"The honor of the Qunari is what will bring our warships back to your shores."

Sten is mysterious. A quiet, stoic, and proud Qunari warrior. Alistair is determined to get the man to like him.

Chapter 4

It was starting to get late, during our stay at the Circle of Magi. After finishing a conversation with one of the Mages, Daylen Amell, in the Circle Tower, I was approaching the chambers me and the rest of the my companions were assigned.

Alistair was in my room, on my bed, in a conversation with Willa Surana. Blissfully unaware that this elf was coming onto the dense bronto. It was most adorably pure and innocent, and uncommon to how the dwarves were in Dust Town.

I was quite surprised how happy Alistair appeared when I made my presence known, "Hey, there you are Ada. I was just wondering where you were!" he exclaimed with too much enthusiasm for this time of hour.

"I was talking to some of the mages once I got back," I explained, "Daylen is like a warrior mage. Isn't that cool?"

"Yes," Willa remarked boredly, "the Arcane Arts. A mysterious practice that the man has a knack for, certainly." She explained.

Alistair crossed his arms, "Have you seen Sten around?"

"I was just with him in Calenhad. Remember the story about him…" I took notice of the elven mage and felt unsure whether to mention the qunari's tendencies to go on slaughtering rampages while he slept under their roof. "Actually, Alistair...maybe we should discuss this privately."

He nodded in understanding, and Willa appeared slightly offended, "Erm, apologies," Alistair said, "Grey Warden business."

She narrowed her eyes, "Hm...of course."

As we approached the hall, I quietly explained to a kneeling Alistair the story of Sten's sword. "Apparently the battlefield was picked clean two months ago, but luckily we could possibly find it in the Frostback Mountains."

Alistair winced, "That's a long way, Ada. We probably won't be heading back to Orzammar for at least another two months."

"I know," I realized, "And I don't think Sten is really expecting to get it back. That was why he joined us. He feels he can't go back to where he came from without it. But...I'm still going to keep an eye out."

Alistair seemed slightly confused.

"What?" I asked.

"When exactly do you and Sten have these heartfelt discussions. If I ever say anything to him, he looks like he is about to run that giant sword you decided to give him through me."

"No, no, no...Sten's actually nicer than you might think, salroka. He's just quiet." I reassured my fellow Grey Warden.

"Perhaps you are just better with people, I suppose."

I pointed at my brand, "I think not, friend." I then noticed the stalwart qunari making his way towards the chambers, perhaps ready to turn in as well.

Alistair attempted to make polite conversation, "Hey, Sten. You know, since we have been...sharing a room together...sort of, I thought we could talk."

"About what?" Sten asked, taking off his boots.

"I don't know. About anything really. While we travel you are always so quiet."

Sten studied Alistair questionably, "You mean that I should remark upon the weather before I cut off a man's head?"

Alistair looked to me desperate for help, and I attempted to hide my knowing smirk. Maybe Sten just has a soft spot for me. I took a seat on Alistair's bed, "You doing better today, Sten?"

"Doing better today as opposed to yesterday?" Sten questioned, unsure about my wording.

"I mean, I asked you about a month ago how you were after freeing you from that cage. It has been a while, so I assume you are not starving or stiff…"

Sten nodded slowly, eyebrows still furrowed as he attempted to decipher the language I was speaking. "Oh. Then, yes. I have been for some time now. Thank you for asking."

Alistair looked shocked at the politeness of the grand Qunari, and he plopped down next to me, almost catapulting me across the room. "Were you really in that cage for twenty days?" He suddenly blurted the question.

Sten made a grumbling noise as he was thinking, "It might have been closer to thirty. I stopped counting after a while." he said this as he pulled up onto the bed, his long legs hanging over the edge.

"What did you do? I mean... twenty days is a long time to sit in one place and do nothing." Alistair asked, genuinely curious and feeling more confident to ask.

"On good days, I posed riddles to the passersby, offering them treasures in exchange for correct answers."

Silence, as we both stared dumb-founded at Sten, "Really?" I asked.

Sten looked utterly disappointed in the both of us. "No."

Alistair frowned as well, "Awww. Too bad. That's got serious potential."

"Parashara!" Sten muttered, "It is late. We should be resting, we are setting out tomorrow."

"Right, right." I said, sliding off the bed, "On that note, I will be turning in myself. I'll see you both in the morning. Good night, Alistair. Good night, Sten."

They both responded in chorus a good night. "You sleep well, Sten." Alistair said to the Qunari.

"..."

I looked back as Sten blatantly ignored the man, turning his back to him as he slept right on top of the bed. Alistair pointed at him in exasperation, and I grinned in amusement before leaving the pair alone.

DAO

As we explored the Brecilian Forest, I was accompanied by Alistair, Sten, and Morrigan. Leliana and Wynne were with the Dalish at their base camp, as we attempted to unravel the mysterious magic at work that was turning these elves into Were-beasts.

Navigating and traveling and scouting can get pretty boring, and it was always me, Alistair, or Leliana who cannot sit in the silence too long. I tended to strike up random conversations, used to the chatty Carta days, Leliana would usually sing to pass the long intervals of walking, only being briefly interrupted when we had to fight, but those did not happen as much as one might believe.

Alistair really took the cake on being able to annoy everybody with idle phrases or asking random questions. He decided to spend this free time to attempt to befriend Sten, determined to make the qunari like him. "You know, you never did tell me how you passed the time in that cage for so long."

"No, I didn't." Sten responded hastily, earning an amused snort from Morrigan.

I decided to help my friend out, after he tried more creative ways to get Sten to talk and none of them working. "You must have did something in there. Even you must have gotten bored and figured some way to pass the time?"

There wasn't an answer for the longest time. It had to be several minutes at least, until Sten finally admitted, "A training exercise." Morrigan even appeared a bit surprised as Sten's lament, "I would observe an object and then try to think of all the words in your language which began with the same letter as its name."

...wait…

"Wait!" Alistair said what I was thinking out loud, "That... wait. Just wait. You're joking again, aren't you?"

When Sten didn't deny it, I looked back at Alistair, "I don't think he's joking, salroka."

"You are not telling me that you played, 'I Spy,' against yourself for twenty days." Just Alistair voicing this realization out loud, I couldn't help but laugh a bit, attempting to cover it to not offend the Qunari.

He didn't even seem to care, "There are a lot of things in Lothering that begin with, 'G.'"

Morrigan appeared very amused, "I see. Perhaps we should put your child's game skill to the test then, shall we?" Without waiting for anyone to answer, she crossed her arms proudly and said, "I spy with my little eye something that begins with an 'I'."

And 'I'?

...Alistair was just starting to teach me how to read, so I found myself repeating the letter and the sound it made while looking around my surroundings. My fellow Grey Warden also appeared to be stuck with what she could be referring to.

Sten sighed, pointing at Alistair. "Uh," my fellow Grey Warden began to address, "My name starts with an 'A-'"

"Idiot." Sten stated plainly.

Alistair's eyes widened and Morrigan laughed wickedly, clapping her hands like a pleased noblewoman, "My, my, you are good at this game after all. I am very impressed, indeed!"

I felt bad when I saw a frown cross his face, "Alright, haha. I'm done talking now." He rushed on ahead, face turning red, as Sten continued walking like nothing happened.

"I spy with my little eye something that starts with...uh…" I fumbled for the letter.

"G." Alistair called out, saving me from embarrassment, despite recovering from his own.

"Grey Warden." Sten answered without missing a beat.

DAO

"Ada!" Alistair whined, "No! I'm sorry, I know I left you in charge, but just...no!"

I stared up at Alistair in disbelief. "It's been a week, I'm sure we're fine." I tried to reason with my friend.

"I agree with Ada," Leliana backed me up, "Zevran has been our prisoner for a sufficient amount of time. If anyone were to come for him, they would have by now. I heard of these Crows, they get the job done fairly quickly."

"I'm not worried about other assassins!" Alistair continued to argue, "I am worried about this one. Right here. The one who tried to kill us, remember?"

"Alistair, we made a deal. If by a week no harm was done, we would release Zevran. It's as he says, the Crows would kill him for failing."

"He can still succeed." Alistair continued.

"I'm confident."

"You are always confident. That doesn't always work!"

"Has it failed us yet, salroka?" I asked my partner.

"...true...yes, we have miraculously been successful on two occasions where all hope was lost. Fine...but...I'm keeping an eye on him."

"If you want." I reassured as Leliana got to work with cutting the rope that bound the elf's hands together.

When freed, our former prisoner stood with a stretch and a rather noisy moan escaped his mouth making Dere Maharial blush from where he stood with Willa Surana. "I am grateful for the mobility returned to me, Brosca."

Alistair sulked, glaring at Zevran, and I nudged him in the side, "Lighten up, salroka."

He couldn't stay mad at me, taking a seat by the fire with a defeated sigh. Sten was a little a ways of us, glaring angrily at Alistair. "Sten? Is something wrong?" I asked, worriedly, and a little protective of the way he was looking at my companion.

"Draw your sword." Sten demanded.

Everybody fell silent, and Alistair looked up seeming very confused. "Are you talking to me?"

I stood up, standing slightly in front where Alistair was sitting, craning my neck up at Sten, "Sten...what is this about?"

"His sword. I want him to draw it."

I could hear shuffling behind me as Alistair stood on his feet, "Why? Are we under attack?"

"I want to see what you can do."

I felt the adrenaline rushing, did I make a mistake bringing him along? Was it because I still have not found his sword? Why was Sten so angry? "Why do you want to fight Alistair? Just like that? If there is a problem…"

"You have nothing to prove, kadan." Sten addressed me, "You have proven more that you are a capable warrior and leader. You are a Grey Warden. But what of him. He cowers behind you even now? How can he face an Archdemon if he cannot face me."

I heard Alistair struggle for an answer, and I only now realized he was clutching onto me when I felt his hands release from my shoulders, "I…" Alistair struggled again, "Maker's breath, Sten what do you want from me? It is clear that Ada makes a better Warden than I. I already admitted that. But...are you really going make me fight you?"

Morrigan appeared most intrigued as she watched the intense exchange, Leliana stayed close to us, just in case, and Zevran was more curious. Wynne had went down to the lake for a bath, but if she saw us right now she would immediately attempt to stop it. I kind of hoped she was on her way back right now. "Alistair is not a coward," I defended my friend, "We're a team. If you draw your sword Sten…"

"Ada…" I heard Alistair whisper, "I...I don't have anything to prove to him! I am doing all I am able. Isn't that enough? So… no...I'm not going to draw my sword on you."

Sten glared at Alistair then let out a grunt, "So you do have a spine. Pity you don't use it. Kadan, do not let this man's weakness damn us all. There are far better people worth protecting."

Ouch.

Sten turned and made his leave, leaving us in an awkward silence.

DAO

After Arl Eamon finally awakened from his long slumber, with use of the ashes, we were in discussion and decided that Alistair would become the new King of Ferelden.

And boy did we fight that night. The following morning Alistair came to me with an apology, claiming he thought it over and he accepts his fate as King. He realized that it was his birthright and he needed to stop running away from it.

"So I suppose once I'm actually king I could end up in negotiations with the Qunari one day." Alistair told Sten over breakfast at Redcliffe Castle, before we headed out to Denerim.

"My people do not negotiate." Sten remarked plainly, helping himself to the sweets provided by the servants.

"What do you mean? They negotiated a peace treaty after the war, and as far as I know they've kept to its terms."

Sten chewed his pastry and swallowed, "They signed a piece of paper. But only because they knew that you believed in it."

Alistair seemed confused by that, "And what is the difference between that and negotiating?"

I was beginning to understand Sten more as we traveled together, "Is there a reason the Qunari stopped fighting?" I asked. "They're...going to fight again, aren't they?"

"But I thought you said your people believed in honor." Alistair asked, seemed a little upset at the thought of having to deal with a Qunari threat.

Sten didn't answer at first, and he had a strange expression on his face, "They do. The honor of the Qunari is what will bring our warships back to your shores."

On that ominous note, Sten stood up and left us to consider the possibility of a war. "Great…" Alistair groaned.

DAO

I saw Queen Anora storming down the halls of the Royal Castle in Denerim one week before the official Coronation. I was still slightly recovering, but I was well enough to walk around the Castle without Wynne escorting me. The Queen of Ferelden was shaking her head, "'Give him cake!' he says, 'that will solve everything!' what am I to do with…" When she saw me approach she sighed in exasperation. "I don't know how you deal with him. From one extreme to another."

I fought back a smirk, "Where is he?"

"The kitchens, attempting to make 'the biggest cake in all of Ferelden'. By the Maker, none of our servants are going to take us seriously at this rate! I mean, it is true, I know nothing of your...Qunari companion, but...a cake?"

I smiled broadly, "A cake might work, your majesty. Sten likes sweets."

She blinked in confusion, "That...impossible. A qunari...enjoys sweets?"

I shrugged at her.

"I must be out of my mind. I am surrounded by lunatics. I shall go write my father." She excused herself, and I made a beeline for the kitchens.

Right in the nick of time I arrived, "Stop!" I commanded, "Drop the bowl of cherries, Your Highness!"

Alistair let out a soft chuckle, setting down the bowl onto the table, "Too late!" The King of Ferelden declared, "Already finished."

I stared up in a mixture of horror and intrigue at the giant colorful cake. The servants appeared just as bewildered, standing off to the corner, faces in sheer panic. "Alistair, how are you going to get this thing out of the kitchen?"

"Hm...you have a point, Ada." He remarked, and I noticed the flour all over his face and large tunic. "I am just doing my part as King in preventing Sten from going back to Seheron with the intention of war."

"So you thought you'd fatten him up to a state of immobility?" I questioned, convincing myself that cake would probably not taste as great as it looked.

"He likes sweets. So I thought, if I gave him a giant cake...he would reconsider!"

"Alistair...I like cake as much as Sten...but...imagine if someone gave you a cheese wheel this size?"

"Uh, yes please!"

"Okay...you'd become the most constipated King of Ferelden…" I muttered under my breath when I realized I was being ignored. Leliana and Sten entered the kitchen and I was unsurprised by the bard's shocked gasp.

"Alistair! I cannot believe you'd done this!"

"Glorious, isn't it?" Alistair presented the cake with his own fanfare, it was very reminiscent to my first impression of his brother, the late King Cailan, "I present this to my dear friend, Sten!"

Sten even looked shocked at the mere stature of the cake that was meant for him. Zevran and Oghren made their presence known, and Oghren let out a bellowing laugh.

Zevran circled around it, "I am surprised you were even able to keep it from toppling over-"

Alistair quickly smacked Zevran's hand when he attempted to sneak a lick of the frosting. Wynne pushed through, "What is...oh my word...Alistair…"

Leliana looked around in confusion, "How are you even going to serve it?"

I grabbed a fork and handed it to Sten, "Try a bite. Let's see if this is really good. Did you guys...watch His Highness?"

"Uh…" The servants stuttered.

Wynne continued to shake her head in disbelief at Alistair's grand gesture. He was king...so no one could really say anything except for Anora. Sten stabbed the fork like it was the broodmother's belly and shoveled a whole mouthful.

Let's just say Alistair was better off feeding Sten the sodding head of a darkspawn, as he forced down a swallow and only muttered; "The cake is a lie."