A/N: Everyone tune your radios to "I'm Beginning to See the Light" by Bobby Darin. :)

"Aaaaaaaaand...go!" Alistair shouted.

In the effortless, fluid-like motions that only a life with the Antivan Crows could hone, Zevran hurled dagger after dagger into the four bales of hay propped up on a small ring of barrels around the campfire. Each bale now had one dagger protruding from their exact centers, the metal of their blades glowing in the fire light.

"Wow...done in two seconds," Alistair announced.

The elf turned on his heel and smiled at his opponent.

"Top that, Circle Boy," he challenged.

The Warden rose from his seat on a log by the fire beside Leliana. He grasped his staff resolutely and returned the challenging smile.

"My man could beat that in a heartbeat!" Leliana cat-called.

The Warden nearly blushed as he looked down at the red-haired beauty, his red-haired beauty. She looked up and smiled at him sweetly, leaning back on the log.

"Go show him how it's done, handsome," she enticed with a wink.

It had taken him months of traveling with her for him to finally tell her how he felt, but ever since he had, their relationship had been one of ceaseless bliss.

I never cared much for moonlit skies.
Never winked back at fireflies.
But now that the stars are in your eyes.
I'm beginning to see the light.

The Warden stepped up to the the ring of barrels and cracked his neck from side to side.

"Watch and learn, Zevran," he instructed.

The Warden closed his eyes and took two deep breaths in and out through his nose. As each passage of air soared through his nostrils, he gathered his concentration and power together.

Finally, he slashed through the air with his staff and a bursting whirlwind exploded from its tip, crashing into all four bales of hay, knocking them all from their respective perches.

Alistair gave a low whistle.

"That only took one second," he said.

"That's not fair!" Zevran indignantly shouted.

The Warden turned around and shrugged his shoulders, smiling.

"You said the rules were to dispatch all four hay bales. You never specified in what manner."

Leliana clapped her hands excitedly.

"I told you so!" she shouted at Zevran.

The elf huffed and grumbled under his breath, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

The only one The Warden had eyes for, however, was Leliana, still applauding and laughing from where she sat.

I never went in for afterglow
Or candlelight on the mistletoe
But now when you turn the lamp down low
I'm beginning to see the light

"I would agree with the elf," came another female voice from the shadows.

Everyone turned to see Morrign saunter into the contest ring.

"Magic is a far too great advantage against those who are not graced with such power," she said, leveling a patronizing glance in Zevran's direction.

"I would let you take advantage of me anytime you like, Morrigan," Zevran cat-called back, shooting her a devilish wink, though if it was more out of spite than actual interest was unclear.

The Warden shook his head and leaned on his staff.

"I assume you're making your way to some sort of point, Morrigan?" he asked, immediately regretting such a question after it escaped his lips.

She indeed had a point. Her relationship with their assumed leader had been...rocky...of late. He had rejected her in favor of the airhead bard. Though she now considered further pursuit of him to be below her, she did not think herself above causing a little trouble in their nest.

"If you truly wish to seem impressive," she began, eyeing The Warden dead in the face. "You should test your skills against a fellow mage."

Zevran gave a low whistle. The Warden turned to Alistair, who simply shrugged.

"The challenge has been laid, mate," he said. "What say you?"

The Warden turned back to Leliana, who gave him another warm smile and an encouraging nod of her head. If anyone could put their Witch of the Wilds in her place, she knew it was him.

"Very well," The Warden said, stretching his staff at his side. "I accept your challenge, Morrigan. Give us a moment and we'll have these bales back-"

"Too simple," Morrigan snorted before lashing out with her own staff, sending a jet of flames through the air directly into the fallen hay bales, setting them alight.

Panic spread in the immediate ring and The Warden quickly countered, shooting his own spell off, a torrent of water that quickly doused the flames.

Morrigan twisted her staff again, sending a blast of freeze at The Warden's staff, freezing the water into a giant icy spurt from the tip of his staff.

The Warden concentrated, shook his staff once and the ice was dispelled by a burst of flames. The Warden turned toward Morrigan just in time to see a small boulder from camp come hurtling toward his head. He jumped a step back and lashed out with a whip of wind, smashing the rock to the ground.

But Morrigan had several boulders already floating behind her as if hanging aloft by invisible strings. She began hurling rock after rock at him.

As Leliana watched the display, she couldn't help but feel both awed and disturbed at the same time. Morrigan had an almost feverishly gleeful look on her face as she attacked.

As she turned toward her love, the look on his face perturbed her all the more. His was scrunched in concentration, but it was not angry. In fact he seemed to be smiling.

Was he...was he enjoying this? With her?

The Warden knew he had her right where he wanted her. Her attacks were savage and ferocious, but sloppy and unstable. He knew his life of training in the tower would soon prevail once she ran out of juice.

I used to ramble through the park
Shadow boxing in the dark

Sure enough, The Warden saw his opening. Once her last boulder had been released, he dove to a crouch on the ground and let his staff slide from his hands until he gripped its very bottom. From there, he gave a great heave and spun, unleashing the strongest whip of wind he could muster.

Morrigan was completely caught off-guard by the strength in the attack. Until now, it seemed he had been only on defense. Either way, the whip of wind slashed her ankles out from under her and she fell on her arse, her staff flying from her hand.

Then you came and caused the spark
That's a four-alarm fire now

"The witch is down! We have a winner!" Alistair shouted, pumping both his armored fists in the air. Zevran whistled approvingly and jumped up and down.

The Warden smiled and walked over to his vanquished foe, just as she intended for him to do after she let him win. When he reached down his free hand to help her up, she took it and let her chest crash into his as he pulled her up.

"Oops..." she sultrily whispered. "My mistake."

The Warden recoiled and she chuckled, calling her staff back to her hand. Before he could say anything, Zevran and Alistair had run over to him, commencing their manly claps on his back and words of congratulations.

Morrigan sauntered over to Leliana and turned on the drama. She put an almost dreamy, breathless look on her face and had her voice to match.

"It is indeed a pity, Leliana, that you can't know him like that," she said, indicating her lack of magic.

She capped it off with an almost longing look back at The Warden.

"It is truly...invigorating."

Morrigan ended it with a smile and walked off. Leliana watched her leave, hurt beginning to etch across her face. What had the witch meant by that? Leliana had known about Morrigan's desires for The Warden before, but she had never felt truly insecure around her...until this moment.

Leliana couldn't deny that her love had lit up when he was engaged in that magical battle. The bard began to wonder if she made him feel the same way...

She suddenly found herself strongly wanting to be alone.

When The Warden finally broke away from his buddies, he saw the log his lady had been sitting on was now devoid of a beautiful bard. Concern darkened his face as he looked around for her.

He sensed he should probably look for her in her tent. That's exactly where he found her, practically curled up in a ball.

"Hey you...you alright?" He asked, smiling in spite of himself. She looked cute no matter what she was doing, at least to him.

She looked up at him, uncurling her body and reaching for his hands, which he gladly placed firmly in hers, sitting down in front of her.

"Did you...did you enjoy that fight?" She asked him.

The Warden arched an eyebrow. "Well...yes...I suppose. Anytime I can knock Morrigan's ego down a notch is a good time in my book."

Leliana looked down. "Do I...do I make you that happy?"

The Warden's eyes widened. "Of course you make me happy, Leliana. You always have."

He squeezed her hands comfortingly. "You always will too."

Leliana sniffed. "But I...I can't do any magic."

The Warden pressed his lips together and craned his neck toward her, suddenly understanding.

"Did Morrigan say anything to you after our fight?"

Leliana shifted uncomfortably.

The Warden rubbed her wrists with his thumbs. "You will never need to know magic to gain my approval, Leliana. I love you. Everything you do is magic to me."

Leliana looked up at him, liking what he said but failing to understand.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

The Warden just smiled, beginning to stand up.

"Follow me," he said. "I'll show you."

"Nicolae, where are we going?" She asked, practically being dragged into the darker part of the forest surrounding camp. She had to admit it, she enjoyed this spontaneous event.

"We're right here," The Warden stated, stopping them in the middle of a dark clearing.

He turned to her.

"Leliana, the greatest magic within me...is the way I feel about you."

Leliana's cheeks flushed a rosy red. She was thankful for the darkness around them hiding it.

"Nicolae...I..."

The Warden reached out his hand and lovingly caressed her cheek, making her words catch in her throat.

"When I'm around you, you inspire me to do this," he said, raising his staff.

Millions of tint glowing lights rose from its tip, spiraling and fluttering through the air, lighting up the night all around them.

Leliana's eye lit up in wonder as the lights soon consumed the area. She reached out to grab one. It sat still glowing in her pale hand.

She broke out into a big smile and turned to the man she loved.

"You know...it's funny. This reminds me of the story of Alindra and her soldier. Have you heard it?"

The Warden smiled warmly and chuckled as his magical lights descended all around them. He knew that this was the magic she wove, through the stories she told and the way she captured his heart.

He leaned in and kissed her deeply. She closed her eyes and received the kiss gladly, bringing her hands up to run through his hair as they locked their bodies together.

When they parted, he gave her another big smile.

"I haven't, but I'd love to hear it."

I never made love by lantern shine
I never saw rainbows in my wine
But now that your lips are burning mine
I'm beginning to see the light