Dragon Age: A Bard's Love
Chapter 2
The morning sun shined down upon their faces, the lasting light began to heat up awakening from the fade's embrace. The forest seemed almost brighter then the previous days to Cogdale but he had an idea why the day seemed the way it did. The moment with Leliana the night before made his heart rush, not the same way it did in battle but faster and more scarier then he had ever thought possible.
Alistair seemed to have already awoken as his bed and armor were neatly posted up against a tree. But why his armor? Cogdale thought. Wynne was still asleep, not wanting to wake her the Warden slowly got up from his bedroll and noticed a path of leaves was at the center of the camp and it lead somewhere out into the forest. In only his normal clothing, Cogdale followed the bright green leaves. The further he followed the louder the noise of water and laughter grew.
At the end of the trail was a waterfall and a small lake with boulders confining the water within the small space. Alistair was in the hot water with a knife shaving what he could from his chin. Leliana was at the edge sitting on one of the boulders flailing her feet in the water and giggling. Alistair was the first to notice his fellow Warden watching. Catching his glance Leliana turned to see Cogdale smiling back at her. This was the first time Cogdale had seen Leliana without her armor on, his face flushed red.
Scars scaled her entire back, from her time within the orlesian dungeons he could only assume. Some of which were more noticeable then others. But that didn't even hinder his enraptured eyes from her beauty. He walked down to the water and took off most of his clothing, diving in. A giggle followed along with another splash. Was she waiting for me? Cogdale thought as he came up for breath.
"So my friend, whats our plan for today?" Alistair asked as he put his knife down on his clothing followed by him leaning up against a rock. Cogdale hadn't the slightest clue on what the young day would come up for them.
"I have no clue" Cogdale laughed. Without warning Leliana burst from the water behind him and embraced him. Cogdale's face had never turned so red in his entire life. Alistair was also surprised by the moment, eyes opened wide and mouth slightly dropped. Leliana's Bard skill seemed to apply for almost everything.
Not only was she embracing him in front of his friend, she was nude as well, her breasts pressed against his back.
"I.. I.." Cogdale couldn't get a word out. Leliana finally let her grip go as she slowly sank in the water only her face visible. A boasting smile grew across her face, cheek to cheek. Cogdale's gaze turned back to a dumbstruck Alistair.
"When did you and Leliana?" Alistair slowly asked as he tried to find his knife without leaving his gaze off of Cogdale. Finally touching his knife, his fingers fumbled the blade around as it splashed into the water cutting his foot submerged underneath.
"Ouch!" his attention sprung to the missing blade under his foot. Cogdale turned to see if Leliana was still behind him. That she was, but now showering under the waterfall. Her ruby hair longer then when he first met her in Lothering, now descended her shoulders covering her bosom.
Cogdale enchanted by the sight glided to the pond's edge and climbed out. He didn't want to spoil Leliana's first bath in weeks and decided to get ready for the day.
With everyone equipped in armor and their camp all stowed away the group was now set for their quest. Continuing deeper into the forest the feeling of being watched grew on them. Alistair and Cogdale knew it wasn't far away that the darkspawn would ambush them. As they marched over the underbrush Cogdale put his helmet on, enchanted by a Master Sight Rune, his eyesight grew 10 fold, noticing even the smallest ladybug on a branch was no problem.
"Are we just going to head east until we drop into the Frozen Seas?" Leliana laughed. Cogdale chuckled at the thought but he had an idea where the herb was, and they weren't that far off. The day aging as it has always does grew hotter and hotter, reminding them of the nice waterhole they had just swam in earlier that morning.
Luckily Cogdale's armor wasn't Ferelden "born" but forged from the beaches of Seheron by a Dwarven smith caste family who had made it out of ore from the mountain on Seheron. How he had come to acquire this armor was still such a surprise to him. When he was younger Cogdale's family were of rich Ferelden nobility even before Orlais had enslaved Ferelden many decade a go. Several cousins were vast traveling merchants who went across all of Thedas. Several months before becoming a warden Cogdale had finally met one of his cousins.
The man was gifted in Tongues and could speak almost any language he could throw at his cousin. Eren was his cousin's name, staying at his family's estate for 2 months for a major trade with the Couslands. Eren decided to teach Cogdale only 1 language that Cogdale had to choose. All those years being told of the Dalish and elves by the servants always gave Cogdale a great interest.
For those 2 months Eren gave Cogdale 8 hours each day of teaching the Elven languages. Eren unfortunately met his demise when the Couslands were overrun by Arl Howe's men when he was in a meeting with the Couslands.
Before leaving that very night, Cogdale found a note left by Erin telling Cogdale to open Erin's sacred chest with a given key. Inside the chest was the Seheron Sands Armor sold to Erin by the Dwarven Smithy.
Returning his thoughts to the present Cogdale soon was given the rush that he now grew accustomed to the past few months. The darkspawn were upon them. Alistair already knew as he unsheathed his sword and shield with his grimaced faced ran up to Cogdale and signalled Wynne and Leliana of the coming attack.
"They're here alright" Cogdale said through his teeth. Hand tightly gripping his sword, arm ringed through his shield's bars.
"Come out Darkspawn!" Alistair shouted, hearing his call the darkspawn rushed out of the trees and ground screaming and snarling, jagged swords aimed at their hearts. The first hurlock was greeted by Cogdale's shield smashing into its face, breaking its brow and teeth, a trail of black blood flew in the air. The hurlock stumbled from the force of the shield. Before it could gain its balance the darkspawn's head was decapitated with large sweep from Cogdale's blade.
Alistair met 2 genlocks with his boot, kicking their jaws out of socket. Spinning his longsword into one of them and sweeping it into the other. Their screams drowned out by the forest's wildlife. Wynne took out several darkspawn that were trying to flank the group with 1 large ice blast. Frozen and impaired the darkspawn broke as they crashed to the forest floor as Leliana kicked them over.
Another hurlock sprinted towards Cogdale, covered in white warpaint and a brownish armor it had to have been an emissary of some sort. Knowing this Cogdale sunk his blade into the chest of the darkspawn, spitting out its blood upon Cogdale and his armor.
A faint voice began to sing as Cogdale unsheathed his blade from the darkspawn's chest. It was Leliana. "vir sulahn'nehn, vir dirthera, vir samahl la numin" a pause in the song as she shot a darkspawn through the neck, gurgling its last damp breath. She turned to see Cogdale paused in battle watching her "vir lath sa'vunin" She finally ended the chorus of the elven song.
Cogdale knew what she meant, vir lath sa'vunin meaning "Love one more day" the feeling from the previous night settled itself on Cogdale once more.. "One more day" Cogdale said his gaze enthralled by his first love. The fight had died down as Alistair and Wynne mopped up the remaining genlocks that bunched up.
Their eyes seemed to have stared at each other forever, Leliana softly blew him a kiss, the imaginary kiss smacking right on his helmet's faceplate. Cogdale took his helmet off to see if it actually manifested itself on the helmet.
But the moment was quickly cut short as a shriek from Leliana jolted Cogdale. "Cogdale look out behind you!" Just in time Cogdale's shield battered by an arrow. I didn't feel the warning? Cogdale thought as he scanned the forest for the archer.
"We've got company and it isn't darkspawn!" Alistair shouted as several men cladded in well forged armor burst from the bushes.
"Leave the red head alive kill the rest!" one of the assailants shouted as they rushed the 4. The men were foreign from what Cogdale could tell, their accents very strong orlesian like, their armor carved with orlesian words. Leliana's eyes engulfed in fear, Cogdale soon had an idea who their attackers were. The first orlesian reached him swinging his blade cut the tail of the arrow which had pierced his shield earlier. A warden blade sliced open his stomach mixing the taint with his blood, even if he survived the wound the darkspawn blood would kill him.
Wynne's magic was to strong for the orlesian archers as she hit the 3 of them with a gigantic boulder she spawned from the earth. She then paralyzed another who had captured Leliana, Leliana struggled out of man's grasp and then stabbed him in the neck with one of her arrows. The surviving assassin dropped his axe and raised his hands, surrendering.
"Orlesians? Why did you attack us!?" Cogdale shouted as he swung his blade inches away from the man's exposed neck.
"Ugh... we were hired to kill you, Kill the little red head girl or capture her, do with the others as we pleased" he said coughing from his wounds. "You came to kill me? Who hired you!" Leliana shouted. "You don't think it was Marjolaine? Do you Leliana?" Cogdale asked still pressing his blade into the Orlesian's neck.
"Thats the one!" the assassin said his finger pointing at Cogdale to signify it was Marjolaine. "Can I make a deal with you?" his lips smeared with blood dripped on his armor. "Make it quick" Leliana said with a frown across her brow. "I have no real quarrel with you, I didn't get paid to keep my mouth shut I can direct you to her." the orlesian said as he tried to stand up.
"Very well" Cogdale said releasing his blade from the man's neck. "I can give you the next post we were suppose to go to, to meet her to show proof." he said as he marked the complex on the group's Denerim map.
"Now go, hope the wolves don't rip you apart" Cogdale said as he sheathed his sword. Leliana's thoughts could be seen on her face, fear and anxiety from past had found itself back to her. "Leliana? What do you want to do? This herb can wait and the trip to Denerim won't take long." Cogdale asked as he walked up to her placing his hand on her shoulder. Leliana bit her lip holding back the tears she had held back while with the Lothering Cloister.
"Is this alright with you guys?" Cogdale asked looking back at Wynne and Alistair, they only nodded. "Alright it is settled we leave for Denerim now, we can get there in about a week." Cogdale said as he kissed Leliana on her forehead to comfort her. The group changed direction to the north as they walked over the corpses of the darkspawn and orlesian assassins.