Dream of a Rose

A/N: This is meant to be a character sketch that unexpectedly spun itself out to be a tellable tale on its own. If Rosamond Cousland were to have a dream made up for her by the Sloth Demon during the Broken Circle quest, I believe this is it. To the readers of Blight Rose, forgive me for the hiatus as I got very busy and in moments when I tried writing, the darkspawn (or Fergus the mabari) seemed to have stolen the plot away. Anyways, I have travelled back from the backroom office, into my PC and back to Ferelden.

Rest

…was the last word Rosamond heard from the Sloth Demon's corrupted lips. But it was too late. She had already fallen under his spell. Only, she did not feel the cold blood soaked floor. Instead, she lay on silk sheets in her nightgown. A gentle, familiar voice was calling her name. Her eyes forced themselves open to find herself in her own bed surrounded by her mabari, her brother, mother, father, nephew and sister-in-law.

"Rose!" her mother gasped, taking her in her arms. "Thank the Maker you are awake! We thought we had lost you."

Fergus, her mabari, whimpered beside her, rubbing his wet nose on her skin.

She rose, touching each of her loved one's faces, not believing that it was real. Immediately, she was on her feet. Her hand instinctively reached for her daggers on her wooden chest pointing them defensively against each of them. "No! This is a dream. I have to get back to the Tower. Save Wynne, Morrigan and Alistair. I will not let you demons stop me!"

"Demons?" cried Oren while making crushing sounds and waving his wooden sword. "Show them to me auntie! When I get my own sward we will push them right back to where they belong."

Ducking just in time to avoid a punch throwed in her direction, she turned to see her old friend, Ser Gilmore, suppressing a laugh.

"I am sorry milady, but I felt that another blow to your head is necessary put you back to your senses. I knew you would have evaded it anyway."

"Stop!" Rosamond waved her daggers defensively. "You all died the day the Howe betrayed you and burnt this castle to the ground. Fergus: you and your men, were massacred by the darkspawn who are raving the South. Teyrn Loghain has assassinated the king. I have to stop all of them."

Her father's boisterous laugh echoed in her room as he approached her. "Fascinating story Pup. I could then voucher that you would be delighted to see your visitors." His arms turned her around to the door face to face with Arl Howe himself.

She did not move an inch when the arl made a deep bow. "We were all grieved to hear of your accident, milady."

"Accident?"

"We were tracking a stag in the forest," explained Gilmore. "Your horse was startled by a snake and threw you to the ground, knocking you unconscious. Thankfully, I killed the snake in time and brought you back here. You were out for three days that you mother, father, brother, nephew and sister were worried that you wouldn't wake up."

"You were talking in your sleep about mages, abominations, darkspawn and Grey Wardens," added Oriana. "It seemed that you had a fascinating adventure that kept our Oren listening to you for hours."

Rosamond had to shake her head. "No, it couldn't all be a dream. A Grey Warden named Duncan is coming. He will tell you that a Blight is coming."

"There have been no Grey Wardens for a hundred years," the teyrn corrected her. "Surely Albus taught you that."

"Impossible! I drank darkspawn blood. I have the taint within me."

"And you feel that there are darkspawn about?"

Rosamond closed her eyes, trying to sense the darkspawn and the Blight, but she could not feel anything. "No. There aren't. But I couldn't have imagined all of it."

"I am afraid so, sister," Fergus gloved hand grasped her shoulder. "I could not let you have the adventures for yourself."

Howe added, "And I, a traitor?" Everybody responded in laughter.

Rosamond now felt embarrassed. Not only did she imagine the deaths of her family but also the treachery of her father's dearest friend. "Forgive me, dear arl for accusing you."

The arl's lips widened to a smile. "Forgiven, milady if you would believe me when I say that Thomas had been very concerned about you since he heard of your accident. And, if you accept Nathaniel's little token."

"Andraste's Grace." Rosamond's fingers gently touched its soft petals. The room bathed in its scent. "Tell them both that I am extremely grateful."

"He is not your only visitor," added the teyrna, smiling craftily.

The arl backed away to reveal her second visitor. Dairren bowed before her and planted a light kiss on her hand.

"I am so pleased to see you well, milady. But in any case, I brought you something that might help you recover."

"Brother Mekel's 'History of the Grey Wardens.' Thank you, however did you know that I—"

"I doubt that that will make her any better," retorted Gilmore. He was about to add something when the teyrn's disapproving gaze checked him. "Forgive me, I was merely saying that too much imagination may be unhealthy for milady."

Everybody laughed save Rosamond.

If it was all a dream, then why did it feel too real?

The castle looked the same as before she remembered it burned to the ground. Or dreamt. In her confused mind, she could not tell dream from reality. If it were all a dream, then Alistair was a dream too.

"You were there too boy," Rosamond told Fergus, her mabari as she was reading with Orianna in the study. "Weren't you?"

The dog was too busy gnawing his bone.

"I have heard that libraries are meant to be quiet," mumbled Orianna behind her book.

"Well, I am usually not the one who starts the gossiping at libraries."

Orianna's shoulders shook a bit. "I am wiling to leave, sister, if you would not want to hear how much your Ser Gilmore was worried about you." Flashing a wink to her sister-in-law, she gestured her head towards Ser Gilmore and Dairren who were both, if they were not reading, eyeing the other suspiciously around the corners of their bound books. "Surely you would have noticed how your dear knight had suddenly taken up reading since Dairren came."

Both women snickered, but stopped after catching the almost deadly gazes of true eager scholars.

"Gilmore is one of my best friends and companions since father taught me and Fergus how to wield swords. I can never have thought of him that way."

Orianna suspiciously crossed her arms.

Rosamond's cheeks almost turned rose-red. "Well, save once when I thought of asking him to run away with me.

Orianna laughed, not minding the deadly stares. "Oh, what will happen to poor Dairren then? Mother has been scheming with Lady Landra to marry you off to him for months."

"I should have known."

"Whoever you choose, dear sister, trust that I will always be there to poison your husband in case he cheats on you."

It was Rosamond's turn to laugh. She learned the deadly art of poison making thanks to Orianna. It reminded her of a time she spent with Alistair, trying to bake cookies to replace the ones he stole from Sten—a time when she threateningly joked about poisoning him and a time when she was telling him what it was like to have siblings—like Fergus and Orianna.

Orianna's mischievous voice brought her back to the library. "What's the matter, Rose? Can't decide between the two? Don't forget the arl's boys."

"I am not sure I would pick any of them."

"Why? Ohhh…is this because of your dream boy?"

"Who?"

"The one you were speaking about in your dream."

"Alistair? He is a prince but I'm not sure why anyone would like him. He's stupid. Says a lot of awkward things. Trips and falls down a lot."

"Yet you still like him. I can tell how much you like him because you were constantly irritated at him…in your dream."

"Was I?"

"Yes, you were constantly shouting things like: 'Alistair, you idiot! What have you done to the roast?' or 'Alistair, why in the Maker's name are you wearing those smelly socks?'

"As I said, he was an idiot. Yet, I dunno. I felt bonded to him in an unimaginable way. It is like, I know he is here somewhere and I would know if he is…gone. It is hard to imagine my world without him."

Suddenly, from somewhere else, she felt that Alistair was in danger. Orianna's voice seemed to deepen and distort. "Sister, I think it is time to come back to reality and forget this dream boy." At that last word, her sister's voice became a cold bony hand gripped her shoulders. It wasn't a sister anymore. It was a corpse about to kill her. Before, it wrung her neck, she had already sliced its head.

More monsters and demons attacked her as the castle and its library's illusion shattered into a cold dry mound. Her daggers decapitated all of them. She was outnumbered, but the thought of Alistair and her friends in danger gave her new strength. She had to save them. All of the monsters' bones crumbled at her feet.

A bright light shone from the ground, revealing a portal.

The dream was lovely at first, but she had to find her friends and Alistair.

"How in the Maker's name were you not fooled while almost everybody was?" cried Alistair, wearily trudging on the road back to Redcliffe.

"Because you were an idiot," muttered Rosamond. "Besides, I wasn't the only one who wasn't fooled by the Sloth demon."

Alistair caught sight of Morrigan who flashed the signature icy gaze she saved only for him.

"Yes, fine. I was an idiot. Are you happy now?"

"No. You could have sensed that I was in danger too!"

Rosamond's sharp emerald eyes flashed at him as she yelled. Almost instantly, it suddenly dawned on him why she was angry.

"Ah, I get it: you are angry because I wasn't there to rescue you. You are angry because you had to save me yourself. Isn't that right?"

Her silence confirmed it. Her pouted lips added to the attraction.

"Admit it. You want to be saved for once because you are the one always saving everyone. Well, fear not my lady," he mockingly drew and raised his sword. "Someday I will triumph over evil and save you."

Rosamond crossed her arms and stopped pacing.

"What? I can't be the prince who gets to save the day and get the girl?"

"Get the girl?"

"Why not? We are not brother and sister after all. Not technically…what I mean to say is—"

This time Rosamond's icy look dissolved into a smile. "Alright, alright but this time you are taking the fantasy a little too far. Now, we need to keep moving if we want to save Connor."

Alistair needed a moment to savor Rosamond's smile before chasing after her. "So I won't get to rescue you then?"

"In your dreams."

"I'll take whatever I can get."

The sun rose on the hill they were approaching. Alistair knew that one day, it will be his turn to save her though he knew not how.