Sally served Alistair an extra large portion of porridge, and slid two hunks of bread and cheese across the table.
"Eva dear, I cannot tell you how happy I am that you finally got him to eat!" exclaimed Sally, beaming a smile down at the golden haired man. "Here I have been watching you waste away all these months. In so many ways. And now look at you."
Alistair mumbled an incoherent reply, his words blocked by his mouth full of food.
"Sally you'll take good care of him while I run to the market for a few supplies?"
"Of course. We'll straighten out this mess as wel,l" she said as she poked at a few awkwardly protruding tufts of hair on his head.
"Thank you so much.. And for the room too. Are you sure you won't take some coin for it?"
"Don't even think of it. I will walk you out though," she said, gesturing toward the back door, leaving Alistair at the table shoveling porridge into his mouth. Eva was relieved to see that he was so hungry. It seemed a very good sign that his appetite was back.
Sally closed the back door behind them and then let out a huge sigh.
"I don't know the details of what drove you two apart, or why you stayed away so long, but I sincerely hope you two have put that whole mess behind you. It is a huge weight off my shoulders not to have to worry about whether we'll be burying that poor lad," she said. The words sent a chill down Eva's spine. She had been trying not to think about the fact that if she waited much longer, a couple more months, or another winter, Alistair may have truly accomplished his goal of wasting away into nothing. Not that she was waiting for anything, exactly. She had just been trying to move on.
"Sally, I had no idea where he was until just a few weeks ago, when I heard some men in a bar gossiping. I thought he and Morrig…That is, I didn't know if he wanted to be found," Eva said.
"I know sweetie. I truly believe that it is by the grace of the Maker that you knew where to come, and when." She paused. "I don't know if he has given you the full story of his time here. It might be best that you not know, that you just let him put it behind him and pretend it all never happened. Or he might eventually need to acknowledge it, and deal with it." She sighed heavily. "I don't know honey. But the poor lad has suffered probably a bit more than you would expect. Not that that's your responsibility exactly. But he definitely needs some loving care, and patience."
"Whatever he needs, I will try my best to give him."
"He is lucky to have you," she said.
"I am not sure of that. He is in the state he is in because of me," Eva said.
"Hush now. Alistair might need your help right now, but all of us make our own choices in life. He can't blame you for his."
"I know, but…"
"Nope. I won't hear of it," Sally cut her off, and her face took on a pained grimace. "I can see that you have both hurt, probably for far longer than was necessary. But such is the way of great misunderstandings. I hope, I mean…" she stopped herself and sighed. "Are you just here out of guilt sweetie?" she finally asked.
"Guilt!?" Eva asked incredulously. "Well… no. Not exactly. I mean, I suppose I have started to feel a bit of that now, seeing what he has done to himself. But I was convinced that HE should be the one feeling the guilt, not me," she stopped herself. "You could never have kept me away otherwise. So, no." she said with conviction. "No, I am here because I love him. Maybe that isn't what brought me here to start with two days ago, or at least not that I was aware of at the time. But it is why I am still here, and why I am taking him with me."
Sally's face relaxed. "Good. That's all I have ever hoped for, for him. Now I know I won't have to worry anymore," she smiled and squeezed Eva's arm affectionately.
"I'll send a few casks of wine with you then, to stop him from getting sick until his body adjusts. Curing someone stuck on the drink is no easy task. But I think he has good motivation now. And I trust you have heard the cough?" she asked.
"Yes, I have. I will be stopping at the healers after I hit the market."
Sally nodded in approval. "All right. Off you go then. See you when you get back."
Eva turned to go, but stopped.
"Sally," she began.
"Thank you again. I mean it, for anything and everything you have done for him. And for me."
"Of course, dear. Go on now." she said, and bid her farewell.

After purchasing her provisions, Eva said her goodbyes to Gilfoy and Sally and collected Alistair. She walked hand in hand with him the three blocks to the stablemaster who was housing Zuni. While she was away at the market and looking into the faces of the people who, according to Sally, had not been very kind to her lover, she had decided not to steal Alistair away unnoticed, but to let the townspeople see them leave. She wanted their last memory of him to be one of him looking as much like his old self as possible, and being cared for by the esteemed "Hero of Ferelden", for whatever that was still worth to people.
"Shouldn't we still be sneaking around?" he whispered to her as he nodded to the many passersby who had stopped to stare at them.
"Why, would you have preferred that?" she asked.
"Well, actually no, I guess. But I am finding this a little terrifying. I haven't seen these people sober in I don't know how long. I have no idea what they're thinking right now. I am sure they're all hating me, thinking that you are just taking pity on a fellow Warden."
She dropped his hand and slid her arm around his waist, pulling him in close.
"Let them think whatever they want," she said, looking up into his face, admiring the strong symmetry in all of his features, even with their sharpness enhanced and the reddish purple that rimmed his eyes, he was still beautiful. She pulled his attention to her, locking onto his eyes and trying to let her confidence reassure him.
"Yes. Right," he said softly as he came in for a kiss. "Who cares about them."
They did not rush on their walk and Eva made a point of looking into the eyes of many of the people who stopped to stare. She was daring them to say something, anything. She didn't know what that would be, but Sally's words echoed loudly in her mind. These people had not been kind to him. They sat by and mistreated him as he suffered. She almost wanted someone to give her a reason to tear into them, to rip out her daggers and make them regret any unkind thing they ever said. But no one did. But she knew from the chorus of whispers in their wake that the whole scene was very unexpected for everyone.

After situating her pack on Zuni's back, and adjusting all the gear, Eva turned to Alistair and gave him one last, deep kiss. She savored every second of it, knowing she wouldn't get another chance until their next stop, which was at minimum a few hours away. When she pulled away to mount the horse, she noticed Alistair seemed to be beaming, while trying to bite back a smile. She hoped she had helped him feel a little bit more dignity than whatever it was he was left with after all his time in this town.

At the first stop, Alistair opened a cask of wine with shaky hands. He was quiet as he went for it, filling his canteen with dark red wine, and then walked up a craggy trail and stood alone, quite a distance away from where Eva was offering Zuni some water.
She decided not to follow. If he needed this moment to ease himself out of withdrawal, she wouldn't disturb him. But she wondered what he was thinking. This was not the sort of thing he would have done before.
She busied herself, checking the gear, drinking water and stretching her legs, figuring if Alistair wanted her he would let her know, somehow.
She sat in the grass and bit into an apple, eating eagerly to replenish the energy lost on the rough, tedious road. She had just tossed the core out into a patch of dry grass when she heard footsteps behind her, and Alistair collapsed into a reclined position beside her.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
His face was placid, with the numbed, glassy expression of intoxication
"Yep," he said with an easy smile.
"Well. Good," she said, and reached over to rest her hand on his thigh. He looked at her with an expression she found difficult to decipher. Instead of asking him further questions, she just flashed him a quick smile and looked away. She knew he needed a slow transition to sobriety, but she had no real experience with helping someone kick such an insidious and debilitating problem as alcoholism. Suddenly she felt that she was in a little over her head.
Alistair picked up her hand off his thigh, and brought it to his mouth. He began kissing her palm, working his way around to her knuckles and the back of her hand.
His expression changed to one of apology, his eyes seeming to ask for her forgiveness. He needed say nothing.
She offered him her canteen of water, pushing it to him. He took a deep drink and handed it back.
Neither knowing what to say, they let their eyes do all the talking. She didn't ask him anything, and he offered no explanations.

They had returned to small talk as they remounted Zuni for the next stretch of their journey. Already the landscape had changed from one of hills and rocks, to flat and bushy terrain.

After much of the day had passed, she realized she was baring much more of Alistair's weight than before, and that weight was starting to list precariously to one side. She assumed he must have fallen asleep, but slowly he was leaning more and more. Until the moment his balance tipped enough that she realized he was going to slip right off.
"Alistair!" she gasped, her heart catching in her throat, but got no response. She quickly brought the horse to a halt and turned to grab him, but he seemed to already be in the throes of freefall. Instead she held him fast and let herself slide off the horse with him. But despite his slight weight, he crashed to the ground before she could get footing enough to catch him.
"Alistair?" she asked again, grabbing him and looking into his face. He was unconscious, and out so deep that he was completely undisturbed by the fall and the landing. Eva felt the twitch of uneasiness fire up in her gut. Even among alcoholics, this could not be normal.
She shook him and called his name, but he did not stir. His head lolled around and his body was complete dead weight. It had been almost two hours since the previous stop, so much of the alcohol he consumed then should have worked its way out of his system by then.
"Okay. I guess we are taking a break for a little while," she sighed, trying to calm herself. She looked around and frowned. There was no good spot for shelter anywhere nearby, as they were surrounded on all sides by a wide open meadow. The sun was beating down on them with no shade in sight, and there could be bandits in these roads. Eva didn't like it, but decided an hour's rest here wouldn't be too big a deal. As long as he woke up and they could get moving, at least find a better place to shelter for the night, then they should be okay. She knew they would have to camp soon, but was hoping to at least find a place amongst the trees or rocks to block them from view of the roads.

She laid Alistair in the shadow of Zuni, and wiped a cool wet cloth over his forehead. Putting her head to his chest, she listened to his heartbeat, which remained as strong and steady as it ever as, if still a bit faster than she expected for an unconscious person. And his breathing definitely seemed shallow and more rapid than she liked, just like his heart. When pressed up against him she could feel the rattling of that fluid just sitting in the bottom of his lungs.
She had picked up several draughts of healing potion, but had forgotten to have him drink one before they departed. The excitement of leaving had him in such good spirits, there seemed no need at the moment. But now she was kicking herself.
"Alistair, my love," she said softly as she wiped at his forehead with the cloth. "What is happening?"
Finally there was movement; his head rolled and she thought she heard the beginnings of a quiet groan.
"Alistair?" she asked again, still not inured to the sound of his name on her lips after so long of refusing to speak it.
She brought her lips down onto his and kissed him lightly, and then picked his head up and placed it in her lap, holding him and feeling his pulse beat rhythmically at his temples. Could this truly be a part of the drunkenness? The timing just seemed so off.
Finally his eyelids began to twitch, and then blink.
"Come back to me," she said to him. His eyes fully opened, but took several heartbeats to find their focus.
"Hey," she whispered between soft kisses, "You... passed out."
"Passed out?" he asked, looking around him.
"Yes, you fell right off the horse. Does anything hurt?"
He started moving his body around, scooting into a position that allowed him to sit up more easily.
"My head," he said.
Eva quickly pulled out one of the vials she bought from the healer and pulled off the topper, pushing into his limp hands. "Drink this," she ordered. "Drink."
He took it and threw it back, making a face as it went down.
"Ugh, you'd think they could make that stuff taste better," he said.
"Has this happened before?"
He shook his head. "Maybe I just fell asleep?"
"But you slept through falling off the horse," she said.
He groaned. "I guess that explains the headache."

She sighed. He didn't seem as concerned as she was, and that rankled her.
"We only have a few hours left of sunlight. Can you get up? We need to find a better place to set up camp than this," she said as she looked around. It was a beautiful day and despite the lack of trees the air was filled with birdsong. But once the sun went down, their campfire would be visible for miles, drawing anyone within sight who might have questionable intentions.

"Come, my love. We just need to find a place out of view and then you can rest," she said and he nodded his agreement. She took his arm, helped him rise and insisted he eat a piece of jerky that she pulled from her pack. He staggered a bit once he was at his feet, and then took more of the wine. She had never heard of fainting spells being a part of alcohol withdrawal before.

After another hour on Zuni, a part of the ground in the distance swelled up and Eva redirected the horse for what looked like an outcropping of rocks along the hill. As they drew nearer, she was relieved to see that a rushing stream also cut through the hill, leaving shallow cliffs rising over each bank.
Eva led Zuni out to a patch of grass at the lowest point between two swells in the land, knowing she could trust him to stay close, and sat Alistair down against the cliff wall while she built a fire.
"It's too bad we don't have a tent," he said "Lots of good memories with you in tents."
She smiled knowingly at him.
"Do you remember the night we camped at the bank of Lake Calenhad? Before going to the circle?" he asked.
"Of course," she said, "All of our tents were just feet apart. We could smell Oghren's farts."
Alistair laughed.
"And trying to stay totally silent while making love that night, knowing that the whole party was right there. Oh that was fun. If anyone was awake, they would have known," he said.
"Yes, they would have," she said.
Eva smiled at the memory. She almost blushed as she recalled her attempts to stifle her cries of ecstasy, pressing her face into Alistair's chest, which then was thick with healthy curves and sinewy strength. She almost brought up how Morrigan had teased her in her caustic way the next morning about how badly they had failed at being discreet. It turned out that everyone had heard everything, or at least they had for the first few hours until they finally all dropped off into sleep due only to sheer exhaustion. But the name of the beautiful dark woman died on her lips, as Eva thought better of bringing her into their lighthearted conversation.
Eva extracted the flask of wine and settled herself next to Alistair. She took a deep drink and handed it off to him. He took it with shaky hands and had to stop gulping to cough, and then continued, emptying the flask completely.
When it was done, he dropped his head back against the cliff wall and let out an exhale that sounded pained. She wondered what aches and needs he was holding under his surface. She figured he probably was trying not to be too much of a burden, or a cause for too much concern. Especially after the fall.
Eva rested a hand on his shoulder and tried to keep the extent of her worry out of her eyes. She didn't want him to feel like he was being pitied.
"Did the potion help at all?" she asked.
"It did, a little. But it didn't last," he answered.
"There's only one thing that helps completely," he said as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.
She leaned in and claimed his lips in a long, slow kiss, enjoying the taste of wine on his tongue. His arms may have lost a bit of bulk, but they were still filled with a wiry strength, and they seemed to easily scoop her up so that she found herself completely in his lap. When their lips parted, she kept her face close, breathing him in and studying the small details of his face.
She traced the sensuous lines of his mouth and counted the pale freckles that dotted his cheeks, his strong chin covered in a copper stubble that bristled against her fingertips. For a brief second, a flash of Morrigan kissing him appeared in her mind's eye, and she almost physically winced. She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed out the picture.
"What?" he asked.
She shook her head, not knowing what to say. She lowered her head to his shoulder and let it rest there.
"I guess I can't ask you not to keep things from me, after I kept so much from you."
Eva said nothing, his reminder of the secrets he kept only helping the disturbed ache to rise from her gut into her throat. She exhaled and squeezed her eyes shut again.
That part of their life could be put behind them now. They were together again. She already committed to taking him away somewhere, so it's not like she could change her mind now. She felt his pulse quickening and his arms around her tightened into a vise grip.
"Eva," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I love you."
The words traveled through her and helped to extinguish the unsettled feeling. Yes, Alistair loved her. Alistair had always loved her.
She picked her head back up and kissed him again, letting her hands find and hold his face as she explored his mouth with her own. She sat up and brought her legs around, lowering herself back onto his lap in a straddle. Their limbs wrapped around each other, holding tightly, and she felt the stirring between his legs as his manhood grew hard between them. She lost herself in her kiss, her tongue sliding over his, entwining. Her fingers threading through his hair and grabbing on. He let his head rest in her grip, and she gently pulled it back so that she could find the smooth skin of his neck with her mouth. She took mouthfuls of him in, letting her tongue run over the salty, velvety skin, finding the racing pulse that held the music of his life. His breathing heavy beneath her and he slid hands under her clothes and up the bare skin of her back.
Eva shed her shirt and his hands found her breast, squeezing and caressing her nipples until they hardened and goosebumps rose around them. She gasped as he pinched just hard enough, finding that perfect measure of force that mingled pain with pleasure, and made her whole body sing.
They stopped reluctantly to scramble off the rest of their clothing, spreading a cloak on the ground before them. Eva lowered herself down into Alistair's lap again, her mouth finding his instantly and letting her tongue explore every inch within her reach, as other parts of him explored her further down.
She arched her back at the thrill that raced over her as Alistair's hands did their work on her skin, pulling and caressing, his palms smooth and heavy as they tried to devour her.
She opened her eyes and found his Amber gaze looking right back into her. The sky had now turned a deep purple above them, but the little nook they set their camp in was bathed in a warm flickering light from the fire. His skin and hair seemed to glow with a golden sheen from the firelight, making him look healthy again.
They kept their eyes locked into each other as they moved, slowly and inexorably building up the sweet crescendo of pleasure that they were so practiced at, their bodies moving with automatic knowledge of the other's.
"I love you Alistair," she said. His eyebrows raised to a slightly pained expression as they looked into her, his amber eyes exuding a mixture of sadness and relief that struck a deep chord in her heart. And he crushed her to him, his lips trembling in another deep, passionate kiss. His hands found her head and they brushed through her hair until his fingers were up against her scalp, holding her head tenderly to his face. His lips gently sucked and pulled on hers, stifling every sigh, ever moan that escaped her throat.

She hoped their cries of release didn't carry far across the surrounding fields, but was too entrenched in the sea of sensations to think much about it.
After, she stayed wrapped around him and they held each other upright. She let her face rest in the nook of his shoulder so that every breath she took was drenched in the scent of his skin.
"I suppose she we should probably eat," she said.
"Yes, food would be good," he agreed.
She rose and dressed, walking over to the packs she had removed from Zuni's saddle. There sat the full casks of wine, and a small pack of cold chicken and cheese. She gathered them up and returned to Alistair, who sat shirtless looking into the fire. His eyes met hers as she approached and for a moment she was transported back five years, to the time of the blight. How many times had their eyes met over the flames of a campfire? She handed him a portion of food and refilled the wine, losing her mind to memories of a time long past.

The first time they camped, it was just him, Morrigan, Sten, Leliana and Eva's Mabari, Zeke. There were awkward silences as the strangers all crept around each other, setting up their tents and speaking mostly about the blight and the stories they had heard from others in their towns. But a sense of purpose emerged as the new recruits sat in a circle and questioned Alistair about the darkspawn, curious to learn all that he knew of the archdemon. She and him had been the only ones at camp who had faced darkspawn by then, and Alistair answered everyone's questions with as much detail as they requested. But Eva found herself just watching him silently as he spoke, mostly to Leliana who had come up with thoughtful question after question. Looking from Leliana, to Morrigan and back to her, Alistair had taken them all in with intelligent eyes and an easy wit. He held himself with a quiet regality that was reflected in his straight posture, and the effortlessness with which he bore his metal suit of armor.

She wasn't sure she'd had much time to just observe him before the first night camp, and she liked what she saw much more than she expected to. He had an easy smile that was at such odds with the seriousness of the situation they were in, and Eva realized that she would briefly forget about the fear that was eating away at her when she saw him smile, or heard him make a silly joke. At some point he noticed her eyes watching him, and she found that as he spoke to Leliana his eyes flicked in her direction more and more. She was quiet then, allowing him to take center stage. She did not feel confident enough to answer any questions herself, and she had already had most of her own questions answered by Duncan at Ostagar.
When Leliana and Morrigan were satisfied and retreated to their tents, only Eva and Alistair remained. Alistair stood and came to sit beside her.
"You've been quiet," he said.
"Have I?" she asked.
"Something bothering you?"
"You mean besides the demons pouring out of the ground and the imminent end of the world?" she joked, earning her a quiet laugh.
"Yes, besides that." he said, shingin gleaming eyes of gold at her.
"I just wonder at our chances of defeating the archdemon with only two Wardens left, one of whom is a brand new, untested recruit."
"You wouldn't consider having to fight our way up to light the beacon a test? I saw you fight and I was definitely impressed. I can see why Duncan wanted you for the Wardens," he said.
"The only actual fighting I had done before was in practice with my brothers. Even Leliana and Morrigan have more experience in true combat than I do," she said. "I just hope I don't endanger them, or you."
"Look, all I know is that I trust Duncan. And if he thought that you were Grey Warden material, then he must have had a good reason to think so," his eyes were warm and kind as he spoke, inciting a small flock of butterflies to take flight in her stomach. Any discussion of Duncan always brought a noticeable note of sadness to his voice, but she saw him struggle through it, trying to keep his upbeat tone. It was clear he was doing it for her, and her heart warmed to him even more.
"And actually, to know that you are as good as you are with so little experience is a little intimidating. Enough practice and you won't need my help at all, you'll be able to knock that pesky archdemon off all by yourself without batting an eye," he continued. Eva felt a blush creep up her cheeks.
She laughed. "Will you help me? We could practice together, or if you think of it, just give me some pointers?" she asked.
"Oh I see, trying to make me redundant as quickly as possible, then?" he said.
"Even if you were redundant, I'd still keep you around for the entertainment value," she smiled, holding his eyes for a heartbeat longer than than necessary.
"Ahh, so you think I'm entertaining? Finally someone sees my true gifts. I shall be immortalized in legends as the wacky court jester who carried the hero's slippers and refilled her wine," he joked back.
"Oh, do we have wine? Why didn't you say so? I prefer red, ideally with a pinch of cinnamon."
"Well aren't we fancy?" he laughed. "I wish we had wine. Let's make a point to get some of that in the next town."

He reclined back to rest on his elbows and she tried to press her smile down, not wanting to look too smitten.

"A pinch of cinnamon, you say? I've never heard of anyone taking their wine like that before."
"Well, it goes a long way to improve the really bad stuff. It would probably ruin the good stuff," she shrugged.
"Hm. I'll have to try that. Look, though. For what it's worth, I'm not worried. You seem real sharp and you are obviously very hardworking and willing to learn. And I am not kidding about being a little intimidated. I have no concerns having you fight by my side," he said giving her a little nudge with his elbow, his voice turning serious.
"Thank you Alistair." she said softly, her arm buzzing where his had touched her.
"Don't mention it. So, I suppose I should go ahead and find out now; where do you keep your slippers?"
She laughed, "Ah, a glass of wine and a pair of slippers and this campsite would feel as lush as any palace."

Two weeks later, Alistair had surprised her by sneaking up behind her and reaching around a to place a full goblet of wine into her hands. Floating on the top was a small pinch of cinnamon.