My eyes opened to the sound of rustling beside me and I found Leliana sitting beside me, staring down at me.

I blinked my eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath, stopping halfway due to the sensations in my midsection.

"How are you feeling?"

My eyes adjusted to the small lamp light that was beside us and I yawned, feeling exhausted even though I had just woken.

"How long have I been out? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. You have been in here for the last three days."

"What? Three days? Are you..."

I clumsily sat up, or rather tried to, and then slumped back down, sighing.

"Just lay still, Detra, you are still not fully healed. I do not want you to tear your wounds open."

My wounds had abated into mere burning sensations with not as much pain but I certainly did not want to reopen them as I remembered the pain I had experienced on the field just days ago.

Leliana put her hand on my forehead for a moment and concluded that I did not have a temperature so that was a welcome relief.

"I want to check your bandages now. Hopefully you have stopped bleeding."

I closed my eyes and my head rolled around my pillow as Leliana pulled the blanket back to inspect the damage. I looked down as well and found I had two stab wounds on the right side of my stomach and there must be one on my right shoulder too as I remember I had felt massive pain there as well. Thankfully, now it was just a dull ache.

Leliana pulled the bandages away from one wound at a time and there was little to no blood on any of them according to her.

"I think we can remove the bandages that way the air can get to your skin and help the healing."

I saw small bumps in my flesh where it had been magically knit together at the entrance site and I ran my fingers over them, sighing.

"Just more scars to add to my collection, I suppose."

Leliana did not answer as she was leaning me up a bit to check my shoulder injury.

"This one is no longer bleeding either. These bandages can all come off."

Out of nowhere, I felt myself become aware of how little clothing I was wearing, clad only in my undergarments under my blanket. Now I understood why it had only been the females tending to me.

"I...so this is why it has only been you and Morrigan in here with me."

I gestured to my half-naked state, trying not to giggle too loudly.

"Please, just take care that Zevran does not see me like this, I could not bear the fallout from that encounter. Or even Alistair for that matter, he may not be able to respect me in the morning after seeing this. Oh and the blushing would never stop."

Leliana laughed.

"Are you afraid they will call you beautiful and swoon over you? Perhaps they do that already."

I laughed this time.

"I am afraid of what they might ask for because they have not seen a woman in a half dressed state in God knows how long."

"But you are not just 'any woman', Detra- you are our leader. Men are drawn to, yet also confused by, women in power but it does not stop them from wanting them."

Leliana spoke as if from experience and I wanted to hear more.

"You must have encountered dozens, if not more, of men like that in your work and travels."

"Yes, but the men that I had to deal with were almost effortless, just needing a friendly ear to listen and to feel as though they were loved. The women, however, I found to be greatly challenging."

My ears perked up.

"The women?"

Leliana smiled at me.

"Surely you did not think my skills were limited to only one gender? My marks were sometimes female, though a very small portion. The women proved more unwilling to simply give in to their desires and they were very much a test for my skills."

"So you would...seduce women as well?"

Leliana was bold with her answer, meeting my gaze.

"I would. Unlike the encounters with the men, the women were usually not marked for death, but simply for information. I always did what the job required and I did it well."

I could not think of anything else to say at that point and was stuck with images flashing through my head of Leliana seducing another female.

Stop that right now.

"But that is all behind me now- I am no longer a part of that life. Now I travel with you and we will defeat the Darkspawn and anything else that stands in our way."

Leliana smiled cheerfully and I could not help but smile back.

"Anyhow, I brought you some lamb stew that Alistair made. You must be hungry as it has been two days since you've last eaten."

I had wondered what the smell was that lingered in the tent since I had awoken and truth be told my stomach did grumble when Leliana mentioned the stew.

The thought of sitting up and feeling the burning again, however, diminished my appetite and I told Leliana that.

"Just... wait. Here."

Leliana propped another pillow under my head and was proceeding to feed the stew to me.

"Wait, I..."

I protested and Leliana just knocked my hand away.

"Just relax, Detra. Have you not had anyone feed you before?"

"Not since I was about say, two years old."

Leliana laughed and spooned a good size portion into my mouth, just as my mother had always done to get me to quiet down.

Chewing and thinking, I looked at Leliana as she smiled and readied another spoonful for me and this felt very strange.

I am supposed to be leader and I am being fed as if an infant?

No, no- this is all too strange.

As the spoon neared my mouth again I faked having an upset stomach to get Leliana to stop feeding me versus arguing with her again.

"Very well, but let me know if you would like some later. I will keep some wrapped for you, away from Alistair."

"Thank you."

I settled back down into my pillow and turned slightly on my side, wanting these strange feelings and thoughts I was having to leave me.

I felt Leliana touch my back as she got up to leave.

"Get some rest. I will check on you later."