It was time.

Alistair walked through the courtyard which was now bustling with horses and men. Equipped as best they could be with such short notice, all were making final adjustments before the journey. He spotted some of his companions dotted about making their own preparations. Morrigan was especially obvious as she sat on the stone steps leading to the main doors of the castle, watching events with some sadistic amusement. She had tidied her hair and the skin around her eye was smooth and pale. She must have consented to Wynne healing it. He wondered what Wynne had made of that request.

There was one missing however.

Alistair bypassed the remainder of the courtyard and ducked through the outer buildings towards the stables. The area was deserted since the men were now almost ready to leave. As he approached he spied Leliana in one of the stalls, saddling her horse. He came to a halt in the doorway of one of the outbuildings.

It was time to talk.

He had expected her to follow and confront him earlier. He had walked back to his room from the hall with the anticipation that at any moment she would accost him and demand an explanation. But she had not appeared. Time wore on while he completed his own preparations and he began to understand that she was not going to come. The growing suspicion which had followed that realisation was now corroborated by the saddle bags that were on her horse. In themselves, their presence was not strange but the fact that he could see they contained more than the necessary health potions and weapons was.

He strode out from the doorway and into the stable stall. "Leliana."

She didn't acknowledge him and he realised that her rogues ability had already sensed his presence.

Alistair moved closer and touched her shoulder. She flinched and stepped away from him, refusing to look at him. The horse seemed to sense the tension between the two and turned her head with a soft whinny. Alistair reached out and stroked the horse's neck, murmuring nonsense words in an effort to reassure it. The horse eyed him then nuzzled at him with her nose, sniffing to see if he had anything better than words to offer. Realising he had come without any treats, the horse snorted and turned back to her hay bale.

Leliana had continued to check the tack on the horse although he noticed that she had now firmly pulled the flaps of the saddle bags closed. The silence was oppressive.

He couldn't bear it any longer. "So when did you intend on telling me you were leaving?"

"At the same time you planned on telling me she had left."

The silence returned as each considered the other's words.

"When did you guess?"

Leliana tutted with irritation. "Alistair, you may be expected to take your position as King once the Blight is over but you have yet to master a talent for politics."

"And what does that mean?"

"You can't lie for shit."

The bluntness of the statement coupled with Leliana's lilting Orlesian delivery made him snigger. She glowered at him as she tightened the saddle strap.

"Are we not friends?" he echoed the question she had teased him with only hours before in the hope it would encourage a greater response.

"I do not abandon my friends." Her tone was cold.

Alistair stood and stared at the horse as she chewed on the bale. Then, "It was not me who left."

The pain with which he had spoken the words finally caused Leliana to stop what she was doing and turn towards him. His hand remained on the horse's neck but he had stopped his stroking and it was clear he was no longer aware of his surroundings. She had been so blinded by mistrust and anger that she had not stopped to see past the fragile mental defences that Alistair had so hurriedly built. Now looking at him, she recognised the hunted look that had crept onto Elissa's face as the weeks and months had worn on. He was already feeling the strain of her absence. But there was more than that. Grief. Loss. With a jolt Leliana realised that Alistair did not expect to see Elissa again.

She reached out and pulled him into a fierce hold. His arms snaked around her waist as he buried his face in her shoulder. They held onto one another as a shared understanding finally arrived between them.

"Take Zevran."

"What?" Leliana released her hold slightly so that his words were not muffled in her shoulder.

"And the Mabari. It's in the kennels. It hasn't realised she has left yet but I don't want to be around when he does. As long as you explain to him where you're going then he'll be of use to you."

Comprehension dawned on her. "You never intended on stopping me."

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Would I have stood a chance?"

Leliana stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. He gave a start and she smiled to see his familiar boyish blush spread across his face. So much had changed since she had first met him but that had remained constant.

"I will find her."

The hint of a smile vanished and the blush paled away as he disentangled himself from her arms. She had meant the words as a comfort but it seemed to have caused him only more pain. With a stab of regret she watched as Alistair withdrew back into himself. The grief he did not have the luxury to indulge was once again hidden away. She had spoken the truth when she had said that he was yet to discover a talent for politics but it seemed that he was already well-aware of the solitary burden of leadership. She hoped that he would find his own way to survive before the weight of it crushed him.

"I will tell Zevran to fetch the Mabari and meet you here." He looked at her with a impassivity that belied the comfort they had just taken from one another. "Maker watch over you."

Leliana caught his hand as he turned to leave. She wanted so desperately to rid his face of the blank expression but there was nothing she could offer except empty promises. She dropped his hand and gently tousled his hair one last time as she spoke the only words she could think of.

"Maker watch over us all; my friend."