The rest of the evening passed quickly, Zindrafel had no more to say and wasn't interested in catching up with Alistair's family; it seemed that neither was he. He remained as quiet as she did, content just to listen to the updates rather than take an active part in them. Zindrafel let out a huge yawn and set her empty glass on the table. "I'm going to have to go." She said, "I don't think I've ever been this tired before."
Alistair nodded and pushed his half full tankard away, "I'll walk you back," he said getting to his feet.
"You don't have to do that." Zindrafel said standing up herself.
"I don't mind. I could use a good share of sleep too, besides, I dare not leave you to the mercy of the servants." he said. The Arl laughed at this and Zindrafel did her best to smile. She noticed that Isolde's face remained as icy as a statue.
"Thank you again for your hospitality." Zindrafel said with a little bob of her head.
"You're welcome my dear." Eamon said. Alistair took her arm and led her towards the door, the soft fabric of her dress swished as she walked; it saddened her knowing that she'd have to take it off in a few moments. Tomorrow, she'd be back to being a run-away barmaid without a clue where she was going or what she was doing. They walked down the hall in silence, Alistair's hand was warm on her arm, she could feel his pulse though his fingertips, or was it her own heart pounding? She could no longer tell. She slipped her hand into his and snuck a sidelong glance at Alistair. He smiled that warm smile down at her and she melted, all the way to the inside. She didn't want the short walk to end but sure enough, they arrived at her door.
"Thank you for tonight." He said as they stopped.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think I could have faced them without you."
"Oh don't be silly," Zindrafel said trying not to sound sarcastic, "You're plenty strong enough to face a couple of nobles like them. They're on your side it seems and know that whatever happened since you left was a period of readjustment."
"You see, you can always put things in a clear way. I just talk round and round until I'm told to stop babbling and get on with it." He said. Zindrafel laughed despite herself.
"You get where you need to in the end though, most of the time anyway."
"What do you mean?"
Zindrafel rolled her eyes and pushed her door open, she pulled his hand and once he'd crossed into her room. She made sure the door shut behind them, "Zin?" he said, a frown crossing his face. "Did you need help with something?"
"Alistair, are you unsure what it means when a girl pulls you into her bedroom? Did they teach you nothing about women in the Chantry?" she said, refusing to let go of his hand.
"Well, it wasn't exactly a lively upbringing you know. It was peaceful; we focused on learning and other activities. Our energies were directed into our work rather than finding girls and messing around." He said. His eyes remained focused on the floor and Zindrafel dropped his hand.
"I'm sorry Alistair, if you're not interested just tell me and I'll leave you alone."
"What?" he said. He took her hand in his again and looked up, his golden eyes shining, "Now that would be silly wouldn't it, it's just, with everything going on and everything that's happened it's a bit hard to know what's going to happen and with not knowing where if I'm coming or going and not too sure about it, it gets a bit confusing and well, I wasn't sure how you'd react and it's all just so uncertain and now I'm babbling on again aren't I!" he said. Zindrafel wasn't too sure if he'd stopped for breath through that last sentence and she couldn't help smile back at him.
"I'll not force the issue, I'll let you set the pace and things will happen when they're ready, just know that when it does happen, I won't stand by or slap you or anything." Zindrafel said. Alistair laid his large rough hand against her cheek, stroking his thumb against her skin he smiled at her.
"You are far too kind for a drunken Shemlin like me. Whatever did I do to deserve a friend like you?" He said.
"Hmmm, puked in a privy and begged to be taken home I think." She said. Alistair barked a laugh.
"I'd say sorry about that but it would be insincere." He folded his huge arms around her and drew her in against him, he was the warmest thing she'd ever found and she knew then that she'd do anything within her power to keep him close by. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him. He was so much bigger than she was, Zindrafel had always known it but when she was this close it really showed, he made her feel safe. Just as she was getting used to him being there, he dropped his arms and stepped away, "I should get some sleep." He said, a yawn escaping his mouth. "I'll see you in the morning?"
"Up bright and early as always." She said, unable to take the smile off her face. Alistair opened the door and took a small step backwards.
"Sleep well."
"You too," Zindrafel said as he left, shutting the door softly behind him. She crossed the room and struggled her way out of her dress. It was a shame to remove such a lovely item but she would be glad to be back in her plain clothes too. She was a simple Dalish with simple needs, she didn't need anything as complex as the dress she'd been wearing. Once clear of the garment, she climbed into bed. It was the softest thing she'd ever sleep on and she intended to make the most of it while it was there. Sleep found her in minutes.