Chapter 4

Why must it be so fucking hot…?

Just like Anna instructed and under the watchful eyes of both her and Hughes, Cillian began to feel more energetic as the next day passed. She could even get up and walk around a bit before needing to pause to catch her breath. The food was nourishing but bland, really bland. Her stomach protested with every bite, but she couldn't blame the pair that looked over her. They weren't exactly sitting in a castle with all sorts of herbs and seasoning at their disposal. Hell, she doubted they even had salt to preserve meat like they needed. Maybe she could find things along the way to stash with her and surprise her companions and the companions to come. She recalled a conversation between Leliana and Alistair about a Fereldan stew that the woman was hesitant about. An odd thing to remember at this time, sure. But that was how her memory worked in most cases.

At dawn of the third day, the small travel cart that the trio had managed to get their hands on was loaded up with what all they could find useful in supplies and minor things to provide a little comfort. But Hughes made it clear to not bring anything that really could slow them down, in case Howe sent someone on their tail. He had a feeling that the Arl was overly confident that all Vanguards were dead, and he wanted to keep that bastard thinking that for as long as possible to insure Anna's safety. At least until they could reach Eamon and decide what to do from there, at this point, Cillian was absolutely sure that they didn't know about what happened to the Couslands, and she knew it would be heartbreaking for them once they found out. At this point, Anna wasn't even aware that her father also lay dead at the hands of Arl Howe, but she sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to tell her that. She hardly mentioned her father throughout this whole trip, and Cillian knew exactly why. Why? Because she recalled writing this part, recalled writing why the trio didn't make the trip to Highever which would have been closer. Because that was exactly where Arl Howe would be, where he was headed. She had made sure to add a tidbit in a flashback of Hughes to add that he had overheard some of Howe's soldiers talking about the march, the slaughter. His first instinct was to protect his charge, Anna, and to get her to safety. He was confident, perhaps too confident, in Highever Castle's ability to fight off the mad Arl, not prepared to hear the news that would have him carrying a world's weight of guilt on his shoulders throughout the story. Did she find herself regretting some of the sad bits she wrote for these characters that she was spending so much actual time with? Yes, yes she was. She felt like an ass, wanting to give these people such an angsty and tragic start, but it's not like she could do anything about it now, could she? So, she would just have to ride this tragic train until she finally woke up and scrap the whole damn thing and begin again. Would she lose readers? Probably. But did she care right at this moment? Hell no. Not when she was sitting here first hand with the characters she created and saw what her tragic beginnings have done to them. Maybe it was because they were her babies, but she found herself treasuring these two dearly.

As the sound of the cart moving became one of familiarity to Cillian, the redheaded elf leaned back slightly, soaking up the Ferelden sun, taking in what little warmth it offered. They had left the Teyrnir of Highever and were now traveling through West Hill dressed as farmers and commoners to keep themselves under the radar and blend in. Besides the worry and grief, Anna seemed to be soaking up the actual thought of… freedom. Her father was a good man, a good knight, but he was a bit overprotective of the dark haired beauty.

"Kiera… can you believe the air is so fresh here?" Anna beamed, her crystal eyes practically sparking as she enjoyed the view, the uncovered cart slowly moving along the road. The poor woman had no idea the truth behind her father, or the bumpy road she was going to have in front of her. She was hardly ever let out of the estate for fear of her magic being discovered. For Anna was her father's Princess, and the thought of her being taken away to the circle tormented the man tremendously.

But this fucking heat!

It felt like she was dying on the inside, Cillian's skin would have burned to a crisp in this unforgiving sun. But despite being a redhead as well, Kiera's skin didn't seem to burn easily, as a matter of fact, her flesh was even starting to tan slightly! Fascinating…Raising her arm up, Cillian slowly began to run slender fingers over the blemish free skin, her mind beginning to wonder when she would wake up. Dreams were tricky, she knew this. Days, weeks, years even in a dream could only actually last mere seconds or minutes in reality. But the longer she was here in Ferelden, the more she kept getting this… tingle in the back of her mind telling her that this wasn't a dream and that she was really here in this place. In a game world that had been created by brilliant people and living the life of one of her characters. A background and support character for the female lead of her tale. One who was supposed to die.

"Kiera?" Anna spoke, breaking the elf's plunge into her panicking thoughts.

"Hm..?" Cillian muttered, blinking rapidly for a second as she tried to regain her composure. That's right. She was Kiera here, not Cillian. She was the handmaiden of Anna Vanguard, daughter of Knight Vanguard who was a close friend of the Couslands. She was from Starkhaven, but had spent most of her life in Highever. She was… wait. How old was she?

"Are you alright? You went quiet and you have a really unreadable expression." Anna muttered, reaching her hand out to brush some of Kiera's hair behind her ear while she examined her face. Usually, Anna could tell exactly what Kiera was thinking by just a glimpse, the younger elf wanting nothing more than to please her friend or be close to her. But ever since she woke up… it was like she was a completely different person. She wasn't a demon, for as far as Anna knew, the elf wasn't a mage. But to be on the safe side, Hudges had even checked. How he did so, Anna wasn't sure. She knew the old guard had taken Templar training when he was younger, but left due to some… disagreements.

"Y-yeah… I am fine. Promise." Cillian offered a half smile to the woman, trying not to give away anything she was feeling. Anna was… twenty-one years old. Cillian remembered that because she had put her at the same age as the youngest Cousland. But she couldn't remember if she had ever actually set up an age for Kiera.

"Well…" Cillian continued after a moment, Anna having remained quiet to give the redhead time to gather her thoughts and speak whatever was on her mind. "Some things are still a little…fuzzy. Like remembering details of my parents and even my age.." Though lying to Anna was becoming easier with each word, it didn't settle the pit in her stomach that began to grow and gnaw at her.

"I see.." Anna said, unable to help the look of concern that crossed her features before offering an angelic smile. "Well, I will do what I can to help fill in the blanks until they come back to you naturally." She said simply. "Let's start with something simple. Your age. You are seventeen years old. Your parents came to Highever when you were four, but that Starkhaven accent of yours never left. We have been inseparable since." Anna declared with a certain tone of pride. Rather having enjoyed keeping a best friend so close since she was eight. For the moment she saw Keira, she declared the young elf her friend and it has stayed true.

It was like this for the next five days. They would travel during the daylight, only stopping in passing towns from time to time to gather supplies, using the gold that Hughes was smart enough to bring with them when running. Then at night, they would rest somewhere in the countryside, away from people and hidden away despite the fact that there would be a fire going. Along this route, Cillian had taken notice of random roots, plants, fruits, vegetables that grew wildly, free for the taking. Which was exactly what the elf did. A lot of root vegetables were still available such as broccoli, asparagus, potatoes, onions, and more. Dill, chives, basil, elfroot, and more herbs were also found. She couldn't believe that a lot of the food was very similar to what she had available! Maybe she could have more fun with this than she thought. From what she recalled, Kiera was no fighter, had never had to do so a day in her life. She's watched, sure, even shot a couple hours one time with an elf she had a crush on according to Anna's list of memories she went through. The fields around Lake Calenhad were plentiful, offering such an abundance of ingredients. The only thing Cillian really needed now was salt. Which… was a lot harder to come by than she thought. They were able to pick some up here and there in markets, but the prices were insane.

On the fifth night, about two days out from Redcliffe village, Cillian began her craft. She had decided on a stew since the nights still were chilly, and Hughes managed to kill a ram right before they camped. It had been almost a week since they had started traveling, making her wonder just where the Hero of Ferelden could be right now. He would have made it out of Ostagar, Which had already happened since news had traveled fast, already making it to the last village stop they had made. Everyone reeling from the death of their King and the fact that the Grey Wardens were to blame for this death. This…angered Cillian, much more than she thought it would. You would think with how many times she had played the game, you would expect her to already be well aware about the fact that people were going to be angry at the Grey Wardens because all they had were those bastard's words. No actual proof just yet on what really happened. But to actually hear it from a person who wasn't far from her… hit differently. Cooking the ram, Cillian started adding rosemary and thyme to help with the gamey flavor.

"Wow, Kiera! That is starting to smell really good. I didn't know you could cook like this." Anna said in awe, looking over the elf woman's shoulder to see what was in the cast iron pot. Before now, Anna had only made simple dishes, sticking close to what the elf might have known how to make. "Y-yeah… honestly… I didn't know either." She lied. "I would just see the stuff growing, and it was… familiar so I grabbed it all." She then started to add the vegetables and a pinch of the salt that they had grabbed. This wasn't much, season wise, but it would do. Maybe when they get to- Oh.. that's right. They are going to Redcliffe. Where they would be having an undead problem. Well shit.

Calm down, calm down. When they arrive, it shouldn't be too much longer until Nerian Cousland arrives with Morrigan, Alistair, and Liliana to help sort out the problem. This was where the love triangle trio were supposed to meet. Where Anna begs Cousland, who is an old friend, to let her travel with them to help their cause.

The next few days were going to be stressful.