Blackwall couldn't help but stare at the rogue who carefully and quickly stole his heart. It wasn't immediate, but over the course of time, he started growing more fond of her. And all she had to do was look at him. And he swooned. Girlish Enthusiasm indeed. Maybe he would say that to her?
He sighed, "Maker. What have I become?" He lowly chuckled to himself.
Her boyish cut hair that he had met her with was now a bit of a messy bob. It framed her face just perfectly, with her oak brown hair and her earthy green eyes. Every time she looked at him, there was a rogue strand of hair in her face. Or more importantly in his way of seeing her.
She had a fire in her, people were fools if they didn't see it. When he first met her, he thought she was careless, almost naive. What a fool he was to think that she was naive... Now he knew that the fire in her was all consuming. When she put her heart and soul into life, being passionate about life. Especially when she came through the rift with Dorian at Redcliffe. Dorian shrugged the "dark future" off his shoulders because it was never going to happen now that they were here. But Evelyn- the Inquisitor, didn't- couldn't in fact. She strove everyday to hone her skills. And he saw that. And often he offered to be her sparring partner, just to have some time with her, as well as training... But training with the rogue was just the bonus.
He remembered when he first realized his heart was gone to her. They were fighting a Hurlock Alpha. Big monstrous darkspawn with a two handed club that could crush a man with one swing. And it almost did. It almost crushed him. Physically first, then emotionally.
He had his shield up, blocking the arrows from the other darkspawn, but when he heard that blood boiling war cry from the alpha, he knew he was done for.
A blur ran in front of him, the rogue taking the end of the swing in her rib cage, hurling her body against the mountain side.
The wind was so knocked out of her, she couldn't even yelp in pain.
People say that the worst events happen so fast that you don't have time to react. To Blackwall, the worst events moved so slowly that your body doesn't react fast enough. Even with adrenaline running through your veins.
He saw her plummet against the mountain and blood dripping slightly out of her mouth. That wasn't good. Meant internal bleeding.
His vision went red and he blew the war horn that Evelyn gave him. Her fathers, she said. He gave it to her as she was to become a warrior, but it gathered dust as she was never the sword and shield "kinda gal" she winked at him when she said this, almost as if he was to keep her slang an intimate secret, another act of small rebellion that he loved about her. But it was also another nail in the coffin. He couldn't stop himself from caring about her, but he needed her to stop caring so much about him.
Dorian had barely enough magic to put a barrier around them, much less to pick Evelyn back up.
Blackwall hit the darkspawn with his shield, disorientating it, then he quickly beheaded the alpha and Cassandra signaled to get Evelyn up again, she and Dorian would take care of the rest of the group.
He nodded and quickly ran to the rogue.
"Trevelyan?" Stay professional, Blackwall, stay professional...
There was no response.
"Evelyn...?" No, no, no...
Still there was no response.
"Damn it all, Evee, talk to me!"
She weakly blinked, "did... Did I miss anything?" She slightly smirked and looked at him, "Maker's balls... That hurts..." She was in great pain, didn't take a healer to figure that out.
"Why did you do that? You could've..." He moved a stray piece of chestnut hair away from her face.
"Andraste's tits." She smirked, wiping the blood away from her lip, "as if I would let a darkspawn take that satisfaction."
Blackwall chuckled and picked her up, "now, now. That's not lady like. We'll get you to Dorian and he'll give you a potion." She was in good spirits at least. That had to count for something...
"Lady like? I haven't been a lady since..."
"You're our lady." He informed her as he picked her up.
"You're too kind." Evelyn groaned. She needed a potion bad. She covered her mouth with her bloody cough. "Ha. Well. Looks like I will be ended here."
"Don't you say that. This will not end you. I refuse to believe that." Blackwall frowned.
"Makers breath!" Cassandra ran over to Blackwall, ripping open Dorian's small pouch on his side, un-corking the bottle.
Elfroot. Evelyn would know that smell anywhere. Blackwall sat her down and tilted up her head.
Evelyn painfully chuckled, "don't see what the big deal is." She tried to shoo the three of them away, as if they were hens being overworked by a shadow.
None of them would budge, so with a slight frown, she surrendered to her companions and let Cassandra slowly tilt the potion into her mouth as Blackwall held her head and Dorian did what Dorian did best: made sarcastic remarks and tried to de-stress the situation.
Which did wonders for Evelyn. Sometimes she wondered if she and Dorian were the closest friends, even if she did hear Dorian call Blackwall a 'big hairy lummox' she had to laugh.
"It was brave what you did." Cassandra said gently, "stupid, but brave."
"Well," Evelyn said, adjusting herself with an elbow and a small movement of her body, one that almost caused her to collapse, "Wardens have to be looked after too. They can't be the ones sacrificing themselves all the time." She stared into Blackwalls eyes.
"A noble goal." Cassandra nodded, she may not agree with the Wardens, but they did serve their purpose and she wasn't going to insult the Inquisitor's belief.
He wanted to call her stupid, he wanted to call her brave, he wanted to move that hair that was in her face again. He wanted to... Act on his desire to bring her into a kiss. But several factors were going against them.
The potion started taking effect and she looked less in pain and more relieved.
"Just remember, Inquisitor," Blackwall said, finally finding his voice and the words, "that right now the world needs you, not the Wardens."
Evelyn frowned, but got a nod from Cassandra.
"Indeed." Cassandra agreed. "And only you can close these rifts."
"Surprise, surprise." Evelyn said with a roll of her eyes and sarcasm thick in her voice.