Chapter 65: Discomfort
Aeden walked into the main hall of Redcliffe Castle followed closely by Alistair and Delia while the rest of their group was shown their quarters for the night by members of the castle staff. Arl Eamon was waiting for them in the front of the room near the fireplace. Ser Perth, the Knight Commander, stood by his side. As the wardens approached, Eamon turned toward them. His eyes found Delia, and although he smiled at her, his eyes betrayed his anger.
"Ah, Alistair and Aeden, I can't tell you how glad I am to see you back here. And Delia," he nodded to her, "I am glad to see you are well. I understand you've acquired all the allies you could? That's good… we could call the Landsmeet if you are ready." His face became darker and more guarded before he continued to speak. "I would prefer not giving Loghain time to consider, but it is up to you. I do not wish to go to Denerim unless you are with me."
Alistair straightened his back and released a quiet sigh. "Let's go to Denerim now."
Eamon looked at Alistair with a smile that reminded Delia of a cat that had caught its prey. "Excellent. I shall make the arrangements. Let us be off to Denerim and may the Maker watch over us."
Delia was suddenly feeling concerned. Eamon certainly had something planned that he didn't intend to share with her companions, and she didn't want Alistair to be hurt in any way. She needed to find a way to speak to him alone, or at least with only Aeden with them. She hoped they would have an opportunity in the evening. They needed to discuss the bandits from earlier as well, so perhaps they could have a warden only strategy meeting without alarming their host.
Teagan walked into the hall, receiving Eamon's attention. "Ah, brother, you have excellent timing. Our guests will need lunch and I want to have a feast this evening as we prepare to leave for Denerim. You and I must speak this afternoon to make plans. You will need to remain here for a short time to make certain the castle will be in good hands, but we can talk about that in my study after lunch."
"You don't want me to travel with you to Denerim?" Teagan's eyes were wide. "Surely it would be better if I were at your side at the Landsmeet as a show of support."
"We will discuss it later, but I will need to have you join me later. I will travel to Denerim with the wardens and a few of my soldiers and you can join us later with a larger regiment." Eamon started to walk to the door and spoke to a servant. "My servant will gather your friends. Please follow me to the dining room for lunch. It would please me if we could simply enjoy some pleasant company for now as the Landsmeet will certainly keep us all unpleasantly occupied all too soon."
They walked to the dining room and made their way to the tables. Delia sat next to Aeden with Alistair across from her. Before she knew what was happening, Teagan sat on her other side. She stiffened as he smiled at her.
"I hope you don't mind, my dear, but I would love to hear stories about your journey. I'm certain you must have fascinating tales to tell."
She frowned at him. "I was expecting to have Ser Trent join us."
"I'm sure he wouldn't mind sitting next to Alistair," Teagan replied sweetly. "So… tell me about your travels."
Delia crossed her arms in front of her. "I am not as good a storyteller as Leliana. Perhaps you should ask her. She has a gift for that sort of thing."
He smiled broadly and moved toward her, causing Alistair to straighten his back. "Please indulge me. I have missed the sound of your voice and would love to hear anything you would say."
Delia stood up suddenly. "If you gentlemen would excuse me, I suddenly have no appetite." She walked out of the room and went to her quarters. She thought she might persuade Zevran and Leliana to go into town with her later and she could find something to eat there. Teagan was so infuriating!
The wardens at their lunch with Teagan in silence until Teagan finally decided to speak. "So, I take it that something happened to Delia that she doesn't want me to know about?"
Aeden cleared his throat in warning to Alistair. "I believe Delia has made her intentions clear, Teagan. And I do believe she feels you are pushing yourself on her and your attentions are not… welcome."
He looked at the warden angrily. "And yet you presume to speak for her? Just who do you think you are?"
Aeden held back his temper but shot a warning glare at Alistair to keep him in check. "I am her commander, her friend, and… more."
Alistair raised his eyebrow at his friend who responded with a quick wink. Teagan was furious. "Are you telling me that I was wrong when you left here, that Delia was not involved with Alistair, but it was you who she was interested in? I can't believe it."
"And why not? You know how her mother and my mother constantly pushed us toward each other. After all this time together on the road we started to realize the truth of our feelings. Perhaps you need to accept this fact and move on with your life. Delia has chosen to be a Grey Warden, and she belongs with me. I ask you, as a noble and a gentleman, to end your obsession with her and find someone else. You deserve to be happy, but you will never have her."
Teagan angrily pushed away from the table and left the room leaving Alistair grinning broadly at Aeden. "You are brilliant! There's no possible way he can continue to pester her now."
Aeden frowned at his friend. "He may back off a bit, but I don't think we are out of the woods. Not yet, anyway. Let's go find her. I bet she'd like something to eat anywhere but here in the castle."
The wardens left the dining room and made their way to Delia's room. They knocked on her door as they informed her it was the two of them and she unlocked her door and let them in. Griffon greeted the wardens with a soft woof and a wagging tale. When Aeden offered to take her into town to eat she grabbed her cloak quickly and they were off.
Instead of going to the tavern, they made their way to Chloe and Vernon's store. The two were very happy to see Delia again and readily invited her group inside. Chloe brought out fresh bread and cheese to share and they spent several hours chatting and resupplying Delia's herbs and spices.
After their visit, the wardens made their way to the secluded cove that had been Alistair's favorite hiding place as a child. It was cold, but they could be certain that no one would overhear their conversation. Aeden broached the subject of the bandits. Delia told the two men the little information she was able to glean from the captured man before they set him free. The only thing they knew for certain was that Rendon Howe was after Delia and knew that she was alive. They would have to be on their guard in Denerim to protect her.
Aeden brought up the subject of traveling to Denerim with Eamon. Delia and Alistair would need to be extremely discreet, and he revealed to her the pretense he invented after she left the table. Delia thought his idea was very clever, and she agreed to pretend to be keeping a relationship with Aeden a poorly kept secret. She was relieved that Teagan wouldn't be traveling with them. At least she wouldn't have to constantly dodge his advances.
As the sun started to set over the hills, the trio walked back up the path to the castle. They went to their own quarters to ready themselves for dinner. A hot bath certainly felt good after being out in the cold for so long, and Delia took full advantage. She carefully washed her hair and luxuriated in the water until it was becoming uncomfortably cool. Once she dried off she put on the green dress that Zevran bought her the last time they had been at the castle. Since she didn't want to seem flirtatious, she put her hair up in a severe bun. Unfortunately, her dwarven necklace showed quite well in the neckline of the dress, so she made the difficult decision to remove it from her neck and place it in her pocket instead.
Trent arrived at her door to escort her downstairs and so Delia took the opportunity to fill him in on the pretense of a relationship with Aeden. He understood and agreed to pass the word to their companions once they were in the dining room. As they walked through the hallways they passed Teagan as he discussed something with several of the guards. The Bann caught Delia's eye and he smiled at her, earning a smirk from her as she turned her head away.
Dinner was uncomfortable. Delia sat with Trent, Wynne, Leliana, Sten and Zevran. It was easier for her to sit farther from the head table, but she still felt the eyes of Eamon and Teagan on her no matter what she did. As soon as the meal ended, Delia made a point of saying she didn't feel well and was escorted back to her room by Wynne. The two women sat near her fireplace enjoying pleasant conversation and some herbal tea until a knock at the door disturbed them. Wynne walked over and opened the door a crack.
"Yes, may I help you?" she asked the servant who stood outside.
"Bann Teagan asked me to deliver this message to Lady Delia," the servant explained with a small bow.
"I shall give it to her. She has taken ill, and I am attending to her. Please tell Bann Teagan she will be fine in the morning and not to worry."
The servant bowed and left as Wynne shut the door. She walked back to the chairs and handed Delia the note as she sat.
My dear Delia,
I am sorry that I will not have an opportunity to wish you well before you leave in the morning. My brother has several important tasks that I must attend to immediately; however I will rejoin you in Denerim. I hope to be delayed only a day, but that will depend on the outcome of my errands. My best wishes for your illness to depart tonight and for your journey to be free from any trouble. I know you do not wish to hear this from me, but my heart will be with you and I cannot wait to be reunited.
Yours always,
Teagan
Delia crumpled the note and threw it in the fire. The man just would not give up no matter what they said to him! The day when they could openly tell the world about her marriage could not come fast enough, and she prayed fervently that Teagan would understand and forgive her. He had been a good friend in the past, and she hated the thought that he was being hurt regardless of how she tried to protect him.
Wynne could see the worry in her friend's eyes. "It will all turn out alright, child. It isn't your fault that Teagan won't stop his pursuit. He'll learn in due time about your marriage and then he will understand how you have tried to spare his feelings."
"It's bad enough that he is hurt through all of this, but it's also incredibly difficult staying away from my husband. I have a need to be close to him, and it's almost painful to be so close yet so far away."
The mage chuckled. "I understand, dear. Perhaps we can all help you in that regard. I think we can arrange… opportunities for you to be given a bit of privacy. Let me take care of that for you." The mage winked at her friend and bid her goodnight.
Delia locked the door behind her, but remembering her husband's thoughts on their wedding night she decided to put a chair against the door. Griffon whined at first, but once Delia explained why he settled right down next to the hearth. Delia changed into a night shift and climbed into the bed. She missed the warmth of her husband, but drifted off to sleep quickly. The trip to Denerim would be long and difficult with Eamon in their party, but somehow they would get through it with the help of their friends.