Summary: What if there had been no Blight when Lilith Cousland joined the ranks of the Grey Wardens. A look at how she would have coped with her new role when free of the pressure of saving the entire country.

A/N: I'm back with another DA:O story and an idea that's been floating around my head for months. I'm a fan of AU stories, however, I think it's something that's quite difficult to do with Dragon Age, so, I thought I'd give a semi-AU story a go. Basically, I wanted to write a short, multi-chapter story to show my character, Lilith Cousland, settling into her new life in a more relaxed environment. I'm not sure how often I'll be updating, but hopefully it'll be fairly regularly. Oh, and this will be a Cousland/Alistair story. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age: Origins or any of its characters (just my Lilith Cousland) and receive no profit from this story.

The sun was just beginning its descent towards the horizon as Alistair returned in the direction of the ancient Grey Warden compound, buried, nearly invisible to those who don't know its location, in the forest just outside of Denerim. It had been a largely uneventful day, as were most of the days spent among the confines of the compound; breakfast, training, lunch, more training, dinner and then free time was the routine that most Wardens ritualistically fell into. In fact, the highlight of his day had been finally beating Dwennen in a sparring match. It was an achievement he was rather proud of, as the older, much more experienced man had a nearly spotless unbeaten record.

The massive grey battlements of the compound had just come into sight when he stopped, a befuddled expression contorting his features, as he noticed what appeared to be a young girl perched precariously on the edge of one of the high walls. As he stood there, unnoticed, the girl slowly lifted her head towards the ever-darkening sky, her face displaying an expression of pure reverence, as if uttering a silent prayer to the Maker. Then, a small, sad smile crossed her face before she opened her mouth and began the most enchanting song that Alistair had ever heard.

'Wow', he thought, utterly stunned, 'She has the voice of an angel.'

As she sang, he observed her properly, starting by examining her legs that were swinging carelessly, heedless of the pained, yet calm, expression that contorted her face, while she chanted her beautiful melody. His eyes then worked their way up her lithe body, noting how relaxed she seemed as she sat. Finally, his gaze came to a stop on her face once again, only this time, as she brushed her short hair out of her eyes, he couldn't help but notice how those pure white tresses that framed her thin face perfectly reflected the last remaining vestiges of the day's sun, giving the appearance of a halo.

'Maker's breath! She really is an angel.'

As he was observing her so intently, he failed to notice that her song had finished. However, it became obvious to him when she lowered her head, unknowingly upsetting her observer by hiding her face from his mesmerised view, and reached up to wipe away the tears that were falling freely down her cheeks. The Grey Warden shifted his weight from one foot to the other, the firewood in his arms suddenly seeming much heavier than it had before. The girl's head shot up at the sound of a twig breaking beneath his heavily armoured boots, her eyes suddenly becoming impassive and losing all emotion. He stared up at her, his mouth flapping like a fish out of water as he tried to think of something to say. However, before he could come up with anything even remotely coherent, the angel leapt effortlessly down from her seat upon the wall and back into the confines of the keep, but not before shooting him a look that, if it could have, would quite easily have killed him on the spot. For half a minute, he remained rooted in place, staring up at the place where she had been seated, feeling as though he had just witnessed something from beyond the Veil, before heaving a heavy sigh, shifting the weight in his arms and carrying on towards the place he called home.

'Maybe I should talk to Duncan', he mused to himself, 'ask him if seeing things is all part of the taint. Then again, I'll probably just get that "You'll see" crap again.'

Nevertheless, as he made his way towards the gate at the front of the compound he determined to ask his mentor about the strange experience.

xXx

After depositing his load in the atrium and changing into a simple pair of linen pants and a tunic, the junior member of the Grey Wardens set upon his task of searching out the Commander of the Grey. However, as he happened to pass by the dining hall, he heard the sound of enthused chatter, as well as the enticing smell of the night's meal, wafting from within, reminding him, and his now protesting stomach, that it was nearly time to eat.

Suddenly feeling ravenous, he changed his course and headed for the large wooden doors that led into the vast refectory. After all, at meal times, one was never likely to find a Grey Warden anywhere but at the dining table. The scent of roasted pork and potatoes hit him like a wall as he opened the doors and he immediately started scanning the room for any sign of the older Warden, hoping to find him quickly in order that he might get to his meal more quickly. He nodded to the other Wardens that greeted him as he passed them by, however, he could see neither hide nor hair of Duncan.

Concentrated on his task as he was, he nearly jumped out of his skin as a heavy hand fell onto his shoulder, accompanied shortly by the sound of Duncan's voice.

"Ah, Alistair, there you are." He stated. The fact that he was searching for Duncan who was searching for him was not lost on Alistair, however, he did not see fit to bringing it up.

"Something you need, Duncan?" He asked cheerily, realising that, whatever it was, it was probably more important than discussing his otherworldly experience.

"Yes," he started simply, "I'd like to introduce you to our newest recruit." Duncan smiled, seeming quite pleased with the news he had to share. After all, recruits were few and far between with the Grey Warden's reputation still recovering in Ferelden.

"You found a volunteer?" The younger man asked, astounded. As far as he knew, Duncan had simply travelled to Highever in order to visit his childhood home.

Duncan turned around and beckoned someone over, announcing as he did so "Let me introduce you to Lilith Cousland. Child," he said, addressing the young woman standing behind him, "this is Alistair, the junior member of our order." He finished with a smile.

Alistair stood dumfounded at the sight of the angel from his vision standing before him. Her ethereal beauty was only enhanced in the dim, flickering light of the large fire at the end of the room and the many candelabras that adorned the walls, again giving her the appearance of a spirit from the Fade. The girl shot Duncan a look that seemed to speak volumes of her dislike at being called a 'child', however, she made no comment. Turning her piercing blue gaze towards the younger of the two men, she looked him straight in the eye and Alistair could almost swear he saw something of a challenge in those eyes. 'Probably wondering if I'll say something about before.' He mused, as she continued to stare at him and he at her. Finally, her gaze faltered, her eyes losing some of their hard edge and her countenance relaxing somewhat, as if glad that she had found no sign of anything distasteful in his eyes. Then, in that sweet, melodic voice that had held him entranced just half an hour before, she simply said, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

'Oh, so now she's being polite!' Alistair fumed inwardly. Nevertheless, he felt his resentment seeping away as she smiled sweetly at him and gave a small courtesy as a sign of respect. Somehow, she gave off an air of refinement, something that was rather lacking in a room full of burly Grey Wardens and he couldn't help but wonder how she would fit in.

"Ah," he started awkwardly, trying to remember the lessons in etiquette that Arl Eamon had made him sit through, "the pleasure is all mine." He finished, as he proffered his hand towards her by way of greeting, feeling quite proud of himself for sounding so composed. The girl, Lilith, he told himself so that he would remember, didn't seem equally impressed, however. She laughed as she held out her relatively dainty hand to grasp his much larger one, evidently amused by his attempts to seem as gentlemanly as possible and he found that he couldn't help a smile of his own at the sound of her gentle, and for once, in his experience, not mocking, laughter.

'Cousland,' he mused to himself, as he let go of her hand and she was introduced to some of the others around the table, 'Why does that name sound so familiar?'

It didn't take long for him to remember the importance of the name and with the knowledge that Cousland was the name of the Teyrn of Highever's family, Alistair was only more perplexed by the arrival of the newest recruit. 'It's not every day that we get nobles signing up for the penniless life of a Grey Warden.' He thought, wondering about the circumstances surrounding her signing up. 'Perhaps Duncan evoked the Right of Conscription,' he considered thoughtfully, 'though I can see no reason why he would go so far.'

From outward appearances, Lilith Cousland didn't seem to be much of a warrior; her build was slight, her stature small and from the lingering feel of her cold hand against his, he was sure that they were not calloused from swordplay, as his had been for almost as long as he could remember. As the protests of his stomach woke him from his deliberation and he started for his seat in the middle of the table, he determined to keep an eye on her progress, somehow sensing that she would make an interesting addition to the Warden's ranks.

A/N: So, I hope you enjoyed my little foray into AU. Thanks for reading and please leave a review to tell me what you think. Any constructive criticism is very welcome. That way I can try and make the next chapter better for you guys. Thanks again!

PS. I already hate the title of this story, but I'm crap at coming up with them, so, it'll have to do.