Hi everyone, so, this is my first Dragon Age, so, hopefully it's good! I recently have been obsessed with this game so I just had to write something. I really hope you like it, please leave a comment/review below letting me know what you think of it. Thank you, I would really appreciate it! :) Oh, and I apologize for the horrible summary, I wasn't sure what to write exactly and for what I wanted to write, there wasn't enough room in the summary box... Sorry about that!

I also want to thank my best friend, Kristin, (LadyGreyBergamot) for helping me write this and edit it. :) She is the one who got me into the game and I am so glad she did, thank you! ^_^

Thank you all for reading. :)

I OWN NOTHING; I DO NOT OWN DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS.

"The Same Way"

. . .

The thick, heavy fog encloses her, suffocating her as she stands there, the path ahead of her hidden behind the fog. She whips her head around and squints her stormy grey eyes, trying to figure out where she is and how to leave.

The silence is deafening and the eerie atmosphere she finds herself trapped in sends shivers down her spine. She licks her dried lips and sighs, wrapping her arms tightly around herself as she takes a step forward, only to be greeted with more fog. The fog follows her every step, always a step ahead of her and blocking the sight of her path.

She lets out a sigh of frustration as she looks up at the dead black sky- no stars, no light. Dead, twisted trees tower over her, giving her little accesses of the dark sky. Vaguely through the fog, she can make out large, sharp, pointy, pinnacles of stones that, by the looks of it, lead down a pathway.

Hesitation bubbles in her stomach- she's not sure whether she should make her way down the path or stay put. When she thinks about it, though, what other choice does she have? Stand in the middle of wherever she is and wait until someone rescues her?

She shakes her head, Grey Wardens do not need saving- she doesn't need saving. Sucking in a deep breath, she takes a step forward and begins trailing down the lifeless path, staying aware of any sounds. She keeps her guard up and walks slowly, taking each step with caution.

Where is she, anyway? How did she get here?

When a faint noise catches her ear, she goes to reach behind her for her two daggers, but when she feels for it, nothing is there. Her eyebrows furrow together as she tries to remember where her swords went and why they aren't with her. Now feeling a bit more unease, she clenches her hands into tight fists and continues down the path, silently praying that she is just hearing things and no one is around.

In a short distance, she can make out a large, gnarled tree. She can feel her stomach twist- the tree giving her an uneasy feeling as nothing surrounds it- not even fog. As she walks towards the tree, the misty fog disappears behind her and she suddenly sees a man standing there with his back to her as he stares at the lifeless tree.

Her jaw clenches as she stares daggers into the man's back, not too sure whether she can trust him or not- why is he just staring at the tree anyways?

Before any words leave her mouth, the man speaks first. Although he never turned around, he sensed her presence. "Hello," He greets in a gentle voice and then he adds with a small smile, even if she cannot see it, "pup."

Briefly her eyes widen at the familiar nickname and she takes a small step forward. She has to swallow around the burning lump that is stuck in her throat as she immediately recognizes who the man is, standing there in front of her. Even if she can only see his back- she knows who he is. "F-Father?"

Slowly the man turns around and sure enough, it's him. The man standing there with a proud smile painted along his face is the one and only, Bryce Cousland, her father. Giving her a small nod, he replies, "It is good to see you again, Elissa."

Elissa remains silent as her mind tries to wrap around the fact that her dead father is standing right in front of her, speaking and smiling at her. "How are you… no, you're-"

"Dead?" He finishes her thought, "Yes, I am dead, pup." His smile vanishes as it is replaced with a frown as his eyes shimmer with guilt. "I am so sorry I am not there with you."

Ignoring his apology, she clears her throat as she holds back the tears that threaten to spill at any second at the sight of her dead father. "Father, how are you here? Where are we?"

"Please," He practically begs with pleading eyes, "we only have limited time. You won't be here for much longer. Pup, you must know, I am so, so proud of you. I know I refused to even ponder the fact of you becoming a Grey Warden when Duncan suggested it, but now that I see you, I can never be more proud."

Elissa looks down at her armor before looking back up at her father's smiling face, "I miss you. You and mother are gone and Fergus is missing- I feel so alone. I miss my family."

Bryce offers her a sad smile as he nods his head to show his understanding, "I know, pup, trust me, I know. I am aware, though, you created yourself a new family?"

That statement made the corners of Elissa's lips curve upwards, "Yes, I have. After joining the Grey Wardens, I… met someone and along the way more joined our group. We are going to save Ferelden." The softness leaves her face and hardness replaces it as her eyes grow serious suddenly, "I promise you, father, I will seek revenge against Howe for what he did to you."

"I know." It is pointless in arguing with his daughter- although he may be stubborn and protective over his daughter, he knows Elissa is just as stubborn and with or without his permission, she will go after Howe with rage in her he never would have believed she had it in her. He knows she is strong and can accomplish many things, but when she goes after Howe, she will only see red- she will only see hatred and there will be no mercy. "Just be careful; I need you to be careful."

She nods, "Of course, father." Even with him dead, he still worries about her. "I won't let you down."

"Elissa," He says, changing the subject suddenly as his eyebrow raises, "you mentioned you met someone?"

Her heart drops into her stomach and she can feel the redness forming on her cheeks. She runs a hand through her dark, chocolate brown hair that is a little passed her shoulders and sighs, "Father-"

"I am just curious." He interrupts with his eyebrow still raised, "Now, who is it? What is his name?"

She waits a moment before replying, hoping her father will drop the question and the subject all together, but she can see by the look on his face that he has no intention of doing that. She sighs once more, "His name is Alistair, he is another Grey Warden."

"Alistair," The name slips off Bryce's tongue as he nods his head, "and the two of you are… together?"

Her eyes grow wide and she shakes her head, "You said we have limited time, I do not wish to talk about him while we can talk about so much more with much more meaning."

"I do wish to talk about this," He says with a stern voice, "I am dead and it would help to know what man has his hands all over my daughter."

"Father!" She cries as she looks down at the ground, closing her eyes as she shakes her head, "He does not have his hands all over me. He and I… we are close, we are developing a relationship, but nothing is settled." She looks back up at him, "I am a bit busy trying to stop all the Darkspawn and trying to wrap my head around the idea that soon I will be fighting the Archdemon. Plus I have to stop Howe and Loghain-"

"I may be dead, but I am aware of what is going on in Ferelden. Pup, I realize what is happening, but with us gone, I want you happy." Bryce says with a heavy sigh, "If Alistair makes you happy, then I do not see why not-"

"Enough about Alistair and I! Please?" She laughs, "Now, how much more time do we have?"

"Only a few moments, my dear. Please remember, always, that your mother and I… we love you, so, so much. I am so proud to have you and Fergus as my children and I know you can defeat whatever lies in your way. I am always with you. I will see you again soon, pup. I love you." Bryce says while the fog begins to form around them, only this time, the fog is tainted a dark crimson color.

"No!" Elissa cries as he begins to fade, "Father, no!" The fog wraps around her body, suffocating her. She can't move and she can feel her eyelids begin to fall close. She tries to open her mouth and speak, but the burning lump formed its way back in her throat, stuck there. She swallows hard around it and whispers, "I love you, father."

Faintly, she can hear someone shouting her name- the voice familiar, but she cannot put her finger on it. She gasps out short breathes and squeezes her eyes shut as she opens her mouth to scream, but nothing comes out.

"Elissa! Elissa, wake up! Elissa-"

"Elissa, wake up!" The familiar voice yells louder this time, praying the Grey Warden will open her eyes and come back to him- to all of them.

Without any notice or warning, Elissa's eyes snap open and a gasp leaves her mouth as she sits straight up, but instantly regretting it when she feels her side sting in pain. "Ugh…" She groans, lying back down on her back and squeezing her eyes shut. Her head throbs in pain along with the rest of her body.

"Elissa!" His voice rings in her ears, "Thank the Maker, you're finally awake! I was beginning to worry."

She forces her eyelids open and she blinks hard to get rid of the blurriness that consumes her eyes. She goes to respond, but instead a violent cough takes over. She turns her head and spits out blood, gasping for air as she finds it hard to breathe.

"Take it easy," He says as he places a gentle hand behind her back and the other on the side of her cheek, "you are still recovering."

She lies back down and stares at the top of her tent. Her eyebrows furrow together as her eyes slowly lower to meet Alistair's own dark, brown eyes. She can't help herself as a small smile forms its way onto her face; planting itself there as her eyes connect with his.

"Alistair," She manages out, wincing at how her voice cracks when she says his name. Her throat feels like it is on fire, "What… what happened?"

He smiles down at her as he lets one of his legs lay straight beside her own leg and he pulls up his other leg to his chest as he leans his arm on his knee. He stares at her for a few seconds before answering her question, "We were on our way back from camp, but then we were ambushed by a bunch of Hurlocks and Genlocks. You were the first one to notice them, but it was too late. They knocked me right off my feet and the fight began."

She nods, vaguely remembering that, and he continues. "Zevran and Morrigan were putting up a good fight while you and I… well, we were doing just fine until a bunch of Shrieks decided to join in on the party."

"I'm assuming things only got worse from there?" She questions as she tries desperately to ignore the growing pain that is burning her side.

He nods his head after a moment, "Yes… well, not right away. You see, we killed the Hurlocks, which was the majority, which only left the Shrieks and the Genlocks. Morrigan and Zevran were fighting the Genlocks while the two of us were fighting with the Shrieks. We were doing great! You were slicing each one of them with both of your swords and blood was flying everywhere… a pretty sight? Morrigan surely thought so." He chuckles and then adds, "But a Hurlock came out of nowhere -I guess we missed one- and he sliced your side pretty badly."

"That can explain why my side is killing me." She groans, but offers him a small smile, "I feel dead."

Instead of smiling back, a serious look consumes his face, almost scaring her. He is usually not so serious and the two of them would usually joke about their wounds while they're healing themselves. It's how they dealt with it.

"Alistair," She begins, but he stops her there as he raises a hand and shakes his head. "Elissa, you were almost dead. You were still standing strong after the slice on your side and you ignored the blood that was pouring out of you. You managed to kill the Hurlock, but just when we thought it was over… it wasn't."

She watches him look down at the floor and she shakes her head, managing to use whatever strength she had left and place it on top of his hand, "I am fine now, you know."

"Yes, but you should have seen you! An ogre came marching towards us and he almost killed you! I went to go help you with the ogre, but Zevran collapsed and I had to help him before he ended up getting killed. I… I'm sorry. I should have helped you first. The ogre picked you up and swung you around, he threw you to the ground and your head slammed against a rock… it was horrible." Alistair tightens his hold on her hand and closes his eyes, "You weren't moving, but the ogre kept attacking you."

He then adds with a sigh, "Morrigan took care of the ogre while I went to your aid and Zevran took care of the rest of the Shrieks and Genlocks. When it was all over, we got back to camp and Morrigan and Wynne began healing you. You suffered from head trauma, a gaping wound on your side and leg, a wrenched limb; you name it."

"And yourself?" She asks as she notices his head wrapped in a white bandage.

He smiles, it was always like her, to always worrying about everyone else before herself. One thing he always liked about her- she was caring and put others first, despite her own condition. "I'm fine. I just have a slice on the side of my head; I'll be fine and good as new by tomorrow."

Knowing he would be okay, she manages a small smile, "Good. What about Zevran and Morrigan?"

"Of course, Morrigan had no injuries," He rolls his eyes, but chuckles when he sees Elissa roll her eyes back at him, "and Zevran only has a torn shoulder. He'll be okay, too."

He stares at her, trying desperately to ignore the blood that stained her leather armor and a part of her hair. "Elissa," He begins, hoping she can't hear the worry and concern in his voice, "um, what were you dreaming about?" He decides to change the subject, besides, he was curious because she was screaming in her sleep.

"I…" She doesn't know how to explain, "I had a dream of my father."

"Bryce Cousland?"He questions, "You dreamt of him?"

She shrugs her shoulder, but winces at the sudden movement, "Yes… well, not exactly. It was not much a dream, I was speaking to him; we talked. I… he was real, Alistair."

He nods his head- there were plenty of times he had dreams like those of Duncan. "It must be hard for you, I understand. After Duncan passed away, even now, I have dreams of him."

"I just don't think it was really a dream, though." The Grey Warden tries to explain, "We were talking about nonsense, but it was nice. I miss him and he was there, smiling at me. I was scared that I was just seeing things, but he was truly there and it was nice. I sound crazy, but-"

"You sound like someone who misses their family. By all means, Elissa, there is no need for explanation. I can relate to you on this topic dearly. What did you two talk about?" Alistair asks and then quickly adds, "You were screaming in your sleep, so I was worried it was a nightmare you were having."

Elissa shakes her head and subconsciously she squeezes his hand a bit tighter, "We talked about how he was proud of me and he was glad Duncan took me in to become a Grey Warden. We talked briefly about the Grey Wardens and how others joined us- almost like becoming my new family, in a way. He knows I am going after Howe for what he did to my family and he wants me to be careful and so on."

"We did grow to become a family, didn't we?" He smiles and then frowns, "Except for Morrigan. She and I do not consider each other 'family'."

He chuckles when she playfully slaps him and rolls her eyes, "Alistair!"

"What? We are not!" Alistair laughs, but then sighs, "So, that was all?"

"Well," Elissa laughs as she can feel the familiar heat rise back to her cheeks, "we talked about one more thing."

His eyebrow goes up in curiosity, "Yeah? Such as?"

"None of your business, Alistair." She says with a grin as she stares back up at the ceiling of her tent. When she feels his eyes burning into her skin, she laughs, "Staring is not going to make me tell you."

"Come on! Why the secrets?" He grins, "I thought we were 'family'?"

"Oh?" She challenges him as she raises her own eyebrow and shoots him a look, "And since when does family tell each other everything?"

He remains silent for a few moments before nodding his head with a childish grin plastered onto his face, "Since now. Come on, Elissa, tell me."

"Fine!" She groans in frustration, "I assume you are not going to give up if I do not tell you now." She sighs as he laces his fingers through her own, "We may have mentioned your name."

His eyebrows knit together in confusion, "Me? What did you two discuss exactly?"

"So nosy you are," She laughs, "you are aware of that, right?" He nods his head and then urges her to continue. She rolls her eyes at him once more, "With my parents died and my brother missing, he knew I must be feeling alone. I told him I met someone and I was doing much better now that I have joined the Grey Wardens and he pushed me into telling him who. He was defensive at first, but I explained that you and I… we are friends who have been… developing a… relationship." By the look of his confusion that is still painted along his face, she quickly shakes her head, "Not that I was saying we are in a relationship. I know that you might not want that and I-"

"Hey, hey, hey," He quickly cuts her off and places a warm hand on the side of her cheek, "aren't I usually the nervous one?"

She laughs and shrugs her shoulder, leaning into his touch, "Yes. Alistair-"

"Besides," He cuts her off again with a grin, "who said I did not want a relationship with you?"

Elissa stares up at him with a blank expression as she tries to fully comprehend his words. She opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out; she is truly speechless. "Alistair-"

"Listen, I want to show you something that I have been meaning to for a while now. Here, look at this. Do you know what it is?" Alistair pulls out a beautiful flower with such vibrant red and the thorns surrounding its stem.

"That's a rose." Elissa says quietly as her eyes remain locked with the rose that Alistair holds delicately in his hand.

"Yes," He smiles, "it is." He shakes his head, trying to figure out the right words to say to her, "I picked it in Lothering. I remember thinking, how could something so beautiful exist in a place with so much despair and ugliness? I probably should have left it alone, but I couldn't. The Darkspawn would come and their taint would just destroy it. So I've had it ever since."

The Grey Warden cannot help the smile that managed along her lips, "That's a nice sentiment." She looks up at him and then glances back down at the single rose that holds so much meaning and symbolizes so much.

He looks down nervously at the rose and clears his throat, "I thought that I might…give it to you, actually. In a lot of ways, I think the same thing when I look at you."

Elissa blinks at him, her voice stuck in her throat as his words sink in, "I… I don't know what to say." She has been admiring the beauty of the rose that rests in his hand as he confesses what he has been keeping from her for quite some time now.

When the silence fills the small tent, he shakes his head, quickly in a rush to spit out, "I guess it's a bit silly, isn't it?" He licks his dried lips and can feel his cheeks heating up, "I just thought, here I am doing all this complaining, and you haven't exactly been having a good time of it, yourself. You have had none of the good experience of being a Grey Warden since your Joining. Not a word of thanks or congratulations. It's all been death and fighting and tragedy."

He gently places the small rose in her hand, "I thought maybe I could say something. Tell you what a rare and wonderful thing you are to find amidst all this… darkness."

Elissa forces herself to tear her eyes away from the rose's beauty and look back up at Alistair, who has a small, nervous smile on his face. "I feel the same way about you."

His eyes widen and she can see the life her words brought to them. They sparkle with delight as he grins widely at her, "I'm glad you like it." He then adds as he rubs the back of his neck, "Now… if we could just move right on past this awkward embarrassing stage and get right to the steamy bits, I'd appreciate it."

Elissa shrugs her shoulder and nods her head, a smirk tugging on her lips, "Sounds good. Off with the armor, then."

His laugh roars throughout the tent, making her heart rate speed up- she always loved his laugh and he always loved her humor. He knew she saw through his bluff and he's glad she can make the awkwardness disappear so easily. She makes him feel so relaxed- s0 happy.

His fingers trace her jaw line and he sighs, "You need some more rest."

She knew he must see the way she winces every time she moves a muscle. She nods her head slowly after a moment hesitation, "You will be here when I wake, then?"

"I wouldn't be anywhere else." He smiles and then leans his head down so it is only inches from her face. She looks up at him and immediately gets lost in his eyes- he lost so much, as much as her and right now and every day afterwards, they need each other. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he places a very gentle, soft, and passionate kiss against her lips; he can feel her smiling automatically into the kiss against his lips.

When they pull away from the kiss for air, they stare into each other's eyes until Elissa breaks the silence, "Who knew you would be such a good kisser?"

He chuckles and then presses another kiss against her lips before pulling away and lying down by her side. Their fingers lace through each other as the two of them stay like that for hours, talking about random things and innocently flirting with one another until she finally fell asleep.

Alistair watches her sleep until exhaustion takes its toll on him and he finds himself drifting off into a peaceful sleep, and, instead of dreaming about his past, he dreams of Elissa and a future they share. The two of them completely oblivious to the rest of the group talking about them around the campfire, all of them already have placed bets on when Alistair would step up and admit his feelings for the Grey Warden, which he did and Elissa returned the same feelings back.

Looks like Leliana and Wynne won the bet.