I am Elissa Cousland.

Taking a break.

"Well that was annoying." Elissa muttered to Alistair as she sat down on the steps outside the Chantry, after protecting the village from the corpses Elissa had decided that nothing was going to remotely easily anymore. The task ahead was supposed to be simple, in basics it was to go to Arl Eamon and ask for help. In long term they had to defend the village, save everyone in the castle, and if, IF, the Arl was alive they had to go and find Andraste's ashes.

"But doesn't it feel good to bash some heads." Alistair joked as he sat down beside her and they looked out ahead. Ser Gilmore had decided to fall asleep against a few barrels and Morrigan could be seen sitting on a wall casting minor spells trying to amuse herself.

"We didn't "bash some heads" we fought off a small army of walking corpses!" She sighed smiling slightly at Alistair's attempt to cheer her up. She didn't know how but he always ended up making her smile. If he smiled she smiled to, when he worried she worried. Maybe it was a grey warden thing but she had never felt closer to another person. Ser Gilmore was her best friend without a doubt in her mind and there was her brother, we'll he was her brother who loved and protected her from the second she was born to the second he had…. Well she didn't want to think about what had happened to her brother when he had left for Ostagar.

"Small is the key word there; and so far only two people have passed this evening. So it's a job well done!" Alistair's head was hung low; she wasn't sure if it was out of tiredness or if it was worry. Ever since he had told her he was a bastard prince he hadn't made direct eye contact with her. She almost longed to see his amber eyes full of warmth.

She sighed deeply and turned her head away. "Alistair…." She spoke up her voice slightly teasing and he turned his head towards her to acknowledge her. He didn't properly look at her but she knew he was listening. He had always managed to make her smile; it was her turn to make him smile. "What's wrong?" She said it in childish voice and bumped shoulders with him.

He released a small laugh and raised his head, he still didn't look her in the eye but he was looking at her face now which made her happy as it meant that he was willing to talk to her and trust her. "I'm okay, honestly." He smiled at her trying to stop her worrying and then extended his arms in a stretch. "Just tired." He leaned back on the steps and looked up at the night sky where the moon was shining down on them, just like it always had.

"Liar." She stated bluntly and nudged him again. He turned his gaze from the moon to her and raised his eyebrow. "You and I both know you haven't looked me in the eye all day."

"Not true I distinctly remember looking into your eyes this morning when I was handing you the bread!" he laughed trying to put of Elissa but she was having none of it.

"Doesn't count that was before you told me who your father was." She said it bluntly and he looked back at her in a little bit of shock. Elissa was not the type to just spit it out or to be so blunt. She had caught Alistair off guard but once he got over the accusation he sighed and looked at her properly, in the eyes and she smiled brightly at him.

"I just figured you'd be angry." He stated and she shook her head and sighed.

"Alistair if I was angry with you, you would have an arrow in your back and would be bleeding out." She said this while smiling and Alistair looked at her worriedly.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." He laughed happily and she rested her head on his shoulder. They both looked up at the sky and the stars twinkled above them. It was nice being able to see the stars, quietly and peacefully. At camp they rested and then started heading on their way again, there was barely enough time to enjoy the area around you, let alone the sky above you.

"I'll be right there my lady…."

They turned their gaze to Ser Gilmore who was now lying on his side still asleep but mumbling quite loudly. They listened carefully and even Morrigan had stopped to listen to him. Elissa and Morrigan looked at each other and both released quiet laughs as Ser Gilmore carried on speaking.

"That's not wise my lady…. You'll break something please stop running." Elissa was trying to hold back the laughter as she knew Ser Gilmore was dreaming about their time in Highever.

"Shall I eh… wake him up?" Morrigan asked from the wall where she was perched and she smiled evilly and magic sparked at her fingertips.

"Knowing you, you'll turn him into a frog." Alistair muttered from his spot beside Elissa who was laughing and nodding her head.

"He deserves it! Nothing too hard or life threatening though!" She smiled and tried to hold back the laughter, she used to play pranks on Ser Gilmore when he was asleep but she had never done anything with magic and she knew Morrigan would have something funny up her sleeve.

It was a little spark of lightning that fired from Morrigan's fingertips to Ser Gilmore who jumped about five feet in the air. "Maker! What was that!?" He shouted and Elissa burst out laughing, even Alistair was sniggering and he covered his face with his hand trying not to be noticed. Morrigan truly looked like a witch as she cackled at her spot on the wall and Ser Gilmore looked at them annoyed but smiling slightly. "I can't go to sleep safely can I?" he smiled and sat on the barrels that he had been leaning on.

"Not when you're speaking in your sleep, the girls will attack you." Alistair said to him and nodded his head apologetically towards Ser Gilmore.

"Watch out Alistair, we might get you next." Elissa teased and poked his cheeks. "When you least expect it me and Morrigan will come up behind you and…" Elissa trailed off and Morrigan smirked.

"Bam…. You're a frog." Morrigan laughed widely and Alistair shook looking at the two girls who were laughing secretly plotting on what to next to scare them. The downtime was easy now, sometimes grief wracked at her, but it did for all of them and it was easy to make a joke, it was easy to talk, to listen. Downtime was easy and fighting was a distraction. She could make it. She was sure.

A/N

Hey Guys! Sorry it took me so long to update I'm not sure if I mentioned it but I had exams and started my senior year so I had to take some time off, here we go though! Any suggestions for the next chapter? Thanks for the support!