Yay I'm so proud of this chapter. I really hope you enjoy it. Kudos to all of those who review/subscribe/favorite. There's alot of dalish terms and stuff since I was playing Awakening and I got bored of fighting and since you cant really talk to your companions I decided to read all my codexes and that inspired me to replay the dalish origin ... Oh and my crush... she likes me. I'm not sure if it's the same kind of like but who gives a damn. I'm going to be like Leliana when you tell her you don't like her that way back but she still acts like she's in a relationship with you. lol
The next few days where awkward for the group; Alistair's grief sank into everyone's mood, well except for two. Morrigan was extremely ecstatic off of Alistair's pain and Lenimph was glad to have ridden him from her bed. Leliana knew what the happiness of the other two girls meant and part of her was also very excited but … she was still pondering whether or not she was the same person she was a few days ago. The two outsiders where happily talking to one another when they were traveling as a group on the way to the village of Haven, to retrieve the ashes.
"So why did you leave him? Was he inept as a lover?" Morrigan teased, "I imagine he wasn't experienced being one of those… templars." The elf shook her head. "Well you where smart to leave the fool and I recommend you stay away from that disease the others call love." The elf looked away from Morrigan and mumbled, "I'm already diseased."
"Oh you mean the taint?" Morrigan asked. The elf nodded with a frown and then the witch continued, "I imagine love and the taint are similar in their corruptive qualities, slowly eating you away from the inside." The elf clenched her gut with her hand and let out bitterly almost sarcastically, "They say the taint makes one stronger." Morrigan chuckled, "Some say that about love as well. I think those who taint themselves willingly are foolish, and given the choice I think you wouldn't have become a warden, right?"
"Yes, very much so, this grey warden business was forced upon me. I had to do it to live."
"Then why do the same again if you have the choice." The elf looked away and thought for a second while she heard Leliana in the corner of her ear humming. She hadn't heard a sound from her in days and she took it as a good sign that she was feeling better. The tune, oddly enough was something she usually hummed when they were alone... She turned back to Morrigan and responded, "Love's benefits are much finer then the taint's. Besides one does not choose love, the path to one's heart is picked by the gods." Morrigan shook her head, sighed and walked away from the warden.
They set up camp. Leliana helped cook a hare Ares had chased down and Alistair began to make some kind of soup to go with it. However Alistair quickly told her he did not need to her help. The two bickered for a very short while until Leliana left and sat next to the warden who was lying on her cot playing with Ares. Ares rolled on his back to great Leliana, and she complied by rubbing his chest and playing with his paws. "He's more tolerable since his bath" The bard noted about the dog's smell. The elf nodded and replied, "Yeah he's going to get more baths from now on." The dog whined in response. They went quiet for a while they played with Ares until the warden asked the bard, "Is something wrong?"
"Oh it's nothing why do you ask?"
"You just seem quieter than usual."
" I… I can't get what happened with Marjolaine out of my head" Leliana sobbed…
"Stupid dog…" Alistair murmured from across camp to Zevran before taking a large slurp of the creation he called soup.
"Oh what I would do to be in that dogs position; on the floor between two beautiful women…" The crow commented as they watched the two women talk. "I don't want to sound like an eaves dropper Alistair but… I heard what Lenimph said to you… did she not offer such a proposition to you?" The templar blushed, "I couldn't be with Leliana… she's crazy!" he stuttered struggling to defend himself.
"Oh but Alistair, that's the best kind of woman! I imagine Leliana must be very…" before Zevran could continue his hypothesis he was interrupted by the drunken dwarf.
"Oh sodding shut up elf! Alistair made the right damn decision. That's how them women get to you. They offer a grand sexual display, and what do they do? Go off with another woman into the deep roads!" Ogrhen took a gulp of unknown liquor before continuing. "Well I guess that makes two of us buddy, but at least yours had the decency to tell you to your face. Look at them it's disgusting." Although Ogrhen said it was disgusting an awkward perverted laugh escaped him when he saw the two women hug. Then men were completely oblivious to the pained looked on Leliana's face as the warden comforted her, telling her she was a good person and always would be.
"Say what you want, but I still think that's one of the most beautiful sights I've seen…" the crow smiled.
"Can I have some of that Ogrhen?" Alistair asked seeing the two girls pull apart and Lenimph placing her hand over the bards. The dwarf quickly handed the brew and Alistair took a sip, which was enough to get him quite tipsy. After the liquor kicked in Alistair asked, "You don't think they're intimate do you? What can two women do anyway?" Zevran smiled.
"Sodding hell Alistair! Now that damn elf isn't going to shut up for the whole night."
"You see Alistair… there are many ways to…"
Leliana looked at the Dalish's hand on top of hers and smiled out of delight and relief. Her eyes traveled up from the hand and rested on the elf's neckline, noticing her friend was not wearing her necklace from the joining. In its place were wooden carved beads in various forms of game chasing each other bead to bead. "That's a beautiful necklace." Leliana commented, noticing its craftsmanship, "Why have I never seen you wearing it before?" The elf's hand left the bard's to finger the beads; she looked forward at the fire and voiced indifferently, "It was my mothers."
"Oh." Leliana yawned wondering if it was proper to ask about the elf's parent, but decided to anyway, "What happened to her?" The elf sighed out of frustration. She didn't know much very much about her mother either, other than the story that was told the day she left, forced to become a grey warden. Leliana picked up quickly on her friends aggravation and apologized.
"No it's okay." The elf said objecting the bard's apology, "It's just that I wasn't told much about her. The clan thought knowing the truth would upset me so my guardian Ashalle told me the day I left…" The elf gently groaned before continuing, "My mother and father loved each other but their love was not approved of. One night they sneaked out to spend time with each other… and they were found by city folk and my father was killed by both humans and elves. My mother escaped back to the clan and later realized she was pregnant with me. When I was about a year old she left the clan. I have no memories of her."
Leliana stared blankly at the elf, awed and amazed that the elf seemed so composed. "I envy you." The elf said turning her gaze back to Leliana. "You knew your mother. She cared for you… mine left me…"
"But did Ashalle take good care of you?" Leliana asked quickly not wishing to compare their two experiences.
"Yes she did." The warden smiled, "I guess to her I was her daughter… she would scold me and praise me rotten. I have the same vallaslin markings as her as well."
"Vallaslin?" Leliana pouted obliviously.
"Oh … you shemlen call it blood writing." The elf teased, pointing to her forehead, laughing. Leliana studied the warden's brow; Half of it was dark, and the other light, with a mirrored vine-like pattern, it reminded her of a gate, or night and day, right or wrong. Curious, Leliana asked, "Why do your people mark themselves so?"
"It's a tradition when one comes of age. Each god has a vallaslin symbol, and you meditate on which is suppose to guide your way in life. And then the keeper asks which god and you choose, and they sit you down… it's somewhat painful."
"Which god does yours represent?"
"Mythal, our mother goddess of justice, her touch calmed our father Elgar'nan whose vengeance against his father created the starry sky. There's a whole big story to it, but I am not good at telling tales."
"Oh but it sounds so beautiful and interesting." Leliana pleaded, "You must tell me."
"Your stories are just as beautiful, and interesting. And you tell them well, my tongue is clumsy and I get nervous."
"Oh fine…" Leliana sighed disappointed. The two were quiet for a moment, until Leliana decided she wished to play her lute. The warden watched the bard stretch for her instrument against the ground, too lazy to get up, pointlessly getting covered in dirt. Leliana laughed at her mistake and finally clenched her lute, and turned around to see Lenimph staring yearningly at her. The bard smiled wickedly, "Why are you staring at me, is something on me?" The elf blushed and quickly defended herself, "You're completely covered in dirt, you should have just gotten up."
"Care to wipe me off then?" The bard giggled as the warden eyes went wide and her mouth agape, and glanced the bard over. She was still in her drake scale armor, her chest was sprinkled with earth, and her smile frightened the warden as much as it excited her. She shook her head unable to speak.
"Oh? Too bad I was hoping I could find out if your touch is as soothing as Mythal's" Leliana awkwardly joked. The elf gulped as Leliana sat closer, or at least it seemed closer to the warden. "I think I should go to bed now." The elf stuttered out, standing up.
"Oh but the night is young…"Leliana pleaded disappointed, worried if she went too far.
"I'm sorry I'm just tired."
"Bonne nuit." Leliana cooed in Orlesian.
"Good night Lethallin."
I wish I really did know which tattoo corresponded with which god, but I guess it's better that it's not specified. There doesn't even seem to be a corresponding job to the tattoos. You would think the halla keepers would have the vallaslin of Ghilan'nain (the goddess mother of the halla) but the two halla keepers from the two dalish clan in the game dont have the same markings!!!