A/N: Okay, so I didn't manage to get it up before biweekly day :( sorry! In my defense, I worked a LOT of overtime over the last couple of weeks, which kind of killed off my excess energy for a little while! Anyway, at least I wasn't late on the update!
As always, thanks to all the favorites and follows and everyone who's reading! I love that you're all enjoying the story so far.
Special thanks goes to the many people who thoughtfully left reviews on the last chapter: PheonixTears589, Triple T 123, crabcat, Valtharia, Kenjie11, Ioialoha, and SjoA0218. And apologies for the cliffhanger :). To Ioialoha: I actually had planned to go directly to the part where Ayla wakes up after the battle (which you'll see later in the chapter) but after I read your suggestion of an alternate POV, it stirred a few ideas in my head and I decided to give it a try. So I hope I did the rest of the dragon battle justice! to SjoA0218: please get an account so I can answer you directly! But I'm glad you liked my writing so much, and that both main character's emotions are coming across so well :). I do plan to write a sequel involving DA2, as the ideas for that have been bouncing around in my head a lot too. It just won't happen until after this is done. Speaking of, I know I want a female Hawke, but I haven't decided if she'll be a mage, warrior or rogue in the sequel, so feel free to cast your votes either by PM or in a review!
And since this has worked well the last two times: PLEASE REVIEW THANKS!
Enjoy the new chapter!
Disclaimer: Bioware owns Dragon Age, etc. The rest is mine!
Chapter 26: Promise Me
Aedan had just opened up a new hole in the dragon's right wing when he heard the scream. It was a wrenching scream so full of despair that it took him a few seconds to realize it was Ayla screaming as he dashed around the side of the dragon towards its head. It took him a few more seconds to realize what would have made her scream like that. Something must have happened to Alistair.
As he rounded the front of the dragon, he was just in time to see Ayla as the panther launch herself at the dragon's head. With an angry snarl, she landed on the head, hooking in with her claws, and swiping one paw viciously across the dragon's right eye, causing blood to spurt out and the dragon to rear its head back with a roar, dropping what was in its mouth. It was, as Aedan had feared, a blood-covered Alistair. "Sten! Wynne!" he bellowed, swiping at the dragon's front leg to keep it away from Alistair as the enraged dragon stumbled around, trying to dislodge the panther from its head. "Get over here!"
Sten was by his side in a few seconds. "You called, Warden?" he asked tonelessly.
"Get him away from the dragon, now!" Aedan nodded at Alistair's still unmoving body, blocking another blow from the dragon's leg. He was praying that Alistair was still alive, not having had a chance to check yet, but with that amount of blood, he couldn't be sure. He was not, however, about to be the last Warden in all of Ferelden if he could help it. "Wynne needs to start healing him right away!"
Sten cast a doubtful glance at Alistair's ruined armor and all the blood, but after Aedan pierced him with a fierce glare, he promptly dragged him far away from the dragon, over to an outcropping of rock. Wynne had joined him, obviously guessing without being told what Aedan had called her for. When he saw the blue glow that meant she'd begun healing, he breathed out a sigh of relief. For the moment, Alistair was still alive, or Wynne wouldn't have bothered.
In the meantime, the panther had managed to clamp her jaws down on the dragon's neck just behind its head, somehow keeping a firm grip in spite of the dragon's thrashing. She was also swiping continuously and furiously with her claws any part of the dragon that could be reached from her current vantage point, from what Aedan could see. He'd never seen her attack quite so fiercely or with such strength; he wondered if she'd lost control.
At the moment, however, he didn't care. The dragon was thoroughly distracted by her attack, no longer seeming to care about the arrows or blades directed its way by the other party members. It only wanted the panther off its neck, and it was no longer counter-attacking, merely thrashing and stumbling around. It was also blind in its right eye now, said eye being obscured by blood and claw marks. If she could continue to keep it busy, they just might have a chance at winning this.
"Keep attacking!" he shouted, waving Sten back over and opening up a gash along the dragon's right front leg. The dragon tried to kick at him, but he was able to dodge out of the way in time. Sten joined him in attacking the front legs and even trying to slip between the front legs to get at the chest.
Meanwhile, Leliana was still firing arrows, trying to score a hit on the dragon's left eye, as well as tear more holes in the wings. Morrigan was alternating between casting minor support spells and ice attacks on the dragon, trying to counteract the flames it was occasionally breathing out in its fury. Zevran had somehow managed to crawl his way up onto the dragon's back, stabbing his swords in to keep his balance as the dragon continued to thrash around.
It seemed to be getting weaker. The thrashing was less violent, and even the attempts at counter-attacks were fewer and farther between. It made sense, considering the panther's jaws had remained steadily locked in place behind the dragon's head, and the neck was nothing but shredded scales and blood by now, not to mention all the other places the dragon was bleeding from. Finally, Zevran reached the base of the dragon's neck, and drew both his swords across the neck, opening up a fountain of blood.
Sten took the opportunity to plunge his greatsword directly into the dragon's chest, as deep as he could make it go, and the dragon finally collapsed to the ground with a gurgling roar, its legs going out from underneath it. The panther leaped clear as the dragon's head was the last thing to connect with the ground, and Zevran also jumped aside, rolling as he hit the ground before he regained his feet.
Aedan waited a moment, sword at the ready, as he eyed the dragon, but it appeared that they had truly defeated it; there was no sign of movement from the dragon's body now as it breathed its last, blood pooling on the ground around it. He sheathed his sword and did a quick scan. No one else appeared badly hurt, and Wynne was still casting on Alistair. He took a deep breath, ordering himself to remain calm and keep it together. He couldn't let the leadership mask slip, especially not in front of Sten so soon after their fight. "Morrigan, can you go help Wynne? Sten, Leliana, and Zevran, have a look around and see if you can find more potions or herbs nearby. Or anything else that we can use."
Everyone nodded, and quickly moved to do as he'd said, to his relief. Morrigan went to Wynne's side and began casting, while the others began to explore the nearby area. He suddenly realized he hadn't seen Ayla since she'd leaped clear of the dragon, and began to look around for her. When he found her, he saw that she still hadn't changed back. She was where she'd landed after the dragon fell, pacing back and forth with her tail twitching restlessly. He'd never seen her not change back right away – had she truly lost control, then?
He began to edge over to her, wondering if he could calm her down by explaining that Alistair was still alive. "Do not go over to her!" Morrigan shouted from behind him. He turned to look; she'd glanced over from her spot beside Alistair and seen him approaching her. "'Tis too dangerous right now!"
He hesitated, but turned back and kept edging slowly towards her, trying to keep his movements slow and relaxed so as not to alarm her. He didn't want to leave her like that, and surely if he could explain things to her, she would be able to regain control. She'd spotted him by now, and the pacing had stopped; she was crouching low, facing him, tail still twitching. As he got closer, her ears began to flatten back.
"Ayla," he started in a low, soothing tone, "he's still alive, okay? Alistair is still alive. Just calm down, please –"
That was when she lunged, and though he reared back, her claws still raked down the front of his torso, rending his armor open. Fortunately, his armor was strong enough that though she opened up his skin beneath, it wasn't deep enough to cause any lasting damage.
He had fallen to the ground trying to dodge, and was scrambling backwards in shock and reaching for his sword, not knowing what else to do, when the panther suddenly collapsed at his feet. He looked behind him to see Morrigan stalking towards him, fury etched in every line of her beautiful face.
"Fool!" she screeched as she approached him, hands planted on her hips. "I told you not to do it, did I not? She was not in control of herself at all! You are lucky she did not kill you!"
"I –" he looked back at Ayla, only to notice that she was now shifting back, the change wavering through her body as it returned to her normal state, though she remained laying unmoving on the ground. "I'm sorry." He wanted to say he was sorry for worrying her, but he knew what she'd say to that, so he didn't bother elaborating. "I - thought I might be able to get through to her. What happened?"
"I cast a sleep spell on her," Morrigan snapped, still glaring down at him. "It was the only thing I could think of to try to save your hide without killing her."
"Well, it looks like it worked." He managed to scramble to his feet, looking down at the new holes in his armor, through which a small amount of blood trickled. Morrigan reached out with one hand as if to heal the wounds, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "No, save it for Alistair." He nodded to where Wynne was still working on his fellow Warden. "Is he –" he couldn't quite finish the sentence.
"Going to make it?" Morrigan finished quietly. "I cannot say. He is managing to stay alive for now, but his wounds are quite serious. Had he not been a Grey Warden, I do not believe he would have lived this long."
"Please, Morrigan, do everything you can." He knew that there was no love lost between the two, but he also knew his lovely witch well enough to know she would overlook that for his sake and for Ayla's. He did not want to imagine what it would be like to truly be the only Warden left in all of Ferelden. The only thing that had made this whole endeavour bearable so far was the support and advice he'd gotten on his decisions from Alistair and Ayla. And he had a suspicion that if he lost Alistair, he would lose Ayla too, one way or another.
She looked down at Ayla for a moment, then back up at him, and nodded. "If that is your wish, I shall do as you ask. Whatever else that meddlesome old woman may be, she is an exceptional healer." This was said grudgingly, before she went on, "Between the two of us, we may be able to save him."
"Thank you." He smiled gratefully at her before pulling her to him, giving her a quick kiss before letting her go, and she nodded briefly at him before going back over to Alistair. As he watched her go, he prayed that she was right. He wasn't ready to lose anybody else.
When Ayla awoke, her first thought was how incredibly sore she was. She felt as though she'd been shifted for an entire day, running herself completely ragged until she'd dropped from exhaustion. Every inch of her body ached and throbbed with pain. Her next thought was that she couldn't remember what exactly had happened to make her this sore.
She managed to struggle into a sitting position, gritting her teeth against the cry of pain that wanted to emerge. She felt incredibly weak also, like she had no strength currently left in her body. It appeared to be midday by the position of the sun, which was shining brightly from a cloudless blue sky, and it was for once decently warm in the mountains, for which she was grateful. She didn't think she could have taken the cold on top of her aching muscles.
"Ayla, you are awake! How are you feeling?" Leliana asked to her right, sounding vastly relieved.
Ayla turned her head to see the bard sitting next to her, smiling. "I'll live," she answered; the soreness wasn't worth bothering anyone over. "What happened, Leliana? I don't remember exactly why I apparently passed out."
"Oh." Leliana suddenly looked slightly nervous. "You don't remember? We were fighting the high dragon, and Alistair –"
Alistair! Oh, Goddess! It suddenly came crashing back to Ayla with the impact of hitting a wall, drowning out whatever Leliana was saying. She had lost him, and worse yet, it had happened because he'd been protecting her. He hadn't even given her the chance to die first. It was just as she'd feared; death would have been less painful than the sensation she was experiencing now. It wasn't like her heart was broken; it was like it just wasn't there anymore, like it had been ripped from her chest, and she couldn't breathe because of it. She was hyperventilating, and she could feel the change wanting to shimmer through her, in spite of the screaming protest of her muscles.
"Ayla, stop!" Leliana cried, the strident panic in her voice finally reaching Ayla's ears. "He's alive! Alistair is alive!"
"Don't lie to me just to get me to calm down, Leliana," Ayla growled, although in truth, part of her wanted to believe what the bard was saying so badly that she had already started to breathe a little easier.
"I am not!" the bard cried. "I swear to you in the name of the Maker and Andraste Herself! He is alive and he is going to be okay!"
Ayla studied Leliana closely, but the bard's face was open and sincere. She also knew that Leliana took her beliefs very seriously, and she would not swear on the Maker's name if she was lying. But – "There was so much blood. How -?" Ayla whispered, wanting so badly to believe and yet terrified of having her hope crushed all over again.
"There was," Leliana agreed softly, laying a hand gently on Ayla's shoulder. "But Wynne and Morrigan were able to heal him, using all the magic and lyrium potions they had, including some that we'd found. They said also that Wardens seem to heal faster than a normal person would, or he likely would not have survived. His plate armor also helped protect him somewhat, they believe. Armor like ours," the bard indicated the leather armor she was still wearing, "would obviously have not been any help against a dragon's teeth."
"He's alive." She sagged in relief, trying to blink back the tears that wanted to threaten. She'd been so sure in that horrible moment that he had traded his life for hers, that she would never see him again. The relief that she felt now was indescribable. "I - I need to see him."
"He still hasn't woken up yet," Leliana advised, though she was already moving to help Ayla get up. "Morrigan and Wynne say that he is out of danger now, but he does still need time to recover."
"That's all right," Ayla replied softly, taking Leliana's arm as she got to her feet. Ordinarily she would not have, but right at the moment, her body was so sore and weak she suspected she wouldn't be able to walk without assistance anyway. "I'll just stay with him until he does. What happened after the dragon got him? I . . . don't remember." She knew why that must be, of course. She'd done the one thing she never wanted to do; completely lost control of her shifting. She needed to know just what she'd done while she was out of it.
"Well," Leliana began as she supported Ayla while they began to walk across the rocky ground from the pallet Ayla had been laying on, "you changed into your panther form and attacked the dragon. When you scratched out its eye, it dropped Alistair, and Aedan had Sten get him out of there and also had Wynne start working on him. You stayed attacking the dragon; you had a hold around its neck. You were distracting it enough that we were able to finish it off without anyone else getting hurt. Then . . ." she hesitated, glancing over at Ayla uncertainly.
"Go on." Ayla didn't really want to hear what happened next, but judging by the way Leliana was looking at her, this was the part she really needed to know about.
"You hadn't changed back, so Aedan went over to talk to you, to try to explain that Alistair was still alive. But you weren't in control of yourself, so you . . . attacked him." Leliana was looking down at the ground now, carefully not meeting her eyes.
"I attacked Aedan?!" Ayla exclaimed. It was worse than she'd thought! This was exactly the reason why everyone feared shifters as dangerous, and she'd gone ahead and done it! "Is he okay?!"
"I'm just fine," Aedan said mildly, stepping in front of them. Though he said that, Ayla's attention was immediately drawn to the rents down the front of his armor, which had broken completely through. She winced.
"Aedan, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I . . . I'll understand if you can't trust me anymore." She couldn't meet his eyes, feeling guilty and far too ashamed to see what he must think of her now. "Or if you want me to leave now . . ."
"Ayla, stop. Look at me." She looked up reluctantly, afraid of the censure she would see there, but was surprised to see nothing but understanding in his grey eyes. "It's not your fault. Morrigan told me not to go near you when you were like that and I didn't listen to her. I know that wasn't you."
"But it was me," she snapped, feeling even more guilty that he was being so understanding when she'd attacked him. "I am the panther, and the panther is me. And I attacked you, I could have killed you!"
"But you didn't," Aedan said patiently. "In fact, you barely even broke through my armor. Yes, it was technically you, but you weren't in control. I know you didn't mean to do it, and I don't want you to blame yourself." He hesitated, looking slightly red-faced and embarrassed before he went on, "I don't want you to leave, either. I can't do this without you, or Alistair, or anybody else. I just . . . I don't want to lose any of you."
He looked so sincere that Ayla couldn't help but believe him, as guilty as she felt. She nodded, relieved that he was being so understanding. "I wish I could say that it wouldn't happen again, but . . . I can't guarantee that." She hesitated, and when he nodded in acceptance of her statement, went on, "If you have to attack me back, though, you can go ahead. Do whatever you need to do. I won't blame you for it. How did you stop me before it got out of hand?"
He smiled. "Morrigan used a sleep spell on you that worked just fine, so if it ever does happen again, I think we've got it handled without injuring you."
A sleep spell? That had never really occurred to Ayla, as she didn't know if the mages in her world even possessed such a spell, but she could see how that would be the easiest way to solve the problem if the spell was available. "That is - good to hear. And thank you – for getting Alistair out of there, and making sure he was healed when I couldn't." She owed him more than she could ever say for that.
"I wouldn't have done anything else," he replied, looking uncomfortable. "Like I said, I don't want to lose any of you. I won't interrupt you any longer." He gestured behind him, to the other side of the ruined white tower they had obviously taken shelter in. "Go wait with him, and let me know when he wakes up so I can yell at him, all right?"
She nodded, smiling as Aedan moved away, before she and Leliana continued over to where Alistair lay. "Leliana, do you still trust me?" she asked carefully as they went.
Leliana appeared to consider the question a moment before nodding. "I do," she answered. "As Aedan said, I know that had you been in control, you would never have done something like that. We have all done things we are not proud of," the bard smiled a little ruefully before continuing, "You, at least, did not make the conscious choice to attack him."
"No, I suppose not." But she had made other conscious choices to do things that the others might not approve of if they knew of them. Ones that she wouldn't even do differently – and maybe that made her a worse person than accidentally attacking Aedan did. But there was no reason they ever had to find out about that, she decided.
They had reached the other side of the tower by now, where Alistair lay sleeping on a pallet, far away from the others, presumably to allow him to rest in peace and quiet while everyone talked and went about their business. Leliana helped Ayla lower down into a sitting position next to him. She couldn't help the wince that escaped her as her sore muscles protested their use; Leliana frowned, obviously noticing. "You do not appear to be wounded, so what is causing you such pain?"
"It's from the uncontrolled shift," Ayla answered, having come to this conclusion after learning what had happened. "I had heard before that they use more power than a regular shift, and even controlled shifts can be exhausting and cause soreness if over-used. So this is just very sore muscles and exhaustion. I just need some rest to recover from it and I'll be fine."
"Oh," Leliana nodded in understanding. "I will bring you some food as well. I am sure that will help. Here." She took her water skin out from her pouch and handed it to Ayla as well. "I will be back with the food."
Ayla took the water skin gratefully, suddenly realizing that she was very thirsty. "Thank you, Leliana. For . . . everything."
The bard smiled warmly back at her. "It is no problem. We are friends, yes?" She moved away, leaving Ayla alone with Alistair.
She took a moment to study him, feeling the overwhelming relief that yes, he was still breathing, and she could still hear that steady heartbeat that had soothed her so many times before. What she could see of his torso that wasn't covered in a blanket was bare and wrapped in bandages, and he wasn't wearing his armor, probably because it was so damaged as to no longer be useful. But other than that, and the slight paleness of his face, he looked as though he were merely peacefully sleeping. She reached out and took his hand in hers, feeling the warmth of it that steadied her as nothing else had since she woke up.
She couldn't believe she had been so stupid. It had taken nearly losing him to realize that what she hadn't wanted to happen, what she'd been trying to avoid, had happened anyway. She'd fallen in love with Alistair. He was the life-mate that she hadn't been looking for, but she had found him anyway, and now she didn't know what she would do without him. Which was exactly why she hadn't wanted to fall in love with him in the first place, and likely why it had taken her so long to realize it. Because maybe if she didn't ever admit it, she could pretend it wasn't true, or wouldn't hurt as much.
Obviously, that hadn't worked out well, she thought wryly. The moments she'd thought he was dead had been some of the worst that she'd ever experienced in her life, and that had even been without knowing how she felt. Now that she knew he was alive, she could breathe again, but she would still feel a lot better when he actually woke up. She was torn between wanting to kiss him, to apologize to him, and wanting to yell at him as Aedan had said. Or maybe she should just do all three.
She ran over what she wanted to do or to say to him when he woke up many times while she was waiting. Leliana came back as promised with bread, cheese, and dried meat for her to eat before leaving her alone again to wait.
She was so caught up in trying to think of what she'd do that she didn't actually notice the moment when he opened his eyes. It wasn't until he spoke that she realized he'd finally awakened. "Ayla, I'm glad to see you're all right."
Her head snapped up to look at him. Those hazel eyes were open and focused on her, and he was smiling, though he looked pale and weary still. She nodded in response, suddenly unsure if she could trust her voice, but she couldn't stop herself from finally saying, "Yes, I am, thanks to you almost getting yourself killed." She'd really meant to snap it angrily at him, but her voice wobbled at the end, and she scowled, annoyed with herself.
He struggled to sit up, and she let go of his hand as she moved to help him, trying to ignore the soreness of her own muscles as he finally got into a sitting position, looking a little more pale now. He reached out to gently touch her face. "I'm sorry I worried you. But I wasn't about to let anything happen to you."
"So it was all right with you if you died instead?" she demanded, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening again.
"Well, I was really hoping I wouldn't die." He smiled cheekily at her, but she just glared back at him. She was not in the mood right now for jokes. He sighed, pulling his hand back and continuing on, "But yes, I would have been fine with that. Honestly, I didn't even have to think about it – I just wanted to keep you safe."
"And I was just supposed to be fine with it if the man I loved died trying to save me?!" She clapped a hand over her mouth as she suddenly realized what she'd unintentionally blurted out, staring at Alistair with wide eyes. She'd only just realized how she felt herself; she hadn't meant to tell him, not until she'd had more time to plan out how exactly she wanted to say it.
He was staring at her in shock and disbelief, though she noticed hope and joy starting to spread in his expression too. The disbelief she didn't quite understand. Hadn't he wanted her to fall in love with him? Why was he surprised that she did? "You – you really do love me?" he asked at last, that beautiful smile spreading slowly over his face.
Well, it was too late to say it in a better way now. "Yes, I do," she muttered, feeling a flush spread across her face. "That's why – you have to promise me you won't ever do that again, okay? Promise me you won't die on me, because I know now – I won't be able to take it." And to her utter horror, the tears she'd been trying to hold back began to slip down her face without her say-so. She tried to swipe them away, but Alistair had already seen.
He pulled her into his arms, and she went, burying her face against his bandaged chest, trying to hide the fact that the tears were only coming faster now as she wrapped her arms around him. This was where she'd really wanted to be since she woke up, finding the comfort that she had discovered he was so good at bringing her. He stroked her hair gently as he whispered in her ear, "I wish I could promise you that."
She let out a shuddering sigh against his chest. She wasn't an idiot – of course she knew he couldn't really promise her that, but she was hoping he would have at least tried to lie convincingly to her. "Well, can you at least promise me you won't die trying to protect me, then?"
He tightened his hold on her. "No, I can't promise you that, either. I would give you almost anything you asked – but not that. I couldn't take it if anything happened to you, either. You know that."
She'd managed to stop the tears enough that she felt safe to look up at him. Surely there had to be some way she could convince him that it would be better if he was the one to go on without her, if it had to happen that way, because really that was the way she'd prefer it. "Alistair –" she began.
He cut her off by kissing her. A thorough, gentle, yet passionate kiss tinged with a hint of desperation, as if he was afraid he'd never get to kiss her again. It was a kiss that made her bubbly and warm all over in the feeling she now recognized must be love.
When he pulled away, he looked down at her, his hazel eyes implacably serious. "You won't convince me otherwise, Ayla. I'll do whatever I have to, and I know you will too. So can we just try to protect each other, and find the best ways to get us both out of this alive? It worked out for the best this time, didn't it?"
She sighed and nodded in acceptance. The stubborn set of his jaw told her he wouldn't listen to anything she had to say. She would, as he said, do whatever she had to do. It wasn't like she wanted to die, either, but if it looked like that was the only way, she would do it without hesitation. "Okay, yes, we can just try to protect each other, and see if we can make it out of this Blight together." Or maybe not at all, if something happens to you.
He smiled down at her. "Thank you. Now – I don't suppose you could – say it again?"
She was half-tempted to ask, Say what again? but she knew by the goofy smile on his face just what he was after. But she was willing to humor him, if for no other reason than he had almost just died. Her face flushing again with embarrassment, she said, "I love you, Alistair."
He gave her a huge grin, before capturing her lips again in a much more heated kiss, tasting her with a scorching intensity as she answered him back, the kiss setting fire to her veins, before he pulled back once more. "I love you, too," he whispered. He winked at her before adding, "That was worth almost getting eaten by a dragon."
She swatted him lightly on the chest, not making it a hard blow out of consideration for his injuries, but he still yelped. "Don't you dare joke about that," she scolded him, but she couldn't help smiling because damn it, she was just so happy he was alive. And the fact that her happiness was so intrinsically tied up in the well-being of another person was still frightening to her, but she didn't know what she could do about it now.
"Sorry," he apologized, though the twinkle in his eyes and his bright grin made him look largely unrepentant. "I'm just - really glad to hear it." He glanced around at the tower that they were in now. "I'm assuming we beat the dragon? What exactly happened?"
So Ayla explained the whole story to him as she'd heard it, even the part where she'd lost control and ended up attacking Aedan. Reciting that made her ashamed of her actions all over again, and she found she couldn't meet Alistair's eyes when she said it. But he grasped her chin in his hand and forced her eyes up to meet his when she'd finished. "Hey," he said softly. "I don't think any less of you for that, okay? I – never wanted to distress you that much that you would lose control. I'm - so sorry."
"No, it's all right," she assured him. "You couldn't have known that would happen. I didn't know that would happen. I hope something like that never happens again, but if it does, Morrigan knows how to deal with it now."
"I guess I owe her my thanks, then," Alistair said wryly, looking as though he'd rather step on hot coals than thank her.
"Yes, you do," Ayla replied sternly, trying to keep her lips from twitching with amusement. "You two really should try to get along better, you know."
"If my lady wishes it, I can try it," Alistair winked at her. "I can't make any promises on that one, either, but I can attempt it at least." He studied her for a moment before he asked, "Are you really feeling all right? You look a little pale."
"I overused my powers with that uncontrolled shift," Ayla answered, touched at his concern for her. "I'm rather sore and exhausted right now, but I just need some rest to get over it." She looked around, making sure that no one was immediately nearby, but it looked like the others were still gathered on the far side of the tower, talking and relaxing in small groups. She leaned into Alistair's ear to whisper, "So as much as I'd like to ride you into oblivion right now, I'm afraid I haven't the strength for it."
He groaned, sliding a hand into her hair and pressing a quick and fierce kiss to her lips. "Why would you even bring that up when you can't follow through on it? That is a cruel, cruel thing to do, woman."
She grinned wickedly at him. "Exactly. It's part of your punishment for scaring me half to death."
"That's far too cruel to use as a punishment," he muttered, looking at her with dark eyes. "Can't you just hit me again?"
Ayla laughed in response, before she heard footsteps behind her, making her turn and look to see Aedan approaching them. "You'll just have to wait until we've both rested, and are alone again," she whispered, before pulling back and turning to greet Aedan.
"Hey, Alistair, how are you feeling?" Aedan asked, stopping a few feet away.
Alistair shrugged. "Tired and sore, but otherwise fine." He hesitated, before going on, "Thanks for making sure I came out of it alive."
Aedan cleared his throat uncomfortably, shifting his eyes away. "You're welcome." He fixed Alistair with a sudden, serious stare. "But listen, don't ever do that again. I won't forgive you if you leave me as the last Warden in Ferelden. I'm not fighting this Blight alone, understand?"
Ayla had to smile at the shocked look on Alistair's face as he nodded in response. "Um, right. I'll – I'll do my best." He paused, before adding, "The same goes to you, Aedan. I won't forgive you if you leave me to fight alone, either."
Aedan grinned, nodding back at him. "Understood. Well, considering it's over halfway through the day already, we might as well stay here and let you rest until tomorrow. Think you'll be up to going to the temple tomorrow for Andraste's ashes?"
Alistair looked at Ayla, and she nodded in response, letting him know she would be well enough to move by tomorrow. He turned to Aedan. "Tomorrow should be fine. I'll be recovered enough by then."
"Good, then we can get off this bloody dangerous mountain after that. I'll go see if Leliana has more food for you." Aedan turned, then stopped and briefly turned back. "Let me know when you're feeling back to yourself, all right? I still have to punch you." He walked away before Alistair could answer, leaving him staring after Aedan in shock.
Ayla laughed when he turned the shocked look to her. "Why would he punch me?"
"I told you, it's punishment for scaring people half to death," she retorted, smiling at the still-shocked look on his face. She got the feeling Alistair had never had so many people quite so concerned about his safety before. It made a sad sort of sense, given that he didn't have the loving family he should have had. "You'll have to get used to it. You have people that care about you, remember?"
There was that beautiful smile of his again, and she couldn't believe how happy it made her to see it. "People that care about me – and people that love me, right?" he asked her softly, pulling her closer again.
"Right," she nodded in confirmation, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "So you have to be more careful."
"That, I think, is something I can promise." He smiled down at her. "Will you stay with me?"
"Well, I don't think I'm up to moving yet, anyway," she teased him. When he fake-scowled at her, she laughed and said more seriously, "Yes, I'll stay. This is where I want to be." She didn't add always, because she was a little too cowardly to tell him that yet, but when his eyes softened, she felt like he understood what she'd really meant anyway.
So she stayed with him that night while they both rested, and as she went to sleep with the sound of his heartbeat beneath her ear, a sound she thought she'd lost, she made herself a promise. She would do everything in her power to make sure she could stay here with him, because he was her life-mate now, whether he knew it yet or not.