A/N: I'm going to rework this whole chapter in the near future because I can't even read it without cringing. I'll also fix parts of chapter 3. Because blech.

"So how did you find me so quickly?" Aeryn asked as they were walking back.

"Are you kidding? You were running through the forest like a rampaging bear," Tamlen said. "Do you really think I'm that bad of a tracker?"

"Well, you better not be, seeing as you taught me everything I know," she replied.

"Fine, then do you think that you're that bad of tracker?" he taunted.

"Of course not," Aeryn scoffed. "But not as good as you..."

Tamlen stopped in place, gaping dramatically at his companion.

"I can't believe my ears," he exclaimed. "Can it be? Was that... a genuine compliment?"

Aeryn scowled. "Mind you, that's the only thing you're better at," she continued. "And just by a little bit."

There was a pause, then Tamlen started laughing. Aeryn glared at him, but eventually her face cracked into a begrudging smile. It appeared that they had not lost their sense of playful competition.

The elves walked until they had returned to their temporary camp from the night before. Aeryn stood back and allowed Tamlen to disassemble the tent, simply so she could see him struggle again. She watched as he fumbled with the poles, giggling loudly. He turned around with an exasperated expression on his face, which only made her laugh harder.

"It's not as easy as it looks..." Tamlen mumbled, frustrated.

"I assure you, you're making it look far more complicated than it is," Aeryn snorted.

"Alright, little-miss-know-it-all," Tamlen said as he strode towards her. "If you think it's so easy, you can do it."

"Fine," she smirked, brushing past him. But as she was walking away, Tamlen grabbed her by the stomach and lifted her off the ground.

"Tamlen!" Aeryn shrieked. "What are you doing...?"

But her words were cut off by another yelp as Tamlen raised her even higher. Then, in one fluid motion, he started to twirl her around.

"Tamlen!" she shouted again, kicking her legs in surprise. But soon, the initial shock of being lifted faded away, and Aeryn relaxed. She felt an unfamiliar swooping sensation in her stomach; it was something happy, something free. She was no longer afraid of falling, for she could feel Tamlen's strong arms embracing her. The elf threw out her own arms, savoring the rush of wind in her face. She felt weightless, for more reasons than one. Aeryn had been held by Tamlen many times before... but never like this. She had a feeling that she would never grow tired of his touch.

Tamlen slowed down and released Aeryn lightly. She could not see straight, but she felt her feet touch the solid ground. She stood still for a moment, regaining her composure. Tamlen kept his arms around Aeryn, hugging her from behind.

"I've always wanted to do that," he whispered in her ear, smiling.

"You're such a dork," she said, turning around to face him. But she grinned too, and gave him a quick kiss.

"Come on, let's get going," she said, turning away and effortlessly gathering up the rest of tent.

"If you insist," Tamlen replied, grabbing his knapsack off the ground. But as he looked back at the cleared camp, he added sheepishly, "You know what, you go on ahead. I just need to... uh... check on something."

Aeryn looked at him questioningly, but she nodded and left without a word. Once she was out of eyesight, Tamlen sighed. He looked around at their little camp, which was now indistinguishable from the rest of the forest. It felt odd; everything had changed here... and yet nothing had changed at all. Their relationship was like a stone at the top of a hill, and this location had simply gotten it rolling. Still, Tamlen felt it should be recognizable.

He pulled a strap off of his leather pack, making a mental note that he would replace it back at camp. He then found a sharp stick and engraved the letters "T+A". Realizing too late what a horrible cliche it was, Tamlen almost smacked himself for his stupidity. Proceeding with more thought, he turned the scrap around. When he had contrived an idea, he grinned to himself and engraved: "ready or not, here we come." Satisfied with his wit, he tied the leather to a low-hanging tree branch. Tamlen knew it would fall off fairly soon, but he felt the need to leave some sort of mark. Upon second thought, he pulled the Keeper's jar of magic light out of his pack and placed it at the base of the tree. That would remain burning forever.

Looking at the scene, Tamlen couldn't help but smile. Damn, I really love her, he thought. Breathless, he gathered his things, took one last look at the tree, and then ran to catch up with Aeryn.

When Tamlen saw Aeryn's frame in the distance, he shouted, "Ready or not, here we come!"

She turned and shouted back, "What?"

He jogged forward to meet her and then continued, "It's a phrase. Our phrase."

Aeryn simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's good!" Tamlen said. "It's like the line from hide-and-seek, and you know, we had that thing with hide-and-seek..."

When that received no response, Tamlen continued, "And 'here we come,' because we're like... we're like a thing now... ready to take on the world together..."

Aeryn just looked at him skeptically.

"Come on!" he said, exasperated. "It's good!"

Still no reaction.

"I mean, I think we're a thing..." Tamlen said, now becoming anxious. "We are a thing, right?"

"Yes," Aeryn said, shaking her head and laughing. "I just didn't think we needed a phrase."

"Oh... I mean, I guess." Tamlen responded, disappointed by her lack of enthusiasm. Perhaps it was a silly sentiment after all.

"Also, you know that it can't be official, right?" Not until you formally go and bring me back a deerskin or whatever." Aeryn said, almost bitterly. "And that can't even happen until we're adults in the eyes of the clan..." She stopped abruptly, her mouth left open in shock.

"What?" Tamlen asked her, confused. "What just happened?"

She simply stood there, trying to grapple with her words.

"Tamlen..." she breathed.

"What?"

"The hunting ceremony..." she said softly.

Tamlen's eyes widened in surprise, and then in horror.

"...is today," he finished, his voice equally as quiet.

"We weren't supposed to stay out this late..." Aeryn mumbled miserably. "Oh no, Marethari is going to kill us..."

Tamlen grabbed her by the hand and sprinted forward.

"It doesn't start until dusk, right?" he asked, desperation etched in his voice.

"No, I think it ends at dusk." Aeryn replied anxiously.

Tamlen groaned and ran even faster, Aeryn following swiftly behind him. From the position of the sun, it appeared to be mid-afternoon; the young elf cursed herself for letting the time slip by so quickly.

The two kept running until they reached the clearing in front of the main camp. Slowing down, they swept the dirt off themselves and tried to look as composed as possible.

"It's going to be alright," Tamlen assured Aeryn, who was breathing heavily. "Look, it hasn't even started yet. The fire pit isn't lit."

Aeryn opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

The pair took one last look at each other, then walked briskly into the field of tents and caravans.

"Tamlen," Aeryn hissed, as words returned to her. "Let go of my hand."

"Oh yeah, sorry," he whispered back frantically, releasing it just in time before they were visible to the clan.

A few elves turned and waved as they entered, but no one else noticed their late arrival. Looking around, things appeared normal; nobody was gathered, and people were going along with their everyday business. It seemed as though they had made it back in time.

Tamlen let out a sigh of relief.

"See? We're perfectly fine," he said, though his voice was still shaking.

"I suppose you're right," Aeryn said, feeling a weight lift off of her chest. "I'll just slip to my tent and wash up a little before..."

"Not so fast," a quiet voice called from behind them.

The two young elves froze; the all too familiar voice caused an eerie chill to crawl up Aeryn's spine. Hesitantly, they turned around, only to find themselves staring into the age-lined face of their Keeper.

A/N: There are many terms about love in the canon Dalish language, but none of them quite equate to "damn, I love her." Also, Tamlen is just such a hopelessly romantic dork, and it makes me smile.