The main story is the same; I changed the origin, as well as a few of the events along the way. I had some ideas as to as to how to give my characters a real happy ending, with no Dark Promise (ugh!) This is the first fan fiction I've ever written so please be gentle!

Enjoy!

She was alone. Completely. Utterly. Alone.

Though, not technically if you considered the stranger she was now following through the forest. But that was only because her life depended on it.

Everyone that she had ever loved was gone. In one night her life had changed forever. Father… Mother… Oren… Oriana… Ser Gilmore… possibly Fergus as well. And as it always happened when she was alone, her thoughts slipped to the last person to have loved and left her. Her stable boy…

But that was all gone now. To think she had ever been that happy…

A soft whimper at her side brought her back to the present. "I haven't forgotten about you, Magnus," she smiled at her Mabari. "I know you still love me, boy." He barked happily in return. She rubbed the back of his head as they walked, her thoughts drifting back to the ordeal she had just experienced.

She was grateful that Duncan had been there and saved her life. But at the same time, sadly, she wished she was dead along with the rest of her family. Why should she be left here? Why did she have to go fight in a war that wasn't hers? Why should she be the one to suffer?

She felt like she was always suffering…

She could feel the tears starting to well up in the corners of her eyes. It was an all too familiar feeling over these last few years.

As if sensing that she was about to break down again, Duncan announced that it was time to set up camp.

The dream was always the same.

The carriage was barely within view of Redcliffe when she jumped out and ran as fast as she could towards the stables. Her mother's shouts followed her almost the entire way. She weaved her way through the people in the market, never slowing down. She had been waiting for this for the last eleven months.

She finally reached the stable, but something was different. He knew she would be arriving today. Normally he was running to greet her as she approached, but he wasn't there. She searched desperately for him, but he was no where to be found.

Resigned, she walked to the castle. Maybe the Arl would know where he was.

Her father was already waiting for her outside of the gate. He knew how much the boy meant to her. They all did. "We need to talk, Pup." The tears were already flowing down her cheeks.

"I can't find him, Father!" She flung herself into his arms. He ran his hand over her long, brown hair.

"I know, dear… I know. That's why I'm here." He sat her down on the steps and proceeded to tell her everything she didn't know about the boy she had grown so fond of.

He was the bastard son of King Maric, taken in and raised by Arl Eamon until now. Eamon's wife, Isolde, did not know the secret and was jealous of the rumors about him. So she had convinced Eamon to send him off to the Chantry. He was to be a Templar; not allowed to make his own choices, or to take a wife…

And just like that her life was over. She thought she would never stop crying…

Her real life sobs woke her from her dream. She had had it almost every night ever since it happened. That was 4 years ago, meaning it had been 5 since she had last seen him.

Every summer, her family vacationed for one month in Redcliffe. This had been a tradition for as long as she could remember. She was five years old when she first met him.

She was finally old enough that her parents allowed her to walk through the market with Fergus. She followed along behind him simply taking in the sights and sounds. Fergus stopped to talk with someone he recognized while she continued walking. She wasn't really paying attention to where she was going, just wandering as young children do. She came upon a merchant that was selling freshly cut flowers. She was in awe of their beauty. Red, yellow, pink, white, every color she could imagine. The cooler climate of Highever didn't allow flowers like these to grow.

The roses were her favorite though. She loved the smell and the soft feel of the petals. Her father had brought some for her mother for her birthday this year and she had been captivated by them until they withered.

She stretched as far as she could to try to pick one of the roses off of the cart. Surely Fergus would have the coin for it. But as she was only as tall as the cart itself, she couldn't quite grasp the flower, and it fell to the ground on the side of the cart. She walked around it to pick the flower up, but someone had beaten her to it. A young boy was kneeling to pick up the rose. He had sandy blonde hair that was sticking straight up in the front. Their eyes met as he began to stand. He had the most beautiful amber eyes. It seemed as if they were frozen there, staring at each other while the crowd moved around them. Slowly, he lifted the rose towards her, presenting it to her. She reached out and took the rose from his hand, her fingers lightly grazing his. His face turned almost as red as the rose. She giggled and blushed as well.

They were inseparable for the rest of the month. And every summer after that. Alistair had no means to send her letters throughout the rest of the year, so they both looked forward to that one month in the summer. When they were 10, her parents and Eamon realized this was more than just a summer fling. By 13, they spent the majority of their time sparring and exploring. At 15, they shared their first kiss. Both had been too nervous to do so before then, even though they and everyone else knew that they were more than just friends.

Age 16 was when things changed. They spent most of their time sitting down by the lake, talking about the future. She didn't know how much longer her parents were going to allow this relationship to go on. She would be considered an adult next year and her parents would start forcing the issue of marriage. It didn't matter to her that he lived in a stable, and her parents had always held love in higher regard than class, as they had married for love, but she was afraid that they would not let her be with him. She resolved to make this summer a memorable one, in case it was the last.

It was the last night of their stay in Redcliffe. She waited until everyone in the castle was asleep. She put on a light dress and slipped on her dark cloak. She may have been a warrior at heart, but she had learned a few rogue tactics from some of the servants in Highever. She slipped from the castle and headed towards the stables.

She quietly climbed the ladder into the loft above the horses. She hadn't told him that she would be coming, but he was awake nonetheless.

"What are you doing here?" his eyes looked like they were trying to flee from his head.

"I… wanted… Maker, I want to spend my last night here… with you," she whispered as she walked to the side of his bed. He sat up and swung his legs to the side as she sat down next to him. He was already blushing.

"Are… you sure about this?" he was so nervous that he was practically shaking.

"I am surer of this than I've been about anything else. I love you," she stroked his cheek. "And I don't want to go back to Highever without… knowing you," she kissed him tenderly.

Before they knew it, they were removing clothing and laying in his bed. It began awkwardly, as neither of them had any idea of what they were doing. And it was over before they really understood what had happened.

They lay together afterward, afraid to let each other go. Both were sweating and blushing, as usual. Both were fairly embarrassed as well. They clung to each other in silence, trying desperately to think of where to go from here.

He spoke first, sitting up and leaning on his elbow so he could look down at her. "I know we talked about what this next year might bring, and we had somewhat resigned ourselves to what could happen, but I won't accept it. I can't stand the thought of you being with someone else," he looked pale, but he spoke steadily. "If it comes down to it, I am prepared to leave Redcliffe. It's not as if I am wanted here anyway. I would hope that you might be willing to do the same?"

"You mean we could… run off together?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes," he smiled, a little relieved by the tone of her voice. "I want to be with you forever. I want you to be my wife."

"Of course, Alistair! I love you so much!" she looked into his amber eyes again. "You're the only man I will ever love."

"Thank the Maker! I was a little nervous there for a bit," he joked.

"Oh yes, just a bit, I'm sure," she teased. "Well then, what do you think about trying this again? I've overheard the maids gossiping and they've always said it's better the second time," she winked at him.

"I guess we will have to test that theory then, won't we?" he grinned as he began kissing her again. They spent the rest of the night like this, alternating between making love and simply holding each other.

She reluctantly slipped back to the castle before the sun came up. She had literally just gotten back into her bed when the servant knocked on her door. She was tired, but at this point, there would be no sleeping. She had the servant draw a bath for her and went to get breakfast as soon as she was clean and dressed. Her mother and father attempted to make small talk with her, but she was not about to let herself be distracted. She ate as fast as she could and then made a dash for the stables. Her parents shared a knowing, and sad, look.

She only had a few hours before they would begin the return trip to Highever. There was only one place she was going to spend these last few hours.

And that was the last time she saw him. The very next year was the one that still haunted her.

"Sariba, it is time to get moving," Duncan said to her through the tent. They would finally be arriving in Ostagar today. Oh joy.