Dragon Age fanfic with an OC and Warden pairing! Have fun reading guys and I hope you enjoy! This is rated T for future chapters. Please let me know how you feel about the length. I think it should be longer as I tend to enjoy longer chapters myself, but seeing as this is my first publication I have no idea what it will look like when I post this. Are there too many breaks? Not enough dialogue? R+R let me know! 3

Ferelden is much too wet. Orlais would never have such a ridiculous amount of rain. How frustrating.

A woman wrapped her cloak around herself tighter and continued trudging down the path. An elaborate rapier hung at her side and light chainmail on her lithe form. Knee high leather boots and light fencer's bracers rested on her legs and arms. Clear blue eyes and soft blonde shoulder length hair peeked out from under the hood attached to her cloak. A normally calm and serene face was scowling at the bad weather and the conditions in which she was traveling.

Of course, I could have simply waited for the rain to stop. There would have been any number of caravans to travel with. But nooo, I'm certainly not the only one bogged down by the weather. I can handle a bit of rain, ugh, why must I be so stubborn?

Claire's thoughts continued in this vein until she finally came across a signpost pointing towards her destination.

HIGHEVER - 4 miles

Sighing, Claire pushed some of her soaked hair out of the way and continued walking. It was only midday, she would be able to make it within the next hour or so. Walking in this rain had made her tired and miserable.

Only 4 more miles. 4 more miles until you can find a nice inn and get out of this miserable rain. By the Maker, this country and everything in it frustrates me to no end. Especially this absurd weather! Why can't it be lovely and warm like in Orlais?

Claire braced herself against the rain and started down the road once more

~Highever~

Walking into the local inn was not the most glorious experience Claire had ever had. The stench of wet dog and body odor seemed to physically hit her in the face, so overpowering that she had to take a second to blink and recollect her thoughts. Shaking her head, Claire walked towards the bar and waves down the innkeeper.

"How much for a room for the night?"

The innkeeper is a matronly woman who looked at the soaking wet woman in front of her with a raised eyebrow. Claire was properly tired from the rain and looked like a puppy dunked into a lake, all matted fur and unhappy shivering. Her accent was less Orlesian than most but still present enough to give her words an elegant feel even in her bedraggled state.

Clucking her tongue the lady replied "A single silver for you young lady. And what might you be doing traveling in such weather? You'll catch your death of cold. I'll throw in a hot meal for another silver if you're willin'."

Claire flashed a grateful smile and slid the money across the bar from a pouch hidden in her cloak. Though the innkeeper raised her eyebrows in shock, Claire had slipped two gold coins from her pouch instead of silvers.

"I'd pay more still, for water for a hot bath, some news, your discretion, and a private room."

Smiling the woman quickly placed the money into her apron and stepped out from behind the bar.

"You've got yourself a deal young lady. You can call me Bonny, may I ask your name?"

"Claire."

"Well then Miss Claire, right this way."

Bonny led Claire to the end of the bar and through a hallway into a small, but warm and dry room. She caught one of the helper lads and relayed some orders along the way. Claire stepped into the room and looked around. It was a nice room. No fireplace, but the bed looked soft and there was a small wood stove to keep the place warm in the colder nights. A copper tub was against one wall to the left and the stove and bed were against the far wall.

"I'll bring you your meal and have water heated for a bath. Is there anything in particular you'll be wanting to know about? News about the blight? When Highever's men left to join the King? What the young Cousland lord looks like?" The last one was said with a slight grin.

Claire smiled at the joke but asked questions regarding Arl Howe, particularly about his troops and the Arl's movements throughout the region.

"Ah, the Arl of Amaranthine is supposed to arrive any day now. His men have been slowed by the weather like most other people. Except you young lady. Most people wouldn't bother walking through that nasty business outside."

Bonny went on to answer Claire's questions about Cousland Castle and the town in general. Most of the questions seemed harmless with only a few stranger ones mixed in. Eventually Claire's meal and hot bath arrived and Bonny left after telling Claire to leave the spent water and plates outside the door.

Finally alone Claire stripped out of her wet clothes and after a short internal debate decided to bathe before eating. She slid into the tub, closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling as the water warmed her chilled body and relaxed her muscles.

So, I was right. The Arl is coming to Highever to ride to battle with his old friends the Couslands. I made it here before him, all that remains is to find a way to sneak into the castle and take him down.

Claire opened her eyes and looked over at her blade which was resting against the bed where she had placed it earlier.

Arl Howe must pay for what he did to my family. I will make sure of it.

The next morning was clear and breezy. The storm had rained itself out and what was left was a beautiful sky and a clean feeling of after-the-rain air.

Claire had finished her bath, eaten, cleaned her equipment and followed Bonny's instructions regarding the water and plates last night. After a good night's rest she was ready for a new day and walked out of the inn, but this time with her cloak packed away. She wouldn't need it on such a perfect day.

Today I must find a way into the castle, something reliable and quick. There is no guarantee that the Arl will stay in Highever for the night. He and the Couslands may very well leave on the same day.

Claire walked through the market-place. Merchants and farmers were selling their wares, shouting over the sound of their noisy pack horses and donkeys. She quickly weaved her way through, trying not to attract attention. Though, she was quite beautiful and stares followed her as she passed. One bold man in armor stepped directly into her path, blocking her way and stopping her travel through the mass of people.

"Well hello my pretty. What's a lovely lady like yourself wandering around without an escort? Allow me to change that." The man reached out and linked arms with her before she could even respond.

Claire had stopped when the man had stepped in her way, but when he suddenly reached for her she stepped back placed a hand on her rapier.

"No gentleman simply reaches for a woman without permission. And believe me, if you try that again you will be missing a few fingers from that hand."

The man in armor was taken back for a moment, but then narrowed his eyes.

"You ought to be more polite yourself. You're talking to a guard in Castle Cousland. I protect the Tyern himself from invaders!"

Claire stared for a moment then started thinking quickly.

I could certainly get arrested…. that is one way into the castle. They would take me to the hold in the castle itself. Meals and "room" would be taken care of. The only downside is that I would have to endure this over inflated guard and they would confiscate my weapons and money.

Claire thought for another moment then quickly in one swift motion drew her rapier and smacked the guard square across the face with the flat of her blade. The shocked guard stared at her in disbelief before being smacked across the nose with the guard of the sword. He went down holding his bleeding nose and yelling for back up.

At this point she could have stopped and been arrested for assaulting a guard, but since she was already going to the holding cells why not have a little fun? She turned to the approaching guards and raised her rapier in salute. They wouldn't stand a chance, this was going to be fun

~Castle Cousland~

Aedan Cousland walked restlessly through the castle walls. The rain had made it difficult to train. Metal swords, shields, and armor didn't mix well with water. The amount of drying and oiling necessary afterwards to keep them from rusting was never worth it.

Unfortunately that left him and the rest of the castle with a bad case of cabin fever. It was the first nice day in a week, all the guards were out in the town. The maids were cleaning every last inch of his quarters and he had been kicked out to keep from trying to "help". His efforts and presence distracted the maids to no end and they had politely asked him to leave. This resulted in Aedan walking the halls while thinking about the King's call to arms.

Father had said that the Arl Howe would arrive within the week, but this weather must be slowing them down. Our own forces would have already left, but the rain was slowing them down as well. We will all miss out on all the action at this rate.

So wrapped up in his thoughts, Aedan nearly walked right into Oriana.

"Careful Aedan." Oriana laughs softly. "It is rare to see you so distracted. Don't tell me a little rain was all it took to throw the mighty Couslands off their guard?"

Aedan can't help but grin at the Antivan woman. At first he was weary of her, as most Fereldens were of foreigners, but after getting to know her he found there was an amazing woman behind that soft accent. His brother was lucky to have her.

"From that response, I take it that Fergus is frustrated at our situation as well?"

"Yes, my husband is starting to become impatient. Chomping at the bit like a horse locked in a stable." Oriana adjusted the cloak she was holding in her arms. "I was on my way to bring this to Oren, he has caught a cold. Be a gentleman and accompany me?"

Aedan nodded and fell into step with her. "Is is really that much worse than in Antiva? You've often spoken of how much nicer it is there."

"Indeed it is wonderful there, the winter is milder and the springs seem to arrive sooner with much less rain and muddiness."

"I wonder why you would leave such a country with such wonderful weather?" Aedan was grinning now, poking at her manner of speech when it came to Antiva had become a little game with them. He would make fun of her accent and she would make a smart jab about Ferelden.

Orianna gave a slight smile, allowing herself to be drawn into Aedan's game. "It would take an equally wonderful man to make it so. It is a marvel you have any women at all in this country."

"Hey! There are plenty of wonderful men in this country! Like me!"

"I'll admit the men of the Cousland line are almost worth the weather." Orianna laughed. "You should go to Antiva one day, the women will flock to you only to turn around when you attempt to bring them back to Ferelden!"

They had arrived at Oren and Orianna's quarters by this point and Orianna knocked softly before opening the door. Oren had caught a cold on account of the weather and was still recovering.

"Oren? I'm back, and I brought Aedan with me."

"Aedan?" Oren looked up from the storybook that he was reading. "Perfect timing! The guards brought in a rogue from the market! Can we go see her? They say that she beat them all into the ground. She had to wake one of them up so he could arrest her!"

At this Aedan raised his eyebrows.

A female rogue that was able to overpower our entire guard?

"Maybe later Oren." Orianna said, "You need to rest for now."

"Aww please mom?"

"Listen to your mother Oren." Aedan smiled, "You do need to rest and recover. I, on the other hand will go see the mysterious rogue."

Aedan said his goodbyes to Oren and Orianna, the former moaning about how unfair it was that Aedan could go and the latter fussing over her child.

Notes: I edited this again afterwards. A few minor changes, but I think they helped. Aedan and Claire still feel a little bland, but I hope to remedy that in coming chapters. Hopefully I can stay on a schedule of a chapter every 3 days or so.