So.. sorry this took so long, I've been a bit busy, but i haven't stopped writing I've literally not had time to proof read and post it lol so we now return to our dear awkwardly brilliant Aeden Cousland and his epic journey, enjoy!
Aeden slipped in and out of consciousness, during his brief motions of clarity he could hear murmured voices speaking though he couldn't hear what was said. His skin felt heated as he slipped in and out of memories and nightmares of familiar voices screaming and fire.
When he finally was able to break through his fevered haze his vision was clouded as he inhaled the smell of incense and herbs. He blinked rabidly and rubbed at his eyes to clear his vision; glancing around, he noticed he was in strangely shaped small room. The bed was pressed in to the back wall giving him a clear view through the long narrow room to the doorway. A table, were an assortment of herb and ingredients sat, along with the burning incense he could smell, was hidden away to the left with a small cupboard that stretched from the floor to the curved ceiling. a small stool and chest sat to the right under a very small round window, the small gape in the wooden shutters allowed a stretch of sunlight to break in to the room, lighting the mist left from the smoke.
As Aeden lay taking in his surroundings he remember the fight with the darkspawn, he pulled himself up realising for the first time that he was wearing nothing but a short pair of cotton shorts that seemed to fall short of his knees.
He winced slightly as he remember the shock and pain as the giant maul crashed in to him and the coppery taste of his own blood before his past out. Although the flesh was tender, he couldn't see any sign that he had been injured. The wound on his should had been tended to as well, though a substantial star shape scar had been left, joining the few he has gained as he fought his way out of his home.
As the wooden door swung open, Aeden attempted to sit up as a reflex gasping when his ribs protested at the sudden movement caused pain to bloom in his chest.
"Now child, I may have used my magic to heal you, but magic can only do so much. You will still need to rest." Aeden looked at the small Elvish woman that had entered; her grey hair was pulled back in to a bun, showing the extensive grey and silver tattoo that covered her entire face. The tattoo cover most of the wrinkles and worn lines on the woman's face making her appear younger at first glance; a closer look showed the deepening line around her eyes and mouth and the small creases in her forehead he remember his mother complaining where from the worry her children cause her.
"What…? Where am I?" Aeden asked the muscles in his body still pulled tight.
"What is it you remember?" The woman asked as she begun to gather and mix ingredients on the table.
"Ah, I remember being hit by one of the darkspawn…" he let the sentence tail off as the clattering echoed.
"Yes, Keeli was able to help heal you enough for you to be brought back to the camp, she told us of how you saved her from a group of humans in the forest, we are happy to repay the kindness you showed her."
Aeden felt a lump of dread drop in to his stomach, "It was nothing that needs to be repaid; they were in the forest searching for me. I cannot stay here; I am putting your camp in danger if they find me."
Aeden pulled his self up again attempting to bring his feet to rest on the ground, he was hit by the pain in his chest again and a sudden nausea hit him as he felt the blood drain from his face; a hand on his should brought his attention back to the woman again, she was holding out a small cup of a strange sweet smelling yellow liquid.
"Broken bones were not all that you suffered from," she said as she pointed to a seemly benign cut on his side, "it seems that you where cut with a poisoned dagger, thankfully the cut was small."
He looked down as the small cut, nearly completely healed, remembered a rogue barely catching his side in the forest. He hadn't even realised he had been poisoned.
"Ah… Sorry I don't know your name…" he finished sheepishly.
"You may call me Keeper Marethari." She said with a kind smile.
"Thank you, Keeper Marethari." He drank the yellow liquid in the cup, grimacing at the overly sweet taste. "How long have I been here?" he asked looking around his surrounding again.
"You have been here for three day's now. Keeli said you were going to a shem'len village?"
"Yes, I'm trying to get to Redcliffe."
"I am unsure of were that is, though I suggest you stay in the camp a little longer to make sure you have recovered. As for the others searching for you, we have preventing humans from finding our camps for many season, we can prevent them from hiding us for a day or two."
The Keeper turned away lifting a large glass jar, she lifted her right hand and caused a ball of light to appear in her hand before dropping the small orb in to the jar; allowing it to light up the small space. Aeden had jumped at the small display of magic cause the Keeper to stare at him questionably.
"Sorry, I've never meet a mage before, still a bit of a surprise." He said failing to stop his cheeks from heat up.
"Your clothes have been left in the chest; you are free to walk around the camp. Though I ask that you do not carry your weapons, many of the clan have been unsettled by a human's presence in the camp. The last human that entered the camp left with one of our da'len."
At the confused and shocked look on his face the Keeper continued, "She was conscripted in to the grey warden and taken to fight against them."
"She would be with the wardens at Ostagar; I am hoping to get a message to my brother there, if you wish I can carry a message to her for you."
"Ma serannas, that is very kind, I will say to the members of the clan."
With that she left, leaving him alone to dress, he pulled on his britches and shirts, pulling his armour on but leaving his weapons in the chest.
He blinked owlishly as the sunlight struck his eyes, looking around he realised he had been sleeping in what appear to be a large carriage, one of many carriages and tents that seemed to be dotted around the camp with many small fire pits.
Many of the Elves stopped to look over at him, some with curious looks others with suspicion and other with looks of contempt.
"You are awake." He looked to were the voice had come from seeing keeli walking over to meet him.
"Yes, thank you for helping me. Keeper Marethari said you healed me enough to bring me here. "
"Yes, we are not usually encouraged to use our magic when we are away from the camp, or in front of humans, but it was necessary."
Another woman appeared beside her similar in looks but older, her mother he thought. She clutched his hands as she spoke and began to speak rapidly in Elvish to him.
Confused a taken aback Aeden looked over to Keeli, who placed a gentle hand on the woman's arm and spoke calmly to her, before she turned to Aeden again.
"This is my Mamae, she is grateful for what you done."
"Ah, tell her I was happy to help."
He listened as she seemed to pass along his message; Keeli's mother seemed to thank him a few more times before leaving.
He took another glance around the Elves in the camp noting that a few had stopped glaring at him after the display from Keeli's mother.
"Do not worry, many in the camp are wary of humans, though it has worsened since the grey warden came and we lost Tamlen and Lyna."
"The Keeper mentioned that someone had left to join the Grey Wardens"
"Yes, something they had found in a cave while hunting made them sick, we were able to find Lyna in time though we were never able to find Tamlen, a few of us are still looking for something to tells us what happened to him before we move the camp further north."
"I said to Keeper Marethari that I would be sending a message to my brother at the army camp where the wardens are if anyone would like to send Lyna a message."
"Ma serannas, when will you be leaving?"
"The Keeper has suggested I stay and rest, though I shall be leaving as soon as I can, tomorrow maybe."
Keeli nodded before turning to him again "Come, I'm sure you are hungry we will find you something to eat." She said as she marched towards one of the fire pits where food was being cooked.
So some people might think this is being a little OOC for the Dalish, but I sort of thought the fact that he saved one of there's might make them repay that by helping him, I tired to keep it as close to character as possible cause I know they down like humans and that they would be wary about having one in the camp, especially if you have a Dalish origin that was taken away, hence the no weapons thing.