We'll Bleed For This Cause

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Chapter 2: Cracked Skull

As a young woman of noble birth, Elissa had been well educated. Reading, writing, diplomacy, horse riding, table manners, hair styling ("You never know when you'll be caught without your lady-in-waiting and appearances can be very important," her mother often informed her), and combat. Combat was a given with an older brother for her childhood role model and a mother who wasn't half bad with a blade herself ("A noble lady's first weapon is her sharp mind, though there are times when a sharp blade is called for and a young woman like yourself should excel at using both," her mother had said right before beating Elissa thoroughly in a spar).

Her combat lessons had always been her guilty pleasure. Even now, in the midst of a battle for her life that was nowhere near similar to the coddled spars she partook in back at Castle Cousland, there was a certain thrill of excitement that ran through her. A run of lucky strikes, ducks and dodges timed so perfectly it was like she was reading her opponent's minds, mistakes on the part of her targets that left them open for a perfect attack. Elissa felt like she was invincible.

But she wasn't invincible, and even the most skilled warrior could fall in battle if they weren't careful.

Her dagger slashed across the throat of the man in front of her but Elissa didn't stop to think about. If she thought about it her rush of excitement would fade and she'd be left with the stark reality that she was murdering these people, and she could not afford to be distracted by that in the middle of a battle. Those dark moral questions could wait for later when her and her companions were sitting safe in their campsite.

Instead she turned to her next opponent, the dagger in her right hand already slashing out. Her attack glanced off her opponent's shield but he wasn't expecting the next blow from her second dagger to follow up so quickly. As her right dagger was deflected she brought her left dagger up under his guard, feeling the blade sink into the soft skin of his side.

She pulled the left dagger free and finished him off by slamming the hilt of the right dagger into his temple. Her opponent dropped to the ground, dead or unconscious Elissa didn't know, and she began the search for her next target.

CRACK.

Pain suddenly exploded in the side of Elissa's head. Her vision blurred for a moment and her legs gave out suddenly, sending her to her knees on the hard ground. She choked on her inhale, struggling to breathe through the sharp pain that throbbed through her head with every heartbeat.

Somehow her battered brain was able to remind her that she was, in fact, still in the middle of a fight, and she rolled quickly to the side. It was a good thing too as half a second later a sword smacked into the ground where she had been moments before.

Alistair is going to kill me for not listening to him, she thought as she used the momentum of her roll to get her feet back under her. At least, that's what she tried to do. Instead she ended up dropping back to one knee when her aching head decided it didn't agree with any kind of fast movement.

Elissa wanted to kick herself for being so stupid, for letting someone sneak up on her. Guess fighting can be it's own distraction, she thought as her vision swam dangerously close to black for a moment.

When it finally cleared it was just in time to see her attacker raising his sword high, ready to bring it down on her head. Elissa raised her daggers, miraculously still in her hands, and crossed them into an 'x' over her head. She managed to catch the man's sword but her arms shook with the effort it took. She knew then she would have to end the fight quickly.

She pushed up and out with the daggers, using all her strength to deflect the sword off to one side. Then, when the man brought up his shield to deflect from the attack he thought she would make, Elissa made her move. Kneeling as she was put her in the perfect position reach behind his legs and pull her daggers across the back of his knees. The man cried out as he dropped to the ground, putting himself and Elissa face to face and at the same height.

With a growl born half of pain and half of determination, Elissa sunk her daggers into either side of the man's neck and sliced backwards. With blood spurting from major arteries he keeled over to the side, for all intents and purposes, dead.

Elissa slowly sat back on her haunches. With the adrenaline fading the pain was coming back again, but this time tenfold. As her eyes wandered over the dead man in front of her they latched on to one detail. On the man's shield, distinctly visible against the silver metal, was bright patch of blood with numerous strands of her hair stuck to it.

She frowned. "Huh."

"Elissa!"

It took her a moment to realize that someone was calling her name and by the time she did look up Leliana was already kneeling in front of her.

The other woman reached out, gently taking Elissa's face in both hands and tilting it down slightly to get a better look at her head. "Oh Elissa, what happened?"

"Is that bone?"

Alistair was suddenly standing at Leliana's side, peering down at what Elissa guessed was a bloody mess. Not that her guess was uninformed however, as a lot of that bloody mess was now dripping down the right side of her face.

"Oh Maker, it is bone. That's horrific. It can't be good, with all the blood and the… the everything. We should really do something."

Elissa slapped out at Alistair's leg with as much strength as she could muster, hitting him until he stopped talking. Words escaped her at that moment but if she could have spoken she would have told him to shut up because 'your descriptions aren't helping and they're making me want to vomit'.

"I have an injury kit with me. Alistair, hold her head still for a moment, please," Leliana said. She began digging around in the deep pockets of her robes while Alistair obediently crouched down behind Elissa and held her head still with gentle hands.

"Is some paste and a bandage going to be enough?" Alistair asked.

"It will have to be," Leliana replied. "Until we can get back to camp there is not much else we can do." The Orlesian woman opened the health poultice jar and scooped a generous amount onto her fingers. "I'm afraid this might hurt," she said to Elissa.

"Wait-" Elissa managed to get out before Leliana slathered the poultice onto her open head wound. The pressure sent an intense stab of pain through Elissa's head and she pulled back sharply, nearly head butting Alistair's nose despite the other man's attempts to hold her still.

"I'm sorry. It's almost done," Leliana said. She pulled a bandage from the injury kit and began wrapping it around Elissa's head.

Elissa flinched every time the bandaged passed over her wound, wishing for the first time ever that she would just pass out from the pain and make this job a whole lot easier for everyone involved. She wasn't that lucky. Instead she raised a shaking hand to her face to wipe away tears that had been steadily falling since Leliana had begun her ministrations.

As Leliana tied off the end of the bandage she turned to Alistair. "I think you should carry her back to camp. On your back, perhaps. I do think we should keep from jostling her around too much," she said.

"Reduced to nothing more than a pony, how wonderful." But he was already moving to help Leliana get Elissa to her feet. They each grabbed her under an arm and slowly guided her up until she was able to stand on her own two feet. She still teetered slightly to the side but Leliana kept a firm hold on her until she was secure on Alistair's back, his arms under her legs and her arms wrapped loosely around his neck.

Elissa let her head drop lightly to his right shoulder, eyes closing as she listened to Leliana collect up their healing items. With all his amour Alistair's shoulder wasn't that comfortable, but Elissa was happy to deal with that rather than attempting to walk back to camp without assistance.

"Sorry," she mumbled once they had begun walking.

"Sorry for getting blood all over me while I carry you back to camp? Happens to the best of us, apology accepted," he said. Elissa couldn't see his face but from his tone she inferred that he was wearing that dumb smile of his as he spoke.

"No. M'sorry for not listening."

"Aaand now you've lost me."

Elissa sighed into his shoulder. "For not listening 'bout being aware. Of surroundings. Opponents."

"Oh, that." Alistair 'hmmed' loudly. "I have to admit, you picked a good time to apologize. There is no way I could turn down someone who looks as pitiful as you do right now."

"Thanks." If her eyes weren't closed Elissa would have rolled them.

"So, apology accepted." There were a few minutes of silence before Alistair began speaking again. "You know, Duncan tried to teach me loads of things," he began, "and yet half of the time the lessons wouldn't really sink in until I'd ignored some piece of advice and ended up in a situation like you did today. I have to admit, never ended up with a cracked skull from those mistakes though."

"'M kinda bad at this."

"You're doing just fine."