Chapter 8. Towards Denerim
They had been travelling for almost half a day now. Alistair had arranged for horses, so they did not have to travel by foot any more. Faye kept in the back, behind Sten and next to Leliana. All of them had a horse, even Oghren, who made an impressive performance considering how much ale he ha been drinking last night. Faye could hear him, talking loudly and swearing about the pain in his legs, even though he was in the front next to Alistair and Wynne. The only one missing was Morrigan, who had refused to follow. She wanted no more part in this, and she didn't trust horses.
"Lovely weather today..." Leliana said and looked up against the sky. She rode a white mare, with light brown mane. It suited her perfectly, both of them was just as feminine. "It was such a long time since I rode a horse... I had forgotten how nice it is."
Faye rode a dark brown horse, with even darker spots. Alistair had said something about her having the same wild eyes as Faye, even though Faye soon found out that Alistair had given her the calmest of the horses in case something would happen. "Really?" she said and glanced over at Leliana. Faye hadn't really been paying attention to what she had been saying. Leliana had been talking non stop since they left camp, and Faye couldn't bare herself to concentrate any more. "Maker, we're moving slowly..."She whispered as she tried to look over Sten's side to see how things where going ahead.
"Yes, I didn't travel that much before I left Orlais, and even if I did I could never afford a horse. I like this one though... She's soooo pretty." Leliana smiled and patted her horse on its neck. "Your horse is nice to, I really must remember to thank Alistair for this afterwards. Speaking of Alistair..." Leliana stopped when she realised that Faye didn't listen. "Faye? Are you listening?"
Faye wasn't. She was to busy looking ahead still trying to get what it was that kept them going slow.
"What?" she said and looked at Leliana. "Oh, I'm sorry. You were saying something. About Alistair?" Leliana nodded and smiled. The thing Faye loved about her was that nothing could get her down or at least she didn't show it.
"How are you two getting along? I heard you this morning. Sounded like you felt just fine..." Leliana smiled bigger, looking at her with a teasingly expression. "Sounded like Alistair was feeling just fine as well..."she giggled and looked forward.
"Leliana!" Faye said and laughed, hoping Sten had not heard anything. She wasn't sure that he would get it anyway. "That isn't your business. And you really need to stop lurking around his tent." Faye moistened her lips against each other before she continued. "But we're fine... I am... I'm happy that I am back. I love him for brining me back."
"Liar." Leliana said. The smile on her lips was gone, and the ways he looked at Faye felt as if she saw into her soul. "But I am glad that you are back. I have missed you." Faye smiled at Leliana. She had missed her as well. Faye had never had a lot of girlfriends. She didn't try to befriend girls, at least not the girls at her estate. They were to girly and fragile. And beside, they never seemed to like Faye's rough ways anyway. So when she met Leliana she never thought that she would like her, but to her surprise, Leliana became one of her closest friends. "This is going really slow, no? What about we ride ahead, looking for enemies and so... We are the rouges after all. Isn't that what we should do?"
Faye smiled bigger, nodded and urged her horse to go faster. Following Leliana they moved past Sten, Wynne, Oghren and then finally Alistair. Faye slowed down for a few seconds. "Me and Leliana is just going to check ahead to make sure the rode is clear."she smiled at him, she knew Alistair never would allow it. But then again, she didn't need his approval.
"No, wait.. You don't need to do that. I really would like you to ride in the back. In case you..."Alistair said and shook his head. Faye smiled and hugged the straps with her fingers before she kicked the horse carefully with her heels and went of in gallop together with Leliana.
"Faye!" Alistair shouted after. "I really would like you to stay in the back!"
"Psst, just let the girl go." Oghren mumble. "She deserve it. Almost as much as I deserve a drink after this sodding hell ride."
Faye didn't hear the last of Alistair sentence, not that she cared. The wind in her hair and the sound of the horseshoes against the ground felt freeing. She was in full control, steering the horse through the woods next to the road, it felt like flying. Leliana was up ahead, riding her horse fast. She was a good rider considering that it was such a long time since she had ridden.
For a couple of seconds, Faye closed her eyes and thought about her life before death. She thought about the estate, the forest outside the walls, the cooks children and Aldous boring lessons. She thought about her mother and her father, she thought about her brother and his wife. And then she thought about all those times she had felt the need to leave them. She opened her eyes and squeezed the straps with her fingers. She raced her horse past Leliana and continued on.
And far away in the distance, Denerim“s high walls awaited their arrival.
