pElissa Couslandbr /
Winter, 9:23 Dragon/p
p /p
p"When you meet Master Nathaniel, I want you to be on your ibest/i behavior, Pup," intoned my father, more seriously than usual. /p
p"Even if he is about as fun to be around as a wet blanket," retorted my mother./p
pWe were making the journey by carriage from Highever to Redcliffe, as King Maric and several noble families were descending upon the arling during the Winter Solstice Holiday. Redcliffe's celebrations for the Winter Solstice were renowned throughout Thedas; indeed, an invitation to the festivities was a privilege to be cherished. I had just turned thirteen, and being the younger of Teyrn Cousland's children, and a daughter at that, I was expected to start looking for a prospective husband amongst the boys of the nobility, preferably one who would not lower our standing./p
p"If you have something to say about the arrangement, then spit it out, Eleanor my love," sighed my father./p
pFergus shifted uncomfortably in his seat across from us and next to his wife Oriana and newborn son Oren. Our parents loved each other fervently, but when they quarreled, they did so with equal passion. My mother took Fergus's hand and squeezed it affectionately. "Be at ease, Fergus. There isn't enough room in this carriage for a proper fight." Oriana was either too busy cooing at Oren to notice the tension, or she was just being Antivan. I admired her very much, and her ability to keep her machinations close to her chest was indicative of a subtlety of nature lost on most Fereldan women./p
pMy mother turned to my father. "Bryce, she may not even ilike/i the boy. There are more suitors for her to choose from. Let her take her time."/p
p"We were an arranged marriage, darling. Perhaps she will be as fortunate as we," answered my father. "But, I will heed your advice. It's not like she's going to run into any boys in the castle who would cause a scandal."/p
p"Mmm," hummed my mother, and the conversation thus ended./p
p align="Center"~~~/p
pWe arrived shortly after the breakfast banquet was served. Arl Eamon Guerrin, being the gracious host he was, insisted that his household leave their meal to greet us. The first thing I saw when I stepped out of the carriage was the Arl and his family bowing to us; Eamon, his Orlesian wife Isolde holding their newborn son Connor, and a blonde boy with sun-kissed skin who looked to be about my age./p
pAfter they straightened, the Arlessa looked at the boy with disdain. "Stand up straight, Alistair. Show some manners towards your betters."/p
pMy parents looked at each other, and then at the Arl, who exhaled through a frozen smile, making a hissing sound in the process. "So igood/i to see you, Bryce. Breakfast has just been served."/p
p"Oh!" my mother brought a hand to her mouth. "I hope our late arrival has not deprived you too much!" The nobility of Redcliffe were known to take early suppers, so breaking fast was something...ieagerly/i anticipated to say the least. /p
p"Nonsense!" the Arl said warmly. But Alistair's stomach growled loudly, and I giggled despite myself. The arl ruffled the blushing boy's hair. "Well, maybe our Alistair is feeling a bit deprived. He is, after all, a growing boy! Come, let us break fast together. Hopefully, we can swallow a few morsels before Maric arrives."/p
p"The King is not here yet, then?" asked my mother./p
p"No," Eamon shook his head sadly. "He hasn't been as...punctual...since my sister died."/p
pOur family followed the Guerrins back into Redcliffe Castle. The Arlessa almost immediately took her leave, saying she would take her morning meal in her room while she fed Connor. As she walked away, Alistair visibly relaxed. Arl Eamon sighed. "Please excuse my wife. Connor's birth was a difficult one, and she has not yet recovered."/p
pAlistair mumbled something under his breath, then made a beeline towards the buffet table, piled a Qunari-sized meal onto his plate before sitting down and began to eat voraciously, shyly looking up at me every so often. I felt my cheeks flush and tried to smile back, but that just made him look away./p
p"I thought young Alistair had been sent to The Chantry," mused my father./p
p"Yes, well. He's been gone for three years, but I recalled the Winter Solstice as being his favorite, and so made arrangements with the Grand Cleric to...borrow him for a few weeks. But instead of being happy, he's been sullen, holed up in his old room reading books."/p
pMy father patted the arl on the shoulder. "Boys will be boys, Eamon. Give him time. He's probably just going through a moody phase."/p
pEamon smiled, a little sadly at first, then brightened. "I—I'm sure you're right, Bryce. Come, have a seat."/p
pMy family took their seats while I scurried to the buffet table and perused the spread. I heard a soft voice behind me. "There's cheese there. From the Anderfels. It's...ivery/i good. If you like cheese. That is. Of course, if you don't like cheese, you—"/p
pI turned around and beheld a blushing Alistair. He immediately lowered his eyes and bowed. "Am—am I bothering you my lady? I'm sorry. I...probably shouldn't be talking to you."/p
pI smiled warmly at him and he relaxed somewhat. "My ilady/i?" I said with a giggle. "I'm a little young for that, don't you think?"/p
p"The daughter of Teryn Cousland is never too young to be treated with respect," he said quietly./p
pIt was my turn to blush. My heart fluttered, but I managed to collect myself enough to extend a trembling hand to the boy. "Please, call me Elissa."/p
pHe took my hand. I know it sounds silly, but even then it felt like our hands...belonged together. Like two puzzle pieces sliding into place. "Elissa," he repeated./p
pMy brother came up from behind. "Ah, don't let my sister near the cheese. Makes her break wind something awful!"/p
pI felt my cheeks turn a shade of crimson to match my hair, and spun around to pummel Fergus' chest with my fists. "Maker, would you shut it?"/p
p"Just trying to save you the humiliation," my brother said with a smirk./p
p"Go iaway/i," I said, sticking out my tongue. I turned back to the table and realized that Alistair was still there. "Oh! I didn't think you'd still be here. I—my brother is iso/i embarrassing."/p
pAlistair smiled gently. "Yes, big brothers can be like that." He paused before continuing, "So I'm itold/i."/p
p align="Center"~~~/p
pFinally seated with my family and feeling self conscious, I picked absentmindedly at my food. Alistair had to go outside and greet each arriving dignitary along with Eamon, so I didn't see him much during the meal. When the Howes arrived, Nathaniel, the eldest, was seated next to me./p
pLike I said earlier, Fereldans are not known for their subtlety. Even Oriana rolled her eyes at the obviousness of my parents' intentions./p
p"Hello, Lady Elissa," Nathaniel whispered, staring down at his plate./p
p"Good morning, Master Nathaniel." Arl Rendon Howe's eldest son was a year younger than me and, at that time, shorter. Still, he bristled at my seeming diminishment of his station./p
p"You should call me Ser. I am, after all, the eldest in my family, and heir to the Arling," he snapped. "You are not only the youngest, but a igirl/i, so you stand to inherit nothing. Your parents' naked posturing, throwing you at me so you don't end up on the streets is rather embarrassing, don't you think?" He sat back in his chair and appraised me. "You should show your future husband more respect."/p
pI raised my eyebrow at him and briefly turned to look at my parents, who were engrossed in conversation with the Teryn Loghain and his wife Celia. Seeing that they were not paying attention, I loaded a spoon with my neglected bread pudding and flung its contents in Nathaniel's face. "I am still a Teyrn's daughter, you little twit. Your family stands to gain far more from this...iarrangement/i than mine, so stop putting on airs!"/p
pNathaniel wiped his cheek with the back of his hand and scowled, before smoothing his expression in an effort to regain his dignity. "We should take this outside and settle this like proper nobility. A iduel/i."/p
pYou're on!" I scooted my chair back and made to leave the table, but our respective parents noticed. /p
p"And where do you think iyou're/i going, Nathaniel?" asked Arl Howe./p
p"Uh…" Nathaniel stammered./p
p"We were going to go for a walk, Arl Howe. Nathaniel wanted to show me how to skate on Lake Calenhad." I was always a good liar./p
pOur parents smiled, pleased at this development. My father turned to my mother. "See?"/p
pNathaniel took my hand. "My lady?" and led me towards the door./p
pNathaniel and I jerked our hands apart as soon as we were out of range./p
p"Do you even iknow/i where you're going?" I asked Nathaniel as he stalked ahead of me./p
p"'Course I do!" he grumbled./p
p"Maybe you should ask for directions," I taunted./p
p"Maybe you should shut it," retorted Nathaniel./p
pI snorted. "Really? Shut it? That's the ibest/i you have? I thought you were educated. I guess standards in Amaranthine are lower than those in Highever," I replied loftily./p
pThe dark haired boy turned to give what I'm sure he thought would be a scathing rejoinder, but as he had also kept walking, he ended up bumping right into Alistair, who was engrossed in a book about the Grey Wardens./p
p"Oh. Sorry!" exclaimed Alistair./p
p"Watch where you're going...ibastard/i!" sneered Nathaniel. Alistair's eyes widened, and he bit his lip in embarrassment, but said nothing./p
pI couldn't understand why he didn't defend himself, so I launched into it, grabbing Nathaniel by the shoulder and spinning him around to face me. "You little ishit/i!"/p
p"My lady that's—" Alistair began, but I was just getting warmed up./p
p"How idare/i you! He is our host," I raged./p
p"—ireally/i not necessary, you see, because I—" Alistair continued, pleading for calm./p
p"You're lucky we're not in Highever. My daggers are there. Your mother would be weeping by the time I was done with you!"/p
p"—iam/i a bastard." Alistair concluded quietly./p
p"iWhat/i?" I asked, feeling my heart twist in my chest for reasons I did not yet understand./p
pAlistair looked at the ground. "It's true."/p
p align="Center"~~~/p
pI was crestfallen. Though I was only thirteen at the time, my parents' fussing over my future had been weighing heavily on my mind. During breakfast, I had found myself weighing my options. /p
pVaughan Kendells, the son of the Arl of Denerim, was a boor, and tripped the elven servants when his father wasn't looking. /p
pNathaniel was...Nathaniel. Ugh./p
pThe rest of the boys were from outside Ferelden. Though my relationship with my Antivan sister-in-law was a good one, I was unsure if I would be happy in Antiva. It was so far away from my family, and I loved them dearly./p
pThere was no one in attendance from Orlais. Fitting, since tensions between King Maric and Empress Celene were still high. The same went for Tevinter. No proper family in Ferelden would host a fete for a guest from Tevinter. The only representative from Nevarra was a bored looking young woman from the Pentaghast family with a name too long for me to remember./p
pSebastian Vael, one of the princes of Starkhaven, was a little older than me, and handsome enough, but I'd heard he was, well, a ibit/i of a slut. The lecherous looks he gave the other women at the gathering were nauseating./p
pEveryone else was too young or too old to consider. I realized that I had been hoping that Alistair would be...an ioption/i, at least. Don't get me wrong, I hardly knew him at the time. But even then I recognized his potential./p
pAnd he was icute/i./p
p align="Center"~~~/p
pUpset, and unable to articulate why, I clenched my fist and swung at Nathaniel. /p
pAlistair got in the way. I ended up punching him in the eye./p
pNathaniel crowed with laughter as Alistair clutched his face./p
p"I'm iso/i sorry!" I gasped, mortified./p
p"It's alright," said Alistair. "At least I know isomeone/i here isn't all talk." Then he punched Nathaniel on the jaw./p
pNathaniel yelped in pain and scrambled to his feet. "Where is the armory, bastard?" he shouted./p
p"Down the hall and to your left," growled Alistair. As Nathaniel turned towards his destination, Alistair continued, "iWhy/i?"/p
pNathaniel smirked and pointed at me. "Because ishe/i needs to learn to respect her future husband."/p
p"Future...ihusband/i?" Alistair looked at me, confused./p
pI twisted my hands nervously. "It's—it's not set in stone. Our parents are friends, you see, and—"/p
p"They want to make sure their daughter doesn't marry beneath her station," Nathaniel concluded./p
p"Well, not itoo/i far, at any rate," I quipped./p
p"Oh," Alistair said, and that was all he said. Then he suddenly got very interested in the Orlesian rug the Arlessa had decorated the castle with./p
p"You ilike/i her!" Nathaniel said with a widening grin, even as he rubbed his sore jaw. "Oh, how ipathetic/i!"/p
p"What? iNo/i!" Alistair blushed furiously. "Of icourse/i not," he added quietly./p
p"Alistair and Elissa, sitting in a tree—" taunted Nathaniel./p
p"Shut it!" Alistair and I said in unison. This only delighted Nathaniel more. Soon he was rolling around on the Orlesian rug, laughing hysterically./p
pI rolled my eyes. "Excuse me, I have a duel to attend." I reached down, grabbed Nathaniel by the ear, and pulled him to his feet. "Ours. Let's go, Future Husband."/p
pI stalked off towards the armory with the boys trailing behind me. When we arrived, I practically lunged for the weapon rack. /p
pAlistair pointed towards the far corner of the room. "There are practice weapons in the cabinet over th—"/p
pI plucked a matched set of daggers from the rack, twirled them in my hands, and laughed. "Practice, nothing. I play for ikeeps/i."/p
pI tilted my head in the direction of the weapons rack and grinned. "Pick your poison, idarling/i!"/p
pNathaniel sighed. "I'm afraid we are at am impasse. My weapon of choice is a bow."/p
pI sputtered, "What were you ithinking/i? You can't duel with a bow!"/p
p"Not if you favor the daggers, no," Nathaniel replied. He scuffed the toe of his shoe against the floor./p
pAlistair spoke up. "Wait a minute, you can still spar."/p
pNathaniel and I turned to look at him, curious. Suddenly bashful from the attention, Alistair averted his eyes as he continued, "You can shoot at her," he said pointing at our young archer, "and you," he said, turning his gaze on me, "can evade him, attempt to..." He cleared his throat, "get him on his back, to submit. Whoever ends up standing over the other, weapon pointed, that can get the other to yield...wins."/p
p"Fine by me," Nathaniel said coolly. He grabbed a bow and a quiver full of steel-tipped arrows. They looked sharp./p
p"Wait," Alistair said, laying a hand on Nathaniel's arm, "you're going to use ilive/i ammunition?"/p
pNathaniel smirked. "iShe/i started it." He raised his eyebrow at me. "She could have reached for a practice weapon, but she didn't. Milady Elissa raised the stakes. I would be a coward if I did not answer her in kind."/p
pI gulped, but nodded. My temper and pride had gotten me into plenty of trouble already at that age, and they weren't about to stop anytime soon. "He's right," I said, squaring my shoulders. "Ready when you are."/p
pNathaniel readied his bow. "Because I am a gentleman, I will give you a head start, iMilady/i."/p
pI holstered my daggers and ran towards some crates, Nathaniel's arrows in hot pursuit. They hit the crates as I dove behind them./p
p"Very nice, but you can't hide forever," Nathaniel taunted as he strode towards the wooden boxes to get a better angle./p
pI popped up from my hiding place and he fired. /p
pWith a scream, I fell backwards. Alistair rushed over. "Elissa?" He stood over me, and undoubtedly saw what Nathaniel also saw; me, writhing in pain on the floor, with my right hand clutching an arrow at my opposite shoulder./p
p"What have you idone/i?" Alistair exclaimed as he rounded on the smaller boy./p
pEyes growing wider, Nathaniel slowly approached me, cautiously, like one would a downed beast. "I...I..." He stood over me then, and began to ready his bow once more./p
p"Nathaniel, no! She's down! You've made your point." Mingled with the fear in Alistair's voice was disappointment. He had been looking forward to being impressed by me and I had fallen short./p
p"I iorder/i you..." Nathaniel began, plucking an arrow from his quiver./p
p"No!" Alistair exclaimed, and interposed his body between mine and Nathaniel's./p
pI turned towards the blond boy sharply. "Get iaway/i from me!" I hissed through clenched teeth./p
pStartled, Alistair scrambled backwards, a look of hurt on his face./p
p"...to yield!" finished Nathaniel, with an expression of triumph./p
pI snapped my feet between his legs, tripping him and sending him crashing to the floor. Then I tossed the arrow I'd caught to the side, rolled over, and flipped Nathaniel on to his back, straddling him./p
pGrabbing him by the wrist, I slammed his arm against the floor until he released his bow. Then I drew my blade and held it to his throat./p
p"You ifirst/i."/p
pThere I sat, grinning, chest heaving and triumphant. I looked up at Alistair. The way he looked at me, with so much pride and admiration, made me blush. In fact, I was so distracted by him that I didn't notice the little dark haired girl enter the room./p
p"Nathaniel? Are you there?" It was Delilah, Nathaniel's younger sister. She was about ten at the time. She saw me. "Oh! Lady Cousland!" She gasped with surprise and curtsied politely. "Where is my brother? The King is here and father is looking all over for him."/p
pI gulped and looked down. Her eyes followed mine, and my dagger clattered to the floor. Clearing my throat, I managed to stutter, "J-just a bit of fun!"/p
pDelilah ran from the room. It was only a matter of time before both my parents and the Howes would come after us, but I feared more for Alistair's safety than my own. It wasn't like my parents would send me to a cloister over it. My mother might fret, but my father would act stern only until she was out of earshot, then congratulate me on my prowess. The Bastard had no such allies./p
pI leapt to my feet and took Alistair by the hand. "We have to go. iNow/i."/p
p"Where?" he asked, as we started running aimlessly./p
p"Somewhere safe!" I shouted back./p
pAlistair took a sharp right. "I know ijust/i the place!"/p
pWe came up on a flight of stairs and flew down them, almost stumbling in the process. Then Alistair took a hard left, taking me with him before stopping abruptly. I looked just past him and frowned. "The kitchen? iReally/i?"/p
pAlistair held a finger to his lips. "Ssh! Don't know if there are servants in there." He gently patted me on the back. "So, go check it out then."/p
p"Me?" I protested. "You ilive/i here!"/p
pHe shook his head. "Not anymore. And Isolde may have...ireleased/i any remaining staff sympathetic to me. Besides…" he said with a bashful grin, "you're the sneaky type. Lighter on your feet. Less likely...to be icaught/i." Then he raised a hopeful eyebrow at me./p
pHow could I refuse him?/p
pI slipped off my shoes and crept towards the kitchens, Alistair giving me encouraging looks all the while. He mouthed, "Get some cheese," before giving me a silly smile./p
pI had just made it to the island counter when the approaching sound of gossipy elves set me in a panic. I ducked under a table and waited for them to pass. No such luck. As I tried to calm my racing heart and breath, I found myself again more worried about Alistair than myself. He had a good, open heart, but he lacked my cunning. /p
p"Did you see young Lady Cousland making eyes at Alistair this morning, Talia?"/p
pTalia sighed. "Indeed I did, Bridhe. And he at her. Poor things, the both of them." /p
pThe one named Bridhe snorted. "That girl's got more money than the two of us will ever see in our lives. She should be pitying us."/p
pTalia hummed a meandering tune. "Would you give up Mavaris if it meant the Arl's money?"/p
pBridhe paused. "No. Of course not."/p
pTalia answered, "Then there you are. The boy's going to be a Templar, Bridhe. Even if the Chantry allowed him to marry, a girl of her station would be out of the question."/p
pBridhe intoned, "I suppose you're right then. Come, I think the shems are out of bacon. Let's bring up the next batch."/p
pThe elves left the kitchen, and I took the opportunity, while I still could, to wrap as much food as possible in a dishtowel before returning to Alistair./p
pWhen I approached, he tilted his head curiously. "Is—is there something wrong?" He reached out and wiped a tear from my cheek that I hadn't noticed was there./p
p"They were cutting onions," I said./p
p"Ooh! Omlettes! Maybe ithat/i will get Isolde out of her foul mood." He peeked inside my makeshift parcel and inhaled happily. "Mmm! You're igood/i at this!"/p
pI smiled at him but said nothing. Indeed, I could not, for fear that I would start crying./p
p"Come on then," he said with a smile before taking my hand again. "We're not there yet."/p
p We slipped through the castle jail (which was empty, thank the Maker) and into a secret passageway that led to a nearby windmill. After gently picking the hay out of my hair, Alistair sifted through the rest that surrounded us, obviously searching for something, and grinned with triumph upon producing two identical parcels. He tore them both open with his teeth, then gently slipped something soft and warm over my head and shoulders before seeing to himself. It turned out that the parcels in question were a pair of matching green hooded cloaks, perhaps a little large for us, but not so much so that they would drag in the slush that awaited us outside. /p
p"We can travel in secret," he whispered with a conspiratorial grin, "like bards...or assassins!"/p
pI smirked. "Ooh! Are we going to Orlais? Antiva?" I would have gone with him anywhere if he asked me./p
p"Far enough to make it count," Alistair replied, arching his eyebrow at me./p
pI squeezed his hand, and together we stepped out into snowswept Redcliffe, incognito. No one knew who we were, so we could just be ourselves./p
pFinally, Alistair was able to show off his knowledge of the local geography. /p
pWe climbed the hills, tracing the myth of Tyrdda Bright-Axe, worn inscription by worn inscription. /p
pWe snuck into the Chantry and had a picnic in the empty balcony. He made me try every variety of cheese I'd nicked from the kitchen, his face exploding into a delighted grin every time I found one that I liked./p
pMostly we talked. He'd been living in the Chantry since he was nine, thanks to Isolde's jealousy. He talked about it at length as we sat on the docks of Lake Calenhad, watching the sun set in pinks, purples, and golds. "It wasn't that bad. Well, actually it iwas/i, for the first couple of years. Everyone else was older than me and treated me like I was the runt of the litter at best and a burden at worst." His face spread into a wide grin. "But then I got sent to Templar training and my roommate is the same age as I am! Serious though. Plays chess like a demon. Bit nervous and shy, but a good sort. Fascinated by mages and the Dalish. By the Maker, I think he iactually/i wants to understand them!" He gave me a mock incredulous look. "Can you believe it? What is Thedas coming to?"/p
p"What's your roommate's name?" I asked./p
pAlistair snorted. "Cullen Stanton Rutherford. I called him by his full name for a month. Drove him icrazy/i. What kind of name is that for a commoner from Honnleath, I ask you?"/p
pAs the first stars began to peek through the growing darkness, I leaned my head on Alistair's shoulder and felt him tense up in response. I made to shift my weight away from him, but he whispered, "You don't have to move." Then he leaned his head against mine and took my hand in his, paused, and sighed, "You're cold. I should take you back to the castle."/p
pI wasn't thinking clearly. Exhausted from our trek through the snow, intoxicated by blossoming infatuation, and a touch delirious from being underdressed for the now-freezing outdoors, I whined, "But I don't iwant/i to go back. If we go back there will be trouble. Then, after the trouble's over, you'll go back to the Chantry and I will go back to Highever and that...will be that."/p
pAlistair sighed. "I know. But I want to tell you that this is the most fun I've had with anyone. Ever. I'll never forget you, Elissa."/p
pHe pulled away from me then, only to reach out and brush my cheek with his hand. "Soft," he whispered./p
pI leaned in towards him./p
pHe leaned in towards me and closed his eyes./p
pBut just before I thought our lips would touch, Alistair's eyes flew open. "Did you hear that?" He scrambled to his feet and pulled me to his side. "Come on, I think it's not far. If we hurry, we can help."/p
pWe ran from the docks into the village proper, our breath crystallizing in the moonlight. "Alistair, where are we going?"/p
p"Can't you hear it?" he responded./p
p"You must have elf hearing. I can't-" Then I saw it. Him, actually. A tiny Mabari pup rummaging in the refuse for food./p
pAlistair picked him up and peered at him. "Bet you're the runt of the litter too." He walked over and placed the puppy in my arms. "I...already have a very large cat. You should keep him. But since I found him, I get to name him."/p
p"Oh really? What are you naming him then?" I asked./p
p"Dogmeat," Alistair replied. /p
pOur attempt at our first kiss forgotten and replaced with raucous laughter, we returned to Redcliffe Castle with the dawn breaking all through the Hinterlands, setting the snow surrounding us sparkling like diamonds./p