To Woo a Woman with Grace

by Miranda le Ginger

Women like flowers, even tough spymasters. But, do they also like the people who give them? A F!Trevelyan/Leliana story.

Disclaimer: I in no way own Dragon Age or any of its characters, nor am I making monetary benefits from this. Bioware owns everything, and they totally rock for it. No copyright infringement is intended.

"So...what flowers do you think Leliana would like?" Josephine paused, her hand hovering over the report from the Fallow Mire. Although the Inquisitor had mostly cleared out the undead fiends, the scouts stationed there still had a few problems. Thankfully the Avvar had left the area shortly after the battle that claimed their leader's life.

Golden brown eyes looked at the fidgety warrior in front of her, a shock of silver hair just barely concealing her brilliant blues. Evelyn Trevelyan was a great many things but shy was not one of them. At least, not when the Inquisition's spymaster was not concerned. A smile slowly spread across the Antivan's face as she put her pen on her desk.

"Leliana has a…fondness for Andraste's Grace. Have you heard of it?"

Evelyn looked up through her eyelashes. The young warrior was easy on the eyes; dark, unblemished skin except a small tattoo beside her left eye, short and messy silver hair and the most baffling shade of blue to ever exist outside of the ocean or sky…Josephine was almost jealous of her best friend if she was no so damn excited.

"I have heard of it, but never seen one before. What…what does it look like?"

A small tilt of the head, faux look of innocence. Batting eyelashes and a voice like honey-yep, the diplomat was going to lay it on thick. "Why? Are you, perhaps, planning on giving our dear Leliana a flower? Because…you should know something if you do…"

Evelyn's full attention was on Josephine. The woman sat up straighter and scooted a little closer to the one who would make or break her chivalrous act. "What? Oh Josie, please tell me?"

Josephine wet her lips slightly, bending her head down and gesturing minutely with her left hand. Evelyn moved her head even closer until they could feel the other's breath wash over skin. Amber eyes looked to the passageway in before swiveling to look at the war room. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. "What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room, you understand Inquisitor?"

Evelyn quickly shook her head yes, desperation and curiosity warring in her gaze. The Antivan had her complete, undivided attention.

"Leliana…really loves Andraste's Grace. You know of her travels with the Hero of Ferelden, yes? Our dear spymaster was close with her. Before the heir of House Cousland was betrothed to King Alistair and joined her blood with the Theirin line, she was a bit sweet on Leliana. So, in an act born of her crush and the budding friendship between the two, the Warden found a bunch of the flowers beside a mill in Radcliffe when they visited and saved the lives of those who dwelt there. It had been the first time Leliana had seen the flowers in ages and the first time a person had gifted the Grace to her out of kindness. Leliana was so overcome that she…well."

Evelyn was on the edge of her seat, chin in her hands as she pleadingly looked to the peacekeeper. "What? What did Leliana do? Come on Josie, quit holding it in; spit it out, won't you?"

To her credit, Josephine held in her mirth. She always had a good poker face. Leliana would undoubtedly get her back for this but if her intuition was right, and it usually was, Evelyn had feelings for the beautiful rogue. Leliana had in fact held love for Elise Cousland. Unfortunately for the bard, Alistair had swept his fellow warden off her feet. Leliana was still good friends with them both and her feelings had dissipated long before the wedding bells tolled but her Josephine could not help but want her friend to be happy. She had seen Leli's eyes linger on Trevelyan when she sparred with Cassandra or Cullen, or when Sera and Bull held her attention in the tavern and gotten the woman to drunkenly sing about 'maiden's fair' and the 'spoils of chivalry.' When a woman got too close to the Inquisitor, Leliana would watch like a hawk with hardened eyes of fire. The dark-haired recorder would hazard a guess that the real reason people were not clamoring for Evelyn's affections was not her status but in fact the terrifying guard lurking behind her. Hell, Leliana should be thanking her after this.

"She-she kissed the Warden…on the lips!"

Evelyn's brows furrowed in thought, blue eyes flashing in disbelief. "A..a kiss? That-that was it? Damn Josie I thought it was something far worse than an innocent peck." The silver-haired woman moved to sit back, running a hand through unruly locks. "What is the big deal?"

Josephine looked affronted, a gasp passing sweet lips. "Big deal? I assure you Ser Trevelyan, receiving a kiss from the spymaster is no easy feat. Especially since this one was not chaste. I spoke to the Warden about it, after her nuptials with the King. She spoke of it being a-a vision. It nearly turned her off men it was so passionate. And because of that kiss, Leliana has started a tradition of sorts."

Blue eyes were glazed over. A trickle of sweat slowly slid down her neck, pulse jumping widely underneath taut skin. "W-w-what…what was the…tradition?"

Full lips pulled into a smirk. "Every time somebody gives her Andraste's Grace, no matter the person or intention, she gives them a kiss. It has even been said that perhaps one could get…more…in return for the beautiful flower."

Evelyn gulped hard, throat as dry as the Hissing Wastes. A kiss…maybe more? This could be her chance to woo the mysterious woman who had plagued her thoughts for months. "Do you know where I can find this Andraste's Grace? I just-I want to give Leliana one. To-to cheer her u-up. Purely camaraderie you know."

"Of course, Inquisitor. You and Leli are rather…close, aren't you? I am sure she will be most appreciative. I know she seemed happy when Cassandra brought her some."

Tie seemed to ground to a halt. "Wh-what?! Cassandra gave Leliana flowers? Whatever for! They are not…are they…?"

Josephine mimicked a look of confusion. "Are they…what? I am not sure I am following your train of thought. Oh! Do you mean are they-together?"

Evelyn bit her lip, nodding minutely as she looked down. The worry written on her face tugged at Josephine's heartstrings. Taking pity on the woman, she placed her hand gently on a muscled arm, squeezing. When Evelyn met her eyes, she smiled. "I do not think they are. Cassandra…she is not really…romantic? Not to say that she is not sweet, or soft, or-"

Evelyn blinked at the now blushing Antivan. An eyebrow peaked. "Um…Josephine…you might want to hide your crush a little better. And you and I both know that beneath all her armor and bravado, Cass is pretty sensitive when it comes to romance. But you are right, I have never sensed anything more between them than friendship. Or, at least, they have not been obvious about it if affection exists."

Josephine shook her head, trying to will the red from her cheeks. She could not help it when it came to the beautiful warrior; she and Evelyn seemed to have something in common it seemed. Sadly, she knew she had no chance at Cassandra's love. The warrior cared for Josie in her own way, but not in the way she desperately craved. "Cassandra and Leliana are close that is true, but I do not think they would be able to tolerate each other in a relationship. Both women are too stubborn for their own good."

"That-is very true actually. I love Cass to death but the woman nags more than an old midwife. Maker forbid I get so much as a scrape on the battlefield. I would hear of nothing else on the way back. Last time, Bull ended up in a discussion with her about which metals make the best weapons for fighting dragons."

"Ugh, Iron Bull and his dragons…you certainly are not good at easing my worry, Inquisitor."

The warrior scowled slightly. "Hey, Bull is a good man to have around. He is deadly with that axe of his and his Chargers are a force to be reckoned with. Besides, Dorian would never let him get hurt. For all his strength, Bull won't contest his partner. He also distracts Cassandra from griping at me too, so I am going to keep him around."

Josephine laughed loudly. "Cass really is like a mother isn't she? I blame those novels of Varric's. How a warrior such as her can read that-that…smut I will never know."

Evelyn grinned wickedly. "I dunno, I like the part where Guard Captain does that thing with her tongue-"

"T-that is quite alright, Inquisitor! I don't need to hear about what the…Guard Captain does with her-er-body parts…I will leave it to the imagination yes?" Josephine was flushed, eyes wide and frantically looking around. "Don't you have to meet the Commander in a few minutes?"

Evelyn blanched. "Shit! I forgot all about that! We are training some new recruits that rode in from Redcliffe. They are decent fighters but they won't make it out there without some direction. The swordwork is a little lazy and-Maker-the feet! I am sorry to cut this discussion short Josie. Maybe we can finish up the conversation at a later time?"

Josephine nodded. "Certainly, Your Grace. We will speak later."

Evelyn turned to go, foot poised to land when the diplomat called after her. "Oh, and Trevelyan?"

The woman turned her head to the side, curious eyes landing on her friend. "Yes?"

A calculated look crossed sharp features. Fingers steepled as she braced her chin against the digits. "Orlais has a special market where you can get exotic things. Specialized armor, potions, even a nug or two. They also have some harder to find flowers, like…Andraste's Grace? Just for future reference."

Josephine took pleasure in watching realization smack Evelyn in the face. Her ears turned bright red as the warrior stammered, arms wildly flailing as she tried to explain herself. "T-that's not what i-I mean-"

Oh, this was fun. "Oh no Inquisitor, I would never insinuate that you have feelings for our dear spymaster. Merely that if you wanted to ever give her a gift, those flowers would be greatly appreciated. They hold a deep meaning to her."

Still blushing lightly but with a thoughtful look in her eye, the warrior nodded. "I'll…keep that in mind. Thanks, Josie." The woman slowly walked out. Once the door closed, Josephine sat back and grinned widely. Leliana would be cross when she discovered what her friend had done, but the ambassador was almost ninety-percent certain the red-head would not care when Evelyn's feelings came to light. She had no doubt that when Evelyn was able to do so without rousing suspicion, she would venture to Orlais for the flowers. Her friend was very lucky indeed to catch the Inquisitor. Not for the first time, she sighed as she thought of her two companion's falling in love. It was an inevitable thing but she only wished her own crush would end as well. But of course she had to fall for Cassandra Pentaghast of all people. Josephine would have better luck wooing Cullen at this rate…ugh. Love sucked sometimes.

It had been nearly a month since the discussion in Josephine's little 'office.' Evelyn had not forgotten a single word of that day, thinking about the flowers constantly. Leliana had been so stressed lately; she was strung out so bad the Inquisition leader knew the spymaster was a loose fuse. The woman was working herself too hard with little regard for herself or health. Seeing the woman she was falling in love with hurting was too painful to bear. Evelyn and even the others had tried pulling Leliana out of her self-imposed regime but to no avail. Evelyn was at her wit's end; there was only one solution left that did not involve her dueling the woman into submission: she needed to make a trip to Orlais and fast.

"You want to what? Inquisitor, I get that you are worried about Leliana but...a trip to Orlais? For…flowers? I am sorry but it would be a waste of resources. We would have to get you a small contingent plus food and other amenities…it is just not feasible." Cullen scratched the back of his curly hair, an uncomfortable yet not unsympathetic look on his handsome face. Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest, adopting her warrior stance she used to command attention.

"I will not be taking any soldiers; Bull, Dorian, Cole will accompany me to Orlais." She held up a gloved hand when Cullen protested. "I will be fine with them. I have fought alongside them for a while now and I trust them with my life. The rest will stay here at Skyhold until we return."

Cullen sighed, knowing when he had lost. The Inquisitor was damnably stubborn at times. "Yes, Your Grace. I will go tell Bull to ready himself. Where he is, Dorian is sure to be. Do you mind finding Cole? You always seem to know where he is."

Evelyn saluted the soldier. "Aye aye, Captain!" An unrepentant grin stole on her face as Cullen exasperatedly shook his head. A small smile tweaked his lips. "Oh, and Commander? Please don't tell Leliana of the true reason behind this trip. Or Sera. Or Varric. If they find out, she is sure to. I will bring you back that grip you have been wanting for your sword. We have a deal?"

Cullen smirked. "I have no clue what you are talking about, but if I did, I would agree. Could you perhaps pick up some ink and extra quills for Josephine as well? And maybe a few blank journals for Varric? Solas might have a requisition order for potions in addition…"

Evelyn mock gasped. "I see why your men call you a taskmaster now Commander. My back shall be broken with all these parcels! But I will see what I can do. In the meantime, continue training these new recruits. Have Cass help you too. We need to be ready when Corypheus rears his ugly mug."

Cullen waved her off. "Of course. I will go tell Bull and Dorian now. By your leave, Inquisitor."

"Boss! Good call bringing us along; I was starting to get bored. Too bad for the Chargers though. Krem is getting stir crazy. Maybe Harding will distract him, eh?"

Dorian grinned, fingers twirling his impressive moustache. "Poor boy, his crush on the scout is rather obvious. But it is rather cute watching him fumble as he tries to communicate with her."

Bull laughed raucously. "Oh yeah, I am sure he would just love to communicate-"

Evelyn thumped the Qunari on the shoulder affectionately. "Oh leave Krem alone! He is so sweet with Harding; I heard there is a bet going on when they will get together."

Dorian guffawed. "Oh yeah? And who started this pool?"

Evelyn smirked innocently. "I have absolutely no idea who did. But whoever did is brilliant I say."

Bull smacked Evelyn on the back, causing the warrior to nearly fall over. "Oof, you big lummox, watch it! Not everybody is huge like you!"

"Or good-looking, it's true. So I have you to think for the bet, huh? Good on you. Hopefully he gets the balls to ask her out before the next moon; I want that money!"

"Pfft, fat chance you great horned bastard. My money is he will confess before the big battle with Corypheus. He will do it as a last testament to her in case he gets killed. It will all be very romantic."

Dorian piped up. "Please. You are both wrong. I give it a week before Scout Harding gets drunk and proclaims her love for him through song. It is written in the stars my friends. You might as well hand the coin over to me now."

While the three were bickering over the bet, a lanky blonde boy soundlessly walked towards them. "Shy; I don't know whether I am doing the right thing or not. She doesn't know, she doesn't know. My heart…it beats so loud, so strong. I am worried, these flowers should help. I hope they help. What f she does not return my feel-"

"HEY COLE!" Evelyn rushed forward when she heard Cole's peculiar speech, knowing he was reading her mind. She knew the secret would be out when they arrived in Orlais and she would be teased mercilessly by her comrades. She could at least delay the inevitable damn it! "Did you grab your gear? Ready to go?"

Cole studied the warrior. He could hear her thoughts, hear her shushing him desperately. He was not smart but he knew he had to keep her secret. Her love for the spymaster was surprising given their personalities but he had been privy to the knowledge before Evelyn even knew herself what she was feeling. Humans confused him sometimes.

"Yes Inquisitor, I have what I need. When do we move out?"

"We go now while it is still early. I want to get some distance before nightfall. Make sure to grab some apples for the horses please. I am going to tell the ambassador we are leaving."

"Sure thing Boss. We will get Cousland ready for you when you arrive." Evelyn nodded at the mention of her horse. The beautiful war horse was a brilliant russet color with pale eyes; a rarity in his breed. Evelyn had named him after her idol, Elise Cousland. Like the Warden, Cousland was strong and unwavering in his loyalty. She loved him dearly and treated him as gentle as a lover.

"Thank you, Bull. See you in a few." Evelyn jogged to the main entrance into Skyhold quickly. She would just pop in to tell Josie that she was off and then they would depart She hoped they would be back in a few days if lucky. Evelyn heard voices as she neared the door. Shrugging her armored shoulders, her hand slowly turned the knob before the calm light of the room caught her eyes.

"I think it would be best to-Inquisitor? What are you doing here, and why are you dressed for battle?" Evelyn met Leliana's eyes, feeling heart bloom in her cheeks. Clearing her throat and abandoning the curious gaze, the warrior shuffled slightly. "Bull, Dorian, Cole and I are headed to Orlais on…business. We shouldn't be gone more than a week. Gonna head out in a second."

Leliana stared at Evelyn in confusion. "Business? What business? Shouldn't you take some soldiers with you? If you want, I could-"

"NO! I-I mean…we will be fine. I have a good group with me. Don't worry Leliana, we will be fine. I promise."

The spymaster looked unconvinced and bit her lip worriedly. She hated to admit it to herself but she did not like when Evelyn was away on a mission. The former bard was scared that the woman she cared for would get hurt in battle, ruining their chances of defeating Corypheus and also breaking her fragile heart. She shook her head in irritation. Her feelings mattered not in the scheme of things. Evelyn was a capable warrior and she knew best. Leliana did not have to like it, but should would defer to her leader's judgment. It was just…a whole week? Leliana knew there would be no way the small group would be back within the timeframe Evelyn wanted. It would easily be a week, perhaps more depending on the weather and if there was trouble along the way. If only it was possible to go with her…

"I will hold you to that, Inquisitor. Just make sure it is so, or Corypheus will pale in comparison to me and what I will do to you." Blue eyes had grown hard as steel and full of iron.

Evelyn grew solemn. "I swear to you, Leliana. We will be fine and be back soon. Is there…anything you might wish us to bring back? Say the word and it is yours."

Leliana was surprised at the words, less so at the gesture. The woman was entirely too kind sometimes and it would so easy to take advantage. That was one reason that Leliana was so careful with Trevelyan. She thought briefly of something she could ask for, but the thought was extinguished before it could come to fruition. Flowers were such a trivial thing to ask for, especially someone as important as Evelyn. The rogue dearly missed the sweet, calming scent of Andraste's Grace and the beautiful blue color that so captivated her.

"Nothing comes to mind. I appreciate the thought though."

Evelyn scratched her head bashfully. "It's no problem. Well…" Evelyn looked towards Josephine, who was looking at the two women with a smirk on her face. If possible, the warrior's face grew hotter.

"Safe passage, Your Grace. Good luck with that…purchase. We shall see you soon."

Evelyn jerkily inclined her head. Her eyes caught the look of confusion and suspicion in Leliana's eyes at Josephine's choice of words. Deciding to make a hasty exit before that imploring gaze was aimed at her. She quickly backed away. "See you soon. Goodbye Josie… Leliana." With one last glance backward, the warrior made her exit.

Leliana kept her eyes trained on the armored back until she left before swiveling around to face her friend. "Alright, spill. What is she going to Orlais for, really?"

Josie smiled. "Why, she is going to take stock of weapons and equipment of course. What else would she be going there for?"

Blue met amber, boring into the faux innocent orbs to detect what she perceived to be a lie. "Why would she need to do that? We have merchants that can get goods in with relative ease now. Evelyn is too important to be traipsing about for supplies that we have no immediate need of. You know I am not a fool, Josephine. Tell me the truth, please."

Josephine sighed softly. "I truly am sorry my friend, but I cannot divulge that information. Yes, the Inquisitor is going for a reason besides the supplies, although it is true she is picking some up. But I promised I would not say a word, and I meant it. You will have to ask her when she returns."

Leliana pursed her lips, not entirely liking being kept in the dark but she knew her friend. Josephine would not break her word, no matter how fondly she thought of the spymaster. It seems the keeper/trader of secrets was to be left in the dark for a bit. "Alright Josie; I shall not trouble you anymore. For Trevelyan's sake, I hope her journey is not a foolhardy one. The very future of Thedas rests on her shoulders and I hate to think she could be squandering it for something trivial."

"What seems trivial to one person might be important to the next. Just…hear her out when she returns, okay? This quest actually means something to her. I think you will understand when next you see her. But I must get back to my reports; the Chancellor of Eastwick has been a right monster lately. Securing an alliance from him is like pulling teeth from a wyvern."

Leliana gently patted the ambassador on the shoulder, sparing a small smile at her longtime companion. "Thank the Maker indeed that we have you on our side, Josie. I will see you at dinner?"

Josephine waved a hand distractedly as she had already begun rifling through the pile of paperwork on her desk. "Yes yes, my dear. See you tonight!"

The redhead smirked at her friend's dismissal, turning on her heel and soundlessly retreating. As the heavy door shut behind her, Leliana lay back against it with a small sigh. Please return safely Inquisitor.