That You May Always Remember Me

Chapter 9

"a very Elissa thing to do"

Alistair had travelled to Skyhold with about five guards but he left them behind when he, Viola, and Cole went to Orlais. They didn't seem to have too much trouble entertaining themselves, though, as they were crowded around a table in the tavern enjoying a very rowdy game of Wicked Grace when their King returned for them the next morning. He couldn't help but smile at the sight as he approached them but the men were much less amused, instantly sobering up and standing at attention. "It's nice to see you've missed me," he commented lightheartedly.

"Your Majesty," one of them spoke cautiously. "Thank the Maker you're all right."

Alistair shrugged this off, getting down to business. "I need you to leave for Denerim as soon as possible. Let the Queen know that I'm alive and I'll be back soon… with a guest. So make sure there's a room prepared and everything. Something nice… and clothes! She needs clothes. I don't know what size…" He held his hands in front of him as if measuring an invisible woman. "She's small but she has a lot of muscle… You'll figure it out." He then waived his hands dismissively. "But don't tell anyone! I'm sort of trying to keep this all quiet. At least for now."

The guards nodded in unison until the brave one among them spoke up again. "Are you certain you want all of us to go? Should you make the trip back without protection?"

"Trust me," he smiled charmingly. "I'll be fine." He turned to leave, but stopped and held up a finger as he remembered something. "Oh, and one more thing: if you can contact Fergus Cousland tell him to come see me as soon as possible."

While the guards cleaned up their game and prepared to head home, Alistair wandered onto the battlements and looked out over the Frostbacks. Sunlight glistened on the crisp white snow and the air smelled fresh and clear. Alistair finally understood why the Inquisition remained so far away from civilization. It was quiet here; peaceful. He suddenly wondered whose idea it was to put his own palace in a densely packed city. A speck against the white landscape caught Alistair's eye and he squinted at the small figure. Her bright hair was unmistakable and without a thought he found himself climbing down the stairs and passing out the large gates to approach Elissa where she stood in the mountain wind.

"It's a nice fortress, isn't it?" He smiled as she whipped around in surprise at his presence, her cheeks red from the cold. "There's only one design flaw," he continued the joke, "in order to be protected from armies, Darkspawn, and raging barbarians you have to be inside it."

She pursed her lips and smirked in response, and he immediately felt warmer knowing he had amused her. "It's too crowded in there." She turned back to watch the majestic landscape. "Too many faces I don't know."

Alistair rubbed the back of his neck. "I know it must be difficult... but I swear it'll get easier!" He mumbled the rest, "It's just going to get a lot worse first."

"Do I know her?" Elissa asked, clearly lost in her own thoughts. "The Inquisitor?"

"No." He lowered his hand and folded his arms against the cold. "You've never met."

"But you two are friends?" Her eyes shot towards him and he smiled at the level of curiosity in them.

"It's new," he explained. "We only met once before I came to her for help with… well, you. I'm not sure you know anyone here. Not since Leliana left."

"Leliana? She was…?"

"A good friend. To both of us. She was working here for the Inquisition until she became Divine."

Elissa's eyes shot open at this. "I'm friends with the Divine?"

Alistair nodded. "And the Qunari Arishok."

"The King of Fereldan, the Divine, and the Arishok…"

"And a golem named Shale."

Elissa shook her head in disbelief. "I must have been a very interesting person." She sighed and bit her lip. "What if I'm not anymore? What if I meet these people and they realize I'm not the same me I used to be?"

"You are."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you!" She seemed unconvinced and he added frustratedly, "Because of the way you protected those people from the demons. That was a very Elissa thing to do."

"Someone had to do it," she mumbled, making him laugh.

"And that was a very Elissa thing to say."

The pair grew quiet for a while as she seemed to chew on these words. The sun rose higher in the sky, its glow still soft and somewhat orange. Alistair almost got lost in the serenity of the situation until Elissa pulled him out of it.

"So… we're friends, right?"

His heart skipped a beat at mention of the lie he was forced to keep up. "Of course."

"I only ask because…" A wicked grin crossed her face and her eyes sparkled with mischief as she turned to Alistair, making his palms sweat in the cold. "You kissed me. That seems like an awfully strange thing for a friend to do."

"I… um," he stumbled on his words and coughed awkwardly. "I suppose I got a little… overexcited. Because you were alive and I… was surprised." He coughed again.

Elissa turned back to watching the horizon and Alistair suddenly felt that the top of a mountain was far too warm. He began pacing to distract himself, making tracks in the snow. Bending down, he grabbed a handful of the white powder and rolled it into a ball.

"Don't," Elissa spoke determinedly, and Alistair realized she had been watching him. After the moment it took for him to realize what she meant he grinned wickedly and weighed the snowball in his hand.

"Don't what?" he feigned innocence.

"Don't," Elissa simply repeated, backing away slowly.

Alistair shrugged and dropped his arms. "Fine," he said and acted as though he was about to toss the ball back to ground, allowing Elissa a moment of false security before he threw it right at her face. She looked horrified as the snow dripped down her cheeks, until her expression changed to one of amused fury. Quickly, she dropped to the ground and rolled her own ball that soon found Alistair's shoulder. The two then began forming as many spheres of snow as they possibly could and chucking them at one another, yelling, growling, and giggling all the while. Alistair's aim was better, but Elissa was quicker, and she managed to avoid many of his shots but only landed a few of her own on him. Eventually she gave up the tactic of throwing and began chasing him, a pile of snow held high in hand. He turned to watch her and tripped when the snow beneath his feet became particularly deep. Elissa, only a second behind him, fell to the ground as well. She raised herself and rolled over until she was practically on top of him. Scooping a handful of snow she proceeded to smack it onto his face, taking the time to devotedly rub it in.

He spit out frozen water while trying to breathe through his laughter. "You got me!" She made sure the snow dug deep into the hairs on his chin and jawline and he only laughed harder. He grabbed her hand to stop it from another assault and their fingers accidentally interlaced. Elissa looked surprisedly and slowly from his calloused digits to his dripping face. She wasn't laughing anymore; her expression quiet and strange. Before he could consider what any of this meant, she leaned down and kissed him. Her lips were chapped and cold but he swore he could feel her heart beating in them. Instinctively, his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her closer to him, and she didn't fight back. They broke, each taking in a deep and satisfying breath before their eyes locked again. Alistair feared he'd earned himself another split lip, but instead Elissa rolled to sit in the snow a few inches away. Examining the sun as if she'd never seen it before she said, "We should be getting back."

Alistair nodded, allowing her to stand and begin the walk back to the fortress without him. When he was sure she wouldn't look back he dug his face into the snow, but it did little to quench the heat that had risen inside of him.