Chapter 45 ā To Denerim
It had been a week since they had been attacked by Marjolaine's men, seven long, paranoia filled, days, and Lyla had not let herself rest. She had taken more watches than all of them, except perhaps Shale who needed no sleep, and she was feeling the effects of it now. However, it was worth it. She was sure now that Leliana was safe, she couldn't trust the others to protect her, to watch out for enemies, or to protect any of them, not as she could. No, her training as a hunter made her the only one capable.
She sat at the top of a tall, lonesome tree just off the road to Denerim and sighed. Creators, she was tired now, she could feel herself dropping off, but her mind raced back to Leliana, her beautiful bard, and she refused rest. Sleep was for the weak, and Lyla was not weak.
The wind howled past the tree, brushing some of the leaves free from their branches and exposing Lyla a bit more to the elements. But it was worth all the hardship, just to keep her vhenan safe, keep her clan safe. Perhaps they would argue that she needn't push herself this far but their opinions held little weight to Lyla, she knew her limits, and she was far from them.
She looked up at the night sky and muttered a quiet prayer to the creators as she stared at the full moon. It was gorgeous tonight, shining brighter than Elgar'nan's rage, and more beautiful than Ghillan'nain's halla. She was not just praying for her clan anymore, tomorrow they would be venturing into the big city, or the enemy's territory as Lyla had begun to think of it.
A city that was home to thousands of humans, and flat-ears, she would rather face the dread wolf himself. Templars, Chantry members, and more hate-filled shemlen than she could imagine and she was voluntarily sneaking in.
She truly had gone mad.
"Lyla?" Alistair's voice called up from the base of the tree, stuttering and shaking as the cold bit him. "It's my turn to take a watch, go get some sleep."
"No," She growled back at him. She would not abandon her post, not now when they were so close to defeating their enemy, Marjolaine.
"Get down here right now and get some sleep, you're going to fall apart if you are not careful." That was a sterner voice, and Lyla would have been shocked to hear it from Alistair. Fortunately, It had been Wynne's voice. She may be a meddling witch, but the old mage knew her stuff, and Lyla was reluctant to ignore her orders.
"Ma nuvenin, Wynne," She sighed. It didn't take long for her to clamber down the tree, its branches were sturdy and she was light. "I've not seen anything suspicious," She addressed them as she landed, "however that doesn't mean we're safe. Constant vigilance, or I will make you pay." With a growl, she left for her tent.
The idea of crawling into a bedroll with Leliana was becoming more and more inviting as she slowly wandered to their shared space. Revas would certainly try to join them, but he would keep them warm, so he wasn't too unwelcome.
She lifted the flap to their tent and smiled to herself at the relaxed look on her bards face. That smile would be forever etched into Lyla's mind, in her darkest hours it would brighten her skies, and keep her grounded when she was too headstrong. Leliana was beautiful, and Lyla was delighted to have her.
Tomorrow would be a long, horrendous day but for now, at this moment, it was all worth it.
-FTDTD-
"We will have to disguise your tattoos," Leliana spoke to both Lyla and Neria. The elves were sitting on a rock that Sten had placed by the smouldering remains of last night's fire, and in the morning light, it shone beautifully. "Zevran was told that one of the wardens was Dalish, and that marks you far too quickly. We can just put a helmet on Alistair to disguise him, but a lithe elf is far too noticeable, especially in full armour. Morrigan has reluctantly let me use her mortar and pestle, and I'm going to cover your face in a powdered elfroot. In Orlais, the women would use this to get a wonderfully pale skin, and it should hide the tattoos adequately.
"Next, we have decided that Sten and Shale will remain behind to protect our camp. They are also far too eye-catching. Neria is going to pose as Wynne's assistant, Alistair as a Templar guarding them. Zevran will sneak himself in, Maker knows how, but you and I will enter together, darling." As she spoke, Leliana got to work. From somewhere, she had produced a small brush. She dipped it into the mortar and began to circle the elf's face with the white powder.
She started to sigh and make strange noises as she did so, Wynne beside her nodding approvingly as she worked on Lyla's face. Lyla felt her body warm as they stared at her and forced herself not to blush, she wasn't used to such intense stares from anyone. Her hands began to fidget in her lap, almost of their own accord, and it was all she could do not to start twirling her ponytail. It was over quicker than she had imagined, however, and Leliana smiled warmly as she placed the brush back into the bowl.
"You look beautiful, Lyla. Though, I'll admit I miss your tattoos already," She reached for the elf's hand, and took it in her own. The other reached down to her pack and produced a small hand mirror. She held it up for Lyla to see herself and the elf couldn't suppress her gasp.
She looked like a da'len, again. All traces of her vallaslin were gone, her pale skin shining through instead. Her eyes went wide as she turned her head from side to side. "Creators, forgive me, this is important. Halam'shivanas." Her face was a monument to her gods, and now she was hiding it from the world. For Leliana though, she would do anything and this was nothing. If the gods haven't abandoned her yet, they could stand this.
Leliana began to work on Neria's face, but she continued speaking to Lyla as she did so, "You, love, will be my bodyguard. I will be an Orlesian noble, visiting for the first time with my Elf guard. Just keep your mouth shut, Lyla, and no one will realise you are Dalish. You have a gorgeous accent, but it's very telling.
"We will all be meeting at The Gnawed Noble, one of the nicer taverns in this country. It is built for the higher-ups of court so an Orleisan noble won't look amiss." The bard finished her work on Neria's face and her face was as covered as Lyla's. It was strange to see, and Lyla felt another pang of guilt as another monument to her gods was hidden.
"And who are these gorgeous delights?" Zevran wore his usual smug grin as he saunter over. "Lyla?" He gasped, "I would never believe it, our beautiful warden, even more so. I can scarcely control myself!" Leliana swatted him away with a giggle, "You are just as wondrous as ever, our beautiful bard, don't feel left out. There is certainly enough of me to go around."
"Oh stop it now, Zev." She pushed him away again as her lilting laugh rang through the still, morning air. "You should be off, you know the plan, yes?"
"Of course I do. Sneaking into a crowded city, I'm shaking with excitement already. Do you think I'll have time to visit the Pearl whilst I wait? Oh, what am I saying, I'll make time. Adios." With a bow and a wink, he backed away from the group, disappearing along the road.
Lyla's eyes followed him for a time before rising slightly and finding the outline of the city on the horizon. IT looked so horrific from afar, she couldn't imagine how bad it would be in person. She shivered as her imagination ran away with her, finding horrific images of thousands of shemlen staring, pointing, and moving toward her. Creators, what was she doing?
"My love, are you ok?" the Orlesian accent of her lover broke her from her nightmares, and she turned to see the rest of the group had left already, leaving her and Leliana on the rock. Alone. "You're looking paler than usual but I'm not sure if it's just the make-up."
"I⦠I'm fine, Leli," She couldn't show weakness now, not when she needed to be Leliana's roots. Marjolaine was waiting for them and Lyla had to be strong enough for the both of them.
"I have your weapons ready, shall we go?" Leliana planted a kiss on the elf's cheek and pulled her to her feet. "Remember, you're my bodyguard, lyla, not my lover."
"As you wish, mistriss," Lyla smirked. The bard slapped her arm but she smiled nonetheless. She helped Lyla clasp her axe and sword to her hips, before lifting the bow over her shoulders. The elf was truly a walking armoury of weapons and it helped her feel safe as they began to walk towards the city.
Author's note
Thank you to everyone that has reviewed my last chapter, I didn't get a chance to thank you all personally.
This story has very nearly reached 38,000 views, only 50 views away. I am so happy, thank you to everyone has read this, even more so if you reviewed/favourited.
Translations
Ma nuvenin ā As you wish
Halam'shivanas ā The sweet sacrifice of duty
