Dragon Age: Origins belongs to Bioware and EA. No, I'm not making money off this. The pairing is GreyWarden (Human Male Noble) x Alistair.
He walked around, examining the wrecked campgrounds, his heavy plate armor clanking hard and heavy on the ground. The sun was setting, the day already growing dark as everything gave off an orange tinge of sunlight. The armor shone a magnificent blood red as his dual blades hung loosely at the straps on his back. His helmet was carried under his right arm.
Aedan Cousland was once a noble's son, glorified by his servants and the lesser nobles for the wealth and power his father controlled. He had always gone against his father and mother's wishes, taking up arms and fighting like his brother, Fergus, when they had wished him to be the educated one of the two, choosing to fight with two rigid saw swords looted off a rogue rather than the honorable two handed sword of a moral knight, talking back to snobbish nobles, and cracking inappropriate jokes at prudish women. Yet he had always loved them, and they were killed by the very man who had been called a "good friend" by his dear father. Arl Howe.
Aedan was never one for the high and mighty life of a noble, being a laid back swordsman, yet when he lost the wealth he never embraced, he felt bitter. He no longer cracked jokes, his smug, cocky demeanor diminished to a disheartened, disheveled empty shell of a man. He was reduced to orphan status, his parents dead and his brother gone. Fergus' wife and his son were killed as well. Those were news he never wanted to deliver to his brother. His childhood friend, Darrien, was killed, as well as the lovely Iona who had joined his bed at the night of the attack. The family sword was in his possession before he could no longer stand to fight with it. He kept it sheathed inside his belongings, all put away into his tent.
At the moment, he had taken up the role of a penniless adventurer accompanied by the rag tag band that he himself had collected. Aedan began to regain his happiness, his jokes returning, his child-like grin forming once more, and his dark bags fading. However, his once dark hair had turned near white. The ivory pigment of his hair would be a constant reminder of the trauma he had faced.
Alistair, Leliana, and Cerberus, his Mabari currently accompanied him.
"Oh, Maker… They were raided by bandits…" Leliana gasped. Cerberus sniffed around the corpses, growling maliciously.
"I don't think it was bandits. Probably the darkspawn, they've been rampaging passing caravans as well as campsites more often nowadays." Alistair spoke in a solemn tone. Cerberus barked twice. The blonde winced at the horrid stench of the rotting corpses.
"Their numbers are increasing rapidly…" Aedan mumbled under his breath. Leliana approached the fresh corpse of a small girl. Her eyes were wide open in terror, the face of agony permanently cemented on the youth's face.
"Oh no…" Leliana brought her hand out to close her eyes before picking up a nearby doll and putting it in the young girl's cold fingers. "What abominations, they're just killing all these innocents."
"Leliana, let's get out of here… I don't want to see this." Aedan grumbled. Leliana looked at him with poignant eyes. "W-what is it?"
"I want to bury them."
"…I don't think we should touch the bodies of the deceased." Alistair muttered.
"How could you? If you think we can just leave them here gored for crows to feed on, belongings scattered to loot from, we cannot. Please, let's bury them." Leliana pleaded.
"Aedan, don't. I share Leliana's grief but it's beyond our rights to move corpses and bury them in darkspawn roaming land. It's disrespectful to their other relatives. What if our actions cause them to never find them again?" Alistair countered.
"Alistair! You suggest we leave them like this?"
"I'm saying we should leave these personal matters to authorities."
Aedan remained silent, before giving a "Tcht!" with the snap of his tongue and proceeding over to the corpses. Alistair stood still before giving a groan and lending a hand.
Night came and Leliana crouched at the graves to pray for them. Their belongings were being burnt. Alistair and Aedan stood side by side, leaning against a tree as they looked up at the moon. Everything under its light gave a bright blue hue. Alistair stood stiffly with his arms crossed and his eyes facing toward his boots.
"Oh, dear, you're not sulking right now, are you? For taking Leliana's side?" Aedan broke the awkward silence.
"No… No… I respect your opinion. You are the leader after all." He grumbled, irritated. Aedan could sense sarcasm at the last comment.
"If you want to lead, all you have to do is ask." Aedan shrugged.
Pausing for a moment, Alistair couldn't help but feel guilty for acting like a child. He scoffed. "What? Lead? Me? No, no, no. No leading. Bad things happen when I lead. We get lost, people die, and the next thing you know I'm stranded somewhere without any pants." Aedan gave a small chuckle, out of relief and amusement.
"That would be quite a sight." He snickered.
Alistair smiled at Aedan. When he had first met Aedan, he was a grim lad who only talked objectives, yet he had lightened up and had become more open as time went on. Alistair admired him. Aedan shared much of his past with him, and he realized they weren't too different. Wynne was like a surrogate mother whilst Duncan was a father figure for Alistair. Being not too different from the two, upholding a certain sense of honor, Aedan was like a long lost brother, sharing similar pains and interests whilst never truly knowing each other from birth. "Leliana, she's a religious one, isn't she?" Alistair spoke, pointing an index finger at the chanting Leliana.
"Ha, and here I thought, she was Princess Stabbity." Aedan sneered. Alistair slapped himself mentally.
"I'm not too good with words."
"I could tell, but my friend, that's what makes you so endearing." Alistair looked touched for a second before Aedan continued on. "– And so fun to laugh at." He gave a small chuckle as Alistair mock laughed.
"Oh, ha-ha… But, you're turning me away from my initial thoughts… I wanted to ask you this for a while now, but you…"
"Yes, my Prince?" Aedan smirked.
"Oh, God, not this again... Please, hear me out for a second and I'll let you tease me all you want for the rest of the week." Alistair sounded dead serious and Aedan stopped with the jokes.
"I'm sorry, I'll stop. Go ahead." Aedan apologized; Alistair could be pretty sensitive if he wasn't taken seriously in his no-nonsense talks.
"Stop me right away if you find this an invasion of privacy… But, are you and Leliana…" He trailed off, finishing the rest of his question through his expressive face and his twiddling fingers. Aedan loved how Alistair talked with his hands.
"Oh, oh… I see. Well, no, no, we're just friends." Aedan answered.
"Hm… And here I thought I was being slow on the uptake. The last time you brought the swamp witch along, 'it' kept remarking how 'it' found you two disgusting in your 'mushy' moments."
"Hm, by 'it,' I'm assuming you mean Morrigan? You really don't like her, do you?" Aedan chuckled.
"Well, aside from the fact that she's a complete and utter bitch, no… I don't like her at all. Why? Do you?"
"Hm, well… The witch… Has her charms." Aedan mumbled in a lewd tone.
"Oh, God, it wasn't Leliana at all, was it? The whole time Morrigan's jealousy was taking effect during those conversations, wasn't it?" Alistair panicked in a disgusted tone. Aedan clapped his hands loudly.
"Hey, hey, don't jump to conclusions, we shared one night… But – "Alistair made a small gagging sound. Aedan gave a small smile before continuing. "But it isn't like that. Hn, learn to get along, I mean, you two were the first human additions to Aedan's glorious rag tag band, you know, alongside the awesome Cerberus."
"Of course we get along, she just happens to give me evil, malicious glares whilst commenting on my lack of brain out of pure, friendly fun." He grumbled sarcastically. Aedan gave a small jab at Alistair's rib cage.
"Oh, don't lie, my Prince, she tickles your fancy, doesn't she? You can woo her, you know, what with your nice guy charms and your naivety." Aedan snorted. He saw how Alistair hid his affection behind the 'I hate you so much' façade. Or maybe it was even more hatred underneath it all. Oh well, it's said and done.
"I do not! She most definitely does not tickle me fancy! I – I – Erm – Well, I like s-someone else!" Alistair blurted out, stuttering. Aedan's jaw dropped.
"Well, I feel betrayed, why didn't you tell me?" Aedan gave a small mock hurt expression. Alistair just sighed and rolled his eyes, but he knew Aedan's eyes were sparkling in curiosity right now. "Who, man, who?" Aedan clutched Alistair's shoulders tightly as to not let him get away. "C'mon, is it Leliana?" Alistair said nothing. "C'mon, she's the only other lass left in the group… Or do you prefer a more matured flower… Maybe the kind and mystical Wynne?" Alistair looked to the side, pretending not to listen. Aedan's eyebrows furrowed as his teeth gritted. Alistair became stubborn when it came to personal issues. It had taken Aedan a near century to have Alistair answer his own "Have you licked a lamppost in winter?" question. He avoided nearly all delicate topics by remaining silent or evading it with jokes. Aedan immediately let go of Alistair's shoulders, Alistair looking bewildered at the suddenly jumpy warden. "Alistair… Oh, God!"
"What? What is it?"
"It – It –"
"What? What?"
"It isn't Oghren, is it?" Alistair stared at him confused for quite a while before blushing madly and yelling.
"Hey! Very funny!"
"Hahahaa… Oh God, you took such a long pause to realize what I had said!" Aedan laughed, tears flowing and belly hurting. He slapped his knee violently whilst trembling in laughter.
"Yes, I am in love with the arse of a dwarf who keeps insisting the dog stole his pants!" Alistair laughed. They both stood together, laughing at the fond memory of Oghren yelling at Cerberus to return the very pants he was wearing. Cerberus had merely cocked his head to the side and whimpered until Oghren passed out.
"Ah, but kidding aside, seriously, who is it?" Aedan said whilst wiping the tears from his eyes. Alistair never noticed they were blue-green. He stared for a while before Aedan snapped his coarse fingers at his face.
"I can't tell you all of my deep dark secrets, can I?"
"Well, why not? Have I not told you all of mine?"
"Yes, the fact that you have bedded half the women of Ferelden was enlightening." He rolled his eyes.
Aedan gave another light chuckle. "I never said that, I just said that I dabble here and there. You know, it's always the cute, prudish ones that get me the most. The ones who get nervous easily and evade questions with cheesy one liners."
Alistair looked puzzled for a second before getting the gist. "My one liners are quite witty, thank you!"
"Yes, yes, we will all leave you to believe that, but just so you know, we are laughing at you, not with you. …But Alistair. Trust me! I assure you I'm genuinely curious who the lucky lady is. Maybe –" He fake coughs. "Ahem – I can give you some advice on how to handle 'stuff' too – Ahem."
The blonde shudders. "No, no thank you. I already have my hands full on such talk with Zevran going around spreading words of sexual innuendo." Alistair readies another chuckle before realizing Aedan was no longer laughing. "What now?"
"…Is it Zevran? Because I don't mind if you really do play for the other team…" he murmurs under his breath, keeping it low and steady. Alistair gives a horrified expression.
"Oh, God, no! Bloody no!" he yells.
"I mean, he does have his charms, and I completely understand if you hold such feelings for members of the same gender."
"NO! OH, GOD, NO!"
"Hey, everyone experiments, you can go ahead and do that too, I mean, Zevran seems willing."
"Oh, shut up, Aedan, OH, GOD, NO!" Alistair continues to shout, his mind now filled with disturbing imagery of Zevran's… Hm. And the fact that Zevran's Antivan accent nearly always oozed lust didn't help matters. Calming down a little, Alistair mutters in an out of breath tone: "No, it's not him… I'll tell you when I think it through. I'm not entirely sure how to take this first… Infatuation, if it even is one..."
Aedan gives a smile. "Take all the time you want. Be honest with me for I'm honest with you, my fellow Grey Warden." He slaps Alistair hard on the back in a congratulatory BRO-pat.
"Well, I pinky promise to tell you… Eventually." He pulled out a pinky before Aedan did the same.
"Pfft, pinky promise?" The pinkies linked before they stamped their thumbs together. Alistair's hands felt coarse yet soft.
"It is only the most honorable form of oath!"
Aedan gives him an uneasy cough, smiling on the inside at the hurt expression Alistair provides him with. It was extremely fun to tease the senior grey warden. Despite the obvious give-aways cemented on the other's face, Alistair seemed oblivious to the cruel tease. Aedan always laughed at his jokes, funny or not, so Alistair couldn't help but feel a little hurt.
"I told you, I'm not good with words. So…" Alistair makes an awkward face, flustered. "Uh. Who are you… Infatuated with?" He noticeably enunciates his words, a habit he developed whenever he felt anxious.
"Hm… Well. I'm not sure if it's really infatuation. But… There's a certain bond. I – I –" He flinched when he heard footsteps to his right.
Leliana began to approach them with Cerberus in her arms. Alistair cursed as Leliana interrupted, "I am done with the prayer, friends, I'm sorry it took such a long time… I might've gotten a bit passionate towards the end." She giggled her trademark, silly laugh. "So, the two of you seemed to have talked for a quite a while now? Private matters, perhaps?"
"Yes, well… We should get back to camp, it's rather late." Alistair grumbled.
Aedan smiled. "No need to get snappy at Princess Stabbity, my Prince." Alistair rolled his eyes at the cheesy nicknames. Leliana gave another giggle whilst Cerberus barked in her arms. "Oh, and let's not forget Fufu, the Arl of… Err… Sausage? …Uhm, err.. Sausage-ville?" Aedan blushed as he attempted to find a catchy town name for his beloved dog. Leliana continued to giggle as she put a hand to her quivering lips and her closed eyes. Alistair held it in until laughing at Aedan's gradually worsening town names.
As 'Fufu, the Arl of Sausage-ville' ran alongside an equally energetic Aedan, Leliana and Alistair walked on in a leisurely pace from behind.
"So… Alistair." Leliana cooed. "I hear, you have an 'infatuation.'"
"Oh, I knew you eavesdropped." Alistair moaned.
"I also hear our dear leader has an 'infatuation.'" She giggled. "Hm, you two shared the same vocabulary; maybe you two share the same 'infatuation' for each other?"
"Leliana, has it ever occurred to you that maybe our whispering was for privacy? So that you specifically would not hear?"
"Alistair. You like him, don't you? I honestly thought you had a love-hate thing with Morrigan at first, but I see it clearly now. It's him, isn't it?" She pestered.
"Ah, leave me alone…"
"…Alistair's a fruit! A fuzzy peach!" She giggled.
"Oh, bloody wonderful. You know he is right there, right?"
"He's racing with our dear majesty, Fufu, he's not listening." She smiled genuinely. "Alistair, it's fine to be fruity for Aedan, many would be! I mean I find him attractive but I prefer women…"
"Oh, too much information!"
"And Zevran, well, he SAYS he prefers women but…"
"Not listening!" Alistair proceeds to plug his ears. "Lalalalalalala~"
"Oh, very mature…" she giggled. She pried away one of his hands and whispered: "Aedan told me he has a sweet tooth for fuzzy peaches." Alistair looked at her in brief confusion as she skipped away, racing along with Fufu and Aedan. Alistair stopped dead in tracks and a goofy grin formed.
"Wonder what she meant by that…" he chuckled, getting the hidden message.
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