The sounds of the halla caused Keo to stir from her sleep. Slowly her eyes opened, squinting at the sunlight which blurred her vision for a few seconds. It didn't take long for her to notice the bodies sprawled around the fire which had long since died out due to neglect. It appeared the Warden's had fallen asleep in various positions, some not so attractive. How long they'd been there was unknown to the elf but she thought it best to get back to her duties, she still wasn't completely well but her duties were mainly just studying magics and preparing potions, balms and other elixirs with Lyonna. Besides the Dalish were tough by nature, a little cold wasn't going to stop her from doing her job. She went to move when an arm tightened about her waist rooting her to the spot. This caused panic to course through her. All she hoped was that the arm belonged to Kai although she doubted it, they slept in the same aravel but never in the same bed. Gathering her courage Keo turned her head to see whom the arm belonged to. Daehyun!? Maybe she was delirious or something. No, it was definitely the Antivan if the tattoo in her line of vision was anything to go by. What the hell? When did he get there? When did I even fall asleep? Why's his arm there!? Crap, crap, crap! Don't panic.. Relax.. Okay keep panicking that works too.

 

"Need a hand?" A small laugh came from in front of the girl. Zelo had woken awhile back and spotted the fear on the mages face. He kept his voice low so as not to wake his sleeping companions. 

 

Keo nodded frantically at the boy, glad to be rescued. A giggle actually came from him as he held out his hands for her, when she took them he manoeuvred her out of the clamp that was the assassin's grip. "Ma  serannas." She whispered.

 

"Don't thank me yet." Zelo mumbled, grinning cheekily. He placed his hands on her shoulders and moved her to one side before turning back to the group. "Hm.. This needs something." He gazed at the men that had grown to be brothers to him and rubbed at his chin in thought. "Ah! That's it." He snapped his fingers suddenly and went to work. By the time he was done Youngjae was now cuddled up to Daehyun while Himchan and Yongguk were made to spoon. "Good thing Jongup woke up aggges ago. There would've been a somewhere."

 

Keo covered to silence the giggles that tried to escape due to the younger mages antics. "That, sir, is a masterpiece." She managed to comment.

 

Zelo turned to the elf and beamed instantly linking arms with her. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of speaking, however lets speak waaaaay over there. I don't want to be here when they wake up." He sniggered, leading her to the other side of the camp. Once at a safe distance he released her arm and bowed dramatically. "Name's Zelo."

 

"I know who you are." She smiled, laughing lightly at the bow. "I'm Keo."

 

"I know who you are too, Jongup's buddy." He grinned. "He's told me a bit about you. Says you love dragons."

 

Keo watched the boys face for any sign of disapproval but all he did was grin. "Mm. And griffins."

 

Zelo seemed to grow excited by this as he started to bounce a bit. "No way! I love griffins! Shame they're extinct. I have my theory they aren't though.."

 

"Yes!" Keo agreed, her own excitement showing. "I knew I wasn't the only one to believe they were still around! I bet they're just hiding them and breeding them, waiting to use them as a secret weapon!"

 

Zelo clapped his hands at the idea and nodded, happy that someone else shared his hope for the winged beasts. "Yes!"

 

The boy directed the girl to a log and they both sat exchanging stories- Mostly about Zelo's exploits as a Tevinter mage in the Warden's. For a kid he'd seen a lot, he even revealed a secret which would get him slain on sight by Templars. He was a blood mage. When Keo showed her surprise he went on to explain that in Tevinter it was quite common, in fact it was stranger if a mage wasn't. No one spoke about it but it definitely went on behind closed doors but he could swear nearly every mage used the forbidden magic. He had been one of the strange ones until he was left with no other option, he didn't go on to tell her what happened. For his age Zelo was actually very bright, Keo couldn't help but notice his practical outlook on magic. He never fell for the Chantry's opinion on it yet he wasn't one of those lunatics who craved power or riches. He genuinely just wanted to help people which was good enough for her. He had a unique mindset in Keo's opinion, he had a very different view point to things than she was use to. It was quite refreshing.

 

"So.. Favourite spell?" Zelo asked, smiling away as he pulled at blades of grass.

 

"That's impossible to answer." She stated. "I love the frost spell but also stonefist. Then there's the hexes and the force spells."

 

This made Zelo's smile turn into a grin, "It's good to be a mage, ain't it? People fear us and all that, for good reason I know but for all their talk about how dangerous we are to society and ourselves.. They'd still drag us along to help sort something. I just find that funny."

 

Keo ended up tilting her head, "Huh.. Now that you mention it.." The sudden cries and yells caught the two mages attention. Zelo flashed Keo a knowing grin and Keo responded with a laugh, the two stood and peered around the corner, head atop head to watch the Warden's make a scene. 

 

"Guess they didn't appreciate it." Zelo smirked. "That'll teach 'em."

 

Keo broke her gaze away from the argument that had erupted from the little prank to look up at Zelo, "Teach 'em? So.. You're officially the coolest human I know and why are we not best friends already?"

 

Zelo laughed and tugged her back so they weren't caught, "Pft, I thought we already were when we had our little mage bond thing going on."

 

She couldn't help but adore this boy. Zelo was one of those people that were impossible to not like. He was the definition of adorable. Majority of the Dalish loved him and he barely even had to do anything, that had to count for something. Especially since Dalish were so hard to impress. Keo laughed, about to comment when she suddenly flailed. "Ah! ! Duties. Ma serannas!" She gave him a quick hug and ran off to find Lyonna.

 

Lyonna sat in wait, her patience clearly wearing thin. When Keo came sliding through the aravel door it took all her strength not to have a go at her. She then remembered how sick the girl was last night though and her annoyance withered. "Feeling better?"

 

"Sorry!" She bowed, panting heavily while she rested her hands on her knee's. Perhaps running around the camp was a bad idea. She wasn't in the best condition after all. Well enough to work however. "Well enough."

 

"Good. Then you won't mind collecting more herbs, hm?" As usual she handed her the list and satchel. "I swear with all this fuss the Warden's are causing.. The forest will run out of herbs. I'm at my wits end with all these poultice demands."

 

Keo wasn't skilled at potion making like Lyonna was so she took on the role as herb gatherer. It was a simple enough routine, occasional trips into the woodlands and back but lately the usage of the poultices were through the roof. With all the hunters, scouts and now Warden's gathered in the one place the demand for potions went up. Which meant more frequent trips into the Wilds for her. Everyone had their role though. Like how it was Kai's role to ensure the clans got enough food. In her opinion Kai had the hardest job. The one problem with having a home now was all the mouths in one place. It was hard enough with just their clan, now they had all the clans together.

 

Keo adjusted her satchel, "They do seem to go through them like water. But then.. You're the best with this herb stuff."

 

"Herbalism." Lyonna corrected her with a small smile. "Anyway, best head out now. Don't strain yourself though, Lethallin. If it grows too tiresome I can always make the trip myself."

 

Keo shook her head and waved the list in the air as she hopped out the aravel. "You work too hard already." Giving the list a once over Keo nodded and shoved it in her satchel. Same as last time. She coughed and cleared before heading into the Wilds.

 

Keo trekked through the tree's rather than taking the clearing passages, Kai had warned her about it being too open now so she took her siblings advice and stuck to the shadows of the tree's. Her breathing got heavy quickly due to her mild illness but it was bearable. She wondered just how long these Warden's would remain in Ostagar, she couldn't lie she'd probably miss them when they finished their business and moved on. A nagging feeling continued to eat away at her though. The Architect. It was a name shrouded with mystery, whoever this Architect was must have been the cause for these darkspawn. That's what Jongup had hinted at anyway. Whatever the deal was she couldn't think straight just yet, it was all such a headache. A shadow in the tree's caught her attention, before she could react it dropped down and landed in front of her. A pain stung at her forehead and she winced, rubbing at where her attacker had flicked her.

 

"Going somewhere, little elf?" Daehyun smirked, arms crossing as he gazed down at her.

 

"Do you know how creepy you are?" She grumbled, giving him a shove to create a space between them. "With all your tree jumping and smirking. Elgar'nan you're annoying with that."

 

Daehyun raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Well sorry for being a rogue. Stealth's kinda the point of it all." His expression was quick to turn serious though, "You're still sick, y'know. You should be resting or at least taking it easy."

 

Keo rolled her eyes and stepped around him, continuing on her search for elfroot. "I'll rest when I get back. I'm not exactly dying so I may as well be useful."

 

The Antivan let out an irritated sigh and followed after her. "Maker you Dalish are frikken' stubborn. You're still sick though like it or not. Straining yourself out of pride won't do you any good."

 

"It isn't pride." She muttered as she collected the root and placed it carefully into the bag. "Look I'm not fighting a bear or frolicking through the forest. I'm putting plants into a bag. How's that strenuous?"

 

Daehyun frowned, "Alright.. But you aren't supposed to be out here without a guard. Darkspawn are everywhere so that's just reckless to waltz through the woods alone and not in the best condition."

 

What was with this boy and bickering? She had no more energy for it. "So guard me." She sighed, moving to collect a flower. She didn't hear any footsteps following after her which made her pause and look back to check to see if he'd ran off. He hadn't, in fact he was directly behind her which made her jump a mile. "I hope the Dread Wolf catches your scent." She grumbled when she steadied her breathing, heartbeat racing from shock.

 

Daehyun gave her a sheepish look and shrugged. "Assassin. Sorry. Need to be sneaky."

 

"Wear a bell or something." This earned a laugh from the blonde. She scrunched up her nose then continued her search. 

 

The rest of the way was silent, awkwardly so. Either he didn't talk a lot or it was because she remembered waking up with him hugging her. Whatever the reason the atmosphere was almost painful. She occasionally glanced over at him to make sure he hadn't drifted and every time she caught him either checking on her or staring at something far off in the woods. She couldn't help but think of him like a mabari. He certainly didn't help her thought process when he remained at her heel the entire walk. Shaking her head she gathered the last of the elfroot and checked the list. That was only the first herb, this was going to take forever with this guy's silence. At least with Jongup they had a conversation going which passed the time. 

 

"Elfroot, check. Random flower that probably has no use, check. Deathroot. Well aren't you ominous." She mumbled away to herself, she couldn't take the silence any longer. If he wasn't going to speak, she'd speak with herself. "Deathroot. Deathroot. Who the hell names a root that?" Looking around she squinted at the sketch Lyonna had made of the herb then scanned the forest floor. "There you are. Not as scary as I'd pictured with that name but oh well." She skipped over to the plant which hid in-between two rocks and pulled a face. "Deathroot. Great I'll probably pick it and something will randomly attack my face in hopes of killing me."

 

Daehyun kept quiet and simply listened to the mage ramble away, the corner of his mouth tugging into a smirk against his will. He'd just been observing the area and watching out for danger but couldn't help pick up on how odd she was along the way. He noticed how she'd drift off then snap back to reality a few minutes later with a lost expression, then how she'd flap her arms and march when she figured out where she was. He knew Zelo was pretty weird so he guessed it was a mage thing. He'd known a few mages who were complete bores though so he couldn't put it down to that. Perhaps it was just a condition or a Dalish thing. Then again the Dalish he'd gotten to speak with were a lot different. More serious for lack of better words. All these thoughts and he never figured she could have just been a weirdo.

 

Once the root was picked Keo jumped back and karate chopped at the air, looking around suspiciously. Once convinced nothing wanted to kill her she straightened and continued down the trail she'd been instructed to take. For a time she had forgotten she had company as she started to hum to herself. Eventually she ended up twirling and hopping along the trail to the beat in her head. 

 

The Antivan's eyebrows raised at the little elf's dancing. She was sick yet she still managed to dance down some forest trail. Shaking his head he ended up laughing to himself. She was definitely a weird one. He continued to follow, staying at a good few paces back. Daehyun was genuinely scared of getting too close to her now in case he'd be dragged into her little dance. It took awhile for him to realise she'd forgotten he was even there to which his only response was yet another laugh, this time a little louder than intended.

 

The sound of a laugh dragged her back to reality and she spun around to see Daehyun having a mini laughing fit. She crinkled up her nose and crossed her arms although she ended up just staring at him. He had a weirdly pretty smile. For a human anyway. Most humans she saw never looked like him, especially Ferelden men, it was odd she'd even go as far as to call him beautiful. Shaking her head she forced back every nice thought she had about him. Pretty or not, it made no difference. Turning on her heel she continued on her quest for herbs and as expected he was quick to follow.

 

"Anyone ever tell you you're really weird?" He finally piped up.

 

"Oh look! He speaks!" She threw her hands up in mock cheer then dropped them casually by her side again. "All the time. Weird, odd, strange, loony. Deranged at one point." 

 

Daehyun fell silent for a few steps, hands clasping behind his head as he started to relax. "It doesn't bother you?"

 

Keo hopped to one side and snatched up more herbs while raising an eyebrow at him. "Should it?"

 

"Well..." The only time he let someone see him be weird was when he was with Youngjae and even then it was by accident. Perhaps it was a confidence thing. "..Guess not."

 

Keo shot him a look, "Of course not." She could tell by the look on his face. "You are who you are. Why hide it?"

 

Daehyun shifted his gaze away from her, staring off to one side. "Right."

 

Clasping her hands behind her back Keo tilted her head at him, "Ma serannas, by the way."

 

This pulled his attention back to her, "For?"

 

"For one, saving me. And also for being my guard." She turned her gaze back to the path and coughed. "Why were you hugging me anyway?"

 

"About damn time. Took you long enough." He teased. At the cough his frown returned but her question shot back any comment. "Uh.. Well.. You had a fever, it was my fault and you wouldn't let me leave."

 

Keo furrowed her brows and puffed out her cheeks. "Lies."

 

"Attractive." He muttered as he prodded the puffer fish face, bursting it. "And no, I'm telling the truth. You had a death grip, I was trapped." He flashed her a crooked smile and puffed out his chest. "Don't blame you though, I wouldn’t want me to leave either. I am pretty damn awesome."

 

The Dalish crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him, "You're pretty damn cocky."

 

Daehyun chuckled and placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her down the trail. "Just look for the herbs." Once again there was silence between them when he went back to guarding her, focusing more on the surroundings for anything dangerous. It didn't take much longer after that for the two to complete the herb gathering task. At least the atmosphere was less awkward. Now it was a comfortable silence. By now it had started to get cooler and Daehyun couldn't help but watch her more carefully. They were headed back but she was clearly needing some form of rest. He was actually surprised she hadn't collapsed or fainted yet. No wonder the Hero of Ferelden was Dalish, they were pretty tough. Holding his arm out he stopped her in her tracks and removed his cloak, draping it around her shoulders. "Not a word." He warned her sternly while he gave her that crooked smile again.

 

Keo raised an eyebrow at the cloak then him. She would have commented if it wasn't for the face he was giving her. It looked like a face so she closed in fear he'd turn sassy. That'd be a horrid sight.

 

Nodding, Daehyun fixed the cloak on her properly and tugged the hood up which completely hid her field of vision. When he took a step back to check to see how it looked he had to bite down on his tongue to stop a laugh, it practically drowned her. The Antivan tapped his chin in thought as he looked at her before he finally just grabbed her hands and pulled her up onto his back for a piggy back. "We'll get there faster and you won't faint." 

 

"Seriously what is it with you Warden's and putting me on your back?" She grumbled, glaring at him from behind the fabric.

 

Daehyun chuckled and hooked his arms under her legs to support her, the thought to scare her crossed his mind but he pushed it back. She was still sick. He'd get her when she was better. "Well you're short." He instantly regretted that comment when she struck the back of his head, "Hey! I could just abandon you out here."

 

Keo glared daggers at the back of his head. "Try it, shem."

 

"And the hurtful comments continue. Milady, you wound me!" He teased with a smirk on his face.

 

"Milady? Pffft! You're lucky that sounds cool with your accent." She actually hated his accent, it was so nice sounding. Yet it was coming from him. He wasn't as bad as she was making him out to be but he managed to irritate her so easily.

 

Another chuckle came from him as he made his way along the path, the way back was oddly faster. Probably because they were speaking this time. About half way back he felt her head drop onto his shoulder, when he glanced back to check on her she had drifted off on him yet again. Why was he always the pillow? Letting out a sigh he continued to trek back, although he found amusement in it.

 

It didn't take long for them to get back to camp, he'd expected it to be a longer walk but apparently they hadn't ventured all that far. Keo was still snoozing on his back probably tired out from the walking. He knew she shouldn't have been up and about but Dalish didn't know when to just sit down it seemed. Everywhere he looked everyone was doing something. Minus the kids who were playing around. Daehyun glanced back at the elf again and pulled a face, “I should get paid for this..” He figured he'd have to take her to the other mage girl Keo kept running to so he approached the healers aravel. 

 

Upon entering he was met with the woman’s back, who was slaving away making a poultice. “Just leave the bag there.”

 

Daehyun looked back at the satchel that hung around Keo's hip and quickly looked back to the brunette. “You'll need to get it from her.”

 

Lyonna jumped at the males voice, clearly startled. She rose to her feet and turned to face him. When she noticed it was one of the Warden's her guarded expression faultered, especially seeing how handsome he was. “Then leave her here and I'll take it from her.” Her tone had somehow sweetened which shocked her.

 

The assassin never got a good look at Lyonna as he attempted to unleech the clinger. Once he had set her down in the furs and made sure she was well covered he gave a small bow and took his leave. It may have been rude but he was starving. The thought of food overwhelmed his desire to talk to people. He'd even left his cloak behind. Once he'd gathered some food it wasn't long before he was joined around the fire pit by his fellow Grey Warden's who were quick to exchange information on the changes or lack of in the darkspawn. The rest of the day was spent investigating. 

 

The Warden's were all hard at work trying to evaluate the situation while the Dalish went on about their business, leaving them to their duties.