He wasn't fine, as they set up camp about a mile into the cavern, Anders hands shook as he pulled his bedroll free and laid it out upon the ground. It was too dangerous for tents, and too bulky, Jennifer was apprehensive but accustomed to camping. She laid her bedroll next to Anders and he looked at her with a side glance. "You might want to move over. I have a tendency to kick when I sleep."
Jennifer smiled brightly, "That's alright! I have a b- a friend, who used to kick me all the time. I think I still have a bruise on my gut from the last time he did." She rubbed her belly with a mock whimper and Anders only shook his head with a faint smirk dressing his lips. When Anders fingers slipped for a third time trying to uncoil the bedroll, Jennifer pushed him aside gently and de-knotted the roll. "You can talk to me, you know. I won't laugh, bite, or judge you." She looked up at him worriedly before moving away and letting him continue.
Hawke walked up with three bowls balanced precariously on his arms, Bethany beside him, he grinned. Hawke had been ecstatic since they had left Kirkwall. "For tonight's main course, we have a gloppy stew made with a mysterious meat boiled till it's a delicious grey color and seasoned with an old leather shoe! Enjoy!"
Jennifer laughed boisterously and grabbed the bowl laying on the crook of his arm. She looked down at the stew and blinked. I think I see the shoe… When Hawke looked at her face he laughed as well, settling down on the ground before Ander's bedroll and began eating with vigor. A warrior's appetite. They all turned in shortly after, Jennifer didn't eat much of the mystery stew, and her stomach growled as she rolled over in the bedroll.
-ooo-
She had awoken in the middle of the night to Anders whimpering. She turned towards him, watching him silently. She saw him in the dying firelight. His head turned from side to side and he was glistening. Sweat. She moved closer to him sitting beside him, he panted, and Jennifer brushed the stray hairs from her face. He awoke in a flash of blue, gripping Jenifer's shoulders hard. She looked around, making sure no one had awoken to the bright light before turning to Justice and smiling. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Anders was having a nightmare."
Justice looked down at his sweat soaked body, he nodded succinctly before retreating leaving Anders weary and confused. "Maker…" He looked at how his arms gripped Jennifer's shoulders and instantly released her. She winced by smiled again grabbing hold of Anders' hands. She rubbed her thumb along his knuckles and slowly let a warmth permeate throughout his fingers. He smiled, " You've been practicing."
Jennifer nodded and ushered for him to lay back down, when he complied, Jennifer promptly laid down in the bedroll with him. "Er… what are you doing?"
She snuggled deeply into the bedroll seeking warmth, she buried her face in his shoulder and smiled. "It's a known fact that when you sleep next to someone you don't get as many nightmares." She winked at him. "And don't bother arguing about it, cause it's mutually beneficial, I don't like the dark and you'll be helping me sleep as well." She closed her eyes folding her hands underneath her head. She felt a vibrations from Anders silent laughter before he turned more and draped his arm around Jennifer's side, his even breaths soon puffing against Jennifer's hair causing it to twitch with each exhale.
-ooo-
They were walking, had been for a better part of a week now, there were no sense of days down here, and after a while, Jennifer became a little disoriented. They saw their first party of darkspawn two days after the night of Anders nightmare. She was not prepared. Anders told her to fight with her mouth closed, that digesting the blood could cause her to turn into a ghoul. They are like zombies! She had always dreamed of becoming a zombie slayer, even managed to make a solid zombie plan when she was in her own world, she was sorely mistaken with how well she would do within a zombie apocalypse.
When the party of darkspawn was killed, Anders promptly ran towards her and gave her his canteen of water, telling her to gargle and spit. She smiled, her hair covered in dark black blood. He shook his head and walked off towards Bethany asking her to do the same. When they came to a halt, Hawke and Varric walked ahead to see what the problem was. A blockage in the path, Varric offered to find an alternative route while the others set camp. when another dwarf came around asking us to look for his son; A sandy blonde dwarf named Sandal.
They fought their way through, again and again. And emissary clipped Bethany on the shoulder with a spell Jennifer could not put the name to. Anders hovered near her for several seconds before giving her the battle ready. She clamored up to her feet with a small smile before following after her brother. They turned a corner and quickly continued on, only to be stopped in a clearing by a small sandy blonde dwarf and a behemoth of a darkspawn known as an ogre, frozen in place.
"Well I'll be a nug's uncle, is that Bodahn boy?" The young blonde dwarf itched his butt, staring off into the clearing.
Hawke walked down slowly, the clink of his armor resonating throughout the cavern, Sandal turned around with an empty smile. "Hello."
"Talk about: dumb luck." Anders exclaimed with a chuckle. Jennifer hit him in the ribs with her elbow glaring at him. He only grinned.
"Are you alright? How did you do this?" Hawke asked.
Sandal held up a stone with a rune marking. "Boom."
"And how did you do that?" Hawke asked, looking towards the frozen orge.
"Not enchantment." Sandal exclaimed as he walked off, back towards the camp.
Varric stepped next to Hawke and smirked. "Heh. Smart boy!" The dwarf gestured towards a passageway. "C'mon, we still gotta find a way passed that collapse." They all sidled carefully around the ogre, they avoided most of the sideways, keeping to the path at hand. Everyone was silent, keeping focused on Anders.
Jennifer looked to him with a smile, and moved to his side. "So you mentioned being a grey warden. What's that?"
Anders flinched at the word, "Essentially there fighters specially 'trained' in fighting darkspawn. We can sense them, most of the time it's like a dull buzz, like a fly on the wall, when you are in the Deep Roads, it's like a full blown scream in the center of your head, and there is no relief."
"Does it hurt?" Jennifer asked.
"Just a bit of a headache, nothing too concerning. It's only made worse by how irritating it is." He smiled at Jennifer. "Is there nothing like that on your world?"
Jennifer shook her head, glancing at all the sideways, looking out for creatures and all together creepy crawlies. "No, though from what Varric told me, the First Blight was said to be caused by magisters entering the Golden City of the Maker. Since we don't have magisters, I'm assuming that is one of the reasons we don't have anything like this." She heard something clatter behind her and looked to Anders, when he shook his head she peered closely, squinting her eyes. That was when she heard it. A guttural chittering and hiss that sent shivers up and down Jennifer's spine. "Anders?"
"Yes, Jennifer?" He pulled his staff from his back as Jennifer mirrored his movements with her maces. "What can you find in the Deep Roads?"
"Besides darkspawn you mean?" She nodded vigorously, hoping she wasn't right. "Well there's treasure. That's always a plus. There's demons, rats, dragons, and spiders."
"Spiders?" Jennifer asked. "How big are the spiders?"
Anders smirked. "Sometimes they are bigger than a house, why?"
"Sometimes I hate you." She said as a large spider emerged from a side tunnel and chittered at the two. "Hawke?"
"Yes?" He called back, seemingly distracted.
"We have a bug problem." Anders replied.
Hawke turned back and gaped. "Maker…"
Jennifer squealed and ducked behind Anders. "Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!" When Anders ducked to dodge it's webbing, Jennifer darted to Bethany. "Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew! EW!" When other smaller spiders emerged, she shrieked and batted the pests away with her maces, swinging furiously and proclaiming her hatred for all insects.
-ooo-
A week underground. Slowly they made their way towards the surface,, Bartrand had betrayed them, leaving them to rot in the Deep Roads. They fought through these horrible rock creatures, demons and countless darkspawn. Jennifer hung her head in sadness as she looked at Hawke, the tears just now stopping, and no jokes to be heard.
Bethany, contracted the taint. If it weren't for Anders they never would have found the Grey Warden's to help her with the joining. Anders trudged wearily behind Varric, and Garrett. Jennifer slowed her pace to keep with him, laying a comforting hand upon his arm and smiling. Her heart raced at the defeated look in his eyes. I can see why he hates the blighted Deep Roads…