AN: I know what you're thinking. What? Daily updates? Let's just remember that quantity doesn't mean quality. But hopefully it doesn't mean absolute garbage either. You can be the judge. I'm still looking for a beta so if you're reading this and you think "I can make this way better" please, PM me!
I sat on the floor of the Chantry, glaring at my twisted ankle. I wasn't angry with Grayson and Alistair for leaving me behind. I knew logically that there was no way I was going to fight my way through a castle of walking dead when I couldn't even walk, but this sucked to high heaven.
After the battle, Grayson had informed us that he had apprehended a spy in the tavern and handed Teagan the letter he had acquired from him, implicating Arl Howe in the events that had transpired. In turn, Teagan had then told us that he had a key to a secret passageway into the castle and off they went. Larry stayed behind, because he refused to leave my side, but he was now lying beside me, snoring loudly.
I decided that I couldn't take much more of just sitting here, sulking, and I pushed myself to my feet - well, foot - and hobbled out of the Chantry. The early morning air was cool against my skin and I breathed in, deeply. The ground was still littered with corpses, but they had been dragged into piles and a large pyre was being erected in the middle of the square. I limped to the hut I had slept in and grabbed my pack, heaving it across the floor to sit on my bed. I rummaged through it, grabbing my comfortable clothes and removing my new armour. With no Alistair there to blush at the sight of two inches of exposed midriff, I pulled on my purple sports bra and black leggings and slipped into my trainers, gritting my teeth and being careful not to jar my ankle as I did so.
Now unburdened of my armour, I sat for a moment, thinking of how best to use my time. Redcliffe, Redcliffe...well, Sten's sword's here, I thought. Might be here, I corrected myself. I wasn't sure if Dwyn had already purchased it or if it was still with the merchant in the Frostback Mountains. I guessed there was no harm in asking. I slipped my dagger-holster back on over my normal clothes, just in case I ran into any unforeseen trouble, and limped back outside, heading over to Dwyn's house. The layout of the houses was very confusing and there were a lot more of them than were shown in the game, but eventually I found the right one. I knocked loudly and announced myself, and a very grumpy, tired-looking dwarf answered, glaring at me.
"Hi." I greeted, brightly. "I have a question. Have you, by any chance, recently come into possession of a large broadsword, sold to you by a man named Faryn?"
"What are you...yes, I did. How did you know that?"
"A woman's intuition is a remarkable thing, really."
"That's very specific information to have gleaned from intuition."
"Like I said. Remarkable." He wasn't buying it, but I didn't really mean for him to. "Anyhoo, could you kindly hand it over? It belongs to a friend of mine."
"It belongs to me. I paid for it with my own sodding coin." He growled.
"Okay. That's unfortunate. Well, I guess I could just tell my friend you have it and he could come and ask you himself. Of course, I can't promise he'll ask you as politely as I have." I said, innocently.
"Who's your friend?" He asked, suspiciously.
"Oh, you know. Sten? Of the Beresaad? The giant Qunari I was with earlier?" His eyes widened slightly, and I nodded. "Yeah, that one. He named the sword "Asala", the Qunlat word for soul, and he killed an entire farmhold with his bare hands when he realised it was missing. So he's pretty attached to the thing, bless him."
"Alright, alright." He grumbled, apparently realising that it wasn't worth getting his arms ripped off over. He disappeared for a moment and came back, holding the massive sword. "Take the sodding thing." He thrust it into my hands and slammed the door in my face.
"Thank you!" I called through the closed door, and was met with the sound of a deadbolt being shoved into place in response. I weighted the sword in my hands. As if Dwyn could even wield this thing, I thought to myself, flourishing it experimentally. It weighed a ton. I carried it back to the hut and slid it safely under my bed, before returning to the town square to find Murdock overseeing the building of the funeral pyre.
"Ah, Lady Duval." He greeted as I hobbled over to him. "You may grow tired of hearing this, but thank you again for your efforts. It was a pleasure to watch you work."
"Please, call me Lauren. I'm a Grey Warden, so titles don't really stand. And you're welcome. I only wish I could do more to help but, as you can see, I'm currently worse than a man down."
"I don't know. I reckon you could still do some damage, at that."
"Maybe more to myself than anyone else." I offered.
"The way you and that Alistair fought those monsters last night...I've never seen anything like it. These men will tell stories about last night for the rest of their lives, and I include myself in that."
"Well, when you tell it, can you leave out the part where I tripped and twisted my ankle?" I asked. "I'd really appreciate that."
He laughed, and shook his head.
"If you had told me this time yesterday that I'd be standing here laughing with a Grey Warden, I'd have thought you were mad." He said, still chuckling.
"You wouldn't have been wrong." I reasoned. "But I'm glad I could ease your troubles a little."
"I'd like to do what I can to repay the favour. Have you been to see a healer yet?" He asked. I shook my head.
"No, the healer was busy tending to a couple of Ser Perth's knights. They were in more dire need than I am."
"Come now, then. I'll bring you to my home and we'll get the healer in for you. It's warmer than the Chantry, and my girls will look after you." He said, offering his arm for me to lean on. I accepted, gratefully. He called one of the men over and asked him to fetch the healer and send him along to his house.
"Look after me?" I repeated.
"Anything you need. They can get you food, draw you a bath. Fetch you some proper clothes...no offense, messere, but your current attire is..." He trailed off, apparently unable to think of in an inoffensive way to describe my yoga outfit. I grinned, nodding my head.
"Yeah, I get it. This particular outfit hasn't been very well-received in Ferelden. I usually only wear it to train." I explained. "It allows for greater movement than heavier, more restrictive clothing."
"Aye, I can see that it does." He agreed, politely. "It doesn't look like it offers much in the way of warmth, though. It's cold in the South this time of year."
"I'm used to the cold." I replied.
"But you're from Starkhaven, aren't you? I thought you lot got all the sun over there."
Oh, shit, was that true? Was Starkhaven warm? I hastily covered my surprise and nodded in agreement.
"Oh, yeah...hence my outfit. No need for layers in good old, sunny Starkhaven! I just mean, since coming to Ferelden...camping in the wilderness every night. I've grown used to the cold."
"Aye, true enough." He replied, this explanation apparently good enough for him. He led me to his home and introduced me to his wife and daughter. They both greeted me warmly, thanking me repeatedly for saving the village. I tried to protest that it wasn't just me, but they were having none of it. Murdock excused himself, leaving me with his family, and the women started fussing over me immediately. His wife, Marion, sent Gracie, their daughter who appeared to be roughly my age, to draw me a bath, while she set about making something to eat. Feeling very much like a loose end, I collapsed into one of the wooden seats around the dining table and chatted pleasantly with Marion until the healer arrived.
He was younger than I had expected him to be, perhaps early thirties, and after confirming that the ankle was not, in fact, broken, he gave me a dose of healing draught and handed me a pouch containing a few more. As soon as I drank the small vial of liquid, I felt that familiar sensation of warmth spreading through me, although this time the heat seemed to wash over me before focusing intensely on my ankle. After a few moments, I wiggled my foot around and was pleasantly surprised to find that the pain was all but gone. He warned me that the absence of pain did not mean the absence of injury, and I should still be careful about walking on it, and I thanked him, promising not to be reckless. He set about binding the ankle with a gauze-like material and handed me a wooden crutch to aid my mobility. By the time he left, I was feeling a whole lot better.
This feeling only intensified when Marion set a plate of chicken legs, cheese slices and fresh bread down in front of me and I wolfed it down, hungrily, ignoring her incredulous stare as I did so. I devoured everything on the plate in under a minute and she smiled as I thanked her, a tiny burp escaping my mouth as I did so.
By that time, Gracie had called to say that the bath was ready and I tested out my new crutch as I followed Marion through to their bathroom. I stripped quickly and lowered myself in, with Marion's help, still careful not to put weight on my now painless injury, and I sighed, laughing out loud as the warm water soothed my aching muscles. I groaned, resting my head back against the side of the tub, and Marion knelt behind me, washing my hair.
"I don't even know how to thank you for your hospitality." I sighed, laying there in pure ecstasy. "I haven't felt this relaxed since...I've never felt this relaxed."
"I don't suppose the exciting life of a Grey Warden is anything like you were used to, being Starkhaven nobility." She said, conversationally. "If I may be so bold, my Lady, what made you choose this life?"
"It sort of chose me. But I'm glad now...you know? Someone has to end this blight and, at this point, I'd like to be there to see it through myself. Not that Alistair and Grayson couldn't manage without me, but..." I trailed off, shrugging.
"Ah, yes. Your fellow Wardens. I caught a peek of them this morning before they left with Bann Teagan. Handsome fellows, aren't they?" I made a non-committal noise in response, and she continued, chuckling. "That Alistair...I remember when he was a lad. Always getting into something he shouldn't be."
I smiled, relaxing in the warm water.
"Hmm. That sounds like him." I replied, closing my eyes.
"Such a fine man he's grown into. I do hope he finds happiness. Maker knows he deserves it."
"Sure." I mumbled, sleepily. "He's...fine..."
The next thing I remembered, I was being gently shaken awake, and I sat up with a start, spilling water over the edge of the tub with the suddenness of my movement. The water I lay in was now barely lukewarm and I shivered, gratefully accepting the robe being offered to me by Gracie.
"Sorry." I said, sheepishly, wrapping the garment around me. "How long was I out for?"
"Less than an hour." She assured me. "Mother thought we should wake you to let you know your friends have returned from the castle."
"They're back? Ah, dammit. I'd hoped to...well, it doesn't matter, I suppose." I looked around for my clothes. "Where...?" In answer to my half-formed question, Gracie held out a blue-grey cotton dress.
"You look to be around my size. This should fit you. It's nothing like you'll be used to, back in Starkhaven." She blushed. "But it's warm enough and I hope it's to your liking. Mother has sent your clothes to be washed and they'll be returned to your hut."
I thanked her, assured her that it was perfectly fine, and dressed quickly. As I slept, someone, I assumed Marion, had braided my damp hair and piled it on top of my head in a rather elegant up-do. Once dressed, I shrugged back into my holster, thanked them both profusely, apologised again for passing out in their tub, and raced as quickly as my new crutch allowed to the Chantry to meet up with my companions.
As I approached, I could see no sign of Morrigan, Sten or Leliana, but Alistair and Grayson stood on the steps of the Chantry, deep in conversation with Murdock. I was almost right beside them by the time they noticed me.
"Hello boys." I grinned. "You two look terrible."
"Lauren." Alistair breathed, looking me up and down. "You look..." He trailed off.
"Unrecognisable." Grayson offered. "The hair, the dress...if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a proper lady."
"Well, it's nice to know that being clean makes me unrecognisable." I drawled, before turning to Murdock. "Please thank Marion and Gracie again for me, as many times as you can. They've been wonderful to me."
"Aye, I'm a lucky man to have those two looking after me." He agreed, graciously. "You do scrub up well, though, and that's all I'll say."
"Why, thank you. You see, Grayson? There's a man who knows how to pay an actual compliment." He stuck his tongue out at me. "Anyway. You're back. What happened at the castle?"
They explained the situation with Connor and the demon in great detail and I nodded, impatiently, waiting to hear what Grayson had decided to do.
"So we have to travel to Kinloch Hold to enlist the help of the Circle of Magi." Grayson finished, and I nodded, pleased with the decision. "Teagan and the mage, Jowan, are staying behind to keep an eye on things here. We had thought you could stay with them, if you-"
"No way!" I cut him off, appalled at the suggestion and Alistair grinned.
"I told you." He said, nudging Grayson.
"It's around a week's walk at a good pace." Grayson said, gently, gesturing to my crutch. I huffed at him, turning to head for the castle. "Where are you going?"
"To speak with the horsemaster, like I told you we should." I replied, not looking back. Alistair jogged up to me, resting a hand on my arm.
"Go and sit down. I'll speak with Master Dennet. He may remember me...though I'm not so sure that's a good thing." He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully. "I'll be back soon." Before I could protest, he was already jogging up the hill and I hobbled back to Grayson, throwing him a stormy look. He shrugged.
"I was only thinking of you."
His expression softened me and I sighed, throwing my crutch to the side as I sat down. Murdock mumbled something about supper and walked off, leaving us alone. Grayson lowered himself down to sit next to me.
"What's up with you and Alistair?" He asked, suddenly.
"Nothing." I said, too quickly. "What would be up with us? There's nothing up with us. Maybe there's something up with you, did you ever think of that?"
"Well, before I wondered if maybe I was imagining it but you've just confirmed that I'm not."
I shot him a murderous look, but his eyes were kind and searching and I threw my head back, dropping the pretense. I thought that maybe it wasn't such a terrible thing to share my doubts with someone.
"Fine. Yes, there's something...but I don't know what it is. I can't figure it out. It's like one minute, everything's normal, and we're making fun of each other, and then the next minute everything's all quiet and serious and it's like..a thing, you know?"
"I think so." He said, thoughtfully.
"Whatever it is, it doesn't mean anything. It's not...I'm not...we have a job to do. It wouldn't be right. And it's making everything all awkward and tense."
"I'd noticed." He said. "Well, you've spent the last week fighting for your life. It's no wonder you're feeling a little tense. When was the last time you had some fun?"
I thought about it and shrugged.
"I don't know. I guess I always have fun with Leliana."
Grayson grinned, devilishly.
"Leliana." He replied, sounding out each syllable of her name. He nudged me, suggestively. "Nice." I realised what he was implying and shoved him.
"Not that kind of fun, gutter-brain." I growled, hugging my knees.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said that wasn't disappointing." He shrugged. "So, when was the last time you had that kind of fun?"
I hesitated and he suddenly sat up straight, staring at me like I had grown a second head.
"You're...? No. You're not a virgin, are you?"
"Hey. You don't have to make it sound so sad." I grumbled, defensively. "I've just...been busy. And back home, well...options were relatively thin on the ground. Trust me."
"Oh, that's adorable. You know he is too, don't you?" He said, with a sly smile that I refused to return.
"I just...don't see how that's relevant."
"Maker, no wonder you're both so awkward." He said, with a knowing chuckle. I blushed, furiously, deeply unappreciative of the condescension in his voice.
"Well what's up with you and the Wicked Witch of the South?" I shot, defensively, and I knew I'd touched on a nerve when he flinched.
"Morrigan? Nothing at all. She's...interesting, that's all." He replied, carefully.
"Oh, sure. And I bet you've never once thought about her with her clothes off."
"I'm a man. I picture every woman I meet with their clothes off." He replied, bluntly. I crossed my arms across my chest, reflexively, and he scoffed. "Well not you, obviously."
"Hey!" I said, suddenly offended.
"Oh, don't do that, you know what I mean. You're...you. It's different with us." He said, dismissively.
"I know, but you don't have to be such a dick about it." I muttered, flattening out the creases in my skirt.
"You're like a sister to me." He said, gently.
"You're like a sister to me." I mocked, making a face.
"You see? Exactly like that."
I laughed, in spite of myself, and leaned in to rest my head on his shoulder, with a deep sigh.
"We're both fucked, aren't we?" I said, softly. He nodded, rubbing my arm.
"Completely."
AN: Thank you to writingNOOB and dude41 for your reviews. I hope the speedy updating was a good indication of how motivated you keep me! And again, thank you to everyone for reading.
And to x-Punch-Buggy-Red-x, I have a very clear idea of where I'm going with this and I do intend to finish the full thing, and am considering continuing the story into DA2 and DA:I if this one gets a good response. For now, let's see what happens!
Any questions, comments or feedback I will respond to directly, either in my ANs or as a PM if you would rather. Please review. I'll love you long time.