The evening air was brisk as it swept through camp, picking up sparks from the fire and sending them dancing into the air.
Alistair sat nearby, using a small hammer, as he tap, tap, tapped loose rivets back into his armor. Zevran reclined silently to Elise's left, and the soft clacking sounds made by Wynne as she ground elfroot with her mortar and pestel for fresh potions was carried on the breeze. Morrigan had retired for the night and Leliana sat uncharacteristically quiet on the log just outside her tent.
Elise paused in her effort to put an edge back on her sword with her whetstone, lower lip catching in her teeth as she glanced across the camp at the bard. Leliana's nimble fingers worked quickly as she refletched her arrows, stopping only momentarily to push a stray lock of short red hair from her face. The melancholy that seemed to hold the bard tightly in its grip had seemed to only grow moment after moment since the confrontation with Marjolane.
A knot in the warrior's stomach tightened at the thought of Leliana's former bardmaster and lover. Elise only wished she could kill the woman again for what she had done to her dearest friend. Elise sighed, heart twisting in her chest. She had believed she and Leliana had been growing closer the past few weeks and that maybe even their friendship was evolving into something more? But since they had left Denerim a few days ago, the bard had all but avoided her, sparing only words that were necessary in Elise's presence.
The tapping from across camp stopped as Alistair approached her, seating himself heavily beside her in the grass. Elise didn't look at him as she resumed her work on her blade.
"Maybe you should stop trying to divine her feelings from across the fire...maybe you should go talk to her?" Alistair suggested lightly.
A small smile tugged at Elise's lips, even as she shook her head stubbornly. "I don't think she wants to talk to me, Alistair."
"Why not? Before all this crazy bard business with Marjolane, she never seemed to stop talking to you. Well, talking in general, but particularly to you."
Elise set her jaw and said nothing, even as doubt tugged at her heart.
Alistair continued carefully. "It almost seemed like she...like she might..."
Leveling a glare at him, Elise set her sword and whetstone aside.
Alistair shrugged helplessly, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm just saying it might not be a bad idea. Maybe she needs to talk to you more than ever now."
Resolve fading, face softening, Elise nodded and reached over and gently squeezed Alistair's hand ."I appreciate what you're trying to do. I do. I just...think she might need some space right now. "
"Alright, well, you should turn in, anyway. I have first watch."
Elise nodded, glancing across the fire to where Leliana sat before picking up her things, spinning on her heel and entering her tent.
The archdemon haunted her dreams. Jolted awake, Elise scrubbed her face with her hands and twisted in her bedroll to make sure her blade was nearby. The feel of the hilt, firm in her hand, gave her a moment of relief before her ears picked up a soft sound.
She held her breath, her ears straining to make out the source of the sound; sobs, soft, and muffled, coming from the tent beside her. Leliana.
Without hesitation, Elise was on her feet and standing outside Leliana's tent. As her hand came up to push the flap aside, she stopped, torn with indecision. Then a sob, hiccuped louder than the rest, changed her mind and in one fluid motion, Elise was flicking aside the tent flap and stepping inside.
There was a single candle burning low in a lantern hung from the tent's ceiling. As her eyes adjusted to the faint, warm glow, Elise could make out the bard's petite figure curled up on her bedroll in the corner, shoulders gently shaking with her tears.
Her breath left her in a hushed whisper, "Oh, Leli." And then, Elise was closing the distance between herself and the woman she had silently grown to love. Carefully, she laid aside the blade she had brought with her, and positioned herself behind the bard. There was the barest moment of resistance from the other woman as Elise Cousland pulled her tighter into her embrace and then the bard relaxed into Elise's hold, her sigh of relief almost audible.
Without Elise's heavy plate armor and Leliana's light leather armor between them, it was the most intimate embrace they had ever shared. Keeping her breathing even, Elise tried to still her fluttering heart. Now was not the time.
Seconds turned into long minutes and after a while, Elise didn't know how long, Leliana's sobs started to slow and quiet, her breathing returning to normal. The bard's hands moved from where they had been tucked under her chin; the fingers of one hand intertwining with Elise's own, and the other lightly resting on Elise's arm, her thumb moving to gently stroke the skin beneath. Elise hardly dared to breathe.
Then, in the silken voice that could belong to none other than Leliana, the bard spoke softly. "I am sorry. I have not been the most pleasant company of late, no?"
Elise cleared her throat softly. "You can hardly be blamed for that." She paused. "Do you want to talk about it?" She felt the bard sigh in her arms.
"I-yes. I'm fine. I just-I am afraid. I am just like her. Marjolane made me and when we were hunting her, I enjoyed it. I even enjoyed killing her. This is terrible. This is not how a good person feels or acts. What does this say about me?"
Swallowing, Elise considered her words before she spoke. She wet her lips and tested her voice. "She did horrible things to you. She betrayed you. In some ways, it's only natural for you to feel those things." Elise thought momentarily of Howe and the lust for revenge that raged through her veins when she thought of him. Pushing those thoughts aside, she continued.
"But, I don't think you're evil. The truly evil don't worry about being good. But, beyond that, Leli your faith in the Maker, in me, in the redemption of those who have sinned is truly inspiring. You have stayed my hand countless times with your faith and plea for mercy. You are, beyond a doubt, the most compassionate person I know."
A silence stretched between them. Elise hoped that the fervor with which she had spoken her words had not been taken for the devotion that it truly was. And then, Leliana was twisting in her arms, crystal blue eyes searching out hazel, delicate, bow calloused fingers ghosting over her cheek. Elise's brow furrowed and she fought to keep the awe off her face triggered by the woman's touch.
"Thank you," the bard breathed.
The warden simply nodded, hoping it was dark enough in the tent that Leliana couldn't detect her blush.
"Of course." The phrase left Elise's lips hoarsely. "It's true, Leli."
Leliana offered the warden a tender smile and the soft shift in her gaze had Elise wondering when exactly things had changed between them. Leliana's fingers traced the line of Elise's high cheekbone. Her thumb gently smoothed away the worry lines in the warden's furrowed brow.
"Always so serious." Leliana breathed through that affectionate smile. Elise felt frozen in place.
The cool fingers traced the curve of her ear and line of her jaw before the same thumb that had smoothed away her worry tenderly brushed across her lower lip.
Electricity shot through the warden and without thought, she placed a soft kiss to the digit pressed against her lip, capturing Leliana's attention completely before blue eyes met hazel once more. When Elise gazed into Leliana's eyes once more, they were dark and...hungry?
Sod it. She was terrible at this sort of thing. Her experience was woefully limited to the few stolen kisses she had shared with the stable girl as a teenager. Her feelings for Leliana compared to those she had harbored for the stable girl were as the powerful rush of the sea as to the drip from a water spout, not to mention the bard was an entirely different type of woman and in a realm of experience that Elise could only guess at.
"I-I'm sorry." She said hastily. "That was...inappropriate."
A sensual giggle left Leliana's full lips and sent a coil of heat spiraling through the warden.
"Hush, my warden," the bard breathed the familiar endearment and its true meaning began to dawn on Elise. Then, soft lips were seeking hers, their touch warm and featherlight, sending Elise's heart hammering with renewed forced and her head spinning. And, just as quickly, those lips departed and Leliana was brushing her fingers back through Elise's sandy hair.
"I will sleep soundly in your arms this night, my warden. We have an early morning, no?"
Elise nodded and then Leliana was tucking her head beneath the warden's chin and wrapping her slender arms more tightly about her. The bard's breathing evened out quickly and Elise was left wondering if what had just happened between them had simply been a dream.
When the first of the sun's rays kissed the warden's face in the early morning, Elise woke to find herself laying alone in Leliana's bedroll. It took her only the fleetest of instances to remember where she was and the events of only a few hours prior. A smile touched her lips, unbidden, as elation and confusion swirled through her mind.
She slowly rose and stretched her sore muscles. The sounds of the others starting to clear camp were clearly audible through the tent flap. She winced. How she was going to avoid Alistair's ribbing, she hadn't a clue. Steadying herself with a deep breath, she stepped out into the early morning air only to be greeted by a condescending Morrigan who stood warming stew over the fire for breakfast.
"My, my what have we here? What possibly could our fearless leader and insipid chantry wench have been doing in a shared tent last night? 'Tis certainly an anomaly."
Elise shot the witch what she hoped was a withering stare. It seemed to have the desired affect as Morrigan's smirk disappeared and she said no more.
Leliana emerged from Elise's tent, in her arms a clean tunic and trousers. It wasn't a strange gesture for their friendship. The two women had been looking out for one another within the first few days that Leliana had left Lothering to join them. However, this morning it brought unwelcome heat to Elise's face and a swoop to her stomach.
Leliana's smile was tender (and coy?) as their eyes met. "Good morning, sleepy head. I thought you might want these, yes?"
Elise pushed a hand through her hair. "I-thank you?"
"Of course." Leliana said as she started pushing Elise back to her tent, while shoving the bundle of fresh clothes into the warden's arms.
Stumbling back into the solitude of Leliana's tent, surrounded once more by relative silence and the smell of andraste's grace, Elise cast a bewildered glance over her shoulder. Then with a sigh, began to dress.
Stepping out from the bard's tent again, she found her plate armor next to a stump with a hot bowl of stew sitting on it.
"I-what is all this?"
Alistair grinned, "What? You can risk your life for us and we can't take down your tent and make breakfast for you? That's a rather cruel double standard. Don't you think?"
Zevran piped up, "What sort of friends would we be if we did not take care of our warden? You do, after all take such wonderful care of us, while looking so divine at that."
"Zevran, as always, the answer is no." Elise said with a playful smile as she stepped towards the stump to shovel a few spoonfuls of stew into her mouth before bending to buckle her greaves into place and heft her breast plate over her head. She paused to shovel a few more bites of stew into her mouth before she began her work on the countless numbers of straps and buckles. She felt the bard's presence before she saw her. It was shortly followed by a gentle giggle.
"Another perfect example of the legendary Grey Warden appetite at work, it seems."
Elise swallowed and grinned sheepishly at the bard. "Yes, well, I'm hungry."
That gentle giggle rolled from the bard again. "That is obvious. Let me help you with these as you feed that monstrous appetite."
Finding her mouth too full of stew again to answer, Elise simply nodded her thanks as Leliana's nimble fingers worked on the buckles and straps, tugging a bit as she pulled them snug. The warden finished her breakfast before Leliana had finished her work on the straps securing the breastplate in place.
Elise cleared her throat, breaking the companionable silence between them. "I can finish up, if you like. I've finally finished stuffing my face."
"Finally?" Leliana asked through the same tender smile she had graced Elise with the night before, her eyes never leaving the buckles she was tending. "You wolfed it down in hardly a breath."
Elise grinned, warmed by Leliana's good-natured teasing. In some ways, it was as if nothing had changed between them at all.
Leliana's hands stilled, eyes flicking upwards to meet Elise's for a moment. "Also, I don't mind. If I tighten the buckles and strap you in myself, I know you're as safely in your armor as possible." The bard held the warden's gaze for a palpable moment before turning her attention back to the armor.
Elise stood corrected. In other ways, it was as if everything had changed between them.