250 reviews! *double-checks* Well, 251, actually, but thank you so much anyway. I was certainly not expecting to hit that milestone.

I shall also thank you with a chapter - here it is. :)

P.S: Don't worry, this isn't all going to be ridiculous fluff. There will be some serious plotlines about the state of Thedas and the taint soon, but for now... some (more) awkward attraction for you. Oh, and violence. My apologies for that.

Healing

Alistair

Usually they would be talking, him making ridiculous comments about darkspawn and stew, her rolling her eyes, but there's a quiet between them he's unused to.

She hasn't spoken in a long time, the occasional squelch as their boots hit mud the only sound, and his suddenly loud voice surprises even him. "Morgana?"

Her face is slightly pale, even more so than a Tower upbringing has made it, and she jumps at hearing her name, looking at him; then her eyes slide to the road ahead of them once again.

He frowns. "Are you all right?"

She nods, fingers coming up to absently tangle in the hair over the back of her neck, then finally meets his eye. "Just... tired," she sighs. "I think it's the past few days. I'm not thinking very clearly."

He doesn't relax, still concerned. "Maybe we should make camp," he suggests.

She shakes her head, muttering some nonsense about how she'll be fine, and the silence resumes.

It's only broken by the bears that attack them, roaring filling his ears. He frowns, readying sword and shield, as one of them sets its sights on him, his blood drumming an unsteady beat in his ears.

He sees Leliana's graceful dance, daggers tearing into fur and then skin, her face crumpled in concentration and frustration.

The bear runs at him, and he rolls out of the way, raising himself for another strike, when, with a boom and a crack of bones, a fist of rock makes contact with its face, knocking it back a few steps. It emits a confused grunt, and he looks quickly at Morrigan in surprise, but it's Morgana who still has a hand outstretched, sword aside, blood flecking her lips. Her eyes flicker to another bear charging her, and he brings his concentration back to the very angry creature in front of him, hearing rather than seeing the fireball and the yelp of the bear. He dodges it again as it comes up fighting, but its claw strikes out at the last moment, sending him sprawling and his shield skidding away from him, and he feels burning pain across his face. Gritting his teeth, seeing it approach him for a killing blow, he shoves his sword into its stomach just as it raises a claw. It's brutal, not graceful by any stretch of the imagination; he gasps, spitting out blood and getting out of the way of the falling animal.

He presses a hand to his face, feeling what seem to be a couple of nasty gashes, wincing as his palm comes away covered in red liquid - his blood. Still breathing heavily, he uses a tree to get unsteadily to his feet, and notices the brief widening of Morgana's eyes as she catches sight of him. He wonders anxiously how bad it is.

He runs to the last bear, the four of them against it, and watches as Leliana attempts to finish it off; unfortunately, with a beast this big and this strong, there's no such thing as a clean finish, and it takes Morgana, Morrigan and himself to eventually kill it.

He sheathes his sword, standing and still trying to recover his breath, about to fetch his shield. He hears the clattering of armour, and then Morgana is in front of him, removing her glove, taking his face in long-fingered mage's hands and seeming... well, not the calmest he's seen her.

"Bear claw?" she asks, her face pale, biting her lip, as she leans in to take a closer look. He nods, the motion uncomfortable, still feeling the blood on his cheek. She turns his head to see the wound in its entirety, her hands on his skin and her breath warm on his face, and he's alarmed when something uncomfortably warm seems abruptly to drop in his stomach. Suddenly acutely aware of her closeness, those wide, ocean-blue eyes gazing into his, he shuts his eyes, hoping to distract himself from whatever this is. It doesn't help, feel making up for lack of sight.

"There... there we go," she murmurs softly, breath tickling his ear. He feels the energy pass from her, warm and pleasant, his skin beginning to knit, hears the whisper of magic and her quiet sigh. Her hand, even with the calluses from her training, is gentle, careful; he almost doesn't feel it when her thumb lightly ghosts along his cheekbone in what he could only call... a caress. She lowly exhales, the sound only just audible in the silence between them. A small hint of a sigh escapes his lips as well, his eyes fluttering open; he catches her looking at him, hazel eyes meeting blue, and then her hand is swiftly withdrawn.

She steps back, and he spots his shield leaning against her legs, her presumably having retrieved it; she bends and hands it to him without a word, then looks at Morrigan and Leliana. "We should go," she says quickly, and they nod, beginning to move out of the clearing.

As she walks ahead of him, catching up to Leliana, he briefly touches his cheek, the skin unbroken and the odd moment still fresh in his mind. Then, sighing, he heaves the pack back onto his back and sets off after them, his thoughts still clouded.