leliana

[leliana]

I know what it is but I'm hoping that all is well
no harvest of green but it's still my heart to sell

It had happened so quickly.

In one second, Dovev had been there, holding her, tracing his way down her neck, his touch soft, tender—and the next, it all turned to chaos. She had not heard him coming, not even thought to prepare herself. When he collided with Dovev, she stumbled to the side, still weak, still drained, but not altogether without defense. The wings that had been smooth silk just moments before unfurled, transitioning even during the motion. The black bled away, replaced by hard copper, the edges sharp and dangerous as the light glinted off of them. She left them raised, her chin lifted defiantly, despite the exhaustion.

“I am not afraid,” she said, her voice soft but steely, her amber eyes regarding him. She was no warrior, but she was also no coward. She would not allow herself to be bullied, to be shamed. She didn’t intend on charging him, but neither did she back away—even when he turned to talk to Dovev, even when words began to spill that caused her belly to turn, her every fear being made into a reality before her eyes.

Surround yourself with pretty toys.

Was that all she was? Just one in a long list of others?

Your precious Cerva.

The name stung. The certainty of it. The way it brought to life someone else—another who loved him.

Another he loved.

Do all those you play with become nothing once you have your way with them?

Was she just something to play with? Would she too become nothing?

She clenched her jaw against the pain that racked inside of her body, the agony that twisted up her throat. She despised what this man was saying, despised that he had turned a moment so beautiful, so precious, into something dirty—something foul, temporary. She shook her head, the red of her mane tossing, but it didn’t matter; no matter what she did, the pain had taken root in her chest and it blossomed there.

Leliana barely had a chance to find her breath before they were lunging once more. She realized, faintly, that the gold and white stallion was coming for her, and she took a step backward, her wings curled defensively in front of her. But Dovev reached her first, pushed the other away, and she felt more than saw the new wounds that blossomed throughout his body from the impacts. A soft cry left her throat.

Without thinking, she reached out for him with her gift, what little she had left curling from her chest and racing toward him, driven on by the urgency of her worry. Thankfully, the wounds were fresh and not nearly as severe as those left by the bear; her neck grew slick with sweat and she breathed heavily, but she did not lose consciousness. She exhaled heavily as she watched Dovev turn and lunge away, following the man toward whatever lay before him—his past, his future. Her heart constricted painfully and she stumbled away, leaning heavily against a tree, and then, when she was sure that she was alone, she wept.

I put everything I had into something that didn't grow
like going on a wild hunt, shooting arrows without a bow

Just wanted to wrap up this part of it! :) Have fuuuuun.