Chapter 8: Blades

The following morning Delia got up quickly and went outside. She started to stretch the muscles in her legs and arms, and before long Duncan joined her. He was impressed that she was outside and ready to start her lessons and started by showing her basic movements. Dual daggers would be her weapon of choice, as she could use her intellect to outwit her opponents. Delia watched her mentor's movements closely, and she tried to copy every nuance. Duncan would stop every once in a while to watch her perform the forms alone. He would correct her movements, being exceedingly picky about her precision.

After working only on form for an hour, he told her that it was time to spar. He handed her some dulled daggers, took a pair for himself and told her to attack him. She wasn't sure how to start, so she shrugged her shoulders, screamed with what she thought was a primal scream and jumped onto his back, holding him around the neck. Duncan leaned forward and summarily dumped her to the ground, laughing so hard that he almost fell beside her. She looked at him angrily, then pulled herself up and brushed the dust off her breeches.

"Well, why don't you explain what you want me to do then? You can't expect me to know this, do you?" Delia huffed at him.

Duncan laughed loudly. "Do you really think that a darkspawn will allow you to jump on its back? Let's try this again, but this time picture me as the ugliest thing you can imagine and that I am coming after you with very sharp blades."

They squared off. As she readied herself for her next attempt, she noticed Aeden leaning against the wall of the tavern, watching them. With an exasperated harrumph, she launched herself toward Duncan again. This time she ran straight into his chest, only to bounce off him and land on her backside on the ground yet again. Aeden nearly fell over with his laughter. Duncan reached out to her and assisted her to her feet.

"Aeden, I think she needs to actually see how one spars. Care to assist me?"

"By all means, Duncan. My lady, why don't you take a seat for a moment?" He gave her an exaggerated bow, and then picked up the sparring sword and shield. "Watch and learn," he said, as he started to circle around Duncan.

The two more seasoned warriors watched each other as they circled. Soon Aeden made a move, his sword blocked deftly by Duncan as he seemingly danced on his feet. Their blades flashed and clanged as they hit each other. As Aeden suddenly lunged for what he thought was an opening, Duncan shifted his stance and instead deftly knocked the sword out of Aeden's hands.

Delia watched Duncan's movements with interest. She noticed how graceful he was, compared to Aeden's forceful approach. She watched with interest how he used the various battle stances he had worked earlier to teach her.

"Alright, enough Aeden. Delia, come back here and try again."

Delia stood up, took up her practice daggers and moved toward Duncan. "He almost moved like a cat, stalking a mouse," she thought to herself. "Maybe I should think of this as more of a dance than a battle."

She started to circle him, just as she had seen Aeden do. Duncan followed suit, a grin appearing on his bearded face. She noticed that he was holding his left arm a little bit too low, and she struck. Duncan laughed – she had actually made a hit on his torso! They started to strike their blades against each other's, and she started to feel a sort of rhythm to the battle. She could tell that Duncan was being easy on her, but she was starting to feel a little more confident. "Maybe I could surprise him if I did something he would never expect?" She suddenly ducked down, sweeping her right leg around and catching his legs behind the knees. He went down hard, and quickly she was back on her feet offering her hand to help him stand.

"Bravo! I didn't know you had it in you! Very nice move there, my dear. That is the kind of thinking that will benefit you in a real battle. When you fight as a rogue, those kinds of unexpected moves are your best friend." He looked at Aeden, who was trying hard to not laugh at his leader. "I think we should all get our breakfasts now. We have to see about getting on the road. Nice job, Delia."

Delia was elated. She had earned a compliment for her first workout. The three entered the tavern and sat at a table near the stairs. Nattie saw them come in and went to the kitchen, returning in a few minutes with plated full of fried eggs with large hunks of bread. Jofrey joined them, sitting down next to Duncan and flashing a smile at Delia.

"Nice move there, young lady. Don't count on surprising him again that way! I have to say, though, that it was a pleasure to see Duncan here taken down on his arse! I haven't laughed that hard in years!"

Duncan grinned at his friend. "That's only because you remember my doing the exact same thing to you the first time we sparred. The king's knights sent him to spar against me to prove their superiority over the Grey Wardens. You should have heard the laughter! Ah, good memories, eh Jofrey?"

Jofrey let out a guffaw, his face beaming with amusement. "That was quite a day, wasn't it? You ended up being taken on then by the Knight Commander an' you knocked him nearly out cold! He never doubted a warden ever again, no ser!"

The remainder of breakfast was anything but quiet, with the two men sharing stories and bellowing with laughter. Before long, their bellies were full, and it was time for the warden and his recruits to pack their few belongings. When Delia finished packing and returned downstairs, Nattie was waiting for her.

"Dearie, I heard that you are now one of Duncan's recruits. You be safe now, eh? He's a good man, but being a warden is hard work. If ever you need a break, you just come back here and see your friend, Nattie. We'll give you a chance to be a proper lady again. You always have a home here."

Delia was nearly overwhelmed by Nattie's graciousness. "Thank you so very much, Nattie. I will remember that, and I am certain that I will visit again. Please be sure to tell Maric how much I will miss him as well. He is a very sweet child."

The two women hugged, and Delia headed toward the men. Shaking hands with Jofrey, she joined Duncan, Aeden and Dusty as they said their goodbyes and started down the road.

The party walked for several hours, only stopping for lunch when their hunger out ruled their heads. After eating, they walked for several more hours, passing by some travelers on the road. Duncan would always greet the travelers, earning smiles from the people. Grey Wardens were people of legend, and it didn't seem like there was a person in Fereldan that didn't recognize the gryphon emblazoned on Duncan's tabard.

Late in the afternoon, Duncan decided that it was time to make camp. He asked Aeden and Delia to collect some firewood while he formed a fire pit. Soon they had a warm fire blazing, and the three started to set up their tents. Duncan and Aeden finished their tents quickly, but Delia struggled. She had never even seen a tent before, so Duncan assisted her. Soon the tents were up, logs were found to sit on around the fire, and Aeden had killed a pheasant. While he plucked the bird, Duncan arranged a spit. They cooked the bird over the fire and had a pleasant meal.

Delia was exhausted. It had been a long day, and she wasn't used to exerting herself this much. She sat on the ground and leaned back against the log and couldn't help but think over the events of the last few days. She couldn't believe that her life had changed so much, so quickly. It wasn't that long before that she was a student, happily studying history and language. She had friends and a brother who was dearer to her than life itself. Now, what did she have? She had no family, no friends, and she was expecting to die during her Joining. Silent tears fell down her cheeks. She missed Dairren; she missed her mother. She missed Justine and the way that she would try to look cross when she and Dairren were laughing too much. She missed Salvatore and the way his warmth would make school feel like home. Home… she didn't have a home anymore. Home was always where Dairren was, whether that was school, Highever or her father's manor.

Dusty stood up. He noticed Delia's tears, and he walked over to her. In a way that only a dog could manage it, he licked her face, cleaning away her tears, and then he pushed his head into her chest. She put her arms around the dog, hugging him close to her. Duncan walked over to her and suggested that she get some sleep, so she said goodnight to him and Aeden and went into her tent, crawling into her bedroll without even undressing.

Dusty looked at Aeden and cocked his head, whining softly. "Yes, Dusty," Aeden said softly, "I think that Delia could use your company tonight. Go ahead."

The dog walked to Delia's tent and pushed through the flaps. He lay down next to her with a sigh. Delia put her arm over the dog. "I'm glad you're here, Dusty. Thank you." She fell asleep hugging the mabari. Dusty snoozed, keeping himself in that state of in between sleep and wakefulness, making sure that he would be available to the girl whenever she needed a furry friend.