Part 3: Hope

Chapter 21: Responsibility

The smell of booze permeating the air reminded Aedan of Teharel. The elf often smelt like a dwarf- filthy and drunk. The same scent lingered in the Gnawed Noble's bar during peak hours. Workers, nobles, and merchants alike gathered at the bar's crooked wooden tables.

"Ah, Ewan, there you are." Kylon sat down at the bar before the bartender. The bearded man halted mis-pour of another drink, and the vodka spilled out a little.

Aedan took a seat besides Kylon. "Ewan? You know Kylon?"

"Aedan? Fergus?" The bartender looked at the two nobles, then back at Kylon, then back at them again. A sinking feeling grew in his stomach.

"You know Ewan?" asked Kylon.

"I come to the bar here on occasion whenever we're in town. Are you the contact here Ewan?" asked Aedan.

"Well, Kylon, you just bloody lost me two regulars." The bartender scowled at the officer and pointed at the door.

"I don't give a shit about you, Ewan," replied Kylon with equal disdain. He leaned up against the bar and whispered, "I need to get into contact with D."

"Really, is that how you're going to be? I take this bloody informant position, risking my neck, and you treat me like shit?"

"Don't kid yourself, Ewan- we could have let you rot in a cell for your crimes. You're lucky we offered you this."

Two rather burly men swaggered over to Aedan and the others. Out in the open, strapped to their side, were rather sharp looking weapons. Ewan gulped and tugged at his collar. He made frantic eye movements at Kylon, beckoning him to the door.

"Hey, you got some business with our friend here?"

"None at all sir, none at all," smiled Fergus the best he could, elbowing Aedan to back away. Aedan's feet stood planted where they were.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" The man poked Aedan square in the chest, breathing his rancid breath on him.

Fists clenched, Aedan struggled to keep his mind sane. All he could think about was Teharel, laying dying in the hospital, but he knew the situation needed to be handled with finesse. "Nobody. Just here on business with the Constable," seethed Aedan.

"Well see, that's the problem. We don't like his kind poking his nose into our business. Now scram." The burly man waved his hand towards the door. His smile infuriated Aedan; so cocky, so condescending.

Kylon stepped forward between the two. "I'm afraid we can't do that. I need to see D."

"Why the bloody hell would we let you meet our boss? I don't think he'd take too kindly to the authorities lounging around in his territory."

"Look, I don't know who you are, which means that clearly you are pretty far down on the chain of command in the gang, as I know most of the bigger players. You are neither important enough to warrant a second glance from D, nor are you insignificant enough to escape the eyes of the law."

The gang member slanted his eyes at Kylon. A low growl escaped from his clenched teeth. Kylon rolled his eyes. "A little bit cliche of me to say, but we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way. And based on how angry and desperate my friend is over here, it'll be very painful for you."

Before Kylon could react, the sound of a dozen swords unsheathing filled the air, followed by the gang member's reply: "Oh, I'm sure it will be very painful."

"Please...please don't kill me!"

"I'm not going to kill you, for goodness sakes," groaned Aedan as he untied the man. The whimpers and sniffling were however getting on his nerves. After Aedan and the others had dispatched the other men, Kylon had rounded up the other guardsmen to take them into prison. The other eleven lay beaten and battered. Blood streamed from their wounds; not enough to kill them, as it was only skin deep. Despite his rage, Aedan still knew restraint. He rubbed his black eye in irritation. He tossed aside a shard of broken glass and cringed as it shattered into tinier pieces. He looked at the waitress and mouthed an apology, but she only glared back.

"Just arrange a meeting with D for us, okay? Be back here before sundown, or else your friends are going to rot in the dungeons. And I'm sure D wouldn't be too pleased if they happened to snitch about anything, now would he?" The constable held back a laugh as the lackey booked it out of the bar. Ewan, however, was not as amused.

"You could have completely blown my cover, you asshole." The bartender spat on the bar counter whilst shining it.

"Is that how he gets the counter so shiny? I never knew." Fergus lifted his arms off the counter and grimaced at it.

"I'm sorry, Ewan, we're just in a time constrained situation right now. I promise to make it up to you." Kylon slid a piece of paper towards Ewan. Despite his skeptical mood, the bartender peeked underneath the paper.

After a slight pause, a glass of ale slid down the counter. "Apology accepted, asshole."

The hour of twilight had come, and with it a knock on the door.

"Blow the candles out," came a voice from behind the door. Kylon nodded to Fergus, who blew out the candle. The smell of burning wax permeated the air and the darkness engulfed them. The footsteps of a rather heavy man, followed by the lightest of steps, creaked against the wooden floor.

"Constable Kylon, a pleasure to finally meet you," breathed a rather throaty voice, "You're quite the up and coming guardsmen among your peers. See to it that you don't rise too quickly."

Kylon's usual quips were gone. Aedan couldn't see his face, but he heard an inaudible gulp across the room.

"No need to worry, Constable. You can continue playing your little games of law and order. Just let me play in the shadows, and do the dirty work of society, and we'll be fine.

"I'm more interested in why there are two Couslands standing here. What business might you two have with me?" An eerie terror shot through Aedan's veins. Such a calm voice, as though he owned the very city. Perhaps he did.

"There's a warehouse in your territory that we need to get to." Aedan clasped his sword's hilt. His boots quaked.

"Family secret, I see. You can take your hand off your sword. I've no intention of hurting those who've done me no wrong."

Aedan relaxed his hand. "Not our secrets, but my friend is going to die unless I can get the man who is after that information. He's extremely dangerous, and he's poisoned my friend."

"How dangerous? I'd like to know what sort of trouble you might be bringing to my turf."

"He's a master swordsman, able to take on a whole platoon of guards, and is armed with qunari explosives and poisons."

D took in a single breath of disdain. "This man wouldn't happen to be named Adair, now would he?"

Aedan took a sharp breath in. "He would."

Even in the darkness, Aedan swore he could see the glint of D's perfectly formed smile in the darkness. "Well, Ser Cousland, it seems we have a mutual enemy. And as they say, the enemy of your enemy-"

"-is your friend," finished Aedan, a sour feeling in his stomach.

Despite his familiarity with Denerim, Aedan had never sought to set foot inside of the Pearl, or even near it. Some of the other noble sons had partied there, and even the nobles themselves. Being the Teyrn of Highever's son, however, meant he had to keep a certain level of respectability. Prostitution didn't make the cut of approved activities.

Dirt caked his boots- nobody maintained the sidewalks very well here. Surprisingly, the Pearl's exterior looked far more grandiose than the surrounding buildings. Little candles lay perched around its roof, with silken scarves strewn through the rafters. One of their employees eyed Aedan up and down as he approached.

"You're not one of our regulars, but I'd be glad to help you get acquainted." She flashed him a lipstick smeared smile. It faded once she got a better look at him. She sighed in annoyance. "But it doesn't look like you're here for our business, do you?"

Aedan glanced around to make sure no one was watching. He couldn't be sure this wasn't a setup. "What makes you say that?"

"When you're on the streets, you learn to keep a lookout. Noble boys going through puberty, their pockets bursting with gold from their rich little fathers. Those shady fellows that follow you for a bit too long in the dead of the night."

The warden scoffed. "I'm a unshaven, unkempt hooded man in a cloak. I'd think I look like the kind of shady sort that comes here."

"We whores are smarter than you think. How else do you think we manage to squeeze piles of coin out of our customers? Most of the people who come here aren't shady at all: they're just looking for a good time, a little fun to brighten up their terrible day." The woman leaned in and brushed her fingers against Aedan's arm. "Although you do look like you've had a terrible time of it. Sure you're not interested?" said the whore, who plastered her face with that fake smile of hers.

"Well, you're right about one thing. I'm here on business." The whore dropped her smile again and stepped aside to let Aedan inside.

Once the sergeant noticed Aedan entering the lounge area, he gave him a discreet wave and beckoned him to the corner table. A rowdy group of mercenaries rabbled on the opposite side of the room, distracting the whores and customers from Aedan's arrival.

"So how'd you recognize me, Kylon? I've been trying my best; got a nice stubble going, covered myself up," said Aedan as he settled into the seat.

Kylon sipped on his beer. "They did a good job with the wanted poster, and unlike my coworkers, I tend to actually care about suspicious characters walking around in hoods."

Silence lingered whilst Aedan drummed his fingers against the table. Finally, once it had become unbearable, the warden asked, "So...do you believe it? What Loghain is saying?"

"Not one word. I doubt Grey Wardens would betray the king to help darkspawn. Then, when I saw your face on the posters, I knew it had to be a lie. Rest assured, Aedan. I'm not turning you in."

"That's good to hear. I have little enough friends as it is." Aedan tried to wave over the waitress, but she was held up with other orders. He drummed on the table with his fingers while Kylon stared into the bottom of his beer. Another few seconds of silence passed before Kylon said, "Aedan, my condolences regarding...your family."

Aedan said nothing. Having seen the estate earlier that day had left the wounds of the past fresh in his mind. "Tell me, how is it Howe was able to get away with it?" he asked with clenched teeth. His fingers dug into the table.

"Howe's a tricky bastard. He's bribed all the right people, and is now Loghain's right hand man. It seems he was planning this for awhile. He's left virtually no trail."

"Damn it. What about my estate? I saw he moved in: is there anything left? Being a Grey Warden doesn't exactly pay, and we need some amount of resources to keep going."

"He had everything confiscated and locked in his personal treasury. Well, almost everything."

Kylon hoisted a medium sized box from beneath the table. When Aedan held it in his hands, he remembered the day he had received the box: and when he remembered who gave it to him, he scowled.

"Before his guards raided your place, I snuck into your room and got this- couldn't open it though. Things solid as a rock."

Aedan ran his fingers over the box. "It's...a coin box. Special dwarven design lock, you have to know how to open it, and know the code. Only two people know how to open it with the code. Me...and the person who gave it to me."

How old had he been? Five, maybe six- Aedan couldn't remember exactly. It had been his birthday, and despite the Teyrn of Highever's high position within the political community, the party size had been kept to only the closest family friends. His fingers fiddled with the lock, shifting the gears about till the box made strange clicking sound.

"Howe."

Inside lay a sizeable pile of solid gold sovereigns. Some lay at the bottom, dusty and old. Others on the top had the newest mint upon them.

"I used to save them in here when I was little onwards," said Aedan, his voice barely audible, "Even some of the loot we found back then, you and me, I put it in here. Howe said, when he gave this to me, 'Learning to save your money will teach you to become a fine young man, worthy of being a noble.'"

Whilst he sifted through the coins, Aedan remembered what he had put in as the first thing, that very day of his birthday. He dug to the bottom, and pulled out an old, faded parchment. A horrendous drawing of a man holding hands with a tiny boy was scribbled upon it's surface. Written on the bottom, with the terrible handwriting of a five-year old:

"Me and Uncle Howe." The paper crinkled in Aedan's hands as he crumpled up the paper. With a flick of his wrist he tossed it into the nearby fireplace. He leaned his head in his hands, gritting his teeth. "How could I not have seen this coming? I bet he even gave me this box so he could steal all of it back from me later."

"You did the best you could Aedan. All of you did. It's not your fault."

"Maybe it's not my fault that Howe attacked, but..."

Aedam sighed and took a deep breath. He struggled to find the words to say what he had been thinking since that fateful day. "I left them, Kylon. My father was badly wounded. He and my mother stayed behind to give me and Duncan time to leave. I abandoned them in their time of greatest need, so I could live."

"Aedan, you can't blame yourself. It's a parent's job to put their child's safety above their own."

"I know, Kylon, but still. It's just so hard to shift perspectives like that. They are-"

His voice cracked.

"-were my family. We're supposed to look out for each other."

"Aedan. I know there's no words I can say to rid you of your grief. Time's the only cure for that. But right now, you can't keep worrying about the past Aedan. You've got a job to do now."

"Right, right," sighed Aedan, who motioned over at the waitress. "Sorry for all the...moping. A beer will set me right- actually, a scotch." The warden groaned- the waitress was held up by the incessant noise and orders of a nearby mercenary group. Kylon took the opportunity to change the tense atmosphere; he leaned in and pointed over at the rowdy mercenaries.

"See those mercenaries there? The White Falcons, rowdy old bunch. Sanga called me in here to get them to clear out, but they've pegged me as a guard, and they're quite anti-establishment. You mind convincing them to leave?"

A smile grew across Aedan's face. "Kylon, you dirty bastard, did you get me to come out here to do some of your work for you? No wonder they've promoted you.'

Despite the fact it would come out of his own paycheck, Kylon stated, "I'll pay you."

"And there's the magic words." Almost instantly, Aedan slapped both hands on the table and strode off.

"Aedan, it's been good seeing you again. I have no doubt that you'll be stopping by Denerim again, so if you ever need me, just call." With that, the Sergeant strode out the door of the Pearl, ignoring the looks of a rather burly looking prostitute.

Just as Aedan was about to get up and leave, a voice behind him purred, "A pity that you didn't put on more of a show in getting those louts to clear out. I do like a good fight." Still somewhat grumpy from the events of the day, Aedan turned around expecting yet another problem, but what he saw made him almost drop his drink. A tan-skinned pirate beauty leaned against the nearby booth. What she had on could barely be called an outfit; her breasts were barely corralled by her linen top. Thick black luscious hair fell to her shoulders and swayed as she approached. Her earrings glinted against the oil lamp's haze. Was she even wearing pants, or did the thigh high boots count? The woman sauntered over and flashed him a coy smile. "You look like you could use a break."

The woman slid into the neighboring seat, ever so slightly leaning up against Aedan. "Isabela, captain of the Siren's Call. So, here to sample the Pearl's delicious goods? I prefer Amber over there. Spicy between the sheets and the body of goddess."

Aedan had to pinch himself to concentrate on her eyes, not directly below. "Just business. They don't call us Grey Wardens for nothing- we have to keep working until our hair goes grey from stress."

Isabela leaned in closer to stare at Aedan. "Hmmm...You really do have that Grey Wayden aura about you," cooed the woman.

"Aura?"

"How can I describe it: it just sort of...draws people to you. A leader of men, savior of the innocent, ravisher of women, something like that." The woman licked her lips.

Aedan raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "Sounds about right." He glanced out the window. The sun had begun to set, and he had promised to meet the others in the morning. As his eyes wavered over Isabela, he couldn't help but want to make some time for her. He finished off his current glass and gasped for an air. "I have a couple of hours to kill, and I could certainly use a drink."

"Well," smiled Isabela, "that's good to hear. I too have some spare time: I leave Ferelden in the morn, lest the Blight take me." She waved over at Sanga. "Sanga my dear, two pints of ale for us!"

How long had it been since he had just sat down and enjoyed tomfoolery? Isabela's warm fingers glided across his arm as they conversed. A little fun wouldn't hurt. Get his mind off of that witch and her machinations. He needed to keep her out. He didn't have to worry about such concerns with current company: he'd never see Isabela again. Wouldn't have to worry about getting too attached, nor about ulterior motives.

"You seem to have been in quite few scraps yourself." He brushed his finger across her cheek, running it over a faint scar. Her cheek was warm and a little flushed from all the drinks they'd had. First had been the beers, then the shots, and then..what the hell were they even drinking now? Some weird cocktail the waitress had cooked up. He wasn't particularly sure he could trust a drink from the Pearl of all places, but damn did it taste good.

Isabela guided Aedan's hand to the side of her neck, where a long, thin mark snaked down it. "This one's from a dagger- from Tevinter guards when I hijacked their ship." She brought his hand back up to her face and let his finger graze the bottom of her lip to a small white scar. "Bar fight. Tequila's never dull, I'll say that. I've traveled about, dueling many blokes who never stood a chance."

Aedan let his finger fiddle with her lip. "Care to give me a few pointers?"

"Really? A Grey Warden asking me for combat advice? I'll take that as a compliment." The woman brushed her hair back and flashed him a smile.

"The man who believes he has nothing to learn from others is a fool," stated Aedan. He wasn't lying when he said he wanted advice; she had taken down those men rather quickly, and eventually he might have to face off against Howe and Loghain.

"My ships are are right over by the docks." Isabela intertwined her arm in his and pulled him against her chest. "I think you'll find my cabin to be a suitable arena."

"Remove that leather armor of yours. It'll constrict your movement and I think you'll find you'll need to be quick to keep up with me."

Isabela barreled forward and flipped right over Aedan's head. Unexpected. He had never faced such an acrobatic foe. He spun around just in time to dodge a flurry of blows from Isabela. He caught her wrist in his hand and pulled in her in tight. By the time he attempted to attack, she had jumped over her bed to the surrounding side.

"Mind your surroundings, Warden. Every duel has a setting that you can take advantage of."

Aedan smiled and slammed his hands against her bed, sending the wooden frame sliding towards Isabela. "Like I don't know that." The look on Isabela's face told Aedan that she had never quite faced a brute force opponent.

Despite the quick counterattack, Isabela dodged by swinging onto the ceiling. She catapulted at him. Aedan sidestepped and Isabela landed like a cat on all fours.

"Forceful, quick, but always keep your eye on the enemy. They may have a trick or two up their sleeves."

She stepped down on a creaky wooden plank, causing Aedan to lose his footing. The warden stumbled onto his back. Isabela landed on top of him, a dagger to him. In one swipe she grasped his shirt and tore it open with her knife.

In one swift movement, he grabbed her toned thigh and thrust her up against the wall. The cabin shook with the force, and Isabela gave a little moan. His lips hovered above hers, separated only by their breath. He could feel her soft voluptuous chest rise and fall against his own. He let the moment simmer and the heat build between them.

"I'll have you know I never lose in bed," panted Isabela through heated breaths. Her glanced downwards once at his lips, waiting impatiently.

"We'll have to see about that," he chuckled, before finally diving in for a kiss.

Isabela and Aedan collapsed, panting and tangled in each other's sweaty limbs and flushed bodies.

"I guess...we'll...have to call that one a tie," panted Isabela as she nuzzled up against Aedan.

"For once, I'll have to agree," chuckled Aedan back.

"I shall be setting sail soon, so I doubt our paths will cross again. Unless of course, you'd like to join my crew." Isabela rolled onto him, giving little kisses down his neck. Her hot sweaty skin burned against his own. "Your talents would be so wasted fighting darkspawn."

Aedan smiled for a moment, thinking what it would be like. Life on a pirate's ship, nothing but adventure and the sea at his back, with a beautiful woman by his side. Isabela's luscious body rubbing up against his certainly left nothing to the imagination.

"Unfortunately, I have an Archdemon to kill." He kissed her on the forehead and sat up.

Isabela pouted in disappointment. "The responsible type, hmmm. No fun at all. My advice to you; get laid more often. You're quite good at it and it'll keep the stress from killing you."

Whilst pulling a shirt over his head, a thought occurred to Aedan. Isabela had mentioned she was quite good at breaking and entering. "Care to have a little more fun?" he said with a sinister grin.

Isabela licked her lips and raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

"Thievery, desecration of private property, alcohol."

Isabela pulled Aedan back down onto the bed and rolled back on top of him. "Careful, Warden. I may just kidnap you by force."

The orange glow of the sunset reflected against the dusty gold relics whilst Aedan sorted through them. It felt strange to actually touch these heirlooms. His father had never let him and his brother play in the vault, and as he had grown up, he had never seen a reason to go in there, up until now. After he and Isabela had made a run into his family's former vault, and a quick stop at their liquor cabinet, the two had scampered off into the dark towards the docks of Denerim.

His chest tightened seeing his family's old things sorted by him and Isabela, but Aedan pushed it down. Kylon was right; he had a job to do. He couldn't let the past prevent him from moving forward. Isabela had recommended a good pawn shop in the corners of the Market District that would take questionable goods.

Aedan hesitated before handing her a heavy sack of gold. "As promised, half the gold and loot."

"Ooh- I like this little blue bandanna- is this silk? I think I'll take that." Isabela who plucked the item from Aedan's pile and stuffed it into her own. The woman rifled through her bag of treasure with childlike glee, her eyes sparkling like it was her birthday. Better that the relics of the past be used for enjoyment, then sit collecting dust in Howe's possession, thought Aedan.

A sudden gust of wind rushed against his face, and the smell of the sea and the beautiful sunset at the docks overwhelmed him. Whilst the wind blew through his hair, he sat and enjoyed the brief respite from all the fighting. Aedan took his boots off and hung his feet from the docks. The salty water stung against the cuts and blisters on his feet.

With a different sort of smile, Isabela sat down besides him. "It's beautiful, isn't it? The sea," she whispered.

"Yeah." Aedan took a deep breath in of the salty sea breeze. "Calm."

"You sure you don't want to reconsider my offer? I'm being dead serious," the woman said. "All of the adventure, with none of the responsibility. You can escape it."

Aedan smiled sadly while looking at the rising sun reflected against the waves. "I'd love to. I really would- but I have to do this. People died to give me this chance, this one chance at stopping this Blight. If I don't, then no matter where I sail, no matter how hard I run, I could never live with myself knowing I could have saved even just one more life."

Isabela leaned her head against his shoulder and continued to gaze into the distance."You're a decent man, you know that. There are very few of you left in the world. It's good to know that someone like you is a Grey Warden, looking out for us. Gives me hope." Aedan turned to look at her. For the first time that night, Isabela gave him a tender, softer look. She hesitated before leaning in and pecking him on the lips, letting her lips linger for the briefest moment.

"That one's for good luck."

The rest of the morning, after Isabela's departure, lacked the adventure but more of the gold. The merchant had looked at Aedan's loot with wide eyed greed and attempted to hustle him out of the goods. Aedan had managed to make off with a decent enough deal. Enough that when he returned to the others and held up the sack:

"Maker," breathed Leliana, "where did that come from?"

Aedan scratched his cheek and looked away. "Savings."

Alistair however snatched up the sack and jingled the coins together. "I'm not complaining. How much is in here?"

"Enough for awhile." Aedan took back the bag and strapped it to himself. He mounted up onto his horse and turned to face the others. "Come on. We're going to Redcliffe. I've heard some rumors that the Arl is sick or something. Maybe you can help him, Wynne."

While the other mounted up onto their horses, Aedan once again picked up Morrigan and helped her up. As he pulled her in, Morrigan smelt something rather peculiar. She frowned and pinched his arm rather painfully. "You smell like filth. Did you roll in the mud or something?"

"Something like that," chuckled Aedan.

Morrigan glared at him and his irksome smile. "I think I shall accompany you next time into the city, lest you get in trouble again."

"Thought you said the city was filthy-" piped Alistair, before Morrigan whipped her head and gave him a stare that could kill an Archdemon

"I said I shall be accompanying him next time and that is that." Before Alistair could respond, Morrigan whipped her head back forward to the man before her. She grabbed onto him and took another sniff in. There was no mistaking the smell of another woman.

He is drawing away, she thought. She needed no extra complications. She needed to act quickly, lest her goals wander from her.

There was work to be done.

Author's Notes

And we're back. Sorry about the long wait, but I'm hoping to get back on a regular update schedule- expect the next chapter in a week. See you then!