I found this laying around today and realised I had not published it. This character is from my second play-through with Allira jr, who is (obviously) a mage! Maybe I will whip up something else too, we will see. Enjoy!
Before she had even decided what to do, she was running forward. Her breath came rushed and her heart was skipping every other beat when she saw the dark, twisted creatures ahead.
She would not be the silly little mage girl who they have to save in every fight, and look out for. She could be a warrior, like him. She could help; she could defend herself and her companions. The inner monologue hardly stopped when she threw herself down on her knees, sliding the last few paces on her knees to get under the darkspawn line of fire.
Flames burst from her fingertips, making already black skin sizzle and burn. Three were down, clutching their faces and roaring. One more fell, silently, eyes gone and face a bleeding mask of horror. But one still stood, staring at her in something like bewilderment. She fumbled for another spell, for lightning or ice to save her, but the powerful burst of fire had weakened her, and she saw in horror how the flickering lightning spluttered and died. Exhaustion was creeping in, making the edges of her vision turn into shadows. She stared at the darkspawn, practically kneeling at his feet, and he laughed hoarsely, madly and raised his jagged sword. Would she die like this, at least they had to remember how she had defended them. Or perhaps they would only remember her stupidity.
And an axe barreled into he darkspawns' head, cleaving its forehead like a piece of wood and lodging in its brain. It didn't make a sound, body just crumbling in a heap in front of her.
Breath still would not come as it should, heart was thundering in her chest, pumping blood to limbs that were starting to tremble. And then he came.
"Makers breath, you stupid little girl!"
And even though he most often looked at her body as if she wasn't a little girl at all, he dragged her to her feet and shook her. Her teeth rattled in her head, her feet was close to dangling off the ground because his height and strength. When she willed her eyes to look into his, she saw anger and fear all mixed up, as if he didn't know what to feel.
He let go, standing her on her feet again, dragging a hand through his hair and then quickly grabbing her again when he saw how she wobbled on her own.
"Are you hurt?"
Softer now, almost tender. Not the way a Grey Warden would speak to the newest member, but exactly the way she longed for him to speak to her. Mutely, still shaking with exhaustion, cold and fear, she shook her head. She wasn't hurt after all. She just wanted to lay down somewhere warm and sleep.
When she slumped in front of him, he was equally quick to drag her into her arms. Propping her up against his taller and harder frame, he swiftly patted her down for any injuries. When he was satisfied that she was unhurt, he snaked one arm under her knees, and lifted her.
"You fight like a crazy person," he told her in a low, confiding tone of voice. She half heard him with her ears and half felt his voice rumble through his chest. She wanted to sleep so badly, something inside her telling her that she was safe now.
"And you tell me you have been brought up in the Tower, spending all your time in the library? I'm not falling for that one, my pretty, oh no. I swear, you were raised by magical Mabaris. You fight like one anyway."
She had no strength left to chuckle, and as he started to walk, carrying her as if she were just a child, she felt her eyes fall closed.
"You are too thin." She dimly heard him mumble. "Just skin and bones, held together by magic."
She was somewhere warm now, where there was no darkspawn leering at her, and she did not have to prove anything to anyone. But still, she heard his voice, travelling to reach her in her dreams.
"You must stay alive. Because I have no one else. If you leave me, I will be all alone. Please stay."
But she slept, content to be safe and to be someone that mattered, and she did not hear him.
