Disclaimer: I don't own the Dragon Age: Origins or any of its characters.
Title: Nightmares
Pairing: Alistair X Amell
Story by: LastButterfly, alias MrJensen (on deviantArt)
Join us brothers and sisters.
Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant.
Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn.
And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten.
And that one day we shall join you.
The air in the tent was cool and coaxing after a long summer day on the road.
The two Wardens were lying in a lazy heap of body and limbs in the shadow of the strong canvas. The ex-Templar's head was resting on the mage's bare stomach. At start she felt uncomfortable without being properly clothed but after they had been together for more than three months, they both enjoyed such a peaceful evening.
He rested one of his arms beneath her thighs while one of her hands played with his usually untouchable hair. She loved how the smooth locks slipped through her fingers, and that he did not pull away like he would have during the day.
She did try, however, to do the same while they shared a kiss every now and then when they could skip away from the others. But he would always duck from her too greedy hands, only to push them above her head with a joke or two about it. He didn't mind that she tried to win over him like this because afterwards he could have his sweet revenge by claiming what was his. And she finally belonged to him just as much as he belonged to her.
At times like this, it felt like the world would have come to a halt, finally giving them some time to live, to laugh and to love without threatening their stolen peace by falling into ruins over a fortnight.
These simple nights under the stars were enough to comfort them. These were worth fighting for. These were worth dying for.
They left Orzammar two days ago and for the first time their strange group had finally agreed in something: that they would never return there. Even Ogren, the only one who called that place 'home' for a really long time, would not return there happily.
Just thinking back about the Deep Roads made her stomach clench. She had never felt the taint in her blood so strong before than like back there. With the darkspawn everywhere, the nightmares the wardens shared became more vivid, more detailed and even more terrible.
In her dreams they had been overrun by the dark minions. No matter how hard they fought, every time two appeared instead of the ones they killed. She had lost sight of her allies, even Alistair who would always be there to cover her from behind. But after some time she remained alone against a great horde of them.
And soon after... she would be down.
She expected these monsters to end her life but instead they grabbed her arms and yanked and pulled her throughout the main horde. Until suddenly she was pushed down to her knees with her arms roughly stretched out by multiple hands.
She tried to yank at least one of her arms free so that she could use up what was left of her magic but the darkspawn held her firmly. Then out of nowhere something yanked her hair backwards and in that moment she understood why she was there. She had been face to face with the grotesque head of the tainted God, the Archdemon itself.
It had to be the end. She readied herself to be ripped apart or to be swallowed in whole when - to her horror – the dragon's shrilling voice enveloped her. And after such long months of hearing it shriek in her head, she had finally been able to understand what the powerful creature cried.
It called out to her, just like it always had to each of its 'children'. But what sent her over the fade's edge had been those two words that burnt into her memory like liquid fire long ago. Because the beast had hissed two human words which meant more to the Wardens than to anyone else. They all memorized these words ever since they had lived to see and fulfill their duties as protectors against the darkness.
'Join us…!'
Only when she suddenly kicked in her spot did she realize that she had fallen asleep. And from the worried look in Alistair's eyes, a blush already appeared on her face. She remembered screaming in her dream and so she must have done so in reality too. She felt ashamed that after all those things they had been through together and after being a Warden for so long she would still appear so weak, that for a moment she wished that the Archdemon had swallowed her. What a leader she was...
Her Templar, however, was faster than her hand that tried to wipe her cheeks and she was in his embrace sooner than anyone could have asked if everything was okay.
She could not have answered even if she tried. Her fingers clawed into her lover's shoulders as fierce sobs escaped her lips.
Why couldn't she get over this? These were just nightmares. The Archdemon could not speak. And it definitely couldn't have known the Grey Warden oath.
She whispered she was sorry, but the warrior merely stroked her hair saying 'it was just a dream'. For a second she wondered whether he had seen it too. Unfortunately for her, her abilities made it easier for the darkspawn filled dreams to come, and even though her Alistair wanted to protect her like a shield most of the time, he still could not fight against the taint in their blood and the horrors it caused after they closed their eyes.
But he did not need to do that. Because each time she had woken up, he would be there, and he would not let her go for hours if he had to only to make her feel better.
At times she was able to tell him what she had seen... At other times she was not. But it didn't really matter, because for the first time in her life she could lean on someone if the dreams came other than herself. This was the greatest thing she had ever wished for in her life, and the greatest sin that she could have even thought about back at the Circle Tower. For how could a mage, who was always merely a step away from becoming an abomination, ever live to find someone who was will to take that risk by staying by her side…?
When she remained silent, the knight merely pulled her body close until her breathing evened.
He did not know what made her cry, but he did not care. She was not to be disturbed each night by those nightmares. He wouldn't let that happen.
From tomorrow they would get even further away from the Deep Roads and hopefully things would return to just as normal as they had been. Well, normal in their last survivors of the Wardens' kind of way.
He knew by then that if she had been very, very tired then she would be able to sleep peacefully through the night. Like an angel, who was born to save Ferelden and by the Maker… also to save him in more than one ways. So now, it was his turn to return the favor, and he already figured out just how to do that.
Therefore, as he turned her to make her lie down on her back their lips collided and their arms wrapped around, holding onto the other to protect themselves against all the darkness and all the horrors that awaited them.
Then and there, they had felt young and alive. They might have been merely humans, with all their flaws. But together, they had been invincible.
They were the last survivors of the Grey Warden order and the saviors of the whole world.
Writer's Note: Short comeback with a Dragon Age one-shot. :) I've been planning to write down a couple of my thoughts about my favourite character, Alistair, :3 and my mage, who shall not be named - as I strongly believe that BioWare only allowed us to give first names to our beloved character(s) so that all of us could become a hero. :3
So Amell+Alistair fluff caused by a nightmare.
And because a part of me always guessed that Grey Wardens might have a stronger connection to the darkspawn than they would have imagined...