Chapter Eleven

8 Bloomingtide, 9:34 Dragon

Denerim

"Good Morning my Lady," Aedan said before kissing the forehead of the woman lying next to him.

"Good morning my Warden," his pretty bard answered.

Aedan moved to his bard's full lips and kissed her again as he felt her arms move to encircle his neck. He deepened the kiss and parted her lips with his tongue.

Ever since Leliana had arrived at the Vigil before Satinalia last year the pair had been insatiable, spending as much time as possible together in bed. It was as if both were anxious to make up for all the time spent apart. It was a good thing that after the attacks on Vigil's Keep and Amaranthine Aedan and the precious few Wardens that survived had put near all of their efforts towards recruiting for both the Order and the Arling.

Aedan remembered well his father's words: lay out a bountiful table to attract the finest men and women, train and provide for those under your banner as if each were family, and empower and trust them to succeed so that your lands run only with your oversight and not your direct involvement. Aedan wasn't quite there yet, he probably wouldn't be until after the repairs to the Vigil were complete, but he was farther along towards his goal than he ever dared dream in those first days after the defeat of the Architect and the Mother. The Vigil, and its temporary structures while repairs were underway, now housed a full complement of soldiers and household staff along with a growing number of knights and there were now twenty-five Fereldan Wardens. Without his bard to keep him company Aedan had thrown himself into his duties as Warden Commander and Arl and since Leliana's return to him he had begun to delegate some tasks to others, though he would never neglect his responsibilities. It was to those fine men and women, among many others, that he relied on and gave his thanks to and who were enabling Amaranthine to bounce back quicker than most were expecting.

Thankful for the unseasonably warm temperatures that had necessitated their sleeping au naturel Aedan began to let his hands wander along Leliana's lithe body. He gently ran his fingers along the familiar curves and watched as Leliana's body responded. She shifted her position, opening herself up for his hand to slowly drift lower. Their breathing became more ragged as the intensity and pressure of his finger increased. Aedan leaned in and kissed his bard before her cries carried beyond their room. The Gnawed Noble was a fine establishment, but it did not have nearly the privacy of their rooms at the Vigil.

After Leliana had caught her breath Aedan knelt between her legs. He hooked her legs with his arms and lifted her, aligning her sex with his already hard member. He entered his bard slowly and gradually quickened his pace, Leliana meeting his thrusts with her own. Their pace built and her legs wrapped themselves around Aedan's waist as he leaned forwards onto his elbows. The pair kissed hungrily even after they had each came and it was only a knock on the door that stopped them from continuing.

Aedan quickly threw on a pair of pants and simple linen shirt to answer the door.

"Good morning my Lord, I have come to prepare your bath," the elven maid said.

He had forgotten that he had left instructions last night for an early bath knowing that it was best to be done with it before the other guests in the inn were awake. Oh well, at least now we both are in need of a good washing, Aedan thought to himself. He could hear Leliana moving in the background and knew it was safe to open the door to allow them access. In moments a train of servants were bringing buckets of hot water in to fill the tub. A once familiar routine that now looked odd to him.

The darkspawn attacks on Vigil's Keep aside from doing so much damage as to almost erase the memory of Rendon Howe in the building had allowed the reconstruction to take advantage of improvements in plumbing and dwarven ingenuity. Vigil residents and guests now no longer needed to carry buckets of water great distances as pipes and stone canals carrying fresh water now snaked throughout the stronghold from huge cisterns located in various places on building roofs throughout the grounds. Now one merely pressed different rune stones for hot and cold water to run from the taps and pulled the tub or basin plug for it to drain away down other pipes to different cisterns and eventually into the nearby river. Master Dworkin and his assistants had truly surpassed themselves and it was a wonder to behold and the envy of all who visited. The first time Fergus had visited after the system was up and running he had jokingly asked to join the Wardens.

Aedan pulled out some silver and passed over coins to the five servants who prepared their bath. Once they were again alone he and Leliana slipped into the tub together. It was a tight fit but neither one was going to complain and it wasn't until the water had gone cold and they had washed a second time that they exited the tub. Once clean and dressed they went downstairs to await Fergus and the other persons they would be dining with.

He knew what his intentions were regarding his bard and Aedan wanted to marry her. Knowing that any marriage of his would have to be approved by Anora, he and Leliana decided that he would bring her to the Landsmeet and introduce Leliana to the nobility and allow them to get to know her and for Leliana to charm them, and that is what she had been doing for the past two weeks. Leliana was like the sun burning brightly and eyes were drawn to her when she entered a room. While his bard might not be of noble birth she carried herself with all the class, dignity and grace of an empress born and it was apparent that she fit in well and would make a fine teryna. The rationale was to let Anora and the nobility see Leliana in this element and later to ask the Queen to approve their marriage.

Before coming to Denerim Aedan had not seen the Queen since their lunch and the awkward conversation regarding Anora's marriage plans last year. While he did not believe her claim that Anora was not suggesting they marry he had been earnest and honest as to why it was not a good match and hoped that seeing him with Leliana would give further proof to his words.

This morning they would be having their breakfast with Bann William Mackay of White River, his wife Theresa and daughter Diana who would be leaving later today. Bann William was an eloquent and cultured man who traditionally hosted one of the finest parties prior to each Landsmeet where much of the politicking and negotiating took place and it lent the man a certain influence and connection to a great deal of the nobility beyond what his station would normally have. His wife had a lovely singing voice, although not as good as Leliana's to his admittedly biased ears, and their daughter was a woman whose great beauty was matched by her intellect. While Bann William would be a strong voice in Aedan's plan to wed his bard, and he had little doubt that Theresa and Leliana would get along well, that was not the only reason while they were breaking bread together.

Fergus had spent a great deal of time with Diana at last year's Victory and Remembrance Ball and again during their time in Denerim for this Landsmeet. Aedan knew that his brother had also corresponded with Diana regularly and was surprised that the pair had not announced a betrothal yet. Certainly Fergus had a gleam in his eye when he spoke of Diana and the Commander knew his brother well enough to know that Fergus was smitten, and from what he had seen it was true for her as well.

...

Aedan held Leliana's hand as they walked through the marketplace towards where the tournament was being held. Beside them walked the newly betrothed couple of Fergus and Diana, with the formal announcement to follow in two months time in Highever. While the Commander was not competing there were three members of the Silver Order, so named from the silverite armour the Vigil's soldiers wore, and two junior Wardens who were. In addition to supporting his comrades, tournaments were a good place to scout for potential Wardens. This was the annual tournament in Denerim and Lord Fredrick Walken of Hercinia in the Free Marches was the honoured guest. This Lord was yet another in the line of potential suitors who had come to Denerim seeking Anora's hand.

Fergus and Aedan watched the archery competition with only mild interest while Diana and Leliana chatted with each other. Diana's excitement over her betrothal was readily apparent and seemed to be infectious as already the two women were discussing dresses, flowers and how best to decorate Highever castle for the wedding. Aedan hoped the day would quickly come when he see Leliana beam from ear to ear as they made plans for their own wedding.

With the archery competitions over the duels began and the conversation between the two Couslands waited until breaks in the matches. The matches would be a best of five with points for 'fatal' strikes or when an opponent yields and all using dulled blades. After the first round Aedan already had his picks for who would be in the final match, Ser Alec a knight from Vigil's Keep and a Rivaini man name Garrett who had come to Denerim with Lord Walken. The Commander knew Ser Alec's skill and ability firsthand as he had watched the knight train and spar regularly and had bested the knight in a few matches. Alec wielded a sword and shield while Garrett was a dual blade wielder. Since dual blades was Aedan's own preferred choice of armament it was not something that any knight or soldier at the Vigil was unaccustomed to facing, but Garrett used two hook swords, a weapon choice that even Aedan had only heard about.

Aedan mentioned his picks to Fergus who disagreed with both, favouring one of his own knights and a powerfully built knight from the royal guards. Fergus knew Alec was skilled but thought his own knight, Ser Richard, was superior and that Garrett was all showmanship with little substance. Certainly there was an acrobatic and crowd pleasing nature to the way the Rivaini used his swords, dancing about and spinning the blades round. However, if one looked closer the skill, agility and training required to use the hooked blades capably was apparent – they were similar to the Morningstar or flail in that a poorly trained wielder was just as likely to injure himself as his opponent.

Using the hook swords the outside of each blade acted just as any sword would; the hook could be used to slash, trap blades or trip opponents; the ends of the hilts were sharpened into daggers; the crescent guards could be used for blocking and slashing; and the two swords could be linked at their hooks effectively doubling the reach of the wielder to over six feet with the dagger hilt slashing opponents.

The tournament progressed and the men representing Amaranthine and the Warden performed ably with all reaching to at least the second round. Ser Richard of Highever made it to the semi-finals where he was defeated by Garrett from Rivain and the final match was set for Garrett to face Ser Alec of Vigil's Keep.

"Well brother, you guessed the final two correctly enough," Fergus said a little bitterly. He had hoped Ser Richard would win the whole thing. "Care to place a wager on the winner?"

"It will be Garrett," Aedan answered, surprising his brother with his pick that his own man would lose. "He is too fast and his attacks too unusual for Ser Alec to overcome. I would favour Alec against any other in the tournament except Garrett."

As predicted Garrett made short work of Ser Alec, who congratulated the victor as a gentleman and knight should. The Rivaini stood in the centre of the match area and held up a hand to silence the cheers from the crowd.

"Thank you good people of Denerim," Garrett said. "While I have defeated many skilled and honourable warriors here today I am unable to feel deserving of being named tournament champion as I have not faced the best Ferelden has to offer." He turned to face the Warden Commander and Hero of Ferelden. "My Lord Cousland would you do me the honour?"

The crowd erupted in chants of 'Cousland, Cousland.'

Aedan glanced over to see Anora speaking with Lord Walken while using her hand to shield her mouth, he held up a hand for silence. "I regret that I must decline good ser. I had not planned on participating in the tourney nor would it be fair to you who has fought many matches this day while I am fresh. Congratulations Ser Garrett, you have won the day."

"I still wish to proceed my Lord."

"Then come visit Vigil's Keep as my guest and we can face each other when we are both at our best." Aedan did not fear this man or losing a match in front of the Denerim crowd and in truth wanted to learn to wield the hook swords, but Garrett had fought in five matches today and despite his bravado would be tired.

Aedan did have a competitive streak to him when he was younger. He had pushed himself hard and tested his skill against the best Ferelden had to offer in order to prove his worth to his father. That all changed though when Highever fell and he became a Warden. He still pushed himself as hard as ever although now he trained to protect those under his banner and to teach others. No longer did Aedan compete to prove his worth to others; he was confident and secure in his abilities and that was enough.

"Come, come Warden Commander," Lord Walken said over the jeers of those disappointed that Aedan was not prepared to fight, "the people wish to see you face this brave and noble man and as the guest of honour you risk offending me."

The Commander looked at Leliana. She knew he had nothing to prove and had been content to watch, but now that Walken had seen fit to interject himself he had little choice. That was one problem with being a legend in your own time, others sought to make a name for themselves at your expense. With a look to see the glare on Anora's face at the thought that he might offend her guest, Aedan stood to rousing cheers. He lifted the baldrics for Starfang and Vigilance over his head and passed his swords to Leliana; the use of enchanted blades was forbidden in this tournament. He pushed his way through to the match ring after testing several blades from the racks and selecting two longswords.

The two combatants faced each other and after a quick bow engaged. They both were a blur of motion with each man's twin swords slashing away at the other on attack and parrying quickly on defence. So far Aedan had been able to avoid having either of his blades trapped in the hooks. He had carefully watched Garrett's matches and even though prior opponents knew his strategy none had managed to avoid becoming entangled by the hooks.

Aedan was up two points to nil with one point coming after a skilful riposte that caught Garrett in the ribs and the other coming after his opponent linked his hook swords. Rather than moving backwards away from the suddenly longer reach of the linked blades Aedan held his blades up and tight to his body and stepped forwards, catching the hooked blades on his swords as they curled around him. He then proceeded to strike the wrist of his opponent's sword arm causing him to drop the linked swords. After a quick knee to the gut followed by a head strike with the hilt of his sword Aedan had Garrett flat on his back and yielding. While the score flattered him Aedan felt that the bout would be more competitive were they both rested, though he expected the result would be the same.

The two men resumed their opening positions and were about to engage when a voice rose over the noise of the crowd.

"HOLD, good sers," Lord Walken yelled over the crowd. "You were correct Warden Commander that perhaps Ser Garrett should have waited until he was properly rested before facing a master swordsman such as yourself. The odds do seem to be stacked against him and I had a thought that it would be appropriate to lessen your advantage." He gestured and two armed men walked into the ring and took up positions on either side of Garrett.

Aedan ignored Walken and stared at Anora. She was Queen and host of this tournament and with a word she could end this foolishness. He had not wished to compete in the first place and now was supposed to face three armed men to satisfy this fool of a suitor. Anora met his gaze and they stared hard at each other before she looked away, towards where Leliana was seated with Fergus and Diana. Aedan was not surprised when the Queen indicated the match should continue.

Were he not so angry Aedan would have thrown his swords down in disgust at the pettiness on display. Instead he shifted his position to avoid being flanked by the new entrants and nodded his head. All of the combatants knew that the tournament rules no longer applied. The two stooges of Walken's looked to be mercenaries and both wielded a sword and shield. They were of a similar size and look and on first glance the primary difference between the two was in the colour of their hair, one was blonde and the other a redhead. They also looked very confident that their superior numbers would prevail and the Commander had to disabuse them of that notion quickly.

Aedan stepped forwards to face Garrett directly, knowing that at least one of the two goons would try to move behind him. The blonde one on his left moved to flank him and Aedan quickly turned to face him while dragging his leg in an attempt to trip his foe. Blondie avoided the trip but was caught flat footed and left an opening for Aedan to attack. The Warden swept Blondie's leg at the knees as he quickly reversed his grip on the sword in his left hand and punched forwards with the hilt of his sword. A shower of crimson exploded from his face as Blondie took a hard shot right to the nose and dropped to the ground.

Aedan jumped over the fallen Blondie, putting him in front of his remaining foes; for good measure he stomped down on Blondie's midsection, driving the air from his lungs. Red charged forwards apparently upset over the Warden's harsh treatment of his comrade. Aedan moved to parry his thrust however it was a feint and Red came up with a high slash to his eyes that he barely managed to parry. Clearly Red was a swordsman and not an idiot like his friend.

The Commander was entirely defensive as he parried the attacks from Garrett and Red and worked to keep them together before him – a task easier said than accomplished however in this he was beginning to believe he had an ally. Garrett's attacks and parries while still skilful were not as quick as they were before their match was interrupted. The Rivaini was also leaving small gaps in his defence to be exploited that initially Aedan had assumed was bait to draw him in. Taken together they were subtle signs, easily missed by all but a master swordsman that Garrett was asking the Warden to beat him in such a way that he might salvage some honour from this match and avoid the displeasure of his patron.

Garrett overextended on a lunging thrust, partially blocking Red and leaving him open for a strike to the back. Aedan happily obliged and struck him reasonably hard on the back of the head with the flat of his blade, just in case he was wrong about the Rivaini. He backed off to see if Garrett would continue and was pleased to see that Garrett was remaining on the ground. It was now just Red and him.

Now that he was no longer outnumbered Aedan relaxed a bit and continued to force Red to come to him. The Commander deftly parried Red's attacks and savagely returned them. He was taught never to play with an opponent, but this one time he was going to ignore his training. He was going to make Red suffer and with it Lord Walken and Anora by proxy. Aedan wondered if Zevran was hidden among the crowd watching and what he would say – the elf always took great delight in talking to his opponents, taunting them with his superior skill and teasing them like a worm on the hook. Most became so upset at Zevran's antics that they flew into a rage and practically threw themselves onto his blades. Aedan wasn't prepared to taunt his opponent with words although he did ably demonstrate to Red that he was hopelessly outmatched and the fact that he had twice now waited for Red to recover was a form of taunting.

Aedan caught Red at the wrist forcing his opponent to drop his sword. The Commander circled away, avoiding the shield bash, and motioned for Red to pick up his sword. He could see by Red's face that the desire to continue fighting had long since gone; he had a few small nicks and his shield arm hung heavy from the pummelling Aedan had given to both it and his shoulder. The smart thing to do was concede unless Lord Walken expected him to fight to the death and that was something Aedan was not prepared to do.

Against all logic Red picked his sword up and squared himself to the Warden. It was hard not to have some admiration for this stubborn man who refused to submit. He knew that Red was desperate and a desperate man could be counted on to make a fatal mistake. The Commander circled Red letting the weight of the crowd and the anger of his patron fester in his opponent until it became too much and he would strike.

"EEEYAA!" Red screamed as he lunged forward and thrust his shield out point first at the Wardens head.

Aedan ducked to avoid the shield while knocking aside Red's sword with one of his own. The other came up to rest against his opponent's neck.

"Do you yield?" Aedan said loudly. Red gave a slight nod as he dropped his sword.

The crowd exploded in cheers for their victorious hero. Aedan wanted none of it. The Commander walked over and stood directly in front of Walken and Anora. He gave them each a look that clearly showed his anger and disgust over what had occurred here and then stabbed his swords into the ground and walked away. Leliana was waiting for him and together they returned to their room at the Gnawed Noble.

Several hours later there was a knock on their door from an unexpected guest. Garrett game to apologize for his challenge and confessed that he had been in Walken's employ as a sword for hire and had been put up to it. Though Garrett did not wish to call out Aedan he did as he was commanded, although the addition of the other combatants was a shock to him. To Garrett while the circumstances were not ideal he had viewed it as an honour to test himself against Aedan whatever the outcome. Aedan invited Garrett Vigil's Keep to teach both him and any others who wished how to wield the hook swords. Garrett had not accepted but Aedan was a good enough judge of character that he would not be surprised if the Rivaini ended up at the Vigil in the near future. The Commander would let Garrett get a sense of the brotherhood between Wardens and belonging to something greater than a purse of gold before offering a position in the Order.

Fergus, alone now that Diana had left with her parents, accompanied Leliana to dinner with Teagan and Kaitlyn after Aedan said that he would make poor company and insisted they go without him. In truth he had other plans and once Leliana and Fergus were away Aedan again put on his armour and swords and left for the palace.

With each step towards the palace Aedan's anger over the day's idiocy grew. Four men had been placed in danger and for what - the petty machinations of a foreign noble and the whims of a selfish queen? Had he been watching himself from afar Aedan would have seen people either knowingly or subconsciously moving to avoid his path, recognizing danger when he neared.

He stormed through the palace into the throne room and finding only the Chancellor he demanded an audience with Anora.

"My Lord Cousland it is late in the day, perhaps you could come back tomorrow during court?"

"I will not be put off ser. This is a personal matter and cannot wait until tomorrow," Aedan said sharply. "Either her Majesty will see me tonight or I will search the palace until I find her. Now go and get her."

The chancellor was at a loss. He was a decent man although holding to custom and formality with a zeal that bordered on obsessive. Due to his position he was also a man who was used to getting his way. It wasn't appropriate for anyone to come to the palace and demand an immediate audience with the Queen except in an emergency which clearly this was not – such things were just not done. And no one further threatens to rampage through the palace until they found her. The chancellor looked at the Teryn and Warden Commander; studying his stance, manner and face before deciding that it was best to speak to the Queen.

"Please wait here my Lord and I will go speak to her Majesty and inform her of your urgent need."

Aedan wasn't sure how long Anora made him wait. Certainly long enough that the guards in the throne room were nervous. Finally Erlina, the Queen's handmaiden, entered the throne room and said she was there to escort him to Anora.

Erlina led him on a circuitous route through the palace while she talked idly to him. Erlina was a smart woman and no doubt decided that a winding path might bleed off some of his anger and unlike some nobles Aedan had never been anything but polite and courteous to her. By the time they had finished his anger while still present was controlled. He thanked Erlina for her company before passing over his swords to the guards outside the door. Erlina announced him and Aedan entered a small, for the palace, sitting room with a roaring fire and Anora facing the fire with her back to him.

"You wished to see me Lord Cousland," Anora said in a tone that implied she was annoyed at the interuption.

"Yes your Majesty, I wish to speak to you about today's events," he waited until the Queen turned to face him. "Never again."

The words hung in the air between them.

"Never again for what?" Anora said, some of her composure slipping.

"Never again will I be subject to the foolish plans of an asshole seeking to embarrass me and gain your favour. Never again will I dance to your petty tune like some puppet on a string."

"I am you Queen," Anora screamed at him as she moved to stand directly in front of the Warden.

"Then act like one," Aedan screamed back. "Walken told Garrett to challenge me and no doubt planned that if his man was nearing defeat he would spring the others on me. You could have put him in his place and stopped it and yet you did not. Do you wish to see me humiliated or brought to heel? What do you want from me?"

Anora quickly leaned in and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Aedan's body responded before his mind could catch up. He raised his hands to grasp Anora by the arms. Anora mistaking his intent deepened their kiss until he pulled her away, her mouth tugging on his bottom lip as if refusing to let go.

"I am sorry Anora but that is something that I cannot give to you," Aedan said quietly. "My heart already belongs to another." He took a small step backwards.

"And yet you once told me that nobility rarely gets to follow their hearts and must do what is best for their people," Anora said bitterly. "Why should you be so fortunate?"

"I am doing what is best for Ferelden because as a Grey Warden it would be a miracle for me to produce a child from my loins. Also as a Grey Warden I am doomed to die an early death either in battle or alone in the Deep Roads underneath Orzammar. Yes, I am indeed fortunate to be so blessed."

Aedan left Anora and walked first to the stables to have the horses prepared and then back to the Gnawed Noble to pack their things. They would be leaving Denerim tonight and he had Leliana had much to discuss.