Ok so this is a really random Fanfic which is about Nathaniel Howe and the Cousland Girl story. It has a few flashbacks that kind of explain how they know each other and random other occurrences. Oh… although in my play through Juliana is actually the newb from the other country… so yeah I might have that version two depending on how this one goes over… Enjoy!!! :k

Rouge Moments

By LK

Chapter One

Nathaniel Howe…

'Augh… why does he have to keep talking… I haven't even been able to scout the place since the attack and he just keeps going on and on and…' But Juliana's thoughts were suddenly distracted by the man who she'd been just complaining about. Apparently her head had started to loll to one side and her tanned face had became obscured by her short black hair.

"Are you alright Warden Commander?" Varel asked seeming worried. She wanted so much to fake being nearly about to collapse from exhaustion but resisted.

"Oh, my apologies sir. Please continue." She tried to state with a convincing smile.

"Why don't you take a break… you seem tired…" He stated unconvinced. She blinked trying to rid her eyes of the exhaustion that was filling them. As she opened her mouth to tell him it was fine she could not suppress a long yawn.

"Err… maybe your right… I'm going to walk around and make sure all of the dark spawn are gone first before doing so though… after all that's what we do." And was out before the Seneschal could say another thing yawning once more. A problem that seemed to occur during times alone to Juliana was simply her mind began to wander. A wandering mind was fine for people who had hardly any bad memories or the time to get over the problems when they'd first occurred… but she was not as lucky as most. For the last year and a half she'd been running around with too much to do to think about her own troubles… her family or her pain. Loosing him… her family… and now trying to pull this place together just after an attack were just too much to have to think about. No one should have to deal with thinking about that.

"Warden Commander!" A guard called her now all too normal title as they waved her over. She reluctantly went towards the guard who was standing in front of the dungeons entrance. When she arrived the person seemed nearly as tired as she. "Mam, there is a prisoner in the dungeons in which we would like you to decide the fait of… if you could?"

"Oh, I see… very well… what did this man do?" Juliana asked inquisitively. The man seemed surprised but unsure of how to answer her. He motioned for her to fallow him and walked into the prisoner cell area.

"This man was caught stealing some items form the previous owners collection of objects and was taken here… He was protected by these walls while better people fell to the attack…" He seemed to go quiet for a moment agitated by the occurrences over the past few hours. He walks into the dimly lit area of prison, there are only a few people there and only one of them a prisoner in a cell the man motioned for them to leave and they did so. He then turned to the commander. "Here is the prisoner." He points to a cell and continues. "He took down quite a few Grey Wardens before being captured so be careful mam… He's dangerous… not that you would have too much difficulty with that I would suspect…" After stating this he handed her the cell keys.

"Hey who is this guy anyways?" She asks before he leaves.

"Don't know, he won't say…" The guard stated and walked away from her and out of the room leaving her alone with the prisoner.

Nervously and tiredly she began to walk towards the prisoners cell, the shadows had nearly engulphed the entire cell in total darkness. She walked up to the barred cell door and peered in, there wasn't much in the cell, a bed and a place to do 'business' and that was about it. The man in the cell seemed to be sleeping peacefully, his dark hair obscured his troubled face. She could see very little else though and chose to attempt to wake him.

She cleared her throat but to no avail, he didn't seem to hear. "Erm… hey?! Hello? Are you awake?" She called but the man simply turned over in his makeshift straw bed. She sighed and looked down at the keys in her hand, she wanted to be done with this and soon… but if they didn't even know who he was how was she to decide? She slowly put the keys into the lock and turned them with a click, then she swung the door open. It hit the wall with a loud and horrid banging sound that nearly sent her out of her skin. But the man simply twitched in his sleep.

"Well at least someone can sleep peacefully… *yawns* I haven't had any good sleep since…" She stopped speaking for a moment when realizing how she was going about. "Wow I'm talking to someone who's sleeping… aren't I brilliant." Within walking only a few more steps she finally got a look at his face and took a step back. Her eyes widened and suddenly there was no one proper thought that could be properly wrought in her mind. It was Nathaniel Howe… Her childhood friend… her greatest enemies son… just lying there… sleeping, or was he? She remembered him being quite the light sleeper…

"N… Nathaniel…" She whispered. At that he twitched, she knew who he was… she knew it and seemed afraid…

'Good…' He thought, 'Then she knows why I despise her… this Commander of the Grey Wardens… I'll slit her throat for what she did to my father…' He shuddered at that and then began to ready himself to attack her, he'd have to be swift if he was going to kill her as quickly as he needed. He heard a few steps being taken back by the girl and was slightly confused by them, it was as though she was unsure of what to do with him… he would expect her to try and kill him but it seemed not. He chose then to attack first getting up and lunging at the un-expecting woman seemed easy enough until he realized that she hadn't fought back. In fact she still wasn't, his hands were grasped around her throat and he had her slammed against the barred wall of the cell. Chocking the life out of her would definitely be easy enough… if he hadn't looked her in the eyes. Those eyes they were familiar to him… but where there was once warmth and happiness there was only a darkened and hallow expression now… But no this could not be her! She was dead… along with the rest of the Cousland's line… or so he had heard, and either way it was impossible… her the Commander of the Gray? Let alone a Grey Warden at all… Before he could stop himself he'd loosened his grip on her throat and leaned in to whisper a simple question. "What is your name… Commander?" The sad eyes blinked confusedly but she still tried to speak.

" My… name…" She began breathlessly. "Is… Juliana… Cous…land… I…" But he stopped her from speaking once more… He shivered for a moment staring at the girl's face, she was starting to pale… starting to die… but could he really kill her? Killing his father's murderer seemed much more easier back when it was some horrible insulting woman who had slaughtered his father in cold blood and politics…

"Why… in the world… didn't you try and fight back?" He glared at the girl as he asked her. She glanced at the ground and closed her eyes. He slammed her against the bars one more. "Answer me!" His rage surging once more and his grip tightening, staring her in the eyes he saw a pain… but not brought by the force of he himself… something… someone had pained her greatly. 'What the heak all happened when I was in the Free Marches…' He stared at her as though expecting the answer to simply appear. His hands started to loosen their grip around her neck, knowing he couldn't kill her even though she'd killed his father only angered him even more. His grip eventually slipped away entirely but his anger would not let him rest. As she began to try and catch her breath as best she could he hit her sending her to the ground and taking one of her short swords from her sheath as he went. She landed with a harsh thud and he heard what sounded like a crack of a bone. She groaned in pain, and for a momentary weakness he saw the innocent child he once knew… but knew was gone… as she tried to stand he pointed the sword at her throat and so she sat on the dirty floor in a great amount of pain, and breathing in heavy rasping breaths as she looked at him, and yet still no anger, still no hatred boiled behind her icy eyes. The only thing he could sense was the sorrow… a great pain that lurked from somewhere deep inside her.

"I…" She began in a whisper. "I have… no reason…" She looked up at him her eyes seemed to be pleading with him to understand what she'd meant but it only angered him more.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" He glared at her angrily suppressing the erg to hit her again.

"I swore… That unless I saw any threat… I would never harm… the children of Howe… When… I… he died…" Finally her breathing was beginning to regulate and calmed enough to where he didn't hear every rasping breath.

"Wha???" He was confused by this statement, what could she possibly mean by it.

"When your father died…" She started.

"You mean when you murdered him!" He glared at her with a ferocity that made her wince.

"There was no final blow… only final words… your father bleed to death…" She glanced up at him her eyes weary and seeming as though already giving into the pain as his dark scowl still showed.

"Oh? And I'm supposed to believe that that is a good enough excuse for my father's death?" He was shouting now, his anger hanging onto every word he spoke. "Or do you have a better one?" He snarled as she stared at the ground. "Look at me woman!" He grabbed her by her arm and she flinched. 'So that's what broke?' He pulled her up and towards himself to where she was only a few inches away from his face. She was shaken now and stared into his eyes with a look that nearly made his heart skip a beat. Her eyes were wide, as though the purest and most innocent of creatures was staring him in the face. His eyes widened and his expression softened for a moment before he regained his composer.

"Did… you hear what happened, to my family? At least your's were allowed to live… at least we didn't take the lives of everyone that mattered to your father… Your brother's death… a result of war…" She looked pleadingly at him as though trying to make him understand. "Your father… He betrayed us… he killed… everyone…" She side glanced at the ground not wanting him to see her face.

"…You… You lie! My father would never betray yours unless for somewhat of a good reason…" He argued back.

Suddenly she sighed and looked him once more in the eyes with a serious and sad face. "Listen to yourself Howe, you can't even say that in full confidence can you?" Her eyes soften. "I will not have you hung… No definitely not killed…" He stared at her dumbfounded as he heard what she'd stated.

"You're… going to spare my life? But I tried to kill you! You're lying aren't you?" His eyes narrowed as though hoping to spot the truth, and then he realized. She was staring at something else, or someone else. He turned around quickly grasping the stolen sword in a better grip as he saw, there stood three men. A Dwarf with an Ax, a mage who'd already looked to have started something, and another, older man who stood dumbfounded staring at the two of them. He froze, there was no way past the two of them, and hearing the sound of the woman standing told him that there would be no chance of getting very far at all if even out of the cell. He was trapped, where he should have ran he had stayed and yelled, and now he was caught… but why, why did she spare his life? Did she have some crueler fate for him?

"Commander, yeh alrigh'?" Called Oghren looking about ready to chop off any part of Nathaniel that had even touched the girl, which was a lot if she remembered correctly. Her hand went to her throat, it still hurt harshly but she shook her head.

"I'm fine Oghren. No worries… He… He's Howes son…" She stated the last part much quieter that the first bit. As she finished standing her arm had a surge of pain go through it once more, which made her noticeably wince. 'Definitely broken…' She realized that Oghren had noticed and smiled to try to make him not worry but he knew what it was. But still Oghren lowered his Ax and the mage called Anders lowered his staff confused but neither loosened their grips.

Nathaniel after making his assumption of what was going on dropped the sword to the ground and pushed t towards Juliana with his foot. He stared at the ground honestly expecting to be executed on the spot.

He felt a hand grasp his shoulder and looked over, it was Juliana but she wasn't looking at him. Instead she stared at the Seneschal. He honestly looked like he was freaking out worse than the Dwarf and the Mage combined. But he seemed to understand whatever it was that she was silently asking and he reluctantly nodded.

"Nathaniel" She began, he jumped as her voice was calmer than expected. He glanced over as she let go of his shoulder and took a step away from him. She was now facing him with an odd look on her face. "I… have decided what is to be done with you." She seemed unsure of how to word what she had to say and paused.

'Crud… this was a lot easier the last time… of course they were totally different people… and a lot kinder cases with me… and hadn't been in a dungeon for the last few days getting who knows what done to them… although then he could be easier to convince… or I could just force him to…' The thoughts were rushing through her mind along with the pain in her arm and throat as she tried to word her sentence.

"You are to become a Grey Warden." She stated flatly and precisely. His heart nearly jumped.

'A what!? Oh please don't tell me she said what I think she did… why I'd rather be…' He began to think as he spit out his reaction along with his thoughts. "I'd rather hang then join your order."

"Who said I was giving you a choice?" She asked not expecting to be answer as she headed out of the cell and walked out of the jail.

"I don' believe in ya… but if ya out ere, Maker help us, ee survives tha joinin'" Oghren stated looking up at the ceiling and heading out of the jail as well, the mage fallowed silently for once. And that left only Nathaniel and the Seneschal in the area.

"What is the Joinin'… as he called it?" Nathaniel asked worriedly.

"It's the Joining… and it's how you literally join the Grey Wardens…" The Seneschal answered him and turning for the door.

"Oh…" He answered still unsure.

"Come we should be preparing for it now." And with that Nathaniel fallowed the Seneschal out of the jail and into the beginning of his soon to be life.

Well I hope you liked it! Sorry if it was weird… it fallows the basics of the original version but not fully… after all somehow your not depressed from the death of Alistair if he dies… somehow… but you can totally be depressed from your parents dying just not the love of your life. Weird huh? Either way please comment!!! I'll give you cookies!!! (Ok so I'll draw Juliana with a plate of cookies but still!)