Hi and thank you to my newest reviewers, elvenlover and Dark-Huntress Moony, and thank you so much to my regular reviewers for your kindness!

Best thanks of all go to my wonderful friend and Beta Reader Jen!

Go, Team Zevran! (And Team Massani! :P)

O~~~~~~~~~O

The companions rose early the next day, as many preparations were needed for their forthcoming journey. At Teagan's behest, they were provided with ample dried food and provisions to last for at least a week, and the mages were given ingredients from which they could make potions. Their weapons were sharpened at the Smithy, and they were provided with cloaks and warm clothing, which Blythe's group would need in particular, as they planned to travel through the Frostback Mountains.

Teagan told them that Redcliffe Castle was at their disposal to use as a base of operations, and informed the Captain of the Guard that all ten of them were free to come and go as they pleased. Blythe and Alistair promised to write regularly to Teagan, to inform him of their progress; and whichever party returned to Redcliffe first would know how the other party was faring from the contents of the letters.

After a huge lunch at the Castle, and not a small amount of wine, the companions were seen off by Teagan and the Revered Mother from the Chantry, who blessed them and wished them luck on their journey, and provided each of them with a pendant bearing Andraste's holy symbol. Only Sten, Zevran and Morrigan declined to wear their pendant, although they accepted it for the sake of politeness.

They set off in poor weather; the sky had been overcast all morning, and drizzle fell on them as they walked. Conversation was minimal, except for the occasional moan about the weather. Soon, however, the conversation flowed freely; mainly consisting of curse words, as a torrential downpour began.

They trudged on for a few more hours as the sky grew darker. Unanimously deciding they'd had enough, the companions found a secluded dell and started to set up camp, hoping the trees would afford some shelter from the rain. As they began to pitch their tents, the rain finally stopped.

A makeshift washing line was made from a piece of rope tied between two trees, and a small fire was lit beneath it. Leliana, Zevran and the mages changed into fresh clothes and hung their tunics and robes over the rope to dry. Only Sten, Cullen and Alistair remained dry; their armour protecting them from the elements. Reaper quickly became a menace, shaking himself off in front of everyone, then running away barking, his tail wagging, as they protested. Allis and Blythe eventually chased him down and dried him off with an old blanket after Sten threatened to skewer him.

The group finally settled down, and Anders, proclaiming himself to be the best cook, began to prepare dinner. Blythe and Cullen sat at the edge of the camp, away from the others, and appeared to be having a very sober discussion, so their companions left them alone. Anders noticed that Zevran was watching them intently, and walked over to speak to him.

"Wonder what they're talking about, eh?" he said quietly as he sat down a short distance from the elf. Mr. Wiggums followed him and curled up next to Zevran's firepit.

"Hmm," Zevran murmured, nodding his head.

"They're very sweet together, aren't they?" Anders remarked with a grin.

"Sweet?" Zevran replied, his reverie broken as he glanced at the mage. "Yes, I suppose they are." He shifted round to face Anders. "There is one thing I do not understand, however," he muttered.

"Oh?" Anders asked, "what's that, then?"

"Well, here is the thing," Zevran said with a frown, "from what I understand, those two are in love with each other, yes?" Anders nodded. "And they were parted from one another, then reunited recently."

"That's right," Anders replied.

Zevran's frown grew deeper. "So, why do they waste time with chit-chat?" he wondered. "Why has he not taken her to his tent and ravished her? Is this a Fereldan thing?"

Anders threw his head back and laughed. "No, no, my dear fellow," he replied, still chuckling as he spoke, "it's a Templar thing. Cullen, and all Templars, have to take a vow of celibacy."

Zevran looked horrified. "Celibacy?" he exclaimed, "you jest with me, surely!" Anders grinned and shook his head. "Celibacy?" Zevran repeated, "such a thing is an affront to nature! How could one inflict such torture upon another person?"

"Well, they do," Anders replied with a shrug. "The Templars are supposed to give up all worldly pleasures to show their devotion to the Maker."

"So does this mean they can never be together in that way?" Zevran asked, surprised that he felt rather sad at the thought.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Anders replied slyly. "Cullen has pretty much rejected the Chantry and most of his vows, now, but he's still a deeply religious man. Blythe will have her work cut out, I can tell you."

Zevran stretched his legs out and leaned back on his elbows. Anders stole a quick glance at the elf's legs before returning his eyes to Zevran's face. "Perhaps," Zevran said thoughtfully, "we can give him a little nudge, hm?"

"A nudge?" asked Anders, intrigued. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well," Zevran sighed, "I think before we all go our separate ways, you and I should talk to him – give him the benefit of our experience, no? I have a feeling that you are well versed in the act of love, as am I."

"I know my way around a woman, if that's what you mean," Anders grinned. "So you think we should give him a few pointers, then?"

"Si," Zevran replied. "Although you are his friend – do you think he would be receptive to such counsel?"

Anders chuckled to himself. "Well, there's a slight chance his head might explode," he laughed, "but I think it's worth the risk. I have to say though, Zevran, I'm surprised that you would want to help him."

"Oh?" asked Zevran, cocking an eyebrow, "why is that?"

"Well," Anders sighed, "I could be wrong, but I sense that you have a…soft spot for our Blythe. Just a couple of things I've picked up on. Am I wrong?"

Zevran stared into the distance. "No, you are not wrong, my friend," he replied quietly, "but I know that she wants to be with him." He sighed and sat up, gathering his knees to his chest. "Although it saddens me, I have accepted it, and I wish for her to be happy," he continued, "and…content, if you get my meaning."

"I do, Zevran," Anders replied, "and I think you're a very generous man."

"Call me Zev," he replied with a hint of a smile, nodding over to Blythe and Cullen. "When they have finished their discussion, we shall speak to him, yes? And you can deal with any explosions that may occur. You are a healer, after all."

"I'm not that good a healer!" Anders laughed as he rose to his feet. "I'm going to give the stew a stir. Give me a shout when you're ready."

"Si, I will," Zev replied as he watched Anders walk away.

~O~

"You had children?" Cullen asked in astonishment, as Blythe recounted her experience with the demon in her Fade dream.

"Three of them," she replied, "and they all looked like you. That's when I knew something was wrong. I can't have children, you see. Well, there's a slim chance, but not much of one."

"Oh, Blythe…I'm so sorry," Cullen said sadly, stroking her hair. "Why is that?"

Blythe looked around. "I shouldn't really tell you this," she whispered, "but it's to do with being a Grey Warden. One of the…side effects, as it were."

"Side effects?" he replied, a deep crease forming between his eyes, "what exactly do they do to you?"

"I can't tell anyone, Sebastian," she said apologetically. "We're sworn to secrecy."

Cullen nodded and was silent for a moment. "Alright," he said eventually. "So what else happened in the dream?"

"Well, I noticed that the demon's eyes were green," she replied, "and I know that yours are not, so I had further doubts."

"And what made you finally realise it wasn't real?" Cullen asked.

Blythe's head sank back against her shoulders as she looked up at the sky. "He was…aggressive with me," she murmured.

Cullen's eyes widened in horror. "Aggressive?" he said abruptly. "Did he…did he hurt you?"

"No," she replied, half-truthfully, "he just frightened me, that's all. That's when I knew it couldn't be you. It was Allis who engaged the demon, so I wasn't injured, and then," she added, eager to change the subject, "he saved everyone else from their dreams, and we all engaged the Sloth Demon together."

"And then you went on to defeat Uldred," Cullen summarised, as Blythe had already told him that part, "and Jowan saved you all." Blythe nodded and exhaled audibly, closing her eyes and leaning on Cullen's shoulder.

"You've been through so much Blythe," Cullen whispered softly to her.

She sat up and looked at him. "We both have," she replied, taking his hand. "But we're together, now, and with you, I feel I can cope with anything."

"As do I," Cullen replied, smiling softly at her, and moved closer, cupping her face in his hands as he kissed her lips.

"Grub's up!" Anders called from across the camp, and everyone gravitated toward the huge pot of stew he'd made.

~O~

After dinner, it was decided that two people would take an hour's watch each, as there were so many of them, while the rest slept; and they would set off before sunrise, as their progress up to then had been poor. They played 'stone, scissors, paper' to decide the order. Morrigan and Sten were up first, followed by Allis and Zevran, Blythe and Leliana, Anders and Reaper, and finally, Alistair and Cullen, who would prepare an early breakfast.

Blythe approached Cullen before he went to his tent. "May I…sleep with you again, Sebastian?" she asked awkwardly, twisting her fingers. "It was nice to wake up together this morning, wasn't it?"

"It was nice," he replied bashfully, "but can I trust you?" he added with a grin.

Blythe held one hand up. "My promise not to ravish you, stands. Mage's honour," she vowed. "For now," she added cheekily.

"Very well," he chuckled, "come on, then."

"I'll be in shortly," she replied. "I'm just going to help Morrigan."

Before everyone turned in, Morrigan and Blythe walked around the perimeter of the camp, placing magical wards on the ground; if an intruder were to cross them, the women would know immediately. Whilst doing this, Blythe happened to notice Cullen being ushered into Zevran's tent, closely followed by Anders.

"I wonder what they're up to?" she asked Morrigan, pointing over at the tent.

A sly grin formed on Morrigan's face. "Methinks, perchance, that they are making your Chantry boy aware of a few facts of life," she surmised.

"Facts of life…?" Blythe replied. "You-you don't mean…"

"I do, indeed," Morrigan replied.

"But he'll…" Blythe uttered.

"Expire from shock?" Morrigan teased, "that seems most likely, yes."

Blythe continued to stare at the tent for a few moments, hiding from Morrigan the look of delight that had slowly spread to her face.

~O~

Cullen entered his tent sometime later, looking rather flustered. Blythe had brought her bedroll in and placed the two together. She had changed into a loose-fitting shift and leggings, and lay dozing underneath the blankets.

"Hello," she murmured sleepily, looking at him through half-closed eyelids.

"Did I wake you?" he whispered. She shook her head and sat up.

"Why is your face red, Sebastian?" she asked with a grin, already suspecting the answer.

"Is it red?" he asked innocently, touching his cheek, before chuckling and shaking his head.

"I'm not even going to ask," she grinned, not wanting to embarrass him further. "Come on, let's get you out of those clothes," she said as she began to unbutton his shirt.

"Erm, Blythe…" he stammered, silenced by Blythe's finger resting on his lips.

"I've seen your chest before," she said with a wink. "I think I can manage to contain myself."

"I'm just not sure that I can," he muttered, as she pulled his shirt down his arms.

"Oh?" she said, her eyes lighting up, as he pulled his boots off, "is that a fact?"

"Now, you promised, Blythe," he chuckled as she ran her fingers down his chest.

"But you're so irresistible," she purred, moving her hands to his arms and grasping his biceps. "Mmm…" she moaned.

Cullen started giggling and hung his head down. "You promised!" he protested weakly.

"Oh, alright, spoilsport," she teased, taking his hands and moving them to the buttons on her shift. "Help me with this…" she whispered.

"What?" he gulped, "b-but…"

"I promised not to ravish you," she reminded him, "and I have no intention of going back on my word. I just want to…play a little, that's all," she said, her eyes dancing.

"Play?" he mumbled, a shy smile forming on his lips. "You want to play with me?"

Blythe nodded and positioned herself so they were facing each other, she sitting and him on his knees between her legs. She replaced his hands onto the top of her shift. Cullen exhaled sharply and tentatively began to undo the buttons.

"You're very privileged, you know," she said softly. "You're about to see what no other man has ever laid eyes upon."

Cullen stopped what he was doing. "Do you mean you're a…virgin?" he asked, eyes wide.

"You seem surprised," she teased, feigning hurt.

"No!" he blustered, "no, I'm not surprised…well, I am…erm, wait…that came out wrong," he took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "What I mean to say is…I'm surprised that a woman as…beautiful and…well, wonderful as yourself has not been snapped up before now."

"Good save!" she exclaimed, and they both laughed. Cullen bit his bottom lip and continued to undo her buttons, his breathing becoming heavier as he reached the bottom, and the swell of her breasts became visible.

Blythe, suddenly feeling shy, folded her arms across her chest and giggled, before climbing under the blankets and covering herself up. Cullen, both touched and bolstered by her innocence, climbed in after her and lay atop her, shuddering as he felt their bare skin touch.

"You don't play fair, you know, you little tease!" Cullen chided, both of them laughing as Blythe had now taken the dominating role. Cullen's smile melted away as he gazed into her eyes and gently clasped her head, running his thumb down her cheek. Blythe closed her eyes and sighed, running her hands along his shoulders and down his back. She felt his warm breath against her mouth as he drew nearer to her, and raised her head a little to meet him, their lips touching, sending warm waves of delight through them both. He moaned and inhaled sharply as she removed his hand from her face and moved it down to her breast.

He broke the kiss and hovered just above her mouth, breathing heavily, as he gently squeezed her soft flesh, feeling her nipple harden against his palm. He moved his thumb and gently stroked it, watching Blythe with joy as her head fell back and she closed her eyes, a plaintive whimper escaping her lips. "That's so nice…" she groaned, "I like that."

He laughed as he felt Blythe's hand move to his leggings. "Naughty girl," he scolded, bringing her hand back up and placing it onto his shoulder.

"You are so cruel to me," she laughed.

"But you love me anyway," he whispered as he kissed her once more.

~O~

Sten poked the fire with his sword, wondering where the witch had disappeared to, when he spied a lone wolf wandering into camp. "Vashedan!" he muttered to himself, lifting his sword and slowly heading in its direction. He stopped abruptly as the wolf was bathed in a dim light, and grew taller, morphing into the shape of a person.

"Do not be afraid, 'tis only I," Morrigan said as she walked toward Sten.

"I was not afraid," he said bluntly.

"Well, well," Morrigan purred, glancing in the direction of Cullen's tent, "'twould appear that the boy did not expire from shock after all."

"You were eavesdropping on them?" Sten asked with disgust on his face.

"I could not help but overhear," she protested, not entirely convincingly. "I happened to be walking past their tent, and heard laughter and groans of pleasure. 'Twould seem that the Templar has taken the men's advice to heart!"

"I do not understand all of this dancing around you humans do in pursuit of a mate," Sten snorted. "If a Qunari desires someone, they take them."

"What," Morrigan chided, "no flowers, no wine and song?"

"None of those things are necessary," he replied. "Once I have made my intentions clear, the female is already in my bed."

"So," Morrigan wondered, "the female has no choice, is that it?"

"Choice," Sten said simply, "is a word for humans. It does not apply to my people."

"Well," Morrigan replied, "I would not simply 'take' a human female, were I you. The consequences may be unpleasant."

"I would not lay with a human female," Sten replied, "as she would not survive the encounter."

Morrigan's eyes lit up. "Really?" she drawled, sashaying closer to the enormous Qunari. "That sounds like a challenge to me."

"It was not, I assure you," Sten said abruptly, walking over toward the tents. "It is time to wake the elves."

"Change the subject, if you wish," Morrigan replied slyly. "We shall have plenty of time to discuss the matter further on our travels," she said as she headed toward Allis and Alistair's tent.

Sten stood outside Zevran's tent and glared at her. "Wake up, assassin!" he bellowed.

"Oy!" Anders protested from inside his tent, "you're supposed to wake those on the next watch, not the whole flipping lot of us!"

"It's alright, Morrigan," Allis called as he clambered from his tent. "We're awake, now." He stood and stretched as Reaper bounded out and began sniffing excitedly around the camp. "Anything exciting happened?" he asked, "besides you trying to cop off with Sten, that is?" he laughed sleepily. "Yes, I did hear that."

"No," she grinned, "naught more exciting than that."

"Good," he replied, scratching his head as he walked over to the fire. Zevran had already begun to make some coffee, so Allis took Reaper for a scout around the perimeter of the camp.

Finding nothing of note, they returned to Zevran, to find a mug of coffee waiting for Allis, and a bowl of water and some scraps for Reaper.

"Thank you, Zevran," Allis said as he took his coffee and sat down next to the fire. Reaper wagged his tail before tucking into his scraps.

"Prego," Zevran replied, and the two elves sat in silence for a while as they drank.

Allis set his mug down and looked over toward Zevran. "That was a very nice thing you did for Cullen," he said, rubbing his hands and holding them over the fire.

"You know of that?" Zevran replied with a frown.

"One thing you'll have get used to when travelling with mages," Allis grinned, "is that nothing gets past them."

"Yes," Zevran replied dryly, "I am beginning to see that," then he sighed. "Life is too brief and precious to walk around with bitterness in one's heart," he said quietly.

"Zevran," Allis said after a few moments, "I…I was…wrong about you. I think you're a pretty decent man."

"Ho!" Zevran exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically. "Is this an apology from the group leader?"

"Yes," Allis shrugged. "I'm not too proud to admit I was wrong. I'm sorry, Zevran," he said, extending his hand to the assassin.

Zevran grinned and shook Allis' hand. "There is no need to apologise," he replied generously. "It is hardly surprising you did not trust me at first. I did try to kill you, after all."

"Well, the jury's still out on whether you intend to follow that through," Allis quipped, "but at least now if I get a knife in the back I'll be satisfied that it was a decent man who did it."

Zevran's shoulders shook as he laughed. "And that is a comforting thought, no?" he chuckled.

"Very much so!" Allis replied with a smile.

"So, tell me," Zevran enquired, his expression once more becoming serious, "is this why you brought me along to travel with you? As a way of extending an olive branch?"

"Partly," Allis sighed, "but the main reason was…well, I thought it would be good for you to spend some time away from…you know."

Zevran nodded. "Si," he said simply, took a deep breath, and nodded again.

~O~

Leliana and Blythe took the next watch, and Reaper remained with them, although he lay sprawled out next to the fire, twitching and whimpering as he slept. Blythe helped herself to some leftover stew, and asked Leliana if she would like some; she declined.

"You have a very hearty appetite," Leliana observed, "as do your fellow Wardens. Is this a trait of Grey Wardens?"

Blythe nodded, unable to speak, as her mouth was full. "Well," Leliana laughed, "just be careful it does not go to your belly and your hips!"

"Well, that's the funny thing," Blythe replied, having swallowed her food, "I eat twice as much as I used to, and I haven't gained any weight at all."

"Then you are indeed fortunate!" Leliana chirped, sidling closer to Blythe. "Perhaps your friend could also help you work off any excess, hm?"

Blythe giggled to herself and shook her head. "Oh, you are so adorable when you are shy!" Leliana teased.

"Actually, Leliana, I wanted to ask you something," Blythe said as she placed her bowl on the ground. "Something of a…delicate nature."

"Oh, now you have me curious!" the bard replied excitedly. "Please, ask!"

Blythe grinned sheepishly and it took her a few minutes to speak. "I, um…I wanted some advice."

"Yes?" Leliana replied. "Spit it out, Blythe!" she said cheerfully.

Blythe took a deep breath. "I want to know…how to…pleasure a man."

"Any man?" Leliana asked with a cheeky grin, "or did you have a particular man in mind?"

"Stop it!" Blythe laughed as she nudged Leliana in the ribs. "You know who I mean!"

"Alright," Leliana grinned, "I shall stop teasing you. So you do not know what to do, hm?"

"Well," Blythe replied, "I know where to place my hand, if that's what you mean. Beyond that, no – I don't have a clue."

Leliana grasped her chin and stroked down the side of her face with her index finger. "Well, you could use your hand, I suppose…" she said thoughtfully, "or…you could use your mouth."

"My-my mouth?" Blythe exclaimed. "I…hadn't even thought of that." She fell silent for a moment. "Well, which is best?" she asked.

Leliana laughed and shook her head. "Oh, my darling girl, you are so adorably innocent!" she chirped, patting Blythe's face with her hand. "Using the hand will win you points, that is for certain," she answered, leaning closer to Blythe, "but the mouth will win you first prize every time!" she whispered.

"Really?" Blythe smiled shyly, her eyes wide. "Tell me how?"

Leliana meshed her fingers together and stretched her arms. "Listen carefully, my sweet," she said softly. "This will be a lot to take in."

~O~

Anders lay on his back next to the fire. Reaper slept next to him, resting his head on the mage's legs, and Mr. Wiggums lay curled up on his chest. Cullen stood over them, with his arms folded and a wry grin on his face.

"Anders!" he shouted. The mage snorted and sat bolt upright, causing Mr. Wiggums to slide down to the ground with a displeased mew.

"Er…oh, hello, Cullen," he said blearily, rubbing his eyes.

"Weren't you supposed to be keeping watch?" Cullen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I was!" Anders replied, "I was just, erm…resting my eyes?"

"Whatever you say," Cullen chuckled, shaking his head.

"Hang on a minute," Anders said as he got to his feet, "I recall you falling asleep on watch when we were escaping from the Tower, remember?"

"No, I don't remember that," Cullen replied dubiously.

"Bollocks," Anders muttered under his breath as they walked over to Alistair, who was making breakfast, and had decided on the safe option of porridge.

"You do know it's a sin to utter curse words on the last day of the week, don't you, Anders?" Cullen scolded with a grin.

"And I suppose you know it's a sin for a Templar to escape the Tower and take up with a mage?" Anders replied laconically, "and share their tent?"

"You've got me there!" Cullen replied with a shrug.

"So," Anders said casually, "did you get a chance to put any of our advice into practice last night?"

Cullen cleared his throat and turned pink. "A little," he murmured, smiling coyly.

"Good lad!" Anders replied proudly, heartily slapping the Templar's back.

"Do I even want to know what this conversation's about?" asked Alistair as the other two approached.

"Probably not," replied Cullen. "I'm going for a run before breakfast. I'll dispel those wards while I'm at it."

"Right," Alistair replied as Cullen headed toward the trees. "I'll wake the others up in a bit."

Anders watched as Cullen broke into a jog and disappeared. "Just you and me, eh?" he said awkwardly.

"So it would seem," Alistair replied without looking up as he stirred the pot and added some sugar. Anders walked back and forth a little, kicking the ground occasionally as Alistair paid rapt attention to his porridge.

"I think this is what they call an uncomfortable silence," Anders laughed nervously, turning to face Alistair. "Look, I know we got off to a bad start," he said with a slight grimace. "The way I greeted Allis at Redcliffe…well, that was just me being an arse. I didn't know the two of you were together. I, erm…I'm sorry if I caused any ill feeling."

"Oh," Alistair replied, surprised. "Erm, well, you didn't. Oh, alright…I was a bit shocked at the time…but it's alright now."

"Really?" Anders said happily. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Alistair grinned softly, feeling a little ashamed, "it would be nice for us to get along, especially as we're going to be spending a lot of time together on the road."

"That's wonderful!" Anders exclaimed brightly. "I'd like that too." Alistair smiled and nodded his head at the mage.

"Tell you what," Anders said, "I'll wake everyone up. No! Even better…Reaper can wake them up! Come on, boy!"

Alistair laughed at the annoyed exclamations and curses that sounded as the Mabari lumbered into each person's tent, rudely waking them up, as they all prepared to take their last journey together for a while.