The ones that remain
"So you said you lost your family?" Alistair asked Elissa when they had made it back to camp, she sat by the fire with her meal of stew that Wynne had made. She looked up at Alistair with her light blue eyes, he sat beside her.
"Yes, they were killed by Arl Howe." She said bitterly "He betrayed our family. If I see him I will kill him myself"
She stared into the fire; it was a manifest of her hatred of Arl Rendorn Howe, she had remembered how Cailan had expressed his sympathy and he promised her he would have helped her. But he was left to die by Loghain, she felt hatred for that man, he had not only killed his son-in-law but was responsible for her families' death. She agreed with Alistair that he deserved not her mercy, but she would see her blade stained with her blood. She could never forget the sight of her young nephew and his mother dead on the floor, and that she had to leave her parents to die.
"Elissa I am so sorry." He said
She looked at him, and she had settled her rage, she knew Alistair had the opportunity to make things right for her family just like Cailan had, but there was more she loved him.
"Duncan saved me, if he was not there I would have been killed alongside my parents and Arl Howe would have gotten away with it." She said
Grey Wardens had to stay neutral in all political battles, and that killed Elissa to know, she hoped that when this wretched blight was over she could live in peace, and hopefully alongside Alistair. After she had finished her dinner she headed down to the lake for a wash, she sighed to herself, she was used to bathing in a castle and having hot water. She wished she told her parents how lucky she was and how much she loved them before it was too late, she had stripped of her leather armour and left it by the trunk of a tree. She went to sit by the water as she dipped her wooden bowl into the water, leaving her flannel and soap by her knees.
The leaves of a low down branch rustled as if a person was behind them, she turned to look she could only just make out a person, she picked up one of her daggers and stood up holding it.
"Who's there?" she asked
Alistair came into view and stood in the bright moonlight, he walked over to her as she let her dagger arm relax.
"I was worried about you." He said concern was all over his face.
He sat down beside her as he picked up the cloth and dunked it in the water; he rubbed the bar of soap against the damp cloth.
"I am fine, it's just I can mourn them properly because of the cursed blight." She said
Alistair held the cloth to her back and sighed, as he wiped her skin with it.
"I am here for you, I do care about you so much Elissa." He said "If you need to cry then I wouldn't blame you."
Elissa laughed as he kept dragging the cloth over her back, he had gotten all the way down to her waist and hit a spot on her that was ticklish.
"I know you are what would I do without you?" she asked
Elissa stood up and walked into the water of the lake, she looked at Alistair inviting him to join her, she thought to what he said that she was something beautiful in all this chaos. The blight had brought them together and she thanked the maker he was the one she found comfort in, he joined her in the lake and she splashed the water at him.
When they managed to make it back to camp, they were looked at by the others of their little group, Wynne smiled to herself in seeing how happy they were. Zevran had seen a little glint in their eyes and approved of their activity, Oghren just drank his alcohol and had a blush over his face suggesting he was very drunk.
"You seem in better spirits." Wynne said as they sat down next to each other, around the fire.
"Alistair reminded me of what we were fighting for, and that revenge can wait until the Archdemon lays slain." Elissa said
