This chapter came to me pretty quick, and thankfully I had the weekend off from work to get it all down. Hope you all enjoy!


Surprise of all surprises, so far their trip to Redcliffe was not going well. In fact, it was the polar opposite of going well. It was so far south of going well that Areth kind of hoped that the whole disaster would just implode on itself and they could just walk away. Of course, Alistair would have none of that. From what he had explained of his time in Redcliffe while they were walking together after he let his royal cat out of the bag, he had every reason to up and abandon the place to its fate. However, her fellow Warden apparently had some misplaced notion that he owed the people of Redcliffe something and swore that their entire group would help defend them. Now, Areth had no prior experience fighting walking corpses, which apparently the Arl's castle was churning out in droves on the nightly, and she was pretty sure nobody else in the group did either. She tried to explain that to Alistair, who dismissed her concerns in an unsettling bout of bravado that she decided really didn't look good on the man.

"We've fought people, and we've fought darkspawn. How different can the walking dead be, really?" He had said to her.

Upon talking to Morrigan about the implications of reanimated dead people, apparently there was a major difference. As in there were demons resurrecting the corpses of the people that had been killed by said demons in the first place. With no small measure of panic, Areth wondered how Alistair could be so nonchalant about fighting something as magically spooky as a demon. With him once being a Templar and all, she would have thought he'd take it more seriously. It was like he had blinders on. As she sat against a wall in the Chantry, sharpening her blades with a whetstone, she remarked on this to Morrigan. The witch was silent for a moment beside her, busy grinding herbs to make into a poultice, then shrugged.

"When confronted with an enemy too great to surmount, sometimes the sheep will pretend it is a wolf. Those who know it, however, can hear those howls are clearly frightened bleats." She said in a mildly indifferent tone.

Areth made a small sound in the back of her throat. That made sense. It didn't seem like anyone besides Bann Teagan, the Arl's brother, had stepped up to do much of anything since the Arl and his family ended up stuck in their castle for Maker knows what hellish reason. Then suddenly Alistair has to throw himself and the rest of their group into the fray. Must be some sort of shemlen male pissing contest. Morrigan could make a lot of sense, sometimes.

Areth passed the whetstone over her blade, finding herself soothed by the grating sound of stone against metal. Her gaze flicked over the people that had gathered for sanctuary in the Chantry. Throughout the great room, children were either playing or crying. The ones that didn't seem to give a rat damn about what was going on scampered about the pews, chasing Ram as he weaved around them. The others were wailing at a pitch that made Areth really not care at all if the undead overran the entire Chantry.

Alistair was deep in conversation with the Revered Mother, his face scrunched up in a way that told her he was thinking too hard. Or at all. From what he shared with Areth, when he arrived back at the building, a handful of knights from the castle had managed to gather in the village and were asking for a divine blessing before the battle, and had sent Alistair to talk to the old bag about it. For said bag's part, it didn't look like she was going to agree to that. Areth didn't reckon the Maker would even spare a thought for them, either way.

Turning her gaze toward the library alcove, where the infirmary was set up, Areth saw Leliana changing the bandages on a wounded man's leg. The light streaming in through the tall windows almost made the Orlesian woman glow. The elf allowed a faint smile to play on her lips as she watched her chat away with the prone man, a grizzled-looking old bear of a shem. It was sort of silly, really fucking silly actually, but Areth liked to watch Leliana move. There was a kind of grace to it that she'd never seen before. Elves were usually considered graceful, but in a feline kind of way. This was something Areth hadn't seen before. The way Leliana moved, it was almost like she was dancing. Not with her whole body, though. Areth's mind flashed to earlier that day, after she had taken that wallop from the Hurlock and Leliana was treating her scrapes and bruises. Her hands were practically dancing. The tips of her ears burned at just the memory of cool fingers gamboling against her battered skin, their little dance soothing the angry welts, cuts, and bumps. They had chatted quietly while Leliana had been unintentionally driving Areth mad, occasionally locking eyes. Even her endlessly blue eyes danced, and Areth found herself embarrassed. She knew her own eyes could never dance like Leliana's. One was dead and the other was filled with hate. It was something she didn't even realized about herself until she was practically nose to nose with her.

Even now, watching Leliana practically pirouette around the makeshift hospital beds, Areth felt terribly incompetent just sitting and sharpening her daggers. But it was damn near impossible to tear her eyes away.

"How is your eye?"

Unless Morrigan did that. Areth had completely forgotten that the witch was even there. Clearing her throat, Areth turned to see Morrigan's amber gaze studying her carefully.

"About the same." She said, rubbing at it. Morrigan scowled, scooping up a hefty amount of the poultice she had just made with her fingers and more or less slapping it on Areth's eye. The elf barely had time to close her eyes before the pasty substance splattered across her eyelid.

"The hell was that for?!" She yelped. Morrigan tutted irritably, wiping her fingers on a rag.

"Your hands are filthy. 'Tis not conducive to proper healing for your eye if you are constantly rubbing filth into it." The raven-haired woman replied.

"It's already blind." Areth protested, making a face as the cold paste began to slide toward her cheek. Morrigan rolled her eyes.

"It could rot out entirely, if you are not careful. My mother and I could only reconstruct it, your body must heal the rest on its own." She said flatly, gesturing towards Leliana. "Have her bandage the poultice where it is. You may remove it before the battle tonight. And do not let me catch you rubbing it again."

Areth sheathed both her blades and grunted a thank you to Morrigan before standing. Slipping the whetstone into its pouch at her hip, she tried to maneuver her way towards Leliana while keeping the poultice from slipping from her face entirely. Thankfully, the woman in question looked up to see Areth practically stumbling across the way and came to her aid.

"Morrigan kinda just slapped it right on my eye and told me to have you put a bandage over it." Areth explained as Leliana's hand came to rest on the small of her back. She hoped the bard didn't feel the shiver that shot down her spine. "Apparently she thinks it needs some extra treatment so it doesn't fall out or something."

Leliana made a small noise at the back of her throat.

"The way you rub at it, it is a valid concern." She agreed. They had made it to the infirmary without incident and Leliana gestured for Areth to sit on one of the few open cots. The bard went to wash her hands in a basin and collect the bandage wraps she needed.

"You've been holed up over here since we got in. How did you get so good at this medic shit?" Areth asked conversationally, ignoring the glares of the Chantry sisters. Leliana dried her hands on a cloth, her expression clearly trying to steer clear of amusement. She was failing, and Areth smirked. Shaking her head, Leliana sighed.

"It was just something I had to pick up on my travels, I suppose." She said, tossing the towel to the side. Kneeling down in front of Areth, she gently grabbed the elf by the chin to hold her head steady as she smoothed the cool poultice over the entirety of her eye. Reminding herself to breathe, Areth tried to keep her expression neutral as Leliana's warm breath fanned across her lips.

"The locals seem to appreciate it." The elf managed to choke out. Leliana smiled, and those damn eyes were dancing again.

"I'm just glad I can help. I'll be staying here for the battle tonight."

Areth started at that.

"You're not fighting?" She asked, incredulous. Leliana was too much of a talent with her bow to be sidelined. Leliana laughed, unwinding a long bolt of cloth and tearing it.

"I'll be up on the roof with the other archers." She said, starting to wrap the bandage around Areth's head.

"Oh, okay. Good." Areth said, tapping her boots on the floor. "Would hate for you to have to miss out on the action, is all."

Leliana smiled softly, briefly locking eyes with Areth before turning her gaze back to her work.

"Are you sure it's not because you like having me to watch your back?" She asked. Areth's eyebrows furrowed.

"Are you sure you don't like watching my back?"

Leliana tucked the end of the bandage under itself, her thumb rubbing Areth's cheek firmly to smooth out any bumps. Suddenly, the elf was very aware of her tongue.

"I suppose there are far less pleasant backs to watch, my Warden." She said, distractedly looking over her handiwork. Areth found her words tumbling out of her face before she could stop them.

"So I'm your Warden now, am I?"

Leliana's brilliant blue eyes snapped to Areth, a slight tint coloring her cheeks. Areth held Leliana's gaze, reveling in how very self-conscious it made her feel while also convincing her she was fucking invincible. If that wasn't some kind of magic, Areth wasn't sure what else it possibly could be.

"I mean that in the purest figurative sense, as the way one would say 'my dear'." Leliana said hastily. Areth clucked her tongue, deciding teasing the redhead might be sort of fun.

"Whatever you say, my bard." Areth cooed in reply, earning herself a sharp slap on the knee. Leliana was trying her best to scowl at her, but the creases around her eyes gave her away.

"We have a word for people like you in Orlais." She said, pursing her lips. Areth leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands.

"Do tell."

"You are an absolute grande gueule."

Areth's ears twitched in pleasure as Leliana slipped into her native tongue.

"Do I wanna know what that means?" The elf asked, flashing another grin at the bard, who rolled her eyes.

"You have a loud mouth."

Areth laughed, running a hand through the dark, shaggy hair that wasn't tamped down by the bandage.

"Maybe I can just irritate the darkspawn to death with it, then. It would save us a lot of walking around." She said, sighing. She shook her head. She'd been sitting around long enough and it was starting to make her antsy. Not that she couldn't sit and talk with Leliana all day long, but hopefully there would be time for that after this absolute clusterfuck of a trip was over. She moved to stand up, but was stopped when two warm hands cupped her face gently. In that moment, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. Suddenly, it felt like they were the last two people in Thedas. Leliana was gazing at her with a kind of softness she'd never received from anyone before. Areth fought the urge to lean in, but not before she already had. Just a bit.

"If you do not mind." Leliana said quietly. Areth shook her head minutely, afraid any larger movement would chase the moment away.

"Go on."

"My mother always told me a kiss could cure any ailment. I don't think it will bring your eyesight back, but…" Leliana trailed off, smiling shyly in a way that looked out of place on the somewhat brazen bard. "It is worth a shot, no?"

Areth's ears felt like they would burst into flame, but she managed a smile.

"Not like I have any better ideas." She said, willing her voice not to tremble. Leliana pulled her in close and pressed a kiss just above the bandage, on her forehead. Independently of her body, Areth's hands came to wrap around Leliana's wrists, perhaps in a vain hope that it would keep her there. Too soon, Leliana's warm lips were gone, and the only heat Areth felt was what radiated from her face.

Leliana stood, brushing off her very well-fitting trousers, seemingly back to normal. Areth cleared her throat, standing as well.

"Erm. Thanks." She said awkwardly.

"Anytime." The bard purred.

As she turned to leave, Areth realized something had changed just then. She wasn't sure what, but she was sure she wouldn't stop feeling Leliana's lips on her forehead for a while yet.


The clouds had finally broken over Redcliffe, bathing the village in sunlight. Areth was sitting cross legged in front of a pile of swords, daggers, axes, lances, and the like, sorting through which ones were damaged beyond repair and which ones were decently salvageable. The "shit" pile was beginning to climb a little too high than what would be considered okay, considering the collection of weapons was absolutely pitiful to begin with. Areth sighed as she tossed a cracked hatchet into the ever-growing useless pile. How does someone even crack a hatchet? None of these shemlen looked particularly strong to her. Maybe Sten could do it, provided he whipped the hatchet at a pile of rocks. Rolling her eyes, she moved on to the next. Surprisingly enough, this was enough of something to do to keep her from replaying her moment with Leliana in her head. Sort of. As she reached for a promising-looking dagger, she noticed a pair of armored feet standing beside the pile. Shielding her eye, she looked up to see Bann Teagan standing before her, smiling in a way that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Mind if I help? That's a lot of rusty metal for one person to deal with." He said, kindly enough. Areth shrugged and gestured grandly at the weapons. Maybe the company would distract her even more.

"My gigantic pile of crap is your gigantic pile of crap." She said before examining the dagger. To her mild delight, it was workable. With a quiet clank, Bann Teagan took a seat beside her, though not too close.

"We didn't really get the chance to speak much, earlier." He offered, leaning to pick up a mace. He gave it a thorough once-over before offering it to Areth to inspect. Nodding, she tossed it into the keep pile.

"No, we did not." She replied, not looking up from her task. "Fine village you've got here, though."

"Believe me, it's truly a nice place when the weather is warmer and there are less corpses about."

Areth shook her head.

"So what did you want to talk about? You scampered off with Alistair before I could get a word in edgewise. I feel like I should warn you, he isn't the mastermind leading this outfit."

Bann Teagan laughed. It was a rich sound, and for some reason it made Areth like him a little more.

"Of course he isn't. Alistair is a bright enough fellow, in his own way, but he's never been the leader-sort. Not if he has a choice." The Bann said, tossing something into the garbage pile. "Of course, he doesn't have a choice as of right now. None of us do. Nevertheless, I was looking for a chance to talk to you, given you're the other half of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden."

Areth shrugged, tapping the tip of a stiletto blade experimentally.

"As you can see, I'm all ears."

"Perhaps we could take a walk, Miss Tabris." He said. "I'm afraid I'll go crazy if I sit still for too long right now. It might do well for you to have a lay of the land, as well."

Areth's back creaked in relief as she stood, coming up a head and a half shorter than Teagan.

"Sounds like an utterly brilliant plan to me, Mister Bann."

"Wonderful." He said. "I'll have someone else along to take care of this." He gestured at the pile of weapons. Areth looked at the pile disdainfully.

"You guys really weren't prepared for anything like this, were you?" She asked as they turned to walk towards the lake. Bann Teagan shook his head.

"Why would we need to be?" He sighed, clasping his hands behind his back. She noticed he'd ditched his upper armor, favoring a loose cotton shirt, while his lower half was still heavily plated. She imagined metal armor would get kind of hot under the sun, even if it was a little chilly this time of year. Bann Teagan scratched at the stubble sprouting from his jaw.

"This entire situation is an absolute mess." He said, resigned. "And the mage woman you've brought along with you, what was her name?"

"Morrigan."

Bann Teagan nodded. "We haven't heard anything out of the castle since... it started, but she confirmed my suspicion that magic is behind this."

"And you have no idea how this would have started in the first place?"

The man's mouth stretched into a thin line. "I have an idea. But whether or not I can confirm it will depend on the outcome tonight."

Areth habitually raised her hand to rub at her eye, then lowered it with a frown when she remembered the bandage.

"And you're not going to share your little theory?"

Teagan shook his head slightly. "I don't think it really matters, right now."

Areth shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll just slash indiscriminately at anyone who doesn't look totally alive."

The Bann smiled tightly. "That might be most of us, right now, but you've got the gist of it."

"I'll try my damndest to tell the difference."

The pair came to stop at a small, rocky outcropping over the lake. Areth's stomach started to churn as she realized just how isolated she was with this shem, but she forced her nerves to settle. She'd have to get used to situations like this because apparently this was how diplomacy worked with humans. Lots of strolling and chatter. She fixed her gaze on the horizon. She thought she heard somewhere that there was a tower where all the mages were kept somewhere along Lake Calenhad. She couldn't see it at all, though. She supposed the lake must be very big.

"When I was younger, I always used to come here when I needed to be alone." Bann Teagan suddenly spoke up. "You've never met him, but with a brother like Eamon, I ended up needing time to cool off pretty regularly."

Areth hummed, kicking a pebble into the lake. "Seems an alright place to clear your head."

The redheaded man nodded. "It always worked fine enough for me. Still, I'd never imagined having to come here under circumstances like these."

"The world is falling to hell no matter where you look. The way I figure it," Areth said, shoulders slumping almost imperceptibly, "it's only a matter of time before it happens to us all."

Bann Tegan folded his arms, his brown eyes carrying his gaze far across the lake. "That may be correct. I'd hoped for a more optimistic outcome, but it looks like this is the best we have right now, Miss Tabris."

"It's just Areth."

"Then you may call me Teagan."

The pair stood in silence for a while, both trying to figure out the exact point where their worlds started falling apart. There would be time to talk strategy for a while yet. But for the first time, Areth had found someone who was just as overwhelmed with everything as she was, and she wasn't going to waste an opportunity to wallow. With a Bann, to boot. How far she'd come.

The sun had just reached its zenith and was beginning to crawl down the sky towards the horizon, starting the countdown 'til nightfall. Her stomach churned.

How far, indeed.


Alright, nine chapters deep. I figured a little dash of romance was due :) Hope you all enjoyed. As always, I adore reviews from you lovely folks!