Duty's Choice: The Bastards of Ferelden - Chapter 22

At Last

Excepts from the journal of Warden Commander Elinora Cousland

9:35 Dragon – Fall 2, 1st day

Orzammar

Things seem to be prospering in the dwarven realms. Sereda is far more personable than when I first met her, and little Endra, now just under a year old, is cute as a baby nug. Oghren heads up Sereda's personal guard, and, unless I'm misinterpting that look at dinner, much more. Good for him.

At dinner, Sereda had quite a lot of questions about the relationship between Cailin and myself. She seemed very interested in the idea of adoption.

Spent most of today getting things in order for a trip into the Deep Roads. Alistair is pouting about me going away so soon after I just got here. He can't linger here too long, so its best I get my business done with so the whole party can move on, unless he wants to go without me. That usually takes care of the arguing. I can't let him think he can get away with everything, just because he's king.

We march out at first bell.

I record herein the names of the Grey Wardens who go down to the Deep Roads in order to establish a base of operations: Bittan, Vallis, Maphisa, Alcina, Kinna, Bordy, Nuallin, Onfroi, Aksel and Marmion (these last three came with Bittan from Weisshaupt – less than I asked for, but they all have served at the Crag). Recruit Padrac comes with us too, along with assorted dwarven warriors and porters. Aldo stays above until needed. Maker hold them in his hand.

9:35 Dragon – Fall 2, 3rd day

The Deep Roads – campsite

We have reached the former rebel camp. It's a day and a half out of Orzammar proper and another day and a half to the Legion of the Dead's base. A good distance from both I think, especially since a runner could get to either in a day from here.

There's a good amount of furniture and equipment still here, though the quality is low and everything is dwarf-sized. We can adjust.

The layout is pretty basic, but will do, I think. We have a large space where the main passage empties out and a two more go off of it. There's a large cavern off to the side, which will serve as barracks. Down the main passage, heading for the Legion, is a low cave that will serve for storage. The smaller passage leads to another cavern that is a dead end. I haven't been down there yet.

Today we get settled here. Tomorrow I send two scouting parties. Padrac, Vallis, Marmion and Bordy go with the express instructions to get a vial of blood for Padrac's Joining. Bittan, Askel, Onfroi and Nuallin are going to make contact with the Legion. The Kinna, Alcina and Maphisa stay here with me and start setting up housekeeping.

Mother would be so proud.

9:35 Dragon, Fall 2

Deep Roads Outpost – Later

I can't keep track of time down here. We're going to need a solution for that.

Found a dead-end cave just a few minutes hike that is prefect for the Joining Ritual. I'm hoping Padrac's party gets back soon so we can test it.

Alcina is not handling the absence of Padrac well.

Our dwarven helpers and warriors are very useful. The warriors are very low in rank, and I'm pretty sure that most of our porters are Dusters. I'm wondering if any of them have other reasons for being here.

Maphisa pointed out to me today that I sent all the men out 'adventuring' while the women stayed here to set up housekeeping. She seemed more than a little put out from it. I will have to keep that in mind when I send out future parties. I guess I'm not as daring as I thought.

9:35 Dragon, Fall 2

Deep Roads Outpost – Still Later

Seriously, this lack of time thing is making journaling difficult.

Padrac's group returned, blood in hand. Joining held, during which I could have sworn I heard him say, "I didn't sign up for this." He lived, his fever burns. Alcina paces…

Elinora set aside her journal mid-sentence as she heard Maphisa announce the arrival of visitors. It was early for Bittan's party to be back from the Legion, but they were the likely arrivals. She rose to meet them.

Instead of a quartet of Wardens, Alistair and a small escort of men and dwarves entered the camp.

"Darling? What are you doing here?" she asked as she met him with a kiss. Decorum bedamned, one day had done nothing but whet her appetite for his company.

With a broad grin he reached into his pack and pulled out a flask.

The flask.

It was clear.

"I couldn't wait," he said shyly. His arm wrapped around her as she carefully took the flask from his hand and studied it. The liquid was slightly pink, but she could clearly see her hand through the bottle.

Vallis cleared his throat. "Commander, I think we have everything in hand here."

Elinora did not look away from the flask as Alistair rested his forehead on hers. "Thank you, Warden Vallis," she said. "Don't wait up."

Elinora lead Alistair to a small cave not half a mile from camp. She'd grabbed a spare bedroll and few candles, carelessly tossed into her pack. Maphisa caught the happy couple on their way out of camp and handed her a full water skin and some rations with a wink.

Eventually, this cave would be their supply room, but currently it was empty. The ceiling was uncomfortably low, but the space wide, if irregular. A few scattered boulders along the wall would provide a good place for food supplies and weapon storage. For tonight, they would hold candles.

Alistair slid his pack off, pulling off the bedroll attached to it. He spread it on the dusty stone floor. She laid her second one on top of it. "Just like old times." She smiled at Alistair as he dug an extra blanket out of his pack.

"Oh yes, rolling around on the hard ground, trying not to let all of camp know what we're up to." He shook out the blanket.

She laughed as she lit the candles. "And failing miserably."

He caught her as she set the last fat candle next to their makeshift bed. His gauntleted hand ran down the scared side of her face, worn leather soft and warm to her skin, the steel on the back glinting in the candlelight. "When you went away, I swore to myself that when you came back to me, we'd never make love on the cold ground again, or slink off in a corner somewhere."

Elinora stilled his promising lips with her own, her kiss reassuring and loving. "What would be the adventure in that?"

He smiled slyly. "You'll at least let me take off every bit of clothing, right?"

"Every scrap." She slid off a gauntlet.

With loving familiarity, they shed their armor, strap-by-strap, piece-by-piece. No one walked the Deep Roads without armor, even just half a mile of it. It didn't matter. The soft fabrics of peacetime were almost foreign to their lovemaking. They had all they needed: time and each other.

And a magic potion.

Elinora broke the seal over the stopper of the flask, then pried it off. She raised the flask and whispered, "To our son," then drank down the contents in one gulp.

Alistair watched her closely. "Did it work? Do you feel different?"

She shook her head, paused, and then looked up at Alistair. A hungry grin spread across her face, and then, without preamble, she pounced him.

Time dissolved into a haze of pleasure and eventually into a exhausted slumber.

When she next stirred, she was alone, curled up on their pallet of bedrolls, snuggled under the blanket. Elinora scanned the semi-darkness to find Alistair sitting on a boulder near the narrow opening of the cave. He was dressed only in breeches and boots and his sword was beside him. "Old habits die hard, eh?" she yawned.

He smiled sadly at her. "Thought I heard something. Turns out we have guards about a hundred yards in each direction."

She snickered. "So what are you still doing up? Come back to bed." She squirmed suggestively under the blanket.

He looked away, out into the darkness of the tunnel. "Soon."

Elinora got up and wrapped the blanket around her. A quite and reflective Alistair was just unnatural to her, especially in her lusty state of mind. She padded over to him, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. His strong arms pulled her close, but his gaze stayed out into the tunnel.

"What's wrong, love?" she whispered.

He hesitated, his eyes dropping even as his embrace tightened. "Its nothing."

"Liar." She leaned her head against his. "Tell me."

"Its just that…" He sighed. "I just wish we were properly married."

With a nuzzle to his ear she replied, "Me too, but I don't care. As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter."

His arms dropped away from her. "But it does. I would like just one of my children to be…" The right word eluded him, so he used what came to mind. "Honest."

Elinora stepped back, just a little. "Honest?"

Alistair dropped his face to his hands. "Cailin, my half-brother's bastard. Maricen, Anora's ploy to get the throne. I don't even know who his father is. And this one," he reached into the blanket and stroked her belly, "will be illegitimate too."

She caught his hand and pressed it to her belly. "The girls…"

"The girls are girls. The Landsmeet tends to prefer to put men on the throne for some reason. Besides, they just remind me of Anora." He pulled his hand away. "I wanted this baby to be prefect; you and me and completely legitimate. An heir."

"Alistair," she bit her lip, hating to say it, but it had to be said. "This child can't be a crown prince."

"Why not?"

"The child of two Wardens has a very short life span and I don't know about their ability to have children."

Alistair squeezed his eyes shut. "Its always something."

"What we will have is our child." She pulled his face to hers. "I've seen him, and he's beautiful."

"You've seen him? How?"

"The Gauntlet. It decided to show me the future instead of the past this time."

He pulled his face from her hands and looked back to the stony ground. "It could all just be an illusion, showing you what you want to see."

"Certainly didn't show me what I wanted to see the first time, and I don't think this round was any different. The Gauntlet is confrontational, not comforting." She stroked his short hair and kissed his forehead. "Come back to bed. We have a baby to make."

Alistair looked into her eyes. In the flickering candlelight they glowed more than usual, her earnest desire for him clear. He got up and allowed himself to be led back to their pallet.

When next they awoke, they packed up and left the cave.

And they didn't leave alone.