A/N
Hey,
this is a short collection of one shots, following Elissa Cousland after Ostagar. I've recently finished playing as this character, so it'll be like my play through, with Extras. Hope you enjoy.
I am, Elissa Cousland
First night at Camp.
Standing far away from her two companions and her dog, was a new Gray Warden. The past few weeks had been cruel to her, everyone she knew had been slaughtered by Arl Rendon Howe, a family friend and now the man who had saved her life was dead. Now, she was an outlaw, blamed for the kings death and stuck with a witch called Morrigan, Alistair also a Grey Warden as well as a Templar.
This was young Cousland's first night camping as an outlaw and she wasn't liking it very much. The only thing that was floating around in her head was Fergus and where he might be. Dead in a ditch perhaps or maybe fleeing from the wilds? Maybe he's already on his way to Highever where he'll find out that Howe has murdered his family? These possibilities were all flying around in her head.
She looked up at the sky remembering when she had been very young. Fergus would hold her hand and squeeze it tight reassuringly and walk her to the kitchen so they could see Nan. He would talk the whole way there, his shaggy brown hair swaying as the wind swirled around them and she would just nod her head and make sure her dress didn't pick up dirt as they walked. Fergus was her older brother and there was an incredibly high chance she may never see him again and that thought hurt her, wounded her, haunted her. But, she refused to think of that death was his only option. Fergus was strong, strong enough to escape and live.
Standing alone with her thoughts she hadn't noticed the blond haired man walk up behind her or the witch glancing at her more than a few times, double checking she was alright, She hadn't heard the whimpers coming from her War Hound as he noticed her obvious discomfort. Alistair, her blond haired and cheeky faced companion had been standing watching her for some time now. It was up to the two of them now to save Ferelden and they both knew that if they didn't stop the blight here it would spread to the whole of Thedas.
Alistair couldn't help but stare, he had been surrounded by Warden's and his brothers in arms for many months now yet here he was with a new Warden who seemed to still be trying to see the bright side of their situation. He knew she was failing because there wasn't anything positive about the situation they were in.
As a rogue she should have sensed Alistair sooner but she didn't. If anything was going to be her downfall it was going to be her ability to go so deep into thought that people like Alistair, where actually able to sneak up behind her. "How long have you been here?" she asked in a whisper, willing herself to turned around. She felt tears on her face that she hadn't remembered falling yet, here they where running down her cheeks.
Instinctively wiping her face in a hurry she looked into his worried amber eyes "Not long" he replied with a small smile. Alistair walked a little towards her, making sure he didn't come uncomfortably close. "You look like you need to sleep" He looked her up and down, her body was tired and so was her mind, she was slumped and her eyes were drooping, her hair was falling out of its ponytail and she was as pale a sheet. But he knew that even though she was physically and mentally exhausted she might not sleep. Maybe she would be plagued with dreams of the Archdemon or maybe she would be lucky and have a nightmare of Sir Roland Gilmore being slaughtered, maybe she would dream of the possible scenarios of how her Mother and Father died. There was a chance she might not sleep tonight, or for the rest of the week.
"I suppose" she replied yawning, "I haven't slept since we were at Flemeth's hut and even then I was unconscious because of the wounds I had received." She gave a small, weak smile and walked past him.
Half way back towards the tents she turned back to face him, he raised an eyebrow in question as she stared directly at him, he gave her a smile and she returned it shaking her head. She barely knew a thing about him yet she had to trust him with her life yet, all he knew about her was that she was a Cousland and he trusted her with his.
She opened her mouth "Does it get easier?" she breathed out, not fully knowing what she meant by the question. Did she mean fighting the Darkspawn, the Politics, the nightmares, the travelling?
It seemed however that Alistair understood "I don't know, we can only hope for the best" he smiled reassuringly at her and winked. It made her laugh that he was able to smile at a time like this and it gave her hope. "Night" he replied as he moved toward the dimming fire to sit and watch it flicker away into nothing but ash.
"Good Night" She replied running her hand to the bobble in her hair and pulling it out letting her brown fair fall around her face, she waved over to Morrigan and called her hound to her side and went to her tent to see if rest was even possible. Maybe she'd wake up and realise she's been trapped in a horrible nightmare and that all this death and pain never happened, but she doubted that possibility.
Elissa Cousland woke from her slumber and looked out from her tent, Alistair and Morrigan where already at each others throats. 'Fantastic' She thought to herself and forced herself out of the tent, only after tying back her hair and putting on her armour again, she stalled as long as she could about ten minutes and yet, Morrigan was still trying to convince Alistair that he was an idiot. "Good Morning" She spoke loudly to shut up the other two. She wanted breakfast in peace, if this was the only time today she could have peace she was making sure she got peace. Sabre, who was still peacefully asleep beside her tent didn't make a sound, he didn't even stir, like always he was refusing to acknowledge the presence off the morning.
"Good Morning to you to!" Alistair smiled moving quickly away from Morrigan and closer to Elissa. "You look better" Alistair smiled brightly, he had obviously been hoping that the argument would end without him looking like a fool.
"I feel better" She added quietly tapping Alistair's shoulder smiling at him. She then looked over to the black haired, glowering witch who had that 'don't get to close' feeling radiating off her. "How long till we reach Lothering?" She asked in a serious tone ready to plan for the day. Morrigan, the witch, the Mage, the apostate, turned her head and rolled her eye's as if to say, I'm following you aren't I? Elissa gave her a slight smile and a nod of her head hoping to encourage Morrigan to be more... Friendly... with her, she didn't expect Morrigan to be kind to Alistair.
"Not long, although we should hurry if we don't want little Alistair here to start worrying about people swooping in" she sighed and laughed at the same time as she started walking away over to her separate part of the forest opening where she had set up to make herself as comfortable as possible.
"Swooping is Bad!" Alistair shouted back absolutely positive that his argument was a true statement, allowing Morrigan to laugh to herself a little more without Alistair or Elissa overhearing. "I hate her..." Alistair pouted and moved around to the ashes of the fire that had burned high the previous evening.
Elissa looked around, how had she gotten into this situation. Why was she in this situation. She was an Archer, a skilled one yes, but that was it. She was a lady, a Cousland, she was to be married to another noble man and raise her children to be an Arl or a Teyrn. She had been learning Archery from her mother as her way of self defence, and developed the love of picking locks all by her self by trying to sneak into Fergus' room to look for anything interesting, but she was just the remaining Cousland wasn't she. Not some women destined to save Ferelden or die trying, to live a loveless life, to be used as a tool to fight some horrible creatures so others didn't have to. She didn't ask for any of this.
"Are you hungry? There's some food left over." Alistair said coming over giving her a slight fright and pulling her from her questioning thoughts. She turned to face him and looked at his cheerful face, his always cheerful face, it seemed he didn't have it in him to sulk like Elissa and Morrigan. He was always covering up what he really felt though, Elissa was sure he wanted to scream or break something but he kept a clear head. It was clear to her that the death of his brothers in arms hurt him more than he would let on, and Duncan's death must have been ripping him up from the inside. She had never been a people person, her family loved her and her only true friend who was Ser Gilmore knew her best, and now they're dead and nobody knew her any more. So she didn't feel it was her place to ask him how he was feeling, she didn't want to make it worse on him.
"Eh yes thank you." She smiled and accepted the cracked bowl he was handing her, the bowl was filled with a goop of some kind, she took a sniff of it and gagged a little, what was in this? Rat poison?
"Don't ask what it is, Morrigan cooked it" He quickly added after she had placed a spoonful in her mouth, she regretted it instantly and looked to Alistair eye's wider than they should have been.
She quickly swallowed the revolting goop in her mouth, then gagged a little and welcomed the fresh air. "That's..." she shook her head and stuck her tongue out of her mouth not daring to put it back in.
"Disgusting, I know. After the fourth spoonful, the sickness starts to fade and your almost immune to the taste." he informed her and started picking things up from around his tent "Almost" He added again as she dared another mouthful. This time she held her breath and closed her eyes and imagined she was eating Nan's stew.
Once she swallowed the fantasy faded.
Elissa watched him, he could be a good friend to her. He was already someone worth trusting. Someone worth protecting. Someone worth getting to know. They where in this together now, why should they feel alone when their in the exact same situation.
"Alistair?" She got his attention and he raised his head to her laughing at the face she was pulling trying to hide her disgust of Morrigan's cooking. "Do we have anything else to eat?" she almost begged and prayed to the Maker he said they did have something else. He chuckled and shook his head, she dropped her head and sighed "Darn" She added and put the bowl down. "Hopefully I'll survive on three spoonfuls of this stuff"
A/N
So there's first one. Did you enjoy it? Some will be longer, some may be shorter. It really depends on the situation. I think the majority of them will be at camp or in Denerim.
Until next time.
