A/N: Hey everybody, I apologize for the super late chapter, life and work got in the way big time over the last little while! I do have some extra time off coming up however, so I will do my best to get the next chapter up much sooner to make up for it. Anyway, hope you all enjoy the new chapter!
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Chapter 43: Wishing for Vengeance
It had taken them nearly a month to get to Denerim, instead of the three weeks that it should have. Travelling with the Arl and his entourage had slowed them down considerably, having to both wait for the lumbering wagons transporting half his household and to keep everyone safe as they went. The Arl had left some of his knights and servants behind with Teagan at Redcliffe, but had still brought the majority of his household along, including the supplies needed to feed them, which had made for a tough journey.
It had been more difficult than Alistair had expected it would be; the amount of roving bands of darkspawn attacking was increasing, even this far away from the bulk of the horde, which at the moment, was still remaining south of Redcliffe. Keeping such a large group safe from surprise attacks when only he and Aedan were capable of sensing the darkspawn before they ambushed had been daunting. There had been more than a few close calls, when they had nearly lost one or another of the knights guarding the outskirts of the group before they'd gotten there to help.
Fortunately, though, in spite of the close calls, they managed to get the Arl and all of his men to Denerim safely. No one had died, but there had been several injuries, and Morrigan and Wynne had been kept busy healing the Arl's knights. Which was probably for the best, anyway, as it had kept Morrigan from revealing her less acceptable mage talents to the Arl and his men. Ayla, as well, had been ordered by Aedan not to reveal her powers to ensure that no one became frightened or suspicious, and she had agreed, reluctantly, not shifting once on the way here.
Though of course, this had only made the journey that much more difficult, as their party couldn't fight to full effectiveness with two of their members unable to fully utilize their talents. The entire journey had been exhausting, and Alistair should have been incredibly relieved to see the walls of Denerim appear in the distance.
And in some ways, he was; he was relieved to be there safely with everyone and relieved that they were finally able to attend the Landsmeet and answer the question of his nebulous future. But he was also terrified. What would he do if the answer wasn't the one he wanted? What would he do if Aedan's plan fell through and Anora wouldn't help them?
He had told Ayla that he was going to stay with her no matter what, and he did mean to keep that promise, but he had no idea how to go about it if things didn't go to plan. Certainly, no one could force him to become king, but what would be the alternative if neither he nor Anora took the throne? He wasn't sure what would happen then, and the anxiety that question evoked was cutting through his relief, dampening it, as they all filed through the gates into Denerim behind the Arl and his men.
Almost as though she sensed how he was feeling, Ayla sidled up next to him, looping her arm through his. "Don't worry," she said softly. "It will all work out in the end."
He looked down at her in surprise. "What makes you say that?" he asked, though he desperately wanted to believe it himself.
"It's just a feeling I have," she replied, casting a dazzling smile up at him. "I have faith that we will figure it out. Don't you?"
The way she smiled at him, her eyes shining with belief and love for him, relaxed him in a way nothing else could. He was overthinking this, he realized. There was no point in agonizing over what would happen if Aedan's plan failed before he even knew if it would or not. If, for some reason, Aedan couldn't convince Anora, he could simply worry about it then. Between all of them, surely they could think of some alternative.
He took a deep breath and smiled back at Ayla, drawing her closer. "Yes, we will." He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, uncaring of who saw. The Arl had been surprisingly lenient about their relationship on the way here, and Ayla seemed to have gotten over any concern she felt about avoiding him on their journey.
Though they hadn't necessarily flaunted their relationship, they hadn't taken any special pains to hide it, either, aside from posting separate tents. As often as not, though, they'd still slipped into one another's tents later on throughout the night. They had only slept together, however, not making love for fear they might be too loud and someone would overhear. It was one thing for the others in their party to overhear by accident once or twice, but another thing entirely to have a group of strangers hear what they did together in private. Besides, they both had been quite busy maintaining watches and keeping the camp safe, leaving little time or energy for anything else.
Still, in spite of that concession, Alistair doubted there was anyone in the camp who didn't know they were together, particularly after Ayla had kissed him for everyone to see in the courtyard following his spar with Aedan. Something had happened that day to put her at ease, he was sure, because prior to that she'd refused to even stand close to him during that stay at Redcliffe. She wouldn't tell him what had occurred, though, merely that she and the Arl had spoken and come to some sort of understanding. Not that he minded, of course; he was relieved that they didn't have to pretend, that he was free to touch her or kiss her as he liked, that all the knights knew she was his. He only hoped it would remain that way.
There was warmth in her eyes as he drew back, and unable to resist, he planted an equally quick kiss on her lips before pulling away and leading her after the others towards the Arl's estate in Denerim.
It was only a few minutes later that they passed through the gates of the estate into the small, dusty courtyard; Arl Eamon was already calling out directions to the knights to get set up in the barracks and begin their watch schedules, while the servants hurried into the estate to begin getting the rooms and the evening meal ready, as it was late in the afternoon already, the air starting to cool as the sun went down. It had been fairly warm, good weather on the way here, fortunately, but it was only early spring and the nights would often get cold still.
As the Arl was finishing with his instructions, Aedan approached him, and Alistair and Ayla reached them in time to overhear Arl Eamon saying, "If we defeat Loghain here, the rest of the nation will follow us. By calling the Landsmeet, I've struck the first blow. The advantage, for the moment, is ours. He will have little choice but to show himself, to oppose us directly. He will strike back at us. The only question that remains is how soon?"
"I don't expect he will waste much time," Aedan replied grimly. "He likely knew we were here the moment we entered the city, if not before. We should be prepared to meet him as soon as possible."
The Arl nodded. "I agree. The servants were ordered to make your rooms ready immediately, as well as the main hall so that we might have a place to meet with him. I would suggest you and Alistair get cleaned up right away, in case you need to join me in the hall tonight. The rest of your party may do as they like in the meantime." His gaze passed briefly over Ayla, standing next to Alistair, but his expression didn't change, nor did he comment on her presence.
Alistair frowned. "You want me to be there as well?" He'd really rather not see or meet Loghain up close; he'd never outright attacked anyone in his life before, but he couldn't be certain that he could see the man responsible for the death of Duncan and his Warden brothers and not do something.
"Yes, Alistair, I expect you to be there," Arl Eamon replied firmly, his tone brooking no argument. "This Landsmeet is about you, after all, and I want Loghain to see the true heir with his own eyes."
Without waiting to hear a response, the Arl turned and headed into the estate. Alistair exchanged a glance with Aedan, who nodded. "You might as well be there." He lowered his voice before continuing, "We have to keep doing as the Arl says in regards to the Landsmeet until we're ready, remember?"
"I know." Alistair blew out a frustrated breath. "I'm just not certain I can be so close to Loghain without wanting to make him pay."
"Think about something else," Ayla suggested. "And don't bring your sword with you. A quick death is too easy for him, anyway."
"She's right," Aedan agreed. "We need to let all of Denerim know about what he's done, make sure that he's no longer seen as the hero general. That is the way we will make him pay."
Alistair nodded, slowly. The Wardens did deserve to have the true story of what had happened to them brought out, for everyone in the Landsmeet to hear. If he were to attack Loghain now, it was unlikely that anyone would listen to what they had to say later. He would simply have to do his best not to think of what had happened when he was finally face-to-face with him. "All right, let's go get ready," he replied reluctantly.
Aedan turned and headed towards the large double doors, gesturing for the others to follow, telling them they could relax as they pleased until they knew what the next step was going to be. Alistair went to follow, but Ayla grabbed his arm, halting him. He turned to look at her, raising a brow in question.
"I'm going to go look around a bit," she told him, gesturing to the gates that led out to the city. "No one knows who I am, and I want to find out what people are saying around the city about the Landsmeet and everything else that's going on. I'll be back soon."
Alistair stared at her wordlessly for a moment. It would be a good idea to find out as much information as they possibly could, and yet he couldn't help but be worried about the thought of her being out there alone. Denerim wasn't always the safest of places, even for someone who could take care of themselves. But he knew from experience how well she'd react to him trying to convince her not to go, so he simply said, "Be careful, please."
She gave him a wry smile, as though she guessed what he really wanted to say, before replying, "Of course I will. I'll be back before you know it."
He watched her as she slipped through the gate, sincerely hoping that she was right, before he turned and went into the estate to prepare for the possible meeting with Loghain.
He was almost completely dressed following the bath that had been prepared for him, pulling the tunic over his head, when Ayla burst into his room, breathless. "Alistair!" she gasped.
"What is it?" he demanded, catching her by the arms, anxious worry tearing through him as he looked her over for wounds. "Did something happen to you?"
"No, no, I'm fine," she shook her head in response, continuing hastily, "but Loghain's on his way here. At least, I assume it was him, from what everyone was saying as I saw him heading through the market. There were two people with him – one was an older man – I overheard someone call him Howe."
"Andraste's ass!" Alistair cursed, immediately knowing why she'd raced back here. Apparently it wasn't him coming face-to-face with Loghain they had to worry about after all. It was what would happen when Aedan saw Rendon Howe.
Normally Alistair wouldn't be concerned about Aedan losing his temper – his Warden brother was usually the epitome of level-headed. But Alistair had seen him lose his head over just the mention of Howe's name before, and he highly doubted Aedan would be able to hold back upon seeing the man himself. At least, not without some kind of advance warning.
"Come on," he told Ayla, heading for the door. "We have to warn him before they get here."
They hurried over to Aedan's room, a few doors down from Alistair's, only briefly pausing to knock on the door and hear Aedan's reply to come in before entering.
Aedan frowned, looking at them with raised brows as they closed the door behind them. He, too, was dressed in breeches and a tunic, rather than armor, as he'd told Alistair it would be best if they looked to be casually dressed, as opposed to ready for battle. "What's going on?"
"Loghain is already on his way here, and . . ." Alistair hesitated, unsure if he should just blurt it right out.
"I saw a man with him that one of the people in the crowd called Howe," Ayla finished quietly, saving Alistair the trouble of deciding.
The slight confusion on Aedan's face quickly morphed into black anger, exactly as Alistair had feared. He clenched his fists, working his jaw, before he abruptly turned and stalked over to his armor and sword in the corner of the room.
"Aedan, stop! You can't just kill him in front of everyone!" Alistair exclaimed.
Aedan froze, before he whirled around and glared at him. "Why not?" he snarled. "That lying, back-stabbing filth killed my father, my mother, my nephew – everyone!"
"I know you want revenge," Ayla said softly, holding up her hands in a placating fashion when Aedan turned to glare at her. "And I swear to you, we will help you get it. But it needs to be done somewhere else – not where everyone can see and know that it was you. If you want to do it right – if you want to make him suffer – we need to do it quietly."
Alistair shot a surprised look at her, slightly disturbed at what she was saying, but Aedan appeared to at least be listening, so he added quickly, "We also have to look like we're the level-headed ones, here. No one at the Landsmeet is going to listen to us if we attack people with no warning. We have to look like the better option, right? Remember the plan, Aedan."
Aedan stared at them both for a long moment, clearly struggling with his temper, his fists clenching and unclenching, before he finally let out a string of vicious, inventive curses. When he was finished with that, he picked up a vase and flung it at the wall behind him, where it shattered into dozens of pieces, water and flowers spraying everywhere. "You're right," he growled at last, his eyes still a blazing fury of silver. "But I will kill him later, I promise you that."
"Okay," Alistair agreed, nodding. He wasn't sure he necessarily agreed with the suffering that Ayla had been talking about, but neither was he going to stand in Aedan's way if that was what he wanted. "As long as you can promise to keep it together when we go to meet him now, in public."
"I can't promise I'm not going to say something," Aedan gritted out through clenched teeth, "but I won't attack him."
"That's fair," Ayla replied, glancing quickly at the door behind them. "That's all anyone could ask for. Someone's coming to the door; they've likely arrived now."
Just as she said it, a knock sounded on the door, and a servant called out, "My lord Aedan? The Arl requests your presence in the main hall – he says that the guests have arrived. I was also sent to look for Master Alistair, but he is not in his room –"
Aedan opened the door before she'd finished. "He's here with me. We'll head there right away."
The maid on the other side, a young woman with short, blonde hair, bobbed a curtsy, though Alistair caught the slight widening of her blue eyes as she saw the shattered mess of the vase behind them. "Thank you, my lord."
She turned and left without another word, and Aedan followed behind her, his shoulders set in stiff, angry lines. Alistair glanced back at Ayla before he went, and she gave him a faint, encouraging smile.
"I'm going to head to my room and get cleaned up." She hesitated for a moment, staring at him. "Are you going to be able to keep both yourself and Aedan in line?"
"Yes," Alistair replied firmly. He had to, he knew, if he wanted Anora and the Landsmeet to be willing to listen to them. They couldn't appear like barbarians who had no control over their emotions, not right before a diplomatic meeting. That would not be the way to get the future he wanted. "I promise you I can, and I will. I'll come to see you later, let you know how it goes."
"You had better," she called back over her shoulder as she headed the opposite direction down the stone hallway, back towards her room. "I'll be expecting you."
He nodded, waving back at her before he headed towards the main hall. He arrived just before Loghain and the others, taking up a spot on Aedan's right, while Arl Eamon was on his left. It looked as though Aedan had managed to calm down somewhat; his expression was smooth and blank, and only someone who knew him well would be able to see the roiling tension just below the surface. Alistair prayed Howe had the good sense to keep his mouth shut.
It was only a moment later that the doors at the other end of the large stone hall were opened, and Loghain strode in, clad in silver plate armor and wearing his sword, flanked by a woman in full plate armor with her dark hair back in a severe bun, and an oily, weaselly-looking older man with short grey hair in a rogue's leathers. Both were armed as well; they obviously had not shared Aedan's concern about not looking as though they were ready for battle. Perhaps they had expected a potential attack, Alistair mused. Though he'd never personally seen the man in the leathers before, Alistair knew that he had to be Rendon Howe, especially when he heard a faint snarl escape Aedan. He quickly elbowed Aedan, glaring at him, and Aedan nodded stiffly in return.
"Loghain," Arl Eamon began carefully when the three halted only a few feet away. "This is . . . an honour, that the regent would find time to greet me personally."
Loghain sneered at him, and now Alistair was the one who wanted to growl. The man responsible for nearly annihilating the Wardens was right there in front of him. He tried to concentrate on anything but Loghain's smug face as the former general drawled, "How could I not welcome a man so important as to call every lord in Ferelden away from his estates while a Blight claws at our land?"
"The Blight is why I'm here," the Arl responded evenly. "With Cailan dead, Ferelden must have a king to lead it against the darkspawn."
"Ferelden has a strong leader; its queen," Loghain snapped back, looking irritated. "And I lead her armies."
"If Anora rules, perhaps she should be allowed to speak for herself," Aedan said coolly, staring Loghain down when the older man whirled to glare at him.
Loghain's eyes widened just a fraction as he took a good, long look at Aedan, but his expression otherwise remained unchanged as he said, "Ah, the Grey Warden recruit. I thought we might meet again. You have my sympathies on what happened to your order. It is unfortunate that they chose to turn against Ferelden."
"That is a lie," Alistair retorted, unable to keep silent upon hearing the Wardens slandered in such a manner. "The Wardens did not betray Ferelden, they were only interested in fighting the Blight!"
"Yes," Aedan added, keeping his attention fixed on Loghain as though he couldn't even bear to look in Howe's direction, "you know as well as we do that's not what happened, and in any case, I would not accept the sympathies of deserters and regicides."
"You should curb your tongue," Loghain snarled venomously, leaning forward ever so slightly as he faced down Aedan. Alistair clenched his fists, trying hard not to step between the two and strike Loghain, grateful that he'd listened to Ayla and not brought his sword along as the man continued, "This is my city, and no safe place to speak treason. For anyone." The regent cast a scornful glance at the Arl. "There is talk that your illness left you feeble, Eamon. Some worry that you may no longer be fit to advise Ferelden."
"Illness?" Arl Eamon scoffed, his expression icy cold as he stared back at Loghain. "Why not call your poison by its true name? Not everyone at the Landsmeet will cast aside their loyalties as easily as you and these . . . sycophants." He gestured to the two on either side of Loghain, who had yet to say anything.
Alistair watched Aedan closely, waiting for any sign that he was about to lose his temper. He could clearly see how badly his Warden brother was wishing for vengeance, just as he was, but he made no obvious moves towards Howe as Loghain exclaimed, "How long you've been gone from court, Eamon! Don't you recognize Rendon Howe, Arl of Amaranthine and Teyrn of Highever?"
Alistair cringed at the mention of Highever; he could feel Aedan's tension ratchet up, and saw his fists clench. He quickly stepped on Aedan's foot, and Aedan gave a tense, jerky nod that he'd gotten the message.
"And current arl of Denerim," Howe was drawling in a voice that sounded as oily as he looked, "after Urien's unfortunate fate at Ostagar. Truly, it is an embarrassment of riches."
Aedan made to take a step forward, and Alistair quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Aedan shook him off, but didn't move forward again as he took a shaky breath before growling out, "I demand blood rights! This man murdered my family!"
"You have no rights," Howe retorted, practically oozing smugness as he met Aedan's furious gaze. "Your family surrendered them when I revealed them to be traitors to the king."
"When did you reveal it? Where was the trial? What proof do you have of this so-called treachery?" Aedan demanded, his voice and body both starting to shake with anger. "Was my 7-year-old nephew a traitor to the king as well? The servants too?" When Howe did not reply, only smirking at him, Alistair really thought he might have to physically restrain Aedan, but after a long, tense moment where his Warden brother took several deep breaths, his stance finally relaxed. He finished in an icy tone devoid of any emotion, "I'm really going to enjoy cutting your throat and watching you drown in your own blood, I hope you know that."
The woman on Loghain's other side frowned at Aedan. "You are either very bold or very stupid to threaten the teyrn before witnesses."
"Enough, Cauthrien, this is not the time or place," Loghain told her, his hand slashing through the air, and she immediately quieted as he continued, "I had hoped to talk you down from this rash course, Eamon. Our people are frightened; our king is dead. Our land is under siege. We must be united now, if we are to endure this crisis. Your own sister, Queen Rowan, fought tirelessly to see Ferelden restored. Would you see her work destroyed? You divide your nation and weaken our efforts against the Blight with your selfish ambitions to the throne."
"What efforts?" Alistair snorted. He couldn't recall seeing or hearing of any of Loghain's soldiers attempting to fight any of the darkspawn.
"Yes, what efforts can there be when you outlaw the Grey Wardens – once again, without any actual proof – the only ones capable of truly defeating the Blight?" Aedan demanded, crossing his arms as he turned his attention back to Loghain, seemingly determined to ignore Howe's presence now.
"Cailan depended on the Grey Warden's prowess against the darkspawn, and look how well that ended," Loghain replied dismissively, waving his hand. "Let us speak of reality, rather than tall tales. Stories will not save us."
"He depended on the prowess of his general, too," Alistair muttered, thinking that he was beginning to understand what Ayla meant when she talked about revenge and suffering.
Loghain turned an icy glare on Alistair, but before he could reply, Arl Eamon interrupted him, saying heavily, "I cannot forgive what you've done, Loghain. Perhaps the Maker can, but not I. Our people deserve a king of the Theirin bloodline. Alistair will be the one to lead us to victory in this Blight."
Alistair sighed, his thoughts of revenge fading at once again being reminded of the Arl's plan to put him on the throne. "Oh, is that all I have to do?" he asked sarcastically. "No pressure . . . ."
"The emperor of Orlais also thought I could not bring him down," Loghain growled, pointing a stern finger at the Arl. "Expect no more mercy than I showed him. There is nothing I would not do for my homeland." Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room, the other two following him.
"Well, that was . . . . bracing," Arl Eamon said at last, after the doors had shut behind them. "I didn't expect Loghain to show himself quite so soon as that."
Aedan was pacing back and forth now, shaking with fury, his chest heaving, as Alistair watched helplessly, wondering what he could do for him. He was angry at Loghain, true, but even still, he couldn't begin to imagine the fury Aedan felt towards Howe. "Howe killed my family. I can't just let him get away with it!" Aedan snapped, whirling on the Arl.
Arl Eamon shook his head, answering quietly, "I would not ask you to. But bear in mind that he will be well-protected by his alliance with Loghain. He always seemed the kind of man who enjoyed kicking stray dogs. I would not have thought that Loghain would trust him." He shook his head before going on, "We need eyes and ears in the city. Loghain has been here for months. The roots of all his schemes must begin here. The sooner we find them, the better we can turn them to our advantage. Go have a look around tomorrow and see what you can turn up. Better yet, find the nobles who have arrived for the Landsmeet. Test the waters, see how many will support us. When you're ready to talk strategy, come upstairs to my sitting room. We can lay out our plans for the Landsmeet then."
Aedan nodded briefly in response to the Arl before saying abruptly, "I need some air." He stalked out the door that Loghain and the others had just left through without another word.
"He will not do anything rash, will he?" Arl Eamon asked, staring after him.
"No," Alistair answered, shaking his head. He hadn't been sure when his fellow Warden was face-to-face with Howe, but he was now; Aedan would wait until he had a plan, now that he'd restrained himself through the actual confrontation. "He just needs some time to himself. It was difficult for him, facing down Howe like that without being able to do anything about his family." He didn't add that it had been difficult for him, as well, seeing Loghain. It wasn't as though his loss had been quite on the scale that Aedan's had been, after all.
"Yes, I suppose it must have been," Arl Eamon replied softly. "Well, it has been a long day for everyone; I do not believe we will have a formal supper tonight. I will have trays sent up to everyone's rooms."
"That might be best," Alistair agreed. The confrontation had been exhausting, especially on top of the journey here; all he wanted now was food and rest, and to see Ayla. He would rather not see or speak to anyone else at this moment. "I'll take my leave now, my lord, if that's all right."
The Arl merely nodded and waved at him in dismissal. Alistair headed out of the hall, in the opposite direction from Aedan, and made his way through the stone hallways, up to the second floor and to Ayla's room.
"How was it?" she asked quietly after she'd opened the door to him. She'd clearly bathed and changed while they were downstairs talking; she was wearing the green tunic and brown leggings that she favoured when she was not wearing her armor, and her hair was loose and damp. She looked, in short, stunningly beautiful and was a balm to his soul after the tense meeting below.
He stepped inside the room and closed the door behind them before he pulled her tight against him and buried his face in her hair, simply breathing in her scent as he relaxed. "That bad, huh?" she murmured after a few moments.
He let go of her and smiled ruefully as he met her gaze. "Well, we didn't attack them, if that's what you mean. But it was a near thing." He explained to her everything that had happened then, finishing up with how Aedan had left the estate afterwards.
She shrugged. "He'll be back, I'm sure. He just needs some time to himself. We will need to help him go after Howe eventually, though."
Alistair merely nodded. He still wasn't sure that he was entirely comfortable with the idea of slow, suffering revenge, but if that's what Aedan needed, then he would help. He owed him too much not to, but he didn't want to talk about it any more than he had to. "Can we not talk about something more pleasant?" he asked as he crossed the room to sit down at the small wooden table that was one of the only furnishings in the room besides the four-poster bed draped in purple.
"Well, actually, I have something I've been meaning to give you, but we were so busy on the road here I never got the chance." Ayla went over to her pack and dug through the side pockets until she produced a small package wrapped in brown paper, which she set down on the table before taking the seat opposite him. "Open it," she prompted.
He unwrapped it carefully, revealing a small stone statuette of a warrior with a sword and shield. The detail was amazing, and it was just the sort of statue that he'd always wanted to buy for himself, but had never done so because he couldn't justify buying it when there were so many other supplies and things that were needed instead. "This is . . . for me? Really? Wow – I – wow." As always when he got flustered, he couldn't seem to think of any adequate words to express himself.
"Of course it's for you." She rolled her eyes at him, though she was smiling. "That is why I gave it to you. Don't you like it?"
"Yes, of course I do," he replied hastily. "But – I mean – why?" He was turning the statuette over in his hands, trying to remember if he'd ever gotten a real gift before from anyone. The more he thought about it, the more he didn't think that he had.
"Well," she shrugged, flushing slightly, "I noticed you admiring them, and I realized I'd never gotten you a gift, so I just . . .wanted to give you something."
"You didn't need to, though," he protested. "You've given me so much already." When she started to grin, a wicked light in her eyes, he added, slightly amused, "And I don't mean that. Or . . . not only that, anyway. Being with you – having you love me – it's more than I ever imagined I would have, or could have. I don't need anything else."
She was blushing bright red by the time he'd finished, and he smiled; he loved making her blush, especially as it seemed he was the only one capable of making her do so. "I didn't ever imagine I would have anyone like you, either," she replied softly, not quite meeting his eyes. "Actually, I didn't even think I wanted to have anyone love me until you came along. So, I suppose we're even on that score. But you're not going to refuse to take my gift, are you?"
He shook his head rapidly, realizing she looked a little hurt at the thought. "No, of course not! I love it, honestly. I just wanted you to know that you don't need to give me anything."
"Nothing?" She grinned at him teasingly as she got up and walked over to him, straddling his lap and settling her arms around his neck. He groaned softly, his body reacting instantly to the touch of hers as he slid his arms around her and pulled her closer. "Not even . . . a kiss?" She stopped with her lips just a breath away from his, looking up at him slyly.
"Oh, well, that I do need," he murmured, brushing his mouth lightly over hers, marvelling anew at the softness of her lips. "I need lots of them, actually, every day."
She opened her mouth, just managing to reply, "Is that so?" before he took advantage of her distraction to thoroughly claim her mouth with his, sliding his hand up into her hair to keep her head in place as he tasted her again and again, revelling in the sweetness of her mouth. When she moaned and rocked on his lap, he couldn't help but buck up against her and use his other hand to press her down harder at the same time, desire burning through him hot and fast.
He was just about to stand up and take her over to the bed when a knock came on the door and she tore her mouth from his, looking at the door over his shoulder as they both panted for breath. "Mistress Ayla, I have your supper here for you!" the maid called through the door.
They both groaned simultaneously, and Alistair sighed. "I forgot they were bringing supper up to our rooms. I suppose you had better answer the door before she comes in."
"I suppose so," she answered reluctantly, sliding off his lap and heading to the door. She opened it, and the maid on the other side, the same one they had seen earlier, handed her the tray.
"Here you are, Mistress," she said as Ayla took the tray for her. "I was looking for Master Alistair – he wasn't in his room when I went to take his supper there – oh!" She spotted Alistair at the table at that moment, stopping short as she stared at him in surprise. He half-turned to give her a rueful wave, grateful that his chair faced away from the door, which gave him time to calm himself down. "Oh, Master Alistair, there you are! I did leave your supper on the table in your room for you. I can go fetch it for you if you'd like –"
"No, no, that's okay," Alistair interrupted her as Ayla returned to the table with her tray. "I'll go get it myself, thank you."
"You're most welcome. I'll – I'll just move on to the rest of your companions, then." The maid dropped a quick curtsy before turning and heading back down the hallway, presumably to get the next tray of food.
Ayla was grinning at him when he turned to look back at her. "Do you suppose she realized what she'd interrupted?"
"Possibly," Alistair allowed, finding himself frustrated and annoyed with the interruption, in spite of the fact that he was hungry. It had been quite some time now since they'd been together, and his body was aching with longing to feel hers wrapped around it. "She did look a little embarrassed to find me in here." He sighed as he stood up. "I suppose I should eat first, anyway." His stomach chose that moment to give out a particularly loud rumble, causing Ayla to laugh.
"Yes, perhaps you'd better," she agreed, her eyes twinkling merrily. "It would likely be best for you to have some energy stored up first. We can always continue what she interrupted later." She gave him a heated look that caused his blood to hum in answer.
He nodded in reply, not trusting his voice at the moment, before he went to his room to fetch his own supper, bringing it back to Ayla's room so they could eat together. Throughout the meal, though they chatted of other things as they ate, they also cast each other heated, lingering looks and lightly brushed each other's hands or arms occasionally. This, of course, only succeeded in firing up Alistair's blood more and more, until he felt as though he might burst, and he could tell she felt the same.
They were nearly finished the meal, with Alistair quite ready to continue where they'd left off earlier as soon as they had, when another knock came at the door. Alistair growled in frustration as Aedan's voice came through the door this time. "Ayla, is Alistair in there with you? And are you both still wearing clothes?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Alistair muttered. Ayla gave him an amused glance as she called back, "Yes, he's in here, and yes, we are. You can come in."
Aedan promptly came through the door, and merely grinned in answer to the glare Alistair sent him to convey his poor timing. He looked as though he was feeling much calmer than he had been earlier. "I went up to talk to Eamon as soon as I got back," he began, "and there was a woman there with him – Anora's handmaiden."
"What?" Alistair exclaimed, immediately forgetting about his annoyance with his Warden brother's timing. "What was Anora's handmaiden doing here?"
"Apparently, Anora was waiting for Howe," Aedan's lip curled as he spat out the man's name, before he went on, "when he returned from visiting us here. She demanded that he tell her the truth about what happened, if her father was responsible for Cailan's death as the rumours suggest. She has not been able to get a straight answer from Loghain, so she thought she would approach Howe."
"She went to Howe, of all people? What was she thinking?" Alistair asked, shaking his head in disbelief. Surely, if she'd heard the rumours about her father, she had to have heard the rumours about Howe, as well. He didn't know how she could possibly have thought that confronting him was a good idea.
"I can't imagine that went well," Ayla added, looking as though she were thinking along the same lines as Alistair was - that Anora had put herself in incredible danger.
"No, of course it didn't," Aedan responded grimly, his eyes dark with concern and anger. "I truly thought Anora was smarter than that, but she must have thought Howe wouldn't dare to do anything to her because of who she is. But it appears he had no concern for that. Anora's handmaiden - Erlina - said he called her all sorts of names before locking her in a guest room, and was apparently stating that she would be a greater ally dead than alive."
Alistair frowned. "But – would Loghain actually allow that? He's done some terrible things, but Anora is his daughter. Would he really let Howe kill her?" Even after everything Loghain had done, to himself and Aedan especially, he didn't want to believe that the man could be so callous towards his own daughter.
Aedan shook his head slowly. "I asked the same question. And as Erlina pointed out, he loved Cailan like a son, and look what happened to him." He sighed deeply before going on, "I don't know if he loves Anora more than he did Cailan, but Eamon did not want to take the chance, as it sounds like the plan would be to pin her death on him. Anora is well-loved, and if Loghain and Howe could succeed at pinning her death on Eamon –" Aedan shrugged.
"Then Eamon would likely be executed, and all our hopes of winning the Landsmeet and getting Loghain off the throne would be gone," Ayla finished for him. "Not to mention, you two would be next on the execution list without Eamon's protection, followed by the rest of us."
"Exactly," Aedan agreed, running a hand through his hair as he looked between the two of them. "So, I believe we have no choice but to go and rescue her."
They both nodded in agreement as Alistair said, "Actually, this is good news, if we can get her out safely. If she's already doubting Loghain, she'll be far more likely to listen to you and go along with our plan to remove her father from power."
Aedan smiled. "That's what I thought. And if Howe is still in his estate when we go to get her, well – " his look turned deadly cold as he finished, "that would be the perfect opportunity to get vengeance for what he did at Highever."
"I suppose so." Alistair was slightly uncomfortable at the darkness in Aedan's gaze right now, but what could he say? His friend did deserve vengeance for his family; it wasn't his place to say otherwise. He decided to focus on the good part of this plan – getting Anora on their side. "So what's the plan for getting her out?"
"Erlina has some guard uniforms for Howe's estate. She's going to help us slip in the servant's entrance. Apparently, Howe hires new guards on a regular basis, so some new ones won't cause any stir. She's gone on ahead to the estate; we're supposed to meet her there. I know we're all tired after the journey here, but we need to go right away, if you're both willing, of course." Aedan looked at them both hopefully as he said this, the darkness gone for the moment.
"Of course we are," Ayla replied instantly. Alistair looked over at her and smiled at her willingness to help before he nodded his own agreement.
"Thank you." Aedan smiled at them both gratefully. "I'll meet you down at the main entrance. I'm going to see if Morrigan, Zevran, and Leliana will come along as well. The others would be too conspicuous to pass as guards, but those three should blend in well enough, and we'll need all the help we can get."
"Right. We'll see you down there as soon as we get our armor back on," Alistair told him, waving his fellow Warden off as he hurried out the door to get the others.
"Well, I guess we'll have to wait until after we get back from rescuing Anora," Ayla said, smiling ruefully as they both stood up from the table.
"Yes, I guess so," Alistair agreed reluctantly as he crossed over to her, kissing her briefly. "But like I said, it is good news. If we get her out safely, then we should be able to make her queen without her father, like we were hoping to do."
"And you won't have to be king," Ayla said softly.
"Exactly, which means I get to stay with you." He smiled at her before kissing her once more, just because he could.
"Well, we'd better save Anora then, hadn't we?" She gave him a light push. "Go on, get your armor and your sword. I'll meet you down there."
He nodded, turning and heading to his own room, closing the door behind him as she went to go put her own armor on. It looked like he'd been worried for no reason earlier. All they had to do was go rescue Anora from Howe, and then the Landsmeet – and his future – would turn out just the way he wanted. Ayla had been right; everything was going to work out, after all. His heart felt lighter than it had in weeks as he headed to his room to begin their mission to rescue Anora.