A Chance Encounter (Child!AlistairxChild!Dalish Reader)

On the main road, Arl Eamon of Redcliffe was traveling with his sort-of adopted son, Alistair. He was a twelve-year-old sullen boy with blonde hair and hazel eyes. He was angry that he was being sent away to the Chantry to become a Templar. Upon finding out that this news, he threw a horrible tantrum. He didn't want to go.

Arl Eamon tried to talk to to Alistair in an attempt to make some kind of conversation in hopes to cheer him up, but he just remained stubbornly silent, staring off out the window of the carriage. He refused to speak to him, let alone acknowledge his presence.

The Arl didn't want to send Alistair away, but what was he supposed to do? His marriage was already at stake with his new wife, Isolde. She didn't like that he had taken an interest in the boy. She accused him of cheating on her...and this was his bastard son. Arl assured her that Alistair was not his, but he made a promise to look after him. She was not moved at all.

It's me or the boy. Arl Eamon kept hearing from her.

"Let's stop here for a moment and rest," suggested Arl Eamon.

The soldiers and servants set up a camp just off the main road. They got a fire going and the servants cooked food for them. The Arl and Alistair sat in front of the fire on a blanket. The boy remained stubbornly silent, hugging his knees and looking down. The arl looked at the blond, frowny boy.

The silence between them was long and uncomfortable. Arl Eamon knew he had to talk to him like he always encouraged him to express his opinion or feelings. With an exhale, he began to break the ice.

"Alistair..."

Before the noble could even begin his sentence, the boy just got up from the blanket and stormed away. Arl Eamon frowned; he figured this was how he would react.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Away," Alistair snapped.

Arl Eamon assumed that he just wanted to be alone so he could collect his thoughts. Maybe he'd sulk there for a while.

Alistair went deep into the woods to relieve himself. He thought about running away. Where would he go? He didn't know. All these thoughts were tempting to him.

***

At twelve, you are being taught to survive while living in the forest at the Dalish camp. Since your childhood, you were taught that humans were bad and how they enslaved your ancestors. Yet you were a curious child, so desperate to know why they were bad. Often you wandered away from the Dalish camp to explore the forest, sometimes getting close to the roads to see humans. You wanted to see what they were like since it was rare for humans to pass through your camp...mostly you heard of the Grey Wardens passing by looking for recruits. Mostly, you would hear rumors about the hunters driving them away.

You decided to sneak out of the camp to see if there were any tonight. Luckily there was a group of them that pulled over to stop and rest. You kept your distance by hiding in the bushes so you could observe them. The group consisted of a few soldiers, some flat-ears that looked like servants, an older man dressed elegantly and a 12-year-old boy. You saw the human boy walking in the woods. He stopped behind some bushes, undoing his trousers and...

Oh!

Blushing, you looked away. You waited until he finished and wanted to get closer to see the human, staying hidden in the bushes. The boy muttered to himself angrily. Then he threw a tantrum, breaking some sticks nearby and throwing rocks (one barely missing you).

Alistair sighed, sitting down near a tree. He was beyond angry. He didn't understand why was Arl Eamon sending him away. He wondered if he did something wrong. Did the Arl hate him? Did he not want him anymore? He felt tears pricking his hazel eyes; he didn't want to cry, yet he was just so hurt. First it was being sent to sleep in the stables by the Arlessa and now he was being sent away forever. It wasn't fair!