Continuation of "Templar".
Mage
Alistair
For the first time since he's known her, he thinks he truly understands what she is, why she backed away from him at Ostagar. He's seen what smites do to mages, but it's different when it's her, her on her knees and half-delirious. His sword clatters to the floor as he turns, catching her just as her head's about to hit the ground. He's screaming every curse he knows in his head (yes, all five) at the sight of her so vulnerable. This was why he kept close.
The sting of the witch's slap hasn't yet faded. He looks backwards to see that, as intended, the smite has had the same effect on the attacking mages as his. Morrigan and Leliana seem to have noticed that he's dropped his sword, thank the Maker, and are concentrating on their enemies.
He drops on one knee to try and lower her; she seems to recognise him, and he tries hard to ignore the cries of "you bastard!", though they still make him wince.
He looks behind him again to see that the mages have been finished off, and Leliana and Morrigan are advancing with menacing purpose.
This is really not what he needs right now. Like he'd hurt her, anyway.
He turns back to her, reaching inside his pack, scrabbling for the lyrium vial and fumbling to open it. For a horror-stricken moment, he wishes he had been a templar, that he could do these things... then he remembers that they take it powdered anyway, and tells himself to stop babbling, do something...
He hears someone ask what he's doing, but nothing registers other than her on the floor and the vial in his hand.
He lifts her head, clumsily raising the vial to her lips. The effect is immediate.
Every hair on his spine raises, a thrumming in the air only the two of them can hear, and he struggles not to drop her; as she wakes with a gasp, he swears there's a blue other than the natural in her wide eyes.
There will be an aftermath chapter too, so a double post today; I just have to write it first...