Scarlett Tabris
Scarlett lay on her bed in Vigil's Keep recovering from the wound she suffered in what would undoubtedly be her last Darkspawn battle for a while. Together, with the rest of her Grey Warden companions, she had defeated the two rival factions of new breeds of Darkspawn and stopped the onslaught in the City of Amaranthine. Luckily the walls of Vigils Keep had held while she was not there to defend it. The blight, which had continued even after the Arch Demon was slain, had finally been ended. During the final conflict, Scarlett, weary from killing a Broodmother, was stabbed in her abdomen by a Hurlock. After cutting off the offending Darkspawn's head she collapsed to the ground, the dagger still protruding from her torso, and passed out from the pain. The other Warden's who were present, Anders and Justice, removed the weapon then carried her back to Vigil's Keep and got her healing magic. A fresh layer of skin was then magically meshed over the open wound however it was still causing her some discomfort.
Scarlett turned over onto her good side and reached under her pillow. She pulled out the letter Leliana had sent to her months ago. The letter expressed her sorrow at not being able to accompany Scarlett to Vigil's Keep as they had decided. Scarlett had already read the letter multiple times but had taken to looking at it when she was thinking about Leliana. She missed her so. They had planned to travel together after Alistair's coronation however duty had parted them. A messenger was sent to Leliana requesting her presence in Lothering as the Revered Mother there had some important news regarding Orlais. This forced Scarlett to travel to Vigil's Keep without her and reluctantly take up the post of Warden Commander of Ferelden.
Scarlett sighed as she re-read Leliana's words. It had been so long since she had seen her, been touched by her. Her whole body ached with longing. She put the letter back under her pillow and lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. It was impossible for her to sleep since she left Leliana's side. The Grey Warden dreams of Darkspawn were still haunting her nights, however when she was with Leliana they didn't seem to plague her as much. The comfort of having her lying by her side made Scarlett relax more and sometimes even block the dreams out completely. Now though, she was constantly lying awake waiting for sleep to find her, and when it did the nightmares took over. After thinking some more about Leliana, Scarlett finally drifted off into a fitful nights sleep.
Leliana
Vigil's Keep loomed in the distance as Leliana followed the trade route used by the merchants of Ferelden when they travelled from Denerim to Amaranthine. She was exhausted from the trip from Lothering but the thought of seeing her love again sustained her. She was almost there. The roads were littered with guards after the Darkspawn attacks on Amaranthine and they stared at her suspiciously as she passed. There were not many people travelling alone at night these days. Upon hearing about the surprise attacks she worried constantly about Scarlett and longed to fight against the Darkspawn by her side again. When her business in Lothering was completed she took the first caravan north to Denerim and had been on the road for three days now. The night was bitterly cold and the lanterns from Vigil's Keep beckoned her with open arms.
Leliana smiled to herself as she reached the Vigil. She took a deep breath and made her way through the gate, heading through the empty market district towards the keep. The Vigil was deserted, bar two guards who stood in front of the giant double doors which undoubtedly led to where Leliana wanted to go. She approached the men who eyed her up and down with appraising eyes.
"Good evening, gentlemen. I'm here to see the Warden Commander." She said, her Orlesian accent breaking the silence of the night. The guards cast suspicious looks at each other. Even now some were still distrustful of Orlesians. Then one of them spoke.
"I'm sorry my lady, but the Warden Commander spoke of no guests she was expecting. I'm afraid I can't let you through." He said. Leliana continued.
"The Warden Commander was not aware that I would be arriving tonight. If you could tell her I've arrived I would be-"
The other guard cut across her. "That would not be possible, my lady. Unannounced guests are not permitted in the Keep and even more so now as the Warden-Commander is not in any fit state to receive them."
Leliana's heart stopped. "What do you mean? What has happened to her?"
"The Commander was carried back to the Keep a few days ago by two of her Grey Wardens. It was a stab wound by the looks of it, very nasty one too," the guard said, shuddering at the thought. "So there. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to le-HEY!"
Leliana drew her blade so quick that the guards barely seen it. She held it to the guard's throat. "Take me to her...now!" she said. The other guard drew his sword and tried to engage Leliana in a duel. She was too quick for him however. Dodging his attack she managed to spin behind the other guard and took him hostage, using him as a human shield with her free hand while the dagger in her other hand rested on his neck. He was unable to move. The guard who lunged at her held his sword and waited for an opening. The woman was very skilled indeed. Suddenly Leliana heard footsteps. The door to the keep opened.
"By my ancestors, what are you blighters doing out here! Don't you know people are trying to sl-!" The dwarf stopped shouting as he saw the scene in front of him. Leliana couldn't remember ever being this happy to see him. That familiar smell of sweat and ale assaulted her nostrils as Oghren appeared in the doorway.
"Oghren?" she said, surprised. Oghren looked just as shocked.
"Leliana? What in the name of Andraste's holy knickers is going on out here?" he shouted.
"I came here to see Scarlett but they wouldn't let me in. They said she is wounded. So I decided I was done asking permission," Leliana said angrily. Oghren laughed at the scene. The two guards looked at each other in surprise. Then the guard with the dagger held to his neck spoke.
"L-Leliana?" he asked, trying to turn to get a good look at her. "As in, THE Leliana, the one who battled the Arch Demon with the Commander?"
"That's right you useless pile of nug droppings," Oghren growled. "Don't tell me you didn't recognise her. Oh, the stories I could tell you of the Leliana and the Warden Comm-"
"Oghren!" interrupted Leliana, blushing. Oghren laughed cheekily. He was clearly drunk.
"Let 'em go, Leliana," he said. "I'll take you to her."
Leliana released the guard she was holding and sheathed her weapon. The guard massaged his neck and moved as far away from her as he could, cowering behind the other one.
"Sorry" she said to them. They simply stared, still in shock at finding out her identity. Leliana entered the keep. As Oghren made to follow her however one of the guards held him back.
"Tell us the story of her and the Commander when you come back" he whispered, eyeing Leliana from behind as she walked. The other guard nodded, his eyes lighting up. Oghren laughed again and followed Leliana into the hall.
He led Leliana to a door at the far end of the throne room. She was eager to see Scarlett and make sure she was alright. He led her through the door and into a sitting room, the fire crackling in the grate, surrounded by three large chairs. Another door appeared at the far end of the room. Oghren pointed to it.
"That's her bedroom. She's probably asleep now though, trying to recover so I don't think you two'll be..." Oghren broke off as Leliana gave him an appalled look. She shook her head. He sniggered. "Anyway...Don't worry though she got the Darkspawn blighter who did it. Chopped its head right off before she passed out." He laughed again and took a drink from his hip flask.
"Thank you, Oghren" Leliana said. Oghren nodded and left the room leaving her alone. Leliana hastily crossed over to the door and opened it.
Scarlett Tabris
Scarlett was running through the Arl of Denerim's palace. Her dress was covered in blood that was not her own. A woman's scream made her hair stand on end. She ran to the end of the hall and kicked open a door. Shianni lay on the floor, Vaughan hovering above her pinning her down. He rose as she entered, sneering at her. She lunged at him with her sword. Suddenly he changed into a Darkspawn Hurlock. She tried to attack but realised she had no weapon. The Hurlock struck, piercing her side with its blade. She cried out. The blade burned white hot.
Scarlett's eyes flung open, wakened by her own scream. She was breathing heavily. The wound on her abdomen was burning with pain. Suddenly she felt a gentle hand touch her side to soothe her. She turned to see who it was. A woman hovered over her bed, her arm outstretched. The room was dark and it was difficult to see. She could smell a familiar flowery scent .Then the woman spoke.
"I see you've been having some fun without me" The woman's Orlesian accent was gentle and familiar, joking. Scarlett grabbed the woman's outstretched arm and pulled her closer. The woman's weight fell gently on top of her and their lips met. Scarlett couldn't believe she was here. She held her tight, kissing her soft lips and could feel the familiar hands run along her body, tracing the outline as though trying to remember. After several minutes they pulled apart. Leliana caressed Scarlett's face with her hand.
"Glad to see me?" she asked, smiling. Scarlett smiled back, still thinking she was in a dream.
"What gave me away?" she replied. Leliana giggled. She brushed back a lock her hair from Scarlett's face and stared into her eyes. She could tell that, even though Scarlett was putting on a brave face, she was in a great deal of pain. It also didn't help that in her excitement she had pulled Leliana's weight on top of her, wound or no. Leliana, conscious of this, shifted her weight so as she was on the bed, although still maintaining body contact with her.
"How's the wound? I heard what happened." Leliana said, concerned. Scarlett just smiled at her.
"It's fine" she said. Stubborn as always. Leliana was un-fooled however. She reached down and gently pulled back Scarlett's shirt to examine the wound. The size of it made her gasp. The healing magic had created a fresh layer of skin over the top of the wound which spread from her navel to just under her ribcage, however, the area around it was bruised and the skin itself looked raw and almost paper thin. She could also feel the heat radiating off Scarlett, who clearly had a fever. Scarlett watched Leliana's face as she took in the damage. She took the hem of her shirt from Leliana's hands and covered herself back up, not wanting to worry her. The healer said she would be ok in a few days and that she just had to rest to allow the skin to strengthen. Suddenly Leliana pulled away from her.
"Where are you going?" Scarlett asked, disappointed. It had been so long since they had touched that she didn't want it to end. Leliana smiled and leaned over, kissing her swiftly on the lips in reassurance.
"Don't worry, I won't be long." She said. She stood up and took off her weapons, laying them on the floor before lifting one of the lanterns from the wall bracket and disappearing into the sitting room. Scarlett laid her head back onto the pillow and relaxed. Despite what she told Leliana, she was in quite a lot of pain. Leliana returned a few minutes later with a small wet cloth in a basin full of water. She placed the lantern back onto the wall bracket, sat the basin on the bedside table and climbed into the bed beside Scarlett again.
"Here, this should help keep the fever down" she said, drawing Scarlett closer and placing the damp cloth on her head. Scarlett closed her eyes and allowed Leliana to dab her head. The cold water felt good on her face and together with the presence of Leliana, allowed her to relax into a dreamless night's sleep.
Leliana
Even though she was worried, Leliana had never been happier to be back at Scarlett's side. She lay as close as she could and, leaning her head on one hand, used the other to hold the damp cloth over Scarlett's forehead. Although she was exhausted from the trip she stayed up almost the entire night, trying to bring Scarlett's fever down. Soon Scarlett's breathing began to even out. She had finally drifted off. As she stared at her face, Leliana's mind rewinded to the first night they had spent together many months ago.
They were at camp, the others had already gone to bed. During the blight someone always stayed up to keep watch. Scarlett had always looked so sad back then. During the day she acted as though she had everything together, but Leliana realised that at night she was laid bare. As they sat around the fire Leliana glanced at her. Scarlett starred into the flames, her fingers fidgeting with a ring on her left hand. Leliana had never noticed at the time that the ring was on her wedding finger, she had been too busy looking at her eyes. There was pain there, a great deal of it. Scarlett seldom spoke of herself to anyone. Leliana had learned from Alistair that she was from the Denerim Alienage but he knew little more, other than Duncan was forced to conscript her as a Grey Warden.
The look on Scarlett's face that night, reminded Leliana of her last mission for Marjolaine. She knew that look; it was one of regret and suffering. The Orlesian guards had done terrible things to Leliana when Marjolaine betrayed her. It was a traitor's punishment she endured. After years of safe shelter in the Lothering Chantry, Marjolaine had shown herself again and attempted to assassinate her. Leliana had shared her darkest secret with Scarlett about why she had left Orlais and as if by coincidence, Marjolaine had appeared in Denerim. Scarlett convinced Leliana that she needed to take revenge. She spoke as though she knew of such things. After accompanying her to Denerim, Scarlett helped her kill Marjolaine once and for all and Leliana was freed.
When they returned to camp afterwards Leliana was having a hard time coming to terms with her murder of Marjolaine. She had loved her once but it hurt to realise that she never really meant anything to her. Marjolaine loved her when she could use her and control her, but now that Leliana was no longer her "pretty thing" she had wanted her dead. Leliana spoke of her troubles to Scarlett. They had become so close in the months they had shared on the road together. Scarlett helped her to see that in the Chantry she was only hiding from who she truly was, that she needed to accept the fact that she was a Bard, a spy, and embrace it. It was this night that Leliana laid bare her feelings for Scarlett. She remembers stumbling through her words like an ill-educated peasant girl. Her face became flushed and she was embarrassed that she had said anything. Scarlett had smiled her first real smile since she had known her and, after placing a hand on her face, she leaned in to kiss her for the first time.
That night at camp as Leliana watched Scarlett stare into the fire she realised she loved her. She moved over beside her, bringing her fur blanket over them both. Scarlett greatly appreciated the distraction from what ever was troubling her thoughts at the time. They talked well into the small hours, Leliana telling her stories and Scarlett listening intently, wrapped in her arms. They flirted with each other, Leliana joking about her experiences involving sticky toffee pudding. Then Scarlett leaned in and kissed her. As she went to pull away, Leliana placed a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her closer. Their lips met again, only this time with more enthusiasm. Soon they were undressing each other, their passion rising and after exploring each others bodies they made love under the moon.
Leliana smiled as she reminisced. Scarlett was in a deep sleep now, her breaths long and even. She took the damp cloth off her head and placed it back in the basin. Scarlett's fever had gone down and she seemed untroubled by her dreams, at least for the time being. Leliana took off her clothes and lay down, gently wrapping her arm around Scarlett holding her close, before drifting off into a sleep of her own.
