Chapter 12 - Battles Won and Lost
Nathaniel held up the letter for Cass to see. "It's a message from my old pal Ian." He shook his head. "Apparently he has joined Sebastian's army."
"You've never mentioned him." Cass looked at him curiously. "Is he from Starkhaven?"
Nathaniel nodded. "The son of a minor noble. We were squires together, years ago, and we became... good friends."
Never one to miss a nuance, Cass noticed his slight hesitation and raised a questioning eyebrow.
But he wasn't quite ready to tell her everything about his past, so he quickly changed the subject. "He enclosed a note from Prince Vael for you."
"For me? From Sebastian?" Cass sounded honestly surprised. "We may have parted on slightly better terms than usual, but we're hardly close friends."
She broke the seal and smoothed out the parchment, then began reading aloud.
Dear Hawke,
If this letter reaches you, it means you have safely arrived at Vigil's Keep. As you will have learned from Ser Ian's missive, I have finally decided to take back what's rightfully mine. From all sides, people are flocking to join my banner, and the first skirmishes have proved hardly a challenge for my troops.
Cass rolled her eyes at this. "That's the problem with Sebastian. You can never tell how much is just wishful thinking." Shaking her head, she read further.
Maker willing, we should be able to engage the usurper in a decisive battle any day now.
But when she got to the final paragraph, her voice took on a strained note.
You may know that Fenris has decided to join me in my endeavour. I am grateful to have such a loyal friend at my side in the battles to come. Please pray for us, Hawke. The Chant says the Maker will reward the righteous. Let's hope he will be on our side.
Sebastian Vael, Prince of Starkhaven
Cass sighed. "Oh Maker, he's really doing it." She looked up at Nathaniel. "What are his chances of success? You know more about Starkhaven than I do."
Nathaniel shrugged. "It's hard to tell. Ian wouldn't have joined him if the whole enterprise was doomed from the beginning. Sebastian is the rightful heir, and there seem to be plenty of malcontents ready to join him. On the other hand, Goran is a Vael too, albeit from a minor branch, and he has had plenty of time to consolidate his position. And Sebastian has no real experience at leading an army. It could go either way, I guess."
He sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. "But Cass, if Fenris is preparing for a major battle right now, you can't tell him about the baby. Not when it's still uncertain whether-"
"I know." Cass was visibly uncomfortable with the thought.
He knew how much she hated lies and half-truths, but this was too important to let go. "Fenris needs a clear head now. Please, love, let's wait until the child is born. Or at least until the situation in Starkhaven has been resolved."
She nodded reluctantly, and he let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.
For the next few weeks, he racked his brain, trying to come up with arguments that would convince her she didn't have to tell Fenris. He'd never admit it, even to himself, but he was mortally afraid of what she would do if the elf decided he wanted her back, after all. After a lengthy conversation with Loghain, a plan was beginning to form in his mind. When they set out to inform the Commander of Cass' pregnancy, he felt he was well prepared.
Leonie kept them waiting at her door for a while. Glancing over at Cass' pale, tense face, Nathaniel took her hand and pressed it in reassurance, but she shook him off with an irritated frown. He sighed. He wasn't looking forward to telling Leonie either, but it was necessary. Soon Cass would no longer be able to go on dangerous missions.
He had known Leonie Caron for quite some time now, and knew she could be difficult, but even he hadn't anticipated the haughty disdain in her expression, when she heard the news.
"A child? Here, at the Keep? Surely you realize, Nathaniel, that there's a reason Wardens don't have families. How do you expect to support them? And why should I put up with feeding your wife, if she is of no use to me any longer?
Before he could even answer, Cass snapped back at Leonie, her voice as cold as steel. "I won't be useless. Who do you think has provided your Wardens with traps and poisons in the past weeks? I can still do that, and more."
The Commander visibly bristled at her tone, and Nathaniel was quick to step in. "It won't be a problem. I have made arrangements for their future." He handed Leonie a sheaf of papers. "Queen Anora has very graciously agreed to reinstate my mother's dowry to me, as it was never part of the Howe estates. You may know that she came from a very wealthy family. I have settled enough money on Cass and the child to provide for them, even when I'm gone."
"You still have friends in high places, I see." Leonie's smile was sly, and it took all Nathaniel's control not to rise to the bait. Of course she knew about his friendship with Loghain, and the Hero of the River Dane still wasn't exactly popular with the Orlesian nobility.
"Alright." The Commander shrugged. "Have it your way. It's certainly not my place to question why you wish to take responsibility for this child."
Cass had listened to the conversation with barely concealed fury. Now she stepped between the two of them, her face hard with determination. "This is all very nice, but I'd kindly thank both of you not to discuss my fate without consulting me."
She took Nathaniel's hand in hers and pressed it briefly, but she turned to Leonie. "I have my own fortune, Commander, and it is considerable. Thanks to a good friend of mine in Highever, I have managed to salvage most of it. If you agree, I would like to rent one of the houses in the outer ward, near the gate. I believe there are several that would be suitable for us, more so than Nathaniel's room here at the Keep."
Leonie pondered for a moment, but Nathaniel didn't doubt she would agree. The houses had been empty since the darkspawn attack on the Keep several years ago, and the arldom could do with the additional income. Not to mention the fact that Leonie would be glad to have them both settled a little further away. In the end, they agreed on a rather exorbitant lease for a little cottage close to the smithy. It would need some work before they could move in, but he knew he could rely on the Keep's artisans for help. They were still in awe of the name Howe and would be honoured to help.
Six weeks later, the cottage was ready for them. It wasn't very big, just two rooms and a kitchen on the ground floor, and another two on top of it, but it was freshly painted and clean and pleasant to look at. There was plenty of furniture to choose from in the unused parts of the Keep. Nathaniel even dug up a carved wooden crib emblazoned with the Howe arms in one of the dusty attic rooms. Fortunately they could afford some servants too. With a jubilant heart, Nathaniel watched Cass take possession of her new home, knowing it would tie her even closer to him.
As the days grew shorter, they both settled into a comfortable routine, interrupted only when Leonie sent him out on a mission with the other Wardens. But even those were few and far between in those last days of autumn, leaving them plenty of time to enjoy their evenings together, once their duties at the Keep were done. Cass was true to her word and kept the Wardens' supply of poisons, traps and grenades well stocked, while Nathaniel had his hands full training new recruits and helping with the administration of the arldom.
At night they would light a fire in their small sitting room and talk or read or just sit together. They studiously avoided the topic of Fenris and what was happening in Starkhaven, though sometimes Nathaniel would notice Cass staring out the window, an absent expression on her pale, beautiful face. They both tried instinctively to find as many diversions as possible. Cass had discovered a stack of racy Orlesian novels in the Keep's library and, much to Nathaniel's surprise, spent hours devouring the adventures of demure demoiselles and dashing chevaliers at the Emperor's court.
One night he came upon her reading a finely bound volume with the words "The Devilish Duke" on the spine. With a smile, he sat down next to her and began to massage her feet, making her sigh happily.
"The Devilish Duke?" He made a face. "How can you stand this tripe, Cass?"
She pouted. "It's relaxing. And this one isn't bad, actually. Lots of historic background and details of Orlesian court life."
"Really?" His grin got broader. "Let me see."
He quickly snatched the volume from her hands and began to read aloud. "Suzanne was shivering under Philippe's hot rakish gaze. He had hardly touched her, but her nipples were already standing proudly at attention and heat was pooling between her legs. Maker, Cass!" He pretended to be scandalized. "Historic background indeed!"
Cass raised her chin at him and smiled provocatively. "So what? Are you worried that this will give your precious little innocent wife indecent ideas?"
He felt the heat rise within at her words and growled back at her. "I rather hope it will."
Swiftly, he pulled the stocking off her foot, still resting in his lap, and handed the book back to her. With exquisite care he let his fingers trace every bone, every knuckle, applying just the right amount of pressure.
"Maybe you ought to read some passages to me. Who knows, it might give me some indecent ideas." He raised her foot to his mouth and gently took the first toe between his lips, licking it, swirling his tongue around it, then sucking hard.
Cass' head flew back with a gasp. "Nathaniel!"
He couldn't hide his grin. Ever since he'd discovered how sensitive her toes were, he had been unable to resist tormenting her like this. "Come on. Read."
She threw him a fiery glance. "As if you needed more indecent ideas, Nathaniel Howe." But she complied, and the sound of her voice, reading the salacious passage to him, was more arousing than he had expected.
"With a dastardly grin, Philippe pulled his dagger and cut through the strings of her corset in one swift stroke." Cass' voice faltered for a moment as he pulled her second toe slowly between his lips.
He immediately took advantage of this for commenting on the text. "Hard to pull off without slicing open her stomach as well."
Cass threw him a dark look. "It's a romance, Nathaniel. It's not supposed to be realistic. The satiny aquamarine fabric of her gown slid down, exposing her perfect milky white breasts to his gaze. She squealed and tried to cover herself with her tiny hands, but Philippe would have none of it. He swept her off her feet and carried her over to the bed in his strong, muscular arms..."
"Oooh, forceful!" Nathaniel couldn't quite resist the sarcastic comment, even though Cass was shivering under his caresses, and he had to admit he was feeling rather hot himself.
Cass looked at him from under heavily lidded eyes and put aside the book. "Maybe I enjoy a man being forceful now and then."
The rich, purring tone of her voice took his breath away. Clearly, the time for games was over. He decided to follow the dashing hero's example and gathered her in his arms, carrying her toward the stairs, up to their bed. It turned out to be a memorable night for both of them.
It was already midwinter when the message from Starkhaven reached them.
Sebastian's army had been soundly beaten, his followers dispersed. The losses had been heavy on both sides, but the usurper was firmly entrenched on his throne. The estates of the minor nobles around the city had been so thoroughly ravaged that no one was likely to support another uprising against the ruler any time soon. Ian's letter was full of resignation; all of his former jauntiness had disappeared.
As for Sebastian Vael, his current whereabouts were unknown. After the battle, he'd taken to the hills with his closest friends and supporters. But according to Ian they had all been grievously wounded, and at this time of the year their chances of survival were practically non-existent.
When Nathaniel reached that part of his friend's letter, he looked up at Cass' face, worried what her reaction might be. She didn't faint, didn't cry, but her features grew hard for a moment. She closed her eyes, and he saw a tremble run through her body. Slowly he pulled her in his arms and held her until the trembling had subsided.
As usual, many thanks to zevgirl for editing and making this a much better read.
