Lothering at Last

They made better time than Alistair expected, their newest companion had no trouble keeping up with the two men. He kept looking down to see how she was faring and she never seemed to falter. The fact that he had a good view of her breasts wasn't a factor at all, of course. Her slightly too-small dress had a number of interestingly placed tears, the result of battling in cloth instead of any sort of armor. If the neckline tore any further he'd be able to see all the way down to her toes. As it was he had fantasies of sliding his hand down between the two generous mounds and bringing them out to play. He certainly didn't have the same reaction to Morrigan, and her breasts had even less covering. He could objectively admit that Morrigan was beautiful, and while not as generous as Jannasilane her breasts were rather magnificent. Too bad her beauty was marred because Morrigan was cold and a complete bitch. Jannasilane hadn't said much, but she seemed to give off heat, promising a warmth at night that was very enticing.

Alistair fell back, he needed to think. Why did Jannasilane have such a strong effect on him? There were plenty of women he'd found attractive and fantasized about. Even back at Ostagar there were a couple of women, one a soldier by the name of Ser Cauthrien and the other a dark-haired elf, what was her name? He thought if there had been time and Loghain not a traitor he and Cauthrien might have gotten to know each other better. She at least appreciated his sense of humor, many didn't. But she was almost fanatically loyal and, well, she wasn't Jannasilane. Maker help him, but watching her from the rear wasn't helping him much. Her strong haunches were full and well-rounded. A man could happily get lost in those curves. And the way they moved, they were just begging to be grabbed.

"She's a sexy little package, isn't she?" Blake interrupted Alistair's musings. "I don't think she's even aware of it, she seems rather young."

"Sexy little package? Isn't that a bit, um, rude?" not that he disagreed, of course.

"Please, you've been watching her like she was the only drink of water for a hundred miles and you were dying of thirst. Anyway, she can't hear us; it's just you and me." Blake thought for a moment, "I've known a lot of women, but none of them had the same punch she does. If it weren't for the fact that her very presence seems to irritate Morrigan I'd be tempted to leave her behind, she's a distraction we can ill afford."

"No!" Alistair was forceful, and then tried to redeem himself, "she's a terrific fighter. I'm not sure what she did to those darkspawn, I've never seen anything like it."

Blake smirked at the blond man, "I knew you liked her."

Alistair narrowed his eyes at Blake; he hated it when the other man got all superior on him. "You don't? I saw you watching her too. You seem pretty interested for somebody thinking of leaving her behind."

Blake sighed, "Fine, I admit it. I would enjoy bedding her, don't get me wrong. But she's not really my type."

"Not your type? You mean Morrigan?" just the thought of getting that close with the witch made Alistair ill.

"No, you're a bit large but still a lot closer than either of the women." Alistair looked at him with wide yet hooded eyes. Blake sighed, "You're safe Alistair. I knew right away you didn't play my way. I'm a gentleman and would never pay somebody, especially a friend, uncomfortable and unwanted attention. I'm only telling you so you know you have a clear field with Jannasilane as far as I'm concerned, and because at some point while we're traveling you're bound to notice something. If this makes you uncomfortable, let me know right now."

Alistair was silent for a long time. "No," he said slowly. "It's alright; I know some men prefer the, um, companionship of other men. You're right, I don't really understand it, but you obviously respect other people's boundaries so, no, I'm fine with it." He couldn't help muttering, "Makes more sense than Morrigan, anyway."

Blake snickered and then let out a sigh of relief; he hadn't realized how much he valued Alistair's friendship and respect. He knew he tended to be sarcastic and brooding; the other man's generally sunny nature and goofy humor centered him and simply made him feel better. "So," he nudged the former templar, "go find out what sort of armor she can wear before that dress falls apart and we get too distracted. Just because I usually prefer men doesn't mean I can't or don't enjoy women. On second thought, don't go."

Alistair punched him on the arm and went to talk to Jannasilane. "So, Jannasilane, what kinds of armor can you wear? Your dress, umm, well, it probably won't last much longer."

Jannasilane looked sideways up at the big blond. Alistair was looking in the distance and failing in his attempt not to blush. "You can call me Janna, or Lane if you prefer, Alistair." Maker, he was aroused just by the way she said his name, 'All-lee-stairrr'.

"The only leather I can wear is dragon. I can wear metal but I feel as if I can't move like I need to, and I feel itchy. So, cloth. I'd like to experiment with layers and leather inserts, but I need coin. We were-" she stopped herself abruptly and continued differently, "Unfortunately my other clothes were lost. If I had needle and thread I could make some repairs."

"We? Who is 'we?' I hope she's not married. I'm not lusting after a married woman, am I?" He decided to ask, "Do you have any family somewhere?"

She tried to be stoic when she answered, "Not anymore. There's just me." She didn't realize that instead she sounded lonely and sad.

"Hey," Alistair put his hand on her shoulder, "You're not alone Janna, you're with us now."

Jannasilane looked up into his warm hazel eyes, the corners crinkling with his smile and felt her stomach flip flop. "Maybe this won't be so bad," she thought wistfully. She'd been drawn to Alistair from the start; there was a kindness and openness to his strong good looks that appealed to her more than the brooding quality of Blake. She had to admit that Blake epitomized the tall, dark and handsome man of stories. If Alistair wasn't the Warden for her, then she could do worse than Blake. She was fortunate that her options were both young, good-looking and at least willing to be kind. Oh how she wished her mother was here to advise her. Maybe she and Alistair could at least form a friendship before . . . it. She smiled up at the big man, a smile that was surprisingly sweet and shy with her exotic features and Alistair felt a warmth inside that had nothing to do with lust.

They continued on side by side, Blake joining them after a while. They were near Lothering when they saw a group of people waiting on the highway leading to Lothering. Bandits.

"Well, look what we have here, more travelers. I bet this man with the dark hair is their leader." The bandit leader looked at Jannasilane, his eyes full of lust, "and they travel with this desirable little thing, lucky men." She almost imperceptibly edged closer to Alistair, wary and on edge, while Alistair tensed. The bandit continued, "The toll is ten silvers for the upkeep of the Imperial Highway, but I'm feeling in a good mood. If you don't have the coin you can leave your little friend with us instead, a couple of nights sharing her 'company' should be fair."

Alistair said, "No," just as Blake replied that they weren't paying. Foolishly the thugs attacked. The skirmish didn't last long. After getting all the information possible out of them, the bandits lay dead around them. They started scavenging the area, coming across a dead knight who had obviously run afoul of the erstwhile toll collectors. They gathered some personal items to take to the Chantry in case somebody was searching for him. Alistair kept looking at Jannasilane to see how she was faring and Blake in turn eyed Alistair. General Lee didn't watch anybody while he nosed for food and Morrigan glared at everybody in turn, more spite in her eyes when they landed on the young girl.

"If you didn't look like a whore displaying your wares people would be less likely to get the wrong impression," Morrigan finally spat out, "unless, of course, it isn't the wrong impression." Alistair and Blake were furious at her insult; their anger compounded by the sheer hypocrisy of her statement, considering her own lack of apparel. General Lee looked reproachfully at the witch.

Jannasilane didn't bother looking at Morrigan. She continued her search as she almost absent-mindedly replied, "I'll keep that in mind, Nipples." Morrigan was speechless. The men bit their lips and looked in the distance in order not to burst out laughing and further infuriating the temperamental witch. Even the dog endeavored to hide his reaction. Finally Morrigan snorted, whether in grudging amusement or anticipated retaliation none could tell.

Once they had all they could find, they entered Lothering with Jannasilane and Morrigan as far away from each other as possible. It wasn't long before Morrigan was making snide comments again, usually about Alistair. She also wasn't impressed with their efforts to help the villagers with some of their problems. Alistair endeavored not to respond in kind, but it wasn't easy. They even earned some coin doing odd jobs they found on the Chanter's board.

Jannasilane was fascinated by the Chanter and the board. She kept going back to see if there were new tasks or to talk to the Chanter. She'd ask a question just so she could try to figure out the meaning of Chanter's response. The little boy next to him as well as the Wardens was amused. Finally Blake had to ask, "Have you never seen a Chanter's board before?"

"No. The village near my home was very small, Lothering is huge in comparison. But we're not here for my education, or your amusement," she admitted.

"Those are just bonuses," Blake teased. "Let's go."