Chapter 21: Suitors

Aeden and Alistair exited the Chantry and walked to Delia, who was sitting on the stairs. She looked up at them and stood, facing them.

"Alright, we have two people we need to speak to. Alistair, you and Delia talk to Murdock, the mayor, while I take Sten with me and talk to Ser Perth on the hilltop. We need to make sure that the castle passage and the harbor have plenty of fighters to kill the undead as they approach the village. While you two are searching the harbor area, keep an eye out for a young boy who is missing." Aeden left them and walked to Sten.

Alistair sighed and then nodded in the direction of the mayor. "I suppose we should get moving. There's a lot to do before dusk."

They walked over to where the mayor stood talking to some members of the town's militia. Delia stood next to Alistair as he talked to the mayor about the militia's needs, but she didn't contribute to the conversation. Her mind was racing and she felt very uncomfortable even standing in Redcliffe Village.

After talking to the mayor, Alistair led her to the blacksmith. He was refusing to perform repairs on armor or weapons because his daughter was missing. Delia's heart broke for him, and before she realized what she was doing she promised that the wardens would find her. Although it felt like an empty promise, the smith looked into her eyes and saw the empathy she held there. Believing her, the smith agreed to work on the repairs.

After visiting the smith, they went to the home of a dwarf named Dwyn and hired him and his two cronies as mercenaries for the battle. Then they wandered through the town store. Although it looked as if there was nothing of value left, they noted a few barrels of lamp oil that might be useful.

On their way back to the mayor, they heard noises coming from a house that looked deserted. Inside they located a young boy who had gone home to find his grandfather's sword to help fight the monsters. After promising to pay the boy and his sister, Alistair retrieved the heavy sword, vowing to the lad that it would assist the town in the battle.

After sending the lad back to the Chantry they walked back to talk to Mayor Murdock. They informed him that the smith was working again and that Dwyn would be fighting alongside the militia. The mayor was pleased and the men of the militia started to have hope. As they walked away from Murdock, Alistair took Delia by the hand and looked at her.

"Come with me – I want so show you something."

He led her to a spot in the back of the smith. The town's mill had a waterwheel there, and the spot had beautiful views of Redcliffe Castle.

"This was one of my most favorite places in Redcliffe when I was a child. I used to come here to escape everyone at the castle. I remember one time, Eamon was so angry at me for something… I think I broke something… anyway I came here and no one found me the entire day! I went back after the sun went down, hoping that I could sneak in unnoticed, but of course I was hungry and the cook was in the kitchen… at least Eamon was happy that I was safe. Ah, the good old days!" He chuckled and smiled at her.

Delia was enchanted by the view. The rhythm of the water falling from the wheel was relaxing, and there was a school of fish jumping nearby. She could picture it being an oasis for anyone wanting to escape for a while. She sat on a rock and sighed.

Alistair sat on a nearby rock and looked at her. She had a sad, faraway look in her eyes. Sighing himself, he mustered his courage and decided to ask his questions.

"So… when we were in the Chantry earlier, it seemed like you and Bann Teagan know each other from somewhere." He watched as her muscles tightened, then, with another sigh, her shoulders drooped.

"We met last summer. You know that being the daughter of a noble I am expected to allow my parents to arrange a marriage for me. Usually the marriage would be made for political reasons, so that each family will be stronger in position at the Landsmeet. My mother's father was a friend of Arl Eamon, and he convinced him to meet me, as a personal favor, to try to arrange a marriage for me to Teagan."

Alistair worked hard not to give away his surprise. "She was supposed to marry Teagan? Maker…"

"My grandfather arranged for a visit last summer. At first, it was Grandfather, my brother and me staying with Eamon at the castle. Everything was going well. Teagan and I enjoyed each other's company and we had so much to talk about. He is a very well read man, and he is gentle and kind as well. Dairren also got on well with him and Eamon, and it seemed as though the arrangements would be made. For my father, a marriage between me and Teagan would do a great deal to solidify his standing in the Landsmeet, but for Teagan it would be nearly as bad a marrying a commoner, given how poorly my father ranked among the nobles.

I overheard a conversation at one point, where Grandfather was in Eamon's study along with Teagan and Isolde, Eamon's wife. Teagan seemed to be pleased with the prospect of marrying me, mainly because of our easy conversations. Eamon seemed to simply want his brother married, saying he was worried his brother would die a bachelor. Of course, my grandfather was most pleased. It seemed that Lady Isolde was the only one who didn't feel that I was good enough for Teagan, and she was not happy at all when a message was sent inviting my parents to come to the castle.

Mother and Father arrived a week or so later. Eamon and Isolde planned a banquet to welcome them, attended by the important lesser nobles of Redcliffe and Rainesfere. My father, unfortunately, ruined everything when he became horrendously drunk at the dinner and caused a horrible scene. Eamon was terribly insulted, and the next morning my entire family was sent away from the castle with the added insult of being banned from Redcliffe. Grandfather was so angry… I never was even allowed to say goodbye to Teagan."

Delia looked at the ground, and a tear swelled in her eye. "Grandfather fell ill soon after that. He never fully recovered from the incident, and he died three months before the end of my school term. I haven't even been able to mourn at his monument. He was such a good man… he didn't deserve that humiliation."

Alistair stared at her, not sure of how to respond. Swallowing hard, he asked the question that was most important to him. "Are you in love with Teagan? I mean, if you are, we should do whatever we can to correct this situation so you can be happy…"

She cut him off and put her hand on his cheek. "Alistair, I was never in love with Teagan. It was all simply a political arrangement, but at least he's a good man. I could have been forced into a marriage that would have been far, far worse." She involuntarily shuddered at the thought of her own parents' marriage. To escape the misery forced upon her by her husband's mood swings and abuse, Delia's mother would either find solace in the bottom of a bottle or travel between her own father's house and the few friends she was able to keep despite her tyrant of a husband.

"If you and Teagan were so close to being married, why didn't you have Duncan take you to him? Why would you want to become a Grey Warden? As you said, Teagan is a good man, and I am sure he would do everything in his power to assist you." His eyes fell to the ground. Suggesting that she marry someone else was breaking his heart.

It was her turn to look away from him. The truth had to come out sometime.

"I actually never considered going to Teagan. I had been banned from Redcliffe, so I never even thought about coming here. The truth of the matter is… I asked Duncan to recruit me for my own protection."

"Yes, I know your father is horrible, but to abandon everything you grew up with to become a fighter? A warden? Surely you would want another solution."

"There is something you don't know about me. Earlier today, do you remember how I told you that I understood why you would keep your father's identity a secret?"

He nodded, but was becoming more confused by the second.

"I have a secret too. Please, Alistair, promise me before I tell you that you will not tell anyone. My life could be jeopardized."

"Of course I will keep your secret. I swear it."

"I have a… gift. An ability that is rare, especially in someone who isn't a mage. I am a seer. Do you know what that is?"

"I learned about it in my Templar training, but I thought you needed to be a mage to be a seer. Don't you use magic?"

"Well, it's magic, but it isn't like the mage magic. It's more like I am sensitive to understanding an energy field around a person. I can… feel their past, at least glimpses of it. The most important part of my gift is being able to determine what is in their heart. If they are they trustworthy or not."

"So… who knows about this… gift?"

"There were never many people who did know. My teachers, Justine and Salvatore knew, as did Dairren. I never even told my mother. Justine discovered that I had the talent when I was a young child. There was an incident where one child accused another of stealing her favorite book. The book was found in the accused girl's chest, but she denied having taken it. No one else would believe her except for me. I touched her and knew that she was telling the truth. I touched the other girls who were gathered and found the girl who had taken the book and then put it in the other girl's chest. The guilty girl was angry and wanted to cause trouble for the innocent girl. Justine was able to perform a spell that illuminated the truth, and then she took me into her tutelage."

He looked confused again. "Didn't you tell me that you had been tested several times to see if you were a mage?"

Delia laughed. "You remember that? Yes, I was tested. Of course, the mages who tested me must have known about my gift. Other than those people at my school and my brother, the only person I ever told was Duncan. He understood how my gift puts me in danger and agreed to make me a warden. It would keep me safe, and it could benefit the wardens as well."

"But why does it put you in danger? I would think that you would be very useful. No more need for a costly trial – just have Delia touch the people and there you have it! The answer is there!"

"Well, you have it partly correct. The problem comes in that when the bad people find out about my gift, they want me dead so that they will not be found out. Without any mage abilities I was left with no protection. I needed to rely on others to protect me. And, since I haven't quite become a great warrior, I still need protection."

"Yes, I could see where that would be bad. I promise you, Delia, that I will never say a word to anyone. And I've already promised to protect you, so that still holds." Suddenly he was nervous. What had she learned about him? After all, they had touched before. Did she know his every feeling? He started to blush. "So… if you can see into people's hearts… have you looked at mine? What has it told you?"

Blushing back at him, she shook her head. "No, I haven't looked into your heart. My instinct always told me that I could trust both you and Aeden as well. Justine gave me a necklace before I left Antiva. It has helped me to focus and control my gift, so I use it only when I want to use it."

His face broke into a teasing smile, and his voice dropped in range. "Would you like to look into my heart and see what it tells you?"

She took his hand, the blush getting deeper on her own cheeks, and she smiled at him. Looking directly into his eyes, she started to feel his history. "You loved Eamon as a father, even though you knew he wasn't yours. Things only went… bad… when Isolde married him. She would… hit you, and blame your bruises on your clumsiness." Her face clouded with that memory. What a terrible way to treat a child, no matter what your belief was about the child's background. "The Chantry wasn't kind to you. The older boys bullied you. You searched out places such as this where you could hide and read or watch the clouds. Your life truly began when you joined the wardens. You were not able to keep your drinks down, were you?"

She laughed at that, and his eyes caught hers. He was looking at her far too seriously. "I never told you about Isolde or the other Templar trainees… it's simply amazing! So… my dear, what do you see… in my heart?"

She moved closer to him and put her hands on both sides of his face. "Alistair… I have never seen a heart as pure as yours. I don't think that you could lie to me… not ever."

Emboldened by her touch, he flirted. "So… you think my heart is pure? Pure what, I wonder?" His grin was contagious.

"Well, maybe we should find out. Being as you were raised in the Chantry, have you never…"

"Never…? Never what? Had a new pair of shoes?" He moved back, grinning maddeningly.

"You know what I mean."

He laughed. "I'm not sure I do. Have I never seen a basilisk? Ate jellied ham? Have I never licked a lamppost in winter?" He raised his eyebrow.

"Now you are making fun of me." She crossed her arms and frowned at him, playfully.

"Make fun of you, dear lady, perish the thought! Well, tell me, have you ever licked a lamppost in winter?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

He chuckled again. "So that's what we're talking about. I admit I've never had a woman just… come out and ask me like this, that's for sure. I myself never had the pleasure, not that I haven't thought about it, of course, but… you know."

"You've never had the opportunity?" Delia asked sincerely.

"Well, living in the Chantry is… not exactly a life for rambunctious boys. They taught me to be a gentleman, especially when in the company of beautiful women such as yourself. That's not so bad, is it?" He looked rather uncomfortable, his easy grin replaced by insecurity.

"Not really, no," she said with a grin.

"Good. You'd… want a gentleman to court you, wouldn't you? If… if you were to be courted by someone, that is."

She winked at him. "I think I'd like that."

Relief washed over his face. "Good to know. I'll have to remember that." He smiled again and stood up. "Alright, I suppose we really should get back to… what we were doing… lest I make more of a fool of myself."

She stood and they walked side by side back to the main square of the town. The two needed to find Aeden and determine what still needed to be done before the night's battle.