Kallian took a deep breath as the weight of her armor brought a sense of comfort she had sorely missed in the light dress she had been wearing; the dress that was now forever stained with her blood. She looked down at the stain as she slid her daggers into their place on her back. It all happened so quickly. She couldn't really remember anything after seeing the glint of metal from above but Wynne assured her that Alistair was perfectly fine. She had yet to see him so Wynne's word would have to be enough for now. Wynne also told her that while she was unconscious Leliana had discovered that Anora was behind the failed attempt on Alistair's life but they couldn't prove it. The would-be assassin never saw Anora, just her lady Erlina, who had already been taken to Fort Draken. She sighed, how she would love to introduce that harpy to Fang. Everything was so much easier when she could just kill her problems. Damn politics. The door creaked open behind her and Leliana slipped inside quietly until she noticed the empty bed.
"You're supposed to be resting." She said as she set a tray on the bed. The bard's eyes looked at the pack lying next to the dress. "Are you leaving?" Kallian nodded.
"Wynne said Eamon is keeping Alistair busy so I figured now's the best time to slip away." She stared at her boots; they were nicer than the look of disappointment on her friends face. Leliana had always held out hope for her and Alistair, even after Kallian lost it herself.
"You are not going to say goodbye to him? After he stayed with you? After everything?"
"Leli… Please. This is hard enough as it is."
"Yes well, if you are leaving you should eat something." Leliana returned to the door and looked at her friend, still staring at her shoes, and shook her head. "He deserves more than this." And with that, she left.
Kallian continued to stare at her boots; ugly, shapeless things that reflected how she felt on the inside. Leliana was right of course, Alistair did deserve more than what she was about to do. But how did she expect her to say goodbye to him again? She picked up her pack and headed to find a way out of the palace. She couldn't say goodbye again.
Alistair waited by the gates of Demerim, the cloak keeping his face covered as the people walked in and out of the city without giving him a second glance.
"Ser, look." The knight next to him pointed at the elven woman walking toward the gates with her head down. "Is that her?" Alistair nodded.
"Yes, that's her. You know what you have to do?"
"Aye ser. I will accompany her to Amaranthine as a Grey Warden recruit, keep her safe."
Alistair nodded again. "Thank you, Mhairi. You will make an excellent Grey Warden."
"I am honored, ser." She gave a slight bow to her King as she ran over toward the only Warden left. Alistair stepped back toward the wall and watched and Mhairi introduced herself to Kali. The two women spoke for a short while before they both made their way toward the gates. He watched Kallian stop at the gates and look straight at him. She gave a small, sad smile before she disappeared from his sight.
AN: Thank you so much for all of you who may still be with me. I believe we have come to the end of this little journey. I hope you enjoyed the story. Thank you so much for the reviews, the follows, and the favorites. This is the first time I've ever finished anything with multiple chapters. I'd love to hear your opinions on this chapter and the story as a whole. I would also love to hear suggestions as to what worked and what didn't. I love to write but I'm afraid I don't have much confidence so any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again, so much, for reading.
Ashes