Chapter 27
Emma remembered her life in the other world, more or less. Her brows pulled down in an effort to recall her flat; there were brief flashes of different rooms, but if she tried to focus on one room, the memory would melt away. She gave up and tried to think of what would happen in Thedas... and there was nothing! She could only remember what had happened to her since she arrived in this world. Any future events were hidden away behind an impenetrable fog that made her feel dizzy and disoriented whenever she tried to reach into it.
She tried to calm the rapid beating of her heart with a few deep, slow breaths. All right, this wouldn't be a problem; Aedan and the others were competent enough to handle whatever was thrown their way. She stood, a smile playing over her lips, this might be fun; no more worrying about whether she could have saved that person, or explain why this person had to die, or why they had to go to... Emma growled with frustration as she hit another brick wall. "Bollocks!" All right, she had to relax and do her best not to force it, then maybe the memories would return on her own. She definitely would not be contemplating whether this meant she might soon be pulled back to her world. Nope, not going there!
She walked back down the slope and met Aedan. "There you are," he said. "I was just coming to get you."
"I needed to clear my head, apparently my tolerance for ale is quite low."
He gave a throaty chuckle. "Oh, I don't know, you managed to stay on your feet as long as the rest of us." He gave her a quick kiss and his hand brushed over the small bump on her head. "Maybe no more staff spinning though."
"Mhm." She looped her arm through his as they walked down the hill and joined the group. She hoped her memories would be back by the time they reached Denerim.
During their journey to the capital of Ferelden, they came across a large group of bandits, way too many huge spiders, and some civilians trapped by darkspawn. All in all, a fairly eventful few days of travel until they finally stood at the gates of Denerim. Emma looked around, hoping that something would jog her memory, and although the city felt familiar, nothing about future events jumped out at her. They walked past the Chantry and she had to laugh at the Sister who was getting the Chant of Light wrong by inserting various food types in place of the correct words.
Emma was trying to dislodge a dog that had taken a liking to her leg when she realised they'd all halted outside a door. As the dog ignored her efforts she heard Alistair mention visiting his sister who lived nearby. Ah, a family reunion, this should be great, Alistair deserved someone nice in his life. Her thoughts were interrupted as the dog became even more vigorous in its attempt to mate with her calf. "Can someone get me a bucket of water or something?"
A small boy ran up, grinning. "C'mon, Thumper, leave the lady alone." The dog let out a happy bark and followed his young master.
"Thumper? I would have thought Humper would be a more suitable name," Zevran joked.
Emma rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Alistair. "So, how long has it been since you saw your sister?"
Alistair swallowed nervously. "Never, we've never met."
Emma's hands tightened into fists as a surge of anger shot out of nowhere. Where on earth had that emotion come from? She looked down at her fists and stretched out her fingers, willing them to remain relaxed. She wondered if she should know something about the sister, but nothing came to mind. With nothing else to offer, she said, "I'm sure everything will be fine."
Alistair managed a nervous smile and knocked on the door. A rough uncultured voice told them to come in. The woman who met them looked to be in her early thirties, her face had the pinched look of poverty, and the hard cynicism in her eyes suggested she'd led a difficult life. "You want linens washed? I charge three bits on the bundle, you won't find better. Don't trust what that Natalia woman tells you either, she's foreign and she'll rob you blind."
Alistair scratched the back of his head in an anxious gesture. "I'm not here to have any washing done. My name's Alistair. I'm... well, this may sound sort of strange but are you Goldanna? If so, I suppose I'm your brother."
Emma looked down as she tried to pinpoint where she'd heard that name before. It sounded familiar and she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she'd forgotten something important.
Goldanna eyed them with obvious mistrust. "My what? I am Goldanna, yes... how do you know my name? What kind of tomfoolery are you folk up to?"
Well, this wasn't the warm welcome Emma had envisaged for Alistair, and judging by the look on his face, he was just as shocked. After that, the whole situation went from bad to worse. It seemed that no matter what Alistair or Aedan said, the woman managed to twist everything and throw it back at them. When it became clear that she only wanted money from Alistair, he turned and left. Everyone followed quietly, no doubt as dazed by Goldanna's reaction as Emma.
Alistair looked around the marketplace, clearly dazed, his eyes full of hurt. Emma wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry Alistair, she doesn't deserve you, and you don't need her. You have friends here who care about you."
Alistair pulled away and glared at Emma. "You're supposed to know the future so why didn't you warn me? You told me it would be fine and I trusted you."
Emma stumbled back, feeling burned from the heat of his anger. "I'm sorry, if I'd known this was going to happen I would have told you."
Alistair raised a brow. "Would you? Because it seems to me that sometimes you treat this as a game. Half the time you're not even paying attention to what's happening around you."
Emma flinched, the words cutting too close to home for her to refute.
Aedan stepped forward, his eyes hard as diamond. "That's enough Alistair. I know you're upset, but you're taking it out on the wrong person."
However, Emma had worked up a head of steam too. "So apparently Aedan is the only one who thinks I'm important to this group even if I never have another glimpse of the future?" Silence greeted this remark and Emma took it as confirmation. She choked back her sorrow. "I see. Well, I no longer have that ability so you'll have to put up with my presence until we stop the Blight."
She wanted to run away from these people and wallow in self-pity, but her pride wouldn't let her. Aedan stepped towards her at the same time as Wynne, Leliana, Zevran and Alistair. She felt Aedan's hand rest on her back as Wynne spoke up. "Emma, your insights have certainly been helpful, and occasionally I feel you know more than you let on, including what you would face in the Fade. Yet, that didn't stop you from going in to help a possessed child. You are still a most welcome addition to this group."
Zevran smiled. "I believe you jumped the gun, yes?"
"I think you might be right," Emma smiled. "When no one answered I just assumed you all agreed."
Leliana hugged her. "We were taken aback by Goldanna's behaviour. Also, it's the first time we've seen an angry Alistair."
As the bard let her go, Alistair stepped up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken out my anger on you, especially when you were trying to comfort me."
He wrapped his arms around her. "I do trust you, and thank you for what you said."
She nodded and returned the embrace.
"All right," he said, letting go of Emma. "Let's move on to our main purpose for coming to Denerim."
The group set off across the marketplace and as they passed a dwarf, he shouted, "Dwarven crafts! Fine dwarven crafts, direct from Orzammar. You won't find better."
Emma glared at him, before catching herself doing it and wondering why. Had she suddenly developed anger issues? No, no, she shook her head and winced. It seemed more likely that her annoyance came from the headache that had plagued her on and off since the night of drunkenness. Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by a heavily armoured man. "I recognise you... from Ostagar."
"Do you mean me?" she asked in surprise. The man glanced at her before sweeping his gaze over Alistair and Aedan. "You three are Grey Wardens, Duncan's apprentices. You killed my friend and good King Cailan. I demand satisfaction, Ser!"
The accusation hung in the air like heavy clouds before a storm. She gave a sideways look to her fellow Grey Wardens, and noted their eyes glinting dangerously at the slanderous words. The Knight had been taken in by the lies spread by Loghain as had a lot of people. She didn't doubt that Alistair or Aedan would kill Ser Landis if they gave him the satisfaction he demanded. She stepped forward, her hand out in a placating manner. "You're mistaken good Ser; we are not Grey Wardens, nor have we ever been to Ostagar."
It took every ounce of effort to hold his gaze, but in the end, he appeared satisfied and with a murmured apology he left the marketplace.
"You should have let me fight the duel, or perhaps you don't think I could win," Aedan growled.
She turned to him, her temper still close to the surface after the argument with Alistair. "No, I don't think that. I do however think that we're going to need every Knight, soldier, mage, dwarf, and elf to fight the Blight so I see no reason to throw his life away just so the two of you can prove who has the bigger dick!"
His eyes widened. "Well, I wasn't going to fight him naked."
Emma bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "I meant that both of you want to prove how masculine you are by fighting a duel."
Aedan blew out a long frustrated breath. "I'm just sick of people assuming that the Grey Wardens are the bad guys."
Her face softened and she stepped closer. "I know, but after Ostagar we need to show the people that we can be trusted, and fighting an honourable knight in a duel won't do that."
He gave a nod. "I guess not, but it would have felt damn good."
She chuckled as she stroked the back of her hand along his jaw. "Keep your anger for the darkspawn."
He reached up and took her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. "I can do that."
"I think I've found Brother Genitivi's home," Alistair said. He looked down at the note in his hand and then to a small house tucked away in the corner of the marketplace. "Yep, that's it."