Truth or Dare

"I think we're going to need to find somewhere to stop soon," Elissa shouted over the wind.

"Agreed." Alistair's head was bowed against the buffeting snow and if she hadn't been listening closely, Elissa would have missed his reply.

This was definitely not one of her smarter ideas, but they had been so desperate for supplies that she had decided to make the trek to the nearest town despite the ominous looking clouds that had been gathering that morning. They had reached the small village in the early afternoon, and Elissa couldn't help glancing up nervously at the sky. Snow was falling lightly now, but the wind had been steadily picking up causing the light flakes to sweep in waves across the road. Alistair had agreed with her that they should head back to camp as quickly as possible and they set off immediately after purchasing their food and supplies without stopping to try and gather some news or even eat themselves. Their progress slowed steadily throughout the afternoon as the wind and snow made it harder to see. It was evening now, and Elissa was sure that they were still too far from camp to try and press on. Not to mention that the visibility was now so bad that they could probably wander off the road and not even notice, she thought with a grimace. The snow stung her face as she pulled her cloak tighter.

"Is that something over there?" Alistair was pointing to a dark shape off the side of the road. Elissa squinted through the blinding storm, but couldn't make out any details. Her ears and nose were now completely numb.

"Let's go for it. I don't think we can go much further in this. Worst case, if it's just a rock or an abandoned cart or something, then we can try and take some kind of shelter against it."

They turned off the road and into the deeper snow. This was such a bad idea, she couldn't help thinking again. And all because you wanted Alistair all to yourself for the day, Elissa chided herself. She had finally admitted to herself that she was falling for him but had no idea how to go about telling him how she felt. He probably doesn't even think of you that way. You're just another "brother" to him. Maybe this storm is the Maker punishing me for being selfish. She pushed the thoughts away with a sigh. This was definitely not helping anything at the moment.

As they drew closer to the large shadow up ahead, Elissa almost cried out with relief. "A farmhouse! Thank the Maker!"

She and Alistair pushed forward more quickly now until they reached the building. The house was dark but looked to be in good repair.

"Looks abandoned!" Alistair called back at her over his shoulder. "Don't drop your guard until we've searched it, just in case." He had already pulled out his sword and Elissa drew hers as well, leaving her other blade sheathed for now. Alistair cautiously pulled open the front door and they stepped inside. Quietly waiting as their eyes adjusted to the murky blackness, Elissa couldn't help feeling utterly relieved to be out of the wind. After a few moments, Alistair nodded and they moved forward slowly. The house was small with a joined living area and kitchen and a bedroom in the back. It was empty. Elissa saw Alistair's shoulders drop as he relaxed. He turned with a grin, sheathing his sword.

"Looks like we have the place to ourselves… and I was so looking forward to killing a few bandits to help me warm up."

She smiled back, pushing off the hood of her cloak. "It's still freezing in here, but at least we're out of the storm. Do you think we'll be lucky and there'll be some firewood still here?"

"Here's hoping. Do you have any candles in your pack?"

"I think so." Elissa rummaged through her pack and managed to find a few half-melted candles along with several small metal plates that they had been using as makeshift candle holders. She handed them to Alistair along with a flint and steel. After a few tries, he had one lit and used it to light the others. The flickering lights of the candles were both reassuring and comforting, a safe haven from the storm that was continuing to blow outside.

Looking around, a thick layer of dust covered the few pieces of meager furniture left in the house. Whoever had lived here had been gone for some time. The table and chairs were still standing in the kitchen although the living area was bare. A small chest lay open and empty in the corner of the bedroom and the bed seemed to be in decent shape as well. There were no pots and pans, no blankets; all of the useful items had clearly been taken or looted after the fact. There was also no firewood to be seen.

"Well, I guess we burn the table and chairs then… unless you have any other ideas?" Alistair looked at her, brushing the dust from his fingers onto the corner of his cloak.

"Let's go for it. I feel like I'm never going to be warm again," Elissa shivered.

Alistair dug through his pack for a small hatchet and quickly reduced the chairs and table down to burnable lengths. Elissa heaped them in the fireplace in the bedroom and struggled to control her shaking hands in order to start the fire. She fumbled with the flint, her fingers numb.

"Here, let me try." Alistair took the flint and steel from her. "Maker, your hands are like ice!"

"In all honesty, I think they may actually be chunks of ice now. I take full responsibility for deciding that attempting a trip to town today was a really, really bad idea." Her ears were starting to thaw and she rubbed them to ease the burning.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad an idea. I mean, spend the day trudging through snow and wind, freezing our extremities off, or spend the day back at camp with Morrigan complaining that we're all out of distillation something or other while Sten's creepy eyes bore into my soul. I'll take the blizzard any day." He gave her a quick wink as the fire was finally starting to take hold. "The company's not half bad either."

Elissa felt herself flush slightly but hoped it wouldn't be noticeable beyond the rosiness of her cheeks due to the cold.

Soon, they had a warm, glorious fire blazing in the hearth. Elissa took off her cloak and laid it out to dry, watching as Alistair did the same.

"Aren't you utterly frozen in that? More so, I mean," she asked, gesturing at his plate mail.

"Ummm… yes? Is this a trick question?"

"Well, why don't you take it off then? We're not going anywhere tonight and I can't imagine that there will be many darkspawn knocking on the door tonight."

He looked a bit flustered and ran his hand through his hair, which was now damp with the melting snow.

"Ah, yes, good idea. Can you, um, help?"

"Of course. Hopefully, my hands are working better now." Elissa stepped closer to unfasten the buckles at the side of Alistair's breast plate. Although she helped him every day with the process of getting his heavy armor on and off, she was finding herself increasingly self-conscious with the nearness of him. Elissa forced herself to concentrate on making her thawing fingers obey but she could smell his distinctive scent of soap and wood smoke that made her just want to bury her face in his chest. She blushed again, keeping her head down as she worked on the last buckle.

"There you go. You're free." Elissa stepped back, relieved, as Alistair pulled off his breast plate and set it carefully on the floor. She turned to dig through her own pack, pretending to look for something, anything, waiting for her heart rate to drop back to normal before she faced him again. This was seriously becoming a problem. Honestly, tell him how you feel or get over it. This is ridiculous. Well, if there was ever a night to do it… No. You're insane. Think of something else. Genlocks. Yes, genlocks. Oh, Maker, how am I going to manage a night alone with him without making a total idiot of myself?

Alistair removed the rest of his armor – thankfully the breast plate was the only piece that he needed her help with – and was now clad in the simple linen shirt and trousers that he wore underneath. He sighed blissfully, happy to be free of the excess weight and bulk. "Okay, as fantastic as it feels to have that off, it is bloody cold in here!" he exclaimed, hopping from foot to foot. His socks were more hole than sock, and the floor was beyond frozen. Alistair sat down on the bed, pulling his feet up underneath him.

"Here, this should help." Elissa tossed him a blanket.

"Ah, my savior," he grinned as he wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, tucking it down around his feet.

"I think I'm going to change too. Might as well be comfortable."

Alistair blushed a little and then gave her another smile that made her insides melt. "Of course, my lady, allow me to avert my eyes lest I see anything too risqué." He gave her a rather saucy wink and then shuffled around to face the wall to give her some privacy.

"Probably wise. The sight of me could turn you to stone," Elissa teased back as she unbuckled the various pieces of her leather armor and piled them on the floor next to Alistair's. She pulled off her boots and nearly jumped as her feet touched the floor. "Andraste's arse! You weren't kidding about the floor!"

Alistair laughed out loud. "Wuss. It's not that bad."

She stuck out her tongue at his back and rummaged through her pack to find a shirt and trousers to pull on. She grabbed the other blanket from the pack and leapt onto the bed beside him.

"I'm decent, you can turn around."

He turned to face her as she was wrapping the blanket around herself, shivering uncontrollably.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Morrigan," Alistair said wistfully.

"Really? You do? Dare I ask why?"

"Hmmm… Could it be her dazzling personality? Her strong moral character? Her sweet, gentle nature?"

Elissa slugged him playfully on the arm.

"Seriously, I didn't realize how fantastic those warming spells she used around the camp were. I think we're going to be icicles by morning." He pulled his blanket tighter around him.

"I think I know something that will help," Elissa said, stretching down to pull their packs closer to her without having to step back down onto the floor. "Food!"

"Oh, Maker, yes please! I'm starving!" Alistair's eyes lit up at the thought.

They pulled the packs up onto the bed and dug through them enthusiastically. It was a veritable feast of dried meat, freshly baked bread, cheese, and apples – much better fare than what they'd had the last few days. Elissa's water skin had frozen, but Alistair's was still mostly liquid so they shared his. They ate in silence, both too hungry for any kind of conversation. When they had finished, Elissa brushed the crumbs from her blanket onto the ground.

Alistair gave a sigh of contentment. "Much better. If only we had the kettle with us. What I wouldn't give for a nice hot mug of tea…"

"Oh, don't tempt me. My hands are still frozen," Elissa sighed, rubbing her hands vigorously.

"Here, let me," Alistair said softly, taking her hands in his. Elissa's heart stopped as he raised her hands to his mouth and blew on them, rubbing them between his own. Her mouth went dry and she swallowed nervously. He glanced at her, his amber eyes soft in the firelight. She forced herself to remember to breathe.

"Thank you," she managed to get out, hoping her voice didn't sound as shaky as she felt.

"You're welcome," he replied, continuing to massage her hands and fingers slowly. Elissa couldn't help staring, mesmerized by the movement. The moment stretched out between them. Does he feel this tension too or am I imagining it?

Finally, he released her hands and Elissa let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding.

"Better?" Alistair's soft voice cracked slightly.

"Much – thank you." She fought to keep another blush from creeping over her face. "So," she forced herself to say brightly, "Now what do you want to do?" Maker, that sounded pathetic. Ugh.

He shook his head slightly. "Well, we could play cards for a bit unless you're tired. I know I should be, but I feel too restless to sleep yet."

Sleep. Andraste's blood! She could almost feel the color leech out of her face. There was only one bed. One small bed, she mentally corrected herself, and there was no way that either one of them would be sleeping on the sheet of ice that was masquerading as a floor in this place. One small bed with only two winter blankets between them – Oh, Maker, have mercy.

"No, I'm not tired yet," Elissa said, a little too quickly. Alistair looked at her, puzzled. He clearly hadn't made the same mental leap yet. Or maybe he has and it doesn't bother him at all because you're just like a sister to him and nothing more. "Let me see if I can find the cards."

A search of both packs turned up nothing. "Well, so much for that. Any other ideas?" she asked, pushing the packs back onto the floor.

Alistair flushed a little, the tips of his ears turning slightly pink. "When I was in the Chantry, there was a game we used to play in the dorm when we were supposed to be, um, sleeping." He was a bit flustered and seemed to be second-guessing what he was saying as it was coming out of his mouth. "But, it can get out of hand sometimes and maybe it wouldn't be a good idea and I should really just stop now." Elissa couldn't help smiling at him.

"Now you have to tell me! Come on, let's play. It's not like we have a lot of other options at the moment."

"Um, alright, it's called 'Truth or Dare'. You take turns and, on your turn, you have to choose 'truth' or 'dare'. If you choose 'truth', then I get to ask you a question that you have to answer truthfully." Alistair gave her a solemn glare for emphasis. "If you don't want to answer, then you can choose 'dare' instead, and then I get to dare you to do something. Or you can just choose 'dare' at the beginning if you want."

Elissa raised an eyebrow at him. This was really the game he was proposing? Was he serious?

"But, um, like I said, we don't have to play this, and, um – "

She cut him off before her logical brain could kick in and tell her that this was going to be a huge mistake. "No, it sounds fine. Let's play! Who's first?"

"I'll go first if you promise to go easy on me."

"For the first one, sure. I make no promises after that," Elissa grinned. "So, what do you want, truth or dare?"

Alistair thought for a moment before answering. "Truth."

Elissa considered all the questions she would never dream of asking before settling on something suitably safe. "If you had to choose between either being a templar or never having cheese again for the rest of your life, what would you pick?"

She saw the brief flash of relief in his face that she had asked such an easy question. "Oh my delicious cheese, how I would miss you," he replied comically. "Being a templar would be so awful, beyond awful," he grimaced. "Thank the Maker for Duncan getting me away from the Chantry in time." Alistair visibly brightened at the thought that it was no longer his turn. "Your go – truth or dare?"

She took a deep breath. "Truth."

"What's with the ratty little stuffed rabbit that you keep hidden at the bottom of your pack?" He was smirking at her – the nerve! She couldn't help the hint of embarrassment that crept up though.

"His name is Bertram. He was my favorite toy when I was little and, as I got older, I started tucking him into the bottom of my pack for, um, luck. It makes me feel better somehow, knowing that he's there," she finished, lamely. He was still smirking at her. "I'm going to ask you something tougher next time," Elissa muttered under her breath.

She looked at him with a playful glare. "Your turn."

"Dare," he said, lifting up one eyebrow at her mockingly.

"Okay, you asked for it. Leave your blanket here and go walk to the front door, open it, and count to ten." She smirked back at him.

"Oh, you're mean," he replied, dropping the blanket and stepping gingerly to the floor. He gave a small yelp and half hopped and half ran to the door.

"Make sure you count out loud and slowly!" Elissa called out. She heard the door creak open and Alistair curse loudly before counting to ten, slamming the door and heading back to the bed at a run. He landed on the bed with a thump and quickly pulled his blanket back around him.

"Andraste's arm pits! That was horrible!"

Elissa collapsed in a fit of giggles.

"I'm glad you find my pain so amusing," Alistair sulked. "But, hey! It's your turn now!" he smiled smugly.

"Dare," she said defiantly.

"Give me your blanket. It's mine until it's your turn again."

"That's not much of a dare, "she protested.

"I know, but I'm freezing now thanks to you. Besides," his voice dropped down low, "Do you really want me to come up with something else?" Elissa felt a burst of warmth crawl slowly through her stomach at the tone of his voice.

"Fine," she sighed in a pretense of exasperation as she handed it over.

Alistair made a show of wrapping it around his existing blanket. "Ah, so much better. I'm so warm now. Aren't you warm? Oh, wait, probably not." His eyes glinted with amusement although Elissa noticed that the tips of his ears had gone pink again. "I choose truth this time. Your dares are cruel."

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to warm up by asking you a steamy and embarrassing question then," she said lightly despite her obvious blush.

"Oh?" his eyebrows rose. "Bring it on then."

"Describe your first kiss." Elissa couldn't believe she was asking him this.

Alistair stared at her for a moment before beginning. "Let's see… She was blond, a year or two older than me, freckles, and she had the cutest little pigtails – "

Elissa stopped him. "Hang on, how old were you?"

"Um, nine I think?" Alistair paused. "Maybe ten?"

"That's not fair. You're supposed to describe your first real kiss not just some peck on the cheek when you were a kid." She was secretly relieved that he hadn't launched into a description of something much more passionate or meaningful and hoped it didn't show on her face.

"No, you said first kiss so that's what you get. Besides, my story would have been the same either way. There isn't exactly a lot of opportunity when you live at the Chantry with a bunch of other boys you know."

"So, you've never – "

"Uh, no." He looked embarrassed. "When I left with Duncan, I was just so happy to be with the Wardens that it didn't occur to me right away that I had, um, more freedom in that regard. And I'm not the type to flaunt that kind of thing casually anyway," he added quietly.

"I know." Their eyes met and the moment hung between them. Elissa forced herself to look away.

"I guess I have to give you back your blanket now, don't I?"

"Yes, please." Elissa had been trying to control her shivering without much success.

"Allow me." Alistair unwound the blanket from around himself, paused, and then pulled off his own blanket as well. "Here, I'm warm enough," he said as he draped both blankets over her. She tried to protest but he cut her off. "Really, I'm okay. C'mon, it's your turn."

Elissa could smell his scent on the blankets and tugged them closer around her body. "Truth."

He gave her a curious glance. "Who was your first kiss?"

Elissa rolled her eyes. "Did Duncan ever tell you that I punched Daveth that first night at Ostagar?"

"He mentioned to me that the two of you had an 'altercation' but that was about it. I would have remembered if he'd told me that you punched him… Did you really?"

"Yes," she sighed. "He decided that the poor, helpless, new recruit clearly needed a man to help her feel better and tried to kiss me. It was awful." She made a face. "So, I corrected his misconceptions with a broken nose. I may have over-reacted slightly."

Alistair laughed out loud. "Well, I'm sure he deserved it, but remind me to never get on your bad side."

"It's a deal," she smiled. "Your turn."

"Truth."

Elissa thought for a moment… A personal question, without being too, well, personal… How much did she dare ask him about his feelings for her?

"Who's your dream girl? Describe your perfect woman." Elissa's heart was fluttering in her chest. His eyes moved slowly over her before he spoke and she felt almost naked under his methodical perusal. Maybe she shouldn't have asked this after all.

Alistair's voice was low. "My perfect woman would be smart, and funny, and compassionate." He paused briefly. "She wouldn't be afraid to stand up for what she believed in or to help someone who needed it. She would be strong and loyal… beautiful wouldn't hurt either." He grinned at her but his gaze was serious and searching. "And, most importantly, she would be my best friend. Someone that I knew I could tell anything to and who would always stand by my side."

Elissa was finding it hard to breathe and she was suddenly very aware of how close they were sitting. If she just leaned forward, she could press her mouth against his. The way he was looking at her now, oh, Maker…

"It's your turn," he said, not taking his eyes away from hers.

She weighed her options. What would he ask her if she chose 'truth'? Was she truly prepared to confess that she was hopelessly in love with him? She opted for the safer of the two choices. "Dare," she replied quietly, holding his gaze.

"Take your hair down," he asked, huskily. "Please," he added.

"My hair?" her voice shook slightly.

"The night we dined with Bann Teagan at Redcliffe, you wore your hair down. It, it took my breath away to look at you. Please."

Elissa reached up and began pulling the pins from her hair before unwinding the tight knot at the back of her neck. She ran her fingers through it until it fell in waves across her shoulders. Alistair trembled ever so slightly and let out a shaky breath. She blushed. "There, how's that?"

"Beautiful. You're so beautiful, Elissa." He raised his hand and gently brushed a lock of hair from her face. His thumb slowly traced down her jaw.

Elissa's heart was hammering against her ribs like a caged bird. Was this really happening? If this was a dream, she prayed that she wasn't going to wake up any time soon. She could barely find her voice. "It's your turn," she whispered, her voice almost a caress.

"Dare," he said softly, his fingers were trailing down her neck now.

"Kiss me," she breathed, and he did.

His lips touched hers, tentatively at first, the kiss deepening as he felt her responding back. Her hands were tangled in his hair, pulling him into her. She felt, rather than heard, the low groan that escaped him. His tongue swept into her mouth and she was overwhelmed with the sensation of him. The scent of soap and wood smoke, the rough scratch of his stubble against her chin… Desire swept through her as she kissed him back fiercely. I want you. I need you. I love you.

His mouth left hers to feather kisses down her jaw and throat. Elissa was dazed, drunk on the overwhelming emotions and her primal physical response to his touch. He had reached where her neck met her shoulders and she moaned as he gently scraped the spot with his teeth and sucked lightly.

"Alistair," she gasped.

He pulled back to look at her, his eyes were darker than she had ever seen them. She was breathing heavily and wanted nothing more than to taste him again. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have…"he fumbled. "Do you want me to stop?"

Her voice was thick. "Please, don't stop, I want you –"He cut off her words, his mouth slanting over hers again, hungry and full of need. She pushed her tongue into his mouth this time, nipping at his lower lip. Her fingers were at the top of his shirt. She wanted it off, to run her hands over his bare chest. She settled for moving them lower instead, pulling up the bottom of his shirt and sliding them underneath. She could feel him trembling under her touch and desire surged within her once more. He was at her neck again and she could sense his same impatience with her clothing. Elissa pulled her hands out from under his shirt and placed her palm on his chest, pushing him away slightly. Alistair sat back, looking a bit lost, until she reached down and pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the side. Her breasts were bare and he froze at the sight of her. She shivered, but not from the cold. The whole place could have collapsed down around them in that moment and neither one of them would have moved.

"Oh, Maker," he whispered reverently.

"Yours too. Please." He didn't take his eyes off her as he swiftly removed his own shirt and threw it to the floor. She was as transfixed by him as he was by her. He was just so masculine, lean and muscled, the ghosts of past blades echoed on his skin. Elissa felt she should speak, say something, but instead her hands skimmed lightly over his chest, feeling him tense and quake under her touch.

"Elissa," he groaned. "I, I don't want to stop but I don't want to go further without –"He put his hand over hers to halt its movement, the sensation making it too hard to think clearly, or at all.

She took a deep, shuddering breath and touched her fingers to his lips. She needed to say it first. She had to tell him, her heart was bursting with it. "I love you. I've wanted to tell you for so long. "She was close to tears.

Alistair kissed the tips of her fingers that were still pressed against his mouth. "I love you too," he murmured. "Do you want to, um, keep going," he was nervous again and blushing, "Or do you want to wait? Whatever you want is fine with me."

"I don't want to wait any longer. Who knows what's coming tomorrow or the next day? I don't want to lose a single moment of happiness with you." She put her hands on either side of his head and pulled him towards her. Elissa was lost in the crash of emotions, so unbelievably happy and yet almost gasping under the weight of her desire to be near him, to touch him, to press every inch of herself against his body.

He pushed her gently back onto the bed, his mouth still hungry against hers. She felt the rumble in his chest as their bare skin finally met, her breasts against his chest, their skin hot and feverish. His mouth trailed down her neck, as Alistair kissed his way downward. He tenderly took a nipple into his mouth, and Elissa whimpered, arching up and pushing herself against his mouth. She could feel the hot hardness of his arousal against her and she couldn't help grinding herself against it. He was sucking and nibbling her breast now and waves of heat were coursing through her.

"Oh, Alistair," she groaned. She felt his body quiver in response.

"Say my name again. Please," he begged as his mouth moved to her other breast.

"Alistair," she whispered breathlessly. "I want you."

"Elissa," he moaned as his hands were now pulling at her trousers. She lifted herself up and yanked them the rest of the way off. "Maker's breath, but you're beautiful." His fingers were tender and gentle as he explored her and she lost herself, no longer thinking, but just responding to his touch. Her hands pulled at his chest, his hair, anything she could reach. She wanted to possess him, for him to possess her, to crawl inside of him, to be devoured… And then his mouth crept downward and she nearly screamed with the pleasure of it. She had never experienced anything like what he was doing to her now and she fell over the edge clutching him against her.

The desire to touch him, to taste him, to make him feel as weak and as sated as he had made her was overpowering and she began aggressively pulling at his trousers. Alistair obliged, pulling back from her to remove them. She was exquisite, lying there on the bed. Her lips were full and swollen and her eyes nearly black with desire. As he lay down next to her once more, her hand encircled his hardness. Now, it was his turn to tremble under her touch as she first stroked him gently and then as her tongue and mouth learned his body. It took all of his self-control to hold himself back.

"Liss, I can't take it anymore, I need to – "He was grabbing her hips and guiding her up to straddle him.

"I need you, Alistair, oh, please –"She slide herself down onto him, wincing slightly as he pulled her down so that he was fully enveloped in her heat.

"Oh, Maker," he gasped as they began to move together. She leaned back, her hands on his thighs, and her head fell back as she abandoned herself to the rhythm of their bodies. His hands came up to massage her breasts, tugging at her nipples, and she whimpered as he moved his thumb down between her legs to gently rub her most sensitive spot. The pleasure was unbelievably sweet and unbearable and she wished it could go on forever. His thrusts were getting more and more frenzied and she felt the pressure building within her once more. She felt him groan and shudder beneath her and then she was exploding too, her body shaking.

She collapsed on to his chest a moment later and he stroked her hair softly as they lay there in the firelight. Elissa shivered, their body heat dissipating in the chill of the room, and Alistair reached down and pulled the blankets up over top of them. She snuggled into him, and he kissed the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

Outside, the wind howled and icy snow swept across the sky. The storm raged around the little house, a brief haven in the midst of the darkness.

"I love you," she murmured softly.

"And I love you," he replied.

They lay there in silence for a while, cocooned in bliss.

"So, when do you think you'll be ready to try that again?" she teased, her finger tracing a lazy circle on his chest.

"Is that a dare?"

"Yes," Elissa answered, lifting her face to his as he claimed her mouth once more.

Author's Note: This is my first fan fiction so all feedback, comments, criticisms, and reviews are welcome. Thank you for reading!