Aleria and her companions had painstakingly retrieved aid from the Circle of Magi and were now buried deep, literally, in Orzammar politics. To gain Orzammar's aid, the dwarf society needed a new king. To get a new king, the group needed to find the only 'possibly' living Paragon, and, to find her, they had to go into the Darkspawn infested deep roads.
This keeps getting more and more complicated. Aleria thought to herself. Thus is the life of a Grey Warden, I suppose. She huffed a sigh, "To the deep roads it is then…" Alistair couldn't help but chuckle at her.
"Don't sound so excited," he smirked.
"Are you excited?" she questioned.
"Of course I am! Hundreds of darkspawn ready to devour me, all kinds of mazes and traps to get through-just another day in the life of the Grey," he said with feigned excitement.
"Uh-huh, lucky us," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Hey stranger!" she heard a voice call out in her direction. She turned to see a stout, red bearded dwarf walking her way.
"Have you seen a Grey Warden around here? I heard he-or was it she? - was looking for Branka on direct order from one of the Lords up there."
He smelled heavily of alcohol; almost as if he bathed in it. Aleria felt she could get drunk just from standing next to him.
"What did this Grey Warden look like?" she asked him.
"If it was a man? Stout and muscular, fair of face, but with a strong jaw, surrounded by a great glowing nimbus," he said.
Aleria glanced at Alistair and smiled broadly; he just shook his head.
"And what if she is a woman?"
"She might be slighter, but her eyes will shine with the light of purity, and her large, but chaste, bosom will heave magnificently," He said dreamily.
Alistair burst out laughing followed in part by Leliana. Everyone else only shook their heads; Zevran was the only one to speak up, "At least they got something right, your breasts are quite magnificent." This earned him a smack from their newest party member, an elderly mage named Wynne; though she seemed like a grandmother figure, she was a skilled caster and proficient healer.
Aleria rubbed her hand down her face, "I think I may be the one you are looking for." The dwarf appraised her for a moment before replying.
"I really can't tell that much about your bosom with that armor on so I'll just have to take your word for it. Can I ask you a favor?"
"Why not? Everyone else does," she laughed exasperatedly.
"Name's Oghren. If you've heard anything about me, it's probably about how I piss ale and kill little boys who look at me wrong. Ha, and you'd be mostly right, but what they don't tell you is I'm the only one still looking for our only Paragon. If you're looking for Branka, I'd be your best bet on finding her."
"As if I don't have enough armed lunatics following me…" She chucked.
"Perfect! What's one more? Branka was brilliant but you need someone who knows how she thinks if you plan on finding her."
"Why are you so interested in finding her?" Aleria questioned.
"We were sodding married until she left me and took our whole house to look for the blasted Anvil of the Void. We would have made it back already if she'd had taken me. Are we going or not? Branka isn't gonna sodding find herself."
"Alright Oghren, welcome to the team," She stuck out her hand and grasped Oghren's.
Days later they reached a point called Kal'Hirol. Upon approaching an open pathway covered in darkspawn gore, they heard a voice eerily reverberating off the walls.
"First day they come and catch everyone."
Aleria nearly jumped out of her skin, "Am I going crazy or did all of you just hear that too?"
They all nodded their heads at once.
"Ok thank goodness. At least I'm not..." the voice interrupted her.
"Second day they beat us, and eat some for meat."
Alistair's face wrinkled in disgust. "Riiiigght, this is creepy..."
"Agreed, but we've come this far. We can't stop now," Aleria stated.
"Third day the men are gnawed on again."
Oghren chimed in, "That voice sounds so familiar to me, but I can't think who in the stone it is."
"Fourth day we wait in fear for our fate. Fifth day, they return and it's another girls turn. Sixth day, her screams we hear in our dreams. Seventh day, she grew as in her mouth they did spew. Eighth day, we hated as she is violated," The voice continued.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Leliana gagged.
"That makes two of us...when is this blasted poem going to be over? And who in the Maker's name is saying it!?" Aleria shouted.
"It rings similar to some Antivan poetry I know, but with a little less cannibalism and a bit more sex," Zevran chimed in. Aleria cocked an eyebrow at him, to which he just shrugged his shoulders and kept walking.
"Ninth day, she grins and devours her kin. Now she does feast for she has become the beast." As the last line of the poem sounds they come upon a female dwarf huddled in the corner.
The dwarf's name was Hespith. She seemed as if she was suffering from Darkspawn taint and had almost completely lost her mind. The poem she was quoting was what happened to her and the rest of Branka's household. They were captured and the women were forced to become broodmothers, a beast that reproduces darkspawn. Aleria's stomach churned with every detail, she had thought that death was the worst thing a darkspawn could do to you but as a woman she realized it could be so much worse.
"Where is this broodmother?" Aleria questioned her.
"If you continue you will find her soon enough." The dwarf said before retreating down a dark passage.
Aleria stalked down the corridor, eyes brimming with tears. She was ready to face this beast and release whatever woman it once was from such a curse. As they walked quietly along the cavern walls, they heard a wail coming from the next chamber. Everyone began preparing themselves for battle as they rounded the corner. Aleria turned abruptly to Alistair.
"Alistair, I need you to swear something to me," She said, eyes full of determination.
"Anything," he answered.
"If it looks like we aren't going to make it out of this. If they try to take me..."
"I would never let that happen," Alistair grabbed her shoulders.
"Alistair...Swear you'll kill me before you let them take me," she said sadly.
"What?! No. I can't...You can't ask me too..." he spat out the words as she placed her fingers to his lips.
"Please. I can't be one of them," she said. It was then Alistair saw the unadulterated fear in her eyes.
"Aleria Cousland, listen to me. We are going to fight this thing and win. You will be fine, that I will swear to you. Come on." None of them were ready for what they saw as they rounded the corner.
The beast was a grotesque flesh color and was at least the size of a house. She was composed mostly of fat and what looked to be utters. If that wasn't enough she had at least twenty large tentacles waving around her as her defense. Alistair shouted orders to each of the party members.
"Morrigan, stay back and cast. Sten and Oghren, attack the body. Zevran, take down the tentacles! Wynne stand back and heal as much as you can! Aleria, use your bow. Aim for her head! And everyone, stay out of her reach!"
Everyone was doing their part with ease until the Mother let out a blood curdling shout which summoned her darkspawn to her aid. The tactic Alistair had established was no longer working.
"Oghren, Zevran, change of plans! Take out the Darkspaaa..." Alistair shouted but before he could finish he was encircled by one of the broodmother's tentacles. He worked to get his arms free but the creature only tightened its grip. Before he knew it he was being slammed over and over again into the cavern wall.
"No!" Aleria let out an ear piercing scream as she released her duel blades in blind rage, cutting down everything in her wake. She reached the back of the beast and began hacking at the tentacle that held Alistair, slicing through the thick muscle. The creature shrieked in pain as Aleria tore its ghastly arm from its socket. As it fell to the ground, so did Alistair-straight into a crowd of rushing darkspawn. Quickly, the rest of the team assembled around him, pushing the monsters away and attempting to maneuver him into a corner. Aleria's fury burned within her as she climbed the revolting mass of flesh called a broodmother until she finally reached its head. With all the force her anger lent her, she drove her blades deep into the brain of the creature, then twisted them to the hilt. It was then through the haze of blood spatter that she saw Alistair; he was unconscious and still lying under the creature's broken appendage, their comrades battling nearby. Aleria shouted, unaware of the carnage around her as she clamored her way to Alistair's side. "Finish off the rest of them!"
No, no, no, no. Maker please, not him. Please not, not him. She slid down beside him and grabbed his face in her hands. "Alistair, Alistair, wake up, please, wake up. Don't you dare die on me, Alistair Therrin," she whispered desperately. "WYNNE! Please, help me, help him," She shouted tears spilling over from her eyes. Wynne charged over to where Alistair was laying and let what remained of her magic wash over him. Aleria's hands began to shake as she watched him. He wasn't moving; she couldn't even see him breathing. Her whole body began to convulse as she watched him. She was beginning to fall apart. Her insides screamed but no sound came from her mouth. She felt like all the air was being sucked from the world...
Then, suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her. It was almost as if they were trying desperately to keep the pieces of her from breaking apart. She heard soft words calling her back to reality. "Mi Corazon. Ella va a estar bien. He will be alright. Respirar, breathe."
" Zev, I…I can't lose him…" Aleria spoke between breathes.
"Whether or not he is lost is moot, I will not lose you as well...Respirar," Zevran commanded softly.
Aleria took a deep breath. She had not realized that Morrigan had come over to assist Wynne. Her eyes roamed Alistair's body looking for any sign of life, something, anything. Then, amidst the chaos of her mind falling apart, she saw it. A breath, a shallow one but enough to place some hope in. She fell free of Zevran's arms and crawled close to Alistair's face. "Please come back to me," she whispered, and gently wiped some of the gore from his face. "How is he, Wynne? How bad is it?" she asked, not meeting Wynne's eyes.
"He will live, but he will not regain consciousness for a while yet. He has broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and some internal bleeding. We need to get him back to Orzammar so I can treat him properly."
Oghren interjected, "Warden, we're not far from Branka now. Let's find her first; otherwise everything we have done won't be worth pissin' on."
Aleria took a deep breath-she knew Oghren was right. "Alright, here's what we are going to do. Oghren, Zevran, Morrigan, and I will go on to find Branka. Sten and Leliana, stay with Alistair and Wynne, protect them. I will be back soon. If Alistair wakes tell him I'm sorry and I…I'll see him soon. "
And with that Aleria, Oghren, Zevran, and Morrigan continued their search for Branka.
Alistair's eye shot open as he gasped for air. What in the Maker's name is going on? Ugh...why do I feel like I've been stepped on by a dragon? His hands roamed his torso trying to figure out why he was in so much pain. What he found was fresh bandages that smelled heavily of Elf Root and that, besides those, he was completely naked. Where am I? He glanced around the room he was in looking for anything familiar. It was a stone room with a large bathing area. There was no fire place, so they must still be in Orzammar. Then all the memories came rushing back to him, the Deep Roads, the broodmother, and….Aleria.
Panic began welling up inside him; he had to know what happened. He rose up too quickly and let out a pained groan. Note to self. You're injured you idiot. He wrapped a bed sheet around his waist and slowly hobbled to the center of the room. When the stone door creaked open, he saw Aleria slowly creeping in carrying a plate of food. She's ok…Thank the Maker… As she locked eyes on him she silently sat the tray down and in two quick strides she closed the distance between them. She looked him over for a moment before her jaw began to tremble. Right as the first tear slid from her eyes she wrapped her arms around his waist in a gentle embrace. He could feel her hot tears rolling down his bare chest. "Hey, it's ok," he gently ran his fingers over her hair. "Ali…"
She abruptly pushed away from him, "I'm sorry."
"What? What could you possibly be sorry for?" he asked, truly confused.
"If I had taken lead then it would have been me who got injured and not you. I was a coward and my moment of weakness almost cost you your life…and I'm so…"
Alistair interrupted her, "If you say sorry again I'm going to make you regret it. You have nothing to apologize for. Did you kill the broodmother?"
"Yes," she mumbled.
"Did you find the Paragon?" he asked.
"Well, yes…sort of. We crowned a new king and he has vowed to give us the aid we need," She replied.
"Then you did everything right. I'm alive, am I not? Even if I wasn't, don't ever blame yourself, you understand?" he asked her seriously.
"Yes, but Alistair…I thought I was going to lose you and that really made me think…" Aleria continued.
"About?" He asked as he gingerly sat back down on the bed.
"About who you are to me…" she said meekly as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"Oh?" he took a deep breath.
"Yes, and I thought, you are my friend of course. The very best friend I have ever had…" she paused.
"Oh," the Templar exhaled.
"But then I thought, if you were just a friend to me, when you were lying there not breathing, why did it feel like all the air was sucked from my lungs? Why did I feel like I just wanted to die right there with you? That living wasn't worth anything unless you were there with me."
Alistair's heart kicked into over drive. Andraste's Flaming Sword, is she saying what I think she is?
"Alistair, I think somewhere along the way you found something of mine, it was broken but you fixed it and now I think it belongs to you."
Alistair just stared at her for a few moments. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Am I dead? I must be...Or dreaming, maybe I should pinch myself. Ouch! Ok definitely awake. Sweet Andraste, what can I possibly say to that? Ok Alistair for once in your life think and don't miff this up. Aleria's tension grew under the intensity of his gaze.
"Alistair, please say something, I…"
Before she could finish Alistair closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers for the first time. Fire and electricity surged through them in a wave they could barely contain. Alistair thought about how many times he had imagined this moment and how his imagination could never come close to this. Her smell, her touch, everything, was so intoxicating. He ran his fingers through her hair and cupped the sides of her face as he intensified the kiss. He felt her gasp and tremble under his touch, which made a smile play on his extremely focused lips. She accidently pressed herself against his inured side making him hiss through his teeth in pain.
"Alistair! I'm sorry!" She said as he tried to move away from him. He grabbed her and pulled her closer.
"I don't care, it's not that bad," he reassured her breathlessly, pulling her back in for another kiss. She retreated again.
"I think we should stop before we reinjure what Wynne drained herself to heal. You owe her by the way-she exhausted every bit of her mana and chugged lyrium for you." She backed away only to be pulled back.
"Ali…since I'm injured shouldn't you be taking care of my every need?" he said sweetly.
"Oh should I?" she replied, feigning innocence.
"Yes, and what I need now is for you to stop talking and come here," he said with a smirk.
"Well, how can I refuse then?" she smirked and gently kissed him again.
"I love you, Aleria Cousland," he whispered against her lips.
Aleria's heart skipped a beat. "And I you, Alistair Therrin." She lingered there a moment longer before she pulled back again. "Now please get some rest. Wynne is going to kill me for riling you up." She gently pushed him back on to the bed.
"How am supposed to rest after that? Especially when you are in my bed, only an arm's length away?" he teased as he gently stroked her arm.
"Fine, I'll leave so you can get some rest. I'll be back to check on you later. Sleep sweetly." She smiled kindly as she closed the door. Once in the hallway she took a deep breath.. She smiled to herself as she floated down the hallway.
Alistair was smiling to himself as well. From Bastard child, to Templar, to Grey Warden, to Bastard Prince, and now the luckiest man in all of Thedas. I almost feel as if I should thank that broodmother… Ugh… Ok maybe not. He shook his head and tried to calm his mind enough so he could get some rest, though his smile never left his face.