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Hoping One Day We'll Make A Dream Last	By : kruemel Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 3679 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Dragon Age and the characters of the game do not belong to me. This is a no profit fanfiction

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
"This is the virility of an average man."
"To me it looks like a tomato vine in a pot," I said. "Rather dull in comparison, huh?" Solona slapped the back of my hand when I tried to pluck one of the ripe tomatoes. "Hey! Ow! What is it with you women that you always slap me! I bruise easily and..."
And that's when Rori took my hand and patted it gently. "Pat it." She pressed her lips at my hand. "Kiss it." Brushed her thumb across my palm. "Stroke it."
"Aw, come on, I'm not a baby... though, admittedly, I sometimes behave like one..."
Rori flung her arms around my waist, completely ignoring my protest. "Hug it." Formed a circle with her amrs. "Three days sunshine." Twinkled her fingers above her head, moving them down to chest height. "Three days rain."
"I'm a man, you know. A manly man and... Duh! Rori!"
She took my hands to clap them between hers. "Little hand all well again." Then she pinched my cheek and tiptoed to kiss the tip of my nose. I opened my mouth to thoroughly complain but that's when she grabbed me by the front of my shirt and kissed me breathless. Afterwards I was all flushed and grinning stupidly and had totally forgotten what to complain about.
"Gal, whatcha call average?" Oghren grunted. "This is the pride of Orzammar yer talking to!" He stuck his hand down the front of his pants and began fumbling around with whatever was inside.
Solona rolled her eyes. "More like the prick of Orzammar," she muttered under her breath. "This tomato vine represents the virility of an average man. The soil the fertility of an average woman, okay?" She lifted another pot onto the dissceting table. "And this is the virility of a Grey Warden." It also was a tomato vine, a blackish shrivelled one with mostly small rotten and rather smelly tomatoes. Only one branch still wore green leaves and a single tiny red fruit.
"Alas, average doesn't seem that bad anymore now," Zevran remarked merrily.
"And this..." Solona heaved another pot onto the table. "... is your virility, Alistair."
"HA!" I boomed, grinning from ear to ear. I hooked my thumbs in my waistband and smirked proudly at the average men. My tomato vine was twice as big as theirs with more and bigger tomatoes.
"The problem is...," Solona went on, a glass filled to the rim with ichor in her hand. "... this." She poured the ichor into the soil and within the next minute the tomato vine began to shrivel and die as corruption spread over it.
"Oh blast!" Rori breathed. "That... that's no good, is it?"
"Here." Instead of an answer Solona shoved a vial filled with a greenish liquid at me. Rori received a similar one.
"Errr... what is that?"
"A contraceptive," the doe-eyed mage said flatly.
"You indeed aren't much of a patriot," I observed sullenly. "I do know, it's not the Fade spirits that bring the babies."
"Too bad," Rori sighed. "Free delivery babies from the Fade. It would save us so much trouble. No mess, no pain, no gaining weight... No shrivelled tomato vines..."
"The samples showed male Grey Wardens in comparison to normal men lose most of their virility," Solona explained. "But not you." She pointed at me. "You absolutely... overshoot..."
Next to me Oghren and Zevran began to giggle. "Overshoot," Oghren puffed and blowed, nudging the elf. "Get it? Overshoot! Hehehe."
"It has to be something magical," Solona mused, tapping her index finger at her chin. "Did something weird happen to you like... five months ago?"
"For real?" I groaned. "About anything that happened during the last year was somewhat weird."
"Magically weird," Solona specified.
"Oh, well, now that really narrows it down," Rori said sarcastically. "Magically weird things that happened in Brecillian Forest. Where to begin?"
"Anyway, neither siring nor conceiving a child is a problem for you and Rori..."
"You breed like rabbits, my lovely friends," Zevran translated helpfully.
"But Rori will miscarry over and over again as her taint is too strong," Solona went on. "It's like poison for the baby. As long as we have not found a way to protect the baby, you shouldn't risk another pregnancy."
"And there I was hoping for some good news for once," Rori sighed.
"You are an inveterate optimist," I observed.
"At least you had some fun finding out," Rori mused. "That part wasn't that bad for me either."
"And here you go again," I laughed. Grinning, we clinked our vials, toasted and downed the contraceptive.
Afterwards, for the next hour I sat at Solona's desk, doodled stick figures on the margins of important looking papers and fought about a piece of cheese with that greedy rat. Okay, it was his cheese, but really, he could have shared. It was a rather oversized piece for that tiny an animal. Even one with a Grey Warden appetite.
Meanwhile Rori planned how to save our lives. It was mainly about where to get which important information and how to maintain lyrium supplies - there me being king came in rather handy. Which people to recruit and how to finance the researches. It was her way to deal with things. She went for trial and error because there was nothing much more she could do. She would try over and over again and try harder. Mine was to see where she would lead and then trudge behind. I was far too overwhelmed by all the new rather unpleasant revelations to really deal with them right now.
When Duncan had first told me I had about thirty years left until my Calling, I had just shrugged. Rori had taken the news with as much insouciance. We were so young, thirty years sounded like eternity for us. Ten years - now that was quite a difference. My first instinct was to bury my head in the sand and just pretend everything was fine. Unfortunately the prospect of turning into a ghoul was hard to ignore. Dagna perhaps should add some special effects to her Alistair and Rori action figures...
"Alistair? Hey, are you listening? You're not stealing Cullen's cheese, are you?"
Caught red handed when I had tried to shook the rat off the cheese by lifting both off the table, I dropped gnawer and cheddar and offered Rori and Solona a wide rather sheepish and far too guilty grin.
"Stealing from a helpless, innocent animal! Shame on you," Solona scolded me when Cullen hid in her sleeve, cheese between his teeth.
"Innocent!? He bit me!" I pouted, presenting my thumb as a proof. Rori sighed, rolled her eyes, cocked her head to one side and regarded me with that look, loving, amused, slightly unnerved. You most certainly have seen it on your woman's face, too. It's that look women wear when their men behave like big babies. It's universal. "Ahhh, no, don't bother, my little hand is all well, really!" I hurried to say in order to save the bit of male dignity I still possessed before she could chant that nursery rhyme again.
Solona wanted three more samples of my overshooting virility for more researches. When Rori and I finally delivered I was kinda sore and walking funny and Rori had cramps in her wrist. I wasn't looking forward to spending the rest of the day on horseback. I was drained... err... no, I don't mean it like that! Okay, that, too! But more like... exhausted... emotionally exhausted.
Crossing the bridge again, the wind attacked us mercilessly once more. Right in the middle, Rori so suddenly stopped, I bumped into her. She whirled round and biting her lips, regarded me thoughtfully for a moment. I had seen that look in her eyes before. "Alis...."
"Oh no! No! Not again! Shush! Zip it! Silence! Don't say a word!"
"Not again what?"
Instead of answering I swept her in my arms and kissed her. It was a smothering kiss all extras included. The luxury version of a kiss. I had to make a point. One she would not question again. "How often do I have to repeat I want to marry you and nobody else?" I sighed, fumbling in my pocket for the ring. "I've asked Sandal to make a real engagement ring for you." The daisy I had given her had joined the rose and had survived thanks to lyrium. I still wanted her to have a real engagement ring. Rori wouldn't have minded to go without one, but I'm rather old-fashioned when it comes to romance. "I wanted to wait for the perfect moment, but ..." I shrugged. Perfection wasn't meant for us. We did have a lot of special moments. Very special. None of them had ever been perfect. They were still precious to me. Probably more than they would have been when everything had been perfect. I dropped the ring twice before I finally managed to slip it on her finger. Sandal had designed a ring of daisies with diamond petals and a dot of gold in the middle of each tiny flower. The young dwarf adored Rori and had poured all his heart into this enchantment. With Sandal one never knew about the outcome since he himself had no clue what he was doing. I was sure, though, this ring would turn out as something extraordinary.
"This is beautiful," Rori gasped, smiling broadly at me. "Oh Alistair, I love it! And I love you! More than the ring. Of course. Much more. Very very much more... Ah, blast it!"
"And I love you. That's all we need to know," I chuckled.
"Well... I would like to know about a cure for that blasted Calling," Rori muttered.
"If anybody can find one it's you."
Flinging her arms around me, Rori pressed to my chest, snuggling into the warmth of my fur-trimmed cloak. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, closing my eyes when I rested my cheek against her head. We stood there, holding each other while the wind howled around us, tearing at our clothes. We braved the storm huddled together, finding strength and comfort in each other - until my ears became so cold I feared they would fall of. What a sight would that be? A king without ears? So enough braving the storm. We certainly wouldn't run out of headwind considering what lay ahead of us.
Two days later, close to Vigil's Watch we encountered a large group of darkspawn at a burnt down farm house. Really, what were they still doing here?
They quickly learnt they better should have gone underground. Rori and I attracted darkspawn like shit attracts flies - Oghren's words, not mine. He had a point, though. The beasts dropped everything to charge us as soon as we came into sight. Teagan was right at our side, sweating and cursing under his breath.
"It's easier to herd cats than to look after you!" he grunted, blocking a blow that could have easily split my skull.
I was too busy fending off half a dozen Genlocks to think of a smart reply. Rori in my back made it round a dozen.
Yeah, we were quite busy staying alive. Ahhh, the good old times...
Meanwhile, with a battle cry Sten swung his sword against an attacking ogre - once he had climbed off his horse. His riding skills make Master Dennet weep only thinking about it. Even I pale in comparison. And honestly, I don't think I'm as bad as they say I am. It's like a self-fullfilling prophecy. Everybody expects me to fall off my horse... What? Oh, yeah, the darkspawn...
It was the largest ogre I've ever seen, a giant of its kind. Its black skin maimed by dozens of nasty scars. I call myself lucky it decided to go for the large warriors of our group - namely Shale and Sten. It grabbed the golem and - with some effort - lifted her off the ground, roaring in her face as it tried to squish her rather unsuccessfully.
""It is moments like this when I am grateful for the inability to smell," Shale sighed with a frown but otherwise unperturbed. She wiped the ogre spittle off her face, then headbutted it, breaking its ugly nose. Hollering in pain, the ogre flung Shale aside. knocking down several soldiers and darkspawn when the golem crashed into them.
That's when Sten arrived. A force of his own he collided with the ogre and drove it backwards, lifting his huge sword to strike and bring it down on the ogre's arm in a forceful arch. Steel cut through flesh and bone, slicing off the limb. The ogre countered by punching Sten in the chest, sending him to the ground. It lifted its large foot to smash the Qunari - when a heavy rock hit hauled by Shale the back of its head so forcefully, it broke through the bone and got stuck in the skull. The ogre's eyes rolled back in its sockets and the large beast tumbled over. The golem hurried to help Sten back to his feet and together they re-entered battle.
All the time while we were fighting, I couldn't get rid of the feeling there was something odd. I mean, there was all this darkspawn and they behaved like they always do, lots of snarling and snorting and trying to chop our heads off. Business as usual... And still, something was different... I didn't know what it was but my guts told me to be careful... Until Shale began flirting with Sten. That was so damn odd, I completely forgot about the darkspawn.
When the last darkspawn had bit the dust, the golem constrainedly stalked around Sten. "I wish to say that it has been pleasant fighting at the Qunari's side," Shale finally boomed, watching her feet as if she had never seen them before.
"I feel the same," Sten answered after a moment's hesitation and several times of clearing his throat. "You are a remarkable construct, kadan. A warrior to be feared."
"No more than the Qunari, surely. The way it strikes down its foes, marvelous!" Shale raved, her eyes shining.
"I smile each time you roar a battle cry, knowing our foes tremble," Sten admitted. I swear he blushed.
By then the two of them had an audience.
"Awww, this is so cute!" Leliana chirped, clapping her hands excitedly.
"Alas, who would have thought our grumpy Qunari friend is a philanderer," Zevran remarked cheerfully.
"Hmph, his taste in women is somewhat... strange." Oghren shook his head in disbelief.
"I always thought you dwarves love stone," I said.
"I could watch you fight all day long," Shale went on dreamily. "The skill you display, the form, how the light plays on its muscles..." Shale's voice faded. Embarrassed she shifted her weight when the giggling behind her back grew louder. Lelinan even squealed. "I mean... yes. Well done. With the fighting."
"You, as well." Sten uneasily cleared his throat.
"Right," Shale muttered curtly, glowering at her grinning companions. She certainly was tempted to crush some heads..
"Big softie," Leliana smirked, passing by the stupidly grinning Qunari. The smile fell off his face at once, replaced by sheer grumpiness. "Oh Shale, my dear, I think I haven't yet told you how Sten led the attack at the gates during the Battle of Denerim. It's a marevelous tale of a fearsome warrior striking his foes and the light that plays on his muscles..."
"The sister seems to have a death wish," the golem grumbled.
Rori had missed the whole show. She was standing amidst dead darkspawn and frowned.
"Hey! You've missed Shale hitting on Sten! And the other way round!" I chuckled, truly amused. Not that I would have noticed without Zevran and Leliana pointing it out to me.
"As long as they don't kill each other," Rori muttered absentmindedly. "Like the darkspawn."
"No, that's not what I meant with hitting... err... what do you mean? And what are you doing?"
Rori crawled around on hands and knees and plucked arrows from darkspawn corpses. "Why should darkspawn kill their own kin?" she wondered, showing the arrows to me. Definitely darkspawn crafted.
"I don't know. Friendly fire? They accidentally hit their buddies? Oh, there are more of them. Boy, that archer must have been drunk. Do darkspawn get drunk? And this one has a darkspawn axe stuck in its darkspawn skull.... Weird... Perhaps they are confused without the archdemon leading them?"
"They share a group mind. They feel and think and act as one. Them killing each other is as if you cut off your own arm."
"There was a templar once who cut off his arm becaue he was convinced it was possessed... That's what lyrium can do to your mind, you know. It was a real awful mess... Ugh... Anyway, darkspawn killing each other, best thing that can possibly happen, isn't it? Saves us some effort."
"I'm not sure. I don't like this. Not at all." Rori shrugged, then putting her hand on my arm led me farther away from our companions. "Do you think it's related to you know what I mean?" Rori whispered to me.
"I was wondering about that since they don't seem to be in much of a hurry to return to the Deep Roads," I admitted uneasily. "But why kill their kin?"
Rori shrugged, hugging herself uncomfortably. "Perhaps our Grey Warden reinforcement can tell?"
"Ahh, haha, yeah, them... They haven't arrived yet from Orlais, but they've already sent... questions." Actually their letter had read: WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE!? STAY WHERE YOU ARE! DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID! WE'RE ON OUR WAY! "What should I tell them?"
"Uhm? Certainly not the truth?" Rori grinned sheepishly.
"That a maleficar saved you and then ran off to have my demon baby? That has a certain ring to it, right?" I chuckled.
"I so would love to see their faces," Rori giggled.
"Ha! Yeah! But, no... I think I will keep that to myself. I can shrug and look stupid. It's a talent."
"Oh, you are a man with many talents," Rori purred, the sound of her voice sending shivers of pleasant anitcipation down my spine. I suddenly couldn't wait returning to Denerim and our bedroom. I wondered if they by now had gotten that dressing table with the mirror... "What if our decision has... consequences?" Rori clonked the darkspawn arrow against my armour and POOF went my soggy day dream. "We might have to tell them."
"Perhaps all this has absolutely nothing to do with us?" I said hopefully.
"Your word in the Maker's ear!"
Denerim came into view a few days later and it was quite obvious Levi hadn't wasted any time rebuilding the city. The capital was buzzing like a beehive, there was activity everywhere. Men, women, children, everybody able to work was up and about. A spirit of optimism joined by a vibe of hope and determination had brought Ferelden's people together to make things happen. On our arrival we were greeted by cheers and applause. It felt so odd. I mean, nobody had ever cheered when I had arrived somewhere. Quite the contraty. Back at the Chantry my appearance usually had everybody groan and shake their heads in exasperation. And now people gathered around me, trying to touch me as if I was some walking talking good luck charm. I did so much waving and smiling my arm felt like falling off and my face was rather stiff when we finally arrived at the palace.
I had expected Eamon to be the first one to greet me. He was beat to it by Ser Cauthrien. She came running as soon as we passed the gates and jogged next to my horse to talk to me.
"Hey! Dagna made an artificial arm for you!" I observed with a smile. Cauthrien did not smile. Quite the contrary.
"This dwarf is a lunatic! You have to stop her! Look at what she did!" Cauthrien waved her arm in front of my nose.
"It seems to work quite well. What is wrong with it?"
"What is wrong with it!? Well, that is wrong with it!" The female knight raised her artificial arm, a dark metallic thing with many glinting runes. She shifted her wrist, her hand folded back and flames shot from the opening, causing everybody close by to run for cover.
"WHOA! COOL! A flame thrower!" I exclaimed excitedly.
Cauthrien glowered at me just like she had done when I had been the traitor and Loghain her hero. "Not cool," she snapped.
"Nooooooo?"
"Two fingertips shoot poisonous arrows! One is a grapnel," Cauthrien hissed angrily. "The thumb is a lighter and the index finger includes a toothpick, scissors, a saw, a corkscrew, a nail file, a knife and a cheese knife!"
"And this is not cool because?" I wondered out loud since to me it sounded awesomely cool. I was actually quite envious. Especially the cheese knife could come in handy sometimes...
Instead of an answer Cauthrien pressed a button and next a tiny crossbow emerged from her arm, pointing at me.
"Not cool because?" I repeated.
"She just wants an arm that's an arm," Rori butted in. "This is an arm-oury!"
"An arm that's an arm sounds rather dull in comparison, doesn't it?"
"Boys and their toys!" Rori snorted. "I'll talk to Dagna." Knowing Rori and how she and Dagna worked together Cauthrien's arm afterwards would spray toxic gas in addition.
"PUP!" Angus Mac Eanraig roared as soon as he caught sight of us. The bulky giant of a man, bounced down a set of stairs with the giddy excitement of a little child, grinning from ear to ear.
"Uncle Angus!" Rori cheered at seeing her uncle up and about. "Hey, you got a new peg leg. Dagna's work? What can you do with it?"
"I can walk with it," the red haired giant said slowly, frowning at her question. "Pup, there's something..."
"Yes, but what about the special features?" Rori interrupted, suspiciously eyeing her uncle's leg.
"Whatcha talking about, lass? It's a leg. A fine one, too."
"Cauthrien's arm includes a cross bow and a flame thrower, knives and such..."
"What!? I gotta talk to that dwarf," Angus muttered sullenly. "And you, you should talk to your brother, Pup."
"Fer-fergus?" Rori gasped stunned.
"That's the only one I know of - unless your father shared Maric's habits and sired a bastard," Bann Mac Eanraig chuckled.
"He... he's alive? He's here? Oh, sure, of course he is. Stupid question, huh? Uhm, wow... my brother..." Rori grinned sheepishly, nervous and excited, happy and sad at the same time. "But... what should I tell him? About Mother and Father, Oriana and Oren? Oh blast!"
"You want me to come with you?" I asked, reassuringly squeezing her hands.
"That's sweet, but... no... I... I'd rather... you don't mind, do you?" Rori stumbled over her own words.
"I don't mind at all. I'll be there if you need me." I smiled, nuzzling her nose, earning myself a smile in return.
"Off you go," Angus said, gently pushing her in the right direction. "He's waiting for you in Alistair's office. And I will talk to that dwarf."
"Oh, I'll come with you," I said. "I do have some real great ideas of how to pimp my throne..."
- 6
- 7
- 8
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Hoping One Day We'll Make A Dream Last