Zalandri stared into the fire, unable to shake the image of the small child she had seen dead on their way out of Lothering. Leliana was out on watch at the edge of camp, feeding snacks to Feren. Morrigan was presumably in her tent sleeping, as was Sten, if he slept. Zalandri could not imagine him sleeping.

She heard the trudging steps of Alistair, and looked up as he sat down beside her. He had taken off his armor, but wore a thicker cloak to shield him from the cool night air. He stretched, rubbing his hands in front of the fire, and sighed. After a few moments silence, he glanced at Zalandri. She was still staring into the fire, her eyes, usually so bright, seemed dull and weary. He could guess easily what she was thinking about.

"The child with its mother in Lothering?" he asked softly. She nodded glumly. She rested her head on her knees, arms clasped tightly around them. She shivered slightly from the cold ground. He waited for her to speak, but when she didn't, he gave a soft "hm" as if making up his mind. He shifted closer to her, and reached his arm out, wrapping the cloak around both of them. She jumped at his movement, but then settled down again when she realized what he was doing. She leaned into his warm body and rested her head on his shoulder. He held her close, and they didn't say a word, finding comfort in each other's presence. They had come a long way in their friendship, and rapidly, through the sheer desperation of the time they lived in and the roles they played.

"Do you want to talk about Duncan?" she asked suddenly. "He was like a father to you… It must be hard…" she trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

"I… I should have handled it better," Alistair said, after a moment. "Duncan warned me from the beginning that this could happen. Any of us could die in battle, and… I shouldn't have lost it, especially with everything riding on us… I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize, Alistair," Zalandri said firmly, "You don't have to apologize for reacting when you lose someone."

He hugged her tightly, wrapping both arms around her now. He moved so that he could sit behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder as he looked at the dancing flames.

"I'd like to have a proper funeral for him, when this is over," he said, "If we're still alive… I know this sounds stupid, but part of me wishes I was with him, in the battle… I feel like.. I abandoned him."

Zalandri didn't say anything, allowing him to continue, but laced her fingers with his.

"Of course…" he said, almost to himself now, "I'd be dead then, wouldn't I? It's not like that would make him any happier." He fell silent, in thought.

"I think... he came from Highever. Or so he said. Maybe I'll go up there sometime, see about putting something up in his honor. I don't know…" He glanced at Zalandri, turning his head slightly on her shoulder. "Have you.. had someone close to you die? Not that I mean to pry… it's just…" he grew quiet, seeing her nod slowly.

"My parents," she said quietly. "They were killed in a fire, set by someone from a rivalling House. Narukk is in some degree of political chaos now… The old Queen has died of old age, and left no one as heir to the throne. All the noble families are involved, trying to get into the royal seat. My family is one famed for our assassins and guards. The nobles hire us- our services go to the highest bidder- in order to cut down their opposition."

"Were you trained as an assassin? Is that how you learned to fight?" Alistair asked. Flemeth's words made sense to him now- "You would know…"

Zalandri nodded. "I am the youngest of my three siblings. My sister is the eldest, and is the best assassin our family has seen for generations. My brother was trained as a guard, and what he lacks in agility he makes up for in strength. They were assigned to a noble family to protect the matriarch and kill the opposition's. The fire…" she subconsciously clenched her hands, squeezing Alistair's. "...was meant for me. It was a distraction meant to draw my siblings away from their jobs to rescue me. I was recovering from an illness that had swept our lands, and was too weak to get out of the crumbling building. My parents instructed my siblings to continue their jobs, and they came for me instead. My mother was shot down by arrows from the assassin who had started the fire, and my father was trapped in the fire after throwing me out to safety."

They sat in silence for a minute, before Alistair hesitantly asked, "Did the assassin get away?"

Zalandri shrugged. "I assume he is still alive, carrying out the duties his new patrons have hired him to do. I do not blame him for doing his job. We have all killed someone innocent in someone else's eyes as hired hands."

Alistair could see the sense in her logic. "The family who hired him, however…" she continued in a low voice, "was taken care of. My siblings and I launched an attack on the family, and we were successful. I left Narukk after it was done. My sister handles the family now, and she does not need me there. As I said before," she gave a small smile, "I prefer the company of animals and plants, and good people." She nudged him gently, and he smiled. She sighed and leaned back against his chest.

"Maybe I'll go to Highever with you, whenever you go." she said. He nodded.

"I'd like that."

Alistair was starting to doze, his face falling into her hair, when she spoke, her voice jerking him awake.

"So much has happened that I never would have foreseen, and in such short a time," she mumbled.

Alistair couldn't agree more. Though, after all that had happened… he was happy for some of it.

"All this time we've spent together," he said, and he could feel his heart beating slightly faster now, "you know; the tragedy, the death, the constant battles with the whole Blight looming over us… will you miss it once it's over?"

Zalandri laughed dryly. "Oh, yes, it makes me tear up just thinking about it."

"Ha! Yes… There'll be no more running for our lives, fighting darkspawn…" he groaned, looking around the camp, "no more camping out in the middle of nowhere…" He suddenly found himself choking slightly, his heart pounding in his throat. "I… I know it might sound strange, considering we haven't known each other for very long… but I… I've come to care for you, Zal… a great deal." He took a deep breath and continued.

"Maybe it's because we've gone through so much together. I don't know. Maybe I'm imagining it," he gave a dry laugh, "Maybe.. I'm fooling myself," he muttered.

"Alistair…" Zalandri shifted in her place to look at him directly. He looked pale in the firelight, he was so nervous.

"Am I? Fooling myself?" he implored. "Or… do you think you could ever feel the same way about me?" His hand came up to stroke her cheek gently, and she felt her heart jump at his touch.

But she had spent so much time rejecting other men in her life, she found she did not know what to say. She truly did care for the young Warden, but…

"I- I don't know…" she found herself saying. Part of her was relieved at her vague answer, but the other was kicking herself for saying it. "I… it's too soon to say…"

He was so close now, their noses were almost touching. His hand still on her cheek, she gently pressed into it.

"Well," he said, just above a whisper, "is it too soon to do this?" He pulled her into him, one hand moving through her hair and the other wrapping around her waist, hugging her against his body as he met her lips with his. She let out a tiny moan of surprise, but her eyes fell shut and she automatically returned his kiss. Her hands felt his chest and his neck as he pulled her close, and she forgot everything around her.

Alistair felt as though his heart were about to burst from his chest. Zalandri's lips moved smoothly with his, and he forgot about everything - the Blight, the death of Duncan- everything but her.

They parted gently, foreheads leaning into each other, slightly breathless from their pounding hearts.

"Well?" Alistair breathed, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She grinned and laughed, slightly embarrassed. "I'm.. not sure," she said again, but she had already made up her mind and her eyes flashed playfully. "I think… I need more testing to be sure."

Alistair laughed and grinned, from ear to ear. "Well, I'm sure I can arrange that…" he said, and sighed, suddenly relieved, pulling her back into him in a tight hug. She tucked her face into the nape of his neck, slightly dizzy as her heart returned to a normal pace, breathing in his scent. He bent his head and kissed her hair, her ears, and she chuckled, feeling her heart flutter.

They fell into a comfortable silence again, and Zalandri slowly fell asleep, comforted by the steady sound of Alistair's heartbeat and the warmth of the cloak around them.

She woke with a start to someone shaking her, and she automatically grabbed for the knife next to her and slashed out, causing Alistair to leap back, lose his balance, and fall to the ground. Zalandri realized what she had done and dropped the knife immediately, clambering to get to him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" she moaned. He had a shallow cut on his forearm from blocking her attack, and let her tend to it quickly.

"No, no, it was my fault, I should have woken you up a bit more gently," he said, laughing apologetically. "I forgot about all that fiery assassin in you," he teased. She scoffed and sat back down, looking around her tent, confused.

"When did I come to my tent?" she wondered aloud.

"Ah, well, you didn't," replied Alistair. "You fell asleep by the fire, so I carried you here. I felt.. strange about taking off your vest, so I kind of left you there… Sorry."

Zalandri was still dressed in her day clothing, down to her boots. The only things he had taken off of her were her pouches and weapons.

She suddenly noticed her hair clinging uncomfortably to her face. She wiped the strands away, feeling cold sweat on her brow. Alistair came closer to hand her a rag, which she accepted gratefully.

"You were having a nightmare, do you remember?"

She shook her head. "Ah, well," he said. "Sometimes you don't. You just wake up feeling clammy and shaky. Welcome to the Grey Wardens," he grimaced.

She stripped off her leather vest, allowing herself to breathe easier. Alistair sat next to her and rubbed her back. She leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her, moving closer to her. She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, feeling her body calming down after the nightmare, her breath coming easier to her now. Alistair kissed her temple.

"My guess is you have a few hours left until dawn. Try to get some more sleep."

She nodded, feeling groggy still. "Stay," she mumbled.

"What?" Alistair pretended not to hear.

"Stay here with me," she said louder, then added, "...please. I'll sleep better if I know you're here…"

He hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"Only if you want to," she said, sitting up to look at him.

He laughed, unable to resist kissing her cheek. "So polite," he teased, "even when you're groggy with sleep.

She gently pushed him down with a huff, bring her cloak over them. She laid down next to him and he wrapped his arms around her, listening to her breathe until she fell asleep in his arms.