Chasing Alistair
Débuté par
maxernst
, juil. 03 2010 02:14
#26
Posté 28 juillet 2010 - 03:16
DreGregoire
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Brat! LOL. Loving every line of it.
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#27
Posté 28 juillet 2010 - 11:57
maxernst
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11. ORLAIS: A PROMIISE
The final blow did not fall. Unexpectedly finding myself still alive, I staggered to my feet and saw that the man had fallen to the ground, an arrow sticking out of the back of his neck. The woman was shaking off the effects of Zevran’s venom now. I grabbed my daggers and advanced on her while Leliana readied another fatal arrow from across the courtyard.
“Please, no, don’t kill me,” the woman groveled, dropping Alistair’s sword to the ground. “I am beaten. My friends are dead. I had only hoped to raise the money to pay my debts…we plotted to trap a chevalier and ransom him. Without the money, I will have to flee Orlais or die. I will not trouble you or your friends again.”
I took Alistair’s sword and considered. “Very well. While he lives,” I indicated Alistair, “so will you. Be sure that if he dies of his injuries that I will trouble you again, even if I have to follow you to the ends of Thedas.”
Leliana added, “You seem a resourceful sort and I am not so very sure you will not get out of your present predicament. If you do somehow find your way back to Val Royeaux, consider yourself in my debt. Ask after Leliana at Le Cheval Blanc. I have a friend who might have a use for such as you.”
The woman nodded. “Leliana!..but then, the Warden...” I could see her mind working, piecing together the Warden symbol, the Ferelden accents. “Oh, Maker, what a fool I have been.”
“Yes, you have.” I said kneeling beside Alistair and carefully untying him while inspecting his injuries. “Now get out of here!” I could not awaken him and he was unresponsive. There was a bad puncture wound on his thigh—they had bandaged it, but the bandages were swollen with blood. Two or three of his ribs were broken. I listened to his breath and was relieved that while shallow, it did not sound like the lung had been punctured. But what worried me most was the injury to his head…both his eyes had huge discolorations surrounding them and his hair was matted from blood seeping from a soft swollen spot above his left eye.
“Andraste’s blood, I wish Wynne were here.” Still, after the disaster with Phantom in the Frostback Mountains, I had made sure that we set out from Val Royeaux with the best healing kits available. Carefully I began applying the healing herbs and unguents.
“Don’t forget to look after your own injuries, Aedan. You took a beating yourself.”
“I was dead to rights, Leliana. You arrived just in time to save me…again. I owe you.”
She laughed. “There can be no debts between us, Aedan. You have saved me often enough.” She knelt with me by Alistair’s side. “Do not fret. The Maker will not have brought us to him for no purpose. But I do not think he will be ready to ride when he awakens. I will go to the village and hire a carriage so we can take him back to Val Royeaux. You stay with him tonight. He will need you when he awakens. Draw a jug of water for the well for him; he will be very thirsty”
After setting up camp and burying the fallen bandits in shallow graves, I bedded down beside my still unconscious lover. Worried as I still was, it was comforting to lie down with his familiar smell, even if it was more pungent than I would normally prefer. The closeness of his tainted blood was strangely soothing as well; it was, after all, one more bond that we shared between us, although a dark one.
Part way through the night, I felt him stir and moan. “Hush, my sweet,” I whispered. “Everything will be fine. I’m here.”
He tried to turn over and cried out in pain. “Aedan…how?”
“Don’t worry about that now. You need to rest and try not to move too much yet.” I fed him some of the water that Leliana had suggested, and some ale laced with an herb that would ease his pain and help him sleep.
The next morning I was washing up by the well while we waited for Leliana to return with a horse-drawn carriage. Alistair was sitting with his back against the wall.
I sighed. “I thought I was done with this five years ago.”
“Done with what, bathing? You thought you would only wish to smell sweet for the Darkspawn?”
I smiled. No amount of suffering seemed to dent Alistair’s sense of humor. “No.” I gestured to the mounds of dirt where I had buried the bandits, the blood I was washing from my clothes and daggers. “When I was in Highever, I saw a portrait of myself as a child. All this…killing was not the future that boy had in mind.”
“A Warden’s life is a warrior’s life…to the end. Do you regret it, becoming a Warden?”
“I—no, I don’t but only because…if I were not a Warden, I would not have met you. I was so frightened when the man at the tavern in Collinerouge said you had set out yesterday morning and we had not passed you on the road. I thought I’d lost you forever.”
“I wasn’t leaving you…the Wardens summoned me to Weishaupt I would have come back…well, I guess if I had not stopped to help a devious woman on the road and been trapped. I am sorry, I know how you feel…I felt the same when you killed the Archdemon. I had assumed—since I was the older warden—that it would be me, but you ran forward before I could get there. I thought you were...gone.”
“I know. At first, I think Wynne thought you were just crying tears or relief or joy, but when she couldn’t get you to stop weeping until I came and embraced you…I am sorry I put through that…I should have told you…Alistair, from now on, let us promise to stay together and face whatever challenges we meet as one.”
“To the very end?” He asked, thinking of the Calling.
I nodded. “And beyond, if there is a beyond.”
He closed his eyes and nodded. After a time, he said, “You were supposed to remain Warden Commander during my absence. They specifically asked only for me in Weishaupt.”
“I don’t care. You know I've never been good at following orders. Besides,Nathaniel has far more experience and knowledge than we did when we fought the Blight. He can handle things. You're not going to Weishaupt without me.”
“Very well. Let’s get on our way to Weishaupt as soon as Leli gets here, then.”
“Well, first we need to retrieve your shield from Coteaux du Roche. And you’re in no shape for a long journey.”
“I’ve gone into battle in worse shape than this! You know this.”
“That was an emergency—this is not. Anderfels is months away, a week or two of time to let you heal is nothing. Besides, we were being sustained by Wynne’s magical energy the whole time. Aside from Morrigan, I don’t think any of us got out of bed for a month after killing the Archdemon.”
“As I recall, spending the month in bed with you was not so unpleasant.”
I laughed and went over and hugged him, carefully avoiding his broken ribs. “All the more reason to spend a week or two in Val Royeaux. Leli has a friend there with a very comfortable place.” I kissed his neck. I had other reasons for wanting to delay going to Weishaupt, but those could wait. For now, I was so flooded with happiness and relief that nothing could trouble me.
The final blow did not fall. Unexpectedly finding myself still alive, I staggered to my feet and saw that the man had fallen to the ground, an arrow sticking out of the back of his neck. The woman was shaking off the effects of Zevran’s venom now. I grabbed my daggers and advanced on her while Leliana readied another fatal arrow from across the courtyard.
“Please, no, don’t kill me,” the woman groveled, dropping Alistair’s sword to the ground. “I am beaten. My friends are dead. I had only hoped to raise the money to pay my debts…we plotted to trap a chevalier and ransom him. Without the money, I will have to flee Orlais or die. I will not trouble you or your friends again.”
I took Alistair’s sword and considered. “Very well. While he lives,” I indicated Alistair, “so will you. Be sure that if he dies of his injuries that I will trouble you again, even if I have to follow you to the ends of Thedas.”
Leliana added, “You seem a resourceful sort and I am not so very sure you will not get out of your present predicament. If you do somehow find your way back to Val Royeaux, consider yourself in my debt. Ask after Leliana at Le Cheval Blanc. I have a friend who might have a use for such as you.”
The woman nodded. “Leliana!..but then, the Warden...” I could see her mind working, piecing together the Warden symbol, the Ferelden accents. “Oh, Maker, what a fool I have been.”
“Yes, you have.” I said kneeling beside Alistair and carefully untying him while inspecting his injuries. “Now get out of here!” I could not awaken him and he was unresponsive. There was a bad puncture wound on his thigh—they had bandaged it, but the bandages were swollen with blood. Two or three of his ribs were broken. I listened to his breath and was relieved that while shallow, it did not sound like the lung had been punctured. But what worried me most was the injury to his head…both his eyes had huge discolorations surrounding them and his hair was matted from blood seeping from a soft swollen spot above his left eye.
“Andraste’s blood, I wish Wynne were here.” Still, after the disaster with Phantom in the Frostback Mountains, I had made sure that we set out from Val Royeaux with the best healing kits available. Carefully I began applying the healing herbs and unguents.
“Don’t forget to look after your own injuries, Aedan. You took a beating yourself.”
“I was dead to rights, Leliana. You arrived just in time to save me…again. I owe you.”
She laughed. “There can be no debts between us, Aedan. You have saved me often enough.” She knelt with me by Alistair’s side. “Do not fret. The Maker will not have brought us to him for no purpose. But I do not think he will be ready to ride when he awakens. I will go to the village and hire a carriage so we can take him back to Val Royeaux. You stay with him tonight. He will need you when he awakens. Draw a jug of water for the well for him; he will be very thirsty”
After setting up camp and burying the fallen bandits in shallow graves, I bedded down beside my still unconscious lover. Worried as I still was, it was comforting to lie down with his familiar smell, even if it was more pungent than I would normally prefer. The closeness of his tainted blood was strangely soothing as well; it was, after all, one more bond that we shared between us, although a dark one.
Part way through the night, I felt him stir and moan. “Hush, my sweet,” I whispered. “Everything will be fine. I’m here.”
He tried to turn over and cried out in pain. “Aedan…how?”
“Don’t worry about that now. You need to rest and try not to move too much yet.” I fed him some of the water that Leliana had suggested, and some ale laced with an herb that would ease his pain and help him sleep.
The next morning I was washing up by the well while we waited for Leliana to return with a horse-drawn carriage. Alistair was sitting with his back against the wall.
I sighed. “I thought I was done with this five years ago.”
“Done with what, bathing? You thought you would only wish to smell sweet for the Darkspawn?”
I smiled. No amount of suffering seemed to dent Alistair’s sense of humor. “No.” I gestured to the mounds of dirt where I had buried the bandits, the blood I was washing from my clothes and daggers. “When I was in Highever, I saw a portrait of myself as a child. All this…killing was not the future that boy had in mind.”
“A Warden’s life is a warrior’s life…to the end. Do you regret it, becoming a Warden?”
“I—no, I don’t but only because…if I were not a Warden, I would not have met you. I was so frightened when the man at the tavern in Collinerouge said you had set out yesterday morning and we had not passed you on the road. I thought I’d lost you forever.”
“I wasn’t leaving you…the Wardens summoned me to Weishaupt I would have come back…well, I guess if I had not stopped to help a devious woman on the road and been trapped. I am sorry, I know how you feel…I felt the same when you killed the Archdemon. I had assumed—since I was the older warden—that it would be me, but you ran forward before I could get there. I thought you were...gone.”
“I know. At first, I think Wynne thought you were just crying tears or relief or joy, but when she couldn’t get you to stop weeping until I came and embraced you…I am sorry I put through that…I should have told you…Alistair, from now on, let us promise to stay together and face whatever challenges we meet as one.”
“To the very end?” He asked, thinking of the Calling.
I nodded. “And beyond, if there is a beyond.”
He closed his eyes and nodded. After a time, he said, “You were supposed to remain Warden Commander during my absence. They specifically asked only for me in Weishaupt.”
“I don’t care. You know I've never been good at following orders. Besides,Nathaniel has far more experience and knowledge than we did when we fought the Blight. He can handle things. You're not going to Weishaupt without me.”
“Very well. Let’s get on our way to Weishaupt as soon as Leli gets here, then.”
“Well, first we need to retrieve your shield from Coteaux du Roche. And you’re in no shape for a long journey.”
“I’ve gone into battle in worse shape than this! You know this.”
“That was an emergency—this is not. Anderfels is months away, a week or two of time to let you heal is nothing. Besides, we were being sustained by Wynne’s magical energy the whole time. Aside from Morrigan, I don’t think any of us got out of bed for a month after killing the Archdemon.”
“As I recall, spending the month in bed with you was not so unpleasant.”
I laughed and went over and hugged him, carefully avoiding his broken ribs. “All the more reason to spend a week or two in Val Royeaux. Leli has a friend there with a very comfortable place.” I kissed his neck. I had other reasons for wanting to delay going to Weishaupt, but those could wait. For now, I was so flooded with happiness and relief that nothing could trouble me.
Modifié par maxernst, 29 juillet 2010 - 04:26 .
#28
Posté 29 juillet 2010 - 12:01
maxernst
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I guess that kind of brings this story line to a close. There is more to tell--in fact, this story arc was kind of conceived as a prologue that became a bit overgrown. However, the name Chasing Alistair doesn't really suit the rest; I'll probably continue it under another name like "The Noble Rogue and the God-Child" or something.
Thank you very much for reading my maiden fan-fic effort and encouraging me to keep going. I think this is probably the first time I've ever completed a story in over twenty years.
Thank you very much for reading my maiden fan-fic effort and encouraging me to keep going. I think this is probably the first time I've ever completed a story in over twenty years.
#29
Posté 29 juillet 2010 - 01:09
DreGregoire
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maxernst wrote...
I guess that kind of brings this story line to a close. There is more to tell--in fact, this story arc was kind of conceived as a prologue that became a bit overgrown. However, the name Chasing Alistair doesn't really suit the rest; I'll probably continue it under another name like "The Noble Rogue and the God-Child" or something.
Thank you very much for reading my maiden fan-fic effort and encouraging me to keep going. I think this is probably the first time I've ever completed a story in over twenty years.
I loved every line of it. Prologue: Chasing Alistair or even Chapter One: Chasing Alistair would work. It is a great start to a tale capable of being epic
. Thanks for sharing.
#31
Posté 29 juillet 2010 - 11:56
nos_astra
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Somehow the M!Warden/Alistair pairing sneaked its way into my heart, it has this brothers in arms appeal and feels different to what most female authors write. I also loved that you mentioned the dark bond they share.
Oh, and Leliana is a big plus for me, I like to picture her back in Orlais, sneaking around, being a source of information and advice.
Oh, and Leliana is a big plus for me, I like to picture her back in Orlais, sneaking around, being a source of information and advice.
#32
Posté 29 juillet 2010 - 11:44
maxernst
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Thank you for the kind words
@klarabella, it's interesting that you comment on the pairing because I felt in retrospect that for a fic with Alistair in the title, his presence is limited and didn't think I had really developed their relationship very much. I think for a female PC, especially a mage, Alistair falls very easily into the archetypal Knight Protector/Champion role...you can just see him carrying his lady's token into battle. For a male PC, whenever I read comments about him (well, other than those from the haters), he's typically described as the buddy, the bro, the guy whose got your back. It is a different sort of relationship, and I think romancing him (for a male or female PC) intensifies but doesn't change the fundamental dynamic.
As to Leli, she's critical to the evolution of the story I have planned, but I find her very hard to write. I always had a hard time getting a read on her as character...other than the very obvious and superficial stuff (shoes! the Maker!).
@klarabella, it's interesting that you comment on the pairing because I felt in retrospect that for a fic with Alistair in the title, his presence is limited and didn't think I had really developed their relationship very much. I think for a female PC, especially a mage, Alistair falls very easily into the archetypal Knight Protector/Champion role...you can just see him carrying his lady's token into battle. For a male PC, whenever I read comments about him (well, other than those from the haters), he's typically described as the buddy, the bro, the guy whose got your back. It is a different sort of relationship, and I think romancing him (for a male or female PC) intensifies but doesn't change the fundamental dynamic.
As to Leli, she's critical to the evolution of the story I have planned, but I find her very hard to write. I always had a hard time getting a read on her as character...other than the very obvious and superficial stuff (shoes! the Maker!).
