Keeper Of Peace

Chapter Eight - Rebelling

Nathaniel was fidgeting entirely too much for her taste. Not that she minded him being nervous, he deserved to be, she thought, but it was starting to be annoying. He was drumming his fingers on the table, wringing his hands, it all made too much noise. She couldn't concentrate. She couldn't concentrate on the fact that her whole life with Jonathan had been a lie. He'd never been honest about himself, lying about where he was going, who he was spending time with... And then he had dared to die without telling her first. She didn't even get a chance to slap him.

"Catherine," he started out, but then cut himself off again. His tone of voice got her attention. He sounded pained, not to mention the fact that he had used her actual name and not said "Cat" like he'd done so many times before.

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to gather his thoughts.

"He just wanted to protect you," Nathaniel then said.

Catherine snorted. "So it was safer that there were people out there who were out for his life and maybe mine, too, and I didn't know? When has not knowing things ever made anything better?"

"Never," Nathaniel admitted, running a hand through his hair, tugging at it. "Listen, I don't know all of his motives. He barely even talked to me. All I know is that he loved you and wanted you safe, and he did what he could to ensure that. And he wanted to tell you."

"When?" Her voice was as hard as steel, cutting through the tension between them, and Catherine could see Nathaniel recoil a bit. It stung, but just slightly, not enough to qualify as regret.

"After the wedding."

Her breath caught in her throat when he said that. Nathaniel winced in sympathy, she could see that, his eyes soft with concern and an understanding that she never knew he had.

He laughed quietly. "He was so afraid of what you would say. But he knew he had to be honest if he wanted to spend his life with you, he just... He thought you needed to be married first. I don't know... I don't know why."

"I don't understand," she whispered.

"Me neither."

She turned her head to the side so that it would be harder for him to see her face. This was even worse face to face. And she didn't even really know him.

"Catherine-"

"What?" she hissed.

He held up his hands in surrender. "He loved you. Please don't hate him."

That made the tears spill over, and she curled in on herself to let him see as little as possible. Of course she could just leave, she knew, but something told her that if she did, they might never have this talk. Whatever it was that she was now involved in, it was big. He knew stuff. And he was human, so - wait.

"Are you human?" she asked.

His reaction to that was almost comical, his face was all scrunched up, his voice about an octave higher. "What?"

"You heard me." Catherine tried her hardest to remain stern. "Are you human?"

"Of course! Why would you ask that?"

"You do realize I met a bunch of Elves today, don't you? Those weren't exactly human."

"Well, yeah, but I..."

"You're different?" she suggested.

"I'm human," he emphasized. "I'm just like you. Well, not exactly, but you get the idea, don't you?"

Catherine nodded silently, still not entirely sure if she should believe him. "Solas can do a glamour. Maybe you are under one right now. How would I know that?"