A few weeks later, the Qunari lay siege to the city. Elysia wasn't safe in the alienage like she thought she would be. They came into the alienage to recruit disillusioned elves to their cause, and killed those who refused. She met Merril that night. The spunky elf was a mage too, and she was defending her home with such force. She was also a blood mage. This frustrated Elysia to no end, but she stood with Merril anyway. They made a good team, and she could tell Merril was impressed.
The Qunari didn't stop coming until late that night. Merril and Elysia stood stayed outside to defend the other elves until dawn, when news came of Hawke's fight with the Arishok. The Qunari pulled out of the city, but they did a lot of damage in before then. Including the murder of the Viscount. A lot changed after that night, but Fenris still didn't come back. She had hoped he would come to see if she was okay.
She didn't show her emotions often, the night he had left, she had shed a single tear before returning to her sewing, but when he didn't come that night, she exploded. She had been up all night fighting, her magic and health were drained, and she was exhausted. The next day, she was still exhausted, since she did not sleep well. The fighting had turned so nasty, and her some of her neighbors died that night. Fenris had not come all night long, and she hated him for it. She hated the way everything was going. The mages fight had gone downhill, and people were disappearing. She ran out into the water by Lowtown, swam past the docks, and stormed through the gallows. She went past the giant entrance and into the mountains. She let herself go there, and tore apart anything she could. Here, she wouldn't lose control on anything important, or anyone. She wouldn't be one of the mages he hated, no how much she hated him.
When she was left as a pile of despondency on the rocky floor, she heard voices. She gathered herself as quickly as possible and climbed up into the rocks off the path so she could hide. She didn't want anyone to see her like this.
"Woah, looks like the Qunari got frustrated on their way out," she heard Anders chortle.
"Yeah, must have been frustrated that we won and killed their Arishok," Hawke replied.
"The Qunari aren't like that, they are not attached to each other in the same way as humans are. This doesn't look like their work anyway," Fenris interjected.
"Whatever." Hawke and Anders continued forward, laughing and rejoicing in their victory.
Fenris didn't immediately follow. He crouched and peered at the ground. His fingers lightly traced the scorch marks in the ground, and he whispered, "Elysia." He looked around, and she pressed herself into the rocks, willing him not to see her. Hawke called, and he jogged away to catch up.
She pulled herself away from the stone and gently eased her way down to the path. As she was leaving, she called a final bolt of lightning to her, and slammed it into the ground, before returning to Kirkwall.
When she got home, she realized why people had been looking at her funny in the streets. Her hair was bedraggled, and several random strands hung from a messy bun. She was still rather wet, even when she got back to her house, from her impromptu swim. Her robes were torn and falling apart. She was even bleeding in some places, though she hadn't noticed any pain. She was startled by her performance, and shocked by the aftermath. She needed to right herself.
She drew some water for herself, and hurried back to her room. She tore off her tattered clothes and pulled her hair free; time for a bath. A small amount of magic to heal her cuts into scars, more for the collection, and she was in it, sinking into the cold water. She scrubbed away all evidence of her breakdown, and washed herself clean. When she was done, she felt much better, and much more prepared for her day. She brushed her hair into a shimmery, wet swath, braided it, and wrapped it into a tight knot. She put on some clean robes. She made herself return to normal.
Fenris didn't come to visit, even after the incident in the mountains. She guessed he couldn't handle people caring about him, physically or emotionally, since he left like he did. She wouldn't do anything for him, but she could go as slow in the relationship as he needed. She could be there for him.