A fanfic for my favourite game that I've been writing in my spare time. I hope you like it.
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The bann of Rainesfere made his way down the hall, unable to ignore the heavy silence at every corner. When he reached the guest quarters her companions, with the exception of Wynne and Morrigan, were all stood outside the room. Zevran was barely standing, burdened by wounds he refused to have treated and Leliana stood near to him, her face, arms and legs covered in bruises and scratches. Sten and Oghren both had blood smeared across their faces while Shale seemed to have something resembling pain shining in her eyes. The sight of them all only strengthened the clench of Teagan's heart.
"Alistair," he called weakly to the man he considered his nephew. The blonde warden looked crushed, dark circles hung heavily under his eyes and his hair was matted with blood and sweat. Alistair slowly walked towards him and offered a weak greeting.
"…how is she?" Teagan barely managed to ask.
"She survived killing the archdemon…" the younger man began, confirming that the ritual he told Teagan about had worked, "…but she was already wounded badly, the force of the blast…it…" the new king could barely continue.
"Wynne and Irving are with her, she lives…though her injuries are…severe," Sten explained from his position at the door, calm and firm yet still showing more emotion than his companions had ever seen. Oghren shifted awkwardly next to him.
"Ellenna brought us all this way…she survived the final battle and now…" Leliana began but couldn't continue as the tears began to spill down her cheeks. Zevran quickly put his arm around her, though doing so caused him visible pain. They all looked towards the door the moment it opened and Wynne stepped out, looking exhausted.
"Irving and I have done all we can, the rest is up to her," she told them. Her expression was grave and yet her voice held a glimmer of hope, hope that the young grey warden who had brought them together would not leave them now that Ferelden was saved.
"I'll inform Eamon," Teagan announced softly though his entire being was telling him to stay, that this might be his last chance to see her. As if sensing his inner turmoil, Alistair placed a hand on his shoulder and volunteered to go instead, citing official matters as an excuse. Teagan met his nephew's eyes with confusion but they were interrupted by Irving stepping out of the room.
"She is peaceful for now, she is doing better than I expected but she is still very much in danger," he reported in a voice that revealed his exhaustion, "I must check on the mages but someone should stay in there with her." All of her companions immediately volunteered and Teagan began to turn away.
"No, you all have wounds that need treating…Bann Teagan," he immediately turned back at Wynne's call, "Would you mind staying a while?"
"…certainly," he replied after a few moments. Alistair placed a hand on his shoulder again before walking off down the corridor. The warden's companions slowly followed, accompanied by Irving. Teagan approached the door reluctantly, not sure if he wanted to see her the way she would be.
"She might be able to hear you, you should talk to her," Wynne told him with a warm voice.
"What should I say?" he asked, his noble confidence all but gone.
"Anything you want, I think hearing your voice will comfort her," Wynne replied with an odd shine in her eyes before following the others down the hallway. Teagan was left to stare at the doorway, unsure whether he had the strength to go inside. Finally, he lifted his hand to the door handle and pushed it open. Her mabari, Hero, raised his head at the sound but settled again when he saw Teagan. The man made his way into the room and almost cried out at what he saw.
"Drink, Teagan! You'll find them better company that way," Eamon implored his younger brother with a smirk on his lips. He practically shoved the goblet of wine into Teagan's hand and laughed when the younger man reluctantly drank it all in one attempt. They were stood near the wall on one side of the Landsmeet chamber, which had been converted into a dining hall to celebrate the wedding of King Cailan Theirin to Anora Mac Tir, daughter of Teyrn Loghain. The nobles were in their finery and on their best behaviour, though Teagan had no doubt they would be back to their argumentative ways once the royal couple left for their honeymoon.
"I swear, Eamon, if your wife introduces me to one more 'good friend' of hers I will pour the next goblet over her head," Teagan hissed when he saw Isolde and another well-dressed lady gossiping and glancing in his direction. Eamon simply laughed at the threat.
"She is simply doing what she believes to be her duty as your sister-in-law," he reasoned, "Besides, it's about time you found a wife," the bearded man added before his attention was drawn by a new arrival. Teagan turned to see Teyrn Bryce and Tyerna Eleanor Cousland enter the hall, followed by their son and Teagan's close friend, Fergus.
"Teagan!" Fergus greeted with a smile as Eamon went to greet his parents. The paired clasped each other on the shoulder.
"You have no idea how relieved I am to see you, I need an ally," Teagan muttered with urgency. Fergus raised a curious eyebrow.
"An ally? That sounds serious," he replied before Teagan glanced around to check they were speaking privately.
"…Isolde is trying to find me a wife!" he hissed. Fergus blinked at him for a moment before bursting into laughter and Teagan couldn't help but smile at his friend's amusement.
"I know for a fact you've faced worse in your time but yes, I would not face your sister-in-law's match-making alone either, thank goodness Ellenna does not have the same interests," Fergus added, still trying to control his laughter. At the mention of his friend's sister Teagan paid particular attention, something Fergus didn't fail to notice.
"Get in line, Teagan, you know you would be my first choice for a brother-in-law but mother has every noble's son lining up at the gates to win Lena's hand," he reminded his friend, laughing again when Teagan failed to hide his disappointment. The young bann decided to change the subject.
"How is Orianna?" he asked, though his manoeuvre did not go unnoticed by Fergus.
"She is well, in fact better than well," he replied with a smile, "She's expecting."
"That's wonderful news! Congratulations Fergus!" Teagan hugged his friend with genuine happiness and a touch of jealousy. The younger man had everything Teagan hoped for and feared he wouldn't have. Fergus would one day be Teyrn of Highever but, having met Orianna, Teagan knew that was not what she had married Fergus for. They were very well matched and made an excellent pair. Teagan knew there were usually only two reasons the ladies lined up to greet him: the Bannorn of Rainsfere and, if Eamon died childless, the Arling of Redcliffe. Such obvious motivation made it rather difficult to determine the genuine from the greedy.
"When will you visit Highever?" Fergus interrupted his thoughts, "My father is organising a hunt and Lena asks about you."
"She does?" Teagan asked in surprise, suspecting a blush was rising to his cheeks. Fergus chuckled.
"Don't sound so surprised, she likes you, Teagan, she says you're one of the only men who will talk to her without eyeing her up…though I suspect she's got that part wrong," he added with a cheeky grin, earning a punch in the arm.
The pain of remembering his friend barely compared to how he felt at the sight of Ellenna. The woman who should have been Tyerna of Highever was lying in her bed, pale as moonlight and yet her face was as smooth as silk. Wynne and Irving had obviously healed her outer injuries and now it was only the loss of blood which caused them fear. Teagan couldn't suppress the urge to touch her skin and took her hand in his, almost crying out at how cold it was. He wondered what was keeping her alive, what strength she was hanging onto when her body was obviously so weak. He remembered Wynne's words before he entered the room.
"My lady… it's Teagan, Arl Eamon's brother, I mean…you already know that…" he stuttered, inwardly cursing his foolishness, "the archdemon was defeated, my lady, you ended the blight…your companions, they're all safe but they're worried about you, we're all worried about you…you were wounded so badly… Andraste, I don't know what I'm saying, it was easier to speak to you before the battle…now it's…" his words faltered and he ran a hand through his hair in frustration, remembering the interaction they had had before the forced march to Denerim.
She stepped out of her room, combing her long, wet hair. She noticed him before he had even turned the corner. An advantage of her warden experience, no doubt.
"How are you feeling?" she asked him quietly, surprising him with her concern.
"I should ask you that, you are in greater danger than I," Teagan replied with a weak smile. He wanted so badly to offer words of encouragement but what could he say that would not sound naïve and foolish?
"You're going into battle as well, I might be facing an archdemon but I will have my companions with me, I would say our chances are about the same," she responded with a calmness that amazed him. It made him wonder if she had already accepted her fate, if she expected to die tomorrow.
"I wish more than anything that your chances are greater than mine, my lady," he told her with emphasis on every word. She smiled at him but there was a deep sadness in her eyes.
"I wish the same for you, my lord," she told him gently and he wanted so much to comfort her. He knew that nothing either of them could say would delay the coming battle or protect them from it. They would both be fighting tomorrow and it was likely that they would both die. He would die defending the people of Denerim and she would cast the final blow to the archdemon, an action he now knew would be fatal. Though he would give anything for both her and his nephew to be saved, Alistair was to become king and he knew Ellenna, as Alistair's friend, as a warden and most especially as a Cousland, would do her duty and ensure he lived to claim the throne.
"My lord?" her voice pulled him from his thoughts and he found her barely inches from him, watching his face with concern. He realised, to his humiliation, that tears had begun spilling down his cheeks but when he looked into her eyes he found the same tears in hers.
"Fergus always spoke so highly of you, like you were his brother," she admitted sadly, taking short shallow breaths in an attempt to halt the emotion, "As soon as I saw you in the chantry at Redcliffe I knew why…I would ask you not to go into battle tomorrow, to live when he didn't…but I know you'll still go," she admitted as the tears slipped down her cheeks. Without thinking, he raised his hand to gently brush them away but that only caused them to come down faster.
"I have to lead my men, I have to do my duty," he reasoned and she gave him a smile that managed to reach her eyes.
"Always a Guerrin," she remarked with a short laugh and he smiled sadly.
"Always a Cousland." Their eyes met again and it felt so natural to close the distance between them. She only tilted her head up slightly and his lips met hers. It was so painful to feel so happy, knowing that it would never happen again. All of the feelings he had restrained over the years he released into that kiss and felt her respond with the same passion. When their lips parted he rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed in an effort to forever remember the moment, the feeling of her being so close. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he held her tightly.
"Survive this battle," she spoke barely above a whisper, "Promise me, Teagan." He pulled back and looked into her eyes, holding her gaze with confusion. Were these her parting words to him? Making him promise to survive knowing she wouldn't?
"If I do promise, how will you know if I've kept it?" he asked though it hurt him. Her eyes wandered to the ground and her obvious inner conflict ignited some strange form of hope in him. After a few more seconds of hesitation she began to explain.
Alistair…the apostate…a ritual…none of those words stood out to him as much as 'survive'. There was a chance. There was a chance that she might live.
"You'll survive killing the archdemon?" he asked urgently.
"Morrigan seems to think so," she replied, "I don't know if I will survive finding it though, or the battle with it…if I fall it will be left to Alistair to finish it," she added and her words stung but they did not extinguish the hope that now burned in his heart.
"Then I promise…if you'll promise me the same," he insisted and she smiled gently at his firm expression. She searched his eyes for a few seconds, unsure of how to answer before slowly nodding.
"I promise I will try, that is the best I can offer," she told him and he nodded, deciding that answer would do. They quietly bid each other goodnight, Ellenna offering a gentle squeeze of his hand when they parted. Teagan watched her walk down the hall before returning to his own room, unaware of the eyes that had spotted him and the smile their owner wore.
"You promised…Ellenna," he whispered, his voice shaking, "I kept mine, you have to keep yours." The light creeping through the net curtains drew his eyes. He hadn't realised how long he had been sitting there with her. A gently knock on the door was followed by the entry of Wynne. She wore a soft smile when she saw where his hand still clutched the young warden's.
"Has she woken at all?" she asked and he shook his head sadly. The old woman placed her hand on Ellenna's forehead. After a few moments she frowned.
"I sense no change in her, that is…worrying…"
"She's not getting better?" he asked, unable to mask the fear in his voice. Wynne reluctantly shook her head and Teagan felt his heart clench tightly. Wynne gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Teagan," he heard his brother call from just outside the room. Wynne agreed to watch her before he made his way outside. The worried look on his brother's face added to his despair.
"How is she?" Eamon asked and Teagan reluctantly repeated Wynne's words.
"I'm sorry to ask this of you, Teagan but there are matters in Redcliffe that need seeing to and I cannot leave Denerim at this time, another Landsmeet has been called to discuss the country's recovery and I must assist Alistair," Eamon informed him. As soon as he had seen his brother Teagan had already known the request he would be given but it still frustrated him to hear it.
"Must I leave now?" he asked, hiding his desperation to be spared the task. Never before had he wished to avoid his duty but at that moment the thought of leaving Denerim, of even leaving that estate was terrible.
"I'm afraid so, Redcliffe cannot be left without leadership any longer and, sadly, Murphy was killed in the battle…" Eamon told him and Teagan felt a deep sadness. Murphy had been the capable mayor of Redcliffe village for years. His loss would be strongly felt among the people. Reluctantly, he nodded. Eamon smiled sadly and patted his brother's shoulder before walking back the way he came. Teagan turned towards the warden's room and saw Wynne standing at the door, a sympathetic look on her face. Knowing that seeing her again would make it even harder to leave, Teagan said goodbye to Wynne, expressed his hope that Ellenna would recover and left to prepare for his reluctant departure.
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Hope you like it so far. Reviews would be greatly appreciated.