Dragon Age One Shots

The Return (Alistair)

The warmth of the sun graced her cheeks, the first sign of summer. The chill from the sea was long forgotten, replaced by the sound of chirping birds - larks flew overhead, songbirds enjoying the seeds from the Ash trees. It was hard to believe that north in Amaranthine there was any Darkspawn trouble at all, with how peaceful the roads to Denerim were. There were, of course, still scars from the Blight, but they would heal in time.

Her horse - a Ferelden Thoroughbred mare - pricked her ears happily, lowering her head to munch on her favourite grasses and herbs every so often.  Breaks were regular and she was well-fed. The harshest day the return journey to Denerim had given was the day before - a storm had blown in from the south, headwinds making the journey more tedious and hills harder to climb. Her ears continued to swivel, flickering back and forth, muscles tensing ever so slightly.  

It was sheer luck Adelaide had found a cave small enough to be uninhabitable by bears and giant spiders, but big enough to light a fire, keep warm and wait until the storm had passed. It lasted most of the day and well into the night. Aethelthryth (Thryth for short), had calmed down after a while, whinnying and nuzzling her muzzle against Adelaide's hand from time to time. Adelaide had taken to writing a letter to Alistair, alerting him to the delay and her uncertainty about how much time the storm had truly taken from her - if it was too muddy, she would be unable to ride: it would be unsafe not only for her, but also for Thryth.

It was by luck she supposed that the ground wasn't as soft underfoot as she had thought. She surmised it was due to rock formations and cliff edges providing protection that she was able to ride that day - albeit at a slower pace for a time, but once afternoon came it was as if it hadn't rained at all.

Shortcuts had managed to make up the majority of lost time, although she stopped a few times to gather herbs and allow Thryth to munch on what plants weren't poisonous. The sun was shining, the breeze light, and she had a happy mare making her way along the road.
She whinnied when Denerim came into view, head raising and tossed around happily, mane flying everywhere. 

"We're nearly home. We get to see our men again, hm?"

Six months had been far too long. After seeing Alistair daily for over a year to not seeing him at all was difficult. Letters exchanged did little to comfort her in anything but the hardships. The Bannorn were stubborn people for the most part, but they were calming down for the most part. He did manage to visit once - a couple of days over her birthday. It was refreshing to see his face again, to just be with him when she could. Hearing his voice did far more to comfort her than she had expected. Not that she expected any differently, she knew it would help. It just helped much more.

Or maybe it was because of his smile. She didn't know what about it made her happy other than Alistair. No pinpointing could help her out.

She truly adored the goof and that was all she needed to know.

She had been more than happy to return home to him and the closer she got to Denerim the more excited she became. But now the City was in view, nerves had settled in her stomach. Her mouth and throat went dry and she tensed her hands only to relax them a moment later. She felt her pulse in her neck, the rhythm off-putting, and she inhaled and exhaled slowly, focusing on her surroundings instead.
It was odd to feel so nervous about something she was excited about. Perhaps once she was in the city itself she'd feel better. Thryth seemed to sense her sudden change in mood and neighed gently, more akin to an 'I'm here' than anything else. It was a comfort to her and Adelaide laughed gently, slightly embarrassed, and ran her fingers down the Mare's neck.

"I know, I know. It's stupid for me to be nervous about seeing Alistair again. But what if he's sick? What if he's changed his hair and I don't recognise him? What if I walk into the city and a litter of puppies run at me? What if Aelfric charges me or I'm swamped by questions that I have no answers for? What if I get to the Palace, okay, and there was a fire? That would be awkward, right?" A huff. "Okay yes, they are stupid reasons, but why else would I be nervous? It's irrational for me to be so. It makes no sense."