Chapter 55: Intimidation
Morning seemed to arrive too quickly for Aeden. The bed was warm and comfortable, and the idea of getting out of it and trying to maneuver through dwarven politics was almost revolting. Ah, if only he could put off his responsibilities for a few more minutes of comfort! Alas, he knew that he truly had no choice in the matter, so he gritted his teeth against the chill he expected and threw the covers off. Happily, someone had stoked the fire without waking him, so the air in the room was comfortable.
He dressed and readied himself for his visit to Orzammar. If only he had listened to his history lessons better! The dwarves had a political system unlike any other in all of Thedas, and he worried about whether he would be able to negotiate it properly. Maybe he should bring Delia with him after all. She was the most educated of their party, but he remembered that the dwarves respected strength above intellect. Sten was the better choice in that regard. He was incredibly strong, and his height was nearly double that of a typical dwarf. They couldn't help but respect the Quinari.
Aeden walked downstairs to find most of his companions were already eating breakfast. Deirdre had cooked a marvelous breakfast of oatcakes with several types of jam. He hadn't had oatcakes for ages! Not since his Nan made them the previous winter… thinking of home made him sad. Knowing he couldn't show any weaknesses, he shook all thoughts of home from his head and sat down to enjoy his meal with Alistair, Delia and Trent.
The foursome chatted amiably while they ate. Aeden had grown fond of Trent, who had become almost a father figure to all the members of their group. There was something about the warrior that almost oozed wisdom and experience, and he never complained about doing any task put before him, no matter how menial. He felt that every job was important, and if Trent was the man doing it he would make certain it was done absolutely correctly. His attention to detail was actually an inspiration, and Aeden was very glad he had joined their group.
Once they finished eating, Aeden and Alistair found their cloaks before locating Sten and Wynne. Before they left for Orzammar, the wardens spoke to Delia about their plans for the day.
"My goal for today is to simply get a feel for what is going on in the city," Aeden declared. "I don't want to get in the middle of any political machinations."
Delia raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be prudent then to take Zev or Leli with you? They are skilled at overhearing conversations and could gather more information for you than Sten or Wynne could."
"She has a good point, Aeden. If we are just getting information, I think we should bring Zev with us and give him leeway to listen in wherever he can." Alistair smiled at Delia. "See – I knew there was a good reason why we have you with us."
Delia retorted with her elbow in Alistair's ribs.
Aeden laughed. "Alright, yes, I think Zev should come with us. Should we leave Sten with you then?"
Delia nodded. "Sure. I could ask him to work with Griffon to see what skills he has. I doubt he would mind as he's grown rather fond of Dusty." She smiled at the mabari who was stretched in front of the fireplace. "He might enjoy being hound master for the day."
Aeden nodded. "OK, then Sten will stay. I'll go get Zev and I'll meet you and Wynne at the door in a few minutes."
As Aeden walked away, Alistair took Delia by the arm and pulled her into the foyer. Gently he pushed her into a corner and pulled her into his embrace. He put his chin on top of her head and smelled the scent of her soap as he smiled.
"I wish I could stay here with you today. You're a lot more fun than a bunch of angry dwarves."
Delia chuckled. "Well, I certainly hope I am! At least you can come home tonight."
He sighed as he tightened his hug. "I love the sound of that. Home… what a beautiful word."
Delia looked up into his eyes and kissed him softly. "Someday we'll have a real home, Alistair."
He smiled at her, the love he had for her shining from his eyes. "Wherever you are is home to me, Delia." He kissed her softly, feeling the fullness of her lips against his. As he released her, they heard Zevran clearing his throat.
"Tsk, tsk… the two of you never seem to remember to invite me to your little celebrations. What a pity…" Zevran leered at Alistair. "Just so that you know, my dear warden, I would like to make my home with you as well. Perhaps someday I will convince you to allow me to show you how happy I would make you."
Alistair looked as if he would be ill. "Zevran, I've told you time and time again, it will never happen between us. Why don't you tease Wynne for a change of pace? You haven't teased her about her magical bosom since we left the Dalish."
Zevran laughed heartily. "Perhaps I will, my friend. I do so love the look on her face when we speak of her bosom!"
Aeden and Wynne entered the foyer and the four put on their thick cloaks. It was snowing outside and the wind was fierce. Before they left, Aeden reiterated that Delia was in charge. She gave Aeden, Wynne and Zevran hugs as they walked out the door, saving one last kiss for her betrothed. After she closed the heavy wooden door behind them, Delia walked back to the study to speak to her remaining companions about what they would like to do during the day.
Sten agreed to put the dogs through a workout. Working Griffon alongside of Dusty would give him a better idea of what the deer hound knew and how he went about fighting. Morrigan wanted to make a fresh supply of potions while Leliana had repairs to make to her clothes. Trent expected to spend a good part of the day checking the horses and making certain their tack was in good repair. Gorshep told him that Jessop enjoyed cleaning saddles, especially when he was in the company of someone who could tell him a few stories, so Trent actually looked forward to the job. Shale was simply standing in the study near the fireplace. She seemed content to feel the heat of the fire against her stone and wasn't very talkative, so Delia let her be.
Since everyone was occupied, Delia decided to spend some time looking through the library. She hoped to find a book about dogs in order to better understand Griffon's breed. The library was on the western side of the study in a room that was most likely intended to be the true study of the house. It was lined with books of all types and seemed to be arranged by topics. Delia was somewhat shocked to find some books of a rather intimate nature, including "The Art of Passionate Love" by Brother Capria. She seemed to remember the book having been banned by the Chantry, and curiosity winning over reason she took the book from the shelf to read later in the privacy of her own room.
Finally she found a book titled "The Dogs of Thedas". She removed it from the shelf and made a quick trip to her room to put the first book into her pack. After reassuring herself that the book wouldn't be spotted by someone like Zevran who would use its presence to tease her mercilessly, Delia walked back to the study and sat in a very comfortable overstuffed chair near the fireplace.
As she searched for references to the deer hound she heard a strong knock on the front door. She heard Deirdre open the door and begin to argue with whoever was there. Delia put the book down and checked her weapons reflexively. The sound of angry footsteps came toward the study and suddenly the door burst open with several dwarves entering the room.
Deirdre hurried in behind them. "I'm sorry, Delia, but these… men are quite insistent of speaking to one of the wardens."
Delia stood and straightened her back, trying to look like her grandfather had when he dealt with the people of his realm. "And what is it that I can do for you gentlemen. We certainly were not expecting any company today."
A middle aged dwarvan man with a long, braided black beard walked forward. "Well, that's obvious. We've been expecting a messenger from Weisshaupt for months now and I can't say that we're pleased that you've chosen to ignore us."
"Might I ask who you are?" Delia raised her eyebrow at the man, who stammered his response.
"I… suppose I should introduce us. My name's Zoram. The man on my left is Kartal and on my right is Gimley. I am the tax collector for the surface dwarves here in the Orzammar Mercantile District. You Grey Wardens owe us for the taxes for the past year. From what I calculate," he took a scroll from his inside pocket and unrolled it, "you owe 15 gold sovereigns. It can be paid in gold or in bushels of crops. I do expect to receive payment today."
Delia looked the three men over. They were obviously merchants and not warriors of any kind, as their bodies lacked the strong muscles of men who spent their time with weapons. She paced in front of the fireplace, looking up as she heard more footsteps enter the room. Deirdre had located Sten and Trent, worrying about Delia in this situation, and the two men entered the room along with the two war hounds.
Delia nodded to the two warriors, signaling that they should remain at the door. They stood at attention, ready to jump to her defense. Finally she turned to the dwarves, glaring at them when she finally spoke.
"And just exactly what do you think Weisshaupt will think when they learn that you have attempted to intimidate one of their recruits? Do not think that I am blind as to your purpose here. You have waited until the wardens left for the city before you approached, thinking that I would cower to you and your demands. My purpose here is not to pay you for anything. I was not sent by Weisshaupt, but I believe you already know that."
The dwarves fidgeted slightly, and Delia knew she was on the right track. "If, indeed, you are to be paid taxes as you say, that is between you and the Warden Commander of Weisshaupt. I assure you that when I send my report to him about our… accommodations here in Orzammar, he will not be pleased with your attempt to extort money from a recruit. Leave now and I will not sic the dogs on you to make you leave." Both dogs took the hint and growled menacingly.
Zoram did not look pleased, but he nodded in acknowledgement. "I suppose I will have to wait, but Weisshaupt had best pay up."
Delia glared at the man. "Then I suggest you send a messenger to Weisshaupt directly. Your business with them is none of my affair. Be gone, Zoram, and do not pester Gorshep, Deirdre or any other simple wardens that stay here. I will certainly include our… encounter with you in my report when I send my missive at the end of our mission."
The dwarves quickly left the house after walking quickly past the growling dogs. Trent and Sten added to the theatrics by placing their hands on the dogs' collars, making it look as if they were holding the dogs back. Once the dwarves were out of the house, Trent smiled broadly at Delia.
"Well played, Delia! You handled that like a proper Arl!"
Even Sten had a small smile for her. "You have done well, Kadan."
Delia smiled at her warriors. "Everything I said was true. Sometimes it is merely the way you say it that makes all the difference." She knelt in front of the two dogs, giving each a scratch behind their ears. "And you two, my brave boys, were absolutely perfect! I truly am blessed to have two wonderful war hounds at my back."
The two dogs woofed appreciatively. Gorshep and Deirdre walked back to the room, both looking relieved.
"Delia, Deirdre said you handled Zoram like a pro. I'm sorry I wasn't in the house to stop 'em." Gorshep looked worried.
"Don't worry, Gorshep. I think they should be leaving you alone for quite a while. Were they even telling the truth about the taxes?"
"Aye, we pay our taxes here, but it's my belief the wardens are paid up in full for the next year. I think they was just trying to take advantage of ye."
Deirdre took her husband's arm. "Why don't we all get ready for lunch? I have some nice soup cooking in the kitchen."
They settled into the dining room and before long Deirdre joined them with the soup and fresh bread loaves. As Morrigan and Leliana joined them the group fell into easy conversation. Delia hadn't had any soup as delicious as Deirdre's since she left her school in Antiva, and it brought back many happy memories.
She wondered how Alistair and Aeden were doing in the city. Hopefully they were learning what they needed to know quickly and would be back soon. For some reason she was feeling more anxious than usual with the two wardens away. Perhaps it was because of her encounter with Zoram, but she wanted to talk about it with the two men. Hopefully they would feel that she handled it well.
After lunch was finished, she returned to her book. There was a lot to learn about Griffon's breed, and she wanted to know as much as she could in order to make her new canine friend as comfortable as possible. One thing she already knew was that Griffon needed a new purpose. She hoped that the dog was beginning to see a new one, at her side.