CHAPTER 18

The city of Amaranthine was being restored very quickly indeed. Thanks to the large inflow of money and workers from around the country, some parts of the city were in better shape than Nathaniel remembered them being before the darkspawn attack. The market district had many vendor stalls and shops reopened, banners flying high and merchants busily hawking their wares. The housing district was moving along slower, but even there it was obvious that the city was recovering to a pristine beauty that Nathaniel remembered seeing only as a child. Even the city guard looked to have increased its numbers, and many of the soldiers were wearing shiny new armor and carrying well-crafted weapons. This greatly pleased Nathaniel and as he looked at Elissa, he noted that her observation of the city's progress put a smile on her face.

But now, the group had work to do. Elissa faced them as they stood outside the Crown and Lion. "We'll stay here for a couple of days and see if we can learn anything from the usual sources," she said. "I'll meet with my … contact, as soon as I can find him, and speak with Constable Aidan. Everyone else – split up and listen. See what the word on the street is. You can feel free to shop and visit, but make sure to pay attention while you do so. I'll rent out rooms, so you can get your key from the innkeeper when you're ready to settle in. Meet me in my room before dinner so we can discuss anything we've learned."

Oghren volunteered to go to the local taverns and Anders agreed to go with him. ("This way, one of us will actually listen to the conversations," Anders had said.) Erlina decided she would look and listen in the market, and Nathaniel thought he would visit his sister briefly before checking out the housing district of town and perhaps the Chantry.

Delilah looked beautiful. She claimed not to feel such, complaining about aches and pains and an inability to see her feet, but pregnancy suited her. She was due soon, and as such her belly made it difficult for Nathaniel to give his sister a proper hug when she greeted him at the door. He helped her to a seat in her house and they took the opportunity to catch up. She talked about preparations for the baby. Nathaniel informed her of his plans to pass the land he had been given to her child, which made her cry tears of happiness.

"We are all so proud of you, Nathaniel," she said, wiping her tears on a handkerchief. "When everyone heard about what you'd done for the Couslands, it made a lot of our neighbors realize that Father was the odd one out in our family. I think it's wonderful."

Nathaniel smiled and patted his sister's knee. "I hope to give your child a name to be proud of. There are enough heroes in our family that our legacy shouldn't be destroyed by Father's actions. Teyrn Cousland has been very helpful in getting that started."

Delilah shook her head. "Don't be modest, Nathaniel," she said. "You did a wonderful thing by choosing to save Fergus Cousland and you didn't have to. I am glad that he has made your actions known, but it wouldn't be possible without your bravery."

Nathaniel shook his head and smiled, then changed the subject. "I'm in the city on business as well, sister. Have you or Albert noticed anything strange with the local nobles?"

Delilah nodded. "I am glad you asked, actually. Albert will see them sometimes in the shop, and he sees their servants frequently. Your commander needs to watch out for Bann Esmerelle – every time Elissa Cousland's name is mentioned she gets a particularly nasty look on her face, as if she has just swallowed a bug. And the Bann was … close with father before he moved to Denerim."

Nathaniel grimaced. "Ugh. That thought is not pleasant." He nodded. "I will warn Elissa about her. Thank you."

"I am glad that you are getting along well with her, dear brother." She studied Nathaniel closely. "You seem happier than you've ever been. I think being a Grey Warden suits you."

Nathaniel smiled. "As do you, Delilah. Being a wife and mother agree with you." He rose to leave. "I will try to visit again soon, but I have to go. Let me know when the baby comes?"

Delilah laughed. "Of course I will! I wouldn't dream of doing otherwise." She showed him to the door. "Take care of yourself, Nathaniel. And do come again soon. Maybe you will finally get to meet my husband."

The rest of the afternoon proved useless. The gossiping that Nathaniel heard involved petty everyday matters; apparently one of the town's local girls had up and gotten pregnant before marriage, but that didn't help him much. Otherwise, there was nothing interesting to learn. Nathaniel returned to the Crown and Lion and reported in to Elissa.

"Well," she sighed. "You have the best and only information so far. It's too bad we already knew that Bann Esmerelle doesn't care for me, although knowing for certain that she and your father had an … arrangement … might prove to be useful." She chuckled as Nathaniel made a face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." She continued. "I have made an appointment for you and I to visit her tomorrow and chat."

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "Chat?"

"Yes. I plan to make nice while we watch her to see if she reacts suspiciously to our idle gossip. I'd like to make sure she's not arranging for evidence of previous conspiracies to be destroyed. Plus, it's only polite that I visit one of my banns when entering her territory." Elissa made it sound like a dirty word. "I'm sure that she is not particularly happy that I paid for the repairs to the city directly instead of giving the money to her to distribute."

Nathaniel nodded. "Yes, makes it very difficult to gather a percent for … upkeep expenses when you don't touch any of the money."

"Exactly so." Elissa shook her head, chuckling. "Anyway, I gave everyone the night off. They were making noises about 'recruiting' in one of the taverns that just opened up. So if you want to join them, feel free."

Nathaniel laughed. "I don't think I need to recruit today, thanks." He looked at Elissa, still clad in her armor from the day's travel. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"No. I was thinking about staying in and getting some rest where I know Garevel won't come barging in to tell me about something urgent that just came up." Elissa grinned. "It seems that the only time I get to relax is away from the keep, what with all the construction and training and paperwork."

"How about I bring us up something to eat?" Nathaniel asked. "We could have a quiet night while Erlina babysits the children." At Elissa's laugh, he added, "If you tell Anders and Oghren I called them that you have to clean up the mess they make of my innards."

Elissa laughed again. "It's a deal. Give me time to clean myself up, speaking of which. I feel completely grimy."

She's beautiful when she laughs. Nathaniel grinned. "I can do that. Let's say, an hour or so? I'd like to clean up as well." He ruefully indicated his own dirty boots. "Is there anything in particular you'd like to eat?"

Elissa shook her head. "No, surprise me." She grinned mischievously. "But not too much." Nathaniel smiled and shook his head as he left her room to prepare for dinner.

By the time Nathaniel had bathed, ordered food and selected a bottle of wine for dinner, the hour had passed. He brought the tray of food to Elissa's room and suddenly felt really … well, he felt nervous. He shook his head and calmed himself down before knocking on the door. It's only dinner. Just relax. You do this all the time with her. I wonder if she left her hair down? He shook his head again at the memory of her long, beautiful hair falling down her back to her waist, unrestrained by hairpins. To run my hands through that...ugh, focus. You're going to have to say something to her soon or she will think you are insane. At this, he straightened up and knocked on the door. "Hello?"

"The door's open," he heard her voice call. He opened up the door and set down the tray on the short table next to a tea set. He raised his eyebrow, then turned to see a cup and saucer next to her as she sat at the desk in the room, writing something. Her hair is down. Too tempting. "I see you really were hungry. You decided to start without me?" he teased.

Elissa turned her head and laughed as she looked at the tray Nathaniel had brought. "And a bottle of wine? If we drink all this we'll float away. Although it was sweet of you to send up tea and crackers so I wouldn't get too hungry before dinner."

I didn't send anything up before now. Suddenly, Nathaniel's heart felt like ice. Something is very wrong. He crossed the room to where Elissa was sitting in three steps, hauling her up from the desk as her eyes went wide. He sniffed the teacup that was sitting next to Elissa's seat. Poison! Maker help us!