Reunion

Part One

Note: This story contains graphic sensual elements and is, in fact, a glorified Harliquin Romance novel with better dialogue, better sex and more kissing than you ever wanted to read about. So if you don't want to know about Alistair's love of tactile affection or Elissa's recent discovery of the "human control rod" then stop now! And if you're under 18 and your parents are prudes, you need to stop reading as well. I've corrupted enough people already. Oh and there's some smooching between teenagers, 16 and 17. It's not kiddie porn, it's simple coming of age self-discovery and fits in a medieval-based period. To those of you courageous enough to read on, I say welcome aboard! Bring your waders though… It gets pretty deep Oh, and no spoilers for those playing the game.

Prologue

They had been on the roads of the land for some three months since leaving Ostragar, a bloody trail of dead Darkspawn left in their wake. It was remarkable what kind of damage two (very green) Gray Wardens, an Apostate mage, an independent Golem, a disgraced Qunari, a reformed (reforming?) assassin and a circle mage could do. Alistair was greatly impressed by their progress but unhappy with its snail's pace. Things had taken too much time and Arl Eamon was still sick in spite of their efforts. They now chased a fantasy cure that may or may not exist. If Elissa hadn't believed it would help and if it were not the only possible cure, he would have voted to pursue the treaties instead. Those were tangible. Those were real. Andraste's Ashes were a legend.

And if he wasn't under enough stress as it was, about four weeks earlier, he had tentatively entered into a romantic relationship with Elissa Cousland, formerly of Highever. From the moment he met her, he was attracted. Sure, she was beautiful, what with her striking blue-green eyes and vivid dark red hair, but there was more to it than that. For one, she was confident but not conceited and she never put on airs. She could have if she wanted and he wouldn't have thought any less of her. She was, after all, a Teryn's daughter and a noble by birth. Becoming a Gray Warden only changes one's future, not ones past. The other attractive thing about her was her skill. She was good! She was fast, nimble and wielded her blades like an extension of her body. She'd even begun to train with Zevran as he taught her his secrets. Alistair liked having her by his side in a fight and knew he would never fall if she was there, beside him.

And then there was the way she treated him. She liked his company, appreciated his jokes and never made him feel awkward, unless they were alone together and he was struggling to maintain his composure. Elissa understood him, and she seemed to always know how to put him at ease. Telling her about his possible connection to Ferelden's throne some six weeks earlier, for example, had been hard for him but after the initial shock, she treated him just as he had hoped: the same as always. By allowing him to meet his sister and then later finding his Mother's locket, she had only added to his respect and growing affection for her. Those little gestures, insignificant in the grand scheme of things, were important to him and meant that she really did genuinely care about him. They meant more than she could imagine. Finally, he could laugh a little and maybe surrender himself to some of his growing feelings toward her.

Then the flirting began. She flirted with him almost daily, something that was unexpectedly awkward for him. It was mostly little things like touching his hand a lot, leaning in close enough to smell her hair or the compliments and random hugs she gave. Intermixed were things that warmed his blood like the night she emerged from her tent in the little, sleeveless silk night-dress she slept in and curled up against him to chat. That the night-dress was almost sheer had left his palms wet and his heart racing. She then had made things worse when she lay across his lap and smiled up at him, arms stretched out behind her. The dress left little to the imagination and the way she was positioned had left her thighs completely bare. Elissa also had begun touching his leg close to his groin and enjoyed the nervous glances he cast her full cleavage when she leaned over him. She wickedly created a game of Tug-O-War, which took place between her eyes and her breasts. She's a lady. Don't look, Alistair! Don't look! Damn! Eyes! Maker, her breasts are perfect… EYES, Alistair! EYES! She's evil… It had been flattering, though, and he liked the inflation it gave to his ego. And of course he enjoyed the attention. Flirting back was hard for him, however, because of his lack of experience with women and he wasn't sure how far was too far or where flirting ended and being crass began. So, like he did with most things, he followed her lead and dropped clues that he wanted more than friendship. It had worked out perfectly.

The moment of their first kiss had been both a release and a revelation. It felt good to take her into his arms and sweep her into a long, powerful kiss that left them both breathless. Until that moment, she had just been another Gray Warden who happened to be a friend. Now, they were so much more. Battles meant more now when they were ended with a celebratory caress of lips and long nights were so much more interesting. That kiss revealed the depth of his feelings for her and their intensity amazed him. Did she feel the same way, he wondered.

All of that kissing (he kissed her every chance he got) and playful flirting (he was learning!) was actually a lot of fun. In between killing bandits, rescuing Connor's soul, murdering Darkspawn and wiping out a tower-full of blood-mages, the love-play had become a welcome respite. The effect of course, was an unexpected build-up of tension both emotional and physical. Every time he kissed her, he wanted to touch her in ways that could get him slapped. He was against getting slapped and avoided it carefully. So, how does one touch a woman without opening himself up to unnecessary violence? Then again, maybe she wanted to be touched and he was just fooling himself into thinking she would think less of him for actually doing it.

Whatever he did, he had to do it soon. His body was like a bowstring and if he waited much longer for release, he would explode. The thought of exploding was even less attractive than that of getting slapped. So, after a great deal of rehearsing, he finally approached her and almost bungled his whole speech. Her response was better than he could have hoped. In fact, she appeared to be enduring a lot of the same tension he was and welcomed the opportunity to show him how she felt. But as armor fell away and passions were shared, Alistair's mind flooded with questions. There was a familiarity about her that he couldn't shake. He'd felt it before, shortly after meeting her, but dismissed it as the familiarity all Wardens feel toward one another.

This was different. Holding her in his arms, their naked bodies pressed together in a sonnet of lust and love, he couldn't help feeling that they were meeting all over again. Since Alistair did not believe in reincarnation, if they had met, it had to have been long ago, in another time and place. Fortunately, every time his mind wandered, Elissa knew just what it took to bring it back.

Her body, slick with sweat and glistening gold in the firelight reminded him of a dress he once saw on a woman many years ago. It had been layers of gold fabric, gathered in a tight, sparkling bodice and skirts that flowed out like molten metal. In contrast, Elissa wore only the firelight and a teasing smile as she beckoned to him, the smooth muscles of her arms and torso gleaming hotly in a more risqué version of that gown. Her breasts swayed seductively with the movement of her hips in a private dance of seduction that teased his body, causing it to respond with a vengeance. He perspired, hard muscles shimmering with golden drops of moisture. He licked his lips. Everything else was forgotten and his arms enfolded her, her lips parted and her mouth opened to let him in.

Gently, he laid her back against her bedroll. The moment of their union had been difficult for him, at first, because he did not want to hurt her. Elissa would not be denied this moment and forced him onto his back, ending both his and her virginities with a quick and passionate thrust of her hips. There was moment of discomfort on her face and a small bit of blood but his concern was met with a hungry kiss. At last, inside her, he gasped with his back arched. Oh. Wow.

Once that was done, she happily allowed him to take control again. Whoever knew that sex could be so difficult, what with the way men spoke so casually of it? He knew he liked it though. Having done it, he now understood why men craved it. It had taken him a long time but the wait was worth it.

He teased her and pleasured her, delighting in new ways to spark her desire and inspire her passion. She gave him the most glorious experience he'd ever felt in return. How lucky had he been to find this amazing woman, much less to end up in her arms? He was glad he hadn't allowed his fears to waylay this chance. He was at last now able to touch her however he pleased and he gloried in it. This new kind of intimate touching was like the opening of a flower to the sun for the first time. Lingering in her arms, her hands and lips caressing his, lean, muscular body anywhere, everywhere they could, Alistair found completeness and a sense of joy. Suddenly, he laughed and proclaimed loudly his love for her before playfully, joyously rolling her back on top of him for a less fevered, less awkward second session. She laughed with him and eagerly accepted his proposition.

A Curious Locket

A couple of hours later, as they curled up against one another in companionable comfort, the young Templar decided to address the silver locket he'd seen swaying hypnotically against her slick skin. He felt he knew that locket, as if he'd seen it before; as if he'd seen it on her before. He liked the way it looked on her. Alistair asked her softly, "Where did you get that locket?"

She rolled over, granting him a striking view of her breasts. He reminded himself that he had rights to them now. He liked the idea of being able to touch them whenever he wanted and not get injured. The thought made him smile. Oh the possibilities! Well, maybe not during a fight. Or dinner… or any place really public. He experimented by innocently fondling her. She sighed, her body responding to his experimental caress. Oh my! He made gooseflesh appear on her skin. Though she appeared to like it, he prepared to duck anyway. Women could be dangerous.

"This?" She stroked the shiny silver locket and held it up to him. He touched it lightly. He knew how to unlock the intricate mechanism that sealed its contents away but he was afraid to do so for fear of what it might reveal. He wasn't ready for the answer. Not just yet. He was sure he would be right though. The thought made him smile.

"Mmhm. Enlighten me, my love?"

She was startled and a bit ashamed. Elissa hadn't thought of the boy in, oh, three years? It was seven years ago that they first met but time and space had dimmed her thoughts of him. By asking, Alistair had inadvertently reawakened those old memories and the flood of emotion they brought with them. "I was sixteen. A-a boy gave it to me. He was young and kind and training with the Templars. I… Never saw his face very clearly and I never knew his name but he was my first kiss, my first crush and my first heartbreak, all in the course of a night."

Alistair felt an overwhelming flood of joy well up from someplace deep inside as what she said joined his own memories of a night he'd shared with a girl around the same time, a long time ago. So that was it. Could it be true, if his suspicions were to be believed? Trying not to sound too eager, he asked, "So, I may have some competition out there! Some handsome man, now grown, may try to whisk you away from me, hmmm?"

She giggled and curled her arms around his neck. He deliberately cupped her breasts with his hands and squeezed. Nope, she still seemed to like it and clearly wasn't going to hit him. He was almost disappointed. She was also straddling him now, a very distracting position to be sure. He kept his eyes locked on hers. "No, no. Doubtless he's taken his oath and become a dedicated warrior of purity by now. He was training to be a Templar though he never seemed happy about it. We… met at a Landsmeet, during Feastday. There was a great dance, Cailan's first major lands-wide celebration as king.

"All the ladies and lords were dancing and I was being paraded about like a festival horse. My parents wanted to show me off to all the nobles' sons in the hopes that I would marry one of them. I just wanted to dance and have fun. It… Wasn't what I expected. Alistair, are you certain you want to know all this? It's not that I don't want to tell you but, don't we have better things to do? Like go for a third round? You've been fixating pretty hard on my breasts, after all. Maybe you would like to, oh, I don't know… Really show them how you feel?"

He flushed a dark crimson as what she suggested began to sink in. You can do that? You can really- with your-to her-? Oh. Wow! He was sorely tempted by her offer but shook his head. "Nope. Definitely later though. I really want to try that later! For now, I just want all the gritty details about your first love. I want to know all about him."

"You're plainly a glutton for punishment. Or you are immeasurably curious. Fine. Fine… If you must hear it, as I said, it began on Feastday. The sun was setting and the Landsmeet had concluded. There was the dance I mentioned after the King's Feast and I was just another young woman with long, golden-red hair and a dress of molten gold that my mother found somewhere and spent a stupid amount of money on. I felt like a Feastday event award in all that golden fabric. I think it was strapless with gathers in the front and held up by the sheer tightness of the bodice's design…"

"And your ample bosom…" Alistair suggested with a wink. He was really starting to appreciate that bosom, especially now since he could admire it without getting hit. She swatted him for the comment, thought. With an irritated sigh, she relaxed her back against his chest, her body following his and her head cradled in the space between his chin and shoulder. He put his arm around her and settled in to listen. With sly look, she placed his free hand on her breast in an open invitation. "Excuse me? This is my story. Besides, how would you know?" He kept his lips sealed and waved her on before lowering his hand back to the good parts…

To be continued…