Good day, everyone! xx

This story has been floating around my mind for a few months now so I decided to write it. It will be based on my beloved F!Cousland, Luna. Lots of canon but I do hope you enjoy it. First time uploading any of my writing so there will be a few mistakes here and there. Thank you for reaaaaading. :)

Bioware & EA owns everything and they are awesome.

CHAPTER ONE : Fire at the Heart

She didn't exactly know how she was breathing at that moment. The taste of blood was on her lips, her cheeks were tear stained and her arms full of scratches. Voices floated in and out the small flap of the cart.

"….hasn't eaten since yesterday…. hot soup with sleeping draught?…"

Duncan's voice was somewhere overhead, and when she looked up she could see their silhouettes, with the setting sky glowing on their shields. He was setting up a lamp as the other was leading the horse.

I'm in a cart with Barne my Mabari, she reminded herself, and that is Duncan, Warden-Commander, and… a red haired soldier. He'd had carried her when she started shaking she could barely walk, probably a mile or two from the larder passage. Duncan wrapped her with a blanket and placed her inside the cart that was supposed to be full of Grey Warden recruits but then,

Mother. Father…

The choking feeling welled up inside of her, drowning her in the emotions she didn't know existed until now. Before she could curl up into a ball again, she felt the cart slow down and go into a complete stop. Armour started clanking about and she heard crunching of grass beneath heavy feet. Even Barne got up with curious ears.

"Lady Cousland?" it was the soldier. She looked at him and saw his flaming red hair. Just like Gilmore's. "We're setting up camp and..er… I'm assigned to cook tonight so if I may, I would like for you to join us." She didn't want to eat. Ever. If she could starve, then maybe she'd die and join her parents with the Maker. Now you're not making any sense, she thought. For a moment, she hesitated but then her stomach protested and gave a low grumble.

"…Okay." she said silently and got up, with the blanket still around her. Her feet felt stiff and sore from not moving that she stumbled out of the cart. The soldier was there in time to catch her.

"Easy now." he whispered as she bumped onto his chest. She mumbled an apology and they started their way to where Duncan was starting a small camp fire. Barne was a few yards away patrolling the area and she whistled for him. His ears shot up and he slowly walked back to where they were. Duncan was setting up a small pot above the fire and when he saw them approach, got up and gave a sigh of relief.

"Lady Cousland." he said and gave her a small bow.

"Luna will suffice, Ser Duncan." she sat down on one of the cots laid near the fire as Barne snuggled on her thigh. "I apologize for this but," she looked up at the face with the flaming red hair, "What is your name?" A hint of a blush sprawled his freckled cheeks but quickly huffed his chest.

"I am Ser Lucas, member of the King's army, my lady. It is quite understandable, given the events that occurred, that we weren't introduced properly." he said with a small bow.

"Well met, Ser Lucas." she tried to still have her courtesies despite of… what happened.

"Ser Lucas has aided me since the departure from Ostagar, your ladyship. I would not have saved you if it weren't for his keen eye." said Duncan as he sat back down and chopped some potatoes.

"Honestly, Ser Duncan, it was sheer chance. Lady… Luna is not difficult to spot amidst all the…" he cleared his throat, stopped himself and Luna was thankful for it. "Ser Duncan, please allow me to prepare tonight's meal. You cooked for two nights now, if I remember correctly." He sat down as Duncan passed the rest of the ingredients to him. Luna watched as Lucas chopped and dropped everything in a pot, bubbling above the fire. Duncan sat next to her and unsheathed his dagger and started working it on a whetstone.

"How are you feeling, my lady?" he asked with his eyes still fixed on his dagger though the sincerity was transparent in his voice.

"I weep, Ser Duncan." she simply said with a sigh. Barne whimpered as he detected the sadness in her words.

"To die is gain, my lady, for they are now with the Maker."

Lucas ladled the stew onto three small wooden bowls, broke some bread equally and sliced a few pieces of hard cheese. He threw a large bone towards Barne who happily chewed away.

"Shall we say grace?" asked Lucas and Duncan urged him on, Luna watched as he closed his eyes and said,

"My hearth is yours, my bread is yours, my life is yours. For all who walk in the sight of the Maker are one. For you are the fire at the heart of the world and comfort is only Yours to give." He clapped his hands and gave them their part of the food. She stared curiously at him, secretly impressed. As Luna was about to eat, Duncan stopped her and showed her a vial.

"My lady, this is a sleeping draught. If you wish, we can pour some in your soup so you may dream.. peacefully tonight." she looked at him and then the vial.

"Alright, though I am concerned it will ruin the stew." Duncan gave her a reassuring smile,

"Do not worry for it is tasteless, my lady." and he poured a small amount onto her bowl, "Please, do continue." They all ate in silence and all Luna could hear was the rustling of the trees around them. The grass crunched beneath her and the sky was now a dark blanket of stars. It gave her comfort that the stars blazed brightly even when everything else is amiss. When they have finished, Duncan gathered the utensils and washed them at the stream nearby. Luna sat up and realized she still had dried blood caked in her hair and fingernails, and even some smeared above her brow. She held back a gag at the thought of it being someone else's.

"Ser Lucas?"

"Yes, my lady?"

"Do you happen to have a bar of soap and a towel? I would like to bathe." he stopped untying the cots and his ears began to redden. Just like Gilmore's.

"Ah… Y-Yes, my lady. Of course." he rummaged through his rucksack and handed her the needed toiletries without meeting her eyes. Luna thanked him and waited for Duncan to finish up in the stream. When he saw what she was carrying, he offered to guard her from a decent distance.

"I am fine, Ser Duncan, really. Barne is here" and so the Mabari wagged his tail as he dashed towards the stream.

By the time she was done, Duncan was still up, now sharpening his sword, and on first watch. Lucas was tucked in his cot and a lamp near his head as he read a small book . Luna and Barne sat down to the cot next to Duncan.

"It is best if you rest now, my lady. We have yet a full day before we can sleep in an inn." he said as she scratched Barne's ear. There was good stretch of silence as Duncan did his work with his sword and Luna lulled Barne to sleep. She felt Lucas shift and kill the light.

"Is he from the Chantry?" she asked, referring to Lucas.

"He was an orphan and was raised in the Chantry. He joined the army in hopes of spreading the Grace and Mercy of the Maker. Why do you ask, my lady?"

"Curiousity. He," she paused trying to get the right words out, "He reminds me of someone."

"I see." and with that she knew that Duncan knew who she was referring to. Luna sighed and lied down the cot, and stared up at the night sky.

"I read somewhere that our bodies are made up of stardust. That with each falling star, a person is born. They said stars gave birth to us, died to save us." she started, "But I don't believe that. I've never believed that." she felt him staring at her, felt his eyes shift to the skies.

"Then what do you believe in, my lady?" she paused for a moment.

"For you are the fire at the heart of the world and comfort is only Yours to give." and then, a streak of light crossed the skies.