Lothering – Twentieth of Pluitanis 9:28 Dragon.

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"She told me that it wasn't me, it was her. That she had no time for us to be together, but I've seen her with other girls!"

"Mmm hmm." Bethany responded in a non-committal tone. She had her chin in her palm and her elbow on the table, staring out at the mass of people who were clearly having a much better time than she was.

At some point during Marian's birthday party she had been accosted by Flora Dawes, who had spent the entire time talking about how her sister had broken up with her. The girl had gone through every range of emotion twice now, and was back on anger for the third time. For the first half an hour Bethany had been sympathetic to the girls' distress, she was, after all, responsible for the ending of the relationship, but after a few hours in this girls' company, she was certain that she's done Marian a favour. Not only that, but it had been eight bloody months since the break-up, seriously, this girl should move on.

She snorted derisively. It wasn't as if she'd moved on either.

"I've even seen her with Allison. She's old!"

"Seen her do what?" She snapped.

"They were talking."

"Just talking?"

"Yes, but Ari doesn't just speak to…"

"Flora!" She shouted, and when she saw tears start to well up in the girls' eyes, softened her tone. "I'm sorry, it's quite late and I'm tired and drunk. I think I'll go home."

"Okay." Flora said sadly, and she left her nursing a mug of ale.

She scanned the barn for her Heart-Breaker of a sister, and when she failed to spot her, she went in search of someone she actually knew, and who wasn't in love with Marian. That narrowed it down to three people, so she walked up to the closest one, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Bethany!" Kynon cried out happily, and leaned in. "You managed to escape then." He nodded to Flora.

"Yes. Thank you for helping me out with that." She smiled sweetly.

"I stay away from crying girls."

"You stay away from most girls."

"What can I say? I prefer outies to innies."

Bethany giggled. "I've read that on many walls."

"I find that it's the easiest way of getting word out." He said, giving her a wink.

She shook her head. "No wonder you and my sister are friends. Speaking of, have you seen her?"

"Last time I saw her she said she was 'Getting some fresh air' and we know what that usually means."

"Thanks." She gave him a small smile, spun on her heel, and left the barn.

The cold hit her as soon as she stepped outside, so she took the shawl she had tied around her waist, and wrapped it over her shoulders. If Marian was with someone, going to look for her would be a bad idea, there was a big difference knowing she spent time with other girls, and seeing her spend time with other girls.

But, she had to know.

She didn't know where she was heading exactly, but at hearing a lot of noise coming from the direction of the oak tree, she walked briskly towards it and saw Carver with his friends, passing around a bottle. "Having fun?" She grinned at the four boys, and the three that weren't related to her immediately started to flatten down their messy hair, and attempt to stand up as straight as possible.

"Have you come to bring some feminine class to our band of 'merry' men?" Bradan asked.

Carver hit the boy in the stomach, and snatched the wine from him as he doubled over. "That's my sister. Don't make me cut off your hands."

She stifled a laugh at her brother's over protectiveness, and patted Bradan on the back. "I'm afraid not, I was just looking for Ree. Have you lot seen her?"

"Uh, I saw her walking Bess home. I don't know how long ago that was." Her brother shrugged.

"Chardon?"

"Do we know another one?" Carver frowned; his eyes became unfocused as he searched his memory to check this.

"No. Right, well, I think I'll just go home then."

Her brother grabbed hold of her and gave her a bear hug. "Okay, be careful. Love you Sis." Carver always got so affectionate when he'd been drinking.

"I will." She said as she ruffled his hair. "Try and keep the noise down when you get home."

"I'll be as QUIET AS A CHANTRY MOUSE!" He yelled, throwing his arms in the air.

She might've laughed at his overly dramatic, and loud statement, if she wasn't too busy legging it. Her dear brother did have a tendency to rile up their neighbours on a regular basis, and when one or more of them came outside in a few seconds to express their displeasure at his volume, she did not want to be around when that happened.

She stopped running as she neared the mill, and noticed Lug sitting outside the door. The hound stood up and wagged his stumpy tail when she walked up to him. "Hey boy." She said quietly, tickling behind his ear. "What are you doing out here?"

He responded in a soft whine, and turned to look at the closed door. Bethany frowned; the Mabari rarely strayed far from his mistress unless ordered to.

She exhaled deeply as she took hold of the handle, and pushed the door open slowly; the main hall was dark, but she could see a light coming from the foreman's office. Lug nudged the back of her legs and she ushered him out with a wave of her hand, "Keep guard, there's a good boy." He did as she asked, and she closed the door behind him.

She couldn't ignore the terrifying thought that the lit room she was tiptoeing towards was going to contain her sister and Bess Chardon in a compromising position, but at the same time, a smaller part of her brain was refusing to acknowledge this possibility.

Please don't be Marian. Please don't be Marian. Please don't be Marian.

As she got closer she could make out a low, rhythmic moan and her stomach began to churn. She reached the half closed doorway and opened it enough to look inside. Half a second was all she needed to see everything she didn't want to see, and she ran, not caring if she was heard or not.

Why did she have to look? It was idiotic. She knew, deep down what she was going to see, and yet she did it anyway. Being stretched on a rack would've been less torturous than what she had witnessed, and she had done it to herself.

It was a blessing that she knew Lothering so well because she could hardly see from her tears, as she made it to the porch, nausea overwhelmed her and she hurriedly changed her direction to the side of the house; emptying the contents of her stomach onto a lettuce patch. Once all the alcohol, food and bile had been so forcefully ejected, she stood up carefully and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. It was only then she noticed the black wolf that frequented their home, standing near the sapling they planted for Father. The animal was bent low, watching something in the shadows, and didn't move as she walked towards it.

"What are you doing?" Ordinarily she didn't speak to animals like they were people, with the exception of Lug, but the creature always seemed to understand what she was saying, so she didn't feel foolish asking the question.

Without breaking the contact with whatever it could see, it simply snarled, and stalked closer to the shadow.

"Please." A voice whispered pleadingly from the darkness.

She crouched down next to the wolf and leaned close to its ear, being careful to touch it, and said, "Keep close." She straightened up and told the voice to come out where she could see them. There was a sound of struggling and a grunt of pain as the person hobbled of the shadow into the moonlight. It was a young woman; her face was covered in deep gashes, and a great deal of, what she presumed was blood.

"Makers Breath!" Bethany murmured as she strode towards her, and waved her hands out when the woman backed away. "Don't be afraid."

"I had no intention of stealing anything."

"Uh. Okay."

"I should take my leave, it seems I have already angered your wolf, and I do not wish to anger you." The young woman said in a strangled voice.

There was a hint of an accent, but the woman was still speaking quietly, so she couldn't tell for certain. "It isn't my wolf, I think it comes from the Wilds, and I can't let you go anywhere, you're badly injured and your clothing looks like they have had better days, you'll freeze to death if you stay outside. Come in, you can have some hot food and I can clean you up and give you some spare clothes. If you still wish to leave, then you'll at least last until morning."

The young woman hesitated before responding. "You are very kind. Thank you. My name is Leliana."

Orlesian. She noted, and immediately thought of Carver and the stolen box. "I'm Bethany." She smiled, and flourished her arm towards the door. "After you."

The wolf snarled again as they began to walk into the house, and she gave it a warning look. "If you're so dead against the idea of me bringing a stranger into my house, then you can always come in too."

She swore that there was an actual moment of indecision in those golden eyes, and she laughed as the animal lifted its head in an aloof manner, and trotted casually over the threshold.

As soon as they were inside she urged the young woman to sit and made a beeline for the pile of wood, placing a few logs onto the smouldering fire, and surreptitiously helping it out with her magic. It was a dangerous thing to do, but she was cold, and even with the current situation, the mental image of Marian with that girl was still playing on her mind, and she didn't have as tight a grasp of her control as usual.

Once the flames began to dance, she placed the kettle over them and turned her attention the young woman, seeing just how severe her injuries were. It wasn't just her face; every inch of skin that was exposed had bruises and cuts, and the tattered clothing she wore was covered in blood.

"Maker." She stared open mouthed for a moment until she noticed the young woman begin to look uncomfortable. "I'm sorry." She said hurriedly, and went to get the bandages ready.

"There's no need to apologise, I know my must look quite the sight."

"Did the wolf do this to you?" She asked. Realising she probably should've found this out before letting the animal into her house.

"No." Leliana chuckled. "She just growled at me. For a wild beast, she certainly seems to be very protective of you."

Bethany looked over to the creature that was watching her from beside the fire, and frowned. "It's a she? I had no idea." She removed the gauze and a cloth from the cupboard and placed it next to the woman, then fetched a bowl and poured some of the now lukewarm water into it. "This'll probably sting." She gave the Orlesian a half smile as she sat in front of her then soaked the material, and gently wiped the dried blood from the woman's face.

Leliana winced a little, but then relaxed. "You were crying." It wasn't a question, just a simple statement.

"I- Yes." She sighed, and put the cloth back into the water to clean it. "I've been drinking."

"If you'd like to talk about it, I am a very good listener." Leliana had clearly seen through her ridiculous statement.

Bethany's brow furrowed deeply. "I don't know you."

"Aren't those the best kinds of people to relieve your burdens to?"

"I'm not sure about that."

The Orlesian leaned in. "I could help."

She laughed mirthlessly at this. "No, I don't think anyone can help."

"Unrequited love, especially in someone so young, can always feel like the end of the world."

She gaped at the woman in surprise. "How did you know that?"

Leliana giggled, and gave her a shrug. "I simply guessed." She removed the damp cloth Bethany was holding, and began washing herself.

"Most people don't immediately go to unrequited love when they've seen someone sobbing."

The Orlesian smiled wickedly. "Very true. But I had pieces of information before I came to my conclusion."

"Such as?"

"I saw two young women enter the mill, and they seemed to be enjoying each others company, and then I saw you shortly after."

She smiled awkwardly at the young woman, and was about to speak when the door opened. Marian's gaze fell to Leliana, then to her sister, and finally to the wolf.

"What's going on?" The older sibling asked.

"I found some strays and I thought I'd bring them in." Bethany answered with a barely concealed snarl.

Her sister strode over to the Orlesian and sucked her teeth in sympathetic pain when she saw the wounds up close. "You are going to need a poultice, or twenty." She said giving Leliana a cocky smile.

Bethany growled. She'd only just left one girl, now she was showing interest in another. "Shouldn't you be at your party?"

"Shouldn't you?"

"I was, but then you left and I didn't see any point in staying, especially as I had to deal with Flora most of the night."

Marian gave her a worried look. "I- I had something to do."

"Something? I think you mean someone." She huffed as she stood up abruptly.

Her sister remained silent.

"Ahhh." The Orlesian said knowingly.

Bethany clenched her jaw. What was it that the young woman thought she knew? "I'm going to get some spare clothes." And she stormed into their bedroom, slamming the door behind her. It was a good job Mother was staying with friends tonight, she wouldn't be happy with what was going on, at all.

Instead of going to her own dresser, she went to Marian's, partly because Leliana was more her sisters build, but mostly it was to piss her sister off. It was very childish, and in reality she had no right to be angry at Marian, but the hurt that she still felt overpowered any sense of reason she might've had. She grabbed the nicest items of clothes, and walked back into the other room to see her sister sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring at the wolf, slowly moving her hand towards it, then pulling away quickly when the animal snapped at her.

She handed the breeches and shirt to the Orlesian without paying her much attention, and went up to the wolf, crouching down so that she was at eye level. "She does that again. Bite her hand off."

"What have I done to upset you?" Marian looked at her with confusion.

"Nothing."

"Could've fooled me."

"Perhaps I am upset, but why do you assume that it's anything to do with you, Sister?"

"Oh!" She heard the surprised sound coming from behind her.

Both sisters' ignored Leliana and Marian put her hands on her hips. "I don't know, maybe because you just told a wild animal to bite me!"

"She doesn't seem that wild to me."

"Urgh! Fine! Don't tell me." Her sister barked, stamping her foot. "I'm going back out."

"Fine. Go."

"I will." And with that, Marian left.

"Damn it." She mumbled to herself, staring at the closed door in front of her.

"It must be hard."

She turned to face Leliana with a blank look. "What must be hard?"

The Orlesians features were soft. "To feel so strongly for her." She said with a timid smile, pointing at where her sister had just exited.

"It isn't like that." Her tone was level, or as level as it could be while her blood drained from her body in fear.

Leliana gave her an understanding nod. "It's not so strange. While I was in Val Royeaux, there were many nobles who married for titles, but bedded their siblings. Many Emperor and Empress' have been born from that kind of relationship."

"Humph." Bethany scoffed. "I'd prefer it if you didn't compare my feelings to nobby Orlesians who want to keep their bloodline 'Pure' Thank you very much."

Leliana raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Well, you and your sister can't exactly have children can you?"

She sighed. There was no point in denying it. How was it that a complete stranger could come into her life so quickly, and figure her out so well? She looked at the clothes the young woman was still clutching and she mentally chided herself. "You can use our room to change, and I'll get you some clean water."

The Orlesian looked slightly disappointed that the discussion seemed to be over, but smiled nevertheless. "I appreciate what you have done for me."

Once Leliana had everything she needed and entered the room, Bethany collapsed onto one of the chairs and put her head in her hands. She had too many thoughts running through her mind, and her head was pounding because of it. What was she going to say to Marian? How was she going to explain to Mother, who was bound to find out, about letting a battered Orlesian woman into their home, and a wolf! She jerked her head up, groaning when it throbbed, and looked over at the creature. It was still watching her, it always watched her. "Do you have an opinion on this mess?"

The animal made a snuffling sound, and it came across as, 'I really don't care'

She chuckled as she eased herself of the chair, and went over to the pot of stew that had been left for them by their mother, and placing her hands around it, she let her magic heat it up. Then she took two small bowls from the stack and ladled a healthy portion into each of them, placing one on the floor in front of the wolf. It sniffed the food a few times before devouring it within seconds; she removed the bowl and put another helping in it, and said, "This is all you're getting."

"That smells absolutely delicious. And your wolf seems to agree." Came a voice behind her.

"I promised you food." She said as she put the dish onto the table, and the young Orlesian jumped into her seat, and ate it just as quickly as the animal.

"Perhaps you should tell her." Leliana smiled as she dropped the spoon into the empty bowl, and rubbed her belly with a satisfied moan.

"I'll consider that if I never want her to speak to me again." After a couple of beats of silence Bethany rubbed the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "That was uncalled for, I'm sorry."

"No. No. I was being rude. It must seem like I know a great deal about you, but you know very little about me. You can ask me anything you wish."

"I think it's obvious what I want to ask."

"Yes." Leliana bent her head solemnly. "I was betrayed by someone I thought loved me. She led certain people to believe that I had committed a crime, and I was punished."

"This," Bethany gestured to the woman's wounds. "was your punishment?"

"Yes."

"I see." She was dubious about the reason, but didn't doubt the punishment. She had seen whip marks before, on elves mostly, and she recognised them on the Orlesians' skin. "I should take you to the Chantry." And when Leliana gave her a quizzical look, she added, "You'll be safe there and it'll be somewhere warm to sleep for the night. The Revered Mother is a kind woman; she'll take good care of you."

"Would she mind that I don't believe in the Maker?"

"Not at all." She smiled.

Once they were ready, she and Leliana left to go to the Chantry, and the wolf ran off as soon as she stepped outside.

"She isn't a gracious guest is she?" The Orlesian chuckled, and rubbed her arms to ward of the cold.

"It doesn't look that way." Bethany answered as she watched the animal disappear into the distance.

They walked in silence until they reached the Chantry, and when they arrived, she turned to the young woman. "You don't need me for this. And you never know, this might end up being something that you needed."

"Thank you for everything. Maybe someday you'll get what you want."

"We live in hope everyday." She nodded, and Leliana took a deep breath as she opened the door, and then she was gone.

She wondered if she would ever see the woman again as she made her way back home, it had certainly been an experience, not necessarily one she would like repeated anytime soon, but it was definitely memorable. Her thoughts were disturbed by Lug bounding up to her and running around in circles. "Someone's happy."

He stopped to bark quietly at her, and then continued to run around. She looked up to see Marian standing just ahead, and she looked sad, Bethany knew that was her doing and she ambled over to her sister, stopping directly in front of her, and without saying a word she pulled her into a tight embrace, then cried.

It was foolish to hope for something so unattainable, but without hope, she was hopeless.

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A/N: I think I'll stop doing the pattern of Lothering then Kirkwall; I'll just be forcing it otherwise.