"You are dead," she said, her voice light with amusement.

"Again…" he added, chuckling at the younger man on the ground in front of him.

Alim sat up, rubbing his aching shoulder. "You two are having far too much fun with this," he grumbled, unintentionally drawing laughter from his adversaries.

Alistair reached out his hand, still laughing lightly as he offered to help Alim up. "Sorry about the shield bash," he said, "I got a little carried away."

Smirking, Alim waved the dulled grey iron longsword he was sparring with, smacking Alistair's hand away with the flat side of the blade. He dragged himself wearily to his feet, shaking his head. "So who is ahead?" he asked sarcastically.

Zevran, who was overseeing and teaching this particular training session, chuckled. "Leliana has killed you five times now, while Alistair has only killed you four times. And you, my friend, have not gotten either of them even once." Leliana twirled her pair of dulled grey iron training daggers before playfully pirouetting in glee.

"It is hardly a fair fight, Zev," Alim protested, waving his arms in frustration. "I could not defeat either one of them alone, and you are having me fight both of them at once!"

Zev rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Remember, it was you that asked to be taught how to handle multiple opponents in melee. Focus now, you are allowing yourself to get frustrated and you are not learning anything. You keep making the same mistakes over and over."

"You mean there is a lesson in this for me other than learning even more humility?"

Zev sighed. "Think, my friend. You said it yourself, you cannot win fighting them both at the same time. What does that tell you?"

Alim stared at Zev in bewilderment. "That this is completely pointless?"

"No… try again." Alistair and Leliana grinned in amusement.

Alim closed his eyes and shook his head. "Okay," he said, sighing heavily, "I cannot win fighting them both at the same time, and there is supposed to be a lesson in that." Opening his eyes, he caught sight of a very disinterested Sten standing a short distance from the group. "Hey, Sten! What do you think the lesson I am supposed to learn is?"

"That you should be a mage and not a warrior," the big Qunari said matter-of-factly.

"Ouch… that is harsh…"

Sten scoffed. "I simply do not understand the people in this land. Everyone wants to be something they are not. You are a mage, why do you try to be something else?"

"Sten, remember what I said when I gave you that sylvanwood crossbow?" Alim asked rhetorically, knowing he did, "I told you that even though it was not your strength, having a ranged option gives us tactical flexibility to exploit over our enemies. This is no different. I am not trying to give up being a mage, I am trying to be versatile, to be able to adapt to changing battle conditions. I would even learn from you if you would take the time."

Sten stepped forward, yanking the silverite greatsword Yusaris off of his back and slamming it into the ground in front of Alim. Even staked a few inches into the earth, the massive greatsword stood taller than the elven arcane warrior. "Pasharra! When you can wield my blade you can ask me to teach you." He turned his back and began to walk off. The others glanced at Alim to see how he would react.

Alim kicked the greatsword over to dislodge it from the ground, and then in a continuous motion he picked the sword up and swung it over his head with both arms before settling into a fighting stance. "Your move!" he barked out to the Qunari, all the while trying not to grunt from the exertion of holding the huge blade out in front of him.

Sten turned around, seeing the ridiculous looking young elf attempting to wield a greatsword that was taller than he was and that he could barely hold. He looked like a young child playing with his father's sword. Stalking forward, Sten reached out and pressed down on the tip of the blade. Alim strained even further trying to resist the downward pull of the blade, struggling to keep it upright out in front of him. A wry smile formed on Sten's face at the little warden's determination. Still, he pressed a little harder, and it was only a few seconds before Alim's muscles gave out and the sword dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Do not fight them both at the same time," Sten said simply, taking his sword from Alim and walking away.

Alim was so exasperated that the approval he'd just won from the big Qunari went completely unnoticed. "So if I am in a real battle against two opponents I am supposed to just fight them one at a time?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," Sten answered. Zevran, Leliana, and Alistair all nodded in agreement.

"That is the lesson, my friend. Are you ready to try it now?" asked Zev.

Flabbergasted, Alim threw his arms up in the air and began ranting. "How is that supposed to work? Oh, excuse me Mr. Darkspawn, I am sorry but I am already occupied at the moment. Please take a number and queue up and I will be with you as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience."

Zevran grinned, trying not to laugh. "Perhaps this is a lesson better demonstrated than explained with words? Leliana, would you like to show how someone who relies on dexterity over strength fights when faced with multiple opponents?"

Leliana shifted slightly, putting her hand on her hip. "Indeed," she replied with a smirk.

-==0==-

Alistair and Alim charged Leliana, who waited until the last moment before spinning away towards the outside of Alim. She lashed out with the dagger in her left hand, hitting him but not drawing blood because the blade had been intentionally made dull for training purposes. Alim turned to face Leliana, and in doing so inadvertently blocked Alistair from reaching her as a result. The elf retaliated with a slash from his longsword that she deflected away using both of her daggers, and seeing Alistair coming around Alim's left side, she shuffled lightly on her feet towards Alim's right side. As Alim turned to face her, he once more effectively blocked Alistair without realizing it.

After a few more attempts to engage the rogue but being stuck behind his partner, Alistair pushed his fellow warden aside with his shield in order to get to her. Alistair knew full well what was going on, but he was still trying to do his part. He blocked a dagger stab with his shield and swung his own grey iron training longsword at the rogue. She sidestepped the slower moving templar, only to grimace when a slash from Alim caught her in the back, hurting her more from the force of impact than anything else. She quickly reached out and grabbed physically slight elf and roughly pushed him into Alistair, cutting off the templar's path to her again. With Alim off-balance from the shove, she unleashed a flurry of stabs that ricocheted off of his chest without penetrating his armor, and then executed a dual-weapon sweep that would've slashed his throat if she was fighting for real.

"Break!" called out Zevran.

"You are dead, my love, again," Leliana said, smiling sweetly at Alim, who scowled playfully in response while Alistair and Zev laughed.

"You know, you could have helped me out a bit, Alistair, I felt like I was fighting her by myself!" Right after he said that, Alim's eyes opened wide as realization set in. "Ohhhh…." he said, grinning, "I get it."

"About time, my friend," replied Zev, "I was beginning to wonder if you were a lost cause."

"See, Alim," began Leliana, "by keeping you between myself and Alistair at almost all times, I took him out of the fight. I would never have been able to go toe-to-toe with both of you and survive, so I fought you one at a time even though there were two of you."

"Generally you try to keep the stronger opponent away and fight the weaker one, but it does not always work out that way," added Zev.

Alim nodded in understanding. "Maybe someday I will not always be the weaker one," he sighed.

"More practice!" Zev replied, chuckling. "But not tonight, I think. We have all had enough."

Leliana smiled gently. "Do not see yourself as weak, you have strengths that none of us have. Sten did have a point, bluntly stated as it was. Your magic more than makes up for your inexperience in physical combat. Not using magic in these sparring sessions puts you at a great disadvantage, and you should be proud of the improvement you have made."

"Maybe… but it would still be nice not lose every time to you guys."

"Winning and losing is not the point of what we are doing here. You understand that, yes?"

"Alim," Alistair began, "Be patient and continue to work hard and you'll see the results. It is unreasonable to expect after only a few months to be able to best skilled fighters with many years of training and experience."

"I… I know…" replied Alim, sighing. "You are right, of course. But it does not mean I have to just accept being a loser."

Leliana's expression turned to one of annoyance. "I am going to go get cleaned up," she said flatly, turning and beginning to walk away.

Alim noticed her change in tone immediately, as did Zev and Alistair. "What is wrong?" he asked in bewilderment.

She glanced back, glaring at the mage as she spoke. "I will not stand here listening to you insult yourself and the rest of us!" she declared, storming off in a huff before he could respond.

Alim glanced wearily back and forth at Alistair and Zev. "I am confused," he admitted. "How did I insult you guys?"

"I don't even pretend to understand women," joked Alistair.

Zev flashed a coy smile. "My friend, I suspect she means that by degrading yourself, you in turn call into question the intelligence of those who would willingly follow you."

"Surely she knows I did not mean it like that?"

Alistair shrugged. "I don't even pretend to understand women," he echoed.

-==0==-

Alistair pulled Alim aside after Zev had left to return to his tent. "Tomorrow we will reach the split, where we'll either go south to the Circle Tower or northeast to the Frostback Mountains and then into Orzammar. I know originally we planned on Orzammar, but after… well, you know… I didn't know if that was still the plan."

"I think we should go to the Circle of Magi first. It is closer, and should not take long. I mean, I cannot imagine there will be any resistance to helping us since we saved the Circle from the Rite of Annulment. Also, I hear the Frostbacks are a tough climb, so before tackling the mountains I think it would be good for everyone to get a couple of nights with a roof over our heads, where we can rest comfortably without having to keep watch."

Alistair nodded. "Sounds like a wise choice to me. Hey, by the way," he added, changing the subject, "How are you holding up? Is everything well?"

It had been a week since Alim's runaway attempt. The previous several days of travel had been uneventful, and Alistair felt like enough time had passed now to talk to Alim about it without emotions on either side getting in the way.

"Yes, I am over my rebellious phase," Alim replied, grinning.

Alistair nodded, smiling gently. "That's good. Our lives will be short enough, we don't need to be going out of our way to lose them."

Alim raised an eyebrow quizzically. "You do not think we will survive the Blight?"

"Well, that's debatable, but I was actually referring to the Calling."

"The Calling? What is that?"

A pained expression came over Alistair's face. "Did Duncan not tell you?" he asked quietly.

Alim shook his head, already beginning to fear where this conversation was going.

Alistair sighed heavily. "I suppose everything happened so fast, there was no time. And then he… was gone… along with the others."

"I take it I am not going to like what you are about to tell me?"

Resting his hand on the younger warden's shoulder, the former templar nodded sadly. Alim didn't know if his mournful expression was from thinking about Duncan or whatever this Calling was. After pausing to collect his thoughts, Alistair began to speak.

"Becoming a Grey Warden is a death sentence," he said in an even tone that belied the resignation he felt. "The taint that enables us to track the darkspawn and defeat the archdemon ultimately claims us as well. The nightmares will begin to intensify, and then it gets even better. If it goes on long enough we eventually turn into the very abominations we've sworn to protect Ferelden from."

"Wh-what?" Alim asked frantically. "How much time are we talking about here? A year? Five years?"

Alistair calmly shook his head. "No… not that imminent. Thirty years, give or take a year or two. From what I was told by a few of the older wardens, we'll know when our time is coming. That's what they refer to as the Calling. When that happens, almost all Grey Wardens make their way to Orzammar and the Deep Roads."

Alim was in shock, with so many questions burning through mind that it was hard to think clearly. "Wh-why do they do that?"

"There are always darkspawn down in the depths of the Deep Roads. On the surface we usually only see darkspawn during a Blight, but the dwarves are ever at war with them. The Grey Wardens go there for one last glorious battle. Better to go out taking a horde of darkspawn with you than turning into one and having to be put down by friends or family."

"The Grey Wardens…" Alim scoffed acerbically, "the gift that just keeps giving."

"And you wondered why Grey Warden secrets are secret, didn't you?" Alistair replied sarcastically. "Who would ever choose to be one willingly if they knew the truth ahead of time?"

"Yet Grey Wardens are the only ones who can stop a Blight…" sighed Alim, trailing off. He wanted to be angry, but he found himself oddly enough unable to. He felt a mixture of sadness, frustration, duty, and resignation to his fate.

"I am sorry, Alim…"

Alim shook his head. "Do not be. I am not pleased about the situation, but we are no different. You did not have a choice either." A silence fell over the pair for a minute before Alim spoke again. "Make me a promise, Alistair?"

Alistair looked at the younger man curiously, silently prompting him to continue.

"Even though you will be the king of Ferelden and… who knows what I will be doing… promise me we will go to our Calling together when it is time? That we will finish what we started more or less together?"

Alistair smiled broadly, buoyed by the unspoken confidence his companion had that they would defeat the Blight and go on to live out the rest of their days until the time of their Calling. And Alim was a lot more confident of him becoming the king than he was. "We will, Alim, we will," he promised.

-==0==-

Alim finished speaking in a low voice, opening his eyes and looking up at the night sky. It was later in the evening and he was off by himself at the edge of the camp, though he took care to make sure he was still within line of sight of Morrigan, the only other companion outside their tent when he walked over to his quiet spot. Sighing, he turned around, and was startled to see Leliana standing a few feet away.

Seeing his startled expression in the dim light given by the moon and the camp fires, she smiled softly. "I heard you praying when I approached, I did not wish to disturb you."

The elven warden nodded, his face taking on a reticent expression.

"Alistair told me I should come find you," she explained. "He said you would not be able to talk about what he told you, but that it was something you might not have taken as well as you let on."

Alim closed the gap between the two of them and rested his forehead on her chest while slipping his arms around her waist. "I am sorry for earlier…" his said softly. "I did not mean what I said in the manner it was taken, but I understand I should not have said it at all."

Leliana lightly ran her fingers through his hair while pulling him tightly to her body with her other arm. "Thank you, but you are trying to change the subject, no?"

"Only because I do not know how to explain without breaking my oath to the Grey Wardens," he admitted.

Trying to make him laugh, she replied, "Maybe when we are in our old age and death is coming to claim us, you can tell me all these secrets before we slip off peacefully to be with the Maker." Leliana had no way of knowing it was exactly the wrong thing to say. After several moments of silence elapsed she felt him shuddering slightly and his tears wetting her warm skin.

She tugged lightly on the back of his hair in order to tilt his head up so she could see his face. When she did, she saw his eyes and he didn't need to say a word. She knew. Leliana gulped in realization, and whispered in a calm but factual tone, "You will not have an old age."

Alim pursed his trembling lips, trying to hold himself together. He didn't know what to say, there wasn't much he could say. He settled for a simple admission of closing his eyes and quickly shaking his head.

Leliana pulled his head back down to her chest. "By the Maker! What did they do to you?" she whispered hoarsely, kissing him repeatedly on top of the head. They both knew the question was largely rhetorical, that he wouldn't be able to actually tell her.

In a very soft, tentative tone, he said, "I… I will un-understand if this changes things between us. I did not know before now."

"No, my dearest one, no…" she whispered back, her own heart grieving for him. "I will stay with you until the end." She paused briefly before asking, "Are you able to give me any hint at all as to how long it would be, without breaking your oath?"

"I… I d-do not want to worry you… all I can s-say for now though is it would be some years, and when it comes I would have some amount of warning."

"Well… all we can do is make the most of the time we have, no?" she stated resolutely.

Nodding, Alim sighed. "Thank you for not giving up on me…"

Leliana smiled. Releasing the embrace, she took his hand and tugged, indicating she wanted him to follow her back to the tent. "Come, my warden, we have some living to do…"

-==0==-

Leliana walked out of the library in the Circle Tower, sighing in frustration after her conversation with the Tranquil mage librarian yielded no new answers to her questions. It had been a bit of a long shot anyway, but after talking to Wynne along the way and finding out she knew a fair amount about the Grey Wardens, she'd been encouraged by the older woman's suggestion that there might be even more knowledge in the Circle of Magi library. Her hope had been that these Grey Warden secrets were not so secret and that she could find out what exactly Alim and Alistair were faced with.

Leliana was shaken from her thoughts by a sarcastic voice questioning her. "Take a wrong turn? Surely a bard would have no business in a library filled with tomes on magic?"

"Morrigan…" Leliana sighed. Ignoring the taunt, she answered honestly, "I was hoping to find information on the Grey Wardens. Wynne thought it was a possibility."

"Ahhh, books of stories of their legendary exploits would be of interest to a story teller like yourself. I myself have decided that if I have to suffer being in the presence of these fools who allow themselves to be controlled by the Chantry, I might as well take advantage of their library to see if I can pick up any new spells or arcane knowledge."

Leliana shook her head. "No, about their rituals, about what enables them to defeat a Blight where others cannot, and what the consequences of that are."

Morrigan looked at the red haired girl curiously. "'Tis the taint within them."

"Taint? What is this taint you speak of?"

"They are tainted by darkspawn, presumably it is in their blood."

Leliana's eyes narrowed, her brow furrowing. "What else do you know of this?"

"Truly not much, what little I do know I learned from Flemeth. I do not know how much she knew herself, not that we can ask her at this point. I suspect one would need to become a Grey Warden to learn what you wish to know. Why is it you wish to learn these things?"

The bard glanced left and right to make sure no one else was coming or within earshot. "What I tell you I do in confidence. I know that Grey Wardens pay a high price for being wardens, a deadly price. I would seek to find a cure."

"How does she know?" Morrigan asked herself. "Or, perhaps she is not referring to what happens with the archdemon?" "What is this price you refer to?"

"They do not live very long lives. How long, I do not know. And Alim has admitted to being plagued with nightmares of darkspawn on almost a nightly basis. I… have seen him thrashing in his sleep at times."

"Ahhh, yes… sharing a tent is not all fun and games is it?" Morrigan asked in amusement.

"Anyway… I trust you will not repeat what I have told you, yes?"

Morrigan nodded. "I have no reason to."

-==0==-

Leliana paced restlessly in her room. Alim was still at dinner with First Enchanter Irving and Wynne among others, and her mind was refusing to let go of the topic that consumed her thoughts. Morrigan's words rang through her ears, "I suspect one would need to become a Grey Warden to learn what you wish to know." The more she considered it, the less crazy it sounded. "Why not?" she thought. "Even if I do not ever find a cure, I will at least be able to share in his sufferings, with no secrets between us required." Impulsively, she strode from her room and down the hall. Finding the door she was looking for, she took a deep breath and knocked.

-==0==-

"Leliana?" asked Alistair, perplexed as to why the bard had come to his room. As soon as he opened the door, she pushed her way in without asking. She paced back and forth holding her arms behind her back.

"What's the matter?" Alistair asked when she didn't respond.

She finally stopped pacing and turned to face the elder Grey Warden in Ferelden, which wasn't saying much since there were only two presently. "This Joining ritual is how one becomes a Grey Warden, yes? I wish you to perform it on me."

Alistair's jaw dropped, his mouth open wide in shock. "Wh-what?"

"I wish to become a Grey Warden, so I need you to do the Joining."

The former templar shook his head in disbelief. "What did Alim say about this?"

"He did not say anything," she answered noncommittally. It was neither a lie nor completely the truth.

Looking at her skeptically, Alistair replied, "I don't believe that." He scrutinized her expression, but the bard was a master of deceit when she wanted to be and revealed nothing. "I'm going to go ask him myself."

"You cannot," Leliana said quickly. "He is still occupied with the business of securing the help of the Circle."

"Wait a minute… you haven't told him at all, have you?"

"It is my decision, no? How much time do you need to prepare the ritual?"

"Even if I could conduct a Joining, which I can't, I would not for you!" Alistair declared emphatically.

"What do you mean, you cannot? If neither you nor Alim can perform a Joining, what does that mean for the future of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden?"

"It means that at some point, probably after the Blight, we'll need to find the wardens in Orlais, or even perhaps in the Anderfels, and have the ritual taught. It's not our fault that the two newest wardens were the only ones to survive Ostagar!"

Leliana scowled in frustration. "Tell me, if performing the ritual was not a problem, why would you not have me in your Order? Do you not think I am qualified?"

"It has nothing to do with your qualifications."

"Then what is it?" she asked, her voice rising in irritation.

"I would not do that to Alim!" Alistair shouted back.

"You would not do what to Alim?" inquired a voice from the doorway. Both Alistair's and Leliana's heads snapped in that direction, stunned to see Alim standing there with a guarded expression on his face.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Leliana asked. "I thought you were at dinner with the First Enchanter."

Alim strolled into the room, still wary of what was going on. "We finished. I came to tell Alistair that Irving is honoring our treaty, he will send the Circle mages when the time comes."

"That is great news!" exclaimed Alistair. "Now hopefully the dwarves will follow suit, and then-"

Alim raised his hand to silence his friend. "What are you two plotting concerning me?"

"I am not plotting anything," Alistair grumbled. Alim's eyes shifted over to Leliana.

Leliana met his stern gaze with her own. "I asked Alistair to conduct the Joining ritual on me so I could become a Grey Warden."

Alim's eyes opened wide in shock. "Wh-what? Wh-why?"

Alistair laughed despite the situation. "I had the same reaction when she asked."

"What did you tell her?" the younger warden demanded, his tone filled with worry.

Alistair held up his hands in front of him, gesturing for Alim to calm down. "I told her that I don't even know how to prepare the ritual, and even if I did I wouldn't do it for her, not without you knowing about it. There is no way I'd do that to you."

Alim nodded, his tense expression softening.

"Is it not my choice?" Leliana asked, still exasperated. "If I become a warden, then we do not have these secrets between us, no? I could help you more, because I would know what you are experiencing and not just have to guess. And if you cannot live to grow old, I would give that up too for you."

Alistair looked over at Alim curiously after Leliana's last remark, wondering how much he'd revealed to her. For his part, Alim blinked in stunned realization at how far she was willing to go for him. He was nearly overwhelmed by the sentiment. Seeing Alistair's expression and knowing he was silently questioning his fellow warden, Leliana explained, "He did not tell me anything, Alistair, I guessed it from his physical reaction to something I said. He is very expressive even without words, whether he intends to be or not."

Nodding solemnly, Alistair replied, "And you are a master at reading people."

"It is part of the job description," she answered unyieldingly, still watching Alim carefully.

"Somehow I think you're going to know all of the Grey Warden secrets before it's all over, whether you are one or not," Alistair said, sighing.

"Yet you still will not tell me why I cannot be one!" Leliana countered pointedly.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway since we can't do a Joining, does it?"

Leliana glared at Alistair in response to his copout answer. "Orlais is only on the other side of the Frostback Mountains from Orzammar. We could easily travel there after we are finished with the dwarves, no? Then you would no longer have this excuse."

Alim snapped out of his stupor at her suggestion, his eyes filling with fear, while Alistair merely sighed at her dogged stubbornness. The older warden threw his hands up in the air. "Tell you what, if Alim agrees to it then fine, we'll do it. Otherwise it's not going to happen."

"Alim?" asked Leliana softly.

Alim exhaled audibly. "What am I supposed to do here, Alistair? How can I explain that I do not want her to do it when I cannot tell her why?"

"You have to tell her to just trust you on it."

"Great… the old 'just because I said so' explanation? You think that is going to satisfy her?"

"If you have a better idea, then by all means use it."

Leliana screamed in frustration. "Will you two stop talking like I am not standing right here?"

Alim pursed his lips, glaring in irritation at Alistair. He knew his friend was right, but he didn't have to like it.

"Leliana, I do not want you to attempt to become a Grey Warden. Please trust me on it," he said as evenly as he could.

Something about the way he phrased his statement struck her as odd. After a few moments she realized what it was. "Attempt?" she asked. "As in, one can try to become a Grey Warden but fail?"

Alim closed his eyes, trying not to give away anything else with his expression.

Alistair groaned. "See, this is exactly what I meant earlier about learning all of our secrets."

Leliana crossed her arms across her chest. "Since I have never heard of a former Grey Warden recruit, I can only assume this failure results in death, yes?"

This time Alistair laughed, his tone taking on a lighthearted disbelief at her ability to extract information someone didn't want to reveal. "Yep… all of our secrets. Alllllll…"

"Since you have already guessed," the elven warden began, "I will tell you that based on his and my experiences, you would only have a 50/50 chance of surviving the Joining. Whether or not that is true in general or if it was truly only in our experiences, I do not know. But I do know this... I refuse to take those odds with you."

Alistair sighed at the younger warden giving away more information than he should have, but under the circumstances he also understood that it didn't make a whole lot of difference. She'd figured out the basic idea on her own. "Leliana, you have some dangerous knowledge now. The Grey Wardens are very protective of that knowledge, for good reason. I ask you this as a friend first and as a warden second; protect these secrets as if you were a warden yourself. If you don't and other Grey Wardens find out, they will hunt you down and kill you and anyone else they suspect of knowing."

Leliana nodded. "I think I know a little something of living with dangerous secrets and the consequences of them." Alim frowned, knowing she was referring to Marjolaine. After a momentary silence, Leliana spoke up again. "While we are on the subject of secrets, tell me Alistair, how long do you two really have to live, assuming of course you do not die of unnatural causes?"

"You think being the girlfriend of a Grey Warden entitles you to this knowledge?"

"Are you implying that if I was his wife you could tell me?" Alim raised an eyebrow curiously at that statement, though he didn't say anything in response.

Alistair chuckled sardonically. He knew he was in way over his head sparring verbally with her. "If I answer your question, will you drop the interrogation before he and I are obligated to kill each other for giving away all of our secrets?" he asked sarcastically.

Leliana smiled mischievously. "For now," she answered.

"Yeah… good luck with that one, Alim," said Alistair mockingly, gesturing towards the bard. Shaking his head and sighing, he continued, "About thirty years from the time of the Joining. If we're all still around when that time comes you can ask what happens then."

Leliana nodded, smiling in humble appreciation. "Thank you, Alistair, for trusting me with this. I know you wish that I did not know, but I swear by the Maker my entire motivation in finding this out is my love for Alim, to help my dearest one. You need not worry about me, I promise you both I will never betray your trust."

Alistair nodded before grinning at his slightly blushing fellow warden. "I pray that's true, for all of our sakes," he thought to himself.

-==0==-

"Are you upset with me?" Leliana asked as Alim walked her back to her room.

"Not at all…" he replied quietly, gently shaking his head. "If anything, I am incredibly humbled by what you were trying to do."

"My love, I know that look. You have something on your mind."

Alim chuckled softly. "Alistair is right, you are a master at reading people. No, I was just thinking. Before the dinner, Wynne pulled me aside and lectured me about having a relationship with you."

"What?"

"Yes, her opinion is that it is irresponsible for a Grey Warden. She said that love is ultimately selfish, and that in the future I might be required to choose between saving you and saving many others… in other words, being forced to choose between love and duty. She does not think I would be able to uphold my responsibilities both to you and to my duty at the same time."

"And that is her business how?" Leliana asked irritably.

"That is more or less what I said, though admittedly in a more placating tone of voice." He grinned at his love, stopping and turning to face her. "Anyway, just now I was thinking about what you were trying to do back there, and how it was completely opposite of what Wynne said. I could not imagine a more selfless act in the name of love than your willingness to sacrifice so much for me."

Leliana smiled. "I think Wynne's heart was in the right place, but it was not her place to counsel you on the responsibilities of being a warden."

"I do not think she could stop even if she tried," Alim replied, laughing lightly. "Morrigan's nickname School Mistress for her is not far from the truth. Wynne is very well-meaning, but it is in her nature to try to teach and mentor others."

"Did you give an answer to her hypothetical situation, you know, of having to choose between love and duty?"

Alim shook his head. "Not really. I mean, it is easy to give a rational answer and say I would do one thing or another if faced with that kind of situation, but truly I cannot say what I would do until it was happening. I only hope I never have to find out."

The noncommittal answer somewhat bothered Leliana, but she merely nodded without expressing an opinion either way. She was bothered because she knew that if he was faced with that type of situation, he needed to be able to do his Grey Warden duty for the greater good. But she also knew that given his personality and the intense loyalty he was developing for her, he would likely choose her even if it had dire consequences for everyone else. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty over the amount of sway she had with him, and that even though logic told her the responsible thing would be to back off on the closeness of their relationship, she selfishly would not do that. She agreed with him though, hopefully they would never have to find out.

-==0==-

"Is that a merchant cart ahead?" Alistair asked. The group had left the Circle Tower a couple of days prior, traveling north on their way to their ultimate destination of Orzammar.

"Be alert!" Alim warned everyone, "It would not be the first time we have been ambushed under the pretense of a merchant caravan."

Approaching the cart with due caution, the group found a nervous looking man standing next to it. Waving, the man greeted them, albeit somewhat wearily. "Hello, I am Felix."

"Are you a merchant?" Alim asked.

"Aye… though in a bit of bad luck. You looking to trade?"

"What kind of problems are you having?" asked Alim sincerely. Morrigan rolled her eyes at his ever persistence in helping practically everyone they came across with every insignificant little problem.

Felix sighed. "I acquired this control rod for a golem that is supposed to be in the village of Honnleath down south a little way, and even have the phrase to activate it, but for all the good it does me. I found out later that Honnleath is overrun with darkspawn, I'd need an army to go down there to recover the golem!"

"Darkspawn?" asked Alistair, "Are you sure of that?" The merchant nodded in the affirmative.

Alim sighed. "Looks like we are making a detour south to Honnleath."

Felix looked incredulous. "You would go there willingly even knowing there are darkspawn?"

Gesturing to Alistair and himself, Alim nodded. "We are Grey Wardens, it is what we do."

Felix looked over the little elf appraisingly. "Hmmm… this could work out for both of us. How about you take the control rod?"

"How do we ever know it works?" Morrigan interjected. "How much are you asking for it?"

"It is yours if you'll take it, I simply want to be rid of the accursed thing at this point. Here, take it." He gave the passphrase to the young elf and wished them luck. Since they had recently restocked from the Circle of Magi quartermaster they didn't need to trade, so they wished Felix well and reversed their course, heading south towards the village of Honnleath.

"Darkspawn and golems…" Alim thought as they marched along, "It is never dull, is it?"