Sorry about the suuuuuper delayed update. My life has been absolutely bananas the past few months, but things have settled and I can get back to working on this regularly. Thanks so much for waiting, and I'll try to update much much sooner than this!
"And so, thanks to the efforts of these Grey Wardens, we will finally be able to enter the castle and reclaim it!" Bann Tegan cried, raising his sword triumphantly.
The people of Redcliffe cheered for the group standing on the steps of the Chantry. It hurt Areth's ears, but she managed to force a smile anyway.
Last night had been an absolute terror. Turns out, walking corpses were far more disturbing than darkspawn, and much harder to kill. Morrigan had just about bitten Alistair's head off for ignoring her warnings before the battle. Although their merry band had only sustained a few bumps and bruises, some of the makeshift militia hadn't been as lucky. Right after the sun rose, they had helped the villagers gather the dead and piled them onto boats. Once the boats were far enough out into the lake, Leliana and the archers she had fought with on the roof last night shot flaming arrows out to the boats, effectively cremating them. According to Alistair, that was how a warrior's funeral was done in these parts. So, the entire morning had been a rather somber affair until now.
"I'm sure our heroes need some rest, so let's let them to it." Bann Teagan said, smiling winsomely at the crowd.
Areth nodded briefly and Alistair gave a little wave before they followed Bann Teagan and their other companions into the Chantry. The relative silence the old building offered was a relief. The creak of the ceiling beams and the scuffle of boots on stone were gentle, calm sounds that set her at ease. Sighing, she threw herself down into a pew, sprawling out across the seat.
"If the Revered Mother saw you, she'd have a fit." Alistair commented, sounding kind of excited about it. He took a seat in the row in front of hers.
"Thanks to us, she's alive." Areth mumbled, closing her eyes. "I'll sit on these long-ass chairs any which way I want."
From under her pew, Ram chuffed in agreement. Areth opened her good eye to smile down at him. He was a very good boy. She rubbed one surprisingly silky ear, and the dog's head lolled into her hand.
Morrigan and Sten had, as usual, wandered off to brood or growl or whatever they did in their free time. Bann Teagan was hunched over a large scroll, maybe a map, his face pinched and drawn. He said they would make their move into the castle today, after they all had a chance to rest for a bit. Areth wished he actually would rest instead of obsessing over every minute detail of his plan. He was making her anxious.
She rested her head against the wool padding of the pew, exhaling slowly. Where Leliana had gotten off to, she didn't know. Areth actually didn't remember her coming in with them at all. She contemplated, briefly, going off to find the woman and forcing her to rest. Knowing the bard, she was probably out rescuing kittens from trees or trying to tickle a dragon to lift its spirits. But she thought better of it. Since their encounter the day previously, Areth had kept enough busy to stay away from Leliana and any thoughts about her. Now they were crashing in, piling up on each other. Areth groaned miserably in her throat as she realized that a nap would not be in her future.
"What's wrong?" Alistair asked, brows knitting together. Areth threw her scarf over her face dejectedly.
"Nothing."
"Doesn't sound like nothing."
Areth took a deep breath in her scarf, still catching a hint of that soap Leliana had been washing it with.
"Been a long night, Alistair." She said, her tone warning him to drop it.
She knew she was acting like a child, but she was wading into foreign waters in regards to these fucking feelings. For a shemlen woman. One she was pretty sure was a fair bit older than her. Who used to be a professional assassin, if her definition of "bard" was correct. It was stupid, stupid, stupid. All of it was fucking stupid. But every time she saw the other woman, her rational, well-rounded thoughts gave way to obsessing over how Leliana moved, how she spoke, even how she smelled. The fact that she was a woman didn't bother Areth much. She'd never seen what the big deal was about boys, but she always nodded along whenever Shianni was going on about whoever she was in love with that week. It kind of stood to reason, at least for her, that girls might have been an option. But Areth only just realized the implications of what that meant. It meant she was lusting after someone she barely knew just as the world was on the verge of ending. It also meant she currently had a terrible headache.
Mercifully, Alistair maintained his silence, the only sounds between them the sound of a blade whisking across wood. Whittling was a hobby of his, she'd learned. He wasn't half bad at it, and she had wondered a few times if selling them would bring a little extra money their way. If they didn't come across some more coin soon, they'd be flat broke by the beginning of winter. Areth was used to going hungry through the colder months, but that was before she was marching for miles daily and had monster blood pumping through her veins.
As if on cue, her stomach gurgled noisily. Alistair turned to her, smiling in that knowing way that made her want to punch him right in the mouth.
"Hungry?"
"No, that's actually elvish for 'stop being so fucking nosey'."
Alistair raised his eyebrows at her.
"I have some jerky left over in my pack, are you sure that's your final answer?"
Areth tried her damn hardest to retain her dignity for about three seconds for her stomach gurgled again. Sighing, she sat up and adjusted her scarf around her neck again.
"Fine."
Alistair clucked at her. "Not without a please."
Areth's jaw slid from side to side as she tried to calm her roiling irritation at the man. Hunger outweighed ego, at the moment, so she grit her teeth.
"Fine, please?"
Alistair absolutely beamed at her and leaned down to rustle through the contents of his pack. Pulling out a hunk of parchment paper, he unwrapped it and handed her a few large strips of meat.
"You know," He began, tearing off a dry piece of meat. "I know this hasn't been easy for you."
"What hasn't been?" Areth snipped back through a mouth full of venison. Alistair looked away for a moment as he chewed.
"The whole Warden thing." He said, his eyes not meeting hers. "I know you didn't want to be a part of any of this. And it got a whole lot worse right after you really joined. I mean, I was brand new compared to the other Wardens. You were literally brand new."
Areth looked down, tearing the jerky and tossing some down to Ram.
"S'okay."
"I'm being serious." Alistair said, his tone matching his words. Areth's eyebrows rose as she continued to focus on tearing her jerky. She knew he was, and that's what was making her so uncomfortable.
"Won't that kill you?"
Alistair sighed and Areth decided to just suck it up and play along, for his sake.
"It's not so awful." She mumbled. "I get to see cool stuff, kind of. Stuff I wouldn't have ever seen living in the Alienage. Maybe I don't see it so well anymore, but y'know."
Alistair chuckled softly, resuming his carving.
"I would have never taken you for an aspiring globetrotter." He remarked. "You know there are humans all over the world, right?"
"I try to not think about it."
"I think you're warming up to us." He jibed. She fought the urge to roll her eyes, but she successfully steered herself out of a lengthy discussion of her feelings, so she held back.
"What makes you say that?" She asked, tossing a hunk of jerky at Ram for him to catch. It was a little game they played.
"You at least pretend to laugh at my jokes, so that's a change."
Areth scoffed, continuing to chew on her last slice of jerky. "Consider that my most charitable service as a Grey Warden." She said through a full mouth. To be honest, Alistair's jokes didn't annoy her nearly as much as they used to. Calling them funny would be a bit of a stretch, but she must have just grown numb to them.
Alistair's lower lip jutted out. "Oh, so I'm just a charity case to you, am I?"
"You're definitely something, Alistair."
The man's broad shoulders shook as he chuckled. "My, I believe that's the nicest thing you've ever said about me."
"Don't hold your breath for more than that." She mumbled, leaning back against the pew. "If you don't mind, I'm going to try and get some sleep before we're elbow-deep in the undead again. You should, too."
Alistair nodded, his face solemn.
"I can see if there's an open cot you can borrow from the infirmary." He offered. Areth shook her head, laying back down and pulling her scarf over her entire face.
"I'm fine right here."
As she drifted off to a brief sleep, Areth's last thoughts were of bright red hair and how nice it was to sleep inside.
A few hours later found the group standing atop Redcliffe's tallest hill beneath the windmill that towered over the now-quiet town. Areth was trying her hardest to follow Teagan's plan for infiltrating the castle as she rubbed the grit from her eyes, but to no avail. She figured Alistair or Leliana would take care of the listening portion of the mission. She was mostly concerned with waking up enough to be able to swing her blades. Ducking her chin under her scarf, she yawned widely. Folding her arms, she leaned back against the brick windmill and decided to give up on the listening part entirely. Her eyes swept across the group that had formed around the Bann. Besides the Wardens' travelling circus, the remaining knights from the castle had volunteered to take part in the mission as well as a handful of the better-trained civilian fighters. All in all, it was a rather impressive group, she had to admit. Although the odds still weren't looking fantastic. She didn't want to imagine last night's fight in closer quarters, but here she was about to traipse on into it. Areth sighed, her gaze settling on the vast expanse of lake to her left. The sun was beginning to set, glinting off the water in a blinding display of red, orange, and deep green.
'Maybe if I stare at it long enough, my good eye will go blind too and I can get a free pass out of this nonsense.' She thought almost jokingly. Almost. Turning her gaze back to the group, she noticed Leliana was staring pointedly at her. Fighting the blush that was beginning to creep across her cheeks, Areth cocked an eyebrow at the other woman.
"Pay attention." Leliana silently mouthed at the elf. Areth ducked her nose under her scarf, half-irritated and half-embarrassed at being caught drifting off. The bard smirked, her cerulean eyes dancing under her thick lashes. Areth rolled her eyes, focusing her attention on Teagan with some difficulty.
"Once you've reached the castle gates, raise the portcullis and Ser Perth and myself will join you with a full company." The red-haired man said, pressing his lips into a thin line. The man looked visibly shaken, yet maintained a veneer of composure. Just barely. Areth felt kind of bad for him. Odds were they'd go into the castle to find nothing but the decayed corpses of his family and a fistful of demons. Her fingers skimmed the hilt of her dirks idly as she steeled herself. She always prided herself on a strong stomach, but if the smell of those walking corpses was anything to go by, the castle would definitely be testing the limits of what she could keep down.
A murmur of assent rose from the assembled parties, and just as Areth started towards Alistair to attempt to piece together what was going on, she saw the man go white as a sheet. Her gaze flicked to Bann Teagan and she noticed, with a violent surge of fear, he looked the same. She followed their gaze to the top of the hill that led to the castle, where a woman was full-on sprinting down the rocky trail. Her bright red hair, once tied in an intricate bun, bounced around her flushed face. However, something about the woman set Areth's heart skittering around her ribcage in terror. It wasn't the gore splattered on her dress or her emaciated appearance that unsettled the elf so much. It was the look of pure terror that was painted on the woman's face. It was the look she saw on elves in the Alienage that had seen their friends or family beaten to death by the city guards. And no good ever came to those who got involved to help.
Teagan, apparently shaken from his reverie, ran to meet the woman just before she made it to the bulk of their group.
"Isolde!" He exclaimed, pulling the woman into a fierce embrace. "How did you-"
The woman pressed her cheek against Teagan's breastplate, her tears flowing freely and steaming up the metal.
"Teagan, it is 'orrible." The woman choked out, her hands balling into fists against the Bann's armor. The woman had a rather powerful Orlesian accent, to Areth's surprise. "Connor, he…"
Teagan's arms wrapped around the woman's shoulders and he pushed her out to arm's length, his gaze steely.
"What of Connor?" He practically growled. The woman flinched, and Alistair placed his hand on Teagan's shoulder.
"Teagan, I don't think that will help the Arlessa tell us what's going on." He said solemnly. The woman turned her gaze to Alistair, her glare dripping with suspicion. Areth stepped a bit closer to her companion.
"And who are you?" She spat. Areth bristled, and found herself unable to hold back.
"Well we just saved your village from being sacked by whatever it is you're keeping up in that castle of yours, so perhaps you ought to show off a bit of that noble courtesy I've always heard so much about."
To her satisfaction, the Arlessa was flushing as bright red as her hair. Teagan was staring at her with an almost mortified expression, and Alistair was trying his hardest to do the same, but she could see there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. Her jaw tensed as the silence stretched on. Suddenly an arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her neatly off the ground.
"If you might excuse us, my lady." Leliana crooned, curtsying just so Areth's boots brushed the ground. "She hasn't had much sleep today, and it sets her in a bad spirit. Rest assured, she is just as much of a terror with her blades as she is with her mouth and will be most helpful when it comes time to infiltrate the castle."
Isolde's nostrils flared as she shot a heated scowl at the elf.
"Yes, you would do well to keep a leash on zat elf of yours, it keeps them well in line."
Areth snarled, jerking around in Leliana's grasp, which only tightened as she practically dragged the Warden into the windmill. In one graceful motion, Leliana flung Areth onto a bale of hay and swung the door closed.
"I'm almost positive you could have handled that more tactfully." The Orlesian woman said, placing her hands on her hips and eyeing her critically. Areth grit her teeth.
"We're here to help, and that's how the bitch greets us?" She growled, her little hands balling into fists. Leliana sighed, shaking her head.
"I'm sure she bears us no ill will, Areth. Maker only knows what has been going on up there this entire time." The bard spoke softly. Areth hissed through her teeth, eyes narrowing.
"Sure she bears you no ill will, but she doesn't seem too fucking fond of elves. Doesn't exactly make me charitable to her cause."
Leliana hummed in the back of her throat.
"You don't need to like her but you must pretend to because, last I checked, we were hoping to have her husband's financial support and militia at our disposal at some point, no?"
"We're only here because Alistair insisted that this would be a fine place to start." Areth said, her voice rising to mirror her increasing frustration with the situation. "I don't have to make nice with anyone here if they're going to treat me like that."
Instinctively, she reached to rub at her bad eye only to have her hand swatted sharply.
"Do not start with that again." Leliana said sternly. Areth rolled her eyes.
"It itches." She protested, but rested her still-taut fist on her thigh.
"Not enough to warrant risking an infection." The redhead sighed, dropping to her knees in front of Areth. The elf felt the tips of her ears redden in an all-too familiar way, and suddenly her frustration at the situation dissipated into an entirely different feeling altogether. Leliana examined her eye briefly, then tutted. Pressing two fingers against Areth's chin, she tilted the elf's head back gently until she found what she deemed a more acceptable angle.
"It certainly is healing… the area around your eye is much less red than it was." Leliana intoned softly. "It's a rather pretty rosy pink now."
Areth swallowed thickly as the pressure of Leliana's fingers under her chin lessened to trace absent-minded patterns against the elf's skin.
"I understand this all must be so frustrating for you." Leliana began, her fingers dancing across Areth's hammering pulse. "Having to play the diplomat when the world is on the brink of ending, it would be maddening, especially to someone who's never had to deal with nobility before. They're... a different sort, I know."
Areth made a small noise in the back of her throat and Leliana's eyes softened into a shimmering, clear blue.
"For today, you only worry about slicing through any monsters we come across." She said, her fingers reaching to stroke a tendril of dark hair out of Areth's bad eye. "Leave the fussy nobles for me to worry about, oui?"
Areth licked her lips and noticed Leliana's eyes dart down to watch the motion. As the bard's eyes lingered, Areth cracked a faint smirk.
"Yeah." She agreed, her clenched fists finally splaying open against her legs. "That sounds like the first decent plan anyone's cooked up this entire fucking trip."
Leliana laughed softly.
"I think we are all doing the best we can, under the circumstances."
"I think you're being a bit too generous, saying that."
The bard looked up at Areth, her blue eyes twinkling. Their noses practically brushed and the elf's throat was in immediate danger of closing up.
"You have the potential to be an amazing leader, ma petite. Perhaps sometimes, it will be very trying for you, but I do not doubt that you could guide us to a better world."
Areth cleared her throat, hoping to distract from the redness pooling at the tips of her ears.
"How d'you figure that?"
Leliana shrugged.
"In my former line of work, I met a great many people, and I had to learn to get to know these people in a very short span of time."
"To kill them."
Leliana shot a flat look at the Warden, who bit her lip apologetically.
"I became an excellent judge of character, is what I intended to say." The redhead continued briskly. "And while you may be rather rough around the edges and a bit of an ass, you are capable of the great things you have been tasked with."
Areth rubbed at the course scar tissue that covered her left cheek, smiling faintly.
"Thank you, Leliana." She said earnestly. The Orlesian woman nodded, reaching around Areth's neck to adjust her scarf.
"Blue suits you nicely." Leliana remarked, finally standing. Immediately, Areth found herself missing the warmth that practically radiated from the other woman.
"It's a good thing I joined the Wardens then, huh?" Areth said, also standing and rolling her shoulders a few times. With a few small pops, she breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought about joining the Denerim Guard once, but their colors were just ghastly."
Leliana let out a tiny chuckle, then lightly tapped a finger against the thin plate covering Areth's chest.
"Good thing, then. That Grey Warden armor could make a girl go weak in the knees."
Areth felt her face flush, and at that moment the windmill's door jarred open violently. Alistair's sandy blonde head poked from around the door.
"Everyone's calm now, yes?" He ventured. Areth spat on the dusty floor, running her gloved hands through her hair.
"The Arless's eyes are in no immediate danger of being skewered, if that's what you're asking." She replied, earning a swift nudge from Leliana. Alistair, however, shot a grin at her that quickly turned sheepish.
"That's so good to hear! Because there's been a tiny change of plans..."
Areth closed her eyes and tilted her head back, expelling a sigh. Reluctantly, she allowed herself to slip back into her leader mode. Dropping her head again, she rested her hands against the hilts of her blades.
"Alright. Break it down for me, then we're going."