"I can't believe that gold-digging shrew of a woman is my sister," Alistair fumed. It had taken Eraian a few days to finally get him to open up and talk about his sister, and while she was happy he finally decided to vent his feelings, She wished it had happened at a different time. They were working their way through the forest and the conversation was making it harder for her to focus on tracking the Dalish. "I mean, is that really the family I've been waiting for all this time?"
Eriana sighed, and put a hand on his arm, "I know this is a hard lesson to learn, Alistair, but since you're going to be the king it's good that you learned it now. Most people are really only out for themselves, and I'm sorry you had to learn this the hard way, but as king, it would be good for you to remember that. When people come to you and ask you for things, remember that most of them have a selfish agenda, you know, personal interests they're looking out for."
Alistair glanced down at her, "Does that include you?"
"Nah, I'm a Grey Warden. There's nothing selfish about us, right? Sacrifice of self for the greater good yada yada yada," she said with a grin. "You need to think about yourself and do what's best for you sometimes, too, Alistair."
He sighed, "I just wanted so much more, you know? I wanted a family, someone who would accept me."
Eriana was silent for a while, trying to imagine what Alistair was going through. She had never known what it was like to fell like she didn't belong; everybody belonged in the ailenage. She had never experienced the loneliness and rejection that many of her companions experienced, and she was suddenly grateful for having lived in such a close-knit community. "Alistair, do you remember what you said at my Joining?" He glanced down at her, confused. "Repeat what you said at the beginning of the ritual."
"Join us brothers and sisters…"
"Yes, that," she said, "join us brothers and sisters. The Grey Wardens are a family, right. We do what a family does; whenever someone is chosen to join our ranks, we accept any and everyone without prejudice. We don't reject people; we make them brothers and sisters. You and Goldanna may share a mother, but you and I share the same blood, the same drive, the same destiny. You don't need her to have a family; you have a family right here. You called me sister the day I joined the Wardens, so that makes you my big brother, right?"
Alistair smiled down at her, "I guess you're right. In a way, you are more family that she could ever be." He rubbed the top of her head with his knuckles in a very brotherly way. "So since I'm your big brother now, I feel that it's my brotherly responsibility to talk to you about your taste in men."
"And as your little sister, I'm going to tell you to hump a nug and mind your own business," she said with a laugh.
Alistair laughed, "Hey, you're the one who made me your brother, now." He threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a quick hug, "I'm just doing what any big brother would do, looking out for you."
"Hey now, cut that out," Zevran shouted from behind them.
"Don't be jealous," Alistair shouted back. "It's just a little brotherly love."
"Yeah, and I'm just a tall, skinny, hairless dwarf," Zevran muttered, causing Eriana to burst out laughing.
"Ah, one big happy family," said Eriana.
"Just stop right there," a voice rang through the forest as a group of armed elves appeared in front of them, weapons drawn, looking very unhappy to see them.
"I think we've found the Dalish," Alistair muttered.
"You know, they could at least pretend to be grateful to us for helping; they don't have to be so arrogant and rude," Eriana muttered as they made their way through Brecilian Forrest. Zevran felt bad for her; she had been so excited about meeting the Dalish Elves, but the experience had been far from pleasant for her. The other elves seemed to recognize his Dalish heritage because they were more polite and accommodating to him, but they were not interested in Eriana at all. Several of them were down-right rude to her face. "If another one of those nughumpers calls me flat ears or says I smell like a shem, I might just let the werewolves have them." She sighed, "I wonder if they would help us against the Blight."
Zevran laughed, "You don't mean that. Think of the fleas. This land already smells of wet dog, you know; that would only make it worse, I'm afraid." Zevran tried to lighten her mood, but he knew that the guards who called her flat ears had struck a nerve with her; he had heard her complain about the smaller shape of her ears before, and he knew it always bothered her. Having the Dalish point it our irked him because he knew how much it annoyed her.
"And for once, I'd like to show up somewhere and have someone say 'You need us to honor our treaties? Of course we will. We'll join you today.' But no, everyone has a favor to ask, a problem I have to solve. Andraste's flaming knickers, why can't anything be easy?"
Ogren laughed behind them, "If it was easy it wouldn't be interesting, kiddo. You have a knack for solving people's problems, you know."
Eriana rolled her eyes, just before Sten spoke up. "The dwarf speaks the truth, Kadan. You have done many things to help us as well as those you recruit. Trouble does seem to find you."
"Just a point of curiosity, Eriana, did you leave all the humans back at the Dalish camp on purpose, just to annoy the Dalish?" Zevran asked.
Eriana laughed, "To tell you the truth, I didn't even realize I had done that, but I wish I had thought of it. It will probably do them good to spend time with some decent humans; they may see that they're not all that bad. And that they don't smell nearly as bad as they seem to think. Humans smell a lot better than it does out here. All I smell out here is halla piss and bear dung. Come on, we need to find a way around that barrier."
The small party managed to maneuver relatively unnoticed through the forest, encountering a few darkspawn and werewolves. They were headed for the barrier, equipped with a special stick from a rhyming oak tree, when the werewolves decided to attack with full force. Eriana dropped back, raining down arrows on them from a distance as Sten and Ogren attacked the beasts head on. Zevran moved through the shadows, attacking from the edges of the melee, keeping an eye both on the enemies before him and Eriana behind him, but he forgot to watch his own flank. He was about to move in on a particularly large werewolf when he heard Eriana shout his name, only to find himself pinned beneath a large brown mass of fur.
As soon as the werewolves attacked, Eriana silently cursed herself for allowing Wynne to remain at camp helping the elves. Carefully, she dropped back and started firing arrows down into the fray, carefully avoiding the men engaged in melee combat with the monsters. They were beginning to thin out the attacking beasts when she noticed a wolf coming out of the bushes behind Zevran. She immediately screamed his name and began firing at it, but it was too late. The wolf was on top of him in a matter of seconds, clawing and biting him. Without a second thought, she dropped her bow and quickly closed the distance them and drove her daggers deep into the wolf's back. It howled in pain as it lashed back at her, forcing her to roll away. Quickly she got to her feet and drew her sword. Iron crossed iron as the as she brought the blades across her body. Spinning around, she knocked the wolf to the ground and plunged her sword into its chest. When the wolf was still at her feet, Eriana ran back to Zevran's side as Sten and Ogren finished off the last of the werewolves. Relief coursed through her when she found that he was breathing and awake. She helped him to slowly sit up and watched as he drank one of Wynne's health potions, the color slowly returning to his face.
"I'm so sorry Zev," Eriana said. "I should have been paying better attention; he got up behind you before I even realized he was there."
Zevran smiled weakly up at her, "Ah, my dear, those lovely eyes cannot focus on everything at once. I should have been paying more attention to my flanks, no?"
"Are you going to be okay, Zev?" Eriana asked as she helped him to his feet.
"Ah yes, I should be just fine. No more than a few cuts and bruises. Nothing to worry about."
Eriana smiled and gave him a quick kiss before going to retrieve her things. As she went to retrieve her sword, the wolf at her feet suddenly lunged at her, sinking his large teeth deep into the exposed skin around her throat. She felt his claws rip through the skin on her arms as his weight propelled them both backward into the ground. Her head slammed against the hard ground and the world around her went black.
Zevran wasn't sure just how long it took them to get back to the Dalish camp, but it felt like it took them days. He felt completely helpless as Sten carried his unconscious Warden back to the camp. The three of them had managed to stop most of her bleeding, but she needed a mages touch and fast. The moment they entered camp, Wynne and Zathrian, the Dalish Keeper began to work on the injured Warden. Slowly, Eriana began to come around, and that was when Zevran truly got scared.
"It burns, Wynne," Eriana moaned as soon as she started to come to. "Please, oh please, make it stop."
"What burns, child? Where are you hurting?" Wynne asked, patiently.
"Everywhere. If feels like there's fire moving through me. Make it stop."
"She is infected," a stern voice said from above them, and they all turned to look at Sten. "She was bitten by one of those things and has been infected with the curse."
After examining her wounds, Zathrian and Wynne confirmed Sten's suspicions; Eriana was indeed infected with the disease that was plaguing the Dalish. Turning to Alistair, Zathrian explained, "She has the curse in her blood now, and it will eventually turn her into a werewolf unless you can bring me the heart of Witherfang. There is nothing that I can do for her, now. Our fate is now her fate."
On hearing this news, Zevran sank down to the ground beside Eriana and began gently stroking her forehead. This was his fault. If she hadn't been so keen to check on him, she would have made sure the wolf was completely dead, and if he would have watched his flank better that cursed wolf would have never gotten near them in the first place. He had brought harm on another woman he cared for; it seemed his destiny in live to hurt those who cared for him. Now, because of him, her destiny was now the same as those of the elves whom she despised so much.
Alistair sighed, turning to Zevran who was still sitting beside the injured elf. "We will save her, Zev, I promise." Zevran didn't say anything; he didn't quite trust his own voice to stay calm, he was too wracked with emotion. His heart was in his stomach as the imagined his beautiful Warden transformed into one of those monsters.
"Zevran," he heard her whisper, and he leaned in close to her, "You have to go with them."
"No, I am not leaving you like this."
"Morrigan and Leliana will take care of me. You know where to go; there's no way Ogren can lead them through the woods quickly enough, the trees all look alike to him, you know. And take Wynne with you too; you will need a healer."
"No, I will not leave you."
She brought her hand up and lightly traced the tattoos on his cheek, "You can't help me here, Zev. You have to guide them; please, it's the only way. They'll never find it without you."
Zevran nodded; he knew she was right. There was nothing he could do but sit and watch her suffer; at least if he was out there, he was doing something to help her. Summoning all the fortitude he could muster, Zevran slowly leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead before he got up to leave. As he lead the group away, Zevran looked back one more time, praying to the Maker that he would be quick enough to save her. As quickly as he could, Zevran lead the small group back through the woods to the barrier. Now all they had left to do was face down a pack of angry werewolves.
It was a grueling task, fighting their way through the ruined temple that the werewolves had barricaded themselves in. The temple itself was full of spiders, walking corpses, and other abominations, but Zevran and Alistair pushed the group through with a single-minded resolve. There would be time to explore later, after a cure had been found. Once they finally made their way into the werewolves lair, however, things became a bit more complicated. The werewolves were indeed infected with a curse, there was no questioning that, but the fact that the clan's Keeper, Zathrian, was the source of the curse shocked Zevran. It seems that he Keeper had cursed the humans years ago, turning them into these beasts, as punishment for murdering his children. Zathrian's hate and need for revenge was bringing suffering on his own people now. The Lady of the Forrest, a strange spirit who seemed to lead the wolves, pleaded with Alistair to bring Zathrian to her so they could negotiate an end to the curse or she would never summon Witherfang, and all the elves, Eriana included, would either die or be turned. Alistair agreed to find the Keeper and bring him in to see if the two could work something out.
As they walked back into the ruin, Zevran nudged Alistair, "You do realize that thing is probably Witherfang, right?"
"What! Why would you think that?"
"Witherfang is the leader of the werewolves, no? She is the leader of the werewolves. She must become Witherfang if we are to get her heart." Zevran was quiet for a moment, "What do you plan to do is Zathrian is unwilling to lift the curse? Do you kill the wolves, force him to compromise?"
"I honestly don't know, Zevran. We have to have a cure, that much is certain." Alistair sighed, "I wish Eriana was here."
Zevran did too.
Every inch of her body was aching. Every movement, every breath sent waves of pain shooting through her body. She was both burning alive and freezing at the same time, as wave upon wave of nausea swept over her. Morrigan had tried to keep her asleep for most of the day by casting sleeping spells on her, but the pain and incessant shaking was keeping her awake. Leliana tried to get her to eat, but she flung the bowl of soup across the camp, feelings of anger and frustration coursing through her. The physical pain was bad enough, but the fury and anger that were surging through her were nearly unbearable.
As the day progressed, Eriana could feel her condition worsen. The burning of the curse flowed constantly through her, causing her to ache constantly, and feelings of hate and anger started to overwhelm her. The only thing that seemed to help keep her grounded was Zevran. Even though he was gone, Eriana felt his presence, and it helped keep her from becoming completely overwhelmed by the anger and hate that was coursing through her. Then, just as the sun began to set, she felt her mind begin to clear and the fire recede from her limbs. Slowly, she sat up to see the injured elves around her doing the same.
"Oh thank the Maker!" Eriana heard an excited squeal just before a blur of red hair ran up to her and wrapped her up in a massive hug. "You're okay and awake and okay."
"And suffocating," Eriana said as she extracted herself from Leliana's embrace. The bard had tears in her eyes as she frantically examined the small elf. Eriana glanced around, expecting to find Alistair or Zevran standing nearby. "Are they not back yet? What happened?"
Leliana shrugged, "I don't know. All of a sudden, everyone just started waking up. Does that mean the curse is broken, like, forever broken?" she asked, looking up at Morrigan and the Dalish healers.
"Tis the likely assumption that the templar actually managed to do something right," Morrigan said with a smile.
"How do you feel, any pain?" Leliana asked.
"I'm good, just really tired," Eriana said, glancing back to the entrance to the forrest.
"Tired," said Shale as she walked up to them, "How could it possibly be tired? Did it not sleep all day? Sigh, I will never understand you squishy, fleshy things."
"Thanks for the concern Shale," said Eriana.
"Get some rest," Leliana said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, "I can wait up for the others." Eriana started to protest, but she was simply too exhausted, so she curled up on the cot and drifted off.
Eriana woke up only once before morning. Sometime after sunset, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and gently lifted her from the cot she had been sleeping on. The warm, musky smell of leather and spices surrounded her as she snuggled up against Zevran's armor as he carried her into an aravel. Gently he laid her down on a bed and climbed in beside her, drawing her close to him. She sighed as he ran his hand up and down her arm. "I knew you could do it, Zev," she whispered into his ear.
"Well, as much as I enjoy scratching and the biting, I couldn't very well have you transforming into a wolf, now could I."
"Um, you're right, that could have been very bad," she said with a quiet laugh before drifting back to sleep listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart.
The early lights of dawn woke Eriana up the next morning. She looked down at Zevran as he lay peacefully beside her. It wasn't often that she got to see him like this, resting, at peace, and worry free. For a moment it was almost as though all the hurt he had suffered through his life had just melted away; he seemed almost innocent as he lay there beside her, the sunlight illuminating the gold in hair. She sighed, he was so beautiful lying there asleep beside her, and she realized, quite suddenly, that she had fallen in love with him. The feeling was no real surprise to her; she had been either ignoring or denying her true feelings for so long, so afraid that she would get burned if she ever admitted how she felt. She wondered for a moment what had changed; then she remembered the look in Zevran's eyes as he left her to go after the werewolves, the fear and worry that he wasn't able to hide. He cared for her; that much was now evident to her. Even if he never said it, she saw it in his eyes as he left her, a part of him loved her too. She smiled to herself as she crept out of the aravel to find something to eat.
Wynne was already up, sitting by the fire, nursing a steaming cup of herbal tea. "Good morning, child," she said, handing Eriana a cup of steaming tea. "Do you feel better this morning? I wasn't able to examine you when we returned."
"Right as rain. So what happened anyway? One second I was writhing in pain and the next I was fine."
"We made a deal. Zathrian and Witherfang sacrificed themselves to end the curse. It actually turned the werewolves back into humans." Eriana nodded her approval; Alistair had done well. Wynne sighed as she walked over to Eriana. "I'm afraid you will have a new scar here where that wolf got a hold of you," she said, examining the bite marks on the elven woman's neck.
Eriana glanced down at her shoulder, "Yeah so what else is new? I have a werewolf bite on my neck, scratches from Flemeth's tail across my back, and countless arrow and sword wounds. I should get Zevran to start tattooing them so I can keep them all straight." She said with a laugh.
Wynne smiled and looked down at the young woman, "About Zevran, I have watched you two for some time, and perhaps I was wrong to chide you so when we first met. There seems to be something special between the two of you." Eriana glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow. "His demeanor changes when he's with you. There is a tenderness to his gaze I've never seen till now."
Eriana smiled, "It's always been there Wynne; you just have to know how to look for it."
Wynne chuckled, "Or perhaps he just let you see it. I know I was harsh in my judgment of you before, and I am sorry."
"Thank you Wynne, that means a lot."
"I was just afraid for you. What you have may not last. Death and duty may part you, but love's worthiness is not diminished because of that. I should have seen that. Instead you learn to cherish each and every moment you have, knowing that each one may be your last."
Eriana glanced back at the aravel where Zevran was still sleeping. "The same could be said for any relationship, you know, Wynne. I guess it is merely more real to us with the blight and the Crows are bearing down on us in such a real way." She turned back to Wynne. "He has had nothing certain in his life, Wynne, and it just breaks my heart to know that. There has been no one that he could count on with any certainty. Can you blame him for being closed off to others?"
"I suppose I never really looked at it that way. I guess his arrogance had me fooled as well. For what it's worth, I think you two have been good for each other. You seem to give him a new purpose while he seems to give you peace amid all this turmoil. And for those of us who are watching, well, it brings joy to these old bones to see you so happy. Though, I can't say the same for your fellow Warden, but he may come around eventually."
Eriana smiled, feeling suddenly warm and content inside. They spent a few days with the Dalish, working out the terms of treaties and exploring the rest of the ruined temple. Their final night culminated in a celebration around the communal fire in the middle of the camp. The Dalish and Leliana told stories and sang songs. Eriana wondered if these elves realized how similar they were to their city-born relatives because as she watched the Dalish celebrate the end of the curse, Eriana couldn't help remembering the festivals in the ailenage and noting how similar the two were. As the evening was winding down, everyone was gathered around the campfire listening to one of Leliana's stories. Eriana was sitting in front of Zevran, an arm wrapped around his leg, her head resting on his knee as he ran his fingers gently through her hair. A melancholy feeling swept over Eriana, and she stealthily slipped away from the campfire. Zevran found her a short time later at the halla enclosure, watching as one of the elegant animals gently nudged its sleeping mate before lying down beside it.
"A copper for your thoughts, mia cara," Zevran said, wrapping his arms around her small waist, resting his head on her shoulder.
"I was just thinking how peaceful and beautiful it was," she said with a sigh. "It's the calm before the storm. We have all of our allies, now. All we have left to do now is…"
"Fight an archdemon," he finished for her. "I thought you would be happy for this to end. I did not think you enjoyed all this traipsing about."
"I don't, it's just, now we fight the Blight. It's like this is our last moment of peace before the gates of the Black City open on us, one final breath before the plunge." She turned around in his arms to face him. "Zevran, if I asked you, would you take me away, right now, away from all of this."
Zevran smiled, "Of course, my dear. We can leave tonight and find another band of Dalish and travel north with them. We could work as mercenaries in the Waking Sea and leave all this Blight business to Alistair. Perhaps we can go to Orlais and disappear into Val Royeaux."
"Hum, that sounds wonderful," Eriana said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "No Crows, no darkspawn, no assassins, well, one assassin, but that one won't be trying to kill me."
"No, he wouldn't; he would be eternally dedicated to your happiness." He put his forehead against hers. "So, do we go tell them that you quit, or do we merely disappear into the night?"
Eriana took a deep breath and looked up into the starry sky. "If only it were that simple," she said sadly.
"Yes, you and your sense of duty bind you to this." He kissed her gently, "Just remember, I am your man, whether it be here or anywhere else in Thedas. I am yours."
"And I am yours; I just wish I could be wholly yours and not pulled a thousand directions by my duty and responsibilities."
"Perhaps one day," he said as she turned back to the halla enclosure. Together, they stood, listening to the celebrating elves in the distance, watching the stars move slowly across the evening sky.
I really wanted Zevran to be the one to get the curse. I guess I'm kind of tired of Eriana being rescued because she isn't weak, but I really wanted this conversation with Wynne in this chapter. I couldn't quite figure out how to work it in if he was the one hurt. Oh, well, such is life and writing, I guess. Hope you enjoy. We head to Denerim next.
P.S. Please let me know what you think!