Chapter 34: More Secrets
When the sun rose, Aeden tried to hurry his companions along. He wanted to be at the Lake Calenhad docks by midday. A proper meal in the tavern would be welcomed by everyone, even though they had been eating relatively well. Trent proved to be a huge help when it came to packing the camp's equipment. He had a great deal of experience on the road, and he had an ability to pack the cart in a way that allowed extra space for a person should one of them need to rest instead of ride.
As the party rode along the narrow trails, Delia had memories flood over her mind. She remembered a time when her grandfather had taken both her and her brother along the very trail they currently rode along. The two had been young children, maybe eight or nine years of age. The sight of the second bridge made her nearly gasp. At the side of the bridge there was a glint of metal in the sunlight that caught her eye. She dismounted from her horse and dug the object from the dirt. It was a golem statuette. She remembered this particular toy – her grandfather had bought it from a merchant in Redcliffe as a birthday present for her. Unfortunately she had lost it on their journey home, and she remembered being devastated at the loss. Brushing the dirt off the toy brought unbidden tears to her eyes.
Before she could put it into her pack, Alistair walked up behind her. "Is that a golem doll? I remember I used to have one when I was a child." He reached out and took it from her. "Mine was almost exactly the same, but the stones in the eyes were red, not green like this one. Huh… what a coincidence!" He handed it back to Delia and she placed it into her bag.
"It's not a doll, Alistair, it's a statuette. A figurine. There was actually a collectable set. My brother had the one with the red eyes, but my favorite color was green, so my grandfather bought this one for me. I can't believe I found it after all these years."
Alistair noticed the tears in her eyes and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. "Perhaps it is your grandfather's way of letting you know he still watches over you."
Delia looked at him with a warm smile. "Thank you, Alistair. That is a beautiful thought."
He smiled back at her. "That's what I'm here for. The occasional smattering of beautiful thoughts to lift your spirits."
Laughing at him, she remounted her horse, and the group continued toward the docks. The weather was good and the trail was firm, so they made quick progress. It wasn't long before they could see the docks in the distance. Aeden decided to split the group into two tasks. The first would go to the battlefield where Sten had lost his sword to see if they could locate it. The second would go to the tavern to get information about Brother Genitivi. They had spoken to the tavern owner when they were last at the docks, and he seemed like an amiable man.
Aeden decided to send Alistair with Sten, Trent and Leliana to search for the sword. Delia's gift might come in handy if they needed to decide if the tavern owner was being truthful, so Aeden wanted her along with Zevran, Morrigan and Wynne. Zev would spot any trouble before anyone else, and having the combination of mages gave his group both Morrigan's freezing spells and Wynne's healing prowess.
As Aeden led his group into the tavern, the first thing he noticed was a change in the friendly atmosphere. The tavern owner was obviously distressed and nervously kept looking at a group of men sitting at a table in the corner. The men seemed disheveled, and they watched Aeden's group from over the top of their tankards of ale.
When Aeden tried to speak to the tavern owner about Brother Genitivi and the knights searching for him, the poor man looked to be as scared as a mouse cornered by a very large cat. Keeping his voice as quiet as possible, Aeden was only able to learn that the men in the corner were trouble and, although the barkeep didn't know exactly what had happened to the knights, he suspected the men in question had killed them. The barkeep tried to convince Aeden to leave quickly and quietly, but instead Aeden reassured the man that he would take care of the problem and be back soon.
He led his group out of the tavern and was immediately attacked by a group of thugs that had hidden among the dry-docked boats. Since Aeden was the only warrior, he relied on the two rogues and the mage to disable as many of their assailants as possible. He was pleasantly surprised by Delia – she was able to kill two men completely on her own. Her skills had grown since the last time he had sparred with her a week before, and he found he had to concentrate on the task at hand to prevent himself from being distracted simply from watching her movements. She was becoming very quick on her feet, and her style was interesting in that she avoided being hit more than actually hitting. When she did have her blade meet her opponent she always drew blood, and her daggers were always exceptionally well placed even if they didn't have a lot of power behind them.
After the battle was over, Zevran and Aeden stacked the corpses behind the boat shack. After they were done, he brought his group back into the tavern and told a very relieved owner what happened outside. In gratitude, the owner offered them all a free meal, which Aeden accepted with a knowing smile. The poor man didn't know what he was in for, having two Grey Wardens with their appetites eating on the house!
Alistair arrived at the tavern a short time later. They hadn't located Sten's sword, but had found a man scavenging the battlefield who told them there had been another man scavenging before him who had found a huge sword. The man had traveled to the Orzammar market. Hopefully they would find Sten's sword there.
The party gratefully sat down to a meal of shepherd's pie and fresh cider. The tavern owner's eyes went wide when both Alistair and Aeden ate entire pies by themselves, with the rest of the group members chuckling knowingly in the background. When they all had eaten their fill, the group filed out the door. Aeden stayed behind, and gave a relieved barkeep fifty silvers to help defray the cost of their meal.
As Zevran and Trent readied the horses, Aeden gathered the rest of the group to tell them their next stop would be a town named Haven. Brother Genitivi's research log had mentioned this town, and although it didn't exist on their map the description of the location was quite clear. They would ride south, past Redcliffe and onto the Frostback Mountains.
They rode through the afternoon, and when the sun was beginning to get low in the sky Aeden found a clearing off the main road to set up their camp for the night. After the tents were raised, Leliana and Trent started making dinner while Alistair and Delia set out to collect wood for the fire.
When Alistair and Delia walked back to the campfire they were laughing. As they set their armfuls of wood down, Alistair playfully grabbed Delia's arm and pulled her in for a kiss. Seeing this, Ser Trent jumped to his feet and pulled the Templar off.
"Keep your hands off her, you bastard," Trent hissed through his clenched teeth.
Alistair pushed him off. "I don't remember telling you about my bastard status, and besides, who do you think you are?"
"Someone who cares about my lady's virtue. You will keep your hands off of her, or I swear…"
Delia pushed her way between the two warriors. "Ser Trent, mind your place. You swore your allegiance to me, and if you cannot work within the guidelines I set in place for you, I'm sure the wardens would be more than happy to hurry along your travels to the Maker."
"But my lady…"
She looked at him angrily. "No, Ser Trent. You have no right to intervene on my behalf, even if you are worried about my virtue. You may have worked for my father, but you are not him. My relationship with Alistair is no concern of yours."
"I beg to differ. Your mother would say otherwise…"
Her eyes filled with tears quickly. "My mother is dead. You cannot speak for her. Besides," she looked warmly at Alistair, "I believe she would have approved of Alistair wholeheartedly. He is a good man, strong and kind, and he has never been anything but a gentleman. I expect that you will never have an outburst like this again. Do I make myself clear?"
Trent nodded and looked at the ground. Thoughts of the past circled through his brain. Whatever would Landra think of this relationship her daughter was having with this Grey Warden? He knew she used to have such high hopes for both her children's futures, and now she was dead. It was a miracle that Delia was even alive, and he owed it to Landra to keep her alive and have her take her rightful place as the head of her grandfather's Bannorn.
Landra… the thought of her reopened the pain of her loss. He had wanted to travel to Highever with her as her personal protector, but her husband prevented his going by making him collect the taxes from the peasants. He should have had the lower ranking officers perform that duty, but the Bann insulted him by forcing the duty on him instead. If only Landra's father had seen how brutally her husband treated her and had allowed her to set him aside… but that would never happen now. Landra was dead, at the hands of Rendon Howe's men, and Trent suspected her own husband had a part in her death.
Trent walked across the camp to where the horses were tied and decided to try to brush the horses in an attempt to regain control over his thoughts. As he brushed the horses, his eyes kept focusing on Delia. Oh, she looked so much like her mother! Her smile was exactly the same, although her hair… well, her hair was more the color of her father's. If only she knew… would she be happy knowing the truth of his relationship to her, or would she just refuse to accept it and have him killed?
"Landra, I wish you could be here to tell me what to do. She isn't safe with your husband, yet is she safe with these wardens? I can't help but want to throw my arms around her and have her acceptance, but would that be safe for her? Would her companions keep our secret? I wish you could give me a sign to tell me what to do."
He looked up to the night sky, just in time to see a shooting star. Trent smiled, knowing he had his sign and what he needed to do. "Thank you, Landra. I will tell her. Know that you will always own my heart my love. I'll look for the first opportunity to tell her that she is our daughter."
Delia was sitting at the campfire feeling uncomfortable once she noticed Ser Trent watching her. Did he mean to betray her to her father? She shivered, remembering the last time she left her father's home. His fury never seemed to leave him, and even as she walked out the door he was screaming. She never understood why her father hated his own children so much. All she ever wanted was her father's love, but she knew it wasn't possible. She prayed that Trent would be the trustworthy person she believed him to be, because the alternative of returning to her father was unbearable.