A/N: Hey, everyone! Now, I know I have the Journals series to be typing up and my FFXIII story to be updated, but I could not resist playing with my favorite fantasy DA couple. Leliana is my favorite in-game romance, but F!Cousland and F!Tabris are arguably my favorite couple period. Ahh, if only it were possible! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this light-hearted fic! Special thanks to my wonderful friend, Raven Sinead, for inspiring me and pushing me to continue my love of writing. She is an amazing writer and cyber-buddy, and I could not do any of this without her. So, much thanks and love sent your way!
Disclaimer: Alas, Dragon Age is not mine, and I do not own any of the characters. The only thing that I can call my own is my idea of the story and how I portrayed the characters.
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The arrow whistled through the still air, making a barely audible thunk as it landed dead center in the middle of the crudely drawn target; a fair bit of amusement and a way for the members experienced in archery to show off their skills and acquire some serious bragging rights. The perfect shot, made by none other than the rebellious elf of the group, Kallian Tabris, earned gaping mouths and astonished eyes.
The elf let a smirk grace her beautiful features, deep gray eyes alight with the mischief that could almost always be found within. "Looks like I win…again." It would not surprise Reyn Cousland if the victorious elf started dancing at her win. Really, she had quite decimated the competition. Zevran and Leliana were the only other members who used bows, and they were both exceedingly good at it. After all, former occupations as an assassin and a bard used the skill of archery as a useful little tool.
Zevran gave the other elf of the group an admiring once over. "Hmmm, yes you did. What would you like for your reward, my dear?" The intent in the lecherous elf's eyes gave every indication of what his version of the reward would be. The suggestive tone and the eye-making were ganging up on her senses and allowing a wave of anger wash over her. Before she could send a scathing comment his way, her elf beat her to it. "Thank you Zev, but I already have the perfect gift in my mind. And I am sure our dear Warden will make good on the delivery."
Kallian threw a wink at the now blushing leader of the large group. The rest laughed at their usually stoic commander's embarrassment. It was times like this that made the seemingly impossible and suicidal mission seem a little less daunting. Laughter chased away the demons that haunted them all at night. Nobody needed the laugh more than Reyn herself. The noble Warden was famous for her infallible kindness and selfless actions; everyone in the group knew she would lay down her life for them in a heartbeat, no questions asked. Reyn Cousland was the poster girl for nobility and all around good. Diplomacy, manners, strategies…she excelled in them all. Nobody else could prove to be a more effective leader than the flame-haired warrior was.
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That was just one of the things Kallian loved about her. When she first ran into them after she had to flee for her life after the events at her home in the alienage, she had no intention of falling in love with anyone, much less a human noble who claimed to be a famed Grey Warden and tried to play at being a leader. Reyn was cordial to her, and care showed through her every word, every action. But the alienage elf had learned to distrust humans; all it led you was being tortured, humiliated and betrayed. So, she was a downright bitch to the Warden.
Reyn, however, did not stop. She did not let it show that the elf's aversion to her kindness and her overall rude behavior affected her. She continued to lead the group, showing how skilled she was in her position and how national she was with a blade. However, it was not until she had jumped in front of Kallian and took a dagger to the chest that Kallian's dislike broke. Her mask had broken and she had wept for the woman who had risked her own life for her, a worthless elf who no one would miss. Reyn was a pivotal figure in stopping the Blight and her life was one that absolutely could not be lost. And yet, she had risked it all for the very person who had acted like she was a leper. That's when their relationship started to evolve. Once a one-sided work-in-progress, it blossomed to a full-on steady partnership. No enemy could stand before their shared might, and Kallian found that she quite liked fighting alongside the Warden.
They both started noticing each other after that. Reyn was besotted by the tall, lithe elf with the long, flowing obsidian hair and the gray eyes that seemed to hold Ferelden's storms inside them. The tan, smooth skin…lips that begged for her to take them…the Cousland had fallen, and fallen hard. The rogue elf had also started feeling things for her former nemesis. Reyn was quite beautiful and pleasing to the eye. The tall, tanned warrior was muscular without being masculine, with short red hair that came just to the tops of her shoulders. Her eyes were a clear blue-green color, and shone with both intelligence and love. Kallian had never understood this last bit; how could Reyn love anything when her entire family had been decimated, all because of one man's betrayal?
Either way, the two women had finally confessed their mutual attraction one night, and they had been inseparable since. Alistair and Leliana had been a bit put out, as they had both harbored secret feelings for the fearless leader. But the two had since accepted that Reyn's affections lay with the mischievous elf, and were now content with their roles as best friends to her. Speaking of the bard…
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Leliana pouted, shaking her head at the unrepentant elf. "How could I have been bested by you? Zevran I could see; he was an Antivan Crow after all. But you? I thought elves in the alienage could not learn weaponry?" Kallian turned her gray gaze onto the bard. "It is true that we were not allowed to really use weapons; mindless pets could not really afford to learn how to protect themselves. But some of us did not play into that way of thinking. It was our way of rebelling; learning to use weapons. I secretly taught myself to use both daggers and the art of the bow. I soon learned I was quite good at it." The dark-haired beauty quirked an eyebrow at the bard. "Besides, why the surprise. You have seen me use both dagger and a bow during our battles. You had to have known I would have a skill in this?"
Leliana grudgingly nodded, pout still firmly in position. "Yes yes, I was acutely aware of your prowess with a bow and arrow, but…I was hoping to prove better. At least I had a better shot than Zevran here." The elf mentioned shook his head, the sweat on his forehead glistening as he moved. "That is not how I normally perform. I was distracted by the beauty of my competition. If you had diminished looks or lacked curves, my arrow would have flown true." Morrigan snorted at his words. "You say you lost because they are attractive? So if you get waylaid by a pretty thing, you will most likely get killed due to your lust? My, the foolish whims of men. They brag and flaunt their bravado, only to be felled by one with a pretty face. Tis mind-boggling; we of the fairer sex would never fall to such primitive and shallow vices."
Alistair stared unconvincingly at the witch. "Oh really? Then what would you call the little scene you so nicely bestowed upon us back at Redcliffe? Remember our dear poisonous would-be murderer, Jowan? When we were oh so busy with our mission, slaying undead knights and sending them to the Fade, coming across the traitor behind the cell? You wanted us to free him, even though he tried to kill one of our most important allies. All because he was aesthetically pleasing, as you so put it." Morrigan scoffed, a faint blush on her pale cheeks showing the truth. "I did no such thing; he was a fellow user well-versed in the arcane arts, and I did not want him to be left to die without even making amends. It was just a coincidence that he happened to be…somewhat attractive." "And I suppose you propositioning him to retire to your room with you, in the dark of night and with no change of clothes, was only a happy coincidence as well? Was the sounds coming from the direction of your room a hallucination brought on by exhaustion, I suppose?"
Kallian and Reyn laughed at the expression on Morrigan's face. She looked torn between hiding under a rock and beating the ex-templar with said rock. Her mouth opened as if to say words, but all that came out was a small 'humph' before she turned on her heel and stalked back to her small little campsite, away from the others. Alistair pumped his hand in victory, doing his version of a winner's dance and failing quite spectacularly. Even Wynne joined in on the laughter, with Reyn's faithful Mabari hound Hunter adding his barks to the amused coalition. Sten the Qunari's mouth twitched before he schooled his expression into one of severity, continuing the cleaning of his precious sword recovered from the market in Denerim. Oghren…well, he was just drunk. Shale was busy muttering about the pesky pigeons that kept swooping overhead, threatening to "squish them if they try to poop on me one more time!"
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The others went off into their own little groups: Leliana and Zevran were talking about daggers and their uses (apparently, there were 108 different ways to kill someone), Oghren was passed out on the ground, talking about some dwarven woman he had "excavated her tunnel." Sten was still polishing Asala and Alistair had engaged Wynne in a discussion of new ways to outwit Morrigan's witty repertoires. Wynne was quite adept with the responses; who would have thought? Hunter had gone off to search for Morrigan, or more importantly steal her undergarments. Reyn hoped for her mabari's sake that Morrigan had made good on her promise of locking up her belongings with a spell; otherwise the Cousland was afraid of waking up to a plate of Mabari bacon.
This just left Kallian and Reyn by themselves, standing by the target. Kallian walked over and grasped the arrow, yanking it out of the trunk. She inspected the missile, blowing wood shavings off of the steel tip. "So, noble Cousland. Will you make good on your end of the bargain?" Eyes, now an oceanic blue, looked at her lover; a little amused smile flittering about her lips. "A bargain, you say? And pray tell, what bargain did I supposedly make?" Her elf's infamous smirk appeared on the tanned face. "Silly Warden; already forgetting her promise? Hmm, I wonder…what would help you remember?" Kallian's smirk turned dangerous, sending a shiver of excitement coursing through Reyn's veins. "I am not very sure, my dearest rogue. Do you possess any...ideas? I would very much like to hear one, if you do."
Gray eyes locked with blue. "Well, my most noble love, I was thinking about a little…one on one time. You know, some personal help? I've heard it can be very therapeutic. Let me release you from your noble qualities, just for a night. Relinquish your hold on good and take a ride on the dark side, for once." Heat struck Reyn like lightning, the heated words sending all the moisture in her body to throb somewhere in the vicinity of her womanhood. The two women were no strangers to the land of ecstasy; though they had both been untouched and pure before undertaking the journey they were now on, they had found solace and passion in each other's arms. Their first gentle coupling turned into explosive bouts of love-making, threatening the boundaries of silence they had to place on each other, necessary restrictions to protect their privacy and the ears of the companions who slept mere feet away.
In this moment, however, being quiet and discreet was the last thing on the brave Warden's mind. The heroic fighter knew that she would not always get to savor her lover, and she had an enormous responsibility resting on her shoulders. For once, she wanted to be selfish and be happy. She wanted to feel Kallian's lean body pressed against her own, dual tan arms holding tightly around toned abdomens. Reyn craved warm skin and an even warmer bedroll, heating up with the warmth radiating off of their overheated bodies. Reyn Cousland wanted to be home, for the one night she could afford herself. If she died for her country, then so be it. She had a duty to Ferelden, as both a Grey Warden and as a Cousland born. But she would face her destiny head-on, whatever it may be, with the ghost of her beloved's lips clinging to hers and the scent of their passion coating her skin.
Eyes full of desire locked on each other, showing the other how very much they needed this one moment. Reyn extended her hand, eyes burning with thousand promises. Kallian took the hand without hesitation, feeling the calluses left behind as a reminder of her background as a swordswoman. Her storm-gray eyes answered the unspoken question with answers of her own, and the two made their way to the tent shared between both women. Tomorrow was uncertain, and could very well be the day one of them died, leaving the other behind forever. Untold horrors and tears and pain could be lurking just around the corner; nothing was assured in these dark times. But amidst the betrayals and death and destruction, their love burned bright and unwavering. As the tent flap closed behind them, the world seemed to stop until only Reyn Cousland and Kallian Tabris remained. Warden and Alienage elf became one; even the archdemon could not hope to tear them apart.
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