*I DO NOT OWN ANY RIGHTS TO THE DRAGON AGE FRANCHISE, Bioware, EA GAMES! I ONLY OWN MY STORIES AND MY PROTAGONISTS.*

The flame flickers against the cold draft beneath the stone. Closer to the core of the earth, Bartrand's voice echo's in the darkness, "Varric! Get in here!" The urgency in his voice sends a shiver down my spine. Through the arched stone doorway, I can see her body lying still. Long red hair pulled into a ponytail, bright green eyes dulling before me. Leather armor torn at the side. Her delicate, petal like fingers clutching her wound.

Sinking to her side, I unfasten the buckles of her armor as quickly as I could. She screams as I pulled it off her chest. The wound is deep and turning the flesh at the mouth a sickly, pale green. Poison. "Livi," I whisper to her, "Stay with me, love." Despite Bianca's protests about leaving the lyrium, I scoop her up in my arms and carry her out. Her life depended on me. And to be honest, I wasn't ready to say goodbye.

The crunching of snow awakens me just enough to look through the opening of my tent. Chuckles walks with the Seeker to his right, his left hand on Olivia's shoulder. She is on her way to close the breach...my heart sinks a little as I pray. To Andraste, to the maker, to who ever was willing to listen to a dwarf. My eyes close and I fall back into a blissful sleep.

"Varric! You awake?" The thunderous voice of the Iron Bull practically shook my tent as I glared up at him, "I am now." Pulling on my nugskin boots I opened my tent to celebratory exclamation. The breach is closed! The people of Haven join in dinner and dancing. It seemed for a moment we could breathe again. My eyes scanned the crowd for one face in particular. Livi stood beside Sera, holding her dagger up to the moonlight as the elf did the same. Were they comparing the size of their daggers? Now, I know what you're thinking. Men are dogs but it was pretty funny and intriguing to see two rogues sizing each other up.

"Have a drink, Varric!" Iron Bull called to me as he sat down to the fire. I nodded to him and accepted the drink. Free booze? Yeah! Like I'd ever say no to that! Olivia walked over with Sera skipping close behind, Livi's face was coy with a devious smile, "Oh no," I said chuckling at her, "I know that face. What are you up to, Cadash?"

"Livi was just telling me about how she saved your ass once!" Sera piped up, her drink sloshing a bit.

"This I've got to hear." Sparkles chimed in from behind me, casually leaning against a tree.

"Be careful, Sera!" Iron Bull called out to her, "That's practically alcohol abuse."

Olivia was smiling ear to ear as I just shook my head, "Yeah," sigh, "She did. It was my first time in the smith caste in Orzammar. My father took my brother and I down. He was a pelt trader in Kirkwall. Some dwarf mercenary tried to take me out."

"What?" Iron Bull barked out, a partial rabbit's leg stuffed in his gullet, "No crossbow of yours to help you out?"

"This was before the crossbow." Livi spoke, with piercing green eyes staring into my soul. Ah! I was wondering when that angelic voice would chime in. "Varric was fifteen then. He was cocky, handsome and stupid."

Leaning towards her I placed my hand on my knee. Giving her my best shit eating grin, "Did you just say I was handsome?" I wiggled my eyebrows at her which resulted in another of the Seeker's disgusted noises.

"She also said you were stupid!" Sera smiled and raised her drink to Olivia. I let out another chuckle as Livi continued, "This dwarven mercenary out to make a name for himself tried to take out the poor bastard. Thankfully being part of the notorious crime family paid off. After sinking my blade into his spine, no one even notice. Nor did they come after me."

Olivia smiled at me though I could see the sadness in her eyes, "You saved my life that day," I whispered to her in a low voice. Olivia reached over and squeezed my hand, "And you saved mine." Warmth surged through me as I looked deep into her eyes. Her perfect lips were so poise. How I almost forgot every one else was there. I found myself leaning closer to her when her gaze shifted to the Seeker, letting go of my hand. Something was wrong.

The sky had darkened seconds before the warning bells began to ring. Olivia looked over at the group. She pointed to Dorian, Sera and I to come with her. Trailing close behind, Olivia turned to Cullen, "Whats going on?"

"One scout reported a massive force coming over the mountain." Cullen readied his sword and shield as I loaded one hundred bolts into Bianca's chamber. Josephine turned to Cullen, "Under what banner?"

"None." Cullen answered, his voice stern but wavering slightly. Josephine's faced hung in shock. Just then the barricaded doors budged as a young nasally voice called out, "I cannot help if you don't let me in!" Olivia and I rushed forward; lifting the barricaded beam and pulling the doors open. A templar staggered forward before having his head decapitated before us. A young, pale boy no older than nineteen stood looming over the templar's corpse. "I am Cole. I came to help. The Elder One, you don't know him but he knows you. He's very mad you took his mages." Olivia looked up at the mountain cliff where Cole was pointing...Well... fuck me...

"Corypheus." I all but growled under my breath. Olivia turned to me since she was the only one close enough to hear me. "Friend of yours, Varric?"

I scoffed at her remark, "Hardly." There was no time to explain before the Red Templars began to trudge down the mountainside and attack Haven. Livi pulled the daggers from her holsters, twirling them in her hands. "If it's a fight they want, come and get it!" Her angelic voice rained down like a war against heaven. Sera perched herself upon the boulders above us, hidden in the shadows. Dorian stood beside the trebuchet, casting spells like fireworks. And Livi stood back to back against me, ready to take on the world.

The second trebuchet was now up and fully functional. Livi turned to me and smiled as I rushed to her. Grabbing her by her hourglass waist, I pulled her down behind barrels of supplies. A massive fireball destroyed the trebuchet we just saved. Twenty feet from us, Dorian shielded Sera keeping her head down as Livi and I both lifted ours to the ground shaking roar over head. "Just what we need," Livi spoke as she pushed herself off of the ground, "a fucking dragon."

Running into the Chantry as fast as we could, we were still able to save most of the townspeople. Cullen turned to Olivia and I. We were fucked. Beyond fucked. After a long awkward pause, Chancellor Roderick spoke to Cole, "A hidden passage through the valley from the summer voyage." Olivia turned to Cullen and I, "I'm going back out there."

Pounding, burning, fire swirled in my veins as I grasped her shoulders, "I'm not sending you out there to face an Archedemon!" Yanking herself from my grasp, almost violently so, Olivia glared at me, "What choice do we have?" her eyes wandered from Dorian, to Sera, then Cullen and Cole, and finally back to me, "Sacrifices are made every day. If these people are to have a chance, we have to distract it."

Dorian and Sera stepped forward, "We are with you, Livi." the elf spoke up as she placed her hand on Olivia's shoulder. I looked at Olivia. My heart pounded in my chest, "Alright," sigh, "miss difficult. But if we are going to die," closing my eyes I stepped forward. My left hand caressing her right cheek as my lips pressed against her left. Electricity shot through me enough to make my arm hair stand on end. Pulling away my eyes caught a glimpse of Livi's blushing face, "we are dying together." I held her hand for a moment. Squeezing it as hard as I could knowing she would return the gesture.

As we headed for the doors, Cullen walked briskly towards us, "Olivia?" he asked, catching her attention, "Let that thing hear you."