Hello everyone! Sorry it's took me a while to put this up, but i've been a bit busy, going away tomorrow for a hen weekend in Spain! WOO! Sun, sea and alot of drink lol thought i'd post this up before i go enjoy!
Lyna and Alistair found the others outside the Chantry, earning a few odd glances from the villagers. There was a mixed reaction to the news that they would be staying to help.
"There are no darkspawn here, and nothing to gain. It is a fool's errand." Sten said towering over the Dalish elf.
Alistair watched at the elf crossed her arms over her chest and gave the Quanri an unwavering glare. "If we find the Arl we stand to gain a united kingdom, an Army and a chance to see that shem'len answer for his crimes and betrayal of the grey wardens. You see these as nothing? Or do you not honour your fallen? "
Sten clenched his jaw but said no more, simple nodding before looking away from Lyna's intense glare.
"It is pointless to help these villagers fight an impossible battle. One would think we had enough to contend with elsewhere." Morrigan said pointedly.
"Yes, and well will have a lot more to worry about if people are hunting us for gold." Lyna said not bothering to look at the witch. "I am going to scout around the village and see what defenses we can set up, I want to talk to that shem'len Murdock, find out what I can about the militia. Morrigan could you set up some wards near the lake?"
"If I must." She signed as she strolled away towards the lake docks.
"Sten, you can help the militia with training as you are most experienced solider." Still tense from the berating from the Elf, Sten simple nodded before moving off.
"I think you've broken him." Alistair said as he moved out of ear shot
Lyna snorted "I doubt it," she said before turning to look at him. "Will you search the village and see if there any supplies that might have been missed?"
"No problem," he said turning to walk towards the standing buildings as Lyna began to speak to Leliana. The village hadn't changed very much from when he was younger, he smiled remember the days spent by the lake. Lost his thoughts he turned the corner not noticing the other person until they collided in to one another Alistair winced at the sound that emitted from the heavy armour on his chest.
He threw his arm out to try and help right the person. The woman, he now realised, looked up and he was meet with familiar set of green eyes and chestnut hair. "My lady Cousland," he felt his cheeks heat up as he released her arm and inclined his head to her. "Please forgive me; I was not paying attention to where I was going."
"Ah… it's fine really, I wasn't paying attention either." she said quickly taking in the man flustered appearance with a small amount of amusement.
"Do you need help with anything Mi lady?" he asked hoping his blush wasn't too noticeable.
"Perhaps, I am looking for a lost boy; his sister was in the Chantry and said that he had disappeared. Though I'm afraid I do not know the village well enough to seek out all of the hiding places." She said taking in the man's appearance. His blond hair sat in slight disarray and she could see the beginnings of a beard growing along his jaw. The blush on his cheeks was just visible under the tan of his skin and reached up to the top of his ears turning them a slight pink. She couldn't help but find him handsome.
"Well, there I might be of some help," he said meeting her eye's with a half smile. "I have to search the village and see if there are any supplies that we might be able to use and I am quite familiar with many of Redcliffe's best hiding establishments."
Elissia smiled "well lead the way." They walked together quietly for a short time before Elissa spoke again. "Teagan mentioned Ostagar, where you there? Do- do you know what happened?" she asked as she began to play with the catch of her arm brace.
Alistair paused and swallowed thickly before he spoke. "Yes, Lyna, Neria and I, we were asked to light the signal so Loghain would know when to charge in with the rest of the army. But instead he pulled the army out, leaving what was left or the Kings army and the grey wardens to die." He felt a pinch in the palm of his hands, realising he had clenched his fist and the metal of his gauntlets where biting in to his skin, he loosened his hand and took a calming breath.
Elissa felt a wave of nausea wash over her at the thought of the men being left to the darkspawn, at the thought of Fergus being left to them. She took a shuddering breath before she spoke again. "My brother… Fergus, did- did you see him at all before the battle? Do- do you know if he…" her voice trailed off as she felt her throat tighten.
Alistair took in her appearance before he answered. "I didn't, he had been sent out to patrol, and he hadn't returned before the battle began."
Elissa felt a small spring of hope bloom in her chest at the news, she knew that the chances were small but she would hold on to what little hope she could.
They both feel in to silence again as they looked through the abandoned house and various hiding spots; none of which had yielded much in the way of supplies and the young boy still remained lost, until they stumbled across the village shop finding several barrels of lantern oil in the store room.
"I'm sure we'll be able to use this," Alistair said as he counted the barrels. "Let's find this lost boy now shall we?" he asked his mood lightened after his find.
"Well there are a few houses this way that we haven't checked yet." Alistair said as he gestured down a small walk way they had not ventured too. They began to walked down when they where meet with the sounds of shouting and raised voices.
"What in the Maker is going on?" Elissa asked as she curiously made her way towards the noise, closely followed by Alistair. They had walked no more than five steps when there was a loud bang and the body of a small Dwarf came crashing through a door way, closely followed by an incensed looking Lyna.
"There, now that you are no longer in your house Durgen'len you can help defend the village." She said in a very matter of fact way, before strolling outside past the groaning and muttering dwarf.
"Alistair, have you found anything we can use in the village?" she asked as Alistair and Elissa stared at her wide eyed and with their mouths agape. Alistair glanced over to the door and seen two dumbfounded men standing with matching expressions looking back and forth from the Dalish woman to the dwarf that now seemed to be trying to stand up.
"Ah… yes, we found some oil, lantern oil, in the old shop over there that I thought we might be able to use." He said tearing his eye's away from the scene to look at his fellow warden.
"Sulahn'nehn!" she said smiling. "I will say to that Knight Perth that it is there, Dar'eth shiral." She called as she walked away.
"Well, she is certainly interesting." Elissa said as the Dwarf stood up and began to argue with the two human men.
"Yes that one word for it." The both walked away while the three men continued to argue and made their way towards the next house. They made quick work looking through the first floor before climbing the stairs.
"Bevin!" Elissa called as they went from room to room in the small house.
"Did you hear that?" Alistair asked, extending his hand in a request for silence. A loud rattle and thumb could be heard coming from the large wardrobe that stood opposite the entrance to the room.
"Hello, is someone there?" Elissa asked.
"Go away! This isn't your home." The voice of a small boy called out from within the wardrobe
"Bevin? Is that you?" Elissa called.
"Did my sister send you? I'm not going back to the Chantry I hate it there. Everyone's frightened, but I'm not I'm brave! I'm going to save the village." the voice, Bevin, shouts out from the wardrobe.
"Bevin your sisters really worried about you."
"N-no I'm going to help in the battle." Bevin said a hint of desperation in his voice.
Elissa looked over to Alistair not sure what to say, she was exhausted the lack of sleep and fresh grief from knowing that her final family member could be died had taken it's toil on her. She signed and rubbed at her tired eyes opening her mouth to try and persuade the young boy to return with her.
"Well if you going to help in the battle you'll have to come back with me." Elissa stared over at Alistair as he spoke.
"W-who are you?"
"Well I'm Alistair, I'm a grey warden, my friends and I are here to help save the village."
"R-r-really?" Bevin asked, there was a rattle and a creak as the door of the wardrobe opened and a small head with a shock of unruly brown hair appeared peeking out from behind the door. The child's eyes went wide at the embossed symbol of the grey wardens that appeared on the front of the man's chest plate.
After Alistair had promised that he could help in the fight by 'guarding' the Chantry and by making sure the people inside stayed safe, Bevin returned with them to his sister.
"Thank you for helping." Elissa said as they both stepped back out of the Chantry.
"Ah- it was no problem, happy to help." He said feeling again the tell tale heat in his cheeks, he smile lightly as he rubbed the back of his neck, trying not to stare. He opened his mouth to saying something else but was mercifully cut off when Lyna came over, followed by her wolf, stopping what he could only expect would turn out to be a gymnastic feet of putting his foot in his mouth. He couldn't help but notice the wary looks she was given by the villagers as she passed. "Lyna, how's everything going?"
"Everything is ready, we have blocked all the path ways from the lake to Chantry except the main one and Morrigan has place glyph's and wards all over the docks and banks and we've got archers barricaded in the houses on each side of the main pathway. We'll hopefully be able to kill most of them before they reach us. And we've used the oil on the road from the castle were some of Ser. Perth's men are." Lyna let her rest on top of the wolf's head at it came to a stop beside her.
"That's a very impressive strategy." Elissa said looking down at the large grey wolf with confusion and curiosity.
"It is the same way we trap larger animals on hunts, force them to take the direction we wish." Lyna stated with a shrug of her shoulder before she looked over to them both. "There is still over four hours before the sun sets, you should both try and rest." They both watched as she walked away, her wolf following loyally beside her.
"Is that a wolf?" Elissa asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice.
"Yes, it's kind of just showed up and started following us, well Lyna." Alistair said with a shrug, he felt the corner of his mouth pull up a little and the look of confusion on Elissa face. Doing his best to ignore the small crease in-between her brow and how pink her lips looked as they sat slightly parted.
So there is a little bit of romance building going on here, took me a while to get it right so let me know what you think. This is one of my fav scene's with Lyna that I've written so far, her kicking Dwarf ass lol! hope you enjoyed it :P