Disclaimer: I do not own DA:O or any of its characters.

A/N: Warning - Smut ahead. Fem/Fem action.


8. Clarissa

This is ridiculous. We've been in this bloody tower for ages. If I'd known that it was overrun with abominations, I would have suggested that Leliana and Morrigan come with us. Luckily we ran into Wynne, a mage that I'd met in Ostagar. Maker only knows how she survived. And wouldn't you know it, not only are there a ton of demons and abominations, there are more WUCTs. Ugh. On the bright side, we meet some crazy blood mages.

One room in the tower reveals a Sloth demon. Of course he would make us all fall asleep and send us into the Fade. And of course the Fade would prove to be a big pain in the arse. When I meet some mage named Niall, he tells me that there are several areas of this Fade place that are guarded by demons. I hardly pay attention. I'm too pissed off at the fact that I'm all alone. After accessing the Fade Pedestal and acquiring several shapeshifting abilities (I will admit, turning into a golem was pretty awesome) I finally find a way to get to Alistair and Wynne.

Wynne is surrounded by dead children. She's obviously in a lot of pain. I clap my hands together to try and snap her out of it. It doesn't work. I pinch her arm. That doesn't work either. One of the dead kids gets up and starts talking to her. That seems to work just fine. After defeating the demons, Wynne is released from the spell, and much to my dismay, she fades away into nothing. I return to the Fade pedestal and access Alistair's nightmare.

"Hey, it's great to see you again! I was just thinking about you. Isn't that a marvellous coincidence?" he's smiling widely and with a young woman. There are a few children running about as well. "This is my sister, Goldanna and her children. We're one big happy family at long last." I shake my head at him. "I'm happier than I've ever been," he goes on. "I thought being a Grey Warden would make me happy, but it didn't." I feel my heart lurch in my chest. I look over at the demon pretending to be Alistair's sister. It's obvious that Alistair will not leave this illusion that the demon has created for him. I bite my lower lip, unsure of how to proceed. I think back to Wynne's nightmare, and it seemed that the shock of seeing a dead child come back to life caused her to snap out of her trance. Perhaps shocking Alistair would work? I take a step closer to him, and he's still smiling down at me. I remove my plate gloves and let them drop to the ground. I take his hands in mine, and I see the look of surprise play across his features.

"Alistair," I say softly. "You're in the Fade. None of this is real."

His jaw drops. "Wh-what?"

"This isn't your sister," I continue, squeezing his hands softly. "Think carefully. Do you remember the Circle Tower, and the abominations…and the sloth demon?"

"Your voice," he whispers. "It's beautiful…" I was hoping he wasn't going to notice that…

"Yes, well. I'm not sure why you would picture me sounding like a girl, but that's beside the point," I say lamely. I certainly hope he buys it. Why is he looking at me like that? I nearly fall over when he leans in, claiming my lips. His fingers are running through my hair, and I feel my stomach flutter. This kiss is different than the one I'd shared with Leliana. With her I had been overtaken by lust. The sensation of Alistair's lips pressed against mine elicits a warmth that spreads through my entire being. He's shy in his embrace, his tongue tentatively pressing against my own. When he pulls away he's smiling goofily.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he says. Damn, I knew it! My heart sinks.

"When we wake up it's probably best if you not act on that. I'm not gay, I'm sorry Alistair," I say softly.

His eyes narrow and he looks incredibly confused. "What? What are you talking about? Neither am-"

"No he cannot leave, he is ours!" demon Goldanna bellows. She reveals her true form and we're surrounded by crazy demonic creatures and even more WUCTs. We dispatch them easily.

"Go-Goldanna? I can't believe it, how did I not see this earlier?" Alistair says, shaking his head incredulously.

"It's the Fade Alistair. Nothing is as it seems," I explain.

"Well, if it's all the same I'd prefer it if you didn't tell our friends how easily fooled I was," he says sheepishly. "Though I don't suppose you'll be talking when we get back…"

"No, I don't suppose I will," I murmur. Much as I expect, he begins to fade away just as Wynne did. I am thoroughly overjoyed, however, when they return for our battle against the sloth demon. He's quite a tough bugger to kill, but we manage to do so. We are freed of the demon's trap and return to our journey through the tower.


"The Litany! Use it!" Wynne cries out. Shit! How am I supposed to fight this Uldred guy and recite some ancient scripture? I can't, and she knows it. I toss the litany at Alistair, and he lets out a yelp of surprise. I am not cut out for this hero business. He does as Wynne commands and recites the litany. One of the mages is saved. We continue this dance for what seems like hours. We go between attacking Uldred and reciting the litany. Wynne manages to keep us healed, thank the Maker. With one last stab to the chest, Uldred falls to the floor. Wynne and Alistair speak to the First Enchanter and we make our way back to Knight Commander Greagoir. As we descend the seemingly infinite amount of stairs, I think back on the time with Alistair in the Fade. He hasn't made mention of it, so I can only assume that he doesn't remember. My armour feels extremely stifling, and there's sweat trickling down my side. I feel myself becoming light headed. My vision swims.

"Clarence?" Alistair is looking at me worriedly. "Is there something - Andraste's blood, Clarence! You're hurt!" What is he talking about? I'm fine, I'm just sweating…oh bollocks, that's not sweat. I reach down to my side. My hand comes back sticky and warm. The faint smell of copper fills my nostrils.

When I wake up, I'm back at camp in my tent. Leliana and Wynne are watching over me. "You had us quite scared, young man," Wynne chides. "You should be fine now, I have healed your wounds."

"Thank you Wynne," Leliana says. "Can I talk to Clarence alone?" Wynne nods and departs. Leliana is squeezing my hand tightly, her eyes wide with concern. "I was so worried. I thought that I was going to lose you, just when the Maker had brought you to me."

"I'm sorry," I whisper. She presses a finger to my lips to silence me.

"Just don't do it again." She curls up next to me, and when she kisses me, I feel slightly guilty. I know that I have strong feelings for Alistair, but I also know that he could never feel the same way about me. I can never be what he wants me to be. I lack the proper equipment. So when Leliana's kiss becomes fervent, I relent. She rolls on top of me, slipping her tunic over her head. I prop myself up on one elbow and kiss her collarbone softly. My mouth trails down her chest to her breasts. My tongue darts out and caresses the pink nub of her left breast, and I suckle it greedily. She lets out a moan of pleasure as her hips rock against mine. She presses me back against the bedroll. She holds herself up with one hand, her free hand moving to tug at the lace of my breeches. Her fingers slip past the fabric of my small clothes and delve into my wet folds. I bite my lip to keep from moaning as her fingers slide in and out of me. Her thumb expertly teases my clit, rubbing gentle circles around it. My breathing has become ragged. I'm putty in her hands. My eyes squeeze shut as I tumble over the edge, sparks erupting behind my eyelids. Her lips press against mine to quell my need to cry out. When she pulls away she's smiling at me. "I'm not such a tease, am I?" she asks playfully.

I grin and roll on top of her.