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In good times and in bad	By : kruemel Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 14749 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Dragon Age and the characters of the game do not belong to me. This is a no profit fanfiction

Chapter List
- 12
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- 14
Connor is alive and the demon gone. I cannot express my gratitude, my vocabulary seems to lack the words to even get close to tell Rori how thankful I am. Sure, we still have to find a way to heal Arl Eamon but after what she did for Connor I 'm pretty sure she also will succeed in rescuing the Arl. Not to mention all the blood mages and demons we killed when we cleaned the tower for the templars. And all those we saved including Irving and Cullen. Add our vacances in the Fade - yes, we've been rather busy. That probably explains why Rori gets so excited when Teagan invites us to stay at the castle for the night.
"A bed! A real bed!" Rori throws herself onto the mattress and hugs the pillow like she has never in her whole life seen one before. "I am not going to get out of bed before we have to leave tomorrow. Can anybody tell the servants I will eat in my room?" Rori declares, her face buried in the pillow. "Oh wait, I will get out of bed for a hot bath. Hot bath.... awww, that sounds nice. No icy rivers, lakes, ponds. Steaming hot water with foam bubbles." She kicks off her boots and crawls under the blanket, pulling it over her head.
I stand at the door, watching her with growing amusement. When she doesn't reappear, I clear my throat to announce my presence. "Rori?"
"The person you have called is temporarily not available." A muffled voice answers from under the blanket.
"I have to talk to you."
"Does that mean I have to get out of bed?"
"Um, no."
"Then you may speak."
"Do I have to speak to the blanket or will you show me your lovely face?"
Rori crawls out of her blanket cave but she still refuses to get out of bed. "Don't even try to make me get up, Prince Charming. I won't. No way."
"And there I thought it was my part to get you into bed instead of out of it."
"You shouldn't worry about getting me into bed. Getting you in beside me is the more tricky part of your mission."
"So that's my mission then, right?"
"You tell me."
"Oh, maybe I will. But not now. I came here because I want to thank you for what you did for Connor. It means a lot to me." Arl Eamon is almost family and so are his son and wife - even after she made Eamon send me away when I was a child I hold no grudge against her. Not anymore. Rori could have taken the easy way but she didn't. I will never forget that. "That's what I wanted to say," I end when my little speech is over. "Now I will leave you alone to enjoy your bed."
"Alistair," she calls when I turn to leave. She pats the mattress, prompting me to take a seat.
"So, getting into bed with you already?" I tease. I don't receive an answer but when I sit next to her she takes my hand and turns my palm upside. Then she gently places an amulet in it. I stare at it for a while uncomprehendingly. It is a symbol of Andraste. Many cracks and lines have marred the surface. I look up at Rori, her gaze wide and expectant, then back at the amulet.
"This... is my mother's amulet. Where do you find it? Why isn't it broken?"
"Here in Redcliffe, in the study."
"Oh? The Arl's study? Then he must have found if after I threw it at the wall. He repaired it, kept it. I can't understand. Why would he do that?"
"Maybe he cared for you more than you thought."
"Thank you. I mean it. I thought I'd lost it to my own stupidity. I need to talk to the Arl about it after he recoveres... when he recovers."
"Of course he will. We'll find the ashes and everything will be alright." I wish I had her confidence. The way she says it makes this sound like a sunday afternoon stroll in the park. She smiles so brightly I almost believe she's happier than I am about the recovery of my mother's amulet. And that would mean she's happy because I am.
"I'm so glad it's not lost. But don't thank me, thank the Arl. He put it back together. I just saw it lying there on his desk and figured it could be yours."
"You remembered me mentioning it? Wow. I'm more used to people not really listening when I go on about things."
"Huh? Did you say something?"
Haha! Yeah, that's more like it should be. Rori hits me with her pillow when I wave my hands in front of her face. "Hello?! Do you hear me?"
"I do. Now get out of here. I want to take a nap. Maybe this time the nightmares give me a break."
I close the door behind me as silently as possible. That also means closing it slowly and that means I can glimpse at Rori through the crack of the door far longer. There's a tugging in my heart, a longing that I have never felt before.
It's quite clear: At this point I need some advice.
I have never actually wooed a woman. But that's what I will have to do now. Either woo her or admire her from afar and die from a desire never satisfied. And no, it's not what you think! I didn't mean it like that.
See, that's the reason why some advice isn't a bad idea at all.
Right next to Rori's room is Leliana's. She almost collides with me when she comes bursting out of her door, humming cheerfully to herself.
"Alistair! Isn't it NICE that Bann Teagan allows us to stay? I will sing tonight for our hosts. I am so excited. See that dress Isolde allowed me to borrow?"
"Nice," I mumble when she pirouettes. It's certainly a pretty dress, lime green silk with a silver floral patern at the hem and silver birds in silver trees on the belt around her waist. Leliana feels encouraged enough by my reply to show me her shoes as well.
"And look at these boots! Lady Isolde has such a good taste. You can tell she's from Orlais only by looking at her wardrobe." Dark green boots with heels so high I wonder how she can actually walk in them without breaking her ankle. The boots have silver buckles and quillings. It's far too exaggerated for my taste. Leliana sighs blissfully. "Sometimes a girl just wants to have pretty feet. In Orlais I had more shoes than you can ever imagine. All sorts of forms and colours. Boots and bootees, sandals and... "
I have no clue what's the difference between a boot and a bootee and I doubt it will ever be essential knowledge.
How to get her from talking about boots to answer what I want to ask her? "So... you're female, Leliana, right?" I interrupt when she talks about velvet ballerinas - shoes, not dancers.
"I am? That's news. When did that happen?" That's not how I planned this, but at least she has stopped talking about shoes.
I squirm a bit but I guess it's better to endure an embarrassing moment with Leliana than to make a complete fool of myself in front of Rori. "I just wanted some advice. What should I do if... if I think a woman is special and..." Why is this so hard? Everything should be as easy as smashing in a darkspawn skull. Life would be far less complicated that way.
"You want to woo her? Here's a good tip: you shouldn't question her about her female-ness."
Sigh. "All right, yes. Good point."
This is the point where I wish for a hole in the ground to open and swallow me. I want to get away but now Leliana has me on the hook. "Why do you ask? Are you afraid things will not proceed naturally?"
"Why would they? Especially when I do things like ask women if they're female."
"It adds to your charm, Alistair. You are a little awkward. It is endearing." Leliana pinches my cheek and beams at me patronizingly.
"So I should be awkward?" This for sure feels awkward. AWKWARD. In capital letters. "Didn't you just say not to do things like that?"
"Just be yourself. You do know how to do that, don't you?"
"All right, forget I asked."
This having turned out as a complete failure I return to my room and lie on the bed, wondering about how I should be myself when being myself always seems to end in a catastrophe. I don't want Rori to think I am awkward. I want her to... I don't know. I'm too confused to think straight. Then it's time to get ready for dinner - including the time for a bath and hunting down a servant to help me find some fresh clothes that don't make me look like a clown. All this finely embroidered silk makes me feel uncomfortable but I also don't want to look like a tramp when attending dinner.
When I rummage in my backpack for some clean underwear I find a small box in between a sample of socks that desperatedly need to be washed. I have almost forgotten about that box. I found it in Lothering after I plucked a single red rose from a dead looking rose bush. I put the blossom into the box and then stuffed it into my backpack where it stayed until today. The flower for sure has died by now. The thought makes me sad as I picked it to not leave it there for the darkspawn to taint it. When I open the box the rose is as fresh and crimson as it was the day I plucked it.
Surprised I take it out of the box, only then noticing the small traces of powder both in the box and on the flower. Lyrium. I accidentally put the rose into a box that once held the lyrium of maybe a templar. The lyrium must have preserved the flower and prevented it from dying.
I put the flower back into the box and pocket it when the servant calls me for dinner. Teagan and Isolde are already there with Ser Perth when I enter the dining hall. Morrigan has taken place at the far side of the table. She hasn't changed into something less revealing which really is a pitty. Sten has folded his long frame onto a chair that looks like kids furniture in comparison to his size. Wynne is already chatting with Isolde. She still looks tired and worried but now Connor is save, hope has returned to her. Leliana makes her entry a few moments later, carrying her lute.
Only Rori is missing.
I take it she indeed stays in bed. But then the doors open once more and there she is. I can't help it, my jaw drops open and I gawk until Teagan kicks my shin under the table.
Rori is wearing a powder-blue silk dress with a pale golden embroidered hem and a golden belt around her narrow waist. The only jewelry she wears is a white gold headband of intertwined leaves and flowers. She is breathtakingly beautiful.
"Wow."
"I could not have said this better myself," Teagan next to me agrees. I glare daggers at him, causing him to hold up his hands in defense. "Peace, young man, I got the message."
Rori gracefully floats towards the table, pleasantly greets the assembled guests and then approaches her seat next to me. I jump to my feet so quickly I knock my chair over, just to beat the servant in helping her getting seated. My reward is the sweetest smile. Lifting the hem of her skirt as not to step onto it, she gracefully slides onto her chair. That's when I catch a glimpse at the shoes she is wearing. I bite my lips to stop myself from chuckling.
"I didn't know leather hunting boots were the latest fashion to go with Orlesian silk dresses," I murmur into her ear once everybody else has gone back to making conversation.
"You haven't seen the shoes Isolde picked for me to wear with that dress. I could kill someone with these heels. First of all myself when I stumble and break my neck," Rori hisses back.
"You look bewitchingly beautiful in that dress."
"I better do. The corset is killing me." She wiggles around on her chair to find a position at least a bit comfortable. "I have no idea how they suppose me to eat anything when they squeeze my intestines into an ivory cage. Not to mention breathing. Whoever invented this instrument of torture must have thought it unnecessary for women to fill their lungs with fresh air."
"Beauty knows no pain."
Rori snorts in a way far from ladylike.
When the food is served she eats like a bird, although her eyes are huge and dark with hunger. I feel so sorry for her that I can't enjoy my food and showing solidarity hardly touch what the servants load onto my plate.
As soon as she can leave without proving to be rude she does. I excuse myself as well, causing Ser Perth and Teagan some amusement according my hurried exit, and easily catch up with her before she can disappear inside of her room.
"I know where the kitchen is." That's all I got to say. Rori groans yearningly.
"You have to help me get out of this dress," she says as she pushes the door to her room open and pulls me inside after her.
"I beg you pardon?"
"I cannot open the lacing on my back on my own. Even an escape artist couldn't do this without help. You have to do it. Hurry." She turns her back to me and I fumble with the laces. Whoever tied her up did a damn solid job. This dress is better than any chastity belt.
"Here." Rori pulls a dagger from her boots and hands it to me. "Just cut it open."
"But..."
"ALISTAIR!" she cries.
Sighing I run the blade through the lacing. The dress falls off her shoulders, revealing her beautiful back. Then she is gone out of sight behind the screen. I always thought the first time I'd get to undress her in a bedroom would be a bit more romantic.
When Rori emerges from behind the screen she wears a beautiful dark blue velvet dress, matching the colour of her eyes. It's not as exclusive as the one she wore before, the one I ruined and have no idea how to explain to Isolde why I did so. This dress looks far more comfortable. It suits her better. It's more like Rori. In the powder-blue silk dress she looked breathtakingly beautiful but also artifical. Part of her charm is her unsophisticatedness. Now she recovered it, she grabs my arm and drags me along.
"Kitchen. Which way?"
I take the lead. Her stomach rumbles loudly and mine answers. It's so silly we both have to laugh so hard we almost topple down the stairs.
The kitchen is empty that late at night, so Rori and I can raid the larder without having to explain why we sit on the floor between the shelves and barrels, the boxes and jars, and stuff ourselves with food as if we haven't had anything to eat in weeks.
"Looks worse than when Barkley got into Nan's larder back at home," Rori says once the hunger is tamed. We clean the mess we made but that cannot hide the biting marks on the cheese - I so love cheese! - ham and bread. In the end we decide to destroy the evidence and pack all the things that could give us away into a huge basket.
This is one of the most peaceful moments I was yet granted to experience with Rori. It is strange because without the Blight and all the tragedies I'd never gotten to know her. We'd never have met. Now with all our loved ones and brothers in arms dead, there's only she and I left.
"Come on, I show you one of my most favourite places in the castle. I used to hide there when I was a boy."
There's a huge arched window high above the ground in the entrance hall. You can reach it when you climb onto one of the statues flanking it. Then it's not much of an effort anymore to pull yourself onto the wide window sill where even two grown ups can comfortably sit and watch what's going on below. The stained glass in the window shows the crest of Redcliffe and behind the bordeaux tapestries with yet more crest symbols on both sides of the window, you can safely hide.
Rori and I sit on the window sill with the basket in between us and a bottle of wine or two and listen to the rain drum at the stained glass. It's one of these perfect moments I will always remember.
I give a rather apt imitation of the Revered Mother when I tell Rori about my life at the Chantry. She laughs so hard, I have to grab her arm to stop her from falling off the window sill. She leans against me for support and smiles at me shyly, I smile in return and that's when she blurts out: "I really do enjoy your company."
"I was just thinking the same," I admit all flustered about how close she is. "Given the circumstances, things could have been much worse. I am grateful that you are you... and not some other Grey Warden...Umm... that sounded better in my head." Much better. And less awkward. "I just mean to say that I can't imaging having done this without you..."
"My sentiments exactly," Rori slurs, beaming brightly at me.
"Now we only have to be rid of the pesky archdemon and everything would be normal," I chuckle bashfully, wondering about how Rori over and over again manages to make my heart beat faster.
It's past midnight when we finally climb down to return to our rooms. That's also when I remember I got the box with the flower still in my pocket because I almost smash it when I land on my ass when Rori loses her footing and we both tumble down.
"I think I've had too much wine," she hiccups, trying to scramble back to her feet. I help her stand and she holds on to my arm for support. Although I can't get rid of the feeling she doesn't need as much support as she wants me to believe. But who am I to complain?
"I think we both had." Or I wouldn't even consider doing what I do when we reach the door of her room. It's my last chance and nervously I pull the box from my pocket and hand the rose to her.
"Here, look at this. Do you know what this is?" Stupid question to ask. Of course she knows it's a rose.
"Your new weapon of choice?" she teases, aiming the flower at me as if it was a wand.
"Yes, that's right. Watch as I thrash our enemies with the mighty power of floral arrangements. Feel my thorns, darkspawn! I will overpower you with my rosy scent!" At least I make her giggle. That's a good sign, right? "Or, you know, it could just be a rose. I know that's pretty dull in comparison."
"Sentiment can be a very potent weapon," she points out during her hiccups.
"I picked it in Lothering. I remember thinking: How could something so beautiful exist in a place with so much despair and ugliness? I probably should have left it alone, but I couldn't. The darkspawn would come and their taint would just destroy it. So I've had it ever since."
"That's a nice sentiment." She turns the rose around in her hands, her fingertips caressing the soft petals. "It's amazing it's still so... fresh... as if you just plucked it," she muses.
"I thought that I might... give it to you, actually. In a lot of ways I think the same when I look at you."
Now, that makes her blush. She's almost as red as the flower she holds to her lips. But Rori wouldn't be Rori if she didn't know exactly how to do a riposte. "Feeling a little thorny, are we?"
"Wow. 'She'll never see through that,' I told myself. Boy, was I wrong!" I grin, she grins and it's all a rather awkward but beautiful moment.
"Thank you, Alistair, that's a lovely thought."
"I'm glad you like it." And relieved. Boy, am I relieved! "I was just thinking... here I am doing all this complaining, and you haven't exactly been having a good time of it yourself. You've had none of the good experiences of being a Grey Warden since your Joining, not a word of thanks or congratulations." Instead she was hauled into a deadly battle right after drinking a cup of poison and was labelled a traitor for risking her life to light a beacon that had never been meant to be lit. As if that didn't suck enough, her family got slaughtered right in front of her eyes. "It's all been death and fighting and tragedy. I thought maybe I could say something. Tell you what a rare and wonderful thing you are to find admidst all this... darkness."
For what seems like an eternity she just stands there with the rose in her hands, blinking at me with her huge blue eyes. "I feel the same thing about you," she finally whispers. I can hardly understand her because all the time through my little speech her hiccup hasn't stopped. It's an incredibly cute sound.
"I'm glad you like it. Now... if we could move right on past these awkward, embarrassing stage and get right to the steamy bits. I'd appreciate it."
There it is, this demonic grin of hers that means nothing but trouble. Mischievous little vixen! "Sounds good! Off with your clothes then!" She grabs me by the front of my shirt, attemtping to pull me into her room. This very moment I don't know if she's joking or not. Maybe she's just better at bluffing.
"Bluff called! Damn. She saw right through me."
"You're so cute when you're bashful." Rori lets go of my shirt and instead tiptoes to kiss my cheek. That doesn't make things any better for me. How could she turn this all on me when it was her blushing deep crimson only such a short time ago.
"I'll be... I'll better go to my room until the blushing stops. Just to be safe. You know how it is."
"Good night, Alistair." Her way to say my name is like music. Even when she stretches the syllables thanks to her hiccup.
"Good night, Rori." Her door closes in my face and I still stand there, grinning like a complete retard. That's when Wynne comes staggering down the corridor. She can hardly keep herself on her own feet and keeps bouncing at the walls.
"Wynne! Are you drunk?"
"Only a little tipsy, son, only a little tipsy."
And then she just collapses and I am left standing there with a knee-walking drunk granny mage. Great. Just exactly what I was looking for. I manage to drag her to her room and just when I haul her onto her bed, her eyes flutter open. "Alistair? What are you doing?!"
"Uhm... errr..." But she has passed out again. I so do hope she remembers none of this tomorrow.
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In good times and in bad