Cousland: The Chosen - Dragon Age Fanfiction

-Chapter Thirty-Five-

The trees of the surrounding areas arched untouched and the smoke arose from the fire mere inches away. The breath taking scene around us made me feel welcome and as if I had been here once before.

"There is a town nearby, it looks abandoned but I seen smoke rise from some of the houses near it. I cannot make out any inns but there is people nearby. In the near distance past the town there is a large open field, I do not see any people or a camp in that area however.." Avaline said softly, returning to me after her and Ian scouted ahead. I nodded tiredly and yawned, knowing how paranoid Bodahn would be with me being gone, they must have wards up. We had been scouting for any signs of the group for hours and until now we hadn't found anything remotely close, unless you count lingering darkspawn and bandits. Avaline fell in line and she pulled her curly brown hair back in her cloth and her narrowed cautious brown eyes watched our surroundings wearily. Zevran and Ian however were bickering over who had took whose hairbrush.

"I had one just like this, Zevran." Ian continued huffing angrily as we continued down the mountain path. The treacherous Frostbacks' frost whipped at us from all sides and the icy shards ripped into my flesh like pieces of glass. Zevran shook his head, too cold to mutter a comment, he rubbed his hands together and held onto the cloak I had gave him. Avaline, Ian and I were used to the cold but he was not.

"D-Damn mountains." He whispered breathlessly and I couldn't help but smile. For years the mountains has been the best defense for Orzammar and the towns which surrounded them. Most were abandoned by now with the growing number of darkspawn on the surface but mostly determined people stood their ground and protected their people from harm.

As we neared the open area my heartbeat began to beat faster and more erratically and the Frostbacks' snow whipped at us even more heavily from all sides and the shards of ice cut into my skin even more deeply than before like hundreds and thousands of blades, slashing and stabbing repeatedly in an endless cycle of pain.

"Could this be it?" Avaline asked softly as we surveyed the area around us. I bit my lip and took in a sharp breath, the air around us was suffocating along with the razor light snow none of us will be able to continue in this condition.

"It has to be," I whispered softly, my voice drifted off into the unknown and I tried to concentrate on the hum around us. My left hand shot out and tore at the edge of the ward whilst my right weaved my own magic in and instantly the area around us transformed. I took a deep breath and the familiar scraping noise of a sword or dagger being unsheathed echoed around us and I immediately unsheathed my own. A dark cloaked figure approached and as he neared I could slowly recognize his features.

"Alistair!" I breathed his name loudly and dropped my blades, running to him as fast I could. He quickly held onto me and he held me tight. His breath was hot on my neck and my heart sped a million times faster. I listened to his own as he held me and his own heart matched mine.

"Evelyn," He whispered my name softly and he pulled away to peer into my eyes. I looked up at him, and bit my bottom lip. I knew I wasn't exactly the prettiest of sight with all of my wounds, bandages and not to mention the dirt and grime which clung to every surface of my body but as his lips claimed my own with just as much passion and need as they did when I looked my best I knew it didn't matter. I pulled away from his embrace, remembering my new company, as I looked behind me all whist holding his strong hand in my own; his light auburn eyes darkened as his eyes caught upon an all too familiar figure to us all.

"Ian," His voice was stiff and held no surprise as he eyed the figure cautiously. I squeezed his hand reassuringly and I bit my lip harder as I saw a smirk flicker at Ian's lips.

"Alistair," Ian's voice was just as stiff yet I could detect a bitter tone behind it. "I see a lot has changed since I died. Bed her did you? Took me months of effort." He smirked wider and Alistair immediately pulled his hand from my own.