Here it is, as promised! A Pirate's Charm prequel featuring Leliana and Lana. This idea has been in my head for a while now. While writing A Pirate's Charm, I myself became intrigued as to the nature of Lana and Leliana's past in Lothering, which I didn't mention much of before except for teasing you all with little hints here and there. As a result I feel the need to write this story before continuing on with Lana and Isabela's adventures together (sorry :P). You might notice a little change in Lana here, seeing her as a possibly a bit more mischevious than before? Considering this did happen ten years or so before where I ended A Pirate's Charm...But anyway, here goes! Chapter 1. Let me know what you think :D TSOA

The stars were out, twinkling silently in the midnight sky over Lothering, watching avidly as a secret tale between two of the most unlikely characters was currently being written. It was a bitter cold evening, the rest of the village having long since retired in doors, hovering around the nearest fire to keep warm, all but for the exception of two young women. Lying side by side on the straw-covered floor of a windmill, they stared up into the blackness above them through a hole in the ceiling, their chests rising and falling rapidly as they tried to catch their breaths. Neither could have anticipated what this night would have in store for them, and Maker, what a night it had been...

What had started out as a simple drink, had quickly turned into a seduction, though neither woman was entirely sure who had initiated it first. Was it the charming, flirtatious, promiscuous Hawke, who thoroughly enjoyed playing hard to get with women before taking so many of them to her bed and having her way with them? Or was it the mysterious, equally as charming, Chantry Sister, who had went against The Maker and succumbed to her repressed desires, reverting back to that alluring temptress she had once been, and had in fact been running away from since leaving Orlais?

Lana turned to the red-headed woman on her right then, unable to believe what she had just done (or 'who' she had just done for that matter). She had just violated another of her sister's female friends, touching them in places that were forbidden to most men, never mind another woman. And now she had violated Chantry law too. Chantry women...? Balls, I really need to gain more control over myself. This time though, she hadn't been the only one unable to control her desires. Her eyes swept across the pale, sweating, naked body beside hers, which had been at her mercy only moments ago. A thin, shining, layer of moisture was seeping off Leliana's bosom as she heaved her little panting breaths, still momentarily lost in a passionate trance of satisfaction and exhaustion. Lana tried to ignore her increasing arousal at the sound of the Sister's irresistible moans. This shouldn't have even happened in the first place...Shit...I'm in so much trouble...

Leliana turned her head to the left then, seeing soft chocolate-brown eyes gazing back into her own bright blue ones. She could see the same disbelief in them, see the same incredulity that she felt inside herself, knowing that Lana was equally as stunned as to how they had ended up sprawled out on the floor of a windmill in all their glory, having only just met earlier today. After mere seconds of conversation they had then just shared possibly the most incredible night of their existence. Their arms brushed against each other slightly then, hairs standing on end. Strangely, both women retreated from each other, Hawke shifting away a little, even though they had rubbed more than arms only minutes ago. They both stared back up at the sky, wide-eyed, stunned.

Neither of them spoke...Where in all of Thedas would they begin? The only sound was of a distant wind howling outside, creating a shiver up their spines. Unable to stand it any longer, Hawke sat up slowly, placing her palms on the ground and easing herself into a sitting position, suddenly feeling a little awkward. She took a deep breath, her naked bosom heaving up, then down, stealing Leliana's reluctant attention once more. The Chantry Sister swallowed, her mouth watering at the sight of Lana's perky breasts, her nipples standing on end as a result of the cold. She wrestled with her growing arousal again, even after it had only recently been sated for the first time since she cared to remember. Hawke, realising that she was watching, turned her back on her and got to her feet.

Normally, after she had seduced a woman and had her way with them, she would creep out as they slept, not wanting anything more than a quick tumble between the sheets. It was better that way, preventing them from remembering her much when they sobered up, keeping the long kept secret of her sexuality safe (well, safer at least). Somehow though, Hawke had a feeling that she was in fact the one who had been seduced this time...and it was unsettling to realise how much of a hold that this beautiful Orlesian woman seemed to have over her in such a short space of time. Leliana was definitely not going to forget her face anytime soon, and she doubted she would forget hers in such a hurry either.

Leliana sat up as well then, feeling slightly ashamed of herself. She grabbed her discarded Chantry robe and held it across her breasts, shyer than before, avoiding looking at Lana now, who had started to put back on her wine-stained dress in a hurry. The Sister sat, staring at the ground, fingering the bits of straw beneath her, her senses coming rushing back. She had just betrayed the Chantry, and what was worse was that she had set out to intentionally when she went to that tavern tonight. The Chantry, who had taken her in, clothed her and fed her, and asked no questions of the repentant Orlesian bad girl who had appeared on their door step only a few months ago, bloodied and broken, a shell of her former self. A sickening feeling rose within her then as memories from her past, of what had happened to her in Orlais, overcame her once more.

Leliana got to her feet, wrestling down her guilt, and pulled the heavy Chantry robe over her head, letting it fall down to her ankles, covering her nakedness once more. Her head bowed shyly, she walked towards the door, just as Hawke did. Both of them reached for the handle simultaneously, their hands touching, sending chills down the other's spine. The two women looked at each other, still yet to utter a word after an unexplainable night. Hawke cleared her throat uncomfortably and stepped back, avoiding Leliana's eye and gesturing for the Chantry Sister to exit first.

The icy wind assaulted both women as soon as they set foot outside. The sun was beginning to rise in the distance as dawn approached. Lana closed the door behind her and hugged her arms around her slender frame, her dress unbearably thin. She glanced out at her surroundings, beginning to shiver. After a few seconds she turned back to Leliana then, both of them hovering at the door of the windmill as though wondering where they would go from here, or how they would even say something as simple as 'goodbye'. The Chantry Sister pulled a strand of red hair away from her face, and turned to Hawke, piercing those brown eyes again with her own. She felt her mouth water once more as her mind momentarily flashed back to the woman's toned, naked body pressed under hers, writhing and tensing with desire.

"Lana..."

Hawke's alluring gaze stunned her into silence. She needed to tell her this couldn't happen again, she needed to make her see that it was not because she didn't want it to, but because it was wrong...oh so very wrong. Maker, what have I done? When nothing came out of her mouth, she turned away, for fear of what would happen if she stayed any longer. Leliana began to walk back towards the direction of the Lothering Chantry on her own without uttering another sound.

Hawke watched after her, seeing her hold herself against the pounding of the wind, her short red hair flowing wildly in the breeze. She couldn't think of anything to say herself (which in itself was a very rare occurrence). Something had happened tonight however, something simply unspeakable, unthinkable even (lest her having many fantasies about lovely Chantry initiates). This was different, oh so very different from the many women she had brought to her bed in the past. Leliana was no whore, no wench easily forgotten about in the blink of an eye. From the first moment earlier today when Lana had set eyes on her, the woman had intrigued her. She was indeed not what she had seemed, certainly no drab Sister of the cloister. That much is clear, Lana joked to herself. Her thoughts turned sombre then. But the fact remains...She's still a member of the Chantry. The same Chantry who would slaughter my sister in the blink of an eye, who hunted my father for years like an animal simply for having magic in his blood...and I've just violated my one rule about staying away from them all...Andraste's Ass!

She smiled ruefully then, cursing herself, seeing Leliana disappear over the bridge, feeling that familiar sense of filth rise in her after she had had a one night stand. This time was unlike the others though. She felt ten times as dirty after breaking so many rules in the one night, both those of the Chantry and of her own, but found that it surprisingly wasn't as unbearable as before, when she had simply stumbled out of a brothel, smelling like whore. What she had just done was so forbidden that she didn't even know where to start to make sense of it all. Tonight had been interesting to say the very least. What tomorrow would bring would be another story indeed.

The next morning Lana woke in her soft bed, her nostrils being teased with the delicious scent of bacon frying on the stove. She heard her brother Carver being scolded in the other room by their mother as he ate his breakfast. By the sounds of it he had been duelling someone yesterday and had come off worst. Maker, if this is what he's like at sixteen, can you imagine him when he's older? Hawke groaned and turned over under the covers, opening her eyes.

Bethany lay sound asleep on the bottom of the twin's bunk beds facing her. Seeing her little sister, guilt crept up inside her as memories from the night before with Sister Leliana entered her mind. She could still taste the sweetness of the woman's soft, pale skin, the faint hint of red wine on her lips as they kissed, the gentle, cajoling touch of her fingers as they...Stop it, Lana! Feeling bad for going behind her sister's back and lying to her about who she really was, was something that happened every morning after Lana had seduced another woman. She and Bethany had always been so close, but for some reason she just couldn't come clean about her sexuality. Their mother would never approve, and she feared that her best friend in the entire world wouldn't either. How could she take that chance and risk losing her?

Stretching with a groan, Lana got out of bed then, walking over to the stone wash-basin and throwing water over her face and arms, cleaning away the filth from last night, and washing away the last of Sister Leliana's scent that still lingered on her skin.

"Sister?"

Lana turned around to find Bethany had finally awoken. She smiled at her.

"Did you miss me?" she teased, winking at her before drying herself off, walking to the closet and pulling out clean clothes. Bethany rubbed her eyes and sat upright.

"Mmm...What time did you get back at last night?" she asked, swinging her legs off the end of the bed.

"I have no idea," Hawke answered truthfully, slipping off her dirty, wine-stained dress. I have a feeling the sun was up though.

"Lana, what happened?" Bethany gasped, lifting her discarded dress up off the ground and examining the giant red stains that would definitely never come out. Lana chuckled.

"Balls, it was a disaster, Bethany. I don't think Alison likes me very much anymore," she said, sniggering. Bethany glared up at her.

"Oh Maker, what did you do this time, Lana?" she asked grimly. He sister was too much of a joker for her own good.

"Nothing, Sister, I promise," Hawke replied, avoiding her gaze. And for once I'm telling the truth... Those big brown eyes of her little sister always seemed to make her feel even guiltier than she should though. "Just...stay away from her for a bit, won't you?...Let her temper cool down."

Bethany sighed, "Fine," she said, knowing how Alison could be sometimes, "Mother was worried sick about you last night by the way. I told her you'd be alright but you know what she's like."

Hawke groaned, "She needs to stop stressing over me so much. I'm a grown woman."

"She knows that, but she still frets over the fact that the tavern is so close to the Chantry. I think she's worried you'll do something crazy when you're drunk and expose us all," Bethany joked.

Lana cringed. Well, I definite did something crazy...though I only exposed myself. She avoided her sister eyes, trying to forget about the events of last night (and failing miserably).

"Anyway, if you didn't stay with Alison the whole night then why were you still out so late?" Bethany pressed on, a little confused.

Lana hesitated. Should I tell her? Maybe a little of the truth wouldn't hurt. "I...Well, if you must know I...met Sister Leliana at the tavern," she said carefully, trying not to let her imagination run wild again as the Chantry Sister appeared in her mind once more. Bethany eyed her curiously.

"Really?" she asked, surprised. She giggled a little. "That must have been awkward. What did you do?"

Maker, what didn't we do? Lana thought to herself. She suppressed a laugh.

"Um, you know...talked and...drank." And had the most amazing sex inside a windmill, you know, normal stuff!

Bethany snorted. "Hmm...That's surprising. I got the impression you didn't like her very much when you met yesterday in the Chantry Gardens, and I know how strongly you feel about religious folk."

Lana chuckled and began to pull on a clean shirt. "Well, as it turns out Leliana is...a little different than most."

"In what way?"

In the way that she stuck her tongue down my throat?

"Um...lots of ways...We got along just fine, Sister. I was very polite, don't worry. I didn't do or say anything...inappropriate." Except lick her in certain forbidden places and run my hands all over her curvy, tantalizing body.

Bethany seemed to relax then. Her elder sister could be such a deviant sometimes, sarcastic and witty, often earning her the ire of others...not that she ever cared mind you. Bethany sighed. Sometimes she wished she could be as carefree as her. At least Lana had been kind to Sister Leliana though. She was a nice lady, even if she was a member of the Chantry.

"Great!" she exclaimed excitedly then, "Then you can come with me to meet her again today. She sent a letter yesterday afternoon to say that I could come by for more stories."

Hawke hesitated, a clothes hanger slipping through her fingers. It fell to the floor with a clatter. She cleared her throat and bent down hurriedly to pick it up, lest her sister notice anything was off. Balls...I wasn't expecting this. She didn't much like the idea of facing Leliana again so soon after their secret encounter, especially after the way they had left things last night. Somehow she had a feeling that awkwardness would be the least of her worries. The effect the woman seemed to have on her was terrifying. She had never felt anything like it before in her life, but that wasn't what scared her. She was afraid about not being able to control her desires. Every part of her body was screaming to be touched by the woman once more, to touch her in every way possible like she had done last night, to have a repeat of their frolic in the windmill again... or in the Chantry, or in the Gardens, or...well pretty much anywhere! She was afraid that she would...misbehave, even with her little sister in attendance.

"Oh...I-I don't know, Bethany...I mean, when I said I liked her I didn't mean-"

"Oh please, Sister?" Bethany begged, holding her hands together and staring up at her cutely. "I think she's lonely. The other Sisters aren't very nice to her in the cloister. You should see the way they look at her. I think she'd like to see you again."

Hawke frowned then, "What do you mean?" she asked, interested against her will. "Why don't the other Sister's like her?" She couldn't imagine anyone not being enthralled by that soft Orlesian accent and the charming way with which Leliana spoke.

The smile fell from Bethany's face. "They're very condescending, Lana. They treat her like an outsider sometimes, because of her peculiar opinions of The Maker I suspect. I quite like her views actually, but you should hear how the others speak to her sometimes."

"And she just sits back and takes it?" Lana asked, pulling up her breeches and buttoning them before beginning to put on her boots. Sister Leliana didn't seem like someone who wouldn't stick up for herself like that. Of course, I don't particularly know her very well, but she just seems like such a strong woman to let herself be bothered by aggravating Chantry preachers.

"I...I think she does, but not in front of me," Bethany said, "I mean I hope so anyway...Some of the comments are quite nasty. It also doesn't help that she's Orlesian. A lot of people here still hate them after everything that happened in the war."

Lana laced up her boots, "Bastards," she said, feeling sorry for Leliana despite herself.

"So you'll come?" Bethany pressed, as though she had convinced her. She smiled sweetly at her sister. Lana sighed and rolled her eyes. Maker, how can I resist that face?

"Fine!" she relented, getting to her feet. "As long as you're ready by the time I eat breakfast. Ten minutes, pretty thing."

"Yes!" Bethany exclaimed, leaping out of bed. "Thanks, Sis. Save me some breakfast won't you? Before Carver digests it all."

"Consider it done."

Hawke chuckled and winked at her, then left the bedroom, heading to the living area to hopefully get some of that delicious bacon she smelled.

Bethany walked alongside her sister as they took the dirt path through the mountains towards the village of Lothering. Her mind flashed back to a few years ago when they had found a mabari hound that had just given birth on the side of the road. Lana had brought her out to feed the dog some scraps from their dinner. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at her elder sister then, wondering why Lana seemed quieter than usual. Normally after a night out she would have some funny stories to tell or at least a tale or two of some drama that had occurred in the tavern. Today she seemed a little distracted though.

"Are you alright?" Bethany asked then, unable to take the silence anymore. Lana smiled at her, rescued from dirty thoughts of Leliana.

"Fine," she said convincingly. Bethany sighed.

"Sorry for dragging you here again," she said, "I know how much you hate the Chantry. Mother feels more at ease when you're with me though."

"She worries far too much," Lana replied, rolling her eyes, "I swear, you'd think we were all as dumb as a box of hair or something."

Bethany chuckled, "She's just a little insecure after Father's death. Let's humour her for a bit longer before bringing it to her attention."

Hawke sighed, "You're right. Maybe I'm too hard on her sometimes. I find it hard to feel pity for her though when she yells at me like she did this morning for coming home so late."

Bethany laughed again, "I think that had more to do with Carver than you, Sister. Did you see his face? He has a massive black eye and a busted lip."

Lana laughed as well then, "I know, I teased him about it during breakfast. Asked him who I should send the flowers to. He didn't take it very well."

"When does he ever?" Bethany asked, rolling her eyes, "You know how jealous of you he's always been, Sister. He says he wants to join the Kings Army. I think he's trying to outdo you and become head of the family."

Lana snorted, "Tell him he's welcome to it. I wish those damn recruiters would stop trying to enlist me every time I pass. Frankly I couldn't give a shit what exceptionable qualities King Calian thinks I have."

"I think you'd be a brilliant soldier, Lana," Bethany said, smiling at her.

"And I think I'd much rather spend my days drinking in the tavern with my friends and having one night stands," she joked, making her sister laugh.

"You have no shame," Bethany replied chuckling innocently and shaking her head.

They crossed over the white marble bridge that led into Lothering then. It was a warm, sunny day just like it had been yesterday. The little dilapidated village was alive with the hustle and bustle of farmers and noontime shoppers, browsing what little wares that the local market vendors could spare. They were shouting loudly, bartering with their customers and advertising what items were on sale. Just as the Hawke sisters entered the village a familiar face was spotted, browsing the fruit stall.

"Oh, shit! You're kidding me!"

Lana ducked down behind her sister, hiding behind her back, using her as a human shield. Bethany turned around, causing Lana to hold her firmly in place and face her forwards again.

"What in The Maker's name are you doing?" she asked bewildered, glancing back at her.

"It's Alison!" Hawke hissed, "I can't let her see me."

Bethany chuckled and allowed her sister to redirect her away from the sour looking woman who was now buying some oranges.

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you two?" she asked. Normally her sister never got embarrassed like this. It was rather amusing. Lana hesitated.

"Um...maybe when you're older, Bethany," she replied, smirking up at her. "Just tell me when she's gone, will you?"

After a few more minutes Bethany spoke.

"Gone, now get out from behind me. People are staring at us."

Hawke chuckled and straightened up, glancing over her sister's head to make sure the coast was in fact clear.

"Good looking out, Sis," she said, with a cheeky grin. "I tell you, the next time I see that woman will be too soon...and she'd better have bought me a new dress."

Bethany chuckled, "So she was responsible for those stains I saw this morning? I thought you'd just fallen asleep with an open bottle of red wine in your arms again like last time."

"Hey!" Lana scolded, slapping her on the arm as she teased. "I did not fall asleep that time...I passed out...There's a difference."

"Oh, Maker I love you Lana," Bethany sang back, shaking her head and chuckling. "Come on. Sister Leliana will be waiting for us."

She reached down and took her elder sister's hand, leading them across the square along the small river and into the Chantry itself. Lana swallowed hard, trying to summon her composure in time for her first post-sex encounter with Leliana. She had no idea how this was going to go, and poor Leliana had no idea she was even coming. One thing was for sure though...Lana definitely wanted to sleep with her again, run her tongue along the woman's collarbone like she had last night, taste the sweetness of her skin, feel the warmth of her writhing, sweating body up against hers. But I can't! Maker's Breath, it shouldn't have happened in the first place! Damn it, this is so bloody wrong!

Taking a deep breath she reluctantly allowed Bethany to lead her up in between the pews, trying to ignore the numerous other initiates and the endless parade of statues of Andraste staring down at her. The way the Prophet was looking at her was as though she knew the dirty thoughts going through her mind and was berating her for defiling one of her priestesses. Hawke began to shake as she anticipated meeting Leliana's piercing blue eyes once more, both of them knowing what had happened. Stop it! Lana scolded. She pulled herself together then. I'm being silly. She was only going to listen to the woman's stories after all. It would be fine. There was nothing to worry about. It wouldn't be so hard to keep her desires under control...would it?