Hello I am proud to release my first Dragon Age: Origins fanfic onto here. I hope yall enjoy my oneshot. I kinda had this story in my mind after I fought against the living dead in Redcliff.

I kinda believe that with the Cousland Origin that it wasn't the first time that Cousland and Alistair met. I really wanted to use the name I gave to my Cousland, Hazel, but I figured it would be better that I use the default name Elissa. Also I hope you don't mind seeing Lady Cousland being portrayed as someone so young and innocent. I always had the ideal of her being a tomboy and that she had a strange love for Mabari warhounds. So please enjoy my story.

All characters belong Bioware

It was beginning of summer at Redcliff castle; the noble's laughing as they skimmed on the evening grounds, as well as the servants working hard in the kitchen and laughing as well also enjoying the excitements of the evening.

The Arl of Redcliff smiles proudly at the sight of his guest; his new wife was fitting in as the new Arlessa of Redcliff, his younger brother, Teagan, surrounded by young women. It seemed all was well even though he couldn't find the boy.

"He is mostly likely hiding." Eamon whispered to himself half sad, but also knew it was a small relief too.

"Eamon!" a strong voice says behind Eamon.

Not surprised one bit Eamon turns around quickly to see the Teyrn and Teyrna Cousland walking toward him.

"Ah Bryce, I take it you journey was safe here?" he asked with his left hand extended out.

Bryce Cousland replies with a handshake and says, "Yes, the trip was safe. Spring is always a good time to travel out."

Eamon smiles at him then at the Teyrna and asks, "And you Teyrna?"

"The trip was steady." She replies with a smile.

"And your children?" Eamon asks. He knew that they had a handsome 16 year old son, and he knew the Couslands had a small six year old child even though Eamon wasn't properly introduced to her yet.

"They are here as well." Replies Bryce as he points toward his son, Fergus, who was with Teagan, who was trying to show Fergus how to charm younger woman, even though poor Fergus was starting to look awkward with all these woman around him.

Eamon chuckles to himself at the sight of his brother trying to train his successor, he knew when his nephew, Calian, would arrive later that poor young Fergus would not get a break from this 'training'.

Then he looks back at Bryce and asks, "And what of your youngest, I have been looking forward to seeing her."

Bryce and Eleanor smile at Eamon and Bryce says," Then let me introduce you to…"

The moment both Bryce and Eleanor turn around they realize that their daughter was missing.

"Elissa!" screams Bryce shocked that his daughter suddenly disappeared on them.

"Where in the Maker did she go?" Eleanor asks trying to remain calm as she circled around trying to find her daughter.

"Dear Maker, out of all times to do this!" Bryce panics, still trying to see if she was at least in sight or even on the grounds.

Eamon quickly figured that this wasn't the first time that the child did this.

"I thought she was in your perfect sight." Eleanor complains to Bryce frustrated about this incident.

"She was…"

Both Bryce and Eleanor stare at each other for a few seconds trying to think of where their daughter could have gone, and then they both look at Eamon.

"Where are the kennels?" Bryce suddenly asks.

Eamon stares at Bryce confused and replies, "The kennels?"

Bryce nods and tries to explain calmly, "Our daughter has an unnatural love for Mabari warhounds; she was upset that we were not going to bring one with us. Maker, for the past four days she was pestering us if there were going to be any hounds here at Redcliff, and we promised her there would be; so Maker, knowing our daughter she would be looking for the Mabari kennels."

The Mabari war hound kennels were messy, noisy, and smelled horrendous, but at least he could hide here. The nine year old boy didn't want to be at the party, he didn't was to see those nobles who pointed fingers at him, or the Arls new wife who hated him. He just wanted to hide in this room and as he held his mother's amulet in his hands, the boy could still hear the words of what the Arl told him earlier.

"Alistair I hope you understand that it's for the best of everyone if you go to the Chantry and live there for a while."

Sliding against the cage of an empty kennel and rubbing his small fingers on the outside of the amulet Alistair bites his lower lip tightly. He wouldn't cry, boys his age don't cry. That's when he felt the anger in him again.

"It's not fair!" Alistair suddenly yells as he throws the amulet into the stone wall making all the hounds' rowdy, shattering his only precious possession in half.

That's when he felt something trickle down his round cheek, he wouldn't cry, he refused to cry, but the tears wouldn't stop. Alistair didn't want to feel like this, like there was nowhere that he belonged at, that nobody wanted him.

That's when he heard a childish giggle.

Trying to wipe his teary eyes, Alistair quickly got up and went to see who walked into his hiding spot.

That's when he saw her, a small girl with messy short hair; smiling and giggling, she was placing her hand inside the cage of Gander, one of the deadliest warhounds owned by the Arl of Redcliff.

"What in the Maker are you doing?" Yells Alistair as he runs and grabs the girl's hand before Gander bites the girl's little hand off.

The girl looks at him confused for a second, then smiles and says happily, "Hello."

He didn't understand why she was saying hello now, but he replies to the little girl in a loud voice, "That's Gander, he's not some dog that you can pet anytime you want, and he's Mabari warhound!"

"But I can play with the Mabari's at home." The girl defended herself looking up at him with her greedy green eyes.

Alistair didn't know to explain to her that it was dangerous to randomly place your hand in a cage of Mabari's that wasn't imprinted to you.

"Besides he's only lonely." She defended as she looked at Gander again with a big smile; the warhound wasn't growling at her, he only gave a small nod.

"Good Mabari!" she replies happily.

"You're a strange girl." Alistair replies to the girl and still holding her arm.

The girl turns to Alistair; she giggles and gives him a big smile, for some reason Alistair's heart leaps from the smile, this moment felt weird to him.

That's when all the warhounds started to bark again.

"Mabari's!" the girl yells excitedly as she gets loose of Alistair's grip and runs around looking at the warhounds all excited.

Most of the Mabari barked happily as the girl placed her small hands in the cage rubbing the Mabari's heads.

Alistair didn't know what was surprising him more, the sight of the warhounds reacting like this or this little girl who was only showing kindness. The girl was indeed odd, she didn't respond cruel to him, didn't consider him an outsider, though her only interest were the hounds obliviously.

"Um, why do you like them so much?" he had to ask the girl.

The girl turned around a bit stunned by the question, she had to pause for a minute and think.

"I don't know why." she replies in a high pitch voice.

"She's not serious, is she?" Alistair questioned himself, and then saw the girl was a few inches from his face.

"So why are you here?" she asked him.

"Huh?"

"You a Mabari trainer?" she asked him.

"No…." he replied and then a sigh he says, "I am not that much older then you, why would you think I would be a Mabari trainer?"

"Then do you live with the Mabari?" she asks all the suddenly.

Alistair only stares at the girl, did she really just ask that.

"Why would you think that?"

The girl doesn't respond she is already trying to look around again.

"What are you looking for now?" Alistair asks the girl kind of afraid he was going to regret the answer.

"Mabari puppies!" the girl replies happily to him.

He somehow wasn't surprised about this response.

"Well they don't keep them here." Alistair says quickly sort of wondering if he was now going to make the girl leave and cry.

"Where do they keep them?" The girl curiously asks Alistair.

"They keep the puppies in a barn to make sure that the puppies won't be bullied by the older hounds." Alistair replies not thinking of what he just said to the six year old.

That's when the girl grabs his hand and says all excitedly, "Then let's go and see them!"

Alistair really didn't know how to respond to this, the girl was holding his hand tightly and had a big warm smile on her face. Just who was this girl?

Then he looks back at her and says with a small smile, "Yeah lets go and see them."

The sight of the puppies barking at the two of them was enough to get the girl excited as she looks at the Mabari puppies with a wide smile.

"Wow." She says in awe as she walks up to them, finally letting go of Alistair's hand.

It was weird for Alistair; he could still feel the warmth of the little girl's hand on his skin.

The girl slowly picks up one of the Mabari puppies, it seems that the puppies were almost as big as her; the rest of the litter quickly runs up to the girl surrounding her and trying to get her attention.

The girl just laughed as she tries to pet them all, "Hey, I can't pet you all at once." She tries to explain to them with a smile, her eyes only showed kindness in them for these puppies. That's when one of the puppies jumps on her and starts to lick the girl's face all excitedly.

"Hey!" she says happily as she tries to get up and play with them.

That's when Alistair goes in and picks up the puppy. Even though he was nine years old, he was strong enough to pick up on of these heavy Mabari puppies.

Alistair and the girl look at each other for a moment, the moment just felt calm and peaceful. But the puppy in Alistair's arms started to get frisky and then the whole pack jumped on Alistair.

"Ow! Maker, they are attacking me!" Alistair yells as he tries to get up.

That's when he heard her laugh, half surprised he looks up at the girl laughing at him, that's when he feels his cheeks going red, and he felt flustered from the girl.

"Let's take them outside!" the girl suddenly suggests.

"Huh?" was Alistair's only response as he was able to get out off the dog pile.

"They need to be outside!" the girl simply ordered as she started to run the outside barn door with all the Mabari puppies following her.

The girl tries to open the door by herself, but Alistair knew she was too small and mostly likely too weak to open the door by herself. He knew that he would need to help the girl open the door; the girl would need his support.

"Here let me help." Alistair simply says as he starts help her open the giant doors.

She looks at him and smiles saying, "Thank-you."

Alistair felt himself going red again as he suddenly pushes the doors open too quickly and fell right into the wet, muddy ground. And it didn't help that all the puppies literally trampled across him soaking him in the mud.

"Are you alright?" the girl quickly asks showing a bit of concern as she bends before Alistair trying to see if he's okay and then she suddenly asks, "Are you alive?"

Alistair pulls his face out of the mud and looks at the girl drop dead in the eye and yells, "Of course I am alive!"

That's when she giggles a smile toward him; Alistair can't help but stare at her. The girl had the deepest of green eyes and rosy red lips; the sun was setting behind her, and the wind danced around her letting her short rugged hair and dress dance with it. The moment simply felt weird to him.

That's when one of the Mabari puppies pushed the girl into the mud. The reaction of the girl was first stunned and then she was laughing about it as the puppy snuggled its face against her.

"Silly puppy!" she giggled.

The barn was the last location that the search party did not look. The search team included Eamon, Bryce, Eleanor, Teagan, and Fergus.

"Why in the Maker was I dragged along?" complained Teagan as he followed his older brother.

"Because this is a six year old girl who may be in danger of being ripped into shreds from a Mabari, we already found Mabari hunters all riled up." Quickly replied Eamon as he spotted the barn that the kept the younger Mabari's.

The barn doors were where both open widely.

"Elissa!" screamed Fergus as he ran first to the barn followed by his parents.

"Teagan hurry!" Eamon screamed to his younger brother, "Who knows what damage has been caused by the pups."

As Fergus ran to the barn he only had images of his little sister getting injured by the war pups, but when he arrived Fergus saw an unexpected sight; his younger sister in the mud along with a boy playing with the pups. His poor brain didn't know how to responses to this sight, his little innocent sister was with a boy.

That's when Bryce and Eleanor arrived behind him, only with Eleanor responding in a shriek, "Elissa!"

Elissa turns to her parents, her hair was a mess, her face was muddy, and her beautiful specially made navy blue dress was covered in mud.

"Mommy, Daddy, Fergus!" Elissa squeals as she jumps into her mother's arms leaving mud on poor Eleanor.

"Out of all times to act like this!" Eleanor screams in her head scared that her daughter has now just ruined her own reputation with this love for Mabari's.

Both Eamon and Teagan come up and see the scene, both of them were happy and relieved that the Teyrns daughter was safe though covered in mud, that's when Eamon see's the second figure in the mud. It was Alistair; the boy was just staring at the girl in her mother's arms.

"Alistair." Eamon says sternly.

Alistair looks Eamon's way; his head went down and walked over to him.

"Alistair?" Bryce simply replies as he looks at the boy for a second then at Eamon and mouths something.

Eamon only nods at him, and then says "I am sure that we can find something for your daughter to wear and maybe something for the Teyrna?"

"I would appreciate that very much." Bryce responds happily as him, Fergus and Eleanor following him.

"Teagan can you please take care of the Mabari pups?" Eamon asks his brother.

Teagan sigh and nods as he walks toward the barn and quickly looks at both the children. Alistair who looked like he wanted to run away and the girl, Elissa, she was the oddest little girl he had laid eyes on, Teagan was now afraid to imagine what she would be like when she was older.

Later that night Elissa, now cleaned up and new clothing, was running down the hallway. She wanted to see the boy again, he looked like he needed a friend, and he looked like he simply needed someone with him that he was alone.

"Maybe he's back in the older Mabari's room." She told herself as she pushed hard to open the door.

"Hello!" Elissa hollered as she entered the dark room she hollers again but no one responds.

That's when she runs into the room; most of the dogs were already asleep and simply ignoring her for now.

She can't find him, not in this dark room. She never asked for his name, and she never told him her name either.

"Ow!" she responds as she accidently steps on something. Elissa looks down and sees an amulet. The amulet was broken in half. Elissa bends down and picks it up; the touch has the same touch as the boy did.

That's when Elissa ran out of her room and bumped in Eamon.

"Little Lady Elissa, what are you doing still up?" Eamon asks in a sweet yet stern voice.

"I'm looking for someone." She responds.

"And who are you looking for?" Eamon asks, yet he somehow knew that she was looking for Alistair.

"I never asked for his name but I am looking for him." Elissa says as she clutches onto the broken amulet to her chest, she doesn't know why it but her chest is beating really fast.

"Elissa, he is already asleep." Eamon responds to her, think it would be for the best if she doesn't mention Alistair's name to her.

"But it's so early."

"I know, but the boy has to go to the Chantry tomorrow morning."

"Why? The Chantry is so boring?" she asks.

"Because he is going to be living there for a while." Eamon calmly says.

Elissa looks at him, she saw eyes of regret, and she didn't understand why someone would live in the Chantry.

"But I want to see him again!" she demands.

Eamon looks at her and sighs, he didn't know how to tell a six year old that it wouldn't be good for a Teryn's daughter to be seen with a royal bastard, and though they were both young he knew it would be better if the two didn't cross paths again.

"Elissa what are you doing still up?" Fergus says as he walks behind Eamon and picks up his little sister onto his back.

"It's not that late…" she responded quickly still holding the amulet on top of Fergus' head.

Eamon pauses and see's what it was.

"Where in the Maker did you get that?" Eamon suddenly asks Elissa as he looks at the amulet.

"I just found it on the ground." Elissa responds.

Eamon stares at her, then turns around and goes down the hallway. Fergus sighs and looks up at Elissa and asks, "What trouble are you causing now?"

Elissa doesn't say anything just stares at the amulet trying to figure out everything that just happened.

The next morning Elissa runs down the hallways in her nightdress determined to find the boy more than ever, he couldn't have left yet, it was way too early for that.

"He has to be here." She says to herself as she turns into the next hallway.

But she still couldn't find him; the boy was really nowhere to be found.

That's when she felt something falling from her eye, a tear.

"Why am I crying?" she asked herself as more tears started to flow from her eyes.

"I can't find him, I can't find him anywhere." She cries.

Elissa didn't know why she was crying but the tears were falling and she was still walking down the halls and looking for him. There is only one door down the hallway, maybe the boy was in this room. She slowly walks to the door and opens it.

That's when she saw him, but he wasn't a little boy. He was her traveling companion, her fellow Grey Warden, and her close friend Alistair and she wasn't the little girl anymore, she was a young maiden, a Grey Warden.

"Elissa are you okay?" Alistair suddenly asks.

That's when Elissa wakes up; her eyes were dry from the tears that she was crying. Then she suddenly looks at Alistair.

"Another dream about the arch demon?" Alistair asks.

She shakes her head and slowly says, "No, it was something else."

It was still early in the morning; all their companions' were still asleep.

He only smiles as he rubs her head and says, "Well we should be arriving in Redcliff by noon, and see what really happen with Arl Eamon."

"Redcliff, Eamon…" she mumbles.

"Still groggy?" he asks with a smile.

"Yes, it's way too early." She mumbles then looks at him and asks, "Why in the Maker are you up now?"

"Well someone has to cook breakfast, unless Wynne can use her staff and make breakfast appear magically." Alistair responds joking and looks at her saying, "And I heard you crying, so I was worried."

Elissa goes red and looks down to the ground.

All Alistair does is laugh and shuffles her hair and says, "Don't worry I won't tell anyone you, our fearless leader, was crying, beside if you need a shoulder, you can always find me."

Elissa didn't know how to respond, but that's when Alistair gets up from her side and walks away saying, "And before we walk into Redcliff, I… I need to tell you something."

"Redcliff..." She says to herself as she looks ahead, "Maybe that's why I had that dream."

The End

I know I left most things open tied here in this fanfic. I may write a sequel to this story with a bit of a happier ending.

The songs I listen to while writing this were

Frou Frou - Let Go

Poker Face - Chris Daughtery

The Trouble I'm In - Gavin Rossdale

Shattered - Trading Yesterday

Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You) - Aqualung