I am still on my first DA:O playthrough, but I am already in love with this game and its characters. My mind keeps wondering and fantasizing. I can't take it anymore! I had to write a story, Leliana and FemCousland to be specific as it is my favorite pairing. So here it goes, my first Dragon Age fanfic.
Special thanks to DENISLAMINACCIA for moral support and beta reading.
Hope you all like it. Criticism is more than welcome! :-)
Where the Heart Is
Alestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The new shooting technique wasn't as affective as she thought it would be, though Morrigan tried to assure her otherwise. May be putting some spells on her arrows to make the shot more powerful was a bad idea after all? Arrow of Slaying… Ha! It seemed more like Arrow of Mocking to her at the moment. Alestia gave a long sigh and took another arrow from the quiver behind her back. She looked at her Bow of the Golden Sun with pride, such a fine craftsmanship and yet it failed to deliver its true potential at the very moment. But she had to keep trying, because she was too stubborn to let the despair consume her.
Alestia gripped the bow with her left hand and put the arrow on the bow string. She used all her strength to draw the bow as hard as she could and waited several seconds for power to build up – Morrigan insisted on waiting to make a shot deadlier. Alestia looked around for a suitable target: she was quite far from the camp, she preferred to keep her training away from her companions in case of unexpected embarrassment or unwanted casualties. Hitting a huge rock on her left side should do the trick. The Grey Warden closed her right eye for better aiming and put a tip of her tongue out in anticipation of due success. And then she gasped. Two hands wrapped gently around her waist and rib cage. She felt a body pressing against her own which sent shivers down her spine, she caught a heady scent of jasmine and leather which made her head spin lightly with pleasant sensation. Alestia smiled realizing who the intruder was.
"In Orlais a warrior must undergo several tests before he can master a skill or two, you know. Being able to concentrate while constantly distracted is the hardest of them," purred Leliana sending several light kisses down Alestia's neck.
The Grey Warden couldn't stop her skin from getting covered with goose bumps – even the slightest physical contact with the redheaded bard brought her to this state. Undoubtedly a very pleasant one.
"Mmm," the only thing Alestia could come up with at the moment, her fingers struggling to keep bow string's pressure.
"So you'd better proceed with what you intended to do, my dearest Warden, before the last of your powers abandon you," teased Leliana biting tenderly her beloved's earlobe.
It took a great deal of self-control for Alestia not to moan loudly, she realized that Leliana, may be even unconsciously, hit most of her erotogenic zones, thus making the task lying ahead a tantalizing torture. But the Grey Warden really wanted to impress her Orlesian friend with her composure and concentration, so she manned herself and fired before the bard attempted another assault on her sensitive areas. The arrow reached its aim, hitting the rock with such great force that it was smashed into tiny smithereens. Both Alestia and Leliana stared at the empty space, where a moment ago a huge rock dwelled, with their mouths opened.
"Maker's breath! Well, it will certainly come in handy while fighting dreadful darkspawn!" finally managed to say Leliana.
"I guess Morrigan can give some sensible advice after all," chuckled Alestia.
The bard giggled. She freed the Grey Warden from her embrace only to turn the green-eyed noble to face her.
"I must admit you performed admirably during my little test," hummed Leliana taking Alestia's hand in hers.
Although almost two weeks passed since the two of them confessed their feelings for each other, the casual bare skin contact still brought that incredible sensation of tiny electric discharge passing from one to another. Both women smiled slightly when their hands touched.
"Do I get a reward?" grinned Alestia, but blushed to the roots of her hair a second later, presuming she was too bold to say it.
Leliana adored Warden's constant shyness. The bard gave her a radiant smile and drew Alestia closer.
"Well, aren't you an opportunist, my sweet," teased Leliana and before Alestia could say anything trying to set herself right with the redheaded beauty, she pressed the Grey Warden to herself and kissed her.
Alestia melted at the feeling of soft and warm voluptuous lips caressing her own. She cupped Leliana's face with her hands, drawing her even closer and thus making their kiss more intense. Leliana's tongue was wandering around her companion's palate and teeth, which made Alestia ticklish. She tittered, biting the redhead's upper lip in the process and then tenderly licking the area in a hasty attempt to atone, which caused Leliana to emit a moan of pleasure. Alestia smiled, their tongues interlaced with one another once more before the Warden broke off the kiss to gasp for some air.
"I wish I could get this kind of reward with every darkspawn slayed by my now so mighty arrow," she mused, lowering her eyes.
"Hm, that's a thought! But I am afraid we'll have to hold on to the idea of stopping the Blight, because there will be so much catching up to do, no?" said Leliana in a sultry voice.
Alestia sighed.
"Well, I think I am going to visit our lovely witch and tell her of my progress. I'll see you later, Leli," said the Grey Warden looking at the bard, who gave her another disarming smile.
"Oh, I enjoy it when you call me Leli," she beamed.
"And I enjoy hearing you saying whatever you want to say. Your accent is so… bewitching."
Now it was Leliana's turn to blush like a rose.
"You… You are the first person to complement my accent. People in Ferelden are pretty hostile and suspicious towards Orlesians and I can understand why, of course. Even when I lived in the Chantry in Lothering I had to endure a lot of disdain from my fellow brothers and sisters."
"They are fools! Or they simply envy that Maker granted you this enchanting voice. Just hearing you speaking makes me the happiest person in whole Ferelden."
"You are so sweet! Thank you for your kind words. You don't know how it makes me feel to hear you say that."
Alestia bit her lip to hide the euphoric grin tugging at her mouth. She looked at the bard's beautiful sky blue eyes one more time and moved towards the camp. Leliana stayed on the training ground to sharpen her dagger throwing skills.
Camp looked peaceful. Zevran was talking to Sten, strangely wiggling his brows from time to time that made Qunary's brows unite at his nose bridge and his face darken. Oghren, leaning on his great battleaxe, was gazing at Shale who was looking daggers at the nearby tree full of small forest birds which even made its shoulder crystals flare up with hatred. There was an occasional happy bark from Tulip, who was chasing Alistair around his tent trying to snatch a bone from his hands.
Alestia laughed when her Mabari war dog finally knocked the former Templar down, covering his hands and face with excessive saliva. She was watching Alistair in his petty attempt to get rid of Tulip's ever joyous muzzle when she heard a calm voice of older mage right beside her.
"You're quite taken with each other, aren't you?"
Alestia looked at Wynne with an expression of surprise on her face.
"Who? Alistair and I?" she asked her dark eyebrows rose, making two perfect arches.
Wynne looked at somebody over Warden's shoulder, cocking her left brow. Alestia turned her head, following mage's gaze and saw Leliana.
"…Leliana?" said fair-haired noble in a low voice.
Orlesian redhead was moving gracefully towards the campfire, she sent a sunny smile to Alestia when she caught her glance. The Grey Warden dropped her eyes and turned back to the older mage whose suspicions only strengthened with this small display. Wynne folded her arms on her chest and looked right into Alestia's eyes trying to read her thoughts.
"I've seen the way she looks at you, the familiarity with which you speak, how she always finds a way to place herself next to you."
"I…well…She does do that, doesn't she?" said Alestia, acknowledging the fact.
"I have noticed your blossoming relationship, and I wanted to ask you where you think it was going."
The look of the bottomless sky blue eyes, where one can be lost so easily; the taste of honey on the sensual lips, one wish to never stop caressing; the scent of jasmine in the ruby colored hair, one would breathe in till the head starts spinning around; the ringing laughter, which makes one's heart bounce with joy.
Alestia blinked several times, trying to catch up with the reality and Wynne's reasoning.
"Leliana is a remarkable girl, sincere and guileless, and she has opened her heart to you. I would not like to see her hurt."
"I would never hurt Leliana," said the Grey Warden frowning.
I'd sooner take my own life…
"Not intentionally no, but there is great possibility's for tragedy here," proceeded Wynne, her voice ringing with calm confidence. "You are a Grey Warden. You have responsibilities which should succeed your personal desires."
"I am a human being with emotions not just a Grey Warden," mumbled Alestia.
"Love is ultimately selfish. It demands that one be devoted to a single person, who may fully occupy one's mind and heart, to the exclusion of all else. A Grey Warden cannot afford to be selfish. You may be forced to choose between saving your love and saving everyone else, and then what would you do?"
Alestia wanted to yell at the top of her voice. She was angry with Wynne for telling what she was afraid to hear, with herself for being such a light-minded dolt, with Duncan for making her life a living hell, with her mother for not allowing her to stay with her and dad and fight for their lives, with Dairren for being such a fool and sneaking outside her bedroom to be brutally killed a moment later. Life is unfair. The choice is unfair.
"What am I supposed to do, tell Leliana to go away?"
"You may have to, to save one or both of you from unnecessary anguish later on."
Alestia's cheeks were burning with indignation. She knew her older companion was right, but she couldn't imagine herself being apart from Leliana. It felt awful. She felt awful. She needed her. She was selfish. But she had responsibility. Her life was not her own. Maker, why was I chosen? I didn't wish for it to happen.
Alestia gave Wynne black looks. Her eyes were wet with oncoming tears.
"I have given my advice, do with it what you will" said older mage, her voice still steady.
Alestia stormed off to the only place she could think of at the moment. Morrigan's campfire.
A/N: When I finally got that dialogue from Wynne in game I was so mad with her that I wanted to punch her! But my Cousland is too noble to even snap at her! Argh! Anyways I twisted it a bit, but kept the most important things.
Thank you all for reading! I will update as soon as I get my hands off my graduation Diploma! :)