HALTED Chapter 7
Duncan woke with a sequence of very mixed facts popping up in his mind, and rapidly stated his opinion of each:
Elissa existed in his world - blissfully good. He woke up late - bad. There had been no nightmares about the blight - good. In fact, there had been some very lively dreams - very good, as she had been present in them all. The result of those dreams were evident on his bedsheets - bad , as the sticky blots were not exactly honey, as he had dreamt... He had kissed her, and she had later kissed him - good and good. His cheekbone was still sore from Fergus' blow - bad. He had made friends with Fergus - good. He was going to spend the day with her - oh goodie good. The sun was shining, it was going to be a warm day - good. He needed a wash in cold water - good, as there was no hot to be found ....
As the list went to pure good, he concluded his little private 'charade'.
He quickly threw the bedcover over the incriminating evidence on the sheets, then took a refreshingly cold wash. He put on his regular armor, tied up his hair, armed himself and left the room. And stopped.
Right there in the hall she was, sitting on her hind legs in her light leather armour, watching Droolya play with a little boy.
"Oh look, auntie - there's a real knight!" exclaimed the kid. So he was Fergus' son, Duncan realised.
Elissa got to her feet and smiled "Well, yes I can see that! Good morning, Ser Knight!"
"Good Morning - Lady Auntie!" Duncan winked at Elissa.
"She's not an auntie in the game, silly!" Oren corrected.
"Oh.. Well, I'm not adressing the dragon then, am I?" Duncan said in a worried tone.
"No, Droolya is the dragon 'course!" explained Oren, and 'the dragon' barked loudly to confirm the fact. Then Oren pointed his wooden sword at Elissa: "She's the princess, and I'm the knight in shining armour come to rescue her!"
"Right -from the tower, I gather?" Duncan asked.
"Naw - she doesn't want to be rescued from no tower" Oren sounded rather displeased. "She's just sitting there in the dungeon, and now I have to go fight the dragon on the rooftop!"
"But a Knight should never fight alone; without his trusty esquire!" Duncan kneeled on one knee. " Ser Oren, I offer you my sword and allegiance until the dragon lies dead at our feet" Duncan solemnly declared.
"Jolly good! Follow me!" said Ser Oren - and charged the mighty dragon with a loud cry. The dragon was growling and barking and jumping in all the right places. And the knight and his trusty esquire were huffing and puffing and charging again and again. And the lazy princess just sat in her dungeon, laughing her beautiful blue eyes out.
"Now, will you let me do the killing blow?" asked the esquire. "No, the Knight has do it" said the knight, and charged for the last time. Duncan suddenly had a big lump in his throat. He quickly swallowed that pitiful lump down, and as the dragon went down with an excruciating howl, he turned to his princess.
"Rise Princess Elissa, for my Knight and I have freed you" he took her hand and helped her up.
"What will you give us in reward, auntie?" asked Oren.
"A kiss, of course." said Princess Elissa.
"Eew, I'm not going to kiss you!" Oren declared. "Mother and father were kissing, that's why we were sent out here, 'member?"
The esquire sighed heavily, but didn't look terribly sad. "I guess I have to extend my allegiance, to fulfill this last duty then. I'll do the kissing bit!"
"Alright. Auntie, can we play hide and seek now?"
"Splendid idea, Oren - you go hide, and I'll come find you!" the princess said, not taking her eyes off the esquire holding her hand.
And with a lot of barking and yelling, the dog and the boy went off.
"Hand out the reward, princess!" said Duncan with a large grin.
"Will do" she said and pursed her lips, overdoing it a bit. Instead of kissing those tempting lips, Duncan opted for her shoulder blade, kissing it softly where it peeped out from her armour.
As she responded with a little pleased hum, he proceded to slowly give her a row of kisses all the way up to her tiny ear, and gently nudged her earlobe. She had gone soft in his arms, her hand caressing the back of his neck by the hairline. He slid his tongue along the outer rim of her ear, and she made a tiny whimpering sound.
" Elissa, I need.." he growled.
"By Andrastes' tits! What was all that racket about?!" Fergus showed himself in the open door to his chambers, wearing nothing but a pair of pants.
"Fergus, really!" came Oriana's voice from behind him.
"Sorry, dear" Fergus automatically answered, but he didn't take his eyes off the couple down the hall.
With a wide grin, and not caring in the slightest about his own predicament he said "Well, well, well! Will I have to do more punching, or are you two going to scramble off?!"
"The latter, I can't afford anymore bruises!" said Duncan with a strained smile. But he stayed put, holding on to his prize.
"Fair enough. Off you go then, and leave a man to his business!"
"Fergus!" Oriana's voice didn't sound at all angry though...
"What, dear?" And brother Fergus went back to join his dear wifey.
"And here I thought I bonded with your brother last night. I don't think I like him after all!" Duncan made a small attempt at a laugh, but he was really very disappointed.
"I know what you mean - I might ask you to punch him next time, instead of being so terribly polite" she sounded equally disappointed, he was happy to hear.
"I guess I am too polite at times - I ought to have punched Howe last night, for one! "He then described to her the image of a drunken Arl, sprawling on the dance floor - and made them both laugh genuinely.
"Elissa, I've been hoping - will you give my boon today?"
"I certainly will - does it include rooftops before or after breakfast?" She asked lightly.
"No, nothing like that. I would dearly like you to take a trip, by horse, with me!" he blurted before his courage left him.
"By horse? Oh Duncan, I don't think father would allow.. with the army going off now, and himself tomorrow.." she sounded disappointed.
"But I've already arranged with your parents to borrow your mother's mare - only the one mount, but surely we can ride together?!" he held his breath, out of fear she would reject. "Please say yes, Elissa!"
"Of course I say yes, it all sounds very intriguing - I would love to go riding.. together, with you.. - Pity, Fergus will take Chelly, she's a fine mare too.."
"Good! It's settled then" he was utterly released. "Then meet me by the stables, once Fergus is off with his men - and Chelly. You only need to bring your sword and dagger, I'll take care of the rest."
He had just saddled and backpacked Bingha, when she came running with Droolya at her heels.
"Here we are, ready to go!" She exclaimed.
He patted the panting mabari "I'm sorry, Droolya - you won't be able to come with us today!"
"Sure she will, she has plenty of stamina!" Elissa sounded rather stubborn.
"No, I'm afraid not. I don't know exactly where we're heading, but it will be too far for her to run." Elissa bit her lower lip at that, and looked very doubtful.
Duncan sighed "Truth be told, this might take take all day. So I understand if you think it's too much to ask - we can just call it off, and I'll think of another boon. There are plenty of rooftops about!" He tried to keep a cheerful tone.
She looked up at him, and said decidedly "No, I want to go. I will just have have to put her in the pen" no reluctance to perceive.
Elissa sat behind him, her one hand held on to his waist as they set off in a slow trot. They didn't speak. Duncan concentrated on familiarizing himself with Bingha's moves; it had been quite a while since he last had a horse to ride.
As they went on, the silence from behind him became increasingly apparent, and he started wrecking his brain for something to say.
"Please hold on for a moment" she said. He reined in the horse in, and she jumped off. He feared she had a change of mind about the trip again - but she just said "I need to find a bush" and disappeared between the scrubbery with a little blush. Leaving him to steady his breathing as well as his nerves.
He used the break to adjust the saddlery.
"You brought supplies along, right?" she said from behind him.
"Why yes, I -" and he turned and saw her standing there; holding the tiniest Mapachita rabbit in her arms.
"Good, I would hate to have to cook this little bunny!" she said and let go of the scared animal. "Not much meat on those bones!"
And suddenly her mood was all cheerful again. His too..
She sent him a contemplating look, then suggested that she should steer the horse. "After all, I know her a little better than you.."
"It's all right, you can say it out loud - I make a lousy horseman!" Duncan laughed and let her have the bridle.
"Tell me more about yourself, and your life with the wardens!" Elissa demanded as they rode; he behind her.
And so Duncan told her. Of the recruiting, training and fighting, the camplife and the brotherhood between all wardens, and that there was something called the Joining – and she listened intensely. She had a lot of questions, and he answered them all willingly.
Occasionally his answers made her laugh, and he took great pleasure in the feeling of her little bouncing tummy beneath his fingers, as he held around her waist...
He then mentioned the Right of Conscription, to probe her point of view - in case Bryce might not be convinced to let her become a warden.
As she made no comment, he went quiet.
But for a moment, Duncan's face went grim – he ought to tell her about the calling, too. It was known by quite a few that wardens hardly ever grew old. But he'd have to tell her about his own calling then, how little time he might have left – and that he couldn't bring himself to do. Not just yet. It was selfish, he knew – but he wanted as long and happy a time as possible with her. Unspoiled and carefree moments he would harvest and keep for that enevitable time, when they weren't together.
"So, do you have a lot of rouges with you at Ostagar?" she asked.
"Quite a few rogues, good warriors too. But we are too few all 'round I fear, thats why we're still recruiting so close to facing the main darkspawn army."
"You don't have any mages, then?"
"Yes of course, but only seven at Ostagar as we speak. Twelve would be a better number, as they make a huge diffence in battle – but they're kind of hard to come by" he laughed, remembering his recruitment tours to the Circle.
He told her a little about Irwin and Knight Commander Gregoir; but those stories didn't make her laugh – he himself found them hilarious. Maybe she felt sorry for the life the mages lived in the tower?
"They are all recruited at.. that tower, are they?" she asked, as if picking up on his thoughts.
"Well no, not all are from the Circle. Our best battle mage is actually an apostate. We were lucky to get to him, before the templars hunted him down – and we had to use The Right of Conscription to prevent them from killing him."
"Then - what happens to him, when the battle is over - when you send the mages back to the tower?"
He laughed a little "No, no, we don't send any of them back, once they've become Grey Wardens - they live with the rest of us, of course"
"They do? But - I've never heard of mages actually living a... normal life outside the tower; isn't it perilous to... keep them with you?! I mean, mages and magic are dangerous, right?"
He was surprised to hear her say that."Now you're talking out of village superstition. I would have thought you to be above that, with your access to knowledge and your sense of fairness, Elissa. The Grey Wardens are all esteemed fighters, whether they happen to be mages or rogues."
"I see. Yes.. it would seem I know very little about.. the topic alltogether. I've always been told that magic was dangerous, that it had to be.. kept hidden away.. oh, Nan and her stories!"
She sounded almost angry now, and he bent over her shoulder to read her expression – but she turned her face away. Strange, there was something here he didn't quite grasp. Why would this bright girl be so contempting, maybe even scared of magic users? He decided to try to put her mind at ease.
"Well, I don't know about your Nan - but in my opinion, mages are like any other people. They just happen to be born with a special gift, and most of them use their magic for the greater good. And as I've said, we're very fortunate to have some in the warden ranks. And if you should wonder, then no: I don't think they should be torn away from family and society to be locked up in a tower!"
"So you see magic as a gift, then?! I'm.. I never knew.. thank you for telling me this, Duncan." Her hand grabbed his and gave it a little squeeze, then a soft kiss on the palm.
"You're most welcome, my dear."
She sounded utterly grateful, and again he wondered, but was distracted by a sight down the road.
"Ah, good – here they are at last" he pointed at the two small figures in the distance, walking next to a little oxdriven carriage.
"Now you're about to see a true magic performance – and by no mage, either!" he chuckled.
"I am?!" she sounded truly excited – and a little frightened.
AN: I bet you've all guessed, what kind of treat we're in for in the next chapter? (and no, it's not the the M-rating... though Duncan seems to have a hard time waiting, poor thing!) Thank you for all your greatly encouraging reviews - and yes, more faithful reviewers might have a mention of their names in upcoming chapters! Bingham, I'm proud to be your muse and I can't wait to see your work of art - 'twould be nice if I could PM you directly from your profile though, if you would care to change your account options?
