Chronicles of an Elven Bed-warmer

Chapter the Twentieth

Inquiries of a quite personal nature

Dragon Age is the property of Bio-ware and is nothing to do with me.

"Hello, Mother, how are you this morning?" Aedan greeted neutrally after a rather awkward pause. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds but it felt as if several years had passed(;p)

"Passing well," she replied, slightly cooler than was perhaps necessary.

"Kallian informs me that you would like to have brunch with us." He emphasized "Us" to make it clear that the elf would obviously be joining them.

"Yes. Elissa has... clarified some things for me," she mentioned cryptically, "and I'm quite looking forward to meeting your... new friend."

"Ah!" replied Aedan brightly, "we'd be delighted." He tried to open the door only to have it stop against the sofa he had been using as a barricade. "Hang on, let me just..." Aedan effortlessly returned the sofa to its original position as Eleanor came through the door behind him. "There! Please have a seat and I'll arrange for some food to be brought up."

The Lady elegantly lowered herself onto the sofa. "Elissa was rather uncharacteristically complementary of your new associate."

"Oh?" Aedan was not necessarily surprised. He could tell his sister was rather fond of Kallian, in her own odd way, but he hadn't expected her to be so open about it. Kallian's thoughts on her "Master" were rather more... colorful. They included a healthy respect, as well as gratitude for her tutelage, but she found the woman herself to be... a bit intense. "They do seem to work well together," he mused.

Before he got too lost in contemplation Eleanor made a polite "A-hem" noise.

"Hmm?" he replied before noticing he was still in his sleep attire - that is to say, clad only in his small-clothes. "Oh, right. If you'll excuse me I'll just..."

"Please do."

0-0

Meanwhile Kallian was in a mild panic as she went through her wardrobe for what seemed like the first time. Where had all these clothes come from? Everything looked new and of much higher quality than she would normally wear. And why was everything so - she flushed a little - immodest? She had found many garments designed to seduce, entice and distract – and made note of their locations for enthusiastic future use - but nothing she felt was suitable for meeting her lover's mother that wouldn't leave her looking like a gold-digging tart. She had her armor, of course, but that really didn't send the message she wanted to convey. She chewed anxiously at her lower lip, realizing she was out if options. So she took a steadying breath and uttered the summoning phrase.

"Elle, help!"

5, 4, 3, 2, 1,

"Yes, my dear?"

"Gah!" the elven rogue most-certainly-did-not-exclaim. After a brief pause for the sake of manners, and definitely not because she needed a moment to recover from the shock, because she hadn't been surprised, she spoke:

"I don't know what to wear!" she pleaded. "LadyEleanorishererightnowandshewantstomeetme!" spasmed the girl.

"Oh, well that is a problem isn't it?" the maid replied in the face of her junior's distress. Elle's head bowed so that her bangs hung down, obscuring her eyes in a somewhat ominous way. Kallian felt a now familiar foreboding, but in this particular case she welcomed it. The maid was going to do /that/ again, so she closed her eyes and let it happen.

0-0

Approximately fifteen minutes later a flustered but much more presentable Kallian stumbled from her room clad in a flatteringly demure skirt and sweater ensemble with just a touch of subtle makeup to enhance her natural features. Elle was amazing, Kallian thought, if somewhat abrupt.

"That's much more appropriate than what you had yesterday," noted a voice nearby. "Cleaner, too."

"Gah!" Kallian yelped, startled. She spun towards the voice, only to discover its owner was the dreaded Lady Cousland. Because of course it was. "I mean, uh, g-good morning, Milady."

The blond quickly scanned the room for her savior, but Aedan was nowhere to be found. She was alone with his mother.

Oh dear…

"Er, um, ah," she sputtered, her mind going completely blank.

"Hello again," the Lady greeted with an amused smile.

"'Ello," the elf mumbled, suddenly finding Aedan's carpet the most fascinating thing in the world. Maybe if she stared at it hard enough it would open up and swallow her. She stood there for roughly one-hundred-thousand years, completely locked out of the language functions of her brain.

0-0

Lady Cousland raised one elegant eyebrow. Surely she wasn't that intimidating?

"You're called Kallian, yes?" she inquired, attempting to break the ice.

"Yes'm," the petrified elf mumbled back.

Eleanor sighed. What was taking Aedan so long? She soldiered on. "Elissa has told me a lot about you."

"Yes'm"

"She says you swear like a sailor on the third day of a three day drunk."

"Yes'm, er, what?"

"And that you're the most insolent, lazy, useless excuse for a servant she's ever laid eyes on."

"Eh? Wha..? No she doesn't!"

Eleanor sent her a challenging look; now she was getting somewhere. "Oh? Are you saying that I, your superior, am a liar?"

Kallian quickly realized her rather tentative position, but remained resolute. "Yes, milady, I suppose I am. Sorry."

"Oh my, a mere bodyguard questioning the word of a noble. Quite a serious matter."

Kallian swallowed nervously. "Er, well I stand by it, L-uh, Master Elissa would never say such things."

The Lady gave her the hairy eyeball for several moments.

Kallian started to sweat, but remained firm in her resolve.

Lady Cousland nodded and gave the elf a pleased smile. "Excellent, my dear, you pass."

""Huh?" was the elven rouge's insightful response.

"We have no need for sycophants in service to House Cousland," the Lady explained. "When a Cousland asks a servant a question it is because we want your opinion, not to be reassured."

"Yes, Milady, but, um..."

"Spit it out."

"Er, well, begging milady's pardon but… isn't that normal?"

Eleanor chuckled. "You haven't been among the nobility long, I see."

Kallian sent her a quizzical look.

"Yes, many of our peers are rather unpleasant. I believe you have experienced this firsthand. It comes with wealth and the power I'm afraid. Many lack the character to realize that the universe does not revolve around them."

Kallian found this view surprisingly egalitarian for a noble.

"Although I expect you understand that better than most, given your experiences with...Vaughn." She pronounced the name with the disgust of someone finding a cockroach in their salad. "He was one who put privilege ahead of responsibility."

Kallian grimaced. Remembering was...unpleasant. "Um..Milady?"

"Yes?"

"Could we change the subject? I'd rather not talk about... that... er, if you don't mind?"

Aedan sure was taking his time, both women thought simultaneously. Thankfully that was when the young lord made his return.

"Getting acquainted with each other, I see," he said cheerfully.

"Something like that," Kallian mumbled to herself.

Aedan gave her a reassuring pat on the head and she perked up a bit. Eleanor made note of her reaction

0-0

Mahiri had finally returned to her regular schedule and was chatting with Shianni.

"That sounds rough. But at least the Queen isn't mad at you anymore." said the guard.

"I guess," the redhead elf replied. "Still having to hear all those stories was..." she trailed off.

"Pretty grim, huh?"

Shianni shot her a haunted look.

"Okay, that's a yes then. Are you alright?'

Shianni sighed. "Yeah I guess, it's just..."

"Just what?"

"Nothing, it's stupid."

Mahiri gave her friend a reassuring hug. "Try not to dwell on it, you can't change the past."

"Hmm." While she had been listening to the victim's stories Shianni had noticed that none of the...incidents, had taken place in Highever. So maybe that Aedan pervert wasn't that bad an administrator. It was possible that having him in charge of the alienages, at least to begin with, wasn't such a bad thing after all. She sighed.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

Shianni gave her friend a wry smirk. "Yes, Mother."

0-0

"You're awfully quiet dear," Eleanor remarked to Kallian, who had barely uttered a word since Aedan's return.

"That is odd, usually she just natters away endlessly about any old thing," Aedan teased. Kallian shot him a dirty look before returning to blushing into her lap.

"Oh dear, surely I'm not that intimidating? Am I Aedan?"

"Well these are somewhat special circumstances; I suppose a little trepidation is justified."

Eleanor had decided a while ago that she had been way off base with her assumptions about Kallian's intentions. If this elf was leading her son along for material gain then she belonged in the theater, as she was the greatest actor who had ever lived. No, it was much more likely that this adorable little thing didn't have a conniving bone in her entire body and was absolutely besotted with her son. That Elissa also approved only sealed the deal more emphatically.

The meal was eaten and the Lady Cousland wished the couple a good day and they returned to their... previous activities almost as soon as the door shut behind her.

0-0

When she returned to her room she found her husband playing with his new cat friend.

"You seem to be getting on well."

"He's quite a friendly chap once he gets used to you," Lord Cousland replied casually, then returned to lavishing attention on the over-sized feline.

"You're going to make me say it, aren't you?"

"Hmm?"

"I met with Aedan and his new paramour."

"Oh? How did it go?"

Eleanor eyed him dubiously. "Quite well, actually. She's rather charmingly naive and not at all the slatternly devious harlot I expected."

"Ah, that's good."

The Lady simmered for a few minutes. "Well?"

"Well what, dear?"

"You were right and I was wrong."

"I had gathered that, yes."

"And you have nothing to say about that?"

"Not really. Should I?"

Eleanor wanted to be mad but...Eh. She loosed a great heaving sigh and flopped onto the bed in a most inelegant heap. "You're infuriating. Do you know that?"

"Yes dear."

Sorry this took so long but I was busy with graduation stuff and time rather got away from me. But I did, FINALLY graduate and am now the holder of a Bachelors in History, I'm sure it will come in handy at some point. Anyway coming up on the end now, next chapter probably won't take quite as long but as always I promise nothing other than that it will come eventually