Alistair never was comfortable not knowing the lay of any land well. He knew enough that half of the island was off limits because of strange beasts there, but this other half, the inhabited half, had more than enough for him to explore for now.

He'd been walking along one of the paths, Duncan at his side. The hound was taking well to this environment, though his daily presents of dead animals was getting a little old. It was he that noticed the stranger walking toward them.

"Greetings," he said politely, glancing at Duncan to make sure he wasn't going over to the woman. In Ferelden, a Mabari wasn't something to be feared unless you were purposely attempting to anger it. Here, though, he knew the dog's size alone might worry some. "Nice day, isn't it?"