A/N: Please be warned this fiction is now "M" because of the little romance that has begun in this chapter. I know I've been neglecting Nathaniel, but no worries, he'll have a comeback. =)
Moonlight
Elissa had wandered away to bathe in a lake a little ways up from the campsite. She was grateful that the water was clear and it was hidden away in the trees. As much as she has come to love her motley crew, privacy was hard to come by, especially when she wanted to take care of herself.
They would be arriving in Denerim tomorrow for the Landsmeet. She couldn't help feeling anxious about it. Loghain has attempted to kill Arl Eamon by poison and even sent an assassin after her to keep Elissa from curing him. Thankfully the assassin they had sent had little loyalty to his contractor and was easily swayed by the offers of the small treasures that Elissa had come to collect from all their traveling. Although Alistair grumbled about allowing Zevran to join the group, he abided to her decision as did everyone else.
She took off her leather armor and laid it neatly to the side with her sleeping chemise. She grabbed her soap and stepped into the water, letting herself get used to the cold and then immersed herself in it. As Elissa swam further in, she looked up into the sky and saw the moon was full and pure white. The light from the moon reflected onto the surface of the lake, lapping gently in small waves.
The view made her think of Nathaniel and the night he had confessed to her. She found herself getting agitated by that memory. Stupid Nathaniel forcing his stupid kisses upon me. She thought bitterly. His whole gentleman attitude was obviously an act to cover up the lecher that he really was.
But…she conceded to herself. He was enough of a gentleman to accept my answer…or lack thereof.
She shook her head from such fancy thoughts and scrubbed at her hair. Nathaniel's father has killed everyone I love at Highever. Arl Howe destroyed my home and my family. She paused as another sad thought came over her. Is it possible that Nathaniel knew what his father had been planning…and played her like a fool?
From what she had heard from Arl Eamon, Rendon Howe was just as responsible for all the catastrophic events as Loghain was. It made her harden her resolve to save Ferelden from their tyranny.
She sighed and dunked her head under the water. Whatever Nathaniel's involvement was with his father's plot, one fact remained certain. She would be confronting Howe when they arrive at Denerim for the Landsmeet. Elissa emerged from the water and flung her wet hair back, rubbing her hands on her face.
"Um…Elissa? Are you there?!"
Elissa turned her head towards the voice that called her name. She squinted into the darkness and saw a figure off to the side of the lake.
"Alistair? Is that you?" She began swimming towards the shore.
"Yes! It's me! Don't worry, I'm not looking! I swear it!" When she got closer she saw that he had his back turned to her and his right hand was clapped over his eyes. "Are you done with your…um…bath? I have to speak to you about something."
His attempt to be respectful was so endearing she had to bite down on her lip to keep herself from laughing. Elissa got to the shore and started to step out of the lake. "Yes, I'm done. Give me a moment to get something on…" She turned to him and teased. "Unless you'd like to speak to me while I'm naked?"
She saw Alistair give a nervous jump of panic at her suggestion. "Maker! Don't make cruel jokes like that!"
Elissa laughed and quickly went to her pile of clothes. She wrung out her hair before she slipped into her chemise. "Okay, okay. I'm decent now. You may turn around."
Alistair turned around but kept his eyes shielded. "Are you sure? You're not still…naked?"
"Yes, yes. Your eyes will not be burned with the sight of my nakedness. I swear it." Elissa sighed.
Alistair slowly took his hand off his eyes and opened one eye at a time just to be sure. He let out a breath of relief when he saw Elissa was somewhat decent…even though her thin chemise didn't leave much to his imagination. She put her hands on her hips. "Should I be glad that you find the thought of me without clothing appalling?"
He blushed and shook his head furiously. "No, no! It's not…I mean…I'm sorry about that. It's the templar training again. When I had first arrived at the Chantry, I accidentally walked into the women's quarters on the first day…much screaming and slapping was involved by the Chantry sisters. Old lessons are hard to unlearn."
"Well now, Ser Templar…" Elissa teasingly lowered her chemise to expose her shoulder and lowered her voice. "I must say if you ever caught me naked, I would not fight you…unless you wanted me to."
Even in the darkness, she could see Alistair's face turn deep red. "Will you stop that? A man can only take so much!"
Elissa rewarded his blushing with another laugh and sat down on the grass. She tossed her wet hair off her face and patted the spot next to her. "Sit down then, what did you need to talk to me about?"
He let out a nervous breath and sat himself next to her by the banks of the lake. He had been rehearsing the scenario in his head for hours and he wanted to make sure he would get everything right. "Elissa…I, um…have something for you."
"Oh? What is it?"
He reached behind him and handed her a single red rose. She looked down in surprise. "A rose?"
"Do you not like flowers?" Alistair asked.
She shook her head and smiled. "No, I like flowers. I'm just surprised you were able to find a rose out here." She held it up to admire it in the moonlight.
"Actually I picked it back at Lothering."
Elissa blinked. "Back there? Have you been carrying this around since then?"
Alistair nodded. "Yes. Had it with me this whole time. It hasn't even wilted yet."
"It's quite beautiful, Alistair." Elissa smiled. She had never gotten flowers as a gift before. It made her feel…feminine. "Thank you, but why give it to me?"
Alistair looked at her with confusion. "You forgot?"
"Forgot what?"
He laughed at her baffled expression. "Isn't today your birthday, Elissa?"
Elissa counted back the days in her head. Ever since they have been traveling around Ferelden, she had lost track of time. It was easy to do when all your days blended with each other. "I…I don't know." She admit, feeling bewildered. "I guess it is?"
"Maker help us…" Alistair rolled his eyes. "If I can remember such an important event and you cannot."
"Wait." Elissa raised an eyebrow at him. "How do YOU know what my birthday is?"
Alistair gave a self-satisfied grin. "I found out from Arl Eamon before we left Redcliffe. He keeps a ledger with important dates to send correspondences to…you know holidays, celebrations, and birthdays of important noble folk like yourself. I flipped through it while we were there…I was looking for any useful information on Loghain actually. Couldn't find any information on our enemy, but I was able to come across the date of your twentieth year of birth. So how could I resist?"
Elissa laughed. "Well, I'm glad one of us remembered how old I am getting in years."
"Apparently you are getting forgetful in your elderly age, Lady Cousland." Alistair teased and scratched at his head. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you a gift that was more befitting for you. You deserve something much more grand. But…when I saw this, I couldn't help thinking of how it reminded me of you."
"Oh…?" Elissa held the rose to her cheek. "Are you calling me thorny?"
"Well you are that too." Alistair chuckled and then gazed at her seriously. "I saw it blooming in Lothering…amongst the dirt and brambles. The fact that something so beautiful came out from someplace with so much despair…just like you."
Elissa was speechless. Over the days, she had been getting used to Alistair's joking and friendly banter. But for him to say something so poetic…it took her by surprise. She cleared her throat. "Thank you, Alistair. It's very lovely."
Alistair smiled and turned his gaze towards the water. "You're very welcome."
She leaned her head against his shoulder once again. Alistair's presence always helped her calm herself and collect her thoughts. And as always, They remained quiet as they watched the scenery around them. The waves of the lake lapped slowly against the shore and small wisps of clouds passed slowly over the full moon.
Alistair broke the silence. "You know…I've been thinking, Elissa."
"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" She couldn't help teasing.
He responded with a small grin. "Actually, there's been something bothering me for a long time. I was hoping to talk to you about it."
"What about?" Elissa thumbed at the petals of the rose in her hand.
"Elissa…I…" Alistair turned to her, trying to will himself not to stutter. "I know our time together has been incredibly short but…I…"
Elissa's tilted her head. "Yes?"
He closed his eyes and took a breath to assemble the words. "Elissa, I want you to know…you are incredibly dear to me. Not only as a fellow Grey Warden…but as…you, Elissa Cousland."
Elissa felt her face heat up and her pulse quicken. Alistair's nervousness was getting contagious. He took another deep breath and looked her in the eyes. "Am I foolish…for thinking that there could be more between us than just…us being Wardens?"
The first thought that crossed her mind was Nathaniel's confession. He had been bold, confident, and a bit smug when he had declared his love several years ago. She looked into Alistair's amber colored eyes and felt herself soften. She couldn't help asking a burning question. "Do you care for me…as more than a friend, Alistair?"
"Y-Yes…" Alistair stuttered and then furiously ran his hands through his hair. "For Andraste's sake, I'm so sorry. I'm a wreck. The stupid Chantry raising me like this…I told you I don't know how to speak to women…I should be trying to woo you with sweet nothings or serenading you with love song or…" He continued to speak quickly and incoherently.
Elissa couldn't help smiling. Alistair was far from being suave and debonair as Nathaniel had been, but he did not need to be those things to win her over. The endearing awkwardness as he handed her a delicate rose for her birthday and had anxiously confessed his feelings for her under the moonlight.
Her first love from all those years ago had quite literally become her knight in shining armor yet again. How could she not fall in love with him? She let out a small laugh as he kept jabbering away in embarrassment.
"Alistair?" She called his name quietly.
He stopped rambling and turned towards her. "Yes, Elissa?"
She smiled and brought her face closer to his. "I have missed you so…have you missed me?" She whispered the same words from that day so many years ago on the docks of Redcliffe. Elissa slowly closed her eyes.
A flood of memories came back with those words…and he felt just as nervous as he had been when he was a child. But we are no longer children, he reminded himself. Alistair slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips onto hers. His hand traced slowly behind her neck and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, keeping him close.
They both opened their eyes when they broke apart from their embrace. "Well now." Alistair managed to hoarsely whisper, his lips still moving against hers. "Am I to guess that you have fallen victim to my many charms?"
"You can say that." She replied with a smile. She laid back onto the grass and slowly pulled him down upon her. She still held the rose in between her fingers and twirled it before her lips. "Now that I have been seduced by your captivating words, what are you to do?"
He chuckled softly and touched his forehead to hers. "You do realize I was raised in a Chantry. So I'm not…experienced in this."
"Neither am I." Elissa answered huskily and placed the rose to the side. She reached up to gently hold his face between her hands. "But didn't you say you wanted to give me something more grand for my birthday?"
The nervousness had disappeared with Elissa's soft spoken request. Alistair could no longer hold himself back and he brought his lips back down to hers. Elissa returned his fervor with small whimpers that drove him into further passion. She roughly grasped at his clothing to remove them. She ran her hands all over his broad chest and his back, his skin feeling hot to her touch. He had already removed her thin chemise and was caressing her so intimately she went delirious in desire. The grass was soft against her back and the moonlight was illuminating their bodies in a soft glow.
Alistair reached for her hands and linked his fingers through hers. "Elissa…I love you…" He whispered into her ear.
"I love you too." She whispered back and let out a quiet cry as she gave him everything she had not lost that last night in Highever…her body, her soul, and her heart.