Chapter Two
The fight had waged on too long now, Aeron could see Nathaniel struggling to keep up. That speed from before was as good as non-existent now. Fatigue and age were catching up on him as Aeron kept up his assault relentlessly.
Aeron had to admit, however, that the veteran was defending himself remarkably well considering the circumstances. Not that it really mattered anymore. Nathaniel might still be up and fighting but he was done for. Aeron could see and hear the other man's haggard breathing, his shoulders heaving and body trembling from the effort of staying on his feet. Nathaniel was too old to be fighting someone like Aeron and for a brief moment the younger man felt almost sorry for him.
It was never going to stop him though.
With a final yell Aeron dashed forward and struck Nathaniel harshly across the face, sending him to the ground. Nathaniel groaned in agony, following a sickening crack which signalled a broken bone. He screwed his eyes shut, grinding his teeth together against the pain. No attempt was made to get up off the ground, evidently Nathaniel realised he wouldn't be able to manage in this state.
Aeron's lips twitched triumphantly as he knelt down next to his opponent's body, one hand gripping Teybor while the other settled upon Nathaniel's shoulder. "You weren't too bad, y'know; for an old man." Aeron told him, smiling.
"It's almost too bad, but a job's a job. You understand, right?" Aeron continued, angling Teybor towards Nathaniel's throat. "Thank you for that battle." he murmured sincerely before plunging the blade into the other man's flesh, listening to the wet gurgling as his life ebbed away. As soon as the body stilled Aeron rose once more to his feet, taking the pendant which hung on the corpse's neck, and cleaned Teybor's blade before strapping it to his back again.
Normally he would have left the pendant there but the client needed proof that his mark had been slain so it was just easier to simply take it. This way he could get his money and move on.
The Pearl probably wasn't the first place one would expect to find Aeron, unless he was taking full advantage of the services Sanga and her people provided. That being said it wasn't unknown for him to do so, on occasion. He was still human after all, with very real needs. It just so happened that the fight with Nathaniel had left him more than satisfied, even almost a week later and he felt no compulsion to enjoy this particular brand of entertainment.
Instead he was quite content to sit back and relax with something to eat and drink. After all Sanga was more than accommodating towards the Pearl's patrons, even if all they wanted was to enjoy the laid-back and welcoming atmosphere.
It probably encouraged more people to spend time there or something. Not that Aeron was going to be complaining about it any time soon.
It wasn't just people like Aeron who enjoyed spending their free time at the Pearl. Soldiers, Nobles, Merchants and travellers often made their way through Sanga's doors. Not always to spend some quality time with Sanga's people, but for the most part that was the reason. More often than not they would drink and simply relax while they were waiting for someone to be free to attend to their needs.
The mix of alcohol and the atmosphere at the Pearl made everyone a lot friendlier than normal. People Aeron had never seen before would sit and laugh with him. They would share stories and trade comments about particular favourites of theirs out of Sanga's workers.
They laughed about nothing and bragged about over-the-top triumphs that probably wouldn't even be remembered when morning came around. Loud cheers rose from throats whenever someone won an arm wrestle or downed their ale the quickest and for a while life was good. No one thought to their troubles, and instead found companionship in the other drunks surrounding them.
A particularly friendly soldier had his arm slung around Aeron's neck, muttering mischievously into his ear about how he was going to propose to the newest Elf to come work at the Pearl. This man had been coming every night to see her since, apparently and he seemed to be quite taken with her.
Aeron barked good-naturedly in laughter. "She'd be a fool to turn you down, mate! Turn on some of that charm and she don't stand a chance!" he encouraged, knowing this probably wasn't the case but this man was too drunk to even remember what Aeron even looked like if he left for five minutes so he didn't have to worry about anything.
A small group of three men (two humans and an elf) approached Sanga, talking to her in hushed tones; she glanced around looking nervous before nodding and indicating Aeron's direction as discreetly as possible. He didn't take any notice, figuring it wasn't anything to do with him. Instead he decided to continue encouraging his new nameless friend to embarrass himself in front of his favourite Elven maiden.
The men made their way toward where Aeron was sitting, chuckling away to himself as the infatuated soldier left to proclaim his undying love to Sanga's newest whore.
It was the Elf who reached him first, a casual smirk playing upon his lips. "I see this evening has been treating you quite well, thus far, my friend." he commented conversationally.
"So have the last few days." Aeron replied, grinning widely as he remembered fighting Nathaniel. His fingers twitched instinctively as they remembered the feel of Teybor in their grasp. The Elf laughed whole-heartedly at that.
"That I do not doubt; after all you must have been paid pretty handsomely for that particular job, no?"
While the grin didn't falter Aeron's eyes looked over the Elf. He knew about Nathaniel which could mean a fight was about to come. "I work for a livin' like anyone else." he shrugged casually. "So I guess you could say I fetched a good price this time around." their eyes locked, neither really wanting to make a scene in here – if only out of courtesy and respect towards Sanga.
"I propose we step outside for some fresh air. It would be easier to converse without all the background ruckus, agreed?" Aeron nodded in agreement, he was never one for discretion but right now he didn't thing starting something inside the Pearl would be good for him attempting to get out of Denerim without hassle.
"You know, I expected a man in your line of work to be harder to find." mused the Elf as they stepped out of the door.
Aeron grinned and shrugged. "What can I say? Subtlety ain't my strong point. Never has been."
The Elf laughed heartily. "So I've come to gather!" his companions closed in on either side of Aeron, weapons drawn, as the young man reached behind him to grasp Teybor's pommel.
As he spoke next Aeron's voice had lowered in pitch – becoming husky with anticipation. "If you wanted to have some you should've just said so … I'm more than willing to dance for you." he licked his lips, grinning manically. Obviously these people weren't just normal back-alley thugs. He could sense their experience and talent and it was driving him crazy. He wanted another fight, wanted the adrenaline to rush through his veins like it had when he fought Nathaniel.
"Don't be so cocky!" the thicker-set of the two humans snapped. "You shouldn't be so eager to cross blades with the Grey Wardens." Whatever the man had expected Aeron to do – it hadn't been the grin to broaden and a throaty chuckle to send his body trembling.
Aeron's tongue wetted his lips again, eyes flashing dangerously as he spread his feet to get into a better stance. "You're Wardens? That's even better!" Aeron's voice practically purred out those words as he eyed them all with a daring gaze. The smaller and younger of the two humans gulped, gripping his axe shakily and biting at his lower lip. He was wiser than his larger companion, he could sense the abnormality about Aeron and it scared him.
Just as he was about to pull Teybor away from his back, the weight of the Greatsword was torn away from him. Aeron's head began to spin around as he heard the clatter of the blade hitting the ground only to find two blades pressed against his neck and between his shoulder-blades. Aeron scowled with an angry hiss that someone had dared to not only touch Teybor without permission but to just toss her to the side so carelessly!
"Calm down, my friend. We only wish to speak with you." the voice was smooth and calm, taking his time because he knew he had no need to fear Aeron at this moment in time. "Surely there's no need for any of us to start fighting is there?"
Though his teeth were grinding hard against each other and his hands were curled into tight, shaking fists Aeron nodded. He didn't want to get run through, at least not without Teybor in his hands. It wouldn't feel right. The blades were removed and slowly Aeron turned to face this new Warden, only for his eyes to widen and his hands to unclench.
"Good job, Captain Arainai." the man added, nodding towards the tanned Elf who grinned and shrugged it off. Aeron couldn't help staring; it was like looking into the smiling face of a ghost.
"Naturally, have I ever let you down before?" the 'captain' purred.