fadewalk | RP: Alistair (wardenalistair)

Everything was darkness.

The feeling of the cold stone against her skin was the last thing she could remember before the darkness. So much noise, so much destruction, so much pain...

A refreshing feeling ran through her body, different from any kind of healing spell she have ever known. She could hear steps, metal against the stone floor. Was the fight over? She couldn't say for sure, her limbs were heavy, she felt terribly weak and tired. But maybe a little nap could make her feel better... just a little nap.

Neria didn't know how much time had passed when she started regaining her consciousness, slowly drifting out of her dreamless sleep. There was people talking and then there was silence again. Only a familiar warmth grounding her mind to the real world.

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Neria hummed in approval, slowly shifting to straddle his hips when a hint of pain crossed her face, brows furrowing. She stopped, thumbs brushing his lips, frustration and want clear on her face.

"Creators, I shouldn't be doing this."

Alistair reached for her as soon as her face grew pained, his hazel eyes reflecting the emotion.

"No, you shouldn't. Come here." He pulled her down gently and settled her back on the bed, rolling over on his side and resting his chin on her shoulder. He pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"Much as I would love to ravish you again, my dear, you need to rest." He smoothed her hair back from her face. "There will be plenty of opportunities later, hmm? Since I have no intention of leaving your side again."

"Yes, there will be." she chuckled, tilting her head to plant a kiss on his temple, pressing her lips on the top of his head and using her lithe fingers to smooth his hair.

"Now is your turn to ask questions about my trip."

"Hmm." Alistair stretched arm around her stomach and nuzzled his face further into the curve of her neck. He spoke against her skin. "How's Nathaniel and Velanna? And how is your research going? See anything of particular interest?"

"Oh, Velanna and Nate are, you know, just the way they are. She really helped me in the elven temples we visited and she did a good job salvaging stories and knowledge, she says is for the next Arlathvhen. She wants me to go with her, but I don't know... my mother was Dalish, but she left her clan to marry my father and I don't feel entitled to their culture." she shrugged "And Nate is just fine. The Calling hit him worse than he admits, but since Velanna was there for him, things worked."

She kissed the top of his head again.

"And the temples... I wish you were there. So magnificent, even ages after the fall of Arlathan. Sylaise's was the most beautiful of all, and I'm totally not saying this because fire is my main magic of choice." she sighed, not sure if it was a good idea to bring up the subject about the Taint, skipping it for now "As for the cure... Anders helped me figure something out earlier. If I can find enough Lyrium to make the ritual work, we can test it here."

Alistair hummed. "It sound beautiful, love. Wish I could have seen them. And you're really that far along with the Cure? That's - wow - that's excellent." He twisted his head back to offer her a grin.

"It is a very long shot, really. I'm not sure if this can work and I don't want to think of the implications if it does work. If it works, this will shake not only the Wardens, but the whole Thedas and this frightens me."

Alistair kissed her cheek.

"No matter what happens, there are many who will stand with you. Not least myself." He smiled faintly.

"I wished this wasn't bigger than us, that this wasn't bigger than my bickering with the First Warden."

Neria bit her lower lip, closing her eyes.

"The Taint started with the Elves. Probably what weakened the empire in the first place. The Elven Gods are totally real, probably just not in the way the Chantry paints godhood. They were gods among the People, that is for sure, and Andruil brought the Taint with her, from one of her hunts. We did it, vhenan, we did it." her voice faultered

Alistair held her closer and murmured, "You are not responsible for the actions of your race hundreds and hundreds of years ago, love."

"No, but I'll have blood in my hands if my findings trigger another Exalted March against my people"

He sighed. "I would say that the Chantry can't blame the elves for their actions such a long time ago either, but knowing them they could and would."

He smoothed his hand over her side. "Still, you can't predict everything. Should we stop looking for a way to survive and - and be together for more than a few more years just because it might make some people angry?"

"Oh no Alistair, this is not what I'm suggesting. No, no, sorry, I'm sorry, this is really not what I meant."

Neria kissed his temple and rested her chin on the top of his head, slightly rocking as her fingers focused on his hair in a soothing motion.

"Can't say it was easy for me to reach this conclusion, so I'm probably just freaking out. If Inquisitor Lavellan has half the brain Leliana suggests, she'll reach the same conclusion, but I trust she won't doom our kind."

Alistair kissed her collarbone. He hadn't really expected her to give up the search, but something eased in him at her adamance anyways. It was...well, he would take what he could of their time together and be glad for it, but he was a selfish man, and he wanted as much time as he could get his hands on. They had sacrificed too much for the good of Thedas for him to feel bad about wanting something just for themselves.

"Whatever happens, my dear, we shall face it together. And who knows, perhaps our next great task is to defend the elves from the evils of the Chantry." He chuckled. "I doubt it, but you know I am with you."

"You can't even imagine how grateful I am for having you by my side." she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulder "As long it's me and you against the world, I can do anything. Poor archdemon never stood a chance."

Neria snuggled closer to him, sighing.

"I wonder under which circumstances are we going to go back to our reality. If we must return to the places we were before, I'll have to kidnap you."

Alistair curled into her further, and slid down the bed slightly so he could pillow his head on her chest.

"Please do that. Please kidnap me," he murmured, a little pitifully. "I desperately do not want to go back to lonely nights in that Maker-be-damned freezing fortress while the First Warden makes angry eyes at me."

"Ok, definitely kidnapping you."

Neria smoothed his hair with her fingers, lowering her voice "Rest assured I'll try to not scare you with my dashing, frightening roguish skills." she ran her fingers on his back, following the soothing tone of her voice, before using her nails to scrap a particular ticklish spot on his side

"Me? Be frightened of you, my dear? Perish the thought."

When her nails scraped across his ticklish spot he jerked violently and let out a half-shriek, half-laugh.

"Ne-neria!" he squealed, scandalized.

"I warned you." she laughed, flexing her fingers in a particularly wicked and playful way, poking his side again "Beware my mighty ticklish power."

Neria moved to have a better angle to tickle his sides, pain completely forgotten with the laugher and playfulness, using her lithe frame to find breaches on his attempts to defend himself from her.

Conscious of Neria's injuries, Alistair tried desperately to hold still and not thrash too wildly, but the plain fact of the matter was that he had always been extremely ticklish and had very little control over his body when tickled.

He curled into a tiny, writhing ball and gave up trying to fend her off, screeching with laughter.

"Stooop, nooo, pleeeaase," he begged, gasping for breath.

"Oh, so this is what the great Grey Wardens are made of?" she laughed stopping to tickle Alistair with a wide grin, shifting on the bed to kneel by his side before wrapping an arm over his back, caressing him.

"There, there. I'm done."

Alistair keened pitifully and wiggled around without fully unfolding to bury his face in her lap.

"You are a wicked, cruel woman," he mumbled, voice muffled against her.

Neria giggled, curling her back to plant a kiss to his nape.

"You must know how to wiggle your fingers to be a good Commander." she wrinkled her nose, grinning at her bad pun

Alistair lifted his head slightly to squint at her, his blond curls falling into his eyes.

"That was dirty, love," he said with a slight grin.

"It was not."

She placed a finger under his chin to tilt his head to better meet her lips in a kiss. She nuzzled his cheek and moved to kiss his earlobe, whispering on his ear "Dirty are the things I want to do to you."