Chapter 40
Another day and night passed; the Arl had been cured and would call a Landsmeet once they'd enlisted the help of all available allies. Aedan had woken once, turned on his side, vomited and then drifted back into unconsciousness. Emma had asked for some help in moving the tent as the smell had remained, even after the mess had been cleaned up. With the tent relocated, they moved Aedan back inside and she once again took up her vigilance. She'd eaten, albeit without leaving the tent, but at least she'd gotten some food inside her. She'd let Wynne watch over Aedan for half an hour while she washed, wanting to be clean when he awoke. If, her brain sneaked in that worrying word, but she resolutely banished it.
Zevran had declared the wound cleansed of poison, and Wynne had healed the injury, but still, Aedan slept on. Emma's eyes stung with lack of sleep. Although she'd nodded off once or twice she hadn't slept, and it couldn't all be blamed on Aedan's ill health. The few times she'd dozed off, she would see her parents, smiling and happy, and then their faces would morph into that of the policeman who had told her the news. At which point she'd wake with a start, her body covered in sweat, her heart beating rapidly, and her cheeks wet with tears.
She refused to acknowledge the dreams or the buried memory. Instead, she turned her attention to Aedan, or read a textbook about magic which she'd picked up in Denerim. However, the constant battle against her own thoughts and the worry over Aedan took their toll on her body and soul. Early on the third morning, exhaustion dragged at her eyelids, pulling them down. She blinked rapidly, grabbed a cloth, dipped it into the ever-present bowl of water and began washing down his body in the hope that some activity would keep her awake. As she rubbed the cloth down his arm, she noticed his muscles twitch; she held her breath and waited to see if it would occur again.
A minute passed with no further movement and Emma fought back the disappointment. Swallowing hard, she continued her task, regretfully dismissing it as an illusion caused by tired eyes. She moved onto the other side and started the routine again. This time there could be no denying the curl of his fingers against hers. A gasp caught in her throat and she closed her hand over his, giving him something to grasp as she watched his face. His eyelids flickered and she leaned close to him, whispering soft words of encouragement, urging him to return to her. Slowly, almost lazily, his eyes opened, and she wanted to cry upon seeing the glorious blue colour once more.
"Aedan." The whispered word held all her love. She traced an unsteady finger over his brow, down the contour of his defined cheekbone, following the line of his strong jaw, reaching the cleft in his chin and sliding up and towards his firm lips. She let her finger lay there, feeling the steadiness of his breathing against her skin, reinforcing the truth that he'd awoken.
"Hey, Angel." His voice sounded gravelly from lack of use and she quickly reached for the canteen of water, helping him to take a drink. That put her in mind of his need to eat, and she dashed out of the tent; then ran back in again to make sure he was still awake.
"Where are you rushing off to? Come back here, I've missed seeing your lovely face."
She smiled but shook her head. "I'm going to make you some food; you must be starving." Right then, his stomach grumbled and she chuckled as she ducked her head and exited the tent. She threw a few sticks on the fire to build it back up, before rummaging through the crate of food. After grabbing a couple of eggs and some bread, she piled everything she needed to make scrambled eggs and returned to the fire. She paced and drummed her fingers against her thigh as she waited for the fire to reach a decent heat with which to cook.
She heard the sound of a tent flap being thrown open and turned to see Alistair emerge, covering a wide yawn with one hand while scraping the other through his hair. "What are you doing?" he asked.
She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I want to make some scrambled eggs for Aedan."
Alistair's eyes widened. "He's awake?" She nodded, unable to hold back the grin. "Maker's breath, that's good to hear. You go back to him and I'll bring in the food."
"Thank you, Alistair." She gave him a quick hug and then rushed back to the tent.
"Did you lose your way to the fire again?" Aedan asked with an uplifted brow, his eyes glimmering with humour.
She laughed. "No, smartass. Alistair's cooking the food, saving you from a fate worse than death." Her eyes widened and then filled with tears at the realisation of what she'd said. Hastily, she brushed them away. "Apparently, the filter on my brain has stopped working again."
"Come here, Emma." He crooked a finger at her and she leaned closer. He reached up a hand and wiped away the trickle of tears that had fallen, regardless of her attempt to stem the tide. He took a good look at her, noticing the hollow cheeks and dark shadows beneath her eyes. "When was the last time you slept or ate?"
She flinched and tried to pull back, but he moved his hand to cup the back of her neck, holding her in place. Her eyes slid to the side, avoiding his sharp gaze. "I've been eating. However, I haven't slept very well.
"Oh, Angel." With those two words, she knew he understood what else had been keeping her awake. She felt panic slice through her at the thought of talking about what had happened during the Gauntlet. His hands stroked in an easy rhythm up and down her neck as he drew her closer. "Come and lie down with me, I haven't had a chance to hold you yet." Some of the tension slipped away when she understood he wouldn't pursue the subject, at least for now. She stretched her body against his, laying her head within the crook of his shoulder and snuggling as his arms encircled around her waist. He moved the blanket to cover her, tugging it over her shoulder.
-x-
She kissed his chest, murmuring a 'thank you' against his skin. He didn't know whether she was thanking him or her God - who he assumed was similar to the Maker - but he leaned towards the latter, as he couldn't think of any reason why she would thank him, considering the worry he'd caused her, albeit unwillingly. He felt her body go lax and her breathing even out and knew she'd finally succumbed to sleep. Alistair took that moment to enter the tent, and Aedan raised a finger to his lips, warning his friend not to speak. Carefully, he moved Emma onto the bedroll, then grabbed his clothes before shooing Alistair out and following him.
They moved towards the fire and took a seat. "I'm glad to see you awake, Aedan. Maker, you had us all worried." Alistair spoke in a low tone so as not to disturb those still sleeping.
Smiling, Aedan clapped his fellow Grey Warden on the shoulder. "Thanks. So, how long was I out?"
"You eat, while I talk." Alistair indicated the plate of eggs, bread and the accompanying fork.
Happy to obey, Aedan scooped the food into his mouth. "Damn, this tastes good."
"I'm pretty sure a grilled rat would taste good after so long without food."
Aedan pulled a face. "I'm not sure about that, and you were going to talk while I eat, remember?"
Alistair picked up his cup of tea and took a thoughtful sip before starting. "Well, you've been unconscious for three days."
Aedan coughed as a piece of egg went down the wrong way when he inhaled sharply. Alistair patted him on the back until the fit of coughing had passed. Questions raced through his mind, all seemingly of the same importance. In the end, he just picked one. "Did you get the ashes to Arl Eamon?"
Alistair's face lit up. "Yeah, and they worked, too. He's ready to do whatever it takes to get Loghain off the throne."
"That's good." With that worry off his mind, he turned his questioning to the more important subject, at least for him. "So, why didn't someone get Emma to rest?"
Alistair snorted. "It was a struggle just to get her to eat something. If you told her to rest while someone else watched over you, she'd just smile and say that you'd be awake soon."
Aedan groaned and rubbed a hand over his face as he put the empty plate on the floor. "I'd feel guilty for her state, except..."
"...Except there's more to it than just your injury." Alistair finished the sentence. "That damned Guardian has a lot to answer for. I barely slept a wink the night we returned, kept having bloody nightmares about Duncan."
Aedan had a sudden thought. "Couldn't Wynne or Morrigan have knocked Emma out with a sleep spell?"
Alistair looked sombre. "We thought of that, but both mages agreed it wouldn't be wise." He took another mouthful of tea as if trying to delay the conversation, even for a few seconds. "She dozed off once while Leliana sat with her. After a few minutes, Leliana lowered her to the ground so that she wouldn't get a stiff neck, when she abruptly cried out, her body started to shake and beads of sweat coated her skin. Wynne said that if they used a sleep spell and she had a nightmare, she might have trouble waking from it naturally, which could be quite traumatic for her. "
"Shit! Did this happen every time she fell asleep?"
Alistair shifted a little and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, we heard her cry out two more times, so we're fairly certain that's the sum total of any sleep she got." Aedan spent some time wondering how to approach the delicate subject with Emma, then his head snapped up as a muffled whimper came from his tent. Damn it! He should have gone straight back there when he found out about her nightmares. He stood up quickly, stumbling a little as his legs were still unaccustomed to sudden movement. Once inside the tent, he wasted no time pulling her into his arms as he lay next to her, murmuring comforting words to ease the crease between her eyes.
He was surprised to see she still slept, although considering her exhaustion, perhaps he shouldn't be. Now that she knew he was well, she'd finally given in to the desperate need for sleep. He still felt a little tired, so he curled himself around her, holding her snug to his chest and fell asleep while trying to find a solution to Emma's problem.
