Eirwen awoke to find sunlight streaming through the pale canvas of her tent. She quickly donned her armour and scrambled outside to be greeted by the sight of her companions sitting on the grass. Alistair, busy cleaning his armour, looked up at her and smiled broadly then flushed and looked away. Eirwen struggled to keep the grin off her face and looked around at the others.

Leliana greeted her with a sly, knowing smile, "Good morning Eirwen."

Eirwen felt her face grow warm, and squinted up at the sun, "Good morning. Although I suspect I'm almost too late to call it morning."

"You needed the rest child, after the trials in the Tower."

Eirwen looked across at Wynne, who was looking in remarkably fine fettle for an old woman who had just spent a gruelling three days fighting demons and abominations.

"You slept well, Wynne?"

"Indeed I did, thank you. How are you this morning? No soreness?"

"Oh no, that ointment was wonderful! I gave some to Alistair."

Wynne looked at Alistair, her lips twitching with amusement, "Yes, he mentioned that when I offered to check him over this morning." Wynne struggled not to laugh when she remembered how the young man had blushed furiously and stammered that Eirwen had already attended to his aching shoulders. She couldn't resist a glance at him and smirked to see him bent over his armour, rubbing energetically at it. Although his face was hidden, his ears were scarlet.

Eirwen stomach growled loudly. Sheepishly she busied herself, cutting some bread. Her eyes lit up as Leliana handed her a jar of honey, which she spread lavishly on the several thick slices she had cut for herself. Laden with bread and honey, she lowered herself carefully to the ground next to Alistair. He grinned as she tucked in. "You'll be back to your normal fighting weight in no time at this rate," he told her.

Her eyes sparkled at him over the slab of bread and honey and she paused, "How are we doing for money?"

"Not too badly," he told her. He chuckled, "Especially as you removed everything from the Tower that wasn't nailed down. I thought we might pick through it later to see if there's anything that would be useful, and then we can sell the rest to Bodahn."

Eirwen nodded, then turned her attention back to her breakfast as honey started to run down her fingers.

"Why? Was there something you wanted to buy?"

Eirwen popped the last of the bread into her mouth, nodding, "Mmmmhm."

"Don't tell me...Leliana has persuaded you that you need satin shoes and ribbons for your hair."

She snorted with laughter, then Alistair's insides turned to jelly as she slowly licked the honey from her fingers.

"It doesn't count you know?"

She looked at him, confused. "What doesn't?"

"Licking yourself clean. I found that out the hard way." Alistair grinned at her.

"Oh?" She grinned back at him.

He straightened his face and shook his head, "I was raised by wild dogs and..."

"Wild dogs?" she laughed.

"From the Anderfels. I only found out that you didn't have to lick yourself clean when I was eight. The stable master told me it didn't count and stuck me under the pump. Maker, was it cold!" He shivered theatrically.

"And there I was, thinking you'd been raised by the Arl at Redcliffe."

"Ah, that came later. He rescued me from the dogs you see. It was a step up you know. I went from living with wild dogs to living in a stable with the horses."

"That would explain your socks then?"

Alistair blushed, "Socks are next on my to-do list, I promise."

She smiled at him and his heart melted. Trying hard not to blush, Alistair concentrated on cleaning his armour.

"I thought we should go to Redcliffe next." Eirwen had felt a little hesitant about suggesting it and was surprised when Aistair's face lit up.

"That sounds good to me," he told her, beaming.

"Are you really looking forward to going back there?" asked Eirwen.

Alistair looked across at her, surprised, "Yes, why?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. It seems harsh…the way he packed you off to the Chantry. It would be understandable if you wanted nothing more to do with him."

"Well, he did try to visit me a few times, but I didn't exactly make it easy for him. I was churlish and rude, he gave up in the end."

"Do lots of children get sent to the Chantry?" she asked curiously.

Alistair nodded, "Orphans mostly. They usually end up becoming priests; or templars if they have the aptitude."

Eirwen shuddered, frowning, "It seems wrong, pushing children into such a life. Asking them to give up so much."

"I don't know, the alternatives are pretty awful. If not for the Chantry, most of them would be on the streets with no-one to care for them. They'd be beggars and thieves mostly. Worse probably. At least the Chantry takes them in; gives them food, clothes and a roof over their heads, plus a way to survive as adults."

Eirwen thought about it for a moment, "I suppose I hadn't looked at it that way. I think I'm glad though that I am a Dalish orphan and not a human one."

She stood abruptly, her eyes sad. "I'd better go and wash." Leaving Alistair floundering at the change in her, she headed down towards the lake.

Alistair continued to clean his armour, puzzling over the change in her. After a few minutes, when she hadn't returned, he decided to go after her. He set off towards the lake and soon spotted her, standing near the water's edge. She was standing, gazing out across the water, her arms folded, hugging herself. She looks so small and lonely. She looked back at him over her shoulder as she heard him approach. Why so sad? As he reached her, Eirwen turned back to the view over the lake. Alistair stopped just behind her uncertainly.

Tentatively he reached out a hand and rubbed her back. "What is it?" he asked.

Eirwen looked round at him, her eyes full of heartache. "I was just thinking about home. For you it is a place, just over there," she gestured across the lake. "For me it is a people and even if I wanted to go back I wouldn't be sure where to look."

Alistair stepped forwards and put his arms around her. Eirwen leaned back against his chest, struggling to master the sadness that threatened to overwhelm her. Although comforted in Alistair's arms, the gesture threatened to undo her completely.

"Would it be so hard to find your Clan?" Alistair felt her small shrug.

"I'd find them in the end I suppose. Finding a Clan wouldn't be that hard. Once I've found one, they could probably give me word of my own Clan."

Alistair forced himself to ask the question. "So will you return to your Clan, once the Blight is over?"

"How can I? I am a Grey Warden now. That has to come before everything else." Eirwen felt his arms tighten around her.

"While Redcliffe does feel like home in a way, I was never that happy there. Not after Arl Eamonn married anyway. I didn't really feel at home until I joined the Grey Wardens. I only knew them all for six months but in that short time they came to feel like the family that I never had." He sighed sadly, "And now they're all gone."

Eirwen snuggled back against him. "We can rebuild them," she told him.

"It won't be the same though."

"No, things never are," she paused. "But it doesn't mean they will be worse, just different."

Eirwen turned around in his arms, looking up at him. "When all this is over, we will rebuild the Grey Wardens. We will make a new family...or clan...or whatever you want to call it."

Alistair stared down at her. He could see the determination in her eyes and could, in that moment, believe that anything was possible. He hugged her tightly, feeling hope flare in him. For the first time since that awful night at Ostagar he felt that there was a future that he wanted to be a part of.

Slowly they made their way back to the camp. "So, you said you wanted to buy something...when you asked me about how much money we had?"

Eirwen nodded looking slightly sheepish, "I wondered if we had enough for me to buy some clothes."

"Clothes?" Alistair wondered if his joke about Leliana's influence and shoes had been that far off the mark.

Eirwen hurried on, "Just a pair of breeches and a couple of shirts. Oh, and a breastband."

Alistair flushed at the mention of the underwear, then looked confused, "Don't you have any clothes?"

Eirwen shook her head, looking extremely embarrassed.

Alistair's eyes widened in surprise, "Really? You mean all this time you've had nothing more than what you stood up in?"

"Well, Bodahn gave me a shift and some small clothes after we drove off those Darkspawn, but apart from that, not really, no."

"You didn't pack anything when you left your clan with Duncan?"

Eirwen shook her head with a rueful grin, "Well, nothing very useful anyway."

Alistair groaned, "Maker's breath! Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"You said we didn't have much money at Lothering and I didn't know how much those things would cost."

Alistair shook his head, "Come on, let's go and see what Bodahn's got."

In no time at all Eirwen was kitted out with the clothing she needed. Bodahn had also been able to supply needles and thread as the only suitable clothes he'd had were boys' clothes and Eirwen wanted to alter them so that they would fit comfortably. Alistair raised an eyebrow at the sewing accoutrements.

"What?" asked Eirwen, catching his look.

He grinned at her, "I don't know, you sewing just seems unexpected. It seems so feminine."

Eirwen froze. "You don't think I'm feminine?" she asked icily.

Maker's breath Alistair! Just open your mouth and plonk your big foot right in it! Alistair slowly let his gaze wander over Eirwen, taking in her small, pert breasts, down over her exposed abdomen, the small waist that broadened into generous hips. "Oh I do," he breathed huskily. He cleared his throat nervously, feeling his face grow warm. "Sorry, it was poor choice of words. Having seen you kill Darkspawn and abominations, a needle isn't an obvious weapon of choice."

Eirwen smiled coyly up at him. "I have hidden talents," she told him, her words laden with meaning.

Alistair was sure that he must be blushing all the way down to his feet. "R-right. Um, I'd better go and wash my socks then...just in case."

With a grin and a wink he turned and headed back to his tent, intent on washing everything he had, leaving Eirwen giggling behind him.

With thanks again to WellspringCD for being my beta reader and dealing with my comma problems