Aedan was always light on his feet. It was an advantage he'd held over Fergus when they were teenagers.
Elissa, however, was always going to be the smallest. The armor she wore was lighter than either of her brothers', and her sword was shorter. It would give her an advantage if she got in close when they were sparring—it would be far less awkward to maneuver her weapon, and it would be easier to dart away when they'd try to retaliate.
As of late, Aedan had adopted a far more aggressive fighting style from his sparring with Zevran. It would help him if a genlock got past his shield and he was eager to try it out. They hadn't run into darkspawn since heading north.
It put Elissa on edge. Lothering was gone; it would only be a matter of time before places like Redcliffe and Gwaren would follow. Aedan had been pushing them hard to reach the Frostbacks. Not only would it get them farther from Denerim, but it would get them closer to the village Genitivi's notes described, and to the dwarves.
Morrigan was gone, scouting ahead in search of the town. She could travel the fastest. It was so simple for her to shift into a bird, and Elissa was still struggling with simple spells. It frustrated her to no end. She felt useless.
"You ready?" Aedan asked.
His hand was on the visor to his helmet. They'd run into a trader travelling north and Aedan had been quick to stock up on any necessities. New blankets, some gloves for anyone who needed them. Bodahn hadn't had much in the way of winter gear, surprisingly, so it was sorely needed.
Elissa had bought socks. That's all she felt she needed anyway. Her hair had always gotten caught in helmets at the worst times, so she figured it was easier and safer to avoid that potential annoyance.
Aedan had disagreed. Both him and Alistair were now outfitted with their own. Sten was not, but only because there wasn't one he found suitable. That had been a strange discussion with the merchant, Elissa was sure.
She settled into a crouch and lifted her shield over her chest. When she nodded, Aedan followed suit, and the clang of his visor locking into place ripped Elissa firmly into the present.
How long had it been since they sparred? Weeks? Months? Elissa couldn't remember. She would be out of practice. She just hoped Aedan would be as unprepared as she was. The majority of their camp had gathered to watch; she had to impress. Even if she didn't beat him—which she expected—she wanted to make it difficult for him.
Aedan had always bested her, no contest. She had always slipped up. One mistake, and Aedan was always ready to take advantage. Elissa was determined to not have another repeat failure.
He paced. Just a few short steps, but he always did that. He said it helped him keep his muscles from locking out early, but Elissa didn't really understand the thought process. She never had that problem.
It was strange to be on the other side of his sword again. It was roughly the same length as her new weapon, if not a little longer, but only one side was sharp. Why he chose such a detriment, Elissa didn't understand, but it did make it good for hacking at things. It just wouldn't be as effective as hers at stabbing.
That was definitely not something she would be utilizing here.
Elissa was loathe to strike first, but it seemed Aedan was as well. Perhaps he was as equally hesitant as she was. Maybe he was worried she'd beat him?
His breath was coming out of his visor steadily until now. She was wrong. He'd sized her up; he was going to attack.
Elissa flexed her grip on her shield, lowered herself another inch as he leapt forward. She ducked and caught the tip of his sword on the top of her shield. There wasn't much resistance when she slapped his blade aside. He moved too quickly for her to realize he'd wanted her to do that—as soon as she was distracted, he drove the dull side of his sword under her arm and towards her ribs. Elissa barely had the time to dance to the side.
"You've gotten slower," Aedan commented.
She dove forward at the same time he did and their swords collided. Before, that would've jarred her into retreating, but she'd gotten stronger over the course of their ventures. It would've been hard not to; darkspawn throwing their entire body weight into every single attack they made was a lot of mass to hold off.
Aedan broke away first, stepping back only to step in again, but again, Elissa skirted away, past his shield, and slapped the flat of her blade off his ribs.
He grunted and shoved her away, but it was enough. She grinned as she settled behind her shield. "You sure about that, brother?"
Aedan didn't waste another second. He came at her again, first stabbing for her thigh, but then feinting to her shoulder. Elissa leaned away. She'd always been more defensive in battle, and at one point, had been interested in changing her fighting style to be a healthier mix of offense and defense. Her size would be an advantage either way—she would be small enough to dodge attacks rather than beat them back, or she would be faster and able to wear her opponent down quickly.
Elissa decided to try the latter. Aedan was an experienced swordsman, so he most likely wouldn't tire any time soon, but she could try. Besides, she wanted to give him a real fight, and just avoiding him wouldn't be as impressive as actually fighting him.
He was sizing her up yet again, looking for any gaps or weaknesses, but it was hard to make any noticeable mistakes these days. Fighting constantly would tend to show you what you did wrong, and if you didn't learn, you'd end up dead.
Elissa was determined to survive the Blight, so that didn't leave her many options.
She moved first this time. He was taller, so instead of trying to slap the side of his head, she went for his knee, and when he adjusted to match, she flicked her wrist up towards his helmet. Aedan was just as quick, though, and caught her sword with his. She immediately disengaged and brought her arm back, aiming under his arm for his stomach. He parried, swung for her chest while she was exposed.
Something in her stomach clenched and threw her backwards in a roll. It was a sinking feeling, one she recognized immediately, and panic set in.
No, no, no, no, no! Not now!
That stupid creature was trying to fight Aedan for her.
Elissa shook her head once in a weak attempt to clear it, but she was still on her knees, and there was no way to communicate to Aedan to stop without losing focus.
He came forward, she was vaguely aware of that much. When he went to strike, to knock her down and force her to yield, Elissa was thrown to her feet. She half expected to black out for the split second it took her to stand, but it was her standing there, not that thing. It was stirring, but it wasn't...it didn't feel threatened, did it?
Time seemed to slow as his sword fell, but not for her. Without thinking, she yanked her sword up to catch his, and as their blades collided, Aedan was moving just as fast as he originally was.
Elissa's eyes flicked to the others—Alistair, Wynne, and Leliana. The mage leaned forward as Elissa was forced to tear her eyes away again. Aedan was trying to pressure her, batter her down and wear her out. She matched him blow for blow, quickening her own pace until he had to throw his shield between them. That caught her off-guard and she retreated a few steps.
Her heart was racing. Every breath was heavy while she tried to slow it, but she felt energized. She could do this for hours and not tire. Hell, she felt like she could run forever. This was effortless.
"That was a neat little trick," Aedan said, gesturing to the ground with his swordpoint, "but I'm still going to win."
"I don't know about that," Elissa retorted, though if it was from confidence or bluster, she didn't know. All she knew was she felt better than she ever had. She felt like she could fight the entire darkspawn horde on her own right now.
She slid back into her crouch as Aedan pulled his helmet off. He was sweating, but Elissa didn't even feel warm. She felt as close to perfect as possible.
"Come on, then," he said, grimacing.
Elissa was happy to oblige. Before, everything that had come with this feeling was blinded by rage and frustration. It hadn't happened many times—she was sure she could count how many on one hand, but she couldn't remember. All she felt now was determination.
This was going to be the first time she beat her brother. Nothing was going to come between her and victory.
Aedan's expression spoke a thousand words. He was focused on every blow, on every parry, every block. He kept up at first, but again, Elissa quickened her pace, pushing herself to her limit and beyond Aedan's. He slipped, just once, but it was enough. Their swords locked and Elissa stepped in first, sliding her blade down the length of his. With a flick of her wrist, her crossguard caught his, and she flung his sword from his grasp.
The tip of her sword came up to his neck and he grinned. Sweat was pouring down his face and he was panting, but he was still grinning.
"I yield."
Only when he admitted defeat did Elissa let herself smile. She dropped her sword to her side, sucked in a huge breath, and passed out.
Her head was pounding and her ears were ringing. Every muscle in her body ached, screamed in protest as she opened her eyes. Her throat was drier than dirt; she could feel it in her lips. She needed water. Luckily enough, her things were close by, and someone had filled her canteen for her.
Water had never tasted so good.
Elissa gulped down every last drop and she was still parched. What the hell was this unquenchable thirst?
She flopped over backwards and let the empty canteen fall beside her. Her chest was heaving. It felt like she'd forgotten how to breathe while she'd been asleep.
No, not asleep. She was unconscious.
What had happened to her? The last thing she could remember, her and Aedan were sparring, and then...what? Had he hit her in the head? No, he wouldn't do that. She had faked it a few times, that much she could remember, and so had he, but they knew better than to try to injure each other. They both needed to be at their peak. If they weren't, then... Elissa didn't want to think about it.
She squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose, praying for relief. Nothing had ever hurt so bad.
There was a rustling outside, and some hushed whispers. It sounded like arguing. Whatever it was, it was too loud, but the next thing Elissa knew, Leliana was poking her head through the tent flaps.
"Oh, good! You're awake."
"Shh," Elissa begged.
Leliana winced and muttered a quick apology. She held something out and inched further inside, saying, "Wynne thinks this might help."
Elissa sat up, reaching forward, and eyed the dark blue liquid suspiciously. "You're kidding."
Leliana shrugged and motioned for her to try.
"Just one sip!" Wynne said. "They're hard to come by."
Elissa looked from Leliana to the vial, and then to Leliana, and back down to the vial. She was skeptical. There was no way. It would be almost impossible. Elissa couldn't use magic. No. This wasn't real.
Leliana rolled her eyes and snatched the vial back, popping the cork out for her.
"That...wasn't what I meant," Elissa mumbled. "Sorry."
"Drink it," Leliana urged.
Another suspicious glance at the bard, and Elissa lifted the flask to her mouth. She hesitated, sniffed once, grimaced in disgust. It smelled like liquid metal. She was supposed to drink it?
Leliana nodded once, as if reading her mind, and Elissa sighed. What did she have to lose?
She put the vial to her lips and let the smallest amount of the potion trickle down her throat, and Maker, did that make a difference. She felt it hit her stomach, but it was working far before then. The thirst was the first thing to go. Her headache followed mere seconds later. There was no ringing in her ears, no fatigue in her body. Elissa didn't feel as good as new, but she felt much, much better.
"Did it help?" Leliana pressed.
Elissa just nodded, handing the disgusting stuff back to her, and Leliana grinned as she left the tent.
