Kadan

Kadan, Part 3

Weeks have passed, the time having eaten at Sten's very soul. Day after day he watched as Alistair laid further claim to his warden. Some days it was as innocent as holding her hand where others Sten watched as Alistair climbed out of Louisa's tent in the early hours of the morning. Each day that passed was like acid in his veins. He'd never wanted to throttle someone like this.

He spent most of his time wandering the wooded areas around the camp. The quiet of the forest helped ground him when his emotions were running rampant. Louisa had started coming around his side of the camp more often and it burned him. Having her so close, being able to see the fire dancing in the depths of her emerald eyes, was an exquisite torture. Her curious nature, the endless string of questions, should have annoyed him. Instead he began to look forward to her nightly visits.

He sat perched upon a log, staring into the depths of the flames. They had just gotten back from Denerim, The Landsmeet. Louisa had stood and faced the nobles, some friend, some foe, her head held high with the fire in her eyes. Her royal lineage had shown almost as bright as the son, her words articulated, as sharp as the blade he held at his back. The mere sight of her in her element, fighting for all of Thedas and her friends, had his cock stirring in his pants. Even now the thought of her wild and unabashed was enough to cause him to shift in his seat, attempting to relieve the pressure building between his thighs.

He cast a quick glance over to the warden. She danced around in circles with Zevran, her head thrown back as she released a throaty, breathy chuckle. Zevran's hands were dangerously close to sliding down Louisa's hips. Sten swallowed around the lump in his throat before he tore his gaze away.

"You try to hard to not watch her, you know," a soft voice sounded from his left.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he responded gruffly, his eyes darting out once more to glance at Louisa. Still in Zevran's damn arms.

"Ah, yes. Just like she has no idea what I'm talking about when I tell her the same thing. You two keep dancing around each other. Circling each other like Thane circles the rabbits in the woods."

"Thane circles the rabbits in the woods because he wishes to eat them," Sten replied with a frown. "I can assure you I don't want to eat Warden Louisa."

"Hmm yes, I'm sure you don't. At least not in that way."

"In what way would I eat the w-"

"Sten, my sweet, that is not the point. The point is that you want the Grey Warden. I see you pining after her. I see her pining after you. She feels for Alistair, though Andraste knows why. But you... She feels for you."

Sten's spine stiffened as Morrigan sat down on the stump next to his. She winked at him before he tore his gaze from hers. She patted his arm before tilting her head to the side to study him. He steeled his face into an unreadable mask.

How did she know that he'd been... infatuated with the warden?

"Why not speak to her?" Morrigan asked, breaking into his inner thoughts.

"I speak to her often."

"Ahhh evading the question, I see. You must not want anybody to know. I wonder why that is, exactly?"

"I just told you. I speak to her often."

"Oh, look! Did you know that Zevran could move like that?"

Sten's head whipped around to look at what the witch spoke. Immediately he knew she'd done this on purpose. Zevran and the warden had stopped dancing and she instead was settled between Alistair and Leliana. The tightening of his chest let him know that this was not much of an improvement. Zevran's hands had just lightly rested upon her hips – Alistair had definitely laid between them.