))“Happy Birthday: Aedan Reaches his Majority.”
I heard different noises than I was use to outside my tent, but I was just too tired to bother getting up. I buried my head under my cloak as Alistair’s voice intruded, “Aedan, let’s get a move on.” I had just begun to doze again when I heard a rustling at my tent opening, I knew I should defend myself but I couldn’t be bothered.
Yesterday had been a rough day for me. Alistair, Sten, and my faithful Mabari, Mather, and I had forged ahead of the others who were moving at a slower pace with the camp followers. Our goal of course being to clear the way for the others while trying to reach our next destination. We had just walked into a clearing when I spotted a trap to my right and before I could issue a warning I heard the dreaded snap and a pained noise from Alistair to my left. I stopped Sten from moving forward and knelt to disable the trap before him.
I didn’t need Alistair’s, “Aedan, darkspawn,” to know we were about to be set upon. My ability to sense darkspawn had improved greatly. Sten moved passed me towards Alistair to help defend him. An earsplitting howl from Mather told me they were upon us. I moved more quickly to disable the trap, crouching low, my back itching, I was sure I was going to take an arrow at any moment. “Aedan, leave off that and get me out of this!” I ignored the plea as I finished disabling my current trap for I had just spotted another that Sten had once again almost stepped on. Sten heard my warning and stepped around it to take on the next opponent but this left Alistair more open and I could hear him fighting off blades and cursing under his breath. I searched for more traps and found three more which I pointed out to Sten before finally moving to help untangle Alistair. “It’s about time.” I ignored his comment and pried open the jaws of the trap so he could pull his leg free. He didn’t say anything but instead threw himself shield first at the nearby darkspawn and knocked them to the ground. I finished disabling the trap he had been in and then moved on to the other traps keeping myself low to the ground and wishing I was fighting the darkspawn instead of running trap cleanup. Finally the last trap was cleared and I stood tall, drawing my bow and began shooting arrows into the exposed darkspawn surrounding the other two. It wasn’t long before I was rushed and I quickly dropped my bow and drew my two daggers.
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I remembered Wynne lecturing me about putting my bow away not just dropping it. “You are going to lose it or it’s going to get broken. Give yourself the time to put it away properly instead of having to fire off one more shot.” I grinned as I remembered what a hard time Alistair use to give me for starting my battles with my bow. He couldn’t understand why I didn’t just rush forward and attack, he had stopped trying to convince me to change my strategy when he realized I had saved his life more than once with an arrow to the back of one of his opponents. Thing is I just don’t have the brute strength that Alistair and Sten do. I am strong physically but my real strength lies in my speed and cunning. I might not be as fast as Leliana or Zevran but I can hold my own against most. I felt the concussion as Alistair slammed his shield into one of my opponents and then I felt myself pushed aside as he engaged one of my attackers, quickly I slipped around behind the attacker and stabbed my daggers into its back and then the fight was over and I stood trembling from my adrenaline rush while, the other three stood panting from exertion.
We ran into three more bands of darkspawn and two more sets of traps before finding a good place to stop for the night. I was exhausted and had crawled into my tent and fallen asleep before dinner had been made.
I was rudely jerked out of my reflections by hands grabbing my ankles and hauling me out of my tent. I lay glaring up at laughing Alistair, but my glare was spoiled by my need to squint in the sudden brightness of midday. I could hear some laughter but mostly everyone was just shaking their heads at Alistair’s youthful antics. Alistair knelt down beside me and ruffled my hair, “Happy Birthday, Aedan.” It had become a recent habit of his that ruffling of my hair, it irritated me to no end but it was better than the cold, stone hard silence he had given me for a few weeks until I had proven to him that I could be trusted to keep my word. He told me it wasn’t the stealing; although, he made it clear that he wasn’t pleased about that, it was the way I ignored the suffering of the common people that had upset him and that I seemed to think that I could intimidate others into doing what I want. He didn’t like that I sided with the merchant against the villagers in Lothering and when I threatened the Revered Mother in Lothering. He called me selfish without using the word. There were a lot of things I did and still do that he doesn’t like. It seems like everybody feels the need to voice opinions to me and sometimes I back down, other times I convince them of my view, on occasion I have to do what I think is right despite what they think. I believe they respect me for it. “So, Aedan, how old are you today?”
“Ha, old enough, Alistair.” Alistair laughed and stood as I looked to Leliana; she just smiled at me and didn’t give away what I had shared with her in a moment of weakness as we stood guard. She had a way of getting information out of me that I didn’t want to share, but she never told the others any of it. “I’m hoping this is your eighteenth birthday at least, so I can take you out drinking when we hit the next town.”
“Hey, you don’t have to do that I’ve got plenty to drink!” Ohgren belched to back up his words and everybody laughed. For my part I was glad their attention was diverted because I had felt myself panic at Alistair’s words. Sometimes Alistair seemed to know more than he was letting on. I often found myself wondering how much about me Duncan had known and how much Duncan had shared with Alistair. I almost feel like Alistair is waiting for me to confide in him, but I cannot. The memory of his words to me when he confronted me about my behavior still made me panic. I had been afraid that he would leave or that we would spend our time fighting each other and not the darkspawn. When he had told me who he was I knew that fate had place a huge responsibility on me, one larger than just the darkspawn threat and then a few moments later after we set up camp he basically put me in my place by telling me the responsibilities I have as a Grey Warden and I could feel myself scrambling to set things right. My ability to sway others was the only thing that saved the conversation. (+18)
Alistair squatted down next to me again as I sat up and ran a hand along my jaw line and chin, “Well, I’ll be you have the starting of a beard here. What was it you said? You’re dad and brother didn’t get their full hair growth until they were in there early to mid twenties? A few more years’ kid and you’ll be able to match my scruff.” The panic hit me again and I slapped Alistair’s hand away. He stared at me for a moment his eyes narrowed before laughing it off and standing up. I wanted to call him out right then and there. How dare he paw me and pet me like I’m his little brother. It enraged me beyond sense.
Leliana rushed up then with a cloth wrapped object and handed it to me, “It’s time for presents!” I was startled and sat awed as the others brought stuff over and set it down beside me. I was opening presents in a daze thanking each person for there kindness. Leliana kept me afloat handing me each gift and putting the last aside to make room for the next. There was food and cake, dancing and song, laughter and joy. It was a good birthday but that night alone in my tent I allowed tears to flow as I thought of the death of my family. I sent a prayer, my very first, to whoever would hear it that Fergus still lives.
I still remember the day I gave up wearing my father’s armor. It wasn’t because it didn’t fit and it wasn’t because I couldn’t handle wearing it. It just hindered my movements too much; I couldn’t turn or dodge as quickly. When I packed it away into my trunk I could feel a lump in my throat and when I looked up, Alistair and Leliana were watching me and whispering to each other. I blushed and closed the trunk quickly before equipping myself in the lighter gear that Leliana and Alistair had been working on for me. It had taken some fast talking from the two of them for me to even consider changing but when Sten and Morrigan made their helpful comments to me (yes that is sarcasm) I relented and agreed. Leliana handed me a new bow and Alistair handed me two matched daggers. The daggers were longer than normal almost like small swords and a short bout with Leliana convinced me that the daggers would work much better than my father’s sword and the dagger I had been using. When I gripped the bow it was like it was meant to be mine, it was a bow that required serious strength to draw, which was well suited to me. I had to reopen the trunk and sadly put away my father’s sword with the armor and the shield which had already been packed, my old bow and dagger got thrown in with the mess of equipment that we had accumulated, the same mess mind you that had produced the parts for my new armor. I found myself wondering how long they had been working on it and how they had afforded the dye. I was thankful that we had camp followers who didn’t mind lugging a few things around for us.
Modifié par DreGregoire, 16 août 2010 - 01:00 .
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