fadewalk | RP: Alistair (wardenalistair)

Everything was darkness.

The feeling of the cold stone against her skin was the last thing she could remember before the darkness. So much noise, so much destruction, so much pain...

A refreshing feeling ran through her body, different from any kind of healing spell she have ever known. She could hear steps, metal against the stone floor. Was the fight over? She couldn't say for sure, her limbs were heavy, she felt terribly weak and tired. But maybe a little nap could make her feel better... just a little nap.

Neria didn't know how much time had passed when she started regaining her consciousness, slowly drifting out of her dreamless sleep. There was people talking and then there was silence again. Only a familiar warmth grounding her mind to the real world.

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Alistair hummed, thinking.

"Leliana seemed pretty keen on just imprisoning her, with that procedure Cullen worked out, I think. If I know her at all, she'll take care of it."

He nodded slightly, reassured by the thought.

"I do hope so. You know how Leliana changed and I don't think being shoved downstairs worked to favor her reasoning. What about the sword? She can't destroy it, either."

Neria frowned "Which is very agonizing. Having a chance to stop so many deaths and not being allowed to."

Alistair wrinkled his nose. "I agree."

He moved to press his lips to her temple. "Oh, Leliana said she was going to take it to Dagna. Apparently she had some success with dismantling or repurposing, or something, some red lyrium armor?"

"I see. I'll look into it later."

She nuzzled his jaw, moving to press her body closer to his, seeking for his warmth, shivering with cold.

"Now I have more pressing matters, like cuddling with you and listening to the stories of your travels when we were apart. Everything."

Edited Date: 2015-08-31 04:54 am (UTC)

Alistair reached out to settle the blankets around her when she shivered, kissing the top of her head again.

"You won't hear any objections from me, my love," he said, his arm tightening around her. A muscle in his jaw twitched.

"What would you like to know?"

"Hmm... before you had to leave the Keep for objecting Clarel, how was everyone? And Amaranthine! Creators, I never thought I would say it, but I miss that bloody city."

Neria snuggled close to Alistair, sighing with contentment. She traced lazy patterns over his arm around her.

Alistair shifted his cheek against the top of her head so that there was less chance of him getting hair in his mouth, and nudged one leg over so that their legs were tangled together.

"You've trained them all well, my dear - everything was running quite smoothly when I left. Varel and Woolsey rule everything with a kind but iron fist. I left Oghren in charge, which I admit was not my...first instinct, but I think with the two of them to keep him in check, it won't be too terrible. And he does have a tendency to step up when you ask things of him, even if he still can't manage to be sober - well, ever."

He smooths the hand wrapped around her up and down her arm. "The recruits were settling in well - I'd had a few problems with the Bryland boy for a while there, but they were mostly settled by the time I left. You know how he can be, thinking he can lord it over the rest of them because his father's an arl. I dissuaded him of that notion. He did come to us, after all."

He hummed. "I wonder if they've made any recruitments while we've all been away - I expect not, but you never know. It's been long enough since the Blight that we'd mostly stopped having volunteers desperate to join our ranks. And then after this business with Corypheus, I doubt if we'll see any sort of volunteers for a decade or more." He sighed.

"Hmm, possibly. There is no glory in sacrifice in a order on the verge of internal war, after all. Specially when said order helped the enemy they swore to protect us from." she chuckled weakly, fingers intertwining with his before she held their hands against the light coming from the fireplace, looking at how the light and shadows changed their contour "Oh Oghren... I miss the old dwarven brewery, even his permanent alcoholic stench." her nose wrinkled when she smiled fondly

"His little nugget turns 10 in a few weeks, if I quite recall. I have yet to think of a gift. Haven't being exactly a good godmother for her lately." she kissed his knuckles "And how did you found out Hawke was after Corypheus? I know that boy, Carver, is her brother but... can't make the connection."

"Oh, it was a bit of both being after the same thing and a bit of the fact that I was one of few Wardens whose acquaintance made an impression on her, I guess? After we met in Kirkwall that once. She sent me a letter when she heard the rumors about what was going on with the Wardens from Carver and Anders, offering her help and her knowledge of Corypheus. We lost track of each other when I had to go on the run from Clarel's Wardens, but she sent the Inquisitor with all her resources after me, and that seemed to work."

He wrinkled his nose. "Crestwood full of undead is not a very pleasant locale, you should know."

Edited Date: 2015-09-01 01:54 am (UTC)

"Worst than Fallow Mire, plagued and full of undead?" she quirked her eyebrow "By the way, you should pay a visit to Hawke. She escaped from the Fade, somehow, and the Inquisitor found her."

She shifted to her side, burying her face on Alistair's chest for a moment, inhaling his scent "The Inquisitor gave you my message, when you were in Skyhold?"

"Not quite, but the rain was nearly as insufferable as the marsh."

His arm tightened around her at the mention of Hawke. "Oh," he breathed. "Oh, praise the Maker. I should - go and thank her. Yes."

"She did," he said, with a sound that rumbled through his chest, halfway between a laugh and a purr. He crooked a few fingers under her chin and lifted her head. "Do you have any idea what you do to me? Even a few lines in your hand. Maker's breath, love. How I wanted you that night."

Her eyes curved with the fond smile she gave him, pressing her lips against his in a slow kiss, fingers ghosting his cheek and jaw.

"I already told you why I call you 'vhenan', Alistair. You're my heart, you make me whole, even if you can't see how. When I heard you were in Skyhold, so close for the first time in years, I nearly dropped everything to deliver that message personally."

Alistair let out a small noise of frustration and want, tangling his fingers in her hair.

"I wish you would have," he mumbled. "I know this work you're doing is important, but...Maker." He closed his eyes and kissed her slowly.

She kissed him, hand pressing the back of his neck to bring him closer.

"I know." Neria spoke against his lips, eyes closed "We expected things to be difficult but not this difficult."

Alistair hugged her to him tightly, basically dragging her on top of him. Which was not exactly intentional, and his lips turned down in something like an apology for the semi-rough treatment, especially still recovering as she was. But he didn't let her go either.

"I'm trying to only dwell on the fact that I have you, here, in my arms, right now," he murmured, nudging his forehead against hers. "And then you go and get injured on me and all I can think about is how many times I haven't been there for you when you needed me in these past few years." His voice is pained.

"Vhenan..."

Neria placed her elbows on each side of his chest, hands resting over his shoulders. She tilted her head, ears wilting with his pained voice, mouth opening as she took her breath to speak, then gave up. Instead, she caressed the scarred skin on his chest with her thumb, fingers then trailing a scar on his face.

"No, don't say it. I wasn't there, either. We both did what we have to when we have to and this is past now." she planted a kiss over the scar on his heart "Just promise me we won't ever do this again. Be apart."

Alistair wrapped one arm snugly about her waist and cupped her cheek with his other hand.

"Never," he swore fervently. "Never ever ever." He kissed her with each word, pulling back just to whisper the next and then kiss her again, and on the last he brushed his thumb over the curve of her cheek and kissed her yet again, small, lingering brushes of his lips that deepened the longer they went on.

Neria returned every single kiss, parting her lips for his as the kisses went deeper and deeper. A little sigh of pleasure left her mouth when she sought for her breath, panting with swollen lips. She looked into his eyes, laughing, before kissing him again, passionate, without bothering on holding the little sighs and moans dripping with the kiss.

Alistair's eyes crinkled around the corners as he smiled, and he was surprised enough by Neria's last kiss that he had to pull away shortly to take a deep breath himself. He hummed in appreciation and pressed back towards her, his fingers scritching at the shorter hair on the nape of Neria's neck. He licked his way into her mouth this time, tasted her, let out a moan when their tongues brushed.

Neria hummed in approval, slowly shifting to straddle his hips when a hint of pain crossed her face, brows furrowing. She stopped, thumbs brushing his lips, frustration and want clear on her face.

"Creators, I shouldn't be doing this."

Alistair reached for her as soon as her face grew pained, his hazel eyes reflecting the emotion.

"No, you shouldn't. Come here." He pulled her down gently and settled her back on the bed, rolling over on his side and resting his chin on her shoulder. He pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"Much as I would love to ravish you again, my dear, you need to rest." He smoothed her hair back from her face. "There will be plenty of opportunities later, hmm? Since I have no intention of leaving your side again."

"Yes, there will be." she chuckled, tilting her head to plant a kiss on his temple, pressing her lips on the top of his head and using her lithe fingers to smooth his hair.

"Now is your turn to ask questions about my trip."

"Hmm." Alistair stretched arm around her stomach and nuzzled his face further into the curve of her neck. He spoke against her skin. "How's Nathaniel and Velanna? And how is your research going? See anything of particular interest?"

"Oh, Velanna and Nate are, you know, just the way they are. She really helped me in the elven temples we visited and she did a good job salvaging stories and knowledge, she says is for the next Arlathvhen. She wants me to go with her, but I don't know... my mother was Dalish, but she left her clan to marry my father and I don't feel entitled to their culture." she shrugged "And Nate is just fine. The Calling hit him worse than he admits, but since Velanna was there for him, things worked."

She kissed the top of his head again.

"And the temples... I wish you were there. So magnificent, even ages after the fall of Arlathan. Sylaise's was the most beautiful of all, and I'm totally not saying this because fire is my main magic of choice." she sighed, not sure if it was a good idea to bring up the subject about the Taint, skipping it for now "As for the cure... Anders helped me figure something out earlier. If I can find enough Lyrium to make the ritual work, we can test it here."

Alistair hummed. "It sound beautiful, love. Wish I could have seen them. And you're really that far along with the Cure? That's - wow - that's excellent." He twisted his head back to offer her a grin.