BioWare owns all but what I made up. Thanks to BioWare for the inspiration. : )
So, the last chapter dealt with some of the emotional aftermath, mostly of the humans and elves. That was my main focus. I dealt with some of Kai's inner workings in the last one, but you know her. Plus she is pretty sliced up and beaten up and not taking care of herself, partly her way of doing penance. But good friends won't necessarily let her get away with that, and the clean-up and funerals are going to be hard, for me and Kai. I hope you continue to enjoy. : )
Thanks for sticking with me and all the support, and the great ideas. Don't worry, more shout outs are coming, when I use things you say. You all are such a creative lot, I love that! And much love and gratitude to you all, the shout outs to you all really helped bolster me for the last chapter, sorry about the delay in it. : )
Blessings!
Kai managed to find more health poultices and bandages in the tent Erys shared with some of her fellow Scath. In fact it was her Scath that held a substantial cache of the same since they had, as Crows, been trained to always be prepared. Kai was trying to make sure that they kept up the good habits of their former training and left the bad behind. She had the other Scath go to the tents of those she sent on errands, as well as their own, to collect what they could to bring back to the tent she was in. She wanted to make it the first aid tent, with the two neighboring tents next to it as well, if they needed them. Maker, she hoped they wouldn't, but even she knew that it was probably going to be necessary, with likely another tent added as well.
She began by bandaging Zev again and made him take a small swallow of a health potion for the nasty gash in his arm. She didn't like the look of it. When she was finished, she started to grab some supplies to see if she could help with other survivors, but Zevran was not about to let her leave without a look over, "My dear Grey Warden, just where do you think you are going?" Zev's amber eyes watched her intently.
"To see to the other wounded, and we need to set up at least one of these tents as a first aid station, if not a few others. I wanted to use this one, since the potions and bandages are here, we need to tell Lanaya so she can spread the word. We all will need to clear out the furniture, except for the beds, and find more beds to fit in here." Kai started to limp away, she began putting a few bandages and poultices for any wounded she might come across into a bag she found. Zev reached out and grabbed one of her wrists, holding it tightly, "I'm fine, Zev, really."
He just studied her with those unreadable amber eyes and then gave a quick, firm tug on her wrist, eliciting a small cry of pain when the broken ends of her ribs ground against each other. "Fine, I think not. Drink from this and do not argue." He pressed the health potion she made him drink from into her hand. She grimaced and took a small sip, "That was hardly anything. More, my dear Warden, do not in your weakened state make me force you to drink it, not in front of the Scath." His voice took on a teasing edge as if to say, "not in front of the children," and he grinned at her.
"'Tis a very nasty cut across her back where the bandage from the first did not stop it, and 'tis covered in filth and mud. T'will need to be cleaned out carefully." Morrigan had come behind her while she was swigging from the bottle. Kai felt cool fingers removing the bandage that covered her other cut, "I have sent the bard to the elf leader to tell her your plans for the tent, and she will also inform Fiona. And the other Scath will take out the furniture, you will stay here, sister, and have your wounds tended to."
"We really don't have the time. We need to help the elves and the villagers." Kai started to protest, but Zev would not let go of her wrist. Instead, he pulled her across the tent-her broken ribs protesting the whole way-and made her lie on the bed on her stomach, while his quick hands took a dagger and cut the leather shirt wide open from the hole already in it.
"Zev, I can't go around the camp topless!" Kai wanted to protest and started to rise, but his hand held her pinned firmly in place.
"My dear Warden, you do not see what we see, and it is not pretty. We will not lose you to your own stubbornness and an infection. This wound gets cleaned out now, not later." Kai felt Zev straddle her hips, his weight pressing her further into the mattress. The potion seemed to be working on the ribs. It didn't hurt when he put his weight on her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Morrigan's skirt as she worked with Zev, handing him a basin of what she guessed was water. She felt his breath close to her ear as he bent to speak to her, "This may hurt, but I will try to be as gentle and as quick as I can, my dear friend." Kai felt a quick touch of his fingers in her hair rubbing the nape of her neck before they withdrew.
She felt water at first and then pain as he scraped the wound with a wet cloth, Erys must have really ground in the dirt and mud. Kai just grunted and ground her teeth together, it took several basins of water to get it all cleaned out. Finally, she felt his nimble fingers gently stroking salve into the wounds. That part was so pleasant. She drifted between sleeping and waking. It was the barest touch of what she thought were lips at the junction between her shoulders and her neck, sending a shiver down her spine, that had her wide awake in a blink. She wasn't sure that was what she felt, maybe she'd been dreaming? Before she could puzzle it out in her own head, Zev gently lifted himself off of her.
Kai pushed herself up. Clutching what was left of the shirt to her chest, she let Morrigan begin putting new bandages on the newly cleaned wounds. When the witch finished Kai found Zevran holding a tunic out for her to wear along with some leggings, since the ones she wore were covered in filth and blood. Kai could only look at them, wondering if they were Erys', they were in her tent after all. Kai figured she would rather run around in her small clothes than touch anything belonging to that reptile, let alone wear it.
Zev must have read her face, "It is not anything of hers, one of the elves donated these for you to wear. Have no fear, my friend." He knew her so well. Kai took them and quickly stripped out of her ripped and bloody clothing. Even her small clothes were splattered with blood, Lelyth's blood she reminded herself. The clean outer garments were better than nothing.
"Thank you both," Kai smiled at them. "Morrigan, would you mind staying here and helping direct things? The two tents next to this one can be used for first aid as well. I...I don't know what we are going to find out there." Kai clenched and unclenched her fists and looked away to collect herself. Morrigan just stroked her cheek and nodded. Kai turned and looked at Zev and motioned towards the door of the tent, time to get to work, Maker, this was going to be hard.
When she and Zev got outside they found a group of people leading the wounded like Keiron, whom they knew about, and the ones that they found in the wreckage to the first aid tent. They were going to need more than one, Kai took deep breaths of air, gulping to keep herself under control. Zev just put his hand on her shoulder, she turned away to go down the hill and find out where Alariel was directing people to search, she hoped to join one of the groups.
In the market place, which had not been hit except by debris and dirt, Kai and Zev ran into Swiftrunner and a young elven woman with what looked to be all of the children, both elves and humans. The young elven man who had argued with the father of the dead boy came running up, "Lana" he grabbed her and hugged her tight.
"Tythen," she hugged him back. "I was watching the children today. Swiftrunner was close by when we heard the explosions. He grabbed me and insisted we round up the children. He helped me do so, and we ran into the forest as a bomb went off right where the children were playing. He saved us all. And when he saw the men in armor, he had the children and I cover ourselves with leaves and hide while they walked by. When we came out of hiding I couldn't find one of the human children, Caven. Liradeth told me he went back to his family's tent to get his toy knights to play with so they could share. He is the only child I cannot account for." The girl's eyes got wide and filled with tears when he told her that Caven was dead, "I should have gone with him or sent another adult, he might still be alive if I had," Lana sobbed.
"No, it is my fault" Lana turned to look at Kai as did Swiftrunner, Kai explained about the betrayer in her Scath, the explosions, the soldiers, that Erys was dead along with so many others.
"My love, you take too much on yourself, it was not all your doing," Alistair's voice tried to soothe her.
"It is mine to take, I'm the leader, it falls on me." Kai gave him a bitter chuckle, "Maybe I didn't play 'Wicked Grace' against Andraste as well as I thought." Maker, she felt a thousand years old and so tired. She wanted nothing more than to lie down on the grass and go to sleep and forget about it all. With any luck when and if she woke up, she would no longer be the one everyone looked to. "I understand why you never wanted to lead, my beloved. What was it you asked Shale once? 'Have you ever been responsible for someone else's life or a nation or a lot of lives, no? Then shut up.' Sometimes I want nothing more than to tell them all to shut it." Alistair's voice had nothing to say to this, what could he say? Kai gave another bitter laugh.
Kai explained that Lanaya and Alariel were directing others to help with the search and to help gather up the dead, or pieces of the dead, Kai thought viciously at herself. And who had done that, ah, yes, she had. She told Lana that the others would want to know the children were safe and they should probably take them to Lanaya, who was most likely at the tents, so she could tell the rest. The elf just nodded, and she and the rest turned towards the tents.
"Kai, what is it that you are doing?" Zev grabbed her arm and spun her to face him when she turned to walk behind the others.
"Whatever do you mean, Zevran?" she asked him with mock sweetness.
"You cannot take the entire burden of this upon yourself."
"Oh, can't I, how am I supposed to trust any of my ex-Crows? How am I supposed to trust myself? Maker, Zev, I begged them not to send me back from the Fade, as all I do is cause death and destruction! But oh no, I had to come back, and to what purpose, more death, more suffering. How many of those children are going to be orphans, how many, Zev? How many people are going to be missing a mother, father, sister, brother, husband or wife? That man lost his child! And who sits at the middle of it all, oh yes, ME!" Kai was shaking. She buckled it down, "If you can show me anyone who could have done worse, good luck with it." And she turned and strode off to find Alariel to start collecting the dead. At least she couldn't hurt the dead anymore.