A Pound of My Flesh

Chapter 2: Survive

Darkspawn. They surrounded the group in impossible numbers. Allana's sword and dagger sliced viciously through the endless monsters. Above them, the archdemon soared. Allana cried out, a loud war cry as her companions doubled their efforts to destroy the horde in front if them.

"Allana!" A voice cried from her right. She turned to see Alistair running towards the group. He was clothed in plainclothes, not armor. Her heart stopped in fear. He had no visible weapons and his linen tunic and breeches would do nothing to shield him from any attack. At the same time, she was so incredibly happy to see the senior warden's face.

"Alistair!" She cried out in disbelief. Just as quickly as he'd appeared, he was being run through and devoured by darkspawn. A sword had been run through his unarmored chest before the hurlock pulled it back with his heart. He viciously attacked it with his teeth, Alistair lying limp on the brick path.

"No!" Allana screamed, running toward the fallen warden. "No! You can't take him! No!"

Allana felt a pulling on her shoulder. "No!" She screamed again as more of the tainted creatures moved to devour the flesh of the fallen man. She could feel the tears falling down her face as the pressure on her shoulder increased. "No!" She screamed again. The horde moved in closer and the Archdemon let out a deafening roar.

She woke with a gasp, the man next to her falling to the ground a she sat up.

"Allana," he spoke, the Antivan accent drawing out her name, "it was a dream."

"Zev," she whispered. "I made a horrible mistake."

"You did what you thought was right," he said tenderly back to the elven warden, brushing stray sweat soaked crimson stands from her face. She quickly swatted his hand away.

"I'll never see him again," she said.

"There will be a day when he will forgive you," he assured her.

"You didn't see him, Zev. He was beyond angry. He looked at me as if I was dirt. He slammed me against a wall and insulted me. I never thought. . ."

"I know," Zevran paused, "I am sorry that I don't have anything else to say. Can I ask what the nightmare was about?"

She knew he was pressing for any information on where the horde may be heading. She shook her head. "It was just about him."

"I see. Please try to get some rest," he said softly, squeezing her hand again. "Just a few hours until Loghain's joining."

"I know," she said, fiddling worth the edge of the bedsheets. They were residing in Denirim for the time, until Loghain's joining was complete. Arl Eamon no longer welcomed the group at his estate. The inn had just enough rooms for the group, the city being crowded with refugees of the Blighted lands.

Allana had insisted on a room to herself, but after the first night when her nightmares had her sleepwalking and attacking the inns staff in her sleep, the group had taken turns to keep her in good company. She knew she should be grateful, but all she could do was think she didn't deserve their concern.

The assassin moved off the edge of her bed and walked across the room to retrieve a glass of water. He handed it to her, but she made no move to take it from him.

"I don't need you to take care of me," she hissed. He set the gloss on her side table and excused himself.

Allana threw off the sweat-soaked sheets and began pacing the room, bare feet nimbly moving across the wooden floors. I shouldn't think of him, she thought, I have a duty. The safety of Ferelden is at stake. And I am pining over a lost lover. She stopped pacing to lean her head against a wall. Did he really love me? Or was I just convenient?

Allana thought back to the blushing man as he handed her the rose at camp. Her heart had soared. Never did she think that someone would do something so romantic for her, let alone a human.

My duty comes first, she thought again as she curled into bed. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks. Sleep would not find her.

...

Zevran found his way downstairs, to his surprise finding Loghain sitting alone at one of the inn's tables. The fallen general was staring through the open shutters, watching the dawn light spread over the city.

"So is it Lord Loghain?" the elven assassin inquired as he approached the Grey Warden recruit.

Loghain looked up at Zevran with a look of slight despair, "I am no longer a Teyrn, nor even a knight. Address me without title, as you would any other Grey Warden."

"So just Loghain, then?"

"Correct," the fallen Teyrn paused, "What's on your mind?"

"You know who I am, yes?" Zevran took a few steps closer to the table and took a seat across from Loghain. "I was one of the Crows you hired to kill the Grey Wardens."

Loghain took a moment to stare at the assassin. "I thought you looked familiar," he said carefully.

"Well I just wanted to report that I have failed my mission, Loghain," Zevran said with a smile.

"You don't say!" Loghain replied with a laugh.

Zevran wiped under his eyes, imitating tears, "I'm terribly broken up over it."

"Hmm, well thank you kindly for informing me," he said with a chuckle.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Zevran spoke again, "It is nothing against you, but I do not know why Allana had you join the ranks."

"I am in the dark, just as you are," Loghain responded, choosing to look through the open window again, "But I am grateful to still have my life."

"She has spared me as well," Zevran said thoughtfully. "As you know, I was hired to kill her. Though, Allana and her party proved to be too much for us. She defeated the group we hired with ease and had me on the ground beneath her feet, sword to my throat. For some reason, she decided to spare me. I owe my life to her."

"She makes a habit of collecting those who try to kill her, does she? A dangerous habit," Loghain scoffed.

"You are very lucky to me among us," Zevran said, anger peeking out from under his words. "Allana gave up something very important in order for you to live."

"The boy-prince?" Loghain said with disrespect. "He may be important to her, but by his actions at the Landsmeet, the group is better off without him."

"I agree that he reacted badly, but we all hold him very dear," Zevran spoke. "I am upset that he turned to violence toward our dear Warden, but I can understand his pain. I do not want to speak too much of their relationship as it may cause disruption in the group, but you should know that she loves him, and he had loved her."

"If she had loved him, why did she not choose him over me? She even deprived him of the chance at the throne," the general tossed out.

"Allana has not told me of her reasons," Zevran said sadly, "But I hope her choice was right. Currently the Grey Wardens in Ferelden consist of just the two of you and Riordan within Ferelden. If her choice was the wrong one, it may cost the entire nation."

...

"Damn bitch," Alistair muttered as he walked the road. He had not taken his things from his room in Denirim. He had not wanted to be near them, near her. Equipped only with the armor on his back, shield, and sword, he made his way North on foot.

The hunger was pulling him from his thoughts, but he knew it was at least another day's walk to the next town. He had no tent for the night, no bedroll to sleep upon. He thought back to his first few nights traveling with his fellow warden. She had insisted on bedrolls for all of them as soon as they reached Lothering. Luckily, the same night, Bodhain had joined their camp and they were able to purchase tents for each of the party members and store them in his wagon as they traveled. They were always able to purchase food from the Dwarf or Allana would hunt rabbits while Morrigan collected various edible vegetation. He had to admit, he was well taken care of during their travels.

Now, alone, he wondered if it was smart to leave the Wardens. He would be wanted for deserting. He was now two days outside of Denirim, being fueled until this moment by anger from the outcome of the Landsmeet. He felt a pang of guilt followed by pains of hunger. Alistair's lips were dry with thirst.

I am going to die, he thought. No food, no water. I have no shelter and I am a Darkspawn magnet. I do not have the talent to hunt, no idea where any water sources are. I don't know how to survive.

Alistair continued on the path, praying silently that the path would soon bring him to shelter. Within an hour, he had collapsed on the road to Waking Sea.

AN: Please review! Also, if you find any grammar/spelling errors, please let me know so I may fix them. I don't always catch everything.