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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
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With a startled cry I escape from the nightmare. It's dark, with only a soft reddish glow somewhere at the corner of my eyes. For a moment I don't know where I am and frantically begin to grab around for my sword to defend myself against whatever could sneak upon me. That's when someone gently takes my hands.
"Hush," Rori whispers softly. Letting go of my hands she caresses my cheek. I lean into her touch, closing my eyes. I only realize I'm trembling when she embraces me and begins to run her fingers through my hair calmingly. She sings to me, a soft and sad tune. I have only heard her sing once before for Cailan when we paid our last respect to him. She has a beautiful singing voice. It's not as sweet as Leliana's. You can hear her Orlesian upbringing in her songs, whereas Rori's voice is like the rough and wild lands of Highever, beautiful but fierce. It's a voice that carries the echoes of misty mountains and dark woods, of deep waters and the grey sea. It's a voice made for the music of fiddles, bagpipes and drums.
I rest my head in her lap and listen to her sing of clear skies and cold winds, of the dark green forests and the creatures of old living there. She strokes my hair gently all through her song, chasing the images of the nightmare away. I feel save. And beloved. I've never had anybody to love me unconditionally. My mother died, my father didn't care. For my sister I am useless unless I give her money. Now, for the first time in my life there's this one person who really cares about me. Not because I'm a king's son or because of some oath or obligation. Not because we fight for the same cause. For the very first time I am loved simply for being who I am.
When she finishes her song, I sit up to kiss her. And then I make love to her again. This time without the fear of failure, the nervousness and awkwardness that was part of our first encounter. It was still beautiful. So very beautiful it makes my heart ache in that fuzzy warm way that comes with the fluttering in my stomach. This time it's all tenderness and pleasure. We don't say a word but let our bodies sing to each other. And I am truly united with her in body, heart and soul.
Afterwards she lies in my arms and we watch the night turn grey as the stars fade.
"Your song was beautiful," I mumble sleepily. "Why don't you sing more often?"
She draws patterns on my bare chest again with her index finger. I patiently wait for an answer, expecting it to come when I wonder if she has fallen asleep. "I don't know. I used to... back in Highever," Rori finally says. "Mother wanted to teach me something ladylike. Embroidery, weaving, playing the lute, fancy court dances, all that kind of cultivated things. But I proved a total failure." I can hear her sad smile. "Mother totally couldn't stand Arlessa Howe. She always gave her my embroideries or tapestries as gifts, acting as if they weren't completely ugly. There maybe is still some proof of my lacking talent in Vigil's Watch, hidden in some dark corner, but still there in case the teyrna showed up so they could hang it somewhere for her to see."
She speaks with fond amusement of her mother but the grief makes her voice husky. I kiss the top of her head, holding her for comfort.
"Then father had mercy and gave me a fiddle and I was allowed to learn the folk dances and music of Highever. Mother said a lady shouldn't sing drinking songs about sailors. Papa used to tease her about it because Mama knew more sailor songs than anybody else. During the war against the usurper she sailed her own warship, you know. I liked these songs and in the end they let me sing and play the music I wanted. Papa always said I am too much like my mother and she shouldn't try make me be someone I am not. I don't know why I stopped singing. Maybe because of the memories. There are so many of them."
I recall having told her Duncan was from Highever. I said I would like to do something to honour him, return there and set up a statue or something. But it didn't occur to me then what she has lost there. She doesn't even know what happened to her parents after their deaths, if they had a proper funeral. I very much doubt so and I at least have enough common sense not to mention it to her now. But I make a silent promise to accompany her when she returns after all this is over. I am not going to leave her alone - if fate allows me to.
We drift back to sleep once more and when we wake, the sun is already high in the sky. Not that this makes it any warmer. I feel reluctant to get up all because of Rori. She looks adorable and sleepy, her hair touseled and cheeks blushed.
"We have to get up. We still have an archdemon to slay," I yawn.
"Let someone else kill that stupid oversized lizard," Rori murmurs and pulls the blanket over her head.
"There's nobody else there," I remind her, poking her side teasingly.
"Oh, blast!" she curses, her voice muffled by the blanket. "And don't you dare tickling me again, Alistair!"
In the end we are driven out of bed by our rumbling stomaches. We go skinny dipping in the lake - well, I go and then have to wade back to the shore and pull Rori in because she stands there, poking one toe into the water and claiming that she rather stinks like a whole horde of darkspawn than taking a bath in that icy water. There's a lot of squealing and squeaking, she kicks and curses and giggles. But in the end she's all clean, though wet and thoroughly cold.
"Now I want to go back to bed," Rori complains with chattering teeth when she wades back to the shore. "There it at least was warm."
Awww, she's pouting.
"The others certainly have cooked coffee," I point out. Rori celebrates her first cup of coffee in the morning. If there's something that can coax her out of bed then it's the promise of coffee.
We get dressed and I try to prepare myself inwardly for the smart comments that certainly await us. Rori doesn't seem to care. Or maybe it's just lack of coffee.
"Coffee," she groans. "Hopefully they didn't let Sten cook it or we won't be able to get any sleep for the next three days. Sten's coffee would revive a dead ogre."
When we reach the camp, the elf, Leliana and the witch have gathered around the fire. Zevran's grin is so wide and knowing, I blush simply from him staring at us. Leliana unsuccessfully tries to hide her smirk behind her mug.
"Did you sleep well?" she asks sweetly.
"Did you sleep at all?" Zevran chuckles. "Ahhh, the stamina of the youth."
Morrigan rises as soon as she sees us and thrusts a mug with a steaming liquid at Rori.
"Ohhhh, coffee!" Rori's expression brightens. "Thank you, Morrigan!" She immediately takes a sip - and spits it out even faster. "Ewww, bah! That's no coffee! What is it?" She glares at the dark liquid in the mug.
"A contraceptive," Morrigan says smuggly. Rori's eyes grow wide and she stares at the witch, her cheeks burning hot with embarrassement. "You wouldn't want him to impregnate you, would you?"
"Uhm... errr..." Rori looks from Morrigan to me to the mug, back at the witch and at me again. I just stand there and look stupid while I wish to be somewhere else.
"You have an archdemon to defeat," Morrigan points out. "And there's enough idiots running around in this world. We don't have to add another one."
"Hey! Why do you always go on about how stupid I am? I'm not stupid, am I?" I feel stupid right now but that doesn't mean I am stupid, right? I look at Rori for some comfort and encouragement but she's busy staring at the mug.
"If you need to ask the question..." Morrigan sighs unnervedly. "Come on, Rori, drink this. A man who has to ask such questions should not replicate. I'd not even give him the chance to do so, but it seems you aren't very picky."
"Because it hurts my manly feelings, you know. All one of them," I sulk. More than her claiming I am stupid, it hurts that she doesn't think me good enough for Rori. I have my own doubts if I deserve her at all. I do not need someone else to fuel this insecurity.
"Then I'll be sure to write you an apology once all of this is over."
"I was educated by the Chantry," I sullenly point out. "I studied history. They don't make stupid templars."
"Then I must have been mistaken. I'm very impressed."
"No you're not. You're not even listening to me." I pout.
"My, you are smarter than you look after all. Your Chantry must have been very proud." She's so mean! Mean. Meaner. Morrigan.
"Don't worry, Alistair, my friend, you found your way into a beautiful woman's bed and that's really all you got to know in life," Zevran chuckles and pats my back. It still makes me jump every time he does that. He's a sneaky assassin. The type that usually backstabs you when you last expect it.
Rori still stares at the mug. "It's awful!" she complains.
"Like your taste in men," Morrigan snaps and crosses her arms in front of her chest. "Drink it!"
"I doubt there's much of a chance that you... uhm... that anything happens." I mumble.
"Is that so?" Morrigan arches an eyebrow. "Now, that would be some real improvement if idiots were naturally infertile."
I poke my tongue out at her, causing her to snort. "Two Grey Wardens having a child together - that's very unlikely," I explain
"Really?" Rori pushes the mug back at Morrigan. "Why so? Is this one more privilege of being a Grey Warden that I haven't yet heard about?"
"It's known of Grey Wardens having children - but either they already had them before they joined or they had them with someone not part of the order. The taint in our blood makes it almost impossible to have a child. Two Grey Wardens together, that's probably never going to happen." I cannot believe I am discussing Rori's and my possibilities of having a child together right here in front of everybody.
"Oh. That would explain..." That's all Rori says. I could swear there was a shadow cast over her eyes for a moment. But it's gone when she cheerfully declares. "Lucky me! Or I'd have to gulp down that awful brew every day."
"As you wish," Morrigan huffs, pouring the contraceptive away. "But don't say I haven't warned you."
"I've had enough to swallow already." Rori pulls a face.
That last sentence causes Zevran to burst into a roaring laughter. "She's had enough to swallow," he chuckles, nudging Leliana's side. "Such a good girl, swallows it all." The bard giggles so hard, she gets a hiccup. Rori is as confused as I am.
"What? What did I say?"
Nobody is offering to explain and all I can do is shrug. I don't like the way the bard and the elf grin at us.
"Awww, look at them. All flushed and embarrassed," Leliana squeals. "Aren't they cute? You are so cute!"
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In good times and in bad