Alyssa
Alyssa had checked the other floors before making her way down to the courtyard door. There was no sign of Leliana, and most of the service staff hadn't seen her. The ones that did were able to point Alyssa in the right general direction. She spotted Wynne in one of the hallways. "Have you seen Leliana? Alistair said I needed to find her."
"Yes, she left to the courtyard a few minutes ago, looking upset about something." Wynne noticed the glow in Alyssa's hand and backed up. "Warden, do you know what you are holding?"
"Not really. Alistair handed it to me before ushering me out the door. Is it dangerous?"
"It can be, especially to mages. It's a magic disrupter. Templars have objects and amulets made out of it to protect them from magical attacks." Wynne's lips set in a grim line, "If you're attacked within its radius, you won't be able to heal yourself or use any of your magic."
Alyssa's shoulders sagged, "I'm not surprised. The Arlessa probably has these hidden all over the castle because of Connor."
"Where did Alistair find that?"
"Closet."
There was an awkward pause between them as they stared at the rod. Alyssa was the first to speak. "Courtyard?"
Wynne nodded. "Be careful. If she's still as anxious as I suspect she may be armed."
"I don't doubt it."
The Warden Mage defended the steps into the Redcliffe castle courtyard. Undead bodies were still strewn about, apparently not yet removed by the guards after the battle. When she got to the last step, Alyssa scanned from one side of the courtyard to the other. Arrows lay broken and lifeless in the dusty grass. Swords shattered to pieces littered the pathways. It seemed fitting that the sky was overcast and threatening to storm, adding to the somber reminder of the very recent devastation. If Leliana was here, then she was cloaked in shadows, watching from them safely.
"I get it, you know," Alyssa said out loud. "Magic can be terrifying. I can see that just looking around here. Conner had good intentions, but it let something bad in, and now almost a hundred people are dead." She fiddled with the disrupter. "Wynne said that these 'disrupters,' or whatever, are all over the estate now. It's dampening the magical abilities of all mages within the walls. Explains why I haven't been able to cast effectively. I thought talking to you with one in hand would help." There was still no response. A cold wind blew through the trees, making the naked branches sway and causing a thin whistling sound among the rattling of dying wood. "Leliana," she said, "I'm not sorry for saving us, but I am sorry for how I did it. Mostly, I'm sorry for what I lost with you." No answer. Alyssa rubbed her brow and turned to leave, "Screw it. I tried," she muttered.
Before she reached the first step, Leliana's voice traveled across the courtyard. "Kolgrim promised you power if you destroyed the ashes. Why didn't you?" Whistling from a new gust sounded. Leliana was still hidden.
"Because that would be insane. Because I don't need more power," Alyssa paused and inhaled deeply, letting the breath out in a shudder. "Because I knew you would be devastated and having a chance to redeem what I did was greater than any promise of power." Tears stung her eyes as they had been so often lately. She waited again for Leliana to respond.
The bard stepped out of hiding, eyes red and face wet with tears. Alyssa started to raise her hand with the disrupter, but before she could get her arm halfway, Leliana crashed into her. She hugged the Warden around the neck and cried into her shoulder. "My heart broke any time I remembered what we had. I couldn't get past the fear. It choked me."
"I promise you, on Andraste's grace and all the Maker called holy, I will never reach for that magic again."
Alyssa lost count of how many minutes they spent holding each other. It was only when she heard a man clearing his throat that she stepped out of Leliana's arms.
Alistair was at the bottom of the steps smiling at them.
"If you say 'I told you so,' she's going to have to extract this from various parts of your body," Alyssa held up the dampener and wiggled it at him.
"My lady, I would never," he said.
"By the way, can you tell me next time that I'm holding something this dangerous?"
His smile faded. "I didn't know if you would have agreed, and I wasn't sure Leliana would have listened if you didn't have it with you."
At that, Leliana took the dampener from Alyssa and tossed it gently to Alistair. He caught it easily. "She would have," Leliana said. "I know now that she would have even though…" she paused for a moment. "…even without the dampener, you would have told me the truth, wouldn't you?"
"Always."
Alistair sighed, "This feels bittersweet."
Alyssa looked around the courtyard. For some reason, she expected the weather to change with the reconciliation, but it hadn't. A chill wind picked up again, shredding the grass with its icy temper and blowing the cloth on the corpses, making them almost alive again. Everywhere was brown and grey, colorless and cold. "It's because we're not done yet. Tomorrow is a hard march to Denerim." She swallowed hard. "The Landsmeet means all the nobles will be in attendance." She could feel herself start to shake, knowing that he would be there.
Leliana must have picked up on that. "You're a different person now. And you are not alone. Not this time." She cupped Alyssa's cheek. "We will be ready if needed."
She nodded. "Thanks." She took one last look around the courtyard before rubbing her arms, "Let's get inside. It's depressing out here."
Alistair and Leliana followed her inside, shutting the heavy wooden doors tight behind them.
Zevran
On the ramparts overlooking the courtyard, Zevran was waiting with a loaded crossbow. It was pointed in Leliana's general direction. He was sure that Alyssa couldn't see Leliana from her hiding place, but he could, clear as day. There was something glowing Alyssa's hand. It was distracting but not so much that he lost track of the hidden bard. He would give Leliana one chance, but if there was any flash of blade or arrow, he would fire right into her chest.
Alyssa stopped talking. For a moment, it seemed like no one was willing to make the next move until Leliana finally stepped out of shadow. Zevran adjusted his grip on the crossbow and took aim.
They spoke more. Leliana wiped at her face, probably tears. Alistair appeared on the steps going into the courtyard from the main hall. He wasn't in his armor or carrying a weapon. When the women hugged, Zevran felt the tension leave him. He lowered and unloaded the bow. Until he was sure that they had truly made amends, a poisoned blade would always be within his reach.
