucked inside a cookbook of desserts in the Skyhold kitchens