☠ @guiltsworn ☠
𝐡𝐞’𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬. vic wanted to leave almost more terribly than he’d ever wanted for anything, mounting up before ishbel had even finished telling him to. the seriousness of the situation was noted, with her use of victor instead of vic, which somehow brought him more DREAD. he’d told her to use that if she was annoyed. was she angry that he’d let the other scout die ? ——–no, he couldn’t think like that, certainly the village was the cause.
riding in front made him nervous somehow, as everything about the day seemed to, but he nodded & offered them a quick ❝ be careful, ❞ ( offering it mostly to ishbel, rather than alba, ) before galloping ahead, hoping this horse didn’t have a mind of its own.
occasional glances were paid back to the others, as he rode, checking to see if they were being chased, if that horrible risen scout was somehow scurrying along beside them, making absolute certain that this warden was on their side, & hadn’t done something ATROCIOUS to ishbel. they couldn’t reach skyhold quick enough, for vic’s tastes——–if only they’d had some form of teleportation, a powerful spell to have them there in seconds !
still, as the hours passed & the fortress ahead became visible, he felt the smallest sense of ease in his heart, no matter how many centuries it felt it took them to get there. he slowed the pace of his horse, a little, not wanting to ride too far ahead of the others. ❝ what exactly are we going to tell the inquisitor ? ❞ he called back, suddenly aware of how tightly he was gripping the reins of his horse, ❝ i can’t say i’m magically smart enough to know entirely what the fuck i was lookin’ at, in there, or what’s causin’ it. ❞
└ ⚔ ┐—— ❝ Write your report as best you can. I am more than sure that Warden Alba will take care of the more complicated topics. ❞
The other scout that came with them rushed to the group as they saw them riding into Skyhold. At first his expression was that of relief but when he noticed the empty horse trailing behind them his heart sank and his expression grew somber. Ishbel shook her head before handing the reigns of the other horse to him and patting the fallen scout’s Mabari. She said some words to him before seeing him off.
Ishbel then looked over at Victor and gave him an approving nod as she walked over and put a hand on his horse.
❝ Nicely done. ❞ she said to him, ❝ I told you not to die and you listened. ❞
Φ — Alba was still on the horse as she looked at the two speaking. She quickly jumped down and walked over to join them. At first her hair was covering the entirety of her face as she moved. She then swept her hair back and stood up straight to reveal a younger visage and a seemingly healthier countenance. The mess of earrings on her ears and the stitches on her mouth were still present but her skin was visibly healthier looking and even had a slight glow to it. Her hair was a deeper brunette instead of the faded, matted tangles that Vic had seen when they first met.
She looked up at Vic with a knowing look. Truly he was such a soft boy and Alba couldn’t help but see him as almost childlike in his fear. It was a slightest bit endearing and she showed it by patting his leg as he motioned for him to get off the horse.
