Bloody and bruised in an Ally way so fare from home (any one)
Sorry for all the Naele/Fen. I need the practice; gotta get the feel for it back.
for @dadrunkwriting
“For Mythal’s sake, Naele! What happened to you?”
I looked up at the sound of Dorian’s voice, struggling to see due to my right eye, which was nearly swollen shut. He was with Fen, who looked ready to puke at the sight of me…or maybe it was the way the alley reeked of garbage, trash, urine, vomit, and Creators-know what else. My mind spun, but the few flashes of memory didn’t seem familiar. I knew I was injured, that I had been wounded, but I didn’t know how or when, or even where; somehow, I knew in my gut that I was nowhere near Crestwood, and was very far from Dorian’s villa in Val Royeaux.
“I—don’t remember,” I managed, though the pain it caused my jaw to talk soon had me whimpering.
“Oh, Nae….”
Dorian sounded horrified and hopeless as he ducked into view, kneeling by my side. Fen stayed standing a good bit a ways, and I could tell he was as stiff as a board despite not being able to focus my eyes on him.
“It hurts,” I barely moved my mouth, but recognized the unique, metallic flavor of my own blood as I felt it spill from my lips.
“I know, my pearl,” Dorian’s voice broke—it had to be worse than it felt, “I know it does, but I need you to stay with me, okay?”
“Mm—”
I didn’t try to talk anymore: it all hurt too much. Everything hurt. Dorian brushed my hair away from my face, pulling painfully at the strands that had been caught in dried flecks of blood or broken skin.
“We need to get her to a Healer,” He seemed to try to lift me, but Fen’s voice was suddenly very close, stopping him.
“I’ve got her.”
The haze of Elfroot, black pepper, cedar, and that obscure scent that was so inimitably “Fen” surrounded me—and then the hard ground fell away as pulled against the warmth of his body. I let my head roll into him and my body go limp, too weak to do anything else.
“I’m so sorry, Nae. I’ve got you, now,” Dulcet mahogany voice whispering into my hair, “I never should have let you walk off alone. I will make it up to you, I swear.”