Just wanted to state the following: I don't own anything to do with DAO.
And thank you to all my readers and those people who review, it is always appreciated.
PREVIOUSLY… ON DEALS WE MAKE…
"Making a run for it again princess, I tire of play cat and mouse with you" the hot breath of a panting Leric brushed against the side of her face as the man bent down to talk into her ear. His dark braid tickled her eye so Fayne tried to raise her head to avoid it, but a gauntleted had thrust her face back into the hard packed dirt. "Your cowardness sickens me, I don't even want to see your face" with that Fayne felt him let go of her head and bind her hands behind her back. She had no energy nor will left to fight him, so she just lay in the dirt and let him finish. Even when he got off her back she stayed in her position blankly staring into nothingness, they don't understand we were going to die, you should be thanking me!
These thoughts screamed in her head, but Fayne knew that they would not understand or probably care, they only saw her now as a deserter. The young warden, Alistar lifted her by the hands began walking her back towards the tower of Ishal, but little did he know it was too late. The irony of the situation was simply too much for Fayne to handle and a half sob half hysterical laugh came from her lips. It must have been odd sounding because it caused both men to stop and look at her, if only for a couple of seconds and then they were off again. Her feet seemed to want to dance and she welcomed the strange detached joy to fill her emptiness for the time being, she had saved their lives and in doing so she killed the king's army.
Fayne stopped right behind the now stiff form of Alistair; she already knew what sight awaited them. Instead she studied the man in front of her, tilting her head as she did so. His armoured shoulders seemed to have sagged and the tip of his sword dropped into the dirt. The blond young man had taken a couple steps towards the bloody battle field, and then he seemed to have lot his nerve.
"It, can't be, it…" the young man's voice was fragile and desolate as he scanned the corpses of both his allies and enemies. Though the man at least had the strength of will not to fall on the ground weeping, Fayne got the distinct impression that something had shut down in the young man. To her great surprise, Leric, who had stayed silent up until that point, walked over to Alistair and said something to the man. She was too far away to hear it, but it roused him from his mourning.
As Leric walked away from the human, his green eyes locked with hers and she felt his distain. His eyes said it all; he hated her . She felt him harshly tug at the rope that bound her hands behind her back, and then a snap as they fell to the ground. She could feel his body heat as he stood there, watching her from behind. Answering his silent accusations, Fayne crossed her arms and turned to him, "There was nothing that we could have done to stop this." she waved her hand in a sweeping motion over the war-torn ground.
Leric said nothing as he continued to walk up to an old tree stump and then unceremoniously dump himself on to it. When he had gotten comfortable he tilted his head and regarded her, "You may have been powerless when it came to your brother, however we could have made some sort of difference here."
His words were like ice and they cut her right to the core. Her anger and grief caused her to lash out, to say things that she herself did not even believe. "What would a stupid knife ears like you know anyway." She stormed up to him and pocked him in the chest, "You are an ignorant piece of forest trash, all you know is how to hunt and skin, you are more fit to be clean my boots than you are to talk. So keep your mouth shut you ignorant swine!" her last words rang out shrilly as he screamed at him. Leric's face had lost its cocky edge and instead rage was etched into his features.
The ground beneath his boots gave way as he slowly brought himself to full height, which Fayne was disappointed to see was an inch taller than her. However before he even had a chance to make a move, both of them froze. To Fayne it felt like a hundred spiders were crawling up her arms and back, and it came to center around her stomach. A strange hum filled her ears. Leric must have felt the same thing because he looked deeply disturbed.
"What—." But Alistair interrupted the elf before he could finish his sentence.
"Darkspawn, that is darkspawn you are feeling." without making eye contact, Alistair heaved his sword and shield into a ready position. His face a calm determination mixed with the look of a lost puppy. Fayne found it sick to look at, so she turned her head into the direction Alistair was looking at. Her daggers glinted in the moon light as she spun them in agitation. This night was just getting better and better.
A moment of quiet was quickly overtaken by guttural laughter that filled the air. Other than the stirring taint within their bodies, that sound was the only warning they received before a group of darkspawn descended down upon them. For a moment all Fayne could do was stare at the creatures in front of her. They were gruesome and smelt disgusting and she felt true dread when a tall one made eye contact with her and then ran her way.
"Disgusting mother fuckers!" screamed Leric to her left. His voice alone was the only thing that snapped her out of her daze and she quickly dispatched the tall creature that had swung at her head.
Fayne found, much to her horror, that her and Leric moved in perfect rhythm; when he ducked she lunged, while he baited, she killed silently from behind. This phenomenon that was taking place baffled her, because she knew it was not on purpose on either of their parts. However she could not deny that they made a good team, or rather and excellent one.
"Uh I am sick of swords" yelled Leric as he threw down a rusty long sword and unstrapped the long Dalish bow from his back. Fayne could not help but watch in fascination as the tall elf man gracefully got his arrow at the ready. Extremely toned arms pulled the string taunt as he aimed at a short spawn heading for Alistair. Like a violinist, Leric released his fingers and the arrow found its mark, it was a clear shot. Again and again he fired and Fayne wondered whether or not Leric was actually trying hard for he wore the most peaceful expression on his face she had ever seen. Back straight, legs flexed and strong with his braided hair swaying in the mild breeze, Leric looked like one of those men ladies at court so often swooned about from romance novels.
Scofting Fayne turned and hacked another creature clear in half, and dodged another swing for her middle. Blood sprayed in her face and she laughed out loud at how squishy the creatures really were.
"One...two, three…"she began to count the number dead by her hand as she danced from foe to foe. At one point her performance received a raised eyebrow from Leric.
" Leric have a little fun…we will be doing this the rest of our lives." the last part was said with more venom then mirth.
The skirmish did not last long and Fayne watched as Alistair beheaded the darkspawn with a staff. A movement caught her eye and before she could yell a warning, a half dead darkspawn launched itself at Leric while he was readjusting his bow.
"Ahhh" yelled Leric as the creature brought him to the ground. Fayne ran a view steps and stabbed the creature in the back and at the same time pushing it off of the elf.
"Are you alright?" Asked Fayne as she offered her hand, but at the same time eyeing the now very dead-she hoped- beast.
"I am fine." He got up, ignoring her hand, "it just caught me by surprise."
"We need to get moving, we…we won't find anything here." Alistiar's voice cracked at the last part and Fayne had to hide a snicker. She felt for him, Maker knew she could understand, but at that point her resentment for Duncan outweighed her guilt. However since she was facing Leric, he had seen her expression and it response he frowned. The action made him look severs because the setting sun caught his sharp features and intricate tattoos in a wild sort of way.
And so Fayne took her position in-between the two men as they made their way through the now surprisingly quiet kacarni wilds. Alistair, being the most senior one, was able to explain how to properly avoid darkspawn when they got too near.
"Here, you feel the pull here." stated Alistiar as he pointed to his chest, "and then you can –I don't know-sort of feel the direction it is coming from. Then of course you go the opposite way" the man's earlier jovial attitude seemed to have returned again. However since Fayne did not reply to his intructions, he became brooding and sad again with his shoulders slumped and his face grim.
With the intensions of bring their guide out of his stupor, Fayne turned and touched the man on the arm, "what else can the taint do?" She turned to look back at Leric, "hey you, are you listening to this, it might prove useful?"
About five feet behind her Fayne saw that Leric was lying on the ground clutching his side. When did he fall, I didn't even hear it. Wait what is wrong with him? Seeking an answer to her question, Fayne jogged over to Leric's form, her now bloody leather armour making squishing .upon reaching his body she grasped his shoulder and pivoted him around, holy maker when did he get injured? His whole side was covered in blood, but that was not the worse thing; Leric's usually tanned complexion was ghostly white and his skin held a sweaty sheen that promised the beginnings of a dangerous fever. Stupid Elf! Fayne thought as she examined the body further and waving Alistair over to help her hoist the body up at the same time.
"When did he get hurt? Asked Alistair as he wrapped the almost unconscious elf over his shoulder.
Fayne looked up from her bandaging job, and wiped some blood off her hand along her thigh, "it must have happened when he was tackled by the darkspawn, but it is a mote point right now, we have to find a place for him to rest, and it has to be warm."
"I think there are some caves about half a mile west, should we take him there?" Fayne was shocked at how quickly the junior warden deferred to her. Had he not been the one who was most trained, and had spent a number of days in the woods?
"Yes, let us go that way" Fayne and Alistair both dragged the limp form of Leric through the dirt. Surprisingly Fayne found that the elf was extremely solid and not light at all.
For about four hours Fayne and Alistair continued to carry the man, and she had yet to see a cave, or any place that could house one, "are you sure this place actually exists?'
"Ahh...fairly sure..." came Alistiar's response, though he sounded anything but.
Fayne opened her mouth to respond, but closed it and squinted through some dark trees," do you see that, I think it is a hut." She pointed through the spruces about a yard away, "yes it is a hut, come on we need to go there" still pointing Fayne looked to Alistair.
He nodded his head once and the boyish lines of his face were cast into a thoughtful frown, "alright, but this could be dangerous, no sane person lives in the Kacarni wilds"
Fayne hoisted Leric a little more up her shoulder, "well, Alistair, if it makes you feel any better I can just kill them if they show any sign of craziness" her words had the desired effect, the annoying boy-man had kept his mouth shut. And it stayed shut all the way to the hut.
Once Fayne had found a reasonable path through the shrubbery, it did not take long for the group to make it to the front entrance of the shack. For that was what is was; with old broken walls and rickety construction, the place seemed fit indeed for the mentally incapable.
Before either one of them could knock, the door swung open and an extremely old women stepped out, "Hello wardens, I have been expecting you."