A/N: Thanks again for the encouragement, I'm glad Nathaniel was pretty well received considering his competition! I was originally going to skip any parts that would coincide with DA:O but I realized that would completely skip over any Alistair development. So I will montage it as quick and painlessly as possible. ^^


Unexpected Reunion

Three Years Later

"Are you okay, Elissa?"

Elissa snapped out of her reverie and looked up at the kind face.

"Ah…I'm sorry, Duncan. I was just thinking about old times…" Elissa stared blankly into the campfire.

"Do not apologize to me. I completely understand." Duncan stirred at an old pot that sat above the banked stones around the fire. "You have been through a lot today."

Elissa didn't reply and continued to stare at the flames.

It was such a quiet and uneventful morning. Fergus and the Cousland army rode off to the south to fight the dark spawn. Bryce had been preparing to join his son the next day and walking Elissa through some of the duties she would have to oversee around Highever while he was gone. Mother was nagging at her about her inevitable destiny as a spinster if she did not act like a lady. Little Oren was pestering his mother about when Fergus would come back…

And then the horrible attack happen in the dead of the night. The Howe soldiers…Arl Howe! How could he betray her father?! They are the closest of friends. It cannot be possible…

Father…mother…

Her mabari hound whined and nudged her side, dropping his massive head onto her lap. Elissa snapped out of her gruesome memories and smiled sadly at her companion. "There, there now. Don't worry about me…I will be fine."

Duncan ladled some vegetable stew into a small wooden bowl and handed it to Elissa. "Come, now. Eat. We will be traveling hard for the next couple days. You will need your strength."

Elissa murmured her thanks and took the bowl into her hands, appreciating the warmth that it brought to her chilled fingers. She turned to the Grey Warden who had set down a bowl of stew for her hound as well. "Ser Duncan…may I ask you a question?"

Duncan chuckled. "As long as you do not refer to me as 'Ser'. It makes me feel a bit more old beyond my time."

Elissa nodded. "Duncan…why do you believe Arl Howe attacked us?"

Duncan sighed as he absently stirred the pot. "I do not know, Elissa. I believe Arl Howe must have been planning this for some time, considering he had attacked right when the Cousland armies went south to assist the darkspawn threat."

"Do you think…Fergus is still alive? Or did Howe get him as well?"

"I believe your brother is probably at Ostagar by now." Duncan confirmed. "I doubt that Howe would go after your brother when he is surrounded by the King's armies."

"Will the King assist the Couslands?"

"I am sure the King will do what he can. I do not think he knows of what has happened tonight, but we will make sure to inform him of the injustice as soon as we can contact him."

Elissa looked down at her food. Duncan's answer did not make her feel any better.

She thought about Arl Howe. How he could turn around and stab her father in the back, she could not understand. Just a few days earlier, they were chatting with each other as friendly as can be.

Her thoughts drifted towards Nathaniel. Her memory of his departure to Free Marches was still vivid in her mind. His easygoing smile, his quick laugh, and his strong embrace. Nathaniel…she thought painfully. Do you know what your father has done? You can't possibly be a part of this…could you?

Even though she was going to join the legendary Grey Wardens, she was not feeling proud or honored at all. She felt empty…alone. What would she be fighting for when she had just lost everything that had meant something to her?

Duncan cleared his throat to fill the silence. "You know…when I first met you, you reminded me another recent recruit I have brought into the Wardens."

Elissa looked up in question. "Another woman?"

Duncan laughed. "No, no…I'm speaking about character. When I first met you, you reminded me much like him. The recruit, I mean."

Elissa blinked. "In what way?"

"Young…spirited…a desire for a challenge." Duncan smiled and shook his head. "And of course, an obstacle of the guardian that would not give you up without a fight."

"His parents didn't want to let him go either?"

"Not his parents. The Grand Cleric."

"The Grand Cleric?" Elissa furrowed her brow. "Was he part of the Chantry?"

"He was a templar in training, yes." Duncan nodded and ate a spoonful from his stew. "He was not happy there. I saw him on the sides of a tournament they were holding in honor of the Grey Wardens."

Elissa, now interested, leaned towards Duncan in curiosity. "Did you recruit him because of his skill?"

"In part. It was not his skill in battle I was impressed with."

"Then…what did he impress you with?"

"The same thing that you have impressed me with, Elissa." Duncan pat at his heart. "This."

"My…chest?" Elissa asked, confused.

Duncan let out a laugh. "No, no. Your spirit. Your heart. That is ultimately the most important thing any recruit must have in order to join the Grey Wardens."

"Oh…" Elissa frowned. "So it wasn't my fighting skills?"

"Well, that would be quite useful as well." Duncan had a twinkle in his eye. "But do not worry, you will get a chance to show off your talents soon enough. You will meet the one I am speaking about when we reach our destination. I'm sure you will be quite an interesting pair."

Elissa nodded and finished off her stew. She assisted Duncan in cleaning up and banking the campfire. As they settled into their bedrolls, her hound stretched out next to her, as if he were guarding her from any more unknown enemies.

As Elissa laid down on the ground, she stared up at the stars above her. With everyone in Highever dead, it was difficult for her to imagine a new life without the love of her family.

"Duncan?" She whispered, hoping he was not asleep yet.

"Yes?"

"I never got the chance to say this…" Elissa said, gazing at the sky. "But…thank you. For saving me."

"You are quite welcome, Elissa." Duncan replied.

Elissa closed her eyes to welcome a deep sleep to get away from her nightmares in her wake. As her breathing slowed, Duncan sighed and gazed up at the stars himself.

"But do not thank me just yet."

***************

When they finally reached Ostagar, she was amazed by the magnitude of the armies that have gathered there. The realization hit that the darkspawn threat was certainly a reality, no matter what the pretty boy King had said.

She kept her harsh judgment of King Cailan to herself. He reminded her of a spoiled noble child, who just wanted to play when the situation was anything but a game. He would most likely forget about the Howes murdering the Couslands later on as well, and put little expectation that he would fulfill his promise to make sure Arl Howe would get what he deserved.

The only hope that the King has given her is that he confirmed Fergus had arrived with the army. She felt a surge of relief. He was now with a group scouting the wilds. She had faith in Fergus. He would survive and she would be able to go to him and tell him about their parents…and his wife and child.

As they approached the gates, Duncan turned to Elissa. "We will need to start your joining soon. I will need you to go find the Grey Warden that will be assisting you with your ritual."

"What kind of ritual is this, Duncan?" Elissa asked, uneasy about everything being so secretive.

"You will find out soon enough, I promise." Duncan's face had become serious and grave. It made Elissa all the more uncomfortable. "I will take your hound with me for now. He is quite protective and I do not want any soldiers becoming even more nervous."

"Yes, Duncan. Where is the Grey Warden I will need to go find?"

"He is around here somewhere…you will have to ask around. His name is Alistair."

Elissa's heart gave a loud thump at the sound of the name. Alistair? She hasn't heard that name in so long. It couldn't be the same…it must simply be a coincidence.

"Are you okay, Elissa?"

Duncan's question brought her back. "Oh…yes. I'm sorry. Find the Grey Warden by the name of Alistair. I got it."

Duncan nodded. "Good, you will be meeting the other recruits for this joining as well. Find Alistair and we will begin immediately. Time is a luxury that none of us have."

"Yes, Duncan." Elissa inclined her head and she watched the Grey Warden walk off with her hound.

Elissa wound about through the groups of people at Ostagar. She kept an appearance of poise and dignity while inside she was writhing with her thoughts.

Alistair? There's plenty of people named Alistair. It is a coincidence. That's what it is. Alistair is probably still at Redcliffe with Arl Eamon. The chances of this Alistair being the same are absolutely nothing. Get it together, Elissa.

She paused in the middle of her gait, sadly realizing what she was doing. She was lonely…in need for a companion. With everyone dead back at Highever, she was hoping with a heavy heart that there was someone…someone…that she could lean on.

She shook her head. She would need to throw away the fancy of the Warden Alistair being her Alistair and face the reality of the situation.

She had tapped the shoulder of one of the soldiers hanging around the water trough. "Excuse me, might any of you know where I may find the Grey Warden, Alistair?"

"Oh, Alistair? I believe he headed up that way." One of the soldiers motioned towards the north. "He had a message to deliver to one of the mages from the Chantry reverend mother."

Elissa thanked him and immediately headed towards the way the soldier had pointed out.

As she approached the platform she saw two people arguing. One was a mage and another was in armor. She heard bits and pieces of their argument as she approached them.

"…I came to deliver a message from the Reverend Mother, she simply desires your presence."

"What 'her reverence' desires is no concern to me…Assisting the Grey Wardens…"

"Should I have asked her to write a note?" A quick joking reply.

As Elissa approached, she watched the mage's face turn red with anger. The armored soldier kept his back towards her.

"Your glibness does you no credit." The mage angrily waved him off.

"And here I thought we were getting along so well! I was even going to name one of my children after you - the grumpy one." The soldier deflected with humor.

The mage had enough and stormed off. "Fine! I will speak with the woman. Get out of my way you fool!"

The soldier turned around to watch the mage leave and noticed Elissa watching their argument on the side.

He turned to her. "You know…the one good thing about the blight is how it brings people together." He sighed. "It's like a party, we could all stand in a circle and hold hands. That would give the darkspawn something to think about."

"Err…You…you wouldn't happen to be Alistair, would you?" Elissa asked.

"Ah, and that would make you Duncan's new recruit. Glad to meet you." Alistair nodded in acknowledgement and gave her a welcoming grin.

Elissa looked this Alistair over. She could not determine if he resembled the little boy from her memories. His personality was completely the opposite to her Alistair. She remembered her childhood friend to always be a bit sad, not a jester.

"Something on my face?" Alistair asked, noticing Elissa's staring.

"Oh! I'm sorry." Elissa quickly apologized. "You'll have to excuse me, I've been in a bit of a daze lately."

Alistair smiled. "Well enough of that. I am a junior member of the Grey Warden, which means I will be the one to assist you on your joining…err…your name is?"

"I'm pleased to meet you…My name is Elissa." She held out her hand.

Alistair froze and did not receive her gesture. He then narrowed his eyes. "Wait…Elissa? Elissa Cousland?"

"Um…yes?"

Alistair remained still for several seconds. Elissa tilted her head. "Are you all ri…"

Suddenly, Elissa found herself in a tight embrace, Alistair's arms were crushing her against his armor. "I can't believe it! Elissa! Is it really you?!"

Alistair's hug was literally compressing the air out of her. Elissa squirmed in his arms, trying to get a better look at the Warden's face in disbelief. "You wouldn't happen to be…are you…Redcliffe's Alistair?"

"Yes! I am! I can't believe you are here! Oh…" Alistair saw Elissa's suffocation and immediately let her go. "I'm sorry about that…I sometimes forget my own strength." He grinned affectionately.

"No, no…I'm all right." Elissa laughed and leaned against him for support. She suddenly felt delirious with relief and happiness.

Her lonely boy…her Alistair was standing right in front of her. She was so happy her throat choked up with emotion. Did the Maker know how miserable she was and provided her with the friend she had been yearning for in the past several years?

"Are you fine? Did I hurt you?" Alistair asked as he held her arm.

Elissa shook her head, trying not to let the tears come. She looked up and saw Alistair's face was full of concern. The memories were coming back now. His boyish face was now one that belonged to a man. His dark blond hair and his amber brown eyes still remained the same. How could she forget so easily?

"I'm so happy to see you, Alistair." She gave him a brilliant smile. "You've grown so much! I can't believe I didn't recognize you."

"Nor I you." Alistair felt relieved to see her smile. It was the same smile he remembered from long ago. "You had golden hair back then." But her eyes were the same sky blue. She still had the small scatter of freckles across her nose. Elissa had grown to be a beautiful young woman, just as he dreamed. He caught himself before his thoughts began drifting in an inappropriate direction.

"I can't believe that you are Duncan's newest recruit for the Grey Wardens!" Alistair smiled down at Elissa.

"I can't believe that you became a Grey Warden." Elissa said honestly.

"Hard to imagine Teyrn Cousland allowing his baby girl to join." Alistair laughed.

The mention of her father's name sent a sharp pain through her and her demeanor immediately became somber. Alistair noticed right away. "Elissa? What's wrong? What happened?"

She shook her head. Now was not the time to cry like a little girl. As much as she wanted to unload her troubles upon her reacquainted friend, it was not the appropriate time. She took a deep breath and straightened herself. She smiled at Alistair. "Don't worry, we have more important things to be concerned about at the moment. Duncan needs you right away for my joining."

Alistair had the feeling that Elissa was keeping something back, the look in her eyes worried him. "What happened, Elissa?" He asked again.

Elissa nodded and grabbed hold of his hand like she had done when they were children. "Come, we have plenty of time to talk of old stories later. Let's hurry up and get this ritual over with."

Alistair decided it was best not to pursue the issue for now. He strode alongside her. "Yes, there are two other recruits other than yourself for the joining, one named Daveth and the other Jory…" He paused and glanced at Elissa.

She was looking straight ahead as she walked, her shoulder length chestnut hair swayed which each step she took. He couldn't warn her about the Grey Warden ritual, could he? All Grey Wardens were sworn to secrecy about the secret rite.

No, he thought firmly. Elissa would survive. He was sure of it. He just had to pray fervently to the Maker that she would be safe.

Elissa and Alistair both arrived at the center of the Grey Warden camp. Duncan was quietly observing the bonfire and looked up with surprise when he sensed them both approaching. The two other recruits were waiting alongside him, and also taken aback when they came up.

"Sorry I'm late, Duncan." Alistair apologized immediately as he and Elissa stepped up to the senior Grey Warden.

"Uh yes." Duncan cleared his throat and glanced at both Elissa and Alistair. "I take it that you both are…getting along well?"

Alistair and Elissa both blinked in confusion by Duncan's words and looked down at the same time. They were both still holding hands. Elissa immediately let go and Alistair took an awkward step away from her. Elissa glanced over at Alistair, whose ears were already turning into a slight shade of pink.

"Great…finally I meet a female recruit and she's already claimed for." Daveth muttered.