Chapter 10 - The Delights of Denerim
Our journey to Denerim was interesting for one simple fact. Remembering my conversation with Alistair, I did all I could to subtly steer Cerys in his direction. If she still wanted to fuck me, I'd happily agree, but if I could make my life just that slight easier at the same time, even better. So when it came to sleeping arrangements, we had two tents, so said I would share with Leliana, which was pretty bloody obvious, and he would share with Cerys.
The first night, Leliana and I just cuddled. It had been a long day on horseback, and it had been so long since I'd been in a saddle, except for the quick to and from the Circle, that my crotch was killing me. Even Leliana trying to blow me hurt, so she quite happily snuggled. That's right, I said snuggled.
But the human body is a wonderful thing and will adapt quickly to new things. So when we made camp the second night, about half a day's ride away from Denerim, I whispered to Leliana that we could fuck that night. She had a smile on her face the rest of the night. After dinner and a shared drink, we headed to bed and she wasted no time getting both of us naked. But before we started, I had to suggest something.
"Make a lot of noise," I requested.
"Why?"
I thumbed in the direction of the other two. "Because of them."
"Will you as well?"
"Leliana, I am going to let them know exactly what I think about your body, your pussy, your mouth, everything."
"And what are you hoping for?"
"Honestly, two things. One, I'm helping a brother get laid. And, two, if Cerys has someone else to fuck, maybe her attention for me will lessen." I held up a hand. "I know, sounds slightly manipulative, but she was originally showing an interest in him, so I'm trying to re-ignite it. Of course, it could backfire, and she'll try and join us, but I'm hoping Alistair will take advantage."
The next hour or so was incredibly hot, passionate, sexy, loving, and all the other words I couldn't think of, but we also put on quite the audible show, Leliana letting the world know how big my dick was, how much she loved it and how much it made her cum. Anyone who happened to walk or ride past our camp would have thought 'Damn, those two are really fucking each other!' Whatever the case, Leliana and I remained alone all night, and slept blissfully having exhausted each other again.
Breakfast that morning was amusing. Alistair looked... I'm not sure. Delighted in one moment, shocked and even embarrassed in another. Cerys met my eyes and shrugged. On the ride towards Denerim, I led the way, Alistair alongside me. "Something wrong, Alistair?" I finally asked, as he'd been unusually quiet all morning.
"Were you doing that on purpose last night?"
"What?"
"You know, all that noise and everything?"
"That? Completely normal," and obviously bullshit, "Why do you ask?"
He moved his horse as close as possible. "Because if you were, it worked," he whispered.
"Really?" He smiled and nodded. "Good for you."
"It's not just that, Dragonborn." I would have sighed, but it appeared nearly everyone except Leliana and Solona would call me that, and maybe Cerys too. "Before last night, I'd never been with a woman."
I know my jaw dropped as I looked at him, my face no doubt one of surprise. Then I laughed. "Fuck off!"
His nod was only adamant. "I was. Alistair Theirin was a virgin. It's a long story, not one that really needs to be shared for now, but I'm being honest."
I rested a hand on his shoulder. "Good for you. Happy for you. Cerys is a fine woman."
"She is. I really like her."
It was his first lover, and as he was perhaps a similar age to me, he was bound to fall in love with her. But if I compared him to me, then he was taking the better road. "Well, I wouldn't go telling her that straight away. You'll scare her off. What do you know about courting a woman? And don't ask me, as it's clear I don't court. I just... you know..."
"A little, I guess."
"Then do what you know and what you think is best. Cerys will understand and, if she feels the same way, she'll respond."
"So last night was?"
"Oh, she was probably horny or something."
That made him laugh, at least. "I know you'd never admit it either way, but thanks. I don't know if you spoke to her or not, but we talked a lot last night, and she was the one who made the first move, so at least she was willing to sleep with me."
"You judge yourself harshly, Alistair. You're a good man. And there is no shame in waiting for the right woman."
"Thanks."
Stabling our horses in the stables near the city gates, we came to a stop at the scene that greeted us. In the little more than a year I'd lived in Ferelden, I'd never been to the capital city. The other three had, and I could see the shock. There was a heavy presence of town guard, who were checking every single person wishing to enter. Above the gates, lining the wall, were the heads of... gods knew who on a series of pikes. Gallows had been built on which other bodies were hanging. Some looks fresh, others looked like they had been hanging for some time.
"This is wrong. So very, very wrong," Leliana muttered.
Even outside the city walls, you could sense, even taste the fear. Those who were trying to enter looked meek and afraid of the guards. Those exiting were almost running away, though most appeared to be farmers, so assumed they were those that tended the farmland spread across the nearby area.
I was thankful that Cerys and Alistair were not wearing anything that had the Warden symbol, but all four of us also wore cloaks to hide the fact we were armed. We carried our weapons outside the cloaks, but I noticed many others with weapons being allowed through, so that was okay. We had to wait some time to enter, and the guards were curious. When they asked us to remove our hoods, Leliana coughed, claiming we had some sort of illness. I thought they were going to tell us to piss off, but she said the Chantry had healing, and as Andrastrians, all were accepted. The guards bought that bullshit, and they let us in.
As we would need to spend the night at least, we looked around for a tavern, deciding to split up, just in case we were eventually recognised. Leliana and I found this little place with only a couple of rooms that allowed plenty of privacy. It cost more than a room at a tavern, but after being shown the room by the landlady, it would be worth every penny. Meeting up with the other two an hour later, we wandered the streets of the capital, and I was disgusted by what I saw. To call it brutal was an understatement. People near cowered away from the guard patrols, who seemed to take delight in frightening everyone.
Then a group of four walked towards me and I stood my ground. I could hear Cerys mutter something, but if there was a group of people I hated, it was bullies. I stood firm as one of them bumped into me. "What's your problem?" he growled.
"Nothing."
"Well, move then."
"Why don't you?"
Two of them converged on me. "You some sort of smartarse? You know what happens to smartarses?"
"They end up working the city guard?"
Alistair couldn't help himself, bursting into laughter. I thought we were about to have a fight, as the one talking squared up at me. But he had to look up to meet my eyes, and my glare was unflinching. I had my cloak on, but I was broad and with my armour, would have looked bigger. He eventually turned tail with the other three. Once out of earshot, I called them fuckwits.
"Yeah, draw attention to us," Cerys muttered.
"I won't take bullshit, Cerys. Not from complete fuckwits like them. If they are an example of the guard, then Howe has obviously recruited people just like him."
Point made, we headed for a tavern, Leliana suggesting they were the best place to gain information. We wandered for a while until I noticed a sign for a tavern that jogged my memory. "Wait, we should go in here."
"The Pearl?" Leliana asked, "You do know what this place is, right?"
"A tavern?"
"And a bordello."
"So what? I'm here with you guys. And I've heard things about this place. I'm sure you'll gather the information you want."
We wandered in and took a seat at one of the booths. A waitress approached, taking our order. I looked around, noticing the girls who were working. It took a while but I eventually recognised one. Surprisingly, she recognised me, disappearing for a minute, before both of them appeared, walking towards me excitedly.
I got up and embraced both of them. "Hello, girls!"
"Ragnar!" they exclaimed, bathing my cheeks in kisses, "What are you doing here?" Jaina asked
"You're alive? We heard nearly everyone died," Lenina added.
