Haven (Alistairs departure in to the woods)

Haven (Alistair's Departure Into the Woods)

As the night deepened, the sounds of the forest grew quieter, the firelight flickering behind them. Leliana watched Alistair's retreating figure vanish into the shadows, her heart heavy with a mixture of concern and uncertainty. She had seen the anguish in his eyes earlier, a kind of turmoil that had been present ever since they had learned the truth of his heritage. The weight of being the heir to the throne was a burden he had never asked for, and she could see in the last weeks it was beginning to crush him.

Her feet moved almost instinctively, following the path he had taken into the darkened woods. The moonlight barely filtered through the canopy of trees, but Leliana knew her way through them. It wasn't long before she caught sight of Alistair standing by a large stone, his back to her. His posture was stiff, his hands clenched at his sides as if he were fighting to hold himself together.

"Alistair?" she called softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

He stiffened at the sound of her name but didn't turn around. The silence stretched between them for a moment before he spoke, his voice low and rough. "You shouldn't have followed me."

Leliana took a step closer, her boots crunching softly on the frost-covered ground. "I wanted to make sure you were alright. You seemed… well, upset."

"I'm fine," Alistair said quickly, though the way his shoulders tensed and his voice faltered told a different story. "Just need some time to think. This whole thing… It's a lot to take in."

Leliana paused, choosing her words carefully. "It's alright to not be fine, you know. We all carry burdens, Alistair. Some are heavier than others." She took another step forward, closing the distance between them. "But you don't have to carry them alone. We are all here for each other."

For a long moment, Alistair didn't respond, his back still to her. Leliana could sense the conflict within him—the warrior, the bastard prince, the Grey Warden—each side warring for dominance. But in that moment, he was just a man, and a vulnerable one at that.

"I don't know if I can do this," he finally admitted, his voice so quiet that it was almost drowned by the wind rustling through the trees. "I don't know if I can be the person so many people want me to be. Saviour of Ferelden. Leader of men. Maybe a king? Maker help me… I don't know if I have what it takes. To even be there for the people that care about me."

Leliana's heart tightened, the rawness of his words striking deep. She stepped forward, closer now, her eyes soft and understanding. "Alistair… You don't have to be anyone you're not. You are not alone in this, not in this war, and not in this burden. We're all here for you."

He slowly turned, finally meeting her eyes, and for the first time in a long while, there was something different in his gaze—a kind of quiet vulnerability that he rarely allowed others to see. They stood there for a few moments, the air between them filled with unspoken words.

Leliana felt something stir within her, something deep and comforting, yet entirely confusing. Was it pity? Concern? Or was it something else entirely? She couldn't be sure. But what she did know was that, in this moment, they were closer than they had ever been, and it felt right, even if she didn't understand why.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Leliana," Alistair said after a long pause, his voice quieter now, almost fragile.

"You don't have to," she replied, her voice calm, though her heart was racing in a way she didn't quite understand. "None of us do. Not really. We just… do our best. That's enough."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't entirely easy either. Something was changing between them, shifting in a way that was hard to grasp, and yet neither seemed willing—or perhaps able—to move away from it.

Finally, Alistair let out a long sigh and looked at her with something akin to gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you, Leliana. For being here. For understanding."

She gave him a small, reassuring smile, though she still felt that fluttering in her chest. "Always, Alistair. You don't have to bear it all alone."

A long silence settled over them again, but it wasn't as heavy as before. Alistair took a small step back, his eyes lingering on hers for just a moment longer.

"Come on," he said softly. "We should head back. The others will be wondering where we've gone."

Leliana nodded, her heart still thrumming a little faster than usual. "Yes, let's go."

They didn't speak much on the way back, each of them lost in their own thoughts, yet somehow aware of the quiet bond that had formed between them. What it meant, where it would lead, neither of them could say.