There's something self-deprecating in Cullen's smile; he ducks his head. (He's been thinking about this one for a while.)
"Once upon a time," he says, "there were two men who lived on a farm about half a day's ride from the nearest town. There was a village halfway along the road, but the villagers all knew who the two men were, and whenever anyone passed through on the road, saying they were looking for the two men -- because they used to be quite famous for their bravery, ferocity, and their good looks, so of course the curious nosy people wanted to intrude -- the villagers, to a one, all said, oh, you didn't hear? they moved to Orlais. This is because they'd grown quite fond of the funny one, who was inevitably followed by a pack of at least thirty perfectly trained mabari at all times, and they were quite handy at routing pests from the local granary."
no subject
"Once upon a time," he says, "there were two men who lived on a farm about half a day's ride from the nearest town. There was a village halfway along the road, but the villagers all knew who the two men were, and whenever anyone passed through on the road, saying they were looking for the two men -- because they used to be quite famous for their bravery, ferocity, and their good looks, so of course the curious nosy people wanted to intrude -- the villagers, to a one, all said, oh, you didn't hear? they moved to Orlais. This is because they'd grown quite fond of the funny one, who was inevitably followed by a pack of at least thirty perfectly trained mabari at all times, and they were quite handy at routing pests from the local granary."