fadewalk | RP: Alistair (wardenalistair), open

Climbing the stairs had been more tiresome than Leliana thought, at first. The elven woman wasn't particulary heavy, but the Spymaster felt sore on parts of her body she didn't even knew existed. She put her gently on the ground before peeking the Ambassador's Office and the Great Hall, after hostiles. Since nothing seemed off, she took the elf again and moved to the Great Hall, planning to place her in some guest room before seeking for a healer. She wasn't bleeding, but it wouldn't take much for the injury to open again.

Current Mood: tired

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Alistair was beginning to think Neria had been gone rather a long time. Hours longer than he'd expected, certainly. He wasn't worried, exactly. It was just that he missed her, which was perhaps silly considering how long they'd been apart before now, but also...not silly, because it meant he didn't really want to be apart from her at all, really, not anymore.

He thought he'd stop by the kitchens and see if there was a snack to be found - cheese, if possible - and then make his way over to the mage tower to see if Neria was still there.

Of course he thought it would be faster to go through the castle instead of outside it, and of course he ended up getting lost again, the incredibly helpful maps in the journal notwithstanding. Finally he ended up in the Great Hall from a small, partially hidden side-door to what had seemed to have been the servant's passages.

The sound of steps in the Great Hall caused Leliana to react by placing Neria in a small alcove before drawing her bow.

"Show yourself and perhaps I won't kill you."

Alistair's hand went to the borrowed sword on his hip automatically at the tone, but he relaxed just as quickly when he recognized the voice.

"Leliana?" He moved around one of the big statue things in the hall so he could see her. "Whoa, easy, just me." He raised both hands placatingly. "I read you were here. What's with the-" he motioned to the bow.

Something was off - it was in the way Leliana was standing, not just on edge, but like she was...guarding something? Defending something? He stepped sideways to try and see around her.

"Oh, thank the Maker."

Leliana put her bow away, relaxing her shoulders as she moved back to the elven woman, crouching by her side. She look back to Alistair, worried.

"I don't know exactly what happened to her." she sighed "There was a rough fight in the room I found her and she was the only one there. She is stable for now, but she needs a healer."

The emotions that crossed Alistair's face when he finally got a glimpse of who was behind Leliana, and in what condition, were hard to track because they were so erratic and fleeting, but panic and terror were clear enough. His hazel eyes went wide, one fist going to his mouth.

"Neria..." he choked, and then he was moving to Leliana's side and kneeling next to Neria. His hands reached out and twitched and he pulled them back helplessly, not wanting to make anything worse by moving her, but then his need to touch overwhelmed him and he cradled Neria's head in his calloused hands, one supporting her neck and the other sweeping her hair out of her face and then brushing her cheek.

"Oh my love, who did this?" he murmured, looking as though he'd already forgotten Leliana was there.

Leliana's heart ached a little at Alistair's reaction; she didn't know him, not that version of him, and she didn't know her but anyone with half a heart would feel his pain as well.

She placed her hand over his shoulder, speaking softly.

"We need to move her somewhere safe and tend to her injuries. Now."

Alistair ducked his head and looked over to Leliana.

"Yes...yes, of course," he said, distractedly. He looked down at Neria again. He had spent a decade as a Warden - he wasn't a stranger to injury, or even to Neria being the one wounded. It had just - been so long - and he'd only just gotten her back...but he couldn't think like that. He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, then opened them and bent to press a kiss to Neria's forehead.

He shifted, sliding both arms under Neria, one under her shoulders, the other under her knees, and stood, lifting her smoothly.

"You know this place better than I do," he said, relieved when his voice didn't shake. "Where would be the safest? We can take her back to our room, in the guest wing."

"That will do, since it is closer."

She led the way through the corridors, attentive to anything suspicious, bow ready to shoot. The guest wing wasn't far, luckily, and nothing happened during the way. Leliana halted and turned to Alistair after making sure the place was safe.

"Lead the way."

Alistair cradled Neria close to his chest as they walked, perhaps closer than was truly necessary, his gaze flicking quickly between watching where they were going, watching the corners for attack, and studying the woman in his arms with concern. The wound on her head seemed to have begun bleeding again sluggishly - probably a result of being jostled.

"I'm sorry, love," he murmured in an undertone probably too low for even Leliana to hear. "We're going to get you settled and taken care of and then you're going to be just fine, all right?"

When they stopped, Alistair looked up and nodded. "This way." He headed for a door down the hall a ways, once that had been left open. The bed was unmade, blankets tangled up in the middle, and in the grate the fire had very nearly burnt itself out. Alistair lowered Neria to the bed gently.

The first thing Leliana did was to feed the fire, warming the room. She placed her bow, quiver and Certainty on corner, raising her sleeves above her elbows.

"I need you to bring me some clean water, there is a well in the garden. The cuts aren't deep, which makes me believe someone healed her partially, but we must clean it and keep from festering. I am no healer, but I've learned the basics with Wynne." then she smiled "Don't hesitate to bring a healer if you find one, but rest assured she'll be fine, regardless. I promise."

Alistair looked between Leliana and Neria hesitantly, loathe to leave Neria's side.

It was clearly necessary, however.

"Right," he said at last. He took his wife's hand and squeezed it briefly, and then headed for the door.

"Thank you, Leliana," he said as he passed her.

He wasn't gone long, returning as quickly as humanly possible with a 2/3 full bucket of well water.

(OOC: If you guys need a healer, I'm around. Evelea isn't Anders-fancy, but she's competent, spirit specializing mage. :D)

(ooc: oh, drop by if you will. Can always make room for another person)

By the time Alistair returned, Leliana had already undressed the blood soaked shirt from Neria, her fingers hovering over the injury as her eyes examined it. She ripped a piece of the bed sheet to clean the wound, dipping it inside the bucket. She was careful, paying attention to the woman's face and the wound, working in silence until she was clean. Her hands searched her pockets for a little glass of elfroot salve, smearing it over the cut. She ripped another piece of sheet.

"Help me raise her, to band the cut."

(OOC: Thanks Evelea! We'll give you a shout if necessary, then, but I thiink we're okay for the moment)

Alistair held the bucket of water in both arms to keep it up where Leliana could reach it easily, and then set it on the ground when she spoke. He bent to lift Neria, sliding an arm around her shoulders to keep her propped up, and then held her as Leliana bandaged the wound.

"We could send for Anders or one of the other mages," he suggested, watching Leliana work. He nodded a little at her obvious competence, more to himself than anything.

"We should."

Leliana gestured for Alistair to lean Neria back to the bed, focusing now on cleaning the cut on her head.

"I'm just making sure she'll survive, but if we can make her recovery easier, we owe that to her." she glanced the package made with her cloak, small crease on her brows "And we have to dispose of that soon."

Alistair slipped his arm out from under Neria's shoulders and then guided her back against the pillow again.

He looked over his shoulder at the wrapped sword and tensed. "Is that..."

"Certainty, yes."

Leliana glanced Alistair.

"That blade is mean. We can't let it lying around."

Alistair kept a wary eye on the blade now that he'd noticed it as he perched on the edge of the bed next to Neria. He brushed the back of his knuckles across her cheek and pulled his journal from his belt, flipping to an open page to scrawl a note.

"What do you propose to do with it?" he asked as he wrote. "And where did you get it?"

"Close to Neria, when I found her. Whoever fought Meredith with her probably left the blade and took Meredith Maker knows where. Probably the same person to heal her too."

Leliana banded the elf's head "Dagna will know how to safely dispose of it. She was just studying a way of dealing with a Red Lyrium full armor when I came here."

It was unnerving, watching handwriting appear in the book as it sat open. Evelea had been try to formulate something to write in order to organize her thoughts, but happily self-examination was put off for another day. Not so happily that Neria had been attacked and hurt.

She grabbed up her small bag of potions and poultices that she'd been carrying when she appeared in Skyhold and her staff, leaving her own room to jog down the hallway toward Neria's room was.

They hadn't spoken since the death of the Envy demon, but Evelea owed the woman a great deal, and the thought that she'd been attacked by some unknown assailant had her heart in her throat. She stopped at the door and rapped her knuckles sharply on the door before opening it and poking her head in.

"Can I come in?" She hadn't met Alistair yet, and this Leliana didn't know her. She rather thought charging over to the prone elf woman might get her stabbed or punched or something.

Alistair nodded to Leliana. "She's set up shop in the mage tower, so I understand."

He had just finished tucking his journal back away and had taken Neria's hand when Evelea appeared. He twitched a little at the noise, free hand itching towards his sword, and then settled. Clearly attackers were not in the habit of knocking on doors and asking permission to enter.

"Please," he said, eyes going to the woman's staff. "You're...one of the Heralds, right?"

Leliana stood up and stared the door, hand hovering over one dagger. Better be a healer, or she would be very pleased practicing with a breathing target after all the past events.

Evelea nodded to Alistair, though her eyes cut toward Leliana. "I'm Evelea Trevelyan. Neria was incredibly kind to me while I was being investigated for possession." She took a half step forward, flicking her gaze to the Spymaster again and then took a deep breath as if to explain further, but she was cut off with a cough.

"Maker, it reeks of red lyrium in here!" She shrugged off the timidity, strode forward, eyes scanning and finding the sword before traveling back to Neria. "Was she cut by that blade?" She raised a hand and a gentle rejuvenation spell passed over Neria first, stabilizing her pulse and breathing.

Alistair relaxed further when Evelea gave her name. Neria had spoken of this version of the Inquisitor.

"We don't know," he said, scooting back so Evelea could have better access to Neria without letting go of his wife's hand. "Maker, I hope not."

"If it is the case, though, what are the implications?"

Leliana relaxed a little, observing Evelea as she worked.

Evelea rested a hand on Neria's neck, feeling her pulse as she used her magic to catalogue her injuries. She started with any internal bleeding that lingered from what seemed like being hit by a great deal of magical force. She shook her head. "I'm not an expert. In my time we have only seen a small amount of it in the world. But from the journal, and listening to others talk, it seems to have the potential to be corrupting. But she's a Warden and a mage, so she should be more resilient than most to any adverse effects."

(OOC: If there are any really specific or life threatening injuries she'd find, let me know?)

Alistair nodded as Evelea spoke.

He looked over at the sword again.

"Meredith," he muttered. "Where in the void is she? I can't imagine her being parted from that - that thing willingly. If she's the one-" he stopped and inhaled, closing his eyes.

"I am not very fond of having Meredith around, but we can't do anything reckless."

Leliana shaked her head, arms crossed in front of her chest.

"We have a special place for her in the dungeons, and that should do."

Evelea had never met the Knight Commander of the Kirkwall Circle, but like all mages in the Free Marches she'd learned to shudder at the name. Her mouth was drawn into a tight moue of distaste as she worked to triage Neria's injuries. Cuts closed and bruises faded, a fine beading of sweat appearing on Evelea's brow as she worked.

"This is the best I can do. She's stable at least. She'll be sore when she wakes, and shouldn't go doing anything reckless or heroic for a few days." She gave Alistair a gentle smile.

Alistair smiled at Evelea in return, giving her a grateful look.

"I think I can see to that much," he said, relief coloring his voice. His thumb drew small circles on the back of the hand of Neria's he still clung to. "Thank you, Evelea."

"I trust you can take care of her from here."

Leliana smiled at Alistair, motioning to take back her bow, quiver and the improvised package holding Certainty.

"I'll see what Dagna can do about this. Take care and don't hesitate to call me if you need to."

Evelea shook her head at Alistair's thanks. "It's no trouble. If you need anything else, of course let me know."

She gave Neria a gentle pat on the shoulder, and then looked toward Leliana, frowning faintly at the sword. She gave a slight shiver and stepped toward the door, moving to put more space between herself and the sword and stepped into the hallway to return to her room.

(OOC: Okay! Healer out!)

Alistair nodded at Evelea as she slipped out and then turned to Leliana.

"Of course," he answered. "You've done plenty, Leliana. I'm-" he bit his lip. "Thank you. I don't like to think about what state she might have been in if you hadn't found her when you did. Let me know if you hear anything more about Meredith, please? I wouldn't like to leave Neria alone, but..."

He left the inevitable 'there are exceptions, of course' statement off and shrugged instead.