A/N: Thank you for all the reviews and thank you to those putting me on their favorites/alerts. Much love. As always, this is AU. I'm so full of fail. I was wondering if anyone would like to beta for me? Because obviously, I'm grammar retarded. Lol This chapter is to make up for the lack of updates from before. I had hoped to get this in sooner but a real life situation popped up. I wanted to have a conversation dominated chapter that showed relationships rather than telling you about them.

When Two Are One

"If things were perfect, we wouldn't have met."

Over the next few days that the Couslands were staying in Redcliffe, Alistair and Raina had time to get to know each other. Alistair thought that the woman had wasted potential, only playing puppet to what her family wanted when she could accomplish so much more. She shared dreams with him, of what she wanted to do, what she could do if she had been heir instead of her brother. She was unique among the lady nobles. Raina thought that Alistair was smarter than her let on, wittier than those who dared to call him foolish. She had gotten the chance to see what someone like Bann Teagan saw in him. She decided that she liked Alistair but that only could get a person so far and knowing her mother, Raina was not operating under her mother's timeline. But when it was time for her family to leave, she couldn't help but feel slightly relieved.

"I guess this is goodbye," Alistair started as he helped Raina onto her horse.

"This is hardly a true goodbye," Raina told him, amusement lacing her tone. "Thank you for showing me a good time."

"It was my pleasure."

She let out a small laugh. "I'll miss you." She was ever surprised by her admittance of it.

"Will I see you again sometime soon?" Alistair asked. Raina thought about it. No doubt that they would. Sooner than they probably both thought. He looked hopeful. She reached up and let her fingers curl into his red hair. He moved his head slightly against her palm and she retrieved her hand. "Do I dare to take that as a yes?"

"What do you think dear Ser?" She asked him. She could practically feel everyone's eyes on them. As if they didn't need any added pressure... "Perhaps you could come visit Highever this time." She turned to Teagan and her father. "If that's all right, of course?"

"I don't see why not, Pup," Bryce replied as Teagan nodded in approval. Good. That was what she wanted to hear. Raina turned back to Alistair, and leaned in slowly to kiss his cheek.

"I'll see you soon then?" She asked him.

"I'd hope so, my lady."

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Alistair turned his head slightly to look at Teagan as he placed a hand on his shoulder. No. It wasn't so bad. He gave the older man a small smile. "You were right about one thing, Teagan," he started only to receive a questioning look. "She really is a handful." Both men laughed at the same time. Personally, Alistair felt like he was up for a challenge, and that this one was the one that he had been waiting for. Teagan made a motion for Alistair to follow him and so he did. If the older man wanted to talk, he would listen. "What is it?" He couldn't help but ask. He was starting to feel like a child waiting for punishment. Though he knew that was not in the future, mostly because Teagan had always been the one to encourage such things. It was Isolde who had always scolded him for what he did but that was a subject he did not want to talk about.

"I'm getting old, Alistair," Teagan started, "I wasn't able to have a true heir of my own, but I wanted you to know that you've been a son to me. Bryce Cousland has always been a dear friend of my brother and I. I just wanted to know that this is what you want. I don't feel entirely comfortable trying to force something on you." Teagan paused and let out a sigh. "You've had that done to you your entire life when it came to being Maric's son. Eamon has this fool notion that if anything were to happen to Cailan, that you marrying a Cousland would help you ease into the position."

Before he could go on more, Alistair decided to interrupt him, "Pardon my interruption, but what?" His eyebrows furrowed together. He didn't know how exactly to go about with this little piece of news. Eamon did what? So did Raina really know? "I never wanted to be king, Teagan," he told him and the other man nodded like he knew. "Does Raina know…about me? I mean, do you know?" Alistair wondered if he sounded too hopeful.

Teagan shook his head. "I'm not sure, my boy," he started and decided that he didn't like the way Alistairs' face fell when he said that. "But," he started, "if it's any consolation, by the way she was looking at you, Maker, it was a look that any man could want." He smiled at him as Alistair nodded.

"Thanks," he replied. "What look was that?"

"Maker you might as well have been sent off to the Chantry, are you telling me that you do not know that look?"

"What look?"

"Women have looks for everything that they're feeling. Though, when they know you're starting to catch on, they can change this quickly. But since this was your first meeting together, I had thought she would be obvious."

"Obvious?" Alistair asked.

"She likes you, boy," Teagan told him, "and I thought Isolde was only being cruel when she thought…"

"Thought what?"

"She thought that you enjoyed the company of men."

"WHAT? No! It's just… I've never met the right woman."

"Ah, that is something that I know too well. Let's not get off track. You didn't exactly answer my question though."

"Oh," Alistair started, "Um…how does one answer a question such as that?" He bit his lower lip and tried not to wince at his surrogate fathers' gaze. "Logically, I know this is good for me. But when it comes to matters of the heart, I dare not say just yet." He smiled a bit. "But I am hopeful."

Teagan let out a hearty laugh. "My boy, I think that is the smartest thing you've ever said."

Alistairs' nose scrunched slightly. "Yes well, don't let it get out. I do have a reputation, you know."

Raina laughed. "Fergus stop it!" She exclaimed. Her eyes gleamed as she nudged her older brother. "Oh, you should've been a court jester," she told him, "That way I can be teryna." She stuck her tongue out at older brother. Fergus reached out towards her and ruffled the top of her hair. They were coming close to their castle in Highever. She knew that the first thing that she wanted was a nice warm bath and a long day of sleep.

"Oh, dear sister," he started, "you could only dream." Yes, yes but that wasn't the point. "I am grateful that you were born a woman. That way we wouldn't have to fight in a tournament for heir." Raina raised an eyebrow at him. "You know father wouldn't have had it any other way." She knew that indeed. Bryce and Eleanor were determined to treat each child of theirs equally, which was why Raina had gone through the same training that Fergus had when it came to fighting. What her older brother didn't want to admit was that he knew she would've beaten him. Their parents never wanted to favor one more than the other. Raina had come to terms with that long ago.

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

"Hmph..." She waved Fergus off. "I think you're only grateful because you know I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back!" Well, she knew that she was exaggerating. Knowing her brother, she was going to need that extra hand. Would he fight dirty? No, but he wouldn't hold back if she provoked him enough, which she would.

"Is that a challenge dear sister?"

Before Raina had a chance to reply, Bryce interrupted, "I do believe it is, my son." Raina was hopeful that it meant she would have a chance to prove her worth in a tournament. So far, Eleanor had said that she was too young and that the men would take advantage of her in the ring. Raina had always argued that it wasn't in the rules, but sometimes the rules didn't matter. She was aware but it wasn't like she was a delicate flower.

"Does that mean what I think it does?" Before Bryce answered, the sound of an arrow whisked through the air. Raina's blue eyes watched as the arrow fired from the brush entered the side of one of their guardsmen. Fergus moved protectively in front of her but her sword was already drawn. More arrows whizzed through the air and that was when she realized that her mother had already sprung into action. "Where are they coming from?" She asked. As if to answer her, bandits tried to flank them. Raina moved past Fergus, as she did she heard a groan of protest, but she couldn't just stand around. She jumped at one of the attackers and their swords clashed. Raina ducked back and jabbed her sword in front of her, connecting with the armor. Fingers gripped her hair and she was jerked back.

"Raina!" Was that her father? Her brother? Her head pounded from the impact on the ground. She rolled over and saw one of the men grabbing her mother. She stumbled onto her feet, pulling out a dagger from her fallen attacker and threw it at the man next to her mother. A breath of relief escaped her when he fell. Everything was happening so fast. She had never been in real combat before, only sparring matches but every time the guardsmen had always held back because of who she was. Fergus had described battle to her before but she had no idea the reality of it all. Everything was instinct but the wrong move could cost you your life.

Swords clashed. Shields clanked. Shouts vibrated through her being. They were being overrun. A sound of a horn blared through the air. Someone was signaling the castle. A cry escaped her lips when she watched her father fall to the ground. One of the attackers grabbed her and her world went black.

"Maker's breath, why hasn't she woken up yet?"

"Raina, can you hear us?"

"Ssh, Fergus, she needs her rest."

"Ah, Ellie, she's a Cousland. She'll be up in no time."

"Says you… You should still be in the infirmary!"

"Bah, woman, I'm not staying in there when our daughter hasn't woken."

Would they just stop already? "Do not speak to me that way! I told you to bring more men, but now, you didn't listen."

"No one knew what could have happened." Whose voice was that?

"Yes. I suppose you're right. Thank the Maker you arrived when you did."

"Bryce, Eleanor, I think your bantering might just work. Look. She's moving."

A small groan escaped Raina's lips. Her eyes fluttered open and a white light spread across her vision. Her head throbbed, her body racked with pain. All she knew was that she was tired and wanted to sleep, but that wasn't going to happen with her parents hawking her like they were doing. She brought up her hands and rubbed her eyes. "Andrastes knickers, what happened?" She whispered as she tried to sit up slowly.

"Don't move too fast." Her eyes widened a bit. She did know that voice.

"Nathaniel?"