Chapter 46: Okay, Who Saw That Coming?

"I can't know if you don't talk to me!"

"You… just leave me alone"

"Kallian please–"

"Not– forever, I just need some time, alright?"

Leliana hesitated, looking torn. Finally, she nodded, biting her lip as she let Kallian disappear into the trees, a whimpering Scout following after her.

Then she turned, only to find Alistair, Sylvan and me staring at her with wide eyes.

Leliana blushed "Oh. I… did not realize you three… ah, what are the three of you doing here?"

It was Al who gathered himself enough to answer "We were just taking a break from sword practice"

Sylvan nodded enthusiastically, mouth full of the bread and cheese we'd been snacking on.

Leliana cleared her throat "Of course. Do not let me interrupt you from your break. I'm terribly sorry you had to see… that" her voice broke on the last word.

Oh, my poor Leliana.

"Come, sit for a bit" I patted the place on the grass next to me "Have some tea"

My hunt for mint tea was still ongoing, but in the meantime, I'd found a few replacements. Chamomile tea was really nice, especially if you had some milk or honey at hand. Which we didn't, but that was beside the point.

"Oh, I couldn't…"

It took only a bit of cajoling until Leliana made herself comfortable between us.

"Thank you" Leliana took a sip of her tea, visibly making an effort to relax her knotted muscles. She looked conflicted before opening her mouth "I…"

The silence stretched for a few seconds. It was taking her long enough that Al intervened.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to" he gave her a brilliant smile "I know it can be awkward, given our weird love triangle from before"

I chocked on my tea.

"I wouldn't have quiet put it like that, but thank you, Alistair" Leliana chuckled as Sylvan patted my back with his little hand, concern written in his features.

Al, meanwhile, didn't look the least bit ruffled. I really envied his easy-going nature.

I patted Sylvan's head gratefully. Spying his nearly uneaten sandwich, I motioned for him to hand it to me, which he happily did upon understanding my intention.

Leliana sighed "The truth is, I am uncertain of what troubles Kallian, but I do know it has been happening for a long time" she hesitated "It… has to do with why we haven't made our relationship known to the group yet"

Al and I nodded understandingly while I grilled Syl's sandwich with fire magic.

"I worry that…" Leliana bit her lip "Maybe she is ashamed of being seen with me. In Orlais, it isn't very newsworthy, but I know Ferelden does not think very highly of two women being together. And I know Kallian has never been in a relationship with a woman before… what if–" her voice broke "What if she is having second thoughts about us?"

Oh man, poor Leliana.

Kallian and Leliana had been flirting since before our trip to the Brecilian Forest. And I suspected they'd been officially together shortly after, yet they never showed any PDA. I figured they were simply private people. And if it wasn't that, I assumed both of them were perfectly capable of asking for help, should they decide they wanted it.

"It is not as if I wanted to… oh, kiss her in front of the whole bloody camp! I just wanted to hold her hand or, or…" she groaned "forgive me. Truthfully, watching the two of you being such a pair of lovebirds brought back some old arguments"

Pause.

"I don't really think we act like lovebirds, though?" I argued while Alistair nodded his agreement.

Leliana gave a pitiful smile "I don't mean obvious displays of affection. It's the little things. Like how he asked you to heat up his meal and you agreed, all without so much as a word"

I looked down at my hands, which were working on grilling Al's lunch after finishing Syl's. Alistair had handed his sandwich -which was 70% cheese, btw- with a pleading look and I had acquiesced without a single word.

Still, it seemed like a stretch to call it romantic.

"It's not just that" said Leliana, proving once again that the mind-reading ability was real and everybody but me had it "I see you sitting close together, and casually touching each other and constantly whispering and laughing and I couldn't help but mention it to Kallian… oh, and that, too" Leliana pointed at Alistair's face "being all blushy-blushy with each other"

By this point, I wasn't sure if Leliana was praising us or was utterly disgusted by us. I conveniently decided to go with the first option.

FYI, it'd been but a few days since we left the village were the darkspawn invasion had taken place. Al and I had spent a lot of time together since then, but Sylvan was constantly with us, which limited the amount of flirting we could do. Sure, we'd had a couple of escapades here and there -which had been really nice- but I didn't think we got too out there in front of others.

…huh. If Kallian was so against such meagre displays of affection -and I use the phrase lousily-, I guess I could understand why Leliana was so frustrated.

"She doesn't want us to acknowledge our relationship in any way in front of others and won't even tell me why" Leliana repeated in a weak voice.

I tsked to myself. What a mess.

"I'm sorry" said Al, as much at a loss for words as I.

"Yeah, I don't know if there's anything we can do, but we can at least listen" I said, toping off her tea.

Even Sylvan reached over and patted Leliana on the knee. She smiled sadly at him.

"Thanks, you three. I…" Leliana stopped abruptly and blinked "No, you! You can talk to her!"

Alistair and I gave her the crazy look.

He shook his head "Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea"

"Agreed. This sounds like something you should talk with just the two of you"

Leliana pleaded at me, her sky-blue eyes filled with unshed tears "Please? Oh, please do this for me. No, for us. You are Kallian's best friend, are you not? Surely, she'll confide in you… even if it is something she will not trust me with"

Oh boy.

"Come now, I don't think it's a matter of trust. Sometimes people just find it easier to–" I stopped myself as I realized I was walking straight into a trap, but it was too late.

Leliana was suddenly all smiles "Talk to someone with an outsider's perspective? Oh, I could not agree more! Thank you so much for doing this for us"

Damn. She threw me off with the best friend bit.

I wiggled a finger at her "Nuh-uh, I didn't say I'd be doing it. Kallian outright said she wanted to be alone"

The next few minutes were a useless back and for in which we all knew I would lose. Not because she made better arguments, mind you. But because Leliana is a persistent jerk.

"Just try it out, I promise not to insist if she turns you away"

"Good luck!"

I gave Alistair the stink eye. He was regarding the situation with way more amusement than it warranted.

"Good luck Mam– Maya"

I stopped mid-step.

The only sound I could hear was Sylvan as he munched on his lunch, whether in an attempt to cover up what he almost said or not, I didn't know.

I took a breath and looked over my shoulder with a smile "Thanks, Syl"

I caught Al's eye before turning back around. The pained look he sported made it obvious I had not imagined Sylvan's slip up.

Suddenly talking to Kallian about her love problems didn't seem so daunting.

"Hey"

Kallian looked up at my soft greeting. She was sitting on the ground next to a fallen tree, one arm around Scout, who sat next to her. Her eyes were puffy.

"Hi"

Okay, she didn't tell me to get lost. Good start.

"Can I sit?" I pointed at the space next to her.

Kallian nodded, and I made myself comfortable after patting Scout as I passed by him.

And then, I waited.

If there was something I was good at, it was tolerating uncomfortable silences. I can't count all the times a patient has played the waiting game with me, expecting me to break first. With the years, I'd grown adept at outwaiting people.

Besides, I charged by the hour, so.

Anyway, that meant Kallian couldn't take it anymore way before I began sweating.

"You're here to ask about what happened with Leliana, aren't you? She sent you"

Alrighty, right to the point.

"Yup. If you want to tell me about it, I'm all ears"

Kallian gave me a side-ways look "And if I don't?"

"I'll hang you by your feet and tickle you until you tell me what I want to know"

Pfft!

Despite her efforts, she couldn't hide the puff of laughter from slipping past her lips.

I grinned at her "Obviously I can't make you share if you don't want to. But if you do, I'm told I'm a pretty good listener, so…"

She pouted at me "Will you report to her if I tell you?"

I thought about it, then shook my head.

"No. She all but shoved me in your direction without thinking things through. That you would ask me not to tell her should have occurred to her" I rested my chin on the palm of my hand and gave her a sly smile "But I might suggest you talk to her"

I left the invitation hanging. Kallian mulled it over. The atmosphere around her was already a little less heavy, and after a few seconds, she buried her face in Scouts hair and began to speak.

"Leliana probably told you I don't want others to know about… us. And that I haven't told her why" I made a noise confirming her words and she continued "You know I've lived my whole life in the Alienage, right? Before I became a Grey Warden, I spent my time surrounded by elves. Every human I met was someone I would've stabbed if that hadn't meant more trouble for me and mine"

Kallian peeked at me with one eye, and I very carefully didn't let my confusion show. It sounded like she couldn't bring herself to trust humans. That didn't make a lot of sense. Not once had I seen Kallian displaying any sort of… apprehensiveness towards humans. Even though she had every right to doubt us, given her history with humankind.

"I know how most humans see us. Not just here in Ferelden. Everywhere in Thedas we are considered inferior" Kallian turned to me fully, her expression both pained and furious "They are wrong. I know they are. And yet… Leliana…"

Her voice broke. When she didn't go on, I prompted her "I'm just asking to confirm, but you don't think Leliana has those kinds of thoughts too… right?"

"No! No… but if we are seen together…" she looked at me with tearful eyes "Maya what do I do if someone does something to her because she's with me?"

Ah. She wasn't worried about how Leliana would react, but about how she would be affected by others judgement on her lover.

Kallian slumped her head against a whimpering Scout "Ugh! I wish I could just beat up every idiot who bothers her"

Aww, that was sweet. In a very violent way.

I bent my head, trying to catch her eye "Well, why don't you?"

"Ha ha. You are so not helpful"

"No, seriously. If anyone takes issue with who Leliana chooses to be with, the matter is 100% personal. Why should you not get involved?"

A second passed. Then two. Then…

Kallian peeked at me again "…Really?"

I shrugged "Might wanna talk it over with Leliana first, but yeah, sure. I'm not saying you necessarily need to blindly beat the crap out of them, but if they stick their noses in your business? I say go ahead and boink them in their ugly snouts. You've got the skills to back it up, anyway"

Kallian chuckled "That sounds nice. Though I'm not sure it would work every time"

I poked her on the cheek until raised her head "The good news is, when this trip to hell is over, you'll be the Warden who ended the Blight. Not many people would dare say you aren't good enough. And more importantly, I'd wager Leliana would want to be with you even if the whole world mocks her for it. She's romantic like that"

Kallian sniffed "You think so?" I looked at her meaningfully until she got the message and sighed "I'll… try to talk to her. Later"

Well, matters like these rarely got solved with only one conversation. So I took a page out of Sylvan's book. I reached over and patted her on the head.

"Good girl"

"We will take good care of him. Please, be at ease"

A chill traveled down my spine despite the reassuring words.

Lanaya's expression was not unkind. Whether she understood how much I cared for Sylvan or not, she would take care of him all the same.

"He comes at a good time. We just lost two children. One to sickness, and the other to another clan, as he awakened as a mage and the position of my first is already occupied. The clan will be happy to care for Sylvan"

Lanaya had been nice enough to meet us half-way to the Dalish camp, and now she was saying all the right things, yet I couldn't help but feel cold inside.

My eyes went to Sylvan, who was standing next to his new Keeper. The kid was carrying everything he owned in a bag Zevran had gotten for him on the way. He wasn't crying, not even a pout on his serious face.

Yet, he wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Take care, Sylvan. Don't forget to keep up your sword training"

Al ruffled the boy's hair, finally letting Sylvan go enough for him to nod back.

"I am sure you will do nicely in the clan. You have quiet the charm, little man"

"Everything you've lived until now is experience. Don't forget what you've learned. You'll grow up into a fine hunter"

"Keep practicing the technic I showed you. It will be useful. Probably"

"A boy's journey into manhood is a delicate affair. You would do well to keep your eyes open for what comes next"

Somehow, it seemed like everyone had something to say as a last farewell to Sylvan. I hadn't realized how close he'd gotten to the party members until now, but apparently, he'd manage to share some time with everyone of us. Even Sandal saw him off at the forest entrance with an 'Enchantment' and gave him a Grandmaster rune of something.

"It's time to go" Kallian's kind voice reminded me.

I looked at Sylvan one last time, feeling the urge to wrap my arms around his small frame.

"Bye bye, Sylvan. I wish you nothing but happiness" I said instead, feeling completely out of place.

The kid nodded again, his eyes resting somewhere to my left "You too… thank you, Maya"

Taking that as her cue, Lanaya placed her hand on Sylvan's shoulder and steered him away from us.

I stood there watching them go. At one point, Sylvan stopped walking, and my heart did a little jump in my chest.

He didn't turn around, though. After what seemed like a solid minute, he took a deep breath and kept going, without looking back.

The several days where rough. It didn't help that some of our none-perishable provisions had disappeared since a while ago. We could hunt wherever we went, but it still meant we'd have to make a pit stop at a town as soon as we could. I tried not to let my mood show, but I had a nagging feeling the others were on to me.

"I say, Bella. If you were going to take it so hard, perhaps you shouldn't have parted with that delightful boy, yes?"

I was almost sure.

"I had initially thought you would keep him…" said Leliana, the question implicit.

A sharp pain struck my chest, and I cringed. I didn't want to talk about it.

"…alright, that's enough chatter. Keep your eyes and ears open. We are almost there"

We'd been walking the woods for hours, and it all looked the same to me, but Kallian must remember coming here before, given the certainty in her voice.

We followed her directions, each of us at the ready should anything jump on us. That's why I noticed Alistair's eyes on me. He gave me an understanding look.

'Talk later?' he mouthed.

I held my breath, exhaled in an attempt to let go off the tension, then nodded once. Al nodded back, shooting me a small smile before putting his game face on.

I followed suit, setting my sustainables in place should anything go wrong.

That's when I saw it. An old cottage; hunched over in the middle of a clearing.

Flemeth's hut.

"And so, you return"

Much like the first game, Flemeth had her old crone appearance on. Her clothes were in rags, her hair was a sore mess and even from a distance, I could tell she hadn't bathed in a while. And my hygiene standards had dropped dramatically ever since I started my life on the road.

"Lovely Morrigan has at last found someone willing to dance to her tune. Such enchanting music she plays, wouldn't you say?"

Kallian leveled her with a stare, which was impressive considering she knew Flemeth could turn into a dragon "I should dance to your tune, instead?"

I tuned out the conversation as I studied Flemeth. Yes, she appeared haggard, but if I looked past the grime and wrinkles, I could see sharp angles, high cheekbones, and an elegant nose. The type of lady I would expect to see in a big screen. The image of Meryl Streep changing from crazy old lady into a suave witch from Into the Woods came to mind.

If they ever make movies out of the games, they have to cast her as Flemeth.

"…tell her I am slain"

"Sounds good, let's do that"

Flemeth chuckled "I expected some resistance. Good. I like clever children"

Flemeth swept her unnerving gaze, not unlike her daughter's, over us, one by one, until she landed on me. Her eyes took on a speculative tint, which after a moment turn to realization. Her eyes shone in a telltale magic way.

Then she threw her head back and let out a maniacal cackle.

"You! I should have known! But who knew, really, that you would end up in the same group as the Warden and my daughter" she chortled.

I gaped.

I wasn't the only one, either.

"Maya you know her?" Kallian's eyes were wide.

I shook my head vehemently.

"Oh, but you do know me. Or, you know of me, don't you, traveler?"

My jaw hit the floor "No! You know about that?"

"Know! I was the one who pulled you through, foolish girl"

What!

"You made the sacrifices"

Zevran's voice came from afar. I looked around, and sure enough, he was standing a few paces away, all bristled over, none of his usual easy demeanor in sight.

I frowned. Had he ever reacted to Flemeth like that? I didn't remember any interactions between them… ah, could he possible sense her alter ego? Because he was an elf?

Despite his uncharacteristic seriousness, Flemeth only laughed harder.

"Did I? Have you decided already? Perhaps I did, or perhaps I will"

"Is she not making sense to anyone, or just me?"

I ignored Alistair in favor of untangling whatever was happening here.

Kallian sighed loudly "Maya, what is going on?"

"Hang on, I'm untangling"

"What?"

I snapped my fingers "Okay! I don't think she's behind the ritual. Or the sacrifices. Because why would she summon me all the way to this world only to let me go on my own, possibly getting myself killed out there?" I looked at Flemeth with some difficulty "Am I close?"

"She must know about this ritual, however. She is claiming she was there when you arrived"

I pointed at Duran, silently agreeing with his observation. I waited to see if he had any more to add, but when I looked back, he was already distracted. By a butterfly fluttering past him.

A BUTTERFLY.

Where's the ADD medication when you needed it?

Flemeth finally calmed down enough to answer our questions.

"It is as you say, girl. I am not responsible from snatching you from your world. And it is as the dwarf says. I was there, when you got ripped into the Fade. It was I who finished pulling you through after they left; their job unfinished"

They?!

Wait, wait. I did think Flemeth could shed some light to my situation, but she actually had all the answers?

"And so?" Leliana got us back on track "who are 'they', exactly?"

We all looked at her expectantly. My heart was beating so fast I was sure Kallian could hear it from where she was.

Flemeth opened her mouth slowly.

Finally. I would finally get my answers.

"That, I don't know"

There was a second of silence. Someone let out a sound like the wail of a dying animal. It might have been me.

Well, shit.

Would you belive I've had all but the last part of this chapter done since last month? I just hit a stump with how the encounter with Flemeth should go. In the end I wrote the first half and decided it was time to upload the chapter. Hopefully the second part will be easier to write.

By the way, which actress do you think would make a good Flemeth?

Thanks for reading!