Hooooooo this is a long one. I started this a long time ago, right after I finished my first run-through of the game back when it came out. At points I feel my writing is lacking, but having had written so much so fast, I mostly just re-structured some points and posted. I wanted to see where this could go and if anyone would like it.

I realize this story doesn't follow the plotline from DA:O to the T, and I hope that's alright. Embellishments and, well just ideas I wanted to try as add in's to the already lovely story of the game seemed fun to me. I have REALLY appreciated the critically kind reviews. I feared receiving any reviews as I know I am too sensitive (I am super lame I know) but really, it's great. Respectful comments and thoughts are awesome and I welcome them :D

But more importantly, thank you for taking the time to read my story. And SUPER thanks and appreciation to those following it. It makes my day! :D!

Emma reached forward and hung her and Morrigan's packs on the back of Bodahn's cart. She walked in stride with the cart to rustle through her pack for another apple and some flat bread Bodahn had kindly given her and the others.

She pulled her dagger from her thigh, cutting the apple into thin slices and tossing the core to the side of the road. Catching up to Alistair after sheathing her dagger and tearing the flat bread in half, she wrapped the apple pieces up in the bread and handed the other half to him. Alistair walked beside her, swallowing up the snack in three bites. Emma savored hers, taking small bites and chewing happily.

Morrigan had begun to have difficulty keeping up without Emma's aid, and was now nestled in Bodahn's cart, much to her disapproval. Accepting Emma's urging for her to get in the bloody cart, she currently thumbed through a tome she had procured from a shop they had visited early in their travels together. Her leg was secured amidst Emma and Alistair's warm clothes, to keep it from bouncing all over the place.

Wynne and Leliana chatted casually, of their times in the Circle and the Chantry, learning more about one another. But mostly talked of Emma and Alistair.

"Did you know before?" Leliana asked Wynne, "About how they felt towards one other?"

Wynne nodded, "Only but a night ago did Emma actually speak of it to me. She is pretty good at hiding her feelings but love isn't hard to spot. And as for Alistair, well, I am sure you and anyone else with eyes has noticed he doesn't quite have the aptitude to hide his eyes at her," she chuckled.

Leliana giggled. "Yes. He is very awkward," she looked forward at Emma and Alistair walking side by side. They were talking together, Alistair gesturing with his hands and speaking rather enthusiastically whilst Emma looked to him and she chewed her apple and bread, nodding and agreeing every now and again. It made Leliana smile. "She seems to hang on his words."

"Yes. She's quite enamored with him," Wynne smiled.

The two woman watched on at Emma and Alistair a while longer. Emma was just biting into her food when she suddenly laughed at something Alistair had said. She then pushed him away playfully. Alistair laughed at her shove, catching his balance and moving back to walk next to her. He looked to her with a proud smile, obviously antagonizing her with it. Emma just shook her head at him.

"They are adorable," Leliana concluded. "I have never seen Emma smile this much."

"It's good for them," Wynne agreed, "to take their mind off of the burden they both carry." Leliana agreed.

"I like this," Alistair stated. He cleared his throat, the laughing making it feel a little scratchy.

Emma looked at him, "You like what?" she smirked. "You like making ludecomments about my armor and how it fits?"

"I was just observing the craftsmanship, that's all," he defended. He smiled at her coyly. "It was finely made to fit you."

"Ah yes. Right," she laughed. She shoved the last piece of apple and bread into her mouth.

"Ha... no. I mean, I like being able to be open with you, now that you know how I feel, and everything," he confessed. "It's like, I can finally be myself."

She smiled. "I feel the same way. It's hard to hide it, when you feel so much for someone... it's really hard," her brow furrowed as she recalled all the times she was uncomfortable with it.

Alistair laughed. "Yeah, tell me about it."

She became curious at how long Alistair had felt how he felt about her. "When did you start to, have feelings, for me?" she asked shyly.

He turned his head and looked forward, thinking about his answer. "Um..." he looked as if he was counting mentally. "I think... pretty much from the first moment I saw you."

"Oh yeah. C'mon," she scoffed, not believing him.

"No. I mean it," he looked back to her. "When I saw you walking over to me that day, I was beyond curious as to what such a... well, attractive, woman was doing in full chain-mail heading in my direction."

Emma shook her head, "No," she denied him aloud but felt giddy inside at the thought of being called attractive. The way he was looking at her made her blush. "You thought I was attractive then?"

Alistair scoffed with a smile. "You really don't know how beautiful you are, do you?"

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly. "I'm not-"

"Okay no," he held up a hand to stop her. "I am notgoing to believe you."

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Emma." He stated her name. "You are..." he was looking for words and had a hard time finding any that would do her justice in his mind.

She looked at him and saw he was thinking. "I'm what?" the corner of her mouth turned up in a smile.

He looked to her and sighed. The look in her eyes, showing him how truly unaware of her beauty she was...

"You are the most radiantly beautiful woman in all of the world," he spoke, "unbridled by anything in existence."

Emma legs almost froze her in place. She was flattered and giddy almost beyond reason at his words. Her eyes met his and she saw that he meant what he said, but had to ask, "Do you really think that?"

Alistair laughed. "You know, I have a hard time believing you've never heard anything like this before," he said.

Emma felt a tinge of embarrassment at his words. Why would anyone tell her how radiant or whatever she was? She recalled a few times when men had told her she had a fine bottom, or a nice pair of jugs. But no one ever really told her she was beautiful, not the way Alistair just did.

He looked to see her smile had gone and realized he may have just pulled another "Alistair move" and scoffed at himself. "No, Emma... I didn't mean it like, you should know you're beautiful... you are, and I mean, well actually you shouldknow how beautiful you are because-" he fumbled, becoming flustered and lost in his words.

Emma looked to see her silence had made him think he'd insulted her. "Oh, Alistair, nono," she insisted. "I was just... I was thinking, about something else," she stuttered.

They looked at one another, then smiled.

"What I meant," Emma looked at him with love in her eyes, "is thank you, Alistair. I've never really, felt beautiful, until you."

He almost reached out to put some of her bright red hair behind her ear. "You will always be beautiful to me."

Emma gave him a sweet smile before turning away to blush a deep crimson red.

He moved to tell her he loved her when he felt that familiar and unsettling presence seep into his spine.

Emma felt the uncomfortable, unfamiliar raising of the hair on the back of her neck. She looked to the expression on Alistair's face and it told her all she needed to know.

Alistair yanked his axe from it's scabbard and pulled his shield from his back, sliding his arm through the handles and looking to the trees to their left. Emma instinctively stepped up to Alistair's right, heaving the giant axe at her back out in front of her. She turned to Bodahn and shouted a warning.

"Darkspawn!"

Bodahn stopped the cart and did what Emma had instructed him to do when there were darkspawn: grab shield's and take cover. He grabbed Sandal by the collar and dragged him off the cart with him. Bodahn looked to Morrigan as he climbed down out of the cart, "Give me your hand!" he held his hand out to her.

Morrigan shook her head. She pulled herself up and slid herself to the edge of the cart. "I will not sit by helpless!" she spat at the dwarf.

Alistair looked into the trees, only to at the very last second see a dagger come flying from the darkness between them. He held his shield up over his face to deflect it just in time.

Wynne pulled her pack from her back and tossed it to the side, summoning the elements of water from the air around her for a frost spell. Leliana pulled her bow from her back and sheathed an arrow in seconds, aiming in the direction Alistair and Emma were focused. Morrigan, against Bodahn's pleas, jumped out of the cart and readied her staff to blast the first darkspawn to show itself.

Alistair and Emma saw three hurlocks charge out from between the trees. Emma stepped first and lifted her axe, cleaving the first one to reach her through it's waist. Her axe sliced through it's torso, spilling it's intestines and guts out onto the road. Alistair caught the next one with his shield, jabbing it up into the hurlock's jaw. He heard it crack as it shattered against the shield, causing the darkspawn to sprawl backwards. As it began to stumble to a fall, Alistair ran his axe through its middle, kicking the beast off of the weapon with his foot.

Wynne hurled a ball of ice at the third charging hurlock, Leliana spotting some genlocks amidst the trees and swiftly firing arrows at them.

Emma could see there were at least 8 more darkspawn charging out of the forest. She saw the headdress of an emissary and turned looked over her shoulder, searching for Leliana. "Kill the emissary!" she yelled to her once she was in sight.

Morrigan could see Leliana was at a disadvantage of sight, and she could see the emissary from where she was. She waved her staff as she conjured heat from the air, creating a ball of fire above her head. Leliana began to move in but saw Morrigan and realized Morrigan didn't see the second emissary casting a hex in her direction. She shouted to her to try and catch her attention, "Morrigan! To your right!"

Emma heard Leliana's plea and turned to see Morrigan not in Bodahn's cart. She then saw the second emissary and glared to Morrigan. "Morrigan!"

Morrigan was about to cast her spell when a blast from the second emissary sent her reeling off of her feet and across the road.

"Nooo!" Emma screamed, and turned all her focus on the second emissary.

Alistair watched as Emma descended into the trees, genlocks bearing down on her. He looked back behind him to see Morrigan was alive, and with that confirmation went to trail Emma and take out any genlocks she couldn't.

Emma sliced through three genlocks before she had to duck to avoid a spell from the emissary she had in her sights. She rolled a few feet from where she landed, then rose again to her feet. She looked the beast in the eyes, who regarded her with it's wicked smile as it cast a spell of lightning in her direction. Emma dodged the bolt, but just barely. She caught her balance and without hesitation grabbed the dagger sheathed to her thigh and flung it at the emissary, catching it in the cheek. It fell backwards, dead.

Emma turned to see Alistair pinning a genlock against a tree and running his axe through a hurlock at his right. There were only two left: the one Alistair had pinned, and one hurlock Wynne was currently casting her ice spell upon, freezing it in place. Leliana had managed to get the first emissary in the neck with an arrow, as well as another hurlock.

Emma took a breath as she looked around at the three dead darkspawn she cut down in her pursuit of the second emissary. She could feel the eery presence of the darkspawn ebbing away. It brought a sigh of relief to her lungs. She walked to the dead emissary and yanked her dagger from its face, wiping it's toxic blood on the sleeve of it's armor and re-sheathed it at her thigh.

Alistair had finished the genlock he had pinned with a slice through the neck, not completely severing the head but killing it nonehteless. He walked to the frozen hurlock and and gave it a good slam of his shield, shattering it to pieces.

Emma turned her attention to Morrigan, who was now standing from being knocked back by the emissary's spell. She thanked the Maker she was alright.

Emma looked to Alistair and the shattered hurlock. As relief washed over her at the sight of him she felt a sudden stab of heat in her chest. She looked down to see the twisted blade of a darkspawn longsword jutting out through her breastplate.

Alistair's face went white as he watched one of the fallen hurlocks stab his blade through Emma's chest from behind. It laughed a maniacal laugh before it fell to the ground on it's knees, blood spilling between it's wretched, sharp teeth.

Emma managed to turn and swirl her axe around, slicing the hurlock from shoulder to torso. The hurlock's upper body slid away from it's torso with the sounds of its internal organs slipping and sliding out of the open wounds. As Emma turned away from the dying darkspawn, she, more insistently than on purpose, let the blade of her axe fall and stab into the ground as she leaned on it for support. It fell from her hands as she fell to her knees, then forward, holding herself up with one arm. She held her other hand out under the blade, blood falling in streams into her palm. She felt a sudden weariness at the sight of it and fell onto her side, unconscious.

"NOOO!" Alistair screamed as he ran to her. He turned and yelled for Wynne. "Wynne! Emma's been hurt!" he called to her, panic filling his voice.

He dropped his axe and shield as he knelt down next to her and turned her so she wasn't putting pressure on the blade. The blood from the wound seeped out and down her arm and onto the ground beneath them. "Oh dear Maker no, no nono," he looked down at the sword jutting out of her chest. He wanted to yank it out but didn't know if it would harm her more to do so. He looked to Wynne and screamed for her again. "WYNNE!"

"Move aside!" Wynne gently pulled Alistair away to his feet as she fell to Emma's side. She looked gravely at the sword in Emma's chest, then to Alistair. "Alistair, I need you to pull the blade out when I tell you too, do you understand?" she asked him.

Alistair just stood silent in wide-eyed panic.

"Alistair! Listen to me!" Wynne yelled.

He looked down at her, his hands covered in Emma's blood. He didn't notice he was smearing it into his hair as he buried his hands in it.

"I need you to pull the blade out, I am not strong enough!" she ordered.

Her words finally reached him and nodded, kneeling down next to her. He looked horrified as his hand hovered over the hilt of the sword. Leliana had come with bandages and balms from Wynne's pack.

"Quickly, put the elfroot balm on two bandages, and place them over the wounds on either side as soon as Alistair pulls the blade free, alright? It will help stop the bleeding." Wynne held Emma's face in her hands, trying to wake her from unconsciousness. Leliana coated the bandages and nodded to Wynne when she was done.

Some of Emma's hair had fallen over her face. Alistair reached out and brushed it away gently, calling to her again. "Emma? Can you hear me?" At her stillness, his fear welled higher in his throat. "Wake up!" he called again, his tone insistent.

Her head lolled over to one side as she moaned. She rolled it over again and looked about wildly, coming back into consciousness.

"Emma! Can you hear me?" Wynne asked.

Emma looked to Wynne and blinked. She winced at the pain in her chest, her arms reaching up instinctively to grab at the blade.

"Nono, Emma don't touch it," Wynne warned, holding Emma's hands away.

"Andraste's blood!" Emma exclaimed with a flinch at Wynne grabbing at her hands, bumping the blade accidentally. "What, oh Maker..." she moaned at the sight of the blade in her chest. Alistair was relieved to hear her voice, but still filled with shock at the sight of the sword jutting through her.

"We are going to pull the blade out. You are going to lose a bit of blood, but I will take care of that, alright?" Wynne spoke to her calmly. "Alistair is going to pull the blade out when your ready."

Emma looked to him and had every confidence he could do it best. "Okay. Do it now."

Alistair yanked on the blade, pulling it from her with ease, but not without pain. The sickening slurping sound the blade made as it retracted from her flesh made Alistair's guts churl inside of him. Emma wailed, but quieted herself quickly.

"Pull her armor off and press the bandages to her wounds," Wynne directed.

Alistair un-clasped her breastplate and lifted her as gently as possible to slide it out from under her. Leliana hurriedly placed the coated bandages on each wound and pressed hard, causing Emma to wince and yelp in pain. Alistair took over putting pressure on the wound at her back.

"Damn it that stings!" Emma whined. Her shout had startled Leliana. Emma looked to Leliana apologetically. "I'm sorry, Leliana..."

Leliana shook her head. "Don't be. I was just fearful of hurting you," she smiled at Emma.

Wynne smiled that with such a wound Emma made it sound as if she had a scrap. "The sting will pass, dear," she ran her hand over Emma's forehead, moving the matted hair away from her face for her. "I need the balm to set a moment before I can begin healing."

Emma gave Wynne a look of understanding before looking up at Alistair. She saw the terror in his eyes. He was panicked, his eyes darting to her wound, to his bloody hands, to her ruined breastplate...

As Alistair drug in a deep breath to keep from hyperventilating or passing out, Emma brought her right hand up to the hand holding the bandage to the opening in her back. She could only reach to his forearm, giving it a tender squeeze of reassurance.

He looked down at her, forgetting anyone else was with them, "I've never been this scared in my life, watching you fall..." his voice trailed away as he looked down at Emma.

Emma smiled as more blood trailed across her clavicle. She managed in a quiet voice, "It'll take more than this to keep me from you."

Wynne smiled, her heart warmed at Emma's words. Alistair took his free hand and carefully caressed her cheek. Leliana was bent down in-between him and Wynne, also touched at the affection they displayed.

Emma suddenly turned her head away and coughed violently, a spurt of blood shooting out from her wound onto Wynne's robes. Emma heaved in for air but seemed to be getting none. Her eyes met Wynne's, a glint of worry in them as she tried again to breath air into her lungs. A low gurgling sound emerged from her as she struggled.

Wynne's smile faded immediately. "Her lung is filling with blood, we need to stop the bleeding." She scooted back and stood. "Alistair, can you carry her to the cart?"

Without hesitation, he gently bumped Leliana aside as he took the bandage from her and pressed it down to keep it on the savage hole in Emma's chest. He made sure he kept the bandage to her back as he slid his arms under her shoulders and legs, lifting her effortlessly. Emma felt safe in his arms.

He didn't care if anyone saw or witnessed it. He leaned his head down as he walked with her in his arms to Bodhan's cart and nuzzled and kissed her cheek softly. He brought his lips to her ear, "You'll be fine, I swear it," he looked to her after he spoke.

Emma began to feel weak and out of breath, but gave him her smile. She struggled a small breath as she spoke, "I know."

Morrigan had hobbled over and stopped a few feet away from where they examined Emma, not wanting to be in the way. She watched them as they passed her by to get Emma into the cart. She looked up to the sun to see it was about one in the afternoon. Recalling Emma saying they wouldn't reach Redcliffe until after nightfall, worry began to rise in her stomach. She watched on as the others neared the cart. She was afraid for Emma.

As Alistair laid Emma in the cart she coughed up a sizeable amount of blood. Some of it shot out onto Alistair's breastplate, the rest running down the sides of her mouth and chin. She weakly brought a hand up to wipe her jaw and saw how much blood was there.

Her eyes opened and closed slowly as she spoke, noticing she had gotten some on Alistair. "Oh, that's really gross," she frowned, reaching out to wipe the blood from his armor. She heaved for a breath again, "I'm sorry," she apologized.

Alistair couldn't help but chuckle. "It's quite alright, really," he smiled charmingly down at her. But his light amusement turned to dread as he saw how much blood she was loosing.

Wynne climbed up into the cart next to Emma and looked to Alistair and Leliana, who were looking intently down at Emma. "I'll tend to her wounds. Have Bodahn get the cart ready to go, we need to reach Redcliffe yesterday," Wynne emphasized the urgency.

Alistair looked to Emma once more, who gave him a weak smile back. He jumped down from the cart and assisted Bodahn in getting the oxen pulling the cart calmed and moving.

Morrigan hobbled over to the cart and climbed in. She laid her staff down and took the other side of Emma to assist in the healing.

Wynne looked up at Morrigan, unknowingly showing the fearful doubt in her eyes. Morrigan gave Wynne a confident nod, then focused her gaze to Emma laying before her.

Emma reached up and took Morrigan's arm gently. "Are you alright?" she asked in a raspy whisper, "I saw you-"

Morrigan couldn't hold back her smile at Emma's concern. Emma, even possibly at death's door, found the words for others. For her.

"I am fine. Don't speak," Morrigan issued her order, but Emma knew by the quick glint in the mage's eye she meant thank you as well. Emma laid her head back and closed her eyes, savoring the tiny breath's she was able to take.

Wynne and Morrigan both held their hands over her open wound and began quietly reciting a healing spell that would evaporate all the blood inside her lung that teased at drowning her.

Alistair remembered his axe and shield that he left on the ground near the trees. He didn't care, but knew if they were to be attacked again he'd be at a disadvantage without them. His thoughts swam of how he should have been at her side. He would have been able to dispatch the hurlock easily had he just been there...

Unbeknown-st to anyone else, Leliana had gone back to fetch Alistair's things, as well as Wynne's poultices and bandages and Emma's breastplate.

Bodahn looked back at Wynne and Morrigan, then down at Emma. Seeing all the blood... he shook the vision away and looked out to Alistair. "Get on! We've got to get moving!"

"I've to get my shield!" he called back.

Leliana held it up as she climbed into the back of the cart. "I've got it, Alistair! Get in!"

He smiled a thankful smile to Leliana as he pulled himself into the cart as it started to pull forward. The oxen weren't used to all the weight in the cart, but adjusted their speed accordingly and got up to a hefty trot as Bodahn edged them on with the reins.

There wasn't enough room for Alistair to get any closer to Emma. He leaned over a crate of lyrium potions and watched as tiny streams of white and green light flowed from Wynne and Morrigan's hands into the open wound on Emma's chest.

As he looked over Emma's wound now, it was truly horrific. The darkspawn had twisted the blade, rendering the wound un-closeable. He glanced over at the breastplate she wore, and at the angry hole now in the left of the chest. He felt so helpless. What could he do for her?

Leliana watched his tormented thoughts play across his face and bit her lip. She could feel the extent of his feelings for Emma just by the turmoil in his eyes. She felt for him as he looked upon his love fighting for her life. She reached up a hand and placed it atop his, to comfort him.

Alistair was gazing so intensely to Emma that Leliana's touch startled him.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I just..." Leliana began but realized she had no idea what she could say. He smiled a small smile at her effort and nodded.

Leliana gave a nod in return, the two looking back to Wynne and Morrigan as they worked to stop Emma's bleeding.

Sandal turned in his seat and looked back at the mages. He was silent, but looked to the magic flowing from Wynne and Morrigan, healing Emma. He blinked, then turned back to face forward in his seat again.

Emma coughed, more blood escaping her lips. A small trail ran from the corner of her mouth as she laid her head back and gasped for air. The gurgling in her throat and lungs had come to quiet, the spell evaporating what it could.

"I will begin healing the flesh," Wynne spoke to Morrigan. "Keep the blood from her lung." Wynne then shook out her hands and closed her eyes as she breathed in a deep breath. She began to recite another incantation, this one far more complicated in dialect and seeming to take far more concentration.

They rode on, Bodahn edging the oxen on to reach Redcliffe as soon as possible.