A/N: First fan fiction published, but not first written. The M warning is for a reason. A you-know-what reason. Dedicated to a friend that will remain anonymous (you know who you are). Will update when possible; school drives me crazy.

Chapter 1- Not Everything Changes

The war had finally ended. The Archdemon laid slain and the Darkspawn retreated into the Deep Roads. More importantly, both Fereldan Grey Wardens, Alistair and Karin, lived to tell the tale. Frankly, Leliana could not be happier. Alistair was crowned King, Anora stepping down after the death of her father, Loghain. The kingdom was saved, and Leliana had not lost what she loved with all her heart: Karin Cousland.

She watched as her lover breathed slowly, her eyes closed and her lips slightly parted as she slept. There were very few moments that she was able to see Karin like this while traveling. So peaceful and beautiful her Karin seemed. Leliana moved a stray strand of hair from the Warden's face, admiring the Hero of Fereldan.

She thought back to her first meeting with the Warden at Lothering. Her sad, crystalline eyes reflecting so much pain as her shoulders carried a heavy burden: the fate of the world. When she fought Loghain's men at the tavern, however, the sadness in her eyes turned into rage, a burning fire. Her sword slashed through the men's armor until they gave in and surrendered. Reluctantly, she let them go with their lives.

Did the Maker intend her to fall in love with the one she had to help? Had He planned what happened? Leliana did not know. Maybe He did. All she knew was that she was madly in love with Karin Cousland, Hero of Fereldan, Grey Warden Commander.

She felt her lover shift and slowly open her crystalline eyes. The bard marveled at how beautiful Karin was, whether in battle or just awakening.

"Good morning, love." Leliana greeted.

Karin rubbed her eyes. "Hello, my love. How long have you been awake?"

"A small while." Leliana replied. "I have been watching you sleep. I am always marveled at how peaceful you look."

"It seems you want to 'pluck my eyelashes and keep them in a jar' again, don't you?" she smirked.

Leliana giggled. How her love always managed to make her laugh, Leliana had no idea. "No, silly. I simply enjoy watching you."

"That's not what you said last night." Karin teased, her smirk turning into a mischievous grin.

Leliana blushed as she remembered the night before. They had retired to the quarters Alistair had chosen for them, a grand room with a bath, closet, and very large bed. Leliana had only but a second to see their chambers as Karin wrapped her creamy arms around Leliana's waist. Her lips took ahold of the bards', her tongue demanding entrance into Leliana's mouth. As they kissed deeply, their clothes fell to the floor, leaving nothing between their hot, bare skin.

Their bodies joined, they fell onto the bed, Karin on top of Leliana. The Warden's lips wandered to the bard's neck, nibbling at her pulse point, gently biting down. Leliana gasped, her breath and heart rate speeding up. Hot lips moved tantalizingly slow, down to Leliana's collarbone, onto the redhead's breasts. Her breath hitched as her lover captured one of her taut nipples in her mouth, nipping and softly biting.

Lower the burning lips began to travel, down Leliana's stomach, lower to her navel, and stopping in front of her sex. Leliana felt like she would go mad any moment as she felt Karin's warm breath over her, teasing her, bringing her to the edge of a cliff. She felt as fingers parted her folds, and she could do nothing but groan as her lover plunged forward, her hot tongue ravishing her.

Her hips bucked on their own will, causing her lover's tongue to go farther in than intended, making Leliana moan with pleasure. Karin's tongue circled around that bundle of nerves, increasing the volume of Leliana's sounds of unadultered bliss. Slowly, two fingers entered her, filling her. Leliana cried out as her lover pumped inside her, bringing her ever closer to the edge.

The sensation of her lover's tongue and fingers overwhelmed Leliana and she climaxed, calling out her lovers name. She panted as the blissful feeling slowly vanished, her Warden slowly removing herself from the bard.

"Leliana?"

"…huh?"

"You blanked out there a bit." Karin said.

"I did?"

"You were remembering, weren't you? My dirty little girl!"

"I…I was not!" Leliana defended badly, her blush intensifying.

"You were! I know that far-away-look!"

"I think it is time to get up, don't you?" Leliana tried to change subject as she sat up and made her way to stand. Her movements were stopped, how as Karin's arms circled around her.

"Oh, no you don't!" Karin exclaimed, pushing Leliana down in one swift motion and capturing her lips.

"So do I have to address you as 'Your Majesty' now?" Karin asked as she sat down at the table.

Alistair laughed. "No, you don't. It is difficult enough to get used to the fact that everyone is going to be calling me that. I don't need you calling me that as well. Did you like your chambers?"

"Oh, I don't know. You could've gotten us a bigger one. Maybe with a garden of its own while you're at it." Karin replied sarcastically.

"I'm just going to take that as a yes."

"I'm sure the ladies had quite the…adventure in their new quarters. Am I right?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, Zevran." Leliana replied.

"I will take that as a yes." The assassin replied.

"Where are the others?"

"Well, Morrigan disappeared after the battle. Oghren is passed out in his quarters; Sten left yesterday back to his people; Wynne should be-"

"I'm here." A voice said, entering the dining hall. "I apologize for my tardiness. I awoke a bit late, it seems."

"It's quite alright, Wynne." Alistair replied. "We're just starting. Help yourself, there's plenty to go around."

"This wasn't made by you, was it?" Karin asked. "I'm not going to have severe stomachaches afterwards, am I?"

"It is free of my bad cooking, do not worry."

The group began to break their fast. It seemed odd to the Warden, eating at a table when they had spent a year traveling, eating hunted animals at camp by the fire. She could not help but think how her rag tag band of misfits had bonded over the course of the year. With that gone, their group slowly disbanded. All that was left of them was Leliana, Wynne, Alistair, Oghren, and herself. Even then, Wynne had to return to the Circle, Alistair had to attend a nation recovering from war, and Oghren…well. He was Oghren.

"It's so strange now." She muttered. Apparently, it was loud enough to be heard by the others.

"What is?" the king asked, stuffing a piece of food into his mouth.

"This." She emphasized. "We were so close during the Blight. Now we just…drifted apart. You were right after all."

"About what?"

Karin smirked as she remembered Alistair's first words to her, "'One good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together.' You were joking at the time, but you were right. It'll just be odd to not hear Morrigan yelling at you or catching Sten picking flowers."

"Or bandaging you up after you charged head first at your enemies." Wynne quipped. That got them laughing a bit. She continued after the laughter stopped. "You may have lost a few friends, but keep them close to your heart. The memories will always be there."

"Besides," the Antivan began, "I'm sure you will stumble across them in your adventures, no? You are still doing that, yes?"

Karin opened her mouth to speak; however, her lover beat her to it. "Yes, we still are." She answered, taking the Warden's hand in hers. Karin grinned at her lover; the way she spoke brokered no argument. Not that she would argue, she would follow the bard to the ends of the world should need be.

"Then I see no problem." Zevran concluded.

"And you'll always have a place here." Alistair added. "I can't have the Fereldan Grey Warden-Commander camping out in the garden, now can I?"

The group laughed at the Fereldan king's remark, and laughed harder as Karin stuck her tongue out at Alistair, Leliana shaking her head at her lover's childish act.

At least some things don't change…