The Dragon and the Griffon

A/N: Draco Cousland is a Warrior whom Duncan recruited from Highever. IrasabethTabris is a rouge Duncan found in the Elven Alienage. This is going to be the story about how these two very different people become close friends and took on the Blight with their small band of misfit allies.

A big old thanks to my beta Lisa! You are a lifesaver!

PS: Sorry about the long wait I was having trouble finding inspiration. So now the small group of friends& .well half friends, are on their way to Redcliffe. Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Let your training begin

The journey from Lothering to Redcliffe was a long and hard one, at every turn and corner the small group ran into bands of darkspawn and raiders seeking to make some easy coin. Draco grew weary of the constant fights but continued on. As they travelled, Morrigan taught him a little herbalism, saying that she was tired of being the only one who could patch up wounds. Draco often found his thoughts traveling to the way his life had been. He missed his old life and found himself a little scared of his new one. About a day and a half from Redcliffe the small group stopped and set up camp for the night, to rest their weary bones and to prepare themselves for the following day, not knowing what they should expect in Redcliffe.

Draco sat near the fire polishing his shield, running his fingers over the etched symbol of his home in the metal and felt tears sting his eyes as he remembered his father covered in blood, his mother begging him to go and the tears in her bright green eyes as she watched him run. His shoulders shook as he dropped his head onto the shield, his tears splattering on the smooth cold metal.

Alistair asked softly as he walked up and knelt down. Alistair was out of his heavy armor, as was Draco, and wearing only a loose white shirt and brown trousers tucked into brown boots. The laces to the shirt were undone and open, giving a teasing view of a well-sculpted chest. His heart leapt into his throat as Draco's eyes locked with his, the sadness in them begged Alistair to take him into his arms and hold him. "Are..are you alright?" he asked softly.

"No, I miss my family. It kills me that I will never hear my mother chastise my father for teaching me a new sword move, or my father cheering my brother and I on during a brawl. I'll never listen to my sister-in-law yell at me for secretly teaching my nephew to fight, or my nephew beg me to take him on one of my hunting trips." Draco put his face in his hands as his shoulders shook, "because of one man my family is dead and I have no way of knowing if my brother is still alive since he was in the Wilds. I feel so fucking alone that I don't know what I want to do more: rip out Howe's throat or scream from the top of Circle Tower."

"Well…we can do both. Just after the whole Blight issue is taken care of. Cheese?" Alistair asked with a grin as he pulled a chunk of cheese out of nowhere.

Draco gaped at him before he began to howl with laughter, clutching at his sides. "Seriously, Alistair? After all of that you offer me cheese?"

Alistair shrugged, it got you to smile& you're really handsome when you smile. He said softly.

Draco leaned forward, his eyes still glittering with tears, but now there was something else in them, something more heated then sorrow. His eyes flickered to where Leliana was regaling Irasabeth with a story, Sten was sitting far away by himself sharpening his sword with careful precision and Morrigan was by her tent and writing on a scroll. His eyes slowly locked with Alistair's and he leaned closer, I'm not the only one who is handsome when they smile. His eyes flicked down to Alistair's lips, "hm…I wonder what those lips taste like," he mused aloud.

Alistair swallowed hard, "probably like cheese."

Draco chuckled darkly as his hand slipped up behind Alistair's head and brought their lips together. His body lit with the inner fires of passion, as he finally tasted the other man s lips. He groaned and pulled the smaller man to him and held him tightly. Alistair melted under the kiss, his mind going a million miles a minute and felt himself grow hard in his trousers. Draco pulled back and smiled at Alistair's heavy lidded eyes and flushed cheeks. He stroked his thumb over the Templar's now swollen lips.

"Nope, not like cheese at all," he said with a seductive smile.

Alistair took a deep breath and blushed deeply. "I…uh…need to go polish my sword…I mean my armor! Yes that's right my armor!" He said as he scrambled to his feet and darted off to the other side of camp, trying to settle his thundering heart.

Draco grinned and leaned back, proud of flustering the man, who was really cute when he was flustered. He felt a hard smack on the back of his head and yelped, looking up into the eyes of Irasabeth. "Damnit, you hit hard for an elf! What was that for?" he groused, rubbing the back of his head.

"I saw what you did, Draco Cousland! You know he's embarrassed by anything like that!" She chastised him, "you need to take it slow."

Draco snorted, "he doesn't seem embarrassed. He seems aroused. Like he wants more of what I can give him. I tasted the want on his lips, the passion that hummed just under his skin."

Irasabeth blushed and popped him on the arm, "damnit Draco stop it. Jeez you should just be banned from Ferelden for the things you say! You'd make Andraste herself blush!"

Draco shrugged, "but I will tell you, he does taste of innocence."

"And you probably taste of sin," Irasabeth shook her head, "I'm gonna go check on him." She said as she walked off.

She stood next to Alistair who sat on the ground polishing a hole through his shield. "Ali?" She asked softly putting a hand on his shoulder.

He jumped, "Irasy! I didn't hear you come up."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah…I'm…I'm good!" He said, trying to grin stupidly like he usually did, "why wouldn't I be?"

"Because of the kiss."

"Oh…you saw that?" his face fell slightly.

She nodded, "yeah…are you alright?"

"I… he makes my head want to explode! He sends fire through my body and I lose all footing. He tastes like pure sin and I can't help but want more. Draco is sexy, he's sleek, confident, handsome, beautiful, kind, fierce…he's everything and I want more of him. I want to be near him all the time, and I can't keep myself focused while we fight because my eyes always stray to him to make sure that he doesn't get hurt."

Irasabeth sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Ali…"

"And when I'm near him I feel like a fool because he's so confident in everything he does, every movement he does perfectly and I feel stupid because I have no experience with men or women. Am I pathetic?" he asked looking at her with big eyes.

Irasabeth sighed, "no Ali…you're just sheltered. If you want…I can teach you what I know. But my experience comes from a woman's point of view…not of another man."

Alistair looked at her with relief in his eyes, "please Irasy…I want to please him."

Irasabeth nodded and waved Leliana over, "we will help you, Ali."

The redhead nodded and smiled, "we will teach you everything you want and need to know."

Alistair gulped, "I know I'm going to regret this…"

Irasabeth smiled, "but if you want to please a man who can kiss like sin then you need our guidance."

Alistair sighed as he nodded, "I know…I want you to teach me everything."

Leliana smiled, "and your training begins now."

Draco watched as Leliana and Irasabeth pulled Alistair into Irasabeth's tent and he chuckled, but his mind began to wonder what the girls were going to do to him. He closed his eyes as he slowly stroked Ares's head and drifted off to sleep& wondering what they were going to meet in Redcliffe tomorrow.

A/N:Alright, finally got this chapter out. Gotta love a man who can kiss like sin. Alistair does! Now review for me my pretties! And another chapter will be up soon!