So here we are with another chapter. I haven't been keeping up with this too much due to a severe lack of time (you can take that up with my 3 month old) but I'll finish this, I swear!

Bioware owns the characters and places. I just like to visit from time to time.

I was sitting before the fire, mending my armor when a dagger appeared, point down, in the dirt before me. I looked up to see Leliana standing before me, with a slight smirk on her face. "Come, there is something I want to show you."

I cast a glance over the fire to Alistair, who simply raised an eyebrow. I knew his thoughts about the bard from Orlais, who had joined us in Lothering, but I had accepted her offer of assistance both because we needed all the help we could get, and, I had to admit, because I found her… alluring.

I smiled at her as I set aside my work. I picked up the dagger, noticing she had an identical one in her hand. She lead me to the clearing in camp between the main camp and Morrigan's self-imposed separate camp. I couldn't help but notice how the midday sun seemed to shine off of Leliana's pale skin and fiery red hair. As she turned back to me, I saw a small half-smile, which seemed to mirror my own.

"Ok, what's this about?"

"How familiar are you with daggers?"

I tested the weight of the dagger. "An old Cousland saying goes 'popularity invites assassins.' My family was very popular. We were all educated on how to use daggers in defense against assassins, though…" I spun the blade into the air, making to grab for the hilt. I missed, and it landed point down precariously close to my boot. "… that's where my aptitude ends." I admitted.

She laughed. "Well, perhaps you just didn't have the proper teacher."

I smiled at her as I bent over to retrieve the dagger. "In the use of daggers, I bow to the master." I had seen her in combat enough to realize that she had extensive knowledge in the use of daggers. Seeing her twirl and spin between darkspawn and bandits alike, her twin daggers dancing in the sunlight, was almost mesmerizing.

She just smiled at me and curtseyed, reciprocating the mock bow I directed at her. "Warden Cousland, if you think flattery will make me take it easy on you, you're sadly mistaken."

"Please, call my Aedan."

She cocked her head, a bemused expression of curiosity on her face. "Aedan? Then why do Alistair and the others call you Azrael?"

I smiled at her. "A conversation for another time."

We spent the next hour working with the daggers, her showing me how to become comfortable with the smaller blade. I fumbled often, used as I was to my long sword and great sword. I was used to leading with my hip and shoulder, and it took some time to get used to leading with the wrist and elbow, though her instruction soon made it, if not second nature, more natural than I was before.

After a while, we broke for water. We were both sweating heavily in the summer heat, and our linen clothes were soaked. As she bent over to retrieve her water skin, I couldn't help but to notice how her simple clothes clung to her body. I immediately looked away, not wanting to embarrass her or myself. "I have a question, Leliana."

"Please, call me Li. If I am not calling you by what the rest of the group calls you, I think it only fair I reciprocate."

"Tell me truthfully, is my swordsmanship so abysmal that you feel I'm better off trying to start over with a new weapon?"

At this, I was shocked to see that she was almost embarrassed. "I realized that most people in Ferelden fight with swords. I've watched you in battle, and saw that you have a natural talent for fighting. I thought that adding daggers would give you an advantage over your opponents, something that they've not encountered much before. You're not offended, are you?"

I understood her trepidation. Telling a warrior that you think you might be able to teach them a thing or two could go one of two ways, and more often than not it went the way were one of you ended up with a sword in you. I winked at her, still catching my breath from our exertions. "Why do you think I would be offended? Because you thought of I way I could be more effective in combat, or because you admitted to watching me when I'm not looking?"

I could see how relieved she was. "Truthfully… I didn't know what you would think. I guess I could have just said that I wanted to spend time with you."

"To spend time with you, I'd learn how to fight with a willow branch."

She shot me that same radiant smile she always seemed to have. "If you want to learn that, I'm more than happy to help."

I smiled back at her. How could I not smile at her when she smiled? "Well, if you're willing, I have an idea of something I'd like to try. Are you up for it?"

Her smile took on a sly look. "With you, I'm up for anything."

I went back to my tent, and pulled out two long swords. Smaller than the typical Fereldan great sword, they allowed the use of a shield or a second weapon. I had long ago taken a preference to using the long sword, preferring the flexibility in fighting style it allowed, rather than the great sword that Alistair, Duncan, and my brother preferred.

I walked back over to where Leliana was standing. I presented the pommel of one to her. "How familiar are you with long swords?"

She smirked as she took it from my hand. "If you think I'm going to embarrass myself by trying impress you with something flashy only to fumble and almost take my toe off, you're very wrong."

"The thought never crossed my mind."

Over the next hour or so, we worked together. I explained how I was interested in adapting what she had already shown me with the normal long sword style of fighting. With a long sword in my right hand, and a dagger in my left, I felt ridiculous, but Leliana was up for the challenge of trying to teach the both of us a new way of fighting.

Together, we worked out the beginnings of a new style, which we both picked up rather quickly. While I was able to take my strength and apply it to the more fluid style that the daggers required, she was also able to apply her evasive style of fighting and apply it to the more powerful long sword. We found a good rhythm of using the long sword to get each other off balance then pressing forward with the dagger, or using the dagger to create space between us and using the long sword to cut in around the other's defenses.

Soon, we were able to duel back and forth with this new hybrid style with each attack, parry, and counter attack becoming more fluid and natural than those that came before. After a solid twenty minutes of our half-speed duel, we broke again for water, each smiling in elation with the work we'd been doing.

"There's something I want to figure out, if you don't mind. An old move my father once showed me, but never taught me. I just want to see if it's even possible with what we're doing." She nodded her assent to me. "Ok, so if I do this," I slowly extended the dagger in my left hand towards her right hip, "you would naturally do…" she slowly parried with the long sword in her right hand, directing the dagger away from her body. As she parried, I stepped in with my long sword, which she parried with her dagger. Through a slow series of feints and parries, I walked through what my father had shown me, a supposedly unbeatable technique that no one could defend against.

As I neared the end, both my dagger and sword were under each of Leliana's arms. A slight twist of my sword pinned her arms behind her back, while my left arm swung up, settling behind Leliana's neck. As I was finishing the move, I realized I had done the move right: in a normal fight, my opponent would be helpless to defend themselves from the blade at the back of their skull.

As I finished moving this time, though, a different realization ran through my mind. As my dagger settled at the base of her neck, we both took a small step into each other. Our bodies met, and it felt as if a lightning bolt had run through my body. Suddenly, there was nothing but her supple body pressed against mine, our clothes both soaked through with sweat. We were so close we were literally breathing each other's air. I could feel her breath on my lips, and could almost taste the sweat on her skin.

I wanted nothing more at that moment than to lean into her and kiss her, to feel her lips against mine. I had realized that it was becoming increasingly difficult to resist my attraction to her as the days went on. Many reasons flashed through my mind as to why it was a bad idea, but the feel of her against me drowned them all out.

Before we could linger against each other any further, though, Alistair called over to us. "If you're quite finished dancing, supper is served. I made sure the meat was nice and grey for everyone today!"

We slowly disengaged from each other and stepped back, the heat of the moment dissipating between us. I could tell from the look in her eyes that she felt the same sense of excitement and frustration that I did. "Perhaps, Leli-I mean, Li, we could pick this up again after supper?"

I felt a slight warmth fill me as she smiled. "I would very much like that. Though if Alistair cooked, we both might be too sick to work on this later."

She smiled as she handed my sword back to me. "Your sword, my Warden."

It was my turn to smile as I handed her back her dagger. "Your dagger, my Bard."

We lingered for a moment longer until finally, we made our way back to the campfire to join the others for supper.

As always, all reviews, comments, and critiques are welcome!

Up next... their lips meet! *giggle*