Focusing on the target, Linn hand shook slightly as she pulled back the bow's string. She took a breath and let the arrow fly. The arrow landed on the target's outer edge, and Linn let out a groan of disappointment.
"No, no," Leliana chided her gently. "That was very good! You are still new, and you will learn."
"That doesn't matter if I can't hit darkspawn when I need to," Linn replied as she walked over to the target to remove her arrows. "Maybe I should just stick to the sword for now…" Linn started to say when she saw Leliana's hurt look and stopped. With a reassuring smile, she continued, "I'll try again later. Thank you for teaching me. I really appreciate it."
Leliana brightened and replied cheerfully, "Any time… but I do have a question for you." Linn gave her a curious look, and Leliana looked around to make sure the others were occupied elsewhere. "I was just wondering which you preferred."
"Ah, well… the sword's easier to– Oh. We're not talking about weapons, are we?" Linn asked after Leliana gave her a meaningful look.
Leliana giggled and replied, "No, we are not. I was speaking of Alistair and Zevran. They seem to be rather… fond of your company."
"Now that is an interesting question," Morrigan said as she appeared out of the shadows, startling Leliana.
"Is it?" Linn asked irritably, but Leliana gave her a sad look. "Fine… Alistair lost just about everything. He's only clinging to me because I'm the only other Grey Warden. And Zevran… he flirts with Wynne more than he flirts with me. Why don't you go ask her what's going on?"
Leliana rolled her eyes and replied, "He does that to annoy Wynne, but with you… His eyes linger." Leliana gave her a sultry look to demonstrate before she started giggling.
"That's– He doesn't– Bah!" Linn said frustratedly as even Morrigan started to laugh. "None of that matters anyway. Why would I want a relationship with someone that I would need to leave behind? That's just cruel."
"Does every tryst need to be a 'relationship'?" Morrigan asked with a smirk. "Although… I do think it would break Alistair's spirit… Zevran however…"
"Is that what you two were doing earlier? A no-feelings-attached tryst?" Linn asked, and Leliana's eyes widened.
Morrigan gave Linn a look of irritation before she answered, "No. I had questions regarding the Crows and their methods as it seems unlikely that you will be willing to kill Flemeth."
"Let me guess. He told you that no one would be willing to take that contract?"
Morrigan looked away with frustration.
"Listen," Linn started with a sigh. "I never said that I wouldn't confront your mother or help you–"
"No, but you never gave your word either," Morrigan countered with wariness. "You meddle in these elven and werewolf affairs, but you will not help me?!"
"I never said that I wouldn't," Lin reaffirmed, but Morrigan glared at her in return. "I understand why you're worried, and you have every right to be… But she is THE Flemeth. I haven't even been here for more than a few months, and I know who she is. She's a legendary mage. As far as I know, she could turn into a giant spider and blast me with venom. All I'm saying is… let me learn a bit more and get a few more friends before I make another powerful enemy."
Morrigan bit her lip but seemed to at least believe Linn. With a scornful look, Morrigan asked, "Then why are we wasting time here?"
"Because we need the Dalish. Your mother may be an evil, scheming menace, but she isn't stupid. She doesn't like the idea of the darkspawn taking over any more than I do. Otherwise, she wouldn't have given us these treaties," Linn explained as Morrigan rolled her eyes, but even though Morrigan pretended not to care, Linn could tell that Morrigan was still listening. "And I learned something pretty cool."
Linn swung her sword in the air before nearly dropping it, and Morrigan couldn't restrain her smile.
"Very well. I suppose being a sentimentalist is just a part of who you are," Morrigan replied, her smile turning into a smirk.
Linn narrowed her eyes and asked irritably, "And what is that–"
"Come on, you two," Leliana interrupted quickly. "I need to start making dinner unless you want Alistair to make dinner tonight."
Linn and Morrigan locked eyes in fear, and Leliana giggled before heading back toward the camp. Morrigan soon followed Leliana after Linn gestured that she was going to stay behind for a little while longer. After Morrigan and Leliana were out of sight, Linn reached into her bag and pulled out her knife and block of wood which had been chiseled into the rough shape of a wolf.
"Is that… a wolf?" a voice asked from behind her, and Linn clutched the wolf closer to her, hiding it from view. Zevran smirked and asked, "Have wolves on the mind, do you?"
"What do you want?" Linn asked warily.
Zevran gave her a hurt look and said, "That is hurtful. Why must I need something to spend time with my favorite Warden?"
Zevran held her gaze as she glared at him, and she relented with a sigh.
"Well, actually I do have something for you. Wait a moment," she told him as she set down her knife and wood to reach into her bag. Finding the gloves, she pulled them out and offered them to Zevran. "These are for you."
"Gloves?" Zevran asked and raised an eyebrow at her. "You're giving me gloves? What for?"
With another sigh, Linn explained, "Because you told me about your mother's gloves… the ones they took from you. I can't get those back for you, but I thought… you might like these."
"I…" Zevran started when he took a closer look at the gloves. "Maker's breath, you're right. It is like my mother's." Zevran took another moment to inspect the gloves before he continued, "The leather was less thick, and it had more embroidery. But these are very close, and quite handsome."
"I'm glad you like them, Zevran," Linn said with a smile. "Now no more making fun of my wolf. I'm not even done making him yet."
Zevran clutched the gloves and stared at her for a moment before he hesitantly asked, "And what do you want in return? This cannot be a gift simply for 'incentive to keep you alive.' In my experience, items of value don't come cheap."
Linn raised an eyebrow at him as she took a seat and grabbed her knife and wooden wolf. She thought for a second how best to explain it to him before she answered, "Anything that has strings attached is a trade, not a gift. Gifts are freely given, and I'm not the kind of person who would give you something then demand something in return later. Unlike some people, I have a little something called 'integrity'."
Linn smiled as he seemed to relax a little before taking a seat beside her. Noticing him staring at her, she met his gaze with a quizzical tilt of her head.
"You truly are a strange one," Zevran said with a smirk before his face grew more serious upon glancing at the gloves. "To be honest, I am surprised that you even remembered. No one has simply given me a gift before. Thank you."
His somber tone made her look up from her wood carving. She put down the knife before gently touching his shoulder to get his attention, and Zevran looked into her eyes with hesitation.
"It's no trouble at all. You are my precious teammate after all," Linn joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"But not your favorite."
"That's Rabbit's position, you know that," Linn replied with a cheeky grin.
Zevran gave her a smile in return before he suddenly turned somber.
"Why are you so kind to me?" Zevran asked quietly. "I do hate to bring this up, but I did try to kill you."
"Yeah, I'm fully aware of that," Linn replied with a tired sigh. "I… I was once in… a bad place.
I was trapped by a monster who made sure that every day I spent was in complete misery. Now I can't say that I know exactly what you went through to be a crow, but I doubt that it was… pleasant. I… I just wanted to give you something to remind yourself of the good things."
Zevran tilted his head and asked, "And do you have something like that? Something to remind yourself of the good things?"
"I do, but I keep them at home to keep them safe," Linn answered and showed him the knife. "This knife… This was my brother Ash's knife. He preferred working with iron, but he started whittling because of me." Linn paused as ran her fingers over the wood handle. "My house was burned down, and my family… I lost everything, and the only thing I could concentrate on was preventing the end of the world. To save what little I had left. But after the dust settled… the big boss demon was defeated… there was nothing to distract me anymore. It was like nothing had any purpose anymore." Linn stopped for a moment to compose herself.
"How… how did you get through that?" Zevran asked quietly as he looked into the distance.
"Ash," Linn answered with a small, sad smile. "I lost everything, but the one thing I could focus on was the walking stick that my grandfather had carved for me. It was stupid… There was so much that I lost… Ash couldn't get any of that back for me. But he could make me a walking stick, and that's what he did. It was clumsily made. His first project after all… and the bears carved on the side looked more like dogs. But that was a part of its charm, I suppose. And it reminded me that even though I lost my family, I wasn't alone."
Linn paused her story and glanced at Zevran. The elf appeared to be deep in thought as he gently fidgeted with the gloves.
"But it would be difficult to carry around a walking stick with me everywhere I go, so I took the knife. Plus it gives me something to do when there's still light out," Linn continued after clearing her throat.
Linn continued her work on the wooden wolf. She had mostly expected Zevran to flee after their conversation, but to her surprise, he stayed at her side. Linn pretended to examine the wolf's tail as she peeked at Zevran. Biting his lip, he stared at the ground. Linn quickly went back to her work in progress. She assumed that he'd leave when he felt ready.
"You are impossible," Zevran said with a tired sigh.
"Oh? So now you're stealing my lines? How very like a thief," Linn replied with a laugh.
Zevran couldn't hold back a playful grin as he tilted his head to look at her from below. "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid. What is to be my punishment, my fair Warden?"
Linn paused and pretended to think about it for a moment before she replied, "Hmm… Well, aside from assisting me in gathering people to fight the Blight, I suppose your punishment will be to… find your way through life without me. Have you ever thought about it… What you're going to do when I leave?"
The grin vanished from Zevran's face as he plucked at the grass. "I… I have, and I am uncertain. It might be interesting to go into business for myself for a change. For now, naturally, I go where you go. What about you? What will you do when you leave?"
"Ah," Linn mumbled and paused her woodworking. "The whole family business thing with monsters, you know. Mostly I do the research with Andy, but sometimes there are cases that need a witch's touch. And sometimes there are cases when Dean gets himself captured, and I have to find him. The idgit… I hope he isn't in trouble right now."
"Andy and Dean… are those your brothers?"
"Yes," Linn replied and refocused her attention back to her wolf. Pinpricks of anxiety made it more difficult to focus as she could feel the weight of Zevran's gaze.
"I have told you of my family, or at least what little I know of them," Zevran said with a sigh. "And yet you tell me little of yours. Am I so untrustworthy that you cannot tell me of your family even when they are a world away?"
"That's not it!" Linn snapped before she let out a sigh and put the knife on the ground. She wiped her face with her hands, using them to block her face from view. "I'm sorry… That's… It's not because I don't trust you."
Linn glanced at Zevran through her fingers to see his curious stare. Linn bit her lip as she scrambled to find a way out of this conversation without hurting his feelings or bringing up bad memories.
"Then why?" Zevran asked quietly, but this time his tone was more… gentle… It sounded as though he was now more concerned than upset.
"Because not all of them are alive," Linn replied quietly. "And because I'm the reason for that."
Linn's voice broke at the end, and she took a moment to gather herself. She used her hands as a shield in front of her face as she fought the tears in her eyes.
"What's going on?" A voice asked, and Linn looked up to see Alistair standing a few feet away. In his hands was a block of wood and a sharp knife. The knife glinted in the light as Alistair glared at Zevran and asked, "Are you okay, Linn?"
Linn quickly wiped her face and replied, "Yes! Yes… Everything is okay. I'm just… a little tired is all. I think I should probably turn in early. We'll have your whittling lesson tomorrow, okay?"
Linn gently touched Alistair's shoulder and felt him relax slightly under her fingers. His doe eyes looked at her pitifully before he agreed that they could have their lesson the next day. After one last suspicious glare at Zevran, Alistair followed Linn back to camp.
Leliana gave Linn a curious look as Linn walked to her tent. Linn avoided eye contact and went inside. The smell of food cooking told her that Leliana was almost done cooking dinner, but Linn didn't feel very hungry. Wrapping herself inside of the bedroll, Linn closed her eyes and focused on thinking about something else… anything else.
Remembering the Arcane Warrior, she tried to focus on the memories that he had given her. The scenes played out before her now in more detail than they had the first time. She could feel the elf's determination as he swung his sword at his opponent as a teacher yelled out instructions in a language that Linn couldn't fully understand. As she drifted more into the memories, she could feel her own body becoming less tense. The scene changed again to the forest. The elf wandered around the forest, and Linn wondered what he was searching for when her gaze found a young human woman in what appeared to be mage's robes. The woman's face brightened when she noticed the elf walking toward her, and Linn could feel the elf's heart beating faster as he quickened his step to meet the human.
Linn almost felt like she should rip herself away from the vision until he started to teach the mage how to hold the blade. Begrudgingly, Linn took mental notes as the two continued their lesson in between shy, furtive glances. Despite her eagerness for this particular memory to be over, she could tell that this was a memory that the warrior had held dear. The other memories often felt like she was looking through a fog, but this one was crystal clear. Linn couldn't help but wonder if this was the memory that the spirit had clung to as it had waited for somebody, anybody, to find its vessel and free it from the gem. Slowly, the area around her darkened with the trees slowly fading away as Linn started to fall into an uneasy slumber.