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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
- 17
- 18
- 19
Shortly after leaving Ostagar, it begins to snow. First it's only soft flakes, covering the ground and with it the destruction and death like a thick white blanket. It's so silent, the only noises are our footsteps crunching in the snow and the rattling of Sten's and my armours. The peaceful moment is treacherous, though. A few miles down the road and we're in the middle of a blizzard. The wind howls and bites like an angry dragon, the snow stings like ice shards in our eyes and we struggle forward, sinking into the snow with every step we make.
"We have to hold each others hands or we'll get lost!" I shout to make myself heard against the storm. The road has disappeared. Everything is just white, no chance to see the horizon.
"We have to find shelter." Wynne's words are blown away by the wind as soon as they leave her mouth.
Good idea, just where to find it? Back to Ostagar? We'll never make it that far.
"We have to be close to the camp. The tents won't give us much shelter but at least more than staying out in the open," Rori shouts. Her cheeks are burning red, her lips slightly blue.
"We will never find them in this blizzard." I look around for some place where we can light a fire and get warm. But I can't even make out Sten who's last in the row.
"We won't, but Barkley will." The Mabari woofs and when Rori tells him to find our companions, he runs off. We try to follow his footprints, as not moving seems like a very bad idea, but they soon are covered with snow. In the distance we hear Barkley bark.
"This way," Rori takes the lead, pulling me along into the direction of Barkley's barking. I hold on to her hand and to Wynne's. It is even more exhausting for her to walk through the snow. She often stumbles and I have to help her back to her feet. She doesn't complain, though. A tough old lady she is.
I almost feel like telling my companions I'm going to sit down and take a rest when Barkley's woofing becomes louder. Sten picks Wynne up and carries her like a child in one arm. Maker have mercy, let Barkley have found shelter for us or we're all going to die in this blizzard.
Rori cheers when the Mabari comes running towards us with long strides. It looks kinda funny because he disappears in the snow every time, only his ears sticking out. When he finally reaches us, the poor dog is gasping and hot despite the cold. He barks excitedly and we hurry to follow him as fast as we can.
And then right in front of us as if someone had pulled a curtain aside, there's the inn. There's light shining through the windows and without wasting a thought on who could be in there, we all burst through the door.
At the fireplace, wrapped in several blankets, sits Zevran. "Would you please close the door," is the first thing he says. "Fereldan weather is as cold as Fereldan women." He casts a pointy look at Leliana and Morrigan.
"Forget it, elf, nobody will warm your bed tonight," Morrigan hisses. She is standing next to the fire, stirring whatever is in the cauldron dangling above the flames. "Maybe you have better luck with the dog." Barkley snorts same time as Zevran.
Rori drops down in front of the fireplace. Her fingers are too stiff to even pull off her gloves. I'd help her but my hands won't function either. In the end it's Leliana to first wrap Wynne in another set of blankets and get her seated next to Zevran. Then she peels Rori, me and Sten out of our armours.
"This archdemon of yours is going to freeze to death. Blight over. World saved," Zevran slurs sourly once we all sit around the fire with a bowl of Morrigan's hot potato soup in our hands.
"At least the Crows won't come looking for you here," Rori points out when she helps herself to more soup.
"True, this is the most unlikely place I could ever be in." The elf already sounds far happier. His deal with Rori certainly is a win-situation for him. I am not sure yet if Rori will gain any profit.
We are lucky to have found this abandoned inn. The owners fled from the darkspawn and left anything back they could not carry. Ever since Redcliffe we didn't have such a comfortable stay. After dinner I sit in a corner, polishing my weapons and armour. Rori is trying to beat Zevran in a cards game. She stands no chance and soon has lost all of her money.
"I'm broke. End of game."
"Not necessarily," Zevran grins. "Do you know what strip-Wicked Grace is?" Of course she doesn't know. I don't either. "You discard one piece of clothing for every game you lose."
Watch your mouth, elf! I glower at him but it only seems to amuse him.
"Uhm... no, thanks," Rori refuses. Good girl.
"Why does nobody ever want to play with me?" Zevran sulks.
"Because you cheat," Morrigan points out, casting a look at him over the rim of that black book with the leaveless tree on the cover she has been reading lately.
Rori, still fully clothed, comes to sit beside me. She watches me tending my weapons but by the way she bites her lips and keeps wiggling around on the bench I can tell there's something on her mind.
"If you were raised in the Chantry, have you never...," Rori blurts out and then blushes, bites her lips and glances at me with huge round eyes.
Ahhh, so we're having that conversation now?
You have to be a little more explicit, though, my dear. Asking me such questions, it feels a bit awkward. If she wasn't so obviously uncomfortable herself, I couldn't even stand looking her in the eyes now. Rori makes it easier in all her cutely embarrassed glory.
"Never? Never what? Had a good pair of shoes?" I'm not planning to go easy on her.
"You know what I mean..." She nudges my ribs, frowning at me, her frustration obvious. Hey, if you can't say it why do you think I can?
"I'm not so sure I do. Have I never seen a basilisk? Never ate jellied ham? Have I never licked a lamp post in winter?" I don't know where that comes from. Probably it's all the snow outside.
"Now you're making fun of me!" So much exasperation. You know me, Rori, that's how I am. You didn't expect anything else, did you? Well, maybe she didn't expect anything at all. She looks as if she wishes she'd never brought this topic up.
"Make fun of you, dear lady? Perish that thought." The way she glares at me is utterly adorable. "Well, tell me, have you ever licked a lamp post in winter?" I give my voice a seductive quality, emphasizing every syllable. Never before have I made the word lamppost sound so dirty.
Rori blinks at me, dumbfounded for now. Hey, did she really think I wouldn't ask her, too? "No, I have never licked a lamp post in winter," she mumbles, her face lit with the most beautiful blush ever.
Well, she is a young but yet unmarried noble woman. She really shouldn't have licked any lampposts in her life. But, you never know. I doubt she's lying. Not the way she squirms as if she wishes for a hole in the ground to open and swallow her.
"Good. I hear it's quite painful. I remember one of the younger initiates did it on a dare, once, there was pointing and laughing, oh the humanity."
I can tell by the look on her face that she's wondering now if we actually really talk about the same. We do, Rori, we do. Don't worry about that. It's just not a topic I would be blunt about. And it seems even you have lost your bluntness here.
"I myself have also never done it. That. Not that I haven't thought about it of course." Especially when with Rori. She makes me have thoughts so sinful I'm expecting a lightning to strike me everytime I look at her. "But, you know..."
Am I relieved she never did that before? I don't know. I certainly cannot rely on her taking the lead here. She's as clueless as I am. Is this good? Of course I like the thought that I could be her first man. It also terrifies me. What if my performance doesn't satisfy her? And why in Andraste's name am I worrying about that now? I only have first kissed her yesterday!
"You never had the opportunity?"
"Well, living in the Chantry is not exactly for rambunctious boys. They taught me to be a gentleman. Especially in the presence of beautiful women such as yourself. That's not so bad, is it?"
"No, not bad at all." She smiles. "You think I am beautiful?"
Fishing for compliments now, are we? "Of course you are and you know it. I told you so before."
"I know but I like to hear you saying it," Rori purrs. She reminds me of a cat. One that has gotten the cream. I wouldn't be surprised if she stretched, rubbed her head at me and meowed.
"You are ravishing, resourceful and all those other things you'd probably hurt me for not saying."
"I would never hurt you!" Rori protests.
Ahh, I'm not too sure about that. She indeed has the tendency to hit me when I say something stupid. Not like beating me up, but better be careful with a woman with so much violent tendencies.
Of course I know that's not what she means. And I appreciate her saying so. It makes me feel safe around her. Safe to be who I am without having to watch my step and my mouth. Safe from any treachery or lies. Rori, I feel, will be honest with me in anything she does.
"Nor I you." That earns me a kiss to the tip of my nose and one of her brilliant smiles that makes her whole face shine, especially her eyes, these two beautiful pools of midnight blue.
"Especially not when you say things like that. There are worse things to say to a girl."
"For sure there are."
We sit there in silence for some time, both polishing our weapons, while we try to get over how awkwardly embarrassed we are. It's also cute, but, well, you know, confessing to a girl you like that you never have... licked a lamppost in winter... that's nothing you do everyday. Plus the last time I - accidentally - let slip that piece of information, it ended me with a whore my brothers in arms bought me. Not that I made use of her. I like to imagine my first time of lamppost-licking as something special and beautiful. Yes, I'm a romantic. I can't help it.
I clean Duncan's sword and dagger. It feels good that at least they could be retrieved. I still wish I could have done the same for Duncan as we did for Cailan. Well, I guess, it's not meant to be. Grey Wardens who feel the Calling also don't get a nice funeral. They fight the darkspawn in the Deep Roads until they fall and then... darkspawn fodder. It's sad but it's nothing I could change.
I can tell Rori isn't done yet. She still has something on her mind as she keeps glimpsing at me. If she doesn't watch out, she'll cut herself with her blades. You shouldn't be goggling your fellow Grey Warden when you handle sharp knives.
Finally she cannot stand it anymore. I'm surprised she actually managed to keep silent that long. "And what about kissing? Have you ever kissed before?" she blurts out.
Here we go again. "You want to know all the juicy details, don't you?"
"Blame me, I'm a curious girl." Her sheepish grin is making up for her nosiness. And to be honest, I'd like to know, too.
"You are. And to answer your question: Not really. Have you?"
"Well, I guess I have. But... not like that." Before I can ask her what 'not like that' could mean, she shows me. Wrapping her arm around my neck she claims my lips for a longlasting deep kiss. Thankfully she has put the dagger down before. With that boisterous passion of hers she has a tendency to pounce me. And I'd rather not have her carry any unsheathed blades then.
"I see," I gasp once she lets go of me. Good to know that kind of kissing is a premier for her, too. It makes me feel so... special. Out of all men in Thedas this beautiful, sassy and clever woman chose me. Someone please pinch me. It feels like a dream. "So what was it like then?"
Rori snuggles comfortably against me before she begins to tell her tale. I nuzzle her hair. Oh, that fresh scent of verbena! I so like the feeling of her in my arms. What have I been missing all that time that I wasted due to the lack of opportunity? However, if I had had more opportunities then would Rori still be as special to me as she is? And would I have wanted any opportunities if they were not with Rori?
"Well, the first time I lost a bet and had to kiss Ser Gilmore," Rori holds up her hand to count down her kissing experience.
I don't know Ser Gilmore but I instantly can't stand him.
"I was eight then and Ser Gilmore wasn't a Ser of course. He was ten and I think it was even worse for him than it was for me. All the other knaves made jokes about him and me for at least half a year. And it wasn't a real kiss. We were kids. I had to chase him around the table for ten minutes and corner him until I got to kiss him while he tried to fight me off."
Awww, isn't that cute.
I think I can pardon Ser Gilmore. He's not such a bad guy after all.
"The second one was Vaughan Kendells."
What? That deviant? I really thought Rori has a better taste in men. After all she has me and I am not at all like Vaughan. Oh, wait... Knowing Vaughan this is nothing I will like once I hear it.
"Arl Kendells and my parents obviously thought he and I could marry." Rori snorts loudly. Obviously she didn't share their opinion. I could have told her parents it was a very very bad idea indeed. "Well, Vaughan tried to be nice in front of everbody and then took me for a walk. I didn't want to go but Mother said it would be rude. So we walked and then suddenly he threw me at a wall, grabbed me by the throat and shoved his tongue into my mouth. Ewwww!" Rori shudders and pulls a face like she has just bitten into something rotten. I can't blame her. I am equally disgusted.
Vaughan Kendells is dead meat. If I ever meet that prick again, he'll die. I swear he will.
"What did you do to him?" I cannot believe Rori just let this happen. And I am looking forward to hear of the punishment Vaughan received and deserved.
"I bit his tongue, rammed my knee between his legs and shoved him down the stairs. I think he learnt his lesson," she says with grim satsifaction.
With her he did but with all the stories I've heard about him, he has to meet a hundred more women like Rori before he might even consider to change.
"Then there was that awful old geezer Bann Ceorlic. He tried to grope and smooch me. Barkley locked jaws with his lower backside."
"Oh, I wish I could have seen that! Such a good dog!"
"It was priceless! Ceorlic couldn't sit for almost a year after that." Rori giggles. At least she can see the funny side of being molested.
"I am beginning to feel quite lucky that I got to kiss you without having been beaten up and attacked by an angry mabari." And I am beginning to feel that I have to write a list of people to deal with. Top of the list: Loghain MacTir. But Vaughan Kendells and Bann Ceorlic have just made it there right below. Of course there's also Arl Howe. But I'd never steal Rori's revenge - although I'd happily skin that blasted bastard alive if she asked me to.
"What about..." I search for the name she once mentioned, the bastard she had a crush on. "Curtis?"
"Oh, Curtis didn't care about me."
"But you said you liked him?" I am confused. I cannot understand how anybody could not like Rori. She is adorable from head to toe.
"I did. But Curtis was more into girls like Delilah Howe. He said I'm not a real girl."
"You are a real girl." For sure she is. She has everything a real girl needs and the right amount of it in all the right places.
"Real girls wear pretty fancy clothes and pretty uncomfortable shoes they can't walk in. That's why they always need a man to lean on. They have parfumed handkerchiefs with lace and faint whenever there's something exciting happening. Real girls scream for help and wait to be rescued. They for sure don't beat up guys like Vaughan." She shrugs. "At least that's what Curtis thought to be real girls. Anyway, he was more into Delilah and I... well, I don't think he really noticed me."
Curtis for sure is the biggest idiot in Thedas.
- 17
- 18
- 19
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In good times and in bad