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jewish-gay-elves · 4 years

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You Give Me Too Much Credit 2/2

AO3 Link

Leli thinks this shouldn't be too hard to understand. Alistair thinks that it is that hard to understand. Zevran thinks that it went about exactly as he expected. The Warden thinks his friends are hiding something from him.

Words: 3028, Chapters: 2/2, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of the Stephan Cousland: There's Never Much of a Choice for You

Fandoms: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Alistair (Dragon Age), Male Cousland, Zevran Arainai, Leliana (Dragon Age), Morrigan (Dragon Age), Dog (Dragon Age), Sten (Dragon Age) Relationships: Alistair/Male Cousland, Alistair/Male Warden (Dragon Age), Alistair/Warden (Dragon Age), Alistair/Cousland Additional Tags: Drabble, Warden has shitty friends tbh, dog is actually called calenhad, and warden is stephan, and now Warden has less shitty friends, i did not know i could write more for this

“So theoretically, how long could a Fereldan spend talking to a dog?” Zevran asked as he and the Warden’s other companions sat eating their dinner.

“Considering what we told him earlier? Indefinitely.” Leliana replied nonchalantly.

“I believe that begs the question, what exactly did you tell him then?” Warden Cousland asked, standing with his food in hand behind the two rogues. During their silence he sat in the almost too small space between them, forcing them to shift apart in order for him to join them. After another tense moment, Zevran spoke.

“To be fair, Warden, it is more along the lines of what we did not tell him,” he said with a grin. Cousland just stared at him, waiting patiently for either of them to fill in their intentional blanks.

“Though you should know Warden, that he brought up the subject first, asking for my intentions towards you. He believed that we were sweet on each other.” Leliana explained hesitantly. At the Warden’s shocked face she nodded sympathetically. However since Cousland’s expression of shock could easily have been mistaken for his expression of confusion, they were very similar, Leliana hoped he knew that her intentions were good.

“Then he assumed I knew the source of your good favour and believed you and I to be amors, when in reality, I have eyes.” Zevran added with a wink. Cousland’s cheeks, dark as they were, began to redden under Zevran’s knowing smirk. Zevran tried not to laugh, he really did, but could not help the few chuckles at Cousland’s face.

“Then, once we corrected him in that you have no particularly special feelings towards Zevran, Morrigan, or I. Then, we simply just, suggested what type of person you might be inclined to have feelings toward.” Leliana added, trying to soften the blow. Cousland’s cheeks, if anything, got darker at her admission and his normally stoic expression began to pull downward into what would have been a fierce frown on anyone else. However on his face was just a slight tug down on the edges of his lips.

“Then there was a very amusing bit where he was confused on why I had not made you my own dear Warden, but we rectified his mistake quickly do not fear. Our kingly friend is not the sharpest sword on the stand it seems,” Zevran added quickly, interrupting whatever thought Cousland might have had.

“Oh good, that’s just what I was worried about thank you Zevran. Alistair is perfectly intelligent, just because he was mostly raised in a chantry does not mean his education was lacking. I just, I can’t believe that you two-” Cousland began.

“He started the conversation!” Both Leliana and Zevran claimed in their defense.

“Regardless, my feelings were my own! Don’t you two think I should have had the chance to tell him on my own? When I was ready to face the repercussions?” He said plainly, looking at them with disappointment.

“We did not say exactly-”

“Alluding to it is close enough Zevran!” Cousland interrupted as he stood, his food forgotten. “I need to speak with him, maybe I can fix this somehow.” He began to pace in front of the two rogues, both of whom shot nervous glances at each other. Normally it was as hard to get Cousland to open up as it was to get Sten to speak about anything. Seeing him this concerned and ruffled made them start to think twice about their actions.

“Perhaps Warden, you should let him continue talking to the dog.” Zevran quietly interjected as Cousland began rubbing at his chin as he stalked back and forth.

“I can’t let this go on too long, what if he thinks I’ve been entirely lecherous to him? What if he hates me for it? It’s entirely inappropriate, we’re brothers in arms I shouldn’t have even been so obvious for you two to figure it out.” The Warden said, mostly speaking to himself at that point.

“He never said he was opposed to the thought of two men together, I think Zevran is right and you should let him work through this on his own. Alistair will come talk to you when he is ready,” Leliana added, supporting her fellow rogue.

“What if he’s never ready? What if he-”

“Kadan,” Sten interrupted loudly from the open space next to camp, both away from the main fire and where Alistair and Calenhad were on watch. Cousland stopped immediately, his head popping up to stare at the Qunari. In response, Sten hefted his recently reclaimed sword on his shoulder and beckoned Cousland over. The human in question just nodded and abruptly headed toward his own tent to grab his own sword and practice leathers.

Leliana and Zevran were both adequately stunned by the new development and watched wordlessly as the two warriors then begin to spar. It wasn’t strange for the two of them to spar, but dropping everything he was doing to spar was newer. Though they both used large two handed swords, their fighting styles were so vastly different that it made every spar a battle of strategy rather than might. Cousland had flexibility and reach, while Sten had brute strength and steadfast swings.

The two didn’t need words but as they practiced, the rogues could see the conversation between their blades. Nervous, unbridled energy from Cousland, then steady relentlessness from Sten. Slowly Cousland fell into his more focused fighting, taking calculated risks, getting up close to the qunari to land better hits as he normally did in battle. Without pause, Sten rebuffed his advance and forced him back with sheer weight alone.

During any other spar, Cousland would have taken that as an opportunity to dive down and under Sten’s wide shoves to overwhelm him. Instead, he took the full force of the qunari’s might and buckled under the pressure. For a moment, Leliana and Zevran were worried that Sten wouldn’t know to stop, or couldn’t see the distracted state their leader was in, but Sten’s blade stopped next to Cousland’s throat, ending the spar. After a moment, he withdrew his sword and reached out his large hand to help him back to his feet.

On most nights, you couldn’t stop hearing the clash of metal until well into the night, for Sten to win so quickly proved how unsettled Cousland was about being found out. Instead of berating him for his absent mindedness, Sten instead simply told him to prepare himself and they went at it again.

Cousland went down four more times before he finally found his footing and let his frustration take over, getting all of his nervous energy out. He had never let his emotions rule him, but Cousland’s nerves could give him a hard time. It was good that Sten had told him to spar, and Cousland was grateful for the outlet it provided.

While the two rogue’s attention had shifted some during this, they both drifted back when they realized how intently Alistair had began watching the spar. Leliana and Zevran knew what that look meant. Whether Cousland or Sten had noticed was anyone’s guess. Or even if Alistair knew how he had been looking at his fellow Warden.

As they observed quietly, they saw both Wardens eyes begin to get hooded with weariness. The rogues finally agreed that it was late, and they were travelling to the Brecilian Forest come morning for seemingly no reason since they had already gained the trust of both elves and weres. Either way, it was a long walk, one best not unprepared for. However, if they both decided to keep an ear open towards the Warden’s tent, well that was their little secret.

And if neither Warden slept in a tent that night, that was their little secret as well.

The loud and raucous laughter that rang through camp come morning once the two Wardens found a quiet moment to talk wasn’t necessarily a secret, and later, neither was the fact that poor Alistair had thought that the two rogues had meant that Cousland had feelings towards their, albeit two-handed warrior, resident qunari.

If Sten found it amusing, he never revealed it, and instead gave them both a withering look for their lingering chuckles throughout the day.

#writing #dragon age #dragon age origins #stephan #stephan cousland #alistair theirin #zevran arainai #leliana #sten #m!cousland #alistair x cousland

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natalyelle · 3 years

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My OCs Masterlist

I finally decided to make this! ^^ Behold!

The Elder Scrolls

Adrienna (short and mostly used name - Drenna) - dunmer lady from House Telvanni. Likes to use magic since she is from mages family and also longsword since she secretly joined the Fighters Guild. Rumors say she is the Nerevarine and the Hero of Kvatch. She denies the first and doesn't deny the second (where is the truth, though?). TAG 1, TAG 2

Nathaniel - half-breton, half-elf mage. Was born and raised in western Skyrim, but spent most of his life in High Rock.

Lilly (full name is lost in times) - altmer lady who probably was born around the First Era, a skilled alchemist. A good friend of Drenna. TAG

Dragonborn (still unnamed) - just a simple nord guy.

Dragon Age

Adrienna Tabris - Hero of Ferelden, sword and shield warrior, LI: Alistair, who stayed with the Wardens. TAG

Alessia Hawke - Champion of Kirkwall, sword and shield warrior, LI: Anders

Tariel Lavellan - the Inquisitor, double daggers rogue, LI: Solas. TAG

Stephan Cousland - King of Ferelden alongside Anora, rogue, LI: Morrigan and he actually loves only her

Abigail Hawke - mage Champion of Kirkwall, blood magic is her aesthetic, LI: Isabela. TAG

Uddina Cadash - Inquisitor, two-handed warrior, LI: Iron Bull. TAG

Julian Trevelyan - Inquisitor,sword and shield warrior, LI: Dorian. TAG

Adrienna Lavellan - cousin of Tariel, knight-enchanter mage, LI: Cullen. TAG

Mass Effect

Gloria Shepard - spacer, war hero, soldier, destroy, LI: Liara. TAG

Mia Shepard - colonist, sole survivor, adept, control, LI: Garrus. TAG

Katerina Shepard - spacer, sole survivor, sentinel, synthesis, LI: Thane. TAG

Rika Ryder - the Pathfinder, more pragmatic biotic, LI: Jaal. TAG

Sarah Ryder - the Pathfinder, reckless and funny engineer, LI: Peebee. TAG

Stardew Valley

Jillian from Sunny Farm - just your local farmer

#my ocs #ocs masterlist

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dragonageloree · 4 years

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Education

Education in Thedas varies depending on race, culture, and class, and from nation to nation.

Human nations

Andrastian Chantry

The education provided to those of the Chantry appears on par with that of nobles. Templar recruits are literate and are taught history[1] in addition to their martial training and religious education. Only initiates, those who have taken vows to devote their lives to the Chantry, receive an academic education.[2]

Members of the Chantry, by virtue of their responsibilities, are naturally literate and well-read, in the Chant of Light if nothing else.

Local Chantries may also provide some instruction to their followers and allow access to their texts.[3]

Chantry members may also pursue scholarship. Clerics are the true academics of the Chantry, those men and women who have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of knowledge.[2] The most well-known Chantry scholar is Brother Ferdinand Genitivi, lecturer and author of numerous texts and travelogues. Other scholars search for ancient artifacts and scrolls, such as Sister Justine, curator of the Denerim chantry. Justine is also versed in decoding ciphers and encrypted text.

Circle of Magi

The library of Kinloch Hold.

The education of a mage is as extensive as that of a noble, if not more so. Beyond being taught to control their magic, a mage learns of the various schools of magic as well as languages, reading, writing, scrying, healing, etc. A mage's training consists of extensive study of arcane lore.

Much like the Chantry, the Circle of Magi encourages scholarship and publishes the completed research. Examples of this are the botanical writings of Ines and the spirit research of Rhys. Through their education and scholarship, mages are considered some of the most educated members of society and as such may sometimes function as advisers in royal courts.

Circles of Magi have massive libraries and are typically the greatest repositories of knowledge in a given country, though access is naturally limited.

Commoners

Commoners appear to receive little formal education in most countries in Thedas and many may be illiterate. City elves receive even less education than human commoners. As such, dwarven runes may be used in place of writing in some cases.[4] In other instances tally marks may be used to delineate locations or distances.[5]

However, in sharp contrast, those who work as servants in noble estates appear to receive extensive education, at least enough that is sufficient to perform their tasks.[6]

In recent years, Empress Celene Valmont I has been strongly encouraging the University of Orlais to overlook the lack of status and rank for individuals who show prodigious talent or potential which could help further the interests and prestige of the Orlesian Empire, provided a noble sponsors them. Most recently this has even extended to Celene personally interceding in support of an elven math prodigy, Lennan, who was sponsored by Comtesse Helene.[7] Elves are now allowed into the university, although it is common for their work to go unacknowledged and uncredited.[8]

Slaves

Slaves in the Tevinter Imperium are often illiterate[9]; However, some receive formal education and training for specific purposes such as working in libraries, accounting or scribing. Literacy is notable and reflects on a slave's price.[10][11]

To make up for this lack of instruction, Tevinter slaves develop their own pictograms as a way to warn other slaves of things such as a master's temperament and other practical uses related to their society. These symbols go largely unnoticed by their owners and have a local significance, thus the same image might mean different things to different groups.[12]

Fereldan nobility

Among the Fereldan nobility, an education is typically provided by a learned tutor, such as Aldous in the Human Noble Origin. Noble Andrastian families may often have a Chantry Mother as a member of the household to attend to the religious education of the young. Examples of Mothers attached to noble households are Mother Mallol and Mother Ailis of the Cousland and Theirin families respectively.

A major facet of noble education appears to be history, as Aldous drills both the Human Noble and young squires in the household on family history. Reading and writing are naturally part of this education. A noble education does not necessarily make one a strong scholar however, as even King Maric is by his own admission a poor reader.[13] Martial training is also a component of the education of nobility, as nobles are expected by their commoners to defend them and their territories. It is unusual, but not unheard of, for noble daughters to be educated in the ways of war and battle.

Noble education may also include such things as dance and song, as Leliana learned in Lady Cecilie's household.

Noble households may also boast libraries, as Castle Cousland does.

Dwarves

The archives of the Shaperate

Dwarven education in Orzammar appears to be given to those with caste. Little is known of the nuances of dwarven education but it appears that at least part of it, amongst nobles, may be administered by members of the Shaperate.[14] Martial training appears to be a major element of dwarven education in Orzammar, with the best trainers being retained by noble households.

The Shaperate is arguably the largest repository of history and knowledge. Its resources are available to anyone, in order to pursue both personal[15] and professional research. Noble households may also serve as patrons for Shaperate scholars.[16]

However the Shaperate is not the only source of scholarly work in Orzammar. A mining caste dwarf named Grundrak wrote a book named 'On Combustibles and Corrosives' which discusses the use of combustiles and corrosives for best effect and contains the formalae for both the Fire Bomb and Acid Flask. This book was written in the Trade tongue as he was certain that humans needed the advice most of all.[17]

Casteless dwarves

Amongst the casteless there is no formal education; indeed, most casteless dwarves appear to be functionally illiterate.[18] However, noble hunters are literate and highly educated in poetry and other skills in order to make them attractive to noble partners.

Qunari

A Tamassran educating converts

Education amongst the Qunari is administered according to one's role in the rigid society of the Qun. Learning is a core philosophy of the Qunari way of life. In spite of it, many Qunari do not speak the common tongue of Thedas.[19] Amongst Qunari, the tamassrans are arguably the most educated, being fluent in many languages[20] in order to educate, or re-educate, converts to the Qun. Tamassrans raise the young, administer their general education, and evaluate them for placement in society.

Dalish elves

Education among the Dalish appears to be in the main oral,[21] who instruct through the use of lore and storytelling. The Dalish retain their history through oral tradition as well as books in some cases.[22] A clan's First studies lore, magic and history in order to become a successful Keeper.[23] A Keeper is ostensibly a clan's leader and as such is viewed as wise and learned.

Dalish elves hold Arlathvhens in order to reconvene with other clans and to exchange their collected lore.

Known scholars

Chantry-sanctioned

Brother Ferdinand Genitivi[24]

Ines Arancia[24]

Sister Petrine[24]

Sister Lilian Hatch[24]

Sister Oran Petrarchius[25]

Sister Dorcas Guerrin[26]

First Enchanter Josephus[27]

Disapproved by the Chantry

Laudine[28](former Chantry Sister)

Others

Philliam, A Bard![29]

Massache de Jean-Mien[26]

Lady Alcyone[30]

Baron Havard-Pierre D'Amortisan[30]

Ferdinand Pentaghast[31]

Mother Ailis[32]

Frederic of Serault[32]

Stephan d'Eroin

Notable repositories

The Shaperate of Orzammar

The library of Kinloch Hold

Archive of the Crows in Antiva City

The Grand Library of The Winter Palace, Orlais

Vir Dirthara, the Shattered Library, accessible from The Crossroads

The library of Weisshaupt Fortress in the Anderfels[33]

Known universities

University of Orlais[34]

University of Markham[35]

University of Ferelden (If Anora is the sole ruler)[36]

Trivia

Zevran Arainai and other assassins of the Antivan Crows are notably literate,[37] and the Crows maintain their own scholarship in their archive.

Fenris is illiterate as a consequence of his enslavement.[38]

Elan Ve'mal mentions there being a specific college for herbalists.

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age origins #dragon age 2 #dragon age lore #da #dai #dao #da2 #DA Lore #da 2

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jewish-gay-elves · 4 years

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Oh, Calamity

“I don’t believe in the Maker,” he says, breaking the silence that followed your coupling.

A soulmate/reincarnation au fic where I play around with the idea of soulmates without identifying marks or timers that have to find each other every lifetime!

Words: 4803, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of the Stephan Cousland: There's Never Much of a Choice for You

Fandoms: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Alistair (Dragon Age), Male Cousland, Goldanna, Cailan Theirin, Anora Mac Tir Relationships: Alistair/Warden (Dragon Age), Alistair/Male Warden (Dragon Age), Alistair/Cousland, Alistair/Male Cousland Additional Tags: ok just wanted to cover all my bases on the ship tags lol, also goldanna/cailan/anora's presences in the fic are v limited, like a sentence each p much, Songfic, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Reincarnation, please let me know if there should be more tags!, also please ask if you have questions!

“I don’t believe in the Maker,” he says, breaking the silence that followed your coupling. You lift your head and rest your chin on his chest, mulling over his words. Morrigan is always scolding you for saying the first thing to come to mind, and this feels like it requires a more thoughtful approach.

“Okay,” you say, and it is. Truly, it is okay. His belief or lack thereof in the Maker has no impact on how much you both care about each other. Your own faith in in the Maker hasn’t been the most unshakeable, who are you to decide whether or not he’s wrong? You can feel the tension in the arm he has around your waist lessen until his grip is as gentle as it was before. He was never really one to go in the Chantry and it makes sense to you now why not. You thought he just wasn’t really one for all the anti-magic shtick that they preach.

“One of my tutors, he came from Rivain,” he begins, offering an explanation. “While we still had Aldous, my parents wanted Fergus and me to have a more rounded education. He kept his lessons mostly academic, but I enjoyed his company so much I often stayed after and he told me of Rivain and their beliefs,”

You rest your cheek against his chest again, still listening but curling closer to him. He waited a minute, just listening to you breathe before continuing.

“He said that everything in Thedas and beyond were made of energy. Humans, elves, dwarves, qunari, and all the other beings. That energy exists in a cycle. Once the energy in a being has been exhausted in say, an old man, it would go then to a newborn. This continues the cycle, with the same energy and souls from before, just reborn. He said the stress of childbirth erased the memories from the past life, making it harder to remember things from before,” he explained.

“Have you ever remembered anything from one of your past lives?” you asked, wondering if stray dreams may have influenced his belief in the Rivaini.

“No, and I doubt I will remember anything from before. This is a fairly new line of thinking in Ferelden and if it’s true I doubt that any of my past lives believed in it. I think that increases the chance of never remembering those lives, just thinking that nothing came before solidifies the experiences in this time. As sad as it sounds I’m not even sure I’d like to remember those lives,” he said, puzzling you.

“Well, why not?” you ask, lifting your head to look at him again.

“I can’t know if those lives were as lucky as this one to have been able to find you,” he says, lifting a hand to your cheek as you two look at each other. You both lean in for a kiss and you think to yourself that it’s hard to imagine never meeting him in any kind of life.

When I was younger I was certain I’d be fine without a Queen Just a king inside his castle, with an ocean in between Now all I do is sit and count the miles from you to me Oh, Calamity!

You sit on your throne, looking out at the crowd gathered in light of festivities. Teagan stands by your side, Maker bless him. Eamon and young Connor are back in Redcliffe, Isolde caught fever and Connor insisted Eamon stay with them until she recovered. The other nobles are all drinking heavily, well into their cups and you are painfully aware of the missing Arl of Amaranthine. You know he passed on the title back to the Howes and Nathaniel years ago before he even began his search for a cure but, he should be here.

You can see Fergus from your throne speaking to the nobles around him, some minor lordlings from South Reach looks like. They must be discussing politics for you can see Fergus’ top lip twitching. His brother had the same twitch that tells when either of them are about to seal a good deal. Probably speaking of possible marriage arrangements for Fergus’ boy.

You wonder if he thinks about his first son often but as the lordlings turn to retrieve more drinks you see a wave of grief pass over his face before the mask is back in place. You were able to return Highever to the Couslands but in the years since you’ve wondered if they even wanted it back. Nothing either of them said to you indicated otherwise but whenever you visit and they are both there they get certain looks on their faces. As if they were forced to eat Orleisian cheeses.

He must have noticed your eyes on him because Fergus turns to look up to where you sit. The grief is still in his eyes as he gives you a nod before returning to the festivities. You always wondered if he blamed you for having to remarry and raise heirs, knowing that his brother was otherwise occupied as Warden Commander and would never have given Highever heirs of his own willingly.

Seeing as you won’t be making heirs either and that the throne was mostly going to one of his sons you doubted that he could hate you forever. You make a mental note to later write to Fergus about the idea. Provided that you spoke to your fellow Warden about it as well. As soon as he returned of course. Because he would return, he’s the Hero of Fereldan for Maker’s sake, and also because you have had a cold spot in your bed for far too long. Teagan leans over and makes to whisper in your ear.

“Stop thinking about the Prince-Consort, you have the most unwelcoming look on your face,” he says before leaning back. You shoot him a grin upon seeing his sly smile.

“I’m that transparent am I?” you ask rhetorically, straightening your back with only two or three pops compared to the normal five or six. The chair (Eamon says you must refer to it as the throne but in all honesty, it’s just a chair) is far too uncomfortable and you wish said Prince-Consort was here to complain to but that will have to wait for another day.

We get older by the hour, watch the changes from afar. Keep forgetting to remember, where we’ve been is who we are. Now all I do is wonder why we ever set the scene Oh, Calamity

You lean against your shovel, looking up at the sky. Your eye is drawn to where they say the Breach once tore the heavens asunder. You think back to the stories the older servants tell of being children while the world was thrown into chaos by the Archdemon.

They say that among the rubble of the Temple of Sacred Ashes the Inquisitor arose as the Herald of Andraste with a hand sparkling green with ancient Elvhen magics. That they had been touched by Fen’Harel himself. Your knowledge of the Elvhen Parthenon is limited, but the savior of Thedas being touched by the Dread Wolf seemed a bit ironic to you.

It had been almost a century since the sky was closed by the might of the Inquisition and while it still had power, Ferelden no longer felt torn. Struggling to choose between the Inquisition and the throne. While the Inquisition started in Ferelden it had no power over country affairs. King Alistair and his Prince-Consort, may they rest at the Maker’s side, supported the Inquisition in that it would close the Breach was sure to remind them that true power in Ferelden laid with the crown.

To be honest you preferred the late monarchs of Ferelden, may they rest at the Maker’s side, to the Inquisition. The two surviving Grey Wardens of the Battle at Ostagar, saved by a Witch of the Wilds to unite Ferelden and prevent civil war in order to fight the darkspawn.

No one quite knows when or how the two Wardens got involved after ending the Fifth Blight, or whether or not they weren’t together before slaying the Archdemon. But they stood together against the nobles at the Landsmeet, declaring King Alistair the rightful heir and their engagement to each other. You always thought it was very romantic, the last two Grey Wardens standing together against nobles and darkspawn alike.

“What a lazy arse you are Marc!” a voice you recognize as Quint’s called from behind you. You turned to see him walking down the hill towards you, his hands dirty from where he was likely gardening in front of the main house all day, an equally dirty spade tucked between his belt and trousers. You gave him a smile as he approached, knowing that the work day was likely over and he was coming to collect you for dinner.

“I happen to know that you like my arse, whether it’s lazy or not,” you said back to him. Your mind’s eye flickered as he smirked at you, a delicate golden circlet with lavish jewels appearing on his head, the spade at his side now a decorated sword. You frowned, shaking your head to clear the vision. As he reached you he slid his arms around your waist.

“You alright, love?” he asked cautiously. You smiled for him, returning the gesture and wrapping your arms around him as well. You wondered if Quint had ever had a moment like that. As if a memory placed itself over the current view you had. Doubtful, Quint was likely more focused on his next meal.

“Fine, I’m fine. Just tired I guess,” you said blinking the strange vision out of your eyes. “Let’s go see what Cookie’s whipped up for tonight shall we?”

“Hey I heard that the Lord has a visitor from Rivain staying for a while,” He starts telling you earnestly, already coming up with all sorts of wild tales.

It’s such a shame that we play strangers No act to change what we’ve become Damn it’s such a shame that we built a wreck out of me Oh, Calamity.

“It’s not the first time I’ve had one of these visions Neil! There has to be some meaning behind them I just can’t figure out what!” you exclaim, curling your hands into fists against your temples. Neil sits on the cot a foot or so away from where you are curled in on yourself.

“Okay, okay, Wil I believe you,” he says extending his hands out in a placating manner. You peer at him, lifting your head from where you pushed it against your knees. He’s looking at you earnestly with his wide honest eyes and you find your initial fear of him ridiculing you disappearing.

“Just start from the beginning, when did they begin?” He asks you patiently. You take a deep breath and lower your arms to wrap around your calves. You collect your thoughts and decide to be honest.

“I think I’ve always had them, but I could never remember them until after I met you,” you start out. “It’s like I’m living another person’s life, but it just overlaps my own. I’ll see my papa start walking towards me but then his face isn’t his but instead its some Rivaini dressed in the Grey Warden uniform from before the Fifth Blight. My mother gets replaced by someone in servants clothing patting my cheek. And you, you have five different faces. All of them look like they lived centuries ago. There is maybe a century between each of them, with the oldest one from before the Breach.”

“Lived before the Breach? Wil that was back in what, 9:34 Dragon?” Neil says concern clear on his face.

“The Breach opened in 9:41 Dragon,” you correct him.

You’re scared to tell him that he doesn’t take on the face of just anyone from before the Fifth Blight but the face of the Warden who defeated that Blight. You’re scared to tell him that sometimes you look in the mirror and it’s not your face that greets you. That you have five different faces as well. And the oldest face that you see is one drawn in countless history books from the royal portrait archives to your classroom textbook. King Alistair, the last of the Theirins to sit on the throne before he gave it to his Prince-Consort’s nephews, he looks at you in the mirror. He’s always much younger than in the portraits but you know it’s him.

You’re scared that if you tell Neil he will remember the history lessons that covered King Alistair and his Grey Warden Prince-Consort. That they would only be known as the first two men to rule Ferelden as a couple together if they hadn’t also defeated a Blight. You’re scared because this is too new with Neil, you aren’t even sure if you like like him that way and what if he doesn’t like like you like that either? He’s been your only friend since you moved to Lothering a year ago. You refuse to lose a friend like him for something- something like this!

Neil is just as quiet as you, now that you’ve finished your tale. A moment passes before he scoots nearer to you on the bed and slings an arm around your shoulders and drawing you closer to him.

“We’re going to figure this out, ok Wil? I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, but we'll figure it out,” he says and it disturbingly sounds like a promise falling from his lips and you look at him in surprise. He has a soft smile on your face, and a little twitch in his upper lip and you’re almost overcome with another déjà vu vision but you tamper it down and stay in this moment where there is just you and Neil.

You find yourself nodding with a grin spreading across your face. His good mood and attitude becoming infectious as you sit on the little cot.

“C’mon, let’s go downstairs, I remember Ma said there was a visitor from Rivain who checked in yesterday,” Neil invited you, standing up and offering you a hand up. You gladly take it and you both head downstairs together.

I’ll remember nights alone, waking up to dial tone Always found my greatest moments in the sound of your hello. Now I struggle to recall the reasons you would come to leave. Oh, Calamity

You didn’t want to call Elijah, you didn’t want to call Elijah, but you wanted to call Elijah. Damn it, you thought to yourself, picking up your telephone. You impatiently pushed the rotary around waiting until it finally put you through. Thankfully, it wasn’t either of Elijah’s, frankly lovely if not a tad overbearing, parents who answered the phone.

“Hello, this is the Philips?” he said, sounding a bit confused by the late call.

“Elijah, it’s me. Benjamin,” you replied. This was a bad idea, you can already tell. You both don’t really know each other how can you be sure it’s him? Your parents always said it took a little while to know if someone was your soulmate. They told you it took time before you could be sure that the overlapping faces were truly the person you were meant to be with. That sometimes, if you rushed it, it wouldn’t be right. But you’re scared, scared it’ll never be right and if you never say anything you’ll never know what you missed.

“Oh hey, Ben. What’s up? Did you forget something at my house?” He asks, not picking up on your nerves at all. You can’t tell if he’s just dense or extremely considerate. Either option is endearing to you and makes the lump in your throat that much harder to speak around. Should you even tell him?

“Uhh no, no I’ve got everything, I just, wanted to call?” it comes out as a question and you want to hang up and then beat yourself over the head with the receiver. You can hear him pause and huff out a laugh of sorts. You want to smile because you’ve seen that laugh in person and can imagine him doing it in your head but it was at your expense and you are so nervous.

“Well, so you’ve called me. Are you feeling okay Ben?” he asks and you almost panic because he can tell, he can tell can’t he, that you don’t know why you called and you want it to be more than what it probably is but you are propelled by fear and nerves and find yourself confessing.

“Eli have you ever met someone and felt like you know them? Like you meet them and something clicks and it feels like you’ve known them all along?” you ask nervously, your voice cracks in the middle but you power through because you are not going to let your sixteen year old voicebox ruin this for you. You listen to Eli suck in a breath of surprise and pause before cautiously picking out his words.

“Ben, I uh. I have felt that way about someone before,” he says to you and you can feel your heart slowly crawl its way out of your stomach and into your throat. You want to ask who, and whether or not it is you. Whether or not he knows what you’ve been going through. However it seems as though you let your indecision carry on too long because Eli is speaking again.

“I’ve felt that way about you Ben, and I don’t know if you ever would feel that way around me but, the dreams stopped after I met you Ben. I don’t see my soulmate in the Fade anymore and I’m scared about what that means but I think I caught a flash of him on your face the other night when you smiled at me and I. I don’t know what this means but I, I would very much like to find out.” he rambles, his voice barely louder than a whisper, almost too quiet for you to hear over the blood rushing in your ears.

“Elijah, oh Elijah, I want to find out too. I want to find out so very badly,” you say twisting the cord between your fingers, nervous about what you’re about to ask him. “Do you maybe, want to go to the fair with me tomorrow then? And come over afterward?” you have the cord wrapped so tightly around your finger that you think it’s starting to cut off circulation but you’re too busy waiting for a response to answer.

“Yes,” he breathes out, like it was the only way to respond “Yes, I’d love to go to the fair with you Ben,”

It’s such a shame that we play strangers No act to change what we’ve become Damn, it’s such a shame that we built a wreck out of me. Oh, Calamity

You always dreamed of a man when you were younger. A man who was as gentle as the breeze and as strong as the oaks in your backyard and he was the right kind of funny. A man who was sharper than knives and had a tongue to match his quick wit. He didn’t always look the same, his hair would change color and length, he’d get short and then tall and then short again. His eyes however, no matter what color they were, always looked at you with the gentlest expression.

You’re five years old and you only see him when you sleep, wrapped in the Fade together. You both play tag chasing each other round floating bookcases and sheer cliffs.

In time you realized that this was what your parents called “nature’s way of showing you your other half”. There were more technical terms for it now but you weren’t really interested in that. You were excited about this other half business. As a child you wondered if he liked playing with toy cars too, or if he was one of those boys who’d rather build towns only to wreck later, pretending to be great archdemons from old.

You’re twelve years old and your mother finally sits down and talks to you about how sometimes it doesn’t happen. That you aren’t always guaranteed a happy ending due to location and distance.

Your teachers explained that as you grew older, your soul began to recognize that it was missing something. Missing your soulmate, to try and amend this, your body produced dreams and visions of previous lives and people who your soul had found time and time again. Your body doesn’t know what your soulmate looks like this cycle so you can’t see who it is now, but you can dream, and remember. That’s why you see the boy in your dreams.

You’re nineteen years old and lonely and tired of searching and tired of disappointment. Despite this, no matter who or when someone offers a night to alleviate the pain a bit, you decline and dream of your boy who smiles at you with the same sad look in his eyes that you’ve started carrying in your own.

You wake up the morning before your birthday alone in your apartment when your brother calls to tell you that he’s found his soulmate. He invites you to dinner to meet the girl and you accept it, happy to share this moment with your brother. You get there and are reminded that in this lifetime happiness is for the man once called Cailan who died before he even knew he had a brother. Happiness is for the woman once called Anora who watched her father get executed in front of her. Happiness is not for you.

You’re fifty-four years old and playing with your nephews despite your angry knees and their arthritis. Your only niece sits with her mother because the mud just wasn’t her cup of tea and you can hear the perceptive little ten year old ask “Momma, why isn’t Uncle married like you and Daddy?”

When the alzheimer’s starts to take you, it gets hard to remember your niece’s name even though she was always your secret favorite. She still visits you but it’s hard on her and you can tell. She reminds you that she’s in college for her Master’s degree but you still don’t know what the degree is. You are forgetting a lot of things these days, but when you close your eyes the same familiar face greets you every time and you feel young again.

You’re eighty-seven years old and that is the best description of you. Old.

If I catch you on the corner will you even know it’s me? Will I look familiar to you? Do you offer me a seat? Can we find a new beginning? Do you turn the other cheek? Oh, Calamity!

Job hunting sucked. End of story, no other options, game over, it sucked and that was it. Thankfully Gwen (you wonder if she remembers yelling at you in that dingy house back in Denerim) said that you only had to do it for a few hours and three hours seemed long enough to you at least. You walked to the closest café, pulling the messenger bag higher on your shoulder as you turned the corner. The day was nice enough; maybe you could stop and sit down at one of the outside tables.

After ordering (a tea of some sort and a cheesy croissant) you went back outside looking for a table. Sadly other patrons must have had the same idea that you did and most of the tables were already full. A particularly rowdy group of teens had already occupied one corner of the outside arrangements and you’d like to sit as far away from them as possible. You walk over to see if perhaps there are more tables around the side of the building, you’re out of luck but no one’s sitting in such a dense group as at the other tables.

You gaze around and finally you see someone sitting with a laptop and a few papers. You aren’t sure how friendly they are but they seem a better choice than the dodgy old man who glares at anyone who comes near. You walk up to the table with the man and his laptop, not the old guy, and hesitantly get the attention of the man sitting there.

“Oh uh hello, uhm may I sit here? This café is strangely busy and I’d rather not sit by all those teenagers. Not that I have a problem with teenagers but it’s a tad distracting when they scream random memes. Am I rambling? I think I’m rambling, I can find another table somewhere else,” the words fall out of your mouth in a somewhat coherent pattern and you hope he understands what you said.

“No, no you’re alright. Please, sit,” he says with a gentle smile, he even shuffles his papers closer to himself so you can set down your cup. You sling your bag over the back of the chair and sit down across from him. After sitting you smack yourself in the forehead before speaking again.

“Where are my manners today I’m sorry, my name is Van, pleased to meet you,” you say, extending your hand across the table to shake his. He has a strong grip and you’re glad you can return it in kind.

“The pleasure is mine, you can call me Ryan,” he says to you. After a moment, he watches you as you meticulously take apart your cheesy croissant. You flush under his gaze in embarrassment.

“Sorry, I’m just a little curious as to what you’re doing?” he asks looking over your mangled food.

“Oh! Well, you see, they hide the good bits under all this bread in some attempt to even out the flavor. However the truly tasty part is the lovely cheese blend they make here and I think they should just sell that on it’s own but the dear owner disagrees with me. Quite strongly in fact,” you explain to him. He chuckles at your explanation and then adds his own input.

“You know, the last time I met someone so in tune to the finer aspects of good cheese, he was a very strange man who spent time remembering his former life in a monastery where the boys had some fascination with lamp posts,” he says, and your eyes snap open to take in his features anew, yes there’s the twitch of the upper lip. You smirk back at him and take a second to remember a highlight in your relationship.

“Well, have you ever licked a lamp post in winter?” you drawl out hoping that your voice in this lifetime sounds similar to when you first said it back in the ninth age. He full out grins back and stands up to lean over the table and grab your shirt tugging you in.

“Congratulations on coming back to me again, my King,” he retorts, ignoring your question.

“I think you’re the one I should be saying that too Mr. Grey Warden who simply had to push me out of the way so that he could deal the last blow to the archdemon,” you snark back at him, remembering that fateful night. He just rolls his eyes at you and closes the distance, leaving the past memories in favor of making new ones.

It’s such a shame that we play strangers No act to change what we’ve become Damn, it’s such a shame that we play strangers No act to change what we’ve become Damn it’s such a shame that we built a wreck out of me Oh, Calamity

“Almost makes you wish we could just fight another Blight and be done with it?”

“I’d take a Blight over a hundred awkward first dates, maybe not actually. There are too many darkspawn during those. And with our first dates I’m more likely to get laid now,”

“The one thing the movies never have, a shambling horde of shrieks and genlock to ruin our day,”

“The movies do end up with me back at your place more times than not surprisingly, seeing as you were the last one to lick a lamp post in winter between the two of us,”

“Oh we’ll see who’s licking the lamp post this time around Warden,”

“You know I’m not one of those anymore, especially since it’s been what, five centuries since the order died out?”

“Yes but this is probably our twentieth first meeting and it gets confusing if I try to remember all of the names you’ve had,”

“True enough, you royal bastard,”

Oh, Calamity, come back to me.

#alistair theirin #writing #stephan #stephan cousland #m!cousland #dragon age #dragon age origins #goldanna #cailan theirin #anora mac tir #songfic

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jewish-gay-elves · 4 years

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Truthfully

AO3 Link

Stephan finally gets the courage to tell Alistair how he feels, but not after some avoidance tactics.

Words: 1169, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of the Stephan Cousland: There's Never Much of a Choice for You

Fandoms: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Alistair (Dragon Age), Male Cousland, Cousland, Stephan Cousland, Sten (Dragon Age), Zevran Arainai Relationships: Alistair/Cousland, Alistair/Stephan Cousland, Alistair/Male Cousland Additional Tags: the prompt for this was 'greatest fear'

“So Warden, if I were to ask you how you felt about me, how would you answer?” Alistair asked him on the road towards Denerim. Stephan felt his heart stop as he almost tripped over his own feet in surprise. The two wardens were currently walking behind Leliana and Zevran, the two rogues wrapped up in their own conversation about various misadventures they had been on in the past. Stephan schooled his expression as he had to do many times at Castle Cousland, and tried to come up with an answer that didn’t come across badly.

“I am thankful for you, for teaching me about the Wardens and staying with me all of these months against the Darkspawn. I admire you, for being so strong in the face of all the hardships that occured in Redcliffe, and all of the atrocities that we’ve seen because of the Blight. I respect you, for not letting all of the frankly terrible things that have happened turn you into a bitter and terrible person, and like anyone else in our party, I care about you. I want good things to happen to you and for you to be safe,” Stephan said, fighting to keep a neutral and light tone of voice. This was the most Stephan had ever admitted out loud about his feelings for Alistair, and to be fair, it was all true. Stephan, however, knew that it wasn’t the full truth.

“Wow, th-thank you Warden, I wasn’t expecting that. I thought you might say something like ‘Your annoying tendency to ramble and bother me every ten minutes about something inane makes me want to throw you at the Darkspawn some days’ y’know something like that,” Alistair said. Stephan looked over at him incredulously to see Alistair rubbing the back of his neck nervously, his face blotchy for some reason as he tried to joke about it. Stephan had to clamp down on the wave of feelings he got at the sight of Alistair being so cute and try to still be neutral. He looked away from the other man and busied himself with adjusting his shoulder strap, holding his longsword to his back. An idea sparked, Stephan looked back up at Alistair, struck by an idea.

“Will you spar with me tonight, after we’ve made camp?” He asked, looking hopefully at his fellow Warden. Alistair was startled by the question but he nodded his assent to the request. Out of all the ways Stephan had learned from his brother and mother on how to channel his thoughts and feelings, sparring was one of the better and more effective methods. Alistair looked as though he wanted to say something, but at the last minute changed his mind. Had Stephan been a more charming and less awkward person, he would have asked what was on his mind. In his current state however, he just settled for resuming their previous pace, walking behind the two rogues. Alistair stood and just watched his fellow Warden walk for a few moments, then jogging to catch up again.

Later, after setting up camp, the two warriors stood facing each other, both tense though for varying reasons. Alistair wasn’t the usual person Stephan asked to spar with, and that was enough to put him on edge. Stephan knew what his true confession was going to be, and knew that one way or another, he was going to tell Alistair tonight. No more dancing around. He had to truly tell Alistair his feelings.

They circled each other warily, both nervous to make the first move, until Zevran, clearly impatient with all of the tension, cleared his throat loudly to say

“Well? Are you both going to just stand there, staring at each other all night?” he said, not trying to hide his interest in the outcome.

Stephan, in his last moment of hesitance, looks to Sten, who is quietly watching as well, and all it takes is a nod from the qunari to rush at Alistair. Bringing his sword down over Alistair’s head, it was easily deflected by the round shield that Alistair was wielding. He had used both hands to stabilize the shield under Stephan’s longsword and in the moment that he used to shift his weight to swing his sword around at his opponent; Stephan had danced far enough away to stay out of reach.

Both fell into a rhythm then, Stephan beginning to use the reach of his longsword to keep Alistair away, while Alistair tried to use his shield to deflect the blows. They went on like this for several minutes, with none of the rogues watching quite able to tell who would come out as the winner. Sten watched, starting to question his leader’s attachment to the other warrior in their party. In the Qun, upsetting the balance of their kith would be punishable by the Viddasala. As his ashkaari however, Sten could only wait and learn the reasoning behind the Warden’s actions.

While Sten thought on this, the spar began to reach its peak. Stephan, too used to quickly being able to overpower his enemies had finally started to lose his stamina against the solid defense that Alistair presented. Within moments, Alistair managed to catch Stephan off guard and pushed so hard against him with his shield that Stephan fell back on his rear. Swinging his sword around, Alistair kept the shortsword leveled with his opponents throat to ensure the end of the match. Stephan just sat there, breathing heavily and staring at the business end of Alistair’s weapon.

“Do you yield?” He asked, a smile teasing his lips, pleased at himself for proving his own strength. Stephan still sat, his breathing laboured, but his gaze had quickly shifted from the sword to Alistair’s face when Alistair spoke. After a tense moment, Stephan took a deep breath, then said what he had meant to say, hours ago in the woods.

“I love you, Alistair,”

“I- You what?” Alistair asked, very confused at the other Warden’s words and what they could possibly mean.

“I didn’t say it earlier, when you asked how I feel about you, or when Leliana and Zevran almost spilled the beans, or when I first figured out my feelings. But, I want you to know now. I love you, Alistair,” Stephan said, breathless, staring up at the man who held his sword inches away from Stephan’s throat.

Alistair stood there in shock, both of their breathing returning to normal while Alistair went through every interaction that he and the Warden had ever had. Suddenly, when everything seemed to line up, Alistair’s eyes snapped back into focus, and he threw the sword aside. His shield quickly followed as Alistair threw himself to the ground beside Stephan and gripped him in the tightest hug Stephan had ever experienced.

“Thank you, I- I need time to think about this, but, thank you for telling me,” Alistair whispered. Stephan could only nod and hold onto his fellow Warden as tight as he could.

#writing #dragon age #dragon age origins #stephan #stephan cousland #m!cousland #alistair theirin #alistair x cousland

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jewish-gay-elves · 4 years

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Petty Bickering

“so alistair is in anonymity for a while because the wardens can’t take him to denerim without being caught and stephan can’t take him to denerim by himself they'll both get the crap beat out of them or something (that’s fergus' like only argument against stephan and alistair going because he’s a protective older brother” - my notes on this au

Words: 774, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 5 of the a tale of too many wardens because i want everyone to be happy and heres how

Fandoms: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: None Characters: Alistair (Dragon Age), Male Cousland (Dragon Age), Fergus Cousland, Oren Cousland, Tamlen (Dragon Age), Stephan Cousland Relationships: None Additional Tags: Brotherly Squabbles, alistair feels caught in the middle

Alistair wished that they didn’t have to do this in front of him. Seeing as they only had one small camp however, meant that of course he had to have front row seats to the glaring match currently happening between the last of the Couslands.

Fergus, in typical older brother fashion, did not want to let Stephan and Alistair go to Denerim to petition for aid by themselves. Especially after the rumors they’d been hearing in Lothering about Loghain spreading the news that the Grey Wardens were at fault for Maric and Cailan’s deaths at Ostagar, as well as Alistair’s own supposed death. Stephan on the other hand, knew that the Couslands had allies and power, and that Alistair was in fact, not dead. To him that meant that it should be easy to dispel these rumors and restore Alistair to the crown. Maric was king, not Cailan, Anora had no claim to the crown now that her husband was dead, and no right to pretend like she did.

The two of them had come to a standstill, clearly unable to come up with any new points to argue with. This left Oren, the youngest Cousland, glaring at his father and uncle, mad at them both for arguing with each other at all. Alistair felt very similar to little Oren, he didn’t really want to leave the Grey Wardens on their own, but he also didn’t like Anora and Loghain’s blatant power grab, so he was torn on what action they should take. Thankfully, neither brother was actually looking to him to make a decision, both of them too busy dealing with the other.

Just when it felt like no resolution would actually be made, Tamlen, one of the other new wardens, came up to the two brothers, a deep frown pulling at his face tattoos.

“The Keeper told us to never expect much from shemlen, but I didn’t know I would be this disappointed by the petty bickering. Haven’t we already determined our mission includes both gathering allies and protecting the prince? We may not have an army but there are enough of us to send a covert group to Denerim and to search out this Genitivi as well as a group to go to Redcliffe and begin collecting allies. If you two are done being stubborn that is,” he finished, crossing his arms from where he stood. The Couslands themselves looked stunned, Fergus being the first to shake off his shock.

“You’re right, and I apologize for our childish behavior. Tamlen, would you be comfortable leading this secondary group to Denerim and look for signs of Genitivi?” Fergus said, turning it back on the elf. “I only ask since you were the only one who thought to break up our little argument, and clearly I want to keep my brother and the prince away from Denerim. Redcliffe is a good enough compromise, don’t you think, Stephan?” Fergus finished, turning to his brother. Stephan only nodded, leaving Alistair to finally pipe in with his thoughts.

“While Uncle Eamon is fond of the Couslands, he might not trust you about my survival if I am not there with you as well. It only makes sense for the three of us to approach him. Besides, he would know better how to confront Anora and Loghain from the political angle. Tamlen and the others will probably have an easier time infiltrating Denerim without us,” Alistair said, trying to appeal to both brothers. Stephan just looked at Alistair the whole time he spoke, his gaze never leaving the prince’s face. Fergus just nodded, the course ahead now clear.

“Tamlen, I’ll let you ask who you’d like to bring with you to Denerim, I wouldn’t advise taking a group any larger than four or five however. But I will be taking Stephan, Alistair, and Oren with me to Redcliffe. As well as anyone else who is not going to Denerim,” Fergus finishes, leaving Tamlen the choice of his companions. Tamlen is thoughtful for a moment, then announces that he’ll be taking Han’rel, Leliana, and Ghrena, for their combined knowledge of stealth and of large cities. Fergus agrees, and then the two of them walked away, talking about supplies and information.

Stephan just sighs, and then set himself down near Oren and Alistair. The prince and the younger noble share a look and then Oren just pats his uncle on the shoulder in sympathy.

“Be glad that you are an only child, nephew,” Stephan says, looking sullenly at Oren. Alistair just stifles his amusement with a quick cough, knowing that the last of the Couslands will be just fine.

#dragon age #writing #dragon age origins #stephan cousland #stephan #alistair theirin #fergus cousland #tamlen (dragon age)#oren cousland #male cousland

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jewish-gay-elves · 4 years

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the worst way to get kicked out of your home, watch your parents die, and be forced on the run: a primer by stephan cousland

“so alistair doesn’t get to see much of stephan while they’re there and only like two days after they leave highever with ser gilmore do they hear news that later on the night they left Arl Howe attacked highever with his men and everyone is presumed dead inside and Alistair is just distraught wants to turn around check on the couslands and then tell maric what happened but duncan refuses, says they have a job to do” - my notes on this au

Words: 1310, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of the a tale of too many wardens because i want everyone to be happy and heres how

Fandoms: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age (Video Games) Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: None Characters: Fergus Cousland, Stephan Cousland, Alistair (Dragon Age), Duncan (Dragon Age), Male Cousland, Oren Cousland, Bryce Cousland, Rendon Howe, Ser Gilmore (Dragon Age), Dog (Dragon Age) Relationships: None Additional Tags: more from yours truly because as always, fuck david gaider, this is the bit where castle cousland gets attacked, so just the couland origin, bits of more like, still diverging from canon tho, this is the saddest its gotten so far

“Prince Alistair? What are you doing here?” a voice asks, interrupting the conversation. The prince, the warden, the arl, and the teyrn all turn to look at who had just entered.

“Pup! I’ve raised you with better manners than that, C’mere. Ser Duncan of the Grey Wardens, I’d like you to meet my son, Stephan Cousland. And your highness, Rendon, I know you three have already met,” Teyrn Cousland says kindly, integrating his son to the conversation before Alistair can stupidly ask what Stephan’s doing here like his gut wanted him to. Of course Stephan would be here, this is his home!

“An honor to meet you Grey Warden, apologies for my outburst. I was caught off guard,” Stephan says, looking bashful, shaking Duncan’s hand.

“Not a problem, I know our arrival surprised your father as well,” Duncan says, alluding to the fact that the runners only left Denerim mere moments before Alistair and Duncan did.

“Boys, it’s been so long since you’ve seen each other, why don’t you two go catch up? I know the Warden and our Prince aren’t going to be here very long, you should make the most of your time here. Pup, show him around a bit won’t you?” the teyrn suggests to them. However, with a quick shake of his head, Alistair interjects.

“I’m sorry Teyrn, but we come on very important business and I have instructions to meet with you and your heirs to brief you on the situation and what the King asks you do,” he says, his normally cheerful face becoming more stern and serious.

“Of course, my apologies Your Highness,” Teyrn Cousland says, “Then why don’t we move into a somewhat more quiet place? Pup, run and fetch your brother will you?” the teyrn asks. With a nod, Stephan bows to the Prince and Warden before turning and leaving for the Cousland family’s private rooms. Alistair watched him walk away, before realizing he had almost been left behind by the older men and turned to follow.

~ “Wait, is that smoke coming out of Castle Cousland?” Ser Gilmore asked, praying that his eyes were deceiving him as he looked back in the direction that the three men had traveled from. Hours had passed since their departure from Castle Cousland and their meeting with the the Teryn in his office about the oncoming threat of darkspawn, and they were beginning to set down for camp. At Ser Gilmore’s words however, Alistair froze and turned back to look. To his horror, Ser Gilmore was in fact correct in his assumption.

“We have to go back, now!” Alistair ordered, Ser Gilmore scrambling to follow his lead and prepare his horse. Duncan however, hadn’t yet moved from his spot. Alistair rushed to start preparing his horse as well, however an arm snatched his as he was trying to tie his sack back on the horse.

“Prince Alistair, control yourself.” Duncan commanded, his voice not going any louder than as if he were talking to them about the weather. The steel undertone carried the order far better than volume would, making Alistair stop in his tracks and Ser Gilmore look confusedly between the two men. Duncan just released the prince and turned to watch the castle burn in the distance.

“I fear that Arl Howe has been planning to usurp the Couslands for some time, with the Darkspawn returning to Ferelden he must have seen this as his chance.” Duncan explained.

“Arl Howe? You must be lying, he and Teryn Cousland have been close friends and allies for as long as I’ve been in service of the Couslands! What could he possibly have to gain by it? Amaranthine is just as powerful as Highever, if not more!” Ser Gilmore exclaimed.

“Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power. A desperate gamble to claim the title of Teyrn perhaps.” Duncan said.

“This prattle means nothing! The citizens of Highever are suffering as we speak! We must turn around-” Alistair exclaimed only to be cut off by Duncan grabbing him again as a large crashing noise in the woods began to get closer and closer to their camp. The three men began to draw their swords when suddenly a very large mabari bounded out of the woods towards them. Neither Alistair or Duncan recognized the beast but Ser Gilmore lowered his weapon in confusion.

“Calenhad? This is Lord Stephan’s mabari, what in Maker’s creation is he doing all the way out here?” he said. As he spoke, the mabari noticed Ser Gilmore amongst the group and began barking loudly and happily. Ser Gilmore and Alistair began trying to shush the pup in order to not attract attention however, more movement in the woods began heading their way.

“Cal?! Where are you boy?” came from the woods, Ser Gilmore snapping up straight at his recognition of the voice.

“Lord Stephan! He found myself, the Grey Warden, and the Prince! Are you injured at all milord?” Ser Gilmore shouted back. Within moments, Stephan Cousland himself emerged from the brush with his nephew, Oren, on his back, the both of them in their night clothes, Stephan’s longsword barely tied on correctly. Following behind them was Fergus in a similar state, but with his sword drawn. Stephan set Oren down next to Cal, where he then sat and held both the dog and his nephew, hiding his face from the other men, making barely a noise. Fergus put his sword back in its sheath and turned to face the three men, his face grimy with sweat and ash. His eyes were wet with unshed tears, small cuts bleeding through his night clothes.

“As I’m sure you saw, Castle Cousland was attacked tonight. Arl Howe’s men led the attack, when I was supposed to lead my men to Ostagar. I hadn’t left yet, and managed to find my brother and my son. My mother and father died to buy us time to escape through the old secret passages. As I have nothing left to offer but my life, Grey Warden, I beg that you protect my only remaining family, and in return I shall offer myself to your services and become a Grey Warden if you desire,” Fergus said, trying to remain as composed as possible. Stephan’s head shot up at his brother’s offer ready to interrupt, however, Duncan was far too quick.

“I accept your offer, Fergus Cousland,” he said, to rising protests.

“Brother, you cannot be serious! You have to become Teryn!”

“Duncan! Are you telling me that we would seriously turn them away if Fergus hadn’t offered himself? Maker’s breath you can’t be that cold hearted!”

“Quiet! I made my decision Stephan, I need you to take care of Oren and survive so that our family will have a chance to get to Denerim and reclaim our home! Now accept my choice and remember what Mother and Father did so that we could survive!” Fergus fought back. “I have to protect you two,” he said, his voice losing all bite. The other voices quieted at his outburst, the only sound being Oren’s quiet sobs into Stephan’s chest. Stephan just turned his head towards his nephew holding the boy tight to his chest. Alistair and Ser Gilmore were shocked into silence while Duncan just nodded his approval.

“We’ll be heading to the Circle, there’s a small town just on the edge of Lake Calenhad, we can get you two equipped and armed there. Until then, we’ll have to share the horses and blankets which won’t be an issue,” Duncan began, finally turning to face the three remaining Couslands.

“I promise you that the Teryn and Teryna’s sacrifice won’t have been in vain. You three standing here is proof of that.” At his words, all Fergus could do was fall to his knees, beginning to sob.

#fergus cousland #stephan cousland #bryce cousland #rendon howe #ser gilmore #duncan #alistair theirin #dragon age #dragon age origins #writing #stephan #oren cousland

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jewish-gay-elves · 4 years

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arguing is the name of the game, but you all lost the point

“and stephan is too jelly bellied to kill Zev like Sten suggests But, Ghrena, Leli, Tamlen and Han'rel get back from Denerim first with Daolin Tabris in tow because Tamlen AND Han'rel were both like, we can’t just do nothing, he'll get taken away for killing the Arl's son! so they "conscript" him and hightail it back to Redcliffe where they find the rest of the crew trying to figure out what to do with Zev. So both crews start arguing about Zev and Daolin.” - my notes on this au

AO3 Link Words: 1676, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 6 of the a tale of too many wardens because i want everyone to be happy and heres how

Fandoms: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: None Characters: Stephan Cousland, Male Cousland (Dragon Age), Alistair (Dragon Age), Sten (Dragon Age), Teagan Guerrin, Han'rel Mahariel, Male Mahariel (Dragon Age), Tamlen (Dragon Age), Leliana (Dragon Age), Ghrena Aeducan, Female Aeducan (Dragon Age), Daolin Tabris, Male Tabris (Dragon Age) Relationships: None Additional Tags: In this au zevran attacks while they're at redcliffe before arl eamon wakes up, then they try to figure out what to do with him without Fergus who is actually in charge here, and since there are so many wardens some of them split up to do different stuff, they are just barely functioning and have approx six braincells among themselves

“We could always kill him,” Sten said frankly, sounding annoyed by the fact that they hadn’t already done that. “He is weakened and unaware, better than what he deserves,”

“No, Sten, for the last time we are not killing him,” Stephan said, keeping his voice stern to hide how uneasy he felt with the whole conversation. The assassin had been after Alistair, so really he supposed Alistair had the final call on whether or not to let him live. However the Prince seemed to be of the same opinion as Stephan, they weren’t going to kill him, but neither of them were quite sure what to do with him beyond tying him up and locking him in a room.

Suddenly Alistair jumped out of his chair from across the room. “They’re back! The group from Denerim is back!” The two humans looked at each other in excitement, perhaps there was finally some news about the state of Ferelden’s politics. Something they both had been kept from in this dire time. They both almost rushed out of the room together before they realized that they weren’t sure if they should leave Sten alone with the would-be assassin still locked in the next room. Stephan unsubtly grabbed the key, as if the lock would actually stop the giant, and the two men headed for the courtyard. Sten just remained in place, staring impassively at the door to the room where they left the would-be assassin.

They caught up to the group in the main hall, already being received by Bann Teagan. The Bann had been extremely grateful to the Wardens for helping to clear Redcliffe of the undead, and currently letting them stay in the castle as they searched for some sort of cure. If they had any leads on something to cure his brother, any leads at all, Bann Teagan would want to hear them. Unfortunately, as Alistair and Stephan arrived, it was to a very disappointed Teagan. Wordlessly, they looked to Tamlen to explain.

“Nothing but dead ends and a lying assistant. We couldn’t outright confront him considering we were trying to stay low and a slight lack of proof. We did find the name of a place Genitivi might have gone to, Haven, but it's all the way in the Frostbacks,” Tamlen said, shrugging. Alistair nodded in understanding, and heard Bann Teagan mention something about seeing to arrangements for dinner that night, and planned to go with him. However, Alistair paused when he saw that the group had grown by one in number. He admitted to himself that there were quite a few wardens in their group now, and that he doesn’t quite know everyone yet, but he certainly doesn’t remember the elf now standing next to Mahariel.

“Who’s he?” Alistair asked, instantly cautious considering not even hours prior he had an assassin at his throat. Tamlen and Han’rel look at each other, confused for a moment and then both made noises of understanding.

“This is Daolin Tabris, our newest conscript!” Han’rel said, walking over to him and throwing an arm around his shoulder. The elf named Daolin clearly isn’t excited by the gesture, barely even welcoming of it, but tolerated it as he bristled under the Prince’s stare. Alistair is sure that Daolin can tell that there are things being unsaid, that his status as a “conscript” is still under review. Especially, Alistair knows, because those who recruited him are barely beyond the newly recruited status themselves.

Han’rel took his arm back and came closer to speak to Alistair and Stephan more directly. “I may not have a full and clear idea of how your cities are run, but they were going to kill him for exacting justice!” he exclaimed, his tattooed face pulled into a large scowl, worrying the two humans greatly.

“What Han’rel means is that the son of the Arl was a despicable piece of shit, who deserved what he got, but the human authorities didn’t seem to see it that way,” Tamlen further explained, causing the two human’s eyes to widen further. Daolin, at this point, had started to pull away from the group unnoticed as Stephan and Alistair’s attention was solely focused on Tamlen now at his words.

“What happened?” Stephan managed to grit out through his clenched jaw. They had sent that group to Denerim based on the fact that they were all sneaky, or knew how to not attract the wrong sort of attention. Clearly, they were going to have to reassess that statement after this.

“Well, Daolin was about to get married, and Tamlen and I, being random bystanders, got invited to the celebration! However, the ceremony got interrupted by the Arl’s son and his friends who were a very nasty sort. They knocked out Daolin and then kidnapped the bride and all the other women with her!” Han’rel began to explain. Alistair could barely keep up with the story and it had just started.

“So you went to the guards and told them what happened and they took care of the Arl’s son?” Stephan asked carefully, praying to Andraste that the two would have done the sensible thing for once.

“No,” Tamlen said, crushing all of Stephan’s hopes, “We waited for Daolin to wake up, and offered to go with him to save the women of course. One of his clan helped us get into the estate where we then found where they had locked up the women,” He continued, oblivious to Stephan and Alistair’s growing distress.

“And then you went to the city guard and told them what happened and what you found and they took care of the Arl’s son?” Stephan asked, his tone growing a bit higher in pitch.

“Of course not, we slaughtered them all and took the women back home to their families! Daolin didn’t end up getting married after all, considering we hadn’t been back for all of an hour before the guard finally showed up asking questions and demanding to arrest someone. So, that was when we conscripted him! After that we really didn’t want to hang around, especially because Genitivi’s assistant was useless, and headed back here.” Han’rel finished, all the while extremely proud of himself. Stephan’s face was at least two shades lighter, and Alistair’s jaw fully dropped. The two stunned humans couldn’t even begin to take apart how many missteps the elves made and they just ended up looking at each other, lost and unsure where to even start.

Leliana and Ghrena walked over from where they had left their horses with the stable boys and were holding back laughter from seeing the men’s faces. The “conscript” had stepped behind the newcomers and was distancing himself from the group. Leliana patted Stephan on the shoulder and tried to comfort him.

“Sadly, Ghrena and I were attending Chantry services on what we thought would be a very quiet day, and weren’t around for this. Considering what they had to work with they did very well. There was no actual proof to tie any of them to the death, just that people knew that the Arl’s son had been by the alienage earlier in the day and that was why the guards assumed it was an elf,” she explained, defending the two Dalish. Alistair shook himself out of his stupor and finally came back to himself.

“The Grey Wardens are enemies of the crown! Declared by Loghain himself, how did you get the guards to just accept that you were conscripting him and let you leave? By all rights they should have tried to slay you where you stood!” Alistair sputtered.

“By all rights?” Han’rel asked, his tone light but the look in his eyes had suddenly darkened.

“No, you’re right, they would have had no right to do that, I’m sorry for saying that Han’rel. I just mean that they should be under orders to not have let you out, and I don’t understand why they did,” Alistair clarified.

“That would probably be because of the bribe the Keeper handed them,” Tamlen explained, Han’rel nodding beside him.

“You bribed a city guard?!” Stephan grit out, almost distraught at the news of the easy corruption in Denerim.

“To be fair, the guards in Orzammar probably would have done the same in this sort of a situation,” Ghrena said, thinking back to how much trouble she would have gotten in if not for Bhelen’s well timed bribes. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the stable boys walking past the group, but didn’t notice Tabris fading in and sneaking away from the Wardens and the two noblemen.

“That doesn’t make it any better! I can’t believe we were going to ask you all about what to do with the Crow,” Alistair said, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

“A crow? How’d it fly in anyway? There are quite a few doors here. Wouldn’t it make sense to just lead it back outside?” Han’rel asked, not understanding.

“No, he means an assassin, specifically one from Antiva, very specialized,” Stephan explained, already used to certain things needing to be explained.

“An assassin! Why didn’t you start with that! That’s way more interesting than what we did in Denerim. I’d assume you’d just do whatever it is you do with dead people up here. I mean, there’s no returning to the Stone on the surface like this,” Ghrena said, feeling slightly jealous that they got to deal with an assassin while they just talked to a slimy assistant.

“He’s not dead, we just knocked him out and tied him up,” Stephan clarified.

“What?!” Ghrena said, sounding somewhat excited by the prospect of being able to fight the assassin herself.

“Wait, where did Daolin go?” Tamlen said, finally speaking after noticing that their group had gotten smaller. They could only look around and at each other in confusion before finally realizing that they had lost track of the new “conscript”.

“What a professional and capable group we are, hmm?” Stephan said, rolling his eyes at the now, once again, chattering group.

#stephan #writing #stephan cousland #dragon age #alistair #dragon age origins #sten #teagan guerrin #han'rel #han'rel mahariel #tamlen #leliana #ghrena #ghrena aeducan #daolin #daolin tabris

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jewish-gay-elves · 4 years

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thanks for something, not what you should be thanking me for

“Alistair takes a minute to really thank Tristan for making sure they went with the Circle and not blood magic and Tristan is gay yall but yeah he knows it wont happen but they become buddy pals” - my notes on this au

Words: 738, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 6 of the a tale of too many wardens because i want everyone to be happy and heres how

Fandoms: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: None Characters: Male Amell (Dragon Age), Alistair (Dragon Age), Male Cousland (Dragon Age), Tristan Amell, Stephan Cousland Relationships: Alistair/Amell (Dragon Age), Tristan Amell/Alistair (unrequited) Additional Tags: Tristan has a crush on Alistair, thats as far as the relationship tag goes sorry, Just a snippet

“Amell! Can I have a minute? I’ll be back Stephan sorry,” Alistair calls, jumping out of his conversation with Cousland as he sees the mage pass by. Tristan isn’t really sure what the prince could want to talk to him about, but they’ve all been traveling together for quite some time, and he sees no harm in indulging him. No harm other than maybe a glare from the younger Cousland brother.

Tristan slows and turns to Prince Alistair, waiting as he catches up. Alistair smiles so brightly at Tristan that he can’t help but feel something stir, in his heart or his groin he isn’t sure, but knows to push those thoughts away, otherwise Stephan Cousland will really have something to glare at him about. Tristan wishes he could get an accurate read on either of them, but they both have such a “Everything I Like I Repress For The Good Of The Country” air about them. As much as Tristan wished he didn’t grow up in the Circle he’s still glad he didn’t grow up with the pressure that they probably did.

“Now that we’re back at camp, I want to talk about what happened. At Redcliffe.” Alistairs says. Tristan’s just glad he stopped his drifting thoughts in order to actually pay attention to the man’s words.

“Which part? I honestly wasn’t even here except for the undead and the scary ritual parts,” Tristan jokes, not sure which direction this conversation is going to turn.

“I just wanted to thank you. You went out of your way to save the arl’s family and you did it, even though it would have been easier not to.” Alistair says back, going a bit solemn. Tristan flushes at his praise, and doesn’t really know where the prince got such a high opinion of him. “There’s been so much death and destruction, it… well, it makes me feel good that we were able to save something, no matter how small. I owed the Arl that much.” Alistair finishes. Tristan didn’t actually think Alistair owed the Arl anything, from his small understanding of Ferelden politics after getting out of the Circle it clearly seemed like everyone just wanted to use Alistair for their own good. Only because he was clearly smarter than Cailan, but Alistair must have felt some sort of kinship for the Arl. Tristan was glad he inadvertently did it, only to spare the prince from further suffering.

“I didn’t really do it for the Arl, your highness. I know Fergus and Stephan probably had a more personal stake in the proceedings than I did,” Tristain said, still unsure why the prince was thanking him of all people.

“Yes, of course they know the Arl and his family more than others but you were the one to protest the use of blood magic. We weren’t even sure if that would actually go poorly or not, especially with both Surana and Morrigan there. But you kept us honorable, which I greatly appreciate,” Alistair explained. Tristan could feel his face grow warm once again at the prince’s approval. Tristan knew he needed to get a grip. Glancing over Alistair’s shoulder helped with that as Tristan saw Cousland’s deep glare. Tristan hoped the man knew that if he kept making that face, one day it would get stuck like that. Or maybe it was already stuck that way.

“I’m glad to have helped, and more glad that Wynne and the other mages could help us out. I don’t know what I would do without her there to remind me to watch my forms” Tristan acquiesced. Prince Alistair laughed at that and clapped Tristan on the shoulder.

“Good! Now that the warm, fuzzy part of the day is over with, we can get back to the ritual dismemberments. Oh wait, it’s not Tuesday, is it?” Prince Alistair joked, before turning back to head over to Cousland and where they normally set up their tents. Tristan took a few deep breaths to center himself and remind himself that the prince was clearly off limits. With one last look at the prince and his companion, as Cousland helped Alistair get off his armor, which he’d neglected in order to thank the mage. Tristan smiled, knowing that the country was going to be just fine in their kind and capable hands, then turned and found his own tent in order to retire for the night as well.

#writing #dragon age #dragon age origins #tristan #stephan #tristan amell #stephan cousland #alistair theirin

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jewish-gay-elves · 4 years

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You Give Me Too Much Credit

AO3 Link

Words: 3028, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of the Stephan Cousland: There's Never Much of a Choice for You

“So...Leliana, I’ve noticed you and our leader have become uh, close. The rest of us have talked about it,” Alistair said, sidling up to her as nonchalantly as he could. Which in Leliana’s opinion, wasn’t. She had been standing close to the fire, where she normally would after camp had been set up, and the Warden in question was across camp checking in on his warhound.

“Hmm? The Warden and I? I think your eyes are failing you Alistair, do you need to have them checked? Besides, I’m sure our party has more important things to think about than the Warden’s potential love life” she said in return with a sly look on her face, subtly turning her body towards him so that their conversation would not carry.

“You think we have better things to do than gossip about you two? You give us far too much credit. Is it true or not?” Alistair scoffed, cutting to the chase and not allowing her a chance to redirect the conversation. Leliana rolled her eyes before replying.

“Well, for your information, there is nothing between the Warden and I. Simply enjoys hearing tales, said the nanny used to tell them before bed and it was an addiction. Ever since I revealed that I was a travelling minstrel I have been hounded for any new stories and I have to remind that I haven’t heard any since we haven’t stayed in a tavern for months. Since then, Wynne has been harassed as much as I was for tales,” She explained, waving her hand as if to wave away the rumors of them being involved. Alistair’s face went from mild distrust to entertained exasperation.

“Oh fine, fine, have it your way. Stomp on my one little feeling,” Alistair said, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to favor his left side.

“Stomping on feelings? As long as we are not stomping on other things consider my interest piqued friends. Whose feelings are being ruined today?” Zevran asked, sliding up behind Alistair and Leliana both. Alistair jolted from surprise while Leliana was unfazed and turned to grin at Zevran.

“Alistair seems to think that the Warden and I are involved romantically. I corrected him,” she explained to the assassin. At this Zevran made a noise of surprise and then turned to Alistair.

“You thought Leliana and the Warden?” he asked, before Alistair could reply in his own defense Zevran began laughing heartily at him. Alistair pouted and uncrossed his arms to position his hands on his hips.

“Well then I suppose you’re taking credit as the reason behind the good mood and cheery air about our leader recently? I know you don’t discriminate over potential partners,” Alistair said accusingly, towering over Zevran. Zev met his stare with a smirk and mirrored Alistair’s pose.

“I most certainly wish, sadly it is not to be,” Zev answered, still smirking as he turned his head to look at the Warden’s backside. Alistair’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as he dropped his hands to just rest at his sides.

“Wait so are you saying you haven’t offered?” Alistair began to ask before Zevran cut him off again.

“Oh no I did, multiple times. Our Warden seems to already have eyes for someone else,” Zevran said, shooting a glance at Leliana, hoping that she too had already caught on to the Warden’s preference. Leliana smirked back at Zevran, knowing exactly what he was insinuating.

“Hold on, so if it’s not you, and it’s not Leliana, then that leaves…” Alistair trailed off. Leliana and Zevran shot worried glances at each other, it would not be good for their party if Alistair’s chantry upbringing ruined things for them.

“Then he’s with Morrigan?!?” Alistair burst out suddenly. The two rogues shared a look of mutual disdain for the technically senior warden. Zevran put his face in his palm as Leliana struggled to try to find the words to correct the situation. Alistair however had already turned to look at Morrigan with suspicion. Morrigan, currently sitting at her little camp outside of the main camp, noticed his glare and sent back one that made Alistair’s blood feel like ice.

“Alistair,” Leliana began, trying to get his attention, but now he was already entrenched in this staring contest he started. There was no getting out of it until one of them blinked. Alistair had to prove a point, that if she hurt his fellow warden, she’d have to deal with him. Leli futilely tried getting his attention once again before turning to Morrigan with a pleading look. Let him win this one, she begged mentally, knowing that he wouldn’t let the idea of Morrigan and the Warden go if she won. However, Morrigan’s intensity made Leliana try again to get Alistair’s attention instead.

“Alistair, oh how do I put this delicately, the Warden is not interested in those with a more, feminine form,” Leliana said trying to explain it in simplest terms. For a moment it seemed as though it didn’t work but then Alistair’s gaze slightly drifted off to the distance, his brow pulling into a confused frown. Finally he turned back to her and asked a question.

“Wait so you mean he likes, other men?” Alistair’s face looked so confused Leliana wanted to take pity on him, but Zevran stepped in and instead replied.

“I do not know where your confusion comes from my friend, we have already established that men can like other men yes? So if you have a problem with the Warden’s preferences then I well suggest-”

“No, no I know that! It’s not that he likes other men that’s the problem! Promise! It’s just, y’know, he’s the Warden! On top of that he’s the son of nobles, right? It’s just, wow I did wasn’t expecting that. So wait, if he likes other men, then Zevran why isn’t he with you?” Alistair asked. Zevran looked almost stunned by Alistair’s obliviousness but then answered.

“While I am flattered by your obvious faith in my superior abilities at gaining bed partners, I must ask you, have you stopped to wonder, that perhaps, the Warden has a taste for a different type of man than myself? Perhaps a man who is a bit more, similar to himself, than someone like me?” Zevran queried. Leliana had grown quiet watching the exchange, hoping that Alistair would finally catch on. Alistair’s face grew clouded as he began thinking more about it. Then the moment of clarity happened and the cloud over him broke away to reveal a marvelous blush. Leliana’s face broke out in a wide grin as she knew they had finally gotten through to him.

“Are you two teasing Alistair? He has the look of having been thoroughly embarrassed again,” Stephan Cousland, the second Grey Warden in Ferelden, said as he walked over to join them where they stood by the fire. As he glanced between Leliana and Zevran’s knowing faces and Alistair’s shocked and embarrassed one, he let his clear disapproval show on his normally mild face. The two rogues looked unrepentant while the two warriors seemed very confused for completely different reasons. Leli knew that it perhaps may have not been the best idea that she and Zevran spill their leader’s inner feelings. However these two had been dancing around each other for far too long, and to be certain, neither she nor Zev strictly said who the Warden had feelings for. Zevran opened his mouth to come up with a quick excuse but before he could, Alistair spoke up.

“I’m going to go check on Calenhad, he seems very lonely over there!” he said turning around abruptly. They watched him retreat and then sit down next to the dog and, in full armor, tucked his knees up to his chest.

“All right, I’m going to ask, though I can already tell this won’t be good. What did you tell him?” Cousland asked. “He only retreats to talk to Calenhad when he can’t talk to me about it” he explained further.

“Is anyone else amused by the fact that our fearless warrior speaks to a warhound about his deep thoughts and feelings?” Zevran said, his face breaking out in a shit-eating grin. Cousland looked some-what confused by his glee while Leliana actually answered him.

“He’s a Fereldan Zevran, mabaris are very intelligent animals and here they can be trusted advisors in matters of moral conscience. Remember they left the magisters of Tevinter in order to side with Fereldan barbarians. The breed is very highly valued in this country,” she said. Zevran kept chuckling to himself over it while Cousland rolled his eyes and returned to the topic at hand.

“Stop deflecting, what were you all talking about to Alistair?” he asked again, growing slightly impatient. Cousland crossed his arms as looking down at the two of them, trying to look impressive. The rogues looked at each other and silently agreed that telling the truth sounded like a bad idea, so they weren’t going to do that. However their plan went awry when they decided to speak at the same time.

“We explained where baby mabaris come from,”

“We told him that Morrigan had been asking for locks of his hair in order to create a potion that she would put in the food that would only poison him,” Zevran said barely concealing his smirk, his excuse far more outlandish than Leliana's. Cousland looked at them with an exasperated look on his face. Neither one looked as though they would cave anytime soon so eventually he just sighed and gave up.

“Fine, fine, keep your secrets,” he told them, washing his hands of the situation. They were all adults and Cousland felt as though he didn’t need to actually tell them to stop acting childlike. As he walked toward Bodahn and Sandal, Zevran and Leliana shook hands in congratulations for their good work.

#writing #alistair theirin #dragon age #leliana #dragon age origins #zevran arainai #stephan #stephan cousland #m!cousland #alistair x cousland

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