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The Last of the Couslands	By : MistressofMagic Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 4401 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Bioware and EA own everything associated with the Dragon Age universe. I am making no money off of this fan fiction.

Chapter List
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Chapter 52
The Final Night
It turned out that rescuing the elves was a lot harder than Bridget originally thought, and she didn't take the situation lightly to begin with. She and her friends tore through the abandoned apartments looking for any clue that could lead them to the elves. Thankfully, one elf could bear Bridget's interrogation no longer and revealed the location of the other prisoners. Eventually after many battles with the slave traders, Bridget found them, only to be stopped by a Tevinter Magister. Surprisingly, Morrigan was the one who took him on. He drew ice, and she fire. Bridget, Alistair, and Zevran did what they could to the other enemies in the room without getting caught up in any of the magic. Alistair at one point suggested that he could try to use his Drain technique, but Bridget reminded him that Morrigan would be affected by it as well. Eventually the Magister lost and could go on no longer. After delivering the killing blow, Bridget searched his body and found just what she was looking for, concrete evidence that Loghain was behind all of this. What Bridget found was a set of documents carrying Loghain's signature stating that he was permitting this horrible act to be put in place. After looting some more bodies, Zevran found a set of keys and unlocked the large cage that held about fifteen or so elves. Valendrian, or so Bridget assumed, stepped forward and took her hands in his.
"Brave, brave woman…I cannot thank you enough. Without you my brethren and I would have suffered a fate much worse than hell itself. Can I offer you anything in return?"
Bridget shook her head.
"Not at all. My only wish is that you return to your people. My friends and I have taken care of the mages in the Alienage and we will soon have the man that was responsible for this punished. You have my word."
The lines in Valendrian's face deepened as he smiled warmly. Bridget escorted him and the other elves back to the center of the Alienage. She and her friends were nearly thrown down by all of the other elves who were running out to greet those they thought they had lost forever. Bridget turned to see Shianni reunite with her father. The young elf hugged him tightly and once she caught Bridget's gaze, nodded in her direction. Before exiting the Alienage, Valendrian announced that Bridget and the others would always be welcomed guests. By the time they were back in Denerim's main district, the sun had nearly set. Bridget stretched.
"That was some fine magic you used back there, Morrigan." She stated.
Morrigan smirked.
"Of course it was. I performed the spell, didn't I?"
Bridget chuckled and turned to look up at Alistair. Her smile slowly faded from her face as she stared up at him. Alistair wasn't smiling…which was a sign right there that something was wrong because Alistair always smiled. His eyes were out of focus…and it looked as if he were deeply concentrating on something. Bridget made it a point to talk to him later, once they were alone. She led the others back to Eamon's estate. After arriving, Zevran went off to find Leliana and Morrigan retired to her room. Bridget climbed the stairs to head for Eamon's office with Alistair trailing behind her. Upon entering she saw that Teagan was present, and his face was red. Not embarrassed red either…it appeared the two of them had been arguing. Bridget thought back to the morning when she had seen Alistair and Eamon apparently in the middle of something. Was this man purposefully trying to piss every one off? Because from the look on Teagan's face, that's what it looked like.
"Ah I see you've returned. What was going on in the Alienage?" Eamon asked.
He sat behind his desk and folded his hands in front of his face. Bridget pulled the papers out of her pack.
"Apparently, Loghain tried to sell off some elves to Tevinter Magisters." She stated.
Teagan whipped around, his face turning completely white. Eamon's own eyes looked like they would fly across the room.
"Slavery? Maker…" he whispered softly.
Bridget handed him the documents so that he could read them for himself. After a moment of scanning the papers, Eamon sat back in his chair and sighed heavily.
"I never thought he would turn to this. Slavery is illegal in Fereldan. With these papers clearly brandishing his signature…Loghain will not stand a chance."
Bridget nodded.
"My thoughts exactly. He can't put this on anyone else."
Eamon nodded.
"We will be sure to bring these papers with us tomorrow. Thank you, Bridget for all of your hard work."
Bridget smiled and turned on her heel.
"After all that rescuing I'm hungry."
She walked towards the door but stopped when she noticed Alistair wasn't behind her. She looked over her shoulder.
"Are you coming, Alistair?" she asked.
Alistair opened his mouth to respond but Eamon beat him to it.
"There are things we must discuss." He stated.
Bridget nodded, deciding she could just listen outside of the door but Teagan walked towards her.
"I myself am hungry as well, my lady. I'll escort you to the dining hall and see if dinner has been served."
Bridget frowned slightly, knowing that her plan was now thwarted, but smiled at Teagan and left the room with him.
Once they were gone, Alistair slowly turned to face Eamon. Eamon looked at him, and for a long moment, nothing was said. Knowing that they would get nowhere, Eamon broke the silence.
"The Landsmeet is tomorrow, Alistair. Only twelve hours away. I need to know if you have made a decision."
Alistair swallowed.
"I have not yet made one…but I am sure I will soon."
Eamon clenched his jaw, but tried to keep his temper in check.
"Alistair…we have been over this. It is either your country or your silly romance! Be the bigger man here and choose what is best for everyone!"
Alistair sighed and gripped the back of the chair he stood behind. Why was it so hard for Eamon to understand how difficult this was for him?
"How can you think this is an easy decision to make?" he asked quietly.
Eamon folded his hands in front of his face once again.
"Kings do not make easy decisions, Alistair. I know that this is difficult for you but there are more important things than just what you want."
Alistair looked up at him; his eyes glistened over with the ghost of tears.
"But I love her…I cannot just…" he couldn't even bring himself to say it.
Meanwhile, Zevran happened to pass by the door. His ears picked up on the soft voices inside, which perked his curiosity and making him press his ear against the door.
"Alistair…you must listen to me. You cannot be with Bridget. You have to end whatever it is you have with her. You call it love…but I do not think you know what love is being that you were in the Chantry for most of your life. This is just a simple fancy of your heart. Yes you will be sad, but you will heal…and when you do, you can look for a bride who can provide you with an heir."
Zevran's eyes widened. No…no…Alistair could not possibly be considering…
Hearing footsteps nearing the door, Zevran sprinted away and hid in a dark corner. Alistair opened the door and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Zevran watched as he let his hand linger on the door before bringing it to his eyes and rubbing them. He emerged from the shadows then and walked towards his friend.
"Alistair…is everything alright?" he asked slowly.
Alistair looked at him and Zevran noted that he had never seen one man look so utterly tormented in his entire life. Alistair glanced down the hall before motioning Zevran to follow him. They entered a nearby room and Alistair closed the door behind him. A comforting fireplace sat nearby with loveseats and chairs placed around the room. Alistair walked towards the fireplace and braced both of his hands against the mantle.
"I have been at war with myself ever since we got here. I will go insane if I cannot tell anyone else…but you have to promise me not to say anything to anyone, Zevran."
Zevran, already knowing a little of what this was about, swore to keep his mouth shut. Alistair sighed and spilled everything that he had kept bottled inside for so long. He explained what Eamon had said about needing an heir, making it look like the Grey Wardens were trying to control Fereldan, and how he had to make the impossible choice between his home and his love. A long, long silence fell after Alistair had finished explaining everything. Zevran, instead of feeling sorry for his friend, was absolutely furious with him. He stood and shook his head.
"Why do you not just defy what this Eamon says? Make Bridget your queen anyway! Sure there may be complications, but who gives a damn when you have a woman like her beside you! And what if Eamon is wrong? What if you two can have children, it's just difficult? Alistair…are you really prepared to throw your heart away just because someone tells you to?"
Alistair looked at Zevran and buried his face in his hands.
"I don't know what to do! Eamon has made valid points,"
Zevran gaped at him.
"I can't believe you are even considering listening to this fool! Alistair…if you do this to Bridget…there will be no going back. You do realize that you can't fix this with an apology and a joke…right?"
When Alistair didn't reply, Zevran sighed and sat on the loveseat opposite him. Another long silence ensued before Zevran said,
"You can't do this to her…you just can't. Alistair, Bridget has lost everything, she has nothing. You are the only thing she has to live for and if you do this…I'm not sure how she would take it."
Alistair sighed.
"Bridget is strong, though."
Zevran narrowed his eyes.
"Being strong in battle is different than being strong with her heart. Alistair his will devastate her."
Alistair once again didn't reply, causing Zevran to shake his head and stand.
"I hope that you will make the right choice, Alistair…the choice where everyone benefits in the end. Sure you might make a few people angry, but they'll get over it. I also hope you know when I'm referring to people; I'm not talking about Bridget."
Alistair looked up at Zevran and after a moment, nodded slowly. Zevran walked towards the door and opened it before stepping through and exiting. He shook his head and smiled. Alistair would make the right choice, he just knew he would. He'd be stupid to let Bridget go after all they had been through. Zevran's rumbling stomach quickly made his thoughts change as he headed for the kitchen.
XxX
A few hours later, Bridget sat in her room and stared at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed out her long hair. Her thoughts wandered to Alistair as she felt her insides clench with nerves. He had been so very different lately…and Bridget realized it was always after he had been speaking to Eamon. Recently however, he seemed even more uneasy to the point where it was like he was avoiding her almost. He seemed constantly distracted by something, and it was beginning to affect his fighting as well as Bridget recounted many times earlier in the day she had to shout at him to watch out or end up killing something that he was too distracted to even notice. She glanced over to her bed and noticed that Zeus was sound asleep. Bridget stood. She was determined to get to the bottom of what was going on and wasn't going to sit and wait to see what happened. She walked out of her room and gently closed the door behind her. She turned and marched straight to Alistair's room. Upon standing outside the door, she raised her hand to knock, only for the door to open. Alistair stared down at her and stepped to the side as Bridget entered his room. Alistair closed the door and sighed. Bridget furrowed her brow and crossed her arms.
"Alistair, something is wrong with you…you've been acting strangely ever since Fort Drakon. You're worrying me sick so please, tell me what's wrong. You can talk to me, Alistair." She said.
Bridget walked up to him and drew her brows together. She lifted his chin so he had to look down into her eyes.
"Alistair, I love you. You can tell me anything and I swear I will keep it between us. Please tell me what's troubling you?"
Alistair raised his hand and caressed the side of her face. He couldn't find it in himself to tell her what was wrong…what was likely to come. He smiled at her, and he knew Bridget must've seen through it because she placed her hand atop his.
"What's wrong?" she asked, almost pleading now.
Alistair licked his lips and sighed. Maybe he should tell her. After all, she did have a right to know, he assumed. He opened his mouth to respond before Bridget's eyes widened.
"Wait…I think I know what it is." She stated.
Alistair closed his mouth tightly. Bridget furrowed her brow.
"Are you upset because I told you about my past with Gilmore?" she asked softly.
Unknowingly, Bridget just provided him with a fantastic outlet. Alistair relaxed a bit and sighed.
"Will you think ill of me if I said I was upset?"
Bridget raised her eyebrows.
"Well no but I thought it was something a lot more serious than that the way you've been acting."
Alistair hated to lie to her, and promised himself that he would do something to make up for it later.
"No it wasn't anything else…just that." He stated.
Bridget looked up at him and shook her head.
"Alistair, I was very young when Gilmore and I began sneaking around. It was wrong, we were caught, and I learned my lesson from it. He was my first love, yes…both in the emotional and physical sense…but it was over long ago, and now it can never be again. For the sake of the Maker, Alistair…you can't still have doubts about our relationship now!" she exclaimed.
Alistair blinked. If Bridget knew the implication of her last sentence…he was sure she wouldn't take it well. Bridget pulled him into a hug and rested her chin on his chest.
"Alistair, I love you. I will always love you. Once all this mess is over and done with I want to marry you and have a family with you. I mean that." She whispered.
Alistair felt his lip tremble slightly. Maker if only he had the courage to tell her…
Bridget buried her face into his chest as she felt Alistair's arms tighten around her. If only she could tell him her wonderful plan...that she would be his queen once he was king…it would certainly make things easier. Alistair pulled her away from him just enough to bend his head and kiss her deeply. Bridget returned the kiss and opened her eyes when it broke to stare into Alistair's gaze.
"Stay with me tonight." He whispered.
Bridget didn't have any intentions on returning to her room anyhow and nodded. Alistair kissed her deeply again, wrapping his arms tightly around Bridget's waist. He broke the kiss after a moment and lifted her with ease. Alistair carried her across the short distance to his bed, and gently laid her atop of the blankets. Alistair returned to her not a moment later, already working on removing her gown. Even more scars were sketched onto her skin than he remembered…as if her body was a canvas of wartime. He took his time and memorized every scar, every freckle, the softness of her skin. He looked back to her face and noted just how blue her eyes were, how her lips resembled the color of a fresh pink rose, how the firelight made her hair glow in so many different shades of gold. He relished the feel of her skin against his and hoped he could remember what it felt like in the future. Alistair wasn't going to let this moment end anytime soon. He closed his eyes at the sensation of Bridget's fingertips running down the length of his spine, how she could magically remove any tension he felt in his shoulders with just a simple touch was a mystery to him. Alistair lost count of how many times he said he loved her as his lips touched every inch of her soft skin that was exposed to him. More than once he thought his tears would escape him, but they didn't. He had to be strong and make sure she knew nothing was wrong. All that mattered in that moment was her and him. The others could fade out of existence for all Alistair cared…because it was just the two of them surrounded by nothing but their love for each other. The time came where Alistair couldn't stand it anymore though, and he buried himself within Bridget's depths. He held her close when her body trembled with release and buried his face in her neck when his own cry of pleasure came. Once they're breathing returned to normal, Alistair held Bridget to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and raised himself slightly to find that she was almost asleep. The embers in the fireplace were beginning to die out, and soon they would be encompassed by nothing but the darkness of the room. Alistair closed his eyes and kissed Bridget's shoulder.
"Bridget, I want you to know that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Throughout all of this you were the one bright light in the darkness…and no matter what happens, I will always love you." He whispered, nearly choking on his tears.
Bridget, already halfway to diving into her pool of dreams mumbled,
"And I will always love you…"
She, like the nearby fire, burned out then. Alistair sighed as Bridget's breathing became deep and slow. At least she would be able to sleep…he would not be so lucky. Alistair didn't want to sleep anyway, he just wanted to watch her. Alistair repeated her last sentence over and over again…with a heavy sigh he made his decision. Now all he could do was wait…and hope that it was the right one.
A/N: Sorry this took so long guys, real life has been really busy lately. Okay next chapter is the one you've all been waiting for: The Landsmeet! I'm not sure when I'll have it posted since I've got two papers coming up for my Psychology and English class, but hopefully I'll have it up here soon. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Thanks as always for reading and reviewing! :)
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The Last of the Couslands