Chapter 73) Bit of Courage
Layla POV
I giggled as I peeked around the corner. Anders and Karl were talking again. I was so happy Anders had found someone to care for. He smiled more often, and maybe more importantly, he did not try to escape, which meant there was less chance of him dying. I did not want him to die…
"Who's there?" Karl suddenly called, eyes narrowing. I squeaked and stumbled out. Anders might like Karl, but that did not mean I did not find him intimidating! "Oh, Layla? Is there something wrong?" He smiled awkwardly while Anders rolled his eyes. "Anders late for a healing lesson again?"
"N-no…" I mumbled. I darted behind Anders to hide. "I am simply spying on you two because it is fun to see you two so happy."
Karl burst into laughter, while Anders choked on a yelp. It was nice, to hear such laughter in the halls. Things had been rather gloomy lately.
The sound of steel clanging against steel caught my ear, and I glanced down from the balcony to watch and reassure myself that there was no real battle. We simply had Nuada teaching Aiden and Alistair 'champion' tricks to add to their fighting styles, and Cleon, with help from Zevran and Leliana, practicing the tricks from the manual Teagan gave him.
"Layla, are you listening?" Smiling, I returned my attention to Morrigan. "We were making our way through that recipe," she reminded me sourly. I nodded as I remembered. A request from the dwarves had come in, requesting that we gain the materials for something called 'Dwarven Regicide Antidote'. While the ingredients themselves were simple, the antidote itself was very complex. "I do not know why we are dealing with this when we had already done so much…"
"Elspeth says that they must be desperate to ask for help, meaning we can use it to call in a favor," I reminded her. She and Wynne were originally planned to be here, but Eamon had asked Elspeth to speak with him to craft a verbal plan of attack for the Landsmeet, and Wynne had been asked to check on the villagers. "That seemed rather… useful, yes?"
"Considering everything we went through, we should have just blown them all up." Morrigan looked irritated. "Damned fools, making us run around like headless chickens, exhausting everyone… they are fools."
"You said that twice."
"I will say it as many times as I please." She scowled. "That whole place was just a mess. The scars it left…" Her hands clenched into fists. "Cleon wakes up shaking, remembering the Broodmother, and remembering how Branka died." I could not help but laugh a little. "Tis funny that he has nightmares?"
"No, but I am glad you care for him so much that you are angry on his behalf." She froze at that, and glanced away sheepishly. "I take it that it is not a feeling you are used to."
"You… have no right to patronize me."
"That was not my intention, and I apologize for my words." I smiled. "But I will not be sorry for the thought."
"Bah, what happened to the scared little mage in the Wilds who was embarrassed over her freckles and hid behind everyone."
"She went to war and did not die." My smile widened. "What happened to the shapeshifter who was in total command?"
"…She went to war, and learned there is still much she does not know." Morrigan sighed. "Back to the recipe."
"I do have a question, first." She scowled, but I smiled it off. "I have not seen you shapeshift for a long while."
"I do not know many forms that are useful in combat, and we have been in a lot of combat." That was true. "I intend on shifting into a bird to spy while we are in Denerim. I am coordinating with Elspeth and Leliana on it." Oh? I had not known that. "What will you do, in Denerim?"
"Ideally, I will stay out of trouble, so that I do not compromise the 'neutral Warden voice' that might be needed." She scoffed and I giggled. "Oh, yes, none of us are neutral, but if we pretend officially…"
"I think Aiden was ready to hurt Nuada when he learned that part."
"Nuada fast-talked his way out of it." Laughter caught my ear now, and I turned my attention back below. The teaching groups had shifted around. Nuada and Alistair were sparring, while Oghren was teaching Aiden something he called 'Berserker'. Well, the word he used was not 'teaching', but 'refining'. "Where are Sten and Shale?"
"Sten, last I checked, was meditating." She shrugged. "I do not know where Shale is, but I assume she is with the other golems, ensuring that no one has overstepped their bounds. Maybe convincing them of the evils of birds."
"Why does Shale hate birds so much?"
"She was a statue in a village for who knows how long." …That was a good point. "Regardless, if we are to put the dwarves in our debt, we must finish this quickly enough to be useful."
"Yes, you are correct." With that, we bent over the complicated recipe again, dissecting it so that we could complete it as quickly as possible.
It took a bit of courage to rest like this, knowing what was to come. But it was a courage we had earned.
After finishing up the antidote, I went to the library for a bit of peace and quiet. I wanted to shift through the 'Memories', and it was best for things to be silent.
"Shimmering Shield," I murmured aloud as I conjured it up. It was a powerful barrier, the most powerful I had ever even heard of. Accordingly, it consumed a lot of magical power, so it was best for short, quick blocks. With a bit of lyrium nearby, though, I could easily defend an entire city with it. …Actually, even without lyrium, I could do that. I would just have to burn some of my blood, but a little bit of blood matched the power of a lot of lyrium. "I will have to inform the others."
I waved my hand, dispelling the shield, and slumped back in my chair, closing my eyes. Honestly, the most 'powerful' thing about Arcane Warrior was the ability to change magical power into physical strength, something nothing else could do, as far as I knew.
Shaking my head, I lifted up a hand and conjured up a single spirit blade. Knight Enchanters could do the same, but as I concentrated, I did what they could not: conjure two. I tried for three, but my focus faltered, and both scattered. I sighed. A 'warrior mage' could easily conjure many. Well, a 'warrior mage' could not conjure up an inferno like I could, so I should not be too discouraged.
"Layla?" I turned to the door and smiled when I saw Nuada had walked in. "There you are," he greeted, smiling back. I noticed his hair was unbound for once, and damp. He must have just gotten out of the bath. "Is something wrong?"
"I was just noticing how long your hair is," I murmured, pointing for emphasis. It was definitely at his hips now. "Elspeth's is just as long."
"Yeah, I think I need a haircut soon." I pouted a little at that. I liked it long. It looked nice on him. "I take it you disagree?"
"You and Elspeth look nice with long hair."
"Well, it could be a detriment for a frontline fighter." That was true… "Ah, we'll see what happens. No one has caught it yet, somehow." I laughed a little and his smile softened. "So, am I interrupting?"
"No, I was simply shifting through the Memories and practicing a little." Though, that did remind me… "Nuada, do you know tricks to increase stamina?"
"I am so tempted to make a joke, but you might throw something at my head." My expression blanked for a moment as I tried to think of what was talking about, and then I figured it out. "You're so red!"
"That is your fault!" Honestly, Nuada… "You knew exactly what I meant."
"Yes, I did." He still laughed a little. "Regardless, the best way is to simply do some exercises. I like running, personally, and doing a bit of weight-lifting." I made a face at the thought of running. I could run for my life, but the thought of doing it recreationally… actually, the thought made me start laughing. "Layla?"
"I am sorry." I was giggling so much. "I was just… I did not like exercising in the Circle. I was glad when the swimming lessons were canceled."
"They gave you swimming lessons? You lived at a lake."
"Yes, Anders swam to the shoreline and effectively put an end to that." He snickered, likely at how light my tone was, and I smiled. "But I could not help but laugh when I realized my thoughts were… well, I have changed in so many ways. It was a shock to realize I was still the same in some respects."
"I don't think that's so surprising." His smile was warm. "You are still a very kindhearted person." I felt a blush prick onto my face. "You are also still very, very beautiful."
"Flatterer."
"Oh, woe is me, that my compliments are dismissed!" He gasped dramatically, flailing about as if I had stabbed him. I could not help but laugh. "To return to seriousness, though, you are still you."
"I suppose that means I also still hate exercising." I sighed, whimpering a little at the end. "But I must… get over that…" I wanted to be able to keep up. I had not been doing bad, but the Arcane Magic used so much stamina…
"You'll be fine." He pointed to the bookshelf. "Do you mind if I do a bit of research?"
"Of course I do not." He laughed a little before going to the books. "What are you looking up?"
"I'm making sure I remember the rules of the Landsmeet, especially the duels." Ah, yes, I remembered that.
"Why must it be settled in a duel again?"
"It dates back to Calenhad, actually." He tugged out a book and flipped through it. I stood up and walked over, to see if I could help at all. "Basically, all disputes over the throne can lead to a duel, and if I know Loghain at all, then I know he will force a duel. He is far more confident in his martial skills than anything else, including his tacticial mind."
"…Will you be okay?" I rested a hand on his arm, mostly to catch his attention. "You once called him 'uncle'…"
"I did the same with Howe." Yes, that was true. "Duncan was also one of my 'uncles'." That was also true. "Regardless, though, Loghain is a threat and-"
"A Cousland always does his duty." I sighed. "I could recite that in my sleep with how much you and Elspeth say it." He simply smiled sheepishly. "Oh, why do I even bother to ask? You will forge forward no matter what."
"I'm sorry." He glanced at me before returning to his book. "You know… Loghain is actually rather similar to Calenhad." What? "He is a powerful warrior, a skilled tactician, but all the legends make it clear that Calenhad was terrible administrator."
"Is that so?"
"He nearly ruined the country he created through infidelity, admittedly sparked by a love potion, and then left the fledgling kingdom in the hands of his unborn son, Weylan the First, in order to track down his long-lost best friend." …What. "I am laughing a little at that."
"I suppose it is good to find humor in all things." He laughed a little, and continued flipping through the book. I watched him skin over the words and realized something. It was just us two. I could… yes, I could. I only needed a bit of courage, and a deep breath to steady my nerves. These words… these words were what I wanted to say to him. "Nuada?"
"Hmm?" His smile was warm and soft. I loved that smile. I liked to think it was a smile, just for me. "What is it?"
"I…" Courage. I just needed a bit of courage. "I love you." He actually froze, eyes wide, book sliding from his hands to clatter to the ground. "I love you, Nuada." I stared right at him, even though I just wanted to run, scared suddenly. "I do not know exactly when it happened, but I realized it at Highever."
He was silent, just staring, but I held my ground, waiting for his reaction. Whatever it was, I would accept it.
Then, slowly, very slowly, he lifted his hand and brushed it over my hair, hovered it over my cheek. It was as if he was scared to touch me, like I would fall apart. So, instead, I reached out and took his hand, cradling it against my face, just as I had when he finally woke up at the Temple. His hand shook slightly, but that was fine. I loved holding his hand.
As if that was the permission he was waiting for, his other arm snaked around my waist, tugging me into a tight, almost desperate hug. The hand that had been on my face tangled in my hair, cradling my head as he pressed me into him. "I love you too," he rasped in my ear. His voice was low, wavering, and it brought a smile to my face. "I love you too, Layla." I was so happy. "I'm scared." Hmm? "What if I can't bring you happiness…?" Nuada… "I know how I am." Yes, but I did too. It was okay. "What if…?"
"Nuada." I shifted so I could whisper in his ear. "Nuada, I do not plan on simply sitting and waiting for happiness to come to me. I plan on seizing it for myself." He tensed, and made to pull away, but I wrapped my arms around him to keep him in place. He was so broad that I could not reach all the way around, so I clung to his back instead. "Though, I have already found it, right here, next to you, and in your arms." I tightened my grip on him. "So, do not worry about it. Let us just find happiness together."
"…Yeah…" He shifted a bit, just a bit, his breath ghosting my mouth as he smiled so warmly at me. "Let's…" He leaned in, waiting for permission, and when I closed my eyes, he kissed me softly, gently.
If time just… stopped, right then, I would not have minded, not one bit.
Author's note: And that's two couples down! Yay! (or something) I… ah… hope you enjoyed? The knowledge that duels for the throne are a tradition stems from something Arl Wulf will say if the Warden tries to refuse the duel in the Landsmeet. Information about Calenhad is available in the codex. Karl is a character featured in DA2, but dialogue there, and Anders's profile in the World of Thedas volume 2, make it clear Karl and Anders were lovers until Karl was moved from the Tower to the Gallows in Kirkwall.
Next Chapter – A little more resting with Aiden
