Wow! I can't believe I've hit the 25 chapter mark! Hope you are still enjoying the story - there's a long way to go yet!
Chapter 25: Memories
Walking along the northern path was helping to calm Delia. After everything that happened at Redcliffe, she had been furious. The atrocities committed by Isolde disgusted her. Two of the men she cared about the most, Alistair and Teagan, had been manipulated by Isolde's narcissism and their lives nearly destroyed. As the party walked under the massive oak trees, Delia tried to allow the crisp air to envelope her and whisk away her tension.
The views of Lake Calenhad were spectacular from this road. The path wound through the mountains to the west of the lake with the water reflecting the sun as if there were a million diamonds strewn across its surface. Delia was very familiar with the road, as it was the main route between her father's house and Redcliffe. There were plenty of campsites that were well used by travelers and merchants, and she was hoping they would be able to camp that night at her favorite spot. It was located just north of where the road passed down to lake level and crossed a river. The most beautiful waterfall was just west of the campsite, and Delia loved to swim in the small cove underneath.
Luck was with her, as they were nearly at the site late in the afternoon when Aeden started to search for a place to stop for the night. Delia took the opportunity to tell him about the campsite, and as it was only a half hour's longer walk he decided they would camp there.
Once they arrived at the site, Delia felt refreshed. She could hear the waterfall from the road, and the sound brought back fond memories of camping there with her grandfather and brother when they traveled together. She could almost see her brother running between the trees, teasing her in their own game of catch-me-if-you-can! Once her tent was ready, she sat back and simply enjoyed her memories while the other members of the party had their turns at performing the camp chores.
Deciding he wanted something other than stew for dinner, Aeden convinced Alistair to go fishing with him. It didn't take long before the wardens returned with plenty of trout for everyone which they roasted over the camp fire. Leliana collected wild asparagus and the meal was such a success that even Morrigan joined them at the fire. Delia felt blessed by the Maker to have such wonderful company. She was growing very close to all of her companions and truly enjoyed the easy banter she shared with Leliana and Morrigan. Sten was the only member of the party who didn't speak easily, but when he did talk he spoke with a wisdom and insight that always surprised them all. It was amazing that such an odd assortment of people could become so close in such a short time, and Delia couldn't help but smile at her good fortune to be a part of this group.
Before the sun went down, Delia asked Alistair to take a walk with her. She led him to the waterfall, and they sat on a large, flat boulder next to the cove.
"This was always one of my favorite places. Grandfather would have us camp here when he would bring Dairren and me to visit with Arl Eamon. Dairren and I would swim here; sometimes Grandfather would allow us to stay at this camp for several days just so that we could swim in the cove for hours at a time."
Her wistful smile made his heart skip. She just looked so… content. Alistair took her hand in his and brushed his lips across the knuckles.
"I'm glad we were able to stop here, if for no other reason than seeing your pleasure. I like to see you smile. It makes everything better – almost like a plateful of cheese!" He grinned at her teasingly.
"Well, I certainly hope that at least I smell better than some of those cheeses. Ugh… I remember having some sort of Riviani cheese while in Antiva. You could smell it from twenty paces and the stench was horrible!" Her eyes glinted in mischief.
The tone in Alistair's voice dropped seductively. "Oh, there is no cheese that smells better than you. You smell like roses and lavender, and you definitely are far prettier."
"You flatter me, Alistair. And here I thought that nothing could get between you and your cheeses."
"I would abandon my cheese any day for you, dear lady." He moved closer to her and started to bend his head closer to hers.
Delia suddenly jerked up. "Oh, wait a second… there is something I completely forgot about." She reached into her bag and searched through it, frowning until her hands located the object she was trying to find. She pulled her hand from the bag, took his hand and turned it palm side up, then placed the object into his grasp.
Looking at the object in his hands he was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. "This… this is my mother's amulet. It has to be. But why isn't it broken? Where did you find it?"
"I found it in Redcliffe Castle. In the study."
He was puzzled. "The Arl's study? Then he must have… found the amulet after I threw it at the wall. And he repaired it and kept it? I don't understand, why would he do that?"
"Maybe he meant to give it back to you." Delia smiled warmly at him.
"Maybe he did. He might even have brought it with him one of those times he came to see me at the monastery… not that I would have given him a chance, as belligerent as I was to him." He paused for a second and breathed deeply, then looked at Delia, his eyes betraying the deep emotions he felt. "Thank you. I mean it… I thought I'd lost this to my own stupidity. I'll need to talk to him about this. If he recovers from his… when he recovers that is. I wish I'd had this a long time ago."
A different look crossed Alistair's face. He realized that Delia actually thought about him – but he was a nobody! She couldn't have actually remembered their conversation, could she?
Softly, he spoke again. "Did you remember me mentioning it? Wow. I'm more used to people not listening when I go on about things."
She looked into his eyes and took his hand gently. "Of course I remembered. You're special to me."
"Is this the part where the music starts and we begin dancing? Because I'm game." His eyes sparkled mischievously. "Where's the minstrels?"
Now it was Delia's turn to be mischievous. "I think I can arrange that!" She stood up, took his hand, and ran back to camp laughing. They found Aeden and Leliana sitting at the fire with Dusty. Sten was cleaning his armor and Morrigan was in her tent.
Delia ran to Leliana, laughing and out of breath. "Leli, would you play your lute for us? We need music to dance to."
"WHAT?" Alistair was suddenly petrified. He didn't really know how to dance.
"You asked for minstrels and dancing and I happen to know that Leli has a lute in her pack and plays quite well! You can't say no to me… you specifically asked for this." Her eyes teased him mercilessly.
Leliana couldn't help but laugh. "Of course I will play for you. What would you like? Perhaps some Antivan courting dances?" She winked at Alistair.
"Maker's breath! I'm lucky I even know the Remigold, but I can't even dance that well!" He looked for a way to escape.
"The Remigold it is then, but you will have to learn other dances as well, my friend. You can't expect to properly court a lady if you cannot dance! Consider yourself to be my new project! Oooh, we'll have such fun!" Leliana began to tune the lute, her eyes teasing the Templar, and soon the jovial strains of the Remigold were flooding the campsite.
Delia took Alistair's hands and led him in the steps of the dance. The two were frolicking from one side of camp to the other, with Alistair periodically spinning Delia. His initial reluctance to dance was replaced with genuine exuberance, and he was grinning ear to ear while he laughed along with Delia. He loved seeing her so carefree, and it was wonderful to forget all their troubles for a while.
Aeden was enjoying the performance in front of him. He clapped along to the beat and laughed whenever Alistair stumbled in his steps. When the dance was finished, he found that Delia was ready to take revenge for the Templar. She grabbed Aeden's hands and made him dance an Orlesian children's dance with her. His mother had taught it to them as young children, and Delia knew how much he despised being forced to dance! The feigned look of disgust on Aeden's face at the parts of the dance where he had to actually put his hands on Delia's waist made all four of them laugh openly.
Once they were all finally exhausted they decided to retire for the night. Aeden and Leliana took the first watch. They would wake Sten and Dusty in a few hours, and Delia and Alistair would take the late shift and would start cooking breakfast. Before long the camp was quiet, and Aeden found himself looking at the stars.
"I remember my father teaching me how to navigate by the stars. I always loved lying in a field, figuring out the constellations with him and my brother. Now I realize how special those times were, now that they're both… gone." He looked down, refusing to allow any tears to flow.
Leliana put her arm around his waist. "There is a story I learned when I was a young girl. The short version of the story is that the stars are our ancestors, looking down upon us. They watch us as we sleep, and try to influence our decisions through our dreams in the Fade. The next time you see a shooting star, maybe it will be the soul of one of your lost family, finding their place in the sky."
Aeden looked at her with a smile. She was warm against him, and it felt good to have her so close, especially given how chilly it was that evening. He took the opportunity to put his arm around her shoulder, and they sat there, comfortable in each other's company, until it was time to wake the next watch.
As he entered his tent, he turned around to watch her as she went to her tent. There was definitely something different about the Orlesian; something special about her. He made a mental note to start asking her more about her background. She was intriguing in a way that he never had found any other woman to be. With a sigh, he entered his tent and lay on his bedroll, noticing how cold he was now that she wasn't next to him anymore. He fell asleep thinking about her, hoping he would have another evening with her held close.