Chapter 47: Healing

Delia cheerfully took care of the ill elves, and even Galien seemed to brighten as she tended to him. Lanaya couldn't help but notice that Delia's friendly disposition was working its charms on her clan mates, and it made her happy to know that there were indeed good humans in the world. She didn't think there was one member of the clan who hadn't had a bad experience with a human, and it was refreshing to have one as gracious as Delia among them.

Lanaya found her own mind to be troubled. Zathrian was missing. The keeper was not one to wander away from the clan, and she wanted his comforting presence desperately. What should she do with Garalda? In all her years, Lanaya had never known one of her own clan to attempt a murder. She knew that hatred for humans ran deep among them, but even though she knew humans had been killed in the past by members of the clan, there were always reasons. The humans had always attacked the elves first, and their deaths had been simply a defensive measure. Delia had not given the elves any reason to attack her. As a matter of fact, she was still aiding the elves despite the poor treatment she had received from many of them.

It was obvious to Lanaya the deep respect the human had for the elves. She was truly interested in their lore, even sharing information she had learned of elves from other lands. It was refreshing to have a human holding their culture in such esteem. And then there was Delia's friend, the elf from Antiva. Zevran was highly respected by Delia, and Lanaya could see the respect was mutual. Delia had told Lanaya briefly about Zevran's life, and the fact that she was helping him to be free touched Lanaya's heart.

Zevran himself was a puzzle. He was incredibly handsome, and his accent made him quite… intriguing. Lanaya found she was glancing at him quite a bit, and was embarrassed when he caught her stare and winked at her. She wished the wardens would stay with her clan longer, if only to have the opportunity to get to know the Antivan better. Quietly sighing to herself, she tried to concentrate on her potions. It proved to be extra difficult when she suddenly felt someone's warm breath on her neck.

"Ah, my dear, you seem to be tense. Perhaps an Antivan massage would help you to relax." Zevran put his hands on her shoulders, his touch giving her a feeling much like a jolt of lightning.

Lanaya eased out of his grasp and turned to face him. Smiling shyly, she responded, "Um… perhaps later. Right now I have to attend to my friends."

He smiled luridly and when he spoke, it almost sounded like a purr. "As you wish, emma lath."

Delia walked over to Lanaya and elbowed her gently. "Beware of Zev; he can charm the pants off an ogre." She chuckled, earning a frown from Zevran.

"You make that sound like a bad thing, my dear Delia. Of course, there is no possible to reason to wish for such a thing from an ogre. As for the same from you," he purred into Lanaya's ear, "I could think of many reasons…"

Delia playfully hit him on his arm. "Down, Zev let her finish her work." As she laughed at him, Lanaya chuckled softly.

"Perhaps we could… talk… later, Zevran. I would very much like to learn more about you." She smiled shyly.

She walked back to the circle of cots with Zevran's eyes following her every movement.

"I see Lanaya has captured your interest?" Delia teased.

"I must say, she is quite an interesting woman, mi hermana. She is strong and resourceful, much like you." He smiled warmly at her. "Perhaps I can learn something from my time here."

"'Mi hermana.' I like that." Delia gave Zevran a warm hug. "I hope everything works out as you would like, mi hermano."

Delia walked back to help with the healing poultices and before long she and Lanaya finished tending to everyone. She excused herself, deciding to go back to her own tent for a while. As she walked to her group's campfire, she laughed to herself thinking of the pile of socks she noticed when she had woken that morning. Alistair had taken her offer to darn his socks seriously, and left nearly every sock he owned for her to restore. When she arrived at her tent and looked closely at the threadbare socks she laughed aloud. Alistair certainly was a lucky man – she certainly wouldn't do this much work for just anyone!

Before she started working on his repairs, she decided to listen to the growls of her stomach first. She walked out to the fire to find whatever Sten had cooked for their lunch. It seemed he had been learning from the elves as well, as he had made a delicious stew with some sweet pancakes cooked on a hot, flat rock. Delia ladled a portion of stew and walked over to where Trent sat, cleaning his armor.

She sat with him and they talked at length about the morning's events. Trent was amused to hear about Zevran's flirtatious behavior with Lanaya, and was happy that the impish elf had recovered and was back to normal. After Delia finished her meal, she brought her sewing out to work next to her father. He raised his eyebrow when he saw her mending men's socks, but she just shrugged her shoulders and laughed. They worked on their respective tasks until midafternoon when Delia excused herself to return to aid Lanaya.

When she arrived at Lanaya's aravel, the elf had an astounded look on her face.

"Delia, come with me. You have to see this with your own eyes."

Delia followed Lanaya to the makeshift infirmary. What she saw amazed her. Every elf was sitting up and looked healthy! Galien stood when he saw her and walked over to her, smiling.

"You did it! You healed us all!" He tentatively reached out and hugged her gently. "Delia, I can't think of you as a shemlen anymore. To me, you are as Dalish as I am."

Delia blushed. "I… thank you, Galien, but I cannot take the credit for this. All I did was help slow the pace of the curse – my friends must have found a way to break it." She looked at Lanaya and smiled broadly. "Perhaps that means they will be returning soon!"

Lanaya looked around at her people. "I believe we should plan a celebration. If you are all feeling well enough, I would like you to begin the preparations for a feast." She turned to Delia, "Tonight we shall have rest and exchange stories. Tomorrow we will gather our finest offerings to thank the Creators for their mercies and celebrate our good fortune."

Once the sun was gone for the night, the elves and Delia's companions gathered at the main campfire. Before the storyteller started to tell his tales, he took Delia aside to speak to her.

"My friend, I cannot apologize enough for Garalda's actions. I only hope you can find forgiveness for my clan."

Delia put her hand softly on his arm. "Sarel, Garalda's actions were hers and hers alone. I cannot blame anyone else here in the clan, and I understand that she did this out of her own pain. She must be responsible for her crime, but that doesn't mean that I can't have compassion for her. I hope she will learn that we actually have much in common, as I lost my family to malicious humans, just as she lost her sister and you your wife."

Sarel's eyes showed his pain. "How did you know? I don't remember telling you about Lerala."

"No, you didn't tell me, but Garalda told me how you found her. I can only imagine your pain, my friend. It must have been horrible for you."

He nodded sadly. "Yes, it was the worst time of my life. It took a long time for me to believe the Creators wanted me to live without her. Garalda never healed, and refused to accept when I was ready to move on with my life. Any time I tried to pursue another bonding Garalda would somehow interfere. Unfortunately, I believe this was simply another one of those times." He sighed, but looked at Delia with empathy. "And how did you lose your family? Forgive me if I am too forward…"

She held her hand up to stay his words. "No, I have no reason not to tell you. Warden Aeden's family and mine were very close, and I was visiting at his home along with my mother and brother. His father was betrayed by a very close friend, who took advantage of the Teryn's men being away from the castle to fight the battle at Ostagar. This… man… used the opportunity to send his own troops into the castle to kill everyone within. The Teryn, his wife, daughter in law and grandson, my mother and brother, as well as everyone else within the walls were systematically killed. Aeden and I escaped with the help of the Commander of the Grey Wardens, which is how we were both aligned with them."

Sarel's face reflected his understanding. "You have indeed suffered as we have. You have my deepest sympathy. Now I understand why you seem to grasp our lot in life far more than any other human." He smiled sadly at her. "In a way, we are cut from the same cloth. You have taught me a great deal, Delia. Know that you will always be a trusted friend here."

"Ma serannas, Sarel," she said with a slight bow. "Your clan will always have a special place in my heart as well."

They joined the rest of the clan at the fire and spent a jovial evening sharing stories. Delia watched the faces of the elves. Seeing their smiling faces made her heart sing. The laughter was contagious, and she truly enjoyed herself. However the sight that made her the happiest was seeing Zevran sitting next to Lanaya, her hand covering his as she looked into his eyes with a smile. Delia was happy, but a piece of her heart was missing. She wished that Alistair was at her side, and although she was enjoying the time at the fire, until he was with her she wouldn't be complete.

When Delia finally returned to the wardens' camp and entered her tent, she was feeling a pleasant exhaustion. As she crawled into her bedroll and Dusty lay at the tent entrance, she took a moment to pray to the Maker for the safety of the wardens and their friends. She hoped that tomorrow would grant her a return of her friends and her love, and she drifted off to sleep thinking of the feel of Alistair's arms around her.

Elvish translations:

emma lath: my love

ma serannas: thank you