Campfire Tales -
Echos of the Past
The cold winter's night gave the air outside a crispness and freshness that one could feel with each breath. Lungs filled with the frigid coldness, tingling the nostrils, yet at the same time there was a refreshing quality about it. At least at first. After a time, the cold would begin to penetrate the many layers of fabric and cloth worn by the guards posted outside the castle, forcing the men to seek warmth from one of the many fires that were lit around the grounds of Castle Cousland. As they huddled around the flames seeking refuge from the cold, inside the castle, the teyrn, along with his family and friends, celebrated Santalia with a grand feast, music, and merriment.
Santalia was traditionally one of the most important holidays in Ferelden. Each year families would gather in their homes and celebrate with food, wine, and gifts. The revelry could last up to several days in some parts of the country, depending on how bountiful the previous year had been, and the past year had been plentiful, indeed. But for the teyrn and his kin, this Santalia was proving to be even more special. The witch, Morrigan, whose belly was round and full with child, had given greater meaning to the festivities when labor set upon her during the feast. Her husband, The Grey Warden, who was perhaps the greatest hero in Fereldan lore, quickly succumbed to his nerves as he scooped up his bride and dashed her off to a more comfortable environment in which to give birth, acting as panicky and terrified as a small child the entire time he carried her. The witch's scolding did little to sooth her warden while he rushed her through the castle corridors to the plush apartment they used to share together before their cottage was completed.
For many hours, those who were gathered at the castle for the feast waited outside the thick wooden door to the room; the only thing breaking up the monotony being the agony-filled cries of Morrigan, which were plainly heard by all, even through the stoutness of the door that isolated her from the others. As the night drew on, however, the gathering outside the door began to disperse as each person heeded the call of their bed and were forced to await the arrival of the newest member of the Cousland family from beneath the comfort of their thick, warm bedding.
Eventually, only Alistair and Edalweiss were left to keep The Warden company during his unsettling wait. Soon, though, even they were unable to deny the heaviness of their eyelids and had to regrettably excuse themselves to retire to their quarters. Alistair felt more than a slight twinge of guilt for leaving his friend to endure alone. After all, The Warden had sacrificed so much for Ferelden and its king. But Alistair could no longer deny the weight of slumber and he began to nod off on the bench he was sitting, causing Edalweiss to proclaim that it was probably best if the two of them got some sleep. If The Warden was insulted or offended by his best friend's abandonment, he gave no sign of it; not that he ever would.
"Come on." the small woman said with a grunt as she tugged the much larger king from his spot. "Let's get you in your bed."
"No..." Alistair mumbled through a heavy yawn. "We shouldn't leave Dwemer alone. I can wait for a while longer."
"Alistair, you're practically falling on the floor, you're so tired." Edalweiss countered.
"It's alright, you two." The Warden said, mustering up a smile across his worry-strained face. "I'll be fine. Go get some sleep."
"Are you sure? We can wait with you if you want." Alistair replied before he was overtaken by another, more powerful yawn.
"I'm sure. If anything happens I'll make sure someone comes and gets you."
"Far be it from me to argue with the Great Grey Warden." Alistair quipped. "You'll let us know the instant the baby arrives, won't you?"
"Of course. Now go get some sleep. It could still be a while yet."
"You heard the man." Edalweiss said as she helped hoist the king up.
Alistair allowed the smaller woman to carry some of his weight as he leaned against her while the pair walked off down the corridor, towards the stairs leading to the upper floors. He greatly wished that he was able to be there for his friend, to wait with him on this occasion, but his body obviously had other plans in mind. It would have to be enough that The Warden knew that Alistair sympathized with his friend's plight and that he would only be a short distance away if he was needed.
As they climbed the long staircase, Alistair found the activity caused his head to clear slightly, although he still felt extremely tired. Still, it was enough that he was able to fully assume his own weight, which was probably for the best since Edalweiss was beginning to have difficulty in supporting him, even though she said nothing about it; not that she ever would.
As they arrived on the second floor and made their way around the corner, the pair was surprised to see that Arl Eamon was also wandering the corridors at such a late hour. It seemed that Alistair and Edalweiss weren't the only ones concerned with Morrigan and her warden's ordeal.
"Arl Eamon, I didn't expect to see you still awake." Alistair said.
"Nor did I." Eamon replied. "It seems as though tonight's events have had a greater affect on me than I anticipated."
"How do you mean?" Alistair asked.
The old politician let out a deep and thoughtful sigh before he spoke, as if his mind had been taken to places it hadn't visited in many years. "Tonight's events served to remind me of how special Santalia used to be...how it's supposed to be. I fear that as I grow older and more serious in my work that I've lost sight of the essence of what makes Santalia so precious. Look around you, Alistair, and remember these events well, for they will never come again and once they are gone, there is no getting them back."
"I'm afraid I'm not following you." Alistair said, casting a quizzical look at the man who was more of a father to him than his real father had been.
"Santalia was always a special time in Redcliffe when you were a boy, or have you forgotten already?"
"No, I haven't forgotten Arl Eamon." Alistair answered, his eyes darting away as if to avoid the memories. "Though there are parts I wish I could."
Eamon chuckled lightly and gave the king's shoulder a good squeeze. "Even after all these years, you're uncomfortable thinking about it."
"Uncomfortable thinking about what?" Edalweiss asked, suddenly intrigued.
"It's nothing." Alistair mumbled in reply.
"No, no." the small woman insisted. "You two brought it up and I want to know about it. Did something bad happen to you when you were a boy?"
"You could say that." Alistair grumbled.
"It wasn't as bad as all that." Eamon corrected. "Even after all these years I still find it to be quite amusing."
"Amusing is hardly the word I'd use. More like humiliating."
"Tell me what happened. I want to know." Edalweiss begged, doing her best to appear irresistible as she playfully tugged on Alistair's arm and leaned her head against his chest. "Please."
"Go on and tell her, then." Alistair reluctantly agreed, though he still sounded none too pleased at the prospect of revealing one of his most embarrassing moments. "I can tell that your dying to, anyway."
Again Eamon chuckled. "When Alistair was a small boy, Santalia was the one thing he looked forward to every year. He may have been the son of Ferelden's king, but he was no different from any other child who waited impatiently to open his gifts, counting down the days until the time finally arrived." the arl explained.
"Even though I had to tell him repeatedly to calm himself and that he was to wait just like everyone else, it did little to dampen his enthusiasm." Eamon remembered fondly.
"What happened that was so horrible?" the small woman inquired.
"When Alistair was about ten years old, I had planned a very special Santalia for both he and Isolde. I had gotten each of them a very special gift that year. For Alistair, I had the blacksmith craft a sword small enough for a boy of ten to use, albeit with a dulled edge to prevent the lad from injuring himself, as he was often prone to doing."
"I can see that." Edalweiss agreed with a smile as Alistair continued to look away. "I bet he was causing all sorts of mischief as a boy...always getting into trouble."
"To put it mildly." Eamon concurred. "However, such is the way of young boys."
"Anyway," the arl continued, "the sword was an exact copy of those used by the castle guards at Redcliffe. I had even commissioned a shield bearing the Redcliffe herald on its face to go with it. The craftsmanship was remarkable and I was confident that Alistair would find it to be the best gift I'd ever given him."
"That same Santalia, I also had an exquisite silk garment made for Lady Isolde. It was of the sort that she and I would enjoy in private after the revelry had settled."
Alistair groaned, like he too remembered the garment in question and knew full well what the story's inevitable conclusion would be. Edalweiss saw the king's face grimace in preparation.
"I had everything planned out exactly." Eamon said. "The previous night, I prepared the gifts and hid them inside the desk in my study. When day broke, Alistair would come running with his usual exuberance and I would present him with his gift, which he would hastily unwrap and gleefully begin rampaging through the castle with." the old politician recalled with a smile.
"Unfortunately though, during the night a matter which required my attention arose. The mill had caught fire, and while the damage wasn't severe, I felt obligated to inspect the scene for myself. Knowing that I would be away from the castle for some time, I left instructions for Alistair's gifts to be laid out for him in my absence. In my haste, though, I had forgotten to label what the gifts were and all three packages were laid out by mistake."
"Oh, no!" Edalweiss said, giggling.
"I can tell by your reaction, my dear, that you can see all too clearly where this story leads." Eamon confirmed. "By the time I returned to the castle, Alistair had already found the gifts and tore them open. All the castle inhabitants looked upon the young boy as he stormed through the castle, slaying all manner of imaginary beasts with his new weapons; all while clad in a dainty undergarment meant for Isolde."
The small woman burst into laughter as the image of Alistair's escapades ran through her mind. She could clearly imagine Alistair thwarting evil armed with his new sword and covered in his new 'armor'.
"It's not funny!" Alistair fumed. "I was only ten, I didn't know any better."
"By the time I caught up with him, he'd already been all over the castle grounds. The delicate silken garment was caked with mud and filthy. In just a few short hours, Alistair ruined what had taken months of painstaking effort to create. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw him."
"I bet you were a sight." Edalweiss said, still giggling. "You must have been adorable."
"Lady Isolde didn't think it was very funny. I can still remember how she glared when she saw me." Alistair replied defensively. "I spent the next week hiding from her in the stables."
"It did take a while for Isolde to calm down, but she was always quick to anger where Alistair was concerned. I never blamed her, though. Few knew of Alistair's true lineage and even if she had, I suspect she might have thought it was some sort of ruse on my part." Eamon added.
"And just look at you now, all grown up and a king. I'd say things worked out for the best." Edalweiss said.
"How can you possibly say that?" Alistair asked. He knew that Edalweiss had a penchant for finding the good in any situation, but this one time she may have been stretching things a bit. "I was totally humiliated. The servants and guards teased me for years about that day. It only ever stopped after I was sent off to the Chantry."
"Yes, but if none of that ever happened, we might not have met." Edalweiss retorted. "Are you saying that would have been a good thing?"
"No...no, that's not at all what I was trying to say..." Alistair stammered. "Can we just forget about it now? It's bad enough that you know, if Morrigan ever finds out about it, I'm finished."
Eamon shook his head at the young couple. "It seems you've finally found a woman who can keep up with you, Alistair." he said. "I have no doubt that you'll soon be making Santalia memories of your very own."
"As long as they're not of the humiliating sort." Alistair grumbled.
"When have I ever caused you to be embarrassed?" the small woman asked, almost sounding as if she were shocked by the very notion.
"Did you really just ask me that?"
Eamon gave Alistair one final pat on the back as he smiled at the king, saying as he did so, "I'll leave you two to spend your Santalia in private. The last thing you need is for an old man like me getting in the way."
"Try to get some rest, Alistair. I have a feeling that The Warden may need all his friends around him very soon." Eamon finished before walking off down the corridor to he and Lady Isolde's chambers where he opened the door and went inside, leaving Alistair and Edalweiss alone.
The pair resumed heading towards the guest quarters, holding hands and strolling slowly. As much as Alistair tried to enjoy the sensation, he was continually interrupted by the giggles and snickers that escaped Edalweiss. He tried in vain to ignore them, but with each of her outbursts, he felt as though someone were stabbing thousands of tiny needles into his skull.
"You're never going to let me hear the end of this, are you?" he asked.
"Don't be so uptight about it. It's not that bad." the small woman replied. "I think it's kind of cute."
"Cute, eh? I bet you wouldn't think it was very cute if I heard some of the stories your family could tell me about when you were a child."
"There's nothing to tell. I've already told you pretty much everything."
"Right, and my arse is thinking of sprouting wings and flying off on its own." Alistair replied, totally unconvinced.
As the couple approached their quarters, Alistair reached out and grabbed the handle, lifting it and swinging the door open for them to enter. He noticed that much of the sleepiness from before had gone, though he was still very tired. At least he'll be able to rest his head for a few hours until sunrise and put this entire mess behind him. If Alistair was lucky enough, Edalweiss would forget about the story Eamon told and he wouldn't have to deal with the torment of it any longer. Considering how flighty the small woman could be at times, he figured that was his best bet.
"Let's get some sleep." Edalweiss said as Alistair closed the door behind them. "Tomorrow will be a busy day and we'll need our rest in order to face it."
"I couldn't agree more." Alistair replied while he lifted his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor.
"If it'll help, I might have some things you can wear...you know...if you want to." Edalweiss purred before bursting into another giggle fit.
Alistair just groaned and shook his head. His torment was apparently going to last far longer than we was comfortable with.
Seeing his sour face, Edalweiss reached up to him and placed a soft kiss against his cheek. "You know I'm only teasing." she said. "There's no way you could even fit into anything of mine."
"If I never have to hear about it again, it'll be too soon." Alistair groused.
"I won't say another word about it." she promised as she give him one final peck on the lips for good measure. "Happy Santalia my big brave man."
Alistair wasn't exactly feeling in the holiday mood at the moment, but as he looked at the small woman next him he realized that maybe she was right. Maybe things had turned out for the best after all. Alistair was certain that everyone had some level of embarrassment that they carried with them everywhere they went. It was only natural. Maybe it wasn't nearly as horrendous as he made it out to be. He reached his arms around Edalweiss and pulled her close to him.
"Happy Santalia to you too." he said softly.