Such a late update, but probably not my latest! So at least there's that. I've been trying to get this done between my new job and being newly 21, but I think I done good with this one B)

As always, enjoy and preemptive thank you for reading!

Leliana never thought she would see the day when a lone elf was able to silence an entire hall of dwarves without a single word. Areth lifted the crown above her head, and the eyes of the assembly followed in dumbfounded awe.

"Yeah." She said, her voice particularly harsh in the cavernous chamber. "Caridin forged it himself, and it'll check out."

The Warden tossed the gleaming crown over her head with no small amount of force. The Assembly gasped as it skittered before them, then breathed a collective sigh of relief when it settled, undamaged. Areth ran a gloved hand through her mud-caked hair.

"Give it to whoever you please. Harrowmont, Bhelen. Give it to a fucking nug for all I care." She rasped. "Just get me good men so we can kill this sodding Archdemon and move on with our lives."

She turned on her heel and began to stalk toward the exit, when a particularly paunchy Assembly member stood.

"And what of Paragon Branka? We sent you into the Deep Roads to find her." He questioned haughtily. Leliana felt an acerbic response boil in her throat, but instead glanced at Areth to gauge her reaction. Stormy faced as ever, with just the vaguest hint of unabashed contempt.

"If that's the kind of person you'd give that much authority to, be glad I didn't bring her back." She replied, not bothering to turn.

The double doors were opened for them as Leliana and Alistair fell into step in her wake. Trading a glance with Alistair, Leliana noticed that he looked well beyond exhausted. She supposed she looked much the same. The Deep Roads had been the most trying excursion of her life, which was saying a lot, given her tenure in Denerim's Fort Drakon several years ago. Her jaw clenched and she shook her head as they followed their little leader through the main corridor of the Assembly. Best not to dwell, Leliana resolved to herself, as she had day after day since.

The blast of dry heat that greeted them upon stepping through the doors into the Diamond Quarter was a far cry from the sodden chill that had beset their bones in the Deep Roads. But it wasn't unwelcome. Leliana hadn't been able to shake the goosebumps from her skin since they'd arrived back in the city, and that was hours ago. Alistair cleared his throat.

"So… we didn't really get an answer back there." He hedged awkwardly. Areth ran both hands over her hair, grasping at it in frustration.

"We will." She said, her voice rough. "We better. They know where we're staying."

"And if they don't say anything by tomorrow?" Leliana pressed, though she kept her tone soft. Areth looked fit to burst at any moment, if probed just so. The tiny elf shook her head, eyes darting about the marvelously ornate tiling on the floor as they strode through the bustling streets.

"They got their sodding king. Or… well… they'll figure that out soon. We held up our end, and we've got the treaties." She said, worrying her bottom lip. "And if they still don't, then they'll be fucking sorry when the Darkspawn come marching through here to get up to the surface."

"That doesn't really help us." Alistair said, sounding more frustrated at the notion than at Areth herself. The Warden shrugged.

"Nah… but they'd have it coming, wouldn't they?"

Alistair's brow furrowed, but relaxed as he gave a halfhearted nod. Areth clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, eyeing the blonde man speculatively.

"Let's worry more about it after we get cleaned up." She said, adjusting one of her dagger sheaths where it sat on her hip. "The others should have our rooms reserved at Tapster's by now."

"A bath sounds better than the Maker's bosom right now." Alistair said, his eyes twinkling through the grime that coated his face. Leliana tutted, earning a grimace from Alistair and an eyeroll from Areth.

"Cluck all you want, Leli." Areth said dryly, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. "Even the Maker would have to agree with him."

"Someone has to keep you from blaspheming 'til your lungs give out." She replied wearily, though she was beyond pleased to see her little Warden at least tentatively joking again. She hadn't stopped scowling since her run-in with the ogre.

"Ah, you're right." Areth said, stepping out of the way of a dwarf struggling with a precarious armful of pots. "I forget that we have to save the fucking world sometimes."

"Who could remember all the time, with all of this fun we're having?" Alistair chimed in. "It's so easy to get lost in all the fun. Did I mention how much fun this is?"

"No, I don't think you did. Remind me, are we having any fun, Alistair?" Areth drawled back at her fellow Warden.

"Real shame there aren't more of us to share the good times with. It's getting a little tiresome, hogging all of the fun between the two of us." He said, his voice catching a bitter edge. Leliana watched the man warily. His jaw clenched. Areth looked much the same.

"I'll be sure to thank Loghain for that when we see him." She growled.

Leliana supposed they were all feeling rather testy. And though it teetered too closely to sacrilege for her liking, a glass of decent wine and a bath did sound better than praying whenever she managed to settle into her quarters.

Tapster's was significantly quieter than it had been on their first night in Orzammar. Leliana was grateful. After the oppressive, eerie silence of the Deep Roads, the usual clamor of the tavern may have been too grating for her nerves to handle at the moment. The barkeep tipped his head at the group.

"'Yer all checked in." He said gruffly, setting down the bronze stein he had been polishing to a gleam. "Try to keep Ogrhen under control, would ya? I was startin' to enjoy not having to repair the place every other night, and he seems like he's in a bit of a state."

Leliana nodded and flashed the dwarf her sweetest smile, as Areth and Alistair had elected to completely ignore the man. She wondered if they'd even heard him at all.

They scaled the stairs to their rooms in silence, save for the thump of their boots against the smooth stone. Ram was already waiting for them at the top of the stairs. Even the unshakably enthusiastic war hound seemed a little withdrawn since their return. He was greeted with a pat on the head from each of them before he settled into his usual position at Areth's hip. Gazing down the hall, Leliana counted the remaining open doors. Only two. Her lips bowed. They'd all had their own rooms before the Deep Roads expedition. Apparently that had been a slow night. Though she didn't find it likely that Morrigan and Sten would be sharing a room with anyone. Last come last served, Leliana supposed, slinging her pack from her shoulders onto the floor. Zevran's head popped around the doorframe of one of the open rooms.

"Ah, you're back. With good news, I'm sure." He drawled. "As you may have noticed, the inn seems to be overbooked tonight. Which truly is a wonder because the tavern is deader than… well, anything we've seen in the past week or so."

Areth hefted her pack higher up her shoulders. "Is that room free, then?" She asked, jerking her head at the other open door across the hall.

"Yes, dear Warden. We assumed you and Leliana may have wanted to… bunk together." The Antivan elf said, a smirk crawling across his thin face. Areth seemed to bristle for a moment and Leliana felt her cheeks color.

"Thanks, Zev." The petite Warden deadpanned, heading off to their quarters. Ram trotted alongside his mistress, stumpy tail wagging despite itself. Leliana followed them after a beat.

"And you, Alistair, are rooming with us!" Zevran said cheerily. Alistair groaned.

"Who's us?"

A raucous belch echoed from the room across the hall as Leliana shut the door behind her with a muted 'thud'. She doubted Alistair would be enjoying the same type of rest he had been hoping for, but she found her reserves of sympathy had run woefully dry. Though it wasn't as if her own rooming situation did not present its own… challenges. Areth was more prickly than usual, and as much as Leliana would have ordinarily enjoyed sharing such close quarters with the elf, now was not the time for even the lightest of conversation. She couldn't hold it against her; their trip to Orzammar had not gone smoothly, and it seemed bad luck seemed to be becoming the standard for the Wardens and their companions. Added to that, some of what they discovered in the Deep Roads had been profoundly disturbing, to say the least. Leliana had been doing her best to put it all from her mind, but Areth appeared to have a harder time doing so. The bard watched the little Warden drop her pack on the bed pushed into the far corner of the room. In the dim light afforded from the lyrium deposits on the walls, she looked smaller than usual. Even her ears seemed to droop with exhaustion. Ram looked helplessly between the two women, brown eyes wide with worry. Leliana dropped her bag on the floor beside the remaining bed and cleared her throat. Areth's ears twitched, indicating Leliana could go on.

"Do you want me to draw your bath?" She asked, her voice low in the almost oppressively quiet room. Areth pulled her blue scarf from her bag. Leliana would need to wash it rather soon. The elf was silent for several more seconds before she swiveled her head to look at Leliana out of the corner of her good eye. There was a slight flush creeping across the elf's freckled cheeks, or perhaps it was a trick of the almost-nonexistent light.

"Would you?" She asked softly. Leliana smiled, shrugging off the reinforced leather jacket she wore over her light mail. Her gloves and armguards came next, followed by the chainmail shirt itself, then her boots. Clad now in just her tattered ice-blue tunic and simple leather breeches, Leliana stretched and allowed her eyes to flutter shut. Her muscles screamed in exaltation with the movement, finally free from their necessary, though restrictive, protection. Her tunic slipped up her stomach, exposing the pale expanse of skin between her hip bones. The chill air that greeted her caused goosebumps, though not in an unpleasant manner at all. As she released her pose, she opened her eyes to find Areth watching her intently. Not ogling, to Leliana's surprise. Her expression was unreadable, yet entirely tender at the same time. Laden with curiosity and something else even Leliana couldn't name. The bard felt her cheeks warm. She coughed, and Ram's large head tilted inquisitively.

"I'll go run the water, then." She murmured, her gaze flicking to the floor before she ducked into the arched doorframe that led to the small bathroom. The tub was average-sized by human standards, which meant Areth would have room to spare. Twisting the knob adorned with an orange rune, Leliana watched the water pour from the faucet, already steaming in the cool, still air. She plugged the drain and marveled at the heat of the water that pooled at the bottom of the tub. Dwarven engineering really needed to catch on in the rest of Thedas; she was going to miss hot baths at the snap of her fingers. Her heart still beat quickly in her breast, Areth's earnest gaze lingering and clouding her thoughts. Every time she thought she had a handle on her feelings the elf managed to confound her once more, keeping her reeling with every thoughtful look, every errant touch. Leliana sighed. Lovesickness was an affliction she could ill afford. Still, as much as she protested it in her head, her heart grew light at the slightest thought of the petite Warden.

The gentle padding of small feet on the stone floor heralded her arrival. Leliana looked toward the door to find Areth clad in a threadbare robe. It was clearly cut for a dwarf, and despite her own small frame, the fabric ended unmercifully high on her thighs. Which were freckled as well, Leliana noticed. She wondered if they encroached upon even more of Areth's body. Her throat dried.

"Thanks for doin' that, Leli." Areth said, interrupting her surely graceless leer. Leliana stood abruptly.

"It was no trouble." She said, voice thick with… fear? Want? "I'll leave you to it, unless there's something you need."

Areth's gaze did not leave hers, and those mismatched eyes that once chilled her were now sending waves of heat coursing through her limbs.

"I want you to stay." Areth said, her voice scarcely above a whisper. Leliana blinked, unsure that she heard her correctly.

"I'll be in my bed, I promise I won't go anywhere." She replied, brow furrowed. Areth shook her head, hand reaching out toward Leliana's.

"No." The Warden said. "Here. In here. With me."

Leliana's cheeks felt as if they were apt to burst into flame. "Are you sure?" She probed. Areth nodded, redness rising across her speckled cheeks as well.

"It feels safer with you." She admitted, gaze lowered. Leliana wondered how it was possible to feel her heart break and soar at the same time, but she took Areth's hand anyway and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Alright." She said, her cadence infinitely tender. The large, mismatched set of green eyes she'd come to adore so fondly lit up in gratitude. Leliana smiled before kneeling beside the tub to check how much it had filled. Behind her there was a rustle of fabric and Leliana made sure to keep her eyes trained downward as the diminutive elf stepped into the still-steaming water. The redhead swallowed thickly as she rose and maneuvered herself so she was positioned behind the tub, everything but the top of Areth's head safely out of eyeshot. Handily enough, there was already a squat stool there and Leliana sank atop it, maintaining steady eye contact with the wall ahead.

"Thank you." Areth said, voice rougher than usual. Leliana blinked.

"Of course." She replied, wringing her hands in her lap. Areth chuckled, leaning forward to turn off the water.

"I know it's silly." She said, leaning back against the sloped wall of the tub. "I just… I think if I stay down here much longer I'll go insane. It helps to have someone talking to me. The things I hear aren't quite as loud when someone's talking to me."

"The darkspawn?" Leliana ventured, watching the elf's curly head of hair bob in affirmation.

"It's gotten quieter since we've gotten out of the Deep Roads but I just… keep expecting it to come roaring back any second."

"What does it sound like?"

Areth was quiet for a beat. "It's hard to describe. But I guess the closest thing I could compare it to is… a song? A song that keeps getting interrupted by a bunch of voices. Kind of chattering voices. Then the song picks back up again, and it's a relief when it does." She pauses, drawing a shuddering breath. Leliana staves off the urge to squeeze her narrow shoulder to remind her that she's still there. "And that's when it starts to get maddening. Because I know it's coming from the Archdemon, but that song… it calls to something in me. Before too long, I want to follow."

Leliana frowned. "Why do you think that is?"

Areth snorted, craning her neck to look over the bard's face. The pale, graceful column of her neck was barely visible but the barest glimpse was enough to warm Leliana's ears. The elf smiled wryly before facing the opposite direction once more.

"I'm not sure I should be tellin' you this at all." She said. "But nobody ever told me it was a Warden secret, so what the hell. Someone besides me and Alistair should know, in case it… does something to us."

"It?" Leliana asked. There was something decidedly off about the seriousness of Areth's tone. She'd never heard the little elf sound so grave before.

"Part of being a Warden… I guess what makes us Wardens, really…" She trailed off, running a hand through her hair. The water slicked it back. "We have to drink darkspawn blood. Which, as you can guess, doesn't turn out well for everyone. But for the ones that do survive, we're-"

"Connected to the Archdemon." Leliana finished. Areth clicked her tongue.

"Exactly."

Leliana mulled the news over for a moment. She knew that there had to be something different about Grey Wardens; they were the only people in all of Thedas that could successfully end a Blight, after all. But to drink the blood of a Darkspawn… even a drop of tainted blood in an open wound would be fatal to most.

"Drinking their blood…" She whispered to herself.

"Awfully macabre, right?" Areth chuckled darkly, splashing water over her narrow, freckled shoulders. "And it can't be good for a body, having the taint coursing through it like that. But Alistair has been really tight-lipped on what all that entails. If he even knows. All I can tell so far is that it means nightmares, wicked headaches, and a seemingly slow descent into bugfuck insanity. Oh, and your stomach somehow gets a lot deeper. My da' would sure be happy to see me eating so much, though." She exhaled sharply, as if in sudden pain. "I should really send a letter out that way, next I can."

Leliana leaned against the wall behind her, happy to let the subject of Darkspawn go.

"You're close with your family, then?"

Areth grumbled her assent and drew her knees up to her chest. Leliana hazarded a glance at the elf to find she was already being regarded with those damnable saucer eyes.

"If we're gonna talk, you might as well face me. S'manners and all."

Leliana's face heated, though she could tell Areth was deliberately avoiding the topic. She could let that go, for now. "I hardly think it's manners to face a naked person when you're talking to them."

Areth rolled her eyes. "I hadn't pegged you for the 'manners' type in that regard. S'not like it's anything you haven't seen before. On yourself, I mean. Or others, probably."

The bard looked down, suddenly leagues more bashful.

"It's different, with you."

"Oh?" Areth said softly. There was a quiet splashing, but Leliana still didn't look up. "How's it different?"

"You know how I feel about you, Areth." Leliana breathed before she could stop herself. Her throat felt tight. Action was easy. Leaning against Areth as they perched in the pine amidst the Frostbacks was easy. Almost kissing her at the gates of Orzammar was easy. Every stolen glance and touch was easy. Actually saying the words out loud, hearing herself say them, that was the hard part. She felt self-conscious and silly, like she did when she was seventeen, fumbling over declarations of adoration and affection for Marjolaine. Once, she loved the feeling it gave her. Now it filled her with howling dread. Her palms were sweaty, and she balled her hands into fists.

"Leliana?" A gentle voice interrupted. She still did not look up.

"I like you, too." Areth said quietly. A slender hand, nicked with scars, covered hers. Leliana swallowed, finally moving her gaze to the elf. She rested her chin upon the back of the tub, clearly straining across the distance to keep her hand on the bard's. "Scares me somethin' awful half the time, but I do."

Leliana's chin quivered. The admission should have relieved her. And in a lot of ways, it did. But it was also a crashing wave of despair. She was so broken, so marred with knots of scars inside and out, and Areth had no idea. All she knew was the image Leliana projected. The witty, flirtatious front. Would Areth want her if she knew what lurked just beyond?

There was a splash of water, then a gentle slap of bare feet against the stone floor. A rustle of fabric, then there was Areth, loose robe tied around her waist, clinging to her still-wet frame. Her eyes were wide as she knelt before Leliana.

"You can't possibly have any idea how much I like you, Leli." She said, sounding short of breath suddenly. Her tiny hands were clenched into fists on her knees. "I don't think I do, either. I mean… you're a shem. You've gotta have a mage in your family somewhere, working that sort of magic."

Leliana couldn't help but chuckle, and Areth's good eye lit up.

"I know it's scary, and maybe not a great idea, being as we're in a war and all." She continued, biting her lip. "Maker knows, I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. But I look at you and I don't think it's possible for you to be one of them."

Leliana's heart was pounding in her ears as Areth dared to put one small, trembling hand over hers once again.

"You don't gotta do anything you don't wanna. But I'm tired of fighting everything all the damn time. I don't have a choice, most of the time. Y'know, like when it's charging at me with a sword. But you've never done that. Quite the opposite, really. So I don't wanna fight it anymore."

A smile tugged across the redhead's face, despite herself. She twisted her hand beneath Areth's, gripping her gently around the wrist and tugging softly. The elf canted forward, but the message was received. Their lips met in the barest of brushes.

"I don't either, ma cherie." Leliana whispered, her hand finding the nape of Areth's neck and pulling her closer.

A low sound escaped from Areth's throat as their lips joined once more, slow and tentative. The angle was awkward, but Leliana couldn't summon a single care for proper kissing technique with such soft lips moving in tandem with hers. She wound her fingers through thick, curly hair, deepening the kiss. A hesitant swipe of a tongue across her bottom lip parted Leliana's lips even further as two small hands came to rest, one upon her hip and one against her cheek. The kiss felt like a slow burn, with each woman growing bolder in her exploration by the second. The tension that had been building in the pit of Leliana's stomach since Lothering had somehow grown tenfold. Almost unthinkingly, she swiped her thumb errantly across the long slope of Areth's ear. The elf tensed, an almost feral hiss tumbling from her lips against Leliana's. The bard pulled away, flashing Areth a sheepish look as she did.

"I forgot." She said apologetically. Areth watched her through hooded eyes, her functioning pupil dilated in desire. Then she smiled, playfully pulling Leliana closer by her collar.

"Sure you did." She said, dropping a feather-light kiss upon her lips before standing. "I'll leave you to your bath, but... I'll be just in there when you're done."

Then Leliana was alone, perched on the stool and staring after the door Areth had left cracked in her wake. Sighing, she stood on wobbly knees to drain the bathtub. She had been looking forward to enjoying this bath, but there was suddenly something she was looking forward to much more.

The ending is a little abrupt, so I'll probably go back and edit that at some point, but I just got tired of having this one stuck in writing-limbo. Hope you enjoyed, and feedback is always welcome!

'Til next time!