Alistair's heart filled with hope yet his mind swam with even more questions. He didn't take his eyes off Elissa..."how?"
Zevran gulped.
Alistair them shot daggers towards Zevran "For makers sake" he shouted, before once more looking back at Elissa where his eyes turned soft, his lips quivering "If there's anyway there's still a chance she might live..."his voice turning quiet "tell me".
"The answer appears to be in front of us" Zevran replied, his distant eyes also looking towards Elissa, her body still being cradled in Alistair's arms. He continued "It seems whatever the girl meant, she was fed the poison at a low dose in my guessing...over a period of months causing the body to gradually build up some sort of immunity. If we are in ironic luck...Elissa may be in the same disposition..."
"But she has no pulse! How is that even possible?" Alistair cried.
"You know our Elissa" Zevran smirked "She miraculously survived the Arch Demon, anything is possible, it's just a matter of luck. Besides, I think we should move her off the floor and somewhere more comfortable perhaps? No?
Alistair once again shot daggers at Zevran, but his gaze seemed even more sharper than the last. In one swift movement before anyone else could intervene, particularly Zevran, Alistair swept Elissa into his arms, cradling her fragile body into his frame and gently moved her onto the bed.
Zevran leaned in towards Leliana's face and whispered "What did I do?"
Leliana, on reply raised an eyebrow, and smacked the top of his head, yet only lightly.
"Tssssk..." Zevran winced, as Leliana gleamed back at him.
As soon as Alistair placed Elissa on their bed, he began walking in a rushed rhythm, pacing back and forth. "We need to find out who did this, as soon as possible."
"There were many enemies we and Elissa made during the blight, the amount of corrupt nobles...that would take some time Alistair..." Leliana stated, moving over towards Alistair and stopping him in his tracks as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"It's a start..." Alistair gazed pleadingly into Leliana's eyes. She could see up close how much of an impact Elissa had upon the very foundations of Alistair's life, his soul. He instantly wasn't him self...unsurprisingly...yet there was more to his grief, it's as if he couldn't function properly without Elissa, she was the missing puzzle piece to his soul.
"There may be some leads we can work on..." Zevran interrupted.
Leliana snapped her head towards Zevran, nodding.
"For now Alistair, try to get some rest. We'll start to chase things up." She said, smiling softly back at Alistair, squeezing his hand.
She left Alistair's side and walked over to Zevran, inches away from his lips with her back to Alistair whispering "have any clues?"
"Unfortunately, no..." Zevran said down heartily. "This is very unusual of me not too" his lips turned into a frown.
Zevran looked towards Alistair and Leliana followed suit and turned around, both rogues could see the pain he was in, no matter how hard he tried to mask it and play the strong leading King his position demanded of him.
There Alistair was, crumpled, kneeling by the bedside and grasping Elissa's hand tight and stroking her hair.
"I think we should leave him alone with Elissa, in the meantime...we should investigate. We have to start somewhere." Leliana whispered. Zevran nodded in agreement, looked back towards Elissa and Alistair for a moment, and then walked out quietly with Leliana following behind.
Alistair felt the tears soak through the bed sheets, his weight upon his knees barely carrying him any longer. Who would do such a thing...is what kept running through his mind, until he eventually fell asleep, as he felt the nights breeze aid him into slumber.
The scenery before him changed, he was no longer in his bedroom. In fact, he was staring up at what seemed the...what you could 'ceiling' of his old tent back in the blight.
He blinked, but the same scenery was still there in front of him despite how many times he did indeed blink.
Just then, he felt a weight shift on the right of his chest, and there he looked down towards a sleeping Elissa upon his chest, naked, just like he was. He blushed, for what reason he could not fathom, as they have seen each other naked plenty of times before in nights of passion. He felt his arms move for him, and they started gently stroking Elissa's hair. She murmured, and Alistair felt a pang of guilt within his stomach as he had woken her up. But, that was soon settled as she looked up at him with hooded eyelids, smiling, and then lowering her head down to kiss the smooth planes of his stomach.
Alistair's heart started beating faster, his hands then moved down grazing the small of Elissa's back and grasping her but-cheeks, his hands squeezing both. Her breathing increased in pace, and Alistair gently rolled Elissa off of him onto the bed roll, and gently climbed on top of her.
Elissa smiled devilishly and her eyes narrowed as she whispered "twice in one night?" Before she could say anymore, Alistair pressed his lips to hers. One thing lead to another as you and I could imagine, and after the delightful foreplay, Alistair glided in, with Elissa moaning back in delight. He felt himself ride her faster and faster, with each pounding getting harder and harder into the night...
Leliana and Zevran plodded aimlessly down corridor after corridor, their footsteps getting heavier each time.
"It's got to be someone who despised Elissa during the Blight" Zevran whispered.
"That'll make a start I guess..." Leliana replied. "And to strike her before the wedding and her access to power is the perfect opportunity."
"That is what I feared" Zevran said darkly. "But the poison just makes the culprit that less obvious."
Just then, a strong yet sloppy rhythm of banging sounds emitted from around the corner. Intrigued, Leliana and Zevran looked at each other with arched eyebrows, and both sneaked on their tiptoes towards the sound.
On the count of three, both bard and assassin leapt around the corner out of the shadows, but we're unexpectedly greeted with a sorry sight...
There, was Oghren, failing many numerous attempts of opening one of the guest bedrooms doors. Each time he tried to grasp it's handle, his hand slipped right off as if he had covered them in butter, and his body would then slump right against the door, and then the actions would repeat themselves.
"Looks like someone's had too much to drink..." Zevran chuckled.
'WHA-who's there!?" Oghren slurred, turning around many times like a headless chicken. He then finally laid eyes on Leliana and Zevran, sniggering at his drunken ways. "Damn youuuu...eh elf and um she elf?" He slurred once more, wobbling his finger to Leliana at first and then Zevran...
"No guessing where you've been then is there Oghren?" Leliana bluntly stated, the humour of this spectacle fading away as the image of Elissa's body lying limp within the water flashed through her mind.
"Aye" Oghren muttered as he hung his head low "Can one of you take me back...?"
Zevran and Leliana shot quizzical looks at each other, before Zevran's eyes flashed with a plan "I guess he means his room my dear Leliana." She huffed and rolled her eyes in response. "Take the dwarf back to his room, I'll attempt to break the rather...distressing situation to Arl Eamon, and see if he'd have any clues."
Leliana nodded, yet shot a look to Zevran that said you owe me after this, as he headed down the corridor. Vastly, in the distance, his sharp Elf ears picked up Oghren muttering oh...mentioning his Arlness Eamon...and then it got went out of earshot.