Her body was stiff from lying for so long on the cold ground and this time, her limbs did not respond so willingly to her commands. Her legs protested any movements and she groaned as she opened her eyes, blinking into the sunlight that filtered through the trees above.
"Still not dead," She murmured to herself as she managed to lift an arm and rub at her forehead. She knew she was caked with dirt and dried blood and probably looked like a complete mess. Elena cared nothing for her looks, but she wondered if cleaning herself up would take away some of the aches and the pains.
She wiggled her toes again in her boots and was glad to find that they still obeyed. With much effort, she pushed herself into a sitting position and pushed some loose hair from her face. She studied her hands and frowned at the many cuts on them. Her tanned skin was coated with dirt and sweat and blood that belonged to both her and the Darkspawn.
Her hand moved tentatively to the gash at her side and breathed a small sigh of relief as she pulled her hand away clean. At least the bleeding had stopped. Perhaps she would live to see yet another day.
Now, she just needed to get her legs working and she cringed and let out a small cry as her muscles worked against her. "Damn it all," She hissed out the words and used her aching arms to pull herself against the trunk of a tree. She loosened her boots and yanked them off. She set them to the side and rubbed at her sore feet and traveled the length of her calf. Her fingers trembled and she scanned the woods in the early morning light.
As she continued to massage and work at her sore muscles, she listened to the birds overhead and the rustling of sleeves as creatures scurried from one bush to the other. The rush of water in the distance caught her attention and she paused, straining her ears in an attempt to judge the distance. It sounded far, but not too far. It was reasonable and all she needed to do was walk there.
"I can do this. I know I can," She repeated those two sentences over and over several times as she inhaled deeply and used the tree to pull herself to her feet. She was unsteady and she took her time in reaching down and grabbing her boots. Elena decided it was better to take her chances in bare feet rather than stomp around in boots at the moment.
The ground was unforgiving beneath her feet and she wiggled her toes with a small smile as she pressed forward and headed to the water. The idea of washing the blood from her skin fueled her and she prayed to the Maker that this would also help clear her clouded head.
She could smell the crisp water before she even neared it and despite her injuries, she picked up the pace and fell to her knees on the bank of the stream. The water was crystal clear and she blinked at her reflection for several long minutes before dropping her shoes to the ground and shedding her armor without a single glance around her. There was no doubt in her mind that she was alone here and she let the cold water pour over her skin.
She washed the dirt and mud from her arms and legs and scrubbed furiously at her long hair before rubbing water over her face. Her last obstacle was the wound at her side and she saw it clearly for the first time. The skin surrounding the gash was red and puffy and there was no doubt that it would grow infected if not treated soon. The gash was at least five inches long and an inch and a half deep and she was amazed at how easily it had closed. Elena washed the blood away gingerly and sucked in a deep breath as the water cleaned out as much of the wound as possible.
She stepped from the water and didn't even bother to let herself dry entirely as she forced herself back into her armor and stuffed her feet back into her boots. With her bow and arrow slung over her shoulder once more before following the length of the winding stream with her eyes. She knew the way to Denerim and perhaps she should just head there without waiting. Eamon was expecting them and if none of her other—No. She would meet them there. They had to be waiting for her.
The clouds in her head had dispersed and she adjusted her bow on her back and set her jaw. She would go to Denerim. She had no choice.
