A/N: Hello everyone~! Here is a short fiction with Elissa Cousland. This is based on the Outgrown storyline, but you do not need to read it to enjoy a bit of Elissa/Nathaniel fluff. Enjoy!

P.S.: Bioware owns all =)

The sun has set and the evening has fallen upon the town of Highever. Townsfolk began to prepare for their evening meals, talk with their loved ones, and prepare themselves for next day's work. In the midst of the quiet serenity of the night, Castle Cousland was bursting with excitement and music.

Inside the Castle's magnificent walls, the Teyrn and Teyrna were throwing a festive celebration for the Bann in honor of Feast's Day. The massive ballroom was strung with elegant glass lanterns and was decorated with various colorful tabards and drapery. Most of Ferelden's nobility have gathered to drink and laugh amongst themselves to celebrate the foolish holiday.

As the band played cheerful melodies upon the small stage, the men and women of the Bann danced to the music on the center floor. Those who didn't dance made easy chatter amongst themselves on the sides while dining from the lengthy tables which held full platters of sumptuous foods and pitchers of ale.

One lone boy stood with his back against the wall, nursing a small globlet of wine. His eyes scanned the crowds of nobles before him, trying to find the person he had been seeking since he had arrived.

A sudden hand on his shoulder caused him to slightly jump from surprise. He turned his head and saw Fergus Cousland grinning at him.

"Oy! What is a handsome lad like you just standing around here when you can be romancing all those ladies on the dance floor! Eh, Nathaniel Howe?" Fergus was slightly tipsy from drinking his third helping of ale.

Nathaniel gave Fergus a wry smile. "I'm having too much fun watching the Cousland heir be sloshed out of his mind."

Fergus rewarded his humor with a hearty laugh. "Well, it is Feast's Day after all! What other day can you act a fool and get away with it?"

Nathaniel chuckled and leaned back against the stone wall. He was soon approaching his eighteenth year and already he had grown to be an impressive height. Due to his constant training with his daggers and his archery, he had filled out nicely into his frame. He had his long hair tied up into a small ponytail in the back, hoping it would pacify his father and his recent tirades about the length of it. Nathaniel noticed several daughters amongst the Bann had thrown him seductive winks and giggles his way.

Nathaniel had no interest in the flirty young women around him. He only had eyes for one specific girl.

"Where is your wife, Fergus?" Nathaniel asked politely, taking a sip from his goblet.

"Oriana went off to check on the baby. She gets nervous leaving Oren with Nan for more than a few minutes." Fergus answered with a sigh.

"You should be proud to be the father of such a healthy boy." Nathaniel said, looking out into the crowd again.

"Ha! You'll understand when it happens to you, Nathaniel!" Fergus threaded his arm around Nathaniel's shoulders. "To marry the woman you love and to have a child…it's a bloody miracle!"

Nathaniel smiled awkwardly. "I think I'm still a bit too young for all that just yet."

"Nonsense!" Fergus waved his goblet into the air, causing a bit of ale to spill out. "You're approaching your eighteenth year soon…I bet your father is itching for you to find some interest in some lovely young lady!"

Nathaniel simply laughed in response. Fergus was happily drunk along with most of the nobles in the room. Nathaniel saw his younger sister Delilah dancing off to the side in the arms of the son of Bann Sighard. He wondered where his other younger sibling Thomas had wandered off to.

He also wondered where she was.

"Fergus…I don't see your sister anywhere. Do you know where she is?" Nathaniel tried to ask as casually as he could.

"Elissa?" Fergus frowned and scanned the ballroom himself. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen her for a while myself. I think I last saw her heading upstairs to the balcony."

The mention of Elissa's name sent a shiver of excitement through Nathaniel's spine. A few weeks back, Nathaniel had accompanied his father to visit the Couslands. It had been over a year since he last paid a visit to Highever. Nathaniel recalled the instant shock he felt when his adolescent eyes laid upon the young Cousland girl he had once thought to be a clinging little brat. Gone was the gangly skinny girl he used to have wrestling matches with. Replaced with a young woman who had soft and delicate curves to compliment her femininity. But Elissa was still Elissa, and she still retained the same spitfire personality from when she was a child. When they met again, she tried to engage Nathaniel in another hand-to-hand sparring match, which he promptly declined. He was too besotted by her beauty to concentrate on any sort of training.

Nathaniel knew it was a one-sided infatuation. Even though Elissa had grown to be such a lovely young woman, she had absolutely no interest in marriage and babies as the other girls amongst the Bann. While normal girls tittered on about frilly lace and cute boys, Elissa was more comfortable training and sparring with the Highever soldiers. And that tomboy personality was exactly what sparked Nathaniel's interest in the Cousland girl.

The only thing he wanted this night was a chance to share a dance with Elissa Cousland.

"Fergus, there you are!" Teyrna Cousland approached the two young men, wearing an elegant gown of dark red silk. "Will you come help me find your father? I think he may have wandered off with Arl Wulff to Maker only knows somewhere. We must find them before they decide to do something stupid and ridiculous in their drunken stupor."

"Sure, mother dearest." Fergus replied and gave the Teyrna a wet kiss upon her cheek. "Anything for the grandmama of my child!"

"Oh, would you look at this! You're drunk too!" Teyrna Cousland complained, slapping her son on the arm. She quickly turned her eyes to Nathaniel. "My dear boy, I'm so sorry to impose such a thing upon you, but can you find my daughter for me and tell her to search for her drunk father…Elissa always seems to have a knack of tracking him down."

"Absolutely, Teyrna." Nathaniel inclined his head and set his goblet down on the nearby table. "I will find your daughter at once."

"Thank you, Nathaniel. I am glad that there is one man around here that I can depend on." The Teyrna threw her son a fiery glare and began pushing him out to the nearby doors. "Come now, Fergus. We must find your father immediately!"

After Teyrna Cousland and her son left the ballroom, Nathaniel began winding his way through the crowd to make his way towards the stairway. Fergus had mentioned that he last saw Elissa heading towards the balcony, so that would be the best place to look.

"Nathaniel Howe!" A voice chirped from behind as he felt a hand thread around his arm.

He looked down to see a perky red-headed girl gazing at him with a wide smile. Nathaniel gave an inward groan. It was Bann Alfstanna's younger sister…her name was Cara or Cera…whatever it is. The most memorable thing about the girl was how annoying she was.

Still, Nathaniel played the part of a gentleman and gave her a polite bow of his head. "Hello, my fair lady. Are you enjoying the party?"

She gave a babyish giggle. "I'm having much more fun now that I have finally found you, Ser Howe. Come, you must join me on the dance floor."

"I really would like to, my dear." Nathaniel slowly tried to untangle his arm from her grasp. "But I am to do a bidding for Teyrna Cousland…"

"Oh, come now!" She tightened her hold on his elbow, causing Nathaniel to wince at her grip. "Surely the Teyrna would understand if you give me once little dance!"

"But I…" Nathaniel tried to protest but the girl proved stronger than her petite frame has stated and dragged him onto the ballroom floor with the rest of the dancers.

Elissa hated any sort of formal event. The luxurious dark blue velvet gown that her mother had ordered in from Orlais was difficult for her to maneuver around because the train of the skirts dragged on the floor. Oriana had insisted that she wear a pair of her favorite strapped dress shoes that she brought with her from Antiva. Nan had also styled her hair up into a painful setting full of intricate braids and pearl pins. And even though it was Feast's Day, her mother had forced her into a corset to prevent her from eating as much as she would like.

It was truly torture.

She wandered off to the balcony, away from the mass of nobles who were drinking and dancing the night away in the main hall. She reveled in the cool night breeze that gave her small reprieve from the stuffiness inside. The music from the lutes and pipes echoed softly from downstairs.

Elissa sighed as she placed her arms against the railing, gazing up at the milky trail of stars in the inky night sky.

"Now that was quite a sigh." A voice came from behind.

Elissa turned around to see Bann Teagan approaching her with a friendly expression on his face. He carried two goblets of water in his hands and held one out to Elissa.

She smiled and accepted the drink he brought her. "Can you blame me? I'm suffocating down there."

Teagan joined Elissa on the balcony and leaned himself against the railing. "Why do you think I joined you, young Lady Cousland? A toast to escaping the crowd!"

Elissa rewarded Teagan with a laugh and gently clinked her goblet of water against his. "A toast indeed. I'm surprised you find it necessary to run from the crowd. Didn't you recently officially join the Bannorn yourself this year?"

Teagan shyly scratched his ear. "Well, yes…but I feel like I was defaulted into it. It is only because my sister was Queen and my brother is the Arl of Redcliffe."

"Still quite an accomplishment." Elissa said, taking a sip of water. "My brother is your age and he's not officially part of the Bann."

"It's a blessing for him." Teagan chuckled. "I miss my carefree days around Redcliffe Castle, with servants bowing to my every whim, a life with no responsibilities…"

Elissa gave an unladylike snort as she tried not to laugh while drinking from her goblet. "Ha! Bann Teagan, playing the rich little master? By the Maker, even when I was a child I remembered you as the oldest fuddy duddy ever to grace Thedas. You and Fergus are truly two of a kind."

Teagan smiled at Elissa's comparison. "Fergus has one above me, I'm afraid. I'm not married to a beautiful woman."

Elissa waved him off. "Fergus was only able to find a wife from Antiva because no Ferelden woman would have him. You're quite a catch, Teagan. I heard all the single ladies in the court are vying for your affections."

Teagan awkwardly cleared his throat. "And what about yourself, My Lady Cousland?"

Elissa gave him a radiant grin. "Perhaps I should pursue you as well. I've been wanting to annoy Fergus with something new as of late."

Teagan laughed amicably at Elissa's small joke. Although it pained him to admit, he knew that the young Lady Cousland was not interested in him in a romantic sense. To her, he was her brother's close friend and confidant. It was a relationship that he would never allow himself to pursue, although he was tempted to.

And from his observations, Elissa Cousland's affections seemed to stay loyal to a mystery man.

Even though she was not aware of it, Elissa Cousland was the most sought after amongst the noblewomen in Ferelden. Not only was she the only daughter of the Teyrn and Teyrna of Highever, she had blossomed into a rare beauty. Her cheeks were a rosy pink that required no assistance from expensive face paint from Orlais. Her hair was the rich color of chestnuts, which tended to curl seductively against her alabaster skin. Her eyes were a clear and bright blue, the same color as the summer sky.

And as tempting as she was, Teagan would never risk his friendship with Fergus to court his younger sister.

"Hey, Teagan?"

Elissa's voice broke Teagan out of his reverie. "Yes?"

"Do you remember Alistair?" She murmured, her gaze was back to the stars.

Teagan furrowed his brow. "Alistair? You mean my brother's young ward?"

She turned to look at him. "Yes, him. Whatever happened to him?"

Teagan ran his hand through his hair as he tried to remember. "Alistair…hm. I think Eamon sent him to the Chantry while I was away at Dragon's Peak for squire duties. I'm not positive on that though. When I came back, he was just gone…the Arlessa didn't like speaking of him so nobody really told me what had happen."

Elissa gave him a sad smile. "I see. Thank you, Teagan." And she returned her eyes back to the night sky.

It was on the tip of Teagan's tongue to ask Elissa, 'Are you concerned for the stable boy?' but his question cut off as they heard the sound of quick and heavy footsteps coming from behind.

Young Roland Gilmore came running up to them both, crouching down to catch his breath. "My Lady…" He panted. "Your mother has sent me to search for you. Apparently your father is…intoxicated…and disappeared with Arl Wulff. She wants you to find him before they both get into the same…mischief…as they did the year before."

Elissa groaned and shook her head. "Blast it, Father. When he got sodding drunk with Arl Wulff last year, it took us nearly a week to rid the cheese they smeared all over the inner hallways. Even though it was quite impressive how legible they were able to write the words 'Ferelden Rules and Orlais Drools'…the castle reeked of sharp cheddar for months!"

Teagan raised his eyebrow at Elissa. "Didn't your father also almost set the Dining Hall on fire because he and Arl Wulff thought it was a brilliant idea to see how many torches they could juggle at once?"

"That, he did as well…along with many other things." Elissa sighed in embarrassment and hitched up her skirts. "Sorry to cut our conversation so short, Teagan. But I must find my father before he does anything our family will regret."

Teagan nodded. "It is no problem. I will let you know if I see them."

"Thank you." Elissa gave a quick curtsy and turned to her squire. "Come on, Rory. Let's hurry up and hunt father down. I'm sure we'd be able to track them both down by the smell of ale."

"Or Cheese." Roland quipped and followed his mistress as she ran down the dark halls as quickly as she could in her delicate shoes.