A/N: Hey guys. Here is chapter two! No reviews yet, but the story has some hits, so I’m assuming people are reading this! There is a little tease of what’s to come in this chapter, so I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think!
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JOINING
Chapter 2
Elissa just wanted to collapse from exhaustion. It had been several days since the night she, Morrigan and Alistair had spent in the Wilds. She hadn’t slept very well that night as her dreams were assaulted by visions of darkspawn and the archdemon. When Alistair had explained to her that they wouldn’t go away, she hadn’t felt like sleeping much. She hadn’t slept since then, and she felt as if she may fall over any minute.
They had reached Lothering to gather supplies, and Elissa had been determined to rent a room in the tavern. She wanted to sleep on a bed, and not the cold hard ground. But they had been forced to leave the tavern when they had been attacked by Loghain’s men. Leliana and Sten joined their group after that, and Elissa hadn’t felt like staying in Lothering much. After they had gathered some payment for some jobs that were posted on the Chantry board, Elissa bought another pack, some health poultices and some food.
They left after that, Elissa happy to see Lothering shrinking behind them. Along the road, her Mabari, Hermes came bounding down the road. They had been separated at Ostagar and Elissa had been excited and relieved to see her faithful dog running towards her. After he happily jumped around and licked her face, Elissa felt better.
She was able to travel for several more hours, before she felt her eyelids getting heavy. The sun had begun to set already and Hermes nuzzled her hand until his head was right underneath it, almost leading her forward. She stumbled slightly as she tripped over a tree root.
“I think we should rest for the evening,” Alistair spoke up, causing everyone in the party to look at him.
“For what possible reason?” Sten asked in his deep, booming voice.
“Well, I am pretty tired,” Alistair said, trying not to be intimidated by the large man. “And it’s beginning to get dark.”
“I still don’t see your point,” Sten said.
“I believe what Alistair is trying to say is that it would do us no good to work ourselves into exhaustion,” Leliana spoke up. She too had noticed Elissa’s inability to continue walking much longer.
“As you wish then,” Sten said without caring.
The group scouted for a clearing to make camp, while Elissa allowed Hermes to lead her to a spot. She put down her pack and wearily sat. She pulled a log over and leaned against it as she watched her companions gathering supplies for camp. Alistair wandered over to where she sat. “Here,” he said, grabbing something from his pack. “You look exhausted and hungry.” He handed her a chunk of soft bread, which she took gratefully.
Hermes sat next to her, his head rested in her lap. It seemed that he hadn’t rested while he had been searching for her and he was just as tired as she was. He closed his eyes almost immediately.
“Thank you,” Elissa said. “For the bread. And for asking them to stop.”
“It’s no problem,” Alistair said, sitting next to her. “Although, if you are tired, you are allowed to speak up. When was the last time you slept?”
“When we left the Wilds,” Elissa admitted, trying not to look him in the eye.
Alistair looked stunned. “But that was a couple of days ago!” he exclaimed. “How have you been able to keep going since then?”
Elissa shrugged. “I have a lot of stamina,” she said, eating the last of her bread. “I was hoping to rent a room at the tavern for the night in Lothering, but after being attacked numerous times, I didn’t feel like staying there.”
“Fair enough,” Alistair said. “I have something for you.” He reached into his pack again.
“Is it more bread?” Elissa asked hopefully. “Maybe some cheese?”
“Well, here,” he said, handing her said food. “But that’s not what I was going to give you.” He dug through his pack once more.
“Okay,” Elissa said, biting off another chunk of bread. “What is it?” She was almost too tired to chew, but she forced herself, knowing she needed the nourishment.
“Well, I had enough coin left over after our necessities,” Alistair said, removing several things from his pack. “So I bought a tent. It’s about medium-sized, and only one, but I figured you could use it.”
Elissa paused her eating to look at Alistair in surprise. “You did what?” she asked, wondering if she had heard wrong.
“I bought you a tent,” Alistair repeated, gathering the parts of said tent and getting to work setting it up.
“Why did you buy it for me?” Elissa asked, confused. “It’s your money. You keep the tent.”
“I don’t mind sleeping outside,” Alistair said. “Besides, I feel a woman should have her own space.”
As sweet as she thought he was being, she didn’t like just being given things. She never had. Every time her father had tried to give her gifts, she would refuse to accept them until she had done something worthy of deserving them. “Alistair,” she said, turning to face him while he worked. “That’s very sweet, but I can’t just take the tent from you. It’s yours.”
“No, it’s yours,” Alistair said sternly, not pausing his work. “I bought it for you.”
“I can’t accept it!”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t deserve it,” Elissa said.
“What do you mean you don’t deserve it?” Alistair asked, looking at her curiously.
“I can’t just accept something if I didn’t deserve it,” Elissa said. “I haven’t really done anything extraordinary.”
“It’s just a tent,” Alistair said. “You need it more than I do. Maker, take the tent!”
Elissa sighed heavily and stood, crossing her arms. “I won’t sleep in there!” she said stubbornly. “You bought the tent with your money, you sleep in there.”
Alistair stood up straight, done with his work. He crossed his arms as well as he stared back at Elissa. Both were quite stubborn it seemed and they stared each other down. “You are taking my attempt to be a gentleman and squashing it like a bug!” he exclaimed.
Elissa could see there was slight hurt in his eyes and she felt bad. She knew he was just trying to do the right thing, but she always hated accepting random gifts from people. She had learned at a very young age that when someone tried to give her a gift, as a noble, they always expected for her to do something for them, or give them something in return. She didn’t mind giving gifts to people, in fact she loved it. But she had learned to grow weary of accepting just any gift.
She also had been teased for being a Cousland when she was a young child. Other children of her age would always comment on her family’s wealth and how Elissa could get anything she wanted without having to do anything. When she got older, she made it a point to do things for herself, based solely on their words, and her guilt for her family’s money. It seemed silly that she still held on to this, even when her family was gone.
Of course, her fellow Warden knew nothing of this, and she figured, to spare Alistair’s feelings, she would compromise. “How about this,” she said. “Until we get a second tent, we will take turns. I will sleep in the tent tonight, and you can sleep in it tomorrow…and so forth. Will that work for you?”
Alistair remained silent as he surveyed her through slightly narrowed eyes. He was probably wondering what her problem was. He wasn’t as always as dimwitted as Morrigan claimed he was. He could tell he might have done something to offend her slightly, he just couldn’t tell what. He decided not to waste anymore time; he sighed and put his hands up in surrender. “Fine,” he said. “But you need to go in and go to sleep right now. You can barely stand without swaying.”
Elissa knew he had a point and allowed herself to yawn loudly and nod. She grabbed her pack and bedroll and paused before she entered the tent, she looked back at Alistair. “Thank you,” she said. “I really do appreciate it.”
Alistair nodded and gave her a small wave before she disappeared into the tent. It was a lot roomier inside then she had thought. She fixed the canvas a bit before putting her pack next to the door. She removed as much of the armor as she could and laid out her bedroll. She was just about to lay down, when Alistair’s hand pushed through the flaps of her tent and a blanket came flying in, landing on her lap. She smiled softly and shook the blanket out, thankful that he was thoughtful.
Her limbs were aching and she knew she wouldn’t be awake for much longer. Lying down, she heard Hermes get up from his spot near the fire and walk over to the outside of the tent. She heard him sit down right near the entrance and smiled slightly at her own personal bodyguard. Sighing heavily, she turned on her side and was asleep within seconds.
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She would have slept the entire night, if it wasn’t for the shrieks of the archdemon and the pounding of rain on her tent. Elissa’s eyes flew open and she groaned, stretching her sore muscles. Her eyes were swimming with the visions her dream had showed her, and she rubbed them furiously, trying to get rid of them. She listened to the rain for a few minutes, before she sat up and crawled to the opening of the tent. She looked out. Hermes was sprawled out next to the tent, not minding the rain at all. She couldn’t see Leliana or Sten through the rain, but she saw the moon bouncing off Alistair’s armor, as he tried to find a dry spot in the trees.
Elissa waved to him to try to get his attention. The tent had plenty of room and she wouldn’t feel right letting him sleep out in the rain. She was relieved when he noticed her, and jogged over, his bedroll clutched to his chest. “Do you need something?” he asked, the rain having plastered his blond hair to his forehead.
Elissa moved the flap of the tent out of the way and shifted to the side. “Come inside,” she said. “I can’t leave you out in the rain.”
Alistair seemed relieved and followed her out of the storm, wiping the rain from his face. “You are too kind,” he said once inside, taking a seat by the flap. “I’ll head back out once the rain slows down.”
“You are not going back out in that!” Elissa exclaimed, moving her bedroll to one side of the tent. “Even if the rain stops soon the ground will still be soaking wet and muddy! You’re sleeping in here.”
“Oh, no I couldn’t do that,” Alistair said.
Elissa rolled her eyes. “And the tent is yours, remember?” she asked, lying on her bedroll. “Alistair, for once, to hell with being a gentleman and just lay down.”
He looked back towards the tent flap before sighing. He removed his armor and placed it into a corner of the tent along with his pack. He adjusted his commoners clothing before he laid out his bedroll and placed it as far away from Elissa’s as possible. He then collapsed on it with a soft thud. “You are a very kind woman,” he said, his voice thick as he allowed himself to feel sleepy.
“I try to be,” Elissa said, adjusting the blanket. She thought to ask Alistair to move closer so she could share it with him, but she would assume he would refuse. He also looked quite comfortable already. “Now you can’t ever say that the nobility aren’t generous.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Alistair said with a slight smile. “I just hope that our little camp won’t get the wrong idea.”
Elissa shrugged. “If they do, I’ll set them straight,” she said.
“I would imagine so,” Alistair said.
They fell into silence and after listening to the sound of the falling rain, both were lulled into a deep sleep…
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Maker, she looked so beautiful. She leaned over him, smiling, her long, curvy body pressed against his tantalizingly. His hands slid from her shoulders, down her arms and across every bit of her that he could reach. She felt soft…her skin was soft…when had she removed her armor? More importantly, where were his own clothes? As soon as Alistair asked himself these questions, he realized that he didn’t care. He continued to caress and feel the woman lying with him. Her hair was cascading around her face in a swirling mass and he couldn’t help but run his hand through it before taking the back of her neck and pulling her forward into a harsh and bruising kiss. He thought he might have been a bit too forceful, but she moaned erotically and gently bit his lip, sending his body into a fevered frenzy. He could feel his arousal pressing persistently against his smallclothes. He knew she could feel it too, since she was nearly on top of him, so he tried to shift his hips away slightly, so not to offend her. “No!” she hissed into their kiss, climbing fully on top of him and pressing her warm, almost naked body against his. “I want to feel you.” He could feel the warmth and wetness of her arousal through her small clothes, and he couldn’t help but moan, his hands flying to her hips. Her words were still buzzing in his ears as he pressed his hips upwards, shivering with delight as she writhed against him at the same time. Maker she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. Alistair was becoming drunk on her kisses. She tasted like nothing he had ever imagined before, and her hot mouth was intoxicating. Their tongues danced together shamelessly and Alistair didn’t know how much more he could take. Then, her hand, which had come to rest on his shoulder, began to travel across his body. It was just as hot as her mouth was, and she teased him mercilessly by gently trailing her fingernails down his chest. Alistair found himself arching into her touch, craving more of it. As her hand traveled lower, she pulled her mouth away from his for a second, before latching onto his neck, attacking the sensitive spot he didn’t even know was there. He was achingly hard now, wishing and praying to any god that was listening that she was going to touch him. He wanted her to touch him. As if she could read his mind, Elissa trailed her kisses to his ear. “What to do you want, Alistair?” she asked in a voice he had never heard her use before. It was low, and husky with want and pure need. Alistair could barely find words. “I want-“ he began, but he broke off in a moan as Elissa took his earlobe between her lips. “Maker’s breath…I want you…I want you to-” He couldn’t get the words out. “You want me to do what?” Elissa asked, her wicked tongue and mouth trailing back to his neck. Alistair growled in frustration and grabbed her shoulders. Pushing her away slightly, he made her look as him. Her eyes were clouded with lust, but they also danced with excitement and intrigue. She wanted to know what he was going to say…what he was going to do next. Alistair decided to give her what she wanted, so that he could get what he wanted. “I want you to touch me.” She smirked and attacked his mouth again, before her stilled hand suddenly moved and slipped into his smallclothes. “YESSS…” Alistair hissed. ---
Alistair awoke with a start, his heart racing and sweat pouring down his face. The rain had stopped outside and the woods were silent. The first feeble signs of sunlight were just starting to bounce off the canvas of the tent.
After his heart slowed a bit, The Grey Warden took a few deep breaths and contemplated what had woke him up. He knew it had been a dream, but he could not, for the moment, remember what he had been dreaming about. One thing he knew was that it had nothing to do with the Blight. It was the first dream he had had since Ostagar that didn’t involve a screaming dragon or scary looking darkspawn.
An ache in his nether regions brought his dream back to him full force, and he gasped in surprise and shame. He had not had a dream like that since he was a teenager. And he never thought he would dream about…her. Alistair looked over at Elissa quickly, but she was still fast asleep. Seeing that made him sigh with relief, since it would have been very embarrassing if he had woken her up as well. He knew he had been thrashing in his sleep, because he was almost completely off his bedroll; and he was sure he had made some ungentlemanly noises as well.
He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to push the dream away. But he was assaulted by visions of her naked body and lust-filled, blue eyes. Alistair wearily opened his eyes again, only to have them drawn to the woman sleeping next to him. As he continued to look at Elissa, he couldn’t stop noticing how peaceful and beautiful she appeared. She was curled into a little ball, the blanket pulled up right under her chin. Her hair was loose and had escaped the blanket, falling across her face in the process. Alistair wanted to reach over and just gently push it away from her face, but he did not dare.
He was confused now.
He had thought she was beautiful when he had first met her, but had kept the thought to himself. She had lost her family and they had more important things to deal with. Any attraction to her had not been an option. Because of that, he saw her as a fellow Warden and nothing else. Only recently he had started to think of her as a good friend. His dream seemed completely random and he was curious as to why it had hit him at that particular moment. Was it being alone in a tent with her? Or all the time they had spent together thus far? He had never spent so much time with a woman before.
Alistair didn’t know what to make of his situation, but he knew dreams were not to be taken lightly. He ignored his persistent aching arousal and laid back down, turning on his side away from Elissa. He tried to push his dream out of his mind, but he couldn’t help focusing on the residual feelings left behind by the erotic display. He knew he wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep.
And he also knew, he may be in big trouble.
--- A/N:There you go. A little steaminess to hold you over for a bit. I will definitely try to put some action/fighting in the next chapter, but I’m not very good as fight scenes so it may take awhile. Please, feedback would be much appreciated.
