Blood.
There was blood everywhere.
Leanna was on her back, slouched up against a wall. Her chin was resting against her chest, her eyes barely open, eyelids heavy. Her breathing was shallow, more of a rasp than a anything else, leaving her unable to think properly.
What had happened? Leanna forced herself to open her eyes wider, trying to understand.
Oh Maker...
Her left leg was barely attached anymore, only a few strips of tendons and muscles keeping it attached to her body. Her armour had been ripped and torn, barring ghostly white flesh and deep wounds from which dark red blood was still pumping. With some worry she realised she couldn't move her mouth, her entire face seemed to throb with pain, even more than her leg even...
It was all so distant, hazy...as if her mind had decided that thinking about her body was too much of a bother.
Wh-where were the other ones?
Raising her head was the most straining thing she'd ever done... Leanna watched, mind numb, that they were still in the corridor...a corridor of...Redcliffe? Or was it...the deep roads? She couldn't really focus her thoughts, she couldn't...they were...fighting...something?
Opposite her another woman lay...Le-Leliana? The woman wasn't moving, her bow lay broken next to her as she herself lay on her side, orange hair darkened by blood. There was a large smear of blood across the wall, painted down towards the prone woman's head, must have been smashed against it...Leanna could see grey matter oozing from the wound.
Leliana...the woman's right arm lay between them, the limb still twitching ever so slightly, the blood pouring out from her shoulder creating a massive puddle. As was Leanna's wounds she realised...the blood was everywhere, covering the floor, clinging to her...
Wh-where were the others? W-wynne, they needed...Wynne. A growl made her slowly turn her head to the left, her mind was heavy...yet she felt a small jab of alarm as she found the healer lying face down. A stocky looking genlock was crouched on the woman's back, clawed hands digging into the woman's shoulders as its sharp teeth begun to tear into her neck, biting away great chunks of her flesh, uncaring of the pieces of cloth ripped off in the process.
A distant clang made her turn her head to the right, sudden horror punching through the mist in her mind as she saw Alistair struggle on. The man's helmet had been torn off in the fighting and his armour had lost all its lustre, instead it was dented and broken, trickles of blood pouring out from the holes made in it. Even his shield was broken, sheared in half. His sword was covered in blood...and had been blunted to the point of it being nothing but a steel club.
Yet he fought on, his mouth opening in a cry of defiance as he batted aside a thrusting sword and slashed the attacking hurlock in the face, breaking its face in an explosion of blood. Maker...he's beautiful, Leanna managed a weak smile, even now...maybe Wynne had been right about them? Maybe-
Alistair spun where he stood, his broken shield flying into a genlock's face and his sword gutting a charging hurlock. How could he go on? He was just so damn...foolish, wonderfully foolish...
A hurlock's shield struck the man in the forehead, opening a gaping wound in it, a flap of skin coming to rest over the man's eyes. No... The monster pushed its shield into his throat as it pushed him against the wall as two genlocks came in close, curved daggers pulled back for attack. No!
Alistair screamed, though Leanna couldn't really hear anything anymore, her ears filled with a buzz of rushing blood. She could only watch, her vision a red haze as she saw the daggers go in through the cracks in Alistair's armour. Again and again their cruel daggers dug into his body, forcing explosions of blood out through the damages to his armour, as if his body was a bag of blood that had suddenly been punched open.
No...the grief was distant, an emotion she couldn't really grasp anymore, but it was there, and it hurt.
One of the genlocks almost slipped on the blood of the warrior, but stabilized itself by stabbing both daggers into Alistair's legs. The other shoved both its weapons into his abdomen and twisted, then opened its mouth to drink the blood pouring out from the new wounds, most of it poured over its face though, bathing it in dark blood.
The man stopped struggling, his sword dropping from lifeless fingers.
Leanna felt a tug on her left as a rough hand closed around her arm, pulling it upwards. There was a...sting...then she felt warm blood pour down her arm and a vibration run through her body as sharp teeth dug into her bones, ripping her flesh straight off them.
Alistair turned his head, slowly, sluggishly. His gaze was distant, yet she was sure he was looking at her, he was smiling...sadly...an excuse. Leanna felt herself drift off into oblivion, but still managed to smile, even now...he was begging her pardon, as if he ever could have failed her...he...didn't deserve this.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Alistair smiled though, nodding even as he slipped to his knees, the hurlock and the two genlocks begun tearing at his armour and biting into the flesh as it was revealed, tearing great chunks of his flesh off. He didn't stop smiling though, as if trying to reassure her, to say that it was alright.
She felt it, tepid breath washing over her neck, teeth like daggers boring into her neck, into her throat. She closed her eyes and reached out, trying to imagine that she could reach Alistair, to feel that warm hand...
No...regrets...
**
Leanna awoke with a start, eyes darting left and right as she tried to orientate herself. White cloth around her...her tent, warm body lying on its side in front of her, her left arm wrapped over a muscled chest...Alistair. Alistair...the man moved in his sleep, as if sensing her lingering fear, drawing a genuine smile out of her.
Dream...must have been a dream...though it had felt so...real. Maybe it was the archdemon trying to affect her? Trying to make her jumpy? Or maybe...she shook her head ever so gently, no...there was no point on dwelling on it. She was alive, they were all alive...and safe.
She nuzzled the back of Alistair's head and breathed in deep, just to make sure he was really there. He was...thank the Maker.
"Well aren't we affectionate?" Alistair muttered, still mostly asleep.
"Just...happy you're here right now..." Leanna mumbled, choosing not to tell him about her dream, he had enough trouble as it was...besides, it was just a silly dream that... "Hey, do we have a lot of health potions stored up?"
"Wha-?" Alistair shook his head, vainly trying to awaken at the late hour. Poor man...she'd really ought to- "Sure we do, quite a few." He sighed and relaxed under Leanna's fingers, making her wonder if he'd fallen asleep again. "I'll ask Morrigan a few more tomorrow...okay?" He jawned.
"You sure? I know you hate talking to-"
"Sure do, but it's nothing big, it'll make you happy right?" A warm hand came to rest on the hand she had wrapped around his chest, squeezing it ever so slightly, his hand...she smiled.
"Yeah...yes thank you." She muttered, suddenly feeling her face flush. To ask this due to a little dream...she really could be silly at times.
"Good." Alistair's hand pulled hers up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her fingertips. "Now go to sleep..." The kiss turned into a small bite. "...before I make you pay for waking me up."
A tired laugh escaped Leanna as she felt sleep beginning to swallow her up once more, silly man...she really didn't deserve him.