Chapter 32: Revelations
Before long, the other four returned from their own Denerim adventure. It seemed that everyone was exhausted from the day's events. Leliana took it upon herself to cook some mutton acquired from the town butcher into a savory stew, completed with fresh bread from the bakery. Once dinner was ready, Aeden asked them to all sit together around the fire so that they could share the day's adventures.
Aeden's group had found Brother Genitivi's home, but there was a man there acting as his assistant who had actually killed the real assistant and hidden the body in the bedroom. iH Aeden fought the man with the help of Sten and Wynne's spells, and after he was dead they found documents describing Genitivi's discovery of a town named Haven. According to the research, Haven would be where the Sacred Ashes would be found. Aeden wanted to travel to the Lake Calenhad Docks to find out why the phony assistant tried to convince them to travel there, with the side benefit that he had learned from Sten that the Qunari had lost his sword in a battle just outside of the town there, and Aeden intended to search for it.
Aeden had also taken some jobs from the Chantry Board as well as from several other sources. Some of the jobs were a bit on the shady side, but they paid well and the group needed money. Wynne also pointed out there had been a posting on the city wall from 'friends' of the wardens that should be investigated carefully.
When Alistair spoke about his group's experience he tried to choose his words carefully. He explained how Zevran discovered the man following them and exactly what was said about the man. Zevran added his questions about why Arl Howe would hire Gibbet after inquiring about Nehairel, the man who had tried to kill Delia and her brother. There had to be a reason why Howe would want Delia in custody, but he couldn't understand why she would pose a threat to the man's ambitions.
Delia squirmed against Alistair, clearly distressed. She didn't know how, but the Arl had to know about her abilities. Deciding it was time that they all knew exactly why she might be in danger, she cleared her throat.
"I think it's time I explained something to you all that I have kept secret all this time. I have to trust that you will all keep my secret, as I believe I am putting you all in danger now. Somehow Rendon Howe must have learned about me, although I don't know how he could have." She looked at her companions. Most were looking at her with curiosity, but Aeden had an almost angry look on his face.
Alistair looked at her with concern. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
She nodded and squeezed his hand. Delia then described her gift and why she was in danger from it. Wynne gave her a knowing nod.
"Delia, you have no magical abilities then?" As Delia shook her head in response, Wynne nodded in understanding. "I have known only one other person with your ability who was not a mage. We actually had him living within the Circle for his safety. There's always someone who knows, and the more people who know the greater the danger of betrayal. Can you think of anyone who would benefit from saying something?"
Delia shook her head. "The only people who knew outside of Antiva were my brother and my grandfather. My teacher wrote to my grandfather about my ability so that he would understand how important it was for me to remain at the school."
Zevran's face grew grim. "Was there anyone in your grandfather's home who might have read his letters? Someone trusted with his most private possessions?"
Delia thought a moment and then a memory came to her. Her grandfather's seneschal, Jerzan, had access to every aspect of her grandfather's Bannorn. When grandfather died, her father had dismissed the man without any severance, and she had learned through her mother's letters that he threatened her father with revenge for 'putting his family on the street'. She described the man, and Zevran nodded knowingly.
"Yes, this man was in the Arl's employ in Denerim when I met with him. He must have sold the information about you and the Arl has decided you are a threat to him. You are most likely the only person who could have warned the Teryn of Howe's impending betrayal."
Her heart sank. Had she only had the thought to touch any of Howe's men, she might have saved Aeden's family, and her own. Tears came unbidden to her eyes, causing Alistair to put his arm around her waist.
Aeden noticed her distress, and he quickly went to her and knelt in front of her. Taking her hand, he kissed her knuckles softly. "Delia, you had no opportunity to see Howe or his men. From the moment you arrived at Highever, my mother had you , your mother and brother all in the gardens while Father had Howe in the gathering room with the few men he brought with him. You can't blame yourself since you had no chance to do anything."
Delia looked at him with a sad smile. "Thank you, Aeden. However, I wish I could have done something."
"I know. But there is nothing you could have done. I am glad, however, that you and I have survived together."
She leaned forward and kissed him on his forehead. Then she stood and faced her companions. "I am afraid that I am putting you all into greater danger, merely by my presence here with you." She looked down, clearly in misery, before she continued. "It may be better for you all if I found somewhere else to remain, perhaps I should stay at the tower like the person Wynne mentioned. I have grown to care for each of you as if you are my own family, and I couldn't bear it if I caused your harm. Especially if I could prevent it."
Aeden stepped up to her. "Nonsense. I know that I, for one, will not hear of your leaving us. We can protect you better than a bunch of mages who just survived an onslaught of abominations!" He looked around at his companions. "I would like to know how the rest of you feel. I vote that Delia remains with us. What say each of you?"
Sten stood up. "You are needed to face the Blight. You will stay."
Leliana and Wynne both agreed that Delia should remain, with Dusty barking in agreement.
Morrigan looked at her new found friend and scowled. "For you to even think that we would abandon you to that mage prison is an insult in itself. You are far safer with us than with those sheep."
Zevran chuckled at her response. "As for me, mi querida, I have sworn myself to you. I am your man, as you know. No matter where you go, I will go with you. Personally, I would like to remain here. We can do much more with our friends than apart from them."
Alistair grinned at her and took her hands into his. "I feel the same way as Zev, as much as I hate to say it. I swore to you that I will protect you, no matter what. My vote makes it unanimous – you'll stay with us and we will face every threat together." He then kissed her in front of their entire group. Despite the deep blushing on both of their faces, he looked at her with devotion. "I never want to be apart from you. Not… ever."
Delia started to cry. She loved every member of this party even more after their affirmation of their friendships. As her tears fell onto Alistair's strong shoulder, she silently thanked the Maker yet again for her good fortune and she swore that she would work her hardest to assist them in any way she could.
Zevran walked to Aeden and handed him the papers taken from Gibbet. "We found these documents on the sailor. I believe we should investigate these White Falcons."
Aeden nodded. "Sergeant Kylon asked us to remove them from The Pearl. Tomorrow I want you, Zev, along with Sten and Wynne to go with me to The Pearl to find these men, get more information about whatever it is Howe hired them for and finally to remove them as Kylon asked. For now, I suggest we all get a good night's sleep. Sten, you and Dusty take first watch, followed by me and Leliana and then Alistair and Zevran."
The group broke up and they went to their respective tents except for Delia and Alistair. As they sat there, she sighed and leaned against him, feeling his strength at her back. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer into him, then kissed her on her ear.
"You know, I've been thinking..."
She relaxed into his chest. "What have you been thinking about?"
"Back when we left Goldanna's, you told me I need to look out for myself more than I do. I'm beginning to think you were right. I need to stop letting everyone else make my decisions for me. I need to take a stand and start thinking about myself for a change, or I'm never going to be happy. So… from this point on, I'll be looking out for myself more, and what it is that I want. I should have done this a long time ago."
He turned her around so that she faced him before continuing. "I just wanted to thank you. Meeting you is the one bright spot out of everything that's happened. It's the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Delia put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I feel the same way." As she nuzzled into his neck, she sighed. "You really need to get some sleep if you are to be awake for your watch. Would you spar with me at first light?"
"Of course." They both stood and kissed again before saying good night to each other and entering their own tents.
It certainly felt to Alistair that the night passed too quickly as Aeden woke him for his watch. He stretched with a yawn and then pulled his armor on. At the fireside he was joined by Zevran, who motioned to the Templar to walk with him. At the edge of the camp, Zevran motioned to Alistair to sit.
As they sat, the elf looked overly serious. "Alistair, I am concerned for Delia. I do not believe that Howe intends for her to be dead, or he would have hired other Crows. On the positive side, I do not believe the Arl has any knowledge of whom she travels with. This gives us an advantage, at least for her."
Alistair nodded at the elf. "I want to know more about the White Falcons' part in all of this. And what does Howe want with her? I think there must be more to his relationship with either her father or grandfather. Does he want revenge for some reason?"
"I do not know, my friend. In the morning I shall try to put my ear to the ground, as they say, in order to learn as much as I can while we are in the city. You must keep your eyes on our dear Delia and be certain she remains safe. I believe that as long as we are this close to Denerim she is in grave danger. Be wary, and keep Dusty on guard. The mabari can sense approaching rogues better than even the lovely Leliana."
As Zevran stood to continue his walk around the camp perimeter, Alistair put his hand on his arm to stop him. "Zevran, I know we aren't friends. Heck, I don't even know if I can trust you, but I do believe you have Delia's best interests at heart. I can see that. And because of that, I do trust that you will do everything you can to find out what's going on. You have my shield and sword at your back. You know that, I hope."
The elf grinned shamelessly. "Yes, and I can dream about your sword being at my disposal because of your own desires," he said as Alistair blushed. "But, I shall have to wait until another day. Come now; let us verify our friends' safety."
Alistair nodded and stood. The two walked around the camp and resettled near the fire. Zevran poured some hot tea for each of them, and they sat there quietly, deep in their own thoughts, until the sun rose. Delia was out of her tent soon after the sun made its appearance, and Zevran silently nodded when Alistair stood to go with her for her morning practice.
When Delia and Alistair found a spot at the edge of camp Delia started stretching her muscles. It always amazed Alistair that she went through this entire routine every morning. The only warm up he did was to swing his sword a few times to get his arm moving, but she seemed to be grace personified. He leaned against a tree, just watching her as she moved.
Delia happened to glance over at the warrior as he stood there watching her, a goofy smile plastered across his face. She couldn't help but laugh at him, but then she asked him to spar. He picked up his practice sword and moved forward. They started slowly, with well-placed movements, but as they picked up speed, Alistair tried to be less predictable. Delia needed to practice anticipating the warrior's movements, to stay ahead of her opponent. Her grace and intellect were her strengths, and if she missed a single clue she would lose her battles.
After they both worked up a good sweat, they returned to the campfire for breakfast. The others were already eating heartily of the eggs purchased the day before. They were quite a luxury, as most days breakfast was some form of porridge with perhaps a few sausages or stale bread. After finishing their meal, Aeden led his selected group back to the city. The remaining travelers spent the day grooming the horses, mending tents and clothes, and otherwise performing tasks that were normally put off.
By the time Aeden returned in the afternoon, the equipment was in far better condition than when they had left. Delia had already started dinner, and the aroma made Aeden's stomach growl. He decided to discuss the day's events over the meal so that everyone would be a part of the discussion.
Feeling the dirt and grime from the day's activities, Aeden decided to take a towel and wash himself at the nearby stream. Whistling for Dusty, he walked the short distance from camp to the water's edge and removed his shirt. It was too cold to immerse himself, so he wet the towel and washed the filth from his skin. His thoughts drifted to his companions and the impressions they had made on him.
He found Sten to be the easiest to understand. After all, both men were warriors, so they had battle strategies in common. Wynne was naturally a healer and acted almost like the mother hen of the group. The two rogues were the most confusing. Both were definitely hiding their pasts, and although he didn't want to, he found himself starting to trust them both. Zevran had an honor code which separated his professional and personal endeavors. Aeden was relieved that Zevran's code had made his contract against the wardens invalid, as the elf had proven to be quite an adversary. Leliana, however, was the one person that he just couldn't seem to understand.
On the surface, she was a Chantry initiate, and seemingly very devoted. Yet, her rogue skills were quite advanced, and he had even seen her pick a few pockets while they were in Denerim. When she would talk about Orlais and her upbringing, she never would speak about what happened to her when her guardian died. Aeden found himself intrigued by the bard, and he wanted to learn more about her. There was something about her that pulled him to her, and he wasn't quite sure how to feel about it.
Aeden put both hands into the water and splashed his face a final time with the cold water. It was time to eat dinner and talk to the others about the plans he had been working out. He put a clean shirt on and brought the newly washed shirt to hang near the fire to dry.
As he arrived at the camp fire, Delia handed him a bowl heaped with meat and vegetables. He took a seat across from Leliana and tried very hard to not stare at the red-haired bard. Leliana caught him looking at her and smiled, making Aeden blush and look away.
After everyone ate their meals, Aeden began the discussion of the day's events. He explained how he led his group to an establishment named The Pearl, which was one of the whorehouses near the docks. The men had caused trouble for the owner of the house, and she wanted them out as soon as possible.
When Aeden arrived with his group, the mercenaries hadn't arrived for their day's debauchery. Aeden took a seat at a table on one side of the main room with Wynne, while Sten and Zevran sat at a table on the other side. When the mercenaries entered the building, Zevran made his way over to listen to their conversation from the shadows. When the men's banter proved to be worthless to what he wanted to know, Zevran made his way back to Aeden, and with the help of Sten, they made a move on the White Falcons.
After the mercenaries were subdued, Aeden questioned them. He learned that they were, indeed, hired by Rendon Howe to find and capture Delia, but the men didn't know why, nor did they care. Aeden ran them off from the Pearl, trying to be merciful; however the Falcons wouldn't listen to him.
When Aeden and his party left The Pearl, they located Sergeant Kylon for their payment. The White Falcons followed, however, and refused to accept the direction of the city guard. A battled ensued, and between the warden's group and the guardsmen, the Falcons were eradicated.
Although Aeden had learned nothing about Howe's plans for Delia, he was a bit more at ease. It looked as though Howe had no idea that Delia was traveling with them, and so it seemed she would be safe with them, at least for the time being. Keeping her away from Denerim would be a good idea, as Zevran had learned that Jerzan was now in Howe's employ as his personal secretary.
They would leave in the morning to travel to a town named Haven. Brother Genitivi wrote about the town in his research journal as the location where he believed the Urn of Sacred Ashes to be located. One side trip Aeden wanted to take was to go back to the Lake Calenhad docks so they could locate the field where Sten had battled the darkspawn with his brethren. Perhaps they would find his sword there and restore the Qunari's honor.
After they settled on the watches for the night, the group settled into their tents for the night. They would have an early start in the morning, and Aeden wanted to get as much distance between them and Denerim as possible in the next day. As Aeden settled into his own tent for some much needed sleep, he couldn't help but worry about the one area they would need to travel through: Bann Loren's own lands. He prayed to the Maker they would not run into any of Loren's men, but he especially prayed they wouldn't meet the man himself.