Chapter Fourteen: The Battle of Redcliffe
Night had fallen over Redcliffe, and with the sun went the fragile sense of peace that had been with the people just a few short hours ago. Mist rolled in off of the lake, creating an eerily serene landscape, the quiet of the night only enhanced this feeling as the militia waited for the inevitable. Some of the villagers were standing outside of the Chantry, waiting for the moment when the undead would rise again, wanting to see if these newcomers would actually bring them salvation from this nightmare. A scout in the village gazed up at the pass where the undead always arrived from, what he saw still chilled him to the bone no matter how many times he spotted it. There was a thick sickly yellow smoke rushing down the path from the castle, going over the bridge and heading straight for the village.
The scout gasped and slowly started to back up. "They're coming," he said and around him there were panicked gasps and a few shrieks as the villagers ran for cover in the Chantry.
"Get to your positions!" shouted Fergus as he pulled out his blade and shield.
"Make ready!" called out Murdock as he knocked an arrow.
Fergus watched as the smoke trail made its way to the pass, his heart racing as he thought about his little sister standing there as part of the first line of defense. For a brief moment, he could not help but wish that he was standing there in her place, wanting her to be safe; but he knew they had a job to do and from now on, hers would be standing between the innocent and total annihilation.
Yvaine stared at the yellow smoke as it steadily drew closer and closer to their position, she suddenly felt very nervous about this entire plan, and she looked to Alistair. His jaw was set with determination and his body was poised ready to attack, but when she looked in his eyes she saw the fear and apprehension. She looked away with a small smile, glad that at least she was not alone in her worries. When she looked back at the smoke it was now settling just a few hundred feet away, right behind the firetrap they had made, and by the dim light of the moon she saw the outlines of the monsters.
"Leliana, now!" she shouted.
Leliana nodded then quickly dipped an arrow in the torch a soldier was holding for her and then let it fly from her bow, it landed nearly dead center in the oiled up grass and soon that spot was engulfed with flames. They lit the trap just in time, they could hear the clanking of approaching chain mail and soon they could make out their enemy more clearly.
She unsheathed her blade and raised her shield, ready for the attack. "Remember what Morrigan said, cut off the heads!" she called to the men behind her, she heard them hit their blades to their shields in response.
They watched as the monsters stumbled across the firetrap, their bodies instantly lit in the blaze, as soon as they were over the last of the trap the soldiers charged. Teagan had not been lying when he said they were fighting corpses, but nothing could have prepared Yvaine for the horrifying look of these monsters, or the smell. While they might have seen the remains of these creatures, it was nothing compared to see them moving. Their caved in faces were the first thing Yvaine saw, then she saw how the tissue was thin and practically glued to the remaining muscle on the face. Their jaws hung open and an unholy smell seeped from the gaping maw that was their mouth. The rest of their body matched their face, the skin was the same sickly color of death and it looked as if nothing was holding the monsters together but the tight skin that covered their bodies. Yvaine tried not to look in their eyes, when she did catch a glimpse all she could see was nothing but death and evil.
Mercifully the first wave of corpses was relatively small, only a group of three met their group and they were dispatched easily. The soldiers had taken Morrigan's advice to heart and all of the corpses were missing their heads, effectively ending their existence. From what Morrigan had told Yvaine, her investigation of the pieces of corpse revealed that the magical energy keeping them alive was centered in the head, and by removing the head they would instantly neutralized the threat. Needless to say the men were thrilled to know the monsters' weakness, now they would not waste precious energy trying to hack the creatures to pieces as they had been.
Their time between waves was brief, however, and soon they heard the sound of more approaching, this group sounded much larger than the previous one had been. When the horde approached the firetrap, Yvaine did a quick head count of the enemy: There were at least ten corpses headed straight for them. She looked over at Morrigan, a plan taking shape in her mind.
"Morrigan, I need you to cast a large spell over the bulk of the horde," she said, pointing with her sword.
"Any one in particular?" called Morrigan from behind her.
"Something big that'll do a lot of damage," she replied, just as the first corpses exited the firetrap.
"I have just the spell," she heard her say and she could hear the smirk in her voice.
"Leli, as soon as Morrigan's cast her spell, rain down arrows in the same spot," she called to the bard.
"On it!" she shouted.
Yvaine nodded and returned her focus to the corpse that was charging her. Quickly she raised her shield to block its oncoming attack, the momentum when it hit causing her to stumble backwards but not too far. She charged forward once she regained her footing, using her shield like a battering ram, sending the corpse to the ground. Before it could even look up she brought her blade down, chopping off its head. The smell of the rotting blood was enough to make someone physically ill, but fortunately, it was just a little less disgusting than the darkspawn blood had been. Her victory was short lived as another corpse came straight for her, its daggers spinning. She barely had time to sidestep out of its path, using her own sword to cut off one of its hands as it passed her, then she took the opportunity of its defenseless side and cut its head clean off.
Suddenly she heard what sounded like a thunder storm behind her, turning around she saw dark clouds gathering over the firetrap, and then several columns of lightning came jetting out of the clouds. Then there was the sound of nearly a dozen arrows flying through the air towards the same direction, cutting through the clouds as if they were not even there. The few corpses that had yet to cross the firetrap were struck down by the lightning, the combined effects of the fire and arrows sealing their fate. Yvaine smiled to herself as she chased down another corpse, the fight was starting to turn more in their favor and she had a feeling that if they kept up this pace, the battle would be theirs.
Again she used her shield to knock a corpse down to the ground, nearly falling down on top of it in her eagerness, she rounded back to the corpse only to see Alistair strike its head off. She raised an eyebrow and he merely grinned as he engaged another corpse, one of the last ones standing thanks to Morrigan's spell. Yvaine rolled her eyes and set off to help Ser Perth with one of the corpses, this one seemed to be much stronger than the others and Yvaine could only guess that in life it had been a powerful warrior. Ser Perth had his shield raised above his head as the corpse continually struck at the metal, trying to reach him underneath. The creature's assault was unrelenting, preventing the knight from being able to get to a decent position so he could cut off its head. Yvaine stabbed the creature through the chest as she ran up to the knight, her blade sinking up to the hilt, splattering her with the syrupy black blood of the corpse. She had to fight down the bile that rose in her throat, between the smell and the feeling of it on her exposed skin, she was not sure which was worse or what was making her feel so ill. She desperately wanted a hot bath and a clean tunic.
Extracting her blade from the creature proved to only release more of its foul blood, but her assault on the corpse had given Ser Perth enough time to throw the blade off his shield and strike the killing blow. They locked eyes for a moment and he nodded his thanks before they both turned to survey the current state of things. It appeared that they had killed the last of the corpses and they could not see anymore standing in the pass. Most of the militia soldiers were still standing, only two bodies on the field belonged to their side, the rest of the field was littered with corpse bodies and their heads. Her companions seemed to have sustained only superficial injuries; Alistair had a few cuts on his face, Leliana had a few bruises starting to blossom on her arms, and Morrigan looked absolutely drained.
"Pass out the poultices and grab a breath, men," said Ser Perth happily. "You've earned it. Just be on your guard."
There was a joyful noise all around as the men started to treat their injuries. Yvaine walked over to her companions, they were all smiling as she approached, Alistair's seemed to be the biggest.
"You all did great," she said, trying to sound upbeat when in actuality she was exhausted and ready for bed. "Morrigan, do you need a lyrium potion? You look positively worn out."
Morrigan chuckled. "Your concern is refreshing." she said as she leaned on her staff. "'Twas a powerful spell you asked of me, I am glad it was so effective."
"You doubted yourself?" Yvaine asked with a smirk as she handed Morrigan a flask full of blue liquid from her pack.
"Only the timing," replied Morrigan with an amused look as she took the flask. "The arrows proved to be an effective weapon as well." She popped the cork out of the top and drank the contents.
Leliana looked absolutely astounded that Morrigan had said something so kind to her after their initial meeting just the day before. "Thank you, Morrigan," she replied sweetly. "It would seem our dual attack was well placed."
"All thanks to the decisive planning of our leader," said Alistair proudly, taking Yvaine's hand. "You did amazingly well, I hardly had to intervene at all."
Yvaine laughed. "Well, there was that one time, but that hardly counts since I did all the hard work."
"You wound me with your words," he said, placing his free hand over his heart. "I need a balm to soothe the damage done to my soul by your cruel words."
"Oh for Maker's sake, you two," huffed Leliana, though she looked rather pleased, "we're in the middle of a battlefield and all you can think to do is joke?"
Alistair and Yvaine looked at each other, both trying to not laugh.
"Isn't this the best time to joke?" asked Alistair seriously and Yvaine laughed again, her resolve broken with that question.
Leliana rolled her eyes playfully though Morrigan scowled at the pair.
"Speaking of balms," said Yvaine when she calmed down, now noting once again the injuries to Alistair's face. "How about I get something for those cuts, Alistair?"
He merely shrugged and took a seat on the nearest rock, watching intently as she pulled out an injury kit from her pack. She settled herself in front of him with the kit in her hands and a clean cloth in the other, carefully she cleaned one of the cuts and quickly applied the paste to his injury. She repeated this ritual until all of his injuries were taken care of, then she handed the remaining paste to Leliana so she could take care of her bruises.
"Lady Yvaine," said Ser Perth as he jogged over to their spot. "I just wanted to thank you for your timely intervention earlier. I half expected that creature would be the end of me."
Yvaine smiled brightly as she stood up. "You're welcome, Ser Perth though I'm sure you would've found a way to kill it on your own. You are a skilled knight for sure."
The knight blushed, the color nearly matching his red hair. "You are too kind, my lady. Anyway, things here seem to be under control, we'll still keep watch on the pass but for right now it seems all is quiet."
"Thank the Maker," said Leliana obviously relieved.
"Indeed," said Alistair, standing from his rock and pulling Yvaine close. "Should we head for town and find the rest of our party or wait for them?"
Before Yvaine could answer they heard heavy footsteps running towards them. They all turned to see one of the militia coming up the hill, he looked tired and panicked.
"The monsters are attacking from the lake!" he shouted. "They're attacking the barricades, we need help!"
"So much for all being quiet," muttered Yvaine as she pulled away from Alistair. "Ser Perth," she said, her voice commanding, "you and your men will stay here and protect the pass, my companions and I will take care of the attack in town." Ser Perth nodded. "Good ser, lead the way!"
The messenger nodded and started running back the way he came, Yvaine and the others following close behind. They followed the messenger down the hill, the steep angle nearly tripping them as they ran, the fact it was nearly pitch black as they made their descent did not help in the slightest. To her credit, Morrigan conjured several small balls of magic that she sent ahead of their group, lighting their way down though the light they gave off was minimum so as not to attract unwanted attention. They managed to make it to the bridge where there were torches lighting the way down to the village, even from here they could hear the sounds of swords clanging and the shouts of the men.
Yvaine's breath caught in her throat, her brother was down there with Sten and Gawain, and all she could think was he might be dead already before she had a chance to save him. Finally the battle came into view and she felt dread creep into her heart, there was well over a dozen corpses attacking the militia, and while they were doing a good job keeping them at bay, there were not many corpse bodies laying on the ground. She looked down at the scene and felt the urge to run straight in but something stopped her, then she turned to Morrigan.
"Is there any spell you can cast that wouldn't harm the militia?" asked Yvaine, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.
Morrigan looked at the battle, her brow creased in concentration as she surveyed the layout. "A well placed fireball might scatter the corpses off of the men, though some might get scorched."
Yvaine heard a familiar shout and spun around to see Fergus knocked to the ground, he was still alive but being on the ground was not to his advantage.
"Do anything you think might help," she said sternly, her eyes still glued on Fergus as he tried to get up. "Leli, can you see well from here or do you need to be closer?"
"I might move closer, but if you need me to team up with Morrigan again, I'll move where she does," replied Leliana calmly, her eyes were also locked on Fergus, her blue eyes full of worry.
Yvaine vaguely nodded, not really paying attention to what she said, still focused on Fergus as he rolled on the ground just moments before a corpse lunged for the spot where his head had just been.
Alistair could see it in Yvaine's body language that she wanted to bolt down to the fight but she was preventing herself, fighting against her instinct. "Yvaine," he said softly, glad when she looked at him. "I'm ready when you are."
She nodded and then she bolted down the hill, he barely had time to register that she had in fact left them before chasing after her. He watched as she charged into battle, her blade held high as she let out a feral cry, she met the corpse head on and then she chopped it off swiftly, sending it sailing through the air. Alistair managed to duck as the head came at him, the change in focus almost caused him to miss Yvaine take down another corpse, trying to carve a path to her brother. He was almost mesmerized as he watched her take down an enemy, there was beauty in it, like a dance with steps only a few knew. He could have stared at her fighting all night if a corpse had not come up to him with a pike raised. Deftly he blocked it with his shield and quickly cut off its head then he went into the main fight, glad that Yvaine had such uniquely colored hair, otherwise he might have lost her in the fray.
"Morrigan!" Yvaine shouted, using her shield to pin a corpse to the ground as she cut its head off. "Any time now!"
She glanced up from her dead enemy just in time to leap out of the way as a giant fireball came sailing through the air, followed by several fire tipped arrows. Something told her that Leliana and Morrigan were finally getting along, even if it was just them cooperating during attacks, anything was better than nothing. The explosion went off behind her but she emerged without any burns, as did many of the men, even Alistair did not appear to have any burns. The corpses, however, were all on fire though that did not seem to slow them down much. Yvaine held back as the militia charged forward, instead searching for Fergus, she found him laying next to one of the barricades holding his chest and she ran to him.
"Fergus," she said as she fell to her knees. "Are you alright?"
Fergus nodded as he looked at her, noticing how worried she looked and the dark circles under her eyes. "Why aren't you fighting?"
She smirked as she helped him up. "I was, if you hadn't noticed, now I'm saving your sorry arse for the umpteenth time."
"So everything's right with the world," he said with a chuckle as they rose to their feet. Their reunion was short lived as a flaming corpse came for them, only to be stopped by Sten as he swung Asala, cutting the head off cleanly.
Yvaine and Fergus stared at the Qunari with absolute shock, while they had a feeling he had been a good warrior, it was completely different seeing this type of fighting up close and personal. His great sword cut through the air as he chopped off the heads of two more corpses as if they were made of parchment.
"I'm so glad you found that sword of his," said Fergus quietly as he picked up his own blade. "Now, shall we get back to it?"
She nodded and they charged back in, immediately engaging two flaming corpses though not for long, the fire had weakened them enough that with just a few strokes of their blades they were dead on the ground. They looked up and saw that the rest of the corpses were dead, their bodies littered on the ground in varying states of dismemberment. The quiet was somewhat unnerving after being engaged in battle for most of the night, the sounds of the blades hitting each other still ringing in their ears.
Tomas was the first one to celebrate. "We did it!"
Suddenly the rest of the men raised their voices in a triumphant cry, practically dancing in the street as they celebrated. Yvaine turned to Fergus who smiled his largest smile possible, and then pulled her into a tight hug, they held each other so tightly she was sure either their bones or their armor would break. Which would break first she did not know but she did not care, instead grateful that she was allowed to have her brother another day. Gawain came bounding up to them, covered in what was surely corpse blood, his tongue hanging out as he wagged his tail happily.
"Looks like you had fun, boy," she said happily, and he barked loudly.
Then she looked up and saw Alistair standing awkwardly amongst the militia, she felt her heart grow lighter when she saw him. She pulled herself away from Fergus and almost ran to Alistair, throwing herself in his arms, corpse blood and all, not caring at all that her brother and most of Redcliffe was watching them. Yvaine felt him wrap his arms tightly around her, pulling her closer if that was even possible at this point, his head tucked in the crook of her neck and she copied him, folding herself so they were practically entwined. While she had not doubted he would live, she could not help but feel relieved that he was still standing, with very few injuries to boot.
"Thank the Maker you're alright," she whispered and she felt him smiling against her neck.
Alistair pulled away enough so they could see each other properly. "Was there ever any doubt?" he asked with a smirk and he rested his forehead against hers.
"Maker's breath!" they heard someone exclaim behind them, both turned their heads to see Bann Teagan standing with a couple of soldiers beside him.
"You did it, you actually did it," he said almost breathless.
Yvaine raised an eyebrow. "Did you think we'd fail, Teagan?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant at all," he said hurriedly. "I just . . . after going through this for so long, it's hard to believe we actually have a victory."
"It came at a cost though," said Yvaine grimly, still holding onto Alistair and he to her. "The party at the pass lost two soldiers and here nearly five were lost. Murdock, Tomas, and Ser Perth all live, however."
"Their sacrifice will be honored accordingly," said Bann Teagan seriously. "Until then, I believe you all have earned some rest. Come, there is hot food and a bath waiting for all of you."
Yvaine smiled and then signaled to Morrigan and Leliana to come down from the hill, when she saw their shadowy figures moving down the slope she relaxed. Today was a victory, though they lost soldiers, it was a victory nonetheless and now they could relax if only for the night. Suddenly she was very aware that Alistair was still holding her, something she had not expected but was enjoying.
"Shall we go inside?" he asked with a grin. "As much as I'm enjoying this, I believe we are both in desperate need of a bath and that hot meal Teagan mentioned. Wouldn't you agree?"
"On all accounts," she said shyly and she pulled herself away from him. Just when she thought she was free, she felt a tugging on her hand, seeing that Alistair had released everything except her hand. She looked at him and she saw in his eyes that he was silently asking her if it was alright for him to hold her hand, she nodded and they started walking into the Chantry with the rest trailing behind them. Yvaine was a little more than curious as to why Alistair's confidence was wavering, earlier in the Chantry he had held her hand without reservation but now he had asked though without words. She made note to ask him about it later.
"Maker, a bath has never felt better," sighed Leliana as she dried herself off.
"Neither has a clean tunic," said Yvaine as she pulled a pair of brown leather breeches and a white tunic out of her large pack that she had left behind earlier. Even though it had been a little over two weeks since her parents' death, she still had yet to go through the bag, not really sure she wanted to see what her mother had left her.
Morrigan was standing in the far off corner, she had declined both the bath and fresh clothes, having not gotten herself dirty during the fight. Though Leliana had had a bow, she had to use her daggers a couple of times when the corpses got too close, resulting in a great blood splatter all over her and her armor. Yvaine looked as if she had been dunked in a vat of the blood, though her face and most of her hair had been mercifully spared, making the clean up a little bit easier. The clean up of their armor, however, would probably take a great deal longer than cleaning themselves.
Yvaine smiled as she pulled the tunic over her head, the feeling of the soft cloth on her clean skin was amazing, now that she was away from her life in Highever she was surprised at how the little things like being clean mattered so much to her. Carefully she gathered up her things and put them back in the pack, wondering for the countless time what her mother had put in it that was so heavy and exited the small room where they had bathed. The Chantry was full to bursting with villagers and militia alike, all celebrating the victory they had achieved that night, the air of despair now completely lifted from the people. She kept to the wall as she walked, not wanting to draw attention to herself as she made her way to the room Teagan had given her and her companions as a separate place to stay away from the villagers. Yvaine knew it was an act of respect but she thought it was something similar to quarantine, keeping the deadly away from the innocent.
She opened the door and was immediately met with the smell of a hearty beef stew. "Maker, I'm starved!" she exclaimed as she put her pack by her bedroll. Quickly she took a bowl from Fergus along with a hunk of bread, tucking into the meal as if it were her very last, her rumbling stomach having plagued her during the battle. She was silent until she finished her fourth bowl of stew, then she was sated enough to come up for air.
"Are you sure that's the Warden appetite?" asked Fergus as he filled his third bowl of stew from the pot one of the clerics had brought in for them. "If memory serves me, you used to eat like that long before you joined the Order."
Yvaine took the small hunk of bread in her hand and chucked it at her brother, hitting him square in the forehead then plopping into his stew.
"Thanks, I was meaning to ask for more bread," he said as he pulled out the bread from his bowl and ate it in two bites.
She rolled her eyes and accepted another piece of bread from Alistair, noticing that his fingers lingered on her hand for a few moments longer than normal. "You're such an ass, Fergus," she groaned. "Remind me why you had any friends at all?"
"My charm and intelligence," said Fergus through a mouthful of bread. "The same goes for Cailan, that's why he and I were such great friends."
"That and Father bribed him to play with you," teased Yvaine as she rubbed Gawain behind the ears. She and Alistair burst out laughing at the look on Fergus's face.
"And Mother used to pay your tutors extra to tell you that you were an excellent student," retorted Fergus and gave a satisfied smirk when she scowled at him.
Alistair sniggered into his bowl, trying to keep out of Yvaine's reach if she tried to hit him for laughing at Fergus's joke. Yvaine rolled her eyes but smiled anyway, then she punched him squarely in the shoulder, eliciting a groan from the junior Warden.
Fergus looked at Yvaine and Alistair, seeing the way they looked at each other, and since they were basically alone since Sten had decided to stay outside with the dwarves and the other girls had yet to return, he decided now was the time to ask.
"This has gone on long enough. Alright, Alistair," said Fergus getting their attention, "what are your intentions towards my sister?"
Alistair sputtered and Yvaine blushed, this had been the last question either had expected to hear, especially Alistair. They looked at each other and she shrugged, not really sure what to do or say in this situation, since she had never been in it before.
"You heard me," said Fergus sternly. "Can you not answer this simple question because you don't know the answer yourself, Alistair?"
"How are you sure there's anything between us?" asked Alistair lamely into his bowl, trying to delay the inevitable confession Fergus would force from him. This was not exactly how he had wanted his true feelings for Yvaine to come out.
Fergus rolled his eyes. "Because I have two eyes and some sense," he said slightly exasperated. "Look, I've seen the way you two look at each other, and that hug was not one shared between two friends. Besides that, I know you're the stable boy that saved her and you've both been in love with each other since you were children. So answer the damn question!"
Alistair gulped and put his food down, sweat forming on his brow. "Well . . . y-you see, I, uh, was going to ask if I could court her, I suppose. I guess I can't court her in the traditional sense, given the circumstances."
Yvaine's stomach flipped, while the situation was peculiar to say the least, she was glad to finally know what Alistair wanted and how he felt about her.
Fergus was satisfied with the answer though he did not let on that he was, he wanted to make sure that this man was the one for his sister, not just some fling that would be done in a week leaving her heart broken and Alistair without a very important piece of the male anatomy.
"Alright," said Fergus cooly, "let's say I let you court my sister, what then? Do you plan on marrying her? What can you offer her? She is, after all, a teyrness and certain expectations are in place for her when she picks a suitor to marry."
Alistair gulped but he was ready for this, he knew it was going to have to be said sooner or later. "Well, if all things go according to the plan I'm sure Eamon has in place for me, I'll be able to offer her the title Queen of Ferelden."
Yvaine froze and Fergus looked absolutely stunned, she had expected a better reaction to the news, but this was alright she supposed.
"How is that possible?" asked Fergus quietly.
"I'm Maric's bastard," said Alistair firmly. "Duncan and Eamon both knew, and I'm sure Eamon will push for me to be King now that Cailan is . . . lost."
Fergus stroked his beard thoughtfully, thoroughly enjoying this interview of sorts. "I see, so all I have is your promise that you might be King one say and Yvaine will be Queen? If that's all you're going to base your future on, I can't see this being a very promising relationship."
Yvaine's brown eyes flashed dangerously, she knew her brother was toying with Alistair and she did not appreciate it one bit. He merely ignored her look.
Alistair set his jaw, he was not going to lose this battle. He took Yvaine's hand in both of his and smiled. "Fergus, I have absolutely nothing to offer your sister in the way of material possession; no lands, not much money, not even a title beyond Warden. But right now what I have to give her is love and I will spend the rest of my life trying to give her everything else she deserves."
Fergus was silent for a few moments, slightly in awe of the depth of Alistair's words, how could he deny them? He loved Yvaine dearly and only wanted her happy. He could see the conviction in Alistair's eyes and in that moment knew that he would travel the length and breadth of Thedas to make her so.
"After some careful consideration," he said seriously, imagining this was how their father would have handled this situation, "I have decided that you have my permission to court my sister and, if the Maker wills it, marry her."
Even though she had expected the answer to be positive, Yvaine still felt her heart pounding in her chest, her blood racing as she waited for her brother to decide her fate with Alistair. When the words left his lips she felt herself calming down almost immediately and a smile was spreading across her lips. Slowly she turned to Alistair, who was still sitting there slightly slack-jawed, apparently he had still not fully comprehended what Fergus had said.
"You know, maybe I shouldn't have said anything," said Fergus with an eyebrow raised. "It seems all I've done is render you both speechless."
"If Alistair's is permanent, I will be most grateful to you, Fergus," said Morrigan as she entered, Leliana following close behind, both carrying the armor the four fighters had discarded earlier. Each set was now fully polished and gleamed in the low light of the room.
Having Morrigan back seemed to give Alistair his voice again. "Oh, but Morrigan, if I didn't talk, what would you do if you couldn't spew that nasty bile you're so fond of?"
"Find better uses for my 'bile', as you call it," snapped Morrigan. "And how exactly is this a way of thanking someone for cleaning your filthy armor?"
Alistair grumbled to himself as Morrigan put his armor beside him, smirking as she did and then she handed Yvaine hers.
"Oh, Morrigan, you didn't have to do that," said Yvaine when she saw her clean armor. "I was going to attend to that in the morning."
Morrigan shook her head. "'Twas nothing, Yvaine. Your armor was the easiest to clean."
"Still, I should repay you for such a kind gesture," insisted Yvaine. "I still owe you a thank you gift from when you recruited Bodhan and Sandal."
"If you insist," said Morrigan lightly but Yvaine saw the blush in her cheeks.
"Here you are, Fergus," said Leliana as she presented Fergus's armor. "Freshly cleaned and polished."
"Leli, you didn't have to do that," said Fergus sweetly, his violet eyes full of sincerity. "You should've just looked after your own armor."
Leliana shrugged. "I know, but I could not help it. You just seemed so tired after the battle, I thought maybe doing this for you would allow you to rest sooner."
Fergus smiled warmly at the bard. "Thank you, Leli, I really appreciate this."
Leliana smiled back and sat down beside him, a little closer than would be expected of two friends. "So," she said as she ladled herself a bowl of stew, "did we miss anything exciting?"
Yvaine's gaze shot up from her armor to her brother, she knew exactly what he was about to do.
"Actually yes," said Fergus as he handed her a cup of water.
Morrigan sat between Yvaine and Leliana, also serving herself. "Oh, did Alistair learn to tie his shoes? Pity we missed such a monumental achievement."
Alistair opened his mouth to snap back but Fergus quickly intervened.
"Watch what you say, Morrigan," warned Fergus, "you're speaking to my soon-to-be brother-in-law and the future King of Ferelden."
At the news Leliana gasped and Morrigan looked as if she had swallowed her tongue. Alistair sat there smugly.
"I thought Maric's only child was Cailan," replied Leliana, now looking at Alistair in a new light. "I had no idea he. . ."
"That he fathered a bastard," supplied Alistair. "It's alright, only two people other knew anyway, well before I told Yvaine." Then he rounded to Morrigan. "So, what do you think of me now, Morrigan?"
Yvaine knew instantly that was the wrong question to ask, made all the more obvious by the predatory glint in Morrigan's eyes.
"You know, Alistair," she said deliberately, "there was a King of Ferelden once who drooled on himself in such volume that he required a constant attendant to wipe his chin in court. I'm sure the kings of old would be pleased to see their bloodline has not strayed very far from its roots. I can only imagine the man your brother must've been if you and he shared the same father."
"That's it!" snapped Alistair, throwing his bowl down. "I don't care what you say about me, but you went too far by involving Cailan and my father in your little game!"
With that he stood up from the floor and stormed out of the room. Yvaine got up a moment later, her glare to Morrigan promising retribution later, and she chased after Alistair. Fergus gave Morrigan such an ugly look it was a wonder she did not burst into flames, he also stood up and left the room.
"Well done, Morrigan," said Leliana coldly, "with three sentences, you managed to offend three people. How wonderful it must be to be you."
She then stood up from the floor and went after Fergus, leaving Morrigan alone in the room with her thoughts and the consequences of her words.
Yvaine finally caught up with Alistair outside of the Chantry, he was standing against a tree with his arms crossed against his chest, his gaze fixated on the small bit of lake visible from their position. She approached him with some caution, not sure what his reaction would be when he saw her or if he would be willing to talk to her.
"Alistair," she said gently and he turned around though he said nothing. "Alistair, are you alright?"
He shrugged and stared off into the distance. "I guess, I don't really know. I do know I shouldn't have run out like that, it was cowardly and stupid."
"Morrigan insulted your family, you left so you wouldn't do anything stupid, like try to attack her," replied Yvaine putting a hand on his shoulder. "I probably would've done the same thing."
"Not likely, I'm sure you would've come up with a scathing remark that would've made her rethink ever insulting you again," said Alistair with a slight sneer though it was not directed at her.
Yvaine stood quietly, not sure if she should stay or leave him with his thoughts. "Is that all that's bothering you, that you didn't get in a decent comeback?"
"No," he said softly turning to face her properly. "It's just . . . I've never reacted that way about my father or Cailan before. I didn't really know either of them and wasn't really supposed to, so why did I jump like that?"
"Even if you didn't know them, they were still your family," said Yvaine, placing her hand on his cheek. "Cailan was just my friend and I still got upset with what Morrigan said. People naturally get worked up whenever someone they care about is being attacked, verbally or otherwise."
Alistair raised an eyebrow. "So why don't you get all hot and bothered whenever Morrigan makes a jab at me?"
"Who says I don't?" she remarked and he smiled. "You're at least able to defend yourself, Cailan can't, I always rush to protect those who can't do it themselves."
"So is that your roundabout way of telling me you think I'm competent?" asked Alistair, dropping his arms to his side.
Yvaine smiled. "If I said yes, would that please you?"
He pulled her close and brushed his lips across her forehead, the contact making them both shiver. "Yvaine, I'm standing here with the most wonderful woman in all of Thedas with her undivided attention. What isn't there to be pleased about?"
She melted into him then, her arms wrapped around him, and their foreheads resting against each other. The silence that fell between them was comfortable, one that did not need to be filled with unnecessary words, but rather to be enjoyed by two people who had eyes only for each other.
Alistair cleared his throat nervously. "I really want to kiss you, Yvaine," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, his breath tickling against her lips.
"What's stopping you?" she asked, tilting her head just slightly.
He let out a shaky breath and slanted his head this opposite way, remembering vaguely how they had kissed as children but the thoughts became muddled as her lips brushed against his. This had been the moment he had been dreaming of for years, the moment when he would finally be able to hold her in his arms and kiss her like there was no tomorrow, and given their situation that was likely.
"Yvaine!" called Morrigan from a distance.
They pulled apart and he groaned, leave it to Morrigan to ruin the moment he had been dreaming of since he was ten years old.
"Yvaine!" said Morrigan again.
"I'm sorry," she whispered sheepishly. "We're over here, Morrigan!"
She tried to pull away but he stopped her, their moment might have been ruined but he was not about to let her go, nor did he care when Morrigan saw them and scowled, that was a victory in and of itself.
"I was hoping you would be alone," said Morrigan with an icy tone.
Yvaine pressed herself against Alistair, leaving very little space between them, finding herself quite satisfied by the look Morrigan was reacting.
"As you can see, I'm not alone and have no plans on being so," replied Yvaine coldly. "Why are you here, Morrigan?"
Morrigan stood there as still as the tree Alistair was standing beside, her back as straight as a pole, whatever she was about to say was going to be uncomfortable for her.
"I wanted to apologize," said Morrigan softly, not wanting her words to travel. "What I said earlier was out of line, 'twas not my intention to insult you . . . or your companions." Her eyes flickered to Alistair briefly.
"Thank you, Morrigan," said Yvaine kindly. "I accept your apology. Did you speak with Fergus?"
The witch nodded. "I did, as a matter of fact. After he spewed forth a string of obscenities that would make even a dwarf blush. Then he told me that he would not forgive me for my comment against his friend for as long as he lived, but he did accept the apology."
"Good on Fergus," chuckled Alistair.
Morrigan shot him a withering look. "Be that as it may, I do not apologize often, so you should consider yourself fortunate that I respect Yvaine enough to right the wrongs I have done against you and her brother. I will leave you now, as my business has concluded."
Morrigan turned on her heel and stormed back to the Chantry, sparks of magic flickering from her clenched fists.
"Was it my imagination or did Morrigan just apologize to us?" asked Alistair when Morrigan had slammed to door to the Chantry shut.
Yvaine chuckled. "I think she did as only Morrigan can. Come on, we'd better get inside and rest, Maker knows what tomorrow will bring."
"As long as it isn't more undead," said Alistair as he took her hand.
"Or Isolde," she chuckled and they started walking back into the Chantry.