Work Text:
9:30 - Around RedCliffe
“Good, now that the warm, fuzzy part of the day is over with we can get back to the ritual dismemberments. Oh wait, it’s not Tuesday,is it ?"
Ymlaïs let out a small laugh, then she remembered something:
“No, it’s not Tuesday and before I forget I still have something to extend the warm and fuzzy part of the day.” She took a small object out of one of her pockets and handed it to him. "Something tells me it’s yours."
She held in her hand a silver amulet marked with the symbol of Andraste. The object was tarnished and weathered by time and numerous zebras passed through it. Alistair took it out of her hands and his eyes widened at the sight of the object.
"This, this is my mothers’a amulet. It has to be. But why isn’t it broken? Where did you find it?”
“I found it in Redcliffe, in the study.”
“Oh, the arl’s study? Then he must have … found the amulet after I threw it to the wall (1). And he repaired in and kept it? I don’t understand, why would he do that?”
The elf shrugged, the answer seemed obvious to her : “ Maybe he meant to give it back to you.”
“Maybe he did. He might even have brought it with him one of those time he came to see me at the monastery… Not that I would have given him a chance, as belligerent as I was to him.
Thank you. I mean it. I… thought I’d lost it to my own stupidity. I’ll need to talk to him about this. If he recovers from his… when he recovers, that is. I wish I’d had this a long time ago.”
Looking up at her he added:“ Did you remember me mentioning it ? Wow. I’m more used to people not really listening when I go on about things.”
She chuckled : “Sorry, did you say something?
“Ho, ho, ho. See this gesture I’m making. Can you hear that ? »
She laughed openly. These verbal jousts had become usual between the two Grey wardens and showed their growing complicity. A sort of cat and mouse game between humour and sincerity: open-hearted discussions frequently ended with a humorous twist… And vice versa.
« Of course I remembered. You’re special to me.”
“Is this the part when the music starts and we begin dancing? Because I’m game. Where ‘s the minstrels! »
She breathed a long sigh, shaking her head; if she thought she was destabilizing him, it was a failure this time. Ymlaïs had quickly enjoyed provoking Alistair’s discomfort by gently flirting with him, forcing him to go to a field he did not mastered at all. But deep inside, under the cover of a friendly joke, wasn’t she expressing what she really felt without seeming to? Wasn’t she getting caught in her own traps ? They often saved face with their humorous shots but the truth is that neither of them really came out unscathed from these exchanges. She surrendered :
"Just be careful and take care of it this time. Okay?” She said to him gently, closing his hands on the amulet before moving away towards the camp.
He looked in disbelief at the amulet that lied in the palm of his hands. So many memories came back to his mind. (1)
He looked up at the young Grey Warden. Seriously, where did this young woman came from to be able to perform such miracles? In less than a week she had gathered the remaining forces of Redcliff, protected the village from destruction, vanquished the demons of the fade, saved the iarl’s family and the circle of the magi from disaster, And now she was bringing him back that amulet he thought was lost forever.
The dalish were said to be insensitive to the rest of the world, but she had not hesitated to do everything she could to save every possible life when she had no obligation to do so. Every passing day, he saw her giving all to make people happy. In his eyes, she represented his own ideal of a Grey warden that went beyond the fight against the darkspawns.
The atmosphere was relaxed around the fire. Wynne and Leliana had begun to prepare the meal while discussing personal talent, song and cherry stems.
Seeing the bard and the magician, Ymlaïs smiled up to the ears. She held her victory! Turning to Alistair, she called him, "Hey, Alistair!" Pointing to Leliana : « I found us a minstrel, as for the dancing part, we should be able to ask Wynne to find you a nice mage dress in case you want to dance the remigold to, you know, celebrate… » Leliana and Wynne raised their heads and wondered what was it about again between this two. Sten probably did too, but he expressed it by rolling sorry eyes and sighing. « Oh! Don’t be jealous, Sten, we’ll find one for you too!" Everyone could not help laughing. Except the qunari of course.
Alistair accepted his defeat. She really remembered everything he said, even the worst nonsense. He would have to remember that in the future.
Nevertheless, after everything they had just experienced, she still managed to put smiles on the faces of her companions. Well, almost all of them. Everywhere she went, she was like a light that made the shadows retreat.
He suddenly fell the urge to do something for her reciprocally. To tell her how grateful he was for everything she did, everything she was. Maybe he could give her something in return for the amulet. But what?
Willing to store his precious gift, he slipped it distractingly into one of the saddlebags hanging from his belt. His hand met an object that was already there. He looked at it: it was a faded rose.
(1) see Chapter 4 : THE DOORS OF DESTINY - https://archiveofourown.org/works/26697145/chapters/66698986#workskin