Having been away from all this for a while, dealing with work and health problems, as well as pursuing other writing projects, I've gotten inspired to return to writing in the world of Thedas again. This time, I've decided to write about my second favourite Warden I've created and always come back to in my games- the lovely Tabitha Cousland. I don't have the time or really the inclination to write out another 'From the Ashes', but over the next little while, I'll be writing connected shorts set at various points over the course of the events of Dragon Age Origins, with the odd one coming up in the settings of Awakening, DAII and Inquisition as this slowly progresses.
This will be slightly AU (in this storyline, Tabitha Cousland is not a Warden and thus escaped Highever without Duncan's help; the Warden in this story is Sandor Aeducan, who will make the odd appearance along with other favourites from the Dragon Age universe from all three games). Besides Tabitha, the main characters of this will be primarily Alistair and Leliana, dealing with those two helping Tabitha come out of her shell and get through her grief, as well as the bard helping our favourite royal bastard and his love interest admit their feelings for each other, (as well as getting to have some fun between the sheets with the both of them!). Will be a mixture of things in these as I just get some ideas that won't stay silent out of my head, give some much needed time to a favourite character of mine as well as try and write a few new stories with themes I don't usually touch to branch out my writing skills for new projects I'm working on.
As always, reviews and comments are always welcome and if you decide to join me on this little literary odyssey, I hope you enjoy what you find.
9:30 Dragon
Lothering, four days before the Battle of Ostagar
The girl bolted upright from the bed the Chantry sisters had laid her on with a scream as she woke from whatever nightmare she'd been in, sending the blankets that had been draped over her scattering to the floor, inadvertantly exposing her naked, battle-scarred body, and Sister Leliana couldn't help but admire the sight as she attempted to convince her charge to calm down. The young woman's own body was beginning to help with that task, the brief burst of adrenaline being overcome by exhaustion and the injuries that covered her body - blade cuts, puncture wounds left by arrows, bruises, abrasions and what looked to Leliana's eyes like burns from magic and dog bites- most of which Leliana had helped bandage and tend over the course of the three days that had elapsed since Ser Bryant's templars had found the girl on the outskirts of Lothering badly hurt, half-dead from exhaustion, clinging to the saddle on the back of a horse that looked close to collapse itself, and brought her back to the Chantry. Revered Mother Jessica had placed the girl in Leliana's charge- mainly because the lay sister was the only one the five stone lump of tawny fur, muscle and sharp teeth that had drawn the templars' attention with its barking didn't growl or snap at trying to protect its mistress; the mabari seemed to be somewhat more trusting of Leliana- and Leliana hastened over to the girl, grabbing the fallen blanket to cover her charge as she tried to prevent her work over the last few days from being undone.
"It's alright, it's alright! You're safe, you're safe..." Leliana promised. "Please mademoiselle, calm down! You're still very weak and the worst of your injuries have yet to heal- you'll do yourself more harm than good with this..."
The panic Leliana could see flaring in the girl's eyes that had induced this from waking up in unfamiliar surroundings, wrapped in bandages and confronted by an unknown face, began to fade as she realised she wasn't in immediate danger. The fact that she was also naked seemed to dawn on her, as the girl allowed Leliana to drape the blanket over her, clutching it to her chest as she allowed the lay sister to sit her down on the edge of the bed. At that moment, a knock on the door and an armoured man with shoulder-length black hair and dark skin suggesting Rivaini blood in his lineage poked his head around the door, hand resting on his sword hilt, having expected trouble.
"Everything alright, sister?" the templar enquired. "We heard a hue and cry and suspected trouble...ah, I see our guest is awake" the man noted with a warm smile and a courteous nod towards the seated girl, but she didn't acknowledge it, staring off into the distance.
"All is well, Ser Bryant" Leliana assured him. "If you might give me a few moments to make our guest presentable..." The commander of Lothering's templars nodded and withdrew at that. The moment she closed the door, she heard the room's other occupant speak for the first time.
"You sound Orlesian, sister". It was a statement, not a question, but it sounded more surprised and confused than the haughty disdain she'd encountered from some Fereldans over the matter of her heritage.
"I was born in Val Royeux but I consider myself Ferelden; my mother was from Denerim, a maidservant to an Orlesian noblewoman who left this nation with her mistress when Orlais's occupation of Ferelden came to an end" Leliana replied as she took a seat beside the girl on the bed and studied her charge again. She was young, perhaps eighteen, nineteen years of age at the oldest, with a gangly, coltish look to her that suggested she still had a bit of growing into herself from girl to woman to do. Her auburn hair was cut short, raggedly so in places that suggested she'd trimmed it in haste to try and hide her identity, adorned with spiky braids that gave her a wild, tomboyish look. Her sapphire-blue eyes were grim and hollow, the look of someone who'd lost so much in a short space of time and she seemed to be teetering between rage and grief, but even in her state of turmoil and somewhat tattered state, Leliana couldn't deny the girl was very pretty- her high cheekbones, aquiline profile, elegant chin and high brow all gave her a classical beauty, enhanced and given a slightly alternative edge by the swirling tattoo around her right eye and cheek. With slightly longer hair and a little makeup to enhance its natural features, coupled with a decent dress on her slender physique, Leliana didn't doubt this girl would turn heads in any royal court in Thedas. Leliana changed the subject to distract herself from trying to admire what was under the blankets covering her charge.
"Well, you know who I am, but I confess, I don't know the same about you. Will you tell me your name, at least?"
"Tabitha..." the girl answered, her voice flavoured with a burr of a northern accent, suggesting her origins were from one of the cities on the northern coast, maybe Amaranthine or Highever. Leliana waited, but the girl said no more, not a surname or any further indication, and so the sister gently prodded her for more.
"Where have you come from? And in such haste?"
"Highever. I was entrusted with an imporant message from the lord of that city, meant for the ears of King Cailan himself..."
"Judging by the state of you, it's a message some don't want to be heard" Leliana opined. "You look like you've fought your way through an army, dear, you and that poor animal that brought you here..."
"Xanthus...where is he? Is he alright?" the girl demanded, her head pricking up at the mention of the gelding she'd been riding. Leliana was loath to cause the poor woman any more pain, but she would find out soon enough.
"I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do. He succumbed to his wounds in our stables not two days ago. We made sure he was comfortable to the end..." Leliana trailed off as she saw Tabitha all but double over with pained shock from the news.
"That horse was a gift from my fa...from my lord the day I swore myself as a scout in his service. I'd ridden him from one end of Ferelden to the other, he'd never failed me when I needed speed or to get safely...another damn thing lost thanks to that bastard..."
The tears came in an explosion of grief, and once they began falling, they didn't stop; Leliana found herself holding the poor young woman, stroking Tabitha's short hair and whispering gentle words to try and calm her. Once she'd gotten her crying under control, the whole sorry story came out; Tabitha said she was the daughter of Highever's master of arms, while she was a scout and soldier in the service of Teryn Bryce Cousland- her family had served the House of Cousland loyally for many generations. According to Tabitha, when most of Highever's soldiery had gone south with the Teyrn's son and heir to answer the royal muster at the southern fortress of Ostagar, Arl Rendon Howe of Amaranthine, supposedly an old friend and wartime comrade of Teyrn Cousland, had betrayed his lord and friend out of jealousy and greed, attacking the undermanned Highever Castle with his armies, murdering all within its walls, sparing not even women and children. Tabitha said she had seen her father cut down by Howe's lackies trying to defend the castle gates, and she had been one of the few to make it alive, having been charged by her mortally wounded lord to journey south to inform his heir and the King of Howe's treachery and ensure justice was done, that the traitor would not get to keep his ill-gotten prize. Leliana's heart went out to the poor girl- she still remembered the grief of her own mother's death when she'd been a child, and that had been from illness, Leliana couldn't imagine how painful it must be to watch a loved one die in so bloody and brutal a manner, and of course she was no stranger to the pain of betrayal from someone she thought she could be trusted, so she knew exactly how Tabitha felt, but while Leliana's compassionate nature wanted to say something to give comfort to Tabitha, she couldn't think of anything that, in the circumstances wouldn't sound like an empty platitude.
At that, there came a scrabbling at the door as someone else tried to enter the room, and suspecting that this would-be visitor wasn't going to be as easily dissuaded, Leliana let go of Tabitha for a moment to open it, and with a gleeful bark at the sight of his mistress awake, the mabari darted across the room like a tawny bolt of lightning, and for the first time, Tabitha smiled as the mabari leapt up, licking the tear tracks off his mistress's face, giggling a little at the dog's open, if somewhat wet affection and it heartened Leliana to see a little happiness break through to cheer the poor girl up a bit. 'The dog is likely the last vestige of her old life she has left' the sister thought to herself.
"Hello, Laelaps. I'm happy to see you too..." Tabitha said as she pushed the dog off her back onto the floor. "Have you been keeping this lot busy worrying about me?" An affirmative bark earned him a pat on the head. "Good boy"
"He's been staying outside the room all the time, waiting for you to wake; we couldn't even tempt him away to get food and water, we've had to leave it here for him" Leliana explained. "Speaking of which, they'll be serving dinner in the common room after the evening service, in a couple of hours. I have to go and help the Revered Mother prepare for the service, but I'll be back to take you there afterwards. I also get someone to bring you some fresh clothes and take you to find a bath; I'm sure you'd like to freshen up before dinner"
"Thank you" Tabitha nodded and speaking up as Leliana was about to leave "and thank you, sister, for all the kindness you've shown me. I don't know how I can repay you for-"
Leliana silenced her protestations with a raised hand. "The Maker urges that we give comfort, shelter and support to those who require it in times in need. Even if he didn't..." and at this, Tabitha noticed Leliana's expression became sombre "I know what it's like to lose everything you hold dear, to be so utterly betrayed by someone you thought you could trust; it's not a pain I'd wish on anyone, and I will do anything I can to help someone suffering the same to get past it"
Tabitha looked at her askance, but Leliana gave no further explanation. "I will see you at dinner. Please, look after yourself until then. You're still in my care, and Revered Mother Jessica would have my hide if anything were to happen to you"
Leliana had managed to scrounge up some spare robes from the Chantry's laundry, left over from sisters who'd either passed on to the Maker's side or had been sent to other Chantries across Thedas for her charge to wear. Tabitha clearly felt uncomfortable in them, but the leather armour she'd been wearing when the templars had found her and brought her back was so badly damaged there was no chance of salvaging it. Leliana directed Tabitha to a table along with several other of her fellow lay sisters and brought her the offerings from Brother Talbot in the Chantry's kitchen- bacon and chicken stew, along with hard brown bread- along with a leg of lamb for the dog to gnaw on. Tabitha had gone back to being evasive; she was courteous enough when the lay sisters dining with them tried to engage her in conversation, but she kept her answers concise, never going into too much detail or falling silent when the questions got too probing. Leliana suspected that beside herself, Tabitha didn't trust anyone in the Chantry- not that the sister could blame the girl, if what had just happened to her was anything to go on. Plus, Leliana got the suspicion the girl felt she'd given away too much already. It was only a small detail she'd caught, but it was enough to make Leliana suspicious.
Laelaps. The name of a hound supposed to be able to catch anything it was sent after, sent to hunt a fox that could never be caught, both animals locked in the chase, unable to eat, drink or sleep until the Maker finally took pity on both of them and set them free by placing them in the stars. A rather obscure legend, not one I'd expect the daughter of a mere soldier to know...she's certainly more learned than she's letting on. And the things she had with her- that horse, her armour, that sword we found in her saddlebags...all look too fine for a simple scout to be carrying, even if she was fairly well-trusted by her lord to be given such a mission...
Leliana wouldn't probe too deeply- she wanted to help the girl through what she was suffering, and suspected she would lose Tabitha's budding trust in her if she pushed the girl too much- and she wouldn't deny the young woman the right to her secrets- Maker knew Leliana had enough of those herself that she didn't want coming to light- but it did make her curious about just what exactly lay beneath the surface of her charge and the mission she had to carry. She wanted to help, but suspected she was going to have to earn a bit more trust than she'd gleaned out of this sullen, wary creature at the moment. But if there was one thing anyone who knew her in her past could say about Leliana, it was that she was nothing if not persistent, and she had always loved a challenge.
I think I'll stay close to this one. I think she'll need the Maker's help, and mine very soon.
Tabitha wolfed down the bowl of stew, every so often casting a wary eye at her surroundings. She felt a little guilty that it seemed she was offending the hospitality of the sisters with her defensive attitude and posture, as well as her wariness and seeming unwillingness to talk but she'd didn't much care. Recent events had taught her that betrayal could come at any time and from the most unexpected sources. That was a lesson she'd never forget, smeared across her mind and her heart in the blood of her family. Plus, she had no idea if any of the hunters Howe had sent after her had managed to pick up her trail- while she was fairly confident she'd managed to throw them off after leaving most of them crippled or squirming in their own guts on the eaves of the Brecilian Forest, leaving the ones she didn't kill to the mercy of the wolves, she was wary that others might have suspected she head for the last outpost of Fereldan civilisation before the borders of the Korcari Wilds and start asking questions. She had to be at Ostagar before that happened.
She began conversation for the first time that night by speaking to Sister Leliana, asking the woman in charge of her care when she thought Tabitha would be fit to travel. Leliana had laughed in amazement at that. "Your devotion to your duty is an inspiration to us all! Some of us could learn much from you" she added with a pointed, yet jovial look at some of the younger lay-sisters seated at the table with them, before becoming more serious. "I'd say a few more days before it's safe for you to get back on a horse; you were half dead barely a week ago. I know you wish to complete your charge to your lord, but you'll not get it done any faster by leaving here too soon and dying on the road because you weren't ready to travel"
Tabitha nodded in thanks for the answer, watching as Leliana reached under the table to scratch Laelaps behind his ears and the mabari's stubby tail wagged happily at the attention, before dumping his head in the lay sister's lap, directing sad eyes up at her in the hopes of getting some of the bacon he was smelling out of her. 'You like her, don't you? Well, she does seem quite nice...for an Orlesian' Tabitha thought at the sight. The mabari's instincts about people had been fairly accurate and, if truth be told, she found herself liking Leliana as well- it was possible the sister's friendly nature was an act to ingratitate herself, but Tabitha didn't think so- if Laelaps's trust of her was anything to go by, the girl genuinely wanted to help for whatever reason, whether it be devotion to the Maker's charity or sympathy for a fellow woman in pain...and it was for that reason that as soon as she could, Tabitha would move on, to save someone so kind from being dragged into all of the chaos around her. Tabitha felt bad for the fact as soon as she was healed, she would be on the move again without a word or by-their-leave - it seemed a poor way to repay them for their hospitality- but she didn't want to drag this place into what was hunting her- what had happened to Mother Mallol had convinced her the Chantry was not going to stop Howe from getting what he saw as his - and she couldn't afford to delay. If what she'd heard from the south was true- that there was credence to the rumours claiming the darkspawn amassing in the Korcari Wilds was the beginning of a new Blight- she had to get to Fergus and bring the horrible truth of what had been done to her family to the attention of King Cailan and ensure that he gave her and her brother the means to exact justice on their betrayer and take back what was rightfully theirs before the darkspawn and, if true, their draconic master became the focus of his attention.
His Majesty has to help us, Tabitha desperately thought to herself, barely paying any attention as the meal was cleared away and Leliana led her back to the guest quarters, only half-listening to the lay sister remarking that rest would help her body recover and speed the prospect of her getting underway as soon as she wished. It was the only thing that had kept her going all the way along the Imperial Highway and the hidden roads she'd taken since fleeing Highever, and about the only thing that had given her the strength to will her heart to keep beating when all it wanted was to give in and join those she had left behind. He must help us. Our familiy has always been loyal , has ruled and kept the peace in the northern for House Theirin for years. My father forswore all claim to the crown out of loyalty to the royal family, and Cailan, for all his faults, is a man of principle and honour; Howe's treachery will disgust him. He won't allow it to go unpunished. He can't...
Next time: Our lady friends encounter the Wardens...