The Rocky Road to Skyhold

[nadasharillen]

WHO: Siuona and Nahariel Dahlasanor, [your face here]
WHAT: Just two Dalish traveling on an unfamiliar road to an unfamiliar place. (They're lost.)
WHEN: Around the time other small contingents are leaving for Skyhold
WHERE: Road from Redcliffe to Skyhold, theoretically, but who even knows?
NOTES:
↠The two are likely to be skittish around non-elves, but don't let that stop you!
↠They have one of those godawful sketch-maps that are somehow supposed to help you find things!

Only a couple of hours down the road, and Nahariel was getting worried. Siuona hadn't spoken all that much since her incident with the bears getting her up a tree. Not that Sina was given to chatter, but the hunter hadn't gotten much of a reply about anything from the food at the inn, to how long the trek was likely to be, to whether or not she thought the little flowers in the grass along the side of the path were pretty.

She sighed, stretched her arms across her chest, and tried again.

"Does your chest hurt?"

Comments

[nadasharillen]

Distrust warred with hope on Nari's face at the man's confirmation that he belonged to the organization they sought, and moved a few more degrees toward hope when he removed his helmet--a show of trust. If he meant them ill, surely he wouldn't grant himself that disadvantage. Sina's muffled coughing decided her.

"Yes. Please. Thank you."

She turned quickly to gather the equipment they'd been carrying, and reached out a hand towards Sina to aid her up.

"Is it far, Skyhold? We've been walking for days, and the cough is getting worse. It..." she paused for a moment. How much to say? Perhaps he knows of the shards. They cannot be something to hurt Sina over, I heard the Herald bore such a thing in her hand, and she was well-loved. Would you hide a gut wound? From an enemy, perhaps, but... For all that the Knight-Commander was a Templar, he didn't seem like the others that they'd seen fighting, or the stories that the Keeper had told as warning. Plus, if he was of the Inquisition, they would be allies in the coming days, and mistrust among allies was a chink in armor; all too easily exploited.

"We don't bring sickness to your camp. She took a shard in her chest, from the Rifts after the Herald died, and it's doing this to her. It's said on the road that the Inquisition can help."

When she stopped speaking, she looked almost defiant, as if daring the man to take back his offer of aid.

[eolasemah]

Sina stood, but wavered exhaustedly on her feet. She gave a few absent nods to Nari's words, choosing to save her breath rather than speak. Her eyes shifted periodically from the ground to scan uneasily over the man's form, from his armor to his decidedly human face. She was barely in a position to turn down help.

After a moment, she coughed and hoarsely replied, "just point us the way, we can go on foot." Although slow and weak and unlikely to make it much farther before sundown, the thought of accepting a ride from a stranger-- and on a horse, no less!-- made her nervous.

[equanimiti]

Sauveterre glances in between the pair with more worry within his gaze. The younger one is terribly ill but unwilling to trust him. The girl foolishly thinks she can merely walk to Skyhold despite the trek being treacherous by itself without the addition of fiends.

However, the older one seem ready for disappointment as she told the whole story of her comrade's plight. Did she take him for cruel? There's no way that he'll take back his offer. This is why he steps forward to reassuring place a hand upon Nari's shoulder.

"Do not fret. We have many skilled healers hailing from White Spire who can assist." He says with a stern gaze. "They can heal her and care for you both. It's a just a matter of getting you two there safely." It's then that he turns his gaze towards the stubborn elf.

"Durandal is a kind mare. She won't mind having a guest upon her back." He calmly gestures her to come."We must be on our way before that cough worsens."

[nadasharillen]

The hunter flinched backwards as he reached out for her shoulder, then tried to cover it awkwardly by continuing the movement into a full turn towards Sina.

"A... moment," she directed back over her shoulder towards the Knight-Commander, before moving to whisper urgently to her First.

"I know. I don't like it either. But it's getting into the late afternoon, we aren't well equipped, you're having trouble even with walking now, and it's not going to get better once we get into the mountains proper. The footing will be less sure, the air will get thinner--" What if it gets worse? What if you fall? I can't carry you all the way there, and if I tried, it would be slow, and I've never heard a cough like this before. There's never been something I couldn't fight. Nari's eyes darkened to a deep moss green with the intensity of her thoughts.

"We've seen and done a lot of strange things since we left the Clan, and I don't think this will be the last of them," she continued, still quietly, "Skyhold will probably be full of people like him... if we're going to go there, we should go purposefully, not falter. Like Andruil taught, right? The Vir Assan; fly straight and never waiver." She managed a lopsided smile, and reached to squeeze Sina's shoulder. "I'll be right beside you. And, while we walk, you can think of the look on Isen's face when he hears you rode triumphantly into Skyhold on the back of a Templar's horse."

[eolasemah]

The ache brought on by standing was beginning to take a toll. Sina hesitated, but nodded to Nari, the ghost of a smile crossing her face at the mention of Isen before it dissolved into another cough. She steadied herself on her friend's shoulder while she covered her mouth, then looked past her, nervously, at the Templar.
"Fly straight and never waver," she murmured, and took a couple of shuffling steps toward him. Her hand remained clasped protectively over her sternum, a faint green glow emanating between her fingers from beneath her scarf and tunic.

[equanimiti]

By the way the elven huntress recoiled from his grasp, it was enough to remind him of the poor relations that humans have with elf-kind. He felt guilty for overstepping his boundaries like that. He's a brother of the Order, a Templar, Knight-Commander. Alayre is not given the priveledge to forget himself or his manners. Not now and not ever. Until he last draw breath, he must remain chivalrous and honorable. This is what it means to be of the Order. He must be selfless and stern but most of all, he must defend those who need it.

"My apologies but the hour is upon us. We must make haste." Sauveterre mutters as he glances up towards the cloudy skies. A storm probably lurks in the distance considering the sudden cluster of clouds that begun to gather.

He gestures for the younger elf to climb onto Durandal's saddle and holds the reins to his horse securely. Of course he caught a glimpse of that green glow but spoke nothing of it. The Templar turned his attention towards the other elf. "Are you two sisters? If not, then the Maker certainly made you both in a similar image." He says with a warm smile that fades ever so slightly.

[nadasharillen]

Following his glance to the clouds that gathered on the horizon, Nahariel thinned her lips and nodded, clasping her hands to aid Siuona in mounting the mare.

"Clansisters, yes," she replied, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth. Similar? She had always thought of them as day and night; Sina pale and fragile with immense doe eyes, she dark and hard with a gaze that pierced rather than warmed. I suppose we're both thin and we're both elves. Not that she was in a place to judge. Most humans looked the same to her as well.

[eolasemah]

Sina cast the Templar an uncertain and perhaps slightly judgmental glance at his comment, but kept her thoughts to herself. She touched the mare's shoulder, leaned around to peer into her visible eye, then gave her a reassuring pat and allowed Nari to assist her in mounting. This was precarious; she'd never ridden a beast this tall before, but she could feel that Durandal was indifferent to her presence, if not actively gentle.
She gripped at the saddle's horn with one hand as she stifled another cough with the other, then rested it to her chest again, forcing herself to stay upright. She tried not to think about what she was doing or why-- the important thing was that they arrive at Skyhold in one piece.

[equanimiti]

A thoughtful hum escapes Sauveterre. "Ah, so that's why you two seem so sisterly." Now that certainly makes sense. The two elves seem loosely related despite their obvious differences. Sauveterre doesn't really know what to say to these poor elves. He desperately wants to ease the tension between them but they're too wound up for smalltalk.

He turns his gaze towards the sickly elf and smiles. "Feeling a tad awkward up there? Oh, don't fret. We shall be at Skyhold soon." Sauveterre says as he gently tugs on Durandal's reins. The horse trots slowly with her new rider upon her back. She seems to know the child is unwell and refuses to take up her usual sprint.

"Come! We shall make haste."

Fast Forward time? [OOC]

[nadasharillen]

((This seems like a good place to either call it or hop ahead to Skyhold arrival, depending on everyone's opinion. :3 If we fade to black here, everyone can do a last post about their behavior for the rest of the journey, otherwise: we'll figure it out.))

Re: Fast Forward time? [OOC]

[equanimiti]

(ooc: I don't mind calling it here. The two can finally join Skyhold proper now. :) Alayre would've bid his farewells shortly and return to the outskirts for patrol)

Re: Fast Forward time? [OOC]

[nadasharillen]

((And Nari is left guilty that he helped them all the way there and she didn't even tell him her name. :) She'll come up with something.))

Re: Fast Forward time? [OOC]

[equanimiti]

(ooc: thankfully, Alayre is so easy to find around Skyhold. lol)