When I Look at You (a Dragon Age fanfiction)

Cailan

The next day, they were cutting through the forest on their way through the Bannorn when they saw a nobleman being held at sword-point by several guards of some kind. Una signaled for the group to attack, but the guards stabbed the man in the belly before the team got in place. Wynne wasn't able to heal him, but he rallied long enough to explain to them that he'd been at King Cailan's side at Ostagar, had survived the battle, and had been held in a Bann's prison ever since. Before he perished, he told them the location of the key to the royal chest, which he believed was still on the battlefield, long abandoned to the darkspawn. When the nobleman gave his final shudder, Una stood up. Her eyes met Alistair's, seeing the anger and sorrow flash in his eyes. Wynne's eyes shone with a martial light, as well.

"We'll go," Una swore to the two veterans. "Now. And we will kill whatever is there to be killed."

Immediately, the group reversed direction, heading directly south toward Ostagar. Alistair was distracted, thinking about Duncan and the rest of the Grey Wardens, and quite probably about his half-brother, also. Una stayed near him, but didn't try to draw him out. He needed the space. She would have liked to be able to offer him comfort, but he didn't seem to be looking for any. She had the feeling nothing would be right for him until he got the chance to attack the darkspawn that were infesting the battlefield.

Una was distracted herself, hoping against hope to find some trace of Fergus, but hoping just as fervently to find no sign of him. She hadn't given up on the idea of finding her brother alive somewhere, although as time passed her optimism was fading.

It was late evening when they reached the vicinity of Ostagar. They made camp a fair way from the battlefield—with two Grey Wardens in the party, Una was nervous enough about attracting darkspawn attention without camping right in the midst of the horde. She doubled up the guards for the night, and made everyone share a tent. Except, as always, Morrigan. Wynne and Leliana shared amicably enough, and Una took Grenli in her tent, but she had to fix Alistair with her best "leader look" to get him to agree to share a tent with the elf. If she'd thought the proximity to both the battlefield and the darkspawn were going to allow Alistair to get any sleep at all, she'd have worried more about his attitude, but as it was, she didn't think sharing a tent with Zev would make much difference.

The next morning, a tense group of individuals met around the breakfast fire. Una decided to take Wynne, Alistair, and Leliana to the battlefield, and she asked Morrigan and Zev to keep the mabari in sight, in case he was able to sniff out any sign of Fergus.

As they hiked to the battlefield, there was unusual silence. Usually the four of them worked well together, but today the camaraderie was absent.

They arrived in the midst of the ruins. Una remembered looking up at them the first day, thinking of what a magnificent sight it must have been in its heyday. She was staring at the Tower of Ishal, thinking of how the darkspawn had flooded out onto the roof that last night, when she felt a strong hand at her wrist.

Turning, she found Alistair looking at her with an intense expression in his dark eyes. Una cocked her head. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

Wynne and Leliana had gone ahead a little bit, and were rummaging in a pile of rubble near the wall.

"Do you know where this is?" Alistair asked.

Una looked around. The snow covering everything made it hard to get her bearings, and she shook her head, wondering where this was going.

"I was standing right here the first time I saw you," he said.

"Oh." It was a mere breath. She recognized the spot now. And how could she forget that moment?